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Robert Redford's underrated directorial follow-up to his Academy Award-winning Ordinary People, The Milagro Beanfield War is a loose and whimsical fable about community pride and social activism in the face of modern progress. Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman) plays a local mechanic in a small New Mexico town who takes up the challenge of rallying support for a local farmer who uses water owned by a real estate developer to grow beans in his field. Everything escalates to a showdown between the townspeople and the developers, with unexpected results. The strongest aspect of the film is the way it doesn't take itself too seriously, with Redford adopting a leisurely tone and allowing his fine cast (including Ruben Blades as the pragmatic town sheriff and Christopher Walken as a nasty state police officer) to deliver finely nuanced performances that touch on themes of faith and perseverance without seeming heavy-handed. The Milagro Beanfield War is an overlooked gem. --Robert Lane ... Read more

Reviews (36)

A real New Mexican comments
You can read in other reviews about the DVD quality, the excellent cinematography, and the passable acting (a bit over-acted on Sonia Bragga's part, but not as bad as in "moon Over Parador").Redford is also a good director.If you can choke down another socialist good-people-of-the-land versus greedy developer plot, this isn't a bad film.

Milagro in reality is Truchas, NM, a very old hardscrabble Spanish farm village between Chimayo and Penasco (that's in the real high country north of Santa Fe).Water rights are indeed sacred there and it is a delightful area if you don't mind a snowy winter and being a long way from a supermarket.or the new age nutballs coming in from Santa Fe.....

But it's not the edenic area the film makes it out.This would have been a way better film if the director and writer had admitted that the average folk in that area have really severe drug problems and aren't exactly high on smarts or initiative.

Nonetheless, a cute little film and a great look at my home asrea in glorious northern NM.

DVD should be splendid.
I received the UK DVD release of The Milagro Beanfield War several months ago and the digital transfer of this beautiful film is truly breathtaking-- the saturated colors, the wonderful New Mexico light. If the British DVD is any indication, viewers should be in for a very special treat. A great cast. A warm, whimsical slice of life which affectionately captures the wonderful essence of New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment. Not to be missed!!!

Overlooked for far too long
Others have summarized the plot below so I will try to add a few relevant thoughts.First of all, the story is basically a skim off the John Nichols novel.Like all his books, it is so deep in back story that no movie can contain more than a tithe of the actual narrative.This screenplay actually does it justice, though.The strength of the work is not the plot but the characters.In Nichols' novel, each character has such richness and depth, they become very much alive and real.Sadly, no movie can ever capture all of that, but I think Redford's efforts here managed to pick up enough of it to make the film work because the most important character in the film is the town of Milagro itself.By getting even a glimpse of such venerable old-timers as Amarante Cordova, Onofre Martinez, and Nick Rael's crazy mother, we understand much more of Milagro's personality.

Within the movie we get some very nice depth added to other characters, as well.Reuben Blades as Sheriff Bernabe Montoya, for example, is tripping over his feet jumping a ditch in one scene and using cunning wisdom to disarm a firefight in the next.Sonia Braga's passive-aggressive manipulation of John Heard's lawyer-activist is brilliantly played by both of them.James Gammon as Horsethief Shorty, the one Anglo who may love Milagro as much as the local Hispanics, is perfectly played, as well.

The film is beautifully photographed and Redford's love of the American Southwest is visually documented here with a very nice touch.The soundtrack also adds a lot of character to the piece and is very well placed.Finally, two small roles that I thought added a lot to the movie were Julie Carmen as Nancy Mondragon, Joe's wife, and also Freddy Fender as Milagro's mayor, Sammy Cantu.

Overall, this is one of those movies that isn't so much about what happens in the film as it is about how the director and the actors portray it, which in this case is done beautifully.

Great Film-Better News
Milagro is the classic good vs. evil/David vs. Goliath story but not as serious as most of the others. The little guy occasionally gets help from the strangest places-his own townfolk. This is a great family movie with minimal profanity.
Now the good news-thanks to all the letters to the distributor, this will be released in Region 1 DVD on or about may 31, 2005.
Horrayyy!!!!! for the little guy-you and I can make a difference.

