Description

Jane Wyman is a repressed wealthy widow and Rock Hudson is the hunky Thoreau-following gardener who loves her in Douglas Sirk's heartbreakingly beautiful indictment of 1950s small-town America. Sirk utilizes expressionist colors, reflective surfaces, and frames-within-frames to convey the loneliness and isolation of a matriarch trapped by the snobbery of her children and the gossip of her social-climbing country club chums. Criterion is proud to present this subversive Hollywood tearjerker in a new Special Edition. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

An elegant, classy sudser from director Douglas Sirk
Reuniting from the previous year's hit, "Magnificent Obsession", Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson play lovers torn apart by small town hypocrisy. Wyman is wealthy widow, Cary Scott. She falls in love with her gardener, Ron Kirby(Hudson),and is chastised by her community and loathed by her two grown children. Great, elegant melodrama from director-extraordinarre Douglas Sirk. The film starts off a bit slow, but the dramatic payoff is highly worth the wait. The cinematography, muisc, and dialogue all come together for a beautiful film event.

the perfect dvd? this could be it
Watching one of Douglas Sirk's 50's melodramas is slightly akin to visiting another planet. Everything about the Sirk reality is a bit askew: the people are basic and sincere, while their surroundings are heightened, beautiful and artificial (we know certain exterior scenes are filmed on sets, but the sets themselves are so big and elaborate they boggle the mind). It's a strange mix -- simple characters in an exaggerated world, almost like a David Lynch movie in which the only violence that occurs is emotional.

But if you give Sirk's movies time and attention and allow yourself to be taken in by the strangeness, they are surprisingly easy to accept on their own terms.

Sirk's 1955 film, "All That Heaven Allows," tells the story of the romance between a well-to-do widow and a young, dreamy, non-conformist gardener. It's the oldest problem in the world: they could be happy and in love if only it weren't for the other people around them.

I think the key to the success of this film is the performance of Jane Wyman as the widow. Her character is so fragile, yet also surprisingly strong. She says no more than she has to, but what she does say speaks on many levels. She's kind, but she's also after something she clearly wants very badly. Wyman is able to communicate these contradictions and complications with a calm, almost effortless stoicism.

The Criterion DVD is a marvel of technology. It has quickly become my favorite disk and there are a lot of disks that I like -- the picture and transfer are unbelievably crisp, the colors are richer than wet paint, the movie is restored to its proper aspect ratio, and you also get Fassbinder's essay on Sirk (he remade this movie in thoroughly different form with a film called "Ali: Fear Eats the Soul"), and there's also a long, fascinating interview with Sirk himself -- I'd never seen or heard any footage of the director until I saw this and the interview alone made it worth buying.

If you're a fan of Sirk, you're going to love this disk. And if you're not familiar with his work, this is the place to start.

............legends .............
..... women still wore tight corsets and just had to conform .... talk about Stepford .......

this one's a brilliant peek into Ike and Mamies USA - post WWII

SIRK, WYMAN .... HUDSON ...... brilliant trio.....

As Wyman's on screen son spats "You're just seeing a good looking bunch of muscles" - referring to Rock ... Yeah so what?

It's brilliantly lensed, costumed and directed by DIETLEF SIERCK [retitled Doug Sirk when he ventured - without English into the American movie-mill]. He certainly saved Universal's bacon back then ...........

The rest? The movie has inspired so many imitators and GOOD imitators - down to the Julianne Moore version recently ...

Rock, or rather Roy? Have to dwell on this one .... he rescued the studio so many times, especially later with the Day/Hudson comedies ... and more or less had the 'Lylah Claire' exit.

[There was even the rumor that all of his existing costumes were to be burnt - for fear of contamination - after his passing ..... sad little town!]

Elizabeth Taylor is currently too tired to hold his torch ...isn't it time for a Hudson retrospect?

Proceed!

[Great support by Agnes Moorehead as the clockwork 'friend' and the brat of a daughter Gloria Talbot .... whatever happened to HER?]

.... as for the rather obsolete Country Clubs .....

African American actors appear - briefly - but Sirk's indelible comment is quite there!

