CASABLANCA 4K, Michael Curtiz, director/Warner Bros
Why is Casablanca (directed by Michael Curtiz in 1942) generally considered to be the greatest product of the golden age of the Hollywood’s studios? At the time it was simply considered to be another in a long line of Humphrey Bogart vehicles, with the actor backed up (as usual) by a solid supporting cast. And the director was one of the most respected of expat filmmaker professionals. But it was the remarkable coming together of a variety of elements that makes Casablanca so special. As a Bogart vehicle, it’s the best possible showcase for the actor – tough, charismatic and (underneath the surface) sentimental, with one of the most luminous of female stars, Swedish import Ingrid Bergman, as the woman he has lost to another man. And then there is the wonderfully witty and razor-sharp dialogue by the Epstein brothers – no film in the history of Hollywood has more quotable lines than those provided by the brothers for Casablanca. And then, of course, there is the score – Max Steiner at his most dramatic and expressive with the perfect use of the song ‘As Time Goes By’, sung in the film by Dooley Wilson. And the icing on the cake? Perhaps the best collection of character actors in America at the time: Peter Lorre, Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet and Conrad Veidt — all of these elements coalesce to wonderfully entertaining effect. And the splendid transfer on this new 4K iteration makes this the perfect time to revisit atmospheric – and dangerous – Casablanca…
DEATH OCCURED LAST NIGHT, Duccio Tessari, director/Radiance Films
With its intriguing mixture of giallo tropes and standard Italian crime strategies, this is a strikingly involving piece of Eurocinema in which a troubled father and a cynical police detective enter Milan’s underworld. The duo are separately tracking down the former’s mentally challenged daughter who has been kidnapped and submitted to sexual slavery. It’s no surprise that Duccio Tessari is in full command of the requisite cinematic skills here, and the performances are spot-on (notably an anguished Raf Vallone). What’s more, the disc – with its crisp transfer – is a reminder of how much neglected Italian cinema is in the vaults, now that we can move beyond the badly dubbed efforts that were once the only way to see material such as this.
AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY, Josef von Sternberg, director/Indicator
Most contemporary audiences will be more familiar with the George Stevens film of Theodor Dreiser’s An American Tragedy, renamed A Place in the Sun. However, this earlier 1930s version, directed by the legendary Josef Von Sternberg, makes for fascinating contrast. Whereas Stevens’ film concentrates on the love interest (played by a luminous Elizabeth Taylor) of the impoverished protagonist, this adaptation shifts the emphasis to the woman he impregnates and who dies in a boating incident, played by a young Sylvia Sidney. Both films have their virtues, and this excellent transfer aids the inevitable comparison the disc will invite.
CIRCLE OF DANGER, Jacques Tourneur, director/StudioCanal
Given that Jacques Tourneur directed the most striking supernatural film ever made in Britain (Night of the Demon) and one of the defining Films Noirs, the influential Out of the Past/Build My Gallows High, cineastes are well aware that anything bearing the director’s name is worthy of attention – and that’s the case with this neglected thriller given a stunning 4K restoration by StudioCanal. As Ray Milland puts himself in considerable danger while trying to track down the killer of his commando brother, Tourneur handles proceedings with his customary élan (if with restrained tension). While this is hardly one of his major films, it’s still essential viewing for admirers of the director. Circle of Danger was produced by an erstwhile assistant to Alfred Hitchcock, the talented Joan Harrison, and adapted by Philip Macdonald from his own novel. The ace cinematographer was the legendary Oswald Morris.
INSIDE, Julien Maury & Alexandre Bustedo, directors/Second Sight Films
The reputation of Julien Maury & Alexandre Bustedo’s Inside has grown considerably, and it is notable not just for the uncompromising nature of its gynaecological theme and a slew of gruesomeness but for the remarkable (and brave) performance by Beatrice Dalle as the sinister home invader who wreaks such havoc. In fact, the ethos of the film was more arthouse than horror film, and there is no denying the sheer skill of the filmmakers who fine-tune this disturbing trip into the darker side of human nature. Most definitely not (as they used to say) for the squeamish, but for those prepared to sample such daunting material, a bracing experience is assured.
SLAUGHTER IN SAN FRANCISCO, Lo Wei, director/Eureka
San Francisco cops Don Wong (Wong Tao) and John Summer (Robert Jones) rescue a woman (Sylvia Chang) who is being attacked by a mob of criminals. But all the crime in the city is under the stewardship of Chuck Slaughter (played by Chuck Norris), who brooks no meddling in his activities. Wong is kicked off the force by his corrupt Captain, and Summer is murdered by Slaughter’s men. Eureka describes this as ‘a gloriously trashy slice of gritty kung fu action’ and that encapsulates its fun appeal. The film was, producer Raymond Chow’s attempt to parley the success of Hong Kong films into a phenomenon in the West. Eureka Classics’ disc represents Slaughter in San Francisco’s debut on Blu-ray from a new 2K restoration.
In publishing circles, January was once customarily regarded as the ‘slow’ month, in which an exciting product – books that the publishers had no conspicuous faith in – would be allowed to creep out. That notion has changed recently, but in terms of Blu-rays and DVDs, this syndrome was generally not the case – with attractive physical product making an appearance immediately after Christmas. And so it proves in January 2024, with some very tempting discs from a variety of companies. From Second Sight, there’s a very impressive transfer of an early Martin Scorsese classic MEAN STREETS, the gritty crime drama that first brought Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel to our attention. While Taxi Driver may have been the director’s breakthrough film, all of his notable skills were already fully in evidence here.
From Arrow, a heavyweight box set (eight discs), THE CHUCKY COLLECTION (various directors) which collects the complete saga of the murderous ambulant doll, guaranteeing a bushel of jump scares which will tickle the horror aficionado. What makes the set particularly valuable is the writing in the accompanying collector’s booklet by such people as Kat Ellinger, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and (er)… me.
