After Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney’s Fantasia, from 1940, was quite possibly the studio’s riskiest and definitely their most experimental film. Before 1938, the idea of animated feature was unheard of. The thought that a story could be created, and cartoon characters could be involving enough to carry an entire full length film…
Tag: pageantry
Monty Python’s The Life of Brian (1979) – Terry Jones
I was looking forward to this recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of The Ten Commandments; the gang from Monty Python taking on religion. Brian (Graham Chapman) was born on the same day as Jesus, just in the stable next door, and consequently, spends his life…
The Ten Commandments (1956) – Cecil B. DeMille
Melodrama and spectacle are the order of the day as I dive back into the Historical genre of the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. DeMille’s remake of his own 1923 is a towering, four hour long epic that boasted top of the line effects (at the time), stellar casting, including Charlton…
El Cid (1961) – Anthony Mann
The recommendations for my viewing of Henry V for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book gets underway with this towering film from Anthony Mann. Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren headline in this three-hour epic that chronicles the life and times of El Cid, known in Spain as Rodrigo Diaz (Heston), a…
The Mind Reels 