Amazon.com essential video

At one point in the filming of this flawed epic, actor Charlton Heston (in the title role) got so mad at director Sam Peckinpah that he charged him on horseback with a cavalry sword and Peckinpah had to escape into the air on the camera crane. Yet Heston offered to give up his salary to get the studio to let Peckinpah finish the film. As it turned out, this story--of a headstrong Army professional who goes slightly crazy chasing a band of Apaches while shepherding a group of Confederate prisoners--was taken away from Peckinpah in the editing room and recut, so that much of the character development was eliminated from the crucial central section of the film. Still, it offers solid outings by Heston and Richard Harris (as his prisoner) and gives a hint of things to come in Peckinpah's next film, The Wild Bunch. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Viva Dundee-EXTENDED to a point.
Finally, some missing footage from Bloody Sam's flawed masterpiece is coming out. The web news and ads promise 12-15 minutes restored which should help with the major continuity of the film. Having loved this movie for over 30 years and read everything possible on the "butchery" of it, I can offer the following cut footage information;

1. The longest cut was noted in a critical film analysis book I found in the U. of Toronto library. The scene is supposedly 10-12 minutes long and shows the Cavalry detachment at the farm dancing and celebrating with the Rustis (?) family. The Apaches attack, the massacre ensues (and is shown in detail),Trooper Ryan escapes, and the wounded Lieutenant (Brannon ?) is strung up under the slow fire, which is exactly where the movie STARTS in the cut version. The Critical Film Analysis book claimed that the sudio refused to accept that a film could run almost 15 minutes with no major character introduction and then kill off the characters before the main character (Dundee) even appears!

2. Peckinpah's original directors release was to be 152 minutes and this cut at the beginning accounts for approximately 10-12 minutes.If the new Restored release adds about 15 minutes we should get to see about what Sam had intended, better continuity, including the despair/decay of Dundee in the Mexican village, the double back of the Apaches in the hills and the extended knife fight between Potts/Gomez, along with the truth behind Riago (the Apache scout, who is supposedly a traitor). The restored version will apparently not include the Farm massacre scene.

3. The recent book, Bloody Sam, mentions the many cuts and mentions an even longer version. What is known is that Sam edited the film from a 220 minute time, down to 185 minutes and finally under studio pressure (but still acceptable to Sam) of 152 min. What was eventually released was the chopped 123 minute version that made a mess of this great movie. Though the relevance of the Farm massacre scene can be questioned, its savage aspects were intended to show how viscious Sierra Chariba was and why he needed to be hunted down.

As it was many years ago that I read of the Farm massacre scene I cannot say for certain if it was part of Sam's 152 or 185 minute versions except that it did exist and was one of the cuts. Any and all restoration is welcome and I am eagerly waiting for the DVD release, which will contain both the original release and the extended version.

Extended Version= Must See Peckinpah western
Major Dundee is a Sam Peckinpah western that has always been known for what it "could have been."Now, forty years after its initial release, a new extended version of Peckinpah's movie is being released with over 12 minutes of footage reinserted.After a cavalry troop is massacred by renegade Apaches in late 1864, Major Amos Dundee decides to put a troop together and pursue the renegades who have kidnapped three children.Dundee puts together a command of Confederate prisoners, African American soldiers, cowboys, thieves, and misfits and leads the troop into Mexico pursuing the Apaches while also tangling with French lancers.With the footage added back into the movie, many storylines are resolved that initially went unexplained, like the fate of Apache scout Riago or the sudden appearance of Dundee's beard.Along with the new footage is a new musical score by Christopher Caliendos which is more moodier/appropriate for a Peckinpah western than the Danielle Amfitheatrof score for the original 1965 release.It is somewhat disappointing that all the lost footage may never be seen, but this Extended Version helps to make a very good movie into a great movie.If you can see it in theatres, take the chance because this movie was meant to be seen on the big screen.

Charlton Heston stars in the title role as Major Amos Dundee, an obsessed officer stationed at a Union prison camp who sees an opportunity for redemption by capturing Apache chief Sierra Chariba.Richard Harris matches Heston step for step, and steals many scenes, as Captain Ben Tyreen, a Confederate officer and ex-friend of Dundee who was betrayed by Amos at his court martial hearing.The dialogue between Heston and Harris drives much of the movie.Jim Hutton and James Coburn are excellent in supporting roles as Lt. Graham, a bumbling artillery officer assigned to the cavalry, and Sam Potts, Dundee's one-armed scout.Senta Berger is good in a smaller part as Theresa, a woman who sparks the interest of Dundee and Tyreen.The great supporting cast full of Peckinpah regulars includes Michael Anderson JR, Mario Adorf, Brock Peters, Warren Oates, LQ Jones, Slim Pickens, Dub Taylor, Ben Johnson, and RG Armstrong.

The Extended Version DVD will feature the added 12 minutes of footage and new score by Caliendos along with widescreen presentation.I haven't seen anything official about included extras, but there is supposedly going to be an option to listen to the original Amfitheatrof score instead of the new one.Regardless of the features, the Extended Version DVD should be a must-have for fans of this Peckinpah masterpiece.Don't miss Major Dundee!

A True Peckinpah Classic!
I am so looking forward to this release of the uncut version.
What additions will it have? Does it show the attack on the ranch at the begining of the film?
Does it show what happens to Realgo the scout?
Will the do it up right with trailers to, the making of..., the Riding For A Fall documentary?
Will they show some class and have L.Q. Jones introduce it?
This is going to be a fantastic hit.
I am looking forward to adding it to my collection!
Amazon says it will be released August 30th. I just found out it is being released this month!
Will it take until August for Amazon to get it? Just curious.
Whatever the case, do get this one!!!

Major Dundee is a GREAT WesternMovie
This movie was great when I first saw it on VHs.. Its been years since I saw this classic film. I am not sure but I believe this is the first western that the end is not your regular happy endings. It is a movie that really has goodcharacterizations, and some of the best action scenes put on film..It was a clever idea of pitting a ragtag group of misfits against the superiority of the French army who at the time were one of the best armies in the world.. I highly recomemnd this movie itsone of the best westerns made..

