BY ERNIE MAGNOTTA

Writer/director/producer Russell Rouse may not be a household name, but his credits are pretty impressive. For instance, he co-wrote the 1949 film noir classic D.O.A. (and the 1988 remake). Russell also co-wrote and directed the 1956 western The Fastest Gun Alive which starred Glenn Ford. He was nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing the 1951 drama The Well, and in 1959 Rouse finally won the Oscar for co-writing the Pillow Talk screenplay. Recently, the 1967 heist film The Caper of the Golden Bulls, which was directed by Rouse, has been released on Blu-ray.

The Caper of the Golden Bulls concerns former bank robber Peter Churchman (Stephen Boyd) who is blackmailed by an old flame (Giovanna Ralli) into stealing priceless jewels from a bank in Spain. Along with his girlfriend (Yvette Mimieux) and his old crew, Churchman attempts to pull off the dangerous heist during the annual “Running of the Bulls” festival.

Filmed on location in Spain, The Caper of the Golden Bulls is an entertaining and well-done caper film which features fun performances from Boyd, Mimieux and Ralli as well as from many other talented and familiar faces (who all seem to be having a good time) such as Vito Scotti, Walter Slezak, Clifton James, Jay Novello, Henry Beckman, Leon Askin, J.G. Devlin, Arnold Moss and Noah Keen.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It’s a very watchable caper flick with a strong cast, an involving story, solid direction and beautiful locations. The cute film also benefits from a terrific musical score by the great Vic Mizzy and lovely cinematography by Academy Award nominee Harold E. Stine. I definitely recommend checking it out.

The Caper of the Golden Bulls has been released on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. The film is presented in its original 1:85:1 aspect ratio, the 4K transfer looks great and the audio is clear. Special Features include an audio commentary by film historian Phillipa Berry and trailers for the films Topkapi, The Brink’s Job, Loophole, The Real McCoy, The Mercenary and The Neptune Factor.

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BY ERNIE MAGNOTTA

As we all know, Fred Astaire’s amazing, God-given dancing talent made him a Golden Age movie star. As a matter of fact, numerous times, he has been called the greatest dancer in film history. Although Astaire was also an accomplished actor, singer and choreographer, he will forever be remembered as a top-notch, innovative dancer. He made 31 musical features; some of his best being Holiday Inn, Easter Parade, The Band Wagon, Funny Face and, of course, the many films he made with the lovely and equally talented Ginger Rogers. (The Gay Divorcee, Top Hat, Swing Time, Shall We Dance, etc.) If you’re a fan of this legendary Hollywood icon, you will be happy to know that, although not a musical, Midas Run, a film Fred Astaire made near the end of his long and illustrious career, has been released on Blu-ray.

Written by Ronald Austin, James Buchanan and Berne Giler, and directed by Alf Kjellin, Midas Run tells the entertaining story of a retired secret service agent named Pedley (Fred Astaire) who hires writer Mike Warden (Richard Crenna) and Mike’s girlfriend Sylvia Giroux (Anne Heywood) to help him steal $15,000,000 in gold. However, the clever Pedley may have something even bigger planned.

Made for only $1.1 million, Midas Run was shot in London, Venice, Milan, Tuscany and Rome and was released in April of 1969. The lighthearted production not only contains fun performances from Crenna, Heywood and Astaire, but also features several highly talented and recognizable faces from classic cinema such as Sir Ralph Richardson, Cesar Romero, Adolfo Celi, Jacques Sernas and Roddy McDowall. Midas Run also benefits from a wonderful musical score by immortal composer Elmer Bernstein and a title song written by Don Black and sung by Anne Heywood.

It may not ever appear on a “best of” Fred Astaire film list, but Midas Run is still an extremely well-made, engaging and fun movie that is sure to make you smile.

Midas Run has been released on Blu-ray by the fine folks at Kino Lorber. The film, which looks terrific, is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The disc contains a very informative audio commentary by film historians Lee Gambin and Emma Westwood as well as the original theatrical trailer. There are also trailers for Robbery, The High Commissioner, Cop-out and Street People.

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BY ERNIE MAGNOTTA

I’ve always been a fan of the heist/caper film; a genre which details the planning, execution and aftermath of a huge robbery. It’s an extremely fun and involving formula in which we oftentimes sympathize with the thieves and want them to reach their goal. Some notable heist/caper films are The Asphalt Jungle, The Killing, Ocean’s 11, Bonnie and Clyde, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Italian Job, The Getaway, The Sting, Dog Day Afternoon, Thief, A Fish Called Wanda, Reservoir Dogs, Heat and The Usual Suspects. Just to name a few. Add to the list the comedy caper film A Man, a Woman, and a Bank available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.

Solidly directed by Noel Black from a humorous screenplay by Raynold Gideon, Bruce A. Evans and actor Stuart Margolin, A Man, a Woman, and a Bank tells the tale of friends Reese (Donald Sutherland) and Norman (Paul Mazursky), who devise an elaborate plan to rob a bank in Vancouver. Things get a bit complicated, however, when Reese falls in love with a pretty photographer (Brooke Adams).

Released by Avco Embassy Pictures in September of 1979, A Man, a Woman, and a Bank is listed as the first and only film to be made by McNichol, a production company said to have been created by actress Kristy McNichol and her mother Carollyne. However, some believe this to be false and state that McNichol is actually Donald Sutherland’s company. Whatever the case may be, A Man, a Woman, and a Bank is an extremely enjoyable, well-directed, written and acted feature that definitely deserves to be seen. The engaging story contains very interesting and likeable three-dimensional characters. Reese is intelligent, confident, romantic and also a good friend. The great Donald Sutherland effortlessly gets all this across and makes his character totally believable. Five-time Academy Award nominee Paul Mazursky is hilarious and extremely convincing as henpecked hypochondriac Norman, and the lovely, talented and always welcome Brooke Adams (reuniting here with her Invasion of the Body Snatchers co-star, Sutherland) shines as adorable photographer Stacey.

The fun feature also benefits from some wonderful cinematography by the legendary Jack Cardiff and a terrific musical score by Academy Award winning composer Bill Conti. All in all, it’s an extremely solid and fun comedic crime film that audiences are sure to enjoy.

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray presents the movie in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The transfer looks beautiful and the disc also contains quite a few worthy special features. There’s the original theatrical trailer as well as two very interesting and informative audio commentaries; one by director Noel Black and producer Peter Samuelson from 2002, and another by film historians Dean Brandum and Andrew Nette. The Blu-ray also has trailers for four other films featuring Donald Sutherland: The Great Train Robbery, Ordeal by Innocence, The Rosary Murders and The Puppet Masters.

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