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Home , Blame It on Rio, Funny Face, Ingrid Bergman, Movie Movie, Royal Wedding, Stanley Donen

The Reporter Monday, March 23, 1998 =t. Singin'

ill'<,H<' the'" . Frame- - .-- '>' Choreographer turned director knew how to fill the screen with elegance and style. By Josh Chetwynd

eviewing Stanley enough money together Doneri's innova- to buy a ticket to R tions as director, Hollywood, although not producer and choreog- with any hopes of an act- rapher, you might think ing career. "I never had he was the Thomas , any desire to be a per- Edison of the Hollywood former," he says. "I'm musical. not about being on the It was Donen who --r-- screen. I like putting it conceived and pulled on the screen." off the scene in the Still a teenager, 1949 Metro-Goldwyn- Donen quickly became Mayer film "Royal one of MGM's most val- Wedding," in which ued choreographers and fleet-footed soon a director. Ironic- defied gravity dancing ally, it was what Donen on the walls and ceil- did not like more than ing. Four years earlier. what he did that shaped in "Anchors Aweigh." his approach to musical he co-choreographed a numbers. "I wanted [the perfectly synchronized dance numbers] to be dancing duet between about human beings not and Jerry Morie," "," "Singin' in the Rain" and "Twofor the Road." geometric patterns," he the Mouse, who was a says. "I was going second choice after Donen and Kelly failed when the 73 year old accepts an honorary against the style of musical to persuade to allow them to Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture numbers, but I had negative feelings toward use . Arts and Sciences. Donen, who joins an that style." Donen and Kelly also choreographed the impressive list of previous honorees includ- Despite vast success in the musical "Alter Ego" number in the 194Li picture ing , , Sophia genre, Donen was not satisfied merely with "Cover Girl." which, through a double-expo- Loren and , is being given the that form and so he diversified, bringing his sure of the negative, gave the appearance award "in appreciation of a body of work elegant shooting style and use of color to a that Kelly was dancing with himself. In marked by grace, elegance, wit and visual broad range of films. Coming off the suc- 1954, Donen filmed MGM's first innovation. " cess of a string of musicals including Cinemascope picture, "Seven Brides for The road to Oscar night has been a long "," with ," 'The Seven Brothers," which included a complete one for Donen, who, despite a 50-year-plus Pajama Game," starring and musical sequence ("Lonesome Polecat") career, never received a single Oscar nomi- "," he segued into a romantic without a single cut. nation let alone an Academy Award for his comedy in 1958 with "Indiscreet," which And, his 1952 musical. "Sing in in the efforts on some 2i films. paired and in a Rain," is considered by many critics to be It began in the 1930s in Columbia. S.c., story about an on-again, off-again affair not only one of the greatest musicals of all where a 9-year-old Donen was inspired by between a rich actress and an American time. but also one of the top films ever seeing Astaire glide gracefully across the playboy. made. A 198:2 Cahiers du Cinema poll. for silver screen in "." "The He continued to branch out with example, named the Kelly-- film wasn't even particularly good," says "Charade," a critical and boxoffice success Donald O'Connor starrer the second great- Donen who does not recall much else about in 1963. The film, starring Grant and est film of all time behind ' the picture today. "But seeing him up there. Hepburn, was a Hitchcockian thriller about "Citizen Kane:' I knew what I wanted to do." a mystery man (Grant) who helps a widow Tonight Donen will finally receive After a series of chorus jobs on (Hepburn) tind her late husband's fortune. Hollywood's highest acclaim for his work , the li-year-old Donen put In 1967, Donen switched gears again Th Hollywood Reporter Monday. March 23. 1998

