Reviews (332)

Brotherhood Of the Wolf-A Masterwork of Period Horror
Director Christopher Gans (Crying Freeman, Necronomicon)has adapted the 300 year old case of the Beast of Gevaudon into the absolutely brilliant BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF (Le Pacte De Loups). Samuel Le Bihan stars as King Louis the XV's chief naturalist, war veteren Gregoire De Fronsac, sent to the French countryside with his best friend, a Native American warrior named Mani (Marc DeCascos)to hunt and kill a wolf-like "beast" responsible for a series of bloody deaths. Along the way, they encounter political intrigue, a witchy courtisan (the stunning Monica Belucchi) and the Beast itself, with amazing results.
Although compared to The Matrix, Crouching Tiger and Jaws, I found this breathtaking film more in the vein of Tsui Hark's Once Upon a Time in China series, with a dose of Dragonslayer thrown in for good measure. Complete with amazing locations, spot-on costumes and butt-kicking Savate sequences courtesy of DeCascos, Le Bihan and the menacing Vincent Cassel (The Crimson Rivers), BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF was well worth the year's wait (it was released in France in January of 2001). By all means, treat yourself to this truly ORIGINAL film. Within five minutes, you'll forget the subtitles, drawn in by the film's voluptuous beauty and thrilling plot twists.

Magnificent folly, way ahead of its time
BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF (Le Pacte des Loups, 2001): In 18th century France, a brave young naturalist (Samuel Le Bihan [TROIS COULEURS ROUGE]) and his Native American companion (Mark Dacascos [DRIVE]) are hired to trace the origins of a bloodthirsty 'beast' which has been terrorizing the countryside, killing women and children. But their investigations uncover an appalling conspiracy which cuts to the very heart of French high society...

Loosely based on true events, this high-powered Gallic blockbuster - directed by Christophe Gans, hired on the strength of his incredible genre-bending adaptation of CRYING FREEEMAN - wowed French audiences when released in 2001. And no wonder! A high-kicking combination of horror movie, period drama, political thriller and 'Matrix'-inspired kung fu pageant, the film combines the best elements of these disparate sub-genres in a dazzling display of technical wizardry. Photographed in widescreen Super 35 by Dan Laustsen (MIMIC, THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN), and played with solemn conviction by an all-star cast - including relative newcomers Vincent Cassel (LA HAINE), Monica Bellucci (the MATRIX sequels) and Jeremie Renier (LES AMANTS CRIMINELS), and veterans Jean Yanne (most recently seen in BELLE MAMAN) and Edith Scob (the elegant heroine of Franju's LES YEUX SANS VISAGE) - the movie is a riot of action and intrigue, sustained by a multilayered screenplay (co-authored by Gans and Stephane Cabel) which recounts an elaborate fable of class warfare and religious bigotry during a grim period of French history. The fight scenes - choreographed with ruthless efficiency by Hong Kong movie veteran Phillip Kwok (MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE, HARD-BOILED, TOMORROW NEVER DIES, etc.) - are fashioned with elegant grace, and edited to perfection by Sebastien Prangere and David Wu Dai-wai (another prominent HK movie figure, Ronny Yu Yan-tai's current editor of choice). Much of the film's otherworldly visual texture is due to the sumptuous art direction (by Guy-Claude Francois [JEFFERSON IN PARIS]) and costume design (by Dominique Borg), which roots proceedings in a recognizable period 'style', despite Gans' resolutely modern approach to the material. It shouldn't work, but it does, somehow. The 'explanation' for the beast and its murderous activities - which takes into account a wide range of modern research into the story of an animal which really DID terrorize the French countryside during the 18th century - forms the backbone of the entire production, and while much of the film is a rip-roaring joy, the climactic sequences are offset by an element of tragedy and sadness, which thoroughly distinguishes the movie from most of its Hollywood counterparts. All in all, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF is a magnificent folly, way ahead of its time, and quite unlike anything ever made before.

This review is based on a viewing of the Canadian disc from TVR Films which presents the original French version in its entirety (the international version, including the one released in the US and UK, appears to be shorter by about 10 minutes) and runs 150m 34s, minus the logos which open the video print and weren't part of the original production, and letterboxes the scope frame at 2.35:1 (anamorphically enhanced). The US disc - a region 1 release from Universal - is a no-frills affair which features a letterboxed anamorphic version of the shorter print, and some reviews suggest it's a better-looking transfer than the one featured on the Canadian disc. Captions and subtitles are provided. The Canadian version, however, is a 3-disc spectacular, and features (amongst many other things) an extremely frank documentary on the making of the film which opens with an actress being clobbered during an accident on-set, and proceeds to outline the various obstacles which constantly threatened the production schedule (not least the unpredictable weather during location shooting) and ultimately strained relations between director Gans and co-producer Samuel Hadida. That such a remarkable film emerged from these traumatic circumstances says much about the talent and dedication of these extraordinary gentlemen and all those who helped bring their unique vision to the silver screen. A triumph.

terrible!
i am completely amazed as i read the other reviews of this movie and have to wonder if we saw the same film.
did we?
a movie with no characterization? terrible dialogue? a lot of slow-motion action sequences (trying desperately to copy the John Woo style)? a lot of style and glitz but no plot motivation to back it up? and a SUPER hokey ending?
and don't even get me started on the character of Mani. i'm from the region Mani is said to come from, and all of the displays of Native American traditions which are presented in this film are fabricated and presented to the point that i was insulted!

did we see the same movie?
this is a good movie for cutiosity sake but little else.

Regarding the Beast
From the outset of Le Pacte de Loups, we know that the central beast of the movie is no ordinary wolf. Regarding its identification, however - a point that is never truly elucidated whether you've seen the film or not - there remains debate. My initial and superseding question is, no matter how the beast appears, what makes it impossible to believe in the beast's specificity as a common French wolf? This fact is unmistakable to my intuitions. Many of you might not know French, but I looked it up and "loup" is actually French for "wolf" - not "beast," like many appear to think. First point, the movie title states this so-called mysterious answer from the outset. If the beast was a hyena, the French would be referring to "hyènes," and were it a lion, it would actually be called "lion" (the two languages share this word).

If you need more evidence, there is no lack in the film. Our beast is often seen running with its pack, howling at the moon, and killing people. While Grégoire attempts to denounce the belief in human murders by wolf, one of the final scenes of the movie clearly depicts wolves doing just that: an obvious statement to disaffirm his slander. If you listen to the revealing narrative at the end of the film, it is stated that while visiting Africa Jean-François found the beast and raised her offspring, selecting the largest and strongest to take back with him to France and training it to be more ferocious and cruel than the average wolf.

***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
Earlier we learn that this character has been savaged by a lion, which resulted in the loss of his right forelimb. Would you take the same animal that disfigured you and raise it as your own? Neither would Jean-François.

I had to chuckle at some of these reviews!
Wow! Four out of five. Three out of five. You have to be joking don't you? This movie is perfection. Pure, true, honest, stylish. Of course Americans get a bit ruffled when a 'foreign' film shows the good old US of A how 'it's done' yet again. You folk like you're movies with justification, explanation and gradification... all tied up in a bow. This movie is not sugar covered and goes in depth within (I won't give it away for those that have not seen it) an area that goes way back in time and is still happening today (Bohemiam Grove hint hint etc)which has always fascinated me. So why would you not like it? Firstly that pesky 'other' language (yes, it's in French - and so it should be) makes those of less IQ's have to read. Pesky pesky. Secondly it has many layers as a movie and does not always have to explain EVERYTHING that is going on, and instead relies on the intellect of it's viewers and allows us to progress on the journey and make up our own minds as to how, why and who. I will not go into 'explaining' the film as it is done already in the top review and you all seem to explain it over and over again. I am not French as you may all think, and instead an Aussie relieved and satisfied that a certain standard of perfection is retained in some movies in the world. Erotic, scary, action, suspense, intelligent, beautiful. Simply one of the best movies I have seen this year. (I'll put money on it that America will remake this movie very soon... and yet again bugger up another classic foreign film that should have been left well alone! Please don't! I beg you!) ... Read more

