Reviews (34)

Authenic replicant aircraft top this 16:9 grand comedy DVD!!
1965 was the year of the big screen action race comedies with lots of stars, grand costumes, lavish sets and authentic classic vehicles. "The Great Race" a 1910 auto race from New York to Paris and the "Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines" a 1910 International Aircraft race from London to Paris.

What makes this 1965 Action Comedy so Grand is the attention to detail by Director Ken Annakin who had 6 replica flying machines built by real aero - engineers from the original blue prints and specifications. The accuracy of these replicants even proved the critical pilot weight limitations. They had to even substitute a female stunt pilot to fly the French mono - wing because the original pilot was a very small man. Now available for the first time on a spectacular panoramic 2.20:1 Aspect ratio. (Anamorphic WideScreen DVD (automatically adjusts picture to viewing tv size) with Dolby Surround Sound.) NOTE: THIS IS A FANTASTIC MOVIE TO WATCH ON WIDESCREEN 16:9 HDTV!!!!!

This film is 138 minutes and has many extras which include very detailed information and the history regarding all the 1910 vintage aircraft used in the film.

With an All-star 1960's International cast; Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox, Robert Morley, Red Skelton, Gert Frobe, Jean-Pierre Cassal, Benny Hill, Alberto Sordi and Terry Thomas.

This is a magnificent movie and the ingenuity and comedy of 1910 flight is a delight to watch on the BIG SCREEN. Enjoy.

An airplane movie for the flight buff and general audience .
This is a marvelous film for people who love airplanes, but it also has much to recommend it for anyone in the family. It captures the romance of the pre-WWI era and takes an affectionate look at the pre-war planes as well. The story is set around a race from London to Paris, and is also a fractured take on the political and social situation of the period. Flyers from all over the world meet at an airfield set in the infield of a Brooklands style race track. The first half of the film introduces us to the somewhat caricatured but nevertheless engaging pilots from each major flying nation: the womanizing Frenchman, the stiff-backed Prussians, the rich and prolific Italian, the cowboy from Arizona, and several British types, most notably Sir Percy Ware-Armitage, played with black-hearted delight by Terry Thomas. The film boasts a whole gamut of great character actors like Gert Frobe, Robt. Morely and even Red Skelton. The flying sequences before and during the race combine slapstick comedy with truly awesome shots of the other stars of the film, the authentic reproductions of 1910 aircraft. I've loved this film since I saw it as a child, and my non-airplane daughter even counts it as one of her favorites. Highly recommended.

The best racing comedy of the 1960s.
This was yet another in a series of big-budget comedies that were so stuffed that had to include an intermission. (This 138 minute film has an intermission at the 79 minute mark, followed by a 6-minute Entr'acte, so that the second act is only 52 minutes.) It's also possibly the best one, along with IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD, but where IAMMMMW was at times overlong and peopled with nasty characters, you can care about the people in TMMITFM. It's funnier-with much broader comedy than the other, and a careful sense of time and place. There are a few laggy romantic bIts, but Those Magnificent Men is a fine film well served by 20th Century Fox. Well recommended.

Jamie Teller

Absolutely gorgeous DVD of classic comedy!
This is truly a marvelous DVD transfer of the classic 1965 comedy that the whole family can enjoy. The image is breathtakingly sharp, capturing the amazing aerial photography of the classic early planes, the elaborate aerodrome set, and the delightful costume design; the sound, too, is top-notch, with the classic score and title tune bouncing along merrily. But what will keep you coming back is the laugh-out-loud comedy; sure, it's all based on stereotypes for each nationality, but some good-natured ribbing could help these days. Besides, funny is funny, and this movie is very, very funny, with riotous performances from Gert Frobe, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Terry-Thomas. You should try to see this on as big a screen as possible; pure cinematic joy!

Magnificent DVD
Finally! The 20th Century-Fox 1965 roadshow extravaganza comes to DVD. The movie looks marvelous in what must be a transfer from a restored 70mm print. On my 16X9 HDTV in progressive scan the images are quite stunning for a film of this vintage. The Dolby Digital 5.0 remastering of the original 6-track magnetic soundtrack is also a joy to the ears. This is an old-fashioned entertainment for the entire family. Thanks to its presentation on this new DVD the movie is once again a grand experience. The extras are extensive for such a moderately priced DVD too. Director Ken Annakin provides an interesting commentary track and appears in a new featurette. Somebody at Fox definately loves this movie, one that is a childhood favorite of mine. I saw it in its original release, and also in a 1969 reissue as part of a double feature with Fox's "Planet of the Apes." "The Perfect Mates" the ads said, "Apes and Men." Studios just don't don't do things like that anymore. Anyway, this DVD is a joy! ... Read more

Amazon.com

John le Carre's classic spy yarn gets a suitably brisk, unromanticized telling in this quintessential Cold War movie. A British agent (Richard Burton) sets up an elaborate cover story for being lured into defecting to the Communists, but he hardly needs to manufacture his disgust and cynicism over spying. The grim business of point-counterpoint espionage has rarely been depicted with less glamour; Burton's great climactic speech on the subject is the definitive take on sinking to the level of the enemy. Claire Bloom is an offbeat love interest, and a bearded Oskar Werner is an East German investigator on Burton's case (the pecking order in the Communist spy hierarchy is a source of black humor). Director Martin Ritt extends his unvarnished approach to the movie's stripped-down look, which means that Richard Burton is constantly in a harsh, unflattering light. He looks terrible, but it's in the service of a fine performance. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Scary black and white film....
The world John Lecarré describes is without mercy and forgiveness. The films based on his books are not nearly as terrifying, though they are frightening enough. THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD is an early adaptation of one of Lecarré's books by the same name, and in it he introduces albeit briefly, the character George Smiley.

The three main characters in this production Alex (Richard Burton), Nan (Claire Bloom) and Monque (Oskar Werner) were all very fine actors in the 1950s and 1960s. This film was one of the last Burton made (965) and in it he plays a "burnt-out" spy who has been the operations officer in Berlin for 15 years of the Cold War. Alex was recruited by British Intelligence shortly after WWII just as the East Bloc began to descend behind the "Iron Curtain" according to Western leaders like Churchill. The CIA was also spun from military intelligence during this period, and there is a brief interaction between Alex and a CIA officer at the beginning of the movie as Alex awaits a defecting East German spy at the infamous "Checkpoint Charlie".

SPY is shot in Black and White which enhances the spooky subject. Night time scenes with flashing lights and rainy London weather add to the atmosphere. I first saw this film in the theater, and I was so young I could not figure out what was going on. The plot is complex, but not as complex as that of later adaptations such as SOLDIER, SAILOR...,or SMILEY'S PEOPLE which were given ample air time for the unraveling. It is a frightening film, and some one my age might wonder why anyone would ever become a spy.

Cold-Blooded Fever
Inside a grim little room in the empty countryside somewhere east of the Berlin wall an East German agent is interrogating a defecting British spy. The defector is anxious and weary. He wants his money now. Prompting the Communist agent to say this : "You are a traitor, the lowest currency of the cold war. We buy you, we sell you, we lose you, we can even shoot you. Not a bird in the trees would stir if we did just that."

Except that Alec Leamas(Richard Burton) is not really a defector, he is only masquerading as one. On his last assignment for the British Secert Service, he is to pretend to be burnt out and jobless. Never faraway from a bottle he walks around the streets of London cynical and depressed, his "masterstroke" in this act is an ugly fight with a shopkeeper who refuses to give him credit. This ofcourse attracts the attention of the East German agants who view him as a potential defector because of his dire need for cash and his embitterment towards the British Agency for abandoning him. It is a credit to Burton's brilliant and painfully realistic performance that you are pretty sure his embitterment in not entirely an act. That he really is a drunk. That he wholeheartedly agrees with the German when he calls him "the lowest currency of the cold war", even if he is not a defector. To him, all spies, on both sides, are scum.

