Displaying items by tag: Sheldon Hall
An Offer Moviegoers Couldn’t Refuse: Remembering “The Godfather” on its 50th Anniversary
“The Godfather has become such an indelible part of American culture and world culture that it’s become one of those films that everyone knows even if they’ve never seen it.” – Ray Morton, author of King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola’s legendary film about the Corleone crime family.
Based upon Mario Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel, the film adaptation starring Marlon Brando (A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront) won three Academy Awards (including Best Picture), was for a period of time the highest-grossing motion picture, spawned two sequels, and influenced countless filmmakers. The Godfather also starred Al Pacino (Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface), James Caan (Rollerball, Thief), Richard Castellano (A Fine Madness, Lovers and Other Strangers), Robert Duvall (The Great Santini, Tender Mercies), Sterling Hayden (The Killing, The Long Goodbye), John Marley (Faces, Love Story), Richard Conte (I’ll Cry Tomorrow, Ocean’s 11), and Diane Keaton (Annie Hall, Looking for Mr. Goodbar). [Read on here...]
- Bill Hunt
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Michael Coate
- The Digital Bits
- The Godfather
- 50th Anniversary
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Paramount
- Marlon Brando
- Corleone
- mafia
- crime family
- Italian
- Mario Puzo
- The Godfather Part II
- The Godfather Part III
- The Godfather Epic
- The Godfather Saga
- The Godfather Coda
- Best Picture
- Al Pacino
- James Caan
- Richard Castellano
- Robert Duvall
- Sterling Hayden
- John Marley
- Richard Conte
- Diane Keaton
- 1972
- Harlan Lebo
- Robert Casillo
- Tom Santopietro
- Raymond Benson
- Alison Martino
- Jon Lewis
- John Cork
- Sergio Angelini
- Ray Morton
- An Offer Moviegoers Couldn’t Refuse
- Lee Pfeiffer
- Gary Leva
- Larry Karaszewski
- Joseph McBride
- Amy Holden Jones
- Lawrence Grobel
- Jane Barnwell
- Roy H Wagner
- Roger Deakins
- Richard Crudo
- M David Mullen
- Saul Pincus
- Paul Hirsch
- Jon Burlingame
- Steve Lee
- Beverly Gray
- Chris Chiarella
- Scott Mendelson
- Sheldon Hall
- Kimberly Peirce
- Ron Dassa
- Robert A Harris
- Daniel Waters
- Dana Renga
Army of Darkness 4K details official, plus E.T. 40th, Running Man, Rise of Gru, Punisher: War Zone, The Police Story Trilogy & much more
All right, sorry for the lack of an update over the last couple of days. We’ve been very busy here at the site, working on reviews, preparing for some big upcoming reviews, and finishing a few more site upgrades. But the major reason is that there’s a ton of breaking and evolving release news to cover, and getting to the bottom of it all—collating all the details, checking in with sources, confirming key pieces of release information—takes a huge amount of time. But I’m always up for a challenge.
Before we get to that, however, let’s share those disc reviews we’ve been working on over the past few days...
First up, I’ve posted my thoughts on John Milius’ Red Dawn (1984) from Shout! Factory and also Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) from Universal, both in 4K Ultra HD.
Tim has delivered a look at Joel Schumacher’s Flatliners (1990) in 4K UHD from Arrow Video, as well as John Carpenter’s Escape from New York (1981) in 4K from Scream Factory.
Dennis has reviewed a number of regular Blu-ray titles in the last few days, including Lon Chaney: Before the Thousand Faces – Volume 2 from Undercrank Productions, Josh and Benny Safdie’s Daddy Longlegs (2009) from Criterion, and Jack Gold’s The Tenth Man (1988) and Ken Hughes’s The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
And finally, Stephen has delivered in-depth looks at Paul W.S. Anderson’s Event Horizon (1997)—a Steelbook release that’s getting hard to find here in the States—and Jeff Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) both in 4K Ultra HD from Paramount, along with Michael Findlay’s Shriek of the Mutilated (1974) on Blu-ray from American Films via Vinegar Syndrome.
As always more disc reviews are on the way in the coming days. [Read on here...]