Amazon.com

Mannequin is notionally a romantic comedy in which Andrew McCarthy plays a luckless department-store employee and Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City) is an Egyptian princess reincarnated as a shop-window dummy, who comes to life when she encounters McCarthy, only to revert to mannequin status when anyone else is watching her. With her encouragement, he becomes emboldened in his career as a window decorator as well as falling in love with the princess. James Spader's oily, stammering executive is just one of the many examples of a film that tries way too hard to be funny, the sort of characterization that would be barely adequate for a TV commercial, let alone a 90-minute movie. Still, for fans of Sex and the City who might want to feast upon the spectacle of a younger Kim Cattrall, Mannequin might offer a measure of relief. --David Stubbs ... Read more

Reviews (23)

5 stars for the film 2 for the DVD
I give them 2 stars for finally releasing this gem on DVD but no extras??
This film is delightful and refreshing, Leonard Maltin obviously was having a bad day when he saw this film. I must have seen it 6 or more times when it was in the theaters.
Kim Catrall(Sex in the City) is delightfully coy and silly as well as charming in this comedy about an ancient princess with a too modern outlook and is "cursed" to live through thousands of years until she finds a love who can appreciate her for who she is and not try and control her.
Andrew McCarthy(Pretty in Pink) is wonderful as a failed sculptist who cannot keep a job until he gets a job working as a window dresser at a failing dept store in Philadelphia.
Great co-stars Estelle Getty(Golden Girls), Mesach(sp?) Taylor(Designing Women), James Spader(Stargate the movie) and others make this film a hysterical and romantic romp!

Guilty Pleasure from the 80s
In an era where big hair, ripped jeans, and bad movies were the norm, Mannequin simply shines. While not especially noteworthy as a film, it becomes memorable for the fact that it's not as stupid as most films in the 80s were. The movie manages to remain charming and fun all the way through due to the eccentricty of its characters and good acting.
Cattrall and McCarthy are the strongest in this movie, and they manage to make you forget reality for a little while. Cattrall's enthusiasm and innocence is well-balanced by McCarthy's skepticism and good humor, and they pull the viewer into the simple and often silly plot of an ancient Egyptian princess reborn as a mannequin who happens to fall in love with her maker who now works as a department store window dresser and the two have a Calvin and Hobbes-like relationship (Cattrall only comes to life when alone with McCarthy). However, the most memorable character is Hollywood, the flamboyently gay and hysterical window dresser played by Meshach Taylor (Anthony from Designing Women).
Charming, simple, and fun, this is a great flick to put on the TV on a friday night while hanging out with friends or just that special someone.

A live mannequin
Andrew McCarthy,back in 1986 when he was a teen idol,co-starred with Kim Cattrall in this hysterical romance film. Jonathan Switcher(McCarthy) has held,but not for long,various jobs. Some of those jobs only lasted a few hours! But that all changed when Jonathan came to a department store and found his main superior,a late 50ish-early 60ish woman,very sweet and loving. He did everything at the store. He was a sales clerk,manager and even a security guard. At the store,in one of the ladies' departments,he discovers a beautiful female mannequin who comes alive. Cattrall,is the mannequin named Emmy. She even becomes the girl of his dreams! Jonathan couldn't be happier. Another security guard(G.W. Bailey) finds Jonathan pretending the mannequin is a real woman and romancing it. To everyone except Jonathan until the final scene,Emmy is an "it". James Spader plays one of Jonathan's immediate supervisors. Steve Vinovich is the store's president. Jonathan had broken up with his pre-Emmy girlfriend. So the girlfriend and her new boyfriend spy on Jonathan in the store and with a camera. Jonathan and Emmy are riding a motorcycle in one scene in formal apparel,with Jonathan operating the vehicle. Everyone else observes the "it" behind Jonathan on the bike. Jonathan almost lost Emmy to a trash incinerator in operation. The shoes she wore were destroyed by the incinerator. Bailey's and Vinovich's characters were taken into police custody after committing some kind of devious crime. The surveillance camera caught them in the act. It was then when the mannequin "died" and "was reincarnated as" a real woman. In the final scene,we see Jonathan and Emmy tying the knot. The featured song is "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now",recorded by Starship. Bailey and Cattrall previously appeared in 1984's POLICE ACADEMY.

A Kooky Classic
I recently tried to watch my old "Mannequin" VHS but it wouldn't work. Fortunately, my boyfriend was aware of my disappointment and ameliorated the situation by purchasing this 1980's farce.

So, I watched it, and enjoyed it thoroughly. "Mannequin" follows a sculptor working at a mannequin factory who just got fired for making the darn things too slow. He lovingly chooses each body part, and truly cares for this unacknowledged "art" form. But soon enough, the quirky mannequinphile finds another job making window displays for a large store. He is successful at this in that people come from all around to see what his latest display is, but he is also looked at as much nuttier because he has fallen in love with a mannequin! She is played by the fabulous Kim Cattrall (sp?) of the HBO hit "Sex and the City" (she hasn't aged a bit since this film I might add!) Of course, he sees and interacts with her as a real person, but everyone else just sees a lifeless hunk of plastic in fashionable new clothing.

How does it end? You just have to watch it... it's not a serious film, but provides many laughs for all (read: cheesy dance/song numbers, corny jokes, and the pop culture of the 1980's that is represented)!!!!

This is classic comedy.
I've seen this movie more times than I can count. I've even memorized a lot of the lines. There isn't anything about this movie that isn't enjoyable. It's one of my favorite movies. I have no complaints about the acting, the cast was great. What else can I say?? The 80's was blessed when this gem was released. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The consequences of time travel are the thematic framework for thiscompilation of episodes from the revamped Outer Limits anthology series,produced for the Showtime network. The six stories compiled here are indicativeof the new version's competent but uneventful nature; scripting, performances,and direction (all hampered by the program's low budget) rarely live up to theplots' potential or the drama and suspense of the original series. AmandaPlummer's Emmy-winning turn as a scientist who travels 50 years into the past tocommit a murder in the Season Two episode "A Stitch in Time" is the highlight ofthe disc; the rest (culled from the series' seven-season run) offer well-wornvariations on time travel themes. The full-frame disc includes "The Outer LimitsStory," which offers talking-head interviews with executive producers PenDensham and Mark Stern, as well as featurettes on each episode. --PaulGaita ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Some good, some bad
Time travel is a very difficult topic to have a story about, mostly because of the holes one can place in time and space. However, these in general were very good stories.

Easily, A Stitch in Time is the best episode.... and one of the best time travel stories I have experienced in a long time. They do a very good job of exploring these holes that are created. This is also the best Outer Limits episodes that I have seen so far.

Okay, I've got a soft spot when it comes to storied dealing with families. I really enjoyed Tribunal. Other than the fact that the main character would need to speak Yidish, English, and German fluently for this story to make sense... it really pulled at the ol' heart strings.

Gettysburg really turned me off. Maybe I was surprised to see Prentice again. Maybe it was because of what Prentice was trying to accomplish. It seemed like there were a million different ways to change what he was trying to prevent from happening, and he chose the most complicated way to do it.

I said, "What, Prentice again!!!" when Time to Time came on. The statement by Prenice's co-worker on what it takes to time travel would have been cute and funny if it didn't completely put a huge hole in the former two stories. It reminded me a bit of the movie, "Millennium."

Deja Vu reminded me of a Star Trek episode where Data went through the same thing that Kevin Nealon did and also Groundhog Day (one of the best movies EVER!!!). It was entertaining once, but I think it lacked the shock and awe that the writers were going for (none of their big surprises were big surprises).

And Patient Zero. Okay, a big hole is building a time machine to go into the past and stop something from happening because at this time you lose the incentive to build the time machine in the first place and sending that person back. So, the person shouldn't exist in the first place and the universe shoud blow up. This episode was predictable all the way and left me very disappointed.

