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Holiday in Spain

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    C.D. Workman
    Senior Member

  • Holiday in Spain



    Released by: Redwind/Screen Archives
    Released on: November 11, 2014
    Director: Jack Cardiff
    Cast: Denholm Elliott, Peter Lorre, Paul Lukas, Liam Redmond, Beverly Bentley, Peter Arne, Diana Dors, Elizabeth Taylor
    Year: 1961
    Purchase From Screen Archives

    The Movie:

    A British mystery novelist vacationing in Spain inadvertently stumbles upon a plot to murder a wealthy American heiress. After approaching several women in an effort to learn which is to be the victim, he finally deduces her identity (or so he believes). When she leaves town in her car, he recruits a cab driver to follow her. Unfortunately, he too becomes a target of the would-be killer.

    Based on the 1947 novel Ghost of a Chance by Audrey Kelley and William Roos (a husband-and-wife writing team who published pseudonymously under the name Kelley Roos), Holiday in Spain was conceived as a major event for Cinerama theaters, one that would employ a then-relatively new process known as Smell-O-Vision. (Smell-O-Vision was a process that allowed audiences to experience certain smells during the film's playback that reflected events on the screen.) The film adaptation was produced by Mike Todd, Jr. (The Bell Jar, 1979), a showman along the lines of William Castle (though not nearly as “out there” or as prolific), and directed by cinematographer Jack Cardiff, who had previously photographed such classics as Black Narcissus (1947) and The African Queen (1951). Interested in creating a greater visual appeal for the Cinerama process, Todd switched the location of the story from New York City to Spain. Upon initial release, the film was titled Scent of Mystery (under which it remains better known today), but when the Smell-O-Vision process failed to elicit much reaction, the title was changed to Holiday in Spain and given a new release. It did little to help; audiences stayed away, and critics were vicious.

    It's easy to understand why, given how poorly written and silly the film is. Despite this, it does have a strange allure all its own. For one, director Cardiff gives it the look and feel of a Viewmaster slide, with the same sort of travelogue imagery one would expect to find in that format. From the start, this is a cinematographer's picture, with every frame designed to showcase the natural beauty of the native landscape—and the encompassing splendor of the Cinerama process. The story doesn't make much sense, the acting is all over the board, the humor is never funny, and suspense is never generated, yet the entire affair has a charm that remarkably conjures the time and place in which the film was made.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    Redwind has brought the film to Blu-ray utilizing three different elements for the best picture and sound quality possible. The result is considerably less uneven than one would expect. The film is presented in 1080p in the smilebox format of its original roadshow presentation, at a ratio of 2.59:1. The original roadshow edit, this version comes with overtures, intermission, and exit music. The image is mostly razor sharp, with fine detail most obviously present in the rocks and trees of rural Spain, though close shots of faces and fabrics are sharp as well. Indeed, one can even see the hairs on Diana Dors' unshaved legs! There are intermittent shots that are a tad bit softer, and a few are out of focus (per the element from which they were taken), but these are nothing more than an occasional distraction. Colors are generally stable and offer a rich and vibrant palette, though there are occasional moments of fade. Given the overall quality of the picture, however, such moments are easy to forgive.

    The Blu-ray contains two audio tracks, a DTS-HD MA 5.1 and a DTS-HD MA 2.0, as well as an audio commentary. The 5.1 does a great job of replicating the film's original score, which is imperative given just how important the music and sound effects are to the film's success. The score was composed by the famed Mario Nascimbene and is fairly playful and lively. (Speaking of Nascimbene's score, it is included on a separate CD.) The track doesn't serve the dialogue quite as strongly; voices are sometimes mixed a bit low to make out clearly without adjustment of the sound. This is a minor complaint in an otherwise fantastic aural presentation. For those without a surround set-up, there is always the 2.0 track, which sounds good as well. The commentary features film editor and buff David Strohmaier and actress/stand-in Sandra Shahan, who are moderated by film historian Bruce Kimmel. Kimmel does a great job of hosting the other two, dominating the proceedings with a healthy dose of background information yet giving way when appropriate. Strohmaier clearly knows his stuff, and Shahan's memory is crystal clear on events that happened over fifty years ago. It's a highly informative track and well worth a listen.

    In addition to the terrific video and audio, Redwind has loaded Holiday in Spain with extras.

    First up is a featurette running approximately 15 minutes and narrated by David Strohmaier. It takes viewers on a tour of the Spanish locations used for the film's shoots, revealing just how little many of them have changed in the intervening years. Next up is a series of scenes from the original Scent of a Mystery version, which were not restored to Holiday in Spain but have been included as extras. These come from 70mm and 65mm prints; some are severely faded while others are speckled but otherwise look good. There are also outtakes and rushes, which look terrific and are highly detailed. There are two exclusive interviews, one with actress Beverly Bentley, who played Sally, the other with Susan Todd, the daughter of Mike Todd, Jr. The interviews run just shy of 34 minutes. Bentley discusses her entire career, while Todd discusses her father and the making of the film. She was too young at the time of filming to remember much, but her anecdotes prove fascinating nonetheless. “The Remastering and Reconstruction of Michael Todd, Jr.'s Holiday in Spain” is a short featurette (less than 8 minutes long) in which Stohmaier details the painstaking work in restoring the film to the version we see here. There is a slideshow of stills, mostly promotional and behind-the-scenes photographs, and Redwind has included a number of newly created trailers of other Cinerama features, including This Is Cinerama (1952), Cinerama Holiday (1955), Seven Wonders of the World (1956), Search for Paradise (1957), Cinerama South Seas Adventure (1958), Windjammer (1958), The Golden Head (1964), and, of course, Holiday in Spain (1960).

    Finally, a booklet reproducing the film's original roadshow souvenir program in included; it is 36 pages long and features glossy color pages.

    The Final Word:

    While Holiday in Span is not a particularly good film, it is of importance nonetheless. It features a number of performances from actors who either were or would become important in the history of cinema, and Cardiff's direction and the cinematography are fascinating to watch. The transfer is generally superb, especially when one considers what the producers had to work with.

    The film has been released by Redwind in conjunction with Screen Archives as a special edition limited to a mere 2,000 copies.


    Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!























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