Stars: Canada Lee, Charles Carson, Sidney Poitier, Joyce Carey, Geoffrey Keen, Vivien Clinton, Michael Goodliffe, Albertina Temba, Edric Connor, Lionel Ngakane, Charles McRae | Written by John Howard Lawson | Directed by Zoltan Korda
Released in celebration of Black History Month, Studio Canal reveal this 4k Restoration of the seminal British classic from 1951, Cry, The Beloved Country. Not only do you get the 4k restoration of the movie from director Zoltan Korda, but there’s also new extras, and archive footage including a documentary on cinema under apartheid and a 16-page booklet.
So, why is the movie so important? Now over 70 years old, it features a moving, and emotional story, played out by some fabulous actors and, it feels very much ahead of its time covering the racial injustices of the period.
Cry, The Beloved Country was shot on location in South Africa (with interior shots in the U.K.), which was...
Released in celebration of Black History Month, Studio Canal reveal this 4k Restoration of the seminal British classic from 1951, Cry, The Beloved Country. Not only do you get the 4k restoration of the movie from director Zoltan Korda, but there’s also new extras, and archive footage including a documentary on cinema under apartheid and a 16-page booklet.
So, why is the movie so important? Now over 70 years old, it features a moving, and emotional story, played out by some fabulous actors and, it feels very much ahead of its time covering the racial injustices of the period.
Cry, The Beloved Country was shot on location in South Africa (with interior shots in the U.K.), which was...
- 10/12/2023
- by Alain Elliott
- Nerdly
Zoltan Korda’s 1951 adaptation of Alan Paton’s crusading novel is filled with passion and moral fortitude
Zoltan Korda’s thrilling movie version of Alan Paton’s novel was first released in 1951, when South Africa’s racist apartheid policy was only three years of age and maybe enough of a novelty to be thought of as something amenable to second thoughts, capable of being reformed or even abolished. Paton’s novel itself was published in 1948, the same year as apartheid appeared. Now this film is rereleased, revealing again that it has a crusading preacher’s urgency and moral seriousness, appropriate for a story of priests.
After a slow start, the movie hits a muscular, compelling stride; it is a drama with an obvious biblical parallel, but also a quite genuine Shakespearean resonance in the tragic dimension of its final act and the Montague/Capulet reconciliation it envisions for black and white,...
Zoltan Korda’s thrilling movie version of Alan Paton’s novel was first released in 1951, when South Africa’s racist apartheid policy was only three years of age and maybe enough of a novelty to be thought of as something amenable to second thoughts, capable of being reformed or even abolished. Paton’s novel itself was published in 1948, the same year as apartheid appeared. Now this film is rereleased, revealing again that it has a crusading preacher’s urgency and moral seriousness, appropriate for a story of priests.
After a slow start, the movie hits a muscular, compelling stride; it is a drama with an obvious biblical parallel, but also a quite genuine Shakespearean resonance in the tragic dimension of its final act and the Montague/Capulet reconciliation it envisions for black and white,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Hungary’s National Film Institute Filmlab is positioning itself to become Europe’s go-to facility for 35mm post-production, processing and restoration. Working alongside the Nfi Archive — which is moving ahead with an ambitious program of classic film restoration — the Filmlab aims to be a “one-stop shop for digital, analog, VFX, digital restoration and color grading” according to its head, Tamás Bódizs.
Bódizs, who was appointed director six months ago, nine years after he first joined the lab, started his film industry career as a television editor. Film is his passion, he says, and putting Hungary on the map as the go-to location for advanced analog work is a goal the lab has been working towards in recent years.
“This idea is one I share with the former director. We know we can do analog processing, and want to be known for this throughout Europe,” he says.
The lab has spent...
Bódizs, who was appointed director six months ago, nine years after he first joined the lab, started his film industry career as a television editor. Film is his passion, he says, and putting Hungary on the map as the go-to location for advanced analog work is a goal the lab has been working towards in recent years.
“This idea is one I share with the former director. We know we can do analog processing, and want to be known for this throughout Europe,” he says.
The lab has spent...
- 2/18/2023
- by Nick Holdsworth
- Variety Film + TV
“Introduce yourselves to her!”
I was having a breakfast interview in 1997 with Sidney Poitier at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel when two rather sleazy Hollywood types interrupted our conversation proffering their hands to the legendary actor. Poitier stood up and shook their hands while these two men began to blither on about the first Black actor to win a competitive Oscar for 1963’s “Lilies of the Field” and was the top box office draw in 1968. Finally, Poitier stopped them, pointed to me and in his best Virgil Tibbs voice uttered that command. They quickly shook my hand, and the conversation was soon over.
I interviewed Poitier four times from 1991-98 when I was at the Los Angeles Times. They were more than just conversations about a certain project or event. We had two-hour plus chats revolving numerous subjects including education and racism. These encounters were life changing. In fact, after our...
I was having a breakfast interview in 1997 with Sidney Poitier at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel when two rather sleazy Hollywood types interrupted our conversation proffering their hands to the legendary actor. Poitier stood up and shook their hands while these two men began to blither on about the first Black actor to win a competitive Oscar for 1963’s “Lilies of the Field” and was the top box office draw in 1968. Finally, Poitier stopped them, pointed to me and in his best Virgil Tibbs voice uttered that command. They quickly shook my hand, and the conversation was soon over.
I interviewed Poitier four times from 1991-98 when I was at the Los Angeles Times. They were more than just conversations about a certain project or event. We had two-hour plus chats revolving numerous subjects including education and racism. These encounters were life changing. In fact, after our...
