Reviews (25)

Not Du Maurier and Not On Par With Hitchcock
When I first heard of this production on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre, I was thrilled with anticipation regarding how it would be played. Would it rival Hitchcock's masterpiece? Would it be marketed as a romantic escape?

Unfortunately, althought this version of Du Maurier's classic follows the book very closely and is over 2 hours longer than the original 1940s film, it just doesn't measure up to either Hitchcock or the book. Hitchcock downplays Du Maurier's portrayal of the strange relationship between men and women. Men are omnipotent---women, merely serve. Rebecca, too strong must go. Hitchcock plays up the Gothic touches with fog, music and a weakly played Max De Winter. The nameless heroine gathers strength as Rebecca is revealed to be intrinsically evil. But this is not Du Maurier's 'Rebecca'. In the book there is no win in the ending---the heroine simply remains a caretaker as she was in the beginning of the novel; her charge has changed from Mrs. Van Hopper to Maxim. The couple drifts like sad wanderers from place to place; as Du Maurier puts it, "There is no resurrection." In this adaptation and in Hitchcock, love seems to conquer all---an idea completely alien and misunderstood by most readers of Du Maurier.

First and foremost, the girl playing the narrator is not gauche or dependent enough--she has too much spunk and sparkle lurking behind the lank hair and the school girl dresses. Fontaine was ever so much more desperate to please as I think Du Maurier's heroine was meant to be. Du Maurier doesn't even give her a name. Dame Diana Rigg is an equally austere Mrs Danvers, but her portrayal is much too sad, not malicious enough and definitely suggests a [physical] attraction to her former mistress which seems mournful rather than simply obsessive like DuMaurier's character in the novel or Dame Anderson's character in Hitchcock's film. Charles Dance is not as taut nerved as Olivier, but he passes as an okay Max DeWinter with perhaps a third of Olivier's charm. Still, he comes off as weak as does Olivier in Hitchcock's version---neither fully portraying the strong silent brooding character of Maxim in the book. Lastly, giving Rebecca a voice and a body, is a mistake. Du Maurier's book is so compelling simply because we don't know anything about Rebecca and hence can envision whatever femme fatale we choose--the real Rebecca is a ghost; she remains a mystery to the very end--we don't know if she is really malevolent---we only have Maxim's word--or excuse for his own violent actions. We don't even understand her motives fully even after the production moves to the final scene at Manderley.

Nevertheless, if you simply love everything 'Rebecca', you will at least like this version, but, I guarantee it will provoke you to find a copy of the Hitchcock version at your local rental store or better yet a worn copy of the book at your library!

Certainly awesome
I watched this movie only after I read the book by Daphe Du Maurier several times at different ages. I am glad to say that it was very close to what I had imagined while I read the book. I certainly feel 3 hours are required for doing justice to the book. Though, it would have been much better had they spent more time showing how Maxim de Winter and the narrator fall in love in Monte Carlo. I feel that was too hurried and several details were left out. The last part where Max de Winter tries to save Danvers from the burning Manderley ought to have been avoided as it wasn't part of the story and only added melodrama.

The cast for this second version with Charles Dance, Emilia Fox and Diana Rigg couldn't have been better. The perfect English looking Charles Dance is the only one who could portray the reserved, austre and noble Max de Winter. I feel the difference in age between Max De Winter and the narrator was very accurately portrayed in the film. An older, more mature looking man was very vital for this role. Though the book says that Maxim was about twice the age of the young narrator, around 40, I always imagined Maxim to look older than that with all the fear and suffering he had undergone. Olivier certainly was not cut for this role in Hitchcock's version. I think Emilia Fox was also great with her lost, shy look.

I feel this version is probably the closest it can get to the book and the characters. The cast chosen was the best by far.

great !
A film highly recommended for Diana Rigg friends and fans. I like most. Terrific and great play Dame Diana !!

Love this movie but I too wish Hollywood would do a version
I liked this version of the movie much better than the original 1940's version; and it certainly does justice to the book. But I would love it if Hollywood did a version with Ralph Fiennes as Maxim, Jillian Anderson as Mrs. DeWinter (because she has those big doe eyes), Maggie Smith as Mrs. Danvers, and shown as the ghost of Rebecca, Madoline Stowe. The Rebecca in the current version is not mean and brooding enough.

