Red River

Amazon.com

Any short list of the all-time greatest Westerns is bound to include this 1948 Howard Hawks classic about an epic cattle drive. Red River features one of John Wayne's greatest performances. Like his Ethan Edwards in John Ford's 1956 masterpiece The Searchers, the Duke plays an isolated and unsympathetic man who is possessed by bitterness. Wayne is Texas rancher Tom Dunson, who adopts a young boy orphaned in an Indian massacre. That boy, Matthew Garth (played as an adult by Montgomery Clift in his screen debut), becomes Dunson's assistant and heir apparent--until Dunson's temper gets out of control during a long cattle drive and Matt intervenes to stop him. From that moment on, Dunson swears he will kill Matt. Red River has everything a great Western ought to have: a sweeping sense of history, spectacular landscapes, stampedes, gunfights, Indian attacks, and, of course, Walter Brennan as Dunson's crusty old cook and comic sidekick, Nadine Groot. As a special bonus, the film also features the legendary Harry Carey (upon whom Wayne would base some of his gestures in The Searchers) and his son Harry Carey Jr., who became a fixture in Ford and Hawks Westerns. Red River is essential for anyone who loves Westerns, or movies in general. This one's a real beaut. --Jim Emerson

Description

One of the finest westerns ever made, this "monumental, sweeping and powerful" masterpiece (Variety) features impassioned performances, stunning cinematography and adventure on a grand scale. Starring John Wayne, Montgomery Clift (in his screen debut), Walter Brennan, Harry Carey, Sr. and Noah Beery, Jr., Red River is a hard-hitting, action-packed adventure that captures the grandeur, majestyand dangerof the wild American West.Wayne gives "one of the best performances of his career" (Cinebooks) as Tom Dunson, a self-made cattle baron who'll do anything to protect his way of life. So when plummeting livestock values demand that he drive his herd through thetreacherous Chisholm Trail, Tom proves that he'll risk anything to reach his destination even his own sanity.

Customer Reviews:

Red River.......2007-06-25

Director Howard Hawks gave western icon John Wayne another indelible, ruggedly stubborn character to play in his masterful "Red River," a high point of their many collaborations. Populated by colorful supporting characters, including the salty Walter Brennan as camp cook Groot Nadine, "River" combines psychological drama, action, and suspense in a stirring, expansive western landscape. The final settling of scores between Wayne and Clift is unforgettable.

Great Western, slightly disappointing ending........2007-05-24

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It's rare to see John Wayne playing a bad guy but he carried it well. The photography was great but the film suffers from contrast particularly during some of the frequent night time scenes. Images are almost lost in the dark of the night due to the limitations of old black and white film. If the light dark contrast could be adjusted, the film would benefit greatly. Beyond that, the acting was great, particularly Montgomery Clift. My lone complaint was the ending. It has a sudden character twist where Wayne shifts gears 180 degrees and everyone just seems to pass it off and forgive his characters actions through out the movie simply because he suddenly turns over a new leaf in the final two minutes. This was just a little too much for me. I would have preferred an actual showdown/shoot out.

A Massive Cattle Drive on the Chisholm Trail.......2007-04-11

The movie begins in 1851 in south Texas near the Rio Grande. Cattle baron Tom Dunson (John Wayne) begins with a small group of cows. After 14 years of hard work, he owns a herd consisting of 10,000 head of cattle. The cows are branded with the Red River mark (parallel curves which represent the banks of the Red River).

At the end of the American Civil War, the area is destitute, and Dunson's cattle have little value locally. For this reason, Dunson wants to drive them along the Chisholm Trail to Missouri. But all kinds of problems develop during the long, tedious drive. Quitters abandon Dunson. He finds and shoots them. Noises cause massive cattle stampedes. Finally, a mutineer takes over and leads the herd to Abilene, Kansas, to be sold for a hefty price and then loaded on a railroad. Will Dunson still get his rightful share of his life's work?

This movie comes in black and white. Made in 1948, it shows a young John Wayne. It also clearly predates political correctness, in that Indians are portrayed only as savages and despoilers of Euro-Americans.

Red River.......2007-03-24

Acting/directing not as good as expected, but still a must see for any serious western fan.

Red River in color?.......2007-02-27

I love this film of course. It is a classic. All the elements of a great film are there. The performances, the music. But why decry the ending? That ending is the film. Thats what happened in the film. I suppose some people do not like a happy ending. Would like to see John Wayne killed and come away from a viewing that resolved the story in that way. But not me I like the ending as it is. So I am happy. However one beef. This film has appeared on TV in color I have seen it several times. I just wonder why it does not seem to be available commercialy in color. Younger people seem to have an aversion to b and w. My grandchildren for instance. It is a cinema mystery why this film is not available to buy in color. Does anyone know the answer?

