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Sunrise (1927)
There are those who rate Sunrise the greatest of all silent films. Then again, some consider it the finest film from any era. Such claims invite a backlash, but do yourself a favor and give it a look. At the very least, you'll know you've seen a movie of extraordinary visual beauty and emotional purity. This universal tale of a farm couple's journey from country to city and back again was the first American film for F.W. Murnau, the German director of Nosferatu and The Last Laugh whose everyday scenes seemed haunted by phantoms and whose most extravagant visions never lost touch with reality. Hollywood afforded him the technical resources to unleash his imagination, and in turn he opened up the power of camera movement and composition for a generation of American filmmakers. You'll never forget the walk in the swamp, the ripples on the lake, the trolley ride from forest to metropolis. This movie defines the cinema. --Richard T. Jameson

How Green Was My Valley (1941)
John Ford's beautiful, heartfelt drama about a close-knit family of Welsh coal miners is one of the greatest films of Hollywood's golden age--a gentle masterpiece that beat Citizen Kane in the Best Picture race for the 1941 Academy Awards. The picture also won Oscars for Best Director (Ford), Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp), Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography; all of those awards were richly deserved,even if they came at the expense of Kane and Orson Welles. Based on thenovel by Richard Llewellyn, the film focuses its eventful story on 10-year-old Huw (Roddy McDowall), youngest of seven children to Mr. and Mrs. Morgan (Donald Crisp, Sarah Allgood), a hardy couple who've seen the best and worst of timesin their South Wales mining town. They're facing one of the worst times as Mr. Morgan refuses to join a miners union whose members have begun a long-term strike. Family tensions grow and Huw must learn many of life's harsher lessons under the tutelage of the local preacher (Walter Pidgeon), who has fallen in love with Huw's sister (Maureen O'Hara). As various crises are confronted and devastating losses endured, How Green Was My Valley unfolds as a rich, moving portrait of family strength and integrity. It's also a nod to a simpler, more innocent time--and to the preciousness of memory and the inevitable passage from youth to adulthood. An all-time classic, not to be missed. --Jeff Shannon

Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
Elia Kazan directed this sometimes powerful study of anti-Semitism in nicer circles, based on Laura Z. Hobson's post-World War II novel. Gregory Peck is a hotshot magazine writer who has been blind to the problem; to ferret it out, he passes himself off as Jewish and watches the WASPs squirm. Seen a half-century later, the attitudes seem quaint and dated: Could it really have been like this? Yet the truth of the story comes through, in the wounded dignity of John Garfield, the upright indignation of Peck, and the hidden ways bigotry and hatred can poison relationships. That's particularly true in the Oscar-winning performance of Celeste Holm, who finds more layers than you'd expect in what seems like a stock character. --Marshall Fine

All About Eve (1950)
Showered with Oscars, this wonderfully bitchy (and witty) comedy written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz concerns an aging theater star (Bette Davis) whose life is being supplanted by a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing ingenue (Anne Baxter) whom she helped. This is a film for a viewer to take in like a box of chocolates, packed with scene-for-scene delightsthat make the entire story even better than it really is. The film also gives deviously talented actors such as George Sanders and Thelma Ritter a chance to speak dazzling lines; Davis bites into her role and never lets go. A classic from Mankiewicz, a legendary screenwriter and the brilliant director of A Letter to Three Wives, The Barefoot Contessa, and Sleuth. --Tom Keogh

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Before man ventured into space, Walt Disney took the nation there. This set of the Walt Disney Treasures consists of "Science Factual" shows that aired mostly in the 1950s. On the first disc, Ward Kimball, one of the company's ace animators, directs three 50-minute segments on space travel dealing with space flight, going to the moon, and going to Mars. A combination of lecture (by the tops in the field, including lead rocket designer Dr. Werner von Braun), animation, live-action segments, and models, the three segments are still relevant as they effortlessly teach such elements as why rockets are in stages, what is gravitational force, orbiting, air pressure, and even the psychological effects on the mind. It is impressive how easily these Tomorrowland features entertain audiences of all ages. Of course, some of the details are wrong, but the wonder is not, and the final segment--a most poetic survey about what life might be like on Mars--illustrates Disney animated magic at its best.

The second disc takes on weather reporting (including a James Bond-ish way of changing the weather), how satellites work, and the touchstone 1958 short "Our Friend the Atom," a staple of explaining the world of atomic energy. Shown for the first time in its entirety is an informative pitch for EPCOT. It's not a version of the theme park now in Florida, but Walt Disney's lyrical vision of a city of the future, a dream never realized with his death two months after filming in 1966. Leonard Maltin introduces each segment, putting it in historical context and noting some political incorrectness and oversights, like atomic energy having no downside. The programs still entertainingly show the promises of the future: humans on Mars seem so tangible, even though the space program lost its way in the forthcoming decades. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Classic Futuristic Television
Although this appears to be a less popular release than the other 2003 Disney Treasures, the contents are very special. The programs are entertaining, educational, and important in a historical context. As listed in various websites, the contents are scheduled to be the following (first release date/TV showing listed after each title): Man In Space (3/9/55), Man and the Moon (12/28/55), Mars and Beyond (12/4/57), Our Friend The Atom (1/23/57), Eyes In Outer Space (6/18/59), and EPCOT (filmed late 1966, first shown 1967).

The first three are TV shows exploring different ideas on how space travel could and would be accomplished. Each show combined entertainment with scientific facts known at that time. President Eisenhower arranged to show a screening of Man In Space at the Pentagon and later credited the show with helping to further the progress of the American Space Program. Mars and Beyond has a funny scene in which Donald Duck is shown among a long line of Martian monsters.

Our Friend The Atom explores the early potential of atomic energy - the benefits and dangers. There is a fun animated tale of "The Fisherman and the Genie" included as part of the history of the atom.

Eyes In Outer Space was released to the theaters and explored satellites' future ability to forecast and control weather. Later shown as part of the later 4/1/62 TV show Spy in the Sky.

EPCOT was the last film Walt Disney appeared in, in which he explains the company's plans for Walt Disney World and EPCOT.

I have seen all these TV shows and films and have loved them throughout the years. I look forward to owning DVD quality copies of these.

Lost Treasures - Found
Disney completists, 1950s cultural collectors, animation fans, history buffs and sci/fi fans will be overjoyed with this set. I had never seen any of the material contained in this set before and now I can't keep these films out of my mind. I was amazed that Walt Disney had the guts to tackle these subjects in such a serious manner. Yet they aren't presented as fluff nor as a boring PBS documentary but some marvelous combination of the two. I've heard people tell of how they had seen these films in school as a supplement to their science educations. Now I can see why. You learn hard facts about the subjects of space travel, atoms, and rockets in an entertaining and unforgettable way. I think the Discovery Channel could learn a thing or two from these films.

The bulk of these films are live action, but the animation that is included is stunning in that it is so different looking from what we normally consider Disney. Animation fans will be pouring over these segments in awe. And as proof of Walt's forethought we are able to enjoy these shows in full technicolor.

Included as a bonus are two interviews. One with Ray Bradbury and the other with Marty Sklar. I can't overstate how excellent these interviews are. They both knew Walt personally and their accounts of working with him and his personality are priceless. As much as I loved the main features, I'm sure to be watching these interviews again and again.

Parents can easily allow their children to watch this set and they're sure to learn a thing or two. For the whole family, Tomorrowland is a triumph of ideas, entertainment and imagination.

