DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of July 24th, 2023 (Patreon)

DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of July 24th, 2023
http://www.dvdbeaver.com

THIS WEEK's RELEASES: Ital-Western boxset from Arrow, Bruce Lee in 4K UHD, Time-Machine 'Soundies', Carl Franklin Neo-Noir excellence, Franco Nero Mafiaso Tales, Spanish Horror Trifecta, Sidney Lumet, Wesley Ruggles, Anthony Mann / Laurence Harvey, Douglas Fairbanks Double Feature , Robert Wise, Raoul Walsh, Josef von Sternberg X 2, Wei Tung, John Farrow, Taylor Wong, Rouben Mamoulian, Masahiro Shimura...
THIS WEEK's CALENDAR UPDATES (NEW!): Nicolas Roeg in 4K, Mario Bava in 4K, more Orson Welles in 4K, more Brian De Palma in 4K, Jesús Franco, Oliver Stone in 4K, more Dario Argento in 4K, Katsuhito Ishii, Bo Widerberg, Wesley Ruggles, Robert Wise, Raoul Walsh, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Sam Peckinpah, Christopher Nolan, Film Noir Collections, Ida Lupino, Audie Murphy, René Clément, , Ernst Lubitsch, William Wyler, Paul Schrader, Louis Malle, Sydney Pollack, Jacques Deray, Rob Reiner, Black Emanualle, Count Yorga, Fatal Femmes, Craig Brewer, Irwin Allen, Spielberg's first....
THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS: Neo-Noir gold, Joyful Soundies, 'Spanish Villages of the Damned', Coburn Con-man, Edward G. pseudo-psychic, Janet Jets with The Duke, early 60's oddball creature-feature, Marlene-Mamoulian, von Sternberg's first 'Talkie', Magic police...
Enjoy,
Gary

RELEASES the WEEK of July 24th, 2023 (Recommended titles have "**")

