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October 30, 2012
Savant's new reviews today are: Blu-ray 
Bertrand Tavernier fashions a humanistic science fiction fable about the coming age of TV tyranny, as a terminally ill author (Romy Schneider) flees a parasitic TV network determined to turn her dying days into Reality TV -- years before the concept came to pass. Harvey Keitel's cameraman has traded his human eyes for a miniaturized TV camera, making himself into a remote broadcast unit to surreptitiously record privacy-invading "human interest" stories. Beautifully filmed, with a controversial original European ending; the co-stars are Harry Dean Stanton and Max von Sydow. One of the most prophetic Sci-fi pictures ever. In Blu-ray from Shout! Factory.
10/30/12
Director Michael Reeves' exploitation quickie with Boris Karloff turns out to be a superior horror tale of mind control mayhem. A researching hypnotherapist can remotely 'experience' the feelings and sensations of his subject, which allows him and his aged wife (Catherine Lacey) to vicariously enjoy the thrills of youth. But the wife goes insane, and wills their helpless victim to take risks and commit bloody crimes to satisfy her need for perverse excitement. The delinquent old exploit the young! A brilliant idea well told. Also starring Ian Ogilvy. From the Warner Archive Collection.
10/30/12
and Blu-ray 
Lon Chaney's pulp masterpiece is from way back in 1920 but looks better (and smarter) than many restored films from later decades. Chaney is Blizzard, a double amputee who runs a crime syndicate and hates the world. Besides vowing revenge on the doctors that cut off his legs, he plots to engulf San Francisco in an anarchistic wave of terror. With drug addicts, a female federal agent and a sculptress who uses Blizzard as the model for a bust of Satan. Exciting penny-dreadful thrills, and Chaney's physical illusion is shockingly flawless. In Blu-ray from Kino Classics.
10/30/12
Hello! Lots of fun mail this week, including some great politically oriented tomfoolery that I'll not pass on to you -- we can find all the propaganda we need to bolster our particular biases, without my shoving my bias at you too. That's what obnoxious reviews are for. Joe Dante has circulated a link to a Blouin Artfino article about the wild animated films of Sally Cruikshank -- I remember being absolutely blown away by her demented masterpiece Quasi at the Quackadero back at Filmex, some year in the foggy past. Craig Reardon forwards a YouTube piece that purports to be the last TV appearance of François Truffaut, with Bernard Pivot and Roman Polanski. Craig also found something I'd never seen, a good copy of the original trailer to On Dangerous Ground, which happens to billboard Bernard Herrmann's great music. And finally, by all means don't miss the two glorious minutes of Petra Haden's Psycho A Capella. And finally finally -- could this just-off-the-press Lucasfilm-Disney News be for real? The Bind Moggles, as they say. Star Wars Episode Seven, here we come. Back Saturday with more -- thanks for reading! Glenn Erickson
October 27, 2012
Savant's new reviews today are: Blu-ray 
The most unique Bond film is also one of the most enjoyable, a fast-moving action-oriented grand adventure thriller anchored in story and character as opposed to gadgets and glitz. One-shot 007 George Lazenby does athletic feats that "the other fella" couldn't, like skiing down a mountain at midnight. And the franchise makes room for a romantic heroine (Diana Rigg) who does more than bounce into a bedroom. Incomparable location shooting in Portugal and Switzerland makes the show seem like a luxury vacation, and John Barry's music score hits both action and romantic notes. Finally available individually as a Best Buy exclusive. In Blu-ray from MGM/Fox.
10/27/12
Blu-ray 
Stanley Kubrick's self-produced first film effort is a mix of art, pretentious ideas and ambition on a no-budget budget -- whether or not it works, it's the work of a budding genius trying to break into a new medium. With interesting performances from Virginia Leith and Frank Silvera and an odd one from future director Paul Mazursky; the disc presentation also contains a short film by Kubrick, in color. In Blu-ray from Kino Classics.
10/27/12
and Blu-ray 
An exciting big-scale French action film we never heard of, with a powerhouse cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Lino Ventura, Gert Frobe, Bernard Blain. In a heist variation on The Wages of Fear two trucks battle their way across the North African desert, as one old pal tries to outrun another. A gritty, realistic and somewhat cynical buddy crime picture with an attitude that reminds us quite a bit of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. In Blu-ray from Olive Films.
