Thank you for all the Columbo memories! That was one of the most fun jobs and it’s such a thrill to see that bit of TV from so long ago still resonating. Thank you thank you thank you.
Lee Grant recently confirmed she is 98 after decades of mystery about her birth year. We found 26 other directors 90 or older, with two — Clint Eastwood (93) and Roman Polanski (90) still active — see here:
Sidney was a force of nature. One of most intelligent, beautiful, and unstoppable human beings I’ve ever known. He made our world, and my life, better in ways we still may not entirely comprehend. Calling him a legend doesn’t do it justice. He was Sidney Poitier.
#sidneypoitier
Norman Jewison is a giant and I am in his debt. He gave me back a career at the end of the blacklist. I doubt there has been a more versatile director before or since. A huge hearted man and truly unique talent. Nothing I say here can do him justice. But I can say "Thank You."
Impossible to believe that Ryan O’Neal is gone. I felt so welcomed by his Peyton Place, the first big production brave enough to welcome me back from the blacklist.
An incredible talent, an incredible beauty. A gift of an artist we’re lucky to have so much of captured forever.
Norman Jewison had to convince the studio it was possible to earn back the costs even if the film was banned in all of the south and only played northern theatres. Can you imagine? It wasn’t really that long ago.
At the height of the Civil Rights movement, studios were initially hesitant to back IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT ('67) for fear it would be banned in Southern states.
Produced on a more modest budget, the film won 5/7 of its Oscar nominations, including a win for Best Picture.
Incredible to see the impact Columbo has after all these years. Certainly a testament to the vision Peter and the show’s creators had throughout. And it’s always fun to be the bad girl 😉
@THR
@Hiltyhilthilt
Shaken to hear that Robert Towne has left us.
His life, like the characters he created, was incisive, iconoclastic, & entirely originally. He gave me the gift of “Shampoo”. He gave all of us the gift of his words & his films. There isn’t another like him. There won’t be again.
So looking forward to
@TheNYFF
this weekend.
@pjgrisar
of
@jdforward
helped me get some of the anticipation out a few days ago. A real treat to get to talk about all this!
It’s not news that Roger Corman was an explosive & truly singular artist. His creations trickled into our collective work in the movies & our collective dreams the world over. He lent me short ends to direct my first film. We are very lucky he was here.
Walter Mirisch produced some of the most captivating and forward thinking films of our time. His belief in me, along with Norman Jewison’s, helped bring my life back from the blacklist. I’ve always been grateful for that. He was a powerful artist who lived a full, full life.
55 years of “In the Heat of the Night” and it’s still such an incredibly powerful film. Thanks to
@tcm
for bringing it back to the silver screen this week in celebration. One of the film’s I’m still most proud of. Rod, Sidney, Norman, Hal are masterful.
Daniel Selznick is on
@tcm
right now. An old interview, interstitial in the lineup, but so vital. We can’t lose one moment of the channel’s programming. Not one moment.
Evening viewing recommendation? Before it leaves
@Criterion
, don't miss our edition of MULHOLLAND DR. (2001)! Alongside the film, enjoy interviews with David Lynch, Naomi Watts, Justin Theroux, Laura Harring, & Angelo Badalamenti; on-set footage; and more!
Best of luck and many broken legs to
@TheAcademy
tonight. I’m sorry to miss out on seeing Elaine and so many incredible artists and artisans who won’t be televised on the program tonight.
It was such a thrill to see these films again. After so long, with all of you. It truly truly meant so much to all of us who made them. Thank you thank you thank you!
“Is this real? Because it’s overwhelming.” The incredible
@TheLeeGrant
joins us to introduce her films THE STRONGER and TELL ME A RIDDLE, presented by
@tcm
#NYFF61
💊 NEW VIDEO 💊
I wanted to know what Valley of the Dolls did to the careers of the women who starred in it. It turned into a massive project. Here's part 1:
Dr. Ruth was a singular woman. A real no-nonsense trailblazer. When we made “What Sex Am I?” her show was one of the only places that really attempted to take the film with an open hearted desire to learn & discuss. She was an unforgettable, guiding voice, whose impact remains.
