Savant's new reviews today are:

The River
The Criterion Collection
Blu-ray
  Jean Renoir's unique, open hearted story of an English family in India is a humanist triumph about 'ordinary' people in a special place, free of easy sentimentality and honest about the universal things of life. The extras on this disc tell the remarkable tale of an artistic genius frustrated by Hollywood, who took a flyer on a film to be shot on the other side of the world, in a completely different culture... in Technicolor. With Arthur Shields, Nora Swinburne and a remarkable Indian actress-dancer, Radha. Mastered from a breathtaking 2004 film restoration. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
4/28/15

Michael Collins
The Warner Archive Collection
DVD-R
  Neil Jordan's epic looks at a great man central to Ireland's history, and comes back a mixed bag weighted on the positive side. Liam Neeson is better than perfect to play the rebel-revolutionary who forced England to the bargaining table after 700 years of domination. Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea and Alan Rickman bring authority and conviction to their historical characters. The production is impressive, even if Jordan's style undercuts the epic, spectacular qualities. Only co-star Julia Roberts seems out of place; she's shoehorned into the proceedings at regular intervals to smile, laugh or cry. The disc comes with a very good Brit TV show on the historical Michael Collins; it's entertaining and (honest) educational. On DVD-R from The Warner Archive Collection.
4/28/15

and

The Secret Invasion
KL Studio Classics
Blu-ray
  After making several off-the-cuff features in Europe, Roger Corman dashed off a commando action movie idea -- really a retread of his first western -- and soon had a decent budget to shoot in Yugoslavia. The cast list for Corman's 'Flaky Five' convict-soldiers is name talent on the way up, down, or just hovering at the exploitation level -- Stewart Granger, Mickey Rooney, Raf Vallone, Edd Byrnes, William Campbell and Henry Silva. Their impossible mission includes a clever plan to induce Italian troops to rally and change sides -- a typically sophisticated Corman twist in the midst of machine gun battles and narrow escapes. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
4/28/15

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Hello!

Cool weather suddenly turned hot again out here. Savant has some extracurricular writing and audiovisual work cooking for the next few weeks, and for the moment it's nice to have a deadline looming ahead. But I won't be neglecting the FUN work here at DVD Savant.

This seems a good opportunity to plug another favorite link. Kevin Pyrtle has been steering Savant in good directions for years now, especially with into on weird rarities like the old French movie La fin du monde. His page ExploderButton has a new look and scores of knowledgeable, well written disc reviews. He covers many Region B genre releases, and since those aren't an everyday acquisition I make do with his expert reviews. But I will be getting the Deutsche Tarantula soon, and hope to review it. You know, a year after release.

Thanks for reading! --- Glenn Erickson

Savant's new reviews today are:

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Kino Lorber
Blu-ray
  On the bleak midnight streets of Bad City, an Iranian vampire stalks -- a mysteriously lonely and vulnerable young woman in a traditional hijab, who strikes not just for blood, but to mete out an odd line in moral justice. She develops a yen for a James Dean-like hipster who sells Ecstasy when not working as a gardener, and drives a '57 T-Bird (what?). Iranian-American writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour pours on the style and attitude, but comes up with a highly personal, mysteriously likeable genre hybrid -- that can't possibly screen in the Old Country, fundamentalist repression being what it is these days. The deluxe presentation comes with an Amirpour-written graphic novel, deleted scenes, BTS footage, featurettes and a lengthy interview where the teasing Ms. Amirpour fields questions from none other than Roger Corman -- who appears to be tickled by her picture. On Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
4/25/15

Face of Fire
The Warner Archive Collection
DVD-R
  A genuinely obscure, wholly worthy art-horror drama filmed by Americans in Sweden with crew personnel from Ingmar Bergman's associates! Cameron Mitchell is a dedicated doctor and James Whitmore his handyman whose face and mind is destroyed by a chemical fire. Based on a Stephen Crane novella called "The Monster", it's not a monster movie but a social critique about prejudice and blind fear of anyone 'different.' Actors Royal Dano, Richard Erdman and Lois Maxwell also went to Sweden to film this very American story that bears hints of Night of the Hunter and looks like The Miracle Worker. It's a fine picture about atavistic hatred and irrational injustice. On DVD-R from The Warner Archive Collection.
4/25/15

