Overlord (1975/The Criterion
Collection)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: B Film: B
At a time when Action genre films are not just
pro-military propaganda but pro-war propaganda and the return of the War Genre
has burned itself out when faced with the realities of Bush II, has said as
much as it could the few times the films were important. In this, there has also been a slow
rediscovery of great and important films on War that have been purposely
ignored or labeled as “unrealistic” or “ultra Left Wing propaganda” or
“peacenik” works. It is amazing how
often that is wrong.
Besides the work of Peter Watkins resurfacing and
some Horror-genre films of the Vietnam-era showing their resonance again,
Stuart Cooper’s Overlord from 1975
is one of the most lost and key films of this thoughtful cycle finally getting
its due through The Criterion Collection in one of their best releases in
months. That says something.
The title refers to the fateful D-Day operation that
shows real footage throughout while remarkably weaving it with a narrative
about the lives of certain soldiers before, during and after training. It will even remind you of Full Metal Jacket at times, but it
offers nuances no other film before or since does and the acting is a big plus.
Brian Stirner plays Tom, who has a love
at home, but becomes a soldier much on his own in a film that walks a fine line
between fact, fiction, optimistic melodrama and a stark look at war without the
predictable, stereotypical gloom some films and filmmakers might have went
overboard with.
The result is a semi-documentary feel
without any faux pretensions or shock Music Video antics. If anything, you get a very stable,
compelling, involving, rich, dense and naturalistically real film that most
filmmakers could not dream of even beginning to attempt. It gives the viewer plenty of room to think
and explore the situation, while not being able to turn away from one of the
great historical events of all time. The
too-the-point British acting is in a nice place between stage and method
acting, so real that it is easy to forget you are watching actors in a great
way. Why we did not see these actors
again is practically criminal, much like the film’s disappearance.
Now that it is out for everyone to see, don’t be
surprised if it becomes belatedly influential, because it is that good. With all the interest in Stanley Kubrick, the
film is bound to find followers through its cameraman John Alcott and
comparisons in future Kubrick classes worth anything is inevitable. Any exposure is great news for us all. Best of all, Overlord stands up remarkably well on its own over three decades
later and can only get better with age.
The anamorphically enhanced black and white 1.66 X
1 is a bit closer to 1.78 X 1 (from an HD master) with little in the way of
black bars on the side of the image, but it looks very good for its age and
considering the stock footage used. It
was (as noted) matched by the great cinematographer John Alcott who was working
at this time primarily with Cooper or on the three great films Stanley Kubrick
made in the 1970s: A Clockwork Orange,
Barry Lyndon and The Shining.
The results are amazing, with some of Alcott’s rare
work in black and white here and as impressive as his best work. Yes, it does remind one of Paths Of Glory at times, but Dr. Strangelove, two Kubrick films he
did not lens. The three films almost
comprise a sort of starkly realistic trilogy about war throughout the 20th
Century on a visceral level. This is
some of the most underrated monochrome work of the 1970s and last few decades
of the 20th Century.
The Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono features clean dialogue
for its age, a good score by previous Cooper collaborator Paul Glass (who also
worked on films (Lady In A Cage, Bunny Lake Is Missing) and TV (Night Gallery, The Rookies) of note) and the results add to the narrative and feel
of the piece. This decodes nicely enough
to 2-speaker mono, but would rate lower if it were any weaker despite being
from a magnetic sound source.
Extras include a richly illustrated booklet with
plenty of technical text information and several analytical essays worth
reading, including Man Versus Machine by Kent Jones and excerpts from Overlord
– The Novel and more on The Imperial War Museum. The DVD adds the 1943 British Ministry of
Information’s Cameramen At War tribute to cinematographers and film units,
the original theatrical trailer, actor Stirner reading two D-Day journals, 1941
anti-Nazi short Germany Calling that appears in this film and uses Nazi propaganda
footage to insult and destroy The Third Reich, new Mining The Archive piece on
The Imperial War Museum, new photo essay Capa versus Cooper where Cooper
celebrates the work and influence of photographer Robert Capa and an
exceptional Cooper/Stirner audio commentary track that is a must-hear. That is no surprise, of course, because when
it comes to the audio commentary track, The Criterion Collection invented them!
Don’t miss this remarkable film!
- Nicholas
Sheffo
