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It’s Tuesday, April 1st, and that means it’s also New Release Day at MovieFanFare. Today is a particularly noteworthy one, as some long-awaited titles are making their home video debuts courtesy of a new label, Erehton Cinema. Collectors and film buffs should get ready to make room on their shelves for:
Creation (1931) – Two years before his work on King Kong (and decades before Jurassic Park), stop-motion effects master Willis O’Brien helmed this antediluvian adventure. A Chilean sub rescues the passengers and crew of a storm-damaged luxury yacht, but a stop at an uncharted island in the South Pacific brings them face-to-face with dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures eager to add a little variety to their diet. Fay Wray, Richard Arlen, and Wallace Beery star. 98 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
War Lord of Mars (1941) – The first feature-length animated film from M-G-M, director Bob Clampett’s groundbreaking adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “A Princess of Mars” follows Earthman John Carter’s fantastic adventures as he finds himself transported to the Red Planet. Once on Mars, Carter tries to make peace between the human-looking Red Martians, ruled by princess Dejah Thoris, and the green, four-armed giants known as Tharks, who rescued him. 92 min, Standard; Soundtrack: English.
No Bail for the Judge (1955) – Infamous for its behind-the-camera controversies, this stylish and darkly funny Alfred Hitchcock thriller stars Audrey Hepburn as a young English barrister (attorney to you Yanks) who enlists the help of a “gentleman thief” (Laurence Harvey) when her High Court judge father (John Williams) is charged in the murder of a prostitute. Based on the novel by Henry Cecil. 118 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English.
Something’s Got to Give (1962) – In what would prove to be her final film role, Marilyn Monroe plays Ellen Arden, who returns home after being shipwrecked and stranded on a remote island for five years and is shocked to discover that her husband Nick (Dean Martin) had her declared dead and has a new wife (Cyd Charrise). Things get stickier when Nick learns that Ellen wasn’t on the island alone. Tom Tryon, Wally Cox also star; George Cukor directs. 106 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English.
The Freak (1970) – Co-written and co-directed by Charlie Chaplin (his last project), this haunting fantasy stars his daughter Victoria Chaplin as a young woman born with birdlike wings who lives deep in the Amazon rainforest. When she crashes into the home of a Chilean missionary, the avian innocent becomes a symbol of religious hope, but is exploited when she’s abducted and put on display in England. Richard Chamberlain, Marcello Mastroianni co-star. 122 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English and Spanish.
Dune (1976) – Visionary director Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo) brings Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi saga to the screen in this monumental epic. In the distant future, two rival interplanetary clans vying for power find their ultimate battlefield lies on the mysterious desert planet of Arrakis, a/k/a “Dune,” where young nobleman Paul Atreides (Brontis Jorodowsky) must confront his mystical destiny. The cast includes David Carradine, Geraldine Chaplin, Alain Delon, Mick Jagger, and artist Salvador Dali as the Emperor; score by Pink Floyd. 3 3/4 hrs. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English.
Ronnie Rocket (1990) – Subtitled The Absurd Mystery of the Strange Forces of Existence, writer/director David Lynch’s surreal odyssey stars Brad Dourif as a private eye whose search for a missing boy named Ronald D’Arte leads him to enter a mysterious “second dimension” where he is chased by cattle prod-wielding strangers in black coats. Meanwhile, young Ronnie’s body is found by mad scientists who revive him with electricity. The new “Ronnie Rocket” (Michael J. Anderson) discovers he can control electrical items but needs to recharge every 15 minutes. Dennis Hopper, Isabella Rossellini, Harry Dean Stanton, and Jack Nance co-star. 122 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English.
Be sure to be on the lookout for these collector’s items today, April 1st. And where can you find them? That’s right, Erehton.