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After starring in the now-legendary trilogy of spaghetti Westerns for Italian director Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood became a box-office star and imported the style of those classic shoot-'em-ups for this 1967 Western directed by Ted Post, with whom Eastwood had worked during their days on the television series Rawhide. Eastwood plays an innocent rancher who is mistaken for a cattle rustler and sentenced to hang by an angry mob. When he is saved from the noose by a passing lawman, he embarks on a renegade campaign of vengeance against the men who attempted to lynch him. Hang 'Em High offers a number of memorable moments and stylistic flourishes, and features a superb supporting cast of Western veterans, including Ben Johnson, Ed Begley, Pat Hingle, Dennis Hopper, Bruce Dern, L.Q. Jones, and the "Skipper" himself, Alan Hale Jr. Made just three years before Dirty Harry, the film marked a turning point for Eastwood, who would soon move into a prolific period of contemporary thrillers. The digital video disc offers standard and widescreen formats and a remastered soundtrack. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (31)

Eastwood, home on the American range
After earning major stardom with Sergio Leone's spaghetti western trilogy, Clint Eastwood turned down both Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" and Carl Foreman's "MacKenna's Gold" to star in and co-produce this tightly scripted, well-acted western directed by "Gunsmoke" veteran Ted Post. It proved a good choice. If not a masterpiece on the order of Leone's film, or a star studded spectacular like Foreman's offering, "Hang 'Em High" was something the other two were not: a hit. It's also intelligent and makes some interesting if subtle comments on the meaning of justice. The clean-shaven Eastwood is fine as Jed Cooper, a former marshal who once more wears a badge to hunt down the men who hanged him as an alleged cattle thief, but Pat Hingle as a hanging judge who is even more vengeance minded than Eastwood offers the standout performance. Bruce Dern, Bob Steele, Ben Johnson, Joe Sirola, Dennis Hopper, and Alan Hale, Jr. (yes, the Skipper from "Gilligan's Island") are among the notable character actors who appear throughout, and Dominic Frontiere's music score, including the title theme that would go on to be a hit for Booker T and the MGs, is excellent.

Exciting, thoughtful western
After earning major stardom with Sergio Leone's spaghetti western trilogy, Clint Eastwood turned down both Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" and Carl Foreman's "MacKenna's Gold" to star in and co-produce this tightly scripted, well-acted western directed by "Gunsmoke" veteran Ted Post. It proved a good choice. If not a masterpiece on the order of Leone's film, or a star studded spectacular like Foreman's offering, "Hang 'Em High" was something the other two were not: a hit. It's also intelligent and makes some interesting if subtle comments on the meaning of justice. The clean-shaven Eastwood is fine as Jed Cooper, a former marshal who once more wears a badge to hunt down the men who hanged him as an alleged cattle thief, but Pat Hingle as a hanging judge who is even more vengeance minded than Eastwood offers the standout performance. Bruce Dern, Bob Steele, Ben Johnson, Joe Sirola, Dennis Hopper, and Alan Hale, Jr. (yes, the Skipper from "Gilligan's Island") are among the notable character actors who appear throughout, and Dominic Frontiere's music score, including the title theme that would go on to be a hit for Booker T and the MGs, is excellent.

Hung at high noon!
Clint Eastwood's movie, Hang 'em High, is very interesting and dramatic. The plot of this movie was predictable but that is quiet alright. The producer and director probably wanted to convey some other message and hence a standard plot was chosen.

Clint Eastwood is a rancher who is strung up at high noon by a bunch of thugs from a nearby town. They accuse him of murder and theft of cattle. Eastwood however does not die. A US Marshall recues him and brings him to the judge for trial. Judge aquitts Eastwood.

It so happens that Eastwood was a ex-lawman and judge appoints him as a Marshall. Then begins the story of revenge and justice as Eastwood hunts down the vigilante mob that tried to hang him.

There are many interesting questions raised in the movie. What is the relationship between Revenge and Justice? How should justice be dealt out? It is a thought-provoking movie although it has somewhat banal action scenes. Regardless, it's a movie worth your money.

"When you hang a man, You better look at him!!!!!
Hang'em High is one of my favorite westerns. Clint Eastwood is awsome in the role of Jed Cooper, a cowboy who is mistaken for a rustler and gets hanged. After being rescued by a sherriff and given a job as a lawman, Cooper seeks revenge on the 9 men who hung him.
Hang'em High is a good'ol western that's packed with great actors, like Alan Hale Jr. (Giligan's Island) Ed Begley. L.Q. Jones, Dennis Hopper, and in a brief role as a preacher, James MacArthur(Hawaii Five-O), and Bob Steele, in the role as a prison inmate. If you like westerns with Clint Eastwood, give Hang'em High a try.

Hi-Noon Gloom at Solar Eclipse of Justice
Great and terrific western, although a bit incomplete compared to his later American movies, featuring a Clint Eastwood youngster once more, or already, in search of Justice.

How come so many of those Eastwood Westerns remind one of the epics of the Christian narrations of the Gospel themes? It has to be borne in mind that the colonization of the West was once undertaken by deeply religious believers and pious colons, fleeing religious persecutions by bigots, various religious hypocrits and other political imperialists and oportunists. Redemption is and was always strictly a business of individuals, and the Far Wild West narrational environment is or was able to bring out a suitable environment and circumstances for the depiction of the various themes of redemption. Clint Eastwood, in his half-a-dozen or so mythical Westerns, has usually done a great job at this.

