Amazon.com

It is one of the notorious titles in all cinema history, but--sigh--it looks rather quaint today. In the mid-1930s, Ecstasy was a great conversation piece, for its scandalous acknowledgment of sexual passion in women and its revelation of the naked form of actress Hedy Kiesler, who would become the Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr. Henry Miller even wrote an excited essay about it, sure proof that something libidinous was loose. Czech director Gustav Machatý constructs the movie as an almost wordless shadow play of symbols and signs, mostly sexual (there are many close-ups of heavy-breathing horses and nude statues, cut together for maximum erotic impact). As precious as some of these things seem now, it's still amazing to consider Machatý's nerve in depicting one of the first orgasms to hit the movies. And then there's Hedy, whose expressive eyes matter more than her brief skinny-dip. She's an unmistakable future star. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Four and a half stars!
This movie, starring a young Hedy Lamarr is proof of how sexual old films could be without showing much!
Ecstasy is basically the story of a young girl who marries an old guy (though they don't really explain why she did in the first place). He isn't at all interested in her on their wedding night...he isn't really interested in her at all! The simple prettiness of Hedy makes her seem like a girl you yourself would know and it makes it that much easier to feel all the emotions she is feeling. I was a little confused as to why there were silent parts (without even the use of dialogue boxes) and also talking parts. I personally liked the silent scenes. Hedy was a wonderful actress and her face alone could tell the entire story.
Anyways, after she requests a divorce from her husband, she lives with her father and while out alone one day, she decides to go swimming in the nude (this scene was blown way out of proportion; yes, she was naked, but I thought it was done very tastefully and you really don't see much). I won't give away all that happens, but by the end of that scene she meets a very VERY handsome land surveyor, who is everything she's searching for. After this initial meeting she later goes to his home and this results in the first on-screen orgasm, which was done simply showing Hedy's face, and it became, in my opinion, the hottest love scene ever!
Overall, this movie was excellent, though it should probably be seen more than once to see every little erotic message the director put in there. I would have given it five stars, but I didn't care for the ending. But please don't let that keep you from seeing this film! It is still wonderful!

A novelty every collector should have
This film has so many versions that it's hard to say which one you will get. The original is quite spicy with several nude scenes of Hedy Geisler (Hedy Lamar). The sound track is primitive with just a little dialog or, depending on which cut, no dialog. This film was made just into the sound era in Chechoslovakia. As a collectors' item, it is a must for classic film buffs, not for its quality or filmaking technique but for its impact on movie censorship in the US. The theme here is adultry. Hedy plays a young new wife to an older cold fish. Fustrated on her wedding night, she embarks on various endeavors clearly motivated by sexual fustration. The nude swim after a horseback ride is what all the hoopla was about. The horse runs away carrying our girl's clothes. From this point on, various versions carry various degrees of Hedy depending on which cut you get. I have 2, one purchased commercially in 1975 and another obtained later from a private collector. The second has much more nudity than the first. While hiding in the woods, Hedy meets a young surveyor and a liason blossoms. You'll have to buy the film to find out what happens. I would buy this film, especially if you haven't seen it. Although tame by modern standards, it had 'em gasping in 1933. ... Read more

Description

An elevator operator, a wife of a struggling concert violinist, a born-in-a-trunk vaudevillian: they're three different women on three different paths of life, yet they soon share one dream: to become a Ziegfeld Girl.Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr and Judy Garland play the respective three trying for stardom in this sumptuous extravaganza. James Stewart adds to the star wattage, playing the jilted truck-driving beau of Turner's footlight diva. And legendary innovator Busby Berkeley brings his imaginative camerawork and pacing tonumbers that include Garland's massively scaled and calypso-infused Minnie from Trinidad, plus a lavish, showgirl-revue finale that reprises the rhapsodic You Stepped Out of a Dream. Sweet dreams, movie fans. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

