Description

Nazi Panzer forces stage a last-ditch Belgian front offensive that could turn the tide of WWII. Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw and Robert Ryan in the spectacular recreation of a crucial campaign. ... Read more

Reviews (81)

A seemingly controversial film!
Judging from all the previous opinions written on this movie, it is obvious few see it in the same light.This movie, while highly Hollywoodized (is there such a word?) is entertaining and only remotely connected to any historical reality. There is a star-studded cast with heavyweights (all gone now, I believe) like Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert Ryan, and Dana Andrews, among many others, and it is an interesting, and I found it to be, a very entertaining movie. I have owned this movie for many years on VHS and was disappointed for many of those years that it was unavailable on DVD.Why was it not available?Who cares now--it is finally out on DVD.If you don't like the movie, DVD won't change that, however.

This movie, with whatever faults (and it has many) you wish to attribute to it, is a must in any collection of war genre movies simply because of the stars and the insight it gives to movies made in 1965 while another, but realtively unpopular, war was going on. Even if you're not into war movies per se, I think it is enjoyable to watch.

If you are looking for a documentary on the history of The Battle Of the Bulge, this isn't it. As others more knowledgable than I have pointed out already, there are many inaccuracies, historically, with equipment, etc,etc.Most Hollywood movies are that way--Saving Private Ryan, Pearl Harbor, MacArthur, Patton--that's just a movie fact of life.I am sure only period films of actual combat would please some purests, so put that aside, it is worth a look soley as entertainment.In my opinion, a movie that generates this much controversy also generates curiosity as to why the controversy.See it, if you can, before buying and make up your own minds.

As comic book man would say..."Worst War Movie Ever!"
Mildly entertaining, this movie lacks in so many areas I don't know where to begin. I like to watch war movies to relive my days in the Army (I was in a tanker unit for awhile), and this movie just loses all realism and historical accuracy to the point that it resembles a circus. I saw it as a kid and liked it of course, and viewers who aren't so discerning might actually like it also, but watching it as an adult who has already watched the greatest war movies ever, I now have to give a thumbs down to this flick.
There are no unit patches on any of the soldiers whatsover. Obviously the studio must have had to cut costs somewhere. The German Tiger and Panther tanks suspiciously resemble American made tanks, the acting is so horrendous and hollywoodish, that I actually found myself rooting for the Nazis to kill them so I would no longer have to listen to their phony imitation of real soldiers over and over. Yes it was a big budget film and yes they did assemble a very all star cast, but did any of those actors ever spend 15 minutes trying to learn how actual soldiers act and talk? Actors are supposed to be believable in their roles, and this group just couldn't do it. They obviously didn't even know the right military expressions or jargon at all. Example: One of the generals making a call to HQ asks for "One hundred and fifty fives" (Howitzers), which to my knowledge has always been called one five fives (especially over a radio). Small error though it is, to me it's enough to remove any belivabilitythat the actor has ever spent a day in uniform.
The special effects are laughable, but you do have to remember the era in which this movie was filmed.High explosive tank rounds only cause a puff of smoke on enemy tanks followed by gasoline being lit on the turret.Dont expect to see turrets flying off as would be the case, oh and, soldiers don't bleed when shot either.
The end of the movie was so preposterous that I couldn't help but chuckling as Henry Fonda and Savalas rolled barrels of gasoline towards an entire column of German tanks and then tossed grenades at them and singlehandedly won the Battle of the Bulge.
This movie just seems like a sorry excuse to put Charles Bronson and Telly Savalas in other movie together to attempt to entertain the public.I'll stick to "Band Of Brothers", "When Trumpets Fade", "The Thin Red Line" or even "The Big Red One", when I need my WWII fix.

WW II Action Drama of the 1944 Ardennes Counter-Offensive
Warner Brother's 1965 epic war movie that portrays the German Ardennes Counter-Offensive in December of 1944 during WWII."Battle of the Bulge" depicts Adolf Hitler's gamble that committed three German armies to attack west to Antwerp, Belgium, and halt the Allies to force a negotiation for peace.Producer Milton Sperling and Director Ken Annakin created a movie of grand scale, but apparently chose big-screen action over historical precision to maximize box office revenue.Long relegated to infrequent television play and a chopped video tape edition, it returns on DVD restored for movie fans who like tanks and a screenplay that borders on camp by contemporary standards.

