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Cast of Thousands: The Life, Wit, and Work of Anita Loos

Sally Speller, Supervising Librarian, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 17:28:55 -0400

Anita Loos, 1930s, Wikipedia

Anita Loos (1888–1981), American screenwriter, playwright and author, was born in Sisson (now Mount Shasta) California. Her earliest memory, at age four, was made when her family moved to San Francisco. Having often endured the “boring adulation” of a girl named Johanna, she thought, as they rode out of town, “Never see Johanna any more… never have to suffer any more!” She wrote, “Thus was I first aware of the terror of boredom, which to me has always been a more acute pain than a leaping toothache.” In San Francisco, a place she later deemed her spiritual home, to the great consternation of her mother Minnie Loos, she played sidekick to her father, R. Beers Loos, who preferred a life of spontaneity over a career of “small-time journalism [and] low-grade theatrical ventures.” Of R. Beers, whom she called Pop, Loos wrote, “Although he was quite 'elegant’ in a tacky way, he was such a superb egoist that he was never to learn he was tacky, and the overwhelming jauntiness of his conceit always forced one to admire Pop, much as an acoholic who hates water is compelled to admire Niagara Falls.” R. Beers soon put Anita to work as an actress; the money she earned in her childhood would often be the family’s only income. But Loos, finding the work to be hard and dull, never wanted to be an actress. She wanted to be a writer.

ANITA WRITES IN CHILDHOOD

Her first piece was published when she was eight, in the children’s magazine, St. Nicholas, the winning entry in a contest to promote floor wax: "The best thing I’ve seen, said the Man from Mars/Since I left my abode from among the stars/ Is something my own world sadly lacks/The earth’s greatest boon F. P. C. Wax." The $5 she won was instantly appropriated by R. Beers, with the assurance that he would pay her interest at the rate of ten cents a week. “When that 10 per cent finally amounted to more than the loan,” she wrote, “I told Pop to forget about the capital and just come through with the interest. But I was only kidding; I never expected to get the money back...” With this initial realization of “the thrill a girl can feel in handing money to a man,” Loos established a world view that would guide and inform her in work and in life. She explained, “poems like the Song of Songs will never be written to a gold-digger.”

Portrait of Anita Loos, Wikimedia Commons

The family moved to San Diego in 1905, where R. Beers converted an empty stable into a theater he called the Lyceum. Here, Loos acted under her real name, while also working in a blonde wig as Cleopatra Fairbrother with a rival theater company across town. She graduated from high school two years late, at age 19; this is likely when she began a lifelong practice of taking years off her age, her small stature making the fib easy to believe. She wrote, “I was grown up now, having attained a height of four feet eleven and weighing ninety-two pounds...” She spent her spare time, such as it was, at the San Diego Public Library, where, reading her way through the works of Spinoza, Kant, and Santayana, she also assuaged her longing for New York City in avid consumption of the many East Coast periodicals to which the library subscribed. There was, at the time, no coverage of New York’s social scene in the local papers, despite much interest from guests at San Diego’s popular tourist spot, the Hotel Del Coronado. So Loos remedied this sad fact by pulling together social notes from New York publications and mailing them to an actor friend there, who then sent them along to a San Diego paper to be published under his name. In this roundabout way, Loos became a New York correspondent, receiving 75 percent of the profits in this venture.

In 1911, after the mild success of The Souls Sinners, a play she wrote for her father’s theater company, Loos decided to try her hand at screenwriting. By then, silent one-reelers were gaining in popularity and giving stock companies across the United States a run for their money. Her first screenplay,The Road to Plaindale, was a brief, visually-oriented comedy about a city couple's disastrous move to the country. She sent it off to the Biograph Company in New York, later insisting that she signed the submission letter “A. Loos" in order to recieve full compensation. (Film historian Cari Beauchamp, in possession of Loos’ correspondence, disputed this claim, noting all extant Biograph letters to Loos were addressed “Dear Madam” or “My dear Miss Loos.” American filmmaking, born in the Progressive Era, in those days employed men, women, immigrants, and African Americans alike, and freely explored social issues such as women’s rights, divorce, child labor, immigration, political corruption, poverty, prison reform, and prostitution.) In any event, Loos received the full amount accorded to a man: a check for $25. Over the next six months, she sold four more stories.

Mary Pickford, NYPL Digital Collections

The first of her scripts to be produced by Biograph, The New York Hat (1912) was a wry, feminist take on a small town scandal. It became an instant classic, directed by D.W. Griffith and, as Loos recalled, “played by a roster of equally nameless stars, who, I found out later, included Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, [and] Lillian and Dorothy Gish…” In 1913, Loos sold 36 screenplays throughout the industry, giving Biograph, a company she considered to be the best, first refusal; Biograph produced nineteen of these. In 1914, when the studio opened a branch in Los Angeles, Loos was invited to visit.

“We were completely settled in our little rut,” wrote Loos, of life in San Diego. “Pop satisfied, as always, with being a big shot in a small world; Mother so timid that any effort at all required superhuman effort; and I aimlessly wasting time among people with whom I was disenchanted.” So she took the two-hour train trip to Los Angeles; Biograph Studio, she wrote, was “a row of one-story buildings that were scarcely more than sheds... the sight of which speeded up my already rapid circulation." After spending the morning with director D.W. Griffith on the set of Judith of Bethulia (1914), they enjoyed a most consequential lunch. “I can’t say I fell in love with Griffith that day over a sandwich in a corner drugstore," she recalled, "but our session provided the sort of cerebral excitement that makes the bohemias of the world, the Greenwich Villages and Sohos and Left Banks, so much more sexy than any other places… On our way to the studio, Griffith said to me, ‘I think we’ll have to get you out of San Diego.’” Then Loos, as if to prove the adage two steps forward, one step back, returned to San Diego and got married. She later insisted this disaster ended the next day. The truth was that several months elapsed before the morning she sent her husband out for hairpins, and disappeared.

ANITA WRITES IN HOLLYWOOD

Triangle Studios 1916 , Wikimedia Commons

Loos returned to Los Angeles, checked into the Hollywood Hotel, then went in search of Griffith, who had recently formed the Fine Arts Triangle studios with Thomas Ince and Mack Sennett. There, Loos was offered a full-time job at $75 a week (today, about $1900), along with a bonus for any script that went into production. She wrote, “As far as I know there were no other Hollywood authors working on salary at the time, so I was possibly the movies’ first staff writer.” Her first screen credit, the unintentionally comical "Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Anita Loos,” was earned titling an adaptation of the play for Triangle’s most prestigious film release of 1916. The director of the picture, John Emerson, would soon become Loos’ second husband.

Loos & Emerson, Wikimedia Commons

She began a collaboration with Emerson and his friend, actor Douglas Fairbanks, after Emerson, looking for story ideas, found a cache of Loos’ scripts in a file cabinet at the studio; Griffith had purchased them purely for the pleasure of reading them, unable to translate Loos’ verbal humor into his visual style of filmmaking. He thought the trio's first effort, His Picture In the Papers (1916) amusing, but held back the movie’s release because of its heavy reliance on Loos’ titles. When a booking crisis at New York's Strand Theatre forced the showing, the film became a smash hit. About this event, Loos wrote, “The New York Times published a review which said, in effect, that motion pictures had grown out of their infancy, satire had reached the screen." And, she added, "Douglas Fairbanks rose to stardom in a single week.” Over the next two years, Loos wrote scripts for nine more Fairbanks pictures, the most difficult part of which, she said, “was finding a variety of spots from which Doug could jump.” In a move unusual for the times, Emerson hired a press agent. Upon the publication of a series of newspaper and magazine features, he and Loos became almost as popular as Fairbanks, much to the actor’s chagrin.

ANITA WRITES IN NEW YORK

Soon thereafter, the trio became a duo. Loos and Emerson signed a deal with Famous Players-Lasky and moved to New York, creating “John Emerson-Anita Loos Productions,” working with newcomers like Billie Burke, Marion Davies, and Norma Talmadge. This was when Emerson began, untruthfully, to claim co-authorship credit on Loos’ scripts, demanding top billing. Because she was so enamored, and comfortable with this familiar dynamic (“I had had an early schooling in male vanity from Pop.”), Loos agreed. She brought Emerson along when William Randolph Hearst hired her to make his girlfriend Marion Davies a star. Although Hearst kept trying to force Davies into serious dramatic roles, Loos understood that the actress’ true talent was to be found in light comedy; after much back and forth between Hearst and Loos, Getting Mary Married was released in 1919. It was one of the few films in Davies’ career that turned a profit.

About this time, Loos and Emerson were approached by the powerful movie producer, Joseph M. Schenck, who, along with his brother, had developed the Pallisades Amusement Park in New Jersey, and gone on to acquire a national chain of movie theaters, the Loew's Circut. He was looking to boost the career of his sister-in-law, Constance (Dutch) Talmadge; his wife, Norma Talmadge, was already established as one of the foremost dramatic stars of the era. (Another sister-in-law, Natalie, was married to rising comedian Buster Keaton.) Since Loos and Dutch had met in Hollywood on the set of Griffith’s Intolerance (1916), Loos felt that she “knew her potentialities.” Their first film, A Virtuous Vamp (1919)—its title supplied by Dutch’s boyfriend Irving Berlin—was a hit and “added a second star to [the] family," wrote Loos. "Thus began a series of comedies for Dutch in which her career paralleled Norma’s and one success followed another. Our pictures were filmed under the happiest circumstances; because the Schenck brothers [were] centered in New York, we worked there instead of in Hollywood.”

Loos-Emerson wedding, Wikimedia Commons

Loos (whom Emerson called Bug) and Emerson (whom Loos called Mr. E.) were married in June, 1919, at Schenck’s Long Island estate. About the ceremony, Loos biographer Gary Carey wrote, “Emerson was on the verge of nervous collapse as he took his place next to the bride. His voice couldn’t be heard in the responses, so Schenck resorted to ventriloquism. John opened his mouth, but Joe spoke the words. When it was over, Anita wondered whether technically she hadn’t actually married Joseph Schenck.” Summing up their relationship, Loos later wrote, “I failed to realize that John suffered from a very dangerous pathological insecurity. When, after our marriage, he first heard himself addressed as Mr. Loos, it hit his egotism with a bang that reverberated as long as he lived. Had I been a femme fatale, I couldn’t have destroyed him more thoroughly. Yet through it all, John loved me, was amused by me, depended on me, and then, alas, he envied me. And until the day he died he resented me." Emerson's hypochondria, which had flared up in the past whenever he perceived that Loos was getting more attention than he, became more acute after the couple married. Over the course of their marriage, entire transatlantic voyages were made in pursuit of one cure or another.

The couple (always taking separate rooms) had earlier moved from the Algonquin Hotel to the Ambassador Hotel on Park Avenue, where the Schencks and Talmadges resided. After their marriage, they found a more permanent address in Murray Hill, then moved to a brownstone on Gramercy Square. In 1921, Loos bobbed her hair. She was among the first women in the public eye to adopt this bold, controversial hairstyle. While working for Schenck on film scripts, she dashed off several Broadway plays, including The Whole Town’s Talking (1923) and The Fall of Eve (1925). When Mr. E. insisted the couple spend Tuesday evenings apart, Loos and the Talmadge girls went to Harlem, often accompanied by a young George Gershwin. About these evenings, she wrote, “jazz was in the air; new rhythms were being extemporized that were giving America its first serious standing in the world of music. At Small’s Paradise and the Savoy Ballroom the Charleston and black bottom were danced not as we did them, with a main thought toward showing off; the strut in Harlem was expressing an apotheosis of the human body that even our own high priestess of the dance, Isadora Duncan, admitted she could never achieve.” When Loos felt like staying closer to home, she met up with the “Tuesday Widows” club: the Talmadge sisters and their mother Peg, Marion Davies, Adele Astaire, and a revolving group of chorus girls (depending on who could get the night off) from the Ziegfeld Follies. On other Tuesday evenings, Loos enjoyed the company of some extraordinary men, among them her hero, H. L. Mencken.

ANITA WRITES THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL

Loos began to write what would later become Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on a train trip to Hollywood in mid-1924. “Prompted by a flirtation that Henry Mencken was having with a stupid little blonde,” she recalled, “I wrote a skit poking fun at his romance. I had no thought of it ever being printed; my only purpose was to make Henry laugh at himself, which it did.” Upon her return to New York in early 1925, she sent the short story to Mencken, who told her she was possibly the first American writer to make fun of sex, and urged her to publish. So she began a serialization for Harper’s Bazaar, which over its run doubled the magazine's circulaton. The novel, published in November 1925, brought Loos praise from literary luminaries such as Aldous Huxley (“I was enraptured by the book.”), William Faulkner (“I wish I had thought of Dorothy first.”), James Joyce (who had been “reclining on a sofa and reading Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for three whole days.”), and Edith Wharton (who said to Frank Crowninshield, “I am just reading the Great American novel (at last!) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and I want to know if there are—or will be—others, and if you know the funny woman, who must be a genius.” He did.).

Emerson, with his now customary lack of imagination, had dismissed Blondes as a frivolous exercise written for a female audience (published in a fashion magazine, no less!), so Loos received sole authorship credit. He had a change of heart, however, before the book's publication, and demanded she use the dedication, “To John Emerson, except for whose encouragement and guidance this book would never have been written.” Loos was "stunned, and then," she wrote, "as usual, the reason for it struck me as amusing… there remained only one way through which John could save face: by pretending that he himself had been responsible for it. I agreed to use the dedication, but [my publisher], although he, too, was amused, refused to print it in toto.” The abbreviated dedication read simply: “To John Emerson.” She later implied she would have preferred to dedicate the book to Mencken. By the end of the decade, Loos enjoyed worldwide celebrity; Blondes had been translated into 14 languages (including Chinese), and had made her a millionaire.

While completing the sequel to Blondes, Loos entered a period she called “semiretirement,” socializing in London, in the circle of Sybil, Lady Colefax (which included Arnold Bennett, H.G. Wells, Somerset Maugham, John Galsworthy, and Margot Asquith), and in Paris, where she had tea with Edith Wharton, and frequently met up with Cole Porter and his wife Linda, and Elsa Maxwell and partner Dickie Fellowes-Gordon. Mr. E., who claimed to be suffering from a variety of illnesses including laryngitis, hives, and boils, was often absent. In 1928, for But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, Loos composed this lengthy, somewhat ironic dedication: “TO JOHN EMERSON who discovered, developed, fostered and trained whatever I may have if I have anything that is worthwhile.” For the next two years, the couple spent autumn in New York, January and February in Palm Beach, Florida, and spring and summer in Europe. An entry from Loos' diary during this time read “TOO MUCH TRAVELING!”

The stock market crash in late 1929 wiped out a large portion of Loos’ wealth, but did not leave the couple destitute. In 1930, Mr. E. informed her that he had lost the rest of their money. “There’s enough left from our disaster to support one of us,” he told Loos.“Naturally, I’ll have to count every penny. But my Bug’s in luck because she’s healthy and can go to work.” So Loos wrote and oversaw the production of two Broadway plays, a dramatization of Brunettes called The Social Register (1931), and an adaptation of a Hungarian play, Cherries Are Ripe (1931). Because of a slow Broadway season, neither play did well, and, having nothing to fall back on, the couple lost their Gramercy Square home. One day, while packing for the move to a hotel, Loos came upon a stash of love letters other women had sent to her husband; she asked him if he wanted a divorce. “He grasped me in agitation,” she wrote. “‘No, no, no, Buggie! I’ll never leave you; you’re so gullible you might fall into the hands of some crook who’d get hold of your money!’” Insisting they now live apart (while keeping their financial arrangement intact), Emerson moved to “bachelor quarters” at the Lamb's Club and Loos found an apartment on East 79th Street. “A wide variety of kept or semikept men has developed since the disappearance of the gold digger of the Twenties,” she wrote in 1974. “In cases where a girl has talent, any husband or lover can ‘manage’ her career. And, although he generally mucks it up thoroughly, he’s able to save face...”

ANITA WRITES IN HOLLYWOOD (REPRISE)

Hollywood Sign, Wikipedia

In late 1931 “there suddenly came out of left field” Loos recalled, “an offer from MGM for me to write a movie script at $3500 a week!” Leaving Emerson behind, she boarded the Twentieth Century Limited at Grand Central Station, bound for a far different California than the one she had left. “In Kansas City,” she wrote, “the conductor brought me a telegram from Mr. E., reminding me that he was still living only for his Bug. Had he only wired ‘I’m still living on my Bug,’ I’d have adored his impudence and possibly fallen in love with him once more.” But Loos had already made arrangements to meet up with old friend Wilson Mizner at the Brown Derby in Los Angeles, and was looking forward, not back.

MGM’s esteemed studio head Irving Thalberg brought Loos on board after several writers (including, notably, F. Scott Fitzgerald) had tried and failed to adapt Katherine Brush’s popular novel Red-Headed Woman for the screen. Thalberg told Loos, “I want you to make fun of its sex element just as you did in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” She completed the script in just four months, while MGM’s publicity department looked for an actress to play the lead. Of their choice, Jean Harlow, Loos noted, “Underlying Jean’s raffish sense of humor was a resignation unusual for one so young. Nothing would ever surprise Jean. She knew exactly how people were going to react to her; if men were stupid enough they’d fall for her; if they had good sense, they’d laugh her off.” While the film enjoyed massive popularity, it also brought down the wrath of the Hays Office. As a result, Joseph Breen, whom Variety called the “supreme pontiff of picture morals,” began rigidly enforcing censorship rules; he would go on to hinder free expression in Hollywood for the next twenty years.

Much to her surprise, Loos enjoyed being back in Hollywood, reunited with her mother, father, and brother Clifford, and "living alone in a cozy bungalow with a Persian cat and a competent maid to bully me... Hollywood," she wrote, "may have been uncouth, but from being the remote outpost it was at the beginning, it was now in the mainstream of life.” Many friends from New York, London, and Paris lived there now, and others could be depended upon to visit regularly. So she was pleased when Thalberg offered her employment on a permanent basis, at the weekly salary of $2500. “In a state of euphoria, I accepted Irving’s deal right then and there,” she wrote. “It meant that my good times would be assured for two more years, while Mr. E. could remain in New York nursing his ailments and basking in the sympathy of his current lady friend." This was not to be. Mr. E. insisted Loos renegotiate the deal so they could “work together again as a team.” She shuddered, as their "collaboration," she said, had long consisted of him “glancing over my morning’s work while he was eating breakfast in bed.” The truth of their partnership had become an open secret throughout the industry; when Loos asked Thalberg to hire Emerson (and split her salary between them), he balked, then finally agreed, telling her "You are even more of a masochist than I am."

