Certified Copy – The Criterion Collection #612 (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

If you are a cineaste who enjoys films that incorporate intelligent conversation, you will be captivated by “Certified Copy”.   A film that showcases Abbas Kiarostami’s beautiful direction and fascinating screenplay, plus fantastic performance by Juliette Binoche and William Shimell… “Certified Copy” is highly recommended!

Image courtesy of © MK2-Bibi Films – France 3 Cinema – Artemis Productions. The Criterion Collection. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Certified Copy – The Criterion Collection #612 (Copie Conforme)

MOVIE RELEASE: 2010

DURATION: 106 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, 1:85:1 Aspect Ratio, 5.1 Surround in English, French and Italian with English Subtitles

COMPANY: Sundance Selects/The Criterion Collection

RELEASE DATE: May 22, 2012

Directed and Written by Abbas Kiarostami

Produced by Angelo Barbagallo, Charles Gillibert, Marin Karmitz, Nathanael Karmitz, Abbas Kiarostami

Executive PRoducer: Clair Dornoy, Marin Karmitz

Line Producer: Gaetano Daniele

Cinematography by Luca Bigazzi

Edited by Bahman Kiarostami

Production Design by Giancarlo Basili, Ludovica Ferrario

Starring:

Juliette Binoche as Elle

William Shimell as James Miller

Adrian Moore as Le Fils

Jean-Claude Carriere as L’homme de la place

Agathe Natanson as La femme de la place

Gianna Giachetti as a patronne du cafe

Angelo Barbagallo as Le traducteur

Andre Laurenzi as Le guide

Filippo Trojano as Le marie

The great Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami travels to Tuscany for a luminous and provocative romance in which nothing is as it appears. What seems at first to be a straightforward tale of two people—played by Oscar-winning actress Juliette Binoche and opera singer William Shimell—getting to know each other over the course of an afternoon gradually reveals itself as something richer, stranger, and trickier: a mind-bending reflection on authenticity, in art as well as in relationships. Both cerebrally and emotionally engaging, Certified Copy reminds us that love itself is an enigma.

The multi-talented filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami is known for his films, documentaries, poetry, paintings and graphic designs.  Considered as one of the most influential filmmakers to come from the Middle East and known for his films such as the “Koker Trilogy”, “Taste of Cherry”, “The Wind Will Carry Us” and “Close Up”, in 2010, Kiarostami would reunite with his “Shirin” actress, Juliette Binoche for the film “Certified Copy” (Copie Conforme).

Written and directed by Abbas Kiarostami and shot in Tuscany, “Certified Copy” would feature Juliette Binoche (“Thee Colors: Blue”, “The English Patient”, “Cache”) and opera singer William Shimell (“Hercules”, “Love”).  The film would be Kiarostami’s first film shot and produced outside of Iran, it would also be the first film of Kiarostami in creating European cinema.  And sure enough, the film would receive rave reviews from critics and audiences worldwide and the film would also earn Juliette Binoche the “Best Actress Award” at the Cannes Film Festival.

And now “Certified Copy” will be released on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of the Criterion Collection.  Also, included with this release is Abbas Kiarostami’s first feature film, “The Report” (1977).

“Certified Copy” begins with people who have attended a lecture and are anxiously waiting for British writer and art historian, James Miller (played by William Shimell), to talk about his new book “Certified Copy”.  The book argues that authenticity is irrelevant and that reproduction is original, as the original is a copy of another form.

Among those attending the lecture is a French antique dealer (played by Juliette Binoche), a woman who is awaiting to get her book signed by Miller.  But because her 11-year-old son (played by Adrian Moore) is getting a bit antsy and is very hungry, she has to leave not long after the lecture has begun.   Not wanting to miss the opportunity to get an autograph from James Miller, the antique dealer (without a name) leaves her phone number with Miller’s translator in hopes that he can sign her books.

The following day, James Miller arrives at the French antique dealer’s shop and while he compliments her choices of art, she tells him they are only reproductions and it begins their conversation about original art vs. reproductions and in the process, because the dealer has issues with his book “Certified Copy”, she wants to take him out to the countryside and let him see things with his own eyes.

While James signs the books, the dealer talks about the issues she has with the books and then they end up discussing situations about her rebellious son, more about reproductions and sooner or later, these two get into a conversation that tests both of their patience.

As they go into a cafe, a woman who runs the cafe, thinks that the two are a couple and the next thing you know, the two begin to pretend as if they are a married couple.

But the conversations change as if they are or were a real life couple who have been married for 15-years and both get into an argument as if they were a real couple.   Do these two know each other?  Are they a real couple?  Are they acting out their own relationships towards each other.  Or is this a dream? Or is it reality?

VIDEO:

“Certified Copy” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1 aspect ratio) and there is no doubt that Kiarostami’s use of the Red digital camera brought a lot of detail to his latest film.   The colors are vibrant, detail and clarity look magnificent and  I detected no video-related problems, no artifacts, banding, edge enhancement…nothing.  “Certified Copy” looks absolutely magnificent on Blu-ray!

According to the Criterion Collection, the film was shot in 4K RAW using a RED digital camera and the entire production was completed in a fully digital workflow.  The color grading and digital interpositive were approved by director Abbas Kiarostami and director of photography Luca Bigazzi.  The final color corrected DPX files were output to Rec. 709 high-definition color space for BD and DVD release.

As for “The Report”, the Criterion Collection presents the 1977 film in the best quality available to them.  While the film looks good for its age.  While there is some film damage with occasional green lines that can be seen and some other damage.  But most visible towards the beginning of the film.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Certified Copy” is presented in English, French and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (note: one audio track, with all three languages used in the film).  Dialogue is crystal clear and the film features good use of atmospheric ambiance.  From the sounds of Tuscany, the birds and vehicles and more.  The lossless track is primarily dialogue-driven through the front and center channels but the audio quality is great and I detected no audio problems.  Optional Subtitles are included.

According to the Criterion Collection, the original 5.1 lossless soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from the original digital audio master using Pro Tools HD.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Certified Copy – The Criterion Collection #612″ on Blu-ray comes with the following special features:

• The Report – (1:49:28) A civil servant is a hard worker but is often not there for his wife and child.  But when he is accused of bribery, his life starts to change and his marriage also begins to suffer.
• Abbas Kiarostami - (16:02) Featuring an interview with Abbas Kiarostami who talks about the film, what inspired the film and finding the cast members for the film.
• Let’s See “Copia Conforme” – (52:05) A documentary by Irene Bufo featuring the making of the film and interviews with Kiarostami, the cast and crew.
• Theatrical trailer - (2:14) Theatrical trailer for “Certified Copy”.
  

EXTRAS:

“Certified Copy – The Criterion Collection #612″ comes with a 24-page booklet featuring the essay “At Home and Abroad” by Godfrey Chesire.

 When it comes to films that are verbose, cerebral and dialogue-driven, more often, they can be too much for a viewer.  But when executed perfectly, you know you have something special.

May it be a film like Eric Rohmer’s “My Night at Maud’s” where characters spend a long time in discussion, but these they talk about aren’t banal, these are intelligent discussions by two individuals about life, art, reproduction.  But then you get this little twist that is reminiscent of Michelangelo’s Antonioni’s “L’Avventura” or Alain Resnais “Last Year At Marienbad” where the characters may appear to have known each other or perhaps have been in a relationship before, because their intelligent discussion leads to an argument that couples experience.

And that is one thing that is rather fascinating about “Certified Copy”, unlike Resnais “Last Year at Marienbad” which surrealism and visual filmmaking come together in a rather complex fashion, Kiarostami’s “Certified Copy” gives us no clues that the two are a couple, a former couple or two people trying to act out an experiment of relationships.  Or perhaps it is a dream… or is it reality?

Nothing is explained but it allows the viewer to give their own interpretation.  And this is important because the film’s original topic was about the concept of art and reproduction.  When we look at art, we have a response toward it. But that response can be different.  The same with this relationship, we have our own interpretation if these two characters.  In my mind, almost like painting that I spend a lot of time watching in a museum… you have these ideas of what is the intention of the artwork, what is the history and was the painting influenced by another.

With the characters of James Miller and the antique dealer, my mind was already dead set that these two individuals knew each other long ago, were in love and this visit was a way for them to escape reality and re-enact a moment of what if they were a couple.

Now I go back to the common argument of the film, art vs. reproduction and how the character of James Miller felt that reproductions were originals, as the original was also inspired or a copy of something else.  And when you start to think of the film and analyze it, what if that was the initial thought.  Using art as a symbol, but featuring cinema.  Cinema like art can be original but yet others  may feel it’s a copy or inspired by another film.

And then you wonder if its life imitating art.  Abbas Kiarostami once told actress Juliette Binoche that the film was based on his life, then changed his story that it was based on his life and then tells media that it s a story that incorporates Juliette’s life.  In other words, the message is that art, cinema and everything created can be original but yet can be inspired by something else.  So, what others will think of “Certified Copy” as original, others may point to Resnais “Last Year at Marienbad”, Antonioni’s “L’Avventura” or Wong Kar-Wai’s “In the Mood for Love”, and think that the film was inspired by those or other similar, dream-like type of films.

But do we need an explanation of why Kiarostami created the film?  I don’t think so, and that’s what makes “Certified Copy” so enjoyable to watch.  It’s a film that YOU interpret on your own.  And if everyone comes up with a different answer, then so be it, I’m sure filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami would be pleased.

Another reason why I enjoyed “Certified Copy” is how Kiarostami handles relationships.  He goes into more detail about this in the special feature but it’s the concept of the conflicts that are experienced between a man and woman in a relationship.  The more we understand each other, the worse things get.   And it’s a concept that many married couples or those who have been in long time relationships can understand.  When things go bad, we look to others who make things look as they are going so great but are they?  We have two characters who are somewhat soul searching and through each other, may it be through this playful interaction or may they be true emotions that are coming out, it’s that sense of the unpredictable that captivates us.  There is more going on with these two that is explained but yet, these conflicts can be understood, because many of us have experienced these uncertainties as well.

As for the performance, Juliette Binoche was absolutely fantastic in this film and for a first time major role for opera singer William Shimell, to have him memorize his line, including the long dialogue (which surprised Binoche who didn’t memorize everything, and utilized improvisation to coincide with Shimell’s performance) and literally be prepared for his role, I was impressed by his performance.  But both talents did a wonderful job.

As for the Blu-ray release, “Certified Copy” looks amazing on Blu-ray and cineaste who are fans of Kiarostami’s work should be pleased as there are no video or audio-related problems that I could find with this release.  And as far as special features go, it’s one thing that you get a documentary on the making-of the film and an interview with Kiarostami but the fact that the Criterion Collection also included his first feature film “The Report” (1977) with this release is fantastic!

Overall, if you are a cinema fan who loves films that incorporate intelligent conversation but also a film that incorporates Abbas Kiarostami’s brilliant direction and fascinating screenplay, which also further compliments the performance by Juliette Binoche and William Shimell, “Certified Copy” is highly recommended!

The Girl on a Motorcycle (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“The Girl on a Motorcycle” is a film that is sexually-charged and for its time, considered dangerous and too sexy for audiences.  But for today’s audience, one may see it more of a film that is a product of its time.  Sexual repression, masochistic and sexual urges, all coming from a single woman sporting a skintight body suit and riding a motorcycle. Overall, a titillating, psychedelic, sexual film of the late ’60s!

Images courtesy of © 1968 Mid Atlantic Film (Holdings) Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 2012 Kino Lorber, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: The Girl on a Motorcycle

YEAR OF RELEASE: 1968

DURATION: 88 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:66:1), Monaural, Color

COMPANY: Jezebel/Kino Lorber

RATED: R

Release Date: April 24, 2012

Directed by Jack Cardiff

Based on the novel “La Motocyclette” by Andre Pieyre de Mandiargues

Screenplay by Ronald Duncan

Adaptation by Jack Cardiff

Produced by William Sassoon

Executive Producer: Ronan O’Rahilly

Associate Producer: Sacha Kamenka

Music by Les Reed

Cinematography by Jack Cardiff and Rene Guissart Jr.

Edited by Peter Musgrave

Art Direction by Jean d’Eaubonne and Russell Hagg

Starring:

Alain Delon as Daniel

Marianne Faithfull as Rebecca

Roger Mutton as Raymond

Marius Goring as Rebecca’s Father

Catherine Jourdan as Catherin

Jean Leduc as Jean

A wildly sexy time capsule from the swinging sixties, THE GIRL ON A MOTORCYCLE (1968) stars Alain Delon (Le samouraï) and Marianne Faithfull—two actors at the height of their impressive cool—as lovers with a taste for the open road.

Faithfull stars as Rebecca, a bored housewife who bolts from her home in the French countryside to visit her lover, Daniel (Delon), in Germany. Wearing nothing but a form-fitting black leather suit (the film was re-released in the U.S. as Naked Under Leather), the lusty Rebecca races across the country, and in flashback remembers the start of their affair. She recalls the initial, furtive glances in her father’s bookstore, her elaborate sexual fantasies and their long-awaited consummation. Most important of all is the motorcycle itself, a gift from Daniel that seems to give her more pleasure than any man could deliver.

Directed by legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff (The Red Shoes) in pulsating psychedelic hues, THE GIRL ON A MOTORCYCLE has emerged from obscurity to become more than a cult favorite; it is a touchstone film of 1960s Euro youth culture.

Jack Cardiff, one of the world’s most talented cinematographers (“The Red Shoes”, “The African Queen”, “Pandora and the Flying Dutchmen”, “Black Narcissus”) was a multi-talented individual when it comes to cinema.  Editor, actor, visual effects and even director.

While hi films “Sons and Lovers” and mystery films “Intent to Kill” and “Web of Evidence” were successful, in the late ’60s, Cardiff would work on a British-French film titled “The Girl on a Motorcycle”, an adaptation of the novella “La Motocyclette” by Andre Pieyre de Mandiargues.

