The Warner Gangsters Collection (The Public Enemy / White Heat / Angels with Dirty Faces / Little Caesar / The Petrified Forest / The Roaring Twenties)

Amazon.com

For a knock-out combination of timeless entertainment and vintage studio history, you can't do much better than The Warner Brothers Gangsters Collection. In the 1930s and '40s, Paramount specialized in glossy comedies, MGM popularized lavish musicals, Universal produced signature horror classics, and Fox scored hits with sophisticated dramas. But it was Warner Bros. that generated controversy--if not always box-office profits--with so-called "social problem" films, and that meant gangsters. When viewed in their pre- and post-Prohibition context and in chronological order (Little Caesar and The Public Enemy, 1931; The Petrified Forest, 1936; Angels With Dirty Faces, 1938; The Roaring Twenties, 1939; White Heat, 1949), these six films definitively capture Warners' domination of the mobster genre, and to varying degrees, they all qualify as classics.

With its stilted visuals and pulpy plot, Little Caesar remains stuck in the stiff, early-sound era, but it's still a prototypical powerhouse, with Edward G. Robinson's titular "Rico" setting the stage for all screen gangsters to follow. The Public Enemy made James Cagney a star (who can forget him smashing a grapefruit into Mae Clarke's face?), and Humphrey Bogart repeats his Broadway success in The Petrified Forest, a stagy adaptation of Robert Sherwood's play, still enjoyable for Bogey's ever-threatening malevolence. Then it's a Cagney triple-threat in Angels (with Pat O'Brien), racketeering in The Roaring Twenties (with Bogart), and especially the jailbird classic White Heat, with a fiery finale and an exit line ("Made it Ma! Top o' the world!") that epitomized Cagney's iconic, tough-guy image. In many ways Cagney was Warner Bros., and this Gangsters Collection pays enduring tribute to him and the important films that forged the studio's rugged reputation. --Jeff Shannon

Description

The Public Enemy showcases James Cagney's powerful 1931 breakthrough performance as streetwise tough guy Tom Powers. When shooting began, Cagney had a secondary role but Zanuck soon spotted Cagney's screen dominance and gave him the star part. From that moment, an indelible genre classic and an enduring star career were both born.

As a psychotic thug devoted to his hard-boiled ma, James Cagney - older, scarier and just as elctrifying - gives a performance to match his work in The Public Enemy as White Heat's cold-blooded Cody Jarrett. Bracingly directed by Raoul Walsh, this fast-paced thriller tracing Jarrett's violent life in and out of jail is also a harrowing character study. Jarrett is a psychological time bomb ruled by impulse. It is among the most vivid screen performances of Cagney's career, and the excitement it generates will put you on top of the world!

In Angels with Dirty Faces, Cagney's Rocky Sullivan is a charismatic ghetto tough whose underworld rise makes him a hero to a gang of slum punks. The 1938 New York Film Critics Best Actor Award came Cagney's way, as well as one of the film's three Oscar nominations. Watch the chilling death-row finale and you'll know why.

"R-I-C-O, Little Caesar, that's who!" Edward G. Robinson bellowed into the phone. And Hollywood got the message: 37-year-old Robinson, not gifted with matinee-idol looks, was nonetheless a first-class star and moviegoers hailed the hard-hitting social consciousness dramas that became the Depression-era mainstay of Warner Bros.

Little Caesar is the tale of pugnacious Caesar Enrico Bandello, a hoodlum with a Chicago-sized chip on his shoulder, few attachments, fewer friends and no sense of underworld diplomacy. And Robinson - a genteel art collector who disdained guns (in the movie, his eyelids were taped to keep them from blinking when he fired a pistol) - was forever associated with the screen's archetypal gangster.

A rundown diner bakes in the Arizona heat. Inside, fugitive killer Duke Mantee sweats out a manhunt, holding disillusioned writer Alan Squier, young Gabby Maple and a handful of others hostage.

The Petrified Forest, Robert E. Sherwood's 1935 Broadway success about survival of the fittest, hit the screen a year later with Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart magnificently recreating their stage roles and Bette Davis ably reteaming with her Of Human Bondage co-star Howard. Sherwood first wanted Bogart for a smaller role. "I thought Sherwood was right," Bogart said. "I couldn't picture myself playing a gangster. So what happened? I made a hit as the gangster." So right was he that Howard refused to make the film without him...and helped launch Bogie's brilliant movie career.

In The Roaring Twenties, the speakeasy era never roared louder than in this gangland chronicle that packs a wallop under action master Raoul Walsh's direction. Against a backdrop of newsreel-like montages and narration, it follows the life of jobless war veteran Eddie Bartlett (James Cagney) who turns bootlegger, dealing in "bottles instead of battles." Battles await Eddie within and without his growing empire. Outside are territorial feuds and gangland bloodlettings. Inside is the treachery of his double-dealing associate (Humphrey Bogart). It would be 10 years before Cagney played another gangster (in White Heat), a time in which gangster movies themselves became rare. "He used to be a big shot," Panama Smith (Gladys George) says at the finale, marking Bartlett's demise...and signaling the end of Hollywood's focus on the gangster era.

Customer Reviews:

The way gangsters should act.......2007-08-04

This has all the great gangster films to come out of W.B. None of the movies are a drag in anyway; however, two stand alone as the best. Angels with Dirty Faces and the Roaring Twenties are movies that even people who do not like gangsters or olded movies can apperiate. Don't get me wrong all the movies are memorable, and everyone of them is worth watching. You'll see a young Bogart(acting for his career), the classic Robinson in Little Ceasar, and Cagney when he is "On top of the World." Each movie is amazing and this is a must have for anyone who is even remotly curious. Even if you are just getting into classics this will impress you.

Grangsters movies WITHOUT CAR CHASES?????!!!!!!!.......2007-07-24

MAN! Im SOO dissapointed!!!!

These movies doesn't even have one minute of action scenes!! Most of the action scenes were at the end and they were not THAT cool, the Roaring Twenties and White Heat were the ONLY movies with car chases but they last like 5 seconds and THERE WASN'T EVEN SHOOTING!!!, and there is TO MUCH BORING BLAH,BLAH,BLAH!!

The movie that really fooled me was Little Caesar! because the cover show a cool photo of Edward G. Robinson with a machine gun, BUT HE DOESN'T EVEN TOUCH IT in the movie!!! and there were ONLY two action scenes that last like 3 seconds.

Better buy the Tough Guys Collection because it has G Men and San Quentin which they have cool car chases with LOT'S of shooting, and the movies have more action, cooler sequences and suspense.

P.S: I gave it 2 stars because of the performances, but the rest is BORING!! Movies like Goodfellas, Godfather and Pulp Fiction are MUCH better than these ones!!!!

Adios.

AN EXCELLENT BOX SET...YOU DIRTY RAT!.......2007-07-08

I found this ganster box set at a reduced price of $18.99,it is well worth that or 3 times that. Each movie has a very good transfer and there are some cool extras in this set. There are some true classics in this set,but all are worth seeing. This is a gangsters movie set you can't snub you nose at!

