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The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds
By Tony Lee Moral
In 1963, Alfred Hitchcock frightened moviegoers with his apocalyptic tale of Mother Nature's revenge, The Birds. Now, fifty years later, the film is considered an essential in Hitchcock's filmography. To coincide with the landmark anniversary of the film, this is the first book-length treatment on the production of this modernist masterpiece.
Featuring new interviews with stars Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, and Veronica Cartwright, as well as sketches and storyboards from Hitchcock's A-list technical team (Robert Boyle, Albert Whitlock, and Harold Michelson), this book charts every aspect of the film's production--all set against the tumultuous backdrop of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis and JFK's presidency.
Using unpublished material from the Alfred Hitchcock Collection, Evan Hunter's files, Peggy Robertson's papers, and Robert Boyle's artwork, this is the ultimate guide to one of Hitchcock's most ambitious films. This book analyzes the film's modernist underpinnings, from art director Boyle's initial sketches influenced by Munch's The Scream, to the groundbreaking electronic score by pioneering German composers Remi Gassmann and Oskar Sala.
Tony Lee Moral is a documentary filmmaker, a writer, and the author of Alfred Hitchcock's Movie Making Masterclass and Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie. He has produced, written, and directed more than 100 hours of television for major broadcasters in the United States and the UK. He also has produced behind-the-scenes documentaries for the Doctor Who series, as well as animation and short films. - Comment
New Books
Garden of Dreams: The Life of Simone Signoret
By Patricia A. DeMaio
Simone Signoret is perhaps best-known among movie fans for her beauty, and as an Academy Award winning actress for the film Room at the Top. But, as we discover in Patricia A. DeMaio's new biography of the actress, she was also a survivor of World War II and the blacklist of the 1950s, a social activist and, in later years, a best-selling author. This biography covers not only her life but also her complex marriage to French actor and singer Yves Montand.
Through this biography, we learn that Simone Signoret was both one of the grand actresses of the twentieth century and one of France's most notable stars, who considered herself the "oldest discovery" in Hollywood. Though a latecomer to Hollywood, Signoret was already an international star who had survived the Nazi occupation of Paris, emerging in 1945 as a beautiful, promising actress capable of communicating great emotion through body language as well as dialogue. She gained a reputation as the thinking man's sex symbol, and in several films she portrayed prostitutes with subtlety and depth.
After enduring years of being blacklisted during the McCarthy era, she was thirty-eight years old when she "arrived" in Hollywood, through the back door, in the 1959 British blockbuster Room at the Top. Her portrayal of the endearing Alice Aisgill earned her the Academy Award in 1960, making her the first French actor to win a coveted Oscar.
But any happiness that came with winning the Oscar was short-lived. Later that year, her husband, Yves Montand, had a widely publicized affair with Marilyn Monroe while filming Let's Make Love (1960).
Fiercely protective of her privacy, Signoret ignored the press and remained married to Montand until her death in 1985. Over the years, many attributed her rapid aging and alcoholism to Montand's philandering. She endured this perception in silence, all the while demonstrating a remarkable capacity to reinvent herself as a best-selling author, respected social activist, and revered actress who remained in the cinema, her "garden of dreams," for over four decades.
Patricia A. DeMaio works as a grants resource manager with New Haven Public Schools. She lives in Hamden, Connecticut. Garden of Dreams: The Life of Simone Signoret is her debut biography. - More >
The Crime Films of Anthony Mann
By Max Alvarez
When movie lovers talk about Anthony Mann, it's usually about westerns--specifically the ones he made in the 1950s starring James Stewart. But there is more to Mann's cinematic universe than those tough Wild West action dramas featuring conflicted and secretive heroes.
This brilliant Hollywood craftsman also directed fourteen electrifying crime thrillers between 1942 and 1951, among them such towering achievements in film noir as T-Men (1947), Raw Deal (1948), and Side Street (1949). Mann was as much at home filming dark urban alleys in black-and-white as he was prairies and mountains in Technicolor. His noir protagonists were no less conflicted and complicated than his 1950s cowboys, and these films explored themes no less controversial.
In The Great Flamarion, (1945) we find powerful stories of sexual obsession, in Strangers in the Night (1944) and Strange Impersonation (1946) there are the transformational portrayals of women in wartime and postwar America, in Border Incident (1949) there is the exploitation of Mexican immigrants.
In these films, Mann's forceful camera captured such memorable and diverse stars as Erich von Stroheim, Farley Granger, Dennis O'Keefe, Claire Trevor, Ricardo Montalbán, and Raymond Burr.
Author Max Alvarez uses rare and newly available sources to explore the creation of these noir masterworks. Along the way, this study exposes secrets and solves mysteries surrounding the mercurial director and his remarkable career, which also included Broadway and early live television.
Max Alvarez is the author of Index to Motion Pictures Reviewed by Variety: 1907-1980 and co-editor of Harrison's Reports Film Review Index, 1919-1962 . His work has been published in Film History: An International Journal and Cinecittà Magazine. - More >
One Thousand Nights at the Movies: An Illustrated History of Motion Pictures, 1895-1915
By Q. David Bowers and Kathryn Fuller-Seeley
For many, the history of the movies begins with the birth of the studios that would ultimately become a part of the studio system. But the birth of movies began much earlier than that.
One Thousand Nights at the Movies delves deeply into the fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants entrepreneurs who helped the movies grow from a curious novelty into an industry that could be sustainable and profitable.
This richly illustrated coffee-table book charts the tumultuous growth from early inventions and Thomas A. Edison's innovations through the creation of film studios, picture palaces, and the first movie stars.
The authors spotlight the various nickelodeons (and their owners) that first captured the public's attention and interest. Utilizing a wealth of spectacular, never-before-published photographs and rare archival evidence the book celebrates and explores the showmanship of these mom-and-pop Main Street nickelodeon theaters across the United States.
The authors also explore the first stars that the nickelodeons produced and how fans of those stars influenced not only the early moviemakers but gave rise to a new idea in publishing magazines dedicated to those stars and their fans.
Bringing a lifetime of research to this fascinating story of how an upstart new entertainment medium struggled in the early 1900's to become America's greatest form of popular culture, the authors show how it went from Main Street to Wall Street and changed the world.
Tricia Welsch is an associate professor on the Marvin H. Green, Jr., Fund and chair of the film studies program at Bowdoin College. Her work has appeared in Cinema Journal, the Journal of Popular Film and Television, Film Quarterly, Film Criticism, the Journal of Film and Video, the Quarterly Review of Film and Video, Griffithiana, and Genre.
Q. David Bowers is the author of various books on automatic music machines. Combining his love of those machines with his interest in early film history, he has written The Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments as well as Nickelodeon Theaters and Their Music and Thanhouser Films. Bowers is the Numismatic Director of Whitman Publishing. - More >
The Wizard of Oz: The Official 75th Anniversary Companion
By Jay Scarfone and William Stillman
Seen by over one billion people worldwide since its 1939 premiere, and consistently ranked as one of the Top Ten movies of all time, The Wizard of Oz is more than a classic film; it has become a cultural icon.
Just in time for the film's milestone 75th anniversary, the authors have amassed a treasure trove of material including a host of never-before-seen ephemera, and nine removable features.
Open the door to the Land of Oz and travel down the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy and her companions on the journey of a lifetime. Along the way readers learn the filmmaking tricks and techniques behind the film's realistic tornado, why Dorothy's shoes were ruby-colored, and how the filmmakers got a fleet of Winged Monkeys to fly.
The authors reveal filmmaking secrets and information on everything from the film's pre- and post-production to early reviews and publicity to never-before-published stories from the cast and crew, making it the definitive book on the subject.
Beautifully designed with an array of film stills, Technicolor test frames, rare artwork and photography, and costume and set illustrations, this collectible edition provides an unrivaled glimpse at the land where dreams come true.
It is comprehensive in its scope yet accessibly written and beautifully designed--perfect for The Wizard of Oz fans, film buffs of all ages and collectors.
Jay Scarfone and William Stillman are the authors of several books on the creation and legacy of the motion picture , The Wizard of Oz. Historians and collectors since the 1970s, they have amassed one of the world's largest and most comprehensive archives of memorabilia from MGM's The Wizard of Oz. Additionally, they have been contributors and advisors to other books, periodicals, and documentaries on Hollywood history, memorabilia and collectibles. They live in Pennsylvania. - More >
DVD Reviews
The Belle of Broadway on DVD
Movie plots don't get much more preposterous than the one in the light melodrama The Belle of Broadway (1926). Not only is the story conceit outlandish (aging stage star convinces the world that the young actress impersonating her is really the aging star herself, courtesy of a brilliant plastic surgery job), but the plot also hinges on several outrageous coincidences. Nonetheless, this 60-minute silent film from Columbia Pictures is still an extremely charming and pleasant affair, and it's been given a superbly beautiful release on Sony's new made-on-demand Choice Collection DVD.
The film begins in the 1890s with "Madame Adele," the toast of the Paris theater world, in her youthful prime and enrapturing audiences with her role in Du Barry. But her husband is consumed with jealousy, especially over the aggressive affections of a rival, Count Raoul (Armand Kaliz). The husband promptly packs up and leaves one day, taking their baby son with him. Adele is devastated. Cut to the present day, with Adele (Edith Yorke) now an old(er) woman, down on her luck, struggling to find acting work...and still mourning the loss of her son. A theater producer tells her that she is too old for any acting jobs, but that were she still youthful, he would revive Du Barry. He doesn't think, of course, that it could literally happen. But soon thereafter, on a lark, Adele has the young woman who looks after her, Marie (Betty Compson), try on the old Du Barry costume dress. Lo and behold, she is the spitting image of Adele in her youth, and Adele now hatches a plan to fool the theater producer, and the world, by making them think that Marie is Adele, magically rejuvenated by means of plastic surgery.
