Description

Treachery.Madness. Murder.The story of Hamlet has been told for 400 years...but it's never been told like this!Mel Gibson (the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon films) takes on his richest part to date, the title role in a dynamic new version of Shakespeare's Hamlet.Directed by Franco Zeffirelli (Romeo and Juliet, Jesus of Nazareth), the location-shot production has a sumptuous look that won Academy Award nominations for Art Direction and Costume Design.Gibson plays the prince of medieval-era Denmark, who senses treachery behind his royal father's death.Glenn Close (Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons) plays Hamlet's mother Gertrude, all too dangerously entangled in that treachery.A brilliant supporting cast, including Alan Bates as Claudius, Paul Scofield as the ghost of Hamlet's father, Ian Holm as Polonius and Helena Bonham-Carter as Ophelia, adds its powerful presence to this immortal tale of high adventure and evil deeds.Big, bold and heroic, this is a vivid and virile Hamlet for the modern age and all time. ... Read more

Reviews (124)

To Thine Own Self Be True...
While this is a complex movie that demands your full attention, this has to be one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. It is beautifully acted out in a gorgeous castle filled with tapestries and everything you would imagine a castle to be from the candlelight to the dimly lit spiral staircases.

The most enjoyable scenes are when Hamlet expresses his thoughts in soliloquies and gives insight into what his character is feeling. Mel Gibson becomes Hamlet and I thought this was perhaps some of his best acting ever! Glenn Close is exceptional as Gertrude, the incestuous mother. The uneasiness and distrust in Denmark since King Hamlet's death and Queen Gertrude's remarriage sets the mood for the rest of the movie.

The story begins on the outer ramparts of Elsinore castle. A ghost appears and Hamlet, speaks to his deceased father. The ghost asks Hamlet to revenge his "most foul, strange, and unnatural murder." Hamlet then deviously plots a psychological revenge by putting on a play in which a scene portrays the actual murder of his father.

"I'll have grounds
More relative than this-the play's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King." -Hamlet, Act 2, 603-605

Once guilt takes hold of the King, the pieces of the puzzle start to fit together and you realize that one immoral action only makes another wrong even more probable.

Throughout the play, Hamlet shows his intellectual superiority and states his case by saying: "Do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?" While he desires to have the upper hand until the end, he cannot of course know all the intentions of those around him nor can he escape his own fate.

An Unforgettable story that made an impression on me in school and still holds a
certain fascination for me. Did Hamlet ever really love Ophelia? That is the question.

"It is in my memory locked." -Ophelia

hamlet
The movie Hamlet directed by Franco Zefferelli is a historical drama, based on the popular Shakespearean Tragedy. Zefferelli decided to retain the name Hamlet, which I think could be modified to be more effective. Theoretically, a title is a microcosm of the theme, which 'Hamlet' doesn't really accomplish; a title that can foreshadow the theme of the play will be more formidable. Perhaps the director could have excerpted one of the dominant quotes out of the play, the most famous being "To be or not to be". This would have at least given a foreshadowing to the indecision seen by the tragic hero throughout the plot. Generally speaking, the movie was well done and I comment the director for his concise but accurate representation of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.
On the whole the actors depicted the roles of their characters quite well. Hamlet played by the Australian, Mel Gibson took command of his part, and captivated the viewers with his emotional conversations, as well as addition of humor and a masculine vigor to Hamlet. He portrayed his part with a great deal enthusiasm, bringing the play to life. The royal couple played by Alan Bates and Glenn Close, as king Claudius and queen Gertrude respectfully, were able to capture the conduct of a monarchial leadership, of the middle ages with little difficulty. Claudius displayed an exceptional representation of a lusty, murderous king. The minor characters such as Ian Holm as Polonius, Nathaniel Parker as Laertes, and Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia gave considerable support to the leading characters, as they were subtly but effectively able to dictate the plot.
Hamlet is noted as one of Franco Zeffirelli's best productions as he recreated yet another Shakespeare masterpiece. He took a conventional approach to this production of Hamlet as he kept with the mindset most people would have to character and setting, in other words he tried not to give any surprises. Zeffirelli's main goal was to create a lighthearted enjoyable movie that would appeal to the general public who don't have the time and stamina for Branagh's four-hour version. In keeping with typical Shakespearean movies the director chose a soundtrack consisting of classical pieces, which is suitable for what he was trying to achieve. Little special effects were used, which may be a major flaw when trying to grasp the attention of modern day viewers, perhaps he could have included some more dynamic effects, especially with the ghost who appeared almost as though he was a living character.
This movie is a concise version of the original text and has left out and/or shortened many scenes keeping only the ones necessary to tell the story. I really liked the way he incorporated old Hamlet's funeral in the beginning and the voyage to England. However, there were a few scenes like the fight between Laertes and Hamlet in the graveyard, which could have been further accented. The major flaw I observed in the movie when compared to the book was the exclusion of the sub-plot with Fortinbras and the Norwegian influence. This led to the ambiguity the viewers were left in once the movie ended, as there was no hint to the outcome of Denmark.

best film version i've seen (and i've seen them all!)
through my endeavors i've had to read Hamlet 7 times (twice my senior year of high-school). much as i don't like Shakespeare this play is part of my life.

The Olivier version is more accurate to the stage version but the camera techiniques are over-blown and hokey (circling the swords before the duel to see which one is tipped, it made me dizzy). the Branagh version, while creative in it's set up (modernizing it to imerial Russia), and using the entire text, complete with Prince Fortinbras of Norway, is SO long and SO over-acted (especially on the part of Branagh) that i needed a nap after i saw it. and i choose not even to dignify the Ethan Hawke version it was so terrible.

This one is my favorite, all the scenes which are cut aren't necessary for the forwarding of the plot in my humble opinion (the opening scene with the palace guards meeting the dead kingis cut yet horatio's explaination of this happening later in the movie is sufficient). Gibson chooses to play Hamlet as insane (that decision is left to the director) and as i am in the camp that Hamlet IS insane, you could also see why i favor this version. Glenn Close is EXCELLENT as Gertrude as is Helena Bonham-Carter as Ophelia.

solid performances with a great cast, what more does a 400 year old play need?

Mel has captured Hamlet's soul
What a masterpiece. As much as I love Braveheart, I truly think this is Mel Gibson's finest work. It throws all over attempts into shadow, including the great Lawrence Olivier and certainly Kenneth Branaugh or Ethan Hawke. So often the female characters are reduced to cardboard mock-ups of feminine ideals of the Shakespearean age. Not here! Ofelia and Gertrude have souls and minds to probe, filled with as many dark secrets as Hamlet himself. I could never say enough about the caliber of this film. Suffice it to say that it is THE Hamlet of the ages and worth a look as well as a few dollars to own it.

