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51-694: The Rolls-Royce Corniche is a two-door, front-engine, rear wheel drive luxury car produced by Rolls-Royce Motors as a hardtop coupé (from 1971 to 1980) and as a convertible (from 1971 to 1995 and 1999 to 2002). The Corniche was a development of the Mulliner Park Ward two-door versions of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow . These were designated as the 2-door Saloon and Drophead Coupé, introduced in 1965 and 1966 respectively. Production remained in London at Mulliner Park Ward ;

102-563: A 21st anniversary Corniche was presented. Twenty-five cars were built, all finished in Ming Blue with a cream hood with a silver plaque on the dash. In August 1993 engine power was increased by 20 percent. The last 25 Corniche IV models to be built, completed in the summer of 1995, were unique turbocharged versions and were called the Corniche S. They came with a dashboard plate, individually numbered (out of 25). The fifth series to bear

153-511: A 3-spoke steering wheel with a wood rim, and Rolls Royce's first standard tachometer. The Corniche immediately became a status symbol for celebrities upon its release. Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra and Tom Jones all bought one. David Bowie, Michael Caine, Elton John and Dean Martin put their names on two-year-long waiting lists. It has been seen in countless films and television shows from Beverly Hills, 90210 to Dynasty , and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to The Player . The Corniche received

204-561: A Hollywood awards banquet and their relationship blossoms. After Sherow confronts Mill about his relationship with Gudmundsdottir, Mill coldly severs their relationship in front of two writers. Mill takes Gudmundsdottir to an isolated Desert Hot Springs resort and spa. In the middle of Mill and Gudmundsdottir making love, Mill confesses his role in Kahane's murder, and Gudmundsdottir responds by saying she loves him. Mill's attorney informs him that studio head Joel Levison has been fired, and that

255-478: A bomb at a dock in Dieppe while awaiting shipment back to England. No production model was ever manufactured because of the onset of World War II , but the company registered the name for the future. The   unique car was fully re-created by Bentley's Mulliner division to join the company's heritage fleet; construction of the recreation was completed in 2019. The Corniche, available as coupé or convertible, used

306-643: A cut from a zoom-in to the gun in Humphrey Bogart's hand on a postcard sent to Tim Robbins is perfectly successively matched with what appears to be a black frame, in which a reveal shows that it's an open drawer in which the postcard has been placed. Another felicitous sequence is the one in the Pasadena police station, where the Robbins character is arraigned as Lyle Lovett swats a fly and Whoopi Goldberg and her associates ridicule Robbins with laughter. This

357-432: A depressing ending. Because Mill is not alone, his stalker does not appear. After leaving the bar, Mill receives a fax in his car, advising him to look under his raincoat. He discovers a live rattlesnake in a box and, terrified, bludgeons it with his umbrella. Mill tells Gudmundsdottir that his near-death experience made him realize he has feelings for her. Apprehensive that Levy continues encroaching on his job, Mill invites

408-671: A mild restyling in the spring of 1977. Difference included rack-and-pinion steering, alloy and rubber bumpers , aluminium radiator, oil cooler and a bi-level air conditioning system was added. Later changes included a modified rear independent suspension in March 1979. In March 1981, after the Silver Spirit had gone on sale, the fixed-roof version of the Corniche and its Bentley sister were discontinued. For 1985 there were also cosmetic and interior changes. Corniche models received Bosch KE/K-Jetronic fuel injection in 1977. This engine, called

459-634: A more advanced suspension system, air bags and MK-Motronic fuel injections. Minor interior changes included a revised dashboard, console and seats. 452 were made. The car was reworked for 1992 as the Corniche IV, presented at the January North American International Auto Show in Detroit. By this time production had moved to Crewe , in preparation for the 1994 closure of Mulliner Park Ward. Mechanically,

510-466: A plethora of A-list actors to make cameo appearances in the film based on his esteemed reputation in the industry. These stars agreed to participate without reviewing the script and contributed their union-scale salaries for one day of filming to the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital , a retirement community for industry professionals. Despite the large ensemble, the film

