Bond on Blu-Ray MGM issues the First VIntage 007s in HD Plus: Warner's Gangsters & Looney Tunes
A couple of years ago MGM released a brand new set of James Bond
“Ultimate Collection” DVDs featuring magnificent, restored
transfers from Lowry Digital -- the firm best known for their
outstanding work on so many of the DVD medium’s finest transfers
(from “Citizen Kane” to the Special Editions of “Star
Wars”). Lowry performed a painstaking, frame-by frame restoration
of the entire series for those new DVDs -- the results of which were
mostly so breathtaking that it was like seeing the classic Bonds for
the very first time.
If you thought those DVDs were impressive, wait until you feast your
eyes on MGM’s first high-definition Blu-Ray packages of six 007
classics, all arriving on Blu-Ray this week.
Included in the group are the inaugural James Bond film, DR. NO (****, 1962, 110 mins.), which has never looked better than it does here; the second Bond adventure, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (***½, 1963, 111 mins.), also starring Sean Connery; the lavish 1965 THUNDERBALL (***, 1965, 125 mins.), which marked 007's first foray into widescreen; two of Roger Moore’s best, LIVE AND LET DIE (***, 1973, 122 mins.) and FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (***, 1981, 128 mins.); and one of the better (faint praise as that may be) Pierce Brosnan outings, 2002's DIE ANOTHER DAY (**½, 2002, 127 mins.),
which offers a well-developed villain and numerous references to past
007 classics before it collapses with a typically -- for the series --
weak climax.
Though “For Your Eyes Only” would not function properly in
my particular Blu-Ray player (paging the firmware update department!)
and “Live and Let Die” was not included in the press
mailing we received, the other Bonds offer absolutely spectacular AVC
encoded transfers that will be a sight for sore eyes for 007
aficionados. From the blue Jamaican sky in the opening moments of
“Dr. No” I was blown away by the level of detail and
crispness in the transfers here, even more than the standard-definition
DVDs from 2006. For those of us, in particular, who grew up on the
classic Bonds via ABC’s network TV broadcasts or CBS/Fox video
cassettes, watching early Connery classics like “Dr. No,”
“From Russia” and “Thunderball” here in HD is
just phenomenal, and reason enough to invest in a Blu-Ray player alone.
On the audio side, DTS Master Audio tracks are available on each film
and are a bit more potent than the excellent DTS mixes from the 2006
DVDs, while each film’s original, respective audio tracks (mono
on “Dr.No,” “From Russia,”
“Thunderball” and “Live & Let Die”; stereo
on “For Your Eyes Only) have been retained here in Dolby Digital
2.0 as well.
Extras are copious and essentially mirror the Ultimate Edition DVDs (in
fact I couldn’t find a major omission between those sets and the
Blu-Ray discs), be it multiple commentary tracks, deleted scenes, TV
specials, a slew of trailers and TV spots for each picture, music
videos and other goodies (oddly, though, “Die Another Day”
doesn’t contain any trailers or TV spots, just like its prior DVD
edition).
In all this is certainly a rousing start for vintage Bond on Blu-Ray,
and here’s hoping the next wave meets with equal success in 2009.
Also out this week is a new Collector’s Edition of the 1967 CASINO ROYALE (**½, 137 mins., Fox/MGM), complete with a superb Making Of documentary and commentary track from Bond authorities Steven Jay Rubin and John Cork.
One of two 007 properties that Albert R. Broccoli and Eon Productions
didn't control (Kevin McClory's “Thunderball”/”Never
Say Never Again” being the other), "Casino Royale" was a mammoth
spy spoof engineered by producer Charles K. Feldman and released right
around the same time that "You Only Lived Twice" was continuing the
"official" Bond series.
Feldman assembled a huge collection of stars (Peter Sellers, David
Niven, Ursula Andress, Woody Allen, Orson Welles, Daliah Lavi, William
Holden, and Deborah Kerr among them) and nearly as many directors (Val
Guest, John Huston, Ken Hughes, Robert Parrish, and Joe McGrath) in an
attempt to capitalize on the world's fervent Bond-mania and skewer the
suddenly red-hot spy genre at the same time.