Average customer rating:

Historically Accurate
Excellent filmmaking;distorted facts;BLACK ROBE is a dull film
How Do I Love this Movie?.......Let me count the ways.
WOW
The Forgotten Art Of Trusting A Film To Truly TELL A Story

Black Robe
Starring: Lothaire Bluteau , Aden Young , Sandrine Holt , August Schellenberg , and Tantoo Cardinal
Director: Bruce Beresford
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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ASIN: B00005BKZS
Release Date: 2001-07-10

Amazon.com

Forget about Kevin Costner's sun-kissed, water-colored, Oscar-winning Dances with Wolves. Black Robe, which was directed by Bruce Beresford, a director who gave the world the finest film of the early '80s Australian new wave, Breaker Morant, and who continually collides cultures and ethnicity in his films (Mister Johnson, Driving Miss Daisy), matches and surpasses the Costner epic as an expertly crafted, brutal saga of redemption and salvation. In 1634 a young French Jesuit missionary is assigned to trek 1,500 miles through the New France wilderness to a mission settled in Huron Indian country. Black Robe chronicles the journey of Father Laforgue (Lothaire Blutheau) as he leaves his Jesuit brothers and, with the aid of a young translator and guide, Daniel (Aden Young), and eight canoes of Algonquin Indians, moves into the uncompromising Canadian northern territory on a die-hard mission to convert the natives. Mixing elements of Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans and Roland Joffé's The Mission, Beresford offers a restless tale of Laforgue's conflicted faith juxtaposed against the sublime spiritual harmony with the land that the Huron and Algonquin already hold. Black Robe dances to its own drummer and is tuned into the precarious balance between nature's mystery and spirit and the strident, unyielding religious ethic. The cinematography by Peter James is relentlessly cruel and bleak, but it absolutely conveys the obstacles that face the idealistic and blind young priest, who by the end, has faced his own awakening. The film also features one of the late, great composer Georges Delerue's most noble scores. --Paula Nechak

Description

From acclaimed director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy, Tender Mercies) and adapted by screenwriter Brian Moore from his novel of the same name, Black Robe is "amazing an adventure film that is as intelligent as it is enthralling" (US)! French Jesuit missionary Father Laforgue travels to the magnificently austere Canadian wilderness to save the souls of a "savage and godless" peoplethe native tribes of the Huron and Algonquin. But the natives, who have their own spiritual value system that differs drastically from Christianity, are immediately suspicious, resentful and openly hostile toward the intrusive "Black Robe." And when Laforgue hires a reluctant group of Algonquin to escort him on a harrowing 1500-mile journey up the broad and sinuous St. Lawrence River, a devastating chain of events not only causes him to question his deeply held beliefs but also forever changes the course of history for the natives' way of life.

Customer Reviews:

Historically Accurate.......2007-08-24

I first saw this film, coincidentally, shortly after having read Francis Parkman's "Pioneers of France in the New World" and "The Jesuits in North America in the Seventeenth Century", the classic histories of that period. I was impressed throughout the movie by the care its makers took to portray things as they really were. There is no agenda of any sort other than to present an accurate, fascinating, and truly artistic version of historical events.

Excellent filmmaking;distorted facts;BLACK ROBE is a dull film.......2007-08-17

Having watched this film several times over the years, I am still forced to come to the conclusion that as beautifully filmed and musically scored BLACK ROBE is,it still is not the absorbing film that perhaps it could have been. Long treks up and down rivers and over mountainous terrain and dense forest with little dialogue is not compelling enough for me to rate this film higher than 2 stars. Historically, it is not accurate in regards to the tribal customs of the Iroquois people.
Lothaire Bluteau as "Black Robe" is a far more effective actor when left to speak French in his other film credits. He seems unsettled and unemotional in his English speaking roles.Bluteau is far more effective in JESUS de MONTREAL.

I enjoy historical drama and actually prefer a well developed story that might move slowly; but BLACK ROBE still fails to inspire me in any way, other than looking at the mountains of Canada to Georges Delerue's music!

How Do I Love this Movie?.......Let me count the ways........2007-08-15

I was captivated by this film from the moment I saw it. I remember it came out around the mid 90's, not long after Kevin Costner's Epic 'Dances With Wolves' made its Hollywood impact. Yet to my mind Bruce Beresford's depiction of the French Jesuit Priests on a mission in New France in the 17th century to save the so called 'savages' or natives from 'outer darkness', had an honesty that was both far more movingly beautiful even if brutally cruel.Why do I love this film so much? Let me count the ways. Well it's such a balanced and intelligent exploration of a complex subject. It presents no real right or wrong, no black or white, moral preachiness, or good guy/bad guy mentality. It paints a well researched and respectful picture of the Native American culture, steering away from demeaning stereotypes and hollywood pedictability. Spiritualality and its cultural separations, are definately a central theme in this film, and I just love the way Beresford treats both subjects and cultures with empathy and dignity. Father La Forgue however, seems the more forlorn and tragic figure here, out of his element amidst the icy, harsh Canadian landscape where nature shows no mercy. Deluded somewhat in his quest to save a race and culture, who perhaps ultimately, have just as much to teach the white man in terms of honour, bravery, respect for the laws of nature and avoidance of greed and ego. The cinematography, musical score and imagery are memorably beautiful. Particularly the references to the importance of dreams, and 'The waking world perhaps being an illusion'. The film also questions the hypocracy and interpretation of religion in a sense, specifically where 'Daniel', Father La Forgue's faithful assistant (torn between his devotion to his faith and love/lust for an Algonquian maiden 'Annuka'), makes the point." But they are true Christians Father, they live for each other, they forgive things we would never forgive". An impressive film that provokes many thoughts and questions, it leaves the audience to make its own view point without force feeding them. And that in my view is cinema at its best.

WOW.......2007-02-06

The violation of true relationships in this film is astounding. It demonstrates the sheer violence that can be perpetrated against a people group that you feel has no value as human beings. Sometimes we get so caught up in our "mission" that we forget that we are all made in God's image and we all have value in God's sight. To ignore the incarnationality of Jesus within each one of us is to deny the great gospel message of Christianity. This film shows how a mission without regard for culture can result in devastation beyond all imagination. I highly recommend this film.

