Reviews (6)

Try to get hold of the uncut version
Why the studio would decide to release this version is beyond my understanding. I bought this version by mistake several months ago while looking for the full version. I purchased one full-length version from ebay not long ago at a very good price and am very happy to own it (the UK 3,5 hours VHS PAL full version is deleted and you can only hope to buy it secondhand). It is as one reviewer said 'a mind boggling' thriller and lots of cuts were made that are important to the plot.

Three stars for this version, because it has been cut to shreds. The uncut version deserves its full five stars. 3,5 hours of film as opposed to the 2 hours cut version, you can imagine missing a lot of suspense!

Fascinating and truly suspenseful
I didn't see the original, so I wasn't disappointed by not seeing the full-length version. (But this version is so good that I can see how it must be disappointing to those who got to see a couple more hours of it.) This is an excellent production, with fine acting by everyone. It's fascinating to see how Eddie Myers seduces so many of the people around him. I really had no idea how it was going to end, and had a clenched stomach for the last 10 minutes. I've seen very few movies that did that to me. I'd say it's some of Timothy Dalton's best work.

Great mini-series - but don't buy this version!!
Framed is one of Timothy Dalton's best pieces of work. But this version has been cut to shreds. The original is four hours long. With this DVD, half the film is missing and it was not padding they cut. If you can find the full version, then great, buy it. Just don't purchase the two hour version.

Where is the rest?!
I am a fan of Timothy Dalton and was elated to see this movie being released for I have both a copy off of A&E tv and
a copy of the orginial via a good friend but when I played this I was simply heartbroken!! DVD's can hold so much more so why did they release such a version? The plot is very hard to follow and the movie doesn't flow like it did in the full version! If you can somehow obtain this version from British TV or the A&E copy by all means go for that and see what you are missing!

Cutting Room Floor
yes, this version has been cut, cut a lot! I don't know how I would react to this version if I weren't so familiar with the original. I miss the missing footage. It added texture to a work that is now little more than plot. Why do this on DVD? and to a character driven film? The original is more than twice as long as this version.I long for the original. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The chemistry between Leonor Varela, who stars as the bewitching queen Cleopatra, and Billy Zane, as the steadfast Marc Antony, is undeniable. Their love scene is one of the steamiest to hit network television. However, once you move beyond this couple's sexual energy, the movie tends to droop, leaning toward the lackluster.

The tale of Cleopatra has hit the screen in many guises, but none have succeeded as well as Cecil B. DeMille's 1934 film. Here, director Franc Roddam tries once again to tell the story of the exotic queen who won the hearts of both Julius Caesar (Timothy Dalton) and Antony, while reigning over a troubled country. But how do you tell such an epic in a mere 140 minutes? Obviously, much is left out, making this film more worthwhile as a pleasant diversion than a real history lesson. The sets are quite remarkable for a TV movie, but unfortunately, the acting and dialogue leave something to be desired. Cleopatra comes across as a bratty child rather than an intelligent and manipulative seductress. Surely this tremendous queen had more going on in her life than her romances with Romans, but you wouldn't know it from this movie. Zane is the best part of the film, although his constant do-good boyishness can grate. Dalton is adequate as Caesar, although he seems to have a hard time taking the role seriously. Yet, for all its flaws, the action moves swiftly and while the battle scenes may leave you cringing with embarrassment for the director, the rest of this carefully staged piece is beautiful to look at. If you really want to know about the Queen of the Nile, though, you may be better off with A&E's Biography: Cleopatra or the Intimate Portrait: Cleopatra. --Jenny Brown ... Read more

Reviews (76)

