DVD Spin Doctor

Blu-ray review: Kurosawa's 'Kagemusha'

Criterion's Blu-ray of Akira Kurosawa's late-period masterpiece "Kagemusha" merits a table-pounding call for owners of the previous DVD to upgrade. It's that work of alchemy we've been waiting for since the classics label got into the HD game.

Purists who hated Kurosawa's move from soulful black and white into color will find plenty of aggravation here. The colors are amazingly saturated -- almost to the point where you wonder about the authenticity. Compared with the standard definition DVD of 2005, it's like watching another movie. An even more exciting movie.

The Blu-ray's 4.0 audio adds to the myriad visual pleasures. Shinichiro Ikebe's score comes across strong, with vivid separation across the three front speakers. The taiko drums roll out just like thunder while the rush of hooves fills the listener's room.

All of this comes together in the opening scene, in which a messenger runs past the colorful banners and uniforms of various companies of soldiers on his way to headquarters. By the time he gets to the purple gang, you know you're in for something special with this Blu-ray presentation.

The Criterion Collection has rereleased "Kageusha" on Blu-ray in a single-disc version that includes the thick booklet that came with the DVD (missing about an inch of width). The aspect ratio remains 1.8:5 and the running time is three hours, the full Japanese version.

The 1970s film stock retained a fair amount of grain, but that texture feels naturalistic -- it comes to us honestly and is rendered harmless by the raging colors, anyway. Contrasts are remarkably strong and there is a good dimensional pop in spots. There is some softness throughout. Wear has been banished.

"Kagemusha" offers more of a curious tale of adventure than an emotional experience on the level of Kurosawa's greatest dramas. The director deliberately keeps his characters at a distance. The movie tells of a thief who is pressed into service as a double after a great warlord dies. He grows into the job, but not nearly enough to save the mountain clan. ("Kagemusha's" cool subtitle is "The Shadow Warrior.")

The film covers the chaotic years of 1573-75, in which clans battled for control of Japan. The samurai who once fought with swords picked up rifles, a sudden advance in the art of war that led to the infamous slaughter at Nagashima and eventually to the unification of Japan. This is the world of "Kagemusha."

Akira Kurosawa "always had a great story to tell," says director George Lucas, who along with Francis Ford Coppola executive produced the film after Kurosawa struggled with financing. They brought clout and money, essentially allowing the film to be made.

The master director had feared the film would never be made and had set about telling the story via his incredibly detailed storyboards. (Some of the more dramatic storyboards reappear on the Blu-ray in a split-screen comparison with finished scenes.)

Criterion's extras from the 2005 double-disc DVD have been ported over. You can read about them in this DVD blog's review of the previous Criterion "Kagemusha." There are no additional bonus features for this high definition edition, which is fine given the generous collection already assembled. There was backstage drama to burn on this production, and it's all there in the extras.

More Kurosawa DVD reviews
High and Low
Ran & Throne of Blood

Criterion adds streaming videos, Blu-ray dates

The Criterion Collection just went public with a web site redesign, which looks both familiar and new. And it comes with a surprise.

The high-end DVD company now offers streaming video, with Criterion classics going for $5 a pop (as "rentals"). This is in line with the going rate.

Here are some of the films now streaming at a Criterion web site near you:

• "Sans Soleil," that wonderfully spacey travelogue from Chris Marker.
• "Lord of the Flies," that odd classic about kids gone wild.
• "Au Revoir les Enfants," Louis Malle's semi-autobiographical tale.
• "Juliet of the Spirits," Fellini's trippy profile of a betrayed wife.
• "Solaris,: that spaced-out Russian sci-fi downer.
• The Thief of Bagdad, Technicolor fantasy from Alexander Korda and Michael Powell.

Sure, they all should be seen on larger screens, but this streaming feature should be handy for traveling and killing serious time in unlikely places. Plus, the price is right as a preview for the real Criterion DVDs. View the full list of streaming art films at the Criterion Collection's Online Cinematheque.

Criterion also adds a "new social experience" via a linkup with The Auteurs. It's still in beta. The link is on the bottom left of the Criterion home page.

Meanwhile, the site lists some revised release dates for Criterion's Blu-ray slate: On Dec. 16 expect "The Thin Man," "The Man Who Fell to Earth," "Bottle Rocket" and "Chungking Express." In January, the listings have "El Norte" and "The Last Emperor."

What's with the multiple delays?

