Things to Come (Criterion Collection)

At Last, A First-Rate Presentation of a Worthy Movie
NOTE: THIS REVIEW APPLIES TO THE CRITERION COLLECTION DVD OF THINGS TO COME, ISSUED IN JUNE OF 2013.
Let me start by saying that I made a small contribution to part of this release, in the form of an account of the music from the film -- but I had no role in any other aspect of the release, and have no participation in the sales or other activities surrounding the Criterion Collection DVD (or ANY other DVD edition) of this movie, nor did I have anything to do with the elements of the release about which I'm about to comment.

That said, I can safely say that the picture and sound quality of the movie itself as presented on this DVD (the FIRST authorized video release of the movie, at least on this side of the Atlantic, incidentally, and taken from the BFI's restored edition) are both stunning -- I'm old enough, and was lucky enough to have seen THINGS TO COME long before the wave of degraded, faded, worn out, and chopped up editions of the movie began filling the...

A word about the Colorization comments for this DVD
This is a continuing problem with Amazon's reviews. Unless what you are reading is the ONLY release of this movie on DVD, the reviews on the movies or TV shows are an amalgam of comments written about the various DVD releases of a particular title. Somehow past reviews for earlier DVD releases end up also attaching themslves to later DVD releases of the movie by an entirely different manufacturer who may or may not be utilizing a different transfer from different source material. As such the reviews can be misleading and are practically useless unless each reviewer realizes this and clearly states which particular DVD release version they are reviewing. My comments are being written in regards to the Criterion release of early 2013, which clearly is not colorized. But they could end up becoming attached to a future DVD release collection of reviews on Things To Come. I got fooled a few times and ended up purchasing something I would not have bought if I had realized the review was not...

THINGS TO COME FINALLY COMES TO BLU-RAY
If you're someone who appreciates classic movies, then chances are you've been gnashing your teeth over the fact that such an important title like THINGS TO COME (London Films, 1936) hasn't been properly distributed on home video. Well, you can sigh with relief because Criterion's new Blu-ray release of H.G. Wells' prophetic, groundbreaking production is a joy to behold. Finally, the dazzling imagery of this film emerges from the fog of public domain dupiness.

THINGS TO COME was an ambitious undertaking at the time, not only in its subject matter - that of predicting 100 years into the future - but also in its cinematic creation. This was the first time that a noted author was directly involved in every aspect of adapting one of his novels for the screen. Wells collaborated closely with everyone; from producer Alexander Korda and director William Cameron Menzies, to set designer Vincent Korda and composer Arthur Bliss, to cinematographer Georges Perinal and special effects...

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Safety Last! (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

The Crippled Comic Genius
Harold Lloyd is without question the funniest and most daring filmmaker of his day, if not the entire 20th century. SAFETY LAST is a classic example of Lloyd's films: an average, All-American boy, full of optimism and hope, finds himself in a simple mixup that quickly multiplies with hilarious complexity. When SAFETY LAST first debuted in theaters in 1923, audiences literally fainted while watching the stunts Harold performed, and they are no less powerful today, for they were all filmed without the aid of special effects. He made more films than Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton combined, but has been all but forgotten by late 20th century film lovers. SAFETY LAST is only one of the multitudes of fantastic movies this genius made, and if you're not impressed when you see it, remember this: due to a stunt accident early in his career, Harold Lloyd lost his thumb and index finger on his right hand. All the stunts you see in SAFETY LAST - including the infamous skyscraper climb -...

Harold Lloyd finally gets the Criterion Collection treatment and a magnificent release for "Safety Last!"
Many silent comedy fans consider Harold Lloyd as one of the three silent film comedy kings of the silent era alongside notable names such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Lloyd's comedies were enjoyable and similar to Keaton, Lloyd had the flair of doing his own stuntwork and when one is to watch his films today, there were a few that literally makes people gasp.

But the difference between these three men is that Harold Lloyd is not as well-known because unlike the other two, he wanted complete ownership of his films and if they were to be re-released or shown on television, he set the price high because he did not want TV commercials interrupting his film. While, some appreciate Lloyd's business-sense at the time to have complete ownership but also to be one of the first who looked into preserving his films, the unfortunate aspect is that unlike Chaplin or Keaton, his name would not be as well-known to the general public.

Of course, times have changed as...

Want to see how it was filmed? Check this out....
The LA Conservancy has a great pdf document on how SAFETY LAST was filmed. It was very clever how perspective tricks were used to make it look like Lloyd was actually dangling over a downtown LA street (you knew he wasn't really...). Google "laconservancy.org/tours/HaroldLloyd" and you'll be rewarded with photos of the locations as they look today, plus fascinating information on the filming of this comedy classic. Pages 7 and 8 show specifically how the clock scene was shot. Makes a terrific addition to this film.

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Marketa Lazarova (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Marketa Lazarova on DVD (Second Run)
This movie from 1967, set in the 12th century, is very hypnotic due to it's vivid images (mixing wide screen landscapes, extreme close ups and moving camera), different modes of narrative (text tableaus, voice, flashbacks, memories) and eerie middle age-like music (it's actually electronic music with voices created specifically for the movie).

In this movie there are no clear cut good vs evil and no typical villains and heroes (maybe for the exception of Marketa Lazarova herself who has some saint-like innocence). The people are more the products of the harsh social and religious environment of the dark ages. The plot is better experienced than talked about in advance. Haunting, complex and spell-binding, this is a very good movie, much better than the historic epics produced by hollywood every year.

The transfer is excellent (I watched it on a projector) with beautiful black/white (it's hard to think of this movie being made in colour).
This is the kind of...

Tarkovsky meets Leone
If you can imagine a cross between Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev and Leone's Once Upon A Time In The West (all made within a year of each other), you might have a notion of what Vlacil's Marketa Lazerova is like. Throw in a dash of Bergman's Virgin Spring, and you're almost there. Named by Czech critics as the best Czech film of all time, Marketa Lazerova is a poetic social critique/examination of human kind, in particular when operating outside the confines of "civilization."

The film is set in the Middle Ages,* when family clans competed to rule the harsh territory seizing everything within their reach that they were able enough to claim and defend (not unlike the "old West" for a time), a time when religious and social order (established by the church, alongside the king and his army) was not fully accepted, and clans were used to operating in accordance with more primitive codes and authorities largely based around shamanic/mythic insights, the most basic offeudal ethics,...

Flawed DVD, Brilliant Film
**********SECOND RUN DVD REVIEW**********

Well, I have to disagree with the reviewers quality. The picture quality is not aweful, but certainly not what it should be. The blacks are muddled and the whites are grey. There is no streaking or debris to speak of, however. The problem probably lies with the scan resolutuin or scan process in general. The elements used seem to be fine, just an underfunded transfer would be my guess...

I give five stars because Second Run should be applauded for even releasing this DVD. The film itself is a ten star caliber effort!

If you like Rublev, or just have a love of Eastern European cinema from the 1960's, then this is for you. Beautiful 2.35:1 Black & White, nothing better in the world.

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