The Forgotten Art Of Trusting A Film To Truly TELL A Story.......2007-01-26

Black Robe is a lush, incredibly deep, strikingly emotive motion picture, that tells the story of a young Jesuit priest's journey across the dense wilderness of seventeenth-century Quebec, undertaken while he simultaneously experiences a transformative test of his commitment to the stark way of life he has chosen. Which holds the greatest desire for him, a beckoning existence of ease and comfort amid relatives back in France; the possibility of earthly love; or service to God, that almost certainly includes a violent martyrdom?

Guided by his nation's Algonquin allies, the determined, idealistic young man of a privileged caste seeks to take up his assignment at a mission on the edge of "New France's" colonial frontier. As this decidedly quiet and cerebral epic unfolds, a journey of spiritual evolution takes this priest and his small band through numerous personal tests and into the face of many dangers, not merely from the unwelcoming savagery of the landscape itself, but from hostile aboriginals who welcome neither the Algonquians nor the European intruder into their homeland. What begins amid the opulence of Bourbon France becomes bluntly visceral with unsparing depictions of torture, bloodlust, rape, and death, and yet the way in which this tale is left to carry itself toward its most unforeseen climax is absolutely courageous.

There are too many noteworthy performances to list here, and any written description of the scenery within this film would fall flat. With its countless tiny moments that contrast cultures (Algonquians thinking the Frenchmen's' mechanical clock was somehow their king, since they lived by its motions) for the alternating bravery, sadism, devotions and loyalty of those characters within it, for its terrific story, and for its end to end flawless quality, I truly think Black Robe is among the greatest films shot in the 1990's, and might just be at the top of its particular genre.

Average customer rating:

The Thing Called Love
Not Delivered
Great Movie!!
This Nashville Is Dullsville
I miss River Phoenix

The Thing Called Love (Director's Cut)
Starring: River Phoenix , Samantha Mathis , Dermot Mulroney , Sandra Bullock , and K.T. Oslin
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000CCBCHG
Release Date: 2006-03-07

Amazon.com

If there was a universal collective, albeit repressed, dream, it would probably be to become a successful singer. People would take that singing in the car, singing in the shower, and even singing in the rain, and have it be their life's love and work. The Thing Called Love uses this popular aspiration as its setting and examines the lives of four young people hoping to make it in the country music universe. At the center is earnest Miranda Presley--no relation--(Samantha Mathis), the pretty but untalented Linda Lue (Sandra Bullock), the intense and talented James (River Phoenix), and the sweet and prolific Kyle (Dermont Mulroney). Popular country stars make appearances: K.T. Oslin (as Lucy, the owner of the Bluebell, where open-mike auditions are held), Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Katy Moffatt, Jo-El Sonnier, Pam Tillis, Kevin Welch, and even Trisha Yearwood. The film's not merely focused on the rich musical milieu and its talented cast. It also carefully examines the dynamic between friends who are also competitors, as well as a realistic love triangle between the leads. The Thing Called Love is primarily known as one of River Phoenix's last performances, but even if curiosity alone brings audiences to the movie, they'll soon be drawn into the fresh tale of four young people pursuing their dreams. --N.F. Mendoza

Product Description

In Nashville, there are 10,000 singer-songwriters chasing success... with one chance in a million of getting it. For Miranda "no relation to Elvis" Presley (Samantha Mathis), that's one chance worth taking. Fresh from New York City, Miranda befriends three fellow hopefuls: shy Connecticut cowboy Kyle Davidson (Dermot Mulroney); Southern belle Linda Lue Linden (Sandra Bullock); and James Wright (River Phoenix), a cocky Texan with brooding good looks and a honeyed voice. Together they begin a rocky ride down Music City's well-worn highway, finding hope, heartbreak, happiness... and The Thing Called Love. Featuring songs and appearances by country music's hottest stars, The Thing Called Love will grab you like a great melody.

Customer Reviews:

The Thing Called Love.......2007-08-07

I never thought much of country music before seeing this movie but I actually enjoyed much of it. As a singer and writer of songs for my own enjoyment the process and the emotion attached to the process were interesting too. Another look at some current stars in their early years.

Not Delivered.......2007-07-29

Even though Amazon has our new address in their system, they shipped this product to our old address. As a result, I never got the product. I was credited for the amount of the purchase price so I'm not out any money but at the same time, I don't have the product I wanted. Now I have to reorder the product. Seems you could improve your system when it is dealing with multiple delivery addresses.

Great Movie!!.......2007-03-29

Great Cast, Great Movie. River Phoenix was "Extremely" talented. So sad he didn't live to reach his full potential. This movie is a must see!

This Nashville Is Dullsville.......2007-01-29

I was lured to this picture by the star power of the late River Phoenix and director Peter Bogdanovich. They can't breathe life into the meandering script about fledling performers trying to get a break in the Music City. Another problem is the central romance between a narcissistic Phoenix and an absolutely wooden Samantha Mathis generates zero sparks. The film's lone saving graces are nice supporting turns by young Sandra Bullock and Dermot Mulroney. Also good is country singer K.T. Oslin as a sarcastic club-owner. Do yourself a favor and check out the recently departed Robert Altman's "Nashville" instead.

