JUBAL (1956) is one of my favorite westerns. It’s set in the Grand Tetons and it stars some of my all time favorite actors, namely Bronson, Ford and Steiger. On what would have been his 109th birthday, I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate Glenn Ford. I visited the Tetons a couple of summers ago and I thought of these great actors often! Enjoy this scene from these icons of cinema!
Since today is Wes Anderson’s birthday, I decided to share a scene that I love from Anderson 1998 film, Rushmore. Max may not be a good student but he loves his extracurriculars.
Jill Clayburgh would have been 81 years old today. She was quite an actress, receiving 2 Academy Award nominations during her career for her performances in the films AN UNMARRIED WOMAN (1978) and STARTING OVER (1979). She will always be special to me based on her performance as Jill Ireland in the 1991 Made-for-TV film REASON FOR LIVING: THE JILL IRELAND story. Clayburgh passed away in 2010 after a long struggle with leukemia.
Today would have been the 85th birthday of the great character actor Burt Young.
Burt Young appeared in a lot of classic films. He had a streetwise authenticity about him and he was one of those guys who looked a bit older than his years. (He was only 36 when he appeared in Rocky.) Young played cops and gangsters and New York characters of all stripes. That said, to most people, he’ll always be Paulie, the brother-in-law of Rocky Balboa. Young did such a good job playing Paulie that this character became beloved, despite being a racist misogynist who managed to screw up Rocky’s life in nearly every Rocky film in which he appeared.
(In real life, Burt Young was a painter and a poet, showing that one should never judge a book by its cover. Unless it’s one of those really badass covers that my sisters likes to share.)
Today’s scene that I love is a classic Paulie scene. Rocky may be the world’s most popular boxer but Paulie’s getting a little tired of him. A pinball machine is about to pay the price. From Rocky III, here is a scene that I love.
In honor of Fred Zinnemann’s birthday, today’s scene of the day comes from his best film, 1952’s High Noon. High Noon tells the story of the honest and forthright Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper), who finds himself abandoned by the town that he’s faithfully served when it is rumored that a fearsome gunman will be arriving at noon to seek revenge on the man who previously sent him to prison.
Below, we have the final scene of High Noon, in which the cowardly townspeople finally come to support Marshal Kane. Kane, disgusted by their actions, can only throw away his star and leave town. Even without dialogue, Cooper lets you know exactly what is going through Kane’s mind. It’s a great scene from a great film featuring a great actor and directed by a great filmmaker.
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to the legendary Ann-Margaret!
Today’s scene that I love comes from 1975’s Tommy and it features Ann-Margaret helping Tommy to smash the mirror.
Today’s scene that I love is perhaps the most famous scene from 1953’s From Here To Eternity. It’s amazing what you can do with Deborah Kerr, Burt Lancaster, the beach, and the ocean!
Happy 62nd Birthday, Jet Li!!
I had never heard of Jet Li until I saw a trailer for LETHAL WEAPON 4 that mentioned him. Now, as a rabid fan of Hong Kong cinema, I consider him a legend. And the scene that started it all for me is this badass scene where he dismantles Riggs, Murtaugh, their guns and their family members. Enjoy, my friends!
Al Pacino finally won his long overdue Oscar with his excellent performance as Lt. Colonel Frank Slade in SCENT OF A WOMAN. This scene where he’s “just getting warmed up” is a personal favorite and no doubt helped him bring home the gold.
Happy 85th Birthday, Mr. Pacino!
Today’s scene comes from 2019’s The Irishman. In this scene, Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) asks a former rival for an endorsement to once again be president of the Teamsters union. Needless to say, things don’t get well. I’m on Hoffa’s side here. Showing up 12 and a half minutes late? Wearing shorts to meeting? Someone is definitely owed an apology.
Once you get over the admittedly jarring de-aging effect, this scene reminds us of what a great actor Al Pacino truly is.
Through the Shattered Lens 