Articles by Charlie Largent

Amazon Women on the Moon

Amazon Women on the Moon Blu ray  Kino Lorber 1987 / 85 Min. / 1:85 Starring Lots of Actors Cinematography by Daniel Pearl Directed by Joe Dante, Carl Gottlieb, Peter Horton, John Landis, Robert K. Weiss Mark Twain said “If you don’t like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes.” That…

The Fu Manchu Cycle—1965-1969

The Fu Manchu Cycle—1965-1969 Blu ray  Powerhouse Indicator 1965 – 1969 / 96, 93, 91, 94, 92 min. / 2:33:1, 1:85, 1:66 Starring Christoper Lee, Tsai Chin Cinematography by Ernest Steward, John Von Kotze, Manuel Merino Directed by Don Sharp, Jeremy Summers, Jesús Franco Arthur Henry Ward was born in Birmingham in 1883—at the age…

The Ape

The Ape Blu ray  Kino Lorber 1940 / 62 min. / 1:33:1 Starring Boris Karloff, Maris Wrixon Cinematography by Harry Neumann Directed by William Nigh William Nigh directed over 40 silent films before he signed on for The Ape, which might account for this 1940 film looking far older than its release date—the staging is…

The Chalk Garden

The Chalk Garden Blu ray  1964 / 106 min. / 1:85:1 Starring Deborah Kerr, Hayley Mills, John Mills Cinematography by Arthur Ibbetson Directed by Ronald Neame Julie Andrews thrived in the role of governess—even when pitted against the Nazis in The Sound of Music she found plenty of time for sing-alongs—the same for Mary Poppins where…

The Vincent Price Collection – 2020 Reissue

The Vincent Price Collection Blu ray  1960,’61, ’63, ’64, ’68, ’71 / 79, 85, 87, 90, 86, 94 min. / 2.35 : 1, 1:85:1 Starring Vincent Price, Barbara Steele, Hazel Court Cinematography by Floyd Crosby, Nicolas Roeg, John Coquillon, Norman Warwick Directed by Roger Corman, Michael Reeves, Robert Fuest The Vincent Price Collection, the first…

The Phantom of the Opera ’62

The Phantom of the Opera Blu ray  1962 / 84 min. / 1:85:1, 1:66:1, 1:33:1 Starring Herbert Lom, Heather Sears, Michael Gough Cinematography by Arthur Grant Directed by Terence Fisher Hammer Studios made their mark by viewing Universal’s classic horror films through a contemporary lens—which for the late 50’s and early 60’s meant more explicit…

Universal Horror Collection Volume 5

Universal Horror Collection Volume 5 Blu ray  1943, 1944, 1945, 1941 / 61, 61, 63, 64 min. Starring Ellen Drew, John Carradine, Acquanetta Cinematography by George Robinson, Jack MacKenzie, Maury Gertsman, Victor Milner Directed by Edward Dmytryk, Reginald Le Borg, Harold Young, Stuart Heisler The Universal Horror Collection Volume 5 should appeal to ape suit…

The Cat and the Canary & The Ghost Breakers

The Cat and the Canary & The Ghost Breakers Blu ray  Kino Lorber 1939, 1940 / 72, 83 min. Starring Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard Cinematography by Charles B. Lang Directed by Elliott Nugent, George Marshall Bob Hope’s brand of comedy may have been extinct by the sixties but it was alive and kicking in the…

Dr. Who Double Feature—1965 & ’66

Dr. Who and the Daleks/Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. Blu ray  Kino Lorber 1965, 1966 / 82, 84 min. Starring Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbens Cinematography by John Wilcox Directed by Gordon Flemyng The story of Doctor Who turns on a distinctly British conceit; our hero, a grandfatherly type usually found puttering in the garden, is…

The Paleface

The Paleface Blu ray  Kino Lorber 1948 / 91 min. Starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell Cinematography by Ray Rennahan Directed by Norman Z. McLeod In 1934 Al Christie directed Going Spanish, a 19 minute farce billed as “An Educational Musical Comedy.” The movie is notable only for the film debut of Bob Hope whose wisecracks…

The Balcony

The Balcony Blu ray  Kino Lorber 1963 / 84 min. Starring Shelley Winters, Peter Falk Cinematography by George Folsey Directed by Joseph Strick When Jean Genet died in 1986, France’s Minister of Culture proclaimed “Jean Genet has left us and with him, a black sun that enlightened the seamy side of things… Genet was liberty…

Town Bloody Hall

Town Bloody Hall Blu ray  Criterion 1979 / 85 min. Starring Norman Mailer, Germaine Greer, Jill Johnston Cinematography by D.A. Pennebaker Directed by D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus No matter the subject, Norman Mailer was the star of whatever he produced—in Advertisements for Myself, a mix of self-criticism and self-congratulation—he could have been talking to himself….

Audie Murphy Collection

Audie Murphy Collection Blu ray  Kino Lorber 1952, 1958, 1959 / 242 min. Starring Audie Murphy, Stephen McNally, Walter Matthau, Charles Drake Cinematography by Irving Glassberg, Harold Lipstein Directed by Don Siegel, Jesse Hibbs, Jack Arnold “My temper was explosive… perhaps I was trying to level with my fists what I assumed fate had put…

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Blu ray  Kino Lorber 1944/ 87 min. Starring Maria Montez, Jon Hall Cinematography by George Robinson Directed by Arthur Lubin Thanks to George Robinson’s Technicolor photography and Vera West’s kaleidoscopic costumes, death and destruction look pretty as a picture in 1944’s Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Director Arthur Lubin’s…

Slave of the Cannibal God

Slave of the Cannibal God Blu ray  Code Red 1978/ 99 min. Starring Ursula Andress, Stacy Keach Cinematography by Giancarlo Ferrando Directed by Sergio Martino At the same moment the Korean War was ending and Eisenhower entered the White House, illustrator Samson Pollen found his niche; illuminating the fever dreams of suburban dads for action…