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Source of Conflict
An April 24 U.S. Supreme Court copyright ruling could mean many
older movies will never see the light of video. In Stewart v. Abend,
the owner of the story on which Hitchcock's 1954 movie Rear Window is based claimed that Jimmy Stewart and other owners of the
film should have renegotiated the source-material rights before
redistributing Rear Window in the '80s. The court decided Rear
Window's owners had violated the story's copyright, although movie
studios argued the decision could mean ''many fewer works reaching the
public.'' They claim that at least 1,000 other movies also based on
copyrighted materials might have to be pulled from release.
Deep Thought
Porno videos may be monotonous — all the interesting twists and
turns are saved for the actors, not the script — but recent releases
reveal a Jacuzzi-full of satirical wit in the title department. A few
favorites: Designing Babes, He-Devils, Earth Girls Are Sleazy, Sea
of Lust, twentysomething, and Buns and Roses.
I Want to Be Alone — Is That So Wrong?
If you want to remember Greta Garbo, who died in April at the age
of 84, but everything starring the Swedish beauty is checked out at
the video store, try Sidney Lumet's touching, comedy Garbo Talks (1984, CBS/ Fox). Ron Silver (Blue Steel) seeks out the Elusive One
for his dying yet overbearing-to-the-end mother (Anne Bancroft).
''The movie's so nice because it shows how a normal person can draw
incredible strength from a star,'' says Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song
Trilogy), who appears in the movie and has a soft spot for it. ''I
heard that Garbo would go see it over and over.''
Video Crash Course
While most ads on tape are busy hawking soda, kudos to Orion Home
Video for preceding its recent releases with public service announcements. Erik the Viking features a ''Buckle-Up'' spot
starring Larry and Vince, the dummies from the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration's TV spot, singing ''I've Never
Met a Grille Like You'' and ''Love Me Fender.''
