Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 25, 1990 TAG: 9007240132
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Mike Mayo
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The last major production, Roman Polansky's "Pirates," was such a stinker that it may be decades before anyone tries another one. But no matter, one of the best has just reappeared on home video.
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"The Sea Hawk" has been available on tape for some time, but MGM/UA has just released in a longer "director's cut" "colorized" version. Like all "colorized" films, it looks like an old hand-tinted photograph. The computer-generated colors lack the complexity of true color photography.
I find these "enhanced" movies impossible to watch. My eye can tell that there's something not quite right about the image and it makes me feel a little queasy.
The only exception I've found so far is the colorized version of "Casablanca." Like "The Sea Hawk," it's a collaboration between writer Howard Koch and director Michael Curtiz.
Somehow the smooth, simple surfaces - from the sign over Rick's Cafe to Bogart's dinner jacket - make the transition painless. At the same time, though, the soft pastels add zilch to that movie, so what's the point?
And with "Casablanca" or "The Sea Hawk" or any of the others, it's a simple matter to reverse the colorization process. Simply turn the television's color and tint controls down to their minimum level and you've got a black-and-white image that's identical to the best original.
In color or dazzling black and white, "The Sea Hawk" is still a rousing adventure, but probably too slow and complicated for the youngest audiences, who are used to Teenage Ninja Mutant Smurfs and such.
Besides, they wouldn't realize that even though the story pretends to be about Elizabethan England and the imminent attack by the Spanish Armada, it's really about World War II. The film was made in 1940. Once you realize that the evil weenie, King Phillip of Spain is really just a stand-in for Hitler, it makes a lot more sense.
The big action scenes take up a relatively small part of the running time. Much of the story has to do with the intrigue and skullduggery of court politics. Claude Rains was at his silky and treacherous best as the Spanish ambassador. Unfortunately, his costume and hairdo do nothing to help his character. They look they were left over from the Munchkins' wardrobe.
Star Errol Flynn handled this kind of larger-than-life swashbuckling heroism better than anyone, and here he's in top form. Dame Flora Robson, as Queen Elizabeth, steals all of her scenes. Her final stem-winding speech, which has been edited from some prints, will make you want to go out and save the world from the Spaniards or the Nazis or the Russians or somebody.
\ "The Crimson Pirate" is a delightful pirate comedy. In terms of plot, it's nothing more than a live-action cartoon. In 1952, the film's star, Burt Lancaster, was considered an athletic hunk, not a serious dramatic actor. The focus is on his considerable acrobatic talents.
The story line takes the standard pirate plot - up with the freedom-loving rebels, down with Spain - and tosses in dozens of tricks and gimmicks, including but not limited to a submarine. Lancaster is the roguish Capt. Vallo; his circus partner Nick Cravat plays his mute sidekick.
The best moments in the film are their over-choreographed acrobatic action sequences. The first one lasts for almost five minutes. It's so fast-paced and slickly made that it looks for all the world like a big-budget rock video. Lancaster's orange-blond hair and earring complete the effect.
"The Crimson Pirate" is pure frivolous fun that should do well with younger viewers.
Releases this week
\ Valmont: Starring Colin Firth, Meg Tilly, Annette Bening, Fairuza Balk, Henry Thomas. Directed by Milos Forman. Orion. 134 min. Rated R for subject matter, sexual situations, violence.
This is director Forman's version of the same story that was told in "Dangerous Liaisons." The differences between the two are negligible. The flaws are the same. Both films are long, slow, and filled with cold-blooded, unsympathetic characters. Fans of historical dramas will find much to like in the richly detailed period sets and costumes, but in terms of gripping authenticity and involvement, this one doesn't come close to Forman's brilliant "Amadeus."
\ Everybody Wins: 1/2
Starring Nick Nolte, Debra Winger, Jack Warden, Kathleen Wilhoite, Will Patton, Frank Converse. Directed by Karel Reisz. Orion. 95 min. Rated R for profanity, some violence, sexual content.
This screwy movie is cut from the same strange cloth as "Blue Velvet" and "Tough Guys Don't Dance." It's nouveau noir, a parody of a mystery filled with bizarre, unrealistic characters and a strong visual style. In the mill town of Highbury, Connecticut, a young man is being framed for the murder of his uncle. Detective Tom O'Toole (Nolte) is brought into the case by Angela Crispini (Winger), the town flake. He meets an assortment of refugees from "Twin Peaks" in a story that writer Arthur Miller - yes, THE Arthur Miller - may or may not have meant to be funny. Basically, this one is the kind of movie that people either love or hate. It doesn't allow any middle ground, though home video may be a better showcase than the big screen for its unique excesses.
\ What the ratings mean:
\ **** Wonderful; one of the best of its kind. See it right away.
*** Very good; definitely worth renting.
** Average. You've seen better; you've seen worse.
* Poor. Make sure the fast-forward button on your VCR is in good working order.
Dud An insult to intelligence and taste. This category is as much a warning as a rating.
THE ESSENTIALS:\ `The Sea Hawk' MGM/UA. 128 min. Not rated, contains no objectionable material.
\ `The Crimson Pirate' Warner. 104 min. Not rated, contains no objectionable material.
by CNB