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More timely now, perhaps, than when it was first released in 1957, Elia Kazan's overheated political melodrama explores the dangerous manipulative power of pop culture. It exposes the underside of Capra-corn populism, as exemplified in the optimistic fable of grassroots punditry Meet John Doe. In Kazan's account, scripted by Budd Schulberg, the common-man pontificator (Andy Griffith) is no Gary Cooper-style aw-shucks paragon. Promoted to national fame as a folksy TV idol by radio producer Patricia Neal, Griffith's Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes turns out to be a megalomaniacal rat bastard. The film turns apocalyptic as Rhodes exploits his power to sway the masses, helping to elect a reactionary presidential candidate. The parodies of television commercials and opinion polling were cutting edge in their day (Face in the Crowd was the Network of the Eisenhower era), and there are some startling, near-documentary sequences shot on location in Arkansas. An extraordinary supporting cast (led by Walter Matthau and Lee Remick) helps keep the energy level high, even when the satire turns shrill and unpersuasive in the final reel. There's an interesting parallel in Tim Robbins's snide pseudodocumentary Bob Roberts: both these pictures have almost as much contempt for the lemmings in the audience as for the manipulative monsters who herd them over the cliff. --David Chute ... Read more

Reviews (49)

Cognitive Dissonance
My image of Andy Griffith as and actor and as a person has always been positive. I don't know him, he may be the biggest jerk in the world for all I know, but he has managed his public image well and has kept his name unsullied by sordid rumors, so I have always liked him.
If your image of Griffith is the same, and you have never seen this movie, brace yourself for the cognitive dissonance you will feel when you watch this! Griffith turns in a powerful performance as a hobo troubador who is "discovered" by a small-town radio host while in jail and then uses the opportunities that unfold to rocket to fame as a canny, folksy and cynical television entertainer and pundit.
My take after watching the movie is that Griffith's character, Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes, was always self-centered but was quite the ladies man as well. He found with Patricia Neal's help that he could use his folksy manner to get what he wanted. He also found that simple folks fell for and identified with his cornpone stories. But it was his handlers who led him to believe his own press and that his insight was indispensable in every situation.
Kazan and Schulburg use the movie as a vehicle to show not only how television could be misused in politics, but also in advertising. With Rhodes as its spokesman, sales ofa worthless energy pill soared and so Rhodes became a sought-after spinmeister in other areas as well. Television does for Rhodes what radio did for the real-life folksy musician/politician Pappy O'Daniel.
On the romantic side, Rhodes was a real skirt-chaser, full of promises but always with his eye out for his next conquest. His come-uppance came when he jilted the woman who had helped bring him to his great heights for the charms of a groupie-like baton-twirling teenager (Lee Remick) he met when a judge at a twirling contest. The cliche is that "hell hath no fury...", and the jilted Patricia Neal lost no time in conspiring to bring him down. She got her chance when she burst in to the studio and aired for the nation to hear all of Griffith's contemptuous comments about his fan base to the bunch of "hayseeds" he used as a focus group on his show. That put a quick end to his popularity and the ranting,raving ending is really something to witness! It is left to the viewer's imagination as to whether Griffith follows through on his threat to jump from his office tower if Neal leaves him.
I never heard of this movie until recently and bought it on the strength of a recommendation. I'm glad I did. You won't be sorry either when you add A Face In The Crowd to your DVD collection.

Media Fascist
At first the central premise of "A Face in the Crowd" was a little hard for me to swallow.I'd like to think that the general public is a little more discerning and would not be so easily taken in by a megalomaniac like Lonesome Rhodes.But then, the argument goes that Abe Lincoln would never be elected president today.When you think about it our more successful presidencies, depending on your political persuasion, would be Kennedy, Reagan, and Clinton who were all masters of the medium.I'd like to think of this film as more of a cautionary tale of the dangers of the new medium of television.Director Elia Kazan from a script by Budd Schulberg have crafted their parable quite well.I would like to think that Rhodes is not quite the monster that he inevitably became, that he started his career humbly and with good intentions only to be corrupted by forces that manipulated him to the darker side.Andy Griffith, in probably one of the most criminally overlooked performances in American film history, is simply mesmerizing as Rhodes.He manages to convey the folksiness tainted with contempt and self-loathing that ultimately is Lonesome Rhodes.Patricia Neal is superb as Marcia Jeffries, the woman who discovers Rhodes and has mixed emotions about his fame.Walter Matthau is also good as Mel Miller, a writer on Rhodes' show who feels he's sold his soul in the process.I am trying to think of another film that tackled the beast that is television and the only comparable one that comes to mind is "Network".By all means check out the documentary on the film that includes reminisces from Griffith, Neal, and Schulberg.One priceless moment is Griffith recalling the filming of the baton-twirlers scene.

The First Andy Griffith Show
If you are a big fan of the great TV series, "The Andy Griffith Show"(and who isn't), you might want to think twice about watching "A Face in the Crowd".This is NOT the same character.There is a brilliant mind behind the easy-going "ah shucks" delivery in each of the characters.However, the sheriff always does the right thing, while Lonesome the drifter seems to always do the wrong thing.Yet if you're a fan of the actor, Andy Griffith, you can't miss this movie; it's his best acting role bar none.

What makes "A Face in the Crowd" so impressive is its' foresight in understanding media, politics, and the ability of one to manipulate the other.After all, this movie was made in the mid-50's when the power of TV was little understood or appreciated.It may well have gotten reviews that ridiculed its' premise when it was released.Yet, seen today, it is an amazing study of how one man, with a willing media accomplice, can control public opinion.Griffith's evolution from a Saturday night drunk to one of THE most influencial persons in the county is brilliantly scripted and directed.In addition to Andy Griffith, there is a very worthy cast.

Most of us would love it if the world was like Mayberry.Unfortunately, "A Face in the Crowd" comes a lot closer to reality.

One of the Greatest of ALL films....
Having read others' comments here (and on IMDB) and having just watched its new DVD, I'll add my two cents. This has been one of my faves since first seeing it (too) long ago. Well, it is more relevant than ever and should be seen be everyone (literally)!! I notice some (likely younger) folks mentioned comparisons to some politicians, but indeed Lonesome Rhodes was based on the phenomenally successful (and notoriously haughty) radio & early TV host Arthur Godfrey. Yes, Godfrey discovered Julius La Rosa, but La Rosa probably got fired for asking for a raise (after becoming very popular, both on the show and solo records). Apparently Arthur, like Lawrence Welk, was a cheap prick who only paid scale -- no matter what the tenure or how successful were his performers.

"A Face In the Crowd" was most definitely social commentary, NOT satire; although, as one from that era, I can understand why it seemed so to many at the time. It's apparent why it inspired so many future talents! That this film was not nominated on its own merits due to political differences/grudges is a GD crime!!!Can't say why Andy Griffith wasn't, but he sure deserved it... Awesome!! So awesome, it actually effected his personal life.

Anyway, re: politicians, "A Face In the Crowd" was a prescient warning of the dangers of that new media (TV), thus akin to those who subsequently capitalized on its propaganda potential and the *science* of people's weakness of mistaking "image" for truth!

But Kazan was not simply a great director; he was perhaps the most socially conscious of all Hollywood directors!! And he was one of the greatest actors' directors; hence, one reason why you never saw an Andy Griffith act like this in film again! (The DVD also has an excellent up-to-date documentary about the making of AFITC and its genesis, with many pertinent historical tidbits re: Kazan.)

In just 21 films, Kazan directed at least 10 GREAT films:
"America, America" (1963), "Wild River" (1960), "Baby Doll" (1956), "East of Eden" (1955), "On the Waterfront" (1954), "Viva Zapata!" (1952), "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951), "Panic in the Streets" (1950), "Gentleman's Agreement" (1947), and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (1945).

