Double Dose Of Doug: Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. tackles two roles in the 1941’s The Corsican Brothers, the Edward Small (The Man in the Iron Mask) production based on the Alexander Dumas novel. He plays the siblings who are separated and regroup later to avenge the death of their father at the hands of the evil, Bolero-wearing Akim Tamiroff. Complicated matters is the fact that the brothers—one a gentleman, the other a bandit—have interest in the same woman, a beautiful Corsican countess played by Ruth Warrick. Expert swordfighting sequences and Fairbanks’ athletic prowess make this one a swashbuckling winner.
Fox Film Flashlight : While the 20th Century Fox archives hasn’t really materialized like we had hoped, the studio is busy on the VOD scene putting out tiles from MGM, which also means titles from now-defunct companies of all sorts. This gives movies that have seemingly fallen between the cracks and opportunity to see the light of day, for which we are grateful for. The latest batch is similar to the what we’ve getting from them as late—a real diverse group of films ranging from recent to vintage, from genre to genre, and from studio to studio. Take a gander at what’s on tap here:
The Big Caper (1957) is an underappreciated heist yarn based on a story by Lionel West, who wrote the book that inspired Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing. Rory Calhoun plays the down-on-his-luck con artist gambler who plans an elaborate scam at a small town California bank that caters to the military. James Gregory and Mary Costa also star…Bullseye! (1990), an Australian comedy of manners, focuses on a rancher who finds his wealthy ex-lover in an outback town working as a prostitute after she inherited a lot of money…Elliott Gould and Robert Blake are vice cops taking on L.A. crime boss Allen Garfield in Busting (1974) …In the Canadian farce Diary of a Bachelor (1964), the fiancée of a playboy discovers his journal that tells her of his past exploits…Fatal Charm (1990) stars Amanda Petersen as a troubled high school student who falls for serial killer Christopher Atkins…The Finest Hour (1992) showcases Rob Lowe and Gale Hansen as Navy SEALS, rivals over the same woman (Tracy Griffin) but friends when it comes to war in the Middle East…The nifty come-of-age comedy Getting It Right (1989) tells of a 31-year-old man who lives with his parents and must decide on which of three women (including Helena Bonham Carter) he likes…Inside Out (1986) stars Elliott Gould as a man facing his fear of going outside…Jennifer on My Mind (1971) boasts Michael Brandon as a rich guy who meets Tippy Walker in Venice, then pursues her in New York where she becomes a drug addict…Jungle Heat (1957) features Les (“Tarzan”) Barker in a tale of feuding plantation owners in Hawaii before the Pearl Harbor attacks…
D.B. Sweeney, Cary Elwesand Bridget Fonda are spotlighted in the stylish crime drama Leather Jackets (1992)…In The Magnetic Monster (1953), Richard Carlson is a scientist trying to uncover the secret of an electronic surge causing trouble…Peter Fonda, Ron O’Neal and Reb Brown star in Mercenary Fighters (1988), set in an African country whose officials hire mercenaries to stop the people who are rebelling against them…Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (1986) presents an innovative version of the classic ballet from wildlife specialist Carroll Ballard (The Black Stallion)…Opposing Force (1986) showcases Lisa Eichorn as an Air Force lieutenant who discovers after parachuting onto a remote island that a training exercise is much more dangerous that she assumed; Tom Skerritt plays the officer she’s teamed with…Radio Inside (1994) involves brothers William McNamara and Dylan Walsh, who struggle with the drowning death of their father and over the affections of Elisabeth Shue…The Savage Wild (1970) is nature photographer Gordon Eastman’s beautiful look at wolves living near the Arctic Circle…Drive-in thrills abound in A Small Town in Texas (1976), in which ex-con Timothy Bottoms battles redneck sheriff Bo Hopkins over gorgeous Susan George…Something Wild (1961) features Carroll Baker as a rape victim who tries to overcome her traumatic experience by radically changing her life…Timebomb (1991) has Michael Biehn playing a clockmaker who discovers he has a hidden, violent past…Up the Creek (1984) presents a group of college losers (Tim Matheson and Stephen Furst among them) going against squads of Marines and preppies in a raft race… In the gritty policer Vice Squad (1953), Edward G. Robinson plays a L.A. police chief searching for a cop killer while Paulette Goddard plays a madam at a brothel… You Have To Run Fast (1961) tells of a doctor on the run from mobsters after he tries to help one of their shooting victims.
