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8:00 p.m. (ET)/5:00 p.m. (PT) THE HAUNTING (1963) Long before The Legend of Hell House (1973) or Ghost Story (1981) or Poltergeist (1982), Robert Wise directed a creepy little tale about the supernatural called The Haunting (1963), which was based on the Shirley Jackson novel, Though set in New England, The Haunting was actually filmed in England with the interior scenes being shot at the MGM studio in Borehamwood. "The exterior was a several-hundred-years-old manor house out in the country, about ten miles from Stratford-on-Avon," Robert Wise recalled in the book, Robert Wise on His Films by Sergio Leemann. "It was a pretty horrifying-looking thing under certain kinds of lights and I accentuated that by shooting some of the exteriors with infra-red film. I shot the film in Panavision and, at that time, there wasn't any wide-angle lens in anamorphic....I wanted to make those hallways look long and dark and dank." Wise admitted that he was attracted to the project because the book made the hair curl on the back of his neck and because it was an opportunity to return to his roots. He started his career working for RKO producer Val Lewton, who specialized in B-movie thrillers. Curse of the Cat People (1944) was his first Lewton film and The Body Snatcher (1945) was his most accomplished film for the studio. You can see Lewton's influence on Wise in The Haunting by the way he emphasizes the set design and camera angles to create an eerie atmosphere. As for some of the more frightening sequences in The Haunting, Wise recalls that, "the spiral staircase in the library was such an effective prop in the picture. It was scary when you were up on that thing and it was rocking around. The one shot we did on it that fascinates people the most is when the camera is at the bottom and goes up. We designed the banister of the stairway to be so wide and thick that it would fit a small rig with wheels on it - a little, light dolly that would hold a hand-held camera. We had our camera on that and we had a control wire underneath, all the way down. We simply took the camera up to the top on this rig, started it, rolled it down, and then reversed the film. It was all done on that balustrade. Another simple effect was the door that buckles. The door was all laminated wood, layers of wood on top of others. All I had was a strong prop man on the other side who would push it and move it. That's all it was and it scared the hell out of everybody." Director/Producer: Robert Wise Screenplay: Nelson Giddings Cinematography: Davis Boulton Producer Designer: Elliot Scott Editor: Ernest Walter Music: Humphrey Searle Special Effects: Tom Howard Cast: Julie Harris (Eleanor Vance), Richard Johnson (Dr. John Markway), Claire Bloom (Theodora), Russ Tamblyn (Luke Sanderson), Lois Maxwell (Grace Markway) BW-112m. Letterboxed. By Jeff Stafford 10:00 p.m. (ET)/7:00 p.m. (PT) 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) The creation of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) was as big an epic as the movie itself. Employing teams of professionals in every field from space flight to food services, Stanley Kubrick set out to make what he simply described as a "good science fiction film." His first step was to contact famed author Arthur C. Clarke, and over the next four years the two men crafted a "fictionalized science lesson" which was to be a coming of age of the entire human race. Based on a short story written by Clarke in 1950 called The Sentinel , 2001: A Space Odyssey tells the story of humankind's steps from cavemen to enlightened beings. It is difficult to describe the events of 2001: A Space Odyssey with very much detail without spoiling many of the plot points, and ruining Kubrick's intention for the film, that we "experience" 2001, rather than merely "watch." With the help of Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley Kubrick wanted to create the kind of science fiction film that just wasn't made before 2001: A Space Odyssey. A voracious fan of science fiction, Kubrick didn't want to merely tell a story about space, he wanted to tell a story about man's relationship to the universe -a pretty tall order. Because of the immense detail required in a screenplay, Kubrick and Clarke started by writing the story as a novel, which would be primarily Clarke's task. After Clarke delivered the story as a gift to Kubrick for Christmas 1964, they began converting the plot into a screenplay and the adventure began. One of the crowning achievements of 2001: A Space Odyssey was the level of detail, which surpassed even Kubrick's usual demands. With the help of Scientific Consultant, Frederick Ordway, the production collaborated with companies like Whirlpool, RCA, GE, IBM, Pan Am, and NASA to provide a technological product placement. In exchange for discussing their plans for the future, and providing feasible designs for futuristic devices, cooperating companies would earn a place in the movie's environments. Hence, 2001 ASO is littered with amusing logos like Pan Am on the shuttle, and Howard Johnson's on the hotel in the space station. These little touches make life in space that much more believable. This same commitment to detail was extended to the groundbreaking special effects in the film. During the Dawn Of Man sequence, Kubrick employed front projection rather than rear projection, which was most common. Kubrick felt that rear projection never looked convincing, so he