James Cameron on spending his 40th birthday with Stanley Kubrick explaining to him how "True Lies" (1994) was made:
"Meeting Stanley Kubrick was my 40th birthday present to myself. I was on vacation in Europe, and I called him up and said, "I'm coming over," and went to his house in England. My wife at the time was freaked out that I wasn't going to be back home for my birthday. But I said, "I'm going to meet Stanley Kubrick. There's no present, no surprise party, no nothing you could give me that would supersede that."
So I went to see this reclusive guy knocking around this big house and he just totally wanted to know how 'True Lies' (1994) was made. He had a print of it on his KEM down in his basement, and made me sit there and tell him how I had done all the effects shots. So I spent the whole time talking about my movie with Stanley Kubrick, which was not where I thought the day was going to go. But I want to be like Stanley, I want to be that guy. When I'm 80, I want to still be the guy trying to figure it all out."
(James Cameron's interview to Jeffrey Resner, DGA Quarterly, 2008)
P.S: On this day, 32 years ago, "True Lies" (1994) premiered in Westwood, California, USA.
Laurence Olivier.
(May 22, 1907 - July 11, 1989)
A handsome British actor with a magnificent speaking voice.
Alfred Hitchcock fans will remember his portrayal of 'Maxim' de Winter in REBECCA (1940).
Her beauty is so angelic
Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-born American actress and inventor who became one of Hollywood’s most glamorous stars during the 1930s and 1940s. She was admired for her beauty, elegance, and acting talent, but she is also remembered for her remarkable contributions to science and technology.
During World War II, Hedy teamed up with composer George Antheil to develop a technology that would help the Allies. Together, they created a communication system based on “frequency hopping”, a technique in which the radio signal constantly switched channels, making it difficult for enemies to intercept or jam the transmission. The idea was mainly applied to the control of guided torpedoes, making attacks safer and more accurate.
At the time, the invention wasn’t taken seriously by military authorities and ended up being shelved. However, decades later, the principles behind frequency hopping began to be used in various modern technologies. Today, this invention is recognized as the foundation for wireless networks such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and even GPS.
It was only many years later that Hedy Lamarr began to receive recognition for her scientific contribution. She eventually received awards and posthumous honors, and is now considered a pioneer in communication technology.
#hedylamarr #ziegfeldgirl #oldhollywood #beautyandbrains #viral
Barbara Dennek in Jacques Tati’s PlayTime (1967)
One of the most elegant practical effects in cinema.
She opens the door… and the Eiffel Tower appears.
According to Richard Widmark, Jack Palance did his own stunt of climbing the boat rope in Elia Kazan's "Panic in the Streets" (1950) after two stuntmen failed. Widmark said "Palance is a good actor—and a nice guy, really; very soft and quiet. But, man, you want to stay away from him—when he gets into these moods!"
After they'd rehearsed with a rubber gun Palance switched to a real one and knocked Widmark out for 20 minutes. Widmark said, "He's one tough guy, strong as a gorilla."
He said in another interview Widmark said, "Jack Palance is the toughest guy I ever met. He was the only actor I've ever been physically afraid of."
("Richard Widmark - A Bio-Bibliography", Kim Holston, 1990 & IMDb)
P.S: 1) On this day, 76 years ago, "Panic in the Streets" (1950) premiered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
2) It was also the debut film of Jack Palance.
In her silent anonymity, she is like the unknown girls in paintings such as Vermeer's The Lacemaker.
Isabelle Huppert in La Dentellière “The Lacemaker”dir. By Claude Goretta, 1977
Claude Brasseur,
June 15, 1936 – December 22, 2020.
Running through the Louvre with Anna Karina and Sami Frey in Jean-Luc Godard’s Band of Outsiders (1964). https://t.co/oC6j8c3f3K