BY LEE PFEIFFER

One of the most rewarding byproducts of reviewing movies for a living is that you will often encounter some prominent gem that somehow managed to escape your attention previously. In certain cases, it's arguable that a film might well be more appreciated many years later than it was during its initial release. Such a case pertains to the 1965 crime drama Once a Thief. Directed by the under-rated Ralph Nelson, the film successfully invokes the mood and atmosphere of the classic black-and-white film noir crime thrillers of the 1940s and 1950s. Although this movie was widely credited as being Alain Delon's first starring role in an English language production, he was among the all-star cast seen the previous year in the big budget Hollywood production of The Yellow Rolls Royce. It is accurate to say, however, that Once a Thief afforded him his first opportunity to be the male lead in a major American film. The film was also significant in that it provided Ann-Margret with her first opportunity to show her skills as a dramatic actress. Her meteoric rise to fame had resulted from her roles in the musicals State Fair, Bye Bye Birdie and, most recently, opposite Elvis Presley in the smash hit Viva Las Vegas. In 1964, she made her dramatic film debut in Kitten with a Whip playing a deceitful "bad girl" in a film so bad it ultimately ended up being "honored" as a segment on Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Another dramatic role the same year in The Pleasure Seekers was similarly unimpressive. However, 1965 proved to be her breakout year in terms of earning critical respect with back-to-back impressive performances in Bus Riley's Back in Town, Once a Thief and The Cincinnati Kid. Over the course of a few years, Ann-Margret would prove she was much more than just a talented singer and dancer. The decision to team her with Alain Delon proved to be an inspired one, as they practically smolder on screen together. 

The film opens in a hip jazz club. Over the credits, we watch an astounding drum solo by Russell Lee, the likes of which had not been seen on screen until last year's Whiplash. The viewer is immediately impressed by the camerawork of veteran cinematographer Robert Burks, who had shot numerous Hitchcock classics in the 1950s and, most recently, The Birds and Marnie. The crowd at the jazz club indicates before we even see an exterior shot that we are in a very progressive place. At a time when the American South was still deeply embroiled in attempting to practice segregation, we see that the customers of the jazz club consist of both black and white patrons, all grooving almost hypnotically to an African American musician, whose drum solo almost transcends what seems to be humanly possible. We soon learn that we are in San Francisco, the American city that would most prominently embrace the on-going cultural revolution. The scene quickly shifts to a couple of thugs who rob a liquor store and needlessly murder its owner, a middle-aged Chinese woman, in front of her horrified husband. The scene switches again, as we are introduced to Eddie Pedlak (Delon), a handsome young immigrant from Trieste who drives the same classic sports car and wears the same sheepskin coat that were identified with the gunman in the liquor store robbery. Still, if Eddie is hiding his participation in such a heinous crime, he is able to put on the ultimate poker face. He eagerly greets his gorgeous wife Kristine (Ann-Margret) and their young daughter Kathy (Tammy Locke). Although they live in a modest apartment in a poor neighborhood, Eddie is eager to show his wife and daughter a major investment he has just made. Driving them to the bay area, Eddie proudly brings them aboard a small private boat that he says he has just managed to put a down payment on. When Kristine asks how he could afford to do so, he says he had been secretly squirreling away money from his modest paycheck as a truck driver. Yet, the viewer is suspicious. We have just seen a man who seemed to match Eddie's description rob a liquor store. Could the funds have come from those ill-gotten gains? Veteran detective Mike Vido (Van Heflin) certainly thinks so. He is convinced that Eddie is the man who once shot him in the stomach some years earlier when he attempted to thwart a robbery that was in progress. Since then he has haunted Eddie and refused to believe that he has gone straight. Vido is convinced Eddie was the man behind the liquor store robbery and murder, though his boss, Lt. Kebner (Jeff Corey), chides Vido for allowing his personal obsession with nailing Eddie for a crime to cloud his better judgment. 

For much of the screenplay by Zekial Marko, who adapted the script from his own novel, the story plays like a modern version of Hugo's Les Miserables, with Eddie as the Jean Valjean character- a once minor criminal now trying to go straight-  and Vido as the relentless detective Javert, who is determined to prove he is still engaged in illegal activities. Marko's script rings with a feel for street life and has an authenticity not found in most crime movies of this era. (Marko also turns in a sterling supporting performance as a career criminal who is acquainted with Eddie.) Vido's constant harassment of Eddie costs the young man several jobs, including his latest occupation as a trucker. In the film's most poignant sequence, he applies for unemployment insurance and must deal with an emotionless bureaucrat who tries to deny him benefits based on his criminal past. It's a moving and very emotional sequence and it's superbly played by Delon, who demonstrates that Eddie is a man at the end of his rope. The film takes an unexpected turn when he is acquitted of the liquor store robbery/murder, but his career is in ruins and he is distraught at his inability to provide for his family. Against his wishes, Kristine takes a night job as a waitress. This being 1965, Eddie is shamed by the fact that his wife has become the family breadwinner. He barely tolerates the situation until he learns that Kristine is actually  employed by a nightclub and is being forced to pose as a single woman and wear a revealing uniform. He goes into a rage and forces her to quit. Their once happy marriage is now a shambles. At this point, fate intervenes with the unwelcome appearance of Eddie's older brother Walter (Jack Palance) who tries to enlist him in a major robbery of platinum from an industrial complex where Eddie recently worked. Walter estimates the haul to be worth over a million dollars but he and his sleazy henchmen need Eddie's knowledge of the place. At first Eddie heeds Kristine's pleas not to get sucked back into the world of crime, but with financial pressure building and no prospects for a legitimate job, he reluctantly consents to help plan the caper. The latter part of the film depicts the enactment of the plan, which is imaginatively staged and is filled with suspense. As these things generally turn out in crime movies, the robbery is a success, but double crosses between Walter and his henchmen prove to have disastrous consequences. Eddie finds himself marked for death and must enlist the most unlikely of allies- Detective Vido- when he learns that his daughter has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom until he turns the platinum over to his former partners. 

Once a Thief offers a treasure trove of superior performances. In addition to Delon's impressive work, Ann-Margret excels as the young wife and mother who simply wants a "normal" life. We see her transformed from a happy-go-lucky woman who is both a doting mom and vibrant woman with a healthy love life (she is married to Alain Delon, after all) to a nerve-wracked emotional basket case who must cope with her husband being marked for death even as he frantically promises to get back their kidnapped daughter.  Van Heflin brings understated dignity to the role of the world-weary detective and Palance does what Palance did best: play a charismatic heavy.  The real scene-stealer is character actor  John Davis Chandler as Walter's chief henchman, James Sargatanas. He is creepy to look at, with a slim build, premature white hair and omnipresent sun glasses. He resembles the guys from the hit team played by Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager  in Don Siegel's 1964 version of The Killers - - only he's somehow even more menacing than those psychopaths were. This should have been a star-making role for Chandler, but it was not to be. Another familiar face among the crooks is Tony Musante, who would go on to appear in many memorable crime flicks. A special word about young Tammy Locke, who plays Kathy. She was only six years old when she appeared in the film and gave an amazingly accomplished performance.  Director Nelson always possessed a skill at emphasizing the human aspects of his films and this one is no exception. You care deeply about the protagonists and their individual dilemmas. The film ratchets up the suspense in the final moments and Nelson manages to avoid a cliched happy ending. 

The Warner Archive DVD boasts an excellent transfer and includes the original trailer and a very interesting production short in which we see composer Lalo Schifrin discussing with Ralph Nelson his theories for scoring the film. During an era in which film composers were largely taken for granted, it's nice to see the spotlight on Schifrin, who has been responsible for some of the most memorable TV and film scores of all time. Put this title on your "must-have" list.  

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BY LEE PFEIFFER

If there is such thing as a family-oriented sex farce, the 1969 hit "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell" fits the description. The delightful concoction stars Gina Lollobrigida as Carla Campbell, a vivacious woman of relative wealth who lives in a modest Italian village. She is known for her rather upscale lifestyle that includes a live-in maid, Rosa (Naomi Stevens) and the fact that she can afford to send her 18 year-old daughter  to a fancy American university in Switzerland. Life is very pleasing for Carla, who is known for using her money for charitable purposes. She has told everyone that she came by her wealth when her husband, an American officer named Captain Campbell died in action during WWII. She tells a moving tale about how she married him when he took shelter at her house when she was only 16 years old. They fell in love, married and had only a few days together before he was shipped out and killed in battle. During their brief marriage, she became pregnant with their daughter Gia (Janet Margolin), who is now far more American than Italian in her speech and mannerisms. Carla claims that her financial security comes from her late husband's family in America, which has been kind enough to send ample checks every month to provide for her and Gia. Carla also has her own boy toy, hunky Vittorio (Philippe Leroy in a very amusing performance), who oversees her small wine business. As with most Italian lovers depicted in comedies of this period, the two spend a good deal of time verbally sparring with each other but every time one of them threatens to leave, the other uses sex as lure to get her/him back.   

