Following the enormous success of his variety show, NBC signed Dean Martin to a new series: celebrity roasts. These became "must-see" telecasts for millions of American viewers. The format was clearly based on the famed Friars Club roasts, minus the expletives. The "honoree" is subjected to a barrage of insults from friends and colleagues in front of a live audience. This telecast, provided by Shout! Factory, illustrates the last hurrah of the golden age of comedy with a dais consisting of the likes of Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Rich Little, Ruth Buzzi, Ginger Rogers, Foster Brooks, Henry Fonda, Totie Fields, Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller Rowan and Martin, Nipsey Russell, Don Rickles and Lucy's long-time friends and co-stars Gale Gordon and Vivian Vance. After being roasted mercilessly, Lucy exacts her "revenge" on those who took potshots at her. The show harkens back to a time when people were more open to laughing at themselves. Much of the humor would be considered to be politically incorrect today, and younger viewers would undoubtedly be appalled. But those who grew up in a different era may find it very amusing, as race, age, weight, physical appearance and drinking habits are all fair game because everyone knew it was all in fun.- Lee Pfeiffer
"A Twist of Sand" is a 1968 production currently streaming on Amazon Prime. You can be forgiven if you are not familiar with the film, as it was one of many made in this era that was not intended to be a blockbuster or win awards. It was made on a modest budget with the expectation of making a modest profit. The plot is the same time-worn scenario that had been seen in countless films: a group of misfits band together on a dangerous quest for gold. Even by 1968, the concept had enough moss on it to make penicillin but there is a reason the concept has repeatedly been recycled: it works. There is always dramatic tension among the participants and this particular tale is no exception.
The film opens with gunrunner Geoffrey Peace (Richard Johnson) and his partner and first mate David Garland (Roy Dotrice) smuggling a large batch of valuable rifles through the straits of Malta. They are intercepted by a British patrol boat and forced to dump the weapons into the sea to avoid arrest and prosecution. The ploy works but they are now destitute with their boat as their only asset. Along comes Harry Riker (Jeremy Kemp), a German fortune hunter who is accompanied by Johann (Peter Vaughan), a hulking, largely mute henchman. Riker spins a tale about having information that might lead them to a cache of priceless diamonds that is buried in an old shipwreck from hundreds of years ago. The shifting of the sands has now placed the vessel somewhere in the middle of the desert off the Skeleton Coast in South West Africa. Peace has an immediate dislike for the men but is desperate enough to agree to the expedition- and they are accompanied by Julie Chambois (Honor Blackman), whose late husband was a prospector who claimed to have unearthed and hidden the diamonds, revealing to her the exact location on the wreck. Adding to the drama is a sub-plot that reveals in flashback that Peace had been commanding a British submarine off the Skeleton Coast during WWII. A German U-Boat was disabled in a firefight and the crew was slaughtered by an errant member of Peace's submarine command who wielded a machine gun to kill all but one man, Johann, who has sworn to somehow take vengeance on the British sub commander. This rather contrived plot point is intended to add tension to the story but we all know that simply by introducing it, Johann will ultimately discover the truth and square off against Peace.
The disparate group of fortune hunters navigate through the treacherous waters off the Skelton Coast and director Don Chaffey manages to ring some momentary tension out of these scenes. I kept waiting for the cliched scenario that inevitably arises in any of these desert adventure films in which a lone attractive woman causes sexual tension among her male companions. However, screenwriter Marvin H. Albert keeps the characters rather disappointingly chaste. There's more lust to be found in an old Tarzan film than there is here. The movie improves when the motley group lands on the African coast and discovers the wreck of the ancient ship they are looking for now firmly settled into the desert sands. These are the movie's best scenes as the men desperately dig inside the wreck, facing death from being buried by sand or struck by a falling timber. The production design by John Stoller is especially impressive. Naturally, this part of a treasure hunter adventure is always when the double-crosses are introduced and this is no exception.
The script never directly divulges what year the story is taking place in, thus the viewer would be forgiven for thinking it was in contemporary times. I wondered how we were to believe that the characters would not have aged at all over a period of about 25 years. However, late in the film there is a reference to the fact that it is six years after the war, which would place the timetable sometime in the early 1950s. The rights to the novel "A Twist of Sand" by Geoffrey Jenkins had originally been obtained by Nunnally Johnson, who intended to write the script for a production starring Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr but for some reason the production never materialized. Instead, the film would eventually be made as this "B" movie production. Director Don Chaffey does a decent job, considering the budget constraints and he has a good cast. Richard Johnson plays against type as a grumpy and humorless protagonist. In real life, Johnson was one of the most humorous and charismatic people this writer has ever known. Jeremy Kemp steals his scenes as his scheming partner. Honor Blackman has very little to do and was obviously cast simply to add a bit of sex appeal.
"A Twist of Sand" is the kind of movie from this era that a I have a soft spot for. These films were competently made and entertaining, if rather forgettable. To my knowledge, the film has never been released on video in the USA, so its presence on Amazon Prime is especially appreciated.
The next four Carry On Films come to Blu-ray in one Limited Edition Box, with an exclusive 112 page booklet featuring reproductions of the original pressbooks for the first twelve films.
Includes the worldwide Blu-ray premiere for Carry On Spying!
Carry On Spying (1964)
Worldwide first on Blu-ray! Carry On favourite Barbara Windsor makes
her debut in this outrageous send-up of the James Bond movies. Fearless
agent Desmond Simpkins and Charlie Bind, aided and abetted by the comely
Agent Honeybutt and Agent Crump, battle against the evil powers of
international bad guys STENCH and their three cronies.
Carry On Cleo (1964)
Two Brits—inventor Hengist Pod, and Horse, a brave and cunning
fighter—are captured and enslaved by invading Romans and taken to Rome.
One of their first encounters in Rome leaves Hengist being mistaken for a
fighter, and gets drafted into the Royal Guard to protect Cleopatra.
Carry On Cowboy (1965)
Stodge City is in the grip of the Rumpo Kid and his gang. Mistaken
identity again takes a hand as a ‘sanitary engineer’ named Marshal P.
Knutt is mistaken for a law marshal. Being the conscientious sort,
Marshal tries to help the town get rid of Rumpo, and a showdown is
inevitable. Marshal has two aids—revenge-seeking Annie Oakley and his
sanitary expertise.
Carry On Screaming! (1966)
The sinister Dr Watt has an evil scheme going. He’s kidnapping
beautiful young women and turning them into mannequins to sell to local
stores. Fortunately for Dr Watt, Detective-Sergeant Bung is on the case,
and he doesn’t have a clue! In this send up of the Hammer Horror
movies, there are send-ups of all the horror greats from Frankenstein to
Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde.
Special Features:
Limited Edition 112-page booklet containing reproductions of the original pressbooks of the first 12 films (1000 copies)
Carry on Spying Audio Commentary by Bernard Cribbins and Dilys Laye
Carry on Cleo Audio Commentary by Amanda Barrie and Julie Stevens
Carry on Cowboy Audio Commentary by Angela Douglas
Carry on Screaming Audio Commentary by Angela Douglas and Fenella Fielding
Carry on Spying Textless Titles
Theatrical Trailers
Photo Galleries
Imprint limited editions tend to sell out quickly. Click here to PRE-ORDER. (Prices are in Australian dollars. Use a currency converter to see what the price is in your local currency.) The Blu-ray set is Region-Free.
Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Fabulous Films regarding the Region 2 Blu-ray and DVD releases of "Manhattan" and "Hannah and Her Sisters", which are being released on 28 August.
One of Woody Allen’s best-loved films, Hannah and Her Sisters, won
three richly deserved Oscars and is considered a joy from start to
perfectly-judged finish.
The films ensemble
cast includes Max von Sydow, Carrie Fisher, Sir Michael Caine, Diane Wiest, Lloyd
Nolan (who died 4 months before the film's release), Mia Farrow and Daniel
Stern. Caine won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role while Wiest won
Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Allen won Best Screenplay (beating Crocodile
Dundee, My Beautiful Laundrette, Platoon and Salvador). Max von
Sydow and Barbara Hershey received a standing ovation from the crew after they
finished filming their characters' break-up scene.
The film has some
great one-liners, with a philosophical discussion about the nature of good and
evil getting shot down with “How should I know why there were Nazi’s, I don’t
even know how the can opener works”
Synopsis: Hannah (Mia Farrow) is a devoted wife, loving mother and successful
actress. She’s also the emotional backbone of the family, and her sisters Lee
(Barbara Hershey) and Holly (Dianne Wiest) depend on this stability while also
resenting it because they can’t help but compare Hannah’s seemingly perfect
life with theirs. But with her husband Elliott (Michael Caine) becoming
increasingly interested in Lee, it’s clear that Hannah might have problems of
her own.
Cast: Woody Allen, Michael
Caine, Mia Farrow, Carrie Fisher, Barbara Hershey, Lloyd Nolan, Maureen
O’Sullivan, Daniel Stern, Max von Sydow, Julie Kavner, Richard Jenkins, Fred
Melamed, Lewis Black, Joanna Gleason, John Turturro, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and
Dianne Wiest.
“One of (Woody)
Allen’s most enduring accomplishments” - BoxOffice
Nominated for two
Academy-Awards® Manhattan is a wry, touching and finely rendered portrait of
modern relationships set against the backdrop of urban alienation. Sumptuously
photographed in black and white (Allen’s first film in that format) and
accompanied by a magnificent Gershwin score which includes Rhapsody in Blue.
Released in 1979. Manhattan
won Best Film and Best Screenplay at the BAFTAs. Mariel Hemingway aged 16
years old earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards
for her performance. Woody Allen and Marshall Brinkman were nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. In 2001, the United States Library
of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Synopsis: Forty-two-year-old
Manhattan native Isaac Davis (Allen) has a job he hates, a seventeen-year-old
girlfriend, Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), whom he doesn’t love, and a lesbian
ex-wife, Jill (Meryl Streep), who’s writing a tell-all book about their
marriage...and whom he’d like to strangle. But when he meets his best friend’s
sexy intellectual mistress, Mary (Diane Keaton), Isaac falls head over heels in
lust! Leaving Tracy, bedding Mary and quitting his job are just the beginnings
of Isaac’s quest for romance and fulfilment . In a city where sex is as
intimate as a handshake - and the gateway to true love...is a revolving door.
Cast: Woody Allen, Diane
Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway, Meryl Streep, Anne Byrne.
If we are to use history as a guide – as we should – Earl
Derr Biggers’ creation of Charlie Chan marked the first occasion of a fictional
Asian detective (Chinese-American to
be precise) to be received warmly by not only a U.S. audience but by filmgoers
worldwide. Biggers had published no
fewer than six Chan mystery novels in the years 1925-1932. The author may have even continued the series
had he not died young, age 48, in the spring of 1933. Though there had been preceding Chan film
adaptations – the first being a 1926 serial - it wasn’t until Swede Warner
Oland’s assumption of the role in 1931 that the character became an iconic
totem of detective cinema.
Though Oland had a clear lock on the public’s perception
of the inscrutable, unflappable Asian detective, the literary Chan was now moribund. Sensing a vacuum, yet another American author, John P. Marquand, would
create the friendly (and obviously pre-war) Japanese spy Mr. Moto. The missions of that character were first
serialized in issues of the Saturday
Evening Post (1935-1938), those stories soon turned into novels by Boston’s
Little Brown & Co. Following Daryl
F. Zanuck’s licensing of character rights for 2oth Century Fox in July of 1936,
the studio issued no fewer than eight Mr. Moto mystery films (featuring Peter
Lorre) in the years 1937-1939.
Whether it was Lorre who chose not to renew his Fox
contract, or whether Fox decided the series had simply played out or whether it
was the actions of an increasingly belligerent and aggressive Japan (who would formally
align with the Axis Powers in September of 1940), Mr. Moto’s final pre-WWII
film adventure, ironically titled Mr.
Moto Takes a Vacation, was released in summer of 1939. Whatever the reason, it was the success of
the Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto series that allowed Colliers magazine to coattail introduce Hugh Wiley’s Chinese-American
James Lee Wong series of detective stories in 1934.
In September of 1938 a California newspaper reported that
author Wiley had “just sold four of his detective stories, centering about the
character of James Lee Wong, to Monogram Pictures.” The proposed film series was purportedly to
feature Boris Karloff – just off production of Son of Frankenstein (Universal) – as the film’s title character. Technically, this character licensing report was
old news. In February of 1938, there
were already reports that Monogram’s Scott Dunlap was looking for the right actor
to cast as Mr. Wong. There was one sensible
suggestion that the studio was hoping to find a “Keye Luke” type. Luke was now approachable as Oland’s incarnate
of Charlie Chan had recently come to an abrupt, sad end. When Oland passed in August of 1938, Luke was
passed over for consideration as a successor. The part ignobly went to Sidney Toler, yet another actor of European
ancestry.
Keye Luke was already a familiar figure to cinemagoers –
he popularly played the “Number One Son” to Oland’s Chan in a number of films
in that popular series. Luke chose to
exit the Chan franchise following Oland’s passing: but while now available to
Monogram he was not considered a guaranteed box office draw. The Los Angeles Daily News reported on April 14, 1938 that, following negotiations
on a long-distance phone call, Dunlap had secured the promise of Boris Karloff,
age 50, to star in the proposed series. Shortly following that news, snippy Hollywood
gossiper Louella Parsons sniffed that Karloff was exhibiting more than a bit of
courage should he expect to “muscle in on the territory so triumphantly held by
Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto.”
On April 26, 1938, Variety
reported that the Monogram president had been “conferring” with producer Scott
R. Dunlap, looking to rush into production for the “1938-1939 releasing season”
four new feature films, one of which was Mr.
Wong, Detective. On 10 May Variety reported that Richard Weil, “the
author of the Charlie Chan radio adventures” had been tasked to write the
screenplay for the film. But whether due
to a “conflict of interest” concern or simply a scheduling issue, Weil soon fell
out and scripting duties went to Houston Branch, a Monogram dependable. In any
event, it wasn’t until late August of 1938 that the trades announced that Monogram’s
Mr. Wong film - suggested as the “first of four whodunits” all to star Boris
Karloff - was to go into production in a week’s time. Industry trade Box Office made further note that the four Wong serial mysteries
slated for production were Mr. Wong,
Detective, Mr. Wong at Headquarters,
Mr. Wong in Chinatown and The Mystery of Mr. Wong.