I miss River Phoenix .......2007-01-23

I recently bought this movie and this is the only River Phoenix movie I hadn't seen I really enjoyed it I think River was the most talented actor during that time and it is a shame that someone with that much talent and potential left so soon but he left a great body of work and I really liked this film.

Average customer rating:

fine Ethel Waters vehicle with more stars than there were in the heavens to support her...
Cabin In The Sky
Excellent package of a piece of history
Historical Gem
Old Time Religion

Cabin in the Sky
Starring: Ethel Waters , Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson , Lena Horne , Louis Armstrong , and Rex Ingram
Director: Vincente Minnelli , and Busby Berkeley
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000BNTMAA
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Amazon.com

The first film directed by Vincente Minnelli (who directed the original Broadway version), this musical offers its pleasures, but also may make you squirm at the racial stereotypes that were considered both acceptable and entertaining in 1943. A story of the struggle between good and evil for the soul of a man named Little Joe (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson), the film plays with the same kind of racial notions that made Stepin Fetchit a star. Still, there's much to recommend it, particularly performances by some of the greatest musical stars of the day: Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington, among others. The film also includes a terrific score, a combination effort by Ellington, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, and E.Y. Harburg that includes the song "Taking a Chance on Love." --Marshall Fine

Description

Hollywood's first all-black film since The Green Pastures tells the vibrant fable of rascally Little Joe, torn between the love of his good wife Petunia and the wiles of good-time bad girl Georgia Brown...and caught in a tug-of-war between emissaries from the Lord and Satan. How can virtue triumph over evil? Well, as Petunia says, "Sometimes when you fight the devil, you gotta jab him with his own pitchfork." Debuting movie director Vincente Minnelli (An American in Paris, Gigi) and stars Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are more than a match for the devil in this musical treasure. With a soundtrack of dazzling standards including Taking a Chance on Love and Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe, Cabin in the Sky is a joyous classic.

Customer Reviews:

fine Ethel Waters vehicle with more stars than there were in the heavens to support her..........2007-09-04

Cabin In The Sky was only the third or fourth film to be made with an all African American cast after "talkies" were introduced. MGM bought the film rights to the stage play of the same name and gave the project to first time director Vincente Minnelli. Wow, how wonderfully it all worked out!

The action begins with Little Joe Jackson (Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson) and his wife Petunia (Ethel Waters) going to church on a Sunday morning. Trouble is, the very religious Petunia worries that Little Joe won't make it to heaven because of his gambling problems. Although Joe goes into the church with Petunia, he soon sneaks out to meet up with his old gambling buddies. They remind Joe of his gambling debts to them; and they convince Joe to come with them and gamble just one more time at Club Paradise.

Well, at The Paradise Club Joe is mortally wounded in a shooting; and then the action REALLY begins. Back at home, Joe fights for his life; but there's also another struggle beginning. Lucifer, Jr. (Rex Ingram), the son of the Devil who wants Joe to go to hell for gambling, becomes entangled with The General (Kenneth Spencer), an agent of the Lord, who wants Joe to get into heaven. It is decided that Joe can live another six months so that they can determine where Joe will go--heaven or hell.

The Devil's agents throw the "temptation" of money and the remarkably attractive Georgia Brown (Lena Horne, seen here in her screen debut) at Joe to make him gamble and womanize as he cheats on Petunia. Meanwhile the agents of God stay equally close to Joe, coaching him all the way to help him stay the course and be a good man.

Will Joe manage to prove himself to the Lord that he is worthy of heaven--or will he be sent to hell for his sins? What happens between Petunia and Joe when Petunia sees Joe with Georgia Brown? How will the agents of both God and the Devil fight amongst themselves over which side gets Joe? No spoilers here, folks; you'll just have to watch the movie to find out.

The choreography couldn't be better; the dancing and the crowd scenes are extremely well done. The cinematography is equally good. The plot moves along at a good pace; and the musical performances by Ethel Waters stun me with her sensitive delivery of each ballad. Look for Ethel to sing "Taking A Chance On Love" and "Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe." Duke Ellington also happens to perform at The Paradise Club; they make awesome music! Louis Armstrong makes a brief cameo appearance as one of the devil's agents; his talent was completely wasted in this movie. Butterfly McQueen, who plays Lily, a friend of Petunia's, also gets a role much too small for her. Sigh.

The film has many talented actors and performers in it; but truthfully it belongs to Ethel Waters who gives a riveting performance as Petunia Jackson.

The DVD extras include commentary and audio outtakes with still photos while you listen to what was left out of the movie. You also get outtake footage of Lena Horne performing "Ain't It The Truth."

Cabin In The Sky remains a fantastic motion picture jammed full of remarkable talent from an all African American cast. The morality concept of the struggle between heaven and hell is somewhat dated; and the racial stereotypes that were considered "OK" when this movie was made are practically embarrasing.

Despite the flaw regarding racial stereotypes, I still highly recommend this film for fans of African American cinema because it is one of the first movies to have an all black cast. In addition, people who enjoy classic MGM musicals will love the numerous musical numbers in this film as well.

Enjoy!

Cabin In The Sky.......2007-08-26

So, what do you do when the cable goes out on a stormy night? Pop in the DVD of one of those old movies that has been sitting on your shelf for months, collecting dust and just waiting to be watched. A wonderfully done tale of a man's struggle to get on and stay on the straight and narrow while being tempted into the ways of the wicked and evil. Ethel Waters and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson are perfectly suited as Petunia and Little Joe, Rex Ingram is great (as always) in the role of Lucifer Jr. Lena Horne, stunningly beautiful but underused in her role as the temptress Georgia Brown.