Mr. Turner
Sony Pictures Classics
Blu-ray
  Timothy Spall was robbed at the Oscars, without even a nomination for this performance. Georgian-era painter J.M.W. Turner is an irascible mass of contradictions in addition to being a spirited world-class artist. Mike Leigh's film is as vivid a recreation of past times as his movie about Gilbert and Sullivan, with a marvelous cast and fascinating personal relationships. The depiction of Turner's 'inner circle.' the select guild of painters deemed good enough to display to the crown, is fascinating, as are the dozens of actors who seem to be living their roles, not performing them. The extra documentaries are almost as interesting as this great film. On Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Classics.
4/25/15

and

Mysteries of the Unseen World
Virgil Films and Entertainment
3-D & 2D Blu-ray + DVD
  A 3-D IMAX presentation that takes us from the ultra small to things that move too fast or two slow to be perceived, not to mention the outright invisible. Special 3-D imagery and CG effects prevail in a slick, rather basic expansion on old short subjects that featured slow motion and time-lapse photography. A new wrinkle -- moving 3-D images derived from an electron microscope: get up close and personal with a head louse. With a how-they-did-it making-of featurette. Very slick, with great depth effects for showing off that 3-D TV. 3-D & 2D Blu-ray + DVD from Virgil Films and Entertainment.
4/25/15

---

Hello!

A productive week here at Savant! Last Tuesday's review for Blood and Black Lace brought some welcome attention from readers and a massive swirl of talk at Facebook, thanks to the thoughtful endorsement of Tim Lucas. I revised the review soon after posting, after learning that the English edition of this show -- so far the only one scheduled -- is fully Region A safe, even the DVD, which is NTSC. Apparently so many UK video customers have dual-format equipment that there will be no product differences when Arrow's disc eventually arrives here. I receive check discs, so have a hard time getting some of these details straight.

A funny thing happened researching the Face of Fire review. I lucked into a book excerpt with plenty of information on the movie and thought, 'finally -- a great horror source for this era in addition to Tom Weaver.' Then of course at the end of the article I find out that Tom Weaver is the author. I'm told that Tom presently continues with his film research. I suspect that he must spend the bulk of his daylight hours keeping track of reviewers that quote him or parse his research.

And as long as I'm thinking of good men achieving good things, I've learned that The Cohen Group's upcoming disc of Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn will include a commentary from a very busy writer friend, Jeremy Arnold. Jeremy's been an active contributor to TCM and blogs from the TCMfest was well as serving as a film expert on their cruises. His commentaries include one of the Budd Boetticher westerns, and last year he wrote the handsome book that accompanied Sony's Blu-ray of Lawrence of Arabia. For three years straight I've loaned Jeremy a Fez to wear to Hugh Hefner's annual 'Casablanca' party... I guess this year he bought a Fez of his own, to better match his white tuxedo! Rather than show Jeremy with the Fez, here's a snap he sent me from the TCMfest a couple of years back, with Peggy Cummins, the star of Gun Crazy.

Thanks for reading! --- Glenn Erickson

Savant's new reviews today are:

Blood and Black Lace
Arrow Video
Region AB Blu-ray + PAL DVD
  The hottest disc item of the year to date is this fully restored, stunningly transferred encoding of Mario Bava's 'body count' masterpiece Sei donne per l'assassino: "Six Women for the Killer." The whodunnit serial murder tale concentrates on homicidal gore plus the fear and suffering of the victims, making it the first modern giallo. But never has any thriller seen such expressionistic color -- the images seem more like hallucinations than filmed reality. A large cast led by Cameron Mitchell and Eva Bartok graces a thriller laden with dark & creepy plot twists. This is big news for fans of classic horror. A Dual-Format edition on Region AB Blu-ray and PAL DVD from Arrow Video.
4/21//15

Inherent Vice
Warner Home Video
Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD
 Paul Thomas Anderson channels Thomas Pynchon and comes up with remarkably witty, inventive and surprising period / genre hybrid that will be cherished by those that 'get' it. Doper private eye Joaquin Phoenix is in the middle of what looks like a giant conspiracy linking a rich land developer, corrupt cops, a rock musician turned police snitch, a consortium of cocaine-smuggling dentists and a feel-good convalescent spa perfect for hiding inconvenient people. The oddly named characters are played by the likes of Katherine Waterston, Josh Brolin, Joanna Newsom, Benecio Del Toro, Owen Wilson, Jena Malone, Reese Witherspoon, Martin Short, Eric Roberts, and many others. It's a valentine to lazy days on the Venice boardwalk, while the land developers and drug smugglers take over civilization. On Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD from Warner Home Video.
4/21//15

