DVD Review: Hunt Vs Lauda: Grand Prix's Greatest Racing Rivals

Originally screened on BBC4, Hunt Vs Lauda is a riveting 52 minute documentary account of the monumental 1976 Formula 1 season. The battle for number one spot between the Britain's James Hunt and Austria's Niki Lauda went all the way to the very last of sixteen races, and the drama, controversy and courage will be talked about as long as Formula 1 exists.

Hunt was part of the Mclaren team, while Lauda drove under the Ferrari banner with all its wealth and power, and was determined to stay one step ahead of his playboy rival. In fact, Lauda soon established a 33 points to 6 lead over Hunt, and by the time we reached the halfway stage at the end of the 8th race, Lauda had 52 points to Hunt's 26. Could race 9 - which took place on Hunt's home turf - be the turning point? When the race was stopped, the partisan British crowd almost rioted and practically willed Hunt to gain first place on resumption of the battle. Hunt did exactly that, although Ferarri lodged an appeal which was eventually upheld weeks later.
Now all eyes were focused on the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, where Hunt further closed the gap when Lauda's car crashed and burst into flames, leaving the Austrian close to death. Incredibly, he was back in the saddle just 40 days later, permanently scarred but ready to race for the title.
By the time we reached the final race in Japan, Lauda was just 3 points ahead and further drama was about to unfold.

It's an amazing story, told in this DVD from Delta Leisure with valuable contributions from Lauda, Daniele Audetto (Ferrari F1 team manager), Alastair Caldwell (Mclaren team manager) and James' sister Sally. Together, they paint a compelling picture of two fierce rivals who shared friendship and respect for each other during their titanic struggle. These interviews are punctuated with some terrific race footage and behind-the-scenes clips that will delight Formula 1 addicts. Throughout, the differing personalties and racing agenda's of the two men come to the fore: the late James Hunt being flamboyant on and off track, with Lauda being more reserved and adopting a scientific approach to racing.

With Ron Howard's 'Rush' on the way to UK cinemas, there is no better time to view this gripping account of the season that changed the face of Formula 1 forever.
Delta Leisure's DVD will be released in the UK on 27th January.

At this point, I'd just like to send prayers and all good wishes to Michael Schumacher, who is still gravely ill in hospital. Our thoughts are with him and his family.

Top 10 Discs Of 2013: Number 6. Dead Of Night. BFI.

The last three surviving episodes of the BBC Dead Of Night series have long been prime candidates for unnerving slices of small-screen terror, so thanks to the BFI for bringing them to DVD for first time viewers and those of us who were lucky enough to catch the original broadcasts. Don Taylor's 'The Exorcism' gave me nightmares for months afterwards, and it's true to say fragments from the broadcast have stayed with me down the years.

You can read my review of this DVD by clicking HERE

Top 10 Discs Of 2013: Number 7. Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers. Arrow Video

Widely touted as one of the best remakes of all time, Philip Kaufman's 1978 film is more a re-imagining of Don Siegel's original, and scores highly in practically all departments. I was particularly pleased when I learned Arrow Video were to release this as a special edition Blu-ray and delighted with the image quality and also the supplementary features package.

You can read my review of the disc by clicking .HERE

Top 10 Discs of 2013: Number 8. Betty Blue. Second Sight

Jean-Jaques Beineix's timeless classic appears on the Second Sight Blu-ray in two versions: the original theatrical cut which I saw during its UK cinema run, and the more powerful 3 hour director's cut which I caught several years later.
A superb transfer, and the hour long documentary, 'Blue Notes And Bungalows', make this an absolutely essential purchase for all those who fell in love with the film.

You can read my review by clicking .HERE

Top 10 Discs Of 2013. Number 9. Black Sabbath. Arrow Video

One of Mario Bava's finest films gets royal treatment here, courtesy of a splendid transfer and an excellent audio commentary track from Tim Lucas. There's also a featurette showing the differences between the Italian and AIP versions. Highly recommended for Bava buffs and newcomers who have yet to discover the maestro's brand of other-worldly magic.

You can read my review of this disc by clicking HERE

Arrow Video will be releasing further titles from Mario Bava's filmography in 2014.

Wonderland: Top 10 Discs of 2013. Number 10

I would have loved to be able to do a top 10 theatrical releases but, unfortunately, my health does not permit cinema visits. So, I thought I'd compile a list of my favourite discs from last year. I've taken a number of factors into account, including the quality of the film, the Blu-ray transfer and the extras. I hope you will take the opportunity to check out any you have yet to see.
This list is not in order of preference, so let's start with today's selection.

