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Recent Headlines
a la Mod:

Domino is
a "disarmingly
straight-forward"
work that "pushes
us to reexamine our
relationship to images
and their consumption,
not only ethically
but metaphysically"
-Collin Brinkman

De Palma on Domino
"It was not recut.
I was not involved
in the ADR, the
musical recording
sessions, the final
mix or the color
timing of the
final print."

Listen to
Donaggio's full score
for Domino online

De Palma/Lehman
rapport at work
in Snakes

De Palma/Lehman
next novel is Terry

De Palma developing
Catch And Kill,
"a horror movie
based on real things
that have happened
in the news"

Supercut video
of De Palma's films
edited by Carl Rodrigue

Washington Post
review of Keesey book

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Exclusive Passion
Interviews:

Brian De Palma
Karoline Herfurth
Leila Rozario

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AV Club Review
of Dumas book

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« August 2012 »
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Interviews...

De Palma interviewed
in Paris 2002

De Palma discusses
The Black Dahlia 2006


Enthusiasms...

De Palma Community

The Virtuoso
of the 7th Art

The De Palma Touch

The Swan Archives

Carrie...A Fan's Site

Phantompalooza

No Harm In Charm

Paul Schrader

Alfred Hitchcock
The Master Of Suspense

Alfred Hitchcock Films

Snake Eyes
a la Mod

Mission To Mars
a la Mod

Sergio Leone
and the Infield
Fly Rule

Movie Mags

Directorama

The Filmmaker Who
Came In From The Cold

Jim Emerson on
Greetings & Hi, Mom!

Scarface: Make Way
For The Bad Guy

The Big Dive
(Blow Out)

Carrie: The Movie

Deborah Shelton
Official Web Site

The Phantom Project

Welcome to the
Offices of Death Records

The Carlito's Way
Fan Page

The House Next Door

Kubrick on the
Guillotine

FilmLand Empire

Astigmia Cinema

LOLA

Cultural Weekly

A Lonely Place

The Film Doctor

italkyoubored

Icebox Movies

Medfly Quarantine

Not Just Movies

Hope Lies at
24 Frames Per Second

Motion Pictures Comics

Diary of a
Country Cinephile

So Why This Movie?

Obsessive Movie Nerd

Nothing Is Written

Ferdy on Films

Cashiers De Cinema

This Recording

Mike's Movie Guide

Every '70s Movie

Dangerous Minds

EatSleepLiveFilm

No Time For
Love, Dr. Jones!

The former
De Palma a la Mod
site

Entries by Topic
A note about topics: Some blog posts have more than one topic, in which case only one main topic can be chosen to represent that post. This means that some topics may have been discussed in posts labeled otherwise. For instance, a post that discusses both The Boston Stranglers and The Demolished Man may only be labeled one or the other. Please keep this in mind as you navigate this list.
All topics  «
Ambrose Chapel
Are Snakes Necessary?
BAMcinématek
Bart De Palma
Beaune Thriller Fest
Becoming Visionary
Betty Buckley
Bill Pankow
Black Dahlia
Blow Out
Blue Afternoon
Body Double
Bonfire Of The Vanities
Books
Boston Stranglers
Bruce Springsteen
Cannes
Capone Rising
Carlito's Way
Carrie
Casualties Of War
Catch And Kill
Cinema Studies
Clarksville 1861
Columbia University
Columbo - Shooting Script
Congo
Conversation, The
Cop-Out
Cruising
Daft Punk
Dancing In The Dark
David Koepp
De Niro
De Palma & Donaggio
De Palma (doc)
De Palma Blog-A-Thon
De Palma Discussion
Demolished Man
Dick Vorisek
Dionysus In '69
Domino
Dressed To Kill
Edward R. Pressman
Eric Schwab
Fatal Attraction
Femme Fatale
Film Series
Fire
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Fury, The
Genius of Love
George Litto
Get To Know Your Rabbit
Ghost & The Darkness
Greetings
Happy Valley
Havana Film Fest
Heat
Hi, Mom!
Hitchcock
Home Movies
Inspired by De Palma
Iraq, etc.
Jack Fisk
Jared Martin
Jerry Greenberg
Keith Gordon
Key Man, The
Laurent Bouzereau
Lights Out
Lithgow
Magic Hour
Magnificent Seven
Mission To Mars
Mission: Impossible
Mod
Montreal World Film Fest
Morricone
Mr. Hughes
Murder a la Mod
Nancy Allen
Nazi Gold
Newton 1861
Noah Baumbach
NYFF
Obsession
Oliver Stone
Palmetto
Paranormal Activity 2
Parker
Parties & Premieres
Passion
Paul Hirsch
Paul Schrader
Pauline Kael
Peet Gelderblom
Phantom Of The Paradise
Pimento
Pino Donaggio
Predator
Prince Of The City
Print The Legend
Raggedy Ann
Raising Cain
Red Shoes, The
Redacted
Responsive Eye
Retribution
Rie Rasmussen
Robert De Niro
Rotwang muß weg!
Sakamoto
Scarface
Scorsese
Sean Penn
Sensuous Woman, The
Sisters
Snake Eyes
Sound Mixer
Spielberg
Star Wars
Stepford Wives
Stephen H Burum
Sweet Vengeance
Tabloid
Tarantino
Taxi Driver
Terry
The Tale
To Bridge This Gap
Toronto Film Fest
Toyer
Travolta
Treasure Sierra Madre
Tru Blu
Truth And Other Lies
TV Appearances
Untitled Ashton Kutcher
Untitled Hollywood Horror
Untitled Industry-Abuse M
Untouchables
Venice Beach
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Wedding Party
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Woton's Wake
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Sunday, August 12, 2012
NEW 'OBSESSION' DVD
REGION 2 DVD & BLU-RAY RELEASED IN FRANCE LAST MONTH
Wild Side Video released new region 2 DVD and Blu-Ray editions of Brian De Palma's Obsession last month in France. Both editions feature a remastered version of Obsession, with new special features, including a brief interview with De Palma, presented as part of a 26-minute video essay by Samuel Blumenfeld, coauthor of Brian De Palma: Conversations with Samuel Blumenfeld and Laurent Vachaud. (According to the Principal Archivist at the Swan Archives, the De Palma interview appears to be from 2004, perhaps from the same interview De Palma did for the French Sisters DVD that was released around that time-- see comments section below.) The DVD edition of Obsession is a two-disc set that includes a PDF of Paul Schrader's original screenplay (not included in the Blu-Ray package, according to Amazon). Both editions include two bonus De Palma shorts: Woton's Wake and The Responsive Eye. They also include Laurent Bouzereau's "Obsession Revisited," as well as a trailer for the film.

