Saturday, March 11, 2017

ANNOUNCING the Favorite Director Blogathon!


A few weeks ago, Quiggy from The Midnite Drive-In graciously asked me if I would like to co-host a blogathon with him on Favorite Directors. As is apparent by all the blogathon banners running down the right side of my blog, I love blogathons, so of course I said yes.

As everyone knows, directors are essential to a successful film. A film director "controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, and visualizes the script while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, production design, and the creative aspects of filmmaking." Without a good director, a film may die before it's finished or never achieve the success it might have.

There are many directors from the Golden Age of Hollywood who have become iconic and whose faces are instantly recognizable. Then there are the directors who's films are loved by many but who are only known by name. And lastly there are the ones who are never given the acclaim they deserve. That is what this blogathon is for, to honor all directors.


Here are a few simple rules:

1. Directors from the early days of film up until 1990 are fine. You can choose a single film that particularly showcases the style of that director or cover an entire career. When you've made your choice, please let me or Quiggy know in the comments below. Be sure to include the link to your blog so I can add it easily to the roster.

2. No duplicates of movies. However, if someone has chosen Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho you can still pick another film he directed or his career as a whole.

3. Since this blogathon is taking place over Memorial Day weekend, early admissions will be accepted. If you will be out of town simply publish your post ahead of time and leave the link to it in the comments below. It will be added at the appropriate time.

4. Take one of the banners below and share it on your blog to spread the word!

5. And lastly, have fun!!





Roster:

Phyllis Loves Classic Movies: The film collaborations of Frank Capra and Robert Risken

The Midnite Drive-In:  John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Caftan Woman: William Wyler's Hell's Heroes (1929) and The Big Country (1958)

Christina Wehner: William Wellman

Cinematic Scribblings: YasujirĂ´ Ozu's Late Spring

Love Letters to Old Hollywood: Billy Wilder's The Apartment (1960)

Champagne for Lunch: Mervin LeRoy

Classic Movie Treasures: John Ford's The Quiet Man (1952)

Hamlette's Soliloquy: John Ford's The Searchers (1956)

*Whimsically Classic: Billy Wilder's The Major and the Minor (1942)

Critica Retro: Orson Welles's Othello (1952)

Cinema Cities: Overview of Billy Wilder's Films

Charlene's (Mostly) Classic Movie Reviews: Ingmar Bergman's Through A Glass Darkly (1961)

Realweedgiemidget Reviews: Ed Wood

Angelman's Place: Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby (1968)

John V's Eclectic Avenue: Jacques Tourneur's  Out of the Past  and Curse of the Demon

*Because We Have the Stars: Billy Wilder' Sunset Boulevard (1950)

LA Explorer: Preston Sturges' Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)

*It Came from the Man Cave: Sam Raimi and Evil Dead 2 (1987)

Plot and Theme: Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Anybody Got a Match?: Stanley Donen's Charade (1963)

Pure Entertainment Preservation Society: The naturalness George Cukor's Films

Demanded Critical Reviews: The film-making style of Andrei Tarvosky in Solaris (1972), The Mirror (1975), and Stalker (1979)

A Viewer's Guide to Classic Films: D.W. Griffith's films Scarlet Days and Way Down East

58 comments:

  1. Oh, what a great idea! Could I write about William Wellman?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oops, I forgot to add the link to my blog. :)

    https://christinawehner.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Could I write about YasujirĂ´ Ozu's Late Spring? My blog is Cinematic Scribblings: https://cinematicscribblings.wordpress.com/ Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. So many choices! If it's still available, I'll take The Apartment. Should be lots of fun!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Such a cool idea! I'd like to write about Mervyn Leroy's career, and compare one of his films from the 1930s to a later one. My blog: champagneforlunch.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awesome! I like the idea of comparing an early and later work!

      Delete
  6. I would like to do John Ford's The Quite Man

    Elaine
    ClassicMovieTreasures.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'd like to do John Ford's The Searchers -- May 26 is John Wayne's birthday, so it will be my tribute to both director and star!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How did I know you'd choose a Ford film ;)

      Delete
    2. I did some serious dithering here! My favorite director is actually Joss Whedon, but cutting eligible films off at 1990 means I can't write about him, so then I had to choose between John Ford and Otto Preminger. Tough choice!!! But it being John Wayne's birthday during the blogathon decided me.

      Delete
  8. Awesome! I'd like to write about Orson Welles's Othello, please!
    Kisses!
    Le

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Man! I should have made a banner of Welles! I knew I was forgetting someone that everyone would recognize!

      Delete
  9. Love this idea! I'd like to do an overview of Billy Wilder's films, since I finished going through his filmography recently.

    My blog is Cinema Cities: cinemacities.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great idea! Looking forward to it!

      Delete
    2. Hi Phyl! Unfortunately I didn't have time to write up my Billy Wilder post in time for the blogathon (and I won't have time to put in a late entry either). Thank you for co-hosting anyway, the blogathon looked like it was a success! :)

      Delete
    3. That's ok :) Thanks for letting me know!

      Delete
  10. Not sure if this is ok, but can I review Ed Wood, the biopic film about the director with Johnny Depp? My blog is https://weegiemidget.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is such a great idea! Ingmar Bergman is my favourite director hands down. Can I please write about Through A Glass Darkly (1961)? Thanks! My blog is Charlene's (Mostly) Classic Movie Reviews and the url is https://charsmoviereviews.wordpress.com.

