Indiana Jones and the Legacy of Adventure

"If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones." This slogan, coined almost twenty-five years ago, is as true now as it ever was. The cinema of adventure is virtually moribund in a world where few corners of the globe have not been displayed by documentarians or trampled by tourists. The thought of discovering a culture untouched by the dehumanizing influence of western commercialism and technology is a fanciful wish that only a time machine could fulfill. Fortunately the movies can provide such vicarious excitement. By utilizing the full advantages of its imagery and craft, the cinema can effortlessly transport a willing audience back to an era when the unknown still held sway over so-called "civilized" society. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas ably demonstrated this skill with their Indiana Jones series, shining a torch upon the darkly mysterious continents of Africa, Asia and South America. Many other filmmakers have since attempted to depict this exotic world of jungles and deserts, but like the plight of numerous real-life explorers their disappointing efforts have often been lost in the mists of time. The following is a list of forgotten films on DVD inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels

Yellow Hair and the Fortress of Gold (1984)

Close on the heels of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, came this stunt-filled distaff version that combines the look and feel of a Spaghetti Western with the thrills of a lost treasure adventure. Athletic Laurene Landon stars in the title role as an Apache-raised blonde warrior who teams up with childhood friend, pretty boy gunslinger Ken Roberson on a hunt for Aztec gold. The hateful villains are the usual corrupt mustache-twirling Mexicans and the native tribes are depicted as both sadistic and spiritual, in the xenophobic tradition of the genre.The unique opening titles that amusingly mimic the chapters of a movie serial, are somewhat misleading given the strong violence on display, especially as these titles are projected in front of a silhouetted group of rowdy kids at a simulated matinee, cheering and jeering the introduction of each character. Unlike the vintage cliffhangers that it pays humorous homage to, this is no juvenile exercise, but an R-rated exploitation picture updated with more adult, i.e. gruesome, action. Director-writer Matt Cimber had previously collaborated with his leading lady on Hundra, an entertaining female version of Conan the Barbarian. The DVD from Rhino Home Video is a lacklustre affair, sporting an inferior digital transfer prone to ghosting and no bonus features apart from a scratchy trailer.

Jake Speed (1986)

Lucas and Spielberg have always acknowledged the influence of both the traditional cliffhanger hero and James Bond on their archaeological adventurer.However, heroes of Victorian literature like H. Rider Haggard's Allan Quatermain, and the heroes of the pulps such as Lester Dent's Doc Savage are Indy's true literary progenitors. Drawing upon these sources, writer/director/producer Andrew Lane, and writer/producer/star Wayne Crawford, have come up with a clever cinematic conceit whereupon a fictional protagonist "Jake Speed", is discovered to be a flesh and blood hero in the real world participating in exploits identical to the contents of the many novels bearing his name. With action to spare but no discernible style, it is an inspired idea that sadly fails to ignite. The blame for the middling result must be laid at the feet of triple duty creators, particularly the charisma-free Crawford, whose flat performance in the title role deflates all of his larger-than-life escapades. Of the rest of the cast, only Dennis Christopher as the hero's faithful assistant, and future Indiana Jones mentor John Hurt as the effete villain, manage to escape without embarrassment. The Anchor Bay DVD features more than the film deserves, including a sparkling anamorphic transfer and multiple trailers.

Firewalker (1986)

In 1985 mini-moguls Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus of Cannon Films, made their initial Attempt at cashing in on the Indiana Jones franchise by adapting the seminal novels King Solomon's Mines and its sequel Allan Quatermain into a pair of quickie Africa-lensed productions starring mini-series monarch Richard Chamberlain, and burgeoning blonde bombshell Sharon Stone. By essaying a predominantly comic tone for these cheapjack efforts, directors J. Lee Thompson and Gary Nelson, succeeded in stripping away the suspense and thrills, leaving a group of ill-at-ease actors awkwardly trying to mug their way into the hearts of the audience.Undaunted by the largely indifferent public response to these two debacles, Golan and Globus indulged their penchant for cinematic grave-robbing once again with this contemporary treasure hunt, featuring their in-house star Chuck Norris partnered with Oscar-winner Lou Gossett and Flash Gordon damsel Melody Anderson. Hobbled by chintzy production values and a tired plot involving South American gold, action specialist J. Lee Thompson partly redeemed himself for his previous malfeasance with this lighthearted but mostly lead-footed entertainment. Here at least, the increasingly ridiculous perils that befall the characters are grounded in a semblance of human relationships, unlike the cartoon antics of the Chamberlain/Stone duo. The no-frills DVD is a superb digital representation of the material, giving the film a slicker look that the original theatrical engagements.

