The Dr. Who Films On Blu-ray From Kino

 

The two Dr. (not Doctor) Who films produced by Amicus in the mid-1960s have now been released on Region A Blu-ray by Kino. DR. WHO AND THE DALEKS and DALEKS: INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. are available separately. 

I've already covered these films in a post I wrote back in August 2017 for a British films blogathon, so I won't go into major details about them here. The movies have a bit of a mixed reputation now, since the big-screen version of the Doctor is quite different from the TV version. There's also Peter Cushing's performance as "Dr." Who, which some fans are not too happy with. Personally, I enjoy these films. They're meant to be old-fashioned adventures for the young at heart, and Cushing's funny old man routine doesn't annoy me the way it does a lot of other people. 

The transfers for each film are very sharp, but I must admit that the colors are not as vibrant as I thought they would be (is this due to the films being shot on the Techniscope format?) The sound quality is excellent for movies made in this period. 

The extras on the DR. WHO AND THE DALEKS disc include a 1995 program covering the Who movies called DALEKMANIA. This show features interviews with those who worked on the films, including stars Roberta Tovey and Jill Curzon. There's a short talk with Gareth Owen, who gives background detail on the production, and a featurette on the film's restoration. 

There's also a brand new audio commentary with Kim Newman, Robert Shearman, and Mark Gatiss. All three men are experts and aficionados of British cult cinema, and they are thoroughly enjoying themselves here. This isn't a serious discussion about the nuts and bolts of the film--it's more like three buddies sitting in a living room and geeking out over a admired topic. It's fun to listen to, especially if you are a Doctor Who fan who knows something about the history of the show. (Unfortunately, the fine commentary with Roberta Tovey, Jennie Linden, and Jonathan Sothcott that was on the Anchor Bay Region 1 DVD release of this movie is not included here.) The original trailer to the film is included as well. 

The DALEKS: INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. disc also has the DALEKMANIA program, along with Gareth Owen talking about this particular film as well. There's a very short talk with actor Bernard Cribbins, a restoration overview, and a original trailer. Kim Newman, Robert Shearman, and Mark Gattis return with another enthusiastic audio commentary. 

The Dr. Who movies may not be all that popular among some Cushing fans, but Kino has given each of them very nice presentations on Blu-ray. 

THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD

 

I received as an early birthday present from my good friend Tim Durbin a Kino Blu-ray of the 1957 sci-fi monster movie THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD. Believe it or not, I had never actually seen this film. 

An earthquake strikes the area around the Salton Sea in southern California. The quake unleashes from under the sea a group of gigantic mollusks, who kill some men from a nearby naval base. The base's security officer (Tim Holt) starts an investigation, and helped by a scientist (Hans Conried), plots to stop the mollusks from multiplying. Unfortunately the mollusks infiltrate a local canal system, and things look bleak....but the resourceful officer and his mates manage to head the monsters off, and stop the scientist's attractive secretary (Audrey Dalton) and her young daughter from being attacked by one to boot. 

THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD was made by the same people behind other 1950s genre films such as THE VAMPIRE and THE RETURN OF DRACULA. All three of those films are formulaic, but they each have little touches to them that make them stand out from the many other monster movies made during the same period. Screenwriter Pat Fielder, who worked on all three films, had a knack for giving supporting characters life, and making them more than just filler for the story. The people in THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD have a workaday reality to them, which makes the overall story more believable. 

Longtime cowboy star Tim Holt plays security officer Lt. Twillinger, a no-nonsense, let's-get-the-job-done fellow. He's good in the typical Kenneth Tobey-John Agar role. Twillinger's driving personality is softened by a romance with Audrey Dalton's character. Dalton isn't a generic damsel in distress here (she would play that role later in William Castle's MR. SARDONICUS). She doesn't even get to wear a nightgown, or get carried off by one of the mollusks. (There is a scene where a young lady takes a dip in the Salton Sea while wearing a white swimsuit very similar to the one Julie Adams wore in THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON--you can probably guess what her fate is.)

The big highlight of this movie is the main creature built for it--a life size practical special effect that is quite unique and effective for the period (even if its moves are a bit jerky at times). The best attribute of this creature is that the actors are able to realistically interact with it. The mollusks (it is suggested that their large size is due to radiation) literally suck the innards out of their victims, leaving them as withered husks. There are some grisly shots of the aftermath of the mollusk attacks. Director Arnold Laven avoids overuse of the creatures, and creates a lot of low-key suspense. 

