Reviews (31)

Wonderful telling of Genessis
I do not understand why most critics have very few good things to say about this movie. Okay, maybe the atmosphere is a little dead at times, and perhaps there could be more dialogue, but overall this is one of the most beautiful biblical stories I've ever seen. A superb cast - including Michael Parks as Adam, Ulla Bergryd as Eve, Richard Harris as Cain, George C. Scott as Abraham, and Ava Gardner as Sarah - bring warmth and sensitivity to the familier stories. John Huston's somewhat comical portrayal of Noah is definitely the highlight of the film. I first saw this movie when I was very young. I now own it and watch it often. The script sounds like it was taken directly from the Bible itself. The opening dialogue is, of course, "In the beginning..." The creation scenes which follow are simply magnificant. And the music which coincides with it is just beautiful. Right now I have that image of the birds in flight and the raging sea waters. The one scene which gets me every time ( and which I keep rewinding to see ) is the scene with Hagar and Ishmael in the desert. The spring of water bursting up through the ground at Hagar's feet is one of the most moving moments in the entire movie. This film is definitely worth seeing. Never mind what the critics say.

The Bible As Film: A Worthy Retelling
1966: Huston's film covers the first twenty chapters of Genesis- from the Creation, the Flood to Isaac's near sacrifice. With lush cinematography, fine acting and superb music. Richard Harris, Ava Gardner, George C. Scott and Peter O'Toole are among the cast. In the 60's, and in fact years before in the 50's, the bible dramas were quite popular and appealed to many audiences who had undergone war and conflict from home- it was the turbulent 60's after all. The Ten Commandments and Ben Hur were transcendent films only a couple of years before.

Making a film about the first book in the Bible, the most mysterious and most alluring, Genesis, must not have been an easy task for director John Huston, nor was it easy enough for actors portraying biblical characters. But this film is exquisite, well-done with fine performances by the actors, most notably Richard Harris as Noah and George C. Scott as Abraham. The actor and actress playing Adam and Eve are just as most of us imagine them to be - gorgeous in the nude, walking around a beautiful, semi-tropical garden and being seduced by the apple in a tree which a treacherous snake deceived them into eating.

The film goes on to describe the biblical scenario established before the Flood, of humankind's lechery and vice in Sodom and Gomorrah, and God's wrath resulting in destruction. Very powerful imagery and very fine interpretation. It is not just a Christian or Catholic film, it is a film worth watching just for the moving drama. After all, life is but a drama, a film of which we all take part of. The music to this film is also very inspiring, although subtle and haunting. "The Bible.. In The Beginning" (as this film is often called) makes a great assignment to watch in a college or high school in which students read the Bible as a form of literature and work of human history, mainly that of the ancient Hebrews.

Almost perfect
I liked the movie in all parts except for two. I'll start with the positive things.

Another reviewer mentioned it was a little slow in the beginning, and that is true, but if you can be patient, you can get into it.

The Ark scenes were great -- a little humor never hurt anyone.

Sodom and Gomorrah was icky. Probably they did a good job of recreating what it was like, but really, I don't want to see all of that. If a couple quick shots were removed, this scene would be good.

Abraham goes on this weird monologue sort of thing, that I didn't really get. I am engineer, so perhaps I just don't appreciate the drama of it.

FIRES BELOW .....
EXCEPT for the MAGNIFICENT score by TOSHIRO MAYUZUMI ... this one does not quite hold up as it was promised. Granted ... it IS different ... lots of hoopla during the filming - after all we would be seeing Adam & Eve [variously] buffish ...

BUT the producers must have spend quite a fortune on EYE MAKEUP .... Ye, Gods, even the kids are sporting green or vaguely lavender eye-shadow - as for NIMROD's golden brows!

AVA GARDNER does shine as SARAH - unafraid of unflattering lighting or angles, but she was and still is quite special, and GEORGE C. SCOTT does have a few pithy moments .... the make-up though! BRINGING UP THE REAR - so to speak is Peter O'Toole as Triplet, blue-eyed Angels of Wrath [!], Richard Harris - star rising ["This Sporting Life"] as Cain, Zoe Sallis as the 'other woman' in Abraham's life, Stephen Boys [utterly wasted] as Nimrod, John Huston as a bemused, befuddled and bewildered Noah [nice comic turn though], and somewhere in there a Young Franco Nero!

COSTUMING is dreadful - pity for this almost completely Italian Production. And the famous SODOM AND GOMORRAH sequence? Pale Fellini or is it George Romero? The styrofoam blasted 'Wife of Lot' - really!

WISH the score was available on CD - MAYUZUMI went on to score Huston's "Reflections in A Golden Eye" - somewhat better fare.

DVD sound is VERY ODD - stereo? Color is quite washed out too - pity - this one could be wonderfully restored in full 5.1 or even DTS - it is as close to an epic as we'll ever come!

if adam & eve were this dull, they 'd never have multiplied
thank god (pun intended)that the bible characters werent really this over inflated and boring because if they were, they would have never had the energy to recreate, to be fruitful and to multiply.
the where would be?
if disney or some other company were to take their fairy tales this seriousely they be laughed off the planet. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Widescreen fans please note...
...you can order a very good quality print of this film from Amazon France's marketplace sellers. The only drawback is that the English version has French subtitles which can't be erased using the menu. However, when you see the low price, even accounting for postage, you won't complain.

A movie that needs to be remade
Don't get me wrong. This movie is fun but as historical accuracies go, it falls pretty flat. The movie doesn't even use the real names of the people involved.

I'm a big fan of epic period pieces and I think there is a lot going for this kind of movie to be made today (with an international cast)

First I'd choose John Milius, Michael Mann, or Mel Gibson as director

Sample Cast
George Clooney or Billy Zane.....US Marine Major
Catherine Zeta Jones...Russian countess
Elizabeth Hurley....British ambassador's wife
Tom Sizemore.....US Marine sgt
Chow Yun Fat.....Prince Tuan
Michelle Yeoh....Empress Dowager
Brian Cox....British Ambassador
Ioan Gruffudd (Hornblower) or Heath Ledger....British Captain
Jermey Irons....German Colonel
Sophie marceau....French ambassador's wife
Alan Rickman....Russian ambassador

You get the picture :-)

spectacular yet intimate
Before the era of political correctness, Caucasian actors donned make up to play characters of other races; roles which, for whatever reason, could not be filled by non-white actors at that time. If you are the kind of person who gets mad watching white people play "sinister" Chinese roles then stay away from this movie or be prepared for this kind of thing:

Prince Tuan: "Your majesty, the execution has been stopped!"

The Empress: "Who!"

Prince Tuan: "Jung Lu!"

However if you can keep that momentary suspension of disbelief going just long enough to allow yourself to get into the story, then you can believe Flora Robson is the Empress and 55 Days is one of the most underrated films of all time: the action sequences are extremely well paced and choreographed and the film, for the most part, stays faithful to history. Obviously the producers could not reproduce the entire Forbidden City so the "palace" exterior scenes are somewhat hokey, but the legation compound and the city wall are reproduced in a convincing way and as set pieces they are used to great effect.

Look for Walter Gotell (General Gogol from the 007 films) and Nicholas Ray himself (in wheelchair) as the American ambassador.

55 days at peking
With all the wham, bam, thank you not madam junk that is prevasive now, this has a superb plot and it has class. This is a 5 star in a world of -1 s! Niven is wonderous and Ava is regal with her feet of clay.

