Perhaps
the Matt Helm movies aren’t the greatest spy spoofs in the history of
the cinema, but the swinging sixties trappings and the laid back comic
style of Dean Martin make them a whole lot of fun. Having sat down with THE
SILENCERS ($25) recently, one can definitely see some of the
influences that have carried through into Mike Meyers’ enormously
popular Austin Powers movies. In fact, it would appear that Meyers
incorporated a few aspects of Matt Helm into his portrayal of Austin
Powers, in addition to those things he lifted from the James Bond and
Derek Flint series. Now, as someone who really likes the Matt Helm movies,
I can only hope that Columbia will carry through and release MURDERERS'
ROW, THE AMBUSHERS and THE WRECKING CREW on DVD as well.
Based
upon the novels by Donald Hamilton, THE SILENCERS finds former
secret agent, turned fashion photographer, Matt Helm (Dean Martin) being
cajoled out of retirement in an effort to stop the film’s resident
megalomaniac, Tung-Tze (Victor Buono) from hijacking a missile and its
nuclear payload. Much of THE SILENCERS has been contoured to Dean
Martin’s style, including a few brief musical interludes that feature a
whole lot of female eye candy. Also ramping up the film’s female sex
appeal quotient are the beauteous Daliah Lavi, Cyd Charisse and Stella
Stevens (who provides a delightful comic performance). The cast of THE
SILENCERS also features Arthur O'Connell, James Gregory, Robert
Webber, Nancy Kovack and Roger C. Carmel.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made THE SILENCERS available on DVD
in a 1.85:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic
enhancement for 16:9 displays. For a film encroaching on its fortieth
anniversary, THE SILENCERS looks pretty darn good. The image is
fairly sharp and provides more than respectable definition. Colors are
reasonably vibrant and are rendered in a without any problems. Blacks
appear accurate, whites are stable and shadow detail is decent. The film
element does show some signs of age, with minor blemishes and some grain
being the worst offenses. Digital compression artifacts are always well
contained.
The
Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack gets the job done nicely- and is free
from excessive noise and distortion. Fidelity is relatively good for a
mid-1960s production, with the musical numbers sounding rather pleasant.
Additionally, dialogue is always crisp and clean. No other language tracks
are provided on the DVD, although English and French subtitles are
present. The basic interactive menus allow one access to the standard
scene selection and set up features, as well as trailers for DON'T
RAISE THE BRIDGE, LOWER THE RIVER, THE MOUSE THAT ROARED, FUN
WITH DICK AND JANE.
As
someone who likes the Matt Helm movies, I am glad that Columbia has begun
to issue them on DVD. If you are a fan, you can’t go wrong with this
release. To repeat what I said above, hopefully MURDERERS' ROW, THE
AMBUSHERS and THE WRECKING CREW will be making their debuts
sometime soon.
Perhaps
the Matt Helm movies aren’t the greatest spy spoofs in the history of
the cinema, but the swinging sixties trappings and the laid back comic
style of Dean Martin make them a whole lot of fun. Having sat down with THE
SILENCERS ($25) recently, one can definitely see some of the
influences that have carried through into Mike Meyers’ enormously
popular Austin Powers movies. In fact, it would appear that Meyers
incorporated a few aspects of Matt Helm into his portrayal of Austin
Powers, in addition to those things he lifted from the James Bond and
Derek Flint series. Now, as someone who really likes the Matt Helm movies,
I can only hope that Columbia will carry through and release MURDERERS'
ROW, THE AMBUSHERS and THE WRECKING CREW on DVD as well.
Based
upon the novels by Donald Hamilton, THE SILENCERS finds former
secret agent, turned fashion photographer, Matt Helm (Dean Martin) being
cajoled out of retirement in an effort to stop the film’s resident
megalomaniac, Tung-Tze (Victor Buono) from hijacking a missile and its
nuclear payload. Much of THE SILENCERS has been contoured to Dean
Martin’s style, including a few brief musical interludes that feature a
whole lot of female eye candy. Also ramping up the film’s female sex
appeal quotient are the beauteous Daliah Lavi, Cyd Charisse and Stella
Stevens (who provides a delightful comic performance). The cast of THE
SILENCERS also features Arthur O'Connell, James Gregory, Robert
Webber, Nancy Kovack and Roger C. Carmel.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made THE SILENCERS available on DVD
in a 1.85:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic
enhancement for 16:9 displays. For a film encroaching on its fortieth
anniversary, THE SILENCERS looks pretty darn good. The image is
fairly sharp and provides more than respectable definition. Colors are
reasonably vibrant and are rendered in a without any problems. Blacks
appear accurate, whites are stable and shadow detail is decent. The film
element does show some signs of age, with minor blemishes and some grain
being the worst offenses. Digital compression artifacts are always well
contained.
The
Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack gets the job done nicely- and is free
from excessive noise and distortion. Fidelity is relatively good for a
mid-1960s production, with the musical numbers sounding rather pleasant.
Additionally, dialogue is always crisp and clean. No other language tracks
are provided on the DVD, although English and French subtitles are
present. The basic interactive menus allow one access to the standard
scene selection and set up features, as well as trailers for DON'T
RAISE THE BRIDGE, LOWER THE RIVER, THE MOUSE THAT ROARED, FUN
WITH DICK AND JANE.
As
someone who likes the Matt Helm movies, I am glad that Columbia has begun
to issue them on DVD. If you are a fan, you can’t go wrong with this
release. To repeat what I said above, hopefully MURDERERS' ROW, THE
AMBUSHERS and THE WRECKING CREW will be making their debuts
sometime soon.