The prototype of a well-done boxed set.......2007-05-14

Kudos to Warner Home Video for the loving treatment they gave these six classic films from their vaults. Every film gets the Warner Night at the Movies treatment with a newsreel, a trailer, a vintage short subject, and a cartoon each from the year in which the movie was made. Plus there are commentary tracks for all of the films. I liked watching each film through first without the track, and then listening to them with the track turned on for insight into the stars and the style of the film. In addition to this you get the following featurettes:

Little Caesar - "End of Rico, Beginning of the Antihero"
Public Enemy - "Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public"
Petrified Forest - "Menace in the Desert". There is also a radio adaptation featuring Humphrey Bogart, Tyrone Power, and Joan Bennett.
Angels with Dirty Faces - "Whaddaya Hear? Whaddaya Say?". This also has an audio-only radio production.
The Roaring Twenties - "The World Moves On"
White Heat - "Top of the World"

It's interesting to compare the three stars of these movies - Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, and Humphrey Bogart - and their styles in each of these movies. "Little Caesar" and "Public Enemy" were made when prohibition was still in effect and gangland crime was still a big problem. Thus Robinson and Cagney each play remorseless criminals with no redeeming values whatsoever. Robinson's Rico is less physical than Cagney's Tom Powers, though. You believe that either one of them would shoot you without a second thought. However, Cagney's Powers is scarier because the real fear is that he would beat you to a pulp for the fun of it and THEN shoot you.

"The Petrified Forest" is not your typical gangster film, with Leslie Howard's vagabond being the real star in what amounts to an improbable romance set against the backdrop of the desperation of the Great Depression which the desert setting seems to signify. This 1936 film has Bogart as Duke Mantee, a gangster on the run, in what amounts to a supporting role. However, you do get to see all of the traits that made Bogart great when he got the opportunity to seize the lead in later roles. And to think they almost cast him as the filling station attendant in this one!

In 1938's "Angels with Dirty Faces" and 1939's "The Roaring Twenties" Cagney is again playing the lead gangster and Humphrey Bogart plays a supporting role in both films. With prohibition long over, though, these movies make Cagney's gangster more three-dimensional, showing him to even be a self-sacrificing character at times as well as a killer. Both movies bother to show that had circumstances been a little different, he might not have even become a criminal in the first place.

1949's "White Heat" shows the influence of film noir that was so popular in the 40's an 50's. Here, Cagney's gangster persona has come full circle back to the viciousness of Tom Powers in "Public Enemy". The big difference is that in this film Cagney's mother is no cream puff. She is, in fact, probably a bigger criminal in thought if not in deed than Cagney's Cody Jarrett. This final gangster film of the six shows technology and thus the law gaining on the criminal, with electronic gadgets and undercover lawmen with college degrees in psychology replacing the determined hard-boiled detectives and beat cops of the past. It very much looks forward to the Dragnet series that is to emerge in the 50's.

In summary, this is just a terrific package and basically acts as a complete course on the gangster film as genre. All studios should stand up and take notice of how Warner Home Video put this set together. Highly recommended.

FIve classic gangster flicks.......2007-01-31

Five classic gangster films from the glory days of Warner Bros.

Granted, "gangster film" isn't the most appropriate description of 1936's "The Petrified Forest," the film based on Sherwood Anderson's talky philosophical play, but if not for the dynamic presence of Humphrey Bogart as Duke Mantee, the "prestigious" production starring Leslie Howard and Bette Davis would likely now be relegated to the same vault that stores "She Loved a Fireman" (with Ann Sheridan) and other forgotten drek from the same period. It was this film that established Bogart as a valuable supporting player on the Warner lot, a position he would occupy until 1940's "High Sierra" made him a top star.

James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson would achieve stardom almost a decade earlier than Bogart with their breakthrough roles in 1931's "Public Enemy" and "Little Caesar" respectively. Directed by William Wellman, the former film holds up quite well despite the somewhat wooden performances of the supporting cast, whereas the latter is too stagy for its own good and remains of interest primarily for Robinson's dynamic performance.

1938's "Angels with Dirty Faces" and 1939's "The Roaring Twenties" are notable for pairing Cagney with Bogart, as adversaries in the former, and as partners, at least for a time, in the latter. Both are highly entertaining with "Angels" benefiting from the casting of the Dead End Kids.

The best film in this set, however, is 1948's "White Heat" with Cagney as Cody Jarrett who makes it to the "top of the world" only to have it blow up in his face. Jarrett ranks with Cagney's portrayal of George M. Cohen in "Yankee Doodle Dandy" as his finest performance.

Brian W. Fairbanks

Average customer rating:

James Cagney's best film
Cagney at his best
Top of the World
Not all that good.
COMMENTARY BY THE BRILLIANT AND INSIGHTFUL DR. DREW CASPER

White Heat
Starring: James Cagney , Virginia Mayo , Edmond O'Brien , Margaret Wycherly , and Steve Cochran
Director: Raoul Walsh , Richard L. Bare , and Chuck Jones
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: B0006HBV3C
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Customer Reviews:

James Cagney's best film.......2007-09-01

I saw "White Heat" years ago and it made me a James Cagney fan. He is great in this film!!
Too bad they don't make movies like this anymore.

Cagney at his best.......2007-03-22

I believe this was Cagney's signature movie as a gangter. It shows that crime doesn't pay and that gangters were usually wired differently than other people. Sometimes they were mental cases like Cody Garrett was in this movie. He was a criminal that could kill as easily as eating, no conscience, no regret. Very realistic with psycho killers in these days. He should have one an oscar for this film. It shows how law enforcement befriends criminals to catch them. It is a classic film in under-cover work. Years ahead of it's time. Great movie!

Top of the World.......2007-03-09

Terrific Cagney at his best. This is an "Oldie" but will never be outdated. If its desired to see when acting was Priority ONE in Hollywood, WHITE HEAT is your meat

Not all that good........2006-12-27

Not a huge fan of James Cagney or gangster movies, and nothing about White Heat has changed that opinion. Lame plot, corny dialogue, and just plain bad acting constantly had me cringing. In it's day this movie was no different than the generic blow-em'-up action/adventure movies that Hollywood has churned out en masse in more recent decades. Hardly what I would consider to be a classic.

COMMENTARY BY THE BRILLIANT AND INSIGHTFUL DR. DREW CASPER.......2006-11-25

Don't you dare forget that Dr. Drew Casper has written many film books, is writing a couple film books and is brilliant and insightful. He's the head of the film dept at USC. Dr. Drew Casper chairs a film immeritus board and is brilliant and insightful. Don't forget that Dr. Drew Casper is brilliant and insightful because Dr. Drew Casper makes bunches of brilliant and insightful comments only Dr. Drew Casper could make.

Don't ask Dr. Drew Casper to heal your leg he's not that kind of Dr. He's the kind of Dr. who sits in and ivory tower, writing papers and making sure the little people don't forget that Dr. Drew Casper is brilliant and insightful.

This guy is obnoxious. It took me about two thirds of the movie to become inured to his saccharine comments. He absolutely loves the "character" Cody Jarrett. Almost salivates in his admiration of the "character" Cody Jarrett. His admiration of this muderer is a sign that Dr. Drew Casper has known no adventure or rites of passage other than the passages in his books and papers.

If you can get past he jittery obsessive personality, he does make a few "insightful" comments. By the way, this is a great movie.

Average customer rating:

A classic from the master
The Big Heat
It's on DVD? Wow!!
Good Fun
Noir "De Luxe"

The Big Heat
Starring: Glenn Ford , Gloria Grahame , Jocelyn Brando , Alexander Scourby , and Lee Marvin
Director: Fritz Lang
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B00005RDRL
Release Date: 2001-12-18

Amazon.com essential video

There's a satisfying sense of closure to the definitive noir kick achieved in The Big Heat: its director, Fritz Lang, had forged early links from German expressionism to the emergence of film noir, so it's entirely logical that the expatriate director would help codify the genre with this brutal 1953 film. Visually, his scenes exemplify the bold contrasts, deep shadows, and heightened compositions that define the look of noir, and he matches that success with the darkly pessimistic themes of this revenge melodrama.

