Fast Scans, May 15, 2011

Letters to Father Jacob. color. 75 min. In Finnish w/English subtitles. Olive Films. 2010. DVD UPC 887090027106. $29.95.
Released from prison after serving 12 years of a life sentence for murder, stern Leila (Kaarina Hazard) grudgingly accepts a job reading and writing letters for an elderly blind priest (Heikki Nousiainen) whose intercession she learns resulted in her pardon. Shot in a beautifully austere manner that recalls Ingmar Bergman’s best work, Klaus Härö’s recent Academy Award nominee unfolds at a leisurely pace that would test viewer patience if not for its short running time. A moving testament to faith, this film is a minor miracle.

The Mikado. color. 91+ min. 1939. DVD ISBN 9781604653991. $29.95; Blu-ray ISBN 9781604653984. $39.95.
Topsy-Turvy. color. 160+ min. 1999. DVD ISBN 9781604653977. $29.95; Blu-ray ISBN 9781604653960. $39.95.
ea. vol: Criterion Collection, dist. by Image Entertainment.
The original Gilbert and Sullivan opera troupe’s staging of The Mikado has been lovingly preserved in this sumptuous-looking, early Technicolor production of the classic comic operetta. In a departure from his realistic portraits of contemporary working-class Brits, Mike Leigh (Naked; Life Is Sweet; Secrets and Lies) offers a delightful period piece with Topsy-Turvy, an Oscar-winning (costume design and makeup) dramatization of the creation of the duo’s crowning achievement. Not just for opera buffs.

Our Hospitality. b/w & tinted. 75+ min. Kino Intl. 1923. DVD UPC 738329071424. $29.95; Blu-ray UPC 738329071523. $34.95.
Inspired by the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud of the late 19th century, Buster Keaton’s first feature with a linear story finds the silent-era star risking his life to claim his inheritance: a shack in the middle of enemy territory. While not on a par with his later masterwork, The General, Our Hospitality marks a departure from his gag-filled early shorts to more dramatic and stylistically sophisticated fare. A revealing making-of doc is among several worthy extras on this disc sure to please ­Keaton devotees.

Still Walking. color. 114+ min. In Japanese w/English subtitles. Criterion Collection, dist. by Image Entertainment. 2008. DVD ISBN 9781604653830. $29.95; Blu-ray ISBN 9781604653823. $39.95.
The Yokoyama family reunion, an annual event commemorating the eldest son’s accidental death, is an awkward occasion only reluctantly attended by the estranged younger son of a disapproving clan patriarch. A dysfunctional but ultimately affectionate family dynamic receives a lightly humorous and poignant treatment by Hirokazu Kore-eda (After Life; Nobody Knows), whose fictional story is based on his own childhood. With its knowing look at ambivalent familial bonds, this fine film should appeal to older viewers.

A Summer in Genoa. color. 93+ min. Entertainment One. 2008. DVD ISBN 9781417233830. $24.98. SDH subtitles. Rated: R.
A young girl who rightfully blames herself for her mother’s accidental death escapes with her teen sister and father (Colin Firth) to Italy’s scenic coastal city for an extended vacation to deal with persistent grief, which manifests itself as visitations from the deceased. The prolific but inconsistent Michael Winterbottom, whose best recent film was A Mighty Heart, serves as cowriter and director for this proficiently acted (Catherine Keener and Hope Davis costar) drama dealing with the nature of coping. For Firth fans first. [See Trailers, LJ 3/1/11.]