Amazon.com

By 1939, when the earliest films in this collection were made, Mickey Mouse was the most famous cartoon character in the world. The unsuccessful hunter in "The Pointer" (1939) and the irrepressible magician in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (1940) rank among his finest performances. In both films, he sparkles with vitality.But as Mickey grew more popular, more restrictions were placed on what he could do, and the character grew dull. Those restrictions become obvious when the viewer compares these films with the shorts on Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color. In "Mickey's Birthday Party" (1942), he clowns and stumbles through a comic dance routine, but it feels like he's working for the laughs. In 1936, when a more impish Mickey danced with a deck of cards in "Thru the Mirror," the fun came from the stylish grace of his movements: That Mickey didn't need to mug for the camera. In the later films, Mickey serves as a genial straight man, with Pluto and other side characters supplying the comedy.

A new generation of animators faced the same problems and restrictions when they tried to revive the character in "Mickey's Christmas Carol" (1983) and "The Prince and the Pauper" (1990). The extras include some deleted animation from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," and the five opening sequences from the "Mickey Mouse Club" (1955), the last time Walt Disney provided the character's voice. (Rated G, suitable for all ages: minor cartoon violence, tobacco use) --Charles Solomon ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Excellent and overdue collection of Mickey's Best
I love Mickey Mouse cartoons. They might not be as funny as Donald Duck's, Goofy's or the entire Looney Tunes set, but they do posess a certain little magic, not to mention quality, to them that make them more like little artistic masterpieces rather than comic gems. This said, I'm glad we finally get to see "Runaway Brain" released on DVD, along with fellow Oscar-nominated shorts "The Pointer," "Mickey and the Seal" and "Mickey's Christmas Carol." The extras are more than plentiful and the inclusion of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", although already available in both Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, is, as always, welcome, especially in a collection that is supposed to showcase what the mouse is all about...I've been a fan forever and I really couldn't have asked for a better DVD set than this!

Excellent!!! Also, Wave 4 announced!
I am very happy with the Disney Treasures Wave 3 collection. It's great to finally have Mickey's Christmas Carol, Runaway Brain, and Prince and the Pauper finally available on DVD along with the other classic Mickey films. Also enjoyed On the Front Lines, Chronological Donald, and Tomorrowland. They did not let me down. It has also been announced (and I've heard from a very reliable source) that the Disney Treasures Wave 4 will most likely be released in December. They are going to be "Mickey Mouse in Black and White Vol.2","Disney's True Life Adventures","A Pluto Collection", and the one I'm excited about, "The Original Mickey Mouse Club, Season One." Anyway, thank you Disney, and keep them coming! They are worth the wait!

Complete Mickey Mouse
Growing up as a kid in the 80s, my only real exposure to Mickey Mouse in animated form was in Mickey's Christmas Carol, and it soon became a personal favorite of mine.

This DVD set finishes off the theatrical releases of Mickey Mouse, right up to his most recent film "Runaway Brain." This DVD is great as it includes scenes from Feature length films that Mickey Appeared in, such as "Sorcerer's Apprentice," from "Fantasia," and "Mickey and the Beanstalk" from "Fun and Fancy Free."

Truthfully most of the shorts on this set are when Mickey was no longer the most popular animated star at Disney. In some of these cartoons he takes a supporting role to Donald and Pluto, but the full charm of these cartoons is still there.

Leonard Maltin, an expert on animation and movie history, is on the disc with special features. He also appears more often then not to preface certain cartoons to let us know that they are not "Politically Correct." While other reviewers found this annoying, I would rather have the preface then have Disney keep these treasures locked in a vault. Think "Song of the South" as an example.

They are consistent...
... at Disney's, because if they are proud of the crap they're making now, they're right to be ashamed of what their predecessors did. But, I'm not quite sure which is worse: cutting like they did for "Saludos Amigosos", or, like they're doing now, marring the DVDs with a new "Politikally Korrekt" feature (which doesn't even get a disabling option in the menu for people with a fully working and correct mind). If the nerds who 'think' (although the word is not very appropriate for the activity of the messy thing between their ears) that even the past should be adjusted to their nonsensical view of the present, why don't they destroy all evidence of that "shameful past": books, movies, magazines, and even people remembering this past; so, although some 20 years late, they would give a good start to George Orwell 1984's world. I never got much consideration before for Leonard Maltin as a film critic (he's too much of an Hollywood enforcer for that). And this new kind of performance he's doing for Disney won't help improving my opinion.

Great conclusion to Mickey's color career
Mickey Mouse in Living Color Vol. 2 is a great dvd package. Included are some very entertaining shorts and featurettes, many of which I had forgotten until I just viewed them again. In my opinion, I prefer the shorts on Vol.1, but it is nice to finally have the whole collection to enjoy forever.
A lot of people have complained here that Leonard Maltin's introductions to some of the shorts are annoying and unnecessary. I agree to an extent, that they can get repetitive. But Maltin was a major player in getting this great material released to the public in all of its uncensored glory. It does seem rediculous that we need to put shorts like "Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip" into perspective when Mickey dresses like an indian, because it was all done in fun and not meant to offend. Personally, I think that anyone who gets offended by a cartoon has bigger issues to deal with in their lives. We live in such a politically correct world though, that if he did not do this we may not be able to see the original versions. So you should thank Maltin for working so hard to get these to us.
Okay, as far as the content goes, it is great and each has its own charm. Highlights for me were "Mr. Mouse Takes A Trip", "The Little Whirlwind", "Orphan's Benefit"(Donald steals the show again), "Mickey and the Seal", and "Mickey's Christmas Carol(my new holiday favorite. Of course that only is the tip of the iceberg. Others are included that were already available, like "Sorcerer's Apprentice" and "Mickey and the Beanstalk" that are nice to have in a complete set. Extras are plenty on this volume as well.Included are the following:
"Mickey's Cartoon Comeback"
"The Voice Behind the Mouse"---The evolution of Mickey's voice
Mickey Mouse Club Titles in Color---5 original openings to the show.(This will be a Treasure in the next wave by the way)
"Mickey Meets the Maestro"
Mouse Mania-- A very strange stop motion short that you gotta see

Mickey Cartoon Physics from "Plausible Impossible"
Mickey on the Camera Stand from "Tricks of Our Trade"
"The Making of Mickey's Christmas Carol"--My favorite extra
Publicity and Memorabilia Gallery
Story and Background Art Gallery
In my area this and the Donald treasure have been the biggest sellers. This has a lot of entertaining content between the shorts, featurettes and the extras, which include great behind the scenes looks at how a lot of this material was brought to the screen. The picture never has looked better and probably never will. Children and adults alike will enjoy what this set has to offer, so get your copy now before they are gone. So far I have viewed this, Donald and Tomorrowland and I would rank this #3 behind Donald(1) and Tomorrowland(2) and I am about to go through On The Front Lines. But I say I rank it third and that is not a bad thing, fans of Mickey and animation in general should appreciate this set. It is definately worthy of bearing the Walt Disney Treasures name. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Adventures of Antoine Doinel captures François Truffaut'salter ego (played by Jean-Pierre Léaud) over the span of five films and 20years. Truffaut's first feature was The 400 Blows (1959), in which Doinelis a boy who turns to petty crime in the face of neglect at home and hard timesat a reform school. The film helped usher in the heady spirit of the French newwave and introduced the Doinel character. Poignant, exhilarating, and fun(there's a parade of cameo appearances from some of the essential icons anddirectors from the movement), this film is an important classic.

The second film to feature Doinel, "Antoine and Collette" (1962) was originallymade for the omnibus film Love at Twenty but has outlived its companionshorts. As romantic and gently ironic as The 400 Blows is harsh andhaunting, this modest 20-minute lark finds a teenage Antoine pursuing thelovely, lithe 20-year-old Colette (Marie-France Pisier) like a lovesick puppy.The comic sweetness of this episode sets the tone for all future Doinel films,and Léaud, who matured into the poster boy for the French new wave, displays thelanky charm and self-effacing egotism that propelled him through some of thegreatest films of the next two decades.

Stolen Kisses (1968) opens with the now-grown Doinel sprung from militaryprison with a dishonorable discharge. He woos the perky but unresponsive objectof his affections, Christine (Claude Jade), while he engages in a series ofprofessions--hotel night watchman, private investigator, TV repairman--withmixed success and comic entanglements. But when he falls in love with theelegant wife of his client (Delphine Seyrig), Christine realizes she missesAntoine's persistence and clumsy passes, so she embarks on a seductive plan ofher own.

