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FOX/MGM: A major tip of the hat to 20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment for continuing to empty the Fox and MGM vaults for DVD release. More than 25 new releases are a tribute to their appreciation of movie-loving consumers.
In 1930, Fox Films allowed director Raoul Walsh to make an epic Western on location all over the West, the saga of a wagon train from St. Louis to California. Shooting in both standard 35mm and a revolutionary 65mm widescreen called Grandeur (predating CinemaScope by more than two decades), Walsh created THE BIG TRAIL (1930), an incredible motion picture so realistic in its historic recreation that it looks like nothing less than actual newsreel footage from the 1870s. One scene after another still astounds, from the gathering of the wagons, to the trek across the Rockies, to a snowy finale in the Redwood country. To play the caravan’s young scout, Walsh hired a 22-year-old prop man-turned-bit actor named Marion Morrison, and renamed him John Wayne in honor of the American Revolution’s General Anthony Wayne. THE BIG TRAIL was an expensive failure upon its first release; theatres had just re-tooled for sound and couldn’t afford the additional expense of widescreen, and the picture virtually disappeared until it was restored more than a decade ago by Fox and the Museum of Modern Art. The new two-disc Special Edition includes both versions, commentary by Richard Schickel, and excellent features on Walsh, Wayne, Grandeur, and the making of the film. THE BIG TRAIL is one of the best releases of the year, an essential Americana title.
THE BIG TRAIL is also included in JOHN WAYNE: THE FOX WESTERNS, along with Henry Hathaway’s rollicking comedy NORTH TO ALASKA (1959), co-starring Stewart Granger, Ernie Kovacs and Fabian; Michael Curtiz’ adventure THE COMANCHEROS (1961), highlighted by a bravura Lee Marvin performance; and Andrew McLaglen’s post-Civil War THE UNDEFEATED (1969), with Duke as a former Union colonel who tangles with a former Confederate colonel (Rock Hudson). The set includes all the extras from THE BIG TRAIL Special Edition. FOX WESTERN CLASSICS has three excellent oaters – Henry King’s seminal THE GUNFIGHTER (1950)), with Gregory Peck in the title role as Johnny Ringo, a shootist trying to retire, constantly finding himself the target of young guns; Henry Hathaway’s thriller RAWHIDE (1951), written by Dudley Nichols (STAGECOACH) with Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward and her infant son held hostage by a gang of murderers; and Hathaway’s stunning Technicolor/CinemaScope GARDEN OF EVIL (1954), with Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark, and Cameron Mitchell as three fortune hunters hired by Susan Hayward to rescue a trapped miner in Mexico. Look for Rita Moreno in a small, early role as a cantina performer. Fox does very good bonus featurettes – THE GUNFIGHTER has a good piece on classic cinematographer Arthur Miller and a doc on the genre’s coming of age; RAWHIDE covers Susan Hayward and the Lone Pine location; GARDEN OF EVIL has audio commentary by film and music historians John Morgan, Nick Redman, Steven Smith and William Stromberg, an isolated music track with Bernard Herrmann’s exceptional score, a making-of featurette, and a worthy tribute to Henry Hathaway. All three titles also include include restoration comparisons, advertising and still galleries, and original theatrical trailers.
Two more Cooper Westerns are also available from Fox/MGM. After the success of DODSWORTH (1936), DEAD END (1937) and WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939), director William Wyler and producer Sam Goldwyn cast contract star Coop in THE WESTERNER (1940). He plays a drifter who wanders west of the Pecos into the jurisdiction of Judge Roy Bean (an Oscar winning performance by Walter Brennan). It’s really Brennan’s film, but the interplay between the two stars is priceless. There are great production values and beautiful black-and-white cinematography by Gregg Toland (THE GRAPES OF WRATH, CITIZEN KANE), and the reminder that Wyler, who would go on to THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIFE (1946), FRIENDLY PERSUASION (1956, with Coop), BEN HUR (1959) and FUNNY GIRL (1968), started his incredible directing career with two-reel silent Westerns at Universal City). A sidenote: my primary research into back numbers of The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Lewis Milestone contributed uncredited direction on THE WESTERNER in some of the action sequences – a great filmmaker in his own right, he’s best known for directing ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930), THE FRONT PAGE (1931), Coop’s THE GENERAL DIED AT DAWN (1936), OF MICE AND MEN (1939), A WALK IN THE SUN (1945), and the original 1960 OCEAN’S 11). MAN OF THE WEST (1958) is the last great Western from director Anthony Mann as well as Gary Cooper, finally available in its original widescreen version, finally mesmerizing us with Mann’s impeccable compositions. Cooper’s an ex-gunslinger trying to keep his cool with his ex-gang (led by a Western King Lear, Lee J. Cobb) as they trifle with sultry singer Julie London, with Jack Lord especially randy and degenerate. For the definitive word on Mann, see Jeanine Basinger’s brilliant Anthony Mann (2007, Wesleyan University Press).
Andre De Toth’s DAY OF THE OUTLAW (1959) is an utter revelation, one of the truly great Westerns, ripe (and now available) for rediscovery. Robert Ryan returns to a wintry mountain town to kill the husband of the love of his life (Tina Louise); just as the fireworks are about to go down, Burl Ives’ band of outlaws move in, take over, and promptly get snow bound. Scripted by Philip Yordan (Ray’s JOHNNY GUITAR, Mann’s THE LAST FRONTIER, THE MAN FROM LARAMIE, MEN IN WAR, GOD’S LITTLE ACRE and EL CID), shot by Russell Harlan (THE THING, HATARI!, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD), edited by Robert Lawrence (SPARTACUS, EL CID, FINGERS), this is an exceptional movie deserving much greater awareness. And speaking of awareness, how about some awareness of Cooper as perhaps the greatest American screen actor ever (along with Spencer Tracy). MAN OF THE WEST is among his best work in a career that included THE VIRGINIAN (1929), MOROCCO (1930), A FAREWELL TO ARMS (1932), DESIGN FOR LIVING (1933), LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER (1935), PETER IBBOTSON (1935), MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN (1936), DESIRE (1936), BEAU GESTE (1939), MEET JOHN DOE (1941), SERGEANT YORK (1941), BALL OF FIRE (1941), FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS (1943), HIGH NOON (1952), SPRINGFIELD RIFLE (1952), THE HANGING TREE (1959), THE NAKED EDGE (1961) among many others.