Alas, with so many cooks in the kitchen, the ‘67
“Casino” turned out to be a complete mess of a film, with
an almost completely incoherent plot sprinkled with only sporadic
laughs. After top-billed Sellers abruptly quit the picture (taking his
huge salary and cut of the gross along with him), original helmer
McGrath left as well, sending Feldman’s “Guest
Directors” off to put a more psychedelic spin on what was
originally just a straight “James Bond comedy” as McGrath
put it.
The mix of styles and lack of story are obvious at every turn. In fact,
there are times, even after repeated viewings of this gargantuan epic,
when it seems as if each director shot seemingly random footage, all of
which was assembled as coherently as it could have been in the editing
room by Val Guest. If you've never seen the film before, you may want
to have some kind of plot summary on-hand, since there are major plot
developments that are either briefly referred to or missing altogether
(particularly when Sellers is driving away from the casino, only to be
abruptly imprisoned with no explanation whatsoever!).
It's a rambling wreck, no doubt about it, but despite that,
“Casino Royale” remains a favorite of many viewers for a
couple of reasons: it's got that cast, it has a very, very loose
connection with Ian Fleming's legacy (did I say it was a loose
connection?), but most of all, it has one of the most memorable
soundtracks arguably ever recorded in the history of modern cinema.
Burt Bacharach's tuneful, infectious score -- featuring Dusty
Springfield's "The Look Of Love" and the title track with Herb Alpert's
playful brass -- carries this lumbering picture to the point of being
watchable, and since it's one of my all-time favorites, I knocked the
film rating up an entire star simply because of its presence.
“Casino Royale” may be the very definition of a "curiosity
item," with its dated fashions, look and atmosphere, but make no
mistake: there are people who love the film for that very reason (and
it certainly was more of an influence on the Austin Powers series than
the actual 007 films).
Danjaq and MGM acquired “Casino Royale” from Columbia
Pictures a few years back and originally released a DVD edition in 2002
with a new transfer, a conversation with Val Guest and one other
important extra of note: the long-lost "Casino Royale" made-for-TV
effort from the '50s, starring a very American "Jimmy Bond" (played by
Barry Newman) taking on Peter Lorre. That first-ever filming of
Fleming's character has long been a part of Bond lore, and MGM offered
it on the first “Casino” disc....but, for whatever reason,
it’s not here in this new “Collector’s Edition”
release.
Aside from that omission, the new DVD includes an excellent Making Of
(split into five parts, running about an hour) with comments from Joe
McGrath, Val Guest, Jacqueline Bissett, Daliah Lavi, Woody
Allen’s manager Jack Rollins and others, all reflecting on the
movie’s chaotic shoot, Sellers’ odd behavior and eventual
split from the project in midstream (as well as his dislike for Orson
Welles, though -- no surprise here -- the feeling was mutual from
Welles’ side!). It’s one of the more compelling DVD docs
you’ll see, while a fine commentary from Bond experts Rubin and
Cork also puts the film into proper perspective. The transfer (16:9,
2.35) and 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack are both stronger than the prior
DVD release, with the original mono sound also on-hand.
Overall, the new special features make this DVD an invaluable release
for James Bond fans, even if you happen to loathe everything about
"Casino Royale" except Bacharach's classic score. New on DVD
Golden Age fans also have cause for celebration this week as Warner
rolls out a pair of highly-anticipated DVD box-sets in their
“Gangsters” and “Looney Tunes Golden
Collection” franchises.
The sixth edition of the LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION (413
mins., Warner) is bittersweet, however, in that the studio is ending
their annual retrospective of classic WB animated shorts with this
box-set -- though animation guru Jerry Beck has told fans there will be
plenty of classic Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies releases coming, albeit
in a different format, in 2009 and beyond.
In the meantime, Volume 6 gives fans plenty of nostalgic entertainment, with each disc again having its own theme and focus.