“If our Blu-ray discs are going to come out, then they’d better look right,” Criterion’s technical director Lee Kline told Video Business. “We had to make sure that the compression was right, that the audio encoding was up to par. And we had to make sure that the discs played on all players, particularly the older generation models, as well as PlayStation."

The Criterion Blu-rays won't come in the customary blue cases. They'll have a sticker on the shrink wrap and some kind of marking on the back of the case. Curious. 

(Check out the Criterion Blu-rays at Amazon, please.) 

New DVDs: Criterion's 'Thief of Bagdad'

"The Thief of Bagdad" makes schoolboys out of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola.

The two great American directors contribute a commentary to the Criterion Collection's double-disc DVD version of the 1940 fantasy classic, an "Arabian Nights"-like tale complete with a genie in the bottle.

Scorsese and Coppola try to stick to their knitting -- breaking down the early Technicolor film's dazzling special effects, the editing and acting and such -- but for the most part they're nostalgia-sodden fans, remembering how it was as boys, letting the "Thief of Bagdad" magic wash over them.

"It's like a family heirloom," says Coppola, who passed his love of the film on to his director daughter and son. A recent gift from the kids to dad was a 35mm version of the film.

Scorsese tries to explain how the film's appeal never faded: "It's childlike but not childish. ... Irony free."

Ray Harryhausen, who went on to revolutionize visual effects with fantasies such as "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" and "Jason and the Argonauts," seems spellbound by the movie as well.

"Every scene was a masterpiece of composition, of color and particularly the costumes. ... Magic on the screen."

Criterion's long-awaited release includes a beautiful restored version of the film, the audio commentaries with the directors (recorded separately), a second fact-filled talk by film historian Bruce Eder (another lover of the film), and a music and effects track.

On disc 2, the supplements include a talky but solid half-hour docu about the film's special effects innovations, including blue screens; audio tapes of director Michael Powell talking about the project, the effects of war breaking out, and working with top-billed producer Alexander Korda; and a 1976 audio interview with maestro Miklos Rozsa.

The film features high-energy work from boy star Sabu (the thief) and John Justin (the dashing hero), but everyone on the DVD wants to talk about the power of the German actor Conrad Veidt ("Doctor Caligari," "Casablanca").

Veidt played the villain, a hypnotist and magician. "His eyes were extraordinary," Scorsese says.

Director Powell recalled, "I never forgot that I was working with a great star who knew where the camera was -- as well as I did."

Coppola coos over Veidt's performance -- "so mysterious and so passionate" -- adding that he actually paid money for an autographed photo of the man.

Also circling the DVD blog's players this week:

• Cassandra's Dream: Woody Allen continues his explorations of the dark side of life across the pond with a tale of two brothers talked into committing murder for profit. Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell are splendid as the dumb and dumber duo who do the deed. Like a lower-caste "Match Point," only better.
• Gunsmoke: Second Season, Vol. 2: I have a new appreciation for "Gunsmoke," having reviewed a couple of these box sets from the CBS perennial's early years. Season 1 was the best, I suspect, but here is more action from the same era. Check out Kitty as a hottie and Matt as a death-dealer. Cool.
• The Invaders: The First Season: Appointment TV for 13-year-old me. Can't say if it holds up.

New and notable:

Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Everything (BBC Video/Warner)
Cassandra's Dream (The Weinstein Co./Genius Products)
Cleaner (Sony)
The Color Honeymooners Collection 3 (MPI Home Video)
The Dario Argento Box Set (Anchor Bay)
Grace Is Gone (Weinstein/Genius)
Gunsmoke: Second Season, Vol. 2 (Paramount)
Holocaust (miniseries, Paramount)
The Invaders: The First Season (Paramount)
Jackass Presents: Mat Hoffman's Tribute to Evel Knievel (Paramount)
Minutemen (Disney)
Rambo (also Blu-ray, Lionsgate)
Rawhide: Season 3, Vol. 1 (Paramount)
The Take (Sony)
The Thief of Bagdad (The Criterion Collection)
The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 2 -- 1937-1939 (Sony)
The Walker (ThinkFilm)

Complete list of this week's releases on my pal Harley's site, onvideo.org

Criterion Collection sets Blu-ray editions

The Criterion Collection is going Blu-ray.

The big news, long-awaited by high-definition buffs, came in a company bulletin late this afternoon.

