Josef von Sternberg

[Finch]

Shanghai Gesture to be the first Sternberg film to receive the Blu treatment courtesy of Wilde Side in 2011.

[knives]

Oh, yes. This has been my favorite, tied with Blonde Venus, since I was introduced. Even by von Sternberg's standards it feels like it came from an other planet. Even more so than his actual silent movies the climax feels like something only that era could produce. I just hope this Blu is actually good. What's Wilde Side's track record.

[HerrSchreck]

Gesture, despite it's-- again, for me-- narrative predictability (does you-know-who, playing an unusually bratty, hi-volume part, turning out to be

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Huston's daughter

really surprise anyone?) is a really fabulous film that constitutes Joe's last carefully modulated studio project that hits the same thematic and visual marks that the early Paramount films ooze in spades. I don't quite put it all the way up there with the best of his silents or the Marlene films like Empress, Express, Venus, Morocco, or Devil Izza, but it sure comes damned close.

After the big global letdown-- a major nostril-blow into the gutter of disappointment-- of the CC silents set being without exception non Blu (not even DOCKS which looks astronomically well and is a huge favorite among fans), and with still with nary a whisper about Shanghai Express which was supposed to be on the docket for 2009, according the guarded whispers floating around the back alleys of cine-rumor, which itself would be pure visual orgasm in Blu.. hell any of those paramount titles would be pure visual orgasm in blu), Gesture is without question a nice consolation prize, and a decent enough start in getting this man's work out on blu.

I mean he's only like y'know, perhaps the director with the finest, and most acutely virtuoso visual sensibility in the whole of the sound era... at least the golden age of the big studios.

[HarryLong]

I mean he's only like y'know, perhaps the director with the finest, and most acutely virtuoso visual sensibility in the whole of the sound era... at least the golden age of the big studios.

The other night TCM ran MOROCCO and I sat and actually watched it again (as opposed to having it on in the bsckground while I did other things). I was struck by the audacity of his essentially stopping the movie dead for that prayer sequence (after the legionnaires arrive back in town) which was no more than an excuse to capture the play of light and shadow on their white burnooses as they knelt, bowed and otherwise moved about under the trellis.

[knives]

I'll admit my love of Gesture is basically only because it is so god damned pretty. It has the power of a feast in it's abaility to fill one up. It might also be the only time where the visual by itself, with no context to the story or the other visuals around it brought tears to my eyes. That has to be one of the greatest accomplishments possible

I mean he's only like y'know, perhaps the director with the finest, and most acutely virtuoso visual sensibility in the whole of the sound era... at least the golden age of the big studios.

With no doubt. While there may have been better directors in Hollywood, no one ever has made a better Hollywood picture. He understood the style that only Hollywood can accomplish better than any other director.

[Felix]

The wonderful documentary on I, Claudius, titled The Epic That Never Was, narrated by Dirk Bogarde and with the remaining original footage, is a supplement on the BBC release of I, Claudius box set.

[Felix]

The wonderful documentary on I, Claudius, titled The Epic That Never Was, narrated by Dirk Bogarde and with the remaining original footage, is a supplement on the BBC release of I, Claudius box set.

I watched this last night, first time I'd seen it since it was broadcast, back in the early 60s I guess, when I were a bairn. After so long it was amazing to see how well I remembered it (that evocative opening tracking shot through the gates to the mansion stuck in my brain all that time).

Really, I cannot recommend this highly enough, even if you do have to buy the whole box set (which goes fairly cheap BTW and was more than fairly good BTW, despite the usual BBC budgetary constraints). What you get is the story behind the film introduced and spoken by Dirk Bogarde, with shots of the abandoned mansion which was the HQ for the shoot. there are interviews with most of the main players, including two with JVS, and then there are the wonderful rushes, some of them final takes ("cut and print it"). Probably about 30-40 minutes footage in a 70 minute documentary. There is one beautfiul shot of Merle Oberon, for all the world looking like Dietrich, breathtakingly beautiful. Some extended sequences of Laughton as Claudius including the key speech in the Senate after he is offered the Emperorship and in which he is superb. Beautiful sets and lighting by Perrinal (but it is JVS lighting as usual).