The story is helped out by lots of location footage shot throughout Southern California, which makes the film appear to have a higher budget than it did. The movie's down-to-earth approach works well for a production such as this. 

The Kino Blu-ray includes an original trailer, which is far more exploitative than the actual film. There's also an audio commentary by Tom Weaver. His talks are always informative and entertaining. At one point Weaver steps aside and allows film music expert David Schecter a chance to discuss Heinz Roemheld's excellent music score. 

I was impressed with THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD. The monsters are very well done, the characters are not boring or annoying, and while the story is somewhat predictable, it is realized in an effective fashion. THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD can easily get lost in the shuffle among the many other sci-fi/horror features made around the same time, but it holds its own against some of the more famous genre titles. 

GAMERA: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION On Blu-ray From Arrow Video

There are box sets, and then there are ultra-special box sets. And then.....there is the Gamera Blu-ray box set from Arrow Video. Calling it gigantic doesn't even cover the scope of this collection...it is as mammoth as the Titanic Terrapin himself.

Before I continue with this post, I have to admit that I've barely scratched the surface of this set. I haven't even watched all the movies in it, yet alone comprehensively delved into the extras. Is it wrong to write a review of it when there's so much of the product I haven't gotten to yet?? Well, if I wait until I've gone through every single extra, every alternate edit, and every commentary...it may be a whole other year. So I'm going to go ahead and write a review now.

First of all, this set contains every single Gamera film ever made. This includes the classic Gamera series, which started in the mid-1960s and ended in the early 1970s. There's also GAMERA SUPER MONSTER, the 1980 "comeback" film which was basically a mashup of the Terrific Turtle's greatest battles. The three Gamera films made during the 1990s--which many consider among the best kaiju movies ever made--are here as well, along with the 2006 reboot, GAMERA THE BRAVE.

That's a total of 12 films in all, spread over eight discs. But...alternate versions of a few of those films are provided as well, including the American theatrical version of the first Gamera film, called GAMMERA THE INVINCIBLE. Some of the alternate versions found on this box set are the original TV edits put together by AIP.

Each film gets a commentary, and a special introduction by kaiju movie expert August Ragone. Each film also has multiple audio tracks, and subtitles. Each disc is chock full of extras, such as image galleries, trailers, and numerous interviews and documentaries.

For those who bought the Arrow Gamera box set (apparently the American version of it is sold out already), there were even more goodies in it than just Blu-ray discs.

On the left is a 130 page hardcover book containing a reprinting of the 1996 four-issue Gamera comic book series by Dark Horse. On the right is a 80 page book detailing all the films in the set, with an interview of Noriaki Yuasa, the guiding light of the classic Gamera film series, and info on the American versions of the Gamera films (and the numerous American voice dubs for each).

There's also 12 cards, representing each Gamera film, featuring artwork by Matt Frank.

And....there's a fold-out map detailing Gamera's adventures in Japan!! (One side is in English, the other in Japanese)

I've still got a few films in this set to watch, but the ones I have seen all have superlative visual and sound quality. I highly doubt you can find any Gamera film on any other medium which will look as great as they all do here.

This is an amazing set, without doubt one of the greatest home video sets ever produced. The amount of attention and detail put into this is simply stunning. I realize some will be thinking, "All this for a bunch of movies about a giant turtle??" In my opinion Arrow deserves the highest honors for going all out on this set. The Protector of Children has always had to stand in Godzilla's shadow, but the history of the Gamera film series is worthy of attention and analysis, despite the flat-out bizarre nature of most of its entries.

I did not get the Criterion Godzilla box set, because the list of extras was rather sparse, and according to numerous reviews, the visual quality of the films was somewhat lacking. But I did cough up enough hard-earned treasure to get the Arrow Gamera set, mainly because I knew the company wouldn't let buyers down. Trust me, this set wasn't cheap...but it is definitely worth it. (There are plans in the works for Arrow to release a future "regular" edition of the Gamera set.)

Whenever there is a new home video release of any notable science fiction/horror subject, there's sure to be some whining and moaning about it, no matter what the quality of that release may be. I don't see how anyone can complain about the Arrow Gamera set, unless they're ticked off because they didn't get a copy. I'm calling it right now: GAMERA: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION is the 2020 Blu-ray release of the year.

