Art Film As Fashion Trend

by Kimberly Lindbergs | November 17, 2009

Categories | French Cinema, Actresses, Delphine Seyrig, Fashion & Film

In 1962 Alain Resnais’ film Last Year at Marienbad aka L’année dernière à Marienbad (1961) debuted in America and made quite a splash with film critics as well as fashionistas. As the following fashion article from ‘62 makes clear, women were obviously inspired by the lovely Delphine Seyrig and attempted to mimic her look including fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt and American actress Elizabeth Ashley. Today actresses in popular films seem to dictate many fashion trends but I found this fashion piece about Last Year at Marienbad really surprising and a fun read so I thought I’d share it here. Delphine Seyrig’s one of my favorite actresses and I love the idea of her as a smart trendsetting ’60s style icon in the same league as Jean Seberg and Audrey Hepburn. Make way ladies! Here comes Delphine Seyrig…

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10 Characters I Love

by Kimberly Lindbergs | April 10, 2009

Categories | Rants & Raves, Actors, Actresses, Terence Stamp, Klaus Kinski, Pierre Clementi, Delphine Seyrig, Hal Ashby, Meiko Kaji, Piers Haggard

The task: Make a list of 10 of your favorite film characters.As much as I tend to dislike these blog memes, I couldn’t say no to The Agitation of the Mind, Coosa Creak Cinema and Bubblegum Aesthetics so I finally took the plunge and decided to participate. Like any self-respecting film enthusiast I have hundreds of favorite film characters, but here’s a short list of 10. I decided not to comment on my selections so I’ll leave it up to my readers to figure out the why’s and what for behind each of my choices.

1. Freddie Clegg as played by Terence Stamp
The Collector (William Wyler; 1965)

10. Klaus Kinski as Klaus Kinski

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20 Favorite DVD Releases of 2008: Part I.

by Kimberly Lindbergs | March 11, 2009

Categories | Movie Reviews, Horror, Japanese Cinema, French Cinema, American Cinema, Crime, Hammer Horror, Spanish Cinema, Alain Delon, Criterion, Serge Gainsbourg, Helmut Berger, Thrillers, William Klein, Favorite 2008 DVDs, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Featured, Yasuharu Hasebe, Nikkatsu, Delphine Seyrig, Paul Naschy, Sean Connery, Carol Lynley, Seth Holt

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but overall 2008 was somewhat of a lackluster year for new Region 1 DVD releases of ’60s and ’70s era films when compared to the previous two years (See: 2006 and 2007). Some of my favorite DVD companies such as BCI Eclipse and most recently New Yorker Films have folded. Boutique DVD companies are releasing fewer products and what is being released is often of questionable quality. With the failing economy and the rise in popularity of Blu-ray discs, it seems like the number of new worthwhile DVD releases might continue to drop dramatically in 2009. Many companies such as Blue Underground and Criterion are choosing to re-release films that have already been available on DVD, while big studios like Warner Brothers and Paramount seem to be focusing a lot of their energy on re-releasing titles on Blu-ray instead of releasing old films from their vaults.

Even with this disappointing turn of events, fans of ’60s and ’70s cinema were still offered some great DVD box sets from companies like Lions Gate as well as Criterion. Sony Pictures has also released an interesting batch of DVDs under their new “Martini Movies” label. And with curiosity about Japanese pink films on the rise, companies like Mondo Macabro and Media Blasters took full advantage of this and released some unexpected gems last year. 2008 was also a great year for British horror fans. Besides multiple Hammer DVD releases including the Icons of Horror: Hammer Films Collection and the Icons of Adventure Film Collection, there were also some great Amicus films released such as Freddie Francis’ The Skull and The Deadly Bees.

In previous years I’ve shared a list of my Top 30 Favorite DVD releases, but this year I’m narrowing my list down to my favorite Top 20 releases. This is mainly due to my disappointment with last year’s DVD offerings and I wanted to focus on a limited selection of new releases that I really enjoyed. As always, my list only features films that were originally released between 1960 and 1979 on Region 1 DVD. I tried not to include any DVD re-releases on my list or TV shows, but there were plenty to choose from. My selections are listed in alphabetical order and I’ll be posting them in two parts in the coming week. Below are selections #1-10.