Cooper originally bought the rights to the novel The Way West by A.B. Guthrie (author of The Searchers) but never got the film made (he died in 1961 at the age of 60); THE WAY WEST (1967), directed by Andrew McLaglen, made it to the screen with a terrific cast, gorgeous locations but a rather lackluster script about wagons west in 1843. It’s still worthwhile viewing for its star power – Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, Richard Widmark, and Sally Field. Mitchum rules in the low-budget MAN WITH A GUN (1955) as a “town tamer” bringing law and order to a small frontier settlement. Richard Wilson (Orson Welles’ assistant on CITIZEN KANE and THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS) directed – he’s especially good with actors and making the most of limited resources, as he showed again in AL CAPONE (1959) and PAY OR DIE (1960). Angie Dickinson has an unbilled role as a cameo in this, the first feature produced by Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. THE GUNFIGHT AT DODGE CITY (1957) is a workmanlike Western with veteran Joel McCrea as Bat Masterson, supported by John McIntire and Julie Adams, one of the first pictures from The Mirisch Company (SOME LIKE IT HOT, THE APARTMENT, WEST SIDE STORY, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT). Joseph Newman (PONY SOLDIER) does a good job directing familiar material in another hard-to-find title now available thanks to the good people at Fox/MGM. After Leone, Sergio Corbucci was probably the best director of 60s-70s Italian Westerns (DJANGO, THE MERCENARY, THE GRAND SILENCE – all well worth tracking down). His NAVAJO JOE (1967) casts then-TV actor Burt Reynolds (much the way Leone cast RAWHIDE star Clint Eastwood in his first FISTFUL film) as a Native American on a revenge trip – supported by Ennio Morricone’s operatic score, this is violet Spaghetti Western nirvana, shot in Spain, inspired by Leone’s groundbreakers.
There are some equally worthwhile war films from the Fox/MGM catalogue. British filmmakers handled World War Two themes especially well – no nonsense, taut, perfectly made dramas. Roy Ward Baker’s MORNING DEPARTURE (1950) is a good example, with a dozen men trapped at the bottom of the sea in a submarine. John Mills, Richard Attenborough and Nigel Patrick are stellar, and the tension is palpable. I was stunned by Baker’s THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY (1957), the true story of Oberleutnant Franz von Werra (a most appealing Hardy Kruger), a cocky Luftwaffe pilot captured by the British, transported to a POW camp in Canada, who escaped in the dead of winter, and made his way across the St. Lawrence River to political sanctuary in the USA (before the Yanks entered the war) – the only German officer during the war to be captured, repeatedly escape, and end up back in Germany. This is a compelling picture, with well-drawn characterizations and plenty of suspense, and a memorable Kruger performance (he’s known best to Americans for HATARI!, THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX, and BARRY LYNDON). Lewis Gilbert’s CARVE HER NAME WITH PRIDE (1958) is another excellent true wartime story, with Virginia McKenna (BORN FREE) as Violette Szabo, the young woman who served with the French Resistance. Paul Scofield supports. Roger Corman’s THE SECRET INVASION (1964) has the same premise as THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967), namely a group of incarcerated criminals (Mickey Rooney, Raf Vallone, Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, Henry Silva) sent behind enemy lines to infiltrate a Nazi stronghold. It’s a tough, violent, totally satisfying action picture, one of Corman’s best – and until now, hardest to find. Stanley Kramer’s THE SECRET OF SANTA VITTORIA (1969) is one of his best, and most neglected, pictures, based on the Robert Crichton novel. Anthony Quinn is the mayor of the titular Italian village, estranged from wife Anna Magnani, with the task of hiding a million bottles of the local wine from the invading Nazis led by Hardy Kruger. A young Giancarlo Giannini excels as a resistance fighter, and the film is also graced by beautiful Virna Lisi.
Fox follows up its Tyrone Power swashbuckler collection with the TYRONE POWER MATINEE IDOL COLLECTION containing ten films on five discs, and featurettes on the handsome star. The gem of the set is Tay Garnett’s LOVE IS NEWS (1937), a brilliant, little-known screwball comedy starring Power, Loretta Young and Don Ameche. The disc includes the weak remake THAT WONDERFUL URGE (1948) with Gene Tierney in the Loretta role. There’s a very good featurette about Power and Young’s films together, and behind-the-scenes and advertising galleries. GIRLS’ DORMITORY (1936) has Power in support of Simone Simon and Herbert Marshall in a romantic drama; fan mail for Ty in this film catapulted him into stardom. Power teamed again with Loretta Young in the charming comedies CAFÉ METROPOLE (1937) and SECOND HONEYMOON (1937); their star chemistry is undeniable. DAY-TIME WIFE (1939) paired Power with 16-year-old (!) Linda Darnell in a frothy comedy; Darnell and Power would go on to make BRIGHAM YOUNG (1940), THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) and BLOOD AND SAND (1941) together. Anatole Litvak’s THIS ABOVE ALL (1942) is one of the best wartime romantic dramas, with a supporting cast including Thomas Mitchell, Henry Stephenson and Nigel Bruce. Henry Hathaway’s first for Fox after years at Paramount was JOHNNY APOLLO (1940), a terrific gangster picture starring Power, Edward Arnold, Lloyd Nolan, Marc Lawrence and Dorothy Lamour that looks like one of Fox studio chief Darryl Zanuck’s early 30s Warner crime classics. Henry Koster’s THE LUCK OF THE IRISH (1948) shows Power’s comedy skills as he encounters a real live leprechaun (Cecil Kellaway); this release restores the original green tint to the Ireland sequences. Finally, I’LL NEVER FORGET YOU (1951) is a lovely time travel piece, with Power whisked back to 18th Century London in this remake of the 1933 Leslie Howard vehicle BERKELEY SQUARE.
Fox has extracted three worthy comedies from the catalogue. WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, DADDY? (1966) is a superb Blake Edwards comedy with GI’s James Coburn, Dick Shawn, Aldo Ray, Harry Morgan and Carroll O’Connor enjoying the wine and the women in a small Italian village. William Friedkin’s THE NIGHT THEY RAIDED MINSKY’S (1968) is an interesting missing link in the director’s career, made after his debut with Sonny and Cher’s GOOD TIMES (1967), prior to THE BOYS IN THE BAND (1970), THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) and THE EXORCIST (1973), films that put him in the pantheon of great directors. MINSKY’S is a loud, boisterous, razzle dazzle evocation of early 20th Century burlesque, with a cast headed by Jason Robards, Britt Ekland, Elliott Gould, Norman Wisdom, Denholm Elliott and Forrest Tucker. IF IT’S TUESDAY, THIS MUST BE BELGIUM (1969) is a time capsule comedy about a mixed-bag group of Americans on a European tour. The travelogue aspect is picturesque, the broad ensemble performances by Sandy Baron, Michael Constantine, Murray Hamilton and Norman Fell rooted in 60s sitcom comedy, the romantic leads (Suzanne Pleshette and Ian McShane) attractive. Cameo appearances include Vittorio De Sica, Anita Ekberg, Joan Collins, Donovan, Virna Lisi, Robert Vaughan, and, in the first few minutes of the movie, John Cassavetes and Ben Gazzara.
