May 2006: Wild Bill Wellman

by John Gallagher

WILD BILL WELLMAN: Before I review William Wellman, Jr.'s new book The Man and His Wings: William A. Wellman and the Making of the First Best Picture, I have to be honest and say that the author is a cherished friend, his father William Wellman (1896-1975) is my favorite director, and I am quoted and thanked in the book. I am proud to have been interviewed for Bill, Jr.'s award-winning documentary WILD BILL: HOLLYWOOD MAVERICK (1996), winner of the NBR Award for Best TV Documentary.

An accomplished actor and filmmaker in his own right, Bill Wellman, Jr., has devoted himself to perpetuating his father's considerable legacy. Wellman directed bonafide classics like WINGS (1927), THE PUBLIC ENEMY (1931), A STAR IS BORN (1927), NOTHING SACRED (1937), BEAU GESTE (1939), THE OX-BOW INCIDENT (1943), STORY OF G.I. JOE (1945), BATTLEGROUND (1949) and THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY (1954), yet he has always been one of our most neglected and underrated filmmakers. I've always loved some of the rarer titles in his filmography – the Louise Brooks silent BEGGARS OF LIFE (1928), the beautiful boy-and-his-Basenji tale GOODBYE, MY LADY (1956), and especially his many pre-Code gems, including OTHER MEN'S WOMEN (1931), SAFE IN HELL (1931), STAR WITNESS (1931), NIGHT NURSE (1931), LOVE IS A RACKET (1932), THE CONQUERORS (1932), HEROES FOR SALE (1933), WILD BOYS OF THE ROAD (1933) and especially MIDNIGHT MARY (1933), all of which play regularly on Turner Classic Movies. And then there are the minor classics – CALL OF THE WILD (1935), THE LIGHT THAT FAILED (1939), ROXIE HART (1942), YELLOW SKY (1948), WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1952) and ISLAND IN THE SKY (1953). It's a staggering body of work, and to top it off, Wellman wrote one of the greatest director autobiographies, A Short Time for Insanity (1974).

He also wrote two other volumes of unpublished memoirs, Growing Old Disgracefully and The Wrong Head on the Pillow , and his son has drawn liberally from these for the new book. While Wellman Sr. was interviewed by many scholars in his later years, most of his quotes in this book have never before been published. Bill Jr. focuses on his dad's early years – his childhood growing up in the suburbs of Boston, where he was a star athlete and sometime truant (his mother was the town truant officer!), his experiences as a fighter pilot in the Lafayette Flying Corps during World War One, his rookie days in Hollywood, working his way up the production ladder to direct the aviation epic WINGS (1927), winner of the first Academy Award for Best Picture.

The author's recounting of the war years is where the book transcends film studies to become an important document of American history, specifically World War One history. While researching the book, Bill came into possession of 82 hand-written, pen-and-inked letters that his father wrote home while stationed in France in 1917-1918, and they are excerpted to present a riveting portrait of the life a fighter pilot. They are an amazing discovery, worthy of their own book, correspondence that illuminates the daily life of these 23-year-old war heroes (I'm looking forward to Tony Bill's FLY BOYS later this year, an epic about the Lafayette Escadrille).

Wellman's early days in Hollywood are equally well documented, with a great deal of new information about his personal and professional life, and there is a detailed production history of the making of WINGS (one of the only Oscar Best Pictures still unavailable on DVD). Robert Redford provides a foreword; a baseball buddy of Bill Jr. during their teen years, Redford recalls Wild Bill was “friendly and kind, and he scared the hell out of me.”

The book is profusely illustrated with many rare photos, and the volume is handsomely designed. The publisher, Praeger, makes a glaring error, however, in its publicity for the book, claiming it is the first ever Wellman biography, slighting Frank Thompson's pioneering 1983 biography William A. Wellman , published by Scarecrow Press as part of Anthony Slide's Filmmaker Series, and available on Amazon (Frank's book is inexplicably missing from the bibliography as well – I contributed to the extensive filmography of that volume).

I've been studying and researching Wild Bill Wellman for more than 30 years, so take my word for it – it will take something pretty spectacular to top Bill Wellman, Jr.'s effort as the best film book of the year.

For information about ordering The Man and His Wings, head to www.praeger.com.

SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT: Hollywood has ignored the incredible drama and action of the American Revolution throughout its history. Exceptions include D.W. Griffith's overly subtitled AMERICA (1924), Frank Lloyd's boring THE HOWARDS OF VIRGINIA (1940), John Sturges' commendable Benedict Arnold-John Andre thriller THE SCARLET COAT (1955), and the ludicrous Al Pacino vehicle REVOLUTION (1985). By far the best Revolutionary War film has been John Ford's frontier adventure DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK (1939). When Columbia announced in 1999 that Roland Emmerich (INDEPENDENCE DAY, GODZILLA) would be directing an American Revolution story called THE PATRIOT (2000), I was apprehensive, but the result is a terrific movie. Mel Gibson's presence in the lead recalls his brilliant BRAVEHEART (1995), and there are story similarities (revenge against tyrants for the murder of a loved one) to Mel's Oscar winner, but the main narrative is loosely based on the exploits of Francis Marion, a guerilla warrior   who earned the name “Swamp Fox” for harassing British military interests in the Carolinas (Disney made a series of TV films with Leslie Nielsen as the Swamp Fox in the early ‘60s).

SPHE has released an Extended Cut of THE PATRIOT, incorporating an additional 10 minutes of digitally remastered footage. The movie is still a lavish cinematic epic, blessed with Caleb Deschanel's cinematography, and three great performances from Heath Ledger as Mel's eldest son, Tom Wilkinson as British General Cornwallis and Jeremy Isaacs as Mel's nemesis, a dashing, brutal, saber-wielding dragoon based on the real-life Banastre Tarleton. All of the action sequences are beautifully directed, and the family drama is movingly evoked. This edition includes several featurettes, a visual effects interactive feature, conceptual art-to-film comparisons, and photo galleries. If you haven't seen THE PATRIOT, then pick this up; if you have the previous release and dig the movie, then pick this up for the complete version. Highly recommended.

Brian DePalma's CASUALTIES OF WAR (1989) also gets the Extended Cut treatment, as well as my highest recommendation. This is undoubtedly DePalma's masterpiece, a gut-wrenching drama that was a box office failure but has grown in stature over the years. Michael J. Fox cast off his FAMILY TIES to play a soldier in Vietnam out on patrol with his sergeant (Sean Penn in one of his best performances). The squad kidnaps a Vietnamese teenager, gang rapes and kills her; only Fox refuses to participate, and then reports the outrage to his superiors, making himself a target for retribution. David Rabe's screenplay, Ennio Morricone's score, Stephen Burum's cinematography, and the Thailand locations all contribute to the haunting, emotionally churning power of the film. DePalma brings his considerable visceral style to scenes of harrowing jungle combat, and also elicits some great early work from John Leguizamo, Ving Rhames and John C. Reilly. This is one disturbing motion picture, and one of the finest anti-war pictures ever made. This edition includes a new interview with Michael J. Fox, and an in-depth documentary about the making of the film.

Sony/MGM brings us a deluxe edition of one of everyone's favorite musicals, GUYS AND DOLLS (1955), directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced with customary quality by Samuel Goldwyn. Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons and Vivian Blaine head the cast, with Stubby Kaye, B.S. Pully and Sheldon Leonard in support, populating a colorful backlot Times Square. Mankiewicz (ALL ABOUT EVE) adapted the hit Broadway play based on Damon Runyon's gambling stories, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. While the filmmakers took some liberties with the show, the movie is loaded with great musical setpieces, including the opening “Fugue for Tinhorns,” the title song, Stubby Kaye's show-stopping “Sit Down Your Rockin' the Boat,” Blaine and the the Goldwyn Girls' “Pet Me Poppa,” Jean Simmons' “If I Were A Bell,” even Brando's rendition of “Luck Be A Lady Tonight.” This collectors' edition includes two informative documentaries and a lavish 72-page booklet that includes the original presskit. For sheer entertainment value, GUYS AND DOLLS is a must for your DVD collection . . . and a ripe candidate for a big budget remake.

BUENA VISTA HOME ENTERTAINMENT has several outstanding new releases. SHOPGIRL (2005), directed by Anand Tucker (HILARY AND JACKIE), and adapted by Steve Martin from his best-selling novella, was unfairly neglected last year and hopefully will find its audience on DVD.   It's an elegant and utterly charming love story with the best role for Claire Danes in years as the young L.A. woman in the middle of a triangle with rich, older Steve Martin and quirky artist Jason Schwartzman (one of the most consistently interesting actors working today – see RUSHMORE, CQ and SPUN). The filmmakers also create a Los Angeles right out of a fairy tale, making the city a major character in the movie. The “Oh, Ray” sequence is one of the funniest scenes in any movie from '05, and the picture's serious side makes some profound observations on the nature of love. My only complaint with the film is that the musical score is sometimes a little too portentious. The disc includes the director's commentary, deleted scenes that are not missed in the final version, and a well-done making-of documentary.

