Reviews (79)

Paths of Glory: An Ironical Title If There Ever Was One
Stanley Kubrick's PATHS OF GLORY is one of the most gripping war movies ever filmed. Its power does nor come from an impressive body count. THE LONGEST DAY and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN have higher counts but what makes this movie so special is the battle that goes on in the courtroom. Kirk Douglas plays Colonel Dax of the French army, a man of bravery and impeccable integrity. When he is given an order to attack, he will obey it since he assumes that the order is a rational one that fits into the larger scheme of winning a battle. His commanding officer, played with sublime officiousness by Adolphe Menjou, orders a suicide attack on a heavily defended German position with predictable results. Dax's men are beaten back with ruinous losses. The general seeks a scapegoat for the defeat since if he has none, then he must shoulder responsibility. He chooses to blame his regiment for cowardice, and randomly chooses three soldiers for a courts-martial. It is Dax's job to defend them. It is during the trial that Kubrick raises some tough questions about the morality of war and the need to obey all orders, regardless of their surface illogic. Despite a solid defense, Dax realizes that the verdict was in even before the trial began, and the three unlucky soldiers are shot by firing squad. As Dax grows to understand the nature of the beast called war, so does the audience. In war, top commanders often regard their armies of men as little more than chess pieces, to be placed here and there on whim. Losses are expected and uncried over. Dax shakes up the entire French High Command by demanding that someone in a high place owes it to the dead to cry over them, even if he is the only one willing to do so. Whatever illusions about fair play in military justice that remain after the guilty verdict is in vanish when he speaks to the commander of the general who ordered the attack in the first place. This general tells Dax that the offending general has been relieved of command. However, he also tells Dax that despite knowing the idiocy of the attacking order and the equal idiocy of demanding the guilty verdict, he still insists that it was more important to safeguard the holiness of obedience to orders than to safeguard the well-being of the men attempting to carry out those orders. It is this closing scene of disillusionment that teaches Dax that though war may be inherently chaotic, human beings must not be so. The events of the war following this war teach us that some lessons humanity will probably never learn.

CULT MOVIES 58
58. PATHS OF GLORY (war, 1957) France, 1916: During W.W.I Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) is ordered by General Meraud (George McReady) to advance the enemy and take an important 'ant hill'. The General's orders prove suicidal as most of the advancing soldiers are killed. There is an inevitable retreat. Seeing this as an act of insubordination by Colonel Dax and his men he orders 3 men from each regiment be executed for mutiny. But Colonel Dax is determined to defend the men in court.

Critique: Along with the legendary 'All Quiet on the western Front' this is considered as the most important war film made. Both take place in the mud-laden maze of trench warfare and deals with the inept attitudes of the military leaders. Whereas 'Western Front' deals more with the subject of innocent blood being taken to their slaughter by uncompromising Generals, 'Paths' delves into the political aspects and moral issues associated with war. Director Stanley Kubrick reveled in showing just how topsy-turvy authoritarian figures can be especially in times of war where all common sense disappears. He would take things to the absurd with 'Dr. Strangelove' and completely destroy social fabric with the pessimistic 'Clockwork Orange'. Every major Hollywood house initially turned down 'Paths' until Kirk Douglas stepped in and co-produced the project. The result was to prove Kubrick's first masterpiece establishing him as a major director. The film's many symbolic and outright topical points will remain important.

QUOTES: Gen. Meraud: "The men died wonderfully. There's always that chance that one of them will do something that will leave everyone with a bad taste. This time you couldn't ask for none better."

An unforgettable film!
This is one the finest works of Stanley Kubrick. There are few movies in the cinema story so shocking like this. The nasty human condition and the greed of a General makes he sents a command under Kirk Douglas's service to a real suicide. It's imposible reach the desired goal.
To save his reputation they are sent to a jury arguing cowardy .
This is a heavyweight anti war movie. Kirk Douglas in one of his most powerful roles in his career.
A cult movie!
A must in your collection.

Stanley Kubrick's film on the futility and madness of war
In 1916 France Commander Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) wants General Mireau (George Macready) to have his battered division take the "Ant Hill", an impregnable German fortress, promising Mireau a promotion and another story if he succeeds. Mireau orders Dax (Kirk Douglas) to lead the charge, which is a complete failure. When soldiers are pinned down by German artillery and machine gun fire Mireau orders his own artillery to fire on their own trenches, screaming, "If those sweethearts won't face German bullets, they'll take French ones!"

"Paths of Glory" has a deserved reputation as a great anti-war film but I think that director Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Humphrey Cobb's 1935 semi-fictional novel is a rather specific indictment of both a particular military and a particular war. The suicidal attack in the first act of the film was loosely based upon the battle for Fort Douamont during the Battle of Verdun, where over 300,000 French soldiers lost their lives. The assault, doomed to fail before it began, is ordered by French generals more concerned with prestige and promotions than the lives of their troops or the actual prospects for success. In the wake of the disaster three men are selected to be tried and then executed for cowardice. They are defended in court by their commander, Colonel Dax, the lone voice of reason speaking out against the insanity of what has happened.

This film was banned for almost twenty years in France and it is an indictment of the French military on a par with those films that have touched on the infamous Dreyfus case. I have trouble extended this indictment beyond these French generals, not only because in cinematic history there is this sense of this being standard practice for the French military but because hypocritically sending troops to such senseless death is rare in American military history. A.P. Hill sending Confederate troops in a series of useless charges to teach them a lesson at the Battle of Franklin comes to mind, but I remember most American generals as taking blame and responsibility for such slaughters (e.g., Burnside at Fredericksburg, Lee after Pickett's Charge, Grant with regard to the final charge at Cold Harbor).

But there is also a sense in which we identify this sort of waste of young soldiers with World War I. In cinematic terms the obvious comparison is to "Gallipoli," where British troops are having tea on the beaches while Australian troops are gunned down in a needless charge ordered by stubborn British generals (another category of military leaders easy treat with disdain given how they are portrayed in the movies). The Civil War has provided amble evidence that troops charging entrenched or fortified positions was horribly futile and yet fifty years later European armies were still sending thousands of men against machine guns (the iconic weapon of the first World War). As the opening narration explains, "Successful attacks were measured in hundreds of yards - and paid for in lives by hundreds of thousands."

The title of the book/film comes from a line in Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," where the poet writes, "The paths of glory lead but to the grave." This might be an anti-war film but it still shows the heroism of the troops as Kubrick uses a tracking shot to follow the Dax and his soldiers across No Man's Land against the German fort. After all, these men are fighting an army that has invaded their country, so there is a sense in which the title is inappropriate simply because these men are not involved in a quest for glory.

The film was shot in Germany and cinematographer Georg Krause provides one of the sharpest black & white films you have ever seen. The clarity is almost daunting and it is impossible not to think that it is not but another part of Kubrick's grand design. As for the performance by Douglas I would agree with the general consensus that this is his finest performance, even over what he would provide for Kubrick three years later in "Spartacus."

In the end Kubrick makes a final argument for the universality of human experience when a German singer (Susanne Christian, who was Christiane Kubrick wife of the director) is forced to sing a song for the French troops whose jeers turn to tears. There are, relatively speaking compared to other wars, relatively few films about the First World War. But it is rather impressive when you start listing the ones that immediately come to mind ("Wings," "All Quiet on the Western Front," "Sgt. York," "Gallipoli") how good they tend to be and how many of them are, at their essence, anti-war films. For that, I think the credit for linking that particular war with the idea of the futility of war clearly belongs to Erich Maria Remarque, author of "All Quiet on the Western Front."

"Paths of glory lead but to the grave"
"Paths of Glory" is a beautifully filmed B&W movie by director Stanley Kubrick, and stars Kirk Douglas in one of his finest roles. It is a timeless anti-war movie whose message will not go out of style.

Basically, 3 French soldiers are court-martialed to take the blame for a failed suicide attack on the Germans. Although Kirk Douglas commanded the men, he also defends them at the trial.