Fox corrects a poor DVD remastering of the ultra-camp Busby Berkeley musical THE GANG’S ALL HERE (1943) with a stunning Technicolor version in THE CARMEN MIRANDA COLLECTION, a tribute to Hollywood’s World War Two Brazilian bombshell, fruit piled high on her head, dancing to our delight, makin’ eyes at the GI’s throughout the early 40s. GANG’S, her penultimate film, its kitsch so notorious it was re-released in the early 70s with great success on the repertory circuit, never looked better, and includes Drew Casper commentary, a deleted scene, and featurettes on Berkeley and Alice Faye and scenes from the Faye-Phil Harris program. GREENWICH VILLAGE (1944) teams Miranda with Don Ameche and Vivian Blaine; in SOMETHING FOR THE BOYS (1944) she’s back with Blaine and Phil Silvers; both DOLL FACE (1946)and IF I’M LUCKY (1946) casts Perry Como. With the exception of the Berkeley, these are not exceptional films – they are all wartime propaganda designed to make viewers forget – those on the homefront as well as in the field.
Comic book fans get a treat with MARVEL HEROES, a new box set featuring eight titles loaded with action and cutting-edge special effects, plus many extras – Bryan Singer’s X-MEN (2000) starring Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Anna Paquin and Patrick Stewart, with deleted scenes, storyboards, art galleries, animatics, Jackman’s screen test, an episode of THE CHARLIE ROSE SHOW, and a MUTANT HUNT featurette; Singer’s X2: X-MEN UNITED (2003), reuniting the cast, with audio commentaries by Singer and cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, and another by the writers and producers; and Brett Ratner’s X-MEN: THE LAST STAND (2006), same cast, with deleted scenes, three alternate endings, and commentaries by Ratner and the screenwriters, anoher by the producers. Tim Story directs FANTASTIC 4 (2005) and FANTASTIC 4: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (2007), both with Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis as our titular four. Story does audio commentary on the latter, while the first entry has Gruffudd, Alba and Chiklis on commentary, plus a video diary, deleted scenes, making-of featurette, a Fox Movie Channel piece on casting and making of a scene, music videos, and a featurette hosted by Marvel honcho Ami Arad. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner starred in Mark Steven Johnson’s DAREDEVIL (2002) with Michael Clarke Duncan, Colin Farrell and Jon Favreau; the Director’s Cut in this set includes 30 additional minutes, a new production featurette, and commentary by Johnson and Arad. Garner’s DAREDEVIL character gets her own movie in ELEKTRA (2004), directed by Rob Bowman, with deleted scenes, the star’s Comic-Con presentation, and featurettes on production and editing. There’s a ninth disc, MARVEL COLLECTIBLES, two X-Men comic books, a Silver Surfer digital comic book, and a lobby card. It’s a comics fan’s paradise.
The DIE HARD ULTIMATE COLLECTION is just that – four films, each in double-disc special editions. It’s been 20 years since Bruce Willis first appeared as Detective John McClane in John McTiernan’s original DIE HARD (1988); this special edition has commentaryby the director and production designer Jackson DeGovia; scene specific commentary by special effects supervisor Richard Edlund; subtitle commentary by cast and crew, and a “branching” version with the extended power shutdown scene. Renny Harlin’s DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER (1990) is more of the same formula, Willis versus terrorists; this one has Harlin commentary, four deleted scenes, storyboards, and making-of featurettes. The third installment, McTiernan’s DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (1995) pairs Willis with Samuel L. Jackson fighting mad bomber Jeremy Irons, and improves on the sequel; there’s a bunch of featurettes, an alternate ending, and commentary by the director. Many feel Len Wiseman’s LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (2007) is the best of the batch, packed with action and excitement. Disc One includes the unrated and the original theatrical version, and commentary by Willis, Wiseman and editor Nicholas De Toth; Disc Two has a ten-part featurette.
The hit show 24 is available in a lavish Season One Special Edition featuring all 24 episodes, selected commentaries, extended and deleted scenes, an alternate ending to the season finale, and a new documentary. A booklet includes introductions by co-creators/co-executive producers Joel Surnow and Bob Cochran. BURN NOTICE: SEASON ONE is a four-disc set with all 11 episodes. It’s a smart take on the spy genre about a blacklisted op. Scene-specific audio commentaries feature stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell and Sharon Gless; gag reel; Donovan and Anwar auditions; and assorted featurettes.
WARNER: After creating the iconic role of The Man with No Name in Sergio Leone’s Western trilogy (A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY), Clint Eastwood starred in Don Siegel’s cop thriller DIRTY HARRY (1971), adding another pop culture anti-hero to his cinematic portfolio as Detective Harry Callahan. Four sequels offered Eastwood the opportunity to explore different layers of the D.H. character, and each picture has its merits for Clint fans, as well as evocative San Francisco locations. THE DIRTY HARRY COLLECTION gives us all five movies in deluxe editions.
In the digitally remastered original, Clint makes our day hunting the Zodiac sniper (Andy Robinson). The double disc has commentary by Eastwood biographer Richard Schickel, three documentaries, interviews, and a doc on Clint’s career. In Ted Post’s sequel, MAGNUM FORCE (1973), scripted by John Milius and Michael Cimino, Clint fights vigilante motorcycle cops, with Hal Holbrook doing his usual excellent work as his boss. Milius does the commentary, telling us all we’ll ever need to know about Harry’s .44 Magnum handgun. A featurette compares Callahan with classic Warners crime fighters, and another explores the series’ political themes. In James Fargo’s THE ENFORCER (1976), Clint is teamed with a new partner, played by Tyne Daly in her pre-CAGNEY AND LACY days, as they battle crazed terrorists. Fargo gives the commentary, and there’s a featurette on movie violence and a piece on the Callahan/Eastwood ethos. The material turns even darker in SUDDEN IMPACT (1983) directed by Eastwood himself with typically crisp efficiency, as he searches for a rape victim (Sondra Locke)-turned-vigilante. Schickel’s on board again for commentary, and there’s a featurette detailing the film in the context of Clint’s career. Stunt coordinator extraordinaire Buddy Van Horn directed the fifth and final installment, THE DEAD POOL (1988), with Harry finding himself on a celebrity death list in a lighter-toned production highlighted by a super car chase and Patricia Clarkson as a reporter, Liam Neeson as a psychotic movie director, and an hilarious Jim Carrey as a metal rocker. Producer David Valdes and cinematographer Jack N. Green do the commentary, and there’s a tribute to the below-the-line talent of the series. Much to the credit of Clint and his collaborators, the DIRTY HARRY films were never allowed to deteriorate, and they are all action-packed, well-made, high quality genre movies. WHV further rewards Eastwood fans with a deluxe edition of his atypical BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY (1995), the ultra-romantic love story based on the Robert James Waller best-seller, directed by Clint, starring Clint and Meryl Streep. The film appears for the first time in its proper widescreen ratio, and includes commentary by editor Joel Cox and cinematographer Jack N. Green, a production featurette and a music video.
