Pasolini’s last work, Salo , now on Blu-ray
DVDs for Oct. 25 by Boo Allen
This week, we begin in northern Italy:
Salo or 120 Days of Sodom
(This controversial 1976 film from The Criterion Collection shows no rating
because its outrageousness transcends normal evaluation). This last
film from Pier Paolo Pasolini, released three weeks after his being
bludgeoned to death by a male prostitute at 53, is surely the most
disturbing, unsettling film ever by a major film-maker. Near the end
of World War II, four Italian noblemen assemble around 20 young men
and women and force them to indulge in degradations of all types. No
description can convey what transpires while Pasolini builds to an
explosive finale. Theoretically, Pasolini was commenting on the
destruction of Italy by the Fascists. Of the title, Salo comes from
the short-lived Fascist state created by Mussolini in the town of the
same name, and the 120 Days comes from the Marquis de
Sade story that also inspires the film’s plot.
Not rated, 116 minutes. The new DVD includes a 33 minute featurette with
extant interviews with Pasolini and several others. The 23 minute
“Fade to Black” featurette contains interviews with film-makers
commenting on the movie, including provocateurs Bernardo Bertolucci
and Catherine Breillat. “The End of Salo,” 40 minutes, serves as
a “Behind-the-scenes” segment. Plus: an 80 page booklet with
essays from seven film-makers and historians.
Shaolin (***1/2)
In this action-filled, finely paced martial arts
extravaganza, Andy Lau stars as fierce army leader Hou Chieh. During
an early Chinese period of feuding warlords, Hou becomes estranged
from his unstable brother Tsao Man (Nicholas Tse). Hou ends up in the
Shaolin temple where he rids himself of his bellicose temper but
remains loyal and dedicated to saving the kingdom. As factions clash,
Hou learns the ways of the Shaolin until he is inevitably tested by
his brother.
Rated R, 131 minutes. The handsome two disc release,
also on Blu-ray, offers more than four hours of supplements,
containing deleted scenes, a “making of” featurette, and numerous
interviews with cast and crew, including members of the Shaolin
Abbot.
Attack on Leningrad (**)
At times, this Russian production borders on the
preposterous, reducing the tragedy of more than a million to a drama
about whether an Englishwoman finds her way home. Near the beginning
of World War II, Kate (Mira Sorvino), a British journalist in
Leningrad on assignment, is separated from her group and considered
killed. She ends up with Nina (Olga Sutulova), a sympathetic police
officer who protects and provides for Kate, knowing the city to be
under siege with no way out. But the Russian authorities begin
searching for Kate when it is learned that her English father was
actually an enemy combatant against the current regime. Gabriel Byrne
plays the forlorn lover who pines for the missing Kate.
Rated R, 110 minutes. The DVD, also on Blu-ray, contains
a 39 minute “making of” featurette and a 13 minute interview with
writer-director Alexander Buravsky.
The Captains (***)
William Shatner wrote and directed this enjoyable,
breezy documentary ostensibly about the six people who played The
Captain on “Star Trek.” But it’s really about Shatner, as he
visits Scott Bakula, Kate Mulgrew, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, and
Chris Pine. Shatner interviews them and tries to uncover their
thoughts about their role, why they took it, how they started acting,
and so on. In the process, we learn much about Shatner, as he dishes
about his upbringing, his early career, and his later career
following the TV show that has defined him. Shatner obviously loves
being Shatner, as evidenced when he visits the “Star Trek”
convention in Las Vegas, where he is understandably treated as
royalty. And he loves it.
Not rated, 96 minutes. The DVD also contains an 11
minute “making of” featurette.
And, for kids this week:
Happiness is Peanuts: Snow Days
Charlie Brown and gang return in this collection of TV
specials and episodes, including the remastered “She’s a Good Skate
Charlie Brown.” In it, Peppermint Patty trains for a skating
contest with Snoopy as her coach. Three episodes from “The Charlie
Brown and Snoopy Show” are also included
Not rated, 47 minutes.
Tom and Jerry: The Golden Collection Volume One
This set of cartoons starring the famously feuding cat
and mouse is indeed golden, with four Academy Award winning cartoons
among the 37 included in this two disc collection. The Hanna-Barbera
classics have been remastered from the earliest surviving elements,
making them as colorful as when they originally played in theaters.
Not rated, 284 minutes. The set, also on Blu-ray,
includes commentary on nine episodes, a retrospective featurette on
Tom and Jerry, and two previous featurettes about the duo.
And, finally, from TV-Land:
Top Shot: Reloaded
This unusual series from History features an on-going
elimination contest with participants proving to be the best shot,
whether with guns, blow guns, crossbows, or even tomahawks. The
season’s 13 episodes come on four discs along with 85 minutes of
unaired footage.
Not rated, 585 minutes.
American Pickers—volume two
In eight episodes, on two discs, Mike Wolfe and
Frank Fritz lead the group of known “pickers,” those treasure
hunters who work their way through anything that might promise
riches, from stuffed garages to messy piles of junk. Together, their
pursuits for their Antique Archaeology (their spelling) provide
weekly surprises.
Not rated, 376 minutes.
Pawn Stars—volume three
Son, father, and grandfather Harrison run Las Vegas’
Gold and Silver Pawn, an establishment where discoveries walk through
the front door weekly. The men dicker, bargain, and argue for various
artifacts, seeking to uncover untold riches in whatever form it
takes. This season’s 16 episodes come on two discs.
Not rated, 352 minutes.
Ghost Hunters—season six, part two
Jason and Grant, full-time plumbers but dedicated ghost
hunters, return in these 13 episodes on three discs. This time, they
investigate, among many locales, a grammar school, Lemp Mansion, an
old New York home, and even make it to Rhodes Hall in Georgia.
Not rated, 528 minutes.
Also on DVD: Atrocious, Attack the Block, Captain America, City of Life and
Death, A Little Help, Winnie the Pooh,