Raise the Titanic (1980)

Associated Film Distribution
Directed by Jerry Jameson
My rating: 2.5 star out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Shout Factory)

The American military needs a rare radioactive mineral for its new laser defense system. While searching for it on a remote Arctic island, they find out most of it was mined almost a century ago and stowed away on the Titanic for shipment to the US. This sets in motion a plan to raise the Titanic from the ocean bottom in order to retrieve the cargo. After overcoming many dangers, it is successful, but when the ship is towed back to New York the cargo hold is filled with gravel, not the mineral. Two scientists piece together an old clue and find it buried back in England, but decide to leave there rather than risk another nuclear war. A better than expected yarn that is part adventure, part 70s disaster, but dragged down by some dated cold war politics. The model work for the special effects is not bad for its time. Soaring score by John Barry.

Road to Salina (1970)

Avco Embassy Pictures
Directed by George Lautner
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia

Drifter Robert Walker ends up at an isolated restaurant in Mexico run by a middle aged Rita Hayworth. She thinks he is her long lost son returned after several years, and he plays along for the room and board. Mimsy Farmer is Rita's free spirited daughter, who shows up and threatens to spoil things for him, but instead she plays along as well. The two of them hang out together and after a skinny dip at the local beach start a torrid affair. The confused Walker wants to know more about the person he is impersonating, leading to a series of startling revelations. Filmed on the bleak landscape of the Canary Islands which gives the entire film an almost other-worldly feel. The soundtrack features progressive rock group Clinic and a short Jethro Tull song. Certainly a product of its time, but satisfying and somewhat overlooked thriller in the style of Antonioni. 

Nasty Habits (1977)

Brut Productions
Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hoggs
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Warner Archive Collection)

Glenda Jackson plays a nun scheming to become abbess when the former one dies. Her main competition is a young nun who is openly having an affair with a priest and advocates freedom for the other nuns. Jackson stoops to electronic surveillance and break-ins to disgrace the other nun. After she wins, the disgraced nun is excommunicated but engages in a public campaign to expose Jackson and the abbey. The whole thing is supposed to be a satire on Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal, which only becomes obvious towards the end. Otherwise, a forgettable comedy of nuns doing bad things in unfunny ways. 

Bittersweet Love (1976)

Avco Embassy Pictures
Directed by David Miller
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(VHS, Magnetic Video Corporation)

Successful architect Scott Hylands falls in love with school teacher Meredith Baxter-Birney. After a brief courtship, she gets pregnant and they get married. Her parents miss the wedding, but when her mother sees pictures she recognizes the grooms father as a man she had a one night stand with years ago which resulted in a child. She feels compelled to tell the unlucky couple that they are actually half siblings. Needless to say, this upsets them greatly. They consider but reject an abortion, and have a healthy baby girl. Still, they cannot reconcile their differences and split up, leaving her to wonder what may have happened if she had never known the truth. This starts out as a good romantic story in the 70s vein, but quickly descends to soap opera level melodramatics. Lana Turner is awful in the role of the bad step mother. 

Mary Poppins (1964)

Academy Awards, USA 1965

Winner Oscar	Best Actress in a Leading Role Julie Andrews
	Best Film Editing Cotton Warburton
	Best Effects, Special Visual Effects Peter Ellenshaw Hamilton Luske Eustace Lycett
	Best Music, Original Song Richard M. Sherman Robert B. Sherman For the song "Chim Chim Cher-ee"
	Best Music, Substantially Original Score Richard M. Sherman Robert B. Sherman
Nominee Oscar	Best Picture Walt Disney Bill Walsh
	Best Director Robert Stevenson
	Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Bill Walsh Don DaGradi
	Best Cinematography, Color Edward Colman
	Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color Carroll Clark William H. Tuntke Emile Kuri Hal Gausman
	Best Costume Design, Color Tony Walton
	Best Sound Robert O. Cook (Walt Disney SSD)
	Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment Irwin Kostal

Buena Vista Distribution
Directed by Robert Stevenson
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Walt Disney)