I wish...
if only holleywood would undertake a newer modern version of this film. I've read the novel, and I like that this movie shows us a bit about rebecca. When reading the book I pictured Hugh Jackman as a wonderful Maximilian and Julie Benz as the ghostlike Rebecca with flashbacks to this mystery woman. I know it sounds strange, but I really feel they should remake this film. Maybe get Tim Burton to do it or something? :)
It was overall dissapointing. I hope they shall redo this someday. My friends agree with me on the casting though if it should ever be made. ... Read more

Description

In Out of the Ashes, one woman is forced to choose between two horrifying acts of evil, and ultimately finds the courage to make the right choice.Based on actual events that occurred during World War II that chronicles the life of Dr. Gisella Perl, a woman who lost her entire family and was forced to start life over in America. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Powerful
This is a not-to-be-missed movie. Exceptionally moving and powerful. Lahti is extraordinarily wonderful in her portrayal of Dr. Perl. Ultimately, this is a movie about life, hope, atonement, and courage.

A Dark and Moving Moment of History and Consequences
OUT OF THE ASHES was released last year as a film for television and fortunately it is now available on DVD for extended audience exposure. Directed by Joseph Sargent and based on the autobiography of Dr. Gisella Perl, this film is about the survival of a physician (Dr. Perl) so compassionate in her dedication to her fellow inmates at Auschwitz that, knowing pregnant Jews were among the first to be cremated in the Nazi ovens, knowingly performed numerous abortions and in doing so saved the lives of countless women. As if her rigors of survival in the concentration camps and her loss of her family to the Nazis weren't enough, she immigrated to the United States for refuge, served in menial medical tasks until she was able to take and pass her exams for medical licensure only to face a panel of folk who declare her a criminal for her role in the concentration camps and make every attempt to prevent her from practicing medicine in the USA. How she survives all of this constitutes the message of this powerful film, but to divulge the ending would diminish the impact for the new viewer. As Dr. Perl, Christine Lahti (one of our most underused and finest actresses) gives a wholly credible, sensitive portrayal: her character remains etched on our minds long after the film is finished. Also in this excellent cast are Richard Crenna, Bruce Davidson, and Beau Bridges among many others in small but pungent roles. Highly recommended.

Christine Lathi Gives A Moving and Powerful Performance
This made-for-tv movie by Showtime is based on the autobiography of Dr. Gisella Perl, a Holocaust Survivor who lost her husband, her son, and along with her entire family when they were deported to Auschwitz from Hungary in 1944. Ms. Lahti give a powerful pand moving erformance portraying Dr. Perl who risked her life to secretly perform abortions on expectant mothers to save them from being sent to the gas chambers at Auschwitz only to have her actions questioned later on when she is attempting to gain citizenship and be able to practice medicine in America. Ms. Lahti turns in an outstanding performance and this is one movie not to be missed. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

ADULTRY, LIES, PROFANITY and THEFT
This movie is shameful to say the lest! If you like Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensiblity, Mansfield Park, The Girl is not a romantic story at all. Movie will be a waste of time and money.
Hannah is a thief from the very beginning as a child, she commits adultry, profanity is used throughout the movie every now and then. Not worth seeing, but you judge for yourself
Be warned!

Totally amazing!
Wow - this movie is just fantastic. Siobhan Flynn is amazing as Hannah. She is beautiful, passionate and wonderful and you find yourself hoping she will find happiness in this epic story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Siobhan Flynn just tears up the screen and makes it look easy the whole time as the young girl in love. Miss Flynn is obviously destined to be a great star.