Enjoyable epic and star vehicle
"55 Days At Peking" is an unusual and enjoyable epic and star vehicle. Not least among its admirable characteristics is a set re-creating in Spain an authentic impression of the old Legation Quarter of Peking. The set makes sense to anyone who knows the actual site in modern-day Beijing. That is a considerable achievement in the pre-digital cinematic art of illusion. It shows, too, that there was a great deal of China knowledge behind the making of the movie. Well into the 1990s, many Boxer Rebellion-era structures survived in the old Legation Quarter of Beijing. Due to enduring political and cultural sensitivities, the historical significance of these structures was unsignposted and ignored by the official Chinese tourist authorities, and most of the area was occupied by Chinese Government organisations. The gate of the former British Legation which was recreated for the movie could still be seen just off Chang'an Avenue in Zhengyi Street, a short walk southwest from the Beijing Hotel. The layout and other striking architectural features of the area are well-recorded in books such as Michael J. and Yeone Wei-Chih Moser's "Foreigners Within The Gates" (Oxford 1993). The movie takes liberties with history--overplaying, for instance, the US military contribution, and making the British Minister (played by David Niven) appear a more militarily energetic figure than he seemed to contemporary observers of the siege of the legations. Some purists might find jarring the poor Chinese calligraphy in graffiti, and the casting of (generally well made-up) Caucasian actors in major Chinese roles. However, the standard caveat applies that this is an entertainment, not a documentary. Talent like Chow Yun-Fat, John Lone, Gong Li, Zhang Yimou and Wayne Wang wasn't available to western moviemakers in 1963. "55 Days At Peking" entertains with a creditable impression of this historical episode when China warred by proxy on the rest of the world. It is an interesting film to compare with "Khartoum", in which Charlton Heston also plays the lead, as part of the canon of epic moviemaking about imperial and colonial wars. The casting and illusion of China is worth comparing with "The Inn Of The Sixth Happiness" (1958), in which Robert Donat plays a Chinese mandarin and Wales substitutes for China. It would be fascinating to see a remake of this film with a re-worked story and script, a re-arrangement of Dimitri Tiomkin's excellent score, digital technology, and cross-cultural casting and direction. However, as it probably still could not be shot in China without unacceptable interference, it might need "Red Corner" treatment. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

An excellent movie, of it's own era.
I suspect that the reason so many ... customer reviews of On the Beach are negative is that the expectations of today's audiences, particularly younger audiences, are entirely different from when this movie was released, in 1959.

The movie is based quite closely on Neville Shute's excellent novel, with just a few differences. The rather strange denial of impending death, shown by most of the characters in the book, has been wisely omitted from the movie. The scientist, John Osborne, has had his name changed to Julian in the film, and is given more depth, beautifully played by Fred Astaire.

I think today's movie goers have difficulty relating to this movie because it is not an action movie and it is not a science fiction movie. Yes, it deals with the last survivors of a nuclear war as they await their own deaths. But the genre of science fiction films requires that the heroes and/or heroines confront the Problem and conquer it, whether that Problem be giant ants, invading Martians, or mutant carnivorous plants. In On the Beach, it is made plain from the beginning of both the book and the movie that there will be no triumph or escape. Instead, the theme is the maintaining of human decency and integrity in the face of imminent death. This is not the sort of stuff for young audiences raised on Bruce Lee movies.

I think it is important, too, that today's young movie-goers watch this movie with the idea firmly in mind that people in 1959 believed that they might very well be the last generation of human beings, before a nuclear holocaust wiped us all out. I was nineteen when I first saw the film, just after its release to theaters and long before the advent of VHS and home video. It was powerful stuff back then, and I don't think there's any doubt that it was an important element in the nuclear disarmament movement.

I highly recommend this movie. The acting and direction are excellent, and it deals with powerful themes. But keep in mind that you'll be watching a film from another era, when books and movies were deliberately slower paced and the depth of characterization was considered to be much more important than fast paced action.

Brilliant Human Story
To me, the poignance of On The Beach lies not in it's anti-nuclear war message, which mercifully was proved wrong by events in the real world (Julian's speech railing against the idea that nuclear weapons could keep the peace is the one dated part of the film. It's now evident that the reason why there never was another ground war horror on the order of WWI and WWII was *because* of the atomic bomb) but in it's human elements, and exploring how people react to the reality that life is fast coming to an end for all of them. In this instance, a nuclear war is simply a convenient duex ex machina to see how ordinary people react to the trauma facing them. There are fine performances all around, but to me the real strength of the movie is Ava Gardner's touching performance as Moira Davidson. Indeed, there is an almost eerie autobiograhic quality to it since Gardner had many things in common with her character.

I think sooner or later, people will look back on "On The Beach" and realize that it's timelessness lies in it's exploration of the human condition and not it's political statements which in my opinion are no longer relevant to the real world.

Worth viewing, even if not realistic
On the Beach fails the realism test in two ways: scientifically and behaviorally. The first is forgivable; 40+ years ago, there was less understanding of what nuclear war would do the planet. But the second aspect -- human behavior -- is where the story fails. The idea that people would get up, wash and shave and dress, go to their jobs, peacefully obtain their rations of food and so on, with a cloud of certain death getting closer every day... it just doesn't ring true. Looting, pillaging, murder, and general anarchy seem much more likely.
Nevertheless, the movie -- while very melancholy (or depressing, as many reviewers have said), is worth watching. (Especially, as some have noted, for Astaire's performance).

the ultimate Cold War film
This is the film that for me captures the terror I felt as a child, growing up at the height of the Cold War; it is bleak and intense, with scenes that are forever etched in my mind. It's one of the great films of that era ("Seven Days in May" and "Fail Safe" are others) that I can watch repeatedly, and their power and impact are never diminished.
Based on Nevil Shute's best seller, and brilliantly directed by Stanley Kramer, the use of sound effects combined with Ernest Gold's Oscar nominated score is very effective. Sometimes the simplest noise set against complete silence is ominous, and gives the feeling of the desolation of empty cities.
As time runs out, people try to avoid the "morbid discussion" of what awaits them, and some make the most of those precious days, weeks and months, like the elderly scientist Julian (in an exceptional performance by Fred Astaire), who completes his dream of being a race car driver.

Both strong and tender, Gregory Peck is fabulous as Dwight Towers, the commander of a submarine, who has trouble accepting that he is alive, while his family are victims of the "monstrous war". The woman who falls in love with him is Ava Gardner, who has spent far too much time being consoled by a bottle of brandy. The plot is filled out by Anthony Perkins and Donna Anderson, a young couple facing the fact that their baby has no future.
In the late 50s and early 60s, the scenario in this film was all too real; we face other dangers now, but there was something truly chilling about those Cold War years, and this film vividly brings back the memory of them. Total running time is 134 minutes.

The end of the world as we know it...
An unforgettable movie that is as important and as powerful today as when it was first released.

Shute took his title from a stanza from T S Eliot's The Hollow Men:-

In this last of meeting places
We grope together
And avoid speech
Gathered on this beach of the tumid river...

The tumid (swollen) river is metaphorical, as is the beach, given that Eliot's bleak, desolate landscape is a spiritual one, as in his classic work, The Wasteland.

Shute's movie is utterly compelling all the way through, partly due to the subject matter, helped along by a stunning cast, and very capable production and direction.

The scene in which the Sub arrives in the US to check on the erratic morse signal was actually shot in Australia, as they could not obtain permission to film it in the US.

There was a very creditable 2000 Showtime version with Rachel Ward and Armand Assante, which was truer to the book, although set closer to present time, but the Peck version is still the definitive one.

You cannot top this movie for dramatic content, brilliantly delivered by Peck, Gardner, Perkins and Astaire above all.

Yes, this could still happen, and yes, nuclear deterrence may well have worked so far, but I always remember a line from Bob Dylan's "If God's On Our Side", which goes...

If God's on our side,
He'll stop the next war...

Maybe he did.

