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Kathy Bates stars as an unhappy wife trying to get her husband's attention in this amusing and moving 1991 screen adaptation of Fannie Flagg's novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. After befriending a lonely old woman (Jessica Tandy), Bates hears the story of a lifelong friendship between two other women (Mary Stuary Masterson and Mary-Louise Parker, seen in flashback) who once ran a cafe in town against many personal odds. The tale inspires Bates to take further command over her life, and there director Jon Avnet (Up Close and Personal), in his first feature, has fun with the film. Bates develops a real attitude toward her thickheaded spouse at home and some uppity girls in a parking lot, but dignity is generally the key to Avnet's approach with the story's crucial relationships. Tandy is a joy and clearly loves the element of mystery attached to her character, and Masterson and Parker are excellent in the historical sequences. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (88)

Fried Green Tomatoes
Reviewed Date: October 2003
Studio: Universal Studios
Genre: Drama
Exposure: Color
Running Time: 130 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
Release Year: 1991
Directed By: Jon Aunet

Starring: Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker, and Jessica Tandy.

Co-Starring: Gailard Sartain, Stan Shaw, Cicely Tyson, Gary Basaraba, Grace Zabriskie, Richard Riehle, Grayson Fricke, Lashondra Phillips, Enjolik Oree, Nick Searcy, and Ginny Parker.

If you want to see a good movie for the whole family, "Fried Green Tomatoes" is the movie for you. It shows friendship, compassion, humor, laughter, and real life encounters.

The setting takes place in the late 1980's and takes you back in time a half century to the town of Whistle Stop, Alabama.

"Fried Green Tomatoes" is a movie for anyone. It can make the best of us laugh and cry through the entire movie. "Fried Green Tomatoes" is a movie that gives you two different stories within itself. One story takes you back to the 1930's. The other part of the story takes place in the 1980's between Ninny Threadgooda, telling the story of her past to help her new friend Evelyn get her life together.

The frienships made within the movie show that this woman do hold their friendships in very high regards. The friendship in the 1930's would help both women to get through some really tough times. The friendship in the 1980's between Ninny and Evelyn keep these two ladies on track.

I give this movie 5 stars because it is a movie for anyone. Also because it shows how good friends will help a loved one in need of there help at a drop of a hat. This movie is just a well rounded movie, filled with emotion.

Better than Steel Magnolias
Fried Green Tomatoes is two stories in one ---- depressed housewife Kathy Bates befriends an elderly woman (Jessica Tandy) who tells her the story of two best friends (Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary-Louise Parker) who ran a cafe in the 1930s. The tale of the friends depicts domestic violence, pregnancy, childbirth, and two accidents involving trains. But the courage and spirit that the women have, as told by Tandy to Bates, encourages Bates to stop being a victim in her own life, particularly to her all right but insensitive husband.

The movie does a great job of showing the trials and tribulations of being a woman but how female friendship can conquer all. It is even more riveting to see it set in a time when women -- particularly unmarried women of dubious sexuality --- have to overcome obstacles set by society in general and its views of what a woman's role is. TOWANDA!!!!!

fried green tomatoes, food for the soul
I have seen this movie probably 20 times in my life and I have to say it is definetly a personal favorite in my collection. This movie touches on so many emotions that it will have you angry, sad, touched, uplifted, empowered and roaring with laughter. This movie is told to a fed-up repressed housewife (kathy bates) by a sweet ,lonely ,vivacious old woman (ninny) during visits to a nursing home after a chance meeting. The intertwined story is about Idgy a Tom-boy who distances herself with the world due to a tragedy at a young age. As Idgy ages the only person she is close with is her "hired hand" Big George and his mother Sipsy. Idgy's mother becomes concerned with Idgy and decides to have Ruth ( a girl from idgy's past) come and stay with them to try to reach Idgy. At first Idgy is stand offish but soon they become best friends that is, until Ruth leaves because she marries. I dont' want to "spoil" the rest of the story so I'll leave that alone for the time being. As Ninny tells Mrs. Couch (kathy bates) they become close friends and Mrs. Couch begins to become empowered by the strong women in the stories and making some changes in her own life. It touches on tough topics such as racism, spousal abuse, death, tragedy, loneliness, fear of death, and fear of life for some. This dvd is a must watch and own for your dvd collection.

