It’s always wonderful when an actor and role make a seamless match. That’s certainly the case with Titus Welliver and Michael Connelly’s LAPD detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch. Welliver first played Bosch for 7 seasons on Amazon. Season 7 concluded with Bosch throwing away his badge, leaving the LAPD. ‘Bosch: Legacy’ on Amazon’s ad-supported ‘free’ channel, Freevee, began this spring with Harry now a private detective, his daughter Maddie (again Madison Lintz) a rookie cop, and Mimi Rogers’ Honey Chandler, alive and recovering from a near-fatal hitman’s bullets. It’s a slightly different dynamic but definitely as fine as ‘Bosch’ has always been. Welliver, in a Zoom interview, spoke about the series, the career-defining role.
Q: Did you initially have to meet Michael Connelly to get his benediction? Was he involved with your casting at all?
TITUS WELLIVER: 100%. I mean, he had the final say and so he was the one that that made that choice. Of course, there were other producers. But that was a part of the agreement — that he would have final casting approval. So thankfully, I fit.
Q: Who is Harry in your estimation? Why does he remain a figure of continued interest for people year after year after year?
TW: Well, Michael’s created a great and really rich character. He’s a character who doesn’t subscribe to the sort of societal norms of decorum and protocol. He doesn’t suffer fools. He’s a direct character. He’s driven. He is the kind of homicide detective that if a person was a victim of a crime, they would want a detective like Harry Bosch working the case. Because he’s relentless. And he’s flawed. He’s a very sort of deeply haunted character. He’s very human, which I think makes him accessible. He’s somebody who has a really good moral compass. You can’t help but see he’s the quintessential antihero. Now he’s not Mr. Clean. I don’t mean to say that he’s a dirty cop. He’s kind of trouble. I think that’s a lot of the appeal of that character because you know that he’s out there. And he’s going to be relentless until he gets it done.
Q: You said he’s flawed. Do you think there’s a moral ambiguity in his character? I’m thinking one of the things that continually gets highlighted, that we get from Connelly’s books, is Harry is charged multiple times with using excessive force, having people be dead after confrontations with him. How do you see that?
TW: I don’t think there’s any moral ambiguity about him at all. To be honest with you, I think he has a really flawless moral compass. What Harry doesn’t do necessarily by the book is navigate everything with the same kind of by the book conformity. But he’s certainly not a corrupt cop. He would never beat a confession out of a suspect or plant evidence on someone. He’s a worker; he will work the case until he gets the person fair and square. He’s not a guy who believes in shortcuts. And, certainly on our show, anyone that Harry’s ever had to kill in the line of duty was attempting to kill him. So it was in the protection of his own well-being. And these were bad guys. Harry’s never accidentally discharged his weapon. And you have to also remember that he’s a former Special Forces operator. So, he’s a highly trained individual, aside from being a police officer. But I think there’s no moral ambiguity about him at all. I think obviously, whenever you have an investigation into a shooting, as far as there has to be an investigation, he’s ultimately exonerated of any kind of wrongdoing. Because it’s very, very clear that what he’s done is just going in defense of his own life or in someone else’s life and those are the circumstances.
NEW DVDs:
TOWERING SPAGHETTI The 2 films that launched Clint Eastwood as an international superstar now are fully restored and loaded: Sergio Leone’s ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ (‘64) and the 1965 sequel “For a Few Dollars More” (both 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray, KL Studio Classics, R). There is fascinating bonus material on both films. Here is Sir Christopher Frayling, a ‘Dollars’ authority with one of the world’s largest collections of memorabilia who gives background, a tour of his ‘greatest hits’ and charts the films’ history. Eastwood, we learn, was like the 9th or 10th choice. He was contractually unable with ‘Rawhide’ his TV series, to make any film in the US. So filming in Spain & Italy was appealing to the actor. He brought his own jeans (3 pair, knowing he shouldn’t depend on the Italian wardrobe crew), his ‘Rawhide’ boots and, significantly, his ‘Rawhide’ pistol. He battled with Leone who before anyone realized ‘Fistful’ would be a global hit was given an American-sounding pseudonym when it first opened. Leone’s set was lively, noisy – because everything was post-dubbed on a Rome soundstage after filming ended. Eastwood knew ‘Dollars’ was a remake of Kurosawa’s ‘Yojimbo’ (it’s the classic film that Kevin Costner reveres in ‘The Bodyguard’). He didn’t know that once Kurosawa saw the film he would sue – and win. Leone had to give Kurosawa the distribution rights for Japan AND had the film retitled ‘Son of Yojimbo.’ Both new versions were shot-by-shot color graded from restored 4K files.
