The American film director, producer and editor known for Inner Space, Gremlins and The Howling picks The Man Who Fell To Earth, Peeping Tom, The Wicker Man, The Third Man, The Small World Of Sammy Lee, Payroll, Went The Day Well?, The Railway Children and Circus Of Horrors.
StudioCanal is to be congratulated for their stewardship of some of the great British films of the past, which includes state of the art restoration work, lest these richly rewarding experiences fade from public knowledge. Their Vintage Classics package is chock full of memorable movies, including some of my favorites. Some, like The Man Who Fell to Earth, Peeping Tom and The Wicker Man were initially poorly distributed in cut versions. Others, like The Third Man, exist in more than one version. Unheralded gems like The Small World of Sammy Lee, Payroll and the astonishing Went the Day Well? have fallen through the cracks in recent decades and need rediscovery. In short, this is a remarkable collection, wide ranging and eclectic as it should be. There’s no accounting for taste, but you can’t go wrong with any of these choices, which run the gamut from The Railway Children to Circus of Horrors. It’s a treasure trove, pure and simple.
