“CRIES AND SISTERS”

By Raymond Benson

One of the late, great Ingmar Bergman’s skills as a filmmaker was to write and direct memorable roles for women. He was one of the few directors, such as Ford or Altman or Allen, who repeatedly relied on a “stock company” of actors throughout his career. While there were many wonderful male actors who worked for Bergman (Max von Sydow, Erland Josephson, Gunnar Björnstrand), we generally remember the women—Liv Ullmann, Harriet Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Eva Dahlbeck, Bibi Andersson, among many—for baring their souls on screen in Bergman’s challenging, difficult works that always elevated the art of film to breathtaking levels.

Cries and Whispers is an excellent example of the power of the female actor. It’s essentially a four-woman chamber piece, taking place in the late 1800s in Sweden, about three sisters and a servant, their relationships to each other, to their pasts, and to their stance on mortality. It stars (in alphabetical order) Harriet Andersson, Kari Sylwan, Ingrid Thulin, and Liv Ullmann, and it is arguably Bergman’s most well-known picture in the U.S. It premiered in late 1972 but its general release was in 1973, thus qualifying it for the ’73 Oscars. It’s Bergman’s only film to be nominated for Best Picture (as opposed to Foreign Language Film), competing against the likes of The Sting (which won), The Exorcist, American Graffiti, and A Touch of Class (how did that one get in there?). Bergman was nominated for Director and his Original Screenplay. Despite all that, one could argue that the real star of the film is Sven Nykvist, whose cinematography did win the Oscar that year, and deservedly so.

As one of Bergman’s few films in color, one must recognize the difficulty Nykvist had in photographing rooms that were entirely red—red walls, red carpeting, red furniture, red bedspreads—with touches of white in the drapes, clothing, fine china, and sheets. Contrasting these intense shades with the flesh tones of human beings and making it all work, especially in the early 70s, is nothing short of remarkable. Thankfully, The Criterion Collection has seen fit to upgrade their original DVD release to Blu-ray, and the results are absolutely gorgeous. The new 2K digital restoration is superb.

On the surface, the story seems simple—Agnes (Andersson) is dying of cancer. Her two sisters, Karin and Maria (Thulin and Ullmann), are holding vigil and waiting for the inevitable to happen, but it is the servant, Anna (Sylwan, who made her extraordinary film debut with the picture) who does all the caretaking. The four performances are gut-wrenching. Ullmann actually plays a dual role as the sisters’ mother in flashbacks, and there are men on the periphery as well, including Bergman regulars Erland Josephson and Anders Ek.

In the movie’s 91 minutes, Bergman explores these women’s fears, loves, prejudices, and faiths through flashbacks, dreams, and conflict with each other and themselves. Never in Bergman’s work was the influence of playwright August Strindberg more palpable, but there is a great deal of Anton Chekhov at play here as well. This is serious, complex, soul-searching—and soul-shattering—stuff.

Sounds rather grueling, doesn’t it? Well, it is, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining. The director’s use of the color red is fascinating—film scholars have interpreted it to represent the “inside of the womb,” or perhaps the “color of the soul.” For me it’s the interior of the heart, and it’s a simultaneously warm and cold one. For, ultimately, what the movie is about is the pain that we can cause our loved ones, the very people for whom we are supposed to provide solace.

The extras include a wonderful new and revealing interview with Harriet Andersson conducted by Bergman scholar Peter Cowie. There’s a 2001 introduction to the film by Bergman. “On Solace,” by the terrific video essayist ::kogonada, dissects the three acts of the film. There are thirty minutes of behind-the-scenes footage narrated by Cowie, the theatrical trailer, and the port-over from the original DVD release, Ingmar Bergman: Reflections on Life, Death, and Love with Erland Josephson, a fifty-two minute dialogue between the director and actor. The booklet contains an essay by film scholar Emma Wilson.

If you’re debating whether or not to upgrade from Criterion’s original release, the answer is a resounding YES. If you’ve never seen Cries and Whispers, then you’re missing an essential piece of cinematic brilliance.

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By Lee Pfeiffer

The word of mouth on this 1947 Warner Brothers thriller is that it was a disappointment at best and an outright dog at worst. The powerhouse teaming of superstars Humphrey Bogart and Barbara Stanwyck seemed to promise more than audiences and critics felt the film delivered. Consequently, it's generally put near the bottom rung of achievements in both star's careers. In viewing the Warner Archive DVD release, I had few expectations regarding its merits. However, I came away pleasantly surprised. This is a superior, moody and atmospheric film with both Stanwyck and Bogart at their best. Bogart had long played villains, but this is one of the most complex and fascinating characters he has ever brought to life. The movie is based on a hit stage play and its stage origins are quite apparent: it's quite a claustrophobic affair, with only a single sequence shot outside of the WB back lot. However, because most of the story takes place within the confines of a mansion, the lack of wide open spaces only enhances the atmosphere.

Bogart is cast against type as Geoffrey Carroll, a sophisticated and successful painter who has one weakness: he is an incurable womanizer. The film opens with Carroll and his girlfriend Sally (Barbara Stanwyck) enjoying a romantic trip to the mountains of Scotland. While there, she discovers he is actually married and breaks off the relationship. Shortly thereafter, Carroll's wife dies, leaving him in custody of their precocious young daughter Beatrice (a remarkable performance by Ann Carter). Now a widower, Carroll resumes his relationship with Sally, telling her that his wife was an invalid who died from health problems. The couple marry and enjoy a life of privilege in a manor house in the English countryside. Carroll's career is thriving and things seem to be going well- until another woman, Cecily Latham (Alexis Smith) enters their lives. Sally recognizes instantly that her husband has been smitten and correctly suspects the two are having an affair. Jealousy and heartbreak turn to fear when she also begins to suspect that Geoffrey had murdered his former wife and might be planning to do the same with her. Adding to the complexities is a local chemist who is blackmailing Geoffrey on the basis that he may have sold him the lethal mix that resulted in his first wife's death. 

The Two Mrs. Carrolls has many similarities to Hitchcock's Suspicion including a key plot device involving a potentially fatal glass of milk served to the wife who may have been designated for murder. The film's primary strength is the genuine chemistry between Bogart and Stanwyck, who are terrific together. The suspense builds gradually to a chilling conclusion. Bogart is especially good in this film, which allows him to break some new ground as an outwardly charming, but narcissistic personality who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Alexis Smith smolders as the bad girl who pretends to be Sally's friend so she can enjoy the company of her husband. There is also a very competent cast of supporting actors including the always reliable Nigel Bruce, playing a bumbling doctor in a role that doesn't veer very far from his portrayal of Doctor Watson in the Sherlock Holmes films. Director Peter Godfrey keeps the action flowing at a brisk pace and the movie is enhanced by a typically impressive score by Franz Waxman. 

This writer is one of the few who will defend this film, but my belief is that, while it is certainly not a classic for the ages, it stands up well as consistently good entertainment. By all means, you could do worse than spend a couple of hours with Mr. Bogart and Ms. Stanwyck.

The burn-to-order DVD contains the original trailer.

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BY LEE PFEIFFER

One of the greatest achievements in John Wayne's career was his late career performance in director Mark Rydell's 1972 film "The Cowboys". The movie was a major hit for Warner Brothers but as acclaimed screenwriter Josh Olson points out in his analysis of the film on Joe Dante's "Trailers From Hell" web site, the flick never got the critical acclaim it deserved. The Vietnam War was still raging and Wayne's unapologetic support of it didn't sit well with the critical establishment.

Pressbook promotion for appearance by John Wayne at the film's opening at Radio City Music Hall.

In my humble opinion, the Duke was robbed of a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his superb performance as an aging cattleman who is so desperate to get his herd to market that he hires a group of schoolboys as drivers. Along the way, the kids and Wayne experience humor, pathos, death and any number of life lessons, including a tragic confrontation with rustlers led by Bruce Dern, who brings to life one of the great villains in screen history. The film also features a gem of a performance by Roscoe Lee Browne as Wayne's companion and cook for the cattle drive. Both Dern and Browne should have also received Oscar nominations but "The Cowboys" had the misfortune of being released in January of 1972- and had all but faded from Academy member's minds by the time the nominations were being considered  a full year later. It was also the same year that "The Godfather" dominated most of the major nominations. Nevertheless, as Josh Olson points out, the film's greatness continues to resonate today. (Oh, and there is a magnificent score by John Williams, as well.) Click here to watch the original trailer with or without Josh Olson's commentary track.  

In SPECTRE, a cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.  Sam Mendes returns to direct SPECTRE, with Daniel Craig reprising his role as 007 for the fourth time. SPECTRE is produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, from a script by John Logan and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade.

SPECTRE follows the release of SKYFALL, the biggest Bond film of all time, which took in $1.1 billion worldwide. SPECTRE is set for global release on November 6, 2015.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER AT 007.COM 

Cimino with Eastwood on the set of Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.

Controversial Oscar-winning director Michael Cimino avoids interviews at all costs and hasn't spoken at length to a main stream publication in over a decade. However, Hollywood Reporter writer Seth Abramovitch convinced Cimino to engage in an extensive discussion of his career. The result is rather mesmerizing, as Cimino waxes about his passion for classic films (particularly those involving John Ford and John Wayne) and his respect for Clint Eastwood, who gave him his first job as director on the 1973 film "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot". In fact, Cimino spends a good part of the interview invoking Eastwood's name and praising him as one of the best filmmakers working today. However, he also goes into detail regarding the political aspects of his 1978 Oscar winner "The Deer Hunter" and laments the fact that he was painted as a right wing fanatic in the wake of the film's release. He also takes satisfaction in the reappraisal his massive 1980 boxoffice bomb "Heaven's Gate" is enjoying with both critics and audiences. At times sarcastic and even cynical, Cimino is nevertheless a fascinating character in his own right. (Oh, and he denies long-standing rumors that he is undergoing a sex change operation!). Click here to read. 

In his recent review of the Nitehawk Cinema’s splendid and rare 35mm showing of the James Bond film, “A View to a Kill,” our intrepid correspondent Hank Reineke was skeptical of a claim made that night that the movie played on its first-run at Manhattan’s notoriously déclassé (circa 1985) Selwyn Theater on West 42^nd Street.  According to a newspaper display ad from May 24, 1985, and held in his own files, Reineke determined that the only midtown Manhattan theaters showing “A View to a Kill” on its original release were the Loews Astor Plaza on West 44th, the Loews 84^th Street Six, the Loews New York Twin, the Loews 34^th Street Showplace, and the Orpheum on 86^th and 3rd Avenue.