Viva Dundee!
This is another one of those films which I could only faintly recall from childhood.Recently I was fortunate to view a limited run of this firm in its new revised format.Having also seen the older version recently I am able to compare and contrast both versions of this interesting film.The biggest change noted in the revised edition is the music.A new score has been created and this completely changes the mood of the entire movie.The old score was a quirky, sardonic affair with the opening credits leading off with Mitch Miller's sing along gang!A big difference from the symphonic version we have here.If you are one of those people who don't notice movie music that much, try viewing the same film twice with two different scores!The music can make a big difference in how a movie feels to its viewer.We certainly have that here.

In addition to the score, about 13 minutes of footage has been restored.Dundee was one of those films that was butchered on the editing floor, so much so that there has been a lively debate about this ever since it was released back in the 1960s.Apparently almost an hour was cut out, and while 13 minutes does not seem a lot in comparison it can make a difference.Some of the restored scenes include showing the Confederates being captured as they try to escpae in the beginning, as well as showing Heston involved with the Mexican woman before the Austrian lady returns to see how he has recovered from his wound.Small stuff, but it can add up.

The background for this film is Heston (Dundee) putting together a scratch Troop of cavalry to pursue a renegade group of raiding Apaches.His unlikely command includes Confederate POWS, Blacks, and assorted riff-raff.The Rebels are commanded by Captain Tyreen (Richard Harris) an embittered rival of Dundee from before the Civil War.The tension between these two is what makes the movie.But there are many other edgy touches that take this out of the ordinary Western genre.The tensions between the two officers are mirrowed by their men, and it is a miracle that this divided command can accomplish anything at all.In fact, nothing like this could have functioned in reality! What makes this more than just another Western flick is the fact that Dundee's command has to fight two battles at once: One against the Apache, and the other against the French in Mexico.

This film has some interesting historical background.During the American Civil War Louis Napolean III decided to exploit the events taking place in North America by installing Maximillian Von Hapsburg (an Austrian archduke) as a French Puppet ruler in Mexico.In preceeding years Mexico had run up significant debts to various European powers and this was used as pretext to intervene.Dundee's command, after destroying the Apaches mustcontend with the pursueing French.We have a classic cavalry action in which the European and American styles of cavalry fighting are shown for this period.Dundee's boys have Henry repeating rifles which gives them a massive firepower advantage over the French Lancers.They also have a small horse drawn piece of light artillery.The French Lancers are shown to be a bit cloddish in this film, in reality American cavalry in this period was little more than mounted infantry.Dundee and co. hack and shot their way throw a troop of French Lancers at the Rio Grande losing about 3/4 of their men in the process! Its total fiction, but a great finale! This skirmish is well worth the wait, there is some exciting cavalry saber and pistol action here.This is one the few films that deals with the French intervention in Mexico, although Vera Cruz and Juarez also cover this subject.

Overall, Major Dundee is a pretty great film.It was good before, but is now even better.The film does digress sometimes, and wanders astray, but the atmosphere and tension between Heston and Harris always bring it back.Some reviwers have made comparisons to the Viet Nam War, since the film came out during that time.I fail to see any analogy here!Just because the film came out around 1965 does not mean that it is social commentary on Nam! Can we as Americans ever get over this!This film is not about Nam, its about action and adventure on the Mexican border during the American Civil War.Period! The acting and production value are great.Fans of Peckenpah, Heston and Harris should love it.This is also not your typical Western which is what makes it interesting as well.Viva Dundee! ... Read more

Description

Based on the classic novel by Gunter Grass, this drama of a young boy who beats a tin drum to combat his feelings of desperation and anger during the rise of the Third Reich is as dark and disturbing as it is utterly compelling. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Amazing!
I saw this movie back in 1983. I was only 9 years old but the movie to this day left an indelible impression on me. It was sad, yet humorous. Some parts make you go a little bug-eyed but that's all part of the surrealism of this movie. The young actor who played Oskar was amazing. Obviously you could tell he was just a child but I could actually see him as an adult as the movie goes on. I'm not in the habit of seeing foreign language films. In fact, I can honestly say that I've seen only a handful of them. This was my first German language film and I can safely say it was my favorite. Buy this video. You will not regret it. Its that amazing.

When do we get the Tin Drum part 2 ?
I was attracted to this film (DVD version) having read the book. Inevitable the movie cannot accurately portray every aspect of the book and particularly this book with it's masses of minor detail and it's continuous stream of consciousness.
It does have it's moments though and the movie is as true to the book as a movie can be. Thankfully, unlike Hollywood the German moviemakers don't add syrrupy touches or a happy ending. I particularly liked the scene where Oscar's drumming hilariously disrupts the Nazi party rally. The scene begins with a miniature Nuremberg rally and culminates with the assembled storm troopers waltzing the blue Danube !
My only criticism of the overall thrust of the movie is that the rise of the Nazis and their early persecutions against the Jews are portrayed rather mildly. There is hardly any tension or any feeling of menace. Was this the intention given that the narrators and principal characters were all Germans (alongwith the moviemakers themselves) ?
My major disappointment was with the ending. We are left with a short narrative bemoaning the fate of the Kasubians "too German for the Poles, not German enough for the Germans", and then nothing. For a non-German audience details like this need some explanation. The Kasubians spoke a German dialect and were the descendents of early German settlers and Germanised Poles. In 1939 there were app 250,000 Kasubian speakers in the Danzig / East Prussia region. Grass mentions the "changing of names" by neighbours in Dog Years (no 3 in the Danzig trilogy). These people were literally making themselves become more German in the certain expectation of a Nazi victory. After the defeat the Germans of Danzig alongwith the Kasubians were forced westwards to make room for Polish newcomers.
We do not see any of Oscars's post war adventures, for me this was the best part of the book. A Tin Drum sequel is required (and at least another two and a half hours !).

