STACK #230 December 2023

MOVIE FEATURE

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Screen legend Marlon Brando and acclaimed filmmaker Sidney Lumet’s early work all boxed up, Dustin Hoffman does stand-up comedy, George C. Scott goes fishing, and Eric Roberts reigns. Words Scott Hocking

ISLANDS INTHE STREAM (1977) Patton director Franklin J. Schaffner reunites with star George C. Scott for this adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s novel. Scott plays a sculptor living as a recluse on a remote island in the Bahamas, who must deal with the arrival of his three sons and the outbreak of World War II. Extras include a new audio commentary, plus new video essays on Schaffner and the movies based on Hemingway’s work. LENNY (1974) Bob Fosse ( Cabaret ) directed this biopic on acerbic 1960s comic Lenny Bruce (played with conviction by Dustin Hoffman), whose foul mouthed stage routine flouted obscenity laws, outraged the establishment, and delighted his audiences. Shot in black and white with a documentary style, Lenny was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor and Director. Extras include an audio commentary, new video essays, interviews, and Lenny Bruce audio files.

FILM FOCUS: MARLON BRANDO - Vol.1 (1957–1967) Six powerful performances from the screen legend best known for his roles in The Godfather and On the Waterfront . From a decorated career spanning six decades, this diverse selection showcases Brando in his prime and at his versatile best. The collection kicks off with Sayonara (1957), which saw Brando score an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a US Air Force major who falls for a Japanese dancer, defying military policy that forbids interracial relationships. Next up is The Fugitive Kind (1960) – directed by Sidney Lumet – in which Brando plays a drifter caught in a love triangle with a lonely wife (Anna Magnani) and a wild socialite (Joanne Woodward). Western One-Eyed Jacks (1961) marks Brando’s only film as a director, also starring as a bank robber seeking revenge on the former partner (Karl Malden) who double-crossed him. The Ugly American (1963) sees Brando as the US ambassador to a southeast Asian nation facing political upheaval, while Bedtime Story (1964) reveals his flair for comedy as a cunning con artist – and was later remade as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988). Rounding out the set is A Countess from

DIRECTED BY SIDNEY LUMET - Vol.1 (1964–1973) Prolific filmmaker Sidney Lumet gave us ’70s classics like Dog Day Afternoon and Network, and this collection charts the first half of his career across six features. First up is The Pawnbroker (1964), starring Rod Steiger as the eponymous character – a Holocaust survivor running a shop in a sleazy part of Harlem. Ensemble drama The Group (1966) follows the lives of eight female university graduates during the Great Depression, while John le Carré’s first novel is the source for the dark spy thriller The Deadly Affair (1967), starring James Mason as a British operative investigating the apparent suicide of a government official. Nothing to do with Chucky, Child’s Play (1972) is a psychological drama set in a Catholic boys school that’s rife with brutal hazing rituals and rivalry between faculty members. The Offence (1973) is a powerful two-hander that sees Sean Connery as a cop at breaking point after working violent cases for two decades, and the collection concludes with another cop on the edge in Serpico (1973), a biopic on the honest cop who blew the whistle on NYPD corruption, played by an intense Al Pacino. Extras include new audio commentaries,

KING OFTHE GYPSIES (1978) The Godfather with gypsies best describes this sprawling family saga that sees control of a New York gypsy clan bestowed not on the rightful heir, but rather the grandson of the dying ’king’. The reluctant new leader (Eric Roberts in his movie debut) soon finds himself torn between family and community tradition, while resentment brews in the clan. Extras include a new audio commentary, interviews, and trailers.

Hong Kong (1967), a romantic comedy that was directed by the great Charlie Chaplin. Extras include new audio commentaries,

interviews, video essays, and the all-new documentary One Step Further: Becoming Lumet on a bonus disc.

new and vintage featurettes, and more.

The Fugitive Kind (1960)

Serpico (1973)

• The new Imprint range is out on December 27 for a limited time only, while stocks last.

56 DECEMBER 2023

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