Blu-ray/DVD/Streaming Reviews & News
Entries from October 2012
By Lee Pfeiffer
MGM has released director Lewis Gilbert's 1964 film The 7th Dawn on DVD- albeit, through their new burn-to-DVD program. Gilbert discusses the movie in an exclusive interview with Matthew Field in Cinema Retro issue #18. The movie has long been on the "wanted" list of retro film fans who had to be satisfied with trying to catch it on periodic showings on Turner Classic Movies. This is a thoroughly engrossing, adult drama with an unusuial setting and story background. The movie begins on the final day of WWII and centers on three disparate friends: an American named Ferris (William Holden), a French woman, Dhana (Capucine) and a Malaysianm, Ng (Tetsuro Tamba) who have led guerilla forces against the Japanese occupation in Malaya. The three close friends a jubilant in victory, after having suffered from fighting in the jungle for extended periods. At the end of the war, Ng goes off to Moscow to pursue communist political training. The apolitical Ferris stays behind, with Malaya now under British occupation. He thrives as a local rubber plantation owner, and Dhana is his lover, despite her frustration with Ferris' womanizing. The story advances to 1953, with Malayans now impatient for independence from England, which is easing toward granting their demands, but at a snail's pace. Ng returns to Malaya to try to instigate communist-inspired violent uprisings. To his sympathizers, he is a freedom fighter. To the British, he is a terrorist and the most wanted man in the nation.
Continue reading "DVD REVIEW: "THE 7TH DAWN" (1964) STARRING WILLIAM HOLDEN, SUSANNAH YORK AND CAPUCINE"
By Doug Gerbino
Warner Archive has released three classic silent (or part-silent) films. The Merry Widow (1925), Don Juan (1926) and Noah's Ark (1929). These three films are among the best-remembered hits of the late silent, early sound era. First, let's start with The Merry Widow (1925, MGM). This film stars Mae Murray and John Gilbert and was directed by Erich von Stroheim. Much has been documented about von Stroheim's excesses as a director. This was his first film after the infamous debacle known as Greed. Hollywood legend has it that while going through the daily rushes of this film with MGM chief Irving Thalberg, von Stroheim showed a single 10-minute take of one the character's shoe closet. When Thalberg questioned the 10 minute shot of shoes, von Stroheim said, "This is to establish that the character has a foot fetish." Thalberg supposedly replied, "And you have a footage fetish!" Loosely based on the Lehar operetta of the same name, this film casts Mae Murray as the widow in question who is being courted by silent screen lover John Gilbert. Murray was a quirky, tempestuous silent screen star who, according to legend, was the real person Gloria Swanson's character, Norma Desmond, was based on in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard (1950). The image quality is quite acceptable, but sadly the grand two-color Technicolor finale no longer exists (at least in this print).
The next film in this series of releases is Don Juan (1926, Warner Bros. & The Vitaphone Corp.) Starring John Barrymore, Mary Astor, and Warner Oland, this grand swashbuckler is about the greatest lover in the world. This film is a lot of fun, but it is made even more exciting (to film historians, at least) by the knowledge that this was the first movie to utilize the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system that brought the silent era to an end. Don Juan is a silent film with a synchronized music and sound effects track recorded by The New York Philharmonic Symphony. What sets it apart is the Warner’s inclusion of the short-subject program that accompanied the premiere of this movie – eight short films that were live action sound. First we have Will Hayes, the then-president of the Motion Picture Producers & Distributors of America (and later head of the infamous Hayes Office censure board), giving a very stiff and stilted address of welcome to Vitaphone. What follows is seven shorts devoted to some of the most famous classical musical artists of that day: Mischa Elman, Efrem Zimbalist Sr., Marion Talley, Anna Case and Giovanni Martinelli, the great tenor from the Metropolitan Opera Company. Martinelli, who took over from The Great Caruso and sings "Vesti la giubba" from Pagliacci, is the one who brought the house down; it was his short that all the critics wrote about in their next-day reviews. It was Martinelli – a year before Jolson – who said (in Italian) "You ain't heard nothing yet!" Still electrifying after almost 85 tears.