Well acted by all, with excellent photography and direction, this movie currently resides at #39 on the IMDB list. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

An amazingly effective film noir action movie, shot on location in New Orleans in 1950, that has twists of plot and explosions of violence that can still make audiences gasp. Elia Kazan, of all people, directed this story of a public health worker (Richard Widmark) and a police detective (Paul Douglas) who have only a few hours in which to capture some fleeing felons who may be infected with the plague. The bad guys are played, with enormous relish, by Jack Palance and Zero Mostel, the latter only a few years before Kazan ratted him out to the House Un-American Activities Committee. In retrospect, this modest crime picture looks like a crucial turning point in the formation of Kazan's distinctive style, a clear precursor to the blistering location work of landmark films like On the Waterfront, Baby Doll, and America, America. --David Chute ... Read more

Reviews (14)

The Legend of Curly's Cold.
Three years before he blasted Elisha Cook Jr. and 41 years before he hitched up with a bunch of city slickers Jack Palance murdered an illegal alien and in doing so caught the bubonic plague.Now it's up to public heath officer Richard Widmark to catch Palance before the disease spreads.

Set in the seedy area of New Orleans director Elia Kazan takes full advantage of the existing locations filming in an almost documentary style in rundown bars, ports, a huge warehouse and shabby apartments.

I like the movie and was amazed that Palance gave such a remarkable performance in his first movie, but still the pacing was too slow and my mind began to wander a few times.Great for Widmark and Palance fans but others might find it boring.

D: Elia Kazan (A FACE IN THE CROWD, ON THE WATERFRONT)

Clinton Reed - Richard Widmark (ROLLERCOASTER, JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG)
Blackie - Jack Palance (CITY SLICKERS, CYBORG 2)
Nancy Reed - Barbara Bel Geddes (VERTIGO, "Dallas")

A classic film noir with something extra...
This is a film noir with a twist.

You still have your bad guys, cops, dames, crimes, shadows, alleys...don't you worry about that.
However, instead of some sort of central crime, this noir follows the breathless search for a plague-infected individual.
Who happens to be a crook.
Even though the search is led by a forthright doctor from the Public Health Department, he's partnered up with a weatherbeaten, bitter cop, leading him through the dark streets of New Orleans. See? In this manner, they incorporate all the elements of a traditional film noir (minus the femme fatale) and expand it with the whole medical-thriller aspect.

The film, directed by Elia Kazan moves along at a brisk pace, and Richard Widmark does stellar work as the doctor. Barbara Bel Geddes is cute-almost-sexy (who knew?) as his wife.

This apparently is Jack Palance's first big movie role. He's an odd-looking character, isn't he? If you stuck a triangle-shaped shower drain in his mouth, he'd look like Darth Vader. Or I guess, technically, Vader's MASK.

Anyways, the movie speeds along, with everybody talking like nobody does is real life, but like everyone does in good film noir. It's all double entendre, knowing winks and dramatic exaggerations and similes. It's terrific...
The cinematography is crisp; the DVD looks great and the audio is fine.
The disc includes a commentary by some historians, and a smattering of trailers.
This is the first Fox Noir title I've sampled, and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go get the rest...

An unusual but very gripping film noir!
This excellent documentary-style noir was superbly directed by the great Elia Kazan, who made great use of actual locations in New Orleans to create a very realistic and believable atmosphere. The cast is nearly flawless, with great performances from Richard Widmark (in a rare good guy role!), Paul Douglas, Barbara Bel Geddes, Zero Mostel, and Jack Palance, in his stunning film debut.

Richard Widmark plays Dr. Clint Reed, a public health doctor who must work with New Orleans Police Captain Tom Warren (played by Paul Douglas) to find the killer(s) of a man who was already dying of the deadly bubonic plague (he was carrying a virulent strain of it). They have only 48 hours to find the killers before they can escape the port area and unknowingly spread the plague throughout the country.

Jack Palance plays the ruthless killer who's on the run from the police, not knowing that he's already infected with the plague. Barbara Bel Geddes plays the patient wife of Dr. Reed (Widmark), and Zero Mostel plays the cowardly sidekick of Jack Palance. The memorable music by Alfred Newman only adds to the mood of this entertaining film noir. The dvd has a virtually perfect picture and sound quality, and includes several film noir trailers and an outstanding commentary by film noir authors/historians Alain Silver and James Ursini. Highly recommended for any film noir buff!

One of the best late-40's noir's, bar none
I remember catching this movie on TV about 15 years ago, and I immediately fell in love with it, despite the fact that I wasn't particularly crazy about any of the stars, or even 'film noir'.

This amazing gritty documentary-style film just jells perfectly; the setup of the plague, Richard Widmark and Paul Douglas' dilemma, the sleazy New Orleans waterfront dives and characters.

Director Elia Kazan used real locations and often real local people; some of the cops were New Orleans cops, etc.

I'm so glad that this has finally been released....and hopefully most of you will discover one of the most distinctive films of the late 1940's...right up with there with "White Heat".

And....to top it off, the opening theme music by Alfred Newman is, in my mind, one of the amazingly spirited and exiting themes in the history of motion pictures.....

A great cast but ultimately disappointing
This is one of those films that looks great when you read the cast list, but that suffers in the execution. It is the terrific acting that carries the viewer through Panic in the Streets' non-plot (actually an Academy Award-winning screen story from the husband and wife team of Edna and Edward Anhalt).

Richard Widmark stars as a military doctor who discovers that a recently murdered man had pneumonic plague and would have died in a couple of days anyway. Since it is communicable through the air, he wants to find and quarantine the killer in order to avoid an epidemic.

At the same time, he is trying to keep the story from the press -- one tenacious reporter, in particular -- because people will leave town, those already infected spreading the plague over the country (and possibly throughout the world). The meat of Panic in the Streets involves Widmark searching for the killer with local police chief Paul Douglas.

The killer is Blackie, played by Jack Palance (or Walter Jack Palance here) in his film debut. When Blackie gets wind of the investigation of the murdered man, he assumes that he had been hiding something and goes after the man's cousin, with flunky Fitch (Zero Mostel) in tow. (Their relationship reminds me of the Warner Brothers duo of Cockney cartoon dogs Spike and Chester (right) -- or Abbott and Costello without the humor.)

(About Zero Mostel: Director Kazan would later name Mostel to the House Un-American Activities Committee led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. Mostel was one of many who were blacklisted and didn't work in entertainment for most of the 1950s. He would eventually revive his career and appear in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Producers, and The Front, a film about the Blacklist).

Sprung from a potentially fascinating story, Panic in the Streets is, unfortunately, overlong and contains little suspense about the eventual outcome. On the plus side, Widmark has a terrific talent for palying a regular guy and his antagonistic relationship with Douglas is the heart of the picture (despite Kazan's attempts to do that with Widmark's scenes at home with wife Barbara Bel Geddes).

Also, Palance shows why he made a career of playing creeps (and then making fun of that persona in his Academy Award-winning performance in City Slickers): the man has an awesome presence. Mostel, on the other hand, seems to be only going through the motions, giving Fitch none of the depth that he would endow Max Bialystock with almost twenty years later in The Producers.

An extra subplot or two might have fleshed out Panic in the Streets closer to perfection but, as it is, it is simply a passably tense film of a universal fear. However, I do hope that this DVD release introduces Richard Widmark to modern audiences. Popular in radio and film (he's likely best known for his darker turn in his debut, Kiss of Death), Widmark has an instantly recognizable voice and a naturalness that makes any performance of his worth watching. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

An excellent movie, of it's own era.
I suspect that the reason so many ... customer reviews of On the Beach are negative is that the expectations of today's audiences, particularly younger audiences, are entirely different from when this movie was released, in 1959.

The movie is based quite closely on Neville Shute's excellent novel, with just a few differences. The rather strange denial of impending death, shown by most of the characters in the book, has been wisely omitted from the movie. The scientist, John Osborne, has had his name changed to Julian in the film, and is given more depth, beautifully played by Fred Astaire.

