Curio: Yul Brynner's Photographic Journey

Alexa here. Yul Brynner has always been a favorite of mine, maybe because The King and I was the first musical I ever saw. Or maybe because my old Ukrainian great-grandmother swore he was the spitting image of her brother. Or maybe it was just his mellifluous voice and shiny dome. But it wasn't until I spotted the recent press on an exhibit of his photographs in New York that I was aware he was such an avid photographer.

In honor of the 25th anniversary of his death, a new, four-volume book celebrates his life in pictures. Edited by his daughter Victoria, Yul: A Photographic Journey includes four volumes: "Lifestyle", "Life On Set", "1956" (the pivotal year when he starred in The King and I, The Ten Commandments and Anastasia) and "Man of Style" (containing portraits of Brynner by famous photographers). I was most taken with his portraits of other actors. Here's a sampling. You can order a copy of the set here.

I really wish more actors would take up photography! Jeff Bridges is another example of an actor who kills time between takes with his camera. But maybe today's paparazzi culture has lessened the desire to document life on set.

Say What? Just Go With It

Amuse us. Add a caption or dialogue to this pic of Jennifer Aniston & Nicole Kidman on the set of Just Go With It in the comments.


I'll repost later this week with the winning entry

Keanu Finds It All Very Tedious...

Keanu Reeves on the set of Henry's Crime (co-starring Vera Farmiga)

...as do I! I haven't had a moment to breathe lately. But I'll try to wrap up the first Oscar predictions of the year tomorrow. Then I'm off to the Nashville Film Festival. Stay tuned...

Meanwhile... how is your week going? Please tell us it's better. Cheer us (okay, me) up!

Angelina Sees You

Well... someone to the right of you at least. Hi, Ang'.

Did I ever tell you about the time Angelina Jolie did see me. Oh, of course I did. Best celebrity sighting ever. We were close enough to touch. Not that we did!

I'm so ready for Angelina Jolie to have another Girl, Interrupted or A Mighty Heart level performance again, aren't you? Here's hoping that The Tourist (the film she's in costume for above) co-starring Johnny Depp is a winner. The behind the scenes crew indicates it might be: Oscar winning screenwriter (Julian Fellowes), Oscar winning cinematographer (John Seales), Oscar winning costume designer (Colleen Atwood) and the Oscar winning director of The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck... well sort of an Oscar winning director ... it's never listed as an Oscar win on their IMDb pages but the directors of Best Foreign Film winners always claim the prize. It's not like a country can put an Oscar on its mantlepiece. Countries have borders, not mantles. We hope Florian got to keep the statue.

Do You Talk With Your Hands?

"Historic stuff happened... uh... over there"

"boom"

"since you're naked already. Ocean scene next!"

"mi musa"

"Day 93. Go!"

"You've got to remember all 27 pages. I'm not cutting away!"

If you answered yes, you should be a director!
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Behind the Scenes

Theme days continue... only 3 days until Oscar! Final predictions later today. Today's semi-coherent thru-line: 'Behind the Scenes'. No, no. I have no idea why I'm doing theme days either. It's just something to keep us going like NoDoz.

3 of our favorite movie people: actor Clive Owen, DP Emmanuel
Lubezki and director Alfonso Cuarón on the set of Children of Men

So as I down that last cup of morning joe, answer me this question (twice) in the comments:

• Which movies -- this Oscar year and all time -- would you most have liked a set visit on and why?
  

Leo, Ellen and Cillian

Is it just me or is it hard to picture these two acting together onscreen? What is it about Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page that give me that ole' oil and water feeling? They seem to be kindred spirits of drably dressed boredom in this photo so perhaps I'm wrong. Speculate with me in the comments...

via lots more photos here

The movie in question is Inception, due for a teaser trailer any second now, which is Christopher Nolan's sci-fi follow up to The Dark Knight. For all I know -- the plot is closely guarded -- they're playing brother and sister. Unlike James Cameron, who seemed spooked after Titanic, Nolan is just getting back to work. That's always the best move when you've just made a game changer. Get your follow up out of the way and bring your career back down to earth... even if you're still breathing rarefied air while touching ground.

Batman does not appear in the generically titled Inception but the cast is plum. Rising stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard (as DiCaprio's wife apparently) the enduring if never foregrounded Lukas Haas and Nolan/Batman holdovers Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe. I'm glad to see Nolan sticking by Murphy in particular who we assumed, back in 2003 when he carried 28 Days Later with such magnetism, was going to be a much bigger star by now. At the very least, he's always entirely watchable.

Eat, Pray, Love...

...and Sulk (apparently).

Why are Julia Roberts and James Franco so glum on set? Is it because Javier Bardem isn't there yet? Speculate about their grumpy moods in the comments!
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"Great Performers" and Fine Portraits

I always love the mid February edition of the NY Times Magazine. It tends to capture several Oscar nominees but spreads its net wider, too. One could say it's like a miniature version of Vanity Fair's traditional "Hollywood Issue". It then celebrates the handpicked field of glitterati with portraiture sessions. This year's man behind the lens is the award winning Italian photographer Paolo Pellegrin.