Longtime reader screenfreekz has sent in a tentatively translated (from French, after it had already been translated from English) quote from the De Palma interview: ""People don't understand Hitchcock. I'd love to be in a room with my detractors so I could prove them wrong whenever they compare me to him."
(Thanks to screenfreekz!)

Posted by Geoff at 12:59 PM CDT
Updated: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 5:10 PM CDT
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Thursday, August 9, 2012
DE PALMA TALKS TURKEYS
FORMER STUDENT SAYS DE PALMA "CONSTANTLY REFERRED TO ALL HIS FILMS AS TURKEYS"
The Oregonian News Network posted an interview with Anne Richardson, who runs the blog Oregon Movies, A to Z. Richardson indicates in the interview that she is a former student of Brian De Palma. It seems most likely that she would have been involved in the class De Palma taught at Sarah Lawrence College in 1979, where he taught students how to make a film by making Home Movies with them. In the Oregonian interview, Richardson is asked to tell her favorite story about the movies. "At film school," Richardson replies, "Prof. Brian De Palma constantly referred to all his films as 'turkeys'. When I was making my thesis film, I called him up to ask for advice on one particular shot. I was hugely honored when, as he was answering my question, he began referring to my film as a turkey."

Posted by Geoff at 10:54 PM CDT
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Wednesday, August 8, 2012
'PASSION' TO PREMIERE AT VENICE SEPT 7TH
RUNNING TIME NOW LISTED AT 100 MINUTES
Thanks to Rachel McAdams Online for discovering that the screenings schedule has now been posted at the website of the 69th Venice International Film Festival, which runs from August 29th through September 8th. While Terrence Malick's To The Wonder will premiere on Sunday, September 2nd, Brian De Palma's Passion will premiere on Friday, September 7th, one day before the end of the festival. This makes De Palma's film one of the final big premieres of the festival, and also separates the two Rachel McAdams films by five days. While there is no official word yet on which actors will appear at the festival, it would be fun to see McAdams attend both premieres. When the festival films were first announced, the running time for Passion was listed at 94 minutes. The new listing shows the film running 100 minutes.

Posted by Geoff at 8:41 PM CDT
Updated: Thursday, August 9, 2012 12:28 AM CDT
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Monday, August 6, 2012
'FEMME FATALE' CLIMAX MAY HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY SAUTET
ARMOND WHITE SAYS NO DOUBT ABOUT INFLUENCE OF STUNNING MONTAGE IN 'THE THINGS OF LIFE'
Armond White, writing about the current Claude Sautet retrospective at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, says that "a stunning montage" in Sautet's Les Choses de la Vie (The Things Of Life) "no doubt inspired Brian De Palma’s Femme Fatale climax." Sautet's film, released in 1970, established his international reputation. White states that it is "a more operatic version of the usual Sautet melodrama." According to White, "The montage details life in shocking, lyrical increments. Jean Boffety’s cinematography captures natural light and existential tragedy in captivating, musical counterpoint. Sautet may be practiced in face-to-face contretemps but the car crash sequence–a Nouvelle Vague salute to the crisis/memories/fate flashbacks of Hollywood’s classic Slattery’s Hurricane–is one of cinema’s most exquisite examples of melding kinetics to philosophy."

