Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Christopher Lee Part 2

One of the most respected actors of all time, Christopher Lee has been in the industry since 1946, and has performed roles in about 275 films, making him the Guinness World Record holder. Lee was born on May 27, 1922 in Belgravia, Westminster to Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Trollope Lee and Contessa Estelle Marie. His parents would separate when he was young, and he would live with his mother and sister in Switzerland. Lee would enroll in Miss Fisher’s Academy located in Wengen. His family would end up returning back to London, and Lee would attend Wagner’s private school. Afterwards, he would spend some time at Summer Fields School, and after being denied a scholarship for Eton, would wind up attending Wellington College.

It wasn’t until 1946 where Lee began his road to acting in films, when he signed a seven-year contract with the Rank Organisation, a British entertainment company. He would make his debut in the Gothic romance film Corridor of Mirrors, directed by Terrence Young, in 1947. He would also make uncredited appearances in Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet in 1948 and John Huston’s Moulin Rouge in 1952. Lee would make his first film for Hammer in 1957, The Curse of Frankenstein, where he played Frankenstein’s Monster, while his close friend Peter Cushing would play the Baron. It was in 1958 where Lee would take on the character that would stick with him forver, when he played Dracula in a film of the same name for the same company. Peter Cushing would end up taking on the role of Doctor Van Helsing.

He would take on the role again in Dracula: Prince of Darkness in 1965. This particular performance is notable for the main reason that Lee has no lines and only hisses his way through the film. There are two sides of this story, the first being that Lee refused to speak the poor dialogue that he was given. The second being that screenwriter Jimmy Sangster claims there were no lines for Dracula at all. Lee and Cushing would end up appearing in 8 Dracula films that were produced by Hammer Films (he did appear in another Dracula film, but it was not associated with Hammer).

Breaking away from the Dracula-ness of Lee’s life, he has appeared in so many more films. Lee would appear in three seperate Sherlock Holmes films, playing Sir Henry Baskerville in The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1959 (alongside Peter Cushing, who played Holmes), then playing Sherlock Holmes himself in the 1962 film Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace, and finally in the Billy Wilder directed film, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes in 1970.

It did seem like Hammer Films did own Lee’s life between the years of 1957 to 1977, as he would appear in numerous other films for them. But in 1973, he would appear in The Wicker Man, which he states is his personal favorite. Lee played the role of Lord Summerisle, and was so attracted to the role written by Anthony Shaffer, that he gave his services to the film for free. After this role, he completely left the horror genre for good. In 1974, Lee would end up becoming a James Bond villain, playing the role of assassin Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun. By the end of the 1970’s, Lee had already appeared in 137 different films, and would only appear in more as time went on.

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Michael Caine Part 3

Where Is He Now?

Nominated for an Oscar six times, winning it twice, Caine has settled down into more supporting roles over the past 10 years. Caine appeared in a couple of remakes of his older films, the first being the Stephen Kay-directed Get Carter with Sylvester Stallone starring in the lead role as Jack Carter this time (instead of Caine). The second would be the Kenneth Branagh adaptation of Sleuth, starring Jude Law in Caine’s previous role and Caine in the role originated by Laurence Olivier. Jude Law would end up starring in a remake of Caine’s Oscar-nominated film Alfie.

Now that we’re past the remakes, Caine would be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in the Phillip Noyce directed film, The Quiet American. In 2005, Caine would appear in the first of his films with director Christopher Nolan, Batman Begins. Since 2005, Caine has appeared in all four of Christopher Nolan’s films: Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, and Inception.

In 2006, Caine appeared in one of the most acclaimed films of the decade: Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men. The film is considered the eleventh-greatest film of the 2000s (source:Metacritic). While playing a minor role, many critics praised Caine’s performance. And to be perfectly frank here, when I first watched the movie, I honestly had no idea that it was him. And when I found out it was him…I couldn’t believe it.