His subjects are almost entirely Oscary this year (shame. I liked the variety) with Kate Winslet as covergirl. Who else? She's in hair rollers for the cover but this photo above is my favorite still from her shoot. I love how bright-morning over lit she is and, it's so... red. The write up by author Tom Perotta (Little Children) is surprisingly interesting too in that, while very flattering, it's not entirely a puff piece. He expresses brief concerns about some career decisions and the way Winslet sometimes overemphasizes her dissimilarity to her unsympathetic characters on the promotional circuit.

Inside the magazine you get Mickey Rourke, Sean Penn, Penélope Cruz, Brad Pitt, Frank Langella and Robert Downey Jr. (pictured left with Jude Law on the set of Sherlock Holmes). The sole Off Oscar player for this round is rising star Kat Dennings who is profiled by her 40 Year-Old Virgin mom, Catherine Keener.

The highlight for me? I'm sure you've already guessed it. The entire Penélope Cruz section. It's got wonderful images and a profile by Pedro Almodóvar himself, including this actress-extravagant bit

Cruz belongs to the Mediterranean school of acting, a style that is characterized by its carnality, gutsiness, shamelessness, messy hair, generous cleavage and shouting as a natural form of communication. Anna Magnani, Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale, the early Silvia Mangano, even Elizabeth Taylor and Rachel Weisz, mastered this style. Penélope's Raimunda in "Volver" was modeled on Magnani, Loren and Cardinale, and I guess that it was the mesy-haired, loud-voiced Penélope that inspired Woody Allen to cast her as the mentally unstable artist in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," a role for which in the past few months she seems to receive an award every other day.

If the profile weren't generous enough we even get several shots of Pené rehearsing her big dance number in Nine. [see many previous posts]

"Coochie coochie coochie coo... / I've got a plan for what I'm gonna do to you
So hot! / You're gonna steam and scream / And vibrate like a string..."

Yes please! More, more, more.

For more on any of these topics, just chase the labels below. Thanks for visiting The Film Experience.
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Christian Bale is Ready for a Fight

I didn't mean to send out weirdly prophetic vibes with that Hugh Jackman post but here we go. His Prestige co-star is DEFINITELY ready to rumble. Have you heard this awful screaming that Gawker posted of Christian Bale on the set of Terminator 4? (hat tip to HE). Someone needs anger management classes.

American Welsh Psycho.

Update: and now it's been remixed [NFSW --Bale has a pottymouth] by the guy who says he's producing RuPaul's new album. (thanks Ali) Here ya go

Nicole Chased by Paparazzi (Onscreen, That Is)

Pics from the set of the Broadway musical adaptation Nine are starting to show up online. Here we see Nicole Kidman, who plays famous actress (quelle stretch!) Claudia, and Daniel Day-Lewis as famed director Guido Contini being hounded by paparazzi.


What a strange thing for someone of Kidman's fame level to "act" onscreen. It must feel like a f'ing documentary. You can see many more photos at I'm Not Obsessed and Just Jared.

If you're not familiar with Nine, for shame. I've given you so many links and posts and such with which to study up. Claudia's has two super numbers in the show: One is a heartbreaker semi-duet with Carla (Penélope Cruz) called "Simple" -- would that Tom Cruise had played Contini! ;) imagine the pop culture implosion!, but the other is her big solo "A Very Unusual Way" and it goes a little something like this...

(because I am a crazy person I'm giving you many amateur versions to choose from. Only true theater queens -- you know who you are -- should watch all four)




From left to right first row: college recital performances by Melissa and Allie
From left to right bottom row: Jersey Boys cast member Craig Lauriein performing it in Chicago and Samantha Servais in a college production. That final clip, Samantha's gives you the most typical sense of how it's generally performed in the show.

Isn't that a great song? I can't wait to hear the 'Sparking Diamond' Satine sing it, can you?

There's also a low sound quality bootleg of the Broadway performance at YouTube that doesn't allow embedding, curse it!

And Now For Something Completely Linky

IZ Reloaded animated films that inspired Hayao Miyazaki
Thompon on Hollywood hot titles at Sundance this year
BBC News Boy George is going to prison :(
Slant's annual Oscar derby rundown
Awards Daily IFCMA, a film music critics group, announces their 2008 awards
In Contention quotes a BAFTA voter. Ha!
IndieWire a great thumbs down review of Slumdog Millionaire that explains quite well why it has very vocal haters
BBC News Slumdog's backlash now has its own backlash. Ahhhh, the sweet predictability of awards season

And finally, Pfeiffer The Face tells us that period romance Chéri, a reteaming of Dangerous Liaisons' director, writer and star will compete at Berlinale next month where none other than Tilda Swinton is presiding over the Jury. So in a way the Alien Goddess of 00s Tilda gets to decide whether Ice Goddess of the 80s/90s Michelle Pfeiffer takes home a Best Actress there. Hmmm.


