If you aren’t happy with the kind of films coming from Hollywood these days, don’t worry. Thanks to the wonderful technological advancements and restorations we can enjoy and rediscover some great films of years past. Think of how impressive The Searchers looks on Blu-ray, with the Technicolor monument valley as detailed and expansive as ever, showing new life never before displayed in previous versions. Blu-ray has the ability to reinvent classic films in a way that can leave even the most elitist film buff with his or her jaw on the floor. Below are a few suggestions of some of my favorite films that have made it into beautiful Blu-ray and would be a great Christmas purchase for the movie lover in your life.
‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’
David Lean’s films are famous for being beautiful and scenic, something that can make or break an epic film. Lean, who was later to make Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, directed this film which starred such greats as Alec Guinness and William Holden. Like any other truly wonderful film, The Bridge on the River Kwai has stood the test of time. It is an epic action film that flows brilliantly from beginning to end and is exactly the kind of film that deserves a Blu-ray restoration.
Like The Searchers, The Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed in Technicolor and provides a glorious 1080p picture. The enormous landscape of this film was perfect for one of the early uses of widescreen and looks like it could have been filmed yesterday. The mountains, trees, wildlife and the roaring River Kwai all look breathtaking. If only David Lean could see the treatment his film was given, he sure would be proud of it.
Special features include a short film from USC introduced by William Holden discussing how the audience views The Bridge on the River Kwai, a making of feature, appreciation by filmmaker John Milius who calls Kwai “a Citizen Kane grade film.” One thing is for sure, this movie gets better with every viewing and the Blu-ray disk is a great way to rediscover the film and its excellent photography and characters all over again.
‘Charade’
Stanley Donen’s great thriller is certainly the one Hitchcock film that Hitch never made. Clever dialogue with macabre wit, murder, humor, beautiful characters – it has all of the workings of the best thrillers of classic Hollywood. Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn play off each other with elegance and class that could not be duplicated. The film also co-stars Walter Matthau and James Coburn; both of whom add believable characters to the screen.
Charade looks better than ever on Blu-ray, though the bonus features are not as elaborate as we’ve come to expect with Criterion. The bulk of it is audio commentary from director Stanley Donen and screenwriter Peter Stone (which is always helpful). Regardless, any fan of the film will enjoy seeing Grant and Hepburn in beautiful 1080p. Seeing two of the greatest movie stars in history on this transfer will leave you yearning for their future upgrades to Blu-ray.
This is a great film for anyone frustrated with the lack of star power in today’s Hollywood. Hepburn had many great performances in her career, but Charade has long been my favorite. The film is fun from beginning to end; it’s the kind of movie that refuses to age (though the much of the score feels delightfully sixties-esque). The film has no agenda other than to delight its audience. Needless to say it delivers, which is exactly why it’s a great Christmas gift for the film buff in your life.
‘Apocalypse Now: Full Disclosure’
One of the greatest war films of all time has made a beautiful transformation to Blu-ray in the Apocalypse Now: Full Disclosure box set. Francis Ford Coppola’s war epic looks breathtaking in amazing 1080p. The first time I saw this film was on VHS, which was a very different experience than even the DVD release. The Blu-ray gives the night scenes brilliance nearly unseen on VHS and brings new vibrancy to the daytime sequences. Most notably, the famous beach landing sequence looks wonderful with both sound and video quality better than anyone could imagine.
The set contains three disks, one with the theatrical release and the redux, for those interested in the overlong plantation sequence among other small additions. The second disk contains a wealth of special features such as lengthy new interviews with Coppola himself, star Martin Sheen and writer John Milius that are very informative. The third disk, one of the greatest attributes to this set, is the documentary Hearts of Darkness: a Filmmaker’s Apocalypse.
Previous sets and versions of Apocalypse Now never included Hearts of Darkness, which is one of the best “making of” documentaries ever in my humble opinion. The process of making Apocalypse Now was far more complicated and disastrous than anyone could imagine, and it was all caught on tape and audio from Coppola’s wife. From issues with the local government, monsoons, actors were getting fired and Martin Sheen having a heart attack, setbacks of all kinds nearly ruined the production. Anyone who is a fan of Apocalypse Now needs to see this documentary, which is part of the most glorious release the film has ever seen.
Other great classic films transferred to Blu-ray in time for Christmas: Night of the Hunter (criterion), Doctor Zhivago, Back to the Future trilogy, North by Northwest, Bonnie and Clyde and Psycho.