Author: Doug Cummings

I have long championed the critical recording by James Naremore and Jonathan Rosenbaum on Criterion’s The Complete Mr. Arkadin as being one of the most pleasurable and informative DVD commentaries of recent years, and their new tag team recording on Universal’s 50th anniversary edition of Touch of Evil (released today) is a worthy followup. By and large, Naremore follows the content of his Touch of Evil chapter in his excellent book, The Magic World of Orson Welles, broaching such topics as the Civil Rights era, Welles’ formalism, moral ambiguity, and the use of fair lady/dark lady stereotypes, while Rosenbaum …

Proteus, one of my favorite documentaries from 2004, is being released on DVD this week by First Run Features.  It’s a fascinating look at the work of 19th century artist-naturalist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) that is  experimental film, historical summary, and philosophical meditation all rolled into one.  Laboriously assembled by David Lebrun over the course of 22 years, it’s a montage of etchings, sketches, and paintings (rephotographed and animated with narration, music, and sound effects) that positions Haeckel as the meeting point between the dominant worldviews of his day: scientific rationalism and Romanticism.

To represent the latter, Lebrun makes extended …