In his films, 21 different actors had Oscar-nominated performances: James Dunn, Celeste Holm, Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, Anne Revere, Jeanne Crain, Ethel Barrymore, Ethel Waters, Karl Malden, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, Marlon Brando, Anthony Quinn, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Jo Van Fleet, James Dean, Carroll Baker, Mildred Dunnock, and Natalie Wood -- of which Dunn, Holm, Malden, Leigh, Hunter, Quinn, Brando, Saint and Van Fleet ALL won Oscars for their performances in one of Kazan's movies.

Not too shabby, eh!?

A great film with a great cast...
Beginning there, it is hard to go wrong.Andy Griffith plays a drifter/con man who can play the guitar and tell stories.He is discovered by Patricia Neal's character and he begins a "Will Rogers" type of career.Part humorist, part philosopher, and all-round phony, he parlays his talent into a national following which builds to a stunning climax.

What I liked about this film was its depth and the talent of the actors. Director Elia Kazan was fantastic in what I believe to be his finest picture.The emotions he drew out of the actors was fantastic! Everyone was perfect in their respective roles.This is also a movie you won't grow tired of watching.When you see it a few times, you notice things you didn't catch the first go-round.This one's a keeper! ... Read more

Reviews (228)

"Stood" Still Stands Tall
1951's The Day The Earth Stood Still is a classic in every sense of the word and then some. When a spaceship lands in Washinton D.C. its alien passenger (Michael Rennie) refuses to reveal his purpose for landing on Earth. As the world leaders and their armies debate what to do next, ordinary citizens let fear and paranoia take hold. The key to the alien being's mission to earth rests with a mother Helen (Patrcia Neal) and her son Bobby (Billy Gray). Soon the boy and his mother have the fate of the planet Earth in their hands.

Directed by Robert Wise, the movie, fully restored for the DVD release, has drama, good special effects (for its time) and plenty of social commentary (that's still relevant in today's world). The film is pure magic. Even though, the last time I saw it was some 12 years ago in film school, I think its still one of the best films that I ever "had" to watch.

I have to commend FOX, for the way the film is given the deluxe treatment on DVD. The extras are just superb. The commentary with Wise and (fellow "TREK film") director Nicholas Meyer is a real treat. It's very well done and informative. There's also a "meaty" 70 minute retrospective documentary, archival newsreel footage, a restoration comparison, no less than 5 photo galleries, the shooting script, and the vintage theatrical trailer. To have this many extras on a DVD of an older film is a rare thing. Those fans of the film will be delighted with this disc. And to anyone not familiar with the movie--now's the time. Highly Recommended

20th Century Fox brings this remastered Scifi Classic to DVD
It is 1950 and Hollywood takes an original idea combines it with the genius' of Studio CEO Darryl F. Zanuck, Producer - Julian Blaustein, Director - Robert Wise, ScreenPlay - Edmund H. North, the eerie futuristc Music, a spaceman, a giant robot & the words "KLAATU BARADA NIKTO" and 50+ years later we have the timeless scifi classic, "THE DAY THE WORLD STOOD STILL". Now digitally remastered and on this outstanding DVD.

This outstanding movie is presented with better clarity and sound than the original 1951 film release. This incredible movie now can be enjoyed over & over again without ever losing picture quality.

This 2 sided DVD Full Frame Format (4:3 tv / 1.33:1 aspect ratio - before WideScreen) Black/White as the movie and audio commentary with Robert Wise & Nicolas Meyer on SIDE A and a 70 minute "Making the Earth Stood Still" documentary, Movietone newsreel 1951, Restoration comparison footage, 5 still galleries, shooting script & trailer.

Summary: This movie has an outstanding cast with newcomer Michael Rennie as Klaatu the peaceful (human)alien who visits paranoid earth circa 1951. First stop Washington D.C. Greeted with violence and skepticism, escapes and goes into hiding. He befriends a mother (Patricia Neal) & her son (Billy Gray - also her real son) at a boarding house as he covertly studies the humans behaviors disguised as a businessman. He trys to get the world leaders to reach a world wide peace but they resist his ideas. They are given a sign of his powers by stopping all machinery worldwide, thus "THE DAY THE WORLD STOOD STILL". The ending is perfect and the audiences loved this film.

Even today the special effects stand the test of time and the story is so profound and sheer genius. Hollywood delivered a classic scifi film for all time. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is a Hallmark film. This is scifi at its best & now this DVD can be added to your home movie library. Enjoy.

a great classic sci-fi film
I remember how intreguied I was the first time I saw, "The Day the Earth Stood Still and still am no matter how many times I see it. It's oneof those few movies you can absolutely never tire of seeing. This is one of my all time favorite sci- fi films and would recommend it to anyone. Michael Rennie and Patricia Neal are great in it really wonderful actors that give excellent perfomrances in this film. The setting in Washinton D.C is perfect for unidentified flying objects like a spaceship to land. The Robert is like a star in the film too. Each moment of the film is suspensful entertaining and keeps you guessing what will happen next. There's not a dull moment in the entire film. It's sci-fi at its best. This DVD adition has great extra footage like a documentary very well done and interesting and a trailer and plenty of other things too. Overall it's an exciting film for all ages.

Still standing still after all these years
Where does one begin with such a classic film. The Day the Earth Stood Still is the definition of classic. Above average for its genre, the movie still hold its own even today.

Robert Wise did a masterful job directing the picture. Given the fact that he was directing a new and somewhat unknown lead actor in Michael Rennie, Wise did a superb job. Could anyone else have played Clatu other than Rennie?

The premise of the story, a visitation from another planetary system to warn us off our reckless advancement into the nuclear age is very timely even in 2004. Clatu, the alien traveler, needs to discuss the ramifications of our behavior with every nation on Earth but learns that such a meeting is impossible given the petty international squabbling and mistrust of the day. Clatu escapes his captivity in the hospital and moves around disguised as a Maj. Carpenter. He meets Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) and her son Bobby (Bill Gray) and learns about many of our human foibles. Also involved is Hugh Marlow's character, Helen Bensons male companion. Sam Jaffe is wonderful as Prof. Barnhardt.

Eventually, Clatu is shot (a second time) and killed. Gort, the robot, with the intervention of Helen revives Clatu and in a final climatic scene Clatu delivers his message. This is a marvelous film even after 53 years.

The DVD is also well worth the small investment. I purchased my copy at a discount store for $5.50....I should be arrested. I agree with an earlier reviewer that the number of extras devoted to this old film is remarkable.

If you get the chance grab this DVD. Even after all these years the movie is fresh and certainly timely. Also, a final observation. Given the paranoia in most modern movies dealing with aliens, The Day the Earth Stood Still is another perspective on the topic of alien visitations. Its amazing how perverted the whole genre has become. This is certainly a reflection of society as a whole.

"Klaatu barada nikto"
There are a handful of 1950's sci-fi movies that have a big reputation - "When Worlds Collide", "The Thing From Another World", "Forbidden Planet", and "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Unfortunately, the first two are really lame in today's world, and only "The Day The Earth Stood Still" really stands up (except for the robot).

Although it has a little of the hokiness inherent to all movies of the 1950's, "The Day The Earth Stood Still" actually has a good meaningful story. The typically-round flying saucer lands in a baseball field in Washington DC. A normal-looking man (Michael Rennie) emerges, offering a small gift. As usual, the military shoots first and asks questions later. A large robot (to be known as "Gort") emerges and stands guard near the ship. In the hospital, the man requests a meeting of all the heads of world government to share an important message. He is told that a meeting of all nations is impossible under the current state of international tension. After recovering a day in the hospital (and self-healing) the man, named "Klaatu", escapes and assumes the identity of Mr. Carpenter (another patient whose clothes he takes). After renting a room in a boarding-house (run by 'Aunt Bea' from the "Andy Griffith Show"), he befriends a young boy ('Bud' from "Father Knows Best"), and later his mother (Patricia Neal).