42nd Street
The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray
  The latest WB vintage restoration completely refurbishes this bottom-of-the-Depression classic, giving it a visual shine and clarion soundtrack that seem brand new. Broadway director Warner Baxter has a bad heart but vows to stage 'Pretty Lady' to save himself and 200 theater people from the breadlines. The backstage drama involves an aging star, gold diggers, a green kid from the chorus, a nice guy who doesn't want to be a kept man, an infantile producer and various racketeers. The electricity that puts the show into action are the Hal Dubin-Harry Warren songs and the mesmerizing, witty choreography of Busby Berkeley. You too can Shuffle Off to Buffalo, be Young and Healthy and go to 42nd Street where "the underworld can meet the elite." With plenty of vintage extras; on Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
4/21//15

and

April Love
Twilight Time
Blu-ray
  Pat Boone was a HUGE radio star in 1957, just behind Elvis in the hit parade. His second film tells the tale of a juvenile delinquent (make that a polite, adult-respecting juvenile delinquent) banished to his uncle's farm. There Pat meets cute Shirley Jones, fixes his uncle's tractor and tames the champion horse that will turn him into a winning harness racer. Oh, and Boone also sings a #1 hit song, the title of which is, uh, oh, it'll come back to me. With Dolores Michaels, Arthur O'Connell and Jeanette Nolan. Shirley Jones joins Nick Redman on a new commentary track. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
4/21/15

---

Hello!

Gary Teetzel tipped me off this morning that Kino has just announced a Blu-ray of the great Robert Parrish - Robert Mitchum western The Wonderful Country, for September. Twenty years ago I was told that the movie couldn't be put out on VHS because of a tiny legal hurdle -- clearing a song called "Where Did You Get That Hat". Floyd Crosby's Technicolor images are some of the most beautiful in a western, and Alex North's Mexican-flavored music score is a marvel. Plus the movie has the best film performance of Julie London, along with great work by Pedro Armendaríz, and a screenplay by Robert Ardrey that's a rare case of a western culturally flattering to both Texas and Mexico. Can't wait!

Thanks for reading! --- Glenn Erickson

Savant's new reviews today are:

Le Silence de la mer
The Criterion Collection
Blu-ray
 Jean-Pierre Melville's first feature is an assured adaptation of a subversive novel secretly published and distributed in France during the German occupation. Melville reportedly offered to destroy the negative if the book's author didn't approve of the result. A 'good' German officer (Howard Vernon) is billeted with a Frenchman and his niece, who refuse to talk to him or acknowledge his presence... so the German makes little speeches every night, about his naïve dreams for French-German happiness after the victory. It's a powerful statement of 'no forgiveness' from a director who was himself a Resistance agent during the war. The extras include Melville's first short film as well as biographical docus that examine Melville's war years. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
4/18/15

"X"
- The Man With the X-Ray Eyes
KL Studio Classics
Blu-ray
  Roger Corman's best science fiction film goes beyond exploitation to reach the first rank of visionary sci-fi; it seems an even greater achievement now that we're no longer so obsessed with CG effects. The brilliant examination of the limits of perception pushes the Corman-centric theme to a logical conclusion: Ray Milland's surreal explorer wants to 'see' all he can, forgetting that it is not possible to 'un-see.' A new widescreen transfer includes a welcome commentary from Tim Lucas, who communicates spacey science fiction concepts as well as he does notions about gothic horror. Also featuring a nostalgic video intro from Joe Dante, an original trailer and the film's ludicrous network TV 'padding prologue.' On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
4/18/15

and

Dance with Me, Henry
Olive Films
Blu-ray
  Abbott and Costello's last feature as a comedy team is a truly sad affair. Not only does Lou Costello look tired and dispirited, the film changes the formula from their usual burlesque routines and slapstick hi-jinks, to a Chaplin-like sentimental tale. Lou runs a child's fun-fair, and fears that the authorities will take away his adopted children. The 'new' Bud is a chronic gambler tangled up with loan sharks, and not a very positive character; the excellent Ted de Corsia is the mob menace. The kids -- Gigi Perreau, Rusty Hamer, Sherry Alberoni -- are more than able, but the show is dragged down by a melancholy vibe. We can't help but think that Costello's personal tragedies have taken their toll. A&C fans that 'believe in the boys' need to see this one. On Blu-ray from Olive Films.
4/18/15

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Hello!