GARLAND, LAMARR AND TURNER!
The adventures of three girls in show-business. ZIEGFELD GIRL is an immense backstage musical into which MGM poured tons of talent; it also marked Pandro S. Berman's first assignment with that studio after his years of success at RKO. Just why Jimmy Stewart received top-billing for this rather uneven but entertaining movie is a mystery - his role is virtually a minor one. Robert Z. Leonard directed this two and a quarter hours worth of stuggle, triumph, pain and music, but the two big production numbers, MINNIE FROM TRINIDAD and YOU STEPPED OUT OF A DREAM, were the work of the fabled wizard of cinematic choreography, Busby Berkeley. Judy is darling as Susan Gallagher and her scenes with her Irish Pop (Charles Winninger) are realistically executed. I felt Lana Turner's performance is a bit artificial and inept in her acting technique; she plays Sheila who succumbs to the bottle. As Sandra, Lamarr is astonishingly beautiful, but her acting hardly lingers in one's memory! Jimmy Stewart would enlist himself in the Army before this film premiered; he wouldn't make another film until 1946; it was a sleeper (just kidding) entitled IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

SPARKLING NEW TRANSFER OF A STELLAR STAR FILM VEHICLE!
"Ziegfeld Girl" is not one of MGM's greatest musical achievements so much as it is one of their biggest rip offs. The plot wreaks of faint formaldehyde right down to its stolen montage sequence from "The Great Ziegfeld" (1936) that supplants Virginia Bruce from the top of that film's revolving staircase with Judy Garland in a blonde wig. What a sham! If the film had absolutely no merit at all this would be an easy review to write. However, "Ziegfeld Girl" is a blessed with a stellar cast including Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr and Ms. Garland, as well as Tony Martin, Jackie Cooper and Edward Everett Horton. The film also has two lavish set pieces all its own, the rather maudlin, though eye-popping "You Stepped Out Of A Dream" with the entire cast parading down a gigantic spiral staircase and "Minnie From Trinidad", a Garland standout with a tropical theme that is both light, humorous and melodic. Garland also has the outstanding solo ballad, "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" though this is sung with only modest accompaniment and an uninspired stage backdrop.
THE TRANSFER: In keeping with Warner's commitment to the classics, "Ziegfeld Girl" looks remarkably pristine on DVD. The gray scale is perfectly balanced. Contrast and black levels are right on. Some scenes suffer from age related artifacts. There are also minute traces of edge enhancement but nothing that will terribly distract. The audio is mono but nicely balanced.
BOTTOM LINE: "Ziegfeld Girl" is for fans of Judy Garland. It's not an outstanding musical but will nevertheless entertain.

OVERLONG STORY BUT THE MUSIC IS GREAT!
I am a great fan of the MGM musicals. This is an entertaining vehicle and Judy Garland's numbers "Minnie from Trinidad" and "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" are stellar!! Judy could do anything!!! They are worth rating the movie 5 stars for them alone. However, those numbers are not all there is to the movie. The film is overlong telling the stories of three girls (Garland, Lamarr and Turner)who enter into the Ziegfield realm. Lamarr is simply there for decoration, Judy, of course is there for the talent, and Turner in a surprisingly good dramatic role is there for the soap opera element. Jimmy Stewart is given top billing here but he is completely wasted and he and Lana Turner have absolutely no chemistry together. His screen time averages to less than 15 minutes. The story drags and is overlong. However, the musical numbers make up for the flaws in the story which is nothing more than trite soap opera drivel.

The DVD is high quality, great picture and sound.

If you're a fan of Garland or Turner, buy this DVD. You won't be disappointed. As I said, Garland is worth anything in anything she does. And Turner proves she can act.

They Stepped Out of a Dream
An intriguing, albeit somewhat superficial, look at the lives of three young women destined for stardom in the Ziegfeld Follies. While gorgeous Hedy LaMarr is merely decorative, the radiant young Judy Garland is marvelous in numbers like "Minnie From Trinidad" and "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", and Lana Turner is a revelation as the spoiled beauty who succumbs to the darker side of stardom. Unfortunately, James Stewart is wasted in this film and does not pair well with Turner. This aside, the MGM glamour is spectacular, with stunning costumes by Adrian and set design by Cedric Gibbons. What a shame that MGM chose to film this in black-and-white, rather than Technicolor! While the film is overlong and somewhat dated, you'll rarely get the opportunity to see the likes of Garland, Turner, and LaMarr together in one film. For this reason alone, it should not be missed.

