Reviews (48)

A DAWN OF A NEW DAY
Doris! The perky big band singer of whom Oscar Levant once quipped "I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin." I thought back to my visit to Carmel, California, a few years ago, where I dropped by the golf course to glimpse her house ...briefly visible from hole three. (Listen real carefully and you can hear her dogs barking.) I thought back to my beloved Great Dane, she with the baby blue eyes --- was named in honor of Doris, though Dory (for short) was actually named by the breeder from whom I purchased the 186-pound beauty.
And I thought back to the first (and only time) I had chatted with Doris Day. It was the January 28, 1986 --- the day the Challenger had exploded, killing her seven crew members (including Sharon Christa McAuliffe, America's first teacher in space), 73 seconds after launch.
I called Doris at her Carmel, California, home, and was in tears.
"Can you believe what happened," she asked her voice muffled and mournful. "I am so shocked. Those poor men and women. Their families ... the children ..." The tears flowed freely for several minutes. She cried. I cried. We both cried. This, I thought between tears, is going to be some challenge.
After a few minutes, she sniffled one last time. And so we began to chat about her life and loves and long career --- Doris was starting a new talk show, and Rock Hudson --- then so deadly sick with the AIDS virus --- was the first guest), her films, her music and of course, her animals. She told me how she cooked her own dog food, steaming rice and boiling chopped beef, then skimming off the fat, before blending in freshly cooked vegetables and a hint of spice. At the end of the conversation, I was salivating and ready to drop to all fours and beg for a taste.
As luck would have it, I am not the only one thinking about Doris Day these days. Paramount Home Video has just released Teacher's Pet, the 1958 comedy in which Clark Gable stars as a hard-nosed newspaperman who's smitten with journalism teacher DD. Not a great film --- gee, did Gable really so badly? --- though the title song is super, as is Mamie van Doren, as Gable's galpal who sings "The Girl Who Invented Rock and Roll." A better flick is Day's last one: With Six You Get Eggroll, also from Paramount Home Video,the 1968 blended family comedy, with Day solidly supported by Pat Carroll, as well as Alice Ghostley, George Carlin, Barbara Hershey, Jamie Farr and the once-hot rock group, The Grass Roots.
Warner Home Video has just released the box set, Doris Day Collection, a slipcased collectible featuring six new-to-DVD titles: Young Man With a Horn (1950), Lullaby of Broadway (1951), Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1962), The Glass Bottom Boat (1966) and newly restored versions of Love Me Or Leave Me (1955) and Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962)--- both of which feature new Dolby Digital soundtracks making Doris seem as fresh as, well, a new Day; along with Calamity Jane (1953) and The Pajama Game (1957), both of which have been repackaged for this collection. All the discs are packed with bonus features, including vintage shorts (including two starring Ruth Etting, whom Day portrays in Love Me or Leave Me), featurettes, cartoons and trailers.
But the best is saved for last. On June 28, MPI Media Group unveils the long-awaited The Doris Day Show: Season 1, the heart-warming comedy series that ran on CBS from 1968-1973. This was Day's TV series debut, and she proved that her big-screen likeability transferred, quite well thank you, to the small screen ... even if some of closer-ups seem a bit too gauzy for our tastes. Day played Doris Martin, a widowed mother who leaves the city to raise her two young sons on the Mill Valley, California farm of her father Buck, played by Dukes of Hazzard icon Denver Pyle. The four-disc box set includes all 28 original episodes from the show's first season, as well as never-before-seen bonus material.The bonuses offer additional insight into Day's warm, off-screen persona: there are TV promos and messages to network affiliates, as well as her two appearances as the "mystery guest" on What's My Line --- the first spot, from 1954, marked Day's TV debut, and her attempts to disguise her voice through a series of hi-pitched squeaks is a sheer delight.

One of Hollywood's all time best movies EVER!
Fun, fun, fun! A laugh a minute. Just good clean fun that will have the whole family in stitches. Some of my most favorite stars are in this movie. "The Glass Bottom Boat" and "Move Over Darling" are my two all time favorites.

An Under-rated Classic Comedy
This is perhaps Doris Day's finest comedy... yup, even funnier and more fun than "Pillow Talk". it has Doris looking her all-time most beautiful, yet performing some truly funny lines and slapstick. Rod Taylor is perfect has the handsome beau and the antics get belly laughs from me every time. The film also is marvelous for those too young to remember the early 60s in styles, and in flavor. Highly recommended!

ONE OF DORIS'S BEST FILMS
My mom was a huge Doris Day fan and when we were kids we always watched her films on TV.This was always my favorite.I remember going to Silver Springs Florida as a kid and wanting to ride in the glass bottom boats just because of this wonderful screwball comedy.Doris is Jennifer Nelson, by day a tour guide at NASA and on the weekends, swimming in a mermaid Costume below the glass bottom boat of her skipper father played by Arthur Godfrey.She's being wooed by NASA Research Scientist Bruce Templeton.But Jenniger is suspected of being a spy setting in motion events that make this a supreme, 1960's screwball comedy complete with Dom Deluise as a goofball spy, Paul Lynde as a security guard who dresses in drag (who knew!) to keep an eye on Jennifer, and George Tobias and Alice pearce as the Fenimores as they virtually repeat their performances as from the TV show "Bewitched" where they starred as the Neighbors the Kravitz's for so many years.

Also included in the cast is Walton's vet Ellen Corby and Laugh-Ins Dick Martin.This is just a pure fun, zany and simple comedy from a great Era of Americana.Day, now in her early 40's waan't quite the young sweetheart of the 1950's but her talent for comedy and her timing had really grown and she had great chemistry with Taylor.

"You wanna meet later and pick out the furniture?"
Great Doris Day/Rod Taylor slapstick laced with a little romance and some naughty humor. Everybody thinks tour guide/eternal night school student DD is a spy: Paul Lynde dresses in drag to infiltrate the ladies room, Edward Andrews and Dick Martin hope to get secrets by romancing her(they end up--innocently--in bed together). Rod Taylor is the perfect suitor for Doris: strong and grounded, you can believe it when Day looks at him with bated breath! Arthur Godfrey is wonderful as Day's skipper father, and Elisabeth Fraser is a lot of fun as his girlfriend. The DVD shorts are a must-see. Great fun! ... Read more

Description

Texan rancher Bick Benedict visits a Maryland farm to buy a prize horse. Whilst there he meets and falls in love with the owner's daughter Leslie, they are married immediately and return to his ranch. The story of their family and its rivalry with cowboy and (later oil tycoon) Jett Rink unfolds across two generations. ... Read more

Reviews (62)

The quintessential Texas epic loaded with stars!
This 202-minute slow-paced drama exemplifies the lives of three generations of cattlemen on a grandiose west Texas cattle ranch at the onset of the oil boom. Being a native Texan with relatives living close to the area near Marfa, Tx where GIANT was filmed, I LOVE this movie for the sheer drama and myth of our state. (and yes, there ARE some exaggerations) But it's also a well-crafted movie with exemplary performances by Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, and a very young Dennis Hopper! Viewers seeking a fast-action adrenaline-pumping film probably will be bored by GIANT, but viewers who enjoy classical performances, historical sagas, (and old movies) will cherish this movie. It's sort of like a western "GWTW"! They don't make 'em like this anymore!

A gigantic screen presence
What about this movie isn't big? Big stars (Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson); big state (Texas); big ranch (2 million acres of prime cattle land), and big length; at 202 minutes, this film runs about 45 minutes too long. The story is the familiar one about grandiosity run amok; the moral, which has been done to death, is that the simple life is the one best worth living. We've seen it all before. So why see this movie? In two words: James Dean. In his last film before his tragic death on the Freeway at the age of 24, Dean showed that he was what his legion of fans always claimed: a true genius. Try to imagine anyone else in the role of Jett Rink , and the character remains a cipher - lifeless, dull, nothing. It took Dean to bring it to life and make it his own. In this movie, James Dean and Jett Rink become indistinguishable from each other. And perhaps only an actor as brilliant as Dean could turn Rink from a character we love in the first half of the film, to a character we hate at the end. His drunken tirade near the movie's end is a tour de force. Dean's magnificent performance doesn't take away from the very creditable acting by Rock Hudson as the millionaire rancher Bick Benedict, Elizabeth Taylor as his wife Leslie, the young Sal Mineo, and especially Mercedes McCambridge as Bick's bitter, sexually frustrated sister with an unrequited passion for Jett Rink; but next to Dean's knockout performance, they pale into mere adequacy. Forget everything else; this is Dean's movie.

