Cardboard
Lover
(1928/Undercrank Blu-ray)/Keyhole
(1933*)/Paradise
Bungalows
(1985/Ruby Max**)/Ping
Pong
(2002/88 Films/**both MVD Blu-ray)/Start
The Revolution Without Me
(1970/*both Warner Archive Blu-ray)
Picture:
B-/B/B-/B/B Sound: B- Extras: C+/C/C+/B-/B- Films:
B-/B-/C/C+/C+
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Keyhole
and Start
The Revolution Without Me
Blu-rays are now only available from Warner Bros. through their
Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.
Now
for a nice mix of older, restored comedies from several eras worth
your time and knowing about, including a few more recent releases you
likely missed...
Robert
Z. Leonard's The
Cardboard Lover
(1928) is a surprisingly funny silent film with one of the funniest
ladies of the silent era, Marion Davies. More on her in the extras,
but she was on a roll and happened to be at MGM, so they had a hot
release on their hands and the result is a very entertaining hit that
was both circularity and commercially successful. To bad it has been
extremely hard to see for a very long time, but it has now been
restored as well as possible and you can really enjoy it now.
She
is arriving in Monte Carlo by bus (making a funny entrance) and is
immediately intrigued when she is told an important tennis champion
(Nils Asther) will be at her hotel, especially since she is an
autograph hound. After picking the wrong guy as the one she wants to
get to sign her book (which has some impressive names already,) she
finds the guy she really wants, but keeps getting foiled to get his
John Hancock. Then she gets in the way of a woman (Jetta Goudal) who
he is involved with, but is sick of her and her arrogance. Can out
heroine find her way into his life by saving him from her? Will she
ever get that autograph?
Even
funnier than its sounds, I really liked this one and Davies proves
her comic timing and acting chops once again. Running a very rich 76
minutes, you will be impressed if you like comedy and it is sad this
is not more well known, but even fine films like this get lost when
they are not in circulation. Undercrank Productions has saved
another gem and I highly recommend this, especially if you are not
used to how good and even great silent movies can be.
Extras
include a side-by-side restoration comparison of Reel 5 so you can
see how much work went into saving the film and solid featurette (9
minutes) Marion
Davies: Stewart Of Her Legacy
(2026) that explains it all about the star producer/actress who had
plenty of things going on off screen as well. For more restored
Davies on Blu-ray, try these
links:
Beverly
Of Graustark
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/16288/Beverly+Of+Graustark+(1926*)/Mallrats+4K+(1995/Un
It's
A Wise Child
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/16816/The+Garden+Of+Eden+(1928/Flicker+Alley+Blu-ray)/It
Michael
Curtiz's Keyhole
(1933) is another early triumph for the legendary director, Kay
Francis is a married woman whose marriage is in decline and the older
man she is with (Henry Kolker) is a little too controlling. To fix
things, she flies to Cuba for a vacation, but the husband sends a
private detective (George Brent) to follow her and make sure she is
not with another man or something as bad.
Her
big secret is she was previously married when she was very young to a
former dancing partner (Monroe Owsley) who wants to blackmail her
because her second/current husband has some bucks. Now, the
detective is getting too interested in her and this will only lead to
more madness.
The
cast is great, concept of going to Cuba unintentionally funny,
situations funny and we get some genuine laughs and slapstick moments
too. Curtiz is more than able to manage to juggle all of this and
the result is a comic gem at a tight 70 minutes that is long overdue
for rediscovery. With this fine restoration, I hope it is.
Extras
include an Original Theatrical Trailer and two classic cartoons:
Bunny's
Day Out
from Warner and Popeye classic Wild
Elephinks.
Before
movie theaters switched to (not always great) digital projection from
the 35mm film standard, video could only be used for documentaries
and even Super 8 film was not good enough for feature films, the
latter now changed by better digital scans. That meant the smallest
format you could shoot with and hope for profits and professional
theatrical feature film results was 16mm, then maybe Super 16 if you
had more money. Regular 16mm film gave us classics like Dark
Star,
the original Texas
Chainsaw Massacre,
original Hills
Have Eyes
and Ganja
& Hess.
But for every hit and classic, there are thousands of such films
that were barely seen or never got a release and Francesco
Lucente's Paradise
Bungalows
(1985) is one of them.
A
comedy dram a with no horror to offer, two guys bet that the one
cannot get a gal (Anna Lisa Iapaolo) to be with him, the other a
goofy, pretentious bully whose too unreal to be true, but guys like
this often exist just the same. The $2,000 bet (more money now as we
post in adjusted dollars) includes some strange & silly James
Bond-like sequences and other comedy gags that do not work despite at
least being different.
Leads
Lee Barringer and J.T. Wotton give it their best shot throughout, but
I was never totally convinced, yet despite being over 40 years old,
this was far more energetic and ambitious than most of the similar
slap-dash digital comedies I have had to suffer through in recent
years (and decades) so it is a curio and cheers for the owners to be
able to still have the film survive, then have it restored and
reissued. With so many bad and campy shot-on-VHS-for-VHS releases
coming to Blu-ray, many more of these 16mm and Super 16mm deserve and
should be restored and reissued, especially since they technically
hold up better than similar production on VHS. Beta and other low-def
(including digital low def) formats. Even when it does not work, it
is made by people who love movies and that shows. I do not see that
in most indie productions today.