Peace y'all. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The show that first defined the Broadway musical has never come to thescreen intact, despite three tries. But take this splashy 1951 MGM extravaganzaon its own terms, and it boggles the eyes. Not to mention the ears:The Kern-Hammerstein score includes some staples of the American songbook, such as "MakeBelieve," "After the Ball," and "Can't Help Lovin' That Man." Perhaps ariverboat gambler is almost too-easy casting for Howard Keel, and KathrynGrayson is overly twittery, which may be why the film's middle sags when theytake center stage. But any time the uncannily beautiful Ava Gardner smolders, alush tragic undertone takes over (even if the most interesting parts of herstory seem to take place offscreen). The physical production is extraordinary: the busy riverside setting, the outrageous color design, and best of all an "OldMan River" (sung by William Warfield) staged in the mists of morning. -- Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Close, but no cigar
I have seen both this film and its 1936 predecessor of the same name, and a number of film critics and viewers believe the remake to be inferior--I suppose it's because this one seems to lack the freshness, spunk, and level of poignancy. Also, in the earlier version you had greats such as Irene Dunne, Paul Robeson and Helen Morgan who can never be outdone. However, this later film has a power and charm all its own. "Show Boat" is a lavish technicolor extravaganza about the life and times aboard a Mississippi riverboat. Howard Keel with his deep, rich baritone is perfect as the reckless and restless gambler Gaylord Ravenal, as is lovely Kathryn Grayson with her delightful coloratura soprano voice, as Magnolia Hawks, the sheltered good girl who falls for Gaylord like a ton of bricks, only to be brought (unintended) heartbreak and despair by him. However, the one who steals the show by far is gorgeous Ava Gardner as Julie Laverne (cast among much indignant hullaballo as replacement for an ill Judy Garland), the mulatto conflicted between two worlds. In previous films she was for the most part wasted in, one never really got a glimmer as to her abilities (an exception being "The Killers"), but in this film Gardner is amazing as she displays the emotional range and depths she was fully capable of when given the chance. Her performance here is heartbreaking and utterly poignant, especially when she sings (it's dubbed, but that hardly matters) "Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine" in a period of content and romantic bliss, and "Bill," by which time her character is in a heartbroken, destructive decline--those are scenes not soon to be forgotten. The story appropriately ends with the haunting image of Gardner/Julie's haggard yet breathtaking face emerging from the shadows as she bids a distant farewell to the showboat. Go and watch this film if you love MGM musicals--it's one of their best with sumptious color, fine performances, and plenty of memorable songs.

I LOVE THIS MOVIE, AND SO WILL YOU
So what if this isn't very faithful scriptwise. The story they did have, plus the music, plus the singing, kept me glued to my seat, unable to take my eyes off it. Not since West Side Story has a movie musical had this effect on me. I suppose that if you grew up seeing the stage play, you might be taken aback by the cuts, but how many of you would really be willing to sit and watch a movie for the four hours that the original play takes? You can't even sit through Gone With the Wind without taking a little "intermission." The singing is incredible. I love to hear Kathryn Grayson hit those oh-so-high notes, and I love to hear Howard Keel, well, anytime. After hearing the soundtrack I was kind of mad that they didn't let Ava Gardner do her own singing, but her wonderful performance makes you forget about it. One reason I am glad they changed the story for the movie is when we see Julie at the very end. It's the kind of bittersweet finishing touch that gets ya choked up no matter how many times you see it. So buy this movie, gosh darnit, and be prepared to sit back and enjoy a cinematic masterpiece.

OL' MAN RIVER KEEPS ON ROLLIN' ON DVD
"Show Boat" was Jerome Kern's immortal gift to the Broadway stage. An instant hit upon its initial release, the movies just couldn't wait to capitalize on its success. The plot concerns a river boat performer who just happens to be mulato(Ava Gardner in this version) (a big "No, No" in the old south and it gets her broomed). On board is also Magnolia (Kathryn Grayson), a naive child who discovers her own heart break when she marries gambling scallywag, Gaylord Ravenal (Howard Keel). This version of the stage play tempers the racial undertones with more baritone and schmaltz than was previously showcased or, for that matter, necessary. Nevertheless, the results a la MGM's sterling production values, is astoundingly beautiful. Marge & Gower Champion, Joe E. Brown and Agnes Moorehead also headline.
TRANSFER: VERY NICE! A clean, bright, bold and beautiful print that is long on quality and short on digital anomalies. Blacks are solid and deep. Colors are rich and vibrant. Very few scenes illustrate that the original film elements are sixty years old. Though there is some minor pixelization and edge enhancement neither distract from your viewing enjoyment. The audio is mono but remarkably well balanced.
EXTRAS: Sorry. Not a one!
Bottom Line: Must have!

Does anyone have a torpedo handy?
Oh, oh Kathryn Grayson--you are so far from anything resembling the character of Magnolia, it is almost comical (I can't write her off totally as a movie star, because she was actually good once...ONCE: in "Kiss Me Kate"). Anyway, onto this turkey. Like almost all 1950s musicals from MGM, it is colorful nothingness. There is no edge, no wit, plenty of misguided "style" and heaps of artificiality. There is not once convincing moment in this film, all it has going for it is beautiful color (and this DVD is indeed a wonderful transfer). Lets not forget that the 1936 version--with its to-die-for cast--was withdrawn from circulation for decades because MGM wanted this to be the ONLY version available. Perish the thought! Even the small Show Boat sequence in the film "Till The Clouds Roll By" is more memorable than this.

Show Boat(1951)
Excellent Service, excellent condition, just as promised.Thank you VERY much! ... Read more

Reviews (42)

Makes me want to stand up and salute
"Seven Days In May" has an impressive cast list, great direction, and great story.

For the MTV generation, this would probably be very boring as it relies on insightful realistic dialog and some powerful non-jerking camera-work to tell a great story.

Burt Lancaster is Kirk Douglas' superior officer in the same military outfit, and Douglas suspects Lancaster is up to something secret and no good. The relationship and animosity between them is powerful and convincing as the story unfolds and the secret slowly comes out. Frederick March plays a convincing president, who, at first cautiously suspicious, grows more determined as the movie reaches its climax. The three or four supporting roles are handled superbly as well.

I guess it would fit into the category of "political thriller", and goes well with the other 3 major cold-war era movies - "Dr. Strangelove" (satire), "Fail Safe" (drama), and "The Manchurian Candidate" (drama, also directed by John Frankenheimer).

The DVD includes an entertaining commentary by the director, John Frankenheimer.

All around a well-done movie. I have over 200 DVD's and this goes in my top 20 for sure.

Crisp and Compelling Drama
For whatever reasons, I am intrigued by films and television programs which offer recreations of Presidential activities which are presumably authentic. The West Wing, for example, as well as The American President and this film. Produced by Kirk Douglas and directed by John Frankenheimer, Seven Days in May is based on a hypothetical and perhaps plausible idea: During the Cold War, a cabal of senior-level officers in the United States military services led by General Robert Mattoon Scott (Lancaster) secretly plan a coup by which to remove President Jordan Lyman (March) who is perceived to be "soft" on Communism, indeed naive as he stubbornly pursues policies which (the officers fear) would render their beloved nation impotent to foreign domination. Kept highly secret for obvious reasons, the coup preparations have been underway for quite some time as the film begins. Douglas plays Colonel Martin ("Jiggs") Casey, a Marine officer who reports directly to General Scott. Casey views Scott (as do countless others) as a great American patriot. As portrayed by Lancaster, he is indeed impressive. At times intimidating. Scott's brilliant mind is wholly free of any second thoughts, either about himself or about the course on which he proceeds. Of course, he and his coup associates are committing treason.