One of the supreme jewels from the german cinema!
Bitter metaphor abou Oskar a three years old who decides by himself not to grow anymore just when the Nazis take the power in Germany . He beats in his drum and cries in a fierce loud crashing the windows every time he's in an anger mood. Gunter Grass literally broke the walls about the dark shadows about Germany's literature . That thought was in the mind of too many people after finnishing the WW2.
Therefore this novel reveals not only a deep conviction about the role of the artist in the world but it became a big slap in the face to many people .
The artistic movement after the WW2 in Germany was born with the guilty's syndrom . Think in music , literature and cinema world .
Karl Heinz Stockhausen, Heinrich Böll , Fassbinder , Alexander Kluge and Wolker Schlöndorff among other important voices and artists had to carry that weight on his shoulders and his mind .
However the art reacted in a brave way and gave important statements about their spiritual wounds.
This film deserved widely the Academy Award as best foreign film , being the first german movie that got it . Besides this work won the Palm'd or prize in Cannes Festival 1979 .
Add to this long list of triumphs, the splendid acting of the twelve years old actor David Bennent and countless reflections all along the film .
Simply mesmerizing!

Fantastic acting
is about all I can say in favor of this film. David Bennent, the child star, in particular gave a magnificent performance. Unfortunately, the film itself left a bad taste in my mouth.

To those reviewers who keep claiming that Oskar deliberately chose to stop growing in protest to Hitler and his Nazis, what film were YOU watching? It seems to me that people are grasping at straws to come up with the idea that Oskar was staging some sort of heroic, idealistic protest, when he did nothing of the sort. He was a sociopath. More than once during the movie, I kept thinking of Children of the Corn, or Chucky. Oskar was a creepy, sinister character, and it amazes me how people will persist in ignoring the facts and convincing themselves that he was a bright, innocent hero, just because he was a small child with big eyes.

The film had its charms and I can truthfully say that I was fascinated by it, but in the end I can't say I've gained anything from it but disturbing images and nausea. Just when you think you can't be phased by anything anymore, considering all the violence and sex in the media these days, you come across a movie like this. It seems like the director's gone out of his way to come up with things so disgusting, your mind would never have been able to imagine it on its own. And to add insult to injury, I still can't begin to fathom a meaning behind it all. If I'm going to be shown such things, I'd at least like them to have a point; in the Tin Drum, a lot of the more disgusting scenes seemed purely gratuitous.

I have a hard time believing this movie won an Academy Award. Either the competition was truly horrible, or it's come to the point where bizarre and grotesque = high art. I realize that some people think art should be subtle and cryptic, but at the same time, slapping an artsy label on something doesn't make it acceptable.

Brilliant Cinematic Experience!
Oscar Matzerath has prenatal memories as he can recollect how his grandmother and grandfather met and how his mother was born. When Oscar is born in 1924 in the free city of Danzig, based on the Treaty of Versailles (1919), the only thing that prevented him from crawling back into the safety of the uterus was hearing the promise of a tin drum on his third birthday. When Oscar's third birthday arrived he discovered adult pretense and lack of responsibility. Oscar refuses to embrace this hypocrisy as he stages an accident that prevents him from growing up. Stuck in the body of a three-year-old Oscar observes the world continue to grow mad to which he raises his objections by glass-cracking screams and frenetic drumming. Tin Drum cleverly depicts notions and ideas through allegorical visualizations such as the the drum, dead horse heads with eel and Oscar's mother overeating on fish. Many of the visual representations in the mise-en-scene are simply brilliant as they enhance the aesthetics as well as augment the intuitive thinking of the audience. However, it is the story itself that is captivating as it offers a philosophical view of mankind and history through Oscar's eyes and his constant drumming for attention when something was about to go wrong. Schlöndorff directs a brilliant film that elevates the audience's worldly awareness and forces the audience to ponder actions in regards to family, society, and the world. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante) is an American reporter living in Rome who witnesses what appears to be a murder. Trapped by a glass wall, he can't intervene, but does manage to scare off the killer. Wounded, the victim survives, and Dalmas's curiosity drives him to look further into the story, but he soon finds himself and his girlfriend in jeopardy and stalked by the would-be murderer. Director Dario Argento's debut film is a remarkable work, more restrained than many of his later films. Based on an obscure 1950s pulp novel, Bird draws heavily on Hitchcock, as well as on American novelists such as Dashiell Hammett and Cornell Woolrich.At the same time, its execution makes it a highly original, inventive, and fast-paced film that plays with the conventions of the thriller genre. As was often the casewith Hitchcock's work, Dalmas is a spectator to the original crime, reflecting the voyeuristic role of the film audience. He's an ordinary guy who unravels the circumstances of the crime until he comes across the most unlikely scenario, a device also reminiscent of Hitchcock. The score, editing, and camera work, however, give the film a distinctly Italian stamp, and established Argento as a stylish, innovative director to watch. The scene in which Dalmas is chased through the streets by a gun-toting assassin, in particular, is a little gem of suspense. Modern-day thrillers should hope to live up to this film's intelligence, energy, and intricate plot twists.--Jerry Renshaw ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Broad appeal for Argento's debut feature
Even those who don't care for writer-director Dario Argento's later baroque extravaganzas may warm to his debut feature "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" (L'Uccello dalle Piume di Cristallo, 1969), a well-received thriller in which an American writer living in Rome (Tony Musante) witnesses an assault on a woman in an art gallery and is subsequently targeted by the would-be assassin, a crazed psychopath who's been terrorizing the city with a series of brutal murders. Typical of an Argento thriller, the hapless hero's investigation unleashes a cycle of violence which culminates in a climactic unmasking that will take some viewers completely by surprise. Loosely inspired by Fredric Brown's novel 'The Screaming Mimi' (filmed under that title in 1958), Argento's first film is a fairly straightforward thriller with horror asides, anchored by a strong narrative, an increasingly bizarre series of supporting characters, and a strong Everyman hero who slots the puzzle together piece by piece before realizing that the most important clue to the killer's identity was there in front of him all the time. Musante is given excellent support by English actress Suzy Kendall as his girlfriend (the scene in which she's besieged alone in her apartment as the killer hacks through the door with a knife is truly the stuff of nightmares) and Enrico Maria Salerno as the cop charged with finding the killer before he/she strikes again.