Nostalgic, Fun & a Little Disturbing
I saw all these shows except "Eyes In Outer Space" & the EPCOT promotional film, when they were originally broadcast, when I was very young, and they began my education in science and astronomy. Seeing them again 50 years later is a blast. First off, they look GREAT! They are immensely interesting and very entertaining. The stuff they predict correctly is amazing. The first show basically lays out what became the space shuttle program very accurately. In "Mars & Beyond" it apparently didn't occur to them that we would send unmanned probes before sending men. They don't get the first moon trip right. No ships were built in space, and we went to the moon before building any space stations, and to go all the way to the moon and just come back after ONE orbit would have been idiotic. Needless to say, our first trip to the moon involved orbiting for a while. Of course, on the second trip, we landed.
But there's disturbing aspects to these shows also. First off, most of the scientists whom Walt has explain rocketry to us are NAZIS, like Werner Von Braun. They mention his developing of rockets, but omit that he did it for Hitler to use murdering people in England!. When a German scientist, in "Our Friend The Atom" asks what three wishes we should ask of atomic energy, and then says, "Our first wish is for POWER!" I was completely creeped out. We're supposed to just forget that these men had no compunctions about letting Hitler use their genius for mass murder. These guys weren't Mousekateers. They were war criminals who we took for our space programs. They apparently didn't care who they built weapons for. That's what we call whores. It was just ten years after World War II, and Disney was bringing these Nazis into our living rooms to teach our kids. Ew!
Speaking of "Our Friend The Atom", it's a huge commercial for atomic energy, designed to make us baby boomers all want a nuclear power plant in OUR neighborhoods. The atom isn't our friend! They imply that atomic energy COULD have been dangerous, but fortunately, we've tamed it and it hasn't been used to kill and is now not dangerous. Excuse me! Hiroshima and Nagasaki were already history. "Our Friend The Atom" was all about sending us on the inevitable path to Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Very creepy.
Several of the historical segments make note of the 1000 year gap in scientific development, the Dark Ages, and let us know that this was a bad time of superstition and ignorance, but it never mentions how the Catholic Church deliberately created the Dark Ages, by ruthlessly repressing all learning, and burning you at the stake if you dared to think for yourself. Copernicus and Galilao's discoveries are cited several times, but no mention is made of their being forced to recant by the Vatican, or of any of Catholicism's other crimes against learning and science.
Similarly, "Eyes In Outer Space" suggests that satilites would just be used for weather control. Any more sinister uses, like spying or weaponry, are never even hinted at.
I am amused by the reviewers who think it's a shame that Walt's ideas for EPCOT were never realized, and who wish they could live in Walt's supercity. Actually live in a city owned and RULED by Disney? No thanks.
But this set of programs are fascinating artifacts from my youth. I enjoyed them tremendously.

Some of the Greatest Animation Ever Created, etc.
To say the least, this collection features some of the greatest animation ever produced for television, if not ever. Mind blowing, wildly inventive, and overwhelming. Ward Kimball, I would argue (with this set as evidence), was Disney's greatest animator, and, when you consider the starchy conservative reputation Disney had during the mid-50s, it's astonishing to consider how willing and trusting he was to both hand over creative control to Kimball, and to present this profoundly innovative and often extremely abstract animation to the common public. It goes a long way toward the potential for discussing Disney as being far more complex than the overly reductive dismissal of him as reactionary moralist in the cultural realm. In addition, this set encapsulates the bright-eyed utopianism of the era better than any other pop culture artifact, the mood and representation of which clearly informed Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (it also sheds light on the somewhat disturbing Germanic influence on the technology of the space age).

Immeasurably entertaining
Well, I came along too late to have seen these programs on t.v. in the fifties. But I can't imagine I would have enjoyed them anymore than I did today! I don't think it's an exaggeration to say the "Tomorrowland" programs may be the BEST documentaries I have ever seen. Who else but Walt Disney (teaming up with space exploration pioneers like Willie Ley and Warner Von Braun) could make a series like this that ANYONE can enjoy, even 50 years after their release?

Yes, some of the speculative material therein has been proven wrong over the years. That's part of their charm...the people who made these things seem certain that their ideas would become reality. And speaking of charm, anyone with even a passing interest in the history of animation simply MUST have this set. I don't think any other Disney production looks quite like this. The episode on Mars in particular contains some of the most bizarre images, animated or otherwise, to ever appear on screen.

I would highly recommend this to anyone (1)like I said, with an interest in animation; (2)interested in the history of astronomy; (3)who likes 50's science-fiction or science-fact. And of course, anyone who likes classic Disney should have bought this one already.

If I had the money I'd buy it FOR you. But I don't...so do yourself a favor and get this one before it's gone. ... Read more

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Like Tolstoy's novel, this epic-length War and Peace is rough going, but worth the effort. Winner of the 1969 Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film and widely considered the most faithful adaptation of Tolstoy's classic, Sergei Bondarchuk's massive Soviet-Italian coproduction was seven years in the making, at a record-setting cost of $100 million. Bondarchuk himself plays the central role of Pierre Bezukhov, buffeted by fate during Russia's tumultuous Napoleonic Wars, serving as pawn and philosopher through some of the most astonishing set pieces ever filmed. Bondarchuk is a problematic director: interior monologues provide awkward counterpoint to intimate dramas, weaving together the many classes and characters whose lives are permanently affected by war. Infusions of '60s-styled imagery clash with the film's period detail; it's an anomalous experiment that doesn't really work. Undeniably, however, the epic battle scenes remain breathtakingly unique; to experience the sheer scale of this film is to realize that such cinematic extravagance will never be seen again. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Spectacle & Reverence....
You will never see a movie like the Russian War and Peace ever again. With battle scenes involving 200,000 extras (the Russian Army), made prior to CGI, the film has awesome scope and spectacle to spare, as well as a reverence for the source material, Tolstoy's massive and magnificent novel.

It will not please all fans of the novel, no movie can ever do that, but it is a worthy effort in trying to capture Tolstoy's sprawling story, which itself shifts from the spectacle of the wars with Napolean to the intimacy of family life and society in 19th century Russia.

There is meticulous recreation of the lifestyles of the nobility of the era, and some simply incredible sweeping re-staging of the key battles of Austelitz and later the War of 1812. Shot with incredible tracking shots, crane shots and aerial camerawork, there are images here that are stunning.

Perhaps the more intimate stories of the loves of Natasha (a marvelous Irina Skobtseva, a Natalya for all times), the travails of Prince Andrei and Pierre are somewhat overwhelmed by the greater spectacle of the war, but we come to know them nonetheless. Some of the other characters that are vivid in the novel are given short shrift, but in so huge an undertaking, I don't know how that could be avoided. More than one viewing will help to sort them all out.

At any rate, we are left with an incredible effort to capture the sweep of history and its effects on the individuals caught up in it. Tolstoy's themes of love and death, of the horror and futility of war, of the price paid by all for the egotism of a Napolean and the ambitions of ruthless men, are here. The foolish & foolhardy, the wise and the devious, the courageous and the cowards, the loving and the indifferent, i.e., all the very human characters in Tolstoy's Russia are here as well. And the great span of the film allows us to see them grow and change.

Not perfect, but a hugely ambitious film that succeeds more often than not. Worth it.

A surpisingly enjoyable film.
After an unexpected delay, Image Entertainment has finally released the full-version of War and Peace on DVD. And what a collection it is! The entire film is spread out over 4 discs in a serialized fashion with each disc dedicatated solely to a specific portion of the film. Additionally, each disc contains cast biographies, notes on relevant history, architectural drawings, and more. The fifth disc contains lengthy interviews with the production staff as well as original "documentaries" on the making of the film. All in all, an impressive package indeed.

So, how is the movie? When I first sat down to watch it my first thought was "What am I doing? A six-hour Russian film that is almost 40 years old? Is this going to be interesting at all?" Surprisingly I found the film to be very engaging and held my interest throughout the 6 hour 43 minute running time. The photography is excellent, the acting is very realistic, and the enormity of the production does bring moments of "Oh my god!" every now and then. (Seeing 50,000 extras in costume while a battle rages is very impressive!) But the film is not for everyone. It does lack the polish of the traditional Hollywood film and the story is sometimes difficult to follow. The director's style would go from melodrama to experimental with multiple images, odd camera angles, and strange compositions. (You can definitely see the influence of Abel Gance's Napoleon.) The battles scenes are the most impressive portions of this film, perhaps of any film to date, and are worth the cost of this disc alone.

The quality of the transfer is excellent, despite a flawed film source. The audio is up-to-date with excellent 5.1 sound separation and strong bass for those booming canons. Since the disc is not region encoded (for worldwide distribution) it contains multiple audio streams and an enormous amount of subtitle choices. The English audio & subtitles are flawed. The dubbed version has many scenes that are not dubbed at all and contain only English subtitles. (The liner notes say this version on DVD is the restored version, including originally censored scenes. My guess is that the non-dubbed parts are these restored scenes.) As for the English subtitles, they appear to be accurate but often do not materialize during French speaking scenes. However, since I prefer to watch the film in its original Russian language, the only annoyance I encountered was the sporadic lack of English subtitles.

