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There's hardly a William Shakespeare play that hasn't been adapted for the screen at least a dozen times, be it a traditional retelling or a transposition to another setting. King Lear, his tragedy about an aging ruler and his three rivaling sons, has been retold as a samurai epic (Ran), a mafia saga (The Godfather), and even a Western: 1954's Broken Lance. While technically a remake of the 1949 domestic drama House of Strangers (itself adapted from Jerome Weidman's novel I'll Never Go There Anymore), the story of a cattle baron and his four warring sons is undeniably Shakespearean. In shifting the action from Ancient Britain to 1880s Arizona, Broken Lance shows the many ways in which the Bard's plays can be reinterpreted and reassessed for the modern era.

Earl Holliman, the actor best known for playing Angie Dickinson’s boss on the 1970s NBC cop drama Police Woman, has died. He was 96.

Holliman died Monday in hospice care at his home in Studio City, his spouse, Craig Curtis, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Holliman won a best supporting actor Golden Globe for portraying Katharine Hepburn’s girl-crazy kid brother in The Rainmaker (1956) — he beat out Elvis Presley for the role — and then appeared in another Burt Lancaster film, as Wyatt Earp’s assistant in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957).

In the George Stevens epic Giant (1956), the Louisiana native played the son-in-law of Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson’s characters, was the cook in Forbidden Planet (1956) and appeared as the brother of John Wayne, Dean Martin and Michael Anderson Jr. in Henry Hathaway’s The Sons of Katie Elder (1965).

Holliman also portrayed a man with amnesia in a deserted town...

Earl Holliman, the handsome actor who won a Golden Globe for his supporting role in “The Rainmaker” and appeared in numerous Westerns and dozens of films including “Giant” and “Forbidden Planet,” died Monday in Studio City. He was 96.

His partner Craig Curtis announced his death.

Holliman also starred in the first episode of “The Twilight Zone” in 1959.

Curtis recounted that in a letter to Holliman, Serling later wrote, “…your performance was outstanding, full of dimension, shading and a fantastic believability. In short, Holliman, you’re one hell of an actor!”

Some of his other film credits include “Broken Lance,” “The Bridges at Toko-Ri,” “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,” “Don’t Go Near the Water,” “Last Train from Gun Hill,” “The Sons of Katie Elder” and “Sharky’s Machine.”

In television, he had a recurring role on “Police Woman” and also appeared in “Hotel de Paree” and “Wide Country.”

He received a...

We're revisiting the 1951 film year in the lead up to the next Supporting Actress Smackdown. As always Nick Taylor will suggest a few alternatives to Oscar's ballot.

Surely we all remember Jan Sterling from the excellent 1954 Smackdown, whose performance as an “anxious catfishing pioneer” in The High and the Mighty gave a misogynistic role one of the only moments of real pathos in the whole film. That disaster film was enough of a critical and box office success to justify her nomination, but much like Katy Jurado in Broken Lance and even Nina Foch in Executive Suite (who I love!) from the same lineup, the energy around Sterling’s nomination reeks more than a little of belated recognition.

In Sterling’s case, that missed opportunity came in 1951. Beford the National Board of Review introduced supporting categories to their own awards they handed her Best Actress for her supporting turn as a bored,...

One of the best yet least seen of John Sturges’ westerns couples a fine screenplay with strong star perfs and superb direction: the straightforward story builds tension throughout. Kirk Douglas is a sheriff out for both justice and revenge and Anthony Quinn is the he-bull rancher who stands in his way: the guilty party is Quinn’s son. It looks sensational in VistaVision, with a fine music score by Dimitri Tiomkin — it’s a pleasure all the way through, with strong support from Carolyn (swoon) Jones, Earl Holliman, Brian Hutton and Brad Dexter.

Last Train from Gun Hill

Region-free Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint] 101

1959 / Color / 1:78 widescreen (VistaVision) / 95 min. / Street Date December 29, 2021 / Available from Imprint and Amazon / 39.95

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Carolyn Jones, Earl Holliman, Brad Dexter, Brian G. Hutton, Ziva Rodann, Bing Russell, Val Avery, Walter Sande, John Anderson, Dabbs Greer, Ty Hardin, Glenn Strange, Julius Tannen, Sid Tomack.

Cinematography:...