CASANOVA (2005) is another film that was lost in the shuffle last year, barely opening at Christmas. I think it's one of Lasse Hallstrom's best movies; his other credits include ONCE AROUND (1991), WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE? (1993), and THE CIDER HOUSE RULES (1999). Heath Ledger stars as the great Renaissance lover in a vastly entertaining take on the Casanova legend; he certainly proved his great versatility last year with this film, his goofy turn in THE BROTHERS GRIMM, and his brilliant work in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. The gorgeous Sienna Miller co-stars with an evil Jeremy Irons and an hilarious Oliver Platt. The movie was filmed entirely on location in Venice, and the cinematography, production design and costumes do the city justice. Hallstrom keeps the pace galloping and really provides us with a whole lot of fun. There are   three featurettes on the making of the film (“Creating an Adventure,” “Dressing in Style,” “Visions of Venice”), an extended sequence, and a commentary from the director.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (2005): Never having experienced the joys of C.S. Lewis' beloved series of Narnia novels, I saw this movie with no expectations … and absolutely fell in love with it. Unquestionably one of the best films of 2005, totally worthy of its smash hit status, this movie is an instant classic for children of all ages. SHREK director Andrew Adamson does a perfect job in establishing the wonder and magic of Narnia, creating stunning visuals along the way, and getting great performances from his four young unknowns – Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, and Skandar Keynes. Tilda Swinton is superb as the White Witch, and Jim Broadbent has a delightful supporting role. The influence of Peter Jackson and the RINGS trilogy is felt very strongly in this film – but in a good way. BVHE has put together a wonderful two-disc special edition, packed with ten hours of goodies, including bloopers (always lots of fun), documentaries on all aspects of the project, and commentaries from the director, the kids and various production staff. The year's not quite half over, but I'm certain THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA will prove to be one of the outstanding DVDs of the year.

The French cult classic DELICATESSEN (1991) is also available from Buena Vista; directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (AMELIE) and Marc Caro, it is a delightful, surreal black comedy set in a meat-loving post-apocalypse world. Jeunet provides audio commentary and opens up his production archives in one of two featurettes.

WARNER HOME VIDEO: Every month WHV brings out at least one incredible collection; this month it's the sensational TENNESSEE WILLIAM FILM COLLECTION, an eight-disc box set highlighting films based on the work of one of our greatest dramatists. The centerpiece of the collection is a double-disc digitally mastered edition of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951). Director Elia Kazan had a special relationship with Williams, staging many of his plays on Broadway. He brought STREETCAR to the screen with Marlon Brando repeating his breakthrough role of Stanley Kowalski and Vivien Leigh replacing Broadway's Jessica Tandy as Blanche DuBois (Leigh played Blanche in the London production). Kim Hunter as Stella and Karl Malden as Mitch reprised their Broadway roles – Leigh, Hunter and Malden all won acting Oscars, while Brando lost out to the sentimental favorite, Humphrey Bogart, in THE AFRICAN QUEEN. STREETCAR is still a powerful motion picture, with Kazan's direction, the brilliant young Brando, and Vivien Leigh's Scarlett O'Hara resonance transcending the years. This DVD includes the three minutes deleted from the original release (mostly involving the sexual tension between Stanley and Blanche, and Stella's lust for Stanley), an audio commentary by Karl Malden and historian Rudy Behlmer, an Elia Kazan movie trailer gallery, film and audio outtakes, Brando's screen test (for the original version of REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, scrapped for the eventual Nick Ray project of the same title), no less than five documentaries about the film, and a feature-length documentary, ELIA KAZAN: A DIRECTOR'S JOURNEY, a look at the great director's career, with extensive interview footage of Kazan himself.

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (1958) is presented in a remastered deluxe edition. While Kazan had directed William's 1955 Pulitzer Prize-winning play in its original Broadway run, with Ben Gazzara as Brick and Barbara Bel Geddes as Maggie the Cat, the film version saw Richard Brooks directing Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor in the stellar roles, with Burl Ives repeating his Broadway role of Big Daddy. The result was a smash hit, as Brick and Maggie butt marital heads in Big Daddy's old Southern Gothic family manse; Taylor is exceptional, and while Newman is good, I've always been sorry Gazzara didn't get to play Brick on the big screen. The movie earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Screenplay, Actor, Actress, Director and Cinematography and still has plenty of dramatic highs. We get a new featurette on the makig of the film, the theatrical trailer, and a commentary by Donald Spoto, author of the Tennessee Williams biography The Kindness of Strangers .

