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Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe star in this well-intentioned and largely successful civil rights-era thriller. Mississippi Burning, using the real-life 1964 disappearance of three civil rights workers as its inspiration, tells the story of two FBI men (Hackman and Dafoe, entertainingly called "Hoover Boys" by the locals) who come in to try to solve the crime. Hackman is a former small-town Mississippi sheriff himself, while Dafoe is a by-the-numbers young hotshot. Yes, there is some tension between the two. The movie has an interesting fatalism, as all the FBI's best efforts incite more and more violence, which becomes disturbing--the film's message, perhaps inadvertently, seems to be that vigilantism is the only real way to get things done. The brilliant Frances McDormand, here early in her career, is not given enough to do but still does it well enough to have racked up an Oscar® nomination for Best Supporting Actress. (Hackman also received a nomination for Best Actor, and the film won an Academy Award for Cinematography). The story line of Mississippi Burning is ultimately unsatisfying--it is, after all, the story of white men coming in to rescue poor blacks--but it is beautifully shot and very watchable and features a terrific cast playing at the top of their games. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (36)

SCINTILLATING HISTORY LESSON (AND A GREAT SUSPENSE THRILLER)
A gut-wrenching thriller from start to finish, the movie's breakneck pace is akin to any topnotch suspense movie of our time, while managing an excellent depiction of the 1960's civil rights struggle in the US as well.

Despite its theme's sombre contours the film never gets all preachy about the subject. Gene Hackman is picture perfect although his vigilante FBI loose-cannon role occasionally gets a bit far-fetched. A salon scene between him and one of the rogue cops who moonlight as members of Ku-Klux-Klan will remain in your memory for a long time.

The racism theme may appear a bit dated to viewers of this generation, but it is integral to the theme (as it was to the actual civil war.) Plus, let's not forget that the movie was made in 1988, and watching it now I still couldn't help getting touched by the identifiable theme. Frankly, I don't really understand what racially oriented quibbles reviewers have with the movie -- this is not some drummed up theme, this is ACTUALLY what happened in Mississippi.

A taut, absorbing, and worthwhile film that you must watch if you haven't already.

Powerful Drama
Mississippi Burning is griping and powerful civil rights era drama that is based on real life events. Three civil rights workers (two white, one black) are missing and feared dead. They were last sceen in a small Mississippi town. The FBI sends down a team of agents led by Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman. Mr. Dafoe is a young, idealistic agent while Mr. Hackman is one time small town Mississippi sheriff with alot views on how the case should be handled. The two bang heads, before they eventually come to a common ground. The town is segregated and the Ku Klux Klan runs rampant. The film's graphic depiction of racism and hatred is disturbing. It is difficult to image that something this grotesque and reviling could happen in this country, but it unfortunately did. Francis McDormand is the wife of Brad Dourif who is town's deputy sheriff. Despite the fact her husband is knee deep in the missing kids situation and is a hateful and violent man, she rises above it and shows compassion to her fellow man. There is alot of sexual tension between her and Mr. Hackman and it adds a calming touch to the turbulent surroundings. Mississippi Burning is a film that is movie making at it's best. It comments on society, makes you think, educates you and in the end entertains.

The Racial Divide
The filmography of director Alan Parker is an eclectic one. His work covers a large spectrum of genres and themes. This diversity allows Parker to keep his career fresh and invigorated Of course, lots of directors do the same thing, but, Parker is truly diverse. One minute he can do the controversial and very complex Angel Heart, then switch gears to do a lighthearted film, like The Commitments. In 1988's Mississippi Burning, Parker was lucky enough to get a superb cast, willing to tackle some tough material.

When three civil rights activists 2 whites and one black, are murdered in the middle of the night, the small Mississippi town becames a cauldron of racial tension. Two FBI agents are soon dispatched to investigate. Soon the veteran Anderson (Gene Hackman) and his green around the gills by the book partner Ward (Willem Dafoe), find themselves at odds with many of the town's citizens and each other. As the case boils over, the two agents must overcome their differences to solve the case before the town is torn apart.

Parker sucessfully recreates the look and feel, of a small town in 1964, gripped in the throws of a turbulent time in U.S. history. You get a real sense of what it must have been like at that time. Once again Hackman proves why he is a master at his craft. As Anderson, he gives one of his most complex performances, offerng a multifaceted character study. Like in so maany of Hackman's films, he can turn on a dime, portraying a guy that's charming but with a darker side...Da Foe is nicely matched against Hackman in the film. He gives one of his best performances as well. The supporting players, R. Lee Ermy, Brad Dourif, and Frances McDormaand, really shine too. I don't think there's a rotten apple in the entire film

The latest DVD improves only slightly, over the movie only disc, as far as the extras are concerned. While I really enjoyed Parker's audio commentary, aside from the theatrical trailer, I found myself really curious to hear from others who worked on the film. Those ommisions really gnawed at me. Still, Mississippi Burning shows us just how far we have come when dealing with racism...and reminds how far both sides still need to go before it is defeated.

It's worth it to see Hackman do his thing on that alone. All the other good stuff about the movie appears as icing on the cake.

A powerful indictment of Democratic Party's past sins
This film reminds us of the horrors that the Southern Democrats inflicted upon African Americans. As Wayne Perryman reminds us in his book, "Unfounded Loyalties",

"One party and their abolitionist supporters believed the Bible instructed them to lay down their lives for the slaves, the other party and their supporters believed the Bible gave them the right to take the lives of blacks if they rebelled against being slaves.

"On the issue of slavery, one party and its supporters gave their lives to expand it (to Northern states) and the other party and their supporters gave their lives to ban it.

"One party was heavily influenced by the Abolitionists and the radical wing of their party ... and the other party was influenced by the Ku Klux Klan and other terrorist groups.

"One party and its supporters started the Freedman's Bureau and other programs to help build communities for blacks, the other party and their supporters engaged in practices to hinder those efforts and to destroy those communities (Wilmington, North Carolina).

"One party and its supporters established quality schools and colleges for blacks, the other party and their supporters engaged in practices that attempted to close some of those schools or diminish their quality.

"One party passed laws and Constitutional Amendments (13th , 14th , 15th) to include blacks as part of mainstream society, the other party passed laws to exclude them from the mainstream (Jim Crow Laws and Black Codes). ..."

Sadly, many do not know that that "one party" was the Republican Party, while the "other party" was the Democratic Party. I myself didn't know at the time I watched this stirring film. I suppose burning crosses make us assume the bad guys are aligned with the religious right. Unfortunately, the "other party" used a nonsensical interpretation of the "curse of Ham" to justify slavery; fortunately, "one party" saw through it.

This film is also a great example of how history is being rewritten or dumbed down. While many films have shown lynchings and other abuse of African Americans, they usually leave you with the impression that the bigots were "Bible bashers" ... as you can see, this is only half the truth. Very rarely are we reminded that it was Republicans who laid their lives on the line to defend blacks, based on their Christian faith.

Willem Dafoe is, as always, fascinating to watch. His gesture of futility during Hackman's interrogation of a suspect is priceless. Perhaps the shameful past that the Democrats are trying to forget - indeed, most youngsters today do not need to forget, they haven't even been taught - will spur them onto greater deeds that may even outshine the "one party".

Insidious, particuarly if this is the only source
"[A]n excellent depiction of the 1960's civil rights struggle in the US," a reviewer called this. Read Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody, see Eyes on the Prize, get it from the library. While it may be "based on a true story", the story is very unrepresentative and the story here historically was insignificant compared to what blacks themselves--and _other_ whites--did as far as voter registration, the "Freedom Summer," etc. As critic Pauline Kael argued, "...the movie hinges on the ploy that the FBI men can't stop the Ku Klux Klan from its terrorism against blacks until they swing over to vigilante tactics.