Following Reineke’s metaphorical throwing down of the gauntlet (however accidental!), Joe Berger, one of the presenters of the Nitehawk’s wonderful film series, “The Deuce,” was quick to contact Cinema Retro to defend their claim.  Berger, in a friendly but firm manner – provided us with a scan from the Village Voice newspaper from that same week in 1985.  The listing leaves little doubt the fourteenth James Bond did, in fact, play the Selwyn, as one part of a twin bill with “The House Where Evil Dwells.”  As Berger would go on to explain, the row of aging theaters comprising “The Deuce,” such as the “Selwyn, Lyric, Harris, and Liberty, VERY FREQUENTLY premiered A-list films on their regular release dates, with a second, [and] sometimes third film as part of the cheaper ticket price.”  Berger explained that multi-bill attractions would, naturally, bring in “a smaller box office gross” since all profits were now “split amongst two or three titles.”  But such campaigns were studio “loss leaders” to some degree as distributors were aware a new film's presence on the Deuce would “attract a younger, more 'inner-city' crowd.”  The one stipulation for the bargain, according to Berger, was “that the theatre COULD NOT advertise” their showing through the usual marketing methods- such as a display in a print advertisement.

The cinematic equivalent of the "smoking gun" tape that brought down President Richard Nixon: the vintage newspaper listing that proves "A View to a Kill" did indeed play on 42nd Street during its initial run.

As for Reineke’s contention that the film played “two blocks north” of the Selwyn at the Loews Astor, Berger went on to explain that the film’s distributor would only want the Astor (and similar high-end cinema establishments) to be prominently advertised as these venues could charge a “larger ticket price” for “a single feature.”  This, naturally, would result in greater profits for all involved.

This all sounds right to us.  As a mea culpa, we intended to fire Reineke, until we realized that he has been donating his services to us on an unpaid basis. We were then going to sentence him to a terrible fate: 24 hours of around the clock screenings of “The Man With the Golden Gun”- until we remembered he likes the damned film. We’ve settled on making him watch Jerry Lewis in “Which Way to the Front?” three times in succession (unless the Supreme Court rules this is truly “cruel and unusual punishment.”)- Lee Pfeiffer

Variety reports that Bradley Cooper is in negotiations to direct the latest big screen remake of "A Star is Born". It is not known whether he intends to star, as well. The film was originally made in the 1930s with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. It was successfully remade in the 1950s with Judy Garland and James Mason. In 1976, Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson starred in a modern version of the tale that was largely reviled by critics but proved to be a major boxoffice success. In recent years, Cooper's "American Sniper" director Clint Eastwood announced plans to direct another remake of the film but plans went on hold when his star, Beyonce, dropped out of the project due to pregnancy. It would appear that Eastwood has now moved on from plans to be involved in this latest remake. It's also unknown whether Beyonce will be attached to the production. If it comes to fruition, this would make Cooper's directorial debut. 

Click here for more.  

BY LEE PFEIFFER

Those of us of a certain age will recall that, while kooky religious cults have always been part of the American experience, in the mid-to-late 1970s there seemed to go through a boom period. Seemingly every week a new fringe fad movement would emerge, many of which were steeped in inexplicable psycho-babble about helping adherents "find oneself" and enrich their "inner beings". During this period I was approached in a Jersey City bowling alley, of all places, by a card-carrying member of one such cult/religion, the name of which I have happily forgotten. Upon being asked to sign up for the movement, I decided to conduct a bit of an experiment to prove a point to my girlfriend (now wife): that the gullible people associated with these groups are just vulnerable souls who can be easily manipulated by virtually any person possessed with a modicum of self-assurance, charisma and determination. I responded to my would-be savior that I could not join her movement because I was a devoted Hestonite. I made the term up on the spot because the evening before, ABC-TV had shown their annual telecast of "The Ten Commandments". I explained that Charlton Heston was my Lord and Savior because I had seen him perform so many miracles. The baffled young lady logically pointed out that he was simply an actor, but in the course of a five-minute conversation I had somehow to get her to take my position seriously and to discuss in some detail why I believed Charlton Heston was my Lord and Savior. I was thoroughly enjoying the experience and wanted to see if I could go "all the way" with her and make her convert to my new-found religion. However, my girlfriend was getting fidgety and felt I had already proven my point. Besides, I guess there were people waiting for us to bowl with them, which seemed to be the priority at the moment. I still believe to this day that, had I been graced with another fifteen minutes of time, I would have signed up the first member of the Hestonite religious movement. 

With each succeeding generation, unquestioning belief in established religions declines. (A recent poll shows that one third of Americans under the age of 30 are not affiliated with any specific religion.) Yet, there is still no shortage of 70's style "self-help" religions, all eager, if not desperate, to attract new adherents. It's easy to ridicule adherents to these causes as naive whack-jobs but in my own experience, those who buy into them tend to be sympathetic souls who are often trying to overcome some kind of personal crisis. They find solace in being accepted among other true believers. Without a doubt, the most controversial non-mainstream religion is Scientology, which is very much in the news of late because of director Alex Gibney's high profile new documentary, "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief", based on the best-selling book by Lawrence Wright. The film premieres on March 29 on HBO and has been the subject of countless news stories. I saw the "Going Clear"  several weeks ago at an advance screening at the HBO building in New York. To say it's a powerful, thought-provoking experience would be an understatement. 

The film traces the origins of the Scientology movement, which  was started by successful science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. The movement was originally known as a self-help program called Dianetics  and it caught on in the post-WWII era. The "bible" of this movement was Hubbard's own best-selling book.  Hubbard enjoyed the fruits of his success, charging devotees to attend self-help seminars. However, over time, Dianetics, like most such groups, began to fade in popularity. Always one to improvise, Hubbard reinvented the movement under the name Scientology. Instead of concentrating entirely on lost souls, Hubbard implemented a plan to appeal as well to the well-heeled and financially successful - with a very special effort to attract celebrities. Hubbard must have been astounded by his own success. By the 1970s, Scientology had taken off and continued to grow, attracting influential movie and TV stars along the way. Hubbard's books- works of inspiration to some, the ravings of a con man/mad man to others, topped the bestseller lists. But there were still problems. Hubbard, who is alleged to have started the movement as a tax dodge, never remitted payments to the IRS. For years, the agency dogged him to the extent that he literally took off to sea as part of a newly-found division of Scientology known as the Sea Org (which is characterized in "Going Clear" as a virtual slave labor operation.) Presumably, those who chose to sail with him and indulge in manual labor along the way, were primarily on a mission to sail the globe and extol the virtues of Scientology. Gibney's documentary  says his goal was a bit less lofty: he put to see because the IRS was after him to pay back up to a billion in back taxes. In an audacious move, Hubbard took on the IRS by having his disciples file thousands of frivolous law suits against the agency. Eventually, they prevailed and the IRS- simply to get out of the legal quagmire- granted Hubbard what he always desired: protection from taxes by declaring Scientology as a genuine religion. With that key  controversial ruling, Scientology kicked into high gear. The church invested heavily in properties around the world and its current wealth  (largely in real estate) is estimated to be over $3 billion. Hubbard was  secretive man who rarely gave interviews. The film presents an extremely rare exception, with a vintage interview Hubbard gave for a British documentary. He comes across as  likable, avuncular and perpetually smiling and jolly. However, critics say he was attracting troubled people to his movement and systematically isolating them from the world outside of Scientology. According to "Going Clear", Hubbard became like a real-life Bond villain: living in seclusion amid  palatial splendor and enjoying unquestioning loyalty from his followers. When he died in 1986, so great was the Scientology cult of personality, that his successor as leader of the church, David Miscavige, could not bring himself to admit to Scientologists that he was actually dead. In one of many fascinating video clips that Gibney secured, Miscavige spins Hubbard's death as a personal choice, saying that he succeeded in reaching such a higher form of life that he felt compelled to shed his now useless human form. The assembled masses cheer in support of their leader's "transition" to a higher plane. 

Amazon is selling the Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray edition at a savings of $200.

The set consists of 15 classic movies:

• Rope, Shadow of a Doubt, Rear Window, The Trouble With Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 version), Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho, The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy and Family Plot. 

 Every film is packed with sensational bonus features. 

CLICK HERE TO ORDER AND TO VIEW PROMOTIONAL VIDEO FOR THE SET 

BY DARREN ALLISON

Day of Anger is an enjoyable spaghetti western that top-lines a legend of the genre, Lee Van Cleef, as aging gunfighter Frank Talby. In an attempt to regain his fearsom reputation, Talby shoots and kills a local Sheriff. He then finds he must contend with his own young protégé, a street cleaner Scott Mary (Giuliano Gemma), who happened to be the sheriff's close friend. The climactic showdown finds Talby in a classic face off with his former pupil, with each man knowing the other's every move and thought.

This lively, intelligent western, notable for the chemistry between its charismatic leads, some memorable action set-pieces (including a rifle duel on horseback that has to be seen to be believed) and a jazzy Riz Ortolani score, is presented here in an exclusive high-definition restoration from the original Techniscope negative. Day of Anger remains a superior and much-loved Italian western and was directed Sergio Leone’s original assistant, Tonino Valerii.

Arrow Video’s dual format release comes in both a High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation. The set also contains two versions of the film, the original Italian theatrical release and the shortened version that was screened internationally. Day of Anger boasts visuals that are both impressive and detailed, especially in close-up shots of Van Cleef’s chiselled facial features. As you would expect from this particular genre of film, colours are bright and vivid with true, tanned skin tones. Director Valerii makes excellent use of the 2.35:1 Techniscope frame, without ever feeling the need to use extreme close ups - unlike his original influence, Sergio Leone. The film has a minimal amount of grain. Audio is presented in the form of a clear, uncompressed mono track, with English or Italian soundtracks on the longer cut and an English soundtrack on the shorter version. There are also newly translated English subtitles for Italian audio track. The film really benefits from the brand new restoration struck from the original 35mm Techniscope camera negative. It is both clean and free of any major defects.

The disc's extras are also enjoyable. They include a deleted scene, which in honesty, is nothing more than an extension of an existing scene. There is a selection of trailers (all in varying quality) which serve their purpose well. Then we get to the really good stuff. There is a brand new interview with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi, who reveals many interesting stories. Gastaldi speaks in his native tongue (enthusiastically) with his responses presented in the form of English subtitles. There is a previously unreleased 2008 interview with director Tonino Valerii – a little less enthusiastic then Gastaldi – but it is interesting nevertheless. The interview which is arguably the most engrossing is that of Tonino Valerii’s biographer Roberto Curti – which is conducted in English. Curti provides a fascinating insight into the director and provides detailed analysis on films, the genre and Sergio Leone –all of which proves very enlightening.

Arrow’s superb packaging again includes a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Reinhard Kleist and a detailed booklet featuring new writing on the film by Howard Hughes (author of Spaghetti Westerns) and illustrated with original poster designs. Fans of the genre will love it.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM THE ARROW VIDEO WEB SITE (UK-BASED) 

USA CUSTOMERS: CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

MI6 Confidential, the full-colour magazine celebrating the world of James Bond 007, returns with its twenty-ninth issue.

Ask anyone with a passing interest in Bond and they'll recall the terrorist organisation SPECTRE pulling the strings on some of 007’s most dangerous missions; but not because they have been a regular fixture of recent times. However, the organisation will be back (and just possibly its ubiquitous leader, Blofeld) in the 24th screen adventure. This issue pays tribute to the legacy that went before it. Packed with trivia, and historical data, we recount the rise of Blofeld from the germ of an idea from author Ian Fleming and producer Kevin McClory to his most recent filmic appearance in For Your Eyes Only.