There would be no shortage of Asian detective melodramas
in 1938. Monogram’s Mr. Wong was to
compete directly against 20th Century Fox’s Mr. Moto series and the
Chan films still touring the regional circuit. And all three would feature
non-Asian actors as the title characters. Karloff, of course, was no stranger to accepting East-Asian roles,
having already appeared in such films as The
Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) and, more recently, West of Shanghai (1937). On
June 20th, the Los Angeles
Evening Citizen News offered while a complete script had not yet been turned
in, cameras were set to roll on Mr. Wong,
Detective in three weeks’ time. That
deadline was apparently missed, as the first day of shooting on Mr. Wong, Detective would not start
until late August (the 25th according to one contemporary newspaper
accounting, the 24th according to this film’s audio commentary).
We do know that on 3 September 1938, a journalist visited
Monogram’s Mr. Wong set. The writer had
chosen to sit through a portion of Karloff’s grueling three-and-a-half hour
session in the makeup chair of Gordon Bau. Karloff was no stranger to make-up applications, but admitted to the
reporter that such wearying sessions weren’t the favorite part of his day. “It’s lovely to get up and go to the studio
at 6:00 A.M., stretch out in a barber chair and have somebody with hobnailed
boots crawl in and out of your eyes.” Bau defensively parried that such applications were necessary evils,
admitting his work on applying rubber cement near Karloff’s eyes to create
epicurean folds proved the most challenging part of the actor’s physical transformation.
Karloff agreed the eye make-up applications were the most
wearying to endure. “By the time you get
done,” Karloff sighed, “my eyeballs are pressed, my vision is off focus and I
walk around all day in a haze.” Turning
his attention to the visiting journalist, Karloff sniggered, “And when finally
he gets through with me, he’s proud of what he’s done. He thinks it is a work of art.” For the most part, Karloff’s reimaging is
surprisingly subtle: a slick of pressed black hair, a slim moustache and
thickened eyebrows, slight eye folds often disguised behind a set of reading
glasses.
If Bau’s reasonably understated make-up appliance was a
work of art, critics were divided on whether or not Mr. Wong, Detective was. The
story itself concerns a cabal of spies working in interest of an unnamed
foreign power and trying to steal a poison gas formula for nefarious ends. The first of Monogram’s Mr. Wong pictures,
shot in a mere few weeks’ time, was set for October 5, 1938 release – a mere
month following Karloff’s session in Bau’s make-up chair.
Upon the film’s release Variety couldn’t help but comment on the film’s rushed, bargain
basement appearance, citing the production as ranging at best from “standard to
skimpy.” The Variety critic blamed director William Nigh and scripter Houston
Branch for the film’s shortfalls: “First
picture suffers from directorial and writing troubles, plus a combination of
careless acting and haphazard casting,” the reviewer sighed. Despite such criticism, it was noted that
Karloff did the best with the lackluster material given. Fighting “vigorously”
against the odds, the scribe conceded that Karloff had at the very least proven
his utility as an actor: his presence was enough to prove he needn’t have to
affix “grotesque makeup to register.”
Other reviews were kinder. London’s Picturegoer
was less critical of the picture, describing Karloff’s Mr. Wong as “a serious
rival to Charlie Chan.” But exhibitors were
more cautious, split in their opinion of the film’s merit: when one described Mr. Wong Detective, “Worthy of a top
spot on a double,” a second complained, “Where does Monogram get the idea this
is good? Awful – slowest moving thing I
have seen in years.”
Slow or not, by late January of 1939, Monogram was
already into production of the second of the series, The Mystery of Mr. Wong. W.T. Lackey took over producing duties
from Scott Dunlap, and scripter Branch was relieved of scenario duties,
screenwriting credit given to W. Scott Darling. Darling had been the screenwriter of Charlie
Chan at the Opera (1936) which, interestingly, pitted Oland’s detective
against a villainous Boris Karloff.
This second Wong was more of a pedestrian and routine parlor
murder mystery, one concerning the theft of a rare and expensive sapphire. By
March of 1939, The Mystery of Mr. Wong
was already reported as being in the “cutting room.” The film would be released in April of
1939. Though this second entry of the
series fared a wee better than its
predecessor in critical analysis, this sophomore effort too was faulted for its
“lack of action,” the weaving of too many obvious red herrings into the script,
and an appreciable number of wooden performances by the cast.
The lukewarm reviews were of little consequence. That
same April, it was announced that scripter Darling was to return and write the
series’ third entry, Mr. Wong in
Chinatown (aka Mr. Wong’s Chinatown
Squad). At Monogram’s sales convention at Chicago’s Drake Hotel in spring
of 1939, it was evident - despite the lackluster reviews - that studio bosses
were pleased with the box office takes of the first two Wong serials. They promised four more titles were already
in the pipeline: Mr. Wong Vanishes, Mr. Wong in Havana, Mr. Wong’s Chinatown Squad and Mr.
Wong in New York.
By June of 1939 Mr.
Wong in Chinatown was already well in production, screenwriter Darling
reported mid-month to have already begun scripting duties on what would be the
fourth of the series, Mr. Wong at
Headquarters. The scenario for Mr. Wong in Chinatown concerns his
investigation into the murder of a royal princess who had been visiting the
United States on a mission to purchase airplanes for defense of her country
against a hostile nation-state.
When Mr. Wong in
Chinatown was previewed in July of 1939, the reviews remained consistent
with the first two, tagging the film a “slow whodunit.” Though the picture was lacking
in any appreciable action, there was a concession that enough, “color and
mystery [was] attached to the proceedings to attract fair trade” – well, if
exploited properly. One exhibitor agreed,
reporting good box office receipts and anointing Mr. Wong in Chinatown, the “Best of the Wong series” to date.
The blandly titled Mr.
Wong at Headquarters went into production in November of 1939, and was already
in the cutting room by December’s end. By January of 1940 the film’s working title
was officially changed to the more mysterious and exotic The Fatal Hour and scheduled for a January 15, 1940 release. This time Wong is called to investigate the waterfront
murder of a fellow detective, the scenario intertwined with a bit of a
smuggling subplot. New York’s Daily News thought it a not particularly
“absorbing of murder mysteries, although it is filled with enough complications
to make a Philadelphia lawyer’s head spin.”
In late January of 1940, the Los Angeles Times reported, erroneously, that a fifth Mr. Wong
serial - tentatively titled Chamber of
Horrors – was in the works, Dorothy Reid cited as readying a script. Some months later the trades reported, far more
reliably, that William Nigh was, for a fifth time, signed to direct a Mr. Wong
mystery. Though Reid would not be
associated with this final Karloff Mr. Wong effort, there was no reason to
disbelieve the Times initial report: Reid had served as a producer and writer at
Monogram and had previously collaborated with Nigh on such productions as A Bride for Henry (1937) and Rose of the Rio Grande (1938). There was in fact a Monogram horror flick
titled Chamber of Horrors produced in
1940, but this was a Norman Lee film, based on the creaky Edgar Wallace novel of
1926, The Door with Seven Locks. Neither Reid nor Nigh was publically
connected to that film’s production.
When the final Karloff Wong film, Doomed to Die (aka Mystery of
the Wentworth Castle from a script penned by series’ newcomer Ralph G.