The movie depicts this historic battle through several fictional characters that eventually meet in a climatic battle that seals the Germans' fate.Henry Fonda is Lieutenant Colonel Dan Kiley, an American intelligence officer whose warnings of the coming attack fall on deaf ears.Robert Shaw is Colonel Hessler, the charismatic German Panzer (tank) commander who leads the armor spearhead towards Belgium.Charles Bronson is Major Wolinski, a tough American commander fighting the German onslaught to the last man.Telly Savalas is Sergeant Guffy, a jaded American tanker who is in the thick of the battle facing superior German tanks that relegate his to a tin can.James MacArther is Lieutenant Weaver, a slack infantry leader who survives a massacre of Allied prisoners by German soldiers.Sperling and Annakin appear to have chosen this simpler screenplay to create a few heroes who fight to overcome a seemingly invincible villain-forgoing a complex storyline as used in 20th Century Fox's 1962 "Longest Day."It works OK, certainly not on the level of "Band of Brothers," and lends a somewhat campy appeal for this 1960's action flick.

The movie does portray actual events with German paratroopers disguised as American soldiers who disrupt Allied operations, the Malmedy Massacre, and the siege of Bastogne.Their depictions contain a lot of artistic manipulation, and the relatively simple storyline faults the German defeat to depleted gasoline reserves-setting the stage for a climatic battle when Kiley, Guffy, and Weaver find themselves face-to-face with Hessler at a gasoline dump.Another gross oversight is a massive tank battle in the latter part of the movie that was apparently filmed during the spring-summer season in Spain-deplete of snow.

As long as viewers don't mind these faults-this is an entertaining movie.The M24 Chafee and M47 Patton tanks rented from the Spanish Army serve well as facsimiles for American Sherman and German Tiger tanks, and the live sets look great on the wide screen.Robert Shaw is the most charismatic in this feature and the Panzerlied chorus near the beginning of the movie is rousing.

I've always enjoyed this movie and I'm pleased with the DVD edition's restored imagery and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, particularly the restoration of footage that I've not seen in years.

A good transfer
I will not review the movie but the DVD. It's in Widescreen. No scenes have been cut. Every minute of the movie is on this DVD. It has the overture, intermission & exit music.I saw no pops or lines in the picture. The sound & pitcure quality of this 60s movie is as good as any DVD I have. I like the movie & wish all old movies on DVD were as well done as this DVD.

dump your VHS version
I'm not going to waste your time telling you about the movie, and how great it is.
The only thing I have to say is someone did something right for a change. Whoever put this one together gave you the full version as it was first shown.
My advice if you know and love this movie, this is the one to buy, and dump your VHS. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Vault Disney DVD packed with extras for a low price
What a fantastic DVD this is. The Vault Disney series is wonderful, and I hope they give more films the same treatment soon. Not only is the film beautifully restored (in its original 2:35:1 theatrical aspect ratio, and with 5.1 THX surround sound), but the DVD itself is packed with delightful extras.

There's a documentary about making "Swiss Family Robinson" that is nearly 50 minutes long and contains interviews with Sir John Mills, James MacArthur, Tommy Kirk, and Kevin Corcoran. There's a commentary track with the latter three contributing comments about the film. There's an additional interview with MacArthur about his film work, the original theatrical trailer and television spots, radio spots, the entire story album that came out with the film, a Donald Duck cartoon, and more! If you like "Swiss Family Robinson," get this DVD -- even if you already have the VHS tape. It's worth it just to finally have a widescreen version of this family-friendly classic (the better to view the wonderful island vistas), even if you don't figure all of the wonderful extras into the bargain.

this LOADED dvd deserves more than 5 stars
I strongly reccommend! This has to be one of the most fun family films Walt Disney ever made. And the 2 disc DVD treatment that Disney gave this film is perfect. It is Widescreen first of all, maybe it is the first widescreen release outside of theatres ever done for the film. And what a diffenrence in makes in the beautiful island vistas of the film. The DVD transfer itself is well done, with lush colors, great image and depth, great sound, it just sparkles.