We also explore the little-told history of Roger Moore’s seventh and final outing, A View To A Kill

– celebrating its 30th anniversary by catching up with several of the film’s alumni. Featured in this issue:

· Snowbound - An early look at the production of Bond 24, now known as SPECTRE

· The Many Faces of Blofeld - The master villain and his organisation on screen

· Kevin Mc Clory Interviewed - When the Thunderball producer reflected on 007 in 1979

· SPECTRE In Print - Charting the organisation's involvement in the Fleming and Gardner novels

· Dance Into The Fire - The complete history of Roger Moore's final outing as Bond

· Steamy Rendezvous - Fiona Fullerton on spending a day in the hot tub with co-star Roger Moore

· The Final Cut - Editor Peter Davies remembers the global shoot for A View To A Kill

· The Bond Connection - Traditional cool meets modern street grit in Kingsman

Issue #29 is now shipping around the world. To order online, visit www.mi6confidential.com

Email: editor@mi6confidential.com

Find us on Facebook: http://f.mi6confidential.com Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mi6confidential

The Italian fashion house Antony Morato has funded the digital restoration of director Vittoria De Sica's 1971 classic "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis", which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. The movie depicts the tragic story of an influential and affluent Jewish family in Italy prior to their deportation to Nazi death camps. The restoration will be shown at numerous international film festivals in recognition of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The restored film will premiere at a gala celebration in Rome on March 25, which will be attended by the De Sica family.  For more click here.  

Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

CELEBRATE FRANK SINATRA’S 100TH BIRTHDAY WITH

FRANK SINATRA: 5 FILM COLLECTION

MARCH 31 ON DIGITAL HD AND MAY 5 ON BLU-RAYTM FROM WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT

First time on Blu-ray and Digital HD for Anchors Aweigh, On the Town And Robin and the 7 Hoods

3. Anchors Aweigh (1945)

4. Till The Clouds Roll By (1946)

5. Kissing Bandit, The (1948)

6. On the Town (1949)

7. Guys and Dolls (1955)

8. Tender Trap, The (1955)

9. The Man with The Golden Arm (1955)

10. High Society (1956)

11. Some Came Running (1958)

12. Never So Few (1959) – first time on Digital HD 13. Ocean's 11 (1960)

14. Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964)

15. None But The Brave (1965)

CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE BLU-RAY SET, TO BE RELEASED MAY 5

THE EYE OF ERROL MORRIS

By Raymond Benson

Very few documentary filmmakers are able to break into the American mainstream (and abroad) and become both a critical and commercial success. The majority of documentaries made do not get seen in your average metroplex, but a lucky bucketful—Michael Moore’s films, for example—get wide releases.

This happened to Errol Morris in 1988 with the release of his excellent docu-drama, The Thin Blue Line. Critically acclaimed (but excluded from Oscar consideration because it contains recreated sequences), Morris’ tale of Randall Dale Adams, a convict sitting in a Texas penitentiary who may have been convicted, imprisoned, and sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit, struck a chord with the audience. It also became a cult hit and served as Morris’ gateway to becoming one of the best-known and respected documentarians of our day. After all, the film indirectly resulted in Adams’ exoneration and release. (Morris eventually did win the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2003 with The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara.)

This month The Criterion Collection delivers a one-two punch from Errol Morris—The Thin Blue Line on one disc, and, packaged separately, a double-feature of Morris’ first two acclaimed documentaries—Gates of Heaven and Vernon, Florida. The two releases provide the viewer with a look at the evolution of a filmmaker over a ten-year, three-film period.

At the time, The Thin Blue Line explored new ground in documentary approach, presenting a crime story in a style akin to television’s America’s Most Wanted, which, coincidentally, debuted the same year. It was “reality cinema,” containing POV interviews with suspects, lawmen, attorneys, and witnesses, and footage of the “crime” staged and recreated by actors—all standard stuff of reality crime shows on TV today. It was new then.

It’s interesting to note that Morris didn’t set out to make a documentary about Randall Dale Adams. His original intent was to cover the psychiatrist known as “Dr. Death,” a man in Texas who testified at every capital sentencing as to the defendant’s likelihood of committing more crimes if he was not put to death. But in the course of researching his subject in Dallas, Morris came across Adams’ case and turned his attention to that.

The picture is as riveting and suspenseful as any fiction crime drama. The spoken evidence Morris presents is compelling, but it’s the visual testimony—the Rashomon-style different points of view of the crime reenactments—that supplies the picture with its engrossing neo-noir sensibility. Of particular note is Philip Glass’ haunting score, which perfectly captures the melancholy and paranoia of the world of crime and punishment.

Criterion’s new high-definition digital restoration, supervised by Morris and producer Mark Lipson, has a 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, and both are fabulous. Extras include a new interview with Morris, an interview with filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer on the picture, and a Today Show excerpt from 1989 covering Adams’ release from prison. The booklet contains an essay by film scholar Charles Musser.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

Gates of Heaven put Morris on the map with this idiosyncratic look at the development of a pet cemetery in California. Featuring interviews with the personages involved, as well as a now-iconic clip of an old lady getting her dog to sing with her, Gates reveals the filmmaker’s quirkiness and his ability to capture the truly weird on film. Vernon, Florida was actually Morris’ first endeavor, but he’d left it unfinished. He went on to make Gates and then returned to complete the short. It’s about some truly eccentric individuals who live in a small whistle-stop town in the boondocks. Originally, Morris had planned to cover an insurance scam that was prevalent in the town—people were cutting off limbs and submitting accident claims, earning the community the name “Nub City.” Morris gave up that idea when he was beat up by some of the people he was interviewing!

Criterion’s disc features new 2K digital restorations of both films, supervised by Morris. Extras include two new interviews with the director about each picture, footage of director Werner Herzog talking about Gates at the 1980 Telluride Film Festival, and the gem of the entire collection—the short film Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe, a 1980 short, directed by Les Blank, that documents Herzog cooking and devouring his shoe in public—he had bet Morris that if the young documentarian would simply get out there and make his first feature (Gates), then Herzog would “eat his shoe.” While it’s great to have the two documentaries on Blu-ray, I’m not so sure the two films deserved a separate release of their own (they could have easily been extras on the Thin Blue Line disc).

But talk about the eye of a filmmaker! Errol Morris works with one eye at full strength and his other at a diminished capacity as a result of a childhood medical condition, but that doesn’t keep the director from possessing a wonderful sense of mise-en-scéne. He manages to depict the odd, the ironic, and the profound all in one take. Check out both releases.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

“YOU GOTTA GET A GET”

By Raymond Benson

In the world of the Jewish Conservative Orthodox community, a divorce is truly final only when the husband presents his wife with a “get”—a document in Hebrew that grants the woman her freedom to be with other men. Likewise, the wife must accept the get before the man can re-marry, too.

This is the crux of the story behind Hester Street, an independent art-house film that appeared in 1975, written and directed by Joan Micklin Silver. Starring Carol Kane, who was nominated for Best Actress for her performance as Gitl, a newly arrived immigrant to New York City in 1896, and Steven Keats as her husband Yankl, who, in an attempt to assimilate, in public goes by the name “Jake.” Jake has been in America for a while and isn’t looking forward to the arrival of his wife and son from Europe, for he has begun an affair with a wealthy, assimilated actress in the Yiddish theatre named Mamie. When the very traditional Gitl arrives with her son, the marriage disintegrates.

Luckily, Gitl meets Bernstein, an Orthodox man who is much more suited for her requirements, seeing that Jake has become something of a capitalist cad. Therefore, she needs a “get” from Jake so that both husband and wife can divorce and go their separate ways. That’s when Mamie’s money comes into play.

Silver beautifully rendered this period drama on a miniscule budget. Location shooting took place in and around New York’s lower east side, where much of the flavor of the late 19th Century Jewish Orthodox community is still pretty much the same. Replace the cars with horses and buggies, get the correct vintage costumes, and you’re more than halfway there. The dialogue is mostly in Yiddish (with English subtitles), thus making it an American foreign language film—an oddity in 1975, to be sure (although Coppola’s The Godfather Part II appeared a year earlier with a great amount of its dialogue spoken in Sicilian).

Keats plays Jake as a rake and a rascal, but our perception of him is not that of a villain. In many ways, he is the generic immigrant who came to America and sincerely tried to assimilate, become “American,” and leave the Old Country traditions behind. His fault is that he dreams of making big money in the States and this becomes his all-consuming desire, forgetting that he has a wife and son. Kane’s character and spot-on portrayal not only illustrates the role of females in the Orthodox community, but in many ways is a commentary on the women’s liberation movement of the 1970s.

Hester Street is a terrific little film that went out of print on DVD years ago and became a collector’s item on the resale market. Kino Lorber has thankfully re-issued the movie on Blu-ray (and DVD). Filmed in black and white by Kenneth Van Sickle, the picture is grainy and flat—much like the early silent cinema of the that era!—which actually is quite appropriate for the movie’s setting. There are no extras.

Hester Street is an excellent synagogue discussion-group item for American Jews who want to explore the immigration scene and the topics of tradition and assimilation; but it is also a good educational piece for non-Jews who want to learn a little bit about New York history and the Jewish Orthodox religion. Recommended.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

Eon Productions and Sony have released the official teaser poster for the new James Bond film "SPECTRE" starring Daniel Craig, currently filming and scheduled to open on 23 October in the UK and 6 November everywhere else. 

BY DARREN ALLISON

Nurse Coffy (Pam Grier) grieves over a sister ruined by drugs and takes murderous revenge on the pimps and pushers who victimized her. When her former policeman boyfriend is beaten for refusing to take bribes, Coffy blasts her way up the corruption trail to drug kingpin Arturo Vitroni (Allan Arbus) and the fabulous pimp master King George (Robert DoQui). But her disillusion is complete when she discovers that her classy politician boyfriend Howard Brunswick (Booker Bradshaw) is also part of the syndicate. Considering “Coffy “was made on a shoestring budget, the film still works very well, which is probably down to Jack Hill’s witty, jive talking script and fine direction. The action is great, probably some of the best to ever emerge from the Blaxploitation / Soul Cinema genre.

Arrow’s Blu-ray release boasts a lush transfer with rich colour detail; the film’s opening pin sharp credits appear to almost leave the screen. The film makes its world début on the Blu-ray format - with a fully restored High Definition (1080p) presentation. Daytime scenes in particular look fresh and revived – with my eyes drawn continuously towards the film’s beautiful solid blue skies. Internal scenes such as the sordid night club sequences retain a balanced warmth without ever losing fine detail. Night shots, however, do vary to some degree with some milky greys appearing in place of solid blacks, but this is no doubt due to the production values and original lighting conditions. Actually, it provides a nice little reminder that the viewer is watching a low budget, genuine grindhouse movie. “Coffy”’s near-perfect re-mastering process more often than not leads us to believe we are watching a much larger budgeted production.

The film’s audio is presented in its original uncompressed mono, which is clear and very acceptable. The masterful soundtrack (produced, composed, and arranged) by Roy Ayers is allowed to flow naturally. Free from any forced tweaking, the film unfolds better for it - while also keeping the purists among us completely satisfied.