10/27/12
Hello! Just some quick announcements today ... Twilight Time has sent out its Blu-ray schedule for January and February, and they've got some real winners: On January 15 come BDs of Our Man Flint and Experiment in Terror, and on February 12th they'll be releasing Pony Soldier, In Like Flint and Nicholas and Alexandra. And don't forget that TT still has BDs of The Rains of Ranchipur, Bonjour Tristesse, Beloved Infidel, The Blue Lagoon and the infamous '73 musical version of Lost Horizon, all due out before Christmas. I don't have specific dates, but am assured that the following five titles are going to be released on Blu-ray from Fox Classics in January: John Ford's How Green Was My Valley,, Elia Kazan's Gentleman's Agreement, Titanic (1953) and, as Gary Teetzel says, "just for me," Elia Kazan's Wild River (pictured). They also say that Otto Preminger's Laura is due a bit later in the year. And if you missed it, don't forget to look back (that's, scroll down just below) to the last DVD Savant column, where I announce the March 2013 release date for VCI's new Blu-ray of Gorgo! Thanks for reading, Glenn Erickson
October 23, 2012
Breaking news: an authentic DVD Savant 'scoop'. Robert Blair of VCI announced earlier in this year that his company had located original printing elements for the 1961 King Brothers giant monster movie Gorgo. VCI's previous DVD was the best transfer available but had a lot of room for improvement, as Gorgo in its original Technicolor prints is one of the most impressive monster shows ever filmed, with cinematography by Freddie Young of Lawrence of Arabia. The hopeful plan was that a deluxe Blu-ray disc release would be making its debut right about now. I asked Robert last night how things were coming along and received this welcome response: "Hi Glenn, Gorgo has been rescheduled to March 5, 2013 for Blu-ray and DVD. We haven't said anything officially yet, however I don't mind if you want to have the honors. We found some additional film elements just recently that will make a much better HD master. The behind the scenes documentary that is being produced by Daniel Griffith has also been expanding as more and more fans continue to contribute items. We also located several original trailers and TV spots that will be included, plus a few surprises. So the release really should be the definitive version. We still have Bird with the Crystal Plumage on tap for 2013, and we are still working on Blood and Black Lace, and have several classics on the way. Best regards, Bob Blair VCI Entertainment" Mr. Blair's response is encouraging, to say the least... from my point of view March is just around the corner. Last May, friend Lee Kaplan told me that he had a brief 8mm movie clip taken behind the scenes of the production. I forwarded his contact info to VCI, so I hope that it and whatever else Mr. Blair has collected shows up as planned in the special extras. The idea of seeing and hearing Gorgo on a high-quality Blu-ray is the stuff of kid dreams. The last time for me was in 1976 at the Filmex film exposition. I was able to carefully roll through the last 35mm reel on a bench, marveling at the Technicolor images and noting editor Eric Boyd-Perkins' staccato cutting patterns: 2-frame white flashes, strings of six-frame cuts. Can't wait! We now return you to the normal pace of living.... Thanks for reading, Glenn Erickson Tuesday October 23, 2012
Savant's new reviews today are: 
The motormouth powerhouse actor Lee Tracy shines in this saga of a New York columnist who dishes dirt on everyone in sight, including gangsters and helpless discarded women. A key Pre-Code comedy but also a primer on the limits of go-getter ambition in the depths of the Depression. With great input from Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly, Ned Sparks and Isabel Jewell, the most pitiful of the Pre-Code fallen women. From The Warner Archive Collection.
10/23/12
Platinum Collection Volume Two Blu-ray 
Warners second compilation of cartoon craziness boasts a tall stack of beautifully restored Looney Tunes short subjects, including many with secondary character 'stars' and interesting one-shot cartoons such as Russian Rhapsody with its "Gremlins from the Kremlin". Followed by acres of docus, featurettes, commentaries. It's all good, even if some galleries of 'bonus' cartoons turn out to be in unrestored standard def. A three-disc collection, in Blu-ray from Warner Home Video.
10/23/12
and Blu-ray 
Alfred Hitchcock's visual masterpiece about a 'criss-cross' exchange of murders is as precise and powerful as ever. Only now does its moral foundation seem shaky -- the story gets us to root for an ambitious heel who is innocent of murder but willed it so in his heart, and plenty of innocents fall as he clears his name. Guess what? He wants to be a politician! Starring Farley Granger and, in his greatest role, Robert Walker; also with Ruth Roman and Casey Rogers. With a second, slightly different alternate version, a Preview Cut. In Blu-ray from Warner Home Video.