Amazon.com writes:

As critic Pauline Kael argued, "...the movie hinges on the ploy that the FBI men can't stop the Ku Klux Klan from its terrorism against blacks until they swing over to vigilante tactics. And we're put in the position of applauding the FBI's dirtiest forms of intimidation. This cheap gimmick undercuts the whole civil rights subject; it validates the terrorist methods of the Klan."

This becomes irrelevant to more informed readers when they realize that FBI men usually were one of the major obstacles of the civil rights movement.

Once again, Anne Moody's book is the place to start on Mississippi specifically. It's a story at least as gripping. It makes more sense in the context of the rest of the movement and the 60s, so these are other places to look:

Eyes on the Prize (Eyes on the Prize II gives how and why the civil rights movement ended/disintegrated) videos, companion book, and document reader.

Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch--Martin Luther King, but we really don't know much about him and this also deals with the movement in general. Sweeping, along with Eyes on the Prize, frames much of the movement.

The Children by David Halberstam--Black students taking on Nashville.

Making Sense of the Sixties--A PBS video series on the sixties. Try to find it at your library.

These all are only a few of the books/videos that I think everybody should read and watch to be familiar with this very relevant, passionate, and tragically forgotten part of history. A true understanding of the civil rights movement destroys the audience for this kind of film--though the bias may be unintentional, it reflects ignorance--and gets us focused on major questions of life in America today.

Some of you may be surprised to find that these books are at least as gripping as this movie. But if you'd rather watch something, Eyes on the Prize is the ideal place to start. The violence there is real, there are civil rights workers who happen to be victims of violence (that is, drawn out as real people through interviews), and the violence on the blacks is not absurd (again, realistic as it may be, the framing makes it absurd), reminiscent of Birth of a Nation. ... Read more

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He's the Wild Blue Yonder, and The Tick is back to show why this outlandishly funny TV series should never have been canceled! After proving his mettle in comic books and animated TV, creator Ben Edlund's blue-insect superhero made his auspicious debut on Fox (in November 2001), portrayed in live action (in a buff-muscled rubber suit) by Patrick Warburton, the popular Seinfeld guest star (as "Puddy"), who instantly perfected the role he was born to play. In his appreciative commentary track, co-executive producer (and Men in Black director) Barry Sonnenfeld calls the pilot episode "the best thing I've ever directed," and it's easy to agree: wide-angle lenses, stylized sets, hilarious dialogue, and a comedically gifted cast make the episode (and the entire series) a perfect summation of Sonnenfeld's wacky style. Edlund concurs, observing that The Tick is "something you get or you don't," and the impatient Fox executives obviously didn't get the show's expert blend of absurdity, stupidity, and good-natured irreverence. They axed the series after eight of these nine episodes aired, only proving that The Tick was too hip for their bean-counting mentalities.

In the title role, Warburton (with highly expressive antennae) hits all the right notes of dimwitted innocence and brute-force gallantry, aided immeasurably by his moth-costumed sidekick Arthur (David Burke), wannabe lothario Batmanuel (Nestor Carbonell), and buxom beauty Captain Liberty (Liz Vassey). Attentive to the more mundane aspects of superheroism, The Tick offers outrageous villains (like the nefarious "Destroyo") and eccentric allies (like Ron Perlman's hilarious "Fiery Blaze") while showing that even crimefighters have everyday problems and desires. Brilliantly conceived and executed, The Tick can now be enjoyed by an audience it never had a proper chance to cultivate. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (57)

You face....The Tick!
"The Tick" was another one of those great, edgy television shows that Fox simply didn't give a chance (along with "The Critic," "Greg The Bunny" and others). The casting was absolutely perfect...Warburton does an excellent job as the Wild Blue Yonder, and Nester Carbonell (of "Suddenly Susan" fame) was the perfect Batmanuel.

The DVD is, sadly, not perfect. The extras are pretty worthless, and I'm at a loss as to why it needed to be a 2-DVD set with three episodes on one disc and six on the other. They all easily could have fit on one disc and left the annoying "extras" out.

I cannot criticize the content, however; the show is just as hilarious as I remember it. The episodes "The Funeral," "Couples" and the wonderful pilot (with Christopher Lloyd in an uncredited role as Mr. Fishladder, Arthur's former boss) are the shining points of the series. And from the viewpoint of a hearing-impaired person, it's a joy to watch a DVD that is properly closed-captioned, with no spelling mistakes, few omissions and without the annoying all-caps some DVDs insist upon.

This show was funny, edgy and irreverant...completely different from anything else on TV at the time. In the words of the Tick himself: "When the world says jump, we say pass the salt!"

The Wild Blue Yonder
He has melted viewers' hearts, and from this day forth, he will spread his buttery justice over their DVD players' every nook and cranny. He is the Tick, the mysterious and insane crime fighter who will teach the forces of evil the Lesson... of Metcalfe. (Don't ask, it's a series in-joke)

Mild-mannered accountant Arthur (David Burke) quits his job in order to don a spandex moth suit and fight crime. When he's attacked by inept Communist agents, he's suddenly rescued by... the Tick (Patrick Warburton), a dimwitted innocent who lives in a world of his own. Reluctantly recruited by the Tick as a sidekick, Arthur accompanies his bizarre, superhuman friend through a strange array of crime-fighting scenarios

With the wannabe Latin lover Batmanuel (Nestor Carbonell) and patriotic amazon Captain Liberty (Liz Vassey), the Tick attacks the eccentric evil of the world: fire-spewing Apocalypse Cow, 112-year-old supervillain The Terror, formerly pudgy ballerina Destroyo, Arthur's relatives, and robots who are trying to kill Jimmy Carter. In the meantime, Our Heroes have to deal with dogs, mixed dating (superhero/ordinary person), porn shoots, Captain Liberty accidently killing the poorly-named celebrity-superhero Immortal (in the sack, no less!), the snobby League of Heroes, and the Tick's search for his true identity.

It doesn't get much goofier than "Tick," which spoofs the sort of comic book heroes like Superman and Batman. The villains are over-the-top (check out Destroyo's tanklike exoskeleton), the heroes are more often insane than not, and sidekicks form little clubs to complain about how their heroes treat them. The writing is full of tortured metaphors and strange scenarios (the scene where Captain Liberty and Batmanuel try to explain the Facts of Life to the Tick is priceless -- "blah blah blah").

He's the tiny diamond in a sea of rhinestones, a peach in a barrel of bad apples; Patrick Warburton is outrageously funny as he rolls off the corniest and dumbest dialogue imaginable ("A secret message... from my teeth!") without cracking the tiniest smile. Burke serves as the hapless brain Arthur; Carbonell is quite entertaining as the womanizing Batmanuel, who only fights crime once in the whole series. And Vassey is fantastic as a frustrated 21st-century Wonder Woman who sometimes seems to be the only really sane one there.

All too short and all too sweet, "The Tick" wasn't given the long life on television that it deserved. However, fans can now enjoy the nine hysterical episodes of madness, mayhem, Metcalfe, and steaming hot cups of justice. Long live the Big Blue Lug.

an amazing comic made into an amazing show
I was a fan of The Tick comic books ( all, what, 13 of them?) and they are amongst my most prized posessions. I was very nervous when I heard a live action show was being made of the The Tick. However, I absolutely loved the show and the DVD set. I've already watched them through three times. A great buy!

