Classic Coming Attractions by Barrie Maxwell

Western Reviews (Continued)

The Texan, in my recollection, was one of the better TV western series of its era. Viewing it some five decades after it first aired, I was pleased to see that it stands up quite well.

Timeless Media Group has released a 10-disc box set that includes 70 of the 78 episodes that were aired from 1958-59 and 1959-60, the show's only two seasons. The other 8 episodes were either incomplete on the versions Timeless had or unavailable entirely to the company. In The Texan, Rory Calhoun stars as Bill Longley, a Civil War veteran roaming the west and renowned as an honest man with a very fast gun. That reputation often resulted in confrontations with various lawless elements in each week's half-hour episode. Longley tries to defuse situations without gunplay, but he is not hesitant about engaging in it when required. Nearly every episode featured a guest star of sorts although the second season resorted to return appearances of guests much more than the first. Alan Hale Jr., for example, guest starred 6 times the second year. Among the many who appeared over the 70 episodes were Neville Brand, Bruce Bennett, Harry Dean Stanton, J. Carrol Naish, Mike Connors, Michael Landon, Jack Elam, Brian Donleavy, Robert Wilke, Lon Chaney Jr., Cesar Romero, Dorothy Provine, Strother Martin, Denver Pyle, Monte Hale, Jack Lambert, Barbara Luna, Myron Healey, and Morgan Woodward - a rather impressive cross section of supporting western players. The vast majority of the episodes feature serious dramatic stories and they work well, mainly because of Calhoun's natural but forceful performances. The occasional comic episode was attempted, but they are less successful in general. Timeless Media's presentation is quite good overall given that the episodes were transferred from original 35mm elements. The episodes appear to be complete with beginning and ending credits in place. On most episodes, the images (full frame as originally aired) are sharp and clear with good contrast. Image detail is satisfactory. A few episodes are a little washed out, but not to the degree that watchability is compromised. The mono sound is quite acceptable. There are no supplements. Recommended.

British TV Series Reviews

Acorn Media has released Poldark: Series 1 on DVD (4 discs housed in slim cases, all in a cardboard slipcover) in North America some 35 years after it was first made by the BBC and long after its successful run on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre.

The 16-part, 821-minute long saga based on novels by Winston Graham follows the fortunes of Capt. Ross Poldark (Robin Ellis), a member of the British gentry, who returns to his Cornwall home after service in the American Revolution only to find the estate in disarray and his former flame Elizabeth (Jill Townsend) engaged to his cousin Francis. A new love interest, an unrefined commoner named Demelza (Angharad Rees), comes into his life and when the pair eventually marry, she proves to be a strong support as Ross's fortunes wax and wane over the course of the series. Ross's chief antagonists are George Warleggan and his father who are constantly attempting to wrest control of Ross's copper/tin mine from him. Smuggling, duels, attempted murder, and financial struggles are but a few of the situations that Ross and Demelza have to overcome. Subplots involving Francis's sister Verity's relationship to a former murderer and the presence of a young physician Dr. Dwight Enys befriended by Ross add considerably to the story tapestry. The story line grabs one's attention from the outset and maintains its grasp throughout the series. Several cliffhanger-type endings help substantially in this regard. The acting is uniformly excellent and the Cornish scenery adds much to the atmosphere. There are a number of action scenes that tend to be staged rather clumsily, but they prove not to be major drag on one's enjoyment. Hopefully Acorn will release Series 2 in the near future. It's fortunate that the Poldark series is so excellent, for it must overcome a typically mediocre presentation on DVD. Usually shot on 16mm, British TV series of this vintage do not transfer well to DVD, generally looking quite ragged with washed out sequences and considerable video noise particularly noticeable in darker sequences. That is certainly the case with Poldark: Series 1. Colours are muted and considerable speckling and scratches are evident too. The mono sound is quite acceptable although some hiss is evident. The only supplements are some text-based cast biographies and some historical background on Cornwall. Recommended.