Great Southern Storytelling on the Screen
I'm always surprised how badly great storytelling makes it to the screen. Particularly, great Southern stories, which tend to make it to the big screen replete with caricatures and stereotypes. I recall, with particular sadness, the movie adaptation of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. While this adaptation to the screen of Flagg's tremendously moving novel does have its share of simple, stereotypical southern "archetypes", these are largely drawn from Flagg's book, and are largely essential to the story. It is, without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable movies I have ever seen and, ten years after first seeing it, it still brings raucous laughter and tears to my eyes. It's the classic "story within the story", and begins with the introduction of a tenacious elderly widow to a repressed younger southern housewife in a nursing home in rural Alabama. What starts off to the housewife as polite and indulgent small talk of past acquaintances with a likely senile elderly woman turns rapidly into an engrossing story with what must be the best "hook line" in storytelling ("Why anybody would have thought she killed that man is beyond me!"). This story then becomes a parable which the housewife uses to change her life for the better.

While certainly a moral parable of the greater value systems of past times, and of loyalty and courage in the face of bigotry and oppression, the story never loses its infectious humor, despite some genuinely tragic events. The lesbian theme of the book is only mildly hinted at, and one would almost overlook it were one not to deliberately search for it. Some of the more brutal aspects of the book are retained, with the rampant racism and wife-abuse still harrowingly reflected, if toned down. Consequently, younger viewers may best appreciate the film in the company of an adult. Regardless, this is one of the best "feeling good" movies I have ever seen, and being a Southerner from an area very near that depicted in the book, makes me pine for the South in profound ways. It's a film about empowerment and, more importantly, the empowerment one gains through friends, and through standing up for one's friends, and through an unshakable belief in self-respect.

No little credit for the success of the film goes to the incredibly strong performances of Masterson as the tom-boyish Idgie Threadgood, and Marie Louise-Parker as Ruth Jamison, along with the underrated performance of Stan Shaw, one of TV's great character actors, as Big George. However, the film's strongest performances come from three grande dames of the screen (and stage): Cicely Tyson, as Sissy, Jessica Tandy, as Ninny Threadgood, and Kathy Bates, as Evelyn Couch. While Tandy and Bates have received their due, Tyson's performance, as always, is often overlooked.

To Wander!!!!
A story of friendship and love, and how they can both intertwin. Mary Stuart Masterson (Somekind of wonderful) and Mary louise-Parker (Boy's on the side) Displaying fabulous performance's along with Jessica Tandy (Driving miss Daisy) and Cathy Bates (Misery). The whole story surrounding a relationship that can not be defined. My Favourite film ever! However i think some people are wrong with one aspect surrounding Ninny and Idgie. That they are one and the same! Best Quote- " Face it girl's.... I'm older and have more insurance"
A film for any Mary Stuart masterson Fan. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Kevin Costner is the big name here, but the film belongs squarely to Elijah Wood, who plays his son. The film deals with the children of a Vietnam veteran in 1970 Mississippi; as their dad (Costner) tries to cope with posttraumatic stress disorder after serving in the war, the kids build a mammoth tree house in the woods--then must defend it against the local white-trash bullies. The film includes a particularly harrowing contest involving a swim across the reservoir of a decrepit water tower; still, director Jon Avnet can't avoid a certain "can't we all just get along" didactic message. That doesn't put a damper on the youthfully natural quality of the child actors, and Costner is actually quite winning as a sensitive, troubled soul. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (38)

The War
I rented this first of all for Kevin Costner, but was surprised after watching why you never heard more about this movie, It was fantastic! Every actor and actress did great jobs, but both Elijah Wood and Kevin Costner stood out. It never really had a certain plot but yet it did in the fact that it focused on war from three sides....The real war Costner went through....The war the children fought to try and fit in.....and the war that everyone of us fight inside ourselves. If you don't walk away from this movie with a twing inside something is missing. I would highly recommend this for the whole family to watch and learn from. And yes I cried at the end.

They Win this War...
This is the most beautiful and heartbreaking movie I have
ever seen. Elijah Wood and Lexi Randall and all the kids
in the film are amazing, and Kevin Costner gives a perfect
performance with his physical and emotional transformation
as Stephen Simmons. He touchingly elicits all of the reality
of the tragedy in the treatment of Vietnam Veterans, and
his shellshocked, understated portrayal forces the viewer
to step back and take notice. One of Kevin's best acting
pieces, next to A Perfect World, The Untouchables, For the
Love of the Game, and Field of Dreams. A great movie with
great performances.

