4K UHD Review: High Noon
A bonafide movie star for over thirty years of his working life, Gary Cooper is considered by many film historians to one of the more iconic movie stars of all time. Fans loved him because they felt they could relate to him. As fellow film legend Clint Eastwood said of Cooper in the 1991 documentary, […]
Blu-ray Review: Sergeant York
The top grossing film of 1941, Sergeant York was playing in theaters on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The film was credited with helping to recruit soldiers. Sergeant York was nominated for eleven Oscars including three acting awards as well as Best Picture, and Best Director for Howard Hawks. Gary Cooper […]
Blu-ray Review: The Hanging Tree
[amazon_link asins=’B078J5WDKC’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’moviegazett03-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e8e651e3-0f87-11e8-8813-4d74d61cb7da’]A modest success at the time of its release, The Hanging Tree (1959) is now largely considered a superior entry into the then fading western genre. It also marked one of the finest performances of star Gary Cooper’s career. Unfortunately, it would also turn out to be one of his […]
Wings (Blu-ray) [U.K.]
Masters of Cinema’s Blu-ray release of Wings appears to be nearly identical to Paramount’s 2012 offering, save for a slightly better contrast, and more impressive packaging, with the inclusion of a 40-page booklet containing several informative essays and photographs. The first film to win the Oscar for Best Picture, 1927’s Wings is the only silent […]
Blu-ray Review: The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell
Based on a true story, this Otto Preminger courtroom drama recreates the court-martial of World War I hero Brigadier General Billy Mitchell (Gary Cooper). In 1925, in an effort to gain support for the use of air power, Mitchell gave a statement to the press insinuating that the War department was not only incompetent, but […]
Blu-ray Review: Wings
The first film to win the Oscar for Best Picture, 1927’s Wings is the only silent film to win the coveted award. Directed by William Wellman (A Star Is Born, The Ox-Bow Incident, Beau Geste) Wings took over a year to complete because of the technically demanding aerial sequences. The first collaboration between Hollywood and […]
DVD Review: Design for Living
I’ve long pondered exactly what “the Lubitsch touch” was. I’ve enjoyed many of his most political satires (Ninotchka, To Be or Not to Be), and been amused by others (Heaven Can Wait, That Uncertain Feeling) In The Cinema of Ernst Lubitsch, Leland Poague defines “the Lubitsch touch” as his cinematic wit, charming and fluid style. […]
1927’s Wings Coming to Blu-ray January 24
Paramount Pictures has revealed that it will release William A. Wellman’s Wings (1927) on Blu-ray January 24, 2012. Starring Clara Bow, Richard Arlen, Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers, and Gary Cooper, Wings was the first film, and the only silent film, to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. Paramount presents Wings in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio with […]
Bu-ray Review: Vera Cruz
Shot on location in Mexico, 1954’s Vera Cruz was a new kind of western for the time. Filmed in Superscope, featuring sweeping landscapes, and multiple gun battles, and stars Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, rarely has a films tagline—“The Giants Battle in the Biggest Spectacle of Them All!”—seemed so appropriate. Directed by Robert Aldrich (Whatever […]