A good drama and New England scenery

Format: Black & White, Color
Studio: Universal Studios
Video Release Date: February 17, 1998

Cast:

Jane Wyman ... Cary Scott
Rock Hudson ... Ron Kirby
Agnes Moorehead ... Sara Warren
Conrad Nagel ... Harvey
Virginia Grey ... Alida Anderson
Gloria Talbott ... Kay Scott
William Reynolds ... Ned Scott
Charles Drake ... Mick Anderson
Hayden Rorke ... Dr. Hennessy
Jacqueline deWit ... Mona Plash
Leigh Snowden ... Jo-Ann
Donald Curtis ... Howard Hoffer
Alex Gerry ... George Warren
Nestor Paiva ... Manuel
Forrest Lewis ... Mr. Weeks
Tol Avery ... Tom Allenby
Merry Anders ... Mary Ann
Alan DeWitt ... Stationmaster
Jim Hayward ... John
David Janssen ... Freddie Norton
Anthony Jochim ... Mr. Adams
Paul Keast ... Mark Plash
Joseph Mell ... Mr. Gow
Vernon Rich ... Bill
Paul Smith ... Tom
Donna Jo Gribble ... Miss Taylor
Helene Heigh ... Ann
Eleanor Audley ... Mrs. Humphrey
Gia Scala ... Manuel's Daughter
Edna Smith ... Miss Edna Pidway
Rosa Turich ... Rozanna
Lillian Culver ... Mrs. Taylor
Helen Andrews ... Myrtle

Widow Cary Scott (Jane Wyman) is in love with Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson) who is 15 years her junior, but her two children and some of her acquaintances 0bject to their marriage. In order to mollify others, she puts off the marriage, until she finds that her friends and children are selfish and really don't care about her.

This is a good film, well acted and with beautiful New England scenery.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

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

a nice film with a great theme
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This movie follows the story of a widow (Jane Wyman) who falls in love with a much younger man (Rock Hudson) and risks alienating her adult children when she wants to marry him.

The movie has a great theme of family relations and the concern siblings have for a parent. This film was later remade by Rainer Werner Fassbinder as "Ali Fear Eats the Soul" which was also released by the Criterion Collection.

The DVD has numerous special features including a theatrical trailer, a slide show of lobby cards for the film, an illustrated essay about several of Douglas Sirk's films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and a rare BBC interview with the director Douglas Sirk. ... Read more

Description

I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE tells the story of a race of monster-like aliens from another planet who try to conquer Earth by taking over a small town, inhabiting the bodies of prominent citizens and trying to impregnate the women.After one newlywed woman (Talbott) becomes suspicious of her husband when she sees him turn into a monster, the entire town begins to rise to the threat of conquest by the aliens. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Anyone who thinks everyone in the 1950s held marriage sacred hasn'tseen We're Not Married, one of the more gleefully cynical snipesever aimed at that fundamental institution. Five couples discover thattheir marriages aren't legal--Ginger Rogers and Fred Allen as a bickeringpair of beloved radio personalities; Marilyn Monroe as a beauty contestantwith her oppressed house-husband, David Wayne; Eve Arden and Paul Douglasas a chatty pair who've run out of conversation; Louis Calhern as a kindlytycoon married to gold-digging Zsa Zsa Gabor; and Eddie Bracken as asoldier who's just learned his not-quite-wife Mitzi Gaynor is pregnant.Into their lives comes a letter from the government revealing the truthabout their unions, and suddenly everyone considers what their lives mightbe, if only... We're Not Married spins five variations on a theme,with smart, sly, and sardonic results. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (11)

I'm glad Marilyn is Hardly in This
I am probably one of the very few people who actually does not like Marilyn Monroe. She can not act, and thankfully she is hardly even in this movie. Fans of hers, who are more than likely only watching this movie for her appearance, might find themselves a little dissapointed. But if those (many) fans, can accept that fact, and just watch it because it is a good movie, will hopefully find themselves enjoying it. Fans of the brilliant, and beautiful Ginger Rogers will be more than pleased though, since she has a great part in this movie.

Melvin Bush (Victor Moore) has been marrying couples, before his time has actually come, as to when he has the authority to do so. The five couples later find out, through a letter, that they are not legally married. Its mixed into different sections, one for each couple, and none of the stars really get a huge amount of screen-time. The couples are played by Fred Allen and Ginger Rogers; David Wayne and Marilyn Monroe; Paul Douglas and Eve Arden; Louis Calhern and Zsa Zsa Gabor; Eddie Bracken and Mitzi Gaynor.

All of the five sections are mostly amusing. Especially Ginger Rogers and Fred Allen, playing a couple of Radio hosts, who were married really just to get the job (and now completely hate each other). The radio show is made up, almost completely, of stupid sponsors, where they have to say the most scripted, and funny things you could come across in a scene such as this. This film is worthy to watch for their scene alone.