Jane and the Lost City (1987)

A rare British-made attempt at hopping on the Indiana Jones bandwagon, this bawdy World War II comedy adapted from the popular Daily Mirror comic strip features the comely Kristen Hughes as the titular heroine, a blonde spy who has an embarrassing habit of accidentally losing her clothes at the most inopportune moments. Directed by Terry Marcel (Hawk the Slayer), in the inimitable style of a Carry On film, this silly romp is consistently rescued from the broad face-pulling style of its Nazi villains by the skillful underplaying of its heroes, including Flash Gordon himself Sam Jones as a vegetarian jungle hunk, and the brilliant comic timing of Robin Bailey as a stuffy Colonel opposite British comedy legend Graham Stark as his put-upon manservant. Hard to dislike but providing minor amusement, the DVD release flatters the film's diffused deco look with a flawless digital transfer. The disc's only bonus feature is the amusing trailer, which manages to spoil all of the funny bits.

The Further Adventures of Tennessee Buck (1988)

Another modern day riff on the Indiana Jones-type hero, this Borneo-set film is directed by and stars David Keith (White of the Eye), as a drunken white hunter whose only similarity to Harrison Ford is a wide-brimmed fedora and a U.S. state for a nickname. Starting out as an almost farcical safari adventure, the story takes a sharp right turn toward lewd sexuality and bloody violence, with only the exotic Sri Lankan locations and the statuesque though sometimes shrill, leading lady Kathy Shower, left as guilt-free pleasures. Ego notwithstanding, Keith is a charismatic performer who manages to hold the screen with a strong physical presence necessary to convince the audience of his character's near-mythical reputation. Although his direction of the other actors is erratic at best, the action is competently staged and the chase finale does generate palpable suspense. The DVD however is a mixed affair featuring a soft yet colourful full-frame image that appears to leave the unambitious visual composition intact.

Other European knock-offs made in the wake of Raiders include: France's Gwendoline (1984), Italy's Hunters of the Golden Cobra (1982), Treasure of the Four Crowns (1983), Ark of the Sun God (1983), and Germany's Cascadeur: The Amber Chamber (1998). Hollywood series such as Romancing the Stone (1984) and its sequel were influenced by women's paperback romantic fiction, while Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), and its follow-up, are adaptations of a popular video game. More recently, the public's fascination with historical conspiracy that made the novel and eventual film of The Da Vinci Code (2006) a hit, led filmmakers to create their own similar franchise with National Treasure (2004) and its inevitable sequel. All of these films have looted from the Spielberg/Lucas treasure chest, but with mostly lesser results. Now that these middle-aged filmmakers have themselves chosen to resurrect the cinema's most famous treasure-hunting hero, one can hope that a return to high adventure is about to begin.

A Lonely Soul

Some actors are born with the effortless charisma of likability, others embody the complicated turmoil of good and evil. Appearing opposite such stars as Gable, Tracy, and Stewart, Robert Ryan forged an incomparable body of work as the dark cinematic counterpart to these stalwart heroes. Today he is most remembered for supporting roles in two of his last films, The Dirty Dozen (1967) , and The Wild Bunch (1969), but Ryan's important cinematic legacy began more than twenty years earlier with an incendiary performance as a violent racist in Crossfire (1947), and ended soon after his glorious portrayal of Larry Slade in The Iceman Cometh (1973), which he made while dying of cancer. It was a career mandated by his tall hunched physique, and handsome saturnine Irish looks. A dissatisfied mouth reflected the desolation and anger lingering near the surface of his most memorable characters. His vicious outbursts could be terrifying yet vulnerable, a dichotomy that often left him isolated in the company of men and a tragically romantic figure for women. In almost every role he played, his demons are held barely in check, brimming behind the eyes of an actor whose powerful screen presence and subtle craft were mostly taken for granted by an audience with stars in their eyes. The films listed below are superb examples of Robert Ryan's unique contribution to cinema.

Caught (1949)

Robert Ryan was never the typical leading man but achieved recognition the way many actors do, playing colourful villains.Having burned a hole in the screen as the Jew-baiting murderer in Edward Dmytryk's Crossfire, Ryan embarked on a string of memorable noir miscreants, of which Smith Ohlrig, the threatening millionaire of Caught, is one of his most complex. Modeled after eccentric entrepreneur Howard Hughes, Ryan's studio boss at RKO, Ohlrig is a Freudian mess of dangerous paranoia that entraps his young wife played by Barbara Bel Geddes in a spiraling nightmare of emotional abuse. One of the few Hollywood efforts directed by French auteur Max Ophuls, the film's suffocating atmosphere of psychological delirium made this a landmark in Ryan's career propelling him into the pantheon of demented villainy. A scarce title due to copyright issues, and only available on VHS, it will hopefully make a much deserved appearance in the digital realm.