John Le Carre was an ex-British intelligence officer when he wrote the celebrated novel on which this film was based. It was called "the finest spy story ever written" by the writer of The Third Man, Graham Greene. And in a sense, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold starts where The Third Man left off. The lead character has already lost any faith he had in humanity. I suspect that the only reason Leamas hadn't really defected is because even money has lost its lure. Surprisingly the most sympathetic characters in the book(and the film) are the communist spy Fiedler(Oskar Werner) and naive communist librarian Liz Gold(renamed Nan Perry in the film and played by Claire Bloom), and both pay dearly for it. In the world of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold idealism is not merely misguided, it is pathetic. When Fiedler sincerely asks Leamus "How do you sleep at night without a philosophy?". Leamus's typically jaded answer is "I don't believe in God or Karl Marx. I don't believe in anything that rocks the world. I reserve the right to remain ignorant."

In adapting the novel, scripters Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper retained the icy restraint of the novel. Director Martin Ritt(who made the better known but inferior Norma Rae) shoots the film in a harsh black and white. Accompanied by a sad violin score, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is finally a sentimental film about unsentimentality. Ridiculously Burton lost out on the Oscar infavour of Lee Marvin in the frankly ridiculous Cat Ballou. The film was nominated for just one other Oscar which was for Art-Direction. A shame. With its moral and asthetic complexity, this is as far away from Bond or Tom Clancy based thrillers as you can get. Possibly the greatest film in its genre, and in its own quiet way the equal of The Third Man. The final message being that people who are driven enough to enter the world of espionage are not(and can't afford to be) driven by ideals. In that world the only motive is expediency.

color?
Amazon lists this film as being in color. It was shot in b/w. It was colorized in the '80's. I hope this is NOT the colorized version.

The Spy who Came In from The Cold
This is probably one of Richard Burton's best performances and deserves more attention. It is the story of a Cold War spy sent out to pasture as a clerk in a book store/library. He turns to alcohol to escape the humm-drum existence. The "agency" has one more job for him to do and brings him out of retirement. Is he being set up or is there something deeper afoot. This is NOT the glitzy James Bond spy!! A cold, hard, look at the world of spies during the Cold War Era and the smarmy people in their world. Very thought provoking and a great performance by Burton.

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
One of my all-time favorite Spy flicks! Burton is fabulous, as is Oskar Werner. The VHS quality is very good. I had hoped for a DVD version but I'm happy to own this. Video rental stores in my area simply do not have this in stock - so I had to buy it. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Diane Keaton as a Working Mom
I was a fan of this movie the first time I saw it on cable. I always thought of it as a classic in my book. This was before I saw Working Girl even or Look Who's Talking. Which in this case is a little of both movies into one.
Diane Keaton plays J.C. Wiatt a hugly successful business woman in the 80's. And works for a huge advertising company. In the process of almost making partner in the company she recieves an inheritence from some cousins she hasn't seen in ages. It turns out it's a baby girl Elizabeth. Now she's conflicted of working but at the same time deciding to give up Elizabeth for being a partner or possibly doing both. She learns that she just can't give up with Elizabeth and she has fallen in love with her. However, she learns it's too hard to work full time in a demanding business and raise a baby girl at the same time.
So they move to a country side where quite a few things go wrong. A city girl in the country trying to make it on her own and raising a baby girl. She then starts a business on her own which can land her back at her old business.

It's got a great cast with: Diane Keaton who's really amazing in this role, and other's such as: Harold Ramis (Ghostbusters), Sam Shepard (Black Hawk Down), James Spader, and many more noticable stars. In the start of the movie the narrorator is none other than newswoman Linda Ellerbee.

The DVD I was a bit disappointed in it's only got a theatrical trailer and not much else. I was hoping maybe for some interviews and behind the scene's. So if your a fan you can still get the VHS version or if your a DVD collector then this is a good movie to add to your collection.

So All in all I would give a review of the movie a B+ and the DVD itself a C.

Terrific for a snowy night
I bought this video for a solitary reason: it starred Diane Keaton. As usual, she turns in a brilliant performance. She's never disappointed me in any of her movies, counting this one. Keaton's character, J.C. Wiatt, shows a fabulous transition from a tiger lady to a doting mother. My favorite scenes were the ones in the airport, when Wiatt first learns she has a baby on her hands, when she yells at the plumber at the well, when she confesses all her problems to the vet (Shepard), when Shepard rescues her, and finally the ending- it's so sweet and so unpredictable. This movie emits warm vibes,and is a must-see during a snowy night with the lights turned off. The only complaints I have about this movie is that Shepard's character should have shown a little more emphasis on what he should have been doing. I excepted him to be a witty,teasing character. And while he is, it isn't seen very well. I wanted more conversations between those two, a little vulnerability. Plus, I would have liked to see some more mother-daughter time between Wiatt and baby Elizabeth. But I still declare this film a must-see, especially since Keaton is in it.

She Did It Her Way!
This review refers to MGM's DVD edition of "Baby Boom".....

They call her "The Tiger Lady". She's a woman of the 80's.She's a high powered ad exec,with a six figure income,has an apartment to die for, which she shares with her significant(but slightly dull)other(also a six figure income),and is about to become a partner in the firm.She's J.C.Wiatt,a real go-getter. She has it all. Or does she?

Diane Keaton turns in a touching and funny performance as this dynamic woman, whose life is suddenly turned upside-down by a surprising inheritance. No, not money or a family heirloom, this inheritance is "Elizabeth"....a bouncing bundle of joy who melts the heart of the Tiger Lady and will melt yours as well.A toddler was not part of J.C.'s plan.How will she juggle her career and motherhood? And what about romance,can that ever be part of her future now? It doesn't look good. But when life hands J.C. Wiatt lemons(and a baby)...she does it her way...she makes applesauce!

Written by Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer(who also directed), it is a nostalgic look back at the evolving baby boomer.A marvelous supporting cast includes Harold Ramis, Sam Wanamaker,Sam Shepard, and James Spader as the protoge from hell. It's a sweet and funny feel good tale. The music by Bill Conti gives the perfect feel to the story.

The DVD is presented in widescreen(1.85:1) and the sound is in Dolby Digital stereo surround. The picture is good. Not the shaprest I've seen on a film this recent, but a nice view.The surround sound is nice. The music and dialouge both clear and disguinishable.There is a theatrical trailer and it may be viewed in French(also stereo) and has subtitles in French and Spanish, but none in English. If you are interested in this film and are needing English subtitles, there is a German edition(PAL)with English captioning out there. I did not see it sold here at Amazon though.

"Baby Boom" is a fun romantic comedy that was nominated for Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture(Comedy/Musical) and Best Actress(Comedy/Musical).4 stars.

Thanx and enjoy......Laurie

I can't stop you from watching this, but...
Maybe you'd really like this film if you are nostalgic about the way Hollywood once portrayed rich people. It's amusing to watch Diane Keaton and spouse cooped up in a miniscule, overpriced Manhattan co-op filled with chrome and glass furniture and talk about how much money they make and how many hours per week they work. If you are the sort who likes watching dozens of women in dorky dark skirts and helmet hair trotting to their next power lunch, this movie is for you, Mister (or Sister). The script achieves a few high points in its unintended humor (or irony) when we hear that Diane is paid "zillions" a year to tell investors that a company must trim "operating expenses" in order to "become profitable".

Into this odd "business is evil" morality play comes a baby for whom Diane eventually develops maternal feelings, as well as a rugged country dude who can give her what she "really needs". Who knows? Even the bad 80's music groups have nostalgia value. Maybe this movie is next.

One of Diane Keaton's Finest Roles
Diane Keaton shines in this wonderful comedy about a working woman who inherits a baby from a cousin she "hasn't seen since 1954." Keaton portrays J.C. Wiatt, a Management Consultant who never stops working. Then she finds out that her cousin, in his will, left her his baby daughter Elizabeth (played by Michelle and Christine Kennedy, who are too cute!) to care for. At first, J.C. does not want to have anything to do with having a baby. She's too wrapped up in work. The turning point to me is when Elizabeth gets sick and J.C. has to care for her. It is then that you can tell that she starts to bond with Elizabeth. Unfortunately, Steven (Harold Ramis), the man who she lives with, doesn't agree with this situation and leaves. Eventually, J.C. finds herself paying more attention to Elizabeth than with work which does not make her boss (Sam Wanamaker) too happy. He decides to lower J.C.'s status in the company and promotes Ken (James Spader) to her status. J.C. decides that she should move. Also, the transformation Diane makes from full-time worker to full-time mom is great. I do believe that Diane Keaton show her maternal side in this film. She is so natural with children.

