Reviews (66)

Bless them all...bless them all....
I am unable to recall another film whose opening and closing scenes are more effective than those in this brilliant portrayal of the 918th Bombardment group based in England which flew almost daily missions to Germany during World War II. The character of General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck) is reputedly based on Brigadier General Frank A. Armstrong, Jr. Sy Bartlett wrote the book and then the screenplay. Brilliantly directed by Henry King, we are introduced to a combination of combat fatigue and self-pity which results in the replacement of Colonel Keith Davenport by his friend Savage who is told by his commanding officer, General Pritchard (Millard Mitchell), to shape up the 918th while avoiding Davenport's problem: Becoming overly involved emotionally in decisions to send B-17 crews on exceptionally dangerous missions, day after day after day. Savage immediately establishes his authority and almost immediately loses whatever goodwill he may have had. He applies and then maintains constant pressure on the crews to improve their performance in all areas of flight operations. Underachievers are reassigned to one B-17 renamed "The Leper Colony." Morale deteriorates to such a point that those at headquarters become concerned. A formal investigation of the situation is conducted. This is a critical moment for Savage. If he has "lost" his men, he cannot continue. In fact, he expects to be relieved and begins to pack his personal items. However, for reasons revealed in the film, Savage remains in command. And then....

It would be a disservice to those who have not as yet seen this film to say any more about the plot. Suffice to say that brilliant direction, great acting by everyone involved (notably by Dean Jagger who received an Academy Award for best actor in a supporting role), superb cinematography (Leon Shamroy), and haunting music (Alfred Newman) are seamlessly integrated in this analysis of effective leadership (especially decision-making) under wartime conditions. The film begins when Harry Stovall (Jagger) makes an especially significant purchase in an antique store and then proceeds to what has by then become an abandoned air base. As we begin to hear the bombers' propellers whine as the engines roar to life, we are transported back in time. Later, as the film ends, civilian Stovall climbs back on his rented bike and departs what is again an abandoned air base. Stunning images throughout both sequences.

Peck included this among his favorite films, while adding that he was especially proud of his performance as Frank Savage. When first released more than 50 years ago, it did not receive the recognition (much less the appreciation) it so obviously deserves. Whenever CEOs and other senior-level executives ask me to suggest war films which offer important lessons about leadership and management, Twelve O'Clock High is first on the list, joined by (in alphabetical order) Command Decision, The Dirty Dozen, The Enemy Below, Fort Apache, The Hunt for Red October, Paths of Glory, Pork Chop Hill, The Red Badge of Courage, They Were Expendable, and Zulu.

The best war movie I've ever seen. Magnificent!
Twelve "O'Clock High is a powerful and true-to-life film dealing with the early days of the 8th US Air Force in Great Britain. Its mission: to bomb Germany not by night in saturation bombings as the British were doing, but instead to boldly engage in "precision daylight bombing." No one knew if the concept was viable because no one had ever dared try it before on a large scale. Gregory Peck plays the role of a leader suddenly thrust into command of a deeply troubled, demoralized, and shot-up bomber squadron. How he motivates the men and overcomes the fact that the men well know that their chances of survival were poor (the worst survival odds of any American combat assignment in the war) is a deeply moving, powerful, indeed unforgettable story. This is a great movie.

The cinematography of this movie is wonderful, featuring actual combat footage of B-17s engaging German Focke-Wulf fighters in deadly combat. The sense of authenticity that this movie brings to the screen is total. One feels transposed back into England in 1942, engaged in a life-and-death struggle in the air against the Germans. The uniforms, dialogue, everything, about this movie reeks of authenticity. The storyline moves along at a breakneck pace--no dull interludes. And yet this is not just a "shoot-em-up" war flick. It is a stirring story of leadership, personality clashes, honest fear and human imperfections that reminds us what an incredible debt we all owe to the men who fought and won the air war over Nazi Germany.

This is a DVD movie to keep and watch repeatedly over the years. It is not only a great movie, it is wonderfully entertaining. This is truly one of the all-time great war movies.

The best review from someone who lived it.
My father, a b-17 bomber pilot, flew 52 missions out of England (Bassingbourn) during WWII. He spoke very little about his war-time experiences, but he said that this was the closest that Hollywood ever came to capturing what it was like for the B-17 bomber squadrons during WWII. It is a great film about human beings under extraordinary stress, making extremely difficult choices and living with their consequences - but most especially it is a moving portrayal of the complexities of leadership and friendship, and the trust needed to get others to do difficult, if not impossible things.

the meaning of "Maximum Effort"
This is a magnificent World War II film about U.S. airmen stationed in Britain in the fall of 1942, and so much more; it's about the psychology that goes into situations of extreme stress, and what makes a man a winner or loser when put to the test. As General Savage (Peck) says in his pep talk, "fear is normal, but stop worrying about it". Savage has no time for self pity, for himself or anyone else, and his toughness and high principles bring out the best in his men, and it also points up the dangers of emotional attachment in the wrong situations.
The script by Sy Bartlett and Beirne Lay Jr., from their book which is loosely based on a true story, is intelligent and insightful, and the direction by Henry King meticulous. The cinematography by Leon Shamroy is crisp and marvelous, and also includes riveting portions of actual WWII battle footage interspersed in the aerial shots.
The Alfred Newman score also adds much to the film.

Gregory Peck is perfect as General Savage, fabulously handsome, with one of the greatest voices of the 20th century, one cannot imagine a better actor for the part. Dean Jagger is also splendid as Major Harvey Stovall; wise and often witty, it is through his eyes that we see the story, told in flashback as he wanders the deserted airfield in 1949.
Other excellent performances come from Gary Merrill and Hugh Marlowe, but every cast member is good, with strong turns from all.

Nominated for a Best Actor and Best Picture Oscar (losing out to "All the King's Men" on both counts), "Twelve O'Clock High" spawned a much better than average TV series (1964-67) that I enjoyed watching, especially in its first season when it starred Robert Lansing.
This is a film that is actually used in "leadership seminars" for business executives, and by the U.S. Airforce as a teaching tool. It has lessons for the average person too, but most of all, it's a superb film, with memorable performances. Total running time is 132 minutes.