A Mind to Kill: Series 1 provides six episodes of the acclaimed British police procedural that stars Philip Madoc as brooding Welsh police detective Noel Bain who is faced with solving a variety of brutal murders and sex crimes.

Bain solves his cases by instinct and experience, generally eschewing a scientific or technological approach if possible. All the cases are set in Wales and a generally unromantic picture of the country is painted. This is a world that looks bleak and seemingly offers limited prospects for its citizenry. There's a drab weariness to it that is matched by Bain's personal life. He's a workaholic with a teenage daughter whom he is raising alone with some difficulty after the death of his wife. Amidst the dreariness of the country and the his life, it's little wonder that Bain often seems in a state of anger over the senseless crimes he's assigned to solve. As a result, Bain's approach can be as gritty and violent at times as those crimes themselves. The six episodes presented in this Acorn Media set are all grippingly told, but one tends to rebel against the bleakness when they're over, so that little of them remains in the memory. The acting is typically superior in all the episodes and the stories are well plotted. One often knows or strongly suspects who committed the crime by mid-episode, but the pleasure is in seeing how Bain untangles the clues. The episodes here were originally aired in 1994. As a result they look a little better on DVD (presented full frame as originally aired) than many earlier series, but they are still far from optimal. The colours are subdued and image detail is fair at best. Video noise in dark scenes is evident and speckles and scratches are noticeable. The mono sound is in good shape with only minor hiss evident at times. The only supplements are some text biographies and production notes. Recommended.

New Announcements

AC Comics (accomics.com) reports that it has The Lost World (1960, with Claude Rains and Michael Rennie) now available. It's a DVD-R release in colour and widescreen, region-free in NTSC format.

Alpha Video had 22 new releases available on April 27th. More than a third are westerns starring the likes of Harry Carey, Kermit Maynard, Tom Tyler, Jack Randall, and others. There are also some vintage shorts, mysteries, and a couple of TV series compilations included. See the New Announcements database for the specific titles.

Blue Underground will release Machine Gun McCain (1968, with John Cassavetes) on both DVD and Blu-ray on August 24th. Extras will include an interview with director Giuliano Montaldo and the English and Italian trailers.

Criterion offers a new restoration of The Red Shoes (1948) on July 20th, available on both DVD and Blu-ray. Supplements include audio commentary by film historian Ian Christie, featuring interviews with stars Marius Goring and Moira Shearer, cinematographer Jack Cardiff, composer Brian Easdale, and filmmaker Martin Scorsese; introductory restoration demonstration with Scorsese; Profile of The Red Shoes (2000), a twenty-five-minute documentary; video interview with Thelma Schoonmaker Powell, Michael Powell's widow; gallery from Scorsese's collection of The Red Shoes memorabilia; The Red Shoes Sketches, an animated film made from Hein Heckroth's painted storyboards; readings by actor Jeremy Irons of excerpts from Powell and Pressburger's novelization of The Red Shoes and the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale; the theatrical trailer; and a booklet featuring an essay by Christie. Also available on July 20th will be a new restoration of Black Narcissus (1947) on both DVD and Blu-ray. Supplements will include a video introduction by French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier; audio commentary featuring the late director Michael Powell and filmmaker Martin Scorsese; The Audacious Adventurer, a 2006 video piece in which Tavernier discusses Black Narcissus and Powell; Profile of Black Narcissus (2000), a twenty-five-minute documentary; Painting with Light, a twenty-seven-minute documentary about Jack Cardiff's Oscar-winning cinematography on Black Narcissus; the original theatrical trailer; and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Kent Jones. July 13th will bring a two-disc DVD set of Yasujiro Ozu's The Only Son (1936) and There Was a Father (1942). On July 27th, Eclipse Series 22: Presenting Sacha Guitry will be released. It will be a four-disc set containing The Story of a Cheat (1936), The Pearls of the Crown (1937), Desire (1937), and Quadrille (1938). Criterion has also announced its August releases. The key item is Three Silent Classics by Josef Von Sternberg coming on August 24th. The set includes Underworld (1927, with George Bancroft), The Last Command (1928, with Emil Jannings), and Docks of New York (1928, with George Bancroft). Supplements will include six scores: one by Robert Israel for each film, two by the Alloy Orchestra for Underworld and The Last Command, and a piano and voice piece by Donald Sosin for Docks of New York; two new visual essays: one by UCLA film professor Janet Bergstrom and the other by film scholar Tag Gallagher; a 1968 Swedish television interview with director Josef von Sternberg, covering his entire career; and a 96-page booklet featuring essays by film critic Geoffrey O'Brien, film scholar Anton Kaes, and author Luc Sante; the original film treatment for Underworld by Ben Hecht; and an excerpt from Sternberg's autobiography, "Fun in a Chinese Laundry", on Emil Jannings. Marcel Camus's Black Orpheus (1959) will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 17th. Supplements include archival interviews with director Marcel Camus and actress Marpessa Dawn; new video interviews with Brazilian cinema scholar Robert Stam, jazz historian Gary Giddins, and Brazilian author Ruy Castro; � la recherche d'Orfeu negro, a feature-length documentary about Black Orpheus's cultural and musical roots and its resonance in Brazil today; the theatrical trailer; and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Michael Atkinson. August 17th also brings a DVD of L'Enfence nue (1968, directed by Maurice Pialat). Eclipse Series 23: The First Films of Akira Kurosawa will appear on August 3rd. It will contain Sanshiro Sugata (1943), The Most Beautiful (1944), Sanshiro Sugata: Part Two (1945), and The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1945).

