Marc Adamo's _Little Women_ follows Alcott's book much more closely than it seems to. True, this opera doesn't include Jo's famous haircut, the father's service (and subsequent illness) as a military chaplain, or any of the childhood antics depicted in the book's first half. But that's because Adamo focuses his attention on the less-celebrated second half, which Alcott entitled "Good Wives" (though she sarcastically claimed "Wedding Marches" would have been more appropriate).

The opera itself is superb; among American composers, only Douglas Moore and Virgil Thomson have equalled its accomplishment. Adamo's libretto is consistently quick-witted and sharp-tongued (a trait he seems to have picked up from Alcott herself), while his music is tonal, eclectic, emotional and intelligent. Each character, it seems, has at least one moment to shine, but Professor Bhaer's German lied in Act II never fails to bring down the house. What's more, the opera stages beautifully; one gets the sense that it would be as much at home on Broadway as in the concert hall. (Hint, hint?)

Unfortunately, this particular recording is live, which means that the music doesn't come across with the same clarity that a studio recording would have. It's tough to justify shelling out more than thirty bucks for manifestly inferior sound, and I wish the Houston Grand Opera had purchased some studio time so they could give this opera its due. Still, the performances are as good as they come. For fans of the work, this will be a must-own.

Pasolini's naturalistic adaptation of "Matthew" may be the best ever made on the life of Jesus. (This gospel is considered the preachiest of the four, and proves a strange choice for cinema.)

Alas, the transfer on this DVD isn't worth a recommendation. Considerable flicker and film artifacts make the picture a real eye-stabber; the soundtrack is frequently muffled, and the musical cues are garbled.

As with most Italian films of the time, sound is "post-synch" (which is to say it's dubbed in). The dubbing is no worse than you'd find in a Fellini film, but no better.

The sole extra is a European TV documentary from the early '70s. It's in pretty deplorable condition, and is featured on all the "Pasolini series" DVDs.

On the whole, a great film, well worth seeing -- but not a good DVD. I'll give it three stars and hope Criterion puts out a better edition soon.

D.W. Griffith's 1915 epic wasn't the first full-length motion picture or the first epic. But there's a good case that it may have been the first "blockbuster" film event. After _Birth of a Nation_, American films became more elaborate, more spectacular and more costly. That rough-hewn American emphasis on large-scale epic grandeur persisted up to the era of sound (a mere thirteen years), when new technology made such spectacles temporarily unfeasible.

The film itself offers a race-baiting vision of Reconstruction, as interpreted by the now-discredited Dunning School. Woodrow Wilson, another historian in that movement, praised the film for "authenticity," but contemporary historians know that it's all a load of bunk. The real surprise, for people who are familiar with the horrifying, bottomless race hatred of that period, is that Griffith is far more sympathetic to Black Americans than his sources are -- which says quite a lot about his sources. (For another major American film that reiterates the Dunning School party line, albeit in a more moderate form, see _Gone With the Wind_. Or don't.)

Video restoration guru David Shepard has done an excellent job in restoring this landmark film (using a 1921 print that cites Wilson's praise), and even includes a half-hour documentary on the making of the film. The score is of recent vintage, but it is well-performed and fits the action.

The recent 2-disc release by Kino Video also features several early Biograph films from Griffith, all of them pertaining to the Civil War. If you must buy this film, get the edition with the Biograph shorts -- they're worth an extra ten bucks.

Dziga Vertov's _Man With a Movie Camera_ stretches the Soviet theories of montage to the breaking point. Like most Stalin-era films, it appears propagandistic at first glance. But in its relentless exposure of the cinematic phenomenon, the film compels viewers to think for themselves, and reconsider what they see on the screen. It's clear that Vertov thought himself a good Communist for attempting to make his audience more self-aware, but Stalin's apparatchiks loudly disagreed; after all, nothing was more dangerous for them than a free-thinking proletariat. In addition, the film shows just enough of Soviet urban squalor to give the lie to official visions of a workers' paradise.

With the support of the George Eastman House, video preservation guru David Shepard has restored Vertov's documentary-manifesto with loving care, even insisting on a 1.20:1 aspect ratio (which is slightly narrower than the average television set, hence a small black bar on the side of the screen). The musical score, by the Alloy Orchestra, follows Vertov's surprisingly detailed instructions to the letter.

What really makes this edition impressive is its sole special feature: an audio essay by Yuri Tsivian that may be the best DVD commentary I've ever heard. We need more commentaries like this one, with true film scholars explaining the images in terms which are neither too technical nor too vague. A must-own.

