Category: Epic

Lawrence of Arabia: David Lean’s magnum opus is an astounding mix of cinema-art and popular entertainment, with Peter O’Toole giving one of the greatest screen performances ever

Lawrence of Arabia(1962) is the great British director, David Lean's magnum opus, and features Peter O'Toole as T. E. Lawrence, along with a great supporting cast of Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn and Jack Hawkins. The film, based on Lawrence's autobiography, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, depicts Lawrence's adventures during WW I ,when he lead … Continue reading Lawrence of Arabia: David Lean’s magnum opus is an astounding mix of cinema-art and popular entertainment, with Peter O’Toole giving one of the greatest screen performances ever →

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The Night of the Generals: After their star-making turns in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif reunited in this strange, lurid and lavishly mounted World War II Thriller

In his 1967 production, The Night of the Generals, movie mogul, Sam Spiegel, reunited Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif after their star-making performances in 'Lawrence of Arabia'. This strange, genre-bending, all-star cast WWII drama, directed by Anatole Litvak, was a box office disappointment at the time of its release, but remains a very interesting watch … Continue reading The Night of the Generals: After their star-making turns in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif reunited in this strange, lurid and lavishly mounted World War II Thriller →

The Wild Bunch: Sam Peckinpah’s magnum opus is an epic tragedy about the wild men of the old West who find themselves out of place and out of time in a new West

The Wild Bunch(1969), directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Ben Jonson, Robert Ryan and Warren Oates in lead roles, is a violent, seminal Western that set benchmarks in American Cinema. "We're not gonna get rid of anybody! We're gonna stick together, just like it used to be! When you side with … Continue reading The Wild Bunch: Sam Peckinpah’s magnum opus is an epic tragedy about the wild men of the old West who find themselves out of place and out of time in a new West →

In Harm’s Way: Otto Preminger’s sprawling World War II drama rides on the charisma of John Wayne and Kirk Douglas

In Harm's Way(1965), directed by Otto Preminger from James Bassett's novel, and starring John Wayne and Kirk Douglas in lead roles, is a war-action drama set during the early days of United States' participation in World War II. Like other Preminger films, this is a sprawling drama encompassing multiple sub plots and flawed heroes. "I … Continue reading In Harm’s Way: Otto Preminger’s sprawling World War II drama rides on the charisma of John Wayne and Kirk Douglas →

The Outlaw Josey Wales: Clint Eastwood created his definitive Western masterpiece with this post-civil war saga that seamlessly combines the traditional and revisionist elements of the genre

Clint Eastwood directs and stars in The Outlaw Josey Wales(1976), an epic Western saga set in the aftermath of the American civil war. The film finds Clint as his very best as an actor and director, as he fashions a sweeping narrative that encompasses a wide range of emotions and landscapes. It details an epic … Continue reading The Outlaw Josey Wales: Clint Eastwood created his definitive Western masterpiece with this post-civil war saga that seamlessly combines the traditional and revisionist elements of the genre →

Open Range: Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner created a lush love letter to the traditional Western genre

Open Range(2003), starring Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall and Annette Benning, and directed by Kevin Costner, is the last of the great traditional Westerns. Apart from delivering all the ingredients that one expects from a Western, the film also features one of the greatest climactic gunfights in Western film history. I don't think i have ever … Continue reading Open Range: Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner created a lush love letter to the traditional Western genre →

The Godfather Part II: Al Pacino and Robert De Niro redefines screen acting with their astounding performances in Francis Ford Coppola’s ultimate American epic

Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II(1974), starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton and Lee Strasberg, is an extraordinary continuation to the director's magnum opus, The Godfather(1972). In many ways, the film is even better than its predecessor, and marks the height of auteur-driven  New-Hollywood cinema of the 1970s. The Godfather … Continue reading The Godfather Part II: Al Pacino and Robert De Niro redefines screen acting with their astounding performances in Francis Ford Coppola’s ultimate American epic →

A Bridge too Far: Richard Attenborough’s spectacular, authoritative, all-star cast WWII epic is exhausting but audacious in its depiction of the Allies’ biggest military fiasco

A Bridge too far(1977), directed by Richard Attenborough from Cornelius Ryan's book, is an all-star cast, historically accurate, and spectacularly mounted war epic that truthfully tries to delve into the reasons behind one of the biggest Allied military failures in World War II. Major General Urquhart: I took 10,000 of our finest troops to Arnhem; … Continue reading A Bridge too Far: Richard Attenborough’s spectacular, authoritative, all-star cast WWII epic is exhausting but audacious in its depiction of the Allies’ biggest military fiasco →

Friendly Persuasion: Gary Cooper is a non-violent hero in William Wyler’s big, warm, colorful and charming slice of Americana that takes a sensitive look at war and religion

Friendly Persuasion(1956), directed by William Wyler and starring Gary Cooper, Anthony Perkins and Dorothy McGuire is a wholesome family entertainer set during the American civil war and tells the story of a pacifist Quaker family, and how their religious beliefs are tested by the onset of war. Gary Cooper started out in the movies in … Continue reading Friendly Persuasion: Gary Cooper is a non-violent hero in William Wyler’s big, warm, colorful and charming slice of Americana that takes a sensitive look at war and religion →

Heat: Al Pacino and Robert De Niro came face to face for the first time in Michael Mann’s epic crime Drama

