Reviews (80)

Great aerial combat sequences with even better cast
Battle of Britain is a huge war epic along the lines of A Bridge too Far and The Longest Day. In the years before the United States entered WWII, England had to hold back Nazi Germany almost singlehandedly. After the disaster at Dunkirk, it looked like there was no stopping the Germans. All that remained was for the German Luftwaffe to weaken England to the point where a land invasion could take place allowing Hitler to take control of Great Britain. The only surviving hope for England was the RAF, Royal Air Force. Hopelessly outnumbered, 2500 German planes to 690 British planes, the RAF had to hold back the Luftwaffe in the skies above England. The movie tells the story, from both sides, of the British pilots and their efforts to stop Germany from complete domination of Western Europe. This movie has the best aerial combat sequences ever put on film. One particularly effective scene has the musical score playing over the silent dogfights between the RAF and the Luftwaffe. Battle of Britain is a great war movie, full of action that should not be missed.

Battle of Britain boasts an impressive cast full of notable British actors. The huge list includes, in alphabetical order, Harry Andrews, Michael Caine, Edward Fox, Trevor Howard, Curt Jurgens, Ian McShane, Kenneth More, Laurence Olivier, Nigel Patrick, Christopher Plummer, Michael Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Robert Shaw, Patrick Wymark, and Susannah York. The ones that really stand out from the rest are Robert Shaw as a squadron leader trying to get his fighter squadron through the battle and Christopher Plummer as a fighter pilot trying to save his marriage. The DVD offers a great-looking widescreen presentation and the theatrical trailer. For a great war epic with a huge cast and great aerial combat footage, check out Battle of Britain!

A Terrific & Accurate Depiction of The Fight For Britain!
Sit back and relax, for you are about to enter the stirring, deep blue, and rarified air above the skies of England, where the battle for supremacy of the skies is about to commence. In one of the finest war movies ever made, the familiar saga of how the few available aviators with their Spitfires and Hurricanes simply out-flew, out-fought, and out-lasted the waves of Luftwaffe airplanes while the future of Britain and the free world hung precariously in the balance. The cinematography is magnificent, as are the dog fighting sequences of so many carefully restored vintage Spitfires and Hurricanes, and a number of German aircraft as well. In what became known as the biggest and longest running air battle in history, the British flyers overcame the stunning numerical superiority of the Nazi air services with luck, courage, and the assistance of the newly developed land-based radar systems.

The cast is splendid, with Michael Caine, Trevor Howard, Sir Lawrence Olivier, Michael Redgrave, Christopher Plummer, Edward Fox and many others. The German players are excellent, as well and the oft-told tale of how the Germans at first devastated the British air force by overwhelming it through sheer numbers and often catching them on the ground in their most vulnerable positions. In the initial few weeks the losses of both planes and pilots was catastrophic, and it appeared that they would soon be overwhelmed and defeated. Yet, after the Brits decided to pursue a desperate bombing campaign over Berlin to inflict some punishment of their own, Hitler made a fateful vengeful error by angrily deciding to redirect the focus of attacks to urban areas such as London, thus making his unescorted bombers much more vulnerable to anti-aircraft batteries and much more open to attack by the British fighters. This is a wonderful and quite historically accurate depiction of the fabled 'finest hour' of the Brits in staving off the hordes of invading 'Huns', and carving a place in history for themselves in the process. It is quite long, but there is a terrific set of action sequences, and one can't help but be impressed by the magnitude of the events as they are portrayed here. So, turn down the lights and fire up that VCR, the battle is about to begin! Enjoy!

irresistable
Although made as a tribute to the RAF and this episode in World War II history, it nonetheless followed the successful formula of Tora, Tora, Tora, by making the enemy human and reasonable. It captures the essential spirit of the contestants in this epic air battle. The fact it was done for real, before CGI effects were what they are today, is an asset. There is a reality about it, a versimillitude, that comes from actually using the real articles. It gives the film an authentic look and thus there is no temptation to monkey with history by flooding the skies with an exaggerated computer panoply of planes or having the aircraft demonstrate exciting but very unrealistic maneuvers.

Their finest hour: the movie
Some years ago I was talking with a late-middle-aged Englishman who had been involved in the U.S. film industry. After we had exhausted, for the time being, a mutual interest -- beautiful leading actresses -- the subject somehow got around to the film The Battle of Britain. My acquaintance said that among the film's distinctions was that, having been released in 1969 (which probably meant it had been written and filmed a year or more earlier), it possessed an authenticity that was becoming less possible with each passing year: many members of the cast and crew were old enough to remember the World War II years, and some had actually been involved in events related to the story.

When I saw the film in its DVD incarnation recently, it was that aura of authenticity, of being visualized through having "been there," that leaped out at me. The most critical year of the battle, 1941, was 28 years before the movie appeared. The key personnel could remember that time well enough to get the less obvious details right.

So, in The Battle of Britain, it's not just the uniforms and aircraft insignia and such that are accurate; you also get a sense that the words the characters speak, the vocal style (more formal by far than today's U.K. English), the interior decor, and the countryside as seen from the air (much less built-up in 1969) ring true in a way that would be hard to reproduce now.

(The only serious anachronism is that the women sport hairstyles that no one would have dreamed of in the '40s.)

The film is a remarkable technical triumph in its thrilling depiction of air battles. I know nothing about the production background, but they obviously used real Spitfires, Messerschmitts and Heinkels in dazzling maneuvers. I would not have thought there'd have been enough left in airworthy condition, or that anyone would have allowed them to be used in simulated aerial combat that surely had the potential for accidental destruction of the aircraft. Perhaps the Spitfires' owners felt that it was worth the risk to aid a movie that might enable the younger generation to better understand the heroism and sacrifices of the RAF pilots in the war.

The shots of the planes exploding and crashing were presumably done with models, but the verisimilitude is outstanding. You are almost never conscious that you are watching special effects.

In the intervals between aerial dogfights, the scenes on the ground are less compelling, although it's interesting to see how the locations of the German bombers and the RAF fighters were plotted on huge horizontal maps by RAF women (Wrens?) receiving radio messages from spotters via headphones.

With all this going for the film, it's too bad I have to tell you not to get too excited when you see the cast list. Many of the famous names involved have only routine or minor roles. Even Michael Caine doesn't make much of an impression. In the movie's one concession to romance, Christopher Plummer is a colorless "leading man." Susannah York, playing the object of his affections, blows her one big moment, in the aftermath of a bombing attack on the airfield where she's stationed, by egregiously overacting.

Two greats of the English stage and screen provide some compensation. Ralph Richardson, as a diplomat who receives a German ambassador who wants to persuade the British government that they have no chance against an invasion, has only one scene. But Richardson, with that extraordinary voice that Kenneth Tynan compared to the sound of very expensive tissue paper being crinkled, offers a riposte that stirs the blood.

Laurence Olivier plays the air chief marshal in overall charge of the RAF defense strategy, with an air of controlled, bottomless melancholy, as though he feels that every RAF airman who will die in the cockpit is his brother. We, too, should mourn all those who were killed or maimed to save Britain in her darkest hour, and honor them for every hour of freedom that they helped make it possible for us to enjoy. The Battle of Britain isn't the ideal tribute to those heroes, but it's a heartfelt one, and its virtues well outweigh its lesser moments.

The DVD transfer is good. And if you haven't seen the widescreen version, you haven't seen the film.

Perhaps the best aerial combat movie I've seen
"Battle of Britain" starts with RAF pilots evacuating in France with the Germans in hot pursuit. The situation is grim, as the RAF are outnumbered nearly 4-1 and the Germans seem to be unstoppable. Despite this, the British continue a stiff upper lip and refuse to back down, and from then on must deal with constant German attacks and shortages in manpower - all real issues the RAF had to deal with back in this point in the war.

Much of the storyline is told from different perspectives of the characters, some historical figures and some from the ranks of the front-line. It is much like the way they did the story in "A Night to Remember": there is no real main story, but different characters in different parts of the event having their own experiences. It works fairly well, with the exception of perhaps Christopher Plummer's and Susanna York's characters. It's not so much that it's a love story as much that it's never really resolved and therefore makes itself pointless - I don't want to give away any spoilers, but if you watch the film you'll know what I mean. Otherwise, the other characters and subplots don't get in the way of the story too much and serve to give you a perspective of what the war was like.