On Dangerous Ground (1952)

Produced by John Houseman, this is Ryan's most emblematic film noir, a genre he dominated with towering menace. Starring as a self-loathing burnt out cop, Ryan delivers a crowning performance of embittered failure, garnished with a streak of sadism only he could milk for its self-revealing tragedy. Directed by Nicholas Ray, a specialist in stories about the plight of society's outsiders, the film uses a rural manhunt plot to uncover the humanity of its characters, most heartbreakingly in the tentative relationship between the two solitary souls of Ida Lupino's blind spinster, and Ryan's depressed bachelor.With its striking snowbound locations, and dynamic score by Hitchcock favourite Bernard Herrmann, this noir masterpiece remains a suspenseful and poetic meditation on both the physical and emotional effects of loneliness. The DVD includes an insightful commentary by film historian Glenn Erickson.

Men In War (1957)

After his contract with RKO expired in 1956, a middle-aged Ryan was finally free to chose the kind of varied roles that he had sought for most of his working life. These films would often reflect his private passion for liberal humanitarian causes, and the first of these projects is representative of this independent spirit. Men In War, is a stark and harrowing depiction of a battle-scarred platoon trapped behind enemy lines during the Korean War. Ryan stars as the sensitive but courageous commanding officer who must drag his traumatized and fatigued soldiers through mine and sniper infested territory to the seemingly safe ground that awaits them miles away. Playing one of his most sympathetic characters Ryan ably communicates the weariness and fear that all in combat must face, thereby providing the film with a human core to the imagery of sudden and senseless carnage. Director Anthony Mann, excelled at staging battles of various eras, but here he opts for intimacy over panorama. This is an austere picture of war and the gut-wrenching horror of death hovers over every scene. Ryan would successfully re-unite with Mann the following year on a controversial adaptation of Erskine Caldwell's bawdy Georgia-set novel God's Little Acre. Ryan's role in that film as an obsessed treasure-hunting dirt farmer demonstrated his broad acting range, playing a mad dreamer, as opposed to the sober military authority figure from their previous collaboration. Both films are available on DVD from Geneon Entertainment in no-frills editions featuring immaculate, uncensored black and white prints.

Shadows Over Hollywood

Hollywood was once a magical place where it seemed dreams came true. During the golden age of the studio system from the 1920s to the 1950s, the public was fed a steady diet of glamorous stars and starlets, primped and manicured to perpetuate the myth that making movies was a fantasy lifestyle full of guiltless hedonism.By the end of the 1960s when the studios had lost most of their power and influence due to television and the rising costs of production, filmmakers encouraged by this new independence, ushered in another so-called "golden" era exploring the darker more irreverent aspects of American culture. Inevitably, they turned their attention to Hollywood itself, and the earlier days of an industry that had long disappeared. The lens through which they focused upon "Tinseltown" was much less rose-coloured than their film-making predecessors, but the glamour and excitement still held allure despite the generation gap. The DVDs cited below are a sampling of the films made about Hollywood by those whose distance from this period provides a modern perspective for audiences of the 21st Century.

Sunset (1988)

Born into a film industry family, his grandfather, a silent film director, and his father , a production manager, Blake Edwards was raised in the atmosphere of old Hollywood. After a lackluster stint as an actor in the Forties, he found initial success writing screenplays. By the late Fifties, he had graduated to director where he made a slew of popular comedies, while at the same time creating the influential detective series Peter Gunn for the rival medium of television. Three decades later, after a bumpy career filled with financial flops and feuds with studio executives, Edwards must have been irresistibly attracted to Rod Amateau's story of 1920s Hollywood. This nostalgic tale concerning a fictional mystery solved by the partnership of movie cowboy Tom Mix and legendary lawman Wyatt Earp, afforded Edwards the perfect opportunity to combine some of his favourite genres while enabling him to lift the veil on this largely overlooked era. This was a time when the studio bosses ran Hollywood as their private fiefdom, fiercely protecting their empires from scandal. Not surprisingly these movie moguls were often as debauched as their employees and given their unlimited power within the community they posed a dangerous threat to individual welfare. Lives could be written off with the stroke of a pen, and it is Edward's zeal in exposing this hypocritical abuse of authority that is at the core of this deceptively light film. Completely forgotten since its release, this lost treasure can now be fully appreciated on DVD, where Anthony Richmond's burnished widescreen cinematography is well displayed, as are the charming star performances of Bruce Willis as Mix and James Garner as Earp, a role he originally embodied as a younger more embittered hero in John Sturges' Hour of the Gun (1967).

