The director drew the ire of some educators [and the praise of others] by suggesting people skip school to watch this movie in theaters.
[As someone who went on a class trip to see "The Wiz," I should say this would have been a worthwhile unauthorized field trip].
The movie opens with footage of the beating of Rodney King by four Los Angeles police officers, which, aside from a broad theme, has nothing to do with the events of this film, which took place decades earlier.
The lead actor played one of the authors of the book on which the movie was based.
He's in the movie for 3:21:58.
So what kind of book was it?
And why did the OTHER author have to write the ending?
Presumably, the book is an autobiography. When the author died, another had to tell about it.
If it weren't for the Rodney King mention, I'd have been thinking Moses/Joshua. It might have made sense with filming in Mecca. But that's clearly not this movie.
Ok, so it's a movie about someone who wrote an autobiography with the cooperation of another author who had to finish it when he died.
Now...
To whom is Mecca important? What person fitting that category is known to have written an autobiography?
James Baldwin contributed significantly to the screenplay. His area of social expertise intersects with the "who thinks Mecca is important" element. Cross reference the two topics and three people emerge as likely candidates. Only one had a movie about him significant enough to be included on this thread.
Oh, there was nothing obscure about this movie.
And, as a joke, you did NOT have to watch nine movies before this to get up to speed. It is neither sequel nor prequel.
I tried to hint: the events of this movie take place three or four decades before Rodney King.
That puts Lawrence of Arabia at... WAY TOO SOON.
The lead actor would go on to win Best Actor for a less iconic role. Funny, he lost Best Actor for THIS movie to another actor for a less iconic role than the one that really defined his career.
THAT Actor should have won the Oscar that went to Art Carney.
I can figure out just about everything except the answer.
Art Carney won for Harry and Tonto, and there was a lot of grumbling that Al Pacino didn't win for Godfather II. Pacino DID win for Scent of a Woman, but I don't remember any other Oscars from around that time.
If anyone else is playing, think really long autobiographical movie, involving the Middle East, from the early 90s.
Mecca might be throwing you off. It takes up only a few minutes of screen time.
There's also a glaring thematic omission in your summary that you should have picked up on by now. It matters.
The co-author of the book on which the movie is based is far more famous for writing another book that, years earlier, was adapted into one of the most acclaimed miniseries of all time.
One particularly well-known scene was parodied, hilariously, by Dave Chapelle in a movie that was COMPLETELY unrelated.
That must be it. However, if Denzel Washington was to go on and win Best Actor for a less iconic role, either Raf has a different definition of iconic than I do, or he just means he won it for a character like Al Pacino's "Scent of a Woman" playing Col. Frank Slade but, in this case, Denzel was playing a dark seedy character, Alonzo Harris, in "Training Day". I can set that. Denzel is famous for his hero roles. "Man on Fire", "The Book of Eli", "Crimson Tide", and ridding the world of evil doers. Either way, it is probably the right guess. I've been following the post I just couldn't wrap my head around anything yet.
Yea, keep doing that face palm thing there, buddy.
I was gonna play the race card on this one, but decided that would do more harm than good. :)
Denzel lost to Al Pacino Hooah!
Spike Lee and the movie were not. even. nominated.
James Baldwin wrote a draft of the screenplay, based on the Autobiography of Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley, author of Roots.
It's Malcolm X, not Malcolm Part 10. You don't need to watch the first nine.
Dave Chapelle parodies the "hoodwinked, bamboozled, Plymouth Rock" speech, substituting Sherwood Forest, in Robin Hood, Men in Tights.
Had I said ANYTHING about this being Black-centric, you'd have guessed it in 4.2 seconds. But Baldwin was known as a pre-eminent voice in Black America. I thought his name would be clue enough. Intersect it with Mecca being important to Muslims, and you have Black Muslims. If you didn't guess Malcolm X from THAT, you're playing the wrong game. Name that Tune from the Title is a few threads down.
Denzel Washington, snubbed for Malcolm X, lost to Al Pacino but went on to win Best Actor for Training Day.