- 9/28/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Director Kevin Reynolds’ graphic, gritty desert combat movie is about a lost tank in the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. Besides being 98 an unpleasant downer, it now reminds us that we got into the exact same fix just a decade after the Russkis threw in the towel. Cruel Russki soldiers commit atrocities against vengeful Moujahedin resistance, and there’s really nobody to root for. George Dzundza, Jason Patric, Steven Bauer and Stephen Baldwin endure a rough ordeal out in the dirt, hoping for the next war movie breakthrough hit.
The Beast
Region Free Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] #143
1988 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 111 min. / Street Date July 27, 2022 / The Beast of War / Available from Imprint / 39.95
Starring: George Dzundza, Jason Patric, Steven Bauer, Stephen Baldwin, Don Harvey, Kabir Bedi, Erick Avari, Haim Gerafi, Shosh Marciano.
Cinematography: Douglas Milsome
Production Designer: Kuli Sander
Art Director: Richard James
Film Editor: Peter Boyle
Original Music: Mark Isham
Written...
The Beast
Region Free Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] #143
1988 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 111 min. / Street Date July 27, 2022 / The Beast of War / Available from Imprint / 39.95
Starring: George Dzundza, Jason Patric, Steven Bauer, Stephen Baldwin, Don Harvey, Kabir Bedi, Erick Avari, Haim Gerafi, Shosh Marciano.
Cinematography: Douglas Milsome
Production Designer: Kuli Sander
Art Director: Richard James
Film Editor: Peter Boyle
Original Music: Mark Isham
Written...
- 8/16/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Cobra Woman
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1944/ 1:33 / 71 min.
Starring Maria Montez, Jon Hall, Sabu
Directed by Robert Siodmak
In the early 40’s Universal Pictures was still best known for its shadowy black and white horror shows. That all changed in 1944 when the studio produced the kind of candy-colored dreamland not seen since Dorothy woke up to Oz. The movie was Robert Siodmak’s Cobra Woman starring Maria Montez, Jon Hall and studio stalwart Lon Chaney Jr., last seen putting the bite on Louise Allbritton in Siodmak’s Son of Dracula. There aren’t any vampires in this florid South Sea adventure but this is Universal, after all – villagers are dying and the bite marks on their throats suggest Siodmak’s latest wouldn’t stray too far from the studio’s comfort zone.
Montez plays two roles, a moony island girl named Tollea and her twin sister Naja who rules far-off...
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1944/ 1:33 / 71 min.
Starring Maria Montez, Jon Hall, Sabu
Directed by Robert Siodmak
In the early 40’s Universal Pictures was still best known for its shadowy black and white horror shows. That all changed in 1944 when the studio produced the kind of candy-colored dreamland not seen since Dorothy woke up to Oz. The movie was Robert Siodmak’s Cobra Woman starring Maria Montez, Jon Hall and studio stalwart Lon Chaney Jr., last seen putting the bite on Louise Allbritton in Siodmak’s Son of Dracula. There aren’t any vampires in this florid South Sea adventure but this is Universal, after all – villagers are dying and the bite marks on their throats suggest Siodmak’s latest wouldn’t stray too far from the studio’s comfort zone.
Montez plays two roles, a moony island girl named Tollea and her twin sister Naja who rules far-off...
- 12/31/2019
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Lyon, France – Since its launch in 2015, Talking Pictures TV has become the fastest-growing independent channel in the U.K. with a growing library of British film and TV titles that span five decades, according to founder Noel Cronin.
Noel Cronin attended the Lumière Festival’s International Classic Film Market (Mifc) in Lyon, France, where he took part in a roundtable discussion on distribution of heritage cinema.
His 24-hour channel offers feature films and TV series from the 1930s to the 1980s, reaching some 850,000 viewers a day and 2.6 million a week. Talking Pictures TV is available in the U.K. on the Sky digital satellite platform, Freeview and other satellite outlets.
Talking Pictures TV grew out of Cronin’s DVD distribution company, Renown Pictures.
“We acquired several old libraries – mostly B-features, but good ones,” Cronin explains. “We started to release them on DVD and they sold quite well. … We felt there...
Noel Cronin attended the Lumière Festival’s International Classic Film Market (Mifc) in Lyon, France, where he took part in a roundtable discussion on distribution of heritage cinema.
His 24-hour channel offers feature films and TV series from the 1930s to the 1980s, reaching some 850,000 viewers a day and 2.6 million a week. Talking Pictures TV is available in the U.K. on the Sky digital satellite platform, Freeview and other satellite outlets.
Talking Pictures TV grew out of Cronin’s DVD distribution company, Renown Pictures.
“We acquired several old libraries – mostly B-features, but good ones,” Cronin explains. “We started to release them on DVD and they sold quite well. … We felt there...
- 10/19/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
8 random things that happened on this day in history (as it relates to showbiz). Happy April 3rd!
1882 Jesse James is Assassinated by the Coward Robert Ford (Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck recreating that for you above circa 2007).
1930 The 2nd Oscars are held with Broadway Melody taking Best Picture. (No film won more than 1 Oscar at that ceremony but that's less crazy than it sounds since there were only 7 categories then.)
1942 Zoltan Korda's The Jungle Book opens in movie theaters. It certainly won't be the last film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's wild boy and jungle animals adventure but it receives the most Oscar nominations of any of them by far in four categories
After the jump the historic 50th Oscar ceremony. So much good trivia awaits you...
1882 Jesse James is Assassinated by the Coward Robert Ford (Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck recreating that for you above circa 2007).
1930 The 2nd Oscars are held with Broadway Melody taking Best Picture. (No film won more than 1 Oscar at that ceremony but that's less crazy than it sounds since there were only 7 categories then.)