Alain Delon and Romy Schneider in La Piscine (1969)

1. Alain Delon - Five Film Collection (Lions Gate)
Anytime an Alain Delon film finds it’s way onto DVD for the first time there’s a celebration in my home! The Lions Gate Alain Delon DVD boxset was a real treat and offered viewers the opportunity to see five films starring my favorite French actor. I thought the best films in the collection were easily La Piscine aka The Swimming Pool (1969) and Diaboliquement vôtre aka Diabolically Yours (1967), which I reviewed back in 2007. But The Widow Couderc and Notre Histoire also make for some worthwhile viewing. Le Gitan aka The Gypsy (1975) is a bit like sitting through Zorro II, but it’s missing the catchy theme song. I actually enjoy Delon’s original Zorro (1975) film, but Le Gitan left me a little cold. For more information about this DVD release please see my previous comments about it here.

Christopher Walken, Stan Gottlieb and Sean Connery in The Anderson Tapes (1971)

2. The Anderson Tapes (Sony Pictures)
The Anderson Tapes (1971) is one of the hidden gems that can be found in the recent batch of “Martini Movies” released by Sony Pictures. This ’70s caper film was directed by Sidney Lumet when he was at the top of his game and it’s based on a novel written by Lawrence Sanders. The movie features a great cast that includes Sean Connery, Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam, Alan King and a very young and incredibly cute Christopher Walken in his first major film role. The premise of the film involves a group of con men that Anderson (Sean Connery) brings together in order to pull off a major heist at an upper-class apartment building in New York. Unfortunately for Anderson everyone he contacts is under surveillance for different reasons, so every move he makes is being carefully monitored. Sidney Lumet does an impressive job of filming the events as they unfold through the use of surveillance cameras and sound. And I really liked the adult way that Connery’s relationship with Dyan Cannon was handled. The film was released a year before the Watergate scandal made headlines and three years before Francis Ford Coppala’s seminal film The Conversation, which tackled similar themes. I was surprised by how much The Anderson Tapes had obviously influenced Coppola’s later films and I’m not just referring to The Conversation. Clearly writer Lawrence Sanders and director Sidney Lumet were well aware of the way surveillance was starting to play a role in modern society and the film does a terrific job of exploring the way it invades the life of one unsuspecting man. Quincy Jones created the film’s soundtrack and I think is one of the composers most experimental and unusual efforts. Jones used electronic sounds and noise to convey various emotions and ideas in the film and it works really well with the way Lumet handles the material. The film is presented in widescreen and the print looks terrific. Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of extras on the DVD besides the original trailer and the Martini Movie features which come with every one of their releases.

Assault! Jack the Ripper (1976)

3. Assault! Jack the Ripper (Mondo Macabro)
This is not an easy film to recommend and many will undoubtedly be shocked by the film’s subject matter. Some hardened horror fans will even shy away from the graphic nature of the film, but Assault! Jack the Ripper (1976) is easily one of the most transgressive and fascinating violent pink movies I’ve seen and in turn, one of my favorite DVD releases of last year. Assault! Jack the Ripper was directed by Yasuharu Hasebe who has made some of my favorite Japanese films including Black Tight Killers (1966), Bloody Territories (1969), Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song (1973) and the Stray Cat Rock films. The movie centers around the violent and erotic adventures of young working couple who accidentally discover that they get sexual satisfaction from torturing and murdering other women. The film used true crimes such as the notorious Chicago nurse murders committed by Richard Speck for inspiration. It’s propelled by an incredible Euro-flavored soundtrack and some breathtaking cinematography. Assault! Jack the Ripper is not light viewing and audiences should be prepared to watch the DVD extras that come with the film in order to get a deeper understanding of the movie’s subversive themes, but it’s well worth the effort for adventurous viewers. The DVD extras include an insightful interview with author Jasper Sharp who wrote Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema, extensive notes about the film and a great documentary called The Erotic Empire which discusses Nikkatsu Studios “Romantic Pornographic” aka Roman Porno films.

Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1973)

4. Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (Special Edition) (BCI / Eclipse)
A lot of Paul Naschy films found their way onto DVD last year, but Carlos Aured’s Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1973) was my favorite of the bunch. In this Spanish giallo Paul Naschy plays a deeply troubled ex-con who gets hired as a caretaker for a lavish estate owned by three beautiful sisters who seem to all vie for Naschy’s affections. After Naschy takes the job, a serial killer begins terrorizing the countryside and removing the eyes of his blue-eyed victims. Is Naschy the cold-blooded killer or is someone else to blame for the horrible murders? You’ll have to watch the film to find out! No one in Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll is particularly likable, but I found that aspect of the film strangely compelling. Carlos Aured does a good job with the dream sequences in the film and Paul Naschy ’s script features plenty of unusual twists and turns to keep viewers entertained. Fans of European thrillers should find the film enjoyable. The DVD comes with some great extras including audio commentary with Paul Naschy and director Carlos Aured.

Reiko Oshida in Delinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night Dreams (1970)

5. Delinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night Dreams (Media Blasters)
For more information about this release please see my lengthy review of the film here.

Serge Gainsbourg, Delphine Seyrig and John Abbey in Mr. Freedom (1969)

6. The Delirious Fictions of William Klein - Eclipse Series 9 (Eclipse / Criterion)
This Eclipse/Criterion DVD collection was one of the best things the company released last year and for my money, possibly the best DVD film collection of 2008. Previously William Klein’s films were incredibly hard to come by and the prints that were floating around from various sources were often very poor. Criterion’s choice to release three of William Klein’s films was a real surprise and a treat for anyone like myself who enjoys avant-garde cinema from the ’60s. Director William Klein was a fashion photographer and an American expat living in Paris when he made these films, which satirize the fashion industry, pervading cultural values and American political policies. Although some may see the films as mere products of the times that they were made in, I think they’re still extremely relevant today. Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? aka Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo? (1966) and Mr. Freedom (1969) are the standout features in this three film set and I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite from the two. Both films feature some incredible visuals and lots of dark humor. The Model Couple (1977) is also well worth a look even if it’s lacking the style and intellectual punch of the other two films in the collection. This terrific set of films deserves a lot more attention than I can give it now but I briefly mentioned how excited I was about this DVD release last year and you can find that post along with a clip from Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? here. Unfortunately like all the Eclipse/Criterion DVD releases this DVD collection is very bare bones, but still well worth owning.

The Gorgon (1964)

7. Icons of Horror: Hammer Films (Sony Pictures)
I’m always happy to see any Hammer horror films finding their way onto DVD and the 2-disc Icons of Horror collection contained one of my long-time favorite Hammer productions, Terence Fisher’s The Gorgon (1964) as well as Seth Holt’s exceptional thriller Scream of Fear (1961). This four film collection also featured Michael Carreras’s The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb (1964) and The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960). I hadn’t had the opportunity to see Terence Fisher’s The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll before this DVD release and I was really surprised by how well done the film was. I personally think it’s one of the better films based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic story thanks to Paul Massie’s excellent duel performance as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb is definitely the weakest film in the collection, which still means it’s better than most of the horror films you’ll find playing at your local multiplex right now. All the films look terrific and are presented in widescreen. Terence Fisher and Seth Holt were two of the finest directors that worked with Hammer studios so it’s nice to see them both represented in this great new DVD set. Unfortunately it suffers from a lack of extras which plagues many Hammer DVD releases, but it’s hard to complain when you can currently purchase all four films for a mere $16.99 at Amazon (see link above).