Brooks and Newman reunited for the underrated SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH (1961), with the actor cast as Chance Wayne, returned to his Gulf Coast hometown after a failed bid at Hollywood fame and raising hell with Geraldine Page and Shirley Knight. Newman, Page, Rip Torn, Ed Begley and Madeleine Sherwood reprised their Broadway roles in a quintessential Williams tale of smalltown Southern sex and squandered dreams. A new featurette aptly titled BROKEN DREAMS AND DAMAGED PEOPLE is included, along with the theatrical trailer and a Geraldine Page-Rip Torn screen test. SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH is an especially appropriate candidate for rediscovery.

THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS. STONE (1961) is probably the least known of these titles, based on a Tennessee Williams novella, and directed by legendary Broadway theatre director Jose Quintero. Vivien Leigh gives a bittersweet performance as a wealthy, lonely widow living in seclusion in a villa in Rome, who becomes involved in an affair with young gigolo Warren Beatty (in his first film after an acclaimed debut in Kazan's SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS, and sporting an Italian accent that takes a reel or two to get used to). It's really Vivien Leigh's film (and her swan song as well), and just riveting to watch for her haunting performance; if STREETCAR resonates with Leigh's Scarlett O'Hara, then ROMAN SPRING resonates with Leigh's Blanche Dubois. A theatrical trailer and a new featurette are included.

NIGHT OF THE IGUANA (1964) was a cause celebre in its day, with director John Huston taking his all-star cast of Richard Burton (as a defrocked priest), Ava Gardner (as a lusty earth mother), Deborah Kerr (as an artistic aesthete), and teenaged Sue Lyon, hot from her inflammatory debut in Kubrick's LOLITA (1961), to the then-remote Mexican seaside resort of Puerto Vallarta. It was not only the overtly sexual Williams material that made headlines, but the off-screen presence of Burton's paramour Elizabeth Taylor (the duo had just completed CLEOPATRA). Huston exercises complete authority in his direction, and the result is one of his best films, as well as one of the best Williams adaptations. A Huston commentary is provided, along with a vintage featurette and a brand-new featurette, 1964 premiere highlights and theatrical trailers.

Kazan's BABY DOLL (1956) is the crown jewel of the collection – sexy, funny, compelling, it's Williams at his wicked best. Karl Malden plays Archie Lee, broken down owner of a broken down antebellum manse who has taken Baby Doll (Carroll Baker) as a teenage bride but cannot consummate the marriage til she turns 20. Enter Silvio (Eli Wallach, in a genius performance) as a Sicilian immigrant businessman out for revenge against Malden. And how does he go about his vendetta? By seducing the child bride before her birthday (or does he?). Tough to believe today, but New York's Cardinal Spellman actually condemned this film from the pulpit of St. Patrick's Cathedral, pronouncing it a mortal sin for Catholics to see the movie. His proclamation led to landslide box office, of course, as did a Time magazine review calling it “possibly the dirtiest American-made motion picture that has ever been legally exhibited.” It's harmless stuff by today's standards, of course, though the famous long take two-shot closeup of Wallach and Baker on the swing set still packs an erotic wallop. The disc comes with an excellent new featurette and a trailer gallery.

All of the above features are also available individually; the box set includes a bonus disc, Harry Rasky's 1973 documentary TENNESSEE WILLIAMS' SOUTH. The film features middling excerpts from Williams' work; its real value is the candid interview with the great playwright himself, where he reveals a warm, witty, candid demeanor.

Lucille Ball fans will want to pick up THE LUCY & DESI COLLECTION, containing three features in which she co-stars with husband Desi Arnaz. THE LONG, LONG TRAILER (1954) and FOREVER DARLING (1956) were made at MGM at the height of their I LOVE LUCY success, while TOO MANY GIRLS (1940) is the RKO musical that provided the setting for them to meet and fall in love. THE LONG, LONG TRAILER, directed by Vincente Minnelli, is a fun Fifties time capsule, with Lucy and Desi taking up honeymoon housekeeping in an RV. Its box-office success resulted in Alexander Hall's FOREVER DARLING, with the couple going through marital woes in the great outdoors, watched over by guardian angel James Mason (Hall had directed the 1941 romantic fantasy HERE COMES MR. JORDAN). TV audiences turned out to see America's favorite couple in color, and in the case of FOREVER DARLING, widescreen. George Abbott brought his Broadway hit TOO MANY GIRLS to the big screen, with a Rodgers and Hart score that included “I Didn't Know What Time it Was.” Lucy was just beginning to break out of starring roles in B-movies, and she plays a kooky heiress on a college campus; Desi, Eddie Bracken and Van Johnson all made their screen debuts in the film. WHV includes extras on each disc – a vintage musical short (FRANCIS CARROLL AND THE COQUETTES), classic cartoon (SHOP, LOOK AND LISTEN) and theatrical trailer on TOO MANY GIRLS; a Pete Smith short (AIN'T IT AGGRAVATIN'?), cartoon (DIXIELAND DROOPY) and theatrical trailer on THE LONG, LONG TRAILER; and behind-the-scenes segment from the TV show MGM's BIG PARADE and theatrical trailer on FOREVER DARLING.