Pam Grier as Coffy: the cover story for Cinema Retro issue #31.

The disc's extras are also very impressive. Writer-director Jack Hill’s audio commentary is both enthusiastic and informative. Hill doesn't pause for a second, continuously narrating each shot with production stories, background information on cast and crew and an incredibly interesting insight into the whole social scene including racism and feminist issues – it is both a joy and a first-hand education. Other bonus extras include:

• “A Taste of Coffy“– is a brand new interview with Jack Hill, a few stories are repeated from the audio commentary, but there is also a lot of additional material to digest.
• “The Baddest Chick in Town!” – A brand new interview with Pam Grier on Coffy and its follow up, Foxy Brown is a great little featurette and full of fascinating stories.
• The  original theatrical trailer and an image gallery are also included.

There is also a very good video essay, simply titled ‘Blaxploitation!’, presented by author Mikel J. Koven. I thought this would be the weakest link among the extras, but I was pleasantly surprised – it’s actually a joy from start to finish and had me hanging on to every word. The presentation is also packed with stills and lots of beautifully produced film posters that were representative of the genre.

Arrow have provided an informative booklet and produced a very cool, reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx – Overall, it’s all just about perfect.

"COFFY" WILL BE RELEASED ON 6 APRIL. CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON UK 

By Hank Reineke

The Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is an absolute gem.

This was my first visit to the triplex located at 136 Metropolitan Avenue. The cinema is only a couple of blocks stroll from the Bedford Avenue L subway station and sits mere minutes from Manhattan’s Lower East Side. As the movie I hoped to catch Thursday night was a special “one night only, one showing only” screening to begin at 9:30 P.M., I hesitated before buying my advance ticket and traveling into the city. I live in central New Jersey; far from where Manhattan’s southern end and Brooklyn meet. I’m 53 years old now and a workday late night out is getting ever more difficult to recover from. But, in the end, I simply couldn’t pass on this opportunity to catch the Nitehawk Cinema’s wonderfully wrought presentation of the fourteenth James Bond film “A View to a Kill”  that was released in 1985. Though 007 film retrospectives aren’t necessarily rare to repertory theater programming, too often fans are offered only such early Sean Connery-era classics as “Dr. No” and “Goldfinger” as exemplars. Here was a rare chance to re-experience - in glorious 35mm and nearly three decades after its original release - Roger Moore’s rarely theatrically re-screened sign-off as James Bond.

It was the right decision. The Nitehawk is a bountiful oasis for moviegoers and film enthusiasts. The walls of the lobby are adorned with both foreign and domestic movie posters and a lengthy plexi-glass wall display of vintage old-school “big box” and clamshell case VHS tapes circa the late 1970s and early 1980s. The cinema itself offers the usual – and sometimes the more unusual - highbrow art-house films, but there’s also great enthusiasm among programmers for pure popcorn movies: the weird, the exploitative, and the guiltiest of celluloid pleasures. Offering a fully stocked bar complete with an impressive array of draft and bottled beers and other alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) refreshments, a great selection of hot comfort foods, and the most delicious hot buttered popcorn I’ve enjoyed in some time (served in a deep stainless steel bowl), the movie-going experience at the Nitehawk is an absolute delight. The terraced seating and plush seats and aisles with ample leg room and courteous attendants are a refreshing bonus. Best of all, the fans who gathered to watch Roger Moore stroll and fire one final time into the trademark gun barrel were simply my kind of moviegoers. There was no one chatting away on cell phones or sending glowing texts about nothing while the feature was in progress.

The Bond film, which played out before a sold-out and appreciative audience, was part of the cinema’s on-going series “The Deuce.” Upcoming screenings in the series include “Fight for Your Life” (1977) and “Wolfen” (1981). “The Deuce,” for the uninitiated, was an affectionate pop-cartographic nickname for the nostalgically remembered stretch of aging movie palaces that once populated the area of 42^nd Street between 6^th and 8^th Avenues. By the early 1970s, this great neighborhood and glorious entertainment strip became the playground of prostitutes and drug addicts. The once magnificent theaters were relegated to playing before houses half-filled with adventurous teenagers, junkies, the homeless and mental cases.

To some degree, “A View to a Kill” was an odd choice for inclusion in the series. Any James Bond, even one of the series less remarkable ones as this one, was, by no means, atypical of the usual 42^nd Street movie fare of the time. The Times Square theaters more usually offered 24/7 programming of the cheapest Kung-Fu films from Hong Kong, the sleaziest and most lurid of low-budget horrors, and the world renowned pornographic all-nighters. To paraphrase one of the film’s presenters this evening, “Some people have described 42^nd street as the place where movies went to die. We think of 42^nd street as the only place where many of these movies could have lived.”

In their opening presentation to the film, organizers of the screening spun a somewhat dubious tale of “A View to a Kill” having played as the top-bill of a double-feature program at the notorious Selwyn Theater. The Selwyn, once one of the brightest fixtures on the strip had, in its final years, fallen prey to disrepair and neglect. It eventually morphed unpleasantly into a legendary dank and ghoulish Grind-house with sordid clientele. I can’t say for certain whether or not this classy James Bond film actually played a fleapit like the late-stage Selwyn, but if true it would have mostly certainly been on a subsequent run. My own clippings book reveal that upon its initial U.S. issue on May 24, 1985, this particular 007 opus had opened two blocks north of the Selwyn at the more elegant Loews Astor on W. 44^th Street.

Though Moore’s final outing as James Bond is, arguably, the least successful of his tenure, it remains a very entertaining programmer throughout. The 35mm print screened was in fine condition, the color palette still mostly bright but with just enough black scratches to remind you that you were enjoying a real film as originally presented. Though few James Bond zealots would allow their true feelings to show, Bond snow “surfing” through a phalanx of Russian assassins as the cover version of the Beach Boys’ “California Girls” played on the soundtrack brought about a murmur of amused giggles and cheers. Time and history have allowed Moore’s lighter-turn as Bond to enjoy a welcome reevaluation. It was somehow liberating for the devoted 007 fan, for two hours time at least, to put aside the grim and solemn tone of the recent Craig Bonds and actually have some fun and smile during a James Bond movie again.

Cinema Retro's London photographer Mark Mawston shows why he's invited to cover the "A" list events. Here, Mark shares some exceptional shots he took on the red carpet at last month's BAFTA awards.

More photos to be posted shortly!

(All photos copyright Mark Mawston. All rights reserved. Visit Mark's web site at www.markmawston.com

Julie Walters

Director Mike Leigh

Felicity Jones

BY LEE PFEIFFER

The feature film version of the landmark WWII TV documentary series "Victory at Sea" has been remastered and released by Film Chest. The original  NBC TV series consisted of 26 half-hour episodes that were broadcast between 1952-1953. The show was one of the most acclaimed from the early days of television and was honored with Emmy awards and a Peabody award. Given the abundance of videos and documentaries about WWII that have been released and telecast over the decades, you have to put yourself in the mindset of how revolutionary this show was in 1952. Until then, the men who fought WWII could only see periodic glimpses of the conflict in abbreviated newsreels that were shown prior to the main feature in movie houses. "Victory at Sea" represented the first time most Americans got to see the war in all of its ugliness. With the conflict over, the Pentagon was more liberal about showing the extent of Allied deaths and casualties, something that was initially deemed to be bad for public morale especially in the early days of the war when the tide was certainly against the Western democracies. Imperial Japan controlled huge areas of Asia and only England stood between Hitler's complete domination of Europe. America's entry in the war was unintended due to the attack on Pearl Harbor. While Americans sympathized with the British, the USA was primarily an isolationist country until December 7, 1941. The first six months of the nation's involvement in the war was anything but promising. Seemingly every day brought a major defeat to the Americans and British in the Pacific. With the Battle of Midway in 1942, however, the tide turned with a major defeat of the supposedly invincible Japanese fleet.  Still, government censors continued to restrict images of dead and wounded soldiers, 'lest they serve enemy propaganda purposes. By the time "Victory at Sea" aired, the war was an unpleasant, if recent, memory. Now the truth could be told and shown. Make no mistake, the series was definitely propaganda. The half-hour running time of every episode didn't leave much time for in-depth examination of the war and the giant figures who dominated that era. Nuances were few and there  were scant examinations of questionable military strategies of the Allies.  Still, the show was unique in the sense that it presented the war from the standpoint of the average soldier and sailor, not the top brass. Because of this, the average veteran of the conflict could identify with the remarkable footage that was shown in every episode.

In 1954, a feature film condensation of footage from the episodes was released theatrically. The film is an achievement of impressive editing by Issac Kleinerman, who is also credited as director. Wading through seemingly endless miles of footage, Kleinerman managed to compile a reasonably representative depiction of the conflict. The film does not attempt to be a comprehensive examination of the causes of the war. One should keep in mind that the film was released only a decade after the conflict so no one needed to be schooled in primal reasons the world went to war for the second time in the century. The film includes sobering footage of casualties and heartbreaking scenes of maimed soldiers crying in agony. It remains very moving to view these scenes and realize the sacrifices that were made to save the world from tyranny. Most of the film accentuates the naval aspect of war but there are also scenes depicting the horrors of the concentration camps and the horrendous attempts to conduct warfare in the midst of jungles filled with enemy troops as well as insidious natural dangers. Although Victory At Sea accentuates the American experience, it pays homage to all the Allied troops and takes special pains to honor the sacrifice and courage of the British military and civilian population, both of which showed almost surrealistic courage throughout the ordeal. Some of the footage shown in the documentary is clearly based on re-enactments. There are some shots that are just too incredible to have been shot in real time. Others, such as U.S. sailors lounging around Pearl Harbor right before the attack seem to have been staged for dramatic intensity. Nevertheless, the vast majority of footage is real- and you will emerge from the experience with  much respect for the cameramen who put their lives on the line to shoot it.

Actor Alexander Scourby's masterful narration adds immeasurably from the experience, as does the now classic musical score by Richard Rodgers (yes, that Richard Rodgers.) In fact, Rodgers' score, conducted by Robert Russell Bennett,  proved to be so popular that it resulted in the release of  several "Victory at Sea" soundtrack albums based on the TV series. 

This release of "Victory at Sea" has  plenty of artifacts and splotches on the film but this is due to the age of the raw materials it has been mastered from. Anyone interested in the study of WWII will want to add this to their collection.  

CLICK HERE TO ORDER 

BY RAYMOND BENSON

The last of Woody Allen’s “early, funny” films, 1975’s Love and Death, is a delight, especially for those in the audience who already have an appreciation for Russian literature (e.g., Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky) and classic foreign cinema (e.g., Eisenstein, Bergman). Unlike his previous works in the late sixties and early seventies, Love and Death is targeted more to a hip, intellectual audience, the one that has pretty much remained his loyal following ever since. It was after this picture that Allen began to specialize in the art-house, mature, and less-zany comedies about relationships that became his trademark (Annie Hall was Allen’s next film, in 1977).

