John Steed’s Early Days and Other Oldies
“Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace” may be the big video releasethis week, but it certainly isn’t the only tape that is new and noteworthy.
A&E;, for example, is offering two more volumes in its popular collection of the classic British ‘60s spy series “The Avengers.”
“The Avengers ’64 Collection” ($30 per set; $13 each) features 12 episodes headlining super-agent John Steed’s first partner, Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman of “Goldfinger”). An anthropologist dressed in black leather, Gale could subdue the bad guys with karate blows and judo kicks. Patrick Macnee’s debonair Steed is much more of a wisecracking cad with Gale than he was opposite Diana Rigg’s ultra-hip Emma Peel.
The black-and-white episodes, which were shot live on video, have been digitally remastered for clarity and sound. Though not as good as the Steed-Peel installments that were seen in America, they are still wonderful fun, and not just because of the outlandish plots, snappy dialogue and wry performances. In “The White Elephant,” for example, a fly sits on the lens of the camera throughout a scene.
Guest stars include Judy Parfitt, who recently played Dr. Corday’s mother on “ER,” and Lois Maxwell, who was the original Miss Moneypenny in the vintage James Bond movies. John Dankworth supplies the very jazzy theme.
The DVDs ($45 for the set; $25 each), which were not available for review by press time, feature such extras as chapter selections and interactive menus.
To order, call (800) 423-1212.
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Far less enjoyable is “Burn the Floor” (Universal, $20 for VHS; $30 for DVD). Overproduced and painfully artsy-craftsy cutesy-wootsy, “Burn the Floor” is a stage show (which just played Universal Amphitheatre) featuring 44 of the world’s best ballroom dancers from 15 countries who perform new twists on such dance styles as tango, cha-cha and swing.
The dancers are terrific, but the lighting, music and costumes have been jacked up to the max. It makes Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance” seem positively humdrum. The DVD includes production notes and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
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The eclectic Kino on Video has unearthed the provocative 1969 drama “Coming Apart” ($30 for DVD). Written and directed by documentary editor Milton Moses Ginsberg, this harrowing, brutal and upsetting drama stars Rip Torn in a phenomenal performance as a psychoanalyst on the verge of a breakdown who rents a studio apartment away from his office and pregnant wife.
There he uses a hidden camera to film a variety of sexual encounters with various women.
A young Sally Kirkland also stars in the film, which was considered pornographic by some critics. The sex scenes are pretty shocking even by today’s standards.
“Coming Apart” was released in the fall of 1969 but, despite some great reviews, it vanished into obscurity until Kino revived it, presenting it at several film festivals last year.
The DVD includes “Cominga Part 2: Adventures in Re-Releasing,” a featurette of Ginsberg’s film festival appearances, as well as Ginsberg’s pretentious short, ‘How to Fall Into Oblivion and Take Your Movie With You.”
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New from Miramax on DVD is a collector’s edition of its 1995 release “Il Postino” ($40). The lovely Italian romantic drama is one of the highest-grossing foreign films to hit the United States and was nominated for several Oscars: including best film, actor, director and screenplay.
The late Italian clown Massimo Troisi is sweetly endearing as a timid postman who asks the help of famed poet Pablo Neruda (Philippe Noiret) to win the heart of a beautiful young woman.
Sadly, Troisi was deathly ill from a heart ailment during the making of the movie. After he collapsed during production, his doctors insisted he have a heart transplant. Troisi carried on with the movie, though he could shoot for only a limited time each day. He died 12 hours after the completion of the film at the age of 41.
The disc offers a crisp wide-screen transfer of the film, a featurette on the Oscar-winning score, a TV special, “Poems of Passion: The Return of Pablo Neruda,” and director Michael Radford’s terrific commentary.
Radford discusses how difficult it was to shoot the film because of Troisi’s illness. He also contrasts nuances in Troisi’s performance from the early days of shooting to later stages, when he knew his character much better.
Another interesting insight into Troisi’s performance: Radford points out the actor’s delicate and graceful use of his hands during his dialogue scenes, which added something extra to his portrayal.
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Columbia TriStar’s DVD of the popular 1958 comedy “Bell, Book & Candle” ($25) doesn’t have many extra goodies--trailers, talent films and vintage advertising. But it’s a bewitching comedy about a beautiful witch (Kim Novak) who casts a spell on her handsome upstairs neighbor (James Stewart).
Presented in pan-and-scan and wide-screen, “Bell, Book and Candle” also stars Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs and a scene-stealing performance from Pywacket, a Siamese cat.