**The Anderson Tapes** [Blu-ray] (Sidney Lumet, 1971) Kino
US PURCHASE LINK
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: Sparkling wit, non-stop action and dynamic stars Sean Connery (Goldfinger, The Great Train Robbery) and Dyan Cannon (Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Shamus) make this heist film one of the best of its kind. After ten years in the cooler, Duke Anderson (Connery) heads for the luxurious apartment of his ex-girlfriend, Ingrid Everleigh (Cannon), where he masterminds an elaborate plot to rob the entire building. Financed by an underworld boss (Alan King, Casino), he recruits the best burglars in town, including an antiques dealer (Martin Balsam, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three) and a young safecracker (Christopher Walken, The Deer Hunter, King of New York). But what he doesn’t know is that each detail of the robbery is secretly recorded by electronic “bugs” planted throughout the building. Smartly directed by cinema legend Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Serpico) from the nationwide bestseller, and featuring a memorable musical score by the great Quincy Jones (In the Heat of the Night), The Anderson Tapes blends satire and suspense into a wholly entertaining caper concoction.
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**Blood Money: Four Western Classics Vol. 2** Limited Edition Blu-ray Gianni Garko / Jeffrey Hunter @ArrowFilmsVideo
$10,000 Blood Money (1967), Vengeance is Mine (1967), Find a Place to Die (1968) and Matalo! (Kill Him) (1970)
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BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Deeply ensconced 'Pasta Western' genre flics directed by Romolo Guerrieri (The Sweet Body of Deborah,) Giovanni Fago (assistant director for, the likes, of Vittorio De Sica, Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Lucio Fulci), Giuliano Carnimeo (The Case of the Bloody Iris) and Cesare Canevari (his films ranged to noir, Nazisploitation, Spaghetti Western, giallo and melodrama.) The stars include Gianni Garko (The Complete Sartana), Loredana Nusciak (Django), Claudio Camaso (A Bay of Blood), Claudie Lange (in a large number of Italian genre films), Jeffrey Hunter (Gun For a Coward), Pascale Petit (Four Times That Night), Lou Castel (Requiescant aka "Kill and Pray") and Ana María Mendoza. The films aren't at the level of Volume One but they are filled with machismo, genre-themed plots involving goldmine claims, outcast soldiers, gratuitous vengeful violence, a mysterious ghost town, a bounty hunter, beautiful pioneering gals and fulfilling a mother's dying wish. These are housed on individual Arrow Blu-rays with exceptional a/v plus commentaries, hours of impressive supplements, an illustrated collector’s booklet, poster and more. Hours of delightful Spaghetti western adventure infused with easily identifiable style. Absolutely recommended!
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Broadway Melody [Blu-ray] (Harry Beaumont, 1929) Warner Archive
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COMMENTS: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer made every effort to impress with its first talking motion picture, setting a new standard for big-budget films and establishing an archetype for decades of movie musicals to follow in The Broadway Melody. The Great White Way truly becomes the Street of Broken Dreams when sisters Queenie and Hank Mahoney (Anita Page and Bessie Love) follow Hank's boyfriend, Eddie Kearns (Charles King), to Manhattan with visions of stardom. In New York, Eddie and Queenie are attracted to each other, but unwilling to betray her sister, Queenie dates a feckless cad. Now, Hank must sort out the tangle of aspirations and emotions that form this tragic love triangle. Filled with a memorable score of unforgettable songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, this was the first sound film to win the Academy Award® for Best Picture (1929-30).
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**Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest Limited Edition [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon and Game of Death) Arrow UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
US PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: When former child actor and Hollywood TV sidekick Bruce Lee returned to his native Hong Kong in 1971 to star in two films for fledgling company Golden Harvest, movie history was made thanks to one of the most iconic partnerships between star and studio that cinema has ever seen. In only a handful of films, Lee high-kicked his way into audiences’ imaginations forever, thanks to his blistering screen presence and his masterful ‘Jeet Kune Do’ fighting technique.
The first two starring vehicles for Lee, The Big Boss and Fist of Fury (both directed by Lo Wei), smashed all box office records in Hong Kong and made him the most famous face on the continent. Lee asserted his artistic independence by directing, writing and starring in The Way of the Dragon, arguably his most thrilling and personal film. Tragically, on the cusp of achieving the international stardom he had long strived for, Bruce Lee died suddenly in 1973, aged only 32. Not to be outdone by the tidal wave of ‘Bruceploitation’ films that followed, Golden Harvest completed two posthumous films using unreleased footage, 1978’s Game of Death and its 1981 sequel, as well as two official documentaries, the first of which hit cinemas only three months after Lee’s death. Today, five decades since his passing, Bruce Lee continues to be the most beloved and influential martial artist in the world.
This definitive collection, featuring fresh and exclusive 4K restorations by Arrow Video from the best available film materials, hours of brand new bonus features and previously unreleased footage - including the extended Mandarin Cut of The Big Boss, now ten minutes longer than any version ever released on video worldwide, and the never-before-seen ‘log fight’ from the original Game of Death shoot - is the ultimate tribute to Bruce Lee’s enduring legacy and fruitful collaboration with Golden Harvest.
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**Cimarron** [Blu-ray] (Wesley Ruggles, 1931) Warner Archive
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COMMENTS: This Academy Award-winning adaptation of Edna Ferber's novel traces the lives of two people who are in love with each other--but in love with life even more--as they struggle to bring civilization to the Western frontier in Cimarron! 1898. The Oklahoma Land Rush. As thousands of would-be settlers race across a barren desert to be the first to stake their claim to a plot of land, Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix) is cheated out of his property by Dixie Lee (Estelle Taylor). Without the farm they had hoped to start, Yancey and his wife, Sabra (Irene Dunne), take over the local newspaper after the editor is assassinated. But as the newspaper helps bring order to a lawless land, Yancey feels the wanderlust to find new frontiers and new adventures, and Sabra stays to build a publishing empire. Always in love, frequently apart and destined for greatness, Yancey and Sabra lead lives as tempestuous as the land they have chosen for their home in this epic Western classic.
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**Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero in three Mafia Tales** by Damiano Damiani Blu-ray - Franco Nero / Claudia Cardinale @FilmsRadiance
The Day of the Owl aka Mafia (1968,) The Case is Closed, Forget It (1971) and How to Kill a Judge (1975)
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BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Radiance Films' Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero in three Mafia Tales by Damiano Damiani Blu-ray package is not adhering to a strict classification of 'Poliziotteschi' films (see our review of Arrow's Years Of Lead: Five Classic Italian Crime Thrillers 1973-1977 boxset) although they certainly do relate to polizia "police" and detective fiction crime - albeit they are more specifically Mafioso-topic focused. Damiano Damiani, part of the 'Group of Venice', has a style that has described him as "the most American of Italian directors" by Italian film critic Paolo Mereghetti and a "a bitter moralist hungry for old purity" by none other than Pier Paolo Pasolini (see Pasolini 101.) He made almost 40 features. The Day of the Owl aka Mafia is, debatably, the best film of the set (or The Case Is Closed, Forget It) and is based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Leonardo Sciascia, adapted for the screen by Damiani and Ugo Pirro and is the first in director Damiani's 'Mafia trilogy'. It has the appealing cast of Nero, gorgeous Claudia Cardinale, and, brief pivotal appearances by Lee J. Cobb. The Case Is Closed, Forget It is based on the novel Tante Sbarre (trad. "Many Bars"), written by Leros Pittoni and has Nero as an architect put in prison of traffic regulations. While incarcerated he sees the sad reality of life behind bars including corrupt staff + inmates, and an damaged judicial system manipulated by the pervasive Mafia. It's quite a good film on Italian prison life. How to Kill a Judge (The Murder of a Magistrate or Why Does One Kill a Magistrate?) is the final chapter in the Damiani's trilogy about mafia, after The Day of the Owl and Confessions of a Police Captain. The film centers on events that spark the murder of a judge who gets too friendly with the Mafia but the governing corrupt politicians induce cover-ups which expose a viscous circle to the societal malaise. Radiance Films' Blu-ray package of Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero in three Mafia Tales by Damiano Damiani Blu-ray package is wonderfully complete with accoutrements - each film has optional English DUBs, exhaustive supplements including modern Nero interviews, visual essay gold, and a 120-page book, plus HD presentations indicative of the theatrical appearance. Franco Nero fans will not be able to resist this set and the Italian crime-cinema here is top shelf. It's very strongly recommended! Wow - Radiance Films once again proves they are the 'real deal'. What great news for physical media personal archivists.