An all Black cast, interesting dialogue, great performances - a really good film for its time.

Excellent package of a piece of history.......2007-08-26

The merits and weaknesses of this film are documented thoroughly - the merits include the legendary performers, a couple of superb Harold Arlen songs, stylish direction from Vincente Minnelli and great black and white photograpy; the weaknesses include a plot of painful piety and a rich display of black stereotypes; but this is the 21st Century and the preservation of this film is important, weaknesses included.

The DVD contains a superb print and a very good commentary which explores all the subtexts and the context of the film. The commentary correctly summarises the value of the film - preservation of the performers at their peak and a visual document reflecting a period in the evolution of the Afro-American. The commentary includes Lena Horne herself adding a few observations - invaluable. Only Drew Casper grates with his usual breathless repetitive delivery.

The DVD also contains a lengthy audio outake of Louis Armstrong which is great listening, an MGM short which contains Horne's version of "Ain't it the Truth" sung in a bubble bath (far too sexy for public consumption at that time) and the original theatrical trailer. This is an excellent package.

Historical Gem.......2007-05-07

Thank God this film has been saved as a historical reference for African-Americans in film. It is a treasure, a gem and a legacy.

Old Time Religion.......2007-04-09

This is a sweet and funny tale about the dangers of sin and the way of redemption.

Average customer rating:

Soooo funny!
Just plain slap stick funny
I Love you to Death
Poorlydescribed
I love you to death.

I Love You to Death
Starring: John Billingsley (II) , Michael Chieffo , James Gammon , Heather Graham , and William Hurt
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009QUH5
Release Date: 2003-07-29

Amazon.com

This spotty black comedy from Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill)--based on a true story--stars Kevin Kline as a womanizing pizzeria owner whose mousy wife (Tracey Ullman) tries multiple ways of murdering him with the aid of sundry friends and hired hands. The film never picks up the necessary momentum or develops the necessary tone to drive it, and one is left picking and choosing which of the performers is at least adequately entertaining. Kline is good but perhaps a bit too theatrical, and Joan Plowright is hilarious as his mother-in-law. The funniest joke in the whole thing belongs to William Hurt and Keanu Reeves as deeply-stoned, would-be-killers who emerge from a taxi and look as if they can't remember what planet they're on. --Tom Keogh

Description

Joey works with Rosalie in their pizza parlor. She is convinced that he works all of the time for them and her world dissolves when she finds that he has been fooling around for years. So she, her mother and her best friend decide to kill him. Hopelessly incompetent as killers, they hire incompetent professionals as they beat, poison, and shoot Joey who remains oblivious to their attempts. An ensemble cast starring Academy Award® winner Kevin Kline,Tracey Ullman, Academy Award® winner Joan Plowright, River Phoenix, Academy Award® winner William Hurt, and Keanu Reeves.

Customer Reviews:

Soooo funny!.......2007-08-15

First of all, I love Kevin Kline; I think he is a brilliant actor and I really enjoy nearly everything he's ever done. Put him together with a wonderful cast that includes Joan Plowright and Tracey Ullman, and wow...this is just laughing-so-hard-there's-tears-rolling-down-your-face funny. Joan Plowright is probably my favorite character but the two stoners are very close. Keanu Reeves plays his very best role here; maybe because he doesn't have to work very hard? River Phoenix is part of the cast too, but I could take or leave his character. Sorry, Phoenix fans; I know he's dead, and that is a tragedy, but his part just isn't very interesting in this film. However, one of my favorite parts is when the mother (Plowright) spends time choosing the music to put on the record player to mask the sound of the gunshot. She doesn't want her daughter (Ullman) to put on Madonna. "Rosalie, you know I love Johnny Mathis!" Interesting to note that Heather Graham and Victoria Jackson both have bit parts in the film. Overall, a very silly film, and that's just the way I like it.

Just plain slap stick funny.......2007-08-06

Just a funny movie to watch when you want to be intertained and not have to think.

I Love you to Death.......2007-02-07

The movie title says it all, Kevin Kline as the philandering husband, Tracey Ullman as the long suffering wife and Joan Plowright as the suspicious Mother in Law combine to make it one of those classic comedies that you can watch over and over. Definitely a keeper.

Poorlydescribed.......2006-07-05

I have seen the movie before and loved it. When purchesed on line I was not told that it would only play on a region 2 DVD player and was consequently useless for me. Return was so complicated that it was not worth the trouble. Will see to it that anything I can purchase elsewhere will not be purchased on Amazon.

Rick

I love you to death........2006-06-16

Saw the last 40 minutes of this movie and i loved it.Rated R for some sexual content,brief nudity,and some strong violence.