What happens next is so sweet. She moves to this Vermont home where everything you can think of goes wrong, she gets "yupped" and "noped" by everyone there, and basically goes crazy and vows she will go back to New York. But then she meets Dr. Cooper (Sam Shepard) and everything slowly changes for her. As a romance begins, so does another career move for J.C. She invents 'Gormet Baby Food' which the Food Chain, where she used to work, wants to buy. The ending is wonderful. I loved it. I'm not going to give that away...If you want to know the ending, rent the movie. You won't be disappointed! ... Read more

Description

Goldie Hawn wins the Comedy Medal of Honor in this box-office smash about a pampered, upper-middle class princess who joins "today's Army." Eileen Brennen and Armand Assante co-star. Year: 1980 Director: Howard Zieff Starring: Goldie Hawn, Eileen Brennen, Armand Assante ... Read more

Reviews (8)

An overhyped so-so movie that's really forgetable
A spoiled Judy Benjamin get's married to an ugly ... guy with an even uglier hairdo (white people can't wear fro's without looking ridiculous). He dies of a heart attack on their honeymoon as they make love on the bathroom floor. A smooth talking Army recruiter hears her sad tale on a radio talk show and offers to help her. After smooth talking her in his office, she signs up. Sounds like a real good story right? Well......

Judy's arrival at Ft Biloxi is funny as are other boot camp scenes... Once Judy decides to tough out basic, it just isn't a comedy anymore. She actually starts to get annoying.

After being given an ultimatum from her CO, (jump or screw) Judy jumps from the airplane. She cries [wolf] and gets an assignment in Paris. It all goes downhill from here. She meets up again with a snobbish Frenchman that she met in Biloxi (yeah I know). Well he's a communist and the Army wants her to stop dating him. She decides to marry him, then changes her mind once she's out of the Army. The final scene is her running happily down the road in a wedding dress acting like a 16 year old.

This movie is a lot like Full Metal Jacket in that after boot camp, everyone shuts it off. Bill Murray's 'Stripes' is a good example of 'interest after the boot camp scenes'. Maybe that's why the old TV show 'Private Benjamin' only dealt with boot camp type training.

THERE ARE WORSE WAYS TO PASS AN EVENING THAN WITH THIS FILM
This 1980s feminist fable is about the pampered and weak JAP (Jewish-American Princess) Judy Benjamin, who wants nothing more than to be married to a rich and successful man and be able to spend lots of money. She has been cared for by men for her entire life and has no skills, independence, or serious ambitions. After she is widowed, she falls for a recruiter's sales pitch and joins the Army, believing that it will be like going to a spa and will help her recover from the emotional blow of her husband's death. There is great comic potential here, but the movie lacks the sort of sharp writing that would have taken it to the next level. Nonetheless, it obviously strikes a cord with many viewers.

The first half of this film is inoffensive, sitcom-grade material. (In fact, a sitcom based on the film ran from 1981 to 1983.) Goldie Hawn's alternately cutesy/whiny act during basic training gets tiring quickly -- she's like a child who keeps begging for our attention -- and the film rarely manages to capitalize on the comic potential of the situations. Still, it does set up well how her parents' visit to the Army base reminds her of their degrading treatment of her, making her resolve to be the best soldier possible. We cheer for her to succeed. She does, of course, becoming a strong and independent woman in the Army.

The second, more serious half of the movie is somewhat more satisfying, as we watch Private Benjamin fight not to let her new French beau Henri bully her into reverting to her shallow, weak, pre-Army self. Her romance with the despicable Henri is the most interesting part of the film, in part because Arman Assante plays his part so well: charming but condescending and unfaithful.

The picture quality on the DVD is average for a film from 1980. The DVD includes the trailer and short biographies of the major actors. The film is captioned in several languages and can be heard with French dubbing. It does not include a widescreen version, just pan-and-scan.

Pouting Princess
Judy is in an extremely vulnerable state and when she calls into a radio show to understand why her life is in turmoil, an army recruter asks to meet her. When she arrives, she is obviously confused and wants to escape from her problems.

An assignment in Europe, getting into peak physical shape and living in her own condo sounds just too tempting. The reality of the situation is not so tempting. $458 a month hardly makes up for your husband dying on your wedding night. When she arrives at boot camp and says: "Is green the only color these come in? Where are the yahts?" You just fall in love with her character.

The disturbingly insensitive Captain Doreen Lewis is a comic treat all by herself, yet even with a whip in hand, not even she can compete with the pouting princess. Doreen wants to toss Judy right back into the arms of her parents. However, when Judy's father tells her she is not intelligent enough to make her own decisions, something changes. Private Benjamin decides to stay.

Some of the great comic moments are when Goldie is cleaning the bathroom with her electric toothbrush. I have stayed at an army base in Germany and trust me, they could have used a bit of toothbrush cleaning. My thoughts were that in the army, everything was spotless. Not! So, this movie was even funnier since I could totally relate to some of the experiences Judy had to go through. Another reason to respect our men and women in the military!

While this is mostly a comedy, there is some romance, with a sadistic twist. You know there is going to be trouble when Judy asks: "Am I making sense?" And her French Fiancé says: "No, and that 's what I love about you." You start to get the feeling that Judy is the only one who really knows what she wants and that no one else is listening.

Judy starts off running from her problems and ends up running from her problems. There are no real solutions presented, except to run. And maybe sometimes if you think about it, running is just a good idea.

Comic Entertainment at its finest!

Great Film! Poor Treatment!
Along with "Foul Play" this is one of Goldie Hawn's finest hours, playing a rich, pampered widow who is duped into joining the army. An hysterical comedy who's format has been returned to time and again, but never quite to this effect. Eileen Brennan is equally fantastic as the tough army officer you love to hate. I've been awaiting the release of this film on DVD for some time (along with Foul Play which hasn't yet been released), and it's here that I felt disappointed. For one, the only released version of this is in Standard Pan & Scan. I know some of you out there still cling to this outmoded format, but for the rest of us, this is unacceptable. At the very least, it should have been dual sided, with Widescreen on one side and Standard on the other. Secondly, they've done nothing with soundtrack other than present in Dolby Stereo 2.0. I realize that with some older titles, they don't bother to remaster the soundtrack in 5.0 (let alone DTS - the Ultimate sound format for your buck!), but I still think it's very lame that they do this. Anyway, there is a trailer, at least, but don't expect any deleted scenes, bloopers, or any other fancy features. The film can also be heard in French, but Spanish would also have been nice (there are at least Spanish subtitles). They've priced this relatively low (I guess because they knew what a lame job they did with it), but I'd have preferred a bit more of a higher price if it meant little more effort on their part for this truly classic comedy. Let's hope that "Foul Play" offers a lot more when it's finally released.

Half-comedy
Did anyone but me notice that this movie stops being a comedy the moment Judy Benjamin defies her parents and decides to remain in the army? From the very next scene through the conclusion, it becomes a deliberate feminist polemic and deliberately unfunny. Feminism is nice, but filmmakers seem either afraid to have too much fun with it or unable to keep from aiming over the top. (See Nine to Five and The Incredible Shrinking Woman for two other examples.) Eileen Brennan's scene in which she first meets Benjamin is the high point and (unfortunately and needless to say) comes early. As with Swing Shift, Hawn flexed her star muscles and did things her way -- to the detriment of the product and the audience. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Following Albert Finney's quirky and compelling performance as Agatha Christie's Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, in 1974's Murder on the Orient Express, Peter Ustinov capably took over the role in this 1978 adaptation of Christie's river-bound whodunit. While on a pleasure cruise along the Nile with a taciturn companion (David Niven), Poirot slips into action following the murder of a much-despised heiress (Lois Chiles). There's no shortage of suspects... until, that is, they also start dying off, obfuscating the investigation by suggesting that several killers may be at work. With a disciplined screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, the film is solid enough (certainly better than its 1981 follow-up, Evil Under the Sun) and is graced immeasurably by a glittery cast including Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, Mia Farrow, Olivia Hussey, Jack Warden, and Angela Lansbury. Directed with customary efficiency by John Guillermin (King Kong, The Towering Inferno). --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (36)

Spectacular!
The novel Death On The Nile ranks as my favorite of all of the Christie novels I've read, and so I was hoping that this movie was faithful to the original material. I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed.

