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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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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.
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Monday, February 25, 2013
eONE U.S. WEBSITE NOW SAYS 'PASSION' IN 2013
AND TWITCH CRITIC SEES IT TWICE IN ONE WEEK, DESPITE MIXED REVIEW
For the past few weeks, the front page of eOne's U.S. website had stated that Brian De Palma's Passion would open in Spring 2013. However, sometime in the past week or so, that was changed. The website currently states that Passion will open in 2013. I have tried several times to contact eOne about a date for release, but they have not responded. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, last week, Twitch's European editor Brian Clark posted a review of Passion that goes into some detail about the scene of Noomi Rapace, pictured here (so stop reading now if you don't want to know, but the spoilers are fairly minor). Clark finds the film alternately inspired and lacking in energy, yet liked it enough to see it twice in one week. "De Palma on a mediocre day is still more interesting than most filmmakers at their best," writes Clark, "and, despite all the ways it fell short, I still saw Passion twice in one week and enjoyed it immensely each time." Near the beginning of the review, Clark writes, "Passion is great fun, and occasionally kinda brilliant, but it still doesn't hold a candle to Body Double, Dressed to Kill or even De Palma's late-period fever-dream masterpiece Femme Fatale."

Here are some more excerpts from Clark's review:
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"The ultra-stilted, aggressively flirtatious opening scene between Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams immediately establishes that we're in a world as far removed from nuanced realism as possible, which makes sense given the cutthroat-corporate-advertising milieu in which the film takes place...

"The script, based on Alain Corneau's French film Love Crime, isn't De Palma's strongest, and especially those with an aversion to dream-logic will probably have a hard time staying on board during the last half-hour or so. That said, having seen the film twice, I can say it mostly holds up, though there are a few baffling loose ends. But De Palma has never made movies for people who want every dangling thread tied up and every plot twist totally plausible.

"Also, While he employs every psycho-thriller cliché in the book, De Palma still seems to see the movie as more of a comedy than anything else. The performances often veer into kitsch, but Rapace and McAdams somehow make all of the veiled threats and passive-aggressive sparring hypnotic, rather than grating. In fact, the stylized acting melds perfectly into De Palma's fictional, over-the-top corporate world, in which every shot emphasizes a sense of luxury that is simultaneously exquisite, ridiculous and dull. Pino Donaggio's cheeky score, a scene-chewing blend of Bernard Herrmann and music from a 90's made-for-tv-thriller, only further emphasizes this odd, often very funny dynamic. The lighting too sometimes veers into soap-opera territory, which, while it compliments the overall style, will likely disappoint those hoping for the sumptuous, decadent aesthetic of old-school De Palma.

"But as usual, the film's pulpy kitsch conceals some extremely compelling subtext. The way that corporate ambition colors all of the characters' seemingly fluid sexuality, and even their sense of time and reality, is far more layered and intriguing than the film's surface-level style suggests, and, those who have accused De Palma of being nothing more than a talentless Hitchcock imitator may find some wry humor in the scenes where Christine explains to Isabelle that stealing ideas is par for the course in the advertising world. Moreover, the depth with which De Palma explores Christine's ruthless, near socio-pathic psyche is impressive. As the film progresses, he begins to hint at a fascinating, almost sympathetic desperation deep down, governing all of her decisions...

"...there are still a few genuinely inspired moments that recall the devilish ingenuity of De Palma-past. In one scene, Isabelle slams her car into a vending machine in a parking garage and sets off the sprinkler above, resulting in a melodramatic crane shot (complete with swelling score) of her crying uncontrollably against the car like a rain-soaked, heart-broken character from a 50's melodrama. Only, her anguish is the result of a sex tape, and she's actually only stuck in a small swatch of 'rain' inside a parking garage. It's a sly, hilarious image, right up there with De Palma's use of rear-projection for the beach kiss in Body Double. If... De Palma had focused more on subverting and innovating what he had already done rather than just referencing it, Passion may have been the 'return to form' he seems to want it to be."


Posted by Geoff at 10:52 PM CST
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Sunday, February 24, 2013


"Passion, by Brian De Palma:
Hitchkock with a pinch of Almodovar.
Captivating thriller, obsessive, vertiginous, dreamlike, beautiful."


"I loved the new film by Brian De Palma."

