Description

Thrilling performances by Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, and Burl Ives make this adaptation of Tennessee Williams' story about a wealthy plantation owner succumbing to cancer, one of the most acclaimed movies in history.Year: 1958Director: Richard BrooksStarring:Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, Burl Ives, Jack Carson, Dame Judith Anderson ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Powerful, though altered, version of the play
Tennessee William's play, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", was considered so controversial that its Broadway producers forced the playwright to alter the third act. Either in spite of or because of the changes, the play was a huge hit. Even with the changes, it had to be further watered down for Hollywood's 1958 movie version. Once more, it was a boxoffice smash. It went on to garner six Oscar nominations, including Best Actress for Elizabeth Taylor and Best Actor for Paul Newman. Despite the industry's timidity back then, the movie was a searing, powerful drama about a family in crisis. That it remains so to this day, despite massive changes in social values and mores over the years, is a credit to its brilliant cast and to its director, Richard Brooks.

Brick and Maggie [Newman and Taylor] have come to his father's big plantation in Mississippi to celebrate the old man's 65th birthday. Everyone calls him Big Daddy, and as portrayed by Burl Ives, he truly is a larger than life figure. Brick's brother, Gooper [Jack Carson], his wife, Mae [Madeleine Sherwood], and their five 'little no-neck monsters" are also there. Big Daddy has just returned from several weeks at a clinic where he was treated for cancer. He thinks he is cured, but the doctors have lied to him. He's unlikely to see his next birthday. Rivalry and intrigue abound among the siblings and their families as everyone fights over who will take over the plantation. Brick has major problems of his own. The former star athlete drinks too much, refuses the advances and affection of the gorgeous and calculating Maggie because he blames her for his best friend's suicide, and is bitter about his father, who doesn't seem to love him or anyone else. Brick is also hobbling around on crutches, having recently tripped while trying to leap a hurdle one drunken night. Through all the bickering and fighting, his mother, Big Mama [Judith Anderson], tries desperately to hold onto whatever happiness and dignity the family still possesses. But a storm of confrontations is brewing, and she's powerless to stop it.

The 'shocking' element that was changed was the revelation that Brick and his friend had been lovers and that Maggie's 'crime' was her attempt to eliminate her rival. This was changed to the friend's killing himself because he was weak. I think when you know this, you can easily see what is going on underneath the surface between Brick and Maggie. It also makes the characters more understandable and believable. Their constant fighting makes more sense. The story becomes about more than greed, power, money and land. It becomes about the power of the human heart.

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is highly recommended, script changes notwithstanding.

Every line filled with tension, and the acting is wondeful!
This adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play was nominated for six academy awards in 1959. It stars Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie, rejected over and over by her alcoholic husband, Brick, played by Paul Newman. His father, Big Daddy, played by Burl Ives, has just returned to his Mississippi mansion after exploratory surgery. There's bitter rivalry in the family as they speculate about his death. Jack Carson plays the older son, who, with his pregnant wife, played by Madeline Sherwood and their five obnoxious children are determined to inherit Big Daddy's fortune. But Big Daddy despises him, as he does his own wife of 40 years, Big Mama, played by Judith Anderson.

As this film was originally a play, most of it is sharp and cutting dialogue, every line filled with tension and double meanings. Close-ups reveal the artistry of the actors, all of whom are excellent. I especially liked Burl Ives, whose performance called for a wide range of emotions, showing his vulnerability as well as his strength. And as the characters battled with each other, the story, which I understand was rewritten to fall within the guidelines of 1950s censors, slowly revealed itself. Some critics say this ruined this movie adaptation. I can't comment on that because I though the story was great. Most of the film takes place inside a house and there's almost no physical action. Not necessary. The dialog does it all. And it does it well. Recommended.

Humanity at it's best...
"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is a spectacular visual masterpiece about the human spirit.
Every character has three dimensions, and every line is perfectly written and delivered. Credit is needed for the original playright(although I am aware the plot was altered to please the strict critics of the time), who along with the screenplay writers are as important as the actors.
Speaking of actors, Liz Taylor, Burl Ives and Paul Newman were all flawless in their roles. They were human, and as a painting they were more real than reality. My opinions of the characters changed continually throughout the film. It was as if you were peeling away the skin layer by layer to find the truth. Annoyance turned into hate, hate turned into compassion.
The most important element of this film was feelings;emotions the players have, and have to deal with. As well as how you feel about them, and their situations.

Superb
Acting doesn't come any better than this. Newman and Taylor have such chemistry its unbelievable, and although the movie may drag in certain parts, overall it is a great character study.
Taylor is heartbreaking as the sexually deprived wife as Newman, a hardened man who suspects his wife of infidelity. Once again the theme of homosexuality is present ( as it is in all of Williams' plays), but in the movie it is thankfully downplayed and subtle. The definitive film version of the play, whose highlights are pretty much every scene in which Maggie and Brick are alone in their room bickering.

MEEEOOOOW!
"Cat on the Hot Tin Roof"
Has so much tension, one can't cut it with a machete... Just another very dysfunctional family, which Tennessee Williams writes so brilliantly.

You have Maggie (the cat) The only character in the extended family who is 'Normal' The only one who seems to be keeping the family from killing one another. Liz, of course plays her beautifully, superbly, very sexy as 'The Cat'

(Brick) Paul Newman plays her husband...A drunk with many devils he needs to let out, such as why he will not sleep with Maggie, why won't he stop thinking about his foot-ball buddy who killed himself. The viewer will wonder if his has other preferences... Because who wouldn't sleep with (The Cat)??

Big Daddy...played by Burl Ives... The GOD of the family, the one with all the money, Power, the one who's dying. (Excellent performance)

(Goober) Brick's brother and his wife wait impatiently for Big Daddy's fortune. The wife is appalling enough to make one sick. Continually taunting Maggie about not having children, having a bad marriage, not controlling Brick. Her kids run around the house like little, foul animals.

This family is a disaster waiting to happen...The pressure cooker is on high, baby, and when she blows
Watch out...All hell will break loose all over the place.

They don't make um' like this anymore.

MEEEEOOOOOW! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

One Of The Best Westerns Of The 50's!
Warlock is one of those movies that got lost in the shuffle in the years following its release. Subsequent classics like The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Magnificent Seven, The Man With No Name trilogy, The Wild Bunch, etc, all diverted attention away from this 1959 Western masterpiece. Expertly directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda (in one of his best Western roles), Anthony Quinn (in arguably HIS best Western role), DeForest Kelley, and Dorothy Malone, this is a movie that - upon further review - truly does hold up very well against even the best Westerns of all time.

Fonda plays a Sheriff/Marshall (gun) for hire who is brought in to "clean up" the town of Warlock. He does so with the proviso that he can do it his way, with no interference from the town council. They agree, but he warns them that at first they will love him and what he does, but later on they will come to hate both him and his methods. His prediction comes true, but the way the story plays out belies the usual Western cliche's. The script is expertly written, with characters that ring true, and a rather grown up storyline.

Warlock, in a way, combines the classic Western styles of the 40's, 50's, and 60's, and even hints at some of the elements that would be seen in modern (1980's to present) Westerns. Hopefully the DVD transfer is up to the standards of this movie (this review is being written over a month before the DVD release). This is a movie that belongs in the collection of every Western fan.

elated to find this one
AFTER YEARS OF SEARCHING FOR THIS ONE BY DIFFERENT AVENEWS, i WAS ELATED TO FIND IT HERE ON AMAZON.COM.
I ALSO BELIEVE IT IS A HIGHLY UNDERRATED FILM THAT HAS BEEN LOST IN THE ARCHIVES FAR TOO LONG.
I ALSO FOUND ANOTHER GREAT FONDA MOVIE THAT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR, FOR YEARS, AND THAT IS,( SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION, WITH PAUL NEWMAN ) ANOTHER ONE BURIED IN THE ARCHIVES FAR TOO LONG WAITING TO BE RE'DISCOVERED.

Near brilliant, undiscovered western
The 1959 film "Warlock" is one of those great surprises for movie fans. It's a classic western, undiscovered, awaiting the lucky viewer who happens to stumble across it. After viewing this dark, almost gothic oater, most viewers will ask themselves, "Why haven't I heard of this film?!"

I'm not sure as to why "Warlock" has been relatively ignored over the years, though I think the film is derivative of other films. I think the generic Hollywood backlots where "Warlock" was undoubtedly filmed certainly detract from its overall allure. But simply put, "Warlock" fell through the cracks, and it's a film deserving of reexamination.

Part "High Noon," part "Shane," part "The Searchers," "Warlock" tells the tale of a town victimized by crime. They hire a gunfighter in the form of Henry Fonda, who arrives with a crippled sidekick (Anthony Quinn) in tow. Fonda's character becomes a semi-celebrity, granted carte blanche as he calmly strolls the streets adorned in shining pistols and dark suits. The cantankerous Quinn, lugging around a shotgun, watches Fonda's back while sipping champagne and taking care of the finances.