The couple moved to a suburban home in Beverly Hills; the maid, disliking Emerson, had taken the cat and left. “A typical day for me,” Loos wrote, “was to begin writing in my own room. At 4 a.m., I was delightfully alone with a sneaky feeling of freedom from having to protect Mr. E.’s ego throughout all his waking hours… After five hours of work I was at the studio by ten and still free because Mr. E. didn’t show up until after lunch.” One of the highest paid writers on the MGM lot, Loos created original scripts like Riffraff (1935), and was also expected to work as line producer and script doctor, usually without credit. In 1936, she and writing partner Robert “Hoppy” Hopkins began work on an original idea that was close to both of their hearts. San Francisco (1936) paid tribute to the city they both loved, and to their dear friend and idol, Wilson Mizner. About Mizner, who had died in 1933, Loos wrote, “everything about that aging reprobate was exciting: the aura of his reckless past; the challenge of his being a highly unsuitable companion: his air of tranquil assurance, which, as a rule, exists only in men of genius.”

ANITA SURVIVES THE WORST YEAR OF HER LIFE

Loos & Emerson, Wikimedia Commons

When Thalberg died in late 1936, MGM descended into chaos. Producer Bernie Hyman, hoping to replicate the success of San Francisco, put Loos to work on a vehicle for Harlow and Clark Gable called Saratoga (1937). Hyman and Loos fought about the script, and then Harlow died halfway through filming; MGM released the movie quickly in order to capitalize on Harlow’s death. By this time, Loos’ contract had ended; she took a trip to New York, leaving Emerson behind to negotiate a deal with producer Samuel Goldwyn. She soon realized she had made a mistake, noting in her diary that Goldwyn was “the most vile slimy loathsome mouse I ever dirtied myself by contracting [sic].” Matters went from bad to worse. "One evening," she wrote, "we were alone together in our living room when, without warning, [Mr. E.] clutched my throat and started to choke me." After she was rescued by her driver, Loos convinced Emerson to voluntarily commit himself to Las Encinas Sanitarium. Several "diagnoses" have since been put forward to explain his increasingly erratic and finally psychotic behavior, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder among them. Far from the harmless eccentric Loos believed him to be, Emerson had become quite dangerous.

Loos had never paid much attention to her finances; now she needed her brother's help to sort them out. What they found was shocking. First of all, the contract Mr. E. had negotiated with Goldwyn paid her only half the salary she thought she was getting; the rest went to Emerson as a $100,000 signing bonus, with which he had bought annuities payable only to himself. He had also transfered $150,000 from their joint account into accounts of his own. “Clifford then began further investigations,” she wrote, “and learned that Mr. E. had registered all my property in his own name; including the house [on Santa Monica's 'Gold Coast,' designed by celebrated architect Richard Neutra] for which my earnings had paid. Mr. E. even got me to turn over to him the royalties on my books, without my being aware I’d signed them away.” She comforted herself with the thought that payouts on Mr. E.’s annuities would keep him safely in Las Encinas until the day he died.

With no little difficulty, Loos bought out her contract with Goldwyn in early 1938. Back at MGM, she bounced around, doing uncredited work on a number of film scripts, and in the musical department on the Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney picture, Babes In Arms (1939). She hit her stride when, once again stepping in for Fitzgerald, she adapted Clare Boothe Luce's Broadway smash of 1936, The Women in just under three weeks. It was like old times for Loos, working closely with director George Cukor, who insisted she be involved in all aspects of production: shooting, re-writes, publicity, previews, and even the editing of trailers. The Women (1939) was hailed as one of the best films of the year. Unfortunately, this creative experience, so reminiscent for Loos of the Thalberg years, was an aberration. She was soon back to script-doctoring on Another Thin Man (1939), then assigned the screenplay Susan and God (1940) for Joan Crawford, about which Loos noted, “War is imminent, making it hard to concentrate on Susan’s problems with God." She then rapidly turned out four more scripts for MGM: Blossoms in the Dust (1941), When Ladies Meet (1941), They Met in Bombay (1941), and I Married an Angel (1942). In August, 1943, Loos' contract was unceremoniously ended.

ANITA WRITES BICOASTALLY

Seizing the opportunity to work again with Loos, Joe Schenck, now a chief executive at Twentieth Century-Fox, offered her a position working exclusively on vehicles for upcoming star Dorothy McGuire; the best thing about this arrangement was that she didn't have to report to the studio, and could write anywhere. Perhaps looking for a way back to New York, she had written a play with Lionel Barrymore for his sister, Ethel; in late 1943 it was ready to go into production, so Loos closed up the Santa Monica beach house and took a room at New York’s Plaza Hotel. For various reasons and after several stops and starts, the play, Old Buddha, never made it to the stage. Upon the death of her father in 1944, Loos returned to Hollywood and did uncredited work on the McGuire script, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945). Before leaving New York she enjoyed another consequential lunch, this time with old friend Helen Hayes.

Some Algonquin Round Table members (Left-right: Art Samuels, Charles MacArthur, Harpo Marx, Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott), Wikipedia

Loos met Hayes in New York in 1927, when Loos was “caught up in the brouhaha” of producing Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for the stage. Hayes had been up for the lead, but, wrote Loos, “my husband, who, following the tradition of Broadway husbands, was managing my affairs, rejected Helen hands down.” She continued, “The girl chosen to play Lorelei Lee was a competent actress and she got away with the part. But I now realize that had it gone to Helen, she would have given it that extra dimension which separates art from adequacy.” After their initial meeting, Loos would run into Hayes at gatherings of the Algonquin Hotel’s Round Table, the group Loos later described as “a boring set of exhibitionists” (the exceptions being H.L. Mencken, George Jean Nathan, Joe Hergesheimer, and Theodore Dreiser). Charlie MacArthur, who had left Dorothy Parker to marry Hayes, was part of a Round Table satellite group Loos deemed “Musketeers of the Twenties who free-wheeled about town dipping into everything.” She got a kick out of MacArthur’s outrageous wit, and already his buddy, became good friends with Hayes after the couple married.

Over that now historic lunch at 21, Hayes worried that costume dramas had come to define her. “I’m afraid of getting to be grandiose," she told Loos. "Why don’t you write me a really rowdy part, where I can kick up my heels?” The result was Happy Birthday, which went into rehersals on Broadway in September, 1946, and opened in late October. The play, a great success for both friends, ran for almost 600 performances. Back in Santa Monica at Christmas, Loos wound up her West Coast business, put her house on the market, and said good-bye to a circle that included the Huxleys, the Hubbels, George Cukor, Ray Goetz, Rouben Mamoulian, and Christopher Isherwood. She ignored Mr. E.’s entreaties to take him along. By early 1947 she was once again at the Plaza, in search of more permanent accommodations.

ANITA, BACK IN NEW YORK AT LAST!

Loos found a small apartment at the Plaza Hotel Annex on West 58th Street, and happily immersed herself in multiple projects for the stage—an adaptation of She Stoops to Conquer for Mary Martin, which was abandoned after Martin took a career-changing role in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific (1948); a play about Josephine Baker, alternately titled Jacqueline or Montparnasse, for which no lead actress was ever signed (although Lena Horne, Hilda Sims, and Dorothy Dandridge were all considered); and Mother Was a Lady, co-authored with another Hollywood ex-pat, screenwriter Frances Marion, as a vehicle for their friend, actress ZaSu Pitts. Loos was, at this time, romantically linked with actor Maurice Chevalier, who was then appearing on Broadway.

In 1948, producers Herman Levin and Oliver Smith invited Loos to lunch at the Colony to pitch their latest idea, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes—the musical! Their timing was good; Mother Was a Lady had just been dropped from the Broadway calendar, and Loos had already written the Blondes' script in 1926. Seeing the potential in their idea, she readily agreed. But, as she had no experience in writing librettos, the process of adapting her script was rocky; at times the project almost stalled. The book was eventually completed with uncredited help from Levin’s friend Billy Rose, who also proved instrumental in raising the necessary subcriptions. To play the part of Lorelei, Loos and composer Jule Styne chose the relatively unknown actress Carol Channing, about whom Loos said, “You can cast Lorelei two ways, with the cutest, littlest, prettiest girl in town or with a comedienne’s... comment on the cutest, littlest, prettiest girl in town. I wrote her as a comedy, and Broadway is attuned to satire.”Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was a triumph, opening in December, 1949, and running for nearly two years. Loos enjoyed a celebrity the likes of which she hadn’t known since the 1920s.

Shortly after Blondes' opening, Loos moved from the Plaza Hotel Annex to a large apartment in the Langdon Hotel at Fifth Avenue and East 56th Street. Her novella, A Mouse Is Born, was published on January 1st, 1951, to mixed reviews. In the whirlwind of her first transatlantic voyage in two decades, she sailed to Dublin, staying with Adele Astaire and husband Charles, Lord Cavendish, then flew on to Paris, where she lunched with Colette at the Restaurant Le Grand Véfour, and sat for photographs, in couture, for Elle and Paris-Match. After returning to New York, she wrote a stage adaptation of Colette’s Gigi; Colette adored the treatment, later describing Loos as "the most subtle and friendly of collaborators." While still in the beginning stages of production, Loos received a wire from Colette: she had found an actress who looked exactly like the character she visualized in her novel. With newcomer Audrey Hepburn playing the lead, Gigi premiered on Broadway in November, 1951 and ran profitably through May, 1952. It would have run longer, but Hepburn had an appointment in Hollywood to make Roman Holiday (1953), the first picture in an illustrious film career that would span three decades.

In 1952, Loos and her maid/companion Gladys Turner moved to a large apartment at 171 West 57th Street, across from Carnegie Hall. In the time-honored tradition of New York real estate, acquiring this apartment was a matter of not what Loos knew, but whom she knew (the apartment became available after Jule Styne’s friend’s mother died). Always diligent about maintaining her health and her weight, Loos began the tradition of summering at Montecatini Terme spa, near Florence, Italy. Over the next decade, she endeavored to write and produce several Broadway plays, without much luck. Mr. E died in March, 1956, leaving Loos some money in trust that brought her a few thousand dollars a year. In the spring of 1958, Loos finished an adaptation of Colette's Chéri, which opened in October, 1959, and closed a month later. This experience, along with the changing tenor of Broadway, put an end to her career as a Broadway playwright. Her novella, No Mother to Guide Her, another Hollywood-based satire, was published in 1961.

ANITA WRITES HER MEMOIRS

In 1965, Loos learned her adaptation of The King’s Mare had found a West End producer; the play had a moderately successful run in London. Her memoir, A Girl Like I, which covered the periods of her childhood and early career in Hollywood and New York, up to the publication of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, was published in September, 1966. It garnered much praise and attention; The New York Times Book Review devoted an entire page to it, andThe Nation deemed it “the most remarkable Hollywood memoir ever written for its candor, its wit and its intelligence.”The New Yorker hoped that a second installment would be written soon. Viking Press threw a bash at the Plaza Hotel’s Terrace Room for Loos and many of her closest friends, including Hayes, Paulette Goddard, and Tallulah Bankhead, and celebrity acquaintances such as Truman Capote and Edmund Wilson. In November, Loos attended Capote's black and white masked ball in a black lace Balenciaga gown and ostrich feather wrap. To those who thought the gala inappropriate in the era of the Vietnam War, she proclaimed, "A little glamour might do everyone good just now."

According to the front flap of Twice Over Lightly’s dust jacket, “Helen Hayes, in a moment of irritation combined with zest, said to her friend Anita Loos: ‘I used to think New York was the most enthralling place in the world. I’ll bet it still is and if I were free next summer, I would prove it.’ And she did, launching herself and her skeptical companion on a series of explorations through all five boroughs of the fabled city.” Published in 1972, written in the form of a dialog between two friends and exhibiting the best kind of travel writing, the book provides a fascinating glimpse of a city as it existed before the combination of high rent and corporate interests destroyed much of its character. As usual, Loos kept up a busy social pace, enjoying MOMA’s retrospective film series along with friend Lillian Gish, and going to the Maisonette at the St. Regis with a group called “the girls” to see another friend, pianist and bandleader Peter Duchin. Part two of her memoirs, Kiss Hollywood Good-By (1974) was published to greater acclaim than part one. Over the next four years, she wrote two more books: Cast of Thousands (1977), a Hollywood-themed coffee table book, and The Talmadge Girls (1978), a recollection of the lives and times of the irrepressible Peg Talmadge and her famous daughters.

By the time Loos died in 1981 at the age of 93, she had been misrepresenting her age for over 70 years, and would have been amused to see the confusion this caused in many of her obituaries. The New York Times, (who ultimately got her age right but the age at which she began screenwriting wrong) called her a “New York social institution” and commended her on “a relentless desire to rebel, an honest love of flim-flam and a disarmingly pertinent comic vision of life.” As The Guardian wrote, Loos (much like her father, R. Beers) was “a born raconteur, the life and soul of many a… party, with a hawkish eye on the glamorous, or scandalous, events that surrounded her.” For over fifty years, she socialized with the best and the brightest in America and in Europe, and developed life-long friendships with some of the most brilliant artists of the Twentieth Century. Much has been written about Anita Loos, and for good reason: she was an original, an inspired and disciplined writer with a raft of penetrating observations about human beings and their foibles, who possessed a great talent—in her life as well as her writing—for finding the humor which exists at the exact moment when male entitlement and female disempowerment collide. The sheer longevity of her career would be astonishing for anyone, let alone a woman in a man’s world. She was no deal-maker, and was often forced to keep several projects in the air at any given time in the hope that one would get picked up. But she worked steadily throughout liberal and conservative eras alike, and achieved success beyond almost anyone else’s measure in the cutthroat, ultra-competitive arenas of Hollywood, Broadway, and New York publishing. As much a product of the Progressive Era at the turn of the last century as she was a “modern woman,” she summed up her attitude about the feminism of the 1970s thusly: “They keep getting up on soapboxes and proclaiming that women are brighter than men. That’s true, but it should be kept very quiet or it ruins the whole racket.”

Transcribing the Light: The Memoirs of Shirley MacLaine

Sally Speller, Supervising Librarian, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 15:30:18 -0500

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Shirley MacLaine, American film, televison and theatre actress, dancer, activist, and author, was, in her own words, “born into a cliché-loving, middle-class Virginia family” in 1934. Her father, Ira O. Beaty, was a psychology professor, school administrator, realtor, and amateur musician. Her mother, Kathlyn Corinne Beaty (née MacLaine), “a tall, thin, almost ethereal creature with a romantic nature,” was originally from Nova Scotia, Canada. A drama teacher who loved poetry and the theater, MacLaine’s mother introduced her to the ballet at age three, as a remedy for weak ankles. “There,” she wrote, “my imagination took anchor, my energy found a channel. What started as therapy became my life.” About her childhood, MacLaine said, “I have an orphan psychology, that’s what I’ve been told. See, my parents were always busy, so when I was about 11, I had to get up early to get off to school by myself and then to ballet class. I was the one navigating the buses and streetcars. I had no one to talk to, because by the time I got home my parents were in bed. So to navigate those waters, just to make it home each day, I had to keep asking myself, ‘Who am I?'"

MacLaine spent the summer of her junior year in high school in New York, performing in the subway circuit production of Oklahoma!, then returned after graduation, writing, “I arrived in New York at eighteen, wide-eyed, optimistic, brave, and certain I would crash the world of show business overnight. Naïveté is a necessary personality trait in order to endure New York, and a masochistic sense of humor an indispensable quirk.” Born Shirley MacLaine Beaty, she shortened her name at a successful audition for the Servel Ice Box traveling trade show. One night while on tour, MacLaine decided to "spice the spice." Dancing as Queen of the Swans around a Servel Ice Maker in the show’s grand finale, she wore a beautiful white tutu, blacked-out front teeth, and a “saintly smile.” She was fired and sent back to New York.

MacLaine met producer and businessman Steve Parker at a bar on West 45th Street; four hours later, he asked her to marry him. She was, at that time, in the chorus of Broadway’s Me and Juliet. “Steve and I met in 1952,” she wrote, “but so intense was our involvement, we forgot to get married until 1954.” By then, she was an understudy for lead Carol Haney in the Broadway sensation, The Pajama Game. After Haney tore a ligament in her ankle, MacLaine went on with no rehearsals, having watched only four times from the wings. In her nervousness, she rushed a line, then realized she had to slow the tempo of her delivery. “Suddenly, the flow of communication that I had longed for all my life was there. It wasn’t the applause and laughter that fulfilled me; it was the magnetism, the current, moving from one human being to the others and back again, like a giant pendulum.” When she came off stage, Bob Fosse, the show’s choreographer, told her, “You were good. Good energy.” She recalled, “It was from Fosse that I realized energy was the primary requirement for a good performance on the stage, on the screen, and in life.”

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The next night, producer Hal B. Wallis offered MacLaine a contract with Paramount Pictures. She eventually signed, went back to the chorus, and waited for Hollywood to call. Two months later, on again for Haney, she was spotted by a representative of director Alfred Hitchcock. “He was doing a picture called The Trouble With Harry” wrote MacLaine, “and was looking for an offbeat, ‘kooky’ actress to play the lead.” MacLaine won the Golden Globe New Star of the Year—Actress Award for her work in this film. She moved to Hollywood in 1955, and began filming her second picture, Artists and Models, about which she wrote, “Wallis took me from the shelf to garnish a Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis product… I represented all the plain broads in the audience who could never get a man unless they pinned him to the floor. I guess that’s when I first realized it was possible to make people laugh and cry at the same time.”

Shortly before he moved to Japan in 1956, Parker told MacLaine, “If I stay in Hollywood, I’ll always be Mr. MacLaine.” Of her husband, she wrote, “he was definitely the person I cared most about, my primary relationship, and the man I would wait for until he established his own identity in the world… In the meantime, I was free to operate in and around the hills and dales of Hollywood any way I wanted, and he was free to do the same in Japan or wherever.” They would have an open relationship until the marriage ended in 1982. "I don't think we could have stayed together for 30 years any other way," Parker told TIME Magazine in 1984. "Shirley is a free soul who must have her run." A self-proclaimed serial monogamist, MacLaine was romantically linked with many famous men, among them actor Robert Mitchum, Swedish prime minister Olof Palme, Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau, comedian/actor Danny Kaye, actor/singer Yves Montand, Australian foreign minister Andrew Peacock, and journalist/author Pete Hamill.

Between 1955 and 1970, MacLaine starred in 25 pictures; highlights include Some Came Running (1958) with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, The Apartment (1960) and Irma la Douce (1963) with Jack Lemmon, The Children’s Hour (1961) with Audrey Hepburn, and Bob Fosse’s directorial debut, Sweet Charity (1969). During this time she traveled widely, and became politically active at home, supporting Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, advocating for civil rights, and protesting the Vietnam War. In 1970, she published her first autobiographical bestseller; over the years, while continuing to perform to great acclaim in the movies, on television, and on stage, she would publish 13 more. These works—essentially a chronicle of MacLaine’s life journey, written with wit, candor, and courage—have challenged established Western mores and beliefs, and ultimately, the very nature of reality itself.

