Rounding out the week are four more titles to try and get in a couple of this week's anticipated hits. They're an unusually old bunch even by Savant's standards, but when they start making new films as good as these, I'll review them.
Warners' To Have and Have Not gives us star appeal at its best, a romantic couple famous for pairing up offscreen during the making of the movie. Howard Hawks' adventure provides the background for the legendary get-together of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and it's a good movie, too. "Maybe it happens this way ..."
Fox's Studio Classics presentation of The Ox-Bow Incident proves that the studio doesn't play around with the cream of its library; this title never made the studio a dime but has quality in spades. Henry Fonda's star persona is buried in a lynching story that uses a Western framework for a socially-conscious drama. It's tough, unpleasant and not what one expects from Hollywood in WW2.
Image and Blackhawk's The General and Steamboat Bill Jr. is a delightful double bill and a must-see for everybody. This time around, the improved Buster Keaton comedies have knockout eccentric musical accompaniment from The Alloy Orchestra.
Choosing Critics' Choice's Stage Door Canteen was a choice that I have to say was a mistake; its a great film for star recognition and 40s big bands, but the version here is strictly 3rd rate.
Thanks for all the corrections lately ... That's Vermithrax Pejorative, not Verminthrax; what was I thinking? I'm digging into some TV series and a fancy foreign crime picture from Criterion. Have you heard that Criterion will be bringing out Sam Fuller's Pickup on South Street? Nothing could be finer from where Savant stands, especially if it augurs a Criterion arrangement to release Fox titles. Think of it ... Wild River ... Bigger than Life ... Night and the City ... and a zillion others. The trouble with inside company business being none of my business, is that it's none of my business. Otherwise I'd be asking Criterion people if Eyes Without a Face is on the horizon. We'll find out together, and maybe that's more fun ... most of the scoops I get don't work out anyway. Thanks for reading, Glenn Erickson
Posted by DVD Savant at November 03, 2003 02:01 PM