Josef von Sternberg

[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

Spoiler

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.