edited by Jonathan Doyle

Cloverfield [BLU-RAY] (Paramount Home Entertainment, 6.3.2008) Disguised under deliberately goofy, yet deliciously edible-sounding, aliases such as Cheese and Slusho, Matt Reeves' Cloverfield was produced and rushed into theaters under an equally appetizing shroud of secrecy. From last year's incredibly elusive Super Bowl ad to the film's viral marketing campaign, Cloverfield had everybody scratching their heads and drooling in anticipation. Aside from the as-yet untitled title and the Blair Witch-ian visual style, the film's biggest appeal was the enigmatic creature who was last (un)seen hurling the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty onto the crowded streets of New York City. All we knew about the mysterious beast was that it was big and angry. Now that the highy-anticipated project has come and gone, one question has fortunately been answered: Cloverfield was a major success. (continued)

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Discland Archive

Behold a Pale Horse

(Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2.22.2005)

After several years in hiding, guerilla leader Manuel Artiguez (Gregory Peck) is visited by Paco, a young boy whose father was murdered by Manuel's bitter enemy Vinolas (Anthony Quinn). Paco desperately wants Manuel to avenge his father's death and Manuel gets the inspiration he needs when he learns that his mother is on the brink of death. As a result of this development, Manuel plans a return to San Martin, the home of his mother and the dreaded Vinolas. Needless to say, Vinolas plans a counter-attack and complications ensue. Things get even more complicated when a priest (Omar Sharif) enters the picture and acts as an intermediary between Vinolas, Paco, Manuel, and Manuel's mother.

Based on a novel by Michael Powell's long-time filmmaking partner Emeric Pressburger, Behold a Pale Horse reflects Pressburger's gift for intelligently suspenseful plotting. Reminiscent of director Fred Zinnemann's (High Noon, A Man For All Seasons) later assassination thriller The Day of the Jackal, Behold a Pale Horse is executed with care and imagination. Visually, this is some of Zinnemann's best work, recalling everything from The Bicycle Thief to L'Eclisse. Thankfully, the film's high contrast photography is presented accurately in its original aspect ratio (1.85:1). This isn't a perfect transfer but it's certainly better than expected. There's also a terrific (but sparely used) score by Maurice Jarre, which nicely punctuates the few scenes it's featured in.

In addition to the film's theatrical trailer, the disc also includes trailers for Sharif and Quinn's Lawrence of Arabia, Peck's The Guns of Navarone, and Zinnemann's From Here to Eternity. Again, Sony includes several subtitle options. In this case, the wild card option is Korean. How they make these decisions, I'll never know.

Resembling a black-and-white spaghetti western, with its revolutionary politics and despicable villain, this is another pleasant surprise from Sony Pictures: a little-known, unsentimental gem that's improved with age. -- Jonathan Doyle

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