Magical nanny Julie Andrews answers the call of two children in an upscale London household. After literally sweeping away the competition, their skeptical father has no choice but to hire her. After cleaning up the nursery, she takes the kids on a magical animated journey into the chalk drawings of her friend Dick Van Dyke. Later, they visit the house of "Uncle Albert", whose laughing fits have him floating near the ceiling and unable to get down. Poppins' antics have their father concerned that they are not learning discipline, so she arranges for the children to accompany to his job at the bank. They get scared by the elderly bank director (also Van Dyke) and run away, leading to a memorable song and dance number on a London rooftop. Their father gets fired but learns the value of laughter. Sensing she is no longer needed, Poppins leaves as she arrived, via umbrella and a change in the wind. One of Disney's best loved movies is certainly entertaining if overlong by about an hour. The live action special effects using wires are seamless, but some of the background projection is not. The songs by the Sherman brothers are justifiably famous, but I still prefer their work on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and I think that film is better as well. 

...All the Way, Boys! (1972)

Avco Embassy Pictures
Directed by Giuseppe Colizzi
My rating: BOMB
IMDb Wikipedia
(VHS, Magnetic Video Corporation)

The comedy team of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill are pilots in South America who specialize in faking crashes for the insurance. On one flight they crash for real and end up at a labor camp for emeralds. They offer the old man who runs it a chance to live in the city, but he dies during the flight there. However, they find an emerald on the body and cash it in, only to end up in jail. They break out and confront the owner of the mine for control. Absolutely pitiful "comedy" whose only existence seems to be poorly coordinated fight scenes involving the two stars. They should have stuck to the westerns. 

The Long Good Friday (1980)

Embassy Pictures
Directed by John Mackenzie
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Image Entertainment)

British gangster Bob Hoskins is trying to impress visiting Americans so they will invest in his plans to rebuild a crumbling London dock. A series of mysterious deaths occur to some of his most important men at the same time, followed by bombings that almost kill all of them. His girlfriend begins to suspect that his right hand man knows more than he is telling, and during a brutal interrogation Hoskins learns that the IRA is responsible for his problems due to a misunderstanding over a money deal. He sets up a meeting with the IRA leaders in London then double crosses and murders them. Thinking he has freed himself, he returns to the Americans but they have decided to pull out of the deal. The upset Hoskins then gets carjacked and presumably driven to his death in the ending. Somewhat disappointing drama marred by some poor effects and predictable plot twists. You don't ever really care about Hoskins either, blunting the impact of his ultimate fate. 

The Phantom Tollbooth (1970)

MGM
Directed by Chuck Jones
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Warner Archive Collection)

Butch Patrick (Eddie from the Munsters) is a bored kid who finds a mysterious box one day in his bedroom. It turns out to be a passageway to an animated world. He drives a toy car into it and randomly decides to go the Castle in the Air on a map. He soon picks up a passenger in the form of a dog named Tock. They drive right into the middle of a war between the Kingdoms of Words and Numbers. Two princesses named Rhyme and Reason are being held in the Castle in the Air, so they go to rescue her and restore peace. High brow animated film from Chuck Jones, filled with words and wordplay, not to mention some interesting characters with names like the Awful Dynne, the Whether Man and Dr. Kakofonous A. Dischord. Sort of like Dr. Seuss meets Yellow Submarine. 

Mr. Bug Goes to Town (1941)

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Dave Fleischer
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Legend Films)

Hoppity the grasshopper returns to his home garden in New York City. However, a broken gate has allowed humans to occasionally trample through what was once paradise, threatening the homes and livelihoods of all the bugs who live there. A greedy beetletakes advantage of the situation to steal Hoppity's girlfriend as well as a check meant for the owner's of the property which might save the garden. Hoppity is sealed in the envelop with the check and hidden in a wall. The property is sold and construction begins on a new skyscraper, driving all of the bugs away. Hoppity escapes and rescues his girlfriend, defeats the beetle and returns the check to the owners. They find a new home in a rooftop garden on top of the skyscraper. Animation by the Fleischer brothers is impressive as always, but the characters and plot are weak and the film as a whole lacks momentum. 

