Category Archives: On This Day

“I don’t need to ‘tell’ the story…The story is being told from itself by following the different moments in different locations.” — Mia Hansen-Løve

One of my favorite contemporary film-makers is Mia Hansen-Løve. Hansen-Løve is interested in how people listen, how people walk and move through space from point A to point B, she’s interested in the locations where they live, the conversations they … Continue reading

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“Often I pretended to a cameraman to know less than I did. That way I got more cooperation.” — Ida Lupino

It’s the birthday of actress and director Ida Lupino. To give some perspective on her unlikely and inspiring trajectory: she was born into a theatre family dynasty. By the time she was 14, 15, she was playing adult roles. She … Continue reading

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February 3, 1959: The Day the Music Died

Buddy Holly was #13 on Rolling Stones’ 100 Greatest Artists list, and John Mellencamp wrote a very touching couple of paragraphs about Buddy Holly as the ultimate hillbilly, and how important that was: I was just a little kid when … Continue reading

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On This Day: February 2, 1882/1922

“I was on the platform, my heart going like the locomotive, as the train from Dijon came slowly to a standstill and I saw the conductor getting off, holding a parcel and looking around for someone — me. In a … Continue reading

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“I want a fever, in poetry: a fever, and tranquillity.” — poet James Dickey

“a fever and tranquility” – an intriguing combination. James Dickey is probably most well-known for his novel Deliverance – but even there, it was really the film of said book that made him a household name. Dickey wrote the screenplay … Continue reading

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“I still keep my watch two hours behind.” — Lisa Marie Presley

It’s her birthday today. Her absence still seems a little unreal. My reaction to her untimely death was so strong – and had nothing whatsoever to do with her dad, but with my own experience of her presence in the … Continue reading

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“The mood of the Blues is almost always despondency, but when they are sung people laugh.” — Langston Hughes

The Blues always impressed me as being very sad, sadder even than the Spirituals, because their sadness is not softened with tears, but hardened with laughter … of a sadness where there is no god to appeal to. — Langston … Continue reading

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“The main thing about directing is: photograph the people’s eyes.” — John Ford

It’s his birthday today. For Film Comment, I wrote about his somber, emotional WWII movie, with the title that really BITES: They Were Expendable. And they really were expendable. It’s an amazing film and – in my opinion – one … Continue reading

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“All these weird stages in my teenage years are documented. Why did no one tell me how terrible some of those outfits were?”– Justin Timberlake

“The thing is that my idols have always been the types of guys who could do anything: Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Sinatra, Dean Martin; and when you look up to people like that, you don’t accept that you need to … Continue reading

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“The notion of ‘building a career’ had never been heard or dreamed of when I was young.” — Vanessa Redgrave

My friend Dan Callahan wrote the first major biography of Vanessa Redgrave, and he is voluminous on the topic: her career, her gift as an actress. Dan is one of the best writers today on the art of acting (and … Continue reading

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