Inadvertently, Casey learns about the coup and at first refuses to believe it. Loyal to Scott and methodical by nature, he begins to gather the salient facts like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle (no pun intended), dreading the image which begins to emerge. At this point, it would be a disservice to those who have not as yet seen the film to reveal any more about the narrative. Suffice to say that Frankenheimer brilliantly increases the tension as President Jordan and his associates (who include a reluctant Colonel Casey) scramble to prevent the coup. The acting is consistently outstanding. The events preceding the inevitable climax are credible (including some unexpected luck which does not seem to me farfetched), and the film concludes with style and grace. It is worth noting that Rod Serling wrote the screenplay, based on a best-selling novel co-authored by Fletcher Knebel and Charles Waldo Bailey II. Also, that Ava Gardner skillfully plays a small but essential role as Eleanor Holbrook. This is not a thriller, much less a chiller. Rather, the film offers an especially interesting story, well-told. It has lost little (if any) of its dramatic impact during the almost 40 years since its initial release. Thoughtful and thought-provoking entertainment is always appreciated, whenever and wherever we may find it.

Mayday
Funny how both conservatives and liberals can cook up their own paranoid fantasies from the same sets of facts. This Kennedy-era melodrama hearkens back to both the October 1962 missile crisis and the Nuclear Test Ban treaty of JFK's administration. When some people on the Right claimed the country was being handed over to the Soviets, two liberal Washington reporters cranked out the novel "Seven Days in May" about a military coup to topple the government. The movie is a faithful re-creation of the book and it's plain ridiculous. Burt Lancaster plays an updated Air Force version of Douglas MacArthur whose nefarious scheme is foiled by a smug band of patriots led by Kirk Douglas. Frederic March's President is so un-appealing you wish somebody would overthrow him, and poor Ava Gardner, 15 years on from being the most beautiful girl in Hollywood, looks like death warmed over. Rod Serling's script is riddled with a pomposity he usually edited out of his "Twilight Zone" work.

A cold war general with god-like pretensions.
That is General James Matoon Scott, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, played by Burt Lancaster. He is dismissive & looks down on everyone including the president whom he despises for his perceived weakness. The President (Fredrick March) has decided to unilaterally disarm our nuclear weapons. General Scott will attempt to seize power. This concerns Col. "Jiggs" Casey, (Kirk Douglas) Scott's chief of staff & best friend. Douglas's character is the key. He informs the president of the plot, as it becomes known to him & contacts Scott's old mistress (Ava Gardner). Edmund O'Brien won an Oscar as the president's best friend, a drunken southern senator. Rounding out the fine cast is Martin Balsam as a presidential advisor. The suspense builds as they attempt to stop the coup. No special effects here, very little action of any kind.
Frankenheimer has a more subtle touch in this movie, the follow-up to the Manchrian Canidate. This one is not quite as good but still an engossing flick.

GREAT POLITICAL THRILLER
One year after "The Manchurian Candidate", John Frankenheimer was back at it with "Seven Days in May", screenwritten by "Twi-Light Zone" creator Rod Serling. Serling's "Zone's" were a masterpiece of semi-liberal social conscience. Frankenheimer seized on another 1950s novel based on the real events of 1934, in which Republican industrialists recruited Marine hero Smedley Butler to orchestrate a coup d'etat against FDR. The novel and Frankenheimer's film fictionalize the event. It was, again, one of the best movies ever made, but completely liberal. Frankly, I have to ask why in 1963 the decision was made to examine a political conspiracy from 1934 when the worst political crime in U.S. history, the stealing of the 1960 election by Kennedy over Nixon, had occurred just three years prior. The answer to that question, my friend, is blowin' in the wind.
After JFK's assassination, "The Manchurian Candidate" was pulled because it hit too close to home, but in June, 1968 RFK was staying at Frankenheimer's Malibu home the night of the California Primary. He was tired and wanted to stay there. The enthusiasm of his victory that night convinced him to make the long drive on a twisting, turning Pacific Coast Highway, up the Santa Monica Freeway to downtown Los Angeles, where Sirhan Sirhan was waiting for him with a gun at the Ambassador Hotel.
Kirk Douglas is the Butler character In "Seven Days In May", an upright Marine whose politics are explained early by a fellow officer who says to him, "I though you'd be an ACLU lawyer by now, protecting the great unwashed." Douglas describes this officer as the kind who would be better suited for an army that goosesteps. Good dialogue, though. Burt Lancaster is the right wing Air Force General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is modeled after Curtis LeMay, although the Lancaster swagger and charisma make him far more appealing. Frederick March is President Jordan Lyman, an ardent liberal who has just signed a peace treaty with the Soviets that presumably dismantles much of our nuclear arsenal. Lancaster does not trust the Soviet will honor their end of the bargain. Therefore he is convinced they will strike and America will be lost. A U.S. Senator is in on Lancaster's plot to take over the Presidency. They make him from California just to make sure he is affiliated with Dick Nixon. Nice touch. The public is solidly against the President, fueled by a right wing radio host in a prescient script device. In the end, the "protector of the great unwashed," Douglas, foils the plot and March's speech to the D.C. press corps is met by a standing ovation. Oh, those evil militarists and Republicans.

(...) ... Read more

Description

Historical drama exposing the famous love triangle in King Arthur's Court. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Exciting and Lush Arthur Tale
1953's KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE was MGM's first wide-screen motion picture (filmed in CinemaScope in England). What the film lacks in scripting is made up by spectacular and brilliant cinematography by Freddie Young, colorful art designs by Alfred Junge and Hans Peters and an exciting score composed by Miklos Rozsa (a prelude to his majestic EL CID score). Robert Taylor looks good as Sir Lancelot of the Lake. Mel Ferrer is King Arthur. Ava Gardner is Queen Guinevere. (Sir) Stanley Baker comes off best as Sir Modred who plots to undermine King Arthur. There are large-scale battles and much swordplay throughout the adventure. The sword fight between Sir Lancelot and King Arthur is well filmed and the most dramatic which sets the stage for the relationship between these two men. There is another sword fight later in the film between Sir Lancelot and Sir Modred's men. This is a well-staged and choreographed duel which takes place on the steps outside Lancelot's quarters in the castle. Despite all this swordplay the story is somewhat static and does not really evoke that much emotion from the viewer. However director Richard Thorpe is successful in conveying Guinevere's love, through a restrained but effective performance by Ava Gardner, for Sir Lancelot. Ultimately it is a solid film in the old Hollywood traditions of storytelling.

GENERALLY STILTED PRODUCTION - NICE LOOKING DVD
"Knights of the Round Table" was MGM's first feature in the newly christened widescreen format of Cinemascope and the studio's inexperience with a 2:35:1 aspect ratio, in retrospect, is rather obvious. The audience is treated to drawn out battle scenes (that are thrilling) and lavish spectacle. But the whole look and feel of the film is very theatrical, like Shakespeare on stage. Robert Taylor, usually so natural, is uncomfortably stiff as Lancelot, while Mel Ferrer fairs slightly better as King Arthur. Ava Gardner is wasted as Gueneviere. Sets and rear projection are glaringly obvious. Over all, for its historical context in the early days of widescreen film, more than entertainment value, "Knights" is a worthwhile movie.
Warner Home Video has given us a generally good looking print. No attempt has been made to remove age related artifacts from the negative. Overall, the quality of the transfer is very smooth though, at times, it can seem somewhat digitally harsh. Exterior footage tends to suffer from a considerable amount of film grain while interiors are well balanced. Black levels are perhaps a bit weak and fine details are lost in the darker scenes. Close ups look gorgeous. Long shots suffer from pixelization. Fades between scenes tend to suffer from a sudden grainy quality that is customary for all Cinemascope film stock of this period. The audio is stereo surround and amply provided for considering the limitations in the original recording.