Bed and Board (1970) finds Doinel married to Christine and still pluggingaway at odd jobs. He learns of his impending fatherhood, but then throws amonkey wrench into his new happiness when he becomes obsessed with a beautifulyoung Japanese woman (Hiroku Berghauer). Truffaut enlivens Doinel's courtyardapartment with the bustle and business of neighbors and pays homage to comicauteur Jacques Tati. However, he tempers the giddy screwball kookiness with aless forgiving disposition toward Antoine's passionate irresponsibility andemotional impulsiveness.

Love on the Run (1979) was Truffaut's last film in the series. Here, ourcompulsive liar and general scamp is found out time and time again, but, as thewomen of the film find, it's impossible to blame him entirely. The film standson its own as a light comedy but carries much more resonance if watched in its proper place in the series. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Antoine et Colette great for French classrooms
OK, so I've only seen Antoine et Colette, the second (& shortest) of the films on this collection, but I thought it was great. At 30 minutes and with nothing scandalous or taboo, it is perfect for a French high school or college classroom. The story is timeless - boy falls in love with girl, girl says "lets be friends" - and charmingly understated. I think today's students will relate. In addition to being a well-told story, the 60s experimental music interest Antoine & Colette share & the classic Paris setting make for intersting sub-fodder.

Looks like a treasure chest, and it is one indeed.
I am very partial to all of Truffaut's movies, and I am very partial to all the DVDs released by Criterion Collection. To write a review about both of them is bound to be a praise over and over. These movies, masterfully transferred by Criterion, are some of the most memorable treasures of all time. Truffaut has that rare gift of storytelling, and these are some of the finest examples. Lucid and honest, yet never so obvious, the stories are told as if an intimate secret from a friend. Stolen Kisses, in particular, will make you rethink about the much loved-or-despised genre called romantic comedy. The previous previewers have done an excellent job, so I shouldn't even go further to explain every one in the series. The only thing I can add is that whether you watch movies analytically or for pure pleasure, these movies will not betray you.

Perfect Truffaut Package.
All of the Antoine Doinel films are here in this excellent dvd box set. The films are packaged in their best possible presentation thanks to Criterion, and the special features are all one could ask for including Truffaut's first short film. Not only a great collection of films (THE 400 BLOWS and STOLEN KISSES are among the best) but one of the best titles in the Criterion Collection. A Must own.

Thank You Criterion
There isn't much I can say about Truffaut that hasn't been stated already. The man is a genius. You can sense his love of life in every frame of his films.

I never thought I'd have much interest in French film or culture. Hitchcock was and still is my favorite director of them all. Once I learned how much Truffaut respected Hitch I became more interested in his works. What a happy accident that at the exact same time Criterion released this set. I think The 400 Blows was nearly impossible to find. Before this collection, all Criterion editions had sold out.

As for plot, amazon has already provided all that you need to know. What is important is the character of Doinel; a charming, infuriating, idealistic, romantic, ridiculous manchild. How many movies document most of a character's life? Especially one that outwardly leads a somewhat ordinary life.

You can't really categorize any of these movies as sequels since not that much is repeated. The consistencies among the movies ring true to real life. (ex. recurring characters like the tall longhaired guy, Antoine ogling his latest 'apparition'.)

The only let down was Love On The Run. The character of Sabine wasn't that fascinating, and you cared more about Claude Jade's character than her. There were way too many flashbacks too. But much of that is forgiven due to the 'discovery' Antoine makes.

If you tend to overdose on life, then you must see this series. The only other Truffaut film I've managed to see otherwise is Day For Night, but I wholeheartedly encourage you to see that too.

Essential French New Wave
When Criterion decided to release this Antoine Doinel set, I was ecstatic. Truffaut, being my favorite French New Wave director, displays his marvelous talent in these movies. Most film buffs know The 400 Blows well. It is at this point where the adventure begins. This major film displays, honestly, what most of us felt as young teenagers. I don't think I have to go into this one much more. The 400 Blows is remarkable effort for a first feature film. It didn't use studios and Truffaut decided to simply take the camera outside on the streets.

Antoine & Collette is one of the favorite in the series. It is a short from the bigger work, Love at Twenty. Antoine has his first love and it is absolutely charming in its execution.

Stolen Kisses happens to be my favorite feature-length film of the group. It is so brutally honest and true to human emotions that we empasize for Antoine greatly. We go through all the trials of a young man, trying to get through life. He can't find the right job and is unsure about love. This whitty and funny film is one I'll be revisiting the most.

Bed and Board did not hit the high chord of the others. It was nonetheless entertaining and worth my while. Antoine gets a mistress and we deal with the troubles of that through his marriage.

Love On the Run is the flop of the group, told through mostly a series of flashbacks to the other movies. I really didn't enjoy it that much and found it boring. Basically what this film captured though, was a conclusion to the story. It wrapped up some of the ends, which I'm not sure needed to be.

The DVD package altogether is a very great deal. All the movies are excellent, with the exception of maybe Love on the Run. The transfers are also superb. If you found this set on here, you probably deserve to purchase it. All the films are funny, whitty, and deal with the troubles of youth, with someone who doesn't really want to grow up. There are also some very nice extras including a immensely charming early short that would somewhat inspire Truffaut to make The 400 Blows. I would recommend a purchase of this if you can afford it. These are some of the best films to come out of the French New Wave, made by someone who is incredibly passionate about his work. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Charles Spencer Chaplin, the London ragamuffin who became the most popular man of his era, gets his proper due with this deluxe package of four classics. Each two-disc set begins with an excellent new digital transfer of the picture and remastered sound. The Gold Rush, Chaplin's 1925 masterpiece, puts the Little Tramp into the snowy Yukon; it includes such celebrated sequences as the "Dance of the Rolls" and Chaplin's uncanny metamorphosis into a large chicken. Both the original silent version and Chaplin's re-edited 1942 release (for which he added his own musical score and narration) are included. A documentary on "Chaplin Today" looks at the film through the eyes of Burkina Faso director Idrissa Ouedraogo. Modern Times (1936) is Chaplin's peerless take on the machine age; his ballet on the assembly line remains one of the great images of modern man driven mad by mechanization. The DVD extras include a couple of (somewhat extraneous) vintage promotional films about the wonderful world of mass production, the famous Chaplin composition "Smile" performed by Liberace (huh?), and penetrating comments on the film by the Belgian filmmakers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne.

The Great Dictator is Chaplin's comic undressing of Hitler, boldly released in 1940. An absorbing documentary, "The Tramp and the Dictator," details production of the film, and color footage shot on the set provides fascinating behind-the-scenes material. Limelight (1952), in which he plays a fading vaudevillian, is Chaplin's magnificent elegy on his own career. Extras include a deleted scene, the entire Oscar-winning score, and Bernardo Bertolucci on the film's emotional impact:"I don't cry often, but here my tears flow." Each film has a loving introduction by Chaplin biographer David Robinson--but newcomers to Chaplin should watch the movies first, as the extras give away endings and the best jokes. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (8)

The Tramp for a New Generation
Most have heard of Chaplin. Though many have not seen an entire movie of Chaplin's. This collection is a great way to expose and introduce a younger generation to the visual comic genius of Chaplin. Kids who happen to have a short attention span forget that Chaplin is B&W and silent when they watch this. That's how good he is. This collection brings honor to Chaplin's greatest achievements by presenting the movies with superior picture quality. The extra featues are great! This is a "must-have" for any DVD enthusiast.

Magnificent films and magnificent man
Charles Chaplin was the greatst cinematic genius of the 20th century. His brilliance was celebrated and recognized for decades, but then America brutally turned against him. How it grieved him that his adopted homeland, the country that had given him fame, riches and untold fortune, denounced him as a Communist and basically didn't allow him back into the country. What a singular disgrace. His story is told magnificently in these four films, spanning thirty years. We open up with the little tramp and conclude with the haunting, depressing, yet poignant "Limelight." This last film is my favorite of them all, with Charlie's unique, beautiful voice speaking so softly to a 19 year-old Claire Bloom. It was send chills down your spine to see his work (finally) restored to its original glory. The final scene, with Keaton standing behind, when they slowly draw the sheet over his face signifies the artistic death of Charlie Chaplin. No one went out with more grace and pathos.

If you're a long-time Chaplin fan or a Charlie newbie, this set has something for everyone, from the globe dance in "The Great Dictator" to the depressing scenes of Calvero unable to make his audience laugh anymore. It's all here and it will touch anyone with a love of film. There was only Chaplin and this set shows the entire spectrum. My highest recommendation.

The Ultimate Of Chaplin's Creations
This box set is absolutely wonderful! Not only does it include bonus material that is fascinating, it also offers the original version of "The Gold Rush" as released in it's original form- the way our grandparents saw it in the theater. If you or someone you know is a Chaplin fan, this collection is a must, with his most famous and memerable films ever. Also included in the bonus material is an unseen [until now] look at many aspects of Chaplin and his films.
I recommend highly!