A great BRIEF history of The Bard's greatest Play
There are two main versions that currently work the best in getting a feel for this play, Gibson's & Brannaugh's. Gibson's is very much stripped down to focusing on the three main character's. It does loose a lot by this device, but it does gain considerably in that the viewer doesn't have to shift through all the sub-plots. Brannaugh's, however is far more complete & I would consider it far more the best " study " version of the play. If you've read the play ( & this is the reason I give it 5 stars ), Gibson's version is great beause you can fill in the blanks quite easily & nothing is lost. The Ghost is by far better in Gibson's version ( remember, this is not a ghost in the modern sense, so it's important not to judge by appearences ), & the interplay between them in their first meeting is just amazing. However, the politics of the play suffers badly, in my opinion, becuase many of the characters in the sub-plots are missing, especially Polonius' machinations....however, he certainly DIES better in Gibson's version. I personally like this version & I am impressed with all the actors. If this had been the entire play, I think it would definitely have given Brannaugh's version a run for it's money, but being so stripped down, I feel the actuall story suffers greatly. As one reviewer put it, a CLIFT NOTES verion, with which I must agree. ... Read more

Reviews (112)

A Haunted Mansion For The Kid In All of Us
The Haunted Mansion film is not as bad as some will lead you to believe. Actually The Haunted Mansion is a throwback to movies
like William Castle's original 13 Ghosts (1960) and Don Knotts'
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1965). The ghosts play it straight and dead serious and leaves the comedy to Eddie Murphy and family. There are also many scenes that reference Disney's theme
park ride. Such as the singing busts, the ballroom waltz complete with a ghostly organist, and the hitch hiking ghosts even get their cameos. The story is very simple. A nice family
is trapped overnight in The Haunted Mansion, trying to find a
way out. There is also a subplot that deals with reincarnation,
and a 122 year old murder mystery. A really fun movie. My favorite scene: The Gothic Mausoleum. Rick Baker has produced
the best rotting, skeletal walking corpses I have ever seen.
Seemingly straight out of a 1950s EC horror comic.
So if retro horror comedy is to your liking you will love
The Haunted Mansion movie.

DECENT MOVIE BUT MORE FOR KIDS
Haunted Mansion is yet another Disney Movie based upon a Disney park attraction. Following on the heels of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Country Bears, Comes the Haunted Mansion, based on my favorite Disney ride.

Eddie Murphy continues his transformation into a family actor as he follows up his Dr. Dolittle and Daddy Day Care movies with yet another effort geared towards families.

Eddie plays Jim Evers a real estate agent whose ambitions are keeping him from spending time with wife and partner Sara (Marsha Thomason) and kids Michael (Marc John Jefferies) and Megan (Aree Davis). On the way to a long-postponed family weekend, Jim has to stop to case a new listing: a hulking gothic edifice with a cemetery for a backyard. The tear-down potential is great, but "Haunted Mansion" doesn't go that way.It goes inside, of course, where the master of the house, Edward Gracey (Nathaniel Parker), dresses in Dorian gray and seems a little vaporous about the gills. So do the butler, Ramsley (Terence Stamp), the footman (Wallace Shawn), and the housemaid (Dina Waters). I haven't even mentioned the crystal ball in the attic that contains the green, glowing head of Jennifer Tilly.

Edward takes one look at Sara and is convinced she is the reincarnation of his long-lost beloved Elizabeth, whom he couldn't marry for reasons the movie is too busy or too graceful to specify. Nor can I blame him, since Thomason, a trained British actress, has a delicate beauty that outclasses everything else here. No matter; Jim and the children have to rush around and find a key that opens a trunk that contains a letter that discloses the true villain of the piece.

Like "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Mansion" indulges every cliche of its genre, like the bust on the desk whose movable head opens the door to the secret passageway. That should be part of the fun, but it all feels as rote as Murphy's performance. The fluid editing, Mark Mancina's Danny Elfmanesque score, and some nicely calibrated special effects keep the film moving along, and Disneyland freaks will enjoy ticking off the bits of the ride that have made it on-screen, but there's none of the wild-card energy Depp and Geoffrey Rush brought to "Pirates." With his sepulchral stare and mortician's intonations, Stamp tries -- oh, does he try -- but he can't lift the movie up to his level.

Is it scary? In a theme-park sort of way: i.e., lots of "boo!" moments but nothing that really sticks. The only scene that might induce some bed-wetting is when Jim and Megan try to get the key from a mausoleum full of shambling corpses (it's like the "Thriller" video with better effects). But it's worth noting that neither of the kids seem particularly distressed by anything that transpires in "Haunted Mansion."

The real star of Mansion however is the house and its inhabitants as created by the famous creature creator Rick Baker. There are secrets in each room and hallway - sliding walls open to reveal lost passageways; tombs cover entrances to elaborate underground caverns filled with zombies; statues and paintings come alive to reap a playful havoc. The heads of one particular group of statues slows down Jim Ever's chicken race by singing entertaining tunes like a barbershop quartet would.

The DVD has pretty decent special features which bring its grade up a bit with multiple commentaries, bloopers, deleted scenes, making of documentary, and a few other goodies.

Good family horror movie...Not too scary, but scary enough to get the little ones hair standing on end.

could work for kids
To start off, yeah, it's nowhere near as fun as "Pirates of the Carribean", and much of it comes off like a too-long episode of "Scooby Doo". Still "Mansion" is a lot of fun. The plot? Essentially lifted from years worth of lore about the Disney ride (little if any of it actually created by Disney), a broken hearted southern gentleman commits suicide when his "true love" apparently does the same. About a century later, the ghosts of the suicide, the butler (Terence Stamp) and some other household guy (played by Wallace Shawn) are trapped in his mansion. The titular house itself is practically buried by the Louisiana bayou and, in the tradition of haunted houses, under tons of cobwebs. Instead of a van of meddling kids, the Mansion plays host to Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) and his lovely wife Sara. Murphy's character is a work-a-holic real estate agent who manages to snag every customer in the southeast, while neglecting his family. Luckily (?) Sara is the spitting image of Elizabeth, the lost love of the mansion's owner. Invited to tour the mansion with the idea of selling it, and faster than you can say "I see dead people", Murphy and crew find themselves trapped in it by its spectral residents. With the help of Shawn's ghost and also a crystal ball containing the disembodied head of Madam Leota (Jennifer Tilly in a role that also originated with the ride), Evers and family plumb the mysterious environs of the mansion for a way to save Sara and escape.