Some nice announcements for today. The Criterion manifest for July includes The Black Stallion, Hiroshima mon amour and the two versions of Hemingway's The Killers. I hope they're putting out the '64 version in widescreen -- it played much better that way on last year's Region B Arrow release. From Warners I just got in 42nd Street and am expecting Ladyhawke fairly soon. And they've surprised me with the hugely enjoyable Inherent Vice, a movie I that might not appeal to the widest range of viewers.

I'm curious to take another long look at The Beyond via Grindhouse Releasing's new Blu-ray. It was the only Lucio Fulci movie that really appealed to me back in the first wave of DVD Euro-horror, and I want to see if it gets better with a second viewing. And Gary Teetzel and I both want to investigate Kino Lorber's A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, a European vampire film about which we're hearing good things. I almost passed it up, confusing it with another recent release with similar box artwork (Left and right, above). Well, sort of similar.

Also announced earlier this week - I want to review almost every title in Twilight Time's list of July releases: The World of Henry Orient, The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Best of Everything, Places in the Heart, A Month in the Country, A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and Sam Fuller's House of Bamboo. It'll be a full-up Twilight reviewing month.

Horror fans and TCM viewers -- check your logs for the weekend. Early Sunday morning they're screening 1964's The Strangler, an obscure item with Victor Buono. I'm going to try to catch it.

Thanks for reading! --- Glenn Erickson

Savant's new reviews today are:

That Man from Rio
&
Up to His Ears
The Cohen Film Collection
Blu-ray
  Tin-Tin? James Bond? Indiana Jones? No, it's Jean-Paul Belmondo in Philippe de Broca's breezy adventure mystery. Belmondo's on-leave soldier follows his girl (gorgeous Françoise Dorléac) to Brazil, to foil two kidnappings and get to the bottom of treasure/curse left by an ancient civilization. Belmondo never stops moving or fighting, in vehicles, up and down every imaginable obstacle, evading killers to rescue his girl. The second feature is an adaptation of a Jules Verne adventure, with a suicidal Belmondo who decides he wants to live when he sees Ursula Andress perform a unique 'reverse striptease.' The setting for chases, romance and intrigue is Hong Kong, India and high in the Himalayas. A two disc set, packed with extras, on Blu-ray from The Cohen Film Collection.
4/14/15

Invaders from Mars
Shout! Factory-Scream Factory
Blu-ray
  (1986) Tobe Hooper remakes an old classic with fancy effects but neglects just about every other aspect of this loud and colorful Martians-your-lap epic. Karen Black, Bud Cort, James Karen and Timothy Bottoms cope with the threat of becoming remote-controlled pawns, while Laraine Newman unpacks her best Coneheads voice. The extras include a director's commentary and a lengthy, detailed making-of featurette. Personally, I can't get enough of those cartoonish, grinning Martian drones, the mean green muthers from Outer Space that swallow Louise Fletcher whole. On Blu-ray from Shout! Factory-Scream Factory.
4/14/15

and

Zardoz
Twilight Time
Blu-ray
  John Boorman's ambitious New Age future dystopia has a savage Sean Connery invade a Vortex of immortality, to grant the Eternals, the Apathetics, the Brutals and what-have-you with the sweet release of death, no Kool-Aid required. Filming in Ireland on a shoestring, Boorman and Geoffrey Unsworth work miracles to invent crazy images for this philosophical talkathon, but what we remember is the wall-to-wall nudity and the preposterous Giant Floating Zardoz Head, that dispenses guns to the savages, plus helpful bits of wisdom: "The gun is good! The penis is evil!" Finally, a Sci-fi epic the NRA can endorse. Helping Connery out on the sexual end of things is Charlotte Rampling, the '70s actress least likely to say No to anything involving skin. Beautiful transfer, by the way, and two good audio commentaries. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
4/14/15

---

Hello!