1942 Zoltan Korda's The Jungle Book opens in movie theaters. It certainly won't be the last film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's wild boy and jungle animals adventure but it receives the most Oscar nominations of any of them by far in four categories
After the jump the historic 50th Oscar ceremony. So much good trivia awaits you...
- 4/3/2019
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Nicholas Korda, an Emmy-winning sound editor who worked on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct and Dick Tracy for the big screen, has died. He was 73.
Korda died Oct. 8 at his Los Angeles home after a nine-year battle with brain cancer, his daughter, Sarah, announced.
Korda entered the industry as an assistant editor and went on to build a 40-year career as an Adr (automated dialogue replacement) editor on dozens of movies.
His father was Hungarian-born director Zoltan Korda (The Four Feathers, Humphrey Bogart's Sahara and Cry, the Beloved Country), and his mother was British ...
Korda died Oct. 8 at his Los Angeles home after a nine-year battle with brain cancer, his daughter, Sarah, announced.
Korda entered the industry as an assistant editor and went on to build a 40-year career as an Adr (automated dialogue replacement) editor on dozens of movies.
His father was Hungarian-born director Zoltan Korda (The Four Feathers, Humphrey Bogart's Sahara and Cry, the Beloved Country), and his mother was British ...
- 10/17/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Nicholas Korda, an Emmy-winning sound editor who worked on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct and Dick Tracy for the big screen, has died. He was 73.
Korda died Oct. 8 at his Los Angeles home after a nine-year battle with brain cancer, his daughter, Sarah, announced.
Korda entered the industry as an assistant editor and went on to build a 40-year career as an Adr (automated dialogue replacement) editor on dozens of movies.
His father was Hungarian-born director Zoltan Korda (The Four Feathers, Humphrey Bogart's Sahara and Cry, the Beloved Country), and his mother was British ...
Korda died Oct. 8 at his Los Angeles home after a nine-year battle with brain cancer, his daughter, Sarah, announced.
Korda entered the industry as an assistant editor and went on to build a 40-year career as an Adr (automated dialogue replacement) editor on dozens of movies.
His father was Hungarian-born director Zoltan Korda (The Four Feathers, Humphrey Bogart's Sahara and Cry, the Beloved Country), and his mother was British ...
- 10/17/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Next month will mark the return of New York City’s Quad Cinema, a theater reshaped and rebranded as a proper theater via the resources of Charles S. Cohen, head of the distribution outfit Cohen Media Group. While we got a few hints of the line-up during the initial announcement, they’ve now unveiled their first full repertory calendar, running from April 14th through May 4th, and it’s an embarassment of cinematic riches.
Including the previously revealed Lina Wertmüller retrospective, one inventive series that catches our eye is First Encounters, in which an artist will get to experience a film they’ve always wanted to see, but never have, and in which you’re invited to take part. The first match-ups in the series include Kenneth Lonergan‘s first viewing Edward Yang‘s Yi Yi, Noah Baumbach‘s first viewing of Withnail and I, John Turturro‘s first viewing of Pather Panchali,...
Including the previously revealed Lina Wertmüller retrospective, one inventive series that catches our eye is First Encounters, in which an artist will get to experience a film they’ve always wanted to see, but never have, and in which you’re invited to take part. The first match-ups in the series include Kenneth Lonergan‘s first viewing Edward Yang‘s Yi Yi, Noah Baumbach‘s first viewing of Withnail and I, John Turturro‘s first viewing of Pather Panchali,...
- 3/21/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
While the film that had the most direct influence on the forthcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII is certainly J.J. Abrams‘ The Force Awakens, director Rian Johnson has shared some key inspiration when it comes to the tone and themes of his upcoming sci-fi sequel. While he previously stated two inspirations for the Star Wars saga’s next installment, that list has expanded, thanks his talk at Star Wars Celebration Europe.
The list includes six titles that Johnson encouraged the story group of Lucasfilm to watch before filming began, a thematic lookbook that features a mixture of beloved classics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai and lesser-known gems such as 1943’s Sahara. However, Twelve O’Clock High still stands as Johnson’s top pick for most influential. The most recent film on this list is from 1960, suggesting Johnson’s cinematic influences are less peer-based than deeply embedded in a more classical style.
The list includes six titles that Johnson encouraged the story group of Lucasfilm to watch before filming began, a thematic lookbook that features a mixture of beloved classics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai and lesser-known gems such as 1943’s Sahara. However, Twelve O’Clock High still stands as Johnson’s top pick for most influential. The most recent film on this list is from 1960, suggesting Johnson’s cinematic influences are less peer-based than deeply embedded in a more classical style.
- 7/18/2016
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
Rex Ingram in 'The Thief of Bagdad' 1940 with tiny Sabu. Actor Rex Ingram movies on TCM: Early black film performer in 'Cabin in the Sky,' 'Anna Lucasta' It's somewhat unusual for two well-known film celebrities, whether past or present, to share the same name.* One such rarity is – or rather, are – the two movie people known as Rex Ingram;† one an Irish-born white director, the other an Illinois-born black actor. Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” continues today, Aug. 11, '15, with a day dedicated to the latter. Right now, TCM is showing Cabin in the Sky (1943), an all-black musical adaptation of the Faust tale that is notable as the first full-fledged feature film directed by another Illinois-born movie person, Vincente Minnelli. Also worth mentioning, the movie marked Lena Horne's first important appearance in a mainstream motion picture.§ A financial disappointment on the...