The performances of the many actors are great. Simon MacCorkindale's portrayal of Simon Doyle is wonderful, and Angela Lansbury as Salome Otterbourne is very entertaining. Maggie Smith and Bette Davis as Miss Bowers and Miss Van Schuyler, respectively, have some wonderful scenes together and have great chemistry. David Niven as Colonel Johnny Race is great and makes for a good Watson to Poirot. Jack Warden as Dr. Bessner and Jon Finch as Jim Ferguson, while don't have a ton of screentime, still portray their characters perfectly, and of course Peter Ustinov as the great Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is great.

The scenery is beautiful. The scene where Simon and Linnet Doyle are climbing the pyramid is simply breathtaking.

The extras on the DVD are pretty good. The 24-minute featurette "The Making of Death On The Nile" is interesting, and the interviews (both in French with subtitles) with Peter Ustinov and Jane Birkin (who plays Louise Bourget), while not extremely interesting, are still a nice addition.

There are a few flaws in the movie. The largest one is the fact that they cut out Tim and Mrs. Allerton. For those of you who have read the book, you'll know that cutting out Tim Allerton changes a few important things. Cornelia Robson is also cut out, as well as James Fanthorp and Signor Richetti (which again changes a few things). While I did like these characters a lot in the book, during the movie, these characters were hardly missed.

The movie runs approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, and despite the PG rating, has some slightly graphic violence in it.

I would highly reccomend buying this DVD, however, I would suggest reading the book first.

Christie goes to Egypt
This big screen treatment of mystery author Agatha Christie's best-seller is dinstinguished by the first appearance of Peter Ustinov as the world famous sleuth, Hercule Periot. Though the film version of "Death on the Nile" doesn't rise to the quality of its immediate predecessor, "Murder on the Orient Express," it is still a worthy trip with a boatful of nouveau rich upper classers who all have a motive to kill a filthy rich heiresss (Lois Childs). When she actually come up with a bullet to her head while sleeping, suspicion falls on her husband's spurned ex-fiancee (Mia Farrow, in a slightly nerve-trying overacting job) and an all-star passenger list headed by Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury and Olivia Hussey. Enter Inspector Periot and David Niven as another sleuth aiding in the investigation. Though the "who did it" isn't a surpise, the "how they did it" is, and that solution makes the film an enjoyable watch. Additionally, there's some stunning scenary of Egypt and along the Nile, and Ustinov's personification of the fabled detective is worthy. He shows up again in subsequent film versions of some of Christie's other novels, and this is one of Ustinov's better efforts.

The MAID did it!! Or did she??
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I watched this 1978 movie of 140 minutes without first reading the 1937 Dame Agatha Christie novel (of the same name) that it was based on. I'm glad I did this! Why? Because it forced me to really watch the movie in order to try and deduce who the murderer was.

As a brief synopsis, the movie begins with "Jacquline ('Jackie') De Bellafort" (Mia Farrow) telling her very wealthy friend "Linnet Ridgeway" (Lois Chiles) about the man "Simon Doyle" (Simon MacCorkindale) she has fallen in love with. Linnet falls for Simon and they eventually marry. Their honeymoon is on a riverboat (technically called a 'paddle steamer') called the "S.S. Karnak" that takes then down the Nile River in Egypt. Aboard the boat, besides the three mentioned above, are "Hercule Poirot" (Sir Peter Ustinov) and his good friend "Colonel Johnny Race" (David Niven). There are other passengers on board who all dislike Linnet.

Linnet is murdered. Eventually two other passengers are also murdered. Poirot has to solve who the killer is. For both Poirot and the viewer, it's obvious that the killer is either male or female or, as Poirot might say, either a "beau" or a "belle." It's also obvious that the killer is no "Simple Simon."

Who are these passengers? Besides the five mentioned above, they are as follows:

(1) Louise Bourget, Linnet's Maid (Jane Birkin)
(2) Socialite Marie Van Schayler (Bette Davis)
(3) Miss Bowers (Maggie Smith), Aid to Marie
(4) Marxist James Ferguson (Jon Finch)
(5) Romance Novelist Salome Otterbourne (Angela Lansbury)
(6) Rosalie Otterbourne (Olivia Hussey), Salome's daughter
(7) Lawyer Andrew Pennington (George Kennedy), Linnet's uncle
(8) Dr. Ludwig Bessner (Jack Warden)
(9) Manager of the Karnak (I.S. Johar)

Of the fourteen actors mentioned above, Ustinov's performance stands out. This was his debut performance as Poirot and I feel he does a stellar job being both serious and comical at the same time. Other performances to look for are Mia Farrow as the ex-fiance and Angela Lansbury as the perpetually drunk novelist.

The cinematography of this movie is visually stunning. We especially get to see the Sphinx, the Pyramids, and the ancient ruins of Egypt. The costume design is elegant. The main background music adds to this movie as well.

Listen for gags that run throughout this movie. For example, Poirot is Belgian but is always confused as being French. One of my favorite pieces of dialogue is where a passenger gets angry at the great sleuth:

Van Schayler: You perfectly foul French upstart!
Poirot: Belgian upstart, please madam.

As Poirot attempts to solve the crime, we are shown what might have happened. Unfortunately, there is some unintended humor as Linnet continually gets shot (in the head) as Poirot goes through each possible scenario. I found this somewhat distracting.

Finally, the DVD (which has the movie in widescreen format) has five extras. I found that the only one that was interesting was about the making of this movie. It lasts about 25 minutes.

In conclusion, this is a fun movie, even if you have read the book. For those who haven't read the novel, I have left clues in the above review as to the possible identity of the killer. If you think you know who it is, then watch this movie to find out if you're right!

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A Mysterious Movie and a Superb Tale!
It begins with a rich woman who gets EVERYTHING SHE WANTS and when her best friend Jackie's new fiance meets her. The rich woman immediatly steals Jackie's hunk and in a matter of weeks they are married and set off for their honeymoon in Egypt. Poor Jackie. Her only love has been stolen for her BY HER BEST FRIEND! But Jackie is determined and follows the new couple to Egypt. After meeting a host of new characters, the couple plus Jackie boards a little Nile tour thing. But suddenly the rich woman is dead (shot). Who could it be?

All Star cast who-done-it in Egypt.
The second lavish all-star Agatha Christie adaptation. This is the first film with Peter Ustinov as the Belgian Detective, Hercule Poirot. If you love a who-done-it mystery, this one will keep you thinking and stimulate your brain to the very end. Please watch it to the very last second. What may be so one minute may be different the next second. This all-star cast is wonderful, especially Angela Lansbury. Olivia Hussey, Peter ustinov and Simon Corkindale had just finished the NBC tv-miniseries movie "Jesus Of Nazareth" (1977). Also in the cast is Bette Davis, David Niven, Mia Farrow, George Kennedy, Maggie Smith (California Suite [1978], Jack Warden, Lois Chiles (Moonraker [1979]), Jon Finch, Jane Birkin, Harry Andrews and I.S. Johar. Warning: This is not for children to watch. very Grusome and graphic violence. There are many Agatha Christie movies from film and television. Here are some worth watching. Those with an "*" include Peter Ustinov as "Detective Poirot". And Then There Were None (Ten Little Indians) (1974), Murder On The Orient Express (1974), The Mirror Crack'd (1980), *Evil Under The Sun (1982), *Thirteen At Dinner (1985-tv), *Dead Man's Folly (1986-tv), *Murder In Three Acts (1986-tv), *Appointment With Death (1988).
For a lighter comedy, may I suggest MURDER BY DEATH (1976). ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Pure Immortal!
Arnold Schwarzenegger scores again with this under-rated action movie. Although, there are no other famous names in this film, Arnold carries it from start to finish. Intellect! Arnold is an F.B.I. agent that goes undercover as a mafia individual. This picture shows Arnold's true acting ability and he goes into the hideout at the end and obliterates his enemies. Annihilation! From the opening credits where Arnold Schwarzenegger is driving in the jeep chasing some clown. Splendid! Then Arnold combs his hair back and doesn't take any garbage from the mafia. How valiant! Arnold Schwarzenegger is truly my hero after I watched this bold action picture. The director was really thinking hard on this one and later on, made the epic "City of Industry".

