My Favorite Films Of The First Quarter Century

 

The fact that we are now a quarter way through the 21st Century already is rather disconcerting, but it gives me an excuse to make up another list. 

These are my favorite films from 2001 to the present. I base my choices on my own personal preferences--they have nothing to do with popularity, awards, box office, politics, trendiness, etc. I'm sure I've overlooked a few titles. It's not like I spent hours and hours doing research on this....it's merely meant to be entertaining. 

And yes, every so often I actually do watch movies made in the 21st Century.....and I usually wind up being more disappointed than inspired. The list is in no particular order. 

THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy 

KILL BILL (Volumes One and Two)

BATMAN BEGINS

ROGUE ONE

SHIN GODZILLA

GODZILLA MINUS ONE

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

CASINO ROYALE

WATCHMEN

PACIFIC RIM

BLADE RUNNER 2049

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

ENNIO

DUNKIRK

DUNE (Parts One and Two)

GANGS OF NEW YORK 

HELL'S ANGELS On Blu-ray From Criterion

 

The 1930 WWI aviation spectacular HELL'S ANGELS, produced and directed by the legendary Howard Hughes, gets the special-edition Criterion treatment. 

Most people today know about HELL'S ANGELS from watching Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic THE AVIATOR. But Scorsese's film only scratched the surface when it came to documenting the mammoth production history of Hughes' dream project. HELL'S ANGELS started out as a silent feature, but during the long shooting schedule Hughes reworked the story into a talkie, recast the leading female role, and even added in a color sequence. All the while, Hughes spent plenty of time (and money) on numerous flying stunts and sequences that had never been attempted before, and probably never will again. 

The result is a curious mix of incredible aerial feats and clunky dialogue scenes (with some excellent practical effects thrown in). The movie truly does soar when it takes to the air--but on the ground it betrays its early talkie origins. 

The two underwhelming leading men of HELL'S ANGELS are Ben Lyon and James Hall as brothers Monte and Roy, who join the British air force at the outbreak of the Great War. Monte (Lyon) is weak and irresponsible, while Roy (Hall) is a stuffed-shirt type. Lyon and Hall are not the most dynamic actors, and their characters are not very engaging. Both men get overshadowed by the very young Jean Harlow in her breakthrough role. Harlow is supposed to be playing an upper-class Englishwoman of the late teens, but she's really nothing more than sexy Roaring Twenties eye candy. Harlow has plenty of screen presence, but she's even more awkward in the dialogue sequences than Lyon and Hall are, and she doesn't actually have a lot of screen time. (Harlow was only 18 when she essayed this role, and Marian Marsh, who has a cameo as a girl trying to entice men to sign up for the war, was even younger than that.) 

Some may watch HELL'S ANGELS for Harlow, but it's the flying sequences that make this film memorable, with a nighttime attack on a zeppelin and a behind-the-lines bombing of a German ammunition dump. Howard Hughes was a technological innovator, and he was determined to use sound to make his film as cutting-edge as possible, but I think he would have been better off to have kept the audio of the planes & battles while going the silent route with the dialogue scenes. (James Whale, at the very beginning of his Hollywood career, worked on those dialogue scenes, but one gets the sense he wasn't able to do what he wanted with them, and he didn't like Jean Harlow at all.) 

Criterion presents HELL'S ANGELS in a "Magnascope" version, with most of the film in a standard 1.37:1 aspect ratio, while the action sequences are in 1.54:1. The movie is uncut, with certain scenes tinted and a special color sequence where one realizes Jean Harlow truly was a platinum blonde. 

The extras include a short program with Robert Legato, the FX supervisor on THE AVIATOR, who discusses the visuals of HELL'S ANGELS. Farran Smith Nehme narrates a concise and excellent half-hour mini-bio of Jean Harlow, while about five minutes of outtakes from the film are shown with commentary by Harlow biographer David Stenn (Howard Hughes himself appears in this footage). As usual with Criterion releases, this disc comes with a booklet essay. Written by Fred Kaplan, the author states that HELL'S ANGELS was much more cynical than the other WWI epics made up to that time. 

What is sorely missing on this HELL'S ANGELS Blu-ray is an audio commentary. The making of this film is at times more fascinating than what is actually in it. One can only wonder what the silent version of this film could have been, with Greta Nissen playing Harlow's part and Thelma Todd even making an appearance. Plenty of urban legends have sprung up over HELL'S ANGELS, but even with its mediocre talkie sequences the aerial scenes alone make it an amazing achievement from Howard Hughes, one of the most fascinating figures of the 20th Century. 

THE HOT HEIRESS

 

The main reason I watched this very strange and silly Pre-Code comedy is that Thelma Todd appears in it. Unfortunately Todd doesn't get much to do, as she plays the best friend of the leading lady. 

THE HOT HEIRESS refers to Juliette (Ona Munson), a young socialite who enjoys sleeping during the day in her swanky apartment. While she is doing this, a riveter working across the street named "Hap" Harrigan (Ben Lyon) ogles her through a window, and likes what he sees. A red-hot rivet happens to go through that window, and Hap comes to Juliette's rescue (a unique way of "meeting cute"). Juliette (inexplicably) falls for Hap, and as the two grow closer, they plan to be married. Their different social stations, and Juliette's family, are major barriers, but all comes out right in the end. 

THE HOT HEIRESS is proof that not all Pre-Codes are provocative and intriguing. It's a dopey story, blandly directed by one Clarence G. Badger (who I know nothing about). Ona Munson, the future Belle Watling of GONE WITH THE WIND, is cute enough, but her character isn't particularly interesting, and neither is Ben Lyon. One gets the feeling that rich Juliette is attracted to regular guy Hap mainly because she isn't supposed to. 

The rich girl--poor guy element of the plot is very predictable. The only thing that stands out about it this time is that Juliette at the end goes to great lengths to win Hap (usually it's the male that does that in a classic Hollywood movie instead of the female). There are a couple songs forced into the story that were written by Rodgers & Hart, but they don't make much of an impression. 

Ona Munson and Thelma Todd in THE HOT HEIRESS

Tom Dugan plays a fellow riveter, and Inez Courtney (who was a friend of Thelma Todd in real life) is her girl. The two of them are Hap's pals, and they make plenty of trouble for him as he tries to woo Juliette. Hap and his friends get invited to a ritzy party at Juliette's family manor, and, as expected, they act as lower class as possible. A very young Walter Pidgeon plays Juliette's snobby former beau, and the ubiquitous Holmes Herbert is Juliette's father. 

Other than seeing Juliette in her lingerie, and in a bathtub, there really aren't any Pre-Code type moments that stick out in THE HOT HEIRESS. Thelma Todd fans will be distinctly disappointed--she barely has any screen time, even though she still shows more charisma than most of the cast. 

ALRAUNE (1928) On Blu-ray From Deaf Crocodile

 

The 1928 German silent ALRAUNE is the beneficiary of a fine restoration and a proper Region A Blu-ray release due to the folks at Deaf Crocodile, as part of their Henrik Galeen set. 

Henrik Galeen was a writer, director, and actor during the Golden Age of German Expressionist cinema in the 1920s, and ALRAUNE is one of his more notable works. Galeen directed the movie and adapted the screenplay from a novel by Hanns Heinz Ewers. 

The story of ALRAUNE deals with Professor ten Brinken (Paul Wegener), who, through artificial insemination between a prostitute and a convicted murderer, creates a female he names "Alraune"--the German word for mandrake. The Professor adopts the girl, and sends her off to be raised in a convent. Alraune (Brigitte Helm) grows into a rebellious troublemaker, and she runs away from the convent to literally join a circus. She also inflames the passions of many men along the way. The Professor tracks her down, and takes her away to Italy, where the two of them live in luxury and comfort. It appears that Alraune will become an upper-class lady, but the jealous Professor refuses to let her marry a handsome nobleman. Alraune finds out about her bizarre background, and she proceeds to seduce the Professor and bring misfortune upon him. 

The novel on which ALRAUNE was based (and which I have not read) was considered one of the most scandalous ever written at the time, and while experts say the film doesn't live up to it, the adaptation is lurid enough as it is. The very idea of the Professor creating his own "being" through the use of such notorious means is rather cringe-inducing. It appears that the Professor is trying to discover if a person's makeup is influenced by heredity or environment, but there's also a strong hint that the middle-aged ten Brinken (who is played by an actor who has the demeanor of a mad scientist) wants Alraune all to himself. 

