Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Month: March 2020

The Intrigue 03/31/20

Look out, it’s an X-Ray Death Ray!  We rushed this review out, and it’s only 104 years late. One of the feature films on a new disc devoted to an unheralded woman filmmaker is The Intrigue, a nascent science-fiction thriller of the ‘deadly invention’ variety. It’s all from 1916, when WW1 was being fought. Julia Crawford Ivers’ adept screenplay offers good espionage twists, and Frank Lloyd’s direction incorporates some interesting visual effects. The show stays smart until a ‘pacifist finale’ that will elicit justified jeers from the hawkish among us. On Blu-ray from Kino Classics.
03/31/20

Abbott and Costello Go to The Black Lagoon 03/31/20

A mention in a book by Tom Weaver of an odd shared visual in two Universal-International movies of the 1950s prompts a quick frame-grab comparison, and also some thoughts about how movies were really made back when twenty dollars was probably considered a big budget expenditure. Some savant I am … I simply didn’t see what was in front of my eyes! A contributor (and friend) had to hold me by the neck to see what a few others have figured out before. Bud and Lou are involved, so who can complain?  A CineSavant Article.
03/31/20

Murder He Says 03/28/20

This freaky laugh classic has been hiding in plain sight for nearly forever. Fred MacMurray is a census taker caught on the wrong side of the Mason-Dixon Line in George Marshall’s singular black comedy. Marjorie Main plays the terrifying matriarch of the Fleagle clan, a murderous mob of hillbillies with nothing on their pea-brained noggins except getting their mitts on some buried treasure. A little-seen classic finally gets its due: Honors flysis, Income beezis – Onches nobis, Inob keesis! With Helen Walker and Porter Hall, and Peter Whitney as weird triple-inbred twins. Is this a natural for Charlie Largent, or what?  On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/28/20

The Day of the Dolphin 03/28/20

They swim, they play, and they talk. They love George C. Scott and call him ‘pa.’ Mike Nichols’ paranoid sci-fi classic combines Lassie Go Home and The Manchurian Candidate. It works up a good guys versus bad guys conspiracy storyline — until the message arrives that what the adorable dolphins Fa and Bee really need, along with the rest of the natural planet, is for us greedy, murderous humans to just Go Away. Buck Henry’s screenplay overcomes aquatic clichés and cutesy animal traditions to comes up with a crowd-pleasing winner. With Trish Van Devere, Paul Sorvino, Fritz Weaver, Jon Korkes, Edward Herrmann, John Dehner, Severn Darden, and Elizabeth Wilson. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/28/20

3-D Rarities II 03/24/20

3-D Blu-ray isn’t going away, even as the equipment to show it becomes hard to find — and the 3-D Film Archive keeps reviving vintage features and getting them shown in special venues and on Blu-ray. This second Rarities disc gives us some interesting odd items, including a pleasing gallery of vintage 3-D ‘Realist’ stills — a whole section of which are from amateur-pro Harold Lloyd — and an entire feature starring Cesar Romero and Katy Jurado, the first película de tercera dimensión filmed in Mexico. On Blu-ray from Flicker Alley.
03/24/20

Beau Geste 03/24/20

Welcome to a classic from the Golden Year of 1939, directed in fine style by Wild Bill Wellman and well cast with Paramount stars Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, and Robert Preston, and with Brian Donlevy as one of the movies’ most hissable villains. The popular story has been remade and spoofed innumerable times, yet this remains the indelible best version. A commentary with William Wellman Jr. and Frank Thompson points out many things we didn’t notice before, including where some excised scenes belong, and what originally happened in them. With Susan Hayward, J. Carrol Naish, Albert Dekker, Broderick Crawford, and Donald O’Connor. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/24/20

Show Boat (1936) 03/21/20

One of the best and most melodic of filmic transpositions from Broadway, James Whale’s beautifully directed movie showcases all-time great performances by Irene Dunne, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Hattie McDaniel, and Charles Winninger. If you didn’t grow up with an awareness of this 1936 show, it’s because it was tossed in a vault and kept from view for more than forty years. Universal’s Laemmle dynasty did everything right on this one, backing Whale right down the line. Even though it was a big success, they lost the studio over cost overruns (well, for several reasons). Criterion’s new disc is a wonderful surprise that does the movie justice, with more and better extras than Warners would have sourced. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
03/21/20