Criterion lists these dozen titles as "in the pipeline."

(Update: There are new release dates for the initial batch of Criterion Blu-rays. Some but not all of the titles below are included. They are: on Dec. 16, "The Thin Man," "The Man Who Fell to Earth," "Bottle Rocket" and "Chungking Express." In January, "El Norte" and "The Last Emperor.")

• The Third Man
• Bottle Rocket
• Chungking Express
• The Man Who Fell to Earth
• El Norte
• The 400 Blows
• Gimme Shelter
• The Complete Monterey Pop
• Contempt
• Walkabout
• For All Mankind
• The Wages of Fear

I count three black-and-white titles, which should be interesting. The studios have only released a couple of B&W titles.

"These new editions will feature glorious high-definition picture and sound, all the supplemental content of the DVD releases, and they will be priced to match our standard-def editions," Criterion said.

"The Last Emperor" also is coming in a (cheaper) stand-alone theatrical version on Blu-ray and DVD. "Walkabout" updates an older Criterion title. The Nicholas Roeg film gets new extra features and a new transfer. An updated DVD will be updated at the same time.

Terrific list and a thoughtful mix. I'm especially interested in Blu-rays of "The Man Who Fell to Earth," "The Wages of Fear," "Chungking Express" and "Contempt."

(Update: Criterion streaming video debuts as part of its web site redesign.)

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Deja Vu review: 'The Wages of Fear'

"The Exorcist" still had the film business under its spell in the mid-'70s when its director, William Friedkin, decided to remake a French action film for his next project. The studio thought "Sorcerer" would be a swell title -- even though it had nothing to do with the tale told in the original "The Wages of Fear."

Friedkin, who knew a thing or two about action films, cranked out a rousing thriller with then-red-hot Roy Scheider. Tangerine Dream provided the creepy music. The eerie trailer was a classic. Thud. The movie was quickly forgotten.

"Sorcerer" suffered from expectations raised by the cynical, dirty-pool title and from comparisons with the original, a classic of throat-tightening suspense that influenced generations of hell-bent directors.

Henri-Georges Clouzot was a man ahead of his time. With "The Wages of Fear," the French director anticipated the golden age of over-amped, over-budget action films by three or four decades.

In 1951, Clouzot abandoned the comfy soundstages of Paris, marching his cast and crew into the rocky hills of southern France. There, his craftsmen built a poverty-infested Latin American village and an oil-drilling outpost as the grim settings for "Fear."

When Clouzot called "action," he wasn't kidding: The crew dynamited boulders, rolled trucks off a cliff, risked their lives driving atop a decrepit bridge, rode horses into a gasoline fireball and endured the fits of rage for which their director was notorious.

"It was an army operation," his assistant director recalls. "It wasn't just a filming." Production dragged out over two years because of a flood that swept away the sets and funding that ran dry.

Clouzot and company were rewarded with a rue-buster, a hit that dominated the French boxoffice for several years. In Cannes, the film took the Palme d'Or.

Things turned ugly in the States, though, because of the movie's perceived anti-American tone. Time magazine called "Fear" one of the "most evil" movies ever made.

The Criterion Collection released the film back in 1999, and again a few years ago. That double-disc DVD set remains best in market, an essential title.

Read the full "The Wages of Fear" DVD review.

* About "Deja Vu reviews": As in, didn't I read that before ... hmm.

DVD review: 'WR: Mysteries of the Organism'

One of the stranger DVDs to pass this way recently is "WR: Mysteries of the Organism."

The 1971 film, by Eastern European filmmaker Dusan Makavejev, was banned for 16 years in the director's homeland, the former Yugoslavia, due to its herky-jerky mix of sex, politics and comedy. The DVD comes via the Criterion Collection, which released it in a single-disc edition a few months back.

"WR" starts off as a documentary about Austrian-American psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich ("WR"), creator of the "orgone accumulator" -- a sweat-box-like contraption said to harness sexual life energy for the benefits of patients, who sat inside. The feds shut down the ailing Reich's operation, banned his books and eventually jailed him, in an act his wife called "judicial murder." Reich devotees find orgasms a good way to get the energy flowing, so we see practitioners pleasing themselves into a good froth. The docu plays it pretty straight; the content is plenty weird enough.

From there, the movie moves to Yugoslavia, for a slapstick fiction about a beautiful young Marxist who talks a lot about sex and Soviet bloc politics while her hot naked roommate gets busy with a series of lovers. The women's adventures are mixed in with footage from the 1946 drama "Pitsi," about Stalin.