The War is a great film!
It's a great bit of nostalgia about a low income family's struggles in the South around the time of the Vietnam War. There are many things going on. A father who returns from the war disturbed, with lingering emotional problems. White and black children playing and growing together, puzzled by the concept of racism still lingering. A feud with a trashy gang of kids from across town. The desire to move up in the world and find better living conditions. There's heartbreak, suspense, and some comedy. Breathtaking scenes of the rural south where you can almost feel the heat. Characters that seem very real. Elijah Wood is fantastic and his accent sounds authentic. My only complaint is that he was a positively GORGEOUS boy at the time, like a piece of fine art to look at, and they shouldn't have sheared all his beautiful hair off for this role. It's supposed to be 1970, not 1953! Most boys didn't have crew-cuts in 1970! If he'd had hair in this film like he'd had in 'The Adventures of Huck Finn' the camera would've exploded to bits from his physical perfection as well as his flawless performance!

Love it! Love it!
I loved this movie SOOOOOOOO much! It was soooo sad when Stu's dad died, though! I am desperately trying to call him Stu because Elijah Wood is my favorite actor EVER!!!! I've taped the movie before I came here(to Amazon)but I cant help but talk bout this movie. Stu is able to cope with problems and manages to still be a kid as well. His soooooooooo adorable in this movie though I dont really know why they call it the War. It wasn't the main idea and it was the aftermath of the war but I still loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooved it!!!!!!!!!!

Great Acting - A joy to watch
This is a great film but I feel the story line could of been a bit stronger. I love the cast which includes Mare Winningham, one of my favorites. The times were hard, it is a rough around the edges type of movie with a great ending. The acting is the best especially the parts played by the children.Diane ... Read more

Reviews (20)

A must for all Pfeiffer fans.
Up Close and Personal does the impossible: it manages to jump from different settings within two hours and shift its plot while keeping the audience wanting more and more. Pfeiffer stars as a reporter, Tally, who has always aspired to make it to the top in television news. Along the way, she meets a veteran newsman, Warren Justice (Robert Redford), who gives her a chance at a reporter. As she begins to mature in her stories and her thirst for knowledge heightens, she begins to turn heads in the news business, and ends up moving from a station in Miami to a station in Philadelphia. All the while, Tally and Warren struggle to keep alive a relationship that both know is inevitable. Performances from all actors are very original and heartfelt, under Jon Avnet's wonderful direction. Thomas Newman's score is brilliant, and fits in at every moment to add to the emotional appeal of the movie. A storyline that never stops moving at times keeps the energy alive, which makes this movie one that will please most people.

SURPRISING
I recently happened to see (quite by accident, which I guess is what "happened to" implies) Up Close and Personal starring Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer. I was completely against seeing it. It looked positively ridiculous and asinine from commercials, making it seem like a wholly sappy love story between an older man and an up and coming woman (who would of course be nowhere if it weren't for his benevolence and patience). Not to add the terrible Celine Dion theme song. After watching it, however, I realised that while it was not great by any means-a bit better than mediocre entertainment perhaps-it was much better than I expected. Much different from what I expected as well. It was entirely mismarketed. Not to add that STUPID title. Really should be seen to understand what I mean. I don't want to hash out all the plot details because it would just waste your time and mine when you could just watch the movie and find out for yourself. It does have a sad ending, which was also a pleasant surprise. You kind of expect a movie like this to end happily ever after.

Not all that, but Pfieffer and Redford make it worth it
Both actors deliver fine performances. Even though the plot is ho-hum, the movie is still interesting to watch. Sad, of course, as all fine love stories are. But worth a peek.

emotional
This is one of the first movies I can say that I made me cry at the end that I love. Redford and Pfeiffer are AWESOME and it had all the things a movie must have; action, romance, and humor.