Posted by Geoff at 11:21 AM CST
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Thursday, February 21, 2013
MORE 'PASSION' REVIEWS FROM FRANCE
AND A COUPLE OF NEW STILLS SHOW NOOMI RAPACE AND THE PEUGEOT 208


The still above from Brian De Palma's Passion shows Noomi Rapace against the car her character has damaged. The photo made the rounds yesterday as the French automaker Peugeot spread the word that its 208 has a "starring role" in De Palma's new film. Another still from the same scene (see below) has also appeared this week at Noomi Rapace Online.

Meanwhile, here are more links and quotes from the recent French reviews of Passion:

Eric Libiot, L'Express
"If the confrontation turns into a game of mirrors depalmesque, it remains constrained by a storyline with a fairly basic depiction of the workplace (in any case, De Palma doesn’t care and filmed it with one eye) and suspense visible for miles, slow in coming, with cushy staging. Taking the principles he sublimated in his time and in which he wades today (parallel editing, split screen ...), he is unable to offer anything other than his old recipes. It is a thousand times better to eat a good crêpe."

The Vug, Celluloidz
"As there is a genuine rise in dramatic tension, once the film is launched on its rails, its greatest merits revert just as much to the direction of Brian De Palma as to the interpretation of the always flawless Noomi Rapace. As soon as she enters the dark phase of her character, the plans begin to lose their horizontality and the lighting becomes abnormally low. We will thus view Passion, like all of De Palma’s films since Snake Eyes, mainly to understand how the director manages to transcend a weak screenplay by the sheer force of his cinematic mise en scène. For those who want a consistent story, they will unfortunately go elsewhere."

Merry, Onlike
"Divided into two parts, this thriller is draped in two very different atmospheres, the first all in slow movements, the second bathed in shadow, as to describe these two women, one light and one dark. Between dream and reality, Brian De Palma revisits his own mythology and delivers a thriller effective and captivating."

Nicolas Bardot, Film De Cult
"But as in Body Double, film unthinkable, fascinating, exciting to death and kitschy as hell, it is not the mere fact of being shocked that makes Passion successful. It is, as in the best films of De Palma, this lack of fear of ridicule and grandiose momentum that make its intrigues heartening, where extreme feelings of the characters explode on the screen. The cold and trapped universe of Passion brightens, as in the stuffy fashion show where a model ends up kicking your ass. Yet, Passion does not reach the astro level of Dressed To Kill or Body Double. The original script's absurdity remains absurd, the cool tones of the images shot by José Luis Alcaine (Almodovar collaborator) sometimes makes the film a little too dull where it should have dreamed hot, and Passion, in the film of De Palma, is perhaps a bit hollow."


Posted by Geoff at 12:35 AM CST
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Tuesday, February 19, 2013
EXPANDED SOUNDTRACK OF 'THE FURY'
LIMITED EDITION WILL BE RELEASED BY LA LA LAND RECORDS NEXT TUESDAY
La-La Land Records announced on its Facebook page today that it will release an expanded edition of John Williams' superb soundtrack to Brian De Palma's The Fury next Tuesday, February 26th. Jeff Bond wrote on his Facebook page, "I didn't work on this one but to anyone who doesn't have this score OR has previous versions--this one sounds STUPENDOUS and blows away the sound on the earlier releases." Below are the details from the La-La Land Facebook post:

Coming Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 1 pm pst:

THE FURY – 2 CD SET

MUSIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS
LIMITED EDITION OF 3500 UNITS
RETAIL PRICE: $29.98

FILM SCORE REISSUE PRODUCED BY NICK REDMAN AND MIKE MATESSINO
SOUNDTRACK ALBUM REISSUE PRODUCED SOR SONY MUSIC BY DIDIER C. DEUTSCH
FILM SCORE REISSUE MASTERED BY DAN HERSCH AT D2 MASTERING
SOUNDTRACK ALBUM MASTERED BY TIM STURGES AT BATTERY STUDIOS
LINER NOTES BY JULIE KIRGO
ART DIRECTION BY JIM TITUS

"La-La Land Records, 20th Century Fox and Sony Music are proud to present one of John Williams finest scores ever – 1979’s THE FURY, directed by Brian DePalma and starring Kirk Douglas and Amy Irving. With a running time of 1:54:00, this new and improved 2 disc set features stunning sound (especially on Disc 2, the original soundtrack album), detailed liner notes by Julie Kirgo and art direction by Jim Titus. A definite upgrade in ALL departments from the previous Varese release, this fantastic score should be on the shelf of any soundtrack fan."