EXTRAS: Mel Ferrer comments on the film's production. There's a featurette movietone trailer and the film's original theatrical trailer too.
OVER ALL: Not a bad movie but an incredibly dated one, "Knights of the Round Table" nevertheless offers up a good example of vintage Cinemascope film making from the 1950's.

Calvary Charges, Fierce Battles and Pageantry
KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE is a movie about the classic tale of King Arthur, Sir Lancelot and Guinevere. Lancelot's ill-fated love for Guinevere is played out against a background of cavalry charges, fierce battles and pageantry. The plot is amplified by the rivalry between Lancelot and Mordred as well as Sir Percival's quest for the Holy Grail. Merlin appears in the film as an advisor to Arthur and Lancelot's wife dies while giving birth to the future Sir Gallahad.

Robert Taylor as Lancelot and Mel Ferrer as Arthur are both superb. Ava Gardner makes a beautiful Guinevere but her acting seems to be a little flat. The strong supporting cast includes Stanley Blake, Felix Aylmer and Robert Urguhart.

KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE received Academy Award nominations for Best Color, Art Direction and Sound. The main competition for Oscars in 1953 came from STALAG 17, ROMAN HOLIDAY and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY.

Richard Thorpe also directed Robert Taylor in IVANHOE in 1952.

The Age of Chivalry
A very enjoyable movie about the legend of King Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere. Robert Taylor is perfect as Lancelot... noble and chivalrous, although human at the same time. Colorful and full of heraldry, if you like stories of the age of chivalry, you'll enjoy this.

Knight of the Round Table
I've always like a Robert Taylor movie. It's one of those movies, you could add to your video collection, and watch it again periodically. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

What kinda answer is that against a 10 million dollar gross?
I'd not heard anything about this Bogart film before; as such, I wasn't expecting much. What a mistaken assumption! What a wonderful though tragic film!

It's fairly rare to see a film with an intelligent script and believable characters; the Barefoot Contessa has both.

Ava Gardner is beautiful, classy, and self-assured; she has high expectations for life and is not willing to settle for less. Humphrey Bogart does well as the character we might expect: a wise and worldly director/writer--the tough guy with a heart who befriends Gardner--the woman every man wishes he could have. Edmond O'Brien is brilliant as the PR flack to two men who can buy anything--except Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner). O'Brien is the crass American, always running his mouth, always looking at the money angle.

This film takes some broad swipes against big money and high society while retaining faith in big dreams. It has some of the most true-to-life dialogue I've heard in a long time. It is an unsung treasure.

Bogart as Oracle, Gardner as Screen Goddess
Joseph Mankiewicz was a dialogue master as well as a brilliant director, as evidenced by hits such as "All About Eve" and "A Letter to Three Wives." He is on top of his game once more writing about a familiar area, the world of film, in "The Barefoot Contessa." This film is the number one showcase vehicle in the career of the astoundingly beautiful Ava Gardner, cast in this drama as Maria Vargas, a dancer from Madrid who is discovered by film director Bogart on behalf of his then producer boss, Warren Stevens, a humorless, ruthless financial giant modeled somewhat on the persona of Howard Hughes. From there she goes on to a brief and meteoric career as an international film star before meeting an untimely death at the peak of her beauty and screen renown. Mankiewicz pulls out all stops to display her beauty at every angle, showcasing that beautifully chiseled face accented by the elegant cheekbones.

Bogart plays the role of a world-wise oracle, delivering pungent Mankiewicz one-liners, along with snappy first person narration. He serves as a surrogate father for the restless Gardner, who detests the superficilialities of the film world. A free spirit, she loathes stardom's confinements of living in a glass house, seen by all. Bogart serves as a convenient buffer from Stevens, who Gardner, as well as everyone else, detests with a passion.

Eventually Gardner meets the handsome prince of her exotic dreams in Italian nobleman Rossano Brazzi, but the tragedy is that he is compelled to love her "with all my heart" and is unable to provide her with the kind of physical fulfillment she desires due to a war injury that has left him impotent. When she endeavors to fulfill his desire for an heir by having an affair with another man, he fails to see things her way and believes she has betrayed him when she had launched the affair to please him. Disaster results.

Fans of Edmond O'Brien, who performed with great accomplishment in the film noir classic "D.O.A." as well as in many other films, were overjoyed to see this fine actor honored with an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in playing nervous, palm-sweating public relations man Oscar Muldoon in "The Barefoot Contessa." O'Brien is at his best in reading Stevens, who had treated him as hired baggage, the riot act when he is offered a position by a South American playboy with designs on Gardner.

a great romantic and dramatic film!
This is a must see. Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner make a great romantic couple. This film is beautiful and dramatic, as well as romantic. It's in color, which is even more wonderful. Ava's costumes are gorgeous.

Excellent screenplay. Great acting. Fine directing.
This 1954 film was written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz who sure does know how to make movies. In one of the very first scenes, Ava Gardner is dancing in a nightclub in Spain. We know she's great even though the camera isn't on her for one minute. All we do is hear the music and watch the faces of the people watching her. By the time we do see her, she's already in her dressing room. She's absolutely gorgeous and lights up every scene she's in. We see her character's rise to movie stardom and share the unfulfilled life she leads. And then, just when we think she's finally found happiness, tragedy strikes. It's a modern day classic drama with a story that pulled me right in.

Humphrey Bogart plays a movie director who befriends this "barefoot Contessa", nicknamed that because she was once so poor that she didn't have shoes. She prefers going barefoot and this theme is emphasized all the time, showing her barefoot whenever possible. Rossano Brazzi, who doesn't appear till late in the film, is cast as the true romance in her life. All of these actors do a good job, but I was particularly impressed with the performance of Edmund O'Brien, cast as a public relations man for a studio executive. It's a small part but I just kept thinking how good he was. Later I discovered that he won an Academy Award for this role.

It's the screenplay that moves the action. It never lagged and I sat there with my eyes glued to the screen wondering what would happen next. Considering that this is basically just a love story, that's saying a lot. I totally enjoyed the viewing experience. It's too bad though, that there were no features included on the DVD. It would have been nice to have a little more background. "The Barefoot Contessa" gets a high recommendation from me just because I enjoyed it so much.

Rich Tones and a Sad Tale
In the film, "The Barefoot Contessa," Humphrey Bogart indeed is a cynic from the very start. He niether likes his role of being a paid screenwriter on the payroll of a very moody boss and his talkative associate (Edmond O'Brien), nor does he enjoy exploiting himself. Ava Gardner as Maria is a very grounded dancer in Madrid, who cannot make up her mind between wanting stardom or wanting the simple life in her hometown. She is torn from the very start and feels she never quite belongs to the Hollywood scene. Nevertheless, all the men, except Bogart and O'Brien, are after her beauty and want a piece of her fragile being, only to end up a fatal end to her short life.

The story is rather complex and if you don't pay attention to each word, you may get lost with what exactly is happening. Each word the player says is meant completely, and the film is dependent on each charactors wordplay. The actor Edmond O'Brien, for instance, uses this method effectively and grabs every scene from the film that he's in. He was fantastic in it and probably was the most humble of the characters. He really deserved his Best Supporting Actor Academy award for 1954.

Ava Gardner, sorry to say it, was merely a ploy throughout the film to pretty much show the masterful direction of Mankanviez (sp?). She was marvelous, though, and completely made the film the success as it stands today. People watch it because of her screen presence, not to examine Bogart's duantless growl or O'Brien's snappy chit-chat; it's Gardner's presence and appeal that really brought the film into status.

