MOVIES ON DVD/VHS

ALL ABOUT BETTE

All About Eve headlines list of remastered DVDs

On January 14, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment invites film fans to begin the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Academy Awards, with the launch of its new Fox Studio Classics DVDs. In a yearlong commemoration, Fox will unveil beautifully remastered DVD versions of the studio’s numerous Oscar winners and nominees from its more than 60-year heritage, beginning with three Best Picture favorites—All About Eve, Gentleman’s Agreement, and How Green Was My Valley. These acclaimed DVD titles will be priced for collecting at $19.98 (VHS $9.98). On the first Tuesday of each subsequent month throughout 2003, and beyond, one completely restored classic will be added to the collection, featuring rarely and never-before-seen value-added materials. • All DVDs in the Fox Studio Classics DVD collection will include bonus features such as original theatrical trailers, screenplays, and still galleries. The newly restored All About Eve DVD features a restoration comparison, commentary tracks by Celeste Holm, Christopher Mankiewicz, Joseph L. Mankiewicz biographer Ken Geist, and author Sam Staggs. PLUS: the A&E “Backstory” on All About Eve; an original Bette Davis interview with Leonard Slater of News Week Magazine; an interview with Anne Baxter for Woman’s Home Companion Magazine; loads of authentic Movie Tone News footage from the 1951 Academy Awards, the 1951 film gala premiere, the Holiday Magazine Awards, and the Look Magazine Awards; the original theatrical trailers; and more. • Nominated for 14 Academy Awards —more than any other picture in Oscar history, until Titanic (1997) duplicated the same feat 47 years later—All About Eve won six Oscars: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (George Sanders), Best Director (Joseph L. Mankiewicz), Best Screenplay (Joseph L. Mankiewicz), Best Sound Recording, and Best Black & White Costume Design. The four leading ladies in the film were each nominated for awards including Best Actress for Bette Davis and Anne Baxter and Best Supporting Actress for Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter. All About Eve is called “one of the smartest pictures of all time ... a picture for any era” by the Los Angeles Times. We’ll second that. —Troy Carrington

ALL ABOUT JUDY

The Judy Garland Collection includes four DVDs

Judy, Frank & Dean: Once in a Lifetime. Three entertainment legends are captured at the height of their careers in this Emmy-nominated 1962 TV special. Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin—in their first and only appearance together—present a jewel of a musical offering, giving us the opportunity to experience the sum total of the performers’ masterful individual talents. • Judy Garland Live at the London Palladium with Liza Minnelli. This classic show—performed on November 16, 1964—was one of Garland’s last appearances at the historic London Palladium. This unforgettable night also marked Liza Minnelli’s first public stage performance with her legendary mother. • Judy Garland, Robert Goulet & Phil Silvers Special. This TV event, which aired February 1963, helped launch the famed Judy Garland Show, which captivated audiences throughout ’63 and ’64. Includes a bonus feature of Hollywood home movies. • Judy Garland: The Concert Years. This special program—hosted by Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft—is a loving tribute to the life and timeless popularity of Garland, who began as a small-time vaude-ville act and grew up to be one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Featuring the fond reminiscences of many family and friends, this show is filled with some of Garland’s finest filmed performances. Includes her singing—on her own and with stars such as Barbra Streisand, Lena Horne, Liza Minnelli, and Tony Bennett—several of her greatest songs. A bonus feature: the Hollywood gala premiere of A Star Is Born. • From Kultur (www.kultur.com). —TC

ALL ABOUT EDDIE

Eddie Izzard’s Dress to Kill is witty, witty, witty

What do Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, Bob Newhart, Elvis Costello, Harry Dean Stanton, Dick Martin, Rebecca DeMornay, Larry Gelbart, and Angie Dickinson have in common? They were all backstage on the same night after seeing British comedian, actor, and executive transvestite Eddie Izzard perform in Los Angeles on his last tour. They are all a part of Izzard’s eclectic fan base. • Don’t know Eddie Izzard? Or want more of Eddie Izzard? With the DVD release of Dress to Kill, you can watch his HBO special at your own convenience ... over and over again. Watch him juggle the “Star-Spangled Banner,” the British royal family, squirrels, monkeys, transvestitism, Italians on their motorcycles, and so much more, all with tremendous intelligence, wit, and skill. His makeup and heels take a back seat to his ingenious delivery. The DVD includes Dress to Circle (Izzard performs in French in Paris), America 1998 (photo documentary), subtitles in Spanish, French, and English, and show commentaries. • Izzard costarred with Ewan McGregor in Todd Haynes’s Velvet Goldmine (1998) and was recently seen in All the Queen’s Men with Matt LeBlanc. • From Anti- (www.anti.com). —Blase DiStefano

ALL ABOUT EVERYTHING

Everything Relative gathers eight women for a reunion

After its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 1996, Sharon Pollack’s Everything Relative played to enthusiastic audiences at gay and lesbian film festivals across North America, followed by a limited release in major markets. Hailed by Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times as “one of the best lesbian films yet,” Everything Relative charts the reunion of eight women who ran a street theater group in the ’70s. When two of the women have a baby, the gang convenes at the couple’s Northampton home for the bris. Amidst softball, skinny-dipping, and still-smoldering sexual secrets, the women discover how their lives, loves, and politics have changed over the years. The film stars Ellen McLaughlin, Olivia Negron, and Stacy Nelkin, and features a special appearance by Harvey Fierstein. • The DVD has SDH technology (subtitled for the deaf and hearing-impaired), and fans of the film can now enjoy a commentary track by director Pollack and outtakes from the film. • You can order the DVD or VHS by visiting www.wolfevideo.com or by calling 1-800-GET-WOLFE. —TC

ALL ABOUT STRAYS

Stray Dogs stars Guinevere Turner

Guinevere Turner stars in this Southern gothic tale as Darla Carter, a resilient mother of two who has just found out that she’s pregnant again. With the help of her husband’s sister Jolene (Dot-Marie Jones)—who quietly nurses a forbidden crush—Darla resolves to leave her drunken husband Myers (Bill Sage) once and for all. Filled with intense performances and full of surprises, Jeffrey Anderson of the San Francisco Examiner declares Stray Dogs a “meticulous, intense, unforgettable drama that makes you want to curl up under the cover afterwards.” From Filling the Gap (www.fillingthegap.com). —TC

ALL ABOUT FORBIDDEN

Forbidden City U.S.A. is Arthur Dong’s first documentary

Forbidden City U.S.A., Arthur Dong’s first feature-length documentary, discovers the history of the notorious and groundbreaking Chinese-American nightclub that inspired the musical Flower Drum Song. Combining interviews and remarkable archival film and photographs, the film looks behind the musical characters of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song to show a generation of Asian-American pioneers who fought cultural barriers and racism to pursue their love for American song and dance. • The DVD features bonus footage that has never been seen before, as well as a nostalgic scrapbook with over 200 period photos and assorted memorabilia from the club. You can order the DVD by contacting the DeepFocus Film Library at 1-800-343-5540 or by visiting www.DeepFocusProductions.com. —TC

If you have any comments about this article, please email them to letters@outsmartmagazine.com.