Brigitte Helm and Paul Wegener in the 1928 version of ALRAUNE

One can easily see why the men in this movie would be enraptured by Alraune--Brigitte Helm gives another of her eerily sexy vamp performances. Helm goes from mischievous girl to deadly seductress in a flash, and one never quite knows what her Alraune is going to do next. Helm once again shows off her captivating screen presence--the actress herself wasn't too keen on playing femme fatale roles, but she was brilliant when she did them. 

Due to my fascination with Brigitte Helm, I had watched the 1928 version of ALRAUNE on YouTube a couple times, but the versions available for viewing were in bad condition, and they had a number of scenes missing. Deaf Crocodile's restored version on this Blu-ray is a very sharp looking transfer with proper tinting and intertitles. Even though there is still a sequence missing (which is represented by a still photo and a text description) the Deaf Crocodile version runs about 130 minutes....and yes, there are times when the story drags a bit. When it came to directing, Henrik Galeen was no Fritz Lang. Galeen was more interested in mood and ambiance than in pace or rhythm, and ALRAUNE is at its most striking when Brigitte Helm is in full vamp mode. 

ALRAUNE receives its own disc in Deaf Crocodile's Henrik Galeen set, and the extras on it include a snippet of a German film called DANGEROUS PATHS, which has footage of Henrik Galeen as an actor (from this footage Galeen appears to have been a burly Edward Arnold-type). There is also an interview with Stefan Drossler of the Filmmuseum Munchen, who was instrumental in the restoration of ALRAUNE. The interview is with Deaf Crocodile's Dennis Bartok, and it is in two parts, with an overall running time of over 90 minutes. The first part Drossler spends most of the time talking about his film archival work, and it isn't until the second part that he discusses ALRAUNE and THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE, but not as much as one would think. Drossler does make a rather interesting statement that sometimes silent film restorations are overly good-looking. 

A new audio commentary is included, by silent film expert Jan-Christopher Horak. He gives out plenty of info about the film and the people involved in it, but Horak has a very dry delivery and at times it sounds as if he is reciting from a book report. 

This is a great release from Deaf Crocodile, mainly due to the fact that it gives Brigitte Helm a major showcase of her talents for English-speaking audiences. ALRAUNE will probably be a bit too weird for most, even for silent movie buffs, but Helm is definitely worth watching, and you get the bonus of the Golem himself, Paul Wegener. I'll be writing a blog post on the Deaf Crocodile version of the 1926 THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE in the future. 

GERMAN SILENT RARITIES FROM DIRECTOR HENRIK GALEEN On Blu-ray From Deaf Crocodile

 

A company known as Deaf Crocodile has released a two-disc Blu-ray set containing a pair of rare (and restored) cult German silent films directed by Henrik Galeen, the man who wrote the script for the original NOSFERATU. The two films are THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE (1926) and ALRAUNE (1928). 

Both films have been restored by the Filmmuseum Munchen in Germany, and they both feature brand new music scores. The films also have proper intertitles inserted, along with tinting and English subtitles. There are plenty of substandard versions of THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE and ALRAUNE online, but the presentations on this Blu-ray set run about 130 minutes each, and they are far better-looking. 

ALRAUNE is based on a notorious novel by Hanns Heinz Ewers. A haughty scientist (played by the Golem himself, Paul Wegener) uses artificial insemination between a prostitute and a executed murderer to create a dangerously seductive woman (Brigitte Helm). Needless to say, this woman, called Alraune, causes plenty of problems. THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE is actually a remake of a 1913 film which was also written by Hanns Heinz Ewers, and also starred Paul Wegener. The 1926 version stars Conrad Veidt as Balduin, a student who despairs over not being wealthy. A mysterious moneylender named Scapinelli (Werner Krauss) provides Balduin with a fortune--but in return, the student must give up his reflection. Balduin starts to live the good life, but his lost reflection comes back to haunt him. 

This limited-edition special version of the release comes in a slipcase that has original artwork for both films on each side (see pictures above). The disc case has a two-sided sleeve which features vintage artwork for each movie, and each title gets its own disc. 

Included in the limited edition is an 80-page illustrated booklet, which contains reprints of articles written in the 1920s by Henrik Galeen, Hanns Heinz Ewers, and various critics. It also has sketches on the very unusual personal lives of Galeen and Ewers, and discussions on both of the films in the set. 

The two discs are Region A, and they each have audio commentaries by Jan-Christopher Horak. Each disc also has a two-part interview with film archivist Stefan Drossler of the Filmmuseum Munchen, the man behind the restorations of ALRAUNE and THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE, and an excerpt from a 1924 German film called DANGEROUS PATHS, in which Henrik Galeen appeared as an actor. In the future I will be writing blog posts on each movie in this set, and I will go into greater detail about the extras. (A regular edition of this set is available from Deaf Crocodile.) 

This is the first time I've purchased anything from Deaf Crocodile, and I was suitably impressed with this set. I've been fascinated by German silent cinema since I first saw METROPOLIS decades ago, and this set is made for folks like me. It contains a lineup of German Expressionist All-Stars, and it features two films that desperately needed to be restored and given a major release on North American home video. I hope Deaf Crocodile has more German silent movie releases planned in the future--particularly anything that stars Brigitte Helm. This release gets my highest recommendation for silent movie buffs. 

Book Review: MAKING A BRIDGE TOO FAR

 

A few years ago I wrote a glowing review of a book titled WATERLOO--MAKING AN EPIC, a massive tome that dealt with the production of WATERLOO, a large-scale historical epic film released in 1970. The author, Simon Lewis, has now written another "making of" volume dealing with another big-budget high-end war movie--MAKING A BRIDGE TOO FAR, released in 1977. 

A BRIDGE TOO FAR was one of the very last expensive all-star blockbusters set during World War II. Producer Joseph E. Levine was determined to make a film based on historian Cornelius Ryan's expansive book detailing Operation Market Garden, the flawed 1944 plan to make a quick thrust into Germany by seizing a number of bridges behind enemy lines in Holland. Levine secured the services of esteemed actor-filmmaker Richard Attenborough to direct the project, and he also signed up 14 different international stars. The movie was filmed in the Netherlands during a very hot summer in 1976. 

Simon Lewis gives a complete look at the entire production of the film, detailing all of the integral aspects of it in a concise and effective manner. The author has plenty to cover, but he does it very well--even someone who is not a major film buff will understand and appreciate all the various steps taken to make a story that had numerous complicated and challenging elements to it. A BRIDGE TOO FAR was not an easy shoot by any means, and this book is at its best when it delves into the "grunt work" that happens behind the scenes. For all the famous actors and department heads, there are hundreds of regular folks doing their best to make a recreation of a controversial military event seem real, dramatic, and engaging. Lewis shines a spotlight on many of these folks. 

Lewis also provides plenty of detail about a group of young British actors who became known as the "A.P.A."--Attenborough's Private Army. This group was given some basic military training, and they filled out the roles of various background soldiers and even German troops during most of the scenes. 

The author does give insight into the major stars of the film, such as Sean Connery, Laurence Olivier, and Michael Caine, and there are a few gossipy anecdotes, but MAKING A BRIDGE TOO FAR isn't a celebrity-centered tell-all. The book's main themes are the collaborative (and often frustrating) aspects of big-budget film making, and the fine line between showing historical accuracy and making an entertaining and dramatic story. What made A BRIDGE TOO FAR different than most WWII films is that many of the top officers that were involved in Operation Market Garden were advisers on the set, and at times they disagreed with how events were staged. 

Another thing that makes A BRIDGE TOO FAR stick out from other WWII movies is that it details an operation that did not succeed. This may have affected how the movie was viewed by audiences and critics when it was released in 1977. The film made a decent amount of money, but it wasn't a box-office sensation, and for a while it wasn't looked upon as one of the better WWII epics. 

