Ronnie’s, a 2020 documentary,
tells the story of Ronnie Scott and his legendary London jazz club.
From
the opening sequence in which virtuoso pianist Oscar Peterson and his band
perform in an exuberant split screen montage, the film announces itself as a
vehicle where style reflects content, and the filmmakers really know how to
present their material in a compelling way.
The
documentary recounts how Ronnie Scott, a poor Jewish kid from London’s East End,
becomes a top British jazz saxophonist in the 1940s and 50s.Eventually tiring of big band swing, and
inspired by the new music of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, Scott forms
his own Bebop ensemble.In 1959, Scott
and his fellow musician and business partner, Pete King, open their own nightclub—Ronnie
Scott’s.It doesn’t take long for their
club to become the premiere jazz spot in London, and a must-visit venue for
jazz musicians and jazz lovers from around the world.
The
documentary includes performance clips, some extended, by Miles Davis, Buddy
Rich, Nina Simone, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Ben Webster, Sarah Vaughn, Sonny
Rollins, Ella Fitzgerald, and others.Much of the performance footage comes from a filmed concert at Ronnie’s
in 1969.There’s also a strange, almost
cringe-worthy performance by Van Morrison doing “Send in the Clowns,”
accompanied by Chet Baker on trumpet.
Besides
chronicling the club’s history, the film also tells the story of Scott himself,
who was plagued by depression throughout his life.His depression was at times
debilitating.Music was his savior—until
it wasn’t.Interviewees include Scott, his
two significant others, his daughter, business associates, and music luminaries
such as Quincy Jones.
Writer/director
Oliver Murray and editor Paul Trewartha bring the music, history, and personal tale
to life through inspired editorial choices such as presenting almost all the
interviews as voice over—leaving more room for the captivating archival and
performance footage.
If
the film follows the now-clichéd story arc of humble beginnings, to
rise-to-the-top success, to fall, to redemption (in this case, the
revitalization of Scott’s club after his death), then so be it.Within that familiar trajectory is emotional
depth, fascinating cultural history, and, of course, the music.
Ronnie’s is available on DVD
from Greenwich Entertainment.It’s also currently streaming
on several platforms. 102 minutes. Bonus features: trailers.
In
the early 1980s, Israeli cousins and co-producers Menahem Golan and Yoram
Globus – the men behind then-thriving outfit The Cannon Group – decided that
they would like to add an old-fashioned style horror film to their burgeoning
library of titles. They approached director Peter Walker, renowned for a slew
of successful exploitation pictures throughout the 1970s, suggesting he create
something for the likes of Bela Lugosi, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff, blissfully
unaware the three actors were dead. Regardless, Walker took the baton and ran
with it, the result being 1983’s rather splendid House of the Long Shadows.
Probably
best remembered for assembling icons of horror cinema Peter Cushing,
Christopher Lee, Vincent Price and John Carradine under one roof, House of
the Long Shadows didn’t wow critics at the time and with hindsight it’s
easy to see why. Times had moved on since the relatively harmless monster
flicks of the 1930s and 40s and audiences were becoming accustomed to seeing
grisly fare such as Friday the 13th, Halloween and the
nerve-shredding remake of The Thing. Nevertheless, Cannon had requested
a throwback to those old movies and that’s what Walker delivered, being sure to
tick all the requisite clichéd boxes; an imposing house, creaking floorboards,
lightning storms, hidden tunnels, furtive sideways glances, locked doors to
attic rooms, and a series of murders that wouldn’t be out of place in And
Then There Were None were all present and correct.
After
he was initially approach by Golan and Globus, Walker had tried unsuccessfully
to acquire the rights to restage The Old Dark House. He then turned to
screenwriter Michael Armstrong, who conjured up a story based upon the 1913
novel “Seven Keys to Baldpate” by Earl Derr Biggers, playwright and creator of
Charlie Chan. Shooting took place on location at Rotherfield Park in East
Tisted (near Alton) in Hampshire.
The
plot is a simple one. An American novelist (Desi Arnaz, Jr) accepts a $20,000
bet from his publisher (Richard Todd) that challenges him to write a classic
chiller in one night. He travels to Wales and pitches up in a long-unoccupied
manor house at Bllyddpaetwr – pronounced Baldpate – convinced that the
surroundings will furnish him with the all the inspiration he needs.
Unfortunately,his attempts to get started are hindered by the arrival of an
assortment of mysterious visitors who, as the night progresses, are revealed to
have more in common first apparent.
The
aforementioned titans of terror aside, joining them on screen are Walker
regular Sheila Keith (who only ever got to play unpleasant characters, yet by
all accounts was the sweetest woman you could hope to meet), Julie Peasgood,
Richard Hunter, Louise English and (fleetingly) Norman Rossington. What a
fantastic cast, eh?
But
naturally enough the big draw is the four main stars. Lee is his usual reliably
imposing presence, commanding your attention every time he’s on screen. Cushing
turns in a particularly memorable performance; hobbled by an endearing speech
impediment – he can’t pronounce his Rs – his character also gets to deliver one
of the film’s best bits of dialogue as he melancholically explains why he’s
such a timid man. Price meanwhile gets the cream pf the blackly pithy lines (upon
discovering the body of a character who’s been strangled with piano wire he
remarks, deadpan, “They must have heard her singing.”). Carradine appears to
struggle a tad, occasionally not looking too sure where he is (he was in his
late 70s at the time this was made), but his performance is nothing to be
ashamed of and somehow that adds to the quirky charm of the piece.
With
a runtime of 121-minutes, it’s a bloated affair and could certainly have lost
several scenes in which characters wander around lost in the maze of tunnels;
it doesn’t make for tedious viewing as such, but they fail to move the story
along. All the same, as the climax approaches there are some nifty little
twists and at the end of the day it’s a pleasure to watch, if only to bask in the
fun that Cushing, Lee and Price evidently had making it.
Neglected
for years, House of the Long Shadows finally got to see a belated
release to DVD ten years ago andRegion A Blu-ray from Kino Lorber a few years back. Fans can now rejoice; it has been
spruced up for a Region 2 Blu-Ray release from Fabulous Films, including a host
of worthy supplements. The film itself has always suffered from a slight
murkiness, but here it looks better than ever it has and is accompanied by an
optional commentary track from Peter Walker and Derek Pykett. The standout
among the bonus inclusions is a feature-length documentary, “Return to House of
the Long Shadows”, originally shot and directed by Pykett – who clearly holds
the film in great esteem – in 2012. Running only 15-minues less than the movie
itself, much like that it might have benefited from a little judicious editing,
but it’s nonetheless an invaluable treasure trove of information and
reminiscences. Built around a revisit to Rotherfield Park by Walker, actress
Julie Peasgood (who barely seems to have aged a day) and cinematographer Norman
Langley, it boasts an impressive collection of additional interviews with
actors Desi Arnaz, Jr, Richard Hunter and Louise English, production designer
Michael Pickwoad, production manager Jeanne Ferber, writer Michael Armstrong,
camera operator John Simmons, costume designer Alan Flyng and composer Richard
Harvey. Additionally, there’s a separate 15-minute interview with Walker, a
short step-through gallery of stills and a trailer.
"The Deadly Affair", directed by Sidney Lumet, is the 1967 film based
on John Le Carre's 1961 novel "Call for the Dead". Le Carre was riding
high during the Bond-inspired Bond phenomenon of the 1960s. Unlike the
surrealistic world of 007, Le Carre's books formed the basis for gritty
and gloomy espionage stories that were steeped in realism and cynicism.
The film adaptation of Le Carre's "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold"
had been released the previous year to great acclaim. Lumet, who made
"The Deadly Affair" for his own production company, rounded up top
flight British talent including screenwriter Paul Dehn, who had written
the film adaptation of "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" and co-wrote
the screenplay for "Goldfinger".
As with all Le Carre film adaptations, the plot is complex to the
point of being confusing. There are many intriguing characters of
dubious allegiance to one another, a scarcity of violence in favor of
people talking in back alleys and living rooms and a desire to paint the
world of Cold War espionage as a tawdry environment in which the good
guys are indistinguishable from the bad guys. James Mason plays Charles
Dobbs, a veteran British Intelligence agent who takes a leisurely walk
through St. James Park with a civil servant, Fennan (Robert Flemyng),who
is aspiring to get a promotion to the Foreign Office. Dobbs informs him
that there is a bit of concern about his security clearance because an
anonymous person has tipped off MI6 through a letter that states
Fennan's may have a dual allegiance to the communists. Dobbs considers
the matter somewhat trivial and tries to assure Fennan that his name
will probably be cleared. The men part on seemingly upbeat terms but the
next day Dobbs is told by his superiors that Fennan has committed
suicide. Dobbs is flabbergasted and insists the man showed no signs of
instability. Nevertheless, Dobbs feels he is being made to be the fall
guy for failing to see obvious weaknesses in Fennan's personality.
That's not his only problem. Domestically, his young wife Ann (Harriett
Andersson) is causing him great distress by taking on numerous lovers
under his very nose. (Dobbs is even instructed to phone her before he
comes home in case she has a bed mate in their house.) Dobbs is
humiliated at playing the role of cuckold but can't bring himself to
divorce Ann- even when it is revealed that his old friend Dieter
(Maximilian Schell), a German Intelligence agent who is visiting London,
has also been seduced by her.
Dobbs smells a rat at MI6 and doubts Fennan committed suicide. He
starts his own investigation into who killed him and why. An interview
with Fennan's widow (Simone Signoret) only makes matters more complex
when he begins to suspect she might be a Soviet agent. Dobbs enlists the
only two colleagues he can trust: agent Bill Appleby (Kenneth Haigh)
and the semi-retired agent Mendel (Harry Andrews). The trio find that as
they get closer to the truth, the trail is getting more dangerous with
numerous murders occurring and their own lives in danger.
To bring Le Carre's novel to the screen, certain recurring characters
from his books, such as legendary spy George Smiley, had to have their
names changed because Paramount had the rights to "The Spy Who Came in
from the Cold" and the characters appeared in the novel and screen
version. Paul Dehn's screenplay is confusing but never boring and by the
end you can pretty much figure out what is going on even if some of the
peripheral characters' significance remains a bit vague. Sidney Lumet
was the ultimate "actor's director" and could always be counted on to
get top-rate performances from his cast. "The Deadly Game" is no
exception, with James Mason in fine form as a man who has been disgraced
professionally and personally but who still has enough pride to attempt
to clear his name. Lumet hired two fine actors who appeared in his 1965
masterwork "The Hill"- Harry Andrews and Roy Kinnear- to reunite for
this production and they have a great scene together. (Andrews must be
one of the most under-rated actors of all time.) Maximilian Schell only
appears sporadically but his role is pivotal and he is typically
impressive, as is Simone Signoret as a woman of doubtful allegiance.
Harriett Andersson, whose proficiency in English was limited, is
occasionally difficult to understand (she was reportedly partially
dubbed because of this). She accepted the role at the last minute when
Candice Bergen had to back out of the film. She is suitably sultry and
her character is quite interesting, professing to love her husband even
as she revels in submitting him to sexual humiliation. The only humor in
the film is provided by a very amusing Lynn Redgrave in a small role as
Virgin Bumpus (!), an inept set designer for a Shakespearean theater
production. Quincy Jones provides a fine jazz score that fits in well
with the lounge music craze of the era and Freddie Young's
cinematography depicts London as an ominous, rain-spattered place that
adds to the chilling atmosphere of any Le Carre story. Adding to the impressive roster of talents involved with the film are Quincy Jones, who provides a fine jazzy score and cinematographer Freddie Young. Sidney Lumet wanted to film the production in B&W but the studio insisted on color. Thus, the ever-inventive Young created a process to intentionally make the scenes look drab and dubbed it "colorless color."
Although John Le Carre was not overly-impressed with the film, he did joke that he was beguiled by Harriet Andersson's nude scene. Le Carre's opinion aside, "The Deadly Affair" was highly acclaimed in Britain, having been
nominated for five BAFTA awards but it was largely overlooked amidst the
tidal wave of other spy movies from the time period. It's a first-rate
thriller and Indicator have done it justice with an equally excellent Blu-ray special edition, which is happily region-free and features a high definition remaster. In addition, the Blu-ray contains the following special edition features:
Original mono audio sound
An excellent commentary track by film historians Michael Brooke and Johnny Mains
"The Guardian Lecture with Sidney Lumet", a wonderful audio recording of a 1983 interview at the National Film Theatre conducted by Derek Malcolm, who gets the low-key director to discuss his own movies and the general state of cinema. Interestingly, even in 1983, Lumet predicted the short attention span (or perceived short attention span) of audiences would alter the way movies were made. He griped that in several recent films he had seen, no shot lasted for more than seven seconds without a cut being made.
"A Different Kind of Spy: Paul Dehn's Deadly Affair", a featurette in which writer David Kipen discusses the life and career of the esteemed screenwriter. Kipen is loquacious and interesting, providing background of Dehn's fascinating background. He was an instructor at a spy school while in the British military in WWII and among his students were Ian Fleming and John Le Carre. He later engaged in undercover activities himself. After the war, Dehn became a screenwriter and Kipen laments the fact that many of the economically-made, but expertly scripted films he worked on in post-war Britain remain largely unseen by international audiences. Kipen also informs us that Dehn was a gay man living in Britain when homosexuality was still a crime and how his closeted life and long-time lover affair with film composer James Bernard may have influenced his work.
"Lumet's London" is a short featurette that shows "then-and-now" footage and photos of the various locations seen in the film.
"Take One and Move On" is a short but interesting interview with camera operator Brian West, who recalls the inventive way cinematographer Freddie Young planned some innovative shots.
"The National Film Theatre Lecture with James Mason" is a rare gem from 1967. Mason didn't give an abundance of interviews and wasn't a common presence on chat shows. This marvelous interview before an enthusiastic audience is worth the price of the Blu-ray alone. Mason is, as you might expect, urbane, charismatic and very witty as he relates stories of his life and career including some tidbits about the pleasures and stresses of working with Hitchcock and Kubrick.
In all, this is a first-rate release of a first-rate, if underrated, espionage thriller.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE REGION-FREE BLU-RAY, WHICH IS CURRENTLY ONE OF A NUMBER OF TITLES ON SALE.
It
reaches from the grave to re-live the horror, the terror! More
destructive!More terrifying!” (1958 ad campaign for Frankenstein’s Daughter.)-
Promises, promises.Even the most forgiving fans of low-budget 1950s horror concede Richard E.
Cunha’s Frankenstein’s Daughter is a
mess.It’s the sort of film where
everything seems off-kilter: the script, the acting, the monster, the directing
and flat lighting… well, everything,
really.Ironically, this reality is also,
perversely, the film’s single saving grace.If you go into Frankenstein’s
Daughter with such knowledge aforethought and low-expectations, the resulting
film – brought in on a budget of $60,000 - is actually pretty entertaining, if
only in a manner of speaking.
In 1958 one New York tabloid chastised Manhattan’s
Mayfair Theater for plummeting “to an all-time low in booking not one, but two,
of the year’s worst films.” Describing the double-bill of Frankenstein’s Daughter and its co-bill Missile to the Moon as nothing less than “pathetic,” the critic
opined producer Marc Frederic and Cunha might have be better suited as
“shoemakers” than filmmakers.I would
say that assessment is an unfair one… with the caveat that my tolerance for bad
movies is pretty high.
Director Cunha’s previous double-bill of low budget
horrors Giant of the Unknown and She Demons had performed reasonably at
the box office.Well enough that in
April of 1958 the Hollywood Reporter
noted Fred Ballin, the President of Astor Pictures, had brokered a deal with
Marc Frederick’s [sic] Layton Productions to deliver no fewer than ten feature
films in a twenty-four month period. The first two films of this partnership
were to be Frankenstein’s Daughter
and a sci-fi epic provisionally titled Satellite
(later changed to Missile to the Moon).Cunha was tapped to direct both films, the
former title to begin shooting on April 30.
I would only catch Frankenstein’s
Daughter some fourteen years on.The
film was featured on New York City’s WPIX-TV’s Chiller Theatre in the early
winter of 1972.I can’t remember with any
accuracy now, but I’m sure I sort of enjoyed
the movie back then, at least in a more or less manner.The film’s primary monster (this film
generously sports two) was sort of cool looking:ping-pong ball sized eyes, a fright wig, acid
scarred skin and a set of eyebrows befitting Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.The face of the film’s secondary creature,
also a creation of the picture’s mad doctor, seems less Frankenstein’s monster
and more Mrs. Hyde in appearance, but that’s nit-picking.To Cunha’s credit there’s no suspenseful long
drag as we await the ghastly reveal of the first monster.“Trudy” (Sandra Knight), the film’s secondary
fiend, appears on screen within a minute or so into the movie during a
nightmare sequence.
Frankenstein’s Daughter
centers around the experimentations of Dr. Oliver Frank (Donald Murphy) whom,
we learn, is actually the grandson of the original Dr. Frankenstein. Frank, in
all truth, is a pretty awful guy, cynical, intense, lecherous and high-strung.
He’s working with the doddering Carter Morton (Felix Locher) who, quite
frankly, is no prize himself. Though dismissed from his former position at
Rockwell Laboratories, Morton occasionally manages to break into and steal from
the office of his former employer whenever he’s in need of additional materials.
Dr. Frank also has an assistant, Elsu (Wolfe Barzell), a
creepy old colleague of his grandfather’s.Interestingly, Elsu seems far less weird than the two egghead scientists
he assists in the secreted basement laboratory of the Frank home.But then again - and given his history - Elsu
has seen it all, I imagine. But even with the help of two his assistants,
Dr. Frank’s recent experiments have brought about a disappointing a combination
of mixed results and outright failures.
The mad doctor ascertains his two most recent misfires
were caused by his having created strong-willed male monsters. So he’s chosen to re-jigger his experiments by
turning female candidates into full-fledged monsters.This, he reasons, is sure to correct past
mistakes since a woman’s brain is more “responsive to command.”To this end he’s already turned Morton’s
lovely niece Trudy, into a drug-addled half-monster.
But his most frightening monster is his newest creation,
a huge, skulking and violent creature whose feminine features are all but
indiscernible. (It was only after reading Tom Weaver’s old interview with Cunha
that I discovered make-up artist Harry Thomas was simply unaware he was to
craft a female monster for the film.So,
due to time constraints, the filmmakers simply went with the androgynous
monster supplied).
Regardless, Trudy and boyfriend Johnny (John Ashley) eventually
come to suspect there’s something odd going on in the basement and decide to
have a look. When the two teens manage to thwart Dr. Frank’s evil
schemes, the mad doctor scornfully bellows, in classic Scooby Doo
fashion, “Are you satisfied now, you meddling kids?”
Yes, this is a bad movie, but not an unentertaining one. H.E.
Barrie’s (the nom de plume of a
writer who understandably asked for anonymity) script is chock full of
head-scratching improbable turns and purple prose passages.As low budget 1950s sci-fi goes, I guess some
of the dialogue and plot contrivances might have been tempered, if not
salvaged, by the delivery a more capable ensemble.But as so much of Barrie’s dialogue is
delivered in wooden fashion, many of the scripted exchanges invoke only laughter
and head shakes.
Moving the traditional Frankenstein setting from a gloomy
old European castle to a modern suburban American home (the establishing shot
is actually the home of producer Frederic), was one way for the production team
to shave a few dollars from the budget. It is also allowed for the
inevitable ‘50s teenage dance party to be dropped into the picture’s middle
without much fuss. One bit of curious casting is that of Harold Lloyd Jr.
as “Don.”Lloyd, the son of the
legendary silent film actor-comedian, had also tried his hand at acting and
singing prior to his untimely death at age 40.The Page Cavanaugh Trio, a well-scrubbed electric jazz combo, backs Don
on his scat-singing solos on “Special Date” and their own “Daddy-Bird.”
So that’s the honest criticism.But this movie (shot in six ten-hour days
according to Weaver) is actually a fun popcorn-munching effort if you’re in the
right mood and tend to wallow in B-movie nostalgia.This “Special Edition” Blu-ray from Film
Detective offers Frankenstein’s Daughter
in all of its 85 minute B &W glory in a 1.85: 1 aspect ratio and DTS
monaural sound. It looks as good as it likely ever will.
Film Detective also, much to their credit, pulls out all
the stops on this set.There are two
separate commentary tracks, one by Weaver, one by filmmaker Larry Blamire, as
well as two featurettes: Richard E.
Cunha: Filmmaker of the Unknown and John
Ashley: Man from the B’s.There’s
also a twelve-page booklet written by Weaver, with accompanying photos.The booklet neatly condenses and distills much
of the info offered in the expansive commentaries. Final verdict: this release is worth a shot,
just as long as you know what you’re getting into.
We've often written about the
shameful conceit of movie studios that used to cast Caucasian actors in
leading roles pertaining to ethnic minorities. Sure, it was fine to have
actual minority actors playing supporting roles (often for comic
effect) but the most important characters were generally always
portrayed by white actors or actresses (remember Rex Harrison as The
King of Siam???). Sadly, this blatant policy of racial prejudice often
extended to films that were sympathetic to the very races they were
portraying. Case in point: Geronimo, a 1962 Western that
purports to tell the story of the legendary Apache leader who stood
virtually alone against the U.S. government, even after most of his
tribe was browbeaten into surrendering. The logic at United Artists at
the time was that there was no actor more appropriate to play a famous
Native American other than blonde-haired, blue-eyed Chuck Connors, who was riding high at the time as
the star of the popular TV series The Rifleman. He
certainly possessed an imposing physique as well as more-than-adequate
acting abilities. However, even with a black Morticia
Addams wig, there is no doubt he was completely miscast as Geronimo.
This was also the case with fellow cast members Kamala Devi, a gorgeous
flash-in-the-pan actress who worked on several projects with Connors
before fading into oblivion and Ross Martin (!), the fine actor
primarily known for playing Artemus Gordon in the Wild, Wild West TV
series. Not only are all these folks woefully wrong for their roles,
the characters talk in modern vernacular that makes you think they must
be part of the obscure Apache tribe from Bayonne, New Jersey.
This much must be said about Geronimo: - the intention of the producers was
noble. This is probably one of the first major studio releases that
dared to portray Native Americans in a truly sympathetic light. The film
opens with Geronimo reluctantly surrendering to the U.S. Cavalry in
order to spare his few remaining followers more deprivation and
starvation. Once at the reservation, he quickly learns he has been
deceived and that the tribe is slated to be humiliated wards of the
government, stripped of any dignity or civil rights. This bold notion is
watered down, however, by a screenplay that ensures that these
deceitful practices are the work of a few bad apples. There's no way the
American government in Washington D.C. would ever have sanctioned
breaking treaties! By punting on presenting actual history, the story
loses its impact. Geronimo and some of his men rebel by breaking out of
the reservation and going on the war path. If the film goes lightly on
the U.S. government, so, too does it present Geronimo in a sanctified
light. There isn't a hint of the atrocities he committed against
settlers, probably because Chuck Connors' fans would have marched on the
studio bosses and burned them in effigy. The film is comic book
history, presenting only the barest hint of historical fact and even
includes a ridiculous happy ending that absolves the U.S. government and
Geronimo of any mistakes in judgment.
It's to Connors' credit that he doesn't come across as ridiculously
as he might. The film also presents that wonderful character actor John
Anderson in a fine performance as a corrupt Indian agent and another
future TV icon, Adam West, has a supporting role as a cavalry officer
sympathetic to Geronimo. Director Arnold Laven keeps the action moving
with nary a dull patch and it can be said that the movie is passably
entertaining.
Like many boys who grew up in the 1960s, I was addicted to Mad magazine. It's sarcastic satires of politicians and pop culture figures were all the rage and the magazine was a showcase for some truly impressive writers and artists. Mad pushed the envelope in some regards but publisher William Gaines still maintained a family-friendly facade. In 1970 (I assure, that is A.D.), I entered high school a few months after another satire magazine, National Lampoon, published its premiere issue. The first issue I saw featured a striking cover by artist Frank Frazetta that spoofed those old jungle movies. It depicted a courageous white guy saving a scantily clad white woman from a hoard of African natives. It was titled "White Man's Wet Dream". I was hooked before I opened the magazine. National Lampoon became a "must-read" for young people of the era. Unlike Mad, there were no holds barred when it came to off-limits subjects. Anyone and anything was fair game for the team of talented writers and artists, many of whom would go on to notable careers. The sexual content was presented in a humorous manner but it broke barriers in terms of what was depicted. Even the official line of National Lampoon souvenirs were hawked by topless young women. The success of the Lampoon was such that, by 1978, the company entered the movie business. The first release, "National Lampoon's Animal House" made John Belushi into a big screen star and elevated John Landis from obscurity into one of the industry's hottest directors. The film was a sensation so it seemed inevitable that more Lampoon films would emerge- and they did, though none of them were related to the original movie. Chevy Chase starred in some of the popular "Vacation" movies that bore the banner of the Lampoon, but most of the other attempts to blend the magazine concepts to the big screen resulted in rather nondescript productions that had little theatrical exposure before going to home video. By 1998, the magazine itself had run out of steam and ceased publication after a glorious and influential run, although the company name is still actively linked to various TV, video and big screen projects.
One of the more obscure feature films is "National Lampoon's Movie Madness", a 1982 collection of unrelated comedies stories linked by nothing other than the Lampoon name. As the old joke goes, "the movie wasn't released- it escaped!", as indicated on IMDB, which lists the film's theatrical gross as $63,000, which was probably due to tickets sold to just the people involved in making it. The movie marked the debut of director Bob Giraldi, who promptly left feature films to become one of the top music video directors in the industry. One segment of the film was directed by Henry Jaglom..yes, that Henry Jaglom, the acclaimed director of indie films who has developed a loyal international fan base. It's telling that while Jaglom continued making feature films, he has never worked for a major studio again. The mess of a feature film consists of three separate stories. In "Growing Yourself", Peter Riegert is Jason Cooper, a rich New York Yuppie with a wife (Candy Clark) and two small kids. One day, on a whim, he tells his wife that they should leave each other in order for both them to find the space to "grow". Without batting an eye, she promptly leaves. Jason adopts an increasingly bizarre lifestyle that includes turning his apartment into a jungle of sorts. He pursues unsuccessful relationships with women, including a 14 year-old temptress played by young Diane Lane. At one point, he gives away custody of one of his children to a stranger without batting an eye. When his wife returns later, she informs him that she has gone from housewife to running Union Carbide. The entire scenario is weird but occasionally amusing because the characters simply accept mind-boggling developments with barely a shrug - and Peter Riegert plays the smarmy, self-absorbed Jason with just the right touch.