Born July 26, 1993, actress and singer Elizabeth Gillies burst onto the scene in 2008 as Lucy in the Broadway musical “13.” Through the years she’s starred in various television projects including “The Black Donnellys” (2007), “Victorious” (2010) and “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” (2015), in addition to her voice roles in “American Dad” (2015) and “Robot Chicken” (2018). All of this led to her breakout performances as Fallon Carrington/Alexis Carrington in “Dynasty” (2017), the CW’s reboot of the classic 1980s soap opera. Gillies has also appeared in movies like “Animal” (2014), “Vacation” (2015) and “Arizona” (2018), and in music videos alongside her best friend Ariana Grande. Tour our photos below to see the Top 10 reasons we love Elizabeth Gillies.

Long before the push for diversity and inclusion, Hollywood had a few Latin/Hispanic stars who made a big impact. One was Katy Jurado, the first Latina actress to win a Golden Globe (for 1952’s “High Noon”) and the first nominated for an Oscar (1954’s “Broken Lance”).

She was born Jan. 16, 1924, in Mexico, and began making films as a teenager. Though she was originally cast as spitfires or vamps, her roles got better and she added intelligence and subtlety to her characters. Variety reviewed her in the 1951 film “Bullfighter and the Lady,” saying she “makes a very strong impression” in her Hollywood debut. She won three Ariel Awards, the highest honor for Mexican filmmaking, including one for Luis Buñuel’s 1953 “El Bruto”; in 1997, she added a Special Golden Ariel for lifetime achievement.

Painted by Diego Rivera and romanced by novelist Louis L’Amour, Jurado remained the only Mexican actress to be Oscar nominated for nearly 50 years,...

When a certain someone worries publically about caravans reaching our southern border, he may be thinking about an invasion of Mexicans farther north where they are stepping over his plaque on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, scooping up Oscar nominations and absconding with electroplated gold.

The leaders of this caravan are Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron, multi-hyphenate filmmakers who have amassed 22 Oscar nominations among them and a total of nine wins. They have won four of the last five best director Oscars, with Cuaron expected to make it five out of six for “Roma,” and they have won two of the last four best picture awards, with “Roma” favored to make it three out of five.

These self-labeled Three Amigos are also looting the vaults of the studios and financial institutions pumping millions into the making of their movies and paying them millions to do it.

“Roma” scored two surprising Oscar nominations Tuesday in two of the biggest categories: Yalitza Aparicio in Best Actress and Marina de Tavira in Best Supporting Actress. The dual acting bids make Aparicio and de Tavira, both Mexican, two of the few Latina actresses to be shortlisted by the academy.

Aparicio is just the fourth Latin American to be nominated in Best Actress, following Fernanda Montenegra, Salma Hayek and Catalina Sandino Moreno. Aparicio is just the second Mexican nominee after Hayek. None of the first three won.

See Oscar nominations: See the full list of nominations

There have been a few more Latina nominees in Best Supporting Actress. De Tavira joins Katy Jurado, Rita Moreno, Norma Aleandro, Adriana Barraza, Berenice Bejo and Lupita Nyong’o. Jurado, Barraza and Nyong’o are all Mexican-born, and Moreno and Nyong’o are the only winners.

See ‘Roma’ and ‘The Favourite’ reign over Oscar nominations with 10 apiece

Aparicio,...

Google Doodle is celebrating another Latin icon months after honoring Selena Quintanilla with an animated video set to the tune of her hit “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” and Dolores Del Rio, Mexican actress and well-known crossover star. On Jan. 16, the search giant is featuring an image of Mexican actress and singer Katy Jurado, in recognition of what would’ve been her 94th birthday, by artist Ana Ramirez.

The Doodle “pays homage to the trailblazing actress by depicting her in a powerful pose against a backdrop inspired by the set of her film High Noon.” according to the Google Doodle blog.

Close-Up is a feature that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Arthur Riplye's The Chase (1946) is playing from September 30 - October 30, 2017 in the United States.“It’s happened again.” This almost throwaway admission by the protagonist of The Chase, Arthur Ripley’s way-out 1946 noir, comes just after the film’s jolting third act twist. It sets the viewer up for the unexpected, but is delivered with such exasperation that, at least for the beleaguered hero of the picture, the situation may perhaps be all too familiar, a possibility that in itself makes the occurrence that much more significant. Prior to this point, The Chase had been a solid, atmospheric thriller, with sufficient quirkiness to keep it in thoroughly fresh territory. But with this derailing revelation, there is really no preparing for how The Chase plays out, and what that, in turn, means for the preceding story. On its surface set-up,...