SILENCE IS GOLDEN IN THIS STUNNING BOX SET
Without a doubt, Charlie Chaplin is the reigning king of silent comedy. His impeccibly limber gesturing, sense of timing and evocative facial features have made him a landmark artist, a masterful film maker and one of the greatest talents to ever grace the silver screen. What more can be said; does it get any better than the little tramp?!? And now, Warner Home Video proves that it does, indeed get better; a lot, lot better. Having had to contend with poorly transferred, badly worn VHS and primative bootlegged DVD copies for years, the home video audience at last gets to witness Charlie in his best video incarnation ever! This box set features four classics from the Chaplin legacy; Modern Times, The Gold Rush, The Great Dictator and Limelight. In each case, Chaplin illustrates the art of making movies as no one before or since. Great fun!
THE TRANSFER: No expense has been spared in making each film sparkle as never before. The gray scale is incredibly rich and beautifully balanced. Blacks are deep. Contrast levels show off Charlie's make up. Fine detail is gloriously realized. Minor edge enhancement and some pixelization do occur but nothing to distract or even hint that anything but absolute care has been taken to make these films look as good as they possibly can. Almost all age related artifacts are gone. Truly, I can't say enough to recommend these transfers. The audio is mono and nicely balanced.
EXTRAS: Each disc comes with a brief featurette on Chaplin's legacy and some interesting supplimental extras including outtakes in some cases and interviews in others.
BOTTOM LINE: No more to be said: don't walk - RUN to your nearest video retailer and make the Chaplin Collection a part of your home video library!

Yeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaa!
Hey, living in Belgium, Europe, I bought the complete box (10 movies plus extras: it equals this volume one plus volume two, plus a complete biography and the movies "A woman of Paris " and "A King in New York") at Amazon Uk, and you can find my complete review there. But THIS material cannnot be avoided by anyone loving Chaplin's work: it is the supreme collection!

And 5 stars is far to little a reward for the job those people did by putting together such collection! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

A biography of the first czar of Russia was the final movie project of the great Sergei Eisenstein's life. It would be his undoing, as Stalin was not pleased with part II of this epic. But Ivan the Terrible, Part I still stands as a magnificent, rich, and strange achievement. This is a "composed" film to make Hitchcock look slapdash; every frame is arranged with the eye of a painter or choreographer, the mise-en-scène so deliberately artificial that even the actors' bodies become elements of style. (They complained about contorting themselves to fit Eisenstein's designs.) If you don't believe movies can be art, this could be (and has been) dismissed as ludicrous. But Eisenstein's command of light and shadow becomes its own justification, as the fascinating court intrigue plays out in a series of dynamic, eye-filling scenes. This is not a political theorist, but a director drunk on pure cinema.

Part II continues with the struggle for power and the use of secret police, a controversial segment that caused the film to be banned by Stalin in 1946 (the film was not released until 1958). The predominantly black-and-white film features a banquet dance sequence in color. Obviously the two parts must be viewed as a whole to be fully appreciated. Many film historians consider this period in Eisenstein's career less interesting than his silent period because of a sentimental return to archaic forms (characteristic of Soviet society in the '30s and '40s). Perhaps it was just part of his maturity.

Alexander Nevsky (1939), Eisenstein's landmark tale of Russia thwarting the German invasion of the 13th century, was wildly popular and quite intentional, given the prevailing Nazi geopolitical advancement and destruction at the time. It can still be viewed as a masterful use of imagery and music, with the Battle on the Ice sequence as the obvious highlight. Unfortunately, the rest of the film pales in comparison. A great score by Prokofiev was effectively integrated by the Russian filmmaker, but stands on its own merit as well. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Ivan The Terrible...a bizarre classic
Alexander Nevsky is a lively pro-Soviet propaganda piece partially intended as a warning to Hitler at the time not to invade Russia. The epic battle on the frozen lake is justly famous and the sheer scope of the logistics of filming are impressive. Some of the characters are somewhat cliche stock creations of the time including the two soldiers fighting for the love of one woman who must prove themselves in battle, but overall it's a modest success.

The real prize in this three film Criterion set however is of course Ivan the Terrible parts 1 and 2, a great masterpiece, Eisenstein's most "enjoyable" film(s) and indeed one of the oddest works to emerge from Soviet cinema of the time. Highly expressionistic visuals combine with a melodramatic (and slightly revisionist) take of Ivan's life to create one of the stranger filmic experiences one will see. Eisenstein clearly had a very highly developed visual style and the numerous extreme close-ups of faces are extraordinary as are the sets and costumes. Part 2 doesn't quite live up to the promise of part 1 but nevertheless brings the characters to an appropriate conclusion. Bizarrely humorous (perhaps unintentionally at times) Ivan is nevertheless a film more for afficionados than for the casual viewer looking for another classic in the mould of Casablanca.

Regarding the transfers, they are superb and anyone expecting better prints is simply not being realistic regarding the age of the material and the conditions in which they were kept. While not as pristine looking as other recent releases of 40's films on DVD such as Shadow of a Doubt or Monsieur Hulot's Holiday they are more than adequate considering given the circumstances.

Superb and unusual Eisenstein sound films
Alexander Nevsky:

For those familiar with this classic of the Russian cinema, little need be said. For others, here are the high points: the story is set in medieval Russia and it essentially is about a great warrior who is drawn out of seclusion to lead the fight to defend the homeland against invading barbarians, who are German; there is much bravura acting from the loyal patriots, who deal not only with a vicious enemy from without but also with insidious traitors from within; the hero-warrior who leads them is suitably understated and dignified, striking a memorable portrait of nobility and grandeur. All this is dramatically heightened by some of the best cinematography ever, climaxing in a final battle over the ice which is done entirely with striking visuals and music-only sound. The result is one that rises far beyond the level of a mere costume picture or any cartoon story of battling types. This is a rich treasure from cinematic history, with all talents (including Sergei Eisenstein, one of the greatest directors ever, seen at his best) in brilliant form. Don't miss it.

Ivan the Terrible, Parts I and II:

During World War II, with Russia in the grip of Stalin and with Hitler at its door, the greatest Russian director of his day, and perhaps ever, joined the greatest Russian actor of his day, to depict the dark and brooding story of the rise and fall of a ruthless Russian Tsar who tyrannized Russia during the 1500s. While the story hardly amounts to movie uplift, the joy and fascination here lies in the details. Straightaway, in episode one, there is perhaps the most amazing movie opening ever filmed, in the coronation of Ivan the Terrible. Those familiar with Theodor Dreyer's "Passion of Joan of Arc" in 1928 will appreciate what fascination can lie in watching the camera cut skillfully from one grotesque image to another in endlessly imaginative ways, almost as if the gargoyles themselves were about to speak. The fascinating imagery proceeds non-stop from there, in the hands of master craftsman and director Sergei Eisenstein, like a medieval masterpiece come to life, though part two does not quite rise to the exceptional quality of part one. A taste of the high production standards is gleaned from a musical score composed by the great classicist Sergei Prokofiev. A very, very Russian production -- dark and grim, but full of amazing levels of interest, just the kind of production spoofed by Woody Allen years later in "Love and Death." Not necessarily to everybody's taste, but a great treat for connoisseurs.

Excellent box set. Thank you Criterion!
This box set is one of the Criterion Collection's best releases yet. In this set are 3 films.

Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible (Ivan Grozny) parts 1 and 2.

Alexander Nevsky is based on the true story of 13th century Prince Alexander Nevsky who helped fend off Teutonic (German) soldiers out of what is now Russia.

The film has an excellent score composed for the film by Sergei Prokofiev. The acting in the film is also very good also. The film was very popular and was temporarily banned by Stalin after Germany signed a nonagression pact with the Soviet Union.

The film is on disc 1 and has the following special features.
Restoration demonstration, Production stills and storyboard drawings, a multimedia essay by Russel Merrit on Sergei Eisenstein's work with Sergei Prokofiev on the film's score, an feature length essay on the film by David Bordwell, who wrote a book on Eisenstein's films, and there is also stills and dialog from Eisentein's unfinished film, Bezhin Meadow with photos of the film's set.

Ivan the Terrible parts 1 and 2 are the first two parts of an unfinished trilogy. Several scenes of part 3 were filmed but only one scene is known to survive today.

The film follows the life of Tsar Ivan Vassilivich also known as Ivan the Terrible (Ivan Groznyy). He is credited with uniting the people of Russia into a single nation. The first film covers his coronation and a battle that was fought to reclaim lost territory. The film is also very famous and has music by Prokofiev.