Klaatu explains his mission on Earth - to bring about the end of nuclear-arms proliferation - to an Einstein-like mathematician, who agrees to help. The mathematician suggests convincing industry and world leaders to meet to hear the message by having Klaatu perform a show of strength. This is the event behind the movie title when Klaatu stops everything that relies on electricity to operate (though sparing hospitals, in-flight airplanes, etc.)

Klaatu confides his plan to Patricia Neal, who helps him. Later, when they are being chased, Klaatu gives the robot-command codewords to Patricia Neal as a safeguard in the event of Klaatu's capture. As is somewhat predictable, the army again shoots first and asks questions later, so Patricia Neal does indeed need to issue commands to the robot, who might otherwise destroy the world.

The robot recovers the dead body of Klaatu from a jail cell and returns him to the spaceship where he undergoes a sort of resurrection. Klaatu is able to give his anti-aggression message to mankind.

The movie was directed by Robert Wise, who went on to "Run Silent, Run Deep", "West Side Story", "The Sound of Music" and "The Andromeda Strain". Score by Bernard Hermann, famous from a long list of Alfred Hitchcock movies, but also for "Citizen Kane" and "The Magnificent Ambersons" prior to "The Day The Earth Stood Still".

The reasonably-priced DVD has the restored black-and-white full-screen movie; a good "making of" documentary; a commentary with director Robert wise and Nicholas Meyer; some "Movie-Tone News" clips from 1951 having to do with a peace treaty, the Korean war, a beauty contest, and an honorary promotional award given to Klaatu (but a different actor in the suit); a restoration comparison; still gallery including the script; and some other goodies.

Highly recommended. Klaatu's message is still valid. ... Read more

Reviews (51)

A bit overlong, but worth the time. . .
It takes an expert hand to mix historical fiction, solid action, maudlin melodrama and stock romantic entanglements and emerge with a coherent story, much less an effective and entertaining film, but Otto Preminger manages the trick with In Harm's Way. John Wayne's acting is John Wayne's acting (just replace the cavalry smock with WWII working khaki), but the true stars of the film are Kirk Douglas, Burgess Meredith and Patricia Neal, all of whom do a wonderful job of augmenting and supporting the Duke without getting in his way. The combat scenes are few and far between and, by today's standards, rather tame. However, this seeming weakness proves a hidden strength in what becomes an excellent character study of divergent people thrown together in the chaotic early days of the Second World War. This film does a very good job of showing the difficulties commanders faced in dealing with equipment shortages, personnel problems and the myriad headaches of a combat commander trying to fight a war on a shoestring. In some respects the plot is a bit predictable but nonetheless holds one's attention. Like most Wayne pictures, this ends up being a flag-waving tribute to the heroism of the American fighting man and woman. What makes this one a bit different is the degree of character development. It doesn't take long before you actually start caring about the people and the combat becomes a secondary issue. As with most of the Duke's movies, there is a good dollop of tongue-in-cheek humor to lighten the mood. The final result is a very effective, surprisingly realistic look at the people side of warfare.

War in the Pacific

Director Otto Preminger made a good war movie, here. John Wayne plays the part of a captain who initially loses his ship, but comes back eventually as a commodore (1 star admiral). Kirk Douglas is his Exec, Cdr. Ettinger (eventually a captain), who has a bottled up violence in his character (well played). Patricia O'Neal plays a navy nurse (Lt.), Dana Andrews plays an egotisitcal admiral, and Henry Fonda plays CincPac.

The picture is well cast. Even a young Carroll O'Conner has a part, and Burgess Meredith plays an intelligence officer very well. Brandon De Wilde (a new name to me) plays Wayne's son, a spoiled college brat brought up by his mother, also well-played.

I was impressed by the details in the movie, including the plane's designations (except for a reference to an AT6 "Texan," which they should have called by its navy designation, an SNJ, instead of the air corps desgnation), and the Japanese ship designations. The battleship Yamato, for example, was identified as having 18-inch guns, as indeed it did have--larger than the 16-inch rifles on America's battle-wagons.

All together, it was a well-told story which held pretty much to reality, except for the fictional islands' names and the presence of so many females that close to the action.

I enjoyed it, as I do most old Wayne movies. And Otto Preminger knew how to put them together.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret.)

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

Great cast!!! Excellent Movie!!
This movie is far from being a typical jingoistic, flag-waving propoganda piece. It deals with several substantive issues (i.e. love, loss, rape, death, etc.) that are dveloping in people's lives at the same time as the war. Interestingly, I felt like a voyeur as I was watching the movie due to an intimate/personal filming perspective and excellent acting.

Overall this movie for mature audiences that can accept steady character development with action being secondary.

Big thumbs up!!

Not As Good As MIDWAY
IN HARM'S WAY is a film about World War II naval action in the Pacific beginning with the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese. The movie contains a lot of battle scenes but it soon gets monotonous - especially when one realizes that model ships are used as props.

John Wayne is the star and the supporting cast is strong. Patricia Neal and Kirk Douglas are standouts. In spite of the superior acting and the efforts of Otto Preminger as director, the film never quite achieves the same level of interest as MIDWAY which is definitely a better motion picture.

IN HARM'S WAY received an Oscar nomination in 1965 for Best B & W Cinematography.

Flatly and indifferently made WWII epic
After the triumph that was THE CARDINAL (available on a highly recommended WB disc) Otto Preminger made a big war film based on a bestseller novel. While many find this film wonderful, I find it to be talky, groundbased, and exceedingly unmemorable film. Nearly everything in the film is at a level of artifice that, coupled with the black and white photography and really inexcusable SFX, makes the film look cheap and indifferent. The plotting is cliched when not unbelievable. For example, Jill Haworth kills herself when she fears Kirk Douglas' rape has left her pregnant. WHY did she not consult her fiancee (also John Wayne's estranged son) or press criminal charges? And why did Douglas not seek a divorce from his nymphomanianc wife (Barbara Bouchet)? It doesn't help that the whole picture takes on a buddy-buddy atmosphere totally inappropriate for 167 minute epic. Rumors, by the way, are around that state the film was once even longer and had an intermission (curious fans of the film should pop in their DVD and go to about th 85 minute mark). If the flick was once longer, I will make every attempt never to see the longer version. ... Read more

Reviews (156)

Fascinating ......they're after the same rainbow end
I love this film.From the first scene when the yellow cab stopped with Holly alighting,having her breakfast in front of Tiffany's to the very last scene when Holly & Paul reconciled and kissed in the rain...

Simply marvellous piece of work. With the flawless performance from Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. The unique mood of the movie.And my fave song "Moon River". Who can forget the part when Holly sitting by her window plucking the guitar strings and singing...."Moooonnn River...." Great adaption from Truman Cropte's book with many magical touches and refinements. It's about a free-spirit girl Holly's struggle in Life,her fear of Love and commitment, she didn't even think she own her nameless 'cat'. Paul is a struggling writer who actually a 'kept-man' by a rich lady. Fate brought them together,first as neighbours to friends and eventually lovers. They were soul mates who needed each other and are made of each other....they are after the same rainbow end.

The idea was refreshing....esp.doing things that each have never done:- Strolling down New York street in the morning, stealing, visiting the Library and of course Tiffany's. Simply amazing, fantastic and romantic .