10/23/12
Hello! What happened to my 'equal opportunity' review scheduling? It has accidentally become a full Warners day here at DVD Savant. This week DVD Savant passed the 4,000 review mark, give or take five or ten postings. It's been thirteen years and I don't feel like stopping, even though I've had to curtail some site activities. We also never know when something might happen to make putting out the column and reviews too difficult or impractical -- all it would take is for the time available to dry up. Still, I've managed to sally forth even when holding down a full-time job, so the prospects look good. I crept over to my local Best Buy store today, and lo and behold, the promised James Bond individual exclusive BD titles were there; I had no trouble snapping up Blu-rays of On Her Majesty's Secret Service and You Only Live Twice. OHMSS is my favorite non-Connery Bond and I hope to review it soon. I also hope it looks good, because I've heard some discouraging rumblings about the transfer quality. YOLT I've already reviewed, but another look wouldn't hurt (and would be fun). I think my reviews of the latest Warner Archives Halloween offerings are going to be late, but they're on the way: The Face of Fu Manchu, Confessions of an Opium Eater and Michael Reeves' The Sorcerers. Combine them with a Region 2 disc of Castle of the Living Dead, I'll soon have Reeves' entire filmography, which amounts to all of four or five pictures. I wonder when exactly the fandom began that made Michael Reeves the James Dean of horror movie directors, as he's certainly well known now. Thanks for reading! Glenn Erickson
October 20, 2012
Savant's new reviews today are: Gainsborough Pictures 
Eclipse Series 36 brings us three hot-blooded melodramas from the 40s that, among other delights, introduced James Mason as the man all Englishwomen wanted to be ravished by. Crazy plotting, illicit romances, secret identities and plenty of heavy breathing abound in The Man in Grey, Madonna of the Seven Moons and The Wicked Lady. And hey -- believe it or not, these popular wartime thrillers are the (stylistic) forerunners of classic Hammer horror films!. From Eclipse.
10/20/12
Blu-ray 
Max Ophuls' American masterpiece sees love-struck Viennese teenager Joan Fontaine literally throw her life away by throwing herself at a handsome musician (Louis Jourdan) who doesn't even remember who she is. The essence of bittersweet romantic tragedy his here, along with a lot of food for thought about the nature of love, devotion, responsibility. Made in Hollywood but as European a film as one can imagine. A stroke of luck for fans of refined romance, in Blu-ray from Olive Films.
10/20/12
The life and times of playwright Sean O'Casey, prepped by John Ford and directed mostly by Jack Cardiff in Ireland. A powerhouse cast does great work -- Rod Taylor, Maggie Smith, Julie Christie -- but it looks like some of the personal connections got lost in the editing room. Just the same, a bracing and lively tale of a fascinating subject. With Michael Redgrave, Edith Evans and Flora Robson. From The Warner Archive Collection.
10/20/12
and Blu-ray 
Paul Bartel has great fun with a twisted farce that nails the swinging '70s, a mire of excess that only could happen in Los Angeles. Paul and Mary Woronov are the Blands, who alleviate their financial woes by killing and robbing oversexed respondents to their sex-oriented classified ads. Then Raoul (Robert Beltran) comes along with a macabre business proposition -- and puts the make on Mary as well. In Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
/12
A nice, overcast day in Los Angeles with a few sprinkles here and there (I know you need to know that). Just a couple of notes today, after the realization that I forgot once again to submit a newsletter this week. I don't do it in search of emails from readers, honest. It's shaping up as a major silent movie week around here. Dennis Doros of Milestone Film is sending a new BD of Rags & Riches: The Mary Pickford Collection, which contains restored renderings of Sparrows, Poor Little Rich Girl and The Hoodlum, and Cut to the Chase: The Charley Chase Collection, a compendium of five hours of Chase's comedy shorts. I'm told to keep a lookout for Fay Wray in one particular show. Meanwhile, Kino Classics has already come through with two Fritz Lang silent offerings. The DVD Fritz Lang: The Early Works debuts some real rarities: 1919's Harakiri, 1920's Das Wandernde Bild and 1921's Four Around a Woman. Kino's Blu-ray special is the USA disc premiere of the new restoration of Lang's epic masterpiece Die Niebelungen, Deluxe Remastered Version. I've heard talk about the heightened quality of this restoration for over a year now -- I can see I have some serious film viewing ahead. 
Thanks for reading! Glenn Erickson
October 16, 2012
Savant's new reviews today are: and A Foreign Affair 
Billy Wilder goes to war! Franchot Tone and Anne Baxter must outwit Erich von Stroheim's German Field Marshall Rommel in this clever, suspenseful spy tale. Then, in postwar Berlin, congresswoman Jean Arthur searches out the corrupt U.S. Army officer who is 'protecting' the notorious nightclub singer Marlene Dietrich, not realizing that it is her new boyfriend, John Lund. An excellent double bill of unheralded Billy WIlder classics. From the TCM Vault Collection / Universal.