Despite Argento's prior screenwriting credits, including significant contributions to the script of Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" (C'era una Volta il West, 1969), producers were unconvinced of his directorial abilities and wanted to pull him off the picture during the first few weeks of shooting, but Argento persevered under an iron-clad contract and ultimately proved his critics wrong with the finished product, a genuinely engrossing mystery punctuated by scenes of explicit horror. The film puts a late-1960s Italian spin on the kind of movie that Hitchcock had already popularized in America, and is leavened with the same kind of uproarious humor: Salerno gets the best line of dialogue during a police line-up when he despairs: "How many times do I have to tell you? Ursula Andress belongs with the transvestites, not the perverts!" And later, an outrageously camp antiques dealer offers a jaw-dropping description of one of the killer's former victims: "It was said she preferred women. I couldn't care less - I'm no racist, for heaven's sake!" Briskly edited by Franco Fraticelli, and featuring a brief appearance from distinctive character actor Reggie Nalder ("Mark of the Devil", "Salem's Lot") as an assassin-for-hire, "Bird" is arguably Argento's warmest, most humane thriller until "Tenebrae" (Tenebre) in 1982.

VCI's region-free DVD runs 95m 47s (not including the UMC logo at the beginning, which wasn't part of the original film) and restores all of the violence that was cut from the initial US theatrical release. The restored material is derived from a separate source - possibly VHS - and is of lesser quality than the bulk of the film, which offers a bright, colorful rendition of the Cromoscope image, slightly reframed to 2.20:1 (from the original 2.35:1), anamorphically enhanced. VCI were forced to issue a 'corrected' version of the disc when it was discovered that one of the restored sequences - the bedroom murder - had been edited incorrectly. However, both versions offer an unnecessary two-channel stereo 'enhancement' of the mono original which sounds more than a little forced and unnatural, made worse because the dialogue is badly out of sync for the duration of the movie, and while the film relies primarily on Vittorio Storaro's widescreen visuals, the audio blemish provides a hideous distraction during prolonged conversation sequences. Ennio Morricone's lilting, melancholy music score is cut off at the end, just as the last credits disappear from the screen, whereas it continued for almost another minute in the theatrical version. There's a letterboxed trailer and an audio-only soundtrack option, but no captions or subtitles of any kind.

Fast-paced and clever
There are two types of Dario Argento films: those after "Four Flies on Grey Velvet" (excluding "The Five Days of Milan," which was never released in the U.S.) and those before it. "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage," Argento's first film, belongs to the category of the before and includes the noticeable differences between the two. While the entire body of Argento's work is something to admire, his first three films are surprisingly well-plotted, given Argento's notorious lack of interest in matters of narrative structure. "Bird" begins with Sam Dalmas, an American writer living in Rome, witnessing an attempted murder in an art gallery. Though he is unable to do anything, his fortuitous arrival saves the victim from almost certain death. His passport confiscated and at first held as a suspect, Sam is told by the police that this is the fourth attack in one month. The only difference is, the victim, a beautiful woman named Monica Ranieri, was the first to survive. Troubled by the idea that he saw something that didn't quite fit, he soon begins his own investigation, putting both his life and the life of his girlfriend at great risk. Several attempts are made on their lives, and everytime Sam is able to learn of someone who might be able to help him, that person is murdered. Finally, in a double-twist ending, Argento reveals the identity of the killer in a cleverly constructed manner. A pure delight from start to finish, "Bird With the Crystal Plumage" is one of the most entertaining (if minimal) thrillers since Hitchcock. Another attribute is Argento's knack for always creating a cast of wonderfully offbeat characters. Be sure to catch Inspector Morosini's exclamation regarding the "perverts" in the line-up sequence. Black humor is equally interwoven with generous amounts of suspense to create a fast-paced and clever mystery/thriller.

A brillant debut!!!
I saw this movie after seeing many other films from the master of horror Dario Argento and I was a little scared about this one but surprisingly I found it very interesting for a first picture from a new director. The cold colors, the calculating plot and suspense keep you into a nail bitting tension from the start to the end. The only bad thing from the movie is probably the english traduction but this is very often from foreign motion pictures. It`s a must for the fans of Dario but also a great thriller for the others.

His first and arguably one of his best
I really couldn't tell you why I have yet to watch every film in Dario Argento's filmography. A few years ago it was easy to claim ignorance of many of this Italian director's important works because it was often so difficult to find any of them in an uncut form. Fortunately, DVD arrived on the scene and salivating film fans with dollars to spend prodded numerous companies to start churning out any movie they could get their hands on to satiate the masses. It wasn't too long before practically every Argento film arrived on store shelves, with many of these releases being the uncut, unrated editions. Even Troma, the flagship of flaccid filmmaking, released a so-so version of Argento's "The Stendhal Syndrome." People outside of the world of Italian horror cinema have most likely never heard of Dario Argento, unfortunately. These days, more people are familiar with the director's beautiful daughter Asia than with the horror maestro himself. What a shame. Argento's films, at least the ones I have seen, are masterpieces of style injected with truly cringe inducing gore. And to think it all started in earnest with this engaging Hitchcockian thriller, "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage." Argento and his fans never looked back, but this is an apt starting point for those unfamiliar with this director's work.

An American reporter staying in Rome witnesses a truly shattering event one evening when he sees a gruesome assault takes place inside of an art gallery. Barred from interfering with the proceedings due to huge sliding glass doors, Sam Dalmas can only look on with horror as two figures, one clad entirely in black and the other a woman, struggle with each other over a very shiny knife. The person in black flees the scene of the crime, leaving behind the hapless woman with a knife wound to the abdomen. When Dalmas does his duty by calling in the police, his story leads the officers to cast a doubtful eye on the concerned American. The police insist that Sam stay in Rome until the investigation turns up some clues, much to the consternation of Dalmas and his pretty girlfriend Julia. It seems that Sam was planning to leave Rome, but all bets are off as more murders occur that the police suspect are linked to the crime seen by Dalmas. Moreover, Julia and Sam start receiving grim phone calls from an unknown person who almost certainly is the figure behind these crimes. Our hero is in a real fix, with his only supporters being his woman and a friend who works at a museum. At least the cops start to come over to his side as the bodies pile up, especially once they listen to those eerie phone calls. A unique sound in the background of one of these calls provides the break Dalmas needs to identify the killer he saw on that fateful night. The conclusion has more twists and turns than a cyclone.

