The Magic Voyage Of Sinbad / The Day The Earth Froze (1962) Review

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(More customer reviews)A little necessary background:
SADKO is a Russian fable about a harpist living in Novgorod who charms the Sea King and winds up rich. He also winds up sailing overseas to sell wares and, during a storm, is forced overboard where he once again charms the Sea King with his harp and is compelled to chose a wife from among the King's maidens before finding his way home to happily-everlasting-ness. (This has been turned into a famous opera by Rimsky-Korsakov called SAKDO.)
KALEVALA (pronounced: kah-lay-vah'-lah) is a Finnish epic poem compiled by Finnish poet Elias Lönnrot. It is at the heart of the Finnish culture and very familiar and dear to them. A few characters crop up thru out the poem. As does the magical Sampo which would spare the owners the rigor of work.
Which brings me to the movies:
THE MAGIC VOYAGE OF SINBAD was a Soviet Union's filming of SADKO dubbed by American Capitalist running dog Roger Corman into a Sinbad story. So now Sinbad is a tall, stocky blonde with heavy fur clothes to keep out the heat. The city of Novgorod substitutes for an Arabic city. But, even more ludicrious is the effort by the Soviet filmmakers, halfway thru the country's failed experiment in Socialism, to turn Sadko into a self-sacrificing proletariat (christians and liberals will be turned on by the message, too).
I can still recommend this film because the cinematography perfectly evokes a fairy tale, and the story can be enjoyable if you manage to put away your sophistication and see it thru a youngster's eyes. I saw it as a young teenager, and the scene with the Bird of Happiness with Rimsky-Korsakov's SONG OF INDIA filling my ears is one I recalled for all these years and caused me to search for the film until I finally found it again.
While the Finnish poem, KALEVALA, has very little plot spread diffusely thruout the enormous length, THE DAY THE EARTH FROZE pulls the threads together. There's something uneven about the plot. It is slow in spots, then engrossing in other spots. It is however, like the movie above, a visual delight, despite the (very obvious) skimpy production values.
I saw part of this film mocked by the Mystery Science Theater folk, but I kept thinking how I'd like to see the film without the intrusive teasing. I was very happy to find it on DVD and see it in its pristine form.
However, the cast credits are a hoot. They actors listed in the movie must be the voice dubbing actors (or they're entirely made up). Curiously, Amazon lists a different and more authentic-sounding cast (altho, they say the story is based on "Norse/Scandanavian mythology" -- which would be a surprise to the non-Scandanavian Finns).

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Sherlock Holmes - The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) Review

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(More customer reviews)With the release of this feature and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," all 14 classic films by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce will have finally been released in a quality DVD format. The UCLA Theatre Archives has done an outstanding job in restoring and thus preserving these great films from 35mm master copies into the digital format, sometimes literally being forced to piece together the celluloid remnants they found. It took the archivists years to complete the entire project, but is well worth the wait. The result is that the black and white images seem as fresh today as when the films were released to theatres more than 40 years ago. The archivists deserve a hearty thanks from all movie fans concerned with preserving America's classic cinema heritage for future generations to enjoy.
Atmospherically, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is arguably the best of the 14 Holmes films, and the only one based specifically on a Conan Doyle story. It, and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," are the only two "period" films in the series and run longer, the remainder taking place in then modern-day England and America of the late 30s and early 40s and run about 90 minutes each. In both "Hound" and "Adventures," Holmes dons his deerstalker cap, popularized by original Strand Magazine illustrator Sidney Paget who made the image synonymous with the great detective. It is interesting to note that in the first of the non-period films in the series, Holmes reaches for his handy deerstalker, but is stopped by Watson. "Holmes," Watson said, "you promised." Leaving the deerstalker on the peg, Holmes grabs a "modern" hat instead.
Rathbone is especially sharp in "Hound of the Baskervilles," and is partnered by Bruce, who plays a bumbling Watson throughout the 14 films that was not Conan Doyle's vision of the great
sleuth's biographical "Boswell." Nonetheless, the pairing is hugely entertaining and satisfying.
The creation of the moor, the sinister grimpen mire and truly terrifying hound remains fantastic and does much to engender this story as one of Conan Doyle's most popular with modern-day
readers and viewers alike.
The final scene represents the only reference any of the 14 films made to Holmes' "seven-percent" cocaine habit as Rathbone asks Bruce to retrieve "the needle." The scene, criticized as too risque by 1939 audiences, caused the film's producers to make a conscious decision to omit any additional mention of Holmes' recreational drug use in future outings.
I only wish that Rathbone and Bruce had lived to see their great work released to new audiences in this pristine DVD condition.

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The Hound Of The BaskervillesThe most celebrated tale of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's canon, ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles' is set in the Victorian Age and was originally released by Twentieth Century-Fox in 1939.It is the first of fourteen Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.When Sir Charles Baskerville is killed outside of Baskerville Hall, his good friend Dr. Mortimer (Lionel Atwill) fears that the curse of the Baskervilles has struck once again.Mortimer enlists the help of Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone), before yet another Baskerville can succumb to the evil legend.Sir Henry Baskerville (Richard Greene) arrives in London to claim his inheritance.Mortimer takes Sir Henry to 221b Baker Street and expresses his fear for Sir Henry's life.Baskerville soon learns that along with the grand mansion on the moor, comes a devilish curse, a curious butler (John Carradine) and a cast of bizarre neighbors.Holmes, pressed with "other business," sends Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) to accompany Sir Henry to the dreary moor to protect the young Baskerville from the legend of the wicked hound.Of course, with danger afoot, Sherlock Holmes may not be so far from the scene as is assumed.Special Features -Audio Commentary with David Stuart Davies -Selected Theatrical Trailers -Production Notes By Richard Valley -Photo Gallery Run Time- 80 minutes

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Mole People (1956) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Mole People is an interesting movie. John Agar is the leader of an anthropological expedition looking for another lost tribe somewhere in the mountains of the Middle East. The expedition (includes Beaver's dad Hugh Beaumont) accidentally find the lost Sumerians (Batman's Alfred, Alan Napier is the high priest). The Mole People can't stand the sunlight, offer sacrifices, have a terrible dance scene, and end the end appear to be destroyed. It's not a bad movie and the Mystery Science 3000 version is even better.

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Lady Killer (1933) Review

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(More customer reviews)James Cagney stars as a conman that winds up a Hollywood star trying to escape his shady past. The story begins with Cagney first getting conned by a group of con artists, then joining them and moving them on to much bigger games. When they turn on him, Cagney ends up in Los Angeles, where he works his way up the "extra" ladder to becoming a top star. Of course, his criminal "friends" want the bigger game that he can now bring them, possibly bringing an end to the life he has made for himself. This is the perfect kind of role for the young Cagney. It allows him to display the cocky attitude, intelligence, aggressiveness, and humour that made him the immortal screen character he became. The two elements of the story mix well. The con game aspect is fun to watch as people cross and double cross each other. But it's also fun watching the fish-out-of-water Cagney adjusting to life in movies, giving us a glimpse of life behind the camera in 1930's Hollywood. Margaret Lindsay is competent as usual as Cagney's actress-girlfriend, while Mae Clarke is fun as one of his partners in the con games. Once again, Clarke gets pushed around (and pulled by the hair!) in a Cagney film, providing some of the film's highlights. Like most of the Warner Brothers films directed by Roy Del Ruth in the 1930's, Lady Killer moves along quickly, with plenty of in-your-face action and laughs, giving you a prime look at vintage Cagney.

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When a movie theater usher is fired, he takes up with criminals and finds himself quite adept at various illegal activities. Eventually though, the police catch up with him, and he runs to hide out in Los Angeles. There he stumbles into the movie business and soon rises to stardom. He has gone straight, but his newfound success arouses the interest of his old criminal associates, who are not above blackmail...

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Loretta Young Show:TV Series (1954) Review

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(More customer reviews)4 classic episodes from Loretta Young's classic anthology series. Young takes center-stage in stories that were always well-written and featured great supporting performances from a versatile cast. Perhaps more famous than the show itself was Young's grand entrance at the start of each episode, where she would magically twirl into the camera sporting a gorgeous designer gown (many people would tune in just to see what fabulous creation Loretta would appear in). Classic TV at it's height!
This DVD from Alpha contains 4 classic stories -
"Big Jim" - Loretta plays a woman with a shady past who comes back into the life of her now-teenaged son (played by Bobby Driscoll).
"600 Seconds" - Loretta plays a socialite who receives a mysterious telephone call about her husband. Her mind imagines all kinds of drastic scenarios centering on her husband's fidelity.
"Switch Blade" - Loretta plays kindly Sister Ann, whose hospital salary of 25 cents becomes the key to helping a friend in need.
"Cayuse" - Loretta plays a young girl who begs a handsome stranger to find her beloved pony Ginger.
"Switch Blade" is the only episode that features Young's entrance. The other three episodes are taken from syndication prints (under the LORETTA YOUNG THEATRE title) which omit Young's entrance. The Alpha logo appears in the corner of the screen for a few seconds at the beginning and end of the episodes for copyright/piracy reasons.

