The early films of Sydney Pollack

Major Falconer (Burt Lancaster) and his men arrive at the Medieval castle in Sydney Pollack's Castle Keep (1969)

In his early work, Sydney Pollack explored various genres from a distinctly literary perspective before becoming a maker of prestige, middlebrow Hollywood entertainments; excellent Blu-ray presentations of his best features – Castle Keep (1969), They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969) and Jeremiah Johnson – reveal a promise not entirely fulfilled in a long career.

Viewing notes: June 2017 – Arrow Video

An evocative image of Meiko Kaji from Yasuharu Hasebe's Stray Cat Rock: Machine Animal (1970)

Arrow Video’s commitment to genre releases is on full display in a selection of recently viewed Blu-rays, each featuring informative supplements: the Japanese juvenile delinquent series Stray Cat Rock, Don Coscarelli’s epic Phantasm series, a pair of Gothic gialli from Emilio P. Miraglia, and Spanish director J.P. Simon’s adaptation of Brit author Shaun Hutson’s gross-out novel Slugs.

Catching up with Twilight

Alex Cutter (John Heard), the embittered Vietnam vet with a money-making plan in Ivan Passer's Cutter's Way (1981)

Four Twilight Time releases showcase exceptional acting in a variety of styles: Spencer Tracy and Frederick March in Stanley Kramer’s Inherit the Wind (1960); Jeff Bridges, John Heard and Lisa Eichhorn in Ivan Passer’s Cutter’s Way (1981); Sean Penn and Christopher Walken in James Foley’s At Close Range (1986); and David Thewlis in Paul Greengrass’ Resurrected (1989).

Classic Howard Hawks on Blu-ray

Walter Burks (Cary Grant) tries to railroad ex-wife Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) into staying with the newspaper in Howard Hawks' His Girl Friday (1940)

His Girl Friday (1940) and Only Angels Have Wings (1939), two of Howard Hawks’ most critically acclaimed movies, have received excellent treatment from Criterion on Blu-ray, along with a restored transfer of Lewis Milestone’s pre-code adaptation of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s play The Front Page (1931), the source of Hawks’ cynical 1940 romantic comedy.

Blasts from the past

Recent viewing – theatrical

Guest post:
A Weimar Cinema Revelation: Harbour Drift (1929), part one

Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man (1995): Criterion Blu-ray review

The good and the bad of Warner Brothers

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