A Double Feature at the Shin Bungeiza!

Sorcerer at the Shin Bungeiza. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today (Wednesday, October 18), I went to the Shin Bungeiza in Ikebukuro for a rather unusual double feature -- Sorcerer (1977) and Backdraft (1991). I hadn't seen either film before, so what better way to see them than on the Shin Bungeiza's massive screen?

The first film to be screened was Sorcerer. According to the theater's website, the screening was a 4K digital remaster. Just to confirm, I asked a staff member about it, and, after consulting with another employee, she told me it wasn't 4K. Hm... interesting. That said, I'm going to have to go with the website on this one. Other than a few grainy shots, the transfer did seem like 4K to my eye.

Sorcerer at the Shin Bungeiza. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I went into Sorcerer with basically no expectations. I only knew that it was a gigantic flop in its day and was at least partially responsible for derailing director William Friedkin's rising career. I'd heard that it's been reevaluated in more recent years, but Sorcerer still isn't a title that often gets brought up with the truly great films of the 1970s, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

I suppose I should also say a few words about my thoughts on William Friedkin's other films in general. I've only seen a handful of them, but overall he's always struck as a good but not great director. The French Connection (1971) is the film of his I'm most familiar with, and, while I certainly admire it, I don't think it deserved its Best Picture win. (I'd have given it to A Clockwork Orange in a heartbeat.) But it's the only Friedkin film I've seen multiple times. (In fact, I just watched it again on DVD a couple of weeks ago.) 

I watched To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) on DVD circa 2010 and thought it was pretty good, though not remarkable. I also saw Blue Chips (1994) a few years ago. It was likewise pretty good, but I was captivated by J. T. Walsh's performance, which really elevated the film. Walsh's "We owe it to them!" speech to Nick Nolte was excellent, and it's a scene I've revisited several times on YouTube. Rules of Engagement (2000) is another good one, which I saw in theaters when it was first released on revisited on DVD in the last few years.

But I've left out a big one, haven't I? I'm pretty sure I've never seen The Exorcist (1973) all the way through, but I would guess that I've seen the majority of it in bits and pieces on cable throughout the years. The first time I watched a good portion of it was back in 1997, and I found none of it frightening, creepy, or even remotely compelling. I guess it's just too hard to make little kids scary. I've always been baffled by reports that audiences of the day couldn't handle the movie, which to me came off as laughable much of the time. (I dunno -- maybe you have to be religious to get it.)

Oh, that's right -- Sorcerer! Why don't we get back on track? Overall, I was quite impressed with the film, and I think it's more than earned its recent reevaluation. The bridge sequences (depicted on the poster) lived up to the hype, as they were quite tension-filled. Really glad I caught this one, as for a while I wasn't sure I'd even bother. Too bad the flick didn't get a better title, though. Highly recommended.

Backdraft at the Shin Bungeiza. Photo by Brett Homenick,

I caught Backdraft immediately afterward, and this time the website and staff both agreed it was a 4K projection. I was mostly with the movie until the ending, which unfortunately descended into action-movie silliness. The best scenes were (unsurprisingly) with Robert De Niro. Not only was he the best actor in the film, but I was genuinely interested in the story line of his investigation into the identity of the arsonist. I was much less invested in the family drama between Kurt Russell (another actor I admire) and William Baldwin. It was OK, but I couldn't give it a full-throated recommendation.

A couple of other notes: Prior to Sorcerer, trailers for Dario Argento's Suspiria (1977) and Deep Red (1975) were screened. I'd be interested in checking those out whenever they're screened. Before Backdraft, an advertisement for the 60 Years of Bond screenings played, and I'll certainly try to catch some of those.