Alida Valli @ 100: Star of The Third Man, Suspiria, and Hitchcock’s The Paradine Case

by Brent Calderwood

Alida Valli, who was born 100 years ago today in Pola, Italy (now part of Croatia), became a legend of Italian cinema in classics ranging in style from Luchino Visconti’s operatic epic Senso to Dario Argento’s supernatural slasher Suspiria. In a career that spanned 68 years, international directors were repeatedly drawn to her dark, inscrutable beauty and haunted green eyes. She's still admired by film lovers worldwide for three noir-tinged movies she made while abroad: The Third Man opposite Orson Welles (where she gets one of the most famous screen exits in history), Alfred Hitchcock’s The Paradine Case, and the French horror film Eyes Without a Face.  

In 1947, producer David O. Selznick invited Valli to Hollywood, hoping to repeat the success he’d had with two of his other European “discoveries,” Ingrid Bergman and Vivien Leigh. He gave her the full star treatment, even briefly abbreviating her name to the one-word “Valli” à la “Garbo” and having Hitchcock helm her first American picture...

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Satyajit Ray on Criterion

by Cláudio Alves

Better late than never, I suppose. This month - May 2nd, to be precise - was the centennial of Bengali director Satyajit Ray. While this piece was supposed to be ready then, many factors contributed to its delay. One of which was how intimidating the legacy of this master of cinema is. In any case, before June dawns on us, let's celebrate the great Satyajit Ray and the outstanding collection the Criterion Channel curated for the occasion. Right now, you can find 17 of the director's features plus a 1984 documentary about his work streaming on the platform. For any cinephile with access to the Criterion Channel, this is a treasure trove that shouldn't be missed or ignored…

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Interview: Nadia Stacey, Cruella's Hair and Makeup Designer

by Nathaniel R

Nadia Stacey talks "Cruella"

When I sat down with Cruella's Hair and Makeup designer Nadia Stacey over Zoom we just had a few minutes to talk. To break the ice quickly, a true story. When I first saw the image of Emma Stone as Cruella, my mind immediately lept to Olivia Colman as Queen Anne in The Favourite and her disgruntled "I look like a badger" quip. I had no idea why. Only when prepping for our Cruella interview did I realize the films had the same makeup designer. Stacey laughs, fondly remembering her BAFTA-winning film. "I feel like there’s a theme going on with me doing mask-kind of faces!"

And with The Favourite (a beloved favourite) duly cited, we jump right in to our conversation about her impressive filmography and her biggest assignment yet, designing Disney's live-action Cruella. [This interview is edited/condensed for clarity]

NATHANIEL: You've done a few movies with Olivia Colman and two with Emma Stone. Are you just going to keep The Favourite-ing from now on?  

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Emmy Watch: Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Our team is breaking down the top contenders in all the major races and highlighting some of our favorites over the next few weeks. 

By Abe Friedtanzer

This category has, over the past few years, featured a wealth of contenders, including three nominees from a single show each of the past two years. Very few of those aired this past season, and in fact only two shows that have ever produced nominees in this category. Both The Handmaid’s Tale and This Is Us, which have fallen somewhat out of favor with Emmy voters compared to the warm welcome they both got at the beginnings of their runs, have a handful of contenders that could show up here, so let’s start with those and then examine the many new shows that could offer potential nominees…

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Tweetweeks

I've been spending less time on Twitter since it's often a toxic landscape of people righteously calling each other garbage and complaining about literally anything. BUT. It's still such a great platform for bite size takes on various showbiz things. Here are some tweets we enjoyed these past couple of weeks for your amusement...

Between “Watchmen,” “Hacks” and “Mare of Easttown” I think HBO needs a new slogan:

It’s not TV. It’s Jean fucking Smart.

— Matt Brennan (@thefilmgoer) May 28, 2021

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