Meanwhile in Manhattan, a member of the Fugs runs around with a toy automatic weapon, shaking up the suits and amusing the cops (imagine). In a porn magazine office, a female plaster-caster makes a permanent record of a subject's cock in a long take that Makavejev found so good it was "uneditable."

The extras feature a couple of interviews with Makavejev, who does a pretty good job of explaining the film and its contexts in that rocky era. One funny clip shows the BBC's attempts to clean up the quite-explicit film for broadcast. The commentary is read aloud from a 1999 book on the film.

The movie isn't for most people, obviously, but those in tune with Lennon and Marx (John and Groucho) should call "WR" for a good time.

Makavejev's sex-drenched Sweet Movie also is available from Criterion.

Visit my hand-picked titles at this DVD blog's Criterion Store.

New DVDs: 'Up in Smoke,' 2 from Jarmusch

Pick of the week: Up In Smoke
Dog of the week: Delta Farce
The drug humor genre had a short spacey run in the 1970s -- better to burn out than to fade away, it seems. Only one act managed to mainstream the running gag of dopes with dope: Cheech & Chong.

The Vancouver comedy act found fame in 1972 with their first two comedy albums, produced by rock czar Lou Adler. Six years later came their film "Up in Smoke," which re-created many of the duo's longtime comedy-club bits. A few decent C&C movies followed, but none topped the original.

Perhaps marking 30 years of toking and joking, Paramount Home Entertainment this week revived "Cheech and Chong's Up In Smoke" with the "High-Larious Edition" DVD.

How does the movie's decades-old drug humor translate to our new century? One DVD critic just noted: "It just doesn't fly while watching sober." Perhaps so. Hell, even the original marketing campaign urged: "Don't watch this movie while straight!"

In the interests of science, I tested "Up in Smoke" in both states of mind -- straight and stoned. No sacrifice being too great for this DVD blog. (The neighborhood punk kid left a joint behind while tagging the garage wall, that's how.)

I gave Straight a head start, watching the first half in my usual Diet Pepsi-fueled state. Then came Stoned for the last half.

Let's go to the clipboard. The results:

Straight: Freaking hilarious.
Stoned: Freaking hilarious.

Slight statistical differences did not affect the outcome of the study, man.

The old DVD of "Up in Smoke" was what you'd expect -- the movie duly presented plus a commentary with Cheech Marin and Adler, plus a handful of deleted scenes.

This time, Paramount fills the DVD bong with a terrific new animated music video for the movie's "Alice Bowie" song; a new featurette with Adler and Cheech & Chong (separately) talking about the movie; a high-speed montage of every instance someone says "man" in the movie; and some newly animated 1970s radio promos -- all presented in the high spirits of the film.

The old commentary and new featurette tell some great tales about the movie and the people who worked on it, such as Stacey Keach, Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Edie Adams and one-man test audience Jack Nicholson.

The widescreen DVD images look great, especially upconverted, with lots of bright, saturated primary colors that come across as reasonably natural. The music benefits from some tasty stereo separation and the dialogue is clear -- even when the boys are good and zonked.

A natural but equally loopy high can be obtained from a pair of Jim Jarmusch titles on Criterion, "Night on Earth" and "Stranger Than Paradise." I'll be checking out the label's rerelease of "Paradise," a road movie built around the spooky old Screamin' Jay Hawkins number "I Put a Spell On You." Far out.

New and notable:
Bobby Z (Sony)
The City of Violence (Dragon Dynasty)
Desperate Housewives 3 (Disney)
Georgia Rule (Universal)
Gumby Essentials (Classic Media/Genius)
I Dream of Jeannie 4 (Sony)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Fox)
Night on Earth (Criterion)
Stranger Than Paradise (Criterion)
Nip/Tuck 4 (Warner)
The Office 3 (Universal)
Resident Evil Double Feature (Sony)
Robot Chicken Season 2 (Warner)
30 Rock (Universal)
Up in Smoke High-Larious Edition (Paramount)
Wind Chill (Sony)
The Wind That Shakes the Barley (Genius Products)

Complete list of today's releases on my pal Harley's site, onvideo.org

New DVDs: 'Taxi Driver,' 'Hamlet,' Fuller

Pick of the week: "Hamlet"
Dog of the week: Pandemic

A trio of fine new DVD sets have my players working overtime: The dazzling (and overdue) DVD debut of "Hamlet" from star Kenneth Branagh; the generous and imaginative new edition of "Taxi Driver"; and the revelatory "The First Films of Samuel Fuller." I'll post DVD reviews of all three this week, but no need to wait -- buy with confidence.