Disney appears to have finally set a date for its Blu-ray release of Fantasia (1940) - December 7th, as reported at the Disney Rewards Facebook page.

Fox and MGM are teaming up for a June 1st release of the Elvis 75th Birthday Collection. It will contain seven titles: Love Me Tender, Flaming Star, Wild in the Country, Clambake, Frankie and Johnny, Follow That Dream, and Kid Galahad. There's nothing to indicate, however, that these will be anything other than rehashes of the already long-existing DVD releases of these titles.

Grapevine Video had its usual combination of silent and sound releases for April. Newly available were an Art Mix double feature of Ace of Cactus Range and Romance of the Wasteland (both 1924 and with tinted sequences in each), Blonde for a Night (1928, with Marie Prevost and Franklin Pangborn), The Power of the Press (1928, with Douglas Fairbanks Jr.), a double feature of Spartacus (1913) and Ben Hur (1907), Honor of the Press (1932, with Edward J. Nugent), Paris 1900 (1947, a chronicle of the city from 1900 to 1914), and Space Patrol: Volume 2 (4 episodes of the TV series). For May, the company has the following for release: A Gentleman of Paris (1927, with Adolph Menjou), Desert of the Lost (1927, with Wally Wales), Is Money Everything? (1923, with Miriam Cooper), The Love Gamble (1925, with Lillian Rich), a canine double feature of Ferocious Pal (1934, with Kazan) and Law of the Wolf (1939, with Rin Tin Tin III), Dagmar's Canteen (1951-52, four episodes of the early TV series), and Space Patrol: Volume #3 (four episodes of the live TV series).

Image has announced that the Boris Karloff-hosted Thriller: The Complete Series will come to DVD on August 31st. The release will be a 14-disc set containing all 67 episodes of the two-season run.

Infinity Entertainment will be releasing Bing Crosby: The Television Specials, Volume One on May 25th. It will be a two-disc set containing Bing's debut special from Jan. 1954, featuring Jack Benny; the landmark Sept. 1959 show for Oldsmobile, with legends Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong; the May 1962 special, with long-time Road comedies co-star Bob Hope, Edie Adams, son Gary Crosby and the Smothers Brothers; and the April 1970 show, Cooling It, with Dean Martin, Bernadette Peters and Flip Wilson. The company will also release The Real McCoys: The Complete Season 4 on June 29th.