A Former New Mexican
It's Christmas and two years since we left New Mexico.I wanted to order The Milagro Beanfield War for my husband for Christmas and was so sad to find it's not available on DVD.I was in Santa Fe for the premiere and saw Robert Redford strollng around the plaza.
It's a beautiful movie; full of humor, great characters and beautiful scenery.
We can't get green chile or our Christmas tamales here, but had hoped to feel New Mexico again by watching this movie.I hope to see it soon on DVD. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

View the Power of the essence of Love.......
Wow, I don't know where to begin. I always wondered where the days went, when a man would kiss a woman and she would lift her leg behind her. As a man who is married with two young kids, I found this movie to be beyond romantic. I pursued my wife in college with the same vigor as Matt (Richard Gere) pursued Jean (Lisa Eichhorn). In an odd kind of way my wife resembles Jean, a naive beautiful woman whom I decided that I could not live without. As a self-proclaimed romantic and one regularly read Frost, this movie captured my heart. I can't stop talking about the subtlness of the love between Matt and Jean. Also, I found Helen (Vanessa Redgrave) and John (William Devane) to be absoulety devine, their story touched my soul. Specifically, toward the end while she was in the church. The ending of this movie is a marvel, I can only hope that it is nominated or re-nominated for an Oscar... Thank you Matt, Jean, Helen, and John, thank you for allowing Love to be so Real.......

Frost once said, " Love is the irrestible desire of being irrestibly desired". I'm a life long fan...Thanks

A sweet love story
Richard Gere has said this was one of his favorite movies. It's a tender love story and a study in cultural contrasts between the U. S. soldiers camped all over England in the days before D-Day, and the local British citizens. As a young soldier in foreign surroundings, facing the upcoming test of battle, Richard Gere shows the gentleness of heart which has endeared him to movie audiences in later films.

Pretty good, unusual movie.
The film covers the impact on a small yorkshire town of the arrival of american GIs from 1942 to 1944. The main thrust is that of a love story rather than a war film.

Although the writing is not going to set anyone on fire with excitement, the subject and the emotions of the characters are handled well. All the leads (Gere, DeVane, Eichorn, Redgrave) are at their best, although Eichorns performance does show some signs of the fact it is her debut.

The film works as entertainment rather than art, and is more an interesting study of the impact of loneliness than as a historical piece. In essence, the film could have been an hour long and acheived all that it does. Having said that, it can hold your attention for the full runnning time, and only one or two scenes are really unnecessary (such as the racist fight scenes at the dance).

Overall, I quite liked this film, and it was quite refreshing to have Yorkshire accented English people alongside Americans (although Eichorn's accent is terrible!) rather than the ubiquitous cockneys we usually get.

My main criticism is that it would work better on TV, by which I mean it is too fragmented. For instance the relationship between Redgrave and her son at school and the effect of an absent father figure, is touched on but not fully explored. The characters could have been much better exploited in this format, giving the audience more opportunity to care and become involved. Mini-series, people!

It was also a shock to see that the film was produced in 1979. Watch it, and wonder why a lot of american films of the same time are so shoddily produced.

and english review
Just to let you know that I watched this film many years ago and have been ever since trying to get hold of it. It is a must to watch and brings to life the war when the americans came over to britain. I am still waiting for it to come out on DVD and trying to find it so i can play it on my vhs, ( i am from england and i will keep looking!!!!) Any way i highly recommend this and you will be very satisfied.

Beautifully made, romantic wonder
This is full out one of the most moving romances ever made - the last scenes are so gripping, so heartfelt, so overpowering in their romantic feeling.

It also succeeds superbly as social history of the impact of American soldiers on a British town in W.W.II.

I completely agree with the reviewer below about falling in love with the American actress Lisa Eichhorn playing a northern English shopkeeper's daughter in love with Richard Gere- I've been smitten ever since. Her beauty, reserve, intelligence, grace are extraordinary - she can somehow project vast depth in her character. (She does the same in her other movies - check out her name in imdb.com to rent them).

Gere is awfully good - unassuming, usually courteous, sweet -I like his dashing self in most other movies but he's just right here. Vanessa Redgrave is superb - Devane is ok - I might have preferred someone a bit more like Cliff Robertson in look, voice, gesture and manner to play the American officer so at ease with an English upper class woman - borrowing books, opining on English public schools, listening to her play the cello. Devane's voice is more that of a tough guy.