Overall, I really liked the first two episodes and Deja Vu. The others I never really got in to. I know that time travel is a difficult subject (I still haven't found the perfect one yet, but A Stitch in Time came VERY close), but the three episodes I didn't like forced me to dock the movie two stars. Also, I would love it if the Outer Limits didn't do themes, but released it season by season. I might have liked these all more if I hadn't watched one story after another. I also have a feeling that they WILL release them season by season in the future and I'll regret these purchases. Of course, I'll need a time machine or just have to wait to find out if I'm correct.

Outer Limits Time Travel Stories
This DVD has 6 "Outer Limits time travel stories" of the series. Maybe with a little luck, we will see the series put out on DVD by season.

1) A Stitch in Time - season 2 - Jamie Perrin of the FBI investigates the murder of 17 men that have been killed with the same gun over the last 50 years. The gun is traced to Dr. Theresa Givens who was 5 years old at the time of the 1st murder and to add to the mystery the gun had not yet been invented.

2) Tribunal - season 5 - At the Birkenau concentration camp Leon Zgierski watches Karl Rademacher shoot his wife and send his daughter to the gas chamber. A time traveler who grabs Radermacher's jacket sees the event.

3) Gettysburg - season 6 - Andy and Vince spend their weekends reacting battles from the Civil War. When their picture is taken with an old camera they find themselves on the eve of an 1863 battle.

4) Time to Time - season 7 - A daughter travels back in time to change her father's destiny.

5) Déjà vu - season 5 - Mark Crest builds a teleportation machine to transport some animals across the desert.

6) Patient Zero - season 7 - A man from the future arrives in the present to kill the carrier of a plague that could destroy humanity.

For all time
The SHOWTIMES cable channel has brought back the 1950s science fiction series THE OUTER LIMITS. In it the series has updated technology & special effects as well as theme-lines to match the late 20th century.

SHOWTIME has begun to release some of the "best-of" on DVD via general motif. Each DVD has 4 episodes. The previous installment was called SEX AND SCIENCE fiction & the stories were a nice blend of eroticism & Sci-fi.

The current DVD contains 4 episodes centered around the concept of time travel. Of the 4, the 2nd story [THE TRIAL] is by far & away the most poignant. It details a story about a Jewish concentration camp and is vividly moving. The 2nd story alone is worth the price of the DVD.

3 of the 4 stories are about a time-traveller from the future (including THE TRIAL). Of all 4 episodes, the fourth is the weakest. They layer on some elements from the 2nd and 3rd stories and it all comes across as being very ad-hoc.

If time travel is an interest of yours, here is a DVD with some fresh approaches to the topic. If you prefer erotic science fiction, I would recommend the 1st OUTER LIMITS compilation of stories. If (like me!) you are an avid sci-fi fan across-the-board, I would think both DVDs should be in your collection.

Top of the Crop to Bottom of the Barrel
These episodes range from some of the very best of the Outer Limits (Stitch in Time, Tribunal, Deja Vu) to the mediocre (Gettysburg, Time to Time) and the out-and-out bad (Patient Zero). Still, based on the superb quality of the three good ones (Tribunal in particular is a very intelligent treatment of time travel -- look carefully at the Nazis that take the old man's daughter away from him in the flashback sequence, for example)this is worth the money.

A must have.
Did you like the New Outer Limits? If so, this is an excellent DVD for you to own. I really wish they would come out with the seasons in box form, but this will keep me happy until that day arrives. A very well done edition. In every way. ... Read more

Reviews (153)

Not historicaly correct, but a great movie overall
When I first saw it in the theaters, I fell asleep. I'm not sure if the movie got to boring, or if I was just tired. But anyways, on to the movie:

Story: Anastasia, her grandmother, and the rest of the Romanov family are enjoying a royal ball in their palace. But alas, there's always a bad guy,.......Rasputin in this case. He says that Anastasia's whole family will die soon, and that happens (off screen of course). Well, everybody except for Anastasia and her grandma. Her grandma escapes to Paris. "Anya" falls off a train, hits her head, and ends up in an orphanage. 10 years later, two conmen named Dimitri and Vladamer are "collecting" girls that look/act like Anastasia. This is because Marie (Anya's grandma) is holding a grand reward of 10 million rubels for anyone who finds her lost granddaughter. And Anastasia? She is finally released from the orphanage. But instead of going "fishing" like the lady at the orphanage tells her to, she goes to St. Petersburg to find her family. Following her is the undead Rasputin (ha, and you thought he was dead). He's trying to get revenge since Anya lived. The rest of the story follows the journey's of Anastasia, and how she finds her grandmama.

As for the historical record? Well, Rasputin was actually a "friend of the family" as you might call him. He helped to cure little Alex, Anastasia's brother, from a fever. From what I've heard, I guess Anya's whole family (including her) was killed. Not a very happy ending is it? Of course, they can't let the kids know this, so it's all "re-arranged". As for Pooka (the dog), who knows if the Romanov family had a dog or not. Dimitri? He looks suspiciously like Alex dosn't he? And what about Bartok (the bat)? Of course, he is purely fictional. I have to admit that he seemed like the main character more than Anya, since he had the most "personality". Kind of a cute little guy actually.

Overall, it's fun, cute, and whimsicall. Sounds like a kids movie dosn't it? That's because it is!! But all in all, I think you'd enjoy it.

So Well Done You'll Think It's Disney!
Not to diss Fox and Dreamworks and other studio heads, but when you see a great animated film, you automatically think Disney did it. I was only 9 when I first saw this movie, and I really thought it was Disney. It's not historically accurate, but if it was, it wouldn't be a children's movie. Now they have it that Anastasia and her grandmother escaped the palace, but were seperated. Anastasia[Anya] falls, loses her memory, and becomes an orphan. She heads to St. Petersburg to find her family, and on the way she meets a dog, the boy who saved her life as a kid, though she doesnt know it, and the boy's friend. I agree that Anya's character was a bit self-centered, which I didn't like. She wants to find her family which is fine, but she acts a little spoiled at times. But overall I thought it was very good, the music was so awesome I had to go buy the soundtrack. Meg Ryan, John Cusak, and Kelsey Grammar are all very good and solid in their parts, but the best actor is Hank Azaria, who throws himself into playing Rasputin's batty sidekick. The clean jokes and gags he makes are clever and he never loses character for a second. It's a very good film that is not accurate to history, but you know what? A five year-old isn't going to know anyway.

An Alternate View of Russian History
At the end of last week I had the opportunity to see Anastasia. Due to the prevalence of magic and the changing of history, Anastasia does qualify as a fantasy film.

When the Russian empire falls (in a fortnight due to Rasputin's curse), young Anastasia escapes with her life but not her memory. An old member of the court and an old member of the palace staff look for a girl they can pose as Anastasia in order to collect a reward. The girl they pick turns out to be the genuine article. After some harrowing adventures made more difficult by the efforts of Rasputin from beyond the grave, Anastasia is reunited with her grandmother. Then, just as all obstacles and plot complications are out of the way of romance the final showdown with Rasputin occurs.

One of the main reasons I had wanted to see this film was that it was the first true challenge to Disney's animation empire. I was very surprised to find out that Don Bluth (All Dogs Go To Heaven and other dogs) was behind the film. Bluth seems to have finally figured out how to make a good film and Anastasia will hopefully not be the last.

There are a few faults (of course) with the overall plot and the dealings with history but if one accepts this as alternate history they are not a real problem. For one, Rasputin dies by accident (although he does drown). Anastasia is found and reunited with her family. The Russian Empire is likened to Camelot where all is good for everyone. Rubles seem to have worth outside of Russia. But if you can handle that, you should have no problem with the story. The only real problems I had with the production involved the musical numbers and the animation. There was some good music but it just wasn't as clear as it should be. Oftentimes one had to guess what the song was about. The problem with the animation stems from to jarring an interface between the computer animation and the cell animation. Hopefully these small problems can be eliminated in future projects.