Kino will have Lost Keaton: Sixteen Comedy Shorts 1934-1937 for release on July 6th. This collection features all 16 Educational Pictures shorts (14 of which have never been available on DVD until now) including: The Gold Ghost, Allez Oop, Palooka From Paducah, One Run Elmer, Hayseed Romance, Tars and Stripes, The E-Flat Man, The Timid Young Man, Three on a Limb, Grand Slam Opera, Blue Blazes, The Chemist, Mixed Magic, Jail Bait, Ditto, and Love Nest on Wheels. Special features will include a stills gallery and film notes by David Macleod (author of "The Sound of Buster Keaton"). The company's DVD and Blu-ray release of the restored Metropolis (1927) that is now appearing in theatres in selected cities is set for November 2010.

Lionsgate will be releasing a two-disc set of The Three Musketeers (1974) and The Four Musketeers (1975) on June 1st. These are the two Richard Lester films that feature the likes of Raquel Welsh, Oliver Reed, Michael York, Faye Dunaway, Charlton Heston, Richard Chamberlain, and Frank Finlay. Supplements include new featurettes and stills galleries.

MGM provides the welcome news of The Man with No Name Trilogy coming on Blu-ray on June 1st. The set includes A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Olive Films has announced the first wave of releases resulting from its licensing agreement with Paramount. July 27th will bring Dark City (1950), Union Station (1950), Appointment with Danger (1951), and Crack in the World (1965).

Paramount, in conjunction with CBS Video, will have Have Gun - Will Travel: The Fourth Season, Volume Two available on July 6th. The Lucy Show: The Official Second Season appears on July 13th. Then on July 27th comes Sgt. Bilko: The Phil Silvers Show - The First Season. The 5-disc collection contains an army supply of special features, including the original live pilot, audio commentaries, cast commercials, original openings, a "Lucy Show" episode featuring Phil Silvers, and all 34 first season remastered episodes. August 3rd has been set for a 6-disc set of Hawaii-Five-O: The Ninth Season.

Marcus Welby, M.D.: Season One is coming on May 4th from Shout! Factory. The release will be a 7-disc set that includes the two-hour made for TV movie A Matter of Humanities that effectively served as the series pilot. Dragnet 1968: Season Two will be available from Shout! Factory on July 6th in a 6-disc set. Coming on August 10th is a 4-disc set of Adam 12: Season Five. The Patty Duke Show: The Complete Third Season (a 6-disc set) is set for August 24th. Future titles in Shout! Factory's Roger Corman series, some in both DVD and Blu-ray, will include Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957), Deathsport (1978), and Not of This Earth (1957). Piranha (1978) has already been announced for August 3rd in both DVD and Blu-ray.

Sony is releasing a Blu-ray version of Ray Harryhausen's Jason and the Argonauts (1963) on July 6th. The same date will also bring Columbia Pictures Film Noir Collection II. The 5-disc set will include Human Desire (1954, Glenn Ford), Pushover (1954, Fred MacMurray), Nightfall (1956, Aldo Ray), The Brothers Rico (1957, Richard Conte), and City of Fear (1959, Vince Edwards). Supplements include introductions by Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, and Emily Mortimer. Early news of this set had suggested that a remastered version of In a Lonely Place would be included, but that has been dropped in favour of Human Desire - an excellent decision on Sony's part. The remastered In a Lonely Place is likely to see its own release in some form or other later.

TCM has announced the exclusive availability of The House Across the Bay (1940, with George Raft and Joan Bennett) on April 30th. Whether this will be a DVD or DVD-R release is not known as yet. The supplementary content is listed by TCM as consisting of lobbycards, scene stills, publicity stills, movie poster, TCMdb article, and trivia. The film was a Walter Wanger production and is part of the Castle Hill holdings which may presage further Castle Hill releases from TCM.