WHV has also mounted perhaps the biggest tribute to a single star in DVD history with four Frank Sinatra box sets commemorating the tenth anniversary of his death. FRANK SINATRA: THE EARLY YEARS includes five features. HIGHER AND HIGHER (1943), directed by Tim Whelan for RKO, marks his acting debut at age 28, a peppy low-budget musical comedy with a wonderful supporting cast including Mel Torme, Victor Borge, Dooley Wilson, and Jack Haley. Sinatra sings “I Couldn’t Sleep a Wink Last Night,” “The Music Stopped,” and “A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening,” and you can understand what made the bobbysoxers line up outside the Paramount theatre for his live performances. Whelan and RKO followed up this hit with STEP LIVELY (1944), a remake of ROOM SERVICE (1938), borrowing George Murphy from MGM to play a Broadway con man producer. Sinatra plays, of course, a crooner, paired romantically with Gloria DeHaven and supported by Adolphe Menjou, Walter Slezak, Eugene Pallette, and RKO’s in-house Abbott and Costello knockoffs Wally Brown and Alan Carney. The Sammy Cahn-Jule Styne “As Long as There’s Music” is Frankie’s musical highlight.
A contract with mighty MGM brought Sinatra to bigger budget movies, and one of his best and most popular vehicles was Richard Whorf’s 1946 IT HAPPENED IN BROOKLYN, with Sinatra as an ex-GI returning to his old haunts. He’s perfectly paired with Jimmy Durante, romances gorgeous Kathryn Grayson, and works for the first time with future Rat-Packer Peter Lawford in this bright, happy musical, and best of all, sings his signature “Time After Time,” and duets with Durante on “The Song’s Gotta Come From the Heart.” Laszlo Benedek’s THE KISSING BANDIT (1949) is often cited as Sinatra’s worst movie, a musical inspired by Zorro with Frank in the title role, but it’s an unfair assessment. There’s Grayson again, stunning Technicolor, a flamenco number staged by Stanley Donen, character actors J. Carroll Naish, Billy Gilbert and Mildred Natwick, and dance specialties with Ricardo Montalban, Ann Miller and Cyd Charisse. It’s high camp and lots of fun. Sinatra completed his RKO commitment with Irving Cummings’ DOUBLE DYNAMITE (1951), a gambling comedy (though Sinatra still sings two songs) co-starring Groucho Marx and Jane Russell.
THE FRANK SINATRA AND GENE KELLY COLLECTION collects the three MGM musicals teaming these two superstars. They’re all classics, all essential to the singing-dancing genre. George Sidney’s ANCHORS AWEIGH (1945) takes the boys, fresh out of the Navy, to Hollywood. The picture is loaded with great numbers – Sinatra and Kelly’s “We Hate to Leave” and Sinatra’s “I Fall in Love to Easily,” “What Makes the Sunset,” and “The Charm of You” – but is most prized for Kelly’s live-action/animated number with Tom of Hanna-Barbera’s Tom and Jerry cartoon series. ANCHORS AWEIGH won an Oscar for Best Scoring of a Musical, and earned four more nods, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Kelly). The supporting cast is also worth mentioning – Kathryn Grayson, 9-year-old wunderkind Dean Stockwell, Jose Iturbi, Billy Gilbert, Leon Ames, Edgar Kennedy, Henry Armetta and Grady Sutton. Special Features include an archival interview with animators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, and an excerpt from the excellent documentary series MGM: WHEN THE LION ROARS, and three theatrical trailers.
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME (1949) was the last great Busby Berkeley musical, a brilliant idea brilliantly executed. In the story by Kelly and Stanley Donen, Kelly and Sinatra play O’Brien and Ryan, baseball players in the rough-and-tumble early 1900s who moonlight every winter as vaudevillians. The dancing is fantastic (Sinatra studied hard with taskmaster Kelly, who contributes amazing solos), the songs tuneful. Sinatra sings lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green’s “The Right Girl for Me” and with Betty Garrett, “It’s Fate, Baby, Fate” to Roger Edens’ music; Esther Williams and Jules Munshin are also on hand in the cast. Extras include deleted musical numbers “Baby Doll” and “Boys and Girls like You and Me,” notes on Sinatra and Kelly, and three theatrical trailers. Kelly, Sinatra, Comden and Green, Garrett and Munshin were reunited for the supreme musical classic ON THE TOWN (1949), based on the Comden-Green Broadway hit, with music by Leonard Bernstein. You’ve no doubt seen this beloved musical, co-directed by Kelly and Donen, with Kelly, Sinatra and Munshin as three sailors on leave for one day in New York, New York; if not, grab it. It’s an exuberant masterpiece, with Sinatra spoofing his real-life image as a shy boy-next-door (not an infrequent role for him in his Forties films) chased by lady cabbie Betty Garrett.
FRANK SINATRA: THE GOLDEN YEARS demonstrates Sinatra’s versatility, with his searing performance as junkie Frankie Machine in Otto Preminger’s THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (1955); as a theatrical agent in Charles Walter’s comedy THE TENDER TRAP (1955), co-starring Debbie Reynolds and Celeste Holm, with Frank singing the Oscar-nominated Van Heusen-Cahn title song; Vincente Minnelli’s sensational 1959 small-town drama SOME CAME RUNNING, with intense dramatic performances from Sinatra, Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine; the excellent war drama NONE BUT THE BRAVE (1965), directed by and starring Sinatra, with American and Japanese troops stranded on a small island and forced to survive together, co-starring Clint Walker and Frank’s then-son-in-law Tommy Sands (married at the time to daughter Nancy); and Jack Donohue’s good-time comedy farce MARRIAGE ON THE ROCKS (1965), with a great cast including Dino, Deborah Kerr, Nancy Sinatra, Tony Bill, Cesar Romero and Trini Lopez.