This is Texas?
I recently decided to view this film. Let's see - a reference to Neiman-Marcus - some wide open spaces, some cattle and oil wells. O.K. - but this film does not really tell about Texas and Texans. Thankfully, Chill Wills (from Seagoville, TX) was in it. He was the most Texan thing about this film. I wish I had something more positive to say - but I don't.

Giant Is Not A Widescreen Film
The product information here should be carefully read, as it reveals that this edition of Giant has been transferred in a 1:1.66 letterbox transfer. This is a travesty. Giant was filmed and released in the classic 1:1.33 "Academy" aspect ratio, which also happens to be the aspect ratio for NTSC analog television. George Stevens disliked widescreen processes, although he was forced to use them by studios on later films.
The time has come to put a stop to these unnecessary, phoney "restored" versions of classics. It's just a marketing ploy to squeeze more money out of old warhorses. Going back to the good old days of the laserdisc, I never much cared about the extras that were first introduced by Criterion and later imitated by the major studios. I've always responded to a high quality video transfer taken from the best film elements available. Getting the aspect ratio wrong and mutilating the images of Steven's classic film makes everything else irrelevant.
Thank goodness I still have my laserdiscs. Failing that, grab a copy on VHS.

FANTASTIC!
The DVD is superb -- I do not know what all the complaints about sound, etc. are all about! My goodness, this film is almost 50 years old -- and I think it is in wonderful shape!

I purchased this video because I have become a big James Dean film, but the acting of Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Carol Baker, and Dennis Hopper were splendid.

To think that Hudson was a mere 29, Taylor 23, and Dean 23 and could play characters who age 30 years with such reality is a true testament to their genius! Of course, the makeup artists must also receive recognition.

The most disturbing portion of the film to me is when Hudson confronts "Sarge" the restaurant owner in a fist fight and when "Sarge" lands into the juke box, "The Yellow Rose of Texas" begins to play. However, this epic film is full of irony and subtle twists and nuances -- to really grasp the entire message this film needs to be viewed more than one time.

The irony of the Mexican children singing The National Anthem during the funeral of Angel (played by a very young Sal Mineo) touched me. Little Angel was a person who died for the United States and yet was the focus of bigotry from his impoverished birth until his death.

Or course, in my opinion, there was and never will be another James Dean -- it is heartbreaking to watch this dramatic genius in the final film performance before his untimely demise. Like Buddy Holly, I will always wonder where Dean's career would have gone.

Carol Baker is fantastic in her first film role and the very young Dennis Hopper's performance is equally memorable.

This film speaks to the injustices of racial bigotry that unfortunately will always exist except in a utopian world.

The additions to this DVD make it a must-buy!

Please don't hesitate to purchase -- this DVD is worth every penny -- and then some!

Oh, the editorial review refers to Elizabeth Taylor as a Southern Belle and this is incorrect. Leslie Benedict is from Maryland and even makes the comment to Hudson and his crownies that she was from the "Center of Politics" when Hudson tries to push her aside so the men can talk "Business and Politics". ... Read more

Amazon.com

Back in 1961, Walt Disney got a little hip with 101 Dalmatians, making use of that flat Saturday morning cartoon style that had become so popular. The result is a kitschy change in animation and story. Pongo and Perdita are two lonely dalmatians who meet cute in a London park and arrange for their pet humans to marry so they can live together and raise a family. They become proud parents of 15 pups, who are stolen by the dastardly Cruella De Vil, who wants to make a fur coat out of them. Cruella has become the most popular villain in all of Disney; she's flamboyantly nasty and lots of fun. But it's the dalmatians who shine in this endearing classic, particularly those precocious pups. Telling the story from the dogs' point of view is a clever conceit, a fundamental flaw of the live-action remake. --Bill Desowitz ... Read more

Reviews (15)

One of Disney's funnest films!
Pongo and Perdita are the proud parents of 15 dalmatian puppies. When an old friend of the family, Cruella De Ville, shows up offering to buy all the pups, the trouble begins. Soon it's a madcap, fun-filled race to find 99 missing puppies before they're turned into coats!

This is a classic Disney animated film. It contains several wonderful, memorable moments... such as Cruella's confrontation with Roger, and the courtship of Roger and Anita.

The animation is bar none. As far as stylized, caricaturized animation goes, this is one of the top five to watch for believable, fluid movement. The characters, mostly, are unique and unforgettagle.

The score is par for the course, though it has the same feel as the score for Jungle Book. (Dalmatians actually came out first...) The three actual songs in the film are quite hummable and entertaining, but this is definitely not what one may categorize as a musical.

For sheer entertainment, 101 Dalmatians is at its best during the suspense scenes, of which there are many. Quite an interesting (and somewhat scary...) movie.

Anyone who is picky about their animation will notice the re-use of many "cycles", which was pretty much a necessity when you're talking about drawing 99 puppies running through the snow.

In addition, there are a few points in the movie where the action wanes and the plot slows down a little too much. That's about the worst thing I can say about the story...

Overall impression: 101 Dalmatians is a must-have for your movie library. Though the video is currently out of production, it is still available on DVD. Animators and hopeful in particular will find a great reference piece in this film.

And Cruella DeVille is cool...

Sadly never included when reviewing Disney's best work...
I have recently rediscovered 101 Dalmations as my 18 month old son insists on watching it every single day. What has surprised me is that I have not even remotely grown tired of it and it grows in appeal with each watch.

Never really up there when people consider the best Disney animated features - Jungle Book, Snow White etc. usually take the acclaim - I think it is one of the finest and more subtle of the Disney movies.

The story is wonderful and well adapted for a wider audience. Cruella is evil personified and there are great comic moments - slapstick for the kids and cunning wordplay for the adults.

Some of the animation is not of the highest quality - check out some of the snow scenes and they don't quite ring true. But overall the movie has a endearing tone and feel.

One major criticism, as with nearly all Disney and Beuna Vista DVDs, is that there are no good extras. What is the point of this excellent new format if idiots in huge companies don't use it to its full potential?

Disney's 17th Animated Masterpiece!
To refresh the Disney Company from the finacial failure of Sleeping Beauty, they decided to use a more modern form of literature and make that into a film, from there came 101 Dalmatians.

This film is the story of Pongo, a sort of lonely dalmatian dog who lives with his human "pet" Roger in an old apartment in the city of London. Well, Pongo thinks it's time to find a mate, a mate for him, and a mate for his "pet". After searching for a while he meets Perdita, immediatly he knows he's found the perfect match, same with Anita, Perdita's "pet", the perfect match for the bachelor Dodger. After they get married, Pongo and Perdita have 15 puppies, and believe happiness has come for them. But Anita's old school mate, Cruella DeVil, has placed her eyes on the puppies, and won't stop until she gets her hands on them, or better, her two henchmen Jasper and Horace get hands on them and skin them, so that she can make furr coats out of them.

Personally, I did not enjoy this movie much. In my opinion it's pretty overrated, I mean the plot and story are simply boring and unimaginative, the animation style is horrible, and the backgrounds look plain cheap, they seem like a bunch of water-color/pencil drawings. The songs and soundtrack are pretty dull. It is funny how people consider the 70's and 80's as Disney's time of forgetable and cheap films, well really, the 60's is the worst decade in Disney history, to begin, this and "The Sword in the Stone" were released, I really don't know which of the two is cheaper, then "The Jungle Book" doesn't have the greatest animation, but it is more fun and entertaining than the previous two. To finish it up, in this decade Walt Disney died.

Still, 101 Dalmatians was released for the first time ever on Disney DVD as part of the Limited Issue collection. Like all other titles under this label, the lack of bonus features does not go unoticed, I don't own this DVD so I don't remember what is in it, but I know it is over prized for what it contains. 101 Dalmatians got an undeserved spot in the platinum edition collection, which will take this film to the ultimate treatment. So, neither the film or the DVD is really worth it, so I'd wait until a better release.