According to Kirkus Reviews, Don't Fall Off the Mountain (1970) is “pleasantly and loosely written and all on her own—which is the way Miss MacLaine does things—an autobiography of the appealing gamine screen presence who turns out to be a very different kind of person altogether.” In it, MacLaine evokes her middle class Virginia childhood with a kind of exasperated affection, recalling her supportive, if distant mother, her autocratic father, and her brother, actor and director Warren Beatty. “He was my kid brother and we were friends, in fact, allies,” she wrote. “We had to be, because otherwise we found ourselves… vying for favor as a result of the competition unconsciously imposed on us by our parents.” She credits an early immersion in the world of dance for a work ethic that would inform and sustain her, from her time on Broadway through Hollywood stardom, marriage and motherhood, politics, and world travel. “I learned something about myself that still holds true,” she wrote. “I cannot enjoy anything unless I work hard at it.” Her writing, said a 1971 Newsweek review, “possesses a vigor that seems consistent with her convictions… What makes her story so engaging is her balance and sanity, her willingness to reject or assimilate experiences with her eyes, mind and heart wide open.”

You Can Get There From Here (1975), picks up in Hollywood in 1970 where, MacLaine wrote, “Television was keeping the studios alive and television was what had mortally wounded them—television and the American culture itself… There was nothing in the trade papers… about Vietnam, or poverty, or racism, nothing about the way the whole brave American dream seemed to be crumbling around us.” Disenchanted with acting, she spent 1972 stumping for presidential candidate, George McGovern, saying recently, “It was a political-value-priority promise I made to myself.” In 1973, upon the invitation of the People’s Republic of China, she led an all-female delegation on a tour of mainland China. Soon after their arrival, the group began to fall apart. “I suppose most of what happened had to do with the fact that we were Americans of a certain generation, inculculated with the belief that Communism is bad,” she wrote. “Yet in China, we saw low food prices, and streets free of crime and dope peddling. Mao Tse-tung was a leader who seemed genuinely loved, people had great hopes for the future, women had little need... for superficial things... children loved work and were self-reliant... All these things... shook us in ways that left no conventional response.”

As a writer and performer, much of MacLaine’s personal journey has taken place in public. While many considered her next book, Out on a Limb (1983) a radical departure from previous writings, the book was really a radical continuation, a chronicle of the next phase in her search for understanding. “My strongest personality trait,” said MacLaine to TIME Magazine in 1984, “ is the way I keep unsettling my life when most other people are settling down.” This time, as she was forced to seriously explore the validity of reincarnation, trance channeling, and human contact with extraterrestrials, she touched upon concepts that proved threatening to Western popular culture. With no little anxiety, she felt compelled to share what she had learned; luckily, the groundswell of an emerging New Age movement carried her forward. Ideas that had once seemed strange have become, if not widely believed, at least normalized. In the book, a non-physical entity told MacLaine something that is, forty years later, more relevant than ever: “The level of achievement in any civilization is judged by its spiritual evolvement. Technological advancement is important and attractive, but if it detains, detracts, or deters spiritual understanding, it bears the seeds of its own destruction.”

After her success in the films Turning Point (1977), Being There (1979), and Terms of Endearment (1983), MacLaine’s point of view began to shift. “Up till then,” she explained, in Dancing In the Light (1985), “I had been more interested in traveling, love affairs, political activism, my friends, writing, and living.” Now, as she started taking her acting more seriously, she also began “a search for the recognition of higher consciousness.” She asked, “How could I really help others if I didn’t know who I was?” The book’s remarkable narrative is centered on events that took place during a 1984 run at Broadway’s Gershwin Theater. Along the way, she discovers the transformative power of positive affirmation, and relates an emotional reunion with a discarnate entity called Ramtha (who, along with a friend, supports her onstage when she is too ill to perform). She writes about her parents with bemused affection. The reason for exploring past lives, insists MacLaine, is experiential. “The only way any of it made sense was when it related to our own personal experience. If you hadn’t felt it, you couldn’t know it.” Learning she was, in a past life, “involved with the sociopolitical questions of the Founding Fathers of the United States,” she wrote, “They were spiritually aware, and in terms of leadership today, it [is] essential that [today's leaders] also have a spiritual support system that would keep them in touch with the recognition of their own higher knowledge…”

It’s All In the Playing (1987) isn't only about the making of the TV miniseries Out On a Limb (1986), it's also a magical mystery tour, a travelogue of MacLaine’s progress through multiple iterations of space, time and reality. “Fundamental to MacLaine's metaphysics," Magill Book Reviews wrote, "is that one is responsible for creating one's own reality, that whatever happens in one's life is part of a ‘script’ one has written... Even without the references to extraterrestrial visitations and altered states, the book offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of television—the personality conflicts, the intricacies of casting and dealing with network executives, and the difficulties of shooting on location in London, Sweden, and Peru.” Central to this experience is MacLaine’s recognition of the female (yin) energy. She wrote, “I, a female, had motivated the entire project—experienced the spiritual search, written about it, and was now starring in the film about the book… The New Age was addressing itself to leadership by women, which meant not only that men would be required to make a fundamental adjustment in relation to female leadership, but that women would also.” About her ongoing spiritual journey, she wrote, “It was one thing to be metaphysically sophisticated… But quite another to relate to the world with simple love in your heart."

“I now realize,” wrote MacLaine, in the preface to her next book, Going Within (1989), “that it is impossible to understand anything of the world, its inhabitants, their suffering, their conflicts or the full potential of life itself until I am in touch with these same currents and truths inside myself. To understand and love others begins with understanding and loving oneself.” There are tried and true ways to get there, she insists, explaining how (and why) to put into practice certain techniques—or “spiritual technology”—that have existed in Eastern spiritual systems for millennia but have been lost to the West. Even for those who are familiar with concepts like “no time” and have worked with the chakras, MacLaine’s clear, grounded, intriguing presentation informs and inspires. Writes Magill Book Reviews, “critics may be surprised at how plausible MacLaine's arguments are beginning to sound. With her latest book, [her] metaphysics has seasoned somewhat, matured. Not that she has backed down in any way from pushing the limits of psychic understanding, but rather she has worked harder in Going Within to synthesize New Age ideas with the more accepted beliefs of science. MacLaine is at her best when she is anecdotal, sharing what she has seen and how she personally uses the New Age tools she describes.”

MacLaine's next book, Dance While You Can (1991), opens with the filming of Postcards From the Edge (1990), and progresses through the production of a live tour; readers get a real sense of the hard work and dedication involved in the execution of two very different types of performance art. Throughout, MacLaine examines family dynamics: how she used the power of her mother’s sublimated creativity to fire the engine that drove her to overachievement; how she learned to pole vault over her father’s self-sabotaging fear of failure, and, in doing so, accomplished more than she otherwise would have. “Had the seeds for my success been sown and nurtured in the small middle class rooms of a home that housed potential creative giants,” she asked, “married to one another in an unspoken bond of frustration, with a hidden agenda to never live out their own dreams?” In a 1991 interview for Publisher’s Weekly she said, "I have been in the process of remembering who I am, for by doing that you are remembering the future and that you have a certain destiny. You remember what you planned to do, you remember your dreams. And through that, I came to realize… nothing is more important than this life and the people involved in it—your immediate orbit, your family.”

“I have never understood why the concept of being famous—a star—never motivated me much,” wrote MacLaine, in My Lucky Stars (1995). “I wanted to be good at my work… I wanted people to like what I did. I wanted to be prepared, be professional, be imaginative, be a performer and an actress that people got a kick out of… my goals in Hollywood were limited. Yet, what I didn’t particularly care about was probably the secret of my success.” MacLaine ably demonstrates a sophisticated psychological understanding of self and subject, as she relates lessons learned from both positive and negative experiences in the entertainment industry. She muses on the nature of aging, power, and politics in Hollywood, and writes of her adventures as “mascot to the clan” (with its fascinating and frightening proximity to mob culture), how she coped with the seemingly pointless emotional turmoil created by her director and co-star on the set of Terms of Endearment, the recognition of a deep, recurring connection with Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon, and a 3-year love affair with the incomprehensible Robert Mitchum, She has a few words to say about her ex-husband as well. “Why do these people emerge from my memories as leading players in my play?” asked MacLaine. “Because they set me on my course… they were the people destiny provided as my guides.”

In 1994 MacLaine walked the Santiago de Compostela Camino, a 500-mile westward trek from France across Northern Spain, "a journey of the spirit" she documented in The Camino (2000). “I could say it was a mythological and imaginative experience," she wrote, "but then what is myth and what is imagination?” Completing approximately 20 miles a day, this physically grueling trip—essentially, an extreme version of walking meditation—provided MacLaine with more puzzle pieces to assemble in her ongoing search for the truth of humankind's origins and purpose. Ultreya, or “moving forward with courage,” denotes the pilgrim’s journey; MacLaine’s fear of random attacks by vicious dogs and the press complicated matters. She asked, “Would what should have been the spiritual understanding and resolution of a long and arduous pilgrimage back in time now become an adventure of escape…?” Although chock-full of mind-blowing revelations, and recollections of past lives on the Camino, and in Lemuria and Atlantis, the book's most profound insight is contained in this simple message: “The sorrow so much experienced in the world today can be regarded as the exercise of emptying ourselves… to make room for the joy that is rightfully ours in the future.”

To anyone paying attention, MacLaine’s strong suit has always been her formidable curiosity, paired with a writer's ability to synthesize research and experience into a coherent and fascinating narrative. In Sage-ing While Age-ing (2007), she writes, “I have spent most of my adult life endeavoring to educate myself in the truths that we are not traditionally taught and do not readily see. I have been privileged to be able to afford to travel around the globe searching out answers to these mystical, but fundamentally practical questions in many cultures… I am not an occultist (which simply means ‘hidden’). I am the opposite. I share everything publicly.” MacLaine opines on many thought-provoking topics: synchronicity and meaningful coincidence, alternative dentistry and medicine, the United States as the New Atlantis, humankind’s disastrous decision to separate into male and female halves (“In my view,” wrote MacLaine, “we chose the most difficult way to evolve and learn.”), extraterrestrial intelligence and the military-industrial cover-up (“We are not the preeminent beings in a universe that we know very little about.”), prophecy and physics, and ancient gods, angels and E.T.s. About past lives, she writes, ”There are many lessons to learn, many ways to learn them, and the soul is always intact and ready for the next advancement or life.”

I’m All Over That (2011) and What If... (2013) are shorter, punchier, and more "to the point" than her previous books, featuring themed chapters instead of running narratives. She explains, “People identify with other people; they don’t identify with subjects and information unless it relates to them… In the beginning of my spiritual questing and wanderings, people identified with me much more than they did after I’d found some answers. When I got specific and began to share the underpinnings of spiritual science… it got to be too dense for a lot of people.” Addressing an ever-evolving perspective, she says, ”When I look back on some of my experiences, I’m intrigued by which ones I recall as being important. There seems to be a separation of heart experience and mind/body experience. If I were to write a book today just about my travels, it would result in a different book from the ones I wrote in the past.” This is why it is a joy to read all of MacLaine’s writings: they're an invitation to witness her life's adventure through time, from many different angles. As she remembers, she asks, “What didn’t I see then? What deeper meaning did I miss?” A succinct, snappy format doesn’t prevent MacLaine from delving deep or telling her truth. Her new motto is “Shift Happens.”

In the wry, often laugh-out-loud funny Above the Line (2016), MacLaine describes the making of Wild Oats (2016), a screwball comedy filmed on the Canary Islands (which are thought by many to be the remnants of the lost continent of Atlantis). She writes, “It isn’t often a person my age (eighty-one), with a past (this time around) of work pretty well done and a life exuberantly led, gets to experience a real-life movie while making a reel-movie movie on next to no money. Making a movie is the most useful experience I’ve found for getting to know more about myself.” As someone whose career began during Hollywood’s Golden Age, she makes it clear that this is also the story of independent filmmaking today: a chaotic, tumultuous free-for-all of egos, insecurities, truth, lies, and elusive funding. There is also professionalism, artistry, and comaraderie, above, below, and across the line. After years of MacLaine-directed snark, Kirkus Reviews had only good things to say about this book, writing, “The author's insider's portrait of the moviemaking world sparkles... MacLaine is wickedly honest about moviemaking, sincere and enthusiastic in describing her beliefs, and welcoming in the skepticism of others--it's all refreshing and fun.”

A channel in Sedona Journal wrote, “The domestic versions of cats and dogs were genetically engineered… benevolently by the Sirian-Pleiadian alliance in an effort to assist humanity as it became more densely engrained in the Earth plane... Cats and dogs are different physical forms of the same source [and] have melded into group unity consciousness yet still retain individual identities within the greater harmonic field... [They] are but fragments of the full consciousness and energy spectrum of their Sirian aspects... this expression is specifically and purposefully designed to be so, for these beings can become so bonded with the humans they serve that a unique third consciousness can evolve... that is extremely beneficial. When the third consciousness between humans and their pets is formed... It awakens within itself characteristics that neither of the parties involved have on their own... It stretches and expands [and] reaches back into the individual awareness of both human and pet and changes both.” In this spirit, MacLaine writes movingly about her profound relationship with Terry, whom she called, “my confidante, my sense of home, and my deepest venture into the intimacy of myself.” First published in 2003, Out on a Leash was updated in 2017 after Terry’s death.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, The New York Post’s Cindy Adams reached out to MacLaine, who told her she “couldn’t be happier. I’m out west. I’ve had this ranch for years. I love nature. I’m here with my animals and housekeeper. And watching what’s happening to show business. And wondering what’s happening to the world… Now, today, I’m interested in the beginning of mankind. I’m here at this time reading books and learning how all this started and going into my own interior. It’s my metaphysical language. Totally isolated here, you find your survival, your spiritual meaning. Isolation accentuates how to be without other people. Without materialism, power or influence. I find my inner spiritual self a lot more populated. There are new things inside. I’m watching mountains. Animals. Trees. Nature. I’m a survivor. I hear from friends. See, as much as possible you must try to be without fear.” When asked, in 2019, by the New York Times if she had any clues about her next life, MacLaine replied, “I don’t, and I’m not interested. First I’m going to take a rest.”

Walking In A Winter Movie Wonderland: Christmas Films for Adults

Michelle Lee, Young Adult Librarian, Riverside Library — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 12:11:31 -0500

Watching films is a regular Christmas tradition for many, right alongside home decorating and meeting up with family and friends for special meals and swapping presents. In these COVID-19 quarantine times, seeing a movie at home might be one of the safest celebration options.

Here is a list of 40 different holiday-related films to borrow for free from the library that span a wide variety of genres, including classic dramas, musicals, romance, action films, family melodramas, comedies and horror flicks. There are many options to fit your particular film tastes or mood, and related links are included for the films that are based on books.

Season's greetings and happy home viewing!

Classics and Musicals

It's A Wonderful Life

Small town banker George Bailey reconsiders suicide with the help of his guardian angel, Clarence.

A Christmas Carol

This holiday morality tale by Charles Dickens follows the life and regrets of one extremely stingy businessman, Ebenezer Scrooge. The book has been adapted into many films and other stories, including a film about Dickens writing the story, The Man Who Invented Christmas.

Christmas in Connecticut

A single New York food writer pretending to be a Connecticut farm wife for work suddenly falls in love with a returning World War II veteran.

Joyful Noise

A small-town Georgia church choir competes as an underdog in a national competition.

Little Women

This classic Louisa May Alcott novel about four sisters has been turned into several films and television adaptations. It contains a very memorable New England Christmas scene that's been turned into its own children's book. The novel is also available at the library in Spanish.

Meet Me in St. Louis

Spend a year with the Smith family as they look forward to the 1904 World's Fair. One of the film's most memorable scenes is Judy Garland's performance of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."

The Preacher's Wife

A guardian angel helps a struggling New York City pastor restore his faith and marriage. This 1996 film updates the 1947 film The Bishop's Wife.

The Shop Around the Corner

Based on a 1937 Hungarian play, two feuding co-workers in a leather goods store inadvertently fall in love during the holiday time via anonymous letters. Remakes include the 1998 film You've Got Mail and the musicals She Loves Me and In the Good Old Summertime.

White Christmas

Two World War II veterans/performers and a pair of sisters put on a show to save a failing Vermont inn. Irving Berlin's popular Christmas song has also been turned into a children's picture book.

Drama and Family Dramas

Almost Christmas

The dysfunctional Meyers family consisting of a retired widower, his four adult children and other relatives holds their first Christmas celebration after the death of their wife/mother. Internal squabbling and hilarity ensue in this drama/comedy.

Black Nativity

In this modern reinterpretation of the Langston Hughes play, an evicted Baltimore teen learns about the importance of family when he is sent to New York City to spend Christmas with his estranged grandparents.

Four Christmases

Married couple Kate and Brad have to individually visit their four divorced parents and siblings for Christmas—all in one chaotic day.

Home for the Holidays

Claudia, a divorced single mom who has just been fired from her job, goes home alone to celebrate Christmas with her dysfunctional family.

Joyeux Noël

This Academy Award-nominated film dramatized the real-life temporary Christmastime truce between French, German and Scottish troops during World War I.

Love the Coopers

Four generations of the flawed Cooper family gather together under one roof for Christmas. What could possibly go wrong?

Nothing Like the Holidays

Family misunderstandings are sorted out and romances are rekindled in this comedy/drama when the Rodriguez family comes together for one final Christmas.

Tangerine

Sin-Dee Rella, a transgender working girl who was just released from jail, roams around Hollywood on Christmas Eve in search of her cheating ex-boyfriend.

Romance

The Apartment

Insurance company worker Bud lets his managers use his Upper West Side apartment for romantic affairs. Complications follow when Bud falls in love his boss's ex-mistress, Fran.

The Best Man Holiday

A group of college friends reunite to celebrate a Christmas weekend together, reigniting rivalries and romances.

Bridget Jones's Diary

In this modern take on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones spends the year navigating love and self-improvement. The novel is available as a book and e-book in English and an e-book in Spanish.

Carol

Aspiring artist and holiday toy store clerk Theresa becomes romantically intrigued by elegant divorcé Carol in this film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel, The Price of Salt.

The Holiday

A London newspaper columnist and Los Angeles film producer swap homes for the holidays and find new, local love interests while on vacation.

Last Christmas

Kate, an aspiring singer stuck in a dead-end job as a Christmas store elf, is encouraged to improve her life by Tom, a mysterious and handsome stranger.

Love, Actually

Eight different couples in London sort out their complicated love lives during Christmastime.