mounted a projector from above and projected the background slide behind the set pieces at very low light. The result was a completely realistic environment. But without convincing ape-men, the background would have gone entirely to waste, so Kubrick employed British make up artist Stuart Freeborn to bring early man to life. Though Freeborn was snubbed for an Oscar¨ for makeup in lieu of Planet Of the Apes (1968), Freeborn's complex masks and prosthetics actually allowed actors to articulate their lips more convincingly than those used for Planet Of the Apes. Stuart Freeborn went on to design creatures for the Star Wars films. The space sequences proved no less imaginative. Because characters would be traveling and living in a variety of environments onboard spaceships, Kubrick needed to find a realistic way to blend both gravity and weightless conditions. The techniques ranged from the simple method of mounting a pen on a piece of rotating plexi-glass so that it appeared to be floating, to actually rotating the set, while the actors roamed about inside. The weightless space walk sequences were achieved by suspending actors, and in some cases set pieces like the "pod" transports, from the ceiling by wires. The "floating" actors were then shot from below, their bodies hiding the wires. For the "stargate" sequence, FX Supervisor Douglas Trumbull devised what was called a "slitscan machine." The machine helped with the process of photographing back-lit transparencies of artwork, exposing each frame for a full minute, and moving the camera and artwork in sync, recording the art with a "streaked," stylized fashion. The result was the appearance that Dave Bowman was moving through time and space at infinite speeds. Taking just over four years, and costing MGM $11 million, 2001: A Space Odyssey met with mixed reviews when it premiered on April 12, 1968. Critics pretty much hated the film, calling it slow, boring, and confusing. Luckily, for Kubrick and Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey struck a cord with younger audiences (particularly in the famous "trip" sequence), who made the film the second biggest box office draw of 1968. 2001: A Space Odyssey is now widely praised as a remarkable achievement for its realistic depiction of space flight during a time when our space program was in its infancy. Years before we actually set foot on the moon, Kubrick and Clarke not only envisioned settlements there, they showed us an unsettlingly accurate portrayal of the lunar surface. True, the film can be confusing - a point that Clarke concedes. During a trip to Hawaii from his home in Sri Lanka, Clarke was detained by an immigration official who joked, "I'm not going to let you in until you explain the ending of 2001 to me." But the film's ambiguity is part of its importance. Had Kubrick spelled it out entirely, he would have robbed viewers of the experience, and we would not still debate it today. As Kubrick himself commented, "...it's a non verbal experience - the truth is in the feel of it, not the think of it." Director/ Producer: Stanley Kubrick Screenplay: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, based on the story ÔThe Sentinel' by Arthur C. Clarke Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth Editor: Ray Lovejoy Art Direction: John Hoesli Music: Aram Khachaturyan, Gyorgy Ligeti, Richard Strauss, Johann Strauss Cast: Keir Dullea (Dr. Dave Bowman), Gary Lockwood (Dr. Frank Poole), William Sylvester (Dr. Heywood R. Floyd), Daniel Richter (Moonwatcher), Leonard Rossiter (Smyslov) C-149m. Letterboxed. Close captioning. By Bill Goodman 12:30 a.m. (ET)/9:30 p.m. (PT) WHERE EAGLES DARE (1968) The World War II spy film, Where Eagles Dare (1969), came about because the film's star, Richard Burton, was in severe need of a box office hit. After appearing in three box office duds in a row, he decided to change his approach to selecting projects. Urged by his children to play a "real hero," Burton looked up his old friend producer Elliot Kastner for some suggestions. Kastner, in turn, appealed to famed adventure novelist Alistair MacLean, who had previously written the source novel for 1961's The Guns of Navarone, a film Burton cited as the desired model for his next picture. MacLean eventually wrote an original screenplay in just six weeks that he later turned into a novel entitled Where Eagles Dare. Relatively unknown director Brian G. Hutton was tapped to steer the picture from script to screen. One of producer Elliot Kastner's duties was to secure permission to shoot in Schloss Hohenwerfen, a famous 11th-century castle in Austria nestled on a peak in the Alps. The 300 plus production team arrived on location in Salzburg, Austria at the beginning of January 1968. Production began amid the dangers of blizzards, subzero temperatures, unpredictable high winds, slippery roads, avalanches, and treacherous stunt-work. Once the location shooting was finished five months later, the production wrapped principle photography at the Elstree-based MGM British studios, which closed shortly thereafter due to financial reasons. Another major player in the production of Where Eagles Dare was famed stuntman Yakima Canutt, who was hired to coordinate and direct the hair-raising action sequences. Canutt, a veteran stunt performer since the silent era, eventually retired from performing stunts and went into the very important business of designing and directing key action sequences, such as the famous chariot race in Ben-Hur (1959) and the battle scenes in Spartacus (1960). Adept at working with horses, chariots, and fight sequences staged on terra firma, Canutt signed on with the production of Where Eagles Dare in the fall of 1967 and quickly found a whole new set of challenges facing him: parachute stunts, a fight sequence on top of a moving Alpine cable car, and careening car chases on treacherous mountain roads. Canutt began pre-production in London by hiring a group of key stunt performers: Joe Powell, Eddie Powell, Peter Brace, Jimmy Thong, Jackie Cooper, Doug Robison, Terry York, Alf Joint, and Gillian Aldam. These stunt performers dominated most of the action sequences, much to the chagrin of Clint Eastwood, who initially requested to perform his own stunts. Because he was too valuable a property and the stunts in Where Eagles Dare much too dangerous, Eastwood nicknamed the production "Where Doubles Dare." Of course, even Eastwood must have thought twice about hanging off a moving cable car hundreds of feet in the air, as did his own stunt double, Eddie Powell. The actual on-location shooting that Canutt shot was then inter-cut with studio shots made at the MGM British studios. In the end, the personal risks paid off well at the box office as Where Eagles Dare was a huge popular hit with audiences after the March 1969 national release. Critics responded enthusiastically as well. In a December 11, 1968 review, Variety wrote that "Where Eagles Dare is so good for its genre that one must go back to The Great Escape (1963) for a worthy comparison." Interestingly enough, Clint Eastwood, whose reputation for screen violence is well known thanks to his trilogy of spaghetti Westerns with director Sergio Leone, kills more people in this film than in any other Eastwood character in a single film to date. Meanwhile, the original impetus for the project helped boost Richard Burton's previously sagging career, though some of the critics accused him of selling out. A March 28, 1969 review in Time lamented that "it is a little melancholy to see Richard Burton reduced to playing cardboard parts like this one, but he at least manages to look as if he's having a good time." For the most part though, Where Eagles Dare was a bright spot for MGM in 1969, at a time when the studio's very future was gravely in question. Director: Brian G. Hutton Producer: Elliott Kastner, Denis Holt Screenplay: Alistair MacLean Cinematography: Arthur Ibbetson Editor: John Jympson Art Direction: Peter Mullins Music: Ron Goodwin Cast: Richard Burton (Maj. John Smith), Clint Eastwood (Lt. Morris Pimpennel Schaffer), Mary Ure (Mary Ellison), Patrick Wymark (Col. Wyatt Turner), Michael Hordern (Vice Admiral Rolland) C-156m. Letterboxed. Closed captioning. By Scott McGee 3:15 a.m. (ET)/12:15 p.m. (PT) GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS (1969) In 1969, MGM released a musical remake of the 1939 film Goodbye, Mr. Chips featuring the songs of Leslie Briscusse with orchestration by John Williams. Peter O' Toole was cast as Arthur Chipping, the schoolteacher originally played on film by Robert Donat, and Petula Clark won the featured role of Katherine Bridges, a showgirl with a past. The story originated as a novel by James Hilton in 1935, and was first adapted on stage. The play enjoyed a successful run in 1937, and Hollywood snatched it up in 1939 with positive, Oscar¨-nominated results. Following the success of The Sound of Music in 1965, Hollywood studios scrambled to produce the next big musical, and this "long short story", as Hilton called his novel, seemed ideal for reworking. Whereas the 1939 version runs from the mid to late 19th century to World War I, MGM chose to make the 1969 version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips more contemporary, with a narrative running from the 1920s to the present day. At the center of the film is Arthur Chipping, a classics teacher at an English school named Brookfield, who is unpopular with his students for being a stick-in-the-mud. On vacation in Pompeii, Chips, as he is called by his students, meets a vivacious actress named Katherine, who is being courted by one of Chips's students. The showgirl and the professor are immediately attracted to one another and end up marrying. While the parents and faculty back at Brookfield are not pleased by Chips's union with a showgirl, the unlikely union gains Chips the respect and admiration of his students. Goodbye, Mr. Chips may not have been a box-office smash, but it is worth a closer look. O' Toole was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award¨ for his wonderful portrayal of the strict schoolteacher who mellows over time once he gives his heart to the love of his life. Petula Clark also gives a great performance as Katherine; her popularity as a singer (remember the hit single, "Downtown"?) aided in drawing crowds to the movie theaters. Also look for O'Toole's then-wife Sian Phillips in a flamboyant role as a woman who is having a secret affair. Director: Herbert Ross Producer: Arthur P. Jacobs Screenplay: Terence Rattigan (uncredited) Based on the novel by James Hilton Cinematography: Oswald Morris Editor: Ralph Kemplen Production Design: Ken Adam Music: Leslie Briscusse, John Williams Cast: Peter O'Toole (Arthur Chipping), Petulia Clark (Katherine Bridges), Michael Redgrave (The Headmaster), Sian Phillips (Ursula Mossbank), George Baker (Lord Sutterwick) C-155m. Letterboxed. By Sarah Heiman
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