I'd also say the screenwriters skimp a bit in fleshing out the charcters of the two 'chippy' working class characters.

Gee - these are minor criticisms - this is a wonderful, heart swelling movie. That old phrase "see it with someone you love" is definitely appropriate - yet it's very much a movie with appeal to men and women. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Scorned was alot better
Even the unrated version of this movie was a disapoinment.All of the "special" scenes were either slow,or broken up with parts of other stuff happening in the movie.If you really want to see Tweed at her sexiest,see "Scorned"!

Marcia Clark, Eat Your Heart Out!
Okay, so this is hardly TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD... you're not watching this video for high courtroom drama, but Playboy model-turned-actress Shannon Tweed turns in her now-regular well-curved exposure, while escaping the clutches of the D.A., expertly played by a real actress, Elaine Giftos. Worth seeing if not believing.

Like a cold shower
A fairly decent story.If you were expecting to see a lot of nude Tweed you will however be disapointed.The sex scenes are very contrived and as sexy as dried cow dung.Ms Tweed is still a great looker but the bod is going!!!!

Let's be realistic
I'm pretty sure that if you rent this movie, you generally understand what is instore, after all, it is the fourth movie in the series, and hopefully you are not starting with the fourth movie in the series. If you are renting this movie, you hopefully looked at the box and read the movie title, and because you rented it, you are looking to see some hot sex and T&A. This movie will not let you down, as you get to see the industry's best in one of her sexiest performances ever. This movie delivers at that level, which is probobly all you care about. If you are looking for character and plot development, you should get out of the mystery section of the videostore, because neither this video, nor most other's in the genre are for you. However, I think if you are renting this movie to see some great soft-core sex scenes, you'll get you're money's worth. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

For good, sleazy fun, check this fun T&A-fest out!!
I was never a huge fan of the first "Body Chemistry" and this made me not want to see the first sequel. However, I was intrigued by this entry into the already rather bland series (as erotic thrillers go, they're a tease at best, since they don't come in UNRATED editions), not only for the presences of Andrew Stevens (the hottie king of erotic smut) and Morgan Fairchild, but for the plot.

For those who don't know (and there are probably a lot who fit that category), "Point of Seduction's" plot revolves around a TV Producer named Alan Clay (Stevens) and his wife Beth Chaney (Fairchild), a soap star on a trashy nighttime soap called "Empire." Beth is looking for a magnum opus role for TV that her fans will truly remember her for, while Alan wants a production he can really sink his teeth into.

Alan hires an aspiring writer named Freddie(?) to write a script about the story of Dr. Clare Archer, a possible sociopathic radio psychiatrist who has been stalked by two of her former lovers. These supposed stalkings resulted in both their deaths. Of course, these are the two previous entries in the series.

Clare (this time played by Sherri Sattuck) objects at first, but after a night of steamy lovemaking with Alan in a hotel room after the power goes out, she gives into his ideas. And the usual trouble ensues. Is she a temptress in distress, or a heartless, bitchy murderess (gasp!)

It was SO much fun watching this corny flick, because the actors try to be so serious, but instead are wooden, melodramatic, and ultimately unconvincing. But it was intentional, to an extent, I'm sure. Also, the film was made by classic smut jockey Jim "Remove Your Tops, Please, Ladies!" Wynorski, who gave the late-night direct-to-video crowd other "gems" such as "Sorceress," and "Sins of Desire."

Soap fans will undoubtedly enjoy this, as it is a tighter 90-minute version with a LOT of flesh you'll never see on TV!

Overall rating: *** out of *****. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Fun Potboiler B-movie
Another vote for "guilty pleasure". This movie was implausable, a bit tacky, tawdry, but I enjoyed it anyway. An entertaining yarn. Just don't expect to feel too edified at the end of the movie! It's over-melodramatic typical B-movie fare. Also, some people might be upset by the filmmakers' obvious agenda to get a priest involved in a love affair. And let's face it, we all can tell that this is where the film is headed from the beginning.