Excellent Movie for Leadership
This movie is a classic tool used by the USAF Squadron Officer School. It is a great way to see the different styles of leadership. When we viewed it in an educational fashion the movie carried a much greater sense of meaning for us. For all military buffs this movie has to be in your collection. Tobey Jugs, leather caps, B-17s...Bless them all, bless them all... ... Read more

Reviews (38)

Wonderful, But Still Missing...Something
This is a wonderful, even classic, adaptation of Franz Werfel's haunting, heartbreaking story of the Lourdes apparitions. The cinematography is excellent, the characters are handled with respect and realistic flair, and Jennifer Jones seems to be channeling Bernadette Soubirous in convincing fashion. The film's flaws? Sentimentalism in some cases bogs it down, especially when the angelic choirs start to sing lauds as the 'vision' makes its appearance. Corny to the extreme, if you ask me. The initial moment of the apparition was a stark and frightening one for Bernadette, according to the gathered records of the incident(s), not an experience accompanied by cheery seraphic warblings. This scene should have been filmed in a stark manner, to capture the surprise, abruptness, initial terror, and realism of the experience. Secondly, the actual Virgin Mary figure (played by a somewhat plumpish Linda Darnell) is also a bit garish: she resembles any of the cheesy, cheap, grotesque plaster "Mary" lawn ornaments that are the hallmark of Catholic kitsch.This stereotypical Mary is an unfortunate cop-out. The film makes no attempt to capture the haunting dignity and true historical nature of Bernadette's visitor, whom the seeress herself described in early testimony as "ou petito damizelo"--a "little pixie-girl," no more than 13 or 14 years of age and certainly not maternal in any way whatsoever. What the film DOES successfully capture is the impact of the many miraculous, mysterious events that descended upon a real town, among real people. It also captures a glimpse of the special, undeniable love shared between Bernadette and the enigmatic being who revealed herself only (and perhaps with a wistful sense of irony) as 'the Immaculate Conception.' A fine, fine film and worth owning for anyone of pure heart.

INSPIRING FILM - DISMAL TRANSFER
"The Song of Bernadette" is a film that by all accounts should distill into a religious pot boiler. And yet there is something haunting, awe inspiring and yes, even stirring about this tale of a child, Bernadette Soubirous (Jennifer Jones) who, after witnessing visions of the Virgin Mary, begins to have miracles performed in the small French town of Lourdes. Jones is angelic, tenderly conveying the warmth, innocence and poignancy of someone truly touched by the hand of God. Anne Revere is cast as Bernadette's non-believer mother. Vincent Price turns in a wicked performance as the town magistrate who, weary that Bernadette's claims will insight religious fervor, threatens the child with imprisonment unless she ceases with her visions. Charles Bickford and Gladys Cooper give outstanding performances as the skeptical priest and nun who come to believe that Bernadette is divinely inspired. Truly, this is a film that requires a whole box of Kleenex to get through. It is haunting, stirring and overall life affirming.

However, the transfer from Fox is poor, even though it improves upon previous VHS and Laserdisc versions. Though the B&W picture exhibits sharpness and better balancing of the gray scale the image is digitally harsh and suffers from an excessive amount of film grain. Aliasing and shimmering of fine details is evident throughout. Pixelization is another down fall. The audio has been cleaned up and is well presented.
Extras include a Jennifer Jones Biography, an audio commentary, a Movietones trailer, some Fox promotional stuff for other movies in their classic series, a restoration film to video comparison that proves that at least some work was done on the transfer before sending it out to DVD and this film's original theatrical trailer.

The Song of Bernadette
This movie had a deep and profound impact on me when I first watched it on television as a young teen. It is beautifully done a real tribute to film making. The acting is outstanding and I fully believed and empathized with young Bernadette as portrayed by Jennifer Jones. I was a protestant at the time I first watched the movie. The effect it had on me sent me on a journey that eventually lead me to Medjugorje and then to becomimg Catholic. I strongly would recommend this film to everyone. It is beautiful, moving, very touching, a profound experience for all who have an open heart.

Excellent
Written by a Jewish man, The Song of Bernadette, is wonderfully brought to the big screen. Typical of old black and white "Hollywood". Very well acted, full bodied characters. A great family movie.

Universal Thematic Appeal
The Song of Bernadette begins with the classic quote, "For those who believe in God, no explanation is necesary. For those who don't, no explanation is possible."

That having been said, one need not be religious to enjoy this film. What makes the movie so enjoyable is that it contains man's universal struggle with religion and his sense of meaning. Vincent Price does an excellent job of portraying the fatalistic expert, while Church officials are accurately protrayed as questioners - but not outright denyers - of the possibility of miraculous events.

Jennifer Jones is fantastic, and accurately portrays the reported humble nature of St. Bernadette.

Definitely one to see at least once. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grade: D+

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

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

Reviews (35)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com

During his Twentieth Century Fox contract years, Gregory Peck looked to veteran director Henry King as something of a father figure and gave two of his best performances--in Twelve O'Clock High (1949) and The Gunfighter (1950)--for him. The Bravados (1958) isn't in that league, but it's a surprisingly tough film from the flabby CinemaScope years when the studio, director, and star all seemed to be floundering.

Peck plays Jim Douglass, a dark, haunted man who rides into a Southwest border town on the eve of a hanging. The bad men set for the drop (Stephen Boyd, Albert Salmi, Lee Van Cleef, Henry Silva) are the same ones he's been pursuing for the rape and murder of his wife. Douglass isn't happy about leaving it to the law to carry out his vengeance--and so there's a certain bleak satisfaction when the quartet busts out of jail, and he becomes the best hope for hunting them down.

Perversity wasn't King's long suit, so Philip Yordan's screenplay about a hero turning more sinister than the outlaws he's chasing never acquires the demonic power or ironic flair that an Anthony Mann, Fritz Lang, or Robert Aldrich might have lent it. Yet the very foursquareness of King's style and approach--and Peck's earnest efforts to fight through his accustomed stolidity to hit the necessary notes of desperation and finally shame--make for a fascination all their own. Joan Collins hovers handsomely on the periphery as an old friend ready to redeem Douglass, and Joe (Curly Joe-to-be) De Rita makes an uncredited appearance as the hangman. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (12)

" Now, get outta here! I'm tired of you doggin' my trail !"
The Bravados is not only an excellent western, but a very interesting character study of how one mans' quest for vengeance does not turn out quite as he expected. Gregory Peck is sublime as the main character/hero and reminds the viewer of a day gone by when there were REAL movie stars. The story is very compelling and is aided well by the top notch musical score by Lionel Newmannand Hugo Friedhoffer.( I have the cd soundtrack and it is beautiful) The supporting cast is great, with a very young Joan Collins, Stephen Boyd, Albert Salmi, Lee Van Cleef, Henry Silva, Andrew Duggan and Gene Evans. Their performances are very capable and you will particularly remember Stephen Boyds' character of Zachary: pure evil with no redeeming qualities. This contrasts very well with Henry Silvas' character as we see that he is basically a good man who fell in with the wrong group.The camera work/scenery of the beautiful canyons and countryside is another plus for the film. The story has a great jolting twist at the end as Peck discovers the truth about his actions towards the group of outlaws he believes responsible for his wifes' rape and murder. ( Incidentally, the film is quite violent and graphic for 1958. Although not actually shown, a rape is strongly implied and is very disturbing.) The Bravados will become one of your favorite films after you have seen it: almost 50 years later, it still makes quite an impression.

