Mr. Arkadin

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Product Description

Something of a remake of Citizen Kane, Orson Welles's 1955 Mr.� Arkadin is a knowing and self-reflective variation on one of Welles's pet themes: the search for a defining secret of a powerful man. Welles plays an important financier who tries to discover his own past by hiring a man (Robert Arden) to research it. Did the seemingly haunted Arkadin simply forget who he is or where he's been? Or is he seeking his own Rosebud--a crucial, lost thing from his life that can serve (if identified) as a mythic key to former happiness? The film, a European coproduction, was made under the typically difficult and extended conditions Welles had to navigate after leaving Hollywood, and the bumpiness shows. But the entire project is really an act of Wellesian deconstruction--it's Welles making a film about the kind of film Orson Welles previously made--and that approach is more electrifying than one might imagine. The editing in this film, for instance, is not quite like in any of Welles's other works, with bursts of linear action literally disappearing between frames, as if the fabric of reality itself was vanishing. As far as the titan Arkadin is concerned, it might as well be. --Tom Keogh

Mr. Arkadin Review

Orson Welles wrote and directed "Mr. Arkadin" based on 3 episodes of "The Lives of Harry Lime" (1951-1952) radio show, in which Welles starred as antihero adventurer Harry Lime, reprising his role from the 1949 film "The Third Man". Guy Van Stratten (Robert Arden) -con artist, "petty adventurer", and, according to himself, "the world's greatest sucker"- was smuggling cigarettes with girlfriend Mily (Patricia Medina) in Naples harbor when a man named Bracco (Gregoire Aslan) was stabbed on the dock. Bracco whispered 2 names to Mily with his dying breath. One name was Gregory Arkadin (Orson Welles), a fabulously wealthy international financier. Thinking that Bracco's dying words might be worth something to Arkadin, Guy tries to ingratiate himself with Arkadin's daughter Raina (Paola Mori), while Mily uses her charms to get close to him. Disapproving of Guy's relationship with Raina and realizing his ambitions, Mr. Arkadin proposes to pay Guy to investigate his past in exchange for Guy abandoning Raina. Arkadin claims to suffer from amnesia, knowing nothing before he found himself in Zurich in 1927 with 200,000 Swiss francs in his pocket. With this information, Guy criss-crosses Europe trying to reconstruct Arkadin's past. (4 stars)

"Mr. Arkadin" has been called a burlesque and a pastiche of Orson Welles' earlier films. It's not clear whether to take it literally, figuratively, or as satire -although the film's outrightly comic scenes are its best. Robert Arden's performance is often considered the weak spot in the film, because he doesn't make Guy Van Stratten sympathetic. I think Arden portrays Guy's clumsy, obnoxious ambition rather well actually. He's not a sympathetic character, but a junior Mr. Arkadin. There are many wonderful supporting performances. The weakness is Mr. Arkadin himself, who is a caricature rather than a character. Called "the ogre" by his daughter and a "phenomenon of an age of disillusion and crisis" by his enemies, Mr. Arkadin has a ridiculous appearance and manner, and his actions rarely make sense. A large man with a conspicuously coiffed hair and beard, he is simply absurd. Welles' keen sense of the absurd comes through in canted camera angles and lavish, chaotic art direction. The seemingly modern tale is set before an intriguing medieval backdrop of castles, peasants, and religious ritual. The Goya-inspired masquerade ball adds a touch of grotesque to the already unsettling tone.

Adding to the absurdity, Welles often changed his mind about structure and dialogue, forcing some scenes to be dubbed later. Welles himself dubbed several parts, including Bracco and The Professor. That was probably for technical reasons, but it's unfortunate. Scenes dubbed out of artistic whim are recognizable for speech that doesn't match the actors' lips. Welles lost control of the film in the editing process, as usual, ultimately resulting in several different versions of "Mr. Arkadin". Producer Louis Dolivet, a stealthy character himself, took the film away from Welles, because he was editing only 2 minutes of final product per week. Louis Dolivet was a communist who had been Welles' political mentor for a few years in the 1940s. Dolivet later had colorful career as a Soviet espionage agent, but insofar as "Mr. Arkadin" was concerned, he did the capitalist thing and sued Welles. The Criterion Collection offers 3 versions of the film in this "The Complete Mr. Arkadin" set (5 stars). Optional English subtitles are available.