The movie was filmed on location on the tropical island of Tobago. While the production went way over budget, Walt did not get mad at the time since the film was worth it. Featuring loads of animals, comedy, action, suspense, pirates, and tropical scenery this was a hard adventure film to beat. And similar to the role the Nautilus filled in "20,000 Leagues Below the Sea", the treehouse becoems a star in it's own right. The invenetive home designed by the castaways from the ship salvage is incredible to behold. An audio commentary as an alternate track features comments from casr and crew.

The extras on this DVD are what really make it a treasure, and they are not all listed here at Amazon or even on the packaging. You have to hunt it down and get creative with your remote. So let me help by telling you what to look for if you buy this... For starters they have the original cartoon that was released with the movie, "Sea Salts" allowing you to see this with the kids the way that it is meant to be seen. There is a 2 minute "1960 Disney Studio Album", a montage of projects, attractions, shows, and films being made and released that year. Next we have 23 minutes from an old Walt Disney television episode titled "Escape to Paradise", that includes the parts of that episode that show the making of the film. Up next is original 1960 movie theatre trailers for the film, and 1960 televison spots. Then there are "Storyboard to Scene Comparisons"; a seperate "Storyboard Gallery"; and a 2 minute "Production Gallery" of photo stills from behind the scenes at location. Another gallery of production stills; "Biographies" on 8 principle actors; and "Concept Art" on the film design work.

A featurette titled "Adventure in the Making" was made just for this set, and at 49:00 minutes long it is very complete, with recent interviews of the original cast and crew. There is great behind the scenes footage in this piece, and the folks regale us with funny stories. Peter Elleshaw (matte artist), Ken Annakin (director), Danny Lee (special effects), and actors John Mills, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran are all here. ANOTHER short 4 minute featurette that was also made just for this set is "Swiss Family Treehouse" narrated by Hayley Mills, it is the pre-opening footage and the actual Opening Ceremony of the Swiss Family Robinson's Treehouse (now gone) at the Disneyland Park. Walt is really enjoying himself in this must see footage.

Included on the set is a very nice 12 minute interview with James MacArthur, who appeared in this film and 3 others for Disney along with a TV movie. This features great video as well. There is a "Pirates" music video of clips from Disney films, tv shows, cartoons, and the theme park to the tune of "Yo HO Yo HO A Pirates Life For Me". Another unusual feature has 20 minutes of excerpts from the 1940 non-disney version of the film.

The set has Audio Archives set to photos from the film, including 2 Interactive SOund Studios, 2 songs from the film, original 1960 radio spots, and the soundtrack of the original merchandise Storybook Album released on LP in 1960.

I really enjoyed this DVD, I wish all the really good classic Disney films got at least some of this kingly treatment. They are the best studio about protecting their old source material, archives, etc, and are in the best position to place intruiging extras with the movie. Thank YOU Disney for this compilation that really honors this gem of a film the way it should be!!!!

Good Movie.
This is a really good movie. Especially for little kids.... but hey, we're all little kids at heart, except for scrooge, but it's still a good movie. Both versions, new and old.

ALL AGES
This is a classic for all ages. We have watched the video over and over as a family and now need it in DVD. From my 3 yr. old niece, to my now teenage son, and my husband and I, and even my parents, it continues to draw us in. I believe its lure is that everyone can find a character to identify with, and long to prove their mettle on the island. I love introducing new generations to this tale.

