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Contemporary Films
Contemporary Films is an independent film distribution company based in the UK, with the highest production of films and movies per year. It was founded by Charles Cooper (1910–2001) in 1951. It has brought several films from around the world to UK cinemas, introducing directors such as Andrzej Wajda, Miloš Forman, Ingmar Bergman, Jean Renoir, Robert Bresson, Sergei Eisenstein, Andrei Tarkovsky, Werner Herzog, Satyajit Ray, Yasujirō Ozu, Nagisa Ōshima, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Luis Buñuel to the British public. Contemporary Films continues to distribute films to cinemas and television, as well as DVDs to the public. From 1967 to 1989, Contemporary Films operated three cinemas in England. These were the Paris Pullman Cinema in Brompton from 1955 to 1983, the Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley from 1975 to 1985, and the Phoenix Picturehouse The Phoenix Picturehouse is a cinema in Oxford, England. It is at 57 Walton Street in the Jericho district of Oxford. The Phoenix ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Cooper (actor)
Charles Darwin Cooper (August 11, 1926 – November 29, 2013) was an American actor who played a wide variety of television and film roles from 1950 to 2001. On Broadway, Cooper appeared in ''The Winner'' (1954) and ''All You Need Is One Good Break'' (1950). Biography In 1958 he played outlaw Cando in Season 3 Episode 36 of "Gunsmoke" titled "Chester's Hanging", and again as murderer Jim Box in the S4E17 episode “Young Love”. Also in 1958, Cooper played the outlaw Tate Masters in the episode "Twelve Guns" of NBC's Western television series '' Cimarron City'' with George Montgomery and John Smith and played Lt. William Rath in "The Deserter" episode of ''Tales of Wells Fargo''. In 1959, he played a gunfighter, Jack Rollins, in the episode "The Visitor" of '' Lawman,'' an ABC/ Warner Bros. Television Western series. He was cast as Matt Yordy in the 1961 episode "Honest Abe" of Chuck Connors' ''The Rifleman''. He also played Larsen in S5 E6 "I Take This Woman" whic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yasujirō Ozu
was a Japanese filmmaker. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in the 1930s. The most prominent themes of Ozu's work are family and marriage, and especially the relationships between generations. His most widely beloved films include ''Late Spring'' (1949), ''Tokyo Story'' (1953) and ''An Autumn Afternoon'' (1962). Widely regarded as one of the world's greatest and most influential filmmakers, Ozu's work has continued to receive acclaim since his death. In the 2012 ''Sight & Sound'' poll, Ozu's ''Tokyo Story'' was voted the third-greatest film of all time by critics world-wide. In the same poll, ''Tokyo Story'' was voted the greatest film of all time by 358 directors and film-makers world-wide. Biography Early life Ozu was born in the Fukagawa, Tokyo, Fukagawa district of Tokyo City, Tokyo, the second son of merchant Torano ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phoenix Cinema
The Phoenix Cinema is an independent single-screen community cinema in East Finchley, London, England. It was built in 1910 and opened in 1912 as the East Finchley Picturedrome. It is one of the oldest continuously-running cinemas in the UK and shows mainly art-house films. It is distinctive on East Finchley's high road by its large neon sign on the side of the building. Its patrons are Benedict Cumberbatch, Maureen Lipman, Mike Leigh, Ken Loach, Michael Palin, Bill Paterson (actor), Bill Paterson and Mark Kermode. It is run by a charity as a community cinema. History The Picturedrome (1910–1923) The Cinematograph Act 1909 introduced laws to make cinemas safer. As a result, more purpose-built cinemas began to appear from 1910 onwards including this one. The Phoenix Cinema was built in 1910 by Premier Electric Theatres, however the company went bankrupt before the cinema could be opened. In 1912, the building was purchased by businessmen who had been involved in setti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brompton, London
Brompton, sometimes called Old Brompton, survives in name as a Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, ward in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. Until the latter half of the 19th century it was a scattered village made up mostly of market gardens in the county of Middlesex. It lay southeast of the village of Kensington, abutting the parish of St Margaret's, Westminster at the hamlet of Knightsbridge to the northeast, with Little Chelsea to the south. It was bisected by the Fulham Turnpike trust, Turnpike, the main road westward out of London to the ancient parish of Fulham and on to Putney and Surrey. It saw its first parish church, Holy Trinity Brompton, only in 1829. Today the village has been comprehensively eclipsed by segmentation due principally to railway development culminating in London Underground lines, and its imposition of station names, including Knightsbridge, South Kensington and Gloucester Road, London, Gloucester Road as the nam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paris Pullman Cinema
The Paris Pullman is a former arthouse cinema, in the Brompton district, of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea London, England. It was closed and the building sold for redevelopment in 1983. History In 1910–11, along a predominantly leafy residential street, that is Drayton Gardens, an entertainment venue opened at no.65 as the ''Radium Picture Playhouse'', having been converted from the earlier gymnasium or arms training hall. By 1947 it ceased to show films and had become " Bolton's Theatre Club" instead. To avoid censorship of its productions by the Lord Chamberlain's office, it operated as a private theatre club with compulsory membership. Many of its plays transferred to runs in the West End. They included, ''The Horn of the Moon'' by Vivian Connell, with Jack McNaughton, Denholm Elliott, John Wyse, Pamela Alan, Martin Boddey and Jessie Evans; Directed by Colin Chandler and ''Dr John Bull'', with John Louis Mansi among others. The building was acquired in 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish and Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians and directors to be one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time. Luis