"The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" helped inaugurate the era of the Italian giallo (Italian for yellow), so named because in Italy cheap paperback crime novels came with yellow covers. These are the films with the anonymous, black-gloved killers toting gruesome looking knives while stalking their mostly female prey. The crimes are often seen from the point of view of the killer, giving the audience the impression that they are part of the heinous murders. Argento plays the giallo for all its worth here, matching this disturbing technique with a great score by the inestimable Ennio Morricone and camera work rarely seen in the horror genre. The cinematography here is simply divine, with the director including a shot from the point of view of a man falling from a tall building and an ultra cool scene where the camera points at a lighted doorway from inside a darkened room. All these elements combine to make this film a taut thriller of enormously entertaining dimensions. Moreover, of the few Argento films I have seen to date, "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" contains one of his most coherent plotlines.

Gorehounds might find themselves a bit disappointed with the lack of the trademark Argento gore (no sharp corners to bash a head against here!) in this movie, but the stellar camera work, truly creepy scenes of murder and mayhem, and the strong performances from Tony Musante as Sam Dalmas and Suzy Kendall in the Julia role more than make up for the 'PG' rating. Still, that rating made me wonder a bit about what the people at the MPAA were thinking when they viewed this picture. There is upsetting violence here, along with some truly disturbing scenes that hint at where Argento would go in the future. The way the killer caresses those weird looking blades (one of which, I am almost certain, appeared in a later Argento film called "Deep Red") and the participatory effect the audience feels during the killings makes you wonder how this movie got off with such a mundane rating.

The DVD version of "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" is strictly bare bones: you get the film and a trailer, which is good considering its relative obscurity but could have been better. As others have said, the audio is quite muzzy at times and the picture quality isn't anything to write home to mother about. After viewing this picture and a couple of other Argento films, I must say I really enjoy how these movies mess with your mind. Just when you think you know what's going on, good old Dario throws another curveball. He does this in many of his films, but he does it here for the first time. What a joy it is to watch it today!

A SUSPENSEFUL THRILLER!!!
THIS FILM HAS THE RIGHT ATMOSPHERE FOR A CREEPY THRILLER AND IT KEEPS YOU INTERESTED THROUGHOUT.
THE MOVIE ALSO FEATURES A "SURPRISE" ENDING THAT YOU PROBABLY WON'T PREDICT.
IT'S FAIRLY SAFE TO SAY THAT THIS THRILLER SUCCEEDS ON ALL LEVELS AND IS A GOOD WAY TO PASS 100 MINS. PLUS!!
I ENJOYED THIS HORROR THRILLER AS YOU WILL WHEN YOU SEE IT!!
IF YOU ENJOY THE MOVIES OF HITCHCOCK, YOU MAY ENJOY THIS FILM ALSO!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

A striking examination of the power of the police and excesses of themedia, The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum grows more pertinent every day.When the police burst into Katharina Blum's apartment, they fail to find thesuspected terrorist they've been tracking and arrest Blum for harboring afugitive. Immediately she becomes a media sensation; between the ruthlessinterrogation of the police, the even more invasive muckraking of a notorioustabloid, and harassment from the sensation-hungry public, Blum's ordinary lifeis turned inside out until she has to lash out to defend her own sanity. AGerman film made in 1975, The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum could havebeen made today in the U.S. Angela Winkler gives a compelling performance asKatharina, but the entire movie is superbly realized: suspenseful,compassionate, and shot through with dark humor. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great novel. Horrid adaptation.
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (Volker Schlondorff, 1975)

Schlondorff (The Handmaid's Tale, Homo Faber, Swann in Love, etc.) directs his and Margarthe von Trotta's adaptation of Heinrich Boll's novel, and in the process shows us a treatise on how not to make a crime film.

Katharina Blum (The Tin Drum's Angela Winkler, perhaps the only good thing about the film) suddenly finds herself pursued by the police and tabloid journalists after being linked to a terrorist (Jurgen Prochnow, who has so little screen time he never really gets a chance to act). They think she's in league with him; she claims he was a one-night stand. The movie's tension turns on the basic question of which one of them is telling the correct tale, and how much harassment Katharina is going to take before snapping.

The wonder of Boll's novel is that it takes this premise (which should be familiar to readers of Kafka's The Trial) and turns it on his head; the novel opens with the climax, then takes us back to the preceding events to make us understand how she got there. The film ignores this opening, putting the climax at the end. In order to increase the mystery factor, I guess. Problem is it doesn't. All it does is confuse the picture, so we have little idea one way or the other what's going on through most of the film. (The film is also much clearer about the question of Katharina's innocence/guilt, which takes much of the fun out of it all.)

Winkler is a fine actress, and the one thing that might make this worth watching again; everything else about it is quite pedestrian. **

Love scrutinized by ruthless media...
Lost Honor of Katharina Blum is a contemporary love story about Katharina and Ludwig who fall in love at first sight at a party. After the party Ludwig spends the night with Katharina and when Katharina wakes up in the morning the police barge into the apartment in order to arrest Ludwig who is a wanted terrorist. The police are unsympathetic to Katharina's needs and rights as they discover that Ludwig has evaded the long arm of the police. This becomes the initial step towards a long humiliating suffering for Katharina as the press and media drag her reputation through the gutter. This film is a tribute to democracy as it displays the importance of information distribution and the responsibility that the press and media carry. Lost Honor of Katharina Blum is an intricate story where love drives the plot and engages the audience. However, the simplicity of the story steers the audience toward several subplots and cerebrally engaging notions, morals, and values. This results in a brilliant cinematic experience that will keep the audience mesmerized.

a great film and an excellent dvd
What a transfer! I am really enjoying this DVD, and I highly recommend it. An example of 1970s New German Cinema, that still holds up today. Angela Winkler's silent and steady performance is so good it will rattle your bones!

