the whip is a 1917 american silent drama film directed by maurice tourneur that is based on the play of the same name by henry hamilton and cecil raleigh .

the film stars alma hanlon , june elvidge , and irving cummings .

it also features bobby vernon , wallace beery , as well as gloria swanson in one of her early film roles .

the film survives and has been released on dvd .

the whip ( 1917 film )

the film index : a bibliography . vol . 1 : the film as art .
classics of the horror film : from the days of the silent film to the exorcist , by willam k . everson
denmark ; dir . jytte rex ; norsk film production and the danish film institute .
topical budget 285 - 2 : h . m . the king opens parliament ( 1917 )
the story of the training of a racehorse , the whip , of the amnesiac nobleman who loves the horse , and of the villains who attempt to keep it from racing .
topical budget 291 - 1 : st . patrick ' s day ( 1917 )
the american film institute catalog of motion pictures produced in the united states : film beginnings , 1893 - 1910 .
the american film institute catalog of motion pictures produced in the united states , film beginnings , 1893 - 1910 .
topical budget 295 - 2 : king at st . paul ' s ( 1917 )
the film is the source of the saying
the natives are restless tonight .
the actual dialogue is as follows :
topical budget 292 - 1 : a . s . c . win again ( 1917 )
topical budget 295 - 1 : a . s . c . v united services ( 1917 )
topical budget 296 - 1 : h . m . the queen and st . george ' s day ( 1917 )
19 september 1991 : arts and film 86 ; 20 september 1991 : arts and film 37 .
presents probably the most faithful film version of the medieval legend of tristan and isolde .
topical budget 281 - 1 : mr gerard leaves for u . s . a . ( 1917 )
topical budget 287 - 1 : all blacks v . a . s . c . ( 1917 )
topical budget 324 - 2 : will there be women m . p . s ? ( 1917 )
, caeserini ' s film still suffers from a problem common to many early filmed operas , the inability to synchronize the film itself with the musical accompaniment .
as their source , but the film ' s real debt is to the american movie western and the classics illustrated series . the film ' s significance lies in its being the first mgm film in cinemascope , not in any new light it sheds on the legend of arthur and the knights of the round table .
topical budget 288 - 1 : women ' s work at an a . s . c . depot ( 1917 )
lacy , norris j .
arthurian film and the tyranny of tradition .
the use of arthurian legend in hollywood film from connecticut yankees to fisher kings .
the use of arthurian legend in hollywood film from connecticut yankees to fisher kings .
images in the dark , an encyclopedia of gay and lesbian film and video .
the productions from thanhouser ' s mature period , 1915 - 1917 , clearly show the advancements that set the stage for the first cinematic golden age , the 1920s . such advances are evident in this . . . see full summary »
while prints exist in several archives , the cossack whip has never been released on home media . i was able to see it thanks to a private screening .
you see , the cossack whip comes from a curious period in hollywood history when anti - czar sentiments were smiled upon . remember that many of the early studio executives and their families had fled pogroms in the russian empire . fleeing tyranny tends to leave scars . ( there’s even a rumor that leon trotsky appeared in a 1917 film with clara kimball young ! trotsky himself denied it and the man in the film seems to be just a lookalike but it’s fun to imagine what could have been . )
nicholas ii romanov became tsar of russia in 1894 . his reign was beset by social and political unrest , culminating in the russian revolution of 1917 .
founded in 1999 , senses of cinema is one of the first online film journals of its kind and has set the standard for professional , high quality film - related content on the internet .
original music cues for the film . five reels lasted a maximum of 70 minutes .
cast : rene auberjonois , huge e . blick , michael gross , whip hubley , jean marsh , keshia knight pulliam , and emma samms .
the american film institute catalog of motion pictures produced in the united states , feature films , 1931 - 1940 .
the american film institute catalog of motion pictures produced in the united states , feature films , 1911 - 1920 .
romero ' s film is nonetheless undervalued . it represents one of the better attempts to link the story of arthur with the american dream .
future learning and skills – giving everyone the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with film .
“a fine example of this [ the fruitful collaboration of collins and dana ) is the cossack whip , which can still astonish the modern viewer for the unbridled modernity of its style . the film is edited with an elegance and rhythm that could have made eisenstein envious , and there is reason to suspect that collin’s grasp of the medium flourished quite independently from griffith’s influence . ”
mayberry ' s film - - despite the license it takes with plot - - may be truest to the humor found in the original novel .
in the end , though , the flaws of the cossack whip are more than made up for by its many good points . collins shows his flair for bold and clever editing , dana is wonderful in the lead and the picture captures the claustrophobic flavor of a police state . it deserves to be better known .
proceedings of the purdue university fifth annual conference on film october 30 - november 1 , 1980 .
james c . robertson , the british board of film censors : film censorship in britain , 1896 - 1950 , dover , nh : croon helm ( 1985 ) .
calvin plays baseball for the reseda knights . the film ' s only bright spot is that it counters the largely misogynic arthurian tradition by having princess sarah disguised as the black knight help calvin save the day .
, this film has had few neutral critics , most of whom responded negatively to it . the charges leveled against the film are generally that the lead roles were miscast , that the direction was ponderous , and that , at nearly three hours , the film was too long . the film did , nonetheless , win academy awards for art and set direction , costume , and best musical scoring . it was also nominated for best cinematography and sound .
thynne , jane .
£500 can buy slice of the action in a new british film .
at the police hq the interrogation is supervised by turov . with katerina turov shows her the torture of alexis through a stone trap door above the cell where he is being beaten with a whip . turov offers her alexis’s life in exchange for her favours . however , after he has satisfied his lust , katerina discovers that alexis is actually now dead . katerina is also beaten , and in a terminal state , she returns to the village with the whip used in the torture . finding her and hearing her story darya swears revenge .
original author h . g . wells was outspoken in his dislike of the film , feeling the overt horror elements overshadowed the story ' s deeper philosophical meaning .
the cinema museum london’s cinema museum is devoted to keeping alive the spirit of cinema from the days before the multiplex .
levinson ' s film lacks the ironic tone of its original and changes the novel ' s ending . clearly , this film was meant as a star - vehicle for redford more than as a faithful adaptation of a literary source , and the arthurian dimensions of the novel are obscured in the process .
a growing source of silent era film information . this listing is from the progressive silent film list by carl bennett . copyright © 1999 - 2018 by carl bennett and the silent era company . all rights reserved .
sitney , alan p .
bruce baillie and the lyrical film .
in annette michelson , ed .
london : rank film distributors , [ 1963 ] . [ press book . ]
the plot line was not always clear to me and the ‘long arm of co - incidence’ seemed to operate . the geography of the film seemed very convenient , especially the visit to the secret police hq in the final reel . and credits seem to suggest two turov’s : if so i did not distinguish them . and synopsis referred to paris rather than london . however , the 35mm print for the screening seemed complete . whatever the possible confusions in the plot this was an exemplary use of film techniques and seemingly radical for the period .
baillie presents a modern day reinterpretation of the legend of parsifal set against the backdrop of the sierra nevadas . the director has commented that his film is a tribute to the hero , who never appears , and to wagner ' s opera .
needs to be read against the politics of the 1950s . against such a backdrop , the film can be
seen as an allegory for the triumph of american values over a communist threat
( 38 ) .
heavy metal band van halen paid homage to the film in the original version of their song
house of pain
, the early lyrics for which directly referenced the storyline of the movie . during onstage introductions of the song circa 1976 - 77 , van halen vocalist david lee roth routinely gave a brief synopsis of the film . the song was shelved for the better part of a decade , but eventually resurfaced with different non - movie - related lyrics and released on the band ' s 1984 album .
members of the new wave band devo were fans of the film . the
what is the law ?
sequence formed part of the lyrics to devo ' s song
jocko homo ,
with lugosi ' s query
are we not men ?
providing the title to their 1978 debut album q : are we not men ? a : we are devo ! devo ' s short film
the truth about de - evolution
and an interview with founding members gerald casale and mark mothersbaugh are special features on the criterion collection release of the film .
the cossack whip is one of his most famous films . its ripped - from - the - headlines plot involves totalitarian brutality in russia and features an infamously sadistic climax as viola dana avenges her murdered family . there’s hollywood gloss but it has some very sharp edges . ( by the way , i shall be using the term “hollywood” to refer to the american film industry and its overall style . i do realize that this was an east coast production but hollywood is a convenient term to use when discussing american vs . russian film styles . )
the january 5 , 1917 issue of variety on page 23 describes that paragon staged a train wreck at greenwood , delaware at a cost of $ 20 , 000 . william a . brady & maurice tourneur took part .
the arrangement of films here is alphabetical for both main and alternate titles . each main entry includes the film ' s title and date of release , the film ' s country of origin , the director , the production company , any alternate title ( s ) , and the cast . in the case of some silent films , surviving records do not always provide all of this information . i then briefly discuss each film and offer a short critical assessment , which admittedly at times betrays my own biases . finally , i provide an exhaustive a list of reviews and additional discussions of each film .
lagrange filmed this visually striking if not always coherent retelling of the legend of tristan in iceland . the director characterized his film as a
visual opera .
the us horror - rock band manimals based much of their stage persona on the film . their 1985 blood is the harvest vinyl e . p . closes with the song
island of lost souls
. the track includes a
what is the law ?
section that fans would chant during live shows . the film historian gary don rhodes has called them
the best - ever in the horror - rock genre
and referenced them in his 1997 book lugosi ( mcfarland press ) .
wachhorst , wyn .
time - travel romance on film : archetypes and structures .
