Showing posts with label film history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film history. Show all posts

Monday, August 3, 2020

TV Show Review - Five Came Back

I'm a big fan of film and history, so a mini-series like this is right up my alley.

Five Came Back is a 2017 3-episode mini-series. It is rated TV-MA for language and graphic images of war and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good


The History. This documentary does an excellent job of covering the careers of 5 top Hollywood film directors, John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens, how they got into film, what they shot before World War II, what their role was in that war, and how it forever affected them. I've heard parts of these stories from time to time, but it was wonderful to see them all together.

The Visuals. This documentary included shots from many films of the era, many photographs of what went on behind the scenes, and plenty of new visuals to tell the story. It looked like a big budget Hollywood production unlike most documentaries that show their small budgets.

The Pace. While this is a documentary, it moves at a much quicker pace than most documentaries. I never found myself getting bored or watching the clock. It moved at the pace of most 1940s films, which was very appropriate.

The Perspective. Too often people have a habit of judging the past by current fads and thought, which makes no sense since the past was a different time with different circumstances. This documentary does an excellent job of keeping the proper perspective and judging the men and their films by the standards of their day. And several modern day directors give very insightful observations about their films and the effect they have on us even today.


The Bad


...


What I Would Like to Have Seen


I was totally satisfied.


Overall


Five Came Back is a 2017 3-episode mini-series. This documentary does an excellent job of covering the careers of 5 top Hollywood film directors, John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens, how they got into film, what they shot before World War II, what their role was in that war, and how it forever affected them. I've heard parts of these stories from time to time, but it was wonderful to see them all together. This documentary included shots from many films of the era, many photographs of what went on behind the scenes, and plenty of new visuals to tell the story. While this is a documentary, it moves at a much quicker pace than most documentaries. I never found myself getting bored or watching the clock. It moved at the pace of most 1940s films, which was very appropriate. Too often people have a habit of judging the past by current fads and thought, which makes no sense since the past was a different time with different circumstances. This documentary does an excellent job of keeping the proper perspective and judging the men and their films by the standards of their day. And several modern day directors give very insightful observations about their films and the effect they have on us even today. I highly recommend this show and give it 5 out of 5 remotes.


   
  

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086G6FKRV/

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Blu-ray Review: Fleischer Rarities: Treasures from the Fleischer Studios by Thunderbean

I love animation from the early days of film. There was no precedent, so the animators and filmmakers had to be trailblazers and experiment. Some of those experiments paid off brilliantly, and others are lessons in what NOT to do.

Fleischer Rarities: Treasures from the Fleischer Studios by Thunderbean is a 2018 blu-ray compilation of animation work by Dave and Max Fleischer for various clients. It is appropriate for all ages.

The Good


Restoration. When you consider how old these films are and that they were never meant to be viewed more than for their initial purpose, it's really incredible that they exist and that they were able to be restored to such a high-quality presentation. Thunderbean did an excellent job making these look just as good they they could.

Bonus Material. The bonus material was my favorite part of this set. The main group of people who would be interested in a collection like this are those who love film, animation, and their rich history, so seeing all these posters, trade ads, production photos, pencil layouts, and other behind the scene treasures is truly wonderful.

To the Moon. This was a short in two-color technicolor and using models for the backgrounds producing a 3-D effect behind the hand drawn animation. It is a really unique look, and I enjoy it on the rare occasions I can find a film that used it.

The Bad


Blu-ray only. This is blu-ray only which limits how one can watch it. I'm sure it was a cost issue, but I do like more flexibility with my movies.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I would love to see a print edition with all of the extras: layouts, posters, promos, ads, photos, etc.

Overall


Fleischer Rarities: Treasures from the Fleischer Studios by Thunderbean is a fun assortment of animation from the early days of film. Some of the films are great, others just interesting artifacts from another era. All are beautifully restored. But the real treasure is all of the bonus material from posters to trade ads to pencil layouts to production stills and much, much more. If you are interested in film history or animation history, this is an incredible collection. I give this blu-ray 4 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.