Literary Adaptation | Cagey Films

Francesco Rosi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli (1979):
Criterion Blu-ray review

Posted on September 9, 2020March 24, 2021 by Kenneth George Godwin

Painter Carlo Levi is escorted by police to exile in a remote village in Francesco Rosi's Christ Stopped at Eboli (1979)

Francesco Rosi’s most emotionally resonant film, a four-part adaptation of the memoir of painter Carlo Levi, who was exiled by the Fascist government in 1935 to a remote corner of Italy, is a rich, contemplative study of a Leftist intellectual who comes to empathize with the harsh lives of peasants left behind by the modernization of Italy. Criterion’s new Blu-ray edition serves the striking imagery well and provides substantial supportive supplements which provide historical context and situate the film in Rosi’s politically informed filmography.

Byron Haskin’s The War of the Worlds (1953):
Criterion Blu-ray review

Posted on July 11, 2020March 24, 2021 by Kenneth George Godwin

The Martian war machines advance relentlessly in Byron Haskin's The War of the Worlds (1953)

With a spectacular 4K restoration from the original three-strip Technicolor negative, Criterion have reinstated George Pal’s The War of the Worlds (Byron Haskin, 1953) to its place at the pinnacle of 1950s science fiction. While Barre Lyndon’s script, updating the story to the present and relocating it to California, strips H.G. Wells’ novel to its bare essentials, Pal and his production team turned interplanetary destruction into a glorious visual spectacle which hasn’t looked this good since the original Technicolor prints played in first-run theatres.

Boxed In

Posted on December 21, 2019January 6, 2023 by Kenneth George Godwin

The vampire curse spreads in Gerardo De Leon's The Blood Drinkers (1964)

From trash to art, boxed sets enhance the viewing experience by providing a broader context for individual movies – here, four more features from William Castle, The Trilogy of Life by Pier Paolo Pasolini, and a grab bag of five horrors from poverty row distributor Hemisphere.

Michael Radford’s adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 (1984)

Posted on November 9, 2019December 10, 2022 by Kenneth George Godwin

Winston Smith (John Hurt) records his illicit thoughts just out of sight of the viewscreen in Michael Radford's 1984 (1984)

Criterion’s new Blu-ray of Michael Radford’s 1984 (1984) offers an impressive 4K restoration of this grim and gritty dystopian fantasy faithfully adapted from George Orwell’s novel.

Marcel Pagnol’s The Baker’s Wife (1938):
Criterion Blu-ray review

Posted on August 14, 2019December 10, 2022 by Kenneth George Godwin

Aimable (Raimu) becomes the butt of ribald jokes after Aurélie (Ginette Leclerc) runs away in Marcel Pagnol's The Baker's Wife (1938)

Criterion once again showcases the prodigious talent of French writer and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol with their Blu-ray release of The Baker’s Wife (1938), considered to be his best film.

Sergei Bondarchuk’s War and Peace (1966-67):
Criterion Blu-ray review

Posted on July 10, 2019December 10, 2022 by Kenneth George Godwin

Napoleon surveys the field of battle in Sergei Bondarchuk's War and Peace (1966-67)

Criterion’s two-disk Blu-ray release of Sergei Bondarchuk’s War and Peace showcases a restoration of what may well be the most expensive film ever made. Truly epic in scale, this adaptation of Tolstoy’s revered novel balances awe-inspiring spectacle with emotionally charged character drama. The 7+ hour feature is supplemented with three hours of informative new and archival extras.

William Wyler’s The Heiress (1949): Criterion Blu-ray review

Posted on June 5, 2019November 5, 2022 by Kenneth George Godwin

In finally achieving independence Catherine (Olivia de Havilland) also accepts the prospect of loneliness in William Wyler's The Heiress (1949)

Criterion’s new Blu-ray offers a superb presentation of William Wyler’s greatest film, The Heiress (1949), a subtle yet scathing dissection of the ways in which money distorts and destroys human relationships.

More from Indicator

Posted on May 22, 2019November 17, 2023 by Kenneth George Godwin

British agent Gatiss (Tom Courtenay) spies on fellow spy Eberlin (Laurence Harvey) in Anthony Mann's A Dandy in Aspic (1968)

Recent disks from Indicator present a wide variety of styles and genres from bleak ’60s espionage to slick 1970s big studio exploitation, charming period comedy to enjoyable if less-than-scary horror.

Volker Schlöndorff’s Baal (1970): Criterion Blu-ray review

Posted on March 17, 2018January 2, 2023 by Kenneth George Godwin

Rainer Werner Fassbinder as the poet Baal in Volker Schlöndorff's 1970 film of Bertolt Brecht's play

A critical, but long-suppressed film from the New German Cinema, Volker Schlöndorff’s adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s first play Baal (1970) gets an impressive release on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection. This aggressively unsettling film is packaged with an excellent selection of contextual supplements.

Orson Welles’ Othello (1952/55): Criterion Blu-ray review

Posted on October 18, 2017January 31, 2024 by Kenneth George Godwin

Orson Welles as Othello, a personality split in two by insecurity

Criterion’s exemplary release of Orson Welles’ Othello on Blu-ray presents both versions of one of the filmmaker’s most important films with an impressive collection of supplements which delve into the production and meaning of one of the most original cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare’s work.

Tag: Literary Adaptation