A film that would star popular French actor Alain Delon (“Le Samourai”, “Le Cercle Rouge”, “L’Eclisse”, “Rocco and His Brothers”) and singer/songwriter/actres Marianne Faithful (best known in the late ’60s as being the girlfriend of the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and her wild lifestyle).

While the film would feature Alain Delon as a headliner, the film is mostly connected to Marianne Faithful, as the film would be known for the skin tight body suit that she wore in the film, and heighten her popularity as a sexy, wild diva.

And now “The Girl on a Motorcycle” receives its HD release on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber as part of their “Jezebel” line.

“The Girl on a Motorcycle” is about a young woman named Rebecca (played by Marianne Faithfull).  A young woman who recently married a school teacher named Raymond (played by Roger Mutton).

One night, while the newlyweds are sleeping, Rebecca starts to have sexual, masochistic dreams of a man named Daniel (played by Alain Delon).   She dreams of Daniel whipping her at a circus and each whip, an article of clothing is removed to later reveal her naked body.

Excited and turned on by her dream, she looks at her husband and decides to leave him.  She takes nothing but her keys and wearing nothing but her biking clothing…a skin tight body suit and boots and she looks at her motorcycle almost like a sexual object.

She then drives off, disenchanted by her life, the city she lives in and most of all her life with her husband Raymond.  And while riding her motorcycle, she leaves the country to ride towards Germany but during her adventures, we learn why Rebecca is disenchanted with life.

We learn that her husband Raymond is a goodie two shoes.  Never argues, never demands anything, despite Rebecca wanting him to be more authoritative towards her.   In fact, he’s too much of a nice guy that his students mock him during class.

As Rebecca explores her past and how she dated Raymond, we learn how she met Daniel at her father’s bookstore, three weeks before she was to marry.  She meets him again, while she, Raymond and her friends were at a ski trip.

One night, as she was expecting to make love to her boyfriend Raymond, Raymond comes to her room but doesn’t make a move on her.  She realizes that he is too much of a nice guy, but she wants to live a bit dangerously.  That same night, Daniel crawls up the window to her room and immediately starts to have sex with her and she doesn’t fight it.  She likes Daniel’s style of living dangerously.

And sure enough, during the time she was engaged with Raymond, Daniel and Rebecca were making mad passionate love, while he taught her the thrill of riding a motorcycle and the risks.  The two would have sex anywhere they wanted and both lived dangerously, with no attachments.

But although it’s what she loves, dreams about and is constantly needing, she can’t get that same treatment with Raymond and she starts to feel it’s the city and those around her.  Everything seems dreary and nothing like Daniel.

The more she the urge for having sex with Daniel, it starts to consume every thought.  How will this affect Rebecca?

VIDEO:

Jack Cardiff is known for his use of color, especially for Technicolor films and experimentation of film throughout his career.  With “The Girl on a Motorcycle”, Jack Cardiff was not only the director but also the cinematographer and there is no doubt that this film was a sign of the times, in this case…the hippie driven late ’60s.  While I’m not sure if Cardiff partaken in any of the drugs that ran rampant at the time, there is no doubt that he was in touch with the psychedelic colors and wild cinematography experimented with at the time.

Suffice to say, “The Girl on a Motorcycle” can be described in one word… “Trippy”.  From intriguing color selections and colors, I have no doubt if this film was a cult-classic among those who experimented with narcotics (similar to how Disney’s “Fantasia” was a popular among LSD and acid-freaks at the time).  And these “trippy” images are a product of Rebecca’s wild dreams and thoughts of her being seduced or sexually ravaged by Daniel.

As for video quality, Kino Lorber is known for not messing around with original negative and going through expensive restoration.  The film’s grain is quite evident, there are some specks but no doubt this film is probably the definitive version to own of the film at this time due to it being in HD and having better clarity.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Girl on the Motorcycle” is presented in monaural but via a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track.  While much better than a straight on monaural track from the center channel, the film does sport a soundtrack with music of the time and also clear dialogue.  As well as emphasizing the motorcycle sounds as well.  While not immersive, it’s pretty much on spot with a lot of the audio of films of that era, but sounds much better in lossless.

Unfortunately, there are no subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“The Girl on a Motorcycle” comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary – An audio commentary featuring the late Jack Cardiff.  Jack talks about the making of “The Girl on the Motorcycle” and also the cinematography choices he made during the film.
• Theatrical Trailer - (:50) The theatrical trailer for “The Girl on a Motorcycle”.
• Gallery – Featuring nearly two dozen stills and posters from “The Girl on a Motorcycle”.

“The Girl on a Motorcycle” is a fascinating film that was no doubt a sign of the time.  During the hippie era, where sexual exploration was the norm, Marianne Faithfull was truly a sex symbol of the time and also a product of that group of people who loved having sex.

Faithfull was never shy about talking about this, similar to her character Rebecca, Faithfull left her husband and made it a goal to have sexual relations with a Rolling Stone member and in fact, she had sexual relations with three of them and ended up choosing Mick Jagger.

While Faithfull is no doubt a sexy symbol and the strong sexual urges that she has within the entire film is the primary part of the storyline, Faithfull is probably one of those actresses that many loved to look at and not too concerned of how she acted.  Based on her acting in this film, suffice to say, it wasn’t that good.  But it’s almost compared to a lot of sex symbols on films today, does anyone really watch them on film for their acting?

If anything, watching Faithfull daydream on her motorcycle while getting turned on by her sexual thoughts of Daniel, you wonder if this is a dreamstate (because the last thing anyone wants to do is daydream for long stretches of time while riding quickly on a highway).

But “The Girl on a Motorcycle” was not exactly a film that was going to celebrate Marianne Faithfull’s acting, it was a film showcasing her sexiness.  It was a film that would showcase Alain Delon, not as a gun toting action star but a man who lived dangerously by showing Rebecca pleasures that she had never known.  And of course, that is where director and cinematographer Jack Cardiff comes in, to work his magic in making sure these dreams and thoughts were wild, trippy but suitable for that era in time.  And who best to experiment on psychedelic colors and dreams than Jack Cardiff.

While the film is not great by any means, it is a fascinating film about sexuality in the late ’60s and this is probably the best film I have seen Marianne Faithful, although I did enjoy her brief appearance on Jean-Luc Godard’s 1966 film “Made in U.S.A.” and also her appearance on the BBC series “Absolutely Fabulous”, her role in “The Girl on a Motorcycle” is primarily about her and it is no doubt a titillating film.

As for Alain Delon, he is no doubt a great actor, but compared to the many wonderful films that he starred in his entire career, this relationship between his character, Daniel and Rebecca was quite intriguing, especially compared to his other films with relationships such as “L’Eclisse” or “Le Samourai”. Also, it’s a film where Delon is not the primary character in the film.

Some people may have been turned off by this back in the ’60s, especially since Delon gets top billing but I suppose this film wanted to give Marianne Faithfull that big break as an actress.

Once again, this film could have been terrible but I feel that Jack Cardiff’s cinematography experience and editing skills made this film a bit better because of his involvement and experimentation.  It’s not a great film but it is enjoyable to a point and to tell you the truth, with all the daydreaming she goes through while riding her motorcycle, when I first watched it, all that went in my mind was…”this young woman is going to die if she doesn’t pay attention to the road”.  It’s not a a groundbreaking film, so one shouldn’t have any high hopes of expecting a deep storyline.

As for the Blu-ray release, this is the definitive version of this film to own.  The video quality is much better and as far as DVD releases, the previous version only had a trailer and stills gallery as this current Kino Lorber Blu-ray release, but it makes up for better picture quality and lossless audio.  Also, this is the full version.  A lot of nudity, sexual scenes and adult content which led to the film receiving an “X” rating for that time, is quite mild for today’s films.

Overall, “The Girl on a Motorcycle” is a film that is sexually-charged and for its time, considered dangerous and too sexy for audiences.  But for today’s audience, one may see it more of a film that is a product of its time.  Sexual repression, masochistic and sexual urges, all coming from a single woman in a skintight body suit.  If you are looking for a sexual film from the late ’60s, “The Girl on a Motorcycle” is for you!

 

Bringing Down the House: 10th Anniversary Edition (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Bringing Down the House” is a hilarious and fun comedy that will make people laugh today as it did ten years ago!  For those who love the film will definitely want to upgrade to Blu-ray!

Images courtesy of © Disney. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Bringing Down the House: 10th Anniversary Edition

FILM RELEASE: 2003

DURATION: 105 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:35:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital

COMPANY: Touchstone Home Entertainment

RATED: PG-13 (For Language, Sexual Humor and Drug Material)

Release Date: May 15, 2012

Directed by Adam Shankman

Written by Jason Filardi

Produced by Ashok Amritaj, David Hoberman

Co-Producer: Todd Lieberman

Executive Producer: Jane Bartelme, Queen Latifah

Associate Producer: Cookie Carosella

Music by Lalo Schifrin

Cinematography by Julio Macat

Edited by Gerald B. Greenberg

Casting by Victoria Thomas

Production Design by Linda DeScenna

Art Direction by James Nedza

Set Decoration by Ric McElvin

Costume Design by Pamela Withers

Starring:

Steve Martin as Peter Sanderson

Queen Latifah as Charlene Morton

Eugene Levy as Howie Rottman

Joan Plowright as Virginia Arness

Jean Smart as Kate Sanderson

Kimberly J. Brown as Sarah Sanderson

Missi Pyle as Ashley

Michael Rosenbaum as Tod Gendler

Betty White as Mrs. Kline

The laugh-out-loud comedy “Bringing Down The House” will be available for the first time on Blu-ray™, May 15th, with a stunning new digital transfer!

The hilarious Steve Martin (Father Of The Bride) and Academy Award® nominee Queen Latifah (Best Actress In A Supporting Role, Chicago, 2002) star with Eugene Levy (American Pie) and Betty White (The Proposal) in this hysterical culture clash hit.

When Peter Sanderson (Martin), a divorced, uptight lawyer, meets Charlene (Latifah), a street-smart soul sister who’s just escaped from prison, his life is turned upside down. Crazy complications abound, and Peter soon discovers he may need Charlene just as much as she needs him. It’s a houseful of fun your family will enjoy again and again.

In 2003, the romantic comedy “Bringing Down the House” starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah would earn over $164 million in the box office.

Directed by Adam Shankman (“Hairspray”, “Bedtime Stories”, “A Walk to Remember”) and written by Jason Filardi (“17 Again”, “Back Nine”), despite mixed reviews from critics, the film would become a financial success and also earning Queen Latifah a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture and also a Teen Choice Award for “Choice Movie Actress Comedy”.

And to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the film, Touchstone Home Video entertainment will be releasing the film on Blu-ray.

“Bringing Down the House” is a film which focuses on tax attorney Peter Sanderson (played by Steve Martin).  Peter is a workaholic and because of that, it led to the divorce with his former wife Kate, which he still has feelings for but is unable to stop his workaholic manners.  Both have two children, Sarah (played by Kimberly J. Brown) and a son named George (played by Angus T. Jones).

While both live in different homes and Kate is dating Peter’s former golf caddy, she also still has feelings for Peter, despite her sister Ashley (played by Missi Pyle) and Peter not getting along.

Meanwhile, Peter is communicating with a woman known as “Lawyer Girl” on the Internet and both have agreed to finally meet each other.

On the night he is to meet “Lawyer Girl”, Charlene Morton at his home, it turns out that Charlene is not the Caucasian woman in the photo, but an African-American woman, being taken in by cops and served prison time.

While in prison, Charlene (played by Queen Latifah) read a lot of law books and is hoping that Peter can take her case because she was wrongfully convicted.  As Peter feels betrayed, he tries to kick Charlene out of his home, but when she starts play screaming that Peter is the father of his child, Peter worries that his neighbor across the street, Mrs. Kline (played by Betty White), who happens to be his boss’ sister, may complain about him.

So, Peter gives Charlene a place to stay for the night and hears her story.  And to also find out that Charlene has kept records of their communication on the Internet and she threatens to expose him if he doesn’t help.  But while she is sleeping, Peter burns the papers and kicks her out again, and goes to pick up his two children who is spending the week with him.

Unfortunately for the kids, their original plan to go to Hawaii is dampered because Peter’s bosses are relying on him to bring billionaire, Virginia Arness (played by Joan Plowright) to the firm.  So, his job has come in priority once again over his family.  He knows it but as a workaholic, it’s a life that he only knows.

But when they return back home, Charlene has broken into the house and invited many of her African-American friends to party.  Shocked by what Charlene has done, he kicks her out again.  But the persistent Charlene is not going to stop until Peter takes his case and sure enough, she has shown up during his meeting with the billionaire, Virginia Arness.  Scared that Charlene may ruin business, he makes a deal to take on her case but at the same time, pretend to be his nanny and watch over his children during his meetings.  Meanwhile, Peter’s good friend and fellow lawyer Howie Rottman (played by Eugene Levy) is sexually attracted to Charlene.

Meanwhile, at the same location is Peter’s former sister-in-law Missi who is watching him and Charlene and giving news to his ex-wife that Peter may have some sort of relationship with his African-America nanny.

With Charlene now temporarily living with Peter and his children, how will life go for Peter and will he be able to solve her case?

All these two individuals know is that they may be total opposites from different sides of the city, but at this point in time, they need each other.

VIDEO:

Perhaps the biggest difference from the original DVD release of “Bringing Down the House” is the film’s video quality.  Presented in 1080p High Definition (widescreen 2:35:1), “Bringing Down the House” looks absolutely vibrant with this new digital transfer.