The Cat from Outer Space (1978)

Buena Vista Distribution
Directed by Norman Tokar
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Walt Disney)

Alien cat ends up in a government research facility where he befriends scientist Ken Berry. The cat has a collar which allows him to speak telepathically and move objects. He convinces Berry to help him repair his spaceship in exchange for help on his theories. They need pure gold to make the repairs, so they use the cat's powers to win a pool game at local billiards parlor. Before the cat can leave, an industrial spy kidnaps some of the scientists friends and the cat has to help rescue them. Absurd Disney slapstick with terrible special effects: from the obvious wires to the fake cat in the airplane finale, you can't take your eyes away. 

The Chicken Chronicles (1977)

Avco Embassy Pictures
Directed by Frank Simon
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(VHS, Magnetic Video Corporation)

Teen comedy set in 1969 in which Steve Guttenberg plays a graduating senior with a crush on class beauty Lisa Reeves. She leads him on but always leaves him wanting more. He finally arranges to get an empty apartment for them, but when he is sent out for a condom he returns to find her missing and the police after him as a peeping tom. She shrugs him off but they meet again at a party after the prom, with more chaos ensuing. The comedy is offset by the drama of his controversial antiwar editorial in the school newspaper which may get him expelled before graduation. His brother, an even younger teen, is rather recklessly portrayed as smoking pot, popping Valium and drinking champagne, then having sex with his preteen girlfriend! Phil Silvers is his overbearing, loud mouthed boss at a local fast food chicken place, who becomes a sort of father figure when his brother gets arrested and helps bail him out. 

The Loves and Times of Scaramouche (1976)

Avco Embassy Pictures
Directed by Enzo G. Castellari
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(VHS, Magnetic Video Corporation)

Michael Sarrazin plays a swashbuckler in Napoleonic France, whom for some inexplicable reason women find irresistible. He spends his time in the bedrooms of various wives, then gets out of trouble by rooftop escapes or sword fights. His friend and cohort is a local barber, who one days gets summoned to give Napoleon himself a shave, bringing along Sarrazin. Napoleon, played by Italian actor Aldo Maccione, is a narcissistic buffoon, who takes credit for Sarrazin's impromptu plans to conquer Italy. Sarrazin and the barber are promptly drafted and end up on the battlefield, where they do everything possible to avoid fighting. Ursula Andress shows up as Napoleon's wife, falls for Sarrazin and starts a torrid love affair. The film is a disaster for everyone involved. Even Ursula seems like an afterthought. The animated title sequence promises sex and nudity, but there is practically none in the entire film. Director Castellari had better luck with his action and war films. 

Escape to Athena (1979)

Associated Film Distribution
Directed by George P. Cosmatos
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, ITV)

POWs in Greece during WWII excavate rare treasures, some of which are kept by their commander, Roger Moore. Meanwhile, the local Greek resistance leader, Telly Savalas, plans to break out the POWs and use them to liberate the town and destroy a submarine. They reluctantly agree after he promises them they can keep treasures they think are hidden in a nearby mountaintop monastery. Dream cast of washed-up or nearly washed-up 70s stars includes Moore as a German (completely unconvincing), Elliott Gould as a greedy Jewish stereotype (embarrassing), Sony Bono as an Italian stereotype, Stefanie Powers as a ditsy USO actress, Richard Roundtree as the token black character and David Niven as the smart and older British guy. Only Telly Savalas and Claudia Cardinale as his girlfriend and brothel owner have any credibility, although their final dance together is a bit uncomfortable. Nicely filmed on location in Rhodes with impressive, if overused, helicopter shots. 

The Return of the King (1980)

ABC
Directed by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass

My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4

IMDb Wikipedia

(DVD, Warner Bros.)