Several worthwhile contemporary titles have just hit the shelves from Warners. PLAN B (2001) is a little-seen mob comedy with a miscast Diane Keaton (channeling her character from ANNIE HALL) as an accountant-turned-hit woman. A strong supporting cast provides the entertainment value, including Burt Young, Bob Balaban, SOPRANOS regulars Johnny Ventimiglia, Frank Pellegrino and Anthony DeSando, and especially the great Paul Sorvino in an hilariously over-the-top performance as a mob boss. Sorvino is best known of course for his brilliant contribution to GOODFELLAS (1990) – after Brando and Pacino in THE GODFATHER, his work as a Mafioso chieftain is the best ever committed to film -- but there is so much more to him than just playing wiseguys. Sorvino is the real deal, an artist whose great versatility has perhaps been neglected by critics. Just look at his career – early roles in such Seventies cinema as PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK (1971), A TOUCH OF CLASS (1973), THE DAY OF THE DOLPHIN (1973), THE GAMBLER (1974) and OH, GOD! (1977); a rare romantic starring role in John Avildsen's forgotten SLOW DANCING IN THE BIG CITY (1978); strong work in BLOOD BROTHERS (1979, with an unforgettable monologue about his baby son's death), I, THE JURY (1982) and William Friedkin's THE BRINK'S JOB (1978) and CRUISING (1980); two years starring on LAW AND ORDER (1991-92). He reprised his Broadway role in THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON (1982), and in 1999 directed and co-starred in a version for Showtime. He's done stellar work for Warren Beatty – REDS (1981), DICK TRACY (1990), BULWORTH (1998) – should have been nominated for an Oscar for his transformation into Henry Kissinger in Oliver Stone's NIXON (1995), and scored in ROMEO + JULIET (1996) and THE COOLER (2003). Paul Sorvino is the single reason to check out PLAN B.

Carroll Ballard (THE BLACK STALLION, FLY AWAY HOME) directs the terrific family film DUMA (2005), about a boy who has raised a cheetah from kittenhood and now must release it back to the bush to keep his pet away from captivity. Stunning location photography and fast-paced direction makes this a wonderful family adventure. RUMOR HAS IT (2005) is family fun of another kind – primarily dysfunctional -- a cute romantic comedy with an all-star cast including Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine and Mark Ruffalo, directed by Rob Reiner. It's definitely worth checking out if you didn't catch it in the theatres and makes for a pretty good date movie.

Finally, there's the kick-ass rock documentary METAL: A HEADBANGER'S JOURNEY (2006), a fascinating film that offers candid views of such heavy metal icons as Rob Zombie, Slayer, Alice Cooper, Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Vince Neil (Motley Crue), and Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)   among many others, as well as an almost anthropological study of this perennial popular musical form. Filmmaker Sam Dunn is actually a trained anthropologist whose graduate thesis dealt with Guatemalan refugees, and he brings a disciplined eye to his subject. He and partners Scot McFayden and Jessica Joy Wise took their cameras to the U.K., Germany, Norway, Canada and the U.S. to document the world of metal and its attendant culture, and the result is one of the best films about rock ‘n roll ever made.

20th CENTURY-FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT has a great record of sharing its vast vintage library with movie lovers. This time last year, for example, they released an unprecedented number of Western classics (check the archive for my reviews) – IN OLD ARIZONA (1929), DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK (1939), FORTY GUNS (1957) and WARLOCK (1958), for example, plus their ongoing Studio Classics and Fox Film Noir lines. They keep the classics coming with THE LAUREL AND HARDY COLLECTION VOLUME ONE. After 15 years of making brilliant shorts and features at the Hal Roach Studios, Stan and Ollie made the unwise decision to move to Fox, where they had virtually no creative control over their comedy. Fans and critics have been pretty tough on L & H's Fox output; the boys were starting to show their age, and the high energy era of Abbott and Costello had just dawned. In fact, Stan and Ollie's first for Fox was conceived to cash in on A & C's runaway hit BUCK PRIVATES; GREAT GUNS (1941) sees the boys joining the cavalry to look after their rich guy charge. JITTERBUGS (1943) , the best of the bunch, casts them as a two-man band, while in THE BIG NOISE (1944), they're bumbling private eyes. So while these are not their best comedies, it's still our beloved Laurel and Hardy, and there is joy to be found whenever they're on screen. My compliments to Fox for including excellent audio commentary from L & H expert Randy Skretvedt on all three discs, as well as a lovely documentary about the Laurel and Hardy fan club, REVENGE OF THE SONS OF THE DESERT. And taking a cue from Warner Home Video, the distributor packages the box set with the stunning original artwork from each picture. If you're a Laurel and Hardy fan – and who isn't, may I ask? – the set's worth including with the two volumes of primo Lionsgate's L & H releases and last month's great WHV set with THE DEVIL'S BROTHER and BONNIE SCOTLAND.

