A variety of movies have landed on DVD this week, from golden-oldies to less-stellar choices.
"Classic Holiday Collection" (Warner, 1938-1945, not rated, b/w, $29.98, three discs). This collection of holiday films is a winner, and another example of a box set that is much cheaper than buying the films separately.
— "Boys Town"/"Men of Boys Town" (1938/1941). Sentimental but involving yarn built around a true story and given a tremendous boost by the Oscar-winning performance from Spencer Tracy as Father Flanagan, who establishes a home for wayward boys, with 16-year-old Mickey Rooney providing his biggest challenge. They also star in the sequel, which is OK but doesn't live up to the original. (Featurettes, audio radio show, trailers)
— "A Christmas Carol" (1938). This isn't quite up there with the 1951 Alistair Sim version, but it is a good one, with Reginald Owen starring as the irascible Scrooge. (Featurettes, cartoon: "Peace on Earth," trailer)
— "Christmas in Connecticut" (1945). Forget the TV remake; this is a bright holiday treat with Barbara Stanwyck as an "expert" homemaker who's been faking it but is forced to put on a show for a war veteran (Dennis Morgan) and her boss (Sydney Greenstreet) over the holidays. (Oscar-winning short "Star in the Night," trailer)
Extras: Full frame, subtitle options (English, French, Spanish; on all films except "Men of Boys Town"), chapters. (All three discs are also available individually, $19.97 each.)
"Lady Sings the Blues" (Paramount, 1972; R for language, drugs, violence; $14.99). Diana Ross gives a sterling performance as Billie Holiday — taking her from age 15 to her death at 44 — in this cliche-ridden biography of the jazz singer's life. Ross' acting debut is a knockout, and she does all the singing in a catalog of tunes that includes many of Lady Day's best, from "Ain't Nobody's Business" to "Strange Fruit."
The downside is that it's a pretty dour film, concentrating on Holiday's struggle with drug addiction. Billy Dee Williams, Sid Melton and especially Richard Pryor as Piano Man are all great. (Isabel Sanford and Scatman Crothers show up early in the film.)
Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary, making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, optional English subtitles, chapters.
"Grass: A Nation's Battle For Life" (Milestone/Image, 1925, not rated, b/w, $29.99).
"Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness" (Milestone/Image, 1925, not rated, b/w, $29.99). Before he came up with "King Kong," Merian C. Cooper did these silent documentaries, both of which are sterling. "Grass" follows the 50,000 people and 500,000 animals that journey over treacherous terrain twice a year in Persia (now Iran). "Chang" follows a family deep in the jungles of Siam (Thailand) whose lives are threatened by various animals, and then a herd of elephants (chang), after a baby elephant is accidentally captured in a trap. The footage is still quite startling in these must-see flicks.
Extras: Full frame, audio interview with Cooper (on "Grass"), audio commentary (on "Chang"), color test, text essay, press kit, chapters.
"Old Yeller"/"Savage Sam" (Disney, 1957/1963, G, $29.99, two discs). Need a good cry? "Old Yeller" can still bring it on, in this sentimental but thoroughly involving story of a boy and his dog in 1869 Texas— a timeless Disney classic, and one of Walt's most famous live-action films. The title character of "Savage Sam" is Old Yeller's son, who helps rescue children kidnapped by Indians.
Extras: Widescreen ("Old Yeller"), full frame ("Savage Sam"), making-of featurette, interview with Tommy Kirk, animated short: "Bone Trouble," short film: "Ranch of the Golden Oak," language options (for "Old Yeller"; English, French, Spanish), subtitle options (for "Savage Sam"; English, French), chapters.
"Apres Vous" (Paramount, 2003; R for language; $29.99). This goofy French buddy comedy, about a hapless restaurant manager who gets mixed up with a suicidal loser, is amusing in fits and starts and gets a boost from a game cast led by Daniel Auteuil.
Extras: Widescreen, in French with English subtitles, trailers, chapters.
"Mom at Sixteen"/"Too Young to Be a Dad" (Lifetime/Warner, 2005/2002, not rated, $19.98, two discs). These two stories of teen parents take views from the young mother and the young father, respectively, and both offer food for thought — especially for the teen audience. Mercedes Ruehl in "Mom" and Kathy Baker in "Dad" dominate the proceedings.
Extras: Full frame, making-of featurette ("Mom at Sixteen" only), language and subtitle options (English, Spanish), chapters.
"A Thief of Time" (PBS/Paramount, 2004, not rated, $19.99). This adaptation of Tony Hillerman's book for PBS (executive produced by Robert Redford) is a good, albeit somewhat plodding, look at Joe Leaphorn (Wes Studi) and Jim Chee (Adam Beach) investigating crimes on the reservation. Studi is fabulous, and Graham Greene is here, too. OK follow-up to "Skinwalkers."
Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary (by director Chris Eyre, producer Craig McNeil, cinematographer Roy H. Wagner), making-of featurette (with Tony Hillerman), optional English subtitles, chapters.
"And Now For Something Completely Hilarious! Collection" (Sony, 1974-89, PG, $29.96, three discs). Three previously released DVDs comprise this reissue collection, two '70s films from the Monty Python troupe, and one from Python alum Terry Gilliam. (Be advised that the "Holy Grail" disc does not include any of the bonus features that were part of the "Special Edition" and "Collector's Edition" sets.)
— "And Now For Something Completely Different" (1971) is the first Monty Python movie, a greatest-hits collection of skits, filmed without a laugh track, including some of their most famous — the killer joke, the dead parrot, "The Lumberjack Song," etc.
— "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975), the team's second film, has each Python member playing multiple roles in a completely off-the-wall take on the King Arthur legend. Some hilarious bits and wonderfully quotable lines.
— "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (1989), directed by Gilliam, is a zany fantasy with an all-star cast. A box-office bomb, but well worth a look.
Extras: Widescreen, subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), language options ("Baron Munchausen" only: English, Spanish, French), chapters.
E-mail: hicks@desnews.com