- 8/12/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Raymond Massey ca. 1940. Raymond Massey movies: From Lincoln to Boris Karloff Though hardly remembered today, the Toronto-born Raymond Massey was a top supporting player – and sometime lead – in both British and American movies from the early '30s all the way to the early '60s. During that period, Massey was featured in nearly 50 films. Turner Classic Movies generally selects the same old MGM / Rko / Warner Bros. stars for its annual “Summer Under the Stars” series. For that reason, it's great to see someone like Raymond Massey – who was with Warners in the '40s – be the focus of a whole day: Sat., Aug. 8, '15. (See TCM's Raymond Massey movie schedule further below.) Admittedly, despite his prestige – his stage credits included the title role in the short-lived 1931 Broadway production of Hamlet – the quality of Massey's performances varied wildly. Sometimes he could be quite effective; most of the time, however, he was an unabashed scenery chewer,...
- 8/8/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Marlon Brando in ‘A Dry White Season,’ James Earl Jones in ‘Cry the Beloved Country’: Apartheid movies (photo: Marlon Brando in ‘A Dry White Season’) (See previous post: “Nelson Mandela: Sidney Poitier and ‘Malcolm X’ Cameo Apperance.”) Besides the Nelson Mandela movies discussed in the previous two posts, South Africa’s apartheid has been portrayed in a number of films in the last few decades. Among the most notable ones are the following: Zoltan Korda’s Cry the Beloved Country (1951). Based on Alan Paton’s novel, this British-made film features Canada Lee and Charles Carson as two men struggling to deal with the disastrous consequences of apartheid. Ralph Nelson’s The Wilby Conspiracy (1975). Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine star as, respectively, an anti-apartheid South African activist and a British engineer on the run from South Africa’s secret police, headed by racist Nicol Williamson. Chris Menges’ A World Apart...
- 12/7/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Gregory Peck from ‘Duel in the Sun’ to ‘How the West Was Won’: TCM schedule (Pt) on August 15 (photo: Gregory Peck in ‘Duel in the Sun’) See previous post: “Gregory Peck Movies: Memorable Miscasting Tonight on Turner Classic Movies.” 3:00 Am Days Of Glory (1944). Director: Jacques Tourneur. Cast: Gregory Peck, Lowell Gilmore, Maria Palmer. Bw-86 mins. 4:30 Am Pork Chop Hill (1959). Director: Lewis Milestone. Cast: Gregory Peck, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn. Bw-98 mins. Letterbox Format. 6:15 Am The Valley Of Decision (1945). Director: Tay Garnett. Cast: Greer Garson, Gregory Peck, Donald Crisp. Bw-119 mins. 8:15 Am Spellbound (1945). Director: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Michael Chekhov, Leo G. Carroll, Rhonda Fleming, Bill Goodwin, Norman Lloyd, Steve Geray, John Emery, Donald Curtis, Art Baker, Wallace Ford, Regis Toomey, Paul Harvey, Jean Acker, Irving Bacon, Jacqueline deWit, Edward Fielding, Matt Moore, Addison Richards, Erskine Sanford, Constance Purdy. Bw-111 mins. 10:15 Am Designing Woman (1957). Director: Vincente Minnelli.
- 8/16/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Gregory Peck movies: Memorable miscasting in David O. Selznick’s Western Gregory Peck is Turner Classic Movies’ "Summer Under the Stars" star today, August 15, 2013. TCM is currently showing Raoul Walsh’s good-looking but not too exciting Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951), with Peck in the title role and Virginia Mayo as his leading lady. (See “Gregory Peck in ‘Duel in the Sun’: TCM movie schedule.”) (Photo: Gregory Peck ca. 1950.) Next in line is Zoltan Korda’s crime melodrama The Macomber Affair (1947), based on a story by Ernest Hemingway about a troubled married couple and their safari guide. This is another good-looking film — black-and-white cinematography by veteran Karl Struss, whose credits ranged from the 1920 Gloria Swanson melo Something to Think About to Charles Chaplin’s The Great Dictator. Unfortunately, the psychology, the romance, and some of the acting found in The Macomber Affair is — at best — superficial. Joan Bennett and Gregory Peck look great,...
- 8/16/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Sidney Poitier Movies Turner Classic Movies, Tuesday, August 7 6:00 Am Cry, The Beloved Country (1952) A South African minister travels to Johannesburg to find his missing son. Dir: Zoltan Korda. Cast: Canada Lee, Sidney Poitier, Charles Carson. Black and White-108 minutes. 8:00 Am Blackboard Jungle (1955) An idealistic teacher confronts the realities of juvenile delinquency. Dir: Richard Brooks. Cast: Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Louis Calhern, Sidney Poitier, Paul Mazursky, Vic Morrow, Margaret Hayes, Rafael Campos. Black and White-101 minutes. Letterbox. 10:00 Am Good-bye, My Lady (1956) A stray dog brings together a young boy and an old man in the Georgia swamps. Dir: [...]...
- 8/6/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Creative cinematographer and a key member of the Powell-Pressburger movie production team
Although the cinematographer Christopher Challis, who has died aged 93, was an essential member of the Archers production company of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, he joined them as director of photography at the time of their decline. However, he worked on more of the great British writing-directing team's films than any other cinematographer. These eccentric, extravagant, intelligent and witty fantasies went against the British realist tradition, allowing more scope for a creative cinematographer such as Challis. The sensuous use of Technicolor and flamboyant sets and designs made them closer to the MGM world of Vincente Minnelli and of Stanley Donen, who used Challis on six of his films.
Perhaps Challis's finest achievement was on Powell and Pressburger's The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) which, as he explained, had "no optical effects or tricks. It was all edited in...
