The Australian video company Imprint is releasing a Blu-ray edition of Patrick McGoohan's classic TV series "The Prisoner". The further good news is that it contains some new bonus material that didn't appear on previous releases from other companies. Click here to pre-order.

(Prices are in Australian dollars, so use a currency converter to see the cost in your own country.) 

If you haven't obtained this yet, do so. Here are the official details from Kino Lorber. 

Discover the Irreverent, Uproarious, and Astonishing Films of

Cinema's First Nasty Women

A Four-Disc Collection of 99 Specially Curated, Rarely-Seen Silent Films That Paved the Way for Feminist Comedy and Gender Activism in Movies Today.

**Award Winner at the 2023 Cinema Ritrovato DVD Awards**

A mind-expanding endeavor, the set features 99 mostly comic rarities produced from 1898 to 1926, gleaned from archives and libraries across the globe. It is a triumph of scholarship.” — Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

"Cinema’s First Nasty Women is a game-changer for teaching film history."

-- Catherine Russell, Cineaste Magazine

"As an entertainment, it’s a hoot. So much fun! As a look back at the film industry before women creators were reined in, it’s an historical resource. For anyone who is interested in early cinema, this disc set is a real treat!"

-- Audrey Kupferberg, WAMC Northeast Public Radio

"An abundance of low-down female slapstick anarchy....It's old-school film history turned inside out." -- Michael Atkinson, Sight and Sound

"We need to celebrate this amazing, labor of love, four Blu-ray package - also hoping for future editions! It has our strongest recommendation."

-- Gary Tooze, DVDBeaver

Fresh off its win at the Cinema Ritrovato DVD Awards, Cinema's First Nasty Women -- a four-disc set showcasing more than fourteen hours of rarely-seen silent films about feminist protest, slapstick rebellion, and suggestive gender play -- has continued to garner critical praise and inspire innovative repertory programming. This collection is a celebration of the unknown but indelible women whose rebellious energy and creative labor helped establish the international silent film industry. Their work deserves to be enjoyed and remembered today.

Eat your heart out Barbenheimer! With recent discussions about the power of popular media to challenge gender norms, subvert lazy stereotypes, and incite riotous experimentation, now is the perfect time to rediscover these irreverent, uproarious, and astonishing works from more than a century ago. The performers in these films paved the way for feminist comedy and gender activism today. Their wild antics offer uncanny images for navigating the unresolvable crises and unrealized potentials of our own times. Feast your eyes on Cinema's First Nasty Women!

These women organize labor strikes, bake (and weaponize) inedible desserts, explode out of chimneys, electrocute the police force, and assume a range of identities that gleefully dismantle traditional gender norms and sexual constraints.

The films span a variety of genres including slapstick comedy, genteel farce, the trick film, cowboy melodrama, and adventure thriller, and spotlight performers and characters like Bertha Regustus, Minnie Devereaux (Cheyenne and Arapaho), Lillian St. Cyr (Ho-Chunk), Léontine, Little Chrysia, and Edna “Billy” Foster.

Cinema’s First Nasty Women includes 99 European and American silent films, produced from 1898 to 1926, sourced from thirteen international film archives and libraries, with all-new musical scores, video introductions, commentary tracks, and a lavishly illustrated booklet by leading scholars and artists, including Shelley Stamp, Jane Gaines, Jennifer Bean, Mariann Lewinsky, Susan Stryker, Arigon Starr (Kickapoo), Kyla Wazana Tompkins, Yiman Wang, and Liza Black (Cherokee).

Curated by Maggie Hennefeld, Laura Horak, and Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi, and produced for video by Bret Wood, Cinema’s First Nasty Women is a partnership of Kino Lorber, Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, Women Film Pioneers Project, Eye Filmmuseum, FIC-Silente, and Carleton University.

CINEMA'S FIRST NASTY WOMEN

Four-Disc Collection (1898-1926)

Region Free

Directors: various

Cast: Florence Turner, Little Chrysia, Texas Guinan, Fay Tincher,

Gene Gauntier, Mabel Taliaferro, Bertha Regustus, Sarah Duhamel,

Evelyn Greeley, Laura Bayley, Edna "Billy" Foster, Tsuru Aoki, Léontine

Total Running Time: 875 minutes

Countries: Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, U.K., U.S.

Genres: Comedy, Action, Drama, Melodrama, Silent, Slapstick, Western

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By Hank Reineke

Technically speaking, OSS 117 secret agent Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath is not a James Bond knock off. The creation of wildly prolific French author Jean Bruce, the first literary adventure of the spy arrived in 1949 with the publication of Tu parles d'une ingénue (Ici OSS 117). This would pre-date the April 1953 publication of the first Ian Fleming James Bond novel, Casino Royale, by nearly four years. In the years following the publication of that first 007 thriller to his last in 1965, Fleming would deliver an impressive thirteen James Bond novels and nine short stories.