This DVD release from 20th Century Fox, as part of the Marilyn Monroe Diamond Collection, has a brilliant transfer, and the sound is very clear, too. The fact that Marilyn Monroe is on the cover, is quite misleading, and Ginger Rogers, Fred Allen, or maybe one of the other stars, would have been more realistic to have on the cover. I can accept the fact though, that she is on the cover, because it is part of Fox's Diamond Collection series. The extras is a dissapointment. That's one thing Fox never seem to bother too much with. I wish they would, since some deleted scenes would have been good to add, which I know they could have, aswell. But overall, its a good release.

We're not Married?
Marilyn is of course the highlight of this movie as a young mother who enters a beauty pageant. I like particularly the part with Zsa Zsa Gabor and Luis Calhern. Other stars include: Ginger Rogers, David wayne, Eve Arden, Mitzi Gaynor, Fred Allen, Paul Douglas, Eddie Braken, and Victor Moore, who unknowingly marries a number of couples before his appoinment is official and the reults are hilarious.

anull & void
What a waste of a powerhouse cast! Dated, unfunny & plodding--for Monroe completists only.

Why no deleted sequence?
This is a funny movie, especially the Fred Allen and Ginger Rogers section, with a great cast but why didn't Fox include the deleted sequence with Walter Brennan and Hope Emerson as an extra? It's included on the Hidden Hollywood Fox DVD and it's been shown on AMC. It should've been included on this disc.

Marilyn Monroe and Zsa Zsa Gabor in the same film!!!
.
Basic rule of cinema #1: Never is a moment of Marilyn Monroe on film not worth seeing.

MARILYN MONROE is very charming and well worth seeing in this early film appearance in which she co-stars with an actor who appeared in several more Fox films with her, David Wayne. Marilyn appears as the winner of not one, but two different beauty contests. This of course gives reason for her to display her ample physical assets as she models the requisite swimsuits, which illustrate a large part of her allure as a pin-up queen of the early 1950's before becoming better-known for her singing and acting talents.

Although early in her career, Monroe proves that her screen-time is always mesmerizing. When she's on screen, you simply can't take your eyes off her.

This is a really entertaining episodic film, with a great ensemble cast. An episode starring Zsa Zsa Gabor is quite amusing, as is the very funny chapter starring Ginger Rogers.

Definitely worth adding the DVD version of this to your Marilyn Monroe collection! This is a funny movie! ... Read more

Description

The third installment of our collection of classic genre films by the famed low-budget auteur Edgar G. Ulmer, "Daughter of Dr. Jekyll" stars Gloria Talbott as the daughter of the infamous mad scientist who is terrified that she has inherited her father's curse. Boyfriend John Agar (Tarantula, Revenge of the Creature) suspects a darker truth behind the mystery. Filmed in just six days, this rarely seen gem features Ulmer's trademark striking visuals and a wild blend of B-movie horror icons--werewolves, mad scientists, gothic mansions and half-dressed nubile victims. Andrew Sarris writes, "Anyone who loves cinema must be moved by the 'Daughter of Dr. Jekyll.'"

Making Of - Trailer - Production Stills - Isolated music-only trackB&W - English - Mono ... Read more

Reviews (6)

NO BETTER OR NO WORSE
The Daughter Of Dr.Jekyll was a good little horror flick from the 50s B movie era. A lot
of people pan this movie because of its low budget values. But I found it to be a good
little 70 min monster/horror movie. No better or no worse than some of today's so called
block busters.

picture quality: Transfer better then from some big name studio, considering how old it is.