A well done movie.
Many people criticize the lack of historical accuracy in this production, and understandably so. However, if you do not take a historical viewpoint and view the movie as you would view any other romance-tear jerker, you would realize that it is well done and the actors and actresses have done a superb job. It seems that by now people would realize that the last place you should go to for historical accuracy is a made for t.v. movie. Reading other reviews, I become slightly annoyed with other's disgust with Cleopatra. Their main argument was that, hisorically speaking, the movie was extremely off base and the characters were poorly portrayed. I would ask anyone watching this movie to keep in mind that the producers, directors, and actors who participated in this production were targeting a general audience. Unfortunately, the general audience is composed of people who merely want to be entertained, not educated. This movie accomplishes it's purpose, to entertain, which makes me believe that it is worthwhile. Congratulations to Billy Zane and Timothy Dalton for a job well done in portraying two of Rome's most famous characters: Marc Antony and Julius Caesar. Leonor Varela, while her Cleopatra was not the one whom I have come to know and love so well from history books and biographies, seems to have taken a lot of grief for her performance. I believe that she suffered from poorly written dialogue (the writers disregarded the real Cleopatra's intelligence and wit) and carried her part well. In short, I award this movie four stars. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would like to see the actors and actresses receive more credit for their performances, as they all did excellent jobs.

An epic of grand scale!
This movie was amazing, especially for being made for TV. Great, wonderful, awesome... all of the above.

Thrilling drama
Dramas based on history, usually are not historically accurate. This movie is not less historically accurate that Shakespeare's Julius Caesar or Anthony and Cleopatra.
The fact is that it is a thrilling drama, with steamy romance, gripping action and intrigue.
It is probably true from the evidence that Cleopatra was not an extremely beautiful woman, which leads some to fault the casting of the gorgeous Leonora Varela.
But it is totally unfair to fault Leonora as an actress. She is a fantastic actress, and it is great to watch her Cleopatra. Indeed, who could not fall in love with Leonora Varela's Cleopatra? So what if she is not Elizabeth Taylor (she is rather more beautiful than Elizabeth Taylor)

The truth is that Cleopatra in reality was, no doubt, an unscrupulous, and scheming woman, and if anything the casting of the lovely Leonora, in her very sensually charged portrayal of this role, makes me more sympathetic to her character.
I hope to see much more of Leonora, she'd make a great Osnat, the wife of the Yosef, the Hebrew who rose to become Prince of Egypt, Queen Esther of the Purim story, or Pocahontas.

Timothy Dalton as always, was his grand self and added the required force to the role of Julius Caesar, and Billy Zane knew how to do a great Mark Anthony.

I thought some particularly memorable scenes are where Cleopatra shows some skill with weapons in defending herself from would-be-assassins, the portrayal of the Roman Senate, the rally after Caesar's assasination where Mark Anthony swears revenge against Caesar's murderers and enflames the crowd against Brutus , Cassius and company , and the recreation of Alexandria.
Octavian is well displayed as a scheming, power-player, and whoever had the idea of him presenting Brutus' head to Mark Anthony in a basket.

And a nice role played by Kassandra Voyagis as Cleopatra's short lived sister Arsinoe. I was sad to see her go like that, and it certainly showed Cleopatra's cruel side.

Best "Cleo" Yet
This is the best Cleo on the market. Exotic sets & scenery, steamy love scenes. The script is sameoldsameold, but what can you do with this story? The beauty in the title role sends Liz back to Beverly Hills, & the acting level of these two stars is about even.

One Awesome Movie
I orginally saw this movie on tv but I missed a lot of it. I was really interested in seeing the entire movie so I bought the DVD. Trust me it was worth it. I love the costumes that they used in the movie and Leonor Varela isa great actress. She was perfect for the role as Cleopatra. I recommend this movie to everyone. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Absurd but delightful cmic fantasy
Brook Shields plays newspaper reporter Brenda Starr, the glamorous heroine of a strip cartoon drawn by a slightly wet but amiable artist, who somehow manages to draw himself into the strip and finds himself sharing her adventures as they try to find a missing professor who has developed a secret formula to replace petrol and who is also being pursued by various baddies (well, something like that anyway). The artist naturally has a crush on the glamorous Brenda, but romantic compications occur when gorgeous Brazilian aristocrat Basil St. John (Timothy Dalton in tight black trousers and an eyepatch,oh crikey, I'm drooling again)turns up, he's also after the formula, I think. Look, I've watched this film three times now and I still don't really understand the plot, but who cares. It's a lot of fun anyway, and with Brook Shields in tight skirts and Timothy Dalton in tight trousers it has something to please everyone. True, there is a rather long bit in the middle of the film where Dalton isn't around, but you can't have everything, and the rest of the time, he's there, and absolutely divine. Don't worry about the baffling plot and crazy characters, just enjoy it.