This was a light movie that completely slips out of your head like a ghost five minutes after it's over. Murphy doesn't get as much mileage out of his mugging persona as he has in movies like the "Cop" series or as in "Golden Child" - but he still does a good job with the kind of movie role that even Bill Cosby couldn't grasp (check out "Ghost Dad" and prove me wrong). As for kids - my 7 & 4 year olds loved it. There was a possibly risky scene with Murphy and his character's daughter trapped in a crypt with an army of skeletal zombies, and the fiery climax of the movie unleashes a fiery demon, but most of the flick treats the spectral world with the same lightness as the ride had.

REAL GOOD!
GOOD,SCARY,AND FUNNY!MY WHOLE FAMILY LAUGED AT ALMOST EVERY SEEN!I KNEW IT WOULD BE FUNNY THOUGE BECAUSE IT HAD EDDIE MURPHY!SO,IT`S A GREAT MOVIE!

Haunted, rather Lovelorn.
Where to start? How about it is featuring Eddie Murphy, and someone else whose name I can't remember, you can't really give it a good number on famous people cast. But then again, with Eddie Murphy, who else do you need? Hehe, I'm SO funny. No, just kidding. Well regardless, on to the more important elements.

The soundtrack is decent, but it doesn't blow away your mind. They are pretty good with mood music, like in times with sword swinging action (which mind are rare) you get fast, jumpy music. Oh, that brings me to the topic of the action. Disney didn't do to badly with the fighting, and the scene at the end absolutely rocks. But I won't tell you what it is. Well...now the only thing left is plot...which was only okay. Actually, here's an outline real quick-

Jim Evers and his wife Sarah Evers are real estates salespeople. One day, Sarah gets a call about a house that the owner wants to sell. She doesn't really want to go but her husband who is obbessesed with his work takes her and their two children along.

Overall: Yes, sorry that was a horrible outline. But anyway, the plot really changes the name from The Haunted Mansion to The Lovelorn Mansion With a Lot of Trapdoors and Ghost. Watch it yourself. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Excellent adaptation of Thackeray masterpiece
Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" is such a sprawling, grand example of the Victorian novel that any mere two-hour movie adaptation will be forced to leave out crucial elements. As it is, this six-hour BBC film version emits certain items (Jos Sedley's ultimate fate, the James Crawley episode), but is remarkably faithful to its source. Indeed, a television mini-series is the best way to adapt such a work, allowing the story to unfold and the viewer to become involved with the various characters.

This production is fantastic, with beautiful costumes, excellent performances, and a fine script. Chief among its attractions is Natasha Little in the key role of Becky Sharp. Miss Little is not only luminously beautiful, but manages to arouse our sympathies toward a virtually unsympathetic character. Special mention must also go to Jeremy Swift, whose portrayal of bumbling Jos Sedley is a delight. Miriam Margolyes (always wonderful) and Eleanor Bron appear in secondary roles. The rest of the cast is well-chosen and all play their parts with conviction.

The greatest hurdle a filmed version of "Vanity Fair" faces is how to convey the many shifts of tone which Thackeray goes through in the novel. This problem has been solved by use of an unusual score, which draws from such diverse sources as military marching bands, Strauss waltzes (wrong for the period but who cares?), and a bit of Kurt Weill. Murray Gold's score never lets us forget that we are in the world of Thackeray's biting satire, and not Jane Austen's more delicate world of comedy-of-manners.

All told, it will take a long time before this film treatment is bettered.

Fell short of expectations
This was a much touted mini-series which I missed on TV and have now watched on DVD. I had high expectations. They were not realized, but by no means can one say that the show is a failure or even a waste of time. No urge to fast-forward here....

Yet..... there is a flatness about the whole production that keeps the emotions, the humor, at arms length. Becky Sharp remains the same, looks the same, inflects the same from beginning to end. The direction reveals no development, no nuance..... certainly charming rapaciousness is more varied than we are shown here. The script is not particularly memorable.

BBC production values are top-notch except in the repeated use of extreme closeups to mask a penny-pinching budget..... the Belgium battle segments are particularly cheesy...... but overall, things are shot handsomely, and some visual commentary is downright witty e.g., pigs crossing the frame as we approach the Crawley manor. The music score, hilarious and anachronistic, is rather refreshing.

This is nowhere as exhilarating a show as the BBC's Pride and Prejudice. Which leads me to the odd realization that perhaps the better writer for Vanity Fair would have been Balzac. Now.... why doesn't somebody do something with his stuff..... Lost Illusions, for example. There we have meatier stuff.

Thackeray's masterpiece brought to life!
It begins on an innocuous afternoon at the Pinkerton school for young ladies, where Miss Becky Sharp (played by Natasha Little, whose father was a drunken drawing master) is finishing up her last day as French tutor to the girls. She is going to stay with her friend, Amelia Sedley (a stock-broker's daughter, played by Frances Grey) for a short time, until she must leave to take up a post as a governess. Becky carelessly proclaims her goodbye to her students and "waltzes" out of the classroom, shortly to join Amelia in Miss Barbara Pinkerton's office. Miss Pinkerton reads aloud a glowing letter of praise about Amelia to her sister Jemima, just before they are joined by Amelia and Becky; she then presents "my dear Amelia" with Johnson's dictionary to "remind her of her time there." Miss Pinkerton (who has never liked Becky) then continues severely, "Miss Sharp, I bid you good day. I make no presentation; you've shown yourself incapable of gratitude," to which Becky replies tartly, "I beg your pardon. I taught a little French here and you paid me a pittance for it. No occasion for gratitude on either side, I should say." She flounces outside and into the waiting carriage, where she and Amelia journey to the Sedley home in London.

Amelia Sedley (Emmy to friends), a sweet and innocent young lady, trusts that her friend Becky is as honest and true as she herself is; but it is just not so. Becky is envious of her friend Amelia's good fortune and privileges, and does everything she can to attain those things for herself. She pursues love in the least likeliest places (going after men she could not possibly be interested in), hoping to eventually catapult herself into the upper crust of society; Becky manipulates man after man, using them for what they can give her, while Amelia Sedley, who is trusting and kind, sadly begins to experience misfortune at the hand of both fate and society.

All in all, this six-part mini-series from A&E was a great watch, if you can get past a small bit of questionable content and mild language. I'm looking forward to the new version done this year with Reese Witherspoon and Romola Garai!!

Becky, Andrew and William
Andrew Davies is a very clever man with, I suspect, quite a tender heart. I don't know how he draws out these old novels for us the way he does, but he's done it again here. I have to admit, the first time I saw this production, I liked it, but was left a little cold. The second time I saw it, I knew it was just me, and that it takes a viewer accustomed to mediocrity some time to readjust to this kind of brilliance. The costumes and sets, in the hot Oriental colours of the real Regency instead of the too often misrendered pastels of the earlier Georgians, are well done and the acting and casting are great. Davies, cleverly, put some of the wry observations of the narrative passages into the mouths of the characters. "I must say, Dr. Hume, if a man's character is to be abused, there's nobody like a relation to do the business." David Bradley is old Sir Pitt is himself, in fact, the whole Queen's Crawley contingent will make you both laugh and squirm, just like they're supposed to. Janine Duvitski as marvelous as the ghastly, grasping Mrs. Bute Crawley. Natasha Little is luminously beautiful as Becky Sharp, her careless curls at unsettling contrast with her little smirk. Amelia Sedley is so wet you could ring her out (Thackeray predicted my criticism of her character, by the way) but Frances Grey plays her so well you admire her, as you do all of them, for just being the flawed creatures they are.