The Real Deal: Several notable docs are on the way focusing on subjects and themes of every topic imaginable.
Revenge of the Electric Car is the sequel to Who Killed the Electric Car?, the acclaimed doc from a few years back in which director Chris Paine delved into the politics behind the major auto makers’ decisions to ditch their manufacturing of the electric car. Paine returns with a fascinating survey of why the automakers have become interested in the concept again.
Flashback to the Hippie Era with The Wavy Gravy Movie: Saint Misbehavin’, a look at the freaky MC of the Woodstock Festival, also known these days as the inspiration for a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor. Witness Mr. Gravy at the commune he led for decades and follow his life with interviews and archival footage, often through a purple haze.
Woody Allen: A Documentary, the much lauded American Masters project, is something to behold, an intimate portrait of the former comic and award-winning filmmaker. Rare archival footage, new interviews with Allen and former and current friends and co-workers and film clips add insight into the life and movies of the former Allen Stewart Konigsberg.
The Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 offers a searing chronicle centering on the years in which the Black Power movement rose, with loads of great footage shot by Swedish journalists and cameramen featuring Angela Davis, the Black Panthers, Bobby Seale, Harry Belafonte, Stokely Carmichael and Huey Newton.
In Limelight, we get to meet Peter Gatien, owner of such post-Studio 54 era New York clubs as Limelight, Tunnel, Palladium and Club USA. The rise and fall of the clubs and their eye-patched Canadian impresario, whose downfall came after Rudy Giuliani became mayor, is told by director Billy Corben, the creator of Cocaine Cowboys and Square Grouper.
Two provocative films about Germany get DVD releases. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1958), narrated by Richard Basehart and based on the book by William Shire, offers interviews with close associates of Adolph Hitler, which paint a disturbing look into his influence and power. Meanwhile, Swastika (1974) uses actual color home movies—some shot by Eva Braun—mixed with documentary footage to show a different side of Nazi power. Philippe Mora (Communion) directed the film, a controversial entry at the Cannes Film Festival.
More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead is an epic tribute to Return of the Living Dead, Dan O’Bannon’s frightening and funny zombiefest which had audiences shuddering and smiling when it was first released in 1985. Interviews, film sequences and more help tell the story of this unlikely cult favorite with Linnea Quigley, Clu Gulager and James Karen, who are interviewed.
Corman’s World offers an affectionate survey of the career of the great Roger Corman, producer-director and mentor to the likes of Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Peter Fonda, Martin Scorsese and Peter Bogdanovich. Interviews, film clips, action, sex and some social commentary as well.
Foreign Fare: Look for some well-received titles in foreign languages get issued in the coming weeks. Among them:
Happy, Happy: A Norwegian dramedy in which a city couple gets together with a country couple and sexual sparks fly. No wonder there are plans to remake this in English.
Outrage: Way of the Yakuza: A return to the gangster genre for Takeshi “Beat” Kitano after a long hiatus. Here, he directs, scripts and stars in this saga of an old school hitman who hates the new breed of assassin and tackles an assignment in which he has to bust a drug dealing clan.
Alfredo Alfredo (1972): Between Straw Dogs and Papillion, Dustin Hoffman went to Italy to make this offbeat romantic comedy for director Pietro Germi (Seduced and Abandoned). He plays a timid bank clerk who falls for an earthy beauty (Stefania Sandrelli), but soon discovers she isn’t all that.
The Skin I Live In: Antonio Banderas reteams with Spanish director Pedro Almodovar for this unsettling drama with horrific overtones about a plastic surgeon whose “kept” patient Elena Anaya becomes the subject of his experimentation and obsession.
