DVD Review: Jean-Luc Godard Collection Volume 1

For a director who produced maybe his most important and accessible work almost half a century ago, Jean-Luc Godard has been granted the kind of career that would have jaded many film-makers long before now. It’s reached the stage where he’s such an institution in both French and mainstream cinema that he can pretty much film what he wants. It’s not committing stuff to videotape now that’s the challenge – it’s quality control.

Godard was born to be a director, although the route took him from poacher to gamekeeper. Starting out as a film critic for influential magazines, including the so-hip-it-hurts Cahiers du cinéma, Godard fell in with a group of like-minded aesthetes including François Truffaut and Claude Chabrol. Although like most popular movements bound loosely by a style rather than an idea, the main thrust of what would come to be known as the ‘New Wave’ shared contempt for the classic narratives of cinema’s old guard.

The Sandwich Man (1966)

If England swung "like a pendulum do" during the mid-1960’s, then London was its heart, mind and soul. The Sandwich Man attempted to buy into the bright colours of the swinging capital in 1966, and succeeds (if nothing else) by capturing some great images of the West End and surrounding areas.

The storyline finds Michael Bentine as "Horace Quilby", a cheeky sandwich board advertiser who touts his message around town. On route, he bumps into a menagerie of characters in a variety of comic situations. To be honest, the majority of the humour has its roots in the conscription era, although the cast carries off the wooden script fairly well. It’s a pretty impressive cast list though, with the likes of Harry H Corbett, Ian Hendry, Norman Wisdom, Terry Thomas, and Bernard Cribbins putting in cameos. For connoisseurs of feminine beauty, the luscious Suzy Kendal fills the screen with her enormous screen presence. Tasty visuals aside, the film benefits hugely from a top-notch soundtrack by Manfred Manner Mike Vickers, who by 1966 was branching out in the world of film accompaniment. (For further confirmation of the man’s prowess, check out Vicker’s other 1966 soundtrack, "Press for Time").

DVD Review: Le Jour Se Lève (1939)

Marcel Carné’s career as a director lasted until the 1970s, through the Nazi occupation, the Vichy government and the last breaths of French empire. His greatest work is considered to be the three-hour Les Enfants du Paradis (1945), filmed under the noses of the occupying forces. A love tangle set in the world of the theatre, leading lady Arletty pulls the heart strings of no less than four potential suitors.

In less than half that running time, Carné gives this story a dry run in Jean Gabin’s last major project before the actor chanced his arm in Hollywood, conveniently before Europe collapsed in on itself. Gabin did come back eventually when most directors found him a horror to work with, and the actor regained some glory by fighting with the Free French. He remained one of the country’s most popular actors until his death in 1976.

DVD Review: Le Quai Des Brumes (1938)

Fans of film should be thankful for Marcel Carné. If he’s slipped off your radar, you should know that he was one of the most revered helmsmen of pre-war cinema. Gathering together a talented bunch of actors, designers and scribes, Carné set about injecting a dose of gritty realism into French film-making. He’s even credited with the mainstream idea of ‘poetic realism,’ which takes the hopes of those who aspire to something better, and grinds them under a muddy footprint. It’s a theme that will be familiar to fans of film noir, not to mention a certain movie set in a certain Moroccan city. 

Le Quai Des Brumes (The Port Of Shadows) was Carné’s fourth film as a director, and his first with Jean Gabin as his leading man. Gabin plays Jean, a deserter from the French Army, who finds his way to the seedy port of Le Havre looking for a quick exit on one of the ships. The titular port town is a place for those looking to either lose themselves or escape. Jean finds himself mixed up in some pretty shady business before too long.

The 8th Annual Festival of Film Noir

From April 12th - May 2 the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood California will be presenting the 8th Annual Festival of Film Noir in association with the American Cinematheque and the Film Noir Foundation.

The theme of this years festival is Noir City: Los Angeles vs. New York, and in an impressive series of films that capture each city in its mid-20th century prime, audiences will be able to decide which one deserves the coveted Noir crown.

This three week long festival will include classic favorites as well as obscure films, and the movies will be presented in a double bill that offers one film set in Los Angeles and the other in New York.

Some of the movies featured at the festival include Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), The Killing (1956), Force of Evil (1948), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Pickup on South Street (1953), The Breaking Point (1950), The Big Knife (1955), Port of New York (1949), City of Fear (1959), The Crooked Web (1955) and Shockproof (1949).