2 Scenes from La Dolce Vita- Trevi Fountain and The End

Written by Joe D on June 25th, 2010

Here are some scenes from Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, the likes of which we’ll never see again, Mastroianni, Ekberg, Fellini, Nino Rota’s music, B&W Scope. The shots of Ekberg in the fountain, her blonde hair cascading down her back like the water behind her, some of the greatest in Cinema! And the mysterious ending, dialog no one can hear, looks , gestures on an existential beach with all the sound added later, so atmospheric, so lovely and sad. Enjoy!

In A Lonely Place

Written by Joe D on June 8th, 2010

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Gloria, Bogey and Nick Ray confer on the set

Here for your viewing pleasure is Nick Ray’s In A Lonley Place. Produced by Bogart’s Santana Production Company, the film took a while to get underway due to the studio not approving Gloria Grahame, Nick Ray’s wife at the time. When the film finally got underway Nick and Gloria were splitsville. A few years later Gloria married Nick’s son. Oedipus in tinseltown. The characters are all fucked up which is what makes the film good.

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Are These The Hands Of A Killer?

The music sucks but what can you do, this film was made during a transitional period, in old Hollywood films there was music under dialog scenes commenting on everything in an obvious way, this film still has a lot of that. Although there is an appearance by the amazing Hadda Brooks, tinkling the ivories and vocalizing at a piano bar while Bogey and Grahame look on. Gloria Grahame is at her sexiest in this film, she’s incredible. Bogey is great too, weird but great. Louise Brooks said this film captured the real Humphrey Bogart more than any other. It’s interesting how the patented Bogey dialog doesn’t quite work here, you know like the lines from The Big Sleep with Betty Bacall , “You have a touch of class but you don’t like to be rated…” I think it’s because it was made during a transitional time, getting away from the conventions of Old Hollywood, Bogey getting older, vulnerable, screwed up. Mortality taking it’s toll. Watch it for yourself and decide.

Wilhelm Scream, Flying Purple People Eater?

Written by Joe D on June 2nd, 2010

Harry Bromley Davenport, an independent filmmaker and friend wrote in with an idea, a post about the Wilhelm scream. The infamous sound effect used in countless movies as sort of an in-joke among sound editors. Harry forwarded me a link to an article that claims to identify the famous but till now unidentified screamer. The article names Sheb Wooley as the Wilhelm screamer! A Western type cowboy actor and author of the big hit song Flying Purple Eater.

Here’s the very first use of the Wilhelm scream. From a movie called Charge At Feather River.

And here’s a compilation of many Wilhelm’s.

Was it Sheb Wooley? Who knows for sure, maybe it’s destined to be an eternal mystery like who really killed the Black Dahlia.