Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
Great & Unsung Movies
Great cinema, both well-known & unsung,
that you may not be aware of or have forgotten...
films A to Z (just below) • not on video/DVD • books & compilations
"The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across
The 8th Dimension (Part 6)" [Sherwood/Fox Aug 1984]
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Rapid-fire sci-fi craziness pitting Team Banzai against a race of evil Lectriods from Planet Ten in a weird and brainy comic book world full of overlapping jokes and toss-away one-liners – wacky and bizarre and original. Directed by W.D. Richter; written by Earl Mac Rauch; starring Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum & Christopher Lloyd
MGM/UA color DVD 'Special Edition' [1/2002] for $14.99 MGM/UA color VHS [2/2001] for $9.94 Pocket 8x5 pb [12/2001] for $10.36 full credits from IMDb |
"Amadeus" [Orion Sept 1984]
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First there is the music, then the period ambience, and the story of a mad, immature genius, and his destruction from within and from without.
Directed by Milos Forman; starring F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce & Elizabeth Berridge; nominated for 11 Oscars, winning eight (including Best Picture, Director & Script), and a slew of other awards.
Warner Video color VHS [1/2001] for $13.99 Warner Video widescreen VHS [3/2001] for $14.95 Warner Video widescreen DVD [12/97] for $15.99 full credits from IMDb | eine kleine Mozart [5min:41sec] |
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Fantasy soundtrack CD box set [12/97] 3 disks for $35.99
Fantasy soundtrack CD [12/92] for $29.49 Fantasy soundtrack cassette [10/90] for $19.93 Fantasy soundtrack on vinyl [4/95] for $19.93 Fantasy "More Music.." soundtrack CD [6/91] for $14.99 Good Times "More Music.." soundtrack cassette [11/91] for $10.43 Fantasy "More Music.." soundtrack on vinyl [4/95] for $10.43 |
"American Film Theatre" [1973-75]
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"Collection One" [2003]
Kino Video widescreen color DVD set [4/2003] 5 disks for $114.99 includes "Butley" [1974] directed by Harold Pinter, written by Simon Gray, starring Alan Bates; "The Iceman Cometh" [1973] directed by John Frankenheimer, based on the play by Eugene O'Neill, starring Lee Marvin, Fredric March & Robert Ryan; "Luther" [1973] written by Edward Anhalt, based on the John Osborne play, starring Stacy Keach; "The Maids" [1975] co-written & directed by Christopher Miles, bssed on the Jean Genet play "Les Bonnes" starring Glenda Jackson & Susannah York; and "Rhinoceros" [1974] based on the Eugène Ionesco play, starring Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder & Karen Black "Collection Two" [2003] Kino Video widescreen color DVD set [7/2003] 5 disks for $107.99 includes "A Delicate Balance" [1973] directed by Tony Richardson, written by Edward Albee, starring Katharine Hepburn & Paul Scofield; "The Homecoming" [1973] directed by Peter Hall, written by Harold Pinter, starring Ian Holm; "In Celebration" [1975] directed by Lindsay Anderson, written by David Storey, starring Alan Bates; "The Man In The Glass Booth" [1975] directed by Arthur Hiller, adapted by Edward Anhalt, based on the play by Robert Shaw, starring Maximilian Schell {Oscar nom}; and "Three Sisters" [1970] based on the 1900 Anton Chekhov play, co-directed by & starring Laurence Olivier, co-starring Joan Plowright, Derek Jacobi & Alan Bates "Collection Three" [2003] Kino Video widescreen color DVD set [11/2003] 4 disks for $80.99 includes "Galileo" [1975] co-written & directed by Joseph Losey, adapted from the Bertolt Brecht play, starring Topol; "Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living In Paris" [1975] directed by Denis Héroux, co-written by Eric Blau, co-written by & starring Jacques Brel; "Lost In The Stars" [1974] based on the Kurt Weill-Maxwell Anderson musical play adapted from the Alan Paton novel, starring Brock Peters; and "Philadelphia, Here I Come!" [1975] written by Brian Friel "Complete Collection" [2008] 
Kino Intl. widescreen color DVD set [DUE July 2008] pre-order 14 disks for $179.99 |
"Annie Hall"
[Rollins-Joffe/United Artists April 1977]
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One of Woody's masterpieces, the essential film about relationships in the 1970s. Co-written & directed by & starring Woody Allen; co-written by Marshall Brickman; also starring Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts & Carol Kane; won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress & Best Original Script; also won 5 BAFTA Awards, DGA, 3 NSFC, & WGA awards MGM/UA widescreen color DVD [7/2000] for $16.99 MGM/UA color VHS [1/94] for $13.99 full credits from IMDb |
"Bill and Coo" [Republic Pictures March 1948]
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After years of unavailability, this cinematic wonder is now available on DVD, with 14 other films, a compilation of the truly weird and special. (Full details on the DVD 5-disk set are at bottom of page.)