So, overall I really enjoyed the movie. It was a fun story with some old cliches eliminated (Tracy thinks they too a close look at the success of Buffy The Vampire Slayer). The animation was beautiful, if jarring in a few spots. The characters were likeable and believable and were backed by some excellent voice talents. If you get a chance to see this one on a big screen you should take that opportunity; it's worth it. If not, get the DVD.

Anything is Possible in History & Animation.
This nice little story of the search for and recovery of the heir to the Russian throne. It is full of adventures to keep the children interested but includes many complicated plots and subplots going on at the same time for the adults to enjoy. When found, Anya was told she had the beauty of her mother, Alexandra; her father had been the last czar, Nicholas.

On the ship to France, curses were being thrown Anya's way by Rasputian. She feels like she is falling apart. A waif for many years, she is hoping to find her family and her destiny. At the Effiel Tower, we saw a beautiful dancing water show similar to that at the downtown park in Chicago in summer.

The elderly Empress with her white hair has reached the point of despair and will no longer interview any of the many girls who claim to be Anastasia. She had a cat with a fluffy tail. Her maid Sophia, the blonde bombshell with Dolly Parton attributes, informs them of the Soviet ballet and takes them on a fantastic shopping spree.

Dimitri had been a servant lad in the palace and had led the group to safety during the revolution. Now he has turned into a conman to find the heiress. He is pictured with my son Geoffrey's hair and even his smile. There is a model in Chicago who is Jeff's 'double' so it could have been based on him.

Out in the streets of Paris, there is dancing as in HAVANA NIGHTS cartoon style. At the Moulin Rouge shaped like a windmill we see the can can dancers' show.

On the way to the ballet, we saw a huge statue of Rodin's THE THINKER. Cinderella was the ending of the ballet; we did not see the beginning. When confronted with Anya, she wearily inquires, "How much pain will you inflict on an old woman?" Now, she had decided to end her days with a lonely life in peace. Dimitri carjacked the Empress to explain how and why he knows for sure this is the right Anastasia. "I know you've been hurt," he says, by his search for the young girl he had fallen in love with.

Anya had prayed, "Please let her remember me." It was the thing she wore around her neck which opened the music box which was the deciding factor. As we watched the music box dancers, we hear a lovely song, "Once Upon a December."

She had become bitter toward Dimitri when learning of his con game. "From the beginning, you lied," she'd proclaimed thinking he was just after the reward money. Upon learning that he had refused the fortune due to a 'change of heart,' we see a bittersweet "goodbye."

The mutt was a good mood-changer. He was so cute, as was the bat which Rasputian had who wished he would just 'get a life.' He got his own at the end of this movie.

Anya was lured into a maze built around a beautiful fountain by evil forces. She told Rasputain, the mad monk, "I'm not afraid of you." He'd declared, "What goes around comes around." She is saved by Dimitri who had returned to claim her as his own and they destroyed his evil by tearing up the lighted skull. Rasputain is turned into ashes after Dimitri had an encounter with a destructive Pegasus.

After she tells him that 'all men are babies,' they eloped. Isn't that romantic?! A perfect ending to a perfect beginning.

The short documentary, Anastasia: A Magical Journey, aided the viewer not schooled in Russian literature to understand what the whole thing was about. Long live the Romanovs.

A Gratifyingly Entertaining Movie
While this movie does have its flaws, it's worth watching, and is over-all rather pleasant.
The villain, Rasputin, is essentially unneeded and detracts from the movie. Christopher Lloyd does a fabulous job doing the voice for the role, but the character himself adds nothing to the plot, and his screen time is when you start to feel time dragging. Many of his scenes also make the movie unsuitable for young or sensitive children. While the majority of the movie would be entertaining for all ages, Rasputin's scenes tend to involve depictions of his rotting corpse that would've scared me as a child, and I find them unpleasant even now.
The rest of the movie is really rather well done. The animation, while not spectacular or awe-inspiring, is pleasant and has character. The dialogue is rather clever, and the voice actors do a very nice job delivering it. There's a great mix of fun, adventure, and humor, to go along with the sentimental parts that will touch your heart. The highlight of the movie is definitely its soundtrack. Even if the plot does nothing for you, the songs are beautiful. They could carry the movie on their own; fortunately they don't have to, and you'll find yourself wrapped up in Anya's search for family, acceptance, and ultimately love. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Widescreen fans please note...
...you can order a very good quality print of this film from Amazon France's marketplace sellers. The only drawback is that the English version has French subtitles which can't be erased using the menu. However, when you see the low price, even accounting for postage, you won't complain.

A movie that needs to be remade
Don't get me wrong. This movie is fun but as historical accuracies go, it falls pretty flat. The movie doesn't even use the real names of the people involved.

I'm a big fan of epic period pieces and I think there is a lot going for this kind of movie to be made today (with an international cast)

First I'd choose John Milius, Michael Mann, or Mel Gibson as director

Sample Cast
George Clooney or Billy Zane.....US Marine Major
Catherine Zeta Jones...Russian countess
Elizabeth Hurley....British ambassador's wife
Tom Sizemore.....US Marine sgt
Chow Yun Fat.....Prince Tuan
Michelle Yeoh....Empress Dowager
Brian Cox....British Ambassador
Ioan Gruffudd (Hornblower) or Heath Ledger....British Captain
Jermey Irons....German Colonel
Sophie marceau....French ambassador's wife
Alan Rickman....Russian ambassador

You get the picture :-)

spectacular yet intimate
Before the era of political correctness, Caucasian actors donned make up to play characters of other races; roles which, for whatever reason, could not be filled by non-white actors at that time. If you are the kind of person who gets mad watching white people play "sinister" Chinese roles then stay away from this movie or be prepared for this kind of thing:

Prince Tuan: "Your majesty, the execution has been stopped!"

The Empress: "Who!"

Prince Tuan: "Jung Lu!"

However if you can keep that momentary suspension of disbelief going just long enough to allow yourself to get into the story, then you can believe Flora Robson is the Empress and 55 Days is one of the most underrated films of all time: the action sequences are extremely well paced and choreographed and the film, for the most part, stays faithful to history. Obviously the producers could not reproduce the entire Forbidden City so the "palace" exterior scenes are somewhat hokey, but the legation compound and the city wall are reproduced in a convincing way and as set pieces they are used to great effect.

Look for Walter Gotell (General Gogol from the 007 films) and Nicholas Ray himself (in wheelchair) as the American ambassador.

55 days at peking
With all the wham, bam, thank you not madam junk that is prevasive now, this has a superb plot and it has class. This is a 5 star in a world of -1 s! Niven is wonderous and Ava is regal with her feet of clay.

Enjoyable epic and star vehicle
"55 Days At Peking" is an unusual and enjoyable epic and star vehicle. Not least among its admirable characteristics is a set re-creating in Spain an authentic impression of the old Legation Quarter of Peking. The set makes sense to anyone who knows the actual site in modern-day Beijing. That is a considerable achievement in the pre-digital cinematic art of illusion. It shows, too, that there was a great deal of China knowledge behind the making of the movie. Well into the 1990s, many Boxer Rebellion-era structures survived in the old Legation Quarter of Beijing. Due to enduring political and cultural sensitivities, the historical significance of these structures was unsignposted and ignored by the official Chinese tourist authorities, and most of the area was occupied by Chinese Government organisations. The gate of the former British Legation which was recreated for the movie could still be seen just off Chang'an Avenue in Zhengyi Street, a short walk southwest from the Beijing Hotel. The layout and other striking architectural features of the area are well-recorded in books such as Michael J. and Yeone Wei-Chih Moser's "Foreigners Within The Gates" (Oxford 1993). The movie takes liberties with history--overplaying, for instance, the US military contribution, and making the British Minister (played by David Niven) appear a more militarily energetic figure than he seemed to contemporary observers of the siege of the legations. Some purists might find jarring the poor Chinese calligraphy in graffiti, and the casting of (generally well made-up) Caucasian actors in major Chinese roles. However, the standard caveat applies that this is an entertainment, not a documentary. Talent like Chow Yun-Fat, John Lone, Gong Li, Zhang Yimou and Wayne Wang wasn't available to western moviemakers in 1963. "55 Days At Peking" entertains with a creditable impression of this historical episode when China warred by proxy on the rest of the world. It is an interesting film to compare with "Khartoum", in which Charlton Heston also plays the lead, as part of the canon of epic moviemaking about imperial and colonial wars. The casting and illusion of China is worth comparing with "The Inn Of The Sixth Happiness" (1958), in which Robert Donat plays a Chinese mandarin and Wales substitutes for China. It would be fascinating to see a remake of this film with a re-worked story and script, a re-arrangement of Dimitri Tiomkin's excellent score, digital technology, and cross-cultural casting and direction. However, as it probably still could not be shot in China without unacceptable interference, it might need "Red Corner" treatment. ... Read more