The movie is a Raw Deal until the end!
RAW DEAL is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's earlier performances, where he plays a 'cop', Kaminski. And basically, when Arnold plays a 'cop' in movies- and its an older action film, you can already tell the plot.

MY REVIEW:

"This elderly Arnold flick never really picks up until the end. I don't want to spoil it for you, but most of the film is boring until the action packed end! That's where the three stars come in! So fast forward those VCR/DVD players to the last fifteen minutes, and you'll be guaranteed an action packed, explosive ending sequence!"- MJV & the Movies.

"Resign or be prosecuted...".
In a time when the man with the biggest machine gun ruled the box office, Arnold Schwarzenegger was an unquestionable heavyweight amongst action stars. Following his success with the Conan films and "The Terminator", Ah-nuld signed on to do this crime thriller with director John Irvin. This one isn't one of his more well-known titles but is still "too cool for school". Not exactly one of the smartest action films ever released, what "Deal" lacks in brains, it makes up for in bullets.

Schwarzenegger is Mark Kaminsky, a former FBI big shot who is exiled to the role of local sheriff in a quiet Southern town. When an old friend's son is murdered by Mafia goons, Mark is called in to take down the bad guys in typical Schwarzenegger fashion. Faking his own death and re-emerging in Chicago under the assumed identity of an ex-con, Kaminsky infiltrates the mob organization and takes them down with an arsenal of awesome firepower. From taking down a mob foe in a car chase to driving a confiscated cement truck through an underground casino, Arnold gets to have plenty of fun while kicking his usual butt.

"Raw Deal" is a little bit longer than it should be and is overly talky at times but there are some solid moments to be had here. Any movie that has Arnold blasting his way through a gravel pit to the sounds of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" can't be all bad. The musical score was one of my favorites at the time that I saw it and the supporting cast including Darren McGavin, Paul Shenar, Robert Davi, and Ed Lauter are all exceptionally talented and equally underrated. While far from a box office hit or even one of his most noteworthy flicks, "Raw Deal" is a bad-ass little movie that is actually very underrated in my opinion. It's never gonna get the kind of love as Arnie blockbusters like "The Terminator" and "Predator" but it's still worth the price of admission for any true action fan looking for some bullet-riddled fun on a Saturday night. Anyone looking to buy on VHS, may want to avoid the full-screen Video Treasures release as some copies contain the TV edit.

This Movie is BAD
Raw Deal is the perfect example of a action packed dud. I am a huge Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, but i have to say he is halarious when hes trying to be serious. This film is the weakest link out of Schwarzenegger's long list of films. Raw Deal is a really bad movie.

Not one of Arnold's better Efforts
Raw Deal was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's earliest movies and it shows. He was particularly stiff and didn't seem entire comfortable or believable in his role as an Ex-FBI agent brought back in by his old boss (Darren McGavin) to take down a mob boss in Chicago.

Built from the same cookie cutter formula as Commando, Raw Deal is unapologetic brain-in-neutral action cheese. The acting is irrelevant; the dialogue is irrelevant... all that matters is the action, translated as the fact of a fistfight, chase sequence, and/or gun battle every few minutes. It doesn't even really matter why everyone's fighting, just as long as they do in fact fight and the audience is able to tell the good guys from the bad guys.

Robert Davi plays the mob boss' second in command and as usual, brings a strong villianous edge to his role. He doesn't trust Arnold who is undercover as an up and coming Mob hood.

Schwarzenegger is truly in his element here, falling easily into the generic stereotype role that can best be described as "another muscular hero played by Arnold". He wears the part like a glove, and he's smart enough to know that the movie he's making is "B" grade cheese, a fact that he runs with when delivering his dialogue with an implied wink. One scene in particular comes to mind where he's about to drive a tow truck into a restaurant window, and he politely asks the people standing near the truck "Excuse me, but could you move to the side a little bit?" His method of delivery is dead on; it's plain to see that Arnold has a full grasp on the comedic elements afforded by the script and that he's having a good time. "You should not drink and bake" is another wonderfully delivered side-splitter, though nothing tops the tip o' the hat query of "Who do you think I look like? Dirty Harry?"

All in all, pretty mindless, but harmless popcorn fun. ... Read more

Reviews (101)

Superman 4! Wish there were more!
Okay, so this movie is not considered the best out of all the Superman movies, but it still packs enough action and excitement to keep Superman fans entertained. Christopher Reeve once again delivers a knock-out performace as the Man of Steel in this final outing. He even helped write the provocative theme of nuclear disarmament that could have made this the best out of the series, had it not been for the 30 minutes that were cut out. Despite this, it is a compelling plot that is further enhanced by the return of Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder and the rest of the classic cast from the original Superman movie! They have such wonderful chemistry that it's easy to look past any holes in the plot. This movie has been cleaned up for the DVD and VHS release and I can definitely tell a difference from my original video that I bought a few years back. The great performaces from the returning cast and the cool fight scene on the moon definetly make this better than a lot of other comic book movies!

Better Than 3, But Still....
Superman IV, released 4 years after the debacle that was Superman III, is not a great movie. This once grand, classy series was brought to a grinding halt with Part 3. Part 4 doesn't do much to try to salvage it. It is, however, better than 3. This time out, Superman plans on ridding the world of nuclear weapons. At the same time, evil villain Lex Luthor has escaped prison, with help from his newphew Lenny, and has created a superhero of his own named Nuclear Man. Nuclear Man's job is, of course, destroy Superman. Christopher Reeve, once again, is the anchor of this film. It's sad that he isn't given better material. However, he did help out with this one's story. It was definitley better than Part 3's lame plot. Gene Hackman as Lex is marvelous as always. All our other favorites also return. Margot Kidder was given a much better part than 3. Her Lois Lane is back in the action. There's even a nice flying sequence between her and Superman that is reminiscent of the one they took in the 1978 original. Clocking in at only 90 minutes, it doesn't have that long blockbuster epic feel to it that the others had. It's too short. Many of the flying scenes looked downright cheesy. Did director Sidney J. Furie know what he was doing?!. I don't think so. Poor Jon Cryer. He brings nothing to the role of Lenny, Lexs' dimbulb nephew. All in all, this was a pretty disappointing effort. Better than 3, but still mediocre at best. The Quest For Peace?. How about The Quest For A Good Script?.

The Quest For More
After running the series into the ground, with the almost cartoonish Superman III, it looked as if Superman were finally defeated by his greatest enemy...poor box office reciepts. But then, a few years later, star Christopher Reeve came up with an idea for one last adventure. Just like the last two sequels though, Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, didn't turn out as good as it could have.

After a poor test screening, it was decided that more than 35 minutes of footage would be edited out, leaving us with a very poorly edited film---filled with obvious plot holes that left some viewers scratching their heads. Another problem was the fact that the effects budget was slashed and boy does it show. The Salkinds refused to sell the equipment that made Reeve "fly" so well in the past, to the new producers, which also hurt the look of the film...At least original cast members Margot Kidder and Gene Hackman were both recruited to return to active duty.

Made at a time when President Reagan challenged Gorbachev to tear down that wall, the film takes a look at how our hero might deal with a still raging cold war. Superman (Reeve) is asked by a young boy to, "rid the world of all nuclear weapons" Troubled that Earth may suffer the same fate as Krypton's, he agrees, and for a time our world is safe. Lex Luthor (Hackman) has other plans. He decides to create a Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow) to defeat Superman once and for all, while rearming the world for his own financial gain.

It's a shame that the film has so many problems. Still, I wouldn't mind seeing the uncut version of the film anyway, and then let the chips fall where they may. Directed by Sidney J. Furie, Superman IV gets higher marks than third movie, because of Reeve and the return of Hackman. Both actors elevate the film in ways that Richard Pryor could not in Superman III.

The theatrical trailer is the DVD's only extra. With the relaunch of the franchise taking forever, let's see both Richard Donner's version of Superman II, and Superman IV uncut.

More watchable than part 3 but still bad
Compared to Superman 1 and 2, part 4 is lame and disapointing. It's still better than part 3 though. Part 3 had Superman against these rich snobs and the only good part was Superman vs bad Superman. Part 4 at least tried to make a villain worthy of going against Superman. He's still very weak compared to the 3 villains from Part 2 that had Superman's powers. In this Lex Luther basically says "I have an idea lets make someone who has Superman's powers". So they create this super blonde who is powered by the sun and who looks like he just came from a model shoot.