'Under the Volcano' screening: John Huston's 'quality' comeback featuring daring Albert Finney tour de force As part of its John Huston film series, the UCLA Film & Television Archive will be presenting the 1984 drama Under the Volcano, starring Albert Finney, Jacqueline Bisset, and Anthony Andrews, on July 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Billy Wilder Theater in the Los Angeles suburb of Westwood. Jacqueline Bisset is expected to be in attendance. Huston was 77, and suffering from emphysema for several years, when he returned to Mexico – the setting of both The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Night of the Iguana – to direct 28-year-old newcomer Guy Gallo's adaptation of English poet and novelist Malcolm Lowry's 1947 semi-autobiographical novel Under the Volcano, which until then had reportedly defied the screenwriting abilities of numerous professionals. Appropriately set on the Day of the Dead – 1938 – in the fictitious Mexican town of Quauhnahuac (the fact that it sounds like Cuernavaca...

Hugh O’Brian, who starred on ABC’s 1955-1961 Western The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp, died today at age 91 at his home in Beverly Hills. The news was reported on O’Brian’s website for Hoby, the organization he created to develop young leaders. O'Brian, a Marine Corps instructor during World War II, started his career on the stage, leading to a deal at Universal Studios. Then came film and TV roles including Broken Lance and There's No Business Like Show Business. In…...

Hugh O’Brian, who starred on ABC’s 1955-1961 Western The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp, died today at age 91 at his home in Beverly Hills. The news was reported on O’Brian’s website for Hoby, the organization he created to develop young leaders. O'Brian, a Marine Corps instructor during World War II, started his career on the stage, leading to a deal at Universal Studios. Then came film and TV roles including Broken Lance and There's No Business Like Show Business. In…...

Bernard Herrmann music + weird landscapes = Nirvana. This big-star western tale has an unbreakable story but terrible dialogue and weak characters... yet for fans of adventure filmmaking it's a legend, thanks to a thunderous Bernard Herrmann music score that transforms dozens of uncanny, real Mexican locations into something other-worldly. Garden of Evil Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1954 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 100 min. / Ship Date May 10, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Gary Cooper, Susan Hayward, Richard Widmark, Hugh Marlowe, Cameron Mitchell, Rita Moreno, Víctor Manuel Mendoza. Cinematography Milton R. Krasner, Jorge Stahl Jr. Art Direction Edward Fitzgerald, Lyle Wheeler Film Editor James B. Clark Original Music Bernard Herrmann Special Effects Ray Kellogg Written by Frank Fenton, Fred Freiberger, William Tunberg Produced by Charles Brackett Directed by Henry Hathaway

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

"The Garden of Evil. If the world was made of gold, I guess men would die for a handful of dirt.

Atlantic one of the best defenses of Carol's 'coldness" that you'll read. And as I've been saying since October... "If this is chilly, bring on winter."

Awards Daily has the nominations for the Canadian Screen Awards with Room and Felix & Meara (Canada's Oscar submission) leading the way. Perhaps Canadian readers can tell me about this one: How is it different than the long running Genies?

Comics Alliance Wonder Woman get a "brassy" logo... which looks exactly like how you'd expect since that W on her breastplate is fairly iconic

Pajiba Wonder Woman has also released a couple of very brief clips including a campy look "disguise" will glasses that will remind you instantly of Lynda Carter librarian sexy look on the TV show. Unfortunately Wonder Woman looks as dark and gloomy as the other DC movies... it's a problem when you have to constantly brighten every still in Photoshop just...

Director Edward Dmytryk, one of the infamous Hollywood Ten blacklisted by McCarthy and his goons in 1947 Hollywood, debuted the most famous title in his filmography seven years later with war drama The Caine Mutiny. That very same year, in fact, only about a month later, he would premiere another title, a robust 1880s set Western starring Spencer Tracy, a title which would also win Oscar glory. Overshadowed by the popularity of Caine, however, the film seems to have disappeared from contemporary discussions of Dmytryk’s work (never able to divorce himself from his eventual testimony in front of Huac), a shame considering it’s a gripping, framed familial saga of intergenerational misunderstandings, racial hang-ups, and eventually even a court-room drama.

Young Joe Devereaux (Robert Wagner) is released from serving a three year prison sentence and immediately returns to his abandoned familial homestead to wreak vengeance on those who wronged him.

Edward Dmytryk's big-scale cattle empire saga sees paterfamilias Spencer Tracy drive away his sons and bull his way into a modern civil dispute that can't be resolved with force. Robert Wagner is the loyal son and Richard Widmark the resentful son impatient for Dad to cash in his chips. Fox's early CinemaScope and stereophonic sound western is a transposition of a film noir mystery thriller. Broken Lance Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1954 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 96 min. / Ship Date November 10, 2015 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Jean Peters, Richard Widmark, Katy Jurado, Hugh O'Brian, Eduard Franz, Earl Holliman, E.G. Marshall, Carl Benton Reid, Philip Ober. Cinematography Joseph MacDonald Film Editor Dorothy Spencer Original Music Leigh Harline Written by Richard Murphy, Philip Yordan Produced by Sol C. Siegel Directed by Edward Dmytryk Reviewed by Glenn EricksonSome of the early 'big' westerns that aspire to epic status are...

