Hopscotch

A real treat, this spy comedy (very different in tone from the Brian Garfield novel on which it is based) is lent a touch of class by Walter Matthau's impeccable performance as Miles Kendig, a veteran agent who leads the CIA and the KGB on a global chase after he decides to write a tell-all book about the agency. Glenda Jackson costars as his lover and cohort, with Ned Beatty as his bureaucratic boss, Herbert Lom as the head of the KGB, and Sam Waterston as the young agent who can't help but admire Kendig. Here's hoping this DVD release, which features a characteristically sharp digital transfer and a 22-minute "introduction" with Neame and Garfield, finally earns this buried treasure the audience it deserves. Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Aug. 8, 2017—Criterion, 105 min., R, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1980's Hopscotch features a great transfer and an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include an optional broadcast TV audio track for family viewing, a 1980 segment from The Dick Cavett Show with star Walter Matthau (22 min.), interviews from 2002 with director Ronald Neame and writer Brian Garfield (22 min.), and an essay by critic Glenn Kenny. Bottom line: this classic spy comedy sparkles on Blu-ray.]