Extras
include a CD soundtrack, while the disc adds an Original Theatrical
Trailer.
Fumihiko
Sori's Ping
Pong
(2002) is based on a very successful manga book in Japan about two
young men, friends since childhood, who love the title game and grow
up to be major players in it. After seeing them as children, we join
them later in life in the thick of the game and the film is very
thorough and great at reproducing the look, feel and competition of
the game at the time (and still to this date) including all kinds of
subtle jokes, humor that takes its time and a film that shows a real
love of the game.
A
great companion to the recent critical and commercial hit Marty
Supreme,
the actors are really good here, the density is subtle but solid,
camera angles and editing worthy of manga and use of color
impressive. I thought a few things could have been done differently
or cut differently for more impact or better pacing, but its a fine
sports film that is also a little bit more and those interested
should check it out.
Extras
include a nicely illustrated booklet on the film including
informative text and See
The Ball
essay by Jonathan Clements and a reversible cover, while the disc
adds a feature length audio commentary track by Zack Davisson, Video
Essay by Jasper Sharp, an Original Theatrical Trailer and an on
camera interview with Michael Arias and Taiyo Matsumoto on the film.
Before
they became two of the most important producers
in TV history, Bud
Yorkin and Norman Lear were making feature films (All
In The Family
was originally intended as one) and they had some interesting
projects and successes. Yorkin's Start
The Revolution Without Me
(1970) is an amusing spoof of the French Revolution compete with a
modern on-location, on-cameras introduction by no less than Orson
Welles and but it was especially luck to land the duo of Gene Wilder
and Donald Sutherland in dual roles. The opening sequence shows two
women giving birth to twins in the same place, with a mix up that
results in the film's narrative.
Holding
up surprisingly well considering Kubrick's Barry
Lyndon
(same studio too) and woody Allen's Love
and Death
did not happen until six years later. The film is a mixed bag with
more hits than misses, but if you are more in a French Revolution
mood, you might find it funnier. The leads to go all out and the
supporting cast helps, with Wilder at his zaniest, as demonstrated by
the evil, elitist twin who insists his prized bird (who is dead and
we guess embalmed) is still alive!
Also
reminding one of Monty Python at its best, the film is one the makers
feel might have done better if issued a few years later, but it has
built a reputation over the years and is worth a look for what works.
Billie Whitelaw, Jack McGowran, Hugh Griffith and Victor Spinelli
are all a plus and those interested should really see this one.
Extras
include a feature length audio commentary track with Bud Yorkin, Gene
Wilder and Donald Sutherland taking turns talking about the making of
the film, an Original Theatrical Trailer and two classic Warner Bros.
Technicolor cartoons that fit this film: The
Scarlet Pumpernickel
and Napoleon
Bunny-part.
Now
for playback performance. The 1080p 1.33 X 1 black & white
digital High Definition image transfer on The
Cardboard Lover
can show the age of the materials used from issues with the original
nitrate 35mm materials starting to go bad, the work done here in the
new digital scanning work to fix and correct these issues is
impressive. It would probably take a good bit more money to fix it a
bit more, but no matter the budget, some damage is just unavoidable.
Video Black, Video White and detail can really impress in many scenes
too where the materials are in top shape. The
lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is a little louder than usual, but
clearer than usual too, though I would have still preferred a
lossless soundtrack, this is not bad.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image
transfer on Keyhole
can sometimes show the age of the film, but this looks incredibly
good for its age, the materials survived well and the restoration is
great. The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix is just as much of a
surprise with remarkable fidelity and clarity for its age and better
than many monophonic films going into the 1970s.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Paradise
Bungalows
can show the age of the materials used, but this was shot on 16mm
film (a combination of Kodak and Fuji)and has some great shots.
However, detail is not always what it should be for the film format,
but maybe a 4K edition would bring out more in the film. The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo lossless mixes does its
best to remaster the older, apparently monophonic audio and this
reissue print says it used Dolby Digital, so these two mixes are from
that remaster. Sound can be harsh and a little forward, plus the
music sounds newer than the dialogue and sound effect elements, so
expect that unbalance. Otherwise, not bad for tis budget.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Ping
Pong
looks pretty good for its age, a more recent film (especially for
this list) with a fine use of color (inspired by a black & white
manga) and impresses throughout with its nice shots and editing. The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo lossless mixes are off of
a Dolby theatrical release, possibly Dolby Digital, but sonic limits
remain. The result is a good combination, if not stunning and fans
should be happy enough.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer Start
The Revolution Without Me
very rarely show the age of the materials used, originally issued in
35mm
dye-transfer, three-strip Technicolor prints, you can see here how
nice that looked. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix
is a fine representation of the theatrical monophonic sound, which
sounds as good here as the film likely ever will, so a solid
restoration all in all.
To
order either
the Keyhole
and/or Start
The Revolution Without Me
Warner Archive Blu-rays,
go to this link for them and many more great web-exclusive
releases at:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20
-
Nicholas Sheffo