Overall, if you get the DVD, the clarity is remarkable and you can really notice how well Gardner spoke, see every grimace of Bogart's usual snarl and hunched back, and see some wonderful panoramic views that only Technicolor could produce. This is worth the buy; for the story and script. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Masterful Kitsch!
When this movie was released in 1951, it was met with yawns and boredom at the box office. It took an entire generation before people began to appreciate the campy element in this sumptuous, over-the-top movie. This film is undoubtedly a perfect example of unintentional kitsch, a masterful and entertaining look at what Hollywood was churning out in the lethargic early 50's.

James Mason and Ava Gardner are both spectacularly beautiful people, but their talents in the acting department are as divergent as you can get. Mason was brilliant in anything, Ava was, by her own admission, quite a dismal actress. Her limitations show up continually here, and she isn't helped by some of the most inane dialogue ever penned. Mason plays a man doomed to roam the sea until he finds true love and (you guessed it!), he finds it in the gorgeous Ava Gardner. Unfortunately, their screen chemistry is basically nil, perhaps because in 1951, Ava was pining for Sinatra and had no eyes for the aloof Mr. Mason.

In any case, the script, sets and dialogue are hilariously bad, but in a touching and wonderful way. There are also some redeeming virtues in the production and some genuinely divine moments. You have to see it to believe it. The quality on this DVD is quite good and the audio is a vast improvement over the VHS version. Enjoy this decadent romp which takes itself too seriously, but wallow at the collective onscreen beauty of the two co-stars and the occasional flash of brilliance.

Worth a look, due to James Mason and Jack Cardiff
The fantasy / romance premise for this film is an interesting one, but the execution of the plot leaves quite a lot to be desired and much of the dialogue is quite lame and stilted. The plot has been covered well by others, no need to add more about that. James Mason's central character is the best thing about the film. He is extraordinary (as usual). Ava Gardner is very lovely to look upon (although her gowns are far closer to 1951 than to the 1930 time frame), but her acting is rather lackluster (as usual). However, far worse performances are given by Mario Cabre' and Sheila Sim (extreme under-playing and over-playing respectively). The Spanish location photography is great, as to be expected from the legendary cinematographer, Jack Cardiff. The direction is adequate, but no better. The telecine transfer on this DVD is poor in places, with color timing way off at times (sometimes with a purplish cast) and falls seriously short of what a Technicolor print can deliver. The print this was transferred from has considerable damage at the start and end of reels (can't be missed with scratches, dirt, and multiple cue marks). There are several splices, most producing a loud pop in the audio. Some simple re-making of the splices or blooping them would have helped a lot. Some scenes are way too dark to easily watch, and generally the picture is very grainy.

A GREAT OLD CLASSIC
I was almost surprised to see this released in DVD, since it is old and seldom plays on TV. I had made a video copy years ago and have watched it many times. A fascinating story, not the best screenplay in the world, but with parts that are excellent, especially when James Mason is reciting the story of the Flying Dutchman. It may be dated, and the reproduction is not perfect, and the colors are a bit faded, but I am still glad I got my DVD copy while it was available.

A wonderful escape from reality
This movie is a very deep and philosophical story of the Flying Dutchman. A man doomed to roam the seven seas for eternity unless he meets someone who loves him enough to die for him. There are wonderful quotations from 'Dover Beach' and 'Omar Khayyam' which say so much. If you want an escape from reality and enjoy well made movies with deep characters then this is THE movie. One of James Mason's great performances, in my opinion, and a great performance by Ava Gardner. Nothing wooden about it!!

A great romantic film!
I highly recommend this movie. It's a great story, really romantic. Beautiful actress Ava Gardner, is just wonderful in it, and so is actor James Mason. They make a great on screen couple. It's a film definitly worth seeing. It definitly deserves all the stars it can get. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The disaster-movie trend of the early and mid-1970s was starting to wear out its welcome when Earthquake was released in 1974. It’s another one of those enjoyably mindless all-star marathons, and the title tells you all you need to know about the plot. Charlton Heston offers his trademark brand of macho courage as the citizens of Los Angeles brace for the Big One--an earthquake that rattles the city to its crumbling foundation. It's got all the sophistication of a Love Boat episode, but the movie's momentum scores high marks (at least on the Richter scale), and the Oscar-winning sound design and special visual effects are still impressive, especially when you consider that advanced computer-graphics effects were still two decades in the future. Genevieve Bujold adds a touch of class to the all-star ensemble, and of course, what self-respecting disaster flick would be complete without a role for George Kennedy? In more ways than one, this cheesy movie rocks! (If you want to re-create the movie's original sound process known as "Sensurround," you’ll just have to crank up the bass and subwoofer on your home theater system until plaster cracks and windows shatter!) --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (33)

A Classic 'disaster'...
The most catastrophic earthquake hits Southern California, levels Los Angeles and with it, changes the lives of all people who live there. 'Grand Hotel' formula with larger than life acting, plus some of the most chilling special effects ever filmed. Earthquake still remains one of the most successful disaster movies in film history. Charlton Heston plays the construction engineer, Ava Gardner is his spoiled, rich wife & George Kenedy plays the tough cop. Also starring Lorne Greene, Genevieve Bujold, Marjoe Gortner, Lloyd Nolan, Barry Sullivan, Victoria Principal & Richard Rowntree watch out for Walter Matthau in a cameo role.
An average DVD presentation, the PAL version released in some European countries is much superior than this one (with Charlton Heston & Ava Gardner on the cover) & includes 4.1 Sensurround & presented in 2:35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen.

Thrills, Chills, and Fun!
"Earthquake" was a late entry into the early '70s Disaster film mania, and the audiences had become a little jaded after whetting their appetites on "Towering Inferno" and "The Poseidon Adventure." But hey! "Earthquake" has its own charms and some surprisingly good special effects.

Charlton Heston is in his stone-faced glory playing a heroic engineer who is trying to save Los Angeles from a devastating 7.2 earthquake. Dams break, buildings tumble, glass flies, panic and hysteria reign. Beautiful Ava Gardner ... plays Heston's spoiled, expensive wife. To give Heston the proper angst, he has reluctantly fallen in love with the nubile Genevieve Bujold who fetchingly needs rescuing quite often. The ending surprised me; I wonder if Charlton insisted upon it.

"Earthquake" delivers. If your expectations are for deep characterizations and startling ambiguities; you will be disappointed. If you want a couple hours of thrills and mindless fun, "Earthquake" will satisfy. My only complaints are the overly long set-up before the earthquake begins and a vague sadness that I haven't the facilities for "Sensurround."
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

Goodtimes doesn't 'make' movies. Oh, and this one is awful
Goodtimes is a small VHS/DVD distributor, usually of long forgotten bad movies and that's why their sooooooooo cheap.
Of course you get what you pay for.
And what do you expect with Charlton Heston?
Eventually all 'Chuck's movies' will wind up in the Goodtimes bin!
Because Charlton Heston can't act his way out of the proverbial paer bag.
Chuck once had muscles (just like Popeye) and his biceps got him into the movies. But he always needed to be stuck in big budget epics like this brain fart. Why? Because if you pay attention to all the DTS Dolby stereo High definition yaddas then you won't notice the huy can't act!
Even most Hollywood reviewers who like the poor big dumb fella have written that this is one of his worst.
Yuk

It rumbles!
The old vhs video did not rumble. This DVD RUMBLES! It shook the house. Thanks for restoring the "sensurround"