If you have any interest at all in this film, I would strongly recommend this new and definitive release. At 6+ hours, five discs, and a film production that will never be duplicated again, this is a purchase that will not go unappreciated.

Ruscico War & Peace DVD is horribly defective
ZERO STARS. What a dissappointment! The film randomly switches between English and Russian and French dubbing ---sometimes in the same section--- and the subtitles don't always come on in English. I tried it on 2 DVD players so it is quite defective. Judging from some other reviews, other people are experiencing it but for some strange reason they find this acceptable. This is the first DVD I have ever seen which was this screwed up. Too bad----a great movie which I still have only on Beta (Kultur version).

Bondarchuk's "War and Peace" released by RUSCICO
A gargantuan version of Tolstoy's national epic, approached as a priority as important as the Soviet space program, War and Peace is surely the biggest production ever put on film, with entire armies filling the screen and covering vast landscapes. The recreation of the Napoleonic era in St. Petersburg and Moscow is a wonderment. Director Sergei Bondarchuk makes the story work even better at the intimate level. The romantic adventures and heartbreaks of the story's central trio, Pierre, Natasha and Andrei lead to at least 4 or 5 devastatingly emotional highpoints.
Previously, there was the 1956 Dino DeLaurentiis version. Except for some awkward casting, it wasn't half bad, but it pales beside the opulence and scope of this colossus. Ruscico's version is both longer and better-presented than previous releases, and Image has packaged it with helpful extras and easily-navigated menus. More on that below.
Savant was excited to see this pricey-but-exceptional DVD release; Ruscico has a reputation for quality releases of hard-to-see Soviet pictures, and War and Peace is certainly the prize title, at least for Western audiences unfamiliar with the majority of Mosfilm's output. I saw the American release when 16 years old, serialized over two weeks in a fancy theater in San Bernardino. I can't say I followed the story well, and mostly remember the grainy, washed out picture and the distracting English dubbing - Natasha's voice squeaked like Minnie Mouse. But the eye-popping visuals stayed burned into my memory, especially a God's eye view, receding into the heavens, of the Austerlitz battlefield spread out below. It looked as if it took in miles of smoke and fighting.
In Russian with subs in a number of languages, the new Ruscico / Image DVD is a completely different viewing experience. The Russian voices are beautiful, and it's easy to catch cultural things we had only read about, such as the St. Petersburg elite opting to speak French for many conversational details. It's not 70mm, but on a big widescreen television, the scope of the visuals can be almost overwhelming.
Ruscico's DVD of War and Peace is handsomely presented on 4 discs in a thankfully easy-to-understand package. The transfer image isn't going to be able to compete with restorations done here, however. War and Peace was shot in a Soviet color system in 70mm, and the colors are a muted set of pastels we aren't used to. Either the age of the elements, or the reduction printing, or bad storage has given many scenes a dupey look, with slightly fluctuating contrast. The image is stable and intact, but there are occasional scratches and slight damage.
Either that one bad shot was an isolated instance, or most of the time we're too caught up in the story to notice such things. I should point out that I viewed the discs on a 65" monitor that magnifies these kinds of flaws, so many viewers will probably be completely unaware of them.
The DVD producers have included a generous allotment of extras, listed below. A fifth disc contains a couple of Soviet docus on Tolstoy and an elaborate commemorative behind-the-scenes piece. It starts with the stars at a Moscow premiere, and then backtracks to show how many scenes were filmed. The cameraman is on roller skates in the ballroom scene, and a trucking scene through the battlefield shows exactly how some of the more amazing shots were captured. The cameramen use portable 70mm cameras of a kind I've never seen, that look every bit as sophisticated as ours.
In one of the interviews, the President of the Mosfilm studio says that after the years of filming, War and Peace wasn't unanimously praised in the Soviet Union. Everybody saw it, but not everyone thought it was a masterpiece. Audiences are audiences, Russian or American, and after those 4 or 5 transcendant moments in the picture, the ending does seem rather downplayed and anti-climactic. But seeing the show now after 35 more years of film history, this enormous epic seems more of an accomplishment than ever.

P.S. To watch the movie preview video clip you can on russianDVD.com website for free.

Grand epic
This is an excellent movie. The dubbing situation was strange, but that doesn't detract form the overall quality. And off course the book is better and more extensive then the movie. That said though. bondarchuk did do the ideal screen adaption. I only wish Nicholas would have been more prominently featured. ... Read more

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An American in Paris
A GI (Gene Kelly) stays in Paris after the war to become an artist and has to choose between the patronage of a rich American woman (Nina Foch) and a French gamine (Leslie Caron) engaged to an older man. The plot is mostly an excuse for director Vincente Minnelli to pool his own extraordinary talent with those of choreographer-dancer-actor Kelly and the artists behind the screenplay, art direction, cinematography, and score, creating a rapturous musical not quite like anything else in cinema. The final section of the film comprises a 17-minute dance sequence that took a month to film and is breathtaking. Songs include "'S Wonderful," "I Got Rhythm," and "Love Is Here to Stay."

Gigi
Vincente Minnelli's 1958 adaptation of Colette's story about a girl (Leslie Caron) groomed as a courtesan--but desired as a wife by a Parisian playboy (Louis Jordan)--won a lot of Oscars^®, but it also has the unusual distinction of being an MGM musical shot on location in the City of Lights. What a musical it is (by Lerner and Loewe): Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold crooning "Ah, Yes, I Remember It Well," plus the songs "Thank Heaven for Little Girls," "Gigi," "I'm a Bore," and "She's Not Thinking of Me." Director Minnelli makes a sumptuous, dreamy, almost laid-back affair of it all, and the indispensable cast is forever etched into memory. Hollywood's long-running infatuation with Continental grace and manners, the memory of a much earlier time imported to American movies through such immigrant directors as Ernst Lubitsch, may have finally come to a gentle end with this film.

My Fair Lady
Hollywood's legendary "woman's director," George Cukor, transformed Audrey Hepburn into street-urchin-turned-proper-lady Eliza Doolittle in this film version of the Lerner and Loewe musical. Based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, My Fair Lady stars Rex Harrison as linguist Henry Higgins (Harrison also played the role, opposite Julie Andrews, on stage), who draws Eliza into a social experiment that works almost too well. The letterbox edition of this film on video certainly pays tribute to the pageantry of Cukor's set, but it also underscores a certain visual stiffness that can slow viewer enthusiasm just a tad. But it's really star wattage that keeps this film exciting, that and such great songs as "On the Street Where You Live" and "I Could Have Danced All Night." Actor Jeremy Brett, who gained a huge following later in life portraying Sherlock Holmes, is quite electric as Eliza's determined suitor. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

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a tasteful but yet comical mix of highly aclaimed actors....
I would of given this movie a higher rating but my mouse can't move to the five star rating button. These movies where exeptional. They tell the heart felt story of a giant ape that isn't very fond of human kind. In the first movie he climbs the empire state building and captures a blonde woman from her bedroom window. In the second movie a giant lizard has to fight the giant ape for the woman he captures. In the end they ended up leveling the whole city of Tokyo. In the end a bunch of guys who hunted ghosts and other strange phenomenons ended up sucking the giant lizard into there backpacks.
In the final movie the blonde woman and the ape have a son and move back to the jungle. The boy ends up growing up and becoming the king of the jungle. The boy eventualy marries a ladie named Jane and live a normal life in the tree tops. ... Read more

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The Peter Sellers Collection includes six British comedies in which Sellers plays leading or supporting roles. The Smallest Show on Earth (1957) is among the run of gentle British comedies in the 1950s in which outmoded and broken-down local institutions were saved by collections of committed eccentrics. Aspiring novelist Bill Travers and his wife Virginia McKenna inherit a cinema from a hitherto unknown uncle and discover that it isn't the sumptuous modern Grand, but the decrepit Bijou, with a drunken projectionist played by Sellers.

In 1959's I'm All Right Jack, Sellers plays both Sir John Kennaway and, unforgettably, the trade union leader Fred Kite. The result is laugh-out-loud comedy with a satiric edge, lampooning the then-burning issue of industrial relations. The brothers John and Roy Boulting also directed and produced such British classics as Carlton-Browne of the F.O. (1959), in which Seller's unscrupulous prime minister is upstaged by Terry-Thomas as the idiot son of a great ambassador, and Heavens Above (1963), in which Sellers gives an unusually low-key performance as a young vicar whose tendencies to interpret Christian doctrines in his own individualistic way, rather than conform to church traditions, leads to all kinds of chaos.