Disc One offers a general selection of “Looney Tunes All
Stars,” including “Hare Trigger” (with commentary by
filmmaker Greg Ford), “To Duck...or Not to Duck,”
“Birth of a Nation” (commentary by animator Mark Kausler),
“My Little Duckaroo,” “Crowing Pains,”
“Raw! Raw! Roster!” (with an alternate music only track),
“Heaven Scent,” “My Favorite Duck” (commentary
by Jerry Beck), “Jumpin’ Jupiter” (music-only audio
track), “Satan’s Waitin’,” “Hook, Line
and Sinker,” “Bear Feat,” “Dog Gone
South,” “A Ham in a Role,” and “Often and
Orphan.” Extras include four bonus shorts (“Boyhood
Daze” also with a music only track, “Hipperty
Hopper,” “Rabbit Rampage” also with a music only
track, and “Sniffles Takes a Trip”) and a pair of Looney
Tunes network TV specials (“Bugs Bunny in King Arthur’s
Court” and “Daffy Duck’s Easter Egg-Citement”).
WWII era shorts permeate Disc Two’s “Patriotic Pals,”
with shorts as varied as “Herr Meets Hare” (commentary from
Greg Ford), “Russian Rhapsody” (commentary by Mark
Kausler), “Daffy the Commando,” “Bosko the
Doughboy” (more Bosko shorts are on-hand in Disc 3),
“Rookie Revue,” “The Draft Horse” (commentary
by Greg Ford), “Wacky Blackout,” “The
Ducktators,” “The Weakly Reporter,” “Fifth
Column Mouse” (commentary by Jerry Beck), “Meet John
Doughboy,” “Hollywood Canine Canteen,” “By Word
of Mouse,” “Heir Conditioned,” and “Yankee Dood
It” (music only track). Extras include five different Friz
Freleng MGM shorts (“The Captain’s Christmas,”
“A Day at the Beach,” “Mama’s New Hat,”
“Poultry Pirates,” and “Seal Skinners”) and
three bonus cartoons (“Confusions of a Nutzy Spy,” The
Fighting 69½ th” and “Hop and Go”).
“Bosko, Buddy and Merrie Melodies” comprises Disc Three
with “Congo Jazz,” “Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!”,
“The Booze Hangs High,” “One More Time,”
“Bosko’s Picture Show,” “You Don’t Know
What You’re Doin!”, “We’re in the Money,”
“Ride Him, Bosko!”, “Shuffle Off to Buffalo”
(commentary by Jerry Beck), “Bosko in Person,” “The
Dish Ran Away with the Spoon”, “Buddy’s Day Out,
“Buddy’s Beer Garden, “Buddy’s Circus,”
and “A Cartoonist’s Nightmare” (commentary by Jerry
Beck). Extras on this platter include a “World of Leon
Schlesinger” featurette gallery paying tribute to the Merrie
Melodies producer, with an introduction from Jerry Beck and Martha
Sigall, the title sequence from “Haunted Gold,”
“Crying For the Carolines” and a “Schlesinger
Productions Christmas Party” with commentary from Beck and
Sigall. Four bonus shorts (“How Do I Know It’s
Sunday,” “I Like Mountain Music,” “I Love a
Parade” and “Sittin’ on a Backyard Fence”)
round out the disc.
Fan-requested shorts (“Assorted Nuts & One Shots”)
completes the collection, with “Horton Hatches the Egg,”
“Lights Fantastic,” “Fresh Airedale”
(commentary from Greg Ford), “Chow Hound,” “The Oily
American,” “It’s Hummer time,”
“Rocket-bye Baby,” “Goo Goo Goliath,”
“Wild Wife,” “Much Ado About Nutting,”
“The Hole Idea” (commentary from Mark Kausler plus a music
only track), “Now Hear This,” “Martian Through
Georgia” (music only track), “Page Miss Glory,” and
“Norman Normal.” Extras include the documentary “Mel
Blanc: The Man of a Thousand Voices” and four bonus shorts
(“Bartholomew Versus the Wheel,” “Punch Truck”
with a music and effects track, “Sleepy Time Possum” and
“Wild Wild World,” also with a music only track).