In this movie, the heroe (self-tortured as usual with a high inner sense of justice) almost loses his life several times, once in an expedient summary judgement followed by an attempted lynching by a bunch of respectable criminal outlaws in search of an innocent scapegoat, another time by an attempted cold-blooded execution, barely escapes each time with notable scars and (Christ-like) stigmatas, to go out to seek justice and revenge.

In all of Clint Eastwood's westerns, this is a major theme. The world looks like a rather gloomy place, haunted by the lost and the wicked, where there is neither justice nor reprieve for a few righteous ones, and Clint Eastwood incarnates a type of Christ, or avenging Angel, usually back from the Dead or almost-Dead, in a lonely search or quest for justice in a lost world.

For a subsequent illustration of these themes, see the following

- Unforgiven: The Redeemer of Blood pushed to His utter limits
- Pale Rider: The Redeeming and Avenging Angel, or Man with a Mission
- The Outlaw Josey Wales: Moses, the Hunted One turned Leader in the Wilderness
- High Plains Drifter: The Resurrected Righteous, or His Angel, or His Next of Kin , bringing down Retribution to a wicked town (Caphernaum by the Sea)

Although Hang 'em High presents some of the above-mentionned themes in a barely embryonic fashion, these subsequent four Western movies developped the theme matter to further epic dimensions, besides allowing for a few very realistic and authentic western entertainments. Highly watchable. ... Read more

Description

When a mysterious wave of killings sweeps the Mafia underworld, it's Inspector "Dirty Harry" Callahan who answers with Magnum Force. Despite a demotion by Lt. Neil Briggs for his questionable methods, Harry will stop at nothing to find the killers. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

"A man's got to know his limitations."
Who can forget that line from Magnum Force? It has more than one meaning here and definitely sets the theme. Dirty Harry says it a few times in the film but it has the most impact right after Hal Holbrook meets with an unfortunate accident in his car...priceless scene. This is my favorite line Eastwood says to Holbrook in the movie, with the second being when he throws a shell casing from evidence at him saying "eat it!". Magnum Force (1973) is the sequel to Dirty Harry (1971) and this time Harry is still an outsider with his own brand of justice, but he's got nothing on the 4 young motorcycle patrol cops who don't even bother with arrests and paperwork (the criminals don't make it that far!). In Dirty Harry, Callahan chased Scorpio, the mad sniper, but in Magnum Force he doesn't have to go far to find the criminals...they work with him! Action packed and stylish, Magnum Force is essential in the Dirty Harry/Eastwood Collection. The film is directed by television director, Tim Post (Baretta, Combat!) and written by Michael Cimino (director: The Deer Hunter, Thunderbolt & Lightfoot). The cast is great: Felton Perry plays Harry's unfortunate partner who just had to open his mailbox. Look for several familiar faces before they made it big: David "Hutch" Soul, Robert Urich, & Tim Matheson. Also look for a topless Suzanne Somers (uncredited) getting blown away in a swimming pool! I can imagine Joyce DeWitt from Three's Company laughing maniacally when she saw that scene.

"A man has to know his limitations".
"Magnum Force" from 1973,the follow up to "Dirty Harry",(a movie many consider to be a classic) is not as good.Of course sequels rarely are. It does have more action and laughs.You could call it a kind of black comedy,because it is kind of far fetched. The screenplay was cowritten by Michael Cimino,(who wrote and directed "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" with Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges in 1974,which was a good flick),and John Milius,who had an uncredited hand in the original "Dirty Harry". Milius wrote the now famous line,"This being a .44 magnum,...."Do you feel lucky?". It turns up again here right after the opening credits for "Magnum Force". It came out just two years after the original,both were Christmas releases, and it was just as big a hit.They both made about the same amount of money.

The producer and writers had in mind to answer the critics who called Harry Callahan a fascist and a vigilante.Clint Eastwood said in an interview in 1997 about him being called a fascist,"that was just nonsense.Harry was just very concerned about the rights of the victims.What's the matter with that?" The late Gene Siskel also disagreed with those critics. He said "if Harry were to encounter Mussolini or Hitler,he would have popped them to".The critic Roger Ebert calls Harry "extremely fair, he'll shoot anybody". "Magnum Force" is well paced,has some good action sequences and a good chase scene and it does get intense.But,the plot is hokey and it's a little too violent at times.This is not a movie for the kiddies. The cinematography isn't nearly as good as in the original. It doesn't make very good use the San Francisco locations. Lalo Schifrin's score is good though not as inspired as in the original. It's still better than many so called cop movies that have come out since.Like certain bloodthirsty,sadistic mayhem released in the '80's and '90's. In the funny book "Real Men Don"t Eat Quiche" from 1982, the author Bruce Feirstein put "Magnum Force" among those movies real men will pay hard cash to see. Feirstein had a couple of dozen on the list including "Patton","Rocky",some of the James Bond movies,only the ones with Sean Connery,"North Dallas Forty" among others. All these movies are for men only.

Some trivia,Clint Eastwood said in an interview that this story was inspired by the Brazilian death squad of the 1950's.Actor Robert Urich appears as one of the rookie motorcycle cops,this was Mr.Urich's movie debut.Also,a then unknown Suzanne Sommers appears in the swimming pool party scene.Ms. Sommers scenes have her showing off a ring she just received and where she takes her bikini top off in the pool.(Not so shocking since she did do a layout in PLAYBOY about ten years later).Her name didn't get mentioned in the credits.And,Ms.Sommers gets blasted along with the other unfortunate people at the party.And,remember "a man has to know his limitations".

