HOME ENTERTAINMENT : Scorsese Comments Add to Reissues’ Appeal

Marketing film classics on video is tough.

Some retailers are reluctant to stock very many oldies, preferring to save shelf space for recent movies. And making the classics attractive to fans is often an even bigger hurdle.

In the past few years, FoxVideo has been the most successful at promoting classics--doing especially well with the Shirley Temple series. Republic has also had success, particularly with John Wayne movies.

But Republic is using a new strategy for four other classics--adding star power to movies that don’t have any (at least to younger people). Director Martin Scorsese has provided three-minute introductions for:

* “Force of Evil,� a 1948 drama starring John Garfield as a shady attorney caught between his brother and the mob.

* “Johnny Guitar,� director Nicholas Ray’s 1954 Western that turns the genre’s conventions upside down, featuring women--played by Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge--as the warring powers in a small town.

* “A Double Life,� the 1947 Freudian tale of an actor--played by Ronald Coleman in an Oscar-winning performance--whose roles start to take over his personal life.

* “Pursued,� a 1947 drama, directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Robert Mitchum, that historians call the first film noir Western.

Scorsese places each movie in perspective in film history and explains how they influenced his own cinematic outlook.

To add to the commercial appeal, Republic not only re-mastered the prints but also added to the package a card featuring the original promotional poster.

Another major marketing move was to drop the price from when they had earlier been in release--from $20 to $15 each.

“These aren’t mainstream classics but many film fans do know of them,� said Gary Jones, Republic’s senior sales vice president. “With the Scorsese name attached to them, more fans might be willing to give them a try. It’s a little edge that they didn’t have before.�

Jones said that Scorsese came to Republic about two years ago to get permission to use the four movies in an Italian film festival where he was going to explain how they’d influenced his career. That’s when the company came up with the idea of using him to re-promote the videos. The introductions were originally made for the festival.

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Videobits: Both distributors and retailers say that Orion’s “Blue Sky,� featuring best actress Oscar winner Jessica Lange, may be a film that benefits most from all the Oscar hype. Hardly anybody saw it in theaters (gross: about $2 million) but there’s so much interest in it now that it should be a Top 10 rental when it comes out April 18. Some small retailers who wouldn’t have ordered any copies before the Oscar will need at least one or two. No video store would be complete without the movie featuring the current best actress Oscar winner.

New Line hasn’t confirmed it yet, but distributor sources are saying that the latest Jim Carrey hit, “Dumb and Dumber,� is coming in June.

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‘Gump’ News: If you’re wondering how those startling special effects were done in “Forrest Gump,� see “Through the Eyes of Forrest Gump,� which is due on home video April 28--the same day the movie is released. Priced at $10, it explains the wizardry behind Gump’s encounters with famous people as well as how actor Gary Sinise was made to appear legless.

As making-of documentaries go, this one is particularly informative and definitely fan-friendly. Originally shown on HBO as a 29-minute documentary, it’s been expanded to 37 minutes for video release.

Paramount says that a report earlier this week about a Martin Luther King Jr. sequence being added to the “Forrest Gump� tape is false.

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Special Interests: One of the best making-of documentaries ever is an account of the making of the Beatles’ 1964 film, “A Hard Day’s Night.� The hourlong tape, seen recently on PBS, includes fascinating behind-the-scenes footage as well as interviews with the Beatles, cast and filmmakers. A must for Beatles’ fans. “You Can’t Do That: The Making of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ � is on MPI at $20. Information: (708) 460-0555.

“So That’s How They Build Cars� provides a guided tour of an automotive plant, following the various stages of the assembly line--including welding by robots. While the kids are repeatedly watching this one, you may find yourself watching along with them. From Oak Leaf Productions at $15. Information: (800) 471-4556.

According to some beginning golfers, many of the tips in “Nick Faldo’s Fixes� are invaluable. Particularly helpful is the two-time Masters’ champ’s advice on lining up shots. A very easy to follow one-hour tape, from PolyGram at $20.

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What’s New on Video: “Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert� (PolyGram): In the late ‘70s, a big-city cabaret troupe, including a transsexual (Terence Stamp) and two drag queens, takes its show to rural Australia in a rickety bus nicknamed Priscilla. Part of the fun of this comedy is the interaction between these flamboyant characters and the conservative locals. Stamp is terrific.

“Silent Fall� (Warner): A 9-year-old autistic child (Ben Faulkner) who witnesses the murder of his parents is treated by a retired therapist (Richard Dreyfuss) who tries to make him recall the details. Not many thrills because of poor plotting. Long before the end, it’s clear whodunit. Waste of a talented cast, including John Lithgow and Linda Hamilton.

“The Pagemaster� (FoxVideo): A wimpy youngster (Macaulay Culkin) wanders into a spooky library and, becoming a cartoon, enters the animated world of literature. With talking books as his guide, he meets characters such as Moby Dick and Long John Silver. So-so animation dulls its impact but the film is still worthwhile because it inspires kids to read the classics. Whoopi Goldberg and Patrick Stewart provide some of the voices.

“Camp Nowhere� (Hollywood): With the help of an out-of-work teacher (Christopher Lloyd), some well-to-do brats create what looks like a legitimate summer camp. Actually it’s a kids’ paradise where there are no rules. Strictly for youngsters in the 9- to 13-year-old age range who’d get a vicarious charge out of watching kids run wild.