The scenes during daylight are breathtaking! Haynes is fascinated with the thin lines that separate the world from an idealized version of reality and the paths of resistance that lie therein. In a virtually plotless film, these four characters are able to create a sumptuous ballet, running the gamut from intense seduction to the eroticism of fear. One scene has the camera take the point of view of a corpse, with very interesting implications. The rarely-coherent plot moves at an excruciatingly slow pace, culminating in a predictable finale of the Manos variety. The concierge is convinced that the Countess is some sort of immortal creature, a theory somewhat substantiated by her familiarity with the legendary murderess whose name she shares and the unusual series of unsolved murders throughout the area. Dario Argento is consistently deemed the preeminent giallo maestro by critics and fans alike because of how his films blend mystery and obsession into an irresistible concoction.
These films are true action comedies, though they also have subtle grit and tension. It seems every character has a hidden, secretive past. The film resists the temptation to lean into the cheap nationalistic pride that defined so many other wartime pictures. Featuring a hardscrabble rural setting that feels light years away from the spunky urbanity of films like and , The Kid Brother squeezes a succession of clever gags out of its rustic milieu. There are also English, French, and Spanish subtitles depending on need. Other vintage supplements include a 1989 episode of Son of the Incredibly Strange Film Show, featuring Chan and actress Maggie Cheung, which turned a young Edgar Wright into a Chan fanboy, a 2017 program with Chan and the original members of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, and interviews with cast members.
Supplements: What are the extras? Lamps and headlights blaze intensely and wash out whole swathes of the frame, while darkness melts other sections into inky and ominous voids, from which it seems anyone could be lurking and watching. The subject matters of these less-than-hard-boiled films are intriguingly tied to the anxieties and complications of their times: the rise of Nazism, Cold War espionage, horse-racing rackets, post-war guilt and malaise, and more. An accompanying booklet contains contemporaneous notes from Jarmusch, as well as essays by Geoff Andrew and J. I enjoyed my stay at The Ostend for sure. After arriving back in Ostend, the couple are greeted by Elizabeth, who over drinks that night, tells them of her family history. From the non-stop discussion and laughter, the passion these two men have for the film really comes across in this commentary. Cast: Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Walter James, Leo Willis, Olin Francis, Constantine Romanoff, Eddie Boland, Frank Lanning, Ralph Yearsley Director: Ted Wilde Screenwriter: John Grey, Lex Neal, Howard J.
Not one but two commentary tracks grace the main feature. The name of the painting? He has had success in life and has wealth, but he also has a dark side, one he keeps hidden. In a virtually plotless film, these four characters are able to create a sumptuous ballet, running the gamut from intense seduction to the eroticism of fear. Daughters of Darkness is probably one of the most popular titles in the catalog, and for good reason. And all it took was proving himself as a man.
The more lurid sequences haven't aged well -- content that may have elicited a collective gasp from an audience thirty-two years ago isn't assured to have the same effect decades later. A detective suspects Countess Bathory, but is unable to move in on her, due to lack of evidence. Kruger has just been admitted for third degree burns. Not a great soundtrack, but not a bad one either. The blacks are a little strong in some places, but aside from some minor issues with the print everything looks fantastic.
Prompted with questions, Kümel will sometimes interrupt his stories to mention that he didn't get a particular shot right and mention how beautiful a sunset was that particular evening. The weakest entry of this set, it gives an abundance of ammunition to critics who see noir built out of misogyny and nothing else. Cruising around Dakar on his bull-horn-mounted motorcycle, Mory dreams of leaving Senegal for Paris with his girlfriend Mareme Niang. On the audio side of things there are English and French audio options, and I switched back and forth at times to test them against each other and heard no problems. Not that the bloodsuckers were the only ones targeting matrimony. Stefan John Karlen and Valerie Danielle Ouimet check into The Ostend hotel in Belgium.
This featurette could easily have been a 'Then and Now' filled with stills, but the walkthrough and additional material certainly give this value and a personal touch. Their lack of love makes them perfect for marriage, they conclude, and their perfectly imperfect union makes them an attractive target for the dissolute doings of the Countess Elizabeth Bathory, the only other guest of note at the Belgian hotel at which Stefan and Valerie are spending their honeymoon. Overall Her career included Jeanne Dielman, Last Year in Marienbad, Le Boucher, Muriel, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Mr. Working with famed cinematographer John Alton, with whom he had recently made T-Men and Raw Deal, Mann re-imagines the historical epic as a paranoid fever dream of overlapping conspiracies. One of the more cerebral directors of his era, Haynes often comes off less like a filmmaker commenting on his own creation than a critic interpreting a text. Speaking in her native French with English subtitles, Andrea talks about her nudity in the film and the 'spider' theme that pops up in the film for her character. In , television was used to keep women occupied and, therefore, out of trouble.
Viewed outside of such context and taken on its own, Daughters of Darkness is a disappointment, especially compared to the stellar quality of so much of Blue Underground's other work. Newman, Earl McEvoy, Fred F. The soundtrack is crisp, with each line of dialogue or ambient sound effect clearly separated. Showcasing his sense of humor, John is able to laugh at how he was a bit miscast too old and chuckle while watching some of the more erotic scenes in the film after so many years. Harold, infatuated with a girl, Mary Jobyna Ralston , from the medicine show, climbs a tall tree so as to keep her in view for as long as possible.