"The Browning Version"
Unrated but G in nature; 1951
Criterion, which consistently has the classiest extras on its DVDs, did something especially interesting for the 1951 "Browning Version." In addition to a typically astute audio commentary by film historian Bruce Eder, it includes an interview with Mike Figgis, who directed the 1994 remake that features Albert Finney.
The '51 version stars Michael Redgrave as the stoical, misunderstood schoolteacher Andrew Crocker-Harris, "a heartbreaking study in rigidity," says Eder. Concerned more about time and tasks than about people, he is markedly less popular than Frank Hunter (Nigel Patrick), the congenial teacher having an affair with Andrew's wife Millicent (Jean Kent).
Figgis notes that Terence Rattigan, who wrote the original play as well as the screenplay, was a gay writer whose "well-made social-order dramas went out of fashion and stayed out." They were replaced at first by the many British "angry young man" dramas ("Look Back in Anger" et al) and by the French New Wave ("Breathless," "Jules and Jim").
"The Browning Version" exemplifies especially well the dignity and restraint inherent in what were called "dramas of manners" and is all the more moving for the central character's reservoir of hidden feelings.
"The Pacifier"
Rated PG; 2005
At the opposite extreme in terms of DVD extras, "The Pacifier" contains deleted scenes, bloopers (Can you imagine ever seeing a truly candid one?), on-set visits with stars Vin Diesel and Brad Garrett and a commentary by director Adam Shankman.
It's not about insight or historical perspective. It's about: We worked hard and had a great time.
The film is a predictable, if marketable, high-concept comedy. Diesel is a Navy S.E.A.L. who becomes a temporary, but full-time, babysitter under sitcom circumstances.
Fox War Classics
Fox has reissued four of its best war films. The DVDs are shy of meaningful extras, but the films themselves are well worth a second look (OK, a fifth, a 10th...).
"Twelve O'Clock High"
Unrated but G in nature; 1949
In an Oscar-nominated performance, Gregory Peck acts a rigid Air Force brigadier general who takes over a bomber group to the resentment of the flyers. Dean Jagger won an Oscar as a sympathetic major whose visit to a prominent setting triggers the picture-long flashback.
"The Longest Day"
Rated G; 1962
A perfect use of an all-star cast (44 were advertised, but about 60 are identifiable) to help us keep track of the June 6, 1944, Allied invasion of France. Unusually well-written, it is efficiently played by Richard Burton, John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, et al. Best sequence: Paratrooper Red Buttons dangling from a church with the enemy below.
"Patton"
Rated PG; 1970
As well as the story of Gen. George Patton is packaged, everything is dwarfed by George C. Scott's intense portrayal of a driven warrior living too late in time. Most memorable: the slapping scene, featuring Scott and former child star Tim Considine. Notable extra: an audio essay on Patton.
"The Thin Red Line"
Rated R; 1998
Incomparably stronger than the 1964 film of James Jones' novel, Terrence Malick's film is a psychologically and narratively complex tapestry that is too disorganized for maximum impact. We seem to be seeing about half of the scenes Malick shot. But it's full of beautiful images (filmed by John Toll) and thoughtful moments featuring a cast headed by Sean Penn, Nick Nolte and Jim Caviezel.
"The Rainmaker"
Unrated but G in nature; 1956
The plainer, plaintive Geraldine Page did the original Broadway version of N. Richard Nash's much-revived play. Though invigorating to watch, Katharine Hepburn brings perhaps too much fire and tomboy energy to the film as the spinster whose father and brothers believe less than she in the rainmaking power of charismatic, itinerant rascal Burt Lancaster.
"Elephant Walk"
Unrated but G in nature; 1954
Already a star for a decade, Elizabeth Taylor was on the verge of superstardom when she replaced an ailing Vivien Leigh (visible in some long shots) as the bride of Peter Finch. He takes her to his tea plantation in Ceylon, where overseer Dana Andrews catches her eye. All that and an elephant stampede.
"The Bravados"
Unrated but PG in nature; 1958
You seldom look for surprising twists in a western, but "The Bravados" delivers an outcome that may be one of a kind.
Gregory Peck, whose wife was raped and murdered (a la the contemporary "Death Wish" years later), tracks the four men responsible as they head for the Mexican border. You may be brought up short by where the film goes thematically.
"Target"
Rated R; 1985
Dallas lumber merchant Gene Hackman (a performance that is the main reason to watch) and indifferent stock-car-mechanic son Matt Dillon form an uneasy alliance when wife-mother Gayle Hunnicutt is kidnapped during a vacation in France. She's isn't just accidental prey.