A crisis erupts one fine morning when Carla discovers the town is preparing to host a reunion of American airmen who were stationed there during the war. Turns out she has been living a lie. She confides to Rosa and Vittorio that there had never been a "Captain Campbell" who she married. In fact, she created him out of thin air to cover the fact she was pregnant and took the name from a can of Campbell's soup! In reality, three different airmen had been housed with her family during the same week. As one moved out, another moved in...and she had relations with each of them. At the war's end, she was not certain which of them was the real father of her baby so she wrote to each man and told him he was the father. The three men all believed that he was her only lover and dutifully and secretly sent checks to Carla over a period of twenty years, continuing the practice even after they married and had kids of their own. Now the three ex-G.I.'s are coming to town and will expect to slip away from their spouses and see Carla. Making matters worse, Gia has heard about the reunion and has made a surprise return from school in order to meet the men of her father's fighting unit. All the set pieces are now firmly in place for a traditional Italian farce. There is a script flaw in that the film should be taking place some years earlier, as the age of some of the characters doesn't add up. Also, as the movie was released in 1968, why are the Americans visiting Italy to celebrate their 20th anniversary reunion? That would mean they were in the country three years after the war ended. 

Japanese release of the Golden Globe-nominated title song.

The three men who think they are Gia's father are a diverse lot. Justin Young (Peter Lawford) is an aristocratic playboy who is accompanied by his long-suffering wife Lauren (Marian Moses), who can barely endure his constant womanizing. She correctly assumes that he intends to hook up with another girl while in Italy for the reunion, though she doesn't know that he believes he will be seeing the mother of his daughter. Walter Braddock (Telly Savalas) also has an abrasive relationship with his wife Fritzie (Lee Grant), who constantly throws painful insults at him because the couple can't have children. (Walter doesn't believe the medical diagnosis because he feels he fathered Gia). Then there's Phil Newman (Phil Silvers) and his loyal wife Shirley (Shelly Winters in full Shelly Winters mode). The couple has their young sons along for the trip and Phil finds that every time he concocts a way to meet up with Carla, family responsibilities intrude. Finally, each man manages to contact her and Carla finds herself in the unenviable position of having them all make secret visits to her villa at the same time. This results in the predictable madcap scene in which she tries to hide them from each other. Director Melvin Frank (who co-wrote the script) demonstrates an ability to make such ancient comedy scenarios work, thanks in no small part to the presence of those great male second bananas, each of whom gets plenty of screen time. (Only Lawford seems miscast. He looks too much like a dapper movie star and no one attempts to explain why an American airman has a British accent.)  Carla's complex situation becomes increasingly troublesome as pace becomes frantic, resulting in car chases, lovers quarrels, the unveiling of long-kept secrets and a very moving and sentimental finale.

Lollobrigida gives one of her best performances in this film and was nominated for a Golden Globe. The sheer amount of talent on display makes us point out once again that in days of old, such marvelous actors were taken for granted. Today, there is a dearth of great character actors and the film industry is not better off because of it. The film zips along at a brisk pace, accompanied by Riz Ortalani's inspired score, topped off by the infectious title tune which is crooned by Jimmy Rosell, which was also nominated for a Golden Globe.   

The Kino Lorber release has an excellent transfer and features the original trailer.  

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The reversible sleeve features the original, magnificent poster art by Frank McCarthy.

NOTE: THIS REVIEW PERTAINS TO THE UK RELEASE

BY DARREN ALLISON

The Train 1964 Directed by John Frankenheimer, Starring Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield and Jeanne Moreau. Arrow Blu-Ray release date: 11th May 2015

John Frankenheimer ‘s The Train is a realistic and engrossing account of the sabotaging of a Nazi endeavour to smuggle a trainload of art treasures out of France toward the end of World War II. Burt Lancaster gives a fine performance as Labiche, leader of the French railway-workers' resistance – and the man chosen to lead the sabotage and protect “the national heritage and pride of France!” Paul Scofield's Nazi, Von Waldheim, is also excellent as the colonel who rants and rages, almost to the point of obsession, in order to see that nothing stops the train from completing its criminal mission.

Lancaster dominates this movie, his strength; agility and sheer gutsy determination provide a genuine sense of realism. Observing Lancaster (in his sheer physical capacity) is enough to take one’s breath away. Watch those long (often single) takes of him sliding down railway gantry ladders, and running along the trackside before jumping on to the moving train – and you would be hard pushed to feel anything but respect and admiration for his work. The Train is full of astonishing action, collisions, and stunning set pieces – take for example the air strike on the rail yard, an amazing and meticulously executed scene containing some of the most realistic explosions and carnage.

Throughout the thrills and spills, Lancaster also finds time for a little romance with Christine, a tight-lipped, angry widow who runs a railroad-side hotel and played rather nicely by Jeanne Moreau. But don’t let this put you off for a minute, the romance is never given time to dominate or overshadow the film’s narrative. The Train truly remains one of the great films of the sixties. Frankenheimer’s camera often gives the film a documentary style and the stark black and white photography does nothing but enhance the bleak atmosphere of the times. Maurice Jarre’s music score also adds extra depth to the movie without ever getting in the way or overshadowing those realistically essential railroad sounds.

Arrow’s High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the film is quite superb. There are good, deep blacks where required, often giving the film an almost noir quality. It is also virtually free of any dust, dirt or speckles, and leaves the previous MGM DVD looking very poor in comparison. The audio comprises of a nice clear uncompressed 1.0 mono PCM track. Additional audio delights come in the way of a commentary by director John Frankenheimer which is both engaging and informative. In addition to that, Arrow has also gifted us with an optional isolated score by composer Maurice Jarre. So there is plenty to be had in terms of audio supplements.

Further extras include: Burt Lancaster in the Sixties – a newly-filmed interview with Lancaster’s biographer Kate Buford, tracing the actor’s career throughout the decade. For me, the real winning bonus material is in the Blu-Ray’s archival footage. This includes a French television news report on the making of The Train, containing interviews with the locals of Acquigny. There is also an original interview with Michel Simon who was so memorable in the role of the stubborn railroad resistance fighter Papa Boule. Plus, there is some wonderful footage of The Train’s gala screening in Marseilles. The original theatrical trailer is also included and rounds off a tidy and generous collection of extra material.

Packaging consists of a sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Vladimir Zimakov. I have to say, I’m not a fan of the new artwork which is a little too abstract for my taste, especially in comparison to the beautiful original poster art, which is thankfully contained on the reverse. I do admire Arrow’s policy of a reversible sleeve, and can’t knock anyone who at least provides a choice...

There is also a very good collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Cinema Retro contributor Sheldon Hall and is illustrated throughout with original stills and artwork.

For genuine fans of great sixties movies, it’s an essential piece of art for your collection.

http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/

“The series ends on a perfect note.” — The New York Times

“Absorbing, impeccably produced…(with) the quietly brilliant Christopher Foyle,” — AP

“One of the best mysteries you’ll ever see on the telly” — San Francisco Chronicle

“Terrifically entertaining” — NPR Fresh Air from WHYY

“Michael Kitchen is superb.” — The Seattle Times

“Like a gift from the gods.” —The New York Times

“A triumph from start to finish” —The Wall Street Journal

FOYLE’S WAR, SET 8 (The Final Season)

Debuts on DVD and Blu-ray from Acorn on April 14, 2015

Michael Kitchen stars in the final mysteries from the universally acclaimed British series;

Set features more than two hours of bonus features

It's no secret that we at Cinema Retro consider "Foyle's War" to be among the very best television shows ever produced in England (or anywhere else, for that matter.) Here is the official Acorn Media press release regarding the final season on DVD and Blu-ray.  

Silver Spring, MD — The final season of Foyle’s War, Set 8 debuts on DVD and Blu-ray on April 14, 2015 from Acorn, an RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) brand. The acclaimed detective series finishes its long run with three new mysteries set in the uncertain days at the beginning of the Cold War. In 1946 London, former DCS Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen, Out of Africa) now employs his unerring investigative skills on behalf of MI5, assisted by his ever-faithful driver, Sam Wainwright (Honeysuckle Weeks). The season premiered in the UK in January 2015, in the US on Acorn.TV, the premier British TV streaming service in North America, in February 2015, and will air on public television stations beginning in May 2015. Set 8 guest stars two-time Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominee John Mahoney (Frasier) and co-stars Daniel Weyman (Great Expectations), Ellie Haddington (Life Begins), Tim McMullan (The Woman in Black), Jeremy Swift (Oliver Twist), and Rupert Vansittart (Holy Flying Circus). The DVD 3-disc set and Blu-ray 2-disc set feature three feature-length episodes plus over two hours of bonus features including a day in the life of Foyle’s War and an interview with John Mahoney. RLJ Entertainment purchased all rights to Foyle’s War in 2010 and has co-produced the last two seasons. The entire series is also available to stream any time on Acorn TV at www.Acorn.TV.