Timeless Media Group has announced a May 25th release for a 6-DVD set titled TV Western Classics. The set contains several episodes each of six different programs: Henry Fonda as The Deputy, the Pat Garrett/Billy The Kid series The Tall Man, George Montgomery as the mayor of Cimarron City, the two-season series The Restless Gun, Rex Allen as the Frontier Doctor, and Scott Brady as Shotgun Slade. There will be 31 episodes in total. Coming on June 22nd is Checkmate: The Complete Series. This is a 14-disc set of the 1960s private investigators series set in San Francisco.

Universal will have The Great Waldo Pepper (1975, with Robert Redford) and The Greek Tycoon (1978, with Anthony Quinn) available as pressed DVDs on August 3rd. October 19th will bring a 50th Anniversary edition of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) to Blu-ray. Supplements include: audio commentary with Stephen Rebello (author of "Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho"); The Making of Psycho: A feature-length documentary on Hitchcock's most shocking film; In the Master's Shadow - Hitchcock's Legacy: some of Hollywood's top filmmakers discuss Hitchcock's influence and why his movies continue to thrill audiences; Hitchcock/Truffaut Interviews: excerpts from a 1962 audio interview with Alfred Hitchcock; newsreel footage: The Release of Psycho: vintage newsreel on the unique policy Alfred Hitchcock insisted upon for the release of the film; The Shower Scene: A look at the impact of music on the infamous "shower scene; The Shower Scene: storyboards by Saul Bass; production notes: an essay on the making of the film; the Psycho archives: gallery of on-set photo stills from the film's production; posters and Psycho ads; lobby cards; behind-the-scenes photographs; Psycho Sound: a never-before-seen piece that looks at the re-mastering process required to create a 5.1 mix from the original mono elements using Audionamix technology; and theatrical and re-release trailers.

VCI will offer Uncle Vanya (1957, with Franchot Tone) on June 29th. This is a Broadway play of the time that was filmed for theatrical release. VCI's July releases will be coming on the 27th. They include: Trouble in the Sky (aka Cone of Silence, 1960, with Peter Cushing), The System (1964, with Oliver Reed), The Black Arrow: Complete Series (1972-75, British TV series), The Australian Story (1952, with Maureen O'Hara), and The Only Way (1970, with Jane Seymour).

The Warner Archive releases for April 6th total 10 classic titles, with an emphasis on Joan Crawford: Above Suspicion (1943), No More Ladies (1935), Paid (1930), Susan and God (1940), and This Modern Age (1931). The Crawford titles are available individually or as a set at half price. The other classic titles are Escape (1940, with Norma Shearer and Robert Taylor), Mammy (1930, with Al Jolson - newly remastered with restored 2-colour Technicolor sequences), The McConnell Story (1955, with Alan Ladd), Their Own Desire (1929, with Norma Shearer), and The Torchy Blane Collection (1936-1939, 9 films on 5 discs - Smart Blonde/Fly-Away Baby/ Adventurous Blonde/Blondes at Work/Torchy Blane in Panama/Torchy Gets Her Man/Torchy Blane in Chinatown/Torchy Runs for Mayor/Torchy Blane - Playing with Dynamite). April 20th brings five additional Tarzan films to the Archive: Tarzan Goes to India (1962, with Jock Mahoney), Tarzan's Three Challenges (1963, with Jock Mahoney), Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966, with Mike Henry), Tarzan and the Great River (1967, with Mike Henry), and Tarzan and the Jungle Boy (1968, with Mike Henry). The above-mentioned release of the Torchy Blane films is apparently just the first of several B film series that are in the Archive pipeline. Perry Mason, The Falcon, The Saint, and Hildegarde Withers are all mentioned as being on the way by Warners' George Feltenstein in a recent NY Post article. Additions to the Archive for May 4th include: Chandler (1973, with Warren Oates), Flap (1970, with Anthony Quinn), Hit Man (1972, with Pam Grier), Our Time (1974, with Pamela Sue Martin), and Zeppelin (1971, with Michael York).