The only decent dvd made by Goodtimes Video
This classic movie was somehow given to the "Goodtimes Video Company" that is know for releasing horrible picture quality on their dvds. "Earthquake" however is decent. The picture quality is as good as the vhs video release and the only bonus to this dvd is the fact is is in widescreen format. Goodtimes Video Company is the worst company to buy from in my opinion. I avoid buying from Goodtimes like the plague. I would say this dvd is excellent quality comparred to anything else I've seen from Goodtimes besides "Airport 75". The quality of picture is just like the video. No new enhancments or re digitalized or anything. The picture is as good (if not a touch better) than what you'd see on vhs or television, so it is worht buying for a low cost.The sound quality SHOULD'VE been redone in DTS or Dolby Digital just because of the old Senssurround that went with this movie. However the sound quality on this dvd is in mono, the quality is not that bad for what you've heard before on vhs or television. I would say, if this is the only release on DVD available, it is worth buying if you loved this movie.The ONLY other dvd release by Goodtimes Video that was done ok was "Airport 75". ALL other dvds released by this company have been horrible and not worth a nickle. "Airport 77" was absolutly horrendous to watch on their dvd. Bad picture (dark) and had a soundtrack suppossedly called Dolby Digital that in my opinion was a lie because all I heard was mono.Anyways, "Earthquake" was an ok buy at a low enough cost. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One of the better 70's era disaster films
One of the better films amoung the 1970's disaster movie genre; centering around a European train infected with a contagious virus. Interesting film to compare to more recent fare such as Outbreak.

Amoung the "all-star" cast few actually qualilfy, with only Richard Harris and Sophie Loren adding genunie star power; while Burt Lanchaster basically just phones in his performance. Also seeing O.J. Simpson as an INTERPOL officer gunning down terrorists in a priest uniform is more then jarring. The direction is taut and the Jerry Goldsmith score is strong as always. Despite its cheesy moments (the hippies singing in the train car) its a good watch.

The DVD itself is nice deal for [$], although Artisian's presentation doesn't rank as high as some of its other older catalog film. Sadly its presented in fullscreen which is a major mark against it and there isn't even a trailer to accompany it. Oddly enough it sports motion menus which surprised me. The transfer isn't anywhere near reference quality but its watchable with a few spots where the film goes soft. The mono soundtrack isn't strong at all and the dreaded mono hiss is audible if you're using your sorround system.

If you're a fan of the movie its hard to turn down at a bargain price, otherwise rent it. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

1952 Gregory Peck feature not a classic !
A colorized version of a b/w film shot in exotic European locations, three legendary Hollywood screen actors of the 40s and 50s (Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, and Ava Gardner), based on a story considered a classic of American literature. . .how could you go wrong? How, indeed? But something doesn't translate well here, sadly.

"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a slow-moving film, a bit disjointed, told completely in flashbacks. I remember reading excerpts from Ernest Hemingway's story of the same name for an upper-level English composition course I took over 20 years ago from one of the long-haired hippie professors who were the bane of my existence back then. Problem with that particular prof was that he forced us to read dark, depresssing mediocre literature; I never liked anything he wanted us to model our own writing after--and still don't like the authors he held up as paragons of good writing.

SYNOPSIS: Successful American writer Harry Street (Peck) is forced to reflect on his past successes and failures and analyzes his life as he faces death at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He is camped on the slope of the famous African mountain with his second wife, Helen, who listens to him bemoan his lost (dead) first wife, Cynthia, as he drifts in and out of consciousness following an accident. The cause of his medical condition is not clear, as the couple can't agree whether he was scraped by a poisonous thorn or if he got injured while rescuing an African native from an angry hippopotamus, so this just added to my confusion. I'm not even sure if Helen is actually his wife; Susan Hayward is listed simply as "Helen" with no last name in all cast-lists I could find for this film. I missed something, what with all the flashbacks and cuts back to the camp-site where Street lay on his deathbed, surrounded by vultures in the trees and cackling hyenas at night.

The bright spot I found in this film was in Hildegard Knef's rather campy portrayal of "Countess Liz," to whom Street was affianced after divorcing Cynthia and before taking off to Africa with Helen. (Confused? So was I!) I don't think she meant to be funny, but I found her accent reminiscent of Madeline Kahn's character in "Young Frankenstein," which I found a hoot. Kahn may have used Knef as her role-model! I mean, I thought Harry and Liz were living in Paris, and I thought Liz was probably French. I researched Hildegard Knef a bit and found that she was born in Germany; she sounded like a German imitating a French accent, and I got a kick out of it.

One final detail that I might point out could help other viewers when they watch this film. At first I found it odd that two similar-looking brunette actresses (Hayward and Gardner) were cast as Harry Street's wives, but then I remembered something that the character says when he met Helen. Harry is giving a voice-over narrative during some of the flashbacks and is actually speaking to his dead wife Cynthia. He says, basically, "I'd follow any woman who reminded me of you in some way."

How very sad. Harry and Cynthia were happy together, but divorce because of a personal tragedy that happens between them, so Harry moves on to fabulously wealthy but overly-controlling Liz, only to realize at the last minute that he is still in love with his first wife. Harry goes to Spain, too late, to find Cynthia. I think he somehow thought he could replace Cynthia with a similar-looking woman, but it just couldn't be the same.

RECOMMENDATION: Get this if you're a big fan of Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner (she gives a good performance), or Susan Hayward, but don't think you're getting a top-notch rendition of a piece of American Literature (consider the source; it's a work by Hemingway!). Another translation for high-school students: don't substitute viewing this film for reading the Cliff's-Notes!! You'll end up more confused than if you simply read the book.

Possibly hollywood's worst Hemingway adaptation
Ranks right down there with Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man. Stiff Peck at his honking woodenest, vapid Gardner, shrill Hayward, the adaptation like something out of a romance mag. Only Bernard Hermann's music which he later recycled for Vertigo was of professional quality.

Snows of Kilimanjaro
Bought the DVD in assembling a Gregory Peck collection. Version was the one with Ava Gardner on the cover of the pack. The film was complete, but there was annoying technical noise, and quite a bit of fluttering in the picture. I may at some point buy another version of this DVD, but I do not recommend the technical quality of this particular production.

HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH KILIMANJARO...
As he lay dying,

Peck pines for Ava whom he

loves, while Hayward waits.

An interesting Hemingway adaptation
Ernest Hemingway hated this adaptation of his work, and disparagingly referred to it as "The Snows of Zanuck." I think he was overestimating his own writing, and I think the film is no worse than the work upon which it was based. Methinks he doth protest too much. Hemingway was heard to grumble: "I sold Zanuck one short story, not my whole body of works." The Casey Robinson screenplay is witty and honest, with the right blend of cynicism and naivetee. Gregory Peck is a gruff, grumbly, handsome-as-a-devil Hemingway "hero," and Ava Gardner makes a memorable, heartbreakingly beautiful Cynthia. Susan Hayward makes the best of the film's most thankless role (she looks great in a pith helmut, too). The layers of flashbacks perfectly convey the sense of a man reevaluating his past as he faces imminent death. Much has been made of the ending, and the way it deviates from the original story. I don't see the sunny Hollywood ending purists have denounced, since we really don't know the status of the dying writer as the helicopter arrives. The soundtrack is a bit loopy and out-of-synch in places, and the special effects (especially the river crossing) look pretty bad by today's standards, but the acting adds a depth and humanity which is missing from Hemingway's original work. A fun piece of escapist safaridrama along the lines of the superior "King Solomon's Mines" or "Mogambo." ... Read more

Reviews (10)

1952 Gregory Peck feature not a classic !
A colorized version of a b/w film shot in exotic European locations, three legendary Hollywood screen actors of the 40s and 50s (Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, and Ava Gardner), based on a story considered a classic of American literature. . .how could you go wrong? How, indeed? But something doesn't translate well here, sadly.