Robert Altman's career started in television (COMBAT!, BONANZA, ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS); born in 1925, the director didn't really start making movies until 1968 (a Universal space programmer called COUNTDOWN). He eschewed the studio world for independence in that first wave of American Nouvelle cinema that was spearheaded by John Cassavetes, Brian DePalma and Robert Downey, Jr., and made a really remarkable series of features that established him as one   of our great masters of the great film decade of the Seventies – MASH (1970), BREWSTER McCLOUD (1971), McCABE AND MRS. MILLER (1971), THIEVES LIKE US (1973), THE LONG GOODBYE (1973), CALIFORNIA SPLIT (1974), and his penultimate NASHVILLE (1975) – movies that brought him critical acclaim, popular acclaim (especially from the just burgeoning youth market), the clout to start his own post-production facilities to achieve his special brand of sound editing and mixing (Lion's Gate, the forerunner of the current mainstream distributor). Altman also had a great publicity machine – it seemed every picture published of the director had him drinking a beer and puffing on a joint, enjoying the hell out of his success at 50.   He seemed to relish his reputation as a party animal, and indeed lived up to it when I chatted with him at the New York premiere party of Gillian Armstrong's STARSTRUCK premiere in 1983 – he was very amiable in our conversation but I was distracted by him chainsmoking solo reefers.

Something happened to Altman after NASHVILLE – BUFFALO BILL AND THE INDIANS (1976) and 3 WOMEN (1977) seemed pretentious as hell to me – I much preferred Scorsese, Coppola, Friedkin, Bogdanovich, Spielberg and Milius at the time. Altman has been incredibly prolific since then, and at 76, he is still making movies, with THE PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION coming out on the heels of last year's special Academy Award. Many of Altman's post-NASHVILLE films seemed almost unwatchable upon initial release but you know how it is, yesterday's cinematic dud can be transformed through the sheer passage of time into a completely different work (BARRY LYNDON is my favorite example). Of course there are exceptions in Altman's canon – THE PLAYER, half of SHORT CUTS, all of GOSFORD PARK – since then but it truly is the damnedest thing that any cinema more than just a few years old is in need of constant re-evaluation.

Fox's four-film ROBERT ALTMAN COLLECTION presents a perfect opportunity for such a re-evaluation. His 1970 breakthrough movie M*A*S*H kicks off the set, with a commentary by Altman himself and an AMC documentary. This sleeper really shook people up with its irreverent humor in a Korean War field hospital (as Vietnam War footage dominated the nation's TV news programs. The movie still holds up pretty damn good, even after the over-familiarity of the classic TV series that spun off from Altman's film. It was among the first times we were exposed to the comedic acting chops of Elliott Gould, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Tom Skerritt, and Sally Kellerman and they responded beautifully to Altman's controlled chaos. At the same time Altman pushed the audience envelope with gory scenes in surgery as his players wisecracked through the spurting blood. Thirty-six years later, M*A*S*H is a classic, although the movie does tend to fall apart during the last act football game.

The rest of the collection is a mixed bag. A WEDDING (1978) is the chronicle of a suburban white America event; with dozens of characters it represents one of the biggest ensemble movies in history, and by its very nature it is uneven, although usually, thank goodness, entertaining. The cast includes Carol Burnett, Vittorio Gassman, Desi Arnaz Jr., Geraldine Chaplin, Lillian Gish, Mia Farrow, Viveca Lindfors, Dina Merrill, Paul Dooley, Lauren Hutton and as the clergyman, John Cromwell (one of the most neglected directors of the Golden Age, with credits including the 1934 Bette Davis OF HUMAN BONDAGE, the 1937 Ronald Colman PRISONER OF ZENDA, the 1938 Hedy Lamarr-Charles Boyer ALGIERS, the 1940 Raymond Massey ABE LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS, the 1958 Kim Stanley THE GODDESS; also the father of actor James Cromwell, who bears him a great resemblance). A WEDDING sustains its typically loose Altmanesque structure through the on-screen presence of these personalities.

