BY GIACOMO SELLONI

Don't Read This on a Plane is Stuart McBratney's third feature film. Based in Newcastle, Australia he is a veteran director of over 500 commercials, several music videos and a TV series. He is also a lecturer and an academic at the University of Newcastle's School of Creative Industries, where he teaches Media Production.

He has a PhD in Design and if that isn't enough, this writer/director also composed the music for the film. But enough about him. Impressive as his accomplishments may be this review is about this film and especially this film's lead actress.

Don't Read This on a Plane is a fun film. The title of the film is also the title of our protagonist's third novel (the first two being failures). You'll find yourself asking many questions. The first of course being: "Why shouldn't I read this on a plane?" Other questions you'll have throughout the course of the film will be: "Is her book autobiographical?" and "Now what?" The main question you may ask yourself is "Why isn't Sophie Desmarais a star?" A native of Montreal, Canada, she's starred in numerous television series and a number of films. She won numerous awards for her role as Sarah Lepage in Sarah Prefers to Run (or Sarah Préfère la Course in French).

Sophie Desmarais is Jovanna Fey. (Merriam-Webster defines "Fey" not only as: 2) a: able to see into the future, visionary b: marked by an otherworldly air or attitude - but also 1) chiefly Scotland: fated to die, doomed. An apt surname for our heroine.

The novel in question: Don't Read This On A Plane is Jovanna's amusing and risqué chronicle of one woman's series of, shall we say frolics, with one hundred women. This is the novel she hopes will bring her fame, and if not exactly fortune, put some money in the bank. Is Jovanna Fey able to see into the future? Sadly, NO. Does she possess an otherworldly air (think: faerie)? Absolutely, YES. Sophie Desmarais brings this magical, daring and strong creature to life. She carries the film and sweeps you along with her.

The film opens in Paris with Jovanna packing for a tour to promote her new book. She is going off on a 21-day jaunt through Europe that will take her to some of the most famous and beautiful bookshops on the continent.

Landing in Venice, she discovers her hotel reservation has been cancelled. When she calls her book publisher, located in Newcastle, Australia, she discovers he's gone bankrupt. An inefficient assistant failed to notify her of that fact. While all of her hotel reservations have been cancelled, the airfare for the entire journey is paid in full. So, if she wants to continue "You must cover the tax, food, accommodations, promotions, insurance, communications, and miscellaneous expenses. The Greeks did insist on upfront payment for your driver. Nothing like a collapsed economy to spar the bit of entrepreneurial spirit," Alec, the publisher informs her. He also signs over to her all the rights to the book; "Maybe this is all for the best?" "I'm stranded and penniless, Alec. So, how can this be for the best?" she replies. But she decides to carry on.

Her husband can't help her. He works as a cook on an off-shore oil rig, gone for 28 days at a clip, and is difficult to get a hold of since there's no cell service. She checks into a youth hostel for a night of very little sleep but she learns of the MOAF network - Mattress on a Floor. A real, world-wide network where people let strangers stay in their home on anything from a yoga mat to a bed. Jovanna meets many colorful, interesting and occasionally dangerous people this way.

Don't Read This on a Plane takes us through eight stops as Jovanna hitchhikes and roughs it traveling to and from airports to bookshops and MOAF homes. Through it all she tries to maintain a façade of success to the bookshops' owners. We get to visit such gorgeous bookshops as the Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice, the Livaria Lello in Porto, the Book Barge, a floating "bookshop" in Burgandy (one of the funniest scenes in the film), Der Jakob und Wilhelm Grimm Zentrum in Berlin, the Antal Szerb University in Budapest, Atlantis Books in Santorini, the Boekhandel Dominicanen in Maastricht and finally in Oradea, Romania where Jovanna reads in front of a large crowd at the Oradea State Theatre.

Don't Read This on a Plane was filmed in all the places mentioned. Ten different cities in all. And we do find out why we shouldn't read THIS on a plane. Sophie Desmarais charms the viewer throughout as Jovanna Fey. There is a touch of pixie to go along with the pluck and courage she brings to the role. Among the smaller character roles that stand out are Eugene Gilfedder as Alec, the publisher, Hildegard Schroedter as Maria, the truck driver, Dorotheea Petre as Ksenia Allen C. Gardner as Theo and Marie Bray as Olga, the sole attendee on the Book Barge.

Addendum: "The coin was wrong. But I had to flip it to find out." - Jovanna Fey.

The film is available for streaming on Amazon and numerous services. Click here for info.

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BY FRED BLOSSER

Kino Lorber Studio Classics has released “Against All Flags,” a 1952 pirate movie from Universal-International, in a new Blu-ray edition. In the opening scene, British naval Lt. Brian Hawke (Errol Flynn) endures a shipboard flogging in front of a stern-faced audience of enlisted men and fellow officers. It isn’t clear what crime he’s charged with. Cowardice? Disobeying orders? Breaking into the admiral’s rum supply? Not that it matters, because as we quickly learn, the whipping is only a cover story. Publicly, Hawke is a disgraced man. Privately, he’s assigned to infiltrate a troublesome pirate stronghold on Madagascar. There, posing as disgruntled turncoats, he and two loyal subordinates will covertly locate and disable the camouflaged batteries of cannon that protect the island. This will clear the way for a British warship to safely swoop in and get rid of the miscreants. One of Hawke’s assistants is played by busy 1950s character actor John “Basher” Alderson. You may be excused if you mistake Alderson for the equally prolific Bruce Glover from “Diamonds Are Forever” (1971) and “Chinatown” (1974). The two actors looked remarkably alike.

On Madagascar, Hawke insinuates himself into the pirate brotherhood even though one of the senior captains, Roc Brasiliano (Anthony Quinn), continues to question his motives. Roc’s distrust of the newcomer is further fueled by jealousy. Red-haired lady pirate Spitfire Stevens (Maureen O’ Hara) has resisted the buccaneer’s heavy-handed advances, but she’s reluctantly attracted to Hawke, and the chemistry is mutual. Then Spitfire’s temper flares when the lieutenant takes an interest in a young princess (Alice Kelley) captured during a raid on a treasure ship. Hawke tries to keep the situation platonic -- he watches over the girl to make sure she isn’t abused by the pirates -- but Spitfire interprets his motives as sexual. The sheltered Princess Patma wishes they were, dreamily insisting “Again,” after she coaxes a kiss from Hawke. The lieutenant’s dilemma is played for laughs, with an obvious wink-wink-nudge-nudge for viewers aware of Errol Flynn’s offscreen reputation in the bedroom. In 1952, that would have been everybody in the movie theater. Hollywood is a lot more skittish about such things today, justifiably so. Hawke enlists the aid of the princess’ tutor (Mildred Natwick) to hide Patma’s identity, lest the pirates use her as a royal hostage. Thus, the lieutenant has to juggle several tricky tasks at once as Spitfire fumes and Roc watches for an excuse to tie Hawke to a stake at low tide to be eaten by crabs. (Did Ian Fleming take notes for “Doctor No”?)

The Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu-ray edition of “Against All Flags” restores the movie’s ravishing Technicolor in a notable upgrade over previous home-video releases, not to mention decades of inferior TV prints. As film historian Stephen Vagg notes in his audio commentary, Technicolor and the A-list casting of Flynn, O’Hara, and Quinn are the production’s distinguishing virtues. Otherwise, at the standard screen aspect of 1.37:1 and a thrifty running time of 84 minutes, it doesn’t particularly stand out from the dozens of other pirate adventures that emerged from Universal-International, Columbia, 20th Century Fox, and RKO in the late 1940s and early 1950s. At that, O’Hara’s flaming tresses had already been on Technicolor display in “The Black Swan” (1942) and “The Spanish Main” (1945). Vagg’s engaging commentary covers a wide range of topics, including the careers of the three stars, the history of pirate movies, and the real-life buccaneers represented in the picture, including a Black pirate captain portrayed by Emmett Smith. A Black character as a peer among white equals would be unremarkable casting now, but it was a progressive statement on racial equality for its time. Fans will be pleased that Vagg gives a shout-out to “Swordsmen of the Screen,” Jeffrey Richards’ rousing 1977 study of swashbuckling cinema. The Kino Lorber release also includes the movie’s theatrical trailer.

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(Fred Blosser is the author of "Sons of Ringo: The Great Spaghetti Western Heroes". Click here to order from Amazon)

BY NICK ANEZ

Universal released The Groundstar Conspiracy starring George Peppard in 1972 and it died a swift death at the box-office. It is based on the 1968 novel The Alien by L. P. Davies, a British author whose novels were known for merging the various genres of horror, science fiction, mystery, adventure and fantasy. The Alien combines mystery and science fiction for an intriguing plot that takes place in England fifty years in the future and involves unidentified flying objects, an amnesiac patient who may be from another planet, espionage, murder and regenerative surgery. The Groundstar Conspiracy retains the basic premise of the novel but changes virtually everything else. The screenplay by Mathew Howard (a pseudonym for Douglas Heyes) transfers the setting to 1972 California, focuses primarily on the espionage storyline and eliminates the novel’s plot of a possible invasion from another planet. (In the novel, the UFO landing and alien visitors are eventually revealed to be fraudulent.)

The film begins with a series of explosions at Groundstar, a top-secret research government laboratory. Six people are killed but one man survives, though his face is burned beyond recognition. Despite his suffering, the severely wounded man finds his way to a nearby cottage occupied by Nicole Devon who immediately calls authorities. The man’s security card identifies him as computer technician John Welles. Additional material in his possession indicates that he set the explosions to conceal his theft of classified documents. Further investigation reveals that his credentials were forged and his identity fabricated. All evidence implicates Welles as a saboteur and murderer. However, he will require medical treatment including extensive plastic surgery before he can be interrogated.

Tuxan, who is known only by his surname, is Groundstar’s chief security officer and his primary objective ostensibly is to force John Welles to reveal the name of the traitors who paid him to commit the crimes and the location of their spy ring. When his bandages are taken off, Welles stares in shock at his scarred, unfamiliar face and claims to have amnesia. He is devastated when Tuxan accuses him of murder and treason. Tuxan asserts that he is faking his amnesia and subjects him to a series of brutal methods of coercion, including excruciating shock therapy, to discover the truth. When these methods fail, Tuxan condemns Welles to a secret prison until he confesses. However, following an accident, Welles escapes and sets out to recover his memory. His only clue is Nicole Devon whom Tuxan suspects of being part of the conspiracy. Though Nicole is emotionally fragile due to recent personal traumas, Tuxan treats her as another collaborator. The fact that Welles and Nicole become romantically involved may seem clichéd but there is the suggestion that, in addition to mutual attraction, they gratify their passion because they both despise Tuxan. They don’t realize that they are mere pawns of Tuxan’s strategy which includes secretly filming everything they do – yes, everything.

The Groundstar Conspiracy is an ingenious thriller with surprising twists and turns. Due to the film’s intricate narrative, what appears to be obvious may not be what is actual. Also, Tuxan may be more deceitful than the suspects that he interrogates. Furthermore, the abuse that John Welles suffers may be the result of his own actions, of which he may be totally unaware. If this sounds byzantine, it is intended to be. The film contains an extremely convoluted plot that is quite clever as well as challenging. It also raises some troubling questions, including the recurrent one of whether the good guys have to be more unscrupulous than the bad guys to achieve victory. In view of Tuxan’s accomplishment, this movie suggests that the answer is a definite affirmative. However, one of the movie’s many assets is that the exposure of the principal traitor is only a prelude to the solution of the story’s central mystery, which is the identity of the man known as John Welles.

One indisputable fact is that Tuxan is a ruthless piece of work. He is tenacious about his mission and uses any means, legal or illegal, to preserve national security. He treats all personnel connected to Groundstar as suspects, including scientists, military personnel and politicians. He manipulates people like puppets on a string and equates Welles with cheese used to trap rats. He torments Welles physically and mentally regardless of his possible innocence. He believes that the end justifies the means and the end for him is the disclosure of the spy ring. The fact that he does uncover the traitors validates for him his brutal treatment of the innocent people that had the misfortune to fall under his suspicion. Yes, he is a genuine bastard but the key to his personality is that he is quite proud of this designation.

Lamont Johnson’s confident direction alternates the swift pace of the action and interrogation scenes with the more serene interludes of the developing relationship between Welles and Nicole. Johnson exercises restraint in the torture scenes and doesn’t exploit the grisly activities. In contrast, he accentuates the suffering of both Welles and Nicole which suggests sympathy for the lovers. Johnson filmed the entire movie in the vicinity of Vancouver, British Columbia. With the aid of Michael Reed’s splendid Panavision and Technicolor cinematography, he highlights British Columbia’s marvelous coastal locations that substitute for California’s Pacific Coast; the modernist Groundstar complex is actually Simon Fraser University. Johnson only directed a dozen theatrical films during his 45-year career and worked mostly in television, for which he received several Emmy and DGA (Directors Guild of America) nominations and awards. But this film, along with 1970’s The Mackenzie Break clearly shows that he excelled in both arenas, especially when he worked with skillful actors.

George Peppard’s forceful performance as Tuxan is particularly impressive because he doesn’t try to make his character even faintly likeable. Due to Tuxan’s consistent nastiness and persistence, Peppard must necessarily give a one-note portrayal. But he does it with admirable proficiency. His interpretation of Tuxan doesn’t convey a trace of suppressed softness beneath his merciless surface. He doesn’t suggest even a smidgen of compassion for the amnesiac which makes his character especially loathsome in view of the climactic revelation. Even more despicable, the actor suggests a hint of satisfaction during the torture sequences because of the message his action is sending to the enemy, whomever they may be. At the finale, when Tuxan is flushed with success, Peppard still doesn’t allow his character to display any warmth toward his primary victim. Indeed, he proudly exhibits additional egotism. It is an audacious performance because it is designed to deliberately alienate audiences. Nevertheless, Peppard’s innate appeal makes Tuxan fascinating and persuades those same audiences that people like him are necessary.