A true oddity: A cast of performing animals (mostly birds) in the tale of a town beset by a mean crow. Major sequences include a circus and a terrible fire. The characters display human traits – how did they do that? – and Love Triumphs In The End. A treasure, charming and astonishing. Presented by Ken Murray, co-written & directed by Dean Reisner; filmed in TruColor; won Honorary Oscar for 'artistry & patience'.
Passport b&w/color DVD [11/2007] 5 disks for $17.99 
full credits from IMDb 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99 |
"Cutter's Way" [United Artists 1981]
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The poetic cinematography, the acting, and the music are superb. The murder mystery is merely background for the existential mess of life in post-Vietnam America and the savagely heroic resolution in the last frame.
Directed by Ivan Passer, starring Jeff Bridges [Cutter], John Heard [Bone], Lisa Eichhorn, Ann Dusenberry & Stephen Elliott; music by Jack Nitzsche
MGM/UA color VHS [6/91] for $19.98 MGM/UA widescreen DVD [7/2001] for $17.98 full credits from IMDb based on the 1976 novel "Cutter & Bone" by Newton Thornburg Serpents Tail 7¾x5 pb [7/2001] for $11.20 |
"Do The Right Thing"
[40 Acres & a Mule Filmworks June 1989]
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Possibly inspired by Kurosawa's "Do-desu-ka-den" [below], the tale of a blighted neighborhood in Spike Lee's home turf of Brooklyn. There is actually a moment, ignored or missed by most reviewers, where 'the right thing' gets done – look for it. Written & directed by Spike Lee; starring Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee, John Turturro, Rosie Perez & Samuel L. Jackson, with Spike Lee as 'Mookie' Universal letterbox color DVD [7/98] for $22.48 Universal widescreen color DVD [2/2001] 2 discs for $35.96 Universal color VHS [1/2000] for $9.98 full credits from IMDb |
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Cambridge Univ Press 9x6 pb for $15.95 Sony original score CD [9/89] for $11.98 |
"Do-desu-ka-den"
[Toho Japan Oct 1970; U.S.A. June 1971]
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The tale is simple but involving, and was perhaps the inspiration for Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" [above]. Co-writer/director Akira Kurosawa's first color film, with a rich pallette; Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
Home Vision color VHS [11/95] with English subtitles for $29.95 full credits from IMDb |
"Frida" [Oct 2002]
see the Frida Kahlo Art Page at Spirit of America Bookstore
"Fritz The Cat" [Polygram 1972]
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Two animated features based on Robert Crumb's dangerously subversive counter-culture comic strip. The first (and only) major-studio X-rated cartoon features.