- - - - - .
they ' re getting a terry gilliam film .
members of the upper class regularly frequent alexander nyberg ' s elegant establishment . affairs of the heart and misunderstandings create the comedic scenarios that accompany the guests . based on the gustav esmann play of the same name .
thompson , raymond h .
the ironic tradition in arthurian film since 1960 .
in kevin j . harty , ed .
harty , kevin j .
the arthurian legends on film : an overview .
in kevin j . harty , ed .
using a highly exaggerated style of acting , interspersed with trick camera effects , a group of actors present the following scenes from wagner ' s opera : parsifal ascends the throne , ruins of a magic garden , exterior of klingson ' s castle , magic garden , interior of the temple , scene outside the temple , return of parsifal , and in the woods . with this film , edison had hoped to capitalize on the success of the 1903 stage production of the opera in new york , but the film ' s run had to be shortened when the owner of the copyright successfully sued edison for using the script without permission .
germany - great britain - ireland - united states ; dir . anthony hickox ; constantin film .
island of lost souls is an american pre - code science fiction horror film starring charles laughton , richard arlen , leila hyams , bela lugosi and kathleen burke as the panther woman , theatrically released in 1933 . the film was directed by erle c . kenton and produced by paramount pictures from a script co - written by science fiction legend philip wylie , the movie was the first film adaptation of the h . g . wells novel the island of dr . moreau , published in 1896 . both book and film are about an obsessed scientist who is secretly conducting surgical experiments on animals on a remote island .
made for german television , this film of the story of parsifal is unusual in its use of wolfram rather than wagner as a source .
the film was examined and refused a certificate three times by the british board of film censors , in 1933 , 1951 , and 1957 . the reason for the initial ban was due to scenes of vivisection ; it is likely that the cinematograph films ( animals ) act 1937 , which forbade the portrayal of cruelty to animals in feature films released in britain , was a significant factor in the bbfc ' s subsequent rejections . the film was eventually passed after cuts were made with an ' x ' certificate on july 9 , 1958 . [ 1 ] [ 2 ] it was later classified as a pg on dvd in 2011 with the cuts reinstated .
this film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are . see what’s now showing
tarpley , fred .
king arthur on film .
in william e . tanner , ed .
a silent film about a women who seduces a married man which in turn leads to deadly consequences .
the film focuses accurately on nicholas and alexandra ' s pigheadedness in the face of change . it could have gone further .
be firm ,
she wrote to him in real life ,
russia loves to feel the whip – it ' s their nature – tender love and then the iron hand to punish and guide . how i wish i could pour my will into your veins .
he replied :
tender thanks for the severe written scolding ,
and signed himself
your poor little weak - willed hubby .
the film ' s big challenge is to make these dreadful people into sympathetic characters . it tries hard with limited success , helped out by the fact that the other side aren ' t all that cuddly , either .
thus was begun the existence of one of the most influential art works of the 20th century . fountain will be a crucial item in the forthcoming exhibition , duchamp , man ray , picabia , at tate modern . or at least a replica of it will , because one of the most piquant aspects of the history of this celebrated object is that the original was seen by only a handful of people , never publicly exhibited , and vanished shortly after that selection , signing and christening in 1917 .
after assassinating king arthur , edmund of cornwall seizes the throne and kidnaps arthur ' s daughter katherine in the hopes of forcing her to marry him to legitimize his claim to the throne . the outlaw robert marshall intervenes , rescues katherine , and , with the aid of merlin , overthrows edmund and the saxons . katherine is crowned queen and takes robert as her consort . this unorthodox film version of the legend of arthur incorporates elements of the legend of robin hood into its plot , but the end result is still a flatly - directed and only moderately interesting adventure film .
he and his fellow gang members compete with a rival group of boy scouts . the leader of the delinquents is wounded in a robbery and saved by a grail knight who appears to him . the delinquents then join the scouts . the screenplay for this film was written by scout commissioner james austin wilder , who also played the role of the scout master . this little known cinematic gem is notable for its use of the grail as a source of healing and its linking of the matter of arthur with the problem of the proper education of boys .
what a shame the average joe can’t see this film . . i would love to see it because of viola dana and john collins . this is a film done at the time when this history was being made in russia . you are very lucky to have been able to see it .
wealthy young martin cavendish wants to marry his mother ' s secretary rather than a snooty titled woman his mother has chosen for his bride . one night while reading a book about chivalry , cavendish is knocked unconscious by a burglar , and , in a dream , he finds himself in in camelot in the sixthcentury . thereafter , the film follows the general outline of the events in twain ' s novel with abundant contemporaneous touches added to the screenplay . douglas fairbanks was originally offered the title role in this film , but he turned it down . as with the other screen adaptations of twain ' s novel , this film eschews any of the misanthropy in the original in favor of comedy .
, boorman ' s film is a dark brooding meditation on the arthurian legend in which arthur becomes the grail king . the film has not , however , aged well . it seems now too much a product of its times , dominated by a heavy musical score that is designed to cue audience reactions to scenes sometimes before they occur .
rob hobbs , an aging baseball player , returns at the invitation of pop fisher to play for the new york knights , but his past , which the film explores in terms of the arthurian legend , comes to haunt him . based on bernard malamud ' s novel ,
: narrative time and space in medieval literature and film .
in maud s . walther , ed .
this made - for - television adaptation of twain ' s novel emphasizes the farcical turning merlin ( victor jory ) into a comical character and shifting the scene with the eclipse to the end of the narrative .
fritz lang began his film career writing scripts . between 1917 and 1919 he wrote about ten filmed scripts , half of which were produced by decla , the company founded by erich pommer , with a further two being realised by director / producer joe may . in 1919 lang directed his first four films . die spinnen ( part 1 : the golden lake ) was lang’s third and earliest extant film as a director . die spinnen ( part 2 : the diamond ship ) was made in 1920 with the modest harakiri ( madame butterfly , 1920 ) interceding . at this time lang was also to have directed the cabinet of dr . caligari ( 1919 ) , and had begun preliminary preparations ( these included the suggestion , objected to by the scriptwriters carl mayer and hans janowitz but adopted by robert wiene , the film’s eventual director , that a framing epilogue and prologue be added ) . ( 2 ) however , the commercial success of the golden lake meant that the diamond ship had to be rushed into production forcing lang to withdraw from the project .
this was john h . collins final film for a combination of companies , kleine – edison – selig – essanay . he then moved on to metro . collins had married up and coming star viola dana in 1915 and she was the star of this film and continued in that role for collins until his demise in 1918 . helen - day mayer and david mayer in the le giornate del cinema muto catalogue , characterise the plot of this film .
holly , linda tarte .
medievalism in film : the matter of arthur , a filmography .
in jürgen kühnel et al . , eds .
( 1859 ) , this film was critically well received because of its effective use of pageantry and the skill with which it told a love story .
yes , this movie really needs to be released . it pretty much rewrites the history of film editing as most people credit eisenstein with pioneering rapid cutting , film buffs credit gance but humble little edison ( the studio was very much on the wane ) and john collins seem to have beat them all to it . dana is absolutely perfect in the lead , i think it’s the best role i have ever seen her in .
three men met for lunch in new york early in april 1917 . they were the american painter joseph stella , walter arensberg , a wealthy collector later obsessed by the notion that bacon wrote shakespeare , and marcel duchamp . after a convivial and talkative meal , they made their way to the jl mott ironworks , a plumbing suppliers situated at 118 fifth avenue .
in the early reels we have the despotic tsarist secret police , secret revolutionaries [ though without defined political content ] and the innocent villagers caught up in the conflict . in the film we first meet the revolutionary band [ the brotherhood ] including sergius ( richard tucker ) . an attack on a train to free imprisoned radicals leads to searches of villages on the orders of cossack officer ivan turov . this leads to a raid on the village where darya ( viola dana ) and her family live ,
griffith had hoped to make a film based on edwin austin abbey ' s famous series of grail frescos in the boston public library . the project was temporarily shelved in 1915 , but an attempt to revive it after the first world war also failed , and the project remained unrealized .
a radio
shock - jock
is in part responsible for the death of the wife of a professor of medieval history . the professor goes insane and thinks he is on a mission to find the holy grail . his quest leads to an encounter with the dj , both of whom find redemption from their guilt and their pain . gilliam ' s film offers one of the more effective modern retellings of the grail myth , seeing both the professor and the dj as twin parsifal - like characters .
