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CLASSICS VIDEO: BEST OF 2000

Editor, Simon Leake

Two highlights for fans of classic movies in 2000 were the reappearance of "The Story of G.I. Joe," a film that went almost unseen for more than half a century, and the release of Orson Welles's "Touch of Evil" in a version edited according to the director's original plan. This year also saw a host of old friends return to video, including Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in "Adam's Rib," the ever-suave Sean Connery in "From Russia with Love," and all those yodeling kids in "The Sound of Music." To paraphrase Julie Andrews: "When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite films, and then I don't feel so bad."

EDITOR'S CHOICE

"The Story of G.I. Joe" (1945) (NR)
starring Burgess Meredith and Robert Mitchum; directed by William Wellman
William Wellman's rarely seen, powerful war film finally became available on VHS and DVD this year. Burgess Meredith plays journalist Ernie Pyle, reporting on the lives of frontline soldiers (including Robert Mitchum in an Oscar-nominated performance). The film was unusual for its time because it focused on ordinary fighting men rather than grand strategy, and its realistic, unflinching approach to that colossal conflict is matched only by Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan."

Also available on DVD

"Touch of Evil" (Special Restored Edition) (1958) (PG-13)
starring Orson Welles and Charlton Heston; directed by Orson Welles
Considered by many to be the greatest B movie ever made, the original-release version of Orson Welles's film noir masterpiece "Touch of Evil" was, ironically, never intended as a B movie at all--it merely suffered that fate after it was taken away from writer-director Welles, then reedited and released in 1958 as the second half of a double feature. This special edition was restored in 1998, based on a detailed memo left by Welles, giving the director's bravura rhythms and dazzling technique a chance to shine again. Read more Also available on DVD

"Adam's Rib" (1949) (NR)
starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn; directed by George Cukor
Two great husband-wife teams (one onscreen, the other off) are involved in this classic 1949 comedy. Not only do Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy throw comedic sparks as a married team of lawyers on opposing sides of a high-profile case, but their exquisite verbal jousting was scripted by the team of Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon. Leading all of this stellar talent was director George Cukor at the prime of his career, and the result is a delightful and intelligent comedy that still shines half a century after it was made. Read more Also available on DVD

"Bedazzled" (1967) (NR)
starring Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and Raquel Welch; directed by Stanley Donen
Who could resist a comic reworking of the story of Faust, directed by Stanley Donen and featuring Raquel Welch as Lust? Moore is a hopeless nerd who makes a pact with the devil (Peter Cook) and receives seven wishes, but the Lord of Darkness--true to form--refuses to play by the rules. Moore and Cook worked together for years, and their performances here have an improvisational spark that lifts "Bedazzled" to cult-classic status. Read more
"North by Northwest" (1959) (NR)
starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint; directed by Alfred Hitchcock
In Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest," Cary Grant stars as Roger Thornhill, an advertising executive who (thanks to a case of mistaken identity) finds himself pursued by enemy agents in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. Grant's charm is the perfect foil to Hitchcock's complex plot, and the set pieces--including the iconic crop-duster sequence--are as thrilling as ever. This special edition also contains a documentary on the making of the film, hosted by costar Eva Marie Saint. Read more Also available on DVD

"The Nutty Professor" (1963) (NR)
starring Jerry Lewis and Stella Stevens; directed by Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis's hilarious retread of the Jekyll and Hyde story is perhaps his greatest work. Lewis developed a style of physical comedy that belongs in the comic pantheon alongside Chaplin and Tati, and "The Nutty Professor" showcases his remarkable technique, whether he's playing the painfully awkward chemistry professor or his chemically induced alter ego Buddy Love. Forget your prejudices against his oeuvre, remember that this guy was making movies before the Farrelly brothers were born, and enjoy Jerry Lewis at his funniest and most inventive. Read more Also available on DVD

"From Russia with Love" (1964) (PG)
starring Sean Connery and Lotte Lenya; directed by Terence Young
Directed with consummate skill by Terence Young, the second James Bond spy thriller is considered by many fans to be the best of them all. Certainly Sean Connery was never better as the dashing Agent 007, whose latest mission takes him to Istanbul to retrieve a top-secret Russian decoding machine. There he locks horns with Robert Shaw, and locks lips with the usual bevy of pneumatic beauties. Lotte Lenya is terrific as a gorgeous but deadly assassin with switchblades in her shoes. Read more Also available on DVD

"The Sound of Music" (1965) (G)
starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer; directed by Robert Wise
Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, nuns, Nazis, and lonely goatherds all add up to a musical treat that has kept audiences do-re-mi-ing for 35 years. Even the stars thought that "The Sound of Music" might prove too saccharine for audiences, but somehow everything came together and the result is a cinematic landmark that remains at--or close to--the top of the heap. Julie Andrews is a delight, her young charges are sweet as can be, and Christopher Plummer looks terribly rugged while strumming a mean guitar. Read more Also available on DVD

"The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957) (PG)
starring Alec Guinness and William Holden; directed by David Lean
With the death this August of Sir Alec Guinness, cinema lost one of its greatest actors. David Lean's classic war movie "The Bridge on the River Kwai" starred Guinness as Colonel Nicholson, a prisoner of war who becomes obsessed with the bridge that the Japanese are forcing his men to build. Guinness was an actor of extraordinary subtlety, and the deeply troubled Colonel Nicholson remains one of his most powerful performances. Read more Also available on DVD

"Lassie Come Home" (1943) (G)
starring Pal, Roddy McDowall, and Elizabeth Taylor; directed by Fred M. Wilcox
Be prepared to work your way through an entire box of Kleenex when you watch this heartwarming classic. Young Joe Carraclough (Roddy McDowall) is heartbroken when his father decides that they can't afford to keep the family dog. She's sold to a duke (Nigel Bruce, as delightful as ever), and when her new owners move to Scotland it seems that Lassie and her master will never be reunited. But the faithful hound sets out on a long and difficult journey home, encountering unexpected dangers and some new friends on her way. Read more

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