Bettinson), played Manhattan’s Rialto Theatre, the Hollywood Reporter caustically reported the picture was, if nothing
else, “aptly named for it died within a few days” of its showcase. The Baltimore
Sun coldly piled on with a bad notice of its own: “The direction, writing
and acting are slipshod beyond the limit of that large tolerance accorded this
extravert type of drama.” Still more
harsh criticism of the picture lie ahead. “Charlie Chan would shake with professional pity,” wrote the New York Herald Tribune, sighing that the
great Karloff “has never had a duller, more unexacting role.”
It was the last of Karloff’s involvement in the Mr. Wong
series. There was really no reason for the
actor to continue on in the role as he certainly did not need the work – nor did
he need the piling on of bad notices that continued to accumulate. In 1940, the year that Doomed to Die was released, Karloff would star in no fewer than
nine additional features for Columbia, Warner Bros., Universal, RKO Radio and
Monogram. He would certainly survive his
departure from the role. But would Mr.
Wong?
That question was answered in June of 1940 when Monogram announced
Keye Luke as Karloff’s successor in the role. It was a sensible progressive move on Monogram’s part, a UPI
correspondent writing a glowing tribute to Keye Luke who would now serve – at
long last – as “cinema’s one and only genuine Oriental detective.” Though Monogram signed the actor to a
four-picture “Mr. Wong” deal, the only entry produced with Luke in the
detective role was Phil Rosen’s Phantom
of Chinatown, released in November of 1940. The change of actor (and director) was mostly seamless and arguably
refreshing: Luke did bring a bit more energy and excitement to the role. (Karloff
was often cited by critics as a miscast who, largely unchallenged, chose to
sleepwalk through the role). Most
reviews of Luke’s Wong were complimentary, echoing those of a Variety critic who thought Phantom of Chinatown “worthy of the
average ‘B’ thriller of this type.”
There was some industry talk in January of 1941 that Paul
Malvern (an associate producer of Doomed
to Die and the producer of Phantom of
Chinatown) was preparing Luke’s return as Mr. Wong for the actor’s second outing,
provisionally titled Million Dollar
Mystery. Had that film been
produced, it would have been the seventh in the Monogram series. But no such film was greenlit (perhaps due to
Malvern’s 1941 defection to Universal) making Phantom of Chinatown the last of Monogram’s Mr. Wong series. Luke would fulfil his four-pic Monogram
contract in a waste of his talent making small appearances in The Gang’s All Here, Bowery Blitzkrieg and Let’s Go Collegiate, all released in
1941.
It’s of some disappointment that Phantom of Chinatown was excluded from this new Kino Lorber Blu-ray
collection. Perhaps Kino is planning a
standalone release of the title sometime in the future… at least I hope so. In the meantime, I suppose sad Completists
will have to hang on to their copies of VCI’s Mr. Wong Detective: The
Complete Collection DVD set for a bit longer. (Luke’s Phantom
of Chinatown can be found on that 2008 set in far better quality than you can
find any of those bargain-priced PD multi-film “mystery collection” type
collections… although the DVD issued by Film Detective in 2015 is also a
worthwhile seek out).
The five films featured on this Kino Lorber Studio
Classic Blu-ray issue of their Boris
Karloff: Mr. Wong Collection are all presented in 1920x1080p, in 1.37:1
aspect and DTS monaural sound. The films
have been sourced from new Hi-Definition masters made from 2K fine grain scans. The films are not visually perfect. There are moments of flickering, and
scratches and print damage, but this is likely the best we’ll ever get of these
dimly-recalled throw-away programmers. I’m certainly not complaining.
Other than the usual removable English subs, the Kino set
includes only a single feature – an audio commentary for Mr. Wong, Detective courtesy of Tom Weaver and Larry Blamire. On first pass, it might seem the inclusion of
only a single commentary on a
five-film set is sparse and ungenerous. But the behind-the-camera artisans of Wong series were a particularly
insular if clever and creative cabal: William Nigh, director of all five
Karloff entries, actor Grant Withers as “Captain Street” in all five as well, William
Lackey, an associate producer of four, and W. Scott Darling the screenwriter of
three. The contributions of these and
others in front of and behind the camera are duly noted on this set’s single
but informative and engaging commentary.
Weaver suggests at the commentaries front end that his
plan is to “keep things fun,” and he most certainly does. Both Weaver and Blamire have done their
homework, digging out practically every morsel of historical information they
could source for these uncelebrated Monogram quickies: this includes their deep
dig into (less reliable) information gleaned from ballyhoo appearing in the
film’s pressbook and other publicity materials, alongside contemporary reviews
from the Hollywood trades and newspapers. Blamire has really gone the extra mile, choosing to preemptively read
twelve of the twenty Hugh Wiley’s Mr. Wong short-stories so he might pick out
the moments and small bits the filmmakers used for the series.
I wasn’t as admiring of the
“actor re-creations” of interview transcripts of Karloff and others scattered
about the commentary. It seems
unnecessary and distracting - a simple “quote/unquote” recitation of such
material is preferable to badly-mimicked vocal imitations. The (thankfully)
occasional insertion of MST3K-style sound effects and dubbed-in jokey one-liners
were also unnecessary IMHO, but I’m admittedly a grouch. If you prefer your Wong with a dash of irreverence
then have at it. Weaver and Blamire also
sidecar their commentary with several detours touching on the Charlie Chan and
Mr. Moto series, all fair game. All in
all, the commentary track serves as an excellent primer for fans wishing to
learn a bit more about Mr. Wong on page and film. To summarize, this excellent package from
Kino Lorber is a “must-have."
Frank
Lovejoy, Richard Carlson and Rusty Tamblyn are United States Marines sent to South
Korea in the early days of the Korean War in the 1952 film “Retreat, Hell!,” available on DVD
and Blu-ray from Olive Films. The movie follows the fictionalized exploits of a
Marine battalion during America’s “forgotten war,” one often overlooked in film
as well as in our collective memories. We follow these Marines from training at
Camp Pendleton, California, to the 1950 landing at Inchon, South Korea, followed
by their battles with North Korean and Chinese soldiers through a bitterly cold
winter. Everything goes as planned until faced with the unexpected overwhelming
response by the enemy.
The
film features a fine performance by Richard Carlson as Captain Paul Hanson.
He’s a married reserve officer and WWII veteran recalled to active service. He balances
family and the needs of the military including military deployments. Carlson’s
Captain Hanson is not happy about being recalled to active duty and moving his
family to California. Soon after arriving, he’s informed he and his men will be
spending all their time in the field training which ratchets up his resentment because
he’s not able to spend any time with his family prior to deploying to Korea.
This creates conflict between Hanson and his commanding officer and mistrust of
his leadership skills. Frank Lovejoy is his commander, Lt. Colonel Steve
Corbett, who places duty above all else.
Captain
Hanson’s wife, Ruth, is played by Anita Louise. Louise is an actress remembered
today for her work in television after she made this film. She isn’t given much
to do here with only a couple of scenes as a supportive wife and mother, but
does the best she can given the limited time to develop her character. Lovejoy is
an actor who dies too young at age 50 in 1962. He’s best remembered for a wide
variety of credits on stage, screen and television often specializing as
military men, cops and detectives. He’s very good here as the Marine commander
holding his men together as they retreat after facing overwhelming Chinese and
North Korean troops.