- - - - - .
une ' figure obligé ' du film de chevalerie : le tournoi .
nickel , helmut .
arms and armor in arthurian film .
in kevin j . harty , ed .
de la brétèque , françois .
une ' figure oblige ' du film de chevalrie : le tournoi .
- - this film relies on the predictable to advance its plot . ackland ' s arthur is a doddering fool , and moody returns to the screen as merlin a second time , having played the role with a more sinister twist in 1979 in
parsifal , having overcome a number of opponents and various temptations , assumes his rightful place as the guardian of the holy grail , curing the wounded king amfortas in the process .
arthur sees his kingdom dissolve in squabbles among his knights over the innocence or guilt of guinevere . this made - for - television film of the last two books of sir thomas malory ' s fifteenth century
moreau offers parker the hospitality of his home and introduces him to lota ( kathleen burke ) , a beautiful , gentle girl who seems a bit simple . when the two hear screams coming from a locked room , which lota calls the house of pain , parker investigates . he sees moreau and montgomery operating on a person without anesthetic . convinced that moreau is engaged in sadistic vivisection , parker tries to leave , only to encounter brutish - looking men emerging from the jungle . moreau appears , cracks his whip , and orders the one known as the sayer of the law ( bela lugosi ) to repeat the rule against violence . afterward , the strange men disperse .
truer to the details of its source than either the 1921 or the 1931 films , this third screen version of twain ' s novel is , nonetheless , in many ways the least successful of the three . the novel has been turned into a musical vehicle - - not based for reasons of copyright on the 1927 rodgers and hart broadway musical - - for crosby , and the plot advances by a mix of song and silly dialogue . twain ' s novel was an example of comic genius ; this film is anything but an example of such genius . as with the other screen adaptations of twain ' s novel , this film also eschews any of the misanthropy in the original in favor of at times clumsy musical comedy .
the george kleine collection of early motion pictures in the library of congress , a catalog .
france ; dir . ugo falena ; il film d ' arte italiana , s . a . p . f .
oingo boingo is another new wave band who paid tribute to the film with their song
no spill blood ,
which featured the refrain
what is the law ? no spill blood !
and appeared on their 1983 album , good for your soul .
archaeologist indiana jones joins with his father , dr . henry jones , to keep the holy grail from falling into the hands of the nazis . in some ways the most successful and best made of the indiana jones trilogy of films ,
during the finale , darya’s pent up rage bursts out in a violent frenzy as she attacks her enemy . when she realizes that she has been seen and that she may not be able to finish her task , her attack grows more intense . she tries to get in as many blows as she can before she is stopped . ( may i put in a dig about “silent movie damsels” right here ? ) rarely has a bolshevik been given such a sympathetic and powerful role in a mainstream american film but the cossack whip was not the only anti - czarist picture on the market .
the meteors , a psychobilly band from the uk told the story of the film in their song
island of lost souls
on their 1986 album teenagers from outer space , the chorus being a prolonged chant of
we don ' t eat meat ; are we not men ? we stand on two feet ; are we not men ?
etc .
john , a poor blacksmith , learns that the viking attacks on england are really the handiwork of sir palamides , a knight of the round table , and his ally , king mark , both intend to overthrow arthur and supplant christianity in england with paganism . john becomes a knight and saves the kingdom from palamides and mark , while also winning the hand of his lady love , the fair linet . when it was originally released , most critics dismissed this film as unintentionally funny . more recently , however , alan lupack has advanced an alternate reading of the film arguing convincingly that
james c . robertson , the hidden cinema : british film censorship in action , 1913 - 1975 , london , routledge ( 1989 ) , pp . 55 - 57 .
director john h . collins made quite an impression during his brief career . his bold melodramas reinvigorated the flagging edison studio but his early death in the influenza epidemic of 1918 proved to be a tragedy for the film industry and his wife , leading lady viola dana .
two films have since been made based on the same h . g . wells novel . the first was released in 1977 and stars burt lancaster as the doctor . the second came out in 1996 , with marlon brando as moreau . in the very similar the twilight people ( 1973 ) , actress pam grier played the panther woman .
on the subject of the innovative editing , brownlow writes : “some of the flashes are a mere twelve frames ; this is a pioneering example of the rapid cutting which , ironically , the russians made famous , and is the earliest i have seen . ” in a footnote , brownlow points out that the unbeliever , another edison film , also shows this lightning fast cutting . is it possible that the same unnamed editor was responsible for both films ? an intriguing theory ! ( needless to say , both the edison pictures predate abel gance’s la roue , often listed as the pioneering work in rapid editing . )
in fifth - century spain as the barbarians invade , parsifal seeks and eventually finds the holy grail , bringing peace to his troubled homeland . this little - known film version of the grail story blends elements from wagner ' s opera with elements from medieval legend and literature .
the romanovs have been romanticized by later hollywood films but it’s worth remembering that alexander ii was an incompetent and racist despot . as i often say , the russian people jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire when the revolution came but that doesn’t mean the frying pan was particularly pleasant . ( for more details on this period , i heartily recommend kevin brownlow’s behind the mask of innocence , which i relied on heavily for background information on this film . )
once there , duchamp selected a
bedfordshire
model porcelain urinal . on returning to his studio he turned it through 90 degrees , so that it rested on its back , signed it ,
r . mutt 1917
, and entitled this new work fountain .
in this silly remake , conan the barbarian meets foster ' s comic strip characters . missing here are the hollywood touches that at least made the 1954 film visually interesting . in its more interesting scenes , hickox ' s film fades to panels from the original strip , but there is little else to recommend it , except perhaps joanna lumley ' s over - the - top portrayal of morgan in full - length black leather gown and chain - mail headdress . edward fox plays an aging arthur ( cf .
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the stars of russian cinema . by the 1920s , many would either be in france or dead .
rubenstein , lenny .
the wondrous return of the wacky monty python ' s flying circus .
after a series of adventures which bring him knighthood at king arthur ' s court , the young perceval has a vision of the holy grail but fails to understand what he has seen . he then sets off to find the grail again in a quest that takes him on yet another series of adventures . finally , assuming the central role in a passion play , perceval is granted a second vision of the grail . unique among films about perceval and the quest for the grail , rohmer ' s source is chrétien de troyes unfinished twelfth century romance . the dialogue retains the verse form of the original romance in a modern french translation . rohmer uses stylized painted sets reminiscent of manuscript illustrations that give the film a genuinely medieval look to provide a commentary on the necessity for the quest for the spiritual , in a medieval or a modern world .
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( spoiler ) the climax involves darya flirting with turov , playfully chaining him to the wall and then producing a whip that she had concealed in her gown . she identifies herself , states her purpose and then beats the hell out of him . this gleeful and , frankly , kinky vengeance is pretty much the antithesis of proper movie behavior under the code ( still quite a few years away ) but apparently no one thought to censor the scene . darya herself does not deliver the coup de grâce—that’s left for a convenient undercover revolutionary—and so she is allowed to escape to america with sergius . i like to think she had a long and fruitful career as a hitwoman .
gives free reign to the comic talents of the six actors who comprise the monty python troupe . what is being skewered here is not so much the legend of arthur as previous cinematic treatments of that legend .
nicholas and alexandra boasts terrific performances and gorgeous production design , but it ' s bloated and unwieldy . there is more history here than the film - makers know what to do with .
in its retelling of scenes selected from the thirteenth century french prose vulgate cycle , this film presents the stories of arthur and guinevere , of morgan and her jealousy , of merlin and his enchantment by vivien , and of the fisher king bron , his daughter , and her son , galahad .
in part or in whole , the following studies discuss or catalog cinematic depictions of the legend of arthur .