Get out your suspension of disbelief!
This movie was interesting enough to keep me watching to the end but I was disappointed. Maybe I missed the point, but it seemed to me that almost nothing about this movie was real. Robert Redford's character wore clothes and had furniture that seemed mostly lifted from the Sundance Catalog. Michelle Pfeiffer's character never seemed to be doing any research but rather staying late at work to play solitaire on her computer. And we later are expected to believe that she gets up from her wedding bed to work at her laptop on a news story. I found it a sad reflection on Hollywood's take on American values and an insult to the viewer's intelligence. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Using a faulty thriller for his soapbox as an outspoken critic of China, a devout follower of the Dalai Lama, and an influential supporter of Tibetan freedom, Richard Gere resorts to the equivalent of propagandistic drama to deliver a heavy-handed message. In other words, Red Corner relies on a dubious strategy to promote political awareness, but director Jon Avnet appeals to the viewer's outrage with such effective urgency that you're likely to forget you're being shamelessly manipulated. Gere plays a downtrodden TV executive who sells syndicated shows on the global market, and during a business trip to China he finds himself framed for the murder of the sexy daughter of a high Chinese official. Once trapped in a legal system in which his innocence will be all but impossible to prove, Gere must rely on a Chinese-appointed lawyer (played by Bai Ling) who first advises him to plead guilty but gradually grows convinced of foul play.Barely attempting to hide its agenda, Red Corner effectively sets the stage for abundant anti-Chinese sentiment, and to be sure, the movie gains powerful momentum with its tale of justice gone awry. It's a serious-minded, high-intensity courtroom drama with noble intentions ... but did it have to be so conspicuously lacking in subtlety? --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Gere's suffering for his art
In 'Red Corner' Richard Gere plays a lawyer doing business in China. He sleeps with a local lady of questionable morality and next morning wakes to find her dead. Gere is framed for her murder and in China, according to this movie, you're guilty until proven innocent.

Weighing in at just over two hours the film never sags and Director Jon Avnet manages to hold the interest, especially when the lovely Bai Ling is appointed to defend Gere. There is little to make 'Red Corner' more than an average thriller but you could do worse on a cold winter's night than curl up with the DVD and let your brain ignore the plot inconsistencies or the depiction of the Chinese authorities as heartless, murderous villains. Gere grins and bears it all manfully and his suits look good even under extreme pressure but it is Bai Ling who shines in the pedestrian plot. She's alone worth the price of admission.

The DVD features a Director's feature length commentary and a theatrical trailer. The sound is good and the photography excellent. 'Red Corner' - like its unimaginative title - is good enough but it could have been a whole lot better if the screenplay had been a little more edgy and intelligent. Still, if you're not too particular you may enjoy this fairly interesting action packed thriller.

A Good Film, But Not Captivating
Jack Moore (Richard Gere) is in China trying to close the deal on a lucrative TV contract when he meets a beautiful girl at a nightclub. Sparks fly and Jack finds himself spending a wonderful night with her. But when Jack wakes up in the morning it is to the sound of police yelling at him. Jack's beautiful lady is dead and Jack is covered in blood with incriminating evidence all around him that says he is the killer.

Jack is almost positive that he could not have done this, but he can't really remember exactly what happened as he had quite a bit to drink. He turns to the American Embassy for assistance, only to discover that they can do nothing for him. Jack's appointed attorney, Shen Yuelin (Ling Bai), seems completely uninterested in the facts of the case, not even bothering to meet with him before Jack appears in court the first time. Then she insists that Jack plead guilty and hope for leniency. Jack is furious that no one is on his side, not understanding that, in China, you are guilty until proven innocent and that if you plead innocent and are found guilty, you are taken out and shot.

As the court case continues, Jack is fully aware that the whole proceeding is a parody of justice. No one in the courtroom cares what really happened, no one seems interested in finding the real murderer or in hearing his side of the story. Most of the time Jack can't even understand what is going on as his translating system keeps going off. He does discover that the woman he slept with, the woman who was murdered, was the daughter of a General in the Chinese military and that the general is very interested in seeing his daughter's killer brought to justice. If only Jack could convince all of them that they have the wrong man...

Red Corner was a good film, but for being a thriller, I found the thrill a little bit lacking. I found myself restless while I watched the film and started puttering around the house, working on little things and listening to the dialogue instead of watching it. I also thought that the message was a little too heavy-handed at times. Most of the Chinese in the film were shown as stupid or corrupt and that is simply not the case. I wish that Director Jon Arnet could have shown more of the cultural differences to try and explain that you are working with a whole different mentality rather than a group of people who are just mean and cruel. Those points aside, the film did make me very grateful to live in America, where we have many freedoms that we take for granted. The story was a little boring at first, but once all of the pieces started coming together at the end, it caught my interest again and I thought that it had a good ending. With some beautiful scoring by Thomas Newman, decent acting by Richard Gere alongside a luminous Ling Bai, this is a movie for people who enjoy a lot of politics mixed in with a little bit of action.