I think today's movie goers have difficulty relating to this movie because it is not an action movie and it is not a science fiction movie. Yes, it deals with the last survivors of a nuclear war as they await their own deaths. But the genre of science fiction films requires that the heroes and/or heroines confront the Problem and conquer it, whether that Problem be giant ants, invading Martians, or mutant carnivorous plants. In On the Beach, it is made plain from the beginning of both the book and the movie that there will be no triumph or escape. Instead, the theme is the maintaining of human decency and integrity in the face of imminent death. This is not the sort of stuff for young audiences raised on Bruce Lee movies.

I think it is important, too, that today's young movie-goers watch this movie with the idea firmly in mind that people in 1959 believed that they might very well be the last generation of human beings, before a nuclear holocaust wiped us all out. I was nineteen when I first saw the film, just after its release to theaters and long before the advent of VHS and home video. It was powerful stuff back then, and I don't think there's any doubt that it was an important element in the nuclear disarmament movement.

I highly recommend this movie. The acting and direction are excellent, and it deals with powerful themes. But keep in mind that you'll be watching a film from another era, when books and movies were deliberately slower paced and the depth of characterization was considered to be much more important than fast paced action.

Brilliant Human Story
To me, the poignance of On The Beach lies not in it's anti-nuclear war message, which mercifully was proved wrong by events in the real world (Julian's speech railing against the idea that nuclear weapons could keep the peace is the one dated part of the film. It's now evident that the reason why there never was another ground war horror on the order of WWI and WWII was *because* of the atomic bomb) but in it's human elements, and exploring how people react to the reality that life is fast coming to an end for all of them. In this instance, a nuclear war is simply a convenient duex ex machina to see how ordinary people react to the trauma facing them. There are fine performances all around, but to me the real strength of the movie is Ava Gardner's touching performance as Moira Davidson. Indeed, there is an almost eerie autobiograhic quality to it since Gardner had many things in common with her character.

I think sooner or later, people will look back on "On The Beach" and realize that it's timelessness lies in it's exploration of the human condition and not it's political statements which in my opinion are no longer relevant to the real world.

Worth viewing, even if not realistic
On the Beach fails the realism test in two ways: scientifically and behaviorally. The first is forgivable; 40+ years ago, there was less understanding of what nuclear war would do the planet. But the second aspect -- human behavior -- is where the story fails. The idea that people would get up, wash and shave and dress, go to their jobs, peacefully obtain their rations of food and so on, with a cloud of certain death getting closer every day... it just doesn't ring true. Looting, pillaging, murder, and general anarchy seem much more likely.
Nevertheless, the movie -- while very melancholy (or depressing, as many reviewers have said), is worth watching. (Especially, as some have noted, for Astaire's performance).

the ultimate Cold War film
This is the film that for me captures the terror I felt as a child, growing up at the height of the Cold War; it is bleak and intense, with scenes that are forever etched in my mind. It's one of the great films of that era ("Seven Days in May" and "Fail Safe" are others) that I can watch repeatedly, and their power and impact are never diminished.
Based on Nevil Shute's best seller, and brilliantly directed by Stanley Kramer, the use of sound effects combined with Ernest Gold's Oscar nominated score is very effective. Sometimes the simplest noise set against complete silence is ominous, and gives the feeling of the desolation of empty cities.
As time runs out, people try to avoid the "morbid discussion" of what awaits them, and some make the most of those precious days, weeks and months, like the elderly scientist Julian (in an exceptional performance by Fred Astaire), who completes his dream of being a race car driver.

Both strong and tender, Gregory Peck is fabulous as Dwight Towers, the commander of a submarine, who has trouble accepting that he is alive, while his family are victims of the "monstrous war". The woman who falls in love with him is Ava Gardner, who has spent far too much time being consoled by a bottle of brandy. The plot is filled out by Anthony Perkins and Donna Anderson, a young couple facing the fact that their baby has no future.
In the late 50s and early 60s, the scenario in this film was all too real; we face other dangers now, but there was something truly chilling about those Cold War years, and this film vividly brings back the memory of them. Total running time is 134 minutes.

The end of the world as we know it...
An unforgettable movie that is as important and as powerful today as when it was first released.

Shute took his title from a stanza from T S Eliot's The Hollow Men:-

In this last of meeting places
We grope together
And avoid speech
Gathered on this beach of the tumid river...

The tumid (swollen) river is metaphorical, as is the beach, given that Eliot's bleak, desolate landscape is a spiritual one, as in his classic work, The Wasteland.

Shute's movie is utterly compelling all the way through, partly due to the subject matter, helped along by a stunning cast, and very capable production and direction.

The scene in which the Sub arrives in the US to check on the erratic morse signal was actually shot in Australia, as they could not obtain permission to film it in the US.

There was a very creditable 2000 Showtime version with Rachel Ward and Armand Assante, which was truer to the book, although set closer to present time, but the Peck version is still the definitive one.

You cannot top this movie for dramatic content, brilliantly delivered by Peck, Gardner, Perkins and Astaire above all.

Yes, this could still happen, and yes, nuclear deterrence may well have worked so far, but I always remember a line from Bob Dylan's "If God's On Our Side", which goes...

If God's on our side,
He'll stop the next war...

Maybe he did.

Peace y'all. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

richly romantic lovely film
This is a very richly romantic and great film, starring jennifer Jones and William Holden. It's amust see for all movie fans, especially of romance. The really have a great chemistry, a beautiful and poignant love story. The theme song is beauitufl as well.

A CAPTIVATINGLY BEAUTIFUL THOUGH TRAGIC LOVE STORY!!!
Jennifer Jones and William Holden are perfectly cast as star-crossed lovers, in this film. The story is poignant and beautifully done. Jennifer Jones portrays her character, Dr. Han Suyin with depth and feeling. She is believable! William Holden, as Mark Elliot, war-correspondent, is charming and determined to win her love. And yet, he respects her wishes and her ancient heritage and culture. The scenery throughout the film is breath-taking.The title song, played throughout the picture only enhances the scenic beauty. My favorite parts are, of course their first meeting at the Palmer-Jones cocktail party, their outing that begins on the beach and their brief but romantic meetings on the hill over-looking Hong Kong. The ending, though most tragic, is beautifully done! A must see movie!!!!!

Love is a Syrupy, Schmaltzy Thing
This film looks great, and that's about where my praise ends.

"Love Is a Many Splendored Thing" came out in the very schizophrenic year of 1955, when candy-coloured nonsense like this co-existed with trail-blazing artistic fair like "Kiss Me Deadly." As a trend toward smaller, socially conscious films like "On the Waterfront" and "Marty" established itself in the mid-50's, other directors felt the need to stick with the unchallenging, pandering melodrama that classifies so many other films from that decade, and "Love" is one of the latter.

This is the kind of 50's movie where the Technicolor is used to its garish utmost and the lighting is invariably high-key; even scenes taking place in a dark room or at night are brighter than the average sunny day. I never want to hear the theme song again, as it's played frequently enough over the course of the film to last anyone a lifetime, and I certainly don't want to hear it sung by the shrill, ear-piercing choir that belts it out over the end titles. Jennifer Jones and William Holden are passable, but really anybody could have played these parts. Jones' role is horribly written--her character is incredibly inconsistent, and it seems as if whenever her character is required to make a decision about something, the screenwriters flipped a coin to decide what that decision would be.

People will undoubtedly tell me I'm taking this film too seriously, that I'm unromantic, etc. But I loved "All That Heaven Allows," released the same year and just as cornball in its own way, except that Douglas Sirk is able to turn melodrama into an art form, whereas Henry King (director of "Love") is not.

I'm usually able to enjoy bad melodrama, but in this case I was just bored.

