Controversial Classics Collection

(Advise and Consent / The Americanization of Emily / Bad Day at Black Rock / Blackboard Jungle / A Face in the Crowd / Fury / I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang)

Rating: Various

Distributor: Warner Home Video

Release Date: May 10, 2005
Review posted: May 23, 2005

Reviewed by Dennis Landmann

SYNOPSES

Advise and Consent (1962)

The setting is familiar. A Senate subcommittee meets to confirm the President’s controversial nominee for Secretary of State. A TV camera rolls. And the wolf is at the door. Three years after Anatomy of a Murder, Otto Preminger examined the body politics in Advise & Consent. The story is one of power and procedure: deals become extortion, closets reveal skeletons, careers are crushed. History buffs may think they recall real-life counterparts to the characters depicted. Movie fans can revel in a rare starpower array: Henry Fonda, Walter Pidgeon, Don Murray, Gene Tierney, Peter Lawford, Franchot Tone and Charles Laughton in his final role. The gavel has sounded. Let the proceedings - and backstage maneuverings - begin.

A Face in the Crowd (1957)

Meet Lonesome Rhodes: drifter, storyteller and guitar-picker. He's been in and out of jails aplenty but now he has reason to smile. He's just met his perfect match, a piece of talking furniture known as television. Andy Griffith made his stunning movies debut as Lonesome, a big ol' teddy bear whose meteoric rise to TV fame is paralleled by his plunge into booze, sex and political corruption. From collaborators director Elia Kazan and screenwriter Budd Schulberg, A Face In The Crowd carries the white-hot edge of filmmakers who know the media world from the inside out. Patricia Neal, Walter Matthau, Anthony Franciosa and film-debuting Lee Remick are other faces you'll remember in this captivating Crowd.

Americanization of Emily, The (1964)

U.S. Navy honchos in World War II London have a humdinger of a war on their hands. Now they need a hero to got with it. They want the first American fatality of D-Day to be a sailor to glorify the navy's effort. Victor/Victoria's Julie Andrews and James Garner headline this earlier milestone comedy from screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky (Network) and director Arthur Hiller. Garner plays Charlie Madison, and officer who cares nothing about glory. That attracts war widow Emily Barham (Andrews), who's had her fill of seeing men go to war and never return. But the pair’s culture-clash romance is in peril when Charlie sees that the line to become the navy’s defunct hero forms behind him. Your line for hilarious antiwar satire and life-affirming love forms here!

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

Folks In Black Rock have their own way of welcoming mysterious, one-armed stranger John J. Macreedy. He's welcome to leave. Or they'll make sure he leaves in a pine box. Spencer Tracy plays World War II veteran Macreedy, who keeps his own counsel about why he's come to Black Rock and who keeps his wits about him when confronted with threats and violence. Director John Sturges (The Great Escape) ramps up the tension while revealing Macreedy's mission and the town's grim secret. Robert Ryan, Walter Brennan, Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin are among the town's thugs and lap dogs. "I'm half horse, half alligator," one says. They'll find Macreedy is even tougher stuff.

Blackboard Jungle (1955)

Richard Dadier is a man eager to make a difference. Or, some might say, he's a believer in lost causes. Dadier is a new teacher at inner-city North Manual High. Racial and sexual tensions. Violence. Gangs. Apathy. What Blackboard Jungle tackled 50 years ago are still hot-button issues in schools. Glenn Ford as Dadier clings to his ideals and pays a price vying with teen misfits led by Vic Morrow and, in a star-making performance, a too-cool-to-cope Sidney Poitier. Directed by Richard Brooks, Blackboard Jungle is brisk, urgent, and powerful. And it start with the influential Rock Around The Clock, said to be first use of rock 'n' roll in a mainstream movie. Think it'll catch on?

Fury (1936)

Joe Wilson, a wrongly jailed man thought to have died in a blaze started by a bloodthirsty lynch mob, is somehow alive. And dead to all he ever stood for and perhaps ever will be. Because Joe aims to ensure his would-be executioners meet the fat Joe miraculously escaped. Spencer Tracy is Joe, Sylvia Sidney is his bride-to-be and Fury lives up to its volatile name with its searing indictment of mob justice and lynching. In his first American film, director Fritz Lang (Metropolis, The Big Heat) combines a passion for justice and sharp visual style into a landmark of social-conscience filmmaking. In the 49 years before this movie's release, some 6,000 people in the U.S. were victims of lynch mobs. The Fury over those tragedies – and over other injustices to come - remains.