At the 129th birthday party for Bibo Baggins, Frodo tells the story of the time he was imprisoned in Cirith Ungol and Samwise Gamgee came to his rescue. Simultaneously, massive wars are underway between huge armies on desolate plains. Glenn Yarbrough warbles some songs. Rankin/Bass production is a sequel to their earlier production The Hobbit, and sort of a third film of a trilogy started by Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings, but not really since it was not planned that way. I found the battle scenes too confusing, but salvaged by the more personal story between Frodo and Sam.

The Last Unicorn (1982)

Jensen Farley Pictures
Directed by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Shout! Factory)

When a unicorn is told that she is the last of her kind, she finds out that all of the rest of the unicorns have been captured by mysterious "Red Bull" at some remote castle. She sets off to find and release them. She doesn't get far before she is captured by a witch and put on display in a traveling circus with other mystical creatures. She escapes with the help of a friendly amateur magician, who joins her on her journey. When they reach the castle, her magician friend accidentally turns her into a human girl. She falls in love with the prince of the castle and soon begins to forget why she is there. However, her final confrontation with the Red Bull changes her mind, leading to tragedy and regret, but also hope. More fairy tale than fantasy, with the unicorn spending quite a bit of time as a human girl. The Rankin/Bass animation won't overwhelm anyone, but the music by America is a nice addition. 

The Puppetoon Movie (1987)

Expanded Entertainment
Directed  by Arnold Leibovit
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Image Entertainment)

New footage featuring Gumby and his horse Pokey as well as a dinosaur named Arnie, who are filming a movie, frame a collection of old George Pal Puppetoon shorts from the 1930s and 1940s. The shorts are entertaining enough, but are really meant to be seen one at a time rather than back to back in a movie, and the viewing experience gets tiresome. Pal's influence seems a bit exaggerated, especially in the overblown ending, where he seems instead to sell out to commercialism by creating characters such as the Pillsbury Doughboy. More commercialism is evident in the extras, with Pal creating numerous commercials for Philips radios even as far back as the 1930s.

Saturn 3 (1980)

ITC (UK)
Directed by Stanley Donen
My rating: BOMB
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Shout! Factory)

Scientists Kirk Douglas and Farrah Fawcett live an idyllic life on a remote moon of Saturn. Their bliss is interrupted by the arrival of Harvey Keitel and his robot, who plan on replacing Douglas. However, Keitel has assumed the identity of a man he killed and his robot, who is attached to his brain, is assuming the same killer instincts and lust for Farrah. Things soon get out of hand, with Douglas and Farrah fighting first Keitel, then the robot who dons Keitel's decapitated head. It's complete nonsense, with a wild-eyed, 64-year-old Douglas amazed he gets to do sex scenes with the barely clothed Farrah, and a stone-faced Keitel wondering why he doesn't get his turn. 

The Emerald City of Oz (1987)

HBO
Directed by Masaru Tonokouchi, Tim Reid
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Warner Bros.)

This is the final chapter of a Japanese miniseries adapted into English and based on the last L. Frank Baum book. As such, it is best to start with the others in the series first, otherwise it is like dropping in the middle. That being said, it is still awfully confusing. Dorothy in in the Emerald City searching for Ozma, the next Queen. Meanwhile, underground Nomes are preparing for an invasion by digging a tunnel into the Emerald City using a rock-eating monster worm. Dorothy conspires to stop them, but they eventually get inside and it is up to the Scarecrow to scare them away with eggs. Yes, apparently Nomes are afraid of eggs. The final battle takes place along a giant stairway in outer space connected to a fountain of youth via a hidden doorway. I couldn't even begin to make sense of it all, even with narration by Margot Kidder attempting to explain. The animation is poor and the dubbing atrocious. 

Let It Be (1970)

United Artists
Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(VHS, Magnetic Video Corporation)

The Beatles get together to record what would be their last album, Let It Be. They rehearse on a large, bleak sound stage with the intention of making a documentary for television. The songs are their infancy at this point, recognizable melodies, a few phrases, but still need a lot of work. The band members argue and bicker about their direction. This seems to go on forever. Finally, they go to the Apple Records basement to record and things lighten up considerably. They actually look to be having fun. They go to to the roof and give their now famous impromptu performance, their last as a band. A mixed bag to be sure, Beatles fans will love it, the rest will watch and wonder why it seems like such a big deal. 