You will find the inhabitants of this fair very much alive and not at all like puppets, as Thackeray disingenuously tells you they are all through his book. The visuals well support the spirit of the production. There is one scene of Dobbin and Osbourne conversing outside their barracks, and the camera then raises into an extreme high shot that makes them look exactly like toy soldiers or pictures on a chocolate box. It's the shot often used to film a football game or the square formations of the old battlefields, so we are reminded that what became almost quaint in the ensuing two hundred years was once very real. The battlefield scenes are up close and personal, noisy and ugly, from the grim patience of the Dobbins and Osbournes, the foot soldiers who carried the terrible day of the Battle of Waterloo, to the hard breathing and slamming together of metal and flesh as the cavalry engages.

The score has disturbed some people, but it's as brilliant as the adaptation and delivers the feel of the period directly. It's hard to say why it works, but there's no question that it does, and anachronism only serves as a friend, here. Like Becky's wonderful, new remarks, which I'm sure she really made, "Baisez mon cul." and "I'm sorry I'm laughing, your ladyship, but I just can't help it." When I actually saw the band at Vauxhall Gardens, they provided me my bearings, like finding a "You Are Here" on a map. The songs are placed perfectly. When Becky's entertaining at home, her occasional flat notes don't seem to be noticed by the men in her thrall, and Becky similiarly winning over the gyneocracy with her "Dido's Lament" (sans the flat notes) at the Steyne House soiree is not to be missed.

The story itself, whatever it's about, whether it's just a puppet show or one of the most profound, tender observations of human life ever put to paper, is delivered faithfully, without sentiment, but with more of the buried tenderness of the author than he would ever own up to. The ending, where these inhabitants of Vanity Fair learn to recover from glamorous war and get on with the business of becoming unexciting Victorians, and where a mysterious bad girl is saved by the intervention of a cheeky, innocent little boy is delivered in this production in all its beauty. But never mind that. As it was not about pastel interiors, the real Regency was not about sentimentality. Somebody said that all authors are in love with their childhood. Even though this was the work of a Victorian, born in 1811, and even if he did not properly approve of her, I think Thackeray was in love with his wicked, plucky little heroine, as he was in love with the period in which she flourished. Perhaps he is the curious little boy walking up the casino steps into the past and into that strange world of what appear to be grown-up people with their masks and secrets. When he gets there, he finds this particular grownup needs him. In fact, it's almost as if she's waiting for him to let him know she is not so strong on her own, and to remember her and to please be sure to write about her. We certainly need Andrew Davies and his adaptations. See what you think of this one. You won't be disappointed, and if you are, watch it again.

Very Enjoyable Production of a Literary Classic
I have read "Vanity Fair" twice and intend to re-read this coming year. I remember seeing a BBC version with Susan Hampshire in the role of Becky Sharp back in the 1970s, as well as the 1930s Hollywood version with Mariam Hopkins on late-night television when I was a teenager. Now I understand that there is to be another Hollywood version, with Reese Witherspoon, of all the odd choices, to play Becky. Natasha Little is, in my opinion, an outstanding Becky Sharp, surpassing both Hampshire and Hopkins in the role. I cannot feature the vastly overrated Ms Witherspoon being able to give as subtle and natural a performance as Ms Little does in this A&E production. Ms Little is at once appealing and a monster, a woman "on the make"; in one very funny, and creepy, bit she is forced to turn down a marriage proposal from the coarse Sir Pitt Crawley, because she is already married to his dashing son. When Pitt Crawley leaves the room, it becomes clear that Becky would have married the vulgar old man for the security he offered had she been free.

The rest of the cast was very good, particularly the actors portraying Amelia, George, Rawdon, and Dobbin. There has been some criticism of the appearance of the actors, that they were too plain or even downright unattractive for the roles. One of the differences between British and American productions (particularly those made for televsion) is that in British productions the performers are more often selected for their talent than their appearance. Sometimes this backfires, as in the case of the remake of "The Forsyte Saga," when many viewers complained about Geena McKee being too plain for the role of Irene Forsyte, who was supposed to be a great beauty. In the case of "Vanity Fair" I feel that the actors were just right for their roles in every way, including appearance. Becky's attraction was her spirit as much as her face, and Amelia's sweetness was the inspiration for the love and admiration she received from men.

My one criticism of the film was the loud background music. It was supposed to suggest a carnival or fair, but it was so blasted loud that at times it drowned out the performers. Although this was not as constant as one reviewer indicated, it did happen often enough to be annoying. If you like Thackeray, I think you will be pleased with this version of his masterpiece. ... Read more

Reviews (112)

A Haunted Mansion For The Kid In All of Us
The Haunted Mansion film is not as bad as some will lead you to believe. Actually The Haunted Mansion is a throwback to movies
like William Castle's original 13 Ghosts (1960) and Don Knotts'
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1965). The ghosts play it straight and dead serious and leaves the comedy to Eddie Murphy and family. There are also many scenes that reference Disney's theme
park ride. Such as the singing busts, the ballroom waltz complete with a ghostly organist, and the hitch hiking ghosts even get their cameos. The story is very simple. A nice family
is trapped overnight in The Haunted Mansion, trying to find a
way out. There is also a subplot that deals with reincarnation,
and a 122 year old murder mystery. A really fun movie. My favorite scene: The Gothic Mausoleum. Rick Baker has produced
the best rotting, skeletal walking corpses I have ever seen.
Seemingly straight out of a 1950s EC horror comic.
So if retro horror comedy is to your liking you will love
The Haunted Mansion movie.

DECENT MOVIE BUT MORE FOR KIDS
Haunted Mansion is yet another Disney Movie based upon a Disney park attraction. Following on the heels of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Country Bears, Comes the Haunted Mansion, based on my favorite Disney ride.

Eddie Murphy continues his transformation into a family actor as he follows up his Dr. Dolittle and Daddy Day Care movies with yet another effort geared towards families.