This week on Off The Shelf, Ryan is joined by Brian Saur to take a look at the new DVD and Blu-ray releases for the week of November 10th, 2015, and chat about some follow-up and home video news.

Subscribe in iTunes or RSS.

Episode Links & Notes Follow-up Wireless Headphones / Bluetooth Transmitter Arrow Horror Box Set Twilight Time: Low Quantity Update Hardware Wars News Arrow’s February titles Disney Movie Club Exclusives: Treasure Island, Davy Crockett Moc titles MST3K Kickstarter New Releases Automan: The Complete Series Better Call Saul: Season 1 Broken Lance Code Unknown Deep in My Heart Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs Forbidden Zone Galtar and The Golden Lance: The Complete Series Gosei Sentai Dairanger: The Complete Series Je t’aime je t’aime Justice League Unlimited: The Complete Series Mr. Holmes Passage to Marseille Queen of Blood Scorpio Selfless...

We're just 9 days away from the launch of another Smackdown Summer. Rather than announce piecemeal, we'll give you all five lineups in case you'd like more time to catch up with these films (some of them stone cold classics) over the hot months. Remember to cast your own ballots during each month for the reader-polling (your 1979 votes are due by June 4th). Your votes count toward the final Smackdown win so more of you should join in. 

These Oscar years were chosen after comment reading, dvd searching, handwringing, and desire-to-watch moods.  I wish we had time to squeeze in a dozen Smackdowns each summer! As it is there will be Two Smackdowns in June, a gift to you since this first episode was delayed.

Sunday June 7th

The Best Supporting Actresses of 1979

Meryl Streep won her first of three Oscars while taking her co-star Jane Alexander along for the Oscar ride in Kramer vs. Kramer.

We are pleased to welcome StinkyLulu back to Smackdowning. Give him a warm welcome in the comments! - Editor

It has been a while since I dropped into a random year’s field of Supporting Actress nominees. Still, as I have re/screened the relevant films in preparation for Saturday afternoon's Supporting Actress Smackdown, it’s startling how familiar the 1952 roster feels. Remember that “Best Supporting Actress” was only in its 15th year or so (having been introduced in 1936, almost ten years after the Oscar game got started) but, already by 1952, the category seemed to have established some of its most enduring quirks.

1952’s nominated roles are definitely cut from Oscar’s favorite cloth: the hooker with a heart; the hale helpmeet; the full force of youth; the long (briefly) suffering wife; and the shrewish “ex.”

Oscar loves a type - you see these types still!

The field we'll be...

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is letting you decide what classic films they will release on Blu-ray for the first time.

That’s right, your vote counts. Fans vote for their favorite classic titles through the “Voice Your Choice” campaign.

Click Here To Vote

Here is an portion the news release:

Los Angeles (January 15, 2013) – Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced today its partnership with the ultimate film discussion website, Home Theater Forum, for a one-of-a-kind campaign, Voice Your Choice, allowing film enthusiasts to decide which classic films they would like to see digitally restored and transferred to Blu-ray for the very first time. The program celebrates Fox’s most notable films from the 1930’s thru the 1960’s featuring performances by famous actors such as Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, Paul Newman, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, John Wayne and more. Throughout the campaign, fans will also have the opportunity to write in and submit additional titles.

Cine Latino covers, well, all things relating to Latino culture and the movies. With Expendables 2 in theaters, we decided to switch things up a bit and put together an assemble of tough-girl Latina actresses who could serve as counterparts to the men in this action-packed ensemble. Sylvester Stallone/Katy Jurado With a long career in action films, Sylvester Stallone leads the pack in Expendables 2. Finding his counterpart proved to be a bit challenging, but how about—Katy Jurado? The Mexican actress had a successful career in Mexico and in Hollywood became a fixture in Western films during the 1950s and 1960s. Her most notable roles include High Noon with Gary Cooper, Broken Lance with Spencer Tracy and One-Eyed Jacks with Marlon Brando. She filmed 71 movies and...

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Cine Latino covers, well, all things relating to Latino culture and the movies, every Friday. With Expendables 2 hitting theaters today, we decided to switch things up a bit and put together an assemble of tough-girl Latina actresses who could serve as counterparts to the men in this action-packed ensemble. Sylvester Stallone/Katy Jurado With a long career in action films, Sylvester Stallone leads the pack in Expendables 2. Finding his counterpart proved to be a bit challenging, but how about—Katy Jurado? The Mexican actress had a successful career in Mexico and in Hollywood became a fixture in Western films during the 1950s and 1960s. Her most notable roles include High Noon with Gary Cooper, Broken Lance with Spencer Tracy and One-Eyed Jacks with Marlon Brando. She...

