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February Classic DVD Roundup |
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Written by Kevin Filipski
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The Evelyn Waugh Collection (Acorn Media) comprises two films—1988’s A Handful of Dust and 1987’s Scoop—that illuminate novelist Waugh’s multi-faceted artistry. The ironic romantic drama A Handful of Dust features Kristen Scott-Thomas’s tour-de-force screen debut as a young wife whose affair triggers the disintegration of a prominent British family, while the darkly-humored Scoop stars Denholm Elliott and Michael Maloney in a scathing satire about journalistic sensationalism. Scoop’sDust) and Herbert Lom and Donald Pleasance (Scoop). The transfers, though acceptable, are not perfect, and there are no extras. point about media complicity in creating “news” was far ahead of its time (the novel was written in 1938), and the movie adaptation gets Waugh’s tricky dry tone right. Both movies are filled with memorable supporting turns from great British character actors as Judi Dench and Alec Guinness ALSO AVAILABLE…
The updated Gangs of New York Blu-ray (Miramax) sports a far superior transfer to the original muddled release—for all its bluster and massive scope, Martin Scorsese’s 2002 historical epic remains most memorable for Daniel Day-Lewis’ scenery-chewing performance (best extra: Scorsese commentary); the most honored Merchant-Ivory film is the 1992 adaptation of E.M. Forster’s classic novel Howard’s End (Criterion), which showcases Emma Thompson’s triumphant Oscar-winning turn and lavish set design ad costumes (best extra: Building Howard’s End, a making-of documentary with cast and crew interviews); screwball comedienne extraordinaire Carole Lombard steals It’s a Wonderful World (Warner Archive), a bumpy 1939 comic caper penned by Ben Hecht, from her co-star Jimmy Stewart; a gold-painted Marlene Dietrich is the biggest eye-opener of Kismet (Warner Archive), the mainly tepid 1944 Technicolor adventure that later inspired the hit stage musical; The Patty Duke Show—The Complete Second Season (Shout Factory), all 36 episodes originally shown on TV during 1964-5, not only again stars Duke as Patty and Cathy, but has special guest stars like Sammy Davis Jr. and Sal Mineo to join in the identical-cousin fun (best extra: new PSAs starring Duke in both roles); the 31 episodes that make up Route 66—The Complete Third Season (Infinity)—originally on CBS during 1962-3—led its cross-country travelers to cross paths with such guest stars as Buster Keaton, Guy Lombardo and, in one memorable episode, Lon Chaney, Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre; Small Wonder—The Complete First Season (Shout Factory), which ran in syndication during 1985-6, earns its plaudits as one of the most misguided sitcoms ever aired with its strangely dehumanizing story of a little female robot becoming a member of the least interesting TV family ever—its cult status is deserved, in a way (lone extra: original episode promos).
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