Bandits
Of Orgosolo
(1961/Radiance*)/Golden
Lotus
(1974/88 Films*)/Lady
From Shanghai 4K
(1948/Sony 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)/Tattooed
Life
(1965/Radiance*)/Viva
La Muerte
(1971/Radiance/*all MVD Blu-rays)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: B/B-/X/B-/B- Sound:
C+/B-/C+/B-/B- Extras: C+/C+/B/B-/B- Films: B-/C+/B/B-/B-
Now
for films that challenge with their themes as much as they do with
their visual graphics....
Vittorio
De Seta's The
Bandits Of Orgosolo
(1961) tells the tale of a man (Michele Cossu) framed for murder and
dubbed a bandit, so to survive and maybe clear his name, he actually
has to become one with his younger brother and some sheep in tow. A
peasant from Sardinia, class division is also an issue and the drama
is surprisingly real and takes it time as a character study
and study of the situation itself.
It
has a documentary style, though many would also consider it Italian
Neorealism where actual non-actors are used as actors. I would say
it is somewhere in between as the two are not exactly the same exact
thing, but De Seta manages to pull
it off in a one-of-a-kind work. Though its slow pace in parts might
throw some off, it is worth the patience, though even a patient view
like yours truly thought a few moments were a little flat.
Otherwise, another special film nicely preserved, restored and issued
by Radiance.
Extras
include a new interview with
cinematographer Luciano Tovoli (2024, 28 minutes)
New
interview with curator and filmmaker Ehsan Khoshbakht (2024, 11
minutes)
Original
Theatrical Trailer
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo
Di Battista
and
a Limited
Edition
booklet featuring new writing by Roberto Curti.
Han
Hsiang Li's Golden
Lotus
(1974) is based on a racy book about sex, power, lust and class
division in a film that is not overly graphic in what it shows, yet
is hardly lite in its visual approach either. The cast is pretty
good and includes Chin Hu, Chun Yang, Ni Tien, Ping Chen and Wu Chi
Liu, with convincing chemistry and solid casting that makes this hold
up better than many similar and more explicit Nikkatsu erotic films
that would soon follow.
Jackie
Chan actually shows up in a brief supporting turn and comically so,
but the outright humor in this film is limited, while other moments
are ironic. For The Shaw Brothers, it was definitely a change of
pace and shows they could do other genres than crime and marital arts
films and they did this one better than many might have expected.
However, they decided to not try this too much more often, so this is
a curio too, but one that definitely has its moments. Still, they
could have made more than this and done just fine.
Extras
include four collectible art cards, reversible sleeve and a nice
slipcase, while the disc adds a Stills Gallery and an Original
Theatrical Trailer.
Orson
Welles' The
Lady From Shanghai 4K (1948)
is the director's unexpected return to the studio system, albeit
brief, seven years after Citizen
Kane
caused an uproar and was targeted for censorship and destruction. By
coincidence, actress Rita Hayworth became the #1 sex symbol in
Hollywood at the time and in a great twist, it happened at
then-smaller 'little sister' movie studio Columbia Pictures before
they built themselves into a major studio in the 1950s. Only major
studios were supposed to have the best of everything, but just as
remarkable, she was married to Welles at the time.
In
it, young Michael O'Hara (Welles) become interested in the sexy wife
(Hayworth) of a yacht owner (Everett Sloane) whose yacht O'Hara
starts working on. What he does not know is that a bizarre plot to
kill Bannister's law partner George Grisby (Glenn Anders) is out to
fake his own death to disappear for personal reasons and will give
O'Hara $5,000 (over $70,000 as this review posts and this 4K disc is
being released) to help out and keep quiet. O'Hara will use the
money to lure away the wife!
Sadly,
an entire hour is (permanently?) missing from this film as originally
intended by Welles, but it is still considered an influential classic
and has plenty of moments worth seeing. Hayworth is in great form,
Welles is good (but I did not always buy him for some reason) as the
tempted Irishman, while the cast also features Ted de Corsia, Erskine
Sanford, Carl Frank, Guy Schilling and many more down to an
unintended shot of Errol Flynn, who was piloting his own boat for the
film's use.
Yes,
I could feel something was missing here and there and later found out
why, but even in this condition, Lady From Shanghai
is a must-see film an now that it is in 4K, its the best way to see
it outside of a pristine film print!
Extras
include a Digital Movie version, while the disc adds a vintage
feature length audio commentary track by the late, great Peter
Bogdanovich, a big friend of Welles and megafan, plus an on camera
interview featurette with Bogdanovich and an Original Theatrical
Trailer.
Seijin
Sukuki's Tattooed
Life
(1965) has the director getting into richer moral and mortal
territory beyond the genre films he was turning out for Nikkatsu, two
brothers have to flee repercussions from
the yakuza after killing one of their assassins when they are
betrayed unexpectedly, choosing Manchuria and hoping not to be found.
Tetsuo (Hideki Takahashi, Fighting
Elegy)
and Kenji (Kotobuki Hananomoto, This
Transient Life)
also have to be careful not be be recognized by rival gangs.