BY LEE PFEIFFER

"Hearts of the West" is a somewhat sentimental, generally amusing tale that displays affection for the early sound era of cinema. Written by Rob Thompson and directed by Howard Zieff, the film barely registered at the boxoffice when released in 1975, despite having received very positive reviews. The story is another familiar "fish-out-of-water" tale with young Jeff Bridges as Lewis Tater, an Iowan who is obsessed with the Western novels of Zane Gray. He's eager to get to the real West to find inspiration for his own plans to become a screenwriter for the horse operas that were all the rage in the 1930s. First, he plans to attend a university in Nevada where he hopes to hone his writing skills. Upon arriving in Nevada, however, he finds that the "university" doesn't exist beyond a post office box where gullible applicants have sent their tuition fees. While still licking his wounds, Lewis checks in to a local boarding house and coincidentally ends up confronting the two men behind the scam (Richard B. Shull and Anthony James.) A brawl ensues and Lewis escapes in their car, while also taking a box that contains a pistol. The con men chase after him to no avail, as Lewis escapes into the desert. What he doesn't know is that the box he has taken has a secret compartment containing thousands of dollars in ill-gotten gains from the tuition applicants. Lewis is saved from dying of thirst when he stumbles on to a low budget movie company that is filming a Western. He befriends veteran stuntman Howard Pike (Andy Griffith), who takes him under his wing and gets him a job as a stunt man despite the fact the Lewis has no experience. Still, his willingness to place himself in danger favorably impresses the director, Kessler (Alan Arkin). Lewis also strikes up a romantic relationship with the script girl, Miss Trout (Blythe Danner), who gets him a job as a busboy in a local diner to help him add to his skimpy wages on the film set. Lewis discovers the hidden money and uses it to try to buy an audience with eccentric film producer A.J. Nietz (a very quirky and funny Donald Pleasence), who he hopes to convince to buy his script for a Western. Things go awry, however, when the two con men track him down and threaten his life.

"Hearts of the West" provides gentle comedy, as director Zieff favors mild chuckles over belly laughs. What enriches the film is the vast assortment of interesting characters. Bridges, then 24 years old, shows star power as the likeable but gullible protagonist and Andy Griffith steals the show as the shopworn, cynical stuntman who never realized fulfillment of his dreams. All of the supporting actors give yeoman performances and there are brief appearances from beloved character actors such as Frank Cady, Dub Taylor, Alex Rocco, Herb Edelman, Marie Windsor, Thayer David and William Christopher, among others. The film is an homage to a bygone era of filmmaking. Ironically, the same can now be said about "Hearts of the West", which is available as a region-free DVD from the Warner Archive. The only bonus extra is the original trailer. 

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BY TIM MCGLYNN

Kino-Lorber has unleashed the Blu-ray edition of 1979’s World War II thriller The Passage starring Anthony Quinn, James Mason, Kay Lenz and Malcolm McDowell. This is a grim story concerning the efforts of a Basque shepherd to lead an escaped scientist and his family across the Pyrenees to safety in Switzerland.

Anthony Quinn plays the reluctant shepherd, known only as the Basque, who has a violent history and is no stranger to guerilla warfare. The Basque has 72 hours to make the dangerous journey with German scientist John Bergson (Mason), his sickly wife (Patricia Neal) and two grown children (Lenz and Paul Clemens). Every effort has been made by the Underground to keep this mission a secret, but it soon becomes apparent that SS officer Von Berkow (McDowell) is hot on their trail.

Malcolm McDowell at this time was best known for his chilling role as Alex DeLarge in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. He had been attempting to soften his maniacal image with roles in Royal Flash and Nicholas Meyer’s excellent Time After Time. 1979, however, would send him back to ultimate villain status with the release of Caligula and this film.

McDowell pulls out all the stops with his over the top performance of a sadistic SS Captain who has a total fixation with Hitler. He will stop at nothing at thwarting the escape of Bergson and his family with no regard to who he has to hurt or kill. During an extremely unpleasant rape scene, Von Berkow displays his undergarments that include a swastika on the crotch. Nice guy.

Patricia Neal, who herself was not well during filming, plays the ailing but stoic wife of Bergson. She wants nothing more than to see her children escape over the mountains even if it means sacrificing her own life. James Mason is in fine form as the scientist who initially resents the Basque’s cold efficiency in leading the expedition. He reluctantly comes to understand the importance of pushing on to stay ahead of his pursuers and the two men reach a state of detente.

The Basque is not pleased with being asked by the Underground to take on this mission and becomes more upset when he learns that the scientist’s family is included. He maintains a smoldering rage throughout the journey, which he finally directs towards the enemy and away from Bergson.

Kay Lenz, best known at the time for Clint Eastwood’s Breezy and the action film White Line Fever, has a thankless role here. She is the vulnerable daughter who must endure being smacked around and finally assaulted by the despicable Von Berkow as the family hides among a group of Gypsies.

Also included in the cast are two former James Bond villains, Christopher Lee and Michael Lonsdale. Lee is the leader of the Gypsy troupe that shelters the Bergson family along their way. Lonsdale, a member of the Underground, is taken captive by Von Berkow and faces a horrendous fate.

Another James Bond connection to The Passage is that the associate producer is Maurice Binder, the designer of so many memorable main title sequences for the 007 series. No, he did not create the rather ordinary titles for this production. As indicated in the disc’s interview with Malcolm McDowell, he never produced another film.

Director J. Lee Thompson, who is best known for the classic thrillers The Guns of Navarone and Cape Fear, brings his talent for staging action scenes to The Passage. The nasty scene in which a key character is dispensed with in a gruesome manner in the kitchen is remarkable in that the ugly maiming is implied, not actually shown. Viewers may be reminded of the same technique used by Hitchcock in Psycho’s infamous shower murder.

The Panavision cinematography by Michael Reed is one of the film’s highlights with the beautiful mountain backdrops of the Pyrenees providing a fresh, cold look to the location shots. James Mason reportedly told Kay Lenz that this film would not be successful because the cold weather scenes would make audiences uncomfortable. Whether this was true or not is open to debate, but the picture only grossed around $71,000 in the U.S. during a very limited release.

The extras on Kino-Lorber’s release include a fascinating interview with actor Malcolm McDowell where he claims: “That movie contains some of the best work I’ve ever done.” He goes on to detail how he and director Thompson agreed that Von Berkow should be played to the extreme. One of their ideas featured a scene where McDowell looks at himself in a mirror and holds up a comb to imitate Hitler’s moustache. It was was also their idea to have Von Berkow wear the jockstrap with the swastika. Reportedly, Christopher Lee thought this was in extremely poor taste.