JVS is very honest about the difficulties of working with Laughton but offers fulsome praise of his ability to give him what he wanted (especially in one scene shown where he arrives at the Senate), but the actor who played Caligula was equally honest in his view that Oberon's accident which curtailed the filming was a godsend given the relationship between Laughton and JVS.

Worth seeing by anybody but essential for any fan of Von Sternberg, I am astonished that it has not been discussed here before, I am assuming that is because of the documentary's obscurity (I'd never have known if I had not seen it first time round and went looking for it online).

[Robert de la Cheyniest]

For those of you in NYC, BAM is doing a complete Dietrich-Von Sternberg retro starting April 4th All titles shown on 35mm.

[Ugarte]

Robert Thanks for the tip...I immediately bought some tickets. Seeing the manic, opulent and insane Scarlet Empress on a big screen is too much to miss.

[hearthesilence]

So a relative of mine recorded Thunderbolt for me several months ago off of TCM, but he wound up erasing it before he could get it to me over the holidays.

With that in mind, anybody else record it or know where I can see it? I'm hoping the TCM broadcast at least had a decent quality transfer to show.

EDIT: Never mind, archive.org has a copy (sloppily re-named "At the Gates of Death" - just wait for the title card). French subtitles and a bluish tint, but watchable.

[hearthesilence]

Wonderful, promising news, the very rarely screened Anatahan is not only showing at Metrograph, it is a "2K restoration performed by Kino Lorber, in association with the Library of Congress and Lobster Films, working from the original camera negative and other 35mm elements provided by the Estate of Josef von Sternberg and the Cinematheque Française."

The film has only been available in abysmal public domain transfers, and I've avoided seeing it for that reason even though it has been championed by some critics. (I'm almost certain most critics in general have never seen it due to its obscurity.)

If a 2k restoration from more or less the OCN is now available, a BD is surely a strong possibility.

[htom]

Wonderful, promising news, the very rarely screened Anatahan is not only showing at Metrograph, it is a "2K restoration performed by Kino Lorber, in association with the Library of Congress and Lobster Films, working from the original camera negative and other 35mm elements provided by the Estate of Josef von Sternberg and the Cinematheque Française."

The film has only been available in abysmal public domain transfers, and I've avoided seeing it for that reason even though it has been championed by some critics. (I'm almost certain most critics in general have never seen it due to its obscurity.)

If a 2k restoration from more or less the OCN is now available, a BD is surely a strong possibility.

An account of the 1975-76 restoration of the film appears in Anthony Slide's Nitrate Won't Wait. Part of the account is readable in this Google Books page. I suppose the question is, which version does this digital restoration conform to? The original 1953 release or the 1958 revision that the 1976 restoration eventually chose with Mrs. von Sternberg's guidance?

Then again, there appears to be at least one more version of the film that replaces von Stenberg's narration with that of a Japanese boy, in broken English. This comes from an examination of the film's production history.

[hearthesilence]

Wow. I guess we'll find out soon enough, but if given a choice, I would hope it's the original version rather than the revision tweaked to appease those who wanted something more "erotic" (even if his widow said the '58 cut was probably his preferred cut). With a film like this, I imagine it may be hard to find a consensus on what's the preferred version because it's so seldom seen.

[hearthesilence]

Ah, never mind then. Much appreciated info!

[isakorg2]

One piece of unexpected good news: from France, a blu-ray of Blonde Venus, and David Hare on his blogspot reports that it does von Sternberg full justice. http://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2017/0 ... t-new.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[R0lf]

Very exciting. Being a French release are the subtitles forced?

I was looking on Amazon and there are three new Dietrich releases BLONDE VENUS along with SONG OF SONGS and FLAME OF NEW ORLEANS...

[htom]

Wow. I guess we'll find out soon enough, but if given a choice, I would hope it's the original version rather than the revision tweaked to appease those who wanted something more "erotic" (even if his widow said the '58 cut was probably his preferred cut). With a film like this, I imagine it may be hard to find a consensus on what's the preferred version because it's so seldom seen.

As it turns out the Kino Lorber Blu-ray features both the 1953 and 1958 versions.

Since Eureka is also releasing this on blu-ray one could always hope for the alternate soundtrack if it still exists.

