The Late Show - The Late Movies Blogathon: Giant (1956)

by Tony Dayoub

This post is a contribution to The Late Show - The Late Movies Blogathon running through December 7th and hosted by David Cairns of Shadowplay.

I'm sure it's been written about, but personally, I'm just speculating when I say that a classicist like George Stevens (Shane) probably had his hands full tamping down the Method-y exuberance of rising star James Dean when they collaborated on what would be the doomed actor's final film, Giant (1956). But why guess, when you can see the lengths Stevens went to in order to keep Dean from running away with Giant in the movie itself? Let's look at some screen grabs (off the new Giant Blu-ray and which can all be enlarged if you click on them) of three key scenes featuring Dean.

The Taylor Library

The best of Elizabeth on DVD

by Tony Dayoub

By now, many have eulogized the legendary Liz Taylor. So I'll instead celebrate the most notable of what's available on DVD. More than a simple "best of," I really hope to showcase her most significant performances, with an eye toward the quality of their video presentation as well.

Wide Screen's Tribute to Elizabeth Taylor

by Tony Dayoub

Film lovers and readers of this blog may be interested in checking out this week's issue of Wide Screen. It's an all-Liz Taylor edition, a tribute to the superstar put together pretty quickly by our illustrious editor, Glenn Kenny, chief critic for MSN Movies. In this issue you'll find an auteurist's observations on Taylor's career by Kenny; a lovely remembrance by Farran Smith Nehme, The Self-Styled Siren; two galleries containing rare photos of the actress; Vadim Rizov's usual look at the media, in this case comparing its farewells to La Liz; and a survey of the actress's best films on DVD by yours truly. All of this, plus Simon Abrams's latest on this week's theatrical releases.

If you haven't yet signed up for the month-long free trial, I can't think of a better issue to start with.

CONTINUE READING AT NOMAD EDITIONS: WIDE SCREEN

Elizabeth Taylor

by Tony Dayoub

"Seems like we always spend the best part of our time just saying goodbye."

-Elizabeth Taylor as Angela Vickers in A Place in the Sun (1951)

One of cinema's most iconic stars is gone. Certainly there has never been an actor who had gained as much attention for her personal life as she had for her work like Elizabeth Taylor. Married eight times, twice to the volatile love of her life, actor Richard Burton, Taylor seemed to weather scandal easily. She had been in the public eye since childhood, when she starred in such movies as Lassie Come Home (1943) and National Velvet (1944). Perhaps it was the casual way she managed the lifelong attention she received from the press that helped her comfort damaged souls like Montgomery Clift and Michael Jackson, close friends of hers, through their own public trials and tribulations. Since many of the countless tributes yet to be seen in the next few days will focus on her personal life, I'd like to talk about several of her roles which have shone brightest for me.