10/16/12
Blu-ray 
Seven British citizens travel to Mumbai to seek a retirement haven or as medical tourists... and find that India is a new life, not a hideway. The cast of this relaxing diversion is a pleasure to watch: Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Maggie Smith, Dev Patel, Tena Desae, Ronald Pickup, Celia Imrie. Directed with good humor (and good taste) by John Madden. In Blu-ray from Fox Home Video.
10/16/12
and Blu-ray 
Robert Aldrich hit a home run and inaugurated the Hag Horror subgenre with this Grand Guignol horrorshow. Joan Crawford is the gracious, unsuspecting golden-era star now confined to a wheelchair; arch-enemy Bette Davis is her monster of a sister, an ex- child star brat who plots murder to engineer a career comeback. Also participating in the ordeal of torture and black humor is Victor Buono. In Blu-ray from Warner Home Video.
10/16/12
Hello! Halfway quiet here, except that the Los Angeles heat wave has continued after a short break. Some fun stuff to report. Correspondent Jaci Spuhler sends along a YouTube link to a Long-Lost Dutch TV Documentary on The Making of The Empire Strikes Back. Irvin Kirshner, Gary Kurtz, the main stars participate, with a lot of behind-the-scenes special effects, including Phil Tippet animating a Taun-Taun. Part two is here. What's in the review hopper here at DVD Savant? A lot of good movies. On standard def we have Eclipse's Wicked Gainsborough Melodramas, the Warner Archive Collection's Zigzag, Young Cassidy and Blessed Event; and Image Entertainment's Even the Rain (También la lluvia). The Blu-ray list is long as well: Warners' Strangers on a Train and Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Vol 2; Olive's Three Secrets, Uptight, Greed in the Sun, Letter from an Unknown Woman and The Sterile Cuckoo; Criterion's Eating Raoul, Rosemary's Baby and Sunday Bloody Sunday; Twilight Time's Night of the Living Dead and Kino Lorber's The Penalty and Fear and Desire. Thanks for reading! Glenn Erickson
October 12, 2012
Savant's new reviews today are: The Essential Collection Blu-ray 
Savant happily digs into every monster fan's gotta-have goodie of the Fall -- a meticulously restored HD collection of the top Universal monster titles: Dracula, Drácula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Phantom of the Opera and Creature from the Black Lagoon, smothered in juicy extras and saucy commentaries. Not only is the Gill Man finally transferred at his appropriate widescreen AR, a second encoding presents him in 3D, bubbles and all. A really special Blu-ray boxed set from Universal Home Video.
10/13/12
Serious baseball fans will love this realistic, low-key story of rookies trying out for the New York Giants at a Winter Instructional Camp, circa 1953. Edward G. Robinson is the manager-coach who must weed out the also-rans from the potential big time ball players. The fresh cast consists of Vera-Ellen, Jeff Richards, Richard Jaeckel, William Campbell and a number of big star players. Great nostalgia from a time when the game was not yet dominated by money. The first film directed by Robert Aldrich, from The Warner Archive Collection.
10/13/12
Blu-ray 
Wolfgang Petersen's space opera forces opposing fighter pilots, one human and one Draconian, to cooperate to survive after crashing on a hostile planet. Dennis Quaid and Lou Gossett Jr. slug it out before becoming intergalactic soul brothers; Interesting effects, good makeup in a nice two-actor show that makes a plea for interspecies (read: international) harmony. Also blessed with a great Maurice Jarre score, presented as an extra in a special isolated track. In Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
10/13/12
and Blu-ray 
Sydney Pollack's first feature effort is a fine, suspenseful drama. Sidney Poitier is the psych student working at a suicide hotline desk who takes a farewell telephone call from Anne Bancroft, a depressed woman who has just taken an overdose of pills. As the victim's time runs out, the social services (remember when we had them) of the City of Seattle work to locate her and save her life. With Telly Savalas, Steven Hill and Edward Asner; looks really good in widescreen Blu-ray from Olive Films.