561-437: A shallow pool of water while screaming, "Keep it to yourself!" Mill then stages the crime to make it look like a botched robbery. The next day, after Mill is late for and distracted at a meeting, studio security chief Walter Stuckel confronts him about the murder and says that the police know that he was the last one to see Kahane alive. At the end of their conversation Mill receives a fax from his stalker. Thus, Mill has killed

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612-586: A solution. From 1998 to 2002, BMW would continue to supply engines for the cars and would allow Volkswagen use of the Rolls-Royce name and logo. On 1 January 2003, only BMW would be able to name cars "Rolls-Royce", and Volkswagen Group's former Rolls-Royce/Bentley division would build only cars called "Bentley". The last Rolls-Royce from the Crewe factory, the Corniche , ceased production in 2002, at which time

663-501: A very mild satire," offending no one. The film received three nominations at the 65th Academy Awards : Best Director , Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing . The film also won two Golden Globes , Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and Best Actor – Comedy or Musical for Robbins. Griffin Mill is a Hollywood studio executive dating story editor Bonnie Sherow. He hears story pitches from screenwriters and decides which have

714-540: Is a movie that uses Hollywood as a metaphor for the avarice of the 1980s. It is the movie The Bonfire of the Vanities wanted to be." Gene Siskel also gave the film a perfect four-star grade and wrote, "If you knew nothing and cared nothing about the movie business, you can still appreciate The Player as a ripping good thriller, too." Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote, "Robert Altman has not really been away. Yet his new Hollywood satire titled The Player

765-570: Is at the Rialto Theater in Pasadena , at a screening of The Bicycle Thief . Mill pretends to recognize Kahane in the lobby and offers him a scriptwriting deal, hoping this will stop the threats. The two go to a nearby bar where Kahane gets intoxicated and rebuffs Mill's offer, calling him a liar and continuing to goad him about his job security at the studio. In the bar's parking lot, the two men fight. Mill goes too far and drowns Kahane in

816-402: Is beautifully edited; well-shot, too, but the rhythm is built in the cutting. The Player was placed on 80 critics' year-end best lists, second only to Howards End in 1992. In 2015, Entertainment Weekly ' s 25th anniversary year, it named The Player in its list of the 25 best movies since the magazine's beginnings. Rolling Stone listed The Player as one of the best movies of

867-519: Is one of the all-time great Hollywood satires — and an ensemble-driven highlight of the Altman oeuvre." On Metacritic , the film has a score of 86 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Roger Ebert gave the film a full four stars out of four and called it "a smart movie, and a funny one. It is also absolutely of its time. After the savings and loan scandals, after Michael Milken , after junk bonds and stolen pension funds, here

918-473: Is so entertaining, so flip and so genially irreverent that it seems to announce the return of the great gregarious film maker whose Nashville remains one of the classics of the 1970's". Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote: "Mercilessly satiric yet good-natured, this enormously entertaining slam dunk represents a remarkable American come-back for eternal maverick Robert Altman." Terrence Rafferty of The New Yorker called it "a brilliant dark comedy about

969-533: The Los Angeles Times wrote that "Altman has made a movie that's supremely deft and pleasurable. As if to taunt his detractors, he even 'tells a story' this time, and he does a better job of it than the hacks who have been getting work when he couldn't." The Player was Altman's comeback to making films in Hollywood. Altman was praised for the sex scene in which Robbins and Scacchi were filmed from

1020-560: The 64th Academy Awards in March 1992, aiming to capitalize on the ceremony's publicity and generate word-of-mouth buzz. Preview screenings were positive. The filmmakers hoped audiences would be drawn to the film's story rather than its celebrity cameos; therefore, Altman insisted on not featuring the actors' names in advertisements. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 97% based on 65 reviews, with an average rating of 8.70/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Bitingly cynical without succumbing to bitterness, The Player

1071-514: The British film Vincent & Theo (1990), Brokaw approached Altman, who eagerly embraced the project. Principal photography for the film commenced in mid-June 1991 in Los Angeles, California, with an eight-week schedule. Before production, meticulous planning went into crafting the film's opening scene, an eight-minute unbroken tracking shot. Models were utilized to map out the shot, and