Todd Haynes's penchant for postmodern parody (recently displayed in the deliberately garish melodrama _Far From Heaven_) can be seen in _Poison_, his first feature film. Haynes invokes obscure Poverty-Row horror films and television documentaries, among other cinematic forms. Some of the images are lovely, some are ugly, and some are extremely difficult to watch. All represent, in one form or another, French writer Jean Genet's view of sexuality -- pessimistic and frequently angry, but never entirely bleak.

This film was one of the infamous "NEA 4" projects that led then-Senator Jesse Helms to impose standards of decency on the National Endowment for the Arts. _Poison_ may be best known for the scandal it generated inside Washington's corridors of power, but it's still a brilliant film.

Now, the bad news: Video and audio transfers on this DVD are poor, with numerous print flaws, artifacts and distortion. But the full-frame transfer accurately represents the film's original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The only extras are a slightly decrepit trailer and a solid, informative audio commentary from the director, the producer and the editor.

Spotty satire of 1950s sci-fi (among other things) is enlivened by a truly nasty streak of misanthropy as well as a glorious, witty score by Danny Elfman. Hilarious when it's "on," and at least visually interesting when it's "off," this film probably deserved its critical drubbing and box-office failure. I thought it was one of the best of its year anyway -- one of a mere handful of films from the past decade that can still make me laugh like a maniac.

If you like cult movies, you should see this one. All the same, rent before you buy.

_Earth vs. the Flying Saucers_ is vintage sci-fi from 1950s cold-war America. Plotwise, the title says it all.

The film's acknowledged highlights are the impressive special-effects sequences by stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen manages the difficult task of giving these flying saucers a personality of their own. In fact, these spinning machines display more nuance and character than any of the film's human actors. But perhaps that's as it should be. After all, if you plan to watch a film called _Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, you're not really looking for taut psychological drama.

The extras on this DVD are adequate, but no better. Two of the disc's three featurettes have been featured on other Harryhausen discs, so if you already own a title in the "Harryhausen Collection," you'll discover quite a bit of overlap. A photo gallery and some trailers round out the package.

P.S. The flying saucers (along with a good deal of the plot) in Tim Burton's hilarious _Mars Attacks!_ were lifted from this film. See the original first, and you'll get most of the jokes.

Samuel Fuller's low-budget masterpiece _Shock Corridor_ is indisputably one of the greatest American films of the 1960s. Although some elements of the plot feel dated today, Fuller's expose of American racism and militarism has force, passion, and true cinematic technique.

The DVD of the film features an excellent video transfer with a so-so mono audio mix. Because this is an early effort from Criterion, the only extra you'll find here is a rather shabby theatrical trailer. Nowadays this would be disgraceful, but in 1998 (when the disc was first produced), it was about par for the course.

Unless you really, really like this film, consider a rental, not a purchase. Perhaps Criterion could re-issue _Shock Corridor_ with more extensive special features, as they've already done for Truffaut's _The 400 Blows_ and Cocteau's _Beauty and the Beast_.

_Jonah_ was my introduction to the "Veggietales" universe. Alas, it's not one of the little legumes' best efforts. Bible stories tend to be very short, and children's adaptations of these stories are best when they keep to an hour or less (as most "Veggietales" videos do).

At 83 minutes, this retelling of "Jonah and the Whale" is thoroughly padded. The pacing is sporadic at best, with lots of puerile sermonizing, and most adults will be bored to tears. The target audience of children may also be confused at the strange ending -- though, to be fair, even the Veggies admit they don't much like it. (As someone who takes a more sympathetic view of Jonah, I think Veggietales is unfair to the most successful Biblical prophet on record, but their interpretation is very much in keeping with the mainstream of contemporary evangelical-Christian interpretations.)

The film itself is best suited to children ages 4-8 from evangelical households. If you're not Christian, you'll find _Jonah_ deeply offensive -- one musical number (in gospel style!) features enough crosses to line the Appian Way. (As Robin Williams remarked in _The Birdcage_, "Are we crucifying someone tonight?")

The DVD's numerous extras run the gamut from kid-friendly karaoke to extensive technical commentaries. It's an excellent edition of a so-so film.

Warning to parents: This film contains many ethnic stereotypes.

Take your bargain-basement copies of Fritz Lang's _Metropolis_ and throw them away. This restored edition from Kino DVD is the real McCoy.

Even though about 25% of the film is still missing (and will probably never be found), this is the most complete version we have to date. _Metropolis_ is a Fabian-socialist fever dream, the ultimate film maudit, and possibly one of the best movies ever made. Rent or buy, but by all means see it.