The great crime comedy Two Way Stretch (1960) is about imprisoned crooks who hatch a scheme to pull off a heist with a perfect alibi by breaking out, doing the job, and then breaking back in to serve out their sentences. Sellers, usually an eccentric support in these things, takes a rare lead as cocky mastermind Dodger Lane.

Hoffman (1970) gives Sellers a lot of funny business, acid lines, and whimsical turns. Secretary Miss Smith (Sinéad Cusack) is blackmailed by meek, middle-aged Mr. Hoffman (Sellers) into spending a week of domesticity with him in his flat. At first, the tone is creepy, but it becomes more poignant as both characters learn to see each other as people. ... Read more

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Caveats
Peter Sellers, often written off as a talented mimic, was actually a superb actor, if he found his character's "voice". He's been unfortunately typecast (I have a friend who thought he was French!) as Clouseau, and he may actually be the finest slapstick comedian after the end of the silent era. This collection is a treasure trove for anyone who wants to see him in early or obscure work, but the movies are ineven in quality and tone. Also of interest in that all these movies he plays a single character (even in the early, unincluded, "Only Two Can Play" he lapsed into multiple accents. CARLTON-BROWNE OF THE F.O. is really a Terry-Thomas vehicle with Sellers in support. Like all Cold War comedies its plot (such as it is, about the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. all trying to discover the secrets of a small island under British protection) is quaint and hardly funny, but there are enough bright spots to recommend the movie as a whole (the scenes between Terry-Thomas and Thorley Walters are invariably delightful). THE SMALLEST SHOW ON EARTH has a young Sellers, again in a supporting role, playing the aged projectionist in a run-down theatre; again, the bright spots are scattered but for anyone who likes old movies and quiet humor will find enough not to have wasted his time with it. HEAVENS ABOVE, a satire on Communism, using the Church as a vehicle for its representation, has Sellers in the lead as a mis-appointed Anglican clergyman who turns his parish on its head; but the movie eventually plays against itself with its serious undertones. TWO-WAY STRETCH is an out-and-out farce with Peter Sellers as a prisoner who plots a crime that will give him a perfect alibi -- he's in jail; but a martinet new guard (Lionel Jeffries, the grandfather "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang") may ruin his plans. "I'M ALL RIGHT, JACK" has Sellers in support again, in a star-studded farce about labor vs management, with Selelrs as Hitleresque shop steward and labor leader Fred Kite (a breakthrough role for Sellers). HOFFMAN is the odd man out in this box, as it comes later in Sellers' career, and the character he plays isn't comic, just unpleasant. Why "Hoffman" was included -- why it's even on DVD -- I can't even pretend to speculate. A more fitting addition to the collection would have been "The Wrong Arm of the Law", another crime caper. The poignant comedy-drama "The Dock Brief", with Richard Attenborough as the confessed wife murderer and Sellers as the barrister determined to get him off despite his own protests, would have rounded the box off nicely. The perfect addition would have been the hilarious "The Naked Truth", where Sellers and Terry-Thomas (again) plot to do away with a scandal-sheet publisher (Dennis Price) who threatens to expose their secrets (Sellers' jolly television host character is actually a slumlord). Even the much less funny "Only Two Can Play" would've been an improvement. Why they stuck on "Hoffman" -- unless it was simply dirt cheap to add -- boggles the mind. If you don't mind paying the freight for five comedies that range from middling to pretty-good-for-its-time, just to see early Sellers in some forgotten roles, this is the set for you. Just bring along a shovel to bury "Hoffman" and you'll be fine.

Peter Sellers Collection
These movies are so funny even 30 - 40 years after their release. Obviously they are not funny in the "dumb and dumber" "charlie chaplin" traditional way, but in an eccentric way. If you haven't seen these films and enjoy some Sellers films like The Party and Pink Panther, these are definately for you. He's at his best in here (although he's not always the lead character, the roles are pretty memorable regardless).

Anchor Bay also did a splendid job with this DVD set. Although they're in black and white, the DVD picture is flawless. Highly recommended for fellow Sellers fans. ... Read more

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During the mid-'30s, Mickey Mouse's fans ranged from the more than onemillion children who were members of the Mickey Mouse Club to Franklin Roosevelt,Mary Pickford, and the Nizam of Hyderabad; theater marquees announced "A MickeyMouse Cartoon" with the feature titles. These wonderful shorts, many of which havenever been released to the home market, remind viewers just how charming Mickey wasbefore his popularity and role as a corporate symbol restricted his behavior. In thesecartoons Mickey's personality was boyish, appealing, and slightly mischievous. Thesuperb animation emphasizes that impish appeal. When Mickey dances with a deck ofcards in "Thru the Mirror," he displays a stylish grace Fred Astaire might envy; in "BraveLittle Tailor," his expressions and body language reveal his thoughts as he outwits Williethe Giant. It's virtually impossible to watch him without smiling. These shorts overflowwith color and motion, and their lavish visuals pack an increased impact in an era ofminimal television animation. Only Walt Disney would spend the money to animate afull deck of cards, a band flying through the air in a tornado, or a clutch ofsemitransparent ghosts, and only his animators could make those characters live on thescreen. The prints have been lovingly restored without pumping up the color too much:the nuances of the delicate watercolor backgrounds still come through. Parents, Disneybuffs, and animation fans will want this superb collection in their home libraries.Unrated: suitable for all ages. --Charles Solomon ... Read more

Reviews (55)

Warner Bros take note!
Boy, is this the way to do a DVD of classic cartoons. Ever since I warmed up my DVD player for the first time I've been waiting for Disney, Warner Bros. and some of the other companies to release sets of their classic short cartoons -- there have been the odd collection here or there, but this Walt Disney Treasures Edition is really the way to do it!

To keep it brief, this is simply a collection of cartoons -- all of the Mickey Mouse color cartoons up until 1938, along with some nice behind-the-scenes stuff with Leonard Maltin and a rarely-seen short made for the 1939 World's Fair that seems like an ordinary enough Mickey and Minnie cartoon at first, but has a hysterical (from my perspective) twist at the end -- product placement is nothing new, folks.

While watching these cartoons something Maltin notes in one of his sequences becomes very obvious -- Mickey Mouse may be one of the most beloved characters on Earth, but in and of himself, he's not very funny. Oh he's cute, he's likeable, but he's not FUNNY. The animators knew this and started teaming him up with funnier characters -- Donald, Goofy and even Pluto -- and together made some wonderful cartoons. "Mickey's Trailer," included in this set, is still one of my favorite cartoons of all time.

I can't wait for the Mickey Mouse black-and-white set and the Goofy set scheduled to come out this Christmas -- and let's hope Disney does a Donald Duck collection soon. Word is that Warner Bros. is currently at work on DVDs of their Looney Tunes shorts (even better than the Disney shorts, in my opinion) -- take note, guys! This is the way to do your DVDs!

Compression artifacts hamper what would be a perfect set
Want to see three and a half hours of uninterrupted Mickey Mouse? Buy this DVD set and you will have the chance. There are some nice introductions by Leonard Maltin, a few extras with Walt Disney, and tons and tons of cartoons. Donald, Goofy, Pluto and Minnie are in almost all of these cartoons. Being a big Donald and Goofy fan, I was really glad to see my old friends.

The animation is top notch, just like you would expect from Disney. The "plots" of these cartoons are kind of weak, but hey, they are between five and ten minutes long. I guess I was expecting more of a story from them than the collection of gags that were strung together. Oh well, they were entertaining anyway.

The audio on these DVDs is pretty good. It does sound a bit shrill compared to today's cinematic releases, but it is definitely high quality. The video looks good, but not great. There is a noticeable amount of compression artifacts throughout. Surprisingly, it looks like the quality of the film is very good, or it was somehow restored, but the compression artifacts were a distraction.

I really like this new trend in limited releases with a stamped number on the DVD. I am a sucker for a gimmick. This set is well worth purchasing, and with Disney stuff you ought to buy it while you can because it probably won't be available forever!