Grade: D+

ANAMORPHIC TRANSFER - A MANY-SPLENDORED THING!
When 20th Century-Fox initially released this film to DVD the 2:55:1 transfer was not enhanced for widescreen televisions. This new version of "Love Is A Many Splendored-Thing" corrects that oversight and gives us a comprehensive documentary on William Holden besides. The film concerns itself with a real life love story between Eurasian doctor, Han Sue-Yin (Jennifer Jones) and married American reporter, Mark Elliot (William Holden). Set in the unstable political climate of Hong Kong, and featuring some breaktaking cinematography, captured in all its Cinemascope glory, this film is a remarkably effective piece of fiction and, with its Oscar-winning title song, remains a sure fire hit.
Aside from its anamorphic enhancements, this new transfer doesn't make any quantum leaps forward in image quality. The initial print was remarkably smooth looking, save a few instances where film grain is a bit excessive. Edge enhancement, aliasing and shimmering details are kept to a bare minimum. Colors are very rich, vibrant and, for the most part, accurate, only occasionally giving way to orangy flesh tones. Pixelization is a problem from time to time. The audio is the same 4.0 as the previous disc - occasionally strident, but on the whole very well spread across all of the speakers.
As already stated, this disc includes a Biography special on William Holden that is remarkably comprehensive, considering its running time plays at under an hour. Image quality varies, according to the elements of film stock from the various movie clips used. There's also a theatrical trailer - badly dated, and a Movietones news reel of the film's premiere.
BOTTOM LINE: NICELY DONE FROM FOX THIS TIME AROUND. My only concern is this - as with all Fox movies previously issued to DVD, the source elements were cleaned up before their reissue. As in the case of "The Ghost & Mrs. Muir" (last month's studio classic release) the image quality of a first run DVD was bad to awful. I only hope that next month's release "The Song Of Bernadette" comes closer to "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing" than "The Ghost And Mrs. Muir". I'll keep you posted.

Love is a Many Splendered Thing
If I'd been given the option of no stars I'd have taken it. This must be one of the worst films I've ever seen, even considering the period in which it was made. It is suffused with the most patronizing stereotypes and condescending dialogue, including the "how could the poor benighted Chinese do this to themselves" mentality that was so prevalent in the '50s. The dialogue is badly written and even more badly delivered. The crowning moment of absurdity, among many such moments, may be the scene in which Holden and Jones reach the climax of one of their many thoroughly unconvincing love scenes by having Holden light a cigarette, stick a cigarette in Jones' mouth, and stick the lit end of his cigarette dramatically against the end of her cigarette as the overwrought theme music rises in the background. May be worth watching for a good laugh, if you're into that sort of thing. ... Read more

Reviews (66)

Brokedown Movie
Claire Danes is the only thing that kept this movie going. She is so eye-fetching and compelling as an actress, that you just want to reach out and touch her. But, what a lousy ending. It had potential. The scenario is an all too familiar one, two good-looking American girls find themselves trapped in an Asian prison with seemingly no way out. But, this isn't a jailbait movie, it attempts to address the issue in a serious way, a la Midnight Express, but unfortunately falls flat on its face.

The characters are so unbelievable (except Danes of course). Fathers who allow their daughters to rot in jail. A private American lawyer hanging out in Bangkok who wiffs of second-hand Graham Greene novels ready to bail out the girls for a price. A friendship between the two girls that you really have to question in the face of what happens to them, and an ending that will leave you totally exasperated.

I don't suppose this was based on a true story. Rather, the director seemed in search of some gravitas and needed to concoct an ending that would carry with it the emotional weight he imagined would be the case in such a situation. But, it is simply too incredible to believe that Danes' character would sell herself in this way.

amazing talent
this movie tells it like it is, its dramatic, and very well acted. It shows strangth, power, friendship and betral.
its amazing

Wonderful Movie
Many negative reviews seem to be under the misapprehension that this movie is about something which it is not. Something that, if it were to incorporate those elements, would completely change the character of the film--turning it from a story about friendship, character, and life's little events to one about the horrors of the foreign prison.

This film is not about prison or about life in prison. It is not about drug smuggling. Criticizing it on this is like saying that Pirates of the Caribbean is a horrible movie because it doesn't represent an accurate portrayal of shipboard life.

It is a stunningly beautiful and well done (at points artistic) portrayal of the depths of friendship and the strength of human character ("if you are lying..."). The sets and acting are wonderful, the examination of the Thai legal system seemed fair (regardless of whether those are the actual conditions in prison, I am not qualified to judge nor do I care for the purposes of this film), and there were several underlying moral questions without clear answers.

Which is another thing: this movie doesn't leave you with all of the answers. Nothing is left accidentally dangling, but there are several things left for you to chew on.

Exotic lands are only fun until...
Sure, the movie was not (from what I know) completely accurate in terms of the conditions of Thai prisons. And I do agree at times the prison seemed so sunny, too friendly, too cheerful, etc to be realistic. But I think that the plot is that of a tale of friendship as much as it is of serving time in a Thai prison.

Most importantly, I think that anyone who is a first time traveler or planning on backpacking throughout Southeast Asia really should see this film. Darlene and Alice were typical girls from USA Suburbia. They had just finished school (like many who are about to do a gap year or some backpacking) and went to Thailand because it was exotic, different, faraway... They really didn't know much about Thai culture before they set out.

Sadly, they stayed in Thailand for much longer than they had planned to -- locked up in a women's prision (probably Lard Yao), for carrying drugs. Without devulging the plot, it is fair to say that they were innocent.

Again, another harsh reminder that if you are heading to Southeast Asia (or really any developing area), you need to be really careful. Watch this, read Sandra Gregory's "Forget you Had a Daughter," and don't try anything stupid (or don't be coerced, tricked, etc). Southeast Asia is a wonderful place, and you will have a blast. Just know that there are consequences if you are caught with anything.

Reason I didn't give it a one star
Warning -semi-spoilers

Okay, there is one reason I did not give this film a one star. If a young teeny bopper adolescent girl crazed over Claire Danes can learn a lesson about flying off to an unknown place without understanding that country's laws, and stop thinking it's so cool to go away with her best gilfriend and live it up in another exotic locale...then all is not wasted.

Otherwise...this movie was really sad. Not as entertaining as the commericals lead me to believe. The girls were too incredibly naive and arrogant while in another country. Depressing stuff. ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Better than it's usually given credit for, but....
The film version of what I consider Rodgers and Hammerstein's best stage production, "Carousel," has generally been dismissed by critics and those familiar with the stage show as a poor representation of the stage version. To some degree, that is true. Yes, the screenplay does "soften" it by giving away a major plot point at the beginning of the movie, so it would be easier to take. (I won't say more, in case you haven't seen it) And some of the score was deleted from the final print, which hurts it in the beginning. On stage, "If I Loved You" is dialogue with musical interludes leading up to the song itself. It is a beautiful scene, as the music is used to express emotions the characters can not speak, to thrilling effect. But on film, it's just dialogue leading up to the (shortened) song, which cuts away some of the power and impact. The spell cast on stage is not to be found here, though Gordon McRae and Shirley Jones sing well. The deleted "You're a Queer One, Julie Jordan" is also missed.

But after the dissapointing beginning, "along come" the spirited rendition of "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" by the cast. From then on, the film is much more engaging and better all around. McRae and Jones, while not really up to par dramatically, are capable of emoting enough and remain vocally stellar, which is what we paid for, anyway, (though it shouldn't have been that way). McRae's "Soliloquy" is a true tour de force, and his reprise of "If I Loved You" is truly poigniant. Jones' "What's the Use of Won'drin" is beautiful and touching. The rest of the cast is fine, too, and certain of the later scenes retain the power of the stage version and are just as touching. Unfortunatly, I haven't seen this in widescreen or on the big screen, so I can't vouch for the much-lauded visual scope of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, but I'm sure it's spectacular. (Nope, it's not all that exciting in pan-and-scan)

This is worth seeing, especially, I'm sure, in widescreen, but what you really should do is get the film's soundtrack, which restores the deleted songs and many of the deleted verses of other songs to better effect, and a decent cast recording of the stage version, and see a good stage production in your area. Only then will you truly experience the beauty and power of this magnificent musical.