In contrast, Jean Bruce would publish no fewer (and possibly more) than eighty-eight to ninety OSS 117 pulp-adventures between 1949 and March of 1963, the month and year of his passing. It’s difficult to determine how many of Bruce’s novels were of his composition alone. His widow, Josette – and later a teaming of the Bruce’s son and daughter – would continue the pulp series into the early 1990s. So determined bibliophiles will have their work cut out for them if they wish to track down all of the 250+ published OSS 117 novels.

If OSS 117 beat James Bond to the stalls of book-sellers, he also managed to beat him to the cinema screen. Two OSS 117 films were released throughout Western Europe and foreign markets in 1957 and 1960: OSS 117 n'est pas mort (OSS 117 is not Dead) and Le bal des espions (Danger in the Middle East). The latter title, interestingly, does not feature “Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath.” Though based on one of Bruce’s OSS 117 novels, a messy rights-issue prevented the filmmakers to use the central character’s moniker. These earliest films, produced as routine crime dramas by differing production companies (and featuring different actors in the title role), came and went without attention nor fanfare.

But in 1963 Bruce’s OSS 117 character was resurrected as a cinematic property following the success of Terence’s Young’s Dr. No, the first James Bond screen adventure. The spy pictures comprising Kino Lorber’s OSS 117 Five Film Collection are tailored as pastiches of the popular James Bond adventures of the 1960s. This new Blu ray set features the entirety of OSS 117 film thrillers produced 1963 through 1968 during the height of Bondmania. And, just as the Eon series offered a trio of actors to portray James Bond (1962-1973), the OSS series would likewise present three in the role of Colonel Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath. Each actor would bring some aspect of their own personalities to their characterizations.

Of course, the name Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath is a bit of a Franco-linguistic mouthful to market successfully overseas. So, throughout the five films the character usually assumes an Anglo-friendly alias which helps move things along a bit more smoothly: he alternately assumes – among others - such covert surnames as Landon, Barton, Delcroix, Wilson and Mulligan. It certainly makes his character’s many “personal” on-screen introductions easier for all involved.

The Kino set starts off chronologically with 1963’s OSS 117 is Unleashed (original title OSS 117 se déchaîne). Like the four films to follow, the series were all Franco-Italia co-productions and distributed by Gaumont Films. Unlike those four, OSS 117 is Unleashed is filmed in black-and-white. The monochrome photography is not really an issue. But cinemagoers were certainly cheated of enjoying the beautiful beaches and Cliffside scenery of the village of Bonifacio (off the Corsican strait) in vibrant color.

In OSS 117 is Unleashed our hero (American actor Kerwin Mathews, best known to American audiences for his roles in Ray Harryhausen’s special-effect laden epics The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960), is sent to Corsica to investigate the suspicious death of a fellow agent. We’re told, suspiciously, there’s been, “lots of accidents among agents near Bonifacio.” A preamble to the film, culled mostly of cold war era newsreel footage, alerts that an unspecified enemy is working towards “neutralizing” free-world atomic submarine movements in the area. With conspirators tagged with such names as “Sacha” and “Boris,” we can reasonably assume its east-of-the-Iron Curtain intelligence agents behind the plot.

Initially posing as a relative of the recently targeted and now deceased CIA frogman (and later as a Lloyds of London insurance adjustor), Mathews must dispatch and/or fend off a series of enemy agents and perhaps a duplicitous woman. In due course, he survives a poisoning, several (well-choreographed) hand-to-hand combat sequences and even a submerged spear-gun and knifing frogman attack. The latter occurs while he’s search of a mysterious submerged subterranean grotto. The base is outfitted (as one might expect) with high-tech equipment and a detection system designed to bring about “the end of atomic submarines.” The secreted grotto is also equipped with a built-in self-destruct button… always handy, just in case. This is all definitely Bond-on-a budget style filmmaking. Of course, the idea of covertly tracking atomic submarines movements brings to mind the storyline of the far-more-lavishly staged The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).

As far as I can determine, OSS 117 is Unleashed was never released theatrically in the U.S. But Mathews’ second (and final) outing as OSS 117, Panic in Bangkok (Banco à Bangkok pour OSS 117) (1964) would have a belated release in the U.S. (as Shadow of Evil) in December of 1966. Regardless, Shadow of Evil was not exhibited as a primary attraction in the U.S. market. It most often appeared as the under bill to Christopher Lee in The Brides of Fu Manchu or (more sensibly) to Montgomery Clift’s political suspense-thriller The Defector.