QUINTET (1979) was reviled at the time as a thoughtless, confounding Future Shock flick set in the last Ice Age, starring Paul Newman, Bibi Andersson, Vittorio Gassman and Fernando Rey, and it's pretty much as soporific now as it was in '79. The cinematography is worth a look, and the Montreal sets and locations. The disc includes a contemporary featurette. The nice surprise of this box set is the gentle love story A PERFECT COUPLE (1979). It's so nice to see a romantic comedy that casts two outstanding NON-MOVIE STAR actors – Marta Heflin and Paul Dooley. They make the movie, and give it all its heart as Altman's unlikely lovers (she's in a rock band, he's an older guy looking for love). This is such a small, disarming movie, and Altman gives it a very human touch' he is thankfully never tempted here to try to give this simple story a pretentiously misguided edge. The disc has a documentary too.

Ultimately for me, Altman is much like Abel Ferrara. I love the hell out of the fact that they each make one movie a year, come hell or high water, and both are love-em-or-hate-em filmmakers. In the case of Altman, his particular form of Americana reminds me of an old saying . . . “I'd rather watch a bad Altman movie than a good Joel Schumacher film.”

There are lots of lots of great vintage Fox releases coming in the next few months, so stand by for action. Just look at next month's sampling – Wellman's rare WWII aviation film THUNDER BIRDS (1942) with Gene Tierney, and his Western masterpiece YELLOW SKY(1948) with Gregory Peck, Richard Widmark and Anne Baxter, Hathaway's Gary Cooper comedy YOU'RE IN THE NAVY NOW (1951) featuring the debuts of Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson, and Litvak's brilliant spy drama DECISION BEFORE DAWN (1952). There are three new Fox Film Noirs (Humberstone's 1941 I WAKE UP SCREAMING, Kazan's 1947 BOOMERANG, Mankiewicz's 1949 HOUSE OF STRANGERS), a long awaited Charlie Chan/Warner Oland box set with CHARLIE CHAN IN LONDON (1934), PARIS (1935), SHANGHAI (1935) and EGYPT (1935), a Will Rogers collection that includes John Ford's seminal STEAMBOAT ROUND THE BEND (1935), a Clark Gable set with Wellman's CALL OF THE WILD (1935), Walsh's THE TALL MEN (1955) and Dmytryk's SOLDIER OF FORTUNE. And don't forget the re-issue of the original 1966 VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (a camp time capsule classic) and its gotta-see-it-to-believe-it “sequel,” BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970), directed by the inimitable Russ Meyer, and scripted by a young Roger Ebert, now and forever our favorite movie critic. Fox is to be highly commended and supported with our consumer dollars for plumbing their vintage vaults and making these titles available. Stay tuned for further coverage.

PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT rules the world of vintage TV sitcoms. They've released the “Classic 39 episodes” of THE HONEYMOONERS, and are up to Season Six of both I LOVE LUCY and THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW – all of which are contenders for most beloved sitcom in history. The four-disc I LOVE LUCY: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON contains pristine prints of all 27 episodes, including the essential “Lucy and Bob Hope,” “Lucy Meets Orson Welles,” “The Ricardos Visit Cuba,” and especially “Lucy and Superman,” guest starring Man of Steel George Reeves. Paramount does a great job on these Lucy sets; for example, the extras includes audio commentaries on selected episodes by surviving cast members Keith Thibodeaux (“Little Ricky”), Doris Singleton (“Catherine Appleby”), guest star Barbara Eden, and writers Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Schiller, lost scenes, bloopers, the original animated openings, original cast commercials, a clip from THE BOB HOPE CHEVY SHOW, five audio episodes of Lucy's pre-TV radio show MY FAVORITE HUSBAND and more.

PHE also distributes THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW; Andy, Opie, Aunt Bea and Barney have been our pop cultural relatives since 1960 … and through the show's TBS and TV Land presence today. THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON covers the 1965-66 season, the first in color (with an updated Andy-Opie fishing trip opening) and the first without the fulltime participation of Don Knotts as the shakiest deputy in the business. Knotts won consecutive Best Supporting Actor Emmys for seasons two, three and four; this set includes “The Return of Barney Fife,” for which Knotts won his fourth Emmy (he received another one the next season for another guest star spot). Now, when I was a kid watching the great Sixties New York TV programming (including dozens and dozens of great vintage ‘30s and ‘40s flicks, especially the Paramounts and Columbias that are virtually unseen today), I watched ANDY GRIFFITH religiously, along with Officer Joe Bolton and the Three Stooges, The Abbott and Costello Show, The Honeymooners and all the monster movies the tube could throw at me (Universal horrors in particular). During this season of the Griffith show, my family moved from my beloved NYC to suburban Chicago, so at the age of 10, the world changed for me (I had a fistfight my first day at school defending the honor of the New York Mets). The fact that Barney Fife was no longer in Mayberry only added to my cultural upheaval. The show never seemed the same to me, but the ratings for the series grew stronger every year. Because of Knotts' absence in this season, there is a greater emphasis on supporting characters like Goober, Gomer, Otis, and Floyd, and a stronger development of Andy and Opie's relationship. There's a three-episode trip to Hollywood for Andy, Opie and Bea to witness the filming of   a movie based on Andy called SHERIFF WITHOUT A GUN, but most of the 30 episodes of this set keep us cozily in Mayberry, North Carolina … a happy and comforting place to visit whenever you feel like it on DVD. Check out the first five black-and-white seasons too for year-round jubilation.