The main stars, Tom Berenger and Daphne Zuniga are fine. Tom Berenger always does well as the handsome, tormented and conflicted hero; Daphne Zuniga was very pretty, but I was little confused about her role. There were elements of sleaze to her part (the first scene she's in certainly qualifies) and maybe she's not the best actress for sleaze. I haven't quite made up my mind about that. But still, she was capable enough.

If you are a fan of either Berenger or Zuniga, and don't mind a somewhat tacky, implausable B-movie, you'll get a kick out of this film.

GREAT FLICK!!!
This movie is great on two levels: 1) The story is a bit far- fetched, but it is believable due some fine acting. The stars work well together to turn this into an enjoyable movie.
2) Daphne Zuniga gets naked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

High "sleaze"
I own this video; I am on a fixed income so have to choose my purchases VERY carefully. I saw this movie on cable years ago & loved it so much I wanted the video. I love "sleazy" movies [in the old days classified as "film noir"]--mystery, intrigue, plot twists, "good vs. evil," suspense, plot twists & turns]... This movie has all those elements + good acting [I was young when Dane Clark was in his hey-day but have always liked him], Tom Berenger [good in both drama, thrillers & comedy], Daphne Zuniga [CONVINCING damsel-in-distress/victim] & Anne Twomey [I'd never heard of her before this!--MOST capably "playing her part well; there all the honor lies"]. I only wish Donald P. Bellisario would have directed MORE FILMS in this genre. If you like modern-day film noir with a mafia, gangster flavor, you will LOVE this movie. It's not well-known or highly-tauted by the critics, but it's one of my favorites & well-worth the investment.

Guilty Pleasure
I had read years ago this movie was dumped straight to video without a theatrical release, and it seems strange because of how many really bad movies out there get released, but this one is decidedly a guilty pleasure. You can't take it seriously, it's just like most *rebel* or *mafia* movies, it's a lot of fun. In this instance, having the only son of a mafia don (termed "godfather" in the movie, which was going way too far) becoming a priest, and with a strong hint of the sensational reason behind that motivation, it becomes even more interesting as his former brother-in-law's girlfriend comes under his protection and his vow of celebacy is seriously shaken. Actually Freud would have had a field day with this movie. The problem with it, actually, is not enough of the characters - particularly the family itself - is seen interracting with each other so we have a fuller history of the family's relationships and the internal workings of the organization. A rather satisfactory finish, but one could have wished for a sequel or more drawn-out ending. Another problem is star Berenger looks considerably older (and somewhat out-of-shape) than his 33-year-old character should be.

Entertaining Movie
This movie is about a priest who is the son of the head of a mafia family. Of course he cannot walk in his father's footsteps, so his sister tries to take the lead. The movie has an excellent plot with a suprise ending. It's well worth seeing. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

THE FOREVER CINEMATIC BEACH BOY
Michael Dudikoff is one of those guys who will always look like a beachboy, even when he's in his seventies. Handsome in that Californian way, Dudikoff has managed to stay fit and trim and a likeable hero. FUGITIVE MIND breaks no new territory in plot line or suspense, but it's a passable mind control pic.
Dudikoff plays Robert Dean, a happily married man with a lovely adoring wife (played stonefaced by Michele Greene). However, he has horrifying nightmares in which he is obviously going to kill someone. This someone turns out to be David Hedison who plays a senator about to expose the government-sponsored agency that is dealing with cloning experiments. A myriad type plot begins and while it sometimes becomes confusing, we are exposed to the real idea of the plot. Seems Dudikoff is not who he thinks he is and once he runs into former lovelady Heather Langenkamp (Nightmare on Elm Street), he finds out the truth. Along for the ride are a surprisingly plump Gil Gerard as a private investigator; Barry Newman as the doctor behind the mess; Gabriel Dell as a young doctor who exposes the plot; and Ian Ogilvy as the heinous perpetrator of the experiment. Add Chick Vennara as the senator's duplicitous aide and you have the ingredients for this direct to video scifi thriller.
Not a great film but an adequate time passer.