A disney masterpiece!
Set in London, a handsome bachelor with his pet Dalmatian Pongo seeks eyes on a beautiful Dalmatian with a beautiful owner. When the two pets and owners meet each other, love comes and marriage as well, the dogs now have 50 puppies. However the evil Cruella Diville wants to her hands on her employee's puppies but the puppies go off on many adventures.
An entertaining animated achivement with Xerox animation and graphics, good voice acting and the memorable "Cruella Diville" song make this a must see.

101 Thumbs Up!!!!
The animated version of this is tremendous. This is the first Disney movie that I have ever owned, and I still have it after 10 or more years. I'm 18 now, but I can't stop loving this movie. I think it is my favorite Disney movie, and one of the most enchanting, and enduring movies of all time. I just watched it the other day, and i still think it is brilliant. It's a movie for kids and adults alike to love and cherish forever. ... Read more

Reviews (200)

One of the best classic horror films of all time.
My opinion of this movie, The Birds, is that it is a masterpiece of it's own time. This was a great piece of classic horror; Alfred Hitchcock did a fantastic job. The special effects were very believeable, especially for coming from the early sixties. I still haven't figured out how they got all of those birds to attack, or if half of them were fake. Also, Hitchcock did a great job of showing blood and gore when it was qppropriate, like when Jessica Tandy as Lydia Brenner finds Lonny Chapman as Deke Carter with his eyes pecked out. The movie did, however, lack music so this made it kind of drag along. Music would have paced the movie, and also added suspense and other effects. Tippi Hedren as Melanie Daniels was a bad actress. She showed no real emotion and always seemed to be worried about her appearance instead of her acting. I really noticed this in the bedroom scene, when she was being attacked, and she didn't even scream. Rod Taylor, who played the role of Mitch Brenner, was a great actor. He seemed real and Believable. He showed emotion in every scene, and his overall performance was pleasant. Jessica Tandy is great in all the films she is in, and this one was no exception. As Lydia Brenner, she did a great job of acting rude and mean to Melanie Daniels through out the whole movie. I was, however, very annoyed with the young actress that played Cathy Brenner. She was a horrible actress with over-elaborate emotional breakouts, and when she cried after she was attacked, it was so annoying, I thought my ears were bleeding. The ending to the film was very bland. There should have been more closure to the whole situation instead of just making you wonder what happened to them. The Birds is nothing like modern day horror films. It takes a more believeable line to horror than most modern day films. Modern horror consists mostly of the supernatural or total carnage. Although I would still put The Birds into a category with any modern day horror flicks, I still believe that it is definitely classic horror.

A nightmare comes to life - thanks to Hitchcock!
Although Alfred Hitchcock is widely regarded as the greatest director of suspense and "thriller" movies in Hollywood's long history, in his direction of "The Birds" (1963), he outdoes himself. Even more than "Psycho", which started the modern "slice-and-dice" genre of horror movies, "The Birds" is a truly disturbing and surreal experience - a nightmare which comes to life on film. In my opinion "The Birds" is unlike any other Hitchcock film - it actually comes closer to movies such as "The Sixth Sense" or even "The Matrix" in the way it takes the "real world" we are all familiar and comfortable with and turns it into something that will cause you to lose sleep at night. The film's plot is deceptively simple: Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), a rich and rather spoiled young woman, meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor), a handsome and rather mysterious man, in a pet store in San Francisco. She is intrigued enough to follow him to his home in Bodega Bay, a charming but isolated small fishing town on the northern California coast. There she meets the local schoolteacher, Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette), who once had a brief affair with Mitch. Annie takes an immediate dislike to Melanie and her interest in Annie's old boyfriend. Eventually Melanie meets Mitch's mother (Jessica Tandy), a high-strung and suspicious woman who leans upon her son for emotional support and stability. However, this soap-opera style plotline is simply the background for the REAL story in the movie: as the film progresses the birds in Bodega Bay and the surrounding countryside begin to act strangely - they suddenly attack humans for no apparent reason, and start gathering in large and ominous groups on power lines and rooftops. Eventually the birds become murderous - they kill a local farmer by crashing through his bedroom window and hacking out his eyes. Then they attack the schoolchildren and the townspeople in yet another of Hitchcock's famous film sequences. As the frightened and baffled townsfolk are hemmed into their homes and stores like "birds in a cage", they blame Melanie for bringing this terror into their once-peaceful little town. The film's famous climax occurs at the home of Mitch and his mother, as a massive flock of birds attacks the home at night and tries to get inside to kill our heroes. To make this film even more disturbing and bizzare, Hitchcock decided not to have a musical score, and there is no music whatsoever - only the terrifying screeching of the birds as they attack. What makes this film work is how Hitchcock deftly takes "everyday", normal things - such as sitting on a park bench and smoking a cigarette, and turns it into something bizarre, surreal, and truly frightening. Although some critics have refused to label this film as one of Hitchcock's best, it does rank as one of the scariest thrillers of all time. Beware of "The Birds"! (But you'll love the movie).

Beware THE BIRDS!!!
The Birds is one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films. Perhaps that has a lot to do with the beautiful Tippi Hedren, who shines in everything she does. The gorgeous scenery, adorable costumes, and lavish colors also add to the surreal atmosphere, which quickly gets disrupted by a flock of killer birds. Like many firsts Hitchcock introduced with his films, this is the first "nature run amock" film, just like Psycho was the first "slasher" film. This Psycho follow-up was yet another ground-breaking addition to the horror genre and further revealed the master director's darker obsessions.

Like Hitchcock's fabulous Rebecca and mediocre Jamaica Inn, this is based on a story by the extremely talented Daphne Du Maurier, but Hitchcock was left with the task of fleshing out the short story into a feature film. He did one hell of a job. Hitchcock and screenwriter Evan Hunter borrowed only the title and basic conceit of Daphne du Maurier's 1952 short story, "The Birds." Du Maurier's tale, conventional and utterly humorless, is a Cold War parable that uses the unexplained bird attacks as an apocalyptic metaphor for nature thrown out of balance by technology and warfare. It's told from the perspective of Nat Hocken, a disabled war veteran and farmhand living in a cottage with his family in the British Isles.

The film version is set in Bodega Bay and follows bored, spoiled socialite Melanie Daniels (Hedren) as she romantically pursues dashing lawyer Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor). Tension soon develops among Melanie, schoolteacher Annie Hayworth, Mitch's former flame (Suzanne Pleshette), and Mitch's domineering mother (Jessica Tandy). The emotional interplay is interrupted (and reflected) by the sudden and unexplained attack of thousands of birds on the area.

Hailed as one of Hitchcock's masterpieces by some and despised by others, THE BIRDS is certainly among the director's more complex and fascinating works. Volumes have been written about the film, with each writer picking it apart scene by scene in order to prove his or her particular critical theory--mostly of the psychoanalytic variety. Be that as it may, even those who grow impatient with the slow build-up or occasional dramatic lapses cannot deny the terrifying power of many of the film's haunting images: the bird point-of-view shot of Bodega Bay, the birds slowly gathering on the playground monkey bars, the attack on the children's birthday party, Melanie trapped in the attic, and the final ambiguous shot of the defeated humans leaving Bodega Bay while the thousands of triumphant birds gathered on the ground watch them go.

Eerie, scary, and suspenseful, this is a great film and classic Hitchcock, which highlights his genius. There is no sound track to cue the audience in as to when to be scared. And what other filmmaker could take the simple sound of wings fluttering in a house and turn it into the sheer sound of terror?

Hitchcook can make anything scary.
Hitchcook can make anything scary, and this movie is profff, I don't no how fake birds can be scary but they are, in this film anyway.

It all starts with an opener that's more like 2 people trying to play a joke on eatchother, and ends with a tailhanger ending, paked with scares and creeps this is a must see.