Marie becomes a sensation, but Adele's old suitors -- now all old men -- start comically hounding her, thinking she's Adele, and the Count is still around to cause trouble, too. And the young man (Herbert Rawlinson) who actually loves Marie happens to be Adele's long-lost son, leading to amusing complications that finally start the thrust of the film. If one can swallow that coincidence, the rest of the picture is quite enjoyable.
It helps, too, that the movie is well paced and the cast is so appealing across the board, with plenty of Hollywood veterans giving a professional show. Herbert Rawlinson, for instance, about 40 when he made this film, had hundreds of credits going back to 1911. Upon the transition to sound a couple of years later, he moved into character parts, often uncredited, in more than 100 further films, and worked consistently to his death in 1953. His final film appearance was in Ed Wood's Jail Bait (1954).
Betty Compson was a major star at Paramount in the silent era, and at the time of this film was married to actor-director James Cruze. Their divorce in 1930 would lead to the loss of most of her fortune. Still, she made a lasting impression in The Docks of New York (1928), was nominated for an Oscar for The Barker (1928), and continued to act in the talkie era, until her retirement in 1948. She also re-married and lived until 1974.
And in a major supporting role is lovable character actor Tom Ricketts, a man with over 200 acting credits stretching back to 1909, plus many more directing and writing credits. Most of his ensuing talkie parts were uncredited, but he will be recognizable to modern movie fans from films like After the Thin Man (1936), in which he played an ancient butler, as well as The Invisible Man (1933) and Son of Frankenstein (1939), his final picture.
The Belle of Broadway's title is rather mysterious, as the film is set in Paris, not New York. The plot probably inspired the play Ever Green, written four years later by playwright Benn W. Levy and adapted into the 1934 Jessie Matthews vehicle Evergreen.
Sony's made-on-demand DVD-R is splendid. The film looks downright amazing with a gorgeous image, including some tinted scenes. Christopher Caliendo's new, original, and lovely score, heavy on piano, enhances the image very well.
By Jeremy Arnold - More >
Dracula: Prince of Darkness on Blu-ray
Seven years after resurrecting Count Dracula for a new generation in Hammer Films' The Horror of Dracula, Christopher Lee returned to role under the direction of Hammer's defining director, Terence Fisher, for a direct sequel. In fact, Dracula: Prince of Darkness opens a recap of the Horror of Dracula finale, which is the first and last time we see Peter Cushing in the picture. But while the film is a genuine sequel with a new story (scripted by Jimmy Sangster from an idea by producer Anthony Hinds, both using pseudonyms in the credits) it reworks many details from the classic novel and Hammer's adaptation on a smaller scale.
This time the innocents are a group of English tourists--brothers Charles (Francis Matthews, speaking with a Cary Grant lilt) and Alan (Charles Tingwell) and their wives Diana (Suzan Farmer) and Helen (Hammer regular Barbara Shelley)--vacationing in the Carpathian Mountains. Dumped in the woods by a terrified coachman just before darkness falls, they are taken to Dracula's castle in a driverless carriage and take refuge in the seemingly empty yet oddly kept up place, despite the warnings of travelling priest Father Sandor (Andrew Keir in holy monk warrior garb) and the ominous arrival of the castle's sole living occupant, Klove (Philip Latham), servant to long-dead master. Klove delivers the film's best line to his guests, who enquire about the Dracula legacy: "My master died without issue, sir, in the accepted sense of the term." (Curiously, Klove is nowhere to be seen in the original The Horror of Dracula). He's enough to put you off the main course, and it does exactly that to Helen, the only member of the party with sense enough to want out of there.
There's nothing particularly threatening in the atmosphere of these early scenes. An earlier stop in the local rustic tavern is almost cheery (the dire warnings of Sandor notwithstanding) and though it's a little odd to find the castle awaiting their arrival with a table set and their luggage set out in upstairs guest rooms, it's a bright, colorful, well-lit place. Fisher adds in the eeriness slowly, mostly through the presence of Klove and his gangly appearance, slightly off-kilter carriage, and perpetual dour expression. It's with the shadows of night that things start to get really creepy.
The film's most memorable set piece is the resurrection of Dracula, who is literally a pile of ashes brought back to corporeal form by a gush of human blood waterfalling into his crypt from a human sacrifice. Klove performs the act with the care and deliberation of a religious ritual, giving an already gruesome scene a terrible gravity. One of Sangster's defining contributions to the Hammer horrors was his creative twists on the usual conventions and this startling rebirth is one of his best, an unholy baptism in blood. Les Bowie, the film's special effects wizard, provides Hammer with one of the most evocative effects in the studio's history. As the blood and ash bubble up into primordial life, the vaguely humanoid flesh growing in front of our eyes, slowly taking human form from the inside out in a series of lap dissolves until a pool of fog fills the crypt and obscures our view. And still his arrival is put off for a grand entrance: Lee standing tall in aristocratic clothes and cape, with an ashen, corpse-like pallor, animal red eyes, and a heartless smile that pulls back to reveal his fangs before sinking them into his first victim.
Lee never speaks a word as Dracula, merely hissing and spitting like a cat and using his piercing eyes mesmerize and silently command his prey. Lee avoided returning to the role for years and seems to be back reluctantly. He has top billing but half the film has gone by before his first appearance and he has less screen time than any of the featured actors. He dominates his scenes by the sheer power of his size and presence and dark, ferocious magnetism, but he comes off more like a demonic beast in dress clothes than the ancient, cultured Count Dracula.
The rest of the film is routinely plotted. Charles is the story's answer to Jonathan Harker, young(ish) and impulsive and tempting fate by proposing a toast to the Count, and Diana is in the Mina role, the dewy young beauty who Dracula chooses to make his new bride. A solo Shelley stands in for the three female vampires of the novel and fly-gobbling Thorley Walters plays the Renfield role as a doddering old tinker. The modest budget keeps the action limited to just a few sets and a couple of locations in the woods. Even the castle, viewed from afar, is a small-scale model shot with soft focus to obscure its origins. But Fisher sets the tone beautifully in the first scene, a funeral procession through the wood with an angelic-looking young maiden on a litter and a man with a hammer and stake following behind, and as the film progresses he casts more shadows across the sets and drops the camera for low-angle shots and cant angles to suggest a world off-balance. As in Hammer's first Dracula, this film offers another inventive solution to the defeat of the vampire (drawn right out of vampire lore), and Andrew Keir's Father Sandor is a worthy stand-in for Van Helsing, at once a devoted priest, a religious warrior, and a worldly man, and Keir gives him an earthy, experienced presence.
Dracula: Prince of Darkness makes its stateside Blu-ray debut with the same restored and remastered transfer created by Studio Canal for the British Blu-ray release. The colors are strong but subdued throughout the film, jumping to life only when blood is spilled and the rich crimson burns into the image. The disc has been criticized for too much DNR smoothing over the grain but the image is clean and clear throughout and it is a significant improvement in clarity and detail from previous DVD releases.
New to this disc is the 30-minute documentary, Back to Black: The Making of Dracula: Prince of Darkness, featuring new interviews with actors Barbara Shelley and Francis Matthews, film historians Marcus Hearn and Jonathan Rigby, film music historian David Huckvale, and Sherlock writer and actor Mark Gattis, offering a little production history, some stories from the set, and an appreciation of the film.
Carried over from earlier Anchor Bay DVD release is commentary by stars Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Francis Matthews and Suzan Farmer, recorded more than a decade ago with all four actors reunited and swapping remembrances in a collegial atmosphere, and there is an episode from the World of Hammer documentary series on "Hammer Stars: Christopher Lee." Also features a restoration comparison, a restored version of the original trailers, and a gallery of stills.
By Sean Axmaker - More >
Betty Boop: The Essential Collection, Vol. 1 on DVD
Notorious Pre-Code silliness but rarely appreciated firsthand, the early-'30s Betty Boop cartoons by Dave and Max Fleischer, released in twin DVD packages from Olive Films, have not been ubiquitous in the American mainstream in the era of TV and video. Betty herself has always been instantly recognizable and iconic, for purely campy reasons, but the shorts were hardly ever syndicated or reshown or serialized, whereas the Fleischers' own Popeye 'toons, as well as Warner's Looney Tunes, Krazy Kat, Ub Iwerks' warped one-offs from the '30s, and Paul Terry's Terrytoons all did their duty in constant syndicated-TV rotation from the '60s to the '80s. Looking at them now, the shorts' non-ubiquity isn't very surprising - the Boop shorts are hugely, monstrously inappropriate for the narrow purpose of entertaining gradeschoolers over their Cheerios before they dash to the bus stop. They are in fact inappropriate for nearly any purpose that comes to mind. They may be the strangest films ever made in America.
The notorious distillation of Pre-Code naughtiness in eye-popping cartoon form, Betty Boop wasn't a full-on character (she never wants or struggles or even says very much) but a totem-sign of cost-free sexuality and the much-missed hedonist groove of the Roaring '20s. With her often barely covered breasts, tiny black teddy, ever-present left-thigh garter, and non-stop hootchie-koo sass, Boop is an unmistakable libido object refined down to a few spare lines and shapes, and remains a campy byword for retro-sexual culture. She also represented a freer, happier, more carefree bygone day and age; however outrageous she might seem today for the early '30s, it's stunning to consider her as essentially an object of bitter nostalgia and eternal youth - the last flapper, the crystallized persona of a belle epoque that vanished with a hair-whitening pop just a handful of months earlier.