Amazon is becoming INCREASINGLY DISHONEST re DVDs
It is impossible to tell if "The Bravados" is being issued in Widescreen or (yecch) Full/Standard screen format.Amazon normally now makes it a point to NOT SAY what the screen format is if it is a Full Screen version.So I am assuming that's what this one is.This is an increasing use of dishonesty by Amazon rather than telling buyers probably the most key piece of information about a DVD.A couple years ago, the aspect ratio was usually clearly stated.

I give The Bravados 3 stars unless it's in widescreen, then 4 stars.Numerous interesting actors, some in their first screen appearances: Stephen Boyd, Henry Silva, etc.

Great film if intact
An excellent film with an unusual and dramatic canyon background, which requires widescreen. Yet again, we have a great film listed without any data on aspect ratio. I don't know whether Amazon is becoming negligent or the studios are remaining devious, but there seems to be a recent epidemic of this and I would defer purchase until the disc details are made public.

Awesome Peck Western
Gregory Peck always had that solid, rugged character that made his heroes so appealing. Very human but very admirable. In the Bravados, Peck plays a rancher who has been tracking the foru outlaws who killed his wife. He finds them in a town about to be hanged. Then, the four escape,and Peck's character is sent after them.

This is a Western with heart, grit, and some surprises, and as Peck's Western's often did, The Bravados doesn't just feature action, but goes in depth into the heart and mind of its characters. This is one of Peck's best Westerns, and he made two or three of the best ever made, so this is a fine film indeed.

Very good western with a twist
The Bravados is an excellent western with a great cast and a good twist towards the end.Jim Douglas is a rancher who has been tracking the four men who raped and murdered his wife.Coming upon a town, Douglas discovers the four men have been captured and are to be hung the next day.The night before the hanging, the gang escapes town with a hostage.Rancher Douglas and a town posse must go after them to try and bring them to justice.This is a very exciting western that suprised me a bit with the twist ending, but it works here.The movie is beautifully shot although I'm not sure where it was filmed.For a western with a good cast and excellent shoot-outs, the Bravados is well worth a watch.

Gregory Peck is excellent as rancher Jim Douglas who relentlessly pursues the men who he believes killed his wife.This reminded me of his performance in The Gunfighter to a certain extent.Joan Collins is pretty good in a small part as a townswoman who takes an interest in Douglas.The gang who murdered Douglas' wife is played by Stephen Boyd, Henry Silva, Lee Van Cleef, and Albert Salmi.The movie also stars Kathleen Gallant, Gene Evans, and Joe DeRita of Three Stooges fame.The VHS is in standard format.The Bravados cries out for a widescreen DVD release since it is such a beautifully shot western.DVD release or not, the Bravados is an excellent western with a very good performance by Gregory Peck and well worth a watch. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The jaunty rhythms of Irving Berlin drive Alexander's Ragtime Band,an epic musical from 1938 that follows the up-and-down romance of a youngbandleader (Tyrone Power, Witness for the Prosecution) and thesinger he loves (Alice Faye, Tin Pan Alley) over decades. Theirjourney from a San Francisco honky-tonk to mass popularity is marked byclassic songs like "Oh How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning," "Blue Skies,""A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody," "Easter Parade," and the title track.Power and Faye are a little bland, but the supporting cast--includingDon Ameche (Midnight), Jack Haley (the Tin Woodsman from TheWizard of Oz), and a very young Ethel Merman--give the movie some realpersonality, as do a few wild dance numbers. At the end, the movie becomessurprisingly suspenseful and even a little touching. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Stunning tribute to some of Irving Berlin's very best
"Alexander's Ragtime Band" is wonderful entertainment in so many different ways and its chief fame rests undoubtedly on the fact that it provided a perfect showcase for almost two dozen Irving Berlin tunes that have gone down into musical history. Who can forget the magical "Blue Skies", and of course the celebrated title tune "Alexander's Ragtime Band". Twentieth Century Fox pulled all the stops out with this 1838 production not only providing Irving Berlin with a stunning showcase for his musical genius but with an opulent no expense spared tribute to the enduring talents of lead performers Tyrone Power and Alice Faye.

Tyrone Power has the lead role of Nob Hill raised Roger Grant ne: Alexander, an earnest young conductor in 1911 San Francisco committed to the elevation of swing as a musical force in its own right. The story covers over 3 decades as we see his rise and fall and rise again as his fortunes change with each passing decade. In particular the focus is on his love/hate, on again/off again relationship with the band's lead singer Stella Kirby (Alice Faye)a brassy saloon singer from the Barbary Coast with no refinement but alot of energy and a great talent. Their's is a tumultous relationship which sees them unwillingly thrown together in their work, through a veiled attraction to each other, to separation by war, to Stella developing refinement and then finding fame in New York as a solo singer through to her unhappy marriage to a member of the Band Charlie Dwyer (Dom Ameche in another underrated performance) Of course the resolution at the conclusion is a happy one with the pair being finally reunited in a rousing rendition at Carnegie Hall of, you guessed it "Alexander's Ragtime Band"!

Having just previously worked together in Fox's classic "In Old Chicago", Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, and Don Ameche were by this stage a well oiled team of professionals that were as effective in period dramas as they were in this production. Alice Faye in particular has a real showcase in this production with her development from the loud saloon singer into a world acclaimed artist in her own right.Her unusual deep smoky singing style in particular really suits the tunes she performs here. In particular her rendition of "Blue Skies" is unforgettable and really is the most memorable song used here. Tyrone Power was just reaching his peak when "Alexander's Ragtime Band", went into production. His stylish good looks often hide the fact that his was a fine acting talent and he certainly proves it in his playing of the determined young band leader who encounters all kinds of difficulties in his climb to the top in swing. His onscreen chemistry with Don Ameche and with Alice Faye in particular works wonderfully and he would work with her rather sadly only one more time in the next year in "Rose of Washington Square". Also of great interest in this film is a rare early appearance by the legendary Ethel Merman as Jerry Allen who comes in as the replacement singer when Stella leaves the band. Merman was a formidable talent but somehow with the exception of her classic "Call Me Madam", never really became a successful movie actress. Her great stardom came fittingly on Broadway where her name became legend. Merman is best in her musical numbers in this film where her terrific vocal range and delivery are evident. Her rendition of "Blue Skies" is also one of the films show stoppers.