Carlson
is best remembered today for his work in the sci-fi classics “It Came from
Outer Space,” “Creature from the Black Lagoon” and “The Valley of Gwangi.” He appeared
in another Korean War drama, “Flat Top,” as well as the Bob Hope comedy “The
Ghost Breakers,” the 1950 version of “King Solomon’s Mines,” the Elvis drama “Change
of Habit” and scores of television series and movies. According to IMdb, John
Wayne was scheduled to appear in the movie, but backed out due to other movie
commitments. It certainly would have changed the movie, depending on the role,
if the Duke would have been cast.
Rounding
out the cast is Russ Tamblyn (billed as Rusty Tamblyn) as Private Jimmy
McDermid, fresh from basic training. Tamblyn is undoubtably the best remembered
of the cast today for his role in the David Lynch cult classic “Twin Peaks.” He
also appeared in countless classic movies including “The Haunting,” How the
West Was Won,” “The Long Ships,” “Peyton Place,” “Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers,” “Tom Thumb,” “The War of the Gargantuas” (if you haven’t seen it,
you must!), “West Side Story,” “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” and
countless other movies and television series. Tamblyn remains one of the great
underrated talents in film and television.
The
movie’s title comes from a statement made by Major General O.P. Smith,
commanding general of the First Marine Division at the Battle of Chosin
Reservoir, who was asked if he was ordering his men to retreat. The general
replied, "Retreat, Hell! We're not retreating, we're just advancing in a
different direction." In the movie, the line is spoken by Frank Lovejoy.
The phrase, “Retreat, Hell!,” is common among Marines to this day. “Advancing
in a different direction” is a phrase often repeated by military troops in all
branches.
A
co-production of United States Pictures and Warner Bros., the movie was
released in February 1952 by Warner Bros. The movie could be easily mistaken
for propaganda as it was released during the Korean War and opens with the
Marine Corps song over the titles in a score by William Lava which plays
throughout the movie. Filmed with the approval of the Marine Corps, the drama is
apolitical with a focus on the personal drama of the men caught in
extraordinary circumstances. The movie was directed by Joseph H. Lewis with a
screenplay co-written by Milton Sperling and Ted Sherdeman. All three have a
variety of big and small screen credits from low-budget thrillers to television
into the 1960s.
The
film is lacking by the obvious California locations standing in for Korea which
was commonly used in military dramas and a score which consists mostly of
variations on the Marine Corps song But the movie stands out as a small gem about
the Korean War with fine performances by Carlson, Lovejoy and Tamblyn.
Prior
to the film’s release in San Antonio, Texas, the title was changed to “Retreat,
Heck” in local radio ads because the original title was deemed offensive. Both
the DVD and Blu-ray look terrific in glorious black & white in this disc
released by Olive films. The movie clocks in at 95 minutes in a 1.37:1 aspect
ratio. Unfortunately, there are no extras on the DVD or Blu-ray. I recommend
picking up the Blu-ray, but you can’t go wrong with the DVD version if that’s
your format of choice. In both cases, the movie looks and sounds terrific, although there are no bonus features.. “Retreat,
Hell!” is recommended for fans of military movies.
(Note:
It has been announced that Olive Films has unfortunately ceased operations.
However, this video is still available on Amazon.)
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
ENTER THE DRAGON COMES TO 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAYTM AND DIGITAL.
TO CELEBRATE THE ICONIC FILM’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY, ENTER THE DRAGON WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN 4K RESOLUTION HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR)
Purchase the film on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital on 8/8/23
As part of the year-long
centennial celebration for the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros.
Studio, the iconic martial arts film Enter the Dragon will be
available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital this August.
Celebrating
the 50th anniversary of its 1973 release, on
August 8 Enter the Dragon will be available to purchase on Ultra
HD Blu-ray Disc from online and in-store at major retailers and available for
purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and
more. Enter the Dragon is considered one of the most
influential action films of
all time and is credited with bringing interest in the Asian martial
arts genre to mainstream Western cinema.
The
Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc includes both the theatrical
version of the film and the Special Edition of the film which features three
additional minutes of footage.
Directed
by Robert Clouse, Enter the Dragon stars Bruce Lee in his final
completed film role. Lee is widely regarded as one of the most influential
martial artists of all time and was a pop culture icon of the 20th
century. In addition to Lee, the film also stars John Saxon, Ahna Capri,
Bob Wall, Shih Kein, and introduces Jim Kelly. It was written by Michael
Allin and produced by Fred Weintraub, Paul Heller, and Raymond Chow with a
score by honorary Academy Award recipient Lalo Schifrin.
In 2004, the United States Library
of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National
Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or
aesthetically significant". In 1999, Bruce Lee was listed in Time
magazine’s “100 most influential people of the century.”
Enter the Dragonwill be
available on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc for $24.99 ERP and includes an Ultra HD
Blu-ray disc with the theatrical version of the feature film in 4K with HDR,
the Special Edition version of the film in 4K with HDR, and a Digital download
of both versions of the film. Fans can also own Enter the Dragonin 4K
Ultra HD via purchase from select digital retailers beginning on
8/8/23.
About
the Film
Bruce Lee explodes onto the screen in the film that rocketed him
to international superstardom, Enter The Dragon. Lee plays a
martial arts expert determined to take down the ruthless gang leader, Han, who
was responsible for the death of his sister. Recruited by an intelligence
agency, he poses a student and attends a tournament at a remote island
fortress. His goal is to gather evidence that will prove Han’s involvement with
drug trafficking and prostitution. With one man focused on crime and the other
bent on revenge, the two engage in the now-classic fight-to-the-death finish.
They both enter a mirrored maze and deadly battle. Only one will exit.
Enter the DragonUltra HD
Blu-ray disc and Digital the following previously released special features:
·Introduction by Linda Lee Cadwell (run time: 2:17 minutes)
·Commentary by Paul Heller and Michael Allin (run time: 110
minutes)
Cinema Retro has received the following press release from the BFI concerning their new Region 2 Blu-ray of "Brannigan", which can be pre-ordered for 21 August release.
“The Duke is
in London, and London will never be the same!”
Veteran
Chicago detective Jim Brannigan (John Wayne, The
Searchers) is dispatched to London to bring back notorious gangster
Ben Larkin (John Vernon, Dirty
Harry), and is assured that the whole operation will run smoothly.
However, when things don’t go to plan, Brannigan finds himself in the
crosshairs of Larkin’s thugs. Reluctantly teaming up with by-the-book Commander
Swann of Scotland Yard (Richard Attenborough, The Great Escape), but determined to
recapture Larkin no matter what, Brannigan tears through London, leaving a
trail of destruction in his wake.
Boasting
incredible stunts, powerful punch-ups, dry dialogue and panoramic views of
1970s London shot by cinematographer Gerry Fisher (The Go-Between, Highlander), as well as a
superb supporting cast including Judy Geeson and Mel Ferrer, Brannigan still
stands tall as an explosive, action-packed, highly entertaining and peculiarly
British excursion for the legendary John Wayne.
