A bevy of older movies are arriving on DVD for the first time, including one that is part of a reissue set for the sci-fi classic "Forbidden Planet."
FORBIDDEN PLANET (Warner, 1956, not rated, two discs, $26.99). A pre-"Airplane!" Leslie Nielsen stars in this superlative thriller based on, of all things, Shakespeare's "The Tempest," only set in the future on another planet.
Nielsen and his team seek out scientist Walter Pidgeon, who has forsaken mankind on Earth and established a colony in space ... but where is everybody? Only Pidgeon and his innocent daughter (Anne Francis), along with benign Robby the Robot and a mysterious invisible and very deadly creature. First-rate all the way, with a chilling score, fine effects and excellent use of CinemaScope.
Lots of good bonus features, led by a black-and-white episode of the "Thin Man" TV series, starring Peter Lawford, and the 1957 black-and-white film "The Invisible Boy," about a young boy who repairs a robot that is controlled by a super computer. Both are perhaps quaint, but it's fun to see Robby the Robot in major roles in both shows.
Extras: Widescreen, deleted scenes/lost footage; documentary: "Watch the Skies! Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us"; two featurettes (on "Forbidden Planet" and Robby the Robot), film: "The Invisible Boy" (1957, b/w); TV episodes: "The Thin Man" (1958, b/w), "The MGM Parade" (1956, b/w); trailers, language options (English, French), subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters. (Also available: "Forbidden Planet: Ultimate Collectors Edition," with Robby the Robot replica, reduced lobby cards from "Forbidden Planet" and "The Invisible Boy" $59.92.)
THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM (Fox, 1966, not rated, $19.98). An American agent (George Segal) in Berlin tries to bring down a neo-Nazi hate group. This solid spy thriller eschews typical '60s gimmicks to concentrate on story and character. Great cast includes Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow and George Sanders.
Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary, trailer, language options (English, French, Spanish), subtitle options (English, Spanish), chapters.
THE CHAIRMAN (Fox, 1969, PG, $14.98). Gregory Peck elevates this talky but interesting yarn about an American scientist in Red China on a spy mission who doesn't know he has a bomb implanted in his brain. (Home video debut.)
Extras: Widescreen, alternate scenes, audio commentary, featurette, language and subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.
OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR (Paramount, 1969, G, $14.99). Very visual anti-war film (set during World War I) is a musical pastiche, adapted from an episodic stage play. Fascinating in places, dull in others; a real curio. This was the directing debut for actor/filmmaker Richard Attenborough ("Gandhi"). Amazing cast is a who's who of British acting royalty at the time: Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Michael Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, John Mills, Dirk Bogarde, Maggie Smith, etc. (Home video debut.)
Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary (by Attenborough), featurettes, optional English subtitles, chapters.
HIS DOUBLE LIFE (Alpha, 1933, not rated, b/w, $6.98). Enjoyable, albeit somewhat stilted comedy of manners that reverses a cliche: a wealthy painter (Roland Young) is mistaken for his valet, and when the valet dies, the painter has trouble proving his identity. To complicate matters, he falls for the late valet's long-distance girlfriend (the great Lillian Gish) — and then the valet's widow shows up! (Warning: The print for this transfer is sadly shoddy.)
Extras: Full frame, chapters.
FLOWER DRUM SONG (Universal, 1961, not rated, $26.98). This is Rodgers and Hammerstein in a minor key, with no particularly memorable songs, telling the story of generational clashes among Asian immigrants in San Francisco's Chinatown. Nancy Kwan stars.
Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary (by Kwan/film historian Nick Redman), featurettes, subtitle options (English, Spanish, French), chapters.
THE RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN COLLECTION (Fox, 1955-58, not rated, 12 discs, $99.98). This collection pulls together six of the best Rodgers and Hammerstein musical films (in previously released double-disc sets): "Oklahoma" (which includes both "takes" of the film in different widescreen processes, CinemaScope and Todd-AO) "Carousel," "The King and I," "State Fair" (which includes both the 1945 and 1962 versions), "South Pacific" and "The Sound of Music."
Extras: Widescreen, audio commentaries, featurettes, newsreels, clips from various relates TV/stage programs, various language/subtitle options, chapters.
E-mail: hicks@desnews.com