John Sturges’ Road Show comedy western has more in common with 1941 than The Magnificent Seven, but Kino has MGM’s new remaster and the visual result is spectacular. The Ultra Panavision 70 epic is still a favorite of fans of out-of-control Hollywood filmmaking. Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Jim Hutton, Pamela Tiffin and a huge cast lead the charge for a convoy of frontier whisky. It’s all in a fine spirit of madcap fun. . . so where are the big laughs?
The Hallelujah Trail
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 156 165 min. / Street Date December 13, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Jim Hutton, Pamela Tiffin, Donald Pleasence, Brian Keith, Martin Landau, John Anderson, Tom Stern, Robert J. Wilke, Dub Taylor, Whit Bissell, Helen Kleeb, Val Avery, Hope Summers, John Dehner (narrator).
Cinematography: Robert Surtees
Art Direction: Carey Odell
Costumes: Edith Head
Film Editor: Ferris Webster
Original Music: Elmer Bernstein...
The Hallelujah Trail
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 156 165 min. / Street Date December 13, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Jim Hutton, Pamela Tiffin, Donald Pleasence, Brian Keith, Martin Landau, John Anderson, Tom Stern, Robert J. Wilke, Dub Taylor, Whit Bissell, Helen Kleeb, Val Avery, Hope Summers, John Dehner (narrator).
Cinematography: Robert Surtees
Art Direction: Carey Odell
Costumes: Edith Head
Film Editor: Ferris Webster
Original Music: Elmer Bernstein...
- 11/29/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
I must have at least 7 home video releases of John Sturges’ classic, starting from VHS, but they’ve come up with a good reason to return: a 4K transfer with color and contrast grading that to me better represents the movie. The thrilling, not-too-violent escapades of Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, James Garner, David McCallum, James Coburn, Charles Bronson & James Donald are no longer timed so that everything looks like a washed-out high noon: both the 4th of July and much of the mad-dash escape scramble are meant to take place near the crack of dawn. In this case ‘Much darker’ is much richer; faces don’t get blown out. And I do see more detail in the enhanced image. So here we go again, happily.
The Great Escape 4K
4K Ultra HD
Kl Studio Classics
1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 172 min. / Street Date January 11, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner,...
The Great Escape 4K
4K Ultra HD
Kl Studio Classics
1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 172 min. / Street Date January 11, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner,...
- 12/27/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Images from this picture were burned into our Boomer childhood brains … we actually sat still for almost three hours to watch it. John Sturges’ epic show is like a fine-tuned watch — its unbreakable story is populated by ideal characters that become instant heroes, just for acting like normal men that want free of confinement. It’s really about freedom — after two hours in the Pow compound, the fugitives set loose in the wide, green beauty of Germany might as well be escaping into a wonderland of light and space. In its own way this show made our parents’ wartime experience come alive — it’s The picture to interest kids in events of the past.
The Great Escape
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1027
1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 172 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 12, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, Hannes Messemer,...
The Great Escape
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1027
1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 172 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 12, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, Hannes Messemer,...
- 5/2/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
They swim, they play, and they talk. They love George C. Scott and call him ‘pa.’ Mike Nichols’ paranoid sci-fi classic combines Lassie Go Home and The Manchurian Candidate. It works up a good guys versus bad guys conspiracy storyline — until the message arrives that what the adorable dolphins Fa and Bee really need, along with the rest of the natural planet, is for us greedy, murderous humans to just Go Away. Buck Henry’s screenplay overcomes aquatic clichés and cutesy animal traditions to come up with a crowd-pleasing winner.
The Day of the Dolphin
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1973 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 104 min. / Street Date February 18, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Paul Sorvino, Fritz Weaver, Jon Korkes, Edward Herrmann, John Dehner, Severn Darden, Elizabeth Wilson.
Cinematography: William A. Fraker
Film Editor: Sam O’Steen
Production Designer: Richard Sylbert
Original Music: Georges Delerue
Written by Buck...
The Day of the Dolphin
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1973 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 104 min. / Street Date February 18, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Paul Sorvino, Fritz Weaver, Jon Korkes, Edward Herrmann, John Dehner, Severn Darden, Elizabeth Wilson.
Cinematography: William A. Fraker
Film Editor: Sam O’Steen
Production Designer: Richard Sylbert
Original Music: Georges Delerue
Written by Buck...
- 3/28/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
On June 23, 1971, the 106-minute racing drama Le Mans, starring Steve McQueen and Siegfried Rauch as rivals, hit theaters stateside. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below.
Le Mans, Solar production for Cinema Center, is a tense and often terrifying account of the classic auto race at Le Mans, called "the 24 hours," because that is the particular period of endurance for this test of speed, stamina, skill and luck of men and machines.
Produced by Jack N. Reddish, with Robert E. Relyea as executive producer, Le Mans is dominated by the racing cars. It is almost ...
Le Mans, Solar production for Cinema Center, is a tense and often terrifying account of the classic auto race at Le Mans, called "the 24 hours," because that is the particular period of endurance for this test of speed, stamina, skill and luck of men and machines.