Extras
Presented in High Definition
Audio commentary by Steve Mitchell and critic
Nathaniel Thompson (2017)
A Duke Out of Water (2023, 37 mins): reminiscences from the people
who made Brannigan
Frank Henson on Brannigan (2021, 4 mins): the veteran stuntman looks back
on doubling the Duke
Take It to the Bridge (1905-1956, 23 mins): historical glimpses of the
Thames, Tower Bridge and other Brannigan locations
A Policeman’s Lot (1896-1973, 35 mins): a copper’s clutch of films
concerning crimefighters and crooks, proceeding from the very earliest
days of cinema towards the Brannigan era
The Guardian Interview: Richard Attenborough (1983, 89 mins, audio only): the award-winning
actor and director, and John Wayne’s Brannigan co-star, reflects
upon his illustrious career
An extensive selection of location photographs,
featuring cast and crew
Original trailer
**FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with
new essays by Johnny Mains and John Oliver, notes on the special features
and credits
We film collectors are a spoiled lot: and, yes, I include
myself in that assessment.When Australian
video label Imprint first announced their seminal Silver Screams Cinema collection in 2021, I was ecstatic.Though the now defunct U.S. based Olive Films
had already given us Blu-rays of three titles soon-to-be featured on the
Imprint set (Return of the Ape Man
(Monogram, 1944) She Devil (1957) and
The Vampire’s Ghost (Republic, 1945),
it was the Aussie’s inclusion of several long-neglected films from the vault of
Republic Pictures - Valley of the Zombies
(1946), The Phantom Speaks (1945) and
The Lady and the Monster (1944) -
that compelled one to pre-order.
The Imprint set contained almost every title a fan of
Republic’s horror-mystery offerings might desire… with one notable
exception.Where was Lesley Selander’s The Catman of Paris (1946)? It was the
one Republic horror flick I had been wishing on the longest.Decades ago I gave up hope of ever seeing any
sort of legitimate home video issue. So I sought out the serviceable – if scratchy
and hazy - gray-market bootleg long making the rounds on the collector’s market.So the exclusion of The Catman of Paris from Imprint’s otherwise magnificent Silver Screams set was a bit
frustrating.
So it was with great anticipation when Imprint’s
single-disc Blu-ray of The Catman of
Paris recently arrived.I’m pleased
to report that the release not only looks great but also arrives with a couple
of bonus features.But while this film’s
arrival on Blu-ray brings with it a satisfying sense of closure, I think it’s best
to acknowledge that The Catman of Paris
is by no means a riveting lost classic of horror cinema.Though the film holds a certain charm in my personal
nostalgia bank, The Catman of Paris often
plods along for most of its hour or so running time.But I’m still a fan.
Republic Pictures was, of course - unfairly, in my mind –
deemed a Hollywood “Poverty Row” studio.But the production values of the studio were often of high-caliber
despite meager budgets, the studio producing more than a thousand features and
serials from its inception in 1935.Though associated with Monogram Pictures – a purveyor of a number of
1940s low-rent horror and mystery pictures (which often featured the likes of
genre stars Bela Lugosi, George Zucco, Lionel Atwill and John Carradine),
Republic was late in getting on the exploitative horror-film train.I suppose it can be argued that they nearly missed
the train entirely.The studio only really
began to test the horror-picture market when public interest in such fare was clearly
on the wane.
But the studio’s first horror pic The Lady and the Monster (1944), featuring Erich von Stroheim as a cold
and humorless mad scientist, did well enough for the studio to greenlight a
double-dose of new horror in 1945:The Vampire’s Ghost and The Phantom Speaks – two films which
we’ll get to in a moment.Generally
speaking, the Republic horrors were of similar construct to Monogram’s.But unlike the Monogram films – which have
been mostly available over the years on home video due to their public domain
status – the Republic horror pics have been, until recently, almost entirely commercially
inaccessible to students of the genre.
It’s possible the Republic horror pics have been glossed
over due to the fact that, unlike the studio’s western film counterparts – which
featured such star-spangled stars as Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and John Wayne –
their horror pics offered no similar
marquee attraction.Perhaps if the
Republic horror and mysteries features offered such boogeymen as Lugosi or Boris
Karloff there might have been more of a commercial interest in getting these
out to fans and collectors.But
Paramount Pictures, the company that ultimately absorbed the Republic catalog,
seemed mostly disinterested in making available that studio’s horror film efforts.
To be fair, Republic wasn’t Universal: there actually wasn’t
a great deal of true “horrors” to choose from.In 1999, film historian Tom Weaver examined some of the Republic titles
in his tome Poverty Row Horrors!:
Monogram, PRC, and Republic Horror Films of the Forties (MacFarland).A decade- and -a -half later author Brian McFadden
published his Republic Horrors: The
Serial Studio’s Chillers.Both books
were welcome additions to the film scholar’s personal libraries.But while McFadden’s effort seemed to promise
a deeper-dive into the Republic’s long-neglected horror catalog, it mostly reminded
readers that the studio actually released very few true horror pictures during the Golden Age of the 1940s.Of the ten films chosen for examination by McFadden,
only five could justify being classified as genuine “horrors.”The remaining five titles selected were simply
mysteries with woven eerie elements.
But if Universal’s reign as the preeminent horror-movie
studio was beginning to wind down by the mid-1940s, Republic’s was just
beginning to rev up.In early May of
1945, the Los Angeles Times reported
that executives at Republic Pictures, “encouraged by the current success of The Vampire’s Ghost and The Phantom Speaks,” were already planning
a pair of thrillers of similar design.Under the watchful eye of producer William O’ Sullivan, Republic’s
newest horror pics, titled The Catman of
Paris and The Valley of the Zombies,
was to “be sold to exhibitors as a pair.”
Associate producer Marek M. Libkov told the Hollywood Reporter that their newest, The Catman of Paris, would have a
provisional start date of September 20, 1945 with casting to “start
immediately.”In fact, most of the
principal casting was already in
place by early September, though casting notices for small roles were still being
announced as late as October 5.It was also
later reported that the film’s start date would be pushed to September 22.The film’s presumed co-feature – Phil Ford’s Valley of the Zombies – was already just
shy of two weeks into production with production on The Catman of Paris set to follow immediately on its heels.But even the revised start date of September
22 is in doubt.On September 24, 1945,
the Los Angeles Times noted
production on Lesley Selander’s The
Catman of Paris was, at long last, to start “today at Republic.”
It’s of some interest that the two primary cast members
of The Catman of Paris, Carl Esmond
and Lenore Aubert, were both born in Vienna, Austria.Though neither had ever appeared in a horror
film, both already would share near-miss flirtations with real-life
horrors.Esmond left for the U.S. as
early as 1938 at the behest of MGM’s Louis B. Mayer.The actor had been performing with a touring
company in London when Nazi troops swept into Austria in March of 1938.Esmond reflected to Hollywood scribe Maxine
Garrison that Mayer dangled an MGM contract before him, warning ‘You would be
foolish not to come [to America].Europe
will be lost in war before long.”Esmond
admitted, “I had not thought of it that way, but he was right.”
Aubert too left Vienna, choosing travel to Paris.But with German troops already occupying the
City of Light, the actress also made the decision to immigrate to America.(Ironically, Aubert’s first screen credit was
for a performance as a villainous Nazi spy for Samuel Goldwyn’s They Got Me Covered (1943), an early Bob
Hope and Dorothy Lamour comedy).Though
not a household name to most cinephiles, the darkly beautiful Aubert is likely
best remembered for her performance as the sinister Dr. Mornay in the
time-tested Universal classic Abbott and
Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).