Politics aside, it's a good film.
After reading some of the negative reviews of this film on amazon.com I felt I had to put my two cents in defending it. First of all I don't think people should get so emotional and excited about it's portrayal of the communist China's regime and judicial system. Yes, maybe the film is prapogandist, maybe Chinese legal system today is not anything like the movie portrays it to be and maybe it was like that at one time in any case, everyone knows corruption and injustice exists more or less everywhere whether it's China, United States, Western Europe and more than likely innocent people have been executed in countries that keep the death penalty whether it's China or the US or wherever. But it's not like Hollywood never made a film that's critical of the American judicial or political system involving corrupt government officials. Clear and Present Danger for example. That's why controversial movies like this help get the message out even if just by motivating people to talk about such isues.

As for the film itself, the acting is medeocre. The musical score is pretty good. The Chinese actress that plays's Gere's atorney performs better than Gere especialy during the final court scene. It's a thought provoking movie and not just eye candy like a lot of the films of today.

POWERFUL AND REMARKABLE !
This movie depicts a man's incredible legal battle under a murder charge against himself.He is calumniated and all the legal procedure is biased.But he's got a puissant attorney though it'd take a long hard struggle for her to acquit her client...

Gere Enlightens..Ling Bai delights
In this 1997 Political Thriller, Richard Gere and Director Jon Avnet(Up Close and Personal/Fried Green Tomatoes)have made a film that brings to light the lack of freedoms given to defendants in the Chineese judicial system.A sytem where a defendant is guilty until proven innocent,where pleading guilty(even if innocent) may prove for a more lenient punishment then defending yourself.

In this gripping eye-opener Gere plays American lawyer Jack Moore trying to close a huge deal with the Chineese Film Ministry. While being wined and dined, he meets and spends the night with a beautiful woman. They drink, have fun, and make love. Moore is shocked to be awakened in the morning by the Police taking him into custody for the girl's violent murder.
He's got her blood all over him, fingerprints all around,and is in her bed. The case is pretty much sealed from that moment on.
To make matters worse, the woman is the daughter of a very important General.Was he framed for this horrific crime? If so, why?

Moore is pretty much left on his own. The American Embassy is no great help to him.(The point is made in the film that if this were a foreigner in our country, in the same situation, we would not want their government interfering either).Then he is assigned an advocate who he has never met, nor discussed the case with. Shen Yeulin(Ling Bai) as well as being young and beautiful, is an intellegent lawyer who knows the ropes of the Chineese legal system. She insists Moore plead guilty to possibly avoid execution. Moore insists that he is innocent, and as he points out the discrepencies of the case to her, she puts her reputation and career on the line and they work together to prove his innocence.

There are many gripping as well as poignant moments,in and out of the courtroom, in the film. Moore escapes at one point running across the rooftops heading for that beautiful American Flag at the Embassy. Shen Yeulin does some secretive investigating on her own, and gets roughed up for her efforts.And of course the beautiful friendship that develops between Moore and Shen Yeulin is heartwarming.

The story is enlightening and thought provoking as well as entertaining. It is beautifully filmed, with a beautiful score by Thomas Newman. Richard Gere makes good use of our own Freedom of Expression, to expose this form of government. He was awarded the Freedom of Expression Award from the Nat'l Board of Review for his efforts.
Ling Bai is stunning in her portrayal of the dissenting Chineese lawyer and reiceved the Best Breakthrough Award from the same board. The film also recieved an award for "Democracy" from the Political Film Society.

The transfer to DVD(MGM) is beautiful. This theatrically released widescreen edition takes in all the action and scenery.The picture is crisp and clear in all scenes, and the colors are vivid. The Sound is in 5.1 surround and the dialouge also clear. Extras include Audio commentary by Avnet which can be played during the film if you choose. There are some production notes, an original theatrical trailer and may be viewed in French.It also comes with a very informative booklet of a behind the scenes look.

If you already know you like this film, you should be happy with this DVD. If you havn't seen it, it's well worth the view.
Check it out.....Laurie ... Read more

Reviews (23)

One of the best cop shows that people didn't "get"
Boomtown was unlike any cop drama out there. Boomtown was full of complex and orginal characters that remain constant through the shows run of 2 seasons. NBC viewers (most of them) didn't get the format so the people who loved Boomtown and wanted MORE of it had to suffer due to the Law and Order series which keeps dragging on and on. Boomtown was something special and still is to the people who fell in love with the stories and characters.
NBC was STUPID for letting go of this amazing show. This DVD should also add Season 2 even though it wasn't as orginal as the first it still deserves to be on this DVD! Boomtown will live on forever as one of the best cop shows out there! I really miss this show!!!

