Many actors/actresses use the method, a form of intense training to delve into the feelings and the emotions of the character they are portraying and, if possible, drawing on personal memories to enhance the performance. One actress who almost transcended the notion of the method was Sophia Loren, such was the embodiment of the characters she inhibited, she was the Italian everywoman: the mother, the lover, the abused and the cherished.

Much of Loren’s onscreen persona can be attributed to her background, she was born on 20th September 1934 into an impoverished family that suffered through war torn Italy and with a father who was constantly absent. That lack of a paternal force in her life was filled by director Vittorio De Sica, who became a father figure for Loren, nurturing her and pushing her to take on roles she had not imagined playing. Their close bond led to a fruitful cinematic output, particularly the 1961 film Two Women, a harrowing drama about a mother and daughter’s brutal ordeal during war torn Italy. Loren was initially in line to play the daughter however De Sica encouraged Loren to take the part of the mother, his faith in her outweighed any doubts she had herself. Loren’s performance in Two Women earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination yet she did not attend the ceremony as she was terrified that she would lose, the self doubt that often plagued her returned, an image which is at contrast with the strong dominant women she often portrayed onscreen. As she stayed at home that evening making sauce for pasta, she would receive a telephone call later from Cary Grant telling her ‘Darling you won’.

Another contrast to Loren was her image as a Hollywood sex kitten, as whilst she was a stunning beauty and an enduring pin up, she never took that side of herself seriously, she had a goofy playfulness to her sex symbol status. And though she was the object of affection for some of the industry’s biggest characters, most notably Cary Grant and Peter Sellers, Loren declined their advances as her heart belonged to one man for her entire life. Sophia Loren met Carlo Ponti in 1950 and despite a 22 year age gap, they had a connection that would last a lifetime. The union however was beset by issues, they married in 1957 however as Italian law at that time did not recognise divorce, Ponti was still technically married to his first wife. To avoid bigamy charges, the couple had their marriage annulled in 1962 and had to wait until Ponti obtained a divorce in France in 1966 to remarry again. The couple remained together until Ponti’s death in 2007 and Loren is still unable to talk about her late husband without getting upset, when asked in an interview if she would ever marry again, Loren replied ‘Never again, it would be impossible to love anyone else’.

The idea of an eternal love that faces obstacles was the theme of Sunflower (1970) which has been remastered and released for the first time on DVD. Directed by Vittorio De Sica, Sunflower begins in post World War II Italy with Sophia Loren’s Giovanna, demurely dressed and with flecks of grey in her hair, she demands to the authorities that her husband is still alive, clutching a picture, she appears worn down by life, but still clinging to the fight inside her. The film then flashes back to the past, an idyllic beach where Giovanna is in the first flings of passion with the handsome and playful Antonio (Marcello Mastroianni) caught up in wistful romanticism, they impulsively decide to get married, which will buy them twelve days before Antonio is deployed to war. In a heady honeymoon haze, they hatch a plan to make Antonio appear to have gone crazy so that he can escape the duty of war, yet the lovers are rumbled and he is sent to the Russian front, promising to return to Giovanna, who dutifully waits for him. When the war ends, Antonio does not return home and is listed as missing, yet Giovanna refuses to believe he is dead, the love she carries is convinced that he has survived so she journeys to Russia to find her husband.

Sunflower is a love story but also a story of war and how, despite unfaltering beliefs that love conquers all, sometimes the ravages of war change people beyond repair. Marcello Mastroianni’s Antonio is a somewhat hard character to invest in, his love for Giovanna is undermined by characteristics such as caddishness and cowardliness. The film therefore inevitably belongs to De Sica’s golden girl Loren who runs the gauntlet of emotions as a hopeless romantic, determined wife and hardened realist. Set to Henry Mancini’s Oscar nominated score, Loren’s undeniably expressive face tells every emotion of her journey, the moment she discovers the real fate of Antonio is a beautiful piece of quiet devastation, her journey of time and distance leads to a damning conclusion.