    I'll let you know too that I am hosting a blogathon the same weekend if you would like to participate. If you can't, no worries. Just thought I would extend the invitation :) https://charsmoviereviews.wordpress.com/2017/03/08/medicine-in-the-movies-blogathon-announcement-may-26-28-2017/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've got you down!

      Unfortunately I'll probably be too busy to join your blogathon (I'm co-hosting one a couple weeks before this one as well) but if I think of something I'd like to write on I'll let you know :) I have trouble passing up blogathons ;)

      Delete
    2. Sounds good! Yes, I am becoming addicted to blogathons myself :)

      Delete
  12. I am sorry maybe I am really dumb, but what do you mean by up until 1990s? the time the director was alive? he is supposed to be making movies up until 1990s?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Basically as long as they started directing before the year 1990 you can write about them.

      Delete
  13. Oh what a great idea for a blogathon! Can I do Billy Wilder' Sunset Boulevard? This is the link of my one day old blog about Classic Hollywood: https://becausewehavethestars.wordpress.com/ . Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to have you and welcome to the Classic Movie Blogging family!! I glad you chose this blogathon to be among your first :)

      Delete
  14. Because I like to alphabetize my entries, you may have missed this addition. Coffee, Craziness has joined with Steven Spielberg as an entry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, forgot the website...

      https://classicsandcraziness.wordpress.com/

      Delete
    2. Was just about to go check your post for more entries :)

      Delete
  15. I'd love to write about Preston Sturges the Miracle of Morgan's Creek for LA Explorer.
    http://la-explorer.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Eva (Coffee Classics and Craziness) wants to bow out. "It Came from the Man Cave" (http://mda4life.blogspot.com/) asked to be added with Sam Raimi and Evil Dead 2. There is also another entry by a Derek Jacob on my page but I haven't heard back from him on a request for a URL.

    I haven't been keeping up with your page as well as I should. I just now saw L.A. Explorer's entry and I will get it added.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hello! Could I do Stanley Donen's Charade from 1963?
    I blog at anybodygotamatch.wordpress.com
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  18. My name is Tiffany Brannan, and I am the authoress of the Pure Entertainment Preservation Society at https://pureentertainmentpreservationsociety.wordpress.com. I would like to participate in this blogathon with the subject of the naturalness of films directed by George Cukor. Is that acceptable? Thank you for this opportunity.
    Yours Hopefully,
    Tiffany Brannan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds like a fantastic topic!! Looking forward to your post!

      Delete
  19. Hello ! Can I cover Andrei Tarvosky's style of film-making with his movies Stalker, The Mirror and Solaris ? Here's the link to my blog https://demandedcriticalreviews.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course! I will add you to the list.

      Delete
    2. https://demandedcriticalreviews.wordpress.com/2017/05/24/the-cinema-of-andrei-tarkovsky/

      Delete
    3. Thanks Anand! I'll add this to the list going up Friday morning :)

      Delete
  20. Hi -- I'd like to do D.W. Griffith, concentrating on what is often called his worst film, Scarlet Days, and also one of his greatest, Way Down East.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh, and of course I forgot to link to my blog:
    http://www.lindajsandahl.net/

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi, Phyllis -- I sent a request a couple of days ago but maybe it didn't go through. I'd like to do something on D.W. Griffith and two of his films in particular, Scarlet Days and Way Down East.

    here's a link to my blog: http://www.lindajsandahl.net/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry Linda, yes I saw it. Had a doctors appointment yesterday and forgot to update. Will add it later today. Looking forward to your post! It sounds interesting!

      Delete
  23. Here's my post, a couple days early: https://cinematicscribblings.wordpress.com/2017/05/24/the-quintessential-ozu-late-spring-1949/ Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great! I'll add it to the post going up Friday :)

      Delete
  24. Hey, Phyl! I've published my post a few days early:
    http://loveletterstooldhollywood.blogspot.com/2017/05/mr-wilder-mr-baxter-and-ms-kubelik.html

    Thanks for co-hosting this! I'm really excited to read the other posts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awesome! I'll add it to Friday's post :)

      Delete
  25. Phyl-

    Chris @ Angelman's Place has posted his review of Rosemary's Baby a day early

    https://angelman.blogspot.com/2017/05/rosemarys-baby-1968.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great! I'll add it to my post going up early Friday morning. As you can see, I already have had three entries in the comments above.

      Delete
    2. I'll get those added too. shortly. I've scheduled my post for the blogathon to go live a midnight (CST)

      Delete
  26. Dear Phyllis,

    Thank you very much for this opportunity. Here is my article: https://wordpress.com/post/pureentertainmentpreservationsociety.wordpress.com/2030. I hope your blogathon is a great success. Have a happy Memorial Day weekend.

    Yours Hopefully,

    Tiffany Brannan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am glad you were able to join, Tiffany. I will add it to the post soon. Looking forward to reading it! I hope you have a great weekend as well :)

      Delete
  27. Here's my post: http://la-explorer.com/spotlight-miracle-morgans-creek/

    Thanks for hosting!

    ReplyDelete