But the town (named Warlock) is anything but a simple job. A former love of Quinn's (Dorothy Malone) is a resident, and he wants her back. Richard Widmark also resides here, and he's none too happy about the hiring of the gunfighters, sensing the community should stand up for itself. A young woman (Dolores Michaels) also catches Fonda's eye, and for the first time he begins to wonder about settling down. All of these emotional dramas play out, having tragic circumstances.

Director Edward Dmytryk, one of the more underrated filmmakers from this period, has done an excellent job in weaving these multiple storylines together. He also displays an excellent visual flair, most notably during a gunfight between Fonda and Frank Gorshin about midway through the film. I could argue that the scene is one of the great cinematic gunfights in history. Superbly choregraphed, Fonda screams the name "Billy, Billy......!" before drawing his gun and reluctantly killing the man. It is a brilliant, unforgettable moment, precursing many of the operatic gunfights from Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns 10 years later.

Quinn also gives a memorable supporting performance as Fonda's sidekick. Tortured by his club foot handicap and angry at the world, Quinn is a live keg waiting to explode. He does the dirty work for Fonda, and exposes the hypocrisy of Fonda's dream to settle down and retire from a life of gunfighting. Quinn knows he and Fonda can never be a part of modern civilization. Essentially, they are walking death, perfectly symbolized by Fonda's dark suits - a black spot in the dusty streets, stark and apart.

As Fonda stands amid the ruins of a burned out saloon, he is alone, tall, lanky, a scythe-carrying spector. His past choices have fatefully isolated him from civilization. Like John Wayne's Ethan Edwards at the end of "The Searchers," he can never comfortably walk through the door of domestic civilization. He is destined a life of solitude, forced by fate to step aside and allow the modern world to take root. His job, for all intents and purposes, is finally done.

"Warlock" is a great, undiscovered western. It has brilliant performances, terrific dialogue and unforgettable imagery. It is an unheralded masterpiece.

Unjustly neglected Western
Warlock is a town in the West ,one that is experiencing an epidemic of lawlessness,deliberately fostered by a local rancher ,Alec McQuon (Tom Drake ).He allows his ranch hands free rein ,as a way of demonstrating his power and deterring challenges from others contemplating moving into the area.(The use of terror as a political tool helps give the movie a distinctly contemporary relevance ).One of his men Gannon (Richard Widmark )is conscience stricken and withdraws from the gang .
The town leaders -having seen the latest in a succession of Marshal's driven away -turn to a hired towm tamer ,the legendary Clay Blaisdell (Henry Fonda )to enforce the law and he is accompanied by Tom Morgan (Anthony Quinn ) a club footed saloon keeper and noted gunman in his own right .The relationship evokes comparison with that of Earp and Hollday ,and it is worth noting that Fonda had played a similar role in "My Darling Clementine" of which this movie is darker more tragic version
The townspeople have taken the step reluctantly and in a key scene ,Blaisdell -who is aware that he is in some respects an anachronism ,sets out the situation bluntly and with eloquence

"I come here as your salvation ,at a very high wage.I establish law and order,ride roughshod over offenders.At first ,you're pleased because there's a good deal less trouble.Then a strange thing happens -you begin to feel I'm too powerful and you begin to fear me.Not me but what I am.When that happens we shall have had full satisfaction from each other."
The prediction is spot on .The very success of Blaisdell insending McQuon packing the first time prompts the threat ofmassive reprisals and the town backs away from supporting him.
Gannon meanwhile has become the new deputy Marshall and seeks to impose the ruile of law in defiance of both Blaisdell -whom he likes and respects -and McQuon.
Both Blaisdell and Gannon have significant relationships with women -Blaisdell with a leading figure in the townJessie Marlowe (Dolores Michaels)and Gannon with Lily Dollar (Dorothy Malone )who hates Blaisdell who she feel nedlessly killed her fiance at the instigation of Morgan.
The various conflicts all move towards a resolution by violence-that between the McQuon gang and the law ,the conflict within Gannon whose younger brother is part of the McQuon outfit ,and most compellingly that within Morgan whose friendship with Blaisdell ,it is hinted rather than stated, may contain a semi -erotic element.
There is more than a hint of Greek tragedy about the movie -the atmosphere is brooding and tragic and the movie is more town focused than is usual within the genre ,making sparse use only of its Utah locations .It is an internal Western rather than one of the wide open spaces.
The climax will evoke memories of High Noon -the discarding of legend and with it a sense of personal identity and the riding away into an uncertain future is moving and apt.
Brillaint performance all round especially by Quinn as the tragic Morgan -a man destroyed by the power of his friendship.Fonda back in the genre after a long absence is brilliant and minor roles are well cast .Action scemes are well staged and for their day quite violent.

The neglect this fine movie has fallen into is unmerited--please give it a go even if the genre is not your normal thing.

Warlock
This is a timeless and universal tale of the power of true friendship.Anthony Quinn was not just proctecting his livelihood when he became sniper to take out the stagecoach passenger and made it look like a robbery soon after they moved to Warlock. He knew that would have presented problems for Henry Fonda.(I have not seen the movie in more than 15 years to remember the details but that still impresses me)He was willing to take care of that without bothering "Clay".
Clay fell in love and was ready to give up the 'life'and settle down in Warlock.This jolted Quinn's psyche because he truely loved Clay who was the only one that showed him respect and accepted him as a person rather than as a "cripple" . Clay loved what he was..a gunfighter for hire and Quinn was even happier as his very capable supporter. Together they ruled their own lives going wherever they wanted wherever they pleased.Life was good for them regardless. Now Clay wanted to give all that up in the name of love. Unfortunately it came out into the street when Clay told him it was over and he should leave, he did'nt need him in his life anymore.It humiliated him, but even so he was willing to let it go and let his friend be until he saw Dorothy Malone in the jeering crowd that was taunting him mercilessly. That was too much for him..the two great loves of his life turning on him like that.Like any red-blooded male in any universe, the testosterone jolt engulfed him " I'm faster than you Clay"....he turned and faced his friend as the jeers turned to cold silence.The dearest of friends were suddenlymortal enemies staring each other down."I was always faster'n you Clay"... there was no turning back, challenge made and accepted...they had to duel.
Quinn was much faster but deliberately aimed wide of Clay whose killer instincts remained true to nature as he drilled Quinn's chest with deadly accuracy.
"I won Clay..I won"....Quinn was smiling as he felt the bullet tear through his heart, taking his last breath.
Clay stood in shock, paralysed by what he had just done.When he was able to move he ran to his friend's crumpled body and took his head in his chest as a mother would her child...the tears shot from his eyes.He commanded the crowd to sing hymns in tribute to his dead friend.His life changed forever.He broke the engagement that was so dear to him and left Warlock and the woman he loved behind. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Not only was Molly Brown unsinkable, so is the musical based on heramazing life. Released in 1964, The Unsinkable Molly Brown gave DebbieReynolds one of her most memorable roles and earned her an Academy Awardnomination (she lost to Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins). Paired with HarvePresnell, fresh from the Broadwayversion, Reynolds and Presnell sparkle as Molly and Johnny Brown, well-meaning but gauche nouveau millionaires who take on stuffy Denver society (whoare loathe to admit that they are nouveau riche as well). During their Molly-guided quest for "respectability," the pair learns that old adage--all the moneyin the world can't buy happiness or contentment.

From her beginnings as a foundling floating down the Colorado River to herfateful trip on the Titanic, Molly Brown aims upward, swearing "I Ain'tDown Yet." Reynolds imbues her Molly with energy, determination, and poignancy.Molly feels every slight keenly and is convinced that more and bigger will makeher place in society. Husband Johnny, who promised "I'll Never Say No," finds itharder and harder to keep his promise as he watches his wife's single-mindednessbury her effervescent personality. In the songs by Meredith Willson (TheMusic Man), Presnell's rich baritone soars on "Colorado, My Home" and beginsa rousing "He's My Friend," while "Belly Up to the Bar, Boys" is a bawdy, catchyromp during which Reynolds shines--rollicking across the dance floor, she's ared-headed dynamo in a gauzy green dress. --Dana Van Nest ... Read more

Reviews (23)

A Fairly Good Musical
THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN is a fairly good musical based on the life of a young woman who rises from rags to riches as the wife of Leadville Johnny Brown and later gains even more fame as a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic. The movie is not quite as good as the original production on Broadway starring Tammy Grimes but it is still very entertaining in spots. The most memorable song is "Belly Up To The Bar, Boys."

Debbie Reynolds does a fine job in the lead as Molly Brown and Harve Presnel repeats his successful Broadway role as Leadville Johnny Brown. The strong supporting cast for the film includes Ed Begley, Hermione Baddeley, Jack Kruschen and Vassili Lambrinos.