The Plow That Broke the Plains & The River / Gil-Ordonez, Post-Classical Ensemble

Average customer rating:

The Plow That Broke the Plains & The River
Apocalypse Then
Two American Classics
Two Masterpieces of Documentary Film Restored with Newly Recorded Musical Scores by Virgil Thomson

The Plow That Broke the Plains & The River / Gil-Ordonez, Post-Classical Ensemble
Starring: Virgil Thomson , Post-Classical Ensemble , and Angel Gil-Ordonez
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000L42J5E
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Amazon.com

Art and propaganda meet to powerful effect in these two documentaries from the 1930s. Written and directed by Pare Lorentz, both The Plow That Broke the Plains and The River were made (in black & white) by the U.S government and clearly intended to promote President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, a series of initiatives designed to help the country recover from the Great Depression. Yet that fact detracts not at all from their artistry, as the combination of Lorentz's visuals and words and composer Virgil Thomson's music (the voice-over narration and the scores for both films were "re-created" in 2005 for this release) is often quite genuinely transcendent. Released in 1936 and sponsored by the U.S. Resettlement Administration, The Plow focuses on the Great Plains, those millions of grassy acres sprawled between Texas and Canada--"a high, treeless continent," the narration tells us, "without rivers or streams, a country of high winds and sun, and of little rain"--and how, after settlers wiped out the Indians and buffalo who once inhabited the area, the great prosperity and progress that followed eventually left the land over-grazed and over-farmed, turning it into a parched, cracked Dust Bowl, its people impoverished and desperately in need of food, care, jobs, and another chance. The River, from the following year, details the remarkable growth of trade and travel along the Mississippi River, where the booming farming, lumber, iron, coal, and steel industries stripped the surrounding land of its soil and roots, leading to the weakening of the river's levees and disastrous flooding (shades of New Orleans 2005), with government agencies like the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Farm Security Administration offering the best chance to escape this ruinous cycle.

The films are filled with striking images and poetry, but in the end, it's Thomson's music that makes the greatest impression; truly cinematic in scope, it draws on well known tunes ("There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight"), hymns ("The Doxology") and the composer's own brilliance to create a thoroughly American sound whose moods perfectly match and enhance what we see on the screen. An hour or so of bonus features includes discussion of all the films' elements (Thomson himself weighs in during an old audio interview), as well as the original beginning and ending of The Plow. --Sam Graham

Description

Pare Lorentz's The Plow that Broke the Plains (1936) and The River (1937) are landmark American documentary films. Aesthetically, they break new ground in seamlessly marrying pictorial imagery, symphonic music, and poetic free verse, all realized with supreme artistry. Ideologically, they indelibly encapsulate the strivings of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's `New Deal'. Virgil Thomson's scores for both films are among the most famous ever composed for the movies. Aaron Copland praised the music of The Plow for its `frankness and openness of feeling', calling it `fresher, more simple, and more personal' than the Hollywood norm. He called the music for The River `a lesson in how to treat Americana'. Special Features include: George Stoney on The Plow and The River * Stoney on The New Deal, The River, and Race * Charles Fussell on Virgil Thomson * Virgil Thomson on Virgil Thomson (audio only) * Original beginning and ending of The Plow * Option to view The Plow and The River with original sound track and narration

Customer Reviews:

The Plow That Broke the Plains & The River.......2007-08-05

This complemented "The worst of hard Times Book" which helped me under stand how I was raised In Nebraska,
the reason for Social Security and the Path Our country has followed. Our parents and ancestors had it rough but perseved.

Apocalypse Then.......2007-05-16

These stark and dark films are accounts of the land misuse which led to two of the nation's greatest environmental disasters. I found "The Plow That Broke the Plains" especially riveting. The black and white presentation further lends barrenness to these accounts and focuses the viewer more closely on the mechanized devastation. The films demonstrate to what extent the federal government involved itself in national environmental crises in the 1930's, an involvement which may not be possible to repeat today in spite of a much higher environmental awareness across the population. Conservationists, environmentalists, and political historians should enjoy and learn from these documentary films.

Two American Classics.......2007-03-21

Film Schools regard these Lorentz documentaries right up there with Flaherty. Must see! Must hear! The score is fantastic!

Two Masterpieces of Documentary Film Restored with Newly Recorded Musical Scores by Virgil Thomson.......2007-02-02

Pare Lorentz's two groundbreaking 1930s documentaries, paid for by the US government and making no apologies for their propagandist intentions, are here presented with the evocative scores by composer Virgil Thomson played in modern sound by the Post-Classical Ensemble with Angel Gil-Ordóñez conducting. There are unnerving modern resonances in these two films, one about the plow's partial destruction of the great plains that led to the Dust Bowl (reminding us of the modern near-depletion of the Ogalalla aquifer in that same area), and the other about upstream flood control containment by dikes and levees of the Mississipi for 1000 miles of its length, touted as a great marvel of man's taming of Nature but as we now know contributing to such things as the awful destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina.

The black-and-white films themselves are visually beautiful. The cameramen sent to photograph scenes used in the film included such luminaries as Paul Strand. The narration, written by Lorentz, is poetic.

Thomson's music is simple-sounding and triadic in the extreme, making use as it does of such tunes as the Doxology ('Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow', scored differently and aptly at different points in 'The Plow') and 'Go Tell Aunt Rhody.' And it is both esthetically and emotionally satisfying. The DVD makes use of a modern re-recording of Thomson's scores, and the new recording of the original voice-over narration is nicely done by Floyd King. There is, however, the option to play both films with the original scores' 1930s soundtrack music conducted by Alexander Smallens. We also get a couple of interviews with George Stoney, later himself a distinguished documentarian but in the 1930s a PR person for the government; he showed the films to groups of citizens in the Southeast and recalls many details about the films' origins and their initial reception. Joseph Horowitz talks with composer Charles Fussell, a student of Thomson's, about the scores. (It might be noted that there has been a recent CD on the Albany label that presents both Thomson's and Fussell's cello concertos, and very nicely done, too.) There is a 1979 audio-only interview with the late Virgil Thomson in which he talks about the two films and about film-scoring in general.