The aerial combat scenes were - as I've already suggested in my title - completely astounding. The accuracy is very good, with Spitfires looking like Spitfires and Heinkels looking like Heinkels. The way they filmed the combat was well done, and I must give the cinematographer thumbs up for the beautiful shots of the sky backdropped against the planes. The point-of view from the cockpit was the best part of the film, especially a shot where you watch from cockpit-view as a Spitfire flies right over the edge of a Heinkel, nearly crashing into it.

The DVD is a bit lacking, I'm afraid. As far as special features...I hope you like the theatrical trailer and watching the movie with French or Spanish subtitles. The theatrical trailer isn't worth you're time, unfortunately. It's a series of random images from the film with a narrator chanting, "Never before has a movie been done like this! Watch as planes zoom around and things fall down and go boom!" The movie itself looks and sounds good, and I suppose that's what really matters to most people. Still, I see a waste of potential.

Despite this, I would definately suggest to my fellow war-film gurus that they pick up this movie. It is in the same breath of "Tora, Tora, Tora" and "A Bridge Too Far," and it doesn't fail. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sean Connery retired from the 007 franchise after You Only Live Twice (replaced by George Lazenby in the underrated and underperforming On Her Majesty's Secret Service) but was lured back for one last official appearance as James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever. He's in fine form--cool but ruthless--in a sharp precredits sequence hunting the unkillable Blofeld (a suavely menacing Charles Gray in this incarnation), but the MacGuffin of a story (involving diamond smuggling, a superlaser on a satellite, and Blofeld's latest plot to rule the world ) is full of the groaning tongue-in-cheek gags that Roger Moore would make his signature. Goldfinger director Guy Hamilton keeps the film zipping along gamely from one entertaining set piece to another, including a terrific car chase in a parking lot, a battle with a pair of bikini-clad killer gymnasts named Bambi and Thumper, and a deadly game with a bizarre pair of fey, sardonic killers who dispatch their victims with elaborate invention. Jill St. John is the brassy but not too bright American smuggler Tiffany Case, and country singer and pork sausage king Jimmy Dean costars as a reclusive billionaire with not-so-subtle parallels to Howard Hughes. Shirley Bassey belts out the memorable theme song, one of the series' best. Connery retired again after this one but he returned once more, for Never Say Never Again 15 years later for a rival production company. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (111)

A Bit More Cheek Than Usual, Miss Case?
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER marks Sean Connery's return to the role of Bond after the hiatus of ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. It was also his last Bond film to date (except for the swan song NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN in 1983).

The opening precredits sequence involves Bond's hunt for Blofeld, who killed Bond's wife Tracy in OHMSS. The story then develops into a melange of diamond smuggling, Las Vegas casinos, an eccentric billionaire (pork sausage king Jimmy Dean playing Willard Whyte, a sort of cornpone version of Howard Hughes), cheesy funeral parlors, moon buggies and laser beams, cloning, and a girl named Tiffany Case.

In terms of story, this film is one of the weakest of the Bond films,jumping frenetically from one scene to another in an attempt to cram in everything it possibly can. The film editing is awful. There's just no other word for it.

The movie is redeemed by the characters and the nonstop action sequences, all of which are wildly entertaining. Connery is suave and irrepressible in a white tuxedo. Jill St. John, who plays the aforementioned Miss Case, is brassy and sassy, sexy and fun. The two of them seem to be sharing a private joke all the way through the film.

We are also introduced to Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd, a pair of openly gay assassins who kill with a creative streak and have a penchant for really bad puns. The appearance of Wint and Kidd and their relationship marks a kind of minor milestone in the Bond canon, showing that the series was moving unselfconsciously into the 1970s.

Minor but important roles are filled out by Bambi and Thumper, a pair of gymnasts specializing in assault, battery, and tumbling routines, and Plenty O'Toole ("Named after your father, no doubt") a casino girl reminiscent of a low-rent Sylvia Trench from the earliest Bond films.

Blofeld is played by Charles Gray. Gray's Blofeld seems more like a disgruntled waiter than a criminal mastermind. His cat does give us an excellent performance.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER never takes itself seriously. This is not the film noir of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. The series was taking its turn here toward the Roger Moore era of cartoon excess and "groaners", a downward spiral which continued until Timothy Dalton rescued Bond from utter obsolescence.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER is Eon's version of an Andy Sidaris film. Sidaris' films are low-budget Bond take-offs, but in this instance, it would be hard to say who inspired whom. Like Baby Back Ribs, this film is sloppy but delicious.

The Special Edition DVD has much to recommend it, including deleted scenes (which to Eon Productions' credit, help make sense of the film) and interviews with some of the cast. There is also an excellent retrospective on the life of Cubby Broccoli. -

Sparkling
"Diamonds Are Forever" is the 7th in the James Bond 007 series from 1971. Agent 007 is assigned to stop diamond smugglers. This movie marks the return of Sean Connery to the role of Bond. He does a decent job here, but afterward he retired again and Roger Moore took over the role. Jill St. John does a good job of playing Tiffany Case, one of the smugglers. Norman Burton does a forgettable job of playing Felix Leiter. (The best Leiter was Jack Lord in "Dr. No" [1962]).

This movie really has two things going for it: an outstanding soundtrack and some of the best villains of the entire Bond series. Shirley Bassey sings the title track. Her's is a return performance, as she also sang the title tracks to "Goldfinger" (1964) and "Moonraker" (1979). The two villains, Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint, are henchmen of Ernst Blofeld. It is just hilarious how they make deadpan one-liners which parody those of Bond!

This is one of my favorite Bond movies, but I am rating it down one star because it seems to bog down near the end. Ironically, I saw a DeBeers diamond commercial which said "A diamond is forever" while I was preparing this review. Apparently, the movie title has some marketing power to it!

Not as bad as Moonraker
Connery is the only saving grace to this film. The film has a rushed, cheap quality to it. The producers must have been so pleased to have Connery back one last time they forgot about minor stuff like exotic sets (Las Vegas coming on the heels of Japan and the Swiss Alps is a let-down), decent special effects, and a good editor--how did Plenty end up dead? what about the car on two wheels switching sides?--see the movie and you'll understand. Also, someone should have at least tried to get Telly Savalas back as Blofeld for some continuity. Blofeld is 007's Moriarty and while even Savalas didn't quite match the literary Blofeld, he at least had far more presence than Donald Pleasance or Charles Gray. Having Connery back one more time was good, but production values really took a hit in this one. Still, it wasn't as silly as Moonraker.

He deserved the dough
One of my favorite Bond movies. Connery earn his unusual ( for the time ) fee for this role as he hunts for the killer of his wife only to find him behind a mission after he believed he finished the job.

Jill St. John is very hot and does a fine job and the supporting cast follows through well. The cut in the effects budget shows with the parking lot chase but I always felt that Connery as Bond was the attraction rather than the gimicks.

A winner

Making Mud Pies, 007?
The 7th James Bond movie. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER introduced a fascinating character in the series with Willard Whyte, a reclusive billionaire who runs an empire from a Las Vegas penthouse. Whyte is played to perfection by none other than the sausage king himself Jimmy Dean - a legendary tycoon himself during the late 50s and 60s for a series of hilarious commercial and comedy skits. Dean cleverly enthuses the role of Whyte with his own persona. As such, the whole extravagant gambling activities seen throughout the film give a unique appeal for Sean Connery's final apperance as James Bond. The film also showcases memorable action sequences with a more spunky heroine in Jill St. John.

THE ASSIGNMENT: M introduces Bond to the problems of diamond smuggling. Despite apparent air-tight security at South Africa's diamonds mines, a large quantity has recently gone missing. Even more alarming than the larceny is that none of the stolen jewels have found their way on to the world market. Bond is sent off to discover who is stockpiling the diamonds, and why. He begins by impersonating smuggler Peter Franks, and ends up in Las Vegas - and to his shock face to face with Ernst Stavro Blofeld! Blofeld has devised another way to hold the world at ransom - a giant laserbeam generator suspended in orbit around the Earth which uses diamonds to intensify its' energy to the point where it can cause rockets, missiles, and submarines to simply self-detonate. Blofeld is effectively conducting an international auction with nuclear supremacy going to the highest bidder. Who better than 007?