extras: enough, again considering how old it is and the source material

Bloodstains on your collar
Gloria Talbott was the Connie Francis of "B" movies in the 1950s. Having appeared as a child performer in the late 1930s, Gloria's heyday was in the 50s, appearing in several films, including "The Cyclops", "The Leech Woman", the infamously titled "I Married a Monster from Outer Space", and, of course,"Daughter of Dr. Jekyll", directed by legendary B-movie director Edgar G. Ulmer ("The Black Cat", "Detour","Bluebeard"). The setting is early 1900s England. The shapely, dark-haired and big-eyed Gloria plays plays Janet Jekyll (No, I'm not kidding!) who, having turned 21, returns to her ancestral home with her new husband John Agar,(No, I'm not kiddding!) to claim her inheritance. Janet, who has always thought her last name was "Smith" (No, I'm not kidding!) learns of her true name, and of her infamous father. Kindly(?) Dr Lomas, played by Arthur Shields, who was Barry Fitzgerald's real-life brother (No, I'm not kiddding!) is the executor of her late father's estate. Janet begins to be plagued by terrible nightmares, in which she has inherited her father's curse of lycanthropy (No, I'm not kiddding!), and attacks and kills young girls in her nocturnal prowlings. She wakes up with bloodstains on her nightgown, and learns that indeed, young girls have been murdered by a ferocious creature. Janet begins to doubt her own sanity...."Daughter of Dr. Jekyll" is a guilty pleasure, filmed on an obviously low budget, with spartan sets, ludicrous dialogue and costumes (John Agar's hideous striped jacket looks like one of John Payne's cast-offs from "Hello, Frisco, Hello", and one victim looks straight out of a Frederick's of Hollywood catalogue, in her black corset), and my favorite scene is in which Ms. Talbott and Mr. Agar are having breakfast, and through the lace-curtained window, one can see 1950s cars zipping down the street! (No, I'm not kiddding!) Also in the cast is the craggy and very American John Dierkes as "Jacob", a surly and suspicious handyman who always talks about "the lads" in the pub, and is laboriously carving out a wooden stake to plunge through "The werewolf Jekyll's heart" (No, I'm not kiddding!)The picture quality and sound on this DVD are superb, so one can really appreciate the tinsel sets and the aforementioned "breakfast scene" in their digitally enhanced crispness. There is also an interview with the late John Agar on the DVD, and a gallery of poster art and lobby cards. It's wonderful that such enjoyable, fun "junk" like this is treated with such reverence, and to give Mr. Ulmer his due, his films were never dull, and considering the miniscule budgets he had to work with, he delivered the goods, even though they were more than a little ridiculous. So, park yourself on your sofa with some refreshments, and enjoy "Daughter of Dr. Jekyll". ..... (sinister laugh) "Are you sure?" Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!

GRADE Z SPOOKER....
I saw this no-budget wonder as a child and remembered very little. I bought the DVD and now know why. Gloria Talbott finds out she's the title character and freaks out. Boyfriend John Agar tries to help allay her fears but there's a mad killer on the loose in the area and all the evidence points to Gloria. Someone is trying to make her think she's inherited the curse of her father's experiments. The killer sports one of the cheapest make-up jobs you're likely to see in a film of this poor quality. Cheap sets and awful dialogue mark this as a "quickie". Talbott and Agar both did their share of low budget horror flicks and they go through the motions as heroine and hero respectively. Ulmer fans may bump this up a couple of notches but it's really a cheap, cheap movie. It's not even very campy. Just dull and really silly.

Excellent DVD package of middling Edgar Ulmer chiller
Daughter of Dr. Jekyll is a competent if somewhat lacklustre little Saturday-afternoon time-waster for B-horror fans. Personally, I find little evidence of director Edgar G. Ulmer's celebrated genius on display here (sorry Ulmerophiles). The movie never really rises above it's poverty-stricken origins, yet rarely generates genuinely enjoyable Bad Film ambience either. Gloria Talbott (The Cyclops, I Married a Monster from Outer Space) is radiant as Janet Smith [Jekyll], genre icon John Agar is his usual tabula rasa self, and Arthur Shields is annoyingly Barry Fitzgerald-ish as 'kindly' Dr. Lomas. The script by no-budget producer Jack Pollexfen (Neanderthal Man, Indestructible Man, Monstrosity) is strictly pedestrian, a curious hodgepodge of the Jekyll/Hyde story and werewolf/vampire legends, incorporating such hoary devices as the secret passage behind the bookcase and the monster leering at the half-dressed cheesecake model. The embarrassingly corny "are you sure?" opener and closer is sure to cling to your brain like an exceptionally irritating TV commercial. The movie also suffers at times from lack of budget (exteriors of the 'mansion' are an all-too-obvious model), although it does boast some terrific-looking cobwebs and atmospheric fog scenes. Keep an eye out for the underutilized though potentially quite effective red/green filter technique employed, if less than stunningly, for the monster's climactic transformations (see Mamoulian's 1932 Jekyll & Hyde, She Devil [1957], or Bava's Black Sunday for its much more effective application). Trivia note: Talbott apparently was co-featured with herself on a double-bill of this movie and The Cyclops back in 1957.
Allday continues their tradition of giving first-class DVD treatment to neglected films with this release. The 1.85:1 letterboxed DVD is mastered from the original 35mm fine grain positive and looks excellent overall in terms of brightness, contrast, sharpness, grayscale, and shadow/highlight detail. There is some sporadic very light speckling and spotting, a few stretches with very minor vertical scratches, and some of the exteriors and fog scenes look a bit soft and grainy, but the source print is still far above average for a film of its type and age. Extras include an overall excellent-quality, lightly speckled trailer; isolated music and effects track; still and poster gallery; and on-camera monologues by John Agar (9 mins) and Arianne Ulmer Cipes (16 mins). Ms. Cipes discusses the preservation/legal issues involved with the movie and DVD release, recalls producer Jack Pollexfen, and compares today's indie filmmakers with Ulmer in his pioneering early years. Agar reminisces about his early John Ford films and Universal-era SF flicks, relating precious little about DoDJ; genre fans who read 'zines like Scarlet Street, Psychotronic Video, or Filmfax regularly will learn virtually nothing new in his segment. The movie is gets 3 stars, the DVD package rates 4 or 5.