If you’re able to get all the references to War and Peace and The Brothers Karamazov or to Battleship Potemkin and The Seventh Seal, then Love and Death is indeed one of the funniest—if not the funniest—pictures Allen ever made, as well as one of the best comedies of that decade. Not only is the movie’s script witty and smart, the two stars—Allen and Diane Keaton—are in top satirical form. Keaton, specifically, comes into her own with dead-on comic delivery.

There are terrific gags all the way through, such as when Woody has to enlist in the Russian army and finds himself berated by a tough, all-American, black drill sergeant. Or the one about his father that “owns a piece of land” (and he carries it around with him). Or the ongoing pseudo-philosophical discussions between Allen and Keaton that contain such lines as—

Allen: “Nothingness... non-existence... black emptiness...”

Keaton: “What did you say?”

Allen: “Oh, I was just planning my future.”

Another plus for the movie is its score, almost all of it taken from orchestral pieces by Prokofiev. The composer is a perfect choice for his music’s liveliness and obvious Russian flavor. You’ll actually find yourself humming the main theme (from Lieutenant Kijé Suite) for a few days after a viewing.

After making his previous few films in the U.S., Allen shot the picture in France and Hungary; afterwards he swore he’d never make a movie outside of New York again. For him, it was a horrible experience having to deal without the comforts of home. At one point during the shoot he contracted food poisoning. Allen eventually broke his homegrown decree in 1996 and has, more often since 2005, made several films in Europe and England.

Twilight Time’s release is limited to 3000 copies. Ghislain Cloquet’s colorful cinematography looks great, but I’m not sure the image is that much better than the original MGM/UA DVD. The only extra is the theatrical trailer and some other Twilight Time trailers.

Nevertheless, if you’re a Woody Allen fan, and if you don’t already own the DVD, you’d better grab this collector’s item fast while there are still copies available. It’ll warm the cockles of your heart. And, you know, that’s just great—there is nothing like hot cockles.

The Blu-ray contains an isolated music and effects track, a collector's booklet with liner notes by Julie Kirgo and the original theatrical trailer.  

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM SCREEN ARCHIVES

By Mark Cerulli

The 1951 film The Tales of Hoffmann, the acclaimed British adaptation of the opera by Jaques Offenbach, was an early influence on major directors like Cecil B. DeMille, George Romero (who said it was “the movie that made me want to make movies”) and Martin Scorsese. They were drawn to co-directors, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger’s inventive camera work, vibrant color palette (each of the three acts has its own primary color) and smooth blending of film, dance and music. According to an interview found on Powell-Pressburger.org, Powell wanted to do a “composed film” – shot entirely to a pre-recorded music track, in this case, Offenbach’s opera. Not having to worry about sound meant he could remove the cumbersome padding that encased every Technicolor camera and really move it around production designer Hein Heckroth’s soaring sets. (Heckroth’s work on the film earned him two 1952 Oscar nominations.)

The film’s extensive restoration was sponsored by Scorsese’s Film Foundation and the BFI Film Archive, in association with Studiocanal. The entire project was overseen by Powell’s widow, longtime Scorsese editor Thelma Schoonmaker. In fact it was Scorsese who had introduced Powell to Schoonmaker, resulting in their 1984 marriage.

Ms. Schoonmaker – on location in Taiwan to work on Scorsese’s next film, Silence - said the director was obsessed (in a good way!) with her late husband’s and his partner’s work. She stated that Scorsese says their films are “in his DNA.” He was particularly interested in The Tales of Hoffmann because it taught him about moving the camera, capturing the body language of actors and “celebrating the emotion of music.”

Aside from the film’s pristine new look (which took over six months of “very intense” work), this version features 6 minutes missing from the Third Act, apparently cut by producer Alexander Korda who had wanted the filmmakers to drop Act Three entirely! Another gem found in BFI’s vaults was an epilogue the directors shot to introduce the opera singers who voiced the dancers appearing in the film. As Schoonmaker recalls, “Since no sound track was found for it, I created a sound track of applause and music from the film. No one had ever seen this epilogue, because it was never on the original release prints.” It’s a delightful piece of filmmaking whimsy that has gone unseen for over six decades.

The film had been previously restored in the 1980s using the Technicolor three strip Interpositive, but during the intervening years, the three-color strips had shrunk, creating fuzzy images even after restoration. But as Schoonmaker relates, this version remedies that, and then some… “The new restoration was able to digitally realign the three strips perfectly. The rich color of the film was rebuilt layer by layer, an arduous process, until the restorers were satisfied the film looked as it had when it was first made. “

Overseeing the entire process along with Schoonmaker was a true student of the film – Martin Scorsese!

“Scorsese knew the film intimately having screened it many times on a 16mm print and through watching the Criterion DVD over and over again.” Schoonmaker recalled, noting, “I had watched the film with my late husband, Michael Powell and so Scorsese and I were able to guide the color restoration.”

The film boasts a joint writer, producer, director credit, which was quite rare in the 1950s. Schoonmaker explained that, “only Michael directed on the set, but he admired Emeric’s contribution to their films so much that he agreed to sharing the remarkable title (for the time) ‘Written, produced and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’ long before that kind of title was used as much as it is today.” The prolific duo made 19 films together.

The Tales of Hoffmann’s influence on Scorsese can be seen in his gritty 1976 masterpiece, Taxi Driver. As his three time Oscar-winning editor points out, “He (Scorsese) says the dancers in the film taught him so much about body language. And the eye movements of (actor) Robert Helpmann were a direct influence on De Niro’s eyes in the mirror of the car ...”

Having worked with the director on revered films like Raging Bull, Casino, Goodfellas, The Aviator and Wolf of Wall Street – in fact on every Scorsese film since 1980 – Thelma Schoonmaker should know!

The Rialto Pictures release of the restored and expanded The Tales of Hoffmann opens in New York and Los Angeles on Friday March 13^th, with other cities to follow.

Cinema Retro has received the following press release. We don't generally delve into the world of grunge horror flicks but it is interesting that there is a market that is nostalgic for new releases in the VHS format:

The moment gore hounds have been waiting for is here. You can now visit CultMovieMania.com and snag pre-sale copies of our latest VHS tapes - CANNIBAL FEROX and CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST - two super sickies we've teamed up to release with legendary Grindhouse Releasing.

There is one version of Cannibal Ferox. And, there are 3 different artwork versions for Cannibal Holocaust. Each tape comes with an 11" x 17" poster of the artwork. And frankly, they are going to look awesome on your walls.

All of these tapes are limited edition and expected to go fast. 

Want all of them? Pay less when you purchase all 4 tapes at once here.

The CANNIBAL FEROX tape will include the ultra-nasty, completely uncut feature film along with bonus video of the Cannibal Ferox Hollywood Premiere, an interview with director Umberto Lenzi, and trailers. It will also feature exclusive new artwork painted and designed by horror director Marcus Koch (100 Tears, ROT) and a poster only available with this edition of the movie. 

The CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST tapes will include the uncut feature film in its nauseating entirety, plus the Cannibal Holocaust music video and trailers. The striking new special edition artwork, featuring design by Chamuco ATX and illustration by Vader Paz, will come in three different collectible color variants. Each tape also comes with a matching poster exclusive to this release.

(*Please make sure you select your preferred CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST color variant in the store.) 

Both tapes feature official pan-and-scan transfers from Grindhouse Releasing, to add extra slime to the VHS violence.

These tapes are available in our store for Pre-Sale now. They are expected to start shipping April 20th. 

Get all 4 tapes here now.

Or visit the CultMovieMania.com now to pick your favorite.

Have fun...and thanks!

--

Cult Movie Mania

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@CultMovieMania

Today is "Red Nose Day" in England, wherein celebrities, sports stars  and the public raise money for charity. The BBC have a show called "Comic Relief" on TV tonight, which comes live from The London Palladium from 7 PM through 2 AM. Filled with comedy sketches, music acts, etc, one of the highlights will be a special James Bond segment filmed at Pinewood starring Daniel Craig - and Sir Roger Moore!

BY TIM GREAVES

(The following pertains to the UK Region B release)

Utilising more than a smidge of poetic licence, Countess Dracula is the 1971 Peter Sasdy/Hammer offering that recounts the true-life visceral misdemeanours of Hungarian murderess Countess Erzsébat Bathory. The late Ingrid Pitt, who portrayed the titular harridan, was quite outspoken in her disdain for the results, one of her key grievances being director Sasdy’s overly-restrained approach to blood-letting. Given the subject matter’s potential for sanguinary splatter, one has to concur that it’s a fairly coy production, more romantic costume drama with an insidious undercurrent than your traditional Hammer horror fare. Yet, that said, a cleaving aura of doom coupled with some efficient injections of nastiness prevent the film from being a wholly anaemic affair.

When, in a fit of ire, the ageing Countess Elizabeth (Ingrid Pitt) lashes out at her inept maid, she inadvertently discovers that the virginal girl’s blood harbours properties able to restore her youthful beauty. Slaying the girl and bathing in her blood, Elizabeth deigns to assume the identity of her own daughter, Ilona (Lesley-Anne Down), who has not been seen at the castle since being shipped off to boarding school as a child. But no sooner has Elisabeth met and fallen in love with handsome soldier Imre Toth (Sandor Eles), than she realises that the regenerative effects of the maid’s blood are far from permanent and she is only able to sustain her façade by seeking fresh donors to fend off her true, haggard appearance. Finding a willing accomplice in her faithful companion, Captain Dobi (Nigel Green), the slaying begins.

The shortcomings of Jeremy Paul’s slightly lethargic and excessively talky Countess Dracula script can be all but forgiven due to a magnetic performance by Ingrid Pitt, who overcomes questionable post-synch dubbing to be both sensuously provocative in her younger incarnation and frighteningly sadistic (under the increasingly unpleasant layers of Tom Smith’s crone make-up) in her foul, older guise. If there’s less engaging input from Sandor Eles and Lesley Anne-Down, that too is compensated for by excellent character work from Nigel Green (in his penultimate big screen role) and Maurice Denham as a scholarly elder whose discovery of Elisabeth’s secret pegs him for an early exit.

For more original images from the film, visit www.theblackboxclub.com

In spite of a few failings – not least its outrageously misleading title, which would certainly have had audiences anticipating some fanged action – Countess Dracula is a lush fairy-tale accompanied by a silken Harry Robinson score which in summation, though not perhaps as worthy of frequent revisit as some of the Hammer classics, is estimable enough evidence of their Gothic cinema supremacy.

Countess Dracula is now available in the UK as a Region B Blu-Ray release as a constituent of Network Distributing’s “The British Film” collection. The hi-definiton transfer is pleasing if not perfect, with occasional minor damage and a fair amount of grain in evidence during darker scenes. It is, however, still a marked improvement on Network’s earlier DVD release. The generous supplementary features are carried over from said DVD, specifically comprising a commentary track featuring Ingrid Pitt, Kim Newman and Stephen Jones, a TV interview with Pitt and a news item on a Bray studios open day back in the late 90s, an episode of the 1970 TV show Conceptions of Murder (starring Nigel Green), an episode of the recently deceased Brian Clemens’ excellent TV series Thriller (showcasing yet another fine Pitt performance) and a number of stills galleries.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON UK

NOTE: IN THE U.S, SYNAPSE FILMS HAS RELEASED A VERY IMPRESSIVE BLU-RAY/DVD COMBO PACK OF "COUNTESS DRACULA"

Special features include:

• Commentary track with Ingrid Pitt, Peter Sasdy, screenwriter Jeremy Paul and film historian Jonathan Sothcott.
• Vintage audio interview with Ingrid Pitt
• A featurette about Pitt's life and career
• Stills gallery
• Original trailer.  

