Garv’s Pick of the Week: The Abominable Dr. Phibes / Dr. Phibes Rises Again! (Kino Lorber)
For the release week of April 12th:
Garv’s Pick of the Week: The Abominable Dr. Phibes / Dr. Phibes Rises Again! [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: I am an absolute fanatic when it comes to The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and it’s sequel, Dr. Phibes Rises Again! (1972). They are my favorite horror films of all time, and rarely does an October pass when I do not re-watch them. The films are colorful, clever, witty, and art deco-stylish. Plus, they feature Vincent Price at his campy best as the murderous Dr. Phibes. While the films have been previously released individually on Blu-ray in the U.S., those releases are out of print. Kino Lorber Studio Classics is offering the films as a Blu-ray double-feature, with audio commentaries from director Robert Fuest, film historian Tim Lucas, and author Justin Humphreys (The Dr. Phibes Companion). I also provided an Amazon link to Humphreys’ fantastic book on the Phibes philms below.
Additional Titles of Interest —
Beverly of Graustark [Blu-ray / Undercrank Productions]: Ben Model’s Undercrank Productions has saved this 1926 silent from relative obscurity. Marion Davies stars in this gender-switch comedy, in which an American co-ed swaps places with her cousin, who is set to be crowned the king of Graustark. The Blu-ray presents a brand new 4K restoration of the film by the Library of Congress from archival 35mm elements. It also includes the film’s newly-discovered, original 2-color Technicolor ending. Ben Model composed and performs a new score for the film.
Fandango [Blu-ray / Warner Archive]: Kevin Costner stars in this 1985 film from frequent collaborator Kevin Reynolds. It’s a road trip movie set in 1971, with five college buddies taking a final fling under the cloud of the Vietnam War.
Walker [Blu-ray / Criterion]: Alex Cox’s 19th Century biopic, starring Ed Harris, gets the Criterion treatment.
Robocop [4K UHD / Arrow Video]: This cyborg police actioner, starring Peter Weller and Nancy Allen, gets its umpteenth home video release — this time in 4K Ultra-High Definition.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein [4K UHD / Arrow Video]: Kenneth Branagh’s take on Mary Shelley’s novel starts out promising and goes wackadoodle around the mid-point. Branagh plays the not-so-good doctor and Robert De Niro is the monster. Helena Bonham Carter provides support as the doctor’s love interest.
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