The story coheres around the suicide of a crooked cop, and the subsequent struggle of an honest detective, Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford), to navigate between a corrupt city government and a ruthless mobster to uncover the truth. Initially, the violence here seems almost timid by comparison to the more explicit carnage now commonplace in films, yet the story accelerates as its plot arcs toward Bannion's showdown with kingpin Lagana (Alexander Scourby) and his psychotic henchman, the sadistic Vince Stone, given an indelible nastiness by Lee Marvin. When Bannion's wife is killed by a car bomb intended for the detective, both the hero and the story go ballistic: suspended from the force, he embarks on a crusade of revenge that suggests a template for Charles Bronson's Death Wish films, each step pushing Lagana and Stone toward a showdown. Bodies drop, dominoes tumbled by the escalating war between the obsessed Bannion and his increasingly vicious adversaries.

Lang's disciplined visual design and the performances (especially those of Ford, Marvin, Jeanette Nolan as the dead cop's scheming widow, and Gloria Grahame as Marvin's girlfriend) enable the film to transcend formula, as do several memorable action scenes--when an enraged Marvin hurls scalding coffee at the feisty Debby (Grahame), we're both shattered by the violence of his attack, and aware that he's shifted the balance of power. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

A classic from the master.......2007-08-23

A great but disturbing film noir from the master, Fritz Lang. Especially for the Vince Stone character (Lee Marvin), who seems to enjoy torturing and killing women--a remarkable character for a fifties movie--reminds me of the Dennis Hopper character in David Lynch's BLUE VELVET 30 years later. Very violent. Fast-moving plot. Great performances from all, especially Glen Ford, Lee Marvin, and Gloria Grahame, perhaps the greatest role of her career. Ford is a homicide detective investigating the murder of a prostitute that no one wants him to investigate, because of corruption in high places. The organized crime syndicate has his wife killed, and him taken off the force, so he is forced to seek revenge on his own, even though he resists the urge to kill. When Stone's girlfriend, Gloria Grahame, talks to Ford, Stone throws a pot of hot coffee on her face. She then befriends Ford, and helps him achieve his revenge. I guess she is the femme fatale character, but she's fatal for the bad guys, not Ford. The corruption is finally cleansed and Ford returned to his position, but his wife is still dead, and the violence lingers hauntingly in our minds. Visually, this is classic film noir, with lots of menacing shadows.

The Big Heat.......2007-06-26

This brutal, in-your-face noir thriller about organized crime and political graft by German ex-pat Lang is about as hardboiled as they come. For starters, the dialogue is sharp and blunt, like a smack in the jaw, and Ford's portrayal of the obsessed Bannion is downright fearsome. "Heat" is particularly memorable for two performances: Lee Marvin, as psychotic henchman Vince Stone, and the peerless Gloria Grahame, as a sultry moll whose face Marvin cruelly disfigures--with a cup of coffee! Crisply paced and unrelentingly fierce, "The Big Heat" is one steamy ride.

It's on DVD? Wow!!.......2007-05-28

I've had this title on VHS for many years. Found the DVD (I love film noirs) on Amazon & it arrived quickly. Is the film an enjoyable classic? You bet! One of my favorites. I could go on & on but get this DVD and see for yourself. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

By the way my commercial VHS looks great but the picture & sound quality of the DVD version is fantastic.....

Good Fun.......2007-03-24

The Big Heat was an enjoyable film with excellent performances from Glenn Ford and a very creepy Lee Marvin. This film is a classis good guy vs. bad guy film, with a steady amount of violence and suspense. Ford's Sgt. Bannion is a tough cop that is not afraid to step on toes to do the right thing. The actresses in this movie are very good, and really bring the movie to the 4 star level.

Noir "De Luxe".......2007-02-23

This film is definitely one of the best Film Noirs I've ever seen. This tale of corruption, greed and revenge is packed with action galore and all kinds of plot twists and surprises, until the very end...and I won't spoil anybody's fun by giving away any of it.

Fritz Lang's deft direction is impeccable; the pacing is fast and keeps your attention all the time, and the cast is full of excellent actors.

Glenn Ford is magnificent as the embittered policeman; charged with hatred and revenge in his veins. Gloria Grahame is excellent, as always, as the apparently air-headed gangster's moll, with a "hidden ace in her sleeve". Jocelyn Brando (Marlon's older sister) is very fine as Ford's down-to-earth and strong-tempered wife. Lee Marvin excels in one of his first tough roles as a psychopathic hit man.

Others in this excellent cast are: Jeanette Nolan (who played Lady Mac Beth opposite Orson Welles in the latter's rendition of Shakespeare's Classic), as a hard-as-nails, ambitious, no-holds barred woman; Carolyn Jones in a small role as a gangster's moll (victimized by Lee Marvin); and Edith Evanson, a very active character actress, plays a crippled secretary, who's a pivotal circumstantial witness of some shady-doings that occur during the film's course.

Also, look for Celia Lovsky, a prolific character actress and Peter Lorre's first wife and who (reputedly) was responsible for his casting in the title role of Fritz Lang's 1931 German masterpiece "M", featured as (mobster) Lagana's mother on a painted portrait he has in his study.

There's a nice vignette during the film; when Glenn Ford's character enters "The Retreat Club" and meets Lee Marvin's character face-to-face, "Put the Blame on Mame" ( Gilda's famous song) is playing on the background.

This one's not to be missed!

Hammer Film Noir Collector's Set (Bad Blonde / Blackout / The Gambler and the Lady / Heat Wave / Man Bait / Stolen Face)

Average customer rating:

Just ok.
Great fun for the lover of UK 50's films
Noir, British style
Bad Blondes of Film Noir.
"Hammer & VCI Film Noir Collection of Six Classic British Noir (1950's) "

Hammer Film Noir Collector's Set (Bad Blonde / Blackout / The Gambler and the Lady / Heat Wave / Man Bait / Stolen Face)
Starring: George Brent , Marguerite Chapman , Raymond Huntley , Peter Reynolds , and Eleanor Summerfield
Director: Terence Fisher , and Reginald Le Borg
Manufacturer: Vci Video
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ASIN: B000FMGTQC
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Description

In 1950, Hammer Films set up a deal with American Producer Robert L. Lippert to produce low-budget crime dramas to be made in the UK. Lippert would send over a shop-worn Hollywood star or promising American newcomer to give the films box-office appeal in the states, supported by the usual fine casts of British character actors that make most British movies worth watching. This five-year arrangement produced over a dozen well-made little B-noirs that seemed to have fallen through the film history cracks…..until now. VCI AND Kit Parker Films are happy to offer another look at these dark, moody pictures made by the company that became one of Britain's most prolific film producers of the 1960's, many directed by Hammer's top director, Terence Fisher, cutting his teeth on mystery and suspense. The Collector's Set contains the Hammer Film Noir Volumes 1 thru 3. Bonus Features: Scene Selection| Bios| Promo Trailer| Photo Gallery| Bonus Comments: The World Of Hammer Noir by Richard M Roberts. Specs: 3-DVD9s; Dolby Digital; 457 minutes; B&W; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - R; Year - 1953, 1952, 1954; SRP - $29.99.

Customer Reviews:

Just ok........2007-02-12

A good introduction to "B" films. These are late 1940's (actually from the 50s) dramas with some noir elements. The films look great--as if they haven't been seen in 50 years--which is probably the case, since they're not too exiting.