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The Blue Max is highly unusual among Hollywood films, not justfor being a large-scale drama set during the generally overlooked World War I,but in concentrating on air combat as seen entirely from the German point ofview. The story focuses on a lower-class officer, Bruno Stachel (GeorgePeppard), and his obsessive quest to win a Blue Max, a medal awarded forshooting down 20 enemy aircraft. Around this are subplots concerning apropaganda campaign by James Mason's pragmatic general, rivalry with a fellowofficer (Jeremy Kemp), and a love affair with a decadent countess (UrsulaAndress).

As directed by John Guillermin (who later made The Battle of Britain in1969), the film's main assets are epic production values, great flying scenes,and stunning dogfights. The weak point is the sometimes ponderous characterdrama, not helped by Peppard, who is too lightweight an actor to convince as thedriven antihero. Clearly influenced by Kubrick's Paths of Glory (1958),The Blue Max is a cold, cynical drama offering a visually breathtakingportrait of a stultified society tearing itself apart during the final months ofthe Great War. --Gary S. Dalkin ... Read more

Reviews (25)

George Peppard as antihero
George Peppard plays a character, Bruno Stachel, that is not your typical war hero. He is consumed with ambition, doesn't have any use for chivalry, lies by claiming as his own a fellow-flier's aerial combat victories, and disobeys direct orders. In short, he is more of an anti-hero than a hero. On the other hand, there are extenuating circumstances. He comes from the lower middle-class at time when most of Germany's other fighter pilots, Baron von Richtofen, for example, are sons of the landed gentry.

James Mason, one of Stachel's higher ups, is happy that, for propaganda purposes, he can point to a hero who is from the lower classes, who is as "common as dirt." Because of Stachel's propaganda value, Mason lets him get away with much more than he should. Ultimately, however, Mason's desire for favorable publicity comes back to bite Stachel.

They don't make them like this anymore. It is a two and one half hour movie, with an intermission in the middle. The aerial combat sequences are spectacular, and there was no cheating with digital effects back when this movie was made. The score by Jerry Goldsmith is really wonderful and evocative, one of the best things about this movie.

I deducted a star because the DVD is a little cheap. The "Fox War Classics" series seems to be more interested in getting product out cheaply than with high quality and many extras. I noticed some bad pixelation near the middle of the movie, around the intermission. But for what this disc is selling for, you can't really complain.

Some great action scenes in this movie!!
I saw a review copy of this DVD recently and thought I would share my thoughts on the movie.
George Peppard stars as a World War I flying ace in this uneven 1966 action movie with a difference. Rather than portraying an Army Air Corp or RAF pilot Peppard instead takes on the role of Bruno Stachel, a German fighter pilot who is on a quest to receive his country's most prized military aviation medal - the Blue Max of the title.
Unfortunately for the movie, it seems unsure whether to be an action movie or a drama, so whereas there are some very exciting, exhilarating action sequences peppered (no pun intended) throughout the picture, the movie does slow to an agonizing crawl during its more melodramatic moments. Another problem the picture has is its star. Simply put Peppard lacks the charisma of the other actors headlining the other DVDs of the newest wave of "Fox War Classics". He is no Cagney, Mitchum or even Kenneth More and this is most strikingly borne out by his supporting cast of James Mason and Ursula Andress.
The picture quality on this disc is merely serviceable at best; despite a nicely in depth transfer there is some dirt and scratches evident. Still, it is given to us in anamorphic widescreen instead of cropped full frame so that is a plus.
The audio on this disc is of much better story with a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround track that really delivers the goods. This is fortunate because the movie does feature a nice soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith.
As with the other entries in the Fox War Classics series this movie features the trailers of the other pictures as a special feature.
Overall, an average movie, an average picture and a nice audio track. Still clocking in at two and a half hours and carrying a low price tag this is not hard to recommend taking a look.

"The only medal worth having, because it is respected"
The opening words of Bruno Stachel(George Peppard in his best role) to Willie(Jeremy Kemp) as they discuss a picture of "The Red Baron" that Stachel idolizes when he first arrives at his squadron, Stachel is ambitious to achieve "The Blue Max" medal at all costs including his relationships. He sours on the others almost immediately but successfully attains his goal and is at the same time used by the Aristocracy as a publicity figure to gain the support of common folk tired of war and needing a hero from their own ranks. It covers the period from 1916 to 1918 and Stachel is in a race to get his twenty kills before the war ends. Ironically, Stachel's idolization of the Red Baron is changed due to his encounter in the air where he is shot down and injured trying to save the Baron and says to Willie Von Kluggerman "that's the fool that almost got me killed" and it turns out to be his former hero. He rejects the offer of the Baron to join his "Flying Circus" and instead sharpens his skills with "Willie" in games of "chicken' in the air that eventually leads to "Willie's" death. This Major film is worthy of praise. The music by Jerry Goldsmith is probably the best ever made for a war film. The screenplay was based on the famous novel under the same name by Jack Hunter and is different from the book in many ways. The script changes the character to be more of a thorn in the side of his own fellow flyers and accents more of the poor versus rich problems than fighting. The Hunter book has Stachel as a survivor of the war but the film needed a dramatic ending and it is one of the most memorable in Hollywood history, and you will never view a "rubber stamp" in the same way ever again. The DVD is sharp, polished but only carries a few trailers.

For WWI airplane buffs especially
If you like airplanes, especially WWI types, then you should like this movie. George Peppard is perfectly cast as the arrogant, egotistical, smarmy German pilot who dreams of glory.

The flying sequences are beautifully shot. The love triangle involving Ursula Undress is important to the story, but gets in the way of the airplanes. A propros de rien, the Fokker DrI triplane is the most aesthetically beautiful WWI airplane - combining a triangle, circle, and rectangle. Shoulda had more in the movie.

The ending is kinda neat, even though you sort of know what is going to happen. The way it is shot was good.

Hubris Can Only Fly So High
John Guillermin's 1966 film about Bruno Stachel (George Peppard), a common German soldier during WWI who joins the Luftwaffe. Socially out-of-league with his aristocratic companions and eager for respect, Stachel will stop at nothing in pursuing honor in the form of the Blue Max, the most prestigious aviation medal.

The recurrent theme is hubris/arrogance and how it affects the human condition. All of the characters are driven by ambition and are amoral to a certain degree. Bruno Stachel has the most humble of origins (a peasant who first served in the trenches) and so is the most arrogant of the characters. He knows he's an ace pilot but is unable to earn the respect of his fellow officers because of his low social status. In his mind, he can earn the social respect he covets by earning the medal: then, he feels, people will have no choice but to respect him. Ironically, the respect he obtains is nothing more than the arrogance of others. Arrogance from his superior (James Mason) who needs to create a hero to look good himself as a commanding officer. Mason is quite the pragmatist in creating a hero to the point of letting Stachel sleep with his wife (Ursula Andress)to boost his confidence. The countess needs the fire of a young hot-head like Stachel to fulfill her desires: she only needs her husband to preserve her lofty title of Countess. Unfortunately for Stachel, there's a price for being the hero, and the greatest heroes are often those who die prematurely. Quite aware of this and tired of being cheated on, Mason's character realizes all too well the value of having the glory of a dead war hero illuminate his stale command.

