Displaying items by tag: Joseph McBride
Return to Bedford Falls: Remembering “It’s a Wonderful Life” on its 75th Anniversary
“It's a Wonderful Life is truly the platinum standard in Christmas movies; the benchmark by which all other entries in the genre are judged.” — Thomas A. Christie, author of The Christmas Movie Book
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 75th anniversary of the release of It’s a Wonderful Life, the Christmas classic directed by Frank Capra (It Happened One Night, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) and starring James Stewart (The Philadelphia Story, Vertigo) and Donna Reed (From Here to Eternity, The Donna Reed Show).
In 1990 the Library of Congress selected It’s a Wonderful Life for preservation in the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” and in 1998 the American Film Institute (AFI) recognized the film as the 11th greatest movie ever made. The film has been released countless times on home media formats with its most recent release (on 4K UHD) in 2019 (and reviewed here). [Read on here...]
It’s Not the Years, It’s the Mileage: Remembering “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on its 40th Anniversary
“As soon as Indy stepped out of the shadows in that first scene and revealed himself to us with that badass confidence and intensity, I feel like in that moment, Harrison Ford truly became a movie star of the highest order.” – Charles de Lauzirika, producer/director of Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this multi-page retrospective article commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Lucas & Spielberg action classic that introduced moviegoers to the globe-trotting adventures of Indiana Jones and spawned a franchise of sequels, prequels, games, and theme park attractions.
Raiders, featuring Harrison Ford as everyone’s favorite cinematic archaeologist, was the most successful movie of its year of release and for a period of time the third highest-grossing motion picture of all time. The Oscar-winning movie also starred Karen Allen as heroine Marion Ravenwood, Paul Freeman as archvillain Belloq, Ronald Lacey as villain Toht, John Rhys-Davies as sidekick Sallah, and Denholm Elliott as colleague Marcus Brody.
In 1999 the Library of Congress selected Raiders of the Lost Ark for preservation in the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant,” and earlier this year, Raiders and the other movies in the series were released for the first time on 4K UHD (reviewed here). [Read on here...]
- 40th anniversary
- 70 mm
- John Williams
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Indiana Jones
- Harrison Ford
- Steven Spielberg
- George Lucas
- Karen Allen
- Marion Ravenwood
- Paul Freeman
- Belloq
- Ronald Lacey
- Toht
- Nazis
- John RhysDavies
- Sallah
- Denholm Elliott
- Marcus Brody
- archeology
- 1981
- Marshall College
- 1930s
- Mike Matessino
- Scott Higgins
- Bill Hunt
- Eric Lichtenfeld
- Julie Kirgo
- Zaki Hasan
- Steven Awalt
- Van Ling
- Dan Madsen
- Mark O’Connell
- Stephen Danley
- Steve Lee
- Joseph McBride
- Craig Stevens
- Jonathan Rinzler
- Bruce Scivally
- Paul M Sammon
- Saul Pincus
- Laurent Bouzereau
- Tom Shone
- Scott Mendelson
- Sheldon Hall
- James Kendrick
- Jeff Bond
- Michael Kaminski
- Daren Dochterman
- Peter Krämer
- Gary Leva
- WR Miller
- Lee Pfeiffer
- Mark A Altman
- Michael Klastorin
- Chris Salewicz
- Charles de Lauzirika
- William Kallay
- Michael Rubin
- John Cork
- Ray Morton
- Pete Vilmur
- Alison Martino
- Eric Zala
- Steven Jay Rubin
- Scott Mantz
- Cliff Stephenson
- John Scoleri
- Michael Stradford
- Sarah Woloski
- Neil S Bulk
- Beverly Gray
- M David Mullen ASC
- Jon Burlingame
- Joe Fordham
- Gianluca Sergi
- Ioan Allen
- F Hudson Miller
- Jim Bowers
- David C Fein
- John Wilson
- Don Beelik
- Nick Coston
- Gabriel August Neeb
- Tim Bishop
- Gary Gerani
- Scott Rogers
- Caseen Gaines
Verisimilitude: Remembering “Superman: The Movie” on its 40th Anniversary
“Superman: The Movie radiated magic in 1978 and continues to captivate the world 40 years later. This December, surely multitudes of fans will be watching Superman—via streaming, DVD, Blu-ray or the new 4K UHD—with the same hope, optimism, and innocence they felt the first time they watched in awe as Christopher Reeve soared out of the Fortress of Solitude and into the world.” — Jim Bowers, CapedWonder.com
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Superman, Richard Donner’s classic superhero adventure starring Christopher Reeve (Somewhere in Time, Monsignor). The year 2018 also marks the 80th anniversary of Superman’s debut in Action Comics.
Often described as the first modern-day superhero movie, Superman (aka Superman: The Movie) was a box-office smash and winner of numerous awards and, of course, inspired a series of sequels and spin-offs as well as, arguably, decades of superhero/comicbook-themed media. [Read on here...]