Last, we come to Noah's Ark. This 1929 "part-talkie" was directed by Michael Curtiz, who would later go on to have one of the most eclectic directorial careers of anyone in Hollywood. Mystery of the Wax Museum, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Casablanca (best director AND best picture of 1943), Mildred Pierce, and White Christmas are but a few of the many pictures from this Hungarian director. This film is an epic in the grandest scale. It is one of those Hollywood spectacles that used a Biblical story to tell a modern morality tale. Set in Europe at the outbreak of World War I, this film stars Delores Costello (Mrs. John Barrymore at that time), George O'Brien (of Sunrise fame) and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams. This film is infamous for causing a number of costume extras to be killed during the deluge sequence of the great flood: director Curtiz did not tell the extras what to expect because he wanted to capture true horror and surprise on their faces. He got his shot… and then some. This is one of those hybrid films that is mostly silent with a couple of talkie sequences tacked on. It is all synchronized with a Vitaphone music and sound effects score that was originally on 16-inch phonograph discs.
These films are a valuable window into our past, which give us an idea of what was happening in this tumultuous period in Hollywood when movies were learning to talk.
Click here to order from the Warner Archive
RETRO-ACTIVE: THE BEST FROM THE CINEMA RETRO ARCHIVES
By Lee Pfeiffer
One of a seemingly endless number of films that tried to capitalize on the success of the 1974 "art house" softcore porn flick Emmanuelle, the 1983 Canadian movie Joy has been released to DVD by Severin Films. Emmanuelle was especially influential because it broke barriers by playing in neighborhood theaters where couples could view the film in a respectable environment and not be bothered by the raincoats-on-the-lap crowd. Joy, directed by Serge Bergon, follows in the tradition by stressing a story of romance over overt sexual acts. The movie benefits from its considerable budget and boasts some outstanding cinematography in such far-flung locations as Mexico, Paris, Montreal and New York City. It's like a National Geographic special with orgasms. Claudia Udy, a stunning Canadian actress, is more than competent as the title character, a free-spirited model who is searching for true love amidst the hectic pace of her thriving career. She seems to be attracted to suave, older men and believes she's found true love in Marc (Gerard Antoine Huart). However, the romance is on-and-off as she discovers he insists upon carrying on a simultaneous relationship with another woman (He is French, after all...) Joy also experiments with other men before returning to Marc, who expands her sexual freedoms by exposing her to group sex in a bizarre sequence that seems like an inspiration for Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.
Continue reading "SEVERIN FILMS RELEASES "JOY", FRENCH EROTICA, ON DVD"
By Lee Pfeiffer
MGM's burn-to-order DVD program has released Billy Two Hats, a rather obscure 1974 Western starring Gregory Peck and Desi Arnaz Jr. The movie was produced by Norman Jewison and directed by Ted Kotcheff. It's one of those horse operas that was dismissed as run-of-the-mill at the time of its release but now plays like a real gem. Peck gives a fine performance as Arch Deans, an aging Scottish bank robber who is wanted for accidentally killing a man during the commission of a crime. Speaking with a broad and convincing Scottish brogue, Peck is wonderfully charismatic and appealing. Arch's accomplice in the crime is Billy Two Hats, an half-breed Indian who has led a tormented life because of his mixed race. The sullen and quiet character is played with conviction by Desi Arnaz Jr, for whom this film represented a rare starring role in a major studio production. The two men are relentlessly pursued with Javert-like determination by Sheriff Henry Gifford (Jack Warden), who is determined to see them tried and hanged. When Arch is wounded in flight, he and Billy try to make for the Mexican border with Gifford and an eccentric saloon owner (David Huddleston) in hot pursuit. Along the way, Arch and Billy seek help from a farmer, John Spencer, well played by John Pearce - a man who shakes them down for money in return for helping them seek safety. In the process, Billy has an affair with Spencer's abused wife (a wonderful turn by Sian Barbara Allen).
The film is far from a classic, but it is the type of good, solid filmmaking we used to take for granted back in the day. Director Ted Kotcheff keeps the action flowing with nary a wasted frame and the characters are richly defined and very interesting. Although the film is a tour de force for Peck, he gets solid support from Warden and Huddleston, two of the most reliable character actors of the period. Arnaz acquits himself quite well among these heavyweights, which leads to the puzzling question of why his big screen career fizzled so quickly.
The film contains the original theatrical trailer.
Click here to order discounted from Oldies.com
By Doug Gerbino
The
beautiful Rita Hayworth shines in her first Technicolor© film-COVER
GIRL (1944). The beautifully restored transfer co-stars Hayworth with Gene Kelly (on a
loan out from M-G-M) and a young, pre-Sgt. Bilko Phil Silvers. This
lighthearted musical boasts a score by Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin (the great
standard, “Long Ago, and Far Away†comes from this score) and was directed by
Charles “King†Vidor.