I won't give a running commentary like some reviewers but I thought Heat Wave was pretty fair. The story is essentially the same as The Postman Always Rings Twice but its well done and not as slow as the other films. Hillary Brook, who went on to superstardom with Abbott & Costello, was quite a dish and gives a great performance.

Dane Clark, a prominent figure in many Hammer/VCI movies is perfectly adequate but like the movies themselves, a bit lightweight. Robert Mitchum he ain't.

All in all, good transfers and a lot of content for the money. Or course there is better noir available (even from VCI, for example Blond Ice) and I know of at least one Hammer non-horror film that's quite good, The Four Sided Triangle.

Great fun for the lover of UK 50's films.......2007-01-10

Great English character actors with a lone American star (usually up and coming or on the way down)...but all still full of great talent, Barbara Payton was excellent. There are literate film noir style scripts with interesting twists that keep you guessing, and low budget sets but with creative shooting. And it is fun to see the exterior shots of London from the 50's.
Getting to see films like these were not feasible until DVD, thank you to the inventors of DVD!

Noir, British style.......2006-11-25

Back in the `30s and `40s, many movie studios had their specialties. Warner Bros. was known for its gangster and "social problem" films; MGM did the musicals, and Universal did the monster movies. Later, in the `50s and `60s, Britain's Hammer Films got a reputation for being a good horror house, starting with The Curse of Frankenstein and continuing for a couple of decades of Frankenstein, Dracula and other movies. Before Curse of Frankenstein, however, Hammer didn't yet have the horror identity and during this time, it made other types of films, including crime movies. The Hammer Film Noir collection brings together six such movies from the early 1950s; while not really awful, they do demonstrate that Hammer Films's strengths were elsewhere.

Bad Blonde features Barbara Payton as the title character, married to a wealthy but slovenly middle-aged boxing manager. In a story that more than slightly resembles The Postman Always Rings Twice, she seduces a boxer and convinces him to murder her spouse. As with many of these of this films, the English actors come off a bit stiff; certainly John Garfield and Lana Turner did this same plot better. The second film on the first disc is Man Bait in which George Brent gets entangled in a blackmail attempt and is later framed for murder; in the hands of a Hitchcock, this innocent-man-wrongly-accused plot is a classic; in lesser hands, however, it is merely passable.

The second disc has Stolen Face, a strange mix of Pygmalion and a crime story. A plastic surgeon, unable to be with the woman he loves, alters the face of a female convict to look like his love and then marries her. Unfortunately, cosmetic surgery doesn't take the crook out of the girl. This film features the most familiar faces for American viewers: Paul Henreid of Casablanca fame (and who also was involved with a different sort of double identity movie with The Scar) and Lizabeth Scott from Too Late For Tears and The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. Unfortunately, their skills don't completely save this movie which has a rather flaky ending which relies on an accident.

The other movie on this disc is the best in the set, Blackout, which features Dane Clark as a down-on-his-luck American in London who wakes up after a drunken bender to find he is married to a beautiful and wealthy woman. Of course, she has something up her sleeve, and when her father turns up dead, he winds up on the run. Clark's wise-cracking character helps elevate this film above the others in this set.

Clark is also in The Gambler and the Lady on disc three as one of the title characters (hint, he's not the lady). He's a minor gangster trying to go legit and gain acceptance from who he considers his social betters. His pretensions alienate his dancer girlfriend even as he starts going out with a member of the nobility (the Lady of the title). He also gets entangled with more serious mobsters who are trying to muscle into his territory. Though not as good as Blackout, this movie is also improved by Clark. The final film, Heat Wave, is basically the same story as Bad Blonde, except the lead character is a writer instead of a boxer.

With the exception of the four-star Blackout, all these others rate from a low three stars to a high three stars. The extras in the set are relatively minor: a few trailers, some minor commentaries (typically less than five minutes a movie) and some brief biographies/filmographies. Overall, this set rates three stars. It's not bad stuff, but for good film noir, you need to go elsewhere. This set is really only for die-hard fans of the genre who want to see some movies that are relatively obscure.

Bad Blondes of Film Noir........2006-09-25

This is a must have set for any noir fan and beautiful femme fatales. The quality is excellent since these films were transferred from original studio prints. Immediately after watching this set I looked up some of the beautiful ladies featured in these films. I was familiar with drop dead gorgeous Barbara Payton who sadly died in 1967 due to alcolism. Barbara stars in "Bad Blonde," one of the better femme fatale story noirs in this set. Another beauty is Hillary Brooke in "HeatWave,") aka "Lady Across the Lake". Hillary is so damm tempting as a bad tall blonde married to a rich guy she would sooner see dead, playing the field with other men and torturing her poor husband's heart. These women are still fataly desirable to any man. I expect Hammer will release the other six noirs that were made by Lippert Studios in the early 50's. I look forward to that.

"Hammer & VCI Film Noir Collection of Six Classic British Noir (1950's) ".......2006-08-28

VCI Entertainment and Kit Parker Films present "Hammer Film Noir Collector's Set, Vol. 1-3" (1952) --- (Dolby digitally remastered)...Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe Hollywood crime dramas that set their protagonists in a world perceived as inherently corrupt and unsympathetic...Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography, while many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Depression...the term film noir (French for "black film"), first applied to Hollywood movies by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, was unknown to most of the American filmmakers and actors while they were creating the classic film noirs..the canon of film noir was defined in retrospect by film historians and critics; many of those involved in the making of film noir later professed to be unaware at the time of having created a distinctive type of film.

First up we have "BAD BLONDE" (1953) (81 min. B/W)...under director Reginald Le Borg , producer Anthony Hinds, book author Max Catto, screenplay by Guy Elmes and Richard H. Landau , music score by Ivor Slaney ...the cast includes Barbara Payton (Lorna Vecchi), Frederick Valk (Giuseppe Vecchi), John Slater (Charlie Sullivan), Sid James (Sharkey), Tony Wright (Johnny Flanagan), Marie Burke (Mother Vecchi), Selma Vaz Dias (Mrs. Corelli, Vecchi's sister), Enzo Coticchia (Mr. Corelli), George Woodbridge (Police Inspector), Bettina Dickson (Barmaid), John Brooking (Barnes) . . . . . our story based on a novel by Max Catto is very close to "The Postman Always Rings Twice", but this time the male lead is a boxer...Barbara Payton is blackmailing Tony Wright into killing her husband Frederick Valk, will he go through with it...only the final scene will tell, Valk is a scene stealer and gives it all he's worth.

Second on the collection is a Lippert Picture release "MAN BAIT (1952) (84 min. B/W)....under director Terence Fisher, producer Anthony Hinds, screenplay by James Hadley Chase and Frederick Knott, musical score by Frank Spencer ....the cast includes George Brent (John Harman), Marguerite Chapman (Stella Tracy), Raymond Huntley Clive Oliver), Peter Reynolds (Jeffrey Hart), Diana Dors (Ruby Bruce), Eleanor Summerfield (Vi), Meredith Edwards (Inspector Dale), Harry Fowler (Joe, clerk), Conrad Phillips (Detective Todd), Nelly Arno (Miss Rosetti, clerk), David Keir (Mr. Quince, clerk), Eleanor Bryan (Mary Lewis, clerk), Isabel Dean .(May Harmon), Jack Faint (Club Manager), Harold Goodwin (Frank, the waiter) . . . . . our story involves blackmail and murder with George Brent who runs a bookstore where employee Marguerite Chapman is in love with him...but wait there is more, a sexy untrusting good-looking Diana Dors who also works in the bookstore who has eyes for her boss...Brent has an invalid wife who needs an operation abroad and so cashing an insurance policy to pay for the operation everything seems like it will pan out, hold on it gets better, as Dors sees a good for nothing Peter Reynolds shoplifting, but doesn't tell boss...Dors and Reynolds become close, Reynolds has Dors blackmail Brent when he kissed her in a moment of letting his guard down...what will he do, can he keep this away from his wife Isabel Dean, can Chapman help him clear himself as Dors is found murdered and Brent is the prime suspect...all in all the best performance in this film noir is Diana Dors, completely natural and believable . . . . .there's a great deal of entertainment here for all the film noir fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features like this one.