There are parallels in Loren’s life to those of her character Giovanna in Sunflower, allowing Loren to form a fully believable character that draws from her innate instinct and past emotions. Yet, unlike her character Loren was able to overcome her war-stricken upbringing and to find lasting happiness in life. She became an international sex symbol and one of Italy’s most revered actresses, but above all else Sophia Loren was a devoted wife and mother and the role she dedicated herself to the most was a private life with her family. She remains to this day a colourful force to be reckoned with, one of the last true icons of Hollywood and beyond.

DVD Extras: Rather than extras of the film Sunflower there is an extensive documentary on Sophia Loren titled Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. The documentary features interviews with those who have worked with Loren, those who are friends and those who admire her, such as Woody Allen who exclaims ‘she has it all’. It also includes an interview with Loren herself as she talks about her career, her working relationship with De Sica and her cherished devotion to Carlo Ponti. An interesting snapshot into Italy’s screen goddess.

The remastered film is now available for purchase on DVD, featuring previously unreleased scenes.

Linsey awarded Sunflower (1970) three Torches of Truth

In the dusty mountains of Colorado, Tom Black Bull (Frederic Forrest) a teenage Ute Indian, is adopted by a craggy old cowboy named Red Dillon (Richard Widmark), who recognises the young boy’s bucking potential and plans to make a superstar out of him on the rodeo circuit. When the Legends Die (1972) follows the pair on their road-trip in search of fame and fortune: during which time Red fights bar-hicks, throws contests, demeans women and then descends into alcoholism, not unsurprisingly creating a rift in the friendship.

Based on the middle section of a greater novel by Hal Borland (originally set in the late 1800s), WTLD is a strangely charming excursion that, despite its slight narrative, feels epic due to the vast, mountainous settings. The golden landscapes simmering under the rich sunsets add a calming quality to a tale that never rattles with high drama but makes for a pleasant watch. Adapted for the big screen by Robert Dozier (who wrote some of the original 1960s Batman series) WTLD was produced and (unlike the novel) set in the 1970s and is an intriguing juxtaposition of the past, the tribal elements of old west, with the small town hillbilly culture of “modern” times.

Director Stuart Millar previously produced Little Big Man (1970) and perfectly captures the Colorado life before going on to direct the True Grit sequel Rooster Cogburn and the Lady (1975).

WTLD often feels like it could have done with some emotional complexities to enrich the story. While the relationship between Black Bull and Red is endearing it often lacks depth; only occasionally revealing how the main characters feel about each other on a surrogate father and son level. Forrest plays Black Bull as shy and an often emotionless near mute while Red is mostly entertaining at his whiskey slugging weakest; playing the simple minded hedonist with a vulgar joviality, while forcing Black Bull to grow up and take the reigns in their relationship.

WTLD is very likeable with seemingly shallow but appealing characters, some tranquil cinematography and a simple story. It sorely lacks rattling tragedy and substance, yet the dreamy desert set serenity make it an easy watch.

No Extras.

Daniel has awarded When the Legends Die (1972) on DVD three Torches of Truth

Exploiting the popularity of Steven Spielberg’s landmark summer blockbuster, Jaws (1975), Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis delivered his own knockoff rendition of the monster fish movie with a lunatic effort about a male orca whale exacting revenge against an unthinking human that done him wrong.

The film’s remit, to provide the audience with a creature that could knock seven bells out of a great white shark, is problematic. Orcas might be labelled ‘killer whales’ and therefore hold a certain cache of fear, but Michael Anderson’s film was made in the age when the anti-whaling movement was gathering pace. So, to go and make a picture that featured a whale killing humans is what you call going against the grain.