My Favorite Dirty Harry Sequel
Okay... before I begin, I must tell you I am a bit prejudice. I actually saw a scene from this movie being filmed. I lived in San Francisco and in 1973 was walking up the hill to Lafayette Park as they shot some scenes in a high rise apartment building.
I was fascinated as they shot the scene over and over to get the "tension" just right.

Now it is on DVD 30 years later. It has never looked better. Color corrected true wide screen picture, and a soundtrack that is crystal clear.

2 of the vigilante officers are played to perfection by "pre-Starsky" David Soul and, in his first role, the late Robert Urich. The scene in the darkened garage is still powerful in it's quiet threatening tone. It is SO CLEAR the cops enjoy wearing their elegant uniforms and tall boots, leather creaking and chrome gleaming in the dark... an awesome and memorable moment when those who are sent to protect and defend, go over the edge so confidently, quietly and in their minds, logically. It is still very frightening.

Tell Warner Brothers to release the WHOLE film!
The people who assembled this DVD should be ashamed of themselves - the whole film is not there!

One of the most hilarious scenes in the original version of Magnum Force was when the crooked cops are chasing Harry around inside the (very dark) hull of a ship. Every time a shot was fired down there, there would be at LEAST six or seven loud, cartoon-like ricochets. The fact that this might really happen when all of the walls and ceiling are solid steel does not take away from its comic effect. Well, when they remastered the film for DVD, they took all of the ricochets out!

They also cut out some of the sting operation where three hoodlums hold up a convenience store.

Magnum Justice
This is the second of five "Dirty Harry" films in which Eastwood stars as a San Francisco police detective. By the time the last appeared (The Dead Pool in 1988), Eastwood had aged and times had changed but Callahan's non-negotiable values and unorthodox methods had remained essentially the same. In this film, directed by Ted Post with a screenplay co-authored by directors John Milius (e.g. Conan the Barbarian) and Michael Cimino (e.g. The Deer Hunter), the essential premise is that the same legal systems and law enforcement systems to which Callahan so strongly objects have encouraged others to become vigilantes, four of whom serve as police officers under the direct supervision of Lieutenant Briggs (Hal Holbrook). They target and assassinate those whom the "system" has failed to keep off the streets. Of course, Callahan has no sympathy whatsoever for those eliminated. However, he is uncomfortable with the vigilantes' methods (if not their motives) and with what the ancient Greeks -- but not Callahan -- would characterize as their hubris. Eventually, there is the inevitable and obligatory confrontation with them. (Guess who wins?) Those who enjoy this film should also check out The Brotherhood of the Bell (1970), Death Wish (1974), and The Star Chamber (1983) in which Holbrook also appeared. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Early Viet Nam Flick
Not a bad Viet Nam War movie (like some of the REAL BAD stuff out there). Tells the story of the Advisors assigned to MAAG in the early stages of the war before the creation of MACV. Sort of anti-war in theme but does tell a fairly accurate account of what Advisors had to put up with....no support, Viet Cong in the platoon/company they were advising, no air or artillery support, graft, corruption of the Vietnamese Military, etc, etc........shows how REALLY screwed up things were then...and why me should not have gotten involved. Overall not an Academy Award winner but OK. Worth watching.

Clearly one of the best Vietnam Films
I first saw this film in the theater.It was genuine. I rate it high.I would recommend it without reservation, except, if what you know about Vietnam you learned from Hollywood or on campus, it may surprise you.It's not about what the other movie makers wanted to show you, to shock you, to entertain, to proselytize. I never kept a scorecard of technical deficiencies, but to my mind, "Go Tell the Spartans was unmatched by Vietnam stories on film until "We Were Soldiers" in 2002, nearly a quarter century later.There were several others that tried hard.One prolific and self-assured reviewer has rated "Spartans" a one star and does a "Siskel and Ebert" number on it, during which, unwittingly, he discredits his own commentary, at least in the eyes of this veteran, when he says Go Tell the Spartans "...is no way comparable to the great post-Vietnam War films...Apocalypse Now, Taxidriver, Platoon, Born in the USA, and finally the devastating Full Metal Jacket..." Really? Apocalypse Now was a fairy tale!It may have been great storyline and cinematography, as were the Lord of the Rings, but fairy tales, none the less.And, Stone's movies seemed more defaming of real soldiers, with political overtones. I returned from Vietnam in 1969.I know a man who was in Vietnam 15 years earlier - 5 years before our country acknowledged our first casualties [The Memorial dates the war from 1959 to 1975]. There are many millions of stories about Vietnam over the course of a changing war that was the longest in our history.Go Tell the Spartans is one such story.It wasn't the most memorable, by Hollywood standards.But it was compelling.And it was the most believable.And, in this veteran's assessment, whatever its warts, Go Tell the Spartans was the best until "We Were Soldiers".

Viet Nam, the Early Years
Go Tell the Spartans is one of the best, albeit little known, movies about the Viet Nam war, which was overshadowed by Platoon, Hamburger Hill and Full Metal Jacket.

It takes place in the early years of the war, when a few Americans were in-country as advisors to the South Vietnamese government(s). Burt Lancaster does an outstanding job as a team commander, whose career is on a downward slide following some mischief in Washington. His job is to help hold the line from the early Viet Cong infiltrations and attacks in the South.