Frank, Dino, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and assorted friends comprise THE RAT PACK COLLECTION, with Lewis Milestone’s original Vegas casino heist caper OCEAN’S 11 (1960); John Sturges’ long unavailable SERGEANTS THREE (1962), a Western remake of GUNGA DIN (1939); Robert Aldrich’s Western FOUR FOR TEXAS (1963), with Ursula Andress, Anita Ekberg and The Three Stooges; and Gordon Douglas’ 30s gangster spoof ROBIN AND THE SEVEN HOODS (1964), co-starring Bing Crosby, Peter Falk and Victor Buono. An Ultimate Collectors Edition includes lots of cool collectibles.
Frank’s daughter Tina exec produced the biopic SINATRA, a well-done 1992 mini-series that earned a Golden Globe in this category, available now in a two-disc collectors edition. Directed by James Sadwith, who won an Emmy for his work, scripted by William Mastrosimone (EXTREMITIES) and an uncredited Abby Mann (JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG), the film charts a half century of Sinatra’s life, from the streets of Hoboken to the big time. Philip Casnoff makes an excellent Sinatra, lip-synching over two dozen of his standards, and the rest of the cast is uniformly superb – Olympia Dukakis as Mama Dolly, Gina Gershon as first wife Nancy, Marcia Gay Harden as Ava Gardner, Nina Siemaszko as second wife Mia Farrow, Rod Steiger as Sam Giancana, David Raynr as Sammy Davis Jr. and Danny Gans as Dean Martin.
WHV has also repackaged the following films as part of THE FRANK SINATRA COLLECTION – the all-star Metro musical Jerome Kern biopic TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY (1946); the Sinatra-Crosby-Grace Kelly-Louis Armstrong musical remake of THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, HIGH SOCIETY (1956); the John Sturges war drama NEVER SO FEW (1959), with a key early starring role for Steve McQueen; and his last theatrical starring role, as a police inspector chasing a serial killer, THE FIRST DEADLY SIN (1980), co-starring Faye Dunaway.
That’s a whole lotta Ol’ Blue Eyes, and if that’s not enough Frank for you check out SIRIOUSLY SINATRA on Sirius Radio’s Channel 73 for around-the-clock music, and the all-new www.franksinatra.com.
Animation buffs can celebrate with POPEYE THE SAILOR VOLUME TWO, with 31 gorgeously remastered cartoons featuring Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto, Poopdeck Pappy, Swee’pea, and Popeye’s nephews Pip-Eye, Pup-Eye, Poop-Eye and Peep-Eye. Extras include the documentary OUT OF THE INKWELL: THE FLEISCHER STORY on animator Max Fleischer and his brother, director Dave (father of future director Richard Fleischer); commentaries, vintage audio recordings and radio shows (including an interview with Jack Mercer, the voice of Popeye). Last year’s Volume One was one of the prized releases of the year, and this set is just as good. POPEYE & FRIENDS VOLUME ONE has eight remastered color cartoons focusing on the Sailor’s family life.
For modern Western fans there’s the TOM SELLECK WESTERN COLLECTION, with three movies originally broadcast on TNT – CROSSFIRE TAIL (2001) with Virginia Madsen, Wilfred Brimley and Mark Harmon; MONTE WALSH (2002) with Isabella Rossellini and Keith Carradine, and the best of the trio, LAST STAND AT SABER RIVER (1997), based on the Elmore Leonard novel, with Keith and David Carradine. WHV also releases a sentimental favorite, with James Garner reprising the title role in THE NEW MAVERICK, a 1978 TV movie, with Jack Kelly returning as his brother Bart from the landmark 1957-1962 Warner Brothers Television series.
PARAMOUNT: THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES (2008) is an instant family classic, already one of the best films of the year, directed with great skill by Mark Waters (MEAN GIRLS, THE HOUSE OF YES). Based on the beloved series of children’s books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, with John Sayles as one of the screenwriters, the movie seamlessly blends fantasy and reality, live action with CGI, to tell the story of three teens (two played as twins by the amazing Freddie Highmore) who open the door to a magical world of fairies and some very scary goblins. The outstanding cast includes David Straithairn, Mary Louise Parker, Nick Nolte and Joan Plowright, with the voices of Seth Rogen and Martin Short. The double-disc set includes lots of production featurettes as well as deleted scenes. Highly recommended!
SHINE A LIGHT (2008), directed by Martin Scorsese, chronicles a performance by The Rolling Stones at New York’s Beacon Theatre. We see preparations for the event (the director doesn’t seem to have received the set list until the night of the show), an introduction by host Bill Clinton, and a full roster of Stones tunes, spanning their 40-year career. Scorsese demonstrates his great talent for shooting concert films (e.g. THE LAST WALTZ), and includes some wonderful vintage clips of the Stones through the years. Christina Aguilera, Buddy Guy, and The White Stripes’ Jack White join the band as special guests. There’s a making-of featurette and four bonus songs not shown in theatres. Three Olives’ new root beer, triple shot espresso and tomato vodkas (the first two are quite delicious) make excellent libations for watching Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Charlie Watts and ultimate guitar hero Keith Richard go through their rock ‘n roll paces.
DRILLBIT TAYLOR (2008) is dumb fun – especially if you’re 13 years old. Owen Wilson is well cast as a vagrant hired to protect three nerds from the school bullies. This reworking of MY BODYGUARD (1980) includes clever cameos from that film’s Adam Baldwin and Chris Makepeace. The Extended Survival Edition DVD includes 13 deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, a featurette on screenwriters Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen; and audio commentary by Brown, director Steven Brill, and teen actors Troy Gentile, Nate Hartley and David Dorfman.
SONY: The NBR named THE BAND’S VISIT (2007) one of last year’s top five foreign-language films and it’s a real treat. A police band from Egypt comes to Israel to play a concert, but takes the wrong bus and ends up spending the night in a provincial Israeli village. Writer-director Eran Kolirin seamlessly balances drama and humor as he guides his outstanding ensemble cast of Arab and Israeli actors through their paces. The picture won eight Israeli Academy Awards and a Jury Award at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, and is not to be missed. There’s a production featurette and a photo gallery.
Stefan Ruzowitzky’s THE COUNTERFEITERS (2007) also made the NBR’s Top Five Foreign-Language list, and won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. It’s the true story of a Nazi plot to counterfeit millions of British pounds and American dollars using the skills of concentration camp detainees, including Germany’s pre-war master counterfeiter. There’s commentary by the director, deleted scenes, and featurettes. Highly recommended, with exceptional performances all around.
