Los Angeles Times’ list for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and… well, just about everything else.
While we still have a few weeks to go until the news of Zhao’s nominations are confirmed, it got us thinking about the history of Chinese filmmakers and their impact on the coveted awards ceremony. Without a doubt, China’s largest sweep of the Oscars occurred in 2000 with the release of Ang Lee, William Kong, and Hsu Li-Kong’s groundbreaking
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The film was nominated for a whopping six awards, including a couple of firsts such as Wang Hui-ling and Kuo Jung Tsai’s nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, the first Asian-language screenplay nominated in a writing category, and Timmy Yip’s win for Best Production Design, which made him the first Asian to win in the category.
Nomadland; and Dariusz Wolski of Universal s
News of the World. Inspiration, diversity and the future of theatrical exhibition drove the conversation. Seeing people congregate together wearing masks in the middle of a plague … was one of those moments for me where I was just like, I m a filmmaker for life now. It made me realize I m kind of ready to go down with the ship, to be honest, recalls Richards of
Nomadland s drive-in premiere in September. If filmmaking stops being about that, people coming together, congregating for an experience that s awe-inspiring, I might prefer to do something else.
Who are some of the cinematographers who have influenced your work?
Ever since I first saw it decades ago,
Dr Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet, released by Warner Bros. in 1940 (with a screenplay that included John Huston among the talented writers), has struck me as one of the most memorable and noble films in Hollywood s inventory of biopics. The word that defines this film is
uplifting. Edward G. Robinson, an unforgettable actor of immense range, is simply magnificent in his portrayal of Ehrlich. As the anonymous author of the retrospective appreciation we publish below correctly notes, he is virtually absorbed by the role: Robinson is wonderful in
Dr Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet, disappearing into the character of Paul Ehrlich in a way that, given the strength and distinctiveness of his own personality, is quite remarkable. The rest of the cast is equally outstanding. This is indeed an extraordinary, timeless, film that redeems the much maligned studio system, and will remain one of the gems of the genre, produced, not by accident, by Warner Bros,
In Memoriam: Robert F. Liu, ASC (1926-2021)
A two-time Emmy nominee, the Chinese immigrant excelled in a difficult profession, due to diligence and inspiration from mentors, including James Wong Howe, ASC and Robert Wise.
Robert F. Liu, ASC (Photo by Owen Roizman, ASC)
Director of photography Robert F. Liu, ASC forged a cross-cultural career at a time when such international experiences were rare.
He died at the age of 94 on January 11, 2021.
When Liu was a young man, his talent was recognized by Chinese film pioneer Chuang Kuo Chuen, and he found Stateside mentors in director Robert Wise and cinematographer James Wong Howe, ASC. Liu went on to earn Emmy nominations for his work on the hit series