The outdoor scenes look amazing, no sign of the artifacts from the older DVD release, the clarity and detail is much more apparent in the Blu-ray release and for those who love this film, may want to upgrade to this latest Blu-ray release.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Bringing Down the House” is one of those films where you expect dialogue to be the primary focus and if anything, audio primarily coming from the center and front channels.  But “Bringing Down the House” is also a film known for its music soundtrack, from Queen Latifah to Robert Palmer, the soundtrack does have its fair share of  hip hop and pop music and the soundtrack does feature a good amount of bass during those music-driven scenes.  Dialogue is crystal clear and for the most part, the lossless soundtrack is definitely a step-up from the original DVD verison.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Bringing Down the House: 10th Anniversary Edition” comes with the following special features:

• Breaking Down “Bringing Down the House” - (16:33) Interview with Adam Shankman and the cast of “Bringing Down the House”.
• The Godfather Hop - (2:57) A featurette focusing on Eugene Levy’s character, Howie.
• “Better than the Rest” Music Video – (3:44) Queen Latifah’s music video.
• Deleted Scenes – (4:10) Featuring four deleted scenes: Ashley Spies on Charlene, More Golfing with Arness, Howie confronts Peter on Humping and Charlene Bitch Slaps Mike.
• Gag Reel – (4:00) Featuring the bloopers from “Bringing Down the House”.

 

While “Bringing Down the House” was not exactly a favorite of film critics, part of the success of the film is because of its mismatching of talents.  One would never expect Steve Martin and Queen Latifah to be in a film together, yet they did and for the most part succeeded.

While Steve Martin usually delivers in his role, what brought a fun atmosphere was Queen Latifah, who served as Executive Producer for the film but also worked closely with director Adam Shankman and writer Jason Filardi to bring some credibility to her character, know what kind of slang and terminology would go well with the audience, especially since both are complete opposites but at the same time, during this point in their lives, they realize how much they need each other.

It’s hard to believe 10-years has gone by since the release of this film in theaters, and while most of the cast members have gone on to bigger things (especially the young Angus T. Jones, who is now among the highly paid actors on television (ala “Two and a Half Men”), the film’s comedy still works today as it did in 2003.  It’s one thing to see Steve Martin deliver his one-liners, but to see Queen Latifah show off her comedy skills, even a little action with actress Missi Pyle, its the chemistry that seemed odd at first, comes together in this crazy, farcical film.  It’s one of those films that you want to watch, get away from reality and just laugh at how crazy the situations are.

Eugene Levy escapes from his fatherly comedy routine that he tends to play on the “American Pie” films and plays the sex-crazed lawyer who just lusts after Charlene and is blunt of how he feels towards her. Betty White plays the bigot neighbor across the street who runs out of the house after hearing Charlene scream and telling Peter “I hear Negro!”.  There are jokes that Queen Latifah brought to the film, that may raise eyebrows but she knew what jokes would work well with a diverse audience.

As for the Blu-ray release, the film looks fantastic and definitely an upgrade over the previous DVD release.  The special features are pretty much the same content that was on the original DVD but for those who want to upgrade or those strictly looking for a comedy to watch and have a good time, “Bringing Down the House” is a film worth considering.

Sure it’s farcical film that may be too absurd for some,  but for those who aren’t looking for anything too serious but something just to watch and laugh, will find “Bringing Down the House” an entertaining comedy.

Overall, “Bringing Down the House” is a hilarious and fun comedy that will make people laugh today as it did ten years ago.

The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake” is a very enjoyable and fascinating film that manages to honor the legacy of China’s well-known feminist, revolutionary and writer Qiu Jin and also balancing the film with plenty of action sequences in making this film entertaining for viewers worldwide.

Images courtesy of © 2012 FUNimation Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake (Jian hu nu xia Qiu Jin)

FILM RELEASE: 2011

DURATION: 115 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, Mandarin and English, Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: National Arts, Eleven Arts, FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV MA

Release Date: May 15, 2012

Directed by Herman Yau

Written by Erica Lee

Produced by Kwok Sam Sin

Executive Produced by Kwok-Hing Lee, Kwok Lam Sin

Music by Chun Hung Mak

Cinematography by Kwong-hung Chan

Edited by Wai Chiu Chung

Production Design by Raymond Chan

Starring:

Huang Yi as Qiu Jin

Dennis To as Xu Xilin

Xiong Xin-Xin as Ao Feng

Anthony Wong as Li Zhongyue

Kevin Cheng as Wang Tinjun

Lam Suet as Gui Fu

In late-19th century China, Qui Jin was many things: a defiant rebel armed with both blades and guns, a paramilitary leader dedicated to overthrowing an unjust government, a non-conformist who boldly donned men’s attire in spite of tradition, a radical poet whose words inspired the oppressed, and a heroic martyr whose views on equality altered history. Her steadfast resolve to improve the plight of women and her bravery in the face of tyranny led her to the executioner – but her determination to topple the status-quo changed a nation forever.

In China, one woman has made an impact not just in her country but also around the world.  A revolutionary but also a woman known for speaking out for women’s rights.  Encouraging women to gain financial independence through education and also learning various professions, so she would not need to depend on a man.  But most importantly, rejecting oppression by their families (due to cultural tradition and women looked lower than men) and also at the time, the government of the Quing Dynasty.

She was known for her poetry and essays, wearing Western clothing (usually worn by males) but also being executed in 1907 (via beheading) for what she believed in.

And to this day, she is considered a heroine and a martyr and a symbol of women’s independence in China and a museum has been established in Shaoxing by the People’s Republic of China as well as statues dedicated to Qui Jin.

Needless to say, when films are created in honor of such an important person, those willing to direct a film will surely be scrutinized in China.  For one, they will be criticized for its accuracy, how much they honor the actual person and most importantly knowing that certain directors try to integrate plenty of action and martial arts into their movies, will they do the same for Qiu Jin?

Assigned the task of directing this film on an important person in China’s history is director Herman Yau (“The Legend is Born: Ip Man”, “The Eight Immortals Restaurant: The Untold Story”, “True Women for Sale”) and writer Erica Lee (“The Legend is Born: Ip Man”, “King of Comedy”).  And cast as Qiu Jin is Huang Yi (“Romancing in Thin Air”, “East Meets West”, “Overheard 2″) and cast as revolutionary leader Xu Xilin is Dennis To (“The Legend is Born: Ip Man”, “Ip Man”, “Ip Man 2″).

And the film did receive its fair share of controversial news stories.  The film received delays in China/Hong Kong due to protests by Jin’s grandchildren who worried about the depiction of their grandmother and if they would make her more of an action/martial arts character.  The film would eventually debut in October 2011 and Jin’s grandchildren would eventually watch the film at the premiere along with the director Herman Yau and actress Huang Yi.

“The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake” is a film that showcases Qiu Jin in two parts that are mixed together in order to show the influence of Qiu Jin.  One part focuses on the battle between the revolutionaries that she had trained at school vs. the Qing government soldiers and events leading to her capture (and execution), as well as the capture of Xu Xilin (played by Dennis To), the leader of the revolution and the person who assassinated the provincial governor of the Anhui Province.

The other part focuses on Qiu Jin’s perspective on life from her young years, her feminist beliefs, her college years in Japan and how she became a revolutionary and worked strongly with Xu Xilin.

With a young Qiu Jin, not understanding why boys are given better treatment over girls.  She also resisted in having her feet bound (a common practice in China at the time as small feet was looked at as a positive cultural symbol of beauty at the time) and unlike other girls, she wanted to learn how to ride horses, learn martial arts and swordfighting with her father and brother.   It’s a lifestyle that she wanted and her father accepted.

And throughout her teenage years, Qiu Jin was critical on how women were not treated as equals to men.  She began to have a perspective that a Western-style government would be much better than the Qing government that was currently in place.

But the time the life of Qui Jin was not exactly the best time for many Chinese who suffered because of the war and treatment by its government.  This was during life after the Opium Wars where the Qing Dynasty fought against foreigners but then after losing, later working with them, which led to Chinese people thinking the government was corrupt. Also, the First Sino-Japanese War was also beginning to weaken the trust the people had toward its government.

While Qiu Jin, who was educated and would showcase her expressions through poetry and essays, she would often write about the weakening of China and the repression of women.

She would eventually be arranged in a marriage with the son of the wealthy Wang family, Wang Tinjun (played by Kevin Cheng) and give birth to a son and daughter.  But wanting more from her husband in hopes that his influence can lead to a political position that can make a change in China, her husband was not a strong individual like she is.  As Wang Tinjun wanted his wife to be like other wives, Qiu Jin was not that kind of a woman.

And through other independent women that she would eventually meet in her area, her conviction of fighting for the rights of women and a stronger government would lead Qiu Jin to leave her husband and children behind and pursue education in Japan.

And through her stay in Japan, she would also meet people who believed in the same ideals that she had, especially Xu Xilin, the person who would be the spoken leader for the Zehjiang students who were anti-Qing.  Xu Xilin would establish a publishing house and a public school (which would actually be used to train revolutionaries), a school that Xu Xilin has put his trust in Qiu Jin of running.

And the two storylines come full circle as the Quing officials go after Qiu Jin, who is considered a partner of Xu Xilin and she is taken to court where she would receive a trial.  While Qing court official Li Zhongyue (played by Anthony Wong) admires Qiu Jin for her writing and education, unfortunately the Qing court is corrupted and will do all they can to get Qiu Jin to admit that she is a revolutionary, even by means of torture.

“The Woman Kniht of Mirror Lake” is dramatized biography on the life of Qiu Jin, dramatized in a way that there are plenty of action sequences, such as Xu Xilin leading the revolutionaries to fight against the Qing soldiers and also a one-on-one battle between Qiu Jin vs. Qing official Ao Feng (played by Xiong Xin-Xin).

VIDEO:

“The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:39:1 aspect ratio).  The film absolutely looks fantastic in HD as the scenes are vibrant during the outdoor sequences.  The costume and set design were wonderful to look at and detail can be seen in clothing and structures.  I didn’t notice any artifacts or banding during my viewing of the film.  But for the most part, video quality for “The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake” is great!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake” is presented in Dolby TrueHD Mandarin and English 5.1.  Dialogue and music is crystal clear but I was hoping for a bit more of an immersive mix due to the number of action sequences in the film.  Surround channels are utilized, especially during music sequences but for the most part, the lossless soundtrack is good but I was hoping to hear more directional sounds and ambiance with the action sequences and the large number of crowds featured in the film.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake” comes with the following special features:

• Making Of – A 20+ minute featurette showing behind-the-scenes making of and also interviews with the cast of “The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake”.
• Trailers – Funimation Entertainment trailers

EXTRAS:

“The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake” comes with the Blu-ray and DVD edition of the film plus a slipcover case.

“The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake” is my favorite film based on Qiu Jin’s life. It’s really difficult for Chinese/Hong Kong filmmakers to create films based on major symbols of Chinese history because viewers tend to expect action and not something so dramatic and serious for the full extend of a film.

We saw it last year with “Confucius”, which was a major challenge for the filmmakers but they managed to find a balance and not focus entirely on philosophy which may have enticed a niche of viewers but for the masses in China/Hong Kong, you need to have this action element.

While the fact that Herman Yau was directing the film and coming off the success of “The Legend of Ip Man”, I was not surprised that the film would integrate martial arts.  I felt that actress Huang Yi and also Dennis To did a great job playing the characters.  Huang Yi manages to give a strong commanding role as Qiu Jin but also showing that she also has an emotional side when she knows that she must separate from her family and children, but it’s that resolve knowing of the sacrifice she needs to make for the greater good.

Dennis To is known as an action star but manages to portray the character of Xu Xilin as a strong leader for those revolting against the Qing government.  And sure enough, his experience in “The Legend of Ip Man” is quite evident during his choreographed martial arts sequence in the film.

But the talent and interaction that I enjoyed the most was between Qiu Jin and Qing court official Li Zhongyue (played by Anthony Wong).  Wong does a fantastic job of playing the court official who respects the intelligence and writings of Qiu Jin but knows that he is powerless as a court official, despite seeing the corruptness by his colleagues.  The character is so passionate about Qiu Jin’s written work to the point he has memorized it.  And these interactions between both individuals were endearing and added to the depth of Qiu Jin’s character.

“The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake”‘ is a thrilling story, may it be the movie or just reading about the history of Qiu Jin that captivates you.  She was an independent thinker who had strong convictions until the very end of her life.  While I’m not an erudite of Qiu Jin and what is real and what is not real, I do know from what I have read is that Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin are cousins and read stories that that in real life, she was convicted for documents that show that she was a revolutionary, while in the film, she is shown as a person who was being convicted with no proof.

While the film manages to be entertaining and has a good balance showcasing Qiu Jin’s life as a feminist and the sacrifices that she made for her beliefs, the action sequences which Qiu Jin’s grandchildren actually worried about before the film was released, was also a cause of concern for me as well.

I didn’t want to see Qiu Jin flying in air, nor did I want to see the action look fake.  If you want to show people fighting with swords, guns, then make it realistic.  While it is known that Qiu Jin learned martial arts, part of me doubts that the real Qiu Jin engaged in such battles.  And not so sure if Xu Xilin and his fellow revolutionaries were engaged in the same type of battle as depicted in the film, but I will tell you what I didn’t like, the wire work of explosions.  We see people floating in air and flipping 360′s, it looked really fake considering the fighting choreography was well-done.

Granted, once again, it’s a double-edged sword of whether or not you want to see these long action sequences in a film about Qiu Jin’s life.

As for the Blu-ray release, video quality is fantastic and audio was very good (although I would have loved it to be much more immersive during the action sequences).  You get one making of special feature and also with the Blu-ray release, you also get the DVD version of the film included as well.

Overall, “The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake” is a very enjoyable and fascinating film that manages to balance the life of Qiu Jin and making sure it honors her legacy but also knowing that for viewers who expect action, there is also enough action sequences to entertain audiences.  With back and forth pacing, the storytelling is done well and not at all confusing.  While I do feel the action sequences were over the top at times, the storyline,which may not be historically accurate, does honor Qiu Jin and the biopic is entertaining.  And in the end, Herman Yau and Erica Lee accomplished their goal.

