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alwaysmarilynmonroe · 4 years ago

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Today is a very special day, it’s Marilyn’s Birthday! Can you believe that if she were still alive, Marilyn would have been turning 94 years old today – just two months younger than the Queen herself! With each year I always try and write a special post about this amazing woman, who has helped me so much and achieved more than anyone could have imagined in her 36 years. Therefore, I decided to write 94 facts about the Birthday Girl – some you may know, some you may not, all in the hope that genuine things will be learnt and the real Marilyn will be more understood and appreciated.

Gladys and baby Norma Jeane spend some quality time together on the beach in 1929.

Little Norma Jeane, aged seven, in 1933.

Norma Jeane photographed by David Conover whilst working at the Radio Plane Munitions Factory in either the Fall of 1944 or Spring of 1945.

Norma Jeane by Andre de Dienes in late 1945.

Marilyn by Richard Miller in 1946.

Marilyn on Tobey Beach by Andre de Dienes on July 23rd 1949.

Marilyn by Ed Clark in Griffith Park in August 1950.

Marilyn attends a Party in Ray Anthony’s home, organized by 20th Century Fox on August 3rd 1952.

Marilyn filming The Seven Year Itch on location in New York City by Sam Shaw on September 13th 1954.

Marilyn by Milton Greene on January 28th 1955.

Marilyn by Cecil Beaton on February 22nd 1956. This was her favourite photo of herself.

Marilyn attending the Premiere of The Prince In The Showgirl at the Radio City Music Hall on June 13th 1957.

Marilyn by Carl Perutz on June 16th 1958.

Marilyn by Philippe Halsman for LIFE Magazine in October 1959.

Marilyn attends a Benefit for The Actors Studio at the Roseland Dance City on March 13th 1961.

Marilyn on Santa Monica Beach for Cosmopolitan Magazine by George Barris on July 1st 1962.

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1. Stood at a height of 5’5½”

2. Born in the charity ward of the Los Angeles County Hospital at 9:30 AM on June 1st 1926.

3. Married three times;

– Jim Dougherty: (June 19th 1942 – September 13th 1946) – Joe Dimaggio: (January 14th 1954 – 31st October 1955) (Temporary divorce granted on October 27th 1954) – Arthur Miller: (June 29th 1956 – January 20th 1961).

4. Suffered two confirmed miscarriages; an ectopic pregnancy on August 1st 1957 and miscarriage in December 16th 1958.

5. Suffered with endometriosis very badly, so much so that she had a clause in her contract which stated she would be unable to work whilst menstruating.

6. Starred in 30 films – her last being uncompleted.

7. Favourite of her own performances was as Angela Phinlay in The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

8. Winner of three Golden Globes; two for World Film Favourite – Female in 1954 and 1962 and one for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for her performance as Sugar Kane in Some Like It Hot (1959) in 1960.

9. Her idol was the first Platinum Blonde Bombshell, Jean Harlow.

10. Amassed a collection of over 400 books in her library, ranging from Russian Literature to Psychology.

11. Favourite perfume was Chanel No.5

12. Had two half siblings; Robert “Jackie” Baker (1918 – 1933) and Bernice Miracle (1919) – the former she would never have the chance to meet and Bernice was not informed about Marilyn until she was 19 years old.

13. Former Actor and 20th Century Fox Studio Executive, Ben Lyon created the name Marilyn Monroe in December 1946 – Marilyn after fellow Actress, Marilyn Miller and Monroe after Marilyn’s mother’s maiden name. Ironically enough, Ben starred with Jean Harlow, in her breakout movie, Hell’s Angels (1930).

14. Legally changed her name to Marilyn Monroe ten years later, on February 23rd 1956.

15. Attended The Actors Studio.

16. Third woman to start her own Film Production Company – the first being Lois Weber in 1917 and the second being Mary Pickford in 1919.

17. First had her hair bleached in January 1946 at the Frank & Joseph Salon by Beautician Sylvia Barnhart, originally intended for a Shampoo Advert.

18. Contrary to popular belief, she was technically a natural blonde, not a redhead or brunette. She was born with platinum hair and was very fair until just before her teen years. Her sister described her with having dark blonde hair upon their first meeting in 1944.

19. Another myth debunked – she had blue eyes, not brown.

20. Was one of the few women in the 1950s to use weights when exercising.

21. Wore jeans before it was considered acceptable for women.

22. Her famous mole was real – albeit skin coloured, so she emphasized it using a brown eye pencil.

23. Was a Step-Mother in two of her three marriages to three children – Joe Dimaggio Jr. and Bobby and Jane Miller.

24. Found out she landed the lead role in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) on her 26th Birthday.

25. Another huge myth dispelled – only actually met President Kennedy four times from 1961 – 1962. Three of them were at public events, with the last being her performance at Madison Square Garden. One of them was at Bing Crosby’s Palm Spring house with various people, so at most (which again, is very unlikely) they had a one night stand – nothing more and nothing less.

26. Was the first Playboy Cover Girl, although she did not actually pose for them, nor give permission for them to be used. Hugh Hefner bought the photograph from a Chicago Calendar Company for $500 and the two never met.

27. Speaking of Playboy, the photo was taken by Photographer Tom Kelley on May 27th 1951 and Marilyn made a total of $50 for the photo shoot. The most famous photo then went on to cause a national sensation after being sold to the Calendar Baumgarth Company and became known as, “Golden Dreams“.

28. In 1955 it was estimated that over four million copies of the Calendar had been sold.

29. Favourite singers were Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.

30. Attended the Academy Awards Ceremony only once on March 29th 1951 and presented the award for “Best Sound Recording” to Thomas Moulton for All About Eve (1951) which she also starred in.

31. Performed ten shows over four days to over 100,000 soldiers and marines in Korea in February 1954 – she actually ended up catching pneumonia because it was so cold.

32. Was one of the few Stars who had Director Approval in their Contracts. Some of the names included were, John Huston, Elia Kazan, Alfred Hitchcock, George Stevens, William Wyler, Joshua Logan and Sir Carol Reed.

33. Was pregnant during the filming of Some Like It Hot (1959) – filming finished on November 7th 1958 and she miscarried the following month on December 16th.

34. Featured on the cover of LIFE Magazine seven times during her lifetime;

– April 7th 1952 – May 25th 1953 – July 8th 1957 (International Edition) – April 20th 1959 – November 9th 1959 – August 15th 1960 – June 22nd 1962

35. Favourite bevarage was Dom Perignon 1953 Champagne.

36. By the time of her death, her films had grossed over $200 million, when adjusted for inflation that is the equivalent of $2 billion in 2019.

37. Designer, William Travilla dressed Marilyn for seven of her films, two (*) of them received Oscar Nominations in, “Best Costume/Design, Color“;

– Monkey Business (1952) – Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) – How To Marry A Millionaire (1953) * – River Of No Return (1954) – There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954) * – The Seven Year Itch (1955) – Bus Stop (1956)

38. Spent 21 months of her childhood at the Los Angeles Orphanage, from September 13th 1935 until June 7th 1937.

39. Was one of the first Stars to speak out about child abuse, with her story appearing in movie magazines as early as 1954.

40. Fostered by her grandmother’s neighbours, Ida and Albert Bolender, for the first seven years of her life.

41. Lived in England for four months, during the period of filming for The Prince and The Showgirl (1957) from July 14th 1956 – November 20th 1956.

42. Her Production Company, Marilyn Monroe Productions produced only one film, The Prince and The Showgirl (1957) based on Terrance Rattigan’s play, The Sleeping Prince.

43. Was photographed by Earl Theisen in October 1952 wearing a potato sack dress after being criticized by the press for her outfit choice at The Henrietta Awards in January 1952. A journalist wrote that Marilyn was “insignificant and vulgar“and “even in a potato bag, it would have been more elegant.“

44. Was a huge supporter of LGBT+ rights, saying the following quote about fellow actor and friend, Montgomery Clift to journalist W.J. Weatherby in 1960,

“I was remembering Monty Clift. People who aren’t fit to open the door for him sneer at his homosexuality. What do they know about it? Labels–people love putting labels on each other. Then they feel safe. People tried to make me into a lesbian. I laughed. No sex is wrong if there’s love in it.”

45. Her measurements were listed as the following by her Dressmakers; 35-22-35 and 36-24-24 by The Blue Book Modelling Agency. For the majority of her life she weighed between 117-120 pounds, with her weight fluctuating around 15 pounds, during and after her pregnancies (1957-1960), although her waist never ventured past 28.5 inches and her dress size today would be a UK Size 6-8 and a US Size 2-4 as she was a vintage Size 12.

46. Her famous white halter dress from The Seven Year Itch (1955) sold for $4.6 million ($5.6 million including auction fees) on June 18th 2011, which was owned by Debbie Reynolds. The “Happy Birthday Mr. President Dress” originally held the record for the most expensive dress, when it was sold on October 27th 1999 for $1.26 million. It then went on to be resold for $4.8 million on November 17th 2016, thus regaining it’s original achievement.

47. Was discovered by Photographer, David Conover, whilst working in The Radio Plane Munitions Factory in the Fall of 1944 or Spring of 1945, depending on sources.

48. Now known as the, “Me Too” movement, Marilyn was one of the first Stars to speak out on the, “Hollywood Wolves” in a 1953 article for Motion Picture Magazine entitled, “Wolves I Have Known”. The most famous incident being with the Head of Columbia Studios, Harry Cohn, who requested Marilyn join him on his yacht for a weekend away in Catalina Island. Marilyn asked if his wife would be joining them, which, as you can imagine – did not go down well and her contract was not renewed with the Studio. Marilyn made only one film with Columbia during her six month contract, this being Ladies Of The Chorus (1948) which was shot in just ten days!

49. Loved animals dearly and adopted a variety of pets over the years. These included a basset hound called Hugo and parakeets, Clyde, Bobo and Butch with Husband Arthur Miller. A number of cats including a persian breed called Mitsou in 1955 and Sugar Finney in 1959. Her most famous pet was gifted to her in March or April of 1961 by friend, Frank Sinatra, a little white maltese named Maf. His full name was Mafia Honey, as a humorous reference to Sinatra’s alleged connections to the Mob. After Marilyn’s death, Maf went to live with Frank Sinatra’s secretary, Gloria Lovell.

50. The book she was reading at the time of her death was Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mocking Bird.

51. One of the movies she starred in was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and won, this being All About Eve (1950) at The 23rd Academy Awards on March 29th 1951. It ended up being nominated for 14 Oscars, a record at the time and has only been matched by Titanic (1997) and La La Land (2016).

52. Her first magazine cover was photographed by Andre de Dienes in December 1945 for Family Circle, released on April 26th 1946.

53. Joined The William Morris Agency on December 7th 1948.

54. Was right handed, not left as often believed.

55. Third Husband Arthur Miller wrote the screenplay for Marilyn’s last completed film, The Misfits (1961) which was originally written as a short story for Esquire Magazine in 1957. After the tragic ectopic pregnancy Marilyn endured in August of 1957, friend and Photographer, Sam Shaw suggested to Miller he alter his short story specifically for her. Ironically the making of this film culminated in their divorce and Marilyn stating,

“He could have written me anything and he comes up with this. If that’s what he thinks of me then I’m not for him and he’s not for me.” 56. Was Author, Truman Capote’s original choice for the role of Holly Golightly in Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961) however, she was advised to turn it down by her Acting Coach, Paula Strasberg, who did not think the role of a prostitute would be good for her image. Writer George Axelrod, who wrote the Screenplay for Bus Stop (1956) and the play, The Seven Year Itch, ironically ended up being the Screenwriter for this movie.

Capote said this regarding Marilyn,

“I had seen her in a film and thought she would be perfect for the part. Holly had to have something touching about her . . . unfinished. Marilyn had that.”

57. Second Husband Joe Dimaggio had The Parisian Florists deliver red roses on Marilyn’s grave twice a week, for twenty years, from August 1962 until September 1982. Marilyn had told him how William Powell used to do this for Jean Harlow after her death and he reportedly vowed to do the same after their Wedding Ceremony. After the 20 years he then donated to a children’s charity, as he thought it would be a nice way to honour her memory. They also created the flower arrangements for her casket at her funeral.

58. The following five Directors directed Marilyn in more than one movie;

– John Huston; The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and The Misfits (1961) – Richard Sale; A Ticket To Tomahawk (1950) and Let’s Make It Legal (1951) – Howard Hawks; Monkey Business (1952) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) – Billy Wilder; The Seven Year Itch (1955) and Some Like It Hot (1959) – George Cukor; Let’s Make Love (1960) and Something’s Got To Give (1962)

59. Was an illegitimate child, which unfortunately was attached with a lot of stigma in the 1920s. Her mother, Gladys, listed her then husband Edward Mortenson on the Birth Certificate, although it is commonly accepted that her real father was Charles Stanley Gifford, as Gladys left Edward on May 26th 1925. Gladys had an affair with him, which ended when she announced her pregnancy and he never acknowledged or met Marilyn, although she tried multiple times over the years to speak with him.

60. Stayed in a number of foster homes during her childhood,

– George and Emma Atkinson; February 1934 – September 1934 – Enid and Sam Knebelcamp; Fall of 1934 – Harvey and Elsie Giffen; January 1935 – March 1935 – Grace and “Doc” Goddard; April 1935 – September 1935 and June 1937 – November 1937 and end of 1940 – February 1942 – Ida Martin; November 1937 – August 1938 – “Aunt Ana” Lower; August 1938 – End of 1940 and February 1942

61. Had her hand and footprints immortalized in cement at Graumans Chinese Theatre on June 26th 1953, with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) co-star, Jane Russell. Marilyn would place a rhinestone in the dot of the letter “i” as a reference to her character, “Lorelei Lee” but it was sadly stolen. This was an incredibly special moment for her, as she often talked about placing her hands and feet in the many prints there, when she spent her weekends at the Theatre as a child, especially in 1933 and 1934.

“When I was younger, I used to go to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and try to fit my foot in the prints in the cement there. And I’d say “Oh, oh, my foots too big. I guess that’s out.” I did have a funny feeling later when I finally put my foot down into that wet cement, I sure knew what it really meant to me, anything’s possible, almost.”

62. The famous gold lamé dress worn in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and designed by William Travilla, was deemed too risqué by the censors. Unfortunately for fans, this meant that the musical number, “Down Boy” was cut from the film and we only glimpse a few seconds of the dress from behind, on screen.

63. Due to the censors, the original, “Diamond’s Are A Girl’s Best Friend” costume was changed to the now iconic pink dress with black bow. Originally it was to be a diamond encrusted two piece, which was extremely daring for the then Motion Picture Hays Code.

64. Loved Erno Lazlo Skin Cream, Vaseline and Nivea Moisturizer.

65. Had she completed Something’s Got To Give (1962), Marilyn would have been the first Star in a major Motion Picture to appear nude on film. As she passed before it was completed the achievement went to fellow Blonde Bombshell, Jayne Mansfield in, Promises! Promises (1963).

66. Met Queen Elizabeth II in England at the Empire Theater in Leicester Square whilst attending the Premiere of, “The Battle Of The River Plate“ on October 29th 1956.

67. The Misfits (1961) was both Marilyn and Clark Gable’s last completed films. Clark died 12 days after filming finished, on November 16th 1960. The film was released on Clark’s would be 60th Birthday, February 1st 1961 and Marilyn passed 18 months later.

68. As Marilyn died before the completion of Something’s Got To Give (1962) it ended up being remade with Doris Day and James Garner, entitled, Move Over Darling! (1963). The film was originally intended to be a remake of, My Favourite Wife (1940) which starred Cary Grant.

69. Signed a recording contract with RCA Records on September 1st 1953. One of her songs from River of No Return (1954) entitled, “File My Claim” sold 75,000 copies in its first three weeks of release.

70. Was admitted to the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic on February 10th 1961 by her then Psychiatrist, Marianne Kris. Originally thought to be for rest and rehabilitation, following her divorce from Arthur Miller and the strain of filming The Misfits. However, Marilyn was placed on the security ring and held against her will. Thankfully, she was able to contact ex Husband, Joe Dimaggio, who stated he would, “Take the hospital apart brick by brick” if she was not released and after three days of emotional trauma, she left.

71. Visited the following Countries;

– Canada – (July – August 1953) – Japan (February 1954) – Korea (Feburary 1954) – England (July – November 1956) – Jamaica (January 1957) – Mexico (February 1962)

72. Purchased her only home, 12305 Fifth Helena Drive on February 8th 1962, where she would tragically pass just under 6 months later.

73. The home had the following tile located on the front paving entrance saying, “cursum perficio” meaning, “my journey ends here.” The title is still there to this day.

74. Her final interview was published in LIFE Magazine on August 3rd 1962 and was written by Richard Meryman.

75. Aside from her millions of fans, had a staunch group of supporters affectionately known as, “The Monroe Six” who followed Marilyn around New York during her time there. Their nickname for Marilyn was, “Mazzie” and they became so acquainted that Marilyn actually once invited them for a picnic at her home.

76. First married at just sixteen years old, this was to avoid returning to the Orphanage she had spent almost two years in as a child.

77. Supported numerous charity events, most famously riding a pink elephant in Madison Square Garden, to support the Arthritis and Rheumatic Affections Association on March 30th 1955.

78. Left 25% of her Estate to her then Psychiatrist, Marianne Kris and 75% to mentor and friend, Lee Strasberg. For reference, her Will was last updated on January 1961 – a month before she entered the Payne Whitney Hospital on the advice of Marianne Kris.

79. At the time of it’s release, The Misfits (1961) turned out to be the most expensive black and white movie ever made, costing a budget of $4 million dollars.

80. The Premiere of The Seven Year Itch was held on her 29th Birthday, on June 1st 1955, she attended with ex Husband, Joe Dimaggio.

81. Laid to rest at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery on August 8th 1962 at 1:00 PM, with friend and mentor Lee Strasberg delivering the Eulogy.

82. Although so often associated with diamonds, actually wasn’t that fond of jewellery stating, “People always ask me if I believe diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Frankly, I don’t.”

83. Spent her 36th Birthday filming Something’s Got To Give (1962) and then attending a Charity Event for muscular dystrophy at the Chavez Ravin Dodger Stadium, which also happened to be her last public appearance.

84. Whilst recovering in hospital from an appendectomy in April 1952, Marilyn asked long time Makeup Artist and friend, Allan “Whitey” Snyder to do her makeup, should she pass before him. She gave him a gold money clip with the inscription, “Whitey Dear, while I’m still warm, Marilyn” and he did fulfill this promise to her.

85. Converted to Judaism for third husband, Arthur Miller on July 1st 1956.

86. Despite appearing in 30 films, she only actually dies in one, that being her breakout movie, Niagara (1953) where her character Rose Loomis, is strangled by her Husband George, played by Joseph Cotten.

87. Moved to New York City in 1955 and attended The Actors Studio, after breaking her Film Contract with 20th Century Fox. This was for a number of reasons, mainly years of low pay, unsatisfactory scripts and lack of creative control. A new contract would finally be reinstated on December 31st.

88. Repurchased a white Baby Grand Piano that her mother, Gladys, owned during their time living together in 1933. After Marilyn passed it would then be sold at the Christies Auction of her Estate in 1999 to none other than, Mariah Carey for $632,500.

89. Wore long hair pieces in River of No Return (1954) and a medium length wig in The Misfits (1961). The first I can only assume was due to the time period and setting of a Western and the second was due to the bleach damage her hair had suffered. After the filming in 1960, she wore the wig a couple of times in public events and then reverted back to her normal hair.

90. Like all students, it was tradition to perform in front of each other in The Actors Studio and on February 17th 1955, Marilyn acted out a scene from “Anna Christie” with Maureen Stapleton. Although it was an unwritten rule that students were not meant to applaud one another, an eruption of cheers and clapping happened after Marilyn had finished.

“Everybody who saw that says that it was not only the best work Marilyn ever did, it was some of the best work ever seen at Studio, and certainly the best interpretation of Anna Christie anybody ever saw. She achieved real greatness in that scene.”

– Actor Ellen Burstyn, on recalling Marilyn’s performance.

91. Used the pseudonym, “Zelda Zonk“, when trying to remain incognito.

92. Marilyn’s mother, Gladys Baker, suffered from Paranoid Schizophrenia and after various stays in institutions, was declared insane on January 15th 1935, when Marilyn was just 8 years old. After 10 years she was released and managed to retain various cleaning jobs and had developed an intense interest in Christian Science. However, by 1951 she was back in various institutions and would stay in the Rockhaven Sanitarium until 1967. Even after death, Marilyn continued to cover her mother’s care payments and Gladys would go on to outlive her for 22 years.

93. Favourite photograph of herself was taken by Cecil Beaton on February 22nd 1956.

94. Last professional photos were taken by Bert Stern, famously known as “The Last Sitting” for Vogue Magazine on June 23rd, July 10th and 12th 1962. Allan Grant took the LIFE Magazine interview pictures in her home, on July 4th and 9th 1962. Whilst George Barris took his photos for Cosmopolitan Magazine, the previous weekend on the 29th and 30th of June, until July 1st 1962. ______________________________________________________________________________

To those of you who took the time to read through all 3000+ words, thank you! It truly means more to me than you know and I really hope it’s shed some light on the truly special person Marilyn was and made you hold a good thought for her on her big day.

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Happy 94th Birthday Marilyn! Today is a very special day, it's Marilyn's Birthday! Can you believe that if she were still alive, Marilyn would have been turning 94 years old today - just two months younger than the Queen herself!