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Dillinger (1945) Review

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(More customer reviews)This review is for the 2005 Warner Brothers DVD.
This film is about the real life bank robber John Dillinger who is arguably the most notorious robber in the history of American and earned the nickname "Public Enemy #1". From my brief research on the internet, the movie appears to be relatively true to form. From the early `30s until his death in 1934, Dillinger wreaked havoc across America with his brutal bank robberies and daring prison escapes.
The film itself moves fast, but is only 70 minutes long. There is little character development and the action is continuous and rarely dull. Lawrence Tierney stars as John Dillinger. This was his screen acting debut and he does little to set the acting world on fire. Even in scenes of major confrontation, Tierney seems expressionless and lacks emotional body language. Perhaps this was by design by the director. But if you are fan of vintage gangster films, I'm confident that you will be entertained and pleased with action and drama.
The DVD was remastered but not restored and unfortunately there was a significant amount of film damage. There were five or six scenes with at least 3 or 4 seconds of severely damaged footage. The remastering helped make the picture look sharp but tiny specs of deterioration were still prevalent throughout the film, but that wasn't a major deal compared to the noticeably larger scratches. Warner has historically been one of the better studios for film restoration and they obviously decided to not fix up this film. Due to the limited market of a DVD like this, I'm sure the payoff wasn't there to restore an entire movie, but if they would have at least fixed the severely damaged frames, that would have been sufficient for me.
PLEASE NOTE: Before buying this DVD, consider buying the Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 2 which contains this movie plus four other highly recommended movies at a very reasonable price.Movie: B-
DVD Quality: C

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Willie Sutton robbed banks during the Depression because, he explained, "That's where the money is." Former Indiana farmboy John Dillinger also knew where the money was. And his string of early-1930s heists, murders and daring jailbreaks were so bold and notorious he became Public Enemy #1. Dillinger, Oscar-nominated* for its screenplay, is the bullet-paced story of the man whose crimes captivated and terrified the nation. Lawrence Tierney plays the title role, breaking free of screen anonymity and moving into a 50-year tough-guy career that would include 1947's Born to Kill and 1992's Reservoir Dogs. Perhaps it was a brutal early prison stretch that turned Dillinger from kid to killer. Perhaps he was a murderous thug to his core. Either way, Dillinger presents his story with film-noir style and lets you decide.

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Midsummer Night's Dream (1968) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's first of all, Midsummer Night's Dream, always a winner. But also, this film is full of some magnificent stars when they were young.. Diana Rigg -- if she were all ya got, that would be enough. However, you get Ian Holm, who was the android in the first Aliens movie and also in Branagh's Henry V, and many other wonderful shows. Then, a young Dame Judi Dench.. a great performance and she's nearly nude to boot!!
And if you're a fan of the british comedy Keeping Up Appearances, you get a treat of watching a young Clive Swift (Richard in KUA).
This is fun, campy, and well deserving to be a keeper. Someone complained about the quality.. yes, this transfer of film to video has a couple of old-age problems, but they are way too few to notice by the discriminating eye.

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Adventure Theater - Double Feature: Indian Paint/African Safari (1965) Review

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(More customer reviews)I had seen it when i was VERY young. Most of the scenes I remember as vividly as things i have seen an hour ago. DO not miss it!!!

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The Tender Trap (1955) Review

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(More customer reviews)Boy, the reviewers here are pretty harsh on this movie. Calling it dated is like calling Snow White or Cinderella unrealistic. It's a frothy funny well-written & well-acted film with one of Sinatra's most engaging performances & some great support from Debbie Reynolds, David Wayne & Celeste Holm. Plus one hilarious set-piece scene about a hung-over morning after.
Directed by the mostly unsung Charles Walters who started off as a fine dancer & great choreographer. Well-worth watching.
By the way, Robert Preston starred in the original Broadway version the year before.