The Saute retrospective, running through August 16, is named after The Things Of Life, and includes that film along with 12 other Sautet features.

Posted by Geoff at 1:11 AM CDT
Updated: Monday, August 6, 2012 1:12 AM CDT
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Sunday, August 5, 2012
'PASSION' ON COVER OF FILM TV MAGAZINE
AS ITALIAN PUBLICATION PREVIEWS UPCOMING VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
Reader Maurizio Rossi sends word of the new issue of the Italian magazine Film Tv, which features an image from Brian De Palma's Passion on the cover. Rossi explains that the cover's accompanying headline is a play on the Italian title of Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now. The Italian title for Roeg's film is A Venezia un Dicembre rosso shocking, which translates to "A Shocking Red December In Venice," according to Rossi. So the magazine's headline, "A Venezia una Mostra Rosso Passion," translates to "A Red Passion Film Festival in Venice." The issue previews the upcoming Venice Film Festival.

Posted by Geoff at 12:49 PM CDT
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Saturday, August 4, 2012
JOSEPH KAHN: 'MOVIES NEED MORE DE PALMA'
IRRITATED BY PERVASIVE USE OF MULTIPLE CAMERAS IN FILMS TODAY

Posted by Geoff at 10:15 AM CDT
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Tuesday, July 31, 2012
'PASSION' FAN POSTERS
From Love In The Time Of Crossing Over...

And from Donald Devienne...


Posted by Geoff at 6:55 PM CDT
Updated: Tuesday, July 31, 2012 7:06 PM CDT
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Saturday, July 28, 2012
KAROLINE EXCITED ABOUT 'PASSION' AT VENICE
MESSAGE POSTED ON FACEBOOK PAGE THIS MORNING
Karoline Herfurth posted the following message on her Facebook page this morning:

(Translated from German)
"Is that not awesome about Venice? Wow Wow Wow! Man am I excited about the movie! Just had synchronous via satellite with Mr. De Palma ... :-) :-)"

Posted by Geoff at 11:52 AM CDT
Updated: Thursday, August 9, 2012 12:35 AM CDT
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Thursday, July 26, 2012
'PASSION' TO PREMIERE, COMPETE AT VENICE
MALICK'S 'TO THE WONDER' ALSO COMPETING; JURY HEADED BY MICHAEL MANN
Brian De Palma's Passion has been selected as one of 18 films to compete at this year's Venice Film Festival, which runs August 29 to September 8. De Palma's film, officially a French-German production, is listed as running a lean and mean 94 minutes. Also among the selections is Terrence Malick's To The Wonder. Both films feature Rachel McAdams, who, according to the Hollywood Reporter, is expected to appear at the festival. The line-up was announced this morning, with an additional secret competition title to be announced at a later date. Many are speculating that the additional film will be Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master.

Ever since De Palma began shooting Passion earlier this year, reports have erroneously been stating that it has been six years since De Palma's last film. In fact, his most recent film, Redacted, premiered at Venice five years ago, in 2007. That film also played at Telluride and Toronto within days of its Venice premiere. While the Toronto International Film Festival yesterday announced many titles that will screen there this year, there are still more titles to be announced. Telluride keeps its line-up secret until the film is actually playing. The Deauville American Film Festival announced it's slate today, as well, but Passion was not included.

"In preparing Venice," said Venice Fest director Alberto Barbera at a press conference in Rome today (via Variety), "I have very much admired and envied my friend and colleague who heads the Toronto Film Festival. He has an easy job: He can take 350 movies, and therefore accept almost anything. We have chosen a much tougher path, in which, after lots of discussions, we had to say 'no' a lot. And it was very tough." The Globe And Mail further quotes Barbera: "The main recurring theme is the crisis. The economic crisis, which is having devastating social effects, but also the crisis of values, the political crisis." Passion appears to fit this theme, with its focus on the politics of the corporate business world.

Despite the crisis, Barbera wanted to showcase "a great productive ferment" in the industry, according to the Globe And Mail. "We have taken risks," Barbera is quoted telling reporters. "There are many established directors but also less famous directors and many unknown young directors from countries without cinematic traditions and without real access to the market. Festivals should revert to their original roles of exploration, of scoping out innovation, instead of relying only on the established producers.”

