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In 2019, rumors circulated that Shia Labeouf and Mel Gibson would be featured in a new movie about the affluent Ashkenazi Jewish noble banking Rothschild family. The project, which was said to delve into the mysterious and secretive world of one of the wealthiest families in history, was met with excitement by fans.

However, since the initial announcement, there have been few or no updates regarding the status of the film, causing many to wonder: What happened to Gibson’s Rothschild movie? The project was supposed to be helmed by Tetris director Jon S. Baird.

Mel Gibson in the John Wick spin-off, The Continental

Speculation has been rife concerning the causes of the apparent delay or possible demise of the project. The movie’s title and subject matter caused controversy then, and Gibson was forced to deny any link between Rothchild and the wealthy Jewish banking dynasty of the same name.

In the 1930s, Universal laid claim to the two biggest horror stars of the era, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, and it was only a matter of time before the pair would meet on screen. In 1932, only months after each rocketed to stardom in Dracula and Frankenstein respectively, the two were dressed in tuxedoes and brought together for a genial photoshoot that simultaneously announced their partnership and implied a rivalry. Through a series of circumstances, it was another two years before the pair would star in a film together. As one might expect, it was in the most transgressive horror film of the era, 1934’s The Black Cat, a film that remains shocking not only for the early 1930s but even more surprising as a product overseen by the newly enforced Hays Code.

The Code had been established in 1927 as a self-censoring wing of the motion picture industry and an attempt to avoid government censorship.

For the second consecutive year and 13th time ever, the present Best Picture Oscar lineup consists of an even 10 nominees. As has been the case since 2009, the winner will be decided by a preferential voting system. Over the past 13 years, only twice — at the ceremonies for the films of 2014 and 2018 — has every Best Picture contender won something. An annual average of 2.4 films recognized in the top category during the period wound up with zero trophies, with the biggest shutout having affected five of the nine 2013 nominees. Since several films in this year’s group have reached the point where they’d be lucky to pull off one win apiece, that preferential era record could easily be matched or even broken.

The films competing for the 2022 Best Picture Oscar have a collective total of 65 nominations across 18 categories. According to Gold Derby’s current odds, the most-recognized movie of the year, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,...

The lush and storied wineries of Lafite Rothschild will be the subject of a new original documentary from Somm TV, the streaming service dedicated to wine, food, travel and hospitality.

“Verticals: Lafite Rothschild” will premiere on June 18, and mark the first time cameras have been invited to capture the properties owned by the famous family, whose banking endeavors and fine wines are the stuff of history.

The story of Lafite Rothschild brand will be told by Baron and Saskia Rothschild through vintages that encompass war, triumphs, hard work and the human condition in a bottle of wine.

“The Somm TV team have always shown great talent in telling the stories of vineyards and individuals around the world and we are honored that they visited us in Pauillac to tell the story of Lafite,” said Saskia de Rothschild.

Jason Wise is directing as well as producing alongside Nadine Nettmann, Christina Wise and Eric Esrailian.

On March 14, 1934, 20th Century Pictures held the premiere of Alfred Werker's The House of Rothschild at the Astor Theater in New York. The film, which centered on the European banking family circa 1780 and starred George Arliss, was released as Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime was rising to power in Germany. (The Nazis later used a clip from the film in a 1940 anti-Semitic propaganda reel.) 

The drama garnered 20th Century's first Oscar nomination, claiming a best picture nomination at the 7th Academy Awards in 1934. The House of Rothschild also became a hit at the ...

On March 14, 1934, 20th Century Pictures held the premiere of Alfred Werker's The House of Rothschild at the Astor Theater in New York. The film, which centered on the European banking family circa 1780 and starred George Arliss, was released as Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime was rising to power in Germany. (The Nazis later used a clip from the film in a 1940 anti-Semitic propaganda reel.) 

The drama garnered 20th Century's first Oscar nomination, claiming a best picture nomination at the 7th Academy Awards in 1934. The House of Rothschild also became a hit at the ...

In 2009 — when the Academy Awards went to 10 Best Picture nominees for the first time since 1943 — the preferential system of voting, which had been used from 1934 to 1945, was reintroduced. The academy did so as it believed this “best allows the collective judgment of all voting members to be most accurately represented.”

We have detailed how the preferential voting system works at the Oscars in the modern era. So, let’s take a look back at those dozen years early in the history of the academy when it first used this complicated counting to determine the Best Picture winner rather than a simple popular vote. (At the bottom of this post, be sure to vote for the film that you think will take the top Oscar this year.)

See Best Picture Gallery: Every winner of the top Academy Award

1934

This seventh ceremony marked the first time that the Oscars eligibility period was the calendar year.

Constance Cummings in 'Night After Night.' Constance Cummings: Working with Frank Capra and Mae West (See previous post: “Constance Cummings: Actress Went from Harold Lloyd to Eugene O'Neill.”) Back at Columbia, Harry Cohn didn't do a very good job at making Constance Cummings feel important. By the end of 1932, Columbia and its sweet ingenue found themselves in court, fighting bitterly over stipulations in her contract. According to the actress and lawyer's daughter, Columbia had failed to notify her that they were picking up her option. Therefore, she was a free agent, able to offer her services wherever she pleased. Harry Cohn felt otherwise, claiming that his contract player had waived such a notice. The battle would spill over into 1933. On the positive side, in addition to Movie Crazy 1932 provided Cummings with three other notable Hollywood movies: Washington Merry-Go-Round, American Madness, and Night After Night. 'Washington Merry-Go-Round...