Maurice Hines, an actor, dancer and choreographer who starred with his brother Gregory Hines in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Cotton Club,” died Friday. He was 80.
Friends including Debbie Allen and John Manzari reported the news of his death.
Hines began studying tap dancing at 5 years old, making his Broadway debut in “The Girl in Pink Tights” in 1954. With an act modeled after the Nicholas Brothers, Maurice and his older brother Gregory, who died in 2003, began touring with their dancer father as Hines, Hines & Dad, appearing across the country and on several TV shows.
When Maurice Hines decided to go solo, he was cast as Nathan Detroit in a national tour of “Guys and Dolls,” then performed on Broadway in “Eubie!” On “Uptown…It’s Hot!” he worked as choreographer and performer, netting a Tony nomination for best actor in a musical.
Among the other shows he choreographed were “Harlem Suite,...
Friends including Debbie Allen and John Manzari reported the news of his death.
Hines began studying tap dancing at 5 years old, making his Broadway debut in “The Girl in Pink Tights” in 1954. With an act modeled after the Nicholas Brothers, Maurice and his older brother Gregory, who died in 2003, began touring with their dancer father as Hines, Hines & Dad, appearing across the country and on several TV shows.
When Maurice Hines decided to go solo, he was cast as Nathan Detroit in a national tour of “Guys and Dolls,” then performed on Broadway in “Eubie!” On “Uptown…It’s Hot!” he worked as choreographer and performer, netting a Tony nomination for best actor in a musical.
Among the other shows he choreographed were “Harlem Suite,...
- 12/30/2023
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Maurice Hines, who tap danced his way to a Tony nomination during a long stage career and was a frequent TV guest, has died at the age of 80, according to reports from friends and family.
Hines began working in show business at age five. He made his Broadway debut in The Girl in the Pink Tights in 1954, and went on to appear in Eubie!, Sophisticated Ladies, Bring Back Birdie, and Uptown…It’s Hot!, the latter winning him a Tony nomination. He later was Nathan Detroit in a 2001 tour of Guys and Dolls, working with Debbie Allen, Leslie Uggams, and Richard Roundtree.
The capstone to his career was the show Maurice Hines: Tapping Through Life, a tribute to his family that was filled with anecdotes about working with Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, and others.
He staged the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in 1990, becoming the first African American to direct at the famed venue.
Hines began working in show business at age five. He made his Broadway debut in The Girl in the Pink Tights in 1954, and went on to appear in Eubie!, Sophisticated Ladies, Bring Back Birdie, and Uptown…It’s Hot!, the latter winning him a Tony nomination. He later was Nathan Detroit in a 2001 tour of Guys and Dolls, working with Debbie Allen, Leslie Uggams, and Richard Roundtree.
The capstone to his career was the show Maurice Hines: Tapping Through Life, a tribute to his family that was filled with anecdotes about working with Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, and others.
He staged the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in 1990, becoming the first African American to direct at the famed venue.
- 12/30/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Maurice Hines, the Broadway dancer, choreographer and actor who famously showcased his skills alongside his late younger brother, Gregory Hines, in a Nicholas Brothers-like act featured in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club, has died. He was 80.
Hines died Friday of natural causes at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, his cousin and rep, Richard Nurse, told The Hollywood Reporter. He lived there for a couple of years.
The elegant, Harlem-born Hines received a Tony Award nomination in 1986 for best actor in a musical for Uptown … It’s Hot and starred again on Broadway in 2006’s Hot Feet. He conceived, directed and choreographed both productions.
In his THR review of the 2019 documentary Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back, Frank Scheck wrote that the Hines brothers had a falling out and didn’t talk for 10 years “for reasons that Maurice refuses to discuss to this day. He provides no explanation in the film,...
Hines died Friday of natural causes at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, his cousin and rep, Richard Nurse, told The Hollywood Reporter. He lived there for a couple of years.
The elegant, Harlem-born Hines received a Tony Award nomination in 1986 for best actor in a musical for Uptown … It’s Hot and starred again on Broadway in 2006’s Hot Feet. He conceived, directed and choreographed both productions.
In his THR review of the 2019 documentary Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back, Frank Scheck wrote that the Hines brothers had a falling out and didn’t talk for 10 years “for reasons that Maurice refuses to discuss to this day. He provides no explanation in the film,...
