Notable DVDs
Sep 17th, 2008 | By Rick | Category: On DVD
The folks at Criterion have been busy little bees lately. They’ve released three (!) films by Max Ophüls, a remaster of Pier Paolo Passolini’s notorious final film, plus six films from Janus’ Essential Arthouse collection in economical, bare-bones editions.
Ophüls’ film career spanned 25 years and three countries, beginning in his native Germany in 1931, followed by a sojourn in 1940s Hollywood, and then making his last four features in France. Three of those final four were released today by Criterion: La ronde (1950), Le plaisir (1952), and what many consider to be his masterpiece, The Earrings of Madame de… (1953). Ophüls was notable for his precise camera-work and crisp black-and-white cinematography, and for his explorations of the pain and heartbreak underlying society’s pursuit of pleasure. Dave Hudson has collected reviews of the films and DVDs here.
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom is a horse of a completely different color. Pier Paolo Passolini’s last film, it is a notoriously uncompromising look at torture and mayhem. Transposed from the Marquis de Sade’s1785 book “120 Days of Sodom” to 1944 Fascist Italy, it remains as controversial today as it was when it was released in 1975. The murder of Pasolini shortly after it opened only added to the legend, and controversy. Here’s a quote from Gary Tooze at DVD Beaver: “Pier Paolo Pasolini’s notorious final film, Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, has been called nauseating, shocking, depraved, pornographic . . . it’s also a masterpiece.” Sounds enchanting.
The most exciting Criterion news is that the company has begun releasing individually Janus’ Essential Art House collection, an anthology of 50 films that are, well . . . essential. The first six released are Beauty and the Beast (1946, d. Jean Cocteau), Grand Illusion (1937, d. Jean Renoir), Knife in the Water (1962, d. Roman Polanski), Lord of the Flies (1963, d. Peter Brook), Rashomon (1950, d. Akira Kurosawa), and Wild Strawberries (1957, d. Ingmar Bergman). What’s exciting about it is that they’re releasing the first six both as a box set and individually. That way, you don’t have to buy what you don’t want or already have. And what’s even better is the price: on Criterion’s own website, you can get each title for only $15.96. Places like DVD Planet will doubtless price them even lower. I wonder what the poor suckers who paid a gazillion bucks for the entire set think about that?
From Warner Home Video comes two classic Vincente Minelli musicals: An American in Paris (1951) and Gigi (1958) in shiny new, two-disc collector’s editions. The former is definitely the pick of the litter; it’s perhaps the most innovative musical of Hollywood’s Golden age. Capped by a 17-minute, expressionistic dance that took a month to film, it is the ultimate showcase for Gene Kelly’s fabulous, atheletic dancing. Although not up to American’s standards, Gigi can be charming, if you can get over Maurice Chevalier’s creepy “Thank Heavens for Little Girls.”
Finally, if you’re in the mood for an over-baked Western put together by committee, have I got a movie for you. I’m talking, of course, about How the West Was Won, a two hour, forty-four minute 1963 epic that redefines the word “bloated.” It was helmed by four directors — Henry Hathaway, John Ford, George Marshall and an uncredited Richard Thorpe — and starred a veritable bevvy of A-list actors of the time, including George Peppard, Gregory Peck, Carolyn Jones, Henry Fonda, Debbie Reynolds, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne and Karl Malden. HTWWW’s main claim to fame is that it was one of only two narrative features shot in Cinerama, and the one of the last films to use the three-strip Cinerama process. It’s avaiable in Blu-Ray, a Three-Disc Special Edition and a massive, boxed Ultimate Edition that contains the preserved body of Gregory Peck. Just kidding.
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This may have just been mindless chatter… but I heard a rumor that Lapper is thinking about remaking Salo, but placing it in 2008 Film Blogosphere instead of Fascist Italy.
I hear the same thing … and he’s gonna cut it to music from March of the Tin Soldiers. But it’s just a rumor …
I picked up HOW THE WEST WAS WON over the weekend at Kim’s Video in Manhattan (which manages to sell their stuff early) and it is quite a stunning presentation, as you assert in your roundup.
I secured the three Ophuls films last week, and although LE PLASIR is actually slightly inferior in picture quality to the Region 2 Second Sight DVD that has been out since last year (a rare instance when Criterion is not the “dogs bullocks”) both LA RONDE and the masterpiece THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE look gorgeous.
Of course, like a number of others I’ve owned this new SALO release for several weeks, and apart from the indignation of a number of purists who are outraged that it excludes a 25 second segment, which is on the Region 2, it is quite the consumate package and is exceptionally transfered and has some great docs. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW is Pasolini’s masterpiece, but this subversive, and quintessentially decadent and disturbing film is a masterwork of sorts.
Well, I’m sorry to say that the JANUS ART HOUSE COLLECTION doesn’t benefit me as I own all but eight titles in the 400 plus Criterion Collection (MARTHA GRAHAM ON DANCE and stuff like that I don’t need….LOL!) so this would be a senseless double dip for same-transfer releases with alternate packaging. But for those who are just begining to collect these, this is a godsend, and you are right, methinks, to point it out Rick.