His support troops range from an educated draftee and a drugged out medic, to a young hotshot captain wanting to earn his CIB and a senior staff NCO who has been in combat a little too often.

The movie is a fine character study and, although movies are the last place to learn history, this one gives a pretty good view of how we got involved and the politics that was rampant in the South - a Viet Nam veteran's perspective.

The violence is minimal for a war movie. This one is definately character driven. See it. You won't regret it.

Vastly Overrated
I bought the title based on the Amazon reviews - but now I wonder if Amazon reviews are written by industry flacks or consumers who actually watched the film and lived through the period - Five stars is ridiculous for a B-movie that cannot decide whether it means to be a comedy or a tragedy - by straddling the line it manages to be neither. Worse, it is full of plot and character cliches derived from old westerns - the actors (apart from Lancaster and Wasson) flounder about without help of direction. The film is an expression of such cynical fatalism that it is painful to see it performed so uncompellingly. Admittedly the tone fits with the mood of the nation when the film was made - immediately after the 1975 US defeat - shame and disgust at the moral bankruptcy of a supine electorate indulgent of a monumental waste of treasure and blood by its hubristic leadership (Richard Nixon) - but this fact cheapens the film because it was decidely not made when it might have made a difference - before the defeat - to counter the jingo-ism of 'Green Berets' and the daily television propaganda of 'body counts.' It is not true to the period it purports to depict -- one of optimistic idealism at what America could do to defeat the march of communism toward the oil-rich Indonesian archipelago. The minimal production values are evident from the first cliched tap of snare drum and the whine of a deuce and a half truck - the landscape is utterly unconvincing - there isn't a tropical plant to be seen. The film is no way comparable to the great post-Vietman War films that were soon to follow:'Apocalypse Now,' 'Taxidriver,' 'Platoon,' 'Born in the USA,' and finally the devastating 'Full Metal Jacket.' The production exactly resembles the television program MASH that became a hit AFTER the defeat and appears to have employed the same southern California back lot - nothing feels right for Vietnam - military protocols are wrong (corporals call sergeants 'Sir') suggesting that financing was so tight that the production lacked a military advisor - or else they were so anti-military that they didn't care to have one. The cliched approach to the enemy 'other' is as simplistic andpredictable as an old western - Vietnamese soldiers and peasants are never heard to speak their own language properly - mime suffices except when a formal translation is depicted - the culture of the locals is non-existent - villagers are shown as a mute clutch of extras who are later proven without apparent exception to be as treacherous as Hollywood Apaches - the writing and direction are so lax that the film trudges sluggishly toward the climax with actors pretending to be soldiers standing around without any suitable business to do to avoid looking utterly awkward -- the VC enemy behave like cliched Indians suicidally charging the circled wagons - cheapening the drama of the climactic attack -- the impression is of a bad comedy with the American advisors shown as pathetic misfits more suitable for an adult 'Sergeant Bilko' -- a druggie medic named Abraham Lincoln, a burned out alcoholic sergeant who commits suicide just before the climax, a comically wan naif (Wasson), an absurd psych warfare officer (who resembles Phil Silvers), a deluded dysentery-ridden lieutenant who is perpetually running to the honey bucket, a corrupt SVA general with a patently fake French accent and a ridiculous moustache, a passed over US Army major (Lancaster) who limps about on a bum knee (why is never explained), a vicious SVA non-com, etc. Nobody wears a GI haircut - no one carries a backpack or an ammo satchel or lifts a canteen to his lips unless it's filled with bourbon - a tiny Bell chopper carries a pallet of supplies to the fortified post, etc. etc. What little military flavor exists derives entirely from the salty language of the major (Lancaster) and his obscene story -- practically no one else save for the sergeant in heard to speak a four letter word. As one would expect from the title everyone dies in the end save for the Ishmael figure (Wasson) -- the overall tone is fatalistic and defeatist which is in keeping with the moral exhaustion felt at the time of defeat ten years after the period depicted in the film. The sense of cynicism and defeat evident in the film's premise (i.e. - final defeat could have been predicted from the beginning) wouldn't be so bad except that history supports the view that the early US advisors were gung-ho and largely first-rate (see the film 'Best and the Brightest'). Ultimately 'Go Tell the Spartans' is more interesting as a piece of post-Vietnam sociology than as entertainment, tragedy, or history. One star is to help right the imbalance of the vastly overrated five stars given by blind and empty-headed viewers.
and

One of the best Vietnam movies ever!
In 480BCE 300 Spartan Hoplites held a pass for the better part of 3 days against a Persian force that may have numbered over 200,000 men. The Spartans were aided by around 7,000 coalition troops during the first 2 days. However, they were dismissed on the 3rd day. The Spartans, their Helots and the Thespians allies died to a last man. It was one of the most gallant stands in all of military history.

To this day there is an inscription on the funeral mound @ Thermopylae that serves as a memorial to their sacrifice. An English translation is as follows:

GO TELL THE SPARTANS, STRANGER PASSING BY
THAT HERE OBEDIENT TO THEIR LAWS WE LIE.

The title of this movie is an allusion to Thermopylae. However, the film itself is about the earliest days of Vietnam. It recounts a time not long after the fall of Dien Bien Pu; an epoch when the U.S. did not have a commitment of a significant number of troops. During the period covered in this movie all that we had over there were a handful of military advisors.

