IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

Salutations, disc devotees,

Each year at this time, I  look back over the past year and choose my favorite Blu-ray and DVD releases. The list that follows should not be considered a “best of” list. These are simply my favorite 20 discs from 2021. Keep in mind, these are the picks of one person, and consequently, they are extremely subjective. My taste won’t necessarily match yours, but hopefully you’ll find a few intriguing titles below.

Also, I don’t have time to watch everything, and I don’t receive review screeners for all Blu-ray releases. Consequently, some titles, such as Criterion’s 4K UHD release of The Red Shoes and Arrow Video’s Shawscope Volume One Blu-ray box set did not make my list due to timing and budgeting concerns. That doesn’t mean those aren’t fantastic releases or that I’m not interested in them.

A few quick notes —

• Although there are twenty slots, I cheated and peppered the disc descriptions with some honorable mentions that I didn’t want to leave off the list entirely.
• Some (but not all of the titles that follow) received a full review on this website earlier in the year. In those cases, I provided the link to the longer review for the curious.
• Finally, the photos of the Blu-ray and DVD covers below are not merely illustrative.  They are also links to the titles on Amazon.com for ease of ordering or to read additional customer reviews.
• Enough prologue already! Here’s the list:

Garv’s Picks of the Year: 2020

1. The Abbott and Costello Show: Season 1 [Blu-ray / ClassicFlix]: There were a lot of strong releases this year. In fact, I shuffled the top three picks several times before deciding upon this order. Ultimately, I had to award the top slot to a release that was both one of the best video packages of the year and the single most enjoyable watch of 2021. The team at 3-D Film Archive, who restored Abbott & Costello’s Africa Screams (1949) last year, have performed their magic on the first season of the team’s 1950s television series. A 4K scan of 120,000 feet of the 70 year-old original master 35mm negatives (nearly 175 reels of film) was performed, and the resulting image quality is startling. The 26 episodes look and sound sharper and cleaner than ever before. The show itself is perhaps the strangest television series prior to Twin Peaks. Bud & Lou basically play less-successful versions of themselves, as unemployed actors living in a rooming house. They perform all of their famous cross-talk routines, while adopting a Chimpanzee as their son and fighting with Stinky, the mean little kid (played by a 45-year-old Joe Besser in a Little Lord Fauntleroy costume). If you love classic comedy or high weirdness, this series is pure bliss. The 3-disc Blu-ray set also has some nice special features, including audio commentaries for 10 of the episodes. alternative audio tracks for a handful of episodes (without the audience laugh track), and a behind-the-scenes featurette about the search for the original negatives. I am currently working on a full review of the set, so look for that in the near future.
2. Edward Everett Horton: 8 Silent Comedies [DVD / Undercrank Productions]: This release was the most delightful surprise of 2021. Classic film lovers know Edward Everett Horton as one of the best supporting character actors of the Hollywood studio era, and Boomers remember him as the narrator of the Fractured Fairy Tales segments in the animated series The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends. However, even those that knew Horton’s work well were likely unaware that he starred in a series of silent comedy short subjects from 1927-1928. Luckily, silent film historian and musical accompanist Ben Model was aware, and he launched a Kickstarter to scan and release these precious films that were preserved by the Library of Congress. If you didn’t get in on the Kickstarter, the set of all eight of Horton’s silent shorts is now available through Model’s DVD label Undercrank Productions. This is my favorite Undercrank Productions release thus far (and several of their earlier titles have made my prior “Picks of the Year” lists). The shorts, produced by Harold Lloyd, are very funny, have high production values, and are in excellent condition for their vintage.
3. Doctor X [Blu-ray / Warner Archive]: Last year, the Warner Archive Collection released a Blu-ray of the new restoration of Michael Curtiz’s two-strip Technicolor horror Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933). That disc made my “Picks of the Year” list. Now, the same team from the UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation have worked their restoration magic on Michael Curtiz’s earlier foray into the realm of the macabre, Doctor X (1932). This new Blu-ray includes both the Two-strip Technicolor restoration and the Black & White version (taken from slightly different angles or different takes). The color restoration is eerily beautiful, and the film is wonderfully wackadoodle. In fact, I like this release even more than the Mystery of the Wax Museum Blu-ray. You can find my full review of the disc HERE.