Lewis also examines the movie's reception during its original release, and he maintains that the film has managed to stand the test of time as a riveting and monumental production. I must admit that my appreciation for A BRIDGE TOO FAR has grown over the years. Some of the individual sequences are quite stunning, especially the recreation of the massive Allied paratroop drop. In an age of over-reliance on cartoonish CGI and over the top editing effects, Richard Attenboough's understated direction and the movie's top-notch practical effects and battle sequences go a long way. Simon Lewis makes the case with MAKING A BRIDGE TOO FAR that Joseph Lewis and Attenborough created a great WWII spectacular, and, in probably the best compliment I can give to the book, made me want to see the movie all over again. 

THE BLACK WATCH

 

THE BLACK WATCH (1929) is director John Ford's first sound feature. I was enticed to seek it out after reading about it in the book JOHN FORD AT WORK, which I wrote a blog post on a week ago. 

THE BLACK WATCH is an Imperial Britain adventure story, taking place in 1914. The Great War has just broken out, and Captain Donald King (Victor McLaglen) is looking forward to going to France with the rest of his Scottish regiment, the Black Watch. However, King is sent out on a secret mission to India (the captain grew up in that country, and is familiar with its ways and culture). King isn't happy about not being able to fight with his regiment, and it doesn't help that in order to cover up his assignment, he is to pose as a drunken wastrel. King's mission is to infiltrate a band of renegade tribesmen who have fallen under the spell of a mysterious and beautiful young woman named Yasmani (Myrna Loy). The tribesmen look upon Yasmani as a goddess. King and Yasmani fall for one another, but the soldier is sworn to do his duty, no matter what. 

The JOHN FORD AT WORK book points out how innovative Ford was at using sound in THE BLACK WATCH. In the first part of the film, we hear bagpipes playing, regimental songs being sung, soldiers marching past cheering crowds, background noise, and a Muslim call to prayer. All these various sounds come off very distinct and clear--it appears Ford (and Fox Studios) wanted the audience to experience and appreciate the audio right from the start. 

It is during the dialogue scenes that THE BLACK WATCH reveals its early talkie status. When characters start to talk to one another, the story comes to a screeching halt. Most of the dialogue is recited verrrryyyy slowly, and there are plenty of clunky line readings. According to multiple John Ford biographies, Fox Studios had Lumsden Hare, a British actor who plays an officer in the film, supervise a number of dialogue scenes, particularly those involving Victor McLaglen and Myrna Loy. John Ford had nothing to do with these scenes, and it shows--they are very stilted and awkward. 

Ford and his cinematographer, Joseph August, did provide many atmospheric and expressionistic shot compositions, and they gave Myrna Loy some very exquisite close-ups. If all the music and background & incidental noise had been left in, and the dialogue muted out, THE BLACK WATCH would have been much better. 

Putting aside the sound issues, the plot of THE BLACK WATCH has plenty of problems as well. Once Captain King gets to India and begins his mission, the story goes off into fantasyland, as King unconvincingly woos Yasmani, and joins up with her band. King is led to the band's stronghold, an underground temple that resembles something one would see in an Indiana Jones movie. The temple is filled with sword & gun wielding militants, yet King, and a few companions, are able to take them down. 

If that's hard to believe, it's even harder to accept that a large group of fanatical Muslim tribesmen would be under the sway of a young woman. And it's even harder to accept that King and Yasmani would be attracted to each other. Victor McLaglen isn't exactly a dashing romantic hero--he's more the guy who would be best friends with the dashing romantic hero. John Ford would later learn how to use McLaglen properly--here the actor doesn't get any comedic moments, and he's too stiff and formal. Myrna Loy plays one of the many foreign temptress roles she got stuck in before she achieved mainstream success, and while she's gorgeous, she speaks so slowly it's as if she's in some sort of trance. (She even whips out a crystal ball at one point, to show King what his regiment is going through in France.) During the climax Yasmani reveals that she is white....and that she's a direct descendant of Alexander the Great!! (Apparently this was done to make it "okay" that King and Yasmani could have a relationship.) This wild revelation doesn't help Yasmani's fate. 

Info on THE BLACK WATCH states that John Wayne and Randolph Scott were extras in this film, but I didn't notice them, despite the fact that the version of the movie I viewed on YouTube was clear and sharp looking. 

John Ford fans will be more interested in seeing THE BLACK WATCH, especially with it being his first sound film. Viewing the movie one can see that it took Ford a bit before he achieved the proper rhythm for sound dialogue--but then again, that could be said for most film directors of the period. The story is reminiscent of better features such as THE FOUR FEATHERS and GUNGA DIN, but overall THE BLACK WATCH is basically a curio. 

THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH On Blu-ray From Vinegar Syndrome

 

I was seriously considering titling this post "What would you pay to see Hazel Court naked??", but I thought that would be in bad taste. It does have to be stated, however, that the main selling point of this new 4K/Blu-ray release of a Hammer movie that already has been the subject of multiple HD versions is the fact that it contains shots of Hazel Court topless, shots that were considered lost for years. These shots have had a legendary reputation among Hammer geeks, so much so they have overshadowed the actual film itself. 

There's more than just the topless shots in this new restoration--the fiery climax is extended a bit, giving more exposure to the extreme old-age makeup sported by lead character Georges Bonnet, an effect that I must say is underwhelming. 

Vinegar Syndrome presents two versions of THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH on this special release: an uncensored version and a "Continental" version with the topless shots (which are very brief). This release has two discs, a 4K and a Blu-ray, and each disc contains both versions, with the Blu-ray having all the extras. 

The disc case states that THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH has been scanned and restored from 35mm camera negatives, and even though I just own a Blu-ray player, I have to say that this is one of the best Hammer transfers I've seen. It's much more colorful and sharper than the Kino Blu-ray of the movie that came out a few years ago, and it proves that the real stars of the film are cinematographer Jack Asher and production designer Bernard Robinson. 

Unfortunately despite the magnificent visuals, and more of the lovely Hazel, the story is still too talky and static, and Anton Diffring as Georges Bonnet, a man who has scientifically discovered how to live forever, is cold and not very interesting. THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH was based on a play (something the extras for this release remind one over and over again), and it feels like a stage production instead of an all-out Hammer Gothic. 

Vinegar Syndrome has given this release some exclusive packaging, such as a special case and a disc case slipcover with movie-inspired artwork. 

The extras include a program in which English Gothic expert Jonathan Rigby talks about THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH for about a half hour (ironically Rigby also was on an extra for the Kino Blu-ray of this title). Rigby mentions how the movie was developed, and why it isn't as well-remembered as the other Hammer horrors. Another program has Vic Pratt discussing Terence Fisher, and he basically mentions the typical Fisher attributes: he was a modest man, he was an efficient filmmaker, he was more interested in substance rather than style, etc. Melanie Williams provides a mini-bio of actress Hazel Court, specifically pointing out that Court had been acting onscreen for almost a decade before she started working for Hammer, and that the British film industry didn't seem to know what to do with her. (By the way, with the latest releases of THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN and THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH, Court has been the beneficiary of two excellent restorations--she looks stunning in both of them.) 

There's also a very short interview with Hugh Harlow, who worked on the film as an assistant director, and he mainly states that he enjoyed the experience. An alternate censored ending is also included. 

This release also features a 40 page booklet, with three articles. Adrian Smith goes into the production history of the film, while Jon Dear's essay calls the film a "conceptual horror", while musing that Hammer might not have been the right company to make a version of this story. Finally Kieran Foster provides an appreciation of James Carreras, the high-living head of Hammer. One issue that I have with the booklet is that it has red lettering against all-black pages, and the text is not easy to read. 

A brand new audio commentary by Kim Newman and Stephen Jones is provided, and the two have a lively chat, discussing several facets about the movie, such as why Peter Cushing turned down the lead role, Jimmy Sangster's adaptation of the original story, and the acting careers of Anton Diffring and Hazel Court. 

Vinegar Syndrome's release of THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH is Region A. According to internet rumors the present-day Hammer is preparing their own release of this title. I assume that there is a rights issue that prevents Hammer from doing a home video release available for North America, much like the reason why there are American and English disc versions of the latest restoration of THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. 

I have to say that THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH is not one of my favorite Hammers, but having a great-looking HD presentation of the truly uncut version of the film is worth buying it again. Vinegar Syndrome deserves many kudos for this special edition. 