THE MYSTERIES

High Castle—A translator for the Nuremberg trials is killed, leading Foyle into the world of international oil politics and corrupt Nazi businessmen.

Trespass—With tensions running high ahead of a high-level Palestinian conference, Foyle investigates a plot involving murder, espionage, and a terrorist threat.

Elise—After an assassination attempt on Hilda Pierce, Foyle examines her Special Operations Executive activities during the war and rumors of a traitor.

Over two hours of bonus features!

Featurette about the truth behind the fiction for each episode (52 min.), a day in the life of Foyle’s War (26 min.), an interview with John Mahoney (21 min.), back in time with Foyle’s War (27 min.), and a photo gallery. 

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BY LEE PFEIFFER

By the early 1970s, America's cities seemed to be on a permanent downward spiral. The middle class was fleeing the inner cities in droves for the safety of suburbia while the major urban centers deteriorated rapidly into an abyss of crime. This trend, of course, was realistically reflected in such films as "Taxi Driver", "Mean Streets", "Death Wish" and "The French Connection". The latter became the Oscar winner for Best Picture of 1971 and helped set in motion the "dirty cop" movies that characterized this era of filmmaking. Gene Hackman's performance as New York City detective "Popeye" Doyle seemed to inspire any number of other memorable celluloid cop heroes who didn't waste time worrying about constitutional rights. Instead, they took matters into their own hands in order to bring criminals to justice- by whatever means necessary. Clint Eastwood had a smash hit employing such behavior on screen as Dirty Harry and before long, seemingly every major male star was lining up to play cops who routinely gave the middle finger to police brass as they set out to use vigilante methods to ensure the successful resolution of cases. Producer Philip D'Antoni had struck pay dirt with one of the first maverick cop movies, "Bullitt", in 1968. The title character, memorably played by Steve McQueen, routinely ignored orders from his superiors but wasn't exactly as "dirty cop", as he pretty much respected suspect's rights  in the course of his assignment. However, D'Antoni's second crime classic from the era, "The French Connection" was the epitome of celebrating the notion that the end justifies the means when it came to law enforcement. The film was such a major hit that D'Antoni decided to do a follow-up titled "The Seven-Ups". 

Released in 1973, "The Seven-Ups" shameless borrows on key elements of both "Bullitt" and "The French Connection", but at least does so with a considerable amount of style. D'Antonio hired "French Connection" co-star Roy Scheider and justifiably cast him in his first lead role. D'Antonio then came up with a winning recipe for another gritty urban crime film: cast numerous actors from both of his previous films in supporting roles then add a spectacular car chase as in "Bullitt", sprinkle in a driving, hard-hitting score by "French Connection" composer Don Ellis, then enlist real-life "French Connection" detective Sonny Grosso as a writer and consultant and - presto!- you have another winner. To make sure the project didn't stray too far from the formula, D'Antonio directed the movie himself.  Ironically, despite obviously plagiarizing his own films, D'Antonio did emerge with a winner. Although "The Seven-Ups" is certainly not of the same caliber of "Bullitt" and "The French Connection", it does stand as a highly polished, engrossing action film. More importantly, it proved that Scheider was a credible leading man, a fact that undoubtedly lead to him being cast as the star of "Jaws" a couple of years later. 

Scheider, who gives a yeoman performance,  plays New York city detective referred to only as "Buddy". He heads up a top-secret four man unit called "The Seven-Ups", so-known because all of the suspects they arrest end up doing at least seven years or more in jail. The squad employs blatantly illegal methods to obtain whatever information they deem necessary from the low-lives that populate the crime-ridden areas of the city. It turns out that prominent, affluent loan sharks are being systematically kidnapped by two rogue cops and being held for ransom. The Seven-Ups are assigned to the case and Buddy relies on information from Vito (Tony Lo Bianco), a childhood friend with a shady past who leaks relevant scuttlebutt to him about the case. In the course of the investigation, however, the kidnappers prove more resolute than Buddy had imagined. Before long, one of his team has been murdered and Buddy finds himself employing increasingly desperate methods to track down the corrupt cops. The film is packed with realistic street-wise dialogue and convincing performances including real life stunt man Bill Hickman, who performed much of the driving in the "Bullitt" car chase; cult actor Joe Spinell, Ken Kercheval and Richard Lynch. Director of Photography Urs Furrer convincingly captures the gritty feel of New York's streets during this era, though much of the film was shot in the outer boroughs. The highlight of the movie (fully exploited in the trailers) is the spectacular car chase. It's a truly thrilling sequence that rivals the chases in "Bullitt" and "The French Connection", though die-hard "Bullitt" fans will recognize certain scenes from that film's chase carried over virtually intact into "The Seven-Ups".

There is a sobering aspect to watching dirty cop movies like this today. With crime rates in America having plunged dramatically over the decades and most of the cities having undergone an amazing Renaissance, the tactics employed by our "heroes" in these films suddenly look especially distasteful today- especially in light of recent high profile cases in which some "bad apple" cops have clearly violated civil rights. The trailers for "The Seven-Ups" rather sickeningly play up the fact that "you can't tell the cops from the killers", as though this was an attribute for a police officer. These "heroes" dispense with due process, break and enter suspects' homes and in one case threaten a man's  innocent wife with with disfigurement. It's hard to imagine anyone who has evolved beyond Neanderthal status in these more enlightened times cheering such behavior. Nevertheless, one must view such films as products of their time- and as such, "The Seven-Ups" reminds of a less-than-glorious period in American history, one that has thankfully been replaced by better times.  

The Fox DVD is poorly designed. One side of the disc contains the film in widescreen format with two bonus extras: the teaser trailer and full length trailer. The DVD sleeve indicates there is also an original production featurette but you'd have to be Sherlock Holmes to discover that you have to turn the disc over to the apparently blank "B" side (there is no writing or graphics) and deduce that if you insert this into your DVD player, you will get access to the film in cropped, full screen format along with the production featurette. The featurette, though extremely grainy, is quite interesting.  It details the considerable logistics of filming the movie's signature car chase sequence, as planned by D'Antoni and Bill Hickman. It's nice that Fox included this but it's puzzling as to why they made it a challenge to locate it. 

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BY LEE PFEIFFER

"The Rape of Europa"  is the acclaimed 2006 documentary that chronicles one of the lesser-known aspects of Adolf Hitler's corrupt regime: the widespread looting and destruction of priceless art masterpieces in the territories his conquered. The subject matter had been dealt with has far back as 1965 in John Frankenheimer's "The Train", and more recently in George Clooney's "The Monuments Men". The crimes against the cultural of a nation may pale in comparison to the human toll extracted by the Nazis on their victims. Nevertheless, the loss of historical treasures was a true tragedy tied to the rise of National Socialism. The documentary reiterates the fact that Hitler had been an aspiring artist who traveled to Vienna with the hope of being accepted into the art institute there. Had that occurred, the world would have been a very different place in the years to come. However, while he possessed a degree of artistic talent, he was deemed unsuitable for acceptance by the academy. Hitler's wounded pride, along with his pre-existing shame at Germany's compliance with the oppressive Treaty of Versailles, had helped instigate his rise as as an extreme right wing political leader. Upon taking over the National Socialist Party and ultimately rising to the rank of Chancellor, Hitler managed to turn the position into that of an all-powerful dictator. His first priority was to rearm Germany in violation of the Treaty. The Allies protested but took no action. Simultaneously, he instituted increasingly oppressive sanctions against those who he deemed to be his enemies: Jews, homosexuals, racial minorities and intellectuals who opposed his policies. Using the Nuremberg Laws to deprive Jews of all civil rights, Hitler and his paladins went to work appropriating valuable artworks, sculptures and even furniture from the now-dispossessed and largely doomed Jewish population. He also waged a culture war against what he considered to be the evil influence on German culture of the modern art movement, which he felt was degrading to Aryan culture. Under Hitler's direct orders, museums were emptied of art masterpieces that were either destroyed or sold off. Those works that Hitler approved of were appropriated for the Fuhrer and his top brass, each of whom took great pride in building their massive collection of stolen paintings. (Hitler's second-in-command, Herman Goering was the worst offender.)  When Hitler annexed most of Western Europe, the policies were carried out in those territories. 