The film details an obscure event at a Vietnam village known as Muc Wa. Although the battle itself will not likely even find its way into the footnotes of history, it nevertheless serves as an excellent "premonition" of what was to come. It narrates how much the U.S. underestimated the fighting prowess and resolve of the Viet Cong. In fact, Muc Wa can be said to be a microcosm of how the entire Vietnam War went for the United States.

The cast of the film is fairly impressive. The lead is taken by Burt Lancaster who portrays a Major who is asked to do the impossible with almost no resources at all. A very young Marc Singer plays his XO. Craig Wasson (best known for his leading role in Brian Depalma's BODY DOUBLE) plays a shy young corporal.

This is a terrific Vietnam movie that encapsulates just about everything that went wrong for the U.S. in the ill-fated conflict. It's a must see for all who seek to learn and understand the facts of the early stages and how it all went downhill from there. ... Read more

Description

What goes on in this nursery isn't for kids! Pray you don't learn the secret of..."The Baby!" Social worker Ann Gentry (Anjanette Comer) is assigned to a new case: the Wadsworth family, which consists of an abusive, alcoholic mother (Ruth Roman), two demented and over-sexed daughters (Suzanne Zenor and Mariana Hill) and "Baby"--a grown son who lives in a crib, gurgles incoherently and is treated like an infant! As Ann slowly learns the dark secrets behind the family, she sets her sights on liberating Baby until a bizarre revelation about her own past leads to a shocking and twisted denouement. Spend some time with one of cinema's sickest families ever and rediscover a little-seen thriller that ranks as one of the most perverse and unique films of the 1970s. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Twisted
If you like your cinematic excursions laugh out loud, stark raving loony, bizarrorama howl at the moon weird, you might just find something to like with Ted Post's 1972 release "The Baby." This eerie little number is to cinema what Ed Gein is to psychopathology; it's the equivalent of dancing around on your property wearing a mask made out of bacon and singing Debbie Boone songs, or papering every wall in your house with pictures of Uncle Fester. Yes, "The Baby" is that offbeat, weird, whatever label you want to stick on it that translates as "strange." After watching the final credits roll, I pondered what I had just witnessed. The only explanation that seemed to fit is that Post and the other people associated with this film took the brown blotter at Woodstock. I think it is safe to say that this movie never had a chance of getting a coveted Oscar nomination or any other significant award. The only place that might see fit to recognize this film would be an insane asylum.

As "The Baby" starts, we learn that social worker Ann Gentry (Anjanette Comer) has decided to accept one of the strangest assignments of her career. She will begin visiting the Wadsworth residence a few times a week in order to monitor that family's treatment of their infant son. The clan consists of the husky voiced, chain-smoking mother (played with a nod and a wink by an aging Ruth Roman), two gorgeous yet snotty sisters named Alba and Germaine, and Baby. Nothing too odd here, except Baby is actually a full grown man who cannot speak, walk, or take care of himself. Baby spends most of his time in a playpen in the house or in a crib out on the lawn where he gurgles and gasps to himself and his family. Neither the mother or the sisters care much for Baby but they have to go through the motions if they want to keep those state aid checks coming in. The entire family tolerates Ann with barely contained disdain, grudgingly putting up with her frequent surprise visits. As Gentry gains a familiarity with Baby, she becomes convinced that the man-child has the capacity to learn how to speak and walk. When Comer's character becomes convinced that the Wadsworths are subtly thwarting her efforts to help Baby, she recommends the child be removed from the house. The family defies Ann at every corner, with the eventual showdown between the social worker and the Wadsworth clan turning into a surprisingly violent romp.

As weird as "The Baby" sounds from the description above, the movie gets even stranger up close and personal. A certain encounter between Baby and one of his sisters implies a behavior that is both shocking and deeply repulsive. Moreover, as time goes on we soon begin to suspect the actions of the angelic Ann Gentry. What are her motivations for the endless surprise visits to the Wadsworth house? The last social worker knew the boundaries of the job. Why can't Ann put her emotions in check? Even noticing Gentry's increasingly nosy behavior won't prepare you for the mind-shattering conclusion. That little jolt comes arcing out of the sky with the force of a thunderclap, throwing into confusion everything you thought you knew up to that point. Even better, once you watch the whole thing and remember the clues you will slap yourself on the forehead for not seeing where this one was going. Maybe it's the garish clothing or the hilarious birthday party for Baby where the décor and music is part psychedelic trip and part disco fever that prevents the viewer from keeping things in perspective. (This is 1973, remember, one of those awkward years between the hippies and "Saturday Night Fever." Yikes.)

The performances in "The Baby" are top notch. Roman believably plays the cynical matriarch of the clan, a woman so inured to the way things are that she will brook no upheavals to her family's stability from some high minded social worker. The actresses who play Alba and Germaine are two foxy gals decked out in huge hair and risqué '70's clothes. They play their parts to a T, as two nasty young ladies who know the score and are loyal to their mother up to the bitter end. Anjanette Comer does an adequate turn as Ann Gentry, conveying just the right amount of concern and hardheaded persistence over Baby's status in the Wadsworth house. She also makes the twist ending believable. Congratulations deservedly go to David Manzy in the role of Baby. This guy never utters one word in the entire picture and after awhile you really come to believe this is a twenty something year old guy who never developed past the infant stage.

