Behind The Scenes IV

George Clooney and Sandra Bullock on the set of 'Gravity'.

Musical Mornings: Fiddler On The Roof

Welcome to Musical Mornings! I know there's this huge stigma about musicals, and yes, they are sometimes the definition of tacky, but I think they're highly unappreciated. Here's the first of my list of musical classics that defy expectations.

The 1971 version of 'Fiddler On The Roof' started my obsession with Broadway. This poignant, angry, honest film simply radiates emotion. At the heart of it is Topol, an Israeli actor who (rightfully) won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for this film. He plays a Jewish milkman in pre-revolutionary Russia, struggling to maintain tradition as the world is crumbling around him. 

One of my favorite storylines is that of his relationship with his wife, Golde. Their marriage exemplifies the many facets of Jewish tradition, serving as a fascinating comparison for the three sets of 'modern' romances going on around him. Their functional, if not tempestuous relationship authenticates Topol's desire to set his daughters up in arranged marriages. It worked well for them, didn't it? 


Plus, Norma Crane is hysterical.

There are many deep, nuanced themes in this musical, but I think the best way to describe it is a story of 'letting go'. To Topol's character, it means letting go of his entire way of life- his customs, his daughters, his home. For other characters its slighter, more complicated. But everyone feels it, this urge to fight the inevitable outcome of their lives. Its incredibly easy to relate to, whatever traditions you grew up with. 

Fantastic Performances In Otherwise Mediocre Films: Arnie

I have not often skipped over anything that my beloved Johnny Depp was in, but 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?' was a marvelous exception. I found the film weepy and unfocused, and I couldn't really connect with any of the protagonists. But what entirely redeemed the movie in my eyes was the character of Arnie, Depp's mentally disabled younger brother.

Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor In A Supporting Role for Arnie but did not win. It was just the first of many slaps in the face that Leonardo DiCaprio has gotten at the Academy Awards, but definitely the one I resent the most. His portrayal of Arnie is aggressive, bordering on disturbing. He makes no apologies, no excuses, and dives right in to the haunting reality of mental illness. Watching him in this role is like getting a punch to the gut. But in a good way. A sucker punch of feelings . . .?

Anyway, you can tell he spent painstaking hours getting into character. Leo said in an interview he visited a special needs facility to gather information: "We just talked and I watched their mannerisms. People have these expectations that mentally retarded children are really crazy, but that isn't so. It's refreshing to see them because everything's so new to them."


Maybe that's why every time I re-watch it, Arnie still surprises me. 

Movie Burns

You better put some water on that . . . Because anything involving insults in film has to begin and end with John Bender.

Behind The Scenes III

James Stewart on the set of 'It's A Wonderful Life'. The special effects team created an awesome new type of fake snow for the film, made of sugar and water mixed with foamite. This is a LIFE article about it.

Arthur (1981)

Today's post is about the 1981 classic 'Arthur'. The title role is flawlessly played by Dudley Moore, who is known for making a spectacular fool of himself. This performance does not disappoint, as Arthur is constantly put in weirder and weirder situations, resulting in him bringing a prostitute to a society lounge and getting threatened with a cheese-knife.

Welcome to the cut-throat world of American aristocracy! Where champagne is as common as water, where the worst thing a family could have is a scandal! Arthur Bach is a billionaire stuck in suspended adolescence when he meets Linda (the perfect eighties star, Liza Minnelli) when she steals a tie from one of his department stores. Instead of turning her in, Arthur steps in and the course of his life is changed forever!

Stealing just about all of the best lines of the movie is, of course, the sassy butler Hobson. Shakespearean actor John Gielgud first refused the role, only saying yes when they upped his salary. He later won the Oscar for 'Best Actor in a Supporting Role' for Hobson, his dry, unpredictable performance making him famous in America. Isn't ironic that the part he didn't want was the one that he's remembered for?





What can I say? I am a sucker for love turning bad men into good men. And 'Arhur' is the ultimate Peter Pan story, the way you want it to end. You laugh, and surprisingly you might cry. It hits you a hundred different ways each time you watch it. The script is fantastically snarky, the characters hilarious, the complications mounting and mounting until you have no idea how Arthur's going to get out of this one . .  . And then its over, and you have withdrawal until you watch it again.

Behind the Scenes II

One does not simply helicopter into Mordor.