Mickey Mouse in Living Color: A Great Collection
Walt Disney Treasures Review 2 of 11.

This review tells you where to find all the EASTER EGGS! (hidden DVD features)

Finally released on home video in their original glory is Mickey Mouse in Living Color, with the complete cartoons from 1935-1938. They are uncut, which mean yes, they are finally politcally incorect. (HOORAY!!!) Well, the set is, like the rest, in a limited numbered tin, with a postcard size lithograph of the movie poster for The Band Concert, and a program booklet, which lists the cartoons, features, and a letter from the host, Leonard Maltin.

Both disc share the same intro. On disc one we have every starring cartoon for 1935 and 1938.

1935

The Band Concert: Mickey Leads and outdoor band in a rousing rendition of William Tells Overture with Donald leading them astray with his fludte playing of Turkey in the Straw.

Mickey's Garden: Mickey and pluto protect their vegetable garden from bugs.

UNCENSORED: Bugs get drunk from Mickey's insecticide.

On Ice: On a frozen lake, Minnie looks on a Mickey Outskates Brian Boitano, along with antic of Donald, Goofy, and Pluto.

UNCENSORED: Goofy uses chewing tobacco to catch the fish.

Pluto's Judgement Day: After Mickey chastises Pluto for chasing cats, the dog has a nightmare in a feline hell on trial for his crimes.

UNCENSORED: Cats in black face sing of Pluto's misdeeds.

Mickey's Fire Brigade: Mickey Donald and Goofy try to rescue Clarabel Cow from her her burning house.

1936

Thru the Mirror: After falling asleep, Mickey dreams of actually going thru the mirror.

Mickey's Circus: Mickey and Donald are the main events of this circus for orphans

UNCENSORED: Donald Brandishes a rifle against his out-of-control seal act.

Mickey's Elephant: Mickey receives as a gift Bobo the Elephant, a playmate for Pluto, but turns out to be a disaster.

Mickey's Grand Opera: Mickey is the orchestra leader in an opera starring Clara Cluck and Donald Duck.

Mickey's Polo Team: Mickey's team of cartoon characters play polo against a team of famous Hollywood actors.

Alpine Climbers: Mickey Donald and Goofy get into trouble when they try their hand at mountain climbing.

UNCENSORED: Pluto gets drunk with a Saint Bernard.

Moving Day: Mickey and Donald enlist Goofy's aid when they are evicted from their hose by Sheriff Pete.

UNCENSORED: Pete lights a match for his cigar off of Donald's beak. Then deposits the spent match into Donald's beak.

Mickey's Rival: Miceky's romantic picnic is intterupted by Mortimer Mouse, resembling Walt.

Orphan's Picnic: Mickey and Donald take a group of orphans out for a picnic.

Bonuses on disc 1:

Pencil Tests: In 1935, there is a pencil test set. There is an intro by leonard, then you can play pencil tests for On Ice, Mickey's Fire Brigade, and Pluto's Judgement Day. You can use the angle button to toggle between pencil and finished color.

EASTER EGG! On Mickey's head on the main menu, Walt talks about the history of Mickey.

Parade of Award Nominees: A cartoon made for the 1932, academy awards featuring the stars nominated. It was Mickey's first appearance in full color.

Then we have disc 2. Here are more cartoons from 1937 and 1938, complete and uncensored.

1937

Hawaiian Holiday: The fab five are all together on the beaches of Hawaii

Moose Hunters: Donald and Goofy try to lure a moose by dressing up as a female of the species.

The Worm Turns: Mickey shows heretofore unseen mad scientist tenedencies when he concots a potion that turns the meek against their opressors.

UNCENSORED: Dogcatcher Pete threaten's to blow Pluto's head off with a shotgun.

Magician Mickey: Mickey has to deal with a heckling Donald During his Magic Act.

UNCENSORED: Donald pulls a pistol on Mickey and stagehand Goofy.

Mickey's Amateurs: Mickey hosts and amateur contest featuring the whole gang.

UNCENSORED: Donald Pulls a Machine Gun on the audience.

Clock Cleaners: Mickey, Donald and Goofy have the perilous job of cleaning a giant, big ben typebe clock.

Lonesome Ghosts: Mickey, Donald and Goofy as... GHOSTBUSTERS!

1938

Mickey's Parrot: Mickey and Pluto mistake a parrot for an escaped convict hiding in their house

UNCENSORED: Mickey's Got a Gun

Boat Builders: Mickey and Donald and Goofy put together a do-it-yourself boat kit.

The Whalers: Mickey, Donald, and Goofy set out on the open sea to harpoon a whale

UNCENSORED: Did I mention they are out to harpoon a whale?

Mickey's Trailer: Mickey, Donald, and Goofy travel the coutnryside withe their gadget filled trailer.

Brave Little Tailor: Mickey stars in a fairy tale as the title character and sets out to kill a giant.

UNCENSORED: The giant rolls and smokes a hay cig.

Bonuses

EASTER EGG! On the main menu, go to Mickey's Head to see a cartoon made for the 1939 New York World's Fair for Nabisco called Mickey's Surprise Party.

Mickey Mouse in Living Color Featurette: Leonard Maltin returns for a brief recap of Walt's career, including clip from some black and white shorts.

Gallery: A gallery showcasing pencil art, promotional arwork, posters, and production photos.

That is the second disc of the second set of Wave 1. Continue on to see Davy Crockett.

See you there!

Very rare DVD plus the best out there!
If you want the classic mid and late 1930's cartoons I suggest you buy this DVD! This has lots of entertainment. You will not regret when you buy this DVD! I Highly Reccomend this DVD to The People who missed the cartoons. people, they don't show the 1930's cartoon in the disney channel anymore! so decide quick before the DVD's sell out. Why Is the DVD fifty bucks or more? good question. A: because they don't make them anymore. plus they got the best out there. hey even it is fifty bucks, do not hesitate! BUY NOW!! ITS GETTING HOT!!

The Orginal and the Best. Mickey is THE Mouse.
Mickey and the gang mean as much to me now as they did when I was a kid.

This dvd is the one I watch when I've had a bad day or when I'm really tired and I don't want to think!

This is perfect to have on hand when kids come over - I don't have any kids of my own - I can put this on and they will watch it and there's no super scary stuff, just good clean fun.

I love Finding Nemo and The Lion King but it scares some kids which I totally understand!

I have also found that alot of the adults usually end up having desert and coffee in the TV room cause they want to watch Mickey too.

Never underestimate the power of the mouse! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Get your kicks with The Avengers '66. This two-volume set uncorks six sought-after episodes from this cult classic series' fourth season. Patrick Macnee, the umbrella-toting gentleman spy John Steed, and Diana Rigg, the ravishing Mrs. Emma Peel, investigate further extraordinary goings-on in the most ordinary of places, including a swank hotel ("Room Without a View") and a golf course and dance school ("The 13th Hole" and "The Quick-Quick-Slow Death"). Suitable for framing is "The Girl from Auntie," in which an art dealer, who supplies his clients "anything for a price" (including the Mona Lisa!), kidnaps Emma for auction to enemy agents. Perhaps members of Monty Python's Flying Circus got the inspiration for their "Hell's Grannies" sketch from this episode's quaint assassin, an elderly "lady" who does in her victims (including four chaps named John, Paul, George, and... Fred) with knitting needles.

For new fans, the episodes found in The Avengers '65 sets are of a better vintage, and The Avengers '67 offerings give more of a campy, effervescent kick. But '66 was still a very good year, and Avengers aficionados will, of course, want to own every episode from the Mrs. Peel era. "What's so special about Mrs. Peel?" a woman asks in "Auntie." "You'd think she was Madame Curie and a half-dozen others all rolled into one." She is, to borrow a phrase, all that. A second Avengers '66 boxed DVD set is also available. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (6)

New partner for Steed
These DVD's from A&E represent the best known and certainly the most popular era of the long running British TV fantasy-adventure series "The Avengers." Made between 1965 and 1966, all 26 episodes of the fourth season of the show are available here on four discs.