I've received this news from abundant sources / readers over the past two days all of whom are making it very very difficult for me. See, I'm actually trying desperately NOT to post about Chéri every day... if you're curious click on the Chéri label below for previous articles. I can't go there weekly else the blog's title must change to Waiting For Pfeiffer's New Costume Drama to Open Blog. Just so you know that that unwieldy title is more or less accurate here are pointless brief videos of Pfeiffer on the set that you should charitably pretend I haven't watched hundreds of times already.

Mein Brühl

Hey, it's Daniel Brühl on the set of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

img src

Er ist liebenswert.
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Pics From the Set of Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock

Thanks to Tony for the tip.


These new photos --which I haven't seen elsewhere online yet though who knows. The web is so vast and fast moving -- taken on the set of Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock were published in a Taiwanese paper. It's difficult to believe (at least for my eyes) but supposedly that's the film's lead actor, comedian Demetri Martin in a cross-dressing scene. Demetri has had quite a ride lately. Popular gigs on The Daily Show will do wonders for the career, no?

Demetri has the lead role as "Eliot Tiber" (the man who wrote the memoirs the film is based on) but his co-stars are pretty rich in filmography. There's Emile Hirsch (recently photographed on the set), Liev Schreiber, Eugene Levy, Paul Dano and even Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton who is playing Demetri's mother.

But how about that Ang Lee? From man on man romance in 1960's Wyoming, to 1940s espionage in China, to the emotionally deadened suburbs in 1970s Connecticutt, to Regency Era romance, to Missouri during the Civil War to, well, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Is there any genre, time frame or milieu that he can't tackle? (If you're shouting out "superheroes" let it go.!) Taking Woodstock will be arriving in 2009 from Focus Features, to capitalize on the 40th anniversary of the legendary rock concert.

Mad Hattering with Michelle

La Pfeiffer seems to be having lots of trouble with her hat on the set of Chéri.

[img src]

Damn that Consolata Boyle and her millinery trickery!
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Wolverine sans Wolverine

I rarely post exclusive "on set pics" because I am not aint-it-cool-news and I don't have millions of Hollywood insiders sending me sticky-fingered images from sets, damnit. So if you work in Hollywood and you read this site (I know you're out there. I get e-mails) throw me a bone once in a while.

Reader crazycris sent me these pics from location filming on Wolverine. She fumbled when Hugh Jackman arrived so he does not appear. But my hands don't do as they're told either when he's around so I get that and forgive.


Here we have a chopper and a crane that will be blowed up real good during the action sequence. Where Wolverine goes, destruction follows. You know how he do, bub. One assumes the chopper will be chasing him.



Then we have a barn that was supposedly built just for the film. Think it survives the chase? And here is a prep tent for cast and crew --lunchtime! Hugh Jackman, the man himself, is deep in the shadows here. Don't get too excited. Really hard to see him.


Road block to hold up curious civilians with cameras as they filmed a motorcycle chase with explosions. I think Cris included this second picture just to make you jealous that you've never been to New Zealand before. That's what it says to me at least. Sure is purty.




And finally what we have here is (Cris believes) Logan's bike for the action sequence. It's rather plain... but I bet it looks hotter with Hugh Jackman topping it. Maybe it gets blowed up, too?

[SNIKT]

semi related post: (okay not really) Famke Jannsen interviewed --yes, we talk about being an X-Man
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Wherefore Art Thou, Michelle?

I swear I'm not going to post about Michelle Pfeiffer every single day during the filming of Chéri. I'm not. To you non pfanatics who faithfully read The Film Experience, I salute you for your time-tested patience. If you are a pfanatic here's your chance to stare at the screen goddess on a lonely balcony for 4 minutes. Waiting for her Romeo no doubt. This looks to have been shot during the primping, blocking and filming of what we assume will be (at most) a 15 second shot in the actual film.



Michelle is looking very breasty in a nightgown while she gazes into the sky.

One assumes the character of Lea, a former courtesan, will do a lot of waiting around haughtily/gorgeously/sensationally for her troublesome young lover Chéri (Rupert Friend, Keira Knightley's man, pictured left, who you'll remember from Pride & Prejudice as the pretty but loathsome sister-stealing Mr. Wickham).

Would that this were a musical and Michelle/Lea could suddenly lift both arms heavenward on the balcony of the Casa Rosada and sing "Don't Cry For Me (Mon Cher Chéri)" I'll bet the evident backlighting here is going to beautify the shot considerably. Darius Khondji, Evita's own Oscar-nominated cinematographer in fact, does DP duty here. Ouiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.