The second tale is "Success Wanters" and features Ann Dusenberry as an aspiring stripper, Dominique, who makes the ill-fated decision to appear at a convention of executives for the butter industry. Within minutes, the horny, tuxedo-clad, cigar smoking middle-aged execs decide to gang rape her--- and use some handy sticks of butter as useful novelties. This was the early 1980s and group sexual abuse could still be shown to comedic effect, although fortunately, we aren't treated to seeing the dirty deed itself. Instead of going after the rapists legally, she decides to bring down the entire butter industry by making Americans more addicted to margarine (I'm not making this up, folks.) This she achieves by becoming the mistress of a margarine magnate (such people must exist) played by Robert Culp. While he's on his death bed, she gets him to sign his empire over to her and she wields her new powers to mortally wound the butter industry, a strategy that sees her seducing the President of the United States (Fred Willard) and the First Lady. Despite the outrageous scenario, the entire segment is more absurd than funny.
The last, and least, of the segments is "Municipalians",which finds young Robby Benson as a rookie L.A. cop partnered with a season veteran played by Richard Widmark. The entire scenario centers on us watching the hopelessly innocent, naive and perpetually smiling Benson become corrupted by the system and the dehumanizing crimes he's forced to deal with, all unfolding as Widmark sits in the squad car ignoring the violence around him as he counts the days until his retirement. Eventually, Benson becomes a raging lunatic himself. The segment had possibilities in terms of satirizing the cliched scenario of the young cop teamed with the grumpy veteran, but the result is awful in a mind-boggling way. Benson is game to try anything under Jaglom's misdirection but we can assume he was happy that virtually no one saw the film. Only Widmark emerges with his dignity intact. Jaglom later blamed the studio for compromising his segment but if they cut any footage, it was probably considered to be a humanitarian gesture.
Code Red has released "National Lampoon's Movie Madness" on Blu-ray to the joy of bad movie fans and the probable disgust of anyone still alive who was involved in it. The Zucker brothers had the right touch for these types of theatre of the absurd premises but directors Giraldi and Jaglom have heavy hands and are working with pretty awful scripts. The only saving grace is the abundance of veteran actors and up-and-comers who make appearances. They include Elisha Cook, Jr, Rhea Perlman,Tito Vandis (a rare performance that clicks), Joe Spinell, Olympia Dukakis, Dick Miller, Christopher Lloyd, Julie Kavner and even porn superstar Harry Reems. The only one who makes an impression is Henny Youngman, whose 30 seconds of rapid-fire old jokes makes you wish they would have simply used his stand-up act to close out the latter part of the film. From a sociological view, however, it's interesting how audience's tastes have changed over the ensuing years. At times it appears the primary reason for the film's existence was to exploit each of the actresses who appear topless at length in the first two segments, despite the fact that it certainly wasn't essential to the script. Giraldi's cameras linger on the undraped actresses who engage in small talk to justify the exploitation. For those viewers of a certain age, there may be pangs of nostalgia for an era in which no one was overly-concerned about such practices, but judged by today's industry standards, it would be largely unthinkable to film segments such as these.
The Code Red video looks reasonably good and the only bonus feature is a trailer. In viewing it, I came to the conclusion that the studio should have released only the trailer and called it a day. The movie poster artwork depicted on the sleeve seems to be an homage (or rip-off) of Jack Davis's iconic campaign for "Its' a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". Sadly, the comedic analogies end there.
Enjoy this episode of "The Saint" starring Roger Moore, originally aired in 1963 and presented by Shout! Factory. You'll see some familiar faces in the cast: Dawn Addams, Neil McCallum, Michael Bates and Angus Lennie (who appeared in "The Great Escape" the same year) among them. This episode, "The Fellow Traveler", was the second episode of Season 2. Check out Shout!FactoryTV.com for more classic shows and movies. To watch the film using the "full screen" option, click here)
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
First 4K Ultra HD in the Paramount Presents Line Debuts May 17, 2022 with New and Legacy Bonus Content
One
of the greatest Westerns in cinematic history arrives for the first
time ever on 4K Ultra HD with High Dynamic Range (HDR) as part of the
Paramount Presents line when THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE debuts May 17, 2022 from Paramount Home Entertainment.
Four-time Academy Award®-winning*
director John Ford brought together an all-star cast for what is
considered by many critics to be a quintessential—and yet
pioneering—Western late in his storied career. Starring James Stewart
and John Wayne (together for the first time), alongside Vera Miles, Lee
Marvin, John Carradine and Lee Van Cleef, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE
tells the engrossing story of a senator (Stewart), his old friend
(Wayne), and a despicable outlaw called Liberty Valance (Marvin).
THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCEwas
selected in 2007 for preservation in the United States National Film
Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically,
or aesthetically significant.” Adapted from a short story by Dorothy
M. Johnson, the screenplay by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck
gave us the often-quoted line “When the legend becomes fact, print the
legend.”
Meticulously remastered in stunning 4K Ultra HD for its 60th anniversary this year, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE
is presented in collectible packaging featuring a foldout image of the
film’s original theatrical poster and an interior spread with key movie
moments. The release also includes access to a Digital copy of the film
and a Blu-ray Disc™ with a new Filmmaker Focus featuring film historian
Leonard Maltin discussing John Ford, the film, and its legacy. The
Blu-ray™ also includes legacy bonus content as detailed below:
·Filmmaker Focus - Leonard Maltin on The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance—NEW!
Feature commentary
by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, along with his archival recordings with
John Ford and James Stewart
Selected scene commentary
with introduction by Dan Ford, along with his archival recordings with
John Ford, James Stewart and Lee
Marvin
The Size Of Legends, The Soul Of Myth
Chapter 1: Changing Of The Guard
Chapter 2: The Irascible Poet
Chapter 3: The Hero Doesn't Win, The Winner Isn't Heroic
Chapter 4: Most Things Happen By Accident
Chapter 5: The Great Protector
Chapter 6: Spotlight - Lee Marvin
Chapter 7: Print The Legend
Original Theatrical Trailer
About Paramount Presents
This
collectible line spans celebrated classics to film-lover favorites,
each from the studio’s renowned library. Every Paramount Presents
release features never-before-seen bonus content and exclusive
collectible packaging. Additional titles available in the Paramount
Presents collection on Blu-ray include: Fatal Attraction, King Creole, To Catch a Thief, Flashdance, Days of Thunder, Pretty In Pink, Airplane!, Ghost, Roman Holiday, The Haunting, The Golden Child, Trading Places, The Court Jester, Love Story, Elizabethtown, The Greatest Show on Earth, Mommie Dearest,Last Train From Gun Hill, 48 HRS., Another 48 HRS., Almost Famous, A Place in the Sun, Nashville, Bugsy Malone, Breakdown,The Sheik, Vanilla Sky, Ragtime, Harold and Maude and Ordinary People.
Warner Archive has released a Blu-ray edition of the 1966 thriller Eye of the Devil. The MGM movie, directed by J. Lee Thompson, is one of the last major B&W studio releases. The film had a troubled production history. The female lead had been Kim Novak, but when she was injured during filming, Deborah Kerr took over and had to reshoot all of her scenes - a costly and troublesome process. However, this meant that Kerr was reunited with her Separate Tables co-star David Niven (the pair would be seen on screen again the following year in Casino Royale). Eye of the Devil is an atmospheric thriller with supernatural overtones. Niven plays the heir to a massive French vineyard, though he keeps his distance from the massive rural chateau, preferring to be with wife Kerr and their two young children in an urban setting. An emissary from the vineyard summons him back to the chateau, presumably because the harvest is failing, but Niven's emotional turmoil indicates that there are other factors dictating why he is reluctant to return. When Kerr and the children show up, things deteriorate quickly. Kerr finds the locals to be frightened and unfriendly. Inside the chateau, the staff and Niven appear to be collaborating on hiding information from her. Additionally, a strange brother and sister team (Sharon Tate in her first major role and David Hemmings) are an omnipresent and threatening presence. Kerr ultimate suspects that the presence of a local priest (Donald Pleasence) is inciting people to dabble in witchcraft and the black mass. All of this leads to the prequisite sequences in which a helpless woman is tempted to poke about dark castle corridors and crypts to find the facts.
The film is disturbing from minute one, largely because it is devoid of any humor whatsoever. Every minute exudes a sense of menace. The cinematography adds greatly to the tension and the cast is highly watchable, even if no one attempts to hide their full-throated British accents while playing French characters. (The exteriors were shot in France, the interiors were filmed at MGM's Borehamwood Studios). The movie is consistently engrossing, even if it never reaches the level one might expect, given the sterling cast. Tate makes a significant visual impression, but it should be noted that her immaculate British accent was dubbed. The new region-free Blu-ray release does justice to the crisp B&W photography with a fine transfer. One quibble: Turner Classic Movies often shows an original production featurette from the film. One wishes it was included with this release, which features only the trailer as a supplement. However, spending any time with Niven and Kerr is time well-spent.
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Cinema
Retro has received the following press release from Paramount:
Paramount Pictures Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Francis Ford Coppala's Cinematic Masterpiece
HOLLYWOOD,
Calif. – March 1, 2022 — In celebration of the 50th anniversary of
Francis Ford Coppola’s Academy Award®-winning* masterworkThe Godfather, Paramount Pictures will be releasing all three films
in the epic trilogy on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever on March 22, 2022,
with all the films having been meticulously restored under the direction of
Coppola.
“I
am very proud of The Godfather, which certainly defined the first third
of my creative life,” said Francis Ford Coppola. “With this 50th
anniversary tribute, I’m especially proud Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda:
The Death of Michael Corleone is included, as it captures Mario and my original
vision in definitively concluding our epic trilogy. It’s also gratifying to
celebrate this milestone with Paramount alongside the wonderful fans who’ve
loved it for decades, younger generations who still find it relevant today, and
those who will discover it for the first time.”
Coppola’s
masterful film adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel chronicles the rise and fall of
the Corleone family and the film trilogy is rightfully viewed as one of the
greatest in cinematic history. In preparation for the 50th
anniversary of the first film’s original release on March 24, 1972, Paramount
and Coppola’s production company American Zoetrope undertook a painstaking
restoration of all three films over the course of three years. Every
effort was made to create the finest possible presentation for today’s
audiences who can watch the films using technology that has advanced
dramatically since 2007 when the last restoration was completed by eminent film
historian and preservationist Robert Harris. Using that work as a blueprint,
the team spent thousands of hours to ensure that every frame was evaluated to
create the most pristine presentation while remaining true to the original look
and feel of the films.
The
monumental effort included the following:
Over
300 cartons of film were scrutinized to find the best possible resolution
for every frame of all three films.
Over
4,000 hours were spent repairing film stains, tears, and other anomalies
in the negatives.
Over
1,000 hours were spent on rigorous color correction to ensure the high
dynamic range tools were respectful of the original vision of Coppola and
cinematographer Gordon Willis.
In
addition to the 5.1 audio approved by Walter Murch in 2007, the original
mono tracks on The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II have been restored.
All
work was overseen by Coppola.
“We
felt privileged to restore these films and a little in awe every day we worked
on them,” said Andrea Kalas, senior vice president, Paramount Archives.
“We were able to witness first-hand how the brilliant cinematography, score,
production design, costume design, editing, performances, and, of course,
screenwriting and direction became famously more than the sum of their
parts. It was our commitment to honor all of the filmmakers’ exceptional
work.”
Newly
restored and remastered in Dolby Vision, all three films in the landmark
trilogy will be released together with HDR-10 on 4K Ultra HD Digital and 4K
Ultra HD Blu-ray™ for the first time ever. The 4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray set will include The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II,
and Coppola’s recently re-edited version of the final film, Mario Puzo’s THE
GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. The disc set includes
legacy commentaries by Coppola, as well as access to Digital copies of The
Godfather, The Godfather: Part II and Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda:
The Death of Michael Corleone.
In
addition to the widely available 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray set, a 4K Ultra HD Limited
Collector’s Edition will also be released in deluxe packaging and includes a
hardcover coffee table book featuring stunning photographs, as well as portrait
art prints on archival paper. Both 4K Ultra HD sets include new bonus
content including an introduction to The Godfather by Coppola, a
featurette about the preservation process, photos by acclaimed photographer
Steve Schapiro, home movie footage, and comparisons of the new restoration to
earlier versions of the films. A full list of new and legacy bonus
content follows:
NEW
BONUS CONTENT:
·
Introduction to The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola
·
Full Circle: Preserving The Godfather—Paramount Pictures
archivists detail the incredible restoration process with archival footage
showing the evolution of the film through various home entertainment
incarnations as picture and audio technologies make quantum leaps over the
decades.
·
Capturing the Corleones: Through the Lens of Photographer Steve Schapiro—
In this reflective and frank discussion, special photographer Steve Schapiro
shares his unique perspective and cherished memories as a witness to the making
of this seminal film. Commentary on curated archival images makes for a
fascinating, never-before-seen addition to the production’s history.
·
The Godfather: Home Movies— An assortment of 8mm home movie
footage shot in 1971 offers a candid glimpse into the production of The
Godfather. Shot on location at the Norton family estate on Staten
Island’s Emerson Hill, this is the first time it’s been made available to the
public.
·
Restoration Comparisons— Before and after highlights showcase extensive
picture quality improvements to The Godfather.
LEGACY
BONUS CONTENT:
The Masterpiece
That Almost Wasn’t
Godfather World
Emulsional
Rescue—Revealing The Godfather
…when the
shooting stopped
The Godfather on the Red Carpet
Four Short Films
on The Godfather
oThe
Godfather vs. The Godfather: Part II
oCannoli
oRiffing
on the Riffing
oClemenza
·The
Family Tree
·Crime
Organization Chart
·Connie
and Carlo’s Wedding Album
·2008
Credits
·Behind
the Scenes
oA Look
Inside
oOn
Location
oFrancis
Ford Coppola’s Notebook
oMusic
of The Godfather
§Nino
Rota
§Carmine
Coppola
oCoppola
& Puzo on Screenwriting
oGordon
Willis on Cinematography
oStoryboards
– The Godfather: Part II
oStoryboards
– The Godfather: Part III
oThe
Godfather Behind the Scenes 1971
·Additional
Scenes
·Galleries
·Trailers
·Acclaim
& Response
·Additional
Material
·The
Filmmakers
·The
Godfather: Part III—newly
remastered and restored versions of the original theatrical cut and Coppola’s
1991 cut (note: these are exclusive to the 4K Ultra HD Collections)
Newly
restored and remastered versions of The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II, and
Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone will
also be available together on Blu-ray™ with access to Digital copies
and the new and legacy bonus content detailed above.
Few actors had the screen and stage presence of Yul Brynner. There
never was an actor quite like him and there hasn't been since. Like most
thespians, Brynner had his share of good movies as well as those that
fell considerably short of their potential. Nevertheless, the man never
gave a false performance. He came across as supremely self-confidant
even when he must have suspected the material he was given proved to be
far below his considerable talents. Much of his self-confidence seemed
to stem from an inflated ego. Robert Vaughn once told me that when
Brynner arrived on the set of "The Magnificent Seven" in Mexico, he was
still firmly in the King of Siam mode that had seen him win an Oscar.
Vaughn said he carried himself as though he were real life royalty at
all times. You didn't chat with him casually. Rather, he would grant you
an audience. As Brynner's stature as a top boxoffice attraction began
to wane, he returned over and over again to his signature role in stage
productions of "The King and I" and found his mojo and star power were
still very much intact when it came to touring in front of live
audiences. His exotic look and manner of speaking were invariably
intoxicating. Given Brynner's enduring legacy as a Hollywood icon it's
rather surprising to remember that he had very few major hits. "The King
and I" in 1956 was his star-making vehicle and his role in "The Ten
Commandments", released the same year, helped build on his success.
However, with the exception of the surprise success of "The Magnificent
Seven" in 1960, Brynner proved to be more of a reliable on screen
attraction than a powerhouse draw in the way that John Wayne, Cary Grant
and Burt Lancaster were regarded. For most of Brynner's screen career,
he top-lined in major studio releases that were relatively modest in
terms of production budgets. Since this was during an era in which a
decent profit for a film made it a success, Brynner remained popular for
many years. By the 1970s, however, his clout had diminished
considerably. He would have only one memorable big screen success during
the decade- his brilliant appearance as the murderous robot in
"Westworld" (1974). He would concentrate primarily on stage work until
his death in 1985.
"Invitation to a Gunfighter" is the kind of mid-range vehicle that
defined most of Brynner's career in Hollywood. Released in 1964 by
Stanley Kramer's production company, the film is a perfect showcase for
Brynner in that it lacked any rival star power and afforded him a
smorgasbord of scene-stealing opportunities. The story opens in the
wake of the Confederate surrender that marked the end of the Civil War.
Matt Weaver (George Segal), a veteran of the Confederate army, is making
an arduous journey home to his Texas ranch on foot through the desert.
When the exhausted man finally reaches the small town he calls home, he
gets a rude welcome. His ranch is now occupied by another man who claims
he bought the deed from the township. Matt soon learns that he is
despised by the locals because he is the only man to have served in the Southern army. He is notified by the town's political kingpin, Sam
Brewster (Pat Hingle), that a technicality has been used to seize
ownership of his ranch. He also advises him to move on out of town
because he is no longer welcome there. Matt, however, is not about to be
cheated. He confronts the new owner of his house and is forced to shoot
him dead in self-defense. Brewster manipulates the facts and accuses
Matt of being a murderer. Matt takes possession of his ranch and uses
firepower to hold off the townspeople. He is surreptitiously visited by
his former lover Ruth (Janice Rule), who admits that she could no longer
bear waiting for him to return from the war. She reluctantly married
Crane Adams (Clifford David), a local Union war veteran who lost an arm
in the conflict. Since then, Crane has become an alcoholic with a
violent temper and his relationship to Ruth has devolved into a loveless
marriage of convenience.
Unable to lure Matt from his besieged homestead, Brewster takes the
step of announcing to the town council that he will hire a gunslinger to
kill him. Coincidentally, a man with the exotic name of Jules Gaspard
d'Estaing overhears the offer. He is just passing through on a
stagecoach ride but is immediately intrigued. d'Estaing convinces
Brewster that he is a master gunfighter and demonstrates his prowess
with a pistol. Brewster hires him on the spot but d'Estaing is in no
hurry to carry out the mission. Instead, he sees the townspeople for
what they are: cowardly hypocrites and delights in humiliating Brewster
in front of them. d'Estaing is an intimidating presence to the
townspeople. They can't pinpoint his ethnicity and know nothing of his
background. He dresses immaculately, speaks fluent French, plays the
harpsichord and chain smokes Churchill cigars (though I wonder what
they called them in this era before Churchill was born.) Ever
provocative to his hosts, he stirs the pot even further by moving into
the house of Crane and Ruth Adams. Predictably, it isn't long before
Ruth is entranced by this larger-than-life man of mystery who dresses
like a dandy and is highly cultured- the very opposite of her own
husband and Matt. Tensions rise as Crane correctly suspects a romance
may be brewing. d'Estaing insists he intends to carry out his mission to
kill Matt, despite Ruth's protests, but he later makes it clear to her
that he intends to manipulate the situation so that Matt is spared and
Brewster is dragged down in disgrace.
The film, directed with admirable if unremarkable competence by
Richard Wilson, is a slow-moving, talky affair that leads to some
intelligent discussions about race relations and the horrors of bigotry.
(This was, after all, a production financed by Stanley Kramer, who
never heeded the old adage, "Leave the messages to Western Union!").
What saves the movie from devolving into a completely pedantic affair is
the charisma of Yul Brynner. It also helps that he is playing an
interesting character with a mysterious background and the revelations
he makes to Ruth about his life only make him even more intriguing. This
is a "thinking man's" western that touches on social issues as well as
the desperate plight of women in the old West, when their survival often
saw them entering dreadful marriages simply for financial security and
protection. Brynner gets fine support from Janice Rule and rising star
George Segal and Pat Hingle plays the town's pompous boss with
appropriate, sneering superficial charm.
"Invitation to a Gunfighter" is by no means a classic but it does
afford viewers to spend some time with Yul Brynner and that is always
time well-spent.
The film is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER KINO LORBER BLU-RAY FROM AMAZON
Cinema Retro continues covering films that are not currently available on home video in the U.S. or U.K.
BY BRIAN HANNAN
"Sanctuary" is an
overheated melodrama that stands as a classic example of Hollywood’s offensive
attitudes to women. Nobel prize-winning author William Faulkner could hardly
blame the movies for sensationalising his misogynistic source material since,
if anything, the movie took a softer line.The story is told primarily in flashback as headstrong southern belle
Temple Drake (Lee Remick) attempts to mitigate the death sentence passed on her
maid Nancy (Odetta). Given that such appeals are directed at Drake’s Governor
father (Howard St John), and that the maid has been condemned for murdering
Drake’s infant child, that’s a whole lot of story to swallow.
Worse is
to follow. Drake takes up with Prohibition bootlegger Candy Man (Yves Montand)
after being raped by him and thereafter appears happy to live with him in a New
Orleans brothel - the “sanctuary,” no irony intended, of the title - despite
him slapping her around. The film steers clear of turning her into the
prostitute of the original book, but pretty much sets up the notion that high
class women will fall for a low-class tough guy whose virility is demonstrated
by his brutality. In other words a “real man” rather than the dilettantes she
has previously rejected.
After the
Candy Man dies, Drake returns home and marries wealthy suitor Gowan Stevens
(Bradford Dillman) who blames himself, rightly, for Drake falling into the
clutches of the gangster in the first place. But a past threatening to engulf
her precipitates the infanticide.
Faulkner
was a Hollywood insider, adapting Sanctuary for The Story of Temple Drake
(1933) and earning high praise for his work on Bogart vehicle To Have and
Have Not (1944) and The Big Sleep (1946). The success of The
Tarnished Angels (1957) starring Rock Hudson, The Long, Hot Summer
(1958) with Paul Newman and The Sound and the Fury (1959) headlined by
Yul Brynner had sent his cachet rocketing. But all three were directed by
Americans – Douglas Sirk and Martin Ritt – who had a distinctive visual style
and an ear for what made melodrama work.
Sanctuary had been handed to British
director Tony Richardson (Look Back in Anger, 1959) and he didn’t quite
understand how to make the best of the difficult project. So while Lee Remick
manages to suggest both strength and fragility, and makes her character’s
wanton despair believable, Yves Montand is miscast and Bradford Dillman fails
to convince even though portraying a weak character. Too many of the smaller
roles appear as cliches. And it’s hard to believe the maid’s motivation in
turning murderer.
What was
acceptable steamy melodrama in the 1930s fails to click three decades on.
Faulkner’s thesis that high-falutin’ women want a man to master them and
furthermore will fall in love with their rapist seems to lack any understanding
of the female mind and will not appeal to the modern sensibility any more than
it did on release. Lee Remick is what holds the picture together, in part
because she plays so well the role of a woman embracing degradation, and
refusing – no matter how insane the idea appears – to let go of the man she
believes is the love of her life. It’s not Fifty Shades of Grey, but
it’s not that far off that kind of fantasy figure, and given the success of
that book, it’s entirely possible there is a market for what Faulkner has to
peddle.
Despite my criticisms of "Sanctuary", it still
deserves to be available on home video for retro movie lovers to form
their own opinions.
(Although "Sanctuary" is not available on home video, it can be streamed as a public domain title on YouTube.)
It isn't often that you might expect to read the word "delightful" in
a review of a Charles Bronson movie but "From Noon Till Three" is just
that: a delightful 1976 send-up of the traditional Western genre. In
fact it seems like this was the year in which numerous revisionist
Westerns were released. They included "Buffalo Bill and the Indians",
"The Outlaw Josey Wales", "The Missouri Breaks" and John Wayne's final
film, "The Shootist". By 1976 Charles Bronson was an established screen
presence for about two decades.He was a familiar face to American
movie-goers who liked his work as a supporting actor but it was the
European market that elevated him to star status. Bronson finally began
to get top-billing in Westerns and action films and became reasonably
popular in America. But it was the 1974 release of his smash hit "Death
Wish" that saw him soar to the level of superstar. The film was a mixed
blessing. Bronson made some good films in the following years but
eventually succumbed to the lure of a quick pay check, cranking out
low-end urban crime movies that were often as absurd as they were
over-the-top. "From Noon Till Three" allows Bronson and his real life
wife and frequent co-star Jill Ireland a rare opportunity to flex their
comedic muscles, which they do impressively.
Bronson plays Graham Dorsey, a member of small time gang of bandits
who are riding into a one-horse town to rob the bank. The film's opening
is quite eerie as the bandits become unnerved when they discover there
isn't a single living soul anywhere in the town. This sets in motion a
"Twilight Zone"-like beginning that is quickly explained as a nightmare
Dorsey is suffering, but is nonetheless quite effective for grabbing
the viewer's attention. When the gang nears the actual town, Dorsey's
horse goes lame and must be shot. He rides double with another bandit
until they reach the opulent mansion house of Amanda (Jill Irleand), an
attractive widow who resides in the countryside with only a maid and
servant as companions. When the bandits arrive on her doorstep, she is
home alone and is understandably filled with anxiety being in the
company of the men, who demand she give them a horse. She lies and says
she doesn't have one- and Dorsey validates her story, opting to stay
behind at the house while the robbery takes place. He finds Amanda very
desirable but none-the-less acts like a gentleman- though as her tough
facade fades, she becomes susceptible to his charm. Dorsey claims he
suffers from incurable impotence, a ploy that works when Amanda finally
volunteers to "cure" him. This results in the pair spending several
heavenly hours together enjoying sexual adventures and falling in love.
When word reaches Amanda that Dorsey's fellow bandits have been
captured, she implores him to try to save them from hanging. Dorsey
pretends to ride to their rescue, but instead bushwhacks a traveling con
man and adopts his identity. The other man is mistaken for Dorsey and
shot dead by a posse. Dorsey is ironically arrested because the man he
is impersonating is also wanted by the law. Got all that? Things get
really complicated when Dorsey spends a year in prison, studying
(ironically) how to be a banker. He intends to return to Amanda and live
their dream of moving to Boston, where he can get a job as a bank
manager. When he returns to the woman he has been obsessing over for the
last year, the reception he receives from her is something less than
welcoming. Seems that since she believed Dorsey was dead, she set about
memorializing him in a memoir titled "From Noon Till Three", a
scandalous record of the hours in which they made love and fell in love.
In the book, Amanda relates tall tales about Dorsey's crime exploits
that he had previously bragged about...and she takes a bit of
intentional creative license by describing him as an elegant, dashing
man when, in fact, he looks like what he is: a saddle tramp. To say much
more would spoil the fun. Suffice it to say that the film really kicks
into gear when Dorsey discovers that Amanda's memoir has become an
international sensation and she is idolized worldwide by both men and
women. She doesn't have much incentive to now admit that Dorsey is not
only alive and well but also falls considerable short of the handsome
hunk the world has come to imagine.