Alltogether a great film with good cinematography. The film quality is excellent for this almost 40-year old film: so good, one would think it was filmed recently but for the actors in it. The dog-fight scenes are some of the finest ever to be filmed. The film is well balanced between the combat scenes and the personal drama: the theme is well carried by the plot. All of the actors perform quite well. I personally think that George Peppard performed his role competently: his being out-of-place or uncomfortable enhanced his performance instead of limiting it. Bruno Stachel is a character who is supposed to feel out-of-place and uncomfortable in his social surroundings: he exceeds in skill and arrogance to compensate for his insecurity. In sum though, the acting is top-knotch with great direction. It's a film not to be missed. ... Read more

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Peter Greenaway (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Drowning by Numbers) continues to delight and disturb us with his talent for combining storytelling with optic artistry. The Pillow Book is divided into 10 chapters (consistent with Greenaway's love of numbers and lists) and is shot to be viewed like a book, complete with tantalizing illustrations and footnotes (subtitles) and using television's "screen-in-screen" technology. As a child in Japan, Nagiko's father celebrates her birthday retelling the Japanese creation myth and writing on her flesh in beautiful calligraphy, while her aunt reads a list of "beautiful things" from a 10th-century pillow book. As she gets older, Nagiko (Vivian Wu) looks for a lover with calligraphy skills to continue the annual ritual. She is initially thrilled when she encounters Jerome (Ewan McGregor), a bisexual translator who can speak and write several languages, but soon realizes that although he is a magnificent lover, his penmanship is less than acceptable. When Nagiko dismisses the enamored Jerome, he suggests she use his flesh as the pages which to present her own pillow book. The film, complete with a musical score as international as the languages used in the narration, is visually hypnotic and truly an immense "work of art." --Michele Goodson ... Read more

Reviews (106)

The Word Made Flesh
The Pillow Book is a rare film that transcends limitations of film and text in a unique handling by auteur Peter Greenaway. Based loosely on the tenth century writings of Sei Shonagon, Greenaway brings to the screen a rich visual amalgam that relies on stunning settings, the physical beauty of actors Vivian Wu and Ewan McGregor, and the joy of ancient and modern systems of writing that is calligraphy. Greenaway's penchant for incorporating art, numbers, books, and architecture in a filmic medium ensure those who enjoy his style will not be disappointed. As a young child, Wu's character has celebrated her birthday's by having her father write the story of creation on her face in a family ritual celebration. However, with adulthood and marriage, her spouse is neither interested nor willing to continue her tradition. Frustrated at her inability to find a lover who is a good calligrapher, or a calligrapher who is a good lover, Wu finally meets a bi-sexual translator, Jerome (McGregor) who offers himself to Wu as a living surface for her erotic creativity. Inspired by the opportunity to obtain revenge on the publisher who blackmailed her father and is Jerome's lover, Wu's character, Nagiko creates the ultimate love poem illuminated in red, gold and black characters and delivered to the publisher on the naked body of Jerome. The Pillow Book is adult eroticism at it's most sensuous and visual best. It is a story that revels in binaries of profane and grotesque, yet delights the eye with Greenaway's ability to translate a vision of love and horror into a singular statement of lush physical beauty and sexuality.

A Finely Created Work of Art
I happen to be a great admirer of the controversial Mr Greenaway. I think his direction in film is bold and produces powerful results. The Pillow Book is a great example of this talent. It is an amazing combination of his narrative technique, experimental explorations and talent for finding compelling stories. The images are beautiful, especially the shot of Vivian Wu standing in the rain covered with writing on her flesh which slowly melts away. Her character is not that complex, but the action of the story is sufficient to carry her along throughout the tale as she fights for independence and a suitable form of artistic expression. Essentially the story is about the fetishisation of books and sex. These things are enough to make a great movie in my mind. Nagiko is a girl who goes through a ritual where her father writes on her back on her birthday as he tells her of a myth. After burning her way out of a suffocating marriage, she grows up to become a radical artist writing on bodies and searching for a man who can replace her father in the birthday tradition. She meets a talented man named Jerome who she falls in love with, but is eventually sacrificed to her father's old enemy. In the course of the narrative she writes her own Pillow Book on a series of men. It culminates in a gruesome act of jealousy and revenge (a notion not foreign to Greenaway's narratives).

The scene of Jerome's suicide is particularly powerful and works well with the screen-in-screen shots because it shows in one shot the sequence between thought and action, self-perception and actual action. This is a new style for Greenaway that works tremendously well in this movie because it fits so well with the egotism and self-obsession of the characters involved. The movie as a whole is a powerful evocation of a great Japanese classic. I highly recommend this movie who is in the mood to watch something eccentric, visually moving and stunningly beautiful.

A porn movie but 'Artistic'
Highly over-rated. It's like when an artist pisses and ejaculates over a picture and calls it 'nature', then people go 'ooooh aaaaaah!such genius!'. That pretty much summarises it.

Beauty and obsession
Two of the most beautiful things in the world are the written word and the human figure. Even the ones that are not special in themselves embody meaning and subtlety. When Greenaway uses the figure to carry words, he creates imagery that can not be forgotten.

There is so much in this movie that I hardly know where to begin. It starts with a child. Her father's birthday ritual is to tell her a story, always the same one, and to paint calligraphy on her face. Maybe it's a little silly, but it's sweet and loving.

Over time, the girl loses her innocence but gains the strength of adulthood. Her memory of that charming ritual develops, too. First, it loses its childhood innocence; it becomes a passion for her, and the standard by which she measures her lovers. In the end, the ritual gains even more strength and becomes the vehicle for a deadly obsession.

I must warn the potential viewer that the movie's second half goes places far beyond where sanity stops. It is not for people with tender sensibilities.

I'll come back to this movie for it sensual beauty. I won't come back too often, though. The raw rage at the end is just too hard.

Ridiculously overrated
A director tosses in some "artful" shots and full nudity for most of the movie and suddenly it's a "beautiful film"???
I kept expecting to see Marilyn Chambers pop up in scenes. I'm not against T&A flicks, but this is trying to be something it isn't, which is sad and pathetic. It's a cheap trashy film that gets a good reputation b/c of who directed it. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not the most classic of classic TV
Novel plots, zany characters and Blake Edwards' superb jazz sound track distinguish this series. But all told they do not compensate for its lack of other outstanding features nor make it the best of its genre. Those who love classic TV and/or private investigator/police drama have many other better choices available.

Even better than the first set, if that's possible!
This show is very addictive and it serves to remind us what REAL "cool" is all about. No kiddies, it's not a face full of rings and studs and a tattoo on your butt. It's not some numb-nutted, no-talent, rap-squawking pimp-daddy grabbing his croth on the Leno show. It's not the concept of bacterial life in Martian rocks. It's not your baseball cap on backwards and a pair of stupid-looking three-quarter-length baggy pants. Here is the truth: Peter Gunn is COOL personified! A smooth, immaculately dressed private eye who hangs out in a jazz club (where his girlfriend is the Julie London-esque chanteuse) and mixes with, truly, some of life's beatnik eccentrics.... all to the sounds of a perfect Henry Mancini score and produced by Blake Edwards. How cool is that? Also what is really good about this series (especially for you older guys out there) is the number of familiar faces and character actors that we used to see in 50s/60s TV shows and Elvis movies. I swear that while I was watching this dvd I asked myself "When is Floyd the Mayberry barber from the 'Andy Griffith Show' gonna turn up?", and lo and behold, in the very next episode, there he was as an eccentic antiques dealer. I also like the bongo-playing skindiver with the apartment full of hula girls.... this is Atomic Age bachelor pad excess, I love it!! Yeah, I agree that the transfers are not up to the usual A&E excellence and in some shows the tape hiss is very noticable but hey, given the vintage of this stuff, I'll live with it. Can't wait for further volumes of this ultra cool TV noir and hope and pray A&E release BOURBON STREET BEAT, 77 SUNSET STRIP, SURFSIDE 6 and HAWAIIAN EYE in box sets. I highly recommend this dvd. Buy it, check it out, let the "cool" flow over you like molasses and put it up there on your shelf next to "Jazz On A Summer's Day" and "The Saint" mega-set.