But Betty herself, even at her animated dirtiest, is not what makes the Betty Boop oeuvre remarkable. Indeed, her taboo-busting is perfectly sensible - you see what she's doing, and you know why, especially once she's chased and manhandled by a rape-minded character (it happens in at least four separate films). We all know what sexual desire is, fettered or not. It's the rest of the shorts' business, happening around Betty like a catastrophically bad dream, that's inexplicable and dismaying. Whether Boop is a snake-oil saleswoman or a Presidential campaigner or just a party girl on parade, the action around her is ceaseless lysergic madness, creepy transformations, miniature people, non sequitur anthropomorphisms, ad infinitum. When a man pours Betty's cure-all elixir on his pegleg, it turns instantly into a small third hand holding a small cane, upon which he strolls away, because why not? When flowers get scared and flee, of course they leave tiny skeletons behind. A Bunsen burner flame lights a cigar with a match and then naturally burns itself.
Any object can and does spontaneously grow body parts for no particular purpose - including hands and feet, as if possessed by appendage homunculi - and orifices (sometimes mouths, sometimes not) can appear anywhere, to swallow someone or to spit something up or to provide a tongue for some inappropriate licking. Miniature versions of characters can and do emerge from their ears or noses or pants, table legs have femurs, the moon eats pancakes and gets food poisoning. When a man pours snake-oil elixir on his pegleg, it turns instantly into a small third hand holding a small cane, upon which he strolls away. When the planets gather to an auction of Earth, Saturn turns out to be a Jew, and buys it. When Bimbo's ass gets slapped (don't ask), it fumes black smoke then emits tiny winged bugs. Then there are manifestations that even defy description - as in Bimbo's Initiation (1931), which the doglike Bimbo falls through a manhole and into an underground torture chamber populated by black-fur-faced creatures in onesies, each with a large candle burning on top of their head. ("Wanna join?" is all they say.) Who or what these things are meant to reference is a known unknown that went with the Fleischers to their graves. The juxtapositions aren't ironic or satiric or metaphoric; they just are, like the delusions of a schizophrenic. The Surrealists never went so far.
The Fleischers had been mining their collective unconsciousness for years already, starting with the Out of the Inkwell shorts in 1919, but the Boop shorts are the acme achievement of this unleashed sensibility, and are so much odder, with their ubiquitous rhythmic boogie beat and misfiring sight gags that are closer to nightmares, than Disney's competing cartoons that it's a wonder that they were shown to the same audiences. The most disarming realization is that none of the Fleischer's frantic, mad inventions are even remotely funny. Surreal juxtapositions and free-associative mash-ups and bizarre anthropomorphisms are all fine if they're amusing, or at least have some satiric or comedic point. The Fleischers, at least here, seemed to be virtually humor-free creatives, going wild inventing nonsense but ending up only with a torrent of nasty, deranged subconscious imagery that is basically too weird to be comedy. They're so ferociously odd, in fact, that the sunny, goofy, child-like vibe that traditionally flows out of old-school cartoons like heat waves is completely absent. Instead, the films have the rather terrifying chill of cognitive impairment, of helplessness, of maniacal impulses unchecked and roaming free. Watching the shorts, you're always on edge, wondering - because there is absolutely no way for you to guess - what collision or senseless manifestation will occur next. The experience is joyless, uneasy, almost sickening, a feeling probably accentuated by the filmmakers' primitive animation capacity and crude black-&-white drawings; there's no polish or gloss, just the torrent of nightmarish ideas and confounding explosions.
Watching the Betty Boop films under some substance's influence might seem a reflexive mode, and may be a good idea - that way, you're gigglingly safe from the irrationality and grim weirdness. You can't help what the Fleischers meant - were they trying to be funny? Perhaps they gave unique voice and image to the disorder and uncertainty of the first years of the Great Depression. Perhaps that's how they were intended, as a vision of an American landscape twisted beyond rationality and logic. It's doubtful, under the circumstances; auteurist intention seems inapplicable here, whereas how these films might've subconsciously embodied a culture-wide nausea, somewhat as German Expressionism was imbued with its nation's post-WWI anxiety and shame, may be the only explanation we have.
Several of Boop's most famous films, including Minnie the Moocher (1932) and Poor Cinderella (1934), are missing, but corkers like Betty Boop, M.D. (1932), Betty Boop for President (1932) and Betty Boop's Rise to Fame (1934) are, along with a few post-pre-Code sanitizations, like 1937's The Foxy Hunter, produced after the Code put a sleeved dress on Betty and made her an uncontroversial figure of maternal warmth. In the DVD sets, all of the shorts are cleanly transferred from fine 1950s TV-syndication prints, sans Paramount logo. Together, they should be handled with care, like disturbing messages from a psychotic past.
by Michael Atkinson - More >
Darkman on Blu-ray
Sam Raimi always wanted to make his own superhero movie. It was a natural fit for the director, as the Spider-Man films so clearly prove, but in 1990 no one was ready to trust him with a comic book hero on the strength of a couple of Evil Dead movies. So he created his own character: Darkman, a disfigured, damaged scientist who emerges from a fiery original story with one foot in the world of Gothic horror and the other in Hollywood action cinema.
Liam Neeson is Peyton Westlake, a scientist working on the experimental "liquid skin" in a laboratory built out of a waterfront warehouse. He lives with Julie Hastings (Frances McDormand), an attorney representing a shady developer (Colin Friels) whose trail of bribes starts to surface. When he sends his thug Durant (Larry Drake), a beady-eyed heavy with a jowly face, a posh sense of fashion, and a pocket cigar cutter that doubles as a portable guillotine for the fingers of his victims, to grab the incriminating documents, Peyton and his lab assistant become collateral damage.
Darkman was Raimi's first studio film and, while hardly a big-budget project, he had more resources at his disposal than he had ever had before and he celebrates with a big, busy opening scene of gang warfare. Raimi lets us know exactly what kind of film we're in for in the first scene, where a gang stand-off becomes a massacre after Durant's men pull out a machine gun hidden in prosthetic limb. Guns appear out of nowhere, dozens of characters scatter and fall in the melee, and a car bursts out of a shipping crate, just because. It looks like a grindhouse gang thriller with a budget boost, not particularly slick or polished but revved up with over-the-top action and creative character touches and a big, dramatic Batman-esque orchestral score from Danny Elfman. The mayhem is pushed to extremes with the attack on Peyton, who is no more than a bystander in the power struggle. The quirky members of this eccentric crew aren't urban criminals, they're the sadistic spawn of a comic book supervillain, gleefully torturing their victims before sending them off with a dramatic flourish. A fiery explosion turns the genial scientist into a disfigured creature of the shadows, kept alive by experimental surgery that leaves him superhumanly strong, impervious to pain, and an emotional powder keg.
For the medical exposition, Jenny Agutter (An American Werewolf in London) makes an uncredited appearance as a burn ward nurse giving a tour to medical interns. She's a fabulous piece of work, with a cheery attitude toward the students but utterly unconcerned with the welfare of the actual patient, who is wrapped like a mummy and strapped to a rotating brace that seems to serve no purpose beyond disorienting the patient. That's part of the fun of Raimi's approach: it revels in monster movie lab clichés, like a fan slipping a tribute to Universal horror movies into his brightly-colored comic book of a movie.
Under ratty bandages, a heavy cloak out of the Victorian-era stage drama and theatrically oversized black hat, our Darkman looks like the Phantom of the Opera in urban America. His mad-scientist lab is built out of the embers of his old warehouse laboratory, a contemporary version of Dr. Frankenstein's castle of rebuilt equipment and a stuttering computer cobbled together with duct tape and bailing wire. He needs to perfect the liquid skin to rebuild the face that has been charred to exposed muscle and bone, but while the concoction can be molded into hands and articulated faces (love those 1990 computer graphics!) and pulled on like rubber gloves and masks, they last a mere 99 minutes before dissolving into a smoking, bubbling mess. It barely gives him enough time to take his revenge on the thugs who tortured and disfigured him for the bad luck of having inconvenient evidence in his lab. Masks and costume changes, of course, are involved.
It's a little shaggy when compared to his Spider-Man movies, more in line with the anything-goes approach of Army of Darkness, endearingly sloppy with details and filled with invention flourishes and a film-lover's fun when it comes to playing with genre conventions. But for all the humor strewn through the film, Raimi keeps the film on the serious side, especially when it comes to his tortured hero. Along with Phantom of the Opera and Frankenstein you can pick out the inspiration of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and Beast, and even The Incredible Hulk. Not merely disfigured, he's emotionally unstable thanks to the burns and the surgery, driven to obsession and flying into fits of rage. Neeson, who spends most of the film behind bandages and elaborate make-up, conveys that torture with his eyes and his body language. Raimi sometimes lets the performances get out of control, verging on hysteria or burlesque, but Neeson's tormented intensity keeps the film centered. Darkman is as much tragic monster as shadowy superhero and vengeance is all he has left when he realizes that he can never be with the woman he loves. It only compounds his anger and instability. It's comic-book melodrama but Raimi makes the tragedy the dark heart at the center of Darkman.
This isn't the Blu-ray debut of Darkman--Universal put out a bare-bones Blu-ray a few years ago--but Shout Factory's release is mastered from a new and improved HD transfer and is filled with supplements. There's nothing new from Sam Raimi (although there are vintage interviews with the director) but key members of the cast and crew are well represented in newly-recorded supplements, including new interviews with stars Liam Neeson (who doesn't offer much detail but does reveal that Gary Oldman and Bill Paxton were both up for the role) and Frances McDormand (who tells better stories, like how she got to know Raimi and the Coen Bros. when they were all starving artists sharing a house in Los Angeles).