"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a slow-moving film, a bit disjointed, told completely in flashbacks. I remember reading excerpts from Ernest Hemingway's story of the same name for an upper-level English composition course I took over 20 years ago from one of the long-haired hippie professors who were the bane of my existence back then. Problem with that particular prof was that he forced us to read dark, depresssing mediocre literature; I never liked anything he wanted us to model our own writing after--and still don't like the authors he held up as paragons of good writing.

SYNOPSIS: Successful American writer Harry Street (Peck) is forced to reflect on his past successes and failures and analyzes his life as he faces death at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He is camped on the slope of the famous African mountain with his second wife, Helen, who listens to him bemoan his lost (dead) first wife, Cynthia, as he drifts in and out of consciousness following an accident. The cause of his medical condition is not clear, as the couple can't agree whether he was scraped by a poisonous thorn or if he got injured while rescuing an African native from an angry hippopotamus, so this just added to my confusion. I'm not even sure if Helen is actually his wife; Susan Hayward is listed simply as "Helen" with no last name in all cast-lists I could find for this film. I missed something, what with all the flashbacks and cuts back to the camp-site where Street lay on his deathbed, surrounded by vultures in the trees and cackling hyenas at night.

The bright spot I found in this film was in Hildegard Knef's rather campy portrayal of "Countess Liz," to whom Street was affianced after divorcing Cynthia and before taking off to Africa with Helen. (Confused? So was I!) I don't think she meant to be funny, but I found her accent reminiscent of Madeline Kahn's character in "Young Frankenstein," which I found a hoot. Kahn may have used Knef as her role-model! I mean, I thought Harry and Liz were living in Paris, and I thought Liz was probably French. I researched Hildegard Knef a bit and found that she was born in Germany; she sounded like a German imitating a French accent, and I got a kick out of it.

One final detail that I might point out could help other viewers when they watch this film. At first I found it odd that two similar-looking brunette actresses (Hayward and Gardner) were cast as Harry Street's wives, but then I remembered something that the character says when he met Helen. Harry is giving a voice-over narrative during some of the flashbacks and is actually speaking to his dead wife Cynthia. He says, basically, "I'd follow any woman who reminded me of you in some way."

How very sad. Harry and Cynthia were happy together, but divorce because of a personal tragedy that happens between them, so Harry moves on to fabulously wealthy but overly-controlling Liz, only to realize at the last minute that he is still in love with his first wife. Harry goes to Spain, too late, to find Cynthia. I think he somehow thought he could replace Cynthia with a similar-looking woman, but it just couldn't be the same.

RECOMMENDATION: Get this if you're a big fan of Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner (she gives a good performance), or Susan Hayward, but don't think you're getting a top-notch rendition of a piece of American Literature (consider the source; it's a work by Hemingway!). Another translation for high-school students: don't substitute viewing this film for reading the Cliff's-Notes!! You'll end up more confused than if you simply read the book.

Possibly hollywood's worst Hemingway adaptation
Ranks right down there with Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man. Stiff Peck at his honking woodenest, vapid Gardner, shrill Hayward, the adaptation like something out of a romance mag. Only Bernard Hermann's music which he later recycled for Vertigo was of professional quality.

Snows of Kilimanjaro
Bought the DVD in assembling a Gregory Peck collection. Version was the one with Ava Gardner on the cover of the pack. The film was complete, but there was annoying technical noise, and quite a bit of fluttering in the picture. I may at some point buy another version of this DVD, but I do not recommend the technical quality of this particular production.

HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH KILIMANJARO...
As he lay dying,

Peck pines for Ava whom he

loves, while Hayward waits.

An interesting Hemingway adaptation
Ernest Hemingway hated this adaptation of his work, and disparagingly referred to it as "The Snows of Zanuck." I think he was overestimating his own writing, and I think the film is no worse than the work upon which it was based. Methinks he doth protest too much. Hemingway was heard to grumble: "I sold Zanuck one short story, not my whole body of works." The Casey Robinson screenplay is witty and honest, with the right blend of cynicism and naivetee. Gregory Peck is a gruff, grumbly, handsome-as-a-devil Hemingway "hero," and Ava Gardner makes a memorable, heartbreakingly beautiful Cynthia. Susan Hayward makes the best of the film's most thankless role (she looks great in a pith helmut, too). The layers of flashbacks perfectly convey the sense of a man reevaluating his past as he faces imminent death. Much has been made of the ending, and the way it deviates from the original story. I don't see the sunny Hollywood ending purists have denounced, since we really don't know the status of the dying writer as the helicopter arrives. The soundtrack is a bit loopy and out-of-synch in places, and the special effects (especially the river crossing) look pretty bad by today's standards, but the acting adds a depth and humanity which is missing from Hemingway's original work. A fun piece of escapist safaridrama along the lines of the superior "King Solomon's Mines" or "Mogambo." ... Read more

Reviews (10)

1952 Gregory Peck feature not a classic !
A colorized version of a b/w film shot in exotic European locations, three legendary Hollywood screen actors of the 40s and 50s (Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, and Ava Gardner), based on a story considered a classic of American literature. . .how could you go wrong? How, indeed? But something doesn't translate well here, sadly.

"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a slow-moving film, a bit disjointed, told completely in flashbacks. I remember reading excerpts from Ernest Hemingway's story of the same name for an upper-level English composition course I took over 20 years ago from one of the long-haired hippie professors who were the bane of my existence back then. Problem with that particular prof was that he forced us to read dark, depresssing mediocre literature; I never liked anything he wanted us to model our own writing after--and still don't like the authors he held up as paragons of good writing.

SYNOPSIS: Successful American writer Harry Street (Peck) is forced to reflect on his past successes and failures and analyzes his life as he faces death at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He is camped on the slope of the famous African mountain with his second wife, Helen, who listens to him bemoan his lost (dead) first wife, Cynthia, as he drifts in and out of consciousness following an accident. The cause of his medical condition is not clear, as the couple can't agree whether he was scraped by a poisonous thorn or if he got injured while rescuing an African native from an angry hippopotamus, so this just added to my confusion. I'm not even sure if Helen is actually his wife; Susan Hayward is listed simply as "Helen" with no last name in all cast-lists I could find for this film. I missed something, what with all the flashbacks and cuts back to the camp-site where Street lay on his deathbed, surrounded by vultures in the trees and cackling hyenas at night.

The bright spot I found in this film was in Hildegard Knef's rather campy portrayal of "Countess Liz," to whom Street was affianced after divorcing Cynthia and before taking off to Africa with Helen. (Confused? So was I!) I don't think she meant to be funny, but I found her accent reminiscent of Madeline Kahn's character in "Young Frankenstein," which I found a hoot. Kahn may have used Knef as her role-model! I mean, I thought Harry and Liz were living in Paris, and I thought Liz was probably French. I researched Hildegard Knef a bit and found that she was born in Germany; she sounded like a German imitating a French accent, and I got a kick out of it.

One final detail that I might point out could help other viewers when they watch this film. At first I found it odd that two similar-looking brunette actresses (Hayward and Gardner) were cast as Harry Street's wives, but then I remembered something that the character says when he met Helen. Harry is giving a voice-over narrative during some of the flashbacks and is actually speaking to his dead wife Cynthia. He says, basically, "I'd follow any woman who reminded me of you in some way."

How very sad. Harry and Cynthia were happy together, but divorce because of a personal tragedy that happens between them, so Harry moves on to fabulously wealthy but overly-controlling Liz, only to realize at the last minute that he is still in love with his first wife. Harry goes to Spain, too late, to find Cynthia. I think he somehow thought he could replace Cynthia with a similar-looking woman, but it just couldn't be the same.

RECOMMENDATION: Get this if you're a big fan of Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner (she gives a good performance), or Susan Hayward, but don't think you