Quartet (1981)
Recently released on Blu-ray and DVD: Star Trek Picard Movie & TV Collection, My Son, Quartet, Kundun.
“Star Trek Picard Movie & TV Collection”
“Photon torpedoes! Brace for impact!” As Capt. Picard, Patrick Stewart brought new life to the old formula with “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987-1994). The six-disc blu-ray set collects a pair of movie-length TV episodes, 10 hours of deleted scenes and bonus material plus all four theatrically released Picard films—Generations, First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis. Stewart brought dignity and humor to the Enterprise as Picard made peace, fought battles, unraveled ethical conundrums and explored new worlds.
My Son
The 7-year-old son of an estranged couple disappears from camp. Did he act out against his parents by running away or was he kidnapped? If the latter, by whom? My Son is surprisingly engaging as emotional fissures explode into chasms and the father’s secret life leads him to a dangerous course of action. The film, by French director Christian Carion, is a more thoughtful counterpart to Taken. The wintry landscape lends itself to beautiful cinematography.
Quartet
The team of director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala established the tone for high-end filmmaking in the 1980s. Based on the novel by Jean Rhys, Quartet (1981) is set in 1920s Paris and is more interesting for capturing the Jazz Age mood and look than in the erotic rivalry centered around waif-like Marya (Isabelle Adjani). The time and place are rendered with an eye for detail most recent films can’t match.
Kundun
Martin Scorsese’s films are imbued with Roman Catholicism and—until The Last Temptation of Christ—populated by men of violence. Last Temptation was a gateway to Kundun (1997), a visually astute portrait of the imperious boy who became the present Dalai Lama. Much of the film was shot from a child’s perspective, allowing the audience to explore the boy’s world alongside him. The new blu-ray includes a second disc documenting the making-of Kundun in Morocco.