The best part about it was both Holly and Paul were practical people with dark secrets and not really perfect human beings and it make the story more realistic but not losing the romantic fairy tale feel.

This film is one of the best in movie history. It touches my heart my soul with scenes with the perfect combo of laughter,sadness,ironic,truth,secrets,romance,life,etc....... Timeless and Unforgettable......

Fascinating¿They are after the same rainbow end!
I love this movie. From the first scene when Holly(Audrey Hepburn) alighted from the yellow cab to have breakfast in front of Tiffany to the very last scene when Holly and Paul(George Peppard) reunited and kissing in the rain.

Mesmerizing film, shine in all departments. Excellent adaptation from Truman Capote's same name novel. Skillful directing by Blake Edwards and flawless performances from both the leads and not forgetting great supporting casts. This role was made for Audrey Hepburn, she was graceful, witty, charismatic and totally awesome. One of her best performance ever!

The story was about a free spirited and helpless Holly Golightly who lived with a nameless 'Cat', didn't want to own anything and afraid of love and commitments. Life pretty much socializing because holly's goal in life to marry one of the richest man under 50. Things take a twist with Paul Varjak moved into the apartment below hers. Paul was a struggling writer who actually a kept man by a rich lady. They became neighbour to friends then soul mate and eventually lovers.

This is not the usual romance story, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is a timeless classic, showed sincerity, sensibility and class.

I also love the song of this movie "Moon River". Who can forget the part when Holly plucking the strings of the guitar and singing it "moonnn----riv---ver"......

This movie touch my heart with memorable characters, song, etc and I've watched it from time to time because each time I watch it, I renewed the feeling. Marvellous vintage classic.Simply divine!

One of the best chick flicks ever
I loved Breakfast at TIffany's. I had read about it from all of the gossip girl books and eventually became curious about the movie. I figured the movie would be good but I didn't expect to fall in love with it as much as I did. It is one of the best romantic comedy, chick flicks I have ever seen.

Good for ALL ages!
Because of the fact that I'm only 17 years old, I just got around to watching this movie. I'd always heard about it but I never knew what it was about. And, to be quite honest, I didn't even think about watching it because I thought it was in black and white! (Eh, I didn't know when it was made!)

My dad made me watch it this past weekend and I fell in love with it! Unlike most romantic comedies made today, both main characters are broke. It doesn't follow the mold of: poor/average girl falls for rich guy blah blah blah or the other way around. It was funny (Mickey Rooney's character was HILARIOUS!) and sad (when Holly finds out about Fred) and sappy (the last 20 minutes) all at the same time.

This movie is great for anyone, whether you saw it the first time around or you're a "late viewer" like me.

my fav movie!
i love this movie so much!
it is a love story but its not sappy it is so fun to watch

it is not an earlier version of pretty woman at all (as another review stated) audrey hepburn does not play a prostitute really she just has a lot of suitors. Anyway i completely recommend it so worth the $ ... Read more

Reviews (25)

A Well endowed portray of the classic novel/movie
As the 70's came to a close, nobody exactly knew what was beyond the horizon of the 80's...much to say it's taste in TV movies. "All Quiet on the Western Front", a 1979 made-for-tv movie, said it all. You have your all-star cast of "The Waltons" Richard Thomas, academy award winner Ernest Borgnine, cult fave Donald Pleasence and British actor Ian Holm. Unlike it's 1930 counterpart, which places itself in the hall of fame of war epics, this update gives more and askes for little.

Much like the book and the original movie, the story takes place in 1914 central Germany at the eve of World War I. Many schoolboys (and yes, just like the original film, they oddly speak English with American and British accents, yet its...Germany?) are destinted to join up with the Kaiser's army and fight for the "Fatherland". Paul Baummer (Thomas) is an eager young boy who doesn't exactly look like the fighting type (truth be said, Thomas is giving into too much of his John-Boy image from "Waltons", but nevermind that), in fact he gets distracted easily. But he and his school buddies join the resistance. After going through harsh training with anal Himmelstoss (Holm), they are sent to the frontlines of France. There, they meet Katczinsky (Bognine) AKA "Kat", a seamlessly old warhorse that takes the boys in and teaches them how to fight. And unless you haven't read the book or just know the story like everybody knows the Cinderella story, one-by-one the boys die horrible deaths in the trenches and it's to a point where even some lose their minds. Paul is sent back home because of injuries but returns because he feels like the trenches are his home. Only for his to find out that he's the only remaining of his group aside from Kat, who dies a long and painful death after being hit by shrapnel and being carried a mile or so by Paul to safety. Ouch. Once again, Paul is distracted by something and thus we have "All Quiet on the Western Front"

The tv movie won a Golden Globe for Best Made-For-TV Movie and it definately deserved it. The production vaule was superb and you can tell. I merely wonder if the director intended the film to be released theatrically, because it's quite well shot and pretty high on special effects scale...that is for the 70's. One such thing that would bug a lot of history buffs is just how not a single word of German is spoken throughout the entire movie...and it takes place in Germany! It would be like an American movie were everybody speaks French, but it's Southern California! Right up along side "Enemy at the Gates" (Russians speak with British accents, Germans speak with American?) it's a well endowed movie and a perfect selection for a history class.

Very tough movie
This is a very good and tough movie. It is a big improvement from the 1930 version.

Great film but would have been better without the editing.
As most of the other reviews have noted, this is a great movie. What disappointed me though was that a lot of little parts were edited out. I saw this movie on TV several years ago and recorded it. I thought it was excellent and eagarly purchased the DVD. I wish now that I had kept my tape. Because although the edited parts did not take away much from the story as a whole, those same parts added so much more to it. For example in the unedited version, during training Paul Baumer comes to the aid of one of his comrades who has fallen into the mud. For this he is punished by Corporal Himmelstoss. Later at the front, Paul and his platoon mates are sitting in their dugout and discussing why Himmelstoss received the Iron Cross. By this time Himmelstoss is behaving more human and when he enters the dugout he is no longer taunted. In fact Kat moves over on his bunk to make room for him. These are only 2 examples. There was much more.

Still a good movie, but because of the editing I rate it only 3 stars.

Getting There
Having done a college thesis on this book and the two movie versions, I feel qualified to write reviews. Acting is far better here than in the version of 1930, and so are the special and sound effects. The reason is clear enough: in 1930, actors were new to the concept of sound in films. However, just looking at the DVD cover you know you will have to take this one with salt: he hasn't even got the right helmet on- that one is more WWII than WWI. Apart from things like that which only sticklers such as myself will actively object to, this is an excellent adaptation of a wonderful book. buy it, unless you hold a degree in German Militia in which case all this will do is annoy you. This means you, Mikhail.

Best antiwar movie ever made!
Thank God there are some people in Holywood who can create masterpieces. It is the first movie ever created with such realism about the horrible WW1. It doesn't have any Rambos killing everybody without even sweating. It is more believable than any other war movie, even if it's only a novel. Maybe because it is seen through the eyes of a German soldier. Who knows! Anyway I recomend this movie to everyone who is tired of watching action heroes combined with ...(true stories)??? ... Read more

Amazon.com

A true television classic, The Homecoming was the second movie (after 1963's Spencer's Mountain) based on Earl Hamner's autobiographical writings about love, pride, faith, and survival in rural America during the Great Depression. The Homecoming introduced the Walton family, a 1930s mountain clan living a hardscrabble existence that forces patriarch John Walton (Andrew Duggan) to seek work, far from home, in the city. When John fails to return home, as promised, on Christmas Eve, his iron-willed wife Olivia (Patricia Neal) keeps a lid on their children's worry. Oldest son John-Boy (Richard Thomas), who privately dreams of becoming a writer but worries about disappointing his parents, is dispatched to find his dad. Graceful yet harder-edged than the subsequent TV series The Waltons (which recast several characters and ran for nine years), The Homecoming reveals, albeit understatedly, much about the pain of poverty even as the family draws strength and closeness through endurance. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Pilot for The Waltons
Starring Richard Thomas and Patricia Neal, this made-for-TV-movie was written by Earl Hamner and led to the popular series, "The Waltons." The stories were based on Hamner's childhood.