Although the cinematographer Christopher Challis, who has died aged 93, was an essential member of the Archers production company of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, he joined them as director of photography at the time of their decline. However, he worked on more of the great British writing-directing team's films than any other cinematographer. These eccentric, extravagant, intelligent and witty fantasies went against the British realist tradition, allowing more scope for a creative cinematographer such as Challis. The sensuous use of Technicolor and flamboyant sets and designs made them closer to the MGM world of Vincente Minnelli and of Stanley Donen, who used Challis on six of his films.
Perhaps Challis's finest achievement was on Powell and Pressburger's The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) which, as he explained, had "no optical effects or tricks. It was all edited in...
- 6/10/2012
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Best Contemporary Titles
Winner: "The Tree of Life"
Runner-up: "Black Swan"
Love it or hate it, Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" is visually the most luscious film of the year and Blu-ray transfer recreates this in perfect detail. No digital artifacts or enhancements are done here, there is a bit of grain but that's expected with the photography on offer, while the IMAX 65mm sequences are true visual wonders.
Coming in second is my favourite film of last year, Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller "Black Swan". Here is a challenge of a different sort, a film shot on both 16mm film and off the shelf Dslr video cameras. The result is a deliberately soft and grainy handheld-style image which lends a realistic documentary feel to proceedings and could look terrible if the Blu-ray transfer was handled poorly. Full kudos to Fox for a high quality presentation lacking in...
Winner: "The Tree of Life"
Runner-up: "Black Swan"
Love it or hate it, Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" is visually the most luscious film of the year and Blu-ray transfer recreates this in perfect detail. No digital artifacts or enhancements are done here, there is a bit of grain but that's expected with the photography on offer, while the IMAX 65mm sequences are true visual wonders.
Coming in second is my favourite film of last year, Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller "Black Swan". Here is a challenge of a different sort, a film shot on both 16mm film and off the shelf Dslr video cameras. The result is a deliberately soft and grainy handheld-style image which lends a realistic documentary feel to proceedings and could look terrible if the Blu-ray transfer was handled poorly. Full kudos to Fox for a high quality presentation lacking in...
- 1/3/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The Four Feathers Directed by: Zoltán Korda Written by: R. C. Sherriff Starring: John Clements, Ralph Richardson, C. Aubrey Smith, June Duprez Billed as a sort of adventure film, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from The Four Feathers. Even though the tale has been told on film multiple times, I went in to it knowing nothing about the story and was pleasantly surprised. The film is set in the 1890's during the Mahdist War. I won't claim to have heard of this particular war previous to this film, nor will I act as any sort of expert on the background of this conflict (something to do with the British colonization of Africa). The lead character, Harry Faversham (played by John Clements) was brought up in a family rooted in military history. He's a member of the British Army but resigns on the eve of a massive deployment to Khartoum.
- 12/12/2011
- by Jay C.
- FilmJunk
"One of the most fascinating and entertaining asides in British cinema, Sabu is just meta-colonial enough to maintain relevance," writes Joseph Jon Lanthier in Slant, wrapping his review of the 30th package in Criterion's Eclipse series, Sabu!
Michael Koresky on Sabu's debut: "The seeds of Elephant Boy were sown in 1929, when [Robert] Flaherty, famous for his groundbreaking 1922 Eskimo documentary, Nanook of the North, approached Alexander Korda about doing a story, set in Mexico, about a boy and his bull. Korda wanted to work with Flaherty but changed the bull to an elephant, basing his idea on his favorite Kipling tale. When production began years later, Flaherty shot more than 55 hours of footage in India; meanwhile, Zoltán Korda was commissioned to direct the more story-driven scenes at England's Denham Studios, for which Sabu was flown in. What could have been a schizophrenic film instead became a masterful amalgamation of its two parts,...
Michael Koresky on Sabu's debut: "The seeds of Elephant Boy were sown in 1929, when [Robert] Flaherty, famous for his groundbreaking 1922 Eskimo documentary, Nanook of the North, approached Alexander Korda about doing a story, set in Mexico, about a boy and his bull. Korda wanted to work with Flaherty but changed the bull to an elephant, basing his idea on his favorite Kipling tale. When production began years later, Flaherty shot more than 55 hours of footage in India; meanwhile, Zoltán Korda was commissioned to direct the more story-driven scenes at England's Denham Studios, for which Sabu was flown in. What could have been a schizophrenic film instead became a masterful amalgamation of its two parts,...
- 11/30/2011
- MUBI
DVD Playhouse—November 2011
By Allen Gardner
Tree Of Life (20th Century Fox) Terrence Malick’s latest effort is both the best film of 2011 and the finest work of his (arguably) mixed, but often masterly canon. A series of vignettes, mostly set in 1950s Texas, capture the memory of a man (Sean Penn) in present-day New York who looks back on his life, and his parents’ (Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain) troubled marriage, when word of his younger brother’s suicide reaches him. Almost indescribable beyond that, except to say no other film in history so perfectly evokes the magic and mystery of the human memory, which both crystalizes (and sometimes idealizes) the past. Like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, this is a challenging, polarizing work that you must let wash over you. If you go along for the ride, you’re in for a unique, rewarding cinematic experience. Also available on Blu-ray disc.
By Allen Gardner
Tree Of Life (20th Century Fox) Terrence Malick’s latest effort is both the best film of 2011 and the finest work of his (arguably) mixed, but often masterly canon. A series of vignettes, mostly set in 1950s Texas, capture the memory of a man (Sean Penn) in present-day New York who looks back on his life, and his parents’ (Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain) troubled marriage, when word of his younger brother’s suicide reaches him. Almost indescribable beyond that, except to say no other film in history so perfectly evokes the magic and mystery of the human memory, which both crystalizes (and sometimes idealizes) the past. Like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, this is a challenging, polarizing work that you must let wash over you. If you go along for the ride, you’re in for a unique, rewarding cinematic experience. Also available on Blu-ray disc.