Terrific Tick
I never watched the series when it was on the air, or watched the cartoon, comic book...but I was always told they were funny and be something that I would enjoy. I have to admit that I thouroughly enjoyed this series. The episodes got better as the season went on. My favorites are "Arthur, Interrupted", "The Funeral", "The Big Leagues", & "The Tick vs. Justice", although they were all pretty good! Patrick Warburton did an incredible job as the Tick. Many actors who portray comic heroes fall flat but Patrick was utterly convincing as the Wild Blue Yonder. David Burke, Nestor Carbonell, & Liz Vassey were all hillarious in their portrayals. It is sad that this series did not continue, one could only imagine what heights of levity could have been wrought if only this brilliant show was not terminated!
I wished this DVD could have had more extras...I couldn't find the DVD rom link either, but maybe I'm looking in the wrong places...and deleted scenes or TV spots would have been nice!
It would be great if a MOVIE gets produced...I would definitely Watch it!

"A secret message from my teeth!"
Ben Edlund's oft-licensed, off-beat creation was never in finer form than Patrick Warburton's jut-jawed portrayal of The Wild Blue Yonder himself. Matching the goofy heights reached by the excellent cartoon in a measly nine half-hour episodes, there's no telling what Sonnenfeld and company could have done with this series. Unfortunately, it looks like there never will be any telling, as the show was unceremoniously canned before the last episode even aired. Still, there's mirth aplenty in this strangely sparse 2-DVD set; Christopher Lloyd guest stars in an episode, as do Ron Perlman (Hellboy) and John de Lancie (Star Trek: TNG's Q). Warburton's Tick seems right at home alongside David Burke's Arthur, as well as new Edlund creations Batmanuel and Captain Liberty (ably acted by the hilariously oversexed Nestor Carbonell and the ever-serious Liz Vassey, respectively). Commentary tracks with Barry Sonnenfeld (who produced the series and directed the first episode) and Ben Edlund (who wrote the comic book back when it was an underground sensation) are available for nearly every episode, and a few poorly-selected trailers are on the second disc. Buy it for the show, chum. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Open Your Eyes To a Fiery and Passionate Film
One can view the brilliant and overlooked "Close My Eyes" on a number of levels. One could look at it as the story of an incestuous affair, the pain and despair of unquenched passion, the shattering of taboos, or the story of an unfulfilled woman searching for something about which to be passionate. Each level enriches and deepens the message of the other and creates a thought-provoking film of fiery intensity.

The film is a study in contrasts and opposing forces: Alan Rickman's controlled, restrained performance is in total contrast to the fiery passion of the two lovers and the film's direct confrontation with taboos (incest, AIDS, open passion itself)slams against polite society's prevailing opinions. The film dares us to face what is difficult and deal with it in an open and honest way no matter what the consequences, no matter what anyone thinks.

The film's solemn conclusion makes clear, however, that this shattering of taboos (what we are not supposed to openly discuss) is no easy accomplishment and involves the possibility of a breakdown in society or "the end of the world." But, the risk is worth it so that nothing is left hidden, so that all is out in the open, on the table, for discussion and acceptance. "Close My Eyes" is a powerhouse of passionate, riveting acting, Merchant and Ivory like cinematography, and incisive, perceptive writing.

Dozing Off on the Job
A curiously detached film about a discontented woman (Saskia Reeves) who derails her brother's (Clive Owen) life by seducing him, and how their roles gradually reverse as the affair proceeds. Overly reliant on close-ups and flattened out by amateurish lighting, the film hints at much but delivers very little. There is scant chemistry between the three main characters, and even less plausible dynamic. Rickman, the nominal lead, does not appear until a third of the way along and gives a performance as extraneous as the role itself. It is as if he, and his character, wandered in from somewhere else. Reeves, on whose character the plot hinges, fairs little better. Alternating between sullen and enigmatic, she struggles to make Natalie believable but in the end is defeated by the simple fact that the role is as unsympathetic as it is impenetrable. Aside from taking off her clothes, or staring ambiguously into space, she is given nothing by which to make the character comprehensible. Until far too late, dialogue in this film confines itself to the elliptical and/or banal. The only sympathy is generated by Clive Owen, who manages to transcend the shortcomings of the script and make Richard the only operative, credible character. Ironically, for a film concerned with passion and its compulsive, destructive aspects, where it does succeed is in its secondary storyline: that involving Richard's job as a civil planner, and the people with whom he works. However subsidiary these scenes, they are as plausible and deft as the rest are laborious and annoying. What a pity there weren't more of them. See it if you're a Clive Owen fan, or want glimpses of London's construction-boom skyline. Otherwise, keep dialling.

sibling passion/rivalry/obsession...
As some closeted persons in the gay world might do, use marriage to convince yourself that you are what everyone expects you to be. A women marries who could be an american man in Europe, and the realtionship is progresing on then bam, the brother shows up. He semed out of sorts in the head and the sister innocently palys the mother to him. Well things in the past began to grow up in both of them.. yeah that too. The scenery is nice the intensity is pretty good. It isn't all about them, but it's hard not to become fixated on such a taboo acted so well. I'm glad I own it, the intrigue is one for the ages. Will get DVD also. A list of taboo movies on incest is short but , the house of yes, spanking the monkey.

A Disturbing Fin-de-siecle Romance
A deeply disturbing film about an obsessive, destructive affair between a brother & sister at the end of the twentieth century. Saskia Reeves gives a powerful, deeply moving performance as the sister who is unable to resist the desire she feels for her brother. Rickman is, as always, brilliant. The film is especially interesting for its use of colour--lurid & grotesque one moment; lyrical & pastoral the next. The final shot of the film is quietly apocalyptic & elevates the story beyond the specificities of the affair. An important, often-overlooked film from fin-de-siecle Britain. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Streep and Kline in a powerful depiction!!!
Where does one begin to talk about a topic which is portrayed in one of the most disturbing of movies ever made about the Holocaust. This was a long haul, this film which has Meryl Streep portraying Sophie, a woman with a hidden past, and her lover, Kevin Kline, who portrays "Nathan," and off the wall lunatic/poet/prodigy (you guess!) and then there is Peter MacNicol, who is befriended by these two sorts, and the movie progresses as we see Sophie and Nathan at their best loving one another, and at their worst when they hate each other. But through the film, we learn the "secret" of what Sophie's choice entailed, and the story enfolds itself around you until you are weeping with her and getting angry with her, and finally, at the end, getting so disappointed at the ultimate choice she makes, along with her lover. It's not an uplifting film at all, and I would recommend one keeps his or her wits about them when the film is watched. This is a true "thinking cap" movie, and it evokes many feelings. I hope yours are as intact as mine were, or I thought they were. But of course my wife hated the movie, much more for the choice Sophie had to face in Nazi Germany, than for anything else, and she cried and cried and cried - something she doesn't like to do, but it proved the movie really moved her. Highly recommended.