- John Williams
- Mike Matessino
- Joseph McBride
- film retrospective
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Jim Bowers
- Caped Wonder
- Kevin Burns
- Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman
- Superman soundtrack CD
- Bruce Scivally
- Superman on Film, Television, Radio & Broadway
- Larry Tye
- 40th anniversary
- Superman: The Movie
- Richard Donner
- Christopher Reeve
- Gene Hackman
- Superman: The HighFlying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero
- Marlon Brando
- Margot Kidder
- Glenn Ford
- Ned Beatty
- Jackie Cooper
- Terrance Stamp
- Phyllis Thaxter
- Trevor Howard
- Vallerie Perrine
- Maria Schell
- Susannah York
- Jeff East
- Marc McClure
- Sarah Douglas
- Jack O’Halloran
- Geoffrey Unsworth
- Mario Puzo
- 70mm
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Cinema: Remembering “Jurassic Park” on its 25th Anniversary
“It takes a filmmaker as deeply imaginative, but also technically savvy as Steven Spielberg to orchestrate and bring [all of the elements] together into a cohesive whole that works with his intricate vision as a storyteller, in both moments and big picture. There are other filmmakers who would have made wonderful adaptations of the Crichton book, no doubt, but the project landed in the right, highly skilled hands, heart and imagination.” — Steven Awalt, author of Steven Spielberg and Duel: The Making of a Film Career
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the silver anniversary of the release of Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg’s popular and franchise-inspiring adaptation of Michael Crichton’s best-selling novel starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough and which showcased groundbreaking and award-winning visual effects and audio. [Read on here...]
- film retrospective
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Jurassic Park
- Jeff Goldblum
- Sam Neill
- Laura Dern
- Steven Spielberg
- 25th Anniversary
- Richard Attenborough
- Michael Crichton
- CG dinosaurs
- Joseph McBride
- Mike Matessino
- Steven Awalt
- Steven Spielberg: A Biography
- Steven Spielberg and Duel: The Making of a Film Career
- La La Land Records
- The John Williams Jurassic Park Soundtrack Collection
Still Watching the Skies: Remembering “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” on its 40th Anniversary
“Close Encounters helps demonstrate perhaps better than any other why Steven Spielberg is one of the greatest American filmmakers.” — Spielberg biographer Joseph McBride
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Steven Spielberg’s legendary science-fiction film starring Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary, an electrical lineman who obsesses over the sighting, physical evidence and, ultimately, contact with a UFO.
The film, which also starred Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon and Francois Truffaut, was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning for Vilmos Zsigmond’s cinematography (and also receiving a special achievement award for sound effects editing). [Read on here...]
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Michael Coate
- The Digital Bits
- film retrospective
- Steven Spielberg
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 40th Anniversary
- Richard Dreyfuss
- Terri Garr
- Melinda Dillon
- Francois Truffaut
- Joseph McBride
- Vilmos Zsigmond
- Laurent Bouzereau
- Michael Klastorin
- Mike Matessino
- John Williams
The Greatest Film of All Time?: Remembering “Citizen Kane” on its 75th Anniversary
“Citizen Kane towers over most other films. Few are in its league. It has a legacy for filmmakers as the film to beat, and for critics as one of the best of the best.” — Young Orson: The Years of Luck and Genius on the Path to Citizen Kane author Patrick McGilligan
The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the diamond anniversary of the release of Citizen Kane, Orson Welles’s legendary film about newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane and the pursuit of the meaning of “Rosebud.” [Read on here...]
The Great Adventure: Remembering “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on its 35th Anniversary
“The guys who made Jaws and Star Wars have done it again. It’s too good to be true.” — David Ansen, Newsweek
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective article commemorating the 35th anniversary of the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the immensely popular Spielberg & Lucas action extravaganza that introduced moviegoers to the globe-trotting adventures of Indiana Jones.
Raiders, featuring Harrison Ford as everyone’s favorite archaeologist, opened 35 years ago this week, and for the occasion The Bits features a compilation of box-office data that places the movie’s performance in context, production and exhibition information, a list of the film’s 70-millimeter “showcase” presentations, and an interview segment with a group of Spielberg authorities. [Read on here...]
The Game Changer: Celebrating “Jaws” on its 40th Anniversary
“Jaws was something of an accidental blockbuster. It should not be blamed for being a good movie.” — Joseph McBride
The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Jaws, Steven Spielberg’s legendary tale of a Great White preying on a coastal New England resort community during the lucrative summer tourism season.
Based upon Peter Benchley’s best-selling novel and starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss, Jaws shattered all existing box-office records, scared the wits out of beachgoers, and became every studio’s dream model of a summer blockbuster (and, in some circles, a whipping boy for popular, successful movies). [Read on here…]
X Marks the Spot: Remembering “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” on its 25th Anniversary
“There was no way for Spielberg to top himself, and perhaps it is just as well that Last Crusade will indeed be Indy's last film. It would be too sad to see the series grow old and thin, like the James Bond movies.” — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the silver anniversary of the release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, George Lucas & Steven Spielberg’s third entry in the popular Indiana Jones movie series starring Harrison Ford as everyone’s favorite archaeologist-adventurer.
The Bits celebrates the occasion with this retrospective featuring a compilation of box-office data that places the movie’s performance in context, quotes from well-known movie critics, production and exhibition information, and a list of the 70-millimeter “showcase” presentations.
The article also features an interview segment with a quartet of film historians (found on Page 2), who discuss the attributes of the movie and whether or not it has endured. [Read on here…]