#1940s #1950s #1960s #angel #blonde bombshell #classic hollywood #hollywood #icon #legend #marilyn #marilyn monroe #norma jeane #norma jeane baker #old hollywood

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blackkudos · 5 years ago

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Canada Lee

Canada Lee (born Leonard Lionel Cornelius Canegata; March 3, 1907 – May 9, 1952) was an American actor who pioneered roles for African Americans. After careers as a jockey, boxer and musician, he became an actor in the Federal Theatre Project, most notably in a 1936 production of Macbeth adapted and directed by Orson Welles. Lee later starred in Welles's original Broadway production of Native Son (1941). A champion of civil rights in the 1930s and 1940s, Lee was blacklisted and died shortly before he was scheduled to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He furthered the African-American tradition in theatre pioneered by such actors as Paul Robeson. Lee was the father of actor Carl Lee.

Biography

Canada Lee was born Leonard Lionel Cornelius Canegata on March 3, 1907, in the San Juan Hill neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. His father, James Cornelius Lionel Canegata, was born on the Caribbean island of St. Croix, and as a youth had migrated to New York, where he married Lydia Whaley Gadsen. Raised by his parents in Harlem, Lee had an aptitude for music, and at age seven he began studying violin and piano with J. Rosamond Johnson at the Music School Settlement for Colored People. He made his concert debut at age 11, performing a student recital at Aeolian Hall. But after seven years of music studies, without explanation, he put away his violin and ran away from home. In 1921, aged 14, Lee went to Saratoga Springs, New York, and began a two-year career as a jockey.

Lee returned to his parents' home in Harlem in 1923 with no idea what he was going to do next. He considered returning to music, but an old school friend suggested that he try boxing. At one amateur match, fight announcer Joe Humphries saw the name "Canagata, Lee" on the card he was using. He tossed the card aside and instead announced "Canada Lee"—a name that Lee liked and adopted. In the amateur ring he won 90 out of 100 bouts and the national amateur lightweight title.

Lee turned pro at age 19, in October 1926, and became a favorite with audiences. At 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) and about 144 pounds (65 kg), he fought as a welterweight. His boxing statistics vary due to incomplete coverage and record keeping for the sport in the 1920s and 1930s. Boxing historian Donald R. Koss documents Lee having 60 bouts 1927–31, the majority of them taking place 1927–28. The New York Times reported that Lee had some 200 professional matches and lost only about 25.

During his victorious 10-round bout with Andy Divodi at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 1929, Lee was dealt a blow over his right ear that detached his retina. With treatment his vision could have been saved, but Lee feared losing his successful career and masked his injury. In time he lost all sight in his right eye. He quit professional boxing in 1933. Despite having made an estimated $90,000 during his boxing career (roughly equivalent to $1.7 million today), Lee was broke. "Just threw it away," Lee later said. Lee eventually lobbied for insurance, health care, financial consultation and retirement homes for fighters. "The average boxer possesses little education," he said in 1946. "If he winds up broke, he has no trade, no education and nobody to turn to."

As Lee's fighting career began to wind down, he put together a small dance band that played at obscure clubs. When an old friend, sportswriter Ed Sullivan, plugged him in his new entertainment column, Lee and his group began landing better engagements. His career as a bandleader peaked in 1933 when his group played at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem. The following year he opened his own small club, The Jitterbug, which he managed to operate for six months. When it closed he had no prospects, and his mother convinced him to simply get a job.

Acting

All my life I've been on the verge of something. I'm almost becoming a concert violinist and I run away to the races. I'm almost a good jockey and I go overweight. I'm almost a champion prizefighter and my eyes go bad. Now I've got it, now I've got what I'm going to be.

Lee discovered a love for Broadway theatre during his years as a prizefighter. He remembered Show Boat as the first stage production he ever saw: "A big, tough fighter, all muscle, just sobbing," he recalled.

His acting career began by accident in 1934. While at a YMCA to apply for a job as a laborer, Lee stumbled upon an audition in progress and was recognized by playwright Augustus Smith. Lee was invited to try out, and won a supporting role in Brother Mose, directed by Frank H. Wilson. Sponsored by New York's Civil Works Administration, the show toured the boroughs, playing at community centers and city parks into the fall of the year. In October 1934 Lee succeeded Rex Ingram in the Theatre Union's revival of Stevedore, which toured to Chicago, Detroit and other U.S. cities after its run on Broadway. It was his first professional role.

Lee then was cast in his first major role, that of Banquo, in the legendary Federal Theatre Project production of Macbeth (1936), adapted and directed by Orson Welles.

"I never would have amounted to anything in the theatre if it hadn't been for Orson Welles," Lee recalled. "The way I looked at acting, it was interesting and it was certainly better than going hungry. But I didn't have a serious approach to it until … I bumped into Orson Welles. He was putting on a Federal Theatre production of Macbeth with Negro players and, somehow, I won the part of Banquo. He rehearsed us for six solid months, but when the play finally went on before an audience, it was right—and it was a wonderful sensation, knowing it was right. Suddenly, the theatre became important to me. I had a respect for it, for what it could say. I had the ambition—I caught it from Orson Welles—to work like mad and be a convincing actor."

Macbeth was sold out for ten weeks at the Lafayette Theatre. After an additional two weeks on Broadway it toured the nation, including performances at the Texas Centennial Exposition in Dallas.

After five months in a supporting role, Lee succeeded Rex Ingram as the lead in the stage production Haiti (1938), portraying Haitian slave turned emperor Henri Christophe. One of the Federal Theatre Project's most popular productions, Haiti was seen by some 90,000 people at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem and at Boston's Copley Theatre.

In January 1939, with the end of the Federal Theatre Project, Lee won a role in Mamba's Daughters, a Broadway success that toured North America and returned to Broadway for another brief run in 1940. Lee took a break from the road tour to make his motion picture debut in Keep Punching (1939), a film about boxing. He made his radio debut as narrator of the weekly CBS jazz series Flow Gently, Sweet Rhythm (1940–41). As that regular series came to an end, he opened a restaurant at 102 West 136th Street, Canada Lee's Chicken Coop, which offered authentic South Carolina cuisine, jazz and blues. Lee kept it going despite chronic financial difficulties.

Lee played the lead role in the 1940 revival of Theodore Ward's Big White Fog. A 1938 Federal Theatre Project production, the play was remounted by the newly created Negro Playwrights Company, founded in New York by Ward, Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson, Theodore Browne, Richard Wright and Alain Locke.

Lee became a star overnight in his ultimate stage success, Native Son (1941), an adaptation of Richard Wright's novel staged on Broadway by Orson Welles. The show was a spectacular hit for both Welles and Lee, who starred in the initial New York run, a 19-month national tour, and a second run on Broadway with accessible ticket prices. "Mr. Lee's performance is superb," wrote Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times, who called him "certainly the best Negro actor of his time, as well as one of the best actors in this country." Wright also applauded the performance, noting the contrast between Lee's affable personality and his intensity as Bigger Thomas. The sympathetic portrayal of a black man driven to murder by racial hatred brought much criticism however, especially from the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and the Legion of Decency, and the ensuing pressure forced the play to close.

During World War II, Lee continued to act in plays and in films. In 1942, he played in two comedies by William Saroyan, and earned approving reviews despite the generally negative response to these plays. In 1943, his name was above the title on the marquee for South Pacific, a race-themed drama directed by Lee Strasberg that again was panned by critics but won Lee critical praise.

Perhaps Lee's most famous film role was in Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944), in which he played ship’s steward Joe Spencer, one of 8 men and women who survive the sinking of the freighter carrying them from New York to London and are joined in their lifeboat by a survivor of the crew of the U-boat that destroyed their vessel.

According to a June 22, 1943, Hollywood Reporter news item, Lee was the first actor cast for the film. The script was criticized for making Joe "too stereotypical". Lee testified that he attempted to round out the character by revising dialogue, primarily eliminating repeated "yessir"s and "nossir"s that sounded subservient, and cutting some actions. An NAACP critique of the film condemned the role of Joe and praised Lee’s performance. The Baltimore Afro-American's review, while commenting on the character's shortcomings, praised Lee's portrayal. Historian Rebecca Sklaroff, while writing in 2009 that Joe's role was more "tokenistic" than black roles in the wartime films Sahara and Bataan, noted that Joe was depicted as compassionate, dependable and heroic. He is the only one who resists the impulse of mob fury that leads the other characters to kill the German. He is the only character who steps forward to disarm the wounded German sailor rescued at the end of the film.

Lee's successful radio career continued with New World A-Comin', which made its debut in March 1944. He narrated the first two seasons of the groundbreaking WMCA radio series that presented Negro history and culture to mainstream American audiences.

He became the first African American to play Caliban, in Margaret Webster’s 1945 Broadway rendition of The Tempest. Lee had admired Shakespeare since his turn in Macbeth; indeed, at the time of his death he was preparing to play Othello on film.

In 1946, Lee played a principal role in On Whitman Avenue, a drama about racial prejudice directed by Margo Jones. Lee produced the play, making him the first African-American producer on Broadway. The play spoke directly to the need for interracial housing following World War II and won the praise of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who wrote weekly columns encouraging readers to see it.

In the autumn of 1946, Lee made American theatre history when he portrayed the villain Daniel de Bosola in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi. Presented in Boston and on Broadway, the production marked the first time a black actor had played a white role on the stage. Lee wore a special white paste that had been used medically, to cover burns and marks, but had never before been used in the theatre.

In 1947, he had a supporting role in Robert Rossen's Body and Soul, another boxing picture.

In 1948, Lee played his last stage role, that of a devoted slave in Set My People Free, Dorothy Heyward's drama based on the aborted 1822 slave revolt led by Denmark Vesey.

In 1949, he took a supporting role in Lost Boundaries, a drama based on William Lindsay White's book of the same title, a nonfiction account of Dr. Albert C. Johnston and his family, who passed for white while living in New England in the 1930s and 1940s.

Lee's last film appearance was the starring role of minister Stephen Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country (1951).

Civil rights activism

As an actor, Lee came into contact with many of the leading progressive figures in the country. Langston Hughes, for instance, wrote two brief plays for Lee; these were submitted to the Theater Project, but their criticism of racism in America was deemed too controversial, and neither was staged. Lee spoke to schools, sponsored various humanitarian events, and began speaking directly against the existing segregation in America's armed forces, while simultaneously acknowledging the need to win World War II. To this latter end, he appeared at numerous USO events; he won an award from the United States Recruiting Office and another from the Treasury Department for his help in selling war bonds. These sentiments would carry on throughout his life, culminating in his early firsthand account of apartheid in South Africa.

Lee was an early influence on physician and human rights activist H. Jack Geiger. They met in 1940 when Geiger, a 14-year-old middle-class Jewish runaway, was backstage at a Broadway production of Native Son. Lee agreed to take Geiger in when he showed up at his door in Harlem asking for a place to stay. With the consent of his parents, Geiger stayed with Lee for over a year. Lee took on the role of surrogate father and introduced Geiger to Langston Hughes, Billy Strayhorn, Richard Wright, and Adam Clayton Powell. Geiger eventually became a journalist, then a doctor who co-founded the first community health center in the United States, Columbia Point Health Center in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He became a founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility and Physicians for Human Rights, and established community health centers in Mississippi and South Africa. Geiger says he would never have moved so deeply in these worlds so quickly if not for his experiences with Canada Lee.

By the late 1940s, the rising tide of anti-communism had made many of Lee’s earlier contacts politically dangerous. In 1949, the trade journal Variety stated that under no circumstance was Lee to be used in American Tobacco’s televised production of a radio play he had recently starred in because he was "too controversial".

The same year, the FBI offered to clear Lee’s name if he would publicly call Paul Robeson a communist. Lee refused and responded by saying, "All you’re trying to do is split my race." According to newspaper columnist Walter Winchell, Lee stated that he intended to come out and "publicly blast Paul Robeson." However, the fact that the friendship between the two actors remained until Lee's death suggests that Robeson put no faith in Winchell's claim.

At the height of the Hollywood blacklist, Lee managed to find work in 1950 as the star of a British film Cry, The Beloved Country, for which both he and Sidney Poitier were smuggled into South Africa as indentured servants in order to play their roles as African ministers. During filming, Lee had his first heart attack, and he never fully recovered his health. The film’s message of universal brotherhood stands as Lee's final work towards this aim.

Being on the Hollywood blacklist prevented him from getting further work. Scheduled to appear in Italy to begin production on a filmed version of Othello, he was repeatedly notified that his passport "remained under review". Lee was reportedly to star as Bigger Thomas in the Argentine version of Native Son but was replaced in the role by Richard Wright, author of the novel, when Lee had to withdraw.

Family life

In December 1925, Lee married Juanita Eugenia Waller. On November 22, 1926, they had a son, Carl Vincent Canegata, who became actor Carl Lee. The couple separated while their son was young, and they were amicably divorced in 1942.

In 1934, Lee began a love affair with publisher and peace activist Caresse Crosby, despite the threat of miscegenation laws. They often had lunch in uptown New York in Harlem at the then-new restaurant "Franks", where they could maintain their secret relationship. When Lee was performing in Washington, D.C., during the 1940s, the only restaurant in the city where they could eat together was an African restaurant named the Bugazi. Crosby and Lee's intimate relationship continued into the mid-1940s.

In March 1951, Lee married Frances Pollack. They remained together until he died just over a year later.

Death

Lee died of a reported heart attack at the age of 45 on May 9, 1952, in Manhattan. It was later revealed by his widow, Frances Pollack, that he had been diagnosed with uremia and died of kidney disease, slipping into a coma and passing away 10 days after his diagnosis. He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.

#03/03 #05/09

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icubud · 4 years ago

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Historical truth about Democrats and Black Lives

Some history on lynchings in the USA

From 1882 to 1968, "...nearly 200 anti-lynching bills were introduced in Congress, and three passed the House. Seven presidents between 1890 and 1952 petitioned Congress to pass a federal law."[32] The Southern Democratic block in the Senate prevented the passage of any anti-lynching bill during this period. In 2005, by a resolution sponsored by senators Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and George Allen of Virginia, and passed by voice vote, the Senate made a formal apology for its failure to pass an anti-lynching law "when it was most needed".[32]

From the mid-1870s onward, violence rose as insurgent paramilitary groups in the Deep South worked to suppress black voting and turn Republicans out of office. In Louisiana, the Carolinas, and Florida especially, the Democratic Party relied on paramilitary "White Line" groups, such as the White Camelia, White League and Red Shirts to terrorize, intimidate and assassinate African-American and white Republicans in an organized drive to regain power. In Mississippi and the Carolinas, paramilitary chapters of Red Shirts conducted overt violence and disruption of elections. In Louisiana, the White League had numerous chapters; they carried out goals of the Democratic Party to suppress black voting. Grant's desire to keep Ohio in the Republican aisle and his attorney general's maneuvers led to a failure to support the Mississippi governor with Federal troops.[51] The campaign of terror worked. In Yazoo County, Mississippi, for instance, with an African-American population of 12,000, only seven votes were cast for Republicans in 1874. In 1875, Democrats swept into power in the Mississippi state legislature.[51]

Once Democrats regained power in Mississippi, Democrats in other states adopted the Mississippi Plan to control the election of 1876, using informal armed militias to assassinate political leaders, hunt down community members, intimidate and turn away voters, and effectively suppress African-American suffrage and civil rights. In state after state, Democrats swept back to power.[52] From 1868 to 1876, there were 50–100 lynchings annually.

Conclusions of numerous studies since the mid-20th century have found the following variables affecting the rate of lynchings in the South: "lynchings were more numerous where the African American population was relatively large, the agricultural economy was based predominantly on cotton, the white population was economically stressed, the Democratic Party was stronger, and multiple religious organizations competed for congregants."[57]

From 1896 until 1900, the House of Representatives with a Republican majority had acted in more than thirty cases to set aside election results from Southern states where the House Elections Committee had concluded that "black voters had been excluded due to fraud, violence, or intimidation". However, in the early 1900s, it began to back off, after Democrats won a majority, which included Southern delegations that were solidly in Democratic hands.

The NAACP mounted a strong nationwide campaign of protests and public education against The Birth of a Nation. As a result, some city governments prohibited the release of the film. In addition, the NAACP publicized production and helped create audiences for the 1919 releases, The Birth of a Race and Within Our Gates, African-American-directed films that presented more positive images of blacks.

On April 1, 1918, U.S. Representative Leonidas C. Dyer of St. Louis, Missouri, introduced the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Dyer was concerned over increased lynching, mob violence, and disregard for the "rule of law" in the South. The bill made lynching a federal crime, and those who participated in lynching would be prosecuted by the federal government. It did not pass due to a Southern filibuster, and the Senate would not pass anti-lynching legislation until 2018 (the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act).

On 1919, the new NAACP organized the National Conference on Lynching to increase support for the Dyer Bill.

In 1920, the black community succeeded in getting its most important priority in the Republican Party's platform at the National Convention: support for an anti-lynching bill. The black community supported Warren G. Harding in that election, but were disappointed as his administration moved slowly on a bill.[95]

Dyer revised his bill and re-introduced it to the House in 1921. It passed the House on January 22, 1922, due to "insistent country-wide demand",[95] and was favorably reported out by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Action in the Senate was delayed, and ultimately the Democratic Solid South filibuster defeated the bill in the Senate in December.[96] In 1923, Dyer went on a midwestern and western state tour promoting the anti-lynching bill; he praised the NAACP's work for continuing to publicize lynching in the South and for supporting the federal bill. Dyer's anti-lynching motto was "We have just begun to fight," and he helped generate additional national support. His bill was defeated twice more in the Senate by Southern Democratic filibuster. The Republicans were unable to pass a bill in the 1920s.[97]

Southern Senators continued to hold a hammerlock on Congress. Because of the Southern Democrats' disfranchisement of African Americans in Southern states at the start of the 20th century, Southern whites for decades had nearly double the representation in Congress beyond their own population. Southern states had Congressional representation based on total population, but essentially only whites could vote and only their issues were supported. Due to seniority achieved through one-party Democratic rule in their region, Southern Democrats controlled many important committees in both houses. Southern Democrats consistently opposed any legislation related to putting lynching under Federal oversight. As a result, Southern white Democrats were a formidable power in Congress until the 1960s.

In 1947, the Truman administration published a report entitled To Secure These Rights which advocated making lynching a federal crime, abolishing poll taxes, and other civil rights reforms. The Southern Democratic bloc of senators and congressmen continued to obstruct attempts at federal legislation.[107]

Under the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department tried, but failed, to prosecute lynchers under Reconstruction-era civil rights laws. The first successful federal prosecution of a lyncher for a civil rights violation was in 1946. By that time, the era of lynchings as a common occurrence had ended. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. succeeded in gaining House passage of an anti-lynching bill, but it was defeated in the Senate, still dominated by the Southern Democratic bloc, supported by its disfranchisement of blacks.

Source

#BLM #history #learn #liars #democratic party #DNC party of death and hate #truth

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47burlm · 5 years ago

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A "pioneer" of the deepest order

Donna M. Tobias (May 22, 1952 – September 21, 2010) was an American diver. She was the United States Navy's first female deep sea diver. Upon enlisting in the Navy in March 1974, she inquired a Navy recruiter about the possibility of her becoming a diver. Her question was immediately shot down as “women can’t get in [to dive school],” and she chose to focus on shipfitting and hull technician.While working as a shipfitter and hull technician for the Navy, she applied for a waiver to attend dive school. She was required to get permission from The Pentagon before being assigned to training in Norfolk. At the age of 21, she applied to the Navy 2nd Class Diving School and was accepted two days before the program started in January 1975.During training, she was required to dive while carrying more than 200 pounds of gear in dark, cold or turbulent water. Despite this, Tobias became the first woman to graduate from the Navy Deep Sea Diving School and went on to work with the Navy search and salvage operations. However, she was still limited opportunities due to her gender. She was unable to join sea duty billets so she accepted a position as an instructor at the Submarine Escape Training Tank at Submarine Naval Base in New London.Tobias also worked within the hyperbaric chamber to treat divers suffering embolisms and civilians suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning and gangrene. Retired Master Diver Steven Lechner believed Tobias was the first woman to teach in the escape tank. Her brother Gary was also enrolled in the army, and she was his instructor at the diving school on base. After eight years in the Navy, Tobias earned her bachelor's degree in education and a master's in psychology and taught special-education classes at New London High School. In 2001, she was inducted into the Women Diver's Hall of Fame.However, at the age of 58, Tobias committed suicide due to depression on September 21, 2010. In 2018, the Naval Submarine Base New London unveiled a dive locker named after Tobias

She was the first woman- and Carl Brashear was the first man of color

Carl Maxie Brashear (January 19, 1931 – July 25, 2006) was a highly decorated United States Navy sailor. He was a U.S. Navy master diver, rising to the position in 1970 having an amputated left leg. The film Men of Honor was based on his life.

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bondenargentina · 6 years ago

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“James Bond: Los superhombres están entre nosotros” [Primera Plana, 19.04.1966]

Cinco mil años atrás, los egipcios organizaron un óptimo servicio secreto e incluyeron el espionaje entre las ciencias ocultas. Durante el reinado del faraón Thutmose III, un capitán llamado Thute introdujo 200 soldados en Jafa, disimulándolos bajo un cargamento de harina, gracias a los informes de sus agentes. En la Ilíada, Homero canta a una de las obras maestras del espionaje: el Caballo de Troya. En el siglo XV, Juana de Arco fue traicionada por el Obispo Pierre Cauchon de Beauvais, un espía pagado por los ingleses. Pero las complejidades de la guerra moderna crearon divisiones dentro de esa ciencia vasta y deleznable.

El espionaje político, por ejemplo, persigue informaciones sobre industria, agricultura, comercio, trabajo, transportes y, por supuesto, política. En su ensayo La sociedad desnuda, Vance Packard analiza cómo las grandes corporaciones de USA establecieron hasta con los baños una vigilancia de sus empleadas y obreras a través de micrófonos ocultos. Pero fue Joseph Fouché, ministro de Policía de Napoleón, el verdadero inventor de la estrategia que luego heredaría James Bond: durante el Consulado y el Imperio consiguió desbaratar todos los complots contra su príncipe.