- Paramount Home Entertainment
- ET the Extra Terrestrial 40th Anniversary 4K Steelbook
- Steven Spielberg
- Warner Bros Home Entertainment
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bluray
- Top Gun: Maverick 4K
- Red Dawn 4K review
- Jurassic World: Dominion 4K review
- Tim Salmons
- Dennis Seuling
- Stephen Bjork
- Flatliners 4K review
- Escape from New York 4K review
- Lon Chaney: Before the Thousand Faces V2 BD review
- Daddy Longlegs BD review
- The Tenth Man BD review
- The Trials of Oscar Wilde BD review
- Event Horizon 4K review
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 4K review
- Shriek of the Mutilated BD review
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Stanley Kubrick
- A Clockwork Orange 50th anniversary
- Raymond Benson
- John Cork
- Sheldon Hall
- Peter Krämer
- Army of Darkness: Collector’s Edition 4K
- Shout! Factory
- Scream Factory
- Sam Raimi
- The Running Man 4K
- Paramount
- Steelbook
- ET: The Extra Terrestrial 40th Anniversary 4K
- Universal
- Minions: The Rise of Gru 4K
- DC League of Super Pets 4K
- Middle Earth: Ultimate Collector's Edition
- Lionsgate
- Punisher: War Zone 4K
- Blue Underground
- The Final Countdown 4K
- The Police Story Trilogy 4K
- Eureka!
- Jackie Chan
The Ludovico Technique: Remembering “A Clockwork Orange” on its 50th Anniversary
“Quite simply, A Clockwork Orange is significant because it’s a Stanley Kubrick film.” – Raymond Benson, Cinema Retro
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick’s (Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey) critically acclaimed film based upon Anthony Burgess’s novel and starring Malcolm McDowell (Time After Time, O Lucky Man!) as gang leader Alex whose principal interests of rape, ultra-violence and Beethoven occupy his life before the government attempts a rehabilitation.
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards (including Best Picture), and in 2020 the Library of Congress selected A Clockwork Orange for preservation in the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” Its most recent home media release, on 4K UHD, was in 2021 (and is 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
Around the World in 60 Years: Remembering “Around the World in 80 Days” on its 60th Anniversary
“Around the World in Eighty Days, and more specifically, Mike Todd, defined the way to sell a hard ticket roadshow film. It was important to present the show just like the legitimate stage on Broadway.” — American Widescreen Museum curator Martin Hart
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective article commemorating the 60th anniversary of the release of Around the World in Eighty Days, Mike Todd’s cinematic production of the classic Jules Verne novel which starred David Niven, Cantinflas and Shirley MacLaine, plus an all-star selection of cameos. [Read on here...]
The Box-Office Champ: Remembering “Gone with the Wind” on its 75th Anniversary
[Editor’s Note: This article was intended to appear a year ago for the film’s 75th anniversary. Following a series of delays and cancellations, it’s being published now for the film’s 76th anniversary. And if you’re upset about the delay, well, frankly, my dear readers, I don’t give a damn.]
“Never in our lifetime have eyes beheld its equal”
The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective article commemorating the 75th anniversary of the release of Gone With the Wind, David O. Selznick’s acclaimed motion picture adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s best-selling novel of the Old South and which starred Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Vivian Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara. [Read on here...]
Still Loverly: Remembering “My Fair Lady” on its 50th Anniversary
[Editor’s Note: This article was originally scheduled to appear a year ago for the film’s 50th anniversary. The article was delayed so that it could be published to coincide with the delayed but now available Blu-ray Disc release.]
“My Fair Lady is probably the greatest popular smart musical ever made. The melodies soar, the characters endear and engage, and the wit of so much pointed commentary on social class, gender, money, and surface appearances never lapses into self-conscious cleverness.” — film historian and author Matthew Kennedy [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…]
Sweet Charity: The Roadshow Engagements
“The Musical with a Heart of Gold”
The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 45th anniversary of the release of Sweet Charity, starring Shirley MacLaine as Charity Hope Valentine and highlighted by numerous musical numbers, including “Rich Man’s Frug,” “The Rhythm of Life,” and “I’m a Brass Band.”
Though not yet released on Blu-ray Disc (Universal…what are you waiting for?), The Bits celebrates the musical’s 45th anniversary with a detailed listing of the film’s original, major-market roadshow engagements in the United States and Canada as well as an interview with a trio of roadshow history authorities. [Read on here…]
"Zulu" 50th Anniversary
A FEW MINUTES WITH FILM HISTORIAN SHELDON HALL
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the premiere and the release this week of a new Blu-ray Disc from Twilight Time, The Digital Bits offers a reflective interview with film historian Sheldon Hall on Zulu, the extraordinary story of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, starring Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins and Michael Caine. [Read on here…]
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