The week’s DVDs begin in the water:
DVDs for July 15 by Boo Allen
This week, we begin in the water:
Watermark (***1/2)
Documentary filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nick de Pencier team with photographer Edward Burtynsky for this thoughtful but always visually arresting examination into water, its use, misuse, prevalence, and importance. The endless subject provides the filmmakers license to document, photograph (by de Pencier) and analyze numerous stress points on the earth’s water supply, such as the massive arch dam under construction in China and the leather tanneries in Dhaka, Bangladesh that dump oceans of chemicals into lakes and streams. But the filming team also travels to areas so picturesque they look surreal, such as the rice paddies in Yunan, the geothermal springs in Iceland, the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas, along with many dams and river-ways, including one in Texas. The engaging film relies more on its arresting visuals, but stops often enough for related dialogues.
Rated PG, 92 minutes.
Extras: a 15 minute “making of” featurette, 15 minutes of deleted scenes, a ten minute interview with Ed Burtynsky and Jennifer Baichwal, and a picture gallery narrated by Burtynsky.
Operation Petticoat (***)
Olive Films gives a Blu-ray and DVD release to one of noted comedy director Blake Edwards’ early films. Fifty-five year-old Cary Grant stars as submarine commander Sherman near the beginning of World War II. He wants to assert command of his new charge, but he’s forced to bring a group of stranded nurses on board, including Dina Merrill and Joan O’Brien. The addition causes Sherman expected problems but makes Lt. JG Nicholas Holden (Tony Curtis) a happy man. Edwards deftly mixes romance, comedy and even some submarine action sequences. And, of course, the pink comes in when mixing red and white paint, silly. With Dick Sargent, Madlyn Rhue,Gavin MacLeod and others.
Not rated, 122 minutes.
And, finally, from this week’s TV arrivals:
100 Years of WW I (fyi: the title is WWI, not World War I)
Continuing the salute to the 100th anniversary of World War I,
cable channels History and H2 release this two disc collection of some of their related programming. Disc one, “World War I: The First Modern War,” contains four episodes, with each devoted to a specific topic of the war: “Armored Beasts” covers the development and use of tanks; “Clouds of Death” examines the role of flame throwers, bombs, and chemical warfare; the advance of aerial combat is covered in “Massive Air Attacks”; and “Underwater Killers” examines the initial wide use of submarines that eventually faded. Hunter Ellis narrates disc two, devoted to “Modern Marvels,” with three 45 minute or so episodes on related topics: “World War I: Tech,” “Dogfights,” and “Man, Moment Machine: The Red Baron and the Wings of Death.” The series uses breathless narration, abundant archival footage, limited re-enactments, and computer generated images, along with numerous narrated letters of the era, and plenty of maps, charts and graphs to illustrate the battles. A distinguished group of American and British historians and experts lend their testimonies, including, on disc one: David Silbey, Mitchell Yockelson, Christy Campbell, Simon Jones, Peter Devitt, Jeremy Banner, Christopher Capozzola, Eric Groves, and others. Disc two features Ned Barnett, Jeff Shaara, Gordon Bowman-Jones, Richard Hallion, and others.
Not rated, 315 minutes.
Hell on Wheels: third season
The ten episodes of season three of this popular AMC series now appears on three discs in anticipation and preparation for the August arrival of season four. Anson Mount returns as sullen Cullen Bohannon, a Civil War veteran with a drive for revenge spurred by the loss of his wife during the war. Once established with the westward-ho railroad construction of Thomas Durant (Colm Meaney), Bohannon now works as a separate entity, teaming only with ex-slave Elam Ferguson (Common). The season sees such crises as a cholera outbreak, an unexpected roadblock, a scarcity of lumber, several newcomers, an exodus of Mormons, and even an appearance from future president U.S. Grant. Almost simultaneously during the season, the creepy and mysterious Swede (Christopher Heyerdahl) adopts a new, even deadlier, identity.
Not rated, 429 minutes.
Extras: a five minute retrospective on season three, a five minute refresher on season two, a two minute set tour with Common, a four minute “making of” featurette with two separate music videos, and ten separate “Inside the Episodes” featurettes.
Also on DVD: A Dark Matter, The Face of Love, Implanted, Interludes, Open Grave, Torment.