Nightfall

Amazon.com

Isaac Asimov's classic science fiction story "Nightfall" posited a world bathed in perpetual sunlight because of its six suns, which are all in constant orbit so one is always shining. But once every 2,000 years or so there is an eclipse that throws the plant into darkness and drives people mad. Asimov is after a comparison of religious superstition and scientific knowledge here, centered on the poetic sense of awe evoked when darkness falls and the stars are visible for the first time. The present filmed version loses all the poetry, exacting science, and subtlety of its inspiration and adds instead the wooden, uncommitted acting of David Carradine (Kung Fu) as a scientist, hordes of Indian extras (it seems to have been filmed in Bombay), and some botched pyrotechnic battle sequences. Clearly the filmmakers lost their way from story to screen, opting instead for a Raiders of the Lost Ark feeling, with lots of lame action and adventure usurping the story's core concept. The Asimov story has garnered top honors in poll after poll, including one done by the Science Fiction Writers of America, and the packaging tries to capitalize on that cachet. Understandable, since this movie has nothing else going for it. --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews:

Based on the Title of an Isaac Asimov Short Story Minus the Idea . . ........2006-02-02

As the 'virtues' of this film have been well covered by previous reviewers, let me add a nasty tidbit of movie trivia. Incredibly, the 2000 version of "Nightfall" is NOT the first movie 'based' (whatever that word may mean when it appears on a movie screen credit) on Asimov' classic parable/intellectual horror story. A "cheapie" (cheaper than the 2000 version -- if that is even conceivable) version was released in 1988, directed by Paul Mayersberg, and starred David Birney, Sarah Douglas, Alexis Kanner, Andra Millian and died deservedly in the independent theaters after a one week run. (I actually comprised the entire audience at one showing in LA.) Contemporary reviews of the 1988 version have commented that the film seemed to have been written and filmed while the entire cast and production crew was stoned, one of four features that connects this version with the 2000 version, the second being that monumental effort was taken to expunge the film of any premise, plot, character or themetic similarities to Asimov's short story, the third that together these films do not merit one star, and the fourth, that they may be the first two of an inexorable twelve-year cycle of remakes (literary eclipses?) of the Asimov story, the next due in 2012. Would that the world of filmmakers learn from the mistakes of their feeble-minded ancestors . . .

A heart-breaking rape of a masterpiece of fiction.......2004-09-01

If you are a fan of Asimov, or have read and liked either the short story or the novel - don't buy this DVD. It is perhaps the worst adaptation I could even imagine. You will find only heartbreak and disappointment here.

The story that this was based on is rightly known as one of the (if not THE) best science fiction story ever written. Asimov takes the reader into the mind of a culture and unfolds a mystery of epic proportion. The reader is left with just enough to keep the heart pounding and not enough to kill the interest in the next chapter. It is simply a masterful piece of fiction.

In my mind this story is worthy of a remake at the quality of Lord of the Rings. However, it seems to have been sold to a low rent film mill.

I was amazed that this story became very, very boring. Special effects were totally gratuitous and (sorry) stupid. Carradine is totally TOTALLY flat. His lines seemed more like dry runs or dress rehearsals than final cuts. Sometimes I wondered if he had just said "One take only guys".

It seemed like there was a pressure to turn this into some freakish, sword slashing, blood and guts action flick (by the way, the blood looked like Pepto Bismal folks). Nowhere is there evidence of the psychological reasons that this calamity within the story will happen. It just sort of happens.

I am usually very easy to please with my reviews. I can usually find good in most things. Rarely do I give such poor reviews (check my other reviews). However, I would not only like to give less than 1 star, I would also like to yell and scream at everyone involved in this production for having killed my hope of seeing this fine story put on film. I was horrified by the end product. I honestly don't even think they tried to do a good job.

At best it is a boring, nonsensical, disaster of a film - a very bad 'B' film. At worst it is an unforgivable rape of a beloved story. When given such an opportunity, to translate such an important work of fiction (and it -is- that important) I see it as a responsibility to treat it respectfully. Perfection is not required, but respect is.

Not That Bad.......2004-01-06

No, it is not the classic story written by Asimov. In fact, it seems very loosely based on it. Apart from this fact, the movie is mildly entertaining and NOT the terrible anti-classic that most of the other people writing reviews seemed to think. Overall a decent movie, decently acted.