"From Noon Till Three" is stylishly directed by Frank D. Gilroy and its
based upon his novel of the same name. Gilroy had the magic touch in
terms of bringing out the best in both Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland,
both of whom rarely had an opportunity to demonstrate their flair for
light comedy and they are both terrific. Gilroy, who also penned the
screenplay, took advantage of a new era of cynicism in major films and
"From Noon Till Three" proved to be far ahead of its time in predicting
how the general public can be bamboozled into believing urban legends if
they are marketed creatively enough. (Coincidentally, Paddy Chayefsky's
"Network", released the same year, took an equally cynical view of the
current day TV news industry.) The movie is a wealth of small
pleasures and unexpected plot turns and boasts a fine score by Elmer
Bernstein and impressive camerawork by Lucien Ballard, not to mention an
impressive mansion house set by Robert Clatworthy. I don't want to
overstate the merits of the film but I do want to point out that even if
you're not a Bronson fan you should give this one a try.
"From Noon Till Three" is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
Click here to order Kino Lorber DVD edition from Amazon
Peter Cushing, André
Morell, Yvonne Mitchell, Donald Pleasence in a new restoration of
Nigel Kneale’s 1954
adaptation of the George Orwell classic
Cinema Retro has received the following press release from the BFI:
BFI
Blu-ray/DVD, iTunes and Amazon Prime release on 11 April 2022
George Orwell’s enduring dystopian
masterpiece is brought vividly to life in this celebrated BBC production.
Adapted by Nigel Kneale (The Quatermass Experiment), NINETEEN
EIGHTY-FOUR (directed byRudolf Cartier) broke new ground for
television drama when first broadcast in 1954. On 11 April, tying in with a
Nigel Kneale season at BFI Southbank, the BFI brings this classic production to
Blu-ray and DVD in a Dual Format Edition, and to DTO via iTunes and Amazon
Prime. Experience Orwell’s haunting vision of a society dominated by relentless
tyranny and the subversion of truth – a world in which Big Brother is always
watching you.
Featuring
a stunning central performance from Peter Cushing (The Curse of
Frankenstein, Star Wars) as the doomed Winston Smith, this small-screen
landmark has been newly restored by the BFI using original film materials from
the BBC Archive and the BFI National Archive. Numerous extras include a newly
recorded audio commentary by television historian Jon Dear, host of Nigel
Kneale podcast Bergcast, with Toby Hadoke and Andy Murray, and a newly
filmed conversation between the BFI’s Dick Fiddy and historian Oliver Wake, on
the myths that have grown up around the production in the last 60-odd years.
NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR is released
alongside the BFI Southbank centenary celebration of screenwriter Nigel
Kneale. A season, NIGHTMARES AND DAYDREAMS, runs throughout April in
partnership with Picturehouse to commemorate Kneale’s contribution to British
television. His adult drama and tense thrillers with a sci-fi or horror slant
went on to influence the likes of John Carpenter, Stephen King and Ben
Wheatley. Often enthralling and terrifying, Kneale’s visionary work showing on
the big screen includes the restored version of NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR. The
screening, on Monday 4 April at 6.30pm in NFT1 will be followed by a
panel discussion. Other titles screening in the season include FIRST MEN IN THE
MOON, QUARTERMASS AND THE PIT, THE YEAR OF THE SEX OLYMPICS and THE WOMAN IN
BLACK and there will be a special table reading of OUT OF THE UNKNOWN: THE
CHOPPER, as part of the BFI’s Missing Believed Wiped programme.
Picturehouse Crouch End will be hosting a day-long
event on Saturday 23 April featuring expert panellists and members of cast and
crew looking at Kneale’s film and TV work and his influence and legacy. Events
include a live reading of ‘lost’ 1942 radio play YOU MUST LISTEN, and
screenings of several of Kneale classics, including THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT:
CONTACT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED, THE STONE TAPE, AGAINST THE CROWD: MURRAIN and
LATE NIGHT STORY: THE PHOTOGRAPH.
Special features
Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
Newly recorded audio commentary on Nineteen
Eighty-Four by television historian Jon Dear, host of Nigel Kneale
podcast Bergcast, with Toby Hadoke and Andy Murray
Late Night Line-Up (BBC, 1965, 23 mins): members of the cast and crew look
back on the controversies surrounding this adaptation of Orwell’s classic
The Ministry of Truth (2022, 24 mins): in conversation
with the BFI’s Dick Fiddy, television historian Oliver Wake dispels some
of the myths that have grown up around the groundbreaking drama over the
course of the past half century
Nigel Kneale: Into the Unknown (2022, 72 mins): writer, actor and
stand-up comedian Toby Hadoke and Nigel Kneale biographer and programmer
Andy Murray try to unpick who Kneale was, what he did and why his work
still matters today
Gallery of rare images from the BBC Archives
Original script (downloadable PDF)
Newly commissioned sleeve artwork
by Matt Needle
·
** First pressing only** Illustrated booklet with essays by Oliver Wake and
David Ryan; credits and notes on the special features.
Product details
RRP: £19.99 / Cat. no. BFIB1445 / 12
UK / 1954 / black and white / 113 mins
/ English language, with optional subtitles for the Deaf and partial hearing /
original aspect ratio 1.33:1 // BD50: 1080p/50i, 25fps, mono audio
(48kHz/24-bit) / DVD9: PAL, 25fps, Dolby Digital 1.0 mono audio (24kHz/16-bit)
Russian Roulette (originally titled Kill Kosygin!) starts out promisingly enough but ultimately ends up being unsatisfying and misguided. Produced
by Elliott Kastner, who was an old hand at making good, populist
entertainment, the production was shot entirely in Vancouver. George
Segal plays a renegade cop (were there any other kind in the 1970s?) who
has been suspended from the local police force for various infractions.
Suddenly, he is recruited by Canadian secret intelligence to help
thwart a reputed plot to assassinate Soviet Premier Kosygin, who is due
to arrive in a matter of days for a high profile conference. Segal
learns that he is being set up in an elaborate and confusing plot that
involves traitorous KGB agents who want to kill their own premier in
order to prevent him from initiating an era of detente with the West.
Their plan involves kidnapping a local dissident (Val Avery), drugging
him and using him as a human bomb who will be dropped on Kosygin's
limousine from a helicopter! (I'm not making this up.) Along the way,
Segal finds he's being set up as a dupe and is framed for murder. The
entire tired affair ends in a race against time with Segal going
mano-a-mano with a KGB killer on the roof of a landmark hotel that
Kosygin is en route to (the only sequence that affords the slightest
hint of suspense). Absurdly, Kosygin's motorcade is permitted to
continue racing to the hotel despite the fact that hundreds of people
are watching a running gun battle taking place on the roof.
The
film was directed by Lou Lombardo, who made a name for himself as an
editor of great talent after supervising the cutting of The Wild Bunch. As
director, he keeps the action flowing but the plot absurdities soon
distract from some otherwise interesting angles and performances. The
fine supporting cast includes Gordon Jackson, Denholm Elliott, Nigel
Stock and Louise Fletcher, but their characters are rather boring. The
film also throws in Christina Raines for sex appeal but she comes across
as the dullest leading lady in memory, barely registering much emotion
even when finding a dead body in her bathroom. (Although most of us
would find such a development a bit disturbing, Lombardo cuts to a scene
of Segal and Raines enjoying a spot of breakfast tea- while the man's
body remains on the bathroom floor.) Segal is always enjoyable to watch
and his wiseguy persona is in full bloom here, but the production is
amateurish on all levels considering the talent involved. Maybeeveryone
involved just wanted a paid getaway and had a desire to visit
Vancouver. (It should be mentioned that director Lombardo was said to be
battling drinking problems during production and that the finale of the
film - the only truly effective scene- was directed by Anthony Squire,
who did not receive screen credit.)
The film is currently streaming on Shout! Factory TV. The app and subscription for this service are also available through Amazon Prime video.
Mill Creek Entertainment is releasing "Magnum P.I: The Complete Series" on Blu-ray. The set contains 30 discs, so if you're a fan, you'd better add another shelf to your video library. Here are the details:
"Buckle up
and take a ride with Magnum, P.I. in all 8 seasons of the iconic series that
are available for the first time on Blu-ray! Explore beautiful and exotic
Hawaii with television's most beloved and charismatic private investigator
(Emmy® Award winner Tom Selleck) as he tackles baffling mysteries and tracks
down the bad guys with the help of T.C. (Roger E. Mosley), Rick (Larry Manetti)
and Higgins (John Hillerman) plus his four-legged pals, Apollo and Zeus.
Packed with
non-stop adventure and featuring iconic guest stars, Magnum P.I. is an
unforgettable thrill-ride. Own the legacy today!"
Northrop Frye’s “Anatomy of Criticism” maintains that all
stories are about a quest for identity. Identity, he maintains, is derived from
one’s position in society and in stories with a happy ending. A character
starts out in isolation but eventually finds his place in society. That’s the
story of the young hero who rises from obscurity, finds the girl of his dreams,
overcomes obstacles and lives happily ever after. Tragic stories are about characters
who start out with an established identity but lose it for one reason or
another and end up totally isolated or dead. Like Macbeth or Hamlet.
Kino Lorber Studio Classics recently released a double
feature on Blu-Ray of a couple of low-budget westerns from the 50’s starring
Anthony Quinn that surprisingly, despite their humble origins, demonstrate
pretty clearly what Frye meant. “The Man from Del Rio” (1956), and “The Ride
Back” (1957) are not your typical westerns.
“The Man from Del
Rio” is the story of two people more or less isolated from society. David
Robles (Anthony Quinn) is a Mexican gunslinger newly arrived in the town of
Mesa, Kansas. When we first see him he’s drunk and waiting on a bench on the
side of the street until a man named Dan Ritchy (Barry Atwater) rides into town.
Robles kills him in revenge for Ritchy killing his family five years ago down in
Del Rio. Robles is wounded and taken by Sheriff Jack Tillman (Douglas Spencer)
to the doctor’s office. Robles has “a flesh wound” and is bandaged up by Estella
(Katy Jurado), a Mexican woman who works for Doc Adams’ (Douglas Fowley). She’s
more or less established her identity as the doctor’s assistant and
housekeeper, but feels some sense of isolation nonetheless because she’s a
Mexican.
Dirty and unshaven, Robles tries to put some moves on
her, but she rejects him. He leaves the doctor’s office and encounters Ed
Bannister (Peter Whitney), the owner of the only saloon in town. He takes him
to the saloon and buys him drinks, telling him he ought to be angry with him.
He had just hired Ritchy as part of an armed force he wants to use to take over
the town. Dodge and Abilene aren’t the wild towns they used to be, he says, and
he figures to turn Mesa into a new Sin City with him in charge. He offers
Robles Ritchy’s job. Robles demurs but then three more desperadoes that
Bannister sent for ride into town. Billy Dawson (John Larch), his brother
George (Mark Hamilton), and Fred Jasper (Guinn “Big Boy” Williams), come into
the saloon and invite Robles to drinks when they learn he killed Ritchy.
Robles whoops it up with the three outlaws who treat him
like an old friend, but after a while he tells Bannister he’s leaving. On his
way to his horse he spots Estella outside the doctor’s office and decides he
needs the doc to take another look at his gunshot wound. The doctor is out so
Robles tries again to get her to warm up to him but she’s having none of it. There’s
a commotion out in the street. They go outside and Estella reacts in horror as
she sees the Dawson brothers and Jasper throw a rope around Sheriff Tillman and
hoist him up on a rafter in front of the saloon. Estella runs to help the
sheriff, but Billy Dawson grabs her, throws her across his saddle and starts to
ride off with her. Robles tries to stop them and Billy draws his gun and Robles
kills him and the other two as well.
This is where the film gets interesting. Left with no
lawman to protect them and with Bannister threatening to hire more guns and ruin
the town for his own benefit, the townspeople offer Robles $100 a month and a
place to live in the back of the jail if he’ll take the sheriff’s job. Robles sees
the offer as a way to continue his pursuit of Estella and accepts. For the
moment it appears the outcast has found a place in the community. Even Estella
is kinder to him after he’d rescued her.However, she allows him to get no closer to her. When he tells her he’s
a better man now. He’s got a job, money and a place to live. But she reminds
him of his real place in Mesa. “Have you
ever gotten rid of rats in a house?” she asks. “You throw a snake into it and
lock the door. But when the rats are gone do you keep the snake around?”
The turning point in the story comes when the town holds
a dance. Everybody is enjoying themselves until the new sheriff shows up, all
clean and slicked up. First they stop him at the door and tell him to check his
gun and hat. There’s an awkward silence as everyone watches him and moves away
from him as he approaches. He asks one of the women to dance and she runs for
the punch bowl. Estella watches as the community gives Robles the cold
shoulder. He finally gets his hat and gun and goes outside to share a bottle
with Breezy (Whit Bissell), the town drunk.
Estella comes out from the dance and asks him why he
doesn’t leave. “Have you no pride?” she asks.
Robles tells her that she is the only reason he has
stayed in Mesa.
“You think I want you?” she asks.
“Don’t you?” Robles replies.
The scene ends with Robles slapping her and lurches off
in a drunken rage to have a final confrontation with Bannister.
“Man from Del Rio” was made in 1956 and in these scenes
with Katy Jurado we see both the savage side of Quinn, reminiscent of his
performance as Zampano in Fellini’s “La Strada”, as well as the vulnerability
he displayed in “Requiem for a Heavyweight.” I’m not saying “The Man from Del
Rio” is a film of that caliber, but it is fascinating to watch these two
performers bring a level of intensity to what could have been a run-of-the-mill
B-movie western or TV movie. Directed by Harry Horner, who mostly directed
episodes of TV series like “Gunsmoke” and “Lux Playhouse,” and written by
Richard Carr, who spent 30 years grinding out scripts for episodes of TV shows
from “Richard Diamond, Private Detective,” to “Johnny Staccatto,” “The Man from
Del Rio” manages to transcend its TV show origins and achieve something better.
It’s a fascinating film. Do Robles and Estella manage to find a place for
themselves in this world? Come on now. That would be telling.
“The Ride Back” is the second low budget Anthony Quinn
western presented on this KL Blu-Ray double bill, and is another story that
fits Frye’s definition of story as the quest for identity. In this case Quinn
plays Bob Callen, a half-Mexican outlaw wanted for the killing of a man in
Texas. William Conrad, best known as the heavyset star of the “Cannon” TV
series, plays Chris Hamish, the sheriff sent South of the Border to arrest him
and bring him back for trial. That’s a pretty commonplace storyline, except
that in this case Hamish is anything but the usual lawman. The fact is he
doesn’t really want to go to Mexico. As we find out in the ensuing story,
Hamish has been pretty much a failure all his life. He’s never been successful
at anything, has no friends, even his wife hates him. But he took the job to prove
once and for all that there was at least one thing he did right in his life. He
was going to bring a killer back from Mexico and make him stand trial.
Callen on the other hand has no such self-doubt. He’s got
a strong sense of who he is and what he can do. He’s popular and has friends
and when Hamish catches up with him, he finds him shacked up with a hot Mexican
beauty named Elena (Lita Milan), who’s so crazy about him she tries to kill
Hamish. Failing that she stalks them on the way back to the border and tries to
set her man free when they camp for the night. Hamish prevents that from
happening, puts her in the custody of a border guard and proceeds north with
Callen in shackles.
On the way they encounter Apaches and come upon a ranch
house where an elderly couple and their daughter are found dead. After they
bury the dead, Hamish discovers another survivor, another little girl (Ellen
Hope Monro) the twin of the dead one. Her purpose in the story is to show how
quickly she responds to Callen’s emotional personality, while running away from
Hamish, whose anger only frightens her. Needless to say there comes a point in
the story where the two men have to face themselves for the first time, and
make life or death decisions that affect not only themselves but the nameless
little girl as well. Are they really the men they think they are?
“The Ride Back” was a Robert Aldrich production, directed
by Allen H. Miner, veteran of hundreds of television series episodes, include
five episodes of the classic “Route 66” series. (In fact, do yourself a favor
and find copies of “Route 66” episodes “Cries of Persons Next to One,” starring
Michael Parks,” and “The Stone Guest,” possibly two of the best dramatic
stories to ever air on commercial television.) “The Ride Back” may sound a
little like “3:10 To Yuma” but it was originally written by Antony Ellis as a
script for the “Gunsmoke” radio series, which featured Conrad as Matt Dillon.
Conrad produced the film. It was obviously a passion project for him and Quinn
and Cannon give two strong, masculine performances. Lots of action and lots of
emotion.
This KL Studio Classics Blu-Ray has no bonus features
other than the original trailers and trailers for other KL releases. The black
and white prints for both films are very good, presented in 1080p with a 1.85:1
aspect ratio. The mono soundtracks are clear and tight. Recommended.
A March 1945 notice in the Los Angeles Times reported that following his return to Hollywood
from a USO camp tour, Boris Karloff was to begin work on a RKO Radio production
titled Chamber of Horrors.The film was to be produced by Val Lewton, the
producer who had already brought to the screen such psychological-horrors as Cat People (1942), I Walked with a Zombie (1943) and Curse of the Cat People (1944).Karloff had already appeared in a pair of Lewton’s horror-melodramas for
RKO, The Body Snatcher (1945) and Isle of the Dead (1945).The actor had been enjoying his freelance status
of late.Recent castings in a series of
mad scientist films (1940-1942) for Columbia solidified Karloff’s reputation as
cinema’s preeminent boogeyman - even in roles sans grotesque makeup appliances.So the engagement of the actor for Chamber
of Horrors was properly trumpeted in a 1945 Variety notice as something of a given: “Karloff Goes Mad – Again.”
By August of 1945 the pre-production title of Chamber of Horrors was abandoned, the
film tentatively re-slated as A Tale of
Bedlam.It’s not entirely clear why
the earlier title was dropped.One can
speculate that RKO wished to differentiate their new film from the 1940 British
Edgar Wallace thriller of the same name.But this second title too was soon shortened, the resulting film eventually
released simply as Bedlam.
The origin of the film’s scenario was certainly original,
one inspired by a painting of the sixteenth century British artist William
Hogarth. In the years 1733-1734, Hogarth would brush a series of eight plates
depicting the plight of a doomed character’s commitment to London’s notorious
St. Mary’s of Bethlehem Asylum.The most
famous of these portraits was Plate #8, titled “The Rake’s Progress,” a
snapshot depicting madness on the ward’s floor.If Lewton’s films are best recalled for their psychological-horror
element, the scenario of Bedlam illustrates
the sorry fate of those irreversibly afflicted.Particularly the lurid, inhumane conditions to which they’re subjected following
internment.
In the case of Bedlam,
Lewton (under the nom de plume of
“Carlos Keith”) and director Mark Robson would craft a provocative, class-conscious
screenplay.Though the film is a historical-melodrama
in construction, the picture was marketed as a thinly disguised Boris Karloff
horror vehicle.Robson was a favorite collaborator
of Lewton’s.He helmed Karloff’s
previous film for RKO Radio, Isle of the
Dead, as well as two earlier Lewton productions, The Seventh Victim (1943) and Ghost
Ship (1943).The latter title, in
fact, appears here as one half of the double-feature Blu ray made available here
through the Warner Archive.
The budget for Bedlam
was kept reasonably low since the filmmakers were able to make use of an
existing set at RKO-Pathe’s studio in Culver City.Eagle-eyed admirers of the classic Ingrid
Bergman-Bring Crosby movie The Bells of St.
Mary (1945) will notice that film’s convent school setting has been
repurposed for the darker explorations of Bedlam.The existing set’s availability allowed the production
and costume designers on Bedlam some economic
freedom to properly – and lavishly - dress the costumes and settings.The film has a very elegant, high-budget feel
despite it’s small bankroll, and Robson does an admirable job of contrasting
the privileged world of London’s elite against the poor souls who suffer the
dank, dark asylum chamber of St. Mary’s.
The film takes place in the year 1761, an era cynically described
here as “The Age of Reason.”Karloff’s unpleasant
character, Master Sims, serves as the particularly cold and malevolent
Apothecary General of the asylum.He’s a
man without morals, interested only in satisfying his own selfish desires and
lining his pocket. To this end, Sims continually toadies and fawns to those of
regal or high political import, such as the corpulent and equally repulsive
Lord Mortimer (Billy House).To gain
favor with those of high position, Sims coldheartedly showcases “performances”
of interned “loonies” for amusement and monies.
Things start going bad for Sims when he’s challenged by
Nell Bowen (Anna Lee), a mistress of Mortimer’s whose earlier haughtiness and indifference
has softened by the grotesque showcases.Rightfully seeing Bowen as a threat to both his position and pocketbook,
Karloff does what he can to break the woman’s spirit.He cynically and falsely charges her with
derangement, leading to a commitment to the ward at St. Mary’s.Her only hope in breaking free – and continuing
her fight for the well-being and humane care for fellow inmates interred in this
“bestial world” – is through the interventions of a pacifist Quaker (Richard
Fraser) and a sympathetic, anti-Tory Whig politician Wilkes (Leland Hodgson).But the malevolent Sims will do all he can to
silence and destroy the determined woman to prevent that from ever happening.
The film’s monochrome cinematography looks great, Director
of Photography Nicholas Musuraca atmospherically capturing and juxtaposing the
elegant lifestyles of the rich and powerful against the sorrowful living
conditions of the mental and emotionally disturbed inmates of the asylum.Such attention to detail is particularly
impressive when considering the production of Bedlam was shot quickly, photography wrapping by the end of
September 1945.
The Hollywood trades would report shortly afterward that
Karloff was scheduled to appear in yet a third
film for the team of Lewton and Robson, Blackbeard,
presumably a swashbuckling pirate epic.RKO
executive producer Jack Gross was to supervise this new production, one scheduled
to commence filming in spring of 1946.That film would, sadly, not see the light of day.Lewton’s relationship with Gross was
reportedly an unfriendly one, and the box-office for Bedlam wasn’t what the studio had wished it to be.The revenue shortfall was partly attributed
to troublesome distribution issues.
Such issues aside, it was also true that public interest
in horror films had diminished. Such changes in taste had allowed Karloff to -
briefly – be free of playing roles that exploited his reputation as cinema’s
man of menace.This respite, however,
wouldn’t last long.The gentlemanly,
lisping actor was soon back to playing villains, mad scientists, and mysterious
Swamis before decade’s end - even terrorizing Bud Abbott and Lou Costello as an
acrobatic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Lewton would go on to produce four subsequent films
following Bedlam, but the filmmaker would
pass on in March of 1951, a somewhat uncelebrated figure in Hollywood.It wasn’t until the late 1960s that film
scholars would reassess his contributions to cinema, anointing several of his
earliest 1940’s efforts as classics of the horror genre.Robson’s career would continue unabated for
decades, scoring big successes with such films as Von Ryan’s Express (1965) and
Earthquake (1974).
Though this Blu ray’s second film lacks a star player of Boris
Karloff’s caliber, Robson’s The Ghost
Ship is certainly worth a watch. Despite its titillating supernatural
title, this film too is not a horror-vehicle.Tom Merriam (Russell Wade), a newly hired third mate to Captain Will Stone
(Richard Dix), suspects the cargo freighter’s commander is not only mentally
disturbed, but possibly homicidal.The
problem is no one on the crew or at the shipping company seems to agree with
him.This despite mounting evidence of the
Captain’s increasingly suspicious actions and demonstrably bizarre behavior.In some respects, The Ghost Ship is similar to Bedlam
as it suggests one remain wary of being too trustful of those holding positions
of power and prestige.Though a sixty-nine
minute B-film, The Ghost Ship is a
pretty effective effort, some even preferring it to Bedlam as it’s a bit more suspenseful in construction.
This Warner Archive Collection Region-Free Blu ray edition of Bedlam and The Ghost Ship is presented here in 1080p High Definition 16x9
1.37.1 and DTS-HD Master Mono Audio.While the set includes the trailers of both films, the only other special
feature offered is an informative and entertaining commentary courtesy of film
historian Tom Weaver in support of Bedlam.Those of us who already invested in Warner’s
nine-film DVD set The Val Lewton Horror
Collection (2005) might not choose to upgrade for this Blu two-fer, but
fans of Karloff and Lewton will be amply rewarded should they do so.This set not only features upgraded transfers
with great balance, but also Weaver’s usual comprehensive supporting commentary,
absent from the original DVD release.
Click here to order from the Cinema Retro Movie Store
Kino Lorber continues its alliance with niche market video label Scorpion Releasing with a Blu-ray edition of the largely forgotten 1969 action/adventure flick "The Devil's 8". The film typifies the kind of movie that simply doesn't exist any more: a low-budget production designed for fast playoff and modest profits. Back in the day, studios depended on movies such as these to be important to their bottom line. It's in stark contrast to today's film industry where seemingly every release is intended to be a blockbuster with production costs so high that some flicks have to gross close to a billion dollars to be considered financially successful. "The Devil's 8" is pretty much what you might expect simply by examining the sleeve. Typical of these types of movies, it presents a cast of reputable character actors who get meatier roles than they usually did in more prestigious productions. The script is yet another in a seemingly endless number of action films that was shamelessly inspired by the success of "The Dirty Dozen". Christopher George is Faulkner, who we are introduced to as a criminal in a work group of convicts doing time in a prison in the deep South. Along with his fellow prisoners, he's performing backbreaking work under the guard of cruel, armed overseers. Faulkner initiates a riot and he and seven other convicts manage to escape. They are soon "rescued" by government officials and learn that Faulkner is actually an FBI agent and the entire scenario was pre-planned. Turns out that the men are being recruited to work under Faulkner as part of an elaborate plot to bring down a local crime king named Burl, who is running a major illegal moonshine operation in the area. The FBI knows that he is being protected by high government and police officials who are paid off with a share of the loot. Faulkner offers them a deal: if they agree to undergo extensive training and help him infiltrate Burl's operation, he'll recommend that they be pardoned and freed. Sound familiar? It's but one of the familiar scenarios blatantly copied from "The Dirty Dozen". The convicts all agree and end up being trained to drive specially-equipped cars that have been reinforced to withstand all sorts of calamities. They must also become proficient in the use of machine guns and demolition work. As you might imagine in a film with a 98-minute running time, this is accomplished fairly quickly. Adding to the "Dirty Dozen" similarities, the men initially fight among each other until Faulkner employs a successful strategy whereby they bond together in their common hatred of him.