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**A Dandy in Aspic** [Blu-ray] (Anthony Mann / Laurence Harvey, 1968) Kino
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ALT-BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: Laurence Harvey (The Manchurian Candidate), Tom Courtenay (Doctor Zhivago) and Mia Farrow (Rosemary’s Baby) star in this thought-provoking Cold War thriller about the dangerous and oftentimes lonely world of espionage. Russian double agent Alexander Eberlin (Harvey) has long been posing as a British spy in England, but, feeling like a “man without a country,” he wishes to return to his motherland. His request for a transfer is denied, however, and his life is further complicated when British Intelligence assigns him and his cold-blooded boss (Courtenay) to travel to East Berlin and eliminate his Russian counterpart and friend. Living a life of lies, Eberlin comes to the painful realization that he has no allies—and no way out. The film features the elegantly chic Mia Farrow, along with Harry Andrews (The Deadly Affair), Peter Cook (Bedazzled) and a soundtrack by music legend Quincy Jones (In the Heat of the Night). A Dandy in Aspic was begun under the direction of the great Anthony Mann (T-Men, The Naked Spur, El Cid); when Mann passed away during production, Laurence Harvey completed the film.
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Bernard Girard's "Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round" Blu-ray - James Coburn @KinoLorber
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BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Bernard Girard's Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round has positives; Coburn's charming con-man and some attractive gals (Camilla Sparv, Nina Wayne, and Marian McCargo.) I guess it could be considered a neo-noir. I was pleased, but probably not a keeper although I like Coburn. Still worthy of a spin. The bare-bones Kino Blu-ray is 28% OFF at Amazon at the writing of this review.
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**A Douglas Fairbanks Double Feature** [Blu-ray] Robin Hood / The Black Pirate - Kino
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COMMENTS: A big-screen spectacle that ranks as one of the monumental accomplishments of the silent era, ROBIN HOOD is a timeless story of romance and intrigue, staged on a herculean scale. Its sets were erected by an army of 500 carpenters and towered 90 feet in the air, covering acres of land – historically accurate to the smallest detail. For this restoration, a full frame 35MM fine grain positive was scanned at 4K, with 175 hours of digital clean-up at 2K completed.
Shot in two-strip Technicolor, Fairbanks had conceived of THE BLACK PIRATE years before it was finally made. According to Fairbanks biographer Jeffrey Vance, it was “the most carefully prepared and controlled of Fairbanks’s entire career,” certainly in no small part due to the expense and limitations of the early color process. The resulting film earned high praise from The New York Times, which praised its “unrivalled beauty...mindful of the paintings of the old masters.” A 35MM color negative was mastered in HD for this presentation.
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**Du Barry Was a Lady** [Blu-ray] (Roy Del Ruth, 1943) Warner Archive
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COMMENTS: Hapless nightclub hatcheck boy Red Skelton loves glamorous chanteuse Lucille Ball. Handsome hoofer Gene Kelly loves her too. And Lucy? Lucy loves money. Then Red mistakenly gulps down a Mickey Finn and dreams he’s in 18th-century France. Before you can powder your wig, a throng of suitors – Red, Gene, King Louis XV, a dashing rebel, a sinister duke and just about everybody – loves Lucy! This glittery, tune-filled bonbon features a supporting cast of wags and wits (including the inimitable Zero Mostel) and three Cole Porter songs from the original Broadway smash: “Friendship,” “Katie Went to Haiti” and “Do I Love You?” Cherchez la Lucy for comedy, music and star power from Hollywood’s golden era.
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**The Fastest Gun Alive** [Blu-ray] (Russell Rouse, 1956) Warner Archive
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COMMENTS: Glenn Ford stars in this action-packed Western featuring a star-powered cast. Ford stars as a gunman gone good named George Temple, who with his wife Dora (Jeanne Crain) are trying to live a peaceful life. But George's gunslinging ways are legendary - and attract the attention of other gunmen who feel up for a challenge. The couple moves to a new town in the hopes of finally finding a normal life. When George gets drunk and spills the beans, can he and Dora trust the townfolk to keep their secret? A Western with a message that the whole family can enjoy.
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**Helen of Troy** [Blu-ray] (Robert Wise, Raoul Walsh, 1956) Warner Archive
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COMMENTS: In an epic tale of passion, heroism, love, betrayal and war that has that has been passed from generation to generation since the dawn of civilization, one woman possesses a beauty that launches a thousand ships and sparks a war that destroys the greatest city of its age--Helen of Troy. 1100 BCE. King Priam (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) of Troy, sends his son, Paris (Jack Sernas), to Sparta to negotiate a treaty to ensure peace between the two Greek city-states. But Paris falls in love with Spartan King Menelaus' (Niall MacGinnis) wife, Helen (Rossana Podesta). Paris kidnaps the willing Helen and her servant (Brigitte Bardot), starting a war that will kill thousands of brave warriors and spell the end of the city of Troy. Homer's Iliad provides the basis for this epic from the '50s heyday of big-screen blockbusters. Robert Wise (West Side Story, The Sound Of Music) directs this lavish epic capturing more than 30,000 people on screen at a then-huge production cost of $6 million.
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**Josef von Sternberg's "Jet Pilot"** Blu-ray John Wayne / Janet Leigh @indicatorseries
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(Kino) BONUS CAPTURES
OUR COMPARISON
COMMENTS: Indicator Blu-ray (July 2023): Indicator have also transferred Josef von Sternberg's Jet Pilot to Blu-ray. The 1080P image quality is, pretty much, a duplicate of the Kino also offering both 1.37:1 and 1.85:1 1080P presentations sharing a dual-layered Blu-ray. The Indicator is a shade brighter but exports the textures about the same. Their audio goes linear PCM mono and it is as clean and clear as the Kino. The extras are where the two Blu-ray packages differ the most.
Kino only had a theatrical trailer. Indicator, naturally, advance upon their US counterpart. We get 1/2 hour of Tony Rayns on ‘Jet Pilot'. It's a new in-depth discussion of the film’s protracted production and release. The Town is Josef von Sternberg’s 1943 contribution to the war effort - a short film about a typical small town in the US, made as part of The American Scene film series. It runs a dozen minutes. Indicator include a text opening sequence with magnificent jet footage for a minute. There also is an original theatrical trailer and Indicator's usual image gallery of promotional and publicity materials. The package has a limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Glenn Kenny, an extract from Joseph von Sternberg’s autobiography, archival interviews with von Sternberg, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits.
Josef von Sternberg's Jet Pilot is obviously 'dated' and certainly no where near the director's more renowned work. Jet Pilot is silly - intentional at times - filled with US patriotism, but is carried well by the star power of a handsome Wayne and the cheesecake prancing of sweater-girl Leigh. The romancing and suspicions have ups and downs but overall it is quite cute. Nothing more. The Indicator Blu-ray has the dual ARs, vibrancy of the Technicolor and advances on the 2021 Kino. Fans of the leads may find the most benefit.
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**The Last Blood aka "Hard Boiled II"** [Blu-ray] (Wong Jing, 1991) 88 Films US
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COMMENTS: Andy Lau is out for blood... literally. Terrorists have shot two people: their target was a Tibetan religious leader but they also wounded the girlfriend of Bee (Lau - God of Gamblers). Since both victims share the same rare blood group, Bee joins the cops (headed by Alan Tam - Armour of God) racing to find a donor. But those terrorists haven't finished yet...
Also known as ‘Hard Boiled II’, ‘Police Protectors’ and ’12 Hours of Terror’, THE LAST BLOOD is a gunplay movie such as only Hong Kong filmmakers could produce and is a full-tilt tribute to the heroic bloodshed of John Woo (Hard Boiled). A pioneering mix of Buddhists and bullets from your pals at 88 Films!
