DVD Review: DIVA DOLOROSA and FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD, VOLUME 2

When I popped the DVD for director Peter Delpeut's Diva Dolorsa into the player, I didn't know much about the film or the Dutch filmmaker. A quick search online shows that not many others do either, with no Wikipedia entry and scant information on his Internet Movie Database entry. Seventy minutes later, I did know one thing and that was that I wanted to know more about him.

Delpeut’s specialty is taking "found footage" and re-editing it into a new cinematical experience. With Diva Dolorosa, Delpeut has taken footage from 14 silent Italian films and edits them together into a fascinating film that is neither fiction feature or strictly documentary. The result is more a tone poem that defines a particular genre of Italian silent cinema.

Through much research and then skillfull editing, Delpeut presents us with a montage of different actresses in similar situations, all performing variations on the same theme. We see them vamp, seduce and use their feminine wiles to get what they want. And we see that there is always a price to pay for such behavior. It seems only fitting that these operatic morality plays were acted out by some Italy's leading opera divas of the day.

Given the original source materials' age, the film is surprisingly crisp looking, with only a bit of scratches, speckling a wear showing. Granted, Delpeut probably only used the best of what was available, but the results are pleasing nevertheless.

With its wanton depictions of lust and greed, Diva Dolorosa makes an interesting companion to another recent release, the new collection of pre-Code films, Forbidden Hollywood: Volume 2.

Thanks to numerous transfers of studio libraries over the years, Warner Brothers is able to include two MGM pre-Codes- The Divorcee (1930) and A Free Soul (1931) – in the set along with their own- Three On A Match (1932), Female (1933) and Night Nurse (1931). All the films are good examples of what the period had to offer, and there's something here to please virtually any fan of classic cinema. The Divorcee and A Free Soul feature a pair of performances from Norma Shearer that may surprise those only familiar with her later work. Clark Gable shows up twice – in A Free Soul and Night Nurse – playing gangsters who come to untimely, though deserved, ends. Joan Blondell provides strong supporting work in Three On A Match and Night Nurse. Three On A Match also sees some great work from Ann Dvorak as a society lady whose life spins out of control into a whirlpool of drugs, booze and child neglect before reaching a redemption of sorts. (Bogart also passes through Three On A Match in one of his many early Warners gangster roles.) Female stands out due to a good performance from Ruth Chatteron as the President of an automobile manufacturing company who views its business offices as her own personal carnal grazing grounds. Unfortunately, the movie also stands out for an ending that manages to negate the film’s initial feminist premise. Barbara Stanwyck stars as the titular Night Nurse who comes to discover that the two young children in her charge is being slowly starved to death. Ben Lyon turns in a breezy performance as a smooth but petty crook who does away with the menacing Clark Gable without Stanwyck's character ever becoming the wiser, leaving one wondering why he never became a bigger star.

While the first volume of Forbidden Hollywood released last year contained three prime examples of racy, early Hollywood talkies before the Production Code came into effect and put a clamp on the sex and sinning, it was notably lacking in special features. Volume 2 more than makes up for that omission with commentary tracks on three of the five films in the set, plus a 68-minute documentary entitled Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin, and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood. The documentary gives a great primer on the pre-Code era, with an emphasis on the five films in the set. Film historians Jeffrey Vance and Tony Maietta contribute commentary tracks for The Divorcee and Night Nurse.

DVD Review: LIONS FOR LAMBS

When the film Lions For Lambs was released last fall to a response that was deafening in its silence, conservative pundits immediately leapt to the attack claiming that its box office failure was due to Americans rejecting Hollywood's alleged liberal, anti-American agenda or similar rantings. The logical fallacy here, of course, is that they proscribe only one possible reason to the film’s disappointing box office, not even considering alternatives such as the film may have been poorly marketed or that audiences may be tired of hearing about the war in Iraq and certainly didn’t want to see another film on it.

It strikes me as ironic that a film that at least acknowledges the complex web that is the issues and feelings surrounding the Iraq war has been roundly rejected by those pundits with such an un-nuanced argument.