(Image courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome.)

By Lee Pfeiffer

Vinegar Syndrome has released a special edition of the 1968 whodunnit Western "5 Card Stud". It's an unusual title for the company, which generally specializes in releasing first rate special editions of obscure cult films and vintage erotica. The film was a follow-up project between veteran producer Hal Wallis and director Henry Hathaway, who had great success with their 1965 Western "The Sons of Katie Elder" which top-lined John Wayne and Dean Martin, who were reunited six years after co-starring in Howard Hawks' classic "Rio Bravo". "Stud" is by no means a classic, but it is a highly entertaining, offbeat entry in the genre, combining traditional Western elements with the novel idea of incorporating a plot concerning serial murders. Martin plays a character with a Hollywoodish name, Van Morgan. He's a professional gambler who finances his life and travels by dressing up like a dude and finding great success in the gambling parlors of Denver. In between games, he leads a low-key life in a small town of Ricon, Colorado, which is attracting miners intent on finding gold that is rumored to in the surrounding area. When the film opens, he is embroiled in a hard-fought game of poker with local men that extends well into the night. When one of the players is revealed to be cheating, the hot-headed Nick Evers (Roddy McDowell) overreacts and gets the other men to join him in tying up the culprit, riding him out by a nearby bridge to lynch him. Van attempts to stop the hanging, but Nick knocks him out with the butt of his pistol. Not much is done about the crime, since Nick is the son of beloved local cattle baron Sig Evers (Denver Pyle), a widower who runs the ranch with Nick and his sister Nora (Katherine Justice), who are both heirs to the cattle ranch. Nora clearly  is smitten by Van, who is reluctant to formally court her, given the fact that she is a decent woman and he lives a somewhat indecent lifestyle. Things kick into gear when one-by-one the men who participated in the fateful poker game are murdered.

The plot is yet another example of Agatha Christie's classic suspense novel "Ten Little Indians" having influenced films of every type of genre. However, the script by the estimable Marguerite Roberts (who would collaborate with Wallis and Hathaway the next year for the triumphant "True Grit") gives the movie an unusual angle for a Western. Roberts had adapted a little-known novel titled  "Glory Gulch" by Ray Gaulden and by all accounts took liberties to improve the story substantially. The movie comes to life with the introduction of the film's most dynamic character, the Reverend Rudd (Robert Mitchum), a gunslinging preacher who arrives out of nowhere to open the town's first chapel, determined to bring God into the lives of the town's hedonistic inhabitants. Rudd is a preacher in the fire-and-brimstone tradition. He's outwardly polite but also displays a healthy dose of cynicism. When one of the murders occurs in the chapel, he teams with Van to find the culprit as each of the poker players become increasingly paranoid that they might be the next victim.

The whodunnit aspect of the script is done away with when the identity of the killer is revealed well before the climax. The villain's identity won't come as a shock to any astute viewer, but it's an awful lot of fun watching the clues unravel. Martin was criticized by some reviewers for sleepwalking through his part, but it's an unfair criticism. He gives a perfectly fine performance even if he is upstaged by Mitchum in the meatier and more interesting role. Inger Stevens, in one of her final screen roles before tragically committing suicide at age 35, appears as Lily, a local madame who moves into town with her "girls" and opens a bordello disguised as an upscale tonsorial parlor, which results in some amusing dialogue and sight gags. Van finds himself torn between good girl Nora and the exotic bad girl Lily. The film boasts a marvelous cast of beloved character actors, some of whom only have bit roles. In addition to Denver Pyle, you can relish the presence of Yaphet Kotto, who is excellent in an early career performance. Other participants include John Anderson, Ruth Springford, Roy Jenson,Whit Bissell and Hope Summers, who was a regular on "The Andy Griffith Show". The only off-key note is provided by the miscast Roddy McDowell, who plays a villain in traditional Roddy McDowell style, with a quasi-English accent and an erudite manner that doesn't fit his role as a hard scrabbled cattle rancher. Hathaway's direction is spot-on and the film also offers a quirky musical score by Maurice Jarre that seems to emulate the music found in the Sergio Leone Westerns. We even get to hear Dino warble the catchy title song. 