Tense thriller is a winner
This eerie Hitchcock thriller doesn't have a shower scene but is has its fair share of suspense, dread and anticipation as to when the birds will attack. Filmed in color and without the accompaniment of music, the movie builds steadily towards tense and dangerous moments when hundreds of blackbirds swoop down on the human populace and scratch, peck and claw them to shreds without rhyme or reason. Even a lone seagull gets in its licks on Melanie Daniels who has followed Mitch Brenner to Bodega Bay to close in on the handsome fellow. The film has several attacks in which adults and school children are ravaged, and the air assaults are frightening to watch. The dangerous birds' unexplained sheer destructive force is displayed in the attack in a bedroom where the unfortunate Ms. Daniels is trapped, and their determination to destroy every human in their path is awful to behold. The movie's special effects are first-rate, and the gloomy, overcast skies of the Northern California coast add to the depressed mood of the film. The characters all seemed detached and distant from each other and although Ms. Daniels tries very hard to connect with Mr. Brenner, the romance angle is never developed. ... Read more

Reviews (128)

Not even a traditional SCI-FI fan
Star Trek bores me, and Star Wars doesn't do much for me either. So that disqualifies me from being a Sci-Fi geek. That being said, I've reviewed a handful of movies on Amazon, but I've never reviewed my favorite of all time. Year after year, this one stands out: The Time Machine, first viewed during my junior year of high school, is my favorite movie of all time.

The movie is very easy to get interested in. It brings up the What If questions about the world you ask yourself and your dearest friends. The dialogue is clever and enjoyable. And Rod Taylor is the perfect gentleman time traveler.

Some people can't handle the 1960 special effects... Appreciate the nostalgia.
Romance. Action. Intruige. Suspense. Emotion. Watch this thrilling movie about much more than TIME TRAVEL, and you'll find yourself loving it, too.

And when you're finished watching the movie, you'll be taking a few minutes to think about starting your own civilization...and what three books you would take to help you build THE FUTURE!

And then you'll stop thinking and look for something else to watch on TV.

An Ageless Enthralling Classic of Sci Fi
As gorgeous as the new time machine is, its hard to imagine it can ever top the beauty of the original. Watching the film again today the elegance and detail in the design astonish me. The machine is unforgetable but its the intelligently crafted story and character filled casting in this version that can still fill young hearts with wonder at the possibilities of time travel. Its amazing how the initial half of the film seems as contemporary a tale as when it was first invented. It is only in the land of the far distant future that the film turns into a traditional pulp heroic adventure. But the evil underground dwellers, the morlocks with their blue skin, white hair and glowing eyes remain quite scary and create wonderful tension and excitement. This is a really fun adventure film that warrants its classic status because it can still be apreciated today.

Accompanying the film is a sentimental featurette documenting the finding of the original time machine in a thrift shop and its loving restoration. The film is hosted by the original star Rod Taylor who reprises his role with his co-star Alan Young (Wilbur Post on Mr. Ed) at the end of the feature performing a ten minute skit that imagines a scenario where H.George Wells returns in his time machine to convince his friend to time travel with him to prevent his death in a soon to happen WWI plane crash. The affection for this film for everyone connected with it is palpable as they wistfully delight in telling stories of the experience. Oddly enough one of the big reasons I purchased this DVD at this time was the cover art was so beautiful I had to have it. Click on the Amazon.com icon for this film to see a larger version. It must be one of the best movie posters ever made. Good companion pieces to this film are Fantastic Journey and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Don't let it fool you
I gave it 5 stars just for the movie, but this edition deserves 3, cause you see the audio cd shown on the picture won't be inside the package. I returned it, and got myself the standard version, cause I bought this edition most for the cd. The picture is from an initial pressing of this edition and is no longer available, you'll get all the stuff you see, but no cd. I just thought you'd better know it.

The Time Machine still a timeless classic
Rod Taylor, Alan Young, and Yvette Mimieux star in George Pal's "The Time Machine", a great sci fi movie based on the novel by H.G. Wells.

Taylor plays George an inventor in the late 18th century (1899 to be exact) who makes a machine that can go back in time.

At first his colleagues are skeptical, but when they see George's small model machine that goes back in time, they start to believe him.

George's best friend, and supporter is David played by Alan Young.

George takes the machine back, because he is sick of the present time, with war being brought on.

He travels to the early and middle 1900's and to his shock , George finds out that Man's future lies in war (which is pretty accurate even up to today's time).

He sees how WWI and WWII started, and even sees when his house is destroyed by an enemy plane!

George then travels far into the future, the year 802701, to see if mankind has any hope of living in peace.

At first, he sees a great paradise with many people (mostly children) play about in solitude. But when one lady named Weena, starts to drown, he sees that no one seems to care. He rescues her, and after talking to the other youths, he learns that they learned nothing from their ancient ancestors.

The books they have are old and buried.

They have lived the good the life, based on the sacrifices from mankind, and they don't appreciate it (which is another accurate telling of today's times).

He learns that Weena is part of the Eloi society which is under the slavery of the Morlocks, a cannibalistic race.

The Morlocks give everything, food and clothing to the Eloi , in exchange for the slavery and their bodies as food.

The movie was directed by sci fi whiz George Pal who won an impressive 7 oscars and awards for his movies.

He is the Steven Spielberg when it comes to sci fi movies.

What's astonishing about the film is the special effects that were made without computer help (which in most movies make the movie look more fake than real).

The way the special effects people made flowers bloom, candles burn while the Time Machine went in time, is very special to see.

It's a great site, from a special effects view, how these people managed to do these effects, with the limited resources they had.

He directed "War of the Worlds" and "Destination Moon" which won numerous awards. DVD comes with a number of great features:

A behind the scenes documentary with Rod Taylor. A great documentary where he shows how George Pal designed the machine. Taylor even shows us storyboards which haven't been seen in 30 yrs.

Even the DVD main menu with Taylor on the cover and the Murlocks in the background, give the DVD a great sci fi look!!

From 1899 to 802,701 AD The "Timeless" Classic
There are a lot of reviews about this great picture and how it influenced an entire generation. All of it is true! For some reason this film ties into the imagination and fills you with wonder. We can thank Mr. Wells for creating the story, but we really owe it to George Pal, Wah Chang and Gene Warren for translating the book into a miracle of romantic adventure. The real draw of course is "The Time Machine" prop. Never in the history of film has a prop been more imitated and desired. The special effects received an Academy Award and it was well deserved. All of the elements of Victorian London in winter, cozy parlors surrounded with friends gathered for dinner, "tea table" chat over the 4th dimension and the recollection of an experiment in time travel utilizing a flashback technique are what makes this film so enchanting. When Rod Taylor finally begins a slow initial journey we see the sky in motion in day and night sequences that are breathtaking in astronomic splendor. As the flowered garden and fruit trees go through their seasonal cycles in rapid progression you cannot help but be drawn into the wonder of creation and the genius of invention! The screenwriters then play with your imagination as we see our traveler stop at different events in our 20th century past and a "cold war" interpretation of the decade in which it was filmed when he stops in the "future" on August 18th, 1966 to witness a nuclear holocaust. From here we are quickly transported to the focal point of the Wells story to a future society of Eloi and Morlock culture. The care that went into this DVD should not be understated. It is a highly polished film that restores 20/20 vision to the frames so that we can see all of the colorful beauty that was originally there. Once again, we can SEE the atomic satellite zeroing in, the clear sky above the Eloi "cafeteria" and the smoking machinery of the Morlock caverns. When our traveler returns to 1899 and presents the flower to Filby that was given to him by Weena you will agree that "that flower could not have possibly bloomed in the winter time" and in the holding of that flower you will realize that this is a magic moment in film that will be with you forever and as Mrs. Watchit gradually turns off the lights in our view from the snowy evening outside you will think about the three books you would have taken and agree that having seen this film you will never be the same again, because you are in love with a romantic idea, TIME TRAVEL. ... Read more

Description

Three cowpokes band together with a feisty widow to recover = a cache of stolen gold. John Wayne meets Ann Margret and you'll keep = guessing who meets whose match! Year: 1973 Director: Burt Kennedy = Starring: John Wayne, Ann-Margret, Rod Taylor. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Gold, Graves, & Gold Hunt Fever

I saw this John Wayne movie for the first time sometime around 1983.From several reviews posted here one can say it has received mixed reviews. All I know is that I enjoy the movie whenever I see it, and the movie seems to be one of his westerns that is seldom shown on TV.