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON USA

Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

Revisit 1939, Hollywood’s Greatest Year, with 4 New Blu-ray™ Debuts

THE GOLDEN YEAR COLLECTION JUNE 9

Features Newly Restored Blu-ray Debut of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Starring Charles Laughton, and Blu-ray Debuts of – Bette Davis’ Dark Victory, Errol Flynn’s Dodge City and Greta Garbo’s Ninotchka. Collection also includes Gone With the Wind.

Burbank, Calif. March 10, 2015 – On June 9, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will celebrate one of the most prolific twelve months in Hollywood’s history with the 6-disc The Golden Year Collection. Leading the five-film set will be the Blu-ray debut of

· Prophet Without Honor – Also on the Ninotchka disc

· Sword Fishing – Vintage 1939 WB Short

· Detouring America – Vintage 1939 WB Cartoon

· Peace on Earth - Vintage 1939 MGM Cartoon

· Trailers

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON

“BORDER TOWN NOIR”

By Raymond Benson

Most film noir pictures take place in urban centers—New York City, Los Angeles—where the big city is as much a character as the unhappy humans in these often bleak and brutal, sometimes brilliant, Hollywood crime films that spanned the early forties to the late fifties. Film noir peaked in the latter half of the forties, with an abundance of the classic titles released between 1946-1948.

One of the more unique things about Ride the Pink Horse is that the urban setting is gone. Instead, the action is set in a border town in New Mexico, where there is indeed danger, to be sure, but there’s also a little less pessimism among the inhabitants—unlike in the urban noirs in which everyone’s a cynic. Interestingly, one might say that the “border town noir” could be a sub-set of the broader category, for Ride the Pink Horse isn’t the only crime movie of the period set away from the big city. Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil is another good example.

Ride the Pink Horse, based on a novel by Dorothy B. Hughes, became actor Robert Montgomery’s second noir in which he both starred and directed. His first directorial effort was Lady in the Lake (also 1947), in which the actor played detective Phillip Marlowe. Here, Montgomery plays Gagin, an ex-GI, with a take-no-guff attitude but also with a subtle sense of cluelessness—he is definitely a fish out of water in “San Pablo.” His mission there is to locate a crook named Hugo (Fred Clark) to avenge the murder of Gagin’s best friend. What he thought might be a simple task turns out to be a lot more complicated, for the FBI is in town in the form of amiable Retz (Art Smith), and the Feds want Hugo, too. On his first night in town, Gagin falls in with Pancho (Thomas Gomez), a Mexican who runs a cheap merry-go-round for the kids, and Pila (Wanda Hendrix), a young woman who speaks little, but seems to know a heck of a lot about the goings-on in town. As it turns out, Gagin isn’t really the tough guy he pretended to be at the beginning. He really is in over his head, and he needs the help of his newfound Mexican friends to simply survive.

The merry-go-round could be some kind of metaphor for the film’s message—possibly that we can go round and round and still wind up where we started. On the other hand, the ride might suggest that it is a source of innocence, something to which our hero can’t return. Even if you ride the pink horse; you get the same truth on a horse of any other color.

The setting’s flavor is pleasingly captured in the stark black and white cinematography by Russell Metty, especially during the “Fiesta” sequences. One striking sequence takes place with the camera on the merry-go-round—as it goes around we see two thugs giving Pancho a beating at the side of the ride; with every revolution our glimpse of the violence is increasingly upsetting. The production design by Bernard Herzbrun and Robert Boyle, is very impressive, seeing that, ironically, the picture was filmed on the Universal lot in Hollywood and not in New Mexico.

The story, adapted by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer, is engaging enough, although Ride the Pink Horse doesn’t seem to reach the climax that is promised by the opening half-hour. Nevertheless, the performances are very good, especially that of Gomez, who, with this picture, became the first Hispanic actor to be nominated for an Oscar—Best Supporting Actor (1947).

Criterion’s new 2K digital restoration looks sharp and clean. An audio commentary by film noir historians Alain Silver and James Ursini accompanies the film. The only two extras are a new interview about the film with Imogen Sara Smith, author of In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City; and a radio adaptation starring Montgomery, Hendrix, and Gomez. The booklet contains an essay by filmmaker and writer Michael Almereyda.

Ride the Pink Horse is for film noir enthusiasts looking to get out of the city and travel somewhere a little different.

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Cinema Retro's London photographer Mark Mawston shows why he's invited to cover the "A" list events. Here, Mark shares some exceptional shots he took on the red carpet at last month's BAFTA awards.

More photos to be posted shortly!

(All photos copyright Mark Mawston. All rights reserved. Visit Mark's web site at www.markmawston.com

David Beckham

Henry Cavill, who will be seen as Napoleon Solo in the forthcoming "Man From U.N.C.L.E." feature film.

Gugu Mbatah-Raw

By Lee Pfeiffer

In the wake of unexpected critical acclaim for director Richard Lester's A Hard Day's Night in 1964, studios scrambled to emulate the success of that first feature film starring The Beatles. Over a period of a few years, many bands found themselves top-lining major feature films. Most were mindless exploitation films, a few others more ambitious in their goals. Fitting snugly into the latter category was Having a Wild Weekend (released in the UK under the title Catch Us If You Can.)  The film represents the only movie starring the Dave Clark Five, one of the more popular bands to emerge during that marvelous era in the 1960s when Great Britain shed its post WWII doldrums and came to dominate international pop culture. The band was one of many who rode the coattails of The Beatles to the top of the charts, but they had their own unique style of songs and music that resulted in some memorable hit songs that still hold up well today. At one point, the DC5 was so popular that they appeared on The Ed Sulllivan Show more than any other British band. Their feature film debut is impressive only in the sense that it afforded a young documentary maker named John Boorman the opportunity to make his feature film directorial debut. There is scant evidence that Boorman possessed the kind of unique vision that would result in Point Blank only two years later and Deliverance five years after that, but Weekend is different from most teen idol movies of the era both in terms of its visual content as well as its message. The script is also unique in that the DC5 don't appear as themselves, thus its the only film of its kind that doesn't showcase the band members playing music on screen. In fact, they don't even play musicians, but rather, stuntmen who are employed to appear in an expensive nationwide British ad campaign designed to encourage meat eating. This rather uncommercial message is prettied up by having the campaign center on a perky, sexy young blonde named Dinah (Barbara Ferris), who is an omnipresent force in London, appearing on billboards and TV ads to promote the meat industry in a fun way. The DC5 appear with her as window dressing, always in the background of the ads. During the shooting of a particularly frustrating TV commercial taping, Dinah and her boyfriend Steve (Dave Clark) engage in an abrupt act of rebellion by stealing a sports car they drive in the ad and absconding to an island that Dinah hopes to retire to. This sets in motion a massive search by the advertising agency executives that becomes a nationwide obsession. Rumors circulate that Steve has kidnapped Dinah, something that turns out to be an unexpected boon for the ad agency since it results in a great deal of free publicity for "The Meat Girl". Steve and Dinah's directionless meanderings around the island prove to be less joyful than expected. They encounter a colony of hippies but find they are as shallow as the Establishment types they are rebelling against. They also blunder into the middle of military war games in the film's zaniest and least credible sequence. Ultimately the other members of the DC5 join them but even they are being pursued by agents for the advertising agency as well as local police. Steve brings them to a farm run by a boyhood idol who he used to visit as a child only to find he has "sold out" too and is looking to use Dinah as a tourist attraction. Disillusioned, Steve and Dinah ultimately come face to face with their employers and Steve gets a downbeat life lesson on how shallow even Dinah's principals can be.

Having a Wild Weekend is a strangely humorless film with the DC5 songs rather awkwardly interwoven. Even a sequence (filmed in Bath) that depicts a massive, wild costume party doesn't deliver the amusement you might expect. However, it does offer the unique opportunity to see people dressed as Stan Laurel, the Marx Brothers and Frankenstein cavorting in the ancient Roman baths.  Dave Clark has movie star looks and admirable screen presence. He should have pursued a career as an actor. However, the other band members have scant opportunity to present themselves as individuals. This includes lead singer Mike Smith, who sang most of the group's hit songs even though Clark would lip synch to them in live appearances to appear as though he sang them on the recordings. Plot angles appear promisingly but get dropped abruptly including a potentially promising sequence in which Steve and Dinah are invited home by a middle aged couple (excellently played by Robin Bailey and Yootha Joyce) who turn out to be setting them up for some sexual swinging. Director Boorman eschews studio sets for actual locations and this gives the movie a sense of vibrancy it might otherwise have lacked. Manny Wynn's black and white cinematography does justice to the British countryside and he presents the action through some interesting camera angles.

The downbeat storyline won praise from critics at the time because it so deftly avoids emulating the ridiculously cheery productions that were generally aimed at teens. It holds up well as a curiosity and affords some nostalgic insights into a time when the counterculture movement was on the verge of exploding. The DVD presentation by the Warner Archive presents a crisp, clean transfer sans any extras. One hopes that someday, Dave Clark might be asked to participate in a special edition of the movie.

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Director Steven Spielberg has reunited with Tom Hanks for the recently-completed Cold War espionage thriller "Bridge of Spies", which tells the true story of a famous prisoner exchange that took place on a bridge in Potsdam. The intrigue involved American efforts to get back military pilot Francis Gary Powers, whose U2 spy plane had been shot down over the Soviet Union, thus giving the communists a major propaganda victory. The film will be scored by John Williams, who marks his 27th collaboration with Spielberg. For more click here. 

SECOND TAKE: ALTERNATE OPINIONS ON FILMS PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED BY CINEMA RETRO 

BY TIM GREAVES

William Castle’s Strait-Jacket was a pretty big deal for Joan Crawford. Her biggest successes lay behind her, but she was shrewd enough to understand that even a low-budget horror film was money in the bank and, with the alternative for many actresses of her age (and younger) being protracted unemployment, she put her heart and soul into it. She participated in a pre-production featurette entitled “How to Plan a Murder”, alongside director/producer (and unsurpassed gimmick maestro) William Castle and writer Robert Bloch, jovially discussing the best ways to dispose of someone on screen. And, upon its release in 1964, she toured with the film, making a number of personal appearances that drew crowds in their droves. As to her performance within, if nothing else she should be applauded for having the temerity at the age of almost 60 to play not only a character some 15 years her junior, but (in flashbacks) a character some 35 years her junior; the latter, it has to be said, she monumentally fails to pull off!