Produced & directed by Ralph Bakshi MGM/UA color widescreen DVD [12/2001] for $10.99 full credits from IMDb sequel "Nine Lives of Fritz The Cat" [1974] MGM/UA widescreen color DVD [12/2001] for $17.98 full credits from IMDb |
"The Gods Must Be Crazy"
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A Kalahari bushman finds a Coke bottle dropped from the sky, but the new technological wonder disrupts his tribe, and so Xixo sets out to return the bottle to the gods. In the sequel, Xixo chases after a fast-moving truck where his children are accidental stowaways. Produced, written & directed by Jamie Uys; starring N!xao as Xixo combo DVD with both "TGMBC I" & "TGMBC II" Columbia/TriStar widescreen DVD [2/2004] 2 disks for $20.97 "TGMBC" [1980; US release 1984] Fox VHS [9/90] out of stock/used full credits from IMDb sequel "The Gods Must Be Crazy II" [1989] Col/TriStar VHS [1/93] out of stock/used full credits from IMDb |
"Greed"
silent film masterpiece [M.G.M. Dec 1924]
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A San Francisco dentist woos and marries his best friend's girl. She wins the lottery and her jealous ex-boyfriend turns the dentist in for having no license to practice.
This legendary 'lost film' was delivered at ten hours length; the studio forced Stroheim to make drastic cuts; he cut it down to four hours. The displeased studio then took control and released a 2-hour & 20-minute version, which failed at the box office. The excised negatives and exposed film were destroyed, perhaps as late as the 1950s. The Turner restoration makes use of still photos & historical script continuity. Co-written & directed by Erich von Stroheim; based on the novel "McTeague" {below}; starring Gibson Gowland, Zasu Pitts, Jean Hersholt, Dale Fuller, Tempe Pigott, Sylvia Ashton, Chester Conklin & Joan Standing; listed on the National Film Registry in 1991 Turner 4-hr restoration [9/98] 2 tapes - out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb entry about the film at Wikipedia complete script: Ayers hardcover [1/72] out of [print/used |
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"McTeague: A Story of San Francisco" [1899 classic novel] by Frank Norris [1870-1902] Signet mass pb [8/2003] for $7.95 W.W. Norton 8½x5¼ pb critical text [11/96] for $12.80 entry about the book at Wikipedia |
"King of Hearts" [France 1966]
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The inmates of an insane asylum get loose, but they may be more sane than the outside world. A delightful, surreal, farcical anti-war fairytale. Directed by Philippe de Broca; starring Alan Bates & Geneviève Bujold; aka "Le Roi de Coeur"
MGM/UA widescreen VHS [11/2001] with English subtitles for $16.99 MGM/UA letterbox DVD [4/2001] with Eng/Span/Fr subtitles for $16.99 full credits from IMDb |
"Lemonade Joe: A Horse Opera"
[Czechoslovakia 1964, USA 1967]
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I remember this hilarious spoof of the old cowboy silents as being a silent film, perhaps because it was filmed in Czech, with subtitles. The hero, a teetotaling salesman for Kolaloca, wears spotless white even after climbing down a chimney, the bad guys wear black – all the cliches. The creators got it right. Co-written & directed by Oldrich Lipsky
Facets Video b&w VHS [3/2002] for $29.95 full credits from IMDb |
"The Madwoman of Chaillot"
[Commonwealth United 1969]
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This adaptation of Jean Giraudoux's play pits the dotty team of Kate Hepburn, Giulietta Masina, Edith Evans & Margaret Leighton, with help from Danny Kaye and ingenues Richard Chamberlain & Nannete Newman, against titans of the international business world Charles Boyer, Yul Brynner, Oskar Homolka, Paul Henreid, & Donald Pleasance. Directed by Bryan Forbes, and the soundtrack by Michael J. Lewis is especially fine. Warner color VHS video [4/93] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
"Putney Swope" [July 1969]
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Outrageous is the only word for this jaw-dropper of a satire on the advertising world. The main movie is black-and-white, with color commercials that you will not believe. The bite is still fierce even after 30 years.