July 13th brings the long awaited next film noir set from Warner Bros. TCM Archives: Film Noir Classic Collection Volume 5 will be a four disc set containing Cornered (1945, Dick Powell), Desperate (1947, Steve Brodie), The Phenix City Story (1955, John McIntyre), Dial 1119 (1950, Marshall Thompson), Armored Car Robbery (1950, Charles McGraw), Crime in the Streets (1956, James Whitmore), Deadline at Dawn (1946, Susan Hayward), and Backfire (1950, Virginia Mayo). The only supplements are trailers for Cornered and Dial 1119. Elvis on Tour, the Golden Globe-winning documentary on Elvis's 15-city tour of the United States in 1972 will make its debut August 3rd in newly-restored and remastered Blu-ray and DVD versions from Warner Bros. Blu-ray packaging is in the form of a book filled with Elvis photos, quotes, trivia, a tour itinerary, set lists, costumes, and background information about the filming techniques used. Disc content includes: 25 musical numbers that spotlight Elvis Presley's talent, range and showmanship in captivating on-stage performances and intimate backstage rehearsals with his band; Elvis' first performance of "Burning Love," which was so new, Elvis referred to the lyric sheet during his performance; Elvis' Ed Sullivan Show performance, in which the charm, personality and musical ability that made him an icon is so evident; and montage sequences (supervised by Martin Scorsese) showcasing Elvis' early career. The release is part of 75th anniversary celebrations for Elvis in mid-August. The Blu-ray version will also be available as part of an Elvis Blu-ray Collection along with Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas. An Elvis 75th Anniversary DVD Collection streets on August 3rd too. It will consist of 14 feature films (Jailhouse Rock, Viva Las Vegas, It Happened at the World's Fair, Kissin' Cousins, Girl Happy, Tickle Me, Harum Scarum, Spin Out, Double Trouble, Stay Away Joe, Speedway, Live a Little Love a Little, Charro!, The Trouble with Girls) and three documentaries (Elvis on Tour, This Is Elvis, Elvis: That's the Way It Is), all of which have previously been released on DVD although some will now have new transfers. Select titles also feature commentaries and/or making-of featurettes. All titles will also be available separately. The box set includes a 40-page commemorative book with iconic shots from behind the scenes of his movies and stage performances, and insightful career highlights notes. It will be packed in sparkly, Vegas-inspired, holographic foil with 10 reproduction memorabilia pieces including studio correspondence and signed Elvis Presley cheques. August 10th brings a Blu-ray edition of What's Up Doc? (1972, with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal). September 7th will bring Blu-ray versions of Forbidden Planet (1956) and THX1138: The George Lucas Director's Cut (1970). The studio will also have One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: 35th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition on Blu-ray on the same date. September 7th also sees the release of two more offerings in the TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection. TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Gangsters packages High Sierra, Little Caesar, The Public Enemy, and White Heat while TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Hammer Horror offers Horror of Dracula, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, The Curse of Frankenstein, and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed. Each is a two-disc DVD set.

Warners has updated the Home Theatre Forum on its plans for the Bowery Boys. The bottom line is that these films will not appear on DVD this year. The studio is still committed to getting them into the marketplace, but staff reductions and changes in buying habits have been a factor in having to slow down the schedule for the planned releases. There's no indication whether the films will start to appear in 2011 or not. There's also word from Warners that its DVD releases of Ben-Hur and Citizen Kane are about to go on moratorium, meaning they'll no longer be available in stores. The good news is that both films will return in late 2011 to celebrate "a confluence of events: anniversaries, stunning remasterings, and spectacular new Blu-ray debuts". Both films are currently undergoing comprehensive restorations, and much new content is being created for their 2011 re-issues on both DVD and Blu-ray. Ben-Hur in particular is set to receive Ultimate Collector's Edition treatment. Finally, there is confirmation from a Warner spokesperson, though no formal press releases yet, that King Kong will appear on Blu-ray late this year.

Well, once again, that's it for now. I'll return again soon.

Barrie Maxwell
barriemaxwell@thedigitalbits.com