Produced by Jack N. Reddish, with Robert E. Relyea as executive producer, Le Mans is dominated by the racing cars. It is almost ...
- 6/23/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On June 23, 1971, the 106-minute racing drama Le Mans, starring Steve McQueen and Siegfried Rauch as rivals, hit theaters stateside. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below.
Le Mans, Solar production for Cinema Center, is a tense and often terrifying account of the classic auto race at Le Mans, called "the 24 hours," because that is the particular period of endurance for this test of speed, stamina, skill and luck of men and machines.
Produced by Jack N. Reddish, with Robert E. Relyea as executive producer, Le Mans is dominated by the racing cars. It is almost ...
Le Mans, Solar production for Cinema Center, is a tense and often terrifying account of the classic auto race at Le Mans, called "the 24 hours," because that is the particular period of endurance for this test of speed, stamina, skill and luck of men and machines.
Produced by Jack N. Reddish, with Robert E. Relyea as executive producer, Le Mans is dominated by the racing cars. It is almost ...
- 6/23/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Each month, the fine folks at FilmStruck and the Criterion Collection spend countless hours crafting their channels to highlight the many different types of films that they have in their streaming library. This January will feature an exciting assortment of films, as noted below.
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Thursday, February 1st
The Great Escape*
Based on the true story of an elaborately coordinated attempt to break out of a Nazi Pow camp, John Sturges’s The Great Escape is one of the most rousing adventure films of all time, anchored by Steve McQueen’s rebellious turn as “Cooler King” Captain Virgil Hilts. Featuring a powerful ensemble that includes Richard Attenborough, James Garner, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn, the film pulses with the humor of the prisoners’ camaraderie and the relentless suspense of their plan. Never released on DVD or Blu-ray, this 1993 Criterion laserdisc edition includes a long-unavailable commentary featuring Sturges,...
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Thursday, February 1st
The Great Escape*
Based on the true story of an elaborately coordinated attempt to break out of a Nazi Pow camp, John Sturges’s The Great Escape is one of the most rousing adventure films of all time, anchored by Steve McQueen’s rebellious turn as “Cooler King” Captain Virgil Hilts. Featuring a powerful ensemble that includes Richard Attenborough, James Garner, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn, the film pulses with the humor of the prisoners’ camaraderie and the relentless suspense of their plan. Never released on DVD or Blu-ray, this 1993 Criterion laserdisc edition includes a long-unavailable commentary featuring Sturges,...
- 1/31/2018
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Steve McQueen spent most of the 1960s avoiding lightweight movie roles -- only to do well with his winning comedy-drama performance in William Faulkner's most cheerful tale of old Mississippi. Get set for music by John Williams and an exciting climactic horse race. In storytelling terms this show would seem to have given Steven Spielberg a few ideas. The Reivers Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date August 25, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Steve McQueen, Rupert Crosse, Mitch Vogel, Sharon Farrell, Will Geer, Ruth White, Michael Constantine, Clifton James, Juano Hernandez, Lonny Chapman, Diane Ladd, Ellen Geer, Dub Taylor, Allyn Ann McLerie, Charles Tyner, Burgess Meredith. Cinematography Richard Moore Film Editor Thomas Stanford Original Music John Williams Written by Irving Ravetch, Harriet Frank Jr. from the book by William Faulkner Produced by Irving Ravetch, Robert Relyea Directed by Mark Rydell
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
What? This...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
What? This...
- 9/15/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
I’m not sure we’ll get every story of heroism, bravery, and ingenuity that made World War II so endlessly fascinating, but by now we seem to have gotten the best of them. The war had a scope involving millions of people on a global scale never seen before so the stories of the atrocities and acts of mercy continue to be uncovered and justly celebrated. And yet, one of the most enduring tales was not about a battle. Instead, the true story of the massive escape from Germany’s Stalag Luft III demonstrates a never-say-die attitude that demoralized the enemy. Thinking themselves clever, the Nazis collected their most troublesome prisoners and placed them in one facility, thinking they would be able to keep a better eye on them. They were all officers and treated a such, with the expectation that they would not cause trouble.
What the Germans...
What the Germans...
- 5/15/2013
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Robert E. Relyea, a producer-director who worked on such movies as The Magnificent Seven and West Side Story before becoming president of production at MGM/UA in the late 1990s, has died of natural causes. He was 82. There are conflicting reports about when he died: A spokeswoman for Relyea told the Associated Press that he died March 5 in Los Angeles, although family members told The Los Angeles Times that he died March 12 at a Thousand Oaks hospital, which is just north of L.A. Photos: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2013 Born May 3, 1930, in Santa Monica,
read more...
read more...
- 3/18/2013
- by THR Staff
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Los Angeles — The film producer and director whose credits included "The Magnificent Seven" and "West Side Story has died. Robert E. Relyea was 82.
A spokeswoman for Relyea says he died March 5 of natural causes in Los Angeles.
Relyea's career spanned over 40 years. He worked with stars such as John Wayne on "The Alamo" and Elvis Presley on "Jailhouse Rock."
