DVD Review: The First Films of Samuel Fuller

Eclipse/The Criterion Collection
Movie •••• Picture ••½ Sound ••½ Extras None

The fifth addition to The Criterion Collection's budget-priced Eclipse series represents the maverick writer/director's embryonic works made between 1949 and 1951 for producer Robert Lippert. Although tainted by the B-movie stigma, these unique titles are actually high-quality, already exhibiting the extraordinary staccato story structure and dialogue, as well as the in-your-face directing style, that would indelibly embellish Sam Fuller's later and more celebrated efforts.

The trio of films contain a formidable number of noted artists on both sides of the camera. For I Shot Jesse James (1949) - a new slant on the oft-told tale that concentrates on the outlaw's assassin - future cult director Paul Landres does the fast-paced editing, and iconic composer Albert Glasser provides the rousing score. The Baron of Arizona (1950) - an incredible-but-true story of a swindler who nearly hoodwinked the government out of the entire Arizona territory - not only boasts a superb performance by Vincent Price but also has outstanding cinematography by James Wong Howe. For the hard-hitting The Steel Helmet (1951), Fuller was able to draw on his own wartime Army experiences. The first cinematic depiction of the then ongoing Korean conflict, it took the industry by storm, and by the end of the year the tenacious genius was writing and directing at Fox. The rest, as they say, is history.

Being part of the cheap-and-cheerful Eclipse series, this set doesn't have the kind of extras we've come to expect from Criterion. Not to worry, though, as this no-frills trilogy is perfectly respectable in the visual and sonic departments - especially considering both the age and the origins of source materials. Although the transfers exhibit the slight wear and tear suffered by the 35mm film negatives over the years, all three movies have reasonably sharp pictures and are generally in decent shape.

Kit Parker Films, which bought up the entire Lippert library and had previously released the wonderful Hammer Noir series for VCI and The Lost Continent for Image, has done an equally exemplary preservation job on the surviving elements of these titles. (The Baron of Arizona had already been preserved by the Museum of Modern Art, and it does look the best of the three.) Contrast is extremely good, demonstrating a fine array of rich blacks and whites, plus all the half-tones and effective shadows that beautifully enhance the mood of the proceedings. Aside from slight sibilance, the mono sound is buoyantly strong throughout, the music being particularly bombastic.

While certainly a must for fans, The First Films of Samuel Fuller additionally provides an essential primer on usurping the system via subversive, brilliant, and unconventional moviemaking within the traditional Hollywood machine. English, Dolby Digital mono; full frame (1.33:1); three dual-layer discs.

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