The Beauty of "Alexander's Ragtime Band", also lays in the great attention to period detail employed here. Fox went all out as befitted a Darryl F. Zanuck production with lavish sets, stunning costumes and brisk energic direction by the legendary Henry King who always worked so well with Tyrone Power. Indeed the look of this film is really eye stopping and it was Fox's most expensive production that year. All the effort resulted in a stunning six Academy Award nominations including one for Best Picture, it being a rare honour for a musical to be included in that category.

For anyone looking for a musical feast for both the ears and the eyes "Alexander's Ragtime Band", is unsurpassed entertainment from the old school of movie making. Knowing that so many of Irving Berlin's signature tunes came from this production certainly reserves it a special place in musical history. For those that love his work, and admire Tyrone Power and Alice Faye at the peak of their success and beauty then you can't go past this film rendition of Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band".

A joyous musical
Alice Faye has never been better. Ethel Merman shines in a supporting role. Don Ameche shows why he should have been a lead, and then there's Tyrone Power who simply ravishing. The music is superb, and the script is solid. This is one of the best musicals. A real treat. Don't miss it.

Ragtime Showtime
If you like ragtime and Alice Faye's voice, and if you love the classic old musicals and how Tyrone Power looks, then this is the movie for you.

Beautiful songs performed with all the style and glamour of that era, charming people to cheer for and hurt with, the universal element of true love . . . all this makes for a classic.

One of the nitpicks, of course, is that none of them age a day throughout the entire movie. And the eerie feeling you get from the taxi driver seems better suited for a mystery or a suspense, not a musical such as this.

Alice Faye (spunky and sincere) and Ethel Merman (smooth yet practical) both singing to Tyrone Power (handsome as ever) is rather amusing. The songs, including "Blue Skies" which both lead ladies sing, are some of Irving Berlin's best.

THIRTIES GEM
A beautiful example of a high-gloss production of the thirties, ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND is slick, well-edited and backed by stunning sets and costumes. Chock full of Irving Berlin ballads, this movie takes us from 1915 to 1938 and it's great fun throughout. Alice Faye is amusing as a rather risque floozie and although Merman is rather unphotogenic, she comes off with a better performance (in all actuality, when seen in close-ups, young Tyrone Power is more beautiful than either!)

Excellent movie. Great for couples and families.
This wonderful old musical will even captivate your children. The songs are thrilling, and the acting superb. Modern movies can't compete! ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Spencer Tracy gives a great performance.
In these times where ignorance (high school high is an example) is produced for the public to consume, and special effects are the driving force in many movies, it is very pleasing to watch a movie where the message is positive. The old man & the sea is a story of an aged fisherman living in Cuba who finds himself not only chasing a giant Marlin, but himself. He has reached a point in his life where he has almost lost hope in himself and in life. The ironic point is that although he landed and brought the fish back to shore, it was devoured by a group of sharks. He showed people his luck did not wear out, only that persistence (hard work) pays does pay off. If only he had a bigger boat... If you are interested in another great performance, see "Going My Way" starring Bing Crosby who won an academy award for best actor for the movie.

Eighty-Four Straight Days Without A Fish
Santiago is an aged Cuban fisherman who has not caught any fish for eighty-four straight days. Because he is considered unlucky by the other villagers, the young boy who usually assists Santiago is told by his parents to join a luckier boat which has recently been catching some fish.

On the eighty-fifth day Santiago sets out alone and after a while he hooks a huge marlin. Most of the rest of the movie is about Santiago's struggle with the marlin and his battles with attacking sharks which are trying to eat the big fish. The story is also about Santiago's relationship with the boy who cares for the old man both before and after his epic voyage. The boy is indebted to Santiago for all that he has learned from him about fishing. Santiago is a widower and childless.

Much of the film shows Santiago alone at sea struggling with the marlin. In other words the movie is mostly focused on Spencer Tracy who does an excellent job of holding the viewer's interest.

In spite of Tracy's great performance, however, I still think that Anthony Quinn would have been a better choice for the role of Santiago - except for the fact that Quinn was fifteen years younger than Tracy.

The script closely follows Hemingway's novel which makes the movie even more remarkable.

A mythical cycle!
Hemingway decide to make an apparent simple story when in reality , he would write one of his most emblematic and passionate works.
Santiago is a simple man . In all his life nothing has happened , a flat life in the middle of this fisher community.
Suddenly the fate's call comes for him . 84 days in the sea Ñ twelve weeks without getting any important piece.
This means the unavoidable journey , the invisible conflicy between the man and the nature . You have to realize that the sea has been for this single fisherman a friend and a silent lover and witeness of his miseries and hopeless.
Suddenly he catchs a gorgeous piece; a beauty blue needle fish. His triumph deserved all the hunger since three months he left his home. This means the epic fight. But the long arm of the fate smiled him just for a brief moment , the sharks will appear and the tragedy begins .
Now Santiago has to fight to preserve his piece . The fight is inhuman and awful , he must leave that zone and keep the fish .
More than a fish you've killed a man replies in loud voice our simple man.
When our hero arrives to the coast he's another man . He won the combat and no matter there were no witeness . The life in many times it's capricious , but you must never give up . You must follow your bliss , no matter how high be the prize you pay.
Spencer Tracy made a top knotch performance with this one.
The film keeps its inner force and the spirit of the original novel, since its release forty six years ago.
Watch this movie . It goes far beyond than a simple entertaining !
Dazzling direction and obviously who can fail with a script like this one?
A cult movie !

the old man and the sea review
Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea is a story about an old sea fisherman and his struggle with a greatest fish he has ever seen. The story takes place on the coast of Cuba in a small fishing village. Due to the fact he has not caught a fish in eighty-four days, his young apprentice is forced to go fish in a more prosperous boat. Although the book seems to have a simple plot, there is a lot of symbolism and the ending was interesting.
Some criticize The Old Man and the Sea for dragging on, but the character development only makes it more interesting to find out what happens. The main character, Santiago, is modest and keeps up hope despite his circumstance. His willingness to keep on, even despite his outcome, is moving.
Hemingway's style of writing also creates a detailed environment. The plot may be too straightforward but what it lacks, it makes up for rich detail. The way Hemingway depicts man's battle with nature makes it a good book to read.
The symbolism in the book is hard to read at first. As the book goes on, Hemingway uses more and more words that link Santiago to Christ and are very hard to miss. During the old man's battle with the fish, fishing cable cuts his palms. When carrying a mast across his shoulders in the village, images of Christ's march to Calgary can be related.
I would suggest this book to almost anyone over fifteen. The book is short (around a hundred pages) and straightforward. Although it has such a simple plot, the symbolism is a little more difficult to understand. Writing in short declarative sentences, Hemingway's style of writing makes it harder to read.