- - - - - .
cinema arthuriana : translations of the arthurian legend to the screen .
codell , julie f .
decapitation and deconstruction : the body of the hero in robert bresson ' s
the story of aladdin and the princess badr al - badr ' s adventures as told through child actors .
the student room , get revising and marked by teachers are trading names of the student room group ltd .
blanch , robert j . , and julian n . wasserman .
gawain on film .
in kevin j . harty , ed .
while the climax is praised ( and it is shocking ) , i was particularly impressed by the raid on darya’s village . collins and cameraman john arnold crosscut between darya and her family dancing with the cossacks thundering across the snow . the villagers run in terror and a gunshot finally alerts darya’s family to the danger but it is too late . they are targeted in the raid . collins’ cuts are bold , rapid and they never once feel self - indulgent . they build suspense and create an ironic contrast between the frenzied joy of darya’s family and the emotionless activity of the cossacks . even though we see the horsemen silhouetted against the snow , the scene feels claustrophobic and tense . there is no escape .
a group of children , whose leader , alex , is an arthurian enthusiast , are terrorized by three bullies . alex stumbles upon excalibur while running through the woods to escape the bullies and meets merlin . warned to use the power of excalibur only for good , alex summons its power to defeat a new boy in town , luke , with whom alex ' s girlfriend , jenny , has fallen in love . alex looses excalibur and merlin ' s counsel , but finds both restored when he single - handedly captures three armed bank robbers who hold his friends hostage . this film attempts to trade on the image of the return of arthur , but the acting is terrible ; the plot drags . even children , the intended audience here , are likely to find the film boring .
burns , e . jane .
nostalgia isn ' t what it used to be : the middle ages in literature and film .
in george slusser and eric s . rabkin , eds .
california businessman pendragon is actually a medieval tyrant intent upon seizing excalibur from merlin ' s equally ageless disciple loong tao . pendragon hopes to use the sword to make time stand still and plunge the world into chaos on october 32nd . his plans are thwarted by christy lake , a reporter who is the reincarnation of merlin ' s daughter , the lady of the lake , and geologist john pope who is her eternal protector . this perfectly silly film , which understandably was dumped directly to american video in 1994 , owes a debt to a variety of film traditions , including the kung - fu action yarn and the western . less clear is its debt to anything recognizably arthurian .
russia was teetering on the brink in 1916 . collins took this hot news topic and combined it with a basic melodrama , which was standard movie procedure in the 1910s . still is , come to think of it . what really sets this film apart is the director’s eye for detail and his snappy editing .
founded by fritzi kramer , movies silently’s mission is to make silent film fun and accessible with reviews , articles , animated gifs and daily updates .
the celtic warrior arthur fights saxons , picts and jutes , as well as king mark of cornwall , to protect his people and the integrity of his homeland . never commercially released , this film is really just a cobbled together videotape version of three episodes of
an impetuous young man named loup is sent by his uncle mark to fetch his fiancée , sedrid of the long red tresses . they attempt to remain loyal to mark who nonetheless discovers that the two have fallen in love with each other . the plot of the film is obviously an analogue - - though not a very well made one - - to the oft - told medieval tale of tristan , isolde , and mark .
but it is one thing to borrow , and another thing to know how to use what has been borrowed . weeks manages here to reduce great literature to silly cinema . not content to leave bad enough alone , weeks remade the film in 1983 under the title
roscoe flirts with a girl in the park . later he takes his wife and mother - in - law to the movies only to see his flirtation showing on the screen .
the circus dancer lulu is a thoroughly q liberal being . although she loves her former savior , the clown alfredo , she begins a relationship with the noble henri von reithofen . henri kills himself ruined by the horrendous expenses for lulu .
this has an unforeseen effect , however . the beast - men no longer feel bound by moreau ' s laws , as he has himself broken one of them . moreau tries to regain control with his whip , but to no avail ; in desperation , he demands of them ,
what is the law ?
but their common response is ,
law no more ! ! !
with that , they drag the doctor into his house of pain , where they stab him to death with his own surgical instruments .
customers and clerks frolic in a general store . roscoe walks out of the freezer wearing a fur coat , then does some clever cleaver tossing . in buster ' s film debut he buys a pail of molasses .
die spinnen was made to impress and seduce viewers through all of the resources that lang had at his disposal . his ‘sensation’ film , like its penny dreadful literary predecessors , wastes no time on extensive character development . ( in his later career , especially once he had resettled in hollywood , lang would regularly be accused of creating films lacking in character motivation and psychological depth . ) die spinnen opens with an enigmatic scene of an old man fleeing an inca warrior , before then rapidly introducing its socialite antagonists . the antagonists smash wine glasses and the battle begins . unlike in conventional narrative filmmaking , lang abruptly introduces scenes without the benefit of incremental exposition . the effect of this technique is disorientating , giving the impression that a fragment of the film may be missing . it is almost as if the storytelling cannot keep pace with the rapidly developing drama .
katherine , a tourist in modern - day england , stumbles into a hole while wandering around stonehenge , where she encounters king arthur and his knights . camelot is in chaos . the wine cellar is empty , hundreds of vikings are expected for dinner , and the romans have abandoned england . even worse , the countryside is overrun with dragons and brigands , and the ever present fog just will not lift . with katherine ' s assistance , merlin and his beloved niniane restore order to the kingdom by challenging morgan le fay and her ally , mordred , arthur ' s illegitimate son . donner ' s film , which was shelved by the studio for several years before being dumped for television release , is one of the silliest films ever made about the arthurian legend . everything about the film - - acting , dialog , settings , costumes - - is simply dreadful .
the young tristana finds herself in the care of the much older don lope , but tristana is in love with the much younger horacio . unwilling to make a commitment to horacio , she returns instead to the care of don lope . when she loses a leg because of cancer , she marries don lope , but remains in love with horacio . from the novel by benito pérez galdós , buñuel ' s film has a complicated political subtext about power and gender . in addition , it represents a contemporary revision of the tristan legend , one of several which see tristan as a woman .
- - - - - .
parzival 1980 - - auf der bühne , im fernsehem und im film .
in jürgen kühnel et al , eds .
this live television production compresses twain ' s novel into sixty minutes all but eliminating any hint of the misanthropy of the original . karloff , who plays arthur , returned to the role in another 1955 production based on the rodgers and hart broadway musical .
in the spring a young man ' s fancy turns to thoughts of matrimony , and musty is no exception . in spite of all the warnings voiced by his married friends . musty takes the leap . the results . . . see full summary »
i’m not sure if it is possible to heap enough praise on viola dana for her excellent performance . darya’s sweet , plucky personality realistically morphs into a dark and brooding angel of vengeance and that ain’t easy . collins allows the camera to linger on her face and dana projects her thoughts to the audience with remarkable precision and intensity for such a young performer . dana herself felt that she had been miscast as the violent finale was quite a challenge . the whip was too heavy for her ( dana was one of the tinier silent leading ladies , standing just 4’11” ) and she had trouble lifting it . personally , i think dana’s modesty is charming but she clearly had this thing handled .
patrick mcgilligan , fritz lang : the nature of the beast ( new york : st . martin’s press , 1997 ) 59 .
borgzinner , jon .
the shining pageant of camelot
and
the limerick lad in king arthur ' s court .
the tsar abdicates ( and , in the film ' s most powerful scene , must tell his wife that he has done so ) . he and his family are moved to tobolsk , and thence to ekaterinburg . hard though it is to care much for the ex - tsar and tsarina , both of whom have been running full tilt towards their fate , you might expect to feel a twinge of pity for their children . curiously , though , and on scant historical evidence , the film portrays the 13 - year - old tsarevich as the image of his unspeakable mother . he gives precocious , entitled speeches , injures himself for attention , berates his father for losing the crown , and says of his guards ,
i ' d like to kill them all .
bad luck , kiddo . that ' s not the way this goes .
nearly electrocuted by a short in his guitar amplifier , shy suburban teenager hank awakens stunned to find himself in king arthur ' s court . dubbed sir dude , hank retraces with some 1990s updates the misadventures of twain ' s connecticut yankee managing to save camelot in the process from the wiles of morgan le fay . the worst of three very bad adaptations of twain ' s novel that turn the yankee into a teenager - - the other two are the commercially released
the russian people get their parliament , and pyotr stolypin ( eric porter ) as prime minister . it ' s now 1913 , the tercentenary of the romanov dynasty , so the tsar appears before his subjects .
god help me , but i do love it when they stand and wave ,
he murmurs . afterwards , stolypin is shot at the opera by a revolutionary while the tsar and his terrified daughters watch from the royal box . this remarkable scene is accurate – though , since stolypin was assassinated in 1911 , two years before the tercentenary , it ' s in the wrong place .
i ' m doing the same course as you and i ' d say some of the main ones are : - witte ' s economic reforms - stolypin ' s land reforms - the duma - 1905 ' revolution ' ( bloody sunday ) - world war 1 - russo - japanese war - the role of different people ( e . g rasputin ) in creating uncertainty in russia and of course the 1917 overthrow ^ ^ those are the topics i can think of so far . we don ' t cover before 1900 i don ' t think , so can ' t help you there . i have a few powerpoints from my teachers and ones i ' ve made myself or with the class on most of these , so if you ' d like them message me and i ' ll try and get them to you asap .
hey there . i am on my as year at college , and we ' re doing tsarist russia 1855 - 1917 ; ; the thing is i need help revising because i don ' t know what to revise . i want like the main topic titles , like ; ; - 1905 revolution 0r - lenin well , i want a list of things that i need to study , like the main topics . and if anyone has any powerpoints they can share with me , i ' ll be so grateful ! ! i am so stuck , and i need your help
nicholas and alexandra arrive at a party full of guffawing aristocrats , all of whom are ignoring the oppressed proletariat and practically guzzling fabergé eggs . one guest stands out : boggly - eyed mad monk and political liability grigori rasputin ( played splendidly by a pre - dr who tom baker ) . he tells racy stories . grimacing , nicholas slopes off to find the vodka – but alexandra is enraptured . when her infant son is diagnosed with haemophilia , she turns to rasputin and the power of prayer . or the power of whatever it is he does . this stokes the brewing revolution . the film stages a brilliant recreation of the horrific massacre of bloody sunday .
a restless young girl yearns to leave her rural environment and
get away from it all
. one day she stumbles upon a film crew shooting a western near her home . she makes friends with the . . . see full summary »
his first move was to suggest that the works in the new york exhibition be hung alphabetically , with the first letter to be drawn out of a hat . this idea was adopted , despite protests that it was
democracy run riot
. as a result , the whole huge show - the largest ever assembled in the us - must have had a slightly absurd air , with traditionalist , amateur works sent in from the sticks hung randomly beside pieces of cutting - edge cubism .


