Tag Archives: Al Pacino

Peter Labuza Interviews Me for The Cinephiliacs Podcast: We Discuss John Cassavetes’ Opening Night

I had a great time talking with Peter Labuza for his wonderful Cinephiliacs podcast. You can download the episode here. We get into it! We talk about actors, movies, movie stars, John Wayne, Elvis, Judy Garland, gesture – and then … Continue reading

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Movie Notes: The Snake Pit (1947), The Panic in Needle Park (1971), Jezebel (1938), I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007)

The Snake Pit Directed by Anatole Litvak Olivia de Havilland was nominated for an Oscar for her role in The Snake Pit. She plays Virginia, a troubled woman who has a mental crack-up three days after getting married, and is … Continue reading

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The Books: “Baby Doll” (Carroll Baker)

Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Baby Doll: An Autobiography, by Carroll Baker When I was about 12 years old, I first saw East of Eden, around the same time that I saw Dog Day Afternoon, a movie I didn’t really … Continue reading

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Fall 1995: Acting Notebook

Going through all these old notebooks – I came across the notebooks I kept during grad school. At first they start out all work, no play … which is interesting in and of itself – but the notebooks I kept … Continue reading

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Faces I love, part 2

Here’s part 1.

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Sidney Lumet: On Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon

Excerpt from Sidney Lumet’s Making Movies: Sidney Lumet: One of the most difficult acting scenes I’ve ever encountered was on Dog Day Afternoon. About two-thirds of the way through the movie, Pacino makes two phone calls: one to his “wife” … Continue reading

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Sidney Lumet: On Stars

Arthur Miller said, about Clark Gable, and other giant stars: Great actor-personalities, I have come to think, are like trained bears in that they attract us with their discipline while their powerful claws threaten us; a great star implies he … Continue reading

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Sidney Lumet: Actors and Writers

Sidney Lumet: Sometimes the relationship between actors and writers gets very testy indeed. As the director, I have to be very careful here. I need them both. Most writers hate actors. And yet stars are the keys to getting a … Continue reading

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Sidney Lumet: Being “The Boss”

Excerpt from Making Movies: Sidney Lumet: So how independent am I? Like all bosses – and on set, I’m the boss – I’m the boss only up to a point. And to me that’s what’s so exciting. I’m in charge … Continue reading

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Joining Budd Schulberg’s Walking Tour of Hoboken

Here is an entry from my old blog, which seems appropriate, today. I wrote it in honor of the 50th anniversary of On the Waterfront. It became a post about what inspired me as a kid, what those old films … Continue reading

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