I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang (1932)

World War I is over. Johnny has come marching home. But there's little fanfare and no meaningful work for one war vet. There's only the desperate life of an unjustly convicted fugitive. Twice he is sentenced to a chain gang. Twice he escapes. They can put his hands and feet in irons, but not his will to be free. Paul Muni gives a jolting, lived-in performance in this powerhouse classic directed by Mervyn LeRoy (Little Caesar) and based on autobiographical writings by chain-gang escapee Robert E. Burns. Like many '30's crime sagas, this one thrills with brisk and gritty realities. Yet it also stands apart as a film that made a difference. It ignited protests that led to vital penal reforms. And Burns himself received a commuted sentenced. He would be a fugitive no more.

CRITIQUE

Advise and Consent portrays the political system in an interesting and intriguing light. The committee hearings are never long or boring, but actually interesting to watch. The acting is strong and convincing and the story plays out well. The movie may be a bit long overall, but that's okay. 8/10.

A Face in the Crowd tells an interesting story supported by great acting, directing and writing. The portrayal of fame and fortune getting the worst of Lonesome Rhodes and his descent into recklessness is played out very well and to dramatic results. 8/10.

The Americanization of Emily is a decent movie featuring some good moments. I didn't find it too interesting or funny, but there is some good stuff in it. 7/10.

Bad Day at Black Rock takes a while to get going but it's never boring because Macgreedy's mission is revealed little by little. The conflict between him and the town's folk, who clearly don't want him around, plays out very well and the sense of danger is apparent, which leads to a great payoff towards the end. 8/10.

Blackboard Jungle is a very good and important movie. The acting is great and the writing superb, but I was most impressed by the filmmaking aspect of it. The action and dialogue is staged very well, and the sense of conflict between the teacher and the bully students is sometimes quite chilling. The story is also timeless, so it translates quite well to today's standards. The movie addresses a problem that is both universal and timeless, and the result is an interesting payoff and message. 9/10.

Fury tells an intriguing story and its depiction of justice is both harsh and memorable. Spencer Tracy gives a great performance, direction by Fritz Lang is superb, and there are some pretty frightening scenes involving the mob. A powerful and intriguing movie that is also visually great. 8/10.

I Am A Fugitive from A Chain Gang is an interesting and powerful account of a prisoner's life during his incarceration. The movie addresses serious issues and isn't afraid to show the crass and degrading way prisoners were treated after the first World War. The story is well told and moves at a good pace. Paul Muni plays his character with intensity and haunting persona, and the last minutes are memorable. 8/10.

THE VIDEO

Warner Bros. presents the films in various aspect ratios. Each movie looks pretty nice with the prints upgraded to well saturated colors and fine presentations. Grain and specks persist in various scenes for all movies but overall they look pretty good. Optional subtitles for the movies include English, Spanish and French.

THE AUDIO

Warner Bros. presents the films in English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand, with the front speakers delivering nice audio.

THE EXTRAS

Here is the breakdown of extras for each movie.

Blackboard Jungle
- Commentary by co-stars Paul Mazursky and Jamie Farr, Glenn Ford's son Peter Ford and Assistant Director Joel Freeman
- Droopy Cartoon: Blackboard Jumble
- Theatrical Trailer

A Face in the Crowd
- New documentary: Facing the Past
- Theatrical Trailer

Fury
- Commentary by Peter Bogdanovich, with interview excerpts of director Fritz Lang
- Theatrical trailer

Bad Day at Black Rock
- Commentary by film historian Dana Polan
- Theatrical trailer

Advise and Consent
- Commentary by film historian Drew Casper
- Theatrical trailer

The Americanization of Emily
- Commentary by Director Arthur Hiller
- Featurette: Action on the Beach
- Theatrical trailer

I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
- Commentary by film historian Richard B. Jewell
- Vintage musical short 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang
- Theatrical trailer

FINAL THOUGHTS

These movies are all very interesting and certainly worthy of their inclusion in this Controversial Classics DVD set. The only movie I saw prior to the DVD set is Blackboard Jungle and I was very impressed by each one, with the exception of Emily perhaps. The commentaries for the films range from decent to good, and some have standout moments. This DVD set is highly recommended.

VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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