The movie received Oscar nominations for Best Color Cinematography, Color Costume Design, Color Art Direction and Adapted Music Score. Debbie Reynolds was nominated for Best Actress. MY FAIR LADY dominated the Academy Awards in 1964.

Debbie Is Unsinkable
This terrific 1964 film is based on the stage musical of the homespun backwoods girl at the turn of the last century from Meredith Willson and Richard Morris, but this is Debbie Reynolds' movie all the way! Her energetic performance as Molly Brown deserved an Oscar and more. This is a big good old-fashioned musical the way they used to make them. Great Choreography by Peter Gennaro and Panavision Cinematography by Daniel Fapp make this a real winner combined with Meredith Willson's music. The underrated Harve Presnell plays Johnny Brown. This guy could sing and dance! It was good to finally see him show up in a recent move in a pivital role, something called "Saving Private Ryan."

Is this real?
When I started watching this the other day, I had no idea when it was made, who it was made by, etc. Thus, in my ignorance and based on the laughable opening scenes, I thought I might be watching some really bad quality program. And so, I sat down to enjoy a really poor quality film, just to do it.

As the movie progressed, I was able to get past the jerky story-telling and one-dimensional plotline to really start appreciating the main character, Molly Brown. She reminded me of Reba, and her enthusiasm and energy were unreal! She bounced back from more let-downs than one could possibly imagine.

By the end of the flick, I got the idea that Molly Brown was based on a real person as she had turned up in "Titanic" as a much heavier Kathy Bates. Her story was unbelievable and very rich, if still somewhat poorly told in this film.

In doing a bit of research, I learned alot more about the film. I think I appreciate what it was setting out to do but am disappointed that they directors seemed more enamored with the frivolous than with the meat of Brown's story. In the true story, Molly Brown forces her fellow women to row the boats around to pick up drowning survivors from the Titanic. Here, she simply sings to those in the boat with her.

Not too bad over all, but there might be better ways to learn Molly Brown's story...or whatever her real name is.

Great Musical, Weak on Authenticity
The songs and the dances were terrific -- but Mrs. Brown's real first name was "Maggie," and this film shows the wrong side of the Titanic scraping the ice berg, better loosen your belt. Bellying up to the ice berg. Whatever.

The End of an Era
When this movie originally came out, I wouldn't have guessed that this would be one of the last great musicals out of Hollywood. Sad as that may be, I am eternally grateful that Debbie Reynolds was cast as Molly Brown. She is absolutely terrific. Of course, she's always terrific and fortunately still going strong. And Harve Presnell.....this man would have been huge in the musical genre if MGM and its musicals hadn't crashed and burned.
If you love the film musical as an art form, this is a must have for your collection. Remember, no one did them bigger or more consistently better than MGM. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Before The Wild Bunch, there was The Professionals,Richard Brooks's marvelous ode to friendship, loyalty, and disillusionment. It may not have the stylistic bravado or fatalistic doom of the legendary Sam Peckinpah film, but Brooks's storytelling is simple and steady and just as insightful. The difference is Brooks is a lot more optimistic. Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster are buddies who have drifted into oblivion after fighting together in the Mexican Revolution. Marvin, the principled loyalist and munitions expert, lost his wife and his heart. Lancaster, the dynamite expert and unprincipled adventurer, keeps losing his pants. They team up with wrangler Robert Ryan and archer Woody Strode to rescue the beguiling Claudia Cardinale, who has been kidnapped by their old revolutionary buddie Jack Palance. So it's back into bloody Mexico they go on a "mission of mercy" for railroad tycoon Ralph Bellamy, who's paying handsomely for the return of his wife.

But nothing is what it seems in this exciting, existential adventure, which was beautifully shot by Conrad Hall. Sarcastic quips, philosophical musings, and heart-rending reversals underlie Brooks's humanistic sentiments. These are tired, world-weary men who somehow find the strength and the will to pull together for the sake of love and commitment. Through it all, Brooks seems to be lamenting a decline in professionalism much deeper than his story. He's decrying Hollywood and the society at large, anticipating Peckinpah's later strategy. --Bill Desowitz ... Read more

Reviews (30)

A Mule For The Marquessa

I think I know where I was on November 2, 1966; in a theatre watching THE PROFESSIONALS, for that was its theatrical release date.The movie is based on a western written by Frank O'Rourke entitled "A Mule For The Marquessa." Having read the book I wanted to see the movie.

Most other reviews here give this movie a good rating and review, and understandably so.This western movie to me ranks as one of my possibly 12 best, in equal standing with Arrowhead, Stagecoach, Valdez Is Coming, Ulzanna' Raid, Tall In The Saddle, and several Randolph Scott westerns. You get the picture, I think this is a very good western movie, one that I can watch over and over without ever tiring.

Part of the success of this film for me comes not only from the cast which is superb, veteran actors all, but from the way everything fits and works together. There is some comedy, some suspense, and finally a sense of justice but though this movie has all these parts in equal amount, there is still a chemistry present that for me just makes this one of the best western films ever made.

I've read the novel several times and feel too that the movie surpasses even the book which spawned the movie.If you like excellent western movies, do not miss this one.

Best Closing Lines Ever

A first rate adventure/western with Burt Lancaster and Lee Marvin at their macho best. This film has the best closing lines ever. Ralph Bellamy says to Lee Marvin, 'You bastard.' Marvin replies 'Yes sir, in my case an accident of birth, but you are a self made man.'

Thinking Man's Western
Oil Baron (Ralph Bellamy) hires four specialists(Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode) to rescue his young Mexicana bride(Claudia Cardinale) out of the clutches of a revolutionary (Jack Palance) from behind the Mexican border.Sounds simple? Not in this complex film.Our heroes are flawed, disillusioned men and the bad guys aren't as bad as they seem.Credit director-screenwriter for crafting a western that stands the conventions of the form on it's head and keeps you guessing until the bitter end.Marvin and Lancaster are in top iconic form here.Cardinale adds a voluptuous mystique to her character.Palance contributes a complex reading to a character type that in previous films of this kind were cliched.This film also boasts gorgeous cinematography courtesy of the legendary Conrad Hall, a rollicking score by Maurice Jarre, and action sequences that are at the same time thrilling yet make sense.

Nice transfer, but a serious flaw!
One of my favorite Westerns, THE PROFESSIONALS fully deserved the special edition treatment it gets here.The picture has been improved and the soundtrack newly remixed in both 5.1 and 3.0 Dolby Digital.Also, the supplements are wonderful, especially if you saw this film when it was new and have loved it ever since.

I do though have one serious complaint though.Who was the dummy who thought the English translation subtitles for all the Spanish dialogue should appear on the screen without the option to turn it off?They go to all the trouble of a fine high definition remastering then impose subtitles over it?Makes no sense. While I, who doesn't understand Spanish, appreciate finally knowing what the Mexicans are saying in this picture, I don't appreciate not being able to watch the movie without the subtitles.They should have only been included as an option.Someone at Sony Home Entertainment goofed here.

"The Professionals" gets a face lift in special edition
Henry Farden(Lee Marvin),Bill Dolworth (Burt Lancaster), Jake Sharp (Woody Strode)and Hans Ehrengard (Robert Ryan) are hired by the wealthy Joe Grant (Ralph Bellamy) to rescue his wife (Claudia Cardinale)who was recently kidnapped by Jesus Raza (Jack Palance) a revoltionary who served with Farden and his men under Pancho Villa and Zappa. As the wild west gradually disappears, these men get called on to do one last mission together. Richard Brooks'("Elmer Gantry", "Wrong is Right", In Cold Blood", "Lord Jim") well crafted movie bursts with sarcastic quips and brilliant action pieces.

Beautifully restored, there's a signficant amount of grain but that's not a surprise given the age of the negative and the type of film Brooks used to shoot the movie. There's not much in the way of dirt or debris execept during the opening titles. It adds to ruggedness and "authentic" feel of the film. Columbia-Tristar has sprung for all the extras for this special edition with the exception of a commentary track from a film historian or actress Claudia Cardinale (most of the cast and crew are dead)

Let's start with the good stuff first--should you upgrade to this edition from the previousone? Yep. this edition has a remixed 5.1 soundtrack taken from the original theatrical soundtrack elements. You also have the option of listening to it in 3.0 as well. This also was remastered in high definition so the picture quality is outstanding given the age of the film. King of the supplements Laurent Bouzereau produced three new featurettes for this edition. "The Professionals-A Classic" features director Martin Campbell, Kate Buford (who wrote a biography of Burt Lancaster), Claudia Cardinale Joanna Lancaster interviewed about this great western classic. There's a brief snipped of behind-the-scenes footage of Brooks on location (it's silent). Claudia Cardinale, Marie Gomez and cinematographer Conrad Hall give their memories of shooting the film illustrated with behind-the-scenes footage, stills shot for the film. At 23 minutes it's the longest of the extras included here. Joanna Lancaster takes the stage for a discussion about her father in "Burt Lancaster: A Portrait" sharing her memories of father and some of the movies he made during that time. Kate Buford also appears discussing both Brooks, Lancaster as well as the movie. Buford claims that Brooks and Lancaster looked at "The Professionals" as a metaphor for the what they did in the industry. Again, this a large amount of behind-the-scenes footage shot in 16mm. Joanna Lancaster makes a good point about the physicality of Lancaster's performances (much like Harrison Ford). I'd suggest not watching the extras before the film itself as they do give away some important plot points.

