Blu-ray debut for Philippe de Broca's whimsical French "classic" from 1966 -- KING OF HEARTS

Throughout much of his life -- even now -- TrustMovies has been pretty much a sucker for whimsical movies. He loves the work of Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon, for instance, and even more so that of their Belgian compatriot, Jaco van Dormael. When he first saw KING OF HEARTS, directed by prolific French filmmaker Philippe de Broca, at the time of its initial USA theatrical release back in 1967, he found it pretty awful. But that was 51 years ago, and his tastes have changed some -- broadened and deepened -- over time. Since the film went on the become a kind of cult classic, he thought perhaps he'd missed something, and so, with its new release on DVD and Blu-ray from the Cohen Film Collection, the time seemed ripe for reconsideration.

The quick verdict: Despite its glorious new Blu-ray transfer -- crisp, clear, with colors that look as true and beautiful as they must have a half century ago -- fabulous cinematography by Pierre Lhomme, a fairy tale production design (François de Lamothe), and an international cast made up of some of the finest actors of the time, the movie still pretty much sucks.

I have great admiration for de Broca, shown at right, but of the dozen or so films of his I've seen, this is probably my least favorite. (The Five Day Lover would be my top choice.)

King of Hearts is cute-tending-towards-cutesy from its start, with silly names abounding and an already tired Hitler joke intruding on its World War I time frame. Italy's grand Adolfo Celi (above, center) is dubbed with a high-toned British accent, while England's dark and dour Alan Bates (on poster, top, and below) seems utterly lost and at his least in this world of French whimsy.

To buy into the film's would-be charm, you have to believe its overdone and rather ridiculous WWI opening. I couldn't back in 1967 and still can't manage it. The plot involves a twist on the old inmates-take-over-the-asylum theme, but this time they take over the entire town. And then they gambol, frolic and cavort. And cavort  And cavort some more.

The entire movie has perhaps a half-hour worth of content. The other 72 minutes are devoted to this tiresome frolicking. At times, I swear, you'll imagine that this must be the movie for which your DVD's fast-forward button was invented.

To its credit, King of Hearts is most definitely anti-war. A climactic scene, in fact, demonstrates the futility of wartime conflict, and if the rest of the film had some of this humorous satirical edge, it might have proven much stronger.

The two most charming characters here turn out to be women: the bordello madam, played with her usual finesse by Micheline Presle (above, in foreground) and that madam's most innocent worker, played by Geneviève Bujold (in yellow above, left, and in photo at bottom, right), in one of her early roles.

If you're a fan of this film, little will hold you back from wanting to see it again (and in such a fine transfer!). If you're a newcomer, however, its adorable cutesiness may set your teeth on edge so often along the way that I suggest you have a plastic mouthguard at the ready to protect those pearly whites.

From the Cohen Film Collection and running 103 minutes, King of Hearts hits the street this coming Tuesday, June 12, on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital -- for purchase and/or rental. Bonus features (on both DVD and Blu-ray) include feature-length audio commentary track by Wade Major, film critic with NPR affiliate KPCC-FM and co-host/producer of the IGN DigiGods podcast; a new conversation between Geneviève Bujold and IndieWire's Anne Thompson; a new interview with cinematographer Pierre Lhomme; and the 2018 USA re-release trailer and the French re-release trailer.

Restored and re-discovered: James Whale's black-and-white wonder THE OLD DARK HOUSE

Plenty of us avid moviegoers are familiar enough with the name James Whale. This guy, after all, directed the original Frankenstein (and The Bride of..., too) plus The Invisible Man, as well as the original filmed versions of Journey's End, Waterloo Bridge and Showboat. Many of us know him, too, from Ian McKellen's lovely portrayal of the filmmaker in Bill Condon's Gods and Monsters. What most of us don't know much about, however, is his 1932 movie THE OLD DARK HOUSE, a 72-minute, non-stop delight -- funny, scary, and full of surprises -- that was long thought to have gone the "disappeared" route of so many old and unfairly forgotten films.

Now, thanks to Cohen Media Group (as well as, or so we learn from one of the marvelous bonus features on the new Blu-ray and DVD, to the now-deceased filmmaker Curtis Harrington), a wonderful 4K restoration of the film opened in theaters earlier this month (after playing both the Venice and New York film festivals) and arrives on home video this coming Tuesday, October 24, on Blu-ray, DVD and digital format.

Director Whale (shown at right) with 23 credits on his resume, was gifted in a number of genres, but the amazement of The Old Dark House comes, as much as anything, via the masterly manner in which he mashes so many of these -- mystery, thriller, horror, comedy, romance, satire and even a look at class, economics, religion and morality of the day -- together so goddamned gracefully. It's a wonder.