CAROUSEL A SUPERBLY PRODUCED FILM MUSICAL!
CAROUSEL represents Rodgers and Hammerstein's finest hour musically, the closest thing to Grand Opera the duo ever wrote. The 1956 film version showcases the best performance, before or since, that this magnificent score has ever received. Beautifully photographed on location in CinemaScope and Technicolor, the poignant and tragic love story of barker Billy Bigelow and factory worker Julie Jordan unfolds with compassion and conviction. Gordon McRae gives the performance of a lifetime as Billy and his stunning rendition of the seven-minute "SOLILIQUY" is one of the greatest vocal performances of the 20th Century. Shirley Jones, ravishingly young and beautiful in only her second film appearance, is equally effective as Julie, a naive inexperienced young woman who finds in tragedy an inner strength she never knew existed within her.

CAROUSEL's greatest strength is, however, the great songs, which are woven seamlessly into the story. What else can you say about a score that includes such standards as "YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE' and 'IF I LOVED YOU"? In the capable hands of the legendary composer/arranger/conductor Alfred Newman, Richard Rodgers' soaring melodies are taken to heights of brilliance undreamed of in the Broadway original. This is especially evident in "Louise's Ballet." Ken Darby's excellent choral arrangements and wonderful vocals by MacRae, Jones, Claramae Turner, Barbara Ruick, Robert Rounseville and Cameron Mitchell all add up to the most perfect performance of this musical ever.

See this movie with someone you love and bring extra handkerchiefs. Also prepare to be dazzled with the glorious New England scenery rendered flawlessly on this superbly produced DVD and Rodgers and Hammerstein's greatest score in genuine 6 channel discrete stereo.

CAROUSEL is the kind of movie they just don't make any more. Most of today's filmmakers couldn't, even if they were courageous enough to try.

One of the very best movie musicals
I don't think I have ever seen Carousel on stage but my folks had a record of it when I was young, and I really liked it. Unfortunately, that leads to my only real complaint about the movie...

The music is splendid ("Carousel Waltz" in particular), the story compelling. There's even a bit of philosophy (the blossoms fell because it was their time). And Carousel isn't padded out with interminable dance scenes -- just one, six minutes of dancing on rooftops. The other big dance scene, Louise's Ballet, is the only dance I can think of that kept keep me not just away from the fast-forward, but glued to the screen! Susan Luckey, as Louise, is the star of the show (for her fifteen minutes).

One real problem with movie musicals is the opening up of the stage. We don't want to lose the stage, since this is, after all, a fantasy; but neither do we want just a filmed play. Some go too far into location (e.g., South Pacific) and others go nowhere at all (Oklahoma). Even Music Man is a bit too stagey. But Carousel has found just the right mix between the stage and location. The transitions from one to another are particularly well-done.

BUT... Somewhere between the play and the movie, we lost at least two songs, and whole verses of other songs! If I hadn't listened to that cast recording in my youth, I would never have known. But I did, and the missing music sorta spoils an otherwise superb movie.

An R and H failure.
NOT R and H material! They should have spent the whole movie at the carnival, but NOOOOOOOO!!! They spent the majority at the sea. Too lovey dovey. I expected something more brighter. I vow, I will never watch this movie again unless I have too. Oklahoma! was better and happier. In my book, R and H failed this time. Sorry.

The Best R&H Score
"Oklahoma!" was the first and broke with tradition; "South Pacific" has the most significant message; "Carousel" has the best score. The songs run from happy to inspirational. Music and lyrics are perfect.

The colors are rich, the scope wide, and the singing voices of even supporting players are magfnificent. The official review gavce picture a "3 of 5" while I think it is a "4". The only reason for the deduction is the letterbox format that creates black bars at top, bottom,and sides of my 16X9 high definition TV (no, DVD is not high definition, but it is digital). I like it much better when the, in this case the 2.55 aspect ratio, is enhanced for 16X9 so there are no side bars.

When you watch this re-mastered filmn it is difficult to believe it was made more than 35 years ago. Of the 66 musicals in my collection it is among the top four [no I can't further differentiate] and definitely the best R&H. ... Read more

Description

In this epic mini-series based on Jules Verne's novel, Englishman Phileas Fogg (Pierce Brosnan) prides himself on his clockwork discipline. Fogg is so confident of his ability to beat the clock that he bets a small fortune with members of the Reform Club that he can use modern transportation methods to circle the globe in 80 days! With servant Jean Passepartout (Eric Idle), Fogg soon finds himself crossing war-torn Paris, traversing the jungles of India and Burma, and dueling with Jesse James on the American prairie! And if that weren't complicated enough, Fogg is the prime suspect in a London bank robbery, and Detective Wilbur Fix (Peter Ustinov) is pursuing Fogg and Passepartout, in hopes of returning Fogg to England to be arrested-and to collect the reward money!

The voyage even brings an unforeseen responsibility when Fogg rescues the beautiful Princess Aouda (Julia Nickson) and she arouses long-dormant feelings in Fogg's bachelor heart. Can Fogg acknowledge those feelings? Will he win the bet? Will he give Fix the slip? The ending is one you don't want to miss! ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A Great Entertainment
This is a charming and wonderful journey to watch. I enjoyed it a great deal, but be warned... this is NOT a family movie. Today's youth with short attention spans who like blood and monsters won't understand this one. Save it for the adults. Its well written, well acted and simply great fun.

journey with lots of obsticales
I saw this movie last summer on tv. When I started watching it I had no idea that it was as long as it is, otherwise I probably wouldn't have watched it, what would have been a mistake. Then this movie is wonderful. The only reason I can see that some people might not like it is, that it doesn't use all this high technology, full of action and sex scenes that we are used to now a days, when watching a movie. For me it is a welcome change and I enjoyed it, but everyone has their own opinion and is entitled to it.
Another thing I like about this movie is all the build in obstacles Pierce Brosnan has to go through on his quest. Often, it seems to me, that once he got out of one problem, he faces another one, what creates suspence on whether he will reach his goal or not. Also I highly appreciate the differente cultures portrayed in it.

Lost a lot of fun!!!
I watched the same film in VHS few years ago.
It was very impressive and had a lot of fun.
But after I got this DVD, it really disappointed me!!

A lot of scenes have been REMOVED: just like the chapter in China, Japan and India.And that part(saving the princess) has gone also.

If this is a miniseries, I guess they really didn`t have an idea about when and where to cut it!!!

Excellent movie however DVD lacks quality
This is an excellent movie which aired as an mini movie in 1989. The movie has a nice flow and the characters are quite vivid. Around the world imagery is quite colorful. It was a delight to watch it again. Unfortunately, the DVD quality resembles that of VHS. It was a poor quality transfer for a DVD considering that this movie was shot using Panavision equipment.

Wonderful family movie
I think this is a perfect movie to watch when you have several hours to spend relaxing. It's very long but you don't have to watch it all in one sitting. You'll want to get back to it as soon as possible though because it keeps you wanting more!
I divided it up into two evenings. This is one movie you can watch with your grandmother or with children around and not be embarrassed. I think it's a great family movie. And the picture was fine. I used to have the VHS copy and this DVD was much better quality. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

The best TF show since Gen 1
I'm not going to bother with giving you a break down of the episodes, since you're looking at this you should know what they are. But rather my flat out opinion of this DVD set.
Beast Wars was a show that like a fine wine, got better with age.
The first season was more for the kids, where this season really got back to the roots of the Transformers for us older fans, and the stories are great. One thing I noticed about Beast Wars was the fact it was not as toy driven as G1, you were introduced to new characters (toys) for the sake of storyline only, not have 10 characters all of a sudden crammed into an episode. Beast Wars stayed primarely with it's starting characters, developing great personalities for each one, you actually cared for these guys. The "Code of a Hero" episode for example.
The voice acting also is top notch, great talent used for this show.
The animation is far much better than the first season and gets even better in the third, my favorite of the three.
It's great to see this series uncut, Fox Kids butchered some episodes, and that definitly ruined the impact of some stories.
My only complaint is the lack of special features on the disc, but that's a small price to pay to finally get one of the best CG series out on DVD. Hurry up Rhino. The fans await season 3.
And I want to give Amazon.com a big "Hooah!!!" for delivering my order and some much needed entertainment to us troops serving in Kuwait & Iraq.