There are also new interviews with bad guy Larry Drake, henchmen Danny Hicks and Dan Bell, make-up artist Tony Gardner, and production designer Randy Ser and art director Philip Dagort, and new commentary by cinematographer Bill Pope. Darkman was his first feature as a DP--he went on to shoot Army of Darkness and Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3 for Raimi as well as the Matrix trilogy for the Wachowskis--and he spends his time on the production details. The new interviews are all in HD. Archival extras include a vintage featurette and profiles of and interviews with Raimi, Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, and Larry Drake, all produced and presented in standard definition.
By Sean Axmaker - More >
Khartoum on Blu-ray
By the mid-'60s the big-screen Road Show epic was in full swing, with Biblical spectacles and musicals joined by war pictures like The Battle of the Bulge and In Harm's Way. 1965's Khartoum had most of the elements considered necessary for success: exotic locales, huge battles and historical figures writ large. It also has a literate script that looks the politics of the situation in the eye. It may fall short of greatness, but is still a hugely enjoyable spectacle boasting a pair of powerful performances.
1884. The Mahdi, a self-ordained leader of a new Jihad that he hopes will sweep the Mohammedan world (Laurence Olivier), threatens the Sudan and Egypt, vital centers of influence for the British Empire. Egypt has already lost an army trying to subdue him, and Prime Minister Gladstone (Ralph Richardson) has no intention of miring his government in another African fiasco. He sends General Charles 'Chinese' Gordon, hero of the opium wars (Charlton Heston). Gordon brought peace and an end to the slave trade in the Sudan a decade before, and perhaps can turn the tide now. Accompanied by Colonel J.D.H. Stewart (Richard Johnson), Gordon travels to Khartoum only to find that the Mahdi cannot be dissuaded. Morally bound not to quit the city, he forces Gladstone's hand, and an army is indeed sent up the Nile under the command of General Wolseley (Nigel Green). But its purpose is to assuage critics back in London, not save Gordon. The legendary General prepares to defend Khartoum against overwhelming odds.
Shot on location in Ultra Panavision (that's 65mm, slightly squeezed), Khartoum has a true epic feel and some wonderfully detailed battles. One conflict makes clever use of matted red skies to evoke a convincing pre-dawn look (see next image below). The geography of the Nile River and Khartoum's location at a fork between two major tributaries is very clearly spelled out. Robert Ardrey's Oscar-nominated script clarifies the politics of a highly contentious situation. Just five years before, an entire British government fell because of a defeat under the spears of an African Zulu army. Gladstone's intention is make the right 'gestures' to achieve his desired political ends -- without risk of another humiliating disaster.Khartoum does its best to heighten the clash between two determined religious men, General Gordon and the implacable Mahdi. In reality the two never met face to face, but the script has them engaging in two meetings anyway. This may be bad history, but is a necessary contrivance to animate the story. Both men believe in divine intervention and the utter rightness of their cause. The Mahdi has delusions of grandeur, and Gordon's vanity is legendary. Both are ascetics to some degree, and both believe their ultimate reward will be found only in the next life.
Screenwriter Robert Ardrey was a social scientist known for scholarly nonfiction. He's also the screenwriter for the nearly perfect western The Wonderful Country, in which gunslinger Robert Mitchum finds himself in a political bind between Texas lawmen and Mexican warlords. The big message in this colonial-era story is that without clear policies, foreign affairs are doomed to end in messy and tragic wars without honor or purpose. It was too early for the judiciously left-leaning producer Julian Blaustein (Broken Arrow; The Day the Earth Stood Still) to be alluding to Vietnam, and the movie is better for not having to carry that baggage. The irony is that, even as Khartoum shows the cynical way Gladstone regards colonial issues, the movie still resolutely insists that Gordon is some kind of savior to the Sudanese. In one scene, his main black lieutenant confuses him with Jesus Christ. Crediting Gordon with humanitarian aims is difficult to justify. His previous experience was helping to subdue China for the opium trade, one of the most cynically wretched campaigns in colonial history.
If the film never transcends the 'favorite battles' genre, it's because we never learn much about the Sudanese people or why Gordon was so beloved. For that matter, we also aren't told exactly what made the Mahdi such a demon. Could he be justified in liberating his country from the influence of so many infidel Europeans and their passive Egyptian cronies? Or is he yet another accursed maniac bent on slaughtering multitudes in revenge against the West? Khartoum is critical of British policy, but it is still told from an exclusively British point of view.
Charlton Heston is so good at playing larger-than life military heroes that he overcomes the fact that he hasn't an English bone in his body. He also doesn't remotely resemble the reportedly short and stout Gordon. Few actors could face a mob of assassins with just a walking stick in his hand and not look foolish, but that's the exact kind of scene that comes naturally to Heston.
Laurence Olivier's part was carefully designed so that his entire performance could be filmed on a soundstage back in England. This works out all right, except that it adds to the static feel of much of the picture. Dyed dark brown, and affecting a manner of speech that's either inspired or the all-time bad 'Wog' imitation, Sir Larry has come up for some heavy criticism over the years. The Mahdi pronounces 'Khartoum' as if he were clearing his throat to spit, and when his mouth is at rest he often lets his tongue protrude, like a third lip. But the deviousness in The Mahdi's eyes, and the reptilian glee with which he informs Gordon that all hopes for reinforcement are doomed, are exceedingly well expressed. It's Acting with a capital A, and it provides the film with a credible, fascinating villain.
Ralph Richardson and Michael Hordern do their usual solid jobs as the standard equivocating politicians. Richard Johnson was Bulldog Drummond in a couple of spy pictures and was once considered to play James Bond. He's a suitably dashing but almost completely inexpressive leading man, perfectly suited to these kinds of stiff-soldier roles. This is one of his best pictures, as J.D.H. Stewart is a sympathetic good soldier doing his best for his country and his ego-driven commander. Surrounded here by knights and classier players, in the '70s Johnson turned to crude Euro-horror - zombie movies and Exorcist rip-offs. The English actor-chameleons Marne Maitland and Douglas Wilmer cover the leading Arab roles.
The prologue scenes of Egypt are attractively filmed, although the "Africa is mysterious" voiceover that goes with them doesn't prepare us for the cynical politics that follows. Perhaps taking a cue from the cost overruns of Sam Spiegel's Lawrence of Arabia, the mostly unadventurous director Basil Dearden puts economy first. As both Gordon and The Mahdi stayed in their headquarters during the major battles, the actors do a lot of their emoting on English sets and process stages. Heston definitely spent time on location for scenes showing Gordon traveling by boat and preparing the defenses of the city, but he's also matted into quite a few dialogue scenes, sometimes not very convincingly. Most of the scenes of massive armies clashing in the desert and at the gates of the city, no recognizable actors are on view - an editor could easily paste the same footage into another movie and few would be the wiser.
(spoiler) At the finale General Gordon goes to his fate like a noble martyr. We're simply told that his alter ego The Mahdi followed him in Death soon thereafter, as Gordon had predicted. Multitudes of Sudanese, Egyptians and Europeans are presumed to perish, along with all the good and dutiful soldiers we have met. Whether this worked out well for the conniving Gladstone and his political cronies is not divulged. We are instead given the movie's low point, a thudding final benediction: "A world with no room for the Gordons, will be reclaimed by the sands." Huh? It almost sounds like, 'A Day without a Wicket is a Day without Sunshine', from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. This entertaining epic criticizes colonial politics, and then eulogizes them.
Khartoum was Charlton Heston's last major Road Show movie. Unlike El Cid, it has absolutely no romantic angle and is therefore limited in box office appeal to male fans of war and battle. For a Road Show it's rather short: only two hours and sixteen minutes with overture, intermission and curtain music. A typical Road Show was between 160 and 190 minutes, with an intermission at about the hundred-minute mark. It's a nice format that would be fun to see come back, as it was always exciting to have a mid-point chat about the show (and run to the restroom) before getting back to battles. With the modern cinema's lack of pageantry (no fancy curtain rituals) and desire to cram in as many shows as possible per day, the Road Show format is not likely to return. Audiences are now often asked to sit through 2.5 - 3 hour movies without a break.
The Twilight Time Blu-ray of Khartoum is a glorious thing. Beautifully remastered from 65mm elements, the HD transfer reflects the fine work of MGM's restoration people at Deluxe Digital. The movie has few opticals and it appears to have been perfectly stored and preserved. Frank Cordell's "King & Country" flavored compositions are auditable on a discrete Isolated Score Track, a Twilight Time specialty. An original trailer is also included.
The commentary by Nick Redman, Lem Dobbs and Julie Kirgo offers a useful comparison of the film to historical accounts of the Siege of Khartoum. A wealth of detail was left out, much of it presumably to make Chinese Gordon appear more heroic. For instance, the great emancipator of The Sudan reportedly reinstated the slave trade during the siege. In other respects the commentary seems ill judged. Khartoum is constantly being belittled in comparison to Cy Endfield's Zulu. A commentary shouldn't end up as critical target practice... Khartoum has nothing to be ashamed of.
Ms. Kirgo's liner notes are more balanced. She finds apt comparisons between Basil Dearden's epic and Franklin J. Schaffner's Patton. To this writer, the obvious forerunners of this 'Brits in Africa' saga are the several versions of The Four Feathers, a more rousing but considerably less enlightened adventure epic.