A gruff Irish boat captain, played with typical charisma by Richard Harris, hunting a great white shark off the coast of Canada accidentally kills a pregnant female orca whale. One of the film’s most grisly scenes involves a half-dead whale miscarrying on the deck of Nolan’s boat. It’s grotesque and arguably one of the most unpleasant and bizarre scenes ever committed to celluloid. A moment where upon a corny thriller narrative (a shark attack) is interrupted by zoological realism (and connotations of the distasteful world of commercial whaling). After this incident, a duel is fought on the coast and out in the big blue sea, as the doomed pair play out an increasingly deadly game of, er, seadog versus whale. Can Nolan atone for his sins and will the determined orca have his revenge served cold?

Orca – The Killer Whale is not entirely without merit. For a movie so conflicting, indeed passive-aggressive, towards the Orcinus orca species, it’s an enjoyable pulpy romp. Ennio Morricone’s melodic score, too, is really one of the maestro composer’s most unsung accompaniments.

Whale lovers will want to stick to the likes of Free Willy (1993) and the more recent Drew Barrymore drama, Big Miracle (2012), because you’ll likely be aghast at Orca – The Killer Whale. The DVD transfer looks reasonable enough for what is a no-frills release, but the grain is highly noticeable in the later scenes, where Nolan meets his mortal enemy on a Maltese set dressed as icy Greenland.

Extras

None

Martyn has awarded Orca: The Killer Whale two Torches of Truth

Depicting Australian machismo, mateship and the rough-and-tumble etiquette of an outback mining town as an almost Kafkaesque fable, Wake in Fright deserves the accolade ‘masterpiece’ – an over-used term for sure, but without a doubt totally justified, here.

Ted Kotcheff’s film, released in 1971, was thought lost for several decades before resurfacing (thankfully) and undergoing a deserved restoration by the National Film and Sound Archive and Deluxe Australia. It has been chosen by Eureka Entertainment to join their exceptional Masters of Cinema series.

John Grant (Gary Bond) is a school teacher trapped temporarily in an outback hellhole called Bundayabba. Thanks to the somewhat aggressive hospitality of the locals and influence of the mysterious ‘Doc’ Tydon (Donald Pleasence), Grant turns from mild-mannered chap into booze-sozzled lout on the road to ruin. His sorry journey and slow degradation makes for one of the finest pictures ever made about social anxiety. It’s as if the Yabba residents’ brains have all been frazzled by the unrelenting sun; their eccentric behaviour and pastimes edge into the realm of the horror movie.

Extras

Wake in Fright began a digital restoration process in 2006 after useable materials were finally discovered. After initial test work was done, it was decided to forgo the photo-chemical option and head down the digital route. In the accompanying booklet, there are photographic examples of what a photo-chemical restoration would look like compared to the digital. The winner is clearly the digital option.

The Blu-ray audio and visual quality is superb. The red rock outback, piercing light, sweaty bodies, arid vistas that stretch on and on (the opening 360 degrees panning shot is awe-inspiring in its depiction of nothingness), the town, known as the Yabba, all looks simultaneously marvellous and sickening – and without losing that essential celluloid appearance.

This really is one of the very best Blu-ray releases distributed by Eureka Entertainment since The Passion of Joan of Arc and the film more than deserves its place in their Masters of Cinema label. A half-hour interview with director Ted Kotcheff; a marvellous commentary track, again with Kotcheff, accompanied by Anthony Buckley, the film’s editor; two short featurettes; a Chips Rafferty obituary; a TV spot; trailer, and a 48-page booklet packed with essays including Kotcheff’s explanation of the controversial kangaroo hunting sequence and a fascinating piece on the film’s complex restoration process roundup an excellent batch of bonus materials for what is a monumental Australian picture.

<Martyn has awarded Wake In Fright five Torches of Truth

This is not the Australia Baz Luhrmann showcased in his epic 2008 production. There may be dusty barrens in both films but that is definitely where the similarities stop. Recognised as a key work of the Australian New Wave film movement, this is a movie that paints a truly sadistic portrait of outback life.

