DARK OF THE SUN 1968 on Blu-Ray

       Based upon a book by African adventure specialist Wilbur Smith, 1968's DARK OF THE SUN is a balls-to-the-wall action film that barely pauses to catch its breath during its nail-bitingly intense 100 min. running time. Directed by Academy Award cinematographer Jack Cardiff (BLACK NARCISSUS) it features Rod Taylor as a mercenary Capt. Curry in the war-torn Congo of the 1960's. Curry who along with his buddy/comrade Sgt. Ruffo (Jim Brown) is hired to rescue a group of stranded Europeans who are caught behind the lines. Jacking up the tension considerably is the real motive behind the "rescue"- $50,000,000 worth of diamonds held in a bank there.
      Regulated to some late-night TV showings and a pan & scan VHS, this was mercifully rescued by Warner Archive for a DVD release a few years back and now we have a beautiful Blu -Ray that brings forth the sweaty violence in startling clarity.
     Gathering together a group of mercenaries including Peter Carsten dubbed by Paul Frees) as a sadistic ex-Nazi turned mercenary and in a very touching performance that could have easily gone the wrong way Kenneth Moore as an alcoholic doctor they travel by a heavily armed train their destination, picking up missionary Yvette Mimieux (reuniting with Taylor from THE TIME MACHINE) along the way. The plot gives us a nice lead-up, spending just enough time in preparation of and the train journey itself to let each character develop their own individuality. Mimieux at first seems hopelessly out-of-place in the midst of the mission, but she along with Jim Brown will become a conscience for Taylor and the audience.

     Thankfully a hinted at burgeoning romance between Mimieux and Taylor never materializes, leaving the plot free to move from one action sequence to another. Although the plot has politics as a basis for the recovery of the diamonds, the mercenaries for the most part are guided by money, greed or revenge (or sometimes all three) and once the train gets underway it's a non-stop adrenaline rush. Browns made out as the most sympathetic of the bunch and a couple of dialogue scenes with Taylor help flesh out both characters.
    Taylor has never been better here and it's one of those roles that once you seem him here, you'll never look at him the same way again. There's an excellent chemistry between himself and Brown with a real sense of longtime friendship and camaraderie between them. Taylor's revenge-driven transformation at the end all of film, as he turns into almost feral-like animal on the hunt for blood is an amazing piece of acting.
    The film's much heralded violence still packs a wallop to this day with several startling wince inducing images and sequences including a covert trip to a town to retrieve the diamonds that's like a trip to one of the outer circles of hell. If all this weren't enough, you also get fight with a chainsaw and Rod driving the literal piss out of a Land Rover.
     Extras on the disc include the theatrical trailer and a new commentary with Trailers From Hell Larry Karaszewski & Larry Olson along with Brian Saur & Elric Kane.

All above screen-caps are from the Warner Archive Blu-Ray

FRANKENSTEIN 1970 on Blu-Ray 1958

   

      Old, infirm and short of money the last surviving member of the Frankenstein family (Boris Karloff) rents out the family castle to a group of filmmakers who are making a movie about the family and its monster(s). Working on a secret experiment in a hidden dungeon (a premise which should be immediately guessed just by the film's title alone) and with a now handy source of spare parts the doctor looks to continue his family's legacy... 
     Released by Allied Artists this attempt to meld 1930's golden era of Universal Gothic horror with 1950's atomic-age horror doesn't do either entirely successfully but is not without merits (the 1st being Karloff). It also has B&W CinemaScope photography (always a plus!) on some impressive sets left over from Errol Flynn's TOO MUCH, TOO SOON and both films also share the cinematographer Carl Guthrie (who was hired presumably because he already knew how to light it).
    Not a great film by any stretch of the imagination (the monster looks like a mummy with a wastepaper basket for a head), it's also not as bottomed rung as its reputation would have it. It's interesting to see Karloff playing an actual Frankenstein namesake instead of the creation and he as usual rises above the material even at one point giving a touching soliloquy which is reminiscent of Lugosi's in BRIDE OF THE MONSTER. The film opens with a terrific sequence in which a young woman is chased through the countryside and ends up floundering if a river while being chased by a huge hulking figure only seen by his shadow. The shot then then pulls back, and we discover that we've been watching a movie being made all of which leads to a bit of a disappointment as the actual film doesn't quite live up to this.

    Originally planned as FRANKENSTEIN 1960 the title pushed forward 12 years into the future but there's no indication given as to why, as the film is planted squarely in the late 50's. Karloff who had been suffering from increased pain and back problems ever since the original FRANKENSTEIN in 1930 here plays the elderly Frankenstein whose been tortured by the Nazis during WWII (although they're never mention by name) and also carries a long scar and damaged eye-lid (the stills of which popped up constantly in Famous Monsters magazine). There're also vague references to "no longer being a man" that's one of several adult themes the film hints at in its script, but never brings to the surface.

      Lurking in the cast is character actor Don "Red" Berry from countless TV westerns and look for a quick cameo by the Maltese Falcon lurking in the background as set design.
    Warner Archives Blu of FRANKENSTEIN 1970 is beautiful and a massive upgrade over the previous DVD included in the Karloff/Lugosi package. Sporting a brand new 2019 1080p HD master that almost shimmers with eye-popping detail and a nice DTS 2.0 audio. The commentary, a nice balance of both fun & facts, by Historians Charlotte Austin, Bob Burns, and Tom Weaver is carried over from the DVD.

SHAFT'S BIG SCORE! 1972 & SHAFT IN AFRICA 1973 On Blu From Warner Archive

    Warner archive have announced the upcoming release of SHAFT'S BIG SCORE 1972 and SHAFT IN AFRICA 1973, the sequels to the groundbreaking 1971 film directed by Gordon Parks. The original SHAFT Blu had been released back in 2012, so these nicely fill out the series. Based upon a book by Ernest Tidyman (who also wrote SHAFT and SHAFT'S BIG SCORE), the first movie along with Melvin Van Peebles SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG (also released in 1971) kick started the Blaxploitation explosion in the coming decade

    Directed by Parks, the first sequel is less of an urban detective film and more of an action-oriented film with even a touch of James Bond thrown in along with an amp up in the sex & violence quota. Because of the massive success of the first film, Parks was given a much larger budget which resulted in some great action sequences the highlight of which is an extended speedboat/helicopter chase. While first film has more of a gritty NYC feel, SHAFT'S BIG SCORE seems a bit more polished as it both literally and figuratively moves the action out to the suburbs. The film is still anchored by Richard Roundtree's magnetic presence and nobody can shoot NYC in the 70's like Gordon Parks.

    Written by Sterling Sillipant, SHAFT IN AFRICA leaves NYC completely as Roundtree head to Africa and Europe to break up a present-day slavery ring. Getting even more away from the detective genre and closer into the spy realm, it was directed by John Guillermin (THE BLUE MAX) and once again feature Roundtree in the title role. After the relative box office failure of SHAFT IN AFRICA the property was passed on to TV where a short-lived series (again featuring Roundtree and available from Warner archive) was produced but cancelled after seven episodes.