McDowell’s interview is quite self-deprecating and he gives high marks to his fellow cast members. He particularly enjoyed his time with James Mason and their conversations over dinner. He tells a funny anecdote about Christopher Lee insisting that his raggedy Gypsy clothing had to fit perfectly. You will also learn how the Arab oil embargo played a part in McDowell accepting his role in The Passage.

Also included on the disc is an alternate ending that features Von Berkow hallucinating during his final confrontation with the Basque. These scenes contained some shockingly graphic violence that was toned down for the theatrical release. So often we read about elements being cut from movies to ease potential controversy. Here we’re allowed to see and judge for ourselves.

The Passage was almost unseen in the U.S. as it played one week in selected cities. European audiences were more receptive to the film which allowed it to make back most of the production costs. There was a VHS release during the 80s and some showings on Cinemax, but this is a mostly unknown film on this side of the pond. I always appreciate that Kino-Lorber includes trailers for additional films on their Blu-rays, which is how I became aware of this movie.

All in all, I would say The Passage is an interesting film considering the cast and director, and the extra features alone are worth the cost.

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BY DOUG OSWALD

The Duke teams up with Robert Ryan as Marine pilots fighting the Japanese in the Pacific during WWII in “Flying Leathernecks,” just released on Blu-ray via the Warner Archive Collection. The story picks up in Hawaii in the middle of 1942 as Major Daniel Kirby (John Wayne) takes command of a Marine Corps aviation squadron about to ship out for combat in the Pacific. A veteran of the Battle of Midway, Kirby meets the men in his unit along with his executive officer, Captain Carl “Griff” Griffin (Robert Ryan), who is a bit ruffled after being passed over to take command. While a great pilot, Griff is not good at making difficult life and death decisions regarding the other pilots and has become their friend.

On Guadalcanal, the squadron pilots become experts at close air support which is precision aerial strafing against enemy ground troops within yards of American soldiers. The men grumble because they want to become flying aces and take out Japanese Zeros in dog fights. This results in pilot deaths as they break from missions to go out on their own in search of Zeros. It’s no safer on the ground as the airfield is routinely attacked by enemy strafing and bombing.

Between missions, Jay C. Flippen offers comic relief as Master Sergeant Clancy, the flight line chief. He’s not only the chief mechanic, but also their “don’t ask me any questions” scrounger. Everything from tents and cake to captured Japanese sake. Flippen is likable and steals every scene he’s in. Actor and director Don Taylor plays Lieutenant Vern “Cowboy” Blithe, Griff’s brother-in-law. He sports a pair of brightly colored cowboy boots while in his flight suit claiming military boots hurt his feat. William Harrigan is on hand as the Navy doctor, Lt. Commander Joe Curran who shows up to offer advice to Major Kirby.

The efforts of the squadron in close air support are successful and Kirby is reassigned and promoted. He returns to his wife Joan (Janis Carter) and their son Tommy (Gordon Gebert) who refers to his father as major and later colonel. The squadron returns to combat on Okinawa and continue their close air support of the ground troops. The movie comes to a satisfying conclusion with Kirby and Griff putting old grudges aside.

The film makes use of color air combat footage from the Korean War which was waging as the movie was in production, and inter mixes that footage with shots of the pilots on their cockpits and the troops on the ground. WWII era Grumman F6F Hellcats were still in use during the Korean War, but nitpickers will note the Wildcats used during the Battle of Guadalcanal were Grumman F4Fs. I doubt most people noticed then or will notice now.

You may be wondering what a leatherneck is. The name dates back to 18th century when American and British Marines and soldiers wore a leather collar around their neck, often sewn into the cloth collar to improve posture and military bearing. The leather collar continued to be used as part of the U.S. Marine uniform until it was discontinued in 1872. An alternative legend to the origin of the term states the leather collar was worn to protect against saber blades when Marines boarded enemy ships. It can also be used as a derogatory reference. Whatever the truth, Marine pilots would be Flying Leathernecks. The reference is less common today and I’ve never heard any of my Marine friends use the name.

Produced by Edmund Grainger and directed by Nicholas Ray, the movie is presented by Howard Hughes and released by RKO in August 1951. The music score by Roy Webb is serviceable, utilizing the Marine Corps song as the title track and variations of the Marine song used throughout the movie.Not every John Wayne movie can be a classic but this is an enjoyable WWII aviation movie and certainly can be seen by the more cynical as pro- war propaganda. The Korean War was waging and the Duke’s politics were well known.

The movie has a 102 minute running time filled with aerial combat and drama on the ground. The Warner Archive Blu-ray and sounds slightly better than the previous two DVD releases, but you will have to decide if this it’s worth the upgrade. For me, the Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray is a welcome addition to my John Wayne home video collection. The only supplements are subtitles and the re-issue trailer.

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BY FRED BLOSSER 

Thanks to cable and digital TV channels, Yvonne de Carlo (1922-2007) is probably best known today, even and maybe especially among youngsters, from endless reruns of “The Munsters.” As Lily Munster, it’s a safe bet that de Carlo will outlive all the rest of us for decades to come, if not centuries. But long before Lily, de Carlo was a sultry, exotic leading lady in dozens of costume epics, film noirs, and Westerns from the late 1940s through the 1950s. One such vehicle, the 1950 Universal-International picture “Buccaneer’s Girl,” is now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. De Carlo plays Deborah McCoy, a singer and dancer who stows away in boy’s clothing on a ship out of Boston, owned by a wealthy New Orleans businessman, Narbonne (Robert Douglas). Narbonne’s archenemy is the pirate Baptiste (Philip Friend), whom she meets when the buccaneer attacks and seizes the ship. Debbie presently slips away from the pirates and makes her way to New Orleans, where she’s given room, board, and job leads at a “School for Genteel Young Ladies” run by Madam Brizar (Elsa Lancaster). Entertaining at a soiree, Debbie again encounters Baptiste, this time in his respectable secret identity as the dashing Captain Robert Kingston, who has been commissioned to capture Baptiste. It’s been a long chase. “He’s always one step ahead of me,” Kingston says wryly. “Maybe you should try standing still,” Debbie rejoins. As Baptiste, Kingston’s motives are pure in the honored tradition of Zorro and the Scarlet Pimpernel. To avenge his late father, who was bankrupted by Narbonne, he preys only on Narbonne’s ships. The stolen booty is laundered into a fund to support unemployed mariners who were forced out of their jobs by the ruthless businessman when he bought their ships and installed his own crews. Thanks to his weaselly spy Patout (Norman Lloyd), Narbonne secures evidence to identify and arrest Kingston as Baptiste. In the meantime, Debbie’s fledgling romance with the pirate metaphorically hits rough waters when she learns that Kingston is engaged to the socially prominent and snooty Arlene (Andrea King), the governor’s daughter.