The group then pretends to be rival moonshiners who move in on Burl's territory, knowing he'll try to take them out.When their resiliency wins out over Burl's men, Faulkner convinces Burl to allow them to become partners in his operation in the hope of being shown where his illegal stills are located. Burl agrees, but no one is naive to believe the alliance will last. Faulkner and his men know that ultimately, Burl will have them killed. As played by Ralph Meeker, Burl is a stereotypical, cigar-chomping Southern good ol' boy with plenty of charisma to cover up the fact that he routinely uses murder to protect his operation. By the time the double-crosses kick in, Faulkner and his gang are ready to engage Burl and his private army in an all-out battle to the death. Faulkner's group is the usual blend of eccentrics we see in prison films. Each has his own distinct personality from the lone Black convict (Robert DoQui in the Jim Brown "Dirty Dozen" role) to Joe Turkel (reunited with Meeker after having both appeared in Stanley Kubrick's classic "Paths of Glory") as an impulsive team member whose actions threaten to undo the mission (think John Cassavetes in "The Dirty Dozen"). Other members of the group are played by a familiar assortment of character actors including one-time teen idol Fabian, Tom Nardini of "Cat Ballou" and Larry Bishop, who specialized in portraying hippies. Christopher George dominates the film as the tough-as-nails Faulkner. It is puzzling why he never became a bigger star, given his rugged good looks and strong on-screen personality. Despite starring in the modestly successful WWII TV series "The Rat Patrol", he rarely had a lead role in feature films. His biggest impressions were as the quirky villains in two John Wayne film, ""El Dorado" (1967) and "Chisum" (1970). Sadly, he passed away in 1983 at only 52 years-old. The rest of the cast performs well and each member provides some amusing moments. Leslie Parrish is inserted in the movie to provide some sex appeal as Burl's reluctant mistress.
"The Devil's 8" was directed and produced by "B" movie king Burt Topper. Much of the action is rather clunky in its staging and the limited budget results in some of the worst and most laughable rear screen projection effects in the history of the medium. But Topper was unpretentious in his goals and execution of his films. He just wanted to make fun movies for undemanding audiences. The score by Michael Lloyd and Jerry Styner, proteges of the wiz kid Mike Curb, provide a bouncy country score that is appropriate for the story but which rapidly grows weary due to its sheer monotony- and wait until you hear wacky theme song and lyrics by the Sidewalk Sounds that play over the end credits. "The Devil's 8" seems like one of those films that was specifically created to fill the bottom of a double-feature bill, but in fact, it was the main feature in most of its bookings, although in the UK, it was the second feature to "3 in the Attic". Interestingly, the movie proved to be a fertile training ground for screenwriters Willard Huyck and John Milius, who co-authored the script with James Gordon White. Within a few years, Huyck would pen the screenplay for George Lucas's masterwork "American Graffiti", while Milius would go on to write the screenplays for "Dirty Harry" and "Apocalypse Now" and find considerable success as a director. Thus, before we turn our noses up at lowbrow movies such as this, we should pause to remember how many considerable talents emerged from such productions.
The Blu-ray presents the film in the best state possible, given that there probably isn't an abundance of adequate master prints available. Although it's been produced from a new 2K master, the color is sometimes wishy-washy, but that just adds to the "B" movie appeal. Bonus features include a good recent interview with Larry Bishop, who discusses his friendship with Burt Topper and expresses respect for his talents. An original trailer and gallery of other Kino/Scorpion releases is also included. Kino and Scorpion have wisely retained the film's original poster artwork for the sleeve. It's a perfect example of how, in the Golden Age of movie marketing, the status of "B" movies could be considerably improved by employing dynamic graphics. Ironically, in today's industry, movies that cost hundreds of millions of dollars are promoted with poster artwork that is bland, boring and unmemorable. Just another reason to miss those bygone days of low-budget crowd-pleasers.
“Binge-watching”
is a relatively recent addition to our vocabulary, thanks to 24/7 streaming TV
channels, but the concept itself isn’t new.On summer weekends in the
1970s, drive-in theatres offered the same opportunity for immersing yourself incheap, all-night entertainment.There, you’d binge not on
multiple episodes of “Peacemaker” or “Walking Dead” but instead on their
Disco-era equivalent: triple or quadruple features of B-Westerns, soft-core sex
comedies starring ex-Playboy Centerfolds, Kung-fu imports, and populist
vigilante dramas.
Back then, one film on the bill in scratchy, tinny
celluloid might have been “God’s Gun,” starring Lee Van Cleef.In the 1976 Western, now
available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, an outlaw gang led by Sam Clayton (Jack
Palance) sweeps into town, demolishes the saloon owned by pretty Jenny (Sybil Danning),
and kills a man at the poker table.Jenny is furious when the cowardly sheriff (Richard Boone) refuses to go
after the outlaws as they ride out.The local Catholic priest, Father John (Van Cleef), follows instead, and
brings back the murderer, Clayton’s nephew Jess, on his own.This provokes more mayhem as
the outlaws return, break Jess out of jail, gun down Father John, and go on a
further rampage of rape and murder.The sheriff still prefers to keep a low profile, so Jenny’s son Johnny
(Leif Garrett) sets off for Mexico.There the boy intends to find Father John’s twin brother Lewis, a
retired gunfighter, and bring him back to restore peace in Juno City.Those scenes give Leif Garrett
nearly as much screen time as Lee Van Cleef.This was probably welcomed by
the young actor’s rising fan base of thirteen-year-old girls in 1976.By Van Cleef’s leathery old
fans, not so much.
“God’s Gun” was designed to look like a Spaghetti
Western, still a viable if fading genre in the mid-'70s, even to the
extent of reuniting Lee Van Cleef with director Gianfranco Parolini (alias
“Frank Kramer”) from “Sabata” and “Return of Sabata.”Parolini employs many of the
stock techniques from his earlier Westerns, including sudden close-ups when
characters are shot, skewed camera angles from the victims’ perspective as they
fall dead, and noisy saloon brawls.In reality, the movie was produced in Israel by Menahem Golan and Yoram
Globus, who would later head the Cannon Group in the 1980s.Golan and Globus followed a
simple, commercially successful formula — take a popular genre, commission a
marginally functional script with plenty of action, headline two or three
well-known actors, hire an experienced B-list director, and keep the remaining
overhead as low as possible.Many
B-movies try to finesse their cheap budgets, but “God’s Gun” doesn’t bother.The Western costumes look like
remainders from the Party Store, Van Cleef is burdened with a bad toupee and
goatee, one exterior set doubles as two towns, and it’s painfully obvious that
neither Van Cleef nor Boone dubbed themselves in post-production.The secondary casting is
comparably haphazard.As
Alex Cox notes in his audio commentary for the Blu-ray, Palance’s skinny,
curly-haired bad guys look more like “a bunch of hippies” than bloodthirsty
frontier desperadoes.Not
that any of this would have mattered in your 2 o’clock stupor as you watched“God’s Gun” at the bottom of a
drive-in triple-feature in 1976.
Kino Lorber presents “God’s Gun” in a remastered 2K
edition at a 1.85:1 aspect.The
picture looks a little soft, but it’s probably the best the studio could do
with the materials at hand.Besides
Alex Cox’s droll, savvy commentary, the Blu-ray includes reversible cover art
from the original movie posters, as well as the vintage theatrical trailers for
“God’s Gun” and other Lee Van Cleef Westerns on Kino Lorber’s backlist.If you’re in a nostalgic mood
for a 1970s drive-in experience, you could do worse than select “God’s Gun” and
two or three others from the KL catalog. Augment with a couple of stale
hot dogs and watery Cokes, fill your TV room with the heady scent of week-old
popcorn, and then sit back and enjoy.
The niche market video label Code Red continues its distribution alliance with Kino Lorber, which is a very good thing for lovers of obscure retro movies. Case in point: "Story of a Woman", a 1970 drama that I will admit I was unaware of until receiving a review screener. The film is a truly international affair, shot in Europe by Italian director/writer/producer Leonardo Bercovici and starring two American male leads and Sweden's Bibi Andersson as the female protagonist. Andersson was making a name for herself in English-language cinema after having appeared in several of Ingmar Bergman classics. She plays Karin Ullman, an adventurous young Swedish woman who has left her home to study piano at a music conservatory in Rome in 1963. Here, she meets cute with Bruno Cardini (James Farantino), a hunky and charismatic medical student who has the good fortune of inadvertently causing a fender bender with Karin's car in one of the city's notorious traffic jams. All is immediately forgiven once Karin realizes she is hopelessly smitten with Bruno, and vice-versa. Soon, they are enjoying a Hollywood-like romance and Karin considers making their relationship permanent. That is, until she receives a visit from a middle-aged woman, Liliana (Annie Giradot), who explains she is Bruno's long-suffering wife. She says he has long been a serial philanderer and user of women. Liliana says he is now tired of suffering in silence. It seems Bruno is dependent upon her considerable wealth and she has given him an ultimatum: stop having affairs or lose your financial lifeline. Heartbroken and emotionally shattered, Karin leaves Rome to return to her parent's lake house on the outskirts of Stockholm. Here she finds her family and friends are able to provide her with solace. Things improve dramatically when she once again meets cute with a handsome man, this one American David Frasier. He's the polar opposite of Bruno: he's middle-aged and is the very definition of responsibility, as he is attached to the U.S. embassy in Rome as a high level diplomat. Soon, he and Karin progress from being lovers to a married couple. Life is fun and glamorous for Karin, as she attends parties with international dignitaries and the couple live a relatively high life style. Karin gives birth to a daughter and they move briefly to London where David has been assigned before returning to Rome. Here, things get messy when Bruno has a couple of coincidental meetings with her (seemingly unlikely given the vastness of the Eternal City.) Bruno explains what the viewer has already seen: he and Liliana had a terrible argument while in the car and a resulting accident cost Aliana her life. Bruno is now single and is regarded as one of Italy's top professional soccer players. In fact, he is a national idol. He comes across as repentant and sorry for the pain he previously caused Karin- but makes it clear he wants to resume their relationship. Karin prides herself on being a loyal wife and a good mother. She consistently rejects Bruno's advances...until she ultimately begins to weaken.
In the quaint vernacular of when "Story of a Woman" was made, it would probably have been referred to as "a woman's picture". There is no doubt it's a soap opera, but it's a surprisingly compelling one thanks to an engrossing script and interesting characters. The situation Karin finds herself in poses a question that many people have found it difficult to deal with: is it possible to learn to "unlove" someone from your past, even if you know that seeing them again is wrong in every logical respect? Karin begins to see Bruno to talk things out but David finds out and makes it clear that their marriage is on the verge of a breakdown. However, a darker side of Bruno begins to emerge, making Karin reevaluate her future.
The movie boasts some fine performances. Bibi Andersson is very good indeed as the woman caught in a love triangle. She sincerely loves both men in her life but realizes that once she married David, the honorable decision would be to remain loyal to him. However, her past with Bruno appeals the selfish aspects of every human being's personality. As her much-distressed and ever-tolerant husband, Robert Stack is excellent. Stack was generally relegated to bland characters in big screen dramas, probably because of his long-running role as the humorless Eliot Ness in "The Untouchables". Thus, it's good to see him playing a multi-faceted, interesting personality. The scene in which he loses his seemingly limitless tolerance for Karin's indecisiveness results in him having an emotional eruption. The scene provides a showcase for the finest acting I've seen from Stack, who would get a different kind of exposure for his comedic talents in "Airplane!" (1980). It should be mentioned that Stack and Andersson share a rather steamy love scene that is erotic, yet tasteful. It was fairly daring for two major stars at the time. Annie Giradot also makes an impact in her limited role as Bruno's long-suffering wife. Alas, James Farantino doesn't fare as well. He gives a perfectly fine performance but its undercut by director Bercovici's decision to have him play this Italian character without the slightest attempt to provide even a quasi-Italian accent. Thus, Farantino's Bruno sounds like he just dropped in from Kansas. As screenwriter, Bercovici could have solved the problem with a minor script rewrite in which Bruno would have explained he grew up in America and moved to Rome later in life. Instead, Farantino is able to look the part of an hunky native of Rome but every time he opens his mouth, it detracts from his performance.
The film features some lush locations, nicely photographed by Piero Portolupi and there's a fine romantic score provided by young up-and-comer John Williams. The Blu-ray presents an excellent transfer that helps reaffirm the film's somewhat exotic appeal. The only bonus feature is a trailer. "Story of a Woman" is undoubtedly sudsy in terms of the melodrama but its consistently engrossing throughout.
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
Arriving
March 8, 2022, Brand-New Disc Includes Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Footage and
Director Commentary
The highly anticipated follow-up to the beloved classic Coming
To America makes its Blu-ray and DVD debut when COMING 2 AMERICA arrives
March 8, 2022 from Paramount Home Entertainment.
Akeem and Semmi are back for a brand-new, hilarious adventure!
In COMING 2 AMERICA, newly crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and
his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) traverse the globe from their great
African nation of Zamunda to the borough of Queens, New York when Akeem learns
he has a long-lost son in the United States. In addition to Eddie Murphy
and Arsenio Hall, the outrageously entertaining film features an incredible
cast including James Earl Jones, John Amos, Louie Anderson, Shari Headley,
Wesley Snipes, Tracy Morgan, and Leslie Jones.
The COMING 2 AMERICA Blu-ray includes commentary by
director Craig Brewer (Dolemite Is My Name, “Empireâ€) and an exclusive
featurette entitled “From Queens to Zamunda,†which includes never-before-seen
footage and interviews.
The COMING 2 AMERICA DVD includes the feature film
in standard definition.
It’s a story line that’s been used in dozens of Western
films. Two long-time friends who grew up together, later split up and take
different paths—one follows the straight and narrow and becomes a lawman and
the other turns into an outlaw. Fate decrees that one day they will have to
meet in a showdown. It usually ends with the outlaw lying face down in the dirt
and the sheriff sad and bitter about it all, wondering if it was all really
worth it.
In 1973 two films with that plot were released within a
month of each other. In May, Universal released “Showdown†starring Rock Hudson
and Dean Martin, the last film directed by veteran helmsman George Seaton
(“Miracle on 34th St.,†“Airportâ€) and the last western that Martin
(“Sons of Katie Elder,†“Rio Bravoâ€) would star in. A month later, in June, MGM
released “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid†directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring
Kris Kristofferson and James Coburn. It would be Peckinpah’s last turn at a
western. While the two films have similar stories, they couldn’t be more
different in tone, style, and execution. “Garrett†is a revisionist masterpiece
that, along with Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch,†changed the western forever. “Showdown,â€
on the other hand, is a remnant of, and a kind of elegy for, a bygone era of Hollywood
moviemaking. Kino Lorber has released a Blu-Ray edition of the film.
“Showdown†tells
the story of Chuck Jarvis (Rock Hudson) and Billy Massey (Dean Martin), two
guys who grew up together in Cumbres, New Mexico. Chuck is the straight and
narrow one, and Billy is something of a gambler and a pretty fair hand with a
gun. He likes to play the ocarina too. They get along fine until Kate (Susan
Clark), who runs an eatery in town, enters the scene. Screenwriter Theodore
Taylor throws a touch of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid into the mix by
showing them in a series of flashbacks as three good friends, hanging out,
enjoying each other’s company, just like Butch, Sundance and Etta. But when
Chuck and Kate decide to get married, Billy packs up his ocarina and splits the
scene, eventually winding up on the old Outlaw Trail. Chuck and Kate settle
down on the ranch that they bought with money Billy won in a sharpshooter
contest, and Chuck eventually becomes the sheriff in Cumbres.
Years later, unaware that Chuck is now the Sheriff in
Cumbres, Billy rides back into the territory as part of a gang that robs a
train. There’s trouble when the gang divides up the loot and they try to cheat
Billy out of his fair share. Billy is forced to kill the brother of gang leader
Art Williams (Donald Moffett) and rides off with all the loot. Williams vows to
track him down. Back in Cumbres, when Chuck is told that Billy has robbed a
train he reluctantly sets out with two Indian guides to track him down. While
he’s gone, Billy shows up at the ranch. Kate still has a warm spot for old
lovable Billy, and she hides him from the Williams gang until Chuck gets back.
In an odd bit of dialogue for a western, at one point Billy tells Kate he
thinks she thinks that he doesn’t like her. Kate winces a bit.
“It isn’t that,†she says. “I just stepped in between Damon
and Pythias.â€
“Who are they?†Billy asks.
Kate replies: “A vaudeville act. They play the better
saloons.â€
The reference to the Greek legend about two friends who
face the ultimate test of friendship seems to go over Billy’s head, but given Dean
Martin’s own personal experience of a long term friendship with a certain
famous comedian, and the rumors that the reason they split up was because their
wives didn’t get along, the theme strikes a strange chord. When Chuck tracks
Billy back to his own ranch, the friends are briefly reunited. They concoct a
half-baked plan that they think will keep Billy from going to prison and the
next morning Chuck takes him to town and locks him up temporarily.Things might have worked out except for an
ambitious prosecutor (John McLiam) who is determined to see Billy hang.
Lazlo Kovacs’s cinematography is magnificent. Using
Todd-AO 35 cameras, he fills the screen with wide vistas, bright, colorful
sweeps of the northern New Mexico scenery, with the Sierra Madre Mountains
looming in the distance. Every frame, except some interior shots, is in deep
focus with distant mountains and foreground figures in clear, sharp detail. The
2.35:1 aspect ratio makes you feel like you can breathe deeper just looking at
it. This is why Blu-Rays matter. This film plays quite often on the Encore Westerns
Channel. But it is cropped to 1.85:1. In that format, it makes no impression at
all.
The climax of the film is set in a forest fire, with
Chuck and Billy and the outlaw gang in pursuit of each other, finally ending in
a totally burnt-out, black and charred landscape. What more fitting setting for
the death of a genre? It can be argued that the traditional western declined and fell during this period of filmmaking. “Showdown†was one of the final casualties of the genre, however there would still be a few classics released including "The Outlaw Josey Wales and "The Shootist".
Kino Lorber’s transfer of “Showdown†to Blu-Ray is
excellent. This is a disc you want to own if you just want to show off what
your big-screen 4k High Definition TV can do. Colors are rich. None of that
monochrome palette that Ridley Scott is so fond of. The sound on the disc is
mono, which is too bad. David Shire’s score, featuring a repeated theme played
on an ocarina, is wistful, alternately peppy and lonesome. Extra features
include an informative audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger and
Steve Mitchell, and a trailer for “Showdown†and half a dozen other features
available on KL discs.
Oliver
Reed, Candice Bergen and Gene Hackman are on opposing sides of “The Hunting
Party,â€a 1971 Western released on
Blu-ray by Kino Lorber. Reed is Frank Calder who kidnaps school teacher Melissa
Ruger (Bergen). The plan is to hold her for a ransom, but Frank also wants
Melissa to teach him to read. Frank and his gang are pursued by Melissa’s
sadistic husband Brandt Ruger (Hackman), a wealthy and powerful rancher. The
film opens with Frank and his gang killing and butchering a cow from a heard of
cattle and cutting out chunks of meat which they eat raw. The scene is
disconcerting and is juxtaposed with a scene of Brandt forcing himself on
Melissa, who is not enjoying his actions which border on rape and clearly
involve the infliction of pain.
Frank’s
gang are warned by lawmen to stay away from their town. They ride past the town
bank which is heavily guarded and pass through town to the school. There they
grab Melissa after her husband departs on a hunting trip with friends on his
private train. Brandt and his friends also have several prostitutes and we
witness Brandt’s sadism as he employs lit wax candles on the prostitute in his
bed. When notified of his wife’s kidnapping the next morning, Brandt and his
friends begin their pursuit of Frank and his gang along with his new high caliber
hunting rifles with scopes. His friends think they are on a rescue mission, but
they learn Brandt is less interested in getting his wife back than getting
revenge.
Meanwhile,
Frank tries forcing Melissa into teaching him to read, but she refuses and
tries to escape several times. Frank rapes her and soon after she nearly shoots
him. Frank gives her the ultimatum of teaching him to read or starving to death.
Melissa succumbs during the only lighthearted scene in the movie in which she
is tempted by Frank with a jar of peaches. Melissa is drawn to Frank and a
romance develops between the two. Frank is an outlaw, but a man she is willing
to be with and betray her sadistic husband. Brandt and his men soon catch up
with Frank and his gang and starts picking them off like snipers, as they can
kill at a great distance. One by one, Brandt’s men lose interest when they
realize Brandt is less interested in rescuing his wife than killing Frank and
his gang like animals. In one scene he even stacks the dead men along side the
pond where they were killed, to the disgust of Brandt’s men who soon recognize
their friend has gone mad.
Apart
from the female lead, there are no “good guys†in this Western. They are all cutthroats,
thieves and rapists or psychopaths. The movie is a blend of the Spaghetti
Western and the new Hollywood action movie violence of the late 60s and 70s. Candice
Bergen gives a terrific performance in an otherwise bleak and nihilistic movie,
providing moments of hope that the story will turn in a different direction.
She’s raped or nearly raped several times in the movie and her performance is a
great follow up to her equally good performance in “Soldier Blue†from 1970.
Gene Hackman gives a nasty performance,which is a forerunner to roles in other
movies such as “Unforgiven†in 1992. Oliver Reed is understated for the most
part and has an effective American accent in his only Western. It’s hard to
figure out Frank Calder and his motives. Is he a bad guy? For sure, but he also
gains our sympathy if only because the businessman Brandt Ruger is far worse
than Frank and his gang members.
Familiar
faces round out the cast with the likes of Simon Oakland, Mitchell Ryan, L.Q.
Jones and William Watson to name just a few. Directed by Don Medford, the movie
was filmed on location in Spain, which was irresistible for Hollywood
productions trying to take advantage of the popularity of the Spaghetti Western
craze and the Spanish vistas still largely unfamiliar to most movie-goers in
America at the time. Known mostly for working in television where he had a
prolific career, Medford directed this and the second “In the Heat of the
Night†sequel, “The Organization,†which were both released in 1971 and remain
his only big screen credits. Well, almost. In addition to the dozens of
television credits as director from 1951 through 1989, he also directed the
first episode of “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.†(“The Vulcan Affairâ€) which was
edited and released theatrically as “To Trap a Spy†in 1966. Thus, Medford
could lay claim to three theatrical features depending on how one categorizes
them. The screenplay is credited to William W. Norton, Gilbert Ralston and Lou
Morheim, who may have crossed paths with Medford in television. The movie has a
score by Italian composer Riz Ortolani ,who may be best known for his score to
“The 7th Dawn†and more recently for three Quentin Tarantino films: “Kill Bill,â€
“Inglorious Basterds†and “Django Unchained.â€
One
of the problems with the movie is that it is very bleak with only the
previously mentioned levity which seems out of place compared to the rest of
the rest of the movie. While the film is unsettling, it is very good with fine
performances by the three leads and the great supporting cast. This isn’t the
kind of Western the Duke appeared in during this time period and one can debate
which style was better: the extreme violence or the more traditional off-screen
blood and violence. I appreciate both and I think there’s room for this
variety, but there’s no doubt we were seeing one of the last gasps of the Hollywood
Western.
The
movie looks great on Blu-ray and I suspect it’s as good as it’s ever looked on
home video, having being released previously on DVD and VHS. The disc has an
audio commentary by Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson which I found very
informative. Other extras include a 12-minute interview with actor Mitchell
Ryan who shares his recollections while working on the film. The disc includes the
trailer for this and other Kino Lorber releases and reversible cover art. Forget
what you’ve heard or read about this movie, “The Hunting Party†may not be for
everyone, but is recommended for Western fans due to the terrific cast of
leading and supporting players.
The 1970s was the Golden Age of American TV movies and mini-series. Fortunately, many of these long unseen titles have been surfacing again on home video and streaming services. I'll admit that memories of the very good ones had somewhat romanticized my recollection of the TV movie genre in general. Upon viewing some of the titles today, they don't hold up as well as I had hoped, but even the weakest remain quite entertaining. "One of My Wives is Missing" is definitely a lesser entry in the TV movie cycle. In fact, I had never heard of it until I came across the title on Amazon Prime and decided to give it a go. The film was telecast in 1976 and has a good deal of talent associated with the production. The show was produced by the powerhouse team of Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. The screenplay was by Peter Stone, who used the nom-de-plume Pierre Marton, and the director was Glenn Jordan, an established TV veteran with a long line of credentials. The cast was also impressive: James Franciscus, Jack Klugman and Elizabeth Ashley.
The film starts out with Franciscus as Daniel Corban, a rich New York City executive frantically calling police numerous times to find out about any progress made relating to his previous report of his new wife as a missing person. Corban and she were enjoying their honeymoon at a lake resort in upstate New York when he claims she went out in her car and never returned. Corban is increasingly frantic to find out where she is. Finally, the local police chief, Murray Levine (Jack Klugman) meets with him to get more facts. Corban is frustrated by Levine's unorthodox police methods and feels that the small department he oversees is not up to solving the mystery. Corban tells Levine that his wife is even wealthier than he is and that they are a devoted couple. When Levine leaves, things start to get weird. An attractive young woman arrives at the house and makes herself at home, claiming she is Corban's wife Elizabeth. As played by Elizabeth Ashley, she's attractive, intelligent and has a habit of sauntering around the rented house in an array of provocative outfits that are cut down-to-there. Corban is stunned and claims he has no idea who she is and why she is posing as his wife. Still, she goes about her business, saying that he must be delusional due to stress. Things get even weirder with the arrival of a local priest, Father Kelleher (Joel Fabiani), who backs up Elizabeth's story and verifies that Elizabeth is indeed the real Mrs. Corban.
The central premise of the plot is the movie's weakest point. It's patently absurd because anyone could have easily be able to prove or disprove the real identity of a spouse even back in 1976 in the pre-internet era. The fact that Chief Levine can't achieve this simple task is explained away by the fact that it's the Labor Day weekend holiday and everything is closed, as though New York City police resources would simply shut down as though they were a local coffee shop. As screenwriter, adapting the Robert Thomas stage play "Trap for a Single Man", Peter Stone allows most of the action to take place in a living room before opening things up a bit in the climax. As with all whodunnits of this type, the less plot revelations, the better. Suffice it to say that the script veers increasingly into the realm of the unbelievable before Stone redeems himself by providing some cracking good plot surprises in the last fifteen minutes. Stone's presence on the low-brow TV movie is a bit of surprise, given that he had written such esteemed feature films as "Charade", "Father Goose" and "The Taking of Pelham One-Two-Three". Perhaps that's why he used an assumed name. A near fatal error is director Jordan's handling of the pivotal role of the priest. Joel Fabiani is miscast in the part and Jordan has him using a cliched Irish accent that makes him sound as though he's channeling the ghost of Barry Fitzgerald. Franciscus is good, if a bit hammy at times, as the bewildered and exasperated husband. Klugman, always a pleasure to watch, is in full Columbo mode, exhibiting plenty of disarming tactics to mask the fact he is more competent than he seems. Ashley oozes sensuality and is quite effective as the woman who holds the key to the mystery. In all, it adds up as satisfactory, if unexceptional, trip back in time to the era of the "ABC Movie of the Week" series.
