Dersu Uzala (1975)

This film is a wonderful combination of two things that I love very much: Akira Kurosawa and Soviet cinema. Dersu Uzala, based on the memoir of VK Arseniev, tells the story of a Russian scouting expedition that encounters a nomadic hunter named Dersu while they're mapping out the Ussuri region in the Russian Far East circa 1902. Dersu and Arseniev slowly become friends as they brave the region's natural obstacles. On multiple occasions, they save each others' lives, most notably in a mind-blowing scene in which the two, lost out on the surface of a frozen lake while a snow storm kicks up, must frantically gather up tall grass to build a makeshift shelter before the sun sets. Arseniev watches as Dersu, a normally spry and capable man, begins to deteriorate in his old age and becomes less and less able to carry out the kind of hunting that is required for him to survive his nomadic lifestyle. Dersu Uzala is a biopic shot on a grand scale, but plays out in the quiet relationship between two men as they grow to respect and care for one another despite being almost nothing alike. The first half of the film feels like you're on the adventure with this odd couple through the Far East, facing every obstacle they face. The second half of the film becomes a bit more sullen as the obstacles turn from storms and tigers to Dersu's realization of his deteriorating health and impending death. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but a realistic and thoughtful contemplation on growing old. Despite the terrible quality of the print, including some miserable color shifting which mars the scenes out on the ice, the beauty of Kurosawa's compositions shines through. There's no film that deserves a restoration more than this one, and I envy anyone who has seen a 70mm print. Highly recommended.

10/10

If you are interested in another great film along these lines (Soviet, adventure, man vs nature), I would suggest checking out Mikhail Kalatozov's great and underrated film The Red Tent (1969). It's a bit more structured and action-oriented, and not quite as contemplative as Dersu Uzala, but it's definitely worth watching.

Red Tent, The (1969) aka Krasnaya palatka

Back from the dead!

A product of odd circumstances certainly, The Red Tent features Peter Finch, Sean Connery, and Claudia Cardinale in an enormous, impressive film directed by the Soviet director Kalatozov and co-produced by the Italians. In an attempt to settle his guilty conscience, the restless General Umberto Nobile conjures up the ghosts of his past to try him for his actions during a disastrous dirigible expedition he led to the North Pole forty years ago. The film flits between the discussion/trial and the retelling of the expedition. Connery (who should have been in OHMSS) has a lengthy cameo as Roald Amundsen, the famous North Pole explorer. The film runs 158 minutes and aside from a few odd romance scenes between Claudia Cardinale and Eduard Martsevich, never drags. Worthy of note is the spectacular Arctic photography by Leonid Kalashnikov and the incredible production values considering the location and production circumstances--on top of the Arctic snow and ice, they managed to throw a blimp (presumably a real one or a large model) around in heavy gusts and then convincingly crash it. The story strikes the right level of adventure and terror, and Finch, Connery, and Martsevich's performances are all delivered with a level of conviction that makes it easy to believe in the sense of honor and hubris, selflessness and sacrifice that they bought into to go on these dangerous, seemingly heroic missions. Highly recommended, if not a bit hard to find.

9/10

A note on the different versions: The most readily available version is the 120-minute International Cut featuring the original English dialogue for the (mostly) English cast, and dubbed-into-English dialogue for the International cast members. It also features an excellent score by Ennio Morricone. Despite all this, I must recommend the original 158-minute Soviet cut as it is the fuller, deeper, and more thoughtful version of the film. The Italians' International Cut doesn't appear to excise any of the crucial elements, but it lacks the subtlety and elegance of the Soviet cut. The Soviet score by Aleksandr Zatsepin, while not as good as the Morricone score, is no slouch and could easily be mistaken for minor Morricone.

The International Cut is available on DVD in the United States. The Soviet Cut is not. If you're dying to watch the Soviet cut, message me and I'll try to help you.

One final technical note about the film: The film was originally shot in Sovscope 70, Soviet Russia's 70mm process at the time. Neither available home video version reflects this as the Italians cropped to 1.66:1 for its release in the 60s and for some bizarre reason, the Russian DVD is in what appears to be an open matte 4:3. I can't even begin to imagine how incredible this film would have looked in 70mm back in 1969 on its release in Russia, and think that this film deserves a careful restoration from the original elements. Criterion?

Von Ryan's Express (1965)

As far as 1960s World War II adventure flicks go, Von Ryan's Express is typical. Frank Sinatra stars as an American pilot who is put into an Italian POW camp with a bunch of British soldiers. The Italians surrender leaving Sinatra and friends to fend for themselves miles from Allied territory. After some mucking about, they hijack a prison train and head for the border. The interesting thing is that Sinatra's character makes big mistakes. He's sometimes too reckless, sometimes too trusting, and the consequences for his actions come back to bite him and his men. None of the characters really developed much beyond that, but the way they surmounted challenges was fun to watch. Like most of the "boys on a mission" films in the 1960s, the film doesn't dwell on the travesties of war but rather focuses more on the action setpieces, stunts, and other obstacles. The film doesn't really dwell on anything at all, actually. It's a briskly paced action movie (for the 1960s) that has great moments of tension and suspense, some good action scenes, and that's about it. Jerry Goldsmith's score is excellent and you can hear early examples of the First Blood soundtrack running throughout. Overall, it's a minor war/adventure effort that's well-paced, well-acted, and worth a watch if you're in the mood.