Book of Numbers (1973)

Avco Embassy Pictures
Directed by Raymond St. Jacques
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(VHS, Magnetic Video Corporation)

Philip Michael Thomas and Raymond St. Jacques move to Arkansas to start a numbers racket. They are wildly successful and become upstanding members in the black community. However, a rival gang in a nearby town tries to take over, leading to violent confrontations. In one memorable scene, they disguise themselves as the KKK only to be surprised by real members. Later, they are arrested but at the court trial St. Jacques uses southern black stereotypes to persuade the judge he is innocent. This infuriates the younger Thomas who thinks they should have hired lawyers. Another violent confrontation with the rival gang occurs before they can work out their differences. Politically incorrect drama will probably not sit well with modern audiences, however it does offer a fairly accurate depiction of life in the 1930s South for African Americans. Excellent soundtrack featuring Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, including a blues/moog piece for the KKK scene that is quite effective.

A Different Story (1978)

Avco Embassy Pictures
Directed by Paul Aaron
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(VHS, Magnetic Video Corporation)

After Perry King is dumped by his wealthy lover, real estate agent Meg Foster finds him squatting in a rental property. She invites him to spend the night at her house, but when he cleans and cooks he ends up staying longer. They soon discover they are both gay and their friendship grows. He turns out to be an illegal alien and she decides to marry him rather than see him deported. One drunk night they end up sleeping together and drop all of their old lovers. Her ex is a depressed school teacher who eventually confronts them with a gun. When she finds out she is pregnant, he starts working for a flamboyant fashion designer. Late night parties lead her to suspect he is having an affair, but when she shows up unannounced one night it turns out to be something else. Character driven drama is never boring, with perfect performances from the two leads.

Home on the Range (2004)

Buena Vista Pictures
Directed by Will Finn and John Sanford
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Disney)

Three cows band together to save their owner's farm by going after an outlaw for the bounty money. A vain horse also is trying to go after the same outlaw and they must contend with him along the way. Clues eventually lead to an abandoned mine shaft where the cattle rustler is hiding his herds. A few surprise identities are revealed and there is a final exciting chase involving a steam locomotive, but the ending is never in doubt. Entertaining, fast paced Disney spoof of the western genre, with enough in-jokes for fans to keep it interesting.

Jungle Emperor Leo (1997)

Anime Works
Directed by Yoshio Takeuchi
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Media Blasters)

A jungle presided over by a white lion king is invaded by greedy humans looking for a magical stone. Meanwhile, the curious young cub of the king ends up in the city and is put in a circus. At first he likes it, but then realizes the animals are being mistreated. He escapes during a fire in the big top. When he finds out that a plague has spread through the jungle and threatens his family he returns. His father decides to help the humans find the stones in the hopes they can stop the plague. He only partially succeeds. Takeuchi tries to tell an anti-violence story, but ends up showing too much violence in the process. The story takes sharp turns from cute and cuddly to frightening and harrowing. The animation is just so-so and it all seems like a Lion King re-hash (though an argument could be made it is the other way around).

Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981)

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by David Lowell Rich
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(VHS, 20th Century Fox Video)

Alan Arkin plays a street bum on the streets of San Francisco. One day while hustling watches outside of a waterfront transit terminal, a briefcase falls from a window and lands near one-woman band performer Carol Burnett. She hides it in her drum and takes it home, but Arkin also lays claim to it. They open it up and discover secret government papers. They try to blackmail the original owner but encounter aggressive government agents at his hotel. They try to arrange a more complex exchange, leading to chaos at an art carnival in the park. The film has a mostly unjustified bad reputation. Arkin is fine as the down and out bum trying to make a better life, falling in love with Burnett, trying to do the same. Their chemistry carries the film. San Francisco locations also help.

