By Lee Pfeiffer

For all its fame, Camelot has always been treated like a second-rung achievement in the history of enduring Broadway musicals. The original 1960 stage production starred the dream cast of the era: Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet and ran two years on the Great White Way. The play also became hip to see because none other than President John F. Kennedy proclaimed it his favorite musical (hence the on-going references to the Kennedy clan and "Camelot"). Nevertheless, the show never achieved the enduring legacy of My Fair Lady, the all-time great Lerner and Lowe smash that was turned into an equally successful big screen musical in 1964 for Warner Brothers. Studio titan Jack L. Warner was determined to make Camelot another smash and enlisted top name talents. Alan Jay Lerner wrote the screenplay, legendary Joshua Logan would direct. The project became Warner's last great personal obsession and, in bringing it to the screen, he uncharacteristically spared no expense. The film was shot in part in Spain as well as the Warner Brothers Studio in Hollywood, where enormous Medieval sets were constructed, primarily King Arthur's castle. In adapting T.H. White's The Once and Future King for the stage, Lerner and Lowe had capitalized on the most legendary love triangle in all literature: between King Arthur, his bride Guenevere and the loyal knight Lancelot. As Lancelot strives to help Arthur bring a new era of justice and honor to England, their plans are threatened by his love affair between with the Queen. This gives Camelot a much darker storyline than most traditional musicals, save for perhaps West Side Story. For the most part the stage production is faithfully brought to the screen, though Lerner opens the film with a flashback sequence that alerts the audience they are in for a relatively downbeat storyline. 

Logan and Warner cast three up-and-coming talents in the main roles. Richard Harris was a reluctant choice as King Arthur because he was primarily known for starring in British "kitchen sink" dramas and had never sung before on screen. In retrospect, it's hard to imagine even Burton giving a more nuanced and enjoyable performance. (Ironically, the film allowed Harris to embark on a successful career as a recording artist). Vanessa Redgrave is every bit his equal as Guenevere and the two perform their musical numbers like pros. Franco Nero, cast as Lancelot, is physically perfect and has the charisma that would see him gain stardom in Europe. (Among the leads, only he was dubbed for the singing sequences.) The film is flawed, to be sure, in that the plot moves at a glacial pace, particularly in the second act following intermission. Logan took heat from critics for sacrificing spectacle for extreme close-ups of the principals. However, this was his intention, as he said at the time he wanted to created an intimate story that would not be compromised by sweeping visual locations. Indeed, some of the sets are so obviously shot in the studio that it appears as though Logan simply filmed a stage production. Where the spectacle does appear is in the production design of John Truscott, who blew through the film's budget with his penchant for detail. (There are 3500 different costumes in the film. Redgrave's wedding gown took six months to create at a cost of $12,000 dollar - and that was in 1967.) Even Warner became alarmed at the budget overruns and, pressured by the studio's new owners, Seven-Arts, he pulled the plug before Logan could finish the film to his satisfaction. It's hard to imagine what else he intended to shoot, as some of the sequences are already over-long. However, the musical score is pure magic and the performances spirited. The supporting cast includes David Hemmings (fresh from starring with Redgrave in the sensational Blow Up) as the evil Mordred, the always-watchable Lionel Jeffries and Laurence Naismith as Merlyn, Arthur's magical mentor. 

Warner's Blu-ray release is magnificent in every way. Packaged in a hardcover mini-book format with many wonderful photos, the set also includes a sampler CD of song highlights (that continues the deceit of crediting Franco Nero for songs he never sang!) Picture quality and sound are truly impressive, as are the array of bonus extras. These include a commentary track by film critic Stephen Farber and a refreshingly candid documentary that looks at the making of the film and its legacy. (Typically, no one is given the dignity for having created the documentary.) The retrospective doesn't sugarcoat the fact that the film was a major financial flop and points out, with insight, that while Warner was nurturing this mega musical production, he all but ignored the anti-Establishment films that would become surprise hits for the studio, namely Bonnie and Clyde and Cool Hand Luke. There is also a vintage featurette about the legend of King Arthur and a most-welcome half hour TV special that covered the New York premiere of the film. (Much of the fun is watching contemporary celebs such as Ed Sullivan, Truman Capote,  the Kennedy "girls" and Faye Dunaway arriving in style at the Warner Theatre on Broadway). There are also a number of different trailers and TV spots.

I was fortunate enough to see Burton in his late career revival of the play in the 1980s at Lincoln Center, as well as a stage production some years later starring Richard Harris, thus, I have great affection for this work, overlong as it may be. This is the ultimate edition of an enduring musical that may never quite equal the stature of other more celebrated works, but nevertheless remains as inspiring and moving as it is entertaining. Curiously, despite the enormous financial loss suffered by Warners on this film, Paramount enlisted Lerner, Logan and Truscott for their 1969 mega-budget musical Paint Your Wagon, which proved to be such a boxoffice disaster that it effectively ended each man's career in the cinema. Like Camelot, however, it remains a top-notch musical. Here's hoping Paramount finally goes the route of Warners and presents us with a special edition Blu-ray of the film. 

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The Last Run starring George C. Scott: one of many fine films available only through the MOD format.

