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Personally, I rate Melvyn Douglas as one of the finest stage and screen actors of the twentieth century. Not only was he awarded two Oscars over his career, but he is one of just nine individuals to attain the fabled Triple Crown of acting, winning an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony.

Back in 1988, The Film Society of Lincoln Center held a gala tribute for Yves Montand, one of France’s biggest movie stars, whose own story would rival any of his films for interest and color.

Much as I tend to favor non-fiction in my nighttime reading, I have a particular fondness for a good, juicy documentary. At a time when an endless series of comic book adaptations dominates the landscape of mainstream narrative film, there’s no denying that a smart and involving documentary provides a welcome alternative.

You don’t have to be a liberal to love Rob Reiner. But it helps.

Gifted writer William Goldman had first come across the story of Butch Cassidy in the late fifties, and was immediately taken with it.

It’s striking just how alike they were: both petite women with big personalities and talent who achieved overnight success in iconic movies at age 19; both immensely driven professionals who, in the face of personal challenges and misfortune, channeled their prodigious energies into their work.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Rosalind Russell. Watch her in most anything, and you sense she’s different from all the glamorous female stars of the day. She was a beautiful lady who did not trade on her looks but instead her brain, talent and spirit.