THE VILLAINS: Charles Gray as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Joseph Furst as Professor Metz, and Putter Smith and Bruce Glover as the whimsical homosexuals Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! BUY IT! ... Read more

Reviews (123)

For Christopher Lee Fans And James Bond Enthusiasts Only
I was a fan of the James Bond films as a child and my interest in these films has recently returned to me. I don't believe "The Man With The Golden Gun" is the worst Bond film because this negative honor goes to either "Moonraker" or "A View To A Kill." I do feel, however, that it qualifies as the third worst one.

"The Man With The Golden Gun" has a lot of weaknesses. I don't know why Roger Moore was allowed to make seven Bond Films. Although Moore wasn't as weak as George Lazenby, he still comes across as being bland and mannequin-like. Timothy Dalton was a much more effective James Bond. If Dalton had been given better scripts and more time, he would have been nearly as effective as Sean Connery. Britt Ekland's Mary Goodnight rivals Tiffany ("Diamonds Are Forever") Case as the most ineffectual and irritating Bond woman. Maude Adams is more effective as Andrea Anders, the villain's long-suffering mistress, but this character is given too little screen time. A pre-"Fantasy Island" Herve Villechaize makes an awkward henchman. The return of Clifton James' J.W. Pepper character was also unnecessary.

The weaknesses of this movie also extend beyond the cast. An awesome car stunt is weakened by a poor sound effect. Tacky humor is woven throughout the entire film. The martial arts motif in part of the film also seemed out of place.

Christopher Lee is the saving grace of this film. If Lee weren't in this movie, I would have ranked it with "Moonraker" and "A View To A Kill." He is excellent as the egotistical and cruel Francisco Scaramanga. I am only sorry that the screenwriters didn't further develop this interesting character. Lee is one of the screen's greatest bad guys and can effectively play just about any villainous character. He is a much better actor and greater presence than Roger Moore. Lee's villain is more interesting than Moore's hero.

"The Man With The Golden Gun" is only for big Christopher Lee fans and those who feel that they need to see every James Bond film. A disappointment.

Good second Bond film for Moore
Roger Moore returns to the role of 007 in this excellent follow up to Live and Let Die. The film is certainly dependant on 007's evil counterpart, the hitman Francisco Scaramanga, played by Christopher Lee. He is the perfect match for Bond, which adds more excitement than any to the film. Bond finds himself racing to recover the Solex Agitator, which converts solar power to energy and has fallen into the hands of Scaramanga. There are very well done fight sequences and boat-car chases in hong kong and thailand. the redneck sherriff J.W. Pepper returns from Live and Let Die, but fails to provide the same humor as before. The film did try a little too hard to be funny like its preceding movie, thus it comes off a little cooky at some points. The Man with the Golden Gun Leads to an awesome climax in Scaramanga's island lair, where he and Bond face off in a "duel between titans", which also includes Scaramanga's servant Nick-Nack, a pint sized character who also tries to fool and beat Scaramanga in his deadly games of cat and mouse. With suspense, some humor, and exciting twists and turns, The Man with the Golden Gun is one Bond you won't want to miss!

Even Better Now in STEREO
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN is the "cult" Bond movie to end all "cult" Bond movies. I don't think many people realize that this DVD or even the VHS tape of this movie is in STEREO sound. John Barry's score sounds fantastic. As for the film, it is pure fantasy yet pure "Bond" and very misunderstood.

Last but not Least of Ian Fleming's Bonds...
This Bond, shot at a time when youthful science-fiction hadn't yet turned into narrow "science-faction" remains dreamy, elegant, distant, stylish, subjective, outlandish, an intelligent and romantic island of fantasy... The scenes are a pleasure for the eye, and the gadgets are still mind-tickling, as we haven't yet reached that depraved era of pseudo-scientific vulgar objectivity (as in the latter Bond series, for example)... nor do we have a cop-Bond, as with Timothy Dalton... neither a little tough-guy with piercing eyes, as in the Brosnan series... This Bond remains somehow between the Connery and Lazenby/Moore episodes, in that it has definitively a lot of style and class, yet includes some (controlled, soft-spun) action, a reasonable panoply of gadgetry, and a fair amount of cold-blooded British humour. In the end, the gently out-of-time atmosphere appears to be almost as much James West as it is James Bond.

In this almost Hamiltonian eerie, James appears pretty adventurous and humorous, yet moral, distinguished, self-detached, while he faces a spooky sophisticated darker-self in the person of three-nippled Scaramanga (Christopher Lee, alias Dracula), in a movie where even the villains appear to be somehow more gentleman-minded than the heroes of the latter Bond series (where ugly realism alas only too often ends up stealing the show). There's also a plenty of great exotic and scenic shots in Thailand and the Far-East, which somehow propel you in a world of dreams and fantasy. I especially liked the oblique sunken Queen Mary decorum, which seemed almost surrealistic, and the villain's den artifact-decorum somehow reminded me of the Wild Wild West TV-series, starring Robert Conrad.

It is a commonly acknowledged opinion that Gentlemen Prefer Bonds such as Goldfinger, Dr No and Thunderball, but Golden Gun could, with all reasonable fairness, also be included in some of those early and memorable old Bonds (vintage Connery or Lazenby). Note that this was actually the last Bond to feature the (by-now cherished) Harry Saltzman - Albert Broccoli collaboration, and this is today quite heavily felt, as the then following Bonds somehow all lacked the elegant, essential, gentlemanly, romantic and quirky sparks of those early Bonds (and matters seem to be getting only worse, if not clearly out of hand) (James Bond as another victim of the modern-age?).

The Man With A Golden Gun was also the last Bond movie to be based on a true and authentic Ian Fleming novel. Well, maybe those die-hard Bond-movie-makers will one day (tomorrow? another day?) realize that the Fleming reservoir has been tapped unto the last droplet, instead of just killing time with more and more flawed episodes... Goodnight boys and girls (Britt Ekland was, by the way, one of the most memorable and gently-subtle Bond-girl), that was it for Ian Fleming's Bond... which was to be followed by the Hun's invasion of Vin Diesel and consort, fast, furious and brutal (to say the least)...

An Intensely Groovy Theatre of The Bizzare
Folks, listen to me: This is the best Bond movie ever made, and Roger Moore is the best Bond. You can argue, but chew on this, Admiral Skeptic: Name one movie that Sean Connery made that had a midget, a flying car, a giant laser, and Bond threatening to blow a man's genitals off with a rifle. That's right; there aren't any. Checkmate, Connery.

This film is a brilliantly surreal entry into the Bond series. It's a clear departure from Connery's films, where he had to stop the KGB from destroying the world. Moore is called in to stop an overpaid hitman and his midget from selling solar power to the UN (or something similar.) Adapted as I am for describing awesomeness, I can't begin to describe this film's grovvy factor, but I can tell you it's somewhere between ChocoTacos and regular tacos. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Mostly for Poirot completists and admirers of then-trendy, all-star ensemble casts from the 1970s and early '80s, Evil Under the Sun finds Peter Ustinov in his second outing as Agatha Christie's famous Belgian detective (three years after 1978's Death on the Nile). As the title promises, the action this time takes place on an Adriatic island (though Christie fans will surely balk at the switch from the novel's setting on the English coast), where a famous stage star (Diana Rigg) is murdered, and the list of likely suspects is unusually high. The parade of legendary performers--Roddy McDowall, James Mason, Sylvia Miles, Maggie Smith, Jane Birkin--plus Ustinov's energetic performance keep things hopping. But Anthony Shaffer's lazy screenplay and director Guy Hamilton's superficial approach nudge everything (action, characters, tone) toward campy, near-parody, with bitchy sniping, tacky costumes, and an obligatory soundtrack of Cole Porter tunes. It's only in the last lap that the film transcends such obviousness and finds its way back to the glories of detective fiction.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (34)

A movie I can watch over and over again...
Although David Suchet's Poirot is, I think, more faithful to Christie's vision of him, I have always enjoyed Ustinov as the famous Belgian sleuth. Evil under the Sun appeals to me because of the quality of the cast, as well as its small size, and the gorgeous location (a small island in the mediterranean). The movie is infused with light and some of the best Cole Porter music. Diana Rigg is an absolutely odious Arlena Marshall, and Maggie Smith's Daphne Castle is wonderful as her erstwhile rival. Roddy McDowell's fruity Rex Brewster is probably my favorite. Jane Birkin is the fragile nagging wife of Arlena's toy boy Patrick Redfern (Nicholas Clay), and is wonderful in the staircase scene at the end of the movie. These and a few other characters congregate on Daphne's Island, for a sunny holiday, that is very quickly interrupted by murder. In order to avoid dealing with the inept local police, Daphne calls on Poirot's 'colossal brain power' to solve the crime for her. Poirot takes on the case, and is soon faced by a seemingly insurmountable problem...(and you'll have to watch the movie to find out what it is).