suspensfull, unpredicatble, intellagent,...anything else?
First of, I don't believe this movie is getting such a hard time in reviews. I thought it was very good.
Although Michael Dudikoff is the dominent lead I think Heather Langenkamp stole the movie. And this is the only reason I bought this, because of her. Because of her roles as Nancy in the Nightmare on elm street movies. For a Heather fan this is a true gem! But I discovered even more reasons to like this.
The scientifical intellagence, the suspensfull unpreciatble storyline, the action and everything in between. I was on edge throught it trying to understand as it had a complex and clever story line! It kept you watching!
This movie has made me a Michael Dudikoff fan also.
This could had been a masterpiece but instead is in comferbale position of the best straight to video movie ever. ALTHOUGH, it did actually get a limited theatrical release in the USA and Canada. Remember that!
But it does have some bad qualities. Heather and Michael were great leading roles, but some of the other actors. The acting was weak from some.
In my oppinion this movie does not deliver the sci-fi good of "aliens" or "terminator" but is a damm good sci-fi flick that is worth the buy!
Given a international release this could had been a international hit but unfortunatly is relitivly unkown accross Europe.
It does lack in places. But if your a fan of the lead actors and like a bit of science mixed with action, do buy this film!

I give this movie a solid 8 out of 10

Sci Fi Chiller without the Sci Fi
"Fugitive Mind" was produced for Canadian TV and recently released in the US as a feature-length movie. A company named GENCOM has reprogrammed the mind of one of its employees (Michael Dudikoff) to kill a political figure. With the help of his girlfriend (Heather Langenkamp), Robert must fight to regain his lost personality and stop GENCOM before it is too late.This movie is bad... poor scripting, bad acting and virutally no science fiction aspects, despite this being a sci-fi movie. I only bought it because I am a Heather Langenkamp fan (she was in the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street"), but all others should stay away.Also stars Michele Green ("The Unborn II") and Gil Gerard.

Average Thriller
Fugitive Mind is about a man, who was part of mind controlling experiments. One day he awakes to find the life as he knows it were nothing more than memories inplanted to him. Nice plot for a TV movie. Dudikoff shows again he can act. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Worst Movie In All History of All Planets of All...
I rented this because of Michael Dudikoff. I realize his career is on the skids, and he'll agree to any job, but this is just awful.

I cant count the number of times I saw stock footage. They stole a scene from "Space Camp" where the NASA computer was calculating the chances of thermal curtain failure. You can even seen Jinx in the reflection. I also saw the F16/F15 swap. And what about the Space Shuttle scenes where it's the Enterprise, the Columbia, and the Atlantis?

There was a budding romance that quickly ended in the vacuum of space right when it was getting interesting. They also blew up the shuttle in the fakest explosion I've ever scene. Looks like a sparkler. The same goes for when they blew up the station. And what about the artificial gravity? I might have believed it of the station (even though it wasnt rotating), but they had this space elevator that also had artificial gravity. It was just killing me. And this is a recent film!

Doctor Who was far better filmed. This movie now rates worse than "Clockwork Orange" and "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask". I demanded my money back when I took it back to Blockbuster, and they gave it to me. This movie should be reported to someone for copyright infringement. Space Camp was never listed amongst the credits.

The Art of Black Horizon
This was one of the worst movies I've seen. I couldn't even watch it. In the opening scene, the footage where Ice T jumps out of the black truck on to the truck with pipes is the EXACT same footage from The Art of War. This movie is terrible, crap and should not have been made. If you spent money to buy it, you got reamed.

Makes "Queen of Outer Space" look high-budget!
Horrible movie. Begins with a drug bust then suddenly, those characters disappear and you're on a space station. Totally unrealistic. The "space station" has passageways like a Vegas casino. In one scene, a hero takes off in an F-16 and suddenly, they're flying in an F-15. It's as though no one really cared about these blunders. Asteroid impacts seem depicted by the sparks of a grinder on metal. While I couldn't watch the entire movie, I'll bet it ended in a submarine. I think I'll go watch Plan 9 from Outer Space. At least it's funny.

Painful!
Low budget movie filled with stock footage, horrible acting, terrible special effects. After about 10 minutes, I had to turn it off, because I thought my head was going to explode. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Capitol Roger Corman
Another facinating Corman flick features basically a combination of Jackie Chan and hardcore action violence. It also features my favorite actor of all that had ever starred in these type of Corman movie, Rick Dean ("Carnosaur 2 & 3").

good plot bat fights
I liked the ideas this movie was made on. The hero (Don Wilson) is a strong psychic with quick moves. The original idea here is worth a nice smile alone. Unfortunatly due to bad acting and lazy writers the mystery unfolds quickly after the opening credits. They try to have so many mysteries in the movie to keep you intriuged but the puzzles are too easy.

