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Category:    Home > Reviews > Drama > Business > Wealth > Poverty > Street Wisdom > Stage > Mystery > Thriller > Obsession > French > Romanc > American Buffalo (1996/Samuel Goldwyn Company/MGM)/Mississippi Mermaid (1969/United Artists/MGM/Twilight Time Limited Edition Blu-rays)/3 Hearts (2014/Cohen Media Blu-ray)/White God (2014/Magnolia Blu

American Buffalo (1996/Samuel Goldwyn Company/MGM)/Mississippi Mermaid (1969/United Artists/MGM/Twilight Time Limited Edition Blu-rays)/3 Hearts (2014/Cohen Media Blu-ray)/White God (2014/Magnolia Blu-ray)


Picture: B/B/B-/B- Sound: B/B-/B-/B- Extras: C+/B-/C/C Films: C+/C+/C/C



PLEASE NOTE: The American Buffalo and Mississippi Mermaid Blu-rays are now only available from our friends at Twilight Time, are limited to only 3,000 copies and can be ordered while supplies last from the links below.



These four dramas about something are ambitious, do not always work (even with some big names involved) and are at least mature works you should know about...



David Mamet's American Buffalo (1996) is a mixed film adaptation of his stage play about two men at a thrift shop thinking they may come across a priceless buffalo nickel, but it is really about their mental poverty trap, streetwise philosophy of contradictions and the dead ended hopelessness that entails, though it is a stereotype... particularly since the 1980s as we have so many illicit appeals to these persons left behind that there is con artistry, manipulations and untold stories to be told about these persons and now those pretending to be them. This film is unaware of that layer of real life.


Made by several producers including the Samuel Goldwyn Company at the time, Al Pacino originally had the role Dustin Hoffman takes over and manages to make this own, opposite Dennis Franz throughout what is another one of Mamet's usual all-content, little-form filmings of his works. Unless they get more kinetic, his films never translate well as cinematic exercises unless another director steps in. The performances here are fine, even if some of this is hard to believe and there is limited chemistry between the leads. Worth a look and a nice try to make this work, but I had mixed feelings about it then, which I retain now.



Francois Truffaut's Mississippi Mermaid (1969) is the director's more naturalistic attempt to do a Hitchcockian thriller of sorts, but with more of his visual form as a rich man (Jean Paul Belmondo) goes for a mail order bride (pre-Internet) and instead of getting what the picture he has shows, gets Catherine Deneuve as if out of a dream, blonde hair and all. Early on, the film pl;ays loosely with logic and gets more into the dream state without considering that you at least need some logic for the thriller side to be realistic.


So we go for the dream side and that works, in part because it turns out Truffaut is using the film to clear himself of some real life events (he was dating Deneuve's sister Francoise Dorleac, who was in his 1964 film The Soft Skin before she died in a terrible, fatal car accident) and he had some regrets about his masterwork The Bride Wore Black (also on Twilight Time Blu-ray elsewhere on this site) having too much of an edge, so this film is trying to get back to basics, naturalism and other worlds and genres (including his New Wave style) with mixed success.


The original title in French translated to Mississippi Siren, the latter word being a deadly woman, but that was lost in translation, but Truffaut is saying and doing so many personal things here that he only totally knows the meaning of (as the commentary proves) that it is metaphor for the whole film. It is interesting and has its moments, but I was not a big fan and it is one of his oddest as a result. It is still worth a look like all of his films, but only expect so much.



Benoit Jacquot's 3 Hearts (2014) is the latest in a cycle of nonsensical French comedy dramas, often with romance, that want to ride the whimsy of Audrey Tautou films without hiring her. This one has a couple meet, love each other, quickly break up, find others and the guy lands up 'accidentally' marrying her sister. Yawn!


Almost smug in its long 108 minutes, Catherine Deneuve shows up in too few scenes as the cast, including Charlotte Gainsborough, Benoit Poelvoorde and Chiara Mastroianni try to make this one work, but it is pointless early and never recovers. Just make sure you watch while not tired or operating heavy machinery.



Kordel Mundrukzo's White God (2014) sounds like an old 1930s action B-movie set in a forest or a drama about racism and white supremacy, but it is actually a family drama about a divorced couple in Hungary whose daughter has a dog (not white) and goes with her father who she does not get along with. She brings the dog and everyone dislikes it, plus a few who want to get rid of it. When it goes, she goes chasing after it. This somehow leads to an illegal dog ring, depressed people and and ending where the film tries to make some kind of big statement and fails.


If a Hollywood product, this would have been some phony feel-good movie that made no one really feel good, but we get an 'art film' equivalent with no real art to it, but lots of predictable dysfunctional family formula and not much else. The cover and trailer preview almost suggest a film with dogs going after humans in some B-movie sci-fi/horror nature's revenge film. That would have worked better here as one would at least not almost keep falling asleep in the middle of the afternoon viewing said work. If Siskel & Ebert were still with us, bet this could get Fog Of The Week!



The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image on Buffalo is better looking than expected and not just because the camera only moves so much, but because the definition, color and depth really add to watching the film in a way that it needs and really helps. It also makes it easier to see the actors perform.


The remaining films are presented in 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfers, with Mermaid having some flaws and places where the materials can show their age, but we get more than a few great shots of detail and depth, sometimes remarkable in the earlier car riding sequences. Shot in Eastmancolor and real anamorphic 35mm Dyaliscope (some of the best shooting you will see with those older lenses), Director of Photography Denys Clerval keeps this a big and widescreen scope picture throughout.


That cannot be said for the digital shoots on Hearts and God, which have a few good shots, but also have detail and depth issues, plus some color seems to be manipulated in each for no good reason. That is why Mermaid tends to hold up better.


As for sound, the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo lossless mix on Buffalo is well mixed and presented with Pro Logic surrounds that sound pretty good for a film that was shot in the same confined area for the whole movie. Hearing the actors range in line delivery does make a difference. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 1.0 Mono lossless mix on Mermaid is going to show its age a bit, but is a noticeable improvement over the old MGM DVD and will keep fans and film scholars happy down to the score, also here isolated as noted.


The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mixes on Hearts and God should be the sonic champs here, but they have inconsistent soundfields, can be too quiet or towards the front speakers for their own good and don't take advantage of the multi-channel possibilities like they could have... even for dramas.


Extras on all releases except God offer illustrated booklets on their respective films including informative text with Julie Kirgo writing on Buffalo and Mermaid, respectively, plus Original Theatrical Trailer. Buffalo and Mermaid add feature length audio commentary tracks by Kirgo & Nick Redman (both must-hears as always) and Isolated Music Scores. Hearts adds an on camera Jacquot interview and God adds a Behind The Scenes featurette and two interviews: one with Mindruczo, the other with animal trainer Teresa Ann Miller.



To order the American Buffalo and Mississippi Mermaid limited edition Blu-rays, buy them while supplies last at these links:


www.screenarchives.com


and


http://www.twilighttimemovies.com/



- Nicholas Sheffo


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