almost there is a 2014 independent documentary film , produced by kartemquin films .

it was directed by aaron wickenden and dan rybicky .

the film delivered a central pitch at the 2013 international documentary film festival amsterdam forum .

it later premiered at doc nyc and sheffield doc/fest , followed by official selections at film festivals around the world .

it has received coverage in the new york times , chicago tribune , the village voice , and many other outlets .

almost there was nominated for the 2016 cinema eye honors spotlight award .

it was recently acquired for distribution by factory 25 .

almost there ( film )

there are no featured audience reviews yet . click the link below to see what others say about almost there !
almost there tells the story of three men in search for meaning and happiness in the autumn of their lives .
the observational documentary meets the observer effect in almost there as filmmakers chronicle how their solitary subject is changed by their own scrutiny .
“ almost there poignantly tells the tale of community , responsibility , aging , and art . ” – pamela powell , reel honest reviews
watch trailers , read customer and critic reviews , and buy almost there directed by aaron wickenden & dan rybicky for $ 14 . 99 .
there are no security measures discussed or implied before entering the burrow in the film .
almost there
has some extraordinarily fine elements , but its big reveal destroyed all the goodwill it expected i would feel by film ' s end . your mileage may vary .
in its most effective segment , “almost there” explores the ramifications of this discovery and how better due diligence could have led to this information much earlier . there’s a power to this section that makes the viewer vibrate with rage and uncertainty . rybicky and wickenden ask the right questions of their interviewees , their subject and of themselves . and then , almost as suddenly as it was raised , the issue nonchalantly falls by the wayside as “almost there” works its way to its warm , fuzzy finale .
doc nyc , big sky documentary film festival , big muddy film festival , true false film festival , geneva film festival , cleveland international film festival , sebastopol film festival , midwest independent film festival , wisconsin film festival , sarasota film festival , minneapolis st . paul international film festival , arizona international film festival , sheffield doc / fest , nantucket film festival , indy film fest , southern circuit tour of independent filmmakers , middlebury new filmmakers festival , ebs international documentary festival – eidf , camden international film festival , big eddy film festival , milwaukee film festival , if film festival – louisville , dallas videofest , santa fe independent film festival , indie memphis film festival , driftless film festival , cork film festival , houston cinema arts festival , bisbee film festival
“i think as a journalist — i don’t think as a filmmaker , ” one interviewee says , almost off - handedly , late into “ almost there . ” this first feature from dan rybicky and aaron wickenden demonstrates that these documentary filmmakers might do well to think more like journalists sometimes .
almost there theatrical release | digital | vod catalog no . : ftf - 062 | in theaters : december | directors : aaron wickenden and dan rybicky | length : 93 minutes | year : 2015
“ almost there reveals how an individual can connect with others and follow his artistic obsessions despite adversity , even ( or especially ) if that adversity is himself . ” – laura adamczyk , the university of chicago magazine
zacharias smith does a commentary during the quidditch match in the book , while there is no commentary during it in the film .
there is no sign of any pamphlet showing the safety measures issued by the ministry .
the film follows the two filmmakers’ discovery of “outsider” artist peter anton , whose rundown home houses an impressive collection of unseen and fascinating artwork . “almost there” premiered at doc nyc 2014 and was an audience favorite at true / false 2015 and sheffield doc / fest 2015 .
house - elf kreacher and the hippogriff buckbeak are omitted from the film , and there is no mention of hagrid getting buckbeak back .
john bailey , “let there be light : john huston’s journey into psychic darkness” —online here .
now , there’s almost there , a poignant , humane , sharp - eyed look at peter anton , a miserable wretch of a man at the end of his life , toiling away in his parents’ home in east chicago , indiana . filmmakers dan rybicky and aaron wickenden ( the film was executive produced by justine nagan who recently took over as executive director of pov ) enter anton’s mold - infested shanty of a house to discover a treasure of paintings , drawings and , most important , a series of scrapbooks entitled “almost there , ” that tell — through paintings , pictures and words — of anton’s life of disappointment .
the resulting essay - documentary ,
almost there ,
returns friday for a weeklong run at the siskel film center . it ' s an intriguing , narratively unpredictable work embracing a hornet ' s nest of ethical issues , some of which remain unresolved , many of which limit the movie . they ' re also what make it interesting . so there ' s another ethical dilemma for you .
a great film critic recently explained to me that the two - and - a - half star rating is appropriate when there are many elements of a film that one loves , but also several bad elements that one cannot reconcile . if one feels more strongly about the latter , the most honest thing to do is choose the 2 - 1 / 2 star grade . “almost there” has some extraordinarily fine elements , but its big reveal destroyed all the goodwill it expected i would feel by film’s end . your mileage may vary .
“we want so badly for artists to be geniuses whose lives we can only dream of emulating . almost there paints a different , more down - to - earth picture . art is rarely made in a vacuum , no matter how remote or isolated the artist’s environment is . ” – dmitry samarov , rust belt magazine
chicago musician ken goldstein had his mind changed about a steel mill . there ' s now a song and a movie .
there is no mention of crabbe and goyle using polyjuice potion and standing guard for malfoy outside of the room of requirement .
in 2006 , rybicky and wickenden met anton at a pierogi festival . his sketched portraits of festival attendees attracted the duo’s attention , but a scrapbook of anton’s work pulled them into his orbit . entitled “almost there , ” the scrapbook is part of a 12 - book autobiography and is filled with sketches , sayings and other minutiae that anton sought to include . on page 657 of the “almost there” series , anton wrote “ one of the final goals of my life is to tell my story . it may be left to others to do so . ” in 2008 , rybicky and wickenden became anton’s co - conspirators in relaying his story to the general public .
igor karkaroff ' s murder is not mentioned in the film . however there is an image in harry potter limited edition of a daily prophet article talking about karkaroff ' s murder . [ 77 ]
i couldn’t continue on that same path ; i remained trapped inside the messiness of the film’s big secret , especially in light of the difficult questions it raises regarding the separation of an artist’s actions from their art . that’s a fascinating , loaded topic , one that deserves more time than “almost there” can handle without harshing the viewer’s mellow . i sensed the film wanted me to give a benefit of doubt that i simply could not give , and my emotions hardened with suspicion .
the film was the top grossing film at uk cinemas in 2009 , taking £50 . 7m , closely followed by avatar . - guardian
and yet . . . as the filmmakers work through their messy , messed - up place in the life story they ' re capturing , the film gathers a head of steam . you can almost sense rybicky and wickenden wising up , through the years , behind their own camera .
the artist , peter anton , had lived in his hoarder ' s nightmare of an east chicago childhood home since 1941 . in the vicinity of whatever cats happened to be living there at the time , he slept in a corner of the mold - infested basement . anton ' s magnum opus , an illustrated 12 - volume autobiography titled
almost there ,
caught the attention of wickenden and rybicky , who soon found anton had stories to tell , and stories behind the stories .
almost there goes a step further than the films listed above by doubling back on itself when the directors stumble on new information well into production , and they appear to have a crisis of conscience . how do they get through it ? partly by revealing rybicky’s personal connection to the subject matter , namely his own family’s history of mental illness and dysfunction .
almost there is one of the best documentaries of the year ; a lack of buzz and its late release , last week , might preclude it from landing on some top ten lists of 2015 , but it will surely be making mine . if you’re in chicago or la , you can still catch it in a theater or else you can find it online here .
there was also no debate or meeting at headmaster ' s office between professors to discuss whether or not dumbledore would be buried on hogwarts grounds .
the christmas season shown in the film is a big contradiction on what the chapter ' s title is . there are no signs of snow outside the burrow and ginny ' s nightdress seems unfit for a frosty season .
in surveying this setting , one might think “almost there” is a documentary about impoverished , elderly folks who have sadly fallen through the cracks in the system . instead , it’s an uncomfortable journey through the later life of an artist , a warts - and - all look at the filmmakers’ process that fails to get past its most troublesome wart . herein lies the problem for me as your humble reviewer , for the filmmakers have asked that we not discuss the major revelation in “almost there ,
a revelation that colored my viewing experience to an irreconcilable degree . so i ' ll have to tap - dance around the elephant in the room . to be safe , i’ll issue a spoiler warning in case i’m not cryptic enough to keep viewers in the dark .