- 12/30/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Michael Jackson is undeniably one of the greatest entertainers of all time. One thing that sets him apart are his electric live performances. He constantly introduced innovative sets, costumes, and of course, choreography, including the moonwalk. As it turns out, Smokey Robinson, a fellow Motown legend, says Jackson didn’t create the dance.
(L-r): Lionel Richie;Sheila E.;Elizabeth Taylor;Diana Ross;Michael Jackson;Harry Belafonte;Smokey Robinson | ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Smokey Robinson says Michael Jackson learned the moonwalk from The Nicholas Brothers
Robinson first met Jackson when he auditioned at Motwoen as a child alongside his brothers. He was immediately impressed by the young Jackson and knew that he would be a star. Robinson was taken aback by Jackson’s performance skills, but he wasn’t surprised as Jackson grew to be the iconic entertainer he grew to be. In fact,...
(L-r): Lionel Richie;Sheila E.;Elizabeth Taylor;Diana Ross;Michael Jackson;Harry Belafonte;Smokey Robinson | ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Smokey Robinson says Michael Jackson learned the moonwalk from The Nicholas Brothers
Robinson first met Jackson when he auditioned at Motwoen as a child alongside his brothers. He was immediately impressed by the young Jackson and knew that he would be a star. Robinson was taken aback by Jackson’s performance skills, but he wasn’t surprised as Jackson grew to be the iconic entertainer he grew to be. In fact,...
- 2/19/2023
- by Brenda Alexander
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
This weekend, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is hosting the Regeneration Summit: A Celebration of Black Cinema in honor of their ongoing exhibition Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971, which has been extended through July 16. The three-day festival, which runs Feb. 3-5, will feature live entertainment, workshops, panel discussions and screenings with guests including Julie Dash, Carla Hayden, Janaya Future Khan, Shola Lynch, Justice Maya Singleton and others.
“Our exhibition, Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971, is like no other museum exhibition in that it celebrates Black participation in American cinema from the turn of the 19th century all the way through the Civil Rights Movement in the early 1970s,” Amy Homma, Chief Audience Officer of the Academy Museum, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We want visitors to understand, celebrate and uplift this history. So what better way to do that than to complement the exhibition with a weekend-long festival?”
Stars and Icons, ‘Regeneration: Black...
“Our exhibition, Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971, is like no other museum exhibition in that it celebrates Black participation in American cinema from the turn of the 19th century all the way through the Civil Rights Movement in the early 1970s,” Amy Homma, Chief Audience Officer of the Academy Museum, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We want visitors to understand, celebrate and uplift this history. So what better way to do that than to complement the exhibition with a weekend-long festival?”
Stars and Icons, ‘Regeneration: Black...
- 2/3/2023
- by Evan Nicole Brown
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When Grammy-nominated record producer Harvey Mason Jr. saw an early edit of the short film “Regret to Inform You,” he “was blown away” after just the first two minutes.
Yusuf Nasir’s live-action short vying for Oscar consideration follows Nasir, a day in the life of an aging male performer and his rejections. A new rejection sets him back into a dance sequence fantasy that becomes a liberating space for him. Said Mason Jr., a producer on the short, “When the dancing started, I learned he choreographed that too.”
Nasir, who makes his directorial debut, thought an interesting concept would be to take images that were opposites and see where they land. Nasir explained, “I wanted to structure this in a way to where, in the beginning, you almost don’t know whether to like me or hate me. But, when the dance starts, it makes you reevaluate why I was so angry and frustrated.
Yusuf Nasir’s live-action short vying for Oscar consideration follows Nasir, a day in the life of an aging male performer and his rejections. A new rejection sets him back into a dance sequence fantasy that becomes a liberating space for him. Said Mason Jr., a producer on the short, “When the dancing started, I learned he choreographed that too.”
Nasir, who makes his directorial debut, thought an interesting concept would be to take images that were opposites and see where they land. Nasir explained, “I wanted to structure this in a way to where, in the beginning, you almost don’t know whether to like me or hate me. But, when the dance starts, it makes you reevaluate why I was so angry and frustrated.