Very Styleish.
I love all the pretty outfits that Brooke Shields wore in the Brenda StarrVideo. I think that Brooke is one terrific actress as well as supermodel.

Funny movie
Yes, I admit, I bought this movie because Timothy Dalton stars in it. And it does not disappoint. It is a movie with lots of humour and not to be taken too seriously. Just sit back and enyoy the humour. It has no pretensions of deep human emotions or of world philosophy and that is what makes it so enjoyable.

So Many Pizza Hut Plugs in This One It'll Make You Dizzy
We know of Timothy Dalton because we shamefully watched all of the James Bond movies, happening to see the one or two Dalton starred in. (Now, a man unleashes a wet, sickly cough, bracing himself on kitchen counter for support). "Brenda Starr" is one of the worst movies ever. What can account for this? Try one too many liberal arts graduates shuffling around under dim lighting in an empty warehouse, while yet another chain smoker coughs horribly into a tissue. It all comes up bloody in the end. At last! Brooke Shields is no longer making films!

It has lovely Brooke in it !! Of *course* we'll watch her !
Hi ... I am One Of Those Guys who, in His Adolescence, was so down on _me_ that it was not until into my Adulthood that I actually began **really** taking notice of those comely yeomen strutting their lovely posteriors in their micro-minis all up and down the Enterprise ... so, what's my point ?? Simply this: Brooke Shields is a sight for sore eyes no matter HOW old a man is when he finally learns it's okay to LIKE himself AND gawk at very beautiful girls. That is, apart from BRENDA STARR being, as I understand my elders, a pretty faithful adherence to the Heroine of so many young ladies in the fifties; lush with romance, comedy, bright colors and adventure; and a diverting and entertaining indulgence absent of foul speech which never takes itself *too* seriously -- there is, in every frame, our Brooke, our Heroine, Gorgeous Eye Candy for the Age of Cable and Color TV, most splendidly attired, for several delicious minutes at least, in a most eye-pleasing, fetching Barnum and Bailey style "costume" [ heh heh ]. Or, in the immortal words of my pal, Homer: "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Brooke _Shields_." ... Read more

Amazon.com

James Belushi is a former gangster in the Federal Witness Protection Program, hiding in the small redneck town of Harmony. Skipper, the mysterious mob boss Belushi worked for, discovers his whereabouts and sends four thugs to collect the $12 million Belushi had been stealing from him, and then whack him. Cross and double-cross ensues, as the fast-talking, street-smart Belushi cons his way from one harrowing bind to another. Throw into the mix a crooked redneck sheriff (Timothy Dalton) and the Belushi character's wife with questionable loyalties (Vanessa Angel), and you've got a fast-paced action comedy that keeps you guessing up to the end. The acting is solid, including Jamie Harris (son of Richard) as a British mobster with a knack for torture. One of the least appreciated components of film storytelling is pace, and Made Men has an impeccable knack for pacing. Kudos todirector Louis Morneau (Bats) and veteran action film producers Joel Silver and Richard Donner for making this gem, which should have seen the dark light of the theater instead of being shuffled off direct to video. James Belushi deserves mention for a terrific performance, at once serious, convincing, and funny. --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (3)

"The Mod Squad meets Deliverance"
You probably didn't catch this hit and miss action film in theatres as it took the direct-to-video route. That is a bit surprising, because it is at least as good as much of the action fodder that seems to crowd the multiplex. But, now you can experience it on DVD with a nice anamorphic widescreen transfer and great sound editing.

The film involves twelve million dollars and a big mouth in the witness protection program who stole it. There are corrupt cops, trustworthy criminals and untrustworthy spouses. To go into it more would be to rob the film of its strongest element, Screenwriter Robert Franke's clever story twists. Aside from that and some nice photography, the film comes across as derivative and unsatisfying. Jim Belushi is not likable enough for the viewers to want him to succeed and Timothy Dalton (with a wincing Southern accent) belongs in the major miscasting hall of fame. And often story points are dropped when it seemed convenient.