Al Pacino, snubbed for Godfather II, lost to Art Carney, but went on to win Best Actor for Scent of a Woman.
Spike Lee really did suggest kids skip school to watch his movie. It was self serving advice, but not bad advice, to be honest.
And yeah, I would say Denzel Washington's performance as Malcolm X was more iconic than whoever he played in Training Day. Not saying he did a bad job. I think an argument can be made that if Washington had won for Malcolm X 10 years earlier, Will Smith would have won the award for his performance in Ali.
A playful dig about an older white guy's inability to recall a major movie centered on a Black main character and cast could have come off as funny or accusatory.
So I chose not to go there.
I did say in one of the clues we were overlooking a major theme, followed by "It matters." Too subtle?
Movies longer than three hours tend to be serious dramas (biographies like Gandhi and Malcom X or epic tales like Ben-Hur or Lord of the Rings). This one is quite different.
Stan Laurel was offered a cameo role but refused, as he had promised never to work again after the death of Oliver Hardy. The role went to Jack Benny.
At the time this film was made, there were about 100 stunt performers in America. 80 of them were used in this film.
Movies longer than three hours tend to be serious dramas (biographies like Gandhi and Malcom X or epic tales like Ben-Hur or Lord of the Rings). This one is quite different.
Stan Laurel was offered a cameo role but refused, as he had promised never to work again after the death of Oliver Hardy. The role went to Jack Benny.
At the time this film was made, there were about 100 stunt performers in America. 80 of them were used in this film.
The film was so crammed with action that each leading actor was given two scripts: one for the dialogue and one for physical comedy.
For the intermission of the premiere engagement at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, the filmmakers recorded messages supposedly sent over police radios describing what was happening to various characters. These messages were played not only in the auditorium during the intermission but at the concession stand and even in the bathrooms.
The diector asked Buster Keaton to perform one of his signature bits, moving two steps forward then one back before racing away from whatever was threatening him. Even in his 60s the comedian was as spry as he had been in his prime.
-According to this movie, saltpeter is made "by treating sodium nitrate with potassium chloride, of course." However, that's not what those chemicals would have been called, nor was that how saltpeter would have been made.
-A fist-fight breaks out between 2 characters after a series of insults was exchanged. The one that sparked the first punch was "LAWYER!" Both men were actually lawyers in that exchange.
-The big chart that appears so conspicuously was added to help the audience keep track of what was going on.
-The theatrical release of this movie left out at least one scene, allegedly at the request of the sitting president who thought it was aimed at him. If that's true, the request wasn't made at the time the film was being prepared for general release. (The current versions include the scene.)
Saltpeter(potassium nitrate) has been mined from bird droppings on cliffs in Chile. As sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sodium chloride, and potassium chloride are all water-soluble, mixing sodium nitrate with potassium chloride would give a mixture of four products. It is possible to prepare potassium nitrate from potassium chloride and AMMONIUM nitrate by chilling a mixture of them. Current manufacture probably uses potassium hydroxide and nitric acid.
Saltpeter(potassium nitrate) has been mined from bird droppings on cliffs in Chile. As sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sodium chloride, and potassium chloride are all water-soluble, mixing sodium nitrate with potassium chloride would give a mixture of four products. It is possible to prepare potassium nitrate from potassium chloride and AMMONIUM nitrate by chilling a mixture of them. Current manufacture probably uses potassium hydroxide and nitric acid.
Don't know the movie.
George
In the movie, it would have been historically accurate, if not very practical, to say you made saltpeter by "treating soda niter with potash."
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Human without the bean
Why didn't you say that 2 days ago Mr. Wolf? Your right Rottie, They are pretty good. Makes it tough on me to get my 2 cents in.
Human without the bean
I was way off going with "The Terminal", except that it didn't have any articles of clothing in the title. I assume WordWolf is correct, but I'm not familiar with it. But that's not unusual.
GeorgeStGeorge
Stallone. Also well-known for reprising his Rocky role. I can't see him in Eddie Murphy's role in BHC, though... George
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Raf
The director drew the ire of some educators [and the praise of others] by suggesting people skip school to watch this movie in theaters.