The Rocketeer (1991)

During the 1930s, the stars, more than the stories were what the public flocked to see at the movies. Handsome leading men like Clark Gable, and Errol Flynn were sold to audiences as the same devil-may care personalities off-screen as well as on, but the true tales of their sordid behavior was always kept under wraps until Flynn's rape trial in the Forties. This fantasy adventure film takes place in 1938 and concerns a young pilot played with earnest heroism by Bill Campbell, who accidentally acquires a rocket pack sought by Timothy Dalton, winkingly cast as a "fictional" mustachioed swashbuckling actor and secret Nazi spy. Flynn himself was once wrongly accused of similar treachery, but despite the truth, rumors have lingered and are cleverly exploited for this tongue-in-cheek portrait of Hollywood. The witty screenplay by Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo adapted from Dave Steven's legendary graphic novel effortlessly recreates the superficiality of an era when the polished veneer of fame could hide the treasonous activities of a saboteur. This non-anamorphic DVD from Disney does little to display the lush elegance of Hiro Narita's cinematography and James D. Bissell's sumptuous production design, and the lack of bonus features for such a high profile release is shocking, even accounting for the film's surprising unpopularity.

Barton Fink (1991)

By the 1940s Hollywood had now established itself as a booming film factory attracting novelists and playwrights with promises of sunny weather and fat paychecks that could sustain these struggling artists during periods of creative inertia. This feature from the film-making team of Joel and Ethan Coen, is a mocking evocation of this time, following the surreal adventures of New York playwright Barton Fink in Los Angeles circa 1941. There he encounters various stock characters including manic studio executives, a washed-up drunken novelist, and a psychopathic insurance salesman. As played by John Turturro, Fink, whose physical appearance resembles socialist writer Clifford Odets, is a pretentious windbag, whose obsession with the "Common Man" is belied by an almost complete lack of interest in anything outside of the self-involved atmosphere of the theatre. The Coen Brothers may be satirizing the artistic ignorance of Hollywood, but their real barbs are reserved for their hapless protagonist, a creator of art whose myopic naivete leaves him easy prey to an industry gorged with avaricious egos. Unfortunately as per the habit of the filmmakers, there are few in the way of bonus features on the DVD. The paltry offerings here amount to a collection of deleted segments that do little to expand one's understanding or enjoyment of the film itself.

White Hunter Black Heart (1990)

After the victorious end of World War II, Hollywood discovered the benefits of overseas locations for their productions. Jungles no longer had to be artificial and with the advancement in air travel, the actors themselves could be transported to these exotic places where the realism of a film could be immeasurably improved. However, profitability of these expensive excursions often depended on the courage and determination of the director. John Huston possessed these qualities in spades, having demonstrated them with his masterful Mexico-shot classic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. In 1950 he set out for East Africa to film The African Queen, where his larger-than-life approach to film-making created no end of troubles, a unique experience later fictionalized by his co-screenwriter Peter Viertel in the novel White Hunter Black Heart. Filmmaker Clint Eastwood also sees himself as a maverick both on-screen and off, so the character of self-destructive director John Wilson in Viertel's roman a clef must have seemed like a seductive challenge to a actor known more for the size of his gun than the range of his talent. Whereas Huston's verbosity often got him into trouble, Eastwood's silence typically kept him out of it. Therefore in impersonating the loquacious filmmaker, Eastwood under his own direction, successfully performed the most formidable role of his acting life. Fortunately with his loyal crew, careful preparation and quiet tenacity Eastwood also triumphed where Huston failed, by reducing the potential pitfalls of the African locations and delivering the film on schedule and budget. Unfortunately the story of the making of an acknowledged classic can never compete with the art of the original work, nevertheless this dark journey into the troubled soul of a cinematic genius makes for compelling entertainment, and is Eastwood's most overlooked masterpiece.

Cinema's Soothsayer

Many feel that this is the golden age for the true film buff. DVD, HD, and digital projection are making the image more immediate and life-like than ever before. As we abandon stories in favour of special effects, technology influences public tastes like never before. In the 1950s when formats such as 3-D and Cinemascope were introduced to entice audiences away from the new medium of television, the motivation was to elevate visual storytelling by altering the nature of the frame. These were finite improvements that depended on the artistic innovation of the directors in order to make them last longer than the latest fad. As a result a new visual language was created and filmmakers advanced their method of expression. We are now at the dawn of a purely digital age when perishable celluloid is about to be replaced by the passionless intangibility of pixels and hard-drives. The question is whether these impersonal tools can cultivate new film artists, or is the technology a literal dead-end, where the soul of the film itself is buried under so much digital artifice that the physical connection to the humanity of its creators is lost. As recently as this year, prominent directors such as Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson have expressed their desire to continue working in the old film strip tradition, but many other respected auteurs such as David Fincher and Michael Mann have already relinquished this approach, embracing an image so digitally malleable that it threatens the very fabric of cinematic reality. What happens when these very technologies evolve to the point when they themselves can create without the need for human input? When do the tools of a civilization become its masters? Novelist and filmmaker Michael Crichton has been exploring these and other similar issues for nearly forty years. His films, often adapted from his own well-researched fiction, are sometimes startlingly augural works that are the type of canary-in-a-coal mine warnings that western society so desperately needs to heed. With virtually all of his movies on DVD, the following are a sample of the most prescient of his oeuvre.

