Luchino Visconti’s 1969 Nazi epic ‘The Damned’ (Blu-ray, Criterion Collection, X changed to R) was an unexpected worldwide critical and popular hit. Like Visconti’s earlier triumphs, ‘The Leopard’ and ‘Rocco and His Brothers,’ it is a family saga that thunderously reveals the depths of decadence, decay and murder a Krupps-style steel dynasty will descend in their ultimately pathetic search for power and glory. The European title was, in keeping with its oversized Wagnerian trappings, ‘Gotterdamerung.’
Who was the magisterial Visconti who reigned as one of Italy’s Big 3, alongside Michelangelo Antonioni and Federico Fellini, dominating world cinema for 20 years? A gay aristocrat and Communist whose lineage goes back to Charlemagne. Born in 1906, he was famous as one of the fathers of Italian neorealism and for directing opera, theater and movies. Visconti is justly revered for his bold approach to stories that, while intensely personal in their dissection and presentation of characters, eagerly expand to consider something bigger. Among his must-see films: ‘Ossessione’ (’43), the first film version of ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice,’ ‘The Leopard,’ ‘Rocco’ ‘The Innocent’ and ‘Ludwig’ about the mad King of Bavaria.
‘The Damned’ swirls amid the rise of Adolf Hitler and his thug-like Nazis in 1933, eager to remake Germany which can only be accomplished with this family’s support. It begins with fire – the burning of the Reichstag (Parliament) – a fire we understand that will ultimately consume all of Germany. Here is the infamous Night of the Long Knives when Hitler’s SS troops slaughtered their gay rivals, the Nazi SA or Brown Shirts. Visconti, in an Oscar nominated screenplay, shows the decline and ruin of this aristocratic dynasty with a melodramatic bravura that, literally, has to be seen. Now gorgeously given a 2K restoration, this Criterion edition offers an alternate Italian language soundtrack and interviews with the filmmaker, Charlotte Rampling, who was just 20 when she was cast, Sweden’s Ingrid Thulin and Helmut Berger. There is footage of Visconti on-set and an excellent analysis of the film, its themes and impact by Stefano Albertini who rightly notes the massive contradiction here. Visconti was famously ‘out’ in that everyone knew he was unapologetically homosexual who had had a celebrated affair with a young Francio Zefferilli (he would go on to be famous for his films ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and his expansive, realistic staging of opera). But in ‘Damned’ Visconti damns his perverse fictionalized Krupps as they indulge in incest, pedophilia and homosexuality. As Albertini notes, What does this say really? That Visconti makes no distinction between homosexuals and condemns them all!? England’s Dirk Bogarde, who would star in Visconti’s next movie ‘Death in Venice,’ signed on as the star of ‘The Damned’ – only to see it stolen by blond German Helmut Berger, just 22, in his film debut. Berger’s entrance – in drag as Marlene Dietrich, singing one of her songs from ‘The Blue Angel’ – is one for cinema’s history books. Albertini notes that Visconti, who was Berger’s lover, filmed the sequence 27 times to ‘get it right.’ When Dietrich saw it, she called to tell Berger he was better than she was! Berger stayed with Visconti until his death in 1976.
NEW DVDs:
BALE’S BATEMAN Among Christian Bale’s defining roles, Patrick Bateman, the sociopathic killer of the 2000 ‘American Psycho’ (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital, Lionsgate, Unrated) continues to be controversial. A horror film-satire on the yuppie lifestyle from the eternally controversial provocateur Bret Easton Ellis (his acclaimed/hated debut novel ‘Less Than Zero’), its violence, especially in this Unrated version, remains remarkable. Its cast, 2 decades later, sustains our attention: Reese Witherspoon, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Justin Theroux. This Unrated 4K version offers: Deleted scenes with optional commentary from co-writer/director Mary Harron, a featurette on ‘From Book to Screen,’ Harron’s 2018 audio commentary as well as one from screenwriter Guinevere Turner. Available for a limited time exclusively at Best Buy in steelbook packaging.
PEAK TARANTINO There is something so nutty yet so right with Quentin Tarantino’s hit WWII Nazi fantasy, ‘Inglourious Basterds’ (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Code, Universal, R). Today we can see this 2009 war picture with American GIs as an anti-Nazi scalp-hunting war party as a social critique and bookend for another fantasy, his 2019 hit ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,’ also with Brad Pitt. The 4K offers 2 hours-plus of Bonus material – extended and alternate scenes, a roundtable discussion with Tarantino, Pitt and a NY Times critic, the original Italian low-budget film ‘Inglourious Basterds’ AND a Making of the full movie ‘Nation’s Pride’ we see part of in ‘Basterds.