"The Rape of Europa" traces the impact of the Nazi art thefts and their impact on the indigenous populations of the affected nations. Although France had the most modern army in Europe and was confident it could stop a possible German invasion, the staff at the Louvre had enough foresight to move most of the masterpieces into hidden locations, a massive project that was carried out just in time: the nation would fall to Germany within six weeks. The film shows the extravagant methods the Nazis used to locate these hidden treasures. In some cases they succeeded, but thanks to the efforts of many dedicated people, other artwork survived without being stolen and many priceless artifacts were recovered after the war. When Hitler launched his ultimately ill-fated invasion of his former ally, the Soviet Union in 1941, the staff at the massive Hermitage museum managed to remove all the valuable art masterpieces to hidden locations in Siberia. Germany never took possession of the museum, having been finally sent into retreat after a mutually grueling campaign that saw enormous losses on both sides. With the invasion of Italy in 1943, the Americans and their allies were sensitive about destroying the local culture in their quest to rid the nation of German troops. General Eisenhower issued orders to avoid bombing key cultural landmarks. In some cases it worked: American bombers carried out the destruction of rail lines in Florence without destroying nearby architectural landmarks. However, in the bloody battle for the Monte Cassino, the ancient abbey was destroyed in a bombing raid in the mistaken belief that it was occupied by German troops. All of these aspects of the war are covered in this fascinating documentary through rare original film footage and interviews with survivors of the period. Their tales are alternately heartbreaking and inspiring, as they relate the Herculean tasks undertaken by patriots to preserve their nation's heritage in the hope that one freedom would once again prevail. The film also covers the challenge of tracking down missing art masterpieces in the aftermath of the war and attempts by families to reclaim certain pieces which ended up in museums.

"The Rape of Europa" is a spellbinding experience throughout. Highly recommended.

There are no bonus items on the DVD  from Menemesha Films aside from the original trailer, which is a pity because a movie  of this significance cries out to have a commentary track with scholars furthering our knowledge of this important period in history.  

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 This month, Shout!Factory TV, the free streaming site, presents a number of irresistible offerings including the first season of "Danger Man" (aka "Secret Agent") starring Patrick McGoohan and the classic British sci-fi show "Fireball XL5". Also: John Cassavettes feature film favorites and "Quadrophenia".  Click here to visit the site. 

BY LEE PFEIFFER

When it was announced that producer Elliott Kastner had succeeded in signing both Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson for the 1976 Western, The Missouri Breaks, the project was viewed as a "can't miss" at the international box-office. This would be Brando's first film since his back-to-back triumphs in The Godfather and Last Tango in Paris and Nicholson had just won the Best Actor Oscar for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". The two Hollywood icons were actually neighbors who lived next door to each other, but they had never previously teamed for a film project. Kastner, whose prowess as a street-wise guy who used unorthodox methods to get films off the ground, had used a clever tactic to sign up both superstars: he told each man that the other had already committed to the project, when, in fact, neither had. With Brando and Nicholson aboard, Kastner hired a respected director, Arthur Penn, who had worked with Brando ten years before on The Chase. He then chose an acclaimed novelist, Thomas McGuane, who had recently made his directorial debut with 92 in the Shade, to write the screenplay. What emerged from all these negotiations was a seemingly "can't miss" boxoffice blockbuster in the making. Alas, it was not to be. Upon its release, critics emphasized the "Miss" aspect of the The Missouri Breaks, with most reviewers citing the opinion that the film was a long, slow slog interrupted up a hammy, over-the-top comic performance from Brando, who Penn apparently exercised little control over when it came to the actor's penchant for improvisation. 

The film opens with cattle baron David Braxton (John McLiam) "hosting" a lynching for a rapt audience of his ranch hands. Seems the intended victim has rustled some of his cattle and McLiam is determined to put an end to the thievery, which has reduced his overall business income by 7% per year- a statistic he never tires of griping about. McLiam's hardball tactics against the rustlers don't sit well with his otherwise adoring daughter Jane (Kathleen Lloyd), an independent-thinking young woman who has acted as her father's most trusted companion since her mother left him for another man years ago. The victim of the lynching was a member of a rustling gang headed by Tom Logan (Jack Nicholson), who befriends Braxton on the pretense that he wants to purchase a plot of land on his property to establish a small farm. In reality, he wants to utilize the land to temporarily house stolen horses which his gang has gone to Canada to obtain in a daring operation against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's stables. Meanwhile, Jane- who lives a life of relative isolation on her father's estate-is immediately smitten by the charismatic Tom Logan and when she insists that he become her first lover, he finds it impossible to resist. Thus, Logan is now in a romantic relationship with a girl who is the daughter of a man he is deceiving and stealing from. David Braxton goes all-out in his obsession with thwarting the rustlers. He hires Lee Clayton, a renowned "regulator", which is a polite term for bounty hunter. Clayton is an eccentric man with a bizarre personality who speaks in a heavy Irish brogue, but also at times utilizes other accents. He is at times charming and amusing and at other times fiery-tempered and unpredictable. Upon being introduced to Tom Logan by Braxton, Clayton immediately suspects he is not a farmer, but a rustler. The two men play a cat-and-mouse game, each one employing double-entendres in their conversations. When Logan's men return from Canada empty-handed after being thwarted by the Mounties, Clayton becomes an omnipresent figure, observing their every move from afar through binoculars. One by one, he systematically murders the members of the rustling gang, always preceding their horrendous deaths by chatting with the doomed men in disarmingly friendly tones. Clayton becomes so frightening a figure that even Braxton becomes intimidated by him and attempts to fire him, but Clayton says the money is irrelevant and that once he commits to a job, he sees it through. The stage is set for a mano-a-mano confrontation between Logan and Clayton that both men realize will see only one emerge alive. 

Brando and Nicholson on the set in Montana.

It's easy to see why The Missouri Breaks didn't catch on with audiences. Much of the film moves at a glacial pace, but McGuane's script is intelligent and the dialogue often witty. Brando's outrageous antics easily overshadow anyone else in the film, even though his appearances are fleeting and the lion's share of the screen time is dominated by Nicholson. Brando seems to be having a field day and there seems to be no limit to his improvisations. (At one point he is dressed as a Chinese peasant and in another he is inexplicably attired as a woman, complete with apron and bonnet.) He also has a penchant for making some uncomfortably romantic overtures to his horse.   Thus, the character of Clayton proves to be a distraction from the otherwise somber, realistic tone of the film. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Brando's appearances are both amusing and somewhat mesmerizing, even if out of place. The movie boasts a first rate supporting cast that includes Harry Dean Stanton, Frederic Forrest and a young and slim Randy Quaid. Kathleen Lloyd holds her own against the considerable star power of Brando and Nicholson, which could not have been an easy feat. Alas, stardom was not to follow for her, though she still occasionally appears as a guest star in popular TV series. Where the movie disappoints the most is in its climax. The audience has been led to expect a memorable confrontation between Logan and Clayton, but when one of them gets the upper hand on the other, it's done very abruptly and rather unimaginatively, leaving the viewer feeling cheated. The movie boasts a low-key but appropriately atmospheric score by John Williams and impressive cinematography by Michael Butler. The Kino Lorber Blu-ray looks sensational in the outdoor sequences but the dimly lit interiors have a degree of grain to them, which may have been intended by Butler.  An original theatrical trailer has been included.  

After The Missouri Breaks, Brando seemed uninspired and went on automatic pilot in terms of his film roles. He was paid a relative fortune for what amounted to extended cameos in Superman and Apocalypse Now, and while he was a significant physical presence in both films, no one made the case that he exerted himself dramatically. He would find occasional enthusiasm in certain roles (an Oscar-nominated turn in the little-seen  A Dry White Season and a hilarious performance recreating his Don Corleone role for The Freshman), but his enthusiasm seemed to diminish in direct proportion to his increase in weight. Sadly, he would never totally recapture the mojo he once enjoyed as a screen icon. Yet, time has been kind to The Missouri Breaks. The film's literate script and direction are a reminder of an era in which such projects would be green-lit by major studios who appealed to the intellect of movie audiences. Today, the project would never have seen fruition no matter who starred in it.  

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When Paramount released the "White Christmas" Blu-ray Diamond Edition last fall, it sold out quickly. Happily, there are ample supplies back in stock at major retailers so, if you missed this essential last Christmas, you'll have plenty of time to get for the 2015 holidays. 

Continue reading for a complete breakdown of the spectacular,  4-disc Blu-ray/DVD/ CD set.

One of our readers named Peter wrote to us regarding our frustration over the fact that there has been no DVD or Blu-ray edition issued in the USA or UK for director Nicholas Ray's 1963 epic "55 Days at Peking". Peter informed us that he has a French release special edition that is available on Amazon France through the Filmedia company:

• Interview  with Olivier  Assayas and Nicholas Ray  (32 mins)
• The Boxers in Cinema (6 min)
• Boxer Rebellion  (12 mins)
• Portrait of Ava Gardner (19 mins)
• Nicholas Ray documentary  (47 mins)
• Interviews  with   Charlton Heston, David Niven, John Moore and Mrs.  Heston (30 mins)
• The   film's restoration  (11 mins)
• Trailer (French) (3 min)

Cinema Retro has not viewed this release but reviews on Amazon France indicate the quality is very good. 

UPDATE! Several readers have notified us that there is a top-notch transfer of the film available in the UK through Anchor Bay....However, it is a "bare bones" release without the aforementioned extras on the French version. 