Oliver Reed and Carol Lynley in The Shuttered Room (1967)

8. It!/The Shuttered Room (Warner Home Video)
I have so much I want to say about these two joint British/American productions that I hate trying to sum up my feelings in one paragraph so I may revisit them later, but in an effort to get this list finished up I’ll try and formulate a few quick thoughts. It! (1966) is a highly entertaining horror movie directed by Herbert J. Leder and it stars the talented Roddy McDowall. McDowall plays a mentally disturbed museum curator (playing homage to Anthony Perkins) who finds himself in all kinds of trouble after he displays a strange statue at the museum where he’s employed. The highly improbable plot gets more and more ridiculous as the film unfolds, but I won’t spoil it for potential viewers. It! is a really fun movie that has to be seen to be believed and Roddy McDowall is terrific in it. The second film in this two movie set is David Greene’s The Shuttered Room (1967) and it’s the real reason you should purchase this DVD. The movie features a great cast and two exceptional performances from the film’s star Carol Lynley and her co-star, the late great Oliver Reed. The script is based on a story written by August Derleth, who was H. P. Lovecraft’s posthumous collaborator and Derleth used many of Lovecraft’s own notes and ideas to compile his tale. The finale result may seem a little uneven to some, but I think The Shuttered Room is one of the few films that successfully captures the unsettling mood found in some of Lovecraft’s best fiction. David Greene’s direction is impressive at times, but the film is really elevated by the experimental avant-garde score composed by controversial British jazz musician Basil Kirchin. Kirchin composed music for other British horror films such as The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and The Mutations (1974), but his score for The Shuttered Room just might be his most effective. Unfortunately this is another bare bones DVD release with no worthwhile extras, but it’s great to see these deserving horror films finally being made available. I’d previously only seen washed out and cut-up prints of The Shuttered Room on television so I was thrilled by the print quality of this new DVD from Warner.

Jean-Paul Belmondo in Le Doulos (1963)

9. Le Doulos (Criterion)
Le Doulos (1963) is one of Jean-Pierre Melville’s earliest crime films (aka “policier”) and while it’s missing some of the polish of the director’s later efforts, it’s still an exceptional film featuring a truly memorable performance from the great Jean-Paul Belmondo. Belmondo charms his way through the film playing a surprisingly ruthless gangster named Silien, who may or may not be a police informant referred to as a “Le doulos” in French slang terms. The film borrows from many classic noir films, but Melville brings his own trademark style and edginess to the proceedings, which gives Le Doulos lots of modern appeal. Criterion did an exceptional job on their release of Le Doulos and one can only hope that they’ll continue to release more of Melville’s films on DVD in the future. Besides a beautifully restored print of the film, the new DVD comes with some great extras including archival interviews with Melville and actors Jean-Paul Belmondo and Serge Reggiani, audio commentary by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau, the original theatrical trailer and a thoughtful new essay by film critic Glenn Kenny.

Helmut Berger in Ludwig (1972)

10. Ludwig (KOCH Lorber Films)
Few directors know how to create epic historical dramas like Luchino Visconti and Ludwig (1972) is one of the director’s most ambitious efforts. This four hour film is not without its flaws, but if you take the time to watch this dramatic retelling of the life of the “mad” Kind Ludwig II of Bavaria you’ll be rewarded with some lush cinematography, grandiose set designs, fabulous period costumes and great performances from the film’s impressive cast. Like many of Visconti’s previous efforts, the film offers viewers an intelligent critique of the powerful and wealthy, while celebrating their extravagances and mourning the passage of time. One of my favorite actors is the Austrian born Helmut Berger who stars as King Ludwig here and this film offered him one of his most expansive and fascinating roles. Visconti and Berger were long-time lovers and they work extremely well together. Visconti indulged Berger during the making of Ludwig and gave the actor plenty of freedom to bring the mad King to life, but he also knew when to rein him in. The film also features Trevor Howard as composer Richard Wagner, Silvano Mangano as Wagner’s mistress Cosima Von Buelow and Romy Schneider was smartly cast as the Empress Elisabeth of Austria. The lovely and talented Romy Schneider had previously become a star due to her sympathetic portrayal of the young Empress Elisabeth in the popular Austrian Sisi films and she brings a lot of experience and skill to her role. This impressive two disc DVD set from KOCH Lorber Films features a digitally restored and re-mastered widescreen print of the film and it’s loaded with extras including a documentary about director Luchino Visconti, a profile of actress Silvano Mangano and an interview with costume designer Piero Tosi. I wish one or two of the extras included with the DVD focused a bit more on the film’s star Helmut Berger, but that’s a minor complaint. This release is a real treat for Luchino Visconti fans like myself.