[As someone who went on a class trip to see "The Wiz," I should say this would have been a worthwhile unauthorized field trip].
The movie opens with footage of the beating of Rodney King by four Los Angeles police officers, which, aside from a broad theme, has nothing to do with the events of this film, which took place decades earlier.
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GeorgeStGeorge
Presumably, the book is an autobiography. When the author died, another had to tell about it.
If it weren't for the Rodney King mention, I'd have been thinking Moses/Joshua. It might have made sense with filming in Mecca. But that's clearly not this movie.
George
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Raf
Ok, so it's a movie about someone who wrote an autobiography with the cooperation of another author who had to finish it when he died.
Now...
To whom is Mecca important? What person fitting that category is known to have written an autobiography?
James Baldwin contributed significantly to the screenplay. His area of social expertise intersects with the "who thinks Mecca is important" element. Cross reference the two topics and three people emerge as likely candidates. Only one had a movie about him significant enough to be included on this thread.
Oh, there was nothing obscure about this movie.
And, as a joke, you did NOT have to watch nine movies before this to get up to speed. It is neither sequel nor prequel.
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GeorgeStGeorge
Another really long movie which could involve Mecca is one I haven't seen, so I don't know much about it, but
Lawrence of Arabia (?)
George
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GeorgeStGeorge
But, then again, there's that Rodney King thing...
George
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Raf
I tried to hint: the events of this movie take place three or four decades before Rodney King.
That puts Lawrence of Arabia at... WAY TOO SOON.
The lead actor would go on to win Best Actor for a less iconic role. Funny, he lost Best Actor for THIS movie to another actor for a less iconic role than the one that really defined his career.
THAT Actor should have won the Oscar that went to Art Carney.
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GeorgeStGeorge
I can figure out just about everything except the answer.
Art Carney won for Harry and Tonto, and there was a lot of grumbling that Al Pacino didn't win for Godfather II. Pacino DID win for Scent of a Woman, but I don't remember any other Oscars from around that time.
If anyone else is playing, think really long autobiographical movie, involving the Middle East, from the early 90s.
George
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Raf
Mecca might be throwing you off. It takes up only a few minutes of screen time.
There's also a glaring thematic omission in your summary that you should have picked up on by now. It matters.
The co-author of the book on which the movie is based is far more famous for writing another book that, years earlier, was adapted into one of the most acclaimed miniseries of all time.
One particularly well-known scene was parodied, hilariously, by Dave Chapelle in a movie that was COMPLETELY unrelated.
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Raf
The majority of the movie takes place in the USA.
Mecca is just a place visited by the main character, as required.
It is NOT a sequel. You do not need to watch parts I-IX to understand what's going on.
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Raf
More on the guy who wrote a good chunk of the screenplay.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Baldwin
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GeorgeStGeorge
George
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Human without the bean
That must be it. However, if Denzel Washington was to go on and win Best Actor for a less iconic role, either Raf has a different definition of iconic than I do, or he just means he won it for a character like Al Pacino's "Scent of a Woman" playing Col. Frank Slade but, in this case, Denzel was playing a dark seedy character, Alonzo Harris, in "Training Day". I can set that. Denzel is famous for his hero roles. "Man on Fire", "The Book of Eli", "Crimson Tide", and ridding the world of evil doers. Either way, it is probably the right guess. I've been following the post I just couldn't wrap my head around anything yet.
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Raf
Yea, keep doing that face palm thing there, buddy.
I was gonna play the race card on this one, but decided that would do more harm than good. :)
Denzel lost to Al Pacino Hooah!
Spike Lee and the movie were not. even. nominated.
James Baldwin wrote a draft of the screenplay, based on the Autobiography of Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley, author of Roots.
It's Malcolm X, not Malcolm Part 10. You don't need to watch the first nine.
Dave Chapelle parodies the "hoodwinked, bamboozled, Plymouth Rock" speech, substituting Sherwood Forest, in Robin Hood, Men in Tights.