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**The Last Time I Saw Paris** [Blu-ray] (Richard Brooks, 1954) Warner Archive
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COMMENTS: Academy Award winners Elizabeth Taylor and Donna Reed star with Van Johnson in this sweeping romance loosely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited", a story of love and dreams found and lost in The City of Lights--The Last Time I Saw Paris. When reporter Charles Wills (Johnson) travels to Paris to cover the Allies' victory in World War II, he falls in love with and marries the stunningly beautiful Helen Ellswirth (Taylor). The young newlyweds choose to stay in Paris, where Charles tries to make his way as a writer. But years of struggle, rejection and poverty take their toll on the Wills' marriage, and the two drift into affairs with others as their love and dreams fade. Now, after years of disillusion and tragedy, Charles returns to Paris. But can he rediscover the passion and dreams that once came so easily?
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**Wei Tung's "Magic Cop"** Blu-ray - Ching-Ying Lam / Michiko Nishiwaki @88_Films
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BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Wei Tung's Magic Cop is also known as Mister Vampire 5 - we had compared Mr. Vampire on Blu-ray to DVDs HERE and the more 'official' sequels on Eureka Blu-ray reviewed. There is plenty I liked about this fun, mystical Asian crime-supernatural-comedy-horror. Lam Ching-ying pushes it to be accepted into the Mister Vampire cycle as he was in the original, Mr. Vampire, and sequels; Mr. Vampire II (1986), Mr. Vampire III (1987), Vampire Vs. Vampire (1989), Encounters of the Spooky Kind II (1990) often as the 'One Eyebrow Taoist Priest'. Bruce Lee had hired 19-year old Lam as his personal assistant. He is also listed as a film producer for Magic Cop. We lost him in 1997 (aged 44.) His character's use of supernatural skills and detective techniques is one of the marvels of Magic Cop. I enjoyed the 88 Films Blu-ray ; the fun film, commentary, interview and more. For those who feel they might be keen, we encourage indulging.
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Needful Things [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Fraser C. Heston, 1993) Kino
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COMMENTS: Welcome to Castle Rock, Maine, a lovely place to live…if you don’t mind selling your soul! Acting greats Ed Harris (The Abyss) and Max von Sydow (3 Days of the Condor) head an exceptional cast—including Bonnie Bedelia (Die Hard), J.T. Walsh (A Few Good Men) and Amanda Plummer (Pulp Fiction)—in this supernatural thriller that’s dark, haunting and a hell of a good scare! Sheriff Alan Pangborn (Harris) has a devil of a problem: Suddenly all the residents of his sleepy little town are dying…to kill each other. But at least business is still booming, especially at a new antique store. The shop’s mysterious owner, Leland Gaunt (the nerve-shattering von Sydow), has something for everyone, and his prices are always reasonable: just one small favor…oh, and, of course, eternal damnation! Needful Things comes stylishly directed by Fraser C. Heston (The Crucifer of Blood) and scripted by W.D. Richter (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) from the #1 bestselling novel by the crowned king of horror, Stephen King (The Dead Zone, Cujo, Misery). This special edition also includes an HD Up-res of the 191-minute TV cut of the film.
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**John Farrow's "Night Has a Thousand Eyes"** Blu-ray - Edward G. Robinson @indicatorseries
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Kino BONUS CAPTURES
OUR COMPARISON
Edward G Robinson (The Whole Town’s Talking, Tight Spot) and John Lund (A Foreign Affair) lead the cast of this tense and disturbing thriller from director John Farrow (A Bullet Is Waiting).
COMMENTS: Indicator include an audio commentary with authors and critics Glenn Kenny (Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas) and Farran Smith Nehme (Self-Styled Siren.) They discuss the film's positioning in the noir cycle, the performers, director John Farrow and much more. I enjoyed it although, probably, not as much as Imogen Sara Smith's on the Kino Blu-ray. But the Indicator has much more; we get 24-minutes of Tony Rayns on ‘Night Has a Thousand Eyes’ (2023) where the writer and film programmer discusses the career of director John Farrow and his distinctive noirs. Included are two radio plays; from 1948 a Screen Directors Playhouse rendition of ‘Night Has a Thousand Eyes’ adapted introduced and directed by Farrow, and starring Edward G Robinson and William Demarest, reprising their film roles. It runs 1/2 hour. The other radio plays runs about the same length and is entitled Suspense: ‘The Man Who Thought He Was Edward G. Robinson’ from 1946. It is a playful original radio play tapping into Robinson’s distinctive persona, starring the man himself. There is a trailer and Indicator's usual image gallery of promotional and publicity materials. The package also has a limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Jill Blake, archival interviews with actors John Lund and Gail Russell, an archival profile of screenwriter Jonathan Latimer, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits.
It's such and entertaining film, dipping its toe into the supernatural, as skeptics encircle the protagonist. With the substantial bump in Indicator Blu-ray extras (new commentary, Rayns, radio plays, booklet etc.) - it would certainly worthy of a double dip. 'Dark Cinema' fans, vintage film fans, Edward G. fans... should all indulge with confidence.
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**Carl Franklin's "One False Move" Blu-ray / 4K UHD** - Bill Paxton / Billy Bob Thornton / Cynda Williams @Criterion
US PURCHASE LINK 4K UHD
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK 4K UHD
US PURCHASE LINK Blu-ray
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK Blu-ray
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: One False Move was Carl Franklin's feature debut, and was voted by critic Gene Siskel as his favorite film of 1992. One False Move was low-budget ($2.5 million), co-written by Billy Bob Thornton, and almost went straight to home video after completion, but as critical exposure traveled in festivals about the film's adept realization and complex themes (race as a corollary to urban/city existence - "Color Me Bad" was an original title) it garnered a deserved theatrical release. The late Bill Paxton, Cynda Williams, Thornton (who married Williams after the film was made) and Michael Beach are all excellent. I've always loved Franklin's neo-noir work especially Devil in a Blue Dress, High Crimes, and Out of Time that I all find superior. Criterion produce a fine Blu-ray and 4K UHD of Franklin's exceptional debut film. I thoroughly enjoyed this - very strongly recommended!
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Rich and Famous / Tragic Hero [Blu-ray] (Taylor Wong, 1987) - RB UK Eureka
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COMMENTS: In Rich and Famous, in order to pay off a gambling debt two brothers Yung (Alex Man) and Kwok (Andy Lau) enter a dangerous world of violent criminals. Crossing paths with the charismatic gangster Li Ah Chai (Chow Yun Fat), the two brothers join his gang and quickly rise through the ranks. Then in the spectacularly action-packed Tragic Hero, the fortunes of all three characters has changed significantly, with one of the brothers now a violent Triad leader seeking revenge.
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**Rouben Mamoulian's "The Song of Songs"** Blu-ray - Marlene Dietrich @indicatorseries
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KINO BONUS CAPTURES
OUR COMPARISON
COMMENTS: Indicator have also transferred Rouben Mamoulian's The Song of Songs to Blu-ray. The 1080P image quality is a duplicate of the Kino - although on a single-layered disc with a more modest bitrate. Likewise there is not much disparity in the audio. At least, not that I can discern. The extras are where the two Blu-ray packages differ the most.
The Indicator Blu-ray repeat Kino Lorber's David Del Valle audio commentary from 2020. But they add much more. New (2023) we get 1/2 hour of Geoff Andrew on ‘The Song of Songs’ as the writer and critic assesses the film and its place within the career of director Rouben Mamoulian. Indicator include a 54-minute Lux Radio Theatre: ‘The Song of Songs’ from 1937 - a radio play adaptation of the film’s screenplay, featuring returning cast members Marlene Dietrich and Lionel Atwill, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. There are both the original theatrical trailer and an image gallery of promotional and publicity materials and the package includes a limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Rick Burin, archival articles, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits.
For lovers Pre-Code The Song of Songs is essential. Dietrich is at her hypnotic best (a level she would maintain for decades) and this Indicator Blu-ray is the best package with the bonus extras. For many this will be worth the double dip.
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**Soundies: The Ultimate Collection** Blu-ray - Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Doris Day @KinoLorber