"Everyone automatically comes up with a watertight alibi"
Evil Under the Sun is an unfortunately abysmal rendition of Agatha Christie's novel of the same name. The very English environment and upper-middle class social milieu that Christie was so adept at creating has been mangled beyond recognition. Instead of the English seaside, the action has been removed to an island in a laughably fictional kingdom somewhere in the Adriatic. However, this does provide one of the few saving graces of the film - some absolutely stunning coastal scenery.

Peter Ustinov is a very passable Poirot (even if some of the things the director and screenwriter have got him doing are highly unlikely). When an aging actress is murdered whilst on holiday, there are no shortage of suspects amongst the other guesthouse residents. But all would appear to have cast iron alibis, so Belgian sleuth supreme Hercule Poirot must call on his "little grey cells" to distinguish fact from fiction. The other characters are portrayed with a highly developed sense of camp, and indeed the film ends up feeling like a parody that doesn't quite manage to pull it off. Watch however, for some fabulous verbal sparring between Maggie Smith and Diana Rigg.

It is only at the last, when Poirot is expounding his theory on the identity of the murderers that the movie regains some credibility. Despite the awkwardly connected sub-plots concerning a missing jewel and a murder on the English moors, the loose ends are tied up, and the viewer shares the guests' indignation as it appears that the perpetrators of the crime are going to get away with it. In conclusion, watch it if you must, but don't let it put you off seeing other (largely far superior) screen adaptations of Christie's stories.

Peter Ustinov returns a second time as "Poirot".
This is the second film with Peter Ustinov as Belgian Detective, Hercule Poirot, since his first, DEATH ON THE NILE (1978). Once again, an all-star cast and a mystery who-done-it. I won't reveal any of the plot. But the delightful Maggie Smith (Murder By Death [1976], California Suite [1978], Death On The Nile [1978]) plays a resort hotel owner on an island of Spain where she banters with Diana Rigg with dislike. It makes the film much more enjoyable. The cast also includes: Jane Birkin, Colin Blakely, Nicholas Clay, James Mason, Roddy McDowall, Sylvia Miles, Denis Quilley and Emily Hone. Other films followed with Ustinov as "Poirot", Thirteen At Dinner (1985-tv), Dead Man's Folly (1986-tv), Murder in Three Acts (1986-tv), Appointment With Death (1988). This DVD also includes the Theatrical trailer, a 16-minutes featurette "The Making of...", and Talent Bios.
For a lighter comedy, may I suggest MURDER BY DEATH (1976).

Mystery galore...
Agatha Christie's Evil under the sun with it's all star cast keeps your interest to the end. My wife and are especially caught up with Peter Ustinov's character mixing in with all of the rest to make this video a must for all mystery buffs.

Murder is 'just one of those things'
Agatha Christie's murder mystery, 'Evil Under The Sun' is brought gloriously to life, in this movie from the early 80's. It features Peter Ustinov in his second showing as the legendary Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot along with a cast of actors who camp it up for all they are worth.

The plot follows the classic Christie template (see Death on the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express) of a group of people gathered together, with one being particularly nasty and unlikeable and (surprise, surprise!!) is murdered, with all of the remaining characters having a motive for putting this person out of the way. While this movie doesn't move too far away from the template, it rewards the viewer with an intriguing yet fun couple of hours.

The performances from all of the actors on board are excellent - yes they are over the top (especially Roddy McDowell's bitchy Rex Brewster and Sylvia Miles's droning Myra Gardener) but that makes them all the more endearing. Maggie Smith is obviously having loads of fun as the hotel proprieter, Daphne Castle, and her scenes with Ustinov have great energy. However Diana Rigg all but steals the film as the "ageing" actress, Arlena Marshall, a prize and completely ostentatious vamp. Ustinov is again on fine form as Poirot and relishes the chance to add his stamp to a character already memorably portrayed on screen by Albert Finney.

This film offers a great opportunity to actors out of their normal milieu (the aforementioned Smith and Rigg, as well as the luminous Jane Birkin) and is almost worth watching for that alone. Added to that is a great soundtrack of Cole Porter numbers which indelibly places this movie in the 1930's. While it does deviate from the setting and characters of Christie's source novel, that doesn't detract it from being an superb addition to the canon of Christie films. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Underrated?
I admit I have had a soft spot for this movie ever since I saw it during its theatrical run when I was 8 which is why I give it four stars instead of three. But I've always felt it is a fun action-adventure film with a great cast and fantastic vistas of the Yugoslavian countryside. Critics have lambasted it as being a highly inferior sequel to one of the classic war movies of the 60's, and maybe some of that criticism has some merit. Yet "Force 10 from Navarone" as viewed on its own merits without the comparisons to "Guns" is not too shabby. A straight-foward action story of an Allied force consisting of two British commandoes (Robert Shaw and Edward Fox), an American Ranger (Harrison Ford), and an escaped American prisoner (Carl Weathers) trying help Yugoslavian partisans blow-up a bridge to foil a German offensive. It's not Oscar material, but it is fun and definetly not as bad as the critics claimed.

Great WWII action movie!
First off, I enjoy anything having to do with World War II. I remember seeing this movie as a kid before I saw the original "Guns of Navarone." I was flipping channels last night and saw that "Force 10" was on. I watched it and remembered how much I enjoyed it the first time.

Not only does this film focus on a remote battlefield (remote in the sense that it's not a Normandy or anything you might have seen in "Patton"), but it provides an exciting story that the viewer just can't forget. After so many years, I fondly remembered Carl Weathers' knife fight with that big guy (the name escapes me, but he played the character Jaws in two Bond films), the amusing explosives expert Miller, and all the crazy twists and turns that took the commandos to their final objective - destroy a dam to destroy a bridge. (What I never understood, though, was why didn't the Germans just have their armored and infantry divisions cross the dam rather than face hostile fire on the bridge from the Partisans!).

Anyhow, the film is great. They just don't make movies like this anymore. Harrison Ford and Robert Shaw (and the rest) make a great team, best shown when they walk cavalierly away from that ticking bomb that's about to explode in the dam! Yes, a great war flick that I highly recommend and rank right up there with the best.

"We're Talking About the Wrong Target!"
I first saw this movie as an in-flight movie while flying from Copenhagen to Seattle in September 1979. A sequel to "The Guns of Navarone" (1961) that starred Gregory Peck who played Keith Mallory and David Niven as Dusty Miller, Mallory and Miller return to action with Robert Shaw as Mallory and Edward Fox as Miller who have been assigned to a new mission in Yugoslavia to kill a Nazi agent posing as a Yugoslav partisan. Here they tag on with Force 10 led by American Army Ranger Lt. Col. Mike Barnsby (Harrison Ford) whose mission was to blow up a bridge to prevent the Nazis from crossing into the region defended by the partisans. The sequel was planned for filming back in 1967 with Peck and Niven playing their respective roles. The novel by Alistair MacLean was released in 1968, becoming his 17th million-copy best seller, but due to creative and economic concerns, the movie version was stalled. By 1977, the plans for filming commenced. Because of their ages, Peck and Niven would not star in the sequel. The following year the movie was released with Shaw, Ford and Fox. Sadly, Shaw did not live to see the film's release when he died of a heart attack August 28, 1978 in Tourmakeady, Ireland at the age of 51. Former Oakland Raider Carl Weathers plays his role well as the fiery Sgt. Weaver who merely "invited" himself on the mission, not knowing what was going on at first. Franco Nero plays Capt. Nikolai Leskovar, the Nazi agent Mallory was assigned to kill. Alan Badel plays the partisan leader Maj. Petrovich who assigned his daughter Maritza (Barbara Bach, also known as Mrs. Ringo Starr) as a partisan agent to spy on the Nazis and their Chetnick allies at a camp where they were operating. Richard Kiel plays the Chetnick leader Capt. Drazak who dupes Force 10, leading them to the camp where they would fall into the hands of the Germans commanded by Maj. Schroeder (Michael Byrne).