Mysteries of Lisbon: Stunning coming-of-age saga from Raul Ruiz centering on a boy living in a Portuguese boarding school who discovers his parents’ identity.
The Debt (2007): The original Israeli film that inspired the acclaimed 2010 English language remake tells of three Mossad agents who discover that a Nazi war criminal they encountered years before is still alive, forcing them to face the lies they’ve lived for decades.
Criterion Corner: Foreign, indie releases and golden oldies abound with Criterion. No matter what the title, you can be sure to get a winner with all the amazing bells and whistles. Here’s a look of what’s on the way:
La Jetee/Sans Soleil: Two films from French New Wave artist Chris Marker which redefine the nature of documentaries. The first one is a futuristic photo montage that inspired Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys; the latter a look at Marker’s travels from Africa to Japan.
Three Outlaw Samurai (1964): A sword-fighting spectacular in which a ronin is assigned to take down a group of peasants accused of kidnapping the daughter of a corrupt politician.
Tiny Furniture (2010): Lena Denham drew raves for this indie winner which she wrote, directed and stars in. She plays a recent college graduate who moves back to a New York City apartment with her (real-life) mother and sister, takes a job as a hostess at a local bistro, and gets entangled with a chef and a YouTube actor while she tries to find the best formula for her own happiness.
Anatomy of a Murder (1959): A masterful murder-mystery and controversial trial film from Otto Preminger stars James Stewart as a Michigan lawyer who defends an Army lieutenant (Ben Gazzara) accused of killing a man he believed raped his wife (Lee Remick). Arthur O’Connell, George C. Scott and Eva Arden also star.
World On a Wire (1973): Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s recently discovered sci-fi opus offers over three hours of mind-provoking speculative fiction in which a powerful computer creates a virtual reality world inhabited by avatars whose actions allow the prediction of consumer trends and other behaviors.
Vanya on 42nd Street (1994): Louis Malle’s final film is a production of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” staged at the dilapidated New Amsterdam Theater as well as a look at the process of director Andre Gregory’s new conception of the play. Wallace Shawn, Julianne Moore, George Gaynes and Brooke Smith star.
Letter Never Sent (1959): A Russian adventure saga, the Soviet equivalent of Wages of Fear, in which four members on a geological expedition seek diamonds.
The War Room (1993): An inside look at the 1992 Presidential campaign of Bill Clinton, with advisors James Carville and George Stephanopolous at center stage, as seen by master documentarians D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
David Lean Directs Noel Coward: What do you get when one of England’s greatest filmmakers directs works by one of its greatest playwrights? You get such films as Brief Encounter, Blithe Spirit, This Happy Breed and In Which We Serve in one great set.
Archival Stuff from the Brothers Warner: Ya never know what you are going to get when Warner puts out archive releases. Will they go old, TV, newer, or obscure? And from which library will they choose? Old MGM? Warner Brothers? RKO? The possibilities are endless.
We’re thrilled to report a real grabbag of goodies from Warner this time out.
First, some pre-Code double bills.
I’ve Got Your Number (1934)/Havana Widows (1933): Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell get away with risqué material galore in “Number,” in which telephone troubleshooter Pat O’Brien has the hots for operator Miss B. and has to stop her from being duped by crooks. And in Widows, Joan and Glenda are hotsy-totsy con gals who take older rich men for their money. Their latest target is moral-minded Guy Kibee who folds after a few drinks. And when Joan takes a liking to his son (Lyle Talbot), all bets are off with the con.
Loose Ankles (1930)/The Naughty Flirt (1931): Loretta Young (only 17 here) stars as a socialite who wants to jeopardize her family’s fortune when she agrees to keep the clan’s name out of the newspaper so they can collect some big money. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. is the dashing fellow who will get her and her relatives in trouble. Alice White is the title “Flirt,” a kooky heiress who puts off respectable lawyer Paul Page when she refuses to change her ways. Instead, she takes a liking to opportunist Douglas Gilmore whose scheming sister Myrna Loy has the hots for Page.