The epic and ambitious official
#Columbo
pilot episode ‘Ransom for a Dead Man’ aired 50 years ago today, on March 1, 1971. Guest stars
@TheLeeGrant
as the fabulous and seductive killer Leslie Williams. Also stars Harold Gould and Patricia Mattick.
no person has ever slayed, served and existed so hard. everything she has done, and will do is perfect and amazing. she invented serving bob. lee grant nation rise.
Very excited about all the work
@TheAcademy
and the
@Film_Foundation
have done to restore the first two films I made as a director. They’re showing them for the first time at the
@AcademyMuseum
this Sunday afternoon.
Thank you
@Criterion
and
@CriterionDaily
for giving me the opportunity to share some of the films that have meant the most to me both as a viewer, and as an artist seeking inspiration. I hope they’ll mean something to you as well.
Our series of three new 4K restorations from director
@TheLeeGrant
hit LA’s
@musichall3
tonight. Gear up for it with
@bkrewind
’s fab deep dive on the Oscar winning actor/director.
It's been wonderful to bring our documentaries to the
@criterionchannl
recently, it means so much to have those stories seen all these years later. I hope you'll catch them before they leave the site this week.
So grateful to
@Criterion
&
@HopeRunsHigh
.
My brilliant husband Joseph Fioretti is showing many many many of his recent paintings at the
@UkrInstitute
beginning next week. 100% of the proceeds will go to relief aid. I hope New Yorkers will come see some of the great work that he’s been doing.
What a treat to be a sketch in the
@NewYorker
this month! A huge thank you to
@Alex_Lily
for spending the day with me and my first two films as director when they played at the
@TheNYFF
this past fall ❣️
Marsha was a great talent and a good friend. Her time on the Blacklist, and the longevity of that damage, still infuriates me. But she gave so much of herself to the screen, performances we’ll have forever.
We were honoured to have received a lovely and insightful video from legendary Oscar-winner Lee Grant 👑
See her groundbreaking documentaries at
#GFF23
NOW 🏆
Get your tickets, and see the full video-
@TheLeeGrant
@HopeRunsHigh
Incredible to see these performances again with all the work that went into restoring and reviving the films. We must have made these a few lifetimes ago. Beyond thrilled for them to be back on a silver screen.
From one of my favorite of our films and one that isn’t seen near as much as I’d like. Our piece on Sidney Poitier, so glad to hear some PBS stations have been re-airing it this month.
"Ah, gotta go! Got a date with a very special widow. Miss
@TheLeeGrant
. Very lucky lady. Thank you. Thank you very much."
"Gregory Peck, ladies and gentlemen. Gregory Peck! Let's bring him out again, how 'bout it?"
@MST3K
SPACE TRAVELERS
Experiment 401
U.S. Premiere of 4K Restoration! DOWN AND OUT IN AMERICA (1985) this Sun. 5/5 @ 7pm @ LF3
Winner of the 1987 Academy Award for Best Doc, legendary actress/director Lee Grant’s groundbreaking portrait of Reagan-Era America is as timely & terrifying as ever
We are excited to be presenting the gritty & eye opening docs of Lee Grant
@glasgowfilmfest
all next week!
We' ll be intro-ing all screenings, plus presenting a panel discussion after the screening of The Willmar 8 on 8 March (IWD)
We're so excited! The Criterion Channel, our new streaming service for movie lovers, will launch April 8 in the U.S. & Canada! As a Charter Subscriber, you can start watching *right now* with our Movie of the Week series! Come join us! ✨📺
It’s great to be restored or rediscovered, so grateful to see both happen to this pair of our films, and alongside so many delicious other discoveries!
.
@theleegrant
’s THE STRONGER and TELL ME A RIDDLE play
@jbfc_ny
5/19 with the first annual “Restored and Rediscovered” festival. Series programmer
@mcastimovies
takes you through the movie magic.
I felt the story of “Down and Out in America” was so pressing that we almost didn’t make it, thinking it was better to leave to someone who could make it sooner than I was able to. It’s been restored, looking better, and sadly more pressing, than ever.
Wow! It was at this event that I saw Harlan County for the first time and was utterly blown away. That night I realized there were stories I could tell
in documentaries that no studio would let me direct in a traditional film. The power of Barbara’s film was overwhelming.