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The future is no mystery to Julie Gillis. She has her life mapped out in details that fall just shy of where the wedding portrait will hang and the number of goldfish swimming in the bowl. Julie even knows she'll be married next March 12. She just doesn't know to whom. But it's a cinch he'll have blue eyes. Frank Sinatra headlines this ring-a-ding-ding delight with the title tune that became a Sinatra standard. Debbie Reynolds plays Julie, who sets her marital sights on a Manhattan talent agent (Sinatra) dedicated to life, liberty and the happiness of pursuit. Love is indeed The Tender Trap. And with Sinatra, Reynolds and comedy experts Celeste Holm, David Wayne and Carolyn Jones on call, it's an entertainment gotcha!

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This Property Is Condemned (1966) Review

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(More customer reviews)How could a movie fanatic go wrong with this one? Sidney Pollack directing, with Francis Ford Coppola helping out with the adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play? A great cast , with especially memorable performances from Natalie Wood, Kate Reid and Mary Badham (as younger sister, Willie Starr)? Roberts Redford and Blake and Charles Bronson thrown in for lagniappe? Sounds like great gumbo to me.
Natalie Wood is absolutely alluring in this one. She and Redford, who also teamed together in the memorable INSIDE DAISY CLOVER, did indeed appear to have a lot of screen chemistry. He is the cynical company man who appears like the Grim Reaper in a small, shabby, depression-era southern town, carrying pink slips with him, instead of a scythe. The role has a lot of resonance now, what with all the corporate downsizing currently going on. Needless to say, the townfolk don't much cotton to Mr Owen Legate, with his fancy suit and self-assured ways.
With a couple notable exceptions. Tom boyish Willie Starr is taken by him right away and the minute her big sister Alma sets eyes on him, she's putty. Wood's expression in that initial glance is part of film history.
Owen further antagonizes the townfolk because they see that Alma has taken a shine to an outsider. Alma's been something of a tramp up this point, givining it up to varying degrees to most of the men in the town. Several of them, including an old geezer with an invilid wife, have been fantazising about further adventures with Alma. And Alma's mother is upset with Owen, because she sees that he is going to take away her gravy train. Hazel Starr is one of Williams' great eccentric female characters, and perhaps his most unctuous (though Amanda Wingfield, in THE GLASS MENAGERIE, is no prize, either. Kate Reid is perfect in the role. This, to me is her most memorable performance, followed closely by her title role in AND MISS REARDON DRINKS A LITTLE, which unfortunatley appears to be impossible to find. It's hard to believe she never won an Oscar or a Tony.
This was only the second feature film that Pollock directed. He of course went on to great things with such films as THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY and TOOTSIE. He and Cinematographer James Wong Howe do a great job of capturing small southern town lethargy, as well as 30's New Orleans ambience. The print, unfortunately, could definitely use a full restoration. It's faded noticeably over time. The film certainly warrants the extra work. Yet time cannot wither Natalie Wood. She's still one of the most lovely women a camera ever made love to. This film definitely belongs near the top of the list for screen adaptations of Williams' plays.
BEK

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To Be or Not to Be (1942) Review