The DVD doesn't really give us anything to stand up and shout about. "The Baby," perhaps more than most other films, really deserves a commentary track from some of the principal members of the cast and crew. I just want to know two things about this movie: what were you thinking and how in the heck did you manage to get a 'PG' rating for this film? This movie is so disturbing that I cringe a bit thinking about the kiddies going to see this one in the theater. If I had seen this as a youth I would have been permanently scarred. It took me years to get over the creepy commercials for the film "Magic"; I can only imagine what "The Baby" would have done to my sensibilities. In short, if you like strange, check out "The Baby."

Downright disturbing
As the first editorial review of this film states, it's hard to really know where to begin discussing "The Baby." It's a disturbing film on so many levels...and all the ways in which it is disturbing coalesce to make it a really memorable thriller. In fact, this little thriller is so memorable, it may very well give you nightmares for a long time after you see it.

I first saw this film as a child, when it was on the "Million Dollar Movie" one Sunday afternoon. The whole strange story and really unexpected plot twists, as well as its dark and eerie denouement, stayed with me for 25 years till I rented it and watched it again. And 25 years later, "The Baby" still packs a disturbing punch.

Firstly, the whole premise is unsettling. Without getting too much into a plot summary, suffice it to say that social worker Ann Gentry (played by Anjanette Comer) has to determine the Wadsworth family's eligibility for aid. The Wadsworth family consists of Momma (a middle-aged, rough-and-tough, cigarette-smoking, miniskirt-wearing woman played by the redoubtable Ruth Roman), two adult daughters named Alba and Germaine, and one son simply called "Baby" (played by David Manzy). Throughout the whole film, we never learn what Baby's real name is, or if he even has a real name.

In any case, Ann is horrified to find that Baby is actually a young man in his twenties who wears diapers, sleeps in a crib, sucks his thumb and doesn't walk or talk. According to his mother and two adult sisters, Baby was born severely retarded and so never was able to walk, talk or develop normally in any other way. However, as time goes on Ann becomes more and more convinced that Baby is not at all retarded, but rather is a normal young man whose development has been monstrously stifled by his sick family. She becomes determined to take him from his family and care for him herself, and soon finds herself in danger from Momma, Alba and Germaine, all of whom resent what they see as Ann's "butting in".

The second thing that makes this film disturbing is the evolution of Ann's character throughout the film. As the plot unfolds, the viewer begins to gain insight into Ann's true motivations and intentions. After a narrow escape from the clutches of Momma, Alba and Germaine, Ann actually succeeds in taking Baby from his family. Momma, Alba and Germaine trace him to Ann's house and go there, determined to get him back by any means necessary (packing a gun for this purpose). I won't give away the plot twist or ending, but suffice it to say that nice, sweet Ann turns the tables on Momma, Alba and Germaine in a rather...unexpected manner. And this unexpected turn of events will stick in your mind at least for weeks, or perhaps for years.

So, in conclusion, this is a thriller that's definitely worth watching. The acting is really good all around. Ruth Roman always turns in a solid performance, and in "The Baby" she takes on her role as big bad Momma with gusto (including beating the living crap out of a babysitter with a belt when she thinks that the sitter has been getting...uh, shall we say too friendly wtih Baby). The two women who play Alba and Germaine (unfortuantely I forget their names) also turn in excellent performances, particularly Alba, who seems to relish in "correcting" Baby with blunt instruments if he tries to do anything "bad" like walk or talk. And David Manzy steals the show as Baby. You truly find yourself pitying him, especially when it seems more and more apparent that he's a normal person who's never been allowed to develop normally. This is a well-done little film that will definitely unsettle you.

Bizarre-o...Wack-o...Weird-o...!
Anjannette Comer as Bent Social Worker Ann Gentry...SUBLIME!
Ruth Roman as Baby's demented Mother Mrs. Wadsworth...CLASSIC!
David Manzy as the crawling, drooling, diaper wearing "Baby"...MINDNUMBINGLY BRILLIANT!

It's hard to believe this flick played in the theatres in the mid-70's and people actually thought they were seeing a HORROR FLICK! This seems more like an Experimental Art Film...INCREDIBLE non-the-less!

The Babysitter scene was truely twisted...MUST SEE for that, if nothing else!

=^..^=

Classic cult shocker, is worth a watch.
After reading about this wonderful classic, I decided to purchase it. Well I watched it today, and I am not a bit disappointed. Ted Post, who also directs Beneath the Planet of the Apes, also directs this cult classic. Baby is a young man of about 21-26 who crawls, eats babyfood, sucks his thumb, and dirties his diapers. Baby lives in an abusive home, were his mother and sisters would rather see him in diapers his entire life, over growing into a mature adult. One extraordinarily hurtful scene that stuck out to me, is when baby is repeatedly shocked by his two abusive sisters. I recommend this film to anyone with a open mind, but I warn the close minded, this film (especially the diaper change scene) may be offensive to you.

The Baby
This is very interesting film which I would call more of a psychological drama. The clarity, sound, and overall picture quality are excellent for this DVD as related to an early '70s film. Some "behind the scenes" would make it better however.

The actor who played "Baby" did an excellent job. He crawls, screams, cries, wears diapers, lives in a crib and playpen, sucks a bottle and his thumb like a real baby. he is very realistic in his role as a boy/man of about 21 who is living in a physically and emotionally abusive and deprived houshold. The opening scene of the movie, the interview, makes it clear who the dominating and weak forces are. The camera angles, positioning and angels bear out each characters position and continues as the movie evolves. The editing is good as is the storyline line for a movie of the 1970's. There are some interesting and disturbing scenes throughout the film. The innocent diaper change by the babysitter and a playtime accident where she consoles baby and an act of breastfeeding innocently follows turns into a violent beating when the mother unexpectedly walks in. The demonstration that "Baby" is capable of learning and doing rudimentary skills and the mother intimidating and scolding her retarded son followed by a cruel tortuing by his sister are just some of the scenes of noteworthiness and make this film quite interesting and certainly perverse. Although an odd film, the theme and objectives of each of the characters is very clear as is the history and rationale of the family and of the social worker.