The second half of my Favorite DVDs of 2008 list can be found here.

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The Eyes Have It

by Kimberly Lindbergs | December 10, 2008

Categories | Rants & Raves, Actresses, Elizabeth Taylor, Pamela Franklin, Brigitte Bardot, Claudia Cardinale, Julie Christie, Carroll Baker, Isabelle Adjani, Delphine Seyrig, Ursula Andress, Barbara Shelley, Barbara Steele, Ingrid Pitt, Marisa Mell, Florinda Bolkan, Bette Davis, Ava Gardner, Gene Tierney, Ann-Margret, Natalie Wood, Monica Vitti, Meiko Kaji, Anna Karina, Catherine Deneuve, Edwige Fenech

My blogging buddy Peter Nellhaus over at Coffee, Coffee and more Coffee has asked me to contribute my own list of “20 Favorite Actresses” to a new film meme making the rounds of the blogosphere. Frankly I was just going to blow him off and ignore his request because these meme things tend to make me nuts but Peter is too nice a guy to ignore. I tried to throw caution to the wind and just quickly put together a list of 20 of my favorite actresses, but as usual I spent way too much time thinking about this and managed to give myself a headache in the process. This meme madness must end! But at least it gave me an excuse to post a bunch of fabulous photos of some of my favorite actresses.

Naturally I ignored the rules and decided to post a list of 23 40 favorite actresses instead of limiting myself to only 20. My list could have been even longer and I’m sure I’ll regret forgetting to include a few more favorites but over time I felt the need to keep adding to the list and finally just doubled the size. Some of these talented and lovely women were never offered the better roles they so richly deserved, while others are acclaimed Academy Award winners and celebrated Hollywood legends. They do have a couple of things in common though; they’ve appeared in a lot of great movies and I never get tired of watching them!

So without further blabbering, here are 20 40 Women I Love Watching . . .

Elizabeth Taylor

Monica Vitti

Sarah Miles

Julie Christie

Barbara Steele

Charlotte Rampling

Kim Novak

Anna Karina

Carroll Baker

Meiko Kaji

Catherine Deneuve

Isabelle Adjani

Brigitte Bardot

Natalie Wood

Deborah Kerr

Sophia Loren

Gene Tierney

Glenda Jackson

Ava Gardner

Ursula Andress

Delphine Seyrig

Ann-Margret

Edwige Fenech

Ingrid Pitt

Judy Garland

Florinda Bolkan

Marisa Mell

Katharine Hepburn

Soledad Miranda

Barbara Shelley

< a href="http://cinebeats.blogsome.com/category/bette-davis/">Bette Davis

Pamela Franklin

Barbra Streisand

Claudia Cardinale

Anita Ekberg

Paula Prentiss

Geneviève Bujold

Marlene Clark

Diana Rigg

Jenny Agutter

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Favorite DVD Releases of 2007: Part III.

by Kimberly Lindbergs | February 16, 2008

Categories | Movie Reviews, Favorite 2007 DVDs, Malcolm McDowell, Delphine Seyrig, Orson Welles, Karel Reisz

Favorite DVD Releases of 2007: Part III. - Top 30 DVDs #11-20.

John Savage in The Killing Kind (1973)

The Killing Kind (Dark Sky Films)
Please see my brief look at this Curtis Harrington film HERE.

Latitude Zero (1969)

Latitude Zero (Dub Sub) (Media Blasters)
Please see my review of Ishiro Honda’s Latitude Zero HERE.

