Film Reviews by LE

I mainly rented this to hear Scorsese's views but he's in very little of it - although still worth hearing. Spielberg is also very interesting and they have an extended interview with him as one of the extras. It's a good documentary - not just on Mifune's life but also on Japan at that time. He had some shocking experiences during the war and it's amazing he didn't go a bit mad. Maybe he used that for his acting. The other extra is a bit of a damp squib - a 1986 BFI interview in front on an audience. It's mainly long periods of translation and you don't really get any new information. They should have maybe found a way of excising a lot of the translation parts as it's a bit of a slog.

You can see why Kurosawa said it was an influence for Yojimbo. A man playing off two criminal factions against each other - although for a different motivation. There are also very similar plot points to the Japanese film. Can't quite work out what the 'Glass Key' is referring to as a title but I like that sort of ambiguity. Ladd is such a strange leading man, but that strangeness gives the film a distinctive quality. Lots of homoerotic undertones. I'd never heard of Stuart Heisler but he has created a pleasingly strange genre picture here. Worth seeing. Unfortunately the commentary by Barry Forshaw is comically poor. He makes a few factual errors which is bad enough but doesn't even attempt to refer to what's happening on screen at all. After 30 years you'd think people would now know what the purpose of a dvd commentary is and not just use it for a rambling monologue. Commentate on the film we're watching. The production company shouldn't really have let it go out tbh. Fortunately there is a brilliant video essay by Alastair Phillips to make up for it. Very interesting perspective which enhanced my appreciation of the film.

Surprisingly good. A pulpy film-noir plot but infused with Antonioni's cinema of alienation. Some brilliant long takes that help to show the unspoken distance between the characters. An astoundingly accomplished first film. The extras are a bit weird. Not terrible but it feels like they were all taken from a longer documentary. Why not just give us the full original documentary?

It was actually hard to follow the story because the print was so bad. And the commentary by Philip Kemp is terrible. He doesn't say anything for about 2/3rds of the film and what he does say isn't even relevant to what's happening on screen. The BFI bluray has a fabulous print so I hope Cinema Paradiso acquire that at some point. The Kemp commentary is on that too though and there are no other extras.

Am trying to see Bergman's films in chronological order and this is his best so far. Complex characterisations - particularly the main part. He would have been wholly sympathetic in lesser hands but he's not here. Also an unexpected but very interesting expressionistic sequence at the beginning. A quite layered, almost haunting film. Lead actress Mai Zetterling is excellent.

This is probably the weakest of Ford's Cavalry Trilogy and takes a, shall we say, 'conservative' view of the war on native americans - in contrast to Ford's other films of this time. So quite an odd one. Definitely worth seeing though and some typically poetic cinematography. I love that Ford had the confidence to just stop his films at various points for a cast song. Also well worth checking the commentary by Stephen Prince which is superb, and the video essay by Tag Gallagher. Those two extras make this a must-see BluRay for anyone wanting to learn more about the great John Ford. Good print too.

Thought I should say this as, atm, the product description says it does. The film itself isn't great. Not awful though.

I wasn't expecting much from this. A nearly blind Fritz Lang going over old ground for his last film. But rather than being another embarrassing rehash, it is in fact a glorious career retrospective. Lang refers visually, thematically and through characterisation to lots of films in his vast back catalogue. And he appears to be enjoying himself throughout. It's the best of all his Mabuse films as it doesn't overstay its welcome and his message doesn't get lost in the confusion. That said, by the end, the plot is barely comprehensible, and the lead male is ridiculously bland(maybe on purpose?) but there is so much to love about it. If you're a fan of his other Mabuse films, 'M', and his Hollywood noirs you will spot lots of references to them. There's also an ok commentary on this disc which reveals a lot of historical context though often unfortunately at the expense of ignoring much of what happening on-screen. Pro-tip: according to that commentary the version that Lang wanted English-speaking audiences to watch is actually the dubbed version, not the subtitled one. Both versions are on this disc and, indeed the dubbed version is the superior one, and even makes the plot feel slightly less insane. Start with that.

The film itself on first viewing is a very odd experience. It seems slightly silly or meandering but the excellent commentary underlines the innovative use of sound and visuals. It could even be seen as a sequel to 'M' - one of the undisputed greatest films of the era. Any film fan needs to see this. But watch the commentary afterwards.

I can't believe how good this is. I'd not heard of it before it was sent to me so I anticipated a good Ford film but nothing stunning. I was wrong. It's so good it's almost a precursor to Citizen Kane. Lots of deep focus and expressionistic lighting. Gregg Toland was the cinematographer and you can tell he was fast on the road to doing the same job for Welles two years later. A good plot with complex nuanced characters. And a depiction of London as a truly scary pace. Plus a sad ending. Well worth your time.

This has a mixed reputation but it is actually very high quality. Scorsese's trademark direction is present throughout and he's at his best in certain sequences, including the horrific last scene. This is definitely worth your time if you're a Scorsese fan. There are themes and even individual shots that he would go on to develop in his later films. Barbara Hershey is terrific too.

No idea how this turned up on my list but I'm glad it did. Five allegorical tales, shot with real beauty and painterly care. I took a star off for some animal cruelty in the first few minutes that didn't look faked. I hope it was.

I should also say that there is a terrific Millicent Marcus video essay included in this edition by Arrow Films. Highly recommended. It took my appreciation of this film to another level. Will check out some more Taviani cinema now.

This DVD version moves to the proper widescreen aspect ratio(2.35:1) for some of the songs but frustratingly reverts to a bog-standard 16:9 for everything else. Very annoying. It's a great film but I hope Cinema Paradiso soon get hold of one of the newer Blu Ray versions which retain the proper aspect ratio. My advice (if you are as bothered by these sorts of things as I sadly am) is to buy the Blu Ray rather than rent this from Cinema Paradiso. It IS a great film though.

And the longest - which makes the structure hang together better. All other versions are heavily abridged. Fantastic direction and performances. Good screenplay too - that guy might be going places!