The special effects are B-Movie like and don't help the movie much either. Plus on top of it the movie is directed like a day time soap opera and seems like one too. It even has a date scene where Superman has to try and have a date with Lois Lane and Lacy Warfield (Mariel Hemingway) at the same time. That's lame and doesn't give Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder a chance to form any of the great chemestry that they had in the first 2. Just like in part 3 Lois is used as just a side character basically. All the actors still try hard, especially Gene Hackman. They just didn't have a good script to work with. It's too bad that Christopher Reeve can't do another with a bettter story and direction to make up for this one.

POOR END TO WHAT STARTED A GREAT SERIES.
By far out of story, Superman 4 The Quest for Peace was the weakest of the four films. The main problem with Superman 4 was the dramatic cutting made on the movie. The original running time was 134 mins, but it was knocked down to a disappointing 90 mins cause the 134 min version didn't do to well in a screening. It possible that a screening never took place and the story was never actually finished so they made did with what they had.

Cause of its terrible cuts, the story appears to jump and some voice overs can be seen in the film. I beleive that if Superman 4 remained at its 134 min version, Superman 4 would have been a far greater success. According to film resources the extra footage no longer exists. But there was budget restrictions on Superman 4 which is why it was totally filmed at Pinewood Studios.

Superman 4 The Quest for Peace actually feels more like a TV movie than an epic blockbuster.

A poor end to what started out as a great series of films. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Reeve and Arquette really shine.
The plot of this survival movie is adequate. But where the movie really shines is in the relationship between Reeve and Arquette and the changes they inspire in each other. If you are a Reeve or Arquette fan then this should be a must have. If you're not a fan you may well be after watching this film.

It barely flies
If you're a Christopher Reeve fan, you'll like this movie. If not, then you're in for just another "surviving-in-the-wilderness" tale of an American mail pilot in one of the last days of flying before pilots actually carried passengers. Reeve does a good job of portraying Edgar, a former WW1 flight instructor who's trying to overcome the scars of the death of a student. He crashes in the mountains in the midst of a mail run with a brat of a girl played by Arquette. Surviving with little food, plagued by the cold, hunger and a pack of mean wolves, Reeve triumphes in the end. You didn't expect anything less of Superman now didja? ... Read more

Reviews (5)

running time
Good film to finally see, after only hearing about it for over 20 years. DVD is widescreen, VHS isn't. It only runs about 110 minutes, but Leonard Maltin's TV MOVIES book lists it as running almost 3 hours. I wonder if an hour or so of footage was cut for the DVD/VHS release? Or is Maltin wrong?

Billy Jack Fades into Obscurity
Not many people were interested in seeing an overly talky film about politics on the heels of the non-ending Watergate coverage. Few were interested in the rather naive and over-earnestness this extremely flawed re-worked, re-make of Mr. Smith Goes To Washington offered.

I was a big fan of Billy Jack in '72 and I must admit that I also enjoyed Trial of Billy Jack in 1974. I had not seen Trial since 1974 until recently. It's a pretty awful film.

Now I've seen this film. There is some "dangerous" material in the film that probably did upset people in political power who saw the film. It does show how some corrupt politicians work. It wasn't a great revelation to anyone in 1977 however that our political system was loaded with corruption. We had just been through an over-dose of Watergate. The film can be over-analyzed today and you can see some prophetic things in the film if you want to. Let's not go there.

The film plays like an over-produced t.v. movie. There are some impressive location shots in Washington D.C. and around the Grand Canyon. There was a very expensive and detailed sets built to replicate the U.S. Senate accurately. There were some real actors in the film. People like E.G. Marshall and Sam Wanamaker . It was one of the last films Pat O'brien was in, and it was the first one for Lucie Arnaz.

Frank Capra Jr. was one of the producers of the film which borrows quite a bit from the classic Frank Capra film. Mr Smith Goes to Washington.

If you expect the film to have some action or even a couple of good martial arts fights you will be very disappointed. There is a brief, poorly choreographed fight scene that occurs in about the middle of the film. Future bad action director Hal Needham was stunt coordinator. And Dolores Taylor who always turned the other cheek rather than fight, actually is part of the fighting in this one. Sometimes pacifists get angry and kick ass too I guess.

The film is more interested in its message and in showing us how the mechanics of political corruption work and how one man might change the system and fight corruption. The structure is close to the Mr. Smith film.

E.G. Marshall does put in a watch-able performance and Tom Laughlin who would only be considered a decent actor if you put him next to someone like Chuck Norris is better than you would think. He's still a stiff, soft spoken guy, but there's a natural quality to his performance through most of the film. He's not trying too hard to act (which is good because he can't). But through most of this film you don't get the feeling he's looking for his camera marks or too conscious of where the camera is.

A Senator suddenly dies and the top secret document he has is stoeln by a mid-level lobbyist. Senator Joseph Paine played by E.G. Marshall, calls Governor Hymie (I'm sorry Dick Gautier plays the Governor and when I see him I think of him as Hymie the robot from Get Smart) to go over possible replacements for the Senator. At the meeting is Bailey (Sam Wanamaker), a rich power broker who's got Senator Paine and others in the palm of his hand. He doesn't agree with Govenor Hopper's choice of Billy Jack for Senator. Hopper likes the demographics Billy Jack appeals to and since he's been pardoned of his felony conviction he's in. He won't be too difficult to control for the few months he's in office it's decided.

Ah but of course Billy Jack isn't easy to control at all. He puts through what everyone believes to be an innocuous bill for a National Children's School. Unfortunately it's proposed location happens to the be same place as the nuclear power plant all the heavies have been maneuvering to put through.

Senator Paine who was one partners with one of Billy Jack's relatives must save his political career and destroy Billy Jack and ignore that he was once once a champion of lost causes. Eventually the deck is stacked so heavily against Billy Jack it looks as if he can't possibly win or even save face. Ah but then it's time for the famous filibuster scene. Laughlin does better than you think in the scene that will of course remind you of the classic one with Jimmy Stewart. Some of the same lines are used as a matter of fact. Laughlin isn't just ripping off the film though, he is using the movie to deliver a message about how the people really do have the power to change a corrupt system. It's an optimistic message. The film does offer a couple of good scenes. Most of them however play like scenes from an episode of an old version of West Wing. The film is sometimes very dull with scenes allowed to go on for several minutes too long. Establishing shots are also stretched a bit too long. There are several scenes that fade to black... which adds to the t.v. movie feel of the film-- you almost expect there to be a commercial.

If you have any affection for Billy Jack, the film is worth seeing and is not the total disaster you might have been led to believe. It's corny, cliche'd and rather predictable, but there are a few scenes that have enough edge to them as to be borderline daring for their day.

There may be some truth to what Laughlin says about the film not being distributed because of political pressure. I don't think there was much interest in distributing a somewhat controversial film after the country had been through Watergate. It was a minor reason however to not push the film too hard. If distributors thought they could make money, they would make money and distribute just about any film. The main reasons the film wasn't distributed was because it wasn't a very good film, it was critically savaged at press screenings, it came after Watergate, the recently released film Master and The Gunfighter starring Laughlin was a box-office disaster and it had been over three years since Trial of Billy Jack which had been only a modest success. Laughlin was not well liked in Hollywood and he had certainly lost a lot of his Billy Jack fan base.

Billy Jack was a film much like a one hit wonder. It appealed briefly to a wide demographic for a variety of reasons that had little to do with quality. The success of Billy Jack went to Laughlin's head and he burned a lot of bridges talking about how he was single handedly responsible for its success and he knew how to make important films that spoke to the people. He claimed he had important things to say and he was going to be not just a big powerful movie -maker and star, but a force that would make changes in politics.

Wait a minute said people who saw Billy Jack. We liked the film because it was cool, not because Tom Laughlin was beating the system and proving he knew what the public wanted by its success.

For five minutes he scared some people, but when the public took a closer look at Laughlin they decided they didn't like him. He wasn't a good actor, writer or director and he was just another egotistical guy who thought he could have a ministry based on making movies, rather than being a t.v. evangelist. He wore out his welcome and he refused to accept the public responded to his film for a variety of reasons, not just because of Tom Laughlin or an optimistic message.

