Rust, Richard

Taras Bulba

"I will kiss the devil before my son wears a Polish collar!" declares Cossack warrior Taras Bulba, thus laying down the fundamental conflict of this epic film, based on the classic book by Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol. After the Polish army and the Cossacks defeat the Turks, the Poles betray their fierce collaborators in order to claim the Cossacks' ancestral home, the Steppes. Scattered, the Cossacks bide their time, and Bulba (Yul Brynner) sends his son Andrei (Tony Curtis) to a Polish college to learn the secrets of their culture. Though Andrei faces cruelty and prejudice, he falls in love with a Polish noblewoman, Natalia (Christine Kaufmann, a lovely German actress in one of her few English-language roles). Andrei, torn by love and loyalty to his people, risks everything in a desperate attempt to win Christine, even if it pits him against his own father. Taras Bulba is far from a great film--there are some laughable special effects, the battle scenes are confused and sluggish, and Curtis never quite loses his Bronx accent. Despite that, Curtis' star power comes through, and Yul Brynner tears up the screen with his amazing physical presence and emotional intensity; the man was truly a unique and compelling actor, who found only a few roles that suited him--this was one. By the end, Gogol's muscular plot catches you in its grip. The hypnotically gripping final scenes overcome all the cheesiness that came before. --Bret Fetzer

Set in the 16th century Ukraine two Cossack brothers find themselves battling each other when one wants to recover land from the treacherous Poles and the other falls in love with a Polish girl. Breathtaking scenes. Academy Award Nominations: Best (original) Score.System Requirements:Running Time; 122 mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/CLASSICS Rating: NR UPC: 883904103073 Manufacturer No: M110307

Homicidal

Cross Alfred Hitchcock with a carnival showman and you might come up with William Castle, the low-budget horror king of the exploitation gimmick. Homicidal is arguably his best film, a devious little Psycho knockoff with all the right ingredients: a sleepy Southern California town, a beautiful blonde with icy eyes and a thing for knives, a mute old woman in a wheelchair, and a deep, dark secret involving a repressed, awkward young man still haunted by the abuses of his dead father. Ever the cinematic carny, Castle pulls a trademark gimmick just before the climax: the clock-countdown "Fright Break," for anyone "too frightened to see the end of the picture." What the film lacks in tension it makes up for in startles and shocks. Castle is no Hitchcock, but he adds an insidious twist that pays off even if you see it coming.

The DVD also features the seven-minute documentary "Psychette: William Castle and Homicidal" and the not-to-be missed original trailer. --Sean Axmaker

Walk on the Wild Side

Alvarez Kelly

Alvarez Kelly (1966) isn't really a classic, but it's a pleasant enough Western, directed by Edward Dmytryk. The rather convoluted plot (adventurer plays one side off against the other on a cattle drive from Mexico during the Civil War) relies heavily on the charm of the two stars, William Holden and Richard Widmark, but the two prove as reliable as ever. There are some so-so action scenes, but it's the battle of wits between the two principals that supplies all the fireworks. By contrast Janice Rule is just adequate as the love interest. --Ed Buscombe

This is the story of a renegade adventurer ALVAREZ KELLY (William Holden) who gets caught in the middle of the Civil War. With no loyalties to either North or South Kelly is hired to drive a herd of cattle from Mexico to the Union Army in Virginia. However along the way he is captured by Confederate Colonel Tom Rossiter (Richard Widmark) who persuades him...by shooting off a finger to deliver the cattle to starving Confederates in Richmond. At a bridge leading to Richmond the Union Army attacks and a bloody battle ensues in which Kelly risks his own life to save a Confederate officer. In the end Kelly's fate once again lies in the hands of Colonel Rossiter.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 043396011991 Manufacturer No: 01199

This Rebel Breed

Alvarez Kelly [Region 2]

Alvarez Kelly (1966) isn't really a classic, but it's a pleasant enough Western, directed by Edward Dmytryk. The rather convoluted plot (adventurer plays one side off against the other on a cattle drive from Mexico during the Civil War) relies heavily on the charm of the two stars, William Holden and Richard Widmark, but the two prove as reliable as ever. There are some so-so action scenes, but it's the battle of wits between the two principals that supplies all the fireworks. By contrast Janice Rule is just adequate as the love interest. --Ed Buscombe

Alvarez Kelly [Region 2]

Alvarez Kelly (1966) isn't really a classic, but it's a pleasant enough Western, directed by Edward Dmytryk. The rather convoluted plot (adventurer plays one side off against the other on a cattle drive from Mexico during the Civil War) relies heavily on the charm of the two stars, William Holden and Richard Widmark, but the two prove as reliable as ever. There are some so-so action scenes, but it's the battle of wits between the two principals that supplies all the fireworks. By contrast Janice Rule is just adequate as the love interest. --Ed Buscombe

The Student Nurses

Alvarez Kelly [Region 2]

Alvarez Kelly (1966) isn't really a classic, but it's a pleasant enough Western, directed by Edward Dmytryk. The rather convoluted plot (adventurer plays one side off against the other on a cattle drive from Mexico during the Civil War) relies heavily on the charm of the two stars, William Holden and Richard Widmark, but the two prove as reliable as ever. There are some so-so action scenes, but it's the battle of wits between the two principals that supplies all the fireworks. By contrast Janice Rule is just adequate as the love interest. --Ed Buscombe