ROUGH RIDERS

My latest cheap home video acquisition ($5 at Walmart) is a DVD of the 1997 2-part cable TV movie ROUGH RIDERS, co-written and directed by John Milius. The movie dramatizes the events surrounding Theodore Roosevelt's military adventures in the Spanish-American War.

The idea for ROUGH RIDERS came from actor Tom Berenger, who felt that a story about Roosevelt and the Rough Riders would be in the same vein as GETTYSBURG, which he had starred in. Berenger wanted fellow GETTYSBURG actor Stephen Lang to play Roosevelt (Lang declined). John Milius, a huge admirer of TR, became attached to the production, and Berenger took on the lead role.

The movie was made for the Turner Network Television cable channel, and Milius was given a far smaller budget and shooting schedule than he was accustomed to. Despite the difficulties, Milius made a very entertaining tale, filled with the director's usual male bravado and discussions of duty and honor.

The movie was originally shown in two parts on TNT (without commercials it runs about three hours). The first half mostly deals with how the Spanish-American War came about, and Theodore Roosevelt's determination to enter the fray somehow. The creation of the Rough Riders unit (the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment) is established, and various minor characters and subplots are introduced.

The second half deals with the Rough Riders arriving in Cuba, and their struggles with a disorganized command and a torrid climate. It all leads to a climax at the San Juan Heights, where Roosevelt and his colorful group charge into history.

ROUGH RIDERS is a treat for history buffs, and those who love classic tales of daring adventure. If you want a "warts and all", cynical approach toward the beginnings of American imperialism, you won't find it here (and considering who the director is, you shouldn't expect that). Milius does mention how the yellow press and business interests fanned the flames of anti-Spanish sentiment, but his main interest is how men react to life-and-death circumstances, and what they will risk their lives for.

Tom Berenger is quite good as Theodore Roosevelt, a role that one would automatically think he was not suited for. Berenger makes use of TR's upper-class accent, and at times he has the American icon act like an overeager nerd. The portrayal of TR here is a bit different than in Milius' THE WIND AND THE LION. Berenger's TR is a bit naive and innocently boisterous. Ironically, the actor who played TR in THE WIND AND THE LION, Brian Keith, plays William McKinley in ROUGH RIDERS. How many actors have portrayed two different American Presidents on film, yet alone a President and the one who succeeded him?

Like GETTYSBURG, ROUGH RIDERS is filled with plenty of notable male character actors, such as Sam Elliott, Gary Busey (who hams it up as Gen. Joe Wheeler), and Geoffrey Lewis. Milius injects many historical figures into the tale, such as William Randolph Hearst (George Hamilton), John Hay (R. Lee Ermey), Frederick Remington, Stephen Crane, and Jack Pershing.

The battles for the San Juan Heights are well-handled, although I'm sure John Milius would have wanted more time and money to invest in them. (Nearly all of ROUGH RIDERS was filmed in Texas--obviously the production couldn't have gone to modern Cuba.) What hurts the battles--and the overall look of the film--is that the movie uses the standard 1.33:1 aspect ratio. This is a story that cries out for widescreen.

The only extra on this DVD is an audio commentary with John Milius and executive producer William J. MacDonald. I haven't listened to it yet, and I need to, because the iconoclastic Milius always has something unique to say.

ROUGH RIDERS is a worthy effort, but I must say the story seemed to have been dragged out a bit to fill out a two-night TV slot. Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most fascinating Americans who ever lived, and his actions during the Spanish-American War cover only a very small part of his life. I can't help but feel that ROUGH RIDERS probably wouldn't be made today--or at least the story would be told in a very different manner.

More Of My Favorite Movie Cast Ensembles

The other day I was going through some of my older blog posts, which shows how exciting my life is. Anyway, a couple years ago I wrote a post called "My Favorite Movie Cast Ensembles", and I noticed there were plenty of movie cast lists I should have included on it, but didn't. That always happens when I do a "list" post, I'm constantly forgetting certain films.

Just like the earlier list, I'm picking large casts where nearly everyone has a chance to shine, or at least contribute something important to the story. I'm not picking movie casts that are nothing more than a collection of cameos. Obviously, my appreciation of the overall film is important as well. (Notice that there are no comic book movies on this post.)