(Note: This movie features a somewhat different cast than did the series. While the Walton children are the same, many of the other adult roles in this film, except Grandma Walton played by the late Ellen Corby, were recast for the series.)

A homespun tale, the movie focuses on rural life during the Great Depression and the anxiety a family feels one Christmas when their beloved Father is overdue after being forced to travel to the city to find work and earn money for his family's survival.

Each of the characters reacts to his departure in different ways. Ultimately, the oldest son, John-Boy, portrayed by Richard Thomas, takes important steps to manhood and toward his ultimate career as a writer.

This film has a harsher, more real feel than did the series, and tackles such difficult subjects as racial bigotry and the economic underclass.

The great Patricia Neal is spectacular in her portrayal of the mother. Tougher than the portrayal that came later by the gifted Michael Learned, Neal's Olivia Walton is a genuine force of nature who rarely displays her softer side. Life is very difficult, but love is always present in the Walton home.

If you've never seen this movie, you owe it to yourself to view a more unvarnished, less "suburban" rendition of life in this beloved family. A scene in which little Elizabeth, who desperately wants a doll for Christmas, receives one -- with a cracked and broken face -- from a "charity" Missionary only after having to "perform" scriptures, is so raw that it hurts. "It's dead," the little girl sobs into her brother's comforting arms.

This film is anything but dead. There is real life in every panel that reaffirms true family relationships and the Christmas spirit without being heavy-handed. Look also for a gifted supporting performance by the talented William Windom, who plays a Depression-era Robin Hood.

If ever a TV-movie deserved to be released on DVD, this is it.

A Real Holiday Treat!
"The Homecoming -- A Christmas Story" (full on-screen title) was made in 1971, and was the start of CBS' very successful series, "The Waltons". And what a great way to start! Patricia Neal gives a powerful performance as Olivia Walton, the head of the very large Walton clan. This entire cast, in fact, seems ideally suited for his/her role in this program. The true feeling and spirit of the holiday shines through in every single scene of The Homecoming Christmas special, with the producers re-creating a quite realistic feeling that it is indeed Christmas 1933, during the height of The Great Depression. The writing, acting, and the atmosphere are all first-rate! This is one of those programs that deserves to be watched every Christmas Eve, just like clockwork! Who could forget the great scene at the end of the movie, when John (Daddy Walton, played by Andrew Duggan) relays his encounter with Santa Claus! Watching him tell the kids of how Santa's sleigh "...went flying across the sky and landed right on top of this house!!", to me, is one of the best scenes in TV history! Watching that scene, you'd swear those kids were not actors at all .... but just wide-eyed excited kids hanging on Dad's every word! Thank you, Earl Hamner, Jr., for a timeless holiday special!

Now how about "the Waltons" first 5 seasons on DVD?
"The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" from 1971 (serving as a pilot for "the Waltons" series) is one of the best holiday films I've ever seen, and perhaps it doesn't get much replay because it's overshadowed by the memory of the subsequent series, but "The Homecoming" [with Patrica Neal & Andrew Duggan in the roles of the parents, played by different actors in the series--thought the kids and grandma are the same] is just a fine, understated poignant little gem, very early 70s in its melancholy mood (although it's set, naturally, in the Depression era 1930s).

Hopefully, the DVD hasn't been badly cut the way the tape release was, for some reason.

But why then hasn't "The Waltons" series been released? Contrary to smug, collective recollection, "The Waltons" was far better (and MUCH less sappy) than some people may think-- and the first 5 seasons were arguably the best. [And if they can release "Little House" on DVD, which really WAS a sad, sappy offensive piece of tripe, there is no reason the Emmy-laden "Waltons" shouldn't make it to our DVD shelves!]

An Excellent DVD
I saw this movie when it was first on in 1971 and have watched it at Christmas most every year since. Years ago it was usually on TV around Christmas and I taped it in the early 80's and have been watching this tape in recent years. This year I purchased the DVD (for only about $11! - I think blank VHS tapes were that much in the early 80's). The quality is outstanding, even when viewed on my 19-inch computer monitor from a couple of feet away. You can clearly see every detail (1933 on the car license plate, prices on the wall in Ike's store, even snow flakes melting on someone's face). Picture quality on most DVDs made from TV shows or TV movies is nowhere near this good. Believe me, this DVD is a real bargain.

The very first Walton's tv-movie before the tv series began.
It all started with the Earl Hammer Jr. Novel. Then the motion picture Spencer's Mountain (1963) was released. In 1971, a teleplay by Earl Hammer Jr. was made into a tv-movie, The Homecoming--A Christmas Story (1971). In the cast is Academy Award Winner Patricia Neal (as "Olivia Walton"), Richard Thomas (as "John-Boy Walton), Edgar Bergen (without Charlie McCarthy, as "Grandpa Zebb Walton"), Ellen Corby (as "Grandma Walton"), Jon Walmsley (as "Jason"), Judy Norton-Taylor (as "Mary Ellen"), Mary Beth McDonough (as "Erin"), Eric Scott (as "Ben"), David W. Harper (as "Jim-Bob), Kami Cotler (as "Elizabeth") and Andrew Duggan (as "John Walton). Olivia Walton has heard on the radio of a bus crash. She fears her husband and father to all the children was on that bus or is somewhere. She sends John-Boy, who wants to be a writer, out in the cold of the Christmas Eve night to find his father with the help of a neighbor. This tv-movie inspired CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) to make the hgighly-acclaimed tv series The Waltons. All the children, including Richard Thomas, and Ellen Corby as the grandmother continued their roles in the tv series for many years and six reunion movies thereafter. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Based on a Larry McMurtry novel, this Martin Ritt film was a testament to the sex appeal of the young Paul Newman. Playing the title character--a total rotter who, by the end of the film, has double-crossed or screwed over everyone he knows, including his hard-working father and brother--Newman turns him into an intriguing antihero. Things are tough on the ranch and Hud's dad (Melvyn Douglas) needs help, but Hud is too busy looking out for number one, even as things fall apart. And guess who's going to land on his feet? Beautiful black-and-white cinematography by James Wong Howe won an Oscar, as did performances by Douglas and Patricia Neal. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Magnificent in every respect
I cannot say enough about this movie. Paul Newman ("HUD") is completely convincing as the narcissistic son of an aging cattle rancher (Melvyn Douglas) who takes all he can get from life, leaving only destruction in his wake. Perhaps the reason Newman is so convincing is that, despite HUD's reprehensible character, one is drawn in to the allure of his personality, just like those on the screen that are used and tossed aside. Although we may not be "rooting" for HUD, we become more than a little sympathetic to his cause, probably a reflection of our own selfish natures. And it is a tribute to Newman's acting ability to draw out these conflicting emotions from the audience.

The supporting cast in this "character study" is nothing short of superb. Melvyn Douglas as the pious and self-righteous father is the perfect mirror image of HUD. Patricia Neal (who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress) is simply outstanding as the earthy, motherly yet somewhat-still-sexy housekeeper who both HUD and Lon (Brandon De Wilde) have sexual yearnings for, but for very different reasons. James Wong Howe's cinematography is top notch and his choice of black and white film really makes this movie work - far more than it would have in color.