En el terreno militar, el privilegio de la creación suele adjudicarse a Federico el Grande, quien estableció un sólido cuerpo de agentes separado en cuatro categorías: los espías comunes, proletarios y campesinos que pretendían así ganarse algún dinero extra; los espías dobles, que trabajaban simultáneamente para potencias enemigas y cuya misión era confundir al adversario; los de alto rango, oficiales del Ejército, nobles y embajadores, que cobraban sueldos altísimos; y los espías a la fuerza, por lo general jefes de pueblos conquistados que debían pasar datos contra su voluntad. Federico solía decir: "El mariscal de Soubise es siempre seguido por cien cocineros; a mí me preceden cien espías".

La Primera Guerra tuvo su heroína del espionaje, Mata Hari, glorificada después por Greta Garbo y Jeanne Moreau; es curioso que su entregador fuera el agente alemán Walter W. Canaris a quien Hitler concedió el rango de almirante y designó jefe de la Inteligencia Exterior, a las órdenes de von Ribbentrop.

A fines de la Segunda Guerra, los escarceos bélicos entre la Unión Soviética y los Estados Unidos se concentraron en sus propias centrales de espionaje: la terrible NKVD, con sede En Moscú, era conducida por el mariscal Beba (a su muerte, en 1953, fue reorganizada y rebautizada como KVD); la CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) se fundó en 1947 y prosperó luego a las órdenes de Allen Dulles; un año después de su nacimiento, un sensacional caso de espionaje se ventiló en USA: Whittaker Chambers, ex comunista, denunció que Alger Hiss, funcionario del Departamento de Estado, pasaba informes a la NKVD.

Nace el Superhombre

Toda esa rara secta de próceres más o menos embozados encontró, por fin, hace 14 años, un semidiós que los resumía: fue en la primavera de 1952 cuando Ian Lancaster Fleming, ex agente del Naval Intelligence británico, escribía las páginas iniciales de Casino Royale e introducía al personaje James Bond en el universo de los mitos. El parto se consumó apaciblemente en una de las islas del Caribe: Ocarabesa, en Jamaica.

La semana pasada, Buenos Aires se sacudía a su vez con las consecuencias de ese acto sereno pero artero: en la sala del Gran Rex se estrenaba Operación Trueno, el cuarto film de la serie Bond, y los 83 mil espectadores convocados durante los primeros siete días de exhibición festejaban con carcajadas o silbidos la indemnidad de este nuevo Superhombre. Más de doce años tardó esa glorificación en trasladarse de Londres a las playas sudamericanas: en 1953, uno de los clubes londinenses consagrados a la adoración de Bond —con 1.200 socios— libró batalla En Sobo contra una banda de eduardianos que hablan tratado de mancillar al héroe; treinta muchachos terminaron en el hospital. El 17 de abril de 1963, el Gran Rex de Buenos Aires cerraba la primera semana de exhibiciones de El satánico doctor No con una recaudación apenas superior al medio millón de pesos y un total de 10.803 espectadores; Bond se reivindicó el 22 de mayo de 1965, cuando el primer balance semanal de Goldfinger (Dedos de oro, tercer film del ciclo) reveló la asistencia de 52.429 personas y un ingreso de 5.429.022 pesos, excluidos los impuestos.

Entre el sábado y el domingo últimos, no menos de sesenta espectadores consultados por esta revista parecían estar dispuestos a fundar un Club de Amor a Bond o a inscribirse en los que hubiera. Todavía extasiada por los recursos que acaba de exponer el ídolo, Adriana Divarian, de 45 años, madre de tres hijos, admitió que Sean Connery, el escocés que encarna a Bond, "representa el ideal masculino" y que el propio personaje es algo así como un soplo de Dios. "Lástima que trate tan mal a las mujeres —suspiró—. Ojalá cambie algún día." Miguel Bersaiz, un estudiante de arquitectura de 20 años, explicó: "Admiro su seducción. Pero lo que más me fascina son sus rasgos de sadismo". Tulio Suárez, de 31 años, agente publicitario, opinó que Bond "sintetizaba todas nuestras ansias, pese a lo sobrenatural e increíble que es, pensándolo un poco".

Es posible que nadie lo piense demasiado; de otro modo no podría explicarse que la ficción propuesta por Ian Lancaster Fleming golpee tanto la realidad, se entronque con ella en un juego de siniestros mimetismos. Cuando en 1957 un periódico inglés que folletinizó la novela De Rusia con amor incluyó una variante en el final e insinuó que James Bond habla muerto, la redacción del diario fue acosada por centenares de iracundos que exigían una retractación. Asediado por las protestas, Fleming tuvo que demandar al periódico por daños, y dar fe de que 007 estaba sano y salvo. Desde que Arthur Conan Doyle decidió eliminar a Sherlock Holmes (a manos de Moriarty, un símil del señor Goldfinger), no se repetía un fenómeno semejante. Esta vez, en cambio, los admiradores de Bond no se contentan con su supervivencia: se apoyan en él para extraer sus propios beneficios.

Los provechos no consisten sólo en copiar sus desplantes y en drogarse a su conjuro. Los security men de Inglaterra pidieron aumento de sueldos invocando los riesgos a que están expuestos. En una revista del sindicato de empleados estatales escribieron: "Se debe pensar que verdaderamente estos hombres viven una vida de James Bond y que están de servicio incluso cuando descansan. Cobran actualmente 900 libras esterlinas al año como máximo; deben vestir con mucho decoro, si no tan rebuscadamente como el famoso personaje de Fleming; deben también afrontar gastos excepcionales y están expuestos a continuas insidias".

Otro ejemplo: Allen Dulles, jefe de la Central Intelligence Agency, confesó a un redactor de Life que desde que Jacqueline Kennedy puso en sus manos un libro de Fleming, se interesó cada vez más en los ingenios técnicos de 007: "Por ejemplo —reconoció—, el artefacto que Bond instala en los automóviles de sus adversarios para seguir su itinerario, inclusive a muchos kilómetros de distancia. Encomendé a nuestros expertos el estudio en el laboratorio de un aparejo semejante".

Los comerciantes, a su vez, no vacilan en exprimir la historia bondista, y, en París y Nueva York, abarrotan el mercado con batas celestes —el color que más sienta a Connery— y nuevos modelos de prendas sport. Con todo, el regalo más apreciado por los neoyorquinos, en la Navidad de 1964, resultó una réplica de la valija diplomática que Bond lució en De Rusia, y que Macy's vendió por centenares. A mediados del 65, cuando su fama había impregnado todos los estratos sociales y atrapado a los fanáticos del cine, la marca del champagne preferido de Bond, Taittinger, aumentó su venta en un 40 por ciento con respecto al año anterior, y en un 30 por ciento las importaciones de su vodka favorito. Los cuerpos casi desnudos de sus amigas (Ursula Andress, Daniella Bianchi) ilustraron las páginas de las lujosas publicaciones que exaltaban el fiction's sexiest Bond.

El éxito de las películas de Bond no es, sin embargo, sino el efecto directo que provocaron las trece novelas de la serie, clausurada por la muerte de su autor en 1964. Hasta el año pasado se habían vendido 25 millones de ejemplares de esas trece novelas, traducidas a dieciocho lenguas, incluidas el catalán y el turco. La cifra equivale a la edición total de las obras de Balzac y a todas las de Hemingway. En mitad de ese boom, es posible que John F. Kennedy haya contribuido a engrosar el torrente de adeptos cuando, en conferencia de prensa, situó a Fleming entre sus autores de cabecera y a From Russia entre las diez obras que salvarían a la humanidad del desastre atómico. Curiosamente, Kennedy y Lee Oswald, su presunto asesino, tenían gustos análogos. Semanas antes del crimen, Oswald tomó prestadas de la biblioteca pública de Dallas todas las historias de 007.

La semana pasada, en el vestíbulo del Gran Rex, la mitad de los espectadores confrontados no habían leído una sola novela de Fleming, pero casi todos prometieron una inmediata adhesión literaria, Cabría determinar, pues, los niveles de predominio: hasta qué punto Connery es Bond, o Bond es Connery.

El vicario de 007

Pero no, Connery y Bond no se parecen realmente, salvo por sus ascendentes escoceses. Hijo de un obrero textil de Edimburgo, Sean Connery abandonó la escuela a los 13 años para ganarse una vida muy dura como lustrador de ataúdes, salvavidas, marinero, modelo, boxeador de peso liviano, aprendiz de impresor y, finalmente, como comediante de cuarto orden en una compañía de comedias musicales que cantaba South Pacific. En 1957 tuvo que optar entre ser un centro delantero profesional o un actor aceptable. Resolvió inscribirse en una escuela de arte dramático y estudiar esforzadamente: al cabo de un año, lo citaron para pequeños papeles y luego consiguió encaramarse como primera figura en los teatros provinciales de Inglaterra. Los fantasmas de Shakespeare (Macbeth, Hotspur) vivieron bajo su piel más veces que James Bond.

A los 26 años recaló por fin en el cine, contratado por la Fox, pero sólo para languidecer en una retahíla de films mediocres que culminaron con una pequeña parte en El día más largo.

Poco antes, Fleming había cedido, por fin, a las melosas presiones de los productores Harry Saltzman, canadiense, y Albert Cubby Broccoli, norteamericano, y consintió en venderles los derechos de sus novelas. Elegido en un referéndum, esa mera debilidad del novelista, ante el dinero que le prometía el cine, cambió la vida de Connery. Desde entonces trató de entender quién era Bond: "Fleming me contó —dijo el actor— que, al concebir el personaje, 007 era un simple instrumento de la policía, muy recto, sencillo, distante de cualquier forma de ingenio; en suma, un funcionario capaz de cumplir con su trabajo al pie de la letra. El snobismo del autor, sin embargo, acabó por transferirse al héroe".

La vida de Connery no cambió demasiado desde entonces, salvo por el hecho de que sus ingresos ascendieron de 18 mil dólares (la cifra que le pagaron por El satánico doctor No) a un millón. Sigue casado con Diane Cilento, conviviendo con un hijo de ella y otro hijo de los dos, cocinando su goulash y ensillando sus caballos. Pero mientras tanto, los imitadores cundieron.

Los hijos de Bond

A fines de 1964, la certeza de que Bond era sinónimo de oro tentó irresistiblemente a los productores de Cinecittá, en Roma: con apuro, encomendaron algunos plagios paródicos y se los endilgaron a Totó (007, de China con tenor) y a Vittorio Gassman (Slalom). En esas dos empresas invirtieron medio millón de dólares, pero los artefactos de cartón que montaron en torno de sus personajes ahuyentaron al público. El negocio resultó un fiasco, y los pequeños Bond que nacieron en los meses siguientes ya no se exportaron de Italia. Por entonces, Saltzman y Broccoli gastaron tres millones de dólares en la filmación de Goldfinger, y eso convenció a los competidores de que para acabar con Bond hacían falta juguetes caros y actores caros. Sólo Hollywood estaba en condiciones de librar semejante batalla.

En la primavera de 1965, por lo menos cuatro imitadores ingratos de 007 ya parecían listos para salir a estrangularlo: sus nombres eran Napoleon Solo, Derek Flint, Matt Helm y Modesty Blaise. Un detalle los unía al Padre Todopoderoso: o defendían una sigla, o combatían contra una sigla. El enemigo de Bond era SPECTRE; Solo, agente de la UNCLE, enfrentaba al agente TRUSH; Flint, miembro de ZOWIE, se oponía a GALAXIE; Modesty Blaise ponía los bandidos de su equipo FILET al servicio de Su Graciosa Majestad. Sólo Matt Helm sigue oscilante, todavía, entre depender de la CIA o fundar su clan propio.

Los otros elementos comunes son el sexo y las armas secretas; al Aston Martin de usos múltiples imaginado por el novelista Ian Fleming, los creadores de Flint oponen un encendedor que cumple 82 funciones (revólver, máquina fotográfica, soplete, contador geiger, microscopio, rayo laser, radio-emisora) y hasta una función extra, si el caso lo exige: la de encendedor propiamente dicho. Helm dispone de un revólver que dispara hacia atrás y viste un saco cuyos botones son cartuchos de dinamita; Modesty Blaise, extraída por el realizador Joseph Losey de una tira cómica que se publica en The Evening Standard, emplea un encendedor lanzallamas, un vaporizador de perfume que puede convertirse en máscara de oxígeno y un lápiz de labios que dispara flechas; pero ninguno de sus argumentos es más fuerte que the Nailer, el Inmovilizador, un cierre relámpago en el rompevientos de Modesty, que al abrirse deja sus pechos al descubierto e inmoviliza a los enemigos.

Es en el territorio sexual donde se despliegan los mayores refinamientos: a gloria de Bond consiste en su aptitud para vencer la resistencia de mujeres asexuadas o francamente lesbianas (como la Pussy Galore de Goldfinger); sus herederos no parecen tener otro remedio que apelar a la mecanización del amor. La eficacia de Napoleon Solo se mide por el número de mujeres que se le rinden (una decena en su última aventura, El espía con mi cara); la de Flint, por una cama de cinco plazas donde se tiende con cuatro fidelísimas amigas. Matt Helm, en cambio, duerme en un vasto diván circular y móvil que le permite estar siempre cerca de sus juguetes mecánicos: al despertarse, el diván atraviesa el cuarto, y el tabique que da a un jardín desaparece; luego, el colchón se levanta y desliza a Helm hacia una piscina cuidada por una graciosa náyade. Es la apoteosis del reposo del guerrero. Pero además, como Modesty Blaise, Helm confía en sus talentos naturales: lava y cepilla a su enjambre de admiradoras, las divierte con un sofisticado strip-tease y les canta en voz baja. Como se define a sí mismo, es el espía que viene del show.

Sin embargo, la erudición de estos semidioses en disciplinas aparentemente inútiles es lo que más impresiona al público. Bond puede reconocer hasta por el tacto el año de cosecha de un Dom Périgord o de un Pommery; Flint distingue la diferencia que hay entre dos platos de bouillabaisse por los miligramos extra de ajo que le añaden los taberneros marselleses; Modesty Blaise conoce al dedillo las fórmulas químicas de todos los perfumes posibles.

Los presupuestos bajos que el cine francés o el italiano consagraban a estos devoradores superhombres acabó por excluirlos de ese nuevo Mercado Común que se llama Club Atómico, Club de Vuelos Espaciales o Club de los Grandes Espías. Tampoco la estrategia de resucitar a Fantomas o de armar a Lemmy Caution con versos de Paul Eluard (en Alohaville) dio el menor resultado. Pero el combate de los hijos de Bond contra su Padre Todopoderoso no se libraba sólo en el campo de los efectos especiales, de las escenografías gigantescas o del lujo visual. A principios del 85, se convirtió también en un problema de estrategia empresaria.

El actor que iba a encarnar a Bond fue elegido por Saltzman y Cubby Broccoli mediante un referéndum que propició el Daily Express en Londres: se publicaron las fotografías de diez jóvenes comediantes británicos y se instó a los lectores a elegir. Una mayoría del 62 por ciento optó por Sean Connery; el segundo clasificado, un tal Terence Cooper, consiguió sólo el 7 por ciento. Cuando tuvo que designar al intérprete de su primer semidiós, Derek Flint, la Columbia concentró su referéndum en Los Angeles y aceptó al sofisticado cowboy que habían seleccionado los diez mil californianos encuestados: James Coburn. Los expertos habían decidido que Flint fuese un personaje paródico, capaz de ridiculizar a Bond con sus propias armas. Pero los resultados fueron inesperados: en el primer mes de exhibición, el éxito de Flint era arrasador, casi igual al de Bond. Pero después de ese tope, el público parecía fatigarse. Fue entonces cuando se pensó en Matt Helm, un play-boy del espionaje creado por Donald Hamilton. La Columbia eligió el cuarto libro de la serie Helm, The Silencers (Los silenciadores), y encomendó el papel a Dean. Martin. Como explicaron sus agentes de relaciones públicas, la lucha contra Bond iba a librarse ahora en todos los campos: un actor famoso contra otro, un presupuesto de 6 millones de dólares contra los 5 y medio de Operación trueno. Pero el punto de partida para el ataque no se había modificado: Helm salía con la misma consigna de Flint, derrotar a Bond por el ridículo.

Más miel para los dioses

En los tiempos de Dashiell Hammett y de Eric Ambler —poco antes de la Segunda Guerra—, el espía o el detective privado eran apenas seres duros, capaces de incurrir en el Mal. Ian Fleming agregó a esas cualidades la certidumbre de que un espía puede ser todopoderoso, salvo ante la Reina o ante su jefe. La omnipotencia encandiló a los lectores, les despertó una sed que ni siquiera James Bond podía saciar: según los sociólogos, la avalancha de espías-semidioses se debió no tanto a que encarnaban los Sueños de las Masas sino a una simple condición humana, el hubris o ciega seguridad de uno mismo.

Los ojos devoradores de aventuras consiguieron que el género del espionaje prosperara y arrasara el mercado. El más importante de los novelistas que surgió a la zaga de Fleming (y su real contracara) es el británico John Le Carré, seudónimo de David John Moore Cornwell, un funcionario del Foreign Office que nació en 1931. La fama de Le Carré se consolidó con su tercera novela, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (El espía que no vuelve, 1963), una historia ambientada en el Berlín de la Guerra Fría, cuya versión cinematográfica acaba de estrenarse en los Estados Unidos. El clima de sordidez y desvalimiento en que se mueve Alee Leamas, el viejo agente de Spy, quizá tenga dos antecedentes: Raíces en el fango (Confidential Report, 1956, de Orson Welles), y Los espías (Les espions, 1957, de H. G. Clouzot).

Para Le Carré, el espía es un hombre común, ni atleta ni buen mozo, ni patriótico ni buscador de gloria. Elige su oficio por rutina, por necesidad de dinero. Son parte de ese suburbio de la sociedad en el que también entran los delincuentes. En el caso inglés (los antihéroes de Le Carré están, como Bond, al servicio de la Reina), esos espías denostados, arrojados al infierno por la sociedad, sometidos a la soledad y al miedo, desvalidos de armas electrónicas o complicados equipos, trabajan para God, King and Country. Las culpas no son transferidas a los espías, simples empleados del Mal, sino a quienes fabrican, inventan y mantienen las redes del espionaje. El espejo de los espías (1965, su última novela; las otras fueron Llamada para el muerto, 1961, y A Murder of Quality. 1962) es el más violento anatema contra el espionaje, como institución, que se haya escrito. Para Le Cerré, cada caso es una auténtica tragedia, y por lo tanto se niega a toda trampa. Su grandeza debe buscarse, ante todo, en el hecho de que el Mal asume la forma de un laberinto del que es imposible escapar: y en tal sentido, más que un heredero de Fleming, Le Carré puede ser visto como un epígono de Kafka.

Otro de los novelistas uncidos al aluvión es Len Deighton, cuya columna sobre recetas de cocinas aparece en The Observen de Londres. Menos afecto que Le Cerré a la disciplina que exige el oficio de narrar en serio, Deighton ya ha vendido un millón y medio de ejemplares de sus cuatro novelas y sus das recetarios. El dúo de productores Saltzman-Broccoli (que monopolizó definitivamente el mercado del espionaje al lanzar también al actor Michael Caine en The Ipcress File, otra obra de Deighton) acaba de comprar en un cuarto de millón de dólares los derechos cinematográficos de The BiIlion Dolar Brain, una novela que el Daily Express está publicando en folletín.

Los esquemas de Deighton son siempre iguales: un agente bohemio, joven, que ejerce el espionaje por azar y cuya apariencia es la de un tonto, se ve envuelto en casos importantes, y lo que es más grave, los esclarece. Deighton enfila su humor contra los jefes de los servicios secretos, flemáticos caballeros ingleses que dirigen sus oficinas como empleos burocráticos y que obligan a los espías a llenar fatigosas planillas diarias, con el resumen cronológico de sus movimientos, sólo para que justifiquen los horarios asignados. Deighton escribe con tres máquinas a la vez, en su casa de Southwark, y ha terminado por convertirse en un empresario: tiene una compañía de viajes (la Trinity Travel Co.), una casa en Portugal que suele prestar a otros escritores cuando él no la ocupa, y una editorial en formación, la Hemisphere Publications, cuyo primer volumen será el Deighton Dictionary, una enciclopedia con voces cockney y hasta malas palabras del slang vietnamita.

Dentro de este cortejo gigantesco, cuyo primer Padre fue Mickey Spillane (un narrador lleno de una fuerza grosera, elemental), son los burladores, los parodistas, quienes parecen alcanzar la mayor repercusión. Hace una década, Graham Greene ocupaba los ocios de un espía haciéndolo copiar los planos de una aspiradora (en Nuestro hombre en La Habana); en 1936, el detective Sam Spade, inventado por Dashiell Hammett, se farsaba de los expedientes policiales y convenía en que la única arma posible contra el mal era el mal. El intento de Greene era francamente satírico, un áspero dardo contra los servicios de Inteligencia británicos; de la misma manera, los personajes de Flint o Matt Helm son ridiculizaciones de Bond. Pero el caso de Sam Spade, el de los espías de Le Carré, es de un orden moral: luchan por quien les paga o por interés propio, no por obedecer a una abstracta idea de justicia. En la práctica, son agudamente asociales.

Bond se les distingue por su extrema insensibilidad, salvo ante el alcohol; por su increíble fortuna sexual, por sus contactos frecuentes con la alta burguesía. Sólo Spillane sobrelleva juegos parecidos con las mujeres: en The Flier, el violento Mickey dispone de una joven morena, vista de espalda, que se cubre apenas con un corpiño y una falda a punto de caer; en Dedos de oro, Bond asiste a la muerte de una amante dorada, desnuda, yaciendo boca abajo. Es verdaderamente el sexo lo que mejor prueba la calidad de la miel segregada por estos semidioses.