While You Were Sleeping

Chicago transit worker Lucy saves a handsome commuter from being run over by a train on Christmas Day. Then she gets mistaken for being his fiancé when she visits him in a local hospital.

Surprise, Yes, It's a Christmas Movie

Batman Returns

Batman spars with Catwoman and the Penguin during the winter holidays in this superhero film.

Die Hard

New York Detective John McClane has to save his wife and several other Christmas party hostages who are taken prisoner by German terrorists in a Los Angeles skyscraper.

Iron Man 3

Superhero Tony Stark undergoes an emotional and philosophical transformation in this superhero reimagination of A Christmas Carol.

Jurassic World

Who wouldn't want to go to a dinosaur theme park during their Christmas vacation?

L.A. Confidential

Three police officers investigate a series of unusual murders in 1950s Los Angeles. Based on the noir novel by James Ellroy, available as a part of the L.A. Quartet and translated in Spanish.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Halloween "Pumpkin King" Jack Skellington attempts to take over Christmas in this dark, musical stop-animation film. A children's picture book version is available.

Rent

Eight East Village friends experience love and loss over the course of a year in this 2005 film adaptation of the award-winning 1996 Broadway musical, which, in turns, updates Giacomo Puccini's 1895 opera, La Boheme.

Sleepless in Seattle

Baltimore reporter Annie falls in love with Seattle architect Sam while listening to his voice on a talk radio show during Christmas. Will they ever meet in person?

Comedy and Horror Films

A Bad Moms Christmas

Three overworked, underappreciated young mothers have their holiday plans derailed when their own mothers unexpectedly visit town.

Black Christmas

A group of college sorority sisters are murdered one-by-one just before the Christmas break in this 2019 slasher film remake.

Office Christmas Party

A lot of bad behavior happens at this Chicago corporate Christmas party.

Krampus

Instead of a visit from Santa Claus, the Engel family is haunted by the demonic Krampus during the holidays. This horror tale spawned three graphic novels and an e-audio book.

The Night Before

Three New York City friends have one last holiday hurrah in this raunchy adult comedy.

Trading Places

A Wall Street commodities trader and a con artist swap lives as part of a bet in this 1983 adult comedy.

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas

Former best friends Harold and Kumar are reunited and go on a wild adventure when they try to find a replacement Christmas tree for the one they accidentally burn down.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...for Family-Friendly Holiday Films and Books

Michelle Lee, Young Adult Librarian, Riverside Library — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 14:44:23 -0500

We're in the midst of the December holiday season with Hanukkah in full sway and Christmas and Kwanzaa coming up very soon. Many families will have virtual celebrations or stay at home as a health and safety precaution due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For those who wish to celebrate the holidays with a film/television show or just want to get into a festive spirit from the comforts of your couch, here's a list of 22 suggested movies and television specials to borrow for free from the New York Public Library. Related book links are included, as well as articles from other library staffers with more holiday reading suggestions.

Animated Films and TV Shows

An American Tail

This musical mouse tale opens on the first night of Hanukkah as the Mousekewitzes family emigrates from Russia to New York City in the 1880s.

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas

Belle and the Beast have a musical holiday adventure while they debate celebrating Christmas.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang learn the true meaning of the holidays in this timeless, classic television special. Also available as a picture book. Other animation holiday specials include Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales and I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown.

Elena of Avalor: Celebrations to Remember

Join Princess Elena of Avalor and her family and friends as they prepare to celebrate Navidad, Carnaval and Dia de los Muertos/ Day of the Dead.

Frosty the Snowman

Based on a holiday song, this television special follows an animated Frosty as he and the group of school children who made him try to help the snowman make it to the North Pole to escape melting. Frosty can be found in several picture books, too.

Frozen

While this blockbuster reinterpretation of "The Snow Queen" fairytale technically isn't a Christmas movie, it does have lots of snow, family conflict, a reindeer and a snowman. Also available in junior novelization format, various children's books and the sequel film, Frozen II.

The Grinch

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch, yet somehow we seem to adore you so much that in addition to the television special there's a full-length animated film, a live-action film, a junior novelization and picture books in multiple languages, including English, Spanish/Español, French/ Français, and Italian/ Italiano. You really are a loveable heel .

The Polar Express

This beloved children's picture book about taking a train to the North Pole gets the computer animation treatment.

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

Yet another television special based on a Christmas tune, this time the stop animation show follows Santa's very special reindeer. Available in various picture books as well.

The Star

This animated twist on the Nativity story is told from the perspective of a donkey and his other animal friends.

Teen Titans Go! Holiday Collection

Join DC teen crime-fighters Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven and Starfire in their various holiday misadventures in this compilation of Christmas and Halloween specials.

Trolls Holiday

The Trolls try to get into the holiday spirit in this made for television special.

Live-Action Films and TV Specials

A Miracle on 34th Street

Is that Macys' department store Kris Kringle the real Santa Claus? This timeless children's tale is also available as a picture book.

A Christmas Story

This series of misadventures in 1940s Indiana follows nine-year-old Ralphie Parker as he tries to convince his parents to buy him a BB gun for Christmas.

Elf

Buddy, a human adopted by elves, spreads holiday cheer wherever he goes as he wanders around New York City in search of his real father. This charming modern film was adapted into a Broadway musical.

Eloise at Christmastime

Eloise, the memorable six-year-old who lives in the Plaza Hotel, and her nanny prepare for Christmas in the children's picture book. In the film, Eloise tries to reunite the hotel owner's daughter with a room service waiter while learning the true meaning of the holiday.

Happy Holidays from Sesame Street!

Join Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and the rest of the Sesame Street characters—humans and puppets—as they celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

Home Alone

Mischievous Chicago suburbs kid Kevin McCallister protects his home from neighborhood burglars when the eight-year-old accidently gets left home alone during the Christmas holidays. The story has been adapted to a picture book.

How to Celebrate the African American holiday Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is celebrated annually from December 26 to January 1. This educational film highlights the importance of community-building, African American historical achievements and the holiday's symbols, foods and guidelines.

Kwanzaa

Learn the basics and seven principles of the African American celebration with this educational film.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie the Bear and many other Muppets join the cast in this comedic take on Charles Dickens' holiday story with Ebenezer Scrooge portrayed by Michael Caine. There are several book versions of A Christmas Carol for children and teens to borrow, and another Christmas-themed Muppet film, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

The popular holiday short story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," which is also a ballet, gets the live-action fantasy adventure reinterpretation in this film. For those who prefer the more traditional version, there are multiple children's books, which include spin-off such as Nutcracker in Harlem, Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite, and a version in Spanish/ Español: El cascanueces = The Nutcracker and French/ Français: Casse-Noisette : un ballet de Petr Tchaïkovsky d'après le conte d'E.T.A. Hoffmann.

For more holiday reading recommendations for children, try these other NYPL blog posts:

Cultural Passport: Kwanzaa Books for Children, Adults & Families by Troy Belle
Nine New Christmas Classics for Kids by Gwen Glazer
Kids Books to Celebrate Chanukah and Christmas by Gwen GlazerCozy Chanukkah Picture Books by Gwen Glazer
A World Languages Holiday Read Celebration for Children by Alexandra Gomez

Kick Your Streaming Game Up A Notch With Foreign-Language Films From the Library

Joshua Soule, Spuyten Duyvil Library — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 12:25:12 -0400

Overdrive is an absolutely fantastic library resource, providing thousands of free titles to read and also to view. There are a ton of options in our online blockbuster queues, especially for foreign film aficionados. I will be focusing on these as the English titles in Overdrive do not, as yet, contain subtitles and are, therefore, not 100% accessible to our readers and viewers. All foreign language films in Overdrive have English subtitles.

First up in the queue: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Starring Noomi Rapace (of Prometheus and Bright fame), this film kicks off the original Swedish adaptations of Stieg Larsson's modern classic, The Millenium Trilogy. Computer hacker Lisbeth Salander aids journalist Mikael Blomkvist as he unravels the mysterious disappearance of a tycoon's niece 40 years ago.

Now if you need something delicious to eat while watching, well, we don't deliver but we do have Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a documentary about the legendary Jiro Ono, the first sushi chef to earn the coveted third Michelin star.

For fans of horror, check out Let the Right One In, the unsettling tale of a bullied boy who befriends the pale, mysterious, nocturnal girl next door. Never mind the murders that happen after her arrival. For more vampire goodness, with an Iranian flavor, try A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.

If ragtag resistance films are your thing, give Army of Crime a watch. This is the dramatized true story of immigrants in the French Resistance who fought against the Nazi stranglehold on Paris.

And last but not least, we've even got martial arts film fans covered. The Grandmaster is inspired by the life of Ip Man, the legendary trainer of the even more legendary Bruce Lee.

Happy viewing, everyone!

I Watched the 'Tiger King' Documentary Series In One Day. Then I Needed to Learn More.

Andrea Lipinski, Senior Young Adult Librarian, Kingsbridge Library — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 15:00:00 -0400

I kept hearing about a new documentary series on Netflix called Tiger King. It combined some of my favorite things: true crime, drama, and over-the-top personalities. Since I happen to have a lot of time to hang around the house, I binge-watched all seven episodes. When it was over, my head was spinning with questions, and I wanted to take a deeper dive into all different aspects of this incredible true story.

Like all of you, I can’t get to the Library right now, so I decided to see what I could find from home by using the Library’s digital resources (Don't have a card yet? NYS residents can apply here.)

E-Books & Audiobooks

I found books on the MANY different topics that were covered in this series, such as:

Databases

I also wanted to find more information about some of the most memorable people in the series, like Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, and Bhagavan Antle. I visited our database page, limited the search to databases that were accessible from home, and browsed through different databases searching for articles and information about these people. I found lots of helpful information in databases like Biography in Context, Gannett Newsstand, Infotrac Newsstand, and ProQuest Research Library:

Here are some of the relevant articles I found:

See larger

Do you love documentaries, too? Check out my earlier post, All Fyred Up: Researching Your Favorite Documentaries.

All Fyred Up: Researching Your Favorite Documentaries

Andrea Lipinski, Senior Young Adult Librarian, Kingsbridge Library — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 11:23:14 -0500

Each year, a handful of newly released documentaries get a lot of attention. A recent, notable example: two new documentaries about the disastrous Fyre Festival, just released on Netflix and Hulu, both of which share revelations that are all over the news. If you watch a documentary that grabs your attention and won’t let go, what should you do next? What’s the best way to take a deeper dive?

Before starting your post-viewing research

One word of warning before you begin: Did you finish watching the entire documentary? It might seem strange to think of "spoiler alerts" when discussing topics that may have been in the news, but even if you saw the headlines and read some articles when the story first broke, you probably don’t know everything that happened.

The danger of watching a longer documentary, especially a series, is that you might be tempted to start researching the topic before getting to the end of the documentary. The information you discover might be enlightening, but it might also spoil some dramatic reveals that will appear later in the documentary.

Take it from me! I learned more about Robert Durst than I expected part of the way throughThe Jinx documentary series, and then had to avert my eyes as quickly as possible so that I wouldn’t ruin the ending of the series for myself!

However, if you are definitely ready to start learning more about the topic you just watched, you can always:

Google Your Topic

This is probably the first instinct for most people after watching a documentary, and it will lead to plenty of information and opinions from all types of sources. A Google search provides a good start when looking for answers to questions like "Where are they now?" or "Is that person still in prison?"

Just keep in mind that Googling will lead to everything from articles and blog posts to social media, so there might be a lot of sifting to go through to find accurate information.

Use the Library Catalog to Find Books About Your Subject

Browse through the NYPL catalog to look for information about your subject in many different formats including books, ebooks, audiobooks, and videos.

Use Databases to Access Articles, Encyclopedias, and More

Have your library card with you when you visit our database page. Many of our databases can be accessed from anywhere by entering your barcode number (click on "available at home with library card" to access these). In terms of finding accurate information, this is a step up from Googling because you’ll see information that went through a stricter editing process.

Look For More Documentaries About Similar Topics

There are plenty of places to look for documentaries that can expand your mind and give you new perspectives on a variety of topics. With a New York Public Library card, you can browse our DVD collection to have movies sent to your closest library.

Think Like a Librarian—Expand the Scope of Your Topic!

Did you just finish watching the Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary, RBG? In addition to learning more about Ginsburg, expand your search to learn about other accomplished women or learn more about the history of the Supreme Court.

Did watching Blackfish, the documentary about the life of whales at SeaWorld, make you feel angry and fill you with questions? You can research whales, and SeaWorld, and animals in captivity.

After watching the Fyre Festival documentaries, were you horrified to see how many people were made promises by companies that couldn’t deliver? Visit the Better Business Bureau website to learn more about the companies you deal with, and use this information to protect yourself from making a similar mistake!

Lift Your Spirits!

Hang on, this doesn’t sound like research advice!

I know it doesn’t, but let me explain. Lots of documentaries out there (and plenty that I watch) are about depressing subjects like crimes and scandals. While I love watching that type of documentary, I can’t watch too many in a row or I’ll get depressed. There’s always the danger that after watching so many downer documentaries, you may start to lose faith in humanity or never want to leave the house again.

So, in closing, I wanted to mention there are documentaries about uplifting subjects, like the new Fred Rogers documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? ,to make your heart feel a little lighter.

And remember that even when documentaries fill you with anger or frustration, that can turn into a force of good. Many people had very strong reactions to the pair of documentaries about the Fyre Festival, and have turned those emotions into financial support for some people who lost their savings.

So, if the documentaries you love start getting you down, remember that, sometimes, even tragic stories can have happy endings!

A Beginner's Guide to Science Fiction

Amanda Pagan, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 18:00:37 -0500

Have you ever wanted to travel the galaxies, meet dinosaurs, or delve into the depths of the sea all without leaving your home? Then we’ve got the books for you!

Welcome to our beginner’s guide to science fiction. Here we’ll break down everything you need to know to get you started on your fantastic voyage into a genre that can be a bit intimidating for some.

But fear not!

You do not need to be a rocket scientist to understand how the USS Enterprise or the Tardis work. So long as you have an imagination and a willingness to explore new worlds, concepts, and ideas, then you too can enjoy the intriguing world of science fiction.

What is science fiction?

Science fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction, which is an umbrella term for all works of fiction that defy the common laws of our reality such as fantasy, superhero stories, etc.. Works of science fiction use scientific fact and theory as the basis for their plots, world-building, etc., and this is what separates them from other genres.

While some authors use proven scientific facts and theories, others use more nebulous science in their stories. In some cases, science fiction has been able to predict future advancements and technological marvels.The works of Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, and even Gene Roddenberry (the creator of Star Trek) discussed then-unfounded scientific principles and functions so believably that they inspired future inventors and creators.

The origins of science fiction are a hotly debated topic among scholars and literary critics, but most people can agree that science fiction as we currently know it was defined by the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in 1818. Shelley’s novel has continuously thrilled, horrified, and mesmerized readers in the 200 years since its publication because of the uniqueness of its powerful narrative.

Although Frankenstein is primarily a gothic horror novel, it differs from its predecessors by one crucial aspect: the monster was created through science, not magic. Up until this point, monsters or villains were usually presented as supernatural or magical creatures. Shelley never goes into detail as to how her monster was created, however, she very clearly states that the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, used scientific theory and experiments to bring the dead back to life. Her novel was one of the first to explore the relationship between mankind and scientific advancement. Even the 1931 Universal film adaptation of her work, Frankenstein, paved the way for science fiction films by introducing the idea of “the mad scientist,” which would become a staple of the genre.

In short, science fiction is fiction that either explores mankind’s relationship with technology/scientific advancements, such as Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot, or uses a science fiction framework to offer up social commentary, such as Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness.

Usually works of science fiction explore alternative universes or histories where technology made an important impact, causing either utopias, post apocalyptic landscapes, or dystopias such as in The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Others offer up social commentary by exploring the consequences of humankind encountering new worlds or new civilizations such as Robert Wise’s 1951 film, The Day the Earth Stood Still.

What’s the difference between science fiction and fantasy?

Science fiction relies on scientific fact and theory to provide answers whereas fantasy does not. In a fantasy story such as Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio, a puppet boy is brought to life through the use of magic, without an explanation of what magic really is or how it works. In a science fiction story, such as Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy, a robot is brought to life and given human emotions by his scientist creator. Science fiction involves science. Fantasy involves magic. That is the difference.

What else should I know?

Generally speaking, there are two categories of science fiction that a reader should be aware of: hard science fiction (hard SF) and soft science fiction (soft SF).

Novels in the hard SF category will heavily focus on the relationship of the narrative to the technology or science of its setting. The author will strive to make the science as accurate as possible using theories of chemistry, physic, etc., and this knowledge will be important to the story. For instance, a novel that delivers an exhaustive, in-depth explanation of how its spaceship operates, or the geological compositon of its host planet will most likely fall under the hard SF category. In short, hard SF will heavily promote the science part of its fiction.

Soft SF is the opposite. A soft SF novel may feature a spaceship, but it will not necessarily tell you what kind of fuel it uses or even how it runs because that sort of knowledge has little to no bearing on the narrative. Soft SF novels also tend to focus on more of the social sciences (sociology, psychology, etc) rather than the natural sciences (chemistry, physics, etc.). Both categories have developed their own sub-categories, and sub-sub-categories, but these are the two most important distinctions that beginners should be aware of.

Where should I start?

Here we’ve gathered recommended titles based off of some famous science fiction subgenres. From Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to Ridley Scott's Alien, the decades and centuries following the publication of Shelley’s Frankenstein would be full of other works of science fiction that cross genre divides in much the same way that Shelley did. This means there is something out there for everyone, so be prepared to boldly go where you haven’t gone before and dive into some science fiction today!

Action/Adventure

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Professor Aronnax, his faithful servant, Conseil, and the Canadian harpooner, Ned Land, begin an extremely hazardous voyage to rid the seas of a little-known and terrifying sea monster. However, the "monster" turns out to be a giant submarine, commanded by the mysterious Captain Nemo, by whom they are soon held captive. So begins not only one of the great adventure classics by Jules Verne, the "Father of Science Fiction," but also a truly fantastic voyage from the lost city of Atlantis to the South Pole.

Fifth Element (1997)

Two hundred and fifty years in the future, life as we know it is threatened by the arrival of Evil. Only the fifth element can stop the Evil from estinguishing life, as it tries to do every five thousand years.

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

First serialized in the pulp magazine All-Story Magazine between February and July of 1912, A Princess of Mars is the first novel in Edgar Rice Burroughs’s classic Barsoom series, set on the planet Mars. At the center of the series is the protagonist John Carter, a Confederate Captain of the American Civil War, who finds himself mysteriously transported to the planet Mars. Upon arrival John Carter discovers that the lower gravity of the planet has endowed him a super human strength and agility. This prowess helps him to win the allegiance of the Tharks, a nomadic war-like tribe of green six-limbed aliens.

Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Mars is a desert world, a dying planet which is caught in the conflict between the Green Martians, or the Tharks, and the Red Martians, a group of humanoids who inhabit a loose network of city-states and control the planet’s canals and agriculture. John Carter soon finds himself embroiled in the political conflict between the two Red Martian city states of Zodanga and Helium when he rescues and falls in love with the beautiful Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium. A Princess of Mars is both a romantic adventure and a science fiction tale of fantasy which has been an inspiration to countless science fiction writers ever since its first publication.

Anime

Akira (1988)

Clandestine army activities threaten the war-torn city of Neo-Tokyo when a mysterious being with powerful psychic abilities escapes his prison and inadvertently draws a violent motorcycle gang into a heinous web of experimentation. As a result, a biker with a twisted mind embarks on a path of war, seeking revenge against a society that once called him weak.

Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series (1998)

The Bebop crew is just trying to make a buck. This motley lot of intergalactic loners teams up to track down fugitives and turn them in for cold hard cash. On their own, any one of them would be likely to get lost in the sprawl of space, but together, they're the most entertaining gang of bounty hunters in the year 2071.

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

In 2029 a female cybernetic government agent and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of "The Puppet Master", a mysterious and threatening computer virus capable of infiltrating human hosts. Together, with her fellow agents from Section 9, they embark on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity.

Comedy

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

Together, this dynamic pair began a journey through space aided by a galaxyful of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox—the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian (formerly Tricia McMillan), Zaphod’s girlfriend, whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; and Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he’s bought over the years.

The Martian: A Novel by Andy Weir

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive--and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Dimension Travel

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Dinosaurs

The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle

The restless, questing intellect of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle spurred him far beyond the ingenious puzzles he constructed for Sherlock Holmes. In The Lost World, Doyle, a devotee of the occult and fantastic tales of adventure and discovery, introduces his readers to Professor Challenger, an eccentric paleontologist, on his suspense-filled search for prehistoric creatures in the wilds of the Amazon. Professor Challenger's doughty troupe includes a skeptical colleague, Professor Summerlee; the cool-headed, plucky sportsman Lord John Roxton; and the narrator, the intrepid reporter Edward Malone. When their bridge to civilization collapses, the explorers find themselves marooned among dinosaurs and savage ape-people.

Originally published in 1912, this imaginative fantasy unfolds with humor and good-natured satirical eye for pedantry. Fans of Arthur Conan Doyle will delight in this rare gem, as will dinosaur fanciers and adventure story aficionados.

Jurassic Park: A Novel by Michael Crichton

On a remote jungle island, genetic engineers have created a dinosaur game park. But as always there is a dark side to the fantasy and after a catastrophe destroys the park's defence systems, the scientists and tourists are left fighting for survival.

Dystopia

For more recommendations check out our post End of the World as We Know It: Apocalyptic, Post-Apocalyptic, and Dystopian Worlds.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

In a future totalitarian state where books are banned and destroyed by the government, Guy Montag, a fireman in charge of burning books, meets a revolutionary schoolteacher who dares to read and a girl who tells him of a past when people did not live in fear...

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

This look at the near future presents the story of Offred, a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, once the United States, an oppressive world where women are no longer allowed to read and are valued only as long as they are viable for reproduction.

The Philip K. Dick Reader by Philip K. Dick

This collection includes some of Dick’s earliest short and medium-length fiction, including We Can Remember It for You Wholesale (the story that inspired the motion picture Total Recall), Second Variety (which inspired the motion picture Screamers), Paycheck, The Minority Report, and twenty more.

Feminist Science Fiction

Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

A lone human ambassador is sent to Winter, an alien world without sexual prejudice, where the inhabitants can change their gender whenever they choose. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the strange, intriguing culture he encounters . . .

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned to save him. Dana is drawn back repeatedly through time to the slave quarters, and each time the stay grows longer, more arduous, and more dangerous until it is uncertain whether or not Dana's life will end, long before it has a chance to begin.

Mizora by Mary E. Bradley Lane

This new edition of Mizora, about an 1880's radical feminist utopia, includes a new, extensive introduction that provides a critical apparatus to appropriately place Mizora and author Mary E. Bradley in the cultural and historical context of the nineteenth century. A precursor to Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward, Mizora is the first all female utopian novel in American literature. The novel follows its heroine Vera Zarovitch, a stalwart, husky woman from the Russian nobility who, after exile to Siberia, withstands the rigors of the Arctic wastelands to become the first woman to reach the North Pole. She becomes caught up in a whirling current that rushes her through walls of amber mists and drops her into the sweet-scented atmosphere of a land lying in the earth's interior - Mizora, a three-thousand-year-old feminist utopia.

Horror

Alien (1979)

Terror begins when the crew of a spaceship investigates a transmission from a desolate planet and discover a life form that is perfectly evolved to annihilate mankind.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The story of Dr. Frankenstein and the obsessive experiment that leads to the creation of a monstrous and deadly creature.

Frankenstein Dreams: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Science Fiction edited by Michael Sims

Long before 1984, Star Wars, or The Hunger Games, Victorian authors imagined a future where new science and technologies reshaped the world and universe they knew. The great themes of modern science fiction showed up surprisingly early: space and time travel, dystopian societies, even dangerously independent machines, all inspiring the speculative fiction of the Victorian era.

In Frankenstein Dreams, Michael Sims has gathered many of the very finest stories, some by classic writers such as Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, and H.G. Wells, but many that will surprise general readers. Dark visions of the human psyche emerge in Thomas Wentworth Higginson's "The Monarch of Dreams," while Mary E. Wilkins Freeman provides a glimpse of “the fifth dimension” in her provocative tale "The Hall Bedroom.'

With contributions by Edgar Allan Poe, Alice Fuller, Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy, Arthur Conan Doyle, and many others, each introduced by Michael Sims, whose elegant introduction provides valuable literary and historical context, Frankenstein Dreams is a treasure trove of stories known and rediscovered.

The Thing (1982)

Set in the winter of 1982 at a research station in Antarctica, a twelve man research team finds an alien being that has fallen from the sky and has remained buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Unfrozen and unleashed, the Thing creates havoc and terror as it changes forms and becomes one of them.

Neo-Noir

Blade Runner (1982)

Los Angeles, 2019: Rick Deckard of the LAPD's Blade Runner unit prowls the steel & microchip jungle of the 21st century. His job is to track down and eliminate assumed humanoids known as 'replicants.' Replicants were declared illegal after a bloody mutiny on an Off-World Colony, and are to be terminated upon detection. He wants to get out of the force, but is drawn back in when 6 "skin jobs," the slang for replicants, hijack a ship back to Earth. The city that Deckard must search for his prey is a huge, sprawling, bleak vision of the future.

Post-Apocalyptic

For more recommendations check out our post End of the World as We Know It: Apocalyptic, Post-Apocalyptic, and Dystopian Worlds.

Mad Max (1979)

In a world after a nuclear war, where gas is scarce, civilization is slowly fading away. After one cop's family is killed by a ruthless gang, he goes after them, seeking revenge.

Planet of the Apes (1968)

After crash-landing on an uncharted planet, astronaut Taylor finds himself trapped in a savage world where talking apes dominate the human race.

Robots/Andriods/Cyborgs, etc.

Be sure to see even more mecha recommendations here!

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

The three laws of Robotics: 1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm 2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

With these three, simple directives, Isaac Asimov changed our perception of robots forever when he formulated the laws governing their behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot through a series of interlinked stories: from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future--a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete. Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-read robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world--all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that has become Asmiov's trademark.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

By 2021, the World War has killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remain covet any living creature, and for people who can’t afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacra: horses, birds, cats, sheep. They’ve even built humans. Immigrants to Mars receive androids so sophisticated they are indistinguishable from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans can wreak, the government bans them from Earth. Driven into hiding, unauthorized androids live among human beings, undetected. Rick Deckard, an officially sanctioned bounty hunter, is commissioned to find rogue androids and “retire” them. But when cornered, androids fight back—with lethal force. Dick's novel served as the inspiration for Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982).

All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka; translated by Alexander O. Smith

When the alien Mimics invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor called a Jacket and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On his fifth iteration, he gets a message from a mysterious ally -- the female soldier known as the Full Metal Bitch. Is she the key to Keiji's escape or his final death?

Romance

Warrior's Woman by Johanna Lindsey

Experienced in combat but not in love, the beautiful, untouched Amazon flies with Martha, her wise-cracking, free-thinking computer, to a world where warriors reign supreme—and into the arms of the one man she can never hope to vanquish: the bronzed barbarian Challen Ly-San-Ter.

A magnificent creature of raw yet disciplined desires, the muscle-bound primitive succeeds where no puny Kystran male had before—igniting a raging fire within Tedra that must be extinguished before she can even think of saving her enslaved world . . .

Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi

Alana Quick is the best damned sky surgeon in Heliodor City, but repairing starship engines barely pays the bills. When the desperate crew of a cargo vessel stops by her shipyard looking for her spiritually-advanced sister, Nova, Alana stows away. Maybe her boldness will land her a long-term gig on the crew.

But the Tangled Axon proves to be more than star-watching and plasma coils. The chief engineer thinks he's a wolf. The pilot fades in and out of existence. The captain is all blond hair, boots, and ego . . . and Alana can't keep her eyes off her. But there's little time for romance: Nova's in danger and someone will do anything—even destroying planets—to get their hands on her!

Space Opera

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.

Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 1 (1966-1967)

In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

Time Travel

Doctor Who The Complete First Series (2005)

The Doctor and his companion Rose travel around the universe and through time to battle Daleks and other evil aliens.

The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

First published in 1895, the novel follows the adventures of a hypothetical Time Traveller who journeys into the future to find that humanity has evolved into two races: the peaceful Eloi—vegetarians who tire easily—and the carnivorous, predatory Morlocks.

After narrowly escaping from the Morlocks, the Time Traveller undertakes another journey even further into the future where he finds the earth growing bitterly cold as the heat and energy of the sun wane. Horrified, he returns to the present, but soon departs again on his final journey.

While the novel is underpinned with both Darwinian and Marxist theory and offers fascinating food for thought about the world of the future, it also succeeds as an exciting blend of adventure and pseudo-scientific romance. Sure to delight lovers of the fantastic and bizarre, The Time Machine is a book that belongs on the shelf of every science-fiction fan.

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

Book descriptions taken from NYPL catalog unless otherwise noted.

Babylon Berlin : A Reading List

Marianna Vertsman, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) — Fri, 18 May 2018 10:54:41 -0400

Certain TV dramas allow vievers to indulge in that unfullfilled longing for a perilous, reckless and glamorous life they never had, while educating them about a historically significant time period. Based on a series of novels written by Volker Kutscher, the series Babylon Berlin offers a didactive escape from reality.

Set against the political turmoil of the Weimar Republic, the story has all the ingredients of a great noir. An intense, damaged police detective is introduced to Berlin though his encounters with rampant corruption, political conspiracies, conniving Russian revolutionaries, ruthless criminal gangs, beguiling widows, feminist flappers, and one very determined femme fatale.

Clad in fedoras, cloche hats, and trenchcoats, unflinching characters continuously betray each other while escaping death by drowing , poison gas, and explosives. When not plotting the next assasination, revolutionaries and detectives attend wild Jazz Age parties.

Co-written and co-directed by Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten and Achim von Borries, the show features 5,000 extras, 300 shooting locations, and is made for a budget of $40 million. While the nonstop action and beautiful cinematography will secure your space on the the edge of your couch, the titles below will provide factual information on this fascinating historical period.

For a full German immersion experience, check out some of our cookbooks and travel guides, too. If you can't get to the library, you can always borrow our ebooks, while chewing on a brawurtst . This blog would not be complete without mentioning one very special item in ourcollections, a book titled Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition .

Berlin In History

Before the Deluge; A Portrait of Berlin in the 1920's by Otto Friedrich

Berlin Metropolis 1918-1933 edited by Olaf Peters

Berlin Calling : A Story of Anarchy Music, the Wall, and the Birth of the New Berlin by Paul Hoskenos

Berlin: A Portrait of a City Throught the Centuries by Rory McLean

Berlin/New York: Like and Unlike: Essays on Architecture and Srt from 1870 to the Present edited by Joseph Paul Kleinhues and Christina Rathgeber

Berlin by David Clay Large

Walking in Berlin: A Flaneur in the Capital by Franz Hessel

Hitler's Berlin: Abused city by Thomas Friedrich

Home Fires Burning: Food, Politics, and Everyday Life in World War I Berlin by Belinda J. Davis

Berlin in Fiction

Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Dolbin

Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada

The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood

Fatherland : a novel by Robert Harris

Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov

Berlin Stories by Robert Walser (ebook)

Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque

Berlin Noir by Philip Kerr

Weimar Republic

Voluptuous Panic: The Erotic World of Weimar Berlin by Mel Gordon

Fairy Tales and Fables from Weimar Days: Collected Utopian Tales edited and translated by Jack Zipes

Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy by Eric D. Weit

Walter Benjamin and Bertolt Brecht : the Story of a Friendship by Erdmut Wizisla

Cool Conduct: the Culture of Distance in Weimar Germany by Helmut Lethen (ebook)

Culture and Inflation in Weimar Germany by Bernd Widdig (ebook)

German History

Germania: in Wayward Pursuit of the Germans and Their History by Simon Winder

The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J Evans

The House by the Lake: One House, Five Families, and a Hundred Years of German History by Thomas Harding

The Oxford Handbook of Modern German History edited by Helmut Walser Smith

Germany Since 1789: A Nation Forged and Renewed by David G. Williamson

Events that Changed Germany by Frank W. Thackeray

The Long Ride of Major von Schill: a Journey through German History and Memory by Sam A. Mustafa

Dreams and Delusions: the Drama of German History by Fritz Stern

The Habsburg Empire: a New History by Pieter M. Judson

New Titles in German History

Stormtroopers: A New History of Hitler's Brownshirts by Daniel Siemens

Hitler's Monsters: A Supernatural History of the Third Reich by Eric Kurlander

The Third Reich: A History of Nazy Germany by Thomas Childers

The Law of Blood: Thinking and Acting as a Nazi by Johann Chapoutot

German Food

The Wurst! The Very Best of German Food by Otto Wolff

Classic German Baking: the Very Best Recipes for Traditional Favorites, From Pfeffernüsse to Streuselkuchen by Luisa Weiss

My Berlin Kitchen: a Love Story, with Recipes by Luisa Weiss

Das Cookbook: German cooking, California Style by Hans Rockenwagner

New German Cooking: Recipes for Classics Revisited by Jeremy and Jessica Nolen with Drew Lazor

Travel

Germany by Andrea Shulte-Peevers

Rick Steves Germany 2018 by Rick Steves

Frommer's Germany by Rachel Glassberg

Eyewitness travel Germany by Joanna Egert-Romanowska

Berlin by Andrea Shulte-Peevers

"The Woman in the Window" : What to Watch Before You Read

Billy Parrott, Associate Director, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 15:42:45 -0400

“It isn’t really paranoia if it’s really happening…”

I’m going to let you in on a little tip. There’s a book coming out in January 2018 that everyone will be talking about. It’s called The Woman in the Window, by A.J. Finn. It will be the next big “It” book. Think Gone Girl, or The Girl on the Train. Those were “It” books; ones that publishers all fought over in heated auctions; ones with movie buzz before the books even came out. Books that everyone seemed to be talking about. Books with lots of holds. Books that everyone was reading.

I won’t go into specific plot details, so no spoiler alert is necessary. I’ll only note the obvious comparison to thrillers like Rear Window. This book is Hitchcockian. It does not shy away from these kind of comparisons, as the main character’s own movie viewing activities throughout the book provide a comprehensive must-see viewing list of classic films and noir-ish thrillers. And what better way to prepare for the release of an “It” book than to immerse yourself in the materials referenced in the book?

Text from the book is occasionally included below for context. A number of books and authors are referenced throughout the book -- Jude the Obscure, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5, War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Tennyson, Shakespeare, She's Come Undone ("Come undone. She’s come undone. That was a book, I believe. I never read it.") -- but the list below contains only the films.

Without further ado, below are all the films referenced in A.J. Finn’s The Woman in the Window. Start watching them now. You have a few months to prepare before the paranoia sets in.

Page 4:

The Man Who Knew Too Much

Page 16:

Out of the Past

Page 17:

Airplane! “Bulbs need changing? It’s dark in here.” I like it dim,” I say. Like my men, I want to add. Is that the joke from Airplane!?"

Page 22:

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Page 26:

Les Diaboliques “A rat-bastard husband, his “little ruin” of a wife, a mistress, a murder, a vanished corpse. Can you beat a vanished corpse?”

Page 30:

"Graham Greene series @ Angelika this w/e?"

The Fallen Idol

Ministry of Fear

Page 34:

The 39 Steps

“As a teenager I preferred the company of Gene Tierney and Jimmy Stewart to that of my classmates.”

Page 35:

"The Thin Man franchise ranked from best (the original) to worst (Song of the Thin Man)."

“Top movies from the bumper crop of 1944. Joseph Cotten’s finest moments.”

"Best Hitchcock films not made by Hitchcock:"

Le Boucher

Dark Passage

Niagara

Charade

Sudden Fear “starring Joan Crawford’s eyebrows”

Wait Until Dark

"...movies that postdate Hitch:"

The Vanishing

Frantic

Side Effects

"Popular film misquotes."

Casablanca

Frankenstein

"...the first Holmes film of the talkie era..."

Page 44:

"...Criterion, Kino, Universal's Hitchcock boxed set, assorted film noir collections..."

Star Wars “I’m only human."

Page 46:

Laura

Page 50:

Page 55:

Page 86:

Page 89:

Page 97:

Rebecca

Page 102:

Strangers on a Train

Page 117:

Rope

Strangers on a Train

Page 131:

Page 144:

Page 145:

Page 194:

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Page 238:

Page 251:

“I feel as though I’m at a movie and the film is over and the lights are up and everyone’s filed out of the theater and I’m still sitting there, trying to work out what happened.”

He snickers.

"What? What's funny?"

“It’s just that it’s very you to liken this to a movie.”

Page 290:

Signs “middling film, splendid Bernard Herrmann-esque score…”

Page 321:

Rear Window

Body Double

Blow-Up

Gaslight “If I dream things when I’m awake, I’m going out of my mind.”

Page 332:

Vertigo

Page 345:

Midnight Lace

Foreign Correspondent “- the windmill scene, at least.”

23 Paces to Baker Street

Vertigo

Page 348:

Rope

Page 350:

Night Must Fall

Page 356:

Vertigo

Page 359:

Page 375:

Page 376:

Charade

Page 380:

The Good Wife

Page 398:

Shadow of a Doubt

Page 403:

That Darn Cat!