Laughlin still very much believes in himself and his message. The message is one that involves personal responsibility and morality. If you listen to him part of you will scream out, who the hell does this guy think he is and part of you might agree with what he says. But Laughlin isn't John Lennon and he still tries to convince you that doors have been slammed shut on him because he wants to tell people the truth about conspiracies and corruption. Because of his limited talent, he has an every man kind of appeal. But he's an ends justify the means kind of guy, and he believes he alone has figured out the way some things are. That type of thing changes from being interesting to being annoying, unrealistic and then just plain tired. I'm glad the world has people like Tom Laughlin in it, but I wouldn't want him to run things anymore than I would want another Nixon or Gingrich to. And Laughlin's idealism is fused with his huge ego.

What no one can ever take away from Tom Laughlin, is that he did accomplish something pretty amazing. He forced himself onto the American screen and for a brief period of time was embraced by a very fickle public. When it was time for him to fade away he didn't want to give up his fame and celebrity. He over-stayed his welcome and I hate to say embarrassed himself, but that's what he did. When a shaggy underdog gets some success and is perceived as a pompous ass, it's time to lay low. He didn't. He misread the market, over-estimated his own talent and abused the bit of public goodwill he had won over. I don't know that he's even yet realized exactly what has happened. Perhaps he still believes that he crashed and burned because a secret society of power brokers wanted to silence him.

Then again maybe he knows this very well and realized if he continued to play his role, he wouldn't completely fade away into obscurity.

Chris Jarmick, Author (The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder Avai

PROPHETIC LAST SAGA OF BILLY JACK
Until this movie was recently released on home video, I knew very little about this movie, since there was no general release to the public. In many ways, this is the best and most ambitious BILLY JACK film. With almost crystal-ball-like accuracy, Tom Laughlin shows us the seedy side of Washington; the way both political parties are bought off by the special interest groups and power brokers. In the light of the last twenty years of political history, this is an amazing feat. Mr. Laughlin has more insight on the conscience of the human condition and how the shadow side of our personality must be dealt with than most professors that have a string of letters following their names. This is a must see!

Interesting Contrasts to Modern Washington
Billy Jack fans will love this movie, critics will hate it.... but who cares what critics think. The thing I find the most interesting about this movie is how it seems to be quasi- Nostradomus like in predicting future corruption in our capital. The murder of a Washington insider seems to reflect the Vince Foster mystery. The big business influence on legistalors and their irresponsible behaviors reflect the many scandals we've witnessed through the 70's and 80's. You have to hand it to Mr. Laughlin for his ability to look into the future with the scenes that constitute this movie. In the book that was written about the making of the Billy Jack series, it talks about how some legislators were shaken by this movie.... and how some even threatened to kill the project so it would not get to theaters. Billy Jack fans need to get this in their collection. Also-- visit the Billy Jack Website.... it's worth a look.

Billy Jack Shows Washington For What It Is.
This final movie in the Excellent Billy Jack Saga, shows thecorrupt dealings that go on in our nation's capital. Billy Jack haslearned his lesson about violence not solving anything, and attacks with political power instead, (though there is one excellent fight scene that is purely self defense and not vengeful). This Billy Jack movie truly stabs at the heart of the problem of our country and calls out for action on the part of us all. Billy Jack shows us the shadow side of Washington and gives us an idea of what a few truly dedicated and concerned citizens could accomplish. My only regret is that this is the last installment of the series to date. Thankfully Tom Laughlin still carries on Billy Jack's cause. This movie is therefore a must see! ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Angela Lansbury starring in "The Shell Seekers"
Angela Lansbury stars in the movie "The Shell Seekers" based on the book of the same name "The Shell Seekers".The acting is good.If you like Angela Lansbury then you will enjoy this video since it is a good story.Angela Lansbury should have won a award for her acting in "The Shell Seekers"

I should have listened to the other reviewers.
I loved Rosamunde Pilcher's novel The Shell Seekers so much that I just had to buy this video simply to become immersed once more in the world of cosy detail Rosamunde provides us. I thought it couldn't possibly be that bad. Well, frankly, it is rather bad. Even though it was filmed in Great Britain, it lacked that British feeling that I was going after. I felt as though I had tuned into a very early "Murder She Wrote" episode with Angela Lansbury surrounded by two-bit actors. Danus was particularly dreadful - no character development - there is absolutely no appeal and you actually hope Antonia does not fall in love with him. The actor who portrays Noel has an easy time of it being weak and greedy, and as for Nancy, why is she so thin? Olivia and Cosmo were the only ones who seemed true to the book. As for reviving Richard - I can only agree with the other reviewer - Penelope would never have chosen to be without him. How trite they made that love affair!

In sum, the movie was far too short to offer any kind of in-depth development. The critical war years were glossed over in mediocre flashbacks. But I suppose it would be alright if you're home for the day with a ghastly cold and you can't actually read the novel again. Just make sure you lace your tea with something a bit stronger - it might make viewing more tolerable.

Shouldn't expect the movie to be like the book anyway
People, you know that movies are never as good as the book! This is no exception. However, in terms of the movie itself, I liked it. It was fun and interesting to compare my own personal images of Penelope, Nancy, Olivia, Noel, Antonia, and Danus to those in the movie. Sure, there were a lot of differences, but if you LOVE Rosamunde Pilcher's novels as much as I do then you can appreciate this movie and how it tried to grasp the feeling of the story, if not the exact plot. I highly recommend the book Coming Home if you enjoyed The Shell Seekers, and the movie Coming Home is excellent, too!

Turn it off before the last 20 minutes.
This is one of my favorite books and after re-reading it for the umpteenth time I decided to purchase the Hallmark Hall of Fame version. The first part is very good for a TV movie - beautiful locations, fine acting (how can one fault Angela Lansbury?), and relatively faithful to the story (one must take into consideration that time is of the essence on TV and often plots become condensed). However, to TOTALLY change the ending (a medical mis-diagnosis unexplained and bringing characters back from the dead to name only two!) was unconscionable. The power of the story was lost and it turned into just another tear-jerker. It would be as if Scarlett and Rhett rode off into the sunset together and lived happily ever after! BUT, if you've never read the book it would be an enjoyable couple of hours entertainment. I will never watch The Shell Seekers again, and am putting mine up for sale (cheap!).

This is NOT the SHELL SEEKERS
This film bears only a passing resemblance to Rosamund Pilcher's THE SHELL SEEKERS. The director watered down the book's powerful plot to weak tea and you will barely recognize the characters. Angela Lansbury does her best but cannot help the tepid writing. The casting was almost completely off the mark - Danus is particularly badly cast. I expected a better film from the Hallmark Hall of Fame. This was so bad it took me 3 trys to get through to the end. Don't buy it. In fact, it's hardly worth renting. Reread the book instead. ... Read more

Description

The Hard-Boiled Crime Classic From The Director Of THESERVANT And THE GO-BETWEEN.Stanley Baker (HELL IS A CITY, ZULU) starsas underworld kingpin Johnny Bannion, sprung from prison by his bestfriend Mike Carter (Sam Wanamaker) to mastermind a daring racetrackheist. But when Johnny is sent back to jail shortly after hiding thestolen loot, he must survive an ordeal of brutality and betrayal at thehands of his fellow convicts and former accomplices in this gritty dramathat was originally advertised as "The Toughest Film Ever Made InBritain!"

Patrick Magee (A CLOCKWORK ORANGE) co-stars in this grim crime classic(also known as THE CONCRETE JUNGLE) directed by American expatriateJoseph Losey from a powerful script by Jimmy Sangster (FEAR IN THENIGHT) and Oscar TM -nominee Alun Owen (A HARD DAY'S NIGHT), andfeaturing a haunting score by John Dankworth and Cleo Laine. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

neglected masterpiece
This film has seemingly been forgotten, it's not usually mentioned in the pantheon of 'great' british gangster films or even the best work of it's director.

often called a 'realistic' film it's more an expressionist handling (minus the shadowy lighting of hollywood film noirs) of typical material, this makes it a bit of a shock on first viewing and might explain why it isn't as highly regarded as it ought to be. It's setting is a cold, snowy winter in london, there is no night time neon city lighting, the action outside prison takes place almost entirely during the day or indoors when darkness falls. It is also a quiet film (except of course when the violence and the screaming erupt), that added to the setting and the stark photography create a very a alien world in which the central character just doesn't belong.