10/13/12
Hello! Well, it feels good to get the Universal Monsters review up ... I watched a full six of the movies and sampled most of the other two and was very pleased with the quality. Let's hope (more accurately, I hope) that the Hitchcock box comes through as well. Vertigo and Rear Window in HD will be spectacular, I'm - a hoping. Note also that the Savant nose is firmly pressed against the grindstone: I want to cover as many of the good discs coming out these days as I can, including the less flashy releases. Want to dig into some really nourishing deep-dish coverage of the 3D release of Dial M for Murder? Bob Furmanek and Greg Kintz have a sensational, fact-filled article on Dial M up over at their 3D Film Archive. David Strohmaier's big Cinerama Festival a couple weeks back just won't go away. Correspondent Duane Rutledge wrote to say that he thought my coverage seemed too critical, and his note was so informative that I asked him if I could print it here. So as they say, here's some more great correspondent-generated content: 
"It was a shame that the report you printed in your column about the Cinerama 60th Anniversary Film Festival centered on one night of the festival, which included presentations with a very temperamental print of Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm and a very pink print of Search for Paradise. ( I would classify Paradise as either Cinerama "phoned in" or "big for nothing". It was the worst example of the process. Also, a disclaimer was made in the program notes indicating this restoration was a work in progress and the audience would be watching a faded pink release print.) I went to the whole festival and the ArcLight Cinemas should be given credit for putting together a marvelous venue for these films. The digital restorations for Search for Paradise, Cinerama Holiday and the first half of Seven Wonders of the World (the second half utilized a three-panel print) were amazing. Cinerama's Russian Adventure was also a digital print but not a restoration. Even so, the film was a showcase for what the Cinerama process could do in that the camera was extremely mobile (placed on horses, sleds and reindeer). The film also included "impossible" Cinerama close-ups and had some truly amazing sequences. The three-panel showings of Brothers Grimm which I attended later in the week had only one breakdown during the title sequence. Again, as was announced prior to the movie, this was the only three-panel print of this title in existence and it had seen more than its share of wear and tear. Even so, the fact that the print was a Technicolor imbibition print more than made up for the one problem they had with the presentation. The restored three-panel presentations of This is Cinerama and How the West Was Won went without a hitch and were amazing to watch on the Dome's huge screen. The Dome's projectionists should be credited for aligning the pictures so that the Cinerama lines were barely noticeable. Of the thirteen films that were presented, only two in my opinion were disappointments. Those were Windjammer and Search for Paradise. Windjammer was a digital presentation but from a 35mm composite print which didn't look very good. Not only that, the film moved slowly and the subject matter was not that interesting. Even The Golden Head, which I was expecting not to be impressed with was a lot of fun, especially when the final chase scene was shown on the Cinerama screen. The only suggestion I have would be to have "scratch and sniff" cards to go along with the odors on the screen during the showing of the only film made in "Smell-O-Vision", Scent of Mystery aka Holiday in Spain. I don't think John Waters would mind. As you can tell, I had a great experience during the 60th anniversary of Cinerama at the Cinerama Dome. It's unfortunate that your reviewers attended on the day with the most technical problems and had to sit through one of the dullest and least exciting films made in the process. -- Duane Rutledge" Thank you Duane! --- Glenn Erickson
October 09, 2012
Savant's new reviews today are: Blu-ray 3D 
Alfred Hitchcock takes a non-gimmick approach to 3D in his precise and exacting adaptation of what may be the best murder mystery stage play ever. Ray Milland plots to kill his wife Grace Kelly, and when that doesn't work connives to frame her panicked self-defense as cold-blooded murder. With Robert Cummings, John Williams and Anthony Dawson. Hitchcock applies his full cinematic imagination to 3D, and the results are superb. In Blu-ray 3D + 2D from Warner Home Video.
10/09/12
Blu-ray 
An impressive digital restoration makes the most of The Beatles' improvised mobile 'happening' movie made for Brit TV in 1967. The songs from the album are here, along with an hour of surreal skits as the mystery bus scoots through the English countryside. Yes, Paul McCartney does wear a walrus costume. His new commentary accompanies a number of featurettes and outtake scenes, including a musical number by Traffic. In Blu-ray from Apple.
10/09/12
Blu-ray 
The Director's Cut: Frank Oz captures all the color and pizazz of the stage musical from the Roger Corman movie, about a Mean Green Mother from Outer Space. Starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia and various star cameos. Both the Theatrical version and the extended 'original' Director's Cut are present, with the fantastic 20-minute monster-romp deleted ending fully restored. In Blu-ray from Warner Home Video.
10/09/12
and Blu-ray 
An interesting bit of California suburban crime action based on a novel by John D. MacDonald. Jeffrey Hunter and David Janssen are ex-Marines caught up in a scheme to steal millions from a South American dictator. But Jeff has worse problems at home, where his castrating, alcoholic sex-pot of a spouse Stella Stevens poses a real threat to his mental health. With a disturbing pre- Joe Sarno emphasis on sexual hanky panky in the soulless new housing developments. Looks great in Panavision B&W, in Blu-ray from Olive Films.