Third feature on the bill we have "BLACKOUT" (1954) (87 min. B/W)...under director Terence Fisher, producer Michael Carreras, screenplay by Richard H. Landau, novel by Helen Nielson, Cinematographer Jimmy W. Harvey, music score by Ivor Slaney ...the cast includes Dane Clark (Casey Morrow). Belinda Lee (Phyllis Brunner), Betty Ann Davies (Alicia Brunner), Eleanor Summerfield (Maggie Doone), Andrew Osborn (Lance Gorden), Harold Lang (Travis), Jill Melford (Miss Nardis), Michael Golden (Inspector Johnson), Alfie Bass (Ernie) . . . . . our story has an exceptional cast, with one of my favorite film noir actors Dane Clark, who can get into more trouble in only a few reels of this flick...in this better than average "Brit Noir" our drifter Clark is up to his neck with a frame up, murder suspect, mind games, plus he needs to clear his name in this psychological thriller "Murder by Proxy" was the British title..the beautiful blonde Belinda Lee is throwing 500 pounds around and Clark is the pigeon...where did the blood on his coat come from, and who has been murdered, will he be left holding the bag...don't leave the theatre you're about to find out who's who in this classic film noir plot.

Fourth film is a Lippert Picture release "STOLEN FACE" (1952) (72 min. B/W)....under director Terence Fisher, producer Anthony Hinds, screenplay by Martin Berkeley and Richard Landau, Walter Harvey (Cinematographer), musical score by Malcolm Arnold ....the cast includesPaul Henreid (Dr. Philip Ritter), Lizabeth Scott (Alice Brent/Lilly), Andre Morell (David), Mary Mackenzie (Lilly), John Wood (Dr. Jack Wilson), Susan Stephen (Betty), Arnold Ridley (Dr. Russell), Everley Gregg (Lady Harringay), Cyril Smith (Alf), Janet Burnell (Maggie), Grace Gavin (Nurse), Diana Beaumont (May), Alexis France (Mrs. Emmett), John Bull (Charles Emmett), Dorothy Bramhall (Miss Simpson), Richard Wattis (Wentworth) . . . . . our story has heroine Lizabeth Scott is playing a dual role, the good, the bad and the ugly...Paul Henreid is believable as the plstic surgeon who can't seem to do anything right, professionally or with his love life...can a different face change a person, or will trouble surface and begin to eat away at the players of this "Film Noir"...is love or murder in the future of the Hammer film crew...don't take another step, as you're eyes are about to be opened and the mystery right in front of your nose... . . .there's a great deal of entertainment here for all the film noir fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features like this one.

Fifth feature we have "THE GAMBLER AND THE LADY" (1952) (72 min. B/W)...under director Pat Jenkins, director, producer and screenplay by Sam Newfield, producer Anthony Hinds , book author Max Catto, screenplay by Guy Elmes and Richard H. Landau , Walter Harvey (Cinematographer), music score by Ivor Slaney ...the cast includes Dane Clark (Jim Forster), Naomi Chance (Lady Susan Willens), Meredith Edwards (Dave Davies), Thomas Gallagher (Sam), Eric Pohlmann (Arturo Colonna), Anthony Forwood (Lord Peter Willens), Kathleen Byron (Pat), Martin Benson (Tony, Pat's dance partner), George Pastell (Jacko Spina), Julian Somers (Licasi, club manager), Max Bacon (Max), Mona Washbourne (Miss Minter), Jane Griffiths (Lady Jane Greer), Anthony Ireland (Richard Farning), Enzo Coticchia (Angelo Colonna) . . . . . our story opens with Dane Clark a casino owner opening as gambling house right in the middle of the mob locals, which doesn't set well with either side...wanting to climb the ladder of the English upper class, he falls in love with one of them...are the upper class accepting or laughing at him, is he in danger of losing his business, friends and even his life...wonderful scenes from Dane Clark in this crime dama mixed with various themes of celebrity status, betrayal and suspense . . . .there's a great deal of entertainment here for all the film noir fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features like this one.

Sixth and final feature is another fine Lippert Picture release "HEAT WAVE" (aka: "The House Across the Lake") (1954) (68 min. B/W)....under Director / Book Author / Screenwriter Ken Hughes, producer Anthony Hinds, Jimmy W. Harvey (Cinematographer), musical score by Ivor Slaney ....the cast includes Alex Nicol (Mark Kendrick), Hillary Brooke (Carol Forrest), Susan Stephen (Andrea Forrest), Sid James (Beverly Forrest), Alan Wheatley (Inspector MacLennan), Paul Carpenter (Vincent Gordon), Hugh Dempster (Frank), Peter Illing (Harry Stevens), John Sharp (Mr. Hardcastle), Joan Hickson (Mrs. Hardcastle), Gordon McLeod (Doctor Emery), Monti DeLyle (Head Waiter), Cleo Rose (Abigail), Howard Lang (Inspector Edgar), Harry Brunning (Railway Porter) . . . . .our story has Alex Nicol who has experienced down and out luck all his life...Hillary Brooke who can manipulate men within her life even murder...Brooke is about to be cut out of her husbands will and has no time for him to die of natural causes...both actors and supporting cast are convincingly good, with outstanding direction and screenplay by Ken Hughes...this post war film noir sets the bar high for other films to measure up to.

BIOS:
1. George Brent (aka: George Brendan Nolan)
Date of birth: 15 March 1899 - Shannonsbridge, County Dublin, Ireland
Date of death: 26 May 1979 - Solana Beach, California
2. Hillary Brooke (aka: Beatrice Peterson)
Date of birth: 8 September 1914 - Astoria, New York, USA
Date of death: 25 May 1999 - Bonsall, California
3. Diana Dors (aka: Diana Mary Fluck)
Date of birth: 23 October 1931 - Swindon, Wiltshire, England, UK
Date of death: 4 May 1984 - Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK
4. Terence Fisher (Director)
Date of birth: 23 February 1904 - London, England, UK
Date of death: 18 June 1980 - Twickenham, London, England, UK
5. Paul Henreid (aka: Paul Georg Julius Hernreid Ritter Von Wassel-Waldingau)
Date of birth: 10 January 1908 - Trieste, Austria-Hungary. [now in Italy]
Date of death: 29 March 1992 - Santa Monica, California
6. Ken Hughes (aka: Kenneth Graham Hughes) (Director)
Date of birth: 19 January 1922 - Liverpool, England, UK
Date of death: 28 April 2001 - Los Angeles, California
7. Reginald Le Borg (Director)
Date of birth: 11 December 1902 - Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria)
Date of death: 25 March 1989 - Los Angeles, California
8. Belinda Lee
Date of birth: 15 June 1935 - Budleigh Salterton, Devon, England, UK
Date of death: 12 March 1961 - near San Bernardino, California
9. Sam Newfield (aka: Samuel Neufeld)
Date of birth: 6 December 1899 - New York, New York, USA
Date of death: 10 November 1964 - Los Angeles, California
10. Alex Nicol (aka: Alexander L. Nicol Jr.)
Date of birth: 20 January 1916 - Ossining, New York
Date of death: 29 July 2001 - Montecito, California
11. Barbara Payton (aka: Barbara Lee Redfield)
Date of birth: 16 November 1927 - Cloquet, Minnesota
Date of death: 8 May 1967 - San Diego, California
12. Lizabeth Scott (aka: Emma Matzo)
Date of birth: 29 September 1922 - Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA
Date of death: Still Living