The Amazon Prime streamer is presented "as is" with from a source that has not been enhanced in any manner. The film had been released on VHS and as a low-rent public domain DVD. The latter probably served as the source for the streaming presentation.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's timeless 1902 Sherlock Holmes novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is said to be the most often-filmed adaptation of a book. I don't know if that's true but it's quite clear that over the decades, the tale has indeed inspired many adaptations for the cinema and television. The 1939 classic introduced audiences to the teaming of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and Watson. The 1959 Hammer Films version was the first Holmes movie made in color and starred Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in another highly impressive adaptation. By the1970s, revisionist versions of Holmes stories were all the rage in cinema and on television, as evidenced by films such as "The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter ", "They Might Be Giants", "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" and "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes". Thus, the famed comic duo of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore opted to bring a satirical version of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" to the big screen with a cast of highly respected British character actors that included Terry-Thomas, Joan Greenwood, Kenneth Williams, Hugh Griiffith and Roy Kinnear. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty, as it turned out. The first mistake was hiring Paul Morrissey to direct. Morrissey's track record in cinema consisted primarily of directing edgy, avant-garde cult films in conjunction with Andy Warhol. This would be his first foray into mainstream filmmaking. He also co-authored the script with Cook and Moore. Few could have predicted that the film would be little-seen and much-reviled by those who had the misfortune of viewing it. If you're a fan of misguided, bad movies, your ship has come in with the new Blu-ray release.
On the surface, the script follows the basic plot of the novel. Sir Henry Baskerville (Kenneth Williams) is heir to a remote mansion house located just off the eerie and dangerous moors. However, it appears as though the previous male heirs met with foul fates due to their misdeeds- and some have fallen victim to a legendary murderous hound who stalks them. Holmes and Watson are enlisted to visit Baskerville Hall to protect Sir Henry while they investigate who has made attempts on his life. As in the novel, Holmes disappears from the mid-section of the story, leaving the sleuthing to Watson. As depicted by Cook and Moore, Holmes and Watson are two inept idiots who have gained reputations as great detectives largely through solving cases through the insights of others and by good fortune, when their blundering methods accidentally produce results. Both Cook and Moore play their characters with bizarre, undefined accents that are more annoying than amusing. Cook portrays Holmes as an effeminate fop and Moore's Watson is more Inspector Clouseau than Victorian era sleuth. Moore plays multiple roles in the film including a female character, which only reminded me that aside from "Some Like It Hot" and "The Birdcage", female impersonation tends to be more amusing in theory than execution on the silver screen. The movie lumbers from one unfunny bit to the next and the running time of 85 minutes begins to feel like a double feature of "Ben-Hur" and "Doctor Zhivago"; the cinematic equivalent of water torture as you wait for the next bad joke to drop. Making matters worse is the monotonous piano score "composed" by Dudley Moore which is annoying after several seconds yet is played throughout the entire film. It's like being trapped in a room for 85 minutes with a young piano student who only knows how to play "Chopsticks".
The high profile cast of esteemed character actors is largely wasted. Who would hire one of Britain's great clowns, Terry-Thomas, and cast him in a humorless role? The great Denholm Elliott suffers the indignation of having to carry around a puppy who pees all over everyone he meets (a gag that is repeated numerous times.). Similarly, Oscar winner Hugh Griffith's talents are also wasted but his role is mercifully brief. Kenneth Williams of the "Carry On" films plays Sir Henry with over-the-top stereotypical gay characteristics.The most sympathetic victim is Joan Greenwood, whose portrayal of an upper crust lady-of-the-manor sees her subjected to scenes that spoof "The Exorcist" - five years after that film was released and seemingly every conceivable rip-off of it had already been released. It's the equivalent of making a comedy today that tries to connect with viewers by spoofing "Saturday Night Fever". The exorcism scenes are elaborately staged, given the film's meager production budget, but they are as bizarre as they are grotesque and interminable. You simply have to see it to believe it. One hopes that Ms. Greenwood never saw the final film. Much of the blame for the pacing and erratic nature of the film must be placed squarely with director Morrissey, who is out of his element here. The scenarios are played out in a clunky manner and subtlety is not on the menu, as Morrissey employs a chainsaw instead of a scalpel. Because I'm an eternal optimist, I kept hoping that there would be at least one amusing moment delivered during the course of the film and-Voila!- the hope became a reality. It occurs in Spike Milligan's cameo as a constable who suffers a groin injury from the bumper of a car, causing him to utter a remark that actually woke me from my stupor for a few seconds to emit a genuine laugh. But the tradeoff was hardly worth it: ten seconds of amusement in return for 85 non-retrievable minutes of my diminishing life span. Fortunately for all involved, the movie was a bomb and, thus, the debacle was not witnessed by many. Consequently, everyone's reputation remained intact and Moore's clout rose appreciably after his acclaimed supporting role in the comedy thriller "Foul Play", which was released the same year and overshadowed "The Hound of the Baskervilles".
Code Red has released "The Hound of the Baskervilles" on Blu-ray with a very nice transfer. It's fairly bare bones with only the original trailer included as a bonus. I have to salute the company for bringing out this title, as even bad movies should be preserved and made available for easy access. After all, this review is only one person's opinion. ('lest you suspect that I'm too high brow to enjoy low brow comedy, I consider the Three Stooges to be hilarious. So there.) There may be others who view the film and howl with laughter, but speaking personally, I found this "Hound" to be a real dog.
Among the many gems released by the Warner Archive is the obscure Girl of the Night which afforded Anne Francis a rare starring role in a theatrical feature. The 1960 modestly-budgeted movie purports to examine the pitfalls of a young woman who becomes a high-priced call girl. Francis plays Robin Williams (not the hairy guy from Mork and Mindy), a charismatic 24 year-old trying to carve a life for herself in New York City. She soon falls in love with Larry Taylor (John Kerr), a charismatic cad who pretends to love her while acting as her pimp. For a while, Robin seems content. She's pulling in enough loot to maintain a high lifestyle for herself and Larry, taking "appointments" from floozy madame Rowena (Kay Medford.) When she learns Larry has been cheating on her, she despairs and seeks advice from psychiatrist Dr. Mitchell (Lloyd Nolan in typically stoic Lloyd Nolan mode.) Much of the story unfolds as Robin relates to Dr. Mitchell how a troubled childhood of abuse and neglect led her to prostitution. Mitchell tries to convince her she is still being used and abused by Larry, who she consistently forgives, against her better judgment.
Despite the obvious opportunity to present the subject matter in a sexploitation format, Girl of the Night is
actually a highly engrossing film, intelligently written with a superb
performance by Francis that should have been considered for an Oscar
nomination. The fact that she never became a full-fledged star of the big screen is
puzzling, though she did gain a loyal following based on her Honey West TV
series in the 1960s. The film pulls its punches in terms of sanitizing
prostitution (the word "sex" is used only once) and consequently, the
worst aspects of the profession seem to be dealing with a few kinky
customers and an unchivalrous boyfriend. However, director Joseph Cates
handles the story very competently and takes advantage of some prime New
York City locations. The film's supporting cast is quite engaging, with
Kerr particularly good playing against type as a villain. The movie was
produced by Max Rosenberg, who would soon go on to produce some of the
most popular horror films of the 60s and 70s. In summary, Girl of the Night is a fine tribute to the talents of the under-appreciated Anne Francis.
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
Relive the Hilarious Exploits of Wayne and Garth with a
Limited-Edition Blu-ray™ SteelBook® on February 1, 2022
Celebrate the world’s most endearing slackers when WAYNE’S
WORLD arrives in a Limited-Edition Blu-ray SteelBook on February 1,
2022, just in time for the film’s 30th anniversary.
Originally released on February 14, 1992, WAYNE’S WORLD
marked the feature film debut of Wayne and Garth, the wildly popular characters
originated by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey on “Saturday Night Live.†A
hilarious send-up of pop culture, the film also features Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere,
and Alice Cooper (we’re not worthy!).
Directed by Penelope Spheeris and written by Mike Myers and Bonnie
Turner & Terry Turner, WAYNE’S WORLD follows Wayne and Garth
as they try to promote their public-access cable show.
A hit with both critics and fans, WAYNE’S WORLD ultimately
earned over $183M at the worldwide box office and spawned the sequel Wayne’s
World 2. A double feature of the two films will also be available on
Blu-ray with access to digital copies on February 1.
The WAYNE’S WORLD Blu-ray SteelBook includes access
to a digital copy of the film.
The Film Detective has released one of their
most ambitious film sets to date with The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection. The
set features three of the five films made between the years 1931-1937 starring
Arthur Wontner as world’s greatest super sleuth. Having been told he resembled
Doyle's creation for years, Wontner was finally cast in the role for The
Sleeping Cardinal (released under its American title as Sherlock Holmes' Fatal
Hour in this box set) in 1931. Produced by Twickenham Studios, Fatal Hour was
loosely based on "The Adventure of the Empty House" (a short story
written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) with the noticeable change that in the film
version, Ronald Adair is a card cheat. Wontner was joined by Ian Fleming as
Doctor Watson and Philip Hewland as Inspector Lestrade. Sherlock Holmes' Fatal
Hour played rather well and was considered a success. As a result, little time
was wasted when producer Julies Hagen quickly rushed a second film into
production. The Missing Rembrandt (1932) reunited director Leslie S. Hiscott
with Wontner, Fleming, and Hewland. Unfortunately, it is not included within
this collection, as sadly it is considered a lost film - and naturally there
isn’t much The Film Detective can do about that. The collection is also missing
Wontner’s third outing as Holmes, The Sign of Four: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest
Case, also made in 1932.
However, there is still plenty here to enjoy
in this nicely compiled collective. The series of films picks up again with
Wontner’s fourth movie, The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935). The story sees
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson come out of retirement to investigate a
mysterious murder. They find that an American criminal organisation called The
Scowrers has asked evil mastermind Professor Moriarty to wreak vengeance on
John Douglas, the informant who sent them to prison. Again, the film did very
well and received a great many positive critical reviews.
Wontner was by now fifty-nine years old, and
it was becoming increasingly difficult to hide his age. Wontner's final Holmes
film, Silver Blaze (1937) had Ian Fleming return for a final turn as Dr.
Watson, as did Lyn Harding as Moriarty while John Turnbull became the third
actor to play Inspector Lestrade. The production notably injected Sir Henry
Baskerville from The Hound of the Baskervilles into this adaptation. The film
wasn't released in the U.S. until 1941 by which time it had undergone a title
change to Murder at the Baskervilles, probably due to the overwhelming success
of Basil Rathbone s The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939).
Whilst this set is clearly not the definitive
Wontner collection, The Film Detective has also included a bonus film to round
out the set. A Study in Scarlet (1933) was an American Pre-Code mystery
thriller directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring Reginald Owen as Sherlock
Holmes and Anna May Wong as Mrs. Pyke. Despite her billing, Anna May Wong only
appears on screen for some ten minutes. Reginald Owen had played Dr. Watson in
Sherlock Holmes (1932) and as such, became one of a small number of actors to
play both Holmes and Watson. A Study in Scarlet remains a nicely made movie,
dripping with atmosphere and rife with coded messages, villains and secret
passages. The film also opens with the original BBFC U certificate card.
Each of the four films (individually cased)
in this collection come with an impressive set of extra material. All four
films include an audio commentary: Fatal Hour (Jennifer Churchill), The Triumph
of Sherlock Holmes (Jason A. Ney), Silver Blaze (Phoef Sutton & Mark Jordan
Legan) and A Study in Scarlet (Peter Atkins & David Breckman). All
commentaries are informative and enjoyable. The history of Holmes is explored
over 3 parts and 3 discs in The Adventures of Sam Sherman, and lasting around
20 minutes in total. There are also a number of original shorts dating way back
to the 1900’s. In fact Sherlock Holmes Baffled (1900) may only run for around
30 seconds, but is still acknowledged as the earliest known film to feature
Arthur Conan Doyle's detective character. The quality of these shorts varies,
from excellent to the bad beyond compare. A Black Sherlock Holmes for example
is barely watchable, there is so much damage - but considering its historical
and social importance alone, it certainly warrants its inclusion here. Also
included is a reconstructed Radio adaptation of Sherlock Holmes and the Blue
Carbuncle, a Felix the Cat cartoon Sure Luck Holmes (1928). Elementary Cinema:
The first cinematic adventures of Sherlock Holmes, is an original documentary
lasting 27 minutes plus a full episode (Blind Man’s Bluff, 26 minutes) of the
Ronald Howard Sherlock Holmes TV series is also a welcome addition. The episode
(filmed in black and white) has been mastered rather nicely too, although
wrongly dated as 1964 instead of 1954.
So there is certainly plenty here for any
Holmes fan to enjoy. However, it is in the quality of the feature films where
this set falls short. All of these films were low budget productions, and were
never going to compete with the Basil Rathbone movies which were classy and
altogether more prestigious in their presentation. But that doesn’t mean that
these films still shouldn’t look good. Sadly, it looks as if all of these films
were struck from grainy 16mm prints, and it shows. In the case of Sherlock
Holmes' Fatal Hour (albeit, the earliest film here), I found myself stepping
down on the sharpness control, just to eliminate the heavy graininess of the
picture. I have no doubt at all that The Film Detective has probably worked
with the best possible sources that were made available to them.
If these films are new to you and first-time
purchases, then I dare say they will fit perfectly in your collection. But for
the more travelled Holmes fan it might be worth checking out your existing
versions again first, and ask yourselves if it is worth the overall upgrade?
The packaging has been nicely put together, a
nice leather look brown slip case holds all 4 individually cased movies, each
of which comes with a postcard-sized art card and an informative booklet
containing history and essays for each of the films. I certainly can’t fault
the effort here; it’s just a shame that the quality of the films doesn’t quite
hit the mark.
(Darren Allison is the soundtracks editor for Cinema Retro. Read his column in every issue.)
The Whistle at
Eaton Falls / 1951 / Directed by Robert Siodmak / 96 minutes
USA / UPC: 6-17311-60629-8
(Los
Angeles, CA–January 14, 2022) -- Flicker Alley and LdR Films, in association
with the Library of Congress, proudly present a new restoration of Robert
Siodmak’s labor drama, The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951), in a replicated media
publication as part of Flicker Alley’s new “Flicker Fusion†Blu-ray disc
series.
Flicker Alley invites you to discover The
Whistle at Eaton Falls, a rarely seen 1951 film by renowned
filmmakers Robert Siodmak and Louis de Rochemont, featuring Lloyd Bridges,
Ernest Borgnine, Murray Hamilton, and Dorothy Gish (in one of her rare
later screen appearances). Making its home video debut, this superb
quasi-documentary labor drama has been brilliantly restored, utilizing 2K
scanned materials from the Library of Congress.
Shot on location in New Hampshire and set during a post war economic
crisis, The Whistle at Eaton Falls follows the newly
appointed manager of Doubleday Plastics, Brad Adams (Lloyd Bridges), and
the labor union that represents their factory workers. Brad, a former
factory worker and union president, is tasked with the unfortunate
responsibility of laying off employees and friends to ease the company’s
financial struggles. Despite his relentless commitment to protect the
workers, Brad must find a way to keep the company on its feet and thereby
ensure the stability of the local economy.
This brand new 2K restoration was undertaken by the Louis de Rochemont
estate and spearheaded by Tom H. March and David Strohmaier, the same team
behind the stunning Cinerama and Cinemiracle films also published by
Flicker Alley. With negative scanning by FotoKem Industries through the
Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound
Division facility in Culpeper, Virginia.
Bonus Materials Include:
Audio Commentary
Track – by author and film historian Alan K. Rode
“Louis de Rochemont
Remembered†– a personal reminiscence from grandson Pierre de
Rochemont
Insights into the
Restoration– a demonstration of the digital
restoration and reconstruction process
Isolated Soundtrack
– the
original 1951 orchestral score used for the film, sourced from rare
archival recordings
Carleton Carpenter
Sings– archival audio recordings of
"Ev'ry Other Day" and “It’s a Million to One You’re in Loveâ€
Image Gallery– slideshow
presentation featuring the original script, budget details, and
promotional materials from the Louis de Rochemont Special Collections
at Keene State College
Original Theatrical
Trailer
Booklet Essay– an
excerpt from Richard Koszarski’s "Keep 'em in the
East" Kazan, Kubrick and the Post-War New York Film
Renaissance, that covers Louis de Rochemont’s career
during the time The Whistle At Eaton Falls was
produced (Columbia University Press).
CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER FROM THE FLICKER ALLEY STORE
About Flicker
Fusion
This is the
second title in Flicker Alley’s “Flicker Fusion†series, a publication line
that brings new projects, lesser known rarities, and archival restorations to
light. With a nod to the steady stream of images that motion pictures utilize
in creating the magic of moving images, our “Flicker Fusion†series will be an
ongoing way to offer high quality, pressed Blu-ray Disc publications at an
affordable price. Look for more titles to be announced soon.
About Flicker Alley, LLC
Flicker Alley,
LLC was founded in 2002 by Jeff Masino. Each Flicker Alley publication is the
culmination of hundreds of hours of research, digital restoration, graphic
design, music composition and scoring. Collectively, they reflect the
creativity, expertise, and shared passion of many talented collaborators. The
Flicker Alley brand has grown to enjoy national and international critical
acclaim. The company is a four-time recipient of the National Society of Film
Critics Film Heritage Award for publishing "rare early U.S. and foreign
silent film."
Kino
Lorber has released a Blu-ray edition of the 1966 drama A Man Called Adam,
starring Sammy Davis Jr.Directed by Leo
Penn, this look into the world of jazz music and race relations in America
during the turbulent ‘60s features an all-star cast including Louis Armstrong,
Cicely Tyson, Ossie Davis, Mel Torme, Peter Lawford and Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Adam
Johnson is a legendary jazz trumpeter in the mold of Miles Davis.He’s confident, moody and somewhat distant
from his fans and fellow musicians.He
doesn’t play by the rules and doesn’t take the advice offered to him by his
best friend Nelson Davis.When we first
meet Adam, he’s walked off the stage at a Cincinnati club after getting razzed
by a drunken patron for not playing more upbeat music.
Adam
Johnson is an alcoholic who doesn’t try to keep his addiction a secret.He often performs while intoxicated and
displays an attitude of arrogance towards those who support him.His drinking is linked to an auto accident
ten years earlier that killed his wife and daughter as well as blinded his
pianist.He often becomes morose when
his colleagues try to convince him the car crash was not his fault.
Adam
Johnson is a lonely man who won’t allow anyone to get close.When he returns to his apartment after the
incident in Cincy, he finds that Nelson has loaned out his apartment to
established jazz icon William “Sweet Daddy†Ferguson.Adam angrily throws Ferguson out into the
hallway, not realizing who the old gentleman is.After things cool down, Adam is introduced to
Ferguson’s beautiful granddaughter Claudia, who is an ardent follower of Martin
Luther King, Jr. and adheres strongly to his teachings of non-violent
protests.Adam will test her beliefs as
he and Claudia enter into a passionate and stormy relationship.
The
remainder of the film documents Adam’s decline, as he’s unable reconcile his
feelings toward his music and his love for Claudia.The civil rights movement was coming to a
boiling point at this time in America and Adam has witnessed first hand some of
the ugliness running rampant in the South.At this point many viewers may be reminded of 2018’s Best Picture winner
Green Book, wherein a New Jersey wiseguy escorts a Black concert pianist
through the South on a concert tour during the late 60s.Adam experiences some of the same emotions in
that he isn’t able to satisfy the expectations placed upon by him by both
whites and Blacks.
Director
Leo Penn, father of actor Sean, cast many well-known jazz greats for the sake
of authenticity.While Louis Armstrong
plays a fictional character, the rest of the players are the real deal.The music score was arranged by saxophonist/bandleader
Benny Carter.His great song, All That
Jazz, is heard over the titles as well as a party scene where Mel Torme
provides a smooth as silk rendition.For
younger viewers, Mel Torme may be the singer Harry Anderson’s character
worshipped on the television classic Night Court.Here he was at his absolute peak as he works
the room with his vocal prowess.Other
greats include Vincent Favata, Kai Winding, Roy Glenn, George Rhodes and Lester
Williams.Nate Adderly covered the solos
for Sammy Davis, Jr.While not
musicians, keen-eyed viewers may be able to spot George Kirby and a very young
Morgan Freeman as party guests during the All That Jazz sequence.
The
script by Les Pine and Tina Rome is tight and doesn’t waste a scene or
character in this story.As the film
was made in 1966, profanity is not heard and to be honest, this film doesn’t need
it.The actors convey their emotions
with body language and facial expressions that communicate what we need to
know.It may be because most of director
Penn’s experience was in television that we see a lot of close-ups that fill
the screen with the faces of his actors.This film had to be striking on the big screen.
The
mono sound mix is clear and features a bit of bass that is readily apparent
during the music numbers.This Blu-ray
was sourced from a print free of any scratches and presents the black and white
images in stark contrast.The nightclub
scenes are starkly lit and the ever-present cigarette smoke is easily seen.
A
very enthusiastic commentary track is provided by film critic/historian Sergio
Mims who displays his knowledge of both film and jazz.While A Man Called Adam is set during the 1960s
era of cool jazz, one does not have to be a fan to enjoy this film.Just know that the character of Adam Johnson
is one of the best in the business.
As
a kid growing up in the ‘60s in the Chicago area, I was actually pretty well-versed
in this style of music.My father was a
musician and a real jazz aficionado who played in area clubs and juke
joints.He listened to his records all
the time at home and I learned the players and the styles by osmosis, if
nothing else.While not my favorite kind
of music, I certainly developed an appreciation for the technique and
improvisational skills these musicians possessed.Names like Oscar Peterson, Coleman Hawkins
and Wes Montgomery were as well known as the Beatles in our house. It would be a very rare event that we as a
family would make the journey to Chicago’s Loop to catch a movie at the
first-run theaters on State or Randolph Streets.I remember two:Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins at the State-Lake
and A Man Called Adam at the Roosevelt.
A
theme covered in this film is the fact that most of these great musicians were Black,
yet the money behind them came from white agents and club owners.This story was an early attempt to place the Black
performers front and center.It’s
interesting that the advertisements for the movie still list the white actors
first.
Kino
Lorber’s edition of this great film is presented in the original aspect ratio
of 1.66:1 and includes English subtitles. The original trailer is also included.
Are you now or have you ever
been a Beatles fan?Would you like to be
a fly on the wall, witnessing the most important and influential rock band in
history create their art?Or do you simply
enjoy watching musical brilliance at work?If you say yes to any of the above, you’ll want to watch Get Back.
This three-part, seven and a half-hour documentary
mini-series chronicles three weeks in the musical life of the Beatles as they write,
rehearse, discuss, noodle around, and perform the songs for their final album, Let
It Be.
The original footage was filmed
with multiple cameras in January, 1969, by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg for
the 1970 film Let It Be.More
recently, Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson restored the original
uncut footage and shaped it into Get Back, which he calls “a documentary
about a documentary.â€This description
is a bit misleading, because while the 1969 film crew is a presence in the new
series, mostly Get Back is not about making a film; it’s an intimate glimpse
at the Beatles’ creative process.
I watched every second of Get
Back and was riveted the entire time.I felt privileged to witness this amazing, extended close-up of such a
significant moment in pop culture history.
Three things in particular stood
out to me:
First, at this time in the
life of the Beatles, Paul is unmistakably the driving force.John, certainly Paul’s creative and
intellectual equal, and in the past his co-leader, seems to be semi-checked
out.With Yoko at his side—she literally
spends almost every minute sitting next to John, often physically touching in
some way—John seems only half-present for much of the group’s discussions and
casual jamming.However, he does seem to
fully engage when they are actually recording or performing.
Secondly, I was struck by the
utter lack of toxic masculinity in the room.These four immensely talented, powerful, wealthy guys just want to play
music together.The way their talents
and personalities mesh, how they respect each other and give each other space,
and most of all how their creativity flows is awesome to observe.At one point Paul and George bump up against
each other about how to play something, but the conflict is muted and civil and
quickly resolved as George acquiesces to Paul’s vision.George seems to accept his place in the group
dynamic—until at one point he doesn’t.Which
leads to by far the most dramatic and tension-filled portion of the film.
And finally, Yoko.I found her constant presence very peculiar.She’s at John’s side, smack in the middle of
the Beatles’ tight circle of creativity, for nearly the entire film.She doesn’t participate, she doesn’t
interfere, she’s just there. Once in a
while she does her own thing—she reads a fan magazine, paints, sews—but mostly
she does nothing.I found myself annoyed
by her presence.I kept wondering: Why
is she there?Doesn’t she have her own
life to attend to?
If you’re curious about the
myth that “Yoko broke up the Beatles,†this documentary will fascinate on that
level alone.The simple answer is
No.The complicated answer is that
throughout the film it’s apparent that the Beatles are drifting apart, and John
and Yoko’s relationship is just one of many factors in that drift.Looking back on the blame-Yoko
phenomenon, it’s easy to see how racism and sexism and the fact that she doesn’t
fit into the traditional role or image of a “musician’s wife†all played a part
in her demonization.
Not to be lost amidst all
the personality dynamics is the pleasure of watching the Beatles create.In one astonishing sequence, Paul starts by
strumming a few chords on his guitar as Ringo and George look on.A few seconds in, the chords change a bit and
take on a shape that sounds a bit familiar.Soon Paul begins to add in some vaguely mumbled, improvised words.Within a span of two minutes—two minutes!!—he
has come up with the music and lyrics to the Beatles’ hit tune “Get Back.â€
***
For a deeper look at John
and Yoko’s relationship, and to learn more about who they were as individual
human beings, check out the documentary, John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky.Produced in 2018, this film centers around
the making of John’s Imagine album, which he recorded at his home studio
in 1971.
Like Get Back, Above
Us Only Sky incorporates old session footage of John and his band
rehearsing and recording.In this case
the session material was shot for a film that John released alongside the Imagine
album.But, unlike Get Back, the studio
footage in Above Us Only Sky is just one element among many.We also observe John and Yoko’s domestic life
together; we see them reading the newspaper and smoking in bed; we see them goofing
off around their rambling Tittenhurst Park estate in Ascot, England; we see
footage of John’s young son, Julian, and his friends playing on the estate
grounds.
One of the most
memorable—and chillingly prescient—scenes is when an emotionally disturbed
Vietnam vet shows up at John’s estate.The
police want to arrest him, but John nixes that idea.Standing in the doorway, he talks to the vet:
“Don’t confuse the songs with your own mind,†John counsels the man.“I mean they might have relevance to your
mind, but a lot of things do…I’m just a guy who writes songs.We can only say ‘hello’ and what else is
there?â€Then he feeds the guy lunch.
Taken together, Get Back
and Above Us Only Sky compliment each other and fill in each other’s blanks
in telling the story of John, Yoko, the Beatles, and a seminal slice of our
cultural history.
(Get Back is
currently streaming on Disney+.Above
Us Only Sky is currently available on Netflix.)
(Eve Goldberg is a writer and filmmaker.
Her articles have appeared in Hippocampus, The Gay & Lesbian Review,
The Reading Room and AmericanPopularCulture.com. Her film and television
credits include Emmy-nominated Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist, and Cover Up:
Behind the Iran-Contra Affair. Her first book, Hollywood Hang Ten, is a
mystery novel set in 1963 Los Angeles. See a sampling of her short films on her
web site at
https://eve-goldberg.com/ )
The Real Charlie Chaplin opens in a manner
most apropos for the last silent film star to embrace the new sound medium -
with a title card. "Enjoy any Charlie Chaplin you have the good luck to
encounter, but don't try to link them up to anything you can grasp. There are
too many of them." - Max Eastman, writer and friend of Charlie Chaplin.