I had been familiar with the scores of these two films for many years. As I grew up in the Dust Bowl area, I remember many stories of that awful period and had been particularly interested to see 'The Plow'. (As a small bit of irony, I now live in the Vermont town where the inventor of that plow, John Deere, learned the blacksmithing trade.) I must say that I was thrilled with both films. These are important documents restored to their original luster.

Enthusiastically recommended.

Scott Morrison

The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show: Unforgettable Performances Volume 1

Average customer rating:

Great gift for Parents!
Made for the MTV crowd
The really really big sheww
Just a question on comedian Zoots Reed
An excellent collection of wonderful performances

The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show: Unforgettable Performances Volume 1
Starring: Jackie Mason , Duke Ellington , Elvis Presley , Judy Garland , and Flip Wilson
Manufacturer: Sofa
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ASIN: B00009XN5S
Release Date: 2003-07-22

Customer Reviews:

Great gift for Parents!.......2007-02-19

My parents who grew up watching Ed Sullivan loved this as a Christmas gift!

Made for the MTV crowd.......2007-02-13

I suspect the five-star reviews of this DVD were written by spammers working for the company that sells it.

These compendium DVDs are routinely made by stupid jackasses who figure our attention span is only 10 seconds (the MTVers) so there's no point in showing an entire performance. What we get here is Carol Burnett talking about Ed Sullivan and occasionally throwing out little snippets of the acts. We get only a few seconds of the comedians and novelty acts, though they sometimes provide a whole song, other times a fraction of the song. This format is so annoying I didn't much like the DVD.

The really really big sheww.......2006-06-12

Watching Ed Sullivan on Sunday night was an American tradition. He came out with his squinchy little body and his upraised hands and told us all that it was going to be a 'really big really big sheww' . 'Let's hear it for Curtis Le May from SAC. He 's going to bomb the Commies into Smithereens' Down there in the front row say a big hello to one of the great champeens of all time. Let's hear it for Jack Dempsey'
Ed would begin that way introducing the celebrities and warming us for Toppo Gigio the Little Italian Mouse or for , a young man from Memphis , Tennessee ( Ed could hardly hide the distaste as he pronounced the words ) Elvis Presley. "
The video contains records of some of the highlight performances, and also an interview with Ed and his wife Sylvia.
Highlights are wonderful, but my sense is that putting together a package in which the complete shows as they came on at the time would give a dimension no excerpts can.

Just a question on comedian Zoots Reed.......2005-12-26

I was looking for the show which had Zoots Reed on it?Thanks,Teddy

An excellent collection of wonderful performances.......2005-02-11

The best thing about this DVD is that the performances shown appear in their entirety - not as excerpts! So many documentary collections just give you a portion of a performance. Also, the quality of the old films, especially the ones in color, is remarkable.

The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show, Vol. 2: The Greatest Entertainers

Average customer rating:

Great gift for Parents!
Made for the MTV crowd
The really really big sheww
Just a question on comedian Zoots Reed
An excellent collection of wonderful performances

The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show, Vol. 2: The Greatest Entertainers
Starring: Jackie Mason , Duke Ellington , Elvis Presley , Judy Garland , and Flip Wilson
Manufacturer: Sofa
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000CC83H
Release Date: 2004-01-06

Customer Reviews:

Great gift for Parents!.......2007-02-19

My parents who grew up watching Ed Sullivan loved this as a Christmas gift!

Made for the MTV crowd.......2007-02-13

The really really big sheww.......2006-06-12

Just a question on comedian Zoots Reed.......2005-12-26

I was looking for the show which had Zoots Reed on it?Thanks,Teddy

An excellent collection of wonderful performances.......2005-02-11

Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist (The Emperor Jones / Body and Soul / Borderline / Sanders of the River / Jericho / The Proud Valley / Native Land / Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist) - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

An excellent collection of an important man
An excellent release

Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist (The Emperor Jones / Body and Soul / Borderline / Sanders of the River / Jericho / The Proud Valley / Native Land / Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist) - Criterion Collection
Starring: Paul Robeson , Henry Wilcoxon , Wallace Ford , Kouka , and John Laurie
Director: Thornton Freeland , Kenneth MacPherson , and Zoltan Korda
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: B000KRNGOA
Release Date: 2007-02-13

Amazon.com

Paul Robeson is today known for little more than singing "Ol' Man River" in Showboat, but this hefty and potent collection from Criterion (seven movies and a rich trove of documentary features and commentaries) should return Robeson to much-deserved cultural awareness. An imposing, charismatic black actor who demanded respect when most black actors were trapped in mammy and minstrel roles, and a singer whose deep, rolling voice won him acclaim on the concert stages of Europe, Robeson was among the most significant performers of the 20th Century--until the 1950s, when the U.S. government suspended his passport out of fear that Robeson's commitment to social progress and civil rights would project a negative view of America. But even before then, Robeson's career took place outside of the establishment channels of Hollywood. Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist includes two silent films (Body and Soul, a melodrama railing against the hypocrisies of the church, made by the pioneering black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux; and Borderline, a startlingly inventive story of an interracial love rectangle, made by film theorist Kenneth Macpherson), both given additional vitality by contemporary jazz scores; three movies from Robeson's rich period in England (Sanders of the Valley, Jericho, and The Proud Valley, which chart both Robeson's rising social conscience and his increasing clout in the industry); Robeson's most significant Hollywood film, The Emperor Jones, adapted from the Eugene O'Neill play that shot Robeson to stardom in the first place; and the movie that probably reflected Robeson's social beliefs more than any, the remarkable and riveting semi-documentary Native Land, which Robeson narrated.