Directed by Frederick de Cordova, who later became Johnny Carson’s longtime confidant and producer, “Buccaneer’s Girl” is the sort of harmless, old-time escapism that Johnny and his Mighty Carson Art Players would eventually lampoon on the “Tonight Show.” Today, in a similar set-up, you’d wait to see when or if the woman, once discovered, will avoid rape. But Debby is befriended by Baptiste’s salty crew much like the new kid on the block who wanders over to the playground and gets accepted into the other 10-year-olds’ softball team. The leader of the crew is first mate Jared- no relation to Kushner-played by Jay C. Flippen, who’s given to exclamations like “Well, lower me jib!” Jared’s last name might be but probably isn’t Kushner. The movie is so family-friendly that nobody is killed in the brawls and sword fights, and Madam Brizar’s business seems to be a combination finishing school and talent agency for real, and not a euphemism for . . . well, you know . . . as we might expect in our more cynical era. As film historian Lee Gambin remarks on his audio commentary for the KL Studio Classics Blu-ray, de Carlo invests her role with “great gusto and flair.” She’s equally adept at taking pratfalls, romancing Kingston, bopping bad guys on the head, and exercising her claws in a catfight when Debbie finally puts up with enough from Arlene. Action fans may wish her three musical numbers had been reduced to one to make more room for pirate-type stuff, especially since the old-school FX for the battles between Baptiste’s ship and Narbonne’s are nicely done, but then again, the movie is designed as a showcase for de Carlo, and the title is ‘Buccaneer’s Girl” and not “Buccaneer.” As Baptiste, Philip Friend engagingly looks and sounds a lot like Rex Harrison at a fraction of Harrison’s going rate, even in 1950.

The Kino Lorber Studio Classics disc frames the movie at its proper 1.37:1 aspect ratio and delivers Russell Metty’s Technicolor cinematography with gorgeous clarity and richness. Besides Lee Gambin’s informative commentary, extras include a theatrical trailer and clear SDH subtitles.

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(Fred Blosser is the author of "Sons of Ringo: The Great Spaghetti Western Heroes". Click here to order from Amazon)

BY FRED BLOSSER

To say that George Roy Hill’s “The Sting” (1973) was a hit is like calling Amazon a successful little internet business. Starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, “The Sting” placed second in ticket sales for its year of release ($159.6 million), surpassed only by “The Exorcist.” In the Academy Awards ceremonies on April 2, 1974, it earned seven Oscars, notably honors for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. The Best Picture award sparked a brief controversy as to whether the stylish but relatively lightweight film about an elaborate confidence scheme deserved the accolade. The pot was further stirred during the awards broadcast, when the screenwriter, David S. Ward, flashed a gesture on stage after picking up his statuette. It was the same signal used by real-life con artists to declare victory over unwary dupes, some observers asserted. Whatever the merits of the argument, the awards gave the picture a further nudge at the box office. In Hollywood, such success traditionally demands a sequel. In 1975, “Daily Variety” first reported the news that “The Sting, Part II” was slated for production. That announcement was followed by a long gestation in which several producers, writers, scripts, and proposed stars followed one after another on the project at Universal Picture. At times, various drafts were titled “The Next Sting,” ‘Two Guys from Milwaukee,” and a real head-scratcher, “The Sting II: That’s Why the Lady is a Tramp.” Apparently at no point did anyone propose pulling the plug, even after the years went on and one iteration was scrapped for the next.

When the sequel was finally released on February 18, 1983, it was simply titled “The Sting II.” The original and the sequel shared David S. Ward as the screenwriter. Both movies were premised around two enterprising grifters who pull a Big Con on a shady character against a period backdrop of the Great Depression. Both had opening credits illustrated by title cards in 1930s Norman Rockwell style. But everything else had changed. Jennings Lang had replaced Richard Zanuck and David Brown as producer, Jeremy Kagan had moved into the director’s seat (as Jeremy Paul Kagan), and Lalo Schifrin was credited with the musical score. Like Marvin Hamlisch’s in the original, it leaned heavily and anachronistically on Scott Joplin’s jaunty, early 1900s ragtime compositions. The most conspicuous change was the absence of Newman and Redford from the starring roles. The actors had signaled early on that they had no interest in a sequel. Universal should have taken that as an omen. Ultimately, perhaps it did. February is a notorious time of the year for dumping movies in theaters after studio executives have lost interest or confidence in them. “The Sting II” opened to anaemic box office ($6.3 million) and strongly negative reviews at a level of indignation usually reserved for political attack ads.

Did “The Sting II” deserve its fate? A new release of the picture on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics offers present-day viewers the opportunity to decide for themselves. People age 30 and under are most likely to regard it as a curiosity from a time before Hollywood began to cater to kids and teens with superhero spectacles and the like. In the film, racketeer Doyle decides to get even with (as in, kill) the team of con artists who soaked him for $500,000 in the earlier film. He starts by kidnapping, torturing, and murdering Kid Colors (Bert Remsen), and diverting suspicion onto a rival hoodlum, Macilinski (Karl Malden). The ruse is plausible because Macilinski is known for his crude, ruthless methods. Gondorff and Hooker, the ringleaders of the previous sting, decide to retaliate against Macilinski by scamming him out of $400,000 in an elaborate hoax involving bets on a boxing match. As they proceed, unaware that they’ve targeted the wrong man, Lonnegan waits patiently to lower the final boom, enjoying his apparent success in fooling the two professionals at their own game. Malden’s Macilinski and a slick lady grifter played by Teri Garr were new characters, and the three leads might as well have been, too. Newman’s Henry Gondorff was renamed Fargo Gondorff and played by Jackie Gleason, and Redford’s Johnny Hooker was renamed Jake Hooker, played by Mac Davis. Oliver Reed assumed the part of Doyle Lonnegan, originally played by Robert Shaw. Why Ward and Kagan thought to rename two of the primary characters but not the third, when all three were recast but were all supposed to be the same ones played by Newman, Redford, and Shaw, is a puzzler. Maybe remnants of previous, contradictory drafts had found their way into the final shooting script.

Critics took a dim view of the recastings, as if suspecting Universal of a bait-and-switch scam of its own against fans of Newman and Redford. Mac Davis, who passed away at age 78 in September 2020, came in for particularly negative press, although he had received good notices for two previous movies, “North Dallas Forty” (1979) and “Cheaper to Keep Her” (1981), and performed capably as Hooker. Davis brought name value as an enormously successful and well-liked singer and songwriter, and more importantly for audience demographics, he had a devoted female fan base. A greater disappointment was Oliver Reed, whose Lonnegan lacked the steely menace of Shaw’s, although that may have been as much the script’s fault as Reed’s. “The Sting II” isn’t the complete wreck that you would guess from the old reviews, but it isn’t particularly distinguished either, covering as it does much the same ground as its predecessor with less energy, inspiration, polish, and surprise. Still, fans of Gleason, Davis, and caper pictures will give kudos to KL Studio Classics for granting it new visibility on Blu-ray. Films like this one risk sliding completely into limbo, now that they no longer play widely on HBO, Cinemax, and your local TV affiliate’s Afternoon Money Movie as they once did.