Like "The Guns of Navarone" the sequel is action-packed from start to finish from the stealing of an R.A.F. Lancaster at Termoli Air Base in Italy to the destruction of a dam that washes away the targeted bridge with several million tons of water. This is a great movie for those who love action dating back to World War II.

force 10 uncut is not for my kids
I love this movie. I have seen it many times on television but when I rented it I was suprised to see that this rated PG movie had full frontal female nudity. I was lucky that I wasn't watching it with my kids. I really don't understand how a pg movie can have this but its there. Just a warning in case any parents are considering it for a family war movie like I was. After all war is a good family history lesson.

very mediocre
Passes the time, that's all. Notable that the Partisans (Communist anti-nazis) are portrayed as purely heroic, while the Chetniks (anti-communist anti-nazis) are shown as purely evil. In fact the film portrays the Chetniks as in essence a German auxiliary force--very very few historians would agree with that idea. But then, if you're filming on location in a Yugoslavia under Marshall Tito's communist dictatorship I guess you have to toe the local ideological line. Hey, it's only a movie, right? ... Read more

Reviews (48)

A mix of spoof, serious action for film out of its time
I remember my Dad reading The Destroyer novels as a kid. I often wondered what the appeal was in this series about a former cop/Bond wannabe named after a bedpan. While it isn't completely faithful to the source material, Guy Hamilton's Remo Williams captures some of the absurdity that made these novels so memorable as pulp fiction. Hamilton's tone as director (and the script)are an extension of the tongue in cheek Bond thrillers starring Roger Moore. Although this might seem a stretch, if you enjoyed films like Buckaroo Banzai, Big Trouble in Little China and the stronger Moore based Bond films (what an interesting cross section!), you'll enjoy Remo Williams.

The plot is pretty straight forward: Fred Ward plays a police officer who "reborn" to play the role of action hero. The performances capture much of the original characters from the novels. I suppose the best way to view this film is as a 70's and 80's variation on the Doc Savage pulp novels. The exception is that Doc here is an oafish fool part of the time.

MGM has done an exceptional job lately with its two for one Midnite Matinee DVDs and reissues. Sadly, Remo Williams is botched from the first frame; MGM chose to release this full frame vs. widescreen. Now it's entirely possible that Hamilton shot this in standard aspect ratio and matted it afterwards for theater exhibition (which is what Kubrick did with many of his films after Barry Lyndon--he was unhappy with the cropping of his films for television so shot them in standard aspect ratio, i.e., framed for t.v., then matted them for the theater. That way he had control over both versions of the film). Regardless, it should have been noted on the box (a flaw with the Kubrick films The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut as well).

There aren't any extras and, given the market for this film, that's not a surprise. Still, the least MGM could have done was include a running commentary from stars Fred Ward and Joel Grey. Perhaps neither one was available or interested. Still, with Hamitlon deceased, I would have been interested in hearing their take on the film. The reason this is lacking in extras is the same reason that films like Horror of Dracula is lacking extras--it's not cost effective for MGM to do it. A pity as Anchor & Bay could have done a bang up job (like they did with The Three Musketeers DVD although that one was also missing a commentary track).

Fans of Remo Williams will just have to be happy that the film is finally available on DVD. I've only seen the film on TNT (also in full screen format)a couple times over the past years. While it's not the perfect package, I am thankful that MGM chose to release this and not just let it languish in their film vault. Somewhere there has to be outtakes, interviews, press interviews, etc. We'll have to wait another day for those I suppose.

I loved it
I saw this in the theater when it came out and anxiously awaited the sequels. This is one movie where the sequel would have probably been a much better movie if for no other reason than actors and director would get into The Destroyer legend.

I loved the books at least up until Richard Sapir passed away. The books were fun, funny and contained much social satire. They were gems of wit and wisdom.

Basically it is about a cop recruited to be a supersecret agent for the government for an agency called CURE. The theory being that the President needed a tool to combat evil that could be fought only by violating the Constitution. Of course Presidents now boast about violating the constitution but these stories are from a more innocent age.

In the movie Fred Ward is perfectly cast as Remo Williams named in a very amusing way - "We put a lot of thought into it."
Joel Gray does a marvelous job of Chiun the Master of Sinanju the latest in a line of assasins dating back a millenia or two. Sinanju being the "sun source of all martial arts".

Wilford Brimly is probably the biggest departure from the books cast as Harold Smith. In the series Smith was a much more interesting character and the interplay between him and Remo is always entertaining.

Overall the plot was weak. Iw ould have rather had them adapt one of the many stories from the book series. I just never felt that Grove was that evil a guy worthy of accelerating Remo's mission. Patrick Kilpatrick was a great villan - muscle man "Stone". I particularly enjoyed the scene where Remo uses Stone's special feature to escape from a gas chamber.

The film was well structured I thought with equal amounts of Remo's training and mission, Joel Gray doing a wonderful Chiun, soap operas and all.

I thought it was a good first effort. Had they kept it up I am sure they would have gotten the hang of it and the movies gotten better and better.

I downrated the DVD mainly because of the format. so-called "fullscreen" is really only a half a screen. I did not buy the DVD just for that reason. I have an old copy on Betamax that I still watch twice a year or so.

There are no significant bonus features on the disk as was pointed out by a previous reviewer. This is just about inexcusable these days.

If my Beta tape ever weasr out I may be forced to buy a disk, but until then maybe MGM will get their heads out of you know where and re-release this movie properly.

Remo is a fun film to escape to
This film does not take itself seriously and you shouldn't either. Remo Williams is a lot of fun and it aspires to be nothing more than that which is great. Because of rising production costs, among other things, have forced studios to stay clear of movies that are made just for fun and focus on huge CGI effects blockbusters or long boring oscar winning dramas. All the easy going films that were so common in the 80's have gone away and it's a shame. Part of what makes Remo so great is that there is a complete lack of huge explotions, car wrecks, wire stunt action scenes, or CGI monsters. Remo spends more of its time dealing with the work of becoming a hero which, in this writer's opinion, is much more interesting.

I have never read the Destroyer series but you really don't have to to enjoy Remo. If you're looking for a giant action laced movie you may want to keep looking but if you are in the mood to see a fun, more grounded, how to become a hero, sort of film, Remo is perfect.

His name was Remo and...
First-this movie is far from getting it right.But just the fact that it was even attempted is enough for any Destroyer fan.I've always been a great fan of the paperback series-any series with a charachter like Chiun (pronounced CHYEEWN not CHYUN)can't go wrong.They at many times beat the world news on events that were going to happen.I really liked the movie in spite of itself.Grey did as fine a job as probably humanly possible for a cauc-ie actor portraying a nearly un-portrayable oriental charachter.The villains were alot like you encounter in the books ie: men in power who don't know what real power is and therefore must find out the hard way.Whoever cast Brumley (no offence to Wilford) is an idiot.Oh,and Kate was great-she stepped right outta the series-fine lady,beautiful woman & a wonderful actress.Alas, no sex or even full nudal frontity or even jellified villains eating their own firing guns with no hands,but hey,it's a Dick Clark production,and that's the reason why...and Guy,you Hamilton!!why could'nt you bring as much style and excitement to this as you did for Goldfingah.Which reminds me the theme song and soundtrack is sub-par to say the least.Who could write and sing a cool song out of a title like Remo Williams:The Adventure Begins,anyway.It should have been called His name was Remo and the script should have followed #1Created,The Destroyer up until the execution scene.Gotta admit the rest of this movie is really cool especially the carney played by William Hickey.

Fun Film - Would Benefit from a Sequel
A late-night cable favorite since its creation, REMO WILLIAMS has always been close to my heart and revisiting this DVD recently reignited my wishes for a sequel.

REMO WILLIAMS' strong point has always been its weakness as well. "The Adventure Begins" the title tells us up front, and presents a tale devoted almost entirely to character origin and development. Whereas lesser films would have thrown in a training montage across three minutes of film, Remo's lasts ninety. And it's not even over. Never "ready" to be unleashed as the assassin he's meant to be, Remo Williams spends the entirety of the film under Chiun's tutelage, forced into action only by circumstance. Only in the final minutes does he seem ready to begin the life he has been designed for.

How does this affect the film? Well, it will feel downright slow for the Fast and Furious generation weaned on quick-cut, shallow films like XXX which speed along from one explosion to the next. For those of us who used to read way back when and enjoyed seeing these pulpy characters fleshed out onscreen - as well as those of us who dug Kung Fu Theatre on Sunday afternoons (check out KILL BILL Vol 2's "Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mai" sequence for the heavy influence of Chiun), it means this is a simultaneous delight and letdown (the latter only because, realistically, we know there will never be a sequel to continue this story).