- 12/14/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ second major temporary exhibition, opening Aug. 21, is a nuanced exploration of the ways in which Black filmmakers and performers have impacted, defined and expanded American movies. The exhibition (which was five years in the making) takes a comprehensive look at film history and Black visual culture more broadly, highlighting notable items like original costumes worn by Lena Horne in Stormy Weather (1943) and Sammy Davis Jr. in Porgy and Bess (1959), tap dance shoes from the Nicholas Brothers and one of Louis Armstrong’s trumpets.
The beginning of the show, 1898, marks the creation of “the first known moving image footage of African American performers onscreen, [seen] in a dignified way,” says Doris Berger, co-curator and vp curatorial affairs at the Academy Museum. The show concludes with material from 1971, the dawn of the Blaxploitation subgenre, acknowledging the...
Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ second major temporary exhibition, opening Aug. 21, is a nuanced exploration of the ways in which Black filmmakers and performers have impacted, defined and expanded American movies. The exhibition (which was five years in the making) takes a comprehensive look at film history and Black visual culture more broadly, highlighting notable items like original costumes worn by Lena Horne in Stormy Weather (1943) and Sammy Davis Jr. in Porgy and Bess (1959), tap dance shoes from the Nicholas Brothers and one of Louis Armstrong’s trumpets.
The beginning of the show, 1898, marks the creation of “the first known moving image footage of African American performers onscreen, [seen] in a dignified way,” says Doris Berger, co-curator and vp curatorial affairs at the Academy Museum. The show concludes with material from 1971, the dawn of the Blaxploitation subgenre, acknowledging the...
- 8/21/2022
- by Evan Nicole Brown
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Academy Museum’s Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971 is not to be missed. Not only does the exhibition celebrate Black representation in film, it serves as an important reminder and lesson about the contributions of Black filmmakers and stars to the world of cinema.
Opening Aug. 21, seven galleries make up the exhibit exploring Oscar Micheaux’s low-budget dramas in the silent-film era to the works of Melvin Van Peebles.
The exhibition also introduces audiences to stars largely unknown to mainstream moviegoers — Ralph Cooper, Clarence Brooks and Francine Everett — alongside iconic screen legends Paul Robeson, Josephine Baker, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier and Lena Horne.
Poiter’s Oscar for “Lillies of the Field” is just one of the many artifacts on display in this historic exhibition. Alongside the award are tap shoes worn by the Nicholas Brothers and one of Louis Armstrong’s trumpets.
Cowboy Boots worn by Herb Jeffries in 1937’s...
Opening Aug. 21, seven galleries make up the exhibit exploring Oscar Micheaux’s low-budget dramas in the silent-film era to the works of Melvin Van Peebles.
The exhibition also introduces audiences to stars largely unknown to mainstream moviegoers — Ralph Cooper, Clarence Brooks and Francine Everett — alongside iconic screen legends Paul Robeson, Josephine Baker, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier and Lena Horne.
Poiter’s Oscar for “Lillies of the Field” is just one of the many artifacts on display in this historic exhibition. Alongside the award are tap shoes worn by the Nicholas Brothers and one of Louis Armstrong’s trumpets.
Cowboy Boots worn by Herb Jeffries in 1937’s...
- 8/19/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay and Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is celebrating 73 years of Black film artistry with the new exhibit titled Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971.
Curated by the Academy Museum’s Doris Berger and Rhea Combs of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the first-of-its-kind exhibition features seven galleries exploring Black representation in film, from portraits of icons like Ruby Dee and Nina Mae McKinney to home videos of the Nicholas Brothers and Cab Calloway.
“It’s really exciting for us to be able to help expand the conversation around American cinema, essentially, by bringing forward these important contributions by Black filmmakers as well as performers and other artisans and technicians,” Combs tells Variety.
Since 2017, Berger and Combs have been acquiring a vast collection of costumes, scripts, drawings and other historical materials for “Regeneration” by digging through multiple archives at the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library and even traveling to Berlin and Paris.
Curated by the Academy Museum’s Doris Berger and Rhea Combs of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the first-of-its-kind exhibition features seven galleries exploring Black representation in film, from portraits of icons like Ruby Dee and Nina Mae McKinney to home videos of the Nicholas Brothers and Cab Calloway.