His role here is not too dissimilar to many of his others, and his 'usual suspects and friends' bolster the starring list. But it is somewhat unusual that Ann Margaret Olsen appears in a western, and while I have always been counted among her fans, I don't find anything too exceptional in the role she fills. But the 'twist' in the ending involving her role is a dandy.

Among several items in this movie I like is the appearance of Rod Taylor, a sometimes underrated and overlooked actor. And I still have good memories of CHUKA, a western he made a long time back that is very good.

I like this western and will rewatch it, and have no problem recommending it to anyone who likes JW movies.

One of the worst of Wayne's
Although it is great to see Wayne seeing him is about the best in this film. I did not really care about these people riding left and right. It has to be something about the story, because the actors are a great bunch of people. I expect Wayne always to be real hero, but here it is not so. Take any other Wayne, even those of the 30's rather than this one.

Underrated western
I would considered Train Robbers to be one of John Wayne's underrated western movies he have made during his post True Grit era. While its not as good as some of his earlier ones, it probably the best one he made between True Grit and the Shootist (next to Rio Lobo). The Train Robbers seem to be a throw back to John Wayne's older westerns. The story developed slowly but with a purpose as the characters get ironed out. Ann-Margaret plays widow trying to restored family honor by getting the half million dollars worth of gold back to the train company from which her husband stole it from. John Wayne and his gang tries to helped but the usual bad guys, the late husband's gang gets into the way. Its an adventure all the way.

John Wayne does his usual entertaining self but he is superbly supported by Rod Taylor and especially Ben Johnson. It was also a pleasure to watch Christopher George as well before his illness took his life prematurely. Key element of any John Wayne movie was his interactions with his co-stars and they all blended in perfectly. The humor was good and some of the one liners proves to be classic. Ann-Margaret does quite well but she sounds little phoney from the beginning and that was bit of a give away as we reached to the end of the movie. At least for me, the ending didn't surprised me as much as it did for some people.

The movie weaknesses lies in the fact that John Wayne and his gang seem to be just too goody two shoes to be true. The bad guys were just props in the movie and their job was to get shot. They don't seem to be very smart bad guys either. Making banzai charges seem to be a trademark tactics to make the good guys victorious. Bobby Vinton and Jerry Gatlin were virtually wasted in their roles. In some ways, they seem to be no more then the bad guys although they don't get shot!

The DVD version of Train Robbers seem to be well presented. I owned a regular TV so I would say from that point that the picture is clear and the sound proves to be crisp on my Dolby system. The DVD movie come in its widescreen format. I have to admit that this was the first time I saw this movie in widescreen since 1973 when it first came out. There isn't much of a special features. One feature got several former stuntmen who worked with Wayne, singing their praises of him. Second feature is a promotional job for the movie. Then you got your trailers feature. That is just about it. Pretty slim pickings if you asked me.

Overall, a pretty entertaining and enjoyable film despite of its inherited flaws. I would give it a 3.5 stars if I had a choice. John Wayne fans should be highly please with this movie. It should please most western fans and might be mildly entertaining for causal viewers.

ANN MARGARET IS REALLY THE STAR OF THE FILM
Even though the Duke gets top billing and more screen time Annie's the real star of the film. Make no mistake. I admit she is incredibly sensual and interesting dressed mostly as a cowboy throughout the film. I am crazy about her. I also loved the performance of Rod Taylor in this film as the talkative, slightly buffoonish gang member. Ben Johnson is fine as the slower talking philosophical cowboy, good contrast to Rod. The Duke is meant here to be the link between these characters. Wayne is doing here what Clint Eastwood did in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, purposely being the somewhat uninteresting central character and letting the supporting characters shine (though when it came to Ann Margaret that was inevitable). The plot is wonderfully complex, reminiscient of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid in many ways (little seen pursuers and all). Hard to be exactly sure who the bad guys are and who the law is. To the poster who said that the supporting characters's past stories sound more interesting than the actual events well ok to you they do.

THIS LADY TAKES THE CAKE
I must say that I am taken aback by the many negative comments thrown at this film.What many reviewers miss is the fact that, aside from being a Western, this is also a story in which the Duke plays opposite a strong woman.There is the constant trading off between the two as to who has the upper hand--with the Duke not realizing that just when he thinks he has put Ann-Margaret in her place she has been deceiving him toward her own purposes all along.Compared to the QUIET AMERICAN, MCLINTOCK, DONOVAN'S REEF, HATARI AND TRUE GRIT, this is one film where the Duke doesn't exactly carry the day over his female interest.Therefore, it is quite refreshing in its own way.

Unlike other reviewers, I remember this film more fondly that I do others from the 1970's--including THE SHOOTEST.In terms of a movie about cowboys for whom the times are passing by (and in Duke's terms in which Hollywood is leaving him behind), I prefer to remember the aging John Wayne this way.Even outwitted by one hell of a woman, John Wayne had more dignity about himself than the pretenders who followed.(Yes, I mean you, Kevin Costner.)

... Read more

Reviews (128)

Not even a traditional SCI-FI fan
Star Trek bores me, and Star Wars doesn't do much for me either. So that disqualifies me from being a Sci-Fi geek. That being said, I've reviewed a handful of movies on Amazon, but I've never reviewed my favorite of all time. Year after year, this one stands out: The Time Machine, first viewed during my junior year of high school, is my favorite movie of all time.

The movie is very easy to get interested in. It brings up the What If questions about the world you ask yourself and your dearest friends. The dialogue is clever and enjoyable. And Rod Taylor is the perfect gentleman time traveler.

Some people can't handle the 1960 special effects... Appreciate the nostalgia.
Romance. Action. Intruige. Suspense. Emotion. Watch this thrilling movie about much more than TIME TRAVEL, and you'll find yourself loving it, too.

And when you're finished watching the movie, you'll be taking a few minutes to think about starting your own civilization...and what three books you would take to help you build THE FUTURE!

And then you'll stop thinking and look for something else to watch on TV.

An Ageless Enthralling Classic of Sci Fi
As gorgeous as the new time machine is, its hard to imagine it can ever top the beauty of the original. Watching the film again today the elegance and detail in the design astonish me. The machine is unforgetable but its the intelligently crafted story and character filled casting in this version that can still fill young hearts with wonder at the possibilities of time travel. Its amazing how the initial half of the film seems as contemporary a tale as when it was first invented. It is only in the land of the far distant future that the film turns into a traditional pulp heroic adventure. But the evil underground dwellers, the morlocks with their blue skin, white hair and glowing eyes remain quite scary and create wonderful tension and excitement. This is a really fun adventure film that warrants its classic status because it can still be apreciated today.

Accompanying the film is a sentimental featurette documenting the finding of the original time machine in a thrift shop and its loving restoration. The film is hosted by the original star Rod Taylor who reprises his role with his co-star Alan Young (Wilbur Post on Mr. Ed) at the end of the feature performing a ten minute skit that imagines a scenario where H.George Wells returns in his time machine to convince his friend to time travel with him to prevent his death in a soon to happen WWI plane crash. The affection for this film for everyone connected with it is palpable as they wistfully delight in telling stories of the experience. Oddly enough one of the big reasons I purchased this DVD at this time was the cover art was so beautiful I had to have it. Click on the Amazon.com icon for this film to see a larger version. It must be one of the best movie posters ever made. Good companion pieces to this film are Fantastic Journey and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Don't let it fool you
I gave it 5 stars just for the movie, but this edition deserves 3, cause you see the audio cd shown on the picture won't be inside the package. I returned it, and got myself the standard version, cause I bought this edition most for the cd. The picture is from an initial pressing of this edition and is no longer available, you'll get all the stuff you see, but no cd. I just thought you'd better know it.

The Time Machine still a timeless classic
Rod Taylor, Alan Young, and Yvette Mimieux star in George Pal's "The Time Machine", a great sci fi movie based on the novel by H.G. Wells.

Taylor plays George an inventor in the late 18th century (1899 to be exact) who makes a machine that can go back in time.

At first his colleagues are skeptical, but when they see George's small model machine that goes back in time, they start to believe him.

George's best friend, and supporter is David played by Alan Young.

George takes the machine back, because he is sick of the present time, with war being brought on.

He travels to the early and middle 1900's and to his shock , George finds out that Man's future lies in war (which is pretty accurate even up to today's time).