7/10

Gunga Din (1939)

Gunga Din is a polished adventure film from Hollywood's Golden Year starring Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as rowdy fun-loving British soldiers in colonial India and Sam Jaffe in a rather touching performance (despite the no longer acceptable practice of brownface) as their Indian servant Gunga Din. The film is like other RKO adventure pictures in the thirties (like King Kong) in that nearly everything about it is larger than life, from the characters to the sets and setpieces. Of the four main actors, three turn in great performances: Cary Grant as a cocky soldier with imperialist swagger--out for treasure at any cost; Victor McLaglen's as his crusty officer companion; and Sam Jaffe as Gunga Din. That leaves Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in the rather undemanding role of a sap about to leave the army to be married. Also of note is Eduardo Cianelli as the menacing Thuggee cult guru. A good sense of humor, an excellent cast, enormous battle scenes, and exceptional production values make this a wonderful film that has aged quite gracefully.

8/10

Sorcerer (1977)

Quite possibly the worst case of mis-titling in movie history, Sorcerer is a taut suspense thriller that has nothing to do with magic. A remake of the 1953 Henri-Georges Clouzot film Wages of Fear, Sorcerer holds its own. Roy Scheider stars as one of four criminals who, having fled to South America, picks up the highly dangerous job of driving two trucks loaded full of unstable nitroglycerin through the Amazonian jungle. The first hour of the picture sets up backstory, while also establishing the gritty, unrelenting mood of the picture. It's pretty intense on its own, but once the men finally get into their trucks and out on the road, the film really steps it up. Torrential downpours, road blocks, and all around mortifying suspense leave you no room to breathe. Mr Friedkin succeeds again in turning out a film that just doesn't let up. The score by Tangerine Dream is fantastic both in the film (I wanted more!) and as a standalone soundtrack, even though at first glance it might not seem appropriate. Check it out.

8/10

As a final note, the DVD copy of Sorcerer is subpar by modern standards, and I hope someday we can get the proper restoration and widescreen transfer this film deserves.

Danger: Diabolik (1968)

Charmingly cheesy, Danger: Diabolik is an Italian comic book movie produced and directed by schlock masters Dino de Laurentiis and Mario Bava, respectively. Diabolik (John Phillip Law) thwarts the police force every step of the way as he heists all sorts of goodies--$10 million, an emerald necklace, and a 20-ton ingot of gold!--for his gorgeous girlfriend and sidekick Eva (Marisa Mell). The production is quite lavish, employing a plethora of neat camera tricks, grandiose set designs, and elaborate matte paintings. The score by Ennio Morricone rips through the film, with acid-drenched guitars and the loungey yet somewhat Bondian theme song "Deep Deep Down." The combined efforts of Bava, de Laurentiis, (and Morricone) result in a very stylish, garishly colorful, and fun outing. But as is the trend with Bava, style takes precedent over substance. Despite all of the great music and visuals, the acting falls pretty flat, not aided whatsoever by a sometimes dubious dub and a pretty weak script.

6/10

Rocketeer, The (1991)

The Rocketeer is a fun adventure film from the early 90s that holds up pretty well. Like Dick Tracy, The Shadow, and The Phantom, The Rocketeer has both a period charm and comic book feel to it. You've got Nazis, mobsters, a zeppelin, and Howard Hughes lumped together in a kind of small-town big-conspiracy story about a boy who finds a secret rocket-pack and tries to protect his friends and the rocket from falling into the wrong hands. The actors are all top-notch, with Alan Arkin playing Billy Campbell's mentor/partner and Timothy Dalton playing a sneering, snobbish (but dreamy) movie actor. Jennifer Connelly is stunning, especially in that white dress at the South Seas club. The special effects are done quite well. Five years later, Schwarzenegger would don a jet pack like the one in this film, but the effects don't look nearly as good in Jingle All the Way as they do here. A great film for kids, but also enjoyable for the adults.

7/10

Ogon Bato aka The Golden Bat (1966)

Absurd Japanese sci-fi adventure film about a secret service trying to stop the evil Nazo from crashing the planet Icarus into Earth. From the outset the film is ridiculous with laser blasters, a ship that resembles a tunnel boring machine (with eyes that shoot lasers), and Nazo himself, who looks like a guy in a giant pig costume with four eyes (he shoots lasers, too). On top of that, there's The Golden Bat, a bizarre superhero who was awakened from his Egyptian coffin on a piece of Atlantis that had surfaced in the ocean. He appears when he is called on to fight enemies with his "Baton of Justice." His mask looks almost exactly like Vincent Price's in The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971). Starring Sonny Chiba (but not as The Golden Bat). Ogon Bato is a bit too silly for its own good, but still fun.

6/10

Phantom, The (1996)

The Phantom is by no means a masterpiece, but it's still highly entertaining. It's a film that kids remember as being awesome and for good reason--the film is absolutely ridiculous. Stylistically a rip-off of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the plot is riddled full of gaping flaws in logic, but the action sequences are fantastic. Billy Zane can't act to save his life, especially not in a skin-tight purple suit. While I love Treat Williams, his portrayal of villain Xander Drax definitely left something to be desired. In fact, I much preferred the (smaller) presence of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as yet another juicy Asian villain. The music is the worst aspect of the picture, maintaining the exact same intensity and style throughout which was pretty boring.

6/10