when returning from the cave , harry and dumbledore appear on high street in hogsmeade , where they encounter madam rosmerta ( absent from the film ) , who warns them that the dark mark has appeared over the astronomy tower . harry and dumbledore borrow her broomsticks and head up there . in the film , harry and dumbledore apparate there directly . there is a dark , uneasily tranquil feeling conveyed as views of various parts of the school are shown , as though something bad would happen at any moment . however , the dark mark is not cast over the school until after dumbledore ' s death .
there is no mention of how the weasleys were able to open the store because of the winning prize of the triwizard tournament held two years before .
the entire village of budleigh babberton is recreated from the book , including the old war memorial . there is a pub called babberton arms in the background .
diagon alley is almost completely boarded up and vacated . the only life to be seen comes from weasleys ' wizard wheezes joke shop . the
u - no - poo
posters are not mentioned ( though the product is shown in the background , and was created as promotional material for the film ) . however , there is a statuesque , moving sign of one of the weasley twins ' lifting a top hat to reveal a rabbit . the sign is over a story tall .
almost there displays the vulnerability of both filmmaker and subject in such a way that process and product are woven together . as directors rybicky and wickendon unravel peter anton’s past , they allow themselves to become vulnerable to the audience as well , thus painting a complex portrait of the relationship between filmmaker and subject , art and life , and the joy of coming up from being down . ” – amy lee ketchum , tiny mix tapes
the film doesn ' t show harry questioning dumbledore as to why he trusted snape .
in the film , the memory of the wool ' s orphanage doesn’t include talks of tom riddle hurting kids at the cave , of which only a crude picture is shown taped up on riddle ' s bedroom wall . however , there is a deleted scene where dumbledore tells harry about tom doing so when they are at the cave ' s entrance later in the film .
safety measures issued by the ministry and about the inferi were not discussed throughout the entire film .
in the book , the felix felicis is gold . in the film , it is clear .
what was almost unprecedented in let there be light was its reliance on unscripted interviews , something common in documentaries only after the mid - 1950s with direct cinema , cinema vérité , and the british free cinema movements . when the film was finally released in 1980 , however , the prints—reportedly 16mm reductions from the 35mm original—were so poor that the los angeles times reviewer could describe “lighting as flat and nasty as the inside of a phone booth . ” the soundtrack was also garbled , and thus the film’s most innovative and affecting side—its live dialogue—was frustratingly incomprehensible . it’s only now that the soundtrack restoration fully conveys these moving interviews , with men who often initially can only mumble or whisper their stories .
there’s a compelling strain of documentary film that lifts the lid on outsider artists who work in the shadows . 1994’s crumb , about r . crumb , who certainly had some measure of success before terry zwigoff’s film , set the mold . a decade later , in the realms of the unreal ( pov 2005 ) took the form to a higher level by animating the work of artist henry darger . the devil and daniel johnston , about a manic depressive musician followed a year later and , more recently , among others , there’s been marwencol and art and craft ( pov 2015 ) .
almost there
exists on the other end of the doc spectrum . the filmmakers , on camera and often self - consciously , argue with anton , bring him to tears , confront his exasperating qualities and then keep on filming . at one point , fed up with anton ' s wheedling demands , we hear rybicky say that it was time for he and wickenden to recede .
we stepped back to film what would happen ,
he says ,
and hoped for the best .
at such moments it ' s hard not to look at anton ' s chroniclers as genial stumblebums .
the show is a success . we see anton playfully interacting with visitors and reuniting with some of his old neighbors . the film is half - over , and uplift is already in the air . then “almost there” lowers the boom on us . here’s where i must tread lightly . one of intuit’s visitors is olga briseno , the editor of the times of northwest indiana . fascinated by the rapport anton has with the people who knew him , she figures he’s a local celebrity . so she digs into her archives to find stories on peter anton . what she finds is so unpleasant it stuns the filmmakers .
there ' s not a documentary filmmaker alive ( or dead ) who didn ' t face a moral dilemma , or a hundred of them , in the course of their field work . a camera changes everything . even the most observantly self - effacing of directors , such as frederick wiseman , affects the social experiment of whatever he ' s filming simply by being there , watching , filming .
let there be light was huston’s third and final war documentary , after report from the aleutians ( 1943 ; viewable through the internet archive at this link ) and the harrowing combat film battle of san pietro ( 1945 ; featured in the nfpf’s first treasures dvd anthology ) . john huston narrated the first two himself , but called upon his father , the actor walter huston , for let there be light . the noir touches at the opening of this documentary may look out of place , but it’s worth remembering that hollywood’s film noirs often center on the traumas of veterans returning home . huston’s second film after the war , key largo , with bogart as the returning veteran , worked with the pattern .
in the film , draco ' s reluctance to go with the death eaters is much more obvious .
there was a petal , floating on the surface , which gradually sank and turned into a fish just as it reached the bottom . the fish was named francis . slughorn discovered that the fish disappeared the day lily evans died . in the book , however , there is no mention of the present ; harry brings up the topic of his parents ' death after hagrid mentions them just before falling asleep .
film showing the bayshore amusement park in its heyday , preserved by the maryland historical society with nfpf support .
aragog ' s size appears smaller than described and shown in both the books and the second film adaptation .
when ron is brought to slughorn ' s office , slughorn mistakenly refers to him as
wemby
in the film . in the book , slughorn calls him
ralph
. also in the book , slughorn later tells harry that he has had every bottle tested by a house elf since ron ' s incident , mistakenly referring to ron as
rupert ,
likely a reference to the actor who plays ron in the film series , rupert grint . there is no mention of any precautionary measures taken by slughorn in the film .
much of the first chapter has been omitted . this includes cornelius fudge discussing the murders , hurricanes , and bridge collapses that have been going on to the muggle prime minister , as well as the former ' s resignation as minister of magic , and rufus scrimgeour introducing himself to the latter . however , there is still a minor reference in the daily prophet at the beginning of the film that mentions there is a new minister for magic . the film instead begins with bellatrix ' s final line (
i killed sirius black !
) from the previous film echoing as harry is seen standing in front of a mob of reporters , with their cameras flashing , when dumbledore begins to lead harry away . the scene then cuts to the bridge attack .
after harry is told to take professor slughorn ' s potions class , he and ron immediately head there in the film . in the book , the potions class is later in the day , with harry , hermione , and ron doing other things , including a defence against the dark arts class , before heading to potions .
the duel is longer and more intense in the film . in the book , malfoy turns around and attacks , and harry almost immediately uses sectumsempra after the two of them cast about two spells each at each other . in the film , harry and malfoy shoot several spells at each other , hide behind stalls and shoot spells at each other underneath the stalls , run around the stalls while shooting spells at each other and finally harry uses sectumsempra on draco when he sees him standing on the other side of the bathroom , directly after coming out from under cover .
about the restoration the soundtrack of let there be light was restored by chace audio by deluxe . chace ' s services were donated through the nfpf grant program and awarded to the national archives and records administration in 2006 .
on january 2nd , 2009 , websites reported that the film had been rated
pg
by the mpaa , for scary images , some violence , language and mild sensuality . this is the first and only time since the third film that a harry potter film has been rated pg , although in britain it is a 12a .
bill weasley does not appear in the film , much less get bitten by fenrir greyback as he does in the book . however , in the next film , he is shown bearing scars from being attacked by greyback . this creates a plot hole in the next film since it is unknown where , how and when the scarring happened .
in the 1980s , critics and academics were quick to condescend to what struck many as let there be light ’s sadly old - fashioned documentary form . but such critiques may have dated more rapidly than huston’s film . in that decade , authenticity in documentary was still judged by resemblance to the gritty , handheld look of cinema vérité . now that more elegant interview styles have returned to documentary—most inventively those from errol morris—huston’s work can be judged by broader standards . the hollywood gloss of let there be light honors the service of psychologically wounded soldiers of world war ii by giving their life stories all the careful attention of a studio production . has a u . s . government film ever conveyed more emotion ? john huston’s own verdict , looking back over his career , was that let there be light was “the most hopeful and optimistic and even joyous thing i ever had a hand in . ” —scott simmon , uc davis
factory 25 and the production company kartemquin will premiere the film theatrically on december 4 in nyc and december 11 in la . the film will be available to stream on fandor starting december 5 , followed by a full vod release .
pansy parkinson sits beside blaise and across from draco in the film , rather than beside draco , stroking his hair . very little of her as well as her relationship with draco is seen in the film series as a whole .
