I watched it again last night (HD version, streaming on Prime) for St. Patrick's Day. I'll always be thankful to David Lean, Robert Bolt, and all the cast and crew for making such a beautiful film, and to MGM for sparing no expense.
Also 4 Oscar nominations:
Best Actress - Sarah Miles
Best Supporting Actor - John Mills (winner)
Best Cinematography - Freddie Young (winner)
Best Sound
Not only does Ryan's Daughter feature uniformly fine performances including an Oscar winner (John Mills), plus video/audio system demonstration-level cinematography and sound, but the story says a lot about guilt, punishment, penance and forgiveness in very moving ways. It's a beautiful film in...
I wonder if Vincent Canby liked it better when he saw it the second time with a paying audience? 2001 got lots of bad reviews as well, but more than one critic went back to see it again, and then reversed their opinion of it in print.
It's true those were all local NYC critics, but Judith Crist was a national figure. She was a regular fixture on the Today Show, and she wrote a weekly column in TV Guide. Woody Allen spoofed her in Stardust Memories.
I've always liked Wanda Hale because she came out in defense of my...
This was the version I probably saw in 1971, in 35mm general release. It was also the version that was always shown on TV. I didn't see the full version, with the original opening on the Cliffs of Moher, until the VHS tape came out. Strange why that particular scene was cut: it was the basis...
The audience reaction was very good. At least I think it was because they were all behind me. I was in the front row so I could be overwhelmed by it. I would go again in a heartbeat, even with the Swedish subtitles.
I had to settle for 35mm when I first saw it in 1971, but I sat in the front row to compensate. It's strange how much this movie polarizes people. Slow, boring, too long - I've heard it all. I try to watch it at least once a year, and the 3 1/2 hours literally fly by.
I'm always hearing about how much it was hated by the critics. Pauline Kael and Richard Schickel hated it, but it looks like they might have been a very vocal minority.
When I finally got to see it in 70mm, it was the Swedish print, shown at Lincoln Center in New York City. The title card for the intermission said PAUS.
Another incredible announcement from Dave Strohmaier! Even if it's years away, it was great to read about another amazing find. I may be asking for too much, but is it possible for 80 Days to be presented in Smilebox? Weren't the original Todd-AO engagements shown on curved screens?
I would...
King Kong (1933)
The Wizard of Oz
Citizen Kane
Marty
Vertigo
West Side Story (1961)
Lawrence of Arabia
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Godfather Part II
Star Wars (1977)
But I could easily give 10 or even 20 more.
When I first saw Greatest Story as a kid, I thought the Calvary music was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever heard, but I thought Alfred Newman wrote it. I had no idea it was from Verdi's Requiem. I was under that mistaken impression for years.
The cinematographer responsible for those beautiful images, William C. Mellor, died of a heart attack during production. He won an Oscar for The Diary of Anne Frank, Stevens' most recent film. He was replaced by Loyal Griggs, who had won an Oscar for Stevens' film Shane.
Greatest Story was...
George Stevens was attached to the Greatest Story project since 1958. I guess he didn't want to give up on it. Both movies are very good, but Stevens really worked hard to make his film as beautiful as it could possibly be.
I know it was filmed in Super Panavision 70mm, but I first saw it on a curved Cinerama screen in 1968 and I would love to see it that way again. Especially now that the Smilebox process has been perfected, based on what I saw on Brothers Grimm. Imagine what the Star Gate sequence would look...