The biggest news this week however (or at least one to match MADAME DE) is the stunning and long-awaited Flicker Alley release of Abel Gance’s 1919 pacifist silent J’ACCUSE, which is one of cinema’s supreme masterpieces. I picked it up last night, and have looked at the transfer (buffo!) and there’s a fabulous booklet written by Kevin Brownlow, documenting his own coming to terms with what he considers one of the greatest of films. Of course several months back, FA released Gance’s LA ROUE, which may even edge out J’ACCUSE among the director’s trio of masterworks (NAPOLEON is the other one).
I own the one-disc incarnations of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS and GIGI, but will upgrade to these beautiful two-disc editions ove rthe coming days. Thanks for pointing them out.
And of course the newest Eclipse set is also on the shelves at Kim’s as of last night (I bought one) and it is “Aki Kaurismaki’s Proletariat Trilogy” which includes SHADOWS IN PARADISE, ARIEL and the esteemed director’s masterpiece to date, THE MATCH FACTORY GIRL, the Finnish answer to Chabrol’s LA CEREMONIE.
Sam, over at the Criterion blog Take Five they describe the producer of the new “Salo’s” search for info containing that missing 25 seconds. It wasn’t in the interpositive they took their print from, nor was it on any of the film vaults of The Pasolini Foundation in Rome. They queried the BFI’s technical director at the BFI (the BFI disc is the only one that has it) and he has no idea where they got it. On their new release, it will not be there. If you want to see it, though, go to the Criterion blog.
I agree — “The Gospel According to Matthew” is fabulous, but I’ll check out Salo ASAP.
I am envious that you have all but 8 of the Criterions.
Rick, I have indeed read that blog submission. I am a junkie at Criterionforum. com and .org! LOL!
I never took that claim seriously anyway, and it means close to nothing for me.
Yeah, I love the Criterion blog as well.
Rick, I should not be envied for owning all those Criterions. I seriously should be remanded to a psychological institution for study. I have five kids and have no business owning the DVDs I do, and they invariable sit on shelves collecting dust, and their purchases make money tight. Ha!
“I seriously should be remanded to a psychological institution for study.”
Well, that too … that’s why I can’t bring myself to buy them, things are tight around here, and I get reproachful looks from my wife when I spend the food money on “The Seven Samurai” or “Tokyo Story.”
LOL Rick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! In any case those two, especially the latter may be worth selling the house for!!!!
Especially those two (although I do own them), and my wife doesn’t have the same exquisite (she would say crazed) taste in films that I do.
Hi! Rick,
Nice critique!…of the recently released titles on dvds…especially, “An American in Paris” and “Gigi” starring actress Leslie Caron and actor Gene Kelly.
Because I plan to purchased both films together!…Or as I call it the Amazon.com deal!…[People usually purchase both of.... ]
“Gigi can be charming, if you can get over Maurice Chevalier’s creepy “Thank Heavens for Little Girls.”
ha!ha!
Btw, I was just recently, “introduced” to Director Max Ophuls’ and his oeuvres of films. Yay!
dcd
Fabulous films, are Ophuls’.
What a deal, the Amazon.com deal, although there’s no price break for buying them together …
I’m loving this new Criterion/Janus thing, but am a bit confused about it. Are they the same discs as the previous releases under the Criterion label or are they so cheap because they lack the normal Criterion treatment of special features?
In any case, I don’t own any of the selected titles and would accept the complete set if anyone bought it for me.
Phillip, they are the discs that were in the Essential Art House set of 50 Janus films released a year or so ago. They are the same transfers as the latest Criterions but they have no frills, nothing, not even commentaries. Still, you can get them for $14 at DVD Planet, which aint a bad deal.
I own two of them in the original Criterions — “Rashomon” and “Lord of the Flies” — and I’m thinking of getting the Renoir and Cocteau, both $40 single discs in their Criterion versions.
I’m very excited to finally have a chance to see “The Earrings of Madame de…”, but more importantly: does anyone know if those Janus discs contain all the same bells and whistles as the previous stand-alone Criterion editions did? Because if so, that box-set is coming home with me pronto, but if not I won’t know what to do…
I chuckled at your comment about “creepy” Maurice Chevalier.
I actually just re-watched “Gigi” for the first time in years over this past weekend. It’s charming and delightful, but it struck me that the whole movie dances right on the edge of creepiness. If you buy into the illusion that Leslie Caron really is just an adolescent for the first half or so, and you think a little too hard about her relationship with Louis Jordan, it can all seem a little, well… unseemly!
Bill –
The Janus discs are the same transfers as the stand-alone Criterions, but with none of the bells-and-whistles.
Pat, Perhaps it’s just tres French.
Err…how disappointing. Maybe I’ll skip it, then.
I’m on the fence about these. On the one hand, I rarely watch the extras more than once. On the other hand, I learn a lot from a good commentary.
What to do, what to do.
If there are two editions of a movie available, and one has good extras, and the other doesn’t, I have to pick up the loaded edition. Even if it costs me more money (which it does).
If I picked up these “bare” editions, I would miss most the commentaries, I think. Commentaries good. A good commentary’s like the proverbial, and over-used phrase, “a film school in a box.”