Woman's life is destroyed by ruthless tabloid stories
This is one of a handful of German productions of the 1970s critically acclaimed by world cinema. "Die verlorene Ehre der Katerina Blum" tells of the seemingly innocent love affair of a young woman with a man who turns out to be a fugitive bank robber. Twisting and turning the story to make it more "readable" a tabloid reporter shamelessly destroys the woman's reputation, even leading to her arrest as an "accomplice" to the crimes committed by her "boyfriend".

The film shows in detail how the situation impacts many people, including Katerina's employers, neighbors, family memebers. All speak highly of her, yet the newspapers always manage to print distorted facts, embellishments and outright lies. The ending, though unexpected and shocking, will satisfy the viewer, who by now completely empathises with the title character who had been "railroaded" by the press for no other purpose than to sell more papers. A five star classic!***

BEWARE VIGILANTE PRESS AND POLICE
Although first released in 1975, THE LOST HONOR OF KATHARINA BLUM (Criterion) grows more relevant every day. Adapted from a political parable by Nobel Prize for literature winner Heinrich Boll (1917-1985), The Lost Honor Honor of Katharina Blum is a searing examination of the power of the Press and the State to persecute.

On the morning after a one-night stand, the police burst into Blum's apartment looking for her lover, an alleged terrorist. He is gone and Blum is arrested for aiding and hiding a fugitive. The media focus, the ruthless interrogation by the police and the greed driven feeding frenzy of the tabloid press turns Blum's life upside down. Angela Winkler gives a bold and compassionate performance as the put-upon Katharina Blum who finally explodes in defense of her own sanity. This great film, tense and meaningful, is laced with dark humor.

Extras include a new video interview with directors Volker Schlondorff and Margarethe von Trotta and master cinematographer Jost Vacano. Also, excerpts from a 1977 documentary on German author and activist Boll. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The 1980s weren't too kind to John Frankenheimer, but this film standsout as a top-notch spy thriller. A Nazi pact to steal a fortune from the Third Reich to aid Holocaust survivors results in a bizarre inheritance 40 years later, with architect Michael Caine having to come to terms with his father's past and the terrifying prospects of a Fourth Reich. The whole thing becomes a metaphor for a witches' covenant. It's exciting and well-paced and full of precious little moments (though Caine and Victoria Tennant fall short of being interesting characters). Supporting actors Mario Adorf, Michael Lonsdale, and Bernard Hepton really shine. The film wasbased on Robert Ludlum's bestseller and coscripted by George Axelrod (The Manchurian Candidate). Terrific audio commentary by the director provides valuable insight--for instance, allowing Lonsdale to carry a long exposition scene through his commanding presence. --Bill Desowitz ... Read more

Reviews (8)

The Director's Edition
Ok, rent the DVD and watch the movie straight through. Then watch it again with John Frankenheimer's audio commentary. It's the only way you can figure this thing out. He explains the plot, which is not Ludlum's complete story. And Ludlum was a very entertaining author, although I think he got paid by the word. In fact, since great chunks of the novel are missing (the ending is completely invented by the screen writers), you need the director giving you notes as you watch. I was surprised that there were 3 writerss credited with the screenplay. That's usually a bad sign to begin with.

The movie is a heck of a lot more interesting to watch with the director's notes, but it doesn't help the plot or pacing, which are deathly dull. Far too much chit-chat, and exposition, exposition, exposition.

Some of the scenes were played in a certain location simply because Frankenheimer found real locations that appealed to him and he just changed the script to accomodate his choice, even if it didn't make a darn bit of sense to the story-line. For example, the scene of the sexual carnival was added simply because Frankenheimer wanted to make a statement about the decadence of Berlin in the '20s and '30s, and for no other reason. The carnival, I learned, was Frankenheimer's total invention; it doesn't actually exist.

The scene of Caine riding a horse is there simply because Frankheimer found a restaurant in Germany with a riding area attached. The scene, however, was set in London, so London buses had to be brought in to convince you that it was London.

The scene where Michael caine says he doesn't drive wasn't in the original script. It was added to cover the fact that Michael Caine doesn't drive and never has. Does knowing this little tid-bit help you enjoy the story? Not for a second. This is sub-rate Frankenheimer.

Only Michael Caine Had Any Class (But Not Much)
It is hard to imagine how any film that stars Michael Caine and is directed by John Frankenheimer could go so wrong in so many ways. There is nothing wrong with any plot that suggests the fall of the Third Reich could lay the seeds for a future resurgent Fourth Reich, but the problem with THE HOLCROFT COVENANT is that things went fuzzy from the start. A Nazi general in Berlin in April of 1945 arranges for billions of US dollars to be used ostensibly to compensate for the atrocities of Hitler's wars of conquest and genocide. He realizes that decades must pass before his son (Caine) would grow to maturity to carry out his grand design. The film suggests, however, that the real purpose of all these billions is not philanthropic at all. There is more than a hint that this general merely used verbal chicanery in his death note to propagate a new Reich. Now if this money were truly intended to spark a new Reich, then the result would have been logical, and hence believable. It is not until the very last two minutes of the film that director Frankenheimer, with no warning, pulls a switch about the true purpose of the legacy.

Caine, of course, tries hard to pull things together, but he gives what is probably the worst performance of an otherwise glittering career. Compare his fumbling Holcroft with the sureness of his recent THE QUIET AMERICAN. It is strange to see and hear Caine look like a bumbling fool who can neither drive a car nor shoot a gun. By the end, however, he somehow matures enough to figure out a convoluted plot and clearly wants his character to be seen as suave, confident, and in control. When he tells the audience how he manages to figure this all out, his explanation makes no more sense than the rest of the plot. On a technical note, the sound track was hard to hear, and the scenes of nudity were thrown in to make sure your attention does not wander, which it did. Rent this only if you are a die-hard Caine fan.

My copy of the DVD was defective,
The DVD lacked some chunks of the movie. There was no viewer menu, no ability to navigate the scenes.

As for the show, it was pretty good. For some reason, however, the bad guys had to prove they were evil by engaging in incest. I guess Hollywood couldn't expect an audience to understand killing for money as a bad thing. The plot is somewhat corny and ripe for satire, but the movie has good production values. Michael Caine plays his role perfectly, of course.

