Comedy! Romance! Drama! Last month’s Twilight Time releases offer something for everyone.
Twilight Time’s monthly releases, typically four to five titles, never share a common theme content-wise, but they all get the same solid treatment from the label. The variety actually works in its favor as most movie fans will find at least one of the monthly titles up their alley. Their releases from last month include Woody Allen’s Alice, Forever Amber, Paddy Chayefsky’s The Hospital, The L-Shaped Room, and Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.
Keep reading for a look at Twilight Time’s Blu-ray releases for December 2017.
The Hospital (1971)
Dr. Bock (George C. Scott) is at a loss. His family has fallen apart, and the hospital where he works seems to be heading in the same direction. There’s chaos in the halls and parking lot as protesters complain about expansion plans, but the more immediate concern is growing number of bodies being discovered — is someone murdering hospital employees?
Scott gives a commanding performance weighted with drama, angst, and an appreciation for the ridiculous, and Chayefsky’s script — which won the Oscar for Best Screenplay — plays out with equal parts comedy, condemnation, and mystery. We’re occasionally bogged down in the protest subplot, but most of the film flies along with a biting edge and a cynical awareness that something big is amiss in a system meant to keep everything under control.
The disc includes an isolated music and effects track.
Buy The Hospital from Twilight Time.
Forever Amber (1947)
A young woman (Linda Darnell) living in 1660 England wants more than the simple rural life being prescribed her, and she sees opportunity in a military man (Cornel Wilde). He’s not of the same mind, though, and after a brief exchange the pair go their separate ways. That’s when Amber’s life gets even more interesting.
There are some action beats along the way, but it’s far more of a troubled tale of love than it is an exciting romp. Amber’s broken but hopeful heart fuels her journey with more than a couple men along the way, and like Letter from an Unknown Woman the film recognizes that not all romances end happily. Director Otto Preminger delivers a lush tale, and the always fun George Sanders makes an appearance too.
The disc includes an isolated music track and a featurette, “Linda Darnell: Hollywood’s Fallen Angel.”
Buy Forever Amber from Twilight Time.
The L-Shaped Room (1962)
Jane is almost thirty, single, and possibly pregnant. Turned off my both the father and the doctor she first visits, Jane decides she’s going to have the child… but she knows it won’t be easy. Her only real support comes in the neighbors who share her small apartment building.
The film applies a heavy dose of social realism to its narrative, and while it moves around a little the action remains mostly set in her apartment building which lends the proceedings the feelings of a play. It’s essentially an indie film feeling as tone and commentary on the times takes center stage away from a more traditional narrative. It’s very much a drama, and while it offers no easy answers for poor Jane it works well to capture the questions she faces.
The disc includes an isolated music and effects track and a commentary track with film historians Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman.
Buy The L-Shaped Room from Twilight Time.
Wuthering Heights (1970)
After being welcomed into a family as a young boy, Heathcliff grows to love his “sister” Cathy, but what begins in innocence becomes romantic. As adults the pair seem destined to be together, but fate intervenes leaving Heathcliff heartbroken and determined to prove his worth. He does, but at what cost and in what time?
The film leaves some novel fans cold in a pair of changes it makes to the narrative, both of which help it stand apart from the crowd. For one, Heathcliff’s “brother” is a supportive and less antagonistic soul than in other versions, but it’s the ending that seals the film’s fate as Heathcliff’s death comes in a wholly different manner and time leaving the dramatic denouement noticeably less weighty. The very end is the same, but getting there is a less emotional journey.
The disc includes an isolated music track and a commentary track with film historian Justin Humphreys.
Buy Wuthering Heights from Twilight Time.
Alice (1990)
Alice (Mia Farrow) has everything she could possibly want — money, a husband, kids, money — but she realizes one day that she wants something else. She’s not sure exactly what at first, but it could be love. Or it could be purpose.
Farrow is the main reason to watch as she gives an engaging performance that finds humor, charm, and concern in the character of Alice. The supporting cast includes other highlights like Joe Mantegna, William Hurt, June Squibb, Bernadette Peters, Bob Balaban, Alec Baldwin, and Keye Luke (Gremlins) in his final role.
The disc includes an isolated music and effects track.
Buy Alice from Twilight Time.