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(More customer reviews)"To Be or Not to Be" has the distinction of being the last movie starring Carole Lombard before her tragic death in an airplane crash in 1942 and is also remembered as having Jack Benny's finest film performance. But beyond the qualities of the stars Ernst Lubitsch's film deserves to be singled out for its anti-Nazis position, a distinction shared with Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" and few other films. Keep in mind that the film was released on February 15, 1942, not only a month after Lombard's death but only two months after Pearl Harbor, which means it was in the works before the United States entered World War II.
Lubitsch and Melchior Lengyel came up with the story, which was turned into a screenplay by Edwin Justus Mayer. The story of "To Be or Not to Be" is of a Polish theatrical company that is in Warsaw preparing to perform an anti-Nazi melodrama on the eve of World War II. In the leading roles are the husband and wife team of Maria (Lombard) and Joseph Tura (Benny), who are trained in Shakespeare. However, the production is canceled by the Polish government because they are afraid Germany will attack the country is a play critical of the Nazis goes on (you know how touchy Hitler can be). So the Turas put on "Hamlet" instead and while Joseph does Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy, Maria is visited backstage by Lieutenant Stanislav Sobinski (Robert Stack), a young pilot in the Polish Air Force. Then the war breaks out, Sobinski makes it to London to fight with the RAF, and the Turas remain in occupied Warsaw.
While in London Sobinski meets with Professor Siletsky (Stanley Ridges), a Nazi agent posing as a Polish patriot, who gets the names of friends and relatives from the pilots. Sobinski becomes suspicious and is sent to Warsaw to recover the list from Siletsky before he gives it to the Nazis. In Warsaw Maria helps Sobinski, but then she is arrested by the Gestapo as Siletsky tries to get her to join the Third Reich. To rescue his wife Joseph and the other actors masquerade as Nazi soldiers and end up with one of them (Tom Duggan) dressing up as Hitler to help in the great escape.
This is a comedy, but it is not a broad comedy in which the whole thing descends into slapstick, otherwise the overt attempts at anti-Nazi propaganda would not work. There is a similarity between "To Be or Not to Be" and the television situation comedy "Hogan's Heroes," in terms of presenting the Nazis as incompetent buffoons, personified by Sig Ruman as Colonel Ehrhardt. The difference is that Lubitsch still manages to work in the idea that the Nazis are also killer clowns. However, the biggest joke is that these actors, less than inspiring on the stage in Shakespeare, are so convincing playing Nazis. Meanwhile, Joseph cannot quite bring himself to belief that Maria is actually cheating on him.
Keep in mind that when this film was made "concentration camps" did not mean what they mean today; the terms was used by the United States to describe the camps in which Japanese-Americans were interred during the war. But then when you see Jack Benny walk in as a Nazi you know this is a different time and place. The humor is pretty coarse for a film from the early Forties (e.g., Ehrhardt recalls Joseph's performance of "Hamlet" and declares, "What he did to Shakespeare we are doing to Poland"), but then keep in mind who is being made fun of here and you have to admire the bite that they put into some of these bits. Benny is pretty much perfect for this part and Lombard sparkles throughout. As is usually the case, the original is much better than the 1983 remake with the husband and wife team of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft.

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A POLISH THEATRE TROUP IS PUT OUT OF BUSINESS BY THE NAZIS UNTILTHEY BECOME INVOLVED IN ESPIONAGE AND FIND THEIR SKILLS BEING PUT TO THE ULTIMATE TEST.

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Vaudeville (1997) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a case of documentarians thinking that you'd rather hear them pontificate that actually see what they're talking about. The packaging for this DVD claims you'll see 80 vaudeville acts. And you will, for about 12 seconds each... not one performance is complete. Which is a big shame, given the wealth of footage the filmmakers apparently had access to. The writer of this presentation should have stepped well out of the way, and let the performances speak. To make it that much more frustrating , much of the running time goes to interviews with non-vaudevillians such as present-day filmaker Robert Townsend, and clips of vaudeville-influenced stuff like the Muppet Show. It kills you sit through this stuff knowing that the filmmakers are holding back rare footage of performances by houdini, w.c. fields, you name it. Buy this if you know nothing about vaudeville... and want to hear some old-timers doing a remember-when. If you want to see some old routines, get some of the variety films (international house, stand up and cheer, (this list is huge) from the early thirties and you'll be much better off.

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Roy Rogers - King of the Cowboys - 20 Feature Films and more on 6 DVD Set (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)Love Roy & Dale and all their films, but I just can't stand it when my favorite cowboy films get all butchered up!... For some reason the song SUSANNA PASS went buzzing through my head the other day so I reached for this newly bought set to enjoy the movie. Now, the dvd states the running time as 67 minutes which is the correct running time for this movie. However, during the first 10 minutes I noticed that things just didn't seem quite right. Too many quick splice/cuts. And then when Roy arrives at the jailhouse early on after chasing an escaped convict I remembered that a song seemed to be missing. So when I pulled out my old REPUBLIC PICTURES vhs double bill of this film along with SONS OF THE PIONEERS I not only noticed that the video tape print was clearer with better color contrast, but also that there were no early splice cuts, snipping a couple seconds here and there. And best of all, as Roy arrives at the jailhouse, Estrelita Rodriguez is singing the song TWO GUN RITA which is not on this dvd version!!!
Now I know that those in charge of marketing for the Roy Rogers estate claim that the songs were cut for tv release way back when and are now lost on the cutting room floor... So how come my old vhs tape from REPUBLIC PICTURES has the same movie intact running also at 67 minutes?
It seems to me that the missing time ( cut songs ) were done so that Roy & Dale could host their HAPPY TRAILS THEATER on tv and talk to guest stars, in this case Gene Autry & Pat Buttram. I have nothing against yackin' about old times and kindda like seeing it as a bonus feature...but when it means cutting the songs out of a singing cowboy movie, it grates me somewhat!
After all, according to the promo blurb for Roy & Dale's 4-disc cd collection of their movie songs "...It was always the music."!!!
Then, if so, why cut the music?
This film,and others, THE BELLS OF ROSARITA, UNDER CALIFORNIA STARS, etc are available uncut with all songs intact on cheap public domain lables, many of which offer better looking prints.
Shop wisely and avoid any release that is tied into the ROY ROGERS HAPPY TRAILS tv product. They're all cut versions! They're all missing the songs!
I love the songs and I love my movies uncut and I'm sorry to see such wonderful packaging wasted on such an inferior product.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!

