Backstory Is The Unrivaled Story

Never has there been a storyline as robust as Cleopatra.  The BACKSTORY, that is!  The 1963 movie received nine Oscar nominations, but mixed reviews from film critics.  However, the reason movie fans rushed to theaters to see Cleopatra was not simply to view a movie, but instead to see the phenomenon that had been filling gossip columns for more than a year.  No film production has ever rivaled Cleopatra for publicizing Hollywood culture.  The unrivaled backstory has it all!  It was the most expensive movie ever filmed prior to 1963, almost bankrupting 20th Century Fox.  The most alluring actress in the world, Elizabeth Taylor, earned the highest salary ever awarded to an actress, $1,000,000.  More importantly, she earned the affections of co-star Richard Burton.  Both Burton and Taylor were married at the time, making their public affair all the more gossip-worthy.  To add to the drama, Taylor suffered a serious illness during the filming and surgery was required to save her life.  The original director, Rouben Manoulian, was fired after filming commenced and he was replaced with Joseph Mankiewicz.  After filming was completed, Mankiewicz was fired and then rehired when it became clear that no other person would be able to edit the film into a theater-worthy movie.  Rex Harrison (Julius Caesar) was the only actor who received an Oscar nomination for a performance on the screen, however we know that the screen is not where the real action occurred.  The director's cut of Cleopatra is more than 5 hours in length.  Much shorter versions are available.  However, the elaborate sets, the Oscar winning costumes, and the outstanding cast make the director's cut the clear choice for an unbeatable film experience.

Check Into This HOTEL For A Good Time

A truly good movie drama takes you to a place of interesting people and intrigue.  You only get to stay in that special place for a couple of hours, so you want the trip to be fulfilling and memorable.  Check into the Arthur Hailey inspired Hotel and you will meet a diverse cast of characters, each with a unique story in transition as events unfold at the Hotel.  An important feature of an Arthur Hailey story is the physical environment in which the characters act and react in relation to one another (Airport, a later Hailey inspired movie was good for three sequels).  After your two-hour stay the Hotel, you will have a new curiosity for what is happening around you when you next become a lodger.  What is going on with that interesting looking couple?  What's the story with that single person checking in without luggage?  Are the staff really as happy as they act? Karl Malden's portrayal of a professional thief will have you wondering--- Is my property safe in my room?  Best of all, the movie comes to a reassuring conclusion that justifies your stay at the Hotel and gives you the sense of a very nice sojourn.                           John Greanias, Copyright 2013

A drama, a comedy, a dramedy?

People Will Talk is a 1951 film which addresses numerous societal issues including out-of-wedlock pregnancy, alternative medicine and murder.  There is even a veiled discussion of abortion.  The film was released during the height of the power exercised by the Production Code Administration.  If there had been an Academy Award in 1951 for "Best Screenplay Negotiations with the Administrators of the PCA," the Oscar would certainly have been given to People Will Talk.  The Writers Guild of America nominated the screenplay for Best Written American Comedy. Certainly the movie has its light-hearted moments (well played by Cary Grant and Walter Slezak), but a comedy it is not. Was the nomination part of an effort to disguise a thoughtful morality play and to provide necessary "cover" for the PCA approval?   This film is a unique opportunity to see how a movie can be produced and directed in a manner which allows the audience to reflect on important moral issues without being overpowered by the subject matter.  People Will Talk is a movie to talk about!                 John Greanias, Copyright 2013.

Do You Ever Feel Like An Outsider?

The Outsider is a 1961 film based on the life of Ira Hayes, a Native American who became a war hero as a result of the fortuitous circumstance of being in the famous photograph of the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima.  More than 40,000 Native Americans served in the armed forces during World War II.  For many, it was a unique opportunity to break free from poverty-level life on a reservation and transition to improved post-war employment and education opportunities.  For Ira Hayes, the post-war transition was not triumphant.  Was the regrettable outcome engendered by the fact that his country used him as both a combatant and economic resource during wartime and, after the war, failed to recognize his needs and provide appropriate services?  Or, was it something else entirely?  That is a question for you to decide.  A really good film is one that gives you an honest view of the world, and compels you to reflect upon how our lives are impacted by the circumstances of nature, nurture, and statecraft.  This is an AMERICAN story, and a good one.
John Greanias  Copyright 2013

Heavens! A Marine And A Beautiful Nun Alone On An Island!

Wow, what a storyline!  A Marine and a beautiful Nun are stranded alone on a Pacific island during WW II. They may not have long to live.  How will this all end?  Answer: it ends in a very entertaining movie.  Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison mixes equal parts of sexual tension, religious morality, and wartime adventure to deliver a superb John Huston film (Huston was the director and co-screenplay writer).  Deborah Kerr was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress, and the film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. This 1957 film is an excellent example of working within the boundaries of the Production Code Administration to create an adult themed film.
John Greanias Copyright 2013

John Greanias and Scott Bakula in "The Informant!" Courtroom

The scene in which Matt Damon (Mark Whitacre) was sentenced by Dick Smothers (Judge Harold Baker) was filmed on a Saturday in the courtroom of John Greanias so as not to disrupt regular court proceedings.  Scott Bakula (FBI Agent Brian Shepard) was also featured in the courtroom scene.

A Big Year For The Red Planet

In 1953 two movies told the same story:  "The Martians have landed, and it is US vs. THEM for possession of Earth."  War of the Worlds was made on a budget of $2,000,000.  Invaders From Mars was produced on a budget of less than $300,000.  War had the advantage of being based on the H. G. Wells novel, and the novelty of the public panic resulting from the Orson Welles Halloween radio broadcast simulating the Mars attack.  However, Invaders is also an excellent film.  Actually, it is my favorite.  It could well be classified as a psychological thriller instead of simply being labeled as a science fiction film.  It has an ending that makes you think of Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone.  I do not think that I am spoiling your enjoyment of either movie if I reveal that the Martians lose.
John Greanias Copyright 2013