The Bolshevik Trilogy 3 Films by Vsevolod Pudovkin 03/21/20

V.I. Pudovkin showed the world how Soviet silent cinema excelled in the 1920s; this trio of revolutionary dramas were designed to instill collective, Red patriotic fervor in millions of Soviets speaking a multitude of languages. Radical editing springs forward from time to time but the real power of the shows comes from strong performances of the main characters. Those Bolsheviks knew how to co-opt the limitless power of Russian mother love: anybody would cheer for the valiant mother carrying the red flag into the Winter Palace. We said powerful, not subtle. The trilogy of silent classics — with lavish music and informed commentary — consists of Mother, The End of Saint Petersburg and the best of the three, Storm over Asia. On Blu-ray from Flicker Alley.
03/21/20

The Mad Magician 3-D 03/21/20

Yes, it’s back and still in Blu-ray 3-D, and the disc contains the 3-D Three Stooges shorts as well. Vincent Price took a second step toward his future as a horror icon in Columbia’s not-bad attempt to collect on the residual goodwill from the previous year’s House of Wax. Reviewer extraordinaire Charlie ‘saw the lady in half’ Largent gives his take on what holds up as a fun, hammy diversion of the horror kind. And hey, it’s another good appearance by the talented Eva Gabor. Patrick O’Neal is just starting out as a green detective. Gorgeous Mary Murphy aced the plum role opposite Marlon Brando in The Wild One — I’d say she could have used a better agent. With different extras than the OOP Twilight Time disc. On 3-D Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
03/21/20

Hammer Volume Five: Death & Deceit 03/17/20

Charlie Largent continues with yet another four-cylinder compendium of thrillers from the prolific Hammer Films. As every Hammer/Columbia co-production that resembles in the slightest a horror film has been covered in the four volumes already released, collection number five moves on to a string of ‘Adventure!’ thrillers. The Pirates of Blood River is a familiar enough item, but The Scarlet Blade and The Brigand of Kandahar are new to Blu-ray, as is the even more obscure Visa to Canton, which stars Richard Basehart and Lisa Gastoni. This sounds like a set for devoted Hammer fans, which these days are legion. Top-lining the other three pictures are Christopher Lee, Ronald Lewis and Jack Hedley. On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
03/17/20

Dodsworth 03/17/20

It’s ‘Marriage Story’ circa 1936. Talk about older shows that still pack a dramatic wallop… this Sinclair Lewis adaptation is William Wyler’s most celebrated ’30s film. The Production Code frowned on disrespecting the institution of marriage, but Wyler & writer Sidney Howard keep the divorce theme intact — their well-off couple learn more about each other and simply grow apart. Industrialist Walter Huston gets pushed a little too far. His social-climbing wife Ruth Chatterton doesn’t appreciate what she’s got, while luscious Mary Astor is the Depression equivalent of a Malibu Earth Mother. With Paul Lukas, Mary Astor, David Niven, Gregory Gaye and Maria Ouspenskaya. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
03/17/20

Supernatural 03/17/20

Wow! That glorious original poster jumped out at us, making us ask why we couldn’t see this classic-era Paramount horror picture starring the brilliant and glamorous Carole Lombard and directed by the maker of White Zombie.  Well, it’s finally shown up to answer that question on Blu-ray. This fairly insubstantial spiritualist vs. scientist spook show about a lady strangler returned from the dead is no classic but will of course be a major curiosity for horror buffs. It’s short on real scares, but it does have a young Randolph Scott to race to the rescue at the finish. Also featuring Vivienne Osborne, Alan Dinehart, H.B. Warner, and Beryl Mercer. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/17/20

Leave Her to Heaven 03/14/20

Gorgeous Gene Tierney has a perplexing problem in this bizarre domestic noir — she just *sigh* has to connive and murder to get her way. Her dream wife Ellen Berent is rich, cultured, and drop-dead beautiful, but hubby Cornell Wilde should have read the small print about her manic possessiveness. Beautiful people, beautiful scenery and Technicolor so bright that even Alfred Newman’s music score seems to be in color; John M. Stahl’s thriller stretches the definition of Film Noir. With Jeanne Crain, Vincent Price, Mary Philips, Ray Collins, Darryl (help me!) Hickman. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
03/14/20