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BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: You have never seen so many joyful, happy, people as you will in Kino's Blu-ray package of Soundies: The Ultimate Collection. These "Soundies" were all produced between 1940 and 1948 and you wouldn't be the first to identify them as "precursors to MTV". These shorts - typically 3-minutes - were accessible using "Panorams" - a 16mm, rear projection, coin-operated Jukebox - containing eight Soundies films - a hardware way ahead of its time. They could be found in high-end restaurants, bars and nightclubs. More than 1,800 Soundies mini-musicals were produced and these 200 would be wonderful to show at parties. It is non-stop fun. Some African-American artists had less opportunity to perform in mainstream cinema and Soundies are a terrific avenue to see some unjustly neglected talent perform. I'm not a big fan of this era's modern times (2020's) and I have always wished I had lived in the 40's and 50's. I loved watching these "Soundies" so much - it really helped me forget how messed up the world is. Perhaps the closest thing I could compare them to today are "Flash Mobs" that I have seen where organized people assemble suddenly in a public place to, usually, perform a musical and/or dance number - spreading joy. I fully recommend this set.
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Terrifying Girls' High School: Animal Classmates [Blu-ray] (Masahiro Shimura, 1973) Discotek Media
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COMMENTS: At Seiwa Academy for Girls, the surface is all prestige with an impressive study abroad program and top-notch sports department. However, beneath the veneer of excellence lies the dangerous and corrupt Black Roses Society, who rule the school with an iron fist. The arrival of five transfer students - Masami, Masae, Shizuko, Kazue, and Aki - sets off a culture clash between female juvenile delinquents, sadistic jocks, and perverted faculty members. Masami, Masae, and Shizuko quickly fall in line with the bad crowd, while Kazue tries to play it safe and earn a scholarship to study abroad. But Aki, a lone wolf and skilled fencer, refuses to tolerate unfair play. In this jungle of a school, these newcomers must navigate the treacherous terrain and fierce classmates. Who will come out on top and who will be devoured by the pack? This film is not for the faint of heart! Released for the first time on Blu-ray anywhere! With the original Japanese language, and English subtitles!
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**Josef von Sternberg's "Thunderbolt"** Blu-ray - Fay Wray / George Bancroft @indicatorseries
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BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Josef von Sternberg's Thunderbolt is often described as a Pre-Code proto-noir - similar to the director's 1927 Underworld also with George Bancroft. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1929 for Thunderbolt. There are hardened criminals, a death-penalty prison sentence for the title character and minor redemption(s.) Thunderbolt is notable as Sternberg’s first film using synchronized sound technology. Unique shots through the bars of the prison cells also show an artistic cinematographic leaning. After completing Thunderbolt Sternberg, went to Germany with the experience of his first "Talkie" and made The Blue Angel (1930) - one of the first German language sound films (filmed simultaneously in an English-language version) - representing his initial collaboration with his immortal muse, Marlene Dietrich. Thunderbolt might lean more toward von Sternberg completists or those keen on its Pre-Code proto-noir qualities.
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The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism [Blu-ray] (Harald Reinl, 1967) RB UK 88 Films
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Starring everyone’s favourite classic horror star Christopher Lee, The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism AKA Blood Demon presents us with a grisly tale of death and horror in a bizarrely original take on the vampire myth. After being executed for the murder of twelve women, Count Regula (Lee) returns from the grave to wreak his terrible revenge on society in this full-on, late-60s West German shocker. Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s The Pit and the Pendulum it combines torture, sensationalism, and green-blooded man-servants in a weirdly affecting grand guignol-style presentation, dripping with vibrant colour and gothic atmosphere. The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism will appeal to fans of Hammer horror and Roger Corman’s Poe cycle and is a must for cult film collectors everywhere.
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Villages of the Damned: Three Horrors From Spain Blu-ray - Carroll Baker / Dennis Hopper @VinegarSyndrome
El bosque del lobo aka The Forest of the Wolf (1970), Beatriz (1976) and Las flores del vicio aka The Sky is Falling (1975)
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: The Forest of the Wolf' aka 'The Ancines Woods' was co-written, produced, and directed by Pedro Olea and deals with Lycanthropy; the unusual belief a person might have transformed into an animal - often a werewolf. The director's most notable film would be 1984's Akelarre ("Witches' Sabbath") that was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival. It's a shade slowly paced but reaches an interesting conclusion. Beatriz is directed by Gonzalo Suárez and stars Sandra Mozarowsky and Nadiuska (Spanish Fly) - of the 'translucent eyes' - a Polish / Russian model who became a cult celebrity in Spain during the 1970s. Sadly, later in life, she was committed to a psychiatric ward with schizophrenia. I liked this but it took a brutal turn in the final 1/3rd. The Sky Is Falling, aka The Flowers of Vice or as released in the United States Bloodbath - is cited as a 'surrealist thriller' and I would agree with the 'surrealist' part as I found it very confusing and not, in my definition, as belonging to the 'horror' genre. It was directed by Silvio Narizzano (Hammer Studio's Frantic) and is notable for having Dennis Hopper - as a drug-addict poet - and Carroll Baker - as an washed-up alcoholic actress (both who had appeared together in George Stevens' 1956 Giant.) There are other supporting role names, ex. Richard Todd, Faith Brook, likewise playing expatriates in a small Spanish village. There are a few 'religious cult'-motivated murders. The Sky Is Falling has harsh imagery with animal cruelty and a young boy trampled. It certainly would have been better in Buñuel's hands. Frankly, I didn't like it very much. It is definitely the oddball of this Villages of the Damned package. I did enjoy the Gothic-styled 'period' atmosphere of the first two films. It is another 'helluva package' from Vinegar Syndrome with three rare, cult films sharing a themes, expertly transferred to Blu-ray and with revealing extras and a book. Even better news is that is is offered at a very reasonable price on Amazon (40% OFF) at the writing of this review. Recommended to the right crowd.
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**Bryon Haskin's "War of the Worlds" 4K UHD** - Gene Barry
US PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: A mysterious, meteorlike object has landed in a small California town. All clocks have stopped. A fleet of glowing green UFOs hovers menacingly over the entire globe. The Martian invasion of Earth has begun, and it seems that nothing—neither military might nor the scientific know-how of nuclear physicist Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry)—can stop it. In the expert hands of genre specialists George Pal and Byron Haskin, H. G. Wells’s end-of-civilization classic receives a chilling Cold War–era update, complete with hallucinatory Technicolor and visionary, Oscar-winning special effects. Emblazoned with iconographic images of 1950s science fiction, The War of the Worlds is both an influential triumph of visual imagination and a still-disquieting document of the wonder and terror of the atomic age.
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World War Z [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Marc Forster, 2013) Shout! Factory
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: When former U.N. investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) and his family get stuck in urban gridlock, he senses that it's no ordinary traffic jam. His suspicions are confirmed when, suddenly, the city erupts into chaos. A lethal virus, spread through a single bite, is turning healthy people into something vicious, unthinking, and feral. As the pandemic threatens to consume humanity, Gerry leads a worldwide search to find the source of the infection and, with luck, a way to halt its spread.
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You'll Like My Mother [Blu-ray] (Lamont Johnson, 1972) RB UK Final Cut Entertainment
UK PURCHASE LINK
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: Patty Duke stars in the tense and claustrophobic psychological thriller, You'll Like My Mother. When her husband is killed in Vietnam, Francesca Kinsolving (Duke) finds herself alone...and pregnant. She makes her way to Minnesota in order to meet her late husband’s mother, certain that she’ll be greeted with open arms. But Francesca soon discovers that there may be more to the Kinsolving family than she ever imagined...and that this simple family reunion is only the beginning of a waking nightmare.
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LATEST CALENDAR UPDATES (CLICK TITLES FOR MORE INFORMATION):