Asimov's 'Nightfall': A Challenge In Reviewing.......2002-06-10

When I first read Isaac Asimov's short story "Nightfall", I was stunned and left gasping at its powerhouse of a closing. When I finished watching the filmed version, I was also stunned and left gasping--but for quite different reasons. All the mystery and beauty of the short story that sought to explain a millenia old phenomenon of a planet's first and last nightfall was not only lost in the movie, but even on a technical level of competence, from the wretched directing of Paul Mayersberg to the incompetent acting of David Birney and David Carradine, this movie quite unintentionally presents both a challenge and a dilemma to those whose job it is to pass judgment on its merits. For truly abysmal efforts like ROBOT MONSTER or PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, these efforts nevertheless retain the saving grace of something that clicks with the audience, whether that something be the excessive exuberance of John Barrows waving his arms in a gorilla suit from ROBOT MONSTER or the perversely androgynous heavy-handedness of director Ed Wood in PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. Even 'bad' movies can have a style of their own that comes into play usually late at night in a marijuana filled college recreation room. But what separates the fun of enjoyable bad movies from the torture of having to sit through garbage like NIGHTFALL is the deadening seriousness of the collective hands of all concerned from director to writer to actor. In such movies as this, there is nowhere to be found any lightness of attitude or just plain old fun. It is as if such films serve only to remind the audience that there are indeed moments in our lives that call for infinite patience while someone drives sharp needles under our fingernails. Yet, I do not want to have to pay for such dubious pleasure. With films like this one, I did.

Not even worth the ONE STAR.......2002-03-13

Why was this movie even made? This is the type of movie that Holywood producers see and think "Well, if it was written as a book first, we might as well throw away the script now." It gives a bad name to movies based on books.

I have never read the original book, Nightfall, and have hardly touched any of Asimov's works, but this movie makes me want to keep away from any books by the "Renowned" and "Award Winning" author.

The movie was obviously filmed in India and uses locals as extras. The only people with lines are Caucasian except for the two "villains" who spend more time making faces while speaking than they do making any sense of the lines they have been fed. David Caridine has never been a good actor. The "Kung Fu" series I consider a pathetic excuse for a joke. The only good thing about this movie is the art on the DVD/VHS cover.

The leads are two caucasian women in mid-eighties clothing with bulky purses that contain laser-pistols. They use a modern telescopic camera lens on an antique telescope found in a cave; that would be laughable if they bothered to take a moment to exploit it a bit. Good or bad, not one person in this film is even slightly attractive. Whatever the producers of this film were thinking when they made it, or whatever they were on, it was really a huge waste of time and money.

Don't waste your money on this...

UPDATE!

I read the short story by Isaac Asimov and watched the movie one more time... Suffice it to say, my first impressions were correct.

In the original story, the people are on a planet that is surrounded by three suns and once every 3000 years there is a nightfall. The people are terrified of the dark and cannot even stand to pass through a dark tunnel for five minutes before going insane.

The casting, as I mentioned before, is horrible. The acting is... well... there's not much here to mention.

The movie tore apart what Isaac Asimov wrote (a suspensful thriller of a tale) and made it into a crappy wanna-be action flick that is about as fun as watching a toilet spin the dirty water down the hole in the bottom.

My apologies to those who have seen this movie, even though I had nothing to do with the creation of it.

My warning to all who hold a mild curiosity for this film. You may just find yourself agreeing with me if you take the risk and try to watch it...

Average customer rating:

Awsome!!
Turn About is Better Play
Great!
Great Value!
Blue Seed - Nightfall

Blue Seed - Nightfall (Vol. 4)
Starring: Jason Lee , Rob Mungle , Tiffany Grant , Marcy Rae , and Kurt Stoll
Director: Shinya Sadamitsu , Kenji Takemura , and Jun Kamiya
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005NKCH
Release Date: 2001-10-02

Amazon.com

The war against the Aragami, metamorphic plant monsters, reaches its climax in a battle that pits 15-year-old Momiji Fujimiya, the hereditary Princess Kushinada, and her friends against her twin sister Kaede, the sinister Murakumo, and the reborn god Susano-Oh. The struggle transcends the human versus monsters conflict to become a debate over the increasing disrespect for nature in modern Japan. That debate is heightened by numerous visual references to Shinto, the nature-centered Japanese religion: when Momiji faces her foes, her robes and the branch with woven paper streamers she waves are part of the regalia of a Shinto priestess. Blue Seed offers an unusually entertaining introduction to the "magical girl" genre because Momiji doesn't whine, as so many of her counterparts do, and the dashing Kusanagi assumes the role of protector-lover without losing his initial élan. "Contains animated violence." Suitable for ages 13 and up: violence, brief nudity, sexual humor. --Charles Solomon