Written & directed by Robert Downey Sr.; starring Arnold Johnson
Rhino Video b&w/color DVD [5/2001] for $17.96 Rhino Video b&w/color VHS [2/95] for $14.95 full credits from IMDb |
Godfrey Reggio's Qatsi Trilogy
Godfrey Reggio on Independent Filmmakers page • official website
"Whistle Down the Wind" [Rank Orgn. 1961]
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Hayley Mills (barely 14 at time of filming) and two younger siblings discover a man hiding in the barn and think him to be the returned Jesus Christ. Based on Mary Hayley Bell's 1959 novel; made into a 1998 musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber. A stunning film that received four BAFTA nominations. Directed by Bryan Forbes; also starring Bernard Lee & Alan Bates
b&w VHS out of stock/used full credits from IMDb |
No Video/DVD Available?
If you know of a source for video or DVD, or even 16mm,
of these treats, send email to the Proprietor.
{non-availability last checked January 2008}
Neil Young's "Journey Through The Past"
[New Line Cinema 1972] Directed by Neil Young (as Bernard Shakey)
Fans of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young will of course love it, but the visuals
are astounding and the music is just plain great: non-objective art
from a team of rock artists at the top of their form.
full credits from IMDb
"If I Had A Million" [Paramount Dec 1932]
Multiple directors, including Ernst Lubitsch; ensemble cast includes Gary Cooper,
Charles Laughton, Charlie Ruggles, George Raft, W.C. Fields & Roscoe Karns
Perhaps the inspiration for the tv show 'The Millionaire'; an episodic delight: a dying
millionaire gives money away to strangers chosen from the phone book...
full credits from IMDb
"Gigot" [Seven Arts 1962]
Directed by Gene Kelly; script by John Patrick & Jackie Gleason
Gleason steps out of his 'Great One' persona to portray a mute janitor in Paris, France where the movie
was filmed. Pathos, heroism, and slapstick, very Chaplin-esque. Oscar nomination for the music.
video offered by Robert's Hard-To-Find Videos, but first see The Rip Off Report
soundtrack album/CD not available; full credits from IMDb
Books & Compilations
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"The 100 Best Films To Rent You've Never Heard Of: Hidden Treasures, Neglected Classics & Hits From By-Gone Eras" [1996] by David N. Meyer St. Martin's Griffin 8¼x5½ pb [12/96] for $11.16 Tandem Library hardcover [7/2003] for $23.90 |
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"Great Movies You've Probably Missed: Videos You've Got To Rent!" [2002] by Ardis Sillick & Michael McCormick Carroll & Graf 8¼x5½ pb [4/2002] for $14.00 |
 | "The 100 Best Movies You've Never Seen" [2003] by Richard Crouse (host of Reel To Real on the Independent Film Channel) E.C.W. Press 8¾x7 pb [9/2003] for $14.00 |
 | "Never Coming To A Theater Near You: A Celebration of A Certain Kind of Movie" [2004] by Kenneth Turan (film critic at the Los Angeles Times since 1991) PublicAffairs bargain-priced 8x5½ pb [11/2005] for $3.34 [sic] PublicAffairs 9¼x6 hardcover [9/2004] for $25.00 |
 | "Weird Cinema: 15 Freaky Flicks, 1938-1968" [2007]
Passport b&w/color DVD [11/2007] 5 disks for $17.99 includes "The Terror of Tiny Town" [1938]: the first (and only) all-midget Western movie; "Child Bride" [1938]; "Hitler: Dead Or Alive" [1942]; Oscar-winner "Bill and Coo" [1948]; "Chained For Life" [1951]; "Glen Or Glenda" [1953] directed by & starring Ed Wood; "Mesa of Lost Women" [1953] starring Jackie Coogan; "The Killer Shrews" [1959]; "Teenagers From Outer Space" [1959]; "Night Tide" [1961] starring Dennis Hopper & Luana Anders; "Carnival of Souls" [1962]; "Wild Guitar" [1962]; "The Sadist" [1963]; "Santa Claus Conquers The Martians" [1964]; and "Spider Baby" [1968] starring Lon Chaney Jr. & Mantan Moreland |
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