SPECIAL BONUS FEATURES:
1. Scene selection
2. Trailers
3. Photo gallery
4. Bonus comments: The World of Hammer Noir by Richard M. Roberts

Great job by VCI Entertainment and Kit Parker Films for releasing the "Hammer Film Noir Collector's Set, Vol. 1-3" (1952), digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from the '40s and '50s vintage...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again with a top notch "Classic Film Noir" that only VCI Entertainment (King of the Serials) can deliver...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 457 mins on 3-DVD-Set ~ VCI Home Video KPF 554 ~ (8/29/2006)

Average customer rating:

Bright as a wound and warm-hearted as a fever

La Cienaga
Starring: Mercedes Morán , Graciela Borges , Martín Adjemián , Leonora Balcarce , and Silvia Baylé
Director: Lucrecia Martel
Manufacturer: Homevision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006Z2NBI
Release Date: 2005-02-01

Description

Mecha (Graciela Borges) is a middle-aged woman with several accident-prone teenagers, a husband who dyes his hair, and the tedious problem of sullen servants. Nothing that a few drinks can't cure. To avoid the uncomfortably hot and humid weather, they spend their summers at a country estate whose glory has long faded, where the swimming pool is filthy, but still offers some relief. Mecha's cousin, Tali (Mercedes Morán), lives in the nearby city La Ciénaga ("The Swamp") and has a crew of small, noisy children and a husband who loves his home, his kids, and hunting. Before long, the crowded, rough-and-tumble domestic situation strains both families' nerves, exposing repressed family mysteries, and tensions that threaten to erupt into violence. Like Luis Buñuel before her, award-winning filmmaker Lucrecia Martel offers an unapologetic peek into the world of Argentina's decadent bourgeoisie.

Customer Reviews:

Bright as a wound and warm-hearted as a fever.......2005-02-08

Lurid colors cover a visual stink that permeates La Cienaga and turns all interaction sinister around the edges. The camera work was queasy and the cuts were brutal--sometimes fatal...I loved it. La Cienaga sticks in the memory like the urban legends the children tell to scare each other. The story is an almost voyeuristic tour of the families of two sisters, Tali and Mecha, one in the city, one in the swamp. We meet Mecha, the rich swamp-dwelling sister, by her filthy swimming pool surrounded by other zombie-esque party-goers, all half passed out in pool chairs from the combined effect of alcohol and the rainforest heat. All of her bored kids are scarred, beat-up, scratched--one is missing an eye. Armed with hunting rifles, the swamp is their main source of entertainment--except for awkward Momi, who spends most of her time clinging to Isabella ("Isa"), the native Argentinean house servant in Mecha's crumbling estate.
Tali's family, living in the city, seems a little more sane, a little more whole, but her kids are smack in the middle of terrifying stages of growing up. Her two hyper-gendered daughters on the verge of puberty wear enough woman's make-up to look like kiddie-porn stars or circus clowns. When they are not being chased by little boys with water balloons, they are taunting their little brother with stories of the African rat-dog.
Some of the only music in the film follows Isa, the native; all else is the constant rumble of thunder, the ice tinkling in the Mecha's drink, and the silence of sullen frustration. Every scene is dangerous in its way, every volatile character was so full of desires gone bad, and all beauty was rotten underneath. Director Lucrecia Martel has created a refreshingly unromantic film in the romantic location of the Argentinean rainforest that leaves you with images as sticky as the heat.

Average customer rating:

office movie w/ sec.s of action...
a movie i recomend
Asteroids? Don't They Have A Cream For That?...
So much for that space program, then, eh?
"You won't escape your doom! No one will! No one!"

The Day the Sky Exploded
Starring: Paul Hubschmid , Fiorella Mari , Madeleine Fischer , Ivo Garrani , and Dario Michaelis
Director: Paolo Heusch
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008YJEP
Release Date: 2003-06-10

Product Description

The history-making launch of the first man into space takes an unexpected turn when Astronaut McLaren (Paul Hubschmid) is forced to eject from his ship, leaving the rocket on an uncontrolled journey into the cosmos. Soon there are mysterious occurrences o

Customer Reviews:

office movie w/ sec.s of action..........2007-07-13

just when i was tryin to leave the office to see a good movie-its not this one; it only had a total of seconds in action-(at the end,where most of the seconds are). it has horrible film quality on dvd i got. after buying this, i realized i was trying to get perhaps, when worlds collide?-((which is much better-i think this one has the sky exploding at the end-ongoing waves of light in the sky.))

a movie i recomend.......2006-08-30

i had never seen his movie before and was surprised at how much i enjoyed it. the picture quality was good. the story line was good. i really enjoyed it..

Asteroids? Don't They Have A Cream For That?... .......2006-08-26

An astronaut is forced to abort earth's first manned space mission when things go horribly wrong. Uh-Oh! He forgot to turn off the ship's atomic engine before ejecting himself out of danger! This sends the capsule hurtling through space, right into a cluster of asteroids, causing these titanic hunks of rock to merge into one giant mass! What's worse, this super-asteroid is now heading straight for planet earth! In this story, the UN takes action immediately, scrambling all forces necessary to deal with the deadly crisis. Of course, this is sci-fi. In reality, the UN would convene in order to call a future meeting, so they could decide on whether to pass a resolution on whether or not to implement a plan. Thankfully, the fictional UN saves the day. TDTSE (which cost about 50¢ to make) is the precursor to movies like ARMEGEDDON and DEEP IMPACT, and is actually better than either of these pieces of multi-million dollar drek! Enjoy...

So much for that space program, then, eh?.......2005-11-16

This little French-Italian science fiction film from 1958 is interesting for two reasons: first, it adds a nice little twist to the whole "deadly meteorites headed for Earth" idea, and, second, it features cinematography by none other than future Euro-horror legend Mario Bava (even though his name is incorrectly listed as Baja in the opening credits). Frankly, though, the film isn't all that good. Cold War or no, scientists from both the West and Russia have come together to design a rocketship to launch the first man into space. The lucky pilot is American John McLaren (Paul Hubschmid), despite his complete lack of any charisma whatsoever. After a quick goodbye to his truly annoying wife, McLaren goes up, up, and away - but things go awry when he tries to fire up the engines to enter an orbit around the moon. Luckily, in this kind of deep space emergency, all he has to do is eject from the cockpit and let gravity bring him home to Earth (insert snicker here). The rocket, of course, keeps on going, and Mr. Space Hero forgot to even disengage the atomic engine.

It isn't long before animals all over the planet begin a massive migration away from the coastal areas and a great big whatsit starts appearing on Earth's radar screens. As luck would have it, the rocketship had collided with an asteroid, and now a whole shower of great big chunks of deadly rocks is hurtling right toward planet Earth. Even the annoying guy designated to hit on the ice queen female scientist (a given in all 1950s science fiction films) is taken aback. Five days away from Armageddon, what can possibly be done? These guys' big plan consists of calling a special session of the United Nations - I guess the UN in this fictional world is nothing like that in our own. Anyway, the last thirty minutes of the film basically consist of a waiting game. One scientist does buckle under the pressure, totally giving up in the face of danger (I'm pretty sure he's French), but the non-French peoples of Earth aren't going to give up until the very end.