Twilight
Time has done a terrific great job presenting this film on Blu-ray and ANYTHING
that presents classic 1940s TECHNICOLOR© is a must for me. There was never
anything like it (and never will be.) Actresses like Rita Hayworth were made
for TECHNICOLOR©. This one is a backstage musical with Rita rising to the top as
a nightclub performer. Gene Kelly is
there to love and support her. Phil Silvers and Eve Arden are along for
laugh-support.Talk about star power… This was the first film in which Kelly was
allowed to design and stage his own musical numbers. His home studio, M-G-M,
had never given him that kind of control until he returned to the studio with
significantly more clout. Why didn’t Metro learn NOT to lend their stars out to
Columbia? It didn’t work back in ’34 when they loaned-out Clark Gable. Like Kelly, he returned to MGM a much bigger name and was consequently able to make far greater demands.
Calendar Girl is yet another worthy release by Twilight Time, which is fast becoming one of the premiere distributors of fine retro movies that would otherwise undoubtedly remain in studio vaults.
107
minutes. 1080p HD/ 1.33:1 Limited Edition of 3,000 units / Informational
booklet with liner notes by Julie Kirgo included.
Click here to order from Screen Archives.
By Lee Pfeiffer
Twilight Time has released writer/director Ken Annakin's whimsical homage to the daredevils of early flight, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, as a limited edition (3,000 units) Blu-ray. Typical of Twilight Time releases, the transfer is gorgeous. The only previous attempt to do justice to this gorgeous-looking 1965 film was Fox's ancient laser disc edition. Annakin channeled his boyhood fascination with flying into something constructive: an ambitious, big-budget movie. He was not only a talented director of actors, but he could also direct traffic, too, as evidenced by his admirable work on such epic movies as The Longest Day and Battle of the Bulge. The story is set in 1910 England and finds Robert Morley as a pompous millionaire who offers a sizable sum for the first international flyer who can soar from London to Paris. The 22-mile Channel crossing is considered to be death-defying but nevertheless attracts fearless flyers from across the globe. Part of the fun in watching the film is in Annakin's good-natured tweaking of cultural stereotypes. The British are stiff traditionalists, the Frenchman is an inexhaustible lover, the manic Italian copes with Waltons-size family and nagging wife, the German is a humorless bureaucrat and the American a swaggering cowboy. Each of these daring young men has constructed his own aircraft and they make for a very erratic and often humorous sight. Yet, the claptrap creations manage to get into the air, though with decidedly mixed results. Annakin actually had these Rube Goldberg contraptions built from scratch and they actually did fly, resulting in some of the most spectacular aerial footage ever filmed. He is aided an abetted by a wonderful international cast. The leads are Stuart Whitman, James Fox and Sarah Miles, but the real fun comes from the spirited group of second bananas: Gert Frobe, Alberto Sordi, Terry-Thomas, Robert Morley, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Eric Sykes, Benny Hill and Red Skelton among them. The film boasts a marvelously catchy theme song and wonderful score by Ron Goodwin, as well as the creative titles sequence by artist Ronald Searle. The Blu-ray preserves the original intermission and provides a number of original trailers and TV spots as well as an informative commentary track by Annakin that has been salvaged from obscurity from the laser disc release. Julie Kirgo provides the informative liner notes in the accompanying, well-illustrated booklet.
They don't make aircraft like this any more and they certainly don't make enjoyable epics like this, either.
Click here to order from Screen Archives
TARANTINO XX
CELEBRATE 20 YEARS OF FILMMAKING WITH THE ULTIMATE BLU-RAY BOXSET
Includes 8 Groundbreaking Films – From Tarantino’s Debut inRESERVOIR DOGS to His Most Recent Academy Award® NominatedFilm, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS -- Arriving on November 26th in the UK
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Celebrating Quentin Tarantino’s legendary filmmaking, Lionsgate and Miramax are proud to present the Tarantino XX: 8-Film Collection, arriving on Blu-ray November 26th 2012.
Tarantino XX contains eight films chosen by Tarantino himself to illustrate the first 20 years of his career, featuring the films that helped define his early success, including Reservoir Dogs, True Romance, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Death Proof andInglourious Basterds. To complete the stunning high definition 10-disc set, the Tarantino XX: 8-Film Collection also features two discs with five hours of all-new bonus material, highlighted by a critics’ retrospective on Tarantino’s groundbreaking catalogue of films and “20 Years of Filmmaking†that contains interviews with critics, stars and other masters of cinema.
