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The Century's Most Polarizing Auteur

Elia Kazan, by Richard Schickel

(Harper Collins) 

A seemingly simple film that reveals deeper levels of profundity upon further reflection, Roberto Rossellini's "The Flowers of St. Francis" is basically a series of vignettes that takes Italian neo-realism back to the 13th century. 

Have you ever been to Timbuktu (incidentally, it is spelled Tombouctou in Mali)? No? Well nor have I, so I found "Timbuktoubab," the documentary, riveting.

This year has seen some terrific releases on DVD, but none is better than the Criterion Collection's three-disc set, "The Battle of Algiers." First released in 1966, "The Battle of Algiers" was reissued in theaters across the country in 2004. It enjoyed a too-brief run in San Antonio in May 2004. The film's distributor, Rialto, told me that it didn't do too well in San Antonio so it was pulled after one week.

The latest series of "Walt Disney Treasures" to be released from the Disney vaults includes DVD sets devoted to Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Disney in Space and Beyond, and the much-delayed release of Disney's World War II-era films.