10/09/12
Hello! We have some news.... ! Kino has officially confirmed a Blu-ray of the Bela Lugosi classic White Zombie for January 29. Roan had a rather good DVD of this out quite a while ago, but is it too optimistic to hope that Kino has found an even better source? Some of Kino's classic Blu-ray releases in the past year have been exceptionally good. Lo and behold, Universal has sent me a screener of their much-coveted Universal Classic Monsters the Essential Collection box, so I will be reviewing it after all. I'm starting to dig into extras tonight. The review will mostly center on the terrific new restored transfers. I know the pictures well and hope to be able to pinpoint improvements. My review won't exactly be early, although I doubt that enthusiasm for the set has even begun to die down. Karloff (pictured) still looks excited, 3,700 years later. I have one more link to go with the Cinerama Festival: it premiered a special new short subject, the first Cinerama film to be shot (on original equipment, yet) in fifty years. My 'reporters' didn't get a chance to cover it. I wrote about it a couple times during production last year. Anyway, the best coverage I've found so far is an article at Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy, The First New Cinerama Film In 50 Years. And now, after being frustrated on October 2, I've been advised that the individual Blu-rays of the Bond films You Only Live Twice and On Her Majesty's Secret Service will be released at Best Buy on October 23! I guess this will be another shopping trip for yours truly. Thanks for reading! Glenn Erickson
October 05, 2012
Savant's new reviews today are: Blu-ray 
Nazis from the Moon? This Finnish import has style, smarts and more political nerve than any Sci-fi satire yet. Seventy years after the fall of Berlin, a Fourth Reich is preparing to 'liberate' the Earth; a Nazi Kindergarten teacher, an aspiring Führer and a brainwashed black astronaut arrive to prepare the way. With some very touchy (but hilarious) anti-Sarah Palin comedy: she's pictured as the President in 2018. Terrific design, action, and spectacle; fantastic fun that should have been given a theatrical release. In Blu-ray from Entertainment One.
10/06/12
Blu-ray 
Franc Roddam's naturalistic take on The Who's rock opera is the story from the time of mods and rockers. Frustrated mod Phil Daniels has the clothes and the scooter and the f___-all attitude, but doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. With a great track of contemporary hits (The Who's tracks are used as underscore) and good acting input from Leslie Ash, Philip Davis and Sting. In Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
10/06/12
and Blu-ray 
A deluxe 25th Anniversary Edition: Rob Reiner and William Goldman's witty costume adventure is well on its way to timeless classic status. Cary Elwes is a pirate with a secret, Mandy Patinkin a vengeance-seeking Spaniard, Chris Sarandon the haughty Prince, Andre the Giant a lovable henchman and Wallace Shawn a conniving Sicilian. Robin Wright is the title heroine, the center of a delightfully amusing tale of treachery, loyalty, dashing swordsmen and true love. And it works like a charm. With Peter Falk, Carol Kane, Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest. In Blu-ray from MGM Home Video.
10/06/12
Hello! I ran to my local Best Buy Tuesday morning to get in early on the James Bond exclusive singles releases reported at Blu-ray.com last week. On Her Majesty's Secret Service and You Only Live Twice are two titles that I'd gladly go out of my way to get. Not only did Best Buy not have them, but the clerk couldn't find any mention of them on their website, for sale in stores or online. Now I'm told that Blu-ray.com is REVIEWING the exclusive singles releases. This is a bad case of home video consumeritis I'm coming down with here. What gives? Didn't get a big enough Cinerama fix last time? Dick Dinman has a new DVD Classics Corner On The Air radio show up for your delectation, Dick Dinman Salutes the Cinemiracle of Cinerama. Interviewed is editor, documentarian and producer Dave Strohmaier, the man behind the new Flicker Alley Cinerama releases and the recent Cinerama Festival at the Cinerama Dome. Check out the Classics Corner Archives; recent shows cover Universal's 100th Anniversary, Marilyn Monroe and TCM's new Frank Capra Collection. Busy consultant Bob Furmanek has an interesting page up over at the 3D Film Archive -- an overview of 3D Comix that includes a huge quantity of anaglyphic examples for viewing. I know I have a pair of the things around here somewhere. Gary Teetzel forwards yet another interesting web item -- this one, a defense -funded Boston Dynamics robot walker that might be a footsoldier of the future! Here's the link, if you dare -- LS3 - Legged Squad Support System! It's a Drone Drone Drone Drone World. Happy rumor? The early word on Alfonson Cuaron's new movie Gravity is that, quote, it's "breathtaking, one of the most amazing sci-fi films in many, many years." Well, I'm up for that. And correspondent Dennis Fischer sent me a link to a Vimeo short subject by Kevin Margo called Grounded. I think it has terrific digital effects, although I'm not sure I follow the story. Very slick work! Thanks for reading! Glenn Erickson
October 02, 2012
Tuesday October 2, 2012
Savant's new reviews today are: Blu-ray 
A marvelous new animated film from France, beautifully designed and cleverly worked out to be funny and intriguing. A Parisian housecat has a secret second life aiding a cat burglar on the roofs of Paris; but the thief eventually comes to the aid of the cat's owner, a small girl kidnapped by gangsters. This is flat, old-fashioned animation art of a very high quality. Soundtracks in both English and French. A Special Edition Blu-ray + DVD release from New Video/GKIDS.