There are also other "small touches" that add so much to the film. When HUD picks up Patricia Neal by the side of the road with her groceries, she offers him a Fig Newton. The same effect was used again when Lon is discussing the book "From Here To Eternity" with the local drugstore owner. Not a just a "cookie" or a "book", but real pieces of "Americana" the help set the mood, tone and timeframe of the film.

There is one last item I think is worth commenting on, because it is often overlooked. That is the seeming genuine affection that HUD has for his nephew (Lon). Yes, HUD is a scoundrel out for himself first and foremost, but there are many scenes where HUD appears almost human (particularly when HUD finally tells Lon how his father died), and those scenes are always with Lon. This is why, if the movie has any flaw in my mind, it is the ending where Lon is leaving the ranch and HUD is left all alone. I get the sensation that HUD is practically begging Lon to stay, though outwardly this isn't the case at all and HUD tries to act aloof and non-caring, shouting one of his famous lines "This world is so full of ..., a man's gonna get into it sooner or later whether he's careful or not." Whether my reaction was the one Martin Ritt had in mind I am not sure, but the last scene always leaves me unsettled, at least in terms of HUD's humanity.

Regardless, a first class film in every way. There are very few this good.

POWERFUL, POIGNANT and PACKING A WALLOP ON DVD
"Hud" is the story of an embittered, ruthless son (Paul Newman) of cow rancher Homer Bannon (Melvyn Douglas). Determined to take over his father's prosperous farm, Hud bides his time with sexual conquests and playing big brother to Lonnie (Brandon DeWilde). Lonnie worships Hud as a god, a rabid fascination that will be irreversible shattered when Hud attempts to rape the ranch's cook and housemaid, Alma Brown (Patricia Neal). However, before the disillusionment comes the spoils. The family partake in a county fair in which Hud wins the 'greased pig' contest. He and Lonnie start a victory fight inside a barroom. Hud takes Alma to the movies. There's really nothing extraordinary about the film, and yet it captures, perhaps better than most, the raw emotion of a powerful slice of Americana in the mid-west. However, as the story drags on the tide begins to turn away from Hud's favor. Homer becomes ill and unable to tend the far. The cattle contract an infection, forcing the farm hands to exterminate the entire herd. Alma, realizing that Hud is incapable of any sort of compassion or tenderness, abandons him and the farm in search of a new life somewhere else.

The transfer is a bit disappointing. Though the picture is free of many age related artifacts and digital artifacts, the overall presentation is somewhat soft, with blooming around the edges that renders parts of the B&W picture in various rainbow hues - even with the color on one's television set turned to zero. Also edge enhancement is sometimes obvious. Finally, the overall presentation tends to be just a little too soft for the vintage of the camera negative. Close ups and medium shots look fairly sharp but long shots become a blurry mess. The gray scale is reasonably balanced, though during scenes shot at night, fine detail tends to get lost in the shadows. The audio is remastered and well balanced. There are NO extras.

You're an unprincipled man, Hud
Welcome to the last Western. HUD is a chronicle of what killed the western ethos - it was done in by a man with a "barbed wire soul" driving a pink cadillac. Before HUD men raised cattle or plowed the earth, after HUD men ceded the land to the oil drillers.
The movie opens with 17-year-old, wide-eyed Lonnie looking for Hud. The trail leads him past a busted up saloon and ends when he finds a married woman's high heel shoe carelessly flung on her front porch. Hud seems to have a taste for married women and a way with the bottle that the curious Lonnie finds attractive.
When they get home Homer drives them out to a freshly dead heifer. There are no bullet wounds or other signs of injury and Homer decides to call the authorities. Hud disagrees. If the heifer died of a disease it could jeopardize everything, and Hud is too close to inheriting the ranch for that. Homer has more at stake, but burying the cow without an investigation would simply be wrong. The drama proceeds from there as deliberately, and inevitably, as a Greek tragedy.
Like other epics, and HUD deals with epic themes, there are great battles. Hud Bannon battles with his father, Homer Bannon (Melvyn Douglas) for the heart and mind of his nephew Lonnie (Brandon de Wilde.) Hud and Lonnie battle over their "half-wild" maid Alma (Patricia Neal.)
Hud, a man of little patience, is brutally direct in his approach to Alma. The inexperienced Lonnie admires her from a gentler distance. Director Martin Ritt includes two scenes that highlight this difference. One night Hud tomcats his way into Alma's room asking for a cigarette. The experienced and wary Alma gives - Hud lights the handout and blows out the match just as Alma asks for a light. With his back to her Hud drops the burnt out match into her hands and waits a beat before dropping the matchbook. It's a short throwaway that highlights Hud's loutish behavior. It gains relevance a little later when Lonnie takes a blow to the head and has to take to his bed. Alma brings him a glass of 'fresh squeezed lemonade.' Lonnie takes the drink and a worried look beetles his brow. Alma puts her hand under his mouth and urges him to spit. 'C'mon, honey,' she says, 'they're just lemon pits.'
Lonnie spits his seeds into her hand, Hud a useless, burnt out stick, and Dr. Freud has just left the building. Maybe Ritt put those scenes in to delight louts like me four decades on. HUD is filled with powerful, multi-layered scenes. Another memorable one occurs when Homer Bannon's herd is driven into an enclosure. It is very long, maybe four minutes, and deliberately edited. I don't know if we'd see its like today, but its length and deliberation gives it awesome power.
Melvyn Douglas won an Oscar in this movie, and he portrays Homer Bannon as a man about as played out as his over grazed land and about as obsolete as the two longhorn he keeps solely for sentimental reasons. Neal also won an Oscar in this one, and her character is almost as worn out as the elder Bannon. Life has used her hard. Paul Newman was nominated as the title character, and in my opinion would not have made an embarrassing winner. One of the most charming and charismatic actors in movie history, Newman manages to play a man of hollow charm. When he flirts, we see the snake lurking behind his smile. HUD won a third Oscar for photography, and James Wong Howe presents a parched and arid black-and-white landscape.
This is an excellent movie, and well worth the investment of anyone's time.

Out of the dust rise an excellent cinematic experience...
The charming Hud Bannon (Paul Newman) is a restless, selfish, and cynical man in his 30s that lacks the ability to be compassionate and caring for others as he fights his own demons. Hud drowns his feelings in booze and takes any woman he can to fill the void and loneliness. In essence, Hud is a very lonely and sad character that seems to be looking for something, but does not know what it is. On the family farm Hud has his dad Homer, nephew Lonnie, and maid Alma who all care about him. However, blinded and lost in his inner battle Hud rejects and hurts them as he feels that they all are doing something wrong. The question is whether Hud's close family will care for him as he is careless of the family. Martin Ritt creates a story that enters the personal lives of the Bannon family and through this family the audience can learn some very valuable lessons in love, trust, and care. These life lessons are brought to the audience with a brilliant cinematic experience as the theme of the story will always be of vital importance to mankind.

