Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Johnny Depp!
Today’s scene that I love comes from 1994’s Ed Wood. In this scene, Depp plays the infamous director as he first meets his future collaborator, Vampira (played by Lisa Marie).
(What a great name!)
Today’s scene that I love is from the 1981 German film, Christiane F. Directed by Uli Edel and based on a true story, Christiane F. is the story of a 13 year-old drug addict. It’s a powerful film, though perhaps not one to watch if you’re dealing with any sort of severe depression. David Bowie both composed the film’s soundtrack and appeared in the film himself.
Here, he performs Station to Station while Christiane F. watches. The scene perfectly captures not only Christiane F.’s fascination with Bowie but also Bowie’s charisma as a performer. The scene was shot an actual concert that David Bowie performed in Berlin, though the shots of Christiane F. and her friends watching were filmed separately.
Robert Englund
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 78th birthday to actor Robert Englund.
Englund will forever be identified with the horror genre and Freddy Krueger. That said, before he first played Krueger in the first Nightmare on Elm Street, he was a busy character actor who appeared in roles both big and small. He was considered for Star Wars. He even played some sympathetic characters!
Of course, he’s not particularly sympathetic in today’s scene that I love. Here he is in 1975’s Hustle, bringing his intense style to the small role of a thief who pulls a gun on Burt Reynolds. This scene stands out for both Englund’s menace and Reynolds’s trademark cool. Of course, if you’ve seen the film, you know what this scene is going to lead to. The 70s were a dark time!
He was born ready!
Since I already shared the full version for today song of the day, it only seems right to share the classic scene from 1997’s Boogie Nights, featuring Mark Wahlberg performing The Touch.
For Marilyn Monroe’s birthday, I’m going to share a scene from one of her earlier films, 1952’s Don’t Bother To Knock. In this film, Marilyn plays an unstable woman who is staying at a hotel. Her cousin (played by Elisha Cook, Jr.) gets her job as a babysitter but is shocked to find out that Marilyn has been trying on her employer’s clothes. After getting admonished by her cousin and pretending to be sorry, she proceeds to then summon another gust (played by Richard Widmark) over to her room.
It’s a simple scene but it’s wonderfully played by Monroe. This was one of her first truly dramatic roles and she does a good job with it.
From Don’t Bother To Knock, here is a scene that I love:
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 95th birthday to an American icon …. CLINT EASTWOOD!
We’ve got a lot of reviews scheduled for today but I’d like to start things up with a music video …. oh, wait, we already did one. Okay, then I’d like to start things off with today’s scene that I love.
Everyone had to start somewhere for Clint Eastwood, that somewhere was 1955’s Revenge of the Creature. Here he is, making his uncredited film debut as a lab technician who has discovered something odd. Even in his very first role, Eastwood’s physicality made him stand out. And check out that gorgeous hair!
As for the film itself, I look forward to reviewing during our annual horrorthon in October. For now, enjoy Clint Eastwood making his film debut!
The late director Franklin J. Schaffner was born 105 years ago today.
Though Schaffner won an Oscar for directing Patton, my favorite Schaffner film will always be Planet of the Apes. In this scene, Charlton Heston discovers where he’s actually been for the entire movie.
Today’s scene that I love comes from 1971’s Dirty Harry, in which Clint Eastwood, as “Dirty Harry” Callahan finally confronts the the Scorpio Killer (Andy Robinson) and asks him if he feels lucky. Eastwood himself later said that Callahan’s badge must have been attached to a rubber band because he was somehow able to get it back in time for Magnum Force.
117 years ago today, Ian Fleming was born in Mayfair, London. A member of British Intelligence during World War II, Fleming is today best-remembered as the creator of James Bond.
Today’s scene that I love comes from 1962’s Dr. No. Here is Sean Connery, in his first appearance as Fleming’s iconic secret agent. Eunice Gray was cast as Sylvia Trench, who was originally envisioned as being Bond’s permanent “London” girlfriend. She also appeared in From Russia With Love before the idea was abandoned. We all know that Bond’s true love was Tracy di Vincenzo.
The Fly (1958, D: Kurt Neumann)
One of the great things about the original, 1958 version of The Fly is that, even though it starred Vincent Price, Price didn’t play the Fly. Instead, for once, Price was allowed to be the voice of reason, the guy who said, “Maybe don’t mess around with the laws of time and space.”
Today’s scene that I love is from the ending of the original Fly. Supposedly, Price had a hard time filming this scene because whenever he heard the recording of David Hedison crying out, “Help me!,” he would start laughing. Still, if you know what spiders actually do to the flies that they capture, you can’t help but sympathize with our misdirected scientist in the web. Destroying him with a rock was probably the most merciful thing that anyone could do.
In honor of Vincent Price, on what would have been his birthday, here is a scene that I love.
Through the Shattered Lens 