As DVD inventories shrink at "brick and mortar" neighborhood stores, they are booming on line through the process of "manufactured on demand". Studios, led by the Warner Archive, are minting gold from previously ignored mid-range titles that would not merit a regular DVD release. However, as Wall Street Journal writer David Mermelstein points out, this does not negate the value of these films in any way. Some are titles that are actually regarded as classics, others are mid-range films, while still others are guilty pleasures. Nevertheless, the "MOD" process has found a middle ground between the expensive process of shipping slow-selling product to retail stores or just offering it as downloads. "MOD" titles can't be purchased in stores- they are only available on line and only a few titles boast impressive extras. However, for the most part, quality is up to par with "regular" DVDs and this format provides what may be the only viable way for collectors to obtain these titles for their libraries. Click here for more 

E.T.: The Extraterrestrial will be released on Blu-ray this year in its original version. What?, you say. Was there ever a different version. Yes, there was. When the film was reissued in 2002 for its 20th anniversary, Steven Spielberg, apparently having been influenced by George Lucas' constant tampering with Star Wars, decided to "improve" the movie by tweaking some CGI effects, adding previously deleted scenes and digitally removing rifles from the hands of the men who were hunting the lovable alien. (Spielberg replaced the weapons with walkie-talkies!) Now the director has issued a mea culpa and promises that the Blu-ray version will revert back to the original theatrical cut. For more click here

It had all been so idyllic. George Lucas bought land in tony Marin County, California and fulfilled his dream of building Skywalker Ranch, which now houses world class film production facilities. He has expanded the property and buildings over the years, but earned praise from neighbors for always preserving the splendor of the rural landscapes. However, when Lucas filed plans to fulfill the final part of Skywalker's expansion, neighbors formed a committee to block him, citing harm to the fragile environment. The controversy has torn the neighborhood of wealthy people apart, some siding with Lucas, others rejecting his plans for expansion. Now Lucas has announced he is caving in and will relocate to an area where Lucasfilm is not considered to be "an Evil Empire."  He's thrown fuel on the fire by filing plans to sell off the land on which the expansion was to be built and use it for "affordable housing." Predictably, this has sent residents into a frenzy, citing fears that impoverished people will be terrorizing the neighborhood. Lucas says there is no malicious intent- he just wants to help lower income people. (In Marin County, "lower income" can be $88,000 per family of four). Some neighbors are lobbying to get Lucas to reconsider and promise to support his plans for expansion, but the legendary director seems intent on moving his latest operations elsewhere. Maybe it can all be resolved by dueling light sabers at dawn.  For more click here

Lindsay Lohan's arduous road to a comeback may hinge on her performance as Elizabeth Taylor in the forthcoming Lifetime bio pic Liz & Dick, with True Blood star Grant Bowler co-starring as Richard Burton. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Synapse Films is releasing a series of controversial Japanese soft-core porn titles under the Impulse Pictures label. The movies were originally produced by Nikkatsu, a studio that was known for legitimate fare before finding controversial subject matters generally ensured big profits. The 1977 film Eros School: Feels So Good is described on the Synapse web site as possibly the most offensive Nikkatsu movie ever made. You can say it's a rare example of truth in advertising because there is something here to offend everyone beginning with the overall premise of rape being presented in a comedic manner. The film takes place at Eros School, a high school where sexual appetites among the students are unimpeded by the generally ineffective teaching staff. The situation goes into overdrive with the arrival of Ryu (Murakuni Shohe), an older student who has recently been released from reform school where he served several years for rape. Ryu's habits haven't changed a bit. Upon his arrival, he intimidates the entire student body and publicly announces his intention to rape attractive girls at will. He lives up to his word and in true male fantasy tradition, each girl seems to ultimately welcome becoming his victim. However, he has his sites on the comely Misa (Asami Ogawa), the class president as well as the school's leading female athlete. Misa takes extraordinary efforts to avoid being Ryu's next victim. She wants all of her concentration focused on an especially important track meet that the student body expects her to win against against a rival school. Mixed into the "screenplay" are the adventures of two nerdy, virginal boys who harbor their own fantasies about bedding Misa- and their efforts always meet with disastrous results. Picture young Jerry Lewis in a sex comedy and you'll get the general idea. 

There is plenty of nudity in the film, though Japanese censorship laws at the time prohibited any full-frontal shots. What is probably most outrageous, however, is the overall notion of rape as a recreational and spectator sport. The girls in the film wear their status as a Ryu conquest as though it were a badge of honor. The film would probably be deemed even more offensive if it weren't for the overall goofy, slapstick nature of the script. The characters seem to exist in an alternate universe in which kids rule over ineffective adults. There is also a fixation with female domination with plenty of cat fights between teenage girls. The film does boast one genuinely funny sequence in which a middle aged matronly type school worker explains to her colleagues how she witnessed Ryu having sex with a girl. This leads to her ending up recreating the scene with a geeky administrator in order to demonstrate exactly what she observed. The movie's more notorious finale ends with a frustrated teenage boy having sex with Ryu's pet pig. In other words, don't look for this one on the Disney Channel.

Not having seen any of these Nikkatsu films previously, I still don't know what to make of this one. It's hard to recommend something this distasteful, but the whole thing is carried off in such a crazy manner that it never seems quite as offensive as you might imagine. The Japanese male penchant for young vixens in school girl uniforms is clearly being satiated here but, beyond that, there isn't much point to the entire production except to titillate in a humorous way.

The DVD transfer looks terrific and has obviously been meticulously sourced from an impressive master print. There are no extras beyond a collector's booklet that boasts the original, provocative Japanese movie poster as well as an informative essay by film historian Jasper Sharp. 

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