A shattering tale of sacrifice and survival
The incomparable Meryl Streep unleashes a devastating Academy Award performance (her second, but her only one as Best Actress to date) in this powerful and shattering tale of a Polish immigrant who survives the horrors of Hitler's Holocaust and the choice she is forced to make to her Nazi captors: which of her two children to sacrifice to the death camps. Setting out in post-war Brooklyn, the film introduces Sophie and an aspiring writer (a very young Peter McNicol) who live together with Sophie's tempestuous lover (Kevin Kline, in an amazing dramatic turn). Through flashbacks, director Alan J. Pakula guides us on an intelligent and probing but grippingly painful look at the horrors that War War II was to the millions of Hitler's victims and the extremes that his prisoners undertook to survive. Paluka's blend of Sophie's life in nostalgic Brooklyn and in the concentration camps of World War II is horrific in its effectiveness as it accentuates the absolute terror and inhumanity of the Holocaust. But that dramatic strategy might not have worked with any actress other than Streep. She is simply that devastating and wholly believeable with her perfect Polish accent and her decimated physical appearance because of her time in the custody of her Nazi victimizers. With that one performance, Streep managed to raise the level of leading actresses and likely earned her the distinction of being one of the industry's most respected performers ever. Her raw and honest emotional trauma makes "Sophie's Choice" a well-worthy watching, and the film's subject matters reminds us once again of the evil that man can do.

Agonizing - in more ways than one
This movie is simply agonizing in more ways than one. First, the bad. This movie is very lengthy - 2 hours and 30 minutes, and let me tell you, I could feel each and every minute sloooowly tick by. The story moves slowly as well, and it's hard to tell - what is real? What is false? Even when Sophie's "choice" is revealed at the end, are we, the audience, sure this is real or just a fabrication? As Sophie says somewhere in the movie, she has told so many lies it is hard to sort the truth from the falsehoods.

The movie paints a portait of Stingo (Peter MacNicol, lately of Ally McBeal), a Southern writer who makes the acquaintance of Sophie and Nathan, his upstairs neighbors, and then can't get rid of them. Sophie's a Polish immigrant who has spent time in the concentration camps during WWII, while Nathan is a medical researcher obsessed with the evils of the Holocaust. Why did Sophie survive while so many others died? This is the question that haunts Nathan, and haunts Sophie, whose entire family was murdered in the concentration camps.

Eventually, slowly, the story of Sophie emerges to Stingo, as we get some dramatic close-ups of Sophie telling us the story, making it feel more like a play than a movie. We flashback to life in the concentration camps, which has been prepared for us by the sadness which permeated the first half. Truths also begin to emerge about Nathan - and the tragic lives of Sophie and Nathan wind closer towards their end.

Meryl Streep? Is just amazing. This is an awe-inspiring piece of work for Streep. She masters different dialects and speaks different languages for much of the film. Her Sophie is simply a haunting image that will stay with you long after the end credits finish. Kevin Kline as Nathan is perfect as well. Peter MacNicol? Well, I can take him or leave him.

When the movie ends, you may have to wipe yourself off from the floor - not only from the tragic sadness and despair of the film, but from the mind-numbing length. This movie paints pictures of so much evil and grief it's hard to get over.

the most depressing movie ever
I agree with others that this is an excellent movie--Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, are wonderful, etc. I saw it first in a movie theatre when it first came out, and found it's tragedy very painful to watch, yet compelling due to the quality of the film (and actors). In later years I have tried to watch the movie several times on VHS or TV, and tried to read the book as well. I can watch and read hour after hour of true crime, but this story, either in book or movie form, is perhaps the most depressing piece of work I've ever encountered.

First of all, the tragedy of the holocaust is unspeakable except for the fact that it must be spoken about. That element of the film, displayed through Sophie's horrific experience unfolds slowly through painful flashbacks throughout. Second, the tragic personal choice she is forced to make--which of her children will be killed--speaks for itself. Thirdly, the tragedy of her lover's mental illness, so poingnant as we watch others with the same or similar illnesses today--homeless, untreated, misunderstood...so many perishing alone in our cold and drug-laden cities. Superior intelligence, it seems, fuels the tragedy by giving the false impression that the victim has the ability to have more control over the disease than he/she actually does. And finally, the ultimate depressing element of the film was the hope that both Sophie and her lover tried to cling to; displayed in bursts of reverie, joy, and engagement in life...like the final emergence of a hand grasping a slippery float, before it sinks.

Perhaps others can tolerate this movie better than I, but it struck a haunting chord that has never left since I first viewed the movie.

Meryl Streep is simply exceptional
Probably everyone has seen this movie, and probably everyone knows the premise, and probably everyone knows what Sophie's choice was and why it's slowly driving her crazy. But just in case there's a viewing population who is still clueless about this movie (based on the best-selling novel by William Styron), I'm not going to say too much so as not to give it away - because I was stunned with the enormity of it when I saw the movie for the first time and don't want to ruin that potential element of horrible surprise for new viewers.
Setting: Brooklyn, just after WWII.
Characters: Stingo (a young idealistic writer), Sophie (a Polish war survivor of the Holocaust), and Nathan (Sophie's lover, played in his movie debut by Kevin Klein)
Plot line: Something horrible happened to Sophie during her time in a Nazi concentration camp, and details are slowly revealed through a series of harrowing flashbacks.
Advice: See this movie. It's one of the best ever. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The BBC has raised the mini-series to an astonishing creative peak. A prime example is the 1994 production of Middlemarch, based on the classic novel by George Eliot, which juxtaposes morals and money, grand ambitions with petty jealousies, and pursuits of the mind with bodily needs. A handsome young doctor named Lydgate (Douglas Hodge, Vanity Fair) comes to the provincial town of Middlemarch to start a new hospital; a headstrong young woman named Dorothea (Juliet Aubrey, The Mayor of Casterbridge) yearns to contribute to the greater good of the world. These idealists enter into marriages that derail all their intentions and lead them into lives they never imagined. The network of characters in this six-episode program, ranging up and down the societal ladder, create an intricate and utterly engrossing narrative as well as a magnificent recreation of life on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution.The cast, from the largest to the smallest roles, is impeccable. When a scene turns to a character you've only glimpsed before, the precision of the writing (by miniseries master Andrew Davies, Pride and Prejudice) and the vivid performances suck you into the life of this person who seemed like mere background scenery only moments before. The cumulative impact of Eliot's story will leave you gasping at its brilliant balance of romance and reality. Performers include creepy Patrick Malahide (The Singing Detective) and sexy Rufus Sewell (Dark City) among the familiar faces of dozens of inspired character actors. Don't let the literary pedigree of Middlemarch scare you off--the plot is as juicy as a soap opera, with a psychological fullness that makes every dramatic turn all the more gripping. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Alas....
Both my wife and I watched this production with hopes, but were disappointed at the conclusion. The film, while attempting to be comprehensive in its picture of connections in an 18th century British town, loses its focus, allowing its characters to drift and wander in and out of the story. If there is a main character, it is Dr. Lydgate, who does maintain some interest as he struggles with his disillusionment. The relationship of Dorothea and Mr.Ladislaw was just not believable. Perhaps better casting of the two would have helped make it work, but I am unsure.They never really seemed compatible, and their love story just did not work for us, given their characters. While there is a palette of interesting characters, none are held onto or followed long enough to really understand them.We tried to maintain some interest in the film, but by the end, it was just curiosity as to the outcome that kept us viewing. The ending, by the way, was unbelievable too--too contrived and too neat, in our way of thinking,for the 6 hours that preceded it.My recommendation: if you're curious and have some time to burn,watch it.Otherwise, watch Pride and Prejudice or Our Mutual Friend, they are superb examples of what can be done.

Where's The CD?
I rented Middlemarch from the library a few days ago and have already watched it twice! This movie is beautiful in every way imaginable. The actors and actresses to a superb job, the scenery is gorgeous and the score matches what is going on in the scenes beautifully! So how come the score isn't avalible on CD? I've looked for it numerous places and can't find it.