July 31st, 2023

**The Big Lebowski 4K UHD** (Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, 1998) Universal Pictures
OUR REVIEW

**Cross of Iron** (Sam Peckinpah, 1977) RB UK Studiocanal
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW

F/X / F/X2 (Robert Mandel, 1986 / Richard Franklin, 1991) Kino
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**Following** (Christopher Nolan, 1998) RB UK 101 Films
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW
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August 7th, 2023

**Enter the Dragon 4K UHD** (Robert Clouse, 1973) UK Warner Bros
Blu-ray COMPARISON

**Film Noir Collection Vol. 3** - Calcutta (1946), In Ride the Pink Horse (1947), Outside the Law (1956) and The Female Animal (1958) - Arrow

A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die (Tonino Valerii, 1972) RB UK Signal One
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**Strangers in the House** (aka Les Inconnus dans la Maison) (Henri Decoin, 1942) Kino

**Outrage** (Ida Lupino, 1950) Kino
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August 14th, 2023

Audie Murphy Collection III (Hell bent Foir Leather, Posse From Hell, Showdown) Kino

**The Day and the Hour** (René Clément, 1963) Kino

The Doll / I Don't Want to Be a Man (Ernst Lubitsch) Kino

The English Surgeon (Geoffrey Smith, 2007) UK Second Run

**Is Paris Burning?** (René Clément, 1966) Kino

**Roman Holiday 4K UHD** (William Wyler, 1953) Paramount UK
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August 21st, 2023

**Coma** (Michael Crichton, 1978) Kino
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**Hardcore** (Paul Schrader, 1979) Kino
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**Pretty Baby** (Louis Malle, 1978) Kino

The Skyhawk (Chang-hwa Jeong, 1974) RB UK Eureka

**Three Into Two Won't Go** (Peter Hall, 1969) Kino
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August 28th, 2023

**Monk: The Complete First Season** - Kino

**Three Days of the Condor** (Sydney Pollack,1975) Kino
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**Time Bandits 4K UHD** (Terry Gilliam, 1981) Arrow UK
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September 4th, 2023

Black Circle (Adrian Garcia Bogliano, 2018) Synapse Films

Borsalino (Jacques Deray, 1970) Arrow US

Night of the Comet 4K UHD (Thom Eberhardt, 1984) Shout! Factory

**The Princess Bride 4K UHD** (Rob Reiner, 1987) Criterion

The Sensual World of Black Emanualle Collector's Set (15 Discs, 24 Feature Films, 2 Soundtrack Compilation CDs, 40+ Hours of Special Features, 356-Page Book) Severin Films
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September 11th, 2023

Between Two Worlds (Emmanuel Carrère, 2021) Cohen Media

**The Count Yorga Collection** Count Yorga, Vampire, & The Return of Count Yorga - Arrow
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW

Fatal Femmes: Neige (1981) + The Bitch (1984) Fun City

Flowers in the Attic (Jeffrey Bloom, 1987) Arrow US
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**Hustle & Flow 4K UHD** (Craig Brewer, 2005) Paramount UK

**Irwin Allen: Master of Disaster Collection** (Flood! / Fire! / Beyond the Poseidon Adventure / Hanging by a Thread / When Time Ran Out... / Cave-In! / The Night the Bridge Fell Down) Shout! Factory

Magnum Cop (Poliziotto Senza Paura) (Stelvio Massi, 1978) Kino

The Pack (Robert Clouse, 1977) Shout! Factory

The Prodigal Son (Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, 1981) Arrow US

**Walkabout 4K UHD** (Nicolas Roeg, 1971) Criterion
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September 18th, 2023

**Blood and Black Lace** (Mario Bava, 1964) Arrow UK
4K UHD
Blu-ray
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW

Brief Encounters (Kira Muratova, 1967) RB UK Studiocanal

The Dead Mother (Juanma Bajo Ulloa, 1993) Radiance Films
US Blu-ray
UK Blu-ray

Long Farewells (Kira Muratova, 1971) RB UK Studiocanal

**Scream and Scream Again** (Gordon Hessler, 1970) RB UK Radiance Films
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW

She Shoots Straight (Corey Yuen, 1990) RB UK Eureka

**The Trial** (Orson Welles, 1962) Criterion
4K UHD
Blu-ray
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW
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September 25th, 2023

La Bamba (Luis Valdez, 1987) Criterion

**Carlito's Way 4K UHD** (Brian De Palma, 1993) Arrow US
US 4K UHD
UK 4K UHD

The Girl from Rio 4K UHD (Jesús Franco, 1969) Blue Underground

Lorenza Mazzetti Collection (The Country Doctor, K. Together, Together with Lorenza Mazzetti) RB BFI

Moonage Daydream (Brett Morgen, 2022) Criterion
4K UHD
Blu-ray

**Natural Born Killers 4K UHD** (Oliver Stone, 1994) Shout! Factory

**Piccadilly** (Ewald André Dupont, 1929) Milestone Films

The Psycho Collection Limited Edition (Psycho, Psycho II, Psycho III and Psycho IV) Arrow
UK 4K UHD
UK Blu-ray

Storied of a Cloistered Nun (Domenico Paolella, 1973) Severin

**Tenebre 4K UHD** (Dario Argento, 1982) Synapse Films

**Touch of Evil 4K UHD** (Orson Welles, 1958) UK Masters of Cinema

**Universal Noir #2** (Lady on a Train, Time Out of Mind, Singapore, A Woman's Vengeance, An Act of Murder and The Lady Gambles) RB UK Indicator
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October 23rd, 2023

**The Horrible Dr Hichcock** (Riccardo Freda, 1962) RB UK Radiance Films
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW

Visible Secret (Ann Hui, 2001) Radiance Films
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November 13th, 2023

**Duel 4K UHD** (Steven Spielberg, 1971) Universal UK
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REVIEWS / COMPARISONS:

**Carl Franklin's "One False Move" Blu-ray / 4K UHD** - Bill Paxton / Billy Bob Thornton / Cynda Williams @Criterion
US PURCHASE LINK 4K UHD
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK 4K UHD
US PURCHASE LINK Blu-ray
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK Blu-ray
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: One False Move was Carl Franklin's feature debut, and was voted by critic Gene Siskel as his favorite film of 1992. One False Move was low-budget ($2.5 million), co-written by Billy Bob Thornton, and almost went straight to home video after completion, but as critical exposure traveled in festivals about the film's adept realization and complex themes (race as a corollary to urban/city existence - "Color Me Bad" was an original title) it garnered a deserved theatrical release. The late Bill Paxton, Cynda Williams, Thornton (who married Williams after the film was made) and Michael Beach are all excellent. I've always loved Franklin's neo-noir work especially Devil in a Blue Dress, High Crimes, and Out of Time that I all find superior. Criterion produce a fine Blu-ray and 4K UHD of Franklin's exceptional debut film. I thoroughly enjoyed this - very strongly recommended!
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Villages of the Damned: Three Horrors From Spain Blu-ray - Carroll Baker / Dennis Hopper @VinegarSyndrome
El bosque del lobo aka The Forest of the Wolf (1970), Beatriz (1976) and Las flores del vicio aka The Sky is Falling (1975)
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: The Forest of the Wolf' aka 'The Ancines Woods' was co-written, produced, and directed by Pedro Olea and deals with Lycanthropy; the unusual belief a person might have transformed into an animal - often a werewolf. The director's most notable film would be 1984's Akelarre ("Witches' Sabbath") that was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival. It's a shade slowly paced but reaches an interesting conclusion. Beatriz is directed by Gonzalo Suárez and stars Sandra Mozarowsky and Nadiuska (Spanish Fly) - of the 'translucent eyes' - a Polish / Russian model who became a cult celebrity in Spain during the 1970s. Sadly, later in life, she was committed to a psychiatric ward with schizophrenia. I liked this but it took a brutal turn in the final 1/3rd. The Sky Is Falling, aka The Flowers of Vice or as released in the United States Bloodbath - is cited as a 'surrealist thriller' and I would agree with the 'surrealist' part as I found it very confusing and not, in my definition, as belonging to the 'horror' genre. It was directed by Silvio Narizzano (Hammer Studio's Frantic) and is notable for having Dennis Hopper - as a drug-addict poet - and Carroll Baker - as an washed-up alcoholic actress (both who had appeared together in George Stevens' 1956 Giant.) There are other supporting role names, ex. Richard Todd, Faith Brook, likewise playing expatriates in a small Spanish village. There are a few 'religious cult'-motivated murders. The Sky Is Falling has harsh imagery with animal cruelty and a young boy trampled. It certainly would have been better in Buñuel's hands. Frankly, I didn't like it very much. It is definitely the oddball of this Villages of the Damned package. I did enjoy the Gothic-styled 'period' atmosphere of the first two films. It is another 'helluva package' from Vinegar Syndrome with three rare, cult films sharing a themes, expertly transferred to Blu-ray and with revealing extras and a book. Even better news is that is is offered at a very reasonable price on Amazon (40% OFF) at the writing of this review. Recommended to the right crowd.
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Bernard Girard's "Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round" Blu-ray - James Coburn @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Bernard Girard's Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round has positives; Coburn's charming con-man and some attractive gals (Camilla Sparv, Nina Wayne, and Marian McCargo.) I guess it could be considered a neo-noir. I was pleased, but probably not a keeper although I like Coburn. Still worthy of a spin. The bare-bones Kino Blu-ray is 28% OFF at Amazon at the writing of this review.
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**Josef von Sternberg's "Jet Pilot"** Blu-ray John Wayne / Janet Leigh @indicatorseries
UK PURCHASE LINK
(Kino) BONUS CAPTURES
OUR COMPARISON
COMMENTS: Indicator Blu-ray (July 2023): Indicator have also transferred Josef von Sternberg's Jet Pilot to Blu-ray. The 1080P image quality is, pretty much, a duplicate of the Kino also offering both 1.37:1 and 1.85:1 1080P presentations sharing a dual-layered Blu-ray. The Indicator is a shade brighter but exports the textures about the same. Their audio goes linear PCM mono and it is as clean and clear as the Kino. The extras are where the two Blu-ray packages differ the most.
Kino only had a theatrical trailer. Indicator, naturally, advance upon their US counterpart. We get 1/2 hour of Tony Rayns on ‘Jet Pilot'. It's a new in-depth discussion of the film’s protracted production and release. The Town is Josef von Sternberg’s 1943 contribution to the war effort - a short film about a typical small town in the US, made as part of The American Scene film series. It runs a dozen minutes. Indicator include a text opening sequence with magnificent jet footage for a minute. There also is an original theatrical trailer and Indicator's usual image gallery of promotional and publicity materials. The package has a limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Glenn Kenny, an extract from Joseph von Sternberg’s autobiography, archival interviews with von Sternberg, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits.
Josef von Sternberg's Jet Pilot is obviously 'dated' and certainly no where near the director's more renowned work. Jet Pilot is silly - intentional at times - filled with US patriotism, but is carried well by the star power of a handsome Wayne and the cheesecake prancing of sweater-girl Leigh. The romancing and suspicions have ups and downs but overall it is quite cute. Nothing more. The Indicator Blu-ray has the dual ARs, vibrancy of the Technicolor and advances on the 2021 Kino. Fans of the leads may find the most benefit.
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**Josef von Sternberg's "Thunderbolt"** Blu-ray - Fay Wray / George Bancroft @indicatorseries
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Josef von Sternberg's Thunderbolt is often described as a Pre-Code proto-noir - similar to the director's 1927 Underworld also with George Bancroft. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1929 for Thunderbolt. There are hardened criminals, a death-penalty prison sentence for the title character and minor redemption(s.) Thunderbolt is notable as Sternberg’s first film using synchronized sound technology. Unique shots through the bars of the prison cells also show an artistic cinematographic leaning. After completing Thunderbolt Sternberg, went to Germany with the experience of his first "Talkie" and made The Blue Angel (1930) - one of the first German language sound films (filmed simultaneously in an English-language version) - representing his initial collaboration with his immortal muse, Marlene Dietrich. Thunderbolt might lean more toward von Sternberg completists or those keen on its Pre-Code proto-noir qualities.