The KL Studio Classics Blu-ray at least looks gorgeous in hi-def, 1.85:1 color. Special features include the theatrical trailer and audio commentary by Jeremy Kagan. The director speaks fondly about various aspects of the film, including the question of whether someone can change a bet on a prizefight after the match has already started -- a key element in the plot.

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(Fred Blosser is the author of "Sons of Ringo: The Great Spaghetti Western Heroes". Click here to order from Amazon)

BY LEE PFEIFFER

By 1959 Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas were at the peak of the popularity with movie audiences. Genuine superstars, the larger-than-life actors were among the first to exert their independence from the major studios by forming their own production companies and becoming masters of their own destinies. Between them they produced and sometime starred in some excellent films. Among the most underrated of their numerous on-screen team-ups was their joint production of "The Devil's Disciple", based on George Bernard Shaw's scathing satire based in New England during the American Revolution. The film was criticized in some quarters (including the New York Times) for taking some severe liberties with Shaw's original work in order to elaborate the action sequences that audiences would expect to see in a Lancaster/Douglas film. Still, the movie retains the requisite wit that would have to be apparent in any adaptation of a Shaw story.  The film had a troubled production history. It was in the works to be made as early as 1939. Over the years, names like Marlon Brando,  Rex Harrison, Montgomery Clift and Carroll Baker had been attached to various announcements about production schedules that never materialized.When Lancaster got the film rights to the story it was announced it would go into production in 1955.  By the time it all came together, Lancaster had teamed with Kirk Douglas for a joint production with Laurence Olivier now the third lead. The film was originally to be directed by Alexander Mackendrick who had recently worked with Lancaster on "Sweet Smell of Success". Shortly after filming began, Mackendrick was summarily fired. The director claimed it was because of his objection to revisions in the screenplay that emphasized action and sex over the elements that were pure Shaw. Lancaster and Douglas maintained that his release was due to their dissatisfaction with the pace of filming. In any event, Mackendrick's dismissal was good news for Guy Hamilton, the up-and-coming young British director who would go on to make four James Bond movies. As a replacement for Mackendrick, Hamilton's light touch and ability to mingle action with humor and romance made him a suitable director for this particular film. 

Among the more significant changes between the play and screenplay is that the character of Rev. Anthony Anderson, played by Lancaster, has been elevated in importance to match that of Richard Dudgeon, played by Douglas. The film opens in New Hampshire village during the final days of the American Revolution. Anderson is a kindly, gentle man with a pretty young wife, Judith (Janette Scott), who tries to remain apolitical despite the momentous events taking place around him. The British under General Burgoyne (Laurence Olivier) have occupied the surrounding areas and taken harsh measures to eliminate rebel resistance. This is achieved by publicly hanging suspected rebels, sometimes on the basis of slim or mistaken evidence. When Burgoyne's men string up the father of notorious rebel Richard Dudgeon, it sets in motion a series of events that make it impossible for Rev. Anderson to remain on the political sidelines. Dudgeon, a wanted man, breaks the law by cutting down his father's body from the public square and bringing the deceased to Rev. Anderson's home. Anderson takes an instant dislike to Dudgeon because of his cynical sense of  humor but agrees to bury his father with dignity in his church's graveyard. This results in tumultuous goings-on. Burgoyne orders Anderson arrested for treason but when the troops arrive at his house, Anderson is gone and Dudgeon, who is visiting,  adopts his identity and is arrested in his place. This act of gallantry impresses Judith, who is already smitten by Dudgeon, as he represents the kind of dynamic man of action she secretly craves. (The fact that he looks like Kirk Douglas doesn't hurt matters.) Meanwhile, Anderson, has indeed turned into a man of action himself, engaging the British in battle. When he learns of Dudgeon's deception he begins to formulate a strategy that will ensure that Burgoyne is left with no choice but to spare Dudgeon from execution.

We won't make the case that "The Devil's Disciple" is an underrated classic but suffice it to say it has many merits and deserved a better fate from both critics and the public. Burt Lancaster may get top billing but he's saddled with a quiet, understated character throughout most of the film who comes across as a bit of a bore- at least until he takes up arms. Consequently, Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier get the lion's share of good dialogue and amusing scenes and both actors make the most of it. Douglas's interpretation of Dudgeon is as a man who scoffs at death and has a cock-sure determination that somehow he'll survive any situation. He also boasts a gallows humor that is more than matched by Olivier, who admires his intended victim and extends him every courtesy even as he prepares the gallows for his hanging. Olivier's bon mots are priceless, whether it's deploring the aristocrats in London who have botched British military operations in the colonies or simply chastising his lunkhead officers (Harry Andrews gets most of the abuse). Olivier's performance is all the more impressive given the fact that in his personal life he was coping with the mental breakdown of his wife, actress Vivien Leigh. He was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actor.

The film also boasts some creative special effects with toy soldiers used to illustrate the military situation. Helping matters along is a lush score by Richard Rodney Bennett and some impressive B&W cinematography by Jack Hildyard. While "The Devil's Disciple" isn't the best of the Lancaster/Douglas screen collaborations (for that, see "Seven Days in May"), it's a highly enjoyable romp with much to recommend about it. 

Kino Lorber has released the film on Blu-ray  and it's a crisp, impressive transfer. There is a bonus trailer gallery of other Lancaster and Douglas titles available from the company: "The Train", "The Scalphunters", "Cast a Giant Shadow" and "Run Silent, Run Deep" along with the theatrical trailer for "The Devil's Disciple". 

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Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

A pop culture touchstone that helped define a generation, TOP GUN will be released in a limited-edition 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Steelbook on December 1, 2020 from Paramount Home Entertainment.

This highly collectible release makes an ideal gift and includes an exploration of the film’s legacy and enduring popularity through interviews with Tom Cruise, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and members of the cast of the upcoming Top Gun: Maverick, including John Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, and more.

Fans can also enjoy a retrospective segment from 2016 looking back at 30 years of Top Gun. Additional previously released bonus content includes commentary by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Tony Scott, co-screenwriter Jack Epps, Jr. and naval experts; Danger Zone: The Making of Top Gun; a look inside the real Top Gun; original theatrical promotional material; music videos, and more.

The story of an elite group of pilots competing to earn the title of “Top Gun” captured the imagination of moviegoers upon its release, ultimately earning a worldwide box office of over $350 million. Tom Cruise is superb as the talented pilot Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, a daring young flyer who's out to become the best of the best. Featuring a sensational soundtrack with unforgettable songs including Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away,” which won the Academy Award® for Best Music, Original Song, and Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone”, the film also stars Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards and Meg Ryan.

