Blu-Ray News #102: Edge Of Eternity (1959).

Directed by Don Siegel
Starring Cornel Wilde, Victoria Shaw, Mickey Shaughnessy, Edgar Buchanan, Rian Garrick, Jack Elam

Don Siegel didn’t like CinemaScope. But the setting of Edge Of Eternity (1959), the Grand Canyon, screams for the wide screen. So here we get one of the great director’s few films in 2.35. (Flaming Star was also in ‘Scope; Dirty Harry and a few others were in Panavision.) His director of photography for this one was the great Burnett Guffey, who he’d worked with on Private Hell 36 (1954). Guffey’d go on to do the groundbreaking camerawork for Bonne And Clyde (1967).

Edge Of Eternity is a Siegel picture I’ve never seen, so I’m really stoked that Twilight Time is bringing it to Blu-Ray. Siegel certainly deserves the kind of treatment that comes from Twilight Time — they’ve already put together a great Flaming Star. Edge Of Eternity will be available in February.

Blu-Ray News #86: The Mad Magician (1954) With Spooks And Pardon My Backfire (1953).

Directed by John Brahm
Starring Vincent Price, Mary Murphy, Eva Gabor, John Emery, Donald Randolph, Lenita Lane

Here’s a perfect announcement for Halloween. Twilight Time has announced a January Blu-Ray release for Columbia’s The Mad Magician (1954) in 3-D and 2-D — with the added bonus of the two 3-D Three Stooges shorts, Spooks and Pardon My Backfire (both 1953).

All three are goofy fun. The Mad Magician is very much a ripoff of House Of Wax (1953), but that’s not a complaint. It’s terrific, with Vincent “Mr. 3-D” Price at his best. The Stooges shorts are exactly what you’d expect — some of the pies and stuff are thrown at you this time around. All come highly recommended, whether you have a 3-D rig or not.

Blu-ray News #52: The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959).

Directed by Terence Fisher
Starring Peter Cushing, Andre Morrell, Christopher Lee, Marla Landi

At the risk of being called an idiot with no taste, I’m gonna go ahead and say that The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959) is the best movie Hammer ever made. It might be the best Sherlock Holmes movie, too, but I’m gonna leave it at that. Cushing makes a mighty fine Holmes, that’s for sure.

Twilight Time will bring it to Blu-ray in June. This, I think, is a two-pipe problem.