First Movie with a Saving The Planet Message.
When I first saw this movie, I thought this was an early save the planet movie. Well In addition to Spencer Tracy's powerful performance as a fisherman trying to catch the Marlan, there is also a lot of natural/wildlife photography in it that serves as the background for the movie and it's quite extensive for a 1958 film. I heard that Hemmingway really enjoyed the outdoor world, well this movie certainly had plenty of the natural world to show of. ... Read more

Description

One of the few surviving films of doomed director William Desmond Taylor, this is surely the most realistic version of the popular Mark Twain classic. Publicity claimed that the film was shot in Hannibal, Missouri, and it sure does look like it. Everything has an authentic 19th-century feel to it, and Jack Pickford is a natural as Tom Sawyer. He's grubby, awkward and practically a juvenile delinquent, but with a streak of real humanity within him. That's exactly how Twain wrote the character, and it's definitely not the way Hollywood usually portrays him. Director Taylor brings a vividness to each scene that will remind many of D.W. Griffith, with the same careful attention to characterization and dramatic rhythm.

Supplemental material: Also on this disc is a complete five-reel feature, "Little Mary Sunshine" (1916). Henry King directed, and the title role features Baby Marie Osborne, who became a child star for the rest of the decade on the strength of this film. It's a simple light drama about a timy orphan girl who escapes the slums, finds a home with a wealthy family... and helps reunite her new father with the woman he loves. The sequence with the trained bear is a real charmer. Organ scores by Bob Vaughn. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Two delightful and enjoyable stories on one DVD
Unknown Video has put two rather special early silent films on this DVD; the main one featuring Jack Pickford playing Tom Sawyer very convincingly in a charming and realistic rendition of the famous story, and "Little Mary Sunshine" is apparently the only surviving film (of 22 in total) featuring 'Baby Marie' Osborne, an adorable child star of the WWI era with a mop of curly hair (move over, Shirley Temple!) and it is also one of the first films directed by Henry King, who also co-stars in this short feature film. I really enjoyed them both:"Tom Sawyer" for its excellent character portrayals and authentic feel, and "Little Mary Sunshine" for its 'charm factor' - not only the cute little girl, but a playful young bear plays a role and the story itself is also heart-warming.Poor little Mary escapes the slums when her drunken father kills her mother, and she is taken in by an unhappy young man and his family.Mary soon turns into a ray of sunshine in her new home and plays a part in fixing the young man's troubles.Both short features (both just under an hour long) are very well directed and overall a pleasure to watch.A good organ score by Bob Vaughn for both films is another nice aspect, but the picture quality of both is only average at times, and there is no real menu on the disc, only basic scene selection, so for general presentation I would only rate this as 3 stars, but for the good quality stories and significance of the films, I give it 4 stars.I'm sure any lover of early silent films (they are from 1917 and 1916, respectively) would enjoy this double feature, and perhaps anyone curious about an early Tom Sawyer version would also not be disappointed. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

1952 Gregory Peck feature not a classic !
A colorized version of a b/w film shot in exotic European locations, three legendary Hollywood screen actors of the 40s and 50s (Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, and Ava Gardner), based on a story considered a classic of American literature. . .how could you go wrong? How, indeed? But something doesn't translate well here, sadly.

"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a slow-moving film, a bit disjointed, told completely in flashbacks. I remember reading excerpts from Ernest Hemingway's story of the same name for an upper-level English composition course I took over 20 years ago from one of the long-haired hippie professors who were the bane of my existence back then. Problem with that particular prof was that he forced us to read dark, depresssing mediocre literature; I never liked anything he wanted us to model our own writing after--and still don't like the authors he held up as paragons of good writing.

SYNOPSIS: Successful American writer Harry Street (Peck) is forced to reflect on his past successes and failures and analyzes his life as he faces death at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He is camped on the slope of the famous African mountain with his second wife, Helen, who listens to him bemoan his lost (dead) first wife, Cynthia, as he drifts in and out of consciousness following an accident. The cause of his medical condition is not clear, as the couple can't agree whether he was scraped by a poisonous thorn or if he got injured while rescuing an African native from an angry hippopotamus, so this just added to my confusion. I'm not even sure if Helen is actually his wife; Susan Hayward is listed simply as "Helen" with no last name in all cast-lists I could find for this film. I missed something, what with all the flashbacks and cuts back to the camp-site where Street lay on his deathbed, surrounded by vultures in the trees and cackling hyenas at night.

The bright spot I found in this film was in Hildegard Knef's rather campy portrayal of "Countess Liz," to whom Street was affianced after divorcing Cynthia and before taking off to Africa with Helen. (Confused? So was I!) I don't think she meant to be funny, but I found her accent reminiscent of Madeline Kahn's character in "Young Frankenstein," which I found a hoot. Kahn may have used Knef as her role-model! I mean, I thought Harry and Liz were living in Paris, and I thought Liz was probably French. I researched Hildegard Knef a bit and found that she was born in Germany; she sounded like a German imitating a French accent, and I got a kick out of it.

One final detail that I might point out could help other viewers when they watch this film. At first I found it odd that two similar-looking brunette actresses (Hayward and Gardner) were cast as Harry Street's wives, but then I remembered something that the character says when he met Helen. Harry is giving a voice-over narrative during some of the flashbacks and is actually speaking to his dead wife Cynthia. He says, basically, "I'd follow any woman who reminded me of you in some way."

How very sad. Harry and Cynthia were happy together, but divorce because of a personal tragedy that happens between them, so Harry moves on to fabulously wealthy but overly-controlling Liz, only to realize at the last minute that he is still in love with his first wife. Harry goes to Spain, too late, to find Cynthia. I think he somehow thought he could replace Cynthia with a similar-looking woman, but it just couldn't be the same.