But, Made Men is at its heart an action film. Even so, the action is small and intimate (What else would you expect in an extreme backwoods town). MADE MEN doesn't have the wow of other Joel Silver and Richard Donner produced films, but is at times sufficient.

Action, double-crossings, and $12 million bucks!
Well, it is defintely action packed! To add to it, Vanessa Angel is always a sight to see and Belushi (just as Will Smith) has to put some of his comical wit throughout the flick! After being placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program, Belushi starts making plans with wifey Angel and some stolen bucks($12 mill) until the feds, the cops, the mob and some backwoods buddies start coming after him. Good lazy Sunday (early) afternoon flick to watch before a baseball or football game

Made Men for DVD
The only reason I bought this movie is because of all the hype around it(Richard Donner and Joel silver produced it). These guys have done some of the best action movies to date(The Matrix, Lethal Weapons). So I couldnt resist seeing this movie. However this was a entirely differnt type of movie. The acting was good, and the story was decent, but dont be fooled by the hype around it, there are only two big shootouts in the entire movie, which was disapointing coming from Donner and Silver. There wasnt even a big action scene between the villian and good guys. You would think they could come up with a better climax! Any how the movie is entertaning and is good enough to put in your action video collection. P.S. This movie has great picture quality and its anamorphic widescreen! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Awesome!
The King's Whore blew me away. It engrossed me, I had to have it. It's not a movie most of my friends would watch, but it's a period piece, with the whole royal backstabber bunch at Court, with a kind of twisted romance. And Timothy Dalton in anything is too good to resist! Enjoy!

Desperately depressing Dalton disaster
This is possibly the most miserable, gloomy film Timothy Dalton has ever made. He plays the King of Piedmont, who develops an inexplicable passion for a rather tiresome French countess. She, however, is devoted to her rather wet husband and wants nothing to do with the King, which shows from the beginning that she has deplorable taste. However, her husband's family want her to give into the King because he is making everyone's lives a misery moping about, and when in the end she realises even her husband wants her to give in to him, she agrees to become the King's mistress. She proceeds to revenge herself on her husband's family by having them banished to their family estate, but keeps her husband around to act as a lackey. Although the King is crazy about her, she still insists she doesn't love him, until in the end he loses his temper and gives her a black eye. While I don't in the least blame him, I feeel it would have made a more interesting scene if he had walloped her on a different portion of her anatomy. She persuades the King to get involved in a war with France, then gets ill with smallpox. Even after he has risked his life nursing her through the disease, the ungrateful bitch still doesn't love him, what a cow. Then she runs off with her wimpy husband, and the King is reduced to sniffing her underwear. It all ends miserably for everyone, in the pouring rain (it never seems to stop raining in Piedmont). I have no idea whether this preposterous film is based on true events, and if so how accurate it is, but the goings-on in Piedmont make the English monarchy look positively sane by comparison.

What a shock as I was strolling through the DVD section...
I have been searching for this movie for a while now. The funny thing is the title seems to be "censored" for some silly reason. You see the actual title for this movie is "The King's Whore". Everytime I would search that title anywhere it came back as unavailable. If you search VHS on this site you can find it titled "The King's Whore". There is a video jacket pic as well that is almost identical to the DVD insert with the exception that the artwork is changed slightly. The funniest thing about this "censored" disc is when you open it the disc itself is titled "The King's Whore", what was the point in changing the name on the outside??? Anyway now you all know the true origin of this DVD. Go buy it and enjoy for Valeria Gorlino, who quite frankly is the only reason I was looking for this disc in the first place.

Disturbing, Violent and un-romantic...
Timothy Dalton stars as: King Vittorio Amadeo, Valeria Golino stars as his battered and abused mistress Jeanne de Luynes. When Jeanne's loser husband Charles takes her to court, Jeanne catches the eye of debauched and spoiled King Vittorio Amadeo and is literally forced/coerced to become his mistress.

While Jeanne exerts her power in her own ways, she becomes embittered and hardened. Amadeo is a brutal rapist and over time Jeanne comes to care for her evil and debauched captor (a classic case of Stockholm syndrome). Amadeo's obsessive love was evil, disturbing and all-consuming.