The Vinegar Syndrome release is highly impressive, having been newly scanned and restored in 4K from its original camera negative. Aside from a blurry few seconds in the opening poker game the rest of transfer is excellent. The sleeve has very creative artwork by Tony Stella that seems to pay tribute to the Italian movie poster designs of the era. (There is also reversible sleeve artwork that shows the stars.) There's a 16-page, amply illustrated collector's booklet with an excellent and informative essay by film historian Jim Healy, who astutely points out elements of the film noir genre that are interwoven in the movie. Historian Lizzie Francke provides an excellent video essay about the dramatic life and career of Marguerite Roberts, who managed to rebound after being blacklisted during the dark days of McCarthyism. Film critic Walter Chaw provides a video essay that is devoted entirely to the life and career of Henry Hathaway, and states the obvious: he was always underrated. There is also an impressive commentary track by film book author and Cinema Retro columnist Brian Hannan, who provides plenty of very interesting insights into the making of the film and the Western genre of the 1960s. (He points out that "5 Card Stud" was quite successful at the boxoffice.) As side note, Hannan also runs the addictive blog "The Magnificent 60s".

I don't know if there will be more films of this type released by Vinegar Syndrome, but I hope this isn't an aberration and that there will be more to follow, especially if they are presented in such a fine manner.

Click here to order from  Vinegar Syndrome.

By Lee Pfeiffer

"Sweet November", released in 1968, came and went without generating much enthusiasm from critics or the public. Produced the estimable team of Jerry Gershwin and Elliott Kastner, who would go on to make "Where Eagles Dare", the film is a romantic comedy set in Brooklyn Heights, just across the river from Manhattan decades before the area was deemed to be hip. Anthony Newley is Charlie Blake, a stuffy British import to Gotham who is the workaholic president of a company that manufactures cardboard boxes. You know the type: no time for love or laughs and just perfect to be taught a life lesson by the right girl, who, in this case, happens to be Sara Deever (Sandy Dennis), a 23 year-old independent young woman who meets cute with Charlie while they both are taking a test to renew their driver's licenses. As in all such scenarios, the small talk is awkward and Charlie finds Sara to be wacky and annoying- before discovering that her bizarre conversations are somewhat intoxicating. Before long, they are pals and Sara brings him to her apartment. She explains she's an artist who has found a way to act as a de facto repair woman for other apartment dwellers, thus supplementing her income. She also has unusual living arrangements. Every month, she "adopts" a new man with emotional needs who gets to live with her for a full month, during which time she serves as an amateur psychiatrist who documents the progress (or lack there of) in bringing the temporary man of the house to a better status than she found him in. At the end of every month, the male tenant must leave to make room for his replacement. Sara can discern that Charlie is an uptight nerd who is also frustrated poet at heart. She convinces him to be her tenant for November. Since Charlie owns his company, he's able to take the time off, which serves as a reminder of nice things were before E- mails and text messages came to rule the lives of executives.

Sara's modest flat provides some amusing sight gags: her bed is located on a shaky platform accessible only by a even shakier ladder. However, the perks of being her "Tenant of the Month" are that you don't have to pay rent and you get to sleep with her, though the sexual aspect of the relationship is only hinted at. Charlie finds Sara to be a handful in terms of personality quirks. She has an opinion on everything and likes to play "Mother Hen", advising her tenants about how to improve their lives. Gradually, Charlie becomes intoxicated by her innocence and good nature. She's Holly Golightly on steroids, as she inspires him to explore his creative impulses, shed his business attire and dress in the currently mod styles. Sara introduces Charlie to her best friend, Alonzo (nicely played by Theodore Bikel), an artist and local activist who serves as a father figure to her. Before long, Charlie is madly in love with Sara and dreads the day when his eventual departure will have to occur in order to accommodate her next tenant. Until this point, "Sweet November" plays out like a sitcom of the era, albeit with some nice footage of Brooklyn. Director Robert Ellis Miller often encourages his stars to overplay the "cutesy" elements of their characters. Sara is almost pretentiously quirky and Charlie displays a fey personality and habits that were mostly associated with stereotypical gay characters of the era. However, Herman Raucher's script takes a somber turn in the last third of the film as Charlie desperately convinces himself that Sara loves him as much as he loves her. A dramatic twist is introduced that leads to a genuinely touching, if unexpected finale. As the script grows darker, the two leads have more to work with. Dennis brings a sensitivity to her performance as the ultimate liberated woman and Newley (who generally displays more ham than your local supermarket) eventually reigns in his comedic mannerisms and redeems himself by making Charlie a more sympathetic figure.

"Sweet November" has all the trappings of a stage play that was adapted to a film. In fact, it is not, although one can easily see it translated into a theater production, as most of the scenes take place in an apartment. The script was considered to be a hot property back in the day and Audrey Hepburn was said to have been interested in starring in the film. It enjoyed a prestigious opening at Radio City Music Hall but critics were dismissive of the movie, though the influential New York Times almost begrudgingly acknowledged a positive recommendation. The film quickly disappeared until 2001 when it was remade starring Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron, though that film failed at the boxoffice as well. Despite its unenviable legacy, "Sweet November" is a touching film that will probably please most retro movie lovers. It is currently available as a region-free DVD through the Warner Archive. 