A Great family Drama!
Here is a motion picture that is never written or produced any more. A family drama that is more about relationships between father & son, grandfather & grandson, uncle & nephew, rather than
about who is sleeping with whom with four letter words making up the dialogue. It's about people finding out what they mean to "significant others" and what those "others" mean to them. And, who they are to themselves. What they want from life, what their values are, or in Hud's case aren't. Douglas his father has the value - That money isn't everything. How "dated" is that value, 40 years later? ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES I HAVE SEEN IN QUITE SOMETIME., of course GREAT ACTING BY NEWMAN, NEAL, DOUGLAS AND DE WILDE adds to the package. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Pronounced "terror-men"
Leon Theremin was the Russian-born inventor of the electronic musical instrument that sounds like a fly buzzing but has a touching, yearning vibrato. It was used memorably on the Beach Boys song "Good Vibrations", in the TV series Lost in Space, and in several films including Spellbound, Lost Weekend and The Day the Earth Stood Still. Mr Theremin's life is as bizarre as his creation. At the height of his fame and wealth in New York in the 1920's, he was kidnapped by the KGB, who used his genius for bugging devices and other "bad things". Meanwhile, his student Clara Rockmore thrived as the theremin virtuoso in symphony orchestras. There is poignance in seeing the old Mr Theremin wandering the streets of New York, while the theremin plays "Lover, Come Back to Me" on the soundtrack, and in seeing him reunited with Clara. Watch out for a dazed and confused Brian Wilson.

Worth every penny
If you have ever had any interest in the theremin, you need to get this film.

There is extensive footage of Clara Rockmore playing the instrument, and her technique is amazing. She has developed a way to play scales by moving her fingers. You have to see it to believe it. I play the theremin and this film helped me out tremendously.

If you never heard of a theremin, the film is worth watching anyway, because you don't see too many documentary films with this much intrigue and depth. Plus, you get to see Brian Wilson's whacked out explanation of the 60s. Really funny.

Leon Theremin had every reason in the world to give up and die, and instead, he kept living. He is a true giant among human beings. The last 10 minutes of the film are sublime.

This is not an action movie. It's a documentary.

But it's one of the best documentary films I've ever seen.

Good ending. Buy it.

A Loving Homage to the Art of Invention
"Theremin" is a captivating, eighty-two minute portrait, of the late Russian musical inventor Leonard Theremin. The film describes the life of Professor Theremin's social circle, which was located in New York City during the 1920's and 30's. The instrument that bears his name, along with a range of other exotic musical instruments and inventions, were born during this unique period.

A special attribute of the film is that Director Steve Martin has sought out, and then interviewed, a range of talented musicians, dancers and composers. These artists have made direct contributions toward bringing the sound of Professor Theremin's instrument, from the inventor's basement laboratory, into the consciousness of the American public.

Robert Moog, whose modular synthesizers revolutionized musical production, spent his teenage years building Theremin's from the plans of a hobbyist magazine. Moog claims that Leon Theremin's work is the cornerstone of the use of electronics in musical instrument design.

The film shows that concerts performed by Clara Rockmore to the accompaniment of major symphony orchestras, went a long way towards gaining the acceptance of the Theremin as a serious musical instrument. The Theremin was also popularized by Hollywood, with its use in films such as "The Day the Earth Stood Still".

An interesting subplot of the film describes Professor Theremin's abduction from his 57th Street New York apartment, with his subsequent rediscovery, in Russia, some fifty years later. "Theremin, An Electronic Odyssey" is a documentary film that both informs and surprises. It is highly recommended viewing for all fans of electronic music.

Very good information
This video is full of excellent samples of the instrument being played - alone, in concert, with other theremins, modern as well as classical musical styles.

It is a bit long for classroom use (1 hr. 23 minutes). It could have been condensed a bit.

Word of warning: 2 instances of objectionable language which would not be suitable for younger classrooms.

Otherwise, very enjoyable and we learned alot.

Only skims the surface.
A documentary on my favourite musical instrument, the theremin ! It has all the "big players" for theremin enthusiasts : Leon Theremin, inventor of the theremin, Clara Rockmore, the most well-known theremin player, and Robert Moog, maker of theremins and a big figure in electronic music.

Léon Théremin was the prototypical mad scientist, except for real. Emigrated from Russia, he pioneered the realm of electronic music by inventing the theremin, an electronic cello, and other wonderful things. The Russian government did what statist governments do best, ruin Prof. Theremin's career by kidnapping him and trying to get his secrets. Consequently the theremin and other electronic instruments of its type became mere curiosities and B-movie instruments.

It is difficult not to shed a tear at the dramatic Theremin pieces being played by Rockmore and others. Also, an incredible piece for ten theremins, which was directed by Theremin himself, is played for a short moment. Why not play more of that piece ? We also see Theremin himself play, and discuss the theremin. The documentary itself only skims the surface, only hitting the obvious payoffs. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Originally made as a two-part TV miniseries, this umpteenth adaptation of Johann Spyri's novel is exceptionally easy on the eyes. Jason Robards plays the grumpy grandfather who tends for the orphaned Swiss girl. Jane Seymour chews up the scenery as the governess to a spoiled, rich city girl whom Heidi is forced to visit. The adults think the invalid Klara (Lexi Randall) needs companionship, but wise old grandpa knows she needs good mountain air and independence. Noley Thornton is sweet enough in the title role and Robards's performance provides depth. This Disney production brings little to the story, but is worth watching for its stunning Alpine vistas.--Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Better Than The Shirley Version
Possibly one of the greatest books of all time-- this is also one of the last good made for T.V. movies disney did. As a huge Shirley Temple fan I will always love Shirley's version but, my opinon this is the best version of Heidi to own and the version I watch most often on family movie night.

The acting is brillantly done by newcomer Noley("Fine Things")and it has the best grandfather Jason Robarbs who delievers the performance of his career. You really catch their love and connection on screen and you see how far he will go for the little girl he loves. Really Heidi is all about faith and love renewalle and in this version you can really see that.This story also sticks more to the orginally book unlike some of the remakes which is nice since the story is perfect the way it is...

My little cousins love this movie and we all want to adopt Jason Robbarbs as our grandfather now! Some of my cousins liked the movie so much they are now reading the book for fun!I'm personally glad I bought this movie to watch with my cousins on family movie night for it's a movie all about family and connecting with the ones you love. Buy "Heidi" and enjoy watching it with your kids over and over again.

The best version of Heidi
My name is Heidi and I have grown up getting Heidi either as a book or a movie for birthday and Christmas presents. (I do own the german version) This is by far my favorite version of Heidi. I grew up with Hayley Mills and The Wonderful World of Disney. Noley Thornton does a wonderful job of depicting Heidi. I wish it would come out on DVD!! You won't be sorry for getting this.

edited for video
On commercial free television, this movie runs in two parts with a total runtime of over 3 hours. The video version of the movie has about 20 minutes cut out of the original presentation. Some really sweet nuances have been removed.

This is an enjoyable movie in either case, or course, but let's hope that Disney releases an unedited version to DVD soon! I would love to add it to my collection.

Stunning!
This version of Heidi is truly wonderful.The story is so great and all the actors played the roles very well.Shirley Temple was good, but Noley Thornton is fantastic.Unlike the older version of Heidi this has a freshness to it.The other version the Alps don't look nearly as stunning and the slede ride was the fakest thing I have seen in my life.In this re-make you can almost see the hills bursting with song and joy.It is truly magnificent.

Great film for People of all ages!!!!
I rented this from Top Hat Video the other day and I watchedit last night when the thunderstorm was interupting the sound this has gotta be one of the best disney films ever Noley Thornton is a sweet girl in this films she's great for the part of Heidi Sure Shirley Temple was good for the part of Heidi in her version of the tale but Young Noley is great too her sweetness in this film makes me feel so good if you thought Shirley was great for Heidi wait till you see this disney version of the tale it's a very sweet story I recommend you get this Noley Thornton is great for Heidi!!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (47)

GREAT LITTLE CHILLER!
People have been dumping on this movie ever since its first release. I think these folks are comparing the film to the book of the same name and not judging the movie on it's own merits. We had the same problem with "The Shining." Well, I haven't read the book and I've always thought that this was a neat little chiller from the first time I saw it on tape years ago. The DVD, in widescreen, looks even better. It moves along quite briskly and the cast do a good job. The plot? Five old men get together from time to time and tell ghost stories....but don't mention that many years ago, when they were young men, they accidentally killed a beautiful woman friend after a drinking binge. Now the girl has come back to get them one by one. I love it! Not big on special fx but what there is is adequate...and the atmosphere is great! So if you like Kubrick's "The Shining", I think you'll like this creepy little gem from Universal Studios.