Bird of Paradise (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

While King Vidor’s 1932 film “Bird of Paradise” may draw some comparisons to F.W. Murnau’s film “Tabu”, “Bird of Paradise” is a film that features romance and action but also spotlights Latina actress Dolores del Rio in her sexiest (and most scandalous) role yet!  If you were a fan of this film when it was released in public domain, the Blu-ray release of “Bird of Paradise” is a major improvement in terms of video and audio quality.

Images courtesy of © 2012 Kino Lorber, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Bird of Paradise

YEAR OF RELEASE: 1932

DURATION: 82 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:33:1), Black and White, 2.0 Mono

COMPANY: Kino Lorber

RATED: Not Rated

Release Date: April 24, 2012

Directed by King Vidor

Based on the play by Richard Walton Tully

Screenplay by Wells Root, Wanda Tuchock, Leonard PRaskins

Produced by King Vidor

Executive Producer: David O. Selznick

Music by Max Steiner

Cinematography by Lucien N. Andriot, Edward Cronjager, Clyde De Vinna

Edited by Archie Marshek

Art Direction by Carroll Clark

Starring:

Dolores del Rio as Luana

Joel McCrea as Johnny Baker

John Halliday as Mac

Richard “Skeets” Gallagher as Chester

Bert Roach as Hector

Lon Chaney Jr. as Thornton

Wade Boteler as Skipper Johnson

Arnold Gray as Walker

Reginald Simpson as O’Fallon

Napoleon Pukui as The King

Agostino Borgao as Medicine Man

Sofia Ortega as Mahumahu

From legendary Oscar®-winning director King Vidor (The Crowd, Duel in the Sun) comes an exotic tale of romance set in gorgeous Polynesia: BIRD OF PARADISE.

Johnny (Joel McCrea) is an intrepid young sailor traveling the South Seas who falls in love with Luana (Dolores del Rio), the beautiful daughter of an island chief. But Luana is betrothed to a neighboring native prince, and is soon to be married. With little thought to the future, Johnny and Luana elope together, searching for paradise in each other’s arms.

With McCrea at his most dashing and del Rio at her alluring height, BIRD OF PARADISE is a movie of wild eroticism and thrilling adventure, and not to be missed.

Producer David O. Selznick is an American producer known for many of his successful ventures in Hollywood.  From producing “Gone with the Wind” (1939) which earned him an Academy Award and his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock which earned him a second Academy Award for “Rebecca” (1940), Selznick is known for many other classics.

And some of these classics such as “A Star is Born”, “Nothing Sacred”, “A Farewell to Arms” have been released on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Kino Lorber  and now, King Vidor’s 1932 film “Bird of Paradise” will be released on Blu-ray and DVD.  This authorized edition from the estate of David O. Selznick is from the collection of the George Eastman House.

“Bird of Paradise” a film adaptation of Richard Walton Tully’s successful play.

While King Vidor was known for silent films years prior such as “The Big Parade” (1925), “Bardelys the Magnificent”, “The Patsy” (1928), to name a few, “Bird of Paradise” was a romance/adventure film that was a talkie, would incorporate an orchestrated film score courtesy of legendary composer Max Steiner (known for his music in “Casablanca”, “Gone with the Wind”, “The Gay Divorcee”, “Now, Voyager”) and a film that would showcase successful Mexican actress Dolores del Rio (“Flying Down to Rio”, “The Abandoned”) and Joel McCrea (“Sullivan’s Travels”, “The Most Dangerous Game”).

“Bird of Paradise” was an intriguing RKO film for its time as it created some scandal because lead actress Dolores del Rio (playing a Polynesian) was in a scene where she is swimming naked.  In fact, throughout the film, she is wearing nothing but a lei covering her upper torso and at the time this film was released, before the Hayes Production Code was enforced.  Needless to say, even Orson Welles once chimed that “del Rio represented the highest erotic ideal with her performance in the film”.

And now 80-years-later, “Bird of Paradise” receives its release on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of the Kino Lorber.

“Bird of Paradise” is a film that revolves around Johnny Baker (played by Joel McCrea), a man riding a yacht with other sailors in the South Pacific.  Surprised to see a ship, the natives of the nearby island go out to greet them and go after the trinkets that the yacht crew throw towards them.

But the fun is quickly cut short as a shark is seen and immediately scaring the natives away.  But for Johnny Baker, he tries to catch the shark with bait that has been tied onto a harpoon-sized hook.  Unfortunately, Johnny steps into the loop and the bait tightens around his ankle and as the shark goes after the bait, Johnny is thrown overboard.

Fortunately, the island chief’s daughter Luana (played by Dolores del Rio) is right there to rescue Johnny by cutting the bait and thus saving his life.

And for Johnny, not only is he grateful to Luana but he instantly falls in love with her.

And while the crew of the yacht are able to enjoy the festivities along with the Polynesian people, Johnny just wants to be close to Luana and immediately, he oversteps his boundaries with the people as he goes to hold Luana in front of her father, the island chief.  Who immediately wants Johnny to stay away from his daughter.

Even the yacht crew warns him that its wrong to mess with the island chief’s daughter but Johnny is too stubborn to listen.  And the crew of the yacht end up leaving Johnny at the island for a short period of time.

Both Johnny and Luana end up meeting with each other one night and as they tease each other, Johnny ends up kissing her and confessing his love (despite the two are unable to communicate due to their language barrier).  And Luana also enjoys her time with Johnny as well.

But Luana is already promised to marry another man, a prince from a neighboring island.  And when Johnny tries to stop Luana from marrying him, the Polynesian people tie him up so he is unable to interfere.  But with the help of coaxing one of the island women to lend him a canoe, Johnny travels to the neighboring island where Luana is to meet the man she is to marry and dance for him.

And right before the ceremony begins with the prince and Luana, Johnny takes Luana and both make a run for it.  As the two are in hiding, both continue to fall deeply in love and even Johnny manages to teach Luana English.

Meanwhile, as the two lovers are having their fun and begin creating their own home/paradise, Luana’s father and the Polynesian tribe search after them.

Will both Johnny and Luana be able to live their lives in love forever?  Or will tradition and custom triumph?

VIDEO:

“Bird of Paradise” is presented in 1080p High Definition, 1:33:1 aspect ratio and in black and white.  With that being said, “Bird of Paradise” is a film that has been seen by many on public domain copies.  And because this version of the film was mastered in HD from an original nitrate 35mm print, preserved by the George Eastman House Motion Picture Department, I have no doubt in my mind that this would be the most definitive version, in terms of video quality, of the film today.

The film is well-contrast with white and gray levels looking very good, while blacks are nice and deep.  There are some issues of white specks that show up  and there are some parts of the film that possibly had a little nitrate warping but nothing bad to the point that it can’t be watched.

But the Blu-ray release also features details that I didn’t really see on the public domain DVD such as the beads of water on the skin of Luan after swimming.  Even during the dancing sequences, there is much more clarity and detail.

But for a film that is 80-years-old, “Bird of Paradise” does look very good on Blu-ray and much better than previous public domain DVD’s that I have watched before.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Bird of Paradise” is presented in 2.0 LPCM monaural.  Dialogue is clear, but not sure but there seems to be a boost in audio and I detected no popping or crackle during my viewing of the film.  Unlike other Selznick Collection releases on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, I will say that with “Bird of Paradise”, I did do a slight adjustment of selecting a better setting on my receiver in order to enjoy both the dialogue and the music of Max Steiner.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Bird of Paradise” comes with no special features but Kino Lorber trailers for other films from the Selznick Collection.

With the release of King Vidor’s “Bird of Paradise” on Blu-ray, as a classic film fan, it’s easy to be excited because we are getting a pre-code RKO film in HD and hopefully paving the way for more films from the 1910-1940′s to be released on video.

“Bird of Paradise” may not be one of King Vidor’s masterpieces, considering Vidor is a legendary filmmaker that had films from 1913-1980 and many classic films within his oeuvre.    But for me, “Bird of Paradise” makes an impact in another way, and that is through leading actress Dolores del Rio.

Back in those years of filmmaking, Hollywood was gravitating towards European filmmakers and talent and managed to import actress Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman of Sweden, Marlene Dietrich of Germany.  And while it’s known that Caucasian actors played African Americans, Asians, Native Americans, etc. in early Hollywood, actress Dolores del Rio was a Mexican actress who was the first Latin American to have international success.  She was also the second cousin of popular silent actor Ramon Novarro.

As Italian actor Rudolph Valentino would make women swoon back in those days, del Rio brought a sexiness to the big screen and not long after her debut, she was already becoming one of the most admired new actresses along with Joan Crawford, Mary Astor, Fay Wray to name a few.

The actress was known for her acting and her singing but at the same time, the rise to fame would affect del Rio’s career and personal life to the point where she had health issues which led to the dissolution of her contract with United Artists.

And when RKO Pictures came calling in order to give America the Dolores del Rio contract, in 1932, she met success with “Bird of Paradise” and the following year later for “Flying Down to Rio” starring Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond, and a film best known for being the first pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

So, my view towards “Bird of Paradise” has always leaned towards a multicultural sensitivity, for one, a Latina receiving top billing for a King Vidor film and a film that would surely regenerate interest towards this sexy siren of the big screen due to the attention the film received for her “nude swimming”.

As for actor Joel McCrea, 1932 would be a fine year as he would achieve success with two island-related films, “Bird of Paradise” and “The Most Dangerous Game”.

But “Bird of Paradise” is a film with ’30s adventure and intrigue.   For many Americans, not many of them were familiar with Polynesian culture and a film that revolves around a group of foreign yachtsmen sailing close to Polynesian islands is intriguing but a forbidden romance between the island princess Luana and the American Johnny Baker was sure to capture attention.  A romance/action film, from surviving a shark attack to tribes wanting to kill the leading man for taking away the woman he loves, during her “arranged wedding” ceremony, also added to the excitement for viewers at the time.

In fact, the cinematography of capturing the island life in black and white and providing viewers a glimpse of the island of the South Seas was quite significant back in the early ’30s.  As F.W. Murnau was able to accomplish in his film “Tabu”, both “Bird of Paradise” and “Tabu” have similar themes but in “Bird of Paradise”, the film tries to showcase forbidden love between a princess and a white man.

While I felt that F.W. Murnau’s film was much better in capturing the futility of it’s couple, “Bird of Paradise” was no doubt a film that relied upon Dolores del Rio’s sexiness, because there are quite a bit of scenes that were a bit farfetched, including the quick English tutorial that allowed these two to communicate so quickly and somehow Johnny being able to withstand situations that would leave most men dead.

Still, the film still remains to be enjoyable for its romance and adventure within an island setting but with its somewhat tragic ending, both “Tabu” and “Bird of Paradise” share that similarity with final decisions that were made.

With that being said, “Bird of Paradise” is an earlier Hollywood film were Caucasian and other ethnicities play Polynesians.  While this was common at the time, while Dolores del Rio is Mexican playing a Polynesian princess, considering the year this film was made and multicultural talents were not exactly featured or top-billed, the fact that Dolores del Rio received top billing for this film was quite significant.  But there is a misrepresentation of the Polynesian people,  as they try to communicate with gibberish and possibly popular traditions were not well-researched back then. So, the misrepresentation of the Polynesian people may be looked at as ridiculous to many modern viewers.

But it was the sign of the times and the setting was more or less a “Romeo & Juliet” style of storyline and in this case, Juliet was Polynesian, a princess and betrothed to another man, while Romeo is a Caucasian man who is too deep in love to ever give up on the woman he cares deeply about.

As for the Blu-ray release, I never expected “Bird of Paradise” to be pristine but while the film does have its share of damage in terms of white specks and age, for the most part, the film does look very good.  It’s well-contrast with the whites and grays and black levels are nice and deep, while Dolores del Rio looks absolutely fantastic in this film.  Unfortunately, there are no special features.

Overall, if you are a classic movie fan, and are following The Selznick Collection on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber, a “Bird of Paradise” is worth watching, while those who want to watch one of the most well-known Latina actresses receive top billing for an earlier Hollywood film, may want to give “Bird of Paradise” a try!

The Organizer – The Criterion Collection #610 (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

The Academy Award nominated “The Organizer” is one of Mario Monicelli’s more serious tragicomedy films and an intriguing juxtaposition when compared to Sergei Eisenstein’s “Strike”. But it’s the characters that shine in Monicelli’s engaging film.  Honest and full of humor, but yet tragic, “The Organizer” is one film that I highly recommend!

Image courtesy of © 1963 Lux Film – Vides Cinematografica. The Criterion Collection. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: The Organizer – The Criterion Collection #610 (I Compagni)

MOVIE RELEASE: 1963

DURATION: 130 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, 1:66:1 Aspect Ratio, Spanish Stereo with English Subtitles

COMPANY: Janus Films/The Criterion Collection

RELEASE DATE: April 24, 2012

Directed by Mario Monicelli

Story and Screenplay by Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, Mario Monicelli

Produced by Franco Cristaldi

Music by Carlo Rustichelli

Cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno

Edited by Ruggero Mastroianni

Production Design by Mario Garbuglia

Set Decoration by Mario Garbuglia

Costume Design by Piero Tosi

Starring:

Marcello Mastroianni as Professor Sinigaglia

Renato Salvatori as Raoul

Gabriella Giorgelli as Adele

Folco Lulli as Pautasso

Bernard Blier as Martinetti

Raffaella Carra as Bianca

Francois Perier as Maestro Di Meo

Vittorio Sanipoli as Baudet

Mario Pisu as Manager

Kenneth Kove as Luigi

Annie Girardot as Niobe

Edda Ferronao as Maria

Anna Di Silvio as Gesummina

In turn-of-the-twentieth-century Turin, an accident in a textile factory incites workers to stage a walkout. But it’s not until they receive unexpected aid from a traveling professor (Marcello Mastroianni) that they find their voice, unite, and stand up for themselves. This historical drama by Mario Monicelli, brimming with humor and honesty, is a beautiful and moving ode to the power of the people, and features engaging, naturalistic performances; cinematography by the great Giuseppe Rotunno; and a multilayered, Oscar-nominated screenplay by Monicelli, Agenore Incrocci, and Furio Scarpelli.