The first part on disc 2 has the folloving special features:
The deleted prologue sequence covering part of Ivan's childhood where he witnesses the poisoning murder of his mother and also contains another deleted scene. It also has the surviving fragment of the unfinished part 3 There are also a slide show of production stills and drawings, and an essay on the history of the film.

Part 2 covers the time where Tsar Ivan roots out the traitors who helped poison his wife and executes them.

The film has an excellent Color sequence cofering much of the last 30 minutes of the film. The Agfacolor film stock was captured from the Germans during WWII and was used for this film. The cinematography is really gpood and there is a flashback sequence from the deleted prologue of part 1

Disc 3 also contains an audio essay by Yuri Tsivian on the stunning cinematography of the film.

The set is well worth the $79 if you are a fan of Russian Cinema like I am. This set remains one of my favorites and it is really worth looking into.

Nevsky DVD
I'm only telling you about the Nevsky DVD here - my local library has a copy of it, and that was all i got to see.

Terrific transfer - firstly. The film's look, like with Ivan, is its greatest attribute - and here it looks incredible. The images are just so clear, i couldn't believe it. You can fully appreciate the brilliance and purity of Eistenstein's cinema.

Sound quality was good.

Special features were particularly good (as usual). Audio commentary and tidbits from film historians and critics. Most interesting was a reconstruction from stills and titlecards of Eistenstein's unfinished/lost pastoral film Bezhin Meadows. This is the only place you'll get to see this. And i was quite impressed by it. There are some striking images in there, similar to some compositions from Nevsky.

Unlike Ivan (which i have seen Part I of, but not on this DVD) in my opinion, Nevsky does not suffer from a creaky plot, but has good unity and good progression to the climax of the battle of the ice. Part love triangle, part battle epic, Nevsky feels wearisome in places for how very much it is soviet propaganda. In both films, the performances are unusual, because they are more like silent performances, which would have been poetic in a silent, but definitely look quirky in a sound movie.

If i had any complaints it would be these:

one for Eisenstein, for his sound engineer, for the terrible job he did of constructing the sound for the battle on the ice. I could hear the foley artist literally clanking a whole lot of swords together rhythmically. Very distracting indeed.

one for Criterion: i would not have subtitled every line of the singing. Nevsky and Ivan are both part Eisenstein movie, part Prokofiev opera. But the lyrics of the songs the people/army are constantly singing in the background of Nevsky get very repetitive, because its the same verse over and over. Continually reinforcing this propagandising message of unity. And i'm sure its the same for Ivan, but the release i saw of Ivan didn't continue to subtitle every line of song, which is why i know this was a much better option.

Otherwise, a beautiful DVD edition (of Nevsky) with an incredible image and good special features.

A Review for Alexander Nevsky
This is a Russian film released in 1938, just before the start of World War II. Although the film features battle sequences between the Germans and Russians, it is not about World War II. It is set in the 13th century cities of Pskov and Novgorod. Alexander Nevsky is the prince and a famous war leader who previously defeated the Swedes when they tried to invade Russia. The film has very strong images (and songs) of Russian patriotism, and is probably one of the reasons it was so popular when it was released. Since the Russians were preparing to fight the Germans once again in WWII, this film was likely a morale-booster for the soldiers and the public alike.

The opening sequences of the film feature beautiful cinematography. Alexander Nevsky and his men are fishing on a lake when a band of Mongols crosses their path. The Russians have just fought a war with the Mongols and so some fighting ensues as the Mongols pass by the Russians. Alexander Nevsky, irritated with this commotion as it is scaring the fish away, breaks up the fight. Some of the Mongol leaders recognize him as the man who defeated the Swedes and invite him to become a general in their army. He replies with an old Russian saying that it is better to die than to leave your homeland, giving yet another shot in the arm to Russian patriotism.

After the Mongols depart, one of Alexander's men comes up to him and warns him that they may have to battle the Mongols yet again. However, Alexander brushes this warning aside and advises that the Germans will have to be defeated before the Mongols.

Next, we move on to the city of Pskov. The Germans have already taken over this city and are holding the surviving Russians captive. The men are tied up in the center of the city while the women and children look on. The site of the German army is actually rather amusing. The Germans are dressed up in sheets, somewhat reminiscent of the garb members of the Ku Klux Klan are famous for wearing. Regular German infantry soldiers have buckets on their heads with cross cutouts allowing for them to see out. The German nobility also have buckets on their heads but they get specials horns and other decorative regalia.

This is probably the most graphic and disturbing scene of the movie as the Germans then proceed to exterminate every surviving Russian, somewhat ominous as this is also what the Germans do in WWII. There are close-ups of a German soldier throwing children into a pit of fire as they are screaming out in fear. Everyone else is either burned to death or hanged. However, at least one man manages to escape Pskov and goes to warn Alexander that the Germans are advancing.

When the escapee relates his message to the famed prince, Alexander is deeply disturbed and begins planning how to seek revenge on the Germans. He forms a company of troops and even orders the peasants to join in. One exceptionally brave female also joins the army. They then march to the city of Novgorod to gather more troops. Although some at Novgorod initially refuse to fight, more patriotic speeches are made and everyone agrees the Germans must be stopped.

Once the battalion is formed, they begin marching towards Pskov and run into some German troops. Although the German troops appear to win this minor battle, Alexander regroups and forms a plan for attack set for the next morning. The attack is staged on an ice-covered lake and while some of the men are worried the ice may give way, Alexander advises them that if it does, the Germans are likely to go in first since their armor is heavier... so, all the better.

The lake battle is really quite spectacular for its time, although it would probably be considered cheesy by today's standards. Some of the more hilarious images involve the German soldiers getting conked on the top of the head with an axe and then their buckets crumple up, presumably squishing their heads. As it is mainly a sword battle, there are images of several soldiers getting played out from swinging their heavy swords and having to lean upon their teammates in order to remain standing. The Russians begin to chase the Germans away, seemingly towards areas of thin ice as the next scene is that of the remaining German troops falling through the ice into the piercing cold lake beneath them.

The rest of the film is rather anti-climatic as the Russians return to Pskov and prove their moral superiority over the Germans by releasing the captured foot soldiers and holding the captive nobility for ransom, rather than executing everyone as the Germans were notorious for doing. Then, some brave soldiers choose wives and Alexander declares that everyone should celebrate. All in all, this is a decent film worth watching. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

metropolis and indiana jones
after watching all of fritz lang's films, most of them in black and white, I found myself especially in awe of the color and detail in this dvd....yes, there are strong hints from metropolis: the leper's advance is similar to the movement of the deadly sins and there are complex tunnel passages in both films...as in rancho notorious, the plot deals with hate, murder and revenge; deception and fate also play their strong roles...but it's the way this film looks visually--the colors, costumes, and architecture -- that sets it apart from all the other lang films...it's definitely worth viewing. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Comic book and comic strip artist Bob Kane (1916-1998) is best known as thecreator of Batman (1939), but he entered animation later in his career. Hisfirst effort was a spoof of his most famous character: Courageous Cat &Minute Mouse, which debuted in syndication in 1960. Unlike mostcat-and-mouse pairs, Courageous and Minute were allies, fighting crime inEmpire City. Four or five of the five-minute mini-stories were shown on eachhalf-hour program. Courageous is a generic-looking cartoon cat, while Minutesuggests a bargain-basement copy of Mickey. The animation is almost aslimited as Crusader Rabbit or Rocky and Bullwinkle, but withoutthe outrageous humor. The one running gag in the series is Courageous's Catgun, which can shoot a noose, disintegrator rays, a cannonballrepeller--everything but a bullet. It proves useful against such villains asProfessor Shaggy Dog, Rodney Rodent, Flat-Face Frog, and Iron Shark.

Thisfour-disc set includes all 130 five-minute episodes, but the prints havefaded badly and there's no evidence of any restoration work. Baby boomers (orGen-Xers) who grew up on the program may get a nostalgic buzz from watchingone or two episodes, but sitting through more than a few quickly cloys.Courageous Cat & Minute Mouse was never a great series, a fact that'smore obvious four decades after its debut. Kane went on to develop a secondspoof, the marginally superior Cool McCool (1966), a send-up of GetSmart. (Unrated; suitable for ages 5 and older: cartoon violence, tobaccouse) --Charles Solomon ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great fun!
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that there was a DVD set for this old series. I can remember watching it way back when I was a little kid in the 70s, but I had no idea there were 130 episodes. I had to buy it.

As I watched the first disk I was sure I'd made a mistake. These cartoons were bad. Bad to the point of being barely watchable. Choppy animation and ridiculous plots. But as I kept watching they grew on me all over again. Yes, they're bad, but they're so bad they're good. By the second disk I was hooked, and I couldn't wait for each subsequent episode. I think the best episodes were some of the strangest, such as the one Cold War shows with the two spies, and Marilyn Mouse, and the constant mentions of atomic weapons. I have to admit that I felt pretty sad when the last episode ended and the menu popped back up. Unlike so many shows which occasionally pop up in other incarnations, the end for this one really was the end. Still, I'd love to see a movie version of this someday.

