Legendary and highly influential filmmaker Samuel Fuller (1912-97) was one of the true rebels of cinema. He was very versatile, making westerns, film noirs, war epics, and even racial horror (White Dog). But all icons have to start somewhere, so the new Blu-ray upgrade of Criterion’s Eclipse Series 5: The First Films of Samuel Fuller, should definitely be a good beginning for those who aren’t familiar with his risky approach to film.
Buy Eclipse Series 5: The First Films of Samuel FullerThe three films include:
- I Shot Jesse James (1949): Fuller’s directorial debut starring John Ireland as Robert Ford, the real-life outlaw who killed Jesse James (Reed Hadley) on April 3, 1882.
- The Baron of Arizona (1950): The great Vincent Price (in one of his own favorite roles) as real-life swindler James Addison Reavis, who created an egomaniac and dangerous plan to name himself the Baron of Arizona and take over all the land in the state.
- The Steel Helmet (1951): Fuller’s startling wartime classic of Korean War soldiers grappling with moral and racial identity. The first film to directly portray the Korean War, which was so damning and controversial that Fuller was investigated by the FBI.
Just like other Eclipse titles, there are no supplements, but there is a great essay by Nick Pinkerton. With these three films and others, Fuller set the stage for his renegade and incredibly potent cinematic legacy. Watch the films and you’ll see why he remains one of the greatest and most daring filmmakers of his time and of all time. So, I obviously recommend adding this set to your collection 100%.
Other notable releases:
The Shout (Criterion): Jerzy Skolimoswki’s chilling 1978 film starring John Hurt and Susannah York as a couple living in the lonely country of Devon, England, whose home and lives are invaded by a mysterious and seductive stranger (Alan Bates) who claims to have Aboriginal powers and the ability to kill with a deadly scream.
Frankenhooker 4K: Standard Edition (Synapse): Legendary and inventive horror director Frank Henenlotter’s 1990 cult classic about a wacky doctor who decides to bring his fiancée back to life after she is torn to pieces by a lawnmower. He goes to the most bizarre lengths to do so.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe 4K Limited Edition (Severin)L Critically lauded modern horror classic starring Brian Cox and Emilie Hirsch star as father-and-son coroners who do an autopsy on a “Jane Doe” corpse. They are menaced by supernatural forces as they go deeper into her mysterious death.
Maniac 4K Limited Edition (Severin): Elijah Wood’s haunting performance fuels this incredible and incredibly gory remake of the notorious 1980 video nasty about an unstable loner (and serial killer) who stalks and brutally kills women. When a young artist enters his life, his already fragile state explodes.
By Hook or by Crook (Altered Innocence): The 2001 queer classic about two unlikely friends (a trans man and an adoptee) who commit petty crimes as they search for meaning and their place in a world that wants to shut them out.