Special features on 4K Ultra HD Disc:

· Commentary by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Tony Scott, co-screenwriter Jack Epps, Jr., and naval experts

· The Legacy of Top Gun (UHD)

· On Your Six – Thirty Years of Top Gun (HD)

Special features on Blu-ray Discâ„¢:

· Commentary by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Tony Scott, co-screenwriter Jack Epps, Jr., and naval experts

· The Legacy of Top Gun (HD)

· On Your Six – Thirty Years of Top Gun (HD)

· Danger Zone: The Making of Top Gun

· Multi-Angle Storyboards with Optional Commentary by director Tony Scott

· Best of the Best: Inside the Real Top Gun

· Music Videos

· Original Theatrical Promotional Material

BY JOHN M. WHALEN

“The Hot Rock” (1972), starring Robert Redford and George Segal, a Twilight Time Blu-Ray release, is a comedy crime caper about an inept but lovable (they’re always lovable) gang of thieves trying to steal a huge African diamond, the Sahara Stone, from The Brooklyn Museum. It was adapted for the screen by William Goldman (“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” ) from one of a series of books written by novelist Donald E. Westlake featuring John Dortmunder, a thief who’s a genius at planning heists, but who seems to be plagued with nothing but bad luck. Something always goes wrong on his jobs, leading to increasingly comical complications.

On this operation, Dortmunder is assisted by his brother-in-law Andy Kelp (George Segal), who puts the heist together; Alan Greenberg (Paul Sand), who’s good at making bombs; and Stan Murch (Ron Leibman), the wheel man who can drive or fly anything from getaway cars to 16 wheelers to choppers. He knows every shortcut in downtown Manhattan (depending on the time of day), and spends his off hours tinkering in his garage, while listening to the stereo-recorded sounds of car races.

The job goes wrong from the start when Dortmunder, Kelp and Greenberg break into the museum at night and realize too late the floor-length glass display case protecting the stone is too heavy for three men to lift. Greenberg gets trapped inside it and despite a diversion set up by Murch to distract the cops, they are forced to run for it, leaving Greenberg trapped in the case with the stone. He swallows the gem, and from that point it’s all about the gang trying to get Greenberg and the stone out of police custody. The plot becomes a bit repetitious, as Dortmunder and company keep losing the rock and have to “steal” it all over again four times. But what makes the movie fun is the Looney Tunes Road Runner-like dedication Dortmunder and gang display in the pursuit of their goal.

While the quartet’s antics are amusing (not Marx Bros. funny, but funny enough), “The Hot Rock” really comes alive in an odd way in the second act. The movie becomes something special, not because of anything in the script or the performances of the lead actors. It’s more due to history and fate. There is a sequence in which Murch flies Dortmunder and company in a chopper over downtown Manhattan trying to find the police station where they believe the stone is now located. Director Peter Yates (“Bullitt”), and cinematographer Ed Brown shot the chopper flying low over the city’s sky scrapers and up close to the two World Trade Center Towers, then still under construction. This footage, viewed today, can’t help but provoke a twinge of nostalgia. Certainly no cinematographer or director today could get permits to fly that low and close over the skyline and the streets of The Naked City. The nostalgia is quickly dissipated, however, when Murch lands the chopper on the roof of the wrong building. A couple of alter cockers sunning themselves on the roof give them directions to the police station. A nice touch.

“The Hot Rock” is a New York movie all the way. The cast includes New York Actors Charlotte Rae, as Murch’s mother, and William Redfield as Captain of the police precinct where Greenberg was incarcerated. Harry Bellaver, who played Detective Arcaro on “The Naked City”TV series, is seen here as a bartender in the bar where Dortmunder and his buddies hang out. Also in the cast are Moses Gunn as Dr. Amusa, the African ambassador who hires the gang to steal the jewel for his government, which claims to be the rightful original owner of the stone, and Zero Mostel as Greenberg’s shyster lawyer father, Abe, who knows where the Sahara Stone is located but won’t tell Dortmunder or the others even when they threaten to throw his son down an elevator shaft.

Perhaps the craziest sequence in the film comes when hypnotist Miasmo (Lynne Gordon) is brought in to hypnotize the bank security guard in charge of the safety deposit box where the Sahara Stone eventually ends up. She gets into an elevator with him and tells him to look at the numbers of the floors lighting up as they ascend. Once he’s under her spell, she utters the trigger phrase “Afghanistan Bananastan.” Later Dortmunder enters the bank’s safety deposit room and tells the guard “Afghanistan Bananastan.” By the way, for those who like their movie trivia on the really obscure side, there is a video on You Tube by the Stretchheads called “Afghanistan Bananastan.” Whether there is any connection with the movie I have no idea, as the lyrics in the video are made indecipherable by loud drums and electric guitar. But it can’t be just a coincidence.

Twilight Time’s limited edition (3,000 units) Blu-Ray presents “The Hot Rock” in a 1080p High Definition transfer in its theatrical aspect ratio 2.35:1. The picture is good, considering the age of the film. The disc comes with two terrific extras. The first is the audio commentary by the late Nick Redman, Julie Kirgo, and screenwriter Lem Dobbs. Their discussion of the film is worth hearing, especially their comments about the location filming around the World Trade Center. The other bonus feature is the isolated music soundtrack, which was composed and conducted by Quincy Jones, and features a band of all stars, including Clark Terry, Jerry Mulligan, Grady Tate, Ray Brown, and others.

“The Hot Rock” on Blu-Ray is definitely worth having in your collection. It’s a lot of fun. “Afghanistan Bananastan.”

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(Twilight Time has ceased operations.)

John M. Whalen is the author of "Tragon of Ramura". Click here to order from Amazon.

Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

"Essential viewing for all Sellers fans."

-- British Film Institute

"Mr. Sellers is in fine form here, and in the first half he displays some of the physical comedic traits that defined his Inspector Jacques Couseau in the 'Pink Panther' series a couple of years later."
-David Ferguson, Red Carpet Crash

"Its abiding bittersweetness [is] what has become this 'lost' curio's chief preservative. What stands out, unsurprisingly, is Sellers himself..."
-Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

FILM MOVEMENT CLASSICS UNVEILS PETER SELLERS'

LONG LOST 1961 DIRECTORIAL DEBUT, NEWLY-RESTORED

IN 2K FROM THE LONE SURVIVING 35MM PRINT

MR. TOPAZE

Street Date: October 27, 2020

Blu-ray/DVD/Digital

Available for the First Time Ever in North America,

the Classic Comedy, Co-Starring Herbert Lom, Leo McKern and Nadia Gray,

Arrives with the Madcap Seller Short Film "Let's Go Crazy", a Video Essay on Auteur Marcel Pagnol, the Topaze Playwright, a 24-page Booklet with a New Essay by Roger Lewis, Author of "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" and More!