It's sort of a science fiction day here, movies I enjoy even when they stumble. The column is late because I was rushing so fast, I forgot that I already had a review finished for Criterion's Blu of Le Silence de la Mer. That'll be up on Saturday, now. There's no shortage of exciting genre titles to cover. I've seen Kino's "X"-The Man with the X-Ray Eyes and The Premature Burial but haven't yet had the time to see their The Secret Invasion, The Mackenzie Break or A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. The same goes for Criterion's The River, Olive's Dance With Me, Henry and Harry and Son; Grindhouse Releasing's The Beyond.

Also coming in all at once are Twilight Time's April Love, Richard III, The Fantasticks, Remains of the Day and The Story of Adele H., all of which demand to be reviewed. Not quite in hand yet but equally coveted are Arrow's Blood and Black Lace (amazing screen shots floating about of this; can't wait to hear Tim Lucas's commentary) and from The Warner Archive Collection, The Best House in London, Seven Angry Men, Michael Collins, The First Deadly Sin and Face of Fire. That's an exciting bunch of movies. With this much going on I'll be happily writing until Summer's here.

Thanks for reading! --- Glenn Erickson

Savant's new reviews today are:

Silent Ozu:
Three Crime Dramas
Eclipse (Series 42)
DVD
  We've seen Yasujiro Ozu's silent comedies, which greatly inform his later humanistic reflections on life. These three lively gangster pictures are beautifully constructed, with vibrant, active camera direction, jazzy characters and an overriding theme of sentiment pulling bad men and women back to the straight and narrow. Heavily influenced by U.S. silent crime pix, we've got guys in fedoras, sinister henchmen, cheerful sidekicks, good and bad women and a cop who understands. Great action but also hearty helpings of Ozu-ian sentiment and humanity. Really fascinating stuff, here: Walk Cheerfully, That Night's Wife, and Dragnet Girl. On DVD from Eclipse (Series 42).
4/11/15

The Way Things Go
Icarus Films
Blu-ray + DVD
  A pair of Swiss artists / mechanics / chemical engineers fashion an astonishingly varied and intricate Rube Goldberg machine that takes a full thirty minutes to play out. It's a seemingly endless set of mechanical cause & effect actions. Things roll, fall, blow, slide, flow, rise, catch fire, explode, tip off balance, dissolve, and simmer in chemical reactions. We watch in an unbroken (more or less) cut, as every delicately-triggered gag moves on to the next as the sequence of spectacular events moves around the concrete floor of a warehouse or factory. It's fascinating, educational and multi-lingual -- there's no dialogue. On Blu-ray + DVD from Icarus Films.
4/11/15

and

The Friends of Eddie Coyle
The Criterion Collection
Blu-ray
 Robert Mitchum is superb as an aging Boston hood who turns squealer in hopes of avoiding a prison term. Unfortunately, the ruthless web of deceit and informing in the Beantown underworld puts him at a lethal disadvantage. Peter Yates directs action perfectly, and every character confrontation shows us that these friends basically prey upon each other in a Dog Eat Dog world. With Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Steven Keats, and Alex Rocco; one of the best realistic crime films ever. With a commentary from the director, and a great magazine article on that rascal Mitchum. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
4/11/15

---

Hello!

Hm -- something to check out later: According to Amazon.de, a new Blu-ray of the Gary Cooper - Ingrid Bergman For Whom the Bell Tolls is due out on June 25. I never reviewed Universal's old DVD, which is rather good but has plenty of room for improvement. Originally a 170-minute Road Show item, the Paramount release was soon cut down by a full 34 minutes. in 1958 Universal remastered a full-length version with film sourced from the Library of Congress, which is what we've been seeing on AMC, TCM and disc since the late 1990s. I'm not exactly holding my breath, but an improvement in quality would be peachy-keen. I was surprised last year to discover that the French Blu-ray of Fox's Forever Amber looks and sounds much better than anything available here. We also can't know for sure yet if this will be a locked Region B disc.

I complain sometimes that the culture is assuaging its guilt by pandering so strongly to the moral support (as opposed to real material support) of U.S. Military veterans -- I'm not pleased by the constant commercialization of veterans, nor the 'worship uniforms you ingrates' attitude on shows like NCIS. That said, I loved this 'Major Kong' page on Movie stars who fought in combat, forwarded by correspondent Craig Reardon. Love those guys. And for the record, I don't wag my finger at John Wayne for not leaping into the armed services. Other stuff, maybe.