The Right of Way (1931)/The Truth About Youth (1930): Loretta Young is a postal clerk who shows amnesiac lawyer Conrad Nagel the “Way” after he’s duped by his wife and brother-in-law in a fine melodrama. And Young is back in “Youth,” playing the sweet woman supposed to be married the 20-year-old David Manners, but his affections have turned to floozy Myrna Loy.
The Office Wife (1930)/Party Husband (1931): Joan Blondell’s talkie debut is the first entry, a drama about a man spending more time with his secretary than wife, which also stars Dorothy Mackaill and Lewis Stone. And Mackaill is back and married to James Rennie, as the “Husband” that digs his secretary, forcing her to spend time with her boss to teach him a lesson.
Also from the archives: The Green Years (1946) showcases ten-year-old Dean Stockwell as a shy Irish boy coerced out of his shell by bigger-than-life grandfather Charles Coburn; The Great Sinner (1949) stars Gregory Peck as the young writer addicted to gambling who tries to rescue aristocrat Ava Gardner from a life of playing games of chance in Monte Carlo in this adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s The Gambler; The Brothers Karamazov (1958), another Dostoyevsky adaptation, this one from Richard Brooks and telling of the strife in a mid-19th century Russian family, with Yul Brynner, William Shatner, Lee J. Cobb, Maria Schell, Richard Basehart and Claire Bloom; The People Against O’Hara (1951) offers Spencer Tracy as an alcoholic lawyer whose defense of purported murderer James Arness leads him to confront the demons in his past; and The Seventh Cross (1944) presents dynamite wartime drama with Spencer Tracy as the distraught final escapee from a concentration camp targeted by the Nazis who plan to crucify him as they had done with the others who fled.
Just announced from the Warner Archives are:
The Last Hunt (1956): The final days of buffalo hunting are shown in this rugged adventure yarn with Stewart Granger, Robert Taylor and Lloyd Nolan, directed by Richard Brooks (Elmer Gantry).
Welcome to Hard Times (1967): Henry Fonda is the pacifist mayor who rebuilds a Western town after Aldo Ray burns it down, and then has to stand and defend it when the marauder returns.
Day of the Evil Gun (1968): Glenn Ford returns home to discover his wife and child have been kidnapped by Indians. He teams with Arthur Kennedy, a rival for his wife’s affections, to track them down.
The Squaw Man (1914 and 1931): Two versions of the story by Cecil B. DeMille involving a British aristocrat who takes the fall for his relative’s embezzling, and lands in the American West where he settles down with a Native-American woman. Dustin Farnum stars in the silent version, while Warner Baxter and Lupe Velez headline the sound edition of the saga.
The Fugitive (1947): John Ford’s adaptation of the Graham Greene story stars Henry Fonda as a priest targeted by police and informants in an anti-Catholic Latin American country.
Simon (1980): Alan Arkin is the psychology professor brainwashed by a group of scientists to think he’s a real-life extraterrestrial in Marshall Brickman’s dark satire.
Slim (1937): Henry Fonda plays a farmer who gets hooked on working on power lines.
Tall Story (1960): Anthony Perkins is the All-American basketball player who gets romantically attached to bike-riding student Jane Fonda in this romantic saga,
In the Cool of the Day ( 1963): Two couples facing difficult times in their marriage take a trip to Greece and find things getting even more complicated. Arthur Hill, Jane Fonda, Angela Lansbury and Peter Finch are the leads.
Period of Adjustment (1962): George Roy Hill’s adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ seriocomic play concerning emotionally fragile Korean War veteran Jim Hutton and new spouse Jane Fonda who pay a visit to Hutton’s military pal Tony Franciosa and wife Lois Nettleton.
The Young Stranger (1957): A teenager (James McArthur) has behavioral problems that may have something to do with how his movie producer father (James Daly) has treated him, in John Frankenheimer’s feature film directing debut.
Hail Columbia: Sony’s archive collection continues with a truly offbeat group of Columbia pictures that should fill in some collector’s blanks.
