The Sniper (Edward Dmytryk) – see it only in Film Noir festivals
Sony may be releasing a film noir set July 14th. The Sniper is rumored to be one of the discs.
I believe the title is simply “Film Noir Classics”.
Dr. Lemonglow:
BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW is OOP, but amazon.com still has some copies.
Nate the Movie Mate:
BEGOTTEN is being sold as a fund-raiser … I’ve forgotten the name of the magazine that’s doing it, but if you PM me, I’ll check on that at home (yes, I’m one of those evil people who logs on at work).
Bob Jenks:
TARGETS also OOP, but amazon.com has new & used for a little over $4
1. Figures in a Landscape: Joseph Losey’s cat-n-mouse chase film starring Robert Shaw & Malcolm McDowell
2. Who’s Minding the Store: Jerry Lewis, Jill St. John, Agnes Moorehead
3. Cul-De-Sac: No excuse for this Polanski film not to be available in the States
4. The Devils: and for that matter Listzomania, The Music Lovers, even Valentino!
6. Drive, He Said: Jack Nicholson directed starring Bruce Dern…no reason for this to be an obscurity
7. Devil & the Deep: Tallulah Bankhead, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Charles Laughton!!
8. Time Stands Still: Distributed on VHS by Columbia, this Hungarian film has yet to see the light of day on DVD
9. W.U.S.A.: Really bizarre Paul Newman/Joanne Woodward/Anthony Perkins/Laurence Harvey film from Paramount!
10. La lune dans le caniveau: Beinex’ wacky follow-up to Diva is a must see for fans of overblown potboilers
I did notice it’s up on Hulu for free but I would prefer to not watch it on my computer.
@Bob Jenks – Though all the titles on your short list are out of print, they’re available on dvd through Amazon or Ebay from private sellers. Most are new and reasonably priced, except for The War Lord and Truly, Madly, Deeply, which are pretty pricey, I guess because they’re harder to come by.
Ken Loach’s Kes
Jacques Cousteau’s/Louis Malle’s The SIlent World
Robert Downey, Jr.’s The Last Party
Everything by Jacques Rivette (dammit!)
Hi,
There are a lot of films that usually only appear at Film Festivals and … they disappear never to be seen again. For that reason I usually only review the films that are rarely seen (through the Portland International Film Festival) and some of these are:
(not in order per se)
1. The Fencing Master – Pedro Olea Director (with Assumpta Serna)
2. Carmen – Carlos Saura Director (his previous dancing series as well)
3. Jamon, Jamon – Jose Luis Alcaine Director
4. Most of the Luis Bunuel Mexican films are not available anywhere … the early stuff is funnier than some later ones. His Robinson Crusoe is still the best of them all.
5. The Double Life of Veronique – Kieslowski’s best film, and with the prettiest music by Zbigniew Preisner
6. The Mission – Roland Joffe Director
7. All of Ken Russell’s early BBC biographies. Of note would be the one on Dante Gabriel Rossetti
8. The Mystery of Rampo – Kazuyoshi Okuyama Director. Beautifully done and very poetic film.
9. The Posse – Mario Van Peebles Director. Film never got the credit it deserved and it was excellent.
10. The Seventh Seal – Ingmar Bergman Director. His early films need picking up badly. They are still beautiful with magical Sven Nykvist cinematography.
11. The Tempest – Paul Mazursky Director. Actually a very nice film, unffortunately not the type that American audiences can appreciate a whole lot. Very european in its aproach to Shakespeare and modern interpretation and theater.
12. Jean-Luc Godard. His early films are a drag to find. Things like 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her … so we can see the far out experimentations that he did with camera and directing that we take for granted. Any of his “anti-films” would be lovely. Also not appreciated but bizarre and exciting is his King Lear … it’s off the wall and great because of it. And whoever thought that Woody Allen could read Shakespeare so well, too!
13. The Vampire Lovers. Roy Ward Baker Director. Some of the early Hammer films were very well done and often unusual. This is a very good version of Sheridan LeFanu’s story. Not all of their Dracula and Frankenstein films were that great, but just to watch Peter Cushing doing his part is worth it all.
14. 200 Motels. Frank Zappa’s big finger to music and film is one of the craziest films ever made. It also features music by one of America’s bery best composers. One might want to see “Zappa plays Zappa” (you should really do a story on him and Gail, Mr. Scorcese … and make sure you read Pamela des Barres 2 books (specially the 2nd one).
15. Volere, Volare – Maurizio Nichetti and Guido Manuli Directors. Mix of cartoons and film and one of the best ever done, Also, please clean up and re-release Allegro Non-Troppo .. it is as good if not better than Walt Disney’s Fantasia … well, one could say that it is for a little older audience. And Mr. Scorcese you must check the Dvorak piece … hilarious!