- 11/25/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
When deciding which film adaptation of A.E.W. Mason’s classic novel The Four Feathers was best, you have a number of films to choose between, and each has their own set of pros and cons. The 2002 and most recent iteration had modest performances with outstanding visuals, but set against a poorly plotted take on the tale. While not an utter trainwreck, when compared to Zoltan Korda’s iteration, it’s impossible not to see how the 1939 classic easily outclasses its sanitized 2002 counterpart in acting, storytelling, and direction. Shot in Technicolor, The Four Feathers stars John Clements as the shamed soldier Harry Faversham who takes upon an epic quest across continents to redeem himself in the eyes of his friends and fiancée. Now, 72 years later, The Criterion Collection has brought the beautifully restored film and all its themes of honor and social class to Blu-ray with a restored version which, while...
- 10/17/2011
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
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“The Four Feathers” (The Criterion Collection)
On DVD and Blu-Ray
By Raymond Benson
Based on A.E.W. Mason’s classic 1902 adventure novel, The Four Feathers had been made three times before this definitive version of a “British Empire Adventure Film” was released in 1939. Produced by Hungarian-born but UK-based Alexander Korda, one of the great filmmakers of British cinema, and directed by his brother Zoltan Korda, The Four Feathers represents the best of what England had to offer during its day, as well as the epitome of the kind of yarns spun by Kipling and his ilk.
In vivid Technicolor and sporting a cast of hundreds of ethnic extras, the picture captures the grand Victorian era of the British military and takes place mostly in Africa some ten years or so after the fall of Khartoum. The story is simple (albeit somewhat improbable):...
“The Four Feathers” (The Criterion Collection)
On DVD and Blu-Ray
By Raymond Benson
Based on A.E.W. Mason’s classic 1902 adventure novel, The Four Feathers had been made three times before this definitive version of a “British Empire Adventure Film” was released in 1939. Produced by Hungarian-born but UK-based Alexander Korda, one of the great filmmakers of British cinema, and directed by his brother Zoltan Korda, The Four Feathers represents the best of what England had to offer during its day, as well as the epitome of the kind of yarns spun by Kipling and his ilk.
In vivid Technicolor and sporting a cast of hundreds of ethnic extras, the picture captures the grand Victorian era of the British military and takes place mostly in Africa some ten years or so after the fall of Khartoum. The story is simple (albeit somewhat improbable):...
- 10/12/2011
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Rank the week of October 14th’s Blu-ray and DVD new releases against the best films of all-time: New Releases Green Lantern
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #2480
Win Percentage: 43%
Times Ranked: 6760
Top-20 Rankings: 25
Directed By: Martin Campbell
Starring: Ryan Reynolds • Blake Lively • Peter Sarsgaard • Mark Strong • Temuera Morrison
Genres: Action • Action Thriller • Based-on-Comics • Comic-Book Superhero Film • Crime • Crime Thriller • Science Fiction • Sci-Fi Action • Thriller
Rank This Movie
Horrible Bosses
(Blu-ray & DVD | Nr | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #750
Win Percentage: 54%
Times Ranked: 6278
Top-20 Rankings: 23
Directed By: Seth Gordon
Starring: Jason Bateman • Jason Sudeikis • Jennifer Aniston • Kevin Spacey • Jamie Foxx
Genres: Black Comedy • Comedy • Workplace Comedy
Rank This Movie
Zookeeper
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #10259
Win Percentage: 37%
Times Ranked: 470
Top-20 Rankings: 9
Directed By: Frank Coraci
Starring: Kevin James • Rosario Dawson • Leslie Bibb • Ken Jeong • Donnie Wahlberg
Genres: Animal Picture • Comedy • Family-Oriented Comedy
Rank This Movie
Judy Moody And The Not Bummer Summer
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG...
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #2480
Win Percentage: 43%
Times Ranked: 6760
Top-20 Rankings: 25
Directed By: Martin Campbell
Starring: Ryan Reynolds • Blake Lively • Peter Sarsgaard • Mark Strong • Temuera Morrison
Genres: Action • Action Thriller • Based-on-Comics • Comic-Book Superhero Film • Crime • Crime Thriller • Science Fiction • Sci-Fi Action • Thriller
Rank This Movie
Horrible Bosses
(Blu-ray & DVD | Nr | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #750
Win Percentage: 54%
Times Ranked: 6278
Top-20 Rankings: 23
Directed By: Seth Gordon
Starring: Jason Bateman • Jason Sudeikis • Jennifer Aniston • Kevin Spacey • Jamie Foxx
Genres: Black Comedy • Comedy • Workplace Comedy
Rank This Movie
Zookeeper
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #10259
Win Percentage: 37%
Times Ranked: 470
Top-20 Rankings: 9
Directed By: Frank Coraci
Starring: Kevin James • Rosario Dawson • Leslie Bibb • Ken Jeong • Donnie Wahlberg
Genres: Animal Picture • Comedy • Family-Oriented Comedy
Rank This Movie
Judy Moody And The Not Bummer Summer
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG...