Las mujeres de Bond

En una entrevista para Playboy, el actor Sean Connery admitió que tenía "sólo cierta experiencia con las mujeres. Pero nunca las perseguí sádicamente, como James Bond. Por supuesto, el apetito por las chicas lindas es algo que no se pierde, aunque ahora también me fascina la conversación de los hombres. Y algo más: no siento una avidez retrospectiva por las mujeres de mi pasado". Esa imagen de buen burgués británico está en las antípodas del semidiós 007, con quien Connery suele, (muy a su pesar) ser confundido.

Para Bond, el único entendimiento posible con las mujeres es de índole sexual. Sus tres amantes casadas abastecen semanalmente todas sus exigencias sádicas: toleran que las abandone, que las castigue, que les dispense una melancólica frase de despedida. Pero el Bond típico se revela en sus relaciones ocasionales: la historia que él quisiera vivir le fue narrada por su amigo Darko Kerim, y está transcripta en De Rusia con amor. Cuenta la captura de una muchacha en Besarabia:

La había ganado en una pelea con algunos gitanos, aquí, en las colinas que crecen a, espaldas de Estambul. Me persiguieron, pero conseguí meterla en un bote. Primero tuve que desmayarla de un golpe. Todavía trataba de matarme cuando volvimos a Trebizonda, de modo que la llevé a mi casa, le quité toda la ropa y la mantuve encadenada, desnuda, debajo de la mesa. Cuando comía, me acostumbré a tirarle algunas sobras, como se hace con los perros. Ella tenía que aprender quién era el amo...

Siempre las mujeres de Bond irrumpen imprevistamente, desde un lugar lejano, y desaparecen de modo misterioso, como un desprendimiento de la carne. Los dos ejemplos extremos son Honeychile, la pescadora de caracoles de El satánico doctor No, cuyo magnetismo se concentraba íntegramente en su nariz quebrada, y Solitaire, de Vivir y dejar morir, que, oculta bajo sus tocas negras, puede leer el pensamiento y sentir el pasado y el futuro de los hombres a través del vudú.

Las únicas excepciones a las relaciones lascivas de Bond con las mujeres son las secretarias del Servicio Secreto. Llevan nombres plausibles: Leolia Ponsonby, Mary Goddnight, Moneypenny. Todas son hijas de familias honorables, que se sacrificaron durante la guerra, y por lo tanto no hay el menor riesgo de que traicionen a la Madre Inglaterra, vendiendo secretos al enemigo. La idea británica al respecto señala que si provinieran de hogares más humildes, la tentación no podría resistirse.

Según Kingsley Amis, autor de The James Bond Dossier, el agente no trata de seducir a estas ejemplares matronas porque delante de M, jefe del Servicio Secreto, siente que se reduce "su normalmente alta potencia sexual". Amis también conjetura que Bond es un adulador de M, y por lo tanto no se atrevería a contrariarlo. En el fondo, el agente 007 intuye que su jefe ejerce droits de seigneur sobre las secretarias y no toleraría ninguna usurpación de sus predios.

Esa falta de autenticidad en las relaciones del personaje con las mujeres acaban por minarlo: los rastros de pesadumbre ya son muy acentuados en You Only Live Twice, el penúltimo libro escrito por Fleming. La historia acontece en Japón, luego de un período en el que Bond vivió borracho todo el tiempo. Sin insistir demasiado en la descripción, el novelista desliza la idea de un semidiós caído, cuyas manos temblorosas sólo se ocupan de mezclar whiskies y vodkas. Su ropa está descuidada y su camisa llena de arrugas. No sólo tiene muy poco dinero: también las mujeres ya no lo toman en cuenta.

Para vencer el miedo

Bond es un hombre sin identidad y sin proyecto, con la impostura típica del psicópata en el que todo afecto es congelado. En plena Guerra Fría, aparece como uno de los pocos personajes capaces de mantener un inestable equilibrio entre dos mundos en tensión. En el contexto de la llamada revolución capitalista o neocapitalismo (una ideología que se estructura al amparo de la automación, aunque mantiene el carácter monopolista del capitalismo tradicional), Bond asume tres papeles: agente secreto, saboteador y depositario de un permiso para matar. En el fondo es también un funcionario contratado para inmovilizar el capital de un grupo contrario a su bloque (sean norteamericanos, franceses o soviéticos). Esa actitud de mero funcionario se esclarece al advertir que Bond trabaja en el área de pequeños grupos, siempre con un líder o jefe (M), con una estrategia, una táctica, una técnica y una logística en forma de código: su papel no está del todo institucionalizado, y se le permite sólo un escaso índice de espontaneidad y creatividad.

Tanto él como su mundo inmediato son manejados a distancia: vive en un clima cibernético, esto es, enajenado, reducido a la función de un instrumento. Si deja crecer su iniciativa personal tiende invariablemente al fracaso. Detrás de todo ese andamiaje subyace el gran miedo a un enfrentamiento atómico entre USA y la URSS, cuyas consecuencias catastróficas son imprevisibles. El sociólogo C. Wright Milis había sostenido que "la Tercera Guerra Mundial está en preparación y será librada fríamente en nombre del Estado soberano, por las élites mandatarias de las dos superpotencias, con la aquiescencia del público y las masas y las abstenciones de los políticos e intelectuales". Así, pues, Bond no sólo trabaja en la Guerra Fría sino también en el incubamiento de la otra: quizá sea su imagen, con la Beretta pegada al rostro, la señal más rotunda de esta época temerosa, una imagen más sádica y abominable que la del hongo atómico que la engendró.

¿Quién es James Bond?

El cine y las tiras cómicas —pero sobre todo las biografías apócrifas— han disuelto en una especie de confusa nube la historia de James Bond, su carácter, sus gustos, el dinero que gana y hasta las cosechas de vino que prefiere. Como ocurre con todo mito, 1a anatomía de un semidiós se modifica siempre según la interpretación de sus adoradores. En este caso, mientras sobrevivan los trece libros que lan Lancaster Fleming escribió entre 1952 y 1964, siempre será posible peregrinar hasta las fuentes y establecer la verdadera anatomía del personaje.

En De Rusia con amor se determina, la edad de Bond, 35 años. El último libro de la serie, The Man of the Golden Gun, dice, sin precisar demasiado, que "anda entre los 38 ó 37". Mide un metro 83, pesa 76 kilos.

Se parece mucho a Hoagy Carmichael, el autor de "Polvo de estrellas” (Sabotaje). Tiene los ojos de un clarísimo gris azulado, un mechón que tiende a caer sobre la ceja derecho (Sabotaje) y una cicatriz blanca qui le atraviesa la mejilla izquierda (The Spv Who Loved Me).

Su padre era un escocés del Glencoe; la madre, Monique Delacroix, había nacido en el cantón suizo de Vaud. Bond fue educado por una tía de gran cultura —según la define M, jefe de Servicio Secreto— y gracias a ella pudo ingresar en Eton, donde su padre lo había inscripto desde su nacimiento A los 17 años, James ya habla representado a su colegio como boxeador de peso liviano y especialista en judo. Durante la Segunda Guerra, alcanzó el grado de comandante en la Marina.

Su renta anual es de 1.500 libras esterlinas, más mil libras exentas de impuestos (Sabotaje). Cuando está de servicio, puede gastar todo lo que quiere. Vive en un departamento pequeño en Kings Road, un barrio elegante dc Londres. Lo atiende una vieja ama de llaves escocesa, May.

Es vivamente racista. Siente horror por los negros y los chinos, detesta a los soviéticos y a los balcánicos, considera ridículos a los franceses y una de sus mejores satisfacciones es insultar a los italianos. "Los italianos son inútiles para todo —reflexiona en Diamantes eternos—. Llevan camisas bordada y pasan el dia perfumándose y comiendo spaghetti."

Cuando no le encomiendan alguna misión, su vida es opaca, tediosa. Trabaja de diez de la mañana a seis de la tarde en las oficinas del Servicio Secreto; almuerza en el restaurante de edificio: por las tardes, juega a las cartas con algún amigo o se dedica con escaso entusiasmo amoroso a una de las tres mujeres —casadas— que lo perturban. Carece de vacaciones, pero 1e conceden dos semanas libres al término de cada misión: M le encarga la solución de un caso sólo dos o tres veces año. No tiene nadie a quien mantener. Es huérfano y viudo. Se casó el 1º de enero de 1962, en el Consulado inglés de Mónaco, con la condesa corsa Teresa de Vincenzo; según se narra en Al Servicio de Su Majestad, su mujer es asesinada dos horas después del casamiento.

Muchos de estos rasgos coinciden con los del propio Ian Fleming. El escritor había estudiado en Eton, fue corresponsal de Reuter en Moscú y redactor de The Sunday Times; combatió en la Segunda Guerra como asistente del contraalmirante Goodfrey, jefe del Ser-vicio Secreto de la Marina, y logró ser admitido como socio del Elides, el más exclusivo de los clubes londinenses. Su pasión por los automóviles llegaba casi al delirio: más rico que Bond, Fleming había conseguido cambiar un Standard caqui por un Lancia Gran Turismo; un Morris Oxford caqui por un Thunderbird de diez mil dólares. En 1941, el espía Fleming intentó ganar en el juego todos los fondos de que disponía el espionaje alemán; convocó a seis agentes del almirante Canaris ante una mesa de punto y banca en el casino de Estoril, Portugal, y fue aniquilado: los nazis le arrancaron ocho mil dólares. El espía Bond lo vengó once años después: pudo limpiar los bolsillos de Le Chiffre, uno de los jefes del SMERSH, en el casino de Royale-les-Eaux. Pero quedan todavía otras dos identificaciones claves entre el autor y su semidiós: Bond es un prodigio como hombre-rana; Fleming se lució en algunas incursiones submarinas junto al comandante Jacques-Yves Cousteau; el escritor había imaginado un coctel afrodisíaco, compuesto de tres partes de Gordon, una de vodka y media de China Lillet; en De Rusia con amor, esa receta aparece como una invención de Bond.

El agente secreto no es nada excéntrico en sus gustos. Su encendedor es un Ronson de gas, su máquina de afeitar una Gillette, su pistola una Beretta, su reloj un Rolex Oyster Perpetual, sus palos de golf son Penfold.

Fuma de 60 a 70 cigarrillos diarios: la casa Morland, de Grosvenor Street, en Londres, se los prepara expresamente para él con mezclas muy fuertes de tabacos turcos y griegos. Cuando está demasiado intoxicado, se inclina por los Senior Service (en Operación Trueno) o los Chesterfield King Size (en Dedos de oro). También en esto es idéntico a Fleming.

Demuestra un arrasador convencionalismo en sus viajes, y eso es casi previsible si se advierte que su consejera era la Guía Michelin (For Your Eyes Only). Sólo con los automóviles y las bebidas se revela como un experto de increíble refinamiento. En Casino Royale maneja uno de los últimos Bentley modelo 1933, de 4 cilindros, color gris oscuro. Esta espléndida joya, capaz de correr a 190 kilómetros por hora, se incendia en un accidente: M, el jefe de Bond, le regala entonces un Mark VI de 1933, deportivo, color gris perla. El famoso Aston Martin de Dedos de oro (guardabarros reforzados con acero, emisor y receptor de radio, radar, patentes intercambiables, etcétera) carece de importancia en la vida de Bond: es en verdad un DB III, pro-piedad del Servicio Secreto.

Con el alcohol, Bond llega a limites casi orgiásticos: adora el champagne y el vodka, pero su sabiduría esplende al elegir Taittinger Blanc de Blancs brut, cosecha 1943, o whisky Haig & Haig Pinch-Bottle. A menudo se equivoca: el Dom Perigon es un champagne mediocre, y por lo demás, la cosecha 1948 (su predilecta) es la peor; el Pommery 1950 resulta absolutamente trivial para los expertos. Esos deslices no son demasiado frecuentes, sin embargo.

Sus menús son absolutamente ejemplares, aunque Bond no gaste en comida todo su precioso sibaritismo. En Inglaterra, se inclina por el lenguado a la parrilla, ensalada mixta con mostaza, una tostada con queso y café (Sabotaje); en la Florida prefiere los cangrejos de roca frescos, rociados con manteca fundida (Dedos de oro); en Italia, tallarines verdes al pesto y café (For Your Eyes Only); en Francia, pate de foie gras, langosta con mayonesa, frutillas con nata y café (Casino Royale).

Bond acabó por sembrar una aluvional moda, pero según el sastre italiano Caraceni, la manera de vestir del agente "es absolutamente sin errores, en todo de acuerdo con los cánones anglosajones". Jamás lleva zapatos acordonados: se consuela con mocasines cuya punta está reforzada por un bloquecito de hierro; sus camisas son de manga corta, inclusive cuando no viste de sport; su corbata es siempre negra y tejida; prefiere los trajes livianos, de alpaca o telas tropicales y de tonos azules profundos; los combina con camisas de seda, blancas o crema. En Operación Trueno incurrió en la osadía de mezclar esas camisas con sandalias negras: en The Spy Who Loved Me, descendió a la vulgaridad de ponerse un impermeable azul oscuro, con cinturón.

Todos los indicios parecen señalar que Bond es un hidalgo, como Fleming. Sólo resta averiguar hasta qué punto la hidalguía de un agente secreto se parece a la de los ladrones de guante blanco que proliferaron en el siglo XIX, a la sombra de Rediles y Arsène Lupin. En el fondo, a Bond lo acongojaban sus constantes acercamientos a la vileza. No por nada debía tomar píldoras de bencedrina para mantenerse en pie y una fuerte dosis de seconal para dormirse.

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#james bond #argentina #notas #operacion trueno #thunderball #primera plana #sean connery #1966

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theliberaltony · 7 years ago

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Pretend I’m the owner of a polling company that surveys political races. I prominently advertise my results: According to a Walt Hickey Polling Inc. survey of 600 likely voters, John Doe is beating Jane Doe 58 percent to 40 percent — John Doe will likely win the election. (Let’s say it’s a race for the U.S. Senate.)

But then you keep reading and you notice that the sample on which my poll is based consists of 400 men and 200 women. You can’t really tell whether I’m adjusting the numbers, and if so, how. Would you trust that number? Unless there’s some state I don’t know about where men outnumber women 2-to-1, you shouldn’t.

So why aren’t we more skeptical of movie ratings that do the same thing?

It’s a worthwhile question, and lately it’s made it pretty hard for us to take the ratings provided on IMDb, the largest and most popular movie site on the internet, at face value. The Academy Awards rightly get criticized for reflecting the preferences of a small, unrepresentative sample of the population, but online ratings have the same problem. Even the vaunted IMDb Top 250 — nominally the best-liked films ever — is worth taking with 250 grains of salt. Women accounted for 52 percent of moviegoers in the U.S. and Canada in 2016, according to the most recent annual study by the Motion Picture Association of America. But on the internet, and on ratings sites, they’re a much smaller percentage.

“If you see any number that is a rating number or a number with a percentage sign, it may be compelling or meaningful and it may not be,” said Gary Langer, the president of Langer Research Associates, the polling firm that has long conducted surveys for ABC News. “And what we need to do rather than be seduced by the number is to subject it to meaningful inquiry as to how it was obtained.”

OK, but how skeptical should we be? To figure that out, I wanted to see how strong the male skew of raters is on IMDb and how big an effect that skew has on movies’ scores.

We’ll start with every film that’s eligible for IMDb’s Top 250 list. A film needs 25,000 ratings from regular IMDb voters to qualify for the list. As of Feb. 14, that was 4,377 titles. Of those movies, only 97 had more ratings from women than men. The other 4,280 films were mostly rated by men, and it wasn’t even close for all but a few films. In 3,942 cases (90 percent of all eligible films), the men outnumbered the women by at least 2-to-1. In 2,212 cases (51 percent), men outnumbered women more than 5-to-1. And in 513 cases (12 percent), the men outnumbered the women by at least 10-to-1.

Looking strictly at IMDb’s weighted average — IMDb adjusts the raw ratings it gets “in order to eliminate and reduce attempts at vote stuffing,” but it does not disclose how — the male skew of raters has a pretty significant effect. In 17 percent of cases, the weighted average of the male and female voters was equal, and in another 26 percent of cases, the votes of the men and women were within 0.1 points of one another. But when there was bigger disagreement — i.e. men and women rated a movie differently by 0.2 points or more, on average — the overall score overwhelmingly broke closer to the men’s rating than the women’s rating. The score was closer to the men’s rating more than 48 percent of the time and closer to the women’s rating less than 9 percent of the time, meaning that when there was disagreement, the male preference won out about 85 percent of the time.

That male skew of raters is also apparent in the 250 movies that make IMDb’s top list, which we pulled on Feb. 16:

So, what’s the issue here? If IMDb is content with its ratings being intended almost solely for men, then there isn’t one. (We reached out to IMDb for comment and for more information on how the site adjusts its ratings, but we received no response. So we don’t know, for example, if IMDb is already doing something to the data that accounts for the gender disparity in raters.) But if IMDb seeks to reflect the opinions of the actual movie-going population, the situation is grave.

Can we fix that? Langer is skeptical. Mainly, besides how simple it is for a dedicated individual or group to “manufacture” results, online data from a self-selected group of people is so inherently dubious that any reweighting of that data is also inherently dubious. You can’t just adjust troublesome data to make it reflect the world, he said.

“The notion that you can take bad data and weight it to be OK is … hazardous to your health,” Langer cautioned.

That said, since the scores of the most popular movie site on the internet are already being calculated based on an entirely self-selected sample, would it destroy the IMDb Top 250 to try to mimic actual movie audiences more? I don’t really think so. As a thought experiment, I used everything we know about IMDb’s rating adjustments — which is far from the full picture — and ran them on the ratings of the 4,377 eligible films after I adjusted the raw ratings to weight men’s and women’s views equally.

We can’t do an adjustment that allows us to perfectly replicate the top 250 — again, we don’t know what’s in the black box, so we can’t re-create it — but to approximate it, I excluded any film that didn’t either a) make the IMDb top 1,000 movies list or b) have a rating from the site’s top 1,000 users within 0.87 points1 of the rating from its users overall. This allows us to sidestep films that would have made the top 250 through vote-stuffing.

My main point is that overall, the naive reweighting didn’t destroy the general look of the 250, and if anything, it elevated films that may have been overlooked because one gender is vastly outnumbered.2

What if IMDb adjusted ratings toward gender parity?