When Honor Blackman (Mrs. Cathy Gale) left the series after season 3 to take up the lead role in the Bond movie "Goldfinger," the producers had already made the decision to start filming the series, moving it out of the TV studio and giving it a much glossier and dynamic feel. John Steed (Patrick MacNee), the debonair British government agent stayed on and his new partner was devised by the production team to be another tough, all-action girl with "Man Appeal." M-Appeal (geddit?) Elizabeth Shepherd was cast as Mrs. Emma Peel and two episodes were filmed before it was mutually agreed that she didn't meet the expectations of the production team. A quick replacement was sought and in stepped Diana Rigg. A TV legend was born.

The relationship between Steed and Mrs. Gale had always been haughty to say the least. With the introduction of the widowed (or seemingly) Mrs. Peel, the relationship between the two leads became much closer. Mrs. Peel was as intelligent, quick thinking and emasculated as her predecessor, and initially at least shared her penchant for leather outfits, but she was also certainly softer and more readily prepared to act as Steed's partner in their adventures.

The stories were certainly becoming much more fantasy bound, and the use of diabolical masterminds and organizations with bizarre acronyms became the norm for the stories from this series on. The fantasy and sci-fi elements of the show were highlighted more than before and the fashions and design of the show took on a much more stylish and indeed 'stylized' look. The success of these elements was immediate, and huge ratings in the UK followed, plus overseas transmissions of the show followed for the first time. Such was their success indeed that another 26 episodes were soon commissioned, this time to be made in color.

The stories have supposedly been digitally re-mastered for these DVD releases, and indeed the picture quality is pretty impressive, but there is still sparkle and dirt on the prints that may detract from the quality for some viewers. The 26 episodes are presented in the same order of their original UK transmission.

This for me is the very best season of the show, with great style and wit accompanying the excellent scripts, direction and production values. I'd certainly recommend this release to anyone.

A Very God Plot and Very Fun
The Avengers, Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Diana Rigg as Mrs. Emma Peel are a classic two from the Avengers. This is a great set. It has some very good plots and these episodes are always fun to watch. From finding out about a new star from trading enemy agents into England, the Avengers are always on the tail of the enemy. This set includes: Silent Dust, Room Without a View,Small Game for Big Hunters, Girl From Auntie, The 13th Hole, and Quick-Quick-Slow Death. This is a fine Avengers sets... but not the best.

Yet Another Great Set of Episodes.
It is very difficult to review the Avengers DVD sets. Each set of disks has its own set of highlights and just when you think that they must have exhausted all of the clever ideas, they reach out and tap you with yet another inspired script superbly performed by well trained actors.

And this disk is no different. It ranges from the highly interesting Girl from Auntie (with a "costume" for Mrs. Peel which it is hard to believe got by censors from the period) in which Steed steps forward and takes the primary focus to the rather strange "The 13th Hole" which brings a new outlook on the game of golf as a life and death struggle. Not a weak episode in the bunch.

(One of the best parts about these old avengers episodes is seeing future stars of stage and screen in roles unlike those for which they achieved fame. )

The 13th Hole
If you fondly remember that great British import that we watched on TV way back in the 60s then you no doubt know about the content of what you are getting. The year is 1966 and it is definitely more 'camp' I would say. Still you may be more likely concerned about the quality of the product. Like John might say to Emma, "You scratch my back and I'll scratch your back. Just watch the hat please." John and Emma are back and are here to stay via DVD technology. Being on DVD, the aesthetics about the actual episodes are not in question here. More appropriately one may ask how they look. They look good, very good, excellent in fact. Still can't get that great theme out of my head, 1966 and all.

3 Belles and All is Well
John Steed certainly was comfortably well in the hands of Kathy Gale, Mrs. Emma Peel and Tara King. 'The Avengers" was a popular 1960's British fantasy-adventure series that focused on the exploits of a male-female duo in the service of the British government. The series underwent several changes of its female lead but its one constant male lead was John Steed always portrayed by the debonair Patrick Macnee (Originally the John Steed had two male partners but that format eventually changed). Kathy Gale portrayed by Honor Blackman became Steed's first female partner. However, when Honor Blackman departed the series and Diana Rigg entered as Mrs. Emma Peel, the show became an international sensation. Rigg brought sophistication, wit, charm and beauty, which hid her lethal and highly visual judo and karate abilities. Macnee and Rigg complemented each other beautifully with their carefree witty and charming exchange of dialogue. The show distinguished itself with bizarre and futuristic villains and fantastic plots. Popular at the height of the James Bond craze, the show was able to distinguish itself with its simply over-the-top visual style. Laurie Johnson's catchy and sophisticated main title theme matched the visuals of the show and still conjures up an image of the series when listened to today. When Diana Rigg left the series, Linda Thorson entered as John Steed's new partner Tara King. The series soon went off the air in the United States. It was a shame because the episodes with Tara King were quite good. The King episodes seemed to be a little more down to earth and contained some very good writing and intricate plotting. In any event series definitely left its mark amongst the finest. These DVD copies are gorgeous and they sound great in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Lawrence of Arabia
In David Lean's masterful "desert classic," Peter O'Toole gives a star-making performance as T.E. Lawrence, the eccentric British officer who united the desert tribes of Arabia against the Turks during World War I. Lean orchestrates sweeping battle sequences and breathtaking action, but the film is really about the adventures and trials that transform Lawrence into a legendary man of the desert. Lean traces this transformation on a vast canvas of awesome physicality; no other movie has captured the expanse of the desert with such scope and grandeur. Equally important is the psychology of Lawrence, who remains an enigma even as we grasp his identification with the desert. Perhaps the greatest triumph of this landmark film is that Lean has conveyed the romance, danger, and allure of the desert with such physical and emotional power. It's a film about a man who leads one life but is irresistibly drawn to another, where his greatness and mystery are allowed to flourish in equal measure. --Jeff Shannon

The Bridge on the River Kwai
Director David Lean's masterful 1957 realization of Pierre Boulle's novel remains a benchmark for war films, and a deeply absorbing movie by any standard--like most of Lean's canon, The Bridge on the River Kwai achieves a richness in theme, narrative, and characterization that transcends genre.The story centers on a Japanese prison camp isolated deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia, where the remorseless Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) has been charged with building a vitally important railway bridge. His clash of wills with a British prisoner, the charismatic Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), escalates into a duel of honor, Nicholson defying his captor's demands to win concessions for his troops. How the two officers reach a compromise, and Nicholson becomes obsessed with building that bridge, provides the story's thematic spine; the parallel movement of a team of commandos dispatched to stop the project, led by a British major (Jack Hawkins) and guided by an American escapee (William Holden), supplies the story's suspense and forward momentum.Shot on location in Sri Lanka, Kwai moves with a careful, even deliberate pace that survivors of latter-day, high-concept blockbusters might find lulling--Lean doesn't pander to attention deficit disorders with an explosion every 15 minutes. Instead, he guides us toward the intersection of the two plots, accruing remarkable character details through extraordinary performances. Hayakawa's cruel camp commander is gradually revealed as a victim of his own sense of honor, Holden's callow opportunist proves heroic without softening his nihilistic edge, and Guinness (who won a Best Actor Oscar, one of the production's seven wins) disappears as only he can into Nicholson's brittle, duty-driven, delusional psychosis. His final glimpse of self-knowledge remains an astonishing moment--story, character, and image coalescing with explosive impact. --Sam Sutherland

A Passage to India
This adaptation of E.M. Forster's mysterious tale of British racism in colonial India turned out to be master director David Lean's final film. Subtle and grand at the same time, Lean's adaptation is faithful to the book, rendering its blend of the mystical and the all-too human with exquisite precision. Judy Davis plays a young British woman traveling in India with her fiancé's mother. While visiting a tourist attraction, she has a frightening moment in a cave--one that she eventually spins from an instant of mental meltdown into a tale of a physical attack that ruins several lives. Lean captures Forster's sense of awe at the kind of ageless wisdom and inexplicable phenomena to be encountered in India, as well as the British tendency to dismiss it all as savage, rather than simply different. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Classics
This is one of the best collections I own. If you love all the classic movies, definitely go for this one! ... Read more