By Glenn Erickson - More >
Press Release
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me - Now in Limited Release
The first thing one thinks after just a few minutes of Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me is, why is this fantastic woman not more famous? Fans that follow Stephen Sondheim reunions soon learn about the high regard given the performer who sang "The Ladies Who Lunch" from 1970's Company. The woman is a ball of brash energy and winning charm. Some stars and divas are always 'on' and require an entourage to make themselves seem more important. Elaine plows through the world mostly on her own and her version of being "on" is being herself. In one clip John Turturro explains what makes Stritch unique. She has no defensive shell to cover her feelings. The real Elaine is all up front, on top, in your face. She can be brassy and profane, but nothing she says sounds phony. Riding home from a TV taping, Elaine expresses her doubts about the constant hugs and kisses among show people: "Everybody is just loving everybody too much for my money."
The cameras of producer/director Chieme Karasawa follow Elaine Stritch through busy days of activity, beginning with her walks from her apartment at the Hotel Carlyle. She's courteous to well wishers, hugs their dogs and yells like Ratzo Rizzo when a car tries to cut her off in a crosswalk. At lunch with friends, she explains that she was alcohol-free for 22 years, but now that she's in her '80s she's back to taking one drink a day. She also has a diabetes problem, which in stressful situations makes her lose her temper and forget lyrics. Her sometimes-sharp outbursts in rehearsals and on TV stages are not pleas for pity or attention. On the "30 Rock" show, Tina Fey remarks that Elaine's energy keeps everyone on their toes.
The documentary makes use of a handful of effective clips from old TV shows and movies, but most of the work of showing the scope of Ms. Stritchs's career is handled directly through the performer herself. Loyal assistant Maeve Butler spreads an enormous number of framed stills around a bedroom, and Elaine finds a great story in each. One of them is about her dates with John Kennedy. She asked him to take her to dinner, and she met his family. When it came time to say goodnight, Elaine chose not to sleep with him. That is the story of a lady in control.
The way Elaine tells it, she came into show business with the morals of a convent school graduate. Now at least sixty years later, we hear her say a prayer before a demanding concert. She finishes it off with a burst of profanity. Nothing fake about this woman.
The photos place Elaine Stritch in the center of Broadway culture from the late '40s forward. She's seen caricatured in scores of Al Hirschfeld cartoons. Other photos place her with dozens of Broadway greats. She's candid about the details of her career, and offers that she was fired from her first stage role for inexperience, not because star Kirk Douglas was after her. Later on Nöel Coward became so enamored of Elaine's performing that he wrote a musical for her. Elaine appeared in several movie roles, but few major parts.
One very effective clip is from the 1970 documentary Company: Original Cast Album. Producer Hal Prince praises Elaine, saying that she's not often difficult but even when she is she's well worth it. We see her recording the song "Ladies Who Lunch" with Stephen Sondheim. Prince notes that she's more vulnerable than people think. A little later she is greeted at the famed Stella Adler Acting Studio, which wants to solicit Elaine's choice of a rehearsal room to be named after her. We're impressed when she asks for a small room -- she reasons that she was a student there, not a superstar. She certainly qualifies now -- Ms. Stritch is one of few remaining performers with a continuity link to old-time Broadway.
The motivation to perform is the only possible explanation for Elaine's seemingly limitless personal energy. Yet she has a couple of bad spells and health scares in the show, when she suddenly seems more like a frightened, needy 86-year old. She remains well aware of the camera and doesn't mind letting it film her sudden difficulty in speaking. On the road, Elaine's music director and accompanist Rob Bowman is there to help raise her spirits, if needed.
She also keeps the cameramen on their toes. At one point Elaine is discussing a contract when she notices the camera: "Don't you think you're awfully close, Shane?" The camera promptly retreats. Later on, while being filmed making a snack of English muffins, Elaine suddenly stops what she's doing to ask the cameraman why he's not following her around more closely. She openly admits that she tends to intimidate directors, and even in the old Company footage we don't see Stephen Sondheim contradicting her on camera. Her younger fan-associates sing her praises but without the usual gushing silliness; Elaine wouldn't put up with fawning for a minute. Yet she collects good friends like a soul magnet. One met Elaine at an AA meeting, and has a ready description for her: "She is a Molotov Cocktail of madness, sanity and genius."
Getting set for a singing gig in East Hampton, Elaine wakes up feeling terrible. She asks to be left alone, and buries her head in a pillow. But she pops awake when Rob Bowman reports that the show's been cancelled: "Do we get paid?" Rob nods and Elaine clasps her hands in joy. "Aaooohhh, Brava! Sometimes you get the breaks."
Elaine commits to a multiple city tour requiring her to sing a long playlist of Stephen Sondheim tunes, and throws herself into rehearsals not knowing if she'll be strong enough to finish. Mild diabetes attacks can impair her memory of all those difficult lyrics. On opening night Rob Bowman has a terrific set of arrangements prepared, but her memory comes unglued during rehearsal. Trying not to worry, she says she and Rob have no choice but to trust all those hours of rehearsal. It seems hopeless until Elaine reaches the stage, at which point she seems to cast off 25 years, pick up new energy and show her audience what real show business moxie is all about. If she does go up on a lyric or two, she pushes through in good humor. But most of the time she nails the complicated Stephen Sondheim songs. We feel her joy and triumph more than ever.
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me can be described as a backstage documentary about a star nearing the end of her performing career. Producer/director Chiemi Karasawa found the perfect documentary subject in Stritch, whose personality repels all hints of show biz baloney. Soon after filming started Elaine embraced the project whole-heartedly. If she suddenly felt chatty during the night, Karasawa would have to wake a cameraman and rush over to film Elaine in her bed. She doesn't tell stories out of school yet smiles as she remembers the men in her life. When talking about her alcoholism she can be evasive or fiercely self-critical. Just the thought of finding the next loving audience often lights up her face, bringing out her beauty. When she's tired out from traveling, the idea of retiring can sound equally attractive. Shoot Me brings us so close to Elaine Stritch that it's difficult not to fall in love with her.
Attractively filmed and decorated with well-chosen music, Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me is a fast paced show composed almost completely of privileged moments. Notables with substantial on-screen input include James Gandolfini, Tina Fey, Nathan Lane, Tracy Morgan, John Turturro and Alec Baldwin. The late James Gandolfini appears on camera looking like a schoolboy, to admit that he formed a crush on Elaine Stritch the moment he met her. "If we had both met when we were 35, I have no doubt that we would have had a torrid love affair which would have ended very badly."
By Glenn Erickson - More >
The Complete Hitchcock at NYC's Film Forum
THE COMPLETE HITCHCOCK, a retrospective including every one of director Alfred Hitchcock's extant films - from the silent The Pleasure Garden (1925) to Family Plot (1976) - will run at NYC's Film Forum from Friday, February 21 through Thursday, March 27.
The festival kicks off with a dazzling new restoration of North by Northwest (1959), the director's ultimate innocent man on the run movie, starring Cary Grant. Legendary for its quintessential Hitchcockian set pieces, including the iconic crop dusting scene and a nail-biting climax on Mount Rushmore, North by Northwest was written by Ernest Lehman, who aimed to make it "the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures."
The series includes Hitchcock's early talkies Blackmail (not only Hitchcock's first talkie, but Britain's - adapted for sound from his already-in-the-can silent), Murder!, The Skin Game, Rich and Strange, Number 17, Waltzes in Vienna, and even the all-star British revue Elstree Calling, on which Hitchcock was one of four different directors; the 1930s classics The Lady Vanishes, Sabotage, the first version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, and The 39 Steps, prototype for all of his innocent-man-on-the-run pictures; the 1940s Hollywood classics Rebecca (his only Best Picture Oscar winner), Lifeboat, Suspicion, Notorious, Spellbound, Saboteur, Rope, and Shadow of a Doubt (often cited by Hitchcock as his own personal favorite); and the string of iconic hits of the 1950s and 60s: Strangers on a Train, The Man Who Knew Too Much, To Catch a Thief, The Birds,Dial M For Murder (Hitchcock's only 3-D movie), Psycho, Rear Window, and Vertigo, voted the greatest film of all time in Sight & Sound's 2012 critics' poll, bumping Welles' Citizen Kane to second place for the first time in fifty years.
The festival also includes "The Hitchcock 9," the director's surviving silents (one silent feature, The Mountain Eagle, is lost), all in new restorations from the British Film Institute, including The Pleasure Garden, his directorial debut; the boxing drama The Ring; Downhill, with matinee idol Ivor Novello; The Farmer's Wife, a rare rural comedy based on a West End smash hit; Easy Virtue, based on a Noël Coward play; screwball comedy prototype Champagne; and The Manxman, stunningly filmed on the Cornish coast (substituting for The Isle of Man).
"The Hitchcock 9" also includes the two films that carry many of the trademarks of his later work: The Lodger, with Novello as the Jack the Ripperesque title character, dubbed by The Master himself as "the first true Hitchcock movie;" and Blackmail, with Czech actress Any Ondra as a woman who murders a lecherous artist.
All silent films in the series will feature live piano accompaniment by Steve Sterner.
"The Complete Hitchcock" has been programmed by Bruce Goldstein, Film Forum's Director of Repertory Programming. The series includes archival 35mm prints from the major Hollywood studios, as well as The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Harvard Film Archive, and the BFI in London. Previous comprehensive retrospectives of Hitchcock's work have been presented by the Harvard Film Archive and the British Film Institute.