RYAN REYNOLDS IS GAME Ryan Reynolds had a triumph with a passion project — ‘Free Guy’ (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Code, 20th Century Studios, PG-13) that will undoubtedly spawn a franchise. It’s about a guy named Guy who isn’t free – he’s a nobody in a videogame. Only he doesn’t know it, he isn’t aware of his lowly place in the universe. And by being his best self, Guy changes this gaming world – and that of its creators (who include bad guy Taki Waititi). Bonus features: Director Shawn Levy explains how they did Guy’s showdown with his altar ego ‘Dude,’ the creation of the virtual game playground, deleted/extended scenes, a gag reel.
WB ARCHIVE X 4 A quartet of classics, newly refurbished in Blu-ray via Warner Archive, all Unrated: ‘The Window’ (‘49), a terrific thriller, was awarded a special Oscar for the film’s young lead Bobby Driscoll. It’s a wonderful riff on The Boy Who Cried Wolf. ‘The Naked Spur’ (’53) stands today as one of James Stewart’s best Westerns, a series he did collaborating with director Anthony Mann (‘Winchester ’73,’ also with Stewart). Janet Leigh memorably co-stars. ‘Santa Fe Trail’ (’40) with Errol Flynn directed by ‘Casablanca’ helmer Michael Curtiz features future President Ronald Reagan as George Armstrong Custer. Like every Curtiz movie ever made, it’s relentlessly and rightly paced with an energy that matches Flynn’s electrifying star power. The 1935 zany Marx Brothers classic ‘A Night at the Opera’ raises the question: Is this inspired bit of Depression-era lunacy the best Marx brothers movie ever? Special Features: Leonard Maltin commentary, Groucho Marx on a 1961 TV show, 3 vintage shorts.
A CULT CHILLER In its first and only season in 1974-75 ‘Kolchak: The Night Stalker – The Complete Series’ (DVD, 20 episodes, 4 discs, KL Studio Classics, Not Rated) immediately vaunted into cult classic status, thanks to a fervent fan base. With its compendium of horror motifs, including werewolves, vampires, mummies and zombies, it’s easy to see how it obviously influenced ‘The X Files.’ The series was preceded by 2 Made-for-TV movies, also starring Darren McGavin that are not part of this DVD. A multitude of Special Features: A David Chase interview (he created ‘The Sopranos’ and scripted 8 ‘Night Stalker’ episodes), 21 audio commentaries for all episodes by Mark Dawidziak, ‘The Night Stalker Companion’ author, and many others. Among the series’ guest stars: Carolyn Jones, Julie Adams, Jim Backus, Stella Stevens, Mary Wickes, Phil Silvers, Tom Skeritt, Scatman Crothers and series regulars Simon Oakland and Ruth McDevitt.
A LEGENDARY LOVER French filmmaker Benoit Jacquot has made a career musing on the various intersections of love and romance. With ‘Casanova Last Love’ (Blu-ray, Cohen Releasing, Not Rated) Jacquot follows the self-promoting Great Lover Casanova (Vincent Lindon) in London – he’s been exiled from Paris – and his pursuit of a young prostitute who rebuffs him. Based on Casanova’s very real – and popular — memoirs. In French with English subtitles.
DEVASTATING & TRUE When Ady Barkan was dealt a truly terrible hand diagnosed with ALS at 32 – he quickly – and fortunately – became an activist for healthcare justice. ‘Not Going Quietly’ (DVD, Greenwich, Not Rated) tells Barkan’s journey from a confrontation aboard an airplane with Senator Jeff Flake that goes viral to the ‘Be a Hero’ movement to interviews with Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren.
SPEEDILY KEEPING ON Following the death of the Speed Force last season, ‘The Flash: The Complete Seventh Season’ (Blu-ray + Digital Code, 18 episodes, 3 discs, DC-WB, Not Rated) finds Flash, aka Barry Allen, with nearly depleted powers. Then there’s the issue of his missing wife! If his speedier than anyone skills are restored, at what cost? Central City is besieged by old villains and new adversaries, can Team Flash save the day? Special Features: ‘The Journey Ends: Carlos and Tom,’ ‘DC FanDome – the Flash,’ ‘Never Alone: Heroes and Allies.’ Plus deleted scenes and a gag reel.
BOYEGA BREAKDOWN John Boyega carries ‘Naked Singularity’ (DVD, Screen Media, R) as an NYC public defender who just, like Howard Beal in ‘Network,’ can’t take it anymore. His countdown to full-out breakdown is charted onscreen for us to see as Boyega’s Casi rails against a system and a judge (Linda Lavin) who seem to not care one whit about the people caught in the system. Boyega is tremendously appealing in these circumstances with a custom-fitted character role. There’s an impressive cast – Olivia Cooke, Bill Skarsgard, Ed Skrein – and a fun cameo by Nicholas Hoult. Bonus: ‘From Story to Screen,’ ‘Making of.’