Description

As the general population becomes increasingly aware of the Aragami and the danger they represent, the Japanese government has come under pressure to take the one measure guaranteed to relegate the Aragami to the realm of legend once more. Now Momiji must be protected not only from the Aragami, but from the people who would sacrifice her to save themselves as well. The TAC moves underground to continue the fight, as the country surrenders to the natural forces released by the rebirth of Susano-o. Time is running out and the final confrontation approaches in Blue Seed: Nightfall!

Customer Reviews:

Awsome!!.......2005-09-04

This was a really great DVD,it made a perfect ending to the series.It comes in English, Japanese, and Spanish, and has the last 6 episodes of the series. Not to mention some great music as well.

Turn About is Better Play.......2003-04-12

The first 18 or so episodes of this series are mostly slapstick disguising an essentially tragic theme. Momiji Fujiyama who comes from the line of the Kushinada (more later) is a hapless schoolgirl who finds she is the focus of a war with the Arigami (plant demons) in which she is intended to be sacrificed to save humanity. Unfortunately, this weighty theme gets lost in the writer's efforts to lighten up the script.

Then, suddenly, the sight gags stop and the reality of the impending doom of Japan sinks in. There are indications of this in the third DVD, put now the story line loses its episodic nature and sense of humor, returning to its original grim vision. But even now, Momiji, ever something of a klutz, nearly gets lost in her worries over Kusinagi, her guardian. Somehow, the story pulls itself together again, manages some surprises, and delivers a strong ending. Leaving this reviewer reeling, of course.

It is finally time to give a precise of the Japanese Kushinada legend that forms the basis of Blue Seed. At this point, you have seen enough so that it won't give anything away. Susano-Oh, who seems to be the villain of this piece, was a kami (spirit). The god of Storms and Forests, to be precise. Something of a troublemaker, he still had a good heart. In one story, a great dragon called Orochi was coming to a village every year to eat one of eight daughters. These were the Kushinadas. Susano-Oh comes to the village, falls in love with the last daughter and defeats Orochi. From the dragon's body he takes a sword called the Kusinagi.

This happy story is turned about by creator Yuzo Takada to depict a world on the verge of terminal pollution. One where it may be better to destroy humanity rather than risk complete ruin. This crisis of decision and the desire of the Arigami to rule the world are the real story of Blue Seed. It is told in terms of a young woman whose weakness, loving too much, is really her strength, if she would only realize it.

Expect some confusion and surprises as the story does a complete u-turn. Because the story's zigzag course, I can't give it full grades, even though it finally redeems itself with a flair. The poor quality English dubbing, however, is its worst flaw. By all means use the subtitles.

Great!.......2003-02-08

This DVD is the last on the Blue seed series and it shows a great ending to one great anime serie.

Great Value!.......2002-05-09

Any fan of the Blue Series should definately get the DVD over the VHS. This volume contains the last 6 episodes of the series (21-26), and includes both the Japanese w/ subtitle and English Dubbed versions of the show! Considering single episodes on VHS are the same price, you just can't do wrong with the Blue Seed DVD.

Blue Seed - Nightfall.......2002-02-16

This review is not only about the last DVD release in the series, but also as a review of the entire series. I have never really been into Anime like most people, but this one caught my attention. Blue Seed is about a young girl who finds out that her humdrum life is not all it seems. Taking its cues from japanese mythology as well as other world religions, the story involves the coming of the auragami, a race of spirits who exist in the form of a 'blue seed', or mitama, and must possess a host in order to Take over Japan and the world. The only known way to stop them is to sacriface a female virgin from the Kushinada family. It turns out that, like all living things, certain energies are released that put the auragami to sleep. Momiji, age 15, must be sacrificed in order to save the world.
Luckily she has friends that want to find an alternative to killing a young girl. The fight for the world begins when the auragami try to kill Momiji while keeping her safely inside a Ceramic field, thus removing any threat to their existance. A team of scientists and military types known as the TAC Rescue Momiji, but not before An auragami nearly kills the girl outside the field. Without giving away too many details, Momiji winds up with a BLUE SEED implanted on her chest! Nuff sed.