A brilliant leanly constructed western "The Professionals" tells as much story in its 117 minutes as some movies do in three hours. Columbia and Laurent Bouzerau have done a marvelous job of putting together this package.


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Reviews (38)

A Classic of the Crime Genre
Based on Truman Capote's book, "In Cold Blood" is a rare example of a film which does justice to its original source. Based on an actual mass murder which occured in Kansas in late 50's, this stark black-and-white film directed by Richard Brooks (who also wrote the screenplay) is not for the squeamish. The two murderers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, are excellently portrayed by Scott Wilson and Robert Blake. Two down-and-out losers, they plan what they believe will be a "major score" in the robbery of a supposedly wealthy Kansas farmer. But their partnership, and the psychopathic personality of Perry Smith, creates a third entity which results in the slaughter of the entire Klutter family. The last 30 minutes of this film are truly horrific, in flashback mode, and the brilliance of Richard Brooks' direction is that the murders are merely inferred by quick camera cuts that never show the killings on screen. The killers' executions at the end of the film are almost anti-climactic. See the film, then go read Capote's book; both are excellent accounts of this sad and savage story. This is a film that cries out to be released on DVD, with possible extra features being a documentary or two on the real-life killers and their actual capture. A much under-appreciated classic of film noir.

Good adaptation of a great book
Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" was hailed as a "non-fiction novel"; Richard Brooks' film adaptation is a semi-documentary film. Brooks doesn't sensationalize, however; the blood and gore of four horrible murders is kept to a bare minimum. We hear the gunshots but we don't see the carnage, and we don't need to; the power of suggestion does it all. Brooks keeps the movie strictly on track, from the night of the murder to the discovery of the crime the next morning; the killers' flight across country and the investigation by the detectives of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation which solved the crime and brought the perpetrators to justice.

The actors are all competent in their roles and there are some very good performances indeed in the supporting parts. But the outstanding performance in this film is Robert Blake as Perry Smith, and to a lesser extent, Scott Wilson as Dick Hickock. Blake's haunted expression as he says, right before his hanging, "I'd like to apologize. But who to?" makes the viewer feel all the tragedy of a wasted life.

The one problem with this otherwise fine screen adaptation is that we see far too little of the Clutters. We don't get to know them as people, their lives, how they interact. They're just people who get murdered one night. In the book they became living characters, people we felt we knew. In the movie, they're almost reduced to bit players. The book is about the Clutters, who were killed by Hickock and Smith; the movie is about Hickock and Smith who murdered a family named Clutter.

The book raced along with the speed of a good novel; the film moves at a slower pace, that of an investigative report. If we see too little of the Clutters, we really get inside the minds of Smith and Hickock, and it isn't very nice in there. Shooting the movie in black and white lends to the newsreel quality of the film. It's a stark, bare-bones movie, the right kind of film to depict a senseless crime that ultimately destroyed six lives.

2 thumbs up, 2 killers down :-)
"In Cold Blood" is the 1967 movie based on Truman Capote's non-fiction book about the murder of a family of four by Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson). Although the killers were expecting to get about $10,000 from the safe, it turns out there was no safe and they only got $40.

Filmed in black-and-white, the movie has very good cinematography, and includes several interesting cuts from scene to scene. In one shot, as Perry is in jail telling a rather sad story about his life, the shadows of the rain running down the window falls on his face and gives the impression of cascading tears. There are also several intercut flash-backs, mostly having to do with Smith's early family-life and abusive father, including the finale on the gallows.

The blues/jazzed-based score was composed by Quincy Jones, and was very good.

It was almost shear luck that the pair got nailed for the murders. Although they had passed bad checks and stolen some cars after the murders, the police had no evidence to connect them to the killings - except for some personal effects that Smith had mailed back to himself from Mexico and picked up just shortly before being arrested. After being found guilty in only 40 minutes of jury deliberation, the pair sat in jail a few years awaiting execution.

As it turns out, although Hickock actually came up with the plan, Smith did all the killings, mostly out of anger. So, as some have asked, was the killing "In Cold Blood" really theirs, or ours? Near the end, when a couple of journalists see the hangman go up the steps, they have this bit of dialog:
"Is he the, uh...?"
"Uh-huh..."
"How much does he get to hang them?"
"Three hundred dollars a man."
"Has he got a name?"
"We the people."

Well-acted by Blake and Wilson, and supporting roles for John Forsythe, Gerald S. O'Loughlin and Jeff Corey. Some of the jurors and other small parts are played by the actual people. Much of the locations are the actual locations, including the house where the killing took place.

The very last scene is not one you find in many movies.

DVD has nice anamorphic wide-screen movie, English or French spoken language, subtitles in 7 languages, chapter selection, and for once, a trailer worth watching. R-Rated, 134 minutes. The no-frills DVD is a bit pricey, but I'm giving the movie five stars on its own.

Dark, desolate film is poignant and powerful
Truman Capote's best-selling "non-fiction novel" was brought to the big screen by Richard Brooks and is a suspenseful, entertaining yet dark, spare film that details the slaughter of an innocent farm family by two ex-convicts. The moody black and white cinematography emphasizes the lonely, dreary, bleak Kansas prairies where the murders were committed and underscores the single-minded purpose and detached optimism with which the killers planned their deed. The events of that fateful night are told in a flashback, near the end of the film, a brilliant touch by Brooks to illustrate the horror and senselessness of the act by Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. The Clutter family's last day on earth shows them going about their tasks on their farm as the normal, content family they seem to have been, never realizing that evil forces were moving their way to destroy them. The authorities spare no effort in trying to bring the killers to justice and finally do so because of a reluctant prison informer and good fortune. Alvin Dewey [John Forsythe] and his three crack investigators pursue the two killers, and Paul Stewart's Jenson, who narrates the film as a reporter and criminal psychologist, may or may not represent Capote as he reconstructed the crime for his book. Quincy Jones' throbbing score is the perfect accompaniment to the film's somber narrative, suggesting Delta-type blues themes for some cues, and then switching to jazz rifts highlighted by a heavy base line for other scenes. The offbeat casting is perfect, with star-quality names left out of the film so the viewer's attention will focus on this tragic, true life story.

Chilling Adaptation of Capote's Controversial Novel
When Truman Capote published his 1966 novel IN COLD BLOOD--a story based on the actual 1959 murder of wealthy Kansas farmer Herbert Clutter and his family--he single-handedly established a new type of printed literature. Factual accounts of real-world crime had made it into print before, of course, but in writing HIS book, Capote combined in-depth journalistic research with the techniques of fiction writing, openly folding the facts of the case into invented dialogue and, for aesthetic purposes, sometimes combining the case's less important actors into single fictional characters. Capote himself referred to IN COLD BLOOD as a "non-fiction novel," and this approach to retelling real-life crimes in a pulp-like literary format would eventually evolve into the true-crime genre that is popular today.

Maverick filmmaker Richard Brooks saw the potential of Capote's work as a basis for an aesthetically literate and thematically powerful film and subsequently adapted it for the screen. Producing and directing the film himself, Brooks collaborated with talented cinematographer Conrad L. Hall to create a film that challenged the established Hollywood conception of what movie is supposed to be. Brooks rejected studio pressure to make the film in color, to cast well-known stars in the leading roles, and to soften the story's matter-of-fact depiction of the murders. Instead, he wanted to make a film that, like the novel upon which it was based, seemed raw, hard-boiled, and true to life.

In spite of the violent and senseless nature of the real-life murders, Capote's novel was intended to ultimately evoke feelings that would make the reader repudiate support of capital punishment. Having grown close to the murderers during his research, the author attempted to depict them as merely misguided human beings who were deserving of sympathy, understanding, and, above all, mercy. Capote wanted the reader to understand that a state-enforced, publicly sanctioned execution of the two killers would, in effect, simply increase the number of victims in the Cutter murder case by two, and he thought that his pseudo-journalistic approach would disguise his real message in a seemingly objective narrative account of the events. Brooks wanted to retain Capote's underlying intent, and he and Hall both realized that stark, somewhat grainy black-and-white photography would give the film a documentary feel and thereby reflect the novel's pseudo-realistic tone. Brooks also knew that casting big stars as the primaries in the film would skew the audience's perception of both the story and the characters, as would any softening of either the murders or the executions. Brooks was so obsessive about creating a sense of verisimilitude, in fact, that nearly all of the filming was done on location in the places where the events depicted occurred--including the same Kansas house in which the Cutter family was murdered. In addition, six of the actual jurors from the trial of the killers appeared in the film's trial scene, some of the extras in the film were real-life neighbors of the murdered family, and the hangman in the execution scene was THE hangman at the execution of the real-life killers!