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1122-530: The Corniche III. Also new for 1988 were some detail changes to the interior. Later in 1988 there was also a new reverse warning lens type and pattern around the rear license plate, as well as newly designed seats and redesigned instrumentation. 1,234 examples of the Corniche II were produced. The Corniche III was introduced at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show with new alloy wheels, color-coded bumpers,

1173-520: The Corniche name made its debut in January 2000. At the time of its release, it was the most expensive vehicle offered by Rolls-Royce, with a base price of US$ 359,900. 384 Corniche V were made with the last 45 being designated as "Final Series" Corniches and production ended in August 2002, after Bentley had become a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG and took over the Crewe manufacturing site while the rights to

1224-530: The Crewe factory became Bentley Motors Limited , and Rolls-Royce production was relocated to a new entity in Goodwood, England known as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars . Despite losing control of the Rolls-Royce marque to BMW , the former Rolls-Royce/Bentley subsidiary retains many historical Rolls-Royce car assets such as the Crewe factory and L Series V8 engine . Bentley models were produced mostly in parallel with

1275-508: The IV featured the four-speed 4L80-E automatic transmission rather than the previous three-speed GM400 unit. Adaptive suspension was also introduced. Visually there is nearly no difference between the Corniche III and IV except for a glass rear window replacing the previous plastic unit. The top mechanism was improved, no longer requiring manual latching. CFC -free air conditioning was specified, as were driver and passenger airbags. In October 1992

1326-659: The L410I, produced approximately 240 PS (177 kW; 237 hp) at just above 4,000 rpm for a top speed of 190 km/h (118 mph). The Bentley version was updated in July 1984 with a new name, the Continental , revised and color-coded bumpers, rear view mirrors, a new dash and improvements to the seats. Production totaled 1090 Rolls-Royce Corniche Saloons, 3239 Rolls-Royce Corniche Convertibles, 69 Bentley Corniche Saloons and 77 Bentley Corniche Convertibles. While

1377-428: The Pasadena police want Mill to participate in a lineup . An eyewitness has come forward, but she fails to identify Mill. One year later, studio power players are watching the end of Habeas Corpus with a new, tacked-on, upbeat ending and famous actors in the lead roles. Mill's plan to save the movie has worked and he is head of the studio. Gudmundsdottir is now Mill's wife and pregnant with his child. Sherow objects to

1428-412: The Rolls-Royce and Bentley brands. Vickers acquired the company in 1980 and sold it to Volkswagen in 1998. Bentley Motors is the company's direct successor; however, BMW acquired the rights to the Rolls-Royce trademark for use on automobiles and launched a new Rolls-Royce company shortly afterwards. The original Rolls-Royce Limited had been nationalised in 1971 due to the financial collapse of

1479-500: The Rolls-Royce name and trademarks were licensed by Rolls-Royce Aero Engines to BMW, building their cars in a new factory built by BMW on the Goodwood Estate near Chichester, West Sussex. Rolls-Royce Motors Rolls-Royce Motors was a British luxury car manufacturer, created in 1973 during the de-merger of the Rolls-Royce automotive business from the nationalised Rolls-Royce Limited . It produced luxury cars under

1530-409: The above cars. The Bentley Continental coupés (produced in various forms from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s) did not have Rolls-Royce equivalents. Very expensive Rolls-Royce Phantom limousines were also produced. The Player (1992 film) The Player has many film references and Hollywood in-jokes, with 65 celebrities making cameo appearances in the film. Altman once stated that the film "is

1581-419: The aero-engine maker had recently shared joint business ventures with BMW. BMW paid £40m to license the Rolls-Royce name and "RR" logo, a deal that many commentators thought was a bargain for possibly the most valuable property in the deal. Volkswagen Group had the rights to the mascot and grille, but lacked rights to the Rolls-Royce name in order to build the cars; likewise, BMW had the name, but lacked rights to

