Not Coming to a Theater Near You | 2005 in review
by Beth Gilligan
Preston Sturges, Preston Sturges, Preston Sturges
By now, those reading this site on anything approximating a regular basis should be well-acquainted with my fervor for a certain writer-director. Though he may still trail Billy Wilder and Ernst Lubitsch in terms of name recognition, in 2005 Preston Sturges’ work received an important boost on several fronts: the release of The Palm Beach Story and The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek on DVD; the arrival of a Criterion Collection edition, packed with extras, of the underrated dark comedy Unfaithfully Yours; and an 8-movie retrospective at Film Forum entitled “The Early Sturges: Preston Sturges Screenplays, 1930-39,” which included a rare public screening of The Power and the Glory. Those living overseas (or in possession of a multi-region DVD player) could treat themselves to the 7-disc boxed set Written and Directed by Preston Sturges, released in August and containing Sullivan’s Travels, The Lady Eve, The Palm Beach Story, The Great McGinty, Christmas in July, The Great Moment, and Hail the Conquering Hero, the latter four of which remain unavailable on DVD in the States. It’s a testament to Sturges’ unique comic genius that the dialogue and action in these films still crackle six decades after their initial release.
The Best of the Fest
Leo and I split reviewing duties for the 43rd New York Film Festival, so I can’t attest for all the movies shown, but my hours logged in the Walter Reade Theater and Alice Tully Hall yielded some marvelous discoveries, including Jean-Paul Civeyrac’s haunting, dreamlike Through the Forest, Michael Winterbottom’s deliriously funny Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, Steven Soderbergh’s well-crafted, slow-burning Bubble, and Michael Haneke’s searing, unforgettable Caché. Though Through the Forest remains without a U.S. distributor, Caché is currently in limited release, and Tristram Shandy and Bubble are due in theaters here in early 2006. In addition, one of the highlights from last year’s festival, The Holy Girl, opened in theaters this spring and is now available on DVD. The film, which revolves around a 16-year old Argentinean schoolgirl’s spiritual and sexual awakening, confirms director Lucrecia Martel’s status as one of the most talented voices of her generation.
The River
It seems unfair to single out one Criterion title given the consistent strength of their output, but their edition of The River not only did justice to the film’s sumptuous color photography, but it brought greater recognition to a film that by all rights should be counted alongside The Rules of the Game and Grand Illusion as one of director Jean Renoir’s masterpieces.