Eddie plays Jim Evers a real estate agent whose ambitions are keeping him from spending time with wife and partner Sara (Marsha Thomason) and kids Michael (Marc John Jefferies) and Megan (Aree Davis). On the way to a long-postponed family weekend, Jim has to stop to case a new listing: a hulking gothic edifice with a cemetery for a backyard. The tear-down potential is great, but "Haunted Mansion" doesn't go that way.It goes inside, of course, where the master of the house, Edward Gracey (Nathaniel Parker), dresses in Dorian gray and seems a little vaporous about the gills. So do the butler, Ramsley (Terence Stamp), the footman (Wallace Shawn), and the housemaid (Dina Waters). I haven't even mentioned the crystal ball in the attic that contains the green, glowing head of Jennifer Tilly.

Edward takes one look at Sara and is convinced she is the reincarnation of his long-lost beloved Elizabeth, whom he couldn't marry for reasons the movie is too busy or too graceful to specify. Nor can I blame him, since Thomason, a trained British actress, has a delicate beauty that outclasses everything else here. No matter; Jim and the children have to rush around and find a key that opens a trunk that contains a letter that discloses the true villain of the piece.

Like "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Mansion" indulges every cliche of its genre, like the bust on the desk whose movable head opens the door to the secret passageway. That should be part of the fun, but it all feels as rote as Murphy's performance. The fluid editing, Mark Mancina's Danny Elfmanesque score, and some nicely calibrated special effects keep the film moving along, and Disneyland freaks will enjoy ticking off the bits of the ride that have made it on-screen, but there's none of the wild-card energy Depp and Geoffrey Rush brought to "Pirates." With his sepulchral stare and mortician's intonations, Stamp tries -- oh, does he try -- but he can't lift the movie up to his level.

Is it scary? In a theme-park sort of way: i.e., lots of "boo!" moments but nothing that really sticks. The only scene that might induce some bed-wetting is when Jim and Megan try to get the key from a mausoleum full of shambling corpses (it's like the "Thriller" video with better effects). But it's worth noting that neither of the kids seem particularly distressed by anything that transpires in "Haunted Mansion."

The real star of Mansion however is the house and its inhabitants as created by the famous creature creator Rick Baker. There are secrets in each room and hallway - sliding walls open to reveal lost passageways; tombs cover entrances to elaborate underground caverns filled with zombies; statues and paintings come alive to reap a playful havoc. The heads of one particular group of statues slows down Jim Ever's chicken race by singing entertaining tunes like a barbershop quartet would.

The DVD has pretty decent special features which bring its grade up a bit with multiple commentaries, bloopers, deleted scenes, making of documentary, and a few other goodies.

Good family horror movie...Not too scary, but scary enough to get the little ones hair standing on end.

could work for kids
To start off, yeah, it's nowhere near as fun as "Pirates of the Carribean", and much of it comes off like a too-long episode of "Scooby Doo". Still "Mansion" is a lot of fun. The plot? Essentially lifted from years worth of lore about the Disney ride (little if any of it actually created by Disney), a broken hearted southern gentleman commits suicide when his "true love" apparently does the same. About a century later, the ghosts of the suicide, the butler (Terence Stamp) and some other household guy (played by Wallace Shawn) are trapped in his mansion. The titular house itself is practically buried by the Louisiana bayou and, in the tradition of haunted houses, under tons of cobwebs. Instead of a van of meddling kids, the Mansion plays host to Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) and his lovely wife Sara. Murphy's character is a work-a-holic real estate agent who manages to snag every customer in the southeast, while neglecting his family. Luckily (?) Sara is the spitting image of Elizabeth, the lost love of the mansion's owner. Invited to tour the mansion with the idea of selling it, and faster than you can say "I see dead people", Murphy and crew find themselves trapped in it by its spectral residents. With the help of Shawn's ghost and also a crystal ball containing the disembodied head of Madam Leota (Jennifer Tilly in a role that also originated with the ride), Evers and family plumb the mysterious environs of the mansion for a way to save Sara and escape.

This was a light movie that completely slips out of your head like a ghost five minutes after it's over. Murphy doesn't get as much mileage out of his mugging persona as he has in movies like the "Cop" series or as in "Golden Child" - but he still does a good job with the kind of movie role that even Bill Cosby couldn't grasp (check out "Ghost Dad" and prove me wrong). As for kids - my 7 & 4 year olds loved it. There was a possibly risky scene with Murphy and his character's daughter trapped in a crypt with an army of skeletal zombies, and the fiery climax of the movie unleashes a fiery demon, but most of the flick treats the spectral world with the same lightness as the ride had.

REAL GOOD!
GOOD,SCARY,AND FUNNY!MY WHOLE FAMILY LAUGED AT ALMOST EVERY SEEN!I KNEW IT WOULD BE FUNNY THOUGE BECAUSE IT HAD EDDIE MURPHY!SO,IT`S A GREAT MOVIE!

Haunted, rather Lovelorn.
Where to start? How about it is featuring Eddie Murphy, and someone else whose name I can't remember, you can't really give it a good number on famous people cast. But then again, with Eddie Murphy, who else do you need? Hehe, I'm SO funny. No, just kidding. Well regardless, on to the more important elements.

The soundtrack is decent, but it doesn't blow away your mind. They are pretty good with mood music, like in times with sword swinging action (which mind are rare) you get fast, jumpy music. Oh, that brings me to the topic of the action. Disney didn't do to badly with the fighting, and the scene at the end absolutely rocks. But I won't tell you what it is. Well...now the only thing left is plot...which was only okay. Actually, here's an outline real quick-

Jim Evers and his wife Sarah Evers are real estates salespeople. One day, Sarah gets a call about a house that the owner wants to sell. She doesn't really want to go but her husband who is obbessesed with his work takes her and their two children along.

Overall: Yes, sorry that was a horrible outline. But anyway, the plot really changes the name from The Haunted Mansion to The Lovelorn Mansion With a Lot of Trapdoors and Ghost. Watch it yourself. ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Look to your wife
This is a dark version of a dark play. Not just in feel and drama, but in setting. I believe only a scene or two is filmed in the daylight. The bulk of this film takes place in the dank cellars, the dark of night and the closed bedrooms where intrigue and guile rule the day.

This is an unusual Shakespeare adaptation, in that nothing funky is being done with it. There is no twist in the time setting, no song and dance, no Italian wonderment. It is about as straight of an adaptation as I have seen. Being this, it lacks any distinction or special genius, but it is quite an able piece of film.

Laurence Fishburn is a great Othello, delivering the lines and slipping under Iago's silver spell. He lacks a certain aura of strength generally associated with Othello, but is otherwise excellent. Kenneth Branagh is a superior Iago, and this may be one of the best performances he has given. He plays an excellent villain, and his performance is the one bright flare in the the film. The dialog is well done, staying with Branagh's conversational style. The rest of the cast are all capable players, easily recognizable from the Shakespeare on film stable.

