DAVID KALAT'S FREELANCE WORK
In addition to publishing titles directly under the All Day Entertainment banner, David Kalat has also consulted with various media companies to bring important films to market in the best possible editions.
In 1920, Buster Keaton had earned the opportunity to headline his own series of two-reel comedies. The very moment at which he emerged as a star of his own shorts, Keaton was recruited to appear in his first feature film, The Saphead, based on a popular stage play.
Though Keaton was not the primary creative force behind The Saphead, it became hugely important in shaping his on-screen persona: the lonely, stone-faced man thwarted by circumstance, inept at the art of romance, yet undaunted in his struggle for love within a chaotic world. The Masters of Cinema is proud to present yet another Keaton masterpiece in its UK debut on Blu-ray, from a stunning restoration completed in 2020 by the Cohen Film Collection.
Audio commentary by David Kalat
Twisting The Knife: Four Films By Claude Chabrol
For five decades Claude Chabrol navigated the unpredictable waters of Cinema, leaving in his wake more than fifty feature films that remain among the most quietly devastating genre movies ever made. Sardonic, provocative, unsettling, Chabrol’s films cut to the quick with a clarity and honesty honed to razor sharpness.
This deluxe boxed set includes:
The Swindle (Rien Ne Va Plus)
The Color Of Lies (Au Coeur Du Mensonge)
Nightcap (Merci Pour Le Chocolat)
The Flower Of Evil (La Fleur Du Mal)
David Kalat's video essay "What's Eating Claude Chabrol" is one of thbe many bonus features included in this collection
early universal vol. 1
The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present three early silent features from Universal Pictures, all fully restored as part of the studio’s ongoing restoration program
Includes an audio commentary by David Kalat on --
Skinner’s Dress Suit (dir. William A. Seiter, 1926) – Reginald Denny stars as a shy clerk who asks his boss for a raise at the urging of his wife. His request is rejected, but he lies to his wife, who immediately goes out and buys an expensive suit, an act that upends his once-ordered life
Early Universal vol. 2
The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present three early silent features from Universal Pictures, all fully restored as part of the studio’s ongoing restoration program.
David Kalat provides an audio commentary on:
What Happened to Jones? (dir. William A. Seiter, 1926) – Reginald Denny plays a wealthy young bachelor on the night before his wedding. He is convinced to attend a poker party which is promptly raided, sending him on the run in a series of increasingly hilarious disguises.
The snake girl and the silver haired witch
What do you get when Noriaki Yuasa, director of Daiei Studios’ much-beloved Gamera series, makes a monochrome film adaptation of the works of horror manga pioneer Kazuo Umezu (The Drifting Classroom)? The answer is 1968’s The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch, a fantastically phantasmagorical slice of twisted tokusatsu terror ostensibly made for children that will irreparably traumatise any child that sees it!
Making its worldwide Blu-ray debut and its home video premiere outside Japan, this rarely-screened, nightmarishly disorienting creepshow not only displays a seldom-seen side of kaiju auteur Yuasa, but its skilful blending of Umezu’s comics (published in English-language markets as Reptilia) arguably anticipates many of the trends seen in J-horror decades later.
Audio commentary by David Kalat
MOTHRA
One of the most iconic Japanese kaiju, Mothra has appeared in over a dozen feature films. Presented here is her debut, a gloriously vibrant piece of filmmaking that forever changed how kaiju eiga would be produced in Japan.
Psychedelically colourful, with an intelligent, benevolent protector as its lead kaiju, Mothra was radically different to every other monster movie that had come before it, and it remains a classic of the genre to this day.
Deluxe Collector's Edition Includes audio commentary by David Kalat
The h-man
In Tokyo, a mysterious radioactive liquid is dissolving people into slimy, sentient, seemingly indestructible, blobs of destruction! Part-Japanese gangster noir, part-gooey body melting horror, The H-Man (Bijo to Ekitai-ningen – ‘Beauty and the Liquid People’) is one of the most unique sci-fi films of the 1950s.
Includes an audio commentary by David Kalat
battle in outer space
A series of mysterious catastrophes sweep the globe, causing the world’s scientists to conclude that beings from another planet are attacking Earth, and the world must unite to defend itself in a gigantic battle in outer space! With wonderful special effects sequences by Eiji Tsuburaya (Godzilla, Ultraman), and a rousing score by Akira Ifukube (Godzilla), Battle in Outer Space is a glorious sci-fi extravaganza.
Includes an audio commentary by David Kalat
GAMERA
THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
For the first time ever worldwide, all twelve Gamera movies are collected together in one deluxe Blu-ray boxset. This limited edition collectors’ set traces the decades-long evolution of Gamera, from the “friend of all children” in his more light-hearted earlier films, to the Guardian of the Universe in the groundbreaking 1990s reboot series, often hailed as three of the best kaiju films ever made.