The Andromeda Strain (1971)

Based on a novel Crichton wrote while still in medical school, this story of a small group of scientists combating
a virulent space organism that the military wishes to use for nefarious purposes, became the template for most of Crichton's subsequent work. With its dire vision of cold science helpless in the face of that which it cannot comprehend, Crichton gets to the heart of human frailty and exposes the hubris that ultimately leads to ecological disasters. Although stylishly made by veteran director-producer Robert Wise, Crichton was unhappy with the methodical pacing of the film and vowed to maintain more hands-on control of any future film versions of his work. The DVD extras contain an informative profile of the author as well as a making-of that includes footage of a surprisingly young Crichton talking about the film and its themes.

Pursuit (1972) a.k.a. Binary

Crichton himself stepped behind the camera to direct this made-for-television adaptation of his own novel. Instead of the extraterrestrial threat posed by the previous film, the scenario is now one of urban terror, as a group of right-wing extremists utilize sophisticated nerve gas technology to further their own political agenda while threatening mass extermination. Well crafted, with a nail-biting climax, this freshman effort from Crichton demonstrated that his directorial talents were more than equal to his literary gifts. It would however be his next film that finally proved his critical as well as box office success as a feature filmmaker.

Westworld (1973)

An instant sci-fi classic written specifically for the big screen, this was Crichton's obvious first draft of the Jurassic Park formula. It was conceived as his warning to a public mesmerized by the latest robot and computer technology introduced by Disney in its theme parks. Crichton posits the horrifying possibility of a malfunction at one of these holiday destinations that transmutes the safe movie-like atmosphere into one of deadly survival. Featuring a bravura fifteen minute chase finale with Yul Brynner as a lethal robotic version of his Maginificent Seven persona, this tightly constructed low-budget gem established Crichton as a formidable talent with much to say about the entertainment-craving "ME" generation of the 1970s.

Looker (1981)

After being passed over to direct the adaptation of his novel The Terminal Man, Crichton furthered his film career by helming the hugely popular medical thriller Coma, based on the book by Robin Cook. He followed that up with a distinct change-of-era film, adapted from his Victorian heist novel The Great Train Robbery. Its commercial failure made him return to more familiar thematic territory of the impact computer technology was having on commercial media. Looker was originally written as an all-out comedy, but studio executives wanted a thriller, so Crichton reluctantly complied with the result being a unique hybrid of black comedy and futuristic suspense. Completely misread at the time of its release, this is a film of surfaces, satirizing plastic surgery, computer generated imagery and slick politics with an often astoundingly prophetic eye to their eventual abuse in the following decades. Crichton's imaginative casting continued to serve him well, with his dumpy plastic surgeon hero played by Albert Finney, up against the polished presence of ruthless entrepreneur James Coburn. Crichton, demoralized by the compromises required to get the film made, originally disowned the finished product when it failed to find an audience. In the years since, he has come to endorse this singularly entertaining piece of cinematic divination. The DVD contains an informative director's commentary and a beautiful wide-screen transfer of this very witty film.

To date Crichton has directed only two more films, Runaway (1984), a slight but imaginative sci-fi cop movie with robotics once again the focus, and Physical Evidence (1989), a boring court-room thriller. Since then he has concentrated on his career as a novelist, selling his books to the big screen for exorbitant fees with often middling results. For his fans, the wait continues for his next foray as a filmmaker. With the world technologically dominated more than ever, visionaries like Michael Crichton are a resource we cannot afford to lose.

Not Your Average Schlockmeister

If one were to envision the generation of filmmakers who came of age in the 1970s as a dysfunctional family, then according to most critics director John Landis would be the idiot stepchild. The dark shadow cast by the Twilight Zone tragedy didn't permanently derail his career, but evidence of bad judgment on set and a crew deeply immersed in Hollywood's destructive drug culture, certainly tarnished his once shining potential. An avowed fan of the sillier approach to physical comedy, Landis has never courted the critics. As a result, despite being responsible for some of the most popular comedies of all-time he is now largely a forgotten relic of the blockbuster era he helped to perpetuate. He is also, like his friend and fellow filmmaker Joe Dante, an heralded comic craftsman, one who can utilize large-scale action for its thrilling and as well as side-splitting effect. At present however he remains in "movie jail", a term he coined himself to describe the misfortune of middle aged directors who are deemed too high a budgetary risk for the major studios. Instead he works on off-beat projects including documentaries and cable television, while receiving numerous film festival retrospectives around the world. Perhaps by revisiting his oeuvre on DVD, his "jailors" would see fit to grant him a much deserved parole.