Gunn-derful!
Nothing is overdone here. The acting, the sets, the music (oh, yes, enjoy the MUSIC) and most of the stories are cool. Craig Stevens is sublimely in control in the title role, Lola Albright's unspectacular singing voice but unmitigated charm fit into the unspectacular but charming setting of Mother's, the nightclub where Gunn hangs out with her, and Herschel Bernardi is the harried and weary police detective sometimes at odds with Gunn, the private detective. But how often have you seen that cop/dick relationship overplayed on TV series and in movies. Here it is understated. That is not to say the show is so low-keyed as to be boring. There are mysteries, there's humor (including an episode in which the immaculately tailored Gunn is scurrying about town with a trained seal in tow), and a good rock 'em sock 'em fight every episode. And all this is surrounded and united by the brilliant Mancini music. You will have fun and won't get tired even if you watch a bunch of episodes at one sitting.

Would you buy a film for its music? I did.
A great experience in life: all that mystery involved in a "film noir" crime scene. The splendor of the "Peter Gunn" series, one of the most wonderful and famous TV series. And the music of Mancini setting the scene! It's a treasure! It's a perfect demo of how to prepare our hearts and minds with music for a movie scene. Mancini is a master forever. This package is very worth of the impact of watching to the complete series at a time or at least half of it. There are volumes 1 and 2. Buy both for the complete series.

Better than we remembered.
Forty years old and still high quality entertainment. The quality
of the images and sound are better than we ever saw or heard on those primitive TV sets of the 60's. The acting is clearly for fun and the dialog is laced with good comedy moments. The talent of Blake Edwards, Henry Mancini, the actors and musicians, is clearly on display. You will watch it again and again. Whenever there is nothing worth watching on the networks or dish we enjoy Peter Gunn all over again. ... Read more

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With his aptly titled Contempt, Jean-Luc Godard embraced the widescreen splendor of Hollywood while thumbing his nose at Hollywood itself. A rebel with a cause, Godard pursues an iconoclast's agenda, using the Franscope format (expertly controlled by cinematographer Raoul Coutard) to undermine the grandeur of widescreen melodramas. The story ostensibly concerns an innovative production of Homer's Odyssey and the struggle of a respected screenwriter (Michel Piccoli) to please a pugnacious producer (Jack Palance), a veteran director (Fritz Lang, essentially playing himself), and a petulant wife (Brigitte Bardot) who's grown tired of their turbulent relationship. It's all pretense, however, for Godard's mischievous (and yes, contemptuous) deconstruction of commercial Hollywood filmmaking, potently infused with film-buff in-jokes, astute observations about love, stardom, and artistry, and enough glossy style to suggest that Godard had mastered the craft he so willfully rejects. Contempt is one of his most accessibly fascinating films. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Godard and Lang, Bardot and Capri
Bardot is actually an excellent actress in this film. Her body gets a lot of attention and there are plenty of shots of her lying in the sun naked but she gives her character depth. Strangley enough when she walks around wearing a black wig she looks very plain, not at all like a movie star. Perhaps the most striking thing about this film is that though it was Godards first color film he manages to use color brilliantly. The film was shot in Italy and reminds me of a Michelangelo Antonioni film as it is a story of two lovers who fail to communicate and thus let their love slip away.

Jack Palance is perfect as the headstrong producer who manipulates his director Fritz Lang (who plays himself), as well as his writer (Michel Piccoli). Palance is the ultimate megalomaniacal producer who enjoys dominating others and manipulating them into doing whatever he wants. The confident and poised Lang acts like the master that he is, he never loses his cool and he copes with Palance's outrageous tantrums as if they were nothing at all, and we can see that despite Palance's constant intereference Lang will make the film that he wants. But the young, sensitive writer is made to feel like a whore. And this explains why he begins to treat his wife like a whore. Piccoli does not seem to want to admit what he is doing but he seems to push his wife into the arms of Palance intentionally so she too will feel the way he does. The script is based on an Alberto Moravia novel and this is a classic Moravia scenario. Moravia was fascinated with prostitutes and so was Godard -- ie My Life to Live.

The husband and wife both feel like whores and so they feel contempt for themselves as well as each other. The husband wonders aloud why commerce must invade every aspect of our lives and by that he means both art and love but he seems powerless to win his wife back. Though the film began with the loving couple laying in bed and whispering to each other, it ends on quite a different note. Palance, Lang, and Piccoli all interpret Homers Odyssey in their own way. Each views the relationship between Odysseus and Penelope according to their own life situation. Palance and Piccoli cease to find the film all that interesting, they are only interested in the battle for Bardot. Lang alone remains focused on the actual film. For Lang the world of the Greeks is too far removed from our own experince of the world and so he reinvents the story so it will resonate with modern audiences and he does so by brilliantly quoting from select texts (Dante, Holderlein)and thus he tells the tale as if it were taking place in the world we know today--as Lang reimagines the tale each scene takes on new significance. And of course the way Lang thinks and works sounds a lot like the way Godard thinks and works.

An excellent film which can be appreciated by Godard fans and a good place to start for those not familiar with Godard.

GODARD DOES HOLLYWOOD
With his subversively titled Le Mepris or CONTEMPT from 1964, Jean-Luc Godard played Hollywood widescreen games while dissing Hollywood itself. Godard undermines the epic Franscope scale with an intimate look at an arrogant producer's attempt to make a modern version of Homer's Odyssey.

Jack Palance is terrific as the combative producer and the great Fritz Lang essentially plays himself as the vetaran director of the film within the film. In a serious but still sex-pot turn, Brigitte Bardot is the pouty director's wife who's fed up with their termagant relationship. And at the center of the conflict is the screenwriter who's trying to please everyone.

This extremely entertaining film with lots of in-jokes about movies is Godard's take on fame, art, and love itself.

The loaded two disc set features a pristine transfer with a wonderful commentary by Robert Stam. Bonus material includes a conversation between Godard and Lang; two 1963 documentaries -- Godard and Bardot on the set of Contempt and Paparazzi. A 1964 Godard interview and a new video interview with acclaimed cinematographer Raoul Coutard.

Bin it.
Regarded by some as Godard's most accessible movie, I beg to differ: Godard has survived because of the freshness and charm of his best films, not as most fawning critics would have you believe because of their intellectual content or ground-breaking film making. As far as intellect goes, the most you hope for with Godard is a ten-minute Maoist harangue interesting now only for showing the then-zeitgeist. As for brilliant, ground-breaking film-making, the same applies - plenty of student films have adopted the same techniques as Godard just to save money or out of pure innocence. If you want groundbreaking, you want Kurosawa or Tarkovsky or Von Trier. What is great about Godard are scenes like the improvised café dance in Bande a Part or the crazy "murder" sequences in Pierrot, scenes which are outrageously witty and cool and original but actually quite simple, like the Beatles singing "I am the Walrus, woooooh."
Back to the point: Unlike his Pierrot, Bande a Part or Une Femme est une Femme in particular, this film seriously lacks charm. The whole thing has a sour mood about it, the actors really look like they have no idea what they are up to and just want it to be over - Palance above all, forced to play a madly egotistical meglomaniac film producer with lines that would look second-rate in a primary school pantomime. Bardot and Piccoli get through it, but you can sense the tension. Lang looks like he's on Valium. No doubt realising that his film was getting a bit irritating as it labours away with tiresome lack of subtlety at a domestic rupture (see same in Femme est une Femme for how it can be done, but this time con brio), Godard goes for broke by repeatedly introducing the mawkish background music all over the place (you can almost see him with an adolescent smirk on his face as he lays it on) to the point of making you groan.
Another thing I frankly don't understand is this: virtually any crit you read will tell you how this was Godard's first and last flirtation with big-budget movie-making. Big budget? It's about the cheapest movie I've ever seen. For example: any producer worth his salt would be surrounded with an entourage and chauffeurs. This guy can barely run to one secretary and drives himself around in a medium-budget Alfa. Likewise Lang. At the Villa Malaparte, a spectacular site on Capri, we see some scenes with a reception being laid out in the back. Look carefully: the "caterers" consist of one old man fumbling around with some plates. The paint is peeling off the walls in the living room. The entire film crew working on the film-within-the-film seems to consist of about three people, and they're not even around most of the time. Best of all, look carefully at the car crash in the final reel. Apparently they couldn't even afford to total the Alfa, so it's a mock up.
Art films are tricky things: the best of them can change your life and lift you to inspiration and wonder. The worst are not worth the celluloid they're made on. But to read all the critics, you sometimes have a hell of a job deciding which is which. Take it from me, this one belongs in the poubelle.