SYNOPSIS

Albert Topaze (Peter Sellers), a poor but proud French schoolmaster, loses his job after he refuses to alter the failing grades of one of his students. Seizing the opportunity to exploit his honesty, actress Suzy Courtois (Nadia Gray) convinces her lover, the corrupt city council member Castel Benac (Herbert Lom), to hire Topaze as a managing director for one of his shady businesses.

Sellers' lone directorial effort, MR. TOPAZE displays the British comic genius at the peak of his powers alongside his future Pink Panther nemesis Herbert Lom and a stellar supporting cast that includes Leo McKern, Billie Whitelaw and Michael Gough. Long considered a "lost" classic, MR. TOPAZE was digitally restored in 2K from the last surviving 35mm prints held in the BFI National Archive.

In his newly-written MR. TOPAZE essay included in the Film Movement Classics release, Roger Lewis, author of "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" writes "In my opinion we are only now beginning to wake up to Sellers' unique qualities as a performer, and the rediscovery of Mr. Topaze will aid this reassessment. It is a film of which Jacques Tati might be proud. It is as good as any of the later Chaplin efforts, Limelight or A Countess from Hong Kong. It is a scandal that it was lost for so long." 

CAST

• Peter Sellers (Being There, The Pink Panther series, Dr. Strangelove)
• Herbert Lom (The Pink Panther series, The Dead Zone, Spartacus)
• Nadia Gray (La Dolce Vita)
• Leo McKern ("Rumpole of the Bailey", Ryan's Daugher, The Mouse That Roared)
• Billie Whitelaw (The Krays, Hot Fuzz, The Omen)
• Michael Gough (Batman, Sleepy Hollow, The Age of Innocence)

BONUS FEATURES

• Let's Go Crazy (1951) - a madcap short film starring Peter Sellers and his Goon Show co-star Spike Milligan
• The Poetry of Realism (2019) - Kat Ellinger video essay on auteur Marcel Pagnol, the playwright of Topaze
• Abigail McKern Interview (2019) - Leo McKern's daughter discusses her father's life and career
• 24-page booklet with notes on the film's rediscovery by BFI curator Vic Pratt and a new essay by Roger Lewis, author of The Life and Death of Peter Sellers 

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Type: Blu-ray/DVD/Digital (New 2K Digital Restoration)

Running Time: 97 minutes

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio

Audio: Mono

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(This trailer is not is widescreen format, but the film itself is.) 

BY LEE PFEIFFER

A decade before the release of the teenage vampire sensation "Twilight" in 2008, there was another film with the same title that couldn't be more different in tone and style. While the horror flick helped launch the careers of up-and-coming actors, the 1998 film was gently acknowledging that its already legendary stars were coming to the end of theirs. This is evidenced by the title, which has a dual meaning: the time of day as well as the stage of life its central characters find themselves in. "Twilight" was written and directed by Robert Benton and stars Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman and James Garner. Benton and Newman had found considerable acclaim and success with their previous collaboration, "Nobody's Fool", but "Twilight" received mixed reviews and performed poorly at the boxoffice. Therefore, there's probably a good chance you never saw it. The failure of movie is puzzling, given the public's affection for the film noir genre. Purists may argue that true film noir requires that a movie be made on a modest budget and shot in black and white. "Twilight" doesn't apply to either of these rules. It has a high-priced cast and gorgeous color cinematography by Piotr Sobocinski, but in many ways it evokes the very best of the noir genre, in a way that director Dick Richards' 1975 detective flick "Farewell My Lovely" also succeeded in doing. It has all the central elements: the protagonist is a down-and-out  private eye (are there any other kind in noir films?), a deceptive man who sends him out on a mission to make some fast money, a sultry femme fatale and an abundance of supporting characters who are as eccentric as they are threatening. Oh, and most of the action takes place in the dead of night.

The film is set in contemporary L.A. Newman plays Harry Ross, a one-time cop who was fired for alcoholism, an affliction that saw his career as a private dick also fail. In the process, he lost his wife and kids and remains alienated from them. Harry survives due to the generosity of his benefactors, old friend Jack Ames (Gene Hackman) and his wife Catherine (Susan Sarandon), both of whom were once prominent and popular actors whose careers and finances are on a downward trend. Harry is allowed to live rent-free at their lavish home, where he earns a few bucks here and there by acting as a Man Friday for Jack, running errands for him that often involve people of dubious backgrounds. Jack has just learned that his cancer has been determined to be terminal and he's given about six months to live. He takes it in stride but resents having to spend much of his time in bed. Catherine seems to be devoted to him but even Jack knows that she and Harry have long had eyes for each other. Also sharing the residence is Jack and Catherine's precocious teenage daughter Mel (Reese Witherspoon), who Harry had to to fly to Mexico to retrieve from the arms of an older paramour, Jeff Willis (Liev Schrieiber), who accidentally shot Harry in the leg during an altercation. Now Jack has another mission for Harry; a seemingly easy one: deliver an envelope stuffed with money to a man named Lester Ivar (M. Emmett Walsh) with no questions asked. Needless to say, things go awry from the start and Harry finds himself being shot at, beaten up and framed for murder, all due to a blackmail plot against Jack and Catherine, who were long suspected of murdering her first husband so they could be together. As with any noir or noir-like film, it doesn't pay to go into much detail about the plot, as it would compromise all the twists and turns in Robert Benton's screenplay, which, in true genre form, is complex but thoroughly compelling.

"Twilight" is the kind of film that celebrates the kinds of characters that existed in crime movies of the 1940s and 1950s. Everyone speaks the same lingo, dishing out insults and wisecracks with abandon. It's the kind of film where a cuckolded husband learns his best friend has been sleeping with his wife and deals with it by simply telling him to knock it off. The performances are uniformly excellent, with Newman at age 73 displaying the same cynical wit that made "Harper" such a pleasure to watch. He's also still drop-dead handsome, even though his character acknowledges his advanced years. (A running gag in the film is that Harry is unaware that the rumor mill has it that his "pecker had been shot off" in the incident in Mexico.) Sarandon burns up the screen as the diva-like object of both Harry and Jack's affections and Reese Witherspoon displays the talents that would see her rise to stardom. Hackman is very good, but his screen time is limited, though the dialogue he shares with Newman is terrific. There's also a standout turn in a supporting role by James Garner, as a friend of both men who is a retired cop who serves as a "Mr. Fix-It" on the L.A. crime scene. There is also an excellent performance by Stockard Channing as a tough-as-nails LAPD lieutenant and former flame of Harry's. Liev Schrieber and Margo Martindale fill out the ranks as a team of murderous blackmailers who are as eccentric as any characters to be found in an old John Huston movie and there is an amusing turn by Giancarlo Esposito as an aspiring private eye who idolizes Harry. The film is also complimented by an impressive score by the legendary Elmer Bernstein.

The critical and boxoffice failure of "Twilight" shouldn't distract from the fact that this is a first-rate detective film well worth checking out. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, free for Prime members and available for rental by non-members. 

The film is currently out of print on home video.