Before there was Beatlemania in 1964, there
was the "Chaplin Craze," "Chaplin Fever,"
"Charlie-Mania," and my favorite: "Chaplin-oia.""Chaplin-itis has swept across America"
reads one paper's headline. It is December, 1916 and in railroad stations
across the United States, and at the same hour, people wait for his arrival.
Look-alike contests sprung up around the
world. Chaplin himself allegedly entered one and finished twentieth!The character that propelled Chaplin to fame
had many names; "The little man," "The little fellow," and
of course, "The Tramp."Often
imitated, and lawsuits often followed, no one quite had the same appeal, the
same je ne sais quoi.Perhaps it was the way he looked directly
into the camera at us.
Perhaps it was that crooked smile, the
naughtiness behind those eyes, pathos, or just the Everyperson's need to root
for the underdog.Charles Spencer
Chaplin understood that role. He lived it. "In a society sharply defined
by class, the Tramp not only stands up to the man. He gives him a kick up the
arse for good measure."
Before I go on I must mention the narrator.
It is Pearl Mackie. Possibly known to you Doctor Who fans as Bill Potts, the
final companion of the 12th Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi.She is amazingly deft at nuance and possesses
the right amount of gravitas to make things compelling while moving the tale
along.
Chaplin was born on in 1889. An auspicious
year that began with a total eclipse of the sun. Charlie was born on April 16.
Four days later in Austria-Hungary his doppelganger, Adolf Hitler is born.
Coincidence? Fate? The Eiffel Tower was opened to the public. Jack the Ripper
is still at large while London installs electric street lamps. In Kyoto, Japan,
a playing card manufacturing company, Nintendo (yes, THAT Nintendo. Do your own
research here...) is formed. It is the early, beginning days of both film and
sound recording.
One can say Chaplin and film grew up
together. Both he and film grew to be among the most famous icons on Earth.
"The Tramp will make Chaplin more famous than any King, Queen or Emperor.
More famous than any philosopher, artist or religious figure. Famous in a way
no one has been before."
His parents were in the "Variety
business." His father ran away with a chorus girl, abandoning his wife,
Charlie and his older half-brother Sydney.
They lived in a four-wall flat on Fitzalan Street until his mom was sent to a
mental home and he was sent to the Lambeth Workhouse.
It's here where we meet Effie Wisdom. She
grew up with Chaplin and her interview, with historian Kevin Brownlow, when she
was 92 in 1983 informs us about the retched conditions Chaplin grew up in. The
scenes are recreated from the actual recordings.
At fifteen, he joined Fred Karno's Mumming
Birds troupe where he learned the essentials of physical comedy -how to take a trip, a punch, to fall down
stairs. In 1910, with the Troupe, he came to America. In between 3-a-day shows
he teaches himself the cello, Greek and yoga. When Mack Sennett loses his lead
Keystone Cop, Ford Sterling, he hires the Brit Chaplin away from Karno at a
salary of $150 per week, three times his current salary. He decides he'll try
it for a year.
Eventually, we learn of Chaplin's dark sides.
The insecurities, the abuses, the predatory behavior towards underage girls
(see: 'Chaplin' the 1991 film directed by Richard Attenborough starring Robert
Downy Jr. for more on that), the lawsuits, the abortions, Communist sympathies,
expulsion from America, life in Switzerland with Oona O'Neill and his
triumphant return at the 1972 Oscar ceremony.
Much of the information we receive comes from
a 1966 interview he did with Life Magazine, one of the few times he spoke to a
reporter with a tape recorder running. Again, some of it recreated but with
photos taken from the interview itself.
Not all his ex-wives stories are here. His
second wife, Lita Grey Chaplin's story is touched upon. I won't get into it
here. It's not pretty. There are interviews with some of his and Oona's
children done after Chaplin passed. No mention of his being a Romany Gypsy is
here, which I found strangely conspicuous.
Judge for yourself what Chaplin's life was.
There's no denying the man's genius and abilities; he was a one-man wrecking
crew who oversaw EVERY aspect, every shot of his films. For example, it took
him 534 days of shooting, with multiple actresses (only to rehire the
original), to get one scene right for City Lights, his silent opus in the
beginning days of sound. "Talking is an artificial thing," he said,
"whereas movement is as near to nature as a bird flying. The voice is very
beautiful but it is not as great as the silence of somebody just
looking."50,000 people showed up
for the premiere of the film.
Chaplin was once the most famous man in the
world.The highest paid actor.Eventually, his public fall from grace and
closet skeletons defined how he was perceived.The film is full of archival footage including home movies of family
life in Switzerland.With features such
as these and never-before- heard recordings a Chaplin is revealed that the
world has never seen before.
Charlton Heston fans will appreciate the fact that one of his most underrated films has finally made it to Blu-ray through a joint release by Kino Lorber and Scorpion Releasing. "Number One" (released in certain countries under the title "Pro") is an off-beat vehicle for the superstar, who was then at his peak of popularity. The fact that the movie under-performed at the box-office and failed to score with critics didn't diminish Heston's status as a leading man. He would go on to star in such hits as "The Omega Man", "Skyjacked", "Soylent Green" "Earthquake", "Midway"and "Airport '75"- with cameos in the popular "The Three Musketeers" and "The Four Musketeers". The poor response to "Number One" doesn't diminish its many merits - and the fact that Heston was willing to play against type in a largely unsympathetic role. For the film, he reunited with director Tom Gries, with whom he made the acclaimed 1968 Western "Will Penny". Curiously, both movies center on the same theme: a macho man who can't come to grips with the fact that he is aging and, therefore, his chosen way of life is threatened. In "Will Penny", Heston played the title character: a middle-aged cowboy who feels the inevitable aches and pains of trying to maintain a career that is clearly suited for younger men. Similarly, in "Number One" he plays "Cat" Catlan, a star quarterback for the New Orleans Saints football team. Catlan has seen plenty of fame and glory as the team's Golden Boy and the idol of the crowds. But now he is 40 years old and, although still in Herculean physical condition compared to most men his age, he's fallen victim to the constant brutalities he suffers on the field.
The film opens on a particularly disastrous game in which Catlan makes some serious misjudgments about plays and bungles some key passes. The result is an embarrassing loss for the team. The Saints' gruff coach Southerd (John Randolph) isn't ready to give up on Catlin but seemingly every other team member is. Catlan is subjected to some cruel jokes and he has to contend with the fact that a much younger player (Richard Elkins) is breathing down his neck, hoping to replace him as quarterback. Things aren't much better at home for Catlan. His long-suffering wife Julie (Jessica Walter) patiently endures his mysterious absences, unpredictable mood swings and volatile temper. She is a very successful fashion designer but Catlan is "old school" when it comes to the role of wives. He wants Julie to stay home and cater to his needs. In the midst of one of their frequent fights, he even stoops so low as to cruelly tease her about her inability to conceive a baby. Still, she sticks with him even when he confesses to having an affair with an attractive, self-made woman, Ann (Diana Muldaur). Faced with the fact that his career is winding down, Catlan reluctantly explores his options for his post-NFL life. They aren't very enticing. His best friend Richie (Bruce Dern), is an obnoxious former Saints player who brags about having gotten out of the game at age 34. He now runs a very successful car leasing business and lives a playboy lifestyle. He wants Catlan to work for him, a prospect that doesn't sit well with the aging quarterback. He also gets an offer from a computer company to work for them but the idea of dealing of being surrounded by machines in the confines of an office is repugnant to him. Ultimately, Catlan is inspired by his wife to go out on a high note. During one of their rare moments of domestic detente, she convinces him that he still has some good games in his future if he can shake off the funk and get his confidence back. The film's climactic game is the very definition of mixed emotions. Catlan performs well and has his mojo back but the movie's ambiguous final shot is anything but uplifting.
Tom Gries was a good director for Heston. He somehow managed to tamp down Heston's larger-than-life personality and afford him the opportunity to play everyday men. In "Number One", Heston is subject to the sorts of problems that plague most middle-aged men. He's nervous about his future. He often takes his frustrations out on the people closest to him. He tries to reassert his youth by exerting his sexual prowess through having an affair. Throughout it all, Heston admirably does not try to make Catlan into a hero. There is a level of sympathy accorded to him because of the emotional and physical stress he is under but his sheer disregard for others makes him more a villain than a hero. (He even refuses to give fans his autograph). Even worse is his sheer selfishness in how he deals with his wife's needs. He feels threatened by the success she is enjoying in her own career and therefore diminishes her achievements. Heston gives one of his finest performances, ironically, in what was one of his least-seen films.He gets able support from the woefully-underrated Jessica Walter, whose performance a couple of years later in "Play Misty For Me" should have assured her of major stardom (and an Oscar nomination). Director Gries also utilizes the talents of real-life football players, some of whom exhibit impressive acting skills. Diana Muldaur also excels as the siren who lures Catlan into her bed. There is an air of authenticity to the film, primarily because Gries shot much of it in front of packed stadiums. (Cinematographer Michael Hugo's work is especially impressive). Gries also captures the feel of New Orleans back in the day, capitalizing on the local scenery, jazz clubs and even getting the great Al Hirt to perform a number and do a bit of acting. About the only dated aspects of the film concern the off-the-field activities of the NFL players. Catlan complains that they are paid like peasants, which was probably true in 1969, but is a rather laughable notion today. Also, the NFL team is required to wear jackets and ties when traveling to or leaving the stadium, another rule that would be virtually unenforceable by contemporary standards.
"Number One" never found its audience in 1969 but hopefully the impressive Blu-ray transfer will help retro movie lovers appreciate its merits, even if it lacks bonus extras except for a single trailer. The film did have at least one critic who appreciated the movie and Heston's performance. Writing in the New York Times, critic Howard Thompson wrote: "Charlton Heston, minus a
beard, a loincloth, a toga or the Red Sea, tackles a starkly unadorned role in
one of the most interesting and admirable performances of his career…If Heston
could have been better, we don’t know how." Our sentiments exactly.
Includes 4 films premiering on Blu-ray & DVD on December
14, 2021
Los Angeles, CA (November, 2021)
Synopsis: Cult Epics proudly presents the Sylvia
Kristel 1970s Collection, featuring four of the legendary Dutch icon's most
diverse films in new 2K transfers and entirely uncut, for the first time on
home video in the United States.
New 2K HD Transfers
(from original 35mm film elements) and Restoration
Original LPCM 2.0 Mono.
New DTS-HD MA 2.0
Mono
Audio Commentaries by
Tim Lucas, Jeremy Richey, and Peter W. Verstraten
New and Vintage
Interviews with Cast & Crew
Poster & Photo
Galleries
Original Theatrical
Trailers
Limited
numbered Edition of 2500 copies made (Blu-ray) includes 40-Page illustrated
booklet written by Jeremy Richey and Poster with Art by Gilles Vranckx. DVD
Ltd. Edition of 1000 includes booklet and poster
Cult Epics website
exclusive includes an additional DVD with Interview with director Just Jaeckin
on Sylvia. Limited to 200 copies www.cultepics.com
In conjunction Cult
Epics will release Sylvia Kristel: From Emmanuelle written by Jeremy Richey as
a Hardcover book, on January 17, 2020 (new release date). 352 Pages, fully
illustrated, 12x10 inches.
In the early 1970s best-selling author Alistair MacLean (TheGuns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare)
was having a hard time of it, suffering through a rough marriage that eventually
ended in divorce and alcoholism. His friend, movie producer Elliot Kastner, who
had produced several movies based on MacLean’s books, gave him an office at
20th Century Fox and told him to write his next novel there as therapy. MacLean
took the task on and decided to do something a little different from the
straight adventure stories he usually wrote. He came up with the idea of
mashing up two different genres—a tale of the Old West and an Agatha
Christie-type cozy mystery. He basically took the plot from Murder on the Orient Express and set it
on a train carrying medical supplies through the Rocky Mountains in 1870 to
Fort Humboldt, which was besieged by an epidemic of diphtheria. Instead of
Hercule Poirot on board trying to figure out who’s murdering all the passengers
one by one, John Deakin, an outlaw with a price on his head, is given the job of
figuring out who the culprit is.
Also in the cast is veteran western actor Ben Johnson as
U.S. Marshal Pearce, who shows up to take Deakin into custody, Bill McKinney (Deliverance) as Rev. Peabody, David
Huddleston as Dr. Molyneaux, former boxing champion Archie Moore as the train’s
cook, and Charles Durning as O’Brien, the conductor.
As the plot progresses we discover that almost none of
the passengers is who he says he is, and the medical supplies on board are
actually boxes loaded with rifles and dynamite. Deakin eventually solves the mystery
but not without the usual amount of violence and mayhem one expects from a
Bronson flick. One of the highlights of the film is a sequence in which the
last three cars of the train, containing soldiers on their way to Ft. Humboldt,
are decoupled and allowed to jump the track, roll downhill and fall off the
side of the mountain. Unlike moviemakers today, director Tom Gries (Will Penny) did not have CGI technology
to help create the scene. The production spent $800,000 for the purchase of
actual box cars and sent them crashing down the mountainside. The sequence is
noteworthy for being the last to be done by legendary stunt coordinator Yakima
Canutt (Stagecoach, Ben-Hur). Unfortunately,
according to the audio commentary provided by film historians Howard S. Berger,
Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson, the dummies dressed in Army uniforms
that were supposed to fall out of the cars as they went down the cliff,
remained hidden from the cameras. They couldn’t reshoot it so instead they dubbed
in the sound of men screaming as the cars plummeted down the mountainside.
Breakheart
Pass
is an entertaining movie even though the plot literally makes no sense at all,
and the characters have about as much depth as you’ll find in any SpongeBob
Squarepants cartoon. But the ease and sense of “who cares what it’s all about,
I’m just a Pennsylvania coal miner’s son having fun with some friends of mineâ€
that Bronson displays, makes it enjoyable in a weird sort of way. His casual
pursuit of clues from corpse to corpse, as they fall off trestles, or are found
buried in the locomotive’s wood pile, or catch on fire and leap out of the
locomotive in flames, manages to hold your interest—if you try not to think
about it too hard.
Gries directs the film with a suitable lack of rigor and manages
to keep the action going at a steady pace. He keeps the characters and their
shifting identities straight, while giving Bronson a chance to play a Wild West
detective without letting the whole show go over the cliff, so to speak. Lucien
Ballard’s cinematography captures both the beauty and rugged treachery of the
Rocky Mountain locations and the great Jerry Goldsmith provided a spirited,
pulsing soundtrack for the film.
Kino Lorber’s 1080p Blu-ray disc transfer of Breakheart Pass is adequate but could be
better. The color is good but the print is definitely in need of a good 2K
restoration. Audio is 2.0 mono and seems flat, with little dynamic range.
Goldsmith’s score deserves better treatment. Among the extras included on the
disc are the previously mention audio commentary and trailers for other Bronson
films available from KL. There is also reversible sleeve artwork. If you’re a Bronson fan, or just want to see box cars
careening down the side of a mountain, you’ll probably want to see this.
In Andrew V. McLaglen’s “One More
Train to Rob,†an obscure but modestly entertaining Western from 1971, train
robber Harker Fleet (George Peppard) masterminds the armed theft of $40,000
from a Wells Fargo express.Thanks
to his careful planning, he and his gang all have airtight alibis when the law
comes calling.His
partners Tim (John Vernon) and Katy (Diana Muldaur) posed as passengers on the
train, and his other henchmen Slim, Red, and Jimmy were presumed asleep in
their bunks at a nearby ranch.Checking
on Fleet’s whereabouts during the holdup, the sheriff is assured by the town
madam Louella that she and Harker were together in her bed all night.Louella is played by Marie
Windsor, still plenty hot at fifty-two, if I may be excused a little ageism and
sexism.The sheriff is
ready to let Fleet off the hook, but the unexpected arrival of the hulking
Jones brothers (Merlin Olsen and his real-life brother Eric) throws a wrench
into the scheme.The
brothers demand that Fleet marry their sister Cora Mae, whom he seduced and
abandoned during an earlier layover, so to speak, while he and Tim scoped out
the Wells Fargo heist.The
prospect of a shotgun wedding doesn’t thrill Harker.“What if I confess to robbing
the train and go to jail instead?†he asks the sheriff.No dice.Trying to get away, he slugs a
deputy and winds up in prison for assaulting an officer.
Two years
later, released early on good behavior, he finds that Tim has married Katy and
combined Harker’s share of the loot with his own and Katy’s to start a ranch
and a lumber business.Tim
and Katy are unsettled by their former partner’s arrival for different reasons,
Tim because Harker wants his cut of the money, Katy ostensibly because she
enjoys her present lifestyle as a lady of means, but really because she still
has a thing for Fleet.Tim’s
position is especially shaky.He’s
overextended on the ranch, the bank is poised to foreclose, and because of
Harker’s accidental intervention, he’s been foiled in an attempt to shore up
his credit with gold stolen from a neighboring mine owned by Chinese immigrants.As a hole card, he holds
hostage the Chinese elder, Mr. Chang (Richard Loo), and tries to coerce him
into turning over the gold.Aware
of Tim’s plot, Harker sees a chance to recover his own losses and ruin his
former partner in the process.
The tagline
for the movie poster — reproduced as the cover art for a new Blu-ray edition of
“One More Train to Rob†from Code Red — positions the film as a sweaty, violent
story about betrayal and retribution: “He’d been cheated out of his gold . . .
and his woman . . . now the only weapon he had left was revenge!â€It’s a little misleading.“One More Train to Rob†offers
plenty of action to satisfy genre fans, well-staged by McLaglen and stunt
coordinator Hal Needham, but it takes a lighter approach to the vengeance theme
than the poster implies.Harker’s
payback relies more on intimidation and shrewdness than gunplay.The robber enjoys watching Tim
and Katy squirm at his reappearance, wearing beat-up clothing and chewing
tobacco in their lavish house, while they’re preparing to host a visit by the
local minister and his wife — the humor is obvious but still pretty funny.In the meantime, he maneuvers
to get on the good side of the Chinese immigrants to outfox Tim.Since Fleet is played by
George Peppard, always at his best when cast in this type of role, neither the
viewer nor the Chinese miners are quite sure whether he’s to be trusted.But Loo’s character is warily
satisfied once he understands the robber’s ulterior motive: “I wondered why a
man of your character would wish to befriend us, but now I see,†he concludes.Mr. Chang’s associates are
played by France Nuyen and Soon-Tek Oh.It isn’t exactly “Crazy Rich
Asians†or “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings†in terms of casting
Asian actors above the title in respectfully quirky roles, but at least the
Chinese characters are depicted with shrewd dignity, and they give as good as
they get with the racist white bad guys.
The Code Red Blu-ray
presents McLaglen’s film in a sharp, rich transfer at its proper 1.85:1 aspect.Licensed from Universal, it
includes the theatrical trailer and subtitles for those of us who didn’t need
them in 1971 but welcome them now.
In
1986, Pierce Brosnan almost became James Bond, nearly a decade before he
actually did so. He had been cast to replace Roger Moore as the iconic 007, but
at the last minute, NBC waved his contract for the television series Remington
Steele at him, exercising the option to make another season. Brosnan was
out, and Timothy Dalton was in.
And
then… Remington Steele’s new season ended up consisting of only six
episodes, finishing its run in early 1987. So, Brosnan had been baited and
switched. Nevertheless, in the interim years between then and his appearance in
GoldenEye (1995), the actor set about establishing himself as a leading
man in feature films.
One
of these early starring roles was in the 1988 production, The Deceivers,
a British picture made by the elite Merchant Ivory Productions, and it was
produced by Ismail Merchant himself. Based on a 1952 novel by John Masters, the
film was touted as being based on fact (the screenplay was by Michael Hirst).
After a couple of directors, including Stephen Frears, dropped out of the
project, Nicholas Meyer signed on. Meyer, known for his work on such titles as Time
After Time (1979) and Star Trek II—the Wrath of Khan (1982), seemed
to be a viable choice for this action-adventure period piece that the studio
hoped would be perceived as something along the lines of Raiders of the Lost
Ark.
It
wasn’t.
The
story is set in India in 1825, before the British Raj but when Britain’s East
India Company was a heavy influence in the country. The trading company had
already come to rule large areas of India, employing military power and
administrative functions. Captain William Savage (Brosnan) is a highly regarded
employee, and he’s also engaged to the daughter of his boss, Colonel Wilson
(Keith Michell). The bride-to-be, Sarah, is played by Michell’s real-life
daughter, Helena Michell. After the marriage, all looks rosy for Savage if he
keeps his nose clean and doesn’t rock the boat in his job. However, a loosely-organized
cult called the Thugee, or Thugs (which, in Indian, means “deceiversâ€), are
terrorizing the countryside. The Thugee brutally murder groups of people in
surprise raids. When British citizens and employees of The Company become
victims, Savage takes it upon himself to find a way to infiltrate the gang, become
a member, and do something to take them down. Of course, to become a
member, he must stain his skin color and become an Indian. Against his
father-in-law’s wishes, Savage does just that with the help of a repentant
Thug, Hussein (Saeed Jaffrey). What follows causes the “dark side†of Savage’s
personality to emerge, as he must adopt murderous tendencies to successfully
pull off the charade.
The
Deceivers has
a “literary,†art-house sensibility, as if it were a Masterpiece Theatre episode.
At the same time, however, it is brutally violent and deals with a
not-so-admirable period of British dominance in a country of people treated as
inferior. While the action and battle scenes are well done, the movie might
have benefited from a more populist approach. As a result, the film’s lofty
attitudes prevent it from being truly gripping or exciting.
There
is much to admire, however. For James Bond fans, there is not only the presence
of Brosnan, who performs admirably and intensely in the role of Captain Savage,
but also production designer Ken Adam, who presents a gorgeous pallet of period
landscape and buildings, and main title designer Maurice Binder, whose style of
production is easily recognizable in the opening credits.
Cohen
Film Group’s new Blu-ray looks fine, if a bit dark (which could be Walter
Lassally’s cinematography). It comes with optional English subtitles. There are
no supplements other than the original theatrical trailers and an endless array
of trailers for other Cohen releases.
The
Deceivers may
not be an award winner, but it is interesting enough as a period piece, for the
pre-Bond performance by Pierce Brosnan, and for its historical milieu that is
rarely touched upon in modern cinema.
The Film Detective continues to thrill us
with a couple of excellent cult classics. Frankenstein’s Daughter is a film
that had been denied a great deal of exposure to fans of the strange and
macabre. For many, it’s a title that has teased us for decades, with a still or
a lobby card appearing once in a while by way of a horror book or a specialist
periodical, so it is certainly welcome. It is typically what one would expect
from this lush 1950s period. An incredibly low-budget affair, these films would
often be produced for around $60,000, but the filmmakers certainly knew how to
squeeze every ounce out of that budget. If anything, it ignited creativity and
provided a lesson in how to make the most of the limited resources that were
available to them.
Frankenstein’s Daughter is a fine example of
that. Starring Donald Murphy, Sandra Knight, John Ashley and Harold Lloyd Jr
(yes, that’s the son of the silent film comedian), the film was directed by
Richard E. Cunha. The film is a simple enough story, if a little absurd, and
attempts to latch on to the whole horror family spin off notion - film’s such
as Universal’s Dracula’s Daughter (1936), Son of Dracula (1943) and Son of
Frankenstein (1939) undoubtedly contributed towards the filmmakers line of
thought. There was a gap in the market, and it was rich ground for exploiting.
Donald Murphy is the real villain here, playing the sleazy and devious lab
assistant Oliver Frank (Frank being a thinly disguised identity for the
Frankenstein family name), and it’s his intention of creating the first female
Frankenstein's monster which drives the narrative.
Like most of these low budget horrors, it’s
usually down to the ‘monster make-up’ which determines its overall likeability
factor. Frankenstein’s Daughter fits right in. It is very much in the same
ballpark as AIP’s cult classics such as I Was a Teenage Frankenstein made a
year earlier in 1957, and where the central ‘monster’ seems to be inspired by
an automobile accident victim, which of course, in the worst instance, can be
something quite grotesque and disturbing. This all works well in the context of
Frankenstein’s Daughter and adds a great deal to the overall thrill factor. The
acting is quite naturally wooden and stiff, but anyone who knows and loves
these films wouldn’t expect anything less, as it’s part of their appeal.
The Film Detective has done a remarkable job
on this film. Considering its low budget, the film looks quite beautiful framed
at 1.85:1, and with sharp, clean detail in both picture and audio.
I was really impressed with the bonus
materials which include a very interesting documentary, Richard E. Cunha:
Filmmaker of the Unknown - A new retrospective from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures,
featuring an archival interview with director Richard E. Cunha. There is also a
very detailed and enjoyable audio commentary with numerous contributors and a
fascinating featurette, John Ashley: Man from the B’s - a new career
retrospective featuring film historian C. Courtney Joyner. The Film Detective
seals this fine tribute with a nice 12-page booklet featuring an original
essay, The Making of Frankenstein’s Daughter written by Tom Weaver. It’s a
thoughtful and well -produced Blu-ray release which has to be admired.
The Amazing Mr. X (1948), also known as The
Spiritualist, is an American horror thriller made in a film noir style. For a
title that sits in the public domain it's perhaps unfairly overlooked or labelled
as a ‘lessor’ quality film, and this really isn’t the case. Starring Turhan
Bey, Lynn Bari, Cathy O'Donnell, and Richard Carlson, the film was directed by
Bernard Vorhaus.
The Amazing Mr. X moves along very nicely,
and is full of wonderfully atmospheric scenes. But it’s also a story of two
parts. Once Paul is revealed as being very much alive, the film changes
direction and becomes more of a straightforward piece of noir and the
supernatural element takes more of a back seat. However, everything is handled
exceptionally well, especially the impressive cinematography by John Alton.
Alton’s use of shadow and his clever optical effects really helps to elevate
the movie and gives it a more polished (and expensive) look that you would
expect to see in a RKO or a Universal production from the same period. Large,
lush sets and exotic beach locations all add to the general glossy production
values.
Once again, The Film Detective has produced a
fine addition to their catalogue of titles. The movie’s new 4K transfer, both in
visual and audio terms, is superb - perhaps a little soft in certain scenes, but
some close-ups, particularly on Bari, appear more as intended soft focus shots. But overall, The Amazing Mr. X,
presented in its correct aspect ratio of 1.37:1, punches high above its weight.
The bonus material is also very enjoyable and includes a specific audio
commentary by Jason A. Ney. There is also a new documentary, Mysteries Exposed:
Inside the Cinematic World of Spiritualis, which is an enjoyable and
informative reflection of the genre. A nice 12-page booklet is included which
features a detailed essay, The Amazing Mr. Bey written by Don Stradley.