In 2011, Caine would lend his voice to two animated films: Gnomeo and Juliet (also featuring the voice of Maggie Smith), and Cars 2. In 2012, he already appeared in the action-adventure family film Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, which was met with mixed reviews from critics and fans. Later this year, Caine will reprise his role as Alfred Pennyworth in the third and final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise, The Dark Knight Rises. Caine will also be starring in the film Mr. Morgan’s Last Love, and will play a supporting role in Louis Leterrier’s magic/heist thriller Now You See Me. Caine has been busy over the past year, and I can just about guarantee that he won’t be slowing down anytime soon.

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Michael Caine Part 2

Michael Caine wasn’t always “Michael Caine.” Maurice Joseph Micklewhite (that’s his real name…took me by surprise) was born March 14, 1933 to Ellen Frances Marie and Maurice Joseph Micklewhite. The family lived in Southwark, South London, but had to be evacuated during World War II to North Runction. When the war was over, he would end up living at the Elephant and Castle in Central London. In 1952, Caine was called up to do his national service, and would serve in the British Army’s Royal Fusiliers until 1954.

Caine didn’t begin acting until the age of 20 when he responded to an advertisement for an assistant stage manager with ‘walk-on parts’ for the Horsham-based Westminster Repertory Company. It is here where he adopted his first stage name, Michael Scott. When he turned 22, he would move to the Lowestoft Repertory Company in Suffolk, and later, he would re-locate again to London. It was here that his agent advised him to change his name again as there was already another Michael Scott performing in the area. Like any other person would do, Caine looked around for inspiration — and seeing that The Caine Mutiny was playing not far away, he decided to change his name to Michael Caine.

Caine didn’t get his big break until 1963 when he was cast as Meff in James Saunders’ comedy Next Time I’ll Sing To You. During one of the performances, Caine was visited backstage by Stanley Baker, a former co-star of his from the film, A Hill In Korea. Baker told Caine about the part of a Cockney corporal in the film Zulu. Although Caine didn’t get the part of the Cockney corporal (it had already been given to friend and fellow actor James Booth), Caine won the part of the snobbish, upper class officer, Lt. Gonville Bromhead. Zulu would be the film that brought Michael Caine international attention. After Zulu, Caine would be cast as the spy Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File, and then in the film Alfie as the womanizing title role. By this time, Caine was a bonafide film star. In 1966, Caine made his first film in the U.S., starring in Gambit with Shirley MacLaine.

Caine continued his successes into the 70’s, starring as the lead in the British gangster film Get Carter and then starring in the Joseph L. Mankiewicz mystery film Sleuth alongside Laurence Olivier. In 1975, Caine would co-star with Sean Connery in the John Huston film The Man Who Would Be King. By the end of the 70’s Caine moved to the United States. With this move, his choice of roles would begin to be criticised, and Caine himself admitted that, although he knew some of the films he chose would be bad, he took these parts strictly for the money.

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Maggie Smith Part 2

One of England’s most prominent stars, Dame Maggie Smith has been gracing the stage and the theaters with her presence since the early 1950’s. Born on the 28th of December in 1934, Smith is the youngest child to Margaret and Nathaniel Smith. She would go on to study at Oxford High School, and at the age of 18 would begin her career at the Oxford Playhouse, making her stage debut in a re-telling of one Shakespeare’s classics, Twelfth Night.

Just four years later, Smith would appear in her first film, Child in the House. While it may have been an extra role, this would go on to lead to much bigger things. In the 1960’s, she brought her talents to the Royal National Theatre, where she began to become a household name. One of her most famous performances was her portrayal of Desdemona in Othello opposite the wonderful Laurence Olivier. In 1965, she would go on to win her first Oscar for Best Actress in the same role.

Just four years later, Smith won her second Oscar for Best Actress in the title role of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. But she wasn’t close to being finished. It would take her 11 years to win another Oscar, but three Academy Awards within a 15 year span is an amazing number. Her third award was for her role as Diana Barry in California Suite, which also starred one of England’s most prominent male actors, Michael Caine.