The shows hold up amazingly well after 40+ years. So much of it is dated, but it's still a simple, somewhat innocent fun. My one complaint with the DVD is that the episodes don't seem to be in order ; either that, or this show has the worst continuity imaginable. But this I can certainly overlook, since it was so much fun to revisit this classic from my childhood.

Awsome
THIS SHOW IS AWSOME!!!!! I love the series. I also love all animation. This series is a dream come true. I love comedy and action adventure, so this dvd collection is perfect. If tou are thinking about buying this series..... do it!! You will not regret.

Who'd a thunk it?
I mean who'd'a thunk that ANYONE would ever release a complete set of Courageous Cat cartoons in ANY format. These cartoons were so bad that as a little kid watching them I wasn't sure if they were comedy/parody (they weren't funny enough to be that) or serious (who could take this stuff seriously?) Growing up in NYC, this was on channel 7 (ABC) early in the morning, and all us kids (at that time) thought of channel 7 as the cheesiest station in the city so, of course, they had the cheesiest cartoons--the cheesiest being Courageous Cat. Still, I plan to buy this set and tho I don't own it yet, I have a lot of these crummy cartoons on video tape and have seen them recently.
Why give it 4 stars after knocking it so much? Well, somehow CC & MM managed to be entertaining, even now after all these years. And they had that great Nelson Riddle music (which I always wondered about--how did they get a big shot like Riddle to do music for this super-cheapo production? Or did they just buy it canned from a stock music house?) As long as you don't watch more than 3 or 4 at a time (these grow tiresome awful quick) you'll get some chuckles out of this set

Not As Bad As I Remember -- It's Even Worse!!
...And that of course is the beauty of this series. I love bad TV and bad movies, and I don't care who knows it. Mid-'60s/'70s Hanna-Barbera is like Norman Rockwell or Disney compared to this cheesy animation. Good Lord, this collection is non-pariel in its awful-ness. Better yet, absolutely no effort was expended to beef up the sound (a la Fleisher's "Superman" animated collection from the '40s) or to gussy up the video. All of the substandard production values of the original series are kept gloriously intact -- even down to the audio. Yes, it's monaural. Perfect! I wouldn't have changed a thing, either. Thank you, A&E! Thank you!!!

This long-lost series was a staple of my childhood viewing regimen on New York's WABC-TV before school (along with the now politically incorrect "Jasper" series and the equally cheesy Terry-Toons), and after school on WNEW-TV. Total mindlessness, even to a 5-year-old. And even then, I could detect the inconsistencies in the production values. Multiple "artists", if you will, contributed their divergent takes on the characters within a single episode. What a mess.

This is the exciting part -- this 4-DVD collection represents the entirety of the series!! Yes --- 10 full hours of Flatface Frog (aka "Chauncy", aka "The Frog" ["mmmyeahhh"]), Robber Rabbit, stolen cheese, Marilyn Mouse, Professor Shaggy Dog, "I like bananas", Minute Mouse turning on Courageous Cat, "Don't worry, Minute! My (paralyzing/disintegrating/rope) gun will save us!"...the whole riff. All 130 episodes. Each and every one. Yep.

If this isn't one of the worst cartoons ever made, it's certainly in the Top 10. The studio went on to do another horrible series, "Sinbad, The Sailor", which seems to have fallen off into the ether somewhere, although Hanna-Barbera, if I recall correctly, did pick it up and improved upon it, sort of.

As for the creator of the series, the late Bob Kane, he can rest in the peaceful assurance that this package was released well after his death. Unfortunately, he was around for the filmed triumph and then the ultimate trashing of his greatest creation, The Batman. Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse were intended to have been a parody of Batman and Robin. Where this syndicated cartoon series failed in that regard, the last two "Batman" films more than succeeded in making a mockery of his characters. Talk about unintended consequences. Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse were far too corny to be considered satire.

I intend to watch all 130 episodes. I think I'll preface all future "feature presentations" with a cartoon. They'll appreciate what comes next all the more. I could play "Car Wash" and they'll think it's "Citizen Kane"!

Bravo, A&E!!! Bravissimo!!!!

Good Collection
This is the first cartoon collection that includes EACH AND EVERY episode in the series! 130 of 'em to be exact! So hats off to A&E! These cartoons are typical early 60's fare and 100% nostalgia. If you're looking for the fantastic art like early Fleischer, Disney or Warner Brothers, forget it. This is TV stuff...quickly made...not much detail...but it is very cool to see these cartoons that have been kept hidden for so many years. Courageous Cat is not your typical save-the-day, not-do-anything-wrong hero. He screws up on occasion, makes errors in judgement and is actually more of a regular guy trying to be a hero! I don't think it was intended that way, but that's how it comes across. Minute Mouse, on the other hand, could've been a lot better if they hadn't decided to use a high, irritating voice. The Frog, an Edward G. Robinson-type villain, is always fun to watch. Included is an essayed biography of Courageous Cat's creator, Bob Kane, creator of Batman (there are many similarities between these two characters). These cartoons are definitely flawed, but the nostalgia effect is wonderful. This is a wonderful addition to my personal collection and it should be in yours. ... Read more

Description

Rod Serling's classic TV exploration of the uncanny, the unknown, and the unforgettable takes you beyond the deepest realms of imagination! Filled with twists, turns, and compelling characters, this legendary series has remained continuously on the air since its initial run and remains as fascinating, frightening, and thoroughly entertaining for viewers today. Each set contains nine DVDs; Collection #2 features Volumes 10-18, 34 episodes to tingle your spine including "The After Hours," "What You Need," The Midnight Sun" and "Living Doll." So pull up a seat and brace yourself for a fantastic voyage into...The Twilight Zone! ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Twilight Zone - One Of My Favorite Shows
If you buy one of these TZ Box Sets, you might as well buy the other four. Each set has nine volumes (sans the documentary Rod Serling - Submitted For Your Approval). My favorite episodes deal with Time Travel (No Time Like The Past, Back There, Walking Distance, Static, The Seventh Is Made Up Of Phantoms), Old Age (Kick The Can, Nothing In The Dark, The Trade-Ins, One For The Angels), The Civil War (The Passerby, An Occurrance At Owl Creek Bridge, Still Valley), and Paranoia (The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street, The Shelter, 4:00). My other favorites are the four by Jack Klugman (A Passage For Trumpet, A Game Of Pool, In Praise Of Pip, Death Ship) and Burgess Meredith (Time Enough At Last, Mr Dingle Mr Strong, The Obsolete Man, Printer's Devil). If you are new to the show, watch these episodes first. They are the creme de la creme of the show.

The series is excellent. However, it's deliberate attempts at humor are often misfires (The Whole Truth, The Bewitching Pool, I Dream Of Genie). The episode A Short Drink From A Certain Fountain is the "Spock's Brain" on the series, meaning it's the worst. The ending is bad; what were they thinking??? No wonder it didn't make the syndication package.

The Sound Quality varies from each DVD. Some have two channel mono while others have HIFI mono. Closed Captioned doesn't work for any of the DVD's. There's usually only 3 or 4 episodes per DVD, unlike other Box Sets that fit 8 per DVD, thus lowering the price. This is a minor beef, because the show is worth the money.

You will also notice that 3 episodes (Where Is Everybody, The Encounter, The Eye Of The Beholder) appear twice if you buy all five. Again, a minor beef since The Encounter is the only one of the three to be exactly the same on both separate DVD's.

These Box Sets are now a bargain compared to when each volume is sold separately. I never tire of watching the episodes and reading the notes. I also recommend Rod Serling's Submitted For Your Approval. It gives insight to Rod Serling and his creation as told by friends, relatives and co-workers.

Continuing the Excellence
My favorite TV show of all time is "The Twilight Zone". There are a number of reasons for that but mostly it is because those 1/2 hour shows packed more drama, excitement, and morality lessons than anything I've seen before and since. The star of the show was Rod Serling whose staccato-like voice opened to set the stage and wrapped up at the end with a statement of irony, intrigue, warning, or hope. Watch the credits at the end of any episode that really impressed you and the odds are that it was written by Rod Serling.