As with all prior “Golden Collection” anthologies the
colorful packaging accentuates the era and gives Looney Tunes fans
another essential release to add to the libraries. Hopefully Warner has
more treats in store in the future, though it’s disappointing to
see this series, at least for now, come to a close.
Still going strong, meanwhile, is Volume 4 of Warner’s outstanding, vintage GANGSTERS COLLECTION, which here assembles five Golden Age features from the studio, four of which star the great Edward G. Robinson.
As a fan of pre-code features 1933's THE LITTLE GIANT
offers most of the excitement here, with E.G. as bootlegger Bugs
Ahearn, who mixes it up with the Santa Barbara wealthy in this amusing
1933 First National-Vitaphone picture co-starring Mary Astor and Helen
Vinson. Extras include commentary from historians Daniel Bubbeo and
John McCarty, plus a “Warner Night at the Movies”
assortment of 1933 short subjects, cartoons, trailers and a vintage
newsreel (I used to love those VHS “Night at the Movies”
Warner assembled years ago, including “PT-109.”)
Robinson and Bette Davis teamed up with Humphrey Bogart in 1937's KID GALAHAD
with Robinson as a racketeer and boxing promoter while Bogart essays
his competitor in a memorable tale of “the sweet science”
and gangland melodrama from director Michael Curtiz -- the first of six
collaborations between the filmmaker and Bogart. Extras here include
commentary from historians Art Simon and Robert Sklar and a 1937
“Warner Night at the Movies” with a newsreel, comedy short
and three different classic cartoons.
Robinson and Bogart again toplined 1938's THE AMAZING DR. CLITTERHOUSE,
with E.G. as a psychiatrist who opts to join a gang of jewel thieves to
study their physical and mental states. A smart mix of crime drama and
memorable characters, with a John Wexley-John Huston script (based on a
stage play by Barre Lyndon), “The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse”
co-stars Claire Trevor, Donald Crisp and Gale Page, and arrives on DVD
with commentary from historians Drew Casper and Richard Jewell, a
“Warner Night at the Movies” 1938 assembly of trailers,
shorts and newsreels, and two radio plays with Robinson.
Bogart, George Raft, Jane Bryan, William Holden, Flora Robson and Paul Kelly make for a spectacular cast in the 1939 potboiler INVISIBLE STRIPES,
with Raft as an-ex con trying to play it straight for the sake of his
younger brother (Holden), only to turn to fellow criminal Bogart for
help after struggling back in the civilian world. This interesting
character study includes commentary from historians Alain Silver and
James Ursini plus another “Warner Night at the Movies”
assemblage of 1939 trailers, newsreels, musical shorts, a cartoon, and
even a historical Technicolor short “The Monroe Doctrine.”
Rounding out the package is the highly amusing 1942 Edward G. Robinson-led comedy-drama LARCENY, INC.,
with Robinson starring as an ex-con who tries to run a dog track with
pals Broderick Crawford and Edward Brophy. Along with Jane Wyman, the
trio open a shop in the hopes of tunneling into the bank next door in
this fun adaptation of Laura and S.J. Perelman’s Broadway play,
co-starring Jack Carson and a young Anthony Quinn. Warner’s DVD
includes commentary from historians Haden Guest and Dana Polan, plus
one last “Warner Night at the Movies” compilation of shorts
from 1942.
All transfers have been freshly remastered in their original
black-and-white, 1.33 aspect ratios, while a bonus sixth disc includes
the feature-length documentary “Public Enemies,” offering a
strong retrospective on the genre, its pre-code roots, censorship and
enduring legacy with copious film clips and historian interviews. Four
different bonus animated shorts round out the documentary disc, which
is presented in 16:9 widescreen. Highly recommended! New on Blu-Ray
RUDY (****, 114 mins., 1993, PG; Sony):
One of the great sports movies ever made, “Rudy” reunited
the production team from another genre classic -- "Hoosiers" -- in
telling the real-life story of a young man who wants desperately to
play football for Notre Dame, and makes up in heart and determination
what he lacks in talent and academic prowess.