Finally, here's a trailer for Joe Dante's new movie:   Burying the Ex

Thanks for reading! --- Glenn Erickson

Savant's new reviews today are:

Why Be Good?
The Warner Archive Collection
DVD
  Meet Colleen Moore, the quintessential flapper of the 1920s, challenged only by Clara Bow. Once thought lost, this hot 1929 comedy romance was discovered in a perfect print and reunited with a perfect collector-preserved Vitaphone soundtrack. The result is one of the best-looking silent greats in the WAC. Saucy Moore is Pert Kelly, a girl who feels she must promote a daring image to attract men. She gets the boss's son but also some misunderstandings. Amid all the dancing (great music BTW) and 3:am carrying on, the movie acknowledges the existence of the double standard, loud and clear. Bubbling over with koo-koo-ka-choo cutes, Ms. Moore is a really fresh personality. In DVD from The Warner Archive Collection.
4/07/15

Blue Sky
Olive Films
Blu-ray
  By the time Jessica Lange collected her Oscar for this show she had several more movies in release, and its director had been dead for three years. Her great performance as Carly is only the top attraction in a tale of an Army wife whose emotional problems verge on mental illness. Husband Tommy Lee Jones is patient with Carly's erratic, provocative behavior; she wants to live like Brigitte Bardot or Ava Gardner. He's a nuclear engineer making waves in a bomb-testing program that can't handle instability of any kind -- even before Carly gets in trouble. It's a thriller, but also an unusually mature movie about a troubled marriage. In Blu-ray from Olive Films.
4/07/15

and

Hoop Dreams
The Criterion Collection
Blu-ray
  A sleeper hit from 1994, this video-shot documentary captured the spirit of the nation. Three filmmakers followed two disadvantaged Chicago neighborhood boys for five years, as they pursued their goal of becoming big-time NBA basketball players. We see everything -- the personal and financial problems, family arguments and all the issues they have to overcome. First it's getting into the right private schools and then it's sorting out the confusing college offers. At almost three hours, the film is not a minute too long. Criterion's new release includes a new 40-minute docu follow-up that charts the duo's rocky future after the movie ends. In Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
4/07/15

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Hello!

We have a date for 3-D Rarities!  Due out from Flicker Alley on June 23, the 3-D Film Archive's disc clocks in at 147 minutes and appears to be packed with a wealth of wonderful goodies. I was half expecting some of the 'usual suspects' that are rare yet screen a lot -- I only recognize two items here that I've seen. The basic rundown on contents is at Amazon. Will that really be a nuclear explosion in 3-D?

Kino has its own end-of-the-world favorite coming out this summer (no date), a Blu-ray of John Sturges' 1965 bacteriological warfare spy chase film The Satan Bug. Disc-wise, this particular title was notorious for kicking the chair out from under the MGM Limited Edition Collection; fans spending a double sawbuck didn't like getting a flat-letterboxed DVD-R that looked worse than what could be seen compressed on TCM cable. TSB looked great in 35mm, with its clean, clear desert scenes, so my hopes are immediately UP. And there's the Jerry Goldsmith music, too. The original poster (right) is pretty scary... evidently the deadly Satan Bug contagion turns its victims into William Holden, from Sunset Blvd..

Next, from across the sea, correspondent Gregory Morrow clued me in to this Prague Post Announcement with a list of historically important Czech films to be fully restored via international grants. Prominent on the list are four titles that make me take notice. Skeleton on Horseback (Bila nemoc, 1937) is a famed anti-fascist allegory directed by Hugo Haas, from the last play written by Karel Capek of R.U.R. fame. Before Carl Laemmle died, he imported the film and arranged for its release in New York, to serve as anti-Nazi propaganda.