School teacher John Grant (Gary Bond) is journeying from the outback to enjoy Christmas in Sydney with his girlfriend. His plans are derailed however, when he stops off in the mining town of Bundanyabba (known as “The Yabba”) for the night. Seemingly, asserting your masculinity is pretty important in this town, even the local law enforcement encourages heavy drinking, and ultimately the gambling, boozing and violence that John is drawn into triggers a descent into darkness.

Director Ted Kotcheff’s social commentary on the state of Australia at the time perhaps underlines how deeply out of touch from reality some of the country was. The sweaty, aggressive attitude from the locals is beyond reprehensible to those on the outside looking in and Kotcheff astutely challenges this once-championed macho bravado, implying that attitudes should have moved on.

The further John descends into madness, the more the film crawls under your skin and the deeply disturbing climax, in which John and three locals hunt Kangaroos, is definitely up there as one of the most unsettling scenes recorded on celluloid. Whilst many will be outraged, some may argue that this is the kind of footage that needs to be seen; it’s an exercise in understanding depravity. Gary Bond’s stiff upper lip delivery perfectly portrays just how far this fish is out of water and Donald Pleasance deserves further mention for his stint as Doc Tyden. His talk of philosophy through the bottom of a beer mug is perhaps the closest to higher thought anyone in The Yabba gets.

Wake In Fright’s cinematography does harness the dry, grubby feel of the open plain but under Kotcheff’s rule this familiar vision bleeds into an insane, clammy wasteland from which no one can escape.

Mark has awarded Wake In Fright four Torches of Truth

Sidney Lumet was a director who successfully navigated the vast tide of change between Hollywood old and new, with stone-cold classics on either side of the generation gap. In the 1970s, he directed several of the most memorable films of the Hollywood New Wave, including Serpico (1973). It tells the true story of Frank Serpico (Al Pacino), a steely-minded, eccentric cop who sought to expose NYPD corruption at great personal risk.

Serpico’s refusal to take dirty money makes him suspicious to his peers and when he looks to testify, he discovers the extent of the collusion. As an undercover agent, he witnesses the NYPD’s dirtiest depths, confronting the inherent danger of ending up “face down in the East River.” Pacino, fresh from the set of The Godfather (1970), delivers a mercurial, restless performance.

Lumet always shows great thematic interest in lone figures of masculine liberalism; deeply moral nonconformists in the vein of Henry Fonda in 12 Angry Men (1957). For all his shaggy-haired bohemianism, Serpico is an unassuming bastion of old-style masculine honour in many ways, with an unwavering devotion to law & order. Although a Grand Jury is eventually opened, success is hard-won and the film concludes on a downbeat note. The closing shot leaves the cop and his dog in tight medium close-up on the curb and the camera zooms out to reveal his true location: waiting for passage abroad.

The modestly-budgeted film became a commercial success and Serpico became widely and rightly recognised as a modern classic. Justice is flimsy and Serpico is not left unscathed by his choices; he represents a dogged kind of heroism for a cynical decade. The righteous but self-destructive cop, played with tenacity and charm by Pacino, was a hero for his times, and crucially, one that the audience could believe in.

Extras

The feature-length presentation can be viewed in Surround Sound or Original Mono. The disc contains several short featurettes, including Inside Serpico, where Sidney Lumet discusses his methods. In addition, there is Serpico: From Real to Reel, featuring producer Martin Bregman, and Favorite Moments, where the best scenes of the film are discussed in detail. The original theatrical trailer is also included along with a 43-page booklet featuring two interviews and a short essay.

The Blu-ray contains a 1080p restoration of startling clarity. A noticeably lifted transfer, it brightens the New York streets without cleaning up the texture of grimy realism from the print. The Masters of Cinema Serpico disc is one to own.

Christina has awarded Serpico Five Torches of Truth

As argued over in parlours and drinking establishments [and one particular Wes Craven film] many, many times over, there are very few sequels that surpass the original but that’s exactly what Francis Ford Coppola did with The Godfather Part II.