PERSEPOLIS (2007) won the NBR’s Bvlgari Freedom of Expression Award last year (shared with THE GREAT DEBATERS), and it is a remarkable film, a compelling animated feature from France, based on Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novels about growing up in Khomeini’s Iran, directed by Ms. Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud. The filmmakers returned to old-school line drawings for their animation, giving the complex material a simple approach, made emotionally wrenching through the voice performances of Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve and 90-year-old legend Danielle Darrieux. The disc includes an English-language version, voiced by Mastroianni, Sean Penn, Iggy Pop and the equally legendary Gena Rowlands; select commentary by Mastroianni and the directors; several featurettes and the 2007 Cannes Film Festival press conference.
One of the greatest current DVD series going is THE THREE STOOGES COLLECTION. Sony has lovingly restored and remastered all the Stooges shorts, and VOLUME TWO, covering 1937 to 1939, is one of their prime periods. Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard really hit their stride with these Columbia two-reelers and the 24 shorts included in the double-disc set includes some of their funniest work.
Several shorts benefit greatly from the direction of comedy genius Charley Chase, who had starred in his own series at Hal Roach Studios from 1921 to 1936 before moving to Columbia, one of the few companies still actively making comedy two-reelers by the late Thirties (even Laurel and Hardy had ceased making shorts at Roach by 1935.) Chase had his own starring series at Columbia (also worthy of DVD release), but also directed some of the lot’s other comedy stars. THE THREE STOOGES COLLECTION: VOLUME TWO includes TERMITES OF 1938, TASSELS IN THE AIR, MUTTS TO YOU, FLAT FOOT STOOGES, VIOLENT IS THE WORD FOR CURLY (all 1938) and SAVED BY BELLE (1939), all directed by Charley Chase.
The set’s highlight – and absolutely one of their top two or three best ever out of an astonishing 190 shorts between 1934 and 1957 – is Chase’s VIOLENT IS THE WORD FOR CURLY, with the title a takeoff on the popular 1936 Paramount melodrama VALIENT IS THE WORD FOR CARRIE. The boys are instructors at an all-girls’ school, where they lead them in singing “Swingin’ the Alphabet” … also known among fans as “B-I-Bickey-By.” It’s priceless. Interestingly, the cinematographer on this film and host of others on this set is Lucien Ballard, early in his career before becoming renowned as the versatile cinematographer of THE LODGER (1944), THE KILLING (1956), THE PARTY (1968), TRUE GRIT (1969), MIKEY AND NICKY (1976), and five Sam Peckinpah movies, including RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY (1962) and THE WILD BUNCH (1969). Added bonus: Stooge fans only have to wait another couple of months for Sony’s release of Volume Three!
21 (2008) gets by on the strength of its cast of veterans (co-producer Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne) and talented relative newcomers (Jim Sturgess, Jacob Pitts, Aaron Yoo, Liza Lapira) in the true story of MIT students who try to break Vegas in the 90s. Robert Luketic (LEGALLY BLONDE, MONSTER-IN-LAW) directs; while the film faithfully follows current Hollywood stylistic formulas, it’s better than average. Extras include filmmaker commentary, two making-of featurette, and a piece explaining the card-counting and blackjack.
ICONS OF ADVENTURE brings us four exciting Hammer Film programmers from the U.K., circa 1960, all with the Hammer hallmark of quality, literacy and fine performance. Hammer stalwart Christopher Lee is at his prime in three of the four – John Gilling’s THE PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER (1961), Anthony Bushell’s THE TERROR OF THE TONGS (1961), and Don Sharp’s THE DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES (1963). Guy Rolfe (MR. SARDONICUS) stars in Terence Fisher’s THE STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY (1959), a riveting adventure about the Thuggee cult in British colonial India (the same cult depicted in GUNGA DIN). There are lots of extras, (including commentaries by screenwriter Jimmy Sangster), an episode of the 1953 serial THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN KIDD, the wonderful 1935 Columbia Andy Clyde comedy short HOT PAPRIKA, and the 1936 Columbia cartoon THE MERRY MUTINEERS. All features include original trailers and are presented for the first time in their original aspect ratios.
THE TATTOOIST (2007), from Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert’s Ghost House Underground label, is a well-done horror thriller made in New Zealand. Jason Behr (Ghost House’s THE GRUDGE) stars in the title role; when his ancient Samoan tattoo tool unleashes evil spirits, the fun begins. In his feature directing debut, Peter Burger shows promise as a new genre filmmaker. As with most horror DVDs, there are loads of extras, as well as a bonus digital copy, including deleted scenes and five background featurettes, and audio commentary by Burger and Behr.
Last winter Time-Life released a spectacular box set of the original 60s GET SMART series, created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry; tieing into the hit summer comedy GET SMART, Sony has released the little known second GET SMART (1995) series, reuniting Don Adams as Maxwell Smart and Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 … and introducing their son, played by Andy Dick (!). The new series only lasted seven episodes, and they’re all on this disc, making it a must for SMART completists.
THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY: Wong Kar Wai’s MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS (2007) is slow, arty, and pretentious, full of completely unmotivated slow-motion effects. Beautifully shot like all his films, with a great cast (Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz, David Strathairn, and a promising Norah Jones) doing great work, this one is marred by weak writing by the director and Lawrence Block. Andrew Sarris called it one of the best movies of the year, and he’s a genius, so what do I know? Special features include a q-and-a with Wai and a making-of doc.
UNIVERSAL: In the September 2006 edition I raved about Martin McDonagh’s Broadway play THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE, which, with his other stage hit THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE and his Oscar for Best Live Action Short for 2004’s SIX SHOOTER, have established him as a world-class artist. His feature debut as writer-director, IN BRUGES (2008), completely lives up to and even exceeds expectations. The story has two hitmen (Brendan Gleason and Colin Farrell in flawless performances) on the lam from London on a “hit man’s holiday” in the Belgian town of Bruges, probably the most beautiful city in Europe. But IN BRUGES is more Mamet than Tarantino, pure McDonagh, plenty of humor, plenty of drama. Ralph Fiennes is also perfection as a vicious gangster. IN BRUGES is certainly one of the best movies of 2008 so far.
James Cagney excels in Joseph Pevney’s MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES (1957), playing silent movie superstar Lon Chaney, Sr., in a sincere re-telling of his life. Highlights include Cagney in the classic horror makeups for THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1923) and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925). Dorothy Malone, Jane Greer and a young Robert Evans (as Irving Thalberg) are in support. Universal also has two new special editions tied in to their new THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR – the Karloff classic THE MUMMY (1932) and the 1999 remake of the same name; both sets are loaded with extras.
James Cagney excels in Joseph Pevney’s MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES (1957), playing silent movie superstar Lon Chaney, Sr., in a sincere re-telling of his life. Highlights include Cagney in the classic horror makeups for THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1923) and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925). Dorothy Malone, Jane Greer and a young Robert Evans (as Irving Thalberg) are in support. Universal also has two new special editions tied in to their new THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR – the Karloff classic THE MUMMY (1932) and the 1999 remake of the same name; both sets are loaded with extras.
