Savant's new reviews today are

and

Greetings! A fun week here at DVD Savant. On Tuesday I attended a press screening at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, of a newly-recovered John Ford silent film previously thought to be lost, 1927's Upstream. I watched as a select group of reporters interviewed and photographed restoration execs and specialists from the Academy and 20th Fox, owners of the film. It's part of the New Zealand Project instigated when a cursory look at the back inventory of the New Zealand Film Archive revealed 75 "lost" titles, ranging from serial episodes to cartoons to movies with stars like Mabel Normand. Some had intact reels that filled out partial prints held in America and England; others are complete rediscoveries.

After a lengthy press-room get-together we were ushered into the Academy's giant Wilshire Blvd. theater to see Upstream. The film would be "premiered" for the public the next night -- our screening was a rehearsal for the three-piece musical accompaniment arranged by composer Michael Mortilla. The music was some of the best I've heard with a silent film. The trio moved smoothly from theme to theme, added plenty of sound effects and kept perfect sync well whenever musical instruments were played on screen. One rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" proved that Ford had maintained musical sync with the lyrics. Across a number of "silent" cuts, the actors were still singing in sync to the music.

Upstream is a light drama set in a boarding house for mostly out-of-work performers in New York. Knife thrower Jack La Velle loves Gertie Ryan, but she has her heart set on Eric Brashingham, a talentless narcissist who happens to be related to a famous acting family. When Eric's name gets him a big London job playing Hamlet, the broken-down performers coach him on Shakespeare. They give Brashingham a big send-off, only to find him unworthy of their faith, and Gertie's love.

This isn't the kind of John Ford film we expect but he does display a good hand with the comic moments and theatrical touches. Much is being made lately of the influence on Ford of then-Fox genius in residence F.W. Murnau, and Upstream has a few superimpositions and stage scenes that in design resemble Murnau's work. This apparently is the source of the 'expressionist' vein that Ford mined in later pictures like The Informer.

The print was in very good shape, with only some blue-toned scenes showing corruption along the frame line -- the blue dye must have broken down. It's good to see the Academy and Fox promoting such an important find in film culture -- who knew that another John Ford film would surface? I thought I'd seen almost all that would ever be available.

On another front -- Hen's Tooth Video has announced that they'll be releasing a widescreen DVD of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's naval war epic The Battle of the River Plate, aka The Pursuit of the Graf Spee on November 11.

Originally filmed in VistaVision and printed in Technicolor, the movie uses real ships in its recreation of the battle in the South Atlantic, and works great suspense out of the game of diplomatic and espionage bluff in the neutral harbor of Montevideo, where the pocket battleship Graf Spee retreated for repairs. The stars are John Gregson, Anthony Quayle and Peter Finch. I hope it's the full-length version.

For fans of The Twilight Zone, correspondent Gary Teetzel sends me this link to a two-part interview with Rod Serling. It's apparently rather rare, and Serling discusses his show even more candidly than usual. Thanks for reading! -- Glenn Erickson