16. Where the Green Ants Dream – Werner Herzog Director. His early catalogue, specially the films with music by Popol Vuh needs revamping. Aguiire, the Wrath of God specially as it is visually stunning all the way through and the music carries it.
17. Where the River Runs Black. Christopher Cain Director. A film about the Amazon almost from a child’s point of view. Really magical in its own way.
18. Woodstock. Michael Wadleigh Director. (And you were one of the camera men weren’t you Mr. Scorcese?) … this film is good as it is, but sadly there are some things that need to be addressed, and one of the best symbols of our generation is Jimi Hendrix playing an anthem and all around him is garbage. That is the “end” of the hippie days and the “revolution” if you will. It is also the moment when the peace sign became a plastic button and didn’t mean anything to anyone any more … here was a man, intelligent enough to see this and trying to tell us that there is meaning and value in all this … and we end it in trash … it is the saddest ending of a film and celebration ever put together. It deserves better … way better. Yes, a lot of people and bands were stoned out of their minds, but it’s hard to believe that there were not other performers that showed up … and made it even better.
19. 32 Short Films. Directed by Francois Girard. About the composer Glenn Gould and it is a magical film showing some amazing images and it really is a story of the creative process in action. Unffortunately it is not “hollywood’ish” at all, and even got lauged off at the film festival.
20. A Taxing Woman/A Taxing Woman 2. Directed by Juzo Itami. Excellent films and funny, specially the 2nd one, and with great music flying through it in the Riuychi Sakamoto style.
21. A Woman’s Tale. Paul Cox Director. Australian film that defies description. And there are very few actresses that are as strong and still deliver like Sheila Florence.
22. Bandit Queen. Shekar Kapur Director. Very strong film not for the weak stomach. It deserves better attention and fate.
23. Bedazzled. Stanley Donen Director. Still way better and funnier than most films. Excellent stuff by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and some of the funniest lines around … everything I have ever told you is a lie, including that … Great musical bits too … check out Drimble Wedge … “i’m not available”.
24. Bitter Sugar. Leon Ichaso Director. Amazing Cuban film that was a stunner and had magnificent music to boot.
25. Chimes at Midnight. Orson Wells Director. Now, here is a character that would make a fun film … and the story is taken from several Shakespearean plays. It is worth it too!
26. Edward II. Derek Jarman Director. A very different view of Shakespeare and the play, but a stunning one at that.
27. Everybody is Fine. Giuseppe Tornatore Director. Some of his films are kinda buried and some are gems. And this one has Mastroianni at his best.
28. Henry and June. Phillip Kaufman Director. A very good film about Henry Miller and Anais Niin. And a tour de force in acting. Very moody and intimate but also really shows a writer in action and what his inspirations were. Not too literary, but still a nice film.
29. Federico Fellini catalogue. His early films are kinda buried in nowhere land. He was instrumental in helping the 60’s and 70’s produce a lot of free form films and stuff that was totally off base and off the wall.
30. Kean de Florette/Manon of the Spring. Claude Berri Director. An amazing story told in two films and with a most amazing and surprising end. It is a beautiful pair of films with fabulous acting and deserves a lot more than being forgotten.
31. Jesus of Montreal. Dennis Arcand Director. This is a very literary and tough film to work with and some people may get offended, but it is an amazing film and story, and it really puts a twist on “method acting”.
32. Journey of Hope. Xavier Koller Director. Excellent film that (finally !!!!) features some far out music by the ECM stable of Terje Rypdal, Jan Garbarek, Shankar and many others. The film itself is gut wrenching, but the visuals are worth it. The things that we try to do for some freedom and the hopes around it … hard to fathom something like that in America … often wondered what a film by Mr. Scorcese would be like with music by Egberto Gismonti or Keith Jarrett or some of these ECM folks. We might have to teach audiences to appreciate music Amafeus style … but what the heck … what is an art that we can not appreciate?
33. La Belle Noiseusse. Jacques Rivette Director. Not many people can sit through this film … but if you have the patience to sit through a hand painting a picture from scratch, this is as fascinating of an artist at work as you will ever see in a film. It kind falls flat in the end, as if it had a story to tell and the opinions surrounding it are not necessary … but still … that hand is wonderful!
34. Le Phanotme de la Liberte. Luis Bunuel Director. A film that probably does not sit well with American audiences but has some excellent moments and visuals. One must never forget that this director had a way with art … and even had one of the most amazing scenes in film .. he has two of them … the last supper in Viridiana and then of course … that face laughing from that other small film … a pineapple!
35. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. Nagisa Oshima Director. Very nice film that is very well directed and done, and has excellent music by Ryuichi Sakamoto who also plays one of the lead parts.
36. My 20th Century. Enyedi Ildiko. VEry odd and far out film from Hungary. It is well done and its images are sort of like … seeing film for the first time, and we may be too spoiled to appreciate that.
37. Peter Brook’s King Lear. And his other films, including Marat/Sade. All of them are masterfully acted and totally assault the senses. He discusses his directing in at least two books and the points of view are exciting for an actor and the results even better. I suppose that his Mahabharatta is way out there, but the full PBS rendition is worth it all … even if it is experimental acting all around with different cultures and folks … something that it is almost incredible, but the results are phenomenal. And if you have not seen the ending of the film about Gurdjeff (spelling sorry) … you are missing something really far out. You can see how he was so important in Wes tEnd in the 60’s and how he got there. His film about the children should also be redone and shown again.
38. Stamping Ground. Jason Pohland Director. This concert film needs revamping and has one of the best moments in concert by a lot of folks including Santana.
39. Steppenwolf. Fred Haines Director. Excellent version of the Hesse novel that also features cartoons for some of the idealistic and social commentaries. And it is kinda buried in nowhere land. Worth seeing even if only for Max Von Sydow and Dominique Sanda. One of the best translations fro book to film ever done.
40. The Island on Bird Street. Soren Kragh-Jacobsen Director. An outstanding film that is slow and methodical but really touching and exciting at the same time. And it comes through in the end instead of dropping us off. I seem to have been the only reviewer that enjoyed this film as my review was quote in at least one Film Festival that I was aware of and I had a friend say that they saw the film in Toronto and they had quoted my review and agreed that this was way too special of a film not to be noticed. Sometimes considered a child’s film but considering the subject matter, it’s not really that at all.
I’ll leave it here for now … some of these reviews are at the Internet Movie Database … and hopefully I will add more to it one of these days. I only do foreign/art films as there are enough other film reviews out there quoting every press junkit you have ever seen.
Pedro Sena
I would love a good, cleaned up, 200 Motels dvd. (the Pamela DesBarres books are good?) Or the Taxing Womenses.
Is there something about Cats Don’t Dance that I don’t know? Isn’t it a Don Bluth?
Lots of great titles mentioned.
In addition to his “Wagomaster” I’d also add Ford’s “The Fugitive”-Beautifully filmed and told.
Frank Perry’s “Last Summer”-Very intense film featuring a terrific performance by Cathy Burns who, to the best of my knowledge, only acted in one other film: “Red Sky at Morning.” She was great in both and then disappeared. Too bad. I own an ancient VHS copy of this and it’s long overdue for a DVD release.
De Sica’s “Miracle in Milan.” Was on Laserdisc; why no DVD?
William Wyler’s “Hell’s Heros”-the first sound version of “Three Godfathers” which was remade in 1936 under that title and again in ‘48 by John Ford. I, for one, prefer the earlier versions to the Ford film-Both are far less sentimental and there’s no feel good happy ending. I would love to see both of these on DVD.
Robert Montgomery’s “Ride the Pink Horse”-a great noir film that seldom gets mentioned when top noir titles are discussed.
A couple of Alan Ladd noir titles that are long overdue-“The Glass Key” and “The Blue Dahlia.”
“A Guy Named Joe”-One of Steven Spielberg’s favorite films and mine too!
While they’re not classics I’d love to see some of Joe E. Brown’s early Warner Bros. comedies such as “Elmer the Great”, “Broadminded”, “Alibi Ike”, etc. on DVD.
The Dark Horse-Dead Room
@Moshkito
>>7. All of Ken Russell’s early BBC biographies. Of note would be the one on Dante Gabriel Rossetti<<
KEN RUSSELL AT THE BBC includes DANTE’S INFERNO.
>>10. The Seventh Seal – Ingmar Bergman Director. His early films need picking up badly. They are still beautiful with magical Sven Nykvist cinematography.<<
Not available? Um … you’re kidding, right?
>>13. The Vampire Lovers. Roy Ward Baker Director. Some of the early Hammer films were very well done and often unusual. This is a very good version of Sheridan LeFanu’s story. Not all of their Dracula and Frankenstein films were that great, but just to watch Peter Cushing doing his part is worth it all.<<
Double billed with COUNTESS DRACULA on a Midnight Movies disc.
>>23. Bedazzled. Stanley Donen Director. Still way better and funnier than most films. Excellent stuff by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and some of the funniest lines around … everything I have ever told you is a lie, including that … Great musical bits too … check out Drimble Wedge … “i’m not available”.<<
Available alone or doubled with the remake.