All in all, I really enjoy this film. It is not a work of genius. It is not amazing. But it is an excellent, workman like filmed version of a difficult play and a worthy edition to any Shakespeare on film collection.

this laurence is no olivier
the only thing this version has on olivier's version is its natural setting. otherwise, all - and i do mean ALL - of the performances are decidedly inferior to the 1965 film. first of all, laurence fishburne is NO olivier. not even close. he was pathetic. most of the time he sounded like he was reading the script, not speaking heartfelt words of a real flesh and blood man. and branagh, i don't know what happened to him but he was not convincing as a villain. he just looks too much like a goody-goody. compare him to the fellow who played iago in olivier's film and you'll see the problem right way. just no comparison. after these two, what do you have? desdemona, maggie smith much more convincing as the virtuous lady. even emilia, iago's abused wife, is better played in olivier's film.

so 3 stars for a nice try. but the 1965 performance is still the standard to measure this play by. it will be along time before another actor comes along who can play othello as well as olivier. i'm not holding my breath.

ps the orson welles version of this play is the best movie version, and his portrayal of othello is almost as good olivier's. also worth a watch.

Required to watch......
For school I was required to watch this since we read the play Othello. I didn't think the movie was that good because some of the acting when it was supposed to be sad I was laughing my head off. Only unless you understand the Shakespeare language well this movie isn't worth it. The movie lacks good acting in my opinon and could of done better especially with Dedsdemona and some of the love scenes which were absolutely pathetic.

Great Acting
I've always been a fan of Kenneth Branagh and both his acting and directing abilities. However, in the film interpretation of "Othello," I was blown away by how well he fit the role of Iago. In the play, Iago has to be two-faced all the time. He shows one side of him to one person, and another side to another. In the film, Iago works very hard to keep up his appearance with all the different characters. No character sees more than one side of him, and his plots are kept to himself. Iago is an actor, and Branagh had to perform his part and I think he did it incredibly. While talking to Othello, his facial reactions would visibly change when Othello looked the other way; the audience saw glimpses of Iago's true motives, but they were always hidden from Othello. It was incredible how quickly the transition from a sinister expression to a loving and loyal expression was made. In one scene, Iago and Othello are hugging, and Iago's face reflects contempt as soon as his face is beside Othello's face.

Iago's changes aren't simply when Othello is around, but the changes are the same for when Iago deals with Roderigo. In the scenes with Roderigo, Iago has to perform doubly hard because he's being partially truthful with Iago. He's showing part of his true motives, but he still has to hide them to some extent to convince Roderigo to do his bidding. The scenes between Branagh and Michael Maloney probably impressed me the most. Roderigo may have been gullible or easily convinced, but Iago was still convincing and persuasive enough to move Roderigo from absolute hatred and distrust to absolute loyalty and thankfulness. In one scene, Roderigo is threatening to kill Iago and by the end of the scene, they're hugging and Iago can barely convince Roderigo to leave his side.

The biggest change that Iago undergoes is when he is caught. In the end of the play, when Emilia finally recognizes what has happened, Iago's facial expressions finally become flat and unwavering. He puts on a stoic face and remains that way into his death. He no longer has to convince anyone of anything because they all know the truth, so he doesn't give anyone any idea of what he's thinking and doesn't talk or change his appearance. This scene left a lasting impression on me, even when he was telling Emilia to be wise or when he was killing her, there is no change in his facial expression.

Overall, I was impressed with the movie. I enjoyed the acting from all the characters (not just Branagh), and I'm sure I'd enjoy watching it repeatedly.

Laurence Fishburne's talent is wasted
Poor Laurence Fishburne. I felt so sorry for him watching this movie because he gives a passionate and multi-dimensional performance as Othello and yet, no one else in the cast matches or even comes close to his level of talent.

As the cover photo suggests, this is a more sexualized version of Shakespeare's tragedy, which doesn't make it bad, but definitely steals the focus from the other emotions that fuel the story. All of Othello's feelings were intense, not just those he had for Desdemona, and this fact is overlooked by the emphasis on his sexuality. Kenneth Braunagh is such a bad Iago that I actually found myself laughing at him. As for Irene Jacob's performance, it is really not worth mentioning here. She is pretty and exotic but she gives no depth to the wounded character of Desdemona. I truly wish that this movie could be redone by a different director with a different supporting cast, because it is a fascinating idea that just falls flat. ... Read more

Description

A prequel to "Jane Eyre." An Englishman in nineteenth-century Jamaica falls into a tortured marriage with a native Creole. When the woman begins to go mad, her husband takes her back to his gothic estate in England, where he locks her in the attic. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

The Wide Sargasso Sea: A Rich and Thrilling Seachange
When "The Wide Sargasso Sea" was first released in New York, it had received excellent reviews, an R rating and very little attention. I just happened to see a small advertisement in the New York Times one day. It was the title alone that intrigued me. From the moment the film began with that sensual and evocative soundtrack, I sensed we were in for something truly different and original.

"The Wide Sargasso Sea" is a brilliant collaboration of a gifted director, John Duigan, a strong, well paced screenplay and actors who are sublimely suited to their roles. Set in 19th century Jamaica,the screenplay transforms a fairly literal story by Jean Rhys into a rich and thrilling drama, which is driven as much by the individual conflicts and misunderstandings as it is by the cultural. "The Wide Sargasso Sea" is one of the few films that successfully combines the erotic with the lyrical;that depicts the complexity of human passion without becoming either literal or pedestrian.

With its lush, exotic setting,it is easy to become enmeshed in the endlessly subtle and colorful aspects of this film from the psychological to the sociological, individual difference to social conventions. But the story of Antoinette and Edward is the story of the delicate and precarious balance between love and knowledge, intimacy and trust, choice and destiny. So that once seeing "The Wide Sargasso Sea", you will have to see it again.

Years later I bought the VHS and found that "The Wide Sargasso Sea" is one of those superb films that stands the test of time. If only, the producers had recorded the soundtrack with music by Stuart Copeland and some wonderfully original, electronic interpretations of classical string quartets. Why didn't they?

Pretty, but vapid.
Wide Sargasso Sea (John Duigan, 1993)

John Duigan, who aggressively makes indie films, got the most notoriety of his career out of his adaptation of Jean Rhys' prequel to Jane Eyre. It's a very pretty thing, to be sure, but really-how much can you expect of any film made after the mid-eighties that plays up the casting of Michael York?

Let's face it, the main reason to watch Wide Sargasso Sea is that Antioniette (Karina Lombard, whose biggest role since has been in Kull the Conqueror) and Amelie (Rowena King, most recently seen in Proof of Life), who are battling for the affections of Antoinette's husband Edward (Nathaniel Parker, whose days are occupied making the Inspector Lynley mysteries presently), spend a whole lot of their screen time unclothed. (One wishes the same could be said of Naomi Watts, who has a small part here, but one can't have everything.) The story itself is about as riveting as... well, let's put it this way. It's a prequel to Jane Eyre. They share a certain leisure of plot.