DISC 1: The "Corinth Version" (99 minutes), discovered by Peter Bogdanovich in the early 1960s, is thought to be the last extant version to be under Orson Welles' control. Welles stated that the editing within scenes is true to his intentions. This version isn't horrible, bu it cuts to Guy and Zouk in the Berlin apartment repeatedly in such a manner as to disrupt the flow of the film. Arkadin's rendition of the scorpion-crossing-the-river story is the worst that I have seen, and it spoils his entrance. Bonus features on Disc 1: There is a nice audio commentary by Welles scholars Jonathan Rosenbaum and James Naremore. They discuss the film's origins, visual style, themes, performances, and Welles' directing methods. "The Lives of Harry Lime" (90 min) includes the 3 radio show episodes (audio) on which the film was based, for play on a computer, DVD or MP3 player. The sound quality is not very good. "Reviving Harry Lime" (20 min) is an interview with Harry Alan Towers, who created and produced the radio show. He recalls how Orson Welles came to work on the show, putting the show together, and who may have actually written the 6 episodes credited to Welles, namely Ernest Borneman. There is also a "Stills Gallery" of production stills and behind-the-scenes photos.

DISC 2: The "Confidential Report" version (98 minutes), or the Louis Dolivet edit, which was released in 1955 in Great Britain. This version has the best picture quality, but it's the worst edit. It assumes that the audience will not be able to follow the story unless it is spelled out. The flashback structure is simplified, which at least eliminates choppiness. But the audience is guided by an overburdened voiceover narration. Extraneous scenes are included, particularly in the first 15 minutes, while more interesting material was cut. The introductions to both women, Mily and Riana, make them out to be weaker characters than they are. The scene on the dock with Bracco is longer, contains more explication, and a different intent. The bonus feature on Disc 2 is "Men of Mystery" (25 min), an interview with Welles biographer Simon Callow, who talks about Orson Welles, Louis Dolivet, actor Michael Redgrave, and includes some interview tapes with Robert Arden.

DISC 3: This "Comprehensive Version" (105 minutes) has recently been assembled by film historians/archivists Stefan Drossler and Claude Bertemes from 5 different versions of the film based on comments that Welles made in the years following the film's original release. It is an attempt to create a Welles edit, not the best edit. Although we may know Welles' intentions, it is impossible to know what he would have done had he had the footage in front of him. This version is superior to the others, because the elaborate flashback structure has been restored to working order. But it errs on the side of including too much. For example: Additional footage of Guy approaching Zouk's apartment house gives that scene an inappropriately leisurely pace. In one scene, Mily's dialogue is interrupted then resumed, apparently a mistake. A clip of the plane crashing makes little sense, because it is a subjective camera in an empty plane. Bonus features on Disc 3: "On the Comprehensive Version" (20 min) in which Drossler, Bertemes, and Peter Bogdanovich explain some of the decisions in the new edit. "Outtakes and Rushes" (30 min) are from footage found at the Cinematheque de Luxembourg. "The Spanish Actresses" are alternative scenes with the Baroness Nagel (4 min) and Sophie (7 min) shot specially for the Spanish language version with Spanish actresses Amparo Rivelles and Irene Lopez Heredia.

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Overboard [VHS]

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Price: $488.67   

Overboard [VHS] Review

This movie is reminiscent of classic comedies of the 60's. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell have amazing chemistry, but so many funny moments you will laugh out loud. Goldie learning how to be a homemaker is priceless, and she does the physical comedy so well. This movie flows continuously from beginning to end. It does not lag in any part. It is a keeper, and a good addition to any collection.

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TV Series - The Unit Season 3 DVD Collector's Box (7DVDS) [Japan DVD] FXBA-56779

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TV Series - The Unit Season 3 DVD Collector's Box (7DVDS) [Japan DVD] FXBA-56779 Review

For months it wasn't clear if CBS would bring back The Unit after its third season. It's an atypical show in this era of reality tv and the more popular and esoteric fare like Lost and Heroes. The Unit, after all, when you get right down to it, is a series about war produced in a time of war. And the lack of success films about Iraq and Afghanistan have had (Redacted? Stop-Loss?) on the big screen on some level points to the reluctance of the public to yet engage in depictions about this war. Of course, many of the movies haven't been that good to begin with...Nonetheless, here's The Unit, whose text is ultimately about the war on terror. And yes, one may disagree with its generally pro-war on terror perspective, or at the least question it. That said, when Mamet and company directly address this war, as they do in the back-to-back episodes "5 Brothers" and "Play 16," the end result is two of the most heart-wrenching hours of television to have been broadcast last year. Mamet has never shied away from the moral and ethical issues war and soldiering present--check out his underappreciated Spartan with Val Kilmer; and while there is never any doubt that his team of warriors are heroes, he is not afraid to show dramatically the price that comes with that heroism. This price is show to devastating effect in these two particular episodes. For this reason alone, this box-set is worth purchasing.