Estimated highest-ranking films on IMDb if the men’s and women’s ratings were weighted toward 50-50 vs. IMDb’s actual rank as of Feb. 16, 2018

Rankings Year▲▼ Film▲▼ Actual▲▼ Women only▲▼ Men only▲▼ Gender- weighted▲▼ 1994 The Shawshank Redemption 1 1 1 1 1972 The Godfather 2 10 2 2 2008 The Dark Knight 4 3 3 3 2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 8 2 4 4 1993 Schindler’s List 6 6 11 5 1999 Fight Club 10 5 8 6 2001 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 11 7 10 7 1957 12 Angry Men 5 27 7 8 1974 The Godfather: Part II 3 22 5 9 2010 Inception 14 8 6 10 1994 Forrest Gump 12 9 13 11 2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 15 11 14 12 1994 The Lion King 47 4 29 13 1994 Pulp Fiction 7 15 9 14 2014 Interstellar 30 25 15 15 1999 The Green Mile 32 12 28 16 1975 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 16 24 19 17 1966 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 9 115 12 18 2006 The Prestige 48 26 16 19 1998 American History X 31 17 27 20 2012 The Dark Knight Rises 65 23 22 21 1997 Life Is Beautiful 25 16 41 22 1980 Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back 13 41 17 23 1994 Leon: The Professional 27 21 37 24 2002 City of God 21 64 20 25 1995 Se7en 22 28 23 26 2001 Spirited Away 28 13 56 27 1991 The Silence of the Lambs 23 20 33 28 2006 The Departed 40 35 26 29 1990 Goodfellas 17 71 18 30 2011 The Intouchables 37 19 52 31 2014 Whiplash 45 54 30 32 2000 Gladiator 46 44 24 33 2012 Django Unchained 60 29 31 34 2002 The Pianist 39 31 53 35 1946 It’s a Wonderful Life 24 56 51 36 1960 Psycho 34 55 40 37 1977 Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope 20 48 32 38 2009 Inglourious Basterds 97 32 43 39 1998 Saving Private Ryan 29 70 25 40 1995 The Usual Suspects 26 58 36 41 1999 The Matrix 18 62 21 42 2000 Memento 49 57 34 43 1942 Casablanca 36 73 42 44 1999 American Beauty 63 51 35 45 1985 Back to the Future 44 49 46 46 2001 A Beautiful Mind 144 34 68 47 1954 Rear Window 43 80 60 48 2000 Requiem for a Dream 80 50 49 49 2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 218 14 126 50 2006 The Lives of Others 58 86 78 51 2010 Shutter Island 177 39 59 52 2008 WALL-E 62 42 62 53 2004 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 87 38 66 54 1980 The Shining 61 61 47 55 1997 Good Will Hunting 102 60 48 56 1971 A Clockwork Orange 84 79 50 57 2001 Amelie 82 30 90 58 1954 Seven Samurai 19 336 39 59 1983 Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi 76 87 63 60 1992 Reservoir Dogs 77 94 64 61 2017 Coco 51 209 166 62 1988 Cinema Paradiso 54 165 97 63 1979 Apocalypse Now 50 219 38 64 1940 The Great Dictator 53 262 101 65 1950 Sunset Boulevard 55 190 108 66 1931 City Lights 35 294 92 67 1997 Princess Mononoke 64 118 100 68 2015 Room 143 82 139 69 2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl > 250 36 113 70 2004 Howl’s Moving Castle 137 43 216 71 1962 To Kill a Mockingbird 89 102 135 72 2009 Up 115 37 117 73 2014 Gone Girl 179 81 70 74 2010 Toy Story 3 98 66 82 75 1936 Modern Times 38 248 96 76 1988 Grave of the Fireflies 57 159 133 77 2006 Pan’s Labyrinth 130 74 91 78 2016 Hacksaw Ridge 175 161 124 79 1968 2001: A Space Odyssey 91 195 54 80 2007 Into the Wild 181 84 95 81 1958 Vertigo 72 154 87 82 2015 Inside Out 140 78 107 83 2005 Batman Begins 116 106 58 84 1975 Monty Python and the Holy Grail 103 123 104 85 2009 3 Idiots 93 203 93 86 2003 Oldeuboi 67 171 73 87 1964 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 56 236 57 88 1991 Terminator 2 42 178 44 89 1959 North by Northwest 74 205 99 90 1968 Once Upon a Time in the West 33 447 55 91 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark 41 131 65 92 1995 Toy Story 94 85 80 93 1952 Singin’ in the Rain 90 110 170 94 2016 La La Land 207 122 86 95 1979 Alien 52 151 67 96 1941 Citizen Kane 71 188 74 97 2002 Catch Me if You Can 219 97 81 98 1983 Scarface 105 181 69 99 1976 Taxi Driver 88 164 71 100 2014 The Grand Budapest Hotel 194 65 128 101 1987 Full Metal Jacket 92 177 83 102 2010 How to Train Your Dragon 176 47 165 103 1984 Amadeus 83 128 121 104 2007 There Will Be Blood 165 212 72 105 2012 The Avengers > 250 52 144 106 1984 Once Upon a Time in America 69 337 88 107 2013 The Wolf of Wall Street 150 158 45 108 2005 V for Vendetta 151 76 112 109 1939 Gone With the Wind 157 46 279 110 2003 Kill Bill: Vol. 1 174 89 114 111 1995 Braveheart 75 141 61 112 2003 Finding Nemo 166 53 151 113 1999 The Sixth Sense 160 75 116 114 2011 The Help 241 33 245 115 2015 Star Wars: The Force Awakens > 250 92 154 116 2015 Mad Max: Fury Road 204 135 79 117 2000 Snatch 100 144 76 118 2016 Dangal 73 649 195 119 2016 Zootopia > 250 95 187 120 2001 Donnie Darko 226 91 122 121 2008 Gran Torino 158 121 120 122 1989 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 112 156 84 123 2012 Jagten 101 183 141 124 1988 My Neighbor Totoro 132 112 183 125 1996 Trainspotting 156 107 127 126 2013 12 Years a Slave 201 100 131 127 1959 Some Like It Hot 118 124 186 128 1973 The Sting 95 284 143 129 2013 Prisoners 215 148 98 130 2017 Logan 202 193 103 131 2016 Your Name 79 399 190 132 2007 Taare Zameen Par 81 448 138 133 2011 A Separation 109 242 125 134 1997 Titanic > 250 45 188 135 2011 Warrior 154 213 134 136 2017 Dunkirk 236 192 145 137 2015 Spotlight 205 155 152 138 1986 Stand by Me 192 125 184 139 2014 X-Men: Days of Future Past > 250 113 159 140 2004 Kill Bill: Vol. 2 > 250 116 157 141 2014 The Imitation Game > 250 69 209 142 2010 The King’s Speech > 250 59 206 143 1986 Aliens 68 217 85 144 2004 Downfall 121 288 115 145 1998 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels 142 199 130 146 1997 L.A. Confidential 106 225 94 147 2016 Arrival > 250 169 137 148 1957 Paths of Glory 59 704 109 149 2017 Blade Runner 2049 147 368 102 150 1991 Beauty and the Beast 247 40 379 151 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy > 250 111 147 152 1962 Lawrence of Arabia 85 396 105 153 1993 Jurassic Park 198 150 118 154 1927 Metropolis 108 331 182 155 2016 Deadpool > 250 126 155 156 2012 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey > 250 90 192 157 2001 Monsters, Inc. 224 77 196 158 1988 Die Hard 122 220 77 159 1989 Dead Poets Society 238 103 239 160 2010 Black Swan > 250 98 161 161 2015 The Martian > 250 134 160 162 1957 Witness for the Prosecution 66 476 229 163 2004 Hotel Rwanda 190 176 181 164 2009 Star Trek > 250 117 199 165 2013 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug > 250 109 205 166 2009 Hachi: A Dog’s Tale 212 127 288 167 2017 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 111 351 204 168 1981 Das Boot 70 603 111 169 1995 Heat 123 332 89 170 1978 The Deer Hunter 159 346 153 171 1980 The Elephant Man 148 261 177 172 1931 M 78 465 167 173 1950 All About Eve 114 227 302 174 1921 The Kid 99 459 249 175 1944 Double Indemnity 86 433 169 176 2013 Her > 250 194 106 177 2009 Mary and Max 178 175 274 178 2017 Thor: Ragnarok > 250 200 260 179 2013 Dallas Buyers Club > 250 146 175 180 1960 The Apartment 107 322 189 181 2008 In Bruges > 250 239 140 182 1998 The Truman Show 206 132 149 183 2010 Incendies 131 300 253 184 1939 The Wizard of Oz 232 119 241 185 2008 Slumdog Millionaire > 250 99 191 186 2007 No Country for Old Men 162 244 75 187 1999 The Boondock Saints > 250 254 250 188 2009 The Secret in Their Eyes 135 265 198 189 2016 Lion > 250 170 332 190 2017 Baahubali 2: The Conclusion > 250 1170 343 191 2015 The Revenant > 250 214 129 192 2004 Million Dollar Baby 203 163 162 193 2005 Babam ve Oglum 117 526 291 194 1963 The Great Escape 126 479 174 195 1948 Bicycle Thieves 96 458 202 196 2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban > 250 72 339 197 2006 Blood Diamond > 250 172 212 198 1993 The Nightmare Before Christmas > 250 105 318 199 1974 Chinatown 129 360 158 200 2012 The Perks of Being a Wallflower > 250 108 232 201 1990 Edward Scissorhands > 250 67 357 202 1949 The Third Man 127 484 224 203 2003 Big Fish > 250 133 226 204 2013 Rush 193 252 172 205 1954 Dial M for Murder 155 352 233 206 1995 Before Sunrise 211 179 228 207 1940 Rebecca 173 250 350 208 1992 Unforgiven 120 543 110 209 1979 Life of Brian 183 266 179 210 1998 The Big Lebowski 167 256 123 211 1992 Aladdin > 250 120 308 212 2000 Amores Perros 209 260 225 213 2007 The Bourne Ultimatum 234 235 156 214 2007 Ratatouille > 250 138 211 215 1996 Fargo 161 230 164 216 1995 Twelve Monkeys 245 238 163 217 1965 For a Few Dollars More 104 792 142 218 1980 Raging Bull 124 599 119 219 2005 Serenity > 250 208 295 220 1967 Cool Hand Luke 172 539 215 221 1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 210 421 231 222 1957 The Bridge on the River Kwai 138 581 180 223 1988 Rain Man > 250 182 217 224 1965 The Sound of Music > 250 101 516 225 1957 The Seventh Seal 141 462 223 226 1993 In the Name of the Father 188 408 268 227 2014 Wild Tales 185 323 282 228 1939 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 145 466 297 229 2006 The Pursuit of Happyness > 250 185 220 230 1995 Casino 146 419 136 231 1987 The Princess Bride 214 136 298 232 1950 Rashomon 110 626 185 233 2008 Iron Man > 250 140 244 234 1975 Dog Day Afternoon > 250 417 252 235 2014 PK > 250 646 246 236 2005 Sin City > 250 231 148 237 1954 On the Waterfront 139 546 237 238 1982 Gandhi 227 370 221 239 2017 Call Me by Your Name 186 347 528 240 2011 X: First Class > 250 157 248 241 1948 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 119 786 230 242 2014 Kingsman: The Secret Service > 250 174 259 243 2012 Life of Pi > 250 152 257 244 2016 Captain America: Civil War > 250 215 265 245 2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire > 250 96 431 246 2004 The Notebook > 250 63 452 247 1976 Rocky 220 442 132 248 2013 About Time > 250 189 269 249 1977 Annie Hall 233 289 218 250 2003 Mystic River > 250 245 219 251 2011 The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo > 250 216 222 252 1992 Scent of a Woman > 250 276 255 253 2007 Atonement > 250 139 366 254 2011 The Artist > 250 197 325 255 2014 Big Hero 6 > 250 129 462 256 1986 Platoon 187 490 176 257 1984 Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 213 378 301 258 1973 The Exorcist > 250 309 178 259 1925 The Gold Rush 136 684 306 260 1953 Roman Holiday > 250 206 426 261 1982 The Thing 163 528 146 262 1984 The Terminator 229 318 150 263 1985 The Breakfast Club > 250 137 391 264 2007 Persepolis > 250 291 477 265 2004 Before Sunset > 250 263 240 266 1959 Ben-Hur 195 481 227 267 1961 Judgment at Nuremberg 134 752 375 268 2013 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire > 250 83 525 269 2004 The Incredibles > 250 222 208 270 2000 Remember the Titans > 250 312 346 271 2001 Shrek > 250 143 323 272 1934 It Happened One Night 184 366 424 273 2001 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone > 250 88 530 274 2006 Casino Royale > 250 282 200 275 2014 Edge of Tomorrow > 250 293 203 276 2014 How to Train Your Dragon 2 > 250 186 395 277 1941 The Maltese Falcon 216 541 271 278 2014 Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) > 250 299 168 279 1974 Young Frankenstein > 250 443 334 280 1957 Wild Strawberries 152 609 329 281 2001 Ocean’s Eleven > 250 221 262 282 2004 Shaun of the Dead > 250 233 261 283 1967 The Graduate > 250 285 254 284 2006 The Fall > 250 223 594 285 1995 La Haine 231 561 276 286 2006 Little Miss Sunshine > 250 149 349 287 2003 Dogville > 250 328 365 288 2015 The Hateful Eight > 250 411 171 289 2005 Pride & Prejudice > 250 68 754 290 2014 Nightcrawler > 250 380 173 291 1990 Dances With Wolves > 250 375 264 292 1986 Castle in the Sky 250 379 310 293 2010 Tangled > 250 93 599 294 1999 The Iron Giant > 250 418 312 295 2000 In the Mood for Love 240 358 423 296 2016 Hidden Figures > 250 180 651 297 2008 Yip Man > 250 744 214 298 1951 Strangers on a Train > 250 478 371 299 1948 Rope > 250 503 369 300 2009 Moon > 250 350 284 301 2016 Manchester by the Sea > 250 427 243 302 1951 A Streetcar Named Desire > 250 348 448 303 1986 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off > 250 255 303 304 2001 Mulholland Drive > 250 349 242 305 2014 Captain America: The Winter Soldier > 250 204 316 306 2009 District 9 > 250 324 193 307 1982 Blade Runner 149 341 197 308 1999 Magnolia > 250 444 194 309 1985 Brazil > 250 554 287 310 2002 The Bourne Identity > 250 298 256 311 2002 Hero > 250 492 355 312 2005 Cinderella Man > 250 495 286 313 2000 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon > 250 354 313 314 1999 Toy Story 2 > 250 249 266 315 2013 Star Trek: Into Darkness > 250 191 417 316 1968 Rosemary’s Baby > 250 343 304 317 1946 Notorious > 250 500 450 318 1976 Network 191 720 273 319 2016 Rogue One > 250 283 337 320 1997 Children of Heaven 128 678 519 321 2007 Hot Fuzz > 250 259 331 322 1983 A Christmas Story > 250 415 377 323 2004 Crash > 250 226 336 324 2010 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 > 250 104 696 325 1995 Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge > 250 902 437 326 2013 Captain Phillips > 250 270 340 327 2005 Walk the Line > 250 224 418 328 2017 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 > 250 241 446 329 2007 Elite Squad > 250 974 307 330 1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial > 250 246 370 331 2000 Dancer in the Dark > 250 400 447 332 1966 Persona 196 548 400 333 2009 The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo > 250 269 412 334 2008 Let the Right One In > 250 384 270 335 2014 Boyhood > 250 335 238 336 2012 Barfi! > 250 877 440 337 2009 Mr. Nobody > 250 253 434 338 1993 True Romance > 250 557 280 339 2010 My Name Is Khan > 250 535 517 340 2009 The Hangover > 250 258 247 341 1926 The General 153 891 381 342 2012 Moonrise Kingdom > 250 232 386 343 2012 Les Miserables > 250 168 499 344 1979 Stalker 197 767 347 345 2017 Baby Driver > 250 389 305 346 2012 Silver Linings Playbook > 250 237 251 347 2016 Contratiempo > 250 589 561 348 2004 The Sea Inside > 250 428 507 349 2006 Apocalypto > 250 364 373 350 1959 The 400 Blows 200 637 374 351 2017 Get Out > 250 344 314 352 1988 Akira > 250 882 267 353 1964 Fistful of Dollars > 250 950 278 354 2009 The Blind Side > 250 198 488 355 2008 Taken > 250 257 315 356 2008 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button > 250 211 320 357 2007 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly > 250 432 397 358 2011 Drive > 250 361 207 359 2003 Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring > 250 572 416 360 1987 The Untouchables > 250 604 300 361 1944 Arsenic and Old Lace > 250 464 617 362 1996 Sling Blade > 250 715 464 363 2008 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas > 250 207 601 364 2002 Talk to Her > 250 394 430 365 1979 Manhattan > 250 508 359 366 2013 Short Term 12 > 250 474 529 367 2015 Straight Outta Compton > 250 513 459 368 2010 Despicable Me > 250 145 543 369 2000 Almost Famous > 250 320 322 370 1982 Pink Floyd: The Wall > 250 656 510 371 2006 Children of Men > 250 355 263 372 2014 Ex Machina > 250 362 272 373 1997 Boogie Nights > 250 660 213 374 2013 Queen > 250 1005 484 375 1973 Papillon > 250 831 354 376 2010 Elite Squad: The Enemy Within > 250 1116 352 377 2014 The Theory of Everything > 250 173 591 378 1940 The Philadelphia Story > 250 393 766 379 1940 The Grapes of Wrath 221 728 403 380 1971 Harold and Maude > 250 436 685 381 2016 Captain Fantastic > 250 363 505 382 1993 What’s Eating Gilbert Grape > 250 202 574 383 2003 Memories of Murder 199 916 330 384 2009 Avatar > 250 228 296 385 2002 Infernal Affairs 243 875 292 386 1994 Three Colors: Red > 250 644 415 387 1976 All the President’s Men > 250 755 420 388 2016 The Handmaiden 246 595 549 389 1955 The Night of the Hunter > 250 737 471 390 1995 Underground > 250 751 541 391 1990 The Godfather: Part III > 250 440 358 392 1984 Paris, Texas 244 736 455 393 2010 The Fighter > 250 452 283 394 1966 Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? > 250 537 565 395 2014 The Fault in Our Stars > 250 187 513 396 2005 Brokeback Mountain > 250 162 611 397 2007 Chak de! India > 250 1278 317 398 2006 Lucky Number Slevin > 250 416 363 399 1991 JFK > 250 847 324 400 1998 The Legend of 1900 242 608 607 401 2017 The Greatest Showman > 250 272 972 402 2000 O Brother, Where Art Thou? > 250 401 387 403 2010 The Social Network > 250 414 201 404 1997 Gattaca > 250 356 390 405 2012 Argo > 250 243 409 406 1993 Groundhog Day 230 457 210 407 1962 The Manchurian Candidate > 250 849 506 408 1984 This Is Spinal Tap > 250 762 348 409 2013 Frozen > 250 130 692 410 1990 Misery > 250 402 466 411 2007 The Man From Earth > 250 764 290 412 1968 Planet of the Apes > 250 789 294 413 2000 Cast Away > 250 314 328 414 1998 Black Cat, White Cat > 250 676 605 415 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory > 250 333 496 416 1985 Ran 133 1207 234 417 2008 Changeling > 250 296 405 418 2006 Rang De Basanti 180 1218 236 419 1989 Glory > 250 768 427 420 1989 Back to the Future Part II > 250 374 338 421 2004 The Bourne Supremacy > 250 413 333 422 2006 Letters From Iwo Jima > 250 791 364 423 1952 High Noon > 250 890 407 424 1997 The Fifth Element > 250 247 546 425 2017 Wonder Woman > 250 196 706 426 1995 Ghost in the Shell > 250 917 361 427 1961 Yojimbo 113 1281 235 428 2015 Bahubali: The Beginning > 250 1491 393 429 2007 Zodiac > 250 435 275 430 1990 Awakenings > 250 467 559 431 1993 Three Colors: Blue > 250 552 603 432 1950 Harvey > 250 645 680 433 2014 Fury > 250 449 341 434 1993 Philadelphia > 250 277 644 435 1998 The Celebration > 250 785 404 436 1946 The Big Sleep > 250 750 489 437 1987 Wings of Desire > 250 622 638 438 2016 Hunt for the Wilderpeople > 250 605 701 439 1994 Chungking Express > 250 712 600 440 2012 Kahaani > 250 1212 478 441 1958 Touch of Evil 228 1008 356 442 2004 Finding Neverland > 250 240 570 443 2004 The Machinist > 250 330 438 444 1987 Empire of the Sun > 250 530 668 445 2012 Wreck-It Ralph > 250 281 458 446 1968 Night of the Living Dead > 250 837 385 447 1993 Carlito’s Way > 250 876 326 448 1996 The Bandit 171 1181 362 449 1997 The Game > 250 441 367 450 1946 The Best Years of Our Lives 239 772 604 451 2004 Man on Fire > 250 406 444 452 2014 The Lego Movie > 250 397 380 453 1964 Mary Poppins > 250 234 806 454 1959 Anatomy of a Murder > 250 864 515 455 1999 Being John Malkovich > 250 392 383 456 2015 The Big Short > 250 515 299 457 2008 The Wrestler > 250 621 289 458 1954 La Strada > 250 748 623 459 1999 All About My Mother > 250 405 712 460 2007 3:10 to Yuma > 250 511 456 461 1975 Barry Lyndon 225 991 281 462 2009 Fantastic Mr. Fox > 250 423 445 463 1922 Nosferatu > 250 716 468 464 2017 Wonder > 250 577 862 465 2006 The Last King of Scotland > 250 455 535 466 1980 The Blues Brothers > 250 687 372 467 2012 Skyfall > 250 295 401 468 1997 As Good as It Gets > 250 367 396 469 1955 Diabolique 223 910 534 470 2016 Kubo and the Two Strings > 250 600 616 471 1972 Solaris > 250 996 429 472 2013 Before Midnight > 250 453 449 473 1989 Kiki’s Delivery Service > 250 357 674 474 1994 Ed Wood > 250 545 384 475 1960 La Dolce Vita > 250 793 512 476 1993 The Fugitive > 250 569 392 477 1967 Bonnie and Clyde > 250 648 501 478 1996 Primal Fear > 250 426 578 479 2002 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets > 250 142 831 480 1999 The Insider > 250 863 378 481 2004 3-Iron > 250 651 719 482 1965 Doctor Zhivago > 250 714 577 483 1927 Sunrise 164 995 633 484 2009 Zombieland > 250 329 414 485 2001 Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India 249 1190 293 486 1993 Tombstone > 250 794 526 487 2008 Departures > 250 731 613 488 2009 (500) Days of Summer > 250 310 345 489 1969 Midnight Cowboy > 250 818 502 490 1961 Breakfast at Tiffany’s > 250 210 802 491 2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix > 250 147 837 492 2004 The Butterfly Effect > 250 303 428 493 2003 21 Grams > 250 410 500 494 2016 Doctor Strange > 250 287 556 495 2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince > 250 160 846 496 1953 Stalag 17 > 250 1059 642 497 1962 What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? > 250 585 793 498 2007 Once > 250 463 487 499 2013 Mandariinid > 250 666 865 500

IMDb makes adjustments to its raw ratings but does not disclose its methodology. Therefore, these rankings — which start with the raw ratings — may not match a gender-weighted version of a list made by IMDb itself because we can’t re-create the site’s adjustments.

Source: IMDb

The top 100 largely includes films from the original list of 250, and the additions to the list — there are a lot of best picture winners among the newbies — appear mainly in the back half of the 250.

Attempting to reflect a target population is a common practice in many fields that use surveys. It’s not clear to me why movie rating sites don’t do it — or, at the least, why they don’t indicate that their scores are almost all based mostly on the opinions of male users.

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #Walt Hickey

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dweemeister · 7 years ago

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2017 Movie Odyssey

So ends the 2017 Movie Odyssey. Last year, I wrote that I did not foresee ever surpassing the 200+ movie mark for a long, long time. But look what happened here (outside of May because that was a hectic time in the Master’s program for sure). The 2017 Movie Odyssey consisted of 232 films - 180 feature-length films and fifty-two shorts. A century of filmmaking was covered this year, from 1917 to 2017. If I do have one regret this year... it’s that African films were not featured this year (due to availability issues and me not having enough money; I tend to watch things legally if possible). I hope to assuage that next year for a more representative Movie Odyssey.

For all of you out there who supported the Movie Odyssey in your own ways – whether reading, liking, commenting, or reblogging a write-up or sitting down with me to a new movie or talking to me about any movie... my thanks to all of you. None of this possible without you, and I hope you find that, through this blog, classic movies seem more approachable and welcoming and you are inspired to see some and learn about them yourself. A Happy New Year to all, and I’ll see you for the 2018 leg of the Movie Odyssey very soon (oh boy the Winter Olympics and World Cup are gonna chip away at the final count next year)!