DISNEY: I loved NATIONAL TREASURE, and while the sequel NATIONAL TREASURE 2: THE BOOK OF SECRETS falls short of the original, it’s still entertaining. Like Jon Turtletaub’s first film, it sets the suspense, humor and action elements; in the original, the mystery had an historical background, but in this one we’re in a “Lost City of Gold” fantasy brought on by a secret book of, well, secrets, that only U.S. Presidents have access to. Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, and Justin Bartha return under Turtletaub’s direction, with the strong addition of Helen Mirren to the cast as Cage’s mother, Voight’s ex. The two-disc Collector’s Editions has bloopers, outtakes, deleted scenes, and lots of featurettes.
LIONSGATE continues their series of rare European titles from the Canal Plus catalog with two collections highlighting the greatest Italian movie star (Sophia Loren) and the greatest French movie star (Catherine Deneuve). SOPHIA LOREN 4-FILM COLLECTION begins with her early star role in ATTILA (1954), a massive epic starring Anthony Quinn as the barbarian warrior. SUNFLOWER (1970) is a sensitive drama with Loren as a war widow searching for MIA husband Marcello Mastroianni (her most memorable co-star). Vittorio DeSica directs; he was Sophia’s favorite filmmaker, guiding her to an Oscar for TWO WOMEN (1961) as well as the comedy masterpiece YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW (1964). MADAME SANS-GENE (1962) casts Loren as a laundress who gets involved in Napoleon’s court. In the laundress scenes, every effort is made to get La Loren’s bra-less peasant blouse wet; the resulting pictures were the basis of a famous 1962 Playboy photo essay. Ettore Giannini’s CAROSELLO NAPLETANO (1954) is a real find, a stylized, episodic Italian operatic musical set during various periods of Naples history, the much-invaded city of song, dance, great food and beautiful women. 50s MGM Freed Unit it ain’t, but it’s colorful, racy, energetic, and highly theatrical with just the right balance of sentiment and sensuality, with, of course, great traditional Neapolitan songs (the version of “Marie, Marie” sung by a love-smitten teenage boy to his unattainable object of desire is heart-wrenching). Twenty-year-old Sophia looks ravishing -- all eyes, lips and breasts -- sings (with someone else’s dubbed voice), and is prominently starred in the most elaborate story, spanning from an ‘artistic” photographer’s studio, to a World War One battlefield, and finally a Folies-style music hall. The final sequence, a classic triangle story, is just fantastic, with equal servings of Neapolitan sensuality, passion, humor and vendetta.
CATHERINE DENEUVE 5-FILM COLLECTION delivers more hard-to-find Euro pix – the love story MANON 70 (1968); the screwball comedy LE SAUVAGE (1975) with Yves Montand; HOTEL DES AMERIQUES (1981), a powerful romantic drama; the sweeping epic FORT SAGANNE (1984) teaming her with Gerard Depardieu; and the best of the impressive batch, LE CHOC (1982), with Alain Delon as a hitman on the run who falls for Deneuve. Kudos to Lionsgate for bringing these films to North American viewers.
GENIUS: Lau Kar-Leung’s HEROES OF THE EAST (1979) is one of the greatest action movies ever made, and now it’s available under the typically top-notch Dragon Dynasty imprimatur as part of The Shaw Brothers Classic Collection from Genius. Gordon Liu (one of the greatest Hong Kong masters, Pei-Mei in KILL BILL 2) stars a young Chinese nobleman who finds himself in an arranged marriage with a beautiful Japanese girl. Romance turns to chaos as the pair battle endlessly over the merits of Chinese vs. Japanese martial arts, practically destroying their house. This is the setup for Liu to take on seven masters from Japan, each a specialist in a particular style of combat. This is really a masterwork of Hong Kong cinema and a must for action fans. Dragon Dynasty releases always have lots of informative extras; this time we have feature commentary from HK expert Bey Logan, a tribute to the director, an interview with Liu, and a featurette about the different martial arts forms of China and Japan.
KINO has an especially diverse slate of current releases, living up to their award-winning position as DVD purveyors of important, neglected modern masterpieces as well as archival gems. One of the best distributors of silents on the planet, Kino recently released Charles Musser’s BEFORE THE NICKELODEON: THE EARLY CINEMA OF EDWIN S. PORTER (1982), narrated by Biograph star Blanche Sweet (an attendee at the very first NBR Awards Gala back in 1979 at New York’s Players’ Club). It’s the definitive word on probably the first American filmmaker of note, best known for his revolutionary THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (1903), a Western shot in suburban Fort Lee, New Jersey. Sixteen complete Porter films are included (and the disc includes three more), including THE MAY IRWIN KISS (1896), often cited as depicting the first screen kiss, THE SUNKEN BATTLESHIP ‘MAINE’ (1998), JACK AND THE BEANSTALK (1902) and LIFE OF AN AMERICAN FIREMAN (1902-3). THE MAGIC OF MELIES is a perfect companion piece, with sixteen short films from 1904-1908 by French master George Melies, whose A TRIP TO THE MOON (1902) has been capturing the imagination of the world for over a century. The DVD includes a 20-minute Patrick Montgomery documentary and notes by Charles Musser.
The legendary Mabel Normand (portrayed by Marisa Tomei in Richard Attenborough’s 1992 CHAPLIN) was the first in a long line of screen funny girls, with a flair for both screwball and romantic comedy; her direct descendants are Thelma Todd and Carole Lombard. Her relationship with producer Mack Sennett was the subject of a 60s Broadway musical, MACK AND MABEL; she became an enormous star at his Keystone Studios, starring with newbie Charles Chaplin, and even directing some of the films. Mabel was a one of the film colony’s first star casualties – drug addiction, involvement in the murder of her lover William Desmond Taylor, and Roaring 20s party lifestyle of parties, booze and cocaine saw her in a sanitarium by 1929, and dead from tuberculosis by 1930 at the age of 34. Her history is especially tragic when one watches THE EXTRA GIRL (1923), one of her only features, a Sennett comedy with a vibrant and on-her-game Mabel plays a girl trying to crash Hollywood. The disc includes a 1913 Sennett short, THE GUSHER. Under the direction of tyro Frank Capra in THE STRONG MAN (1926) and LONG PANTS (1927), Harry Langdon took his place with Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd in the silent comedy Pantheon. His star fell quickly after he directed himself in THREE’S A CROWD (1927) and THE CHASER (1928), projects on which he had complete auteurist control. His child-like screen person was egg-shell fragile and really demanded a director with Capra’s sensitivity, but both films, collected on one DVD by Kino, are still fascinating examinations of a career gone wrong, and an important contribution to silent film-on-DVD.