One of the few things I really, really want on DVD
I have never really had a huge desire to spend money on dvds. I find very few things worth paying for, knowing I will never watch them again. But this series was so extraordinary that I simply must have it---if for no other reason than to show it to others. Very few shows have utilized the narrative structure to it's full potential, and none have done it so well and with such fascinating characters, as BOOMTOWN. I recall one TV critic saying that "Boomtown" was too smart for the average American viewer. Sadly, that may have been true. Of course, since NBC did nothing to promote or nuture this program, we'll never know what might have been.

Yeeeehaaaaw!
That lady friend of david the lawyer is OFF THE HOOK. But seriously folks, Boomtown is quite possibly the greatest crime drama ever released. It's put together amazingly in probably the most original format i've ever seen, the story lines grab you by the balls and don't let go, and it's all brought together by an amazing cast. Guy with severe underbite from forest gump, lady from minority report, and especially everyones favorite new kid ont he block, donnie wahlberg. They all bring a perfect touch of drama to this nearly perfect television show.

It would be a shame if this isn't released to the US on DVD. Season one of Boomtown truely was a masterpeice. A wiseman once said, "The fire you kindle for your enemy often burns yourself more than him." I don't know what this means, but i do know one thing...Boomtown was pure gold. We need to support Boomtown, if we all enter our e-mail addresses at the top of the page and vote, boomtown will rise from the ashes and become imortalized in the form of DVD. Thank you for your time, and don't forget to watch 24 tuesdays at 9pm.

Why the hell did they cancel this series?
I'm still saddened by the fact that this series is off the air! It was the best written drama and an ORIGINAL take on the "police show" formula, God knows we need one more Law and Order franchise. By showing the different angles and different points of view it get's further inside the story and further to the truth, and I guess that's why it was cancelled. It was complex enough to hold your interest, but it never got confusing.

The actors they got for the roles were perfectly cast. From Neal McDonough and his excellent vocal prowes to Donnie Wahlberg's compassionate but Joel Stevens and his tandem Mykelti Williamson with the perfect nickname "Fearless" every actor brought their own edge to the roles.

Thank you for putting the show on DVD for myself and others to enjoy and hopefully show other people why it was such a travesty that this show was cut!

One of the finest TV shows I've ever seen
I'm a television writer myself and I'm completely humbled by the quality and complexity of this series. If there were any justice, it would have lasted more than one season, but I'm glad that a show this wonderful got a chance to air at all. I was very happy to see the show win a well-deserved Peabody Award but it deserved several Emmy's as well. It's great that it's out on DVD now so it can be preserved and discovered by people who never got a chance to see it originally. I'm grateful to Graham Yost and his brilliant co-writers, directors, actors, and crew for work that will always be an inspiration to me. ... Read more

Description

After Germany invades Poland in 1939, the Nazis decree that 350,000 Warsaw Jews be forcibly moved into a cordoned area known as the Warsaw Ghetto. Idealistic teacher Mordechai Anielewicz (Hank Azaria) decides the Jews must rise up against the Nazis and creates the Jewish Fighting Organization (JFO).He tries to secure the support of Adam Czerniakow (Donald Sutherland), the morally conflicted head of the Warsaw Ghetto's Jewish Council, but Adam declines because he knows that any act of resistance will provoke the Germans to retaliate by killing innocent Jews.Determined to mobilize a resistance alone if he has to, Mordechai recruits his friends and covert couriers whose ability to pass as Aryan helps them smuggle in arms and explosives from the Aryan side of the city, building up an arsenal to fight the Nazis.

When the Germans begin deporting 300,000 Jews to the Treblinka death camp, the JFO begins acts of resistance that culminate with ghetto fighters firing their first gunshots against the Nazis.When it becomes clear that the JFO is a force to be reckoned with, the German High Command sends in General Stroop (Jon Voight), who is determined to end the uprising in two or three days.

Capturing the horror that unfolds is Fritz Hippler (Cary Elwes), a filmmaker assigned by Hitler's chief propagandist to promote anti-Semitism with a film about Jewish life in the ghetto.