When there is discussion of the oeuvre of an Italian filmmaker, it is easy to mention the names of legendary directors Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni, Vittorio De Sica, Luchino Visconti and Mario Monicelli.

Mario Monicelli is known in Italy as one of the masters of Commedia all’Italiana (Comedy Italian style) and received Oscar nominations for his screenwriting for “The Organizer” (1963) and “Casanova ’70″ (1965).  As well as a Grand Prize of the Festival nomination at the Cannes Film Festival (“Guardie e ladri”, 1951) and Palme d’Or nominations for “For Love and Gold” (1966), “Vogliamo i colonnelli” (1973), “An Average Little Man” (1977) and “Le due vite di Mattia Pascal” (1985).

And while he is known outside of Italy for his comedy films such as “I soliti ignoti” (“Big Deal on Madonna Street”) and collaborating with talents such as Toto, Vittorio Gassman and Marcello Mastroianni, Mastroianni also directed films that contained humor, but were tragic or futile.  One of the most important films Monicelli is known for is “La grande guerra” (“The Great War”, 1959), which he was nominated for an Academy Award and considered as his top masterpiece, and also directing “i compagni” (“The Organizer”, 1963) and “The Girl with the Pistol” (1968).  Both films, he would also receive Academy Award nominations.  Fitting films for a Marxist who accepted reality and its failures.

In his lifetime, he won 27 awards worldwide and won an Honorable Mention at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival and a Golden Lion for Career at the 1991 Venice Film Festival.  His final film was in 2006 in which the filmmaker directed “The Roses of the Desert” at the age of 91.

A man full who lived life to the fullest, unfortunately his final years with prostate cancer would become too much of a burden on the filmmaker that he committed suicide in 2010 at the age of 95.

While many people are familiar with Monicelli’s comedy films such as “Big Deal on Madonna Street”, which was released by the Criterion Collection back in 2001.  Criterion Collection will be releasing “i Compagni” (“The Organizer”), one of his more serious films ala “tragicomedy” for the first time on Blu-ray and will also be released on DVD in April 2012.

“The Organizer” is a film that is set in the turn-of-the-twentieth century Turin, Italy and at a textile factory where employees work 14-hour days and only a short time for a lunch break. The factory is where many elders, adults and even children work long hours.

The work is tiring, monotonous and the employees feel like they are like slaveworkers, with no appropriate breaks or even time long enough to eat their lunch.  But some try to keep optimistic as the job pays the bills and it also gives men a chance to have fun with the opposite sex.

One day, we see how many employees are tired and sleepy in their jobs (which can be very dangerous) and one man’s arm gets caught in a gear and thus having his arm amputated.  This a common situation at the textile factory and most of the time, all they can do is collect donations to help their family out while the person is out of work.

But how long can they keep doing this?  Someone needs to speak out to management about the working conditions but who is brave enough to do it?

As many of the employees start to form meetings and decide who will confront the management, by the time they do, they realize the management could care less about how they feel.  This is the working condition of other factories in the country and there are just as many unemployed people who would want the opportunity to find a job.  And as for the accidents, the management disregard it as nothing but bad luck for those individuals.

And the employees know they don’t have much of a voice against management and their wealthy owner.

That is until Professor Sinigaglia (played by Marcello Mastroianni) arrives into town.  An actual fugitive wanted by authorities, the Professor stumbles into the factory town by fate and realizes that these people are in despair.  So, what he does to help them is help them unite and fight fire with fire by preparing the employees for going on strike.  With no workers, management and their wealthy owner of the factory will surely feel the sting.  And the Professor tries to assist them with their demands of working 13 hour shifts (instead of 14) and longer breaks.  But will management accept?

As the Professor preaches to the workers that they need to prepare and to hold out as long as they can without any money, in order to have their demands met, but will the strike holdout have any effect on the management?  Or in the long run, will the strike hurt employees instead?

VIDEO:

“The Organizer” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1 aspect ratio).  The whites and grays are well-contrast and black levels are very deep.  For the most part, I detected no film damage or any white specks, artifacts or banding issues.  The quality of the film is very good, doesn’t look soft and viewers should be pleased.

According to the Criterion Collection, this new high-definition transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a new 35 mm print.   Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter and flicker were manually removed using MTI’s DRS system and Pixel Farm’s PFClean, while Image Systems DVNR was used for small dirt, grain and noise reduction.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Organizer” is presented in LPCM 1.0 monaural Italian with optional English subtitles.  Dialogue is crystal clear and I detected no pops or hiss during my viewing of this film.

According to the Criterion Collection, the original stereo soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35 mm optical soundtrack positive.  Clicks, thumps, hiss and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using Audio Cube’s integrated workstation.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Organizer – The Criterion Collection #610″ on Blu-ray comes with the following special features:

• Mario Monicelli – (10:53) Featuring an interview with director Mario Monicelli recorded by the Criterion Collection in 2006.  Monicelli talks about Commedia all’Italiana and his career.
• Theatrical trailer -Theatrical trailer for “The Organizer”.
  

EXTRAS:

“The Organizer – The Criterion Collection #610″ comes with a 4-page (dual sided) fold-out leaflet, featuring the essay “Description of a Struggle” by J. Hoberman.

 

I simply adore the films by Mario Monicelli and when it comes to “The Organizer”, it’s rather fascinating because when it comes to films about workers going on strike, in many modern films, the outcome has always been in the employees favor and always positive outcome of how labor laws were changed.

But not so much the case in cinema past, especially films from Europe.

From Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 film “Stachka” (Strike) that showcased Eisenstein’s theme of collectivism versus individualism and showcasing how employees work themselves to death while owners and management are wealthy and could care less about their employees, Eisenstein’s film was grounded in Lenin belief that, “The strength of the working class is organization. Without organization of the masses, the proletarian is nothing. Organized it is everything. Being organized means unity of action, unity of practical activity”.

We fast forward to 1963 and similar to “Strike”, Monicelli’s film is set during the turn-of-the-twentieth century Turin.  As Eisenstein’s film preached Leninism, Monicelli believed in Marxism, which literally is a society in which burgeois or idealism do not exist.

In today’s world, specifically here in the West, the idea of long work hours, employment of children and literally no breaks can not be fathomed.  But yet this mentality still continues in other countries.  The reality for some countries today and how things were back then is that people accept their working condition and the fear of the harsh realities of not making any income is enough for one not to stand up and become defiant towards their management.  As a collective, not many are willing to do public protests, strike back in the media nor are they in a position financially to do so.

This is the reality today.

And back then, a lot of these individuals had no means to strike back, especially as a collective through media or political means.  In Eisenstein’s “Strike”, the reality of the employees and their organized strike was violence.  Violence towards the management, violence towards any other employees who were not able to hold out from the strike and were willing to return to their jobs.  And unfortunately, all that is left is tragedy.

Fortunately, Monicelli’s “The Organizer” is a film that showcases Monicelli’s belief that the reality is what it is, and the employees of Turin need to realize that going on strike may have hurt the management but in the long run, the reality is they have the means to outlast the workers, because they have the money to survive.

And another juxtaposition with Eisenstein’s “Strike” is that the people were ready to fight and die for what they believe in.  This was the Leninism perspective of working as a collective.  Monicelli’s “The Organizer” featured a collective that was held on a string, courtesy of Professor Sinigaglia, but it was evident that these workers have families, children that depend on them and while some maybe able to fight, the outcome is much more different, despite their being a tragedy.

Another key difference is the inclusion of comedy.  Eisenstein’s “Strike” was primarily focused on the strike itself and the differences of lifestyle with the factory workers and the wealthy and how the financial impact was hurting families.

In Monicelli’s “The Organizer”, times are tough but yet there is humor.  May it be a man who tries to flirt with a young woman, the stocky long-time employee Pautasso during his lunch break as he holds a huge circular bread to chow down on, or may it be a young boy who is not afraid to talk back to his elders (and also admonishing his younger brother who is attending school but would rather be an employee at the factory) or the local prostitute who tries to entice Professor Sinigaglia.

There are many of these moments that help the viewer get closer to various characters and see that despite how difficult the times are, they try to make the best of it.

So, for me, “The Organizer” has always been a fascinating film as it is an intriguing juxtaposition when compared to Eisenstein’s film.  Both have similarities but yet are very different.

Actor Marcelo Mastroianni is often seen playing a suave, charismatic character that always gets the lady and come to think of it, I suppose nothing has changed as the Professor also manages to find a woman but in different circumstances.   But Mastroianni does a good job playing Professor Sinigaglia and being the spoken leader for the workers.

But as Marcelo Mastroianni is the lead actor, what I enjoyed most of the film are the workers who attract the viewers through their feebleness, their humor or directive.  Renato Salvatori, Gabriella Gieorgelli, Folco Lullu, Bernard Blier, Raffaella Carra and many more, its the supporting cast of the film that makes “The Organizer” come to life.  The performances are honest and humorous but also feel realistic and natural,  and because of that, it does add to the engaging storyline.

As for the Blu-ray release, the video quality of “The Organizer” is fantastic and the interview with Mario Monicelli included on this Blu-ray was also enjoyable to watch, considering it was shot during a time when he was in good health and a few years before he died.  Although I wish there were more special features included, especially audio commentary, I’m still grateful that this interview with Monicelli was included on this Blu-ray release.

Overall, “The Organizer” has always been one of my favorite Monicelli films and I can only hope that with this release, it will pave the way for more Monicelli films such as “La Grande Guerra” (“The Great War”),  “The Girl With the Pistol” or “L’armata Brancaleone” (“For Love and Gold”) to receive a video release.

“The Organizer” is highly recommended!

Charlotte Rampling: The Look (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Charlotte Rampling: The Look” is a fascinating documentary that fans of the actress will surely enjoy.  It may not be a sensational or provocative documentary that tries to uncover anything deep in Rampling’s past, but for anyone who is curious of why she took on the character roles that she had done in the last 45+ years, will no doubt enjoy this documentary.  This is probably the most up-close look that viewers will ever get to see of this unique and talented actress.  “Charlotte Rampling: The Look” is recommended!

Images courtesy of © PROUNENFILM – TAG/TRAUM – LES FILMS. 2012 Kino Lorber, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Charlotte Rampling: The Look

YEAR OF RELEASE: 2011

DURATION: 98 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:85:1), 2.0 LPCM Stereo

COMPANY: Kino Lorber

RATED: Not Rated

Release Date: April 10, 2012

Directed by Angelina Maccarone

Written by Angelina Maccarone

Produced by Charlotte Uzu

Co-Producer: Serge Lalou

Cinematography by Bernd Meiners

Edited by Bettina Bohler

Starring:

Charlotte Rampling

Peter Lindbergh

Paul Auster

Barnaby Southcombe

Juergen Teller

Frederick Seidel

Franckie Diago

Anthony Palliser

Cynthia Fleury

Joy Fleury

A biographical study of legendary actress Charlotte Rampling, told through her own conversations with artist friends and collaborators, including Peter Lindbergh, Paul Auster, and Juergen Teller. Intercut with footage from some of Rampling’s most famous films, this “self-portrait through others” is a revealing look at one of our most iconic screen stars.

Many may have seen the beautiful actress Charlotte Rampling in films such as Woody Allen’s “Startdust Memories” (1980) and Sidney Lumet’s “The Verdict” (1982).  Many know of Charlotte Rampling through her piercing eyes, the eyes that have been known to many, including those who have worked with Rampling as “The Look”.

But while Charlotte Rampling is an actress, a photographer, a painter that will be known for her intelligence and beauty, for those who have followed Rampling’s career and have read her interviews, knowing the roles that she has taken in her career, she embodies the path of the “non-traditional” actress.    An actress who is not an actress for entertainment but an actress to break through her own barriers.   An actress who takes on roles to confront and deal with her own personal issues, may it be her mindset or things that have happened in her life.

But that’s the fascinating part about following Charlotte Rampling’s work, she does things her own way.  Even her acting roles are indicative of a woman who is willing to take on roles that have shocked viewers and critics.  From Luchino Visconti’s 1969 film “The Damned”, the shocking 1974  Liliana Cavani film “The Night Porter” or the taboo, woman and chimpanzee relationship in Nagisa Oshima’s 1986 film “Max mon Amour”.

Suffice to say, many have wanted to know more about this actress and why she had taken roles that many consider as audacious, cool or even weird.  From her career which began in 1969 and continuing to make films in 2012, Charlotte Rampling continues to live life the way she wants, the way she feels and could really care less of what people think.

Rampling has also starred in commercial films such as “Deception”, “Babylon A.D.”, “The Duchess” and”Melancholia” and most recently in the critically acclaimed Australian feature “The Eye of the Storm”.

But while many fans have been captivated by Charlotte Rampling, in 2011, filmmaker Angelina Maccarone wanted to show the real Charlotte Rampling through her documentary “Charlotte Rampling: The Look”, in her words but also through others who know her well, including co-stars from the past.

“The Look” features Charlotte Rampling, now at the age of 65, as she talks with friends and family about various topics such as “Exposure”, “Age”, “Beauty”, “Resonance”, “Taboo”, “Demons”, “Desire”, “Death” and “Love” and through each discussion of these topics, we are greeted with footage from “Stardust Memories”, “The Damned”, “Swimming Pool”, “Under the Sand”, “Georgy Girl”, “The Night Porter”, “The Verdict, “Max Mon Amour” and “Life During Wartime”.