So Brooks stood firm and got to make the film he wanted to make. And as the writer/director undoubtedly expected, IN COLD BLOOD generated controversy for its gratuitous violence (this in spite of the fact that the killings in the film occur outside the frame), its sympathy for the murderers, and its anti-capital-punishment stance. However, if the film--as well as its source material--has any flaw, it is the fact that it does not achieve its intended socio-political goal. The filmmakers and actors create such a sense of realism in the depiction of the cold-heartedness of the killings and the lack of contrition in the killers that, instead feeling a sense of injustice or cruelty when the murderers are executed, even the most liberal anti-death-penalty members of the audience generally go away feeling as though the killers got their just deserts. Nonetheless, IN COLD BLOOD is a well-made piece of noirish crime drama that has held up incredibly well over the years. As killers Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, actors Robert Blake--best known for his role in TV's BARETTA in the 1970s--and Scott Wilson deliver riveting, wholly believable performances. Conrad Hall's excellent cinematography does indeed give the film a gritty, documentary feel, and his excellent frame compositions simultaneously give an almost painterly quality to the imagery. Also notable is the jazzy score by Quincy Jones, which generates an early 1960s flavor without being too intrusive to the narrative.

IN COLD BLOOD earned Oscar nominations for Brooks' direction, his screenplay, Hall's cinematography, and Jones' score.

For the contemporary audience, IN COLD BLOOD might seem more socially or politically germane than ever in light of Robert Blake's relatively recent arrest and pending trial for the alleged murder of his wife. Ever since Blake was taken into custody, one of Conrad Hall's most famous shots from IN COLD BLOOD keeps popping up on TV in newscasts and such. The shot centers on Blake's face the night his character, Perry Smith, is scheduled to be hanged, and as he gazes out a rain-spattered window, the light shining through gives the impression that a torrent of tears are streaming down his face.

The DVD from Columbia/Tristar offers relatively nothing by way of extras, but the digital transfer is very good. IN COLD BLOOD is presented in anamorphic widescreen in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and though some filmic artifacts like scratches and dust appear from time to time, there are no visible digital artifacts. The black-and-white photography comes across with what is obviously the intended amount of contrast and graininess. The soundtrack is available in English via Dolby Digital 3.1 SurroundSound and in French via Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, with little noticeable hiss or distortion. Would've been nice if Columbia/Tristar had included a little bonus documentary about the real murder of the Clutter family, but this is nonetheless a very worthy disc to add to the collection of any film aficionado. ... Read more

Amazon.com

At last--a great American movie available on video for the first time in its original aspect ratio. For all the slasher pictures that have ripped off Psycho (and particularly its classic set piece, the "shower scene"), nothing has ever matched the impact of the real thing. More than just a first-rate shocker full of thrills and suspense, Psycho is also an engrossing character study in which director Alfred Hitchcock skillfully seduces you into identifying with the main characters--then pulls the rug (or the bathmat) out from under you. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as Norman Bates, the mama's boy proprietor of the Bates Motel; and so is Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, who makes an impulsive decision and becomes a fugitive from the law, hiding out at Norman's roadside inn for one fateful night. Psycho gets the masterpiece treatment it deserves on DVD, with extras including newsreel footage surrounding the making and release of the movie; an archive of production stills; the special trailer in which Hitchcock (acting as one of the original Universal Studio tour guides) himself leads viewers around the Bates place; credit designer Saul Bass's original "shower scene" story boards; posters and advertising materials for the movie's William Castle-like publicity campaign (No One Will Be Seated After the Feature Begins!); and a 90-minute documentary on the making of the film! What more could any movie fan possibly want? --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (319)

Hitchcock's Finest Film
Its amazing how still to this day, a movie made 40 years ago can continue to still scare you every time you view it. But thats exactly what Psycho does. The film never has a dull moment, and all its infamous scenes are just as startling as they were back in 1960. The story revolves around Marion Crane, searching to leave the big city, and live the american dream, she steals 40,000 dollars and travels to the outskirts of California. Along the way, she starts going a little paranoid after her boss sees her leaving the city, and she is chased by a local police officer. Overwhelmed by these feelings and the weather, she stops at the Bates Motel. The hotel, run by young Norman (Anthony Perkins in his finest role) has 12 open rooms. From here, the story starts to pick up. If you have never seen any scenes from Psycho, than the suprise you have will be amazing. There are plenty of plot twists and edge-of-your-seat moments. Hitchcocks directing is a high note. Just look at the scene between Marion and Norman in his parlor. The dialoug is great, directing is great and the acting is great. A all around great movie, and Hitchcocks best.

Don't Go Psycho after Watching "Psycho"
Director Alfred Hitchcock's movie, "Psycho" kept me at the edge of my seat throughout this classic thriller. Although the movie is in black and white, Hitchcock uses other special effects to add excitement. Not only that, but his wise choice of actors made the film that much more enjoyable. They portrayed the characters just as Hitchcock wanted them to. At the beginning of the movie, the plot is shifted in many directions. Hitchcock did an extraordinary job adding many twists into the story. "Psycho" is a famous, classical horror movie that will be a popular movie for many years to come.
Hitchcock knew what he was doing when he chose the characters that he did. Anthony Perkins, who played Norman Bates, used the perfect facial expressions and tone of voice to keep you guessing his innocence or guilt. When the investigator comes to his tiny, in-the-middle-of-nowhere hotel looking for Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), Perkins is nervous and stutters a lot. This suspicion leads you to believe he might have something to do with the disappearance of Marion, but in your head you're portraying Perkins as this nice, innocent hotel owner with great hospitality. Throughout the movie in many different scenes, Perkins uses very meaningful, evil, and friendly facial expressions that especially play out Bates' character. When Bates' is watching Marion through the window, you get the feeling that Bates' has something evil planned, but murder is not what jumped to my head right away.
Janet Leigh was another great actress for Hitchcock's film. She is a petite, vulnerable character that is marvelous for the role of a devious, suspicious blonde on the run with $40,000. I think Hitchcock knew what he was doing when he asked Leigh to be in his movie. It adds a whole other twist to the storyline.
The special effects make the movie outstanding all by themselves. One thing that really stands out in my mind is the soundtrack. The music adds to the horror and suspense of it all. Hitchcock selected music that terrifies you even if you weren't even looking at the screen. It really draws you into the scene like you're witnessing things firsthand.
Throughout the movie, the lighting and camera angles draw you in even more. Hitchcock uses outstanding shadows on the faces of the characters, and adds a dark, eerie glow to the dark nights at Bates' Motel. I especially liked the camera angles during the shower scene. Hitchcock zooms in really close, once again inviting the audience to be a part of the scene.
At the beginning of the movie, Marion Crane is with her boyfriend Sam, at a cheap motel over their lunch break. Unable to get married because Sam is still paying alimony to his ex-wife, Marion is drawn in to the perfect opportunity: She is trusted with $40,000 in which her boss orders her to take it to the bank at the end of the day. Instead, Marion flees the town to Sam's home in another town.
Tired from driving almost all through the night in a heavy rainstorm, Marion sees a hotel off the main highway and decides to stop. Here, she meets Norman Bates, the owner of the hotel. Being the nice hotel clerk that he appears to be, Norman offers Marion a late supper. She complies, and patiently waits for his return. In the meantime, she overhears Norman in an argument with his mother. This adds yet another twist in Hitchcock's film. After dinner, Marion tells Norman she wants to get cleaned up and get a good night's sleep, so he leaves, only to return later, leaving the audience in total shock after what comes next....
I think "Psycho" is an excellent horror film that will scare many viewers right out of the shower after watching it. Its constant mysteries and plot twists keep you thinking all the time. Although it may be quite gruesome, Hitchcock's film remains on my list for scariest movies of all time!

Not his BEST, but FULL of exciting scenes
I`ve seen this film numerous times and I have always found it a bit cold, made without passion. Sure the shower-scene in particular is a mind-blower, but Hitchcock was much better off in the suspense-genre... This story simply isn`t interesting enough. It reason may be that it always had a GREAT reputation and everyone who ever saw it knew if by heart and thus destroyed the first viewing of others... Another factor is that Janet Leigh is much 2 pretty and ladylike for her role. When I saw Anne Heche in the 1998 movie I realised that H E R Marion was indeed a low-life, tramp - sort of - who jumped at the chance of doing something stupid 2 her employer. Janet Leigh`s Marion is never at any moment stupid... Alas, Anne was much more satisfying, as were Viggo Mortensen and Julianne Moore.