I now have the entire series on DVD. It can be had on four discs, 26 episodes, With both english and japanese languages, as well as spanish! The clarity of the DVD format really shows here, not because the original material is so good, but because you can see the grain in the film, which in a strange way adds to the overall look of the series. The discs also include the now infamous "Omake Theatres", little humorous 'outtakes' if you will, some racy and some downright side splitting.

Another thing to mention about this series is the english voice acting. In the past, I have often hated the english dubbing of any movie, and in the first few episodes of Blue Seed the acting is at times not very good. But as the series goes on, it improves dramatically, and by the time I got to the last two discs I found that I prefered it over the original japanese. By the time you reach the last episode, the emotional quality of the dubbing is just dead on right, and at times you thing that maybe the series was made with english in mind.

This is the only Anime that I have ever cared enough about to own. As a total package of dvds, this cant be missed.

Average customer rating:

Chabrol at his best

Just Before Nightfall (Juste avant la nuit) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Great Britain ]
Director: Claude Chabrol
Manufacturer: Arrow Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000FS7CKS

Product Description

Great Britain released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: French (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Subtitles), SYNOPSIS: Charles Masson, an advertising executive, is having an affair with Laura, the wife of his best friend, the architect François Tellier. Charles strangles Laura when one of their S&M games goes too far. Dazed, Charles walks out of the borrowed apartment in Paris and soon bumps into François in a nearby bistro. They drive back together to Versailles, where they have beautiful neighboring houses designed by François. The owner of the apartment had seen Laura and Charles together two months earlier, but she does not tell the police on the advice of François. Even though the police do not seem to have any clues to the crime, Charles has a difficult time coping with the situation, and trying to live a normal life with his two children and loving wife Hélène. SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu,

Customer Reviews:

Chabrol at his best.......2007-06-20

Juste Avant La Nuit/Just Before Nightfall is one of Claude Chabrol's very best despite a few uncertain moments in the opening scenes (Michel Bouquet and sunglasses just don't go together). Rather than the crime itself (which happens offscreen during the titles), the film is concerned with the effects on the (possibly) accidental murderer as his constantly frustrated need to unburden himself punishes him far more than the law ever could. If it's a little hard to believe the distant and somewhat constipated Bouquet is so universally admired and loved by his wife and best friend that they not only forgive but urge him not to confess to the murder he gradually drip feeds them details about, he's completely convincing as a man who wants to be punished and judged but can't even convince the spouse of his victim to do so.

The film has been beautifully thought through, and throughout Chabrol renders his struggle to confess in intriguing cinematic terms - at one point we hear him confess in voice over only for no sounds to emerge from his lips when they finally do move. He makes great use of the unique architecture of Bouquet's modernist house (which gets a well-deserved screen credit of its own), with its bedroom a virtual stage with its own curtains dividing it from the rest of the house, benefiting from some amazingly good camerawork boasting some incredibly well timed shots that reveal and reflect state of mind as well as action. Stephane Audran is exceptionally good as his wife, while Francois Perier (best remembered as the fatalistic cop in Le Samourai) offers warmly convincing support in what should be an increasingly impossible part. Highly recommended.

Arrow's UK PAL DVD has no extras but offers a more than acceptable widescreen transfer with optional English subtitles

Average customer rating:

Just Before Nightfall
Starring: Stéphane Audran , Michel Bouquet , François Périer , Henri Attal , and Jean Carmet
Director: Claude Chabrol
Manufacturer: Pathfinder Home Ent.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009B8CD
Release Date: 1969-12-31

Description

Charles Masson, an advertising executive, is having an affair with Laura, the wife of his best friend, architect Tellier. Charles strangles Laura when one of the S&M games goes too far. Dazed, Charles walks out of the borrowed apartment in Paris and soon bumps into Francois in a nearby bistro. They drive back together to Versailles, where they have beautiful neighboring houses designed by Francois. The owner of the apartment had seen Laura and Charles together two months earlier, but she does not tell the police on the advice of Francois. Even though the police do not seem to have any clues to the crime, Charles has a difficult time coping with the situation, and trying to live normal life with his two children and loving wife, Helene.

DVD:

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