Don't waste your time or money
Don't bother wasting your time or money on this movie. I don't care about the quality of the cinematography, the quality of the story is what is lacking. From the elmination of Jack, one of the Robinson children, to the blatant disregard for absolutely any speck of information from the book, this film will make you cringe in horror. Rather, go get the original book, and curl up with your family and read. It's a better use of your time than watching this garbage. It doesn't deserve the one star I was forced to give it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Long before Henry Fonda played an irascible patriarch in On Golden Pond, he played an equally crusty family man in this warmly rustic, 1963 drama Spencer's Mountain, based on an Earl Hamner Jr. novel that later inspired the television seriesThe Waltons. Fonda plays Clay Spencer, a fiercely independent, hard-drinking, foul-mouthed Wyoming laborer who believes in God but rejects (to his tiny community's consternation) organized religion. Scraping together enough money to build a new house for his wife (Maureen O'Hara) and nine children, Spencer runs into an obstacle to both his plans and family pride when his college-bound son (James MacArthur) romances the daughter of Spencer's boss. Director Delmer Daves whips up a kind of morose schmaltz out of the earnest material, but it's Fonda's grit and heartland integrity that carry the day and establish some self-effacing wit. Some nice features here, including interviews with Fonda and a short documentary, "Spencer's Mountain: Grand Teton Premiere." --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Good Adaptation of the Hamner Novel With One Exception
Before THE WALTONS, Earl Hamner Jr. wrote a novel called
SPENCER'S MOUNTAIN, a fictionalized version of his childhood
in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The film version of
his novel is in general excellent--Henry Fonda is a standout
as tough-but-loving Clay Spencer--but I always thought
James MacArthur was too old to be playing Clay-Boy, and he's
certainly NOT the charming but gawky red-headed kid described
in the novel! Richard Thomas was also older than the John-Boy

character he portrayed on the television series, but he
was made to look like a gawky teenager where MacArthur never
does. (Incidentally, the family on TV is known as the Waltons
rather than the Spencers because after the movie was made
the studio owned the rights to the name "Spencer" so Hamner
had to change it for TV.)

My big quibble with this movie, and the reason I won't rate
it higher, is the character of Claris. In the novel she's a
bold, precocious, but ultimately nice girl--in the movie she
just comes off as a slut. The actress slithers and oozes like
some sort of Lolita-clone.

INSPIRED "THE WALTON'S"
Fonda plays the larger-than-life patriarch of 9 (with O'Hara as his wife) who's inherited the Wyoming mountain land claimed by his father. Fonda's dream is to build a new house large enough to contain his brood, but something always gets in his way. Sentimental family fare based on a novel by Earl Hamner, Jr.

Classic Delmer Daves production
"Spencer's Mountain" , written by Earl Hamner, Jr. of "The Walton's" wrote this script in the 1950s and it shows. Like many of the Delmer Daves movies of this era, this film combines a Max Steiner score, great cinematography and a heart-tugging story from a more innocent America. This is a great movie to get lost in, enjoy, and have a good cry. I sit back and re-live this film at least once a year.

A great family video
I loved this movie--Henry Fonda is wonderful as the hard-working, loving, commonsense father of nine children. Maureen O'Hara plays his wife and does a great job as a woman of faith who is constantly being challenged by the struggles of raising a large family with little income. It gives a beautiful portrait of a close-knit family whose members sacrifice freely for one another. A great family movie.

This is a funny, heartwrenching movie
This is such a beautifully made film. It made me laugh (really hard), then had me on the verge of tears. This is a true look at rual America in the 40's (or was it the 30's). And for a movie made 40 years ago, it has some pretty smart dialogue. Spencer's son has this "loose" girlfreind who's always getting the poor guy in trouble. "Wannna get the dictionary and look up all the dirty words?" she asks the son while she tries (unsuccessfully) to seduce him in the town library. Don't get me wrong there is nothing vulgar about this film. It really is a family classic. Hnery Fonda is in peak form here. A REAL look at family life. ... Read more

Amazon.com

After starring in the now-legendary trilogy of spaghetti Westerns for Italian director Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood became a box-office star and imported the style of those classic shoot-'em-ups for this 1967 Western directed by Ted Post, with whom Eastwood had worked during their days on the television series Rawhide. Eastwood plays an innocent rancher who is mistaken for a cattle rustler and sentenced to hang by an angry mob. When he is saved from the noose by a passing lawman, he embarks on a renegade campaign of vengeance against the men who attempted to lynch him. Hang 'Em High offers a number of memorable moments and stylistic flourishes, and features a superb supporting cast of Western veterans, including Ben Johnson, Ed Begley, Pat Hingle, Dennis Hopper, Bruce Dern, L.Q. Jones, and the "Skipper" himself, Alan Hale Jr. Made just three years before Dirty Harry, the film marked a turning point for Eastwood, who would soon move into a prolific period of contemporary thrillers. The digital video disc offers standard and widescreen formats and a remastered soundtrack. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (31)