Pass The Marmalade......AGAIN

 

It was five years ago that the Warner Archive released a restored version of THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN on Blu-ray, with a number of new extras. I wrote a blog post on it and at the time I thought it was the best-looking version of the film I had ever seen. 

Now, there's been another major restoration of THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, and the present-day Hammer company has gone all out to promote it, with a special showing of the movie at the very theater in London at which it premiered in 1957 (more about that later). This restored CURSE is also the basis of a super-special 4K/Blu-ray set released by Hammer. 

Unfortunately due to rights issues those in North America are not allowed from even attempting to buy this limited edition set from Hammer (it is a Region B release). The Warner Archive has stepped up to produce a Region A version of the set, a three-disc release. 

The Warner Archive COF release doesn't have all the bells & whistles that the Hammer version does, but it does feature three different aspect ratios of the film, four audio commentaries, and various extras on each of the three discs. 

I'm sure the first thing those reading this are wondering is, "How does this restoration look??" I purchased the Blu-ray version (I don't have a 4K player), and I have to say that the movie looks much brighter....and the colors are very vivid, almost to the point where at certain times they look enhanced. 

It's a fine restoration, to be sure, but the main reason I bought this was due to the many new extras. Included in them are programs on Hammer legends such as screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, makeup artist Phil Leaky, and cinematographer Jack Asher, with rare audio of Leaky and Asher discussing their work (this audio was provided by Richard Klemensen). There's also a look at the costume design for THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, with an appearance by actor Melvyn Hayes (who played the young Baron Frankenstein). 

This release also has a fourteen minute-long image gallery, with plenty of photos even I have never seen. I do have an issue with the gallery--the stills go by so fast one only gets a second or so to view them. (I guess if the gallery had been slowed down a bit, it would last twenty+ minutes long.) 

My favorite of the new extras is a wonderful feature where Hammer historian Wayne Kinsey and actress Madeline Smith (THE VAMPIRE LOVERS) visit the seaside town of Whitstable, in Kent, England. Whitstable is where Peter Cushing lived for many years, and Kinsey and Smith discuss Cushing's life while stopping by a number of places that the legendary actor had a personal connection with. 

If you're a major Hammer fan like me, you've more than likely bought THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN several times over the years on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray......so should you buy it again?? I'm not the type of person to say "You have to own this if you are a REAL fan", because, in the real world, most people have bills to pay and families to take care of. I will say this is a worthy purchase--but the Warner Archive Blu-ray from 5 years ago is more than acceptable. 

I love the fact that the present-day Hammer is releasing all these jam-packed box sets, but let's face it, they're not cheap, and because they are produced in England, you're going to have to pay plenty when it comes to shipping & handling due to current events. And there's something else to consider--how many times can you buy the same movies over and over again?? There's already a few Hammer titles I've bought multiple times on Blu-ray, including a special version of a title that arrived at my house today, and which I'll be writing a blog post on soon. How many times have you heard or read, "This is the ultimate version of this film", only to find out a couple years later there's another release that supposedly is even better looking and has unearthed footage and/or brand new extras? 

I think the most important thing about this new COF Blu-ray is the fact that Warners and Hammer worked closely together to make it happen....and that may mean other Hammers that were released in the U.S. by Warners could be on the docket for super-special restorations and home video releases. I'm referring to Hammer titles such as THE MUMMY, DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE, FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED, and, of course, HORROR OF DRACULA. 

In a way, the films made by Hammer are like the supernatural creatures contained in them--you keep encountering them over and over again, and just when you believe you are done with them, they come back, stronger than ever. 

As for that recent London showing of the new restoration of THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, my great buddy Joshua Kennedy was in attendance--and he was Martine Beswicke's escort!! No Blu-ray extra can match that!!

DEATH PACKS A SUITCASE On Blu-ray From Kino

 

A few months ago Kino released on Blu-ray THE VENGEANCE OF DR. MABUSE, an early Seventies picture directed by Jess Franco that was the last gasp of German producer Artur Brauner's Dr. Mabuse film series. Now Kino has gifted us with DEATH PACKS A SUITCASE, a 1971 movie that is also directed by Franco, and is also a poor cousin of another group of films produced by Artur Brauner, this time a series of Bryan Edgar Wallace adaptations. 

Kino uses DEATH PACKS A SUITCASE as the title on this Blu-ray's disc case, but the title on the actual film is DER TODESRACHER VON SOHO (THE AVENGER OF SOHO). This movie is also known as THE CORPSE PACKS HIS BAGS. Whatever its moniker, the film is a remake of the very first entry in Artur Brauner's Krimi outings based on the works of Bryan Edgar Wallace (son of Edgar). The original DEATH PACKS A SUITCASE is not on Eureka's Bryan Edgar Wallace set, so I have not seen it....but I'm sure it's much better than the remake. 

The 1971 DEATH PACKS A SUITCASE has been called by some the last classic Krimi story, but for me it feels more like a typical weird Jess Franco flick than a German crime thriller. This DEATH is in color (in my opinion the best Krimis are in black & white), and while the main credits are set against footage of London, you don't believe for a second that this story takes place in England. (The movie was filmed in Spain.) The confusing plot involves a spate of murders where the victims are knifed in the back, and a suitcase packed with their belongings is found at the scene. A mod Scotland Yard detective (Franco regular Fred Williams) is on the case, but things get stranger and stranger, with elements such as a drug ring and a number of suspects who have secret identities. 

I wrote a blog post on THE VENGEANCE OF DR. MABUSE this summer, and much of what I said about that movie applies here. Franco and his cinematographer Manuel Merino provide plenty of unusual camera angles and shot compositions, but perhaps they should have spent more time on story construction and more effective editing--the plot gets more confusing as the movie goes along, and it feels as if a few scenes were cut out, or not even filmed to begin with. (It doesn't help that every time a victim is stabbed in the back by a thrown knife, a loud cartoon-like BBBWWWWOOONNNGGG!!! sound can be heard.) The story has a few of Jess Franco's traits, such as a nightclub scene with a exotic performer, multiple women being tied up and threatened with violence, and a remote hideout that happens to have a laboratory, but overall DEATH PACKS A SUITCASE is very low-key when compared to the rest of Franco's career. (Jess Franco himself has a very small role.) The poster image on the Blu-ray case is way more atmospheric than anything in the story. 

The cast includes a few Krimi veterans such as Horst Tappert, Barbara Rutting, and Seigfried Schurenberg, along with plenty of attractive women, but none of the characters really makes a mark on the viewer. Rolf Kuhn's peppy music score does remind one of the soundtracks for the classic Krimis of the 1960s. 

The disc case for DEATH PACKS A SUITCASE states that the movie is presented in a 1.66:1 aspect ratio, but it's actually in 1.37:1. The visual quality is sharp and clear (this film looks way better than THE VENGEANCE OF DR. MABUSE). The credits are in German, along with the dialogue track, and English subtitles are provided. 

The only extra is a fine audio commentary by Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson. Both men are Franco admirers, but even Troy admits that the plot doesn't make much sense. The duo do have great appreciation for Franco's visual style in this picture, and they give out plenty of info on the production and the many links most of the cast and crew have with Jess Franco's directorial career. 

I must admit if it wasn't for my recent interest in the Krimi genre overall I probably wouldn't have bought this Blu-ray. DEATH PACKS A SUITCASE doesn't have enough Jess Franco elements in it to make it a true Jess Franco outing, and it doesn't have enough of a Krimi sensibility to make it a proper Krimi. It's an odd picture overall.

Book Review: JOHN FORD AT WORK--Production Histories 1927-1939

 

I own a number of books concerning John Ford, and this one takes a different tack. Author Lea Jacobs uses official studio memoranda, early draft scripts, production histories, and personal correspondence to make a thorough and exhaustive analysis of how many of the films John Ford directed between 1927 and 1939 were put together. 

John Ford gave very few insights into his cinematic work, making some wonder if the great filmmaker just showed up on the set and made things up as he went along. Jacobs shows that despite Ford's individualistic nature, he worked alongside several producers, writers, technicians, and actors who helped bring his visions to the screen. 

The author doesn't just rely on the same old Ford anecdotes--she takes a deep, deep dive into the facts and figures of many of the movies the director made during the late silent--early sound period. There are multiple notes on every page of this volume, and Jacobs points out how Ford would adjust his style with each studio and cast & crew he worked with. 