Schlock (1971)

An inauspicious beginning to his career found Landis writing, directing, producing and starring in this ultra-low budget comedy featuring the young filmmaker in an ape suit designed by budding make-up whiz Rick Baker. The title refers to the "missing link" creature embodied by Landis, but it also clearly reflects the quality of the naive subject matter, a series of blackout style comedy sketches variously inspired by the comedy of Abbott and Costello, Warner Bros. cartoons, and poverty row genre films of the 1950s. This film also marked the beginning of his trademark use of in-jokes, including the mysterious appearance of the phrase "See You Next Wednesday", and the casting of well-known film industry personnel in cameo roles. The spiffy looking DVD has been altered by Landis from its original version to correct some nagging flaws and sports an enthusiastic audio commentary from the always boisterous director, in conversation with his close friend and frequent collaborator Rick Baker.

The Blues Brothers (1980)

After having directed the hit National Lampoon's Animal House, a film whose slob comedy stylings fit more neatly into the career of its producer Ivan Reitman, Landis took a monumental risk with this musical comedy. It was developed from the popular Saturday Night Live sketch that starred comic hurricane John Belushi and frequent partner Dan Aykroyd as a pair of cool black-suited blues musicians "on a mission from God". It also marked the rise of Landis' personal film-making style, featuring his exhilarating blend of music and choreography that would become a hallmark of his later work. Having began his career as a stuntman, Landis also lets loose with a progression of astounding vehicular gags that are hilariously juxtaposed with the dead-panning of his sunglass-wearing stars. Constructed like a nutty modern myth, and featuring timeless performances from musical giants like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Cab Calloway, the film was clearly ahead of its time, evidenced by the poor response it received during its original run. Universally hailed as a classic ever since,the film remains a one-of-a-kind entertainment, a fact underlined by the high profile failure of the Landis-directed sequel made nearly two decades later. The DVD includes the original and extended cuts of the film, each enjoying a significant cult following.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

A personal project written by Landis when he was only 19, it was inspired by local culture he observed as a production assistant in Yugoslavia during the filming of Kelly's Heroes. Unanimously cited for its seminal Oscar winning make-up effects by Rick Baker, it was also groundbreaking for its liberal doses of humour carefully blended into the pure horror of the story. Up until that time, Hollywood preferred its horror films to be either funny or frightening, Landis proved they could be both with successful results. In addition , the film features the first attempt by Landis to explore genuine adult passions. This new maturity would continue to express itself in his work, as the always present physical action becomes more seamlessly integrated into the emotional journey of the characters. Here it is expressed at the finale, when horrifying death and destruction is followed by the most heartbreaking scene in his entire body of work. The special edition DVD is a superb package of enlightening interviews about the production and behind-the-scenes details of its arduous special effects.

Trading Places (1983)

Originally conceived as a vehicle for Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, this emblematic Eighties comedy about greed and race, was the unqualified hit that finally confirmed Landis knew how to garner big box office as well as big laughs and scares. Aided immeasurably by the lightning hot comic energy of a young Eddie Murphy, the film is a carefully crafted mix of classic Hollywood role-reversal comedy, with contemporary sprinklings of vulgarity. As with most of his previous films, Landis exhibits an unerring eye for the casting of actors at the beginning or turning points in their careers. Co-stars Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis and veteran Don Ameche all went on to renewed success due to the tenacity of the director and the resulting popularity of the film. Murphy would re-unite with Landis twice more with dwindling results but the freshness of this first teaming still resonates as strongly as ever. The recent special edition DVD includes new and vintage footage that serves to remind older viewers of Murphy's compellingly raw talent before the complacency of super stardom crept into his performances.

Into the Night (1985)

Made during the stress of the Twilight Zone trial, and fueled by the blues guitar of B.B. King, Landis fashioned his own poisoned pen valentine to the Los Angeles that has been both his friend and enemy. Once again Landis has assembled a peerless cast with a luminously youthful Michelle Pfeiffer as a jewel smuggler rescued from Arab hitmen by zonked-out insomniac Jeff Goldblum. It is also Landis' most idiosyncratic work, deftly mixing nail-biting suspense, shocking violence, broad slapstick and even some moments of surprising tenderness into a uniquely potent cocktail. A nocturnal journey into the dark heart of a city, it evokes the barren dreamlike netherworld of L.A. in the hours after midnight with a skill that still impresses. A film buff's delight as well, with a myriad of cameos from famous directors, screenwriters and even a puppeteer or two. The DVD also contains an award-winning short film about B.B. King that was used to promote the film, while honouring this musical legend.

For the last two decades the films of John Landis mostly fall into two categories. Star vehicles such as Spies Like Us, Three Amigos, and Coming To America. Or sequels and other attempts to recapture past glories such as Beverly Hill Cop III, Blues Brothers 2000 and Innocent Blood. All of these are eminently watchable, some like Innocent Blood come close to capturing the old magic but the youth-obsessed American film industry has deprived us, the audience, of any new feature films from Landis. However through the magic of DVD we can still marvel at those of his that still entertain us from the past.