The Girl
A must see film! A few changes from the book but the characters and plot are wonderful! Hannah(Siobhan Flynn)you just root for from the begining to end. Hannah grows from a meek young girl to a splendidly beautiful woman. She overcomes many hardships and challanges in her quest for happiness. Ned Ridley(Jonathan Cake) is the very handsome and proud "bad boy" you just can't help but fall in love with. Who, unknown to Hannah, is her "knight in shining armor". The settings, costumes and scenery are beautiful as are Ned and Hannah! The English countryside is just breath taking in the film. All the cast is very convincing in their roles in the film. But, in the end, it's the casting of Hannah and Ned that makes you want to meet Siobhan Flynn and Jonathan Cake. I loved their preformance.

high school wana be gets popular rock guy
this movie is one of a kind it was very deep and moving high school girl falles hoplessly in love with town rock star who has had every willing girl in town but she changes him then says good bye .

the girl
This movie was one of the best that I have seen lately. Hannah was just a character that you loved. She was wonderful when she realized that she loved Ned. Ned was just so tormented in the beginning and transformed by his love for Hannah. I just wich I could find the book to read. ... Read more

Reviews (83)

Strong showing from God.
Finally a movie that has the courage to tell the REAL story! I found the movie's unabashed historical accurancy to be quite refreshing. It offers a necessary corrective to the biased one- sided account that Genesis has been stuffing down our throats since 54 A.D. Jon Voight, although a little young for his part (though only by 540 years), gave a performance that was Oscar-worthy, his presence electrifying, both on-screen and off. God's confused and feeble voice really gave him a human touch. The decision to include the oft overlooked insanity of Noah's family's was a welcome and refreshing interperation of what went on those long 150 days of the prevailing waters. To its credit the movie did have some pirates, but it could have used about 20-25 more, approximately. The question is not whether this movie will change the way people read the Bible, but when.

"And He did suffer Noah to wear a parrot on his head and evil spirits did infest Noah's soul with insanity for 20 days and 20 nights." (Genesis 27:40).

Let's Rewrite the Bible
NBC created a two-part epic of the story of Noah's Ark. It was created by the team that did Merlin and Alice in Wonderland but will probably be remembered as being by the same people who did The Tempest. It was really bad.

Just how bad the show was can probably be summed up by saying that in one scene Noah greeted Lot. For those a little rusty on their Old Testament, Noah can be found in Genesis chapter 6 while Lot is Genesis chapter 19. This epic opened with the tale of Lot (minus Abraham) and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (also minus Abraham).

One thing that really puzzled me about this production was the way the locals kept treating Noah as if he were a fool. This puzzles me because the locals all knew that Noah had the only farm in the land where anything would grow. So would frustrated and hungry farmers merely laugh at Noah or would they hate him and raid his farm? I was also amused when some of the locals began quoting Shakespeare. At another point a Michael Palin look-alike runs up dressed in rags and with a long scraggly beard and says, "Its." A brief moment of humor for Monty Python fans but I don't know why it was in there.

But the writers of Noah's Ark did take from one good source, mainly the Broadway musical Two by Two starring Danny Kaye. Unfortunately the stolen scene was one of Noah's sons claiming the Ark was not finished because it did not have a rudder. Now if he were right and the Ark needed a rudder then God made a mistake. But it would also meant that Noah's son would have to be strong enough to operate a rudder on a boat three-hundred cubits in length. But the ark was built by God and not Noah. The writers also kept pushing the idea that an ark is a boat. No, but Noah's Ark took the form of a boat. An ark is simply a sacred container for the safe storage of something precious. Any fan of Indiana Jones knows that (or did he dig up a boat in Tannis?).

This production is available on video and DVD and my recommendation is that it should be avoided.

Horrible : The worst biblical film I have ever seen
I should have known from the opening scene this movie was going to be a disaster; there was a message " WE HAVE TAKEN POETIC LICENSE IN THE CREATION OF THIS FILM". That was an understatement. The movie twisted all the facts, timeframes etc that were in the bible. For example, having Noah deal with Sodom & Gomorrah???? What bible were they reading to create this movie? This movie was not inspired and it shows. I threw this DVD in the garbage can. Do not buy this movie it is worthless.

About time
The living word of god is finally made manifest in this film for the ages. The movie was refreshingly devoid of the obsequiety with which the creator is portrayed in so many other works. It was about time Hollywood got away from the likes of "Braveheart" and tells the story as it really happened.