Jacobs also examines several sequences from Ford's films, sometimes on a shot-by-shot basis. (This book is filled with dozens and dozens of screen grabs.) She even mentions how the development of various film stocks enabled Ford and his cinematographers to create more and more expressive visuals. 

Being a long-time Ford fan, what really got my attention in this book was the fact that the author put a spotlight on several of the director's films that have been barely touched upon by other Ford scholars--films such as THE BLACK WATCH, AIR MAIL, THE PRISONER OF SHARK ISLAND, and WEE WILLIE WINKIE (which is usually considered as just a Shirley Temple feature). Jacobs also devotes a chapter to Ford's collaborations with Will Rogers. 

Once Jacobs gets to 1939 is when a couple of Ford's greatest works are analyzed: STAGECOACH and YOUNG MR. LINCOLN. Despite the fame of these features the author points out plenty of details that even a Ford admirer wouldn't notice. 

The title of this book is very apt, since the author barely mentions Ford's personal life during the period that it covers. This volume truly is all about Ford's work. If you are expecting a pleasant, easy read, and a bunch of stories about Ford being an ornery grouch, this book isn't for you. 

From my perspective I found JOHN FORD AT WORK to be fascinating. There's plenty of "inside baseball" knowledge here--maybe too much for some--but I thought the incredible amount of detail provided gave one an in-depth and at times revelatory account of how one of the greatest directors in movie history navigated the many changes happening in Hollywood during the late silent and early sound period, while still making a series of great features. There are times when JOHN FORD AT WORK feels like a textbook, but if you are a classic film buff this shouldn't bother you. This is a John Ford book that actually does print the facts rather than the legends. 

FOG ISLAND

 

This is a 1945 old dark house/suspense movie, made by the Poverty Row company PRC. The most notable thing about it is that it pairs the great British actors (and cult legends) Lionel Atwill and George Zucco, but unfortunately it doesn't give them all that much to do together. 

Atwill and Zucco had a lot in common (professionally at least). They both were about the same age, they both usually portrayed the same types of characters, and they both alternated between appearing in major productions and starring in low-budget horror films. They were both masters at upper-class villainy, and one would assume that FOG ISLAND would give them a chance to play off each other and really let rip. That doesn't come about, due to the fact that the movie overall is quite pedestrian. 

George Zucco plays disgraced financier Leo Grainer, who has just spent five years in prison. To escape unwanted attention, Grainer and his stepdaughter Gail (Sharon Douglas) live on a lonely castle located on the remote (and aptly named) Fog Island. Grainer is obsessed with getting revenge on the people that he believes set him up, sent him to prison, and possibly murdered his wife. He invites a group of his former associates (Lionel Atwill, Jerome Cowan, Veda Ann Borg, Ian Keith, and Jacqueline de Wit) to visit the island, knowing that they won't refuse because they all are convinced Grainer has hidden a bunch of loot about the place. When the shady crew arrives, Grainer has a special surprise set up for them--but the person who actually murdered his wife might upset all of his plans. 

The basic premise of FOG ISLAND seems promising--some have compared the movie's script to Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE--but this is a cheap PRC flick that probably was made in about a week. The entire story takes place in the "castle", which is made up of a bunch of generic sets. (It is stated that the castle was built by pirates, but this intriguing idea isn't developed.) Much of the suspense revolves around the characters constantly following each other around (it seems no one in this story ever thought about looking behind them). 

There's no comic relief role in FOG ISLAND, which could be a good thing, but all the other characters are so suspicious, untrustworthy and sarcastic that one isn't too worried about what happens to them. Leo Grainer may have a legitimate reason to seek revenge, but George Zucco plays him as if he was the main villain. Lionel Atwill is more reserved than usual, which will disappoint fans who want to see him at his dastardly best. What's more disappointing is that Atwill and Zucco barely exchange dialogue. 

The only two "sympathetic" characters are Grainer's stepdaughter and the young son (John Whitney) of one of the invited guests, who passed away while Grainer was in prison. The son takes his father's place to resume a past relationship with Gail, but she treats him with disdain, while he keeps bugging the heck out of her. Their antics just get in the way of the plot, and Gail's sudden "I love this guy after all" turnaround is incredibly contrived. 

The best aspect of FOG ISLAND is Grainer's special surprise, which happens to be a secret room which is rigged to trap those inside while the space is flooded with water. Even this gimmick isn't presented properly--this is a movie that was shot as quickly and as frugally as possible, and the suspense that should come from it is frittered away by desultory shot choices and stale editing. FOG ISLAND was directed by Terry Morse, whose main claim to fame is that he oversaw the American version of the original 1954 GODZILLA. 

It's always great to see Lionel Atwill and George Zucco, especially in the same film, but FOG ISLAND doesn't take full advantage of two of the best character actors who worked during the Golden Age of Hollywood. 

EAGLE OF THE PACIFIC

 

This is a 1953 Japanese film, a World War II epic made by Toho Studios which focuses on Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, a man who is to Western eyes the most famous officer of the Imperial Navy. This movie is mentioned in the GODZILLA--THE FIRST 70 YEARS book, due to the fact that it was directed by Ishiro Honda, the filmmaker most associated with Japanese Giant Monster cinema. I discovered an uncut print of EAGLE OF THE PACIFIC, containing English subtitles, on the Internet Archive. 

The movie starts in the late 1930s, as Japan goes through numerous changes of political leadership. The departments of the Navy and Army are at odds with whether the country should enter into the Tripartite Pact, a treaty that would officially bind Japan with Germany and Italy. Admiral Yamamoto believes that if Japan signs onto the Pact, the country will soon be at war with the United States, a war he is sure will eventually ruin the Empire. Yamamoto does all he can to convince as many government and military officials as possible to avoid a major war, but he also feels that as a soldier, his duty is to fight for his country as hard and as long as he can. Yamamoto spearheads the plans behind the Pearl Harbor and Midway operations, but as the war goes on he doubts Japan will achieve any lasting success from it. The story ends with a disconsolate Yamamoto being shot down and killed while being transported in a plane over the Bougainville Islands in 1943. 

If you are an English-speaking WWII buff, watching EAGLE OF THE PACIFIC will be a fascinating experience. This is a movie with the viewpoint of the "other side", so to speak, and it shows how mainstream post-war Japan felt about famous battles such as Pearl Harbor, Midway, and the air war over Rabaul. EAGLE OF THE PACIFIC isn't a rousing war adventure, it is a somber, down-to-earth examination of a dignified military officer who does his duty to the fullest, even though he believes that his country is going down the wrong path. 

Denjiro Okochi plays Yamamoto. In this film the Admiral is portrayed as a thoughtful man of honor and intelligence, a man whose quiet stature makes him stand above and beyond his colleagues. We don't get to find out much about the Admiral himself--he doesn't seem to have any sort of personal life--and much of the time Yamamoto is shown sitting by himself in a darkened room, or strolling alone on a ship's deck at night, while ruminating upon the fate of his country. At times Yamamoto seems too good to be true (as is usual the real person was much more complicated). It seems that this film is using Yamamoto as a symbol for all those Japanese veterans and citizens who had great regret for the war and its aftermath. (Director Ishiro Honda himself served in WWII, and his experiences had a profound effect on his beliefs and the films he would make.) 

EAGLE OF THE PACIFIC uses plenty of actual military footage from WWII, and this is augmented by FX footage created by master technician Eiji Tsuburaya, who would work several times with Ishiro Honda on numerous Kaiju and science fiction films. Much of the FX seen here was actually created for other war features, but the editing between the various models and historical images is very well done. Ironically this movie has no footage whatsoever of American military personnel, and there are no major female roles. 

The supporting cast has two major names more associated with the films of Akira Kurosawa--Toshiro Mifune plays a fighter pilot, and Takashi Shimura has a cameo as a military official. During the Midway sequence one can spot Haruo Nakajima, the original Godzilla suit actor--he's the pilot with the back of his flight suit in flames as he climbs out of his plane. 

EAGLE OF THE PACIFIC is a well made war drama that is more reflective than grandiose. The movie doesn't try to blame any one person or group for how the War in the Pacific came about, and it also doesn't try to demonize the enemy. (It also doesn't mention the many war crimes committed by Japanese forces upon thousands of POWs and civilians.) It also shows how Ishiro Honda did much more than direct Godzilla--he was a fine filmmaker who worked on several types of stories. 