harry potter and the half - blood prince is a 2009 film based on the sixth novel by j . k . rowling . it is the sixth film in the harry potter film series . david yates , the director of the fifth film , harry potter and the order of the phoenix , directed this film . david heyman and david barron produced , [ 3 ] and steve kloves , though he did not write the fifth film , has returned as screenwriter for this instalment . [ 4 ] filming began on september 24 , 2007 . the film was released in the uk , canada and us on july 15 , 2009 in regular theatres , and an imax 3 - d release on july 29 , 2009 . [ 5 ] [ 4 ] [ 6 ] unlike the previous film , the sixth film was released in regular theatres on july 15 and imax 3 - d on july 29 because of the imax release of transformers : revenge of the fallen . [ 7 ] the film was chosen to be screened at the royal film performance on november 17 , 2008 , but due to the date of release being pushed back , it was not shown . on january 2 , 2009 , the film received a pg rating in the usa . on july 7 , 2009 , at the world film premiere of harry potter and the half - blood prince in london , the cast and crew all wore white ribbons in memory and tribute of 18 - year - old british actor and co - star robert knox . knox , who played marcus belby in the film , was stabbed to death on may 24 , 2008 .
in the book horace slughorn was said to have a big silver moustache like a walrus and was supposed to be quite large , both are changed for the film . in the film , he does not have a moustache , and is only slightly chubby . additionally , slughorn is portrayed as a soft - spoken , senile man in the film .
since the slug club meets later in the film , harry goes right to spy on draco when leaving his compartment .
in the 1950s , when he resembled a wannabe dave garroway or steve allen , anton ran the calumet region talent club , a showcase for local fledgling tap - dancers , fire - eaters , what have you . his dreams of show business glory never came true . at one point anton sings a bit of
i ' m always chasing rainbows ,
a theme picked up by composer joshua abrams ' original score . by the end of
almost there ,
a kartemquin films project , the rainbows have changed but for anton , now in his mid - 80s , they ' ve become attainable .
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in the book , leanne is crying when she tells mcgonagall about what happened , but in the film she is calm .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
but that’s just to say that the film is brave enough to reveal its own seams , and it is , overall , the stronger for it . it’s a powerful and honest film about art , family , aging and , heck , being human .
there is no scene where the owls bring the examination results ; the first reference to harry ' s exam results comes when professor mcgonagall informs him ( in the hogwarts corridor ) that he may take potions as he had exceeded expectations in this subject .
john huston’s world war ii documentary let there be light is so legendary for its censorship controversy that its sheer power as a film has been easy to miss . produced by the u . s . army in 1945 , it pioneered unscripted interview techniques to take an unprecedented look into the psychological wounds of war . however , by the time the film was first allowed a public screening—in december 1980—its remarkable innovations in style and subject , which in the 1940s were at least a decade ahead of their time , could be taken as old hat , especially because of the poor quality of then - available prints . this new restoration finally reveals the film’s full force .
in the book , harry follows blaise zabini into the slytherin ' s car , while under his invisibility cloak . in the film , harry uses peruvian instant darkness powder , creating a thick , dark cloud of smoke to engulf the coach , while he climbs undetected onto the luggage rack , and remains there under his cloak for the duration of the journey , as he does in the book .
as the scene with fudge and the muggle prime minister is not featured in the film , after the kidnapping is shown , the film cuts to harry reading a copy of the daily prophet in a muggle café located along surbiton station , then leaves it on the table when he sees professor dumbledore outside . also , the muggle waitress at the cafe flirts with harry and asks about the newspaper he reads in the film . this scene is entirely unique to the film , and harry does not appear until later in the book .
to download a copy of the film ( mp4 , 1 . 2 gb ) , right - click here and save to computer .
the 22 months between start of filming and release of the film was by far the longest interval in the series to date and was in fact several months longer than the equally protracted schedule for the 2009 star trek film , which began production several months after hbp but was released several months before hbp . at one point the film was scheduled for a late 2008 release , but this was pushed back .
the army was evidently feeling some pressure throughout 1946 and responded in a revealing way—more revealing indeed than the mere suppression of huston’s documentary . in early 1947 it commissioned essentially a remake , a film that would copy many of the situations , scenes , and even camera movements of let there be light but this time with actors impersonating the returning soldiers . the assignment went to journeyman director joseph henabery ( who had assisted d . w . griffith—and played lincoln—in the birth of a nation in 1915 ) . his instructions were to produce the neuro - psychiatric problem in the army , which was retitled shades of gray when it was released in january 1948 . notwithstanding an army spokesman who announced that the new film was “definitely not connected in any way with let there be light , ” henabery and his producers seem to have seldom taken their eyes off the original . the actors clearly used the interviews in let there be light as models—and few impersonations are more ludicrous than their versions of the verbal tics and physical symptoms of the real soldiers . copied closely too are the scenes of hypnotism and of hysterical paralysis .
narrated by mr . rybicky and its subject , an outsider artist named peter anton , “almost there” opens with the filmmakers discovering mr . anton at a pierogi festival they’re shooting in whiting , ind . , in 2005 . here , mr . anton is seen drawing rudimentary but sincere portraits of town folk . ( the movie takes the value of outsider art as a given , which might be a stumbling block for viewers who don’t . ) mr . rybicky and mr . wickenden find out this artist has a huge stash of wide - ranging material in a crumbling , hazardous house in east chicago , ind . for a while , the movie feels like an episode of “ hoarders ” inflected with a hipster aesthetic .
opens : friday and continues through thurs . dec . 17 at gene siskel film center , 164 n . state st . ; urltoken .
oulsnam , alex ( 2007 - 11 - 22 ) .
potter film role for ashley
, kentish express , p . 22 .
for many , peter anton’s house embodies an end - of - life nightmare : the utility companies long ago shut off the heat and electricity , the floorboards are rotting , and the detritus of a chaotic life is precariously stacked to the ceiling . but for the filmmakers dan rybicky and aaron wickenden , anton’s home is a treasure trove , a startling collection of unseen and fascinating paintings , drawings , and notebooks , not to mention anton himself , a character worthy of his own reality tv show . though aging , infirm , cranky , and solitary , anton also is funny and utterly resilient . the film’s remarkable journey follows a gifted artist through startling twists and turns . by its quietly satisfying ending , almost there has provided enough human drama for a season of soap operas , plus insights into mental illness , aging in america , and the redemptive power of art .
in the film , harry , hermione , and ron are not seen back at the burrow after spying on draco . instead , they are next seen on the train , and it is here that they discuss what draco may have been doing at borkin and burkes in the film .
with the film’s picture restoration , its visual qualities too are more evident . indeed , it is crafted and lit like a polished hollywood feature—unsurprisingly , with stanley cortez as lead cinematographer , fresh from shooting evocatively dark domestic interiors for the magnificent ambersons and since you went away . although let there be light takes its title from the king james bible ( genesis 1 : 3 ) , that title also suggests the visual representation of the film’s narrative arc : away from shadowy , noir - inflected shots of gangplanks and hospital corridors and toward sunlit baseball diamonds and grassy fields .
harry potter and the half - blood prince won the 2007 urltoken award for film you
can ' t wait for .
[ 83 ]
furthermore , the role of bellatrix lestrange has been greatly expanded in the film . in the book , she does not fight in the battle of the astronomy tower or witness dumbledore ' s death . upon witnessing it in the film , she reacts by destroying everything with sadistic glee and delight .
john huston’s discussion of let there be light comes primarily from his autobiography , an open book ( new york : alfred a . knopf , 1980 ) , and interviews in gerald pratley’s the cinema of john huston ( cranbury , n . j : a . s . barnes , 1977 ) .
anton’s tour of his decades of artwork inspires the documentarians to look into exhibiting several pieces at the intuit center . intuit specializes in “outsider art ,
a sub - genre that focuses on art done by those outside the cultural mainstream . “ most of the people whose art we exhibit are dead , ” says cleo wilson , intuit’s executive director . so she’s excited to present a living artist like peter anton , who’s still around to speak for his work . the exhibit will serve as the next chapter in the life of a man who once ran a talent group whose young entertainers put on over 1 , 000 shows over a 20 - year period . we meet several of these children in “almost there ,
some of whom are in the paintings intuit exhibits .
as the filmmakers work through their messy , messed - up place in the life story they ' re capturing , the film gathers a head of steam .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
in the film , harry is never mentioned to have inherited grimmauld place or kreacher after sirius black ' s death , as he did in the book .
in the book , harry arrives at the burrow around 1 : 00 a . m . , after ron and hermione have gone to bed , and they don ' t see him until the next morning . in the film , it is unclear exactly when he arrives there ( although obviously before so late ) . while it is dark when harry arrives , ron , hermione , and ginny are all still awake and go to welcome harry when he enters the burrow .
though the inferi in the book climb out of the lake and attempt to drag harry back in with them , they actually pull him underwater in the film .
in the novel , it says that a bright green light hit dumbledore ( avada kedavra ) , while in the film , its more of a cyan colour .
there is much less conversation between draco and snape . snape only mentions to draco that he has made an unbreakable vow , then draco emphasised that he doesn ' t need protection . harry eavesdrops on the conversation , like in the book , but rather than using his invisibility cloak , he just hides around a corner .
in the film , at breakfast before the first quidditch match , luna lovegood , not hermione , notices harry faking to slip felix felicis into ron ' s drink .
the film omits the details that fenrir greyback is a werewolf , and also the part of lupin mentioning that greyback was the one who turned him into a werewolf .