BY DOUG OSWALD

In the days before cable, video and on-line streaming, classic movie fans had to work for their movie watching pleasure by hunting through local weekly schedules based on what local broadcasters chose to schedule. Adventure movies, comedies, war movies and westerns have always been at the top of my classic movie viewing list. “The Password is Courage” is one of those movies discovered years ago that remains a favorite of mine. Maybe because its a sort of big brother to the Grand Poobah of all prisoner of war movies, “The Great Escape,” which was released a year later in 1963.

The movie, based on the true story of Sergeant Major Charlie Coward, is a remarkable yet easy-going tale. One almost feels as though life was not all that bad in a German POW camp during WWII. If the movie has a fault, it’s that it treats the subject a little too cavalier at times. It’s a very minor objection because the humor is always at the expense of the German captors and everything else about this movie is pure movie watching joy.

Dirk Bogarde is perfectly cast as Charlie Coward, a man with an ironic name which must have played a part in making him anything but a coward. The German Luftwaffe ran POW camps through most of the war because most allied military prisoners were aviators and air crew until the Normandy invasion in 1944. The Germans also commonly segregated their camps by nationality and separated officers and enlisted men into separate camps. Sergeant Major Charlie Coward was among the senior enlisted members of one such camp, Stalag VIII-B Lamsdorf, in what is now part of Poland.

The movie is based on the popular book of the same name by Ronald Charles Payne and John William Garrote writing as John Castle. Coward was transferred to Auschwitz III-Monowitz, a labor camp which was near the infamous Auschwitz II-Birkenau extermination camp which Coward allegedly infiltrated in a failed attempt to liberate a Jewish doctor. According to the book, he also aided in the liberation of hundreds of Jews, but Coward’s involvement in these activities is debated.

Also available on Digital HD June 2, 2015 -- the JOHN WAYNE 10 FILM COLLECTION. This digital bundle of 10 titles will include the following films:

1. Back to Bataan (1945)

2. Fort Apache (1948)

3. The Searchers (1956)

4. Rio Bravo (1959)

5. How The West Was Won (1962)

6. The Green Berets (1968)

7. Chisum (1970)

8. The Cowboys (1972)

9. The Train Robbers (1973)

10. Cahill U.S. Marshal (1973)

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BY LEE PFEIFFER

Before video became the standard in the adult film industry, movie makers had to utilize conventional- and relatively expensive- methods of bringing their erotic tales to the big screen. That meant shooting on film. Many grindhouse porn flicks were shot on lower-grade 16mm but if there was a big enough "name" involved, investors would shoot the moon (pardon the pun) and go for a 35mm release. Generally, these films boasted production values that were far superior and often had the benefit of directors who were more adept at realizing their visions than the hacks who were simply obsessed with capturing the "money shots" on grainy film stock. One of the more intriguing names to emerge in the porn industry of the 1980s was an exotic beauty named Hyapatia Lee. Ironically, while mainstream Hollywood studios were still enforcing the glass ceiling that kept females from exerting much influence behind the camera, the adult movie industry was affording women the opportunity to take more creative control over the films in which they were involved. Lee was one such woman. She started out as a stripper and scored some name recognition by becoming a two-time winner of the Nude Miss Galaxy contest. She discovered that appearing in adult films paid far more lucratively than stripping for drunk truck drivers and banking executives, so she began to assert her potential as a screenwriter. She married her boyfriend, Bud Lee, and the new power couple began collaborating on porn flicks starring Hyapatia. She built an enthusiastic following back in the era when you could see erotica on the big screen in urban red light districts. 

Vinegar Syndrome has released an especially impressive Hyapatia Lee double feature. The main production is "The Ribald Tales of Canterbury", a 1985 film that is slickly produced and features unusually ornate sets and costumes. Hyapatia herself "adapted" (very, very loosely) the Chaucer classic book of bawdy stories told by pilgrims en route to the city of Canterbury. The concept of turning this scenario into a porn film was hardly original, but "Ribald Tales" is a step above most porn productions of the period. Hyapatia appears as the "hostess" who bookends the tales and, of course, appears in them as well. The various short stories depicted herein exploit all the standard scenarios (threesomes, lesbianism, etc.) but with a comic overtone. The movie's direction was attributed to Bud Lee and hubby outdoes Hitchcock by appearing in his own film, albeit in a steamy sequence. The movie features numerous familiar faces from the adult film industry of that time period including Peter North, Mike Horner, Buffy Davis, Debra Lynn and Jesse Eastern. The film is impressive on a number of levels and the erotic sequences are truly erotic. Vinegar Syndrome has provided a terrific transfer from the 35mm original negative. There is also an unusual bonus feature for an adult film: an audio commentary with the director, Bud Lee, conducted by Vinegar Syndrome's Joe Rubin.  Lee proves to be an engaging personality. He recalls how he first met Hyapatia in a strip club and then went on to marry her. He's fairly self-deprecating when it comes to making his directorial debut with this film, saying bluntly that he was uncertain of what to do and had to rely on his crew members to do the bulk of the directing. The commentary track is not only fun, it also offers a rare insider's view of the adult film industry of the 1980s. Bud Lee, who is still working in the industry today, may not have been able to break through to mainstream feature films but one does admire the professionalism he displays in regard to his work.

The second feature is titled "Tasty" and was filmed back-to-back with "Ribald Tales", utilizing the same studio space. Hyapatia Lee top-lines again but this film is far more conventional and has a "knock off" aspect to it when compared to the ambitious previous movie. The entire action takes place in a failing California radio station. The ratings are in the basement and the over-stressed station owner (Jesse Eastern) finds that even indulging in endless sex sessions with his staffers can't lower his level of anxiety. The situation worsens when his key advertiser (Bud Lee, doubling again as actor and director) gives him one week to improve the ratings or he will pull all of his ads. The staff uses an innovative method to save the station. Ignoring FCC censorship rules, they turn the station into a porn haven, dispensing sex advice and engaging in sex acts while on the air. Predictably, the ratings soar, the advertiser stays on board and the owner is congratulated on a strategic coup that he had nothing to do with. The bare bones production basically offers a few different office sets and a control room where the DJs work and play (with emphasis on play). (t's somewhat amusing to see the use of vinyl records being spun on turntables, this being the 1980s.) Hayaptia Lee is the central character, Tasty Tastums (an "homage" to legendary America DJ Casey Kasem) and she gets to strut her stuff, singing and dancing in an erotic video titled "Hit Me With Your Wet Shot", this "homage" attributable to Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot". It seems petty to fault any performance in a porn film because the actors aren't graduates of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, but even by this standard, the acting ability of Jesse Eastern defies description. In a filmed interview included as a bonus extra, Bud Lee can't help but admit he could not get a credible performance from Eastern, at least in the non-sex scenes. Eastern is so bad that his temperamental outbursts on screen threaten to eclipse the sex scenes in terms of entertainment value. 

Both movies were produced for porn legend Bob Chinn's Caribbean Films. The  special edition includes original trailers for both movies. If retro erotic films appeal to you, this double feature is another impressive winner from Vinegar Syndrome.

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BY LEE PFEIFFER

The decline and decay of American urban centers in the 1960s- along with the inevitable soaring crime rates- inspired Hollywood studios to reflect the general mood of society. It was clearly a tumultuous period, perhaps the most divisive era in American history since the Civil War a hundred years before. Race riots, Vietnam War protests, assassinations of high profile figures and soaring poverty rates combined to provide a perfect storm of social unrest. Always a barometer of where society was at at any particular point in time, the major studio releases begat a tidal wave of urban crime movies. Many of these centered on a single "lone wolf" protagonist...the "dirty cop", if you will, who generally had disdain for following constitutional rights in his quest to fight crime, often within the very police department he worked for. From the late 1960s through the 1970s, we saw such memorable cops as "Popeye" Doyle, "Dirty Harry" Callahan, Frank Bullitt and Virgil Tibbs taking on crime kingpins as well as top brass. The actions of these cops would be found to abhorrent today but at the time, the "shoot first, ask questions later" approach clearly had the backing of an American population that was losing faith in their criminal justice system. Sidney Lumet's 1973 film "Serpico" was perhaps the most compelling look at this problem, as it depicted a real life New York City police officer who dared to take on corruption in the highest levels of his own department and discovered that payoffs and back room deals between cops and crooks were systemic. By the mid-1970s, even John Wayne, the most stalwart symbol of political conservatism, had gone rogue by playing "stick-it-to-the-brass" detectives in "McQ" and "Brannigan". The explosion of urban crime dramas provided a great many opportunities for black actors. Sidney Poitier paved the way with his landmark performance in the 1967 film "In the Heat of the Night" and then revived the leading man from that film, Virgil Tibbs, in two sequels. The 1971 release of director Gordon Parks' "Shaft", portraying a slick, cynical black private eye, was a surprise success with mainstream audiences and led to the overnight tidal wave of so-called blaxploitation films, which were, with few exceptions, crudely made productions that merited "guilty pleasure" status with viewers. One of the many benefits of this trend was the emergence of so many fine African-American actors who had been performing under the radar in terms of name recognition. 