No Time for Sergeants
Danke, Cineaste. I stumbled upon it a few years ago and have been very surprised to have found virtually nobody who has seen it.
Philip Ridley, incidentally, has a film coming out this year :) Not dead! First in 14 years! Maybe he’s the new Malick.
Survive Style 5+ by Gen Sekiguchi!
According to IMDb, these aren’t available on DVD, although maybe they were in the past (or VHS, for that matter). Me, I don’t want to buy them, I want to rent them.
The Carrier (1988)
Salvation (1987)
World War III (1982, TVM)
Murder by Natural Causes (1979, TVM)
The Deadly Tower (1975, aka Sniper)
Fillmore (1972)
Taking Off (1971)
Unman, Wittering, and Zigo (1971)
The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970)
The Brain (1962)
Wild River (1962)
[Rec]
I’m a Cyborg but I’m OK
Battle Royale
Fragile
The Bunker of the Last Gunshots
The Clockmaker
the big sky – howard hawks – 1952
the phenix city story – phil karlson – 1955
last chants for a slow dance – jon jost – 1977
high school – frederick wiseman – 1969
johnny guitar – nicholas ray – 1954
chimes at midnight aka falstaff – orson welles – 1965
secret beyond the door – fritz lang – 1948
rancho notorius – fritz lang – 1952
love streams – john casavettes – 1984
sylvia scarlett – george cokor – 1935
napoleon – abel gance – 1927
underworld u.s.a. – samuel fuller – 1961
i know there’s 12 here, but i could have listed like half of fritz lang’s filmography, so there.
shit, that’s supposed to say george cukor.
Always on the lookout for Cutter’s Way. Also, Chimes at Midnight is a film I just have to get my hands on (have never even seen this one, and Welles is my second favourite director…).
>>i could have listed like half of fritz lang’s filmography, so there<<
Sad that so many of Lang’s sound films aren’t available. In fact it’s practically an outrage.
Well, there’s a;ways TCM for a number of them … and I think all (or damn near) of his German films are on DVD.
Everyone here has covered all the essential bases it seems, so I’ll posit one film I’ve yet to see anybody mention:
Sons and Lovers (1960) – Cardiff
another travesty is the absence of any decent editions of orson welles’ macbeth (1948).
@ anna
I own a copy of the Red Desert, on my favorite films of all time…a friend got for me in spain… i can try to get you a copy…
11? Wll, if you must be so specific…
Out 1
Jeanne la Plucelle
Nouvelle Vague
Tongues Untied
Histoire(s) du cinema
Salo
A Idade da Terra
Black God, White Devil
Antonio das Mortes
The Lickerish Quartet
La region centrale
(By the way, Red Desert in its entirety can be found on YouTube, so unless if those awful copyright policies have caught up with it, you can watch it all there.)
Providence. The only way I was able to see it at all was on VHS, and this was when I was back at school and had access to a VHS player. Same with most of Hal Hartley’s early films.
Also: Faster, Pussycat! Kill Kill!
Russian:
The Ferocious One – Tolomush Okeyev
Sour Grape – Bagrat Oganesyan
Konets atamana – Shaken Ajmanov
Sergey Lazo – Aleksandr Gordon
There Will Be No Leave Today – Andrei Tarkovsky
Mne dvadtsat let – Marlen Khutsiyev
Fredo,
You can get Cul-De-Sac on a Latin American DVD that’s region 1 & region 4 from Amazon for a reasonable price. I don’t have any personal experience with it, though, so I can’t comment on the quality of the disc,.
The Red Desert & La Notte – Red Desert hasn’t even been released in America and La Notte is not that easy to find. In my opinion Criterion should really get the rights to those two films and give them the DVD releases they deserve.
Barry Lyndon – Its hard to find the film outside the old Kubrick collection and the fact it wasn’t given a second release with the others in the new Kubrick collection just feels like a huge slap in the face.
OUTCAST OF THE ISLANDS (REED)
SHOESHINE (DE SICA)
LES PARENTS TERRIBLES (COCTEAU)
THE CRIME OF MONSIEUR LANGE (RENOIR)
MAN’S CASTLE (BORZAGE)
CHINA IS NEAR (BELLOCCHIO)
THE MOMENT OF TRUTH (ROSI)
VOYAGE IN ITALY (ROSSELLINI)
CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (WELLES)
DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE FOREST (RAY)
ZAZIE (MALLE)
cineaste
High-five to “miasma”. Hasn’t anyone else seen this fairly remarkable film, “The Reflecting Skin”?