The film runs three storylines that connect only in the briefest of ways. Meryl Streep is a skeptical journalist interviewing a rising star Senator played by Tom Cruise. The senator has a plan he feels could bring about a swift conclusion to the conflict in Iraq, though Streep's reporter feels that his own political ambitions may be a driving factor in his strategy. Meanwhile, two soldiers (Michael Pena and Derek Luke) participating in the implementation of that plan find themselves stranded behind enemy lines, with their Army scrambling to effect a rescue. Half a world away, the soldiers' former political science professor (Robert Redford, pulling double duty as the film's director also) tries to reinvigorate the critical thought process in a promising student who has become apathetic towards his course work.

As to be expected from such a cast, there’s a number of great performances in the film. As the driven and charismatic politico, Cruise once again shows that he knows how to dominate the screen with a performance that never overpowers those he shares scenes with. As if he could overpower Meryl Streep. Redford and Garfield share an easy chemistry between them as the professor and student (Andrew Garfield) whose discussion has each challenging the other’s point of view.

The screenplay here is good, but not great. As each character is more of a proxy for one aspect of the ongoing discussion about the Iraq war, there is no real character development that anyone goes through. By fleshing out some past history between the pairs of characters, though, screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan does manage to keep things from becoming too didactic.

Lions For Lambs' transfer is as good as one expects from DVD at this point. The night scenes featuring the two trapped soldiers are rather dark and murky, but we can assume that was Redford’s intent.

There are many issues under discussion here and the disc’s extras attempts to add to the discussion. Redford's commentary track goes into what he was trying to achieve with the film, while Carnahan gets his own featurette to discuss his process in creating the film.

Hopefully, people will discover this film in its DVD release, as it can serve as a good starting point for further examination of the country’s complex feelings over its current geopolitical situation.

DVD Review: THE DARJEELING LIMITED

Wes Anderson fans certainly have had it lucky. With three of his four feature films having been released on DVD by the Criterion Collection, they've come to expect a certain level of quality and bonus materials on the home video releases of his films. That’s what makes Fox Home Entertainment's release of his fifth and latest film, The Darjeeling Limited, such a mixed bag.

The Darjeeling Limited tracks the adventures of three brothers (Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody) as the travel across India by train to visit the various spiritual sites and try and reconnect as brothers. Despite all the carefully made plans falling apart the three still manage to come to a better understanding of themselves and each other. In addition to the main feature, Anderson’s short Hotel Chevalier, which fills in the backstory of Jason Schwartman’s character, has been included.

As I wrote in my review of the film when it played at the New York Film Festival last fall, Darjeeling Limited is sure to please Anderson’s fans with its quirky examination of the relationship between the tree brothers. The director’s penchant for bright and colorful design plays to the strengths of the Indian locales were the film was shot and the DVD’s transfer does a remarkable job bringing the film’s look to one’s television screen.

The disc also features a twenty-minute featurette, which walks us through the converted train used as the movie’s set, showing the various ingenious ways that they managed to maneuver a film crew through such tight quarters. There’s also raw footage of some of the cast rehearsing and exploring the various Indian locations used in the film.

But beyond that and the obligatory trailer, there are no other extras to speak of. And while this would be a fine enough presentation for most films, the lack of DVD extras that Anderson fans have become accustomed to, such as a commentary track, leaves one to wonder if perhaps there’s a second, better equipped edition somewhere in the future.

DVD Review: Greenaway's THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT And A ZED AND TWO NOUGHTS

One could describe the ascension of British film director Peter Greenaway as a comet streaking across the cinema of the 1980s, culminating in the explosion that was 1989's The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover. But to understand that ascension, one needs to go back to Greenaway’s earliest features, the first two – The Draughtsman's Contract and A Zed And Two Noughts - have just been released by Zeigeist Films on DVD.

Greenaway's 1982 feature-length directorial debut – he cut his cinematic teeth as a cinematographer before directing a handful of short films – draws extensively on Greenaway’s background as an artist. Set in 1964 during the politically and socially turbulent William and Mary period of English history, The Draughtsman's Contract concerns an arrogant artist (Anthony Higgins) who is commissioned by a noblewoman (Janet Suzman) to produce several drawings of her husband’s manor home as a gift. In exchange, the artist demands an exuberant fee as well as daily sexual favors from the noblewoman. Soon the artist finds himself enmeshed in a web of high society intrigues which culminates in accusations of murder from the noblewoman’s daughter (Anne-Louise Lambert), whom he has also taken as a lover.