A Nice Girl Like Me (1969)

Avco Embassy Pictures
Directed by Desmond Davis
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(VHS, Magnetic Video Corporation)

Barbara Ferris returns home from boarding school when her father dies. She inherits his house, but her elderly aunts don't want her living alone. She heads off to Paris to get away from them and promptly gets pregnant by an immature French artist. She returns home to have the baby, living with her father's housekeeper Harry Andrews. He gradually becomes a father figure to her and helps raise the baby. Soon bored, she trounces off to Venice, and another romp leads to another pregnancy. Not only that, she is given a baby by a poor Italian woman through the train window while leaving the station! The dismayed Andrews now has his hands full, and she briefly considers marrying an uptight diplomat just to help with her growing family. She breaks it off when she realizes she doesn't love him and that Andrews was the man for her after all. Desmond Davis cut his teeth as a cameraman on classic kitchen sink dramas such as A Taste of Honey, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and even Tom Jones. This is an extension of that work, albeit not so gritty, with lush photography by Gil Taylor a real joy to watch.

The Bubble (1966)

Sherpix
Directed by Arch Oboler
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(3D Blu-ray, Kino Lorber)

A woman goes into labor while traveling with her husband and a pilot in a small plane. They make an emergency landing on a highway near a town, which they soon discover is populated by people who seem to repeat the same tasks over and over every day. Unable to make sense of the people or figure out where they are, once their baby is born they try to drive out of town. They encounter a clear plastic barrier which seems to surround the entire town. They hole up in a mill and try to dig under it. Meanwhile, people are randomly pulled into the sky by an unseen terror, which the husband speculates are aliens which have entrapped them in some kind of human zoo. It all plays like an extended episode of the Twilight Zone, filmed on an obvious studio back lot. The real highlight here is "Space-Vision", a 3-D process, and the plot frequently comes to a halt to indulge in pointy objects being thrust at the camera or to dangle a tray of beer in mid air. The Kino Lorber release restores the full-length version and in super widescreen, with 3-D restoration by the 3-D Film Archive.

The Hobbit (1977)

NBC
Directed by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Warner Bros.)

A hobbit named Bilbo is recruited by a group of traveling dwarfs to become their lucky 14th member and help recover their ancestral treasure stolen by a dragon. Bilbo's luck helps him survive attacks by goblins, an encounter with a creature named Gollum deep in a cave, wood elves and of course the epic showdown with the dragon Smaug. This Rankin/Bass production was animated in Japan and shown on US television. Glenn Yarbrough, credited as The Balladeer, warbles through the dated songs. Good introduction to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien, but oversimplified plot and crude animation are a detriment. Voice cast, however, is excellent, including John Huston and Otto Preminger!

Callan (1974)

EMI
Directed by Don Sharp
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
 

Retired hit man for a secret British intelligence agency works at a mundane office job for a boss he despises. He is called back into service and given the task of murdering a German businessman with an office next door to the one in which he works. He methodically learns the mans habits and might even be friends. They share a hobby in "war games", using miniatures to reenact famous battles. He plans to kill him during one such game, but the German is smart and suspects something is up. A decidedly British film, a bit stuffy, with a leaden pace, based on a TV series, and it shows. Catherine Schell is underutilized as the German man's wife.

The Snow Queen (1957)

Universal-International
Directed by Lev Atamanov
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Westlake Entertainment Group)

After an embarrassing prologue with Art Linkletter opening Christmas presents with a bunch of kids in suits and formal dresses, the original animated Soviet film is presented dubbed in English and with new music and songs. It's a Hans Christian Andersen story about two young Danes falling in love, only to have an evil "ice queen" freeze the heart of the boy who angers her. The heartbroken girl tries to win him back, but he is taken away by the queen to her palace. The girls searches for him with the help of an old woman, a raven, some other animals, then another woman she meets in Lapland. Eventually she is able to free him from the queen and they return to their old home and garden. Convoluted story is imaginative but hard to follow, made even worse in the Americanized version.