By  Fred Blosser

In “Man-Eater of Kumaon,” a 1948 feature now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, Dr. John Collins (Wendell Corey) undertakes an ill-fated big-game hunt in the distant land of the movie’s title—an actual region of India in the Himalayan foothills, not a fantasy world orbiting somewhere between planets Coruscant and Dune as the exotic name might suggest nowadays. Stalking a tiger in the underbrush, Collins inflicts an agonizing but not fatal injury as his bullet severs one of the tiger’s toes. His Indian guides warn that the wounded tiger will begin attacking and killing humans, and they urge him to finish what he started. But the American doesn’t feel particularly responsible for the villagers now at the mercy of the carnivore. In his case, it’s less a matter of Western chauvinism than a general lack of empathy for other people whatever their ethnicity, a shortcoming that cost him his marriage back in the States.

After recovering from an onset of malaria, Collins plans to try his luck in Sumatra next. But the tiger has already begun its depredations, and on his way to Delhi, the hunter encounters a little boy, Panwah, orphaned by the big cat. Collins conveys the child to a nearby village, where he is taken in by a young couple, Narain (Sabu) and Lali (Joanne Page), whom the American befriends. In part, we infer, he becomes close to the loving couple because they remind him of what he lost back home when his wife divorced him. Still, he resists the idea that, having turned the tiger into a killer of humans, it’s up to him to restore peace and security by finishing the job—until the attacks become personal when Lali is badly mauled while saving Panwah.

“Man-Eater of Kumaon” was loosely based on a best-selling memoir by big-game hunter Jim Corbett, who in real life was neither an American nor a disenchanted physician. This wasn’t the first or last instance of filmmakers purchasing a popular book, keeping the title for name recognition, and throwing out most everything else. Unlike many books and films that have glorified big-game hunting as a macho rite of passage, the dilemma facing John Collins is a crisis of conscience, not a challenge to his ability to secure a trophy head. Still, animal-rights advocates and conservationists are likely to be disturbed by scenes of the hunter pointing his rifle at the tiger whatever the context. Now, laws would require that the cat be tranquillised as the first resort and relocated to another habitat away from humans, not killed. Aside from Sabu, all the Indians in the story are portrayed by non-Indian actors, a practice that wouldn’t begin to change for another ten years, when Kamala Devi and I.S Johar appeared in prominent supporting roles in another movie about ferocious felines, “Harry Black and the Tiger” (1958). Arguing that studios should have been more inclusive in the 1940s is a little like contending that Ford’s Theatre should have had metal detectors in 1865. Nevertheless, it’s still a hurdle for many viewers today, accustomed as we’ve become to the routine presence of Indian and Indian-American actors in contemporary TV shows and movies, although critically beloved classics like “Gunga Din” and “Black Narcissus” often seem to get a pass in this regard.

Well acted by the always dependable Wendell Corey and capably directed by Byron Haskin (better known to Sci-Fi enthusiasts for 1953’s “The War of the Worlds” and six episodes of “The Outer Limits” in 1963-64), “Man-Eater of Kumaon” shows to good advantage in the new Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. The movie was filmed in black and white by acclaimed cinematographer William C. Mellor, a choice that may have been necessitated by the budgetary logistics of incorporating old B&W stock footage into new shots of a tiger prowling through a backlot jungle set, but it serves a dramatic purpose too. Mellor’s glistening daytime shots and hi-def, misty nocturnal compositions underscore a Film Noir quality in the plot, as fate manoeuvres John Collins into an initially reluctant, then fiercely resigned showdown with the hostile force of nature represented by the rogue tiger. Special features on the Blu-ray include several trailers for other jungle movies and Wendell Corey pictures available from Kino Lorber, a spirited audio commentary by David Del Valle and Dan Marino and reversible sleeve artwork.

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

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Blue Underground:

On April 23rd, Blue Underground releases Goodbye Uncle Tom, one of the most graphic and notorious films ever made, on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-Ray.  

Originally released in 1971, Goodbye Uncle Tom is an Italian mondo-docudrama based on true events about the rise and revolt of slavery in America.  

Directors Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi (Mondo Cane) used period documentation and historical accounts to recreate the antebellum south and the horrors of the slave trade. The film was so shocking in its detailed look at the atrocities of slavery that distributors in the US forced Jacopetti and Prosperi to cut it and radically re-edit the film before release.  

Even in its truncated form, Goodbye Uncle Tom created a stir amongst critics. Roger Ebert called it, “… the most disgusting, contemptuous insult to decency ever to masquerade as a documentary.” while Pauline Kael said, “the most specific and rabid incitement to race war," and The Detroit Chronicle hailed it as "a graphic, moving, nerve-paralyzing film."  

Goodbye Uncle Tom can now be seen more than five decades after its initial release in both its original uncut Italian version, alongside its drastically different English version, both fully restored in 4K from their original camera negatives. Includes a bonus Blu-ray disc with a wealth of supplemental features that give context to the staggering and violent look back at this horrific chapter of American history.  

The 4K UHD and Blu-ray Extras special features include feature-length documentaries; never-before-seen interviews with writers/directors Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi, composer Riz Ortolani and others; rare behind-the-scene footage; English and Italian trailers; still galleries, including Giampaolo Lomi’s behind-the-scenes photos; a bonus CD of the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Riz Ortolani; and a collectible booklet.   

Click here to order 4K 4 disc edition from Amazon

Click here to order Blu-ray edition on Amazon

By Lee Pfeiffer

Burt Reynolds had been gnawing around the boundaries of genuine stardom for more than a decade, starring in short-lived television shows and top-lining "B" movies. He ingratiated himself to the American public by showcasing his wit and comedic abilities by appearing on chat shows.  In 1972, he struck gold when director John Boorman cast him opposite Jon Voight as the two male leads in the sensational film adaptation of James Dickey's "Deliverance". Finally, he could be classified as a major movie star. Soon, Reynolds was cranking out major films even while his uncanny ability to publicize himself resulted in such stunts as his famed provocative centerfold pose in Cosmopolitan magazine. On screen, Reynolds sensed that he could cultivate an especially enthusiastic audience if he catered to rural movie-goers. He was proven right with the release of "White Lightning", a highly enjoyable 1973 action/comedy that perfectly showcased Reynolds' favored image as a handsome, unflappable hero with a Bondian knack for tossing off quips while facing death and also engaging in good ol' boy towel-snapping humor. Playing bootlegger Gator McClusky, Reynolds drew major crowds, very much pleasing United Artists, which enjoyed hefty profits from the modestly-budgeted production. Reynolds learned, however, that his audience wouldn't necessarily follow him if he deviated from that image. When he went against the grain in films like "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing", "At Long Last Love" and "Lucky Lady", the movies bombed. When he stuck to the basics, he had hits with "Shamus", "The Longest Yard" and "W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings". The legendary Variety headline that read "Hix Nix Stix Pix" was no longer true. The American heartland loved Burt Reynolds, especially when he played characters that rural audiences could embrace.

In 1976, Reynolds fulfilled another career milestone by directing his first feature film, a sequel to "White Lightning" titled "Gator". Like the first movie, it was shot entirely on location in Georgia and picked up on the adventures of everyone's favorite moonshiner. When we first see Gator in the sequel, he his getting out of jail only to be targeted by the feds to be used as a pawn in a multi-state crackdown on an epidemic of political corruption that threatens the career of the self-serving, ambitious governor (played very well by famed chat show host Mike Douglas in his big screen debut.) Gator is living in a shack located deep in an inhospitable swamp with his elderly father and precocious 9 year-old daughter when the feds launch a major raid to arrest him on moonshining charges. In reality, they want to use the warrant as leverage to convince him to go undercover for them inside the crime ring. Gator wants no part of it and leads the feds on a merry chase around the bayou in which he is pursued by speed boats and helicopters before finally relenting. The lead federal agent in charge is Irving Greenfield (Jack Weston), an overweight, hyper-nervous Jewish guy from Manhattan who has the unenviable task of ensuring that Gator follows orders. A good portion of the film's laugh quotient comes from Irving's less-than-convincing attempts to "blend in" with small town southern locals. The crime ring is run by Bama McCall (Jerry Reed), an outwardly charming and charismatic fellow who, in reality, uses brutally violent methods to ensure loyalty and intimidate local businessmen to pay protection money. He and Gator are old acquaintances and he doesn't hesitate to give Gator a good-paying job as an enforcer for his mob. Things become more intriguing when Gator sets eyes on Aggie Maybank (Lauren Hutton), an attractive local TV anchor with liberal political beliefs that find her squaring off against Bama in order to protect the poor merchants he is exploiting. "Gator" proceeds on a predictable path but its predictability doesn't detract from its merits, which are considerable. Reynolds is a joy to watch and it's small wonder he leaped to the top ranks of cinematic leading men. His cocky, self-assured persona served him well on the big screen and "Gator" is custom-made to please his core audience. He also proved to be a very able director, handling the action scenes and those of unexpected tragic twists with equal skill. He also gets very good performances from his eclectic cast, with Weston engaging in his usual penchant for scene-stealing. Reed also shines in a rare villainous role and ex-model Hutton proves she has admirable acting chops, as well. The action scenes are impressive thanks to the oversight of the legendary Hal Needham, who would forge a long-time collaborative relationship with Reynolds. 