“It’s really exciting for us to be able to help expand the conversation around American cinema, essentially, by bringing forward these important contributions by Black filmmakers as well as performers and other artisans and technicians,” Combs tells Variety.
Since 2017, Berger and Combs have been acquiring a vast collection of costumes, scripts, drawings and other historical materials for “Regeneration” by digging through multiple archives at the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library and even traveling to Berlin and Paris.
- 8/19/2022
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Wednesday detailed how its upcoming exhibit “Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971” will explore Black filmmakers from Oscar Micheaux to Melvin Van Peebles.
The Museum shared details of the exhibit, which will open on Aug. 21 and run through April 9, 2023 in the Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery. It is the second major temporary exhibit at the Academy Museum, after the current installation devoted to the work of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.
In a press release, the Academy Museum described the exhibition this way:
“The exhibition explores the achievements and challenges of both independent production and the studio system, from cinema’s infancy in the 1890s through the height of the civil rights movement. ‘Regeneration’ features rarely seen excerpts of films restored by the Academy Film Archive, as well as other narrative films and documentaries; newsreels and home movies; photographs; scripts; drawings; costumes; equipment; posters; and historical materials,...
The Museum shared details of the exhibit, which will open on Aug. 21 and run through April 9, 2023 in the Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery. It is the second major temporary exhibit at the Academy Museum, after the current installation devoted to the work of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.
In a press release, the Academy Museum described the exhibition this way:
“The exhibition explores the achievements and challenges of both independent production and the studio system, from cinema’s infancy in the 1890s through the height of the civil rights movement. ‘Regeneration’ features rarely seen excerpts of films restored by the Academy Film Archive, as well as other narrative films and documentaries; newsreels and home movies; photographs; scripts; drawings; costumes; equipment; posters; and historical materials,...
- 5/4/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Now for a real treat for musical fans, a core MGM dazzler with top stars, fully restored and looking incredibly good. Vincente Minnelli’s snappy, funny 1948 show isn’t ranked among producer Arthur Freed’s best but it ought to be. Silly farce gets a high-toned, technically amazing workout as Judy Garland’s demure señorita secretly lusts after the ruthless corsair of the title, Mack the Black! Gene Kelly’s slippery carny womanizer impersonates her piratical fantasy sex object, and it all ends in clowning and killer musical numbers. Cole Porter’s smart songs attest to the great orchestrators and arrangers in MGM’s world-class music department; the new full digital restoration makes the movie look and sound better than I’ve certainly ever seen it.
The Pirate
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1948 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 102 min. / Street Date November 24, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Walter Slezak,...
The Pirate
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1948 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 102 min. / Street Date November 24, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Walter Slezak,...
- 11/24/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: What is the best performance in an otherwise bad movie?
Joshua Rothkopf (@joshrothkopf), Time Out New York
There’s a Cult of Val (Kilmer, obviously) that I proudly belong to. Mainly it revolves around movies like “Real Genius,” “Top Secret!” and “Heat,” all excellent movies that don’t fit the parameters of this question. But you really don’t know Val until you’ve made your peace with Oliver Stone’s beyond-awful “The Doors.” The apocryphal anecdotes around Kilmer’s deep dive into Jim Morrison are insane: insisting that no one look him in the eye on set, wearing the same leather pants for months,...
This week’s question: What is the best performance in an otherwise bad movie?
Joshua Rothkopf (@joshrothkopf), Time Out New York
There’s a Cult of Val (Kilmer, obviously) that I proudly belong to. Mainly it revolves around movies like “Real Genius,” “Top Secret!” and “Heat,” all excellent movies that don’t fit the parameters of this question. But you really don’t know Val until you’ve made your peace with Oliver Stone’s beyond-awful “The Doors.” The apocryphal anecdotes around Kilmer’s deep dive into Jim Morrison are insane: insisting that no one look him in the eye on set, wearing the same leather pants for months,...
- 9/25/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Zap2it: You're back on Broadway in "After Midnight." What's that been like?
Dule Hill: After "Bring in Da Funk," I didn't want to do another musical unless it affected me in that same way, and "After Midnight" does that. I love dancing. I started out as a tap-dancer, and any opportunity that has to do with it is a blast.