Through the film, we start to learn more about Rampling’s mindset about life and her work.  And you learn that Charlotte had gone through her own personal tragedies when she was younger.  One discussion revolves around the death of her oldest sister Sarah who died while giving birth and how devastated she was to lose her sister.

We learn about Rampling’s view of nudity, which she had to do a lot in the film “The Night Porter” to filming the taboo film “Max Mon Amour” as she played a character who was in love with a chimpanzee.

And also talking about aging and being an actress in her ’60s, to answering questions about her perspective towards sex and if it changes now that she is in her ’60s.

While the film is not a documentary about Charlotte Rampling’s personal life, viewers do get to see Charlotte Rampling today as her passion is photography, her observations towards life but anyone wanting any tidbits of her scandalized marriage to actor Bryan Southcombe or second husband, French composer Jean Michel Jarre, this is not one of those type of films which confronts media gossip or personal problems, as this is a woman who is quite progressive and a woman unafraid to speak her mind.

You will see her in conversation with fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh as the two talk about exposure and how they have literally grown up with each other and have fun taking each other’s pictures.  With novelist Paul Auster, the two discuss aging, especially the difficulties of older women finding work (which was more of a topic for Paul Auster, as Charlotte Rampling is one of the few actresses who continues to be quite active in cinema).

Charlotte Rampling: The Look is a documentary that celebrates Charlotte Rampling’s life and career but also learning more about the actress and her observations of taking part in the films and why.

VIDEO:

“Charlotte Rampling: The Look” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1) and as one would expect from a documentary, footage varies as it comes from different sources.  So, video quality tends to vary.  I tend not to be critical towards documentaries, especially one that pulls in footage from the ’60s to the present.  The modern footage does feature much more contrast and does look very good, especially the source of Rampling’s older films.  Sometimes older sources from these films can be in bad shape but overall sources used for this documentary were very good, considering it was coming from a standard definition source.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

Also, expected for a documentary, “Charlotte Rampling: The Look” is presented in LPCM 2.0 stereo.  Dialogue is clear, even the older film source used in the documentary.  There are some scenes with music, such as Charlotte singing her song that she performed in the film “The Night Porter”.

There are no subtitles throughout the film, only in films where a foreign language is spoken.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Charlotte Rampling: The Look” comes with a still gallery and trailers for Kino Lorber films.

As a cinema fan who has watched Charlotte Rampling in a variety of films that have been quite fascinating, bold and very different, she has always been a mysterious actress because when you watch her films in the first 20-years of her career, she was no doubt a sex symbol.

But with that being said, “sex symbol” is probably a word that is not the right word to describe this actress.  Mainly because she is one that never took roles for the sake of being popular, being an entertainer and most importantly, not being a sex symbol.  She was an actress that was confident in her looks, her acting and she took on these roles in order to take on various challenges.

There are many audacious roles that Rampling had taken on and while the most memorable for me is her role on “The Night Porter”, who can forget her role in Nagisa Oshima’s “Max mon amour” as she has this taboo relationship with a chimpanzee.  Needless to say, the pairing of Rampling and Nagisa Oshima was a perfect match as both are individuals who walk the beat of their own drum and know that whichever work they take on, people expect a little controversy or non-traditional approach.    Who can also forget her role in “Georgy Girl” as the mother who just gave birth  to a baby and automatically shows her disgust for it (and through the course of the film seeing her character change towards her child).

But for those who are expecting more discussion of Rampling and her personal life, the most anyone is going to get is the discussion of the heartbreak of losing her sister and that is it.  If anything, “Charlotte Rampling: The Look” is literally a celebration of Rampling’s work and filmmaker Angelina Maccarone getting that rare opportunity to capture this actress onscreen.  There is no dishing out the dirt on filmmakers or co-stars or the problems that she had working on the film.  Where Volker Schlondorff had done in his documentary “Billy Wilder Speaks” (2006), nor does Maccarone try to follow in the footsteps of filmmaker Maximilian Schell with his Marlene Dietrich documentary “Marlene” (1984).

Fortunately, Charlotte Rampling was a willing collaborator, not a recluse nor does she have a diva attitude. If anything, I expected to be fascinated by Rampling because she is an intellectual, her conversations are engaging but most of all, she is a person that learned about what she wants in life through various forms of experimentation.   She has had the best of both words of working commercial and arthouse films, working with independent to legendary filmmakers.  She has been adored by many because of her “look” but while watching this documentary, you realize that she is typically on a different mindset and wavelength than many people.  She appears confident in her way of thinking and frankly, I was just pleased to see the real Charlotte Rampling talk about life and also her approach to cinema and her character roles.

If anything, there is nothing polemic about “Charlotte Rampling: The Look”.  It’s a straightforward documentary and biopic featuring Rampling and friends in conversations about life and career and I was fascinated by it.

While I would have hoped to see much more in terms of special features, I realize that many of the documentaries that I own on Blu-ray and DVD are typically devoid of special features to begin with, but a least you get a still gallery, which is better than nothing.  What I would have loved to see is hear from filmmaker Angelina Maccarone or even see any deleted footage that didn’t make it into the final cut of the film.

Overall, “Charlotte Rampling: The Look” is a fascinating documentary that fans of the actress will surely enjoy.  It may not be a sensational or provocative documentary that tries to uncover anything deep in Rampling’s past, but for anyone who is curious of why she took on the character roles that she had done in the last 45+ years, will no doubt enjoy this documentary.  This is probably the most up-close look that viewers will ever get to see of this unique and talented actress.

Recommended!

¡Alambrista! – The Criterion Collection #609 (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Robert M. Young’s award-winning, groundbreaking film about illegal immigration and the harsh living conditions and the life endured by the undocumented farm laborer.  “¡Alambrista!” still has its relevance in today’s society and that the American dream of a better life that many people hope to attain, is probably only a dream and nothing else.

Image courtesy of © 1978, 2004 Bobwin Associates. 2012 The Criterion Collection. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: ¡Alambrista!  – The Criterion Collection #609

MOVIE RELEASE: 1977

DURATION: 96 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, 1:66:1 Aspect Ratio, Spanish Stereo with English Subtitles

COMPANY: The Criterion Collection

RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2012

Directed and written by Robert M. Young

Produced by Michael Hausman, Irwin Young

Executive Producer: Barbara Schultz

Associate Producer: Sandra Schulberg, David Streit

Music by Michael Martin Murphey

Cinematography by Tom Hurwitz, Robert M. Young

Edited by Edward Beyer

Art Direction by Lilly Kilvert

Starring:

Domingo Ambriz as Roberto

Trinidad Silva as Joe

Linda Gillen as Sharon

Ned Beatty as Angelo Coyote

Edward James Olmas as 1st Drunk

In ¡Alambrista!, a Mexican farmworker sneaks across the border to California to make money to send to his family back home. It is a story that happens every day, told here in an uncompromising, groundbreaking work of realism from American independent filmmaker Robert M. Young. Vivid and spare where other films about illegal immigration might sentimentalize, Young’s take is equal parts intimate character study and gripping road movie, a political work that never loses sight of the complex man at its center. ¡Alambrista!, winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s inaugural Caméra d’Or in 1978, remains one of the best films ever made on this perennially relevant topic.

When it comes to take on films about a certain ethnicity or country, Award-winning filmmaker Robert M. Young is no stranger when it comes to taking on those challenges.

From his award-winning documentary “The Eskimo: Fight For Life” (1970), to covering a civil war in Angola to his long collaboration with actor Edward James Olmos in many of his films, including the acclaimed TV series “American Me”.  If there was one film that stands out in Young’s oeuvre is his 1977 film “¡Alambrista!”, a film which won four awards including the Camera d’Or award for “Best Feature” at the Cannes Film Festival.

Before there were films about immigrants risking their life to find jobs and trying to survive in America such as Gregory Nava’s 1983 film “El Norte” or Chris Weitz’ 2011 film “A Better Life”, in 1977, Robert M. Young would write and direct his groundbreaking film “¡Alambrista!”.  And now this film will receive its Blu-ray and DVD release courtesy of the Criterion Collection in April 2012.

“¡Alambrista!” revolves around a protagonist Roberto (played by Domingo Ambriz) who just became a new father and knowing that money is tight, he makes the decision to leave the state of Michoacan in Mexico and try making enough money for a year in America and return back home.

For Robert, he felt that his father had taken the risk for his family as he had departed Mexico to find work, but despite his father not returning back to Mexico, he promises his wife that he would return in a year.

As he risks his life to cross over to America, he quickly learns that finding a job is not going to be easy.  You do a lot of manual labor in the heat, for long hours and you literally have no place to sleep.  And the lives of many of these farm laborers is to move and find more farms where help is needed in order to make money.

As he watches Americans live their lives, Roberto’s life in America is not easy.  Undocumented and no knowledge of English, he’s literally at the mercy of his employers and the life of a laborer is rough.

Filmed with a touch of director Robert M. Young’s documentarian style, “¡Alambrista!” follows the life of Robert and is a close-up look of the life of an illegal immigrant trying to survive in America in order to help his family.

 

VIDEO:

“¡Alambrista!” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:66:1 aspect ratio).  For a 1977 film that was shot in 16 mm, one thing that you can expect is a lot of grain and “”¡Alambrista!” features it throughout the film, most notable on outdoor scenes, the film looks good for its age.   I didn’t see any signs of DNR or artifacts, so overall, picture quality is good.

According to the Criterion Collection, the transfer was approved by director Robert M. Young, this new high-definition digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a Spirit 2K Datacine from a 35 blow-up interpositive made from the original 16 mm A/B negatives. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter and flicker were manually removed using MTI’s DRS system, while Image Systems’ Phoenix was used for small dirt and grain reduction.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“¡Alambrista! ” is presented in LPCM 2.0 Spanish with English subtitles.  Dialogue is clear and I heard no signs of audio problems whatsoever.

According to the Criterion Collection, the original stereo soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the original magnetic track print. Clicks, thumps, hiss and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using Audio Cube’s integrated workstation.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“¡Alambrista!” on Blu-ray comes with the following special features:

• Audio commentary – A 2010 audio commentary featuring director Robert M. Young and co-producer Michael Hausman as they discuss the making of “¡Alambrista!” and more.
• Edward J. Olmos – (11:53) Edward J. Olmos talks about his working relationship with filmmaker Robert M. Young and his scene in “¡Alambrista!”.
• Children of the Fields - (26:36) A 1973 documentary about children of farm laborers who work in the fields by Robert M. Young which inspired the filmmaker to make “¡Alambrista!”.
• Theatrical trailer – (3:31) Theatrical trailer for “¡Alambrista!”.
  

EXTRAS:

“¡Alambrista!  – The Criterion Collection #609″ comes with a 5-page (dual sided) fold-out leaflet, featuring the essay “Inside the Undocumented Experience” by Charles Ramirez Berg.

 

Robert M. Young’s film “¡Alambrista!” was one of the first films in America to show how life was for illegal immigrants.

Having grown up in an agricultural area, seeing farm laborers working in high heat sometimes reaching 115 degrees Fahrenheit, as a young child, I could never really understand why they would do that.  And as I grew older, you start to hear about children working in the fields, the bad conditions that these people live in, especially the dangers as I can easily recall a number of fatalities that you would read in the newspaper of farm laborers who died due to heat exhaustion or involved in accidents as many were packed into vans with no seat belts.

These were common stories that one would read in the local newspaper but the reality is that a lot of these people were willing to take on these difficult jobs that normal Americans, even in areas with high unemployment, would not want to do.  These individuals worked in harsh conditions, for the sake of trying to make money for their families and to survive.

There are two films that have made an impact on me when it comes to the life of the illegal immigrant, “¡Alambrista!” and “El Norte”, both available on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of the Criterion Collection.  While the latter focused more on the dangers of survival of trying to achieve the American Dream, “¡Alambrista!” is a more honest and true portrayal as filmmaker Robert M. Young would get to learn the life of these individuals through his documentary work (the “Children of the Fields” documentary is included on this Blu-ray release).

But what contributes to the efficacy of “¡Alambrista!” is that it is believable.  Domingo Ambriz does a good job of portraying Roberto and we can see through his facial expressions of his view on America, the people he comes in contact with and just trying to figure out if someone like him can be part of that American dream.

In fact, probably one of the most interesting things to find out from this film is the special feature with Edward James Olmos.  The scene is short, but it is pivotal as Olmos’ character along with another, in a drunken stupor, yells at the illegal immigrants that what they are doing is not the American way.  The life of picking is not going to get them anywhere in America.  And the most fascinating thing is that the scene was shot in front of real farm laborers who had no idea that Olmos was an actor. What Young gets on camera is the real facial expressions of non-actors, but real farm laborers.

But the film manages to capture the hard life of Roberto as there continues to be hundreds of people like Roberto every year who are working in the worst conditions, living in the worst conditions in order to survive.  Sure, things have changed a lot since 1977 and the issue of illegal immigration continues to be a touchy subject in American politics.

But those stories I mentioned about these farm laborers, stories that I read about when I was younger and in my teen years, are still printed today and goes to show that a film such as “¡Alambrista!”, which still has its relevance in today’s society, goes to show that the American dream of a better life that many people hope to attain, is probably only a dream and nothing else.

Robert M. Young’s “¡Alambrista!” is recommended!

Underworld: Awakening 3D (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

If you love vampires and werewolves and love popcorn action films, “Underworld: Awakening” will definitely interest you.  But the highlight is the fantastic 3D experience of this Blu-ray and its fantastic, immersive lossless soundtrack.  “Underworld: Awakening” is definitely one of the better live action 3D Blu-ray releases I have watched!