As many know, all ratings are based on my imdb rating and half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found here. A 6/10 is considered the borderline between “passing” and “failing”. Feature-length narrative films, short films, and documentaries are rated within their respective spectrums.

JANUARY

1. Marnie (1964) – 6/10 2. The Moon Is Down (1943) – 7/10 3. Sense and Sensibility (1995) – 8.5/10 4. The Big House (1930) – 7.5/10 5. Manchester by the Sea (2016) – 7/10 6. The Far Country (1954) – 7/10 7. Kung Fu Hustle (2004, Hong Kong/China) – 7/10 8. Road to Singapore (1940) – 6/10 9. A Clever Dummy (1917 short) – 5/10 10. Hidden Figures (2016) – 7.5/10 11. Teddy at the Throttle (1917 short) – 7.5/10 12. The Last of the Mohicans (1920) – 7/10 13. Sweet Smell of Success (1957) – 10/10 14. The Red Turtle (2016, France/Belgium/Japan) – 9/10 15. Life, Animated (2016) – 7.5/10 16. In the Mood for Love (2000, Hong Kong) – 10/10

FEBRUARY

17. Lion (2016) – 7/10 18. It’s Always Fair Weather (1955) – 7.5/10 19. Fences (2016) – 8.5/10 20. Shenandoah (1965) – 7/10 21. Caged (1950) – 8/10 22. Pearl (2016 short) – 7.5/10 23. Blind Vaysha (2016 short) – 8/10 24. Asteria (2016 short) – 6/10 25. The Head Vanishes (2016 short) – 6/10 26. Once Upon a Line (2016 short) – 7/10 27. Pear Cider and Cigarettes (2016 short) – 8/10 28. Sing (2016 short, Hungary) – 7.5/10 29. Silent Nights (2016 short, Denmark) – 6/10 30. Timecode (2016 short, Spain) – 7/10 31. Ennemis intérieurs (2016 short, France) – 8.5/10 32. La femme et le TGV (2016 short, Switzerland) – 8/10 33. Joe’s Violin (2016 short) – 7/10 34. Extremis (2016 short) – 8/10 35. 4.1 Miles (2016 short, Greece) – 9/10 36. Nashville (1975) – 7.5/10 37. The Romance of Transportation in Canada (1952 short) – 7/10

MARCH

38. My Life as a Zucchini (2016, Switzerland) – 8/10 39. Lili (1953) – 7/10 40. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) – 6/10 41. Captain Blood (1935) – 9.5/10 42. Logan (2017) – 7/10 43. Friendly Persuasion (1956) – 9/10 44. Ducks and Drakes (1921) – 7/10 45. What Dreams May Come (1998) – 6/10 46. Bright Road (1953) – 6/10 47. Snow Gets in Your Eyes (1938 short) – 5/10 48. Jungle Cat (1959) – 6.5/10 49. The Salesman (2016, Iran) – 8.5/10 50. Good Scouts (1938 short) – 7.5/10 51. All in a Nutshell (1949 short) – 8/10 52. The Hound That Thought He Was a Raccoon (1960) – 7/10 53. Winter Storage (1949 short) – 7/10 54. Out of Scale (1951 short) – 8/10 55. The Incredible Journey (1963) – 7/10 56. Follow Me, Boys! (1966) – 7/10 57. Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar (1967) – 5.5/10 58. Belladonna of Sadness (1973, Japan) – 6/10 59. Ponyo (2008, Japan) – 7/10 60. My Cousin Rachel (1952) – 7.5/10 61. Road to Perdition (2002) – 9/10

APRIL

62. The X from Outer Space (1967, Japan) – 3/10 63. The Blue Gardenia (1953) – 6.5/10 64. Get Out (2017) – 7.5/10 65. Fantastic Planet (1973, France/Czechoslovakia) – 8/10 66. 5 Centimeters Per Second (2007, Japan) – 6/10 67. Your Name (2016, Japan) – 7.5/10 68. The Outlaw and His Wife (1918, Sweden) – 7/10 69. Mail Early (1941 short) – experimental film, score withheld 70. Boogie-Doodle (1948 short) – experimental film, score withheld 71. A Chairy Tale (1957 short) – 9/10 72. Very Nice, Very Nice (1961 short) – experimental film, score withheld 73. Fine Feathers (1968) – 7/10 74. What on Earth! (1967 short) – 8/10 75. Walking (1968 short) – 7/10 76. Notes on a Triangle (1966 short) – experimental film, score withheld 77. The Three Faces of Eve (1957) – 7.5/10 78. Peeping Tom (1960) – 7.5/10 79. Porco Rosso (1992, Japan) – 8/10 80. MacArthur (1977) – 6/10

MAY

81. Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965) – 4/10 82. Scarlet Street (1945) – 8.5/10 83. Tremors (1990) – 7/10 84. The Crucified Lovers (1954, Japan) – 7.5/10 85. Akeelah and the Bee (2006) – 8/10

JUNE

86. Wonder Woman (2017) – 7/10 87. Pollyanna (1960) – 7.5/10 88. Mickey’s Polo Team (1936 short) – 8/10 89. Tales of Manhattan (1942) – 7/10 90. The Horse with the Flying Tale (1960) – 7/10 91. Sound of the Mountain (1954, Japan) – 9/10 92. Return of the Fly (1959) – 4/10 93. Friday the 13th (1980) – 4/10 94. The Tattooed Police Horse (1964) – 6/10 95. Dr. Jack (1922) – 7/10 96. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) – 7/10 97. Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) – 5/10 98. The Great Man (1956) – 8/10 99. Sparrows (1926) – 7.5/10 100. Seven Days to Noon (1950) – 9/10 101. My Neighbor Totoro (1988, Japan) – 8.5/10 102. The Pocket Man (2016 short, France) – 7/10 103. Snack Attack (2012 short) – 7/10 104. You Were Never Lovelier (1942) – 7/10 105. San Francisco (1936) – 7.5/10 106. Eraserhead (1977) – 6.5/10

JULY

107. The Beguiled (2017) – 7/10 108. Summer Magic (1963) – 6/10 109. The Southerner (1945) – 9/10 110. The Statue of Liberty (1985) – 6/10 111. They Live by Night (1948) – 8/10 112. A Little Romance (1979) – 6/10 113. Conflagration (1958, Japan) – 6.5/10 114. The Naughty Twenties (1951 short) – 5/10 115. The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) – 7/10 116. For Your Eyes Only (1981) – 6/10 117. A Man There Was (1917, Sweden) – 9.5/10 118. His Royal Slyness (1920 short) – 6/10 119. Now or Never (1921 short) – 6.5/10 120. Among Those Present (1921 short) – 6/10 121. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) – 7.5/10 122. Independence Day (1996) – 5/10 123. Yoyo (1965, France) – 8/10 124. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) - 6.5/10 125. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) – 7.5/10 126. The Lady Vanishes (1938) – 10/10 127. Funny Face (1957) – 9/10 128. A Brighter Summer Day (1991, Taiwan) – 9.5/10 129. A Sailor-Made Man (1921) – 6/10 130. Much Ado About Nothing (1993) – 8/10 131. Dunkirk (2017) – 8.5/10 132. Lost Horizon (1937) – 8/10 133. The Man from Snowy River (1982) – 7.5/10 134. A Touch of Zen (1971, Taiwan) – 10/10

AUGUST

135. A Double Life (1947) – 6/10 136. Tokyo Chorus (1931, Japan) – 7/10 137. In a Heartbeat (2017 short) – 7.5/10 138. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) – 4.5/10 139. Twelve O’Clock High (1949) – 9/10 140. The Big Clock (1948) – 7/10 141. Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982) – 8/10 142. Record of a Tenement Gentleman (1947, Japan) – 9/10 143. Octopussy (1983) – 6/10 144. West of Zanzibar (1928) – 6/10 145. Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) – 7/10 146. Detroit (2017) – 5.5/10 147. That Funny Feeling (1965) – 6/10 148. Kid Galahad (1962) – 6/10 149. Tokyo Twilight (1957, Japan) – 10/10 150. In This Corner of the World (2016, Japan) – 7/10 151. The Bedford Incident (1965) – 7.5/10 152. Johnny Express (2014 short) – 6/10 153. Carpark (2013 short) – 6/10 154. Castle in the Sky (1986, Japan) – 8/10 155. The Goonies (1985) – 7.5/10 156. State of the Union (1948) – 6/10

SEPTEMBER

157. Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979) – 3/10 158. Muscle Beach Party (1964) – 4/10 159. The Nutty Professor (1963) – 7/10 160. Camille (1921) – 6.5/10 161. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972, West Germany) – 8/10 162. Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) – 2/10 163. It (2017) – 7/10 164. Ocean Waves (1993, Japan) – 6/10 165. Monterey Pop (1968) – 8/10 166. Don’t Look Back (1967) – 9/10 167. Tyrus (2015) – 8.5/10

OCTOBER

168. A Star Is Born (1937) – 8/10 169. Swiss Family Robinson (1960) – 6/10 170. Revenge of the Nerds (1984) – 5/10 171. Horton Hears a Who! (2008) – 6/10 172. Freaky Friday (1976) – 6/10 173. The Great Muppet Caper (1981) – 7.5/10 174. Mr. & Mrs. ’55 (1955, India) – 8/10 175. Island of Lost Souls (1932) – 9.5/10 176. The Little Broadcast (1943 short) – 6.5/10 177. Hoola Boola (1941 short) – 6/10 178. The Sleeping Beauty (1935 short) – 7/10 179. Tulips Shall Grow (1942 short) – 8.5/10 180. Charulata (1964, India) – 8/10 181. Together in the Weather (1946 short) – 6/10 182. John Henry and the Inky-Poo (1946 short) – 7.5/10 183. Philips Cavalcade (1934 short) – 7/10 184. Jasper in a Jam (1946 short) – 8/10 185. Tubby the Tuba (1947 short) – 9/10 186. The Puppetoon Movie (1987) – 7/10 187. Brides of Dracula (1960) – 7/10 188. Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968) – 7/10 189. Candleshoe (1977) – 6/10 190. Jigoku (1960, Japan) – 5.5/10 191. Blacula (1972) – 6/10 192. Willard (1971) – 4/10 193. Ben (1972) – 4.5/10

NOVEMBER

194. The Coward (1965, India) – 7/10 195. The Happening (2008) – 2/10 196. Tom Thumb (1958) – 6.5/10 197. Strike (1925, Soviet Union) – 7.5/10 198. Loving Vincent (2017) – 7/10 199. Destry Rides Again (1939) – 7.5/10 200. The Master Race (1944) – 6/10 201. Justice League (2017) – 6/10 202. Sissi (1955, Austria) – 7.5/10 203. Sissi: The Young Empress (1956, Austria) – 7/10 204. The Sandlot (1993) – 7/10 205. Olaf’s Frozen Adventure (2017 short) – 4/10 206. Coco (2017) – 8/10 207. Sissi – Fateful Years of an Empress (1957, Austria) – 7/10 208. The Florida Project (2017) – 8.5/10 209. The Mortal Storm (1940) – 7/10 210. The Breadwinner (2017) – 8/10 211. Spencer’s Mountain (1963) – 6/10 212. Lady Bird (2017) – 9/10

DECEMBER

213. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) – 8.5/10 214. The Secret Life of Bees (2008) – 7/10 215. Murder on the Orient Express (2017) – 5.5/10 216. So You Think You’re Allergic (1945 short) – 5/10 217. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) – 7.5/10 218. The Shape of Water (2017) – 8.5/10 219. Lonely Are the Brave (1962) – 9.5/10 220. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) – 7/10 221. They Won’t Forget (1937) – 8/10 222. It Came from Outer Space (1953) – 6.5/10 223. Brave Little Tailor (1938 short) – 8/10 224. The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952) – 6/10 225. The Sign of Zorro (1958) – 5/10 226. Kong: Skull Island (2017) – 6.5/10 227. Flipped (2010) – 6/10 228. Bardelys the Magnificent (1926) – 7.5/10 229. There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954) – 7/10 230. Swim Team (2016) – 7/10 231. Toby Tyler (1960) – 5/10 232. The Liberator (2013, Venezuela) – 6/10

All scores are subject to change (upgrades and downgrades) upon a rewatch.

#My Movie Odyssey

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lacronicacoruna · 5 years ago

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La emotiva y valiente historia real detrás de la película “Erin Brockovich”, por la cual Julia Roberts ganó un Oscar

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A veces, la ayuda y la búsqueda de honestidad vienen de donde menos se demora. Erin Brockovich es un buen ejemplo de ello, una mujer sin formación profesional en leyes que encabezó una batalla admitido contra una corporación millonaria. Su historia fue merecedora de la película que lleva su nombre en el año 2000, pero ¿qué hay más allá de lo que vemos en el filme?

Genial.guru quiere compartir contigo cómo es que Erin Brockovich pasó de ser una religiosa soltera con problemas económicos a una reconocida agitador y consultora admitido.

Su vida antiguamente de los litigios

Antes de convertirse en una conocida defensora del consumidor y ser interpretada por Julia Roberts en la pantalla magnate, Erin Brockovich tuvo una vida casi como la de cualquier persona. Nació en Lawrence, Kansas, el 22 de junio de 1960 y fue la pequeño de cuatro hermanos en una comunidad de clase media.

Desde pequeña, fue diagnosticada como disléxica y eso influyó en que no fuera una estudiante particularmente buena. Después de graduarse de la preparatoria, estuvo brevemente en la Universidad Estatal de Kansas, pero luego ingresó al Wade College en Dallas, Texas, y obtuvo un límite asociado en Artes Aplicadas en 1980.

Junto a una amiga, decidió mudarse a Newport Beach, California y ahí comenzó a trabajar como aprendiz de dirección para la condena de almacenes Kmart, pero renunció luego de unos meses. En 1981, se convirtió en reina de belleza al participar en el concurso Miss Costa del Pacífico y resultar ganadora.

Cuando Erin tenía 28 primaveras, se casó con su primer marido, Shawn Brown, vivieron en diferentes partes de Estados Unidos y tuvieron dos hijos, Matthew y Katie, pero acabaron divorciándose en 1987 tras cinco primaveras de boda.

Erin se había convertido en religiosa soltera, así que para abastecer a su comunidad, comenzó a trabajar en una firma de corretaje inmobiliario en Reno, Nevada. Allí conoció a quien sería su segundo marido en 1989, un hombre llamado Steve Brockovich, pero su boda duró al punto que duró un año y Erin ya estaba en estado de buena esperanza de su tercera hija, Elizabeth.

El caso que la hizo famosa

Tras su divorcio, Erin sufrió un choque automovilístico en el que resultó herida y tuvo que someterse a una cirugía de cuello. Después de eso, se fue a existir al valle de San Fernando, en Los Ángeles, donde contrató al pupitre de abogados Masry & Vititoe para que la representaran en su caso contra el conductor responsable del choque. Erin consiguió una indemnización más pequeña de lo que esperaba, pero el abogado Ed Masry le ofreció un trabajo en su pupitre.

Mientras Erin revisaba el papeleo de un caso de capital raíces que implicaba a la empresa Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), notó poco que le pareció extraño; entre los archivos, encontró registros médicos y pruebas de crimen, poco congruo inusual para un caso que se suponía era netamente inmobiliario.

Curiosa por naturaleza, Erin pidió permiso a Masry para investigar más el asunto y visitó a los dueños de una de las casas que PG&E estaba intentando comprar en los alrededores de su planta en Hinkley, en el desierto de California. Entonces descubrió que la empresa había estado pagando los gastos médicos por las enfermedades de esa comunidad, poco que definitivamente no era casualidad ni una muestra de dadivosidad desinteresada.

Erin visitó a numerosas familias de Hinkley que consumían agua potable de la misma fuente y uno o más miembros de la comunidad habían enfermado, así logró vincular el ascenso en el número de enfermos y la presencia de cromo hexavalente (cromo VI) en el agua. Este compuesto tiene usos industriales como preservación de la madera y revestimiento anticorrosivo, pero correcto a su poder oxidante, es en extremo tóxico y cancerígeno.

La contaminación del agua con cromo VI se debió a una instalación de PG&E construida en 1952 como parte de una tubería de gas en la que usó este compuesto para evitar la corrosión en una torre de refrigeramiento, pero el agua residual que resultaba del proceso era descargada en estanques sin algún tipo de revestimiento que hicieron que el cromo hexavalente se filtrara al agua subterránea y acabará por afectar un dominio de aproximadamente 3,2 por 1,6 kilómetros.

Construyendo un caso con audacia

Mientras el abogado Ed Masry se encargaba de construir una organización admitido para el caso, Erin reunió evidencia de la relación de las enfermedades con la contaminación del agua, se involucró de cerca con todos los casos, memorizó sus historias y logró reunir a más de 600 personas para hacer una demanda colectiva que pedía una indemnización millonaria.

Para poder aplicar más tiempo al caso, Erin tuvo que dejar a sus hijos al cuidado de un vecino motociclista con el que tenía asimismo una relación romántica. Sin requisa, le fue un poco complicado triunfar credibilidad en el campo en el que se desempeñaba, no era una abogada luciendo un traje modisto formal y hablando protocolariamente, era más acertadamente de un estilo mono, una religiosa soltera con elegancia por los escotes y sin formación profesional en el dominio admitido, pero con una astucia y seguridad que la ayudaban a conseguir lo que quería.

El guay trabajo de investigación y convencimiento que hizo Erin, sumado a la astucia para las leyes de Masry, hizo que, en 1996, el caso se resolviera, obligando a PG&E a acreditar 333 millones de dólares como indemnización a repartir entre sus demandantes, convirtiéndose en el acuerdo más magnate nones pagado en la historia de Estados Unidos hasta ese momento. El pupitre de abogados recibió una parte de esa suma, 133,6 millones para ser exactos, mientras que la propia Erin recibió un carencia despreciable bono de 2,5 millones de dólares.

Erin luego de su primer gran triunfo

Para Erin, las batallas legales contra grandes corporaciones contaminantes se acabaron convirtiendo en un estilo de vida, en 2006 participó en otra demanda contra PG&E, esta vez por su sede en el condado de Kings, California, con 1 200 demandantes y 335 millones de dólares como acuerdo final.

De la mano del pupitre Masry & Vititoe, Erin participó en varios litigios similares contra otras compañías y más delante se convirtió en presidenta de su propia empresa Brockovich Research & Consulting, donde ofrece sus servicios como consultora admitido en reclamos por contaminación, daños al dominio y a la vitalidad.

También estuvo involucrada en una demanda contra el Distrito Escolar Unificado en Beverly Hills por permitir que pozos petroleros operaran cerca de un campus escolar y afectaran la vitalidad de estudiantes. Incluso ha sido agitador en beneficio de la construcción responsable, luego de examinar problemas por contaminación de moho en su propia casa.

Erin Brockovich, la película

El actor y productor Danny DeVito fue quien encontró el potencial en la historia de Erin para ser un éxito de Hollywood, así que compró los derechos de la historia en 1995 y, cinco primaveras luego, bajo la dirección de Steven Soderbergh, llegó a las salas de cine para convertirse en un éxito comercial y una de las películas más elogiadas del año 2000.

Otras curiosidades relacionadas con la película son:

Julia Roberts hizo historia al convertirse en la primera actriz en triunfar un Premio de la Academia, BAFTA, Globo de Oro, Critics’ Choice Movie Award, National Board of Review y Screen Actors Guild Award por una sola acto.

En la vida real, Erin se enfermó por las toxinas y estuvo hospitalizada un tiempo, esto se filmó para la película, pero lo eliminaron del corte final porque no querían que el personaje se convirtiera en un mártir.

LeRoy A. Simmons, el togado que estuvo a cargo del caso de PG&E, se interpretó a sí mismo en la película, aunque para ese momento, ya no ejercía como togado.

En la película, hay una decorado donde el personaje de Erin está en una cafetería, ahí vemos un cameo donde aparece la Erin real como una mesera de nombre Julia (un insinuación al nombre de la actriz que la interpreta) y en otra mesa hay un comensal que es carencia menos que el auténtico Ed Masry.

Según la propia Erin Brockovich, la película se toma muy pocas licencias creativas, siendo aproximadamente un 98 % precisa con los hechos reales.

Al interpretar a Brockovich en la película, Julia Roberts se convirtió en la actriz mejor pagada de Hollywood de ese momento al percibir 20 millones de dólares por su acto.

La película se enfoca solo en una parte de la vida de Erin, pero es bueno enterarse lo que hay más allá de lo que se ve en el filme. ¿A ti qué te pareció esta historia? Cuéntanos tu opinión en los comentarios.

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from La Crónica Coruña https://lacronicacoruna.com/la-emotiva-y-valiente-historia-real-detras-de-la-pelicula-erin-brockovich-por-la-cual-julia-roberts-gano-un-oscar/

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lacronicacoruna1 · 5 years ago

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La emotiva y valiente historia real detrás de la película “Erin Brockovich”, por la cual Julia Roberts ganó un Oscar

Compártelo en Facebook

Tuitéalo

Genial.guru quiere compartir contigo cómo es que Erin Brockovich pasó de ser una religiosa soltera con problemas económicos a una reconocida agitador y consultora admitido.

Su vida antiguamente de los litigios

El caso que la hizo famosa

Construyendo un caso con audacia

Erin luego de su primer gran triunfo

Erin Brockovich, la película

Otras curiosidades relacionadas con la película son:

LeRoy A. Simmons, el togado que estuvo a cargo del caso de PG&E, se interpretó a sí mismo en la película, aunque para ese momento, ya no ejercía como togado.

Según la propia Erin Brockovich, la película se toma muy pocas licencias creativas, siendo aproximadamente un 98 % precisa con los hechos reales.

