The following content was originally posted by Bernie on September 2, 2006 at 1:38 PM and received no comments.
“The Black Dahlia” premiered at the 63rd Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2006. Directed by Brian De Palma, the film stars Scarlett Johansson (also featuring Josh Hartnett and two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank) and is one of 21 films in competition for the coveted Golden Lion award. The jury to award the Golden Lion, which will be announced next Saturday on the festival’s closing day, is headed by French actress Catherine Deneuve, one of my favorites and a Scarlett Johansson beauty in her time. One of the reasons I would like to see the film receive awards is to get more photo opportunities of Scarlett Johansson; remembering the bouncy images from the Golden Globe Awards.
The movie adaptation of James Ellroy’s novel, ‘The Black Dahlia’ is based on the real-life unsolved murder case of Elizabeth Short, a 22-year-old actress who was found tortured and brutally murdered in a vacant lot in Hollywood on January 15, 1947. In the film, two policemen are assigned to investigate the murder which turned out to be one of the greatest manhunts in California history. While I don’t do movie reviews per se other than to comment on certain features of a film, I will report back later when I see it. Meanwhile, here are a few Black Dahlia photos:
It’s impressive that an actress as young as 21 could handle a role with such sophistication, like Scarlett Johansson. Looking at the photos above, if you’re my age (61), they should give you a film noir nostalgia.
In 1949, I arrived in America and started kindergarten in New York City the following year. After school, my mother would drop me off at the RKO theater near 149th Street and Broadway. She would give the ushers a box of nylons to watch over me while I enjoyed a newsreel, cartoon, and the main feature. By 9 p.m., she would pick me up. This was how I learned English, but no one ever told me that I sounded like Humphrey Bogart. Although I enjoyed Cinderella that year, I was mesmerized by the Asphalt Jungle and other crime dramas of the time. I cannot wait to see The Black Dahlia. For trailers to The Black Dahlia, click here. The Official Movie website click here. ContactMusic.com reports that critics and early viewers of The Black Dahlia have a complaint: Scarlett Johansson’s sex scene is so hot that they found it difficult to concentrate following the raunchy scene. This warning sounds similar to the one found on certain male enhancement pills: that your erection may last more than 4 hours. Yeah, that’ll keep men from using it! So if you are worried that you won’t be able to follow the plot after watching Scarlett Johansson steam up the screen, do what I’m going to do. Watch it again and again until I stop being distracted.