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**Rouben Mamoulian's "The Song of Songs"** Blu-ray - Marlene Dietrich @indicatorseries
UK PURCHASE LINK
KINO BONUS CAPTURES
OUR COMPARISON
COMMENTS: Indicator have also transferred Rouben Mamoulian's The Song of Songs to Blu-ray. The 1080P image quality is a duplicate of the Kino - although on a single-layered disc with a more modest bitrate. Likewise there is not much disparity in the audio. At least, not that I can discern. The extras are where the two Blu-ray packages differ the most.
The Indicator Blu-ray repeat Kino Lorber's David Del Valle audio commentary from 2020. But they add much more. New (2023) we get 1/2 hour of Geoff Andrew on ‘The Song of Songs’ as the writer and critic assesses the film and its place within the career of director Rouben Mamoulian. Indicator include a 54-minute Lux Radio Theatre: ‘The Song of Songs’ from 1937 - a radio play adaptation of the film’s screenplay, featuring returning cast members Marlene Dietrich and Lionel Atwill, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. There are both the original theatrical trailer and an image gallery of promotional and publicity materials and the package includes a limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Rick Burin, archival articles, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits.
For lovers Pre-Code The Song of Songs is essential. Dietrich is at her hypnotic best (a level she would maintain for decades) and this Indicator Blu-ray is the best package with the bonus extras. For many this will be worth the double dip.
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**Soundies: The Ultimate Collection** Blu-ray - Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Doris Day @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: You have never seen so many joyful, happy, people as you will in Kino's Blu-ray package of Soundies: The Ultimate Collection. These "Soundies" were all produced between 1940 and 1948 and you wouldn't be the first to identify them as "precursors to MTV". These shorts - typically 3-minutes - were accessible using "Panorams" - a 16mm, rear projection, coin-operated Jukebox - containing eight Soundies films - a hardware way ahead of its time. They could be found in high-end restaurants, bars and nightclubs. More than 1,800 Soundies mini-musicals were produced and these 200 would be wonderful to show at parties. It is non-stop fun. Some African-American artists had less opportunity to perform in mainstream cinema and Soundies are a terrific avenue to see some unjustly neglected talent perform. I'm not a big fan of this era's modern times (2020's) and I have always wished I had lived in the 40's and 50's. I loved watching these "Soundies" so much - it really helped me forget how messed up the world is. Perhaps the closest thing I could compare them to today are "Flash Mobs" that I have seen where organized people assemble suddenly in a public place to, usually, perform a musical and/or dance number - spreading joy. I fully recommend this set.
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**Jack Curtis's "The Flesh Eaters"** Blu-ray - Martin Kosleck / Barbara Wilkin @ShoutFactory
OUR REVIEW
BONUS CAPTURES
COMMENTS: Jack Curtis's low-budget The Flesh Eaters is provocative for extending the boundaries of it's gruesome gore content well before the wave of such films existed. The film offers 'high camp'-laden innovation in the visual effects with ineffective post cinematographic inclusions. The Flesh Eaters is often cited for its use of deep focus cinematography. In 1967, George A. Romero actually changed the name of his intended 1967 horror title from Night of the Flesh Eaters to Night of the Living Dead to avoid confusion with Curtis's 1964 film. The Flesh Eaters was destined for cult status - an unusual, but memorable effort early to 'push the envelope' in terms of graphic content and ambitious special effects. A definite keeper for this reviewer. Best of luck to anyone keen finding the Shout! Factory Blu-ray on eBay at a reasonable price. It's "so bad it's good" is probably an understatement.
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**John Farrow's "Night Has a Thousand Eyes"** Blu-ray - Edward G. Robinson @indicatorseries
UK PURCHASE LINK
Kino BONUS CAPTURES
OUR COMPARISON
Edward G Robinson (The Whole Town’s Talking, Tight Spot) and John Lund (A Foreign Affair) lead the cast of this tense and disturbing thriller from director John Farrow (A Bullet Is Waiting).
COMMENTS: Indicator include an audio commentary with authors and critics Glenn Kenny (Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas) and Farran Smith Nehme (Self-Styled Siren.) They discuss the film's positioning in the noir cycle, the performers, director John Farrow and much more. I enjoyed it although, probably, not as much as Imogen Sara Smith's on the Kino Blu-ray. But the Indicator has much more; we get 24-minutes of Tony Rayns on ‘Night Has a Thousand Eyes’ (2023) where the writer and film programmer discusses the career of director John Farrow and his distinctive noirs. Included are two radio plays; from 1948 a Screen Directors Playhouse rendition of ‘Night Has a Thousand Eyes’ adapted introduced and directed by Farrow, and starring Edward G Robinson and William Demarest, reprising their film roles. It runs 1/2 hour. The other radio plays runs about the same length and is entitled Suspense: ‘The Man Who Thought He Was Edward G. Robinson’ from 1946. It is a playful original radio play tapping into Robinson’s distinctive persona, starring the man himself. There is a trailer and Indicator's usual image gallery of promotional and publicity materials. The package also has a limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Jill Blake, archival interviews with actors John Lund and Gail Russell, an archival profile of screenwriter Jonathan Latimer, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits.
It's such and entertaining film, dipping its toe into the supernatural, as skeptics encircle the protagonist. With the substantial bump in Indicator Blu-ray extras (new commentary, Rayns, radio plays, booklet etc.) - it would certainly worthy of a double dip. 'Dark Cinema' fans, vintage film fans, Edward G. fans... should all indulge with confidence.
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**Wei Tung's "Magic Cop"** Blu-ray - Ching-Ying Lam / Michiko Nishiwaki @88_Films
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Wei Tung's Magic Cop is also known as Mister Vampire 5 - we had compared Mr. Vampire on Blu-ray to DVDs HERE and the more 'official' sequels on Eureka Blu-ray reviewed. There is plenty I liked about this fun, mystical Asian crime-supernatural-comedy-horror. Lam Ching-ying pushes it to be accepted into the Mister Vampire cycle as he was in the original, Mr. Vampire, and sequels; Mr. Vampire II (1986), Mr. Vampire III (1987), Vampire Vs. Vampire (1989), Encounters of the Spooky Kind II (1990) often as the 'One Eyebrow Taoist Priest'. Bruce Lee had hired 19-year old Lam as his personal assistant. He is also listed as a film producer for Magic Cop. We lost him in 1997 (aged 44.) His character's use of supernatural skills and detective techniques is one of the marvels of Magic Cop. I enjoyed the 88 Films Blu-ray ; the fun film, commentary, interview and more. For those who feel they might be keen, we encourage indulging.
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DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of July 24th, 2023