A Story is a Deal

Douglas Fairbanks: A Modern Musketeer includes eleven of the joyful modern-dress comedies, westerns, satires, dream-fantasies and romances which, though mostly seldom-seen, made Fairbanks a tremendously popular hero. In addition to Fairbanks' unique talent, these ebullient films showcase his gifted collaborators including writer Anita Loos and directors Allan Dwan, Victor Fleming, and John Emerson.

Volunteering as a “comfort woman” on the Manchurian front, where she is expected to service hundreds of soldiers, Harumi is commandeered by the brutal Lieutenant Narita but falls for the sensitive Mikami, Narita’s direct subordinate. Seijun Suzuki’s Story of a Prostitute is a tragic love story as well as a rule-bending take on a popular Taijiro Tamura novel, challenging military and fraternal codes of honor, as seen through Harumi’s eyes.

Ry Cooder's development as a peerless musician capable of grasping virtually any style began with his time spent with Taj Mahal and Captain Beefheart, but for all intents and purposes reaches epic proportions on Boomer's Story. With two ambitious albeit uneven studio albums behind him, the California native plunged into roles that still define him today – that of sonic archeologist and cultural historian, shaping his 1972 Reprise effort with enlightened selections carved into the bedrock of America's folk, blues, and soul landscapes. Inspired, virtuosic, and poignant, Boomer's Story endures as a ravishing portrait of inspired translation and inventive craftsmanship that after years of neglect finally boasts sonics deserving of the performances.