The First Collection in this series left you wondering if it had gotten all the "big" episodes but "Collection 2" shows that there's still plenty more out there. This collection has a couple of the later, hour-long shows that the first collection didn't have. The first one, "In His Image", was one of the old episodes that stuck with me for years and I was surprized to find that it was an hour-long show. It seemed then and now to move along at the same pace as the half-hour episodes. The second, "Death Ship", however, gives a hint that the extra half hour tended to drag down the pace too much. The rest of the episodes includes some of the great ones of the series. There are the humorous ones such as "Once Upon a Time " (with Buster Keaton), "One for the Angels" and "Escape Clause". There are the ones with happy endings such as "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim", "In Praise of Pip", and "Still Valley". There are the true morality plays such as "The Fever", "A Quality of Mercy", "The Man in the Bottle" and "I Shot an Arrow into the Air". Finally, there are the down-right chilling episodes such as "The Dummy", "Living Doll", and "The After Hours".

I watched these episodes with my son, now 12, who seemed to enjoy them just as much as I did. We'd only watch them at night with the lights turned out. Sometimes we'd just look at each other afterwards and say "Wow!". When there was the occassional episode that I thought might not interest him, he still talked with me about it afterwards. They seemed to work just as well for him as for me and that may be the ultimate testimony to "The Twilight Zone". With all the glitz and sparkle that TV has today, impressing a kid with a half-hour black and white show with (for him) no recognizable stars seemed too tall a task. However, true greatest meets and exceeds the test of time. Time now for "Collection 3".

Overall excellent, often visionary
There is as much strength in this group of episodes as in those packaged into "collection #1." (Please see my review of that.)

If you are a TZ fan, this merits your attention. If you are exploring TZ, try a small, inexpensive sampler, then step up to this when you are ready. Seriously consider this, also, for those on your gift list who have everything and/or are difficult to buy for.

The best show now on DVD
This is hands-down my favorite television series, and now it's on DVD in superlative form. You can't go wrong with any of the five collections.

Now Entering...The Nostalgia Zone
Having had a partial collection on video for many years now, I anxiously awaited the release on DVD. Finally! The complete series (156 episodes) has finally received the treatment it truly deserves. This series has held up well for 40+ years, and I have no doubt it will make it for at least another half century. Television writing was at its peak with this show, and the evolution of television filming (and videotaping) techniques is obvious over the course of this series. And the trademark twists at the end of each episode still take me by surprise!

Technically, the digital remastering to DVD has brought new life to Rod Serling's brainchild. The video presentation is crisp and well defined, bringing out the subtle details so well, that you will find yourself completely absorbed in the nuances of Serling's vision, and the outstanding production values for this early 60's series (just keep in mind that this is pre-Computer Generation era). The audio was clear, and blissfully noise free, but a bit low on the volume when compared to the title and menu audio tracks (both on the geyeballh version of the earlier disks, and the intro sequences on the later disks). The shows are presented in their original format, so no widescreen version is necessary. And television always translates well to...well, television. Although the extras include a Rod Serling bio, a brief synopsis of each of the 5 seasons that the series ran, and a Twilight Zone history, these features are identical on each disc. The true gem of the extra features is the episode synopsis and review. Each disc is unique in this respect, with a plot summary and some background "inside info". Although mostly taken from the book "The Twilight Zone Companion," I found this feature to be the most interesting.

Each collection has its ghitsh and gmissesh, but the series is, overall, a rewarding experience. The only "disappointments" that I found were the collection's lack of a subtitles option (which I really would have appreciated), and the fact that the episodes are not in order (which slightly detracts from observing the actual progression of growth within the series). That makes this more of a 4 1/2 star rating (but you can't do that, can you?). If you have ever enjoyed even one episode of this legendary series, you will not regret buying these collections. And if you've never seen it, give it a try...you'll be hooked. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Diamond Collection consists of five Marilyn Monroe films plus the documentary The Final Days. Bus Stop (1956) stars Monroe as a singer who finds herself trapped at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere during a blizzard. How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) was built around a trio of female stars, Monroe, Lauren Bacall, and Betty Grable, who play friends who come up with a plan to find and marry rich men. Monroe plays an ambitious showgirl in 1954's There's No Business Like Show Business, which brings together two giants of Broadway, Ethel Merman and Irving Berlin, to celebrate the glories that were vaudeville. Howard Hawks's 1953 musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes stars Monroe and Jane Russell as friends who go to Paris looking for mates. The film is charged by Hawks's stylish snap, a famous set piece or two (including Monroe descending that staircase while singing "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend"), Russell's wit, and songs by Leo Robin and Jule Styne. The Seven Year Itch (1955) is a memorable laugh machine. As a married man left alone during a hot summer, Tom Ewell shows off crack timing matched by Monroe's zesty comic flair, and the scene in which her white dress is blown skyward by a passing subway train has entered the encyclopedia of great movie images.

In The Final Days, producer-director Patty Ivins chronicles Monroe's final, aborted feature film, Something's Got to Give, which was ultimately shut down after the star was dismissed from the production. Beyond Monroe's fragile emotional and physical health, this well-crafted profile examines the financial crisis facing her studio as well as the mounting frustration of meticulous director George Cukor and his cast, including costar Dean Martin, as Monroe's absences drove the shoot over budget. The documentary concludes with a 40-minute reconstruction of footage completed for the feature, which would subsequently be reshot as a vehicle for Doris Day and James Garner, Move Over, Darling. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Goodbye Norma Jean
Are you in for a treat! The Diamond Collection features 5 Marilyn movies, and the first-time ever release of her final, unfinished film. First up is "Bus Stop", directed by Joshua Logan in 1956. Don Murray(in his first film) co-stars as a riotious young country cowboy. This bumpy romance is stage-bound and corny. However, it's final scenes reveal an emotionally scarred young woman's character that is hauntingly reminiscent of the "Marilyn Mystique". The second film is "There's No Business Like Show Business", from 1954. It's a back-stage show business melodrama; dated and slow. However, this new DVD offering is dripping with luxurious, mind-bogeling color. Dan Dailey co-stars, along with a very young Hugh O'Brian. The third film is 1955's "Seven Year Itch". Director Billy Wilder had filmed the classic "Sunset Boulevard" just 5 years before. "The Seven Year Itch" was a smash Broadway comedy hit for 3 years. Tom Ewell signed on to repeat his starring role. Ewell plays a hen-pecked husband, alone for the summer in his sweltering Manhattan flat. Then he meets "the girl". It's a fast moving satirical romp. The timing and acting are superb. It's near perfect. The fourth film is "How to Marry a Millionaire", from 1953.This vibrant, classy comedy stars Marilyn along with Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, and Hollywood icon William Powell, who once romanced Jean Harlow. Marilyn easily steals the show. Her ditzy, near-sighted blond model named Pola is a scream from begining to end. Next is "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes(1953)". A famous action director, this was Howard Hawk's only musical. Jane Russell co-stars. The shipboard scene with Marilyn, Charles Coburn, and George Winslow ranks among the funniest ever shot! Finally comes a special treasure trove of Hollywood legend. "Something's Got to Give" has been locked away in a 20th Century film vault for 40 years. Carefully edited from 9 hours of film never seen before, it is perhaps the first half of her final intended film. Shot in 1962, it features her only nude scene. George Cukor directed parts of "Gone With the Wind" in 1939. Here he leads Marilyn and barks orders at child actors on the set. An exceptional cast includes Dean Martin, Cyd Charisse,Phil Silvers, Steve Allen, and the mysterious Wally Cox. 19 days behind schedule, filming was suspended due to Marilyn's poor health. Marilyn enticed the studio to begin re-filming, armed with a new million-dollar contract and a 2 picture deal. Ravaged by 10 years of Hollywood stardom, Marilyn suffered bouts of depression. She died in August, 1962, of a pill overdose. For the first time ever, the camera opens the door on this fragile, frightened, and damaged little girl living in a still beautiful 35 year-old woman's body. "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend". But having just one friend might have helped save this little girl.

The DVD Diamond Collection captures the total appeal of MM.
MM (Marilyn Monroe) was and now again (due to these magnificent widescreen digitally restored picture & sound DVDs) the most celebrated film star of Hollywood.

The Technicolor quality & clarity of all the movies are worth the price of admission. This 6 DVD set allows us into the hey day of Hollywood with Marilyn becoming the most celebrated star of her era. These movies are all upbeat musicals (Theres No Business Like Show Business & Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Monroe & Jane Russell were honored & immortalized at Graumans Chinese Theatre (foot & handprints) for there success in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.) or comedies (How to Marry a Millionaire, Seven Year Itch (the famous subway grate dress scene), Bus Stop, & Something's Got to Give (her final incomplete film restored and edited for our enjoyment (40mins)).

Marilyn was captured on film forever but now her true beauty & talent explode off the screen with these restored beauties.

This collection has the beauty, the vulneribilty and talent of Marilyn Monroe. These DVD's are the best sampling of Marilyn's eternal stardom, total audience appeal & obsession with her.

MM is totally delightful in all these upbeat color filled movies. She always steals the scenes, lights up the screen & audiences always want more of Marilyn.