I’m so moved that these two small, personal films have not only been preserved and restored, but have also received such a loving spotlight from
@HopeRunsHigh
and my own neighborhood festival
@thenyff
! Truly truly a gift.
Leslie Van Houten was released from prison today after serving 50 years for her part in the Manson murders. 19 at the time of the crime and 73 today. In 1983 she sat for an incendiary interview in
@TheLeeGrant
’s WHEN WOMEN KILL. That is
#nowstreaming
.
Was appalled and unsurprised to learn about the FBI’s surveillance of Sidney. And very happy to aid
@RollingStone
and
@jennelizabethj
in their exploration of this.
Just announced!
Oscar winner Lee Grant joins us for the 4K restoration of her feature film directorial debut TELL ME A RIDDLE — Sun 3:30pm at
@NewPlazaCinema
!
Screening w/ her restored short THE STRONGER. Tickets available soon!
@HopeRunsHigh
I had the chance to speak with
@AmericanFilm
recently, looking back at the striking work their program for women directors has given rise to. AFI was the first to ask me to step behind a camera as well and I am forever grateful.
Making “Tell Me a Riddle” was one of the most difficult and exhilarating journeys I’ve ever had, but seeing it again after all these years reinvigorated my love for the story, the stunning performances, and all the grueling effort it took to bring the film to life.
.
@TheLeeGrant
singing The Bonnie, Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond in Storm Fear (1955) is all too perfect for our Glasgow Film Festival screenings of her documentary work ❤️🏴
You have two more chances to see her groundbreaking work at
#GFF23
today and tomorrow 📅
@HopeRunsHigh
Hal Ashby had a strong knack for small performances that don’t dominate the film. Lee Grant in Shampoo for one, a very funny role dialed into the tone. Also think separate from the Oscar, Melvyn Douglas is very good in Being There. But winning over Duvall, heavy anchor to carry
In the entire history of the Oscars, there has only been one person who has bagged a trophy both for acting and as a documentary director. Lee Grant is that person.
Recommendations time! Tell us a film or filmmaker you love and we'll suggest something for you to watch this weekend. We've got so many great films for you to enjoy on the Criterion Channel this month!❤️📺
DEFENDING YOUR LIFE has arrived! On our edition: a new conversation with
@AlbertBrooks
; a new interview w/
@donnadb
about Brooks's vision of the afterlife; excerpts from archival interviews with Brooks, Lee Grant & Rip Torn; an essay by
@AriAster
; & more!
So excited for New York to see what Joey’s been working on lately! Grateful to
@Forbes
for this show of support, his show at the
@UkrInstitutet
starts Friday.
Norman Jewison's IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967), one of the most enduring Hollywood films of the civil rights era, has arrived on Blu-ray & DVD. Check out our new edition!
Documentaries by Lee Grant 🎥
Discover the courageous compassion and unflinching honesty of the Oscar-winning actor’s trailblazing documentary work.
@TheLeeGrant
Thrilled to announce that tomorrow
@CinemaNh
premieres a BRAND NEW 4K restoration of
@TheLeeGrant
’s Oscar winning documentary DOWN AND OUT IN AMERICA. This new version was created by
@TheAcademy
and
@Film_Foundation
& we’ll be bringing it to theatres in the months to come.
lee grant’s documentaries, all of which are groundbreaking in their insight and criminally under-seen are now streaming on the
@criterionchannl
!!! i discovered and fell in love with all of them last year, and i’m so glad more people will get the chance to now.
@HopeRunsHigh
@TheLeeGrant
@StreamOnMax
Dear Lee, going through my photos I found some pictures from our shoot with Sydney for the PBS/American Experience. Sending you lots of LOVE 😍 Your Slawek
See Lee Grant’s acclaimed 1976 short “The Stronger” (edited by Hal Ashby!), followed by her feature debut TELL ME A RIDDLE, revolutionary in 1980 as one of the 1st American feature films to be written, produced & directed by women.
5/22 at 10 pm at LF3:
Next up on our week of pre-Oscar Academy honorees, KILLIAN & THE COMEBACK KIDS, with screenplay and original music preserved by the organization in 2022.
#oscars
Oscar winner and multiple Emmy winner Cloris Leachman, best remembered as the delightfully neurotic Phyllis Lindstrom on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and her own subsequent sitcom, has died. She was 94.