I highly encourage period movie lovers to watch this movie! You'll love it!

This film is simply glorious!
I had never been a George Eliot fan until I found this film in my library, and could not WAIT to get my hands on all SIX installments (the old video version originally came out on six tapes).There are NO flawed performances in this film - EVERY actor gives a magnificent performance, from Patrick Malahide's exquisite Mr. Casaubon, to Juliet Aubrey's wonderful Dorothea (why she isn't getting more work in Hollywood God only knows - her performance is extremely moving!), Robert Hardy's perfect Uncle Brook, Douglas Hodge's memorable Dr. Lydgate, Rufus Sewell's glorious Will Ladislaw - the list goes on and on.Someone said here that this film could be used in a number of college level courses on any number of subjects which is the absolute truth.It is romantic, yet challenging to the soul on so many levels.It will make you want to read the novel.Two more actors should also be mentioned - the gal who plays Rosamond Vincy was perfection in that part, and also Sir Michael Hordern as the uncle who is supposed to leave his money to Jonathan Firth's Fred Vincy (also another wonderful performance by Firth) was fabulous.

Bug the BBC to put this one out on DVD.Our VHS copies will only last so long!

A Treasure!
From BBC comes another timeless classic. Middlemarch is so many things it is impossible to list them all! From love to politics, it keeps you inraptured in the wonderful story written by George Elliot. The story is supurbly played by Juliet Aubrey as Dorothea and handsome dashing Rufus Sewell as Ladislaw. This tale of forbidden love will draw you in... a must see!

boring
the litmus test for a movie adapted from a book is whether it makes you want to read the book. this film fails that test. the book may not be to blame for this - i've seen enough poor adaptations to know this. but the film was, quite frankly, boring. i've never read george eliot, and middlemarch won't change that. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Back in the day, when Richard Roundtree, Fred Williamson, Issac Hayes, and Pam Grier were stickin' it to the Man, Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby collaborated on three buddy comedies that offered urban audiences an alternative to private dicks, sex machines, and bad muthas. The Uptown Saturday Nightstars re-team for an "outtasite" scam involving hypnosis, a hopeless beanpole boxer (Jimmie Good Times Walker), and two rival kingpins. Though in fashion and patois Let's Do It Again is a candidate for the '70s time capsule, it does hold up better than most of its more militant blaxploitation brethren. Poitier, the straight man, and Cosby, working his improvisational mojo, are a great comedy team. Worth the price of purchase alone is the sight of these icons decked out in flamboyant Mack Daddy duds to impress their marks, Kansas City Mack (John Amos) and Biggie Smalls (Calvin Lockhart). Curtis Mayfield's score, with vocals by the Staples Singers, is also good for the soul. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (21)

cool Film&Smoking Soundtrack
Props to the Genius of Brother Sidney Poitier for directing this Classic&also to the Funky vibe of Bill Cosby.John Amos One of the Most slept on Actors Ever.same thing with Clavin Lockhart.Ossie Davis was Cool as was the whole Cast.this Movie pre-dated Hip-Hop.keep in mind the Name Biggie Smalls.the Soundtrack which has Music Produced by curtis Mayfield with the Staple Singers on vocals is a Must have as well.the Movie&Music go hand in hand.finally on DVD with Great commentary.Enjoy.this is a Feel Good Movie with Soul.

It's About Time... Good Comedy From The 70's On DVD
This is one of the few movies I can say I was waiting for to arrive on DVD. Yes, its campy corny, and predictable, but it has something for me at least that a lot of movies dont; it just makes you feel good and have a good time watching it.

Bill Cosby and Sidney Potier had great chemistry together in all three of their films. Uptown Saturday Night was more critically acclaimed, but this film is just more fun.

The Characters names are still unforgetable: 40th Street Black, Bootney Farnsworth, Kansas City Mack, Jody Tibbs and of course Bill as Mongo Slade. Great Stuff.

The Soundtrack with the Staple Singers still makes you move even though the songs are about 30 years old; the mark of hitting the bullseye musically. One thing that must be mentioned is the mostly black cast for a film of this kind was not the norm back when this film was made and the actors in the film all were either stars in their own right, or would be stars later.

Best scene in the movie without giving too much away for those who have not watched it: the final boxing scene and the aftermath; just plain funny.

Anyway, go out and get this DVD. You will be sure to enjoy it. The whole family can watch it also as I can't recall hearing any foul language.

Highly recommended

Two of the Best, in their Best
Of the three that Bill Cosby & Sidney Poitier made (Uptown Saturday Night, Let's Do It Again and A Piece Of The Action) I
loved this one best. An all-star cast along with the plot in
the boxing match,their wives and dealing with the two kingpins
gave me enough laughs to drive my wife up the wall. The Cosby/Poitier team I feel, is a positive comedy duo that rates with Crosby/Hope.

For real
This movie is good clean fun. Not a lot of cursing, fun comedy action. A must see for the new generation. Don't wait for the new Will Smith version. Which he won't give me a roll in. He's going to redo Let's Do it Again and Uptown Saturday night.A very pleasant movie.

THEY DID IT AGAIN
Of all the movies Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby made, this is the best comedy made together. Very funny and I love the music. I have been waiting for YEARS for this movie to come out on DVD. I,m buying many to give to all my friends. If you wanna laugh a lot, this is the dvd you want. Very, very funny movie. ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Look to your wife
This is a dark version of a dark play. Not just in feel and drama, but in setting. I believe only a scene or two is filmed in the daylight. The bulk of this film takes place in the dank cellars, the dark of night and the closed bedrooms where intrigue and guile rule the day.

This is an unusual Shakespeare adaptation, in that nothing funky is being done with it. There is no twist in the time setting, no song and dance, no Italian wonderment. It is about as straight of an adaptation as I have seen. Being this, it lacks any distinction or special genius, but it is quite an able piece of film.

Laurence Fishburn is a great Othello, delivering the lines and slipping under Iago's silver spell. He lacks a certain aura of strength generally associated with Othello, but is otherwise excellent. Kenneth Branagh is a superior Iago, and this may be one of the best performances he has given. He plays an excellent villain, and his performance is the one bright flare in the the film. The dialog is well done, staying with Branagh's conversational style. The rest of the cast are all capable players, easily recognizable from the Shakespeare on film stable.

All in all, I really enjoy this film. It is not a work of genius. It is not amazing. But it is an excellent, workman like filmed version of a difficult play and a worthy edition to any Shakespeare on film collection.

this laurence is no olivier
the only thing this version has on olivier's version is its natural setting. otherwise, all - and i do mean ALL - of the performances are decidedly inferior to the 1965 film. first of all, laurence fishburne is NO olivier. not even close. he was pathetic. most of the time he sounded like he was reading the script, not speaking heartfelt words of a real flesh and blood man. and branagh, i don't know what happened to him but he was not convincing as a villain. he just looks too much like a goody-goody. compare him to the fellow who played iago in olivier's film and you'll see the problem right way. just no comparison. after these two, what do you have? desdemona, maggie smith much more convincing as the virtuous lady. even emilia, iago's abused wife, is better played in olivier's film.

so 3 stars for a nice try. but the 1965 performance is still the standard to measure this play by. it will be along time before another actor comes along who can play othello as well as olivier. i'm not holding my breath.

ps the orson welles version of this play is the best movie version, and his portrayal of othello is almost as good olivier's. also worth a watch.

