filmlover
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This original version of Scarface, issued by Universal on DVD, still holds up today, and is shorter and better than the 1983 remake. It's a perfect look at the crime-ridden days of Chicago, with Paul Muni's Tony Camonte substituting for Al Capone.
Much as I like Paul Muni, he is very hammy here, while George Raft comes off well playing it low-key and straight. However, the production by Howard Hughes crackles under the direction of Howard Hawks and screenplay by Chicago newspaperman, Ben Hecht.
The film ran into censorship problems. Hughes had a softer alternate ending created, but Hughes ended up going back to the original cut, which has a more exciting climax, and one that highlights the incestuous love that Camonte has for his sister. The alternative ending is included on the DVD.
On a video quality scale, I would rate this at the most as a 3.5 out of 5. It is one of those films that the print is grainy and shows some decomposing. Still it is a classic to pick up.
Robert Osborne provides an introduction to the film.
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Costco continues to deliver great prices on classic sets. While checking out the Universal twinpacks, I noticed they had the two Warner Bros. collections of _The Garbo Signature Collection_ and _The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection_ for *$44.99* each. Amazon charges $77.99 and $73.99, respectively, and they are $99.98 regular street price each, so that's a bargain on each one.
I didn't see these at the Los Feliz store but they were in the Burbank Costco, but you have to look carefully because they are in a bottom row there behind a Bogart box set. They likely have them at other stores, too.
Also, if you like classic TV series, they have The Addams Family - The Complete Series (all three seasons in one) for only $24.99. Amazon's price is $51.99 and the regular street price is $69.98.
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Rosalind Russell is the Star of the Month, so that will be very enjoyable. I like the Big Band in the movies theme running throughout, looks like some interesting shorts there. And the Americana theme for July 4th is a pleaser: The Music Man, 1776, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and On the Town.
I haven't seen The Count of Monte Cristo in a long time, so this will be fun. And a night of Hume Cronyn, great. Plus, a night of the 100th anniversary of the FBI, but, aww, no The FBI Story.
A month I look forward to seeing.
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Lynn, you are right. I missed listing them because they didn't have a mention this week in the Calendar guide I was looking at.
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When I was a kid, I would watch tons of old films on TV, of course, but in my teen years I began going to revival houses (but these were mostly near universities). But today, a few decades after my teen years, I was looking at the Los Angeles Time Calendar section and noticed several classics being shown in theatres (thank goodness I live in Hollywood). Over the next several days, one can go locally here to see a John Wayne tribute series (in Newport Beach), catch "City Lights" and "Blackbeard, the Pirate" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, head over to the New Beverly Cinema in Hollywood to see "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" and "You Can't Take It With You," drop by the Aero Theater in Santa Monica for "Blonde Venus," drive to Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo to enjoy the 1936 version of "Rose Marie", or decide to tap your toes to "Annie Get Your Gun" at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, mix with the stars at the Academy of Motion pictures Arts & Sciences for a screening of "2001: A Space Odyssey."
How about you? What do you have revival-wise where you are?
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peterwarne, thanks for posting that. I see a couple I want and I will drop by Costco in the next day or so.
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Yes, Winchell did the narration for "The Untouchables."
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*14 years!!! Congrats to all who make TCM the greatest movie channel of them all.*
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Paul Frees' narration for "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre."
And that reminds me of TV shows from Quinn Martin, like "The Fugitive," with narration by William Conrad.
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Robert Mitchum's in Farewell, My Lovely. His narration revealed the tiredness of Marlowe.
And, while not a narration but more of a Greek chorus, I liked Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye in Cat Ballou.
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Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory Vol. 3
I've just finished watching this 9-movie set and I must say it is an excellent set to own.
Hit the Deck - Tony Martin, Vic Damone, Russ Tamblyn woo Ann Miller, Jane Powell, and Debbie Reynolds. Fun film, color, widescreen. Contains "Hallelujah" as a rousing finale.
Deep in My Heart - Biopic with Jose Ferrer as composer Sigmund Romberg. An enjoyable film, if overlong (132 min.), with guest performers Gene Kelly, Jane Powell, Cyd Charisse, Tony Martin, and others doing numbers in "Broadway shows." Look for an uncredited young Russ Tamblyn and Susan Luckey (later as the mayor's daughter in "The Music Man"). Esther Williams can be seen briefly in an outtake in the Special Features section (and predominantly on the Special Features menu).
Kismet - I was very pleased to see this feature included as its score has always been one of my favorites. Howard Keel and Jane Powell star.
Nancy Goes to Rio - _While all the film prints are terrific in this set, Nancy Goes to Rio is astonishing in its clarity and color. I will even go so far as to say it is one the most flawless prints I have ever seen of a classic film, looking like it was shot today._ Jane Powell is lovely, but Ann Sothern is GORGEOUS in full color!
Two Weeks With Love - A good little musical, best remembered for the song "Aba-daba Honeymoon," sung by Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter.
Broadway Melody of 1936 - Eleanor Powell (in fine dancing form) and Robert Taylor star. Actually, Jack Benny is top-billed as a Broadway reporter, but this isn't the eccentric Jack Benny character that would still come in a few years that we grew to love. His is a dour, one-note performance. Buddy Ebsen is also there, high stepping with his sister, Vilma.