The Hollywood trades were reporting a lot of activity on
the Republic Studios lot that first week of October of 1945… but most interest
was fixed on producer-director Frank Borsage’s ambitious and expensive Technicolor
effort Concerto.But a wandering journalist noted that only
“two stages away,” Republic’s dual monochrome horror pics, The Catman of Paris and Valley
of the Zombies, were being shot concurrently for a provisional
double-feature release.“On both sets,
the visitor must have nerves of steel,” it was reported, “to withstand sudden
appearances of perambulating cat people and corpses.”
By Thursday, October 11, 1945, the Hollywood Reporter noted that production on The Catman of Paris had wrapped on the night previous, when
“final exterior scenes were filmed on the studio’s back lot.” The report also indicated
that co-feature Valley of the Zombies
had finished shooting a mere “one day before Republic started rolling Selander’s
picture.”If true, the earlier reportage
of dual-picture sightings of “perambulating cat people and corpses” was little
more than promotional ballyhoo.
So who was this sinister cinematic Catman of Paris? Parisian police detectives are of the belief
that it’s none other than the best-selling, dashingly handsome French novelist
Charles Regnier (Carl Esmond).The
popular-selling author has recently returned to Paris following two years of
international travel – including a possibly fateful visit to the tropics.Not everyone has enjoyed his most recent
book.Regnier’s fiction-novel Fraudulent Justice has come to the
attention – and annoyance – of the French government.It seems Regnier’s narrative appears to have
been based on a true-life crime and trial: the details of which were never brought
to public scrutiny and the judicial outcome now thought a travesty of
justice.So how was it that Regnier
could accurately account so much about a secretive government trial?
Regnier has also returned to Paris to wrestle other demons.The writer suffers headaches which bring
about unexplainable subsequent episodes of amnesia.During such sessions Regnier is visited by
images of violent weather disturbances and of a mysterious black cat.Regnier’s moneyed patron, Henri Borchard
(Douglas Dumbrille), suggests Regnier’s fragile mental state is due to his having
contracted some sort of fever when visiting the tropics.There’s also a measure of astrological hokum
in the scripting mix as well.
Both Bouchard and Regnier’s publisher Paul Audet (Francis
Pierlot) are concerned that following two gruesome murders of which Regnier is
at least tangentially involved, the author’s book sales might plummet and
bankrupt the publishing house.And circumstantial
evidence of Regnier’s involvement in the murders continues to mount.The Catman’s most recent victim - Regnier’s
high-society fiancé Marguerite Duvall (Adele Mara), was recently jilted so the
author might enjoy a new romance with publisher’s daughter Marie (Lenore
Aubert).Having completely fallen for
the dashing author, Marie Audet is completely convinced of Regnier’s innocence…
until she herself is chased through a misty evening garden by a cloak and
top-hatted Catman on the prowl for her blood.
Though the film would eventually pair with Valley of the Zombies, The Catman of Paris was initially paired
on release with John English’s somewhat better-received ice-skating
musical-mystery Murder in the Music Hall.The first wave of reviews of The Catman of Paris were generally fair -
if mostly unfavorable.The Hollywood Reporter ignobly described the
film as an “absurdity,” a career embarrassments to all involved.The lugubrious screenplay of Republic scenarist
Sherman L. Lowe was decried as far too “wordy… every character uttering
editorials instead of dialog.”
There were complaints – also not unfair - that the film
displayed a curious lack of “physical action.”Variety was a bit more forgiving in its assessment,
calling the Valentine’s Day preview of The
Catman of Paris “a cross between a garden-variety whodunit and a
Jekyll-Hyde horror-meller […] that taxes belief to the breaking point.”The Christian
Science Monitor dismissed the film outright as a “routine horror story
based on far-fetched thrills.”
Despite the lukewarm reviews of both Murder in the Music Hall and The
Catman of Paris, the package managed a successful earning of $35,000 in its
first week.Which, at the very least, guaranteed
a second week of booking.Republic, presumptively
optimistic and encouraged by strong initial returns, inked producer Libkov to a
contract of three additional pictures. Though there was the inevitable revenue
fall-off in the second week of release, the trades were reporting box office
tallies in and around Los Angeles remained “good” if not showing signs of
sustained momentum. But by week three,
the box office receipts were down to disappointing four figure earnings.As the Catman
creeped regionally across the U.S. through autumn of 1946, local reviewers and small-town
theater managers found the film a mild mystery offering at best.Subsequently, four-figure weekly returns were
now the norm.
Frank
Sinatra made his directorial debut with the World War II drama “None But the
Brave,” available on Blu-ray via the Warner Archive Collection. An American C-47
carrying Marines and a Navy Corpsman, crashes on a Pacific island in the Solomon
Islands chain. The island is occupied by a small force of Japanese soldiers who
have been stranded and forgotten. The C-47 radio is damaged in the crash and
the Americans have a limited supply of food, water and ammunition. The Japanese
control the only source of fresh water on the island, grow food, fish and have
built a boat.
The
Americans have a Navy corpsman and the Japanese have an injured soldier. The
Americans also have a hot-headed Marine Lieutenant itching to kill Japanese.
Fortunately, the senior ranking American is the cool-headed Army Air Corp pilot
of the downed C-47 and he keeps the Lieutenant and his men in check. The
Americans and Japanese form a temporary truce; food and water in exchange for
medical care for their injured soldier.
The
movie is part of a sub-genre of WWII movies about adversaries who become
stranded and must survive within enemy territory until rescued. “No Man is an
Island” (1963) and “Hell in the Pacific” (1968) are examples. While its
doubtful American and Japanese ever created such a truce, the concept does make
for interesting story telling. There have even been sci-fi versions of this
premise such as “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” (1964) and “Enemy Mine” (1985).
William Dafoe’s “Robinson Crusoe” is a clear literary source for this genre.
When
a typhoon hits the island, the Americans and Japanese have to work together to
save the fresh water pond. The Americans repair the radio and rescue is at hand,
bringing everyone to the brutal conclusion. The movie ends with a preachy
epitaph, “Nobody Ever Wins,” which comes out of nowhere and makes no sense.
Sinatra and the writers may have been making an early statement about the
Vietnam War at a time when American audiences were still eager to see WWII
action movies like “The Great Escape,” “The Dirty Dozen” and his own “Von
Ryan’s Express.” “None But the Brave” is a good WWII movie with a great cast,
but I think Sinatra may have picked the wrong war to send an anti-war message. Perhaps disillusioned, he never directed another film.
Sinatra
co-produced the movie and receives star billing in what is essentially a co-starring
role as Maloney, a cynical Navy chief who drinks too much. Clint Walker is at
his best as the Army C-47 pilot, Captain Dennis Bourke, who has a history with
Maloney. His Japanese counterpart is Lieutenant Kuroke played by Tatsuya Mihashi.
Tommy Sands is the hot-headed Marine, 2nd Lieutenant Blair in a performance that
is a bit over-the-top, and Takeshi Kato as his equallyhot headed Japanese
counterpart, Sergeant Tamura. Other familiar faces in the American cast include
Brad Dexter as Sergeant Bleeker and Tony Bill as Keller, the C-47 radio
operator. Hisao Dazai appears as Corporal Fujimoto and may be familiar to fans
of Godzilla movies, as he featured in several Toho monster movies. Laraine
Stephens, one of only two women in the movie, appears uncredited in a flashback
scene as Lorie.