Great 2nd season
The second season of Beast Wars saw the introduction of Trans-Metals. Some first season 'bots saw a Trans-metal transformation, while others died off, only to be replaced with new 'bots.

Episodes included are:
27) Aftermath: The alien machine is destroyed and Optimus went up with it, but the explosion sets off a quantum surge that changes the planet - and several of the robots. In his new, more powerful transmetal body, Megatron hopes to take out the Maximals before they have a chance to regroup and recover.

28) Coming of the Fuzors (1): Two new Maximals awake in Predacon territory, both with bizarre looks and unusual personalities due to the damaged systems in their stasispods. Taking advantage of their confusion, Megatron convinces them they are Predacons, hoping to finally crush the Maximals with these reinforcements. Meanwhile, Blackarachnia returns to the Predacon base with Tarantulas' body, Tigatron and Airrazor go of looking for more stasispods, Rhinox shuts down and connects to the Axalon in an attempt at reaching Optimus' spark, and Dinobot realizes that the aborted armageddon has left the planet looking awfully familiar.

29) Coming of the Fuzors (2): Hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned, Rattrap, Cheetor and Dinobot try to keep the Predacons away from the Axalon where Rhinox lies delving deep into the Matrix, pursuing a faint hope...

30) Tangled Web: Megatron sends out Tarantulas, Blackarachnia and Quickstrike to build an energon refueling station, though the spiders' scheming complicates even the simplest task.

31) Maximal, No More: Dinobot is captured while on a recognizance mission, and surprisingly asks Megatron for permission to rejoin the Predacons, offering the golden disk as proof of his sincerity.

32) Other Visits (1): While out surveying the planet, Airrazor and Tigatron trigger a remaining alien site. While the Maximals scramble to their rescue, Tarantulas is already on his way, determined to thwart the aliens' plans.

33) Other Visits (2): Surviving the energon surge thanks to their new transmetal bodies, Tarantulas sets up a shield around the alien construct and heads inside along with Megatron and Quckstrike. Outside, Optimus and Rattrap try to figure a way in, while the two other transmetalized Maximals return the wounded Rhinox and Dinobot the CR chambers

34) Bad Spark: Cheetor discovers a huge stasis pod, containing Protoform X - a failed Maximal experiment that created an indestructible spark but drove it insane in the process. When Predacons arrive, a fight breaks out over it, setting off an energon storm that leaves Blackarachnia and Silverbolt together damaged, having to fend for themselves - While Protoform X awakens, looking for a victim...

35) Code of Hero: Rhinox discovers that the Trans-Warp wave will soon reach Cybertron, meaning that a rescue may at long last be at hand. Megatron also learns of this, and decides that he will not surrender. Instead, Megatron uses the Golden Disk to destroy key details of the past that would severely alter the future. Meanwhile, Dinobot is still searching for a way to reclaim his lost honor. He gets the chance upon finding out Megatron's new target for destruction: The early human race.

36) Transmutate: A series of earthquakes uncovers a heavily damaged stasispod. Out of it comes a freakish robot - barely sentient, but with extremely powerful weapons. Scoffed at by the others, both Silverbolt and Rampage sense a kindred spirit, each in their own way.

37) The Agenda (1): As the transwarp wave generated by the explosion in "Other Voices (2)" nears Cybertron, the Maximals rejoice, thinking the rescue is on its way. But unbeknownst to them, it is intercepted and diverted by the leaders of the Cybertronian Predacon alliance, who view Megatron as a loose cannon and wants to deal with him quietly, by sending one of their covert operatives.

38) The Agenda (2): Megatron is captured, but the battle used up too much of the cruiser's energon supply for there to be enough for the travel back to Cybertron. While Ravage interrogates Megatron about where they might find more, Primal confronts Silverbolt about his relationship Blackarachnia, leading the Fuzor to go off on his own to find her.

39) The Agenda (3): The Maximals manage to take out the transwarp cruiser and fend of the Predacon attack. But the battle is far from over, as Megatron heads for the now uncovered Autobot Ark - containing the heroes and villains who'll shape the Cybertron where the Predacons and Maximals come from.

This was the greatest show of my childhood
As a younger man, I loved this show, and I have both seasons on DVD, but where is Season 3? I will be extremely upset if there is no Season 3 DVD released soon.

Bring on the Beast Wars!
When I first heard of the Beast Wars series, I was skeptical. So skeptical in fact, that I did not watch it on TV. A few months ago, I purchased both Season 1 and Season 2, and I have been roped. The characters have depth and personality and the story line, especially in the 2nd season, is quite addictive, especially with the Tie-ins to Gen 1. In Season 2, they get far more into the history of the Maximals and the Predacons, which brings us back to the Great War between the Autobots (Maximals Ancestors) and the Decepticons (Predacons Ancestors). I don't want to blow the ending, but it is a seat grabber. For those who are TF Gen 1 fans, lets just say that the planet is revealed to be Earth, 4 million years ago. Anyone remember what happened 4 million years ago with a ship and a volcano?

Buy this NOW
Beast Wars was my favorite cartoon show from 5-10th grade...I'd get up every morning @ 6:30am to watch this! And I had crappy reception at the time, so getting the BEST season of the show in perfect DVD quality is beyond amazing. If you like great plots and characters for kids AND adults, please buy this ASAP!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

For a while, Designing Women captured some of the spirit of Hollywood's silkiest and smartest, Golden Age sophistication. Debuting in the fall of 1986, this half-hour sitcom--about four Atlanta belles who either owned or worked for an upscale interior design firm--seamlessly blended an understated glamour with razor-sharp dialogue, polished Southern grace, and a ripened female perspective--a sort of perfumed but unequivocal feminism for college-educated women over 30. The core cast of stage and film veterans--Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, and Jean Smart--was unusually strong, and their characters' problems and conflicts were unique to adulthood rather than the protracted adolescence common among today's comedies. The five episodes on this disc represent some of the show's strongest material, including season two's "Killing All the Right People," which--for its time--was bold in introducing a character dying of AIDS complications. Also quite witty is "Reservations for Eight," in which the Georgia quartet and their lovers bicker over gender stereotypes. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Four Southern Belles Sitting on a Veranda
From 1986 to 1993, Desiging Women aired weekly and caught the attention of millions of viewers. Now the series can be seen on Lifetime. But what better than to own a piece of one of televisions' funniest comedies!?! The original cast of Designing Women were one of televisions best combinations of their time. To be the first release for Designing Women...This one has to be a smart one. It is a very clever way to show everyone who wants a little taste of the series just what Designing Women is all about without paying the big bucks for a complete season. This Show, by far, has touched on many topics that have shown a different look at the silly and the sad times of our lives. From Mary Jo's desire to get bigger breasts...to dealing a friend who is H.I.V. positive...to dealing with the coping of weigh gain, the girls of Sugar Bakers' have been through it all. Although "all" of my favorites aren't included on this DVD (simply because it would be hard to put a low enough price on a "top 25" dvd) this DVD is one that fans of Desiging Women will cherish. I recommend to anyone who is just wanting a good laugh and to set back and see just how funny life can be...GET THIS DVD!!!

The Rest Of The Episodes on DVD Please!
When I was 21 Designing Women first aired on TV and I thought it was a very clever show with witty dialogue and interesting characters, Charlene, Julia, Suzanne, Mary Jo, Anthony and Bernice. I'm glad the show is on DVD but it only seems to be one DVD and it's just a best of DVD, I think the whole show should be on DVD in season sets. I have a lot of favorite episodes from this show but two of my favorites are the episoodes with Dub Taylor as Daddy Jones, the first one where they go to a cabin in the woods and go to the local bar and meet Daddy Jones and his crazy sons and they make the ladies dance with them to The Charlie Rich song Behind Closed Doors and Mary Jo gets a little tipsy and starts making fun of them thus making them pretty mad and I like the one where Daddy Jones shows up at Julia's place during a hurricane and hits it off with Bernice and gets the guy who played Les on WKRP drunk and he winds up running around the house in the underwear acting like he's a chippendale dancer, I would definitely love to have those episodes on DVD!

