I saw Billy Dee Williams recently on Bill Maher's Club Random. I could tell by the way he would re-frame Bill's questions that there must be an Ayn Rand connection, probably from The Fountainhead. I later found out that he mentions in his recent autobiography that he went to an Ayn Rand lecture.
“I was always out and about in the city, looking to have experiences, intrigued by almost everything, and my God, what a time it was to be in New York. I attended a lecture by Ayn Rand at the 92nd Street Y. I also saw poet Dylan Thomas there. Do not go gentle into that good night. I was near the front for Spanish flamenco dancer Carmen Amaya at the Coliseum. The same with José Greco and Antonio. I loved that world, the drama, the romance of those dancers. I even took flamenco lessons for a while. My mother and I saw Lotte Lenya at the Coliseum. I hadn’t seen her since I was in Firebrand of Florence, but my mother had kept in touch, and afterward we went backstage to say hello. While we were there, Greta Garbo walked in.”
Thank you for an interesting discussion. I liked the reviews, especially the review of Desert Fury. I've always had sort of a 'love hate' relationship with film noir because while the craftmanship of the better FNs, the quality of the cinematography, writing, acting, etc. is often excellent, the world view, what I will call the attack on personal independence and free will, which underlies the films, wears on me. I've often wondered why the FN movement appeared in history when it did. That generation had just beaten both the Depression and the Axis during WW2. Personally I would have expected films celebrating ambition, self reliance, courage, etc. but it did not turn out that way. That said I still enjoy certain FN movies quite a bit.
I saw Billy Dee Williams recently on Bill Maher's Club Random. I could tell by the way he would re-frame Bill's questions that there must be an Ayn Rand connection, probably from The Fountainhead. I later found out that he mentions in his recent autobiography that he went to an Ayn Rand lecture.
“I was always out and about in the city, looking to have experiences, intrigued by almost everything, and my God, what a time it was to be in New York. I attended a lecture by Ayn Rand at the 92nd Street Y. I also saw poet Dylan Thomas there. Do not go gentle into that good night. I was near the front for Spanish flamenco dancer Carmen Amaya at the Coliseum. The same with José Greco and Antonio. I loved that world, the drama, the romance of those dancers. I even took flamenco lessons for a while. My mother and I saw Lotte Lenya at the Coliseum. I hadn’t seen her since I was in Firebrand of Florence, but my mother had kept in touch, and afterward we went backstage to say hello. While we were there, Greta Garbo walked in.”
Thank you for an interesting discussion. I liked the reviews, especially the review of Desert Fury. I've always had sort of a 'love hate' relationship with film noir because while the craftmanship of the better FNs, the quality of the cinematography, writing, acting, etc. is often excellent, the world view, what I will call the attack on personal independence and free will, which underlies the films, wears on me. I've often wondered why the FN movement appeared in history when it did. That generation had just beaten both the Depression and the Axis during WW2. Personally I would have expected films celebrating ambition, self reliance, courage, etc. but it did not turn out that way. That said I still enjoy certain FN movies quite a bit.