"Across 110th Street", released in 1972, is not a blaxploitation film but it is a hybrid between that genre and the more upscale big studio crime flicks of the era. It boasts an intelligent script by Luther Davis, based on the source novel by Walter Ferris. The film takes place during the period when Harlem was generally depicted on screen as an urban wasteland, characterized by burned out buildings, back lots strewn with garbage and a generation of young black man with no hopes or prospects and, thus, falling prey to the lure of the criminal life. The movie opens with a back room meeting between members of an odd alliance: Mafia guys getting together with their counterparts in the Harlem mob to split up weekly proceeds from shakedowns and other ill-gotten gains. Just as they are counting the loot, they are interrupted by two black police officers who turn out to be small time crooks in disguise. They attempt to steal the money but the plan goes awry leading to the machine gun massacre of all the mob guys. The four perpetrators of the crime against the crooks make a hair-raising getaway, gunning down two legitimate police officers in the process. The NYPD is determined to find the culprits. Ordinarily, it would fall to veteran police captain Matelli (Anthony Quinn) to head the investigation. However, he's ordered to play a subordinate role to Lt. Pope, a young up-and-coming black detective (Yaphet Kotto) who the top brass believe might have more resources within the Harlem community. The notion of taking orders from someone with  a subordinate rank infuriates Matelli and he had Pope have a strained relationship at best. "Across 110th Street" is a unique crime movie from this period on a number of levels. For one, the two main police protagonists don't dominate the movie. Most of the screen time is dedicated to the plight of the four hapless thieves who inadvertently caused a massacre. They split up and hope to stay under the radar in the wake of the crime. However, not only are the cops looking for them but so is the Harlem mob as well as Mafia goons headed by their enforcer, Nick D'Salvio (Anthony Franciosa). Everyone wants the stolen money and the frightened men who have it are in imminent danger. In some harrowing sequences, D'Salvio and his men track down three of the four thieves and render torturous street justice to them. The last remaining holdout is Jim Harris (superbly played by Paul Benjamin), the smartest of the group who manages to stay hidden thanks to the help of his sexy girlfriend. However, in an intriguing plot twist, his asthma leads to complications that result in a terrifically exciting finale as cops, mob guys and the Harlem crooks all race to get to him first. 

The film was directed with admirable style by Barry Shear, who was primarily a TV director of repute, though he did helm the low-budget cult movie "Wild in the Streets" in 1968. Shear presents a flair not only for ambitious action sequences but also for intense dramatic scenes between the main characters. Anthony Quinn gets top billing and gives a fine performance as a world-weary cop who considers himself honest even though he is on the payroll of a Harlem crime king. He also thinks nothing of beating suspects and depriving them of legal representation, tactics that appall the more modern and progressive methods of Lt. Pope. The two men clash constantly and the inevitable racial  and generational barriers between them becomes points of contention. This was an important film for Yaphet Kotto. Although he had been a respected character actor for years, this time around he got "above the title" billing with Quinn. His quiet intensity has always allowed him to steal every scene he is in and this is no exception. Kotto always brings dignity to the roles he plays, even if the characters are not very dignified. Anthony Franciosa also has a meaty role as the outwardly charming D'Salvio, who is, in reality, a merry sadist. Although he travels with goons and bodyguards, he enjoys getting his hands dirty and administrating the beatings and tortures himself.  There are a couple of other "up-and-comers" seen in supporting roles including Burt Young and Gloria Hendry, who would go on to star with Yaphet Kotto in the James Bond hit "Live and Let Die" the following year. The film captures the look and feel of New York City at the low point in its history. Today, the city has undergone a Renaissance, as has many of the great American urban centers. Gotham routinely posts annual crime figures that are the lowest since the early 1960s. The city is a far cry from the era in which this film is made but one aspect of the movie remains uncomfortably relevant: the relationship between police and the minority community, as evidenced by continuous high profile cases that seem to erupt in the news every other day. Although most of these incidents now seem to take place outside of major urban areas, they provide proof that America has still not completely turned the corner on one of the most divisive aspects of its culture: race relations.

The film has been released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber Studio Classics. The transfer has a graininess to it that I believe represents the way the film was originally shot. In any event, it only adds to the grindhouse nature of the subject matter. "Across 110th Street" is a top-notch crime thriller from an era that boasted many top-notch crime thrillers. Essential viewing, if you like films from this era. The only bonus is trailer, which is a work print version that is lacking any on-screen titles or credits. In all, another welcome release from Kino Lorber. 

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BY JOHN M. WHALEN

“By Love Possessed,” (1961), a soap opera starring Lana Turner that was her attempt to have another hit on the order of “Peyton Place,” has two distinguishing features. First, two of the male leads, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., and Jason Robards, Jr., have Jr. after their names, (There may be other films with two juniors in the top-ranked cast, but I can’t think of them, can you?) and, second, it may be the worst film that the estimable John Sturges ever directed. Other than that, there is absolutely nothing noteworthy about this film except how bad it is.

First of all even though Lana got star billing, the central character is really the lawyer played by Zimbalist. He’s partners with Robards in a firm headed by Thomas Mitchell. Efrem is a cold, unfeeling guy who believes in fulfilling the letter of the law, no matter who it hurts. (Sounds perfect to play in a TV series about the FBI). To show the kind of guy he is, Efrem discovers Thomas Mitchell has been screwing up the law firm’s books. When he first suspects something’s wrong he tells Robards they’ll have to put the old man on moth balls, because he’s becoming senile. He plans to take away all his duties, and just keep him around as a lawn jockey. Jason flinches, telling Efrem to carry out the deed because he couldn’t bring himself to hurt him that way.

Zimbalist has a wife (Barbara Bel Geddes) who’s in the hospital with a tennis injury (presumably tennis elbow!) They have a son (George Hamilton) who hates his life. It’s rough being wealthy and going to Harvard Law School. George, in turn, has a girlfriend (Susan Kohner), but he’s bored with her because she won’t sleep with him. After failing to have a meaningful conversation about relationships with his father, George decides to take up with the town tramp, Yvonne Craig.

Meanwhile with wifey Bel Geddes in the hospital, and Robards away in New York, Efrem discovers Lana has eyes for him. You see, Robards is impotent as the result of an undefined accident. Efrem and Lana start a little fling. In the meantime, Efrem’s son, George’s date with the easy girl Yvonne turns disastrous when he brushes her off afterward, and she cries rape. Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Conner) shows up as the police chief and arrests George. George gets out of jail and skips on his bail. When girlfriend Kohner finds out about the tramp she kills herself by drinking cleaning fluid. That’s right. Cleaning fluid.

By this time, I felt like I wanted to take a swig of it myself. But as Everett Sloan as the family doctor says, while playing gin with Efrem, “Forces are put in motion that lead to an inevitable end, and sometimes it’s a bitter inevitablility” or some jazz like that, that makes as much sense as the rest of the movie. I won’t bore you with the rest of this tedious nonsense, but suffice to say that, since it was only 1961 and the sexual revolution was still to come later in the decade, the hypocritical ending lets just about everyone off the hook, morally speaking.

Perhaps, the biggest mystery surrounding this film is how in the world John Sturges came to direct it. Sturges had already done “The Magnificent Seven” the year before, and “Gunfight at the OK Corral” before that, and would go on to “The Great Escape” and other solid action films. Perhaps Sturges’ venture into Douglas Sirk territory best serves as a reminder that if you want a long career in Hollywood, you’ve got to be flexible.

“By Love Possessed” was a Seven Arts Production with script by Charles Schnee (as John Dennis) produced by Walter Mirisch, music score by Elmer Bernstein and cinematography by Russell Metty. MGM’s Limited Edition Collection DVD is presented in 16x9 1.85:1 widescreen format. Picture is adequate, sound a bit flat and tinny. Recommended for Lana Turner completists and those with a taste for cleaning fluid.

(John M. Whalen is the author of "Hunting Monsters is My Business: The Mordecai Slate Stories" . Click here to order the book from Amazon) 

BY HANK REINEKE

The incomparable filmography of raven-eyed Barbara Steele attests to the iconic actresses’ reign as the uncontested Queen of Gothic Horror cinema.  Though a British national, Steele’s earliest roles for England’s film industry were mostly unexceptional; she was usually offered roles small and oft-times un-credited. Her most notable work would neatly coincide with the turn of the calendar page from the prim 1950s to the more robust and envelope-pushing 1960s. Steele’s finest and most memorable films were, not without exception, neither productions of English nor American origin. Though she would work alongside horror-master Vincent Price in Roger Corman’s highly polished and well- regarded retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1961), this big-screen splash was something on an anomaly. Steele’s reputation as horror-film goddess was largely advanced by several evocative roles in a series of hauntingly memorable, modestly-budgeted, and singularly Italian or Italian-European co-productions. She worked with the best: several of her most remarkable films were helmed, under the aegis of such celebrated directors as Mario Bava (“Black Sunday”) and Federico Fellini (“8 ½”).