Zap2it: Most people know you as an actor, not a tap-dancer. Was that your intention?
Dule Hill: When I left Norfolk (Va.) and went to L.A., everyone knew me as a tap-dancer, and I was trying to establish myself as an actor. Aaron Sorkin said, "If more dancers acted like Dule, we need to hire more dancers." It's like a full circle thing.
Zap2it: You had some pretty impressive dance mentors. Who in particular helped mold you?
Dule Hill: Gregory Hines was one of my major mentors.
Dule Hill: After "Bring in Da Funk," I didn't want to do another musical unless it affected me in that same way, and "After Midnight" does that. I love dancing. I started out as a tap-dancer, and any opportunity that has to do with it is a blast.
Zap2it: Most people know you as an actor, not a tap-dancer. Was that your intention?
Dule Hill: When I left Norfolk (Va.) and went to L.A., everyone knew me as a tap-dancer, and I was trying to establish myself as an actor. Aaron Sorkin said, "If more dancers acted like Dule, we need to hire more dancers." It's like a full circle thing.
Zap2it: You had some pretty impressive dance mentors. Who in particular helped mold you?
Dule Hill: Gregory Hines was one of my major mentors.
- 2/12/2014
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Dule Hill will be tapping into his dancing roots when he joins Broadway’s After Midnight, a musical celebrating Duke Ellington’s years at the famous Cotton Club nightclub in Harlem.
Producers said Wednesday the actor and trained tap dancer best known for starring in USA’s hit detective series Psych, will play the host of the show, presenting the sound and glamor of the Harlem Renaissance.
Performances start Oct. 18 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, with an official opening night set for Nov. 3.
Hill was last on Broadway as Spoon, a lawyer-turned-budding novelist, in Lydia R. Diamond’s thoughtful family...
Producers said Wednesday the actor and trained tap dancer best known for starring in USA’s hit detective series Psych, will play the host of the show, presenting the sound and glamor of the Harlem Renaissance.
Performances start Oct. 18 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, with an official opening night set for Nov. 3.
Hill was last on Broadway as Spoon, a lawyer-turned-budding novelist, in Lydia R. Diamond’s thoughtful family...
- 7/24/2013
- by Associated Press
- EW.com - PopWatch
Top 10 Aliya Whiteley 28 May 2013 - 06:55
The 1930s to the end of the 20th century saw the release of some classic tap dancing movies. Here's Aliya's pick of the 10 best...
Either you love movies in which people suddenly break into tap dance routines to express their innermost desires, or you hate them. If you hate them, you’re in luck – they pretty much don’t exist in modern film any more.
Having said that, there have been some great dancing moments in the last few years, such as Amy Adams having a me party in The Muppets, or Meryl Streep bouncing up and down on the bed in Mamma Mia! But these aren’t tap dances, and they’re much more about enthusiasm than skill. Or High School Musical, Take The Lead and others give us great modern or ballroom dancing, but within the context of people putting on a show,...
The 1930s to the end of the 20th century saw the release of some classic tap dancing movies. Here's Aliya's pick of the 10 best...
Either you love movies in which people suddenly break into tap dance routines to express their innermost desires, or you hate them. If you hate them, you’re in luck – they pretty much don’t exist in modern film any more.
Having said that, there have been some great dancing moments in the last few years, such as Amy Adams having a me party in The Muppets, or Meryl Streep bouncing up and down on the bed in Mamma Mia! But these aren’t tap dances, and they’re much more about enthusiasm than skill. Or High School Musical, Take The Lead and others give us great modern or ballroom dancing, but within the context of people putting on a show,...
- 5/24/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
George Kuchar‘s 1977 short film I, an Actress has been accepted as one of twenty-five films into the 2011 National Film Registry. This means that the film will be preserved for future generations due to its “enduring significance to American culture,” according to Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.
Sadly, this prestigious accomplishment comes several months after Kuchar’s passing back in September. I, an Actress was released on DVD in 2009 on the Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947 — 1986 box set put out by the National Film Preservation Foundation.
Two other underground films were also accepted into the National Film Registry this year: Jordan Belson’s Allures (1961) and Chick Strand’s Fake Fruit Factory (1986). Belson and Strand also passed away recently. Belson, on the same day as Kuchar (Sept. 6, 2011), and Strand on July 11, 2009. Fake Fruit Factory can be seen alongside I, an Actress on the Treasures IV box set.