4. The Bank Dick [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: Let me extend a hearty handclasp to Kino Lorber Studio Classics for producing Blu-ray upgrades of four films from my favorite movie comedian, W.C. Fields, in 2021. Those four Blu-rays — The Old Fashioned Way (1934), It’s a Gift (1934), My Little Chickadee (1940), and The Bank Dick (1940) — each could have garnered a slot on this list, but for the sake of variety, I am devoting a single slot to my favorite Fields’ film. Comedians tend to produce their strongest work in their youth, but at the age of 60, W.C. Fields wrote and starred in The Bank Dick, an acknowledged masterpiece of screen comedy and arguably his finest work. Universal gave Fields full creative control on the picture, and he took full advantage of it, filling the film with jokes on his favorite themes–disapproving family members, malevolent children, pompous authority figures, and strong drink. I think I’ve watched this film more times than any other movie. Yet, it remains funny each and every time. Another reason to buy the disc is Michael Schlesinger’s audio commentary, which is nearly as delightful as the film itself. You can find my full review HERE.
5. Smile [Blu-ray / Fun City Editions]: Michael Ritchie’s 1975 satire of beauty pageants is one of my favorite comedies of the 1970s, and it has long been on my list of “most wanted” titles in high definition. Happily, the new boutique label, Fun City Editions, released this “slice of life” comedy gem on Blu-ray, and they did a marvelous job with the package. Not only does the disc present a top-notch transfer of the film. The disc includes an audio commentary, a 28-minute interview with Bruce Dern, an image gallery, trailer, and a 10-page booklet. If you love Ritchie’s Bad News Bears (1976), you will almost certainly love this humanistic comedy as well.
6. Kolchak: The Night Stalker: The Complete Series [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: The character of reporter/monster hunter Carl Kolchak was introduced to the public through a couple of tremendously popular TV movies, scripted by the great Richard Matheson and starring the equally great Darren McGavin. When a third TV movie was proposed, the ABC network decided that they would prefer a weekly television series. Only 20 episodes were produced before the series was cancelled, but those episodes have a developed a cult following and greatly influenced the creation of The X-Files. All 20 episodes have been remastered in 2K and are collected in this Blu-ray set. The set also includes audio commentaries for all of the episodes and interviews with comedian/fan Dana Gould and with Sopranos-creator David Chase, who co-wrote 8 episodes of the Kolchak series. By the way, the original TV movies, The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973) are also available for individual purchase on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
7. The Little Rascals – The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 3 [Blu-ray / ClassicFlix]: ClassicFlix has undertaken an ambitious multi-volume project to scan and restore all of the sound-era Our Gang comedies produced at Hal Roach Studios between 1929 to 1938. The first three volumes in the chronological series were released this year, and they are all highly recommended. Volume 3 is my favorite of the releases thus far, because it features the two most charismatic Our Gang stars from the talkie era, George ‘Spanky’ McFarland and Matthew ‘Stymie’ Beard. It also boasts some of the funniest entries in the film series. You can find my full review of Volume 3 HERE. I also reviewed the prior two volumes (Volume 1 Review, Volume 2 Review).
8. The Naked Spur [Blu-ray / Warner Archive]: The third of Anthony Mann’s Western collaborations with James Stewart is one of the best films of both actor and director. It is also a movie that is treasured by fans of classic movie Westerns. Unfortunately, until this year, there has never been a good release of this film on home video. Prior video releases were muddy, blurry, and washed out, but the new Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray is a sharp, vibrant Technicolor transfer. You can find my full review HERE.
9. The Court Jester [Blu-ray / Paramount Presents]: “The pellet with the poison’s in the vessel with the pestle. The chalice from the palace has the brew that is true.” Danny Kaye’s best film received a Blu-ray release from a 6K master. You heard me — 6K! Paramount really took its catalog releases seriously this year, and this “Paramount Presents” disc was their best. The Technicolor pallet of this swashbuckler spoof really sings. Plus, it’s one of the funniest films of the 1950s. I only wish that the 6K transfer would have received a 4K UHD release, but I can’t imagine it would look much better than this stellar disc.
10. Bringing Up Baby [Blu-ray/ Criterion]: There is a difference between a romantic comedy and a screwball comedy. When you have elements such as a couple of leopards on the loose, a missing dinosaur bone, and an ill-behaved pooch, you are definitely in the realm of “screwball.” Cary Grant plays more buttoned-up than usual as a paleontologist who gets mixed up with the most manic of “manic pixie dream girls,” Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn). Movies don’t get much more fun than this, and Criterion did an excellent job of giving this classic a quality home video release. The existing elements of this 1938 film are few and are not in the best condition, but Criterion assembled a restoration that looks surprisingly good. Also welcome is a booklet that contains the original short story upon which the movie was based.
11. The Hunchback of Notre Dame [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: The 1923 version of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (a.k.a. Notre Dame de Paris) is a triumph of silent cinema, spectacle, makeup, and performance (by physical chameleon Lon Chaney). Unfortunately, due to the lack of surviving elements and the age of the previous film-to-video transfers, the film did not look its best on home video. Universal has gone back to do a new 4K transfer from the best surviving elements, and the resulting Blu-ray from Kino Classics is a considerable improvement over prior releases.
12. Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 3 [Blu-ray / Warner Archive]: This may be the third volume in the Warner Archive Collection’s Tex Avery restoration series, but it contains some of the director’s most wanted cartoons, including “King-Size Canary,” “Swing Shift Cinderella,” “Northwest Hounded Police,” “Señor Droopy,” “Billy Boy,” and “Deputy Droopy.” As with prior releases, the cartoons are presented uncut and restored from the best remaining elements.
13. My Favorite Blonde [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: Over the past few years, Kino Lorber Studio Classics has produced a fantastic string of Blu-ray releases of classic Bob Hope comedies. Amongst this year’s releases was My Favorite Blonde. It’s a comedic take on the Hitchcockian “wrong man” plot, co-starring Madeleine Carroll (of Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps). Almost all fans of “Old Ski Nose” rank this in the top-tier of Bob Hope’s filmography. It’s in my personal “Hope Top 3” with The Cat and the Canary and Road to Utopia. Not only is it one of Hope’s best films. It is one of Kino’s best looking transfers. The 2K restoration looks like a a near-pristine film print being projected for the first time. You can find my full review of My Favorite Blonde here.
14. Mill of the Stone Women [Blu-ray / Arrow Video]: The first Italian horror film produced in color, Mill of the Stone Women (1960), is an above-average gothic horror, which feels like a mix between early Mario Bava films and early Hammer horrors. Arrow Video has resurrected this forgotten horror classic with a new 2K restoration from the original negative. The disc has excellent color and sharpness. This was one of my favorite “first-time watches” of 2021.
15. Charley Chase: At Hal Roach: The Talkies Volume 3 [DVD/ Kit Parker Films-The Sprocket Vault]: The Sprocket Vault continued it’s excellent releases of Charley Chase’s talkie comedies at Hal Roach Studios with this 3-Disc set covering the final three years of the comedian’s contract (1934-1936). The set contains 21 short comedies, encompassing 440 minutes of hilarity from the studio known as “The Lot of Fun.” If you like Laurel & Hardy shorts, you’ll like these too.
16. A Pain in the Ass (L’Emmerdeur) [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: Édouard Molinaro’s 1973 French black comedy about a hit man (Lino Ventura) who is constantly interrupted by a suicidal man (Jacques Brel) in an adjoining hotel room is a comedy that succeeds by playing it totally straight. This movie was the basis for Billy Wilder’s last film (and infamous failure), Buddy Buddy (1981), but don’t let that stop you from watching the excellent original. This was another of my favorite “first time watches” of the year. You can find my full review here.
17. Ragtime [Blu-ray / Paramount Presents]: Milos Forman’s 1981 adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s novel, which brought James Cagney back to the screen, finally received a Blu-ray release in 2021. The “Paramount Presents” Blu-ray goes the extra mile by including two versions of the film — The original theatrical release cut and the recently discovered Director’s Cut Workprint, which is 19 minutes longer. The workprint isn’t in the best condition, but it is great to see the additional material that Forman was forced to cut for time. I’ve always loved this film, especially the score, which is arguably Randy Newman’s best.
18. Three Films by Luis Buñuel [Blu-ray / Criterion]: Art film was rarely as fun as the cinema of surrealistic maestro Luis Buñuel. Three of his popular, late-career satires, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), The Phantom of Liberty (1974), and That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) are gathered together in this shelf-saving box set. The set is packed with special features, including a 100-minute documentary on the director.
19. Drunken Master II [Blu-ray / Warner Archive]: Many consider Drunken Master II to be Jackie Chan’s finest film, and I can’t help but agree. This fast-paced flick contains some of Chan’s greatest action set pieces, and it has a solid story. Jackie plays Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-Hung, who fights better when he’s drunk (like Popeye after downing a can of spinach). Previously, this film was only available in the U.S. in a truncated version, titled The Legend of Drunken Master. Happily, the Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray provides the complete, high-octane Hong Kong cut.
20. Defending Your Life [Blu-ray / Criterion]: Albert Brooks’ most inventive and warm-hearted comedy finally received a Blu-ray release from a new 4K restoration of the film. David Miller (Brooks) dies in a car accident and finds himself in Judgement City, where souls are on trial to determine if they are ready to advance to the next plane of existence. Meryl Streep is luminous as Brooks’ afterlife love interest, and Rip Torn is hilarious as Brooks’ defender. It is simply one of the best comedies of the 1990s, and the Criterion disc does it justice.