Now before I talk about the fighting which is the meat of these movies I want to say that Don is an excellent fighter with a kickboxing record of 80 and 2, and if I ever met him in a dark ally I'd sing a funeral song for my teethe and ribs.

With that in mind I don't see how the fights can be so bad. They are impractical, slow, poorly acted, and flat out embarrassing. He had a mediocre fight with a bunch of big guys in a bar (these movies always have one fight with big guys in a bar) and the lines are charming somtimes but I have to say that this movie dosn't offer much more than a lot of potential. Don can do anything I can only hope he takes the right script and shows his true skill.

To see him do his thing well check out "virtual fighter" or "ring of fire 1". ... Read more

Reviews (4)

a master at work
a down to earth plot coupled with some excellent action...I'm not sure how Ed Parker directed this movie though, as one review suggested, since Ed Parker died in 1990.

Great style excellent movie
Actually Jeff Speakman studies a form of Martial Arts called American Kenpo that was founded by Mr Ed Parker. My son and I both study American Kenpo and love to pick out the diffferent techniques that Jeff Speakman's using in the film. Ed Parker is responsible for directing all the fight scenes in the film. Ed Parker is responsible for teaching such notables as Jeff Speakman, Elvis Presley, and Blake Edwards to name a few. He also was the one that is responsible for introducing Bruce Lee to the Hollywood jet set and getting him started in films.

KENPO MASTER JEFF SPEAKMAN DOES IT AGAIN
LIKE ALL SPEAKMAN MOVIES THERE ARE PERIODS IN THE MOVIE THAT WILL BORE YOU, BUT IF YOU ARE A DIE HARD SPEAKMAN FAN LIKE MYSELF YOU CAN EXCEPT THIS. SPEAKMAN DOES HAVE TO ACT IN THIS AND ALL HIS OTHER FLICKS. HE HAS TO ACT TO BE COOL BECAUSE HE IS NOT AS NATUAL AT IT AS LET'S SAY STEVEN SEAGAL. ALL IN ALL FOR THE BUDGET THAT SPEAKMAN FILMS HAVE THIS IS A PRETTY GOOD MOVIE, THOUGH NOT NEARLY AS GOOD AS THE PERFECT WEAPON. ( BUT THEN AGAIN PERFECT WEAPON IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER MADE). SO IT COMES DOWN TO THIS. IF YOUR NOT A JEFF SPEAKMAN FAN AND WOULD'NT KNOW HIM FROM A STRANGER ON THE STREET, SAVE YOUR MONEY, AND GO CHECK OUT THE NEW STEVEN SEAGAL MOVIE AT THEATERS. ON THE OTHER HAND IF YOU ARE A KENPO ARTIST LIKE MYSELF THIS MOVIE IS ONE OF SPEAKMAN'S BEST, SO I WOULD RECOMMEND PURCHASING THIS MOVIE, AND ALL OTHER SPEAKMAN MOVIES. MY ONLY WISH IS THAT SPEAKMAN WOULD GO BACK TO HIS ORIGINAL IDEA TO PROMOTE MORE KENPO IN HIS MOVIES, BUT WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE.

Pretty good!
If you can get by a few inconsistencies, this isn't a bad movie. Let's do the inconsistencies first. In the scene where Speakman is getting his paper he is clearly wearing clothing that says kenpo (Speakman's martil art). So why is everyone so amazed when he dusts the car-jackers off? But this is little stuff. Speakman does a good job playing the reluctant hero, not everything works for him, he makes mistakes. Good plot, and a couple of good fights. Look for the cameo of Judo Gene Lebell (for you Martial Artists this is another inconsistency: the scene where Lebell gets Jeff in a choke and Jeff justs slips out. As good a Martial Artist as Jeff Speakman is, I don't hink anyone has just slipped out of a choke by Gene Lebell in the last forty years!) ... Read more