Description

When a nasty neighbor tries to have her dog put to sleep, Dorothy takes her dog Toto, to run away. A tornado appears and carries her to the magical land of oz.Wishing to return, she begins to travel to the city of Oz where a great wizard lives. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Why no commentary?
I already expected this DVD Gift Set to be 5 stars in every way, and for the most part it is, but i was just wondering if anyone else out there has the Laserdisc "Ultimate OZ" set that came out a few years ago. It has everything this new package has (minus the great menu scenes) but something that i was sad to see is missing from the DVD version: where is the running commentary from OZ expert John Fricke? That was one of my favorite parts of the Laserdisc OZ special edition and i guess i just assumed it would be included here. I feel sorry for those OZ fans who might never get to hear the interesting and fun facts and anecdotes. For example: the coat that Professor Marvel wears was bought from a second-hand store and when they turned out the pockets the letters LFB were stitched inside-Baum's widow confirmed that the coat had indeed belonged to her husband; the female voice heard during the TinMan's song ("wherefore art thou Romeo") is the voice of Snow White- without the success of that movie OZ might never had been made; when Jack Haley replaced Buddy Ebsen thay shot for three days before anyone noticed that he was wearing Buddy's shiny Emerald City outfit instead of the rusty one for the woods scenes- the footage had to scrapped at an estimated cost of $60,000- another time when Oz production was almost shut down. There are also great stories about all the major players and hpw they felt about OZ and each other. Well, maybe you don't care to know all this but it added another fun dimension to my OZ watching and I'm curious why DVD owners were left out. Otherwise i couldn't be happier with the transfer of this classic and would definitely recommend it OZ- and DVD- fanatics alike.

Attention viewer from San Jose
First, excellent DVD Deluxe Edition. Second, I would like to respond to the "viewer from San Jose" who posted on 10/20/99. Movies made before 1953 were filmed in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Television has an aspect ratio of 1.37:1. When you view a movie such as THE WIZARD OF OZ in a full screen transfer you are losing a mere .04:1 of the original aspect ratio. If you would like to understand widescreen ratios better send me an email and I would be glad to assist you.

Oz is "OZsome!"
This is like the best movie ever filmed! It is so cool, and what makes it even better is the cool things you get when you purchase the gift pack. Everyone should own this gift pack!

The girlfriend loves it!
Bought it as a gift for an Oz lover - forget it - she loves it so I'm a hero!

Cautionary 5 Stars!
I give this DVD version a cautionary 5 star rating only because of the actual film itself, which stands on it's own as a wonderful classic for all ages. However for the extra money you'll shell out for the "Deluxe" DVD version be warned this is only for the true OZ collector. The boxed set includes some very nice suitable for framing lithographs, a large, paperback bound script and of course the DVD itself. Finally that's where my caution comes into play, the usual added tidbits on the DVD are nice but the Angela Lansbury 50th Anniversary section is obviously transferred from video and though watchable it is still slightly fuzzy. Last but not least is the film itself which is still wonderful and magical but be warned there is no "widescreen" version included and this was my biggest disappointment with this Deluxe version. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good collection, but wait
All good movies, of course. Maltese Falcon and Big Sleep editions will probably be re-released as two disc sets in the future, the current dvd of Maltese Falcon has a messy look to it, and also has a missing scene ( inexcusable, really).

I would wait on this collection. Get Treasure and Casablanca two disc sets, individually, they are fan tastic... ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Blood of a Poet
"A realistic documentary of unreal situations" reads the introductory card of Jean Cocteau's debut film, which recalls the work of the silent surrealists (notably Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí's Un Chien Andalou and L'Âge d'Or). Cocteau uses dream imagery to explore poetry, artistic creation, memory, death, and rebirth in four separate fantasy sequences. In the first scene, an artist confronts his creations when they take on a life of their own. In the second, he dives through a mirror (a primitive but startling effect Cocteau refines for Orpheus) and into a skewed hall where every door reveals a fantastic dream scene. The third sequence finds a gang of boys turning a snowball fight into a cruel war, and in the last an audience gathers to witness a dead boy's resurrection amidst a strange card game. These descriptions do little to communicate the poetry of each segment, which rely on creative imagery to create meaning not in stories but in symbols and metaphors. Cocteau's realization is often stiff and stilted, the work of a visual artist transforming still images into an medium that moves through time, but it's never less than beautiful and evocative. Cocteau returned to many of the same themes in Orpheus and The Testament of Orpheus. --Sean Axmaker

Orpheus
A Parisian poet becomes seduced by the prospect of eternal fame in Jean Cocteau's jazzy 1949 update of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus. The café set won't give successful Orpheus (Jean Marais) the time of day, so he obliges when the Princess of Death (Maria Casarés) orders him into her Rolls Royce with her injured young protégé. It isn't long before the poet realizes the commanding Princess is no ordinary benefactor of the arts; for one thing, she can travel through mirrors. The next day, Orpheus returns to his frantic wife Eurydice (Marie Déa) with the kindly chauffeur Heurtibise (François Périer), but remains distracted by the Princess and the cryptic messages from her car radio. The equally smitten Princess eventually takes Eurydice before her time, which results in an underworld trial about her actions. To get his wife back, Orpheus must promise to never to look at his wife, but his heart's not in it. This black-and-white film slyly explores the dark side of the creative urge with panache. Dreamy and mesmerizing, it depicts an underworld not too different from everyday life. With subtitles. --Diane Garrett

The Testament of Orpheus
It is the unique power of the cinema to allow a great many people to dream the same dream together and to present illusion to us as if it were strict reality. It is, in short, an admirable vehicle for poetry." Jean Cocteau, at age 70, thus ruminates on the life and purpose of the creative artist in a poetic essay. Cocteau himself stars as a time-traveling poet bopping helplessly through the ages until an experimental scientist grounds him in a kind of never-never land where he defends himself to the judges of Orpheus, dies, and is resurrected to complete his sentence: "condemned to live." Though the film opens with scenes from Orpheus, the series of symbolic encounters and surreal images more resembles The Blood of a Poet. What's different is his cinematic assurance and sly sense of humor: shot through with jokey gags and playful imagery, the film is less philosophical treatise than career summation by way of farewell party. He's invited fictional characters (most of the cast of Orpheus) and real-life friends (cameos range from Brigitte Bardot to Yul Brynner to Pablo Picasso) from his past and present to send him off to an uncertain future. The new Home Vision video and Criterion DVD releases feature the restored color sequence. Cocteau died in 1963, three years after completing the film. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (8)

a great trilogy. Criterion's first box set also
This is the first box set released by the Criterion Collection. "Brazil" was on three discs but was only one movie so I don't think it counts.

In this 3 disc box set there are 3 feature films by Jean Cocteau.

The Blood of a Poet (Le Sang d'un poète)
Orpheus (Orphée)
The Testament of Orpheus (Le Testament d'Orphée)

Blood of a Poet is a surreal film which is about a painter who ends up having a set of lips growing on his hand.

Orpheus is based on the famous myth depicted in then-modern times. It has some great scenes and was very popular.

Testament of Orpheus is about a poet whotravels through time and visits a post apoctalyptic wasteland.

The set has special features on each disc. There is one hour biography on Jean Cocteau, transcripts of lectures Cocteau gave before screenings of the films, behind the scenes photos of Blood of a Poet, bibliography and filmography of Cocteau, and the 36 minute film La Villa Santo-Sospir.

The films also have some cool reverse-motion effects which show actions in reverse, some of the reverse scenes are of a man jumping into a lake, a flower being crumbled in someone's hand and a few others. This box set is a great release and is a MUST for Cocteau fans.

Thank You Criterion
I love this box set. The condition of 'Blood of a Poet' is amazing; it, and the other movies, are compelling. The DVD extras are superb. Criterion could have charged a lot more for this box.

