Classic Cinema Zone

A consummate craftsman and one of the most esteemed directors of Hollywood’s Golden Age, George Cukor directed a number of classic movies in a career that spanned five decades. Many of his films focused on strong female characters and earned him a reputation as a women’s director. Over the course of his career, Cukor worked with some of Hollywood’s top actresses like Joan Crawford, Audrey Hepburn and most notably Katharine Hepburn, with whom he made eight films in three decades. Cukor’s body of work contained numerous hits and Oscar winners, all which displayed his talent with pacing, rapid-fire dialogue and a flawless attention to detail. Few directors of any generation have been able to match his craft. Here are eight classic movies by master director George Cukor. Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart in George Cuckor’s classic comedy ‘The Philadelphia Story’ (1940)/MGM Home Entertainment

A consummate craftsman and one of the most esteemed directors of Hollywood’s Golden Age, George Cukor directed a number of classic movies in a career that spanned five decades. Many of his films focused on strong female characters and earned him a reputation as a women’s director. Over the course of his career, Cukor worked with some of Hollywood’s top actresses like Joan Crawford, Audrey Hepburn and most notably Katharine Hepburn, with whom he made eight films in three decades. Cukor’s body of work contained numerous hits and Oscar winners, all which displayed his talent with pacing, rapid-fire dialogue and a flawless attention to detail. Few directors of any generation have been able to match his craft. Here are eight classic movies by master director George Cukor. Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart in George Cuckor’s classic comedy ‘The Philadelphia Story’ (1940)/MGM Home Entertainment

As part of their 100th anniversary celebration, Universal Studios will release Pillow Talk (1959) onto Blu-ray, one of many films that will make the transfer to the format this year. Starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson in their first of three movies together, Pillow Talk was a startlingly successful romantic comedy that featured Day as a successful interior designer who shares a party line with a suave playboy (Hudson) during a line shortage. She soon comes to despise him while listening to him woo a different woman every night, only to fall in love after finally they finally meet in person. Pillow Talk became one of the biggest box office hits of the year and earned five Academy Award nominations, including Day’s only nod for Best Actress. The two-disc set will contain a number of bonus features, including two behind-the-scenes featurettes, Back in Bed with Pillow Talk and Chemistry 101: The Film Duo of Doris Day and Rock Hudson , as well as three 100 Years of Universal documentaries. … Read Full Post

Hollywood’s first decade with sound gave rise to a number of staple genres like the screwball comedy, which featured rapid-fire dialogue laced with wit and whimsy, and lavish musicals. In the 1930s, Oscar rewarded these films with its highest honor. Also in the decade was the first Western to win Best Picture, the first-ever film to win the so-called Big Five awards and the most enduring romantic epic Hollywood has ever known.

TCM has just announced its first batch of guest hosts who will join host Robert Osborne for the cable network’s popular Guest Programmer series. On March 20th, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and Oscar nominee, Jules Feiffer, will sit in with Osborne to introduce his favorites, including Gregory La Cava’s screwball comedy, My Man Godfrey (1936), the classic film noir, This Gun for Hire (1942), starring Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd, and They Drive By Night (1940), with Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart. … Read Full Post

After getting his start as a screenwriter, Preston Sturges turned to directing in the 1940s and redefined the screwball comedy with a number of classic movies. In a short span of time, he directed a series of great films that were popular with critics and audiences. But his thirst for absolute control over his creative output ultimately ruined his career. Here are seven classic Preston Struges movies that established his legacy as one of the greatest comedy directors of all time.

The comedy legends return to screens in a giant 10-disc set that will be released on Tuesday Oct. 25th. Laurel & Hardy: The Essential Collection boasts 58 short films and features the iconic duo made with legendary producer, Hal Roach, from 1929-1940. Included are classic comedies like Sons of the Desert , Way Out West , Hog Wild and The Music Box . … Read Full Post

The comedy legends return to screens in a giant 10-disc set that will be released on Tuesday Oct. 25th. Laurel & Hardy: The Essential Collection boasts 58 short films and features the iconic duo made with legendary producer, Hal Roach, from 1929-1940. Included are classic comedies like Sons of the Desert , Way Out West , Hog Wild and The Music Box . … Read Full Post

If there was ever a director-actor tandem that defined the Western genre, it was John Ford and John Wayne. Over the course of five decades, Ford and Wayne made over 20 pictures, most of them Westerns and some that stood the test of time as the model for all others to follow. They made other types of films, war movies and even a romantic comedy. Here are seven of their very best.

Fifty years ago today, director Blake Edwards and screenwriter George Axelrod brought to life Truman Capote’s acclaimed novella, Breakfast at Tiffany’s , a dazzling romantic comedy set in the upper crust of Manhattan. … Read Full Post