AIRPORT '77 On Blu-ray From Kino

 

If you are wondering why I would buy AIRPORT '77 on Blu-ray, well....it does have Jimmy Stewart and Christopher Lee. That's enough reason for me--but the film itself is actually a pretty good entry in the Disaster Genre cycle of films made in 1970s. 

The Disaster Genre in the Seventies was almost the equivalent to the comic book movies of the present day. The Disaster movies usually featured all-star casts, large-scale action sequences, and plots that got more and more ridiculous as more examples of the genre were made. The storyline of AIRPORT '77 is rather preposterous, but it is so well made and well acted that one buys into it, which is all that matters. 

A powerful millionaire (James Stewart) has bought his very own 747 jumbo jet, and he's had it tricked out with all sorts of gimmicks. The plane, filled with VIPs and valuable artwork, is en route to the millionaire's Florida retreat when it gets hijacked, but the culprits crash it into the ocean near the Bermuda Triangle. Due to the plane's special air-tight compartments, the passengers and crew are still alive, even though the jet is underwater. But their time--and their air--is running out, and the courageous captain (Jack Lemmon) is doing everything in his power to save the day. 

What really makes AIRPORT '77 work is the performances of Jack Lemmon and Darrin McGavin (who plays an aviation expert that is on the flight). The two actors are absolute pros who convince the viewer in the reality of what is happening. There is some cheese and some camp in this movie (it is an AIRPORT entry, after all), but for the most part it is tamped down. The entire affair of a 747 full of people underneath the Atlantic Ocean, the passengers and crew's attempts to survive, and the rescue efforts are edited superbly and wind up being quite suspenseful. 

The cast of well-known names includes Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Brenda Vaccaro, Lee Grant, and as mentioned, Christopher Lee. The two Lees play an unhappy married couple, with Grant causing all the trouble in their relationship. Most of the camp factor revolves around Grant's character, a woman so self-absorbed and embittered that when she gets punched in the face by Brenda Vaccaro, I felt like standing up and cheering. Christopher Lee does much better with his role as a dignified man of integrity who winds up being a hero--it's one of the actor's most unusual parts, and his fans will get a kick out of seeing him as a "normal" person (and participating in a dangerous underwater stunt). 

AIRPORT series regular George Kennedy also shows up, but he really doesn't have much to do. This movie also has plenty of familiar TV faces from the period, including Gil Gerard before he became Buck Rogers. As a matter of fact, the movie does have a TV-like feel at times--its director, Jerry Jameson, had a long career of working on several network shows. 

Speaking of television, when AIRPORT '77 made its American debut on that medium, it was with nearly over an hour of extra footage to make it a "special event". This added footage is not on this Blu-ray, and it appears that it's not available anywhere--I couldn't even find it on YouTube. I have to say that the theatrical version of the film runs a taut 114 minutes, and I don't think added footage would have made the story any better (it probably would have just bogged things down). It would have been nice to have this added footage on the disc, but I assume there must be some sort of rights issue. 

Kino's Blu-ray of AIRPORT '77 looks fine in its 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Surprisingly, the film's practical effects hold up rather well, even with the increased HD detail. Trailers for all the AIRPORT features all included. 

The main extra is a new audio commentary by Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff. I regret to say it is one I wasn't impressed with--the duo constantly interrupt one another, and their attempts at conversational humor fall flat. 

Kino has come out with new 4K and Blu-ray editions of the entire AIRPORT series. I must say that when it comes to the Disaster Genre, I'm not as big of a fan of it as others, but I do remember that when I was a kid these movies were huge events. I believe that I did watch AIRPORT '77 when I was very young, but I hadn't seen it since then. I popped in this Blu-ray expecting something cheesy and silly, but the overall story is very well done, and compared to the cartoonish popcorn movies of today, AIRPORT '77 almost feels like a docudrama. 

Book Review: GODZILLA--THE FIRST 70 YEARS

 

My birthday was a couple weeks ago, and my brother Robert sent me an Amazon gift card. I used it to help purchase GODZILLA--THE FIRST 70 YEARS, a mammoth hardcover tome that is 432 pages long and weighs almost six pounds. 

Published by Abrams, this book covers the entire Japanese film history of the King of the Monsters, starting with Godzilla's debut in 1954. Every single one of the Godzilla films produced by Toho Studios gets a concise and informative history, including those made during the Heisei Era (1984-95) and the Millennium Era (1999-2004). SHIN GODZILLA, GODZILLA MINUS ONE and the Anime movies featuring the character are thoroughly discussed as well. 

The book's authors are Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski, two major Japanese cinema experts who were responsible for the wonderful Ishiro Honda biography a few years ago. 

I've barely started delving into this magnificent volume, but I already know more than enough to give it my highest recommendation. It's filled with hundreds of photos, many of them in color, and some taking up an entire page. Many of these pictures are new to me, and trust me, I've read (and own) plenty of books about the world's most famous Kaiju. 

The text isn't just a generic & basic summation about each of the films--The authors take a deep, deep dive into every production, dealing with the genesis of the storylines, the FX involved, and each title's reception and impact on the box office. What I've always appreciated about the authors (who have done a number of audio commentaries for various Godzilla home video releases) is that they put the films into the context of their being Japanese--which seems an obvious thing to do, but many look at them from an English-speaking point of view. One must remember that Toho's Godzilla series was not made specifically for American audiences. 

(Speaking of an American point of view--the 1998 Tri-Star GODZILLA and the so-called "Monarch" series of films which have a creature called Godzilla are not covered in this volume. That doesn't bother me one bit, but I figured I better let folks know in case someone pays the major amount of money for this book expecting to see something about those movies.) 

The book also has introductions by filmmaker John Carpenter and actress Megumi Odaka (who appeared in six Godzilla films during the Heisei Era), and an afterword by Toho executive Shogo Tomiyama. 

This is a volume truly worthy of the massive subject it covers. If you're looking for a perfect holiday gift for a hardcore film geek, you can't do better than purchasing GODZILLA--THE FIRST 70 YEARS. 

HE WHO GETS SLAPPED On Blu-ray From Flicker Alley

 

Flicker Alley treats us with a Blu-ray special edition of HE WHO GETS SLAPPED, a unique 1924 silent melodrama which stars the legendary Lon Chaney. 

HE WHO GETS SLAPPED is not a horror film, but Lon Chaney in clown makeup is about as creepy as you can get. (In the film's story, Chaney's character is supposed to be a circus headliner due to his ability to make people laugh, but when he flashes his wide-eyed mad grin it's hard to believe anyone would find him funny.) Chaney plays Paul Beaumont, a struggling scientist whose life's work--and wife--are stolen from him by an elitist Baron who posed as a benefactor. When Beaumont protests at this treatment the Baron dismissively slaps him--and this incident sends the scientist over the edge. The poor man winds up at a Paris circus, where for every performance Beaumont relives his tragic past. Going simply by the name of "HE", Beaumont falls in love with a beautiful young bareback rider named Consuelo (Norma Shearer). Consuelo, however, has eyes for Bezano (John Gilbert), the partner in her act. She also has a greedy, amoral father who is willing to "give" her to a rich older man in exchange for financial security--and that rich older man happens to be Beaumont's old enemy, the Baron. The crafty clown comes upon an emphatic way to allow Consuelo and Bezano to be free and get revenge on the father and the Baron at the same time. 

Beyond featuring a great Lon Chaney performance, HE WHO GETS SLAPPED has a major place in cinema history--it was the first film produced by the newly-formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer company. Directed by the Swedish Victor Seastrom, the movie has plenty of symbolism and poignancy, but some might find Paul Beaumont's obsession with emotionally torturing himself a bit too much. (In his clown act Beaumont is slapped by dozens and dozens of clowns, and then his "heart" is torn from his costume and buried under the center ring. "HE" is then given a clown's funeral. Remember that this act is something Beaumont performs night after night.) Much has been made of the sadomasochistic tendencies of Chaney's characters--maybe too much--but this time all the film buff psychoanalysis bears thinking about. 