Sean Astin is marvelous as Rudy Ruettiger in director David Anspaugh's
1993 film, which never hits a wrong note and feels authentic at every
turn. Shot on location at Notre Dame and other Indiana locales,
“Rudy” is as much about hard work and perseverance off the
field as it is success on it. Therein, of course, lies the great tale
of Rudy's story: after working his tail off to even get into N.D., he
never played at all until the last play of his final game at Notre
Dame, when he improbably sacked the opposing quarterback and was
carried off the field by his teammates -- a feat that never happened
before or since at the school.
The sensitive and moving script by Angelo Pizzo is marvelously acted by
Astin, Ned Beatty as Rudy's dad, Robert Prosky as a sympathetic priest,
Jon Favreau as his college tutor, and especially Charles S. Dutton as a
field manager at Notre Dame Stadium. Technically, the movie just feels
right, complimented by Oliver Wood's cinematography and Jerry
Goldsmith's perfectly nuanced score -- ranging from quiet,
introspective moments to rousing dramatic flourishes. Even if
you’re a humbug on the Fighting Irish itself, “Rudy”
is an undeniably satisfying and inspirational film that has weathered
the years splendidly.
Sony’s Blu-Ray disc looks spectacular and finely detailed, the
AVC transfer appearing like real film as opposed to a glossy,
“noise reduction” plagued presentation. The Dolby TrueHD
audio is satisfying when called upon though the extras disappoint in
that Goldsmith’s isolated score track has been dropped from the
Blu-Ray platter, though other extras (the brief featurette on the
actual Rudy, a vintage Making Of, and interview with Sean Astin) are
reprieved from the prior DVD release.
UNIVERSAL SOLDIER (**½, 1992, 102 mins., R; Lionsgate): Blu-Ray
edition of the entertaining 1992 Roland Emmerich sci-fi actioner, best
known for its teaming of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as
robotized soldiers, killed in Vietnam, who are brought back to life as
unstoppable super-combatants. With a better-than-average supporting
cast (Ally Walker, Jerry Orbach), this dumb but entertaining B-actioner
offers plenty of entertainment value for its target audience, with
well-executed action sequences and a fisticuff-laden finale.
Lion's Gate Blu-Ray edition of “Universal Soldier” offers a
well-rendered, new HD transfer with DTS Master Audio sound and extras
from the last Special Edition DVD, including commentary from Emmerich
and Dean Devlin, two Making Of featurettes, recent interviews with Van
Damme and Lundgren, plus an alternate ending and Blu-Ray exclusive
trivia track. Worth it for fans.
MONSTER’S BALL (***, 113 mins., 2001, R; Lionsgate):
Halle Berry’s Oscar winning performance is the cornerstone of
Marc Forster’s 2001 drama starring Billy Bob Thornton as a prison
guard who has an affair with the wife (Berry) of a man he’s
watching on Death Row. Heath Ledger, Mos Def, Sean “Puff
Daddy” Combs and Peter Boyle lend strong support to Milo Addica
and Will Rokos’ emotionally charged screenplay, which hits
Blu-Ray in a features-packed release from Lionsgate. The longer version
(113 minutes) of the film is included in a vibrant AVC encoded transfer
with DTS Master Audio sound along with commentary from the director and
writers; deleted scenes; cast and crew interviews; the trailer; Making
Of featurettes; and a look at Asche and Spencer’s original music.