Legends of the Poisonous Seductress #1: Female Demon Ohyaku (1969)

Legends of the Poisonous Seductress #1: Female Demon Ohyaku (Synapse Films / Ryko)
Legends of the Poisonous Seductress #1: Female Demon Ohyaku (Yoen Dokufuden Hannya no Ohyaku, 1968) is the first film in a trilogy of pinky violence films released by Synapse / Ryko. I haven’t had the opportunity to see the other two films in this series yet, but Female Demon Ohyaku is an incredibly effective revenge tale featuring some bold black and white cinematography by Nagaki Yamagishi and impressive direction by Yoshihiro Ishikawa. The film stars the lovely Junko Miyazono as Ohyaku Dayu and she’s very good here as a young tightrope walker who falls in love with a handsome thief (Kunio Murai). After the two are involved in a failed plan to steal money from the local government, Ohyaku Dayu is tortured and her lover is brutally killed, so she vows revenge on his murderers. Legends of the Poisonous Seductress #1: Female Demon Ohyaku is one of the earliest examples of the pinky violence genre and the film is surprisingly erotic and brutal at times. The adult nature of the movie’s themes and its period setting give Yoshihiro Ishikawa’s movie an air of gravitas that is often missing from typical pinky violence productions. The Legends of the Poisonous Seductress series was never theatrically released outside of Japan but thanks to Synapse, western viewers now have the opportunity to see these fascinating films. The DVD includes a nice looking widescreen presentation of the film with English subtitles, commentary by Chris Desjardins (aka Chris D.), trailers for all three of the Legends of the Poisonous Seductress films and liner notes written by Chris Desjardins as well.

Julia Foster and Tom Courtney in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Warner Home Video)
In some ways Tony Richardson’s The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) could be viewed as a sort of older sibling of Lindsay Anderson’s If…., but Richardson’s film is a quieter movie in many ways and its power comes from the almost documentary-style direction Richardson uses while employing popular New Wave techniques such as montage and jump cuts to tell his tale. The film centers on an angry and self-destructive youth named Colin, who’s played wonderfully by the British actor Tom Courtney. Courtney may have been a few years too old for his role, but his world-weary looks only add to the effectiveness of his performance in my opinion. The film is based on a novel by Alan Sillitoe who also wrote the screenplay. Sillitoe had previously written Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, which was made into a film by Karel Reisz, and although both of Sillitoe’s novels helped give voice to Britain’s “angry young men” in the late fifties and early sixties, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is a very different work that has a much stronger anti-establishment message than Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Besides Lindsay Anderson’s If…., The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner also shares a sportsmanship theme that is somewhat comparable to Anderson’s This Sporting Life, but neither of these films should be viewed as simple “sports” films. This Sporting Life and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner use football and long distance running as mere background elements to round out their complex narratives dealing with masculine pride and male identity in Postwar Britain. I hope to write more about this wonderful film in the future, but I will add that the new Warner DVD includes a terrific looking transfer of the film that has been enhanced for widescreen displays and the original theatrical trailer. I wish Warner had included more extras with this important release as well as a commentary track, but since this is the first time the film has officially been made available on Region 1 DVD, I can’t complain too much.

Helga Line and Tony Kendall in The Loreley’s Grasp (1974)

The Loreley’s Grasp (Deimos Entertainment / BCI Eclipse)
After being disappointed by Amando de Ossorio’s The Night of the Sorcerers (1973), which was also released on DVD last year by Deimos / BCI Eclipse, my expectations were extremely low for the director’s The Loreley’s Grasp (1974) (1974). Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised by this terrific film, which is undoubtedly one of the Amando de Ossorio’s most entertaining efforts. The Loreley’s Grasp is basically a monster movie with an attractive European cast, but Amando de Ossorio’s creative direction and writing combined with the beautiful locations, groovy fashions and the unusual folktale elements in his sctory really elevated the material in my opinion. The Loreley’s Grasp is stylish and occasionally trashy fun that is well worth a look if you enjoy European horror movies as much as I do. I’m grateful that Deimos / BCI Eclipse is making an effort to release so many previously hard to see Spanish films on DVD and The Loreley’s Grasp is definitely one of their strongest releases. The newly restored widescreen transfer looks terrific and the DVD comes with some nice extras including a theatrical trailer, two audio tracks (English subtitled and dubbed), the Spanish credit sequence, still gallery, and informative liner notes by author Mirik Lipinski.

