Eclipse's Kordas.

By David Hudson on 05/12/2009

[Updated through 5/14]

Dave Kehr opens his review of the new box set "Alexander Korda's Private Lives" by contrasting these works with those gathered in an earlier release from Eclipse, "Rossellini's History Films": "Where Rossellini tried to film the complex interplay of social, technological and economic forces surrounding figures like Cosimo de' Medici, René Descartes and Blaise Pascal, these four films produced by Korda in England between 1933 and 1936 offer something else: a subjective, frequently sardonic view of history, centered not on great, abstract forces but on immediate physical needs.... The major discovery of the Eclipse set is 'The Private Life of Don Juan,' directed by Korda in 1934 and starring Douglas Fairbanks, the great swashbuckling hero of silent films, in his final outing.... As deeply felt as it is merciless, this 'Don Juan' could almost be a lost film by Ernst Lubitsch; it demands that we face age with humor because self-pity is in such terribly bad taste."

Joseph Jon Lanthier picks it right from there in Slant: "If the Criterion Collection's earlier Eclipse release 'Lubitsch Musicals' provided an obscure glimpse at the genesis of the infamous 'Lubitsch Touch,' the four films collected in 'Alexander Korda's Private Lives' (three making their Region 1 DVD premiere) trace the early-1930s gestation of what might be dubbed the 'Korda Cudgel.' Both immigrants arguably invented their own genres by importing dry, eastern-European chivalric wit to lubricate audiences for intimate pre-code innuendo. But the similarities end there." What's more: "Korda's horny history lessons are best taken with a grain of salt, but outshine Rossellini's fuddy-duddy philosophy portraits with pop badassitude."

Sean Axmaker finds "The Private Life of Henry VIII" "more designed than directed" and notes that it "became the first British film of the sound era to become a hit in the United States and earned [Charles] Laughton his first and only Oscar for Best Actor."

"Previously seen as a mad doctor and a Roman emperor in Paramount films, Charles Laughton is nothing short of spectacular," writes Glenn Erickson for TCM. "He trots through scenes and struts proudly on his skinny legs. The film's most celebrated image comes at Henry's dinner table. He stuffs his mouth with roast fowl, tossing bones over his shoulder while complaining about the lack of manners at his court.... The most mature and melancholy film in the set is 1936's 'Rembrandt,' a tender and insightful contemplation of the artist's relationship to society."

"While most of the humor in 'Henry VIII' came from the witty wordplay, 'The Rise of Catherine the Great' offers a good deal more in the way of physical comedy and elaborate cinematography," writes Clark Douglas at DVD Verdict. All in all: "Three fun romps and one very solid drama join forces to create a very satisfactory box set."

"If you're looking for historical accuracy in any of these films, you'd do better to ferret other films," writes Jeffrey Kauffman at DVD Talk. "If you're looking for just good, old fashioned entertainment, with some surprisingly contemporary humor at times, any of these films will fill the bill admirably."

"Image quality on this Eclipse release is weaker than I anticipated," notes Gary W Tooze at DVD Beaver. "To be fair the film's are well over 70-years old and perhaps my expectations were too high in regards to the visual appearance. These won't look better without a full-blown restoration - which may not happen soon."

Earlier: Joseph Jon Lanthier at Bright Lights After Dark.

Update, 5/14: "Alexander Korda's oeuvre is often characterized as larger-than-life, undoubtedly in part because the figures he was attracted to--kings and queens, legendary lovers and great artists--were often extraordinary. Though in his continent- spanning, four-decade-long career as a writer, director, and producer Korda would make dozens of films, on many different subjects of varying glory, he would continually return to dramatizing the lives of historical personages. His approach to these characters, however, was peculiarly intimate, as intrigued by what went on behind closed doors as by the sweep of history (fitting for a man whose own professional and love lives became notoriously entwined)." Criterion's Michael Koresky works his way through the set.

[Photo: Merle Oberon and Douglas Fairbanks in "The Private Life of Don Juan," Criterion Collection," 1934]

Tags: Alexander Korda, Charles Laughton, Douglas Fairbanks