She can act (comedy & drama), dance, sing & win our hearts.

If you have ever wondered about this Hollywood phenomenon you can now see for yourself the true talent & beauty of Marilyn Monroe. There are many extras but the movies are the candy. So sit back and enjoy this Diamond Collection of this legendary star immortalized forever on these DVD's.

Absolutely essential collection of Marilyn Monroe films!
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For anyone who loves Marilyn Monroe, or even for anyone who knows nothing about her but wants to learn, this is an essential collection of her films.

Buy this set along with The Diamond Collection II, and you will have most of the best of Marilyn Monroe's body of work.

The surprise DVD in this set is the "Final Days" disc, in which Marilyn's final (uncompleted) film, "Something's Got to Give" has been reconstructed to give an idea of how the finished movie might have looked.

Marilyn missed a lot of shooting days on the set of this final film, which led to her being fired in mid-production. Acdcordingly, there is a lot of plot missing in this reconstruction. However, if you watch the Doris Day vehicle "Move Over Darling", which was a retitled and completed version of "Something's Got to Give", it will fill in the gaps so that you can watch the reconstructed "Something's Got to Give" and figure out the plot.

It's wonderful that at last we have this final glimpse of Monroe's on-screen magic. She appeared breathtakingly beautiful in the surviving footage of this film. It really makes me sad to realize she didn't survive the summer of 1962 so that she could complete the filming.

Ah yes... MMMmmmarvelous Marilyn!

Of these "gems", The Seven Year Itch is my best friend
OK, finally, the six videos in the first Diamond Collection, meaning her 20th Century Fox pictures. Not all are flawless gems, but rather most are the ones she is best known for, and we get an indepth, well-detailed narrative of her aborted last movie.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: Yes, the musical that put Marilyn on the map after the success of Niagara. This movie is dated, but there's also the mindset of the opposites of its two stars. Lorelei Lee will simply drool over a diamond, while Dorothy drools over big pecs. Things aren't that way today. And the classic "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" led Madonna to duplicate that scene in her "Material Girl" video. Good songs and numbers mask a so-so plot and characters. Rating: 3.5

How To Marry A Millionaire: The second Cinemascope film made, Millionaire has MM teaming up with Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall, out to snag rich husbands. MM is Pola, a myopic blonde who keeps bumping into walls and things without her glasses, which she is reluctant to wear because "men aren't attracted to women who wear glasses." That's what she thinks. Again, the materialistic "money is everything" theme prevalent in the 1950's. Not bad, though. (Rating: 4).

There's No Business Like Show Business: Marilyn only has a supporting role as Donald O'Connor's love interest in this one, with the really hot Latin-flavoured "Heat Wave" number a highlight. Most of the drama in this splashy but with no substance movie goes to Ethel Merman, Dan Dailey, and O'Connor. Rating: 3

The Seven Year Itch: This has been my favourite MM film, not because of the skirt scene. For one thing, there's Tom Ewell's character, the married Richard Sherman, who has been happily married for seven years and has a great imagination, but not much esteem. Enter the Girl, a figure out of a dream, who tells him in a speech towards the end: "But there's another guy in the room, way over in the corner. Maybe he's kind of nervous and shy and perspiring a little. First you look past him, but then you sort of sense he's gentle and kind and worried, and he'll be tender with you. Nice and sweet. That's what's really exciting. If I were your wife, I'd be very very jealous of you." That cheered me up given my looks. Rating: 5

Bus Stop: The first film she did using Method acting, this is the film touted as the one where she could finally act, in her role as Cheri, a singer looking for respect who is initially flattered at the courtesy given by Bo, a green cowboy, who is so smitten at her, he intends to marry her, something that stuns her. She has no plans of marrying him, but unfortunately, Bo can't take no for an answer. Rating: 4

The Final Days: James Coburn narrates the events surrounding the making of Something's Got To Give, a remake of the Cary Grant/Irene Dunne comedy My Favourite Wife. The film would've been Marilyn's 21st, but due to her frequent absenteeism, an overdose, conflicts between director George Cukor and various writers, and the impatience of Fox studio heads desperate to be bailed out at the big slurping sound of cash draining at another debacle of a film also starring a temperamental actress, Cleopatra with Liz Taylor, it was alas not to be. Marilyn shines in some moments, such as the scene with the children. And the scene in the swimming pool is equal in exhibitionism as the skirt scene in The Seven Year Itch. She shows a bit of her derriere when she puts on the bathing gown, something that wouldn't have been allowed in the final cut, (read Mr. Hays). However, other scenes and outtakes show her in a drug-induced haze. Also included is the first 15-20 completed minutes of Something's Got To Give, where Marilyn totally shines in her scenes with Dean Martin and the children. I saw possibilities in this, as two months after being fired, MM had successfully negotiated a return to production for the film with a higher salary. That was on 1 August. Four days later, she was dead. (Rating: 4.5)

Overall rating: (3.5+4+3+5+4+4.5)/6=4.

The beautiful Eleanor Parker
Eleanor Parker is just as beautiful as Monroe, but her breasts are smaller.

Watch Parker act up a storm in "Interrupted Melody", playing the polio-stricken opera diva Marjorie Lawrence. ... Read more

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Between 1961 and 1963, Ingmar Bergman released a remarkable trilogy of so-called chamber dramas, each one concerned with the futility of sustaining faith in God, family, love, or much else. The series proved transitional for the internationally renowned Swedish filmmaker, securing his crucial collaboration with cinematographer Sven Nykvist (with whom Bergman would go on to make his many masterpieces--including Persona and Cries and Whispers--of the '60s, '70s, and early '80s), and underscoring a new preference for intimate, relationship-driven stories, austere settings, and haunting tones of emotional isolation and despair.

Through a Glass Darkly concerns a psychologically fragile woman, Karin (Harriet Andersson), who seeks recovery from a nervous breakdown while on a remote-island vacation with her family. Unfortunately, her father (Gunnar Björnstrand), a successful writer, regards her with clinical detachment, her husband (Max Von Sydow), a doctor, feels unavailing in the effort to treat her, and her brother (Lars Passgard) is wrapped up in his own quest for sexual fulfillment. Karin's descent into further loneliness and delusion exacerbates the heretofore unspoken alienation at the heart of this entire family, and drives the characters to brood over the existence of God (or, in Karin's case, imagine that God is the chilling spider hidden behind an attic door). Through a Glass Darkly is a heartbreaking, powerful work of art.

Winter Light reunites Björnstrand, this time playing a pastor suffering a crisis of faith while ministering to a shrinking congregation, and Von Sydow as a parishioner lost to acute anxiety over the possibility of a nuclear holocaust. Neither man can help or heal the other, or even inspire renewed confidence in practiced rituals and older, more certain views of the world. Set on a chilly, Sunday afternoon, Winter Light's heavy stillness, lack of music, preference for intense close-ups and distancing long shots, and barren setting all lead us inescapably into the core of a profound silence, an echo chamber in which love can't grow and religion rings hollow.

The Silence is the most abstract entry in the trilogy, a somewhat eerie story of two sisters, Esther (Ingrid Thulin) and Anna (Gunnel Lindblom), and the latter's son (Jörgen Lindström), all traveling by train to Sweden but forced to stay in a foreign country when Esther's chronic bronchial problems require her to rest. A stifling atmosphere, a desolate hotel, encounters with a troupe of carnival dwarves, Anna's anchoring illness, and an empty sexual encounter for Esther underscore the unnerving feeling that God has abandoned these characters to dubious salvation in their own connection. A highly memorable film. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Outstanding Films and Documentary, Stingy Extras
I consider Bergman's work from this period (early 60s) to be among his finest, so I pre-ordered this set and have now watched all four (not three) DVDs. And I find that The Silence as presented here restores two of the Gunnel Lindblom-Birger Malmsten scenes, parts of which are absent from the Home Vision Cinema video, in case you were wondering.

For the uninitiated, the trilogy is heavy stuff. If you haven't seen any Bergman, you might want to start with the Criterion DVD of Wild Strawberries and go on from there. As for myself, I'm always amazed at the consistency of Bergman's vision, the depth of the performances here, the beauty of the writing and complete mastery of light and sound. The cinematographic compositions, especially in Through a Glass Darkly and The Silence, are frequently awe-inspiring.

The fourth DVD is entitled Ingmar Bergman Makes a Movie. It is a five-part documentary filmed by Vilgot Sjöman for Swedish television and it details the making of Winter Light, from beginning to end. Roughly 50% is made up of interviews with Bergman where he discusses the themes of the film, the challenges of bringing a completed script to the screen, his relationship and working methods with his cast and crew, and his reaction to critics (presumably Swedish) upon the film's premiere. The other 50% of the documentary shows Bergman and crew at work scouting locations, building the sets, selecting costumes for Ingrid Thulin and Gunnar Björnstrand, blocking, rehearsing and shooting an early scene in the film, later editing another scene, mixing the sound, then screening the finished product. It is an invaluable document for Bergman lovers and film students and I'm happy to have it in my collection.