When we talk about great vintage sitcoms – THE HONEYMOONERS, LUCY, ANDY GRIFFITH – we must doff our hats to the series that out-laughed and out-Emmyed these wonderful shows . . . YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH . . . THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW . . . BILKO. Three names, same show.

Comedic genius Nat Hiken blasted onto TV in 1955 at the height of Gleason and Lucy's reign and created a sitcom that for sheer hilarity, stands alone. Burlesque-cum-musical comedy star Phil Silvers plays Sgt. Ernest Bilko, in charge of aplatoon of degenerates in peacetime Fifties rural Kansas. His entire purpose in life is to get over on everyone he encounters, his cynical, mercenary narcissism landing him in worlds of trouble from which he consistently extricates himself in a most entertaining manner. The good people at Paramount have released SGT. BILKO: THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION, and it is the laugh riot of the year. After half a   century the show seems fresher than any of its contemporaries, with more wit and energy than a mid-season's replacement's worth of shows. This set totally does the series justice: 18 of the best episodes have been chosen from their 1955-59 run, with loads of extras. Allan Melvin (Corporal Henshaw) introduces each show, and certain episodes have audio commentary from guest stars Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Eden, George Kennedy, Larry Storch and regulars Melvin and Mickey Freeman (Private Zimmerman). There's the re-dsicovered lost pilot, original opening titles, highlights from the Emmy Awards, a great Phil Silvers-Jack Benny interview from a Seventies DICK CAVETT SHOW, Silver's intro to CBS' new sitcoms for 1965, a remembrance from Tony Randall and Jack Klugman, the audio of a Friars Roast of Humphrey Bogart featuring Silvers, and a variety of pieces on the lame BILKO movie starring Dan Aykroyd and Phil Hartman. I really hope this Bilko sells like hotcakes so Paramount will give us the full series on DVD!

NEW LINE HOME ENTERTAINMENT: Terence Malick is very much a love-him-or-hate-him filmmaker. I love his work. He is also the least prolific of major directors; in 32 years he has only made four movies – BADLANDS (1974), one of the greatest films of the Seventies; DAYS OF HEAVEN (1979), an empty but visually stunning epic; his dazzling World War Two story THE THIN RED LINE (1998); and last December's release THE NEW WORLD (2005), the story of the first British colonists in America as seen through the tale of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith. At the NBR we were treated to one of the very first public screenings, along with a q-and-a I moderated with producer Sarah Green and the 15-year-old actress Q'Orianka Kilcher, who one month later received the NBR Award for Female Breakthrough Performer at our annual gala for her work as Pocahontas. Reviews and business on THE NEW WORLD were mixed, but again, like BARRY LYNDON and THE GANGS OF NEW YORK, this is a film whose stature is sure to grow through the years. It is a haunting, mesmerizing film; open yourself to its leisurely pace and you will find it emotionally moving and even spiritually uplifting. Filmed entirely on the actual Virginia locations, with typically outstanding performances from Christian Bale and Christopher Plummer, it also represents the finest film acting of Colin Farrell's career, a welcome surprise after all his tabloid shenanigans. Emmanuel Lubezki's Oscar-nominated cinematography is luminous and James Horner's score is as beautiful as his music for BRAVEHEART and TITANIC. The disc comes with an outstanding ten-part documentary about the making of the film. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

WINTER SOLDIER ADDENDA: In last month's review of Milliarium Zero's important release of the long suppressed documentary WINTER SOLDIER (1971), I only mentioned a couple of the many filmmakers responsible for this unique work. For the record, here are their names (at the time they remained anonymous): Fred Aronow, Nancy Baker, Joe Bangert, Rhetta Barron, Robert Fiore, David Gillis, David Grubin, Jeff Holstein, Barbara Jarvis, Al Kaupas, Barbara Kopple, Mark Lenix, Michael Lesser, Lee Oscornme, Lucie Massie Phenix, Roger Phenix, Benay Rubinstein, Nancy Miller Saunders and Michael Weil.

                                          John Gallagher

                                          jgmovie@aol.com