Kino’s Slapstick Symposium series continues with THE STAN LAUREL COLLECTION VOLUME 2, 21 comedy shorts from 1918-1926 starring the amazing Mr. Laurel before his epochal teaming with Mr. Hardy. Stan’s spoofs of current movie hits BLOOD AND SAND (MUD AND SAND), UNDER TWO FLAGS (UNDER TWO JAGS), and RUPERT OF HENTZLAU (RUPERT OF COLE SLAW) are especially fun.
The last years of silent film (1927-28) saw the art form taken to new heights of pictorial glory and sublime visual story-telling – Murnau’s SUNRISE (1927), Wellman’s WINGS (1927), Walsh’s THE RED DANCE 91928) and SADIE THOMPSON (1928), Howard’s WHITE GOLD (1927), Seastrom’s THE WIND (1928), Borzage’s 7TH HEAVEN (1927) and STREET ANGEL (1928), Sternberg’s UNDERWORLD (1927) and THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK (1928), Stroheim’s THE WEDDING MARCH (1928) and unfinished QUEEN KELLY (1928) … the list goes on and on. Kino releases a completely forgotten late silent that deserves a spot in this august lineup, Franz Osten’s A THROW OF THE DICE (1929), a German/UK co-production that is a revelation. Shot in India, it involves a love affair between a young king, a gambling addict, and a beautiful country girl. Another king, a degenerate gambler, also has eyes for the maiden, and schemes to destroy his rival. Osten is a new name to me; in the German film business as early as 1911, he spent most of his career directing films in India. A THROW OF THE DICE has a fairy-tale quality (it’s based on an ancient Indian saga), with beautiful locations, sumptuous cinematography, costumes and sets, and 10,000 extras. Nitin Sawhney’s new score is performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, and reminds us once again that silents were made to be shown with music. Extras include an interview with Sawhney and an illustrated essay on the film.
THE FILMS OF MORRIS ENGEL WITH RUTH ORKIN is a double DVD set comprised of three remastered features by the New York independent pioneer -- LITTLE FUGITIVE (1953), LOVERS AND LOLLIPOPS (1955) and WEDDINGS AND BABIES (1958). Engel’s best known work, LITTLE FUGITIVE set the standard for his style of American neo-realism, as a little boy, convinced that he’s killed his brother, runs away to Coney Island. Special features include commentary by Engel, and documentaries on Engel and co-director Orkin. LOVERS AND LOLLIPOPS is the story of a little girl responding to her mother’s new beau, shot on NYC locations like Chinatown, the Central Park Zoo, and the Statue of Liberty, while Viveca Lindfors stars in a moving love story set in Little Italy in WEDDINGS AND BABIES. Engel’s ultra-low-budget films are marked by documentary-like realism, naturalistic performances, and historically valuable location shooting. One of the fathers of independent American cinema, he’s a filmmaker eminently worth checking out if you’re not familiar with his work.
From 1970 through 1975, Ely Landau produced films for his American Film Theatre, an extraordinary series of features that adapted great plays to cinema with great actors. They were originally seen in movie theatres with a season’s subscription a la the stage, and THE AMERICAN CLASSIC THEATRE COLLECTION brings them together in one box set. The titles all bear mentioning – Chekhov’s THREE SISTERS (1970) with Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates and Joan Plowright; Pinter’s THE HOMECOMING (1973) with Ian Holm, Cyril Cusack and Vivien Merchant; Osborne’s LUTHER with Stacy Keach, and Judi Dench; Albee’s A DELICATE BALANCE (1973) with Katharine Hepburn, Paul Scofield, Lee Remick and Joseph Cotton; Weill and Anderson’s LOST IN THE STARS (1974) with Brock Peters and Melba Moore; Brecht’s GALILEO (1974), with Topol, directed by Joseph Losey; Gray’s BUTLEY (1974) with Alan bates and Jessica Tandy, directed by Harold Pinter; Ionesco’s RHINOCEROS (1974), starring Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder and Karen Black; Friel’s PHILADELPHIA, HERE I COME! (1975) with Donal McCann and Siobhan McKenna; Genet’s THE MAIDS (1975) with Glenda Jackson, Susannah York and Vivien Merchant; Robert Shaw’s THE MAN IN THE GLASS BOOTH (1975) with Maximilian Schell; Storey’s IN CELEBRATION (1975) with Alan Bates and Brian Cox, directed by Lindsay Anderson; Brel’s JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS (1975); and one of the neglected masterworks of the 70s, O’Neill’s THE ICEMAN COMETH (1973), nearly four hours long, directed by John Frankenheimer with simply amazing performances by Lee Marvin, Fredric March, Robert Ryan and Jeff Bridges. Each disc has extensive extras, including interviews with Landau. This is a set that should be in the theatre collection of every university library everywhere.
MPI: It always blows my mind when rare, highly sought-by-collector titles inexplicably find their way onto DVD. MPI delivers the goods with CLASSIC BRITISH THRILLERS, three excruciatingly rare UK “quota quickies,” B-movie programmers that trained some of Britain’s best (including David Lean and Michael Powell). Two of the titles, THE PHANTOM LIGHT (1935) and RED ENSIGN (1935), are indeed early Powells, made in the first few years of his directing career, before his stellar work on THE 49th PARALLEL (1942), THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP (1943), A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH aka STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN (1945), BLACK NARCISSUS (1947), THE RED SHOES (1948) and PEEPING TOM (1959). All cinemaphiles, and directing and acting students, should know the aforementioned Powell pictures, some of the finest of all time, and a huge influence on no less an artist than Martin Scorsese. The third film in MPI’s set is THE UPTURNED GLASS (1947), an early starring vehicle for James Mason before his success in ODD MAN OUT (1947), A STAR IS BORN (1954), NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959), and LOLITA (1961), to name just a few.
MVD has a tremendous documentary available, BILL MONROE: FATHER OF BLUEGRASS MUSIC (2008), chronicling the life and times of one of the most influential musicians of all time (the film makes an excellent case for Monroe as one of the fathers of rock ‘n roll, with his influence on Elvis). The doc also makes it abundantly evident that perhaps no artist had as strong an impact on a musical genre as Monroe did with bluegrass. There’s lots of interview footage with the late Monroe and a gaggle of his musical mates and descendants (including Paul McCartney, Jerry Garcia, Alison Krauss and Ricky Skaggs), and loads of performance footage. Highly recommended.
JOHN GALLAGHER
jgmovie@aol.com
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