There is one other role that, while it’s not as large as a film role, is just as important to the career of Maggie Smith. Between 1974 and 1975, she appeared on The Carol Burnett Show twice, and after watching clips of both appearances, it shows just how funny she can be. In fact, when Michael Caine heard that Maggie Smith would be starring in The Missionary with Michael Palin, it’s rumored that Caine humorously telephoned Palin, warning him that she would steal the film.

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Christopher Plummer Part 2

With a career that spans seven decades, Christopher Plummer is one of the most important actors of our time. Plummer was born on December 13, 1929 in Toronto, Ontario to Isabella Mary and John Orme Plummer. Through his mother, Plummer is a great-grandson of the third Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John Abbott. Before developing a love for acting, Plummer has been studying to be a concert pianist. But after watching Laurence Olivier’s film Henry V (1944), Plummer began to develop a love for the theater and began to act in high school.

Before going into film, Plummer made his name known on the stage, gaining experience travelling with the Canadian Repertory Theatre from 1948-1950, appearing in 75 roles. Beginning in 1952, he began acting in the Bermuda Repertory Theater. Plummer made his Broadway debut in 1953 with the play The Starcross Story. Unfortunately for him, it was a flop and closed after one night. Plummer would go on to appear in 15 other Broadway plays, the highlight being Elia Kazan’s production of Archibald Macleish’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, J.B. Plummer would go on to be nominated for his first Tony Award as Best Actor in Play.

1958 marked the year where Plummer first appeared on the big screen in Sidney Lumet’s film Stage Struck as a young writer. During that year, he also appeared in Nicholas Ray’s Wind Across the Everglades as Walt Murdock, which would be Plummer’s first leading role. After this, he did not appear in film again for six years until Anthony Mann’s The Fall of the Roman Empire, which Plummer played the Emperor Commodus. With his next film, Plummer became a household name that everyone would know, as he would star as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music.

It’s important to note that Plummer’s first preference would always be the theater. In an interview with NPR, Plummer says,

“You see, I loved the theater and I stayed in the theater most of my life and I was a bit snobbish about it. I made a lot of movies through the ’60s and ’70s which were pretty awful, but then most of the movies in the ’60s and early ’70s were pretty awful. The quality wasn’t always there, unfortunately, but the money was. And I was grateful for that because I could afford to then do what I wanted to do in the theater.”

While he may have not enjoyed The Sound of Music (often referring to it as The Sound of Mucus), Plummer does say that he is grateful for the film “because it certainly was famous and put me in the public eye and I could help fill a theater when I was doing the great works.”

 

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture # 5

5. Rebecca (1940)

Other Nominated Films:
All This and Heaven Too, Foreign Correspondent, The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Dictator, Kitty Foyle, The Letter, The Long Voyage Home, Our Town, The Philadelphia Story

Finally, we are at the Top 5. And I can’t see any better way to get us here than with the master, Alfred Hitchcock. I want to cherish this slot since Rebecca is the only film that Hitchcock directed to win Best Picture. What’s odd though is that, aside from Best Picture, it won Best Cinematography and nothing else, although it was nominated for nine other awards. Looking at the winners for each award, it’s actually just…bizarre. 1940 was a fantastic year for movies, there’s no denying that at all. This is a year that included The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Dictator, The Philadelphia Story, and Foreign Correspondent just to name a few. Both Hitchcock and John Ford had two films nominated for Best Picture which is something you will never see happen today. Each acting category had a winner from a different movie…which is something I’m having trouble comprehending, and the film that took home the most Oscars was The Thief of Bagdad…which wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture.  I apologize for going way too deep into the award distribution itself, but this was just a weird…weird year.  Focusing on Rebecca now…well…this is even weird in and of itself! Since the introduction of awards for actors in supporting roles, Rebecca is the only film to win Best Picture without winning any of the Academy Awards for acting, directing, and writing.  Alright. Rebecca. Finally. Joan Fontaine plays an unnamed young woman who works as a paid companion to Edythe Van Hopper (Florence Bates). While in Monte Carlo, she meets the aristocratic widower Maximilian de Winter (Laurence Olivier) and they fall in love. Within a few weeks, the two would get married and move to Maxim’s house, Manderly, located in Cornwall, England. While the majority of Maxim’s servants accept the new bride, the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), is still obsessed with the first Mrs. de Winter — Rebecca. While, in my opinion, this isn’t Hitchcock’s best film (he did also direct Psycho, North by Northwest, and so many other masterpieces), Rebecca still holds its own as one of the greatest psychological thrillers of all time. The combination of Hitchcock plus Olivier is a match made in heaven and I wish that the two worked together on more movies. Rebecca was the first of five nominations for Best Director for Hitchcock, but he would never win the award — which is preposterous. He would go on to receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award which is given to “Creative producers, whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production.” To end this passage, I just want to say one thing. Thank you, Alfred Hitchcock…for everything that you’ve created…for being the innovator that you are and for being so far ahead of your time…thank you.

