| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | The Blob (1958) |
| Director | Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. |
| Writer | Theodore Simonson, Kay Linaker (story); Theodore Simonson, Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. (screenplay) |
| Lead Actor | Steve McQueen |
| Cast | Steve McQueen, Aneta Corsaut, Earl Rowe, Olin Howland, Stephen Chase, John Benson, George Karas, Lee Payton |
| Genre | Horror, Sci-Fi |
| Release Date | September 12, 1958 (USA) |
| Duration | 1h 26m (86 minutes) |
| Budget | $110,000 USD |
| Box Office | $4 million USD (worldwide) |
| Language | English |
| IMDb Rating | 6.4/10 |
WATCH NOW
Robert Altman ventures into new territory with this film, The Company, an ensemble drama set backstage at Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet. Employing his trademark, multilayered sound and a fluid, documentary like camera style, Altman captures the day to day exhilaration and stress of a world-class ballet company as it prepares to stage several dances over the course of a season.
Neve Campbell conceived of the story and brought the project, first to screenwriter Barbara Turner and later to Altman, but, to her credit, Campbell did not design the story strictly as a vehicle for herself. She certainly plays a central role as Ry, an up and coming dancer just beginning to take a few starring roles and who, through the course of the movie, falls in love with sous chef Josh (James Franco). But Ry is only one character in a large troupe of performers shown as Altman’s camera snoops behind the scenes spying on their ambitions, jealousies, friendships, rivalries, and life in general under the benevolent dictatorship of their artistic director, Mr. A (Malcolm McDowell). In a touch of verisimilitude, most of the roles in The Company are filled by the members of the real Joffrey Ballet.
Interspersed with the backstage story are the dances. Campbell stars in one, set to “My Funny Valentine,” Ry’s theme song, a glorious duet given a dramatic edge with its placement amidst a rainstorm during an outdoor performance. In the others, notably the colorful “Blue Snake” ballet, she is but one of the en pointe multitude. Eschewing the trend of recent musicals, such as Chicago that edit the dance until it is an abstract form, Altman takes care to shoot and edit it properly. These dancers possess a singular talent and the director lets the camera linger on their art long enough to appreciate every movement.
The Company marks a kinder, gentler Robert Altman, as well. After his bilious satires on Hollywood in The Player, the fashion world in Ready to Wear, and the English class structure in Gosford Park, among others, The Company is startling in its amiable gentility. Campbell proposed the film out of her passion for ballet, a passion that, at least for its director, appears to be contagious. Robert Altman ventures into new territory with his latest film, The Company, an ensemble drama set backstage at Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet. Employing his trademark, multilayered sound and a fluid, documentary like camera style, Altman captures the day to day exhilaration and stress of a world class ballet company as it prepares to stage several dances over the course of a season.
To watch more movies like The Company (2003) visit Fmovies.
Also watch