Blue Desert
At some indeterminate point not too many years ahead of 2018, an artificial moon hangs in the sky and the world has become a digital web of experiences—none of them terribly satisfying to the young protagonist of Blue Desert. Better known as a multimedia artist, Brazilian director Eder Santos shot his flying car-future well within a tight budget and sets his protagonist off in a quest to transcend the false reality he’s trapped within.
Under Capricorn
Under Capricorn (1949) is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s least acclaimed American films. He was a bit out of his element in a costume drama set in 1831 Australia, as was his cast. Joseph Cotten plays Flusky, a scowling local magnet with a troubled past, and Ingrid Bergman costars as Henrietta, his neurasthenic wife. Filmed in gloriously unreal Technicolor, Under Capricorn includes some distinctive Hitchcock touches, including long tracking shots, spiderwebs of shadows and spritzes of humor.
Hamlet
The sullen prince was written as a man. However, Maxine Peake handles the part with power and confidence in a production by Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre, captured on film from many angles. The original language is intact, yet the costumes are contemporary and the setting stark in its simplicity as staged by director Sarah Frankcom. The cast members sound entirely comfortable with their roles and with Shakespeare’s words. The state of Denmark is in good order.
“Sid Caesar: The Works”
The idea of comedy on television practically originated with Sid Caesar (1922-2014). The five-disc set “Sid Caesar: The Works” follows his career from his debut during the medium’s infancy in 1947 though his final public appearance, a 2014 tribute. Many of the skits from the early years are still funny, in part from Caesar’s sense of timing but also because of a team of writers that included Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Woody Allen.