Eastwood, home on the American range
After earning major stardom with Sergio Leone's spaghetti western trilogy, Clint Eastwood turned down both Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" and Carl Foreman's "MacKenna's Gold" to star in and co-produce this tightly scripted, well-acted western directed by "Gunsmoke" veteran Ted Post. It proved a good choice. If not a masterpiece on the order of Leone's film, or a star studded spectacular like Foreman's offering, "Hang 'Em High" was something the other two were not: a hit. It's also intelligent and makes some interesting if subtle comments on the meaning of justice. The clean-shaven Eastwood is fine as Jed Cooper, a former marshal who once more wears a badge to hunt down the men who hanged him as an alleged cattle thief, but Pat Hingle as a hanging judge who is even more vengeance minded than Eastwood offers the standout performance. Bruce Dern, Bob Steele, Ben Johnson, Joe Sirola, Dennis Hopper, and Alan Hale, Jr. (yes, the Skipper from "Gilligan's Island") are among the notable character actors who appear throughout, and Dominic Frontiere's music score, including the title theme that would go on to be a hit for Booker T and the MGs, is excellent.

Exciting, thoughtful western
After earning major stardom with Sergio Leone's spaghetti western trilogy, Clint Eastwood turned down both Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" and Carl Foreman's "MacKenna's Gold" to star in and co-produce this tightly scripted, well-acted western directed by "Gunsmoke" veteran Ted Post. It proved a good choice. If not a masterpiece on the order of Leone's film, or a star studded spectacular like Foreman's offering, "Hang 'Em High" was something the other two were not: a hit. It's also intelligent and makes some interesting if subtle comments on the meaning of justice. The clean-shaven Eastwood is fine as Jed Cooper, a former marshal who once more wears a badge to hunt down the men who hanged him as an alleged cattle thief, but Pat Hingle as a hanging judge who is even more vengeance minded than Eastwood offers the standout performance. Bruce Dern, Bob Steele, Ben Johnson, Joe Sirola, Dennis Hopper, and Alan Hale, Jr. (yes, the Skipper from "Gilligan's Island") are among the notable character actors who appear throughout, and Dominic Frontiere's music score, including the title theme that would go on to be a hit for Booker T and the MGs, is excellent.

Hung at high noon!
Clint Eastwood's movie, Hang 'em High, is very interesting and dramatic. The plot of this movie was predictable but that is quiet alright. The producer and director probably wanted to convey some other message and hence a standard plot was chosen.

Clint Eastwood is a rancher who is strung up at high noon by a bunch of thugs from a nearby town. They accuse him of murder and theft of cattle. Eastwood however does not die. A US Marshall recues him and brings him to the judge for trial. Judge aquitts Eastwood.

It so happens that Eastwood was a ex-lawman and judge appoints him as a Marshall. Then begins the story of revenge and justice as Eastwood hunts down the vigilante mob that tried to hang him.

There are many interesting questions raised in the movie. What is the relationship between Revenge and Justice? How should justice be dealt out? It is a thought-provoking movie although it has somewhat banal action scenes. Regardless, it's a movie worth your money.

"When you hang a man, You better look at him!!!!!
Hang'em High is one of my favorite westerns. Clint Eastwood is awsome in the role of Jed Cooper, a cowboy who is mistaken for a rustler and gets hanged. After being rescued by a sherriff and given a job as a lawman, Cooper seeks revenge on the 9 men who hung him.
Hang'em High is a good'ol western that's packed with great actors, like Alan Hale Jr. (Giligan's Island) Ed Begley. L.Q. Jones, Dennis Hopper, and in a brief role as a preacher, James MacArthur(Hawaii Five-O), and Bob Steele, in the role as a prison inmate. If you like westerns with Clint Eastwood, give Hang'em High a try.

Hi-Noon Gloom at Solar Eclipse of Justice
Great and terrific western, although a bit incomplete compared to his later American movies, featuring a Clint Eastwood youngster once more, or already, in search of Justice.