Al interpretar a Brockovich en la película, Julia Roberts se convirtió en la actriz mejor pagada de Hollywood de ese momento al percibir 20 millones de dólares por su acto.

window.TSP.executeWhenReachedPagePercentage(75, function() { fbq('trackCustom', '75percent'); });

setTimeout(function () { fbq('trackCustom', '30sec'); }, 30000);

from La Crónica Coruña https://lacronicacoruna.com/la-emotiva-y-valiente-historia-real-detras-de-la-pelicula-erin-brockovich-por-la-cual-julia-roberts-gano-un-oscar/

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project1939 · 1 year ago

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Day 22- Film: With a Song in My Heart

Release date: April 4th

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Musical

Director: Walter Lang

Producer: Lamar Trotti, Darryl F. Zanuck

Actors: Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, David Wayne, Thelma Ritter, Robert Wagner, Una Merkel

Plot Summary: This is the real life story of popular singer Jane Froman. She came to prominence in radio and on the stage in the 1930s with her distinctive contralto. While on a USO trip in 1943, her plane crashed, leaving her severely injured. Enduring dozens of surgeries trying to save both of her badly broken legs, she fights to sing and perform again.

My Rating (out of five stars): ****

I feared this movie would be too much of a weepie melodrama, and I wouldn't like it. Well, I spent the last 30 minutes of the film crying my eyes out. Literally! Every time my eyes were drying and I got control of myself, something would get the tears flowing again. It was a melodrama that made me weep, but it wasn’t the overly saccharine and sentimental melodrama I feared.

The good:

Jane Froman herself provided all the vocals for the film. This did mean that Susan Hayword was lip-synching, but it was a lot smoother than I expected.

Susan Hayward. Her performance was part of the reason the film strayed away from corny and cloying.

The “real life story” aspect of this made her plane crash and recovery extremely moving. It was chilling to keep reminding yourself that this really happened.

Thelma Ritter. A super-legend of character actors. If she’s in a film, I always light up and look forward to it.

Dealing with Froman’s complicated love life. I’m sure the version on film is much more sanitized than what actually happened, but I give credit to it for showing her tortured choice between her husband and another man.

The “another man” in the movie! Rory Calhoun, as John Burn, is so beautiful I could barely believe he was real. He’s just insanely handsome and turns your knees to jelly. He wasn’t a bad actor, either.

The realism with makeup. When Jane was shown after the crash and in varying hospital beds, she was often not wearing obvious makeup. This was uncommon in most films of the time. (See Linda Darnell in Island of Desire for example.)

Jane’s interactions with the U.S. troops she was singing for. This is where I bawled and bawled. The scenes were impressively affecting.

The bad:

A lot of the musical numbers were not very interestingly staged. They were all of Jane either singing on the radio or in concert halls, so I think the creative team was a little hog-tied by that. Thankfully in the scenes with her and the soldiers, this totally changed. The frequent interaction with the men as she was singing opened things up and made it much more interesting.

#project1952 #1952 #project1952 day 22 #100 films of 1952 #200 films of 1952 #200 films of 1952 film 20

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mampirminum · 5 years ago

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Hemingway: Yang Bertahan dan Mati Perlahan

“Hemingway once said ‘This world is beautiful and worth fighting for,’ and i agree with the second one.”

-Epilog narasi film Seven.

MENJELANG akhir tahun lima-puluhan, Hemingway masih kelihatan di arena pertandingan adu banteng di Kota Dax, Prancis. Ketika dikerubuti para wartawan dan diwawancarai, seperti diwartakan Majalah Warnasari terbitan April 1982, dia menyatakan demikian:

“Saya memulainya dengan diam-diam, tapi telah saya pukul roboh Tuan Turgenev di atas ring kesusastraan. Lalu saya berlatih keras dan saya kalahkan Tuan Maupassant. Dua kali saya bermain seri melawan Tuan Stendhal.” Dia lantas menghirup napas dalam-dalam dan melanjutkannya,”Akan tetapi saya tidak bisa dipaksa siapapun untuk menghadapi Tuan Tolstoy, apalagi Tuan Dostoyevsky, di atas ring apapun. Ya, kecuali kalau saya sudah gila atau di dalam waktu yang singkat saya bisa terus semakin baik. Hal itu kan mustahil!”

Dan apa yang dikatakannya sebagai mustahil itu bukanlah omong-kosong―meski peristiwa ini sampai sekarang masih terjadi perdebatan. Sebab beberapa minggu sebelum hari kelahirannya yang ke-62, pada bulan Juli 1961, dia berpamit oleh peluru yang meletus dari bedil perburuannya sendiri. Mungkin kecelakaan, tapi ada juga orang yang mengiranya bunuh diri.

Jiwa Petualang

Ernest Miller Hemingway dilahirkan di Oak Parks, Illinois, pada tanggal 21 Juli 1899. Anak kedua dan putra pertama dari enam bersaudara yang terdiri dari dua lelaki dan empat perempuan. Ayahnya, dr. Clarence Edwonds Hemingway, seorang dokter berjambang lebat yang terkenal karena kegemarannya berburu serta mengail. Dia memberikan kepada Ernest joran-pancing ketika bocah itu baru berusia tiga tahun dan senapan berburu pada usia sepuluh tahun. Ibunya, Grace Hall adalah musikus.

Gairah pada alam terbuka dan petualangan yang ditanamkan oleh ayahnya ternyata lebih dalam merasuki Ernest, dibanding musik yang secara intens diajarkan oleh ibunya. Sebab ia tidak merasa tertarik sama sekali kepada nada-nada cello.

Ketika masih bersekolah di Oak Park High School, pada usia 14 tahun, dua kali Ernest pernah melarikan diri dari rumah. Dalam pelariannya, dia bekerja sebagai buruh harian: pencuci piring dan terkadang menjadi sparing-partner bagi petinju-petinju semi-profesional. Tapi akhirnya tak betah dan kembali lagi ke rumahnya, melanjutkan sekolah sampai tamat.

Lulus dari sekolah menengah pada tahun 1917, Ernest mulai bekerja pada harian Kansas City Star. Koran ini terkenal dengan kecakapan sastra staf redaksinya. Tujuh bulan digembleng latihan menulis, Ernest berhasil mempesona hampir seluruh staf redaksi koran dengan gaya penulisannya yang bersih nan segar. Sesungguhnya dia mempunyai masa depan sebagai reporter yang baik, demikian pendapat mereka, jika saja tak meletus Perang Dunia Pertama dan Amerika Serikat melibatkan diri dalam peperangan itu.

Terdorong oleh darah petualangan, Ernest keluar dari Kansas City Star lalu mendaftar diri menjadi tentara. Tapi karena bekas cedera pada matanya waktu sekolah dulu, dia ditolak. Dia mencari jalan lain dan berhasil bergabung pada Korps Ambulans pada pasukan Palang Merah sebagai pengemudi. Dia dikirim ke Italia pada Juni 1918.

Di Italia, Ernest menyaksikan pertempuran-pertempuran getir. Dia bergabung dengan “Arditi”, suatu kesatuan pelopor tentara Italia. Bersama kesatuan itu ia berangkat ke front terdepan. Dua minggu sebelum ulang-tahunnya yang ke-19, dia mendapat cedera parah dalam suatu pertempuran di Fossalta di Piave—yang kelak akan sangat mempengaruhi kehidupan dan karya-karyanya.

Berposisi di pos pengintai terdepan, Hemingway dan kolega jadi korban ketika sebuah parit berisi mortir Austria meledak. Tiga tentara Italia yang sedang bersamanya terputus kaki-kakinya, dua di antaranya mati seketika. Hemingway sendiri jatuh pingsan dan ketika siuman ia mendapati salah satu kakinya terluka parah. Dengan memapah salah seorang tentara Italia yang masih hidup, dia merayap menuju parit perlindungan.

Malang baginya, tiba-tiba sorot lampu dari kubu pertahanan musuh menimpanya dan serentetan tembakan dari senapan mesin kaliber berat menghujani daerah sekitarnya. Sebutir peluru menimpa kaki kanannya dan melemparkan tempurung lututnya. Untuk memperpanjang nafas, dia berdiam diri, pura-pura mati. Baru sesudah lampu sorot beralih, dia merangkak pelan-pelan dan akhirnya berhasil mencapai parit perlindungan. Namun, tentara Italia yang ia panggul sudah menjadi mayat.

Para dokter di Milan mengeluarkan 237 kepingan pecahan mortir dari kedua kakinya. Setelah dilakukan duabelas operasi dan tempurung lututnya diganti dengan alumunium, dia gercep saja meninggalkan rumah sakit, membiarkan para dokter dan perawat di sana menggeleng-gelengkan kepala keheranan. “Betapa hebat daya tahan tubuhnya, pun betapa hebat semangatnya untuk hidup,” sebut satu dokter.

Pria avonturis ini belum jera. Sekeluarnya dari rumah sakit, dia lantas bergabung dengan batalion infantri Italia dan bertempur sampai perang berakhir.

Untuk jasa-jasanya, Pemerintah Italia menganugerahinya dua medali: Groce de Guerra dan Madaglia d’Argento al Valore Militare.

Berkali-kali (Hampir) Mati

Perawakan Hemingway tinggi-besar, berat sekitar 200 pon, tinggi enam kaki, bahunya bidang dan dadanya tegap, lengan tebal dan berotot kuat, pinggang ramping. Dia sengaja membiarkan jambangnya tumbuh lebat karena kulitnya sangat peka terhadap perubahan udara. Dia tidak merokok, tapi dia peminum alkohol berat. Dengan tubuh gagahnya, ia pernah membuat reputasi gemilang sebagai olahragawan, di samping sebagai pengail yang ulung, pemburu yang besar dan petinju amatir yang tangguh. Reputasi-reputasi tersebut akan jadi nomor kesekian dibanding tersohornya pengalaman dalam mengakali sang maut.

Pada tahun 1954, Hemingway mengalami kecelakaan pesawat di Afrika. Dia disangka telah mati. Lantas koran-koran seantero dunia memasang berita kematiannya sebagai berita utama. Hemingway setelah sadar, sambil tangan lainnya membawa segelas gin, terbahak-bahak kegirangan membacanya. Beberapa hari kemudian, di atas pesawat udara yang lain, dia mengalami kecelakaan lagi. Pesawat yang ditumpanginya terbakar sewaktu akan lepas-landas.

Hemingway tentu selamat. Seperti tak mau mengulangi kesalahan, para wartawan lebih teliti dan mengambil topik berita akan kejengkelan Hemingway yang kehilangan botol-botol ginnya yang ikut terbakar bersama pesawat. Luka-luka yang dia peroleh dari kedua kecelakaan pesawat secara beruntun itu ialah ginjal sebelah pecah, luka-luka bakar, dua tulang punggungnya yang melesek dan satu retak, tulang lengan dan pundak kanannya terlepas, ditambah beberapa luka lainnya.

Kecelakaan memang tak pernah jauh-jauh dari Hemingway. Dua kecelakaan mobil pernah menimpanya. Satu ketika dia di London saat mengejar pendaratan tentara sekutu di Normandy. Saat itu, di tengah sinar matahari musim semi tahun 1944 menerpa gedung-gedung tua Inggris, ia berkendara di London, entah kenapa jipnya menabrak tangki air. Hemingway menerima 57 jahitan di sekujur tubuhnya.

Dalam keadaan yang sebenarnya belum diizinkan meninggalkan rumah sakit, Hemingway malah minggat dan menjadi kepala pasukan bermotor kaum partisan Prancis yang berjumlah 200 orang menuju peperangan. Dengan membawa cukup senjata dan mengangkut botol-botol alkohol yang cukup untuk mengguyur basah satu divisi tentara. Sedang kecelakaan mobil lainnya terjadi dalam tahun 1930 di Montana. Nyaris menyebabkan dia kehilangan sebelah lengan.

Sementara dari kedua perang dunia yang terlibat secara aktif, menghasilkan setengah lusin luka di kepalanya, dan lebih dari selusin luka-luka pada kedua tangan dan kakinya, kunci paha, tempurung lututnya dan jahitan pada banyak bagian tubuhnya. Seperti Kolonel Cantwell, salah seorang tokoh dalam novelnya Across the River and Into the Trees, Hemingway pernah mengalami sepuluh kali gegar otak, lima di antaranya cukup gawat.

Ketika mengalami gegar otak yang terakhir kalinya, Hemingway masih sempat bergurau. “Untung tidak memengaruhi bagian otak yang kupakai untuk menulis!” Selorohnya sambil mengangkat gelas penuh gin.

Dari kegemarannya berburu, Hemingway juga pernah hampir mati. Bencana itu terjadi ketika dia berburu bebek liar di daerah dekat Venice. Pecahan peluru telah membenam masuk ke dalam matanya dan menghabiskan 20 juta unit penisilin untuk menyelamatkan nyawanya.

Selain beruntung, dia punya daya tahan tubuh yang memang hebat. Hingga saat itu lolos dari semua incaran maut.

Pria Tua Menyedihkan

Hari-harinya di Fincia Vigia, dekat Havana, Kuba biasanya ia mulai pada pukul 06.30. Di ruang kerjanya, selama 22 tahun sudah dari seluruh masa hidupnya dihabiskan. Dikelilingi oleh pembantu-pembantu rumahnya, dua lusin ekor kucing, dan tamu-tamunya yang tak berkeputusan sepanjang tahun.

Dalam pekerjaanya sebagai penulis, dia bukanlah sosok yang bekerja dengan terburu-buru. Malah seringkali kelihatan seperti orang yang sedang bersantai─tapi sesungguhnya penuh konsentrasi. Terkadang Hemingway menulis sambil berdiri. Dalam sehari, dia menulis sebanyak 400 sampai 1200 kata.

Biasanya dia menulis sampai tengah hari, lalu berenang di kolam renangnya dan minum gin untuk pertama kalinya pada hari itu. Sorenya dia pergi mancing sambil ngobrol dengan kawan-kawannya atau membaca buku.

Sesekali dia menghentikan kegiatannya menulis dan pergi berburu ke Afrika atau Idaho. Tapi, kegiatan yang paling sering dan paling ia sukai adalah bersantai di atas Pilar—nama motor-boatnya—sambil mancing, mengapung di atas air laut yang biru gelap. “Di sinilah tempat kebebasanku yang terakhir di dunia,” kata Hemingway menyanjung tinggi Pilar.

Sanjungan setinggi langit itu memang tak bisa dibantah. Pada 1952 Hemingway menerbitkan novelnya yang paling besar: The Old Man and the Sea. Novel yang terinspirasi oleh adanya Pilar, misteriusnya laut, dan menyedihkannya manusia. Setahun kemudian novel tersebut memenangkan hadiah Pulitzer dan tahun berikutnya Hemingway menerima Nobel Kesusastraan.

Merayapnya nomor usia yang kian bertambah serta menderita dimensia, Hemingway seperti tahu sang maut sudah benar-benar mendekat. Sebelum kematiannya pada Juli 1961, dia sempat ‘menoleh’ ke belakang untuk menelusuri jejak petualangannya dan merenungkan ketenaran namanya dalam dunia sastra. Yang ia tuliskan pada surat-surat balasan pada kawan-kawannya.

Pada intinya, dia tak menyesal dengan apa yang ia perbuat: ikut perang dunia, hampir mengorbankan nyawanya. Lantas, ia tak peduli akan ketenaran namanya─itu bukanlah sesuatu yang amat penting. Dalam bukunya, Death in the Afternoon, dia menulis, “Yang terpenting adalah untuk menyelesaikan pekerjaanmu dan menulis lagi yang baru bila ada sesuatu yang lain yang kamu ketahui. Silahkan kamu berkeinginan menyelamatkan dunia, bila kamu dapat memandangnya dengan jelas dan secara menyeluruh. Kemudian setiap bagian yang kamu lakukan akan menghadirkan keseluruhan yang benar. Tapi, paling penting untuk dilakukan adalah bekerja dan belajar menghasilkan.”

Dunia ini indah, kata Hemingway sepertinya menyemangati dirinya sendiri, tapi perlu diperjuangkan. Il faut d'abord durer atau “di atas segalanya, orang mesti bertahan”.[]

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Pertama kali terbit di ekspresionline.com

Yang bikin ilustrasi: Sunardi / lpmekspresi

#ernest hemingway #sastrawan #the old man and the sea #esai #orbituari

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777wave · 6 years ago

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Henri Cartier-Bresson August 22, 1908 - August 3, 2004 Magnum Photos Founder “Henri Cartier-Bresson at 111” February 3, 2019 - August 22, 2019 200 days to go. __ Born in Chanteloup-en-Brie, Seine-et-Marne, Henri Cartier-Bresson developed a strong fascination with painting early on, and particularly with Surrealism. In 1932, after spending a year in the Ivory Coast, he discovered the Leica – his camera of choice after that moment – and began a life-long passion for photography. In 1933, he had his first exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York. He later made films with Jean Renoir. Taken prisoner of war in 1940, he escaped on his third attempt in 1943 and subsequently joined an underground organization to assist prisoners and escapees. In 1945, he photographed the liberation of Paris with a group of professional journalists and then filmed the documentary Le Retour (The Return). In 1947, with Robert Capa, George Rodger, David ‘Chim’ Seymour and William Vandivert, he founded Magnum Photos. After three years he had spent travelling in the East, in 1952, he returned to Europe, where he published his first book, Images à la Sauvette (published in English as The Decisive Moment). He explained his approach to photography in these terms, ‘”For me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression.” From 1968, he began to curtail his photographic activities, preferring to concentrate on drawing and painting. In 2003, with his wife and daughter, he created the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris for the preservation of his work. Cartier-Bresson received an extraordinary number of prizes, awards, and honorary doctorates. He died at his home in Provence on 3 August 2004, a few weeks short of his 96th birthday. Magnum Photos __ Photo credit : Magnum Photos __ #MasterOfCandidPhotography #MasterOfRangefinderPhotography #111 https://www.instagram.com/p/BtaRQacFNObKixXlWha16R6cXnG_TmW-zSs1Aw0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=qgkfaw7g3nos

#masterofcandidphotography #masterofrangefinderphotography #111

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blackkudos · 6 years ago

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O. J. Simpson

Orenthal James (O. J.) Simpson (born July 9, 1947), nicknamed The Juice, is a former American football running back, broadcaster, actor, and convicted armed robber and kidnapper.

Simpson attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he played football for the USC Trojans and won the Heisman Trophy in 1968. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) as a running back for 11 seasons, with the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977 and with the San Francisco 49ers from 1978 to 1979. In 1973, he became the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season. He holds the record for the single season yards-per-game average, which stands at 143.1. He is the only player to ever rush for over 2,000 yards in the 14-game regular season NFL format.

Simpson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. After retiring from football, he began new careers in acting and football broadcasting.

In 1995, Simpson was acquitted of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman after a lengthy and internationally publicized trial. The families of the victims filed a civil suit against him, and in 1997 a civil court awarded a $33.5 million judgment against Simpson for the victims' wrongful deaths.

In 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, and charged with the felonies of armed robbery and kidnapping. In 2008, he was convicted and sentenced to 33 years imprisonment, with a minimum of nine years without parole. He is serving his sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock, Nevada.

Early life

Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Simpson is the son of Eunice (née Durden; 1921–2001), a hospital administrator, and Jimmy Lee Simpson (1920–1986), a chef and bank custodian. His father was a well-known drag queen in the San Francisco area. Later in life, Jimmy Simpson announced that he was gay. He died of AIDS in 1986.

Simpson's maternal grandparents were from Louisiana, and his aunt gave him the name Orenthal, which she said was the name of a French actor she liked. Simpson has one brother, Melvin Leon "Truman" Simpson, one living sister, Shirley Simpson-Baker, and one deceased sister, Carmelita Simpson-Durio. As a child, Simpson developed rickets and wore braces on his legs until the age of five. His parents separated in 1952, and he was raised by his mother.

Growing up in San Francisco, Simpson and his family lived in the housing projects of the Potrero Hill neighborhood. In his early teenage years, he joined a street gang called the Persian Warriors and was briefly incarcerated at the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center. At Galileo High School (currently Galileo Academy of Science and Technology) in San Francisco, Simpson played for the school football team, the Galileo Lions.

College football and athletics career

From 1965 to 1966, Simpson was a student at City College of San Francisco and a member of the California Community College system. He played football both ways as a running back and defensive back and was named to the Junior College All-American team as a running back.

Simpson was awarded an athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he played running back for head coach John McKay in 1967 and 1968. Simpson led the nation in rushing both years at USC: in 1967 with 1,543 yards and 13 touchdowns in 1968 with 1,880 yards on 383 carries.

As a junior in 1967, Simpson was a close runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting to quarterback Gary Beban of UCLA. In that year's Victory Bell rivalry game between the teams, USC was down by six points in the fourth quarter with under eleven minutes remaining. On their own 36, USC backup quarterback Toby Page called an audible on third and seven. Simpson's 64-yard touchdown run tied the score, and the extra point provided a 21–20 lead, which was the final score. This was the biggest play in what is regarded as one of the greatest football games of the 20th century.

Another dramatic touchdown in the same game is the subject of the Arnold Friberg oil painting, O.J. Simpson Breaks for Daylight. Simpson also won the Walter Camp Award in 1967 and was a two-time consensus All-American.

Simpson was an aspiring track athlete; in 1967 he lost a 100 m race at Stanford against the then-British record holder Menzies Campbell. Prior to playing football at Southern Cal, he ran in the USC sprint relay quartet that broke the world record in the 4 x 110-yard relay at the NCAA track championships in Provo, Utah on June 17, 1967.