for many , peter anton ' s house embodies an end - of - life nightmare : the utility companies long ago shut off the heat and electricity , the floorboards are rotting , and the detritus of a chaotic life is precariously stacked to the ceiling . but for the filmmakers , anton ' s home contains a startling collection of unseen and fascinating paintings , drawings and illustrated manuscripts ; not to mention anton himself , a funny and utterly resilient character . determined to form a coherent future out of a fractured past , they set out together to host an exhibition of the old artworks at america ' s leading
outsider art
museum . the film ' s self reflective odyssey follows a gifted artist over years of startling twists and turns that compel him to face a dark chapter from his past and the filmmakers to face their motivations . almost there is about what it means to grow old in america , how this process can be complicated by mental illness , and how the whole bizarre panoply of life can be redeemed by art .
however , the goal of let there be light —to educate viewers about psychological wounds—failed with its initial audience : the army brass who watched it and then forbade its release . the film itself had tried to prevent such a response by including one doctor’s warning to a group - therapy session : “undoubtedly there will be people on the outside who won’t have any understanding of the condition , who may think of it as being a rather shameful condition . that’s why we’re having an educational program , trying to educate the public into understanding . ” huston handcarried a print to washington in february 1946 and got the impression that release was greenlighted for later that month . but an army public relations group convinced the war department to issue an order in march 1946 restricting screenings to a handful of army hospitals and a few overseas military venues . as huston remembered ,
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the discussion between harry and hermione inside the hogwarts library is included . romilda vane was introduced but she does not speak . madam pince is not present in the film .
harry , slughorn , and hagrid sing a song while drinking after mourning aragog . in the film , this scene is shortened , and only the final verse is heard .
in the book , dumbledore drinks about three cups of the potion before falling prey to its effects . in the film , he starts reacting after his first drink . in the book , the potion eventually causes him to faint , but in the film , while suffering badly from the potion , he manages to remain concious the entire time .
in the book , dumbledore is left in a considerably weakened state after drinking the potion , which continues up to his death . this is less evident in the film .
dumbledore ' s speech in the book explicitly states that lord voldemort is once again at large , and advises everyone to be careful and report any suspicious acts . in the film , however , he is more subtle , explaining that there was once a boy who attended the school , appearing to be a student like any other . the name voldemort is not spoken , instead dumbledore says this boy was named tom riddle , but is currently known around the world by another name . he goes on to state that , while at any moment there are dark forces attempting to enter the castle ,
. . . in the end , their greatest weapon is you . . .
dumbledore says that is something to think about , and , as in the book , he concludes with a rather cheerful
now off to bed , pip pip !
rybicky and wickenden travel to anton’s home in east chicago , indiana to see more of his work . “ east chicago is the type of place you’d drive pass , but never into , ” we’re told . images of east chicago’s poverty accompany this narration , but fail to prepare us for the state of anton’s house . anton’s rationale for staying is understandable despite the filmmakers’ concern for his safety : he is very big on the notion of “home” , and this building has defined it for over 50 years . additionally , he has a small group of friends who look in on him , and they ' ve remained with him through extremely tough times . we meet some of these people as “almost there” progresses , and we also learn why they stay by anton’s side despite his irascible , sometimes confrontational personality . we also gradually start to see parallels between the lives of the filmmakers and anton .
mrs cole taking dumbledore into her room to talk about tom riddle is omitted . but the former and latter are seen walking up the stairs and on tom ' s floor where she tells dumbledore that in all the years tom was in the orphanage he never once had a family visitor and that there had been nasty incidents with the other children .
in the film , the spell lumos maxima is shown again , this time as a glowing ball of light that could be thrown rather than a more powerful version of lumos .
yates and heyman have noted that some of the events of harry potter and the deathly hallows may influence the script of the film , [ 12 ] and that there will not be as many memories in the film as in the book . yates noted :
we ' re making a decision right now to compress those a wee bit , but we ' ve still got some really cool ones .
[ 13 ] . steve kloves , who wrote the first four films , returned for the sixth adaptation . [ 14 ] rowling has read kloves ' script and crossed out a passage in which dumbledore recalls a past female love , penning in the margin
dumbledore is gay .
[ 15 ]
before david yates was officially chosen to direct the film , many others had been offered the job , and previous directors had expressed an interest in returning . alfonso cuarón , the director of the third film , stated he
would love to have the opportunity
to return . [ 8 ] goblet of fire director mike newell declined a spot to direct the fifth film , and was not approached for this one either . [ 9 ] terry gilliam was rowling ' s personal choice to direct philosopher ' s stone . however , when asked whether he would consider directing a later film , gilliam said ,
warner bros . had their chance the first time around , and they blew it .
[ 10 ]
yates has retained composer nicholas hooper , costume designer jany temime , visual effects supervisor tim burke , creature and make - up effects designer nick dudman , and special effects supervisor john richardson from the fifth film . [ 4 ] since february 2007 , stuart craig , the production designer of the first five films as well , has been designing sets , including the cave , and the astronomy tower , where the climax of the film takes place . [ 11 ] academy award nominated bruno delbonnel is the film ' s cinematographer . [ 4 ]
neither harper nor malfoy are seen playing on slytherin ' s team in the film , though since only part of the match was shown , they could have simply been off camera .
the film doesn ' t show harry being admitted to the hospital wing , due to the absence of the quidditch match and mclaggen having knocked him off his broom with the bludger .
in the film , draco shows dumbledore that he has been branded with the dark mark , whereas in the book this is only an assumption by harry , with no solid proof .
this is the only film in the series ( except deathly hallows part 2 ) that shows us events from the previous book ( the first scene at the ministry of magic ) .
there has been an additional scene in the film which has no book equivalent . the burrow is attacked by death eaters during the christmas holidays . bellatrix lestrange and fenrir greyback are the only death eaters shown . greyback flies and lands in a ball of flame and casts a ring of fire around the burrow ( possibly fiendfyre , as the flames are quite large and take the form of a serpent ) . lestrange lands in black smoke and taunts harry , chanting
i killed sirius black ! i killed sirius black !
harry takes off after her in rage . ginny takes off after him , trying to stop him . lupin , tonks , and arthur weasley follow them into the grassy marsh . while the five are lost in the field , looking for the death eaters , the death eaters take off and set the burrow aflame , burning it presumably to the ground , before leaving . there is no further mention in the film of how the home is restored or what happened to it afterwards . the burrow was supposed to be protected against the death eaters , and they simply set fire to it with no effort . by the time harry returns to it in the film adaptation harry potter and the deathly hallows : part 1 , the burrow had already been rebuilt .
in the film , ron mutters hermione ' s name while unconscious at the hospital wing with harry , hermione , lavender , ginny , dumbledore , mcgonagall , pomfrey , slughorn , and snape present , and lavender runs off in tears . this is how ron and lavender break up in the film , and is the first time lavender ' s name is mentioned in full .
in the book , snape reacts with livid emotion when harry calls him a coward . however in the film , although harry hurls this same insult at snape , he does not react .
helen mccrory who plays the role of narcissa malfoy in this film , was originally chosen to play bellatrix lestrange in the fifth film , harry potter and the order of the phoenix . but she had to back out of the role due to her sudden pregnancy , so she ended up getting this role instead , while helena bonham carter was cast as bellatrix in her place .
carroll , larry ( 2006 - 10 - 16 ) . terry gilliam on depp , ' potter ' and the film he panhandled to promote . mtv . retrieved on 2006 october 16 .
in the book , harry , ron , and hermione are the only gryffindor students to take slughorn ' s n . e . w . t . potions class . in the film , many other students are present in slughorn ' s class as well , including dean thomas , seamus finnigan , neville longbottom , padma patil , lavender brown , romilda vane , and katie bell , despite romilda and katie not even being in the same year as harry and the others . in the film , crabbe and goyle are in the class as well , despite the book specifically stating that they were not . pansy parkinson also appears , although in the novel there was one unspecified slytherin student in the class with draco malfoy , blaise zabini , and theodore nott .
the slytherin end of the hogwarts express is split into two sides , not compartments as had been seen in previous films . it looks like booths with a table in between them . there is no door to close as had been in previous films . the compartments where harry , ron , and hermione sit are similar to what was in previous films , with the sliding doors .
in the book , harry asks why they went to budleigh babberton , and dumbledore tells him that they are short on staff so they want to convince slughorn to return . in the film , harry does not ask , and when asked if he was curious as to why they went there , harry says that after all the years at hogwarts , he no longer bothers to question what they do anymore . dumbledore does not tell him anything about slughorn or them being short on staff , only telling him to draw his wand , and they proceed to enter the house .
the way harry is found is different in the film . in the book , tonks finds harry , stating that she did not see him leave the train and , knowing harry has his cloak , decided to double check the train . in the film , it is luna lovegood who finds harry with her spectrespecs , stating that she can see wrackspurts all over him . [ 78 ]