Special events in the series include:
A Conversation with Norman Lloyd: Following the 8:15 screening of Saboteur on February 27, legendary actor/producer/director Norman Lloyd, who plays the title role (he's the man who falls off the Statue of Liberty), will be interviewed from Los Angeles by TCM host Ben Mankiewicz via Skype - a first for Film Forum and Mr. Lloyd, now 99, who also appears in the earliest extant television program (1939). Mr. Lloyd also appeared in Hitchcock's Spellbound and later went on to become associate producer of Hitchcock's weekly television program, as well as director of 22 episodes. The interview will be followed by a transcontinental Q&A with Film Forum's audience.
Documentarian Robert Fischer's Multilingual Murder, an excerpt from the famous 1962 Hitchcock/Truffaut interview, detailing the making of the 1930 Murder! and its alternate German-language version Mary (see below) will screen following Murder! (to avoid spoilers) on March 6. (Mr. Fischer's Monsieur Truffaut Meets Mr. Hitchcock, which traces the genesis of the famous book, will screen during Film Forum's "Tout Truffaut" festival)
White Shadow: three surviving reels of perhaps Hitchcock's earliest known work - as assistant director, art director, editor, and writer - discovered in New Zealand in 2011. It will be screened along with two wartime shorts made by Hitchcock, Bon Voyage and Aventure Malgache, shot-behind-the-line thrillers intended as morale boosters for the Free French.
Mary: perhaps the rarest film in the series: the simultaneously-shot German-language version of the 1930 Murder!, with Alfred Abel (star of Fritz Lang's Metropolis) in the Herbert Marshall role.
"The Complete Hitchcock" has been programmed back to back with the 3-week series "Tout Truffaut," opening Friday, March 28. The pairing evokes the 1966 book Hitchcock by François Truffaut - commonly referred to as Hitchcock/Truffaut - Truffaut's legendary interview with The Master. Hitchcock/Truffaut (still in print from Simon & Schuster) will be available at Film Forum's concession during both festivals.
For more information, links and showtimes, visit www.filmforum.org - More >
Robert Osborne Event at the National Portrait Gallery - 3/19
On Wednesday, March 19, 2014, TCM Host Robert Osborne will join Portrait Gallery historian Amy Henderson, curator of Dancing the Dream, for a wine-and-cheese reception at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. The reception is followed by a conversation with Henderson and Osborne and a screening of Flying Down to Rio (1934).
Tickets must be reserved in advance, and discounts are available if purchased before February 12. To learn more and purchase tickets, click here. - More >
Dick Dinman Salutes IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD Producer/Director Stanley Kramer
DICK DINMAN, TONY CURTIS, JONATHAN WINTERS, ABBY MANN AND KAREN KRAMER SALUTE "MAD WORLD" PRODUCER/DIRECTOR STANLEY KRAMER (Part One): The Criterion Collection has just released a much-acclaimed Blu-ray edition of not one but two cuts of Stanley Kramer's exhilaratingly looney epic of tomfoolery IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD and producer/host Dick Dinman's guests Tony Curtis, Jonathan Winters, Abby Mann and Karen Kramer salute the skill, taste, courage and sheer humanity of celebrated producer/director Kramer as both an artist and a gentleman. PLUS: The Criterion Collection's I MARRIED A WITCH, CITY LIGHTS, THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, RIFIFI, JULES AND JIM and FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT.
DICK DINMAN, TONY CURTIS, JONATHAN WINTERS, ABBY MANN AND KAREN KRAMER SALUTE "MAD WORLD" PRODUCER/DIRECTOR STANLEY KRAMER (Part Two): Producer/host Dick Dinman's salute to IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD'S controversial producer/director Stanley Kramer continues as his guests Tony Curtis, Jonathan Winters, Abby Mann and Karen Kramer discuss the myriad of challenges this indefatigable crusader for human rights overcame to bring his hot-button issue film classics to the screen.
The award-winning DICK DINMAN'S DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR is the only weekly half hour show (broadcast every Friday 1:00-1:30 P.M. EST on WMPGFM) devoted to Golden Age Movie Classics as they become available on DVD. Your producer/host Dick Dinman includes a generous selection of classic scenes, classic film music and one-on-one interviews with stars, producers, and directors. To hear these as well as other DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR shows please go to the online archive. - More >
Legendary Composer Ennio Morricone in Concert
Ennio Morricone, who celbrated his 85th birthday on November 10, will be conducting an ensemble of 200 musicians and singers, for a single performance at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on Thursday, March 20, 2014 at 8 pm. This concert marks the legendary Morricone's first Los Angeles performance. Morricone has composed the scores for more than 450 films including five of Sergio Leone's westerns - A Fistful of Dollars; For a Few Dollars More; The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly; Once Upon a Time in the West and A Fistful of Dynamite - and The Battle of Algiers; Sacco and Vanzetti; Cinema Paradiso; 1900, Malena; The Untouchables; Once Upon A Time in America; The Mission; U-Turn; The Unknown Woman; and The Best Offer, among hundreds of others.
Tickets priced from $45 go on sale Friday, October 25 at 10am through AXS.com, and by phone at (888) 929-7849. Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE is located at 777 Chick Hearn Ct., Los Angeles, CA 90015. For more information please visit enniomorricone-usa-2014.com. The concert is presented by Massimo Gallotta Productions and AEG and also will be scheduled in New York at Barclays Center Cushman and Wakefield Theatre on March 23, 2014.
Born in Rome on November 10, 1928, Ennio Morricone started his film-composing career in 1961 with Il Federale directed by Luciano Salce. Morricone then became famous worldwide with his scores for Sergio Leone's westerns. Since that time, Morricone has composed music for films by directors including Pedro Almodovar, Warren Beatty, Bernardo Bertolucci, Brian De Palma, Roland Joffè, Adrian Lyne, Giuliano Montaldo, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Roman Polanski, Gillo Pontecorvo, Oliver Stone, Giuseppe Tornatore, Margarethe Von Trotta, Henry Verneuil, and Lina Wertmuller.
Morricone is the recipient of the honorary award from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for his "magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music" (2007), nominated for five Academy Awards, induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame for the soundtrack album of The Good The Bad and the Ugly, two Grammy Awards for Once Upon a Time in the West and The Untouchables, two Golden Globe awards for his scores for The Mission and 1900; the ASCAP lifetime achievement award, the career achievement award by the Film Music Society, and 27 Gold and 6 Platinum records.
Morricone has composed over 100 pieces of concert music since 1946 including Concerto per Orchestra n.1 (1957); Frammenti di Eros (1985); Cantata per L'Europa (1988); UT, per tromba, archi e percussioni (1991); Ombra di Lontana Presenza (1997); Voci dal Silenzio (2002); Sicilo ed altri Frammenti (2006); Vuoto D'Anima Piena (2008); and Una Messa (2013).
Since 2001, Morricone has engaged in intense concert activity, and has conducted more than 100 concerts in Europe, Asia, the United States, and in Central and South America of his film music and concert works. On February 2, 2007, Morricone conducted Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra in a major concert at the United Nations General Assembly to celebrate the appointment of UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon, followed the next day by his historic United States debut at Radio City Music Hall, in a concert produced by Massimo Gallotta, who is producing the current Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE and Barclays Center concerts. - More >
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Wednesday, March 20, 2011
Removed: 10:00pm Springfield Rifle 12:00pm Casablanca Added: 1:00pm Virginia City 12:15pm Casablanca
Wednesday, March 20, 2011
Removed: 10:00pm Springfield Rifle 12:00pm Casablanca Added: 1:00pm Virginia City 12:15pm Casablanca
Wednesday, March 20, 2011
Removed: 10:00pm Springfield Rifle 12:00pm Casablanca Added: 1:00pm Virginia City 12:15pm Casablanca


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Within six hours of boarding the massive freighter that would carry me and four other passengers - along with 5,500 containers - from Vancouver to Hong...
Recently, I visited Northern Thailand and by some quirk of fate my trip coincided with the Thai New Year.
The Kok River is a cocoa-coloured expressway into the heart of Thailand's hill tribe country.
Quick, before the Christmas bills roll in: commit to making at least one memorable trip in 2012. Something to look forward to during the bleak days of...
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Demonstration sites are located at Lumpini Park, the Chaeng Wattana Government Complex (where visitor and resident visas are processed), and the Government House, especially on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue between Phan Fah bridge and the Royal Plaza. Other areas of the city may also be affected by ongoing protests and associated movements. Certain government buildings may be closed, including the Chaeng Wattana Government Complex. Avoid demonstrations sites, including all parts of Lumpini Park, and surrounding areas.
Incidents of violence associated with demonstrations have resulted in deaths and injuries. In mid-February 2014, violent clashes occurred between protesters and police when Thai authorities moved to dismantle key demonstration sites. Indiscriminate attacks using explosive devices and firearms have taken place in busy public areas during the day and at night. Clashes have also occurred between pro- and anti-government demonstrators. On occasion, police have responded with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets in their attempts to deter protesters. Attacks do not specifically target tourists or foreigners, but the danger of being in the wrong place at the wrong time is always present. Avoid all protest sites and movements, political events and rallies, as well as large gatherings due to the high risk that they turn violent without warning.
The Thai Government has declared a state of emergency, effective until March 23, in all of Bangkok Capital district, Nonthaburi, Lad Lumkaew in Pathumthai, and Bang Phli in Samuprakan (Suvarnabhumi International Airport). This enables the government to impose curfews, ban political gatherings of more than five people, detain suspects without charge and restrict political demonstrations.