Though he would never, perhaps rightfully, be knighted with the auteur status bestowed upon such contemporaries as Bava and Fellini, Antonio Margheriti’s resume of film credits – particularly fantastic film credits - is lengthier than that of either director. There was no denying he could deliver, on time and on budget, a marketable - if sometimes pedestrian and occasionally incoherent - science-fiction or sword-and-sandal epic to the studio. Conversely, Margheriti’s sensitive and nuanced handling of the gothic-horror period films assigned to him in the early 1960s was never less than completely stylish: such entries as “The Virgin of Nuremberg” (aka “Horror Castle”) (1963), with Christopher Lee in a small red-herring role, remains a memorable addition to the canon. The director’s immediate follow-up, “Danza Macabra” (“Castle of Blood”) (1964) with Barbara Steele was, on the other hand, so much more than the ordinary color-by-numbers ghost story. That black and white film is, in the opinion of this reviewer, nothing short of brilliant, an atmospheric and haunting masterpiece of gothic-horror cinema. Undeservedly, as would be the case with many of his earliest films, this celluloid treasure was unceremoniously relegated to U.S. markets as programming fodder for the drive-in theater circuit. Thankfully, many of Margheriti’s films – including, inevitably, many of his lesser works - would eventually draw new breath. Many of his earliest films were ultimately saved from obscurity when several titles became staples of late-night broadcast TV.

Margheriti is described on Raro Video’s brilliant recent Blu-Ray issue of “The Long Hair of Death” (1964) as having been totally “fascinated” by Barbara Steele’s persona, and terribly eager to work with the actress again on a follow-up project. As “Castle of Blood” had proven to be a low-budget but world-wide success at the international box office, Margheriti did his best to assemble the same troupe of actors and film technicians for his next gothic horror outing. Many of the sets for “The Long Hair of Death” would be familiar to fans of “Castle of Blood.” The cemetery vaults and imposing Italian castle located some forty miles outside of Rome were re-visits to the gloomy settings of his previous collaboration with Steele. He was comfortable in this surrounding, and there were few gothic-horror tropes not employed by Margheriti - with great effect – in both films. It’s all there to be found – very atmospherically presented - on screen: the gloomy old castle, cobwebs, candelabras, chains and steel gates, labyrinth catacombs, torches, dark-robed shadowy figures, rats, crypts littered with skulls and bones, secret passageways, and, of course, the elegant and expansive sitting room outfitted with large hearths and ancient armaments that adorn the walls.

The plot of “The Long Hair of Death” is simple and recognizable. Near the end of the 15^th century, a witch, Adele Karnstein, is condemned to die by fire for the murder of Franz Humboldt, the brother of the reigning Count (Giuliano Raffaelli). In her final moment before succumbing to the flames, Karnstein chooses to wickedly put a century’s end curse of pestilence on the village – with a very special retribution to be meted out to the descendants of those who accused her, wrongly, of the crime. Before dying, she cries out to her estranged daughters, Lisabeth (Halina Zalewska) and Helen (Barbara Steele), to avenge her murder by the village royals. In an attempt not to give too much away, I believe it’s safe to say that the mother’s curse will bode well for neither the reigning Count nor his scheming and loathsome son (Giorgio Ardisson).

BY MICHAEL CHARLES 

In 1975 Stuart Young returned to New York City after graduating from Boston’s Emerson College with a degree in Mass Communications to begin his career in show business. Time Warner had just begun laying cable throughout Manhattan and Young saw an opportunity to produce a show that would air weekly on Public Access TV and address a growing population of new viewers. The program was called Inside The Naked City and took a point of view look at nightclubs, restaurants and social events that were taking place at the time. Through a mutual friend he was introduced to Herb Graff, the man who would become his mentor and ultimately change the path his career would take. Monday through Friday from 9 to 5 Herb was head of sales for the Arrow Shirt Company but that was just a way to pay for his fulltime passion and hobby…film collecting. In partnership with critic Leonard Maltin and cinephile Gene Stavis he operated Film Mavens, a stock footage company specializing in vintage motion pictures. Additionally he lectured and created thematic evenings around his vast film collection and invited Young and his crew to attend and shoot one of them. It was a tribute to Myrna Loy at the Waldorf Astoria and Young, a longtime fan of the actress and her work in the Thin Man series for MGM, jumped at the opportunity. That evening would mark the beginning of a lifelong friendship between the two men and a new direction for both of them.

Herb was an expert in “public domain” footage which was a way of utilizing and selling material which had either never been copyrighted or had become free and clear due to either lack of renewal or disinterest by the original owners. His collection and expertise spanned from the late 1800s to the early 1950s and stayed locked in that period.

“As I was a baby boomer”, remembers Young, “I was interested in movies from the fifties and sixties and asked Herb about adding them to the collection. He laughed derisively and told me to go out and find my own, which I did, and thus a business and a website was born.”

Young then began actively looking for his own special interest films. “The very first 16mm print I bought was from a young collector whom Herb put me in touch with. I have always had a great fondness for Jayne Mansfield and he sold me a black & white version of Too Hot to Handle, as it was originally called when distributed in England. It would later be distributed in the United States with the more salacious title Playgirl After Dark and was a great find for me at the time and to this day as I am still selling it both online and in retail stores via by distributor Allied Vaughn.”

As he began researching more titles and hired someone to go directly to the Library of Congress to determine copyright statuses, he found more and more movies he considered “orphans” and doggedly searched for existing prints all over the United States to add to his “orphanage.” Since there was generally no afterlife for movies during the fifties and sixties in a world where home video, cable and satellite TV were not yet commercial realities, once a film finished its theatrical run that was the end of its life cycle. Producers and distributors, especially those in foreign markets, chose not to waste money on copyrighting and storing a print in the Library of Congress, and Young literally found a pot of gold at the end of his personal rainbow.

Says Young, “I was an avid follower of the ongoing series which appeared in Playboy Magazine, The History Of Sex In The Cinema written by Arthur Knight and Hollis Alpert, and those men handed me a virtual map to the treasures I was looking for.”

Under the original umbrella title package Sex Sirens Of Cinema, he put together a catalogue of notable legendary ladies who had captured the erotic imaginations of many an admirer such as himself during their heyday. Sophia Loren, Mamie Van Doren, Brigitte Bardot, Ann-Margret, Raquel Welch, Elke Sommer, Claudia Cardinale, and Gina Lollobrigida were among the original stars of the movies he bought, transferred to video, and sold to a global market of enthusiastic consumers who were either already familiar with these bombshells of the past or curious as to who they were and why their appeal continues unabated.

“I made deals both in the emerging retail and broadcast markets”, continues Young, “and then the world suddenly discovered the previously secretive world of the internet known only to the military, and voila, a brand new place to display my now abundantly endowed orphanage emerged.”

In 2000 he launched Cinemasirens.com as a free site where fans and consumers could browse the photo galleries, movie memorabilia, and also purchase the rare, unique and largely forgotten films which were of interest to a population still desirous of reliving memories of the past but of no interest to the current studios and entertainment conglomerates who sell their wares in the here and now.

Concludes Young, “When I first opened the site many people including my friends questioned the decision to populate it mostly with Black & White relics from the past. They wondered who in the world would buy such stuff! Well, I’ve sold those relics to both the people who appeared in them, wrote them, produced them, and couldn’t find them anyplace else and have been doing it for 15 years. Next to greed, sex is the most powerful force there is when it comes to the human condition. Add incredibly beautiful and timeless women to the mix and a decent storyline, and you have the stuff of which dreams and long term businesses are made of.”

Written By Michael Charles.

For more information visit www.cinemasirens.com.

-3-

BY LEE PFEIFFER

In the humble opinion of this writer, Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" is the best American movie of the 1990s; a virtually perfect witches brew of violence, betrayal, misguided loyalties and a so-called "code of honor" practiced by a select group of criminals who fancied themselves no worse than your average working stiff. The production, which grabs the viewer from that early, amazing tracking shot that goes inside the Copacabana,  boasts some of the finest acting ever seen in any film, with yeomen work by Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino and, most notably, Joe Pesci in an Oscar-winning performance. Add to that some of the best casting ever seen in relation to supporting roles and you have a classic for the ages. 

Appropriately, Warner Home Entertainment has released a special 25th anniversary commemorative Blu-ray edition of the film. As outlined below in the official press release, the Blu-ray carries over all previously-released material from other special editions and provides a new documentary produced by Brett Ratner that features most of the principals (and others unrelated to the film) extolling Scorsese's achievement. One cautionary note: despite being referenced in the press release, neither Jack Nicholson -who starred in Scorsese's "The Departed"- or Joe Pesci appear in the new documentary. Nevertheless, add this to your "must-have" list.  