He sees how WWI and WWII started, and even sees when his house is destroyed by an enemy plane!

George then travels far into the future, the year 802701, to see if mankind has any hope of living in peace.

At first, he sees a great paradise with many people (mostly children) play about in solitude. But when one lady named Weena, starts to drown, he sees that no one seems to care. He rescues her, and after talking to the other youths, he learns that they learned nothing from their ancient ancestors.

The books they have are old and buried.

They have lived the good the life, based on the sacrifices from mankind, and they don't appreciate it (which is another accurate telling of today's times).

He learns that Weena is part of the Eloi society which is under the slavery of the Morlocks, a cannibalistic race.

The Morlocks give everything, food and clothing to the Eloi , in exchange for the slavery and their bodies as food.

The movie was directed by sci fi whiz George Pal who won an impressive 7 oscars and awards for his movies.

He is the Steven Spielberg when it comes to sci fi movies.

What's astonishing about the film is the special effects that were made without computer help (which in most movies make the movie look more fake than real).

The way the special effects people made flowers bloom, candles burn while the Time Machine went in time, is very special to see.

It's a great site, from a special effects view, how these people managed to do these effects, with the limited resources they had.

He directed "War of the Worlds" and "Destination Moon" which won numerous awards. DVD comes with a number of great features:

A behind the scenes documentary with Rod Taylor. A great documentary where he shows how George Pal designed the machine. Taylor even shows us storyboards which haven't been seen in 30 yrs.

Even the DVD main menu with Taylor on the cover and the Murlocks in the background, give the DVD a great sci fi look!!

From 1899 to 802,701 AD The "Timeless" Classic
There are a lot of reviews about this great picture and how it influenced an entire generation. All of it is true! For some reason this film ties into the imagination and fills you with wonder. We can thank Mr. Wells for creating the story, but we really owe it to George Pal, Wah Chang and Gene Warren for translating the book into a miracle of romantic adventure. The real draw of course is "The Time Machine" prop. Never in the history of film has a prop been more imitated and desired. The special effects received an Academy Award and it was well deserved. All of the elements of Victorian London in winter, cozy parlors surrounded with friends gathered for dinner, "tea table" chat over the 4th dimension and the recollection of an experiment in time travel utilizing a flashback technique are what makes this film so enchanting. When Rod Taylor finally begins a slow initial journey we see the sky in motion in day and night sequences that are breathtaking in astronomic splendor. As the flowered garden and fruit trees go through their seasonal cycles in rapid progression you cannot help but be drawn into the wonder of creation and the genius of invention! The screenwriters then play with your imagination as we see our traveler stop at different events in our 20th century past and a "cold war" interpretation of the decade in which it was filmed when he stops in the "future" on August 18th, 1966 to witness a nuclear holocaust. From here we are quickly transported to the focal point of the Wells story to a future society of Eloi and Morlock culture. The care that went into this DVD should not be understated. It is a highly polished film that restores 20/20 vision to the frames so that we can see all of the colorful beauty that was originally there. Once again, we can SEE the atomic satellite zeroing in, the clear sky above the Eloi "cafeteria" and the smoking machinery of the Morlock caverns. When our traveler returns to 1899 and presents the flower to Filby that was given to him by Weena you will agree that "that flower could not have possibly bloomed in the winter time" and in the holding of that flower you will realize that this is a magic moment in film that will be with you forever and as Mrs. Watchit gradually turns off the lights in our view from the snowy evening outside you will think about the three books you would have taken and agree that having seen this film you will never be the same again, because you are in love with a romantic idea, TIME TRAVEL. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Terence Rattigan's pair ofone-act plays are deftly woven together into this intelligent, handsome drama, a kindof somber Grand Hotel of lonely and repressed lives at a British seaside hotel inthe dreary off-season. David Niven and Wendy Hiller earned well-deserved Oscars fortheir subdued turns, as a blustery old warhorse hiding a guilty secret and the efficienthotel proprietress, respectively. Burt Lancaster is the alcoholic American whose secretaffair with Hiller is complicated when his former wife (Rita Hayworth) breezes in andreopens old emotional wounds, and Deborah Kerr is a mousy woman whose secret lovefor Niven is shattered by scandal. Director Daniel Mann (Marty) remains true tothe good manners and quiet desperation that keeps these sad souls isolated at separatetables. He gracefully floats between the two dramas and patiently allows his repressedcharacters to open up and reveal their true feelings in their own quiet fashion. --SeanAxmaker ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Top Billing for the Entire Cast!
When Separate Tables was released, the agents of Deborah Kerr and Rita Hayworth fought for top billing in the opening credits. It's easy to understand after viewing this powerful film. Separate Tables is a great study in human nature and relationships among people who are far from faultless.

Burt Lancaster displays both intense anger and hopeless longing as his former wife Rita Hayworth comes back into his life. David Niven (who won an Oscar for this role) is superb as the military man with a past. Watch Niven as he is confronted with the truth about himself and how he interacts with his friends and those who once were his friends. The strength of the film is in its casting. In the hands of lesser actors, the film would turn into a very sappy melodrama. I am anxious to view the film again just to catch all the subtle facial expressions that these wonderful actors use to make their characters even more believable. A great ensemble, a great film.

out of the madding crowd
These separate tables and that discreet hotel I think are the equivalent to the abbeys of the Middle Age in Europe. In effect, not all people are strong enough to affront usual, daily life, with his defying , and some found by then a quiet way of life professing religion, believers or not, escaping of wars, abuses of the noblesse, etc. The lodgers of this film aren't religious, but excepting the writer played by Burt Lancaster the mundane personage of Rita Hayworth and the proprietary of the hotel, all others are people with a weak ego, unable for common life and some practically touching the tragedy, as the pathetic retired major who truly never fought, living of pure fantasy played by David Niven who has to find sex in dark cinema halls, and the poor girl represented by Deborah Kerr, annulated by her malignant castrating mother.
This movie moves me as I think people as these are more common than Herculean, steel heroes as usual, and at last, in his way, they are heroes also.

Top Billing for the Entire Cast!
When Separate Tables was released, the agents of Deborah Kerr and Rita Hayworth fought for top billing in the opening credits. It's easy to understand after viewing this powerful film. Separate Tables is a great study in human nature and relationships among people who are far from faultless.

Burt Lancaster displays both intense anger and hopeless longing as his former wife Rita Hayworth comes back into his life. David Niven (who won an Oscar for this role) is superb as the military man with a past. Watch Niven as he is confronted with the truth about himself and how he interacts with his friends and those who once were his friends. The strength of the film is in its casting. In the hands of lesser actors, the film would turn into a very sappy melodrama. I am anxious to view the film again just to catch all the subtle facial expressions that these wonderful actors use to make their characters even more believable. A great ensemble, a great film.

One of the outstanding movies based on play
Delbert Mann's "Separate Tables" is a beautiful movie based on a stellar cast of David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Burt Lancastar, Rita Hayworth, and Wendy Hiller. It is set on the seaside, "Beauregard Hotel" in England and shows the lives of different people in the hotel. David Niven plays a retired army man who lives a fictitious life of a person who has fought glamorous wars in the desert, while he has a double life of a person who has a scandalous time at a local theatre. Deborah Kerr plays the life of a shy and simple girl who is tortured by her mother, Gladys Cooper, and not given any freedom and constantly reminded of her position and the class distinctions. Burt Lancaster plays the life of a writer, John Malcolm, who wishes to forget his past in drink. His ex-wife, Rita Hayworth comes to check on him as she is getting old and does not wish to be alone. She feels that John is the only person whom she can turn to.

The screenplay in the movie is wonderful as are the roles of quite a few people in the movie. These include David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Wendy Hiller, and Burt Lancaster. The music, though low key is appropriate for the movie. The story shows the ebbing of the class distinctions of Britain. Though the Major commits the errors, only one person is dead against it and the others are either ambivalent or are neutral about it. Gladys Cooper tries to badger others to get the major evicted from the hotel due to his bad behavior. Though some of them agree to her, the way they relent in the end is unusual.