My only other minor criticism of REMO WILLIAMS is its relatively bloodless onscreen presentation. Not that I'm looking for gore, but for an assassination film, this one is very tame. On the upside, one could feel very comfortable sharing this film with pre-teen action enthusiasts.

The REMO WILLIAMS DVD is a bare bones, full-screen affair, but at its bargain price, who can really complain? You know what you're getting and it looks better than a TV re-run. A deluxe edition DVD would be nice but this viewer isn't holding his breath. ... Read more

Reviews (184)

IMHO, 60's Bond was the best...
I was born in the 70's and grew up in the 80's and 90's so one would think I would prefer Roger Moore or maybe Dalton or Brosnan. But when I think Bond/007, I only think of Sean Connery and the films from the 60's. I guess it's because the decade was perfect for the character(sexism/persona/fashion), the look and feel(tux/bowler hat/suave sophistication/martini in hand/cig. in mouth/exotic locales), and the music(twangy guitar theme/big brassy numbers). And GOLDFINGER was arguably the definitive representation of all this:

*Shirley Bassey's great rendition of the title song.
*the classic Aston-Martin DB5 with all the gadgets.
*the strong female lead with that name: Pussy Galore!
*one of the coolest and most beloved henchman/sidekicks in the series: Odd Job(love the grin and hat).
*one of the most ambitious, greedy, resourceful villains ever(well played by Gert Frobe-hard to believe he was dubbed in the movie as the audio commentary pointed out).
*classic scenes like Shirley Eaton covered in gold, the "laser beam" scene, the rumpus room, and the end fight.
*good plotline, and good plot to break in to Fort Knox...with a slight twist(love the scene where 007 is figuring out the plot and Goldfinger seems genuinely pleased that someone recognizes his 'genius')
*ok, so Kentucky ain't too exotic(unless you're from Switzerland I guess), but the Swiss Alps and inside a 'pretend' Fort Knox? You don't see that everyday.

All great stuff. The other guys had some good movies in their reign as Bond, but I think Connery was on a roll with From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball. There was so much style and a special aura that defined what Bond/spy/adventure films should be during that 3-film stint. And after all the praise I have for Goldfinger(just recently got the dvd), for the record, it's not even my all-time favorite. That belongs to THUNDERBALL: #1, Largo with the eye patch, the Spectre organization, Claudine Auger in shades on the beach, the jet pack, the underwater fight, etc....oh man. Sorry, back to Goldfinger. Buy the dvd, lots of great extras(2 commentaries, 2 documentaries, etc). If you're a fan, you're not reading this cause you own it. But to non-fans, the film alone is worth the absurdly low price and the loads of extras are what every dvd collector would want. Highly recommended for anyone.

The golden Bond film
The best Bond film? You bet. Sean Connery's Goldfinger is an awesome combination of everything a Bond film needs. Connery gives the best performance of any Bond film, and Honor Blackman is one of the best girls (and certainly the most famous) in the series. Gert Frobe is an outstanding villain, and Oddjob is the definitive henchman. Blackman is supported by two other great girls in the Masterson sisters. Q gives OO7 his best car (followed by the Lotus in TSWLM, the Mustang in Diamonds, and the BMW in TND) featuring machine guns, smokescreen, tire puncturers, and even an ejector seat. Bond also receives a tracking device from Q. The car chase is excellent, and the climax is one of the best at Fort Knox. Script is filled with witty lines, and the story is almost unmatched (Goldfinger will contaminate the gold supply in Fort Knox to greatly increase the amount of his own horde). Locations run from Flordia to Switzerland to Kentucky. Shirley Bassey's title song is great indeed, and Barry's score is in his top five for Bond films. The feel is superb, and everything cultimates together to make this the best OO7 film ever.

The great James in his best
In the the third film of this Bond series this may well be his favorite : (for me it's the best) there are enough reasons to hold this statement.
Harold Sakata is the most hated villain in any Bond picture, the maquiavelian mind and overwhelming presence of Auric Goldfinger , the unforgettable swiss landscapes , the girls Honor Blackman who is two steps behind of Daniela Bianchi (From Russia with love) and Claudine Auger (Thunderball) in what beauty concerns , the laser sequence , the poker game , the fine and suggestive dialogues , the ambush in the hall , the battle in Fort Knox and that hair raising final combat in the airplane, the dazzling direction of Guy Hamilton and the spectacular Aston Martin.
What else do you need for watching by the first time this one or remind it in case you saw before as a timeless cult movie ?
And please beware of any other hat in the head of someone like Odd Job.

The best achievement of the Bond series
This film is a winner in all the sense of the word. May be you won't find the advanced special effects of this age. But who really cares?
Watch for the admirable lot of golden situations; the suggestive sequence in which we laugh when James compare the champaign with the Beatles, for instance in a double sense joke, the unforgettable swiss landscapes, the eternally beauty of Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore, the presence of Harold Sakata the most hated villain in any Bond film, the powerful balance given by Grett Frobe as Auric Goldfinger the maquiavelian and perverse mind of Spectre, the notorius ambush in the hall , the final battle in Fort Knox and that unforgettable in the airplane make from this film, at least for me, the most complete film of any other Bond series.
Dazzling direction and the bitterness of Bond,James Bond.
After you watch,please beware on the next hat you see.
A cult movie.

My favorite movie from Bond series
I still can remember the first time I watched this film. I was in a old hall cinema and I watched three times that day . I just was eight years old but what histamine.
Harold Sakata as Odd Jobb has been the most hated villain in any Bond series and Grett Frobe as Goldfinger is one of the coldest and smart Spectre agents. Honor Blackman with her incandescent beauty as Pussy Galore is a perfect balance.
The film has a lot of smart and suggestive situations. Do you remember the sequence of the champaign bottle?
The ambush in the hall made by Goldfinger is a first rate, so the girl painted with gold, the chases and the unforgettable swiss landscapes, and the hair raising end in Fort Knox and in the airplane made of this one my eternal favorite among others.
Dazzling direction by Guy Hamilton and delightful action sequences.
Watch it and please, be careful with the next hat you see. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Fluffy Fiction Based on a Terrible Tragedy
On the surface, this is a fun (albeit minor) murder mystery made special by the performances of an all-star cast. When a local resident is poisoned at a reception for a film crew on location in a small English village, Agatha Christie's resourceful Miss Marple character begins to piece together the story of whodunit. In her only film appearance (to date) as Marple, Angela Lansbury is marvelously warm, wise, and witty. Her earnest performance is complimented beautifully by those of Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak, who seem to relish their roles as feuding movie queens with tongues of acid. Geraldine Chaplin also scores as a long-suffering agent who is secretly in love with Taylor's husband (Rock Hudson). As the men in the mystery, Hudson, Tony Curtis as a film producer, and (especially) Edward Fox as Lansbury's nephew all do fine work, but the spotlight remains fittingly focused on the distaff characters throughout.

The movie would be a harmlessly fun little romp if it weren't for one underlying conceit which taints the screenplay (as well as the novel on which it is based). Unfortunately --- and unforgivably --- the essential plot is nothing more than a cynical and tasteless exploitation of an actual tragedy that had a devastating and life-long effect on the lives of Hollywood beauty Gene Tierney ("Laura") and her first husband, Oleg Cassini. What was Dame Christie thinking when she so callously and obviously mined Tierney's heartbreak as fodder for a piece of fiction during the actress' lifetime? If you're unfamiliar with the details, you may choose to go ahead and enjoy the movie ... and then look for a copy of Gene Tierney's best-selling autobiography, "Self-Portrait" (1979) to learn the real story. Remember ... movie first! Otherwise, you may find the on-screen version vaguely objectionable and even downright vulgar.

Humourous and Likeable
It's not big, it's not terribly clever, and it won't change the way anyone thinks about anything at all, but this 1980 version of one of Agatha Christie's less-loved novels of the same name is still an enjoyable tale of murder and gentle rebuke.

Set in a highly stereotypical American vision of the 1950's English countryside, the whole town is abuzz when Lola Brewster (Kim Novak) and Marina Rudd (Elizabeth Taylor) take up residence to film a production of 'Mary, Queen of Scots'. When one of Ms. Rudd's long-time fans is murdered at a reception given for the Star, Miss Marple (Angela Lansbury) and her nephew Inspector Delbert Craddock (Edward Fox) investigate the crime.