Tarantino XX: 8-Film Collection showcases one of the most innovative filmmakers of our time and is a must-have for serious film fans, as Tarantino’s highly-anticipated new film, Django Unchained, prepares to hit cinemas. Honouring the 20th anniversary of Reservoir Dogs – the cultural milestone that brought Tarantino to the forefront as a cinematic legend – the collection is highlighted by recurring appearances from celebrated actors including Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill), Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill), Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) and Steve Buscemi (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction), and also includes starring performances from iconic actors such as Brad Pitt (Inglourious Basterds), Pam Grier (Jackie Brown) and Robert Forster (Jackie Brown).
Tarantino XX on Blu-ray also features striking, original artwork designed and illustrated byMONDO (www.mondotees.com). In collectible packaging, the Tarantino XX: 8-Film Collection is a must have for any Tarantino or film fan!
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By Lee Pfeiffer
Like Marlon Brando, director John Huston was often considered to be a has-been during much of the 1960s into the early 1970s. He worked steadily, but- like Brando- it was assumed his glory days were behind him simply because most of his films during this period didn't generate sparks at the boxoffice. (The success of his 1975 film The Man Who Would Be King would temporarily restore his luster.) His acting career got a boost from his great performance in Chinatown, but even some of his directorial flops look far better today than they did at the time of their theatrical release. One major disappointment, artistically as well as financially, was the seemingly sure-fire hit The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, made in 1972 and starring Paul Newman fairly fresh from his triumph in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The movie is a whimsical tale that is nevertheless loaded with violence and gallows humor (literally). The story is (very) loosely based on the real Roy Bean, an outlaw who became a self-appointed judge who called himself the "only law West of the Pecos" at a time when parts of Texas were a no-man's land of thieves, murderers and swindlers. Bean became known as a hard-ass judge who dispensed lethal justice. In reality, he only sentenced two men to be hanged and one managed to escape. Nevertheless, his colorful background provides screenwriter John Milius with plenty of imaginative fodder for fictitious encounters and incidents. We first meet Bean when he ambles into a remote outpost where he is robbed and beaten mercilessly by the denizens. He returns shortly thereafter and single-handed kills them all, thus instantly making him a local legend among the peasants who live in the area. Bean becomes obsessed with studying the law and showing mercy on the poorest elements of society. He even takes a lover, a young Hispanic woman (Victoria Principal, in her screen debut). Bean appoints himself as a "judge" despite not having any legal authority to do so. He enlists a group of slovenly "deputies" to dispense justice in his courtroom, which is the bar in which he was robbed. Before long, Bean is holding kangaroo trials and routinely lynching anyone who incurs his wrath. Despite this, he gains a reputation for being fair and defending the defenseless. He adopts a bear and the movie presents some amusing sequences of Bean and his friends interacting with this over-sized "pet". The film traces his experiences over a period of years as the remote outpost becomes a bustling town. Bean is gradually sidelined as a force of influence. The death of his young wife during the birth of their daughter depresses him further and he rides off into oblivion. Twenty years later he returns to find that oil has been discovered on his property and that the corrupt mayor (Roddy McDowall) is using legally questionable methods to displace Bean's 20 year old daughter (Jacqueline Bisset) so he can control the oil on her land. Bean's reappearance causes a sensation as he rounds up his motley, aging group of former deputies to help his daughter fight for her rights. A fairly spectacular battle climaxes the film.
Bean offers many pleasures, not the least of which is a terrific supporting cast that includes cameos by Anthony Perkins, Tab Hunter (surprisingly good in an off-beat role), Anthony Zerbe, Stacy Keach (wonderful as a crazed, albino gunslinger), Ava Gardner as the legendary Lily Langtree, the object of Bean's romantic obsession even though he never meets her, and John Huston himself in an amusing appearance as Grizzly Adams. There are also plenty of familiar faces in the supporting cast including Ned Beatty, Bill McKinney (reunited from Deliverance with happier results) Richard Farnsworth and stuntmen Dean Smith and Neil Summers. The attempt to capitalize on the success of Butch Cassidy is fairly apparent, as evidenced by a fairly sappy love song and romantic montage that is obviously meant to emulate the famed Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head sequence from the former film. Nevertheless, Bean is a consistently enjoyable, rousing Western that probably plays much better today, when we can realize just how special acting ensembles like this truly are. Maurice Jarre's fine score adds immeasurably to the the enjoyment of the experience.
The Warner Archive has released the film as a burn-to-order DVD. Extras include the original trailer and cast biographies.
Click here to view original trailer and to order.
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