As a senior in 1968, Simpson rushed for 1,709 yards and 22 touchdowns in the regular season, earning the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award. He still holds the record for the Heisman's largest margin of victory, defeating runner-up Leroy Keyes by 1,750 points. In the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, #2 USC faced top-ranked Ohio State; Simpson ran for 171 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run in a 27–16 loss.

Professional football career

Buffalo Bills

The first selection 1969 AFL-NFL Common Draft was held by the AFL's Buffalo Bills, after finishing 1–12–1 in 1968. They took Simpson, but he demanded what was then the largest contract in professional sports history: $650,000 over five years. This led to a standoff with Bills' owner Ralph Wilson, as Simpson threatened to become an actor and skip professional football. Eventually, Wilson agreed to pay Simpson.

Simpson entered professional football with high expectations, but struggled in his first three years, averaging only 622 yards per season. Bills coach John Rauch, not wanting to build an offense around one running back, assigned Simpson to do blocking and receiving duties at the expense of running the ball. In 1971, Rauch resigned as head coach and the Bills brought in Harvey Johnson. Despite Johnson devising a new offense for Simpson, Simpson was still ineffective that year. After the 1971 season, the Bills fired Johnson and brought in Lou Saban as head coach. Unlike Rauch, Saban made Simpson the centerpiece of the Bills offense.

In 1972, Simpson rushed for over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career, gaining a league-leading total of 1,251 yards. In 1973, Simpson became the first player to break the highly coveted 2,000 yard rushing mark, with 2,003 total rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Simpson broke the mark during the last game of the season against the New York Jets with a 7-yard rush. That same game also saw Simpson break Jim Brown's single-season rushing record of 1,863 yards. For his performance, Simpson won that year's NFL MVP Award and Bert Bell Award. While other players had broken the 2,000-yard mark since Simpson, this record happened back when the NFL only had 14-game seasons, as opposed to the 16-game seasons since the 1978 season.

Simpson gained more than 1,000 rushing yards for each of his next three seasons. Simpson did not lead the league in rushing in 1974, but did cross the 1,000-yard barrier despite a sore knee. Simpson also made his first and only playoff appearance during the 1974 season. In a divisional game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Simpson rushed for 49 yards on 15 attempts. Simpson also caught one touchdown pass. The Bills lost the game 32–14.

Simpson won the rushing title again in 1975, rushing for 1,817 yards and 16 touchdowns. Simpson also had a career high 426 receiving yards and 7 receiving touchdowns that season. Simpson once again led the league in rushing in 1976, rushing for 1,503 yards and 8 touchdowns. Simpson had the best game of his career during that season's Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions on November 25. In that game, Simpson rushed for a then-record 273 yards on 29 attempts and scored two touchdowns. Despite Simpson's performance, the Bills would lose the game 27–14.

Simpson played in only seven games in 1977, as his season was cut short by injury.

San Francisco 49ers

Before the 1978 season, the Bills traded Simpson to his hometown San Francisco 49ers for a series of draft picks. Simpson played in San Francisco for two seasons, rushing for 1,053 yards and four touchdowns. His final NFL game was in December 1979, a 31–21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium. His final play was a 10-yard run on 3rd and 10 for a first down.

Career summary

Simpson gained 11,236 rushing yards, placing him 2nd on the NFL's all-time rushing list when he retired; he now stands at 21st. He was named NFL Player of the Year in 1973, and played in six Pro Bowls. He was the only player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a 14-game season and he's the only player to rush for over 200 yards in six different games in his career. From 1972 to 1976, Simpson averaged 1,540 rushing yards per (14 game) season, 5.1 yards per carry, and he won the NFL rushing title four times. Simpson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, his first year of eligibility.

Simpson played in only one playoff game during his 11-season Hall of Fame career: a 1974 Divisional Playoff between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Simpson was held to 49 rushing yards, 3 receptions for 37 yards, and one touchdown, and the Bills lost 14-32 to the team which went on to win Super Bowl IX.

Simpson acquired the nickname "Juice" as a play on "O.J.", a common abbreviation for "orange juice". "Juice" is also a colloquial synonym for electricity or electrical power, and hence a metaphor for any powerful entity; the Bills' offensive line at Simpson's peak was nicknamed "The Electric Company".

NFL records

Fastest player to gain 1,000 rushing yards in season: 1,025 in 7 games in 1973 and 1,005 in 7 games in 1975 (tied with Terrell Davis).

Fastest player to gain 2,000 rushing yards in season: 2,003 in 14 games in 1973.

NFL career statistics

Acting career

Even before his retirement from the NFL, Simpson embarked on a film career with parts in films such as the television mini-series Roots (1977), and the dramatic motion pictures The Klansman (1974), The Towering Inferno (1974), The Cassandra Crossing (1976), Capricorn One (1978), and the comedic Back to the Beach (1987) and The Naked Gun trilogy (1988, 1991, 1994). In 1979, he started his own film production company, Orenthal Productions, which dealt mostly in made-for-TV fare such as the family-oriented Goldie and the Boxer films with Melissa Michaelsen (1979 and 1981), and Cocaine and Blue Eyes (1983), the pilot for a proposed detective series on NBC.

NBC was considering whether to air Frogmen, another series starring Simpson, when his arrest in 1994 on charges of murder canceled the project.

Besides his acting career, Simpson worked as a commentator for Monday Night Football and The NFL on NBC. He also appeared in the audience of Saturday Night Live during its second season and hosted an episode during its third season.

Frogmen

Simpson starred in the un-televised two-hour-long film pilot for Frogmen, a The A-Team-like adventure series that Warner Bros. Television completed in 1994, a few months before the murders. NBC had not yet decided whether to order the series when Simpson's arrest cancelled the project. While searching his home, the police obtained a videotaped copy of the pilot as well as the script and dailies. Although the prosecution investigated reports that Simpson, who played the leader of a group of former United States Navy SEALs, received "a fair amount of" military training—including use of a knife—for Frogmen, and there is a scene in which he holds a knife to the throat of a woman, this material was not introduced as evidence during the trial.

NBC executive Warren Littlefield said in July 1994 that the network would probably never air the pilot if Simpson were convicted; if he were acquitted, however, one television journalist speculated that "Frogmen would probably be on the air before the NBC peacock could unfurl its plume". Most pilots that are two hours long are aired as TV movies whether or not they are ordered as series. Because—as the Los Angeles Times later reported—"the appetite for all things O.J. appeared insatiable" during the trial, Warner Bros. and NBC estimated that a gigantic, Super Bowl-like television audience would have watched the Frogmen film. One of Simpson's co-stars in the film commented that the studio's decision to not air it or even release it on home video, and forego an estimated $14 million in profits, was "just about the only proof you have that there is some dignity in the advertising and television business".

Juiced

In 2006, Simpson starred in his own improv, hidden-camera prank TV show, Juiced. Typical of the genre, Simpson would play a prank on everyday people while secretly filming them and at the end of each prank, he would shout, "You've been Juiced!" Less typical, each episode opened with topless strippers dancing around Simpson, who is dressed as a pimp. He sings his own rap song, which includes the lyrics "Don't you know there's no stopping the Juice / When I'm on the floor I'm like a lion on the loose / Better shoot me with a tranquilizer dart / Don't be stupid, I'm not a Simpson named Bart." In one episode, Simpson is at a used car lot in Las Vegas where he attempts to sell his white Bronco (made famous during the chase in Los Angeles prior to his arrest). A bullet hole in the front of the SUV is circled with his autograph, and he pitches it to a prospective buyer by saying that if they "ever get into some trouble and have to get away, it has escapability." In another sketch called "B-I-N-G-O.J.", Simpson pretends to be having an affair with another man's girlfriend. Later he transforms into an old white man whose dying wish is to call a game of bingo. "Juiced" aired as a one-time special on pay-per-view television and was later released on DVD.

Endorsements

Chuck Barnes helped Simpson form business relationships with Chevrolet and ABC early in his career. By 1971, New York wrote that he was already wealthy enough to, "retire this week if [he] wanted to". Simpson's amiable persona and natural charisma landed him numerous endorsement deals. From 1975, he appeared in advertisements with Hertz rental car company, in whose commercials he was depicted running through airports, serving as an embodiment of speed. Simpson was also a longtime spokesman for Pioneer Chicken and owned two franchises, one of which was destroyed during the 1992 Los Angeles riots; as well as HoneyBaked Ham, the pX Corporation, and Calistoga Water Company's line of Napa Naturals soft drinks. He also appeared in comic book ads for Dingo cowboy boots.

Family life

At age 19 on June 24, 1967, Simpson married Marguerite L. Whitley. Together, they had three children: Arnelle L. Simpson (b. 1968), Jason L. Simpson (b. 1970), and Aaren Lashone Simpson (b. 1977). In August 1979, five months after the couple divorced, Aaren drowned in the family's swimming pool, one month before her second birthday.

Simpson met Nicole Brown in 1977, while she was working as a waitress at the nightclub "The Daisy". Although still married to his first wife, Simpson began dating Brown. Simpson and Marguerite divorced in March 1979.

Brown and Simpson were married on February 2, 1985, five years after his retirement from professional football. The couple had two children, Sydney Brooke Simpson (b. 1985) and Justin Ryan Simpson (b. 1988). The marriage lasted seven years, during which Simpson pleaded no contest to spousal abuse in 1989. Brown filed for divorce on February 25, 1992, citing irreconcilable differences. In 1993, after the divorce, Brown and Simpson made an attempt at reconciliation, but according to Sheila Weller "they were a dramatic, fractious, mutually obsessed couple before they married, after they married, after they divorced in 1992, and after they reconciled".

Legal history

Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman murders and trialsCriminal trial for murder

On June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside Nicole's condominium in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. Simpson was a person of interest in their murders. On June 17, after failing to turn himself in, he became the object of a low-speed pursuit in a white Ford Bronco SUV; TV stations interrupted coverage of the 1994 NBA Finals to cover his case. The pursuit, arrest, and trial were among the most widely publicized events in American history. The trial, often characterized as the Trial of the Century because of its international publicity similar to that of Sacco and Vanzetti and the Lindbergh kidnapping, culminated on October 3, 1995, in a jury verdict of "not guilty" for the two murders. An estimated 100 million people nationwide tuned in to watch or listen to the verdict announcement. Following Simpson's acquittal, the crime remains unsolved to this day.

Immediate reaction to the verdict was notable for its division along racial lines: a poll of Los Angeles County residents showed that most African Americans there felt that justice had been served by the "not guilty" verdict, while the majority of whites and Latinos expressed an opinion that it had not. O. J. Simpson's integrated defense counsel included Johnnie Cochran, Robert Kardashian, Robert Shapiro, and F. Lee Bailey. Marcia Clark was the lead prosecutor for the State of California.

Wrongful death civil trial

Following Simpson's acquittal of criminal charges, Ron Goldman's family filed a civil lawsuit against Simpson. Daniel Petrocelli represented plaintiff Fred Goldman (Ronald Goldman's father), while Robert Baker represented Simpson. Superior Court Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki presided, and he barred television and still cameras, radio equipment, and courtroom sketch artists from the courtroom. On October 23, 1996, opening statements were made, and on January 16, 1997, both sides rested their cases.

On February 5, 1997, a civil jury in Santa Monica, California unanimously found Simpson liable for the wrongful death of and battery against Goldman, and battery against Brown. Simpson was ordered to pay $33,500,000 in damages. In February 1999, an auction of Simpson's Heisman Trophy and other belongings netted almost $500,000, which went to the Goldman family. The Goldman family also tried to collect Simpson's NFL $28,000 yearly pension but failed to collect any money.

In 1997, Simpson was evicted from the estate in which he had lived for 20 years, at 360 North Rockingham Avenue, after defaulting on the mortgage. In July 1998, the house was demolished by its next owner, Kenneth Abdalla, an investment banker and president of the Jerry's Famous Deli chain. The property's address has since been renumbered to 380 North Rockingham Avenue.

A 2000 Rolling Stone article reported that Simpson still made a significant income by signing autographs. He subsequently moved from California to Florida, settling in Miami. In Florida, among a few states, a person's residence cannot be seized to collect a debt under most circumstances.

On September 5, 2006, Goldman's father took Simpson back to court to obtain control over Simpson's "right to publicity", for purposes of satisfying the judgment in the civil court case. On January 4, 2007, a Federal judge issued a restraining order prohibiting Simpson from spending any advance he may have received on a canceled book deal and TV interview about the 1994 murders. The matter was dismissed before trial for lack of jurisdiction. On January 19, 2007, a California state judge issued an additional restraining order, ordering Simpson to restrict his spending to "ordinary and necessary living expenses".

On March 13, 2007, a judge prevented Simpson from receiving any further compensation from the defunct book deal and TV interview, and the judge ordered the bundled book rights to be auctioned. In August 2007, a Florida bankruptcy court awarded the rights to the book to the Goldman family, to partially satisfy an unpaid civil judgment. Originally titled If I Did It, the book was renamed If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer, with the word "If" reduced in size to make the title appear to read I Did It: Confessions of the Killer. Additional material was added by members of the Goldman family, investigative journalist Dominick Dunne, and author Pablo Fenjves.

Other legal troubles

The State of California claims Simpson owes $1.44 million in back taxes. A tax lien was filed in his case on September 1, 1999.

In the late 1990s, Simpson attempted to register "O.J. Simpson", "O.J.", and "The Juice" as trademarks for "a broad range of goods, including figurines, trading cards, sportswear, medallions, coins, and prepaid telephone cards." A "concerned citizen", William B. Ritchie, sued to oppose the granting of federal registration on the grounds that doing so would be immoral and scandalous. Simpson gave up the effort in 2000.

In February 2001, Simpson was arrested in Miami-Dade County, Florida, for simple battery and burglary of an occupied conveyance, for yanking the glasses off another motorist during a traffic dispute three months earlier. If convicted, Simpson could have faced up to 16 years in prison, but he was tried and quickly acquitted on both charges in October 2001.

On December 4, 2001, Simpson's Miami home was searched by the FBI on suspicion of ecstasy possession and money laundering. The FBI had received a tip that Simpson was involved in a major drug trafficking ring after 10 other suspects were arrested in the case. Simpson's home was thoroughly searched for two hours, but no illegal drugs were discovered, and no arrest or formal charges were filed following the search. However, investigators uncovered equipment capable of stealing satellite television programming, which eventually led to Simpson's being sued in federal court.

On July 4, 2002, Simpson was arrested in Miami-Dade County, Florida, for water speeding through a manatee protection zone and failing to comply with proper boating regulations. The misdemeanor boating regulation charge was dropped, and Simpson was fined for the speeding infraction.

In March 2004, satellite television network DirecTV, Inc. accused Simpson in a Miami federal court of using illegal electronic devices to pirate its broadcast signals. The company later won a $25,000 judgment, and Simpson was ordered to pay an additional $33,678 in attorney's fees and costs.

Las Vegas robbery

In September 2007, a group of men led by Simpson entered a room at the Palace Station hotel-casino and took sports memorabilia at gunpoint, which resulted in Simpson's being questioned by police. Simpson admitted to taking the items, which he said had been stolen from him, but denied breaking into the hotel room; he also denied that he or anyone else carried a gun. He was released after questioning.

Two days later, Simpson was arrested and initially held without bail. Along with three other men, Simpson was charged with multiple felony counts, including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, assault, robbery, and using a deadly weapon. Bail was set at $125,000, with stipulations that Simpson have no contact with the co-defendants and that he surrender his passport. Simpson did not enter a plea.

By the end of October 2007, all three of Simpson's co-defendants had plea-bargained with the prosecution in the Clark County, Nevada, court case. Walter Alexander and Charles H. Cashmore accepted plea agreements in exchange for reduced charges and their testimony against Simpson and three other co-defendants, including testimony that guns were used in the robbery. Co-defendant Michael McClinton told a Las Vegas judge that he too would plead guilty to reduced charges and testify against Simpson that guns were used in the robbery. After the hearings, the judge ordered that Simpson be tried for the robbery.

On November 8, 2007, Simpson had a preliminary hearing to decide whether he would be tried for the charges. He was held over for trial on all 12 counts. Simpson pleaded not guilty on November 29, and the trial was reset from April to September 8, 2008. Court officers and attorneys announced, on May 22, 2008, that long questionnaires with at least 115 queries would be given to a jury pool of 400 or more.

In January 2008, Simpson was taken into custody in Florida and flown to Las Vegas, where he was incarcerated at the county jail for violating the terms of his bail by attempting to contact Clarence "C. J." Stewart, a co-defendant in the trial. District Attorney David Roger of Clark County provided District Court Judge Jackie Glass with evidence that Simpson had violated his bail terms. A hearing took place on January 16, 2008. Glass raised Simpson's bail to US$250,000 and ordered that he remain in county jail until 15 percent was paid in cash. Simpson posted bond that evening and returned to Miami the next day.

Simpson and his co-defendant were found guilty of all charges on October 3, 2008. On October 10, 2008, Simpson's counsel moved for a new trial (trial de novo) on grounds of judicial errors and insufficient evidence. Simpson's attorney announced he would appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court if Judge Glass denied the motion. The attorney for Simpson's co-defendant, C. J. Stewart, petitioned for a new trial, alleging Stewart should have been tried separately and cited possible misconduct by the jury foreman.

Simpson faced a possible life sentence with parole on the kidnapping charge, and mandatory prison time for armed robbery. On December 5, 2008, Simpson was sentenced to a total of thirty-three years in prison, with the possibility of parole after about nine years, in 2017. On September 4, 2009, the Nevada Supreme Court denied a request for bail during Simpson's appeal. In October 2010, the Nevada Supreme Court affirmed his convictions. He is now serving his sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center and his inmate ID number is #1027820.

A Nevada judge agreed on October 19, 2012, to "reopen the armed robbery and kidnapping case against O. J. Simpson to determine if the former football star was so badly represented by his lawyers that he should be freed from prison and get another trial." A hearing was held beginning May 13, 2013, to determine if Simpson is entitled to a new trial. On November 27, 2013, Judge Linda Bell denied Simpson's bid for a new trial on the robbery conviction. In her ruling, Bell wrote that all of Simpson's contentions lacked merit.

On July 31, 2013, the Nevada Parole Board granted Simpson parole on some charges from armed robbery convictions, but he will continue to be held at least until October 2017 based on the other sentences.Simpson's age and reports of his good behavior in prison increase his chances of parole. His next parole hearing is set for July 20, 2017.

Filmography

In popular culture

Films and televisionFilms

In Fox network's TV movie, The O.J. Simpson Story (1995), Simpson is portrayed as youth by Bumper Robinson and as an adult by Bobby Hosea; his close friend Al Cowlings is portrayed as a youth by Terrence Howard and as an adult by David Roberson.

BBC TV's documentary, O.J. Simpson: The Untold Story (2000), produced by Malcolm Brinkworth, "reveals that clues that some believe pointed away from Simpson as the killer were dismissed or ignored and highlights two other leads which could shed new light on the case."

The Investigation Discovery TV movie documentary, OJ: Trial of the Century (2014), begins on the day of the murders, ends on the reading of the verdict, and comprises actual media footage of events and reactions, as they unfolded.

The Investigation Discovery TV movie documentary, O.J. Simpson Trial: The Real Story (2016), entirely comprises archival news footage of the murder case, the Bronco chase, the trial, the verdict, and reactions.

Series and mini-series

In CBS's TV miniseries American Tragedy (November 15, 2000), Simpson is played by Raymond Forchion.

The documentary mini-series, O.J.: Made in America (released January 22, 2016 at Sundance), directed by Ezra Edelman and produced by Laylow Films, is an American 5-part, 7.5-hour film that previewed at the Tribeca and Sundance Film Festivals and is airing as part of the 30 for 30 series airing on the ABC and ESPN sister networks. This film adds "rich contextual layers to the case, including a dive into the history of Los Angeles race relations that played such a central role in his acquittal". As James Poniewozik observed in his June 20, 2016 New York Times review: "the director Ezra Edelman pulls back, way back, like a news chopper over a freeway chase. Before you hear about the trial, the documentary says, you need to hear all the stories—the stories of race, celebrity, sports, America—that it's a part of." The film won a 2017 Academy Award for best Documentary Feature.

In FX's cable TV mini-series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (February 2016), based on Jeffrey Toobin's book The Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson (1997), Simpson is portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr.

Exhibits

The Bronco from Simpson's police chase was on display in Pigeon Forge's Alcatraz East Crime Museum as of the fall of 2016.

Wikipedia

#O. J. Simpson #07-09

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davisondg-blog · 4 years ago

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isabella880 · 5 years ago

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La emotiva y valiente historia real detrás de la película “Erin Brockovich”, por la cual Julia Roberts ganó un Oscar

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Genial.guru quiere compartir contigo cómo es que Erin Brockovich pasó de ser una religiosa soltera con problemas económicos a una reconocida agitador y consultora admitido.

Su vida antiguamente de los litigios

El caso que la hizo famosa

Construyendo un caso con audacia

Erin luego de su primer gran triunfo

Erin Brockovich, la película

Otras curiosidades relacionadas con la película son:

LeRoy A. Simmons, el togado que estuvo a cargo del caso de PG&E, se interpretó a sí mismo en la película, aunque para ese momento, ya no ejercía como togado.

Según la propia Erin Brockovich, la película se toma muy pocas licencias creativas, siendo aproximadamente un 98 % precisa con los hechos reales.

Al interpretar a Brockovich en la película, Julia Roberts se convirtió en la actriz mejor pagada de Hollywood de ese momento al percibir 20 millones de dólares por su acto.

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from La Crónica Coruña https://lacronicacoruna.com/la-emotiva-y-valiente-historia-real-detras-de-la-pelicula-erin-brockovich-por-la-cual-julia-roberts-gano-un-oscar/ from La Crónica Coruña https://lacronicacoruna.tumblr.com/post/615424535987208192

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