‘Get Carter,’ the First Time

Unless you’re a die-hard Sylvester Stallone fan, there’s no reason to “Get Carter”on DVD (Warner, $20). At least not the tepid remake of the 1971 cult classic that stars Stallone and came and went within a blink of an eye last fall.

A far more enriching viewing experience is the DVD edition of the original film (Warner, $25), which stars Michael Caine and was directed by Mike Hodges.

The digital edition of the remake--which features Caine in a small but showy part, Miranda Richardson, Mickey Rourke, Rachael Leigh Cook and Alan Cumming--includes a nice wide-screen transfer of the crime thriller. Also featured are cast and crew bios, trailers of both the old and new versions of the film, a few snoozy deleted scenes and a so-so commentary track from director Stephen Kay, who comes across as one very self-assured and confident individual.

*

Kino on Video has just released the DVD editions of three silent screen classics ($30 each): D.W. Griffith’s “Broken Blossoms,” “Sadie Thompson” and “It.”

“Broken Blossoms,” from 1919, stars two of the most beautiful and gifted actors from that silent era, Lillian Gish and Richard Barthelmess. Gish plays a 15-year-old street urchin living in the seedy Limehouse district of London who has been emotionally and physically abused by her pugilist father (Donald Crisp). Barthelmess portrays a Chinese man who had traveled to England years before to teach pacifist ways, only to become a lonely shopkeeper. The DVD features a digitally mastered transfer from a 35mm print, a lovely new score by Joseph Turrin, a vintage introduction to the film with Gish, excerpts from the 1925 Gish movie, “Romola,” the text of the Thomas Burke story on which “Broken Blossoms” was based and a recording of the 1919 theme song.

“Sadie Thompson,” from 1928, is a terrific adaptation of Somerset Maugham’s classic tale “Miss Thompson.” Gloria Swanson, in an Oscar-nominated performance, puts her heart and soul into this torrid tale of a San Francisco prostitute and a South Pacific religious reformer (Lionel Barrymore). Raoul Walsh, who directed, plays the young sailor who falls in love with her. William Cameron Menzies provided the evocative sets.

For years, the final scenes of the movie were missing from the only existing print. In 1987, Kino recreated the finale using the original script, stills and even footage from the 1932 remake, “Rain.”

The disc features a new digital transfer from the 35mm preservation negative; an illustrated essay, “The Many Faces of Sadie Thompson”; scene comparisons featuring excerpts from the short story, the play, the 1928 film and the 1932 remake; “The Lost Ending,” featuring the restored ending, the ending from the original screenplay and the remake; and a nice gallery of production photographs.

Rounding out the collection is the charming 1927 flapper comedy “It,” starring Clara Bow as the Jazz Age cutie--a saucy salesgirl who sets her sights on the owner of the department store where she works. The DVD includes the poignant 1999 documentary that aired on TCM, “Clara Bow: Discovering the ‘It’ Girl.”

*

The digital edition of the Satanic thriller “Bless the Child” (Paramount, $30) isn’t very exciting. Directed by Chuck Russell, the film was greeted with both critical and audience ennui when it was released late last summer. Kim Basinger, Jimmy Smits and Rufus Sewell try their best to breathe life into this creaky story about an angelic child and the devil, but it’s been done before and done better.

The DVD includes the wide-screen version of the film, the trailer, a standard mini-doc with cast and crew interviews, bios and commentary from director Chuck Russell and visual effects supervisor Joel Hynek, who are much more entertaining than the movie.

*

Robert Bresson’s 1945 drama, “Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne” (Home Vision, $20 on VHS), is truly one of the great old French films. Featuring dialogue by the legendary Jean Cocteau, “Les Dames” is a taut, uncomplicated and beautifully acted tale of a lover’s revenge. Maria Casares (“Orpheus”) plays a rich woman who vows revenge on her ex-lover by introducing him to a lovely young woman with a sordid past.

Also new on video from Home Vision ($30) is the engrossing 1982 French crime drama “La Balance.” Directed by Bob Swaim, the thriller focuses on a Parisian vice cop (Richard Berry) who must find a new stool pigeon after his informant is gunned down.

*

New from Rhino Home Video is “Mystery Science Theatre 3000: Shorts Vol. 3” ($20 on video). This volume, culled from the late Comedy Central series, “Mystery Science Theatre 3000,” contains some of the worst short films ever made, including an ill-conceived musical directed by Gower Champion, a look at how to speak properly and even one featuring an angel and a devil fighting over the soul of a milkman.

*

Cirque du Soleil’s enchanting show “Dralion” is now available on video ($23) and DVD ($25) from Columbia Home Entertainment. Though cameras can’t convey the entire scope and magic of a Cirque du Soleil show, the filmmakers manage to capture most of the action by using several cameras. The DVD includes a decent making-of featurette and trailers. With a click of the angle button, viewers can watch various performances from different angles.