Images courtesy of © 2012 Lakeshore Entertainment Group LLC. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Underworld: Awakening 3D

FILM RELEASE: 2012

DURATION: 89 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:40:1), English 7.1 DTS-HD MA, French 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English – Audio Description Track, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French and Spanish

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: R (For Strong Violence and Gore, and for Some Language)

Release Date: May 8, 2012

Directed by Mans Marlind, Bjorn Stein

Screenplay by Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, J. Michael Straczynski, Allison Burnett

Story by Len Wiseman

Characters by Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, Danny McBride

Executive Producer: David Kern, James McQuaide, Skip Williamson, Henry Winterstern

Produced by Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg, Len Wiseman, Richard S. Wright

Music by Paul Haslinger

Cinematography by Scott Kevan

Edited by Jeff McEvoy

Casting by Deborah Aquila, Tricia Wood

Production Design by Claude Pare

Art Direction by Martina Javorova, Gary Myers

Set Decoration by Shane Vieau

Costume Design by Monique Prudhomme

Starring:

Kate Beckinsale as Selene

Stephen Rea as Dr. Jacob Lane

Michael Ealy as Detective Sebastian

Theo James as David

India Eisley as Eve

Sandrine Holt as Lida

Charles Dance as Thomas

Kris Holden-Ried as Quint

Jacob Blair as Officer Kolb

KATE BECKINSALE returns as the ultimate vampire warrioress Selene in Underworld Awakening, the stunning new installment of the epic saga for the first time in 3D. Having escaped years of imprisonment, she finds herself in a changed world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. Now Selene must battle the humans and a frightening new breed of super Lycans to ensure the death dealers’ survival. Regular – KATE BECKINSALE returns as the ultimate vampire warrioress Selene in Underworld Awakening, the stunning new installment of the epic saga. Having escaped years of imprisonment, she finds herself in a changed world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. Now Selene must battle the humans and a frightening new breed of super Lycans to ensure the death dealers’ survival.

It has been nearly a decade since the release of the “Underworld” film.   The original film, directed by Len Wiseman (“Live Free and Die Hard”, “Underworld: Evolution”) and written by Danny McBride, the first film would receive mixed reviews from critics but would make over $95 million in the box office and would pave the way for two more films, a sequel and a prequel.

And now the fourth film, “Underworld: Awakening” directed by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein (the duo who worked on the film “Shelter” and “Storm”), join Len Wiseman (who continues to write the films) and reuniting with actress Kate Beckinsale (“Aviator”, “Pearl Harbor”).

“Underworld: Awakening” was presented in theaters in 3D and brought in over $160 million in the box office, becoming the first film of 2012 to break $100 million.

And now the Blu-ray release (featuring both films in 3D and 2D) and DVD will be released in May 2012.

What is “Underworld” all about?

“Underworld” takes place during a time where the vampires and the Lycans (werewolves) are at war. In the past, the Lycans were used as slaves for centuries by the vampires but rebelled courtesy of their leader Lucian and have been in war since.

For vampire/Death Dealer, Selene (played by Kate Beckinsale), her job is to hunt down the Lycans. When she was young, her family was massacred by the Lycans and thus she was taken in by vampire leader Victor (played by Bill Nighy) and given immortal life by being transformed into a vampire.

So, she despises the Lycans and assassinates them. It is said that the Lycans were defeated many centuries ago when their leader Lucian (played by Michael Sheen) was killed and the Lycans that are remaining are survivors that must be eliminated.

But one day, as the vampires were hunting down the Lycans at a subway station, the Lycans fight back and the vampire/Death Dealer Rigel is killed. She tracks them down to their den and another vampire is killed by a Lycan named Raze. When Selene goes to investigate, she finds out that the Lycans have developed a new type of bullet to kill vampires.

When she arrives back to the vampire coven’s mansion, she goes to tell current vampire regent Kraven (played by Shane Brolly) what she discovered but is told to drop it. Selene doesn’t understand why they would drop such important developments and when she goes to do more research, she realizes that the Lycans are following a human named Michael Corvin (played by Scott Speedman).

At the Lycan headquarters, we learn that their scientist Singe is testing blood on kidnapped descendants of the ancient Corvinus family to find a pure source of their ancient and powerful bloodline. Selene wonders why they are pursuing the human and she decides to help him, but in the process, he is bitten by Lucian.

Selene brings the injured Michael back to the vampire’s coven, against Kraven’s wishes. When one of the vampires goes to check on him, she finds a bite by a Lycan and realizes that the human will turn into a Lycan during a full moon. Shocked by the encounter, Michael runs away from the Vampire’s coven.

When Selene continues her research about Lucian, she realizes that only one vampire has witnessed his death and it was Kraven. What if there is a conspiracy and that Lucian is definitely alive, that means Kraven can not be trusted.

Selene manages to help Michael once again but this time, locking him up at a vampire lab area. She explains to him about why she has hatred towards the Lycans and what they did to her family but also learns more about Michael’s history and tells what will happen to him during a full moon.

The relationship between Selene and Michael grows stronger and stronger and sure enough, both vampire and Lycan fall in love.  As the vampires want Michael dead and nearly get their way, Selene eventually saves Michael by biting him and thus, the combination of vampire and Lycan blood has turned Michael into a hybrid of both.  And in the process of protecting the man she loves, she goes against her coven, and kills the Vampire elders.

In “Underworld: Evolution”,  we learn the truth of the blood lines.  It is revealed that Marcus, not Viktor, is the first vampire and one of the three sons of Alexander Corvinus, the first immortal.  Markus was bitten by a bat and became a vampire, his twin brother William was bitten by a wolf and became a Lycan.  The third son, a human is responsible for a line of descendants including Michael, who had the anti-body and eventually become the first vampire-Lycan hybrid.

In the second film, Alexander Corvinus has given Selene his blood and thus given immortality.

Since then, both Selene and Michael have been on the run trying to protect each other from both vampire and Lycan who want them dead.

Which leads us to the fourth film, “Underworld: Awakening”.

After the events of “Underworld: Evolution”, the world now knows that vampires and Lycans exist.  And there is a massive cleansing (known as “The Purge”) as humans now try to exterminate vampires and Lycans.  Survivors have now moved underground, while both Selene and Michael have become the hunted.

Split off from each other, both try to come together during a standoff with the authorities but as Michael is shot and falls into the ocean, Selene goes after him and tries to save him.  But in the process, both are separated by a detonator.

Fast forward, 12 years later and during this time, “The Purge” has now been concluded as 95% of the vampires have been annihilated and the Lycans are considered as extinct.

Selene is being kept inside a cryogenic suspension by the medical corporation known as Antigen, which are trying to create an antidote for the virus which creates vampires and Lycans

Known as “subject 1″, someone has broken into the lab facility and have released Selene.  As Selene awakens and puts on her leather costume, she looks for Michael but is not sure where he is kept and thus she escapes Antigen facilities.

Meanwhile, murders are occurring in the city and while the normal judgment by police is to think that the vampires had committed the crime (since Lycans are thought to be extinct), Detective Sebastian (played by Michael Ealy), looking at how the body was murdered, doesn’t think so.  And he spots Selene, who quickly disappears.

But also spotting Selene is a young vampire named David (played by Theo James).  He goes to track down Selene, who is trying to find answers of where Michael may be.  When David tracks her down, he tells her the truth that the Lycans have been forced to live underground, no food, diseased and something has riled them up in order for them to go back up to the surface.  And he thinks Selene knows the answer to why the Lycans are back.

But Selene starts to see images, images that usually come from the bond that she has with Michael.  Thinking that Michael is in trouble and is being hunted by the Lycans, she and David fight them off but instead of finding Michael, she finds a young girl named Eve (played by India Eisely).

Why does girl have this power and why is Selene reacting to it?  As the three are pursued by the Lycans, Eve tells Selene that she was Subject 2 at Antigen and was responsible for setting her free.  She also revealed that she was in a chamber next to her mother…which would be Selene.  Needless to say, Selene is shocked because 12 years ago, she was with Michael.  Now when she awakens, instead of finding Michael, she finds out that both had a daughter.

We then learn from Dr. Jacob Lane (played by Stephen Rea), director of Antigen, that he is actually a Lycan and the antidote that they are working on is not for humans, but a drug designed to make Lycans immune to the deadly effects of silver on their species and to also heighten their abilities and size.  But since Eve is the child of a hybrid and a vampire, her genetic code is needed and thus, the reason why Antigen and the Lycans are after her.

Selene is determined to protect Eve and hopes to find Michael.  But the only way to find him is by going back to Antigen facilities, where she must fight the Lycans alone.

VIDEO:

“Underworld: Awakening” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1) aspect ratio and you have the option of watching the film in 3D or 2D.

With that being said, make no doubt about it, “Underworld: Awakening” is one of the better Blu-ray on 3D live action release.  Not only do you get the 3D depth but there are a number of moments where shattering of fragments, blood, artillery, debris and weapons are flying all over the place towards you.   And the great news is that the 3D is constant, it’s not like you will see a 3D effect every 20 minutes.  There is a lot of action in this film and there is no doubt that when “Underworld: Awakening” was made, there was an emphasis put on the action and making the 3D benefit from these action sequences.

With that being said, the video quality for this film is fantastic!  Sony hasn’t really disappointed anyone with their Blu-ray releases of late and “Underworld: Awakening” is a film that retains its cool, dark look with blues, grays and blacks.  Black levels are nice and deep, explosions showcasing lighter colors such as oranges and ambers are vibrant.  Detail is very well done, especially showcasing the vampire or Lycan transformations.  Both 3D and 2D versions look amazing and videophiles should be pleased with both versions.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Underworld: Awakening” not only showcases magnificent visuals and 3D, the lossless soundtrack is also immersive and fantastic.  Presented in English 7.1 DTS-HD MA, French 5.1 DTS-HD MA and English -Audio Description Track, like the 3D that is constant, as with the action.  There is plenty of action from cars crashing into each other, Selene unleashing a parade of bullets, elevators crashing, bodies being swatted like flies and hearing the groans, the growls, you name it…the audio is coming from all over the place.

I was so pleased with this soundtrack and just hearing constant audio coming from the surround channels was a major plus for me and also, the music soundtrack also is utilized for the surround channels as well.

You get an immersive lossless soundtrack with “Underworld: Awakening” and dialogue is crystal clear, there is nothing bad to say about the soundtrack for this film.  Audiophiles will definitely be pleased!

Subtitles are presented in English, English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Underworld: Awakening” comes with the following special features:

• Filmmakers Commentary - Featuring directors Mans Marlind, Bjorn Stein, producers Richard Wright and Gary Lucchesi, Executive producer and visual effects supervisor James McQuaide, this audio commentary is very active and informative.
• Selene Rises – (12:14) A featurette about Kate Beckinsale reprising her role as Selene and also going into the costume and character development.
• Casting the Future of Underworld – (12:33) A featurette about the two new cast members, Theo James and India Eisley.
• Resuming the Action – (8:52) A featurette about the film’s action sequences, the stunts and the 3D technology used for the film.
• Building a Better Lycan – (10:20) A featurette on how they wanted to upgrade the visuals for the werewolves (Lycans).
• Previsualization Sequences – Featuring six pre-visualization sequences, including an alternate opening sequence: Alternate Opening Sequence (5:29), Car Chase in 3D (1:51), Coven Fight in 3D (1:58), Anitgen Attack – Part 1 (2:19), Antigen Attack – Part 2 (3:52), and Antigen Attack – Part 3 (6:05).
• Awakening a Franchise, Building a Brutal New World – (18:53) A featurette about the technology, special effects, set design for “Underworld: Awakening” and more.
• Blooper Reel – (3:21) Bloopers for “Underworld: Awakening”.
• “Heavy Prey” Music Video by Lacey Sturm feat. Geno Lenardo – (3:25) Featuring the music video “Heavy Prey”.

I have always looked at the “Underworld” films as your vampire vs. werewolf popcorn action film series.  With “Underworld: Awakening”, the writers were moving away from the “Twilight” mushy romance (or Romeo & Juliet romance, as I called the first two films).

This time around, Juliet (Selene) is separated from her Romeo (Michael) and the world has turned against them.  They are the hunted and she lost 12-years of her life, to find out that she has a child who may be the most powerful child with vampire and Lycan blood, and most importantly, having the blood of Alexander Corvinus, hence the immortality.

And what is quite interesting is the introduction of the two new characters, we have “Secret Life of the American Teenager” actress India Eisley playing Eve and a vampire named David (played by Theo James) as the next generation who will play an important role in the future of the films.

I admit that while “Underworld” films are typically popcorn action films, there was depth in the storyline as it focused on the war between vampires and Lycans and treachery that went on behind-the-scenes.  There was a sense of brooding darkness that followed the characters but this time around, since most of the vampires and Lycans have been massacred, the film changes from being vampire vs. Lycans film to now the humans vs. the vampires, Lycans and hybrids.

And there was no doubt that these films were now more action heavy, designed for 3D and the storyline, was made to be kept simple for those who have never watched the films in the trilogy.  And thus, the storyline is rather subjective.  Those who love the original storyline for its violent action but also romance, you can’t have a romance in “Underworld: Awakening” when Juliet has been separated from her Romeo. So, without the romantic angle which has been a big part of the film series, you’re left with the action and a storyline about being the hunted.

And once again,  it’s another popcorn action film and with actress Kate Beckinsale wearing a tight leather uniform but this time with upgraded visuals due to technology and a futuristic setting.  I felt that the makeup and creature design were fantastic for this film as with the visual effects, especially the 3D and fantastic lossless audio.

The video and the lossless soundtrack were absolutely amazing and these two have been the strong points of the “Underworld” films but this time, they have raised the bar of how things look and sound.  The 3D really makes a difference and the constant immersive audio was a major plus.   And to top things off, there are a good number of special features to keep “Underworld” fans busy.  Make no doubt about it, this is a Blu-ray release that Blu-ray 3D enthusiasts plus video and audiophiles will surely enjoy!

Overall, while “Underworld: Awakening” is not a film that focuses on a deep storyline, fans of the previous films know what to expect and that is a lot of bullets, a lot of deaths, non-stop action and Kate Beckinsale looking awesome a decade later in tight black leather.