There is much domination and revenge, directly and indirectly, in this film. Some scenes may be found, by some, to be strong and offensive but they give definite support and are essential to the storyline. For any woman who has ever wanted or dreamed of having full control or direction of a man this is your film.

For the price and because of its creativity and other qualities already discussed I highly recommend this DVD film to your library....Thanks. ... Read more

Description

A martial arts classic starring Chuck Norris as John T. Booker, a Vietnam Vet whose war actions have landed him at the top of the CIA's hit list. Now only a beautiful Senate investigator can help him unravel a treacherous plot - and maybe help keep him alive. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Norris's first big hit.
This low-budget 'gem' from 1977 (I even remember there being a novelization, got to look for it) was a modest hit and pretty much made Chuck Norris a star. Playing John T. Booker (the way the credit is listed mades me wonder if there would be more John T. Booker movies, alas not to be), Norris is a former CIA commando whose dark past comes back to haunt him when the politician that set him up in a raid turned death trap needs to erase that unpleasent part of history. This is an old school action movie, back when they bothered to have plot and mystery prior to the fist fights and car chases, and it will probably bore many expecting wall to wall kung-fu action. Nothing happens until nearly an hour into the movie, then the pay off begins. Good Guys Wear Black was sold on the strength of one big stunt, Norris (or a double) leaping onto a car and kicking through the windshield to get at the assassin driving. It was impressive then, today it is routine. As I said, it is a low budget movie, one with Southern California locations filling in for Vietnam (sandy trails and eucalyptus trees in Vietnam???) as well as East Coast locations. Pretty giggle inducing. But the movie still works when watched in the context of its era (70s exploitation) and director Ted Post (Hang 'Em High, Magnum Force, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, etc.) keeps the movie professional looking, at least. One shocking bit of trivia, one of the movie's screenwriters is Children of A Lesser God author Mark Medoff. Wow. Recommended only to Norris fans on a nostalgia kick.

not one of Chuck's better efforts
Whew! This one's a stinker. Even if you're a Chuck fan, this one just doesn't measure up. The film is poorly made and put together; sequences in the night in Vietnam are so dark you can hardly see what's going on (but that might have been good...). There's actually not much action; this was supposed to be more of a "drama." If you want a good Chuck movie, stick with Lone Wolf McQuade or An Eye for an Eye.

Moderately good Chuck Norris film
If you like Chuck Norris films, especially of the 70's and 80's you'll probably like this one. The DVD was unrated but I'd say it's about a PG-13. The DVD allows chapter access, English, French and Spanish subtitles and some bio info on the cast. No theatrical trailer was present. The film is generally well-preserved (no widescreen) but the colors fade in and out a little bit (probably the cinematography was a bit inconsistent).

The film is definitely *very* 1970's. That means lotsa keyboard instrumental jazz music scored with the action, 3-piece suits, undercranked camera shots to make cars look like they're speeding (giving unnatural jerky motion), and half-witted dialogue. And Anne Archer, while lovely in the film, wears some awful-looking sunglasses (egads!).

While there are several martial arts fight scenes (what else?) they are not nearly as sophisticated as those in 1973's Bruce Lee classic "Enter the Dragon" (this is a 1978 film).

Major John Booker (Chuck!) leads a top secret team into Vietnam in 1973 to rescue some American POW's (boy, you never see THAT in a Chuck Norris movie, eh?) ... ahem ... Well, they were set up and several men died. Booker takes the loss philosophically and takes up test-driving Porsches and teaching Political Science at the local college (whatta guy!). Ah, but then a lovely young lady lawyer shows up and starts reciting all the top secret details of the 1973 mission to Booker. Booker must figure out what she's all about. At the same time all of Booker's buddies who survived the disastrous operation start dropping like flies.

James Franciscus is the up-and-coming Secretary of State and boy does he cuss a lot (probably after seeing the script!), hence my PG-13 rating. And he's a very baaaaad man. Jim Backus (Gilligan's Island!) shows up as a protective doorman. And the ubiquitious Soon-Tek Oh is here. Not a bad film, on a par with other Chuck flicks such as "Hero and the Terror", "Invasion U.S.A." and "Code of Silence".

Will Major Booker discover the truth and stop the bad guys? ... hmmm ... well, I'll let you buy the movie and find out ... (as if you couldn't guess) ... While you're waiting to find out, you can count all the green automobiles in the film ...

There must have been a lot of automobiles painted green in 1978 because there's a green car in nearly every street scene (all shades!). Even the toy car at one of the politician's home is green. Generally OK, and we can overlook some of Norris' acting since it's one of his first films. It is hard to forgive the paisley robes, Harvest Gold appliances, and the wide collars on the shirts, but hey, that was the 1970's.