John Gavin and Vera Miles are lifeless - cardboard stereotypes and that leaves us only with Martin Balsam and the great Anthony Perkins. THEY breath life into their characters and are the main reason I like this version. William Macy and Vince Vaughn repeated their roles, but eh..... hehehehe???????? Let there be silence. In 1983, Perkins reprised his role as Norman Bates to even better effect in the splendid PSYCHO II.

Mother says, "Watch this movie, or else!"
I don't know why it took me so long to review this film. Perhaps I've been extremely busy, but this creepy and memorable piece of cinema came into my mind a few days ago, and I haven't seen it in YEARS! Unsurprisingly though, I remember everything about it, as if I saw it yesterday. That's one of the many impacts PSYCHO has, no matter how many times it's viewed. (Just for the record, mine is three so far, which includes a USC screening with Hitchcock's own daughter and granddaughter providing a Q&A afterward.)

The master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock has outdone himself with this brilliant masterpiece. It's a taut, suspenseful little tale that paved the way for other thrillers and provided many firsts in cinema-

1) It was the first slasher film, EVER! Without PSYCHO, there would be no BLACK CHRISTMAS, no HALLOWEEN, no FRIDAY THE 13th, no SCREAM, etc. That's right folks, PSYCHO is the granddaddy of the slasher pic.

2) It was the first movie to show a woman (Janet Leigh) in just a bra and slip, an aspect used very cleverly by Hitchcock. In the opening scene, Marion Crane is wearing a white bra because Alfred Hitchcock wanted to show her as being "angelic". After she has taken the money, the following scene has her in a black bra because now she has done something wrong and evil. Similarly, before she steals the money, she has a white purse; after she's stolen the money, she carries a black one.

3) It was the first movie to show a flushing toilet on camera. This is a must know for any film buff.

Yup, PSYCHO did all those first. Learn it, live it, love it.

Anyway....Alfred Hitchcock anonymously bought the rights to Robert Bloch's great novel, for just $9,000. He then bought up as many copies of the novel as he could to keep the ending a secret. That's one of many things that made him so great. Hitchcock did take liberties when having the novel (which was more graphic) adapted, but they all work well. In Bloch's novel, Norman Bates is short, fat, older, and very dislikable. It was Hitchcock who decided to have him be young, handsome, and sympathetic. Norman is also more of a main character in the novel. The story opens with him and Mother fighting rather than following Marion from the start. I think that's one of the many reasons PSYCHO works so well. It also shocked audiences when Janet Leigh, who was advertized as the star, bit the dust a mere 50 minutes into the film. (SCREAM used this tactic by offing Drew Barrymore less than 15 minutes into the picture.)

The picture is filmed in black and white because Alfred Hitchcock believed the movie would be too gory for color. That adds to the creepiness and makes the film more effective, as the horrible colored remake proved.

A brilliant and much duplicated score by Hermann Bernard adds to the atmosphere and builds the suspense. Hitchcock originally envisioned the shower sequence as completely silent, but Bernard Herrmann went ahead and scored it anyway and Hitch immediately changed his mind. I couldn't imagine the movie any other way.

However, what makes PSYCHO truly immortal, when so many films are already half-forgotten, is that it connects directly with our innermost fears: Our fears that we might impulsively commit a crime, our fears of the police, our fears of becoming the victim of a madman, and of course our fears of disappointing our mothers.

Speaking of mothers, you wouldn't want to disappoint Norma Bates would you? I thought not, so see the film, before you make mother really angry....

Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock is definitely the most legendery film director of all time. His work is beyond amazing, without a doubt. Psycho is among the many greats of Alfred Hitchcock and will remain a classic.

Starting off in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday, December 11th, 1960. The beautiful MARION CRANE (played by Janet Leigh) has rented a posh hotel room with her boyfriend, SAM LOOMIS (played by John Gavin), during her lunchbreak. Marion has to get back to work, while Sam has to get back to Fairvelle. Marion gets back to work a little late, but lucks out in knowing that her boss, GEORGE LOWERY (played by Vaughn Taylor) is late himself, for he is in a meeting. In comes George Lowery, following a businessman named, Tom Cassidy (played by Frank Albertson). He walks over to Marion and begins telling her about his 18-year old daughter tying the knot. He hands Marion $40,000, the money Mr. Cassidy will be using to buy his daughter a house as a wedding present. George invites Tom into his office and tells Marion to bank the $40,000 until the following Monday. Marion asks George for permission to take the rest of the day off because of her supposed headache and goes on her way.

While in her bedroom, Marion packs a suitcase and changes clothes. She so temptingly stares at the $40,000 and tries to restrain herself, but not for long, for, in one quick movement, she steals the $40,000 and heads out to her car. Seems as though that Marion is on her way to Fairvelle to see Sam. While at a red light, she notices George crossing in front of her. Unfortunately, he notices Marion, but Marion, as worried as she is about having being noticed, continues on her way. She drives into dusk until pulling over to sleep. The next morning, Marion is awakened by a suspicious cop. She nervously talks to the cop and goes on her way, as the cop follows her. She pulls into a dealership and requests to trade in her car for another. She makes her decision rather quickly and pays for it with her car, plus $700.

She drives on her through the morning, afternoon, and into dusk. Suddenly, it's starts to storm. She gets off a main road and finds The Bates Motel sitting quietly off the highway as if it were hidden from it. She gets out and sees nobody in the office. She looks up and finds a sinister looking house and notices, through a window, an elderly woman walking about. She beeps her car horn until someone comes running out. He finally comes to Marion's aide and takes her inside. The man who took Marion inside the office is NORMAN BATES (played by Anthony Perkins), a seemingly-sweet young man, who owns both the house and motel. He checks Marion in to cabin No. 1 because 'it's closer in case you want anything'. Marion says she wants sleep more than anything, except maybe some food. Norman invites her to the house for some sandwiches. As he goes off to make the sandwiches, Marion hears a woman, viciously yelling at Norman. The woman is the elderly woman Marion saw and it turns out that the woman is Norman's mother. Norman yells back and comes back into Marion's room. The two have supper in Norman's polar, which is located in the back of the office. The polar is decorated with stuffed birds. Turns out that Norman's hobby is taxidermy. They have a brief conversation, leading to Marion wanting to get some sleep. She goes off into her cabin and gets ready to take a shower. She steps in and begins washing herself. While in the middle of her shower, the curtain opens to reveal a dark figure of an elderly woman. Marion turns around and screams in fright as she is murdered in cold blood. The woman disappears and Norman comes in to erase the crime.

A week later, a young woman runs into Sam Loomis' store and demands to talk to Sam. Sam comes out and walks over to the young woman. The young woman is LILA CRANE (played by Vera Miles), Marion's curious sister. She tells Sam what Marion had done the Friday before. As Sam and Lila are talking about it, a private investigator by the name of MILTON ARBOGAST (played by Martin Balsam) comes in and begins talking to Sam and Lila about Marion. He goes off to investigate and comes across Norman and The Bates Motel. He questions Norman, but claims that Marion stayed overnight and left early the next morning. Arbogast then sees Norman's mother and asks to question her, but Norman refuses. Arbogast calls Lila and Sam, gives them the news and goes into the house to question Norman's mother, only to be killed by her.

Lila and Sam have been waiting for Arbogast to return for three hours. Sam drives up there, but finds no Arbogast, but only Norman's mother. He drives back to Lila and they visit SHERIFF AL CHAMBERS (played by John McIntire). Al and his wife, ELIZA CHAMBERS listen to Lila and Sam's story of Marion's disappearance and of Arbogast's disappearance. Sam says that when he went up there, he too noticed Norman's mother. Both Al and Eliza make them aware of the death of Norman's mother that happened ten years earlier. Sam is certain of seeing Norman's mother in the house. The next morning, Lila and Sam drive up to the motel and decide to check in as man and wife, in order to search the motel. They are checked in by Norman. They settle in and begin searching Cabin No.1 and find that it was occupied by Marion. Sam tells Lila to take the job of questioning Mrs. Bates, while he distracts Norman. Lila enters Norman's fruitcellar, only to see that Mrs. Bates is dead, as the real killer is finally revealed. If you're wise, you'll take showers with the curtains open forever. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Elvis at his best
Elvis came of age as a dramatic character actor in his third film, utilising his innate animalism as the primary character's motivation. As Vince Everett, a violent young man imprisoned for man-slaughter, Elvis plays the character with ease, at once tender, surly, arrogant and humble. The film studio's motivation may have been to exploit the rock'n'roll bandwagon for all it was worth (this was 1957 after all - rock was just a "passing fad") but Elvis rose to a greater challenge - to prove that he could pass muster as a big-screen actor, AND fly the rock'n'roll flag. He succeeded - brilliantly.