Buñuel filmography, Buñuel's works were known for their avant-garde surrealism which were also infused with political commentary. Often associated with the surrealist movement of the 1920s, Buñuel's career spanned the 1920s through the 1970s. He collaborated with prolific surrealist painter Salvador Dali on ''Un Chien Andalou'' (1929) and ''L'Age d'Or'' (1930). Both films are considered masterpieces of surrealist cinema. From 1947 to 1960, he honed his skills as a director in Mexico, making grounded and human melodramas such as ''Gran Casino'' (1947), ''Los Olvidados'' (1950) and ''Él (film), Él'' (1953). Here is where he gained the fundamentals of storytelling. Buñuel then transitioned ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci ( ; ; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved international acclaim. With '' The Last Emperor'' (1987) he became the first Italian filmmaker to win the Academy Award for Best Director, and he received many other accolades including a BAFTA Award, a César Award, two Golden Globes, a Golden Lion in 2007, and an Honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2011. A protégé of Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bertolucci made his directorial debut at 22. His second film, '' Before the Revolution'' (1964), earned strong international reviews and has since gained classic status, being called a "masterpiece of Italian cinema" by Film4. His 1970 film '' The Conformist'', an adaptation of the Alberto Moravia novel, is considered a classic of international cinema, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nagisa Ōshima
was a Japanese filmmaker, writer, and left-wing activist who is best known for his fiction films, of which he directed 23 features in a career spanning from 1959 to 1999. He is regarded as one of the greatest Japanese directors of all time, and as one of the most important figures of the Japanese New Wave (Nūberu bāgu), alongside Shōhei Imamura. His film style was bold, innovative and provocative. Common themes in his work include youthful rebellion, Discrimination, class and racial discrimination and taboo sexuality. His first major film was his second feature, ''Cruel Story of Youth'' (1960), one of the first Japanese New Wave films, a youth-oriented film with an earnest portrayal of the sexual lives and criminal activities of its young protagonists. And he came to greater international renown after Death by Hanging, ''Death By Hanging'' (1968), a film on the theme of capital punishment and anti-Korean sentiment, was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1968. His most contro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential film directors in the history of cinema. He is celebrated for works including ''The Apu Trilogy'' (1955–1959), Jalsaghar, ''The Music Room'' (1958), Mahanagar, ''The Big City'' (1963)'', Charulata'' (1964), and the ''Goopy–Bagha'' trilogy (1969–1992). Ray was born in Calcutta to author Sukumar Ray and Suprabha Ray. Starting his career as a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into independent film, independent film-making after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing Vittorio De Sica's Italian neorealism, Italian neorealist film ''Bicycle Thieves'' (1948) during a visit to London. Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries, and short subject, shorts. Ray's first film, (1955), won eleven international ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrzej Wajda
Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the "Polish Film School". He was known especially for his trilogy of war films consisting of ''A Generation'' (1955), ''Kanał'' (1957) and ''Ashes and Diamonds (film), Ashes and Diamonds'' (1958). He is considered one of the world's most renowned filmmakers, whose works chronicled his native country's political and social evolution and dealt with the myths of Polish national identity offering insightful analyses of the universal element of the Polish experience – the struggle to maintain dignity under the most trying circumstances. Four of his films have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film: ''The Promised Land (1975 film), The Promised Land'' (1975), ''The Maids of Wilko'' (1979), ''Man of Iron'' (1981) and '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog (; né Stipetić; born 5 September 1942) is a German filmmaker, actor, opera director, and author. Regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema, his films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with unusual talents in obscure fields, or individuals in conflict with nature. His style involves avoiding storyboards, emphasizing improvisation, and placing his cast and crew into real situations mirroring those in the film they are working on. In 1961, when Herzog was 19, he started work on his first film Herakles (film), ''Herakles''. He has since produced, written, and directed over 60 films and documentaries such as ''Aguirre, the Wrath of God'' (1972); ''The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser'' (1974); ''Heart of Glass (film), Heart of Glass'' (1976); ''Stroszek'' (1977); ''Nosferatu the Vampyre'' (1979); ''Fitzcarraldo'' (1982); ''Cobra Verde'' (1987); ''Lessons of Darkness'' (1992); ''Little Dieter Needs to Fly'' (1997); ''My Best Fiend'' (1999); Inv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky (, ; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Russian origin. He is widely considered one of the greatest directors in cinema history. Works by Andrei Tarkovsky, His films explore spiritual and metaphysics, metaphysical themes and are known for their Slow cinema, slow pacing and long takes, dreamlike visual imagery and preoccupation with nature and memory. Tarkovsky studied film at the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography under filmmaker Mikhail Romm and subsequently directed his first five features in the Soviet Union: ''Ivan's Childhood'' (1962), ''Andrei Rublev (film), Andrei Rublev'' (1966), ''Solaris (1972 film), Solaris'' (1972), ''Mirror (1975 film), Mirror'' (1975), and ''Stalker (1979 film), Stalker'' (1979). After years of creative conflict with State Committee for Cinematography, state film authorities, he left the country in 1979 and made his final two films—''Nostalghia'' (1983) and ''Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