Diplomacy is not always that clean
A simple film about the aftermath of the Vietnam War. A diplomat negociates the destruction of a special unit of the CIA, the Black Tigers, at the end of the war. So they are tricked on a fake mission. Yet five manage to escape and survive. But the diplomat is going to become the Secretary of State and the five survivors are the argument of some, in the wings, to blackmail the diplomat. So they have to disappear. But one of them and a CIA executive say no and put a stop to the killings and to the career of the diplomat. A perfect film about what politics are really about for some politicians : careerism and nothing else.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

A Guilty Pleasure-I LIke this Poorly Made Film
This film, directed by Mike Post (Magnum Force) was Chuck Norris' second lead-starring role. It starts out as a movie of politcal intrigue put sputters on the direction. In the scene wear the plane blows up, one can see that right before the explosion, the plane is not even there. Just a small example of poor editing.

I do, however, love this movie. The few fights scenes in this pitcure are fun (airport and parking lot) and it is one of Norris' better acting performance. The "jumping into the car scene" is actually Chuck's brother Arren. The other acting performances are also very good (Ann Archer, Lloyd Hayes, and Dana Andrews to name a few). The Chuck Norris fan may want to add this film to your collection. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It is a sordid fact of life that were it not for Robert Blake's newfound infamy as an accused wife murderer, Baretta, which lasted three seasons beginning in 1975, might have been relegated to late nights in TV land. But as they say in Hollywood, there's no such thing as bad publicity. So for those who do not want to invest in the Season One boxed set, here are three episodes from this offbeat cop series' first season, including the atypically gritty and brutal pilot, in which funky undercover cop Anthony Baretta goes after his girlfriend's killer, and speaks those grimly prophetic words: "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime." As these episodes testify, Baretta is more than a newly minted sick joke. The randy, rule-bending Baretta was a cop like no other on TV. And, as Tony was fond of saying, you can take that to the bank. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

WHY BUY THIS???
I give this two star, ONLY BECAUSE....and I mean this....WHY BUY THIS DVD SET WHEN THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON HAS THESE SAME EPISODES? I give the FIRST SEASON DVD SET about 10 stars, because I love watching Baretta. It brings back some great memories. Truly just "one" of the best shows from the seventies. So any fan of this show would know, why waste the money. I'm not sure why the companies do this. JUST PUT OUT THE OTHER SEASONS. Then we'll be happy.

I LOVE BARETTA
I watched aLL THE bARETTA SHOWS AND I just love him and still do. THis episode is one of the hottest.Only robert blake can come across as he does for I BELIEVE a little of it is part of him....he is just great!!! ... Read more

Reviews (15)

DVD Version Highly Edited
I expect the seller to inform the buyer that the offered product has been highly edited when I read a technical description of a movie. I saw the original movie several years ago and was impressed with the method the director addressed several issues. Unfortunately, the DVD version of this movie cut key parts of the movie which detract from its overall message. Very disappointed with Amazon's limited movie description. CAVEAT EMPTOR.

Campy Fun from the 70's!
The Harrad Experiment is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen in my life. Unfortunately, it was meant to be a serious drama and not a comedy. Anyway, here are my 10 favorite moments from the film:

1. Sheila arriving at the college and going over to a tree to hug it for no apparent reason.

2. The nude yoga class.

3. The overly dramatic music played as Wilson comes up the stairs before catching Stanley with Barbara.

4. The egg contest at the restaurant.

5. Stanley offering Sheila to the old man for $... and the old man's cape.

6. Sheila's reaction to finding out about Stanley and Beth.

7. The lady performer at the improvisational show.

8. Tippi Hedren's fall during the badminton game.

9. Tippi seducing Don Johnson on the college's front lawn.

10. The dialogue at the ending (zoom, zoom, etc.).

This was a very low budget film from the 70's and that fact painfully shows over the course of the movie. The acting, editing, music, and everything else is very poorly done. Of course, that's also what makes the movie so much fun to watch, even today. I would highly suggest trying to track down a copy of this campy classic. It's a fun way to spend an evening. A word of warning however, several of the DVD releases contain the version edited for televison! I have no idea why they would release the film in such a way. It's very poorly edited also: the scenes that contained nudity look choppy and several of the bad words are muted right out, they're not even dubbed over. So overall, this is a great movie that you should definitely try to see, just be careful as to which version you're getting!

An Experiment In "Questionble Taste"
This movie isn't great, but it's not that bad either. Made in the "free love" and sexual revolution of the 70's, the movie tries to explore the social ramifications of that school of thought. The acting and directing aren't bad, the dialogue is sometimes ludacris and at times very thoughtful. Buy this movie for an interesting look at the 70's (and lots of full frotal nudity--early pics of Don Johnson nude, pre Miami Vice)

Harrad Experiment
When I buy a movie, I expect to get the entire movie, just as I expect to get a full gallon of milk rather than just 3 quarts. If I weren't willing to see the nudity, I wouldn't buy the title.

Some of the deletions removed not only the nudity, but also important dialogue that occurred at the same time, so several scenes make no sense at all (even less than in the original, which wasn't quite Shakespeare to start).

I didn't even finish watching this version, but recently I found a bargain-bin DVD entitled "Classic 70s Movies" which included an uncut version of this film - nothing missing that I noticed! That's the one that's in my DVD library now. Don't waste your money on this atrocity.

Edited for TV (G-rated)
The Platinum disc corporation release of The Harrad Experiment is a heavily edited version for TV. Naughty words are bleeped out, and all scenes involving nudity have been deleted. The catalog listing for this DVD should reflect that this is NOT the R-rated theatrical release of 1973. ... Read more