In 2010, similar demonstrations led to violent clashes, occasionally involving the use of explosive devices, and resulted in more than 90 deaths and several injuries. Demonstrations, civil unrest, sporadic violence and attacks remain an important risk anywhere in the country at any time.
Maintain a high level of personal security awareness at all times. Carefully plan your movements throughout Bangkok, allowing for extra commuting time (including to the airport) and identify alternate routes in case of blockages. Avoid military installations and concentrations of security personnel. Follow the advice of local authorities and remain informed of current events by monitoring local media.
There have been frequent clashes between Thailand and Cambodia over a border dispute in this region, including exchanges of gunfire and artillery, which resulted in numerous fatalities and the evacuation of civilians. Martial law is in effect in the area and the presence of landmines has been reported. Tensions are high and military hostilities could further escalate without warning. Exercise a high degree of caution if you are travelling to all other areas of the Thai-Cambodian border.
Violence in the Muslim-majority southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and Songkhla is highly unpredictable. Attacks against military and civilian targets occur almost daily, and include shootings, bombings, beheadings and arson. You risk becoming victim of an indiscriminate attack if you travel in the region. Deadly attacks occur frequently and are regularly directed at government and security buildings and personnel, but have also occurred in a variety of public places, including shopping districts, entertainment venues, public transit and hotels that may be frequented by tourists. Since January 2004, more than 4,700 people have been killed and many more injured, including foreigners.
Heavily enhanced security measures—including martial law in the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, as well as the Sadao district of Songkhla—are in place to provide authorities with increased enforcement powers that may be used to address ongoing violence in the region. These measures allow authorities to detain suspects without charge, conduct searches, seize objects or documents, and impose curfews.
Be particularly vigilant when travelling to the border areas in the Thai provinces of Tak and Mae Hong Son due to banditry and occasional armed clashes on the Burmese side of the border, and between Thai security forces and armed criminal groups, such as drug traffickers. Incursions and shelling into Thailand have occurred. Border crossing points may be closed without notice.
There is a threat of terrorism throughout Southeast Asia, including Thailand. Maintain a high level of personal security awareness at all times as the security situation could deteriorate without notice. Exercise caution, particularly in commercial and public establishments (hotels, clubs, restaurants, bars, schools, places of worship), outdoor recreation events and tourist areas frequented by foreigners.
On February 14, 2012, three explosions occurred in the area of Sukhumvit Soi 71, Bangkok. Reports indicate that five people were injured. In January 2012, following warnings of possible terrorist threats against tourist areas, particularly in Bangkok, Thai authorities increased security measures and made arrests and seizures in relation to an alleged terrorist plot.
Violent crime against foreigners occurs occasionally. Petty crime, such as purse snatching, pickpocketing and theft, is common. Do not leave bags unattended. Ensure that your personal belongings, passports and other travel documents are secure at all times, especially in tourist areas, crowded markets, and bus or train stations. Thieves sometimes use razors to slit open purses or bags to remove the contents. Use only reputable transportation companies. Thefts have been reported on the buses and vans that provide transport services throughout the country. Personal belongings, including passports, have been stolen from luggage compartments under buses, especially on long distance journeys. Break-ins occur at budget guesthouses, sometimes while guests are asleep in their rooms.
Be careful at night in entertainment areas throughout the country, particularly during Full Moon parties in Koh Phangan and similar events in other popular tourist locations. Robberies, injuries, drug abuse, arrests, assaults (including sexual assaults) and deaths related to these parties have been reported. Passport thefts and losses are extremely common at these parties and their replacement may cause significant travel delays.
Foreigners have been targeted in incidents of drink spiking, often combined with sexual assault or theft. Never leave food or drinks unattended or in the care of strangers, and pay attention when drinks are being prepared and served. Seek immediate medical attention if you suspect that you have been drugged.
Exercise caution when travelling to the border areas with Burma (Myanmar). Occasional violence, banditry and clashes between government forces, rebel units, and drug traffickers have been reported. Consult the Thai Tourist Police, by calling 1155 toll-free, to determine if official border crossing points are open. Cross at designated border crossing points only, with the required travel documentation.
Sexual assaults against foreign women have occurred. Consult our publication entitled Her Own Way: A Woman's Safe-Travel Guide for travel safety information specifically aimed at Canadian women.
Some media reports indicate that there have been recent cases of poisoning allegedly linked to the consumption of a Thai beverage containing DEET.
Traffic drives on the left. Paved roads connect major cities, but most have only two lanes. Motorcycle accidents kill or maim Canadians in Thailand each year. You should avoid driving or riding motorcycles in Thailand, even if you are an experienced motorcyclist. Substandard road conditions, local disregard for traffic laws, and drunk driving result in frequent accidents, particularly in the areas of Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Koh Samui. Although motorcycles can easily be rented in Thailand, it is illegal to operate them without a valid Thai motorcycle licence or an international driving permit with a motorcycle endorsement. Helmets are mandatory for motorcycle drivers and passengers, but many do not meet international safety standards. Carry your identification card, driver's licence and vehicle registration book at all times.
Private vehicle, minivan and bus accidents caused by dangerous road conditions, poor weather, driver fatigue, dangerous driving practices and driver intoxication are common. Canadians have been injured or killed in such accidents. Slow-moving trucks limit speed and visibility. Speeding and reckless passing are common. Avoid driving on mountain roads at night, especially during the rainy season (June-October).
When arriving by air, use licensed taxis from official taxi stands, limousine services or official airport buses, or arrange to be picked up by hotel shuttle services. Unlicensed vehicles (black and white licence plates) are not properly insured to carry passengers and may not use meters. Do not share a taxi with strangers. Disputes with operators of taxis, tuk tuks, etc., have occurred and have occasionally resulted in violence or intimidation. Seek the assistance of local police in settling the matter if this happens to you and you feel threatened.
There have been several incidents of passenger boats sinking due to overcrowding and poor maintenance. Vessels often lack adequate safety equipment. Rail lines in the far south have been the target of acts of sabotage and armed attack.
A number of train accidents have occurred in the past few years, some causing injuries and deaths.
Consult our Transportation Safety page in order to verify if national airlines meet safety standards.
Canadians visiting Thailand regularly report having fallen victim to a variety of scams. Before renting a motorcycle or jet-ski, read all rental contracts thoroughly to ensure that the vehicle is insured to cover damage and theft. Only rent from reputable companies and never leave your passport as collateral. It has been reported that, upon return of the rental, claims of damage allegedly caused by the renter have been made. In some cases, renters who refused to pay were harassed and threatened, and their passports (left as collateral) were held. If your passport is inaccessible because of such a situation, you may be subject to investigation by Passport Canada and may receive limited passport services. In other cases, particularly with jet-skis, accidents have been allegedly staged to create damage for which the rental company seeks compensation from the renter. In cases of motorcycle rentals, some companies have been known to steal the motorcycle and claim compensation from the renter for the loss.
When dealing with travel agencies, ensure that the company is a reputable tour organization before providing payment. Disputes may be reported to the Tourism Authority of Thailand by calling 1672.
In known scams involving gems and jewellery, merchants sell lower-quality items at inflated prices with promises that the items can be resold at a profit. The guarantees that merchants offer are not always honoured. Carefully consider all purchases if you are not knowledgeable about gems and jewellery. The Government of Canada cannot assist in obtaining refunds for purchases made. For further information, contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Report all incidents of crime or scams to the Thai police in the jurisdiction where the incident occurred, and before leaving Thailand. Contact the Tourist Police and the Tourist Assistance Centre by calling 1155 toll-free.
Deaths have occurred as a result of contact with poisonous sea jellies. There have been reports of sea jellies off Koh Pha-ngan, Phuket, Krabi, Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi. Exercise extreme caution when swimming in these areas. If stung, seek immediate medical attention.
Riptides in coastal areas can be strong, including the popular destinations of Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Rayong and Cha-am/Hua Hin. There have been a number of deaths due to drowning. Heed flag warnings and under no circumstances swim when a red flag is displayed.
Diving schools and rescue services may not adhere to international standards. Rent water sports equipment only from operators affiliated with major international training organizations.
Pirate attacks occur in coastal waters and, in some cases, farther out at sea. Mariners should take appropriate precautions. For additional information, consult the Live Piracy Report published by the International Maritime Bureau.
It is the sole prerogative of each country or region to determine who is allowed to enter. Canadian consular officials cannot intervene on your behalf if you do not meet entry requirements. The following information on entry and exit requirements has been obtained from the Thai authorities. However, these requirements are subject to change at any time. It is your responsibility to check with the Royal Thai Embassy or one of its consulates for up-to-date information. More information is available at the Thai Immigration Bureau.
Official (special and diplomatic) passport holders must consult the Official Travel page, as they may be subject to different entry requirements.
Canadians must present a passport to visit Thailand, which must be valid for at least six months beyond the date of expected departure from that country and must be in good condition.
Holders of regular Canadian passports arriving in Thailand for the purposes of tourism may stay for up to 30 days without a visa. Immigration officials can require visitors who are entering without obtaining a visa in advance to show return or onward tickets. Holders of Canadian special and diplomatic passports must obtain a visa at a Thai diplomatic mission abroad. Obtain the proper visa from a Thai embassy or consulate if you wish to stay longer, work or study. It is illegal to work on a tourist visa or without a work permit.
Foreigners are permitted to stay only up to the date indicated on the Thai entry stamp, regardless of the date indicated on a Thai visa. The Royal Thai Police have increased their random checks of foreigners and have arrested Canadians found to have overstayed their visas.