Past Histories

The historical epic was once a genre that towered over all Hollywood blockbusters. From the early silent productions of Ben-Hur and Birth of a Nation, to the widescreen glory of Kingdom of Heaven, these spectacular visions of the past have fired the imaginations of generations of filmgoers. Sadly, North American interest in history as a big-screen subject has diminished in recent years making these costly epics prohibitively expensive. On television however, niche programming has taken up the gauntlet, with shows such as Rome, and The Tudors. European interest in history is still strong today and many of these television projects are co-produced with overseas partners. This was also common practice during the most successful period for epics after the unprecedented success of Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Many of the resulting films made in Britain and on the continent were Hollywood films in name only, as they reflected little of the typically narrow American interest in the history of the world. The following films on DVD are my choices for the best examples of the historical epic during its most fertile period.

Khartoum (1966) The most obvious attempt by British filmmakers to replicate the success of Lawrence, is a noble history lesson whose casting illustrates all the good and bad that can come from the need to satisfy Hollywood's commercial interests and still be historically accurate. Charlton Heston, who many initially thought miscast, turned out to be brilliant as the arrogant Christian zealot General Gordon. Laurence Olivier, fresh from his triumph as Othello, was instead the poorer choice, giving too broad a performance as the Muslim warrior and revolutionary The Mahdi. There is no evidence that these two historical adversaries ever met but the filmmakers felt they could not deny the audience a face-to-face meeting. Ironically Heston himself benefited more from this confrontation than his character, as most critics believed his convincing British manner outshone Olivier's black-faced theatrical villainy. The script and direction are also inferior attempts at a David Lean-type epic , however all of the actors startlingly resemble their real-life counterparts, the dilemmas and politics of the era are clearly presented and the action is vigorously staged. Not the classic intended, but entertaining history nonetheless.

The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) One of the greatest military blunders in history is the basis for this satirical epic. Made at the height of the Vietnam war by Academy Award-winning director Tony Richardson (Tom Jones), it was an unmitigated commercial failure probably due to its unrelenting contempt for military authority as portrayed with comic incompetence by Trevor Howard and John Gielgud. The futility of war, the violence and confusion on the battlefield, and the cultural ignorance of an invading power are all superbly dramatized by a filmmaker at the height of his powers. Special mention must also be made of Canadian Richard Williams' memorable animations which link episodes in the film using Victorian-era political cartoons. For many years unavailable in its essential wide-screen format, one can now appreciate the virtues of this lost classic.

The Last Valley (1970) The only English-language feature ever to depict the Thirty Years War, this forgotten curiosity stars Michael Caine in one of his greatest roles as a 17th century German warrior leading a band of cuthroats into the peaceful valley of holy man Omar Sharif. Sporting a convincing Teutonic accent and demeanor, Caine movingly conveys his slow disillusionment with the barbarity that he has embraced during this time of European upheaval. Written and directed by James Clavell, author of Shogun, this British production opened to little fanfare but has slowly acquired keen fans of its unique atmosphere, pitch-perfect performances and memorable score by Caine's former roommate John Barry.

Cromwell (1970) It might seem pure folly to cast Irishman Richard Harris as Oliver Cromwell, one of Ireland's most hated enemies, but Harris' peculiar blend of bluster and hushed anger fits the character of the morose puritan leader quite well. It is however Alec Guiness as Charles I , who walks away with the film. He is Van Dyck's portrait come to life with all of his sad ignorance and contrived dandyism intact. Featuring peerless cinematography and production design, exciting battle scenes and a who's who of British acting talent including Charles Gray, Robert Morley, and a young Timothy Dalton, filmmaker Ken Hughes ably succeeded in bringing this most turbulent era of British history to vivid life.

Waterloo(1971) This Italian-Russian co-production's failure at the box-office was most responsible for the demise of the historical epic. Costing millions of dollars, and utilizing the entire Russian army as extras, this mammouth undertaking by director Sergei Bondarchuk (War and Peace), became synonymous with spendthrift filmmaking. It was even said to have cost director Stanley Kubrick his Napoleon dream project when Warner Bros. pulled the plug after the disaster of Waterloo. Despite its poor reception, the miscasting of corpulent Rod Steiger as the diminutive Emperor and a English-language running-time shorn of almost two hours, the film's virtues make it a landmark still to be surpassed. Featuring an adroitly cast Christopher Plummer as the lordly Wellington, sumptuously designed to the last waist-coat button, and an eye-popping battle sequence that will never be duplicated for its accuracy or scale using actual human participants, this is truly an epic for the ages, sending the viewer back in time to be present at the very turning point of history. Unfortunately a definitive DVD has yet to be released in North America, however certain wide-screen imports, although featuring the shorter cut, do manage to replicate the expansiveness of the production.