In front of her terrified little girl, Lucy Harbin (Crawford) takes an axe to her philandering husband and his lover, after which, despite protestations of her innocence, she is hauled off – in a strait-jacket, no less – to an institution for the criminally insane. Twenty years later she is deigned fit for release and goes to stay on a ranch with her brother (Leif Erickson) and his wife (Rochelle Hudson), and her own daughter (Diane Baker) who has been in their care and is now an adult on the verge of matrimony. But as Lucy struggles to exorcise the demons of her past and attempts to forge a relationship with the daughter whose growing-up she has missed, she begins to have visions of decapitated heads and bloodied axes. Is she losing her mind, or is something far more sinister going on? Suffice to say it isn’t long before the murders begin…

A touch creaky by today’s standards and riddled with some pretty clunky dialogue, it’s nevertheless easy to conceive that Strait-Jacket was fairly shocking stuff back in the day. However, it’s fair to say that it’s still a very watchable little chiller, with a tangible snifter of Psycho running through its veins. Beyond the fact it emerged from the pen of Psycho-scribe Robert Bloch and was shot in crisp black and white (which served to lessen the impact of a number of its sanguinary sins), the premise of an elderly woman with a penchant for hacking up those who cross her prowling about a remote property certainly has a ring of familiarity about it. And, as with Psycho, it’s just possible that not everything is as it first seems. Anyone familiar with the twists in 1964’s Bette Davis starrer Hush…Hush Sweet Charlotte (which, it should be noted, Strait-Jacket preceded into theatres by some 11 months) will probably cotton on to what’s going on.

The cast is strong, particularly Diane Baker as Crawford’s daughter and George Kennedy as a bad-toothed ranch-hand-turned-blackmailer (who, despite carrying an axe everywhere, may as well have “red herring” tattooed on his forehead). Watch out, too, in the opening scenes for the uncredited screen debut of Lee Majors in the role of Crawford’s so-to-be-headless hubby. But, make no mistake, this is 100% Crawford’s show, effortlessly traversing personality swings that vacillate between pitiably timid and contrite and vampishly gregarious and carefree. Proof, were it needed, that regardless of the quality of the material at hand, she always gave it her all. (For further compelling evidence on this score, check out 1970’s Trog.)

Where What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, released two years earlier, remains this writer’s favourite Joan Crawford film, for undemanding chills and spills – or simply to see the actress firing on all dramatic thrusters – they don’t come much better than Strait-Jacket. And be sure to keep your eyes peeled to the screen for the closing Columbia Pictures logo, slyly tinkered with by Castle in a wickedly comic wink that none of this stuff should be taken too seriously.

The film is available on disc as part of Sony Pictures’ Choice Collection and comes with a respectable array of supplementary goodies. Along with “Battle Axe” (an entertaining retrospective that runs just shy of 15-minutes and includes an interview with Diane Baker), there’s the vintage promo featurette mentioned at the start of this review, some 1963 Crawford wardrobe test footage, brief axe test footage (conspicuously more gruesome than anything that made it into the finished film) and a TV spot. Regrettably the transfer of the film itself is a little disappointing, the image often resembling that of an old VHS recording desperately in need of a tweak on the tracking; not a deal-breaker, but certainly worth keeping in mind.

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CLICK HERE TO READ LEE PFEIFFER'S ORIGINAL REVIEW OF "STRAIT-JACKET" 

BY LEE PFEIFFER

Although he was regarded as a comedy genius, the sad truth is that Peter Sellers was more often than not misused in big screen comedies. After making it big on British TV  and in feature films in the late 1950s, Sellers became an international sensation with his acclaimed work in big studio feature films such as "Lolita", "Dr. Strangelove", "The World of Henry Orient" and the first entries in the "Pink Panther" series. Through the mid-Sixties, he did impressive work in films like "After the Fox", "The Wrong Box" and "What's New Pussycat?" If the films weren't classics, at least they presented some of Sellers' off-the-wall ability to deliver innovative characters and comedic situations. By the late Sixties, however, his own personal demons began to get the better of him. Sellers was the epitome of the classic clown: laughing on the outside but crying on the inside. His insecurities began to affect his work habits and he became known as moody, temperamental and unreliable. Producer Charles K. Feldman was so fed up with Sellers' behavior on the set of "Casino Royale" that he fired him, even though Sellers had not yet completed pivotal scenes for the movie's climax. After this, Sellers seemed adrift. He found steady work, to be sure, but the quality was sagging. Even when he attempted to do something daring like improvise his role throughout an entire feature film in Blake Edwards' "The Party", the result was a misfire. By the mid-1970s, Sellers was struggling to regain his cinematic mojo and reluctantly agreed to re-team with Blake Edwards to revive "The Pink Panther" franchise. The two men despised each other personally but they knew that there would still be an audience for Sellers' immortal depiction of Inspector Clouseau. They were right. The revived "Panther" films did well at the boxoffice but both Sellers and Edwards got lazier with each successive film until it was clear they were simply going through the motions in search of an easy pay check. Sellers would die young at age 55 in 1980. Fortunately, his career saw at least one last triumph with his Oscar-nominated performance in Hal Ashby's 1979 classic "Being There". The film revived interest in his career and suddenly Sellers was a hot commodity again. Death cheated us from knowing if he would have successfully capitalized on the momentum. Certainly,his last credited starring role in "The Fiendish Plot of Fu Manchu" should give us pause when considering whether his new found respectability was merely a fluke.

One of Sellers' final films was "The Prisoner of Zenda", a comedy version of the classic 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope. The Sellers version came and went rather quickly and was eclipsed by the acclaim accorded him for "Being There". Universal has released "Zenda" as a burn-to-order title and in viewing the film for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable it is. The movie affords Sellers the opportunity to do what he did best: play multiple roles, as he did so brilliantly in "Dr. Strangelove". The film, set in the Victorian era, opens with the accidental demise of Rudolf IV, king of a fictitious European nation. Sellers plays the bumbling monarch, who perishes in a balloon accident. We next see Sellers as the heir to the throne, Rudolf V. He is a prissy, self-absorbed playboy who is more suited for frequenting London gambling clubs than governing a nation. He gets word that he must return home immediately to be coronated. He reluctantly agrees but evil forces are out to thwart him from taking the throne. Rudolf's younger brother Michael (Jeremy Kemp) is not about to let his bumbling ingrate of a sibling rule the country and devises a method to murder him. The plot goes awry thanks to the intervention of Sydney Frewin, a humble London Hansom cab driver, who saves Rudolf's life. Sydney is, remarkably, almost an exact double for Rudolf.  Knowing that Michael will try another assassination attempt,  Rudolf's loyal bodyguard, General Sapt (Lionel Jeffries), comes up with an audacious plan. He enlists a reluctant Sydney to pose as Rudolf while the real heir to the throne is smuggled without fanfare back to his kingdom-in-waiting. It is only after Sydney is almost assassinated himself that General Sapt comes clean about the plan and his motives. Sydney is persuaded to continue masquerading as the hapless Rudolf but before the coronation can take place, Rudolf is kidnapped by Michael and his confederates and held in a dank cell at remote Zenda prison. When the coronation day arrives, however, Michael is thwarted when Sydney appears in the guise of Rudolf and is crowned king. Realizing that a charade is taking place because the real Rudolf is a prisoner, Michael and his conspirators engage in elaborate and increasingly ambitious plans to kill both Sydney and the real king. 

The film, which was shot in Austria, features some lush landscapes and impressive  costumes and production designs. Director Richard Quine gets a far more inspired performance from Sellers than his frequent collaborator Blake Edwards had been able to get, at least since Sellers'  in "The Party"  a full decade before. Sellers' Sydney is a refreshingly normal man, not prone to being courageous and also not prone to make bumbling errors. In fact, he's downright quick-thinking when trouble arises. Sellers plays him with a Cockney accent and invests in the character some admirable traits. As Rudolf, Sellers reverts to one of his more traditional impersonations. The would-be monarch is very much a boob, as well as a self-centered elitist. As is the norm with a Sellers creation, Rudolf has a notable eccentricity: he suffers from a speech impediment that makes him sound like Elmer Fudd. Yet, Sellers ultimately manages to convey some admirable qualities in him especially in the zany, chase-filled finale in which both characters get to engage in some derring-do. The movie has an impressive supporting cast topped by Sellers' "Shot in the Dark" co-star Elke Sommer. There are deft comedic turns by Lionel Jeffries, Jeremy Kemp, Norman Rossington, Simon Williams and Stuart Wilson.  Gregory Sierra is especially funny as an insulted Count who thinks the new king is carrying on with his wife. His numerous attempts to kill the monarch are the stuff of slapstick but are nonetheless consistently amusing. Sellers' real-life wife Lynne Frederick and Catherine Schell provide additional sex appeal and Sellers' "Pink Panther" co-star Graham Stark also turns up in a bit role. Henry Mancini provides a sweeping and highly enjoyable musical score. 

The film is very funny throughout and Sellers is in top form. Unlike most of the gross-out comedies released today, "The Prisoner of Zenda" has a quaint sweetness about it and it's perfect for family viewing.  It's a truly underrated gem from the latter part of Sellers' career.   

The film is available through the Universal Vault's burn-to-order DVD line.  

“CAUTION:  WRECKED LIFE AHEAD”

By Raymond Benson

There have been a lot of movies about adultery and the ultimate havoc it can cause. More recent titles would include the likes of Fatal Attraction or Unfaithful. Some of them have a happy ending, others not; however, there is always a moral to these tales: Don’t do it unless you want to wreck your life.

Still riding the crest of the French New Wave, François Truffaut followed his huge 1962 success, the delightful Jules and Jim, with his fourth feature, the unexpectedly somber drama, The Soft Skin. In fact, it shares elements with the thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock. Truffaut presents us with the cautionary story of a successful and respected publisher and writer (Jean Desailly) who meets and begins an affair with a flight attendant (Françoise Dorléac). The man is also married with a young daughter. The development of the tale emphasizes the danger involved in embarking on such an act. How do you keep it a secret when you’re well known? How do you manage to live the double life and deceive your wife? Truffaut directs the piece as if it were indeed a crime drama. The suspense comes in watching Desailly dig a hole so deep that he can’t get out of it. And then the violent ending—well, let’s just say it’s a shocker.

During the period between Jules and Jim and the making of The Soft Skin, Truffaut had collaborated with Hitchcock on the landmark interview book Hitchcock/Truffaut, so it’s not surprising that the French director was influenced by the master of suspense. A video essay extra on the disc by filmmaker and critic Kent Jones examines these traits and the many ways filmmakers can be influenced in general ways by other artists. The Soft Skin could very well work with a Bernard Herrmann score, but instead Georges Delerue delivers an appropriately melancholic and tragic soundtrack that fits beautifully with the events unfolding before us.

Desailly is very good as a man blinded by lust but bound by social convention. Dorléac, who was the elder sister of Catherine Deneuve, is, of course, gorgeous, and Truffaut’s cinematographer Raoul Coutard allows the camera to lovingly dwell on her. Ironically, Truffaut left his own wife after the completion of The Soft Skin and began dating Dorléac. Dorléac was an actress on the same professional trajectory as her sister when her life was cut short in a disastrous automobile accident in France in 1967. One can only imagine how Dorléac’s career might have blossomed and how she would have aged along with Deneuve. Like her sister, Dorléac would have been a timeless beauty.