Travellers must obtain an entry stamp from an immigration officer at a point of entry into Thailand. Avoid visas, visa extensions or entry stamps issued through visa shops or travel agents in Thailand. Canadians have been arrested for having improper Thai visas or entry and exit stamps inserted into their passports. A passport that has been altered or that contains counterfeit visas and entry/exit stamps is technically invalid. Offenders can expect jail sentences, fines, and/or deportation, and may also be prohibited from entering Thailand in the future.
Tourist visa: Not required for stays of up to 30 days
Business visa: Required
Student visa: Required
Working visa: Required
All foreigners staying in Thailand longer than three months must notify the Thai Immigration Bureau of their residence every 90 days.
Children need special documentation to visit certain countries. Please consult our Children page for more information.
Some countries require proof of yellow fever vaccination before allowing entry. Consult the World Health Organization's country list to obtain information on this country's requirements.
Be sure that your routine vaccines are up-to-date regardless of your travel destination.
You may be at risk for these vaccine-preventable diseases while travelling in this country. Talk to your travel health provider about which ones are right for you.
Hepatitis A is a disease of the liver spread by contaminated food or water. All those travelling to regions with a risk of hepatitis A infection should get vaccinated.
Hepatitis B is a disease of the liver spread through blood or other bodily fluids. Travellers who may be exposed (e.g., through sexual contact, medical treatment or occupational exposure) should get vaccinated.
Seasonal influenza occurs worldwide. The flu season usually runs from November to April in the northern hemisphere, between April and October in the southern hemisphere and year round in the tropics. Influenza (flu) is caused by a virus spread from person to person when they cough or sneeze or through personal contact with unwashed hands. Get the flu shot.
Japanese encephalitis is a viral infection that can cause swelling of the brain. It is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Risk is low for most travellers. Vaccination should be considered for those who may be exposed to mosquito bites (e.g., spending time outdoors in rural areas) while travelling in regions with risk of Japanese encephalitis.
Measles occurs worldwide but is a common disease in developing countries, particularly in parts of Africa and Asia. Measles is a highly contagious disease. Be sure your vaccination against measles is up-to-date regardless of the travel destination.
Rabies is a disease that attacks the central nervous system spread to humans through a bite, scratch or lick from a rabid animal. Vaccination should be considered for travellers going to areas where rabies exists and who have a high risk of exposure (i.e., close contact with animals, occupational risk, and children).
Typhoid is a bacterial infection spread by contaminated food or water. Risk is higher among travellers going to rural areas, visiting friends and relatives, or with weakened immune systems. Travellers visiting regions with typhoid risk, especially those exposed to places with poor sanitation should consider getting vaccinated.
Yellow fever is a disease caused by the bite of an infected mosquito.
Travellers get vaccinated either because it is required to enter a country or because it is recommended for their protection.
* It is important to note that country entry requirements may not reflect your risk of yellow fever at your destination. It is recommended that you contact the nearest diplomatic or consular office of the destination(s) you will be visiting to verify any additional entry requirements. | |
Risk |
Country Entry Requirement* |
Recommendation |
Travellers to any destination in the world can develop travellers' diarrhea from consuming contaminated water or food.
In some areas in Southeast Asia, food and water can also carry diseases like cholera, hepatitis A, leptospirosis, schistosomiasis and typhoid. Practise safe food and water precautions while travelling in Southeast Asia. Remember: Boil it, cook it, peel it, or leave it!
There have been cases of cholera reported in this country in the last year. Cholera is a bacterial disease that typically causes diarrhea. In severe cases it can lead to dehydration and even death.
Most travellers are generally at low risk. Humanitarian workers and those visiting areas with limited access to safe food and water are at higher risk. Practise safe food and water precautions. Travellers at high risk should get vaccinated.
In Southeastern Asia, certain insects carry and spread diseases like chikungunya, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, lymphatic filariasis, and malaria.
Travellers are advised to take precautions against bites.
Travellers are cautioned to avoid contact with animals, including dogs, monkeys, snakes, rodents, birds, and bats. Some infections found in some areas in Southeastern Asia, like avian influenza and rabies, can be shared between humans and animals.
There have been human cases of avian influenza ("bird flu") in this country. Avian influenza is a viral infection that can spread by contact with infected birds or surfaces and objects contaminated by their feces or other secretions.
Avoid unnecessary contact with domestic poultry and wild birds as well as surfaces contaminated with their feces or other secretions. Ensure all poultry dishes and eggs are thoroughly cooked.
Crowded conditions can increase your risk of certain illnesses. Remember to wash your hands often and practice proper cough and sneeze etiquette to avoid colds, the flu and other illnesses.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV are spread through blood and bodily fluids; practise safer sex.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that attacks and impairs the immune system, resulting in a chronic, progressive illness known as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome).
Practise safe sex while travelling, and don't share needles, razors, or other objects which could transmit infection.
Remember that HIV can also be spread through the use of unsterile medical equipment during medical and dental procedures, tattooing, body piercing or acupuncture. Diseases can also be spread though blood transfusions and organ transplantation if the blood or organs are not screened for HIV or other blood-borne pathogens.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a common viral illness that mainly affects infants and children. Travellers are at increased risk if visiting or living in overcrowded conditions. There is no vaccine for this disease.
Tuberculosis is an infection caused by bacteria and usually affects the lungs.
For most travellers the risk of tuberculosis is low.
Travellers who may be at high risk while travelling in regions with risk of tuberculosis should discuss pre- and post-travel options with a health care provider.
High-risk travellers include those visiting or working in prisons, refugee camps, homeless shelters, or hospitals, or travellers visiting friends and relatives.
Medical care varies in quality across the country. You are encouraged to go to Bangkok, where there are hospitals that meet international standards, if you are in need of medical care. In some areas of Thailand, proof of insurance may be required to obtain emergency medical care. Emergency evacuation may cost tens of thousands of dollars or more, depending on the location and severity of the condition.
Psychiatric or psychological facilities and services in Thailand may not meet international standards. Canadians with mental illness have been committed to state facilities, arrested and deported.
The decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the traveller. The traveller is also responsible for his or her own personal safety.
Be prepared. Do not expect medical services to be the same as in Canada. Pack a travel health kit, especially if you will be travelling away from major city centres.
You are subject to local laws. Consult our Arrest and detention page for more information.
Enforcement action against people involved in all aspects of illicit drugs has increased. Penalties for possession, use or trafficking of illegal drugs are very strict and include the death penalty for serious offences. The possession of even small amounts of illegal drugs, including marijuana, can result in severe fines and prison sentences. Arrested offenders may be prevented from leaving Thailand while legal proceedings are in process.
Night-time police spot-checks to search for illegal drugs occur, particularly in and around entertainment venues in Thailand. Uniformed or undercover police may search pockets, purses and bags, as well as vehicles. You may be asked to consent to a urine test. If you carry prescription or other medicines, it is preferable that they be in clearly marked, original packaging.
Foreigners are required to carry identification at all times. You may wish to carry a photocopy of your passport; however, police may require that you produce the original.
Gambling, with the exception of some horse racing, is illegal in Thailand.
Actions or words that are considered offensive or insulting to the King or the Royal Family are illegal and may result in criminal prosecution.
An International Driving Permit or a Thai driver's licence is required to drive in Thailand.
The currency is the baht (THB). Automated banking machines (ABMs) are widely available, and major credit cards are widely accepted. Traveller's cheques are accepted at banks, large hotels and shops. U.S. dollar traveller's cheques are recommended.
The rainy (or monsoon) season extends from June to October. Severe rainstorms can cause flash floods and landslides, interrupt essential services and delay overland travel, especially in remote locations. Jungle treks are not advisable during the rainy season, due to the possibility of mudslides. Flash flooding in caves has caused fatalities.
From July to November 2011, widespread flooding (including flash flooding) and landslides occurred in the central, northeast, northern and southern regions of Thailand. More than 800 deaths have been attributed to the flooding, many of which were caused by drowning or electrocution.
Consult our Typhoons and monsoons page for more information.
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Audiophile quality doesn't come cheap. That basically means that when you hear a high-end company release something that's entry-level, it still may be a little pricey. It's also not a junky piece that you'll considering resting your drinks on.
Emotiva just announced the UMC-200. It's a 7.1-channel home theater preamplifier and surround sound processor that's being billed as an entry-level product. However, it can crank out reference-quality performance for that reduced price.
For an easy setup, the UMC-200 has Emotiva's new EmoQ Gen 2 enhanced multi-channel automatic room correction system, which can tweak the setup using the included calibration microphone. Other features include four Xpressview-capable HDMI inputs, a Video-On-Standby feature, and outputs for both balanced and unbalanced subwoofers.
The UMC-200 also has 7.1 multichannel surround sound decoder capabilities for DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS Neo:6, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, and Pro Logic IIz. Last, but certainly not least, the component has a ton of audio connection options. Look for four pairs of stereo analog inputs and a separate 7.1-channel set of pure analog direct inputs, as well as two Toslink, two coax S/PDIF inputs and 24-bit/192-kHz decoding. The component is also compatible with an optional Bluetooth module, if you want wireless streaming in this mix.
"The UMC-200 has everything you could ask for in a state-of-the-art audiophile-quality home theater processor and preamp," said Dan Laufman, Emotiva's president. "Beyond offering reference quality video and audio performance, we've included the widest variety of audio connectivity and surround sound decoder compatibility imaginable. We've even included a high quality AM/FM tuner, and the EmoQ Gen 2 calibration process is completely automatic, so just about anyone can enjoy perfectly balanced surround sound without a fuss."
Emotiva has priced the UMC-200 at $699. It's available now on the company's website—and with a special holiday price of $599.
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