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray is a reissue with extras from the 2018 release ported over.  The new additional material consists of a commentary track by film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson, who also provide a new track on the KL reissue of "White Lightning".  The track is quite valuable and entertaining, as old pros Mitchell and Thompson provide a wealth of interesting facts and observations about the film. For example, they discuss that "Gator" is far lighter in tone than the revenge thriller "White Lightning" and say that Reynolds thought the script for "Gator" was sub-par but did the film on the proviso he could direct it. The  disc is  also impressive not only because of the excellent transfer but also because it contains a filmed interview with Reynolds, who extols the film's virtues and its personal meaning to him. In an unusually candid conversation, he divulges amusing anecdotes about Hutton's on-set quirks that included a penchant for exhibitionism (she would flash her breasts to appreciative crew members.) He also relates how a car crash stunt almost killed Hal Needham. Most poignantly, he talks about his personal affection for Georgia, a state he has filmed over twenty movies in. He also candidly expresses his regret that only directed a few films and never fulfilled his dream of directing productions he didn't star in. The Blu-ray set also includes a new gallery of trailers for Reynolds films available from KL. In all, a highly impressive release of an action film showcasing Reynolds at his best. Recommended. 

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By Darren Allison

Cult director Bert I. Gordon was at the helm for this terrifying story of supernatural passion. Set on an island in a tight-knit community, Tom Stewart (Richard Carlson) is preparing to marry the woman he loves. All is well until Tom's old girlfriend, Vi (Juli Reding), confronts him at the top of the island's lighthouse, claiming he can only be hers! A freak accident throws the scorned woman to her death. At first relieved, Tom's tune changes when her vengeful spirit begins to follow him wherever he goes. He's soon tormented, body and soul, by an unforgiving she-ghost! What lengths will Tom go to in order to protect his secret? Will the vengeful Vi finally reveal herself to the others at hand?

And the scene is pretty much set for a quite wonderful slice of low- budgeted shenanigans. Bert I. Gordon was of course a master of his art in this particular genre of filmmaking. Starting off in advertising using his trusted 16mm camera, Gordon wasn’t one to sit back and wait for success, instead he chased his dream, and as a result accomplished a pretty good career in movies. He’s best known for writing and directing science fiction and horror B-movie classics such as King Dinosaur (1955), The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), Earth vs. the Spider (1958), Village of the Giants (1965), and later the Joan Collins fun fest Empire of the Ants (1977).

In the late 50’s, ghostly supernatural films were building in popularity, movies such as Roger Corman’s The Undead (1957), Edward L. Cahn’s Voodoo Women (1957) and William Castle’s House on Haunted Hill (1959) signified a change in trends. Gordon was always astute and possessed a good sense of understanding when it came to successful box office. And so, following the current trend, Gordon embarked upon his own ghost story in the form of Tormented (1960). Starring Richard Calson, the actor that had already established himself in genre classics such as The Maze (1953), It Came from Outer Space (1953) and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). Carlson engages in the fun like a seasoned pro. He’s supported by former child star, Lugene Sanders, the marvellously formed Juli Reding, child actress Susan Gordon (daughter of the director) and a young, hip Joe Turkel – who appeared in Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956), Paths of Glory (1957), and later in The Shining (1980). Aside from being hugely enjoyable throughout, this Film Masters 4K restoration looks absolutely perfect. Stark, sharp and beautiful on the eye, the amount of work afforded to this rather cheaply made movie really elevates it to a much higher level. Blacks are nice and deep, and the images contains just the right amount of grain without over-cooking it. There seems to be a couple of very minor jump cuts along the way – best rest assured, blink at the right time and they’re pretty much undetectable. The print shows no wear, scratches and virtually free of dust and dirt spots. The audio clarity is also clean and bright in both DTS and the Dolby digital track. It’s very obvious that the efforts in restoring this film have really paid off and the results are hard to fault.