The Soft Skin may not be one of Truffaut’s masterworks, but it is one of his more solid efforts that was perhaps not sufficiently appreciated at the time of its release. It is, in fact, a sincere, atmospheric, and wistfully sad drama about the many ways that love can cause terrible pain. The picture’s warning to would-be adulterers is quite clear—don’t do it.

Criterion’s new high-definition digital restoration beautifully shows off Coutard’s sharp black and white imagery. Interestingly, a few New Wave traits—freeze frames and jump cuts—still linger in Truffaut’s work in ’64.

Other extras include the excellent 1999 documentary Monsieur Truffaut Meets Mr. Hitchcock, about the historic interviews conducted for Truffaut’s book; an interview with Truffaut from 1965 about the film; and an audio commentary by screenwriter Jean-Louis Richard and Truffaut scholar Serge Toubiana.

The Soft Skin reveals a different side of Truffaut than you may be accustomed to. Check it out.

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Ford's WWII-era private plane in the aftermath of today's crash.

Iconic actor Harrison Ford has been injured in a private plane crash this afternoon. Ford, an experienced pilot, was flying his WWII-era plane when it crashed on a Los Angeles golf course this afternoon. Ford had been at the wheel of the plane and there were no other passengers. Witnesses said Ford suffered injuries and was bloodied. He was transported to a local hospital where he has been reportedly  listed in critical condition. The story is developing...Details often change as more facts are known, but this is what is being reported by TMZ and NBC News. For more click here.  

A STUDY IN SCARLET

By Raymond Benson

Red is the dominant force in Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now, a magnificently rendered drama about psychic premonition, death, and grief. Some would say it’s a horror film, and indeed it is truly creepy and atmospheric in the way most good ghost stories are presented.

Those familiar with Roeg’s work will recognize his signature arty editing and striking eye for composition. He began his career in cinema as a cinematographer (he worked on Lawrence of Arabia, The Masque of the Red Death, Fahrenheit 451, Casino Royale (’67), Far from the Madding Crowd, among many others) before venturing into directing. After co-directing Performance (1970) and helming Walkabout (1971) solo, he delivered what could very well be his masterpiece in Don’t Look Now.

Starring Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland as a married couple that loses a child in a drowning accident at the beginning of the story, Roeg’s picture examines how their grief is at first somewhat overcome by their own strong love for each other, but is then exploited by seemingly predestined tragedy. The setting of Venice is picturesque and beautiful, but at the same time dark and foreboding in its labyrinth of canals, narrow streets and alleys, and decaying architecture. When the couple begins to see a “child” wearing the same red slicker that their daughter was wearing when she drowned, things become very strange—especially after they meet a blind psychic woman who tells Christie that her daughter is still with them.

The editing screams of 1970s art house fare, but it still works. Of note is that sex scene, often called the most erotic sex scene in cinema history and one that has been plagued by rumors that Sutherland and Christie really “did it” in front of the camera (the rumors are NOT true). The editing cuts back and forth from the nude couple in bed to them getting dressed to go out, which is striking in its uniqueness and originality. Actually, it’s not a sex scene, but rather a real love scene—for I can’t think of another picture in which the love between a married man and woman is displayed so honestly. Kudos to both actors for the trust they obviously had in each other.

Pino Donaggio’s score adds a haunting poignancy to the proceedings, and cinematographer Anthony Richmond paints the imagery with a deft eye for color...and there’s that ever-sinister RED that keeps popping up with a multitude of meanings. Roeg’s direction is much more than an exercise in style, and the truthful performances by Christie and Sutherland elevate the film to greatness.

Criterion’s new 4K digital restoration (approved by Roeg himself, now in his eighties) is first class. Extras include a new documentary featuring interviews with Christie, Sutherland, Richmond, and co-screenwriter Allan Scott; interviews with Steven Soderbergh and Danny Boyle on Roeg’s work; a Q&A with Roeg from 2003; a new conversation between editor Graeme Clifford and film historian Bobbie O’Steen; a 2002 documentary on the making of the film; and a 2006 interview with composer Donaggio.

Don’t Look Now is arguably not only one of the finest British films of the 70s—it’s one of the greatest British films ever. Don’t Miss It.

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CRITERION BONUS REVIEW:

“A DAY IN THE COUNTRY” (1936—but released 1946; Directed by Jean Renoir)

The Criterion Collection has released A Day in the Country, Jean Renoir’s short film (40 minutes) that was shot in 1936, abandoned as unfinished, and then edited and released by its producer ten years later without Renoir’s involvement. Based on a short story by Guy de Maupassant, the picture is a light tale about a Parisian family that decides to spend an afternoon in the country—only to have the wife and daughter wooed by two randy countrymen.

Renoir fans will certainly want to check this out, but in my opinion, when compared to Renoir’s great works such as Grand Illusion or The Rules of the Game, this is fluff. More interesting are the extras, which include a90-minute compilation of outtakes from the film and footage that shows Renoir at work. This is exceptional stuff and worth the price of admission.

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Iconic Hammer actresses Martine Beswick, Veronica Carlson and Caroline Munro. (All photos copyright Adrian Smith. All rights reserved.)

RETRO-ACTIVE: THE BEST FROM CINEMA RETRO'S ARCHIVES

(The following article was originally run in November, 2014)  

BY ADRIAN SMITH 

With around sixty special guests in attendance, the Westminster Central Hall on Saturday the 7th of November was packed to its domed roof with excited Hammer film fans.

Familiar faces including Caroline Munro, Valerie Leon, Madeline Smith and Martine Beswick were providing some glamour, but the organisers managed to make the event extra-memorable by securing the presence of Edina Ronay, George Cole, Freddie Jones and others who had not signed autographs at a fan event before. At times queues to meet them ran out of the building and down the street! Other rare UK appearances were made from Veronica Carlson and Linda Hayden, flown in from the US to meet their fans. It was an incredible opportunity to meet an amazing selection of Hammer stars, directors and producers.

A huge selection of original Hammer film memorabilia was also available courtesy of the brilliantly eclectic stalls around the hall. Prices ranged from the eye-watering (£250 for an original poster!) to the affordable, with hard-to-find DVDs, magazines, novels, t-shirts and more on offer. Between browsing fascinating lobby-card sets and collecting autographed photos, I'm sure several fans had to make more than one trip to the nearest cash machine.

As if this alone did not make this a must-see event, there was also a busy schedule of events throughout the day overseen by genre scholars Jonathon Rigby and Sir Christopher Frayling. Peter Cushing's personal secretary Joyce Broughton tearfully shared her feelings of this much-loved actor (who was praised throughout the day by many who knew him). Joyce said that she would never reveal the location of Cushing's ashes, as he requested that his last resting place not become a shrine.

Lalla Ward and Robert Tayman, the latter also attending a fan event for the first time, discussed their experiences making Vampire Circus (1972). For Lalla it was her first film role following acting school. Robert's sense of humour was the driest and most sardonic of the day and he was clearly enjoying the opportunity to talk about his role as Count Mitterhaus.

Barbara Shelley

Barbara Shelley made a lot of films for Hammer, from their WWII prison-camp dramas to Quatermass and the Pit (1967). She revealed that she had swallowed one of her vampire teeth during a scene on Dracula - Prince of Darkness (1965)! She also expressed her gratitude to Hammer film fans for making her feel so good, and revealed that co-star Julian Glover referred to the film as "Quater-piss on the Mat" because of the smell of rank clay on the set!

A Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell (1974) reunion saw Dave Prowse meeting up with Shane Briant, Madeline Smith and Philip Voss. Although in poor health, and beginning with an admission that his memory is causing him problems, Prowse was in good form and enjoyed talking about his playing Frankenstein's monster for the second time in a Hammer film.

Shne Briant, Sir Christopher Frayling, Philip Voss, Madeline Smith and David Prowse.

Hungarian director Peter Sasdy made three films for Hammer including Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) and was very detailed in his discussion of the directing process. Beginning his career in television, he had brought a new look to the Hammer gothics with his take on Dracula, and continued that with Countess Dracula and Hands of the Ripper (both 1971), all rather unique entries in Hammer's late horror films.

Finally event organiser Thomas Bowington was joined onstage by Caroline Munro, Veronica Carlson and Martine Beswick, all three of whom were entertaining and honest in discussing their time with Hammer. Martine shared the problems she had experienced on Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971) when demands came through for her to appear completely nude, Veronica praised Freddie Francis, her director on Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1868), and Caroline never has a bad word to say about anyone, even when she was left buried in a hole in the ground during a rain storm whilst everyone else took a tea break during the shooting of Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972).

Robert Tayman, Lalla Ward and Jonathon Rigby.

As the distance between classic Hammer and the 21st century continues to increase, eventsof this scale are unlikely to happen again. The good news however is that The London Film Convention holds six events a year in Westminster! 

For information on forthcoming events go to http://www.londonfilmconvention.co.uk/index.html

In an informative article for The Daily Beast web site, writer Kevin Fallon looks back at the legacy of  the legendary movie musical "The Sound of Music", which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Although the film is widely regarded as a classic today, Fallon points out that initial major press reviews indicated the film was not one of the critic's favorite things. The movie was panned as being syrupy and even absurd, with one critic stating that Captain Von Trapp's revulsion at discovering his children are wearing clothing made from curtains was treated with the same level of crisis as the Nazi annexation of Austria. About the only element of the production to win grudging respect from critics was the lively performance of Julie Andrews. Yet, the film became a boxoffice blockbuster, running for months- and in some cases, years- in the same theaters. It was probably the first major movie to prove to be invulnerable to otherwise overwhelmingly negative reviews. Today, critical consensus is quite different. Everyone would concede the film is saccharine sweet and simplifies, not only the real life story of the Von Trapps, but history itself. Nevertheless, it seems hard to believe that critics of the day were seemingly immune to the greatness of the Rodgers and Hammerstein score, if nothing else. Click here to read. 

Director John Sturges' classic 1960 Western "The Magnificent Seven" will be remade as a big screen MGM Western by director Antoine Fuqua. Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke and Haley Bennett are the first cast members to be announced.  The original film was based on another classic, director Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai". For decades, MGM has been trying to launch a remake of the film but the closest the studio came was with a moderately successful TV series. At various times, names like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Cruise had been linked to remakes that never bore fruit. The first movie spawned three big screen sequels between 1966 and 1972. At the time it premiered, the only big name stars in the cast were Yul Brynner and Eli Wallach. However, the success of the movie helped launch supporting actors Steve McQueen,  Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn and James Coburn to full-fledged leading man status. German actor Horst Bucholz also went on to a very successful career. The remaining major cast member, Brad Dexter, became a film producer. For more click here. 

Thanks to Cinema Retro contributor Hank Reineke, who provided this scan of the 1972 James Bond TRIPLE feature that consisted of "Dr. No", "From Russia With Love" and "Goldfinger". Those were the days....This ad is from the now-deceased State Theatre in Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ.  Below is the U.S. one sheet poster made for the triple feature.