The National Film...
Sadly, this prestigious accomplishment comes several months after Kuchar’s passing back in September. I, an Actress was released on DVD in 2009 on the Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947 — 1986 box set put out by the National Film Preservation Foundation.
Two other underground films were also accepted into the National Film Registry this year: Jordan Belson’s Allures (1961) and Chick Strand’s Fake Fruit Factory (1986). Belson and Strand also passed away recently. Belson, on the same day as Kuchar (Sept. 6, 2011), and Strand on July 11, 2009. Fake Fruit Factory can be seen alongside I, an Actress on the Treasures IV box set.
The National Film...
- 1/2/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Porgy & Bess, in which Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge both lipsynched is one of the 25 inductees.The film is rarely screened, not all that well and regarded but badly in need of restoration. Is that what did it?Each year I read the press release list of the films admitted to the National Film Registry and promptly forget them. I guess I've never absorbed just what this does for the films beyond being an obviously prestigious honor. So this year rather than doing the usual read the titles and forget, I stopped, actually took a breath (a rarity on the web), wondered, and googled a bit. I stopped being lazy about it so you don't have to be either. I didn't just list titles below but actual information!
However I am still a bit confused as what the honor actually means beyond admittance into the Library of Congress. If this...
However I am still a bit confused as what the honor actually means beyond admittance into the Library of Congress. If this...
- 12/29/2011
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
©Paramount Pictures
“My momma always said, .Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get..” That line was immortalized by Tom Hanks in the award-winning movie “Forest Gump” in 1994. Librarian of Congress James H. Billington today selected that film and 24 others to be preserved as cultural, artistic and historical treasures in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
Spanning the period 1912-1994, the films named to the registry include Hollywood classics, documentaries, animation, home movies, avant-garde shorts and experimental motion pictures. Representing the rich creative and cultural diversity of the American cinematic experience, the selections range from Walt Disney.s timeless classic “Bambi” and Billy Wilder.s “The Lost Weekend,” a landmark film about the devastating effects of alcoholism, to a real-life drama between a U.S. president and a governor over the desegregation of the University of Alabama. The selections also...
“My momma always said, .Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get..” That line was immortalized by Tom Hanks in the award-winning movie “Forest Gump” in 1994. Librarian of Congress James H. Billington today selected that film and 24 others to be preserved as cultural, artistic and historical treasures in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
Spanning the period 1912-1994, the films named to the registry include Hollywood classics, documentaries, animation, home movies, avant-garde shorts and experimental motion pictures. Representing the rich creative and cultural diversity of the American cinematic experience, the selections range from Walt Disney.s timeless classic “Bambi” and Billy Wilder.s “The Lost Weekend,” a landmark film about the devastating effects of alcoholism, to a real-life drama between a U.S. president and a governor over the desegregation of the University of Alabama. The selections also...
- 12/28/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
On this year's list of contributions to the National Film Registry, it was a good year for indies, experimental films and the non-Hollywood moving pictures in general. While Disney's "Bambi," "Forrest Gump," "Silence of the Lambs," "Norma Rae," and Chaplin's "The Kid" were among the Hollywood fare, the Library of Congress's National Film Preservation Board named films from John Cassavetes, Julia Reichert, Robert Drew, Chick Strand and George Kuchar (who died earlier this year) on this year's list. Robert Rodriguez's "El Mariachi" and Joan Micklin Silver's "Hester Street," two low-budget first films, also made the cut. The mid-20th century home movies of black dancers Fayard and Harold Nicholas and an early CGI video of a human hand, created by future Pixar cofounder Ed Catmull (watch it here), also made the list of films worthy of preservation. The National...
- 12/28/2011
- Indiewire
When the entire world population is consumed by the unstoppable (and caffeinated) Starbucks Super-Flu pandemic in 2055, we can rest easy knowing our cinematic treasures have been carefully preserved by the National Film Registry, whose goal is to retain 25 "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films" in the Library of Congress annually.