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Oliver Twist [VHS]

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Price: $529.01   

Oliver Twist [VHS] Review

It's hard to know where to start in explaining what makes David Lean's "Oliver Twist" one of the most nearly perfect films ever made. It is a work of art and inspires awe in its every aspect. The black and white photography is brilliant, and the story is told as much visually as in dialog. The music is lively and triumphant one minute, eerie and chilling the next, perfectly augmenting the visual mood. The acting is superb, the characterizations unforgettable. Alec Guinness IS Fagin, Robert Newton IS Bill Sykes, the incredible Francis L. Sullivan IS Mr. Bumble. No other actors have ever come close to delineating those characters as well, nor could they after these hallmark performances. This movie is seeping with art, yet the art is non-intrusive. Rather, the film is an awe-inspiring delight from beginning to end.As for the Criterion DVD, it's a very good transfer from what was probably the best print available -- a pretty good print considering its age. Regarding brightness and contrast, all the beauty of the black & white photography seems to have been preserved, and the sound, although only as good as 1948 standards, is not distorted and does not unduly draw attention to itself.If you like movies, this DVD should be in your collection if only for its fascinating contrast with some of the modern color epics you undoubtedly own. If you have never seen it before, be forewarned that there are scenes in this masterwork that will permanently brand themselves into your brain, to be recalled later by association many times in your life when similar images are seen, and when similar music is heard.This is not just a great movie -- it's an essential and unforgettable experience. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews� Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse | PermalinkComment Comments (2)

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Wing Chun [VHS]

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Price: $570.06   

Wing Chun [VHS] Review

This is a nice movie even for casual fans of martial arts movies and more serious fans should definitely grab it. It is a period piece, but i feel that it is rather far from being a costume drama. For some excellent Chinese/HK drama, go check out "Raise the Red Lantern" or even some of John Woo's earlier work like "Last Hurrah For Chivalry" (John Woo with swords!). That said, this is an EXCELLENT action flick, fast and humorous with a plot significantly stronger than most Jackie Chan movies. I love the tofu fight scene and although some of the fight scenes verge on the fantastic (i.e. "The Executioners") and are clearly enhanced with cutscenes and camera trickery, the vast majority is good old single-shot martial arts mastery. Michelle Yeoh rocks hard and is finally allowed to look cute at the end of the film (her looking like a man is a running gag most of the way through) but the actress who plays the young widow is just plain beautiful. As noted above, the subtitles are pretty strange. There are 3 soundtracks on this disc, English, Cantonese and Mandarin and while I usually avoid dubs like the plague the subtitles on this film are so horribly done that I prefer the dubs by far. There were several times that people onscreen were laughing at a joke that was just plain nonexistant in the subtitles...it's like they let Babelfish handle the sub translation. Just stick with the english dub and you'll be in for a funny, better-than-average kung-fu experience.

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Sharpe's Enemy [VHS]

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Price: $483.61   

Sharpe's Enemy [VHS] Review

Let me just get to the point... Sharpe's Enemy is my favorite Sharpe movie in the series (and I have seen all of them).Quite frankly, I have no idea why the reviewer a couple reviews below could rate this series 1 star and say it has not a single good actor in it... Sean Bean is superb in the role of Richard Sharpe (and this holds true for all episodes). Pete Postlethwaite is my favorite villan as the monsterous Obediah Hakeswill and Daragh O'Malley is as steady as ever as Sharpe's dependable sergent. In short, Sharpe's Enemy has one of the best ensemble casts ever assembled!More importantly, the story, based on the superb Bernard Cornwell novel, is gripping and action packed. Quite frankly, TV does not get better than this... I have watched this TV movie tens of times and I still am thrilled every time.I highly recommend Sharpe's Enemy and the rest of the Sharpe's series. Also recommended if you like these kinds of movies is the Horatio Hornblower series. Very similar kinds of storylines (with equally good group acting), but at sea...

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How to Steal a Million

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Price: $538.99   

How to Steal a Million Review

I love this movie. It has everything: romance, comedy, quirkiness and a kissing-in-a-closet scene! Audrey Hepburn was as adorable and entertaining as ever, and this was the first time that I'd ever seen a Peter O'Toole movie and he was fabulous! He's extremely funny and pretty darn spunky! You could just instantly fall in love with him, the second you saw those bewildered round blue eyes peering over the top of the "Van Gogh" painting. I didn't find this movie boring for an instant and I loved watching them steal back the "Cellini" sculpture, using, amongst other things, a bucket, a magnet and a boomerang! I think that this is now my favourite Audrey Hepburn movie. They make an extremely likable couple and their exploits in "How To Steal A Million" are engaging and engrossing.

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