Malpertuis (1971)

Malpertuis (Barrel Entertainment)
I’ve admired Harry Kümel’s marvelous vampire film Daughters of Darkness (1971) for many years but I’ve never had the opportunity to see any of the directors other movies. Thankfully that changed this year after Barrel Entertainment released Kümel’s fascinating Malpertuis (1971) on DVD in 2007. Malpertuis is an unusual and surreal film that mixes fantasy and horror elements with Greek mythology. The cast includes the talented British actress Susan Hampshire who starred in Neither the Sea Nor the Sand (another film on my list of favorite DVDs of 2007) and the enigmatic Orson Welles, who manages to make a big impression here even though his role is rather limited. Harry Kümel’s direction might seem a little muddled at times, but I was totally enchanted by this beautiful film and it was easily one of the most interesting movies I was introduced to in 2007. The film was definitely helped by Gerry Fisher’s color photography and a wonderful Georges Delerue score. While watching Malpertuis I was reminded of Guy Green’s underrated film The Magus (1968) that appeared on my list of Favorite DVDs last year. Both films share a similar sensibility and they would make for an interesting double feature. This two-disc DVD set is loaded with noteworthy extras including two versions of the film (the director’s cut and a copy of the English language version that debuted at Cannes in 1972), a trailer, multiple featurettes including Susan Hampshire: One Actress, Three Parts and Orson Welles Uncut, which collects rare outtakes of Welles on the set of Malpertuis while the cast and crew discuss what it was like to work with him. The DVD also features Audio commentary from Harry Kümel and a lengthy interview, but unfortunately the director comes across as a rather ungrateful and bitter man with a limited sense of humor. I was more impressed by the 7-minute featurette about the surreal novelist Jean Ray that was included on the DVD and it made me eager to seek out his work. Overall this is a really remarkable release!

Jean-Baptiste Thierree in Muriel (1963)

Muriel (Koch Lorber Films)
The more I’m exposed to Alain Resnais, the more I fall in love with his work so I was thrilled that Koch Lorber decided to release the director’s award-wining film Muriel (Muriel ou Le temps d’un Retour, 1963) on DVD last year. I had never seen Muriel before but I was utterly transfixed by the film. Like Resnais’ previous films, Muriel explores complex themes about memory and the passing of time as it’s experienced by people who have been deeply traumatized by events that are often beyond their control. Muriel stars the lovely and talented Delphine Seyrig in one of her least glamorous roles as a widowed woman in France trying to make sense of the past, while her family and friends struggle with the after-effects of the Algerian War. I loved the way Resnais creatively played with montage and color in Muriel, but the film occasionally appears a bit static when compared to his earlier efforts such as the magnificent Hiroshima mon amour (1959) and Last Year at Marienbad (1961). This is probably due to the lack of dolly shots in Muriel, which are often one of the director’s most notable trademarks. Critics love to use words like “impenetrable” when discussing Resnais’ films and I personally find his work complex but very accessible. As much as I love the visual poetry Alain Resnais is able to manifest in his work, I’m really drawn in by the language at times that has a lucidity and pure magic that I find utterly compelling. No matter what writer Resnais is collaborating with, the director is able to bring his own rhythm to the screenplay, which easily distinguishes the work of one of France’s greatest auteurs. The Koch Lorber DVD contains a nice widescreen presentation of the film with English subtitles, the original theatrical trailer and an interview with author Francois Thomas.

Sally Smith in Naked You Die (1968)

Naked You Die (Dark Sky Films)
Please see my review of Naked You Die at Cinedelica, which you can find HERE

Neither the Sea Nor the Sand (1972)

Neither the Sea Nor the Sand (Image Entertainment)
Please see my previous review of Neither the Sea Nor the Sand HERE.

Malcolm McDowell in O Lucky Man! (1973)

O Lucky Man! (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Warner Home Video)
Please see my brief look at Lindsay Anderson’s O Lucky Man! HERE.

Links to the first, second and fourth part of my Favorite DVD Releases of 2007 list can be found below:
- Favorite DVD Releases of 2007: Part I. - The DVD Year in Review - An Introduction
- Favorite DVD Releases of 2007: Part II. - Top 30 DVDs #1-10
- Favorite DVDs of 2007 Part IV. (#21-30)

The last part of my Favorite DVD Releases of 2007 - #21-30 will be posted tomorrow.

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