RECOMMENDATION: Get this if you're a big fan of Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner (she gives a good performance), or Susan Hayward, but don't think you're getting a top-notch rendition of a piece of American Literature (consider the source; it's a work by Hemingway!). Another translation for high-school students: don't substitute viewing this film for reading the Cliff's-Notes!! You'll end up more confused than if you simply read the book.

Possibly hollywood's worst Hemingway adaptation
Ranks right down there with Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man. Stiff Peck at his honking woodenest, vapid Gardner, shrill Hayward, the adaptation like something out of a romance mag. Only Bernard Hermann's music which he later recycled for Vertigo was of professional quality.

Snows of Kilimanjaro
Bought the DVD in assembling a Gregory Peck collection. Version was the one with Ava Gardner on the cover of the pack. The film was complete, but there was annoying technical noise, and quite a bit of fluttering in the picture. I may at some point buy another version of this DVD, but I do not recommend the technical quality of this particular production.

HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH KILIMANJARO...
As he lay dying,

Peck pines for Ava whom he

loves, while Hayward waits.

An interesting Hemingway adaptation
Ernest Hemingway hated this adaptation of his work, and disparagingly referred to it as "The Snows of Zanuck." I think he was overestimating his own writing, and I think the film is no worse than the work upon which it was based. Methinks he doth protest too much. Hemingway was heard to grumble: "I sold Zanuck one short story, not my whole body of works." The Casey Robinson screenplay is witty and honest, with the right blend of cynicism and naivetee. Gregory Peck is a gruff, grumbly, handsome-as-a-devil Hemingway "hero," and Ava Gardner makes a memorable, heartbreakingly beautiful Cynthia. Susan Hayward makes the best of the film's most thankless role (she looks great in a pith helmut, too). The layers of flashbacks perfectly convey the sense of a man reevaluating his past as he faces imminent death. Much has been made of the ending, and the way it deviates from the original story. I don't see the sunny Hollywood ending purists have denounced, since we really don't know the status of the dying writer as the helicopter arrives. The soundtrack is a bit loopy and out-of-synch in places, and the special effects (especially the river crossing) look pretty bad by today's standards, but the acting adds a depth and humanity which is missing from Hemingway's original work. A fun piece of escapist safaridrama along the lines of the superior "King Solomon's Mines" or "Mogambo." ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Don't They Know There's A War On!
A Yank in the RAF has to be the politest War Movie I've ever seen ( The devil you say!). The air combat scenes are primitive but effective for the time and there is a very good combat sequence of Dunkirk. But it's the tone of the film that was hard to understand at first. (Cherrio, stiff upper lip and all that!). I couldn't buy the characters attitude through the whole pictire, don't they know there's a war on! Do RAF pilots really shout "Tally-Ho" before engaging the enemy? This is not Mrs Minevere! However, where it fails as a war movie, it succeeds as a Romantic Comedy (Rather whitty dialog eh!) Power and Grable are funny and charming on screen and I could not help liking the movie as a romantic comedy. (You could do worse old man!)

a disapointment
Of all the terrific Betty Grable films I don't understand how this one made it to dvd. I just thought the story was dull and the dvd quality wasn't the greatest. I wish they would put I Wake up Screaming, The Dolly Sisters and Mother Wore Tights on dvd.

Tyrone Power and Betty Grable in wartime romance
"A Yank in the R.A.F", was one of the first of Hollywood's productions that was designed to draw home audiences to the happenings overseas as the shadow of war crossed over Europe. Although done in a light vein this production has much to commend it, namely a wonderful teaming (the only time ever), between Box Office heartthrob Tyrone Power at his most handsome and the future queen of war time Hollywood Betty Grable. This combined with exciting aerial photography done in England and a steller British supporting cast helps make this film an entertaining and timely view on the effect war has on nations and its peoples.

The story tells of a brash young cocky American Tim Baker (Tyrone Power)who decides to make good in the coming war situation by making a fortune ferrying bombers over to England as it goes into direct conflict with Germany. Only thinking of his own profits he unexpectedly encounters former love Carol Brown who between her nightclub engagements is doing her bit for the local war effort by working for the medical corps. Determined to get her back after an earlier bad ending to their relationship Tim decides to join up with the R.A.F to impress her with his sincere attentions. Once in the R.A.F however Tim encounters some rivalry from upright Commander John Morley (John Sutton) who is everything that Tim isn't, proper, responsible, reliable and a true gemtleman, and who is equally smitten with Carol. The story chronicles the back and forth feelings that Carol has for both men, knowing full well that Commander Morley is by far the best prospect for marriage and a proper relationship , while all the time knowing that Tim, with all his faults is the one she really loves. Once the R.A.F starts to see active service however Tim unexpectedly finds a purpose in his life. A daring raid over Germany and his participation in the evacuation of Dunkirk open his eyes to the reality of war and he sees for the first time what is worth fighting for in our democracy. The fade out finds Tim injured but this time a true hero and worthy of Carol's affection despite him retaining his roguish manner and eye for a pretty girl which Carol realises, like it or loath it, will forever be part of his character.

"A Yank in the R.A.F", was one of Twentieth Century Fox's biggest productions for 1941 and no expense was spared in bringing this romance in the eye of war to the screen. In their only teaming together Tyrone Power and Betty Grable work very well together making their two characters, despite the unbelievable circumstances of their day to day existence, seemingly real and appealing. The script provides ample opportunities for their best assets to be regularly put on display for the audiences benefit, namely Tyrone's stunning looks and Betty's famous legs soon to be immortalised into Hollywood Folklore. The film however is not all froth and bubble. A real attempt is made to begin to educate the audience about the approaching crisis in Europe and some of the battle scenes and aerial photography is superb in displaying the frightening consequences of war. Directed with typical gusto by Tyrone Power's favourite director Henry King the action is never allowed to slacken and the romantic interludes are incorporated well into the action sequences with their more serious intention. The film is certainly a star vechicle for the two Fox stars however the supporting British cast create the necessary atmosphere of war time London. John Sutton has the possibly thankless role of Commander Morley, Tyrone's superior and rival for Carol's attentions however he breathes real life into what is potentially an "other man", role and makes us care what happens to the solid , upright British soldier. The always excellent Reginald Gardiner as Flying Officer Roger Pillby, the man always after a good time who tragically is killed trying to save his mates in combat also is excellent and in a small part British actress Ethel Griffies as Lady FitzHugh provides just the right elements of efficency and British crustiness to make us feel we are definately part of the air raid practice that she is responsible for running.