Broadway Melody of 1938 - I enjoyed this BM more than the first because of the presence of Judy Garland (doing her "You Made Me Love You" to pictures of Clark Gable) and Sophie Tucker. Oh, and Eleanor Powell and Robert Taylor are the stars (LOL, almost forgot about them), with a return of Buddy Ebsen.
Born to Dance - Eleanor Powell and James Stewart (who, well, "sings") in this story of a Broadway hopeful and the sailor who loves her. Good fun.
Lady Be Good - Though Eleanor Powell gets top billing here, hers is truly a supporting character in this story of two songwriters, played wonderfully by Robert Young and Ann Sothern. Has early appearances of Red Skelton and Virginia O'Brien, but neither is as good as they would be in later films.
As stated, all films have excellent prints. Each disc comes with extras, and is the MGM equivalent of the Warner Bros.' Night at the Movies (of course, it helps that that WB put out this set). Among extras are shorts, cartoons (several by Tex Avery), deleted or alternate audio outtakes, radio shows, and a Reel Memories/Private Screenings interview with Jane Powell and Robert Osborne (looking very young).
My only complaint, and it is very tiny, is that the shorts and trailers that are in widescreen are not enhanced for widescreen TVs. The films are and it seems odd they didn't just do those, too.
Anyway, this is definitely a set to get.
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Corey, check Amazon, they now have a special on 50 Fox and MGM boxsets, including Tyrone Power for $22.49. And the Fox Horror Classics set (Lodger, Hangover Square, Undying Monster) for only $13.49 (that is a great bargain!).
A few sets can be had at Costco for $15.99 (Sinatra, Joan Collins, Moto, etc.) but there are some good titles here. Unfortunately, I have most of them.
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The Amazon Gold Box Deal of the Day for today (the 15th) only is *The Cary Grant Box Set Collection* (containing Only Angels Have Wings, His Girl Friday, Talk of the Town, Holiday, and The Awful Truth). *The price for today only is $19.99*, 60% off the $49.95 street price. Amazon's normal price is $39.99.
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Costco has all five volumes of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection for about $23.99 each. The regular street price is $64.98 each. Amazon sells them at about $46.99 each, so Costco's price is a bargain.
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Hi, Corey, I'm Peter.
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Edgecliff, don't forget Forbidden Hollywood vol. 2 also just came out. And the special Bonnie and Clyde Set. Upcoming from WB is Popeye vol. 2.and later in the year a horror collection with Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, etc.
Though we tend to count a box set as one item, if we look at the individual films, WB has released over 30 classic titles so far this year, and it is only the beginning of April.
chinaseas, I suspect what you are anxious about is if WB will release a Harlow set in 2008?
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Personally, I don't care for the film, but the title isn't "Paris Always Sizzles." It's called "Paris When It Sizzles," but I have always thought of it as "Paris When It Fizzles."
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Here's something you might want to check out and from the last place you would think to look for classic DVD bargains...Albertson's, the grocery store chain. Two times now I have found items in their clearance bin that were surprise bargains. A few weeks back, I got the WB two-disc release of a triple feature: Objective Burma (Flynn), Never So Few (Sinatra), and Go for Broke (Van Johnson) for either $4.99 or $5.99, I can't recall which. Sells on Amazon for $12.99.
Today, I found the Sony two-DVD release package set of Twist Around the Clock and Don't Knock the Twist. Again for $5.99. Sells for $17.99 on Amazon.
Both were new and factory sealed.
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shearer, I checked today and no Classic Musicals v.3 at Costco. However, I did see they had one box each left of the two Moto volumes.
Costco may not have the Classic Musicals form the Dream Factory but I got my set from DVDplanet.com today, and it looks good. LOL, eight of the films have a "Powell" in nit, either Elanor or Jane. The ninth film is Kismet. (Why the set didn't have 10 films, instread of 9, I don't know?)
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Peter Falk in "Pocketful of Miracles"
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cc, that was very well done! Congrats! You got me thinking about what would Star Wars have been like had it been made in the early Sixties. LOL, I suspect we would have Cesar Romero as rascally rogue Han Solo.
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Ollie,
When you get finished watching it, please post a review of it here (picture quality, etc.). I have been thinking about buying that set. Thanks.
Filmlover
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Hi, Kim,
There is one other Moto film in vol. 2, which is The Return of Mr.Moto starring Henry Silva as Moto. This was included as an extra bonus (though bonus may not be a good word because it isn't very good). Silva adds commentary to it.
filmlover
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Thanks, ff, for posting that. Also, I am not sure if everyone knows it yet, but Netflix also went Blu exclusive (no HD DVD anymore).
One classic title I hope Warner Bros. releases soon on Blu high def is "The Music Man". I saw it on Cinemax HD a few days ago and the high def clarity was incredible. I compared the picture quality of the standard DVD and the high def is far richer in color and in sharpness. I would buy it right away if it came out.
Upcoming Releases
in Classic Film DVD Reviews
Posted
A little more info on How the West Was Won from highdefdigest.com regarding the Blu-ray version:
Exclusive to the Blu-ray edition will be a "SmileBox" version of the film. The first of its kind on a high-def release, "SmileBox" presents the image with a "unique curvature that virtually recreates the true Cinerama experience" in the home theater environment."
So, the B-R version will have the regular theatrical version AND the "SmileBox".