It's interesting what I learned from reading Amazon reviews!
.
I wanted to read more about this film here on Amazon to determine whether I might like to see it.

I learned two interesting things:

1.The film unfortunately is in black & white, which is a disappointment because I am a technicolor fan.

2. Joel from NYC is gay gay gay!!! He said he started watching these kinds of films when he was only 12. He must be one big queen from Queens by now!

Well, I simply adore gay taste in films and music, so if Joel liked it, I guess I just may have to watch it too!

Thanks Joel! ... Read more

Amazon.com

As those who are old enough to have lived through the Great Depressiondisappear, the era seems more and more remote; it's nearly impossible for latergenerations to understand just how desperate things were in the United States inthe 1930s. Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? captures not only the historybut also the culture of the time in a rather unusual documentary format. Totallywithout the benefit of narration, the movie mixes newsreel footage with clipsfrom Hollywood films to tell the story, from the stock market crash throughPearl Harbor. Movie-minded viewers will easily recognize footage from TheyMade Me a Criminal, Public Enemy, Golddiggers of 1933,Employee's Entrance, Little Caesar, Lady Killer, I Was aFugitive from a Chain Gang, and countless other Hollywood films from thetime--some classics, some more obscure. The scope of the film covers not onlyhistorical landmarks such as the Dust Bowl, FDR's election, and the New Deal,but dance marathons and the Louis-Schmeling heavyweight fight for acomprehensive look at the country's social climate. The formula works well, forthe most part; especially before the imposition of the Hays Code chilledHollywood's tone, the '30s saw the birth of the "social consciousness" picturethat dealt with topical issues in straightforward ways. Brother onlyfalls down when it attempts to wrap up the film by bringing it up to the presenttime (1975, anyway); its ending seems superfluous, tacked-on. Still, for historybuffs and movie fans alike, this is an interesting account of a pivotal decadein American history. --Jerry Renshaw ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Likeable western.
I like Copper Canyon, it's one of my favorite westerns. Admittedly the plot is somewhat convoluted and the acting is merely adequate. I think I mainly like the cast. Hedy Lamarr is gorgeous -- as always, Mona Freeman was one of Hollywood's prettiest blondes, and Ray Milland is the suave, dashing hero. Copper Canyon was just another western ground out during Hollywood's Golden Age. But at least it was fun to watch, which I can't say about most movies made these days. ... Read more

Description

All Day Entertainment's ongoing DVD celebration of the films of legendary indie pioneer Edgar G. Ulmer began in 1999 with two DVD volumes that have since become very hard to find collector's items. This deluxe boxed set collects these first two special edition discs, covering three complete features and a bounty of extras. Disc One includes "The Strange Woman" (99 min.), a 1946 riff on "Gone with the Wind" restaged in New England, without the Civil War, but with Hedy Lamarr as a conniving manipulator who exploits her sexual allure to destroy the men around her. "A beautifully shot melodrama with Ulmer's balletic camerawork and set design shown off their best" raves Film.com. This disc also includes the rarely seen 1939 noir musical, "Moon Over Harlem" (68 min.), which Ulmer likened to a "Black Porgy and Bess." Disc Two includes "Bluebeard" (73 min.), a 1944 horror thriller starring John Carradine as a murderous puppeteer. One of Ulmer's most highly regarded works, in a deluxe DVD edition that the San Francisco Examiner calls "very highly recommended." This disc also features never-before-seen color footage from the famous puppet opera sequence and a reproduction of the pressbook. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

"THE MOST ATTRACTIVE WOMAN IN FILMS"
Lamarr is visually stunning and gives very good performances in both of these underrated gems. Both movies are gripping and have believable plots and dialouge. In addition the content is very racey for the time.

The image quality of this Triton DVD is good. While not up to Criterion or tier 1 studio quality it is very watchable. Most of the image is semi-crisp. I did not notice alot of hiss, though there is some. On "Strange Woman" there is one part lasting 1-2 minutes where there is a loud hum.

Overall this is a very good buy. You get two movies with the beautiful Lamarr(she turns her head, lifts her eyes and a man would do anything). The quality is better than average. The plots and acting are great. ... Read more