Me And You (Artificial Eye)

A beautifully directed adolescent drama, from the great Bernardo Bertulucci.

You can read my review by clicking HERE

Blu-ray Review: Big Trouble In Little China

Big Trouble In Little China was shot during the Autumn of 1985, released the following year and turned out to be a box office flop. Originally conceived as a western, Big Trouble eventually emerged as a high octane Martial Arts themed ride, with a satisfying dollop of Chinese supernatural lore thrown into the mix. The studio really wanted their own version of Indiana Jones. Instead, they got John Carpenter's most entertaining film, with more bang for your buck than the aforementioned hero and his quartet of films.
Big Trouble takes place in San Francisco's Chinatown district as Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) sees his 'Pork Chop Express' truck go missing and becomes embroiled in the darkest kind of Chinese magic.
The beautiful Miayo Yin (Suzee Pai) arrives at the airport to meet her intended - Wong Chi, played by Dennis Dun - who has just lost yet another game of chance to the streetwise Burton. The green-eyed Maiyo is snatched by Chinese street punks before she can even embrace her beloved, and eventually ends up in the underground lair of David Lo Pan (James Hong)who needs to marry a green-eyed girl in order to break an ancient curse and become permanent flesh and blood once again.
Aided by tour operator Egg Shen(Victor Wong), lawyer Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall) and assorted Martial Arts experts, Burton and Wong venture into a shadowy world of Chinese black magic, aiming to rescue Maiyo and claim back the 'Pork Chop Express'.

John Carpenter had always longed to do a film with a strong Martial Arts theme, and Big Trouble marks a wholly successful entry into this field, making the most of an energetic cast who clearly relish their excursion into Chinese mythology. Burton's wisecracking rough and ready hero really hits all the right notes, while Pai, Cattrall and Kate Burton's newshound on the trail make for an appealing trio of green-eyed ladies who enjoy the frantic efforts of the men around them. The combat scenes are beautifully choreographed and staged, benefiting from sumptuous stage sets that combine to make Big Trouble so visually splendid and damnably entertaining from the word go.
Of course, various influences take root here; my own favourite being a nod to the underwater sequence in Dario Argento's Inferno which can be seen around the 39th minute mark.

So, why did Big Trouble fail at the box office? One possible reason is that it was released just 16 days before James Cameron's Aliens when expectation was at fever pitch for this follow-up to Ridley Sctott's original. Happily, Big Trouble has taken off on home video through various formats to become a cult classic, and I welcome its UK Blu-ray release from Arrow Video.

Arrow's Blu-ray exhibits excellent colour reproduction, with the sets and costumes looking splendid, while detail is very strong. Fans of this film should be delighted with this presentation and will doubtless enjoy the bounty of supplementary material, which begins with around 80 minutes of interviews. Here, Carpenter, Russell, Dean Cundey, producer Larry Franco, actor and choreographer Jeff Imada and visual effects producer Richard Edlund. JC kicks things off with an informative chat, recalling his love of Martial Arts movies and the unhappy experiences with Big Trouble that prompted him to turn his back on the studio system. Kurt Russell's contribution reveals the special bond he has with his director and recalls his casting of the lead role in 'Elvis' and some hilarious anecdotes drawn from the filming of Big Trouble. Cundey, Imada,Franco and Edlund chat about life on the other side of the camera, including the lowdown on set design, choreographing fight scenes, FX and design, Carpenter's breakthrough with Halloween and how and why the plug was pulled on Carpenter directing Firestarter.

Next up are eight deleted scenes, with some available on transfers of Betamax worktapes, while others are presented as workprint or videotape, allowing the viewer to check out one or both. Highlights include a rare moment of dialogue from Miayo Yin; some priceless Burton wisecracks and some background info on Grace Law.There's also an extended ending to enjoy, with Burton taking care of one last piece of business.

A 7 minute vintage featurette follows, with Russell, Carpenter, Dennis Dun, Cattrall, James Hong and costume designer April Ferry talking about the making of Big Trouble, while music videos, trailers and a valuable isolated score round off the package. There's also a rollicking commentary track with Carpenter and Russell who recall the fun, frustrations and satisfaction they experienced with this film., and when Carpenter talks about the importance of casting the right people, you just know that with Big Trouble he got everything right.

Big Trouble In Little China is a Region B release, coming as a standard case or a gorgeous steelbook and is out now.