Love it! Want all episodes on DVD, as well as Bloopers!
I just found out this DVD is available and will run out and get it tomorrow! I don't have to see it to know it's wonderful. This is truly one of the classic comedic TV shows of all time.

I'm sure I speak for all fans when I say that I want every last episode on DVD, as well as a bloopers DVD!

I WANTED MORE FROM THIS DVD
I AM SPOILED! I LOVE MY DVD'S THAT HAVE EXTRAS IN THEM! TAKE "FRIENDS" EVERY EPISODE HAS SOMETHING NEVER BROADCAST ON TV! I AM HAPPY THAT THIS DVD IS OUT THERE BUT I WOULD OF LIKE TO HAVE SEEN INTRODUCTIONS BY THE CAST AND BY LINDA BLOODSWORTH THOMASON OR PLEASE LADIES AN AUDIO COMENTARY! IN 1990 I WAS AT THE MUSEUM OF BROADCASTING AND THEY SHOWED A 80 MINUTE REEL OF HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SHOW ( NOW EDITED DOWN TO 43 MINUTES FOR TV BROADCAST) THIS WOULD MAKE A GREAT EDITION TO ANY FUTURE DVD RELEASES. THE 5 EPISODES ON THIS DVD ARE SOME OF THE BEST BUT NEXT TIME GIVE ME A SEASON! THE SHOW IS A CLASSIC AND TV NEEDS SHOWS LIKE THIS AGAIN!
THE SHOW HAD AN OPINION AND WAS NEVER AFRAID TO GIVE IT! THE SHOW STILL HOLDS UP TODAY! WILL YOU EVER BE ABLE TO SAY THE SAME ABOUT "BECKER" OR "KING OF QUEENS" OR "YES DEAR" I DON'T THINK SO

One of the Best Comedy Ever
The best of Designing Women on DVD was a terrific buy. This show is a clasic tv show that was truely hilarious then and even now. I can remember watching this show and loving it in the 80's when I was a little girl. This show like the Golden Girls deserves to be on DVD, not just as the best of but as a box set by season. Delta Burke made this show as well as Meshach Taylor. All the ladies were wonderful but they're characters are what I believe made the show so popular. What would it be without Dixie Carter's getting fired up on a subject as well, or Annie Potts drinking a few drinks and getting macho talking. Jean Smart and all her beau's that never seemed to work out except her husband Bill and all her crazy thoughts. These ladies worked and clicked well together. This is Classic TV at it's best and like I said it should be put on a boxset by season not just the best of designing women. All the episodes were the best. For example the episode where the whole gang goes on the beach weekend with the boys and Ursula is the baby sitter and in hiring her the girls become jealous while the guys druel. The episode where the girls go with the boys on the camping weekend and run into Daddy Jones and his boys and get in a fight. The episode where they have a tornado and Elmer a client of the sugarbakers comes in without his wife who is a crazy fanatic and Daddy Jones shows up to by a nice piece of furniture and meets Elmer. They go out to drink some moonshine during the tornado. Bernice gueststarred in that episode as well as crazy Vanessa, "a mind is a terrible thing to waste". The episode where Julia and Suzzanne's niece comes to town and she is a spoiled brat. The episode that Suzanne shoots Anthony. The episode of pornography and Julia runs her car into the billboard that is on the street 3 times because she despises what it stands for. The episode that the girls design the whitehouse or the governors mansion and Suzanne gets her head stuck in a banister rale that has been there for Decades and they have to saw her out of it and they piece it back together and it breaks lose later on in the show. The episode where Julia and Mary Jo take up jogging and Julia becomes a fanatic and makes a fool out of her self. The episode where Vanessa tries to transform her look and takes up an inventory counting job at Sugarbakers to get closer to Anthony. Meanwhile Anthony is with this stuck up lady who calls her BMW a beamer and Vanessa thinks a beamer is a zit. The episode where Anthony dresses up like Suzanne's maid Consuela and has to pass through INS and take a test dressed up like her so that she could stay in this country. Who could forget his hillarious laugh when he gets nervous. The episode where the design firm has that gel bed in the living room that was supposed to go to two sex crazed newly weds and they don't show up to get it and instead they don't so they end up donating it to the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army asks why the people didn't show up for the bed and Julia says that she doesn't know but that maybe they found a sandbox that they liked better. Mary Jo acts crazy and sits on the bed with Anthony and says that sitting on the bed is like sitting on a fake breast and that they should displace all the gel so when Anthony wakes up he would be on a great big mound. And there are tons more episodes that were outrageously funny. This is a must see and I give it 5 STARS. ... Read more

Description

"Elizabeth! I'm comin, honey!" Those were the words oftenheard coming from 9114 South Central, home to Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx)and his son Lamont (Demond Wilson) - known more affectionately to each other as "Pop" and "Dummy" - and their junkyard business.Sanford and Son was the second TV series from Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin, whocreated the groundbreaking "All in the Family" the year before. "Sanford and Son" aired from 1972-1977 and was NBC's most popular prime-time series for four of its five seasons, earning four Emmy nominations and a Golden-Globe Award for Redd Foxx during its run. Enjoy this hysterical first season - or you'll get one across the lip. ... Read more

Reviews (56)

"Lamont, you big dummy!"
Complete first season of the hilarious sitcom about a 65 year old junk dealer, Fred Sanford(Redd Foxx), and his son/partner, Lamont (Demond Wilson) is a classic. The same people (Norman Lear, Bud Yorkin, etc.) who dominated 1970s television comedy by bringing us All in the Family (1971), Maude (1972), Good Times (1974), and The Jeffersons (1975) also did Sanford and Son (1972). Sanford & Son does not play much on TV anymore, so if you havent had the pleasure of seeing it, but are a fan of any of the previously listed shows I highly recommend it. Redd Foxx was a comedic genius and this show features his best work. This DVD set will feature the first 14 episodes (Jan - April 1972), here are the titles:

01) Crossed Swords
02) Happy Birthday, Pop
03) Here comes the bride, there goes the bride
04) The copper caper
05) A matter of life and breath
06) We were robbed
07) A pad for Lamont
08) The great Sanford Siege
09) Coffins for sale
10) The Barracuda
11) TV or not TV
12) The suitcase case
13) The return of the Barracuda
14) The piano movers

Also recommended:
All in the Family: Complete first season 3 dvd set (13 episodes)
The Jeffersons: Complete first season 2 dvd set (13 episodes)

Here Comes The Big One
This first season of Sanford and Son is the best! The episodes are hysterical, with Fred up to his usual old tricks, and Lamont being a big dummy. Get this and enjoy a good laugh.

My all time favorite.
This is the season that changed the face of television. No longer were african-americans placed in the supporting role as Redd Foxx marched the show to the top of the charts with his antics. "Five across your lips" and "This is the big one" soon became household punchlines. Never before has a show impacted television as this program demonstrated life from the ghetto and how people, regardless of race, are really all the same!!!!

i love the 70's
great show. Lamount was annoying with a funny dad who owns a junkyard in california. enjoy the good and bad times of their life

the comedic stylings of Redd Foxx
"Sanford and Son" was an American version of a British show "Steptoe and Son." The premise is the antics of junkman Fred Sanford and his son Lamont. Most of the episodes in the first season were basically adaptations of "Steptoe and Son" episodes.

Nevertheless, you get the entire first season here and it's worth every penny. Obviously, this show was ahead of its time and un p.c. as well. One significant plus with this first season is that you will get each episode in its entirety. TV Land obviously has to edit out certain parts (ie Fred using the N word)for today's audiences.