The Admirable Crichton (1957): This adaptation of the play by J. M. Barrie (Peter Pan) by Lewis Gilbert (Alfie) stars Kenneth More as the British nobleman’s butler who becomes the leader of the family after they’re stranded by a shipwreck. With Sally Ann Howes, Diane Cilento and Cecil Parker.
Before Winter Comes (1969): In an Austrian POW camp after WWII, British officer David Niven is assigned to send prisoners to either the American or Russian zone, aided by interpreter Topol. When Niven learns the language expert abandoned the Russian Army and could be executed, he offers to help him. Directed by J. Lee Thompson (The Guns of Navarone).
The Black Book (1949): A film noir set during the French Revolution? Anthony Mann directs Robert Cummings as an ally of General Lafayette, who seeks to end Robespierre’s reign of terror by revealing the names of those he has targeted for the guillotine. Richard Basehart and Arlene Dahl also star in this stylish, unusual historical thriller.
Carolina Blues (1944): Musical merriment is the order of the day when bandleader Kay Kyser has to use the daughter of a defense plant honcho as his lead singer in a special concert. Ann Miller and Victor Young star.
The Child Stealer (1979): Beau Bridges and Blair Brown star in an intense made-for-TV kidnapping drama.
Cocaine and Blue Eyes (1983): O.J. Simpson is a San Francisco detective whose search for a girl brings him close to a cocaine smuggling ring. With Cliff Gorman and Candy Clark.
Luv (1967): Based on Murray Schisgal’s hit play, this farce stars Jack Lemmon as a depressed guy taken in by unhappily married pal Peter Falk who intends to introduce him to wife Elaine May, in the hopes they hit it off so he can run away with young, blonde girlfriend Nina Wayne. Look for the young Harrison Ford.
Take a Girl Like You (1970): Teacher Hayley Mills gets assigned to a London school where most of the male instructors take a liking to her—especially faculty Lothario Oliver Reed.
There’s Something About a Soldier (1943): Cocky young Army recruit Tom Neal is at odds with veteran military man Bruce Bennett over the interest of pretty Evelyn Keyes.
Zarak (1956): 19th Century Afghanistan is the setting for this sweeping saga showcasing Victor Mature as the outlaw whose flirtation with of one of his father’s young wives forces him to go on the run, while a British officer (Michael Wilding) pursues him. Patrick McGoohan and Frederick Valk also star.
Wild, Wild West: Monogram was a low-budget studio that operated from 1931 to 1954 and was considered “Poverty Row” by Hollywood standards. But despite their sparse budgets, the studio’s movies had many fans, particularly those who love “B” level sagebrush sagas. That’s why Warner Archive’s release of Monogram Cowboy Collection, Vol. 1 is such a big deal for fans who love their six-gun territory. Here you have the likes of Lee Wakely, Johnny Mack Brown and Rod Cameron battling horse thieves, manipulative land barons and conniving ranchers in the films Oklahoma Blues (1948), Partners of the Sunset (1948), Gun Law Justice (1949), Outlaw Gold (1950), Man from Sonora (1950), Oklahoma Justice (1951), Texas Lawman (1951) and Cavalry Scout (1951) (in color!). Yeee-hah!
Double Dietrich: The collaboration of actress Marlene Dietrich and director Josef von Sternberg is one of the most fruitful in cinema history. Marlene Dietrich: Directed by Josef Von Sternberg presents a double feature of classic proportion featuring the team at the top of their game, produced for Paramount Studios. Dishonored (1931) showcases Dietrich as a Viennese prostitute recruited by the Austrian Secret Service to serve as an operative to spy on the Russians. Victor McLaglen is a hunky fellow spy and Warner Oland an Austrian officer who may be involved in nefarious dealings. Shanghai Express (1932) has Dietrich in one of her signature roles as “Shanghai Lily,” a passenger on a train ride from Peking to Shanghai, whose illicit background fits right in with other mysterious passengers in transit. Clive Brook, Warner Oland and Anna May Wong also star.