Even if the direction is a little staid at times, and the storyline was an old one even then, the film brought rock'n'roll squarely into the adult marketplace, where it stayed.
Alex Romero's imaginative choreography of the title number(with not a little help from Elvis himself), risque dialogue ("that ain't tactics honey, it's just the beast in me") and the bleak, anti-social central character (the Hollywood stereotype of youth during the 50s - see "The Wild One" and "Blackboard Jungle") combined to create an iconic portrayal of the "Rock Rebel".
"Jailhouse Rock" remains the template for the cinematic fusion of rock music and drama.

The King at his cinematic best
A dynamic presentation of Elvis' true acting skills and some great songs. In an ironic reflection of real life, Vince Everett's [Elvis' character] cellmate plays a manipulative con, taking control of Elvis' talent - much like Elvis' real manager - "Colonel" Tom Parker.
Best seen in widescreen mode, the DVD offers both that opportunity, plus the standard full-screen pan & scan version.
A must-see movie, whether or not you are a fan of the King.

kick ass
elvis is the best musician ever im only 19 and i think hes awesome my role model

dodi
Purchased the tape recently and have enjoyed watching it several times. I haven't been a real fan of Elvis until recently and now I can't get enough. So far this is the first movie of him that I have seen. I think his acting was fine and I loved the songs in the movie. Looking foeward to the other movies I have also purchased. I prefer him in his younger years than in the seventies. I think it was a tragedy for him to have died so young. I wish I had paid more attention to him in the seventies while I was younger and he was still alive.

a very hot rock and roll movie
elvis at his very best, before his army days....
the sound track recordings for the movie and the
r.c.a. record are very good...

see this, and elvis will win you over..!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Before The Wild Bunch, there was The Professionals,Richard Brooks's marvelous ode to friendship, loyalty, and disillusionment. It may not have the stylistic bravado or fatalistic doom of the legendary Sam Peckinpah film, but Brooks's storytelling is simple and steady and just as insightful. The difference is Brooks is a lot more optimistic. Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster are buddies who have drifted into oblivion after fighting together in the Mexican Revolution. Marvin, the principled loyalist and munitions expert, lost his wife and his heart. Lancaster, the dynamite expert and unprincipled adventurer, keeps losing his pants. They team up with wrangler Robert Ryan and archer Woody Strode to rescue the beguiling Claudia Cardinale, who has been kidnapped by their old revolutionary buddie Jack Palance. So it's back into bloody Mexico they go on a "mission of mercy" for railroad tycoon Ralph Bellamy, who's paying handsomely for the return of his wife.

But nothing is what it seems in this exciting, existential adventure, which was beautifully shot by Conrad Hall. Sarcastic quips, philosophical musings, and heart-rending reversals underlie Brooks's humanistic sentiments. These are tired, world-weary men who somehow find the strength and the will to pull together for the sake of love and commitment. Through it all, Brooks seems to be lamenting a decline in professionalism much deeper than his story. He's decrying Hollywood and the society at large, anticipating Peckinpah's later strategy. --Bill Desowitz ... Read more

Reviews (21)

CLINT ' S SHADOW
In the sixties, Howard Hawks, Richard Brooks, Sam Peckinpah and a few other american directors tried to challenge the -spaghetti- westerns filmmakers who were following the steps of an inspired Sergio Leone. Richard Brooks's THE PROFESSIONALS is, in my opinion, one of the last masterpieces Hollywood has produced in this very peculiar genre : the Western.

With a legend of the screen, Burt Lancaster, three first-class actors of the Dream Factory's golden era, Robert Ryan, Jack Palance and Lee Marvin and, at last, an italian star, Claudia Cardinale, Richard Brooks had all the living material to build a solid western. And he did it.

THE PROFESSIONALS is not a lyric movie nor a nostalgic one. Robert Ryan and Lee Marvin don't regret their past, they only try to survive with their particular skills in the 1915-1920 America. They don't feel outcasted by the new century because they have something to believe in : friendship, respect and compassion.

The pathetic couple Jack Palance-Claudia Cardinale has the terrible task to symbolize the ineluctable destiny of all revolutions ; pure in their beginnings, they become soon the whore of all human lowest vices and passions. In this perspective, THE PROFESSIONALS is one of the most realistic movies I've had the opportunity to see. It's also clearly a very personal movie of director Richard Brooks, a director who should absolutely be rediscovered one of these days.

The choice between the wide-screen and the standard (beurk !) version, a trailer, different subtitles and rather extended filmographies as bonus features. Perfect sound and above-average images, even in the multiple night scenes.

A DVD for your library.

One Of The Greats
Can there be any better actors than Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode and Jack Palance. And then you throw in Ralph Bellamy and Claudia Cardinale and you have one of the great movies of all time. All these personalities create individual characters that work together as well as against each other in a rousing tale of intrigue, love, and deception. Keeps you interested from beginning to end as the characters and story unfold to a surprise ending. Some of the best one liners I've heard in a long time. A must for anyone who enjoys good acting, a tight script, and action -- all in one movie.

"In this desert, nothing's harmless until it's dead."
Given the credentials of the people involved in bringing The Professionals (1966) to the screen, written and directed by Richard Brooks, who also did The Killers (1946), Key Largo (1948), Elmer Gantry (1967), and In Cold Blood (1967), starring Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode, and Jack Palance (Believe it....or not!), you would have thought I would have heard about it before now, but I didn't, and there you go...

Anyway, the film begins with the assemblage of four men by a rich, Texas cattleman named Joe Grant, played by Ralph Bellamy (the old dude who wasn't Don Ameche in the John Landis/Eddie Murphy/Dan Aykroyd movie Trading Places), for the purpose of rescuing his young wife Maria, played by the voluptuous Claudia Cardinale, from the clutches of her kidnapper, a Mexican rebel bandit named Jesus Raza (Palance). Seems Raza has made off with the woman and is now demanding $100,000 for her safe return, an amount Mr. Grant would be willing to pay, except he fears that even after he pays the monies, Raza would still harm his wife. As the men come together with the offer of $10,000 apiece if they're successful, we learn of their particular talents. First there's Henry 'Rico' Fardan (Marvin), a master tactician and someone who actually knows Raza as they served together in the Mexican revolution, followed by Bill Dolworth (Lancaster), who also served with Fardan and Raza, and is an expert with explosives, Hans Ehrengard (Ryan), whose skills involve horse wrangling, and finally Jake Sharp (Strode), an expert with weapons, specifically guns and the bow and arrow, and also an experienced tracker. Given that Raza has a good number of men at his disposal, I'd say maybe close to 200, the task would seem highly unlikely, but the men also must deal with first getting to the camp, which involves trekking through the Mexican desert, where temperatures during the day could fry your face off, while the cold night after the sun drops is nearly enough to freeze your blood, but $10,000 is a lot of money, and the group, being men of honor, did give their word, fully aware of the dangers involved, and the probability of success.

While the story may not be highly original, the elements that make it up work very well to make this a highly enjoyable movie. Marvin is great as the brains behind the operation, carefully planning everything, knowing exactly what he has to work with and also having the confidence in the men to perform their tasks, keeping things simple, and avoiding complexities that would normally foul things up. He pulls off his character well, an intelligent man would understands the value in proper preparation especially when the odds are high. Lancaster is also wonderful, presenting a highly likeable character with color, one whose priorities seem simple enough in money and women, but who also exhibits more depth as the film unfolds. Ryan (a highly under-rated actor, in my opinion) and Strode are also quite good, despite the lack of character development given to Marvin and Lancaster, which isn't a negative as we are given just enough to endear the characters to the audience, but not so much to bog the film down, and all four displayed a level of credibility respective to the skills each possessed. Claudia Cardinale was certainly nice to look at, and she was capable, but if I had to choose a weak link in the film, it would probably be her, but given how well all the other elements of the film worked, this was entirely a minor issue. Now when I heard Jack Palance was going to be playing a Mexican, I had my doubts as I just couldn't see it, but he pulled it off. We didn't see much of him in the first half, but in the last half his character really came to life, giving us more than just a character motivated by greed, but one driven by his ideology, in doing what he has to to survive and further his cause. The expansive desert scenes throughout the film are really beautiful, giving a wonderful backdrop to the story, providing a realism you just can't get shooting on a studio backlot. There were a number of twists and turns within the story, as very little is as it seems, and while some of it was predictable, this did little to take away from the film. I also enjoyed the study of the motivations of the various characters, their questioning of the moralism in past and present actions. The film could have gotten mired within this element, but, as with other elements of the movie, there was just enough present to keep things interesting and add a bit of welcome diversity while not taking away from the overall story. The movie does run just under 2 hours, but rarely slows down, as the excellent direction by Brooks keeps things fairly balanced and moving along at a good pace.