Sinatra
gives his typical easy-going performance as Maloney and his direction is
equally easy-going, making use of the tropical location with Kaua'I, Hawaii,
filling in for the South Pacific island. The Japanese-American co-production
has a screenplay co-written by John Twist and Takeshi Kato and is based on a
story by Kikumaru Okuda. There’s unconvincing model work used in the plane
crash scene at the start of the movie with a model Japanese Zero shooting down
the C-47 and an American fighter. The main sets include the freshwater pond,
the C-47 hulk and the Japanese Army compound. I’m sure the cast and crew
enjoyed their time in Hawaii.
The
movie was released in February 1965 by Warner Bros. and clocks in at 106 minutes.
The Warner Archive region-free Blu-ray looks very good and sounds great, with an
early score by John Williams. The only extra on the disc is the trailer which is
interesting because it shows Sinatra acting as both director and star. The
English subtitle option is welcome, especially during the Japanese scenes. The
movie is not perfect, but it is an enjoyable afternoon movie recommended for Sinatra
fans and WWII military adventure.
Click here to order from the Cinema Retro Movie Store
From
the vantage point of 2023, the domestic and professional situations depicted in
Mervyn Le Roy’s “Moment to Moment,” a romantic melodrama released on January
27, 1966, might as well be a portrait of an alien society.Kay Stanton (Jean Seberg) lives in a charming
rented villa in Cannes, France, thanks to her husband Neil’s sabbatical from
his tenured position as an eminent professor of psychology at Columbia
University.If you ask a professor
nowadays if he or she ever expects to receive a year’s paid leave on the French
Riviera complete with housing, the answer is likely to be, “Sure, in your
dreams.”In today’s penny-pinching,
increasingly conservative institutions of higher learning, most professors are
lucky to get tenure.
Kay
has no visible interests or pursuits outside of her role as a housewife, and
even the chores of cooking, cleaning, and supervising the couple’s well-behaved
ten-year-old son are fulfilled by paid help.Today’s overworked, stressed-out soccer moms would pant with envy, but
Kay is lonely.Neil (an archetypal
Arthur Hill role played here by . . . Arthur Hill!) is a loving husband, but he’s
on the road most of the time, happily accepting offers to lecture in London and
Edinburgh.In that pre-IT age, he and
Kay don’t even have the luxury of seeing each other on FaceTime.The best Kay can expect is a hurried call on
her landline as Neil rushes off to an appointment, and the most excitement she
can muster are the afternoon cocktails with her impish, divorced neighbor
Daphne (Honor Blackman).Daphne is as
happily promiscuous as Kay is strait-laced, offering a perpetual open house to
randy gangs of officers on leave from a nearby American Navy base.Despite her good-times facade, we eventually
learn that Daphne’s objective is as middle-class as they come, hoping
eventually to land Mr. Right in the form of a well-to-do, well-connected
commander or admiral.
For
Kay, temptation enters as she encounters Mark Dominic (Sean Garrison), a
handsome Naval ensign with ambitions as an artist.They meet when her son Timmy notices Mark
painting at an easel in town, and from there they drift into a relationship when
she offers to drive him around to scout out potential backdrops at quaint
village plazas and cafes.In the best
Soap Opera tradition of smart people who do stupid things against their better
judgment — not unlike real life, come to think of it — Kay goes to bed with
Mark one night when her son is sleeping over at a friend’s house and the
housekeeper is on vacation.Next
morning, Kay suffers remorse and tells Mark it’s over.Mark reacts angrily, a gun is brandished and
goes off, and he drops to the floor, apparently dead.Kay compounds one stupid act with another
when she convinces Daphne to help her dispose of the body.
At
that point, the movie finds its surest footing as a suspense thriller.Kay calls the police anonymously to tell them
where to find Mark, and soon the shrewd Inspector DeFargo (Grégoire Aslan) is
on the case.He suspects Kay of being
the culprit, and begins to tighten the screws by asking Neil, newly arrived
home not knowing about Kay’s infidelity, to help treat a young man with amnesia.The patient is Mark, alive but suffering a
total loss of memory beginning with the morning he met Kay.In scenes of sadistic comedy that nearly
rival Alfred Hitchcock’s best, DeFargo engineers a series of meetings with
Neil, Kay, and Mark in which various visual and acoustic clues threaten to jog
the young officer’s memory.Kay cringes,
Neil is oblivious, and DeFargo watches like a spider contemplating a fly in its
web.To say the least, it’s unorthodox
police procedure.At least he doesn’t
propose the old Hollywood remedy of smacking Mark on the head again to see if
that does the trick.Maybe he found it
more amusing to torment Kay.
“Moment
to Moment” was the final film of Melvyn Le Roy’s long and versatile career,
except for uncredited assistance on John Wayne’s “The Green Berets,” and it is
largely forgotten today even as new generations of movie buffs rediscover “Little
Caesar,” “Gold Diggers of 1933,” “The Bad Seed,” and “Gypsy.”In part, it was probably a matter of having a
B+ cast instead of an A cast.Jean
Seberg was a well-established actress, but not a proven box-office draw like
Audrey Hepburn or a rising luminary like Faye Dunaway.Sean Garrison co-starred in a short-lived TV
Western, “Dundee and the Culhane,” and then drifted into a busy but low-key
career as a supporting actor.He had the
misfortune of entering the business at the same time as dozens of other young,
good-looking hopefuls, and unlike James Brolin, Chad Everett, Harrison Ford,
Lee Majors, and Robert Redford, he never quite had the charisma or lucky break
needed to surface above the pack.
But
the main jinx for the movie was bad timing.Released the same year that “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “Blow-Up”
began to shake Hollywood’s taboos against explicit language and nudity, “Moment
to Moment” struck critics and probably most viewers as glossy, old-fashioned
entertainment not much racier than the TV Soap Operas of the era.Today, that very quality is likely to work in
its favor among viewers who weren’t even born in 1966.Who wouldn’t be curious about a world in
which a thirty-something woman lounges around the house in Yves Saint Laurent
dresses instead of yoga pants and a sweatshirt?The plot about marital infidelity and attempted murder is mirrored now
by true-crime podcasts and “NBC Dateline Two-Hour Events,” although the
culprits there are usually less attractive and a lot less classy than Kay
Stanton, and the cops less idiosyncratic than Inspector DeFargo.
A
new Blu-ray edition of “Moment to Moment” from Kino Lorber Studio Classics
presents the movie in a sharp, 1.85:1 image much richer than the old prints
that used to run on local TV stations in the 1980s, before “Dr. Phil” and “The
View” claimed their time-slot.Special
features include an amusing, informative audio commentary by Howard S. Berger
and Nathaniel Thompson, and a short 1966 featurette, “Moment to Moment with
Henry Mancini.”The featurette, actually
a slightly extended trailer, intercuts shots of the composer conducting his
lush score for the picture with quick scenes illustrating how the music
underlines Le Roy’s moods of romance and suspense.Would that we had more composers now as
talented as Henry Mancini, and more directors with Mervyn Le Roy’s versatility,
sharp sense of composition, and confident pace.