After starring together in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II, where they didn't have any scenes together, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro reunited for Michael Mann's brilliant Crime drama, Heat(1995), where they shared scenes together for the first time. While watching Michael Mann's Heat, one is tempted to think that making a great … Continue reading Heat: Al Pacino and Robert De Niro came face to face for the first time in Michael Mann’s epic crime Drama →

The Godfather Part III\Coda: Coppola’s tweaks to his flawed yet fascinating epilogue to the classic Godfather duology is trivial, self-serving and unnecessary

Francis Ford Coppola's recut version of The Godfather Part III(1990) has an overlong title, Mario Puzo's The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, but his ambitions are limited to that of a petulant child (or a parent), who wants to foist his originally conceived title on the film and to enhance his daughter's performance. … Continue reading The Godfather Part III\Coda: Coppola’s tweaks to his flawed yet fascinating epilogue to the classic Godfather duology is trivial, self-serving and unnecessary →

Heaven’s Gate: Michael Cimino’s ambitious Western epic encapsulates the best and worst of 1970s auteur-driven cinema

The epic Western, Heaven's Gate(1980), Written & Directed by Michael Cimino and starring Kris Kristofferson, Isabelle Huppert and Christopher Walken, was a major financial disaster for its studio, United Artists, and for the western film genre, and marked the end of the Auteur-driven New-Hollywood cinema that flourished in the 1970s. Michael Cimino was a hot-shot … Continue reading Heaven’s Gate: Michael Cimino’s ambitious Western epic encapsulates the best and worst of 1970s auteur-driven cinema →

For a Few Dollars More: Sergio Leone’s second Western with Clint Eastwood is bigger and better than the first one, and gave Lee Van Cleef his breakout role

For a Few Dollars More(1965) is the second film in the so called "Dollars" trilogy of Euro-Westerns directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "The Man with no Name". This is a bigger, better and more successful film than their first film, A Fistful of Dollars, and it provided veteran character actor, Lee … Continue reading For a Few Dollars More: Sergio Leone’s second Western with Clint Eastwood is bigger and better than the first one, and gave Lee Van Cleef his breakout role →

Gandhi: Ben Kingsley breathes life into Richard Attenborough’s cinematic monument to the saint of non-violence

2nd October 2020 marked Mahatma Gandhi's 151st birth anniversary. So it's a good time to look back on Sir Richard Attenborough's monumental 1982 motion picture, in which Ben Kingsley gave an astonishing performance as Gandhi. It took me 20 years to get the money to get that movie made. I remember my pitch to 20th … Continue reading Gandhi: Ben Kingsley breathes life into Richard Attenborough’s cinematic monument to the saint of non-violence →

Bite the Bullet: Gene Hackman heads up an all-star cast in this underrated, highly entertaining, high-spirited Western adventure

Bite the Bullet(1975), written and directed by veteran Richard Brooks, is the last of the magnificent old-fashioned westerns. It eschews traditional cowboys and Indians narrative to delve deep into the relationship between man and his horse and man and the western wilderness to create an exhilarating adventure story. "In 1906, a newspaper promotes a 700 … Continue reading Bite the Bullet: Gene Hackman heads up an all-star cast in this underrated, highly entertaining, high-spirited Western adventure →

Major Dundee: Charlton Heston gives a towering performance in Sam Peckinpah’s epic civil-war Western

 Major Dundee(1965), starring Charlton Heston and Richard Harris, was Sam Peckinpah's first big studio film. But the studio took it away from him in post-production, and was ultimately released in a version which he never approved. But whatever is left in this version still makes for a near-great film with some great themes, moments and … Continue reading Major Dundee: Charlton Heston gives a towering performance in Sam Peckinpah’s epic civil-war Western →

Giant: James Dean casts a giant shadow on this sprawling Texan epic

Giant(1956), directed by George Stevens and starring Rock Hudson, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor was Dean's last film, and it was released after his death. "Everybody thought I had a duster. Y'all thought ol' Spindletop Burke and Burnett was all the oil there was, didn't ya? Well, I'm here to tell you that it ain't, … Continue reading Giant: James Dean casts a giant shadow on this sprawling Texan epic →

Hey Ram: In Kamal Haasan’s modern Ramayana, Lord Ram turns Travis Bickle in a quixotic quest for vengeance against Gandhi

Kamal Haasan's magnum opus Hey Ram(1999) is celebrating it's 20th anniversary this year. Kamal wrote, produced and directed this film, apart from playing the lead role.The film is set during a tumultuous period in Indian history, starting with the communal riots of 1946 and ending with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi Maa Nishada Pratistham Tvamagamahsāsvati … Continue reading Hey Ram: In Kamal Haasan’s modern Ramayana, Lord Ram turns Travis Bickle in a quixotic quest for vengeance against Gandhi →

The Big Country: Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston leads an all-star cast in William Wyler’s Cold-War-era epic Western

The Big Country(1958), with Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston heading an all-star cast, is a visually sumptuous Western drama from the great director, William Wyler. Apart from subverting a lot of the Western myths and genre tropes ,the director intended the film to be an allegory of Cold war, which was at its peak at … Continue reading The Big Country: Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston leads an all-star cast in William Wyler’s Cold-War-era epic Western →

The Irishman : Martin Scorsese comes full circle with this mournful eulogy to a lost era

Martin Scorsese's latest crime drama The Irishman , starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, finds the master director on familiar territory, only this time, a little less flamboyant and a lot more introspective.    Martin Scorsese may be the greatest director ever to walk the earth, or maybe, he is not. But … Continue reading The Irishman : Martin Scorsese comes full circle with this mournful eulogy to a lost era →