Johnny Bannion (Stanley Baker) reminds me of Pacino's Tony Montana in 'Scarface' (however unlike pacino in that film Baker's stature isn't symbolic of his impotent rage given his heavy build and large frame), he's an irish hoodlum who has risen fairly high but doesn't have what it takes to get to the very top. In Tony's case he isn't ruthless enough and is guarenteed to fall as quickly as he rose due to his own weaknesses. Likewise Bannion is guarenteed to fall, he's a hard nut capable of taking anyone on but he just doesn't belong with the morons and treacherous schemers in his line of work. His appartment is decorated with modern art, it's implied he has a gift for maths and he doesn't really seem at home at a party his fellow mobsters throw for him. He's impatient with everyone, when he erupts in anger it is tinged with petulant sorrow (Baker's thuggish profile and stoic hardness belies a feral, anxious, wounded yet restrained performance), so much so that it arouses contempt in his gangster friends who comment behind his back. When he rebukes Sam Wannamaker's character repeatedly he seems a frustrated child, frustrated at both the life he leads and having to associate and rely on characters such as this. He is totally unaware that wannamaker's sly smile and constant glances betray a man itching to usurp him. And like in Scarface, where Montana can never be his boss Sosa, Bannion just isn't as ruthless as his underlings or his superiors, they're big time, he's small time. His being able to beat two men senseless in his prison cell is nothing compared to the cold hearted deviousness and ambition of his lieutenant who does not have his strength or capacity for physical violence. Both Tony and Johnny possess a dubious sense of honour that those around them do not, in both films there is no honour among thieves and they fail to grasp and adhere to that. Neither of them can accept the system around them. In Tony's case he's endlessly railing against capitalism, in Bannion's he is unable to hide his dismay and anger at the actions of the selfish, corrupt, manipulative and sadistic head warder, something i can't imagine would ever bother the other crime bosses in the film. But then the warder would never dream of moving against them because he can tell the difference between those with real power and those without, even if they are at similar levels in the hierarchy

In 'The Criminal' all this is subtlely conveyed despite and because of what would seem outlandish and anachronistic direction for a crime drama made in the second half of the 1960s.
Losey's way of impressing this man's alienation on us are brilliant, the film has a dreamy quality due to the snowy landscapes and the way he incorporates almost expressionist techniques and performances in his film without it destroying it's hard nosed feel. The insane scottish inmate played by Tom Bell has a tortured monologue where the the prison around him goes black and in close up he explains why he is different to those around him. The camera pulls back and light returns to reveal that Bannion, to whom he is supposedly talking is not listening.

When Bannion falls he falls hard, the cell block he commands turn against him having been fooled into thinking he is an informer (although this is also a part of bannion's scheme to escape and unfortunately his 'friends' scheme to kill him). The grass/snitch/tout he has beaten by a crony in the opening of the film even gets to turn the tables on him. The prison sections at the beginning and end seem to me a forerunner of Alan Clarke's 'Scum'. Patrick Magee (in a non horror role for once) is very much a hysterical yet melifuous 60s predecessor of the warders in that film.

A word must go to the music, that adds to the chilly wintry feeling, so quiet a film that when the light jazzy score by John Dankworth plays seemingly inappropriately it adds to the overall effect. The prison ballad sung by Cleo Laine over the title credits is haunting, never has a song seemed so apt at the start of a film. It is a promise of a unique experience, a promise that the film then makes good, i can't quite think of another like it. Losey's greatest achievement on screen, so different to the hollow, stylistically flat and totally stereotypical English rubbish he is perhaps best known for (although his curio for Hammer studios 'These are the Damned' is excellent too, if uneven). It goes beyond the smart little film noirs he made in Hollywood like 'the Prowler'.

'Get Carter' and 'The Long Good Friday' seem to be the benchmark of British organised crime movies these days, a major difference between them and 'the Criminal' is that it is a great film. It's different, but it rewards in bleakness, nuance and brutality.

Question is: This DVD has been available a long time, how come i'm the first to review it?? ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's easy to stay glued to all 390 fascinating minutes of this 1981 television series, which concentrates, in great detail, on an agonizing decade in the political life of Winston Churchill. Ousted in 1928 from his powerful position in Britain's Conservative government, Churchill (Robert Hardy) assumes--for the first of many times to come--that his career is over. But a pattern emerges: Churchill, the maverick defender of Britain's empire, is pressed back into service only to be attacked for unpopular views about the King's abdication and Hitler's threat. Time and again Churchill is banished, but this sprawling drama provides much colorful detail about the great man's trips to America (what a sight: Churchill in Monument Valley), his passion for his family, and his prescient drive to complete a historical tome before 1939--the year he becomes Prime Minister. Hardy is superb; excellent support comes from, among others, Eric Porter as Neville Chamberlain. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great movie, poor picture and sound quality - NO subtitling!
...This is a Churchill movie that anyone interested in British WW2 history MUST see. Hardy is just superb as Winston Churchill. For a none-English native, though, it is absolutely incomprehensible how the producers could put this movie out without subtitling at least in English! The sound quality is not good (the picture quality far from neither), and for a none- native English too much is lost in the sometimes somewhat muffled colloqial performance, not to speak of the simple fact that Churchill's famous whisky voice would surely benefit by subtitling...However, it is a must-see all the same!

Wonderful Story Overcomes Horrible Transfer
I don't know which is worse, the sound or the picture. It's astounding that the copyright holders of this remarkable series was so hard up that they had to hand "The Wilderness Years" over to Lance Entertainment. This sorry outfit gives Madacy a run for the money as the worst mutilator of film since nitrate.

Robert Hardy is the most convincing imitator of Churchill I've seen. He is wisely depicted here with his foibles - his rashness and ineptitude in areas beyond his ken, such as the stock market and raising offspring - as well as strengths. And it's a treat to see Siân Phillips and Tim Pigott-Smith supporting.

Here's a story well-told, with interesting locations, too, from Churchill's home at Chartwell, in UK, to the Arizona desert. For anyone with an appreciation of the titanic events that shaped World War II, "The Wilderness Years" provides invaluable background, not only for Churchill as a major player, but for the others - Baldwin, Beaverbrook, Chamberlain, as well as movers and shakers with unfamiliar names, like the Sir Samuel "Iago" Hoare, who manipulated and connived on behalf of appeasement, and Horace Wilson, Chamberlain's oily doorkeeper.

Despite the vandalism of the print by Lance Entertainment, I give 5 Stars because "The Wilderness Years" is such an indespensible document that demands viewing.

A Brilliant Story Well Told
While much has been made of A Gathering Storm, and Albert Finney's splendid portrayal of Churchill in that riveting film, Robert Hardy's Churchill in The Wilderness Years is as good, and more consistent, than Finney's, and this mini-series is better history. Hardy was arguably too young to play Churchill here, but his acting is superb, and one forgets the age disparity. This DVD--originally a TV mini-series from 1983, and the picture quality suffers for it--is engrossing, and with more time gives a fuller picture of the 1930s, up through the declaration of war in 1939. While A Gathering Storm omitted some things (and some people, with Neville Chamberlain unforgiveably absent), The Wilderness Years explores much more, and is much more accurate. A Churchill fan would need both DVDs, but if you are required to choose only one, this is the one to get.

Excellent Content; Horrible DVD Reproduction
I purchased this for my father who has studied Churchill's life and writings for many years. He really enjoyed the HBO movie "The Gathering Storm", so I thought I would purchase this since so many recomended it.

While the drama is not quite as gripping as in "The Gathering Storm" the content and depth of this series is excellent (worthy of 5 stars). Unfortunately the reproduction of this series onto DVD is sub-par. In fact it is the worst rendering to DVD I have ever seen or heard. I mention "heard" because we can hardly understand some of the dialogues do to poor sound quality. Either it is too muffled or at times too loud and distorted to make out. Given that this film is made up soley of scenes with a lot of dialogue this is a major annoyance and hence the 3 star rating.

Perhaps the best television drama ever produced
Anyone with an interest in Churchill MUST VIEW this series. It is history at it's best. I viewed this series