Required to watch......
For school I was required to watch this since we read the play Othello. I didn't think the movie was that good because some of the acting when it was supposed to be sad I was laughing my head off. Only unless you understand the Shakespeare language well this movie isn't worth it. The movie lacks good acting in my opinon and could of done better especially with Dedsdemona and some of the love scenes which were absolutely pathetic.

Great Acting
I've always been a fan of Kenneth Branagh and both his acting and directing abilities. However, in the film interpretation of "Othello," I was blown away by how well he fit the role of Iago. In the play, Iago has to be two-faced all the time. He shows one side of him to one person, and another side to another. In the film, Iago works very hard to keep up his appearance with all the different characters. No character sees more than one side of him, and his plots are kept to himself. Iago is an actor, and Branagh had to perform his part and I think he did it incredibly. While talking to Othello, his facial reactions would visibly change when Othello looked the other way; the audience saw glimpses of Iago's true motives, but they were always hidden from Othello. It was incredible how quickly the transition from a sinister expression to a loving and loyal expression was made. In one scene, Iago and Othello are hugging, and Iago's face reflects contempt as soon as his face is beside Othello's face.

Iago's changes aren't simply when Othello is around, but the changes are the same for when Iago deals with Roderigo. In the scenes with Roderigo, Iago has to perform doubly hard because he's being partially truthful with Iago. He's showing part of his true motives, but he still has to hide them to some extent to convince Roderigo to do his bidding. The scenes between Branagh and Michael Maloney probably impressed me the most. Roderigo may have been gullible or easily convinced, but Iago was still convincing and persuasive enough to move Roderigo from absolute hatred and distrust to absolute loyalty and thankfulness. In one scene, Roderigo is threatening to kill Iago and by the end of the scene, they're hugging and Iago can barely convince Roderigo to leave his side.

The biggest change that Iago undergoes is when he is caught. In the end of the play, when Emilia finally recognizes what has happened, Iago's facial expressions finally become flat and unwavering. He puts on a stoic face and remains that way into his death. He no longer has to convince anyone of anything because they all know the truth, so he doesn't give anyone any idea of what he's thinking and doesn't talk or change his appearance. This scene left a lasting impression on me, even when he was telling Emilia to be wise or when he was killing her, there is no change in his facial expression.

Overall, I was impressed with the movie. I enjoyed the acting from all the characters (not just Branagh), and I'm sure I'd enjoy watching it repeatedly.

Laurence Fishburne's talent is wasted
Poor Laurence Fishburne. I felt so sorry for him watching this movie because he gives a passionate and multi-dimensional performance as Othello and yet, no one else in the cast matches or even comes close to his level of talent.

As the cover photo suggests, this is a more sexualized version of Shakespeare's tragedy, which doesn't make it bad, but definitely steals the focus from the other emotions that fuel the story. All of Othello's feelings were intense, not just those he had for Desdemona, and this fact is overlooked by the emphasis on his sexuality. Kenneth Braunagh is such a bad Iago that I actually found myself laughing at him. As for Irene Jacob's performance, it is really not worth mentioning here. She is pretty and exotic but she gives no depth to the wounded character of Desdemona. I truly wish that this movie could be redone by a different director with a different supporting cast, because it is a fascinating idea that just falls flat. ... 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 (12)

Terrific acting and issues which remain relevant today
Sally Field is an earnest but ambitious newspaper reporter who skirts the boundaries of journalism ethics - a term not yet regarded as an oxymoron when this movie came out in the early 80s - and Paul Newman is the unfairly indicted son of a south Florida mobster. Field chases her story with unintended tragic consequences and sparks fly between her and Newman, in more ways than one.

The real strength of the movie is in the fine acting. Newman and Field are in top form but it is the supporting roles which catch your attention. The then little known character actor Wilford Brimley shows up in the third reel as a down-home U.S. prosecutor and walks off with the movie. "At the end of today two things are gonna be true that ain't true now. One is we're going to know what in the good Christ has been going on down here, and two is I'm going to have somebody's ass in my briefcase." "Wonderful thing, subpeenees." Bob Balaban is also vivid as an overzealous prosecutor whose ruse sets the plot in motion.

If you like this one, you may also like "Independence Day." Not the recent studio blockbuster starring Will Smith but a "small" movie from the early 80s featuring tight writing and a terrific ensemble cast, with Kathleen Quinlan and David Keith in the leading parts and Dianne Wiest in an unforgettable supporting role.

Good performances...ethics be damned
The issue of leaking information to the press has been around for years, and this film does its best to illustrate how badly it can backfire when the sources aren't properly checked and re-checked.

Having said that, and being a journalist myself, I just want to shoot Sally Field for her gross violations of journalist ethics. Getting involved with the subject? No how, no way. It just isn't done. If you can accept this HUGE leap of journalistic and editorial faith, then the rest of the movie is a breeze.

Aside from Newman, I think the best performance in the movie is one of the briefest...Wilford Brimley as the U.S. Attorney who gets to the bottom of the mess. It's just a pleasure to watch him go through the paces of tearing Bob Balaban's little vendetta all to pieces, and to experience his grudging approval to let Newman walk.

"You got your selves."
Elliott Rosen is an obsessive prosecutor who is desperate to get some inside info on the "mob." He steps in to a moral grey area in his pursuit. Knowing that Michael Colin Gallagher (Paul Newman) is innocent of any crime he plans to push him into finding out who did it. The plan is simple he will leak the false fact out, through reporter Megan Carter (Sally Field), that Gallagher is being investigated. This information has a negative impact on Gallagher's business. Further pursuit leads to a death of the innocent. Naturally the paper that prints this has no intention of retracting. Gallagher finds a unique solution. See if you can spot it.

This movie does not make an immediate impact on you with the exception of Brimley's final confrontation speech. However repeated viewing brings out the subtleties that will make this one of your favorite movies for years to come.

The dangers of the public spotlight
Not quite a star-studded flick, but chock full of subtly forceful personalities. Paul Newman plays Gallagher, a crusty but otherwise legit Florida-based liquor wholesaler whose life is turned upside-down when the Miami Standard fingers him as a possible material witness. Under current laws regarding libel, Newman can always sue the paper for libel. However, the law sets a higher standard of wrongdoing to be proven when the victim is a public-figure. (The distinction was meant to prevent public officials from using libel laws to block any criticism of their actions - most notably in the case of southern police officials during the early civil-rights years; unfortunately for Gallagher, the laws have been expanded to cover any figure in the public eye, whether he's there by choice or despite it.) Because the Standard acts without malice, and only reports what's been leaked to it by a shifty DoJ official (Bob Balaban), the fact that the story itself is actually incorrect is irrelevant. While DoJ hopes to pressure Gallagher to turn state's evidence, or somehow lead them to somebody who can, the newspaper hopes Gallagher will come forward and give his own spin. (Exaggeration is an often-used media tactic - one hoped to pressure a story's subject to reflexively come forward and give a story that, while less spectacular, is nonetheless worse off now that it's been confirmed.) While Gallagher comes forward, and hooks up with Sally Field as the Standard's ace reporter, he soon finds another way to wreak havoc - by turning his enemies against each other.

There's something satisfying about the deceptive ease with which Gallagher turns the media against itself, but the resolution is unsatisfying. Wilford Brimley plays the Assistant Attorney General who gets everybody honest by threatening to make people talk under oath. (We get the point, people have no problem saying anything as long as they don't have to stand by it.) The last scene is essentially Brimley's one-man show, one that upstages Sally Fields's character's turn-about: rather than disclose Gallagher as the source of her latest story, she's willing to take the fall for him. Her logic is impeccable - somebody is going to take the blame and the fall no matter what. Why not her? If anything, the film disappoints in underplaying the attraction between the two, which only makes you wonder whether her denouement is one of journalistic integrity or love. Instead, we cheer that Brimley will get to tell the media what he thinks (and nobody in this room is going to like what I have to say, he warns) and the way he exacts retribution (you're no White House appointee, he tells Balaban's character. "The one who hired you, is me." Start packing).

