“Leading ladies” may be pushing it, but “quirky character actors” doesn't really have the same marketing zing for this solid five-film set spotlighting a sextet of actresses ranging from old school Hollywood (Susan Hayward) to ab fab glamorous (Jacqueline Bisset). The vintage entry here is I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955), based on Lillian Roth's autobiography, which features Hayward's Oscar-bait performance as alcoholic actress Roth. Diane Keaton gives one of her best dramatic performances in the harrowing divorce drama Shoot the Moon (1982). Sandy Dennis shines as the struggling new teacher at an inner city school in Up the Down Staircase (1967). Joanne Woodward is aces in A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966), a comic Western revolving around a high stakes poker game (with a twist ending worthy of David Mamet). Last, and certainly least, is Rich and Famous (1981), a remake of the 1943 melodrama Old Acquaintance, starring Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen as lifelong friends and writers, one a critically-acclaimed author with a bad case of writer's block, the other a commercially successful writer of trashy and vulgar bestsellers (the film has the distinction of being legendary director George Cukor's last and Meg Ryan's first). Only two of the films have bonus features of any substance: I'll Cry Tomorrow features vintage newsreels and a promotional short with the real Lillian Roth, while Shoot the Moon features an audio commentary by director Alan Parker and screenwriter Bo Goldman. Recommended for larger collections. (D. Liebenson)
Leading Ladies Collection, Vol. 2
Warner, 5 discs, 579 min., not rated/R, DVD: $49.95 Volume 23, Issue 2
Leading Ladies Collection, Vol. 2
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