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Are you celebrating Mexico today?

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

I'm eating tacos for dinner because it's the least I can do. And I'm also perusing amazing photos of Mexican film stars of yore like the deliriously sexy Lupe Vélez and one star of the right now... Señor Bernal of course. Also deliriously sexy. Especially in closeups.

So I thought we'd drool on six of the earliest crossover sensations tonight with a few films of note (for one reason or another) for each of their careers. If you'd like to investigate further, click on the links. Enjoy!

Lupe Vélez The Gaucho, 1927 | Hot Pepper, 1933 | The Girl From Mexico, 1939

Ramon Novarro Scaramouche 1923 | Ben-Hur 1925 | The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, 1927

These silent stars had volatile lives and careers, both ending with tragic deaths. Vélez career was a series of ups and downs and some say she was bipolar. She had several movie star affairs...

Hollywood actor Richard Widmark has died at the age of 93.

He passed away at his home in Connecticut on Monday after a long illness, according to his wife Susan Blanchard.

The Minnesota-born star enjoyed a career spanning more than four decades, during which he made over 70 films.

He made his silver screen debut in 1947, aged 33, as a psychopathic killer in Kiss of Death - a role which earned him an Oscar nomination and scooped him the Golden Globe prize for Best Actor.

Widmark went on to star in 1950s classics like Night and the City, Broken Lance and appeared alongside Marilyn Monroe in 1952's Don't Bother to Knock.

He will also be remembered for his roles in Judgement at Nuremberg (1961) and 1964's Cheyenne Autumn. Widmark made his final big-screen outing in 1991 thriller True Colors.

He is survived by his second wife Blanchard and a daughter from his first marriage to writer Jean Hazlewood.

Article Templatehttp://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1119669402http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=769341148Updated 11:43 a.m. Pt March 26

Richard Widmark, who won a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his first movie role in the 1947 gangster film "Kiss of Death," has died. He was 93.

Widmark's wife, Susan Blanchard, said the actor died Monday at his home in Roxbury, Conn. She would not provide details of his illness and said funeral arrangements are private.

Widmark, who often played heavies, received his Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a laughing psychopathic murderer who pushed a crippled old woman down a flight of stairs. Usually associated with villainous roles, he played another heavy in the film noir "Road House" the following year. Yet he made his mark as the cynical hero of Samuel Fuller's "Pickup on South Street" in 1953. His gritty persona also suited him well for Westerns, playing...

Richard Widmark, the actor whose menacing portrayals in numerous film noir thrillers made him synonymous with the genre, died Monday at age 93. According to news reports, the actor passed away at his home in Roxbury, CT after a long illness. Widmark appeared on both radio and the stage before making one of the most auspicious -- and audacious -- debuts in film history as the giggling killer Tommy Udo, a man who pushes an old lady in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs, in the 1947 thriller Kiss of Death; the film earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, a Golden Globe for New Star Of The Year, and a contract with 20th Century Fox. His portrayals of hard-boiled men, sometimes criminals, sometimes just plain amoral, made him an instant star, and he played villains in The Street with No Name, Road House, and Yellow Sky. He notoriously menaced Marilyn Monroe in Don't Bother to Knock, played a racist criminal in No Way Out, and was a pickpocket caught up in a Communist spy ring in Pickup on South Street. Widmark proved he could also play against type as a doctor tracking down a killer infected with the bubonic plague in Panic in the Streets, and a doomed con man in Jules Dassin's Night and the City. The actor worked consistently throughout his career, adding Westerns to his repertoire with roles in Broken Lance, The Alamo, Cheyenne Autumn (directed by John Ford), and How the West Was Won, and appeared in the Oscar-winning Judgment at Nuremberg as well. He segued into television in the 1970s as Madigan (based on his 1968 film of the same name, directed by Don Siegel), and received an Emmy nomination for 1972's Vanished, where he played the President of the United States with a secret to hide. Other notable films during the 1970s and 1980s included Murder on the Orient Express, The Domino Principle, Coma, and the film noir update Against All Odds; his last role was in the 1991 political drama True Colors, after which he retired from filmmaking. Widmark is survived by his second wife, Susan Blanchard, and his daughter, Anne, from his first marriage to screenwriter Jean Hazlewood, who died in 1997. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff...