2 out of 3 legends on film are superb

By Susan King

May 31, 2005 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

Several films starring three legendary actors -- Gary Cooper, Marlon Brando and James Dean -- arrive today on DVD.

Universal’s “The Gary Cooper Collection” ($27) features five entertaining films that the handsome, lanky superstar made for Paramount during the 1930s. In 1933’s ribald comedy “Design for Living,” directed by Ernst Lubitsch from the play by Noel Coward, Cooper shows his sophisticated side as a struggling painter living in Paris. In 1935’s lush romantic fantasy “Peter Ibbettson,” he plays an architect who enters into an affair with his married former childhood sweetheart; 1936’s action-packed thriller “The General Died at Dawn” finds Cooper as an American in China trying to smuggle funds to help downtrodden Chinese fight a ruthless warlord. Cooper, Robert Preston and Ray Milland are three brothers serving together in the French Foreign Legion in William Wellman’s stirring 1939 epic adventure, “Beau Geste”; and in 1935’s Oscar-nominated adventure “The Lives of a Bengal Lancer,” he is nearly perfect as a British soldier in India.

“The Marlon Brando Collection” ($27), also from Universal, is a big disappointment. Three of the four films have previously been available on DVD: 1963’s political thriller “The Ugly American” (the best of this lot); 1967’s “A Countess From Hong Kong”; and the bizarre 1968 thriller “The Night of the Following Day.” The new offering is the pedestrian 1966 western “The Appaloosa.”

“The Complete James Dean Collection” (Warner Home Video, $50; $27 each) features the three films that the influential actor starred in before his untimely death at age 24 on Sept. 30, 1955: “East of Eden,” “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Giant.” “Rebel” and “Giant” have been released before on DVD, but “Rebel” is being offered in a new two-disc set. “East of Eden,” the 1955 film based on John Steinbeck’s novel, made Dean a star. The two-disc set includes a new documentary, “Forever James Dean,” a screen test, two lengthy deleted scenes, wardrobe tests and astute commentary from film historian Richard Schickel.

Also new

“Moonlighting: Seasons 1 & 2” (Lions Gate, $50): The good news is that the seminal romantic comedy-detective series from the 1980s has finally arrived on DVD (the pilot was released a few years back on digital); even better news is that “Moonlighting” seems about as fresh and funny as it was when these episodes originally aired. The ABC series, created by Glenn Gordon Caron, pushed the envelope every week with its innovative stories, resurrected the career of Cybill Shepherd and made an overnight star out of Bruce Willis. The six-disc set includes bloopers, deleted scenes, a decent two-part documentary on the series, a look at the “Moonlighting Phenomenon” and commentary on several tracks including with Caron, director Robert Butler, Willis, Shepherd and costar Allyce Beasley.

“This Is Your Life -- The Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1” (R2 Entertainment. $50): Ralph Edwards headlined “This Is Your Life,” which was one of the most popular series in the 1950s; it was revived several times over the years, most notably in the early 1970s. Every week, Edwards would “surprise” a celebrity and thereupon present a look back at the celeb’s life as friends and loved ones would arrive to reminisce. Among those being surprised in this three-disc set are Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy -- their only joint TV appearance -- Lou Costello, Milton Berle, Johnny Cash and Betty White.

“The Edward R. Murrow Collection” (New Video, $60): Even 40 years after his death, CBS reporter Murrow is still considered by many to be the greatest broadcaster who ever worked on radio and television; he set the standard for everyone who has come after him. This four-disc set beautifully illustrates his power, force and integrity. Highlights include excerpts from his “See It Now” live news program, as well as “Harvest of Shame,” his landmark 1960 documentary examining the plight of the country’s migrant farm workers.

“My Brilliant Career” (Blue Underground, $29): One of the first Australian imports to receive international acclaim, the 1980 romantic drama marked the film debut of Judy Davis, who shines as a young woman who refuses the hand of a man (Sam Neill) so she can follow her heart and become a writer. The two-disc set features interviews with director Gillian Armstrong and producer Margaret Fink and footage from the Cannes Film Festival. Armstrong also supplies lively commentary.

“Swimming Upstream” (MGM, $27): Davis once again excels as the long-suffering mother of a swimming champ (Jesse Spencer of “House”) in this entertaining Australian drama.

“The Parent Trap -- Special Double Trouble Edition” (Disney, $20): Audiences got their first taste of teen tabloid queen Lindsay Lohan in this enjoyable 1998 remake of the 1961 Hayley Mills classic in which she plays twin sisters. Extras include a “making-of” feature, a look at the special effects and commentary from writer-director Nancy Meyers and writer-producer Charles Shyer.

Upcoming

June 7: “Be Cool,” “Beyond the Sea,” “The Machinist,” “Imaginary Heroes,” “Seed of Chucky,” “D.E.B.S.,” “Black Cloud.”

June 14: “Hitch,” “A Dirty Shame, “Rory O’Shea Was Here,” “Brother to Brother.”

June 21: “Coach Carter,” “Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous,” “Hostage,” “Cursed,” “The Jacket,” “Callas Forever,” “Bright Leaves” and “Bigger Than the Sky.”

June 28: “The Pacifier,” “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” and “Man of the House.”

July 5: “Hide and Seek,” “Bride and Prejudice,” “In My Country.”

July 12: “A Very Long Engagement.”

July 19: “Constantine,” “Ice Princess,” “Jiminy Glick in Lalawood.”

July 26: “The Upside of Anger,” “King’s Ransom,” “Hotel.”