One of the great things about living in DC is that we have this incredible city right at our fingertips. Case in point: the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is hosting its first ever African American Film Festival. While you do have to pay to attend a film screening and a […]
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New Movies!
Looking for something new to watch? Check out these new titles in Media Services: Feature Films: American Animals — DVD 16068 Book Club — DVD 16065 Happy End — BLU 16064 First Reformed — DVD 16062 Testament of Youth — DVD 16053 Gold — DVD 16052 Alanis — DVD 16051 And Then I Go — DVD 16058 […]
Continue readingRandom Movie Monday — Mushi-Shi: The Complete Collection
It’s a rainy Monday, so here’s a DVD that’s appropriately atmospheric: DVD 12000, Mushi-shi: The Complete Collection. Here’s our summary: Between this world and the next, there is a point where it becomes impossible to distinguish between plant and animal; between life and death. It is a place man was never meant to tread. It […]
Continue readingRandom Movie Monday- Girl With a Pearl Earring
It’s Random Movie Monday again! This week, we’re featuring a movie that was based on a book that was based painting. A famous (and mysterious) 17th century Dutch painting called Girl With a Pearl Earring. Here’s our summary: 17-year-old Griet must work to support her family, so she becomes a maid in the house of Johannes Vermeer, where she attracts […]
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Julie Andrews: Practically Perfect in Every Way
I originally planned to post this yesterday, but three blog posts seemed a little much for one day. Yesterday, October 1, 2018, was Dame Julie Andrews’ 83rd birthday. The Queen of England may only have made her a knight, but Julie will always be the Queen of Genovia, and the ultimate Queen of Shade.
Andrews began her career as a child performer in post-war London, and she gained fame by appearing in Broadway musicals in the late 1950s. In 1956, she originated the role of Eliza Doolittle in the Broadway production of My Fair Lady, and was soon cast in Camelot and Cinderella. However, when Warner Brothers won the movie rights to My Fair Lady, studio executive Jack Warner cast Audrey Hepburn as Eliza, rather than casting Andrews. Warner was banking on Hepburn’s name recognition, and doubted that the relatively unknown Andrews could draw the audiences needed to make the film a success.
Oh how Jack Warner would come to eat his words. Walt Disney, who saw Andrews in Camelot, knew that she was the practically perfect choice to play Mary Poppins. After begging her to take the role, he even paused pre-production on the film in order to accommodate Andrews’ pregnancy. Mary Poppins went on to become a huge box office success, and Andrews earned an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her performance.
We all know Julie Andrews is the classiest woman alive, but she couldn’t help taking just a bit of revenge against Warner. During her Golden Globes Acceptance speech, she closed with: “And, finally, my thanks to a man who made a wonderful movie and who made all this possible in the first place, Mr. Jack Warner.” If that short dig isn’t the classiest little bit of revenge, then I don’t know what is.
So happy birthday Julie Andrews! If you want to see (or hear) more of this incredible actress with a voice like silver bells, you can find these movies in the AU Media Collection:
- Marry Poppins (DVD 7850)
- The Sound of Music (DVD 5916)
- Thoroughly Modern Millie (Music Library DVD 253)
- Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain (DVD 5199)
- Victor/Victoria (DVD 6740)
- Shrek 2 (DVD 13518)
Random Movie Monday — Escape in the Fog
Happy Monday! Today’s random movie is Escape in the Fog. Here’s our summary: A nurse suffering from a nervous breakdown starts having nightmares about a man being murdered. When she awakens, the man she dreamt of is standing right in front of her. What follows is a tale of intrigue involving international espionage, a missing package, and […]
Continue readingIn the Executioner’s Shadow
We here at Media Services are very excited to report on the success of In the Executioner’s Shadow, a documentary film by AU professors Maggie Stogner and Richard Stack. This film examines the death penalty in the American judicial system, and will soon be distributed by New Day Films. Currently, the film is being shown […]
Continue readingRandom Movie Monday — Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Happy Monday! Today’s random movie is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (HU DVD 1185). It stars Gary Oldman and Tim Roth as the titular characters. Here’s our summary: The fringe characters from Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ take center stage at Elsinore. Yes, our summary is short, but there’s really no way we can capture what this movie’s […]
Continue readingHello There!
Hello, fellow film buffs! Allow me to introduce myself—my name is India, and I am… the new Tara. Tara bid Media Services adieu last month, and now I’m stepping into her role as the administrator and primary poster on this blog of ours. I’ll still be doing Random Movies on Mondays, commemorating my favorite film […]
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