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1632-494: The classic lines of the Corniche remains a symbol of wealth, Jeremy Clarkson mocked James May's Corniche as "just a Ford Zephyr with a chrome nose" during a Top Gear competition between his Mercedes 600 Grosser and May's 1972 Corniche I. The Corniche II name was applied for the United States market from 1986 and for other markets from 1988. Anti-lock brakes were added for 1988, but air bags would not be available until

1683-697: The company, caused in part by the development of the RB211 jet engine. In 1973, the British government sold the Rolls-Royce car business to allow nationalised parent Rolls-Royce (1971) Limited to concentrate on jet engine manufacture. In 1980, Rolls-Royce Motors was acquired by Vickers . A marketing survey in 1987 showed that only Coca-Cola was a more widely known brand than Rolls-Royce. In 1998, Vickers plc decided to sell Rolls-Royce Motors. The leading contender seemed to be BMW , who already supplied internal combustion engines and other components for Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars. Their final offer of £ 340m

1734-434: The death of American filmmaking," adding: "In this picture Altman is doing one of his specialties: exploring an odd American subculture—revealing its distinctive textures and explicating the peculiar principles of social intercourse which keep it functioning. But when his idiosyncratic style of anthropological realism is applied to the tight community of Hollywood 'players' it has an almost hallucinatory effect." Peter Rainer of

1785-459: The film's distribution rights were highly sought-after by nearly every major Hollywood studio. Eventually, Fine Line Features , a division of New Line Cinema , secured the rights with a guarantee of $ 5.1 million. President of Fine Line Features, Ira Deutchman, stated that the film would be promoted as a comedy to attract audiences who might not typically be interested in a movie about Hollywood. Release dates were strategically planned to coincide with

1836-410: The film's new ending and is fired by Levy. Mill rebuffs her when she appeals her termination to him. Mill receives a pitch over the phone from Levy and a man who reveals himself as the postcard writer. The man pitches an idea about a studio executive who kills a writer and gets away with murder. Impressed, Mill gives the writer a deal, if he can guarantee an ending in which the executive lives happily with

1887-520: The grille and mascot. The situation was tilted in BMW's favour, as they could withdraw their engine supply with just 12 months notice, which was insufficient time for VW to re-engineer the Rolls-Royce cars to use VW's own engines. Volkswagen claimed that it only really wanted Bentley anyway, as it was the higher volume brand, with Bentley models out-selling the equivalent Rolls-Royce by around two to one. After negotiations, BMW and Volkswagen Group arrived at

1938-507: The neck up. Scacchi later claimed that Altman had wanted a nude scene , but that it was her refusal which led to the final form. The editing of The Player by Geraldine Peroni was honored by a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing . In 2004, Tony Sloman wrote an appreciation of the film's editing: The Player is a marvellous example of collaborative editing, Peroni matching Altman's tone with exactitude. Early on,

1989-673: The new name was applied in March 1971. A Bentley version of the Corniche was also produced. It became known as the Bentley Continental from 1984 to 1995. The Corniche draws its name from the experimental 1939 Corniche prototype. The name originally comes from the French word corniche , a coastal road, especially along the face of a cliff, most notably the Grande Corniche along the French Riviera above

2040-427: The potential to be made into films, green-lighting only twelve out of 50,000 submissions every year. His job is threatened when up-and-coming exec Larry Levy begins working at the studio. Mill has also been receiving death threat postcards, assumed to be from a screenwriter whose pitch he rejected. Mill surmises that the disgruntled writer is David Kahane, and Kahane's girlfriend June Gudmundsdottir tells him that Kahane

2091-676: The principality of Monaco . No other car conveyed an image of the idle rich better than the Corniche for its entire 30 year run of production. The first car with the Corniche nameplate was a 1939 prototype based on the Bentley Mark V , featuring coachwork designed in collaboration with several third parties, most prominent of which acclaimed French designer Georges Paulin , built by Parisian firm Carrosserie Vanvooren . It undertook 15,000 miles (24,000 km) of endurance testing in Continental Europe before being blown up by