10/02/12
Blu-ray 
Disney's most basic fairy tale animated feature is still a hoot, thanks to the decision to split the story between Cindy, her cruel stepmother and her wish to attend the Prince's Ball -- and the antics of her only friends, a group of charming mice. With timeless songs, excellent character animation and frequent doses of the old Disney magic. A Diamond Edition presentation featuring an added animated short subject, Tangled Ever After, and with an extra DVD pressing included as well. In Blu-ray from Disney.
10/02/12
and Blu-ray 
Come with us back to the leery days of old Republic series westerns, starring The Three Mesquiteers -- John Wayne, Ray Corrigan and Max Terhune. This solid hour of riding, roping and shooting (with a few hairy horseriding stunts thrown in) sees Stoney Brooke coming to the aid of a fledgling air service. That's right, in this version of the west, the date is 1939 but people still dress and ride horses as if it's 1888. The big surprise in this particular show is its heroine, who turns out to be none other than Louise Brooks, in her last film. Being released in conjunction with three other Three Mesquiteers adventures, Red River Range, The Night Riders and Three Texas Steers. The image quality is outstanding. In Blu-ray from Olive Films.
10/02/12
Hello! As promised, I have a report on last Saturday's Arclight-Cinerama Dome Screenings. Several friends attended and I prevailed upon Gary Teetzel and Craig Reardon for the full scoop. Gary sent me the text from a long post on his Facebook page; I've reduced it a bit. Both of them saw, in true 3-panel Cinerama, the screenings for George Pal's The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962) and the standard Cinerama travelogue Search for Paradise (1957). Gary begins: "Actor Russ Tamblyn was there and introduced The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm by cheerfully telling the audience that Cinerama was the worst possible process for an actor to work with. You couldn't do a close-up; you had to check three cameras for problems after each take, not just one; and because of the wide field of vision and slightly curved screen, you had to cheat eyelines. (Darren Gross and I noticed a couple of odd eyelines after Tamblyn pointed that out.) Tamblyn, incidentally, had a couple of friends with him in the audience, George Chakiris and Rita Moreno. (Darren and I were disappointed--if he was going to bring along old co-stars, why not Sanda and Gaira?) After that they ran the Overture, but when the movie proper started they had to stop twice to adjust the projectors. During the longer break, Tamblyn stood up from his seat and told more stories to entertain the audience!" Craig: "The print was contributed by a British Cinerama fan and enthusiast. Due to the three-projector burden, Cinerama exhibition prints (all three panels) were divided in two, with the necessity of an Intermission break to swap them all out. Russ Tamblyn proudly pointed out that he was the only actor who was in both Brothers Grimm AND How the West Was Won. The beginning of the picture got off to a slightly rocky start in that the three panels were slightly misaligned and the projectionists had to visibly play around until they were O.K. It quickly became apparent that the third panel (R of center) was in different condition than the Left and Center prints. Those looked superb, despite being 50 years old. The R one was faded and had some sort of damage running most of the way through it. What I noticed is how clear the panels are, how sharp, and how marvelous this seems considering that each panel was photographed through a lens no bigger than a contact lens, as a man says in the fine David Strohmaier documentary Cinerama Adventure. An actual Cinerama camera, in toto, was on display in the lobby, and very popular with those attending." 