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The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection, Vols. 1 & 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)Universal has finally seen the folly of their ways in selling this set exclusively via Best Buy and is re-releasing both volumes 1 & 2 in one set. Included are all ten films in the original sets, but once again there will be no extra features - just the films themselves and some trailers. If you love the great campy horror films of the 1950's you'll love this set. The following is from the press release on the new combined set:
Tarantula (1955, 81 min.)
An experiment to create a growth formula that could end starvation evolves into a nightmare when a contaminated spider grows gargantuan - with an appetite to match!
The Mole People (1956, 78 min.)
Deep below the surface of the earth, three scientists stumble upon a tyrannical tribe of albinos who have enslaved a mutant - and dangerous - race of mole people.
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957, 81 min.)
After encountering a mysterious radioactive mist, an ordinary businessman finds his physical size diminishing as his ordinary household becomes a terrifying trap of doom. By the way, who keeps a cat in the house with a six inch tall husband around?
The Monolith Monsters (1957, 76 min.)
In a desperate race against time and nature, a geologist and a scientist must find a way to stop effects of killer outer-space rocks that are literally petrifying people with fear!
Monster on the Campus (1958, 76 min)
Terror sweeps a college campus after the discovery of a prehistoric fish that turns animals and humans that come into contact with it into bloodthirsty monsters.
Dr. Cyclops (1940, 78 min) in COLOR!
A brilliant but deranged physicist shrinks his enemies to one-fifth of their normal size when they begin to challenge his unconventional experiments.
Cult of the Cobra (1955, 80 min)
Vengeance is sworn against six American GI's after they witness a clandestine ceremony worshiping beautiful women who can change into serpents.
The Land Unknown (1957, 79 min)
When a navy expedition crash-lands in a crater thousands of miles below sea level, they encounter a hot, tropical landscape of prehistoric terror filled with ferocious dinosaurs.
The Deadly Mantis (1957, 79 min)
A paleontologist teams up with the military to battle a huge praying mantis when it goes on the attack in metropolitan cities after being released from an Arctic iceberg.
The Leech Woman (1960, 77 min)
Determined to recapture her beauty, a woman discovers a compound that will restore youth - but only when it's combined with fluid taken from bodies of the newly dead.

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Vincent Price: MGM Scream Legends Collection (The Abominable Dr. Phibes / Tales of Terror / Theater of Blood / Madhouse / Witchfinder General / Dr. Phibes Rises Again / Twice Told Tales) (1973) Review

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(More customer reviews)For those Price fans who already own his prior DVD film releases, note that only Witchfinder General is a new transfer to DVD. The other film transfers are from previously released editions. And as such, Twice Told Tales, Theater of Blood, and Madhouse are in letterbox format, not anamorphic. So if you already have these films, Dr. Phibes and Tales of Terror on DVD you only need to buy Witchfinder General separately, you'll get nothing else new here. Fox cleverly fails to disclose the format of its DVDs by calling everything "widescreen" whether or not the films were processed in letterbox or anamorphic formats. Its a huge difference for those of us with HDTVs. What an opportunity lost for remastering these horror classics.

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Disc 1 Side A: Abominable Dr. Phibes WSDisc 1 Side B: Dr. Phibes Rises Again WSDisc 2 Side A: Tales of Terror WS Disc 2 Side B: Twice Told Tales WS Disc 3 Side A: Theater of Blood WS Disc 3 Side B: Madhouse WSDisc 4: Witchfinder General (aka Conqueror Worm) WSDisc 5: Bonus Disc **"Vincent Price: Renaissance Man" - Documentary **"The Art of Fear" - Featurette **"Working with Vincent Price" - Featurette

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