MIGHTY MIGHTY MULE Looking back, what does it say about postwar America in the early ‘50s when ‘Francis the Talking Mule: 7 Film Collection’ (Blu-ray, KL Studio Classics, Not Rated) was a box-office behemoth? Veteran Western star Chill Wills voiced Francis, the wise-cracking mule who in the first film saves Army officer Peter Stirling (Donald O’Connor, soon to be immortal in ‘Singin’ in the Rain’) from behind enemy lines. Naturally, no one believes Stirling – until. This 1950 hit costars the iconic silent screen actress ZaSu Pitts and Universal’s rising contract star Tony Curtis. From the ’51 ‘Francis Goes to the Races’ and on, Stirling is Francis’ sidekick. Further adventures are at West Point, a gangster-ridden Manhattan, even the WACS – the Women’s Army Corps! Clint Eastwood pops up in the ’55 ‘Francis in the Navy’ – it’s his 1st credited role. The last ‘Francis’ (’56) dropped O’Connor to have Mickey Rooney sub in a haunted house. Special Features: All 7 films have audio commentaries by various film historians.
‘80s MURPHY The 1987 ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’ (4K Ultra HD+ Digital Code, Paramount, R) is celebrating its 35th anniversary with this 4K Ultra HD upgrade. Tony Scott, who helmed Tom Cruise’s breakthrough ‘Top Gun,’ took charge as Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley returns to the hills of Beverly to do more of what he did in the original in ‘84. The villainous sparkle here is provided by Denmark’s statuesque Brigitte Nielsen who stood out in this action-comedy boys club for having wed her ‘Cobra’ (’86) co-star Sylvester Stallone. By the time ‘BHC2’ arrived Sly and Brigitte were divorced. Chris Rock is here briefly as a parking attendant and Hugh Hefner plays himself.
ASIAN AMERICAN TRIUMPH A Broadway hit from Rodgers & Hammerstein, the foremost musical team of its generation, the 1961 film version of ‘Flower Drum Song’ (Blu-ray, KL Studio Classics, Not Rated) remains a landmark of Asian-American representation. R&H had been a Hit Factory for nearly 2 decades with musical like ‘South Pacific,’ ‘The King and I’ and ‘Carousel’ that highlighted contemporary issues, especially racism. On Broadway in 1958 ‘Flower Drum Song’ was more comedic than earnest. This brand new 2K Master illustrates that light-hearted approach to a culture clash between the Chinese old ways and San Francisco’s changing Chinatown. It was Hollywood’s first major feature to boast an Asian-American cast in a modern story. Despite positive reviews it is the only R&H film to lose money. Many extras: Featurettes on casting and the songs which include ‘I Enjoy Being a Girl,’ as well as its evolution from novel to stage to screen. Nancy Kwan had become famous opposite William Holden in the 1960 Hong Kong drama ‘The World of Suzie Wong.’ She is the spark onscreen, and offscreen offers an audio commentary with film historian Nick Redman.
HORROR TIMES 2 Horror comes in 2 guises on Blu-ray. It’s up, up in the air with ‘Row 19’ (Blu-ray, Well Go USA, Not Rated) where evil strikes at 30,000 feet and several passengers die gruesome, inexplicable deaths! Could it be the demon of childhood nightmares now back? In ‘V/H/S/94’ (Blu-ray, RLJE Films, Not Rated) a SWAT team brutally raids a remote warehouse (is there any other kind??) which they quickly discover is a cult compound. Here they discover evidence on a collection of pre-recorded tapes a gruesome conspiracy. Or as the blurb goes: ‘5 New Tapes. 1 Nightmare.’
ABORTION MYSTERY Blake Edwards publicly disowned his 1972 detective drama ‘The Carey Treatment’ (Blu-ray, Warner Archive, PG) because it had been recut by MGM’s studio chief. Based on an early novel by Michael Crichton (writing under a pseudonym) and set, like his later hit ‘Coma,’ in a hospital involving skullduggery, James Coburn is Carey, the newly arrived pathologist at a Boston hospital. ‘Treatment’ filmed on Boston locations and, a year before Roe v. Wade guaranteed a woman’s right to have an abortion, dramatized the dangers without a protective law with a 15-year-old girl dying after a botched backstreet operation.
TIM CURRY DJ!! I have a special place in my heart for the 1980 punk romance ‘Times Square’ (Blu-ray, KL Studio Classics, R): I had been hired by one of New York’s leading publicists to see if I wanted a career there. I was assigned to Allan Moyle’s ‘Times Square’ as unit publicist. That meant I often visited the set and arranged interviews for the stars as well as writing production notes and bios. But Tim Curry, a cult star because of the 1975 ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ as Transylvanian transvestite Frank N. Furter, didn’t want to do publicity. That left Trini Alvarado, at 13 a veteran child actor, and bubbly, energized 15-year-old newcomer Robin Johnson who reportedly came in off the streets and won the role. These 2 characters meet while both are being examined for mental illness. As runaway teens they come to hang out in, yes, Times Square – a gritty, definitely pre-Disney Times Square — and are devoted acolytes for the Times Square DJ Curry plays. They form a punk band The Sleeze Sisters and get played on Curry’s station. They also – and I never quite got this part as it seems ridiculously dangerous – but they’d throw TV sets, big boxy bulk, from building roofs to show rebellion! Moyle left the production when ‘Saturday Night Fever’ mogul Robert Stigwood who financed the picture insisted on cutting out suggestive teen lesbian content and added numerous songs to hopefully mimic the best-selling status of the ‘Fever’ soundtrack. Today, it really is a cult film. And there my name is in the end credits! BONUS: Director and Johnson’s audio commentary, a film historian’s audio commentary.