He collaborated with Steve McQueen on several films, including "Bullitt," "Le Mans" and "The Reivers."
Relyea started as an MGM crew member in 1955 and served as president of production at MGM-United Artists from 1997 to 2001. He released his autobiography, "Not So Quiet on the Set," in 2008.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; five children; two stepchildren and grandchildren.
A spokeswoman for Relyea says he died March 5 of natural causes in Los Angeles.
Relyea's career spanned over 40 years. He worked with stars such as John Wayne on "The Alamo" and Elvis Presley on "Jailhouse Rock."
He collaborated with Steve McQueen on several films, including "Bullitt," "Le Mans" and "The Reivers."
Relyea started as an MGM crew member in 1955 and served as president of production at MGM-United Artists from 1997 to 2001. He released his autobiography, "Not So Quiet on the Set," in 2008.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; five children; two stepchildren and grandchildren.
- 3/15/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Michael Munn claims to have had astoundingly eventful friendships with Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Steve McQueen and a host of other stars. Those who doubt him include their families – and his own
Sitting with Michael Munn, biographer to the stars, in a somewhat bleak pub near his home in Sudbury, Suffolk, I can't get out of my head that classic Pete 'n' Dud sketch in which the flat-capped Peter Cook reveals to Dudley Moore the problems he is having being harassed by the likes of "bloody Greta Garbo". Munn, an affable man of 57, has long been a stalwart of Sudbury amateur dramatics; he still harbours ambitions of moving to Colchester, "just for the buzz". As he sips at a lunchtime half of lager, and tucks into his chicken salad, he is telling me of the time that Ava Gardner wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Ava was a brief but very intense relationship,...
Sitting with Michael Munn, biographer to the stars, in a somewhat bleak pub near his home in Sudbury, Suffolk, I can't get out of my head that classic Pete 'n' Dud sketch in which the flat-capped Peter Cook reveals to Dudley Moore the problems he is having being harassed by the likes of "bloody Greta Garbo". Munn, an affable man of 57, has long been a stalwart of Sudbury amateur dramatics; he still harbours ambitions of moving to Colchester, "just for the buzz". As he sips at a lunchtime half of lager, and tucks into his chicken salad, he is telling me of the time that Ava Gardner wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Ava was a brief but very intense relationship,...
- 7/24/2010
- by Tim Adams
- The Guardian - Film News
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By Graham Hill
Welcome back to my visit with producer Robert E. Relyea, who continues to share with us some more anecdotes from his remarkable career. If you remember from part one, the principal wooded exterior location for the Elvis Presley picture Kid Galahad (1962), was the small mountain community of Idyllwild, California, near Palm Springs. Relyea had kept the location in mind for his next film, The Great Escape (1963). As hard as it is to believe, director John Sturges and United Artists were all set to shoot right there in sunny southern California, building the Pow camp in the California hills with only some second unit shots done on location in Germany. This strategy would have obviously ensured that the movie was shot on a relatively low budget. Relyea told Sturges “It’s not exactly the Black Forest, but it does have...
By Graham Hill
Welcome back to my visit with producer Robert E. Relyea, who continues to share with us some more anecdotes from his remarkable career. If you remember from part one, the principal wooded exterior location for the Elvis Presley picture Kid Galahad (1962), was the small mountain community of Idyllwild, California, near Palm Springs. Relyea had kept the location in mind for his next film, The Great Escape (1963). As hard as it is to believe, director John Sturges and United Artists were all set to shoot right there in sunny southern California, building the Pow camp in the California hills with only some second unit shots done on location in Germany. This strategy would have obviously ensured that the movie was shot on a relatively low budget. Relyea told Sturges “It’s not exactly the Black Forest, but it does have...
- 3/9/2009
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Robert E. Relyea with writer Graham Hill By Graham Hill
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 For those of you out there in Cinema Retro Land, who are not familiar with the name Robert E. Relyea –well how about I drop a few other names… ? The Magnificent Seven, The Alamo, West Side Story and Bulllitt for starters – all films on which Mr. Relyea has served as a valued member of the production. Whether he was in the role of Assistant Director, Assistant to the Producer, Unit Production Manager or even Executive Producer, Relyea played an important part in the making of those great, iconic pictures. At 78, he’s still as sharp as ever and for the first time , he has decided, at the bequest of son Craig, to document his career in the recently published autobiography Not So Quiet on the Set –My Life in Movies During Hollywood’s Macho Era.
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 For those of you out there in Cinema Retro Land, who are not familiar with the name Robert E. Relyea –well how about I drop a few other names… ? The Magnificent Seven, The Alamo, West Side Story and Bulllitt for starters – all films on which Mr. Relyea has served as a valued member of the production. Whether he was in the role of Assistant Director, Assistant to the Producer, Unit Production Manager or even Executive Producer, Relyea played an important part in the making of those great, iconic pictures. At 78, he’s still as sharp as ever and for the first time , he has decided, at the bequest of son Craig, to document his career in the recently published autobiography Not So Quiet on the Set –My Life in Movies During Hollywood’s Macho Era.
- 2/1/2009
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
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