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2142-413: The rear wheels only. Four wheel disc brakes were specified, with ventilated discs added for 1972. The car originally used a 119.75 in (3,042 mm) wheelbase. This was extended to 120 in (3,048 mm) in 1974 and 120.5 in (3,061 mm) in 1979. The Corniche was different from other Silver Shadows in that it had exclusive half wheel covers with stainless steel trim (for brake cooling),

2193-584: The script, Tolkin ventured into directing with The Rapture (1991) and enlisted that film's producer, Nick Wechsler , to join The Player ' s production team. The producers encountered difficulties in selling the film, as studio executives doubted the appeal of a narrative centered on the inner workings of Hollywood filmmaking. Cary Brokaw, the CEO of Avenue Pictures, rejected the script twice, in 1989 and 1990. However, in 1991, after witnessing Altman's work on

2244-499: The standard Rolls-Royce V8 engine with an aluminium-silicon alloy block and aluminium cylinder heads with cast iron wet cylinder liners. The bore was 4.1 in (104.1 mm) and the stroke was 3.9 in (99.1 mm) for a total of 6.75 L (6,750 cc/411 cuin). Twin SU carburettors were initially fitted, but were replaced with a single Solex 4A1 four-barrel carburetor introduced in 1977. De-smogged export models retained

2295-419: The studio lot location was resurfaced to ensure smooth movement for the dolly and crane. The day before filming, the actors and crew rehearsed the scene. Altman filmed ten takes. Notably, Altman instructed actor Fred Ward , portraying a studio security chief, to incorporate references to other films renowned for their tracking shots into his dialogue to add irony to the scene. Altman also successfully persuaded

2346-513: The twin SUs until 1980, when Bosch fuel injection was added. A three-speed automatic transmission (a Turbo Hydramatic 400 sourced from General Motors ) was standard. A four-wheel independent suspension with coil springs was augmented with a hydraulic self-levelling system (using the same system as did Citroën, but without pneumatic springs, and with the hydraulic components built under licence by Rolls-Royce), at first on all four, but later on

2397-432: The two writers to pitch Habeas Corpus to him, convincing Levy that the movie will be an Oscar contender . Mill's plan is to let Levy shepherd the film through production and have it flop. Mill will step in at the last moment, suggesting some changes to salvage the film's box office, letting him reclaim his position at the studio. Having persuaded Sherow to leave for New York on studio business, Mill takes Gudmundsdottir to

2448-456: The writer's widow. The writer's title for the film is The Player . Writer-producer Michael Tolkin initially had no intention of allowing his 1988 novel, The Player , to be adapted into a film, having written it to distance himself from his career in the movie industry. However, when producer David Brown acquired the film rights, he urged Tolkin to adapt it himself. Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, as they sought financing and refined

2499-446: The wrong man, and the stalker apparently knows this. Mill attends Kahane's funeral and gets into conversation with Gudmundsdottir. Detectives Avery and DeLongpre suspect Mill is guilty of murder. Mill receives a postcard from the stalker suggesting that they meet at a hotel bar. While Mill is waiting, he is cornered by two screenwriters, Tom Oakley and Andy Sivella, who pitch Habeas Corpus , a legal drama featuring no major stars and with

2550-427: Was completed within a budget ranging from approximately $ 8 to $ 10 million. Funding for the project came from Avenue Pictures' "internal funds" and the pre-sale of foreign rights to Spelling International. Furthermore, principal actors agreed to defer their wages. Chevy Chase was interested in playing the role of Griffin Mill, but Warner Bros. didn't want Chase to star in the film. Despite the difficulties of funding,

2601-470: Was outbid by Volkswagen Group , who offered £430m. As part of the deal, Volkswagen Group acquired the historic Crewe factory , plus the rights to the " Spirit of Ecstasy " mascot and the shape of the radiator grille. However, the Rolls-Royce brand name and logo were controlled by aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce plc , and not Rolls-Royce Motors. The aero-engine maker decided to license the Rolls-Royce name and logo to BMW and not to Volkswagen, largely because

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