What
is interesting is the film starts out as any crime action film of
this type would, keeps moving along well with a brisk pace
convincingly and effectively, then it really picks up in the final
reels and the climax is one to behold, one that shows Sukuki
breaking out as an auteur and has one of the best endings of any kind
of film of its kind. Even those who usually do not or would not view
such films should see this one, because it is underrated, well done
and a semi-gem that all action and crime fans would appreciate.
Suzuki was on his way to his two masterworks in Branded
To Kill and Tokyo
Drifter, for which eh
would be rewarded by being fired and never getting to make films that
great again. This was some of the greatness at the start.
Extras
include a feature length audio commentary by William Carroll, author
of Seijun
Suzuki and Postwar Cinema (2024)
Newly
edited archival interview with director Seijun Suzuki
Newly
edited archival interview with art director Takeo Kimura
Original
Theatrical Trailer
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time
Tomorrow
and
a Limited Edition
Booklet featuring new writing by Tom Vick and a newly translated
archival review of the film for the first pressings of this release.
For
more on Suzuki, see our coverage of Branded To Kill 4K, which
leads to coverage of other versions of that and Tokyo Drifter
at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/16286/AmnesiA+(2001/Cult+Epics*)/Branded+To+Kill+4K
Fernando
Arribal's Viva
La Muerte
(1971) is a remarkable, if abstract political tale of a young boy
named Fando (Victor Garcia) starts to suspect his mother may have had
his father killed as the Spanish Civil War ends, but can he be sure?
Can we? Expressing the way a child would think and feel, especially
under extreme duress and disturbance, the film has a unique editing
style, mixes all kinds of footage, black & white and color, clean
and rough, animated and live-action, stills and more. It is very
provocative and was attacked by censors in its time.
An
associate of Alejandro Jodorowsky, they were one-upping the political
Agit-Prop style with what they referred to as the 'Panic Movement'
and it is still effective and jolting today, even in the digital and
cyber era, thanks in part to its provocative images and their
synthesis of their shocking mixing without necessarily being the same
as the intellectual montage Sergei Eisenstein made a permanent part
of cinematic language in the 1920s. The approach is a great
companion to both.
Cheers
to the cast and and survival Arribal
for finding an honest, complex, innovative and fearless portrait of
what he was suffering under and from growing up and barely surviving
ordeals many could not and many did not. The result is a special
film those who like challenging films should see.
Extras
include an audio discussion from the Project
Booth
podcast featuring Mike White, Heather Drain and Jess Byard (66
minutes)
Sur
les traces de Baal: a short documentary by Abdellatif Ben Ammar
in which the filmmaker followed Arrabal's film and captured him at
work on Viva la Muerte! (1970, 20 minutes)
VIDARRABAL:
a feature-length documentary on Arrabal by Xavier Pasturel Barron
capturing the life and work of this singular filmmaker, playwright,
painter and essayist, featuring interviews with admirers, friends
and family, including members of the Panic
Interview
with scholar and Spanish cinema expect David Archibald
Original
Theatrical Trailer
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
and
a booklet featuring new writing by Sabina Stent and archival
interview with Fernando Arrabal.
Now
for playback performance.
The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 1.33 X 1 black & white, Dolby Vision/HDR
(10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image on Lady
From Shanghai 4K
is rightly dark, grainy and the best I have seen this classic on home
video, but it sometimes seems a little lacking in detail and I do not
know if that is the way it was shot, the age of the original camera
materials and if any of it has to do with the hour that was cut out
of the film before release. I can still see many things here I did
not or could not see in previous releases of the film and that's very
important for a classic like this one. The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix definitely shows its
age and is a little more limited than expected, but it is likely the
best this film will ever sound. The combination is still potent and
will keep fans of Noir, Hayworth and Welles more than happy.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image
transfer on Bandits
holds up surprisingly well with studio Titanus, The Film Foundation
and The Hobson/George Lucas Family Foundation among others going out
of their way to restore this one. The detail, depth and clarity are
a pleasant surprise, while the
Italian PCM 2.0 Mono sound is as good as this film will ever sound
and though it is limited, it could have been worse.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image on Golden
Lotus
has softness from its older anamorphic lenses, but the color is
amazing, a great demo for any 4K and HDTV. I like the editing and
compositions very much, adding weight to the narrative and its
sometimes bold and challenging shots. The
Mandarin PCM 2.0 Mono is decent for its time and as good as this film
will ever sound.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Tattooed
Life
can sometimes show the age of the materials used, plus softness and
some distortion from the older anamorphic lenses used in filming, but
this looks good overall and the color can really impress. The result
is that the climax has all the more impact and is just an amazing
conclusion to a film that should be as well known as any of the
filmmakers' filmography. The
Japanese PCM 2.0 Mono has some fine sound design for its time and is
as good as this film will ever sound.
The
1080p 1.66 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Viva
can show the age of the materials used, but you can make out the
differences between all kinds of film stock and types which is a good
thing when more than a few shots are meant to be rough and off
kilter, plus different kinds of color and so its surrealistic
shooting and editing has all the more impact. The
Spanish PCM 2.0 Mono is as surreal as its images and is as good as
this film will ever sound.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