Befitting a story of an artist, Greenaway has carefully composed each shot of the film as if it were a painting. With the exception of a few shots, the camera is steady, fixed and unblinking. Objects are symmetrically aligned and actors seldom move through the frame. Into this Greenaway mixes exaggerated wigs and costuming and statues that come to life, moving outside the characters’ periphery of vision.

As structured as The Draughtsman's Contract is, 1985's A Zed And Two Noughts is a bit more impenetrable, but just as visually engaging. Here, Greenaway continues his fascination with translating the precepts of painting to film, experimenting with lighting instead of composition. The story deals with twin brothers whose wives are killed in an auto accident in front of the zoo where they work. As a way of dealing with their grief the two become involved with the amputee, only-survivor of the crash and making high speed films of animal decomposition.

Regarded by some as Greenaway's best film, A Zed And Two Noughts is definitely one of his most difficult films. The photography here is stunning, at times threatening to overpower the narrative. Greenaway also makes many visual allusions to the work of the Dutch painter Vermeer, but one can be at a loss to tie those allusions to the story. However, for the viewer who is willing to stay with the film, there are some interesting rewards.

Both discs have been remastered for this release and the picture quality is as good as it has ever been for a home video release of these two titles. The Draughtsman's Contract picture quality slighted muted, though that is due to the film being originally shot in 16mm than anything else. Draughtsman's Contract was previously released on DVD by Fox Lorber, but the restoration comparison on the new disc reveals that the picture quality is a vast improvement over that release.

Greenaway contributes well thought out commentaries to each film, highlighting both technical and aesthetic details throughout. Also on the disc are short video introductions to each film where Greenaway talks about his artistic intentions for the projects.

The Draughtsman's Contract also includes several deleted scenes, while both discs include behind-the-scenes footage and each film’s theatrical trailer.

DVD Review: RUSH HOUR 3

I've been a fan of Jackie Chan's work since I first saw a multiple generation dupe bootleg of his seminal Armor Of God. And while he's a star the world over, it has always had trouble finding the right Hollywood-produced film to fully showcase his talents. Although the Rush Hour films have come close, they never struck much of a chord with me. I'm in the minority though, as all three films in the series have been box office successes. And for fans, the two-disc DVD release for Rush Hour 3 gives fans of the series much band for their buck.

The first disc sports a good transfer of the film, accompanied by a commentary track featuring director Brett Ratner and screenwriter Jeff Nathanson. My feelings about Ratner as a director aside, he comes across as fairly amiable and personable and quick to point out where he's showing the influence of his favorite films or where a technical error may have crept into the film.

The second disc supplies much meat for those who enjoy looking behind-the-scenes at film production in the form of a "Making Rush Hour 3" feature that runs nearly as long as the film's 90-minute run time. In both the "Making of..." feature and a separate visual effects demo reel there are montages of the Eiffel Tower sequence dissolving back and forth between the finished film and the raw footage showing exactly where reality ended and computer created visuals began. What's even more amazing than seeing what parts of the Eiffel Tower were recreated in a computer is seeing what stunts Jackie Chan actually did on the location in Paris. (Also, look out for an Easter Egg where technicians at George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic created a variation of one of the effects shots they produced for the film.)

The "Making of..." portion is fairly comprehensive featuring interviews with everyone from screenwriter Nathanson, a majority of the main cast and crew members from editors to effects technicians. To be sure, at times some of the interview subjects get a little self-congratulatory about their work, but that is to be expected. The overall result is a comprehensive look at the film's production and makes for fascinating viewing, no matter what you may have felt about the film itself.

The movie is also being released on Blu-Ray, for anyone who scores a player this holiday season and is looking for something to play in it.

DVD Review: HULA GIRLS

It's a plot line that may just qualify as its own genre. A small group of people, oft times living in an economically depressed area, turn to an unorthodox way of earning money that at first sparks a culture clash but then leads to heart-warming understanding and acceptance by all. It’s become a fairly predictable trope, but if done well, as in the case of Hula Girlsrecently released on DVD, it can still yield enjoyable results.