The jury at this year's Venice fest will be headed by Michael Mann, who will also screen his out-of-competition documentary Witness: Libya. The closing film will be the out-of-competition L'homme qui rit, Jean-Pierre Ameris' remake of Paul Leni's The Man Who Laughs, a film which factored into the plot of De Palma's The Black Dahlia. Opening the fest, also out-of-competition, will be Mira Nair's The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

Among the competition films announced are Olivier Assayas' Something In The Air, Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, and Marco Bellocchio's Dormant Beauty. Out of competition titles include Robert Redford's The Company You Keep, Spike Lee's Bad 25 (a documentary of Michael Jackson's Bad), Ariel Vromen's The Iceman, and Henry-Alex Rubin's Disconnect.

As this year marks the Venice Festival's 80th anniversary (although it is only the 69th festival), it will feature a new regular section, Venice Classics, which will screen restored versions of films that premiered at Venice. Michael Cimino is expected to attend this year's screening of the Criterion restored version of Heaven's Gate, which had its premiere at the Venice Festival in 1982. Other titles in the Classics section this year include Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard and Orson Welles' Chimes At Midnight.


Posted by Geoff at 7:26 AM CDT
Updated: Friday, July 27, 2012 7:04 AM CDT
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Sunday, July 22, 2012
DE PALMA SERIES IN PARIS & ARGENTINA
PARIS: NEW PRINTS OF 'DRESSED TO KILL' & 'BLOW OUT', MORE
ARGENTINA TV: FILMOTECA PROGRAMS WEEK OF LESSER-SEEN WORKS
ALSO, LONDON: RARE 'BODY DOUBLE' SCREENING (OVER-AND-DONE)
ALSO, U.S.: AMC CHANNEL FEATURES 'MISSION TO MARS' WITH POP-UP STORY NOTES

This photo was sent in by reader Andreas Kröneck, who found himself standing in the lobby of Paris' Cinema le Grand Action just after a double feature last night, made up of brand new 2K digital prints of Brian De Palma's Dressed To Kill and Blow Out. According to the theater's website, champagne and snacks were to be served during an intermission between the two films. There will be more chances to see these new prints, as the Le Grand Action is taking the opportunity to run a De Palma cycle through August, featuring the two aforementioned films, as well as Body Double (which Andreas was aiming to catch last night), Casualties Of War, The Bonfire Of The Vanities, Carrie, Snake Eyes, Mission: Impossible, and Redacted.

'MURDER A LA MOD', 'GREETINGS', 'SISTERS', & 'REDACTED' PROGRAMMED BY CRITICS IN ARGENTINA
In Argnetina this week (July 23-26), the Channel 7 program Filmoteca will show four lesser-seen De Palma films selected by film critics Fernando Martín Peña and Fabio Manes. Each film will be introduced by the respected critics (an example of Peña's writing can be read in this translated piece on Fritz Lang's Metropolis). The films scheduled are: Redacted (Monday, July 23rd), Greetings (Tuesday, July 24th), Murder A La Mod (Wednesday, July 25th), and Sisters (Thursday, July 26th).

'BODY DOUBLE' IN LONDON
Late notice here, but De Palma's Body Double had two late night screenings this past weekend at the Hackney Picture House. "One of the highlights of the year on Friday and Saturday night this week," Capital Celluloid's Tony Paley posted Friday. "Two very rare screenings of Brian De Palma's underrated mid-1980s Hitchcockian thriller." Paley added Dave Kehr's review from the Chicago Reader:

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"It pains me to say it, but I think Brian De Palma has gotten a bad rap on this one: the first hour of this thriller represents the most restrained, accomplished, and effective filmmaking he has ever done, and if the film does become more jokey and incontinent as it follows its derivative path, it never entirely loses the goodwill De Palma engenders with his deft opening sequences. Craig Wasson is an unemployed actor who is invited to house-sit a Hollywood Hills mansion; he becomes voyeuristically involved with his beautiful neighbor across the way, and witnesses her murder. Those who have seen Vertigo will have solved the mystery within the first 15 minutes, but De Palma's use of frame lines and focal lengths to define Wasson's point of view is so adept that the suspense takes hold anyway. De Palma's borrowings from Hitchcock can no longer be characterized as hommages or even as outright thievery; his concentration on Hitchcockian motifs is so complete and so fetishized that it now seems purely a matter of repetition compulsion. But Body Double is the first De Palma film to make me think that all of his practice is leading at least to the beginnings of perfection. With Gregg Henry and Melanie Griffith."
By Dave Kehr
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'MISSION TO MARS' WITH POP-UP STORY NOTES ON AMC TUESDAY NIGHT
Finally, the AMC network will show De Palma's Mission To Mars Tuesday (July 24th) at 8pm eastern, with pop-up story notes. The channel is also showing the film today (Sunday) at 5pm eastern, but it is unclear whether that showing will include the story notes. In any case, for those who can't (or don't wish to) catch the program on the newtwork, the story notes can be read on the AMC Blog.

Posted by Geoff at 2:14 PM CDT
Updated: Sunday, July 22, 2012 2:19 PM CDT
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