The film is based on a novel by J.B. Priestley, and the cast assembled here is a wonder, as well. Where else might you possibly see Boris Karloff (below, left), Melvyn Douglas (above), Charles Laughton and Raymond Massey together in the same film? (Mr. Laughton is as likable and surprising here as you may ever have seen him.)

On the distaff side are three wonder women: Gloria Stuart (above, right, and yes, she who made that great comeback in a certain Mr. Cameron's over-rated Titanic) plays a gorgeous dish who fills out a negligee like few others; the beautiful, pert and utterly winning Lilian Bond (below, right), who bring such immediacy and delight to her been-around-the-block ingenue role that you'll not easily forget her; and Eva Moore, who manages the nutty-old-bat role as though we'd never seen such a thing before. (There's one scene between Moore and Stuart that is so jaw-dropping even now, that one wonders what audiences must have thought about it 85 years ago when the film first opened.)

The less said about the plot the better, for it is filled with such bizarre turns-of-events that you'll simply hang on for the ride. And yet, for all its sense of terror and dread, the movie is finally so surprisingly endearing that you may find yourself remembering it less as a fright film than as a sweet, sad, fractured movie about family -- both the blood kind and the sort that's created suddenly out of need and determination.

Whatever: don't let this one pass you by. Its home video release is scheduled for this coming week, and the bonus features on the Blu-ray and DVD are wonderful indeed, especially the interview with Mr. Karloff's daughter, Sara. Though the film runs just 72 minutes, the disc's extras are enough -- in quantity and quality -- to make this much more than merely an evening's entertainment.

Would-be HD debut of an undiscovered zircon: Ernst R. von Theumer's HELL HUNTERS

A movie from 1986 I'd be willing to swear that just about no one was asking to be exhumed from the vault, HELL HUNTERS, made by Austrian film producer and director Ernst R. von Theumer (shown below), is now available on DVD in what is advertised as High Definition but instead looks like a so-so transfer from an old VHS videotape. Where do movies like this come from -- and why? This is the question bound to be on the minds of viewers who take a chance on the film.

The answer is most likely to be found via the film's current distributor, Film Chest Media Group, which, over the past few years has given us some very odd choices -- ranging from the Hedy Lamarr movie, The Strange Woman, to the hilarious sci-fi-horror, The Killer Shrews. Hell Hunters is perhaps the strangest in the bunch, written as it seems to have been by a trio (including von Theumer) whose combined talent might equal that of a gifted eight-year-old.

Unfortunately, the screenplay is not so godawful that it's fun. That might be reason enough to watch. Instead, it's just sub-standard in every way -- from the weak and tired plot (Nazi-hunting in South America) to the dialog (He: "Don't be stupid!" She: "I don't like being called stupid!" And that's one of the saucier exchanges.)

Why did this particular movie seem ripe for a new release, I wonder? Maybe it fell into the public domain and was thus worth the time and trouble. In any case, this is not one of those films that fans have been begging to see on DVD (The African Queen, it ain't). In the cast are headlined Stewart Granger (above, and who was usually fun to see, back in the day) and ex-Bond girl Maud Adams (below, right).

He plays the leading Nazi, working on some spider-induced venom that could decimate a whole city (this plot twist that never goes anywhere at all), while she plays a supposed Nazi hunter who clearly is so inept that she can't even protect her self from a very obvious assassin. The real stars of the film, however, are a easy-on-the-eyes duo made up of the late Brazilian actor Rômulo Arantes (below), a very hot little number who gives us some nice full frontal in the course of the film,

and Candice Daly, who plays Ms Adams daughter out for vengeance -- but in a manner too ditsy to be believed. The two characters who prove the most fun are played by Russ McCubbin (below, left) as a big, brawny guy named Kong, and Nelia J. Cozza, as the Nazi hunter who first fights then falls for the guy.

There's a car chase, a prison escape, lots of shoot-em-ups and bullet wounds. And some pleasant, if typical, jungle-and-river scenery, as well as Rio de Janeiro at Carnival time. But very little intelligence and only a modicum of fun.

Still, if you are one of those who wants to be able to say that s/he has seen a movie than probably very few others ever have, then Hell Hunters (the level to which this one rises is more like Heck Hunters) might just be worth a watch.

The movie arrived this past Tuesday, July 5, in that would-be high-def DVD format, from Film Chest Media Group -- for purchase and perhaps (if you can find an outlet that stocks it) for rental, too.