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Kino Lorber has firmly established itself as a favorite boutique video label, specializing in cult classics, special interest, and especially vintage movies done right. Three vastly different films have been given superb Blu-ray treatment.
Fans of 1970s crime drama and whodunits will remember NBC’s Petrocelli, starring Barry Newman. It started a fictionalized theatrical film called The Lawyer, based on the infamous Shepard murder case. Universal released the film, after delaying it, in 1970, several years before the series. There are several differences including the wonderful Diana Muldaur as his wife. One of the bonus features is a more recent film called Lost Loves starting both as lovers of a certain age. The Lawyer is also a bit more graphic in its violence than Petrocelli the series.
Kino is generous with bonus features. The Lawyer includes an audio commentary that serves as a tribute to director Sidney J. Furie, plus an interview with Newman.
In a sea of overbudgeted sixties musicals, Paint Your Wagon serves as a prime example of Hollywood excess just for the sake of it. The film could have been done just as well at a fraction of the budget, but they had to build a whole town! The film’s flaws have been well-documented, sometimes at the expense of what it has preserved, including some memorable songs — sung by Clint Esstwood and Lee Marvin (his “Wandrin’ Star” was a hit single in the U.K.). Harve Presnell is also on hand to demonstrate classic Broadway-style singing.
The Blu-ray looks spectacular, with a new commentary track with a lot to say about the making of this super-production and its director, Joshua Logan, whose career is musical movies is fascinating, if not always pleasing to aficionados.
The President’s Analyst is one of the films that is dated and prescient at the same time, a mod, mod satire starring James Coburn (who seemed to specialize in quirky role choices at the time) as a psychiatrist assigned to the high-pressure and highly scrutinized job of chief therapist to an unseen president.
The movie is drenched in groovy hippie-ness, with a musical number featuring the great studio vocalist Sally Stevens (I highly recommend her book, I Sang That!). This movie is so densely packed with imagery and layered messaging that it takes two complete commentaries to explain it. Defintitely calls for more than one viewing.
Look for these and many other DVDs and Blu-rays at kinolorber.com or your favorite retailer.