BEETLEJUICE (***, 92 mins., 1988, PG; Warner):
No-frills Blu-Ray edition of Tim Burton’s 1988 afterlife comedy
offers up a fine VC-1 encoded transfer, deftly preserving the
film’s colorful visuals and even odder characters, and a robust
-- if not always well-utilized -- Dolby TrueHD soundtrack, featuring a
boisterous and memorable Danny Elfman score. Though billed as a 20th
Anniversary release, the disc is short on any meaningful extras, though
Elfman’s isolated score has been retained (contrary to its
omission on the packaging) as a listening option. Three episodes of the
“Beetlejuice” animated cartoon are also on-hand, plus the
trailer and a soundtrack sampler CD featuring a few cuts of
Elfman’s score and Harry Belafonte’s “Banana Boat
Song.” TV on DVD
THE INCREDIBLE HULK: Season 5 (1981-82, aprx. 6 hours; Universal):
The big green guy’s long run on the CBS airwaves came to an
inglorious end thanks to a strike-shortened/network-abbreviated Season
5.
In fact, it’s a wonder that there even was a Season 5 to begin
with, since these seven episodes exist mainly because producer Ken
Johnson opted to film an additional group of shows at the close of the
series’ fourth season in lieu of a looming union strike. These
“inbetween” episodes would also constitute the show’s
5th and final season since CBS canceled the series during the strike
and refused to let Johnson bring the series back as a mid-season
replacement and properly conclude the saga of David Banner.
Thus, these entertaining if routine final episodes (“The
Phenom,” “Two Godmothers,” “Veteran,”
“Sanctuary,” “Triangle,” “Slaves”
and “A Minor Problem”) were the last of the beloved series
to be produced, and were aired at irregular intervals during the
1981-82 season. Johnson, sadly, never got a chance to conclude the
series, though Bixby himself would return -- along with Ferrigno -- for
three NBC TV movies: “The Incredible Hulk Returns” (1987, a
backdoor pilot for Thor), “Trial of the Incredible Hulk”
(1989, a backdoor pilot for Daredevil), and the disappointing
“Death of the Incredible Hullk” in 1990, which played out
differently (and more downbeat) than Johnson would’ve liked.
Universal’s two-disc Season 5 set of the series offers these last
episodes of “The Incredible Hulk” in fine full-screen
transfers and 2.0 mono soundtracks. Extras include a featurette with
Johnson and several of the show’s writers reflecting on the end
of the series and how they would’ve liked to have finished it,
plus an amusing gag reel with some hilarious Bixby gaffes that fans
will love.
YOU’RE NOT ELECTED, CHARLIE BROWN (1972, 25 mins.; Warner):
Just in time for election day comes this entertaining 1972 special
starring the Peanuts gang, here paired with the 2006 -- and previously
unreleased -- special “He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown.”
“You’re Not Elected” finds good ol’ C.B.
backing pal Linus for class President, and trying to keep his
blanking-sucking buddy from sabotaging his campaign by referring to the
Great Pumpkin! A typically engaging Vince Guaraldi score and a charming
Charles Schultz script makes this one of the better Peanuts specials of
the ‘70s, backed here by another fine remastered transfer from
Warner Home Video that surpasses the prior Paramount DVD’s
presentation.
Another 15-minute Making Of retrospective includes comments from Bill
Melendez, Jeannie Schultz and others, reflecting on the show’s
origins and legacy, while the last Peanuts network special,
“He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown,” makes its DVD debut
with this release. It’s not one of the greatest Charlie Brown
stories but it’s a nice inclusion on a disc that should appeal to
all Peanuts fans.
THE UNIT Season 3 (484 mins., 2007; Fox): Season
three for one of CBS’ better network dramas from executive
producers Shawn Ryan (“The Shield”) and David Mamet again
follows a Delta Force-inspired unit as they take on the war on terror
through 11 strike-shortened episodes. Included in Fox’s latest
box-set are “Pandemonium” Parts 1 and 2, “Always Kiss
Them Goodbye,” “Every Step You Take,” “Inside
Out,” “M.Ps,” “Five Brothers,”
“Play 16,” “Binary Explosion,” “Gone
Missing” and “Side Angle Side.” 16:9 (1.78) transfers
and 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtracks adorn the three-disc set, which also
includes a smattering of commentaries, deleted scenes and a
“Writers’ Roundtable” featurette. Highly recommended
for series fans. NEXT
TIME: THE UNIVERSE in High Definition. Until
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