The film is dubbed, of course, and you will see plenty of stock footage, but the cinematography isn't that bad, especially during the climactic scene at the end. The Sputnik satellite we see is perfectly ridiculous, though - it is literally a hammer and sickle. How daft is that? Well, it's not nearly as daft as some of the professional reviews of The Day the Sky Exploded I've glanced at, which actually say that the rocket crashes into the sun and somehow triggers meteors to come flying at Earth from that. I don't know what those guys were drinking when they watched the movie.

"You won't escape your doom! No one will! No one!".......2005-07-06

Having not been born at the time, I can only imagine the excitement that must have been felt by those all over the world in the 1950s and 1960s as we looked towards the heavens, knowing humankind's first steps into the vast unknown of outer space were near. The possibilities must have seemed endless, illustrated (and fueled) by any number of wonderful and dramatic cinematic efforts...The Day the Sky Exploded (1961) is not one of those...this Italian/Franco production, originally released as La Morte viene dallo spazio (1958), was directed by Paolo Heusch (Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory), with legendary schlockmiester and American International Pictures co-founder Samuel Z. Arkoff listed as the executive producer (this explains a lot). Appearing in the film is Swiss born actor Paul Hubschmid (School for Connubial Bliss), Fiorella Mari (Mystery of the Black Jungle), Madeleine Fischer (The Bachelor), Ivo Garrani (Hercules and the Captive Women), Dario Michaelis (Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus), and Jean-Jacques Delbo (The Shadow vs. the Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse).

The film begins with flashes of newspaper headlines I can't read because they're all in a foreign language, but given the size of the typeset, it must be pretty important news. Wait, there's one in English...lemme see, it says `omic Moon Ship will unched in a Few Hou'...seriously, that's what it says because given the film is presented in full screen format, portions of the film are cut off...thanks Alpha...what its supposed to say is `Atomic Moon Rocket will be Launched in a Few Hours'. All right, from what I can glean, there is an international effort to send a man into space, and we're nearing go time...and an American, John McLaren (Hubschmid), has been chosen to pilot the vessel. After a whole lot of hullabaloo and a ton of technical crapola, the rocket is off, and ground control celebrates by boozing it up with champagne, which I though to be a little odd, but then I noticed a dog wandering around the control room, so apparently things are pretty loosey goosey around here...whatever...the party is cut short, though, as something goes wrong with the rocket and McLaren ejects. He arrives safety back on Earth (whew!), but the unmanned ship, loaded with atomic material, hits an asteroid mass, causing hundreds of millions of tons of space rock to veer towards Earth, virtually ensuring our destruction...unless...unless nothing, buddy! We're in for it now...put your head between your legs and kiss it goodbye...this impending doom triggers some strange phenomena, illustrated by all animals acting all weird (they're always the first to know), followed by tidal waves, rising temperatures (the roof is one fire, the roof is on fire), and more...is this the end? Believe me, after spending an hour an twenty minutes watching this dreck you'll be wishing it was...

Stock footage, for those who may not know, are `films either in the public domain or available for a set fee that can thus be put into any other film. Stock footage is of great use to filmmakers as it is generally far cheaper than actually filming a needed scene. The great difficulty is that it cannot be altered and thus cannot contain the same actors as the rest of the film, and often is not even in the same style' (thank you, Wikipedia). So anyway, I can't even begin to estimate how many low budget (and big budget) films utilize stock footage, and that's fine, if it's meant to complement the movie, but when someone tries to actually make a film from stock footage, it becomes annoying (I'd estimate 35% of this movie was stock footage) ...as far as the actual movie, it was just tedious as hell (I never realized how boring mass evacuations can be). There was an obvious attempt to punch up the plot a little with a completely lame-brained romantic subplot (that goes nowhere) between two of the scientists "Your melting point has risen"...oh bruther, and also an even lamer one involving conflict between McLaren and his wife about how he's so dedicated to his job and she feels he's neglecting her and their son, who, by the way, has to be one of the most annoying characters I've seen since Jar Jar Binks, which is not small feat as the kid had so little actual screen time. Do you like kooky, spacey sound effects played over and over and over? Well, you won't be disappointed here, as the same two are used ad nauseam through the entire film. If'n you're a fan of the science fiction technical jibber jabber, then you're also in for a treat, as this film has it in spades...actually, it sounds pretty realistic, but given its unrestricted usage, a sense of realism didn't make it any less tiresome to sit through...but no matter how plebeian things got, it was still better than the awfulness introduced when the characters were presented. They were so lifeless and their interpersonal relationships so hollow and meaningless I actually looked forward to getting another dosing of stock footage. The plot is pretty straightforward, offering little in the way of surprises. I did like the bit when, as the asteroids drew near, the one blonde scientist (I think he was Russian) started wigging out, spouting the line I used for my title...his performance wasn't spectacular, but it was welcome break from the general, mind-numbing monotony. Speaking of performances, none of them are worth mentioning, and if Hubschmid was the intended lead, you'd hardly know it...after the rocket stuff in the first third of the film, he really has little reason for being around for the rest of the story as he contributes so little, until the end when he comes up with a simplistic plan to stave of ultimate destruction...one laced with an irony the filmmakers can't help but point out as apparently subtly wasn't something film going audiences of the late 50's/early 60's understood. The real science fiction in this story is the notion that all the countries of the Earth could have, and would have, worked together as they did within the film, pursuant to a common goal. I may sound harsh in my criticisms of this film, and perhaps I am, as there was a sense of effort present, and the direction and cinematography (by Mario Bava, no less) were decent, but given this was supposed to be a tale about the distinct possibility of the annihilation of all life on Earth, I was hoping for a bit more juice...

The picture, presented in full screen format, on this Alpha DVD release looks awful, even for Alpha's standards (what standards?) The picture is extremely rough, often missing frames, fuzzy, and murky throughout. This is one bit of celluloid that has not aged well over the years, either physically, or artistically. The audio isn't much better, often coming across as muffled and muted. There aren't any special features, unless you count Alpha listing pictorial images of their other DVD releases (I don't). About the most exciting element of this release if the cover art on the case, but you don't have to take my word for it...

Cookieman108

By the way, get a load of the American reporter at the beginning...the only people I see with that kind of energy and enthusiasm are on meth-amphetamines...

Average customer rating:

Blaxploitation Cheese from Al Adamson!
"KICKIN'!"
So bad it's good!

Black Heat
Starring: Timothy Brown , Regina Carrol , Geoffrey Land , Russ Tamblyn , and Jana Bellan
Director: Al Adamson
Manufacturer: E.I. Independent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00007L4M4
Release Date: 2003-03-04

Customer Reviews:

Blaxploitation Cheese from Al Adamson!.......2004-06-14

Here's a slice of '70s Blaxpoitation cheese that manages to pack a sizeable wallop for its miniscule budget. Tough African-American detective Kicks Carter (Timothy Brown) is out to break up a pair of bottom-feeder crooks and stop a guns-for-drugs trade organized by a black mobster improbably named Guido. Along the way there's plenty of clumsily choreographed (and often poorly-lit) fight scenes and shoot-outs, a smattering of sex and nudity (like when Kicks makes sweet love to his TV reporter girlfriend Tanya Boyd), a fair amount of sleaze (like when a woman with a gambling problem is gang-raped by four sweaty redneck card sharps; the fact that this woman resembles a young version of "That '70s Show"'s Debra Jo Rupp only adds to the scene's nastiness) and stilted dialog so awkwardly peppered with jive talk it's obvious the script was written by white people. Still, schlock director Al Adamson is in peak form with this one, keeping the action moving and making sure to hit all the right buttons to please his audience--even including a little bit of lesbian action, again involving our hapless gambling addict. The cast also includes Adamson regulars Russ Tamblyn (who plays a bug-eyed, low-rent mobster named Ziggy) and aging blond bombshell (and Adamson's wife) Regina Carrol. The movie runs out of steam by the final ten minutes, but all in all, "Black Heat" is pretty hot. Just don't be fooled by the updated cover art on the DVD: "Black Heat" is a '70s movie through and through, from Timothy Brown's huge afro down to his crotch-molding, (...) tight jeans.