Norma Shearer and John Gilbert are fine as the young lovers--this was before each of them reached their own major stardom at MGM--but it must be stated that when the story focuses on them, and Chaney is not on the screen, things have a tendency to bog down. Marc McDermott as the Baron and Tully Marshall as Consuelo's father are a particularly nasty pair of villains--but don't worry, they get exactly what they deserve (and then some). 

This Region-Free Blu-ray features a new restoration of HE WHO GETS SLAPPED by Blackhawk Films. The print is leagues above the one used on a Warner Archive DVD that was released years ago. Two music choices are presented on this disc: a piano score by Antonio Coppola, and an orchestral score by the Alloy Orchestra that was recorded live during a showing of the film in 2013. (For my money the orchestral score is preferable.) 

The extras include a short history of Leo the Lion, the famous logo of MGM, a 1925 Mack Sennett boxing comedy called HE WHO GETS SMACKED which only satirizes the Chaney film's title, a 1926 Max Fleischer "Out of the Inkwell" cartoon titled KOKO AT THE CIRCUS, and stills & promotional galleries. (The various photos of Chaney in his clown getup are as unsettling as any photos from LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT or THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.)

Michael F. Blake, the ultimate Lon Chaney expert, provides an informative brand new audio commentary. Blake discusses the formation of MGM, gives out various circus trivia, and details his lifelong fascination with Chaney. Flicker Alley has also provided a 16 page booklet that has stills from the film and an article by Thomas Gladysz that covers the film's production history. It also contains excerpts from a 1923 interview of Victor Seastrom by SCREENLAND magazine. The disc cover insert for this Blu-ray edition is reversible. 

Flicker Alley puts out magnificent product, and this release will be highly enjoyed by silent movie and Lon Chaney fans. One hopes that the company has more titles in the works starring the Man of a Thousand Faces. 

ONE MILLION B.C.

 

My birthday was a couple days ago, and my good buddy Josh Kennedy usually gets me a present. This year he gifted me the VCI Blu-ray of Hal Roach's ONE MILLION B.C., the 1940 prehistoric adventure that was famously remade by Hammer Films in the mid 1960s as ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. with Raquel Welch. 

I was going to state that I had never seen ONE MILLION B.C., but that technically isn't true. I've seen FX footage from it several times--those scenes have been reused over and over again in numerous different movies and TV shows (there's probably someone using that footage for a YouTube video right now). Because of the familiarity of the footage, and its use in so many mediocre productions, I had always assumed the film itself wasn't all that impressive. 

Having now viewed it, I have to say that it comes off rather well. One major surprise for me was how close Hammer stuck to the main storyline--both versions have basically the same plot, with the same character names. The 1940 version opens in contemporary times, as a group of hikers take shelter in a cave, where they discover a scientist (Conrad Nagel) examining the artifacts and carvings within. The scientist proceeds to tell a story to the travelers, a story he bases on the cave drawings he has discovered. The scientist suggests that the man and the woman featured in the story look much like two of the hikers, this duo being played by Victor Mature and Carol Landis. As the movie goes way, way back in time, Mature and Landis also play the prehistoric leads, two young people from different tribes, who go through various trials and tribulations before they can find a sort of peace for themselves. 

When one thinks of either of the versions of ONE MILLION, Raquel Welch automatically comes to mind. It must be pointed out that Carole Landis in her day was as much of a pin-up star as Welch was. If anything, Landis and Victor Mature are more glamorous than Welch and John Richardson were in the remake. Both are conspicuously absent of body hair, and their facial profiles are constantly kept squeaky clean. Mature and Landis could have both wound up looking ridiculous, but they give very good performances under the circumstances. 

Carole Landis and Victor Mature in ONE MILLION B.C.

The best performance in the film is by Lon Chaney Jr. as Mature's father, the leader of their tribe. In the first part of the film Lon Jr. is brutal and tyrannical, ruling everyone around him with an iron fist and ignoring those he considers beneath him. Later, after he is grievously wounded in a fight with a wild beast, Chaney is a pathetic wreck of a being. In this role Lon Jr. showed he could be as skillful at pantomime as his famous father, and you'd never believe that the younger Chaney was only seven years older than his "son" Mature. Lon Jr. had just played Lennie in Hal Roach's production of the esteemed novel OF MICE AND MEN, and one wonders what could have happened if Chaney had stuck with Roach instead of going to Universal. 

If ONE MILLION B.C. is known for anything, it is using real animals to stand in for prehistoric monsters. Unfortunately, a number of these animals were forced to fight one another, or used as throwaway props--creatures were harmed during the production of this film. That would certainly put off plenty of folks from seeing it. 

The use of real animals also takes away from the fine effects work that was created for ONE MILLION. The various process shots, background plates, and unique sets are all done very well, and the climatic volcano eruption is spectacular. There's nothing historically accurate about this film whatsoever, but it's meant to be an epic adventure, and it is that. While watching ONE MILLION B.C. I noticed plenty of shot set-ups and compositions that reminded me of the original KING KONG--even if it wasn't intentional it shows how the big ape's shadow would loom large over fantastic cinema. 

There's something else that needs to be discussed about ONE MILLION B.C.--that is the involvement (or lack thereof) that pioneer director D.W. Griffith had on the project. Apparently Hal Roach asked Griffith to help out on pre-production for the film, and Griffith even wrote a script, but before actual filming began the legendary silent-film maker left the production (several sources give various versions why). There's a debate on whether Hal Roach seriously wanted Griffith's input, or he was just using him for publicity--but when one considers that ONE MILLION B.C. is essentially a movie without understandable dialogue, it would make sense to have the knowledge of a filmmaker from the silent era. 

Is ONE MILLION B.C. better than the Hammer remake? The latter film is in color, it has Raquel Welch (and Martine Beswicke), and it features the superb stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen. The original does have a fun charm of its own, and at only about 80 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome. If you are into off-beat cult movies, ONE MILLION B.C. is a title that needs to be seen at least once. 

THE RACETRACK MURDERS On Blu-ray From Eureka

 

The final film in Eureka's TERROR IN THE FOG Blu-ray set of 1960s German Krimis is THE RACETRACK MURDERS, also known as THE SEVENTH VICTIM (DAS SIEBENTE OPFER). 

This movie stands out from the other entries in the set due to its many Agatha Christie-style elements. The story revolves around a top racehorse named (ironically) Satan, and the family that owns him. There's deceit, race-fixing and horse-doping, secret identities, bizarre murders, and plenty of eccentric suspects. Much of the film takes place in the daytime and in outdoor rural settings, unusual for a Krimi. 

The male lead is not a Scotland Yard detective this time around--he's Peter Brooks (Hansjorg Felmy), an insurance agent posing as a silly aristocrat. The motive for all the mayhem is a plot of revenge for the execution of a criminal years before. 

THE RACETRACK MURDERS (1964) was written & directed by F.J. Gottlieb, and this time it really was based on an actual novel by Bryan Edgar Wallace (although it appears not much of that book made it up on the screen). The movie was surprisingly shot in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio, making it seem more like a traditional mystery story instead of a Krimi. Perhaps to compensate for this, director Gottlieb uses many weird shot compositions, and the story has plenty of light comedic moments. The movie benefits from having Ann Smyrner as one of the better Krimi female leads--she even gets to competitively ride Satan at the climax, and it is actually her on the horse. (Smyrner also appeared in the notorious giant monster flick REPTILICUS.) 

Once again Eureka provides an excellent-looking black & white uncut version of the film, with its original color main titles, and once again German and English voice tracks are provided, with English subtitles. 

The extras include a German trailer for the film, and another of Tim Lucas' fine introductions. This time Lucas focuses on what makes THE RACETRACK MURDERS stand out from the other films in this set. The brand new audio commentary by Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby also points out the unusual aspects of the feature, and the duo discuss the novel that the story is supposedly based on. 

One other extra given to THE RACETRACK MURDERS (which gets its own disc in the TERROR IN THE FOG set) is a 84 minute talk with Tim Lucas & Stephen Bissette. (When you access the talk, it plays over the film). Lucas & Bissette discuss each movie in this set, one by one, and they also go into the history of the Krimi genre in general. The talk is a fitting epilogue to the overall set, and any viewers should listen to it after they have seen all the films contained in TERROR IN THE FOG, since Lucas & Bissette reveal several plot details for each feature. 

