It's a blistering weekend in LA, but this time the A/C is working, so things are a little more liveable at high noon. Some interesting oldies today, and among them a 50-year-old pirate picture similar to but much better than a certain new release ...
Warners' The Crimson Pirate is Burt Lancaster's gift to kid's adventure, a nonsensical pirate saga dedicated to fun. You'll feel like leaping off rooftops and swinging on ropes after this one. With Torin Thatcher, Eva Bartok and Burt's old circus partner, the hilarious Nick Cravat.
Columbia TriStar's Loving examines one disillusioned artist in the process of throwing away his marriage and career, on account of - not much at all. With a nice observational style, director Irvin Kershner wowed the critics with shows like this before his Star Wars days.
Warners' Scaramouche has some near-perfect fencing swordfights, gorgeous leading ladies, and an old Rafael Sabatini story line so good, it can't be messed up. Stewart Granger swashes, and Eleanor Parker and Janet Leigh do some very attractive heavy breathing. With Mel Ferrer.
HVe's Vengo is a bizarre Iberian hybrid that attempts to fuse raw Flamenco performances with a naturalistic gypsy-gangster story. The story is slow and unrewarding, but the music will make Flamenco fans flip. With a half-hour short subject featuring more of the same foot-tapping and wailing vocals.
Not much to say for myself today ... back into editing again, which is a good feeling. The late-summer discs are starting to come in, and there are so many good older library titles, I'm hardly aware of 'new' product. Back in a couple days, Glenn Erickson
Posted by DVD Savant at July 19, 2003 08:41 AM