Novel: Excellent, Film: Not!
First, let me say that Straub's novel is one of the finest ghost stories ever written. It's terrifying, too, as good ghost stories should be. Hence, I had high expectations of this film. The fact is the film is dreadful! It's almost nothing like the novel, and the only reason I give it two stars is due to some atmosphere. The cinematography looks good. That's about it. Spend your money, sure, but spend it on the novel and you'll spend many dark evenings in your reading chamber casting furtive glances at those darkened corners.

SENIOR SCARES
When I first saw GHOST STORY on its initial release, I found it to be an entertaining, if not faithful, adaptation of Peter Straub's frightening novel. Now, some 20 years later, I found the movie less entertaining. The main problem I think is the enigmatic nature of the ghost, Eva Galli or Alma Mosely. Was she evil or supernatural prior to her death? And why doesn't she kill Donald as she did his brother? Was she really alive when she went down in the car? And what in the world do the Bates have to do with anything? And the classic "I am You" line is powerless without an explanation.
John Irvin's direction is also lackluster and sober. Of all the classic actors involved, none of them showed the power they have possessed in other roles. Although a talented actor, Craig Wasson was woefully miscast. Only Alice Krige as the ghostly Alma and Jacqueline Brookes as Astaire's wife bring any luster or poignancy to the film.
It's not a bad film by any means, and it does have some frightening moments with a wonderful score by Phillipe Sarde. I wish someone would remake it, however, and bring out more of the wonderful scariness of the novel.

Guaranteed To Keep You Awake Late Into The Night ... ...
Universal plans to re-release Ghost Story on September 7, 2004
just in time for Halloween. Most likely this re-release won't have any extras, although we can always hope. I have always enjoyed this film and although the story line does'nt quite gel with the book's, who cares. This movie is genuinely creepy.
Anyway, all of us fans of this film can start the countdown. Til' then, enjoy.

No - No - No - No - No
This is the way you film a very poor adaptation of a well writen and very scary novel.
Here's the problem: Only a very small piece of the storyline from the book made it to the movie. Ordinarily I would have no issue with this. Except in this case hints of the rest of the plot from the book are included without explanation. Why does Alma say to Don "I am You"? What does that mean in the context of the story on film? It's not explained and doesn't make any sense at all. It is fully explained in the novel, and very well.
Why are Gregory and Fenny Bate even in the movie? They don't need to be to further the story. Especially because of the great side story told by Sears about them in the book.
This film has too many holes, too many unanswered questions and Lawrence Cohen's adaptation of Peter Straub's novel is nowhere near the great job he did with Stephen King's "Carrie".
Do yourself a favor - read the book. You will be much more satisfied. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Dedicated fans of Robert Altman will want to check out this drowsySouthern comedy, which is shot through with the director's feel for location and his musical sense of storytelling. Non-Altman fanatics might want to tread more carefully. Cookie's Fortune begins beautifully, as handyman Willis (Charles S. Dutton) staggers home from a blues club in the small town ofHollySprings, Mississippi. In the wee hours of a warm night, he has anaffectionate chat with elderly matriarch Jewel Mae "Cookie" Orcutt (the grandPatricia Neal) and the gentle history of their friendship is sketched in afew brief exchanges. Soon enough, Cookie has checked out of this world tojoin her dear departed husband, prompting her nieces to make the suicide looklike a murder---to protect the dubious family name, of course. They are thelocal drama diva (Glenn Close), a Scarlett O'Hara in her own mind, and herdreamy sister (Julianne Moore), who ain't quite right in the head. WillWillis be blamed for the murder? Will the inheritance go to the nieces? WillLiv Tyler and Chris O'Donnell find a place to express their lust? None ofthese questions is especially burning, and Altman doesn't seem terriblyanxious about the answers. Instead, he aims for a particular kind oflaid-back quirky southern comedy, unevenly filtered through his screen ofsour irony. Like a jazzman blowing improv, some of this works and some of it doesn't. Speaking of music, the film boasts a nifty R&B soundscapedevised by former Eurythmics man David Stewart, with a boost from bluesbelter Ruby Wilson. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Description

Submarine commander is overly devoted to crew and boat. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Operation Pacific
Since I grew up with this movie, I have seen it at least 30 times. This is one of the best Submarine Movies of WW-II action made. And not everyone knows this but this movie did deal with some truth. When the skipper is shot by a "Q" ship in a surface attack, he uses the command "Take Her Down" which was in actuality used by the CO of the USS Growler, after being critically wounded in action in 1942. And the torpedo trouble in the movie was also true and they did drop warheads from on high to test out various firing options. One submarine mentioned in the Movie was the Corvina, which really was a USN Sub, and she was suck by a Japanese Submarine like the movie portrays. Unlike other Sub Movies, this one has a lot of truth in it and is an excellent watch. It is made more realistic by being in black and white. Sources for the above "Sink em All" By Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, USN COMSUBPAC during WW-II

When things go wrong and one is in harm's way.
This is a chilly saga of an American sub captain plagued by failure-prone weapons and an ocean full of Japanese to fight. They find the reason the torpedoes didn't work and put back to sea, this time, to take good care of the nasty business at hand. One scene that brings the cost of war home is that the Thunderfish loaned another sub a movie, "Washington Slept Here." Sometime later, they find wreckage of an American sub, and the movie tells them who is at the bottom of the ocean. The Thunderfish strikes back at the sub that got their friends, showing how dangerous it was out there and what courage it took to fight this war. The climax scene shows them in a Japanese-controlled harbor, with a waiting task force. They fire their new and deadly torpedoes, and radio back to Cincpac about the taskforce and its location. They run for cover, and barely survive massive retaliation: the outcome is in doubt until the last, as it was for many other submariners. A moving, poignant, and bittersweet tale that stresses the fact that nothing ever comes for free, even in war.

Authentic in Every Detail
What makes "Operation Pacific" stand out is its authentic pigboat crew dialogue and operational procedures. It is also unique in that it took from a real life WWII sub commander's life. Cdr. Howard W. Gilmore (played by Ward Bond as the fictitious 'Pop Perry' in the movie) who actually did speak the words, "Take her down" as he lay mortally wounded on the bridge of his sub, USS Growler", thus saving the lives of his crew. This is an exceptional WWII submarine movie, a huge step above all of the rest.

Classic, but only amongst sub movies
This show depicts JW being handed what he least wants, to be left ashore during wartime to solve a technical problem with torpedos -- something that really happened.

There is much of the standard John Wayne character in the movie -- he's strong and larger than life, even when he faces a ruggedly handsome younger man who is vying for the same woman. John Wayne is, of course, the hero, and that's OK.

The best part about the movie, however, doesn't have anything to do with subs. The best part is the showdown between two nurses when one tells the other how things really are, and to quit whining about things (I paraphrase, badly).

Nevertheless, this movie is a great option for a free Saturday afternoon. ... Read more

Description

McElwee family legend has it that the Hollywood melodrama "Bright Leaf" starring Gary Cooper as a 19th century tobacco grower, is based on filmmaker Ross McElwee's great-grandfather, who created the Bull Durham brand. Using this legacy as a jumping off point, McElwee reaches back to his roots in this wry, witty rumination on American history, the tobacco business, and the myth of cinema. ... Read more