Posted by Geoff at 4:40 PM CST
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Monday, February 18, 2013
BEN SACHS ON 'PHANTOM' / '2001' SITUATION
"GREAT FUNHOUSE OF A MOVIE" WAS "PERFECT FIT FOR CARNIVAL ATMOSPHERE"
The Chicago Reader's Ben Sachs posted a recap today of part of last weekend's 70-millimeter screenings at the Music Box Theatre, providing some rationale as to how Brian De Palma's Phantom Of The Paradise ended up thrilling a crowd teetering on disappointment after finding out that a much-anticipated screening of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey had to be cancelled. Here is what Sachs writes about it:
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"Sometimes anticipation can bring out the best in a crowd. Case in point, the hundreds of people who went to the Music Box Theatre on Friday night to see 2001: A Space Odyssey on 70-millimeter—as part of the theater's two-week celebration of that format—didn't seem to mind waiting outside in the cold for nearly an hour, nor did they complain much when the film didn't start on time. Even when an unforeseen technical problem forced the screening to be canceled altogether, the house remained pleasant, with most of the audience staying put for a free screening of Brian DePalma's Phantom of the Paradise. (The problem was fixed in time for the subsequent screenings of 2001.)

"The promise of seeing something new, or at least novel, appeals to the child in each of us. It must be linked to the thrill of unwrapping a gift. Regardless of whether the present turns out to be a pair of socks (or, to cite one of the snoozefests in the current Music Box series, Lord Jim), there's undeniable satisfaction in knowing someone wrapped it up nice to gain our attention. P.T. Barnum demonstrated time and again that a good showman can make an audience feel good even about being taken in by a hoax; the buildup, which grows in direct proportion to the size of the audience, becomes a spectacle in itself.

"As it turned out, Phantom of the Paradise was a perfect fit for Friday night's carnival atmosphere. It's a great funhouse of a movie, complete with scary clowns and oversized sets (by the great Jack Fisk, who also worked on The Master, screening next weekend in the 70-millimeter festival). Even on plain old 35-millimeter, it was a blast on the Music Box's big screen. DePalma made the film at the height of his abilities as a showman (just after Sisters and not long before Carrie), indulging in split-screen sequences, cartoonish sight gags, and elaborate camera movements that exist just to call attention to themselves."


Posted by Geoff at 7:56 PM CST
Updated: Monday, February 18, 2013 7:57 PM CST
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Sunday, February 17, 2013
PICTURE SLOWLY EMERGING FOR 'HAPPY VALLEY'
DE PALMA: A "DESCENT INTO HELL... STORY WORTHY OF HENRICK IBSEN OR ARTHUR MILLER"
Brian De Palma has mentioned his new project Happy Valley in several interviews with French media that were published this past week, and now a picture is beginning to emerge of his vision for the upcoming film. In a video interview posted today at Premiere, De Palma says, "Well, I’m just starting working on a script about a very legendary college coach, Joe Paterno, whose assistant coach was involved in a sex scandal. It sort of destroyed his whole program."

De Palma told Le Soir's Fabienne Bradfer that he'll be shooting Happy Valley in New York: "But my next film, which deals with pedophilia, will be made in New York with Al Pacino. There is a coach who oversees a guy on his team who, over several decades, was abusing young boys. Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors of his generation. He is fascinating and mysterious. As is De Niro. Imagine knowing both of them for 50 years!"

In an interview with Le Monde's Sandrine Marques, De Palma talked about the inevitable with Happy Valley: "For years, I’ve looked for a space like the shower in Psycho. The place where you feel safe and secure but which is desecrated. I have an idea I might be using that for my next film."

And in a great interview with Télérama's Laurent Rigoulet and Jacques Morice, De Palma further sheds some light on how he sees the story, describing it as "the descent into hell of a model coach caught up in a story of pedophilia. It’s an incident which has troubled many Americans. A compelling story worthy of Henrik Ibsen or Arthur Miller. Suffice it to say that we will have to work hard there to interest producers right now. But Pacino is taking it wholeheartedly, this is a dream role for him. If we can get it there, it could be a great American film."

(This last interview might have taken place prior to January's announcement that Edward R. Pressman had come aboard as producer; De Palma also says he will "probably" do this film with Pacino, which indicates that he hadn't yet signed on for the project when he did this interview.)