On May 5, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) will release GoodFellas on 2-Disc Blu-ray featuring a new documentary with interviews from Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta and more, and a 36-page photo book exploring the film’s far-reaching influence. The book also includes a letter written by Martin Scorsese.

The 25th Anniversary Blu-ray release of GoodFellas, cited by film critic Roger Ebert as “the best mob movie ever,” has been remastered from a 4k scan of the original camera negative, supervised by Martin Scorsese. The Blu-ray release also includes Digital HD with UltraViolet and will be available for $34.99 SRP. Fans can also own GoodFellas on Digital HD via purchase from digital retailers.

GoodFellas explores the criminal life like no other movie. Following the rise and fall of a trio of gangsters over 30 years, it’s an electrifying, fact-inspired tale of living – and dying. Based on the true-life best seller “Wiseguy” by Nicholas Pileggi, the film earned six Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director and was named 1990’s ‘Best Film’ by the New York, Los Angeles and National Society of Film Critics. In 2000, GoodFellas was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the US Library of Congress.

Scorsese was awarded the Silver Lion Award for Best Director in Venice. Robert De Niro received wide recognition for his performance as veteran criminal Jimmy “The Gent” Conway, and Joe Pesci, as the volatile Tommy DeVito, walked off with the Best Supporting Actor Oscar®. Academy Award® nominees Lorraine Bracco, Ray Liotta and Paul Sorvino also turned in electrifying performances.

SPECIAL FEATURES will include all previously released special features along with:

· ALL-NEW Documentary includes interview with the Director, cast and some of your all-time favorite movie gangsters! – Join some of Martin Scorsese’s greatest gangsters – Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Jack Nicholson and Joe Pesci – to discover what it’s like to work for perhaps the greatest gangster director of them all.

ROSSELINI MISCELLANEA by Howard Hughes

The BFI has released a three-disc Blu-ray set of Robert Rossellini’s celebrated ‘War Trilogy’. The three films, Rome, Open City (1945), Paisà (1946) and Germany Year Zero (1948) are among the jewels in neorealism’s crown. Set in Italy during the German Occupation and its aftermath, the first two films depict Italy wartorn and almost on the brink of capitulation, while the third looks at a post-war Germany shattered by the conflict.

Rossellini had made three fascist propaganda films during the war: The White Navy (1941 – detailing hospital ships), A Pilot Returns (1942 – the air force) and Man of the Cross (1943 – the Eastern Front). But in the immediate post-war period his War Trilogy told a very different story of the conflict, often from a civilian perspective. The Allies invaded Italy, first in Sicily in July 1943 and later the mainland in September of that year. As the liberators fought their way northward, the Germans exacted terrible revenge on their one-time allies.

ROME,OPEN CITY

Set in the winter of 1943-44, Rome, Open City depicts the hunt for Giorgio Manfredi (Marcell Pagliero), a resistance leader in Rome. Another member of the resistance, Francesco (Francesco Grandjacquet), is due to marry widow Pina (Anna Magnani), but on their wedding day the Gestapo and Italian fascists raid their apartment block. Later SS Major Bergmann (Harry Feist) captures Manfredi and also orders the execution of a priest, Don Pietro Pellegrini (Aldo Fabrizi), who has aided the resistance. Rome, Open City is a powerful film about the German occupation, made on location and with a strong sense of authenticity. The ‘Open City’ epithet is a reference to Rome being declared an ‘open city’ on 14 August 1943, meaning that the defenders had abandoned all efforts to protect the city. This tactic was intended to safeguard the civilian population and the historical landmarks from street fighting and aerial bombing (Paris had made the same declaration in 1940, as did Brussels and Oslo). Rome, Open City headlines Anna Magnani’s star-making role and established Rossellini on the international stage as a leading light of the neorealist movement. Mangani’s death scene, outside her house in Via Raimondo Montecuccoli in Rome, is among the most famous moments in international cinema. The BFI’s release is a newly-remastered presentation of the film. Also included on the disc is Children of Open City (2005, 51 mins) a documentary about the making of the film with Vito Annicchiarico (who played Pina’s son in the film), and an illustrated booklet by Jonathan Rosenbaum and Paul Fairclough.

PAISÀ

Paisà, my personal favourite of the trilogy, is perhaps Rossellini’s greatest film. Here the grit and sorrow of neorealism combines with newsreel combat footage to moving effect. The six-episode film is set during the Allied campaign to liberate Italy. It begins in Sicily in 1943 and concludes in the Po Delta in the winter of 1944. In the first episode, Carmela (Carmela Sazio), a young Sicilian woman, acts as a guide to a GI patrol on a nighttime patrol. When GI Joe (Robert Van Loon) attempts to show her a photo of his sister, he strikes a light and a German sniper kills him. Later the GI’s think Carmela is responsible for Joe’s death. Episode two is set in Naples. Orphaned street urchin Pasquale (Alfonso Pasca) steals the boots off drunken American military policeman Joe (Dots Johnson). Later the MP meets Pasquale again and when he sees Pasquale’s squalid living conditions and those of other Neapolitan civilians, he realises why the orphan needs to steal boots. In Rome following the Anzio landings, Sherman tank crewman Fred (Gar Moore) hitches up with a prostitute. He drunkenly remembers that six months ago, on his first arrival in Rome, he met a wonderful Roman girl called Francesca. He is too drunk to realise that the woman he is with is Francesca, who has been compelled to become a ‘working girl’ to avoid starvation. The film continues with an episode set during the German retreat north through Tuscan. In Florence, British nurse Harriet (Harriet White) and Massimo (Enzo Tarascio) attempt to cross the River Arno: she to contact her lover, Guido Lombardi who is now heroic partisan leader Lupo (Wolf), he to see his wife and child whose house is caught up in the fighting. Traversing rooftops and rubble, and avoiding fascist snipers and patrols, they make contact with partisans in the German occupied zone. In the next story, at the Gothic Line three US chaplains – Captain Bill Martin (William Tubbs), Captain Feldman (Elmer Feldman) and Captain Jones (Newell Jones) – seek shelter in a Franciscan monastery in the Apennines. The chaplains give the monks Hershey bars and their supplies of tinned food, but the monks’ attitudes change when they discover that two of the chaplains are not of the ‘true faith’, but are Jewish and Protestant. In the final episode, anti-fascist partisans and American OSS operatives fight the Germans in the Po Delta, south of Venice. This episode is the most actionful and climaxes with a battle between the partisans and German gunboats on the delta. Paisà depicts the stark reality of war and its wider impact on society in a way that makes Hollywood and British war films of the period look inauthentic in comparison. The BFI’s presentation of Paisà includes Into the Future (2009), a 30-minute visual essay on the War Trilogy by film scholar Tag Gallagher, and an illustrated booklet written by Gallagher.

GERMANY YEAR ZERO

Germany Year Zero (1948) was set and filmed in Berlin in the aftermath of Germany’s defeat. The film follows a German family, the Köhlers. The father (Ernst Pittschau), a widower, is infirm: the victim of a weak heart and poor diet. His daughter Eva (Ingetraud Hinze) works at night as a prostitute and his eldest son Karl-Heinz, an ex-soldier, is in hiding and fears being carted off to a prison camp. The film’s principal protagonists, the Köhlers’ youngest son Edmund (Edmund Meschke), falls in with gangs of petty thieves and street kid urchins, and hawks wares on the street for his old schoolteacher, Mr Henning (Erich Gühne). Rossellini’s documentary-like style and good performances ensure the degradation of post-war life in ruined Berlin is palpable. Piles of real Berlin masonry, as photographed by Robert Juillard, are the haunting backdrop to the story. The BFI edition is a restored print and includes a booklet with writing on Rossellini by Geoffrey Nowell-Smith, Jonathan Rosenbaum and Paul Fairclough. The disk also features Rossellini’s 1948 film, L’amore: Due storie d’amore, a two-part film starring Anna Magnani, which runs 77 minutes. The first part, A Human Voice, is a screen adaptation of Jean Cocteau’s La Voix humaine while the second, The Miracle, was based on a story by Federico Fellini, who was also the film’s assistant director and appears in the film as a shepherd.

The three films are available on Blu-ray as a limited edition numbered boxed set or as individual DVDs. The extras are comprehensive and enlightening. These are superb presentations of three key Italian films and as a set are essential purchases for anyone interested in post-war world cinema.

Blu-ray product details:

RRP: £49.99 / Cat. no. BFIB1193 Certificate 12

Variously in Italian, German and English language, with optional English subtitles/ 301 mins / BD50 x3 / 1080p / 24 fps / PCM mono audio (48k/24-bit) / Region B/2

All three films are in 1.33:1 screen ratio

Individual DVD releases RRP £19.99 Region 2

All text © Howard Hughes 2015

Howard Hughes is the author of Cinema Italiano: The Complete Guide from Classics to Cult and When Eagles Dared: The Filmgoers’ History of World War II, both published by I.B. Tauris.