TOMBSTONE
Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Stephen Lang, Dana Delany, Michael Rooker, Charlton Heston

DUNE (1984)
Kyle MacLachlan, Francesca Annis, Jurgen Prochnow, Sean Young, Patrick Stewart, Freddie Jones, Linda Hunt, Dean Stockwell, Sting, Jose Ferrer, Virginia Madsen, Max Von Sydow, Richard Jordan, Everett McGill

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Thomas Mitchell, Eugene Pallette, Guy Kibbee, Beulah Bondi, Harry Carey

KELLY'S HEROES
Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Donald Sutherland, Carroll O'Connor, Gavin MacLeod, Stuart Margolin, Jeff Morris, Harry Dean Stanton

MY MAN GODFREY
William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady, Gail Patrick, Eugene Pallette, Jean Dixon, Alan Mowbray, Mischa Auer

THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD
Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Ingrid Pitt, Jon Pertwee, Denholm Elliott, Joss Ackland, Nyree Dawn Porter, Chloe Franks, Geoffrey Bayldon

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness, Tom Courtenay, Ralph Richardson, Adrienne Corri, Noel Willman, Klaus Kinski

GOLDDIGGERS OF 1933
Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Guy Kibbee, Ned Sparks, Ginger Rogers

THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1973)
Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, Frank Finlay, Christopher Lee, Geraldine Chaplin, Roy Kinnear, Simon Ward, Faye Dunaway, Charlton Heston

NUMBER ONE

It's football season....well, it's supposed to be football season, but, I'm not going to get into that. But I will get into a 1969 film about a fictional football player--NUMBER ONE, starring Charlton Heston.

Heston is Ron "Cat" Catlan", quarterback for the NFL's New Orleans Saints. As the story begins, Catlan is 40 years old, and way past his prime. Even though he has led the Saints to a championship, Catlan is in danger of being replaced by a hot young QB prospect. His status isn't helped when he suffers a knee injury during the last game of the exhibition season. In the time up to the beginning of the regular season, Catlan starts to think that maybe he should hang it up. But he's still a prideful man, and a bit unwilling to admit that he's not as good as he once was. He's also unsure about what he should do for the rest of his life, and he has a strained relationship with his wife.

NUMBER ONE was filmed with the assistance of the NFL, and the production attached itself to the real New Orleans Saints football team during its 1968 season. It's surprising that the league did help out with the film, because the story does not make pro football very enticing. "Cat" Catlan isn't a clean cut sports hero. He's a cynical man, who's a bit arrogant, and he cheats on his wife and argues with his coaches. Catlan is used to being "Number One", but now he's unsure of everything around him, and he doesn't know how to deal with his changing situation. There's absolutely no way the NFL would assist in a movie like this today. (In one scene, Catlan argues with his wife, they start to fight, and he pins her down and begins to forcefully kiss her--can you imagine the reactions that would get now, with all the domestic abuse allegations against pro athletes??)

Charlton Heston is excellent as Catlan. This isn't one of Heston's larger-than-life characters--this is a man who used to be larger than life. Most of the men Heston played had a determined stubbornness, and Catlan exudes this in spades. Heston was 45 when he made this film, yet I still thought he was believable enough as an aging pro football player. Some have criticized Heston for his lack of QB skills, but NUMBER ONE is more of a character study than a sports showcase--the major action is off the field, not on. Heston actually had very few in-game football scenes--his character wears the number 17 on his uniform, the same as real-life Saints QB Billy Kilmer. This was so real game footage of Kilmer could be used in the film, to substitute for Heston.

Archie Manning? Drew Brees? No, Charlton Heston

Heston gets nice support from Jessica Walter as Catlan's wife. Instead of being a "little woman at home" type, Walter's character is a successful fashion designer who has her own identity away from her husband. Diana Muldaur is very enticing as the woman Catlan has an affair with, and Bruce Dern plays one of Catlan's best friends, a former Saints wide receiver who got out of the game early and now runs a major car-leasing business. (Dern tries to convince Heston to join him in this endeavor). John Randolph is the Saints head coach, a man who appreciates what Catlan has done for him, yet also knows that his job isn't to be sentimental, it is to win.