Once Michael York's scenery-chewing is out of the way (he plays Antoinette's father, and is only seen in the scenes where she's young), the film settles down into a nice, quiet lull for the rest of its length. The scenery is beautiful, the bodies are beautiful, it's like Winged Migration with nudity and an attempt at a storyline. ** ½

wide sargasso sea
this movie made me finally understand the whole story of Jane Eyre, I understand and look at the people much better ,and understand the women called insane,as drivin that way by lonliness,I look at the master of the house with different eyes. it opens many questions Jane eyre leaves open for thought.

about the movie wide sargasso sea......
What I can basically say is that the actress when young saw her house was burned down by the nigerians and her mother(if I am not wrong) turns mad. I am not going to elaborate the story(no longer interesting) furthur for customer to find out for themselves. There are three erotic scene inside which I can say is normal as there is no so called explict sexual scenes inside. The NC-17 is more or less for show. One scene is the toucbing of ass scene between the actor and actress, the other is just only the facial expression of the actress during the first scene and the last, of course, is the sex scene which some called it as explicit to get the NC-17 rating. The story of this DVD is good and the scenes are very normal like a bright blue sky. ***A recommended purchase for those interested in this genre of movie on DVD***

Gonna Make You Sweat
Few films get as steamy as this one and still manage to convey any kind of story; kudos to Nathaniel Parker and Karina Lombard, who flawlessly pull off a difficult period piece.

What makes this film work is the progression of events; madness as depicted by tangleweed, temperature, voodoo/black magic, lust, etc. makes for a tantalizing feature, but none of it would work if the acting wasn't up to par.

Having read "Jane Eyre" a long time ago, I always thought it would be a great idea to create a story based on Rochester's psychotic wife, and how she got that way.

Steamy, superb drama for those of you who like a little subversion in your lives... ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A Great Deliverance -- A great adaptation
When the powers that be at Scotland Yard assign Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers to a particularly high-profile murder investigation, they create the oddest couple since Neil Simon's Felix Unger and Oscar Madison. Lynley is the Oxford-educated, Eighth Earl of Asherton, with an upscale London town house and a country estate down in Cornwall. Havers, who has in the past alternatively referred to Lynley as "that fast-track Oxford golden-boy" or "that arrogant, aristocratic ponce", lives in a council-house with her aging and infirmed parents, and carries around a chip on her shoulder the size of Rock of Gibraltar.

As the story begins, "The Yard" has been called in by the Yorkshire police on a particularly nasty case - a farmer has been found brutally murdered in his barn along with his sheep dog; his traumatized sixteen-year old daughter is found mute, unable to tell investigators what has occurred. To make matters worse, allegations of local police corruption have just surfaced.

This is not going to be an easy case, especially as Lynley and Havers arrive on the scene in Yorkshire each encumbered with a steamer trunk full of emotional baggage.

Lynley has just been the Best Man at the wedding of the love of his life, Deborah, to his best friend Simon St. James. Upon arriving in Yorkshire, he finds that one of the local police officers assigned to work with him is one Sergeant Nies, whom he'd previously had a run-in with and Nies is still nursing a grudge against him. As if these problems weren't daunting enough, Lynley has to deal with Havers.

Havers, who has a well deserved reputation at the Yard of being difficult to work with, resents Lynley for being rich, well-educated, well-connected, handsome and charming - in short, everything she isn't. Her obvious resentment of Lynley becomes so tiresome, that at one point, he stops the car in the middle of the road one evening and says, "You are exhausting, you are permanently on the defensive." Later, he exclaims, "take away your prejudices and who's Barbara Havers?" Havers, however, does have some very real problems to deal with; while Lynley is trying to cope with his loss of Deborah, Havers is spending every spare moment on the phone trying to get help from Social Services for her parents - a father in the last stages of emphysema and a mother suffering from what appears to Alzheimer's.

Yet in spite of their personal problems, Lynley and Havers quickly get down to the business of investigating the murder. That they do so - in the face of local police hostility and foot-dragging, witnesses who tell them only half-truths, plus a few red herrings thrown in along the way - is a testament to their skill and professionalism.

This BBC production of "A Great Deliverance", based on the book by Elizabeth George, is well adapted and perfectly cast. Some Elizabeth George fans may object to casting a dark haired actor in the role of Lynley, whom George conceived of as a blonde, but that's a trivial issue. First, actors frequently bare little physical resemblance to the authors' original descriptions of the characters they play - case in point, P.D. James' Adam Dalgleish. James always described Dalgleish as "dark", something Roy Marsden isn't. Second, if you're casting about today for a tall, good looking, "upper class" British actor for a role - Nathaniel Parker is the natural choice. Parker casually combines class with masculinity. He also possesses one of the best speaking voices of any English-speaking actor today. His lines are always delivered clearly, but effortlessly, in that rich, mellow baritone of his. In a television career of more than a dozen years - "Piece of Cake", "Never Come Back", "Vanity Fair" and "Far From the Madding Crowd" - Parker has displayed great versatility. Having appeared in episodes of "Inspector Morse" and "Poirot" he's also no stranger to "Mystery" audiences. As Lynley, he projects authority, integrity, vulnerability; plus genuine warmth and tenderness when visiting the victim's youngest daughter - Roberta Tey - at a psychiatric hospital.

Like Parker's Lynley, Sharon Small's Barbara Havers differs in appearance from the character created by George. George's creation was short, dumpy and dressed in Oxfam rejects - one doubts if too many actresses would have been beating down the doors to play the character as originally envisioned. Small retains Havers' abrasiveness, but through her attempts at dealing with the problems in her private life, she succeeds in making Barbara a more sympathetic character.

One of the traditional strengths of British TV imports is the careful attention the British pay to the casting of each role. "A Great Deliverance" is no exception. In addition to the two strong leads, "A Great Deliverance" is graced with a great supporting cast. Anthony Calf and Amanda Ryan play newly weds Simon and Deborah St. James brilliantly - capturing the romance of a newly wed couple and the awkwardness created by their relationship with Lynley and the anguish they know he is going through. Emma Fielding is perfect as Helen Clyde - so perfect - that one wonders why the producers subsequently replaced her in later episodes. Brendan Coyle (Richard Tey) - with his dark good looks and earthy masculinity - is a perfect counterweight to Parker's Lynley. But the real acting honors go to Rebecca Gallacher as Roberta Tey - so eloquent in her silence.

