Michael Powell was a legendary British filmmaker, who wrote, produced and/or directed or co-directed a number of beloved classic films.
His most famous are "The Red Shoes" (1948), "The Thief of Bagdad" (1940), "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" (1943), "Tales of Hoffman" (1951), "Stairway to Heaven" (1946) and "Black Narcissus" (1947).
And one that I had often read about but had never seen, which has just been released on DVD:
— "The Edge of the World" (Image/Milestone, 1937, b/w, not rated, $29.99). This is the film that put Powell on the map, a remarkable movie about the simple lives of farm/fishing folk on a very small island off the coast of Scotland. Their lifestyle is gradually threatened by the rapidly changing world — their young people are leaving and they must decide whether to stick it out or evacuate and displace themselves.
Powell shot the film on location and many of the characters are locals, not actors. And the story's exciting centerpiece — a terrifying climb by two men up the island's steep, craggy cliffs — is a stunning piece of film. The optional audio-commentary track explains just how dangerous it was to shoot, as was much of the film. (Powell himself has a role in the opening scenes.)
Some 40 years after the shoot, Powell, a film crew and one of "Edge's" stars (John Laurie) returned to the island and filmed an excellent 20-minute documentary, which is included here. There's also a fine six-minute wartime propaganda film, "An Airman's Letter to His Mother."
Extras: Full frame, audio commentary, short films, photos, etc.
OTHER RARITIES new to DVD:
— "Mad Love" (Image/Milestone, 1913-17, b/w, not rated, $29.99). Evgeni Bauer was a Russian filmmaker during the silent era, churning out some 60 pictures in just four years before his untimely death in 1917. The three features on this disc — each less than an hour in length — are human dramas with macabre twists, compared in the liner notes to the work of Edgar Allan Poe.
They are haunting tales of love and obsession, and of how the dead can sometimes keep a hold on the living. All three are excellent, but two — "After Death" and "The Dying Swan" — get a real boost by the presence of an actress/ballerina (from the Bolshoi Ballet) named Vera Karalli, whose extraordinary face was made for silent movies. Karalli is perfect as the unattainable object of men's desires, with an ethereal look that brings to mind Louise Brooks.
Bauer's use of camera placement, and light and shadow, are quite sophisticated for the period. And the first film on the disc, "Twilight of a Woman's Soul," is startling for its harsh story of a woman who is raped, and whose husband leaves her when he finds out. (The music scores for each film are also most affecting.)
Russian film scholar Yuri Tsivian offers illuminating commentary on the films in a half-hour featurette.
Extras: Full frame, featurette, photos, DVD-Rom applications, etc.
— "Cut-Up: The Films of Grant Munro" (Image/Milestone, 1945-83, b/w and color, not rated, $29.99, two discs). Munro was a prolific Canadian filmmaker, whose work gets a well-deserved overview in this retrospective. Bonus materials look at his career, with emphasis on his collaborations with animator Norman McLaren — but a two-hour collection of short films is the real draw.
Munro was amazing in his wide range of talent. His acting in a film about a young man who campaigns a bit too hard for a political candidate is very good, and his cutout animation foreshadows the style of "South Park" (minus the sleaze).
His best-known works are probably the animated "Animal Movie," with gorgeous watercolors, and the comic Cold War live-action Oscar-winner "Neighbors," with McLaren and Munro using their patented "pixilation" special-effects. There's also "Boo Hoo," a witty documentary about a cemetery worker.
An excellent acknowledgement of a forgotten filmmaker whose penchant for innovation is a genuine tribute to independent filmmaking.
Milestone DVDs are sometimes hard to find in stores, but can be ordered at 1-800-603-1104.
E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com