Also on the playlist: Season 1 of "The Fugitive" from Paramount Home Entertainment; "Back To School" with Rodney Dangerfield from MGM; and "Les Paul: Chasing Sound" from Koch Vision.

New and notable:
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters (Warner)
Back to School: Extracurricular Edition (MGM)
The Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 3 (Fox)
Cria cuervos (Criterion)
The Dark Crystal 25th Anniversary (Genius Products)
Labyrinth (Sony)
Diana: Queen of Hearts (Genius)
Fracture (New Line)
The First Films of Samuel Fuller (Criterion)
The Fugitive: First Season, Vol. 1 (Paramount)
God Grew Tired of Us (Sony)
Halloween (Anchor Bay)
Les Paul: Chasing Sound (Koch Vision)
The Lookout (Miramax)
Masters of Horror: We All Scream for Ice Cream and Valerie on the Stairs (Anchor Bay)
Murderous Intent (Like Minds) (Weinstein)
The Shakespeare Collection (Warner)
Taxi Driver: Limited Collector's Edition (Sony)
Vacancy (Sony)
Wild Hogs (Disney)

Complete list of today's releases on my pal Harley's site, onvideo.org

Deja Vu review: Kurosawa's 'Kagemusha'

The recent round of deep reflections on master film directors brought memories as well of Akira Kurosawa, for me the greatest of them all. It's both curious and gratifying that the highest-trafficked review in this DVD blog's short history is of Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" and "Ran."

"Kagemusha" (1980), sometimes subtitled "The Shadow Warrior," came roughly at the same time as "Ran," and in a similar mature colorful style. Kurosawa had despaired of making this film after Japan's film establishment refused funding in the years following his suicide attempt. American fans George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola eagerly came to the master's aid, bringing clout and money as executive producers.

The film covers the chaotic years of 1573-75, in which clans battled for control of Japan. The samurai who once fought with swords picked up rifles, a sudden advance in the art of war that led to the infamous slaughter at Nagashima and eventually to the unification of Japan.

In the fields of Nagashima, Kurosawa tracks his "beloved samurai era to the point of extinction."

The Criterion Collection's double-disc set of a few years back unspools a fine-looking uncut version of this underrated film. The DVDs include an imaginative treatment of Kurosawa's watercolor storyboards as well as a history of the troubled production.

Read the complete "Kagemusha" review.

* About "Deja Vu reviews": As in, didn't I read that before ... hmm.

Ingmar Bergman: memorial viewing

Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Stanley Kubrick and Federico Fellini all are gone now. These were the masters of filmmaking in the 20th century's second half. Many world-class directors carry on their work -- the creation of arthouse fare, films as literature -- but none of these successors inspired the universal fame and respect accorded these artists.

Bergman, who died today at age 89, was the least accessible of these directors. The Swede's often bleak themes -- isolation, existential horror, the sickness onto death, sexual combat, religious alienation and the like -- tested even the hardiest grad school admirers. Yet some of his films are remarkably warm and approachable.

The Criterion Collection gave its attentions to numerous Bergman titles in recent years. Here are my favorites:

Smiles of a Summer Night: This 1957 film brought Bergman a career-making award at Cannes. Little of this sexy farce hints at the films to come, part of its charm. Three couples spend a weekend in the country; everyone changes partners before it's over. Absolutely lovely. One of my top 20 films.

The Virgin Spring: Vanity, murder and hellish revenge in a tale set in rural 14th century Sweden. Its shock value and horrible beauty remain intact. Criterion redid this title in early 2006. Gorgeous rendering of Sven Nykvist's images.

Fanny and Alexander: Bergman worked in television throughout his career. The film "Fanny and Alexander" (pictured) was taken from his five-hour TV miniseries. The Criterion DVD set of November 2004 includes both the theatrical and 312-minute versions. It tells of turn-of-century children whose warm family life disappears, replaced by a stern, hard new reality. Ghosts and gray areas abound.

Tempted to include "Cries & Whispers" -- for the strong and adventurous only.

Also see -- Ingmar Bergman: Memorial Viewing