Script and direction are nothing more than diverting, with a nod here and there to the likes of Joan Crawford and Bette Davis - the two movie Queens feud continually - and some extremely clever one-liners - Ms. Taylor's line about Doris Day takes on a whole new level of meaning, as her director husband Jason is played by Rock Hudson. As Christie's well-loved sleuth, Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple is amusingly self-depracatory in her role, claiming that not everyone who comes into contact with her winds up dead. She'll never be Joan Hickson, but in a film such as this, Lansbury's lighthearted and somewhat campy performance is perfectly pitched.

Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson do passable jobs in their respective roles as Producer and Director, and the supporting cast is nothing more than perfunctory (including a rare nonspeaking cameo from a VERY young Pierce Brosnan), but for all that, they hang together well enough as an ensemble.

The plot and subsequent climax are forgettable, but, as with the rest of the film, come with a gentle likeable atmosphere that saves them from being mundane.

If you can pick it up cheaply, then go for it, it's perfect Sunday afternoon viewing. In total, 'The Mirror Crack'd' is a sweet, campy film that unfortunately stays too close to 'Average' to be a definite recommendation.

good Movie
this is a good movie and Angela Lansbury makes a wonderful Miss Marple. And Elizabeth Taylor is great as always.

Right on the Mark
The DVD of "The Mirror Crack'd" is the usual Christie as we have all come to expect. It is an entertaining who-done-it taking place in the English countryside; fete and all.

I have seen Angela Lansbury panned as Miss Marple, but I beg to disagree with those reviews. I found Ms. Lansbury a very convincing Marple and I enjoyed her performance very much.

I did, however, find Elizabeth Taylor predictable in her performance as well as Rock Hudson playing her husband.

Angela Lansbury is not Joan Hickson
The later version of this movie, based on a novel, Christie, "Agatha Mirror Crack'd, The", the film Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side (1992) (TV) (UK: series title). Stays true to form. Joan Hickson is Miss Marple. Agatha Christie always considered her as the ideal Miss Marple; she shows this through her reserve savvy. Jane takes an interactive interest in the mystery and yet each character as part of the discovery, stands on their own. The ending of the story is as is in life, it is appropriate for the situation and not black and white judgmental.
This version of this movie "The Mirror Crack'd (1980)" was made with a lot of glitzy characters. Some of them were quite good such as Rock Hudson (Jason Rudd). Others were distracting as they let their real personalities overwhelm the characters. One of the worst was Angela Lansbury's portrayal of Miss Jane Marple; she was much too cutesy. Jane has this way of looking at you like she knows something.
This film was to Americanize (black and white, judgmental.) and half the characters were combined for brevity. ... Read more

Amazon.com

To own Goldfinger (1964) on digital video disc is to have at your fingertips the proof that Sean Connery is the definitive James Bond. Dry as ice, dripping with deadpan witticisms, only Connery's Bond would dare disparage the Beatles, that other 1964 phenomenon. No one but Connery can believably seduce women so effortlessly, kill with almost as much ease, and then pull another bottle of Dom Perignon '53 out of the fridge. Goldfinger contains many of the most memorable scenes in the Bond series: gorgeous Shirley Eaton (as Jill Masterson) coated in gold paint by evil Auric Goldfinger and deposited in Bond's bed; silent Oddjob, flipping a razor-sharp derby like a Frisbee to sever heads; our hero spread-eagle on a table while a laser beam moves threateningly toward his crotch. Honor Blackman's Pussy Galore is the prototype for the series' rash of man-hating supermodels. And Desmond Llewelyn makes his first appearance as Q, giving Bond what is still his most impressive car, a snazzy little number that fires off smoke screens, punctures the tires of vehicles on the chase, and boasts a handy ejector seat. Goldfinger's two climaxes, inside Fort Knox and aboard a private plane, have to be seen to be believed. --Raphael Shargel ... Read more

Reviews (184)

IMHO, 60's Bond was the best...
I was born in the 70's and grew up in the 80's and 90's so one would think I would prefer Roger Moore or maybe Dalton or Brosnan. But when I think Bond/007, I only think of Sean Connery and the films from the 60's. I guess it's because the decade was perfect for the character(sexism/persona/fashion), the look and feel(tux/bowler hat/suave sophistication/martini in hand/cig. in mouth/exotic locales), and the music(twangy guitar theme/big brassy numbers). And GOLDFINGER was arguably the definitive representation of all this:

*Shirley Bassey's great rendition of the title song.
*the classic Aston-Martin DB5 with all the gadgets.
*the strong female lead with that name: Pussy Galore!
*one of the coolest and most beloved henchman/sidekicks in the series: Odd Job(love the grin and hat).
*one of the most ambitious, greedy, resourceful villains ever(well played by Gert Frobe-hard to believe he was dubbed in the movie as the audio commentary pointed out).
*classic scenes like Shirley Eaton covered in gold, the "laser beam" scene, the rumpus room, and the end fight.
*good plotline, and good plot to break in to Fort Knox...with a slight twist(love the scene where 007 is figuring out the plot and Goldfinger seems genuinely pleased that someone recognizes his 'genius')
*ok, so Kentucky ain't too exotic(unless you're from Switzerland I guess), but the Swiss Alps and inside a 'pretend' Fort Knox? You don't see that everyday.

All great stuff. The other guys had some good movies in their reign as Bond, but I think Connery was on a roll with From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball. There was so much style and a special aura that defined what Bond/spy/adventure films should be during that 3-film stint. And after all the praise I have for Goldfinger(just recently got the dvd), for the record, it's not even my all-time favorite. That belongs to THUNDERBALL: #1, Largo with the eye patch, the Spectre organization, Claudine Auger in shades on the beach, the jet pack, the underwater fight, etc....oh man. Sorry, back to Goldfinger. Buy the dvd, lots of great extras(2 commentaries, 2 documentaries, etc). If you're a fan, you're not reading this cause you own it. But to non-fans, the film alone is worth the absurdly low price and the loads of extras are what every dvd collector would want. Highly recommended for anyone.

The golden Bond film
The best Bond film? You bet. Sean Connery's Goldfinger is an awesome combination of everything a Bond film needs. Connery gives the best performance of any Bond film, and Honor Blackman is one of the best girls (and certainly the most famous) in the series. Gert Frobe is an outstanding villain, and Oddjob is the definitive henchman. Blackman is supported by two other great girls in the Masterson sisters. Q gives OO7 his best car (followed by the Lotus in TSWLM, the Mustang in Diamonds, and the BMW in TND) featuring machine guns, smokescreen, tire puncturers, and even an ejector seat. Bond also receives a tracking device from Q. The car chase is excellent, and the climax is one of the best at Fort Knox. Script is filled with witty lines, and the story is almost unmatched (Goldfinger will contaminate the gold supply in Fort Knox to greatly increase the amount of his own horde). Locations run from Flordia to Switzerland to Kentucky. Shirley Bassey's title song is great indeed, and Barry's score is in his top five for Bond films. The feel is superb, and everything cultimates together to make this the best OO7 film ever.

The great James in his best
In the the third film of this Bond series this may well be his favorite : (for me it's the best) there are enough reasons to hold this statement.
Harold Sakata is the most hated villain in any Bond picture, the maquiavelian mind and overwhelming presence of Auric Goldfinger , the unforgettable swiss landscapes , the girls Honor Blackman who is two steps behind of Daniela Bianchi (From Russia with love) and Claudine Auger (Thunderball) in what beauty concerns , the laser sequence , the poker game , the fine and suggestive dialogues , the ambush in the hall , the battle in Fort Knox and that hair raising final combat in the airplane, the dazzling direction of Guy Hamilton and the spectacular Aston Martin.
What else do you need for watching by the first time this one or remind it in case you saw before as a timeless cult movie ?
And please beware of any other hat in the head of someone like Odd Job.