But I'm scratching my head over the lack of extras for the three feature films. If Wild Strawberries deserves one commentary, The Silence alone deserves THREE: one for background and critical exegesis, another for lighting and composition, and a third for camera movement, editing and sound. Peter Cowie gives us 10-minute overviews of the films, and they are helpful, but not really satisfying. There are American theatrical trailers and a mish-mash gallery of posters for the films from several countries (not Sweden or the Nordic countries, however).

And if you're looking for comic relief, there are English-dubbed soundtracks for the films. No serious Bergman admirer will use them, but if your Pee-Wee's Big Adventure DVD is not readily at hand, try switching the soundtrack to the dubbed version, especially during some of the big emotional scenes. It's almost a sacrilege, but their crudeness and ineptitude will provoke laughter.

Three Brilliant Cinematic Experiences by Bergman...
A Film Trilogy by Ingmar Bergman probably considered one of the best cinematic trilogies ever, if not the films alone are considered to be some of the best film ever made. Criterion gives this trilogy an appropriate treatment as they release all three films together with a documentary.

Through a Glass Darkly is the first installment of Bergman's Trilogy that takes place on an island off the coast of Sweden where a family is having a vacation at their summer home. The father, David (Gunnar Björnstrand), has recently returned from one of his many trips and his closest family is present. His family consists of his daughter Karin (Harriet Andersson), who is struggling with a mental illness that is gradually getting worse, his son Fredrik (Lars Passgård) who is in the middle of his scholarly diversion, and Martin (Max von Sydow) who is Karin's husband and a medical doctor. As the siblings rediscover the family home, they recall blissful moments from their childhood, however, the happiness brings back a strong sense of melancholy that threads their memories. These depressing memories of an absent father and his shortcomings as a care-giver have resulted in deep scars in the sibling's psyche. Reminiscence of their agonizing past affects Karin's mental health as it is deteriorating at a much faster pace, which brings the family members regret and grief. This then causes anguish among all the present family members as they are all affected by Karin in one way or another. Through a Glass Darkly is the beginning of a trilogy where grief and pain commence, which will be followed by Winter Light and Silence. Bergman demonstrates a thorough understanding of the human consciousness as he directs Through a Glass Darkly where he dissects the social structure of a family and its affects on its members. This results in an outmost brilliant cinematic experience.

Winter Light is the second film after Through a Glass Darkly. Pastor Ericsson (Gunnar Björnstrand) is suffering an enduring cold and he must hold mass for an ever-shrinking congregation as he is facing a spiritual crisis of his own. After the mass, Pastor Ericsson attempts to withdraw due to his cold, but is confronted by Jonas Persson's wife. It appears that Jonas (Max von Sydow) is suffering from severe anxiety and depression. However, Pastor Ericsson is inept in helping Jonas's emotional distress and instead addresses his own divine doubts about God. The pastor is also pondering his current affair with Märta (Ingrid Thulin) that he is thinking of ending, but Märta insists that they should continue to see each other. As a result, Pastor Ericsson is meditatively squeezed in between God and Märta as he has difficulty deciding on what he wants. He desires Märta's love as he knows it offers him comfort on a daily basis, but it goes against his ideal perspective of how to serve as a minister. Winter Light is not as grandiose as Bergman's earlier films (e.g., Naked Night and Seventh Seal). It is apparent that he has taken a new path as he is directing this film in a much smaller milieu. The setting is a personal place where catharsis is permitted without interruptions as Pastor Ericsson is facing his own demons. Winter Light serves as an enlightening and purgative link between Through a Glass Darkly and Silence. In the end, Winter Light offers an ultimate cinematic experience for self-reflection as it opens doors where questions must be asked.

Silence is the third film after the succession of Through a Glass Darkly and Winter Light. The sisters, Ester (Ingrid Thulin) and Anna (Gunnel Lindblom), are stranded in a foreign city with Anna's son, Johan. Ester is a neurotic over-achiever that often attempts to look at the rationality of things and Anna is a careless thrill-seeker that acts on her impulses. The two of them have unresolved issues that reach as far back as their childhood which have left them in an emotional turmoil. These issues cloud their judgment on how to approach each other as if they were lost within the emotional confusion caused by these issues. This confusion is left in a vacuum where their bitterness is growing in silence. Johan is placed in the middle of this silence as a compassionate shadow between the sisters, which encourages them to maintain a civil harmony. The sisters' only hope for healing is the innocence of Johan's curiosity which is untouched by the worldly cynicism that controls most of the sisters beliefs and values. Johan's innocence is full of acceptance, understanding, life, and love, which is something that Ester and Anna have difficulty in sharing. In addition, the silence between them sets their minds and thoughts pessimistically adrift and is elevated through their personal cynicism. Silence uses cinematography that is unmatched as it enhances emotional turmoil that the sisters are experiencing through the use of provoking camera angles, close-ups, and pans. In addition, the frequent play with light and shadows boosts emotional situations of the characters and enhances how they are perceived by the audience. The lack of sound enhances moments when sound is utilized. Overall, Bergman has manipulated elements of cinema in Silence to perfection as he leaves a brilliant cinematic experience for the audience.

These three films are perfectly summed up with the fourth film, which serves as a documentary for the Trilogy, by Vilgot Sjöman (I Am Curious Yellow and I Am Curious Blue) who served as intern during the 50s for Bergman.

In the end, I appreciate these films as they develops an understanding of why Bergman belongs with the cinematic geniuses of all time such as Antonioni, Chaplin, Clouzot, Fassbinder, Fellini, Godard, Kiarostami, Kieslowski, Kurosawa, Lang, Powell, Pressburger, Renoir, Truffaut and many others.

A life-changing faith examination...
The trilogy consists of three seperate stories using the same actors, all telling a similar theme with different backgrounds, very little plot, intense angst and the literal silence of music, as well as at times, excruciating silence between the characters. It's as if the dialogue is, at times, and mostly in the third, what they don't say.

The first, "Through a Glass Darkly", is off of what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:11,

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (KJV)

It is the story of a psychologically disturbed woman, her father who is a successful but struggling writer, her husband who is a doctor who cannot diagnose her, and her little brother who is starting to enter his phase of understanding human sexuality. In the end, she totally loses it and is convinced that, when the door to her closet mysteriously opens, God calls her over and shows himself as a tiny spider who crawls out. This was the easiest for me to watch, and the most blatantly theological, I think, though it comes close to the second one. The movie explains the concept of knowing there is a God, but wondering why He is so excrucuatingly silent at times.

The second, "Winter Light", takes place one day in a small church in Sweden. A pastor, who is questioning God because of His silence, can barely give a sermon, let alone console his congregation. One man attends with his wife and stays after every service, asking the pastor to console his fears of nuclear war (the movies were made around the time of the cold war) and his paranoia. The pastor, wanting to tell him to put his trust in God, admits through his silence on the matter that he cannot tell him to have faith, for he questions his own. The man leaves, while the pastor is approached by a lover he had so long ago, wanting him back. He does not know what to keep, his love of God or love for her. She is an example of the earthly temptations that keep us from faith in God. Near the end, the man scared of nuclear war shoots himself in the head, causing the pastor to have to console the family of the man he couldn't help, to console with the faith he doesn't have that both he and the man wanted. The wife isn't disturbed, she saw it coming. I must say that this is the best of all that I saw, and excruciating to watch. It mirrors me, a person who sometimes has such strong faith but other times questions and feels he can be of no use to anyone to convey the glory of God through his living because I'm concerned, myself. Highly existential and brilliantly done, very theological. The movie makes a statement along the lines of mankind's doubt of God because of His silence.

The last one is titled, "The Silence", and all hell breaks loose in this one. There is little dialogue and no music. It is about two 20 something sisters travelling by train through Sweden with one's 10 year old son. They end up staying at a mostly empty hotel. One sister has bronchial problems and must rest in bed all of the movie, as well as take care of her sister's child. Her sister is a nihilist, she goes out and sleeps around with men, doesn't care much about responsibility or taking care of her child and at one point is raped by a man she thinks she likes...and has to accept it, despite her sister's attempts to save her from it. This is the hardest to watch for many friends of mine, I had to watch it in three half hour sittings because I could not bear to watch it all at once. The sister who is taking care of the child and who is sick soon realizes her sister's nihilism when they realize the silence of God. In the end, the sister and her son leave while the sick one stays behind in the h