Audio commentary by David Kalat on Gamera vs. Guiron.
GODZILLA
THE SHOWA ERA
Collected here for the first time are all fifteen Godzilla films of Japan’s Showa era, in a landmark set showcasing the technical wizardry, fantastical storytelling, and indomitable international appeal that established the most iconic giant monster the cinema has ever seen.
This massive 8-disc deluxe Blu-Ray box set includes David Kalat's audio commentaries on both the Japanese and US versions of Godzilla.
GODZILLA
Here it is, folks--the original 1954 Japanese version of Godzilla and its alternate 1956 reworking for the US market, in a breathtaking Blu-Ray (or DVD) edition from the Criterion Collection.
Includes an audio commentary by David Kalat on each version of the film
GHIDORAH
THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER
A prophetess from Venus warns Japan that Ghidorah, the dreaded three-headed space dragon is on his way--perhaps Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra can help save the Earth--assuming they can be persuaded to fight on the same team.
This DVD from Classic Media features both the original Japanese version and the re-edited US version, with an audio commentary by David Kalat
RING
COLLECTION
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Ring, Hideo Nakata’s globally acclaimed Japanese horror film, Arrow are releasing a limited-edition Region B Blu-Ray collection featuring four films from the Ring franchise: Ring, Ring 2, Ring 0 and Spiral.
Ring is based on Koji Suzuki’s terrifying tale of a video tape in which the contents of which causes anyone who views it to die within a week – unless they can persuade someone else to watch it and in doing so, pass on the curse.
This collection includes video essays, interviews, theatrical trailers, deleted scenes and an audio commentary on The Ring from David Kalat.
DARK WATER
After terrifying audiences worldwide with the blockbuster J-Horror classic Ring and its sequel, director Hideo Nakata returned to the genre for Dark Water, another highly atmospheric tale of a “dead wet girl.” Based upon on a short story by Ring author Koji Suzuki, Dark Water follows Yoshimi, a single mother struggling to win sole custody of her only child, Ikuko. When they move into a new home within a dilapidated apartment complex, Yoshimi begins to experience startling visions, calling her mental well-being into question, and endangering not only her custody of Ikuko, but perhaps their lives as well.Available on Blu-Ray and DVD from Arrow Video in the UK, with liner notes by David Kalat
TO BE OR
NOT TO BE
As nervy as it is hilarious, this screwball masterpiece from Ernst Lubitsch stars Jack Benny and Carole Lombard as husband-and-wife thespians in Nazi-occupied Warsaw who become caught up in a dangerous spy plot. Lubitsch manages to brilliantly balance political satire, romance, slapstick, and urgent wartime suspense in a comic high-wire act that has never been equaled.
From the Criterion Collection in Blu-Ray and DVD, with an audio commentary by David Kalat
THINGS TO COME
A landmark collaboration between writer H. G. Wells, producer Alexander Korda, and designer and director William Cameron Menzies, Things to Come is a science fiction film like no other, a prescient political work that predicts a century of turmoil and progress.
From the Criterion Collection in Blu-Ray and DVD, with an audio commentary by David Kalat and unused special effects footage by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (footage identified by David Kalat).
NOSFERATU
One of the most famous films of the silent era, one of the first horror films, and one of the greatest movies of all time and in any genre--F.W. Murnau's 1921 masterpiece is presented here in a definitive edition from Eureka! Masters of Cinema in Blu-Ray and DVD. This edition is coded for playback in the UK only.
Includes audio commentary by David Kalat.
NOSFERATU
One of the most famous films of the silent era, one of the first horror films, and one of the greatest movies of all time and in any genre--F.W. Murnau's 1921 masterpiece is presented here in an alternate, competing definitive edition from BFI in Blu-Ray. This edition is coded for playback in the UK only.
Includes liner notes by David Kalat.
THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI
Robert Wiene's audacious and landmark silent classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari has never looked as good as it does here in a definitive restoration on Blu-Ray and DVD from Eureka! Masters of Cinema. This edition is coded for playback in the UK only.
Includes audio commentary by David Kalat.
METROPOLIS
In 2010, Fritz Lang's fabled masterpiece was restored to close to its original length with the reinclusion of additional footage recovered in Argentina. Eureka! Masters of Cinema has presented this gorgeous new version in several Blu-Ray and DVD editions, coded for playback in the UK only.
Includes audio commentary by David Kalat and Jonathan Rosenbaum
DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER
Fritz Lang's 1922 epic two-part silent thriller about criminal mastermind Dr. Mabuse first came to DVD in 1999 from David Shepard. David Kalat contributed an audio commentary to this two-disc edition. This set is now out-of-print and has been surpassed and superseded by subsequent restorations.
THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE
A sequel to his enormously successful silent film Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler, Fritz Lang’s The Testament of Dr. Mabuse reunites the director with the character that had effectively launched his career. Lang put slogans and ideas expounded by the Nazis into the mouth of a madman, warning his audience of an imminent menace, which was soon to become a reality. A landmark of mystery and suspense for countless espionage and noir thrillers to come, this is the complete, uncut original director’s version in a stunning new transfer.
From Criterion Collection, with an audio commentary and video essay by David Kalat
Also includes complete French language alternate version shot by Lang with a different cast
FRITZ LANG'S DR. MABUSE TRILOGY
All three of Fritz Lang's Mabuse films, spanning his entire career, have been collected for one package, in their complete and restored forms.
1: Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler. [Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler.] (1922) Lang's two-part, nearly 5-hour silent epic detailing the rise and fall of Dr. Mabuse in Weimar-era Berlin.
2: Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse [The Testament of Dr. Mabuse] (1933) a tour-de-force thriller rife with supernatural elements, all converging around an attempt by the now-institutionalised Mabuse (or someone acting under his name... and possibly his will) to organise an 'Empire of Crime'.
3: Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse [The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse] (1960) Fritz Lang's final film, in which hypnosis, clairvoyance, surveillance, and machine-guns come together for a whiplash climax that answers the question: Who's channelling Mabuse's methods in the Cold War era?
From Eureka! Masters of Cinema on DVD with audio commentaries on all three films by David Kalat
DR. MABUSE
MOVIE COLLECTION
The complete set of Germany's 1960s era Dr. Mabuse thrillers from producer Artur Brauner in a handsome DVD box set. However--caveat emptor--this collection is formatted for PAL Region 2 playback and is in German language only, no subtitles or dubbing.
For more details on the Dr. Mabuse movie cycle, click here.
Buster keaton:
sherlock jr.
the general
steamboat bill jr.
Between 1920 and 1929, Buster Keaton created a peerless run of feature films that established him as “arguably the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies”. Collected here are three key films from that era; Sherlock Jr., The General and Steamboat Bill, Jr. Together they represent a true master at his peak, and The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present all three films here on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, from stunning new 4K restorations.
This deluxe box set includes an audio commentary by David Kalat on Sherlock Jr.
SHERLOCK JR.
Perhaps no other film offers as exciting a rollercoaster ride through the golden age of comedy than Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr. A meek theater projectionist dreams himself a legendary sleuth, unleashing some of Keaton's most outlandish stunts and visual comedy -- such as the sequence in which Buster leaps through the silver screen and lands in the midst of the action.
Now out of print, this Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber featured an audio commentary by David Kalat.
HARRY LANGDON:
THREE'S A CROWD
THE CHASE
With his quizzical expression and childlike demeanor, Harry Langdon was one of the slapstick cinema's brightest stars.
In 1927, Langdon steered his trademark character even further from the conventionalized slapstick of his Mack Sennett background. His directorial debut, Three's a Crowd, didn't just dabble in pathos, it plunged its hapless hero into a netherworld of loneliness worthy of Samuel Beckett (a self-avowed Langdon fan).
Langdon's second film as director, The Chaser (1928) is a dark, slightly kinky comedy in which carousing Harry is ordered by a judge to swap domestic duties (and clothing) with his wife.
Available on DVD from Kino Lorber with an audio commentary on Three's a Crowd by David Kalat
FANTOMAS
Based on the phenomenally popular French pulp novellas, Louis Feuillade's outrageous, ambitious FANTÔMAS series became the gold standard of espionage serials in pre-WWI Europe, and laid the foundation for such immortal works as Feuillade's own Les Vampires and Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse films.
René Navarre stars as the criminal lord of Paris, the master of disguise, the creeping assassin in black: Fantômas. Over the course of five feature films (which combined to form a 5 1/2-hour epic), Fantômas, along with his accomplices and mistresses, are pursued by the equally resourceful Inspector Juve (Edmund Bréon) and his friend, journalist Jerôme Fandor (Georges Melchior).
Available on Blu-Ray and DVD from Kino Lorber with an audio commentary by David Kalat
THE GRAND DUKE'S FINANCES
Die Finanzen des Großherzogs sees Murnau exploiting the Mediterranean clime to film the tale of a rakish duke whose lifestyle has dried up his noble coffers. When word arrives about the existence of valuable sulphur deposits on his tiny duchy of Abacco, a comic adventure of high-seas intrigue, “animal impersonators”, and the Crown Princess of Russia unreels at a sprightly pace.
David Kalat's audio commentary is available on Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber or for European film fans from Eureka! Masters of Cinema.