Gary: "The print generally looked good during the first half, except that the right panel was slightly faded and more heavily damaged than the left or center panels. After the Intermission, Darren and I were listening to the Entr'acte music when we noticed the right panel snagging in the projector and melting. (Lucky they were just on leader and not actual picture.) They stopped and tried to get going, but then there was no right panel, so they stopped again. When they started again, the right panel was out of sync with the others by 3 seconds or so, which led at one point to two Lawrence Harveys on the screen. They stopped again and didn't resume again for about a half hour, but after that the rest of the second half was problem-free. The color in the right panel for the second half was fine, and the only thing that was odd was the appearance of German subtitles during the brief songs." Craig: "The second half of the movie got off to a worse start than the first half, and there were two false starts after that. We'd been told there were six attentive projectionists up in the projection booth to insure no problems would crop up. Well, I'm sure they tried -- this is reportedly the only semi-intact 3-panel print of TWWOTBG left in the world. Once things were stabilized and the screening continued, it was apparent that the problems with the R panel disappeared, and the entire second half was well balanced for color. The famous encounter with the dragon in the cave benefited once again from the original Cinerama sense of surround and envelopment, as well as from the well-preserved color. Jim Danforth's animation and the optical effects all looked quite good even by today's picky standards. The compositing of the dragon in the environment of the full-scale set where Terry-Thomas and mostly Buddy Hackett emote, is so good you don't even think about it. A 7-channel stereophonic surround track had been provided by another collector and it lent enormous value to the experience, showcasing the richness and beauty of Leigh Harline's underscore and Bob Merrill's simple but effective tunes." Gary: "The second film was Search for Paradise, which so severely faded to magenta that we joked it should have been called "Search for Color". The 7-channel sound was spectacular, though. (One problem, Dimitri Tiomkin's Entr'acte music was played at a deafening level that had Darren and I covering our ears.) This is the film where they had a fatal accident while filming a river rafting sequence." Craig: "Search for Paradise is a slender story idea oddly combined with an actual 1957 diplomatic mission to attend the coronation of a young king in Nepal, and to record the elaborate ceremonies and celebrations connected with it. Lowell Thomas thought it was a great opportunity to expose (literally, on film) the world to some of the awesome sights of the Himalayas and its surrounding communities. The movie begins with Thomas himself making reference to this part of the world and the fact that it as vaguely the location for James Hilton's mythical Shangri-La, a destination many yearn for in their hearts. This attempts to create a theme for the otherwise random scenes we're about to experience threaded together as the consortium of Americans make their way toward the eventual coronation event. I didn't make notes, but I do remember beautiful views of Shalimar Gardens, built by a king for his queen much as the Taj Majal had been constructed for a dead but beloved consort. There is a great sequence showing subjective views of shooting the rapids on the huge Indus River, which it turns out cost the life of one of their party, though this is never referred to in the movie."  Gary: "The movie has a really bizarre ending. After spending two hours showing off the splendor and mysteries of the Far East, it concludes with a return to America. Just when you think they're going to contrast Asia with the beauty of America, or perhaps have Lowell Thomas give a stirring speech about American freedom, the film instead focuses on Air Force fighters and bombers, giving the inadvertent message that, yes, Asia is neat, but our military dominates the whole world. After the movie they ran the film's "breakdown reel", a special reel prepared for showing in the event of technical difficulties to give the projectionists time to solve the problem. The breakdown reel for Search for Paradise featured Lowell Thomas interviewing the film's composer, Dimitri Tiomkin. Tiomkin's widow was present for the screening. (She was only introduced as "a member of the Tiomkin family"; Craig Reardon tipped me off during the intermission that she was his widow.)" Craig: "Dimitri Tiomkin's score is lovely, odd, and ubiquitous through the film. It contains some cute songs with doggerel lyrics but the beautiful title tune is reprised several times as was his fashion. The movie ends glorifying our glorious war birds as several planes take flight and fly in magnificent formation in several vertiginous views. The last shot is brilliantly chosen for the camera cants at an angle so the planes, lit by the dying sun and their own blazing afterburners, seem to climb straight to heaven, as opera singer and baritone Robert Merrill (not to be confused with Broadway Bob Merrill) reprises "Search for Paradise": "It is there...it is there...SEARCH!" This last injection of sentiment gratefully distracts from the martial tone of the music that appropriately enough accompanies the killer jets! If your little short hairs don't stand up, then you are not as big a Tiomkin nut as I am!" "Glenn:" In conjunction with this mass screening weekend (several other Cinerama shows were screened, albeit some in non-3-panel digital form), this week both the original This is Cinerama and the later docu Windjammer (in the Cinerama-compatible format "Cinemiracle") have been released to Blu-ray. Gary and Craig were told at the festival that the plan is to release all the original Cinerama roadshow travelogues to Blu-ray, in the "Smilebox" format. Thanks for reading! Glenn Erickson
Review Staff
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