Screen Tests. Good, now 3/4 to the right. Full profile. Thank you.

February 8, 2010 2:03 PM

The screen test offers a disorienting angle on 'behind the scenes' footage—straight through the camera.

More fun screen tests and auditions:

Marilyn Monroe for Something's Got To Give
James Dean and Paul Newman can't print what they think of each other.
Guy Williams really wants to start working in about a week.
Adam West and Burton Gervis strike a pose.
Don't worry, Bruce Lee will not hit that man.
Dick van Dyke gums and spins.

Sam Neill's friends call him...
John Belushi horks his Brando impression. (More SNL auditions previously.)
Sharon Stone rehearses her interrogation and the lie detector scene. (NSFW)
Natalie Portman auditioning for Leon.
Dustin Hoffman has a little laryngitis.
"Vicky" Smith is an all-Texas girl. (pNSFW)

The Von Trapp Family auditions in four parts: 2, 3, 4

And finally, a groovy little selection from Andy Warhol's countless reels of screen tests:
Bob Dylan
Nico
Lou Reed
Edie Sedgwick
Ingrid Superstar

posted by carsonb (20 comments total)

What in the heck?
posted by brundlefly at 2:05 PM on February 8, 2010

Holy crap. Sam Neill would have made a great Bond!
posted by brundlefly at 2:06 PM on February 8, 2010 [4 favorites]

I think I've seen that Ginger Rogers clip before. It was right after I took that expired codeine.
posted by Bromius at 2:08 PM on February 8, 2010 [2 favorites]

Can't sleep, Ginger Rodgers' face will eat me.
posted by The Whelk at 2:13 PM on February 8, 2010 [2 favorites]

I didn't know Ginger Rogers was a priestess of Cthulhu.
posted by infinitewindow at 2:17 PM on February 8, 2010 [1 favorite]

Ginger Rogers did everything Cthulhu did, except backwards and in high heels.
posted by brundlefly at 2:20 PM on February 8, 2010 [22 favorites]

Ginger was just trying out for the popular Albanian game show Вы оно лучше!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:23 PM on February 8, 2010

The Ginger Rogers bit is from Gold Diggers of 1933. It's in the film itself, during one of the Busby Berkeley episodes (the intro, I think). The whole of which is like some astonishing gilded hallucination.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:26 PM on February 8, 2010 [4 favorites]

Heh, so it is! No clue why I thought it was an outtake. Well, anyway...
posted by carsonb at 2:30 PM on February 8, 2010

That Bruce Lee footage is worth the price of admission right there. What a goddamn movie star that guy was.
posted by Bookhouse at 2:32 PM on February 8, 2010 [4 favorites]

If we're going to have a productive conversation about these kinds of important matters it would be extremely helpful if you'd stop melting and dripping all over the place like that. It's really disconcerting. Also, your vowels taste like Jolly Ranchers. Stop that.
posted by loquacious at 3:19 PM on February 8, 2010 [2 favorites]

OH SHIT I HAVE HANDS
posted by loquacious at 3:20 PM on February 8, 2010 [1 favorite]

the john barrymore/john carradine screen test story
posted by Hammond Rye at 3:21 PM on February 8, 2010 [1 favorite]

The noob.us link isn't working for me, so here's a youtube version of the screen test (I think).
posted by Barry B. Palindromer at 3:29 PM on February 8, 2010

Oh god, we used to watch the movie that Ginger Rodgers clip is from...with no sound, at a dive bar. Nothing quite like watching Ginger, wearing coin mail, in extreme closeup - and seeming to lip-sych to bad alt-country bands.
posted by notsnot at 3:32 PM on February 8, 2010

Hugh Laurie auditioning for House

Apparently he was going through a rough patch and was actually filming the audition in a Namibian bathroom while on location for Flight of the Phoenix. But for a character like House, I guess jetlagged bitterness helps. Gotta love that quick-change accent, too.
posted by Rhaomi at 4:11 PM on February 8, 2010 [1 favorite]

Nico is beautiful, but would it kill her to fucking smile?
posted by Nelson at 4:11 PM on February 8, 2010

Sam Neill totally rocked in Reilly ace of spies, so yes he would have made a great James Bond.
posted by BrotherCaine at 5:36 PM on February 8, 2010

Lou Reed is beautiful, but would it kill him to fucking smile?
posted by tiny crocodile at 4:10 AM on February 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

Finally getting around to watch these. Here's a few more

Marlene Dietrich for The Blue Angel

Vivian Leigh for the second Mrs. De Winter in Rebecca

Brando reading for an early version of Rebel Without a Cause

Bruce Lee for The Green Hornet

Ladies and gentlemen, THE FACE. (with godawful music)
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 5:20 PM on February 17, 2010 [2 favorites]