Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 25th, 2005
Synopsis
The saint of the title (Bradford Dillman) begins as a very secular young man, eager to sign upfor the war in which the Pope is engaged. But it is during this conflict that he receives a visionfrom God, and renounces violence. This is perceived as cowardice by some (such as the father ofhis sweetheart) but as inspiring principle by others (such as said sweetheart, Dolores Hart). Thehumble holy man eventually runs up against politics within the Church.
Michael Curtiz ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 22nd, 2005
Synopsis
Charlton Heston is Michelangelo, busy at work on the monumental sculptures he proposesfor the tomb of Pope Julius II (Rex Harrison). Julius has other ideas, however, and ordersMichelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which is the last thing the sculptor wantsto do. The film then follows his struggles with the monumental task, as well as the clash ofpersonalities.
There’s more than a whiff of Heston as Michelangelo as Moses, and Harrison as Julius as...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 22nd, 2005
Synopsis
Desperate to quit smoking, kooky (ditzy? annoying?) Barbra Streisand turns for help tohypnotist Yves Montand. She is an extremely receptive subject, as Montand accidentally put herunder when she visited his class. Under hypnosis, Streisand regresses into past lives, andMontand starts to fall in love with the 19th-Century Englishwoman Streisand becomes.
There are some funny elements here (Montand’s reactions to the first past-life regression aremost amusing), but the...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 22nd, 2005
Synopsis
Feeling deathly ill, an illegal immigrant leaves a poker game, only to be ambushed andmurdered by three of the other players (the most notable of whom are Zero Mostel and a youngand scary Jack Palance, here appearing as Walter Jack Palance). When his body is found the nextmorning, the victim is discovered to have been sick with pneumonic plague. Doctor RichardWidmark, in charge of public health, takes over, and is initially at loggerheads with DetectivePaul Douglas, who is ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 21st, 2005
Synopsis
Dana Andrews is in suitably hard-boiled mode as the detective called in to investigate thedeath of beautiful society woman Laura (Gene Tierney). There are plenty of suspects, as Laurainspired passion on all sides. Accompanying Andrews on his investigation is misanthropiccolumnist Clifton Webb, whose protege Laura was. Chief suspect is fickle fiancé Vincent Price,but Andrews isn’t ruling anyone out, as his questioning leads to flashbacks that take us towardthe moment of the ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 19th, 2005
Synopsis
This excellent survey of the Warner gangster films covers the peak of that genre’s popularity,and the earliest films in the set established two of the actors most closely associated with thegenre. First up is 1930's Little Caesar, with Edward G. Robinson in the title role. Hot-tempered, violence prone Ccaesar Enrico (“Rico”) Bandello is tired of knocking over gasstations, and has his eye on the big time. The story follows his violent rise and fall and, as is trueof s...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 17th, 2005
Synopsis
So here we go with Season One, presumably before Florence Henderson and Barry Williamswere carrying on behind the scenes (one hopes). Here is the pilot episode (wherein the LovelyLady and the Man Named Brady tie the knot). The first season also has such episodes as theone where the parents switch roles in looking after the kids, the one where Peter’s pride in beinga hero drives everyone else nuts, and the one where the kids try to convince prospective buyersthat their home ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 15th, 2005
Synopsis
Cult Epics has done a real service by assembling this boxed set. While I would hesitate torecommend each disc on its own, as a collection, this is a valuable historical document, andBettie Page fans should be in heaven.
Bettie Page Bondage Queen is probably the strongest collection, assembling some 25bondage shorts by Irving Klaw (complete with voice-over introduction). Klaw contributes somemore shorts (of Bettie dancing) to Bettie Page Pin Up Queen, b...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 15th, 2005
Kwai Chang Caine is back for another season of mayhem and mistaken-accusations on the second season of Kung Fu. How is it that trouble never ceases to track this guy down? It seems that every episode begins with Caine walking along, minding his own business, and the next thing you know, he is accused of murder. It would be ridiculous, if it wasn’t so fun to watch!
The themes of these episodes have evolved from the basics covered in season one. In the first season, racism was a dominant theme of the s...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 10th, 2005
Synopsis
Paul Newman is a womanizing lout of a journalist. After unknowingly seducing the wife ofhis boss, he is packed off to the Paris bureau of the newspaper (and he reacts as if this is somesort of punishment). Joanne Woodward is a fashion spy for a discount chain. She’s a toughcookie, as you can tell from the fact that her hair is short and she wears sunglasses in dark rooms.She and her boss head to Paris too on a reconnaissance mission. Woodward and Newman collide,hate each ot...