Had I said ANYTHING about this being Black-centric, you'd have guessed it in 4.2 seconds. But Baldwin was known as a pre-eminent voice in Black America. I thought his name would be clue enough. Intersect it with Mecca being important to Muslims, and you have Black Muslims. If you didn't guess Malcolm X from THAT, you're playing the wrong game. Name that Tune from the Title is a few threads down.
Denzel Washington, snubbed for Malcolm X, lost to Al Pacino but went on to win Best Actor for Training Day.
Al Pacino, snubbed for Godfather II, lost to Art Carney, but went on to win Best Actor for Scent of a Woman.
Spike Lee really did suggest kids skip school to watch his movie. It was self serving advice, but not bad advice, to be honest.
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Raf
And yeah, I would say Denzel Washington's performance as Malcolm X was more iconic than whoever he played in Training Day. Not saying he did a bad job. I think an argument can be made that if Washington had won for Malcolm X 10 years earlier, Will Smith would have won the award for his performance in Ali.
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Human without the bean
Don't follow, but I never did.
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Raf
A playful dig about an older white guy's inability to recall a major movie centered on a Black main character and cast could have come off as funny or accusatory.
So I chose not to go there.
I did say in one of the clues we were overlooking a major theme, followed by "It matters." Too subtle?
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GeorgeStGeorge
Definitely too subtle. But I got the answer without it.
New one soon.
George
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GeorgeStGeorge
Movies longer than three hours tend to be serious dramas (biographies like Gandhi and Malcom X or epic tales like Ben-Hur or Lord of the Rings). This one is quite different.
Stan Laurel was offered a cameo role but refused, as he had promised never to work again after the death of Oliver Hardy. The role went to Jack Benny.
At the time this film was made, there were about 100 stunt performers in America. 80 of them were used in this film.
George
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GeorgeStGeorge
Movies longer than three hours tend to be serious dramas (biographies like Gandhi and Malcom X or epic tales like Ben-Hur or Lord of the Rings). This one is quite different.
Stan Laurel was offered a cameo role but refused, as he had promised never to work again after the death of Oliver Hardy. The role went to Jack Benny.
At the time this film was made, there were about 100 stunt performers in America. 80 of them were used in this film.
The film was so crammed with action that each leading actor was given two scripts: one for the dialogue and one for physical comedy.
For the intermission of the premiere engagement at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, the filmmakers recorded messages supposedly sent over police radios describing what was happening to various characters. These messages were played not only in the auditorium during the intermission but at the concession stand and even in the bathrooms.
The diector asked Buster Keaton to perform one of his signature bits, moving two steps forward then one back before racing away from whatever was threatening him. Even in his 60s the comedian was as spry as he had been in his prime.
George
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WordWolf
Um, how about "IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD"?
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GeorgeStGeorge
You got it.
George
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WordWolf
Next movie.
-According to this movie, saltpeter is made "by treating sodium nitrate with potassium chloride, of course." However, that's not what those chemicals would have been called, nor was that how saltpeter would have been made.
-A fist-fight breaks out between 2 characters after a series of insults was exchanged. The one that sparked the first punch was "LAWYER!" Both men were actually lawyers in that exchange.
-The big chart that appears so conspicuously was added to help the audience keep track of what was going on.
-The theatrical release of this movie left out at least one scene, allegedly at the request of the sitting president who thought it was aimed at him. If that's true, the request wasn't made at the time the film was being prepared for general release. (The current versions include the scene.)
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GeorgeStGeorge
Saltpeter(potassium nitrate) has been mined from bird droppings on cliffs in Chile. As sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sodium chloride, and potassium chloride are all water-soluble, mixing sodium nitrate with potassium chloride would give a mixture of four products. It is possible to prepare potassium nitrate from potassium chloride and AMMONIUM nitrate by chilling a mixture of them. Current manufacture probably uses potassium hydroxide and nitric acid.
Don't know the movie.
George
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WordWolf
In the movie, it would have been historically accurate, if not very practical, to say you made saltpeter by "treating soda niter with potash."
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