But this Film Masters release offers so much more – you really have to praise the package as a whole, there’s really no skimping or cutting corners in terms of its content. Firstly, and as we have come to expect with the Film Masters releases, there’s an interesting and insightful commentary track by historian, writer and filmmaker Gary Rhodes along with contributions by Larry Blamire. The track is a detailed and informative education. There is an all too brief featurette, Bert I. Gordon: The Amazing Colossal Filmmaker – which features an archival interview with the charismatic director who provides us with a general overview of how he began in the business of movies. Then there is Bigger Than Life: Bert I. Gordon in the 1950’s and 1960’s, a Ballyhoo Motion Pictures documentary featuring film historian C. Courtney Joyner. This documentary provides a great insight into the director’s career, with plenty of clips, stories, trailers, poster art and rare photos illustrated throughout – a real joy. For the more serious scholars, there is an enjoyable visual essay by The Flying Maciste Brothers (Howard S. Berger and Kevin Marr). The Spirit is Willing: CineMagic and Social Discord in Bert I. Gordon’s Tormented, offers a much deeper analysis of the movie and its implications – which is fine should you want to delve into that particular territory. At the other end of the spectrum, Film Masters also offers the whole film again, this time in the form of the Mystery Science Theater 2000 version (1992). There’s no disputing the fact that these presentations are purely produced as a put down or a ‘roasting’ for light-hearted entertainment – which is fine if this is your thing. At least Film Masters has again had the foresight to cover all areas, and provide something for everyone – dependent upon your particular taste. One thing I did find particularly interesting during this version is that it contains the original opening Allied Artists title – something that was missing from the restored main feature version. There are two Tormented trailers included, an original ‘raw’35mm version and a 2024 re-cut version using restored element. Again, a nice way of satisfy all audiences with both the old and the new, and I’m fully behind that way of thinking. Also included on the disc is an ‘unreleased TV pilot’ of Famous Ghost Stories featuring Vincent Price. I was initially quite excited about viewing this, as it tied in nicely with Tormented because the episode again starred Richard Calson and Susan Gordon. So, I was a little disappointed to discover that this was not the full episode and instead was simply just the opening and closing intro and outro clips featuring Vincent Price. The entire show would hade been a real treat if included. But overall, this minor quibble takes nothing away from what is a very generous collection of extras.

On top of that, Film Masters have also included a nicely produced 22-page illustrated booklet with essays by respected film historian Tom Weaver and novelist/filmmaker John Wooley. The film sleeve and booklet cover make good use of the original film artwork.

Film Masters have produced an excellent package with their presentation of Tormented. The company seems to grow from strength to strength with each of their new releases. It’s a rare feeling to feel genuinely excited when considering what might be waiting around the next corner. I can only hope it’s more of the same.

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(Darren Allison is the Soundtracks Editor for Cinema Retro), 

By Lee Pfeiffer

The White Bus (aka Red, White and Zero) is an experimental film by future acclaimed director Lindsay Anderson. Running a scant 46 minutes, the movie was intended to be one third of a feature film that consisted of other offbeat stories by different directors. For various reasons, the other segments were never completed, thus leaving Anderson's work an orphan. The movie is currently being streamed on the Screenpix service. The merits of the film are debatable. It's visually striking. Filmed primarily in B&W with occasional short sequences in color, the movie is a fairly incomprehensible critique of British society. Like Bryan Forbes' The Whisperers, the movie was largely photographed in and around Manchester and the city fairs equally bad in Anderson's work. The plot, such as a it is, centers on an unnamed young woman (Patricia Healey) who is bored working in a London office. We see her at the end of another mundane day getting ready to leave for home. However, the viewer is then exposed to a pair of legs dangling from above her desk. Someone has hanged themselves, but no one in the office pays the slightest bit of attention. The girl takes a train to Manchester and ends up inexplicably deciding to board a white tourist bus that is packed with an eclectic assortment of international eccentrics. The bus stops at various locations including factories and the group is escorted about by the Lord Mayor (Arthur Lowe) who is decked out in full regalia.

There are bizarre sequences that are at times rather mesmerizing - like outtakes from an episode of The Prisoner in that they mingle realism with fantasy. Anderson seems to be making a cynical comment about the degradation of society and the loss of individualism, though the message is muddled amidst the arresting visual aspects of the film. Consequently, the whole enterprise becomes rather frustrating and wearying. Anderson has something to say but is so obtuse about making his point that the film becomes rather like one of those pretentious movies designed to please no one other than pseudo intellectuals who populate panels at film festivals.

There are some other talented people involved in this enterprise including future Oscar winning producer Michael Deeley (The Italian Job, Blade Runner, The Deer Hunter), acclaimed film maker and movie historian Kevin Brownlow (It Happened Here) and screenwriter Shelagh Delaney, whose novel the segment is based on. Young Anthony Hopkins also has a brief bit in the film. Anderson fans will certainly want to check out this early endeavor, but for the average viewer its rather difficult to warm to.

(Screenpix is available as an add-on subscription to subscribers to Amazon Prime, Hulu and YouTube. Click here for more information.)