“DVD Beat” Archive
Irv Slifkin | Coming Attractions, DVD Beat
Our Man Flynn: Errol Flynn may have best been known for his portrayals of Robin Hood, the Earl of Essex, General Custer and “Gentleman” Jim Corbett. But Flynn brought his rugged and often dashing demeanor to other roles as well, such as those contained in TCM Spotlight: Errol Flynn Adventures, a five-disc set showcasing the Tasmanian-born star. Included here are Desperate Journey (1942), in which he teams with fellow RAF pilot Ronald Reagan to escape the Nazis in Poland after their plane is downed; Edge of Darkness (1943), in which Flynn and Ann Sheridan are resistance fighters battling the Axis in a Norwegian fishing village; Northern Pursuit (1943), with Errol as a Mountie tracking down Nazi Helmut Dantine in the Canadian wilderness; Uncertain Glory (1944), with Flynn as a condemned murderer fleeing a Parisian prison following a British air raid; and Objective Burma! (1945), where the actor leads paratroopers trying to put the kibosh on Japanese forces in Burma. The amazing thing to us was how he got all of these films done in such a short span of time!
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Irv Slifkin | Coming Attractions, DVD Beat
High Hopes
The legendary comic Bob Hope is being feted by Universal with a set of terrific farces he made for Paramount, some of which have never seen the light of day on video in any format. The Bob Hope: Thanks For The Memories Collection boasts Thanks for the Memory (1938), with Bob as a writer who turns househubby to pen a novel while wife Shirley Ross heads to work. In the much-requested horror-comedy The Cat and the Canary (1939), Paulette Goddard is an heiress that Ol’ Ski Nose must protect when she agrees to stay in a creaky old house in order to gain an inheritance. Bob and Paulette reteamed for Nothing but the Truth (1941), where Hope played a stockbroker saddled with a $10,000 bet that he can refrain from telling a lie for 24 hours. Other titles in this three-disc set include The Ghost Breakers, Road to Morocco and The Paleface.
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Irv Slifkin | Coming Attractions, DVD Beat
Roger, Corman
Roger Corman was recently honored with a special Academy Award, and a new 3-D remake of his 1978 production Piranha is heading for theaters this year. So it makes sense that Corman’s “B” movie classics from New World Pictures have found a new home at Shout Factory!/Vivendi.
The Corman library has been out of circulation for a few years, and the company is welcoming such water-logged monstrosity movies as the original Piranha, Humanoids from the Deep, Up from the Depths, and Demon of Paradise back in April. They will be followed by the likes of Rock ‘N’ Roll High School, Suburbia, Death Race 2000, Deathsport and others. We say it’s about time the Academy recognized Corman’s contributions to cinema, as a producer, director and mentor to young talent. It’s just a shame his award will not be part of the telecast this year.
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Irv Slifkin | Coming Attractions, DVD Beat
Cary On
Turner Classic Movies has pacted with Universal to issue several new-to-DVDs showcasing the great Cary Grant. This comes after TCM’s release of such Universal-licensed efforts as Remember the Night and the Universal Cult Horror Collection. These films, originally produced by Paramount, will be available individually, or collected in a set called Cary Grant: The Early Paramount Years. The titles include:
The Last Outpost (1935) finds Grant as a British officer wounded in WWI-era Kurdistan who falls for a nurse (Gertrude Michael) who happens to be married to the intelligence agent (Claude Rains) who rescued him.
The Eagle and the Hawk (1933), in which Cary tries to save the reputation of WWI British flying ace Fredric March after he commits suicide. Carole Lombard has a small role as the woman with whom March has an affair.
The Devil and the Deep (1932) is a superior sub drama, although Mr. Grant is only appears briefly, playing a lieutenant transferred to another base when sub commander Charles Laughton suspects him of having an affair with wife Tallulah Bankhead. Things don’t get easier when Gary Cooper comes on board, and when Laughton suspects the same, the future of his crew is put in jeopardy.
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Irv Slifkin | Coming Attractions, DVD Beat
“Film noir” is a term that movie marketers have pinned to practically every film involving crime or suspense that was shot in b
lack-and-white during the 1950s. While some of the labeling has been downright silly, such as the case with some of the DVD entries from the Fox library (Daisy Kenyon?), it’s great to see the interest for making classic noirs available to fans out there.
Sony has lagged behind Warner, Fox and others in excavating their vast library from Columbia for screen gems, but they’re certainly coming on strong of late. Consider recent sets centered on the works of Budd Boetticher, William Castle and efforts from Ishiro Honda and Toho Studios that have been issued recently.
Sony’s streak continues with the impressive five-disc Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics I, a nifty compendium of creepy crime movies from the dark side of the screen and human nature.
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Irv Slifkin | Coming Attractions, DVD Beat
Feelin’ Groovy: Going deep, deep, deep into their library to issue the next wave in their “Martini Movies” series, Sony has plucked some fascinating obscurities for public DVD screenings. They are from the 1960s and 1970s, which designates them as Groovy Movies of sorts.
In this batch of titles are:
Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing (1973): An exquisitely filmed romantic drama in which sheltered Timothy Bottoms meets older Maggie Smith during a bicycle journey through Spain. The two carry on a romance, but Smith eventually gets ill. Alan J. Pakula helmed this change-of-pace effort.
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Irv Slifkin | Coming Attractions, DVD Beat
All Swimming! All Dancing!: Fans of swimmer/song-and-dance specialist Esther Williams, the MGM player who made a big splash in movies for the studio in the 1940s and 1950s, can now stop “wading” for more of her films to be issued on DVD. This extras-loaded set, entitled TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams, Vol. 2, includes:
Thrill of a Romance (1945): Esther is a swimming instructor at a Sierra Nevada mountain resort who falls for handsome soldier Van Johnson, even though she recently got married. Among the songs are “Please Don’t Say No, Say Maybe,” “I Should Care," “Lonely Night” and the title tune.
Fiesta (1947): Esther shifts her interests from musical comedy and romance to drama and bullfighting. The daughter of a celebrated matador, she disguises herself as a man to take the place of her disinterested brother (Ricardo Montalban) in the ring. Cyd Charisse, Mary Astor and Fortunio Bonanova also star.
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Irv Slifkin and Jay Steinberg | DVD Beat
COUP DE TORCH: At last, Sony has opened the floodgates to their library, and look what’s pouring out—all sorts of goodies for film fanatics. First and foremost are Icons Of Screwball Comedy, Vol. 1 and Icons Of Screwball Comedy, Vol. 2, two wonderful collections of wacky farces.
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