How come so many of those Eastwood Westerns remind one of the epics of the Christian narrations of the Gospel themes? It has to be borne in mind that the colonization of the West was once undertaken by deeply religious believers and pious colons, fleeing religious persecutions by bigots, various religious hypocrits and other political imperialists and oportunists. Redemption is and was always strictly a business of individuals, and the Far Wild West narrational environment is or was able to bring out a suitable environment and circumstances for the depiction of the various themes of redemption. Clint Eastwood, in his half-a-dozen or so mythical Westerns, has usually done a great job at this.

In this movie, the heroe (self-tortured as usual with a high inner sense of justice) almost loses his life several times, once in an expedient summary judgement followed by an attempted lynching by a bunch of respectable criminal outlaws in search of an innocent scapegoat, another time by an attempted cold-blooded execution, barely escapes each time with notable scars and (Christ-like) stigmatas, to go out to seek justice and revenge.

In all of Clint Eastwood's westerns, this is a major theme. The world looks like a rather gloomy place, haunted by the lost and the wicked, where there is neither justice nor reprieve for a few righteous ones, and Clint Eastwood incarnates a type of Christ, or avenging Angel, usually back from the Dead or almost-Dead, in a lonely search or quest for justice in a lost world.

For a subsequent illustration of these themes, see the following

- Unforgiven: The Redeemer of Blood pushed to His utter limits
- Pale Rider: The Redeeming and Avenging Angel, or Man with a Mission
- The Outlaw Josey Wales: Moses, the Hunted One turned Leader in the Wilderness
- High Plains Drifter: The Resurrected Righteous, or His Angel, or His Next of Kin , bringing down Retribution to a wicked town (Caphernaum by the Sea)

Although Hang 'em High presents some of the above-mentionned themes in a barely embryonic fashion, these subsequent four Western movies developped the theme matter to further epic dimensions, besides allowing for a few very realistic and authentic western entertainments. Highly watchable. ... Read more

Description

Jamie Marshall (Kelly McGillis) is a "storm chaser" who, having lost her husband in a crash after his plane was struck by lightning, recklessly throws herself into her work. Sent by her boss to Colorado to investigate the cause of a devastating tornado, she meets Will Stanton (Wolf Larson), Field Coordinator for FEMA. One night, while working closely together examining the wreckage of the recent storm, Jamie and Will experience a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon - a ball of lightning falling from the sky connecting with the ground all around them. As Will tries to shield Jamie from the lightning, the two embrace and find themselves in a passionate kiss. The next day Jamie and Will return to the location. What they discover is a facility where waste from scientific experimentation is affecting the atmosphere causing the tornadoes.Armed with the new information and seven new tornadoes on the horizon, Jamie and Will prepare the already tornado ravaged town for another possible disaster! Kelly McGillis, Wolf Larson ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Waste of time
Horribly thought out plot, bad acting, unlikeable characters, technically inaccurate, cheap FX and a stupid love story sub-plot all add up to an extreme waste of time.

Bought this out of the 6.99 bin and I still feel I was robbed.

This movie's only redeeming quality is that it makes for a fun drinking game if you drink for every plot hole. (don't drive afterwards)

it will blow you away
i thought it was a great movie good special fx great acting first rent it and see for yourself i think you will like it.

Utter Nonsense, Poor Stroy Line, and Bad Acting
I thought this would be a good sequel to "Twister." Was I ever wrong! The story line was poorly conceived. The acting was just as bad. If you want to see an action-suspense movie featuring tornadoes -- and, you really don't care about "realism;" then I suggest you get the original "Twister" instead. Leave this one on the shelves.

Rent "Twister" instead
Combine a trite script, poor acting and some badly animated scenes and you get this movie. Scenes are difficult to watch because of the comical score and impossibly funny situations (the lead characters engage in a passionate kiss as ball lightning hails down upon them, the FEMA director seems to be an ordained minister as well.) However, one highlight of the movie (and deviation from the "Twister-like" script) was the inclusion of a government conspiracy involving the Department of Energy. Bottom line: rent Twister instead.

Excuse me if I giggle.
I thought the movie was a little silly. Kelly McGillis gets into her maniac role pretty well. Is that Danno? Yes it is! Waiting for the tornadoes was tiresome, however. And yes, they do use the "food coloring in a tank of water" effects. Actually well written, and interesting just to listen to. ... Read more