With more than 2,000 titles nominated in 2011 alone, the list of this year's crop of movies include Walt Disney's "Bambi," Robert Rodriguez's "El Mariachi," Charles Chaplin's "The Kid" and Robert Zemeckis' "Forrest Gump."
Just from those four films alone, you can see that the criteria for inclusion has cast its net pretty wide, with everything from Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull's "A Computer Animated Hand" (1972) whose significance we covered back in September, John Cassavetes' highly influential indie domestic drama "Faces" (1968), to Jonathan Demme's 1991 Best Picture winner "Silence of the Lambs," in which, incidentally, Anthony Hopkins' character takes people's faces.
With more than 2,000 titles nominated in 2011 alone, the list of this year's crop of movies include Walt Disney's "Bambi," Robert Rodriguez's "El Mariachi," Charles Chaplin's "The Kid" and Robert Zemeckis' "Forrest Gump."
Just from those four films alone, you can see that the criteria for inclusion has cast its net pretty wide, with everything from Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull's "A Computer Animated Hand" (1972) whose significance we covered back in September, John Cassavetes' highly influential indie domestic drama "Faces" (1968), to Jonathan Demme's 1991 Best Picture winner "Silence of the Lambs," in which, incidentally, Anthony Hopkins' character takes people's faces.
- 12/28/2011
- by Max Evry
- NextMovie
I’m never one to put significant stock in the film-based choices made by any kind of committee — be it an awards group, critics circle, soup kitchen line, etc. — but the National Film Registry is a little different. Not that they’re any different than those aforementioned organization types, but because the government assemblage preserves works deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” No small potatoes.
Their latest list — created for both public awareness and the opportunity to grumble, as I’ll do in a second — has been unveiled, and the selections are none too out-of-left-field. The biggest of these 25 would have to be Forrest Gump, a choice I fully understand but completely disagree with on an opinion and moral scale. The only other true objection I can raise is toward El Mariachi, film school-level junk from a director whose finest works are the direct result of working with those more talented.
Their latest list — created for both public awareness and the opportunity to grumble, as I’ll do in a second — has been unveiled, and the selections are none too out-of-left-field. The biggest of these 25 would have to be Forrest Gump, a choice I fully understand but completely disagree with on an opinion and moral scale. The only other true objection I can raise is toward El Mariachi, film school-level junk from a director whose finest works are the direct result of working with those more talented.
- 12/28/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
In 1988, the National Film Preservation Act create the National Film Registry, which selects a couple dozen films each year for preservation in the Library of Congress. Up to 25 films are selected annually as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films." These have to be at least ten years old, can be feature, short experimental or 'other' -- anything that is film, really -- and are chosen from a list of films nominated by the public. This year, 2228 films were nominated by the public and twenty-five were selected for preservation. Among those are the big Oscar winner The Silence of the Lambs, everyone's favorite autistic history hero Forrest Gump, Charlie Chaplin's The Kid and one of the greatest (and earliest) train movies ever made, John Ford's The Iron Horse. We've got a more complete list below. The New York Times [1] has the rundown on some of the new inductees, which will be fully announced today.
- 12/28/2011
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
Best Picture winners The Lost Weekend (1945), Forrest Gump, and The Silence of the Lambs (1991), along with the Walt Disney Studios' animated classic Bambi (1942), Charles Chaplin's silent comedy-drama The Kid (1921), and Howard Hawks' early screwball comedy Twentieth Century (1934) are among the 25 "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant movies just added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. Directed by Billy Wilder, The Lost Weekend earned Ray Milland a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of an alcoholic. Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs earned Oscars for both leads, Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster. A monumental box-office hit in the mid-'90s and a paean to idiocy and conformism, Forrest Gump earned Tom Hanks his second back-to-back Oscar (he had won the previous year for Demme's Philadelphia). As per the National Film Registry's release, Bambi was Walt Disney's favorite among his studio's films. (That's all fine,...