While I enjoyed this movie, I felt sorry for Jeanne. She literally had no choice in her relationship. I had no sympathy for Amadeo who was evil and corrupt.

I also was rather surprised that this movie was recommended as a 'love story.' A decent lover would never rape his mistress, or beat her. While this may be historically accurate, it is by no means romantic, and was in fact, quite off-putting. (Frankly I wish I'd been forewarned I would have avoided this altogether).

Recommend for adults only due to suggestive scenes, nudity, violence, domestic violence and rape.

Obsession or true love?
At a cost of $6, I expected an atrocity of bumbling actors with ridiculous looking wigs and huge fake moles glued to their faces. Oh, but what a pleasant surprise! Timothy Dalton, playing the 17th century King of Piedmont, and Valeria Golino, the countess, who's the object of his desire, were absolutely wonderful. One couldn't help but fall in love with Valeria, with that sexy accent, those eyes, heaving breasts and meaty behind (seen for 5 seconds when the King pummels her with his fists in a fit of rage, after she coldly claims they just had sex and NOT lovemaking).

Valeria is totally devoted to her husband, yet the King has an obsession with her and makes it quite public where even the pregnant Valeria is taken from the midst of a service to be told by the priests that her future sins for allowing the King to covet her are already forgiven. Afterall, the King is ill with lustful thoughts that only she can cure, and Valeria must serve her King. At first, we shake our heads at the King for actually wanting what he can't have, but he makes it clear he will not force her. "You will come to me willingly," he tells her. Everyone, including her husband, beg her to submit so they can all get on with their lives at her expense. And when she does, she certainly "helps" them to get on with their lives.

If the film fails, I'd have to say I can't recall a period film where the King takes orders so nonchanantly and easily, instead of dishing them out. But then again, love makes you do crazy stuff. Though a weak King, we get a sense of his soft heart. Loyal to his true love through infectious sickness and in health, you can't help but be incredibly jealous of Valeria. I mean, who wouldn't want a man like that. But will she continue to hate him with a passion and forever try her darnest to remain as cold as ice, and to escape his bed?

Definitely worth the money, but don't expect steamy sex. In fact, there's hardly any, yet the anticipation is quite a handful. One look in both their eyes and you can feel their emotions, whether it be love or scorn. The DVD cover is quite attractive and reminds me of "Boxing Helena", another film with a dominant theme of obsessive love. I give it four stars. Take away half for the King being too weak at times, publicly. ... Read more

Reviews (55)

Magnificent epic equals magnificent story
As a longtime fan of James Michener I have enjoyed many of his works but none of them has been so well represented on film as Centennial. The book was super but was erratically paced and jumped back and forth in history. The miniseries, however, is wonderful. The casting of the characters was right on in both the main and supporting roles. Robert Conrad gave his best performance as the complicated French trapper Pasquinel. Richard Chamberlain was the perfect Alexander McKeag and Gregory Harrison did a terrific job in his ability to cope with his character's aging from a inexperienced farm boy to a likable everyman to an aging hero. Michener's story explores the discovery of the west and shows us heroism and cowardice, greatness and pettiness and is a superb history lesson which everyone will enjoy. The series presents this story in the form of characters you will grow to like, admire, love, hate and remember. People I've watched the series with have shown deep emotion and cried through the depiction of the Indian massacre (actually the Sand Creek Massacre but renamed for the story). They came to admire Dennis Weaver as the cattle drive boss R.J. Poteet and the young cowboys he helped turn into men. You will see characters grow and change. You will identify with many and feel sad as they age and die. Throughout, however, you will be entertained and you will have a greater appreciation of the people who framed the American West.

Memorable, if overlong western epic
The mammoth western epic "Centennial" has always deserved a storied place in television history.

This ambitious effort, based on the James Michener novel of the same name, attempts to cover the history of the state of Colorado, from the days of the Native Americans to the political/environmental dealings of modern times. Clocking in at 24 hours, it's probably safe to say that rarely has so much effort been put into the television medium. Unfortunately, "Centennial" would have been better served to cut it's running time in half.