[domino harvey]

Kino Lorber Studio Classics will be releasing Jet Pilot in November with both widescreen and academy ratios!

[swo17]

Awesome!

[liam fennell]

Wow, yeah! That's kind of incredible. Thanks for the heads up!

[L.A.]

Kino Lorber Studio Classics will be releasing Jet Pilot in November with both widescreen and academy ratios!

Coming November 30th!
https://www.kinolorber.com/product/jet-pilot-blu-ray

Jet Pilot (1957)
• NEW Audio Commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton
• Includes Both the 1.85:1 Widescreen and 1.37 Versions of the Film
• Theatrical Trailer
• Optional English Subtitles

Color 113 Minutes 1.85:1 | 1.37:1 Not Rated
From producer Howard Hughes (Hell’s Angels, The Outlaw) and director Josef von Sternberg (Thunderbolt, The Blue Angel) comes the thrilling and often humorous Cold War adventure Jet Pilot starring screen greats John Wayne (Rio Bravo, Brannigan) and Janet Leigh (Touch of Evil, The Manchurian Candidate). Wayne gives one of his most commanding performances as an American Air Force colonel who is sent by the Pentagon to obtain top-secret information from a Russian pilot (Leigh). The two eventually fall in love and, with their marriage as a perfect cover, the colonel is ordered to flee to Russia with his bride—this time with him posing as a defector. When the political charade is discovered, however, the courageous couple must embark on a heart-pounding escape with enemy agents in hot pursuit. Written by Jules Furthman (Spawn of the North, Nightmare Alley) and shot by Winton C. Hoch (Joan of Arc, The Quiet Man), Jet Pilot is a high-flying spectacle that “soars in an ecstatic flight of speed, grace and color” (Andrew Sarris).

[Stefan Andersson]

Brief discussion of a silent version of Thunderbolt, with titles written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz:
https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2021/10/62443/

On KL Jet Pilot bluray:
https://www.hometheaterforum.com/commun ... ay.373887/

Jet Pilot on US laserdisc and on a German Blu in 1.85 (screencaps included):
https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2021/ ... rs-at.html

[domino harvey]

Joel McCrea casually reveals Lubitsch, Wyler, and La Cava’s unrequited romantic pursuits while discussing his brief work with von Sternberg:

[hearthesilence]

"And then I told him, 'you know it's real interesting that you always want Marlene when you've been rejected by her. What's that all about, Joe?' And then he fired me."

[Altair]

The Shanghai Gesture (1941)

Truly delirious - without the anchoring presence of Dietrich, Sternberg is fully unleashed on a piece of penny dreadful theatre, all the better for him to focus on the sets, costumes, hairstyles, and gorgeous close-ups. What's the gesture of the title? Sternberg throwing the dice and coming up sixes every time: the casino looks like the entry to hell, while Mother Gin Sling's dining room anticipating every Bond film villain's lair. Actors are cast for their beauty and for not much else: Gene Tierney is phenomenal in the only scenes, even if her acting is at times terrible; Victor Mature, smouldering and vampish, is hysterical, his main role seemingly to lounge. Walter Huston's businessman character must surely have been a reference point for Guy Pearce in The Brutalist - they even look the same, and Sternberg treats him to a number of wonderful close-ups. Ona Munson isn't really up to the casino/bordello owner Mother Gin Sling, but probably only Dietrich could have pulled off a role that involves

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her shooting her daughter dead at the climax and getting off scot free. Clearly the ending had been hacked about by the studio or the Breen Office - for instance, Huston goes from being outside on the street, to being back in Gin Sling's house, and then is suddenly transported back outside for the final shot. The film doesn't have so much an ending as it just stops, but this merely means it functions like a dream, where you wake up when the shot is fired.

So the production design is as important as any character, the photography is simmering, and Sternberg fills the frame with as many veils, translucent curtains, and scurrying extras as possible to create an endless flurry of movement (very important when the film itself has virtually no narrative after the first forty-five minutes). In other words, essential cinema.

I saw this in 35mm at the Stanford Theatre - it looked pretty dupey and soft, with lots of grain but not too much damage. Greys were fairly washed out; I don't know where they got the print from, but clearly this would look spectacle if given a proper restoration, especially allowing the sets to truly pop.