Wikipedia
American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a 42-year-old advertising executive who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenaged daughter's best friend, Angela ( Mena Suvari). Annette Bening co-stars as Lester's materialistic wife, Carolyn, and Thora Birch plays their insecure daughter, Jane. Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper, and Allison Janney also feature. The film is described by academics as a satire of American middle-class notions of beauty and personal satisfaction; analysis has focused on the film's explorations of romantic, and paternal love, sexuality, beauty, materialism, self-liberation, and redemption.
Ball began writing American Beauty as a play in the early 1990s, partly inspired by the media circus around the Amy Fisher trial in 1992. He shelved the play after realizing the story would not work on stage. After several years as a television screenwriter, Ball revived the idea in 1997 when attempting to break into the film industry. The modified script had a cynical outlook that was influenced by Ball's frustrating tenures writing for several sitcoms. Producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen took American Beauty to DreamWorks; the then-fledgling film studio bought Ball's script for $250,000, outbidding several other production bodies. DreamWorks financed the $15 million production and served as its North American distributor. American Beauty marked acclaimed theater director Mendes' film debut; courted after his successful productions of the musicals Oliver! and Cabaret, Mendes was, nevertheless, only given the job after 20 others were considered and several "A-list" directors turned down the opportunity.
Spacey was Mendes' first choice for the role of Lester, though DreamWorks had urged the director to consider better-known actors; similarly, the studio suggested several actors for the role of Carolyn until Mendes offered the part to Bening without DreamWorks' knowledge. Principal photography took place between December 1998 and February 1999 on soundstages at the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, California, and on location in Los Angeles. Mendes' dominant style was deliberate and composed; he made extensive use of static shots and slow pans and zooms to generate tension. Cinematographer Conrad Hall complemented Mendes' style with peaceful shot compositions to contrast with the turbulent on-screen events. During editing, Mendes made several changes that gave the film a less cynical tone than the script.
Released in North America on September 17, 1999, American Beauty was positively received by critics and audiences; it was the best-reviewed American film of the year and grossed over $356 million worldwide. Reviewers praised most aspects of the production, with particular emphasis on Mendes, Spacey, and Ball; criticism focused on the familiarity of the characters and setting. DreamWorks launched a major campaign to increase the film's chances of Academy Award success; at the 72nd Academy Awards the following year, the film won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Spacey), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. It was nominated for and won many other awards and honors, mainly for the direction, writing, and acting.
American Beauty is the fifth Grateful Dead studio album, released on November 1, 1970, by Warner Bros. Records. The album continued with the folk rock and country music style as on their previous album Workingman's Dead, which was released earlier in the year. The sound of the album focused more on folk harmonies and major-key melodies, showing influence from Bob Dylan and Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. The songs within the album contain lyrics written by Robert Hunter and also sees Jerry Garcia play pedal steel guitar in place of lead guitar.
Upon release, American Beauty entered the Billboard 200 chart and peaked at the thirtieth position on the chart. On July 11, 1974, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, and later reached Platinum and double Platinum certification in 1986 and 2001, respectively. In 2003, the album was ranked number 258 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
American Beauty: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 1999 film starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening.
American Beauty is the seventh novel in the A-List series by Zoey Dean. It was released in 2006 through Megan Tingley Publishers.
American Beauty is a 1931 novel by American author Edna Ferber first published by Doubleday Doran. Set in the Housatonic region of Connecticut, the story, spanning the years 1700 to 1930, relates the steady decline of the Oakes family and their property, as well as their tense relations with Polish immigrants.
The title comes from a line within the book. According to the story, Christopher Wren, who helped design the Oakes family mansion, said Connecticut has "a kind of American beauty," resembling Kent but possessing larger and higher landscapes.
American Beauty is a lost 1927 American silent film romantic drama produced and distributed by First National Pictures. This film was directed by Richard Wallace and starred Billie Dove. It was based on a short story American Beauty by Wallace Irwin. She is supported by Walter McGrail and Margaret Livingston.
American Beauty is a four song EP by Bruce Springsteen that was released on limited edition (7,500 copies) 12-inch vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day on April 19, 2014. A digital download version was also released on April 22, 2014. The four songs that appeared on the EP are outtakes from Springsteen's 2014 album High Hopes. Springsteen said of the four songs, "they're just good music that didn't get onto this record, and was sitting there. I thought it's a nice time to support the record stores, which are dwindling and get some new music out at the same time."
On April 22, 2014, Springsteen released a music video for the song "American Beauty" which was shot prior to his show on April 19, 2014 in Charlotte, NC.
American Beauty may refer to:
Usage examples of "american beauty".
If Rhoda does get her man, find some American beauty who will make you happy.
That American beauty would pull over and he would see a man behind the wheel, a man with a sunburned elbow cocked cockily out the window.
The brown-haired girl in the picture was definitely an American Beauty -- Playboy centrefold type, perfect weather girl all right.
Send the mayor's wife a dozen long-stemmed American Beauty roses and appoint her president of the Metropolitan Opera.
He had never really had standards for the assessing of black American beauty.