Trail of the Screaming Forehead + The Lost Skeleton Returns Again 03/14/20

Cult nonsense filmmaking finds its Ultimate in Larry Blamire’s pair of monster-rally comedies, that parody classic cheapo sci-fi thrillers. The spot-on spoofery nails the genre’s hyper-earnest characterizations and affectionately stilted acting. The only disconnect are the high production values lavished on these personal films: remastered for reissue, they look and sound almost too good for authenticity’s sake. Separate purchases, each with bounteous extras, including Larry Blamire’s weird ‘reanimated movie classics.’ On Blu-ray from Bantam Street.
03/14/20

Manon 03/10/20

We can depend on H.G. Clouzot to find people at their most desperate, at their worst. His updated adaptation of Manon Lescaut dissects the trauma of amour fou AND the hypocrisy, opportunism and political horror of postwar France. Resistance fighter Michel Auclair and provincial tart Cécile Aubrey are lovers caught in a web of vice and treachery, much of it of their own making. Their desperate escape takes them to an inhuman landscape devoid of mercy. Clouzot may pity these characters, but he sure doesn’t give them a break. co-starring Serge Reggiani. On Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.
03/10/20

Whisky Galore! + The Maggie 03/10/20

All hail Alexander Mackendrick! TFH’s Charlie Largent evaluates a terrific Ealing Scottish double bill of hilarious comedies. Mackendrick’s first feature is about an island’s valiant call to arms — to recover a cargo of booze run around on the rocks. Basil Radford and Joan Greenwood star. Second up is the director’s personal favorite, a droll farce about a struggle between an American millionaire (Paul Douglas) and the clever, slippery captain of a barely-seaworthy cargo launch (Alex Mackenzie). It’s sort of a proto- Local Hero battle of wills. CineSavant’s Charlie Largent evaluates the disc. On Blu-ray from Film Movement Classics.
03/10/20

The Cranes Are Flying 03/07/20

Some classic Russian films are impressive, others are interesting — and this one takes our heads off, as if we were seeing great moviemaking for the first time. Soviet filmmaking under Stalin was locked in the grip of stifling bureaucratic sameness; Mikhail Kalatazov waited until the passing of Joe Stalin to direct with a degree of freedom. This show about lovers separated by war won prizes around the world, giving Soviet films new life internationally — its bravura montages and fluid camera set pieces still astound. The stars are Sergey Batalov, and the world-class actress and beauty Tatyana Samojlova. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
0307/20

Beau Brummell 03/07/20

This remake of Warners’ 1924 John Barrymore feature gives us Elizabeth Taylor in the Mary Astor role, Stewart Granger as the fashion dandy of the Restoration Period, and a scene-stealing Peter Ustinov as a lonely, needy Prince of Wales. The historical details are bogus, but it at least doesn’t turn Brummell into a typical swashbuckler. Compensating are English actors that can get any script up on its feet, and Liz Taylor’s blue-violet eyes. And the Oswald Morris cinematography improves greatly on the MGM house style. Also starring Robert Morley, James Donald, James Hayter, Rosemary Harris, Paul Rogers, and Noel Willman. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
03/07/20

Inside Moves 03/03/20

Are friends the best therapy?  Richard Donner’s first feature post- Superman is a complete switcheroo — a small-scale character piece that delivers an impressive lineup of engaging actors. John Savage leads a ‘different’ ensemble of the walking wounded, that congregates at a neighborhood bar. The movie has a positive sports theme, and the way its characters overcome physical limits and psychological damage feels uplifting, never phony. Diana Scarwid earned an Oscar nomination, and the unappreciated Amy Wright is a heartbreaker in a strong, uncompromised role. Also co-starring David Morse, Harold Sylvester, Bill Henderson, Bert Remsen, Harold Russell, and Tony Burton. On Blu-ray from Scorpion Releasing.
03/03/20

My Gun Is Quick 03/03/20

I wouldn’t brag about that if I were you. United Artists’ third go-round with Mickey Spillane’s famed private eye doesn’t do the franchise justice — there’s little to connect the inexpressive nice guy Robert Bray with the super-popular, super-violent avenger of the books. Spillane’s original is abandoned in favor of a tame ‘who’s got the diamonds?’ storyline, with some compensation in a string of exciting ‘Hammer dames.’ I checked twice — Mike doesn’t shoot ANY of them in the stomach. The ‘who’s that?’ cast list includes Whitney Blake, Patricia Donahue, Jan Chaney, Genie Coree — and Pamela Duncan and Richard Garland, who we do fondly remember. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/03/20