I can't say enough positive things about this set from Eureka. It has plenty of value, with six films, plenty of extras, and an informative booklet. It also includes a set of features that very few people in North America have seen, especially in their original cuts. In other words, it's not a reissue of material that the average film geek has purchased over and over again. I sincerely hope Eureka has more Krimi delights in store for English-speaking audiences. 

GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING

 

GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING is a 1956 Western, released by RKO in Technicolor and Superscope. It was directed by Jacques Tourneur, better known for his work for producer Val Lewton and other thrillers and film noirs. 

Tourneur actually made a number of Westerns, and despite his expertise in black & white atmospherics, he was quite proficient when it came to colorful outdoor adventures. GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING stars Robert Stack as Owen Pentacost, a devil-may-care loner who has just arrived in Denver during the early part of 1861. Owen has heard of a fortune in gold mined by Southerners in the area, and he proposes a deal with them--he'll help escort the treasure down South (it's meant for the Confederacy) in exchange for a cut of it. Before he can get the gold out Pentacost wins a saloon in a card game, gets involved with two different women, earns the distrust of both Union and Confederate sympathizers, and eventually learns he's not as selfish as he thinks he is. 

GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING has plenty of things going on in it--maybe too many. There's the main plot, dealing with the gold horde meant for the Confederacy. There's the tension between those for the Union and those for the South (Fort Sumter is captured about halfway through the story). There's Owen's romantic entanglements with shopkeeper Ann (Virginia Mayo) and saloon girl (Ruth Roman). Another subplot deals with Owen bonding with the young son of a man Pentacost killed in a gunfight, and there's a Union agent (Alex Nichol) who wants to make sure the gold doesn't get to the South. 

All the subplots tend to get in the way of each other, and there's also the fact that Owen Pentacost isn't a particularly likable character. He's cocky and conniving, and he's constantly reminding everyone that the only side that he's on is his own. It's the type of role that actors like Clark Gable and Errol Flynn could have made work, but Robert Stack seems uncomfortable playing it. 

One also wonders why someone with Pentacost's attitude would get the devotion of two different gorgeous women. Virginia Mayo gets first billing as the "nice" girl, but it's Ruth Roman who gets the better part as saloon gal Boston. The resolution of the love triangle is rather surprising. (By the way, we do get a brief glimpse of Virginia Mayo taking a bath.)

Robert Stack and Ruth Roman in GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING

Raymond Burr plays another of his pre-Perry Mason villains, and this one is very nasty. Long-time bad guy Leo Gordon is Burr's main henchman, and the two of them belong to a gang of Union sympathizers (those citizens of Denver who are for the North in this story are belligerent troublemakers). 

Most of the outdoor scenes for this film were actually shot in Colorado, and Jacques Tourneur makes excellent use of them. He also reminds the viewer of his Val Lewton days with a sequence that deals with the unexpected killing of a major character in a darkened saloon. There isn't much he can do with the abrupt ending, which seems to have been designed to tie up as many loose ends as simply as possible. 

GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING is a decent adventure story, but it reminded me of several other Westerns. The main plot resembles VIRGINIA CITY, Ruth Roman plays about the same type of role she did in THE FAR COUNTRY, and Raymond Burr plays a similar character to the one he essayed in HORIZONS WEST. 

FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR On Blu-ray From Kino

 

I first saw FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR about forty years ago, when it was presented by Svengoolie, during his "Son Of" days. My much younger self wasn't all that impressed with the film--mainly due to the fact that it had nothing to do with Frankenstein whatsoever. 

Nevertheless, FBT has a place in Gothic horror films history, with it being the first feature written & starring Paul Naschy, Spain's premier monster movie fanatic/actor. Kino Lorber gives FBT the deluxe treatment, with a 2-D version of the American release of the film, a stereoscopic version (which can only be properly viewed with a 3-D Blu-ray player and monitor) and a anaglyphic version, with a pair of 3-D glasses included in the disc case. 

The saga of Paul Naschy's (birth name Jacinto Molina) werewolf Waldemar Daninsky begins here, as the Polish nobleman is bitten by another lycanthrope in a vague European location. A beautiful young aristocrat falls in love with Waldemar, and she and her former boyfriend try to find a cure for Daninsky's affliction. They wind up seeking the help of a mysterious Dr. Mikhelov and his sultry wife....but the couple are vampires, who have nefarious plans for Daninsky and his friends. 

FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR is the American version of a Spanish/German film titled LA MARCA DEL HOMBRE LOBO. Independent producer Sam Sherman picked up the movie, cut out some scenes, and added a cheesy prologue explaining how the Frankenstein family was cursed to be known as "Wolfstein". (Sherman owed a movie to distributors with Frankenstein in the title, and he saw this as an easy way to deal with the problem.) 

The actual movie itself is a bizarre mishmash of classic monster concepts and Euro Gothic luridness. The movie is most assuredly set in the late 1960s, but it has wandering gypsies, superstitious villagers, and plenty of atmospheric locales. Paul Naschy's Waldemar certainly has some Lawrence Talbot-like traits, but he's also an energetic cuss, snarling and thrashing about with abandon. It's Julian Ugarte and Aurora de Alba who grab the viewer's attention the most as the creepy Mikhelovs (De Alba's cleavage, especially in 3-D, is a wonder to behold.) Naschy might have been better served if he wrote more scripts about them. 

It must be pointed out that this Kino release only features the American version of FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR, which is about 15 minutes shorter than the original cut. (That cut, by the way, can be found on a DVD released by Media Blasters earlier this century--if you have that disc, you should hold on to it, as I'll explain later.) The 2-D version of FBT, presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio on this Blu-ray is very soft-looking and fuzzy at times (I'd even say the Media Blasters release looks better). 

As for the 3-D version....I need to mention that I am not a big 3-D fan, which means of course that I don't own a 3-D disc player. Watching movies in 3-D usually gives me headaches, and I find the format distracting. I must say, though, that the anaglyphic 3-D in this release comes off very well. The 3-D is used as an enhancement, not just a gimmick. Instead of contrived attempts to thrust objects at the audience, the 3-D provides depth and extra perception to the scenes. Director Enrique Lopez Eguiluz did an excellent job setting up the shots for the format (or at least someone did). I would even state that the anaglyphic version of FBT has much better visual quality than the 2-D version. (The only voice track provided on this disc is the dubbed English version.) 

Along with 2-D and 3-D versions of the film, Kino has provided a bunch of extras, including the scenes not used in the U.S release, an alternate main title sequence, and a theatrical trailer and radio spots. There's also a short program in which Tim Lucas details the amount of work that went into making the 3-D version of FBT finally available to Region A home audiences. 

Lucas also provides a brand new audio commentary, where he proclaims his unabashed love for FBT. He also gives out plenty of info on the life of Paul Naschy (at one point comparing him to Quentin Tarantino), and he mentions the original sources of various parts of the cobbled-together music score. There's also another new commentary featuring Troy Howarth, Troy Guinn, and Rodney Barnett. The trio are all Paul Naschy experts and fans, and their talk is a fun and lively one, as they discuss how important FBT was to the genre of Euro Gothic overall. Troy Howarth states that FBT has a "effortless weirdness", and that's about as apt of a summation as any when it comes to defining the cinematic legacy of Paul Naschy. Both commentaries add a lot to a viewer's knowledge and enjoyment of the film. 

The disc cover sleeve is reversible, with the over-the-top American poster for the film on one side. As mentioned, a pair of 3-D glasses are included. If you want to watch this film in anaglyphic 3-D, with friends or a significant other, I guess you....just have to share?? 

(By the way, if you do own the Media Blasters DVD of FBT, as I do, another reason to hang on to it is that it has even more deleted scenes and trims, and it also contains a fascinating audio commentary from Sam Sherman himself.) 

I mentioned at the beginning of this blog how unimpressed I was on my first viewing of FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR. Finally seeing it in 3-D has upped my appreciation of it. I wouldn't call it a great film, but it is an important one, as it kick-started the Spanish horror film boom of the early 1970s and it began the monster movie career of cult legend Paul Naschy. Kino has gone all out on this Blu-ray, and their efforts are vastly appreciated on my part.....especially the fact that they have enabled those who don't own a 3-D player a way to still view the movie in that format.