Both Frankenstein’s Daughter and The Amazing
Mr. X (1948) offer a great deal of enjoyment and fun. It’s nice to see that the
wonderful original artwork has been utilised on both releases rather than some
badly cut and pasted Photoshop design which always cheapens the overall
presentation. It’s a shame that the original trailers were not included,
especially for Frankenstein’s Daughter. As an exploitation movie, the
accompanying trailers often provided a certain over-the-top sense of
salesmanship which was always so unique and memorable.
The tales of adventure, fantasy and science-fiction
penned by the great French novelist Jules Verne have served as filmmaking
source material since the silent era.In
the 1950s and early 60s such films as Disney’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1954), U.A.’s Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Fox’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959), and Columbia’s Mysterious Island (1961) had studio cash
boxes ringing.Verne’s charming mix of
adventurous whimsy and exciting scenarios were big moneymakers.They would all capitalize, in part, by the
fact these were “family†films that promised a couple of hours of
cross-generational entertainment.
So it was not surprising when James H. Nicholson and
Samuel Z. Arkoff of American-International Pictures thought it might be time to
get into the game.“You can get an
indication of public taste by observing the pictures that are doing good
business at the box office,†Nicholson would tell a writer from the Atlanta Constitution during a May 1961 stopover.“You can also detect growing trends.â€
It was obvious that the most recent trend to catch his
attention was the success of the big studio Jules Verne pictures.Not to let a money-generating bandwagon pass,
AIP would chose Verne’s’ 1886 novel Robur
the Conqueror as their next big project.Technically, their film would be a mashup of the latter title with 1904
successor, Master of the World.“Jules Verne is the kind of writer whose
stories appeal to the family trade,†Nicholson opined, acknowledging the family
trade was good business.But he admitted
that the “combining two of [Verne’s] classics into a film represents quite a
challenge.â€
That may have been so but, as one Los Angles newspaper would
note, it was a challenge AIP considered worthy of undertaking.Similarly to their series of celebrated Edgar
Allan Poe films, Verne’s Master of the
World could be freely adapted as a feature-length film, “without paying a
quarter to a half a million†for the rights.Public Domain status was a copyright-free blessing of the Gods to frugal
film producers.
As might be expected, Arkoff was typically the less publically
diplomatic of the two AIP producers.His
occasional press interviews would invariably tilt to the importance of
producing a bankable, unapologetically exploitable feature.He wanted the company’s product to ring at
the cash register, uninterested in birthing an under-attended critic’s darling type of film.“We make pictures for the young in heart, as
well as the young in mind,†Arkoff confessed to Hollywood publicist Joe Hyams.“Neither Jim nor I have any Narcissus
love.We don’t make art for art’s
sake.To us making movies is a
business.Fundamentally, we’re trying to
amuse and entertain people, with only one objective – to make money.The way most other Hollywood producers talk
they’re ashamed of making money.â€
The two men shared one thing in common: they were
actually happy to be industry mavericks. Their modest, targeted productions
enabled them to not deal often with “temperaments, agents, and Hollywood
paraphernalia.â€The cigar-chomping Arkoff
boasted that as long as there was a topical market ripe for exploitation,
“we’ll be in the business.When the
trend changes, we change.We make money,
we’re happy men.â€
The Poe series had put a bit of disposable cash in the
studio’s vault, so it was promised that their Master of the World project would be a lavish one, exacting to its
creator’s visions – well, within limits.“We had to see that the sets followed the Verne descriptions in
meticulous detail,†Nicholson confided.“They
had to look ornate, and yet be scientifically correct.â€Though AIP favorite Vincent Price would be
brought aboard to star as Verne’s Robur the Conqueror, the real star attraction
of the film was to be the villain’s magnificent airship, the Albatross.
The producers tapped Richard Matheson to combine the two
Verne novels into a single story.Matheson was happy to accept the challenge.The author preferred to cultivate a
reputation as an “off-beat†writer or “story-teller,†than one pigeonholed as
someone working within a single genre.In
the finally summation, and while Matheson was properly defensive of his work on
the film’s screenplay, the script is certainly not the best of his storied
career.
The film is set in the pre-Wright Bros. age of 1868.It’s no sooner than one disgruntled citizen
proclaimed Morgantown, PA, as the “most boring and monotonous town in the
U.S.,†that a strange, disembodied voice - reciting scripture - booms
mysteriously from the foreboding mountain top of Great Eyrie.Word of the strange event makes its way to
Philadelphia, where an agent from the Department of the Interior, John Strock
(Charles Bronson), chooses to pay a visit to a balloon society meeting at
Independence Hall.
The foursome learn that Robur, a self-proclaimed “citizen
of the world,†is both bellicose and rabid in his pacifist beliefs and aviation
enthusiasms.He ridicules Hull and
company, pronouncing ballooning as dead.“The future belongs to the flying machine,†he bellows, noting the
military munitions-equipped, 150 MPH Albatross
as an example of modern aviation’s progress.From aboard the vessel, it’s Robur’s intention to effectively “war
against war… to end for all time the scourge of war.â€
Paradoxically, he plans to drop the munitions of warfare
on the imperialist capitols of the world.While he does pre-warn his targets to “disarm or perish,†there will be,
of course, a pushback.Seeking an end to
warfare makes the obsessed Robur, arguably, a somewhat complicated villain.His aim is entirely an unselfish, principled
one.Even agent Strock concedes that
he’s not necessarily angered by Robur’s “ambition†but only by “his method†of
obtaining it.Can Robur be stopped?Should he be stopped?
There was the usual ballyhoo pumping up the film’s
release.The gossip columns were
reporting that in addition to Price receiving his “regular salary†for his role
in Master of the World, the producers
had also agreed to toss in a twenty-thousand dollar cityscape painting by the -
recently deceased - French artist Maurice Utrillo.The offer would serve as a prized bonus, one the
actor could add to his famous personal art collection. Charles Bronson, with
whom Price would first appear on screen with in House of Wax, was also cast, not necessarily against type, but in a
role not playing to his strength.For
reasons known to no one but the gruff actor himself, Bronson was reportedly
difficult and aloof on set, skulking around with a chip on his shoulder for
some unknown reason.
Matheson would admit he was “a little disappointed†with
the finished film. He believed, not unreasonably, the half-million dollars allotted
to the production wasn’t adequate to present the scope of its vision.It also thought the “casting was off,†mentioning
Bronson in particular as ill-suited for the role as Strock.The actor was described by several of the
film’s principals to be more than a bit standoffish while working on Master of the World.Matheson thought Bronson uncomfortable with much
of the script’s Victorian era dialogue since delivering such florid lines was
clearly not his style.Following a
less-than-friendly first encounter with the actor, Matheson recalled Bronson
telling him that he preferred to play “the part as a coal miner.†He was more
or less was a man of his words in that regard.Vincent Price, who famously could get along with practically anyone and
or off set, was also tested by the sulking Bronson, sighing to friends, “I
can’t get through to this guy.I cannot
make friends with him.â€
Curious casting aside,
Master of the World has simply never been a favorite film of mine.It’s certainly has never been one my favorite
Vincent Price, AIP, nor even Jules Verne film adaptations.It simply doesn’t work.I might have held a bit of nostalgia for the
film had I seen it on the big screen as a child, especially watching the
glorious panoramic shots of the Albatross
exterior in flight.But I didn’t… and truthfully
the film tends to meander, seeming much longer than its 102 minute running
time. I might also be in agreement with Bronson’s assessment that much of the dialogue
is too grand eloquent and over-wordy.
The film should have been a bit more fun than it ever
is.Here’s a case where the film’s accompanying
fifteen-cent Dell comic-book adaptation might have served the story
better.One also might have expected the
film’s action sequences to be a bit more exciting than staged.Director William Witney, after all, had made a
career since the 1930s of cranking out adventure, super-hero and western
serials.But there’s very little
edge-of-you-seat excitement on display here.
What we do get is
a lot of stock footage.Some of the
footage is amusing, if used merely as a bit of running-time padding.The first few minutes of the film features an
amusing, monochrome series of clips documenting man’s earliest attempts – and
resultant failures - to “touch the stars†through flight.The later battle scenes of Robur’s airborne
war against the world’s capitols are mostly humdrum, clipped from bleak wartime
stock-footage.Les Baxter’s score is undeniably
wonderful, but is terribly over-used, under-pinning nearly every scene to the
point of becoming tiresome.It’s better
to experience the great score as a standalone on the film’s soundtrack LP (Vee
Jay 4000).I’s still say Master of the World is worth a watch, if
only on a rainy day.
This Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu ray edition of Master of the World is presented here in
a 1920x1080p with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and dts sound, removable English
subtitles and an attractive slipcase cover.The set also includes the extended featurette Richard Matheson: Storyteller originally offered on the MGM
“Midnight Movies†DVD of 2001.There are
also a number of audio commentary tracks featuring a number of film historians,
authors, and actors including Tom Weaver, Lucy Chase Williams, and David
Frankham.The release rounds out with
the film’s original theatrical trailer as well as a generous sampling of titles
from Kino’s expansive catalog of Vincent Price films.
For a limited time enjoy a commercial-free streaming of the delightful 1967 comedy "Fitzwilly" starring Dick Van Dyke and Barbara Feldon, courtesy of Universal Video.
(We are running this review from 2016 in commemoration of Pearl Harbor Day.)
BY LEE PFEIFFER
If ever an epic deserved the Blu-ray deluxe treatment, Fox's 1970 Pearl Harbor spectacular Tora! Tora! Tora! is it. The film was a major money-loser for the studio at the time and replicated the experience of Cleopatra from a decade before in that this single production threatened to bankrupt the studio. Fox had bankrolled a number of costly bombs around this period including Doctor Doolittle, Hello, Dolly and Star! Fortunately, they also had enough hits (Patton, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, M*A*S*H, the Planet of the Apes series) to stay afloat. However, the Tora! debacle cost both Fox chairman Darryl F. Zanuck and his son, production head Richard Zanuck, their jobs. Ironically, Darryl F. Zanuck had saved the studio a decade before by finally bringing Cleopatra to a costly conclusion and off-setting losses with spectacular grosses from his 1962 D-Day blockbuster The Longest Day. By 1966, Zanuck and that film's producer Elmo Williams decided they could make lightning strike twice by using the same formula to recreate the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The project seemed jinxed from the beginning. Skyrocketing costs and logistical problems delayed filming until 1969. By then, America's outlook about war movies had changed radically due to the burgeoning anti-Vietnam movement. Zanuck and Williams also forgot one important distinction between The Longest Day and Tora! Tora! Tora!: the former was about a major Allied victory while the latter was about a tremendous defeat. Americans generally stay away from military movies that depict anything other than glorious victories and Tora! was no exception. Critics were also lukewarm and the only saving grace was that the film performed spectacularly in Japan, largely because it presented both sides of the conflict on a non-judgmental level.
Bringing the story to the screen strained the relationship between
both Zanucks, especially when legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa
was brought on board to helm the Japan-based sequences. What should
have been a tremendous boost to the production became a nightmare when
Kurosawa acted irrationally and burned up money while working at a
snail's pace. He was ultimately fired in a scandal that was seen as an
insult to all of Japan. So much of the budget had been wasted that it
left no major funding for big stars. Unlike The Longest Day, which
boasted a "Who's Who" of international film favorites, Fox could only
hire well-respected character actors with little boxoffice clout. Thus,
the spin was put on the production that they were chosen due to their
resemblance to the actual people they were playing. That notion was
absurd because audiences did not know or care about such nuances,
especially since many of the major figures were not known by their
physical characteristics. Although fine actors such as Jason Robards,
Martin Balsam and James Whitmore gave distinguished performances, the
film lacked the pizazz of John Wayne or Lee Marvin in a lead role.
When the film opened, reviews were respectable at best. The film
received Oscars for technical aspects but was not nominated in major
categories. Yet, Tora's reputation has grown over the years and
today it is much more respected than it was in 1970. The film is a
thinking man's war movie and 2/3 of the film is dedicated to
claustrophobic sequences set in board rooms and conference halls as the
antagonists debate where and when war will break out. Nevertheless, this
aspect of the movie is quite admirable, especially in this era of
dumbed-down, CGI- generated "epics". The screenplay assumes the audience
is intelligent and has the patience to endure a gripping story,
well-told. By the time the actual attack on Pearl Harbor is depicted, it
is quite spectacular, even if the use of miniatures in some scenes is
very apparent. The film is enhanced by the extremely efficient
co-direction of Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku and Toshio Masuda.
Most refreshingly, the Japanese characters are anything but ethnic
stereotypes, which adds immensely to the impact of their side of the
story.Special mention should be made of Jerry Goldsmith's innovative,
pulse-pounding score that brilliantly heightens suspense as the time
line draws nearer to the attack.
Fox's Blu-ray edition looks magnificent and contains a wealth of
bonus extras that include numerous original Fox Movietone WWII
newsreels, the excellent AMC network documentary about the making of the
film as well as an equally impressive History Channel documentary that
examines how accurately the film depicted real events, Day of Infamy
(another very good documentary), the original trailer, commentary by
Fleischer and film historian Stuart Galbraith IV and two still photo
galleries. Astonishingly , Fox makes a major faux pas by not even
listing on the packaging the fact that the set contains the entire
Japanese release version of the movie, which includes ten minutes of
footage not seen in the American cut. Not surprisingly, the extra
footage is dedicated to the Japanese sequences and contains one bizarre,
largely superfluous sequence centering on two cooks aboard one of the
war ships. The Blu-ray has a menu that is rather awkward to find certain
features through but the disc is attractively packaged in a small
hardcover book that has plenty of insights about the film, biographies
of cast members and a wealth of rare photos.
Tora! Tora! Tora! has only grown in stature over the decades-
and Fox's magnificent Blu-ray release does justice to the type of
ambitious epic we simply don't see today.
When Kino Lorber announced in April 2021 that a Blu-ray
of Universal’s The Spider Woman Strikes
Back (1946) was scheduled for issue in autumn I was, to put it mildly,
over-joyed.It’s not that The Spider Woman Strikes Back is a great
film – it most certainly is not – but it’s long been a missing entry on home
video, a film of great interest to collectors of Golden Age horror.The studio has chosen, time and again, to
re-master and re-offer the classic and iconic “Universal Monsters†in nearly
every conceivable home video format and creative packaging.Too often these releases would be at the
expense of the studios less famous genre titles as the still unissued Ghost Catchers (1944), and The Cat Creeps (1946).
In the course of this disc’s ten-minute featurette, Mistress of Menace and Murder: The Making of
The Spider Woman Strikes Back, author C. Courtney Joyner notes the film was
essentially the “last gasp†of Universal’s low-budget B-unit.Or as one commentator puts it, an opportunity
to “burn out the contracts†of actors still on the lot.The studio’s A-list franchise ghouls of the
1930s – Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy – had since been reduced to appearances
in B programmers during the years 1940-1945.
Seeking to freshen things up, the studio engaged in a
“desperate attempt… to create another horror franchise.â€Their first attempt came with their Inner Sanctum series, each supernatural
mystery featuring Lon Chaney Jr. in a starring role.The studio also cynically brought aboard
non-actor Rondo Hatton, a real life victim of acromegaly, as a hulking brute in
such productions as The Pearl of Death,
The Jungle Captive, House of Horrors and The Brute Man. Uni-contracted actress Gale Sondergaard had
made a splash as the icy and sinister nemesis of Basil Rathbone’s Sherlock
Holmes in the studio’s The Spider Woman
(1944) and many thought a return of the villainess was worth considering.
In March of 1945, Hollywood newspapers were reporting
that Universal had indeed contracted Sondergaard to appear in a proposed series
of Spider Woman films. The Los Angeles Times predicted the “Spider
Woman is expected to become as much of a fixture as those other horror
protagonists, Dracula, the Monster of Frankenstein, and the newly created
Creeper.â€The Los Angeles Daily News noted one difference:
Sondergaard’s Spider Woman “will not resort to grotesque makeup, but will
accomplish her diabolical deeds as a charming sophisticate.â€
Technically speaking the Spider Woman that Strikes
Back is not the same Spider Woman who tried to kill off Sherlock Holmes a
year earlier.Sondergaard is no longer
playing the role of villainess Adrea Spedding.She’s now Zenobia Dollard, a blind woman of wealth who lives alone in a
creepy mansion house with her frightening mute servant Mario (Rondo
Hatton).Dollard, we soon learn, appears
to have a lot of trouble keeping her string of nursemaids in employ.They all tend to disappear a short time
following their hiring.
The latest nursemaid sent to tend to Dollard’s needs is
the lovely and charming Jean Kingsley (Brenda Joyce).Kingsley begins to suspect that the strange
goings-on at the manor house might not only have something to do with strange
goings-on in town but with the mysterious onset of her own illness.This being a Universal horror picture, it
isn’t long before Kingsley stumbles upon a secret brick-wall basement
laboratory outfitted with a steamy greenhouse.It’s here that Dollard extracts poisonous venom from a vampire-like
plant brought “from the jungles of Central America.â€One has to assume that Roger Corman’s far more
famous and spoofy Little Shop of Horrors
was at least, in part, suggested by the scenario of The Spider Woman Strikes Back.
Though early reports suggested Ford Beebe (Night Monster (1942) and The Invisible Man’s Revenge (1943) would
serve as associate producer and director of The
Spider Woman Strikes Back, his name was soon scrubbed.Arthur Lubin was signed to helm the feature, directing
from a script and original story by Eric Taylor (The Phantom of the Opera (1943) and Son of Dracula (1943).Lubin
had been knocking about the film industry since the early 30s, having recently
scored with a number of successful Abbott and Costello comedies and the recent
Claude Rain’s version of the Phantom of
the Opera.He had also, not coincidentally,
just finished working with Sondergaard on Universal’s Night in Paradise.
Though all the makings of a good chiller are present here,
there’s simply something off about The Spider Woman Strikes Back.The film seems longer than its fifty-nine minute
running time (never a good sign).The
actors and actresses are blameless, doing what they can with the material in
this mostly thrill-less thriller.Sondergaard is at her devilish best working and plotting amongst her
poisonous botanicals, but there’s evidence that several key sequences that would
have enhanced the storyline were clipped from the final print.
The trade ads for the film would ballyhoo the Spider
Woman as the “Mistress of Menace†and “Queen of a 1000 Crawling Killers.â€One theater owner in Louisiana practically
dared patrons to attend:“We cannot accept responsibility for teeth
broken from chattering, curls lost when hair stands on end, chilled spines,
jitters, nightmares or any other conditions brought about†from seeing The
Spider Woman Strikes Back.Sondergaard would later dismiss the film as a lesser effort, appalled
that Universal had exploited Rondo Hatton’s tragic disfigurement as a box
office draw.When she first encountered Hatton
on set, she thought his elongated skull and swollen facial features were the machinations
of Jack Pierce’s makeup department.
It’s a tragedy that Sondergaard wouldn’t find much work
in Hollywood as the 1940s drew to a close.Her absence from movie screens was not due to performances, but politics.The actress found herself named as a
Communist sympathizer in the pages of the career-wrecking Red Channels.Though
Sondergaard was a politically active liberal, her biggest “crime†was one of
association.Her husband was director
Herbert J. Biberman, a progressive writer-director-producer who later was
imprisoned as one of the notorious “Hollywood Ten.â€
In March of 1951, Sondergaard too found herself in
Washington D.C., summoned to appear before the House Un-American Activities
Committee.The actress invoked the Fifth
Amendment, refusing to cooperate or disclose or disparage the names of friends
and colleagues. She defiantly interrupted one line of Congressional questioning
by asking, “May I say something about [this committee’s] branding as subversive
every progressive or liberal organization?I find that shocking.â€
Sondergaard would pay a price for her unwillingness to
cooperate with the inquisitors.She was
effectively put her out of work in Hollywood for two decades, with even the
Screen Actors Guild cowering and refusing to lend support.In 1956 she returned to Washington, telling
the committee that the absence of acting offers post 1949 “has not been
accidental.I think rather that it might
be construed as blacklisting.â€The
actress would disappear from film work for a twenty-years following her
appearance in the MGM drama East Side,
West Side (1949).
She tried to salvage her career with roles in regional
theater, but here too Sondergaard found obstacles.No sooner than her appearance in a
“Plays-in-the-Park†production would be announced, that a campaign to cancel her
participation would follow.Though she
would return to work in 1969, mostly on television dramas, Sondergaard, now age
seventy, found roles and opportunities scarce.Sondergaard would pass away in 1985, age 86. The Los
Angeles Times would note in her obituary Sondergaard was the first actress
to be awarded an Academy Award for a supporting role.The paper would also describe the actress, ironically,
as “Hollywood’s reigning female villain†of the 1940s.
This Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu ray edition of The Spider Woman Strikes back is
presented here in a 1920x1080p with an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, dts sound, and
removable English subtitles.The set
also includes the aforementioned featurette Mistress
of Menace and Murder: the Making of The Spider Woman Strike Back which
features comments and back stories from the like of actor-archivist Bob Burns,
cult filmmaker Fred Olen Ray, special effects wiz Rick Baker and
writer-documentarian Ted Newsom.The set
also features the audio commentaries of film historians Tom Weaver and David Schecter.This release rounds out nicely with the
film’s original theatrical trailer as well as a sampling of titles from Kino’s
catalog of 1940s horror and mysteries: The
Mad Doctor, The Spiral Staircase, Night Has a Thousand Eyes, The Lodger and
The Undying Monster.
Olive Films has released the 1963 Jerry Lewis comedy "Who's Minding the Store?" on Blu-ray. The film was made at the peak of Lewis's solo career following the breakup of Martin and Lewis some years before. The movie was directed by Frank Tashlin, who collaborated with Lewis on his best productions. It can be argued that, with the exception of Lewis's inspired "The Nutty Professor" (released the same year as "Store"), his work never reached the heights that he achieved by working with Tashlin, a talented director and screenwriter who never quite got the acclaim he deserved. "Store" is one of Lewis's best movies because it's also one of his funniest. He plays Norman Phiffier, a nerdy manchild who fails at even the most elementary of careers. When we meet him he's trying to make ends meet by running his own dog-walking service, which provides some amusing sight gags as Norman attempts to control about twenty dogs at the same time. Despite being a loser in terms of career, he's landed the right girl: sexy Barbara Tuttle (Jill St. John), an heiress to the famed Tuttle department store chain. Barbara shuns her heritage largely because she is estranged from her overbearing and dominating mother, Phoebe (Agnes Moorhead) and wants to make a career on her own instead of relying on her mother's bribes to live life under her terms. Barbara works at a Tuttles store in the innocuous career of being an elevator operator, working under an assumed last name. Her nice guy father John (John McGiver) plays along with the charade though he, too, suffers from his wife's constant nagging and insults. When Phoebe learns that Barbara is dating a common man with no financial resources, she devises a plan to break up their relationship before they can get married. She instructs her sniveling store manager Quimby (Ray Walston) to hire Norman and then assign him a series of humiliating and seemingly impossible tasks with the intention of having him fail and therefore lose Barbara's respect. However, despite a series of chaotic mishaps, Norman perseveres and frustrates Quimby by using some inventive methods of carrying our his assignments. These scenes are the highlights of the film, with Lewis in top form whether he is inching out on a horizontal flag pole on a skyscraper in order to fulfill a minor paint job or dealing with obnoxious customers who make extravagant demands. (Among them is Nancy Kulp as a legendary female big game hunter whose dictatorial demeanor results in Norman destroying an entire department). In the finale, Norman has to contend with an errant super vacuum cleaner that goes out of control and sucks up everything from women's furs to their pet dogs. It's a marvelously funny and inventive sequence that feature some highly impressive special effects work.
"Who's Minding the Store?" finds Jerry Lewis and Frank Tashlin in top form. The cast of esteemed "second bananas" are all wonderful, especially the great John McGiver who finally gets to find his mojo at the movie's climax. Other familiar faces from the era include Lewis's favorite foil, Kathleen Freeman and Richard Deacon. Francesca Bellini is memorable as Walton's sexpot secretary who is intent on sleeping her way to the top. Most of the comedic scenarios are highly predictable (once you see Lewis handling an appliance, there's no doubt he's going to wreak havoc with it) but predictability is an asset in a Lewis film. Not having seen the movie in many years, I was pleasantly surprised that it still made me laugh out loud.
The Olive Films Blu-ray looks very good indeed but the release continues the company's rather frustrating trend of almost never including any bonus material. C'mon guys, throw in at least a trailer (we'll provide one for you here). Highly recommended.
One of the positive elements of the Blaxploitation film genre that exploded in the 1970s was the emergence of many hitherto unknown talents. Among them was Bahamian-born actor Calvin Lockhart, who immigrated to New York and immersed himself in theater, studying with the legendary Uta Hagen. Lockhart didn't find immediate success but hop-scotched between the U.S. and Europe, where he found more opportunities on stage and in film. By the time he returned to America, the Blaxploitation rage was in its early stages and Lockhart nailed down a key, scene-stealing role in director Ossie Davis's film version of "Cotton Comes to Harlem" in 1970. He also earned the starring role the same year in "Halls of Anger", playing a besieged inner city teacher who is trying to keep the lid on inter-racial tensions. Lockhart also starred in the crime thriller "Melinda", which- perhaps because of its bland title- is not as well-remembered as lesser entries in the Blaxplotation genre. Thus, it's good news that the film has been released on DVD by the Warner Archive. "Melinda" is impressive on any number of levels. Unlike most Blaxploitation movies, which were actually produced, written and directed by white filmmakers, this one was brought to the screen entirely by African-American talent: director Hugh A. Robertson, producer Pervis Atkins, screenwriter Lonnie Elder III and composers Jerry Butler and Jerry Peters. The movie also has an intense, realistic tone that affords Lockhart to give what is arguably the performance of his career.
Lockhart plays Frankie J. Parker, the morning drive DJ on a popular L.A. soul music radio station. Frankie is a showman supreme. His combination of unapologetic narcissism combined with his snarky, biting sense of humor sets him apart from the competition- and makes him a local legend among black listeners. Frankie is living the life. He makes a lot of money, drives a fancy sports car and has a bachelor pad apartment where he entertains a stream of beautiful young women. He's so in love with himself that he has the place adorned with posters and photos of himself and looks in the mirror every morning verbally express how damned good looking he is. One fateful day, however, Frankie's charmed life goes into a tailspin when he meets Melinda Lewis (Vonetta McKee), a sexy new arrival from Chicago who is very much a woman of mystery. When she resists Frankie's standard pick-up lines and shows she is wise to his well-worn methods of seduction, she becomes a challenge for him. He wines and dines her and shows her off at a high profile party aboard a yacht owned by his old friend Tank (Rockne Tarkington), a black athlete who has made good. On board, he has an unexpected encounter with a former lover, Terry Davis (Rosalind Cash), who makes it clear she still carries a grudge against Frankie because of his philandering ways. Later that evening, Frankie and Melinda return to his apartment where they finally get down to business- but she makes it clear that she is in control of the situation. Unbeknownst to either of them, the heated sounds of their love-making are being enjoyed by a shady character who has been following Melinda since she arrived in L.A. and who is know pleasuring himself outside the apartment door! The next morning, Frankie realizes that this time he is genuinely in love- and Melinda seems to reciprocate.