The digitally remastered picture here looks amazing, available in both wide screen and full screen formats, and I thought the audio was also very good, being very crisp and clear. With regards to special features, there is any number of subtitles (including English) available, along with an original theatrical trailer and somewhat comprehensive, yet concise, biographies of the talent, including selected filmographies. Also included on the insert in the DVD case are production notes which detail the people involved, the locations the film was shot, along with information about the original release date and the various awards nominations the film received. All in all an excellent film, maybe not the quintessential western of Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (1969), but certainly required viewing for fans of western films and certainly worth looking into for anyone just interested in a good film in general.

Cookieman108

The Dirty Who?
Look...let me cut right to the chase on this film.
It's an ignored classic.
Why...?...I do not know.
I even looked up Lee Marvin under Ask Jeeves and there was a Bio... very detailed... that I pulled up that did not even mention this film.
I think it to be Marvin's best.
Yes...better that the Dirty Dozen which has become a Mantra title for some Marvin fans.
The performances of Marvin and Lancaster are impeccable and charged with a timeless charisma that is also exhibited by Woody Strode and Robert Ryan as well.
I have seen this movie now several times now and could sit down and watch it again and still enjoy it.
Everything about this movie works at just the right time and in just the right way.
This is one of the great films to ever come out of the 1960's and certainly a "have to own" item for any Lancaster, Marvin, Strode or Ryan fan.
Oddly...few people, who love westerns, admire Marvin, Lancaster, Strode or Ryan...have ever heard of it.
Pass the word.....

Wild Bunch I
Ever since Sam Peckinpah made The Wild Bunch in 1969, he has received credit for creating a unique, poetic western masterpiece about the passing of a certain time (the late 19th century), place (the "West," specifically the American Southwest and Mexico), and type of man (a criminal or gunslinger with a code of honor). And The Wild Bunch IS a masterpiece - but it is not unique.

Its ballet of slow-motion blood came from Arthur Penn's 1967 instant classic, Bonnie and Clyde. And much, much more, in terms of story, place, and atmosphere - hard men hired to go on a violent mission to Mexico - came from this 1966 movie, which Richard Brooks directed and wrote, based on Frank O'Rourke's novel, A Mule for the Marquesa. An honest assessment of either movie requires that one discuss the other. Of The Wild Bunch, because it owes so much to The Professionals; of The Professionals, because it has largely, and unfairly, been relegated to obscurity, due to the legendary status of The Wild Bunch.

The Professionals has a dream cast - the four men of the title are played by Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan and Woody Strode. But there's so much more - in those politically incorrect days, Italian star Claudia Cardinale could play a Mexican spitfire ("Maria Grant"), while Jack Palance could portray a Mexican revolutionary ("Raza"). Ralph Bellamy plays railroad tycoon "J.W. Grant," whose Mexican wife, Maria, has been kidnapped, and Marie Gomez plays yet another spitfire ("Chiquita"). (Note that the spitfires are both handy with six-shooters.) The story unfolds ca. 1920, under the shadow of Pancho Villa and the recently concluded Mexican Revolution.

The four men of the title - experts in explosives (Lancaster, as "Bill Dolworth"), weapons (Marvin, as leader "Rico Fardan"), horses (Ryan, as "Hans Ehrengard"), and tracking and using a bow and arrow (Strode, as "Jacob Sharpe") - are hired to rescue the tycoon's wife, whose captor demands $100,000 ransom. The tycoon will pay the men $10,000 each, should they successfully complete their mission. But they must brave the searing heat of the Mexican desert going in and returning, and best a gang that outnumbers them over 30-1. Note that Dolworth and Fardan were expressly chosen for the mission, because they had long fought alongside Raza, for Pancho Villa.

Brooks, a onetime newspaperman and novelist who had an eclectic, successful career writing, helming, and sometimes producing social dramas (Blackboard Jungle, Something of Value, Elmer Gantry), westerns (The Last Hunt, Bite the Bullet), psychological stories (Lord Jim, In Cold Blood) and female-centered pictures, particularly based on Tennessee Williams plays (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Sweet Bird of Youth, Looking for Mr. Goodbar), packs enough movie into The Professionals for two and a half hours, rather than the hour-fifty it runs. (I expect that he was under strict instructions regarding length.) The story opens by deftly sketching each character in about thirty seconds, has several excellent action set-pieces -- Lancaster insisted on doing all his own stunts -- and yet, leaves time for irony, for wistfulness, for gallows humor.

At one point, Burt Lancaster's Bill Dolworth muses, "Maybe there's only been one revolution since the beginning - the good guys versus the bad guys. The question is - who are the good guys?" (...)

The Professionals has several surprises, some humorous and some poignant, and a simpatico, South-of-the-Border-style score by Maurice Jarre. And some great lines(...)

The acting by the four "professionals" is wonderfully natural (especially Marvin's line readings), the work by Palance and Gomez wonderfully over the top.

Like most great movies, particularly westerns, this movie could not be made today. Hispanic ethnic hustlers would demand that mediocre Hispanic actors play the Cardinale and Palance roles. And no black actor today would play the Woody Strode role as written, and no white director would have the nerve to make him do it. Too realistic. At the height of Jim Crow, the railroad tycoon asks Fardan, "Do you have any problem working with a Negro?" And while whites usually address Jacob Sharpe by his first name, he always addresses white men as "Mister," as in "Mr. D," and "Mr. Sheriff." You can hate it all you want, but that's the way it was.

Raza : How do you come to this dirty business?
Dolworth: The usual -- money.
Raza: Everything is as usual. I need guns and bullets -- as usual. The war goes badly -- as usual. Only you -- you are not as usual.

The Wild Bunch cannot be properly measured, without taking into consideration the standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants factor. And even if one should still conclude that The Wild Bunch is more powerful than The Professionals, in the way that Peckinpah is poetry to Brooks' prose, one still must give Richard Brooks his due.

(The DVD offers both full-screen and widescreen versions, cast information, the theatrical trailer, and scene selections. The sound and color resolution are excellent. Considering the lack of extras, the DVD is pricey ... yet it is worth every cent.)

The Critical Critic, April 7, 2004. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Rafael Mendez
I like that Mr.Mendez. He can really play that horn. Hot i tell you.. hot! Anyways folks, I recommend that you awll buy this fantastic root in tootin' slam here footin' horse riding shootin' movie! You'll love it and as for Mendez. He is the greatest.

How could they release this in Pan & Scan????
This is a wonderful look at the "real" West for a change; warts and all. BUT, and it is a big BUT, it needs to be seen as originally filmed not cut for television. Neverthless I'll keep this copy and then buy it again when it is released in Widescreen. Why do those who support the rights of directors and complain when someone "messes" with "their" product think nothing of chopping a film to fit a televion screen.

Western Fan
This moive had everything that made it easy to remember. Glen Ford was always a standup kind of guy and could be hard as nails, or gentle. Jack Lemmon was like a new born calf looking for how to walk on his unsteady legs. The other actors were very good and there was no over acting, they fit their roles perfectly, as a person that enjoys good stunts this one was not lacking in that department. I would watch this moive often,as it is good entertainment.

Giddy-Up!
Very amusing western with Jack Lemmon learning the cowboy-way by pro Glenn Ford. Colorful and entertaining and one of the classics. Waiting only for "The Sheepman".

Watch out for saddle sores!
This "fish-out-of-water" story has Jack Lemmon turn from a dude into a hard-bitten cowhand in this enjoyable trail drive western. Glenn Ford, who always looks at home in a saddle, is along for the ride as the trail boss. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com

All Gladys Glover wants is to make a name for herself in New York--which explains the giant billboard with her name plastered across it. Celebrity, of course, follows. It Should Happen to You proves that the concept of "being famous for being famous" did not arrive with Angelyne or Paris Hilton. This comedy was designed for the dumb-blonde talents of the expert Judy Holliday, re-uniting with Born Yesterday writer Garson Kanin and director George Cukor. She's in prime form, and some of her scenes with Jack Lemmon (his film debut) have a spritzy give-and-take. (Alas, his character, a documentary filmmaker, is a bit of a nag.) The media satire is a little dated, from a 21st-century perspective, and a subplot with soap magnate Peter Lawford doesn't wash. The pleasures are in Cukor's airy Manhattan location shots and Holliday's offbeat line readings, her lasting gift from a brief career. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Description

By Percy MacKaye. In a 17th century Massachusetts town, a scarecrow is magically transformed into a man and charged with the mission of destroying true love. Spectacular performances by two-time OscarÂn a 17th century Massachusetts town, a scarecrow is magically transformed into a man and charged with the mission of destroying true love. Spectacular performances by two-time Oscar®-nominee Gene Wilder (Young Frankenstein, The Producers)and Tony® Award-winner Blythe Danner (Butterflies Are Free). Also starring Norman Lloyd and Will Geer (The Waltons). ... Read more

Reviews (3)