REVENGE WITHOUT BULLETS
When you watch the theatrical trailer of ABSENCE OF MALICE, you are lead to think that this movie describes Paul Newman's revenge and will contain a lot of violent scenes. This is not true. In fact, has a trailer ever described accurately a movie ?

ABSENCE OF MALICE is, in the first place, an "actor" movie, with two stars of 1981 : Paul Newman and Sally Field. The secondary roles are also well written and interesting. The movie belongs to the category of moral movies and tries to defend these two ideas :

- Things and people are not always what or who they seem to be.

- The newspapers should have the duty to verify their sources before printing anything.

The treatment of the subject is well done, the screenplay being sometimes too weak. But Sydney Pollack, with this material, was able to present a conventional but still watchable movie.

A DVD zone moral education ... Read more

Reviews (8)

What Criterion is all about
I found "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" to be a haunting story, rich in story and superbly acted. I found the film to be a very private experience - one that you will be thinking about for a long time.

I really can't add anything to the comments made before other than to say that this is the type of film that makes Criterion a special mark. I would question many of their choices, films are available in other formats and of questionable importance (e.g. "Armageddon", "The Royal Tennanbaums" and "The Rock"). "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" probably would have been lost forever (or show up as a $...DVD on a "Bargains" rack) without the work put in by Criterion and the "legitimacy" conferred on it by being recognized by the brand.

myke

Powell & Pressburger will never fail to engage an audience..
The fascination of Powell and Pressburger began many years ago and their films never seem to fail to entertain, allure pondering, and engage creativity. This film has all of the same characteristics that sign a film by Powell and Pressburger, and this time they have done it with an old fashioned military officer, Clive Candy (Roger Livesey), who is comfortable with his own opinions and traditions. The very same opinions and traditions will come under close scrutiny by an entertained audience that will have to contemplate the insightful development of the film as well as the outcome of Clive Candy. In the end, Life and Death of Colonel Blimp will have proven itself to be an outmost terrific film.

A Masterpiece Restored
How wonderful it is to have this unique movie beautifully restored to its original length and scene order by the British Film Institute.

Until about ten years ago, I had never seen this film. I had never rented the cut, reconfigured tape, because I didn't think I'd like the film (in any form). But the L.A. County Museum of Art had an Archers' retrospective several years ago that included the BFI restoration print. Despite many of there pictures being among my favorites, I still thought I was in for a hoary WW II propaganda film. I could walk if I didn't like it.

Was I ever wrong. I came out considering it among The Archers best works. which in my book, means one of the finest films ever.

"The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp," in the original version, is a brilliant mix of WW II propaganda, an often whimisical loving satire of the system. It is ultimately one of the most winning anti-war films ever. In a different way, as good as "Grand Illusion."

This low-key epic begins with the Boer War, when Blimp is a young (too) gung-ho officer to the time the film was made--mid-war 1943. The cast is superb. Roger Livesey gives one of the best performances imaginable. Deborah Kerr (18) at the time, gives a tour-de-force performance as the three different women Blimp falls for in the 40-year span of the film. Anton Walbrook Is so brilliant in this film. This man I am now convinced was one of the greatest actors of the 20th Century. His controversial character is a German officer Blimp befriends in the Boer War and they become life-time friends, with Blimp vouching for him being permitted to stay in England during WW II. Walbrook's scene explaining why he has left Germany is as great, if not greater than his curtain speech in "Red Shoes." Most other actors would have turned this into maudlin sentimentality. Walbrook instead gave me a giant lump in my throat. I don't lump easily.

If you've never seen the complete, uncut and untampered with film and are Archers devotee, this is the version for you.

The extras are uniformly fine. The commentary track with Martin Scorsesse and director Michael Powell, from a recording he made on first viewing the restored film, is sharp and perceptive. He sounds very old and can be hard to understand because of it, but it is worth the extra effort to hear him comment on one of his personal favorites.
There is also an excellent half-hour or so documentary, that includes Emeric Pressburger's grandson, that helps explain why and how the film was tampered with and almost never seen as a result of Prime Minister Winston Churchill trying to ban it. No luck in England. J. Arthur Rank released it in his English theatres and advertised "See The Banned Film." And it was a huge hit. The "banned" got the initial audiences in, word-of-mouth made it the movie too see. Winnie also failed in his attempts to stop exportation to other countries.

One of the most intelligent, witty,serious, breathtakingingly beautiful Technicolor films ever released.

Get this Criterion treasure now. It also includes several Colonel Blimp "original" editorial cartoons, by Blimp creator David Low. Some are timely today and could run with the names changed to suit today's political and military madness. The editorial cartoons were a revelation to me.

Archer Fans, order now and have a really complete collection of these unique gems.

The chap from England, below, is absolutey, right.

The REAL Triumph of the Will
This and "A Matter of Life and Death" are Powell & Presberger's masterpieces, before they descended into the schmalz of "The Red Shoes". The tale of the essentially decent British and German gentlemen, played by Roger Livesey and Anton Walbrook respectively, rapidly becoming dinosaurs in the changing Europe between the Boer War and the Blitz, yet clinging to their values despite being kicked in the face by the brutalisation of Germany and by the consequent brutalisation of a Britain attempting to survive against barbarism. Their friendship begins from the mutual respect engendered by a duel fought reluctantly for the honour of their respective traditions at the time of the Boer War. During convalescence they vie for the hand of Deborah Kerr, turning up in the first of 3 roles. Livesey's shyness leaves Walbrook holding the field. Nearly 20 years pass until they meet again, at a POW camp in Britain. Livesey's essential naivete rides roughshod over the wartime enmity, but Walbrook's response is ambivalent, and the reunion is short-lived and bittersweet. Livesey marries Deborah Kerr's reincarnation as a nurse, because of a resemlance to his first love. A further 20 years pass. Livesey, widowed, is asked to act as sponsor for Walbrook, now exiled from Germany, also widowed and estranged from his Nazi children. Together they come to terms with their sidelining in a world of younger men with few of the old values. Deborah Kerr turns up for the third time as Livesey's driver as he moves from army officer to Home Guard organiser,refusing to be pushed out of the fight. In appearance Livesey's character assumes the appearaqnce of David Low's cartoon Colonel Blimp, but underneath he is more rounded; decent,generous to and loyal to friends, slow to denegrate his foes and totally patriotic, but finally nobody's fool. John Laurie appears in a delicious cameo as Livesey's batman/manservant, crusty but loyal. His boss may occasionally infuriate and perlex, but Laurie recognises the basic decency, as, finally, all do who come into contact with him. It may be propaganda, but it is still magnificent.