Frankie learns that "Melinda Lewis" is an alias and that his new lover is the former mistress of a ruthless Chicago mob boss, Mitch (Paul Stevens) who is desperate to track her down because she has deposited a cassette tape in a bank safe deposit box that implicates him in a high profile murder. Before long, the mob links Frankie to Melinda and thinks he in cahoots with her. He is framed for a ghastly murder and pummeled and beaten by cops before he finally makes bail. Realizing he has limited time to get to the bottom of what is going on and clear his name, Frankie finds he has to enlist the aid of estranged lover Terry Davis, who becomes the only friend he can trust. The two become amateur detectives trying to get access to the bank vault and the evidence that would give them leverage over Mitch and his gang of murderous goons who are now in L.A. Things go awry, however, when Frankie is framed for yet another sordid murder and Terry is kidnapped by Mitch and held for ransom under threat of death unless Frankie delivers the incriminating evidence against him. Frankie knows that if he does, he and Terry are as good as dead so he enlists some unusual allies- the fellow students of his karate academy. It helps when the Grand Master is real-life martial arts expert and future "Enter the Dragon" star Jim Kelly. In the film's only truly over-the-top sequence, Frankie and the karate students ambush the gangsters, Before you can sing "Everybody Was Kung Fu fighting", everybody is Kung Fu fighting. The film culminates with Frankie and his allies laying siege to Mitch's mansion, where they find Terry locked in a glass gazebo surrounded by rattle snakes and other dangerous critters.
Until its rather fanciful finale, "Melinda" is a realistic urban crime movie packed with interesting characters and intriguing mysteries that are revealed slowly. Like a Hitchcock film, it centers on a completely innocent man who is swept up in fantastic and deadly events beyond his comprehension. Lockhart gives an outstanding and commanding performance, turning from a carefree, narcissistic playboy to a man who is willing to do anything necessary simply to survive another few hours. He gets able support from both female leads, gorgeous Vonetta McKee as the mystery woman who affords Frankie an evening of sexual bliss that turns his life into a nightmare and Rosalind Cash, in full tough girl mode as she was the previous year opposite Charlton Heston in "The Omega Man". On the other extreme, Paul Stevens makes for a suitably slimy villain. The direction by Hugh A. Robertson is quite impressive and he overcomes the relatively modest budget by capitalizing on the street locations which he uses to maximum atmosphere and effect. "Melinda" is a superior entry in the Blaxploitation film genre. Highly recommended.
The Warner Archive DVD includes the original theatrical trailer.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE FROM THE CINEMA RETRO MOVIE STORE.
“The
Don Is Dead,†a 1973 crime drama directed by Richard Fleischer, is available on
Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.Unassuming but sharply executed, it may offer a bracing slice of
old-school pizza for viewers who were disappointed by David Chase’s “The Many
Saints of Newark†earlier this year.In
Fleischer’s film, an unexpected heart attack claims Don Paolo Regalbuto, one of
three powerful crime bosses in an unnamed American city.Since organized crime abhors a vacuum even
more than nature does, the “national commission†of bosses quickly meets to
decide the fate of the Regalbuto crime Family.No one ever uses the word “Mafia,†but wink-wink, you know whose these
guys are anyway.One of the three bosses
with whom Don Paolo shared control over their city, Don Jimmy, is away in
prison and represented at the emergency summit by his consigliere, Luigi
Orlando (Charles Cioffi).Luigi suggests
that Don Paolo’s only son and heir apparent, Frank (Robert Forster), is too
inexperienced to be crowned as the new boss of the Regalbuto empire, not to
mention too impulsively hot-headed.Instead, why not dissolve Don Paolo’s organization and divide the assets
between Don Jimmy and the other boss in the triumvirate, Don Angelo?Luigi will be glad to manage Don Jimmy’s
interests in his enforced absence.When
Frank resists the notion of stepping down, the seasoned Don Angelo (Anthony
Quinn) ventures a middle ground that everyone agrees to.The Regalbuto assets will be divided
evenly.Angelo will get half and Don
Jimmy will get the other half as an absentee owner with Luigi as his caretaker.In the meantime, without any offspring of his
own, Angelo will take Frank under his wing as his surrogate son.Don Paolo’senforcers, the Fargo brothers, will be on call whenever either of the
two gangs needs their services.When
Angelo dies, Frank will inherit his entire organization.
Like
many compromises, the plan is reasonable in theory but shaky in practice.Frank wants to continue his lucrative
sideline in narcotics.No, Don Angelo
objects -- too risky, too dirty.Still,
he agrees to let the younger man travel to Italy to close one final
transaction.The younger and smarter of
the two Fargo brothers, Tony (Frederic Forrest) is determined to get out of the
rackets, but Frank resists, as does Tony’s older brother Vince (Al Lettieri). They need Tony’s wise counsel to keep them on
track.In the meantime, with his boss
Don Jimmy behind bars, the devious Luigi Orlando turns the instability to his
own advantage.When he and his equally
grasping wife Marie see Frank having lunch with an attractive blonde, Luigi
sends Marie over to chat her up after Frank leaves.Learning that the young woman, Ruby Bridges,
is an aspiring singer and songwriter, Luigi devises a plan more J.R. Ewing than
Al Capone, but equally effective.While
Frank is away, Luigi secretly introduces Ruby to Don Angelo.Not aware that Frank has a prior claim, the
older man falls for her.Her one song
that we hear briefly on a demo tape (actually composed by Carol and Jerry
Goldsmith) isn’t likely to excite today’s Adele or Cardi B fans, but Angelo
likes it and he’s impressed by Ruby’s sincerity.In turn, she feels that Frank deserted her by
flying off to Italy, and Angelo promises to use his high-level connections in
the music business to further her career.It doesn’t hurt either that Ruby is played by Angel Tompkins.That name may not mean much to anyone under
50 today, but it revives fond memories for all us guys who saw the blonde
actress in the sleazy 1974 drive-in movie “The Teacher†in our hormonal early
20s.Angelo installs Ruby in a luxurious
apartment as his mistress, as Frank learns when he returns from Italy and
receives an anonymous tip from Luigi.The short-tempered younger gangster reacts violently, Don Angelo retaliates,
and war breaks out with Frank and the Fargo brothers on one side, Angelo on the
other, and Luigi gleefully stirring things up behind the scenes.
Any
Mafia movie, even “The Godfather†which “The Don Is Dead†dutifully emulates on
a smaller scale, stands or falls on two factors.One, does it deliver the expected quota of
double-crosses, machine-gun volleys, shotgun blasts, and loud explosions?Fleischer’s unpretentious drama, with
screenplay credited to veteran pulp writer Marvin H. Albert, based on his
novel, performs as well in this respect as most pictures in its genre, if not
better.There’s even one of the
action-movie staples so beloved by the late Roger Ebert, the runaway car that
crashes into a produce stand, scattering fruits and vegetables everywhere.Fleischer and Albert add a second crash for
good measure, followed by a scene where a character, fatally shot, falls onto a
mountain of empty crates, toppling it.On the second criterion -- are the actors believably cast and do they
perform capably?-- the picture scores high points too.Cioffi, Forrest, Forster, Lettieri, and Quinn
are all first-rate.This is one of those
rare films where Quinn is nearly, if not completely, upstaged in macho presence
by his co-stars.Another graduate of
“The Godfather,†Abe Vigoda, is listed prominently in the credits, but he only
appears briefly early on, as one of the big bosses who decide the fate of Don
Paolo’s empire.For veteran TV fans,
there are plenty of other welcome players in the supporting cast too, notably
Frank De Kova, J. Duke Russo, Joe Santos, and Vic Tayback.Viewers who muse, “I know the face, but who
is that guy?†may spend as much time trying to ID the actors as following the
plot.
The
Kino Lorber Blu-ray includes the theatrical trailer and an excellent audio
commentary by film historian Sergio Mims.
RETRO-ACTIVE: THE BEST FROM THE CINEMA RETRO ARCHIVES
REVIEW – Naked City: The Complete Series
RLJ Entertainment / 6,063 minutes
By Harvey F. Chartrand
Naked
City was like no other TV series before or since –
Michel Moriarty, star of Law and Order,
once told this reviewer.
Inspired by Jules Dassin's
1948 film of the same name, Naked City centers on the detectives of the
NYPD’s 65th Precinct, but the criminals and New York City itself often played
as prominent a role in the dramas as the series regulars. Like the film it was based
on, Naked City (1958- 1963) was shot
almost entirely on location. The first season ran as a half-hour show under the
title The Naked City, starring James Franciscus and John McIntire
playing, respectively, Detective Jimmy Halloran and Lieutenant Dan Muldoon—the
same roles essayed by Don Taylor and Barry Fitzgerald in the film.
The
Naked City also starred Harry Bellaver as Det. Frank Arcaro.
When the series was expanded to an hour, the producers brought in handsome Paul
Burke as Det. Adam Flint and gruff Horace McMahon as Lt. Mike Parker to replace
Franciscus and McIntyre (with jovial Bellaver remaining in the cast). That's
when the classic episodes of Naked City
were produced... with a host of famous guest stars, ranging from silent movie
actors like Conrad Nagel to newcomers Martin Sheen, Peter Fonda and Christopher
Walken.
Naked City is so good and
so unlike any other American crime drama or police procedural it's hard to
believe it was produced in the United States, because the series definitely has
a European look and sensibility. It's sort of operatic neorealism – Vittorio De
Sica let loose with a camera in NYC. Not unlike De Sica's Bicycle Thieves and Umberto
D., Naked City reflects a very
existentialist and humanistic philosophy that occasionally moves the viewer to
tears. The series regulars often become supporting players in the weekly
dramas. The writing by Stirling Silliphant and others makes the more celebrated
Paddy Chayevsky sound like an overbearing pontificator.
Silliphant really humanizes his characters.... whether cops, criminals or
ordinary New Yorkers.
Sadly, the image quality of Naked City: The Complete Series varies considerably. Several of the
earlier episodes are in bad shape – dark and speckled. Framed in 1.33:1, most of the transfers look pretty
good. Generally, image and sound quality are more than acceptable, although
dialogue isn't always clear.
But this box set is the only way to see the entire landmark television series –
unfamiliar to contemporary audiences because the series rarely went into
syndication after its ABC run.
Watching 138 episodes of Naked City on 29 DVDs is quite a time commitment, but well worth
the effort. The show (filmed in glorious black and white) is interesting from a
historical standpoint: We see the magnificent old Penn Station (tragically demolished
in 1963) and the Singer Building (the 47-story office tower – built in 1908 and
torn down in 1968). In the early sixties, the New York City skyline was never
more beautiful and balanced, before the intrusion of such massive
structures as One World Trade Center and the Bank of America Tower. The
Columbus Circle of the late fifties is almost unrecognizable, with the monument
at the centre the only constant. We also see pre-gentrified Manhattan neighborhoods
that looked quite grungy back in the day, especially in the winter.
Naked
City attracted top-flight guest stars, including Luther
Adler, Eddie Albert, Edward Asner, Martin Balsam, Barbara Barrie, Richard
Basehart, Diahann Carroll, Lee J. Cobb, James Coburn, Richard Conte, Hume
Cronyn, Robert Culp, Sandy Dennis, Bruce Dern, Bradford Dillman, Keir Dullea, Dan
Duryea, Robert Duvall, Peter Falk, Nina Foch, Anthony Franciosa, Gene Hackman,
Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Hopper, Kim Hunter, David Janssen, Jack Klugman, Shirley Knight, Diane Ladd, Piper Laurie, Joanne Linville, Robert Loggia, Jack Lord, Walter
Matthau, Myron McCormick, Roddy McDowall, Burgess Meredith, Sylvia Miles, Vic
Morrow, Robert Morse, Lois Nettleton, Leslie
Nielsen, Carroll O'Connor, Susan Oliver, Nehemiah Persoff, Suzanne
Pleshette, Claude Rains, Robert Redford, Ruth Roman, Mickey Rooney, Carol
Rossen, Telly Savalas, George C. Scott, George
Segal, William Shatner, Sylvia Sidney, Maureen Stapleton,
Karen Steele, Akim Tamiroff, Rip Torn, Jon Voight, Eli Wallach, David Wayne,
Tuesday Weld, Keenan Wynn and Dick York. George Maharis guest stars in a
first-season episode that served as a pilot for Route 66. (Naked City and
Route 66 were created and produced by Stirling Silliphant and Herbert B.
Leonard.)
Gene Hackman
Christopher Walken
The
only extra features are 12 minutes of commercials
from 50+ years ago, including one in which Peter Lorre promotes a flexible
watchband.
On the very month that Roger Corman’s The Raven was to hit theaters in January
1963, AIP announced that they had just signed a four year eight-film contract
with that film’s co-star Peter Lorre.The contract was an interesting one as it wasn’t exclusive: the actor
wasn’t necessarily barred from accepting acting offers from other studios.But the contract stipulated Lorre could not
accept any roles offered of “the horror, science-fiction, macabre type,†and certainly
not in any competing non-AIP Edgar Allan Poe film adaptation.Such movies would remain the domain of AIP,
which had recently been on a hot streak with their churning of Gothic horrors.Arkoff and Nicholson triumphantly announced
they had already readied two new projects for Lorre, one titled It’s Alive (reported to co-star Elsa (The Bride of Frankenstein) Lanchester and
a second, The Comedy of Terrors.The former film, alas, would never see the
light of day.
Then, in March of ’64, AIP announced a similar deal had
been struck with the aging and increasingly frail Boris Karloff.Perhaps sensing that the seventy-six year old
Karloff’s faltering health might prove a liability, the actor’s contract called
for a more cautious four film, two-year deal.As with Lorre, the rider in Karloff’s contract also precluded him from
appearing in any non-AIP horror-type pictures in the years 1963-1965.
In the final tally, Karloff was able to fulfill to the
terms of the deal struck, appearing in two films, The Comedy of Terrors and The
Terror in 1963.His concluding two
films for AIP were less demanding on the beloved actor.He would appear in a cameo role in the Annette
Funicello and Frankie Avalon romp Bikini
Beach (1964) and, lastly, as “The Corpse†– a somewhat more substantial seated
role for the mostly wheelchair-bound actor - in the Nancy Sinatra vehicle Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (released
1966).
Lorre’s tenure with AIP was, sadly, cut short.The actor appeared, memorably, in The Comedy of Terrors and, in a brief
cameo, in still another Frankie and Annette teen-comedy Muscle Beach Party (1964).These two films would be among his last released.Lorre was found dead, the apparent victim of
a stroke, in his apartment on Hollywood Boulevard in March of 1964.He was a mere 59 years of age.Vincent Price, his co-star in both The Raven and The Comedy of Terrors, told the Los
Angeles Times that he was “crushed†when he learned of his friend’s
passing.“Peter was the most inventive actor I’ve ever
known,†Price memorialized. “He was a great scholar, an accomplished dramatic
actor and a masterful comedian. Peter liked to make pictures which entertained
people, not critics. He didn’t have any pretensions about conveying messages to
the world.â€
AIP was doing very well, thank you, not making edgy
soapbox pictures.So well, in fact, that
in October of 1963, Nicholson and Arkoff announced that 1964 was going to be
their biggest year ever.The two were
feeling, justifiably, cocky.Two months
earlier the national Theater Owners Association named the pair “Producers of
the Year.â€AIP was riding high and the
company’s future plans were being readied to be put into aggressive
motion.The producers planned for no
fewer than twenty-three films to be put into production - with the caveat that
only nine would actually be filmed in costly Hollywood.Their promised investment of twenty-five
millions dollars into these twenty odd projects would mark a twenty-five
percent increase in their budget expenditures of the previous year.
“In the field of Edgar Allan Poe, the teen-age appeal
‘beach’ pictures and in comedy-terror, AIP will continue to be the leaders with
even bigger and better productions,†the partners promised via a crowing press
release.Though they had definite
designs on AIP’s future, they also thought it time to look back on what had been
issued since their incorporation in 1955.To stoke interest in two new Poe adaptations scheduled for release in
’64 (The Masque of the Red Death and City in the Sea), the company also
planned to reissue twin-bills of earlier efforts, pairing House of Usher with The Pit
and the Pendulum and The Premature
Burial with Tales of Terror.
One of the films that AIP had hoped would carry the day
was The Comedy of Terrors, the title
a jokey if macabre homage to the famous Shakespeare play.The title was the idea of screenwriter
Richard Matheson.Nicholson wanted to
title the film Graveside Story, a
lampoon of the recent box-office musical smash West Side Story.Matheson
conceded that Nicholson’s suggested moniker might have ultimately brought in
more patrons to the cinema to see the film, but he believed that the insert of the
word “comedy†into the title might possibly have alienated horror-film
stalwarts.Though a non-Poe production,
the film would share many of the same qualities – and technical crew - of that
series.The movie would re-team the
“Triumvirate of Terror†that made The
Raven sucha great success:
Lorre, Karloff, and – of course – AIP’s number one ghoul Vincent Price.
One key member of the team that would be missing from the
set was Roger Corman.The antsy director
was interested in going off in another direction with such films as his Grand
Prix drama The Young Racers (1963).The figure eventually chosen to replace
Corman in the director’s chair was certainly no slouch.Matheson suggested that Jacques Tourneur, the
French-born director of several of the greatest RKO horror-mystery films of the
1940s (Cat People, I Walked with a
Zombie, and The Leopard Man) would
be well-suited to the task, the pair having recently worked together on an
episode of The Twilight Zone.
The producers agreed and Tourneur was promptly signed.The pipe-smoking auteur had been working in
the film industry since the late 1920s, but his fortunes and opportunities had
reversed in the succeeding decade.He
went from directing critically-acclaimed features in the 1940s to helming
television dramas throughout most of the 1950s.The offer to direct The Comedy of
Terrors would give the fifty-nine old director an opportunity to get back
into the game.
One of the prizes that AIP dangled before him was an
opportunity to direct one of the most ambitious films that they had on their
schedule.In December of 1963, AIP
signed the Frenchman to direct a lavish production of Genghis Kahn, a 70mm “Technirama†epic to be shot in Italy and
Spain at a cost of some 4.5 million dollars.That film would, of course, never see production, so Tourneur had to
settle on helming AIP’s succeeding Poe-project War Gods of the Deep, a very
free adaptation of the author’s City by
the Sea.
Rathbone was actually a splendid replacement, appearing as
a hoary poof who recites Shakespeare soliloquies and performs all manner of
physical comedy.The problem he causes
Price and Lorre, two perversely unethical morticians, is that the
cataleptic-prone character he portrays steadfastly chooses to remain un-dead despite the pair’s devious
machinations, an obvious detriment to their funeral business.Though the film’s box-office totals did not
match that of The Raven, Matheson
maintained The Comedy of Terrors
still did OK when all was said and done.In his view, the penny-pinching producers of AIP were very box-office savvy
and “didn’t spend enough money to lose money.â€
The film did well enough that in September of ’63, just
as shooting was near completion, there was some scuttlebutt that most of the assembled
talent in the film – including actress Joyce Jameson who played Price’s frustrated
wife – would be reunited on screen before long. Nicholson once again teased Graveside Story as the working title on
the company’s next horror-comedy extravaganza.Matheson recalls that another actress, Tallulah Bankhead, was also in
contention for a role in the projected film.The problem was that, similarly to Karloff, the aging actress’s health
was also in decline.Bankhead’s recent
plum role in the Hammer Films production Die!
Die! My Darling (1964) was reportedly almost scrubbed due to her health
issues, but the production of that film managed to soldier on regardless.
Matheson had even written the screenplay for the
projected new film, a self-described comedy-thriller, now titled Sweethearts and Horror.Sadly, the passing of Lorre in early winter
’64 and the producer’s hesitancy of working with two cast members with day-to-day
health issues effectively put the kibosh on the project.If film fans desire to learn what they missed
due to this confluence of bad breaks and health-related caution, they need only
check out Matheson’s Visions Deferred:
Three Unfilmed Screenplays (Gauntlet Press, 2009).The book includes the screenwriter’s unproduced
script for Sweethearts and Horror.
If The Comedy of
Terrors was to serve as a template for producing Sweethearts and Horror, it might have been for the best.It’s not that the former is not a serviceable
and entertaining film – it’s actually quite funny in moments - but its
predecessor The Raven was certainly
the better film.One might reasonably
assume that had Sweethearts been
made, that film might have reflected another step down on the pedestal.
I for one, would have loved to have seen it made
regardless, even if Lorre was no longer around to once again take part in
ghoulish revelry with friends Price and Karloff. I simply love all of these colorful ‘60s AIP
horror films – produced tongue-in-cheek or otherwise.Should you share my enthusiasm, dim the
lights, stretch out on the couch some late Saturday night, snack on a bowl of
popcorn, relax and enjoy The Comedy of
Terrors.You might not be
enlightened, but you will be entertained.
This impressive Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu-ray
edition of The Comedy of Terrors is
presented here in a 1920x1080p with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and dts sound. There
are removable English subtitles and an attractive slipcase cover.The set also includes featurette Richard Matheson: Storyteller and an
audio commentary track by film historian, author, and publisher Tim Lucas.The release rounds out with the film’s
original theatrical trailer as well as an additional eight titles from Kino’s
Vincent Price catalog.
In Cinema Retro's never-ending quest to analyze relatively inconsequential movies, the trail takes us to Dirty Dingus Magee, one of Frank Sinatra's last starring feature films. The movie shocked critics when it opened in 1970 due to the trivial of the production. Time has done nothing to enhance its reputation and one can only wonder what possessed Sinatra to star in this tepid Western comedy. In reality, Sinatra's passion for movie-making was also tepid. He always preferred to concentrate on his singing career and regarded acting as a time-consuming sideline. His penchant for rarely approving a second take became legendary. Nevertheless, he was undeniably one of the cinema's great icons. Prior to Dirty Dingus Magee, Sinatra had shown good judgment with the majority of the films he made during the mid-to-late Sixties. There were some misguided efforts but Von Ryan's Express, Tony Rome, Lady in Cement and The Detective were all quality productions in which he acquitted himself very well. All the more puzzling as to what attracted him to the MGM Western that seemed cursed from the start.
Seldom has so much talent been squandered on one modestly-budgeted
movie. The film was directed by Burt Kennedy, an old hand at bringing
highly entertaining Westerns to the silver screen. (i.e The War Wagon, Support Your Local Sheriff, The Train Robbers, Hannie Caulder.) The screenplay was co-written by Catch-22 author
Joseph Heller and the talented cast includes George Kennedy, Michele
Carey, Anne Jackson, Jack Elam, Lois Nettleton and Harry Carey Jr. Yet
it all adds up to a lively but inconsequential trifle that would have
been designed for the bottom of double feature bills at drive-ins had it
not been for Sinatra's name above the title. He plays the titular
character, a low-rent outlaw who engages in an endless cat-and-mouse
game with newly-appointed sheriff Hoke Birdsill (Kennedy). The two men
relentlessly track each other down and alternately deceive and rob the
other. The razor-thin plot has something to do with local madam Anne
Jackson trying to start an Indian uprising to prevent the local U.S.
Cavalry unit from relocating, thus ensuring the demise of her bordello.
It's unconscionable that as late as 1970 Native Americans could be
portrayed in such a racist fashion on screen. The dialogue afforded them
is of the "Me-Tarzan, You-Jane" variety and the tribe is presented as a
bunch of childish imbeciles. Michele Carey is cast as Dingus's Indian
maiden love interest but she is relegated to prancing around in a short
buckskin outfit and enduring endless interrupted attempts to get it on
with Dingus. The "palefaces" don't fare much better. Anne Jackson is
channeling Shelly Winters as the obnoxious madam who spends more time
screamin' than screwin'. Even old stalwart Jack Elam is completely
wasted, as are a number of other generally reliable old coots who
populated Westerns during this era. Sinatra seems uncomfortable
throughout. Adorned by a distracting Beatle-type wig, he is constantly
upstaged by George Kennedy, who provides whatever modest pleasures the
film affords. Kennedy has a knack for playing broad, slapstick comedy
that Sinatra never acquired.The movie's cheap production values extend
to some of the worst rear screen projection I've ever seen in a major
movie, and that includes Marnie.
At this point in his career Sinatra said he had grown bored with show
business. He even went into self-imposed retirement for a couple of
years before re-emerging and admitting that doing nothing was even more
boring. He enjoyed remarkable success in the ensuing years and won a new
generation of fans. Sadly, his work in films all but evaporated. After
the poor reception accorded Dirty Dingus Magee, he only had one other starring role- ten years later in the underrated thriller The First Deadly Sin. His
fine performance in that film stands as a stark reminder of what he
could have accomplished in films in the latter part of his career had he
concentrated on challenging projects. Dirty Dingus Magee is worth acquiring on DVD- but only to witness one of the most misguided ventures of Old Blue Eyes' career.
Them region-free DVD contains the original trailer.
Powerhouse
Films' Indicator label in the UK have just released a special edition Region B Blu-ray of Universal's
1976 WWII movie Midway on their
Indicator label, and when they say special
they really mean it!
Limited
to just 3000 copies, and with a booklet that includes the text from the Cinema
Retro 'Film in Focus' in issue #49 (2021) written by Lee Pfeiffer and Dave
Worrall, this amazing disc includes the following:
High Definition remaster;
original mono and 2.1 Sensurround audio tracks
Alternative two-part television version (101 mins and 92 mins)
the
rarely seen extended television cut
containing unique scenes, reframed to 4:3 and presented in standard definition,
as originally broadcast
Audio commentary with film historians Steve Mitchell
and Steven Jay Rubin (2021)
The Guardian
interview with Robert Wagner (1983, 71 mins): archival audio recording of
the film and TV star in conversation with Joan Bakewell at the National Film
Theatre, London
They Were There!
(1976, 7 mins): Charlton Heston presents this archival documentary featuring
interviews with three combatants who survived the battle
The Making of Midway (2001, 39 mins): documentary looking at the
film's production
Sensurround: The
Sounds of Midway (2001, 5 mins: a look at the film's use of the Sensurround
audio system
The Super 8mm consumer movie version of highlights from the film
The Battle of Midway (1942, 18 minutes): award-winning documentary
directed by John Ford relaying the battle with footage shot by Navy cameramen
Original theatrical trailer, TV spots, radio spots, image gallery, promotional
and publicity materia
New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and
hard-of-hearing
A limited edition 36-page booklet featuring archival articles
on the film and the event that inspired its screenplay, an overview of critical
responses, and film credits.
An excellent release, and one that won't be around
for long! (Please note: this release is in Region 2/B format. If you are not in the appropriate geographic region, you will need a region-free Blu-ray player.)