Brigitte Bardot at her voluptuous best: Godard's "8 1/2"
I prefer this film to Fellini's 8 1/2 and there are some similarities. They were made at the same time and they were the first two post-modern films. In this one B.B. is given some good nude scenes we male fans crave in the context of a top notch 1963 work of art. Fritz Lang plays himself and when he mentions B.B. he's talking about Bertolt Brecht, not Brigitte Bardot who doesn't play herself (one of many in jokes). What I love here is the 1960s feel of the film, the melancholy soundtrack which is supposed to express B.B.s emotions, and masterful cinematography. The scenes are set up perfectly and in one we see B.B. in one room talking to Michel Piccoli in another...in the same shot.

There is a modern feel to the film made in color set in Capri, and a feeling of freedom. The plot is that B.B. feels "contempt" for her husband because he lets Jack Palance come on to her, and it works with brilliant subtlety. The ending is kind of another in joke, as there's a bit of dialogue by Lang "death is not a resolution". In one scene the stars are all interacting against a background of current movie posters ("Psycho" among them). And Palance needs a translator from English to French, German, and Italian in the way of the beautiful Giorgia Moll. Lang speaks German, and everyone else Italian, a smorgasborg of languages.

Some later Godard films don't really work well as they are too disjointed (Weekend, 2 or 3 Things...), but here it all comes together.

Self-Contempt
Bring Me the Head of Fritz Lang? Contempt is about selling out to crass commercialism and money's pervasive influence on one's relationships. I don't know what led Godard to take on this project, but Contempt seems to express thru its main character what Godard's experience under Joseph Levine, the producer. The hero of the movie wants money and fame but also to maintain his integrity. The moral dynamic is similar to one in Wilder's Apartment. Hero's lack of control over his own art is paralled with his loss of control over his wife who goes to the highest bidder. To what extent this reflects the then relationship between Godard and Karina is anyone's guess, but watching Godard's Karina movies you sense that they were somehow not compatible, with Godard being too intellectual to keep up with the half-romantic schtick for much longer and Karina too womanly and sensual to have a meaningful role in future Godard projects. Ironically, if Godard indeed lost his touch with women, it would it had little to do with money and more with his increasingly intellectualized view of both humanity and art. ... Read more

Reviews (91)

Great camp trash from the '70's
As many film fans are painfully aware, the sight of producer Dino De Laurentiis' name in the credits of any project virtually guarantees the stamp of mediocrity, and this 1976 version of "King Kong", less a faithful remake than a "re-imagining", doesn't escape that fate. With its leaden tone, wooden acting and creaky special effects (even by Seventies standards), it works best as unintentional high camp, and as such, has long since been relegated to the "so bad it's good" category. Properly viewed in that spirit, though, it is undeniably entertaining, and does offer at least two redeeming qualities: a superlative (and often overlooked) musical score by longtime James Bond composer John Barry, and the staging of the finale, which occurs not atop the Empire State Building but on the World Trade Center towers, one of the few films (along with John Carpenter's 1981 hit "Escape From New York") in which the late buildings actually played a key role rather than as background scenery. Though at the time the filmmakers obviously could not have forseen the two buildings' gruesome demise, it nonetheless makes for a strangely compelling, if extremely eerie, experience watching the movie today, as several scenes were shot inside the actual towers themselves.

That being said, however, the other aspects of the film are undeniably awful, and some that have posted reviews here have wondered how such talents as Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange could possibly been involved, obviously unaware that this was Oscar-winner Lange's very first film role, and that Bridges (who in my opinion has long been overdue for an Oscar) was at this point in his career still very much a B-list, journeyman actor. Considering the script he had to work with, he turns in a solid performance, and unlike other members of the cast, at least doesn't manage to embarrass himself (though I'm sure he's happy few people today probably recognize him under the wild unkempt hair and beard he sported at the time).

Of course, no discussion of up-and-coming talent in this film would be complete without mentioning the contributions of makeup artist Rick Baker, who would go on to become one of Hollywood's top designers of special makeup effects, winning several deserved Academy Awards for such films as "An American Werewolf in London", "Gorillas in the Mist", and "Ed Wood", among many others. Here Baker both created and wore the Kong "gorilla suit", to good effect, after plans to create a full-size, working mechanical Kong proved unattainable. (The full-size Kong does appear in two brief scenes: one late in the film and of course at the very end, looking equally dead in both.) As high camp goes, though, scenes like this (as well as the scene with the giant snake) are hard to beat, and overall the film is, for me, still a lot of good, cheesy fun. Paramount's DVD release at least allows the film to finally be seen in its original widescreen format, and includes the amusing trailer. Here's looking forward to "Lord of the Rings" maestro Peter Jackson's true-to-the-source remake of the 1933 original, set to wow us all in 2005!

Underrated 1970's Remake of 1930's Classic
1976's "King Kong" may not have the panache and legend assigned to the 1933 original, but it does have its share of moments. If a remake can be satirical, outrageous, and just plain different, then this one takes the cake. One recent criticism, but not in its time, was the unrealistic gorilla suit of Rick Baker's design. It may not be on par with the remake of "Planet of the Apes" (also by Baker), but just watch the Japanese movie "King Kong Vs. Godzilla" to see how GOOD Baker's design really is.
It is an interesting 70's time capsule, with Lange's Marilyn Monroe-esque acting, Jeff Bridge's hippie hair-do and "Greenpeace" attitude, and Charles Grodin's oil-obsessed hysteria. Remember the gas lines of the mid-70's? This movie will remind you.
Some of the special effects are dated by today's terms, but that's okay. Enjoy the 1976 version of "King Kong" on its own merits: just inoffensive good fun. After all, where else can you see King Kong blow the wet Jessica Lange dry? With puffy cheeks, no less?

Pales beside the '33 original
Like most remakes, the film exhibits good intentions and even starts off well. However, its fundamental production quality and even its special effects (!) are dwarfed by those of the 1933 original. The acting in the 1933 film is also much more convincing, in my opinion. I formerly owned the LaserDisc issue of the 1933 King Kong, and that edition was terrific, featuring the movie in its _unedited_ version as well as a director's commentary pertaining to the detailed aspects of the making of this great film.

I suggest that you _skip_ this mediocre remake and save your hard-earned bucks to purchase the upcoming DVD version of the original King Kong. If it is anything like the LaserDisc version (it actually should be more, regarding "extras"), you won't go wrong!

STICK WITH THE ORIGINAL!!
The thinking behind this remake escapes me. Why redo a nearly perfect movie, and leave out the dinosaurs? There is one encounter with a giant snake that's not bad, but that's it. The first half of this movie is an acceptable adventure story, but after Kong is captured, it goes downhill, becoming a politically correct monster movie(ie, Jeff Bridges cheers Kong as he defeats the military). Just stick with the 1933 movie, perfect in every way, almost, and keep hoping they find the lost footage of the spiders at the bottom of that ravine!!

King Kong
This is a movie that is a sit down family movie, all will enjoy.
I remember watching as a young teenager and now have purchased it to watch with my young teenagers.
After visiting Universal Studios and doing the backlot tour and seeing King Kong again it made me think about how to get hold of this wonderful movie. I rate it high on family enjoyment also prepare for the tissue boxes on the sad scene's.
Hooray I have it ... 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.