- 12/28/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The Kennedy Center Honors have been handed out since 1978. Recipients hail from various branches of the American performance art world — including film, stage, music, and dance — even though performers more closely associated with British show business have managed to sneak in every now and then, e.g., Paul McCartney, Roger Daltrey, Elton John, Pete Townshend. Since recipients are supposed to attend the Washington, D.C., ceremony in order to take home their Kennedy awards, Doris Day has remained unhonored by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Katharine Hepburn kept putting it off until she finally relented in 1990. (Irene Dunne, see above photo, was one who managed to be honored though absent due to ill health.) Ginger Rogers, for her part, was present at the ceremony, but her films with Fred Astaire weren't — because Astaire's widow, Robyn Astaire, demanded payment for the televised clips. At the time, Kennedy Center Honors...
- 9/7/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Melinda Sullivan got the farthest than any tap dancer on "So You Think You Can Dance" before her elimination Thursday night (July 1).
It's a bittersweet distinction, however, considering judges Mia Michaels and Adam Shankman told her they wished they had eliminated her the week before and kept Cristina Santana instead. Ouch.
Then again, Sullivan had been in the Bottom 3 for three weeks in a row, so she's not too surprised about the results. In fact, in the interview immediately following the show, she sounds downright positive.
She discusses how she hopes this experience will open new doors for her, such as acting, which we're not at all surprised about considering her stint as playful twin Zoe on "As the World Turns."
She got on the phone Friday to talk more in depth about "Sytycd," her dance background, mentor Harold Cromer and which all-star she would have loved to have been...
- 7/2/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
A few years ago the Austin Film Society showed the 1941 film Sun Valley Serenade as part of an anniversary series. Usually the programming director introduces the films, but this time it was one of the founders of Afs, Richard Linklater. This was a side of Mr. Linklater that I had not previously seen: the film buff who wants to tell you some interesting things about an obscure romantic comedy that isn't available on DVD. For the most part, this is a goofy featherweight movie about a big band that decides to adopt a little WWII orphan for publicity purposes ... who turns out to be Sonja Henie. They all end up in the Sun Valley resort in Idaho and hilarity ensues. The Glenn Miller Orchestra is the big band in question, which adds a bit of swing to the proceedings.
But Linklater told us that the most fascinating part of the...
But Linklater told us that the most fascinating part of the...
- 1/13/2010
- by Jette Kernion
- Cinematical
As its title suggests, A Century of Black Cinema examines the history of African-American performers in the movies. It provides a good overview, with dozens of film clips and some new interviews supplying historical perspective. Originally divided into two segments, SnagFilms presents the documentary in its entirety, with limited commercial interruptions, and it's embedded below for your viewing pleasure.
Directed by Ted Newsom, A Century of Black Cinema is more of a breezy summary than a probing examination. It touches on the early all-black "race films," the severely-limited, stereotypical roles that dominated the 30s and 40s (and continue into today), and stars such as the Nicholas Brothers, Paul Robeson, Dorothy Dandridge, Sidney Poitier, Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, Richard Pryor, and Denzel Washington. Attention is also paid to blaxpoitation titles of the 70s and some of the big box office hits of the 80s and 90s, like Lethal Weapon and Waiting to Exhale.
Directed by Ted Newsom, A Century of Black Cinema is more of a breezy summary than a probing examination. It touches on the early all-black "race films," the severely-limited, stereotypical roles that dominated the 30s and 40s (and continue into today), and stars such as the Nicholas Brothers, Paul Robeson, Dorothy Dandridge, Sidney Poitier, Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, Richard Pryor, and Denzel Washington. Attention is also paid to blaxpoitation titles of the 70s and some of the big box office hits of the 80s and 90s, like Lethal Weapon and Waiting to Exhale.
- 2/18/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
The Tap Legacy Foundation, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the art of tap dance, celebrates the anniversary of its founding on Saturday, February 14, 2009 with a 20thAnnviersary screening of the classic 1989 dance film, Tap, starring Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr., at the Directors Guild Theatre in NYC. The screening will be preceded by an announcement of the launch of the Foundation's first Capital Campaign, and followed by a Champagne Reception for all ticket holders. Gregory Hines co-founded Tap Legacy Foundation (Tlf) which is dedicated to preserving and advancing the art of tap dance, in 2002 with Andrew J. Nemr. The Foundation champions the cultural contribution tap dancers have made over the years and presents programs developed to ensure that the art form continues to thrive. Note: February 14 has special significance to the Foundation. It is the 7th Anniversary of its founding, it is Gregory Hines' birthday, and it...
- 1/19/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
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