The film, while undoubtedly a piece of Hollywood romance, was important in a number of ways. It certainly began the real build up in Betty Grable's career which saw her become a great symbol of what was worth fighting for at home. Tyrone Power was at the peak of his Box office drawing power at this time just prior to him going into the armed forces. It cemented his stardom and proved that audiences would still like to see him in more serious themed movies in the future. Importantly it made US audiences aware that the coming conflict was something that would affect all of them , not just Europe and for that purpose the film had good propaganda value. I see the film as an entertaining film from Hollwood's war time period which is certainly not totally realistic but tells an entertaining story with engaging lead actors in Tyrone Power and Betty Grable at their peak.

Betty Grable fans...and World War II buffs, REJOICE...
...this 1941 film did a lot in its day to interest
Americans in the plight of our British cousins at
the beginning of World War II. It is entertainment,
but with air combat footage that adds to its reality.
Betty Grable and Tyrone Power are attractive and
engaging. Now that we are once again sadly engaged
in war, it is of special interest to have the chance
to look at ourselves sixty years ago and reflect upon
the similarities and the differences. Betty Grable
was a symbol of American womanhood back then...she was
more than a pin up...she was a working woman and a very
popular entertainer. Certainly she is another reason
this film is well worth watching.

Grable brings playboy flier down to earth
Playboy flier Tyrone Power enlists in RAF at the start of WW2. In London he literally bumps into his ex-girlfriend, dancer Betty Grable, and tries to rekindle their romance, in this exciting wartime adventure written by studio chief Darryl Zanuck (under the name of Melville Crossman). Hollywood's first WW2 film is a very authentic account of the early days of Britain at war. Good use of actual aerial battle-scene footage. And Grable adds a touch of much-needed sex appeal in her scenes with Power. In the original story Power's character was killed in battle, but when the British War Office heard of this, they pleaded with Zanuck to change the ending as it would have a bad effect on the morale of UK citizens! Zanuck conceded, and Power wins Grable in the end. Oh well, that's Hollywood. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

1952 Gregory Peck feature not a classic !
A colorized version of a b/w film shot in exotic European locations, three legendary Hollywood screen actors of the 40s and 50s (Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, and Ava Gardner), based on a story considered a classic of American literature. . .how could you go wrong? How, indeed? But something doesn't translate well here, sadly.

"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a slow-moving film, a bit disjointed, told completely in flashbacks. I remember reading excerpts from Ernest Hemingway's story of the same name for an upper-level English composition course I took over 20 years ago from one of the long-haired hippie professors who were the bane of my existence back then. Problem with that particular prof was that he forced us to read dark, depresssing mediocre literature; I never liked anything he wanted us to model our own writing after--and still don't like the authors he held up as paragons of good writing.

SYNOPSIS: Successful American writer Harry Street (Peck) is forced to reflect on his past successes and failures and analyzes his life as he faces death at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He is camped on the slope of the famous African mountain with his second wife, Helen, who listens to him bemoan his lost (dead) first wife, Cynthia, as he drifts in and out of consciousness following an accident. The cause of his medical condition is not clear, as the couple can't agree whether he was scraped by a poisonous thorn or if he got injured while rescuing an African native from an angry hippopotamus, so this just added to my confusion. I'm not even sure if Helen is actually his wife; Susan Hayward is listed simply as "Helen" with no last name in all cast-lists I could find for this film. I missed something, what with all the flashbacks and cuts back to the camp-site where Street lay on his deathbed, surrounded by vultures in the trees and cackling hyenas at night.

The bright spot I found in this film was in Hildegard Knef's rather campy portrayal of "Countess Liz," to whom Street was affianced after divorcing Cynthia and before taking off to Africa with Helen. (Confused? So was I!) I don't think she meant to be funny, but I found her accent reminiscent of Madeline Kahn's character in "Young Frankenstein," which I found a hoot. Kahn may have used Knef as her role-model! I mean, I thought Harry and Liz were living in Paris, and I thought Liz was probably French. I researched Hildegard Knef a bit and found that she was born in Germany; she sounded like a German imitating a French accent, and I got a kick out of it.

One final detail that I might point out could help other viewers when they watch this film. At first I found it odd that two similar-looking brunette actresses (Hayward and Gardner) were cast as Harry Street's wives, but then I remembered something that the character says when he met Helen. Harry is giving a voice-over narrative during some of the flashbacks and is actually speaking to his dead wife Cynthia. He says, basically, "I'd follow any woman who reminded me of you in some way."

How very sad. Harry and Cynthia were happy together, but divorce because of a personal tragedy that happens between them, so Harry moves on to fabulously wealthy but overly-controlling Liz, only to realize at the last minute that he is still in love with his first wife. Harry goes to Spain, too late, to find Cynthia. I think he somehow thought he could replace Cynthia with a similar-looking woman, but it just couldn't be the same.

RECOMMENDATION: Get this if you're a big fan of Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner (she gives a good performance), or Susan Hayward, but don't think you're getting a top-notch rendition of a piece of American Literature (consider the source; it's a work by Hemingway!). Another translation for high-school students: don't substitute viewing this film for reading the Cliff's-Notes!! You'll end up more confused than if you simply read the book.

Possibly hollywood's worst Hemingway adaptation
Ranks right down there with Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man. Stiff Peck at his honking woodenest, vapid Gardner, shrill Hayward, the adaptation like something out of a romance mag. Only Bernard Hermann's music which he later recycled for Vertigo was of professional quality.

Snows of Kilimanjaro
Bought the DVD in assembling a Gregory Peck collection. Version was the one with Ava Gardner on the cover of the pack. The film was complete, but there was annoying technical noise, and quite a bit of fluttering in the picture. I may at some point buy another version of this DVD, but I do not recommend the technical quality of this particular production.

HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH KILIMANJARO...
As he lay dying,

Peck pines for Ava whom he

loves, while Hayward waits.

An interesting Hemingway adaptation
Ernest Hemingway hated this adaptation of his work, and disparagingly referred to it as "The Snows of Zanuck." I think he was overestimating his own writing, and I think the film is no worse than the work upon which it was based. Methinks he doth protest too much. Hemingway was heard to grumble: "I sold Zanuck one short story, not my whole body of works." The Casey Robinson screenplay is witty and honest, with the right blend of cynicism and naivetee. Gregory Peck is a gruff, grumbly, handsome-as-a-devil Hemingway "hero," and Ava Gardner makes a memorable, heartbreakingly beautiful Cynthia. Susan Hayward makes the best of the film's most thankless role (she looks great in a pith helmut, too). The layers of flashbacks perfectly convey the sense of a man reevaluating his past as he faces imminent death. Much has been made of the ending, and the way it deviates from the original story. I don't see the sunny Hollywood ending purists have denounced, since we really don't know the status of the dying writer as the helicopter arrives. The soundtrack is a bit loopy and out-of-synch in places, and the special effects (especially the river crossing) look pretty bad by today's standards, but the acting adds a depth and humanity which is missing from Hemingway's original work. A fun piece of escapist safaridrama along the lines of the superior "King Solomon's Mines" or "Mogambo." ... Read more

Reviews (10)

1952 Gregory Peck feature not a classic !
A colorized version of a b/w film shot in exotic European locations, three legendary Hollywood screen actors of the 40s and 50s (Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, and Ava Gardner), based on a story considered a classic of American literature. . .how could you go wrong? How, indeed? But something doesn't translate well here, sadly.