The film and its split time frames following Vito and successor Michael Corleone have been watched, spoken and written about in many forms over many years: this alone would warrant a re-release but the reason why this paragon is receiving a cinematic re-release now is due to the new 4K restoration celebrating its 40^th Anniversary.

The continuing saga of the Corleone family shows the early life of a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro), his move from Sicily to New York and his rise to prominence during the 1910s/20s, something he seemed to take on as a necessity rather than as a result of ambition. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), who took on his role as the head of the family through similar circumstances continues to rule during the 1950s, yet times have become tough; his grip on the crime syndicates and his own life is loosened considerably thanks to revolutions, whistleblowers and his own family.

This isn’t just a lick of paint job; it’s a full-blown mafia hit of reconstruction. The sound of machinegun fire is no longer a dull pop; instead it’s a booming crack of epic magnitude. The failed assassination attempt at Michael’s house now reverberates like a procession of fireworks fired off inside the ear canal. It’s not just the sound that is improved; the Technicolors have been enriched too. Michael’s downward spiral sees the darker colours of the skies and murky waters of the Lake Tahoe house envelope the screen & his mind. Young Vito’s scenes wade in the vibrant orange & brown colour palettes. Finally the death of Fanucci is clearer, even with the hallway bulb removed. The citrus fruit has never looked so orange before now – death waits.

The Godfather Part II is a resplendent masterpiece with performances that befit its majestic regency. This new 4K restoration shows the real beauty in the film and its making.

Mark has awarded The Godfather: Part II re-released five Torches of Truth

In the very latest New Empress Magazine video blog, we take a look at Sidney Lumet’s 1973 cop classic, Serpico, which features Al Pacino sporting a great big bushy beard. The Blu-ray of Serpico is released on Monday February 24th through Eureka Entertainment’s Masters of Cinema label. Stay tuned for our review in the coming days.

Laura Mulvey and Peter Wollen’s stunning, avant-garde examination of the role of women in 1970s Britain is equally mesmeric as it is complex; addressing a range of issues from female identity in a male dominated society to concerns about the state of inner-city childcare. Introduced by Mulvey, who discusses the role of the Sphinx in relation to the themes addressed, Riddles of the Sphinx is broken down into thirteen segments and explores womanhood through the daily routine of a young, single mother.

From gender in the workplace to motherhood and social order, ROTS poses questions on femininity and discusses whether the family model should be considered an obstacle to the liberation of women. Even though the context in which the issues are addressed makes for unique and compelling viewing some of the observations are arguably not always pertinent, as women’s roles in society have changed over the years, yet ROTS is more than just a product of its time but an extraordinary work of art. Its alluring dream-like melding of performance art and socio-political commentary makes for extraordinary and captivating cinema.

While this probably won’t be to everyone’s tastes there is something oblique and alluring about the combination of imagery and experimental editing, along with the minimalist electronic score by The Soft Machine’s Mike Ratledge, which punctuates the visuals with synthesiser pulses. Some of the narration is cryptic, with swathes of abstract poetry open to interpretation and those without expectation could feel a little alienated by the disorientating editing, but ROTS is a remarkable, unexpectedly gripping mishmash of filmic traits. It discards conventional story-telling devices for a structure of moods that, despite its politics, feels as innovative today as it did in 1977.

Extras: Both high and standard definition versions are included along with Mulvey and Wollen’s first feature film’, Penthesilea: Queen of the Amazons. This low-key, exploration of Amazonian women and their historical and cultural significance is merely a piece of filmed performance art but is a curious companion to the feature. An interview with Mulvey provides interesting context along with a feature commentary and a booklet of essays by Sophie Mayer and Rob Young.

Daniel has awarded Riddles of the Sphinx four Torches of Truth

A whole host of bio-pics are being released in the next 12 months from P. L. Travers to Princess Diana, but there is one person no big budget studio has ever come close to capturing. Why has there never been a big budget bio-pic of Elvis Presley? Mark Searby ponders this in our latest video blog whilst occasionally breaking into song. Sorry about that!