Orphic, but not a Trilogy
Criterion notwithstanding, this collection of three movies directed by Jean Cocteau is no trilogy. Rather the three works represent three quite different views of the Poet-the prototypic artistic creator for Cocteau--at three different moments in his career. The first, Blood of a Poet (1930) released at the same time as L'Age d'Or of Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali-both pictures were financed by the wealthy patron of the arts, the Vicomte de Noailles-is the most "Orphic" of three, and like L'Age d'Or very much in the vein of French experimental films of the 1920s, with an abundance of symbolism and rejection of conventional narrative syntax. Less radically innovative than L'Age d'Or, Blood of a Poet is like a brilliant book of sketches, some of which work, some of which don't.
Cocteau made no films for over a decade, and only returned to the cinema during the Occupation with The Eternal Return, for which he wrote the screenplay. Although directed by Jean Delannoy, the film was clearly Cocteau's own creation, and marked both the beginning of a period of fertile cinematic collaboration with Jean Marais and a new phase in Cocteau's contributions to film. The masterpiece of this period is, of course, Orpheus (1949). Cocteau had begun in Blood of a Poet by radically breaking with realism. Now he set about showing how the images of modern life could be invested with a mythic power of their own.
In The Eternal Return, Cocteau had put the story of Tristan and Yseult into a modern setting, but without the least hint of irony. In updating the myth of Orpheus to post-World War II Paris, however, he adopted a very different strategy. The Thracian singer becomes a rich and famous writer (Jean Marais) who supplies exactly what the public looks for in literature. At the beginning of the film, Orpheus boasts to an older retired writer, "The public loves me!" And the latter tartly retorts, "The public is alone. But as a result of the unforeseen adventure he lives through in the film, an adventure in which he confronts and falls in love with his own Death (Maria Casares), Orpheus momentarily becomes the Poet he never has been.
Cocteau had placed the myth of the sacrifice of the Poet at the center of Blood of a Poet, and he explicitly articulates it in Orpheus: "The death of a poet requires a sacrifice to make him immortal." However, the "real" Poet, from this point of view, is not Orpheus-who goes back to happily settle down in bourgeois bliss with his expectant wife-but Cegeste (Edouard Dermithe), who becomes the servant of Death, and unquestioningly transmits the messages from the underworld (read: the unconscious). The Poet has to sacrifice himself in order to be more than a writer-"A writer without being a writer," is how he defines the poetic vocation before the Judges of the Underworld-but Orpheus will never have the courage to make that choice by himself.
Not the least astounding thing about Orpheus is the assurance with which Cocteau handles the machinery of commercial film production. Orpheus is hardly a mainstream production by American standards, but it has no ragged edges, technically speaking. The film was strikingly photographed by Nicolas Hayer and it makes a highly adroit use of special effects shots, whose primitive magic Cocteau understood and employed quite effectively. The musical score is by Georges Auric, a member of Les Six who has to rank with Bernard Herrman as one of the major composers of film music in the history of motion pictures. Last but not least, Orpheus has a formidable cast, including-in addition to Jean Marais-François Perier as Heurtebise, Maria Dea as Eurydice, Juliette Greco as her friend Aglaonice, Roger Blin as the older poet, and the sublime Maria Casares as the most glamorous personification of Death ever to appear on the screen.
Viewers will likely have the most difficulty getting into the third movie, The Testament of Orpheus. Cocteau's adieu to the screen is a work filled with spontaneity and invention, so impulsively unstructured as to make Blood of a Poet look like Racinian tragedy. Cocteau plays a traveler lost in time who goes in search of Pallas Athene, but this is a mere pretext for stringing together a series of adventures, like the narrative premise of a picaresque novel. Testament of Orpheus was a movie ahead of its time when it came out 1959, and it remains so today. Possibly its release in DVD may serve to make it known to a wider audience.

Criterion has done itself proud with this set. Anyone inclined to balk might consider that three DVDs of this quality at the price are already a bargain. The picture and sound quality of all three movies, each of which has been digitally remastered, is superb. Blood of a Poet was especially impressive in this respect, and I felt as if I were seeing it for the first time. In addition, The Orphic Trilogy includes a wealth of supplementary material such as essays and pronouncements by Cocteau.

The set also contains two other films en marge of a non-fictional variety. One of these is Villa Santo Sospir, a 16mm picture about the home of Cocteau's neighbor on the Riviera, Mme. Alec Weisweiller, which he had extensively decorated. Mainly a record of art works, Villa Santo Sospir is his only extended work in color. The other, far more interesting, is a documentary about Cocteau's life entitled Autobiography of an Unknown by Edoardo Cozarinsky. Unfortunately, the picture quality is often dupey and unsatisfactory, but the film provides a number of invaluable interviews from the later phase of Cocteau's career.
Anyone who enjoys The Orphic Trilogy should definitely consider purchasing the Criterion DVD of Beauty and the Beast, and the videotapes of The Eternal Return, The Storm Within (Les Parents terribles), and The Strange Ones (Les Enfants terribles), all available from Amazon.com.

Orpheus
Let me start off by saying that the trilogy itself is a treasure, well worth the price to have these three spectaculary surreal masterpieces in one set and having Criterion give it their famous treatment (even though we reeeeally need to include more extras). My review at the moment is regarding the midle film, 'Orpheus'. You might all be a little familiar with the greek myth by now as I was, but Cocteau's treatment and interpretation are simply stunning. The film by itself is fascinating, I think it has that kind of quality that some foreign films have that whether or not you're used to subtitles you will enjoy the film. Jean Marris (Cocteau's real life lover) is fascinating in the role of Orpheus. Even though the role doesn't seem that complicated and I see him more as a medium with which Cocteau comunicates all that he wants to say about beauty, death, love and above all art. I think that is the basic question the movie brings up: what exactly is art? what makes good art? and how big a role does love play in the artistic process? But those are just hidden treats throughout the movie, and those who pay most attention are the ones who will notice that the movie is indeed deep and fascinating in its own respect. The sequences where Orpheus descends into death's underworld are simply fascinating to experience. Cocteau seems to retry some of the cinematic 'tricks' from his 'Blood of a Poet' and manages to invent some new ones in the process, this aspect is also fun to watch and adds a level of technical wizardry to an already beautiful and stunningly surreal masterpiece. The cinematography is at times also very good, some of the shots are composed in a very difficult way it may seem, and we wonder what exactly is behind the decisions to film in that particular way. All the other actors are also spectacular in their parts, but I think that the actress who played death could have had a lot more impact, maybe with another actress (Cocteau wanted Greta Garbo at first, imagine that!). The costumes and the sets are fantastic. But I think that this film is most valuable becuase it is the perfect way to introduce yourself to surreal cinema and it might also be a good way to get into french cinema, the film is an undoubted masterpiece, it has stood the test of time and it keeps raising deep questions in the viewer's minds to this day. I highly recommend 'Orpheus' and the Orphic Trilogy, if you like Cocteau I'd also check out 'Beauty and The Beast', and if you're a fan of the surreal I recommend trying out Buñuel. Thanks for reading, hope this helps. All in all, I'd rate this film a 9 out of 10!

Regarding "Blood Of a Poet"
Jean Cocteau, who would later go on to direct such classics as "Orpheus" and "Beauty and the Beast" began with this short (50min.) non-narrative film. "Blood of a Poet" (included in Criterion's "Orphic Trilogy" in a solid print) explores the figurative and literal blood and sweat that goes into creating a work of art. The film starts with an image of a tall chimney as it starts collapsing (an image that will now probably be impossible to separate from the World Trade Center collapsing) and then shifts to an artist that is painting a portrait. The film then follows this artist as he literally becomes one with his art (the portrait's mouth attaches itself to his hand), as he falls into the world on the other side of the mirror (where he sees such things as an opium den and a child being whipped and implored to take flight), and as he eventually shoots himself in the head to receive "eternal glory", and is immortalized in the form of a statue.

The film the shifts to a schoolyard where the statue of the artist is sitting, as a snowball fight erupts. One young child is knocked out and left bloody after the fight. Then the schoolyard reveals itself as a stage with noble spectators. A poet and a woman begin to play cards. The woman tells the poet "If you do not have the Ace of Hearts, then you are lost." The poet, realizing he doesn't have it, pickpockets it from the unconscious boy. Then the boy's guardian angel appears, covers the boy, and takes back his Ace. The poet, without the Ace, kills himself. The crowd applauds. The woman reveals herself to be Death, and wanders off talking of the mortal desire for immortality. We then see the chimney from the film's start collapse completely, suggesting the artist's dilemma lasted only a few seconds.

The film is exceptionally vivid. The imagery used here is still stunning despite its low-tech nature. The film's implication that the artist must ... his childhood for inspiration (signified as the Ace of Hearts is stolen), that the artist must view the world as a distortion (viewable through all the bizarre images on display), and that both artistic integrity and fame come at a great price (signified by the multiple suicides in the name of "glory") are all never explicitly stated, but are deeply felt through the images. The film is exceptional in its evocation of the artist's dilemma, and anyone with an analytical mind would find plenty to digest here. ... Read more