DVDs, 1/1.

"Produced by David Kalat, Lost and Found: The Harry Langdon Collection is a generous four-disc set with the avowed aim of establishing Langdon alongside the Holy Trinity of silent comedy: Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd," writes Dave Kehr in the New York Times. "The jury may still be out on that, but the case that Mr Kalat presents - which includes 20 shorts and Langdon's first feature, His First Flame (1927) - is strong."

The Draughtsman's Contract "remains Greenaway's most accessible film, one where his highly structured style of storytelling (the creation of each of Mr Neville's 12 drawings function more or less as chapter stops) hadn't yet reached the obsessive-compulsive levels of his later films, which pretty much do away with stories altogether and are basically just lists and catalogues of various objects," writes Paul Matwychuk.

"1944 was a big year for film noir," notes Steve-O at Noir of the Week. "Early film noirs Double Indemnity, Laura and Murder, My Sweet were all released near the end of '44 and all were box office hits.... The makers of Murder, My Sweet - without [Raymond] Chandler's help - were determined to make a movie that captured the feel the book.... Philip Marlowe is the most filmed detective in movie history and Murder, My Sweet is one of the best of them."

DVD roundups: Monika Bartyzel at Cinematical and Susan King in the Los Angeles Times.

Posted by dwhudson at January 1, 2008 10:36 AM