The first five episodes of "Centennial," dealing with the settling of the American frontier and the eventual clash between pioneers and Native Americans, are some of the finest hours ever produced for television. This 1978 miniseries provides an early sympathetic view of the Native American, from the appealing chief Lame Beaver, played convincingly by Michael Ansara, to his daughter Clay Basket sympathetically played by Barbara Carrera. Throw into this mix the stormy relationship of trappers Pasquinel (Robert Conrad) and McKeag (Richard Chamberlain), and you have great drama on the untamed frontier. Their lives, and the rustic, changing world in which they live, makes for terrific historical fireworks.

Of course, Conrad's performance as Pasquinel, a colorful and memorable character if ever there was one, is one of the finest of his erratic career. As soon as his character leaves the film, there is an emptiness to the drama which is never quite replaced. And this emptiness damages the overall memory of this western epic.

Episode five, which details the disturbing true-life incident of the Sand Creek Massacre, in which hundreds of Native Americans were brutally murdered, is probably the last hurrah of "Centennial." The film soon switches gears to detail ranching life, farming struggles and the Depression. But the sense of wonder and awe seems to disappear, as the film wallows in a series of cliches (Brian Keith as the town sheriff is almost laughably bad) which resembles poor soap opera. The characters are not as multi-dimensional, and certainly not as inspiring.

"Centennial" rebounds somewhat during the twelth and final episode in which the valid question is raised as to what type of industry is best for the state of Colorado -- living off the land as our ancestors did, or mining the countryside for its resources. David Janssen is superb as a ranch owner and descendent of Pasquinel. His brooding intensity practically washes away the bad taste left from the frustrating boredom of the previous four episodes.

"Centennial" boasts one of the most extraordinary casts ever assembled for a motion picture. Almost too many to mention, some nods of respect must be given to Conrad, Chamberlain, Janssen, Chad Everett, Richard Crenna (in a particularly villainous role), Carrera, Lynn Redgrave, Gregory Harrison and Dennis Weaver (absolutely terrific as trail boss R.J. Poteet).

Appropriate kudos must be given to the beautiful cinemaphotography and the exciting musical score of John Addison.

"Centennial," essentially is a television history of the United States, from the early settlers to modern times. No stone is left unturned in this epic journey, and if the ambition was a bit more than these filmmakers could actually achieve given the restraints of the budget and the limitations of its marathon length, one can forgive these starry-eyed dreamers for losing steam during the final episodes.

Based on the first five episodes (11 hours) alone, "Centennial" is one of the finest works in television history. As a whole, the film sputters to a three-star rating. But for patient viewers, there are many diamonds to discover in the rough, unforgiving land known as "Centennial."

PLEASE HURRY WITH THE DVD!!!!!
THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE MOST INTERESTING,WELL MADE, DYNAMIC
WORK ON THE HISTORY OF THE THE WEST EVER MADE. NOT ONLY DOES IT SHOW THE MOVEMENTS OF THE DIFFERENT MEN AND WOMEN WHO HELPED MAKE THE AMERICAN WEST, BUT IS SHOWS IT IN A WAY THAT IT IS HARD FOR ANYONE NOT TO GET WRAPPED UP IN IT. IT IS REMARKABLY CLOSE
TO JAMES MICHENER'S WONDERFUL BOOK. IT WOULD BE A GRAVE MISTAKE
NOT TO PUT THIS MOVIE/MINI-SERIES ON DVD. TO ME THIS RATES WITH
"THE LORD OF THE RINGS" AND "HARRY POTTER" FOR INTERTAINMENT.
THIS A REAL WINNER.........

DVD NOW PLEASE!! C'mon Universal!
In my opinion the finest mini-series in the history of TV. Universal Home Video must give this the attention it so richly deserves!

Centennial
This TV series was screened once in the UK on Sunday afternoons. It was an epic of it day. It was and is a must view program for all the family. Once you start watching you'll be hooked. The first 3/4s of the series are definately the better part. There is lots of lush scenery and a stronge flowing story with plenty of action.

We seem to have been waiting for ever for it to come out on DVD anyone any idea who we can chase? The money is burning a hole in my pocket. Obviously this is based on the video ... Read more