The romance between Mrs Shankland and John Malcolm is well portrayed without overdoing anything. I felt that Deborah Kerr's role was wonderful in this. It showed the breadth of her acting style, where she shows how she feels when her trust in the Major is betrayed and the innocence in the child-woman quality of her. Wendy Hiller is beautiful in her low key role of the proprietress of the hotel and how she handles all the people and the issues in the hotel. David Niven's role is fantastic, he shows his transformation from the confident army major to the frightened culprit about to be caught to the person admitting his fault to Deborrah Kerr superbly.

The direction of the movie is very thoughtful without melodrama. Though the movie almost 50 years old, it still maintains its grace and style, which shows its timelessness. The end of the movie is subtle and lovely.

Don't Miss This One!
A great film with perfect casting. The sound track was beautiful and particularly wonderful when Rita Hayworth is introduced to the viewer. The story is unique and has such a good message: The hateful mother is a warning to those who never see the plank in their own eye but see the splinter in their neighbor's. It was good to see that the majority of the characters were able to forgive the sins and bad choices the main character had made in his life. A truly fine film. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The Fantasy Film Worlds Of George Pal DVD
Whether you are a Sci-Fi fan or not, buy this DVD ! The star line-up of actors, writers, and directors explaining their parts in the various films outlined is worth the price of addmission. You'll be surprised-and perhaps amused-at some of the faces, and the films they worked on. But be warned: You'll want to race right out and buy everyone of George Pal's films after you view this great DVD. Hats off to Arnold Leibovit.

A Brilliant Composition Of A Brilliant Man's Works!
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal is truly worlds of wonder! Arnold Leibovit, producer of this marvelous documentary, has done a wonderful job at encapsulating the colorful life and career of producer/director George Pal - from his meager beginnings as a cartoon artist, through his years of creating the stop-motion animated short films, fancifully named "Puppetoons", and into his wonderful works of feature motion pictures. The documentary guides us with affection through Pal's career, by way of interviews with the cast, crew and peers of his films, and includes interviews with Pal himself. His work touches a cord within all of us - the child that lives within and is dazzled by science and fantasy, prophetic visions and flights of fancy. All who have known or worked with him remember Pal with delight - "He was a sweet, sweet man; ...a gentle man.", as Tony Randel puts it when telling of his experience of working with Pal. This was a sentiment felt by all who have had the honor of knowing and working with Pal. This documentary thoroughly captures the whimsy and kind heart of a man who not only was a dreamer, but was one who inspired us to dream. People like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg only stand on Pal's shoulders, and continue the line of imaginative filmmaking which he started. The contemporary term "eye candy" can so easily be applied to this documentary, for it is a treat to see this montage of works by the master that started it all. Thanks George! And thank you Arnold Leibovit, for giving us this special and delightful glimpse into the life and works of a man who will never be forgotten! The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal was obviously a labor of love!

George Pal is 20th Century's Most Significant Talents
During the science fiction and fantasy boom of the 1950s, few names could compare with George Pal. In many ways the pioneering visionary in the ways we view outer space and fantastic creatures on the screen, he turned out a string of masterpieces as both director and producer, using his experience with puppeteering and special effects to bring previously unimaginable sights to stunned audiences around the world.

This informative and extremely entertaining documentary takes a thorough look at Pal's career, from his early days in Hungary and Germany making European shorts with various types of puppets combined with simple techniques involving painting and glass. His transition to Hollywood following the rise of Naziism allowed him to bring his Puppetoons to audiences of impressionable children, but the move to live action proved to be even more fruitful. His groundbreaking Destination Moon presented a heightened new realism for cinematic space travel, and he soon realized that science fiction could become a trememndous box office draw. His literary adaptations remain loved by audiences today: The War of the Worlds, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao, The Time Machine, tom thumb, and his last film, the pulpy Doc Savage:Man of Bronze.

The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal assembles a who's who of Hollywood filmmaking, combining actors who worked on Pal's productions (such as Rod Taylor,Tony Randall, and Barbara Eden) to admirers like Joe Dante and Ray Harryhausen (who worked with Pal along with animation legend Willis O'Brien). The clips from Pal's early works are especially tantalizing and could have gone on much longer; "Sleeping Beauty" in particular looks like a dazzler. Unlike standard Hollywood biographies, this one keeps up a rapid pace and keeps a steady flow of fascinating clips and home movies to provide a solid, well rounded portrait of a man who loved entertaining people in any way possible.

The Image DVD looks quite good for a mid-'80s documentary, with strong colors and no noticeable compression flaws. The contrast level and clarity vary wildly from clip to clip, for obvious reasons, but such is the nature of an archival beast. The mono audio also gets the job done quite well for its age. The disc also includes a host of Pal-related extras, such as promotional material for many his films from Destination Moon to Doc Savage, as well as more interview footage deleted from the final cut, some additional home movies, some warm and intriguing comments from Puppetoon veterans, and a peek at the newsreel premiere footage for Brothers Grimm. In short, no fantasy film buff should be without this disc, and hopefully his entire catalog will one day be available to perfectly complement this love letter to one of the 20th Century's most significant creative talents.

Finally George Pal & This Documentary Will Get Their Due!
I originally saw Arnold Leibovit's documentary, "The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal," a dozen or so years ago, and it has not dimmed in the years since. In fact, the extra footage and the new clarity have only improved the experience of seeing this great man's legacy. Leibovit's affectionate treatment of his subject is like a throwback to a more respectful era.

George Pal is a Superior film on a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Legend!
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal by director Arnold Leibovit is without a doubt one of the finest tribute films ever made! There are no words that can fully describe the emotional high one gets when watching this splendid epic journey. If you grew up on these classics as I did, this film is a tremendous treat. There is a sincerity and emotional impact that comes through "Fantasy Worlds" that few films can match. Of particular note are the absolutely sensational interviews- a Who's Who of Sci-Fi & Fantasy from Gene Roddenberry, Ray Bradbury, Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Russ Tamblyn,Tony Randall to Robert Wise, Roy E. Disney, Ray Harryhausen, Chesley Bonestell and many many other film notables including George Pal himself. The film incorporates gorgeous colorful crystal clear clips that are just not little snippets but long fully realized sequences. I''ve never seen a film like this do that. It is really a credit to Mr. Leibovit to have done such a marvelous and meticulous job. The interviews are also amazing. Overall an absolute MUST for anyone interested in the films of George Lucas or Steven Spielberg or modern sci-fi. None of what we see today could ever be possible without the staggering contributions of George Pal. I will treasure this DVD always. PS I have seen a preview copy and just wait until you see the bonus section. It includes new materials not contained on the original video release that will knock your socks off. Must be two hours of new material alone! ... Read more

Description

In this continuation of Disney’s TREASURE ISLAND,Robert Newton reprises the role of Long John Silver that he made so famous. So set sail with this swashbuckling pirate classic and discover a cinematic treasure that will take you places far beyond the high seas! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Very Unusual Western
Rod Taylor plays a gunslinger named CHUKA (he was raised by a Chuck Wagon cook...and nicknamed chuka boy by the cowboys). He is on the trail during a winter storm and comes across a group of starving Indians. He shares their fire and gives them what little food he has. He leaves and finds refuge at a Cavalry Fort run by John Mills (an ex-British Officer and his SGT....Ernest Borgnine). Also at the fort is his long lost love and her niece. Chuka tells Mills that the Indians are starving and will attack the fort to get food. The plot thickens with other characters in the fort. Not a great movie but very entertaining and a pretty good "shoot-em-up". Worth buying for it's differences from other westerns.

Rod As Tough as They Come
A question arises from the movie's prologue, which is actually its epilogue: Did they all die? Then the story begins for this superior Western and gather 'round the campfire buckos, because its a humdinger!

At stake is a doomed outpost of misfit soldiers facing a nation of hungry, irritable Arapahoes, and an unfortunate group of visitors, including two beautiful Mexican ladies and the enigmatic gunfighter Chuka {Taylor). Chuka's duds are so cool, they rival anything Lee Van Cleef ever swaggered in. Late in the film, we are treated to witnessing his fast-draw, and I would say "eye-witnessing", but his draw is so fast, the gun is out before you even have a chance to blink! Taylor is tough as Chuka: his fight with the ape-like Ernest Borgnine literally rocks the timbers of the fort. I could easily imagine the film crew appauding after those scenes were done. Taylor is also incredibly tender in the long-awaited love scene with the Thunderball babe Lucianna Lallapollooza (sic).

