Tuesday Blus: John Grissmer’s Scalpel & Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court

This week’s edition of Tuesday Blus includes the following titles:

The Gate II (1990)

Film Review: ★/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc Review: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆

Hungarian import Tibor Takacs’ zany sequel to his 1987 cult hit The Gate (which starred a young Stephen Dorff) didn’t get far with franchise possibilities following the release of 1990’s The Gate II (which filmed in 1988 and sat on the shelf for two years before a theatrical release). Fans of 80s genre fantasy, forced perspective, and stop-motion technology should appreciate some of the eye candy visuals here, wherein miniature hair-less troll-like creatures called minions find their way into the lives of four angsty teens after Terry (Louis Tripp, returning from the sequel) conjures the Elder Gods from beyond the gate, which leads to a Lovecraftian zone called The Other Side.

Takacs, who re-released his other cult favorite I, Madman a year prior to this sequel, has a knack for inventive visuals, particularly a dream sequence where Terry envisions his father, an alcoholic pilot, losing control in the cock-pit, which segues nicely into his waking life. The creatures, of course, are what keeps any kind of interest in The Gate, with a mix of Harryhausen inspired effects often marred by some rough camera tricks which sometimes drastically cheapens the production value. Performances are rather subpar, especially considering an unusually generous backstory for Terry and his father, which provides for unexpected emotional tangents.

Shout Factory presents this odd B-cult classic in 1.85:1 with DTS-HD Master Audio. Picture and sound quality are better than expected thanks to this new 2K scan of the interpositive. True Gate aficionados might appreciate some of the extra features assembled, including new interviews with the film’s crew. Return to the Nightmare sees Tibor Takacs, screenwriter Michael Nankin, and special effects creator Randall William Cook are on hand for this new half-hour segment on the making of The Gate 2. From the Depths sees Make-up artist Craig Reardon recount the process of working on The Gate 2 in this fourteen-minute interview.

Scalpel (1977)

Film Review: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc Review: ★★★★/☆☆☆☆☆

While the name John Grissmer isn’t likely to ring a bell (he’d only direct one other feature, 1987’s Louise Lasser starrer Blood Rage), his pulpy 1977 debut Scalpel is not only an oddly entertaining genre item, but an exceptionally photographed one as well. A narrative cobbled together by Grissmer (from an original story by Joseph Weintraub, his only writing credit) features a number of nervy elements previously recycled through noir and genre films. A menacing Robert Lansing (a character actor resembling Robert Stack who appeared in numerous television series and B-films, from “Star Trek” to Empire of the Ants) stars as an overbearing physician Dr. Phillip Reynolds, who murders his daughter Heather’s (Judith Chapman) suitor, making it look like an accident. After she disappears, Heather’s grandfather, who loathes Phillip, dies and leaves her his entire inheritance. As luck would have it, Reynolds is called to assist with a prostitute whose face has been bashed in beyond repair. Choosing to surgically sculpt her face into the spitting image of Heather, Reynolds trains the woman in his family history so she may pose as his daughter and collect the inheritance, gifting him half of it. Only, the presence of the young woman ends up in conjuring the real Heather Reynolds, who shows up wondering why someone who looks just like her is sleeping with her father…

Tawdry and strange, Scalpel plays something which would have been an automatic cult classic in the hands of Brian De Palma. Part Return from the Ashes (1965) part Eyes Without a Face (1959), it’s a wonderfully sordid tale of familial dysfunction and greed, played to the hilt by (eventual) soap opera star Judith Chapman, who has a sultry Tennessee Williams’ inspired drawl. But perhaps most notable of all in this sweaty, incest-infused Southern Gothic is the gorgeous cinematography of Edward Lachman (Scalpel was his second film production, following 1974’s The Lords of Flatbush). The use of verdant greens and faded yellows would make this an excellent visual double feature with something like 2015’s Carol.

Arrow Video rescues Scalpel from obscurity with this new 2K restoration supervised by Lachman. An alternate Arrow Films grade version is also available. Presented in 1.85:1 in high-definition, this is a ravishingly realized genre film wrapped in another inspired package from Arrow. Film historian Richard Harland Smith provides an audio commentary track amidst several choice extra features, including an Image Gallery and Trailer. The Cutting Edge: Director John Grissmer recorded this thirteen-minute interview for Arrow Video in December 2017, discussing his memories from the making of Scalpel. Dead Ringer: Judith Chapman is on hand for this seventeen-minute interview recorded in December, 2017 to discuss Scalpel. Southern Gothic: Edward Lachman recounts the filming of Scalpel in this fifteen-minute interview also recorded in December, 2017.

Court (2014)

Film Review: ★★★½/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc Review: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆

US distributor Zeitgeist granted Chaitanya Tamhane’s lauded 2014 debut Court a limited theatrical release in July of 2015, where it opened in two theater houses to the tune of just over twenty-thousand dollars. Winner of the Venice Horizons Award out of the 2014 edition of the film festival, among various other international accolades, the film was India’s official contender for Best Foreign Language film for the 2016 Academy Awards.

A frustrating but compelling experience, Tamhane manages something exceptional with this fascinating glance at injustice when a folk singer is accused of inciting a sewage worker to suicide, and hence funneled into an endless rabbit hole of courtroom procedurals. From our 2015 review of the film’s theatrical release: “An impressive achievement for a first feature on a technical and narrative level, the film is exhausting as it is fascinating, figuring as a prominent and compelling indictment on archaic procedures dictated by the laws of a draconian age. Compelling performances from both professional and non-professional cast members help paint an indelibly human face on the type of predicament generally referred to as Kafkaesque.”

Kino Lorber releases Court for the first time on Blu-ray with this presentation in 2.35:1 with 5.1 Surround Sound. Picture and sound quality are serviceable in this transfer, which includes a couple extra features. Casting, Inspiration, Music: five minutes each are devoted to specifics regarding the casting, inspiration, and music for Court.