O
I rented John Frankenheimer's "The Holcroft Covenant" back in the late-1980s when I was a big fan of Michael Caine spy movies. This movie is a disappointment.

"The Holcroft Covenant" is one of the very worst films of both actor Michael Caine and director John Frankenheimer. I couldn't make much sense out of the story. The screenplay is absolutely ludicrous. At times, the movie can't seem decide whether it wants to be a bizarre satire or a spy thriller. The superior Caine is absolutely wasted in this picture.

John Frankenheimer simply forgot how to make great movies. As a Frankenheimer film, "The Holcroft Covenant" is even worse than "Dead Bang" and "99 and 44/100% Dead." I am disappointed that the director of the unforgettable "The Manchurian Candidate" made this piece of nonsense. I don't understand why efforts were made to transfer such an inferior Frankenheimer movie from videotape to DVD when the director's vastly superior "The Iceman Cometh" hasn't yet been released to home video in ANY form.

"The Holcroft Covenant" is a failure. For a great Michael Caine spy movie, see "The Ipcress File."

Stank
This film was one confusing blob of a mess. One of the worst films I've ever seen. It made me never want to read a Ludlum novel, since that's what it was based on. When I heard an audiotape of Ludlum's memoirs, and he said how he LIKED this film, it REALLY made me never want to read one of his books. Even Michael Caine in his autobiography says that when he got on the set, he read the script more closely, only then to realize it didn't make any sense. But he was stuck, and had to film the darn thing. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Unusual life of a saint
This film is rather unusual for the life of a saint, particularly St. Francis of Assisi. It does demonstrate the inner turmoil of a man coming from a wealthy family who gives up everything to strictly follow the gospel teachings to the letter. Mickey Rourke gives an interesting and truthful performance, better than might be expected.

My question about the general tone of the production is the frontal male nudity. Was it really necessary? The first time it is used to show the stripped corpses of the losers in a battle. Wouldn't showing the bodies face down have been just as effective? The other major section shows Francis romping in the snow leaving NOTHING to the imagination. This scene could have been just as effective without showing the male private parts. The use of the nudity means that it would be impossible to show this film to younger people when it could be valuable in illustrating the humanity of a saint.

This film is much better than the Leonard Maltin review would have you believe. It avoids the Hollywood glamor and glitz to give a truer picture of the actual time of St. Francis. But the nudity is unfortunate.

Inspiring, thoughtful, beautiful film
I picked up this film while researching the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Of the several films I've seen on his life, this is the best by far. I was not familiar with Mickey Rourke or his career, but it didn't take me long to realize that he is a very gifted actor. His portrayal of St. Francis was sensitive, contolled, subtle, but when the moment called for action, he was prepared and delivered. The film as a whole was magnificent -a true example of ensemble acting at its finest. One really got the nitty-gritty feeling of life in the 12th century, just as Europe was coming out of the Dark Ages and there was an explosion of change. G. K. Chesterton's book on the saint covers this in more detail.

St. Francis and his little band of followers never intended to begin a world-wide movement of a monastic order, and his confusion, disappointment, and frustration at the response to his "rule" was palpable and heartbreaking. Each of the young men in the original group were as diverse as could be, yet they were all brought together under the loving care and friendship of Francis. The humor and antics balanced their rather grim existence and made them all the more human. There were moments of intense sadness, but also joy. Chiara's enigmatic smile at the end I will leave to your own interpretation. It was a superb touch to the ending of a stunning film.

A Much Maligned Masterpiece
I strongly believe that this is one of the top ten films of the 1980s. People tend to malign it for one of the following reasons: 1) they hate Mickey Rourke 2) they don't like the Christian themes 3) they like the Christian themes but are upset by the nudity 4) they don't like the way the film ends.

Regarding the Rourke haters, I feel they simply have no class. Mickey Rourke's career followed much the same path as Errol Flynn's, which is reason to malign him personally but not his work. Rourke in his heyday had a charisma and screen personality that rivaled Valentino, Flynn, or Bogart. Regarding the anti-Christians, you don't have to be a believer to enjoy the story of a remarkable man. As for the prudists, the nudity is brief and natural, nothing tasteless. Finally, as for the ending, in real life people who later were "sainted" (like Francesco d'Asisi) or "deified" (like Jesus) did not get carried away by angels. They experienced failures and then they died, often miserably and alone, just like everyone else. This film presented that cold reality much like it probably happened; that is precisely what makes it so poignant and relevant.

As for Rourke's performance, I thought it was brilliant, especially in the latter scenes. And Helena Bonham Carter is a first rate actress, of that there can be no serious discussion. The fact that Mickey Rourke later went on to drink away his career and take stupid roles is no fair reason to malign this film. Would you also malign Sir Laurence Olivier's Henry V because he later played Zeus in the awful Harry Hamlin feature, Clash of the Titans? Let him who hath never sinned cast the first stone against this film! (and let's get a reprint fired up...)

St. Francis is martyred a second time......
I typically like Mickey Rourke, at least in his earlier (pre-90s) films but let's face it, he is a better Satan than Saint.
It is a shame the story of the life of one of the most intriguing men in history is put across in a disjointed storyline.
To make matter worse, Rourke provides none of the subtly in the character of Francesco to show inner growth, the gradual "conversion of the heart." It takes subtly in acting: not so much in what is said, but what is not said. And even when Rourke talks, the dialogue stiff, he seems uncomfortable, stilted (trying to stifle a Brooklyn accent?) In short, Rourke stinks. Perhaps he was directed badly.
The plot needs better flow. The viewers are bouncing all over the place, we're not sure how Francesco gets to the visit with the Pope and back, among other things.
Good idea. Poorly done.
If you've got to see it, rent it.