- 10/11/2011
- by Jonathan Hardesty
- Flickchart
Ann Blyth is Turner Classic Movies Star of the Evening tonight, as part of TCM's "The Essentials" film series. [Ann Blyth Movie Schedule.] Opera- and Broadway-trained Ann Blyth began her film career in the mid-1940s at Universal, appearing in light B musicals opposite Donald O'Connor and/or Peggy Ryan, among them The Merry Monahans, Chip Off the Old Block, and Babes on Swing Street. Blyth's big break came in 1945, when — following back surgery — she played Joan Crawford's pathologically selfish daughter Veda in Michael Curtiz's classic film noir-cum-melodrama Mildred Pierce. A well-deserved Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination followed, and so did leads in darker, bigger-budgeted productions, among them Jules Dassin's Brute Force (1947), with Burt Lancaster; Zoltan Korda's A Woman's Vengeance (1948), opposite Charles Boyer; and Michael Gordon's film version of Lillian Hellman's Another Part of the Forest (1948), a prequel to The Little Foxes. Unfortunately, TCM isn't showing any of Blyth's hard-to-find Universal titles.
- 9/18/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Release Date: Nov. 29, 2011
Price: DVD $44.95
Studio: Criterion
The young Indian actor Sabu is featured in Criterion's latest Eclipse Series installment.
Eclipse Series 30: Sabu! focuses on the films of the the Indian actor known as Sabu (born Selar Shaik), who, in the 1930s and 1940s, captured the hearts of moviegoers in Britain and the United States as a completely new kind of big-screen icon.
Sabu was a maharaja’s elephant driver when he was discovered by documentary trailblazer Robert Flaherty (Nanook of the North). Flaherty cast Sabu as the lead in Elephant Boy, a Rudyard Kipling movie adaptation Flaherty directed with Zoltán Korda (The Four Feathers) that would prove to be enormously popular.
Sabu went on to headline a series of classic fantasie films and adventures, transcending the exoticism projected onto him by commanding the screen with effortless grace and humor.
The Eclipse DVD collects three of the lavish movies...
Price: DVD $44.95
Studio: Criterion
The young Indian actor Sabu is featured in Criterion's latest Eclipse Series installment.
Eclipse Series 30: Sabu! focuses on the films of the the Indian actor known as Sabu (born Selar Shaik), who, in the 1930s and 1940s, captured the hearts of moviegoers in Britain and the United States as a completely new kind of big-screen icon.
Sabu was a maharaja’s elephant driver when he was discovered by documentary trailblazer Robert Flaherty (Nanook of the North). Flaherty cast Sabu as the lead in Elephant Boy, a Rudyard Kipling movie adaptation Flaherty directed with Zoltán Korda (The Four Feathers) that would prove to be enormously popular.
Sabu went on to headline a series of classic fantasie films and adventures, transcending the exoticism projected onto him by commanding the screen with effortless grace and humor.
The Eclipse DVD collects three of the lavish movies...
- 8/26/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Jennifer Jones, Humphrey Bogart, Gina Lollobrigida, Beat the Devil Humphrey Bogart on TCM: The Caine Mutiny, The Maltese Falcon, Sahara Schedule (Et) and synopses from the TCM website: 6:00 Am Bogart: The Untold Story (1996) Stephen Bogart hosts this one-hour special on the life and career of his legendary father, Humphrey Bogart. Dir: Chris Hunt. Cast: Stephen Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Robert Sklar. C-46 mins. 7:00 Am Bullets Or Ballots (1936) A cop goes undercover to crack an influential crime ring. Dir: William Keighley. Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Blondell, Barton MacLane. Bw-82 mins. 8:30 Am San Quentin (1937) A convict's sister falls for the captain of the prison guards. Dir: Lloyd Bacon. Cast: Pat O'Brien, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan. Bw-70 mins. 9:45 Am King Of The Underworld (1939) A lady doctor gets mixed up with a criminal gang. Dir: Lewis Seiler. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Kay Francis, James Stephenson. Bw-67 mins. 11:00 Am To Have And Have Not...
- 8/18/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Humphrey Bogart, the most revered Old Hollywood tough guy, is Turner Classic Movies' Star of the Day this Wednesday as TCM continues its "Summer Under the Stars" film series.[Humphrey Bogart Movie Schedule.] My favorite tough guy — by far — is Edward G. Robinson. The star of Little Caesar, The Sea Wolf, House of Strangers, Key Largo, etc. is followed by James Cagney — when in psycho mode — and a whole bunch of tough dames, among them Barbara Stanwyck, Jane Greer, Ann Sheridan, and Ida Lupino. Bogart isn't on my list. In the aforementioned Key Largo, for instance, he is all but eviscerated by Robinson's charisma. TCM is currently showing John Huston's The Maltese Falcon (1941), officially Hollywood's first film noir and one of the most widely admired classics of the studio era. Needless to say, I'm at odds with the general consensus. I much prefer Roy Del Ruth's less atmospheric but more entertaining 1931 version...
- 8/18/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Release Date: Oct. 11, 2011
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
The spectacular 1939 Technicolor epic The Four Feathers, directed by Zoltán Korda (Jungle Book), is considered the finest of the many adaptations of A.E.W. Mason’s classic 1902 adventure novel about the British Empire’s exploits in Africa.
Set at the end of the 19th century, the adventure film follows the travails of a young officer (John Clements, Rembrandt) accused of cowardice after he resigns his post on the eve of a major deployment to Khartoum. Ultimately, he must fight to redeem himself in the eyes of his fellow officers and fiancée (June Duprez, The Thief of Bagdad).
Featuring music by Miklós Rózsa (The Killers) and Oscar-nominated cinematography by Georges Périnal (The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp), The Four Feathers remains a timeless, thunderous movie epic.
The film was remade by Shekhar Kapur in 2002. Not nearly as invigorating as the Korda version, the...
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
The spectacular 1939 Technicolor epic The Four Feathers, directed by Zoltán Korda (Jungle Book), is considered the finest of the many adaptations of A.E.W. Mason’s classic 1902 adventure novel about the British Empire’s exploits in Africa.