CRITIC PICTURE ACTOR ACTRESS DIRECTOR

Helena Curtis Nat'l Board , - "LConfidential".A. 4- , JackNicholson Bonham Carter Hanson of Rmriew _.11- [i~ -, Warner Bros. . "As Good _ co, "The Wings "L.A. with "Two for the Road," a 12/9 , "., r as It Gets" "'"j of the Dove" Confidential" drama about the deterioration of ( 8 I a marital relationship that weaved together different Julie Curtis New York "L.A. Peter , .:.-.',,Christie Hanson vignettes during a series of trips Critics Circle II' ',- Confidential" I>,~,)," ' Fonda in the South of France over a 12- lOO ""," Warner Bros. "Ulee's "L.A, '."" ,, "Afterglow" year period. Hepburn and Albert 12/11,.'8'''1' ; Gold" I Confidential" Finney starred. Although he has covered a Helena Curtis wide array of genres, there are a ILos. .Angeles-ole-I'" - " I"LAIConfidential". Ir~,,;.~,,,~, RobertDuvall Bonham Carter IA -: Hanson number of characteristics that Critics Assn. ' ~}~, -,' Warner Bros. ~ j "The ~ "The Wings "L.A. are apparent in every Donen 12/13-,~"" ;\1'" . '> ' Apostle" of the Dove" Confidential" film, according to writer Larry . ~ Gelbart. who scripted two

AI Helena I Curtis Donen films - the 1977 comedy Boston •• , C"L.A •· I" f d u " Pacino BonhamCarter I Hanson "Movie. Movie" and Donen's last Film Critics on I en la I ~ feature, the 1984 romantic romp ~ :~ ~ Warner Bras, .~,_c·' "Donnie "The Wings "L.A. 12/22 "." r'~\'1 ~ B Brasco" ~ of the Dove" Confidential" "Stanley is a consummate pro- ~~------fessional who is interested in ' • "The Sweet Helena Atom both everything that shows on Society of H ft" Bonham Carter 'ig_ Egoyan Texas Critics ;_ ~'~ . erea er '_,' '~•• J Duvall the screen and doesn't show," ~ il"'i-- _ ' I Fine tine Ir~Ro- ~] "The "The Wings 1,/ "The Sweet Gelbart says. "He has an eye for 12/24 -,ij'''I .• ) Apostle" of the Dove" Hereafter" elegant detail and he doesn't try I to impose himself on the text ------he doesn't try to make his signa- Julie Curtis Nan "LA. Robert , . . Hanson Iof FilmSociety~Critics 'II _, - , Confidential" I~r~,;""'" .,', ~uvall , ". Christie ture larger than the picture." ,7; " " "LA The other common thread ~_'''' Warner Bros. ~ The . .~" "Afterglow" among his films has been consis- 1/5 r' ~\"I'Y '\ " Apostle" I [, -t Confidential" tent star power. Along with Do ne ns Kelly collaborations "Titanic" Peter JUdi and his films with Grant (four Fonda ••• , Dench times) and Hepburn (three), Paramount "Ulee's - "Mrs. Donen has worked with the likes Gold" ~ , " Brown" James of , Elizabeth Cameron Taylor, , Loren, "As Good Jack Helen "Titanic" Douglas, and 1/18 ," (.••..;~ as It Gets" Nicholson ., Hunt . He even worked with his original inspiration, ,.., Sony "As Good . "As Good . - as It Gets" as It Gets" Astaire twice. 11 El To Donen, there was no spe- cial strategy to enticing the stars. "It is very seductive to a (star) ~,,- II "LConfidential".A. ~~~-". JackNicholson BonhamHelena Carter IJ, .~ ' JamesCameron when a man or woman really • --J;.., Warner Bros. ' "As Good _ .:' "The Wings , , "Titanic" admires you enormously and 1/19 -' ~''I -!' ' as It Gets" - ; of the Dove" really feels that you are gifted," 11 Donen says. "I can't fake that and I can't lie, so I let them know Robert Judi Curtis ~II· ,- ,Confidential""L.A. ~C.\:.!Duvall - Dench Hanson how I felt about their work." And , - now, finally, the Academy is 311 ~!~\-~;, Warner Bros. ¥/j' "The - "Mrs. "LA ,.' ~ 'I •. L--'\'---"_ Apostle" (;91 Brown" Confidential" returning the favor. ::J

James ISAGl "The Full Jack Helen James Monty" Nicholson '" Cameron Cameron !:' Hunt ~ "Titanic" Fox Searchlight "As Good , , "As Good "Titanic" 3/8 D as It Gets" [I" as It Gets"

56 .•. DAY OF OSCARS