NUMBER ONE was directed by Tom Gries, who had already guided Heston through one of the actor's best performances in the Western WILL PENNY. Gries makes use of the famed New Orleans nightlife (legendary musician Al Hirt gets a showy cameo), but his best contribution to the film is showing the day-to-day grind of an NFL football team. (Ed Sabol and NFL Films were responsible for most of the on-field action and in-game experience.) A few times throughout the movie, split-screen techniques and slow-motion sequences are used, but these are not overly relied on.

As a big-time sports fan, I've always had a rather jaundiced view of most sports films. They are usually about as realistic as a video game, and way too many of them go far over the top in an effort to be "inspirational". NUMBER ONE has a low-key, gritty tone to it. One does have to take into account the fact that it was made 50 years ago. The NFL was getting big then, but it was nowhere near at the heights it would eventually reach. If the story of Ron Catlan would be told today, he'd be a lot more well-off financially, so much so he wouldn't have to worry about having to do any real work the rest of his life. And if he did want to get a job, he'd easily find one as a TV sports commentator.

NUMBER ONE is still a great time capsule on what the world's most powerful professional sports league was like decades ago. It also has a very surprising--and very ambiguous--ending....there's no feel-good victorious moment at the end. You don't need to be a football fan, or even a sports fan, to watch NUMBER ONE. Fans of Charlton Heston will appreciate seeing him play an all too human being.

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (1916) On Blu-ray From Kino

Kino Lorber continues its acclaimed history of releasing silent films on home video with the 1916 adaptation of Jules Verne's 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA.

This was the first full-length cinematic adaptation of the Verne novel, produced by Universal Pictures. The film also includes much material from Verne's THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. The eccentric Captain Nemo (Allen Holubar) rescues Professor Arronax, his daughter, and Ned Land after ramming the ship that the group was on. He takes them on a tour featuring the wonders of the sea, and his submarine Nautilus stops near a mysterious island, where a group of Civil War soldiers have been stranded. There's someone else on the island as well--a young girl living a Tarzan-like existence. The girl just so happens to be Nemo's long-lost daughter! All is revealed at the end in a flashback showing that Nemo was once known as Prince Daakar of India.

This first movie version of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA is historically and technically significant, due to the underwater photography pioneered by the Williamson brothers. The pair went to the ultra-clear waters of the Bahamas to get these for-the-time spectacular shots. The underwater sequences may not seem all that exciting today--they come off now as somewhat stiff--but one must take into consideration that this film was made over 100 years ago. How many of the audience members who viewed this film when it originally came out had seen such sights??

The Williamsons were also responsible for the models of the Nautilus, including a life size version that the actors could actually walk on top of. They also built a giant octopus, which of course attacks a diver during the course of the story. This special effect doesn't stand the test of time, but it is a precursor to all the many big-screen human vs. sea creature battles that would follow.

As for the non-technical aspects of the film....the narrative is very choppy at times, switching back and forth between scenes involving the Nautilus and those dealing with the stranded men on the mysterious island. There's also a rather haphazardly dropped-in flashback concerning Nemo's daughter. After the two main storylines finally converge, we get another flashback, this time dealing with Nemo's past as a prince in his homeland. This sequence feels like it comes from another movie altogether. The credited director is one Stuart Paton, but the underwater sequences and those outside the Nautilus were handled by Ernest Williamson.

This version of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA proves that even 100 years ago Hollywood was making major changes to notable source material. Female roles are added to the mix here, and Nemo gets a backstory that "explains" his character. This silent Nemo is very exotically dressed and made up--but we do get to see him play the organ.

Kino touts this Blu-ray as featuring a new 4K restoration of the film by Universal. Some of the scenes show some wear--but others are crystal clear. Once again one must realize that this is a movie that is over 100 years old--the fact that it has gotten a major restoration and a major home video release is an achievement in itself. The running time is 86 minutes, and I wonder if there might be some scenes missing, due to the sometimes confusing nature of the story.

The Blu-ray has a new music score by Orlando Perez Rosso. It's a fine one, in that it doesn't try to overwhelm the film. There's also a new audio commentary by historian Anthony Slide, who gives out reams of detail and info about the making of the movie.

When the 1916 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA was first released, it was considered a major film epic. Having seen it for the first time, I have to say that it is more interesting than entertaining. Those who have read Verne's original works will appreciate it, as will those who are fans of the Disney 20,000 LEAGUES and the Harryhausen MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (there's plenty of comparisons that can be made). Kino is starting a series of releases of Universal silents, and that's great news--they've already got some intriguing Tod Browning films on the way.