YET ANOTHER TITLE FOR BAD MOVIE NIGHT...
Religiously, this movie is so way off-base that your jaw will drop in disbelief at what goes on within the script (such as God abandoning Noah during the flood because He needs time to "think" about the fate of the human race, or admitting to Noah that He sometimes makes mistakes, too). But, hey, the movie's been made and the damage is already done. As a putrid piece of celluloid fluff, this one ranks up there with other bad movies like "Can't Stop The Music" and "Xanadu". It's perfect for Bad Movie Night, if you're into that sort of thing. The plot line is flimsy, the special effects are cheap, and the acting is bad. The movie did elicit a few chuckles, but I don't think that was the producers' intention. Some scenes are downright ludicrous, such as when Noah and his wife try to find one good person in Sodom. They settle on Lot who, although he participated in a drunken feast and orgy earlier in the movie (offscreen, thankfully), is chosen ONLY because he's Noah's best friend. This is how they pick people to be saved from the wrath of God! Or when Noah gets help from God after complaining that he'll never get the Ark finished in time for the flood; he wakes up with what looks like the lumber yard at Home Depot (didn't know they had 2 X 4's in those days?...you do now!). Or why Noah and his wife have American accents, while their three sons have British accents, which they still have well into their early 20's! The inaccuracies go on and on. One thing that must be mentioned is that this is a heavily edited version of the original that appeared on TV: gone are the flood-surviving fireball-throwing pirates (fireballs in a wooden ship, go figure!), the anti-pre-marital sex gorilla, the obnoxiously stupid talking puppet made from an orange, and the (unintnetional) hysterically funny pooping koala blooper scene. So what's left is a story that rushes through everything and gets nothing accomplished. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The BBC adaptation of Anne Bronte's moral tale The Tenant of Wildfell Hall will be a delight to those who revel in classics brought to the screen. Tara Fitzgerald stars as Helen Graham, a secretive woman who seeks independence for herself and her son from her cruel husband, Arthur Huntingdon. Huntingdon, a rake taken with women and drink, is played to perfection by Rupert Graves, believable as both the young lover who seduces Helen and as the depraved and brutish man he becomes. Toby Stephens is Gilbert Markham, the suspicious yet adoring yeoman farmer smitten with the supposed widow. The scenery and costumes of this period piece are lush, although the use of flashback as a narrative device is at times jarring. This tale is darker than the Jane Austen adaptations that BBC audiences are used to, yet the two-part film has an ending satisfying enough for even the most cynical of romantics. --Jenny Brown ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Branwell couldn't have been THIS bad.
Branwell couldn't have been THIS bad.

In studying the Bronte sisters I find it universally accepted that any male bad-behavior demonstrated in their writings was based upon their experience with brother Branwell's decline and fall due to drink and drugs (opium/laudanum (noun circa 1603
any of various formerly used preparations of opium)). In 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall', his sister Anne has penned what has been called a ..."response to Emily's Wuthering Heights" showing, I suppose, the proper reaction to such bad behavior as exhibited by Heathcliff. In 'Tenant', Anne's heroine flees in horror and hides out, attempting to support herself and raise her son away from the monster she married. In this terrific production I felt there might have been some censoring of his bad acts but as I have not yet read Anne's novel I cannot be sure. It did raise some questions for me though. There is some dispute about the cause of Branwell's disgrace. Was he dismissed from Thorp Green for seducing his student's mother, as Gaskell believes? Or did he attempt to seduce (or even succeed in seducing) his student, the young boy he was tutoring? Or, as 'Tenant' suggests to me, did he seduce the boy into use of drink and/or drugs. I think this last guess to be the most likely and in viewing this production you may come to agree. Anne was there when he was disgraced. She must have heard all of what he'd done, though she would breathe no word of it. And all she would say was that it was "..undreamed of experience" of life.

TERRIBLE
If you are a true Bronte fan. You will not want to watch this movie. I checked it out at my local library expecting something on the lines of Sense and Sensibilityand soon discoveredthat the producers must have lost all sense during the production of this movie. What were they thinking?!! This is not Ann Bronte, it's a producer/director using the name of a book and writing his own story! I couldn't even finish the movie, it was too awful, the flashbacks were bizarre, and finally when it shows her with her "husband" "romancing" it was too much for this Victorian. After a while you began to count the minutes in between the conversation and people walking around on the screen looking bored! BBC should try reading the books first, that way they can end up with widows, notprostitutes as the heriones of their next movie.