The economically depressed town in question is 1965 Iwaki, a northern Japanese mining town that is seeing some 2,000 miners laid off following a closure of one of the mines. A plan is in motion to create a Hawaiian-themed resort that some of the laid-off miners can work at. However, one important thing is needed to make the resort authentically Hawaiian- hula dancers. However the conservative town is strongly against some of their daughters, wives and sisters take the jobs.

The film’s culture clash theme is personified by the teenage Kimiko (Yu Aoi) and her mother (Junko Fuji). Kimiko sees dancing at the Hawaiian center as a chance for a different life than that of a housewife that has already been mapped out for her by virtue of where she was born. Her mother, who relies on the more traditional values to define her life, sees the occupation of hula dancer as shameful and on par with stripping.

One doesn’t need to see a lot of movies to know how this is going to play out. But the fact that it plays out so well is what keeps the viewer engaged in the film. All the characters are exceedingly well drawn, with even the secondary characters all getting moments that flesh out their characters more so than usually seen in English language versions of the same basic story. The movie also resists the temptation to fall into some of the clichés that present themselves at various storytelling junctures. When Kimiko’s best friend moves away when her family heads to a large city to find work, Hollywood has trained to expect her return by the close of the film. Here, however, there are no heartwarming reunions, leaving the dance troop’s eventual triumph at the end of the film just slightly bittersweet.

The folks at Ziv Pictures have done another fine job in assembling this package. As usual with their releases, there are supplementary materials that help explain the film’s context in Japanese culture. For this title, Viz has included a short documentary interviewing the women from the northern mining town on which the film’s story is based. While Kimiko and the other dancers are fictional constructs, their instructor, Madoka Hirayama, played in the film by Yasuko Matsuyuki, is not and she is also on hand to discuss the challenges she faced in overcoming the town’s preconceived notations about the art of hula dancing.

But one doesn’t need to know that Hula Girls has its roots in actual events to enjoy the film. The strength of the film’s story, themes and acting are enough to ensure that.

DVD Review: PING PONG

If you think that cinematic table tennis is only good for a few laughs like in the recently released Balls Of Fury, than you need to see Ping Pong. And luckily for you, this wildly inventive Japanese film hit DVD this week.

Set in a world of highly competitive high school table tennis, the film focuses on a pair of friends- Peco and Smile. Both are talented players, but not playing up to their full potential. Peco hustles other table tennis players for cash at a rundown ping pong dojo while Smile – so nicknamed as he never cracks his sullen expression – plays on the local high school team. When they both get beaten at a local competition, they question whether they want to go on playing the game, but are encouraged by separate coaches to put their all into their game in preparation for the next tournament.

Adapted from the manga by Taiya Matsumoto, Ping Pong balances complex character relationships between Smile, Peco, their coaches and the three main competitors the pair face. Unlike most sports movies, there’s no clear villain. The three major competitors Peco and Smile play against are drawn sympathetically, which helps build the tension during their matches. There is also a strong theme of having a responsibility to use one’s talents to the fullest and I have to wonder of Matsumoto intended this to be allegorical to the Japanese cultural drive to succeed.

Nominated for eight Japanese Academy Awards, Ping Pong is one of those films that, once you see it, you want to round up a bunch of your friends and share it with them. Half the joy of the film is discovering the stunning and kinetic visual work of director Sori Fumihiko, and the other half is in watching others discovering it for themselves. Sori, who worked as an effects supervisor on James Cameron’s Titanic, manages to find new and visually interesting ways to shoot each successive match. Combine with J-pop soundtrack and you have a film that captures the energy of its characters’ teen years.

VIZ Pictures has put together a great 2-disc package for the film. The first disc sports a sharp transfer on par with the Japanese Region 3 release. But where this release surpasses the Japanese disc is with its special features, which are spread across a second disc. The highlight of the special features is the nearly hour-long “Making Of” featurette which contains interviews with director Sori and the principal members of the cast as well as lifts the curtain on how some of the film’s ping pong matches were shot. There’s also a 16 minute mildly amusing parody of the film called Ting Pong, as well as another short feature on ping pong basics. The special features disc is rounded out with a collection of Japanese theatrical trailers and television commercials.