Set at the end of the 19th century, the adventure film follows the travails of a young officer (John Clements, Rembrandt) accused of cowardice after he resigns his post on the eve of a major deployment to Khartoum. Ultimately, he must fight to redeem himself in the eyes of his fellow officers and fiancée (June Duprez, The Thief of Bagdad).
Featuring music by Miklós Rózsa (The Killers) and Oscar-nominated cinematography by Georges Périnal (The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp), The Four Feathers remains a timeless, thunderous movie epic.
The film was remade by Shekhar Kapur in 2002. Not nearly as invigorating as the Korda version, the...
- 8/8/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
A new photo of Karl Urban as Judge Dredd in Dredd.
More photos from the Iceland set of Ridley Scott's Prometheus shows various props including a very Giger-esque wall; Zac Efron dressed as a race car driver for Heartland; and an uglified Vanessa Hudgens shooting Gimme Shelter.
A spectacular final poster for Captain America, the first one-sheet for Take Shelter, and twelve character banners for The Three Musketeers.
"Though filming on the adaptation of Jack Kerouac‘s "On The Road" finished last year, director Walter Salles and actor Garrett Hedlund along with a five person crew took a two-week journey across America to shoot more footage…" (full details)
"AMC’s critical darling "Breaking Bad" returned Sunday night with the fourth season premiere delivering the show's highest ratings yet with a total of 2.6 million viewers and 1.5 million adults 18-49 - up 30% from the third season premiere…" (full details)
"Gunnar Hansen,...
More photos from the Iceland set of Ridley Scott's Prometheus shows various props including a very Giger-esque wall; Zac Efron dressed as a race car driver for Heartland; and an uglified Vanessa Hudgens shooting Gimme Shelter.
A spectacular final poster for Captain America, the first one-sheet for Take Shelter, and twelve character banners for The Three Musketeers.
"Though filming on the adaptation of Jack Kerouac‘s "On The Road" finished last year, director Walter Salles and actor Garrett Hedlund along with a five person crew took a two-week journey across America to shoot more footage…" (full details)
"AMC’s critical darling "Breaking Bad" returned Sunday night with the fourth season premiere delivering the show's highest ratings yet with a total of 2.6 million viewers and 1.5 million adults 18-49 - up 30% from the third season premiere…" (full details)
"Gunnar Hansen,...
- 7/18/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Lawrence of Arabia Turner Classic Movies' "Race and Hollywood: Arab Images on Film" continues this evening with four movies about European powers and their difficult relationship with "the Arab races": Lawrence of Arabia, Lion of the Desert, The Four Feathers, and Young Winston. In David Lean's sprawling Lawrence of Arabia, Peter O'Toole is a much taller version of T. E. Lawrence, the Englishman who fought alongside Arabs at the time of World War I. Lawrence of Arabia won a total of seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director; it's also considered by many one of the greatest movies ever made. Personally, I find Lawrence of Arabia great-looking but much too long: 227 minutes. Also, at times I couldn't quite figure out what Lean's and screenwriter Robert Bolt's political take was; I'm not sure if their vision is just too muddled and wishy-washy, or...
- 7/13/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
This past week Criterion put up a ton of new content on their Hulu Plus page, a number totaling 37. What’s even more interesting is that they put 10 films that aren’t in the collection or any of their Eclipse sets either, which is always an exciting time for film fans everywhere. As per usual, I’ll be listing the films with the links to their respective pages. This entry will just focus on the non-Criterion collection films for the moment. Also, to keep this article going, please sign up using this link. I’ve already had one person do so, and every time one of you does so, it gives another 2 weeks. So a huge thank you to anyone who signs up.
Q Planes (1939), a film by Arthur B. Woods and Tim Whelan, stars Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Valerie Hobson. Produced by Alexander Korda, it’s about a...
Q Planes (1939), a film by Arthur B. Woods and Tim Whelan, stars Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Valerie Hobson. Produced by Alexander Korda, it’s about a...
- 5/21/2011
- by James McCormick
- CriterionCast
Philip French salutes a landmark movie from the dawn of apartheid in South Africa
This remarkable if somewhat solemn adaptation of Alan Paton's classic novel, published in 1948 on the eve of apartheid, is a milestone in political cinema and the presentation of black characters. Directed by Zoltan Korda (previously a specialist in British imperial movies) and co-scripted by an uncredited John Howard Lawson (blacklisted member of the "Hollywood 10"), it stars the great black American actor and activist Canada Lee as an Anglican priest in rural Natal and Charles Carson as a white farmer, brought together in Johannesburg through the entwined fates of their sons. Shot on South African locations by Robert Krasker (who'd just won an Oscar for The Third Man), it provides a vivid and moving portrait of a cruelly divided society of exploited, uprooted black people and troubled, guilty white people and has strong biblical undertones. In one of his earliest roles,...
This remarkable if somewhat solemn adaptation of Alan Paton's classic novel, published in 1948 on the eve of apartheid, is a milestone in political cinema and the presentation of black characters. Directed by Zoltan Korda (previously a specialist in British imperial movies) and co-scripted by an uncredited John Howard Lawson (blacklisted member of the "Hollywood 10"), it stars the great black American actor and activist Canada Lee as an Anglican priest in rural Natal and Charles Carson as a white farmer, brought together in Johannesburg through the entwined fates of their sons. Shot on South African locations by Robert Krasker (who'd just won an Oscar for The Third Man), it provides a vivid and moving portrait of a cruelly divided society of exploited, uprooted black people and troubled, guilty white people and has strong biblical undertones. In one of his earliest roles,...
- 2/7/2010
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
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