Propaganda that still works, a view from england
This is the best film by the best chroniclers of english life. I put this review on the American site because I feel the need to evangelise! Emeric Pressburger was an Hungarian refugee, and put much of his experience into the mouth of Theo, the sympathetic German character (in 1943! No wonder Churchill wanted it banned without seeing it). The film has three sections, set in 1902, 1918 and ww2. It shows the friendship between the title character, Clive Wynne Candy, and Theo Kretchsmar-Shuldorf. It's also a love story, with Deborah Kerr as three identical looking women. Most of all it's a requiem for a lost golden age, and a call to arms to defeat Nazism. The best set pieces are given to Theo (Anton Walbrook) a German refugee actor, emphasising that this is not a conflict between two equal and honourable countries, but between good and between evil, and this time, if good loses, there is no return match.This propaganda is 60 years old, but every time I watch it by the end I'm ready to sign up. ... Read more

Amazon.com

At once sprawling and intimate, Otto Preminger's coolly observed story of the education of a Catholic cardinal (Tom Tryon) spans 25 years of 20th-century social history, hops from Rome to Boston to Vienna, and confronts abortion, celibacy, and racism along the way. If those issues seem tame today, Preminger turns them into vivid drama in his hero's crisis and triumph of faith. Tryon is rather stolid and stiff, but the supporting cast helps liven scenes: Romy Schneider as a tempting Fräulein, Ossie Davis as an American priest who requests the Vatican take a stand against racism, John Huston's Oscar®-nominated performance as an irascible archbishop. It's a religious epic unlike any other of its time: thoughtful and serious, with a magnificent yet austere sense of composition and a graceful elegance. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (20)

A complex, entertaining film that leaves you thinking
To be sure, Otto Preminger was inconsistent (compare this with "EXODUS") but he was always interesting. THE CARDINAL is no exception. Covering 20 or so years in the life of Father Stephen Fermoyle (Tom Tryon), the film deals with issues like abortion, racism, religious conversion, degradation, and more. Fermoyle makes some wrong choices(allowing his sister to die; abruptly quitting his leave of absence), and yet you can't hate the guy; he did what he thought was right at the time, though he may regret it. The acting is excellent through and through, and the lack of really big names removes the possible artifice of a star performance. Tryon, Carol Lynley (Fermoyle's doomed sister), John Huston (the intimidating Cardinal Glennon), and Raf Vallone (Fermoyle's friend Bishop Alfeo Quarenghi) stand out, but there are no weak links. Preminger directs with a sure hand, aided by the striking visuals and Jerome Moross's beautiful music. The DVD is the roadshow 70mm 179 minute version with intermission. The bonus DVD contains an interesting documentary, a nondescript 1963 featurette, and a trailer.

Jamie Teller

PRAISE WARNER FOR ANOTHER GORGEOUS TRANSFER!
An intercontinental journey spanning nearly 25 years, "The Cardinal" is a masterfully told saga. Otto Preminger directs with his usual adroit perception of the human condition as he tempts the faith of a Catholic cardinal (Tom Tryon) from Rome to Boston and Vienna. Along the way the film tackles such grandiose social issues as abortion, racism, celibacy and Fascism. Co-star John Huston was Oscar-nominated for his role as the fiery archbishop. Catholic priest, Steven Fermoyle (Tryon) returns to his home from taking his vows to discover that his sister, Mona (Carol Lynley) is in love with a Jewish man who is unwilling to give up his faith and that his brother, Frank (Bill Hayes) has abandoned the priesthood. Mona's obsession to marry leads her to a life of wanton debauchery that results in her death. In the meantime, Cardinal Glennon (John Huston) is determined to drive all of Steven's false pride from his soul. To this end he sends the young novice to work in a forgotten, frozen parish presided over by the Rev. Ned Halley (Burgess Meredith). When Halley dies, Steven is recalled to Rome where he meets a black southern priest, Father Gillis (Ossie Davis) who has come to ask for aid in fighting racism in his parish. The Vatican denies Gillis' request but Steven does indeed quietly take a leave to administer aid to Gillis' parish. He is attacked and brutally beaten by a sect of good ol' boys and nearly dies. The plot, from this point forward is rather rushed, unworthy of Preminger's usually sterling attention to pace. One gets the sense that Preminger would have liked another two or three hours to unfold the remainder of his tale which includes having Stephen return to Rome, then travel to Austria to regain is moral center. There he falls in love with Anna Marie VonHartmann (Romy Schneider) who does not know he is a priest. But Steven returns to his love of God, leaving Anna to marry a resistance operator during WWII in Nazi Germany who, unfortunately is discovered and jumps out a third story window to his death. From there Steven barely escapes Nazi persecution to once again return home to his family. Warner delivers another wonderful transfer. Though the colors have dated somewhat, this 1963 classic sparkles in a nicely balanced transfer. Over all, colors are vibrant. Blacks are deep. Contrast and shadow levels are fully realized. There appears to be little in the way of age related artifacts. Digital anomalies are equally absent. The audio is 5.1 and captures the essence of early stereo recording.
Extras include the masterful feature length documentary on Otto Preminger, a featurette of the same vintage as the film and a theatrical trailer. "The Cardinal" is an unusual religious epic; legitimate and introspective, bold and magnificent. It is a film of great emotional power and quiet, graceful elegance.

If Forrest Gump had been a priest, he would be Fr. Fermoyle
Otto Preminger's The Cardinal was a movie that I hadn't seen in 23 years, since April 12, 1981 to be precise. It was a Palm Sunday, the Space Shuttle Columbia had just gone up on her maiden voyage and another good thing happened that day that made it special, but I'll keep that one to myself. Oh, and I watched it in Spanish translation, but still, The Cardinal left a vivid impression on my mind and I never forgot several of the key scenes: Stephen Fermoyle's (Tom Tryon), handling (mishandling?) of her younger sister's out of wedlock pregnancy, his encounter with good ol'e Irish church politics in Boston, his facing-down racism and KKK terrorism in Georgia, his inner vocational struggle, his experience with Nazi Germany and Austrian ecclesiastical stupor in the eve of the unification with the Third Reich.

Heck, if Forrest Gump had been a priest, he would've been Stephen Fermoyle.

The movie is a collection of vignettes in which Father (then Monsignor, then Bishop, then Cardinal) Fermoyle tests his moral certainties against a cast of characters of ambiguous morality. You may even say that everyone else was human but Fermoyle, who always came out as superhuman yet, paradoxically, frail. Each encounter with evil or moral ambiguity taxed Fermoyle's conscience, and yet he manages to come out of all them triumphant, yet wounded. Each encounter leads him inexorably to a promotion.

The picture is beatifully filmed on location, with great attention to meaningful detail. Note who, for example, when Monsignor Fermoy arrives in Georgia to investigate a church burning, as he exits the bus that brought him to town, is debarking through the back door. If you're not really watching, you'll agree that African-Americans in the segregated South were meant to be invisible but if you notice them, then this detail speaks volumes. More significantly, this scene was made wholecloth for the movie by Director Preminger; it wasn't in the original novel written by Henry Morton Robinson. You learn of this on the second DVD of this 2-disk set, which is all dedicated to the Director Preminger's cinematic trajectory.

This is a delightful movie. It brought back to me lots of good memories. And if there's such thing as "holy pride," through its characters and plot, I can say The Cardinal made me feel proud of being a Catholic even though "pride" in other contexts may be a sin.

Anti Italian
This movie makes the Irish look like saints and the Italians look like pathetic idiots! The characters say "pastra" for pasta and have make the Italians out to be superstitious occult wary fools when a statue of the virgin Mary bleeds, and the blood turns out to be rust water! Whatever the merits of this film may be, I lost interest when I saw Italians so badly degraded!

Sweeping, Big Budget, Soap Saga!
This long, lavish epic may seem dated by today's standards, but it's a great one to watch on a rainy day. Great story, good actors....Tom Tryon and Carol Lynley are as compelling as they are gorgeous. Take a look at this one! Read the novel, too--a real education! ... Read more