Posted by Geoff at 11:18 PM CST
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LAGIER CELEBRATES 'PASSION' WITH NEW VIDEOS
SPECIAL DE PALMA EDITION OF "RECUT"
Luc Lagier celebrated the release of Brian De Palma's Passion this past week with a special edition of "Recut", a video series on his blog, Blow Up. Lagier posted four new videos focusing on various themes in De Palma's films. Here they are below...

"who killed the kennedys?"

"dreams are my reality"

"rain and tears"

"stairway to heaven"


Posted by Geoff at 9:04 PM CST
Updated: Sunday, February 17, 2013 9:47 PM CST
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DE PALMA ON WHY HE DROPPED OUT OF 'HEAT'
"THE VEGAS OF TODAY IS NOT THE '80s"
We have many De Palma interviews from France to sort through, but in the Les inRocks interview by Jacky Goldberg and Serge Kaganski, De Palma is asked about the Jason Statham remake of Heat that he had been working on last year. De Palma had the idea to move the setting to Nice, France ("a different casino town," he had told Anne Thompson last September). In the new Les inRocks interview, De Palma says, "I started working on it with a French writer, Natalie Carter. It happens in Vegas, but I think the story is a little out of sync because the Vegas of today is not the '80s. I told them to do whatever they want and I gave it up." The Statham film is now scheduled to begin shooting March 4th in Las Vegas and New Orleans, under the direction of Simon West.

Posted by Geoff at 5:33 PM CST
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Posted by Geoff at 4:38 PM CST
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Saturday, February 16, 2013
'CAIN' RE-EDIT GIVES DE PALMA FOOD FOR THOUGHT
DE PALMA AND MORE INTERVIEWED IN CURRENT FANGORIA
Fangoria's Carrie issue (#321) has hit the stands. It includes an interview with Brian De Palma, as well as interviews with William Katt and P.J. Soles. There is also a terrific interview with Jorn Seifert, of the German FX shop Twilight Creations, which was called to create the mask resembling Rachel McAdams for De Palma's current film, Passion. The issue also includes a look at the work of Pino Donaggio, with quotes from Joe Dante, as well as a look at key murder scenes from De Palma's oeuvre. Fango editor Chris Alexander, who did this issue's interview with De Palma at last September's Toronto Film Festival, explains in the opening editor's letter that the issue was originally planned to coincide with the release of the Carrie remake. However, the release date for the remake got pushed back to October, so they expanded the De Palma element of the issue. The issue does include, nevertheless, and interview with Kimberly Peirce in which she mentions De Palma's help several times as she recounts preparing to direct the new film.

What we'll focus on right here is something that comes up in the De Palma interview. About a year ago, our old friend Peet Gelderblom put together Raising Cain Re-cut, in which, aided by a copy of the original screenplay for De Palma's Raising Cain, he pieced together as best he could what that film might have looked like the way De Palma had originally conceived it. De Palma talks about it in the Fango interview:
------------------------------------

FANG: Have you ever thought of remaking one of your own films?

DE PALMA: Hmm... [Pauses] Well, as a matter of fact, somebody put RAISING CAIN together the way it was originally supposed to be done, and it gave me lots of food for thought. RAISING CAIN was originally supposed to start with the woman's story-- you'd follow her for the first 20 minutes-- and then Lithgow's doesn't start until you see him smother her. But when I was cutting the movie, I didn't think her story was interesting enough to sustain the long beginning, so I reversed it and put the Lithgow stuff firstand used the opening scenes as kind of a flashback. Somebody got ahold of the original script and put it back the way it was supposed to be, and I thought it could be really interesting to actually do it the way I always wanted to.

FANG: You mean re-edit, or go back and completely remake it?

DE PALMA: Redo it. It's a very good idea. It was based on an experience I had with a woman who was in the midst of a divorce. She used to come by my house after work, we would spend a few hours together and then she would go home. But she would fall asleep all the time because she had been working all day, and I would sort of watch her sleep, and I thought about what would happen if she slept through the night. That was the initial concept for RAISING CAIN: the fact that she's with her lover and we know she doesn't go home. It's a very good idea, but I just didn't think it was strong enough in relationship to the Lithgow stuff, and that may have been a mistake.

FANG: Isn't that concept an extension in many ways of Angie Dickinson's subplot in Dressed To Kill?

DE PALMA: Yes, to some degree. But we're not always so conscious of these things the way people who study these films and look for all the signs are. We do things intuitively, and then you remind us of the similarities, and maybe you're right.


Posted by Geoff at 8:43 PM CST
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