Lovingly restored!
This is a fine example of the archival capabilities of DVD. Presented here is DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL, a silly yet often effective piece of "poverty row" filmmaking circa 1957. The film's director Edgar G. Ulmer almost makes you forget the budget with which he was filming. Excellent camera work and lighting give this film an oft times eerie atmosphere. The film transfer is mostly quite clear, with minimal flecks,lines and scratches. The picture is bright and sharp and the soundtrack wonderfully preserved. Ulmer's daughter's commentary is a welcomed and loving addition, giving the viewer a better understanding of the filmmaker's motivation. She claims this particular film was made for "a buck". Not hard to see, but one feels they are watching something just outside of the usual bargain basement thriller. This is a lovely way to restore a fun pseudo-classic. Buy with confidence! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

It Came....and it went!
This movie was loosely based on the Medved brothers' book "The Golden Turkey Awards" which lampooned some of Hollywood's worst movies. Nowadays Michael Medved is best known for being the "family values" movie critic; but in the 1970's he and his brother, Harry, were among the pioneers who ushered in the bad movie lovers phenonmenon with a couple of hysterically funny books ripping some really awful movies to pieces. "It Came from Hollywood" was an attempt to capitalize on the growing cult of bad movie lovers by actually showing clips of some of the worst movies ever put on celluloid and having commentary done by big name comic actors.

Unfortunately, the movie is mixed a bag. It made the HUGE mistake of actually mixing footage of good movies in with the real horrors. Also the comic skits by Ackroyd, Candy, Radner, and, Cheech and Chong are mostly hit and miss. However, the film clips that illustrate such cinematic disasters as "Horror at Party Beach," "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," and the work of Ed Wood are for the most part hilarious.

"It Came from Hollywood" was a finacial disaster. It disappeared from movie theaters in record time which prompted one writer to quip, "It Came. . .and it went!" The Medved brothers, who worked as consultants for the movie, would continue to write about bad movies. In the ultimate irony they placed "It Came from Hollywood" in their book on the filmdom's greatest flops- "The Hollywood Hall of Shame."

Very funny stuff, total camp!
I saw this film when I was a child on HBO. My siblings and I used to watch it multiple times, we loved it! It isn't high art but the clips are silly and the scenes inbetween them are a blast. The late John Candy, and Gilda Radner are both hysterical. I could see why this movie may not have made it on the big screen, it isn't really suited for that type of venue. But it is a campy video delight. If you like watching bad movies for fun, they you will love watching bad movies spoofed by some of the funniest people in comedy.

Worth renting for sure!
I don't know if I would buy this but it's definitely worth renting if you like the wit of the old SNL cast. Gilda Radner is great as well as John Candy, even Dan Akroyd is good even though he usually bothers me for a reason I still can't figure out. Cheech and Chong are very, very funny and I didn't even like them in the old days so that says something - somebody obviously held them back just a little bit (but not too much) and in this film it really works - there are some very funny parts. As for the clips of the various B movies they are GREAT - not too long but not too short. They give you just enough of each of these horrible movies without you getting bored (ever sat through the entire Killer Tomatoes?, if so you'll know what I mean). In retrospect I really can't complain about this film at all. I think they did a really good job of it and it's definitely worth a watch.

"What were they thinking?!?"
That's what you will ask yourself while you watch the worst collection of films ever made for audiences ever! You'll get a kick out of seeing how cheesy the sets and costumes were, and of course, they give a big HATS OFF! to Ed Wood, "King of the D Movie." Only for those who think today's movies are lousy -- think you have it bad now? Watch what audiences during the 50s-71 had to deal with!!

When I was a boy!
When I Was 8 years old my dad rented this film. I remember all the in-side jokes, SNL cast and of course Cheech& Chong. It became a staple of my pop culture world, I lost track over the years and now 20 years later I now go back the the place in my head. Most kids my age never saw or heard of this film, well I love Star Wars too, but I went beyond that. In 1982 Bill Paxton's Fish Heads video and It Came From Hollywood were my cult favorets at 8 years old, amazing how some things never change. ... Read more