Streaming Video with Overdrive: Leading Ladies Edition

Laura Stein, Adult Services Librarian, Grand Central Library — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 10:28:03 -0400

Did you know that you can stream feature films for free through Overdrive?

GIF via Giphy

You may have used Overdrive in the past for reading e-books or listening to e-audiobooks. Now you can stream over 600 feature films, documentaries, foreign films, and children's videos with only your library card! Find out how. In the meantime, check out some of these films with great leading ladies:

The English Teacher

Julianne Moore plays a high school teacher who runs into a former star student, played by Michael Angarano. The former student has not made it big in NYC like he wants, but she believes in him and loves his newest play. She convinces the theater teacher, played by Nathan Lane, to have the students put on the play much to the chagrin of the administration. Teacher and student get too close, emotions run too high, and what builds up must fall.

Pair with the novel Hummingbirds by Joshua Gaylord also on Overdrive.

Starlet

Dree Hemingway plays a smart, caring, young woman named Jane who intentionally places herself in an unlikely friendship with an elderly neighbor, Sadie. Besedka Johnson plays the nuanced widow who is apprehensive but lonely enough to accept this new friendship. Jane’s life as a porn actress plays in stark contrast to her trips with Sadie to her late husband’s grave. Starlet is the cute chihuahua that Jane takes everywhere. Stella Maeve is excellent as the roommate, a drug-abusing porn actress who keeps screwing up.

Pair with the novel All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood also on Overdrive.

Welcome to Me

Kristen Wiig in a serious role...still funny. Wiig plays a woman with borderline personality disorder who miraculously wins the lottery, gets off her meds, and creates her own talk show a la Oprah. It has its comedic moments but it’s also a painful story of a woman whose BPD and narcissism hurts the loving people in her lives. These loving people include Wes Bentley, Tim Robbins, Linda Cardellini, Alan Tudyk, and Joan Cusack. James Marsden and Kulap Vilaysack have roles as well, though not in the inner circle.

Pair with the novel The Best Awful by Carrie Fisher.

Shakespeare Around the Globe: Films and Books in the World Languages Collection

Elizabeth Waters, AskNYPL — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 13:14:50 -0400

The year 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death and a year-long celebration of Shakespeare's work and legacy around the world.

In recent Shakespeare news, New Oxford Shakespeare will credit Christopher Marlowe as the co-author of the three Henry V plays. Debates over the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays have engaged generations of scholars, but the influence and reach of the work credited to the Bard are indisputable. Recently at NYPL, Margaret Atwood discussed Shakespeare in the 21st century with Fiona Shaw as part of the British Council's Shakespeare Lives program, touching on Shakespeare on YouTube and reading from her new novel Hag-seed: The Tempest Retold , part of the new Hogarth Shakespeare series, in which great contemporary writers reinterpret Shakespeare's works.

Shakespeare also has great appeal beyond the English-speaking world. His work has been translated into more than 100 languages. According to "Fun international facts about Shakespeare" compiled for the British Council, there have been publications and productions of Hamlet in more than 75 languages since 1960, and versions of Romeo and Juliet have been performed in at least 24 countries in the last decade. In A Night in the Emperor's Garden, published in 2015, Qais Akbar Omar describes his experience with an acting troupe in Kabul that put on a production of Love's Labor's Lost in Dari in 2005, the first public performance of Shakespeare in Afghanistan in 35 years. Listen to an interview with Omar on On the Media.

"All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players." - As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII

In Shakespeare and World Cinema , Mark Thornton Burnett identifies over 70 films in languages other than English that were inspired by Shakespeare's plays, including a Romany version of Hamlet from Serbia and a Malagasy Macbeth, Makibefo. Some of these international retellings of Shakespeare's plays are available to borrow from NYPL's World Languages Collection. These films give us an opportunity to experience the universality of Shakespeare's themes in a new cultural and linguistic context, a powerful demonstration that #ShakepeareLives not only at the Globe but around the world!

World Cinema Inspired by Shakespeare’s Plays

Note: this list is organized by language. See the list organized by play.

Film

Inspired by

Language

夜宴 = Legend of the Black Scorpion aka Banquet (2006). Dir: Feng Xiaogang

Yi qi liang fu = One husband too many (1988). Dir: Anthony Chan

Qing ren jie = A time to love (2005) Dir: Huo Jianqi

Hamlet

Romeo and Juliet

Chinese

Arven = Inheritance (2003). Dir: Per Fly

Hamlet / Romeo and Juliet

Danish

L’appartement (1995). Dir: Gilles Mimouni

Le grand rôle (2004). Dir: Steve Suissa

Conte d’hiver (1992). Dir: Éric Rohmer

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

The Merchant of Venice

A Winter’s Tale

French

Kebab Connection (2005). Dir: Anno Saul

Romeo and Juliet

German

Do dooni chaar = Do dūnī cāra (1968). Dir: Debu Sen

Haider (2014). Dir: Vishal Bharadwaj

Omkara (2006). Dir: Vishal Bhardwaj

Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela (2014). Dir: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Isi life mein = Isī lāipha mem (2010). Dir: Vidhi Kasliwal

A Comedy of Errors

Hamlet

Othello

Romeo and Juliet

The Taming of the Shrew

Hindi

Cesare deve morire / Caesar Must Die (2012). Dir: Vittorio & Paolo Taviani

Julius Caesar

Italian

Directed by Akira Kurosawa:

The Bad Sleep Well (1960).

Ran (1985).

Throne of Blood (1957).

Hamlet

King Lear

Macbeth

Japanese

Oldeuboi! = Oldboy (2003). Dir: Park Chan-wook

Titus Andronicus

Korean

Король Лир = King Lear (1970). Dir: Grigori Kozintsev

*Vam i ne snilos = Love and Lies (1981). Dir: Ilya Frez

*Ukroshchenie stroptivoĭ (1961 performance)

*These films may not have English subtitles.

King Lear

Romeo and Juliet

The Taming of the Shrew

Russian

Amar te duele (2002). Dir: Fernando Sariñana

Romeo and Juliet

Spanish

Translations of Shakespeare and books about Shakespeare in other languages

Borrow translations of Shakespeare's work and books about Shakespeare in these languages:

Albanian \| Shqiptar	Arabic \| العَرَبِية	Bengali \| বাঙালি
Chinese \| 中文	French \| Français	Gujarati\| ગુજરાતી
Hebrew \| עבר׳ת	Hindi \| हिन्दी	Italian \| Italiano
Russian \| русский	Spanish \| Español	Urdu \| اُردُو

If you're an English language learner interested in Shakepeare, check out our Learn English with Shakespeare post!

Attack of the Killer Bs: B-Movies and Cult Films

Isaiah Pittman, Adult Librarian, Inwood Library — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 10:26:31 -0400

B-movies, cult films, midnight movies, guilty pleasures; call them whatever you like. There are the Oscar winners, there are the summer blockbusters and then there are these: the films that are so bad, or just plain weird, that they become absolutely hysterical. They're best when watched with good friends or at big parties (maybe while having a few beers), so everyone can laugh together at the sheer insanity of it all. This post is dedicated to any and all films cheap, campy, incomprehensible and/or ridiculous. Here are just a few of them:

Troll 2 may well be the Holy Grail of bad movies. Despite its title, this low-budget Italian film features absolutely no trolls at all anywhere in its 94-minute running time; instead, it pits a family of four (plus their dead grandpa!) against an army of evil vegetarian goblins. What's more, this film was actually notorious enough to merit its own documentary, aptly titled Best Worst Movie.

"If someone vomits while watching one of my films, it's like getting a standing ovation," wrote John Waters in his book Shock Value. He probably got just the response he was hoping for when he made Pink Flamingos. The plot, which involves drag queen Divine's mission to protect her title of "Filthiest Person Alive," is really just an excuse to string together some of the most outrageous (unsimulated) acts ever caught on film, including the (in)famous ending involving a dog and... well, I've said too much already.

The original British film The Wicker Man is widely agreed to be a landmark horror film, eerie and gripping. Neil Labute's American remake, also called The Wicker Man, is, well... something else entirely. For one thing, it stars Nicolas Cage as a loner cop on the trail of a missing child in a pagan colony. Roger Ebert said it well in his review of Drive Angry: "Cage is a good actor in good movies, and an almost indispensable actor in bad ones. He can go over the top so effortlessly he rests up and makes lemonade for everybody." He certainly doesn't disappoint in The Wicker Man.

Chilean-born filmmaker and magician Alejandro Jodorowsky could fill this list by himself. In the interest of space, we shall list only one of his movies: The Holy Mountain. Ostensibly, it's about an alchemist who trains ten disciples to overthrow the gods and seize immortality. But that doesn't begin to describe the experience of actually seeing this movie. Where else are you going to find toads dressed up like Spanish conquistadors? Or arms dealers who sell guns shaped like crucifixes and menorahs? There's nothing like this film; accept no substitutes.

Altered States is not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination (its writer was three-time Oscar winner Paddy Chayefsky), but it delivers weirdness in spades. William Hurt stars as a scientist who believes in other states of consciousness, and tries to access them using a combination of drugs and sensory deprivation. From there, he spirals headlong into bizarre hallucinations... and even stranger things.

The Official Razzie Movie Guide names Yor the Hunter from the Future as one of the "100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made". This 90-minute film was adapted from a four-hour sci-fi Italian television series. The star, American actor/footballer Reb Brown, has apparently made a career out of cheesy movies; he was also in Space Mutiny, a movie you may remember courtesy of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Highlights of Yor include: man-eating Triceratops dinosaurs, blue-skinned mutants, killer robots and a Razzie-Award winning rock theme song.

A B-movie making its way into the Criterion Collection? Sounds crazy, but the Japanese horror film House did just that. A satire of American slasher films done in a uniquely Japanese style, the film revolves around a group of girls on a weekend retreat in the country. Of course, things get weird. Pieces of furniture get possessed and start eating people. A man goes crazy for no reason and starts yelling about bananas. The girls all have names like Kung Fu, Prof, Fantasy and Gorgeous. Do you really need to know more?

What can be said about Showgirls that really does the film justice? This picture, from the director-screenwriter team who brought you Basic Instinct, died at the box office but went on to become the highest-grossing NC-17 movie of all time. Saved By the Bell's Elizabeth Berkley plays a drifter trying to make it big in the apparently cut-throat world of Vegas showgirl dancing. The result is over two hours of excessive nudity, melodrama, dance numbers and Joe Eszterhas's incredibly vulgar dialogue, delivered with straight faces all around.

No blog post about cult films would be complete without giving a mention to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, the original midnight movie. When two straightlaced lovers get lost on the road and end up trapped in the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a "sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania," lots of singing, dancing, partner-switching and fainting ensue. Let's do the Time Warp again!

The Inwood Library is paying a tribute to B-movies and cult films all throughout the month of October! We'll be screening a different one every Thursday evening at 7 PM. If you want to learn about more movies we love to hate, never fear; there are guides galore! You might want to check out The Official Razzie Movie Guide, Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese or Showgirls, Teen Wolves and Astro Zombies, and the scathing reviews collected in Roger Ebert's I Hate d Hated Hated This Movie are almost as funny as anything you'll ever see on the screen!

Around the World in 80 Episodes: International TV Series

Marianna Vertsman, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 14:27:01 -0400

Do you ever wonder what the rest of the world is watching on TV? If you do, we invite you to browse through Mid-Manhattan's World Languages collection. Located on the first floor of Mid-Manhattan library, our DVD collection is arranged alphabetically, according to the language.

TV series from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada are located in our general TV series section. If you don't believe in serendipitous finds, or don't have time to visit us, feel free to request titles mentioned in this post.

After watching a great number of International TV series, I am happy to recommend a few favorites. Kaboul Kitchen is the most unusual sitcom, addressing serious issues under the guise of comedy. The prize for the most eerie setting goes to Fortitude. The best political drama in any language, including English, is Borden. The best transporting experiences are offered by the Executioner and Last Kingdom. The most intense and charismatic detective is Luther. If you can watch one recent Nordic Noir, let it be the Bridge. It would be a crime to miss French Spiral and British Broadchurch. I am grateful to Elizabeth Waters for her suggestions. She is very fond of Inspector Montalbano and recommends the Italian TV series The Best of Youth.

Far from being exhaustive and representative, this post lists a fraction of international titles available to our patrons. Please feel free to share your personal recommendations in the comments section. All the titles in this blog contain links to the first season of the shows.

Chinese

Lang ya bang: Nirvana in Fire
This complex and intricate historical drama received an Outstanding Television Drama Award. Set in the 4 th century, the story centers around the fate of young man involved in hostilities between warring feudal Northern Wei and Southern Liang Dynasties.

Dao xia liu ren: The executioner
When a political conspiracy threatens to murder a newborn baby, an infants life is at the mercy of two strangers. Will the unlikely partnership between a renowned midwife Fa Yui-hung and executioner Yip Sheung-luk be strong enough to protect an innocent child ? This historical drama is set during the reign of Chenghua Emperor in the Ming Dynasty and has enough action, intrigue, and romance to keep you busy for 26 episodes.

Danish

Borgen
To witness democracy in action you can wait for November, or simply watch Borgen now. This immensely popular political drama is often compared to our West Wing. Borgen, translated as castle, (the nickname for the Dutch Parliament Building), follows the political struggles and personal life of the first female prime minister.

Rejseholdet = Unit one
Unit One is an elite mobile police unit, dispatched to the most difficult murder investigations. Each episode of this crime series deals with a specific homicide that will be solved by the end of the segment.

Dutch

Salamander
When 66 safety deposit boxes in a small private bank in Brussels are burglarized, the owners of sensitive documents are very alarmed. While the management of the bank does not wish for the police to be involved, police inspector Paul Gerard wishes to find the culprit responsible for the heist that threatens to bring down a number of important public figures.

Finnish

Private Eye Vares
Created by bestselling Finnish crime author Reijo Maki, this serial is set in Turku. Vares is a scruffy and charming private detective, who should not be underestimated.

French

Spiral
Infinitely addictive, Spiral examines the French criminal justice system. Judges, attorneys, prosecutors, and other officers of the law are shown to be dedicated, but prone to errors of judgment. While grisly crimes, high speed chases, love triangles, betrayal of loyalties, and courtroom drama are the usual components of any police procedural, Spiral succeeds in examining the aftermath and effects of violent crime on victims, perpetrators, and members of law enforcement. In addition to Judge Roban, the most memorable judge on television, you will meet a self-destructive and fearless female detective, conscientious prosecutor, and an attorney whose beauty is well matched by her ruthless ambition and masterful eloquence.

The Returned
The inexplicable return of several deceased people shocks an isolated Alpine mountain community. Unaware of the fact that they have been missing for a while, the newly returned are determined to reclaim their past lives. A gruesome murder committed in town signals a possible unwelcome return of a serial killer.

Antigone 34: The Complete Series
Antigone 34 will introduce viewers to the underbelly of beautiful Montpellier, the capital of Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. With a visage and a physique of a comic book heroine, a female detective in this short series has to find a way to work with outsiders.

Li'l Quinquin
Unless you are a frequent visitor to Bretagne this mini-series will strike you as impossibly bizarre. A series of grotesque crimes are investigated by a detective with painful facial tics and his equally eccentric partner. A group of local kids on summer break follows the quirky pair. Don't expect any rational explanations for actions or resolutions of any kind. Expect to see a funeral you are unlikely to forget.

Carlos
This French/German serialized movie is based on the life of the Venezuelan-born Marxist revolutionary terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sachez, commonly known as Carlos.

Kaboul Kitchen
What does Afghanistan need the most in the year 2005? A French restaurant, bien sûr! This sitcom is loosely based on the experiences of an actual proprietor of the only French restaurant in Kabul. This very unique show manages to be funny and thoughtful, deserving everyone's attention and my prize for the best international comedy.

German

Bukow & König
Police inspector Alexander Bukow and criminal profiler Katrin König work as a team in the German city of Rostock. A criminal profiler, as well as a detective, Konig is asked to investigate Bukow, a detective with a very suspicious past.

Marie's Mind for Murder
After the death of her father, a policeman in the same force, Inspector Marie Bland retired from the department. While consulting on a difficult case, she is joined forces with an unlikely partner, a ladies' man without passion for analytics.

Deutschland 83
A spy thriller set during the Cold War, Deutschland 83 remains true to the spirit and look of the early '80s. Martin Rauch, a young East German joins the army on the other side of the wall, in an attempt to gain some insight into the NATO strategy.

Hebrew

Prisoners of War
The original inspiration for Homeland, Prisoners of War is the winner of Israel's Academy Award for Best Television Drama. The show centers around experience of several soldiers, returning home after being held as hostages for a number of years.

Italian

Il commissario Montalbano = Detective Montalbano
Our most popular Italian crime drama is set in the fictional Sicilian town of Vigata. The series follows the exploits of the irascible but ultimately lovable police inspector Salvo Montalbano. The depictions of the many layers of Sicilian society, from destitute refugees to the immensely wealthy, as well as Montalbano's personal and professional relationships, add depth to this crime series adapted from Andrea Camilleri's novels.

Inspector Manara
Upon his involuntary transfer from Milan to a sleepy Tuscan town, inspectors Guido Manara expects to be bored. Shortly after Guido's arrival, a librarian is savagely murdered. Delighted by a dashing policeman, town's female population is eager to avenge the librarian. While a great number of women are willing to assist Inspector Manara in his investigations, things grow quite complicated, as his former flame happens to be a chief of forensics.

La meglio gioventù = The best of youth
Originally shown as a mini-series on Italian television in 2003, The Best of Youth / La meglio gioventù is re-edited for theatrical release. This beautifully crafted drama shows the human side of forty years of Italian history, as it follows the lives of two brothers and their friends and family, starting with their high school days in Rome in the early 1960s.

Don Matteo
After spending some time away from his town, enterprising and slightly meddlesome Don Matteo solves crimes local police is incapable of solving. Bicycling through town in his habit, he always happens to be in the right place at a wrong time.

Swedish

Bron = The bridge
If you can only watch one Nordic Noir series from this list, let it be the Bridge. This Swedish/ Danish masterpiece deserves accolades for being the most uncommon detective and the most realistic portrayal of camaraderie in a workplace. Bridge is an outstanding and rare example of entertainment that allows for a nuanced view of life. Saga Noren, a Swedish detective with unmentioned, but clearly pronounced version of Aspergers' syndrome, must learn to cooperate with a deeply troubled Danish colleague. There is not a single false note in this show, so don't expect a happy end.