Nominated for 11 Oscars, Winner of 2
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White – George Barnes (WON)
Best Picture – Selznick International Pictures (WON)
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Laurence Olivier
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Joan Fontaine
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Judith Anderson
Best Art Direction, Black-and-White – Lyle R. Wheeler
Best Director – Alfred Hitchcock
Best Effects, Special Effects – Jack Cosgrove (photographic), Arthur Johns (sound)
Best Film Editing – Hal C. Kern
Best Music, Original Score – Franz Waxman
Best Writing, Screenplay – Robert E. Sherwood, Joan Harrison

Mrs. Danvers: Go ahead. Jump. He never loved you, so why go on living? Jump and it will all be over…

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture #’s 22 and 21

22. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

Other Nominated Films:
Alice Adams, Broadway Melody of 1936, Captain Blood, David Copperfield, The Informer, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Les Misérables, Naughty Marietta, Ruggles of Red Gap, Top Hat

It was a few years ago when I first watched Mutiny on the Bounty and I still remember the experience as if it was yesterday. In fact, it’s one of the films that got me interested in Classic films.  Mutiny on the Bounty is a magnificent and thrilling film that chronicles the real-life mutiny aboard the HMS Bounty and its aftermath. It features powerful performances by its three stars: Charles Laughton as the sadistic Captain Bligh, Clark Gable as the rebellious Fletcher Christian, and Franchot Tone as the humane Midshipman Byam. Interestingly, all three actors were nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, but lost to Victor McLaglen for his role in The Informer (the only nominee not from Mutiny on the Bounty). This helped spark the subsequent creation of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. To date, Mutiny on the Bounty is the last film to win Best Picture without winning in any other category. It is also interesting to note that James Cagney, David Niven and Dick Haymes had uncredited roles as Extras in the film. Producer Irving Thalberg may have had an ulterior motive when casting both Gable and Laughton in the same film.  It’s been said that, Thalberg purposely cast Laughton, who was overtly gay, against Gable, a notorious homophobe, in the hopes that some ‘real life’ tension between the two actors would create an even more powerful and authentic on-screen intensity. Stacking the deck even further, it is also said that Thalberg thought Gable would be intimidated working with Laughton who was a classically trained British actor, and that Laughton believed that he, himself, should have been nominated in 1935 for his performance in The Barretts of Wimpole Street rather than Gable who won Best Actor for It Happened One Night.

Nominated for 8 Oscars, Winner of 1
Best Picture – M-G-M (WON)
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Clark Gable
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Charles Laughton
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Franchot Tone
Best Director – Frank Lloyd
Best Film Editing – Margaret Booth
Best Music, Score – Nat W. Finston (head of department)
Best Writing, Screenplay – Jules Furthman, Talbot Jennings, Carey Wilson

Lt. Fletcher Christian: When you’re back in England with the fleet again, you’ll hear the hue and cry against me. From now on they’ll spell mutiny with my name.

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