Scenes I Love: The Ending of Greydon Clark’s The Forbidden Dance


Today’s scene that I love comes from my favorite Greydon Clark movie, 1990’s The Forbidden Dance!

Yes, this scene is technically a spoiler.  It’s got music!  It’s got dancing!  It has some deeply questionable stereotypes and some obvious virtue signaling!  It has that classic line, “We should just boycott their ass!”  It’s got Sid Haig!  It’s got everything you could ever hope for!

And remember — this film is dedicated to the preservation of the rain forest.

 

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Greydon Clark Edition


4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking.

Today, Through the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 82nd birthday to the one-of-a-kind director, Greydon Clark!  And that means that it’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Greydon Clark Films

Angels Brigade (1979, dir by Greydon Clark, DP: Dean Cundey)

Without Warning (1980, dir by Greydon Clark, DP: Dean Cundey)

Final Justice (1985, dir by Greydon Clark, DP: Nicholas Josef von Sternberg)

The Forbidden Dance Is Lambada (1990, dir by Greydon Clark, DP: R. Michael Stringer)

Scenes That I Love: Ronald Reagan in Kings Row


Today’s scene that I love features future President Ronald Reagan, giving what he considered to be his best performance in 1942’s Kings Row.  He liked one of the lines in this scene so much that he used it as the title for autobiography.

On what would have been Ronald Reagan’s 114th birthday, here is today’s scene that I love.

 

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Francois Truffaut Edition


4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today, on what would have been his 93rd birthday, TSL pays tribute to the great Francois Truffaut.  No one captured the act of falling in love in life, people, and cinema with the skill, sensitivity, and humor of Francois Truffaut.  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Francois Truffaut Films

The 400 Blows (1959, dir by François Truffaut, DP: Henri Decae)

Shoot the Piano Player (1960, dir by François Truffaut, DP: Raoul Coutard)

The Story of Adele H. (1975, dir by Francois Truffaut, DP: Nestor Almendros)

The Last Metro (1980, dir by François Truffaut, DP: Nestor Alemndros)

The Opening of THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (1992) – one of my favorite scenes. 


I can’t let Michael Mann’s 82nd birthday pass without sharing one of my favorite scenes of his filmography. Have y’all ever started watching a movie and immediately knew you were going to love it?! That’s what the opening 4 minutes of THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS did for me. The credits start and the soundtrack reveals the powerful musical theme of the movie as well as its beautiful mountain setting. And then we join Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis), his dad Chingachgook (Russell Means), and his brother Uncas (Eric Schweig) in the middle of their hunt as they’re sprinting through the woods after their prey. They just look so cool running together under Mann’s stylish direction. It’s not even the best scene in the film, but it’s the scene that drew me in and let me know I was in for something special.

Happy Birthday, Michael Mann and thanks for sharing your talent with all of us! 

Enjoy this awesome scene, my friends!

Scenes That I Love: The Tiger Scene From Manhunter


Since today is Michael Mann’s birthday, today’s scene that I love comes from his 1986 film, Manhunter.

In this scene, a blind woman (played by Joan Allen) pets a sedated tiger while her new boyfriend (Tom Noonan) watches.  This would actually be a pretty romantic scene if not for the fact that her boyfriend is also a homicidal maniac.  This is a scene that, when you watch the film, seems to come out of nowhere but, when you look back, you realize it was one of the key moments in the narrative.  While the killer watches the woman who represents a possible redemption embrace another predator, the profiler played by William Petersen continues his way into the killer’s tortured psyche.

This scene is Michael Mann at his best.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Michael Mann Edition


4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today, we celebrate the 82nd birthday of the great Michael Mann!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Michael Mann Films

Thief (1981, dir by Michael Mann, DP: Donald Thorin)

Manhunter (1986, dir by Michael Mann, DP: Dante Spinotii)

Heat (1995, dir by Michael Mann, DP: Dante Spinotti)

Public Enemies (2009, dir by Michael Mann, DP: Dante Spinotti)

Song of the Day: Night Train to Mundo Fine by John Carradine


On this date, 119 years ago, the great actor John Carradine was born in New York City.

Over the course of his career, Carradine worked for just about everyone.  He appeared on stage.  He appeared in film and television.  He played the great roles of Shakespeare and he also played Dracula.  He was a part of both the John Ford and the Fred Olen Ray stock companies.  He had a reputation for taking almost any role offered to him and, as a result, his huge filmography offers up a wonderful amount of variety.

He was also a singer!  Here he is performing today’s song of the day, Night Train to Mundo Fine!  This song was featured Coleman Francis’s Red Zone Cuba.  Say what you may about the song or the film, how can you not love Carrdine’s dramatic (and perhaps slightly mocking) delivery of the lyrics?

Scene That I Love: The Escape Disaster In Night of the Living Dead


Today would have been George Romero’s 85th birthday.

Today’s scene of the day comes from Romero’s best film, Night of the Living Dead.  In this scene, an attempt to escape from a farmhouse ends in disaster.  As was typical of all of Romero’s films, the disaster has less to do with the zombies and more to do with humans that simply can’t work together.

The upload isn’t great but this scene still represents Romero’s vision of a society working to destroy itself.

4 Shots From 4 Films – some of Brad’s “favorite westerns” edition!


4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

I thought I’d try one of these “4 shots” posts. It’s really hard for me not to say anything, because each of these movies mean a lot to me, and the western remains my favorite genre even if I am a little stuck in the past. I’ll probably take a stab at a review of each of these films at some point. I hope you enjoy!

THE MAN FROM LARAMIE (1955)

RIDE LONESOME (1959)

RED SUN (1971)

UNFORGIVEN (1992)