
Warner Brothers has launched the Warner Archive Collection, where previously unavailable movies are being released for the first time on DVD. These films, however, are not being remastered, and the DVDs cannot be played on PC drives. The selection, I think, is not that great, but I did find two films that I’ve been wanting to see again for ages: The Abdication (1974) and One on One (1977). Back in the early ’80s, these two movies were played a lot during the early mornings and mid-afternoons in Manila on RPN-9. I remember making up excuses to skip classes just to watch those Channel 9 staples. (That’s where I first saw The Omega Man and The Thirty Nine Steps—the faithful 1978 version with Robert Powell.)
The Abdication stars Liv Ullmann as Queen Christina of Sweden and Peter Finch as Cardinal Azzolino, and it fictionalizes their close relationship as a romantic one. The real Queen Christina, of course, was a very masculine woman and was rumored to be a lesbian. In any case, The Abdication is a very, very beautiful film to look at—the cinematography is simply astounding.
One on One stars Robby Benson, one of the many Zac Efrons that populated the ’70s heartthrob scene. It’s a coming-of-age basketball drama with music by Seals and Crofts. I’ll never forget this film, because (aside from Melanie Griffith’s scene-stealing cameo), I didn’t need a make-believe excuse to skip class when I first saw it: I really had to go home that afternoon because of severe diarrhea.