Beck
This Swedish television series is based on crime novels of Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. Unlike his handsome and impulsive partner, Martin Beck is not concerned with appearances. Unlike proper, but eccentric Beck, Gunwale refuses to play by the rules. The good cop, bad cop routine works for this pair of seasoned detectives.

Irene Huss
Married mother of two teens, Irene is dealing with parenting, marriage, crime, and private investigator assignments from a neighbor.

Henning Mankell's Wallander
Want to meet a man that is handsome, intelligent, emotionally complex, and dedicated to his work? Watch Henning Mankell's Wallander. While there is a number of Wallanders out there, most viewers seem to prefer the original Swedish version. Ignore reviews that reflect a shallow, but deeply ingrained Hollywood stereotypes of an "ideal" good looking male protagonist. Krister Henriksson was a very handsome man, is a very a handsome man, and will always be a very handsome man.

British

Fortitude
Fortitude receives my prize for the most unusual geographical setting. Filmed in Iceland, this glacial town of unspecified remote location is populated by scientists and absconders of all walks of life. No one is allowed to die in Fortitude, as it's impossible to be buried in permafrost. The Governor of Fortitude is very eager to attract investors for her glacier hotel project. When several inhabitants of Fortitude are savagely murdered, those plans have to be put on ice.

Broadchurch
Intensively atmospheric, Broadchurch examines the effects of tragedy on an isolated community. Tensions are brewing after a young boy body is found on the beach. It seems like everyone living in this community is hiding a trauma from the past or suffers from a deep character flaw. Confusing dead-ends, deviations from police protocol, brooding anti-social investigator and stunning cinematography seem to be the standard for any foreign police procedural. This show is distinguished by an exceptionally talented cast. After finding a great TV series, I am always fearful of the disappointing second season. Happy to report that the second season consisted of superb courtroom drama, supported by very memorable performances by Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Charlotte Rampling.

Black Sails
A prequel to Stevenson's Treasure Island, this show is not suitable for young audiences. Put your kids to bed and watch a show that finally portrays pirates as brutish, manipulative, and scheming cutthroats.

The Bletchley Circle
Four female former Nazi code-breakers figure out how to apply their skills to solving a series of murders in post-war London. Susan, a housewife dedicated to supporting her husband and children, is beginning to recognize patterns connecting the killings of young women. This inspires her to return to her code breaking past friends Millie, Lucy and Jean. After failing to convince the police to follow up on her calculations, the four friends take matters into their own hands.

Luther
Impossibly handsome, fiercely intelligent, brooding and intensely independent, this British detective is simply irresistible. Completely dedicated to fighting crime, Luther is often tempted to use unorthodox methods of investigation. He perseveres, despite personal problems and a number of law enforcement officers that wish him ill.

House of Cards
The original House of Cards includes charming and Machiavellian Francis Urguhart. It's always a pleasure to watch him wreak havoc all over Parliament.

Death in the Paradise
Sunshine and warm turquoise waves do not appeal to a British detective in charge of a murder on a tiny island in the Caribbean. He just wants to get back to rainy England. Unfortunately his superiors exiled him to Paradise for an indefinite period of time.

Hinterland
Y Gwyll, titled Hinterland in its English edition, is a great addition to the Celtic Noir genre. Filmed around a beautiful coastal town of Aberystwyth, this Welsh import is a refreshing alternative to a typical metropolitan series with glamorous, over-groomed detectives and international intrigue. I was pleasantly surprised by the refreshing idea of casting ordinary people for the roles of ordinary people. DCI Mathias, recently transferred from London, is seeking redemption after a family tragedy. As all crimes in the area are explained by deep dark secrets from the past, DCI Mathias gets into considerable trouble by attempting to uncover long-buried secrets.

Last Kingdom
This historical drama is based on the series of books by Bernard Cornwell. If you like shaggy-haired, battle-scarred Norse warriors, doing the usual burning and pillaging, you will enjoy this show. There are wise blind men, beautiful maidens, but no dragons.

Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders is a period costume drama, best compared to Boardwalk Empire. Recent war veteran and young leader of a crime family is attempting to improve their fortunes by engaging in illegal activity in Birmingham. According to a recent article in the Sunday Times of London, the show is responsible for the increasing sales of a specific flat hat, traditionally worn by Peaky Blinders. The article features a picture of Luther, who might just be a fan of this show.

New Zealand

Top of the Lake
Directed by Jane Campion, Top of the Lake is intensely atmospheric. While on a leave to care for her ill mother, detective Griffin uncovers secrets related to disappearance of a twelve year old girl. Despite beautiful cinematography and fine acting, this show feels a bit contrived and predictable. A number of characters lack depth and complexity.

Put a Hold On It: Reserving the Latest DVDs

Lynette Ford, Information Assistant, Dongan Hills Library — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 11:15:44 -0500

The New York Public Library has a vast collection of DVDs that everyone from movie buffs to families can enjoy. Even though the NYPL catalog has a new format—currently without the "Recently Ordered" section displayed, I would like to the share my first #libraryhack with you: how to find the most recently ordered DVDs in the catalog and reserve your copy.

Step 1. Choose the advanced search box and enter your search criteria.

Select "DVD" for the Keyword and "2016 to 2016" for the Year. For the Format option choose "DVD." If you are looking for movies in a specific langauge you may select one of the options next to Language as well.

If you are using the Basic Search function, your search will look like this:

(DVD) f:v y:[2016-2016]

Step 2. Sort Your Results

Once you are given a results screen, choose the option "Sort by" and Choose "Date." This will put the most recently ordered movies first in your results list.

Step 3. Browse and reserve

Most of the items displayed on this page will be the most recently ordered DVDs. You may choose to sort your results differently or simply browse through all of the results.

Once you find a movie that you would like to watch, simply click Place Hold, enter your login information, and choose the branch most convenient for you to pick up your items at. You will be notified when your movie has arrived.

Don't know what to watch? Check out NYPL's Recommendations and Tweet Wall and see what we're reading, watching, and talking about. Stay tuned for upcoming #libraryhacks.

Beyond Bollywood

S J Mitra, 67th Street Library — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 17:32:33 -0500

Bollywood: the very word conjures up images of larger-than-life, luridly colored, Photoshopped posters advertising the latest releases from studios in Bombay. Replete with clichéd stories, stereotypical characters, catchy music and impossible dance and karate moves, these movies have sometimes entertained, and sometimes bored many of us.

Once in a while, there would be an "arty" offering for the discerning viewer. In the last ten years, however, there has been a steady trickle of commercial movies with solid storylines, believable characters, excellent acting and superb editing, all pointing to a crop of directors who know how to combine intelligence, information, and entertainment.

The last two years have been great for Hindi cinema—directors like Anurag Kashyap, Shoojit Sircar, Sriram Raghavan, Neeraj Ghaywan, and actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Irfan Khan, Deepika Padukone, and Bhumi Pednekar clearly take their art seriously. If you are tired of the same old, or have never tried Hindi movies before, you may want to check these out soon. They will entertain you, make you think, and inform you about the lives of ordinary Indians in an extraordinary country and culture.

Gangs of Wasseypur I and II
"Towards the end of colonial India, Sahid Khan loots the British trains, impersonating the legendary Sultana Daku. Now outcast, Shahid becomes a worker at Ramadhir's Singh's colliery only to spur a revenge battle that passes on to generations. At the turn of the decade, Shahid's son, the philandering Sardar Khan vows to get his father's honor back, becoming the most feared man of Wasseypur. "

Masaan
"Four lives intersect along the Ganges: a low caste boy hopelessly in love, a daughter ridden with guilt of a sexual encounter ending in a tragedy, a hapless father with fading morality, and a spirited child yearning for a family, long to escape the moral constructs of a small-town."

Piku
"A quirky comedy about the relationship between an ageing father and his young daughter, living in a cosmopolitan city, dealing with each other's conflicting ideologies while being fully aware that they are each other's only emotional support."

Badlapur
"Raghu's indefectible life is devastated, when a robbery episode kills his wife and son. The culprit Liak refuses to let out the truth and is imprisoned for 20 years. Refusing to move on, Raghu harbours in him the tryst for truth. Can he avenge the deaths of people who meant the world to him?"

Queen
"Queen is an ignorant Delhi girl who finds herself on a 'honeymoon' all by herself. What happens along the way forms the crux of this sweet, sensitive, fun social drama."

The Moviegoer: Bad Love, An Anti-Valentine's Day Movie List

Wayne Roylance, Selection, BookOps — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 11:51:43 -0500

If you scour the Internet this week, I'm sure you'll find plenty of lists of "great romantic movies" to watch on Valentine's Day with your significant other. I could very easily do the same thing, but I decided to do something different. How about a list of movies where love goes south, or where one (or more) of the participants ends up in a bad way? For lack of a better term, I will call them “Bad Love” films. Here are a few examples that you and your partner can watch while snuggling on the couch (and don't forget the chocolate!)

Leave Her To Heaven (1945, director: John M. Stahl). A gorgeously shot Technicolor film noir in which Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney) falls for and marries Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde) because he resembles her recently deceased father to whom she was unhealthily attached. Her insane jealousy causes her to eliminate anyone standing in between them. Glenn Close was similarly obsessed in Fatal Attraction, but Leave Her To Heaven is by far the better film.
Blue Valentine (2010, director: Derek Cianfrance). The dissolution of a marriage is shown through various time shifts and flashbacks. Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) meet, Cindy becomes pregnant (not Dean’s baby), Dean doesn’t care because he just wants a family, they move to rural Pennsylvania where things then begin to unravel. And then Cindy’s ex-boyfriend Bobby appears—which doesn’t help the situation. A sad, sad, sad movie.
The Blue Angel (1930, director: Josef von Sternberg). In which Marlene Dietrich (as Lola-Lola) gets the better of Emil Jannings (Professor Rath) both in the storyline and in front of the camera. In short, Professor Rath goes to “The Blue Angel” a notorious cabaret frequented by his students, for the sole purpose of telling Lola-Lola to leave his students alone. Needless to say, Rath becomes infatuated with Lola himself and resigns his teaching position to marry her. Several years later, Lola has become tired of her husband and he is forced to debase himself crowing like a chicken on stage. The plot doesn’t quite fit my criteria as Lola doesn’t really love Rath, but the relationship is so deliciously acerbic and squirm-inducing that I couldn’t resist adding it.
Amour Fou (2014, director: Jessica Hausner). Based on a true story, this Austrian period drama examines the relationship that develops between Henriette Vogel (Birte Schnöink) and poet Hienrich von Kleist (Christian Friedel). Kleist is searching for that perfect someone—not someone to live the rest of his life with—but that one special person who is willing to die with him. Henriette initially rebuffs his advances, but after she is diagnosed with a fatal tumor, she reconsiders her initial decision. The film is gorgeously shot in a series of tableaus that were inspired by the paintings of Vermeer.
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946, director: Tay Garnett). Based on James M. Cain’s terrifically hard-boiled novel of the same name, the film opens with drifter Frank Chambers (John Garfield) stopping at a highway diner and being hired by owners Nick and Cora Smith (Cecil Kellaway and Lana Turner). Frank and Cora soon begin having an affair and plot to kill Nick so that they start their wonderful new life together. Of course things don’t quite work out the way they planned and their criminal act (and the secret they both share) begins to eat away at their love and they eventually turn on one another.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966, director: Mike Nichols). George and Martha (Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor) invite young couple Nick and Honey (George Segal and Sandy Dennis) over for some drinks. Over the course of the evening, George and Martha introduce games that are emotionally hurtful to one or more of the various participants. Based on the Edward Albee play, this film is a particularly difficult film to watch as any love that existed in George and Martha’s relationship has disappeared long again only to be replaced by a bitter feeling of disappointment and unrealized dreams. The cast is stellar.
Modern Romance (1981, director: Albert Brooks). This film came out four years before Brooks’ masterpiece Lost In America, but it is easily the second best movie Albert Brooks ever made. Film editor Robert Cole (Brooks) has an on-again/off-again relationship with Mary Harvard (Kathryn Harrold). When they are together, it’s not working so they break up. But then Robert can’t stop thinking about Mary, so he tries to get back together and really make it work. So they reconnect, and then the whole cycle starts all over again. A wonderfully droll take on modern relationships with the added treat of having George Kennedy playing himself acting in a z-grade science fiction movie.
Anna Karenina (1967, director: Aleksandr Zarkhi). There have been many filmed versions of Tolstoy’s doomed love tragedy, but if you haven’t seen this classic Soviet version, it’s worth watching, if only for Tatiana Samoilova's performance in the title role. (You may remember her from the better known 1957 film The Cranes Are Flying. Picasso was apparently a big fan of hers, and was purported to have said “It is easy to drown in the eyes of this Russian goddess.”)

By Grabthar's Hammer: 25 Sci-Fi Movies to Thrill and Move You

Crystal Chen, Woodstock Library — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 17:03:01 -0500

Known as the "literature of ideas," science fiction is one of my favorite genres, full of innovation and imagination. It asks the question what if? and doesn't seek to provide answers but rather to provoke thoughtful explorations of space, time, and what it means to be human.

Here are 25 of my favorite sci-fi movies from the last two decades:

+1 (2013) directed by Dennis Iliadis

Take Los Cronocrimenes and Can't Hardly Wait, stick it in a sack, and shake it all around. What you're left with is +1, a creepy sci-fi puzzle wrapped in a teen party movie. When a meteor flashes across the sky, unsuspecting and self-absorbed party goers come face-to-face with their doppelgängers. Looking for a double feature? Try pairing this film with its upscale variant, Coherence.

Featuring Rhys Wakefield, Ashley Hinshaw, Natalie Hall, Logan Miller, and Colleen and Suzanne Dengel.

Coherence (2013) written and directed by James Ward Byrkit

During an astronomical event, three couples at a dinner party experience strange phenomena and work together to unravel a disturbing mystery. Rather than create a script, Byrkit wrote a short treatment and provided actors with carefully composed character notecards before inviting them to his home to film. Undaunted, these actors managed to create remarkably convincing performances using largely improvised dialogue. Pairs well with +1.

Featuring Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Elizabeth Gracen, Alex Manugian, Lauren Maher, Hugo Armstrong, Lorene Scafaria, and Nicholas Brendon.

District 9 (2009) written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, directed by Neill Blomkamp

Nearly three decades after an alien spaceship arrives, Johannesburg is a city struggling with clashes between its local human citizens and alien inhabitants. When a bureaucrat is accidentally sprayed with an alien substance, he experiences biological changes and becomes the target of a manhunt. A thrilling debut from Blomkamp, District 9 is an action sci-fi film with a lot on its mind, delving into issues of identity, segregation, and xenophobia. My hope for District 10 is deep and fervent, withstanding even the onslaught of Chappie (evidence that the film gods are indeed cruel and capricious).

Featuring Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, and David James.

Dredd (2012) written by Alex Garland and directed by Pete Travis

A sleeper hit that's well on its way to a cult classic, this Judge Dredd adaptation leaves the eponymous 1995 film in the dust. A law enforcer and his newly recruited partner are tasked with bringing order to a slum tower overrun by violent thugs. This film lovingly pairs blood and gore with beautifully rendered slow motion sequences and a hauntingly distorted musical score. Dredd is my go-to sci-fi action flick and is eminently rewatchable. Karl Urban might be old and gray by the time a sequel gets made, but as long as he keeps that implacable chin in good shape, we'll never know the difference.

Featuring Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Wood Harris, and Domhnall Gleeson.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014) directed by Doug Liman, based on All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka

In a war between humans and aliens, an incompetent soldier gains the ability to "reset" the day after killing an alpha alien. The soldier, trapped in a Groundhog-Day-like time loop, must improve his fighting skills after each reset in order to save humanity. Accompanying him in battle is a tough, sword-wielding veteran with the delightful moniker "Full Metal Bitch." This is a fun, blockbuster movie that will appeal to gamers (especially Halo fans) and non-gamers alike.

Featuring Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, and Brendan Gleeson.

Ex Machina (2015) written and directed by Alex Garland

Ex Machina is an intellectual thriller that proves science fiction doesn't need an intergalactic setting or action-packed fight scenes to be deeply engrossing. A programmer is invited by his company's CEO to administer the Turing test to an eerily human-like robot. Smart and spare, this movie eschews the green screen in favor of provocative ideas and mesmerizing performances.

Featuring Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Sonoya Mizuno.

Futurama: Bender's Big Score (2007) created by Matt Groening, written by Ken Keeler and directed by Dwayne Carey-Hill

The first in four movies that comprise Futurama's fifth season, Bender's Big Score never saw a theatrical release but is an enjoyable film that shows the range of the genre. Sci-fi isn't always just creepy aliens and trippy time travel; sometimes it's also silly one-liners and alcoholic robots with shiny metal posteriors. One of the few animated series that can make me cry as hard as I laugh, Futurama is not to be missed. (Fans of the series should also check out Adult Swim's Rick and Morty.)

Featuring the voices of Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Phil LaMarr, and Lauren Tom.

Galaxy Quest (1999) written by David Howard and Robert Gordon, directed by Dean Parisot

Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Tim Allen all in one movie? Surely an embarrassment of riches! The cast of a canceled television series reunite for a convention but are kidnapped by an alien space crew that needs their help. Once voted the seventh best Star Trek movie, Galaxy Quest is an entertaining intergalactic adventure that both parodies and pays tribute to the sci-fi classic and its ardent fandom. A perfect starter film for those new to the genre.

Featuring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Sam Rockwell, Tony Shalhoub, Enrico Colantoni, and Justin Long.

Gattaca (1997) written and directed by Andrew Niccol

Set in a eugenics-based future where DNA rather than ability determines your place in society, a genetically-inferior "in-valid" goes to dangerous lengths to achieve his dream of space travel. One of my all-time favorite films, Gattaca defines all that is wonderful about the sci-fi genre, highlighting the ambition and determination of an individual to not only survive but excel despite incredible obstacles. It also features a young Jude Law at his very sneery best.

Featuring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Alan Arkin, and Gore Vidal.

The Host (2006) written by Baek Chul-hyun and Bong Joon-ho, directed by Bong Joon-ho

A young schoolgirl is abducted by a reptilian creature during a bloody rampage and her misfit family must band together to save her. Scary, funny, and heartbreaking, The Host is a South Korean film that will leave your heart in your throat. You'll root for the bumbling family and shudder at the genuinely horrifying creature in one of the best monster movie of any decade.

Featuring Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona, and Go Ah-sung.

Inception (2010) written and directed by Christopher Nolan

With its distinctive sound effects, Inception dazzles with sumptuous visuals and a superb cast. Like the popular Ocean's Eleven trilogy and The Italian Job, Inception is at its core a heist film (though darker, weightier, and more thrilling). But unlike the standard heist flick, the impenetrable safe these thieves are trying to crack is buried deep within the subconscious mind and the money cache is nothing more than a secret thought, implanted rather than stolen, and meant to influence the victim's waking actions. With folding Parisian streets, spinning corridors, disintegrating cities, and a snowtop fortress, this film deserves multiple viewings.

Featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, and Cillian Murphy.

Interstellar (2014) written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, directed by Christopher Nolan

A crew of astronauts must search for a habitable planet to save humanity from extinction. This is another Nolan film full of stunning visuals and no dearth of expositional dialogue. Whereas Inception explores the infinite mind, Interstellar takes on the incredible vastness of space (providing one notably breathtaking depiction of a supermassive rotating black hole). With theoretical physicist Kip Thorne consulting on the film, Interstellar maintains a degree of scientific accuracy that only enhances the central story surrounding a father and daughter relationship tested by time and distance.

Featuring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, John Lithgow, and Michael Caine.

The Iron Giant (1999) directed by Brad Bird, based on the novel by Ted Hughes

A giant alien robot falls from space and is befriended by a young boy. Nominated for the Hugo, Saturn, and Nebula awards and winner of a BAFTA, The Iron Giant has been consistently ranked as one of the best animated films and even enjoyed a brief revival in theaters recently. Set in the 1950s, the animation style is reminiscent of that time period, with beautifully composed scenes worthy of Rockwell and Hopper. Featuring my favorite Vin-Diesel-voiced robot, The Iron Giant is a must-see that will warm even the coldest of hearts. Brad Bird fans will also enjoy his other work including The Incredibles and Ratatouille (and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol!).

Featuring the voices of Eli Marienthal, Christopher McDonald, Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick, Jr., John Mahoney, and Vin Diesel.

Looper (2012) written and directed by Rian Johnson

In the future, criminal gangs utilize time travel to send victims to the past to be killed by specialized assassins or "loopers." One looper discovers that his next target is his future self and must deal with the consequences of his actions. Why Joseph Gordon-Levitt had to be rendered nearly unrecognizable to play a young Bruce Willis, I'll never know. Slip in some blue contacts and I would have called it a done deal. That aside, Looper does an excellent job handling the inherent intricacies of time travel and not letting it overwhelm the story. Stylish and smart, Looper is an impressive addition to the sci-fi genre by Brick and future Star Wars: Episode VIII writer and director Rian Johnson.

Featuring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, and Jeff Daniels.

The Martian (2015) directed by Ridley Scott, based on the novel by Andy Weir

Left for dead on Mars, a lone astronaut has to figure out a way to survive with limited resources. With the emphasis on the "science" in "science fiction," this is a pleasingly faithful adaptation of Weir's wonderfully geeky debut novel. Mark Watney is a refreshing protagonist, unflappably determined and good-humored despite near insurmountable odds. If I were trapped on Mars, I'd spend most of my days curled up in a fetal position drowning in an epic existential crisis before bitterly starving to death. The movie adaptation would have been a disgrace.

Featuring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean, Michael Pena, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. (All that star power but no Ben Affleck cameo? Disappointing! Doesn't the world know that Affleck and Damon belong together like Kirk and Spock, Burke and Hare, Achilles and Patroclus?)

Moon (2009) written by Nathan Parker and directed by Duncan Jones

An astronaut experiences strange occurrences as he nears the end of his three-year work contract on the moon. Sam Rockwell's name is like a quality assurance guarantee: stellar performance promised, stellar performance delivered. I've never met a Rockwell film (or play) that I didn't like, and this movie doesn't disappoint. With smart direction and a sharp script, Moon is a fascinating and thoughtful addition to the hard sci-fi oeuvre.

Featuring Sam Rockwell, Dominique McElligott, and the dulcet tones of Kevin Spacey.

Pacific Rim (2013) written by Travis Beacham and Guillermo del Toro, directed by Guillermo del Toro

Giant robots. Need I say more? You don't have to be Grant Imahara to appreciate the delightful pulpiness of this movie. Starring Idris Elba and Charlie Hunnam (whose withdrawal from the Christian Grey role was both a relief and a disappointment), this movie may be weak in dialogue but powers through with fantastic action scenes that translates to any language. Again, robots smashing things? 10 out of 10 stars.

Featuring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, and Ron Perlman.

The Prestige (2006) directed by Christopher Nolan, based on the novel by Christopher Priest

Two rival stage magicians play a lethal game of one-upmanship in 19th century London. At the risk of revealing too much, I'll simply say that this isn't your Tony Wonder vs. G.O.B. kind of dueling magicians. Dark and unsettling, you'll be contemplating the film's implications long after the final credits.

Featuring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, Andy Serkis, and David Bowie.

Primer (2004) written and directed by Shane Carruth

Filmed on a meager $7,000 budget, Primer provides a seriously mind-boggling examination of time travel. There is no audience surrogate or Nolan-esque expositional dialogue to gently introduce complex ideas and intricate plot points. From the first scene, you're thrown into the mix, and just when you think you've got a handle on what's happening, think again. Primer isn't an easy ride but the payoff is worth it.

(Watched the film and still perplexed? Randall Munroe, creator of webcomic xkcd, provides an elucidating graph to help parse the timelines.)

Featuring Shane Carruth and David Sullivan.

Serenity (2005) written and directed by Joss Whedon

The bitterness I carry against FOX for canceling Firefly is as deep and vast as Ganymede's subterranean ocean. Serenity (an excellent palliative, but a palliative nonetheless) continues the story of a scrappy crew of smugglers led by a hardened war veteran. A fantastic mash-up of the space opera and western genres, this is another Whedon classic with shrewd practical effects and distinct characterization that will appeal to fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Featuring Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, the divine Gina Torres, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Snowpiercer (2013) written by Bong Joon-ho and Kelly Masterson, directed by Bong Joon-ho

Based on the unremittingly grim French comic book Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette, this South Korean film features an international cast and a dystopian premise. With the world frozen in a manmade ice age, the last of humanity fights for survival on an unstoppable train, the Snowpiercer. Rigidly segregated by class, front-end elites live in splendor while the tail-end passengers live in squalor. Revolt is inevitable, and like its characters, this film walks the fine line between brilliance and madness.

Featuring Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Song Kang-ho, Jamie Bell, Go Ah-sung, Octavia Spencer, and a perpetual-motion engine.

Time Lapse (2014) written by Bradley D. King and B. P. Cooper, directed by Bradley D. King

If there's anything to learn from sci-fi films, it's this: If you stumble across a time machine, leave it alone! Trust me. Nothing good will come of it. You know why you don't see octogenarians meddling with the space-time continuum? Because they're old enough and wise enough to say, "Nuh-uh, hard pass." Three young friends find a machine that produces photographs taken 24 hours into the future. Do they prudently and judiciously use this amazing machine to fulfill their lifelong ambitions and live a life of peace and luxury? Hmph.

Featuring Matt O'Leary, Danielle Panabaker, and George Finn.

WALL-E (2008) written by Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, directed by Andrew Stanton

Not since the Iron Giant have I ever wanted to hug a robot so hard (an unpleasant experience, surely, with all those sharp edges and metal bits). A lone robot spends his time cleaning an abandoned, unlivable Earth until one day another robot appears and leads him on a life-changing journey into outer space. Breathlessly beautiful, Wall-E is another Pixar creation that will charm and enthrall people of all ages.

Featuring the voices of Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, and Sigourney Weaver.

The World's End (2013) written by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, directed by Edgar Wright

One of the true pleasures of this movie was watching it in a packed theater with my brother (who occasionally masquerades as an adult) and listening to his uncontrollable laughter and shocked gasps at every twist and turn. An ambitious pub crawl in the town of Newton Haven leads a group of alienated friends on a legendary adventure. If you love Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, you'll love this hilarious conclusion to the Cornetto trilogy.

Featuring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, the amazing Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, and Rosamund Pike.

The 25th and final slot I've left open in anticipation of The Lobster, a satirical sci-fi comedy that I've been impatiently waiting to hit theaters. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou, The Lobster was released abroad in 2015 and will hit US theaters in March 2016. It's already snagged the 2015 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize and has enjoyed critical accolades (including a BAFTA for Olivia Colman!). Featuring Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz, the film depicts a city where single people must find a partner within 45 days or face being turned into an animal and released into the wild. Just give me a showtime and take my money already!

The Moviegoer: Noel Marshall's 'Roar': Lions, and Tigers, and... Panthers! Oh My!

Wayne Roylance, Selection, BookOps — Tue, 22 Dec 2015 13:33:53 -0500

Every once in a while, a filmmaker comes along who succeeds at creating cinematic alchemy: he or she makes a film that is essentially dross, but for whatever reason, it turns into gold. It becomes a magical viewing experience. Or more simply, it’s a film that is so bad, it is actually good. Now, there are a lot of bad films out there. The highway to movie heaven is littered with the wreckage of bad ideas made even worse once they were actually captured on film. Examples include Howard the Duck, Glitter, and Highlander 2: The Quickening. These films—and others of their ilk—are unwatchable. There is no saving grace, no performance, no strange plot twist that makes them worthwhile to at least hang on until the bitter end.

But occasionally, a film is released that defies expectations. Yes, it’s terrible. But for some reason, your eyes are glued to the screen. You can’t stop watching it! Tom Laughlin’s Billy Jack and Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls are examples of this rare breed. Just recently, a 1981 film was released on DVD that I would include in the pantheon of “Great Bad Movies.” The film is called Roar, and it was directed by Noel Marshall. Marshall was the executive producer of The Exorcist, and in 1972 he bought Africa USA, a Hollywood animal compound with his wife Tippi Hedren (The Birds, Marnie, etc.) He wrote a screenplay for Roar and over the next several years, they filmed the movie at their Hollywood animal sanctuary.

In the film, Marshall plays Hank, a scientist living in Africa, who wants to see if different types of big cats can live in the same environment, so he stocks his compound with over 100 lions, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars, leopards and cougars. His wife, played by real wife Tippi Hedren, arrives with their three children (played by Marshall’s two sons and Tippi’s teen-aged daughter Melanie Griffith) to visit him. Unfortunately, Hank forgets what time they are supposed to arrive, and they take a bus to his compound while he heads off to the airport to meet them. Needless to say, they arrive at an empty house—empty except for the hundred or so big cats who are prowling around. They panic and try to fend off the cats until Hank can return and show them that the cats aren’t really dangerous. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the rickety, bare-bones story upon which this remarkable film hangs.

But that is of no importance. For you are not watching the film because of the plot. You are watching it to see cats raising up and putting their paws in people’s faces, or “playfully” putting people’s heads in their mouths, or periodically rear up and start fighting each other, and then watch Hank—remarkably—insert himself into the middle of the scuffle trying to break them up. At one point, Hank breaks up a fight and he walks away with his hands streaming blood. That injury was probably one of the least serious mishaps that occurred on set. All told, 70 cast and crew members were injured during the filming, including Tippi Hedren (a fractured leg caused by being thrown from the back of an elephant), Melanie Griffith (bites that caused her to have facial reconstructive surgery), Noel Marshall (so many puncture wounds that he developed gangrene), assistant director Doron Kauper (throat bitten open and an ear almost ripped off), and cinematographer Jan de Bont (scalped by a lion, requiring 220 stitches to reattach it).

Needless to say, this film would never be able to be made today (and that’s probably a good thing). But luckily for us (if not for the cast and crew), it was made; and just like watching a train wreck or a roadside accident, you can’t keep your eyes off of it.

Watch the trailer and then check it out from the library.

The Moviegoer: Films That Give You the Heebie-Jeebies

Wayne Roylance, Selection, BookOps — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:35:04 -0400

When most people think of horror movies, they usually think of lots of blood and a large body count: Friday the 13^th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Dawn of the Dead are good examples. And while I am no shrinking violet and can watch bloody mayhem with the best of them (Ichi the Killer is one of my personal favorites of this type), the films that creep me out the most are the ones that mess with your head. They aren’t necessarily straight-up horror movies, but there are aspects of all of them that will give you the willies. So if you’re in the mood for a shudder-inducing movie to watch during this Halloween season, here are a few options:

Nicholas Roeg’s 1973 supernatural thriller Don’t Look Now stars Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie as John and Laura Baxter, a grief-stricken couple (their young daughter drowned) who go to Venice where John will restore an ancient church. Roeg masterfully uses the Venetian alleys and canals to great effect, conveying a sense of dread that is always lying underneath the beautiful surface. I won’t give it away, but the scene that affected me the most was when John realized that his daughter was in danger. All I will say is that it involves a photo slide, a glass of water and a seeping red ink spot.

The Vanishing is a 1988 Dutch-French film directed by George Sluizer. The story is very simple: while on a road trip with her boyfriend, a young Dutch woman disappears when they stop for gas at a rest stop. The boyfriend obsessively searches for her for several years. He finally makes a public appeal, saying he just wants to know what happened to her. The abductor contacts him and agrees to meet. I won’t tell you how it ends, only that if you’ve had the misfortune of seeing the 1993 American remake starring Jeff Bridges and Kiefer Sutherland, the finale of the original is far superior, and far more frightening.

The story was so good that Alfred Hitchcock wanted to buy the screen rights, but Henri-Georges Clouzot beat him to it, and in 1955 he released Diabolique, a psychological thriller starring Simone Signoret, Vera Clouzot and Paul Meurisse. The plot focuses on three people: Michel Delassalle (Meurisse), his wife Christina (Clouzot), and his mistress Nicole Horner (Signoret). Nicole convinces Christina to help her murder Michel because he is so abusive to both of them. They drown him in a bath tub and throw his body in a local swimming pool. When the body rises to the surface, everyone will think that it was an accident. Only the body never appears—even after the pool is drained.

If I told you that a Japanese film based on a Buddhist parable was scary, you’d probably be thinking “Buddhist parable? How can that be scary?” Trust me, this movie will creep you out. The name of the film is Onibaba and Kineto Shindo directed it. Released in 1964, the film is set during the mid-fourteenth century and focuses on three main characters: an old woman (Nobuko Otowa), her daughter-in-law (Jitsuko Yoshimura) and a neighbor who just returned from the war (Kei Sato). The plot involves the women’s scheme of killing stranded soldiers for their armor and weapons, and a mask that, once worn, can’t be removed. The film is stunningly shot in fields of tall, wind-whipped grass and the sound of the wind that accompanies most of the action is more unsettling than any mood music would be.

Audition is another Japanese film that you may enjoy… actually enjoy is probably not the right word here. Let’s just say that you may enjoy squirming while watching it. Released in 1999, and directed by “bad boy” director Takashi Miike (who by the way, also directed Ichi the Killer which I mentioned above), the film begins with widower Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) being convinced by his teen-age son to begin dating again. A film producer friend sets up mock casting calls where young women will audition to become Aoyama’s new wife. Aoyama is smitten by Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina), even though all of her references are unreachable. He finally calls her at her home, where she has been waiting patiently by the phone for four days. The only other object in the apartment besides the phone is a large sack. What could it contain? I must say that when I saw this film at a movie theater about 10 people got up and left– and it wasn’t because they were bored. You have to have a bit of a strong stomach to watch this movie. You have been dutifully warned.

Do you remember the director Adrian Lyne? He directed some wildly over-the-top, trashy (though entertaining) films such as Flashdance, 9 ½ weeks and Fatal Attraction. I think his best film by far is Jacob’s Ladder, a 1990 production starring Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Pena, Danny Aiello and Jason Alexander (yes, that Jason Alexander!) Robbins plays Jacob Singer, a Vietnam veteran now working for the U.S. Postal Service. He begins experiencing flashbacks and strange hallucinations involving demonic creatures. When he talks to other men in his unit, they discuss an experimental drug that they may have been given. Soon after, they all start to be killed off. The ending of the film is not what you’d expect, though it makes perfect sense, and ultimately—unusually for an occult thriller—poignantly sad.

I'd be happy to hear what film (or films) give you the willies. Let me know.

Albanian \| Shqiptar	Arabic \| العَرَبِية	Bengali \| বাঙালি
Chinese \| 中文	French \| Français	Gujarati\| ગુજરાતી
Hebrew \| עבר׳ת	Hindi \| हिन्दी	Italian \| Italiano
Russian \| русский	Spanish \| Español	Urdu \| اُردُو

NYPL Blogs: 24 Frames per Second

Cast of Thousands: The Life, Wit, and Work of Anita Loos

ANITA WRITES IN CHILDHOOD

ANITA WRITES IN HOLLYWOOD

ANITA WRITES IN NEW YORK

ANITA WRITES THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL

ANITA WRITES IN HOLLYWOOD (REPRISE)

ANITA SURVIVES THE WORST YEAR OF HER LIFE

ANITA WRITES BICOASTALLY

ANITA, BACK IN NEW YORK AT LAST!

ANITA WRITES HER MEMOIRS

Transcribing the Light: The Memoirs of Shirley MacLaine

Walking In A Winter Movie Wonderland: Christmas Films for Adults

Classics and Musicals

Drama and Family Dramas

Romance

Surprise, Yes, It's a Christmas Movie

Comedy and Horror Films

Other Christmas reading recommendations and holiday delights:

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...for Family-Friendly Holiday Films and Books

Animated Films and TV Shows

Live-Action Films and TV Specials

For more holiday reading recommendations for children, try these other NYPL blog posts:

Kick Your Streaming Game Up A Notch With Foreign-Language Films From the Library

I Watched the 'Tiger King' Documentary Series In One Day. Then I Needed to Learn More.

E-Books & Audiobooks

Databases

All Fyred Up: Researching Your Favorite Documentaries

Before starting your post-viewing research

Google Your Topic

Use the Library Catalog to Find Books About Your Subject

Use Databases to Access Articles, Encyclopedias, and More

Look For More Documentaries About Similar Topics

Think Like a Librarian—Expand the Scope of Your Topic!

Lift Your Spirits!

A Beginner's Guide to Science Fiction

Have you ever wanted to travel the galaxies, meet dinosaurs, or delve into the depths of the sea all without leaving your home? Then we’ve got the books for you!

What is science fiction?

What’s the difference between science fiction and fantasy?

What else should I know?

Where should I start?

Action/Adventure

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Fifth Element (1997)

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Anime

Akira (1988)

Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series (1998)

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Comedy

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Martian: A Novel by Andy Weir

Dimension Travel

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Dinosaurs

The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle

Jurassic Park: A Novel by Michael Crichton

Dystopia

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Philip K. Dick Reader by Philip K. Dick

Feminist Science Fiction

Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Mizora by Mary E. Bradley Lane

Horror

Alien (1979)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein Dreams: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Science Fiction edited by Michael Sims

The Thing (1982)

Neo-Noir

Blade Runner (1982)

Post-Apocalyptic

Mad Max (1979)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Robots/Andriods/Cyborgs, etc.

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka; translated by Alexander O. Smith

Romance

Warrior's Woman by Johanna Lindsey