(This version was also available as part of Kino Lorber's 6-DVD Murnau Collection but that is now out of print)
CITY GIRL
After the visual fireworks of Sunrise and the now-lost splendour of 4 Devils, F.W. Murnau turned his attention to this vivid, painterly study of an impulsive and fragile marriage among the wheatfields of Minnesota.
An innocent farmer’s son falls for a hard-bitten but lonely waitress. Upon bringing her home at the start of harvest time, the honeymoon turns into a claustrophobic struggle.
City Girl is one of cinema’s great pastorals, featuring some of the most delicate performances Murnau ever filmed and influencing directors such as Terrence Malick and Jean Vigo. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Murnau’s penultimate film in a glorious high-definition transfer.
Available on Blu-Ray, and playable worldwide. Includes audio commentary by David Kalat
Tiger of eschnapur / the indian tomb
Fritz Lang returned to Germany on the eve of the 1960s to direct this enchanted penultimate work--effectively, a single 3-hour-plus film split in two, the work that has come to be referred to in modern times as “the Indian epic” (consisting of Der Tiger von Eschnapur and Das indische Grabmal) proved to be one of the legendary director’s most adventurous achievements. It was also one of the most popular successes Lang was to experience in his native land.
A German architect (Paul Hubschmid) is commissioned by an Indian maharaja (Walter Reyer) to construct a temple on his palatial grounds. After saving the life of a bewitching dancer (Debra Paget), the hero is pulled ever deeper into a hazardous maze of traps.
The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Lang’s films on DVD in the UK for the first time with an audio commentary by David Kalat
TIGER OF ESCHNAPUR/
THE INDIAN TOMB
In 2019 I was asked to provide an audio commentary for the US Blu-Ray debut of Fritz Lang's 1959 Indian Epic. As it happened, the original audio file I recorded for the Eureka! Masters of Cinema disc didn't quite fit the new upgraded master, so I recorded a new audio track based on the prior one but with some new perspectives.
EYES WITHOUT A FACE
At his secluded chateau in the French countryside, a brilliant, obsessive doctor (Pierre Brasseur) attempts a radical plastic surgery to restore the beauty of his daughter’s disfigured countenance—at a horrifying price. Eyes Without a Face,directed by the supremely talented Georges Franju, is rare in horror cinema for its odd mixture of the ghastly and the lyrical, and it has been a major influence on the genre in the decades since its release.
Available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Criterion Collection, with liner notes by David Kalat
SCARLET STREET
A box-office hit (despite being banned in three states), Scarlet Street is one of legendary director Fritz Lang’s finest American films.
When middle-aged milquetoast Chris Cross (Edward G. Robinson) rescues street-walking bad girl Kitty (Joan Bennett), he plunges into a whirlpool of lust, larceny and revenge. As Chris’ obsession with the irresistibly vulgar Kitty grows, the meek cashier is seduced, corrupted, humiliated and transformed before implacable fate and perverse justice triumph in the most satisfyingly downbeat denouement in the history of American film. Packed with hairpin plot twists, SCARLET STREET is a dark gem of film noir.
Available on Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber with an audio commentary by David Kalat
ORSON WELLES' DON QUIXOTE
OK, this thing is nuts.
Orson Welles spent a huge chunk of his professional life making bits and pieces of an avant-garde post-modern version of Don Quixote, with no real plan or hope of ever finishing it. After his death, his estate contracted notorious cult movie maker Jess Franco to turn the footage into an actual movie... and the bizarre results are even weirder than you would expect.
I worked for years to try to bring this to DVD in the US, but never succeeded. I am mildly resentful that my friends and colleagues at Image Entertainment pulled it off where I failed, but you need to see this anyway. I didn't work on this disc... but so what?
COLUMBIA PICTURES
FILM NOIR CLASSICS iii
This DVD Collection features these five hard-boiled thrillers:
My Name is Julia Ross (1945)
Nina Foch plays an unemployed secretary lured to an isolated mansion by insidious characters.
The Mob(1951)
In one of his most dynamic roles, Broderick Crawford plays a police detective who goes undercover as a dock worker in New Orleans to expose The Mob.
Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
Mickey Rooney gives a fine, underrated performance as a race car enthusiast blackmailed into driving the getaway car at a bank robbery.
Tight Spot (1955)
Ginger Rogers, cast against type, is a tough, uncooperative witness in a criminal case threatened by her association with gangsters in Tight Spot.
The Burglar (1957)
Dan Duryea stars as a cunning jewel thief who recruits Jayne Mansfield, Mickey Shaughnessy and Peter Capell for one final heist before retiring.
From TCM's Vault Collection and Columbia Pictures, with liner notes by David Kalat