Announcing the Norman Jewison Blogathon

Another blogathon! As many of you no doubt know, we lost Norman Jewison on January 20th of this year at the ripe old age of ninety-seven, and I thought it would be nice to pay tribute to his life and work.

Jewison was born in Toronto on July 21, 1926 and made his screen debut as an actor in an uncredited role in 1949’s Canadian Pacific. In 1952 Jewison made his directorial debut with the CBC series, The Big Revue, as well as garnering his first producer credit that same year for Let’s See. While a big chunk of Jewison’s filmography were TV credits, he also directed more than a few respectably iconic movies such as Fiddler On the Roof, Moonstruck, and The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming.

The thing that strikes me about Jewison’s work is the sheer variety. We’ve got musicals. We’ve got spy thrillers. We’ve got sports movies. We’ve got filmed plays. We’ve got TV shows. We’ve got biopics. Nothing respectable is off-limits. Jewison covered everything with what appeared to be quiet ease, seeming to understand how to bring out what was important in each character and present his subject matter to its best advantage. He was an instinctive, intuitive filmmaker who not only got the job done, but done beautifully.

In that spirit, we now come to the business aspect of this blogathon, starting with…

The Rules

1. The blogathon will take place from July 19th until July 21st. Posts can be sent to me on or around those days, either via Taking Up Room’s comment section, X or Instagram (both @TakingUpRoom), Bluesky (@takinguproom.bsky.social), my Contact page, or via e-mail (rebeccadeniston@gmail.com)
2. If anyone would like to sign up, please contact me via any of the channels listed above.
3. Posts can be reviews of Jewison’s films and TV shows or cover any aspect of his life and work.
4. Since Mr. Jewison’s filmography isn’t terribly extensive (see the complete list here), up to three participants can write on the same topic. However, the same topic can be approached from different angles, such as a listicle.
5. Participants are limited to three posts apiece. New material only, please, and nothing derogatory will be accepted.
6. Grab a banner and advertise the blogathon!

The Roster

Taking Up Room: Dinner With Friends (2001)

The Stop Button: The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

A Shroud of Thoughts: Rollerball (1975)

Hoofers and Honeys: Send Me No Flowers (1964) and Only You (1994)

Nitrateglow: The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966)

Crítica Retrô: The Thrill of It All (1963)

The Midnite Drive-In: Connecting the Dots

The Banners