“Forgotten Hollywood”- 21st Century 50 Fav Films (#24, #23)…

Posted on August 5, 2021 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here…

“`The Brits take center stage in this entry of my favorite fifty movies of the last two decades. BBC Films have churned out solid work since its inception in 1990. Most of the productions are high quality films that just missed sitting on my list, such as  Slumdog MillionairePhilomenaSaving Mr. Banks, Quartet, Eastern Promises and The Mauritanian. Several BBC Films have made my cut including Woman in Gold and Brooklyn. Two others are coming up in later weeks. Today, I offer one of their stellar works.

“`The other entry has a feel of BBC Films, but was actually made by a pioneering production company, Pathé. In 1907, Pathé acquired the Lumière brothers patents. They also designed an improved studio camera and created their own celluloid stock.  Pathé became the globe’s largest cinematic equipment and production company. They additionally developed newsreels that were shown in cinemas before a feature.

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~ #24 – AN EDUCATION (2009)

“`An Education is a coming-of-age drama that stars  Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Emma Thompson, Rosamund Pike and Alfred Molina. Nick Hornby created the screenplay based on an autobiographical essay by  British journalist Lynn Barber about her schoolgirl crush of an older man. Hornby was the boyfriend of Amanda Posey, the film’s producer, whom he later married. Posey also produced Quartet and Brooklyn.

“`The film garnered attention from the Oscars, with three nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.  It was the production that made Mulligan a star. She has also remained closed friends with her screen dad, Molina.

“`This smart 1960s drama explores normal teenage issues of virginity, class, and preparing for adulthood through higher education. There is mature sexual content and era-accurate drinking and smoking. With the heady world of jazz, high art, fashion, passion and Paris…  How can the world of books compete?

   

~ #23 – THE QUEEN (2006)

“`Recent biographical productions have smartly concentrated on moments in the life of famous people  (Lincoln and Stan and Ollie). The Queen reveals a candid snapshot into the current British monarchy just after the untimely death of Lady Diana Spencer. The Royal Family regard Diana’s death as a private affair.  This is in contrast with the views of Prime Minister Tony Blair and Diana’s ex-husband, Prince Charles, who favor the public’s desire for an official expression of grief. Matters are further complicated by the media, royal protocol regarding Diana’s official status, and wider issues about republicanism.

“`The Queen was directed by Stephen Frears, written by Peter Morgan, and features Helen Mirren in the title role of Queen Elizabeth II. Stellar support is provided by James Cromwell, Michael Sheen, and archival footage of Lady Diana and Camilla Parker Bowles.  The Queen got six Oscar nominations with Mirren earning a statuette for Best Actress. Other accolades include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design and Best Original Score.

“`Mirren transformed herself into the Queen since she shares a default facial expression  —  a slightly downturned mouth. She also undertook extensive voice training, faithfully reproducing the Queen’s delivery of her televised speech to the world. After its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Mirren received a five-minute standing ovation. Mirren was praised by the Queen and was invited to dinner at Buckingham Palace. She blithely declined the invite.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 5th, 2021 at 1:20 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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