A worthy continuation of the “Underworld” film series that leans very heavy on the action, even those who have never watched an “Underworld” film can watch this film and enjoy it (there is an explanation of the first two films at the beginning of the film).  And for those expecting a lot of blood and gore, you get some of that as well in “Underworld: Awakening”.

If you are looking for an all-out action film with vampires vs. werewolves, “Underworld: Awakening” will definitely appeal to you!  And for those who have been wanting better Blu-ray 3D experiences, “Underworld: Awakening” is one of the better 3D live-action Blu-rays that I have seen in a while.

Wings (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Review)

“Wings” is a magnificent Blu-ray release.  For silent fans who have wanted a reason to upgrade to Blu-ray, “Wings” can be added to that list for another reason why to upgrade.  A fantastic Blu-ray release that cinema and silent film fans will want to have in their collection!  It is a must-own!

Images courtesy of © 1927 Paramount Famouse Lasky Corp. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Wings

FILM RELEASE DATE: 1927

DURATION: 144 minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, Color Tinted, Re-Recorded Score Composed by J.S. Zamecnik (orchestrated and arranged by Domink Hauser, Featured Pianist – Frederik Hodges with sound effects by Ben Burtt), 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Pipe Organ Score composed and performed by Gaylord Carter, 2.0 Stereo Dolby Digital, Subtitles: French, Spanish, Portuguese

COMPANY: Paramount

RATED: PG (Some Language)

Release Date: January 24, 2012

Directed by William A. Wellman

Story by John Monk Saunders

Screenplay by Hope Loring, Louis D. Lighton

Titles by Julian Johnson

Associate Producer: B.P. Schulberg

Cinematography by J.S. Zamecnik

Edited by E. Lloyd Sheldon

Starring:

Clara Bow as Mary Preston

Charles “Buddy” Rogers as Jack Powell

Richard Arlen as David Armstrong

Jobyna Ralston as Sylvia Lewis

El Brendel as Herman Schwimpf

Ricahrd Tucker as Air Commander

Gary Cooper as Cadet White

Gunboat Smith as The Sergeant

Henry B. Walthall as David’s Father

Roscoe Karns as Lt. Cameron

Julia Swayne Gordon as David’s Mother

Arlette Marchal as Celeste

Director William A. Wellman’s masterpiece is the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.  Featuring a meticulous restoration and a newly recorded soundtrack based on the original score, Wings comes to Blu-ray for the first time.  This timeless story of love and loss follows two men who go to war and the girl they leave behind.  Popular Twenties “It” girl Clara Bow stars in this unforgettable World War I epic alongside Richard Arlen, Charles “Buddy” Rogers and the legendary Gary Cooper in a cameo appearance.  The aerial battle sequences still rank among the best in motion picture history.

As a silent film fan, you tend to accept that a lot of films are lost and those that are not lost, you tend to expect smaller companies releasing them on Blu-ray or DVD.

For many years now, there have been three silent films, epics, that I have been awaiting for a DVD video release for a long time.  The three films are Erich von Stroheim’s “Greed” (1924), King Vidor’s “The Big Parade” (1925) and William A. Wellman’s 1927 film “Wings”.

And I have to admit that I have felt that the studio have been dangling a carrot for silent film fans, teasing us over the years, watching a once in awhile airing on TCM and yet, not knowing when these films will ever see a video release at all.

That changed in 2012 as “Wings”, known as the first Academy Award winning film for “Best Picture” (at the time known as “Most Outstanding Production”) would receive it’s HD treatment with a Blu-ray release and also on DVD, after receiving extensive restoration.

And not only does William A. Wellman’s (known for directing “The Public Enemy”, “A Star is Born”, “The Ox-Bow Incident”) masterpiece look absolutely fantastic in 1080p High Definition, the inclusion of a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack with sound effects literally surprised me, as I was not expecting it.

And this is quite interesting as the film was once considered lost until a print was found at the Cinematheque Francaise film archive in Paris, in which the deteriorating nitrate film was transferred to safety film stock, and was re-released in theaters.

In 1997, “Wings” was selected for preservation in the United Stats National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

“Wings” is based on the story by John Monk Saunders and the screenplay adaptation was written by Hope Loring and Louis D. Lighton.

The film is known as a war epic and love story, but is also known for its amazing aerial cinematography (which aimed at capturing realistic dogfights that two incidents took place, including a tragic crash).    The film was also made before there were rules were set of what a movie studio can not do in a film, so the film actually shows a few-second shot of a nude Clara Bow, nude men undergoing military physical exams in the background and a shared kiss between two male friends (as some people today would say, a “bromance” scene).

“Wings” is a film that takes place in a small American town.  Jack Powell (played by Charles “Buddy” Rogers) is working on his vehicle and the girl next door, Mary Preston (played by Clara Bow) has been in love with him for quite some time.

While a one-sided love affair, Mary helps Jack fix his car and call it the “Shooting Star” in which she paints an image of a shooting star on his car.  Expecting gratitude, hopefully with a kiss, instead Jack thanks Mary and drives off with his car to meet the girl that he likes, Sylvia Lewis (played by Jobyna Ralston), the popular girl from the city.

But as Jack arrives to meet with Sylvia, she is already with the guy she loves, the wealthy David Armstrong (played by Richard Arlen).  Both love each other, but Sylvia has not been able to tell David, in order to spare his feelings.

Needless to say, this sets up the rivalry between Jack and David.

The scene shifts to World War I and both young men join the Air Service to become combat pilots and are off to training.

For the loving son David, it’s difficult to depart from his mother (played by Julia Swayne Gordon) and his father (played by Henry B. Walthall).  But his mother finds the teddy bear he once played with as a child and David wants to keep it with him as a good luck charm. His mother wants to see David come back alive with the bear, as both parents worry about their son.

As for Jack, he’s all ready to go but first, he wants his own good luck charm and he goes to meet Sylvia for a picture. Meanwhile, Sylvia is planning to give David a picture of her, but instead Jack thinks it’s for him and takes it.  David arrives to see Sylvia with Jack and Jack leaves with a grin towards his rival.

Sylvia knows David is jealous but reminds him that Jack may have her picture, but David has her heart. Meanwhile, as Jack is about to leave for training, Mary gives Jack a good luck charm, a picture of herself.

For military training, both Jack and David try to excel in what they do and during their boxing match, both decide to let their rivalry be tested through a fight.  Jack doesn’t think much of David, since he’s from a wealthy family and doesn’t think he can fight.  And sure enough, Jack beats David with ease.  But at the same time, David earns Jack’s respect and the two become best friends afterward.

And the two go through extensive military training and prepare to be shipped off to France in order to go in aerial combat against the Germans.

Mary meanwhile wants to be involved in the war effort, so she takes a job and becomes an ambulance driver in hopes that she can be close to Jack.

But with World War II and the Germans prepared to show their aerial superiority, will Jack and David be ready for battle?  And will Mary be able to let Jack know that she loves him?

VIDEO:

When it comes to silent films on Blu-ray, I’m not very picky as many silent films have suffered from nitrate damage and neglect.    And the fact is that many companies can’t spend millions of dollars on restoration.  So, I have had this “take what you can get” attitude towards silent films on Blu-ray and DVD for a long time.

But when “The General”, “Modern Times” and “Metropolis” were released on Blu-ray, three films that did receive restoration, that’s when I have high expectations.  With “Wings”, it’s the same situation.  I know that there was a PhotoPlay restoration done awhile back, but the version featured is a Paramount restoration.

The film is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:34:1 aspect ratio), color tinted with black bars on the side.  I was absolutely pleased with the video as visually, this is best I have seen of the film, this is the best I have ever seen of Clara Bow on video and there were no nitrate damage, no warping. I didn’t see any scratches or dust which was surprising.  There is no doubt that there was considerable money spent to restore this film and it shows as the film looks clean and visually, stunning!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Wings” is presented in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (featuring a re-recorded score composed by J.S. Zamecnik (orchestrated and arranged by Domink Hauser, featuring pianist Frederick Hodges and sound effects by Ben Burtt).  There is also a Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 soundtrack featuring a pipe organ score composed and performed by Gaylord Carter.

It’s one thing for the film to look amazing in HD but for those with a home theater system, when you watch and have your audio setting set to the lossless version, audiophiles, you are in for a treat. I was absolutely floored by the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless audio. The sound effects…I was not expecting to hear it. But when the LFE (subwoofer) started to rumble and started to hear audio coming from all around me through the surround channels during the aerial dogfighting sequences, my first reaction was amazement and I was shocked because I was not expecting it at all.

And I can continue to gush about the lossless soundtrack, while others may not be so thrilled with sound effects and a new re-recorded score, as some absolutely love the Carl Davis score that was featured long ago.  But the expected Gaylor Carter pipe organ score was included (as many people are familiar with his score) and it also sounds good via lossless stereo.

So, I’m very pleased that Paramount had decided to include two soundtracks and also really do something different by incorporating the sound effects, what a surprise and I’m impressed!

Subtitles are also included in French, Spanish and Portuguese.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Wings” comes with the following special features:

• Wings: Grandeur in the Sky - (25:56) A featurette that goes into the making of “Wings”, the challenges of aerial cinematography of the time and trying to make the film authentic with a $2 million budget (which was a lot at that time).  As well as looking into the success of the film.
• Restoring the Power and Beauty of Wings - (14:21) A featurette on the restoration of “Wings” including the re-recording score by J.S. Zamecnik and the sound effects by Ben Burtt
• Dogfight – (12:54) A featurette about the evolution of airplanes, especially those used in World War I.

EXTRAS:

“Wings” comes with a slipcover.

For so many years, I have wanted this film on DVD.  What was easily available and accessible were bad versions of the film available via public domain and suffice to say, the announcement of “Wings” on Blu-ray was incredible.

As a silent film fan, it’s amazing that in these last few years, we have seen the progress of having to see silent film in HD with amazing detail and clarity but most importantly, seeing generations of movie fans taking a chance on silent cinema and enjoying them.

While you have your loyal fans who will buy these videos, may they be in Blu-ray, DVD, LD, VHS or actual reels, the fact that Paramount has released “Wings” on Blu-ray is fantastic news because it leaves the possibility for other classic Paramount silents to be released on Blu-ray and DVD.

And with “Wings”, this is one film that has evaded video release for a long time and here we are now with the definitive version of the film to date.  The most beautiful version of the film to date and now, I must add, the re-recorded score with sound effects in lossless audio adds another dimension to this Wellman masterpiece.

I certainly didn’t know what to expect as I watched this film expecting better video quality but when you start hearing machine gun’s firing all around you, the engines of airplanes reverberating around your room via the surround channels and hearing that LFE kick in…this is something that you never expect from a silent film.

And why that makes me happy is that Paramount is reaching out to two sets of fans.  The hardcore fans who were familiar with Gaylord Carter’s pipe organ score (unfortunately, Carl Davis’ score was not included) but then also knowing that Blu-ray fans, especially for a silent film, you’re going to have to entice them with something extra in order for them to purchase this film.  And sure enough, these fans can enjoy this silent film with a fantastic lossless track with immersive sound effects.

And for the silent fans who still haven’t upgraded to Blu-ray, add “Wings” on the list for another reason why they should upgrade!

So, it’s one thing to have a wonderful visual presentation and soundtrack, but what about the film?

I absolutely enjoyed it as it has a good balance of drama, action and also comedy mixed in.    For Clara Bow fans, the truth is that “It” was a wonderful film that showcased Bow’s talents but in terms of accessibility, for one of the top actresses in America, it’s not easy to find films with Clara.  And “Wings” on Blu-ray not only shows us her emotional performance (the Blu-ray does bring out the details of the tears) but also her boundless energy.

Of course, Clara Bow, while receiving top billing on the Blu-ray case, the film is primarily featuring Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Richard Arlen.  Although I typically dislike this modern term to describe male friendship, yes…”Wings” is the ultimate “Bromance” film.  You get the camaraderie of best friends training to be pilots, knowing they are rivals but managing to get past that and become brothers, watching each other’s backs.  And to see how this friendship develops towards the end of the film.

Both men performed their roles magnificently and it was interesting to also be treated by a cameo featuring Gary Cooper as Cadet White, while not long at all and years before the actor became popular and would star in films such as  “High Noon”, “Sergeant York”, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”, “A Farewell to Arms”, to name a few, Cooper’s cameo definitely sets things into perspective that war is ugly and death can happen anytime.  It’s important to note that also that same year, for Clara Bow’s “It”, Gary Cooper had an uncredited cameo.

And while the film features wonderful performances by its three talent for this film (especially this era), there is no doubt that this epic engages its viewers through its visual setting as hundreds of men are engaged in war, while above, we are taken above to the sky with actual aerial cinematography that even makes me wonder how they pulled it off back in 1927.  It did help that director William A. Wellman, writer John Monk Saunders and actor Richard Arlen served in World War I as military advisors (in fact, Arlen would teach as a United States Army Air Forces flight instructor during World War II).  While Buddy Rogers would undergo flight training to prepare him for his role.  And for the most part, the training led to the efficacy of director Wellman trying to achieve authenticity for his film.

As for the Blu-ray release, as mentioned… this is the definitive version of “Wings” to own for now.  While I would have loved to hear an audio commentary track and see more special features included, as mentioned with my feeling towards silent films, many hardly come with special features and when they do, they are fairly short.  You get three special features that end up as around an hour worth of extra content and you take what you can get.  But it would have been nice to see an audio commentary track, perhaps lobby card and photo gallery.

Overall, “Wings” is a magnificent Blu-ray release.  For silent fans who have wanted a reason to upgrade to Blu-ray, “Wings” can be added to that list for another reason why to upgrade.  A fantastic Blu-ray release that cinema and silent film fans will want to have in their collection!  It is a must-own!

Next Page »