The other four titles are of great interest to Sci-Fi fans, but aren't easy to see. Directed by Okatar Vavra, Krakatit (1948) is a nuclear responsibility fable about a fantastic new explosive. I'm am always excited about Ikarie XB 1 (Jindrich Polak), an outer space adventure bested only by 2001. It even has a figurative Star Child. The last is Dinner for Adele (Adela jeste nevecerela, [literally: "Adele Hasn't Eaten Yet"] 1977), a comedy satire that puts together detective Nick Carter, his Derek Flint-like spy inventions, and a man-eating plant named "Adele." The star is Olga Sherberova, known by genre fans as Olinka Berova. The director of Adele Oldrich Lipsky, made several more bizarre comedies with sci-fi themes that haven't been seen here. The original Czech announcement states that the restoration will be done in Hungary. Adela is in the batch for 2016, but the other three won't be reupholstered until 2017. Let's hope the Czech National Film Archive believes in international releases.

And finally, because for Gary Teetzel too much Godzilla is not enough Godzilla, we have a Lighting Test on that giant Tokyo monster amid the skyscrapers. Enjoy.

Thanks for reading! --- Glenn Erickson

Savant's new reviews today are:

A Most Violent Year
Lionsgate /A24
Blu-ray + Digital HD
  J.C. Chandor knocks this one out of the park -- his story of a family-owned company under criminal attack in 1981 New Jersey is a searing critique of what it takes to stay in business in a free enterprise system. Not only that, a lazy D.A. targets them for a withering corruption investigation, all just as the company is trying to float a risky major expansion. The new wrinkle? This isn't a cynical crime story. Played by Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, the husband-wife owners of the company aren't gangsters but honest entrepreneurs under siege, and try to resist without taking violent action in New York's most violent, lawless year on record. It's a remarkably mature, impressive movie. Also starring Albert Brooks. In Blu-ray + Digital HD from Lionsgate /A24.
4/4/15

Solomon and Sheba
Twilight Time
Blu-ray
  Among Biblical epics this one is modest, beautifully produced and a good solid story experience - just skip a couple of silly orgy scenes. On second thought, they're fun too. After the death of the great King David his sons Solomon the Just (Yul Brynner, with hair) and Adonijah the Insulting (George Sanders) vie for the throne. Into the mix comes the honest-to-myrrh actual Queen of Sheba (Gina Lolobrigida), a curvaceous pagan temptress who leads Solomon far enough astray to bring down the wrath of Jehovah. The many entertaining scenes include a terrific desert battle with a special effects finish to match the parting of the Red Sea, and a special icon guest appearance from none other than the Ark of the Covenant. Solid Gold Old Testament thrills, transferred by MGM directly from 8-perf Super Technirama film elements. In Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
4/4/15

and

Sullivan's Travels
The Criterion Collection
Blu-ray
  Preston Sturges' most critically acclaimed movie is worth plugging whenever it comes out on disc. Sturges makes his expected hilarious comedy while lampooning deep-dish socially conscious filmmaking -- and then bounces back with his own thoughtful statement about the value of entertainment to brighten human lives. It's by turns genuinely profound and drop-dead funny. The precise skewering of 1941 Hollywood is unequalled among satires of Tinseltown. Joel McCrea is charming as a slightly dense film director who wants to stop making frivolous comedies, Veronica Lake is the starlet he picks up in a breakfast wagon, and Sturges' entire stock company is on hand to make the wickedly witty screenplay sing. This is the source of the title "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?," and also the slightly less well known Legend of The Blow Torch Killer. What a guy he was. In Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
4/4/15

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Hello!

Over at the esteemed Bright Lights Page can be found Savant correspondent Gordon A. Thomas' new essay on the Bernardo Bertolucci classic, Weary Shadow: Considering The Conformist. Thomas praises me once in a while, but I'm always blown away by his scholarship and clear-minded ideas.

Amazing news from Siberia! As Gary Teetzel reminds us, the last time this happened, the result was Reptilicus!  It appears that Russian oil workers have accidentally discovered ... in the previously undisturbed earth... well, read it for yourself!  Somebody keep Dirch Passer away from it!

And finally, we can look forward to an all-Babs triple-header! Director David Gregory of Severin has taken time from his worldwide tour promoting his excellent Richard Stanley -- Island of Dr. Moreau documentary to announce a new Blu-ray disc (no date, no details) of Barbara Steele's 1965 Eurohorror shocker Nightmare Castle (Amanti d'oltretomba) in its original Italian language. Gregory says that HD transfers of the American dubs of Castle of Blood (Danza macabra) and Terror Creatures from the Grave (5 tombe per un medium) will be included as well.

Thanks for reading! --- Glenn Erickson