You also see the evolution of Fred and Lamont, along with Fred's buddy Melvin(played by longtime Redd Foxx partner Slappy White), and see early nemesis' of Fred like Aunt Hazel (Esther didn't appear until season two). All of the episodes are excellent, with my favorites being "Piano Movers", "Happy Birthday, Pop" "We Were Robbed", and "Color TV."

I can't emphasise how important this show was in the realm of pop culture and some of the issues tackled are still relevant today. Nothing like this will ever hit the airwaves again. Pick up the Season 2 and 3 sets as well. ... Read more

Description

A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami (Toshiro Mifune) when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo's sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop and criminal's lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami's own dark side. Stray Dog goes beyond a crime thriller, probing the squalid world of postwar Japan and the nature of the criminal mind. The disc also includes an audio commentary by scholar Stephen Prince, a booklet of essays, and a 32-minute documentary on the making of the film. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Homage & Echoes and Finally, Stubbornly Original.
I am not a Japanese film historian, so others can elaborate on that aspect. When it started, I wasn't sure I would take to this film, but it draws you in inexorably. Shot on location in Tokyo, remarkably just 3 or 4 years after the end of WWII, it most reminds me of a Japanese Naked City, with echoes and moments reminiscent of other American gangster films all the way back to Public Enemy and The Roaring Twenties of the 30's.

The location photography alone is fascinating in depicting the Japan of 1948 or 49. And the story progresses as a very young Toshiro Mifune wanders through various levels of that postwar society in search of the thief who stole his Colt. On hand also, is that wonderful actor in Kurosawa's repertory company that was the leader of the 7 Samurai, and here too, is the older & wiser mentor to Mifune.

Finally, the movie wins you over for its own reasons. Though early, Kurosawa's composition, framing, and directorial skill is evident. The performances are fine. The atmosphere and location photography ground the film in reality. And it is a more complex film and story than it first appears. And, like early Ford, there is poetry amid the restrictions of budget and resources. And like early Ford, it presages what was to come. Good stuff if you've a mind for it. 5 stars for those folks.

A consistently fascinating film
I foung this to be an absolutely fascinating film on several levels.

First, although we primarily associate Kurosawa with period films, this was one of his relatively few contemporary films. Along with the utterly phenomenal IKIRU (1952) and HIGH AND LOW (1963), it is one of his three most successful nonhistorical films. Nonetheless, for us in the early part of the 21st century, it possesses a great deal of almost documentary interest for glimpses into life in post-war Japan. Released in 1949, it depicts a Japan that had not yet begun the strong enonomic recovery of the 1950s. I found the numerous images of individuals struggling on the margins of economic survivability to be riveting. This was seen not merely in the "stray dog" who possessed the gun of the main character, but in many minor characters, not all of whom we actually see. One of the truly sad moments was when Takashi Shimura (familiar as the head samurai of SEVEN SAMURAI, the dying man in IKIRU, and the woodcutter of RASHOMON) explains to Toshiro Mifune how a thief's stealing the cash a woman had saved for her dowry probably meant that she would not have enough money saved again until she was an old maid, implying that the thief had stolen not merely her cash, but her chance of happiness in life as well.

Second, seeing Toshiro Mifune playing a despondent, anxious, inexperienced, overly deferential detective was a completely new experience. It is a range of emotions that I had not previously seen him put on display in anyother role. I must add that I think most contemporary American viewers will find, perhaps, his character to be a little too groveling and impetuously stupid. My daughter watched this movie with me (though 14, she is a huge Kurosawa fan as well), and she felt very, very uncomfortable at the way he deferentially hung his head in shame before his superiors. (I should add that despite this, she loved the film as a whole as well.)

The film was full of fascinating shots of private spaces that as a Westerner I found to be one of the most interesting things in the movie. When American films started being made in the 1950s that were at least partially set in Japan, the shots in people's homes often made them look as if they were display pieces, not like actual places where people would live. But the homes in STRAY DOG all looked lived in, like real abodes.

But while all these things are good and fine, the movie in the end has to stand up as a piece of cinema, and it does so admirably. Although on one level not a great deal happens in the movie, Kurosawa manages to imbue the conflicts and struggles in the film with Shakespearean importance. He manages to bring home the point that people's lives and their own concerns are of infinite concern to them. And scene after scene that might have come off as trivial and unimportant instead are crucial and memorable, like the long scene in which Mifune sits in the apartment of a dancing girl and her mother, attempting to gain information about her quasi-boyfriend who is suspected of having and using Mifune's pistol. The camerawork in the film is flawless, and many of the scenes stay with you long after you have seen the film. I agree with the reviewer who emphasized the overwhelming sense of heat that the film communicates (the action all takes place in the middle of a heat wave).

One scene in particular bears pointing out. In the climatic fight with the villain, we witness one of the least glamorized and romanticized fights in the history of the cinema. Neither man places tremendous fighting skills before the viewer. Neither looks particularly competent. When the fight is over, both men lay heaving and sweaty and dirty on the ground in the middile of a field. It is an utterly remarkable moment. Finally, after a few minutes, the thief begins to sob, less, one suspects, over having been caught, but over what his life has become.

In short, a marvelous film. And very, very different than most of the films by which we know Kurosawa. I strongly recommend it.

An excellent psychological crime story...
In the shadow of the American occupation of Japan after World War II during an extremely hot summer afternoon, Murakami (Toshirô Mifune), a young homicide detective, is duped by a pickpocket who steals his issued gun. Detective Murakami notifies his superior about the theft which causes him embarrassment and fear of being fired. The humiliation combined with the fear compels Detective Murakami to keep searching for the thief by going undercover. Murakami probes the scorching Tokyo streets and alleys with meticulously scanning eyes as he comes across a weapons dealer that has clues about the guns whereabouts. These clues help Murakami to continue the investigation as he is assisted by the shrewd Detective Sato (Takashi Shimura) to uncover further clues of the identity of the pickpocket. As clues accumulate Murakami seems to identify himself more and more with the criminal. This begins to wear on Murakami, but the understanding Sato keeps reminding him that he is doing the right thing.

Stray Dog is an intense criminal story that examines the psychology of the characters as in compares the similarities between criminals and detectives. These similarities are balanced on a thin line based on choice, which Kurosawa dissects studiously through the camera lens. Kurosawa's investigation of the character's psychology creates a spiraling suspense that is enhanced through subtle surprises and brilliant cinematography. The camera use often displays shots through thin cloths, close ups, and new camera angles, which also makes the film aesthetically appealing. When Kurosawa brings together camera work and cast performance, among other cinematic aspects, he leaves the audience with a brilliantly suspenseful criminal drama, which leaves much room for introspection and retrospection.

THEMATICALLY MORDANT, TECHNICALLY BRILLIANT
A young Tokyo cop has his handgun stolen. Driven to obsession he follows the trail of the pickpocket through the choppy underworld of 50s Tokyo in an attempt to regain his "face". This deceptively simple story grows more complex as the man who gains possession of Mifune's handgun begins killing people and the cop starts to blame himself.

Amid its intensely graphic buildup of the specious complications of the plot (which is achieved in true Kurosawa form through brilliant blends of images and sounds) the movie manages to couch messages of social and philosophical significance.

An incredible atmospheric combination: of neo-noir and a murky mordant comedy. Highly recommended, if you can digest some mildly slow-paced scenes and black and white print.

4.25 Stars for this Noirish Kurosawa Gem
If you've only seen Kurosawa's samurai flics, definitely give this a look. The strength of Stray Dog is certainly the imagery: the glimpses of everyday life in the early years of postwar Japan are as priceless as virtually anything from the silent era, and seeing such a young Mifune in his dandyish zoot suite is also worth the price of admission in itself. The rabid dog thru the opening credits frames the film wonderfully and returns to your mind well after you've turned off the TV. And here Kurosawa's greatest weakness (an apparently utter disdain for females) is graciously muted: women are portrayed in mostly unflattering roles but are at least allowed to show some