When the Nazis continue to suffer more casualties in their battle with the ghetto fighters, General Stroop decides to raze the ghetto.But even that can't stop the JFO.Forced to go underground into bunkers but energized by their success, the resisters fight on, ultimately holding off the Nazi army longer than the entire country of Poland.They're determined to live with honor--and if need be, die with honor--while lighting the torch for resistance in the occupied territories. ... Read more

Reviews (48)

In the Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto is not a place you would have wanted to hang out while visiting Poland during World War II. I really enjoyed this video as it gives a very authentic view of life there for the Jews who refused to give up and be taken by the Gestapo. These are sewer heroes and people tenacious of life. Real people doing things no one would dream of doing in a normal world. While graphic at points, there is no over-kill (no pun intended). Leon Uris wrote what was probably the definitive description of the Jewish Warsaw Ghetto in "Mila 18". This movie has much of the same flavor. If there were any problems, it would be the slightly shallow acting of one or two people but they compensate by their obvious desire to convey a message of despair and rage. The heroism of these men and women is the strongest part of the film. They surprised themselves when they lasted as long as they did. I would certainly recommend watching this and remember what happened. It can happen again. History is a good teacher.

Brave effort
A full telling of the uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto is rare - normally it's a short segment of a longer tale about WWII or the Holocaust. So this DVD is a welome addition to historical drama and complaints about a lack of pace or action are unfair.

The Jews walled up in the ghetto did not have huge arsenals of weapons and the people who became heroes were ordinary citizens -hence the lack of a huge cast of big-name stars is welcome. And the performances coaxed from the likes of Cary Lewes, as the sickeningly anti-semitic film-maker Fritz Hippler are worthy of praise. And it was a revelation to see David (Friends) Schwimmer turning in such a heart-rendering turn as one of the heroes of the revolt (and he gets full marks for a realistic but not-over-the-top accent).

Where the drama falls short - as all are bound to - is the inability to reveal the true horror these human beings were forced to endure - and for how long. A 10-part mini-series mihght give some idea of scale of time. The drama Tenko, about women interned by the Japanese, ran for three series! Also missing was the role played by very young children in getting information and food in and out of the Aryan side of Poland.

However, not enough people know enough about this dark period of history so Uprising should be seen.

A good movie - and read MILA 18
This is a very good TELEVISION movie. We can not forget that it was made for TV. A good companion for this movie it would be to read "MILA 18", by Leon Uris.

It is s solid movie. Of course, when someone talks about the Holocaust, the person is prone to receive a lot of backlash and/or praise. Jan Avnet tried his best, chose good actors (who gave solid performances) to tell this tale of heroism.

It's a highly recommended TV movie, that's for sure.

A diamond flawed -- but only slightly.
A useful education for those people who are largely unaware of the gross inhumanity of the Nazi German state. The Jewish Ghetto Uprising of April 1943 was followed just over a year later by the general Warsaw Uprising of August 1944; incredibly, some of the Ghetto survivors took part in that too. The later event was hinted at in the historically-accurate scene which showed the Polish national flag flying from a rooftop alongside the Jewish Star of David flag. This was a deliberate decision by the leadership of the Uprising, who were largely members of Left Zionist youth organizations such as Hashomer Hatzair who believed that the fight against Nazi Germany was a common cause for Jewish and non-Jewish Poles.

Some production details were bothersome. The German villains tended to speak English with heavy accents, while the others did not. But since the original languages were Polish and German, and probably some Yiddish, maybe this problem is not so serious!

Outstanding film, brilliantly presented on DVD
Jon Avnet sets out to dispel the myth that the Jewish people were passive in the face of suffering during the Holocaust, and he is successful in doing that. Indeed, he presents a compelling picture of the Warsaw Ghetto in the 1940s that eschews many Jewish stereotypes and cliches. An excellent cast includes Hank Azaria, David Schwimmer, Jon Voigt and Donald Sutherland.

The DVD features take this the extra mile to make it a truly memorable experience. The documentaries, as well as two audio-commentaries (provided by the director and the cast respectively), are full of insights, and only enhanced my appreciation and enjoyment of Avnet's film. This deservedly belongs alongside Schindler's List, and in fact in some ways surpasses it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Rating for this two-for-one package
RED CORNER is presented in widescreen format, with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround (English & French). BREATHLESS is presented in full-screen, with Dolby Digital mono (English, French, Spanish). Some extras; see individual titles (ASIN 6304883773 and 0792844807, respectively). ... Read more