"KICKIN'!".......2000-03-26

Black Heat is not as hard to find as one might think. I was in Hollywood video browsing the action section and it jumped off the bottom shelf and kicked me in the shin. It hurt like a muther!

So bad it's good!.......1999-07-28

Yet another pick from classic 1970s blaxploitation. It's definitely not Dolemite, but it had enough action to keep me occupied for all 96 minutes. This one's hard to find in regular video stores. Amazon is about the only place I know that even carries this film. A great addition!

Average customer rating:

Certainly Worthy Of Viewer Attention, But Drenched With Director's Self-Absorption.
For fans of emotionally intense cinema...

Heat and Sunlight
Starring: Bill Ackridge , Lynn 'Chrystie' Ana , Bill Bailey (II) , Don Bajema , and Lester Cohen (IV)
Manufacturer: KOCH LORBER FILMS
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0006SSP62
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Description

Photojournalist Mel Hurley arrives home expecting to find his lover Carmen waiting at the airport. She's not there and over the next 16 hours Mel examines their relationship - equating his personal struggle with the story behind the photos he took during a civil war over 20 years ago. Winner - 1988 Sundance Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize.

Customer Reviews:

Certainly Worthy Of Viewer Attention, But Drenched With Director's Self-Absorption. .......2006-06-26

If writer/director Rob Nilsson were able to suppress his somewhat tedious sense of self, this film would probably have lacked that intense personal edge that gained for him the Grand Prize at the Sundance Festival but it also may have become more palatable fare for those fortunate souls to whom his personal devils hold minimal charm. Action begins with photographer Mel Hurley (Nilsson) and his close friend Mitch deplaning in San Francisco after a brief picture taking junket, Mel being eager to rejoin his former lover Carmen (Consuelo Faust), due to her personal involvement with him being in a state of uncertainty following his decision that they should see less of each other, a choice that he now rues making because he has learned that absence from her is something less than tolerable. In what is apparently a semi-autobiographical storyline, Carmen, a professional dancer, has taken up with her performing partner Adam, and after Mel confronts her with a demand that she decide between the two men, his emotional pain-preoccupation is plainly less appealing to her than is the younger and less complicated Adam. We are told that the film is only patchily scripted and that the cast improvises for all scenes during a 16 hour plot span as Mel's distressed and erratic behaviour, representative of a jilted lover, is saturated with essence of self-pity, while Mitch and another friend try but fail at lifting his spirits. An attempt is made to indicate that Mel is bearing emotional scars from a photographic essay that he made in Biafra and many stills, in addition to some moving footage, is seen during that war-ravaged republic's brief existence; however, Hurley's visceral and often overwrought actions are generally related to his failed relationship with Carmen and stills of her, credited to Steve and Hildy Burns, are happily prevalent, and quite inventive as well. "You know how I love your passion" avers Carmen to an importunate Mel, but her overall disinterest toward him tells us another tale in this highly energetic and episodic film within which a lack of structural coherence obviously suits any artistic goal that Nilsson might wish to have achieved. An admirer of John Cassavetes and his cinematic methods, Nilsson has borrowed from that auteur's style book during the creation of this free style affair that is essentially a study of sexual jealousy, with possibly the most meritable element of the film contributed by the music of David Byrne and Brian Eno that strongly shadows Hurley's torment. Interestingly produced and not without aesthetic value, this piece, shot in black and white, brings with it a conundrum respecting the significance of naturalism and realism in cinema; if a viewer's life experience is such that concerns for a narrative's characters want for a frame of reference, will not an audience reaction be one composed in the main of mere emotive voyeurism?

For fans of emotionally intense cinema..........2000-10-21

Rob Nilsson first came to my attention with a very strong film he made in the "style" of John Cassavetes, called SIGNAL 7. When I found out about THIS movie, I rushed to see it. It remains emotionally intense -- I'm tempted to say "emotionally violent" -- but otherwise is NOT an attempt to continue reverencing Cassavetes. It tells the story of a very intense and scarring love affair from two people who are so bad for each other they just can't stop having sex. If you understand the logic of that, you'll find this film a pleasure to watch, albeit a somewhat masochistic one. At times, it gets fairly brutal -- speaking in terms of the emotional content alone -- but it's a GREAT movie about what relationships can be like (particularly the ones that burn deep and leave scars). It's also about friendship, and writer and cult-figure Don Bajema (BOY IN THE AIR) gives a great performance as the main character's frustrated buddy (the main character, if I recall, is played by the director himself). Nilsson also somehow managed to get the rights to use MY LIFE IN THE BUSH OF GHOSTS on his soundtrack, particularly "Mea Culpa." It really adds to the intensity, fits right in. A strong, compelling film. In gritty black and white, as I recall. Good movie.

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When Good Ideas Go Bad
enjoyable double feature with great trailers
Doesn't generate much HEAT --

The Psycho Lover/Heat of Madness
Starring: Barbara Ward , Jennifer Laird , June Roberts (II) , Diane Conti , and Kevin Scott
Director: Harry Wuest , and Robert Vincent O'Neill
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008975K
Release Date: 2003-03-25

Description

The Psycho Lover (1970) - The only thing worse than being a homicidal maniac is being treated by a doctor who's just as crazy! Marco, a Psycho Lover who strangles women that "threaten his maleness," becomes a patient of lizard-like Dr. Kenneth Alden, who uses wacky nightmares to brainwash Marco into killing the doc's nasty wife who won't give him a divorce. A gaudy mix of sex, violence, pop-psych, and even some quick necrophilia, this drive-in shocker (a.k.a. "The Loving Touch") is a fun descent into B-movie psychosis. "Heat Of Madness" (1966) - Oddball photographer Johnny's dismissive attitude to sex radically changes when he's hired to illustrate a book called "Great Sex Murders" and soon has models staging mock whippings, robberies and assaults. Trouble is, all the fake violence fuels the poor guy with the Heat of Madness, and pretty soon he thinks one of his naughty models is actually his fiancee and promptly goes berserk... Two twisted sickies, proving once again that romance is always more exciting with a deranged lunatic.

Customer Reviews:

When Good Ideas Go Bad.......2003-08-22

I absolutely love the idea of a photographer becoming warped and twisted by the perversity he or she chooses to capture. Unfortunately, it seems that this idea is destined NOT to generate any good movies. Dario Argento's take on "The Black Cat" for the vignette film "Two Evil Eyes" is a case in point, but it has absolutely nothing on "The Heat of Madness" for sheer banality. It is very hard to imagine anyone genuinely liking this film. There is virtually no skin on display and the violence is strictly community-theater level retractable knife blades and blood packs. This would not be an issue (at least, not for me) if there was something else to focus on like, oh I don't know: ACTING SKILL? CINEMATOGRAPHY?! DECENT STORY?!! DOES ANYONE UNDERSTAND???!!! Instead th