The best achievement of the Bond series
This film is a winner in all the sense of the word. May be you won't find the advanced special effects of this age. But who really cares?
Watch for the admirable lot of golden situations; the suggestive sequence in which we laugh when James compare the champaign with the Beatles, for instance in a double sense joke, the unforgettable swiss landscapes, the eternally beauty of Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore, the presence of Harold Sakata the most hated villain in any Bond film, the powerful balance given by Grett Frobe as Auric Goldfinger the maquiavelian and perverse mind of Spectre, the notorius ambush in the hall , the final battle in Fort Knox and that unforgettable in the airplane make from this film, at least for me, the most complete film of any other Bond series.
Dazzling direction and the bitterness of Bond,James Bond.
After you watch,please beware on the next hat you see.
A cult movie.

My favorite movie from Bond series
I still can remember the first time I watched this film. I was in a old hall cinema and I watched three times that day . I just was eight years old but what histamine.
Harold Sakata as Odd Jobb has been the most hated villain in any Bond series and Grett Frobe as Goldfinger is one of the coldest and smart Spectre agents. Honor Blackman with her incandescent beauty as Pussy Galore is a perfect balance.
The film has a lot of smart and suggestive situations. Do you remember the sequence of the champaign bottle?
The ambush in the hall made by Goldfinger is a first rate, so the girl painted with gold, the chases and the unforgettable swiss landscapes, and the hair raising end in Fort Knox and in the airplane made of this one my eternal favorite among others.
Dazzling direction by Guy Hamilton and delightful action sequences.
Watch it and please, be careful with the next hat you see. ... Read more

Reviews (131)

Moore's first gets off on the right foot
Roger Moore's first turn as James Bond is an interesting film that showcases James Bond trying to stop an island dictator from creating a massive drug problem in the world. The film features a large element of voodoo, a largely black cast, and the absence of Q, who was excused as part of a plan to make the series more current - these elements make this a unique Bond adventure. For some reason, this feels like a holdover from the more intimate, stylish Sean Connery era, probably due to veteran Guy Hamilton's direction (he directed Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever), and the more down-to-earth sets, which lean toward the more realistic ones of movies like From Russia With Love.

The movie is a fun adventure, with a so-so villain, an interesting Bond girl (Jane Seymour, practically the only one who had a career afterwards), and a boat chase that goes on WAY too long. It also features Bond's first (and so far only) movie trip to New York City. The movie has a nice pace (aside from the chase), good changes of location, and it's just fun. Not a series highlight, but one that sits firmly in the middle of Bond's adventures.

THE BEST BOND FLICK EVER!!!!!!
Roger Moore's performance as 007 in this film really changed from Sean Connery's acting as 007 in the prevous film, Diamonds Are Forever. Moore is more with car chases and the women that Sean was, and that's what makes him awesome. In this movie, 007 is sent to find the man responsible for killing two British Agents, and he finds the man responsible, Kananga. Kananga is trying to get the whole USA hooked on heroine, and Bond is the only one who can stop him! He gets the help of card dealer Solitare, the hottest babe in any of the movies!!! Some of Kananga's henchman are: Teehee, a man who got his right arm bit off by a crocodile and now has a dangerous steel arm that can cut anything! Also is Baron Semidi, the voodoo weirdo. Some gadgets are Bond's magnetic wrist watch, and a gun that has gas pellets as bullets. A great movie, must watch!!!!!

Piece of junk....
The only good thing about this shlocky (sp?), horrific, racist piece of (...)is the theme song by a certain former Beatle... poor Paul. Why couldn't you have done a good one?

moore's twist
each of the first three major bonds had their own little twist as 007.
connery was suave with an edge.
moore was tongue in cheek suave.
dalton's was a lethal edge cop .
no, not counting lazenby because his one shot was simply too brief to grasp, and as far as brosnan goes; he is certainly a competant bond but as far as adding his twist; nope. he dissapointingly is a mere variation of those first 3.
but, despite the jabs that moore has so often got he actually did the best thing to do in light of the bond films becoming a
super sized franchise; he refused to take it too seriousely.
yes, his bond is plastic, but so is the film. this is not fleming's bond. but moore's bond is a bond that says 'hey this stuff is just pulp, let's treat it that way' and for a few years at least it was unique and fun

great entertainment
roger moore playing james bond,. well to a lot of folks he was a great james bind, but after getting blasted with him from atv series " the saint" i was kinda sick of seeing him.
how ever watch the racial overtones and how harlem was in
nyc during the 70's, seems a lotta 1973 chevy impala's
made it to the screen. also we see sheriff j.w. pepper
playing a red neck cop. good entertainment only to be taken for face value, not a serious movie. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The Real Cold War
I served as an army intelligence officer in Berlin and in West Germany during the Cold War. Whenever I'm feeling nostalgic and I want to time-travel back to the Cold War 1960's, I turn on Funeral In Berlin. The film has wonderful shots of the Berlin Wall and West Berlin during this time. Michael Caine's Harry Palmer is a mirror image of thousands of intelligence personnel who have had to battle incompetent bureacracy while still trying to accomplish the mission at hand. Watch this one!

Good Spy Story
If you have ever worked for a government bureaucracy and you keep up with history and current evets, this movie will bear out greater believeability than the more popular blockbuster spy movies. Got to be watching it for the story itself, though ( there are NO massive explosions, intense car chases, hot sex scenes, etc.)

Way to go, Harry.
While not as good as The Ipcress File, Harry is still in fine form. FIB is clever, well acted and well written. Every character is interesting. Its much, much better than the spy movies they make now. If I had to find fault, its with the annoying and inappropriate soundtrack. Even Marvin Hamlisch would have trouble coming up with something this sappy and intrusive. Still, the movie is very entertaining. Very cool.

Gruelling to watch, but features at least one amazing quip.
A film as visually and narratively downbeat as the ethically murky moral world of espionage it portrays. The good guys are cynical compromisers, the idealistic are chilling murderers, the charming are totalitarian stooges, the hero's struggling moral awareness is totally impotent. Berlin has never looked grimmer; action and morality are as enervatingly obscure as the most disenchanted film noir.

The Harry Palmer series is usually seen as the antithesis of James Bond, with his macho flash, gadget-driven action and cartoonish ideology. This is true to an extent. Harry does get beautiful women, but usually because they want to use him - in his crumpled mac, he is more of a seedy voyeur than a superspy. His line in quips is very mundane, his thick glasses and flat Cockney accent are hardly glamorous, and he has to walk or take lifts rather than drive a snazzy car.

However, there is a lack of plodding, le Carre-like detail, a lack of true moral neutrality (when one amiable character is revealed as a villain, he becomes more recognisably a Hollywood baddie) that suggests a cop out. Unlike the books of le Carre or the films of Melville, whose accumulation of seemingly pedantic or irrelevant details can lead to exciting narrative momentum, 'Funeral' is content to stay flat and gray. Which is admirable, but difficult to watch. Two good things, though - the Brecht/Weill pastiche score; and Harry's immortal line to his totty as she makes breakfast - 'You're useless in the kitchen; why don't you come back to bed?' (!)

Specs,sex,and the Berlin Wall
Len Deighton's working class spy Harry Palmer returns to DVD in the second installment of the series,"Funeral in Berlin".Palmer was created by Deighton as a sort of anti-Bond in a series of books with plots more coplicated than the wiring on a British sports car,Palmer was insolent,insubordinant,and only survived by his wits and intelligence,with nary a gadget in sight."Funeral in Berlin" was the second in the series,and most spy fans consider it the best of them,pretty much neck and neck with the outstanding "Ipcress File".The DVD looks pretty good,the picture and sound are certainly watchable considering the age of the movies,It's also nice to see the movies in their OAR,both movies used the widescreen format pretty creatively,and suffered from being "panned and scanned".Unfortuneatly,"Funeral" doesn't have the excellent extra's "Ipcress" did,the only extra is the trailer.Still,it's an entertaining DVD,both Michael Caine(Palmer) and Oscar Homolka(Col Strok) give great performances,and Eva Renzi is certainly easy on the eyes.The great Guy Doleman returns from "Ipcress",albeit n a smaller role.It would be hard to discuss the plot without giving too much,but suffice to say,in Harry Palmer's world,nothing goes as planned,and nothing is as it seems.The film also does a nice job of portraying Berlin when it was still fragmented by the wall.All in all,viewer's looking for a cerebral spy thriller with no explosions and gunfights will enjoy Deighton's byzantine plot.Mention should also be made again of Oscar Holmoka's amazing performance,it's really worth the price of the DVD alone.You just don't see faces like that in movies(well,maybe on "The Soprano's").An although Caine became something of a joke in the 70's and 80's,he always made a good Harry Palmer. ... Read more