The Better Half-Hour

In a society where speed is worshiped and deliberation is devalued, it is ironic that some shorter forms of artistic expression have been gradually marginalized in our culture. The half-hour drama is a forgotten television art form whose heyday was more than fifty years ago. Between the mid Fifties and early Sixties, the half-hour format was seen as a viable way to bring dramatic stories to the masses. This was an era when short stories were regularly published in popular magazines such as Playboy, Colliers and Esquire. These shorter forms of expression were not seen as truncated works, but compactly written stories that could, particularly in the case of television, effectively communicate a social or moral philosophy in an entertaining 24 minutes of screen time. Being a young visual medium, television was keen to exploit this brief format in order to provide a variety of dramatic choices. The anthology shows, mysteries and westerns described below are the best examples on DVD, of the lost art of half-hour drama.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season One (1955) This was the first influential anthology show on U.S. television. Its clever use of the rotund auteur as master of ceremonies and the high quality of scripts adapted from popular short stories made it an icon of the new format. With the Hitchcock imprimatur and generous helpings of his trademark macabre humour, the show was an immediate success and other programs would soon copy this winning formula including: One Step Beyond and Thriller. The first season has all of the ingredients in place for the long seven-year run of the show, boasting top Hollywood stars and big-screen quality craftsmanship. Two of the most memorable episodes from this auspicious debut season are both directed by the master himself: Revenge, a harrowing tale of rape and retribution starring Vera Miles and Ralph Meeker, and Breakdown, a stylistic tour-de-force starring a nearly mute and immobile Joseph Cotten.

Have Gun Will Travel: Season One (1957) The most off-beat and literate of half-hour westerns featured an erudite hired gunslinger embodied by the threatening black-clad person of Richard Boone a.k.a Paladin. Brimming with action, each episode was also a moral tale that presented its enigmatic lead character with a problem to solve while avoiding the easy solution of violence. Perhaps the only western ever to contain a hero who quoted Shakespeare and the Greek philosophers, this landmark series paved the way for subsequent half-hour westerns like Wanted Dead or Alive, Bat Masterson, and The Rifleman. Favourite early episodes include The Outlaw, with Charles Bronson, and The Bride, with Mike Connors.

Peter Gunn: Set One (1958) The ultimate style-over-substance detective show starring ultra cool Craig Stevens as the jazz club-haunting sleuth. Keeping dialogue to a minimum and noir style to a maximum, this series set the mood for an entire generation of gumshoes on television.Richard Diamond, Private Detective, may have premiered earlier, but Gunn creator Blake Edwards captured the laid-back hip of a new Playboy culture, where swinging tunes, snappy threads, and a mean right hook got you the sexiest doll in town. Later series such as Johnny Staccato, and T.H.E. Cat attempted to replicate the formula with middling popular response. Due to the lack of original masters some early episodes suffer from print damage on DVD and the entire first season has yet to be released in North America. Episodes to watch for include Pecos Pete, where Gunn goes western, and Edie Finds a Corpse, when Gunn's jazz singer girlfriend is drawn into his shadowy world of danger. Edwards later revived the character for a one-shot feature film version tersely entitled Gunn (1967).

The Twilight Zone: Season One (1959) Without a doubt the most famous dramatic half-hour of all-time, and a tribute to the talents of one man, series creator Rod Serling. Although it featured scripts by other famous writers such as Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson, the majority of the scripts were written by Serling himself, in his uniquely poetic narrative style. Thematically unforgettable, these highly literate fantasy stories took the anthology format into a whole new realm of pop culture entertainment. So indelible is its ongoing power to enthrall, that even today, many actors and directors are besieged by legions of adoring fans as a result of their brief association with the show. Well remembered episodes from the first season include: And When The Sky Opened starring Rod Taylor, and Walking Distance, Serling's own poignant autobiographical elegy of his youth starring Gig Young.

Danger Man: The Complete First Season (1959) Briefly shown on U.S. television, this British produced spy series was the most influential import of its time. Preceding James Bond, John Steed, and Napoleon Solo, hero John Drake was a trouble shooter for NATO at the height of the Cold War. Leading man Patrick McGoohan was made an instant star portraying the ever-resourceful Drake, always eschewing guns when fisticuffs would suffice. Later the show would expand to an hour format and take on a more overtly British tone as opposed to the more mid-Atlantic atmosphere of the half-hour episodes. With superb production values, tight story-lines, and strong performances from producer Lew Grade's usual repertory of memorable British Faces, this was the first in what was to be a veritable explosion of Sixties spy television. Stand-out shows include A Time To Kill, with Darren Nesbitt, and Position of Trust, with Donald Pleasence, and a pre-"Moneypenny" Lois Maxwell.