JOHN FORD CLASSIC Now regarded as among the greatest John Ford Westerns, ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (4K Ultra Hi-Def + Blu-ray, 2 discs, Paramount, Not Rated) arrived in 1962 with a ‘So what?’ shrug from most critics. Teaming the titanic twosome of John Wayne – Ford had not just made Wayne a star with 1939’s ‘Stagecoach,’ he had named him when Marion Morrison wouldn’t do – and James Stewart, ‘Liberty Valance’ was nevertheless a hit. Time soon transformed Ford from a 4-time Oscar winning director to a re-evaluation as a true auteur, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. ‘Liberty Valance’ now ranks alongside the best Ford Westerns, alongside ‘Stagecoach,’ ‘The Searchers,’ ‘My Darling Clementine,’ ‘Fort Apache’ and ‘Rio Grande.’ Despite the film’s star wattage, Paramount made Ford wait a humiliating 6 months before giving the film a greenlight. The studio hated that he insisted on making it in black-and-white. Unlike his expansive Westerns filmed in Monument Valley, ‘Liberty Valance’ was almost entirely filmed on studio soundstages (a train sequence was shot outdoors at MGM’s Culver City). Its story centers on how America wants to remember (and identify itself) with the now long-gone West. The film’s most famous line — ‘When the legend becomes fact – print the legend’ – is at the core of a film that seems more European, melancholy and regretful, than any other Ford Western. The superb cinematography glistens in the 4K upgrade and the multiple Special Features are highlighted by audio interviews Ford’s grandson Dan Ford made with the filmmaker and in 1970 with Stewart and Lee Marvin who was brilliantly cast as the malevolent Liberty Valance. Peter Bogdanovich’s many audio interviews with the crusty Ford are heard, alongside film critics Leonard Maltin, Molly Haskell and Richard Schickel. There’s a remarkable examination of the film here as well: ‘The Size of Legends. The Soul of Myth.’
L’AMOUR TOUJOURS L’AMOUR Can a celebrated movie star — publicly humiliated when her film director louse of a husband steams away with his younger leading lady – find romance, rejuvenation and peace of mind by retreating to a boutique hotel in the Caribbean? You probably think you know the answer and one look at Malin Akerman in ‘A Week in Paradise’ (DVD, Screen Media, PG-13) will convince you: You are right! For Akerman’s Maggie, a lovely spirit, meeting a handsome chef, swimming in turquoise seas and being ready to move on is never quite as easy as she hoped it would be. Philip Winchester’s the wise chef.
NEESON FIGHTS AGAIN As a Special Op with a conscience, Liam Neeson gives ‘Blacklight’ (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Code, Universal, PG-13) its heft as he pushes back against a rogue FBI agent (Aidan Quinn). This is definitely one guy you do not want to intimidate by threatening his family. Bonus: Behind the Scenes, On set filming.
CHICAGO LAW & LAWYERS Amid cast changes, ‘The Good Fight: Season Five’ (DVD, 10 episodes, 3 discs, CBS DVD-Paramount, Not Rated) continues, now teaming Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald to lead their Chicago law firm as life gets complicated when Mandy Patinkin’s Hal Wackner decides to open his own courtroom in the back of his copy shop. Guest stars include Wanda Sykes and Wayne Brady. The Bonus is a gag reel and deleted scenes.
EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY ‘Mamba’ (Blu-ray, Kino Classics-UCLA Library, Not Rated) is an obscure 1930 Technicolor Hollywood movie set in racist colonial East Africa. This is the first all-talking Technicolor drama, produced by upstart Tiffany Studios (they went bankrupt a few years later). It stars Jean Hersholt, who would be better known as the gruff grandfather of Shirley Temple’s Heidi in the 1937 version, as a brutal villain. But ‘Mamba’ was long thought lost, except for 3 reels of film and the soundtrack on its 10 vinyl discs that were known here in the US. Then, nearly miraculously, the last and only copy was discovered in Australia by film collectors. That ‘Mamba’ exists is a triumph, that it’s a compelling drama and beautifully restored, equally so. Special features: Audio commentary, an interview on the rediscovery and restoration, a documentary short on the Australian couple – film collectors Murray and Pat Matthews – who discovered the sole surviving print. Plus a sideshow detailing the production, release and restoration of ‘Mamba.’
WAHLBERG & FUQUA People who can remember their past lives – and there are maybe 500 of them on Planet Earth – are Infinites. That at least is the premise of ‘Infinite’ (4K Ultra HD + Digital Code, Paramount, PG-13), Antoine Fuqua’s sci-fi thriller which marks a reunion with his ‘Shooter’ star Mark Wahlberg. There is a device here called The Egg, created to end the world. Is it a surprise that Infinites are divided? There are Nihilists who consider memory a curse and happy Believers who see it as some kind of miraculous gift. The most evil guy here is Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Bathurst. Multiple extras: Anatomy of a Scene, spotlight on the action, ‘Infinite Time.’ 
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Stephen Schaefer’s HOLLYWOOD & MINE - Boston Herald
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