"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a slow-moving film, a bit disjointed, told completely in flashbacks. I remember reading excerpts from Ernest Hemingway's story of the same name for an upper-level English composition course I took over 20 years ago from one of the long-haired hippie professors who were the bane of my existence back then. Problem with that particular prof was that he forced us to read dark, depresssing mediocre literature; I never liked anything he wanted us to model our own writing after--and still don't like the authors he held up as paragons of good writing.

SYNOPSIS: Successful American writer Harry Street (Peck) is forced to reflect on his past successes and failures and analyzes his life as he faces death at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He is camped on the slope of the famous African mountain with his second wife, Helen, who listens to him bemoan his lost (dead) first wife, Cynthia, as he drifts in and out of consciousness following an accident. The cause of his medical condition is not clear, as the couple can't agree whether he was scraped by a poisonous thorn or if he got injured while rescuing an African native from an angry hippopotamus, so this just added to my confusion. I'm not even sure if Helen is actually his wife; Susan Hayward is listed simply as "Helen" with no last name in all cast-lists I could find for this film. I missed something, what with all the flashbacks and cuts back to the camp-site where Street lay on his deathbed, surrounded by vultures in the trees and cackling hyenas at night.

The bright spot I found in this film was in Hildegard Knef's rather campy portrayal of "Countess Liz," to whom Street was affianced after divorcing Cynthia and before taking off to Africa with Helen. (Confused? So was I!) I don't think she meant to be funny, but I found her accent reminiscent of Madeline Kahn's character in "Young Frankenstein," which I found a hoot. Kahn may have used Knef as her role-model! I mean, I thought Harry and Liz were living in Paris, and I thought Liz was probably French. I researched Hildegard Knef a bit and found that she was born in Germany; she sounded like a German imitating a French accent, and I got a kick out of it.

One final detail that I might point out could help other viewers when they watch this film. At first I found it odd that two similar-looking brunette actresses (Hayward and Gardner) were cast as Harry Street's wives, but then I remembered something that the character says when he met Helen. Harry is giving a voice-over narrative during some of the flashbacks and is actually speaking to his dead wife Cynthia. He says, basically, "I'd follow any woman who reminded me of you in some way."

How very sad. Harry and Cynthia were happy together, but divorce because of a personal tragedy that happens between them, so Harry moves on to fabulously wealthy but overly-controlling Liz, only to realize at the last minute that he is still in love with his first wife. Harry goes to Spain, too late, to find Cynthia. I think he somehow thought he could replace Cynthia with a similar-looking woman, but it just couldn't be the same.

RECOMMENDATION: Get this if you're a big fan of Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner (she gives a good performance), or Susan Hayward, but don't think you're getting a top-notch rendition of a piece of American Literature (consider the source; it's a work by Hemingway!). Another translation for high-school students: don't substitute viewing this film for reading the Cliff's-Notes!! You'll end up more confused than if you simply read the book.

Possibly hollywood's worst Hemingway adaptation
Ranks right down there with Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man. Stiff Peck at his honking woodenest, vapid Gardner, shrill Hayward, the adaptation like something out of a romance mag. Only Bernard Hermann's music which he later recycled for Vertigo was of professional quality.

Snows of Kilimanjaro
Bought the DVD in assembling a Gregory Peck collection. Version was the one with Ava Gardner on the cover of the pack. The film was complete, but there was annoying technical noise, and quite a bit of fluttering in the picture. I may at some point buy another version of this DVD, but I do not recommend the technical quality of this particular production.

HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH KILIMANJARO...
As he lay dying,

Peck pines for Ava whom he

loves, while Hayward waits.

An interesting Hemingway adaptation
Ernest Hemingway hated this adaptation of his work, and disparagingly referred to it as "The Snows of Zanuck." I think he was overestimating his own writing, and I think the film is no worse than the work upon which it was based. Methinks he doth protest too much. Hemingway was heard to grumble: "I sold Zanuck one short story, not my whole body of works." The Casey Robinson screenplay is witty and honest, with the right blend of cynicism and naivetee. Gregory Peck is a gruff, grumbly, handsome-as-a-devil Hemingway "hero," and Ava Gardner makes a memorable, heartbreakingly beautiful Cynthia. Susan Hayward makes the best of the film's most thankless role (she looks great in a pith helmut, too). The layers of flashbacks perfectly convey the sense of a man reevaluating his past as he faces imminent death. Much has been made of the ending, and the way it deviates from the original story. I don't see the sunny Hollywood ending purists have denounced, since we really don't know the status of the dying writer as the helicopter arrives. The soundtrack is a bit loopy and out-of-synch in places, and the special effects (especially the river crossing) look pretty bad by today's standards, but the acting adds a depth and humanity which is missing from Hemingway's original work. A fun piece of escapist safaridrama along the lines of the superior "King Solomon's Mines" or "Mogambo." ... Read more

Reviews (10)

1952 Gregory Peck feature not a classic !
A colorized version of a b/w film shot in exotic European locations, three legendary Hollywood screen actors of the 40s and 50s (Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, and Ava Gardner), based on a story considered a classic of American literature. . .how could you go wrong? How, indeed? But something doesn't translate well here, sadly.

"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a slow-moving film, a bit disjointed, told completely in flashbacks. I remember reading excerpts from Ernest Hemingway's story of the same name for an upper-level English composition course I took over 20 years ago from one of the long-haired hippie professors who were the bane of my existence back then. Problem with that particular prof was that he forced us to read dark, depresssing mediocre literature; I never liked anything he wanted us to model our own writing after--and still don't like the authors he held up as paragons of good writing.

SYNOPSIS: Successful American writer Harry Street (Peck) is forced to reflect on his past successes and failures and analyzes his life as he faces death at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He is camped on the slope of the famous African mountain with his second wife, Helen, who listens to him bemoan