This is a very good Western and a must-have for fans not only of Rod Taylor, but Ernest Borgnine and James Whitmore. Their characters are flawed and three-dimensional, but not given to the irritating idiosyncricies that passed for "character development" in later films and television. As the situation becomes more desperate, the interaction between the characters is so good that I felt not only absorbed, but involved in the plot. You might want to have a stash of Sauza Conmemorativo (the Duke's favorite) handy to join the fellas as they try to take a break from contemplating their doomed scenario. One of the best scenes comes near the end, as the tough hombres, now comrades, rouse early in the dead of night just before dawn, to share a sort of communion, confession, and coffee before the grits hit the fan.

I won't give the ending away, but if only one more scene had been added to assure me about the "second choice" I would give this movie 5 stars. Maybe I want too much. As it stands, it adds to my admiration of Rod Taylor. It is so frustrating that some of his excellent performances such as in Darker Than Amber and The Hell with Heroes aren't even available on videotape! I understand his fight scene in the former with body-builder William Smith REALLY rocks. And come on, The Hell With Heroes has Claudia Cardinale in her prime! Let's get more of Rod on DVD!

Chuka
This is one of the better westerns around.The cast is fantastic.The story is very entertaining and action packed. I don't see how anyone could give it 2 stars.The Indians win and the army loses, maybe that's why.But in any event the story line is intriging.Rod Taylor is at his finest as a hired gun with ethics and a deep appreciation for the Arapahoe Indians plight.John Mills, Ernest Borgnine, Luciana Paluzzi, Louis Hayword, James Whitmore et. al. are all excellent in this 1967 western.By the way the fight scene between Rod and Ernie is the greatest fist fight ever seen on film. The Indian attack on the fort is spectacular and the spear scene with Rod Taylor will stun your senses.The ending is special, so don't miss it.

Androcles at the Alamo
Fans of Rod Taylor have had to sit through some fairly awful movies over the years and this is one of them. It's hard to say why this goes so wrong, but nothing really works or suspends disbelief. It certainly has anoutstanding supportingcast, including (Sir) John Mills, Ernest Borgnine,James Whitmore, Luciana Paluzzi, Michael Cole, even old Louis Hayward (in aparticularly improbable bit of casting).

Taylor (Australian), Mills(British), and Paluzzi (Italian) all seem as lost and incongruous in awestern as Connery and Bardot did in "Shalako". Borgnine andWhitmore do what they can with sketchy sub-characters. And the mini-FortApache most of the drama plays out on feels like a set on a sound stagefrom beginning to end.

As always, Taylor has some fine moments, and Millsgets to make an interesting acting choice as the crumbling commander, andPaluzzi gets through it with beauty and dignity. But it's all to verylittle purpose in this clunky, derivative cowboys and indiansmelodrama.

As in so many Rod Taylor films, you wish they all could havegot back together in a better movie.

RVC ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

They call it Giant because everything in this picture is big, from the generous running time (more than 200 minutes) to the sprawling ranch location (a horizon-to-horizon plain with a lonely, modest mansion dropped in the middle) to the high-powered stars. Stocky Rock Hudson stars as the confident, stubborn young ranch baron Bick Benedict, who woos and wins the hand of Southern belle Elizabeth Taylor, a seemingly demure young beauty who proves to be Hudson's match after she settles into the family homestead. For many the film is chiefly remembered for James Dean's final performance, as poor former ranch hand Jett Rink, who strikes oil and transforms himself into a flamboyant millionaire playboy. Director George Stevens won his second Oscar for this ambitious, grandly realized (if sometimes slow moving) epic of the changing socioeconomic (and physical) landscape of modern Texas, based on Edna Ferber's bestselling novel. The talented supporting cast includes Mercedes McCambridge as Bick's frustrated sister, put out by the new "woman of the house"; Chill Wills as the Benedicts' garrulous rancher neighbor; Carroll Baker and Dennis Hopper as the Benedicts' rebellious children; and Earl Holliman and Sal Mineo as dedicated ranch hands. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (65)

A great movie, but very poor restoration work
I bought this DVD with high expectations having first seen this film as a child - and should be giving it a five star rating.But I was extremely disappointed upon viewing the DVD which contains some of the worst edge enhancement I have ever seen. Hence the two star rating. In many scenes people and animals have glowing neon-like halos surrounding them! How can this film be said to have been restored??!!It would seem the Studio was in one big rush to get this DVD onto the market and had I been aware of this awful transfer, I would never have bought it.

Older movies than Giant have been restored to pristine quality - take a look at Spartacus as an example. So, Warner Bros. please go back to the drawing board with this film and restore it the way it should have been done in the first place.

Classic epic--- but flawed re-recording of music score
It's nice to have this classic Texas epic, one of the All-time great films, on DVD. And the extras are good.

Unfortunately, the sound mixing on both the DVD and the mid-to-late 90s tape version, is muted as the musical score was re-recorded during the remastering... The singing voices and the booming kettle drums can barely be heard at all, sucking much of the original drama out of the score.

The Texas T.
GIANT stars Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor as Jordan and Leslie Benedict in an epic story about one family's journey to power and respectability.Jordan Benedict is a Texan rancher who travels east searching for horses to ride and cattle to breed. He makes a stop at the Lynnton estate. While there he meets Leslie Lynnton. At first he is amused by her charm and she is infatuated by his good looks and wealth. Soon his amusement grows into love and he asks Leslie to marry him. After a brief honeymoon, the couple returns to Jordan's dilapidating
Texan family ranch.Leslie is an outcast at first, but she slowly begins incorporating herself into the society in which she has moved teaching kindness and compassion to her lunkhead of a husband along the way. The movie follows their relationship and the growth of their family through about 30 years of marriage.

GIANT is a visually spectacular movie. Though the film's scenery isn't it's best feature, it adds a lot to the film's substance. The acting is very well done, especially by Taylor and James Dean.GIANT is probably best known as Dean's last movie (he was killed before the picture was even released).Dean plays Jet Fink, the lead secondary character in the picture--a man fighting against the world to make a name for himself and always playing second fiddle to Jordan Benedict. Rock Hudson does a decent job of acting in the film, but he is upstaged every time that James Dean appears in a scene. The real-life animosity that Hudson felt towards Dean adds a great deal of texture to their performances and makes the rough relationship between Jordan Benedict and Jet Fink even that much more realistic. Taylor holds her ground with Dean perfectly capturing the sexual tension between the two.Besides those three, there really aren't any other standout performances.

Unlike many epic movies that focus on nations, empires, or dynasties (both literally and metaphorically), GIANT chooses to tell the tale of the generation of one family, and specifically one couple. It's more a film about love and family than it is about cattle, oil, big business, or money. That's really nice to see for a change.After all, even though most of us probably aren't as materially blessed as the Benedicts, we all live epic stories.

This is Texas?
I recently decided to view this film. Let's see -a reference to Neiman-Marcus - some wide open spaces, some cattle and oil wells. O.K. - but this film does not really tell about Texas and Texans. Thankfully, Chill Wills (from Seagoville, TX) was in it. He was the most Texan thing about this film. I wish I had something more positive to say - but I don't.

Giant Is Not A Widescreen Film
The product information here should be carefully read, as it reveals that this edition of Giant has been transferred in a 1:1.66 letterbox transfer. This is a travesty. Giant was filmed and released in the classic 1:1.33 "Academy" aspect ratio, which also happens to be the aspect ratio for NTSC analog television. George Stevens disliked widescreen processes, although he was forced to use them by studios on later films.
The time has come to put a stop to these unnecessary, phoney "restored" versions of classics. It's just a marketing ploy to squeeze more money out of old warhorses. Going back to the good old days of the laserdisc, I never much cared about the extras that were first introduced by Criterion and later imitated by the major studios. I've always responded to a high quality video transfer taken from the best film elements available. Getting the aspect ratio wrong and mutilating the images of Steven's classic film makes everything else irrelevant.
Thank goodness I still have my laserdiscs. Failing that, grab a copy on VHS. ... Read more