Dark but Enjoyable!
I saw this on masterpiece theater and immediately bought the book.Anne Bronte' was a woman before her time.She was outspoken at a time when women were always to be quiet and dutiful no matter what their circumstances.

The video keeps to the meat of the story which is dark and mysterious.The casting was top notch and the scene locations were wonderful as expected with a BBC production.The video and the book are must for any media collection.

"He only wants for guidance."
In this excellent BBC adaptation of Anne Bronte's novel, an attractive young woman and her young son move into long-neglected Wildfell Hall. The woman (Tara Fitzgerald), Mrs. Helen Graham, claims to be a widow who is forced to make her living as an artist.Some of the local families try to befriend her, but they find Mrs. Graham to be abrasive and unfriendly. Local farmer, Gilbert Markham (Toby Stephens) is attracted to Mrs. Graham, and this does not escape the jealous eye of local lass, Eliza Millwood. Soon spiteful rumours abound about Mrs. Graham and her relationship to her landlord, Mr. Lawrence. Mrs. Graham tells Giles the truth about the past--including her desperate need for secrecy regarding her true identity. It seems that Mrs. Graham is really Mrs. Huntingdon--the wife of a dissolute rake who leads a life of debauchery in his constant pursuit of pleasure.

One of the reasons I enjoy "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" so much is it clearly depicts Victorian notions of womanhood. Bronte, however, through the characters and the story shows the absurdity and unfairness of the woman's role. Helen Huntingdon embodies the Victorian ideal of "the Angel in the House" and certainly Huntingdon expects angelic behaviour from her--no matter what abuse rains down on her head. Huntingdon thinks himself above criticism, and yet he holds Helen to the highest standard. He's a petty bully with a penchant for gratuitous cruelty. While he criticizes Helen's housekeeping abilities, her performance as a wife and as a mother, he also calls her "half mortal, half angelic." Helen embodies this perfect Victorian ideal, but we see the absurdity of her sacrifices as Huntingdon tramples on Helen's "delicate goodness" again and again. Bronte's book was a scandal when it was published in 1848, and while this adaptation no longer has the ability to make the average viewer swoon, nonetheless, there is great power to this story.

Fans of the novel should be happy with this adaptation. It is perfectly cast--even in the fairly minor roles. The photography is stunning, the costumes marvelous, and a haunting score accompanies the drama. There are several very clever camera shots. In one scene, the camera sweeps slowly and lovingly along the curve of Helen's shoulders, and in some scenes, the camera appears to take a bird's eye view of ballroom dancers. Tara Fitzgerald is always wonderful in these period piece roles. As Mrs. Graham/Huntingdon, she has a veneer of coldness, and Markham at first finds her "too hard, too sharp, too bitter." Helen Huntingdon's character is explored very well in the flashbacks of her awful married life to Arthur Huntingdon. Toby Stephens as Markham is in complete contrast to Huntingdon (Rupert Graves). Markham plays a solid, genuine lover--conscious of his social inferiority to the Huntingdons. Rupert Graves is an old hand with these sorts of roles, and he really does a spectacular job as Huntingdon--a man who's used to using his boyish charm to get what he wants, and yet the most unpleasant side of him shows after Helen is at his mercy while he runs with his pack of equally dissolute friends. Huntingdon delivers some of the very best lines in the film. Bronte fans, and BBC costume drama fans should be equally delighted with this production. The video is 160 minutes long, and it's worth every penny--displacedhuman

I'm Wanting to See This Wonderful Movie Transferred to DVD!
I haven't read the Anne Bronte classic novel yet but I saw this movie version of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall on cable one day and this is one of the first British period costume mini series that I ever watched and I liked it a lot! It is a wonderful movie with some very good acting from the whole cast. Tara FitzGerald and Toby Stephens are excellent but I think Rupert Graves gives a standout performance and I very greatly recommend this movie and I'm hoping it will be transferred to DVD! I'm also thinking about reading the classic novel! ... Read more