If you Love God and Spiritual Truth, Watch this Movie
i looked at the other reviews, and they seemed to come from unenlightened beings. How can any one who hasn't seen the light comment on anything to do with spiritual truth. This movie is extraordinarily well done and highly inspirational. Anyone on anykind of spiritual path should see this. i have a new found love for the Christian tradition because of this movie. ... Read more

Description

Based on the classic novel by Gunter Grass, this drama of a young boy who beats a tin drum to combat his feelings of desperation and anger during the rise of the Third Reich is as dark and disturbing as it is utterly compelling. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Amazing!
I saw this movie back in 1983. I was only 9 years old but the movie to this day left an indelible impression on me. It was sad, yet humorous. Some parts make you go a little bug-eyed but that's all part of the surrealism of this movie. The young actor who played Oskar was amazing. Obviously you could tell he was just a child but I could actually see him as an adult as the movie goes on. I'm not in the habit of seeing foreign language films. In fact, I can honestly say that I've seen only a handful of them. This was my first German language film and I can safely say it was my favorite. Buy this video. You will not regret it. Its that amazing.

When do we get the Tin Drum part 2 ?
I was attracted to this film (DVD version) having read the book. Inevitable the movie cannot accurately portray every aspect of the book and particularly this book with it's masses of minor detail and it's continuous stream of consciousness.
It does have it's moments though and the movie is as true to the book as a movie can be. Thankfully, unlike Hollywood the German moviemakers don't add syrrupy touches or a happy ending. I particularly liked the scene where Oscar's drumming hilariously disrupts the Nazi party rally. The scene begins with a miniature Nuremberg rally and culminates with the assembled storm troopers waltzing the blue Danube !
My only criticism of the overall thrust of the movie is that the rise of the Nazis and their early persecutions against the Jews are portrayed rather mildly. There is hardly any tension or any feeling of menace. Was this the intention given that the narrators and principal characters were all Germans (alongwith the moviemakers themselves) ?
My major disappointment was with the ending. We are left with a short narrative bemoaning the fate of the Kasubians "too German for the Poles, not German enough for the Germans", and then nothing. For a non-German audience details like this need some explanation. The Kasubians spoke a German dialect and were the descendents of early German settlers and Germanised Poles. In 1939 there were app 250,000 Kasubian speakers in the Danzig / East Prussia region. Grass mentions the "changing of names" by neighbours in Dog Years (no 3 in the Danzig trilogy). These people were literally making themselves become more German in the certain expectation of a Nazi victory. After the defeat the Germans of Danzig alongwith the Kasubians were forced westwards to make room for Polish newcomers.
We do not see any of Oscars's post war adventures, for me this was the best part of the book. A Tin Drum sequel is required (and at least another two and a half hours !).

One of the supreme jewels from the german cinema!
Bitter metaphor abou Oskar a three years old who decides by himself not to grow anymore just when the Nazis take the power in Germany . He beats in his drum and cries in a fierce loud crashing the windows every time he's in an anger mood. Gunter Grass literally broke the walls about the dark shadows about Germany's literature . That thought was in the mind of too many people after finnishing the WW2.
Therefore this novel reveals not only a deep conviction about the role of the artist in the world but it became a big slap in the face to many people .
The artistic movement after the WW2 in Germany was born with the guilty's syndrom . Think in music , literature and cinema world .
Karl Heinz Stockhausen, Heinrich Böll , Fassbinder , Alexander Kluge and Wolker Schlöndorff among other important voices and artists had to carry that weight on his shoulders and his mind .
However the art reacted in a brave way and gave important statements about their spiritual wounds.
This film deserved widely the Academy Award as best foreign film , being the first german movie that got it . Besides this work won the Palm'd or prize in Cannes Festival 1979 .
Add to this long list of triumphs, the splendid acting of the twelve years old actor David Bennent and countless reflections all along the film .
Simply mesmerizing!

Fantastic acting
is about all I can say in favor of this film. David Bennent, the child star, in particular gave a magnificent performance. Unfortunately, the film itself left a bad taste in my mouth.

To those reviewers who keep claiming that Oskar deliberately chose to stop growing in protest to Hitler and his Nazis, what film were YOU watching? It seems to me that people are grasping at straws to come up with the idea that Oskar was staging some sort of heroic, idealistic protest, when he did nothing of the sort. He was a sociopath. More than once during the movie, I kept thinking of Children of the Corn, or Chucky. Oskar was a creepy, sinister character, and it amazes me how people will persist in ignoring the facts and convincing themselves that he was a bright, innocent hero, just because he was a small child with big eyes.

The film had its charms and I can truthfully say that I was fascinated by it, but in the end I can't say I've gained anything from it but disturbing images and nausea. Just when you think you can't be phased by anything anymore, considering all the violence and sex in the media these days, you come across a movie like this. It seems like the director's gone out of his way to come up with things so disgusting, your mind would never have been able to imagine it on its own. And to add insult to injury, I still can't begin to fathom a meaning behind it all. If I'm going to be shown such things, I'd at least like them to have a point; in the Tin Drum, a lot of the more disgusting scenes seemed purely gratuitous.

I have a hard time believing this movie won an Academy Award. Either the competition was truly horrible, or it's come to the point where bizarre and grotesque = high art. I realize that some people think art should be subtle and cryptic, but at the same time, slapping an artsy label on something doesn't make it acceptable.

Brilliant Cinematic Experience!
Oscar Matzerath has prenatal memories as he can recollect how his grandmother and grandfather met and how his mother was born. When Oscar is born in 1924 in the free city of Danzig, based on the Treaty of Versailles (1919), the only thing that prevented him from crawling back into the safety of the uterus was hearing the promise of a tin drum on his third birthday. When Oscar's third birthday arrived he discovered adult pretense and lack of responsibility. Oscar refuses to embrace this hypocrisy as he stages an accident that prevents him from growing up. Stuck in the body of a three-year-old Oscar observes the world continue to grow mad to which he raises his objections by glass-cracking screams and frenetic drumming. Tin Drum cleverly depicts notions and ideas through allegorical visualizations such as the the drum, dead horse heads with eel and Oscar's mother overeating on fish. Many of the visual representations in the mise-en-scene are simply brilliant as they enhance the aesthetics as well as augment the intuitive thinking of the audience. However, it is the story itself that is captivating as it offers a philosophical view of mankind and history through Oscar's eyes and his constant drumming for attention when something was about to go wrong. Schlöndorff directs a brilliant film that elevates the audience's worldly awareness and forces the audience to ponder actions in regards to family, society, and the world. ... Read more