W.C. Fields: 6 Short Films [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

This box set contains a half-dozen films starring the legendary screen comic W.C. Fields. Pool Sharks, The Golf Specialist, The Dentist, The Fatal Glass of Beer, The Pharmacist, and The Barber Shop are each presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Silent, Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Black and White
• Subtitle: English

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Monte Brice, Edwin Middleton, Arthur Ripley, Clyde Bruckman, Leslie Pearce

• Producer:

  Lou Brock, Mack Sennett

• Screenwriter:

  W.C. Fields, Tim Moore

• Cinematographer:

  Frank Zucker

• Editor:

  Russell Shields

REVIEWS:

• A send-up of temperence dramas -- a genre for which you know W. C. Fields felt not an ounce of sympathy -- and Northern adventure stories, this W. C. Fields short is one of the stranger, more surreal movies in the comic legend's output (and that's going some, to which anyone familiar with Never Give A Sucker An Even Break can attest). Practically every shot and line is a comedic barb, aimed at the melodramatic sensibilities of the audiences of the time -- and the presence of gawky George Chandler as the wastrel son only adds to the level of absurdity being bounced around the tiny cabin and the 18-minute confines of this picture. It probably helped in appreciating it for one to have come out of the era in which it was made, but the passage of seven decades has only added to the surreal nature of the comedy, all aimed at puncturing a lot of overblown dramatic and philosophical notions of its era. By its description, it might seem like little more than a comedic sketch with a few extra flourishes, but in many ways -- along with The Dentist -- The Fatal Glass of Beer was Fields at his most "out there" and uninhibited. And he is the dominant personality here, even if Clyde Bruckman -- a veteran gagman who worked for another two decades, recycling a lot of the same jokes and gimmicks -- was the director. Fields was not only the star but -- big surprise -- co-authored the screenplay as well. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
• One of W.C. Fields' funniest short works, The Dentist delivers sly, antisocial laughs that are just as funny generations later as when they were first filmed. The picture was considered risqué at the time and still raises eyebrows, especially during an infamous bit with Elise Cavanna. The patient straddles the dentist and hangs from his torso as the drill bores deep into her molar, a hilarious and sinister scene rife with barely disguised sexual innuendos. The Dentist is full of wickedly bawdy humor like this, as well as Fields pouring out both physical and verbal abuse at the entire cast. Modern viewers who know W.C. Fields as little more than a familiar cultural archetype will be shocked by the magnitude of political incorrectness that the man was capable of, but what's more appealing is his razor-sharp timing and a riotous sense of the surreal. The Dentist is a thinking man's slapstick which celebrates rebellious spirit and a man's God-given right to bulldoze his way through life. Though he never takes a single drink onscreen, it's one of the purest distillations of Fields' distinctive comedy. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi