This last Sunday brought us the passing of actor, producer and director Richard Attenborough.  He is perhaps most recently remembered today as John Hammond, the eccentric founder of Jurassic Park.    However, he has been involved in the movies since 1942.  Besides being on screen as an actor he has produced thirteen films, including Gandhi and Cry Freedom. He directed twelve films including Gandhi, A Chorus Line and A Bridge Too Far. The library has a nice collection of his films.  We hope you enjoy them.

     Richard Attenborough

Yesterday we lost one of the most memorial actresses of classic film, Lauren Bacall. She exploded on to the silver screen in 1944 in the film To Have and Have Not as Marie “Slim” Browning opposite Humphry Bogart.  Few could forget the sultry look and delivery of one her most famous lines, “You know how to whistle, don’t you?  You just put your lips together and blow.”   This film also introduced her to Humphry Bogart the man who would later become her husband, in a life imitates art moment.  They were together until his passing in 1957. It is said that she placed a whistle in his coffin as a memorial to the line and film that brought them together.  She stared in more than forty-three films in her career.  In 2010 she was given an honorary Academy Award of her work in what is termed the Golden Age of Hollywood.

     Lauren Bacall

“Narrator: A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty "Hi-yo Silver" - the Lone Ranger!  With his faithful Native American companion, Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of …..

Wait, wait, wait, wait! – this is not THAT Lone Ranger and perhaps this is one reason why Walt Disney’s reboot of the iconographic persona of this legendary western hero did not do as well as expected at the box office.  From the moment this new production of The Lone Ranger was announced it was compared with the 1950s television show starring Clayton Moore (and for a short while John Hart) and Jay Silverheels.  It seemed it was destined to be a train wreck from the beginning. However, I love trains and as much as I hate to admit it, I’m always willing to look at a train wreck, no matter how much it pains me.   So I dutifully checked out this new version of The Lone Ranger and watched it, knowing from the start that it wasn’t going to be my Lone Ranger and Tonto Read more about The Lone Ranger (2013)

Over the weekend we lost one of my favorite film and television stars, James Garner.  He is perhaps best known for his starring roles in the television series Maverick and The Rockford Files.  His film roles were varied, often funny, but almost always heartwarming.   The link below will provide you with list of movies and books in the MCPL collection featuring this well beloved star.

James Garner – A list of DVDs and Books

I’ve always liked films and plays that are about films and plays themselves.  Maybe it’s because there is still a part of me that would have like to have been “an actor.” (Said term must be pronounced with the air of exaggerated sophistication that implies the lack of same.)  Noises Off is one of my favorites.  It has an all-star comedy cast featuring Michael Caine, Carol Burnett, Denholm Elliott, Julie Hagerty, Marilu Henner, John Ritter, and Christopher Reeve.  The story is about a group of actors in a touring company performing a comedic play that they hope will head to the big time.  In this case the action behind the scenes is as funny, or funnier, than what is taking place on stage.  The film gives us a chance to the see the action from both sides.  From the front we see the play “Nothing On,” from the back we see the interactions among the actors.  There are affairs, personality conflicts, and drinking to the point of drunkenness.  The term “noises off” comes from the direction that backstage sounds are to cease, something that doesn’t exactly happen backstage in the movie.

Noises Off is a comedy based on the play by Michael Frayn. It is a fast paced and driven movie that reminds me quite a bit of some of the best skits from the Carol Burnett Show.  In most plays backstage is an area of controlled chaos.  In the case of the backstage action in Noises Off remove the word controlled.   If you like a good, semi intelligent comedy mixed with slapstick and outrageous personalities you should give Noises Off a try.