To sum up, while this BBC-WGBH production of Elizabeth George's "A Great Deliverance" does not follow the book to the letter, it does capture the essence of this excellent mystery. I highly recommend "A Great Deliverance" to lovers of good, old-fashioned British mysteries.

Inspector Lynley Mysteries - A Great Deliverance
I'm a great fan of Elizabeth George. This adaptation certainly does justice to her book. Even though I had read the book, the creepy parts were creepy and I enjoyed watching how the characters played out their roles within the story. Much recommended, especially for a "George" fan!

the story 1 star minus 5, the countryside 5 stars
what a lousy and totally worthless story to be told. this is a no big deal story not even worth to be read albeit put into film production. this kind mystery is so lukewarm with endless talk and talk. i have tried very hard to hang on to the end just because couldn't get enough of the beautiful countryside sceneries.

An excellent adaptation of the novel
Elizabeth George writes incredibly complex novels that can become disturbingly graphic. She also creates vivid characters, and I could not imagine who could play Inspector Lynley (or Barbara Havers, for that matter) with success. I thus looked forward to the television adaptation of A Great Deliverance with some trepidation, wondering whether the novel could successfully make the transition from print to small screen.

I need not have worried. This is a terrific adaptation, both well cast and well written. The characterizations are uniformly successful, and they make the transition to the small screen with complete success. The plot is equally successful, both well written and superbly adapted to the exigencies of television watching.

Everyone who likes mysteries will enjoy this DVD, whether one is familiar with the book or not.

Nice, but George's voice is missing.
From Elizabeth George's first great Inspector Lynley novel, the film version is a standard mystery, with good acting by a fine cast. But George's fans know that her tales are full of internal monologues and psychological insight, and would require more than the time & talent shown here to convey that on-screen. Hopefully future episodes will show less whodunit and more why, directed by someone else. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Never Come Back
If you love Hitchcock thrillers, you'll love "Never Come Back" It's London, during the so-called "Phony War"; handsome young Desmond Thane (Nathaniel Parker), who has pretensions of writing the great war novel, is making a living by day writing for a women's magazine and boring his colleague Marcus (Jonathan Coy), with tales of his nighttime exploits and theories on free love.

Then Desmond's carefree life begins to unravel. First he's stalked by the fiancé of one of the woman he had a brief fling with and then he meets the enigmatic Anna Raven. At first glance Anna would seem to be the ideal woman for Desmond, but now that the shoes on the other foot, Desmond suddenly becomes very traditional, wanting to know more about Anna than she's willing to reveal - and this is Desmond's undoing. One night, in Anna's flat, Desmond comes across a diary. The diary appears to be written by Anna, but by this time Desmond knows Anna well enough to realize that the diary is pure fiction. And boring fiction at that. But why? When Desmond confronts Anna about the diary he suddenly finds himself [taken] into a whirlpool of deceit, murder, torture and probable treason.

Although produced in 1989 as a television mini series, originally aired on the BBC in three or four cliff-hanging episodes; producer Joe Waters and director Ben Bolt, have lavished all the care and attention on "Never Come Back" that one would normally expect on a movie. The cast they've assembled is first rate - perfect for their roles. Desmond Thane was Nathaniel Parker's ("A Piece of Cake", "Far From the Madding Crowd", "Vanity Fair", "The Inspector Linley Mysteries") first staring role and he's on screen virtually every moment of the film. A tour de force of acting skill and sheer physical stamina -we watch Desmond go from charming young cad to terrorized victim. James Fox is excellent as Forster, Thane's nemesis. Alternately charming, then sinister, Fox is the perfect upper-class, establishment villain. Suzanna Hamilton is suitably enigmatic as Anna Raven. And the three principal leads are supported by an excellent cast.

The only criticism I could make of the production is that perhaps the director and cameraman tried a bit too hard for a film noire effect. True many of the scenes were set in London during the wartime blackout, but a few of the scenes were so dark that it became difficult to see, on first viewing, exactly what was going on.

To recap, if you're a fan of good, old-fashioned thrillers, order a copy of "Never Come Back, pop it into your DVD-player, then grab onto the arm of your chair and watch "Never Come Back."

I Will Go Back to Watch "Never Come Back"
Alfred Hitchcock would not have hesitated to put his name on this one. The edge of the viewer's seat gets every bit as much use as did those of film goers watching "North by Northwest", one of A.H.'s best "narrow margin escape" and "pulse pounding suspense" films. Drumroll credits to director, actors and writer. The film was composed of episodes from a BBC TV mini-series, which allows that Nathaniel Parker was not performing steadily throughout its length, but he is to be notably commended for his thespian talent and tenacity in holding his character through numerous confrontations with villains and inflictions of physical agony. James Fox continues his reputation as one of Britain's finest in his portrayal of Desmond's adversary. I found myself holding my breath more than once and emitting a sigh of relief after the particularly harrowing scenes. "Never Come Back" is more than watchable; it is worthy of bringing you back to be totally enveloped again in all its multi-talented facets. ... Read more

Description

A Suitable Vengance sees Lynley’s dreams come true as he returns to his ancestral pile to marry his beloved Helen. However, a brutal murder on the grounds of his idyllic Cornish estate sheds new light on the inspector and his surprisingly dysfunctional family.

Special DVD features include: link to the Mystery! Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

On one DVD5 disc.Region coding: All regions.Audio: Dolby stereo.Screen format: letterboxed. ... Read more

Description

A case of conspiracy involving Eve Bowen, MP, who seems to be about to bring the government down. Eve enlists the help of her close friend and criminal profiler, Helen Clyde. Lynley and Havers are faced with blackmailers and deception in their hunt to find a murderer.

Special DVD features include: link to the Mystery! Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

On one DVD5 disc.Region coding: All regions.Audio: Dolby stereo.Screen format: letterboxed. ... Read more

Description

The body of a young Asian man is found on a beach in the seaside resort of Balford-le-Nez. Havers finds herself with time on her hands as Lynley is on honeymoon in Peru, and when she discovers the investigation is being run by a friend she goes to see if she can lend a hand.

Special DVD features include: link to the Mystery! Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

On one DVD5 disc.Region coding: All regions.Audio: Dolby stereo.Screen format: letterboxed. ... Read more

Description

The body of cricket star Kenneth Fleming is found in a burnt out house and seems to be the victim of an arson attack. It emerges that Kenneth has three women in his life - his lifelong patron and mentor, Miriam Whitelaw (Phyllis Logan), his married lover, Gabriella Patten (Clare Swinburne), and his childhood sweetheart and devoted wife Jeannie (Ruth Gemmell). A complex web of family ties proves difficult to untangle and Havers starts to question Lynley’s tactics.

Special DVD features include: link to the Mystery! Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

On one DVD5 disc.Region coding: All regions.Audio: Dolby stereo.Screen format: letterboxed. ... Read more