Robeson is one of those rare actors, like Bette Davis or Humphrey Bogart, whose performances drive his movies as much as the director or the screenplay. Much is made of Robeson's powerful voice and intimidating physique, but just as impressive are his piercing eyes; in every role, a questing intelligence bursts through, looking at the world and cutting through charades and illusions. Criterion packages always have phenomenal extras, but Portraits of the Artist is unusually complex because Robeson's life is as important to his stature as his movies. These excellent features capture the world around Robeson, a world that both raised him up and tore him down. Far from a musty historical document, this is a film package that matters, which will reward and surprise viewers used to conventional notions of Hollywood and America. --Bret Fetzer

Description

All-American athlete, scholar, renowned baritone, stage actor, and social activist, Paul Robeson (1898-1976) was a towering figure and a trailblazer many times over. He made perhaps his biggest impact, however, in the medium of film. The son of an escaped slave, Robeson managed to become a top-billed movie star around the world during the time of Jim Crow America, always striving to use film to educate viewers about equality, democracy, and the rights of workers. Though he eventually left movies behind, using his international celebrity to speak on behalf of those denied their civil liberties and ultimately becoming a victim of ideological persecution himself, Robeson left a film legacy that continues to speak eloquently of the long and difficult journey of a courageous and outspoken African American.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent collection of an important man.......2007-08-17

Semi-terse comments on this box set:

Here is a set that is more historically important than aesthetically interesting or artistically elegant (with the exception of Borderline). It is nice to see Criterion put out a set (like the Monsters and Madmen collection) that is not director focused. Paul Robeson is such a captivating character that he (usually) rises above the flawed material he is in. It is interesting how music made way into most of his films even when it seemed out of context of the movie. His philosophy of getting early roles for Black work fell way to good roles for African American or nothing at all which is why he stopped acting in the early 40s.

The Emperor Jones (1933): A strong characterization from Robeson (reprising his stage role from Eugene O'Neill's play) as a power hungry and conniving Pullman porter who eventually becomes emperor of a Caribbean island. Dated and a lot of racist language that has been cut out for past edits of the film, but the movie is still interesting to watch. The first two-thirds of the film are so strongly presented by Robeson that his eventual collapse seems unconvincing. Jones is a good early example of an anti-hero. One scene with a lover of Jones refuses the money he gives her after breaking up, but she eventually picks it up reminds me of the similar scene in Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing". Excellent commentary by Jeffrey C. Stewart, Professor of History and Art History at George Mason University and author of Paul Robeson: Artist and Citizen, who discusses the context, mise en scenes, actors and comparisons to the stage play. He does not discuss too many biographical details of Robeson though.

Body and Soul (1925): so far the only film I've seen by Oscar Micheaux in one of four extant silent films from this director. Robeson is decent in this silent-film (Robeson's first film) playing two different characters of Isaiah T. Jenkins and his better brother (though he is stiff in his performance). This movie is a strong commentary on the hypocritical aspects of religious leadership. This movie does make you wonder if the mother could have been ignorant enough to ignore the daughter and her cries against the pastor. I wonder if the ending was considered cliché then because it is certainly now though it could have been the fault of the many edits that were forced upon Micheaux to get this film played. This is discussed in the good commentary by Micheaux author/historian Pearl Bowser. She also discusses a variety of topics including the "Race" movies of the time, Micheaux during this time and the actors that are in the film.

Borderline (1930): Beautiful use of editing and montage (Criterion labels this as Eisensteinian) in this film about an interracial love affair (including Robeson's wife Eslanda) and its consequences. There is not much use of intertitles so it forces you to concentrate on the performances and the particular meanings of each countenance. Paul Robeson is not the focal point of the film. Too bad Kenneth Macpherson did not make another film.

Sanders of the River (1935): this film is embarrassing especially for Robeson who still puts in a strong performance. It is a very pro-British imperialistic film. Some beautiful footage of Africa though (mentioned in the extras that several hours were taken).

Jericho (1937): Robeson's had more artistic control (especially how he worked the end and his characters became more utopian and less realistic) but I the film is a bit too simplistic and ends up a little dated -- though still entertaining. Roberson plays Cpl. Jericho Jackson a top notch military man who saves several men but kills a superior. This forces him to go AWOL where he eventually becomes an important leader to Bedouin in northern Africa. It does a nice job to juxtapose the stereotypical black/white duo with comic relief played by Henry Wilcoxon.

The Proud Valley (1940): slow moving idealistic tale of Welsh coal mineworkers (wayward American played by Robeson does make the coal choir club though) during WWII. Proud Valley deals with the dangers of coalminers but more with the Welsh spirit of continuing life even after a calamity (the mine collapsed and the miners had to fight the government to get it back running again). Heartwarming, but ultimately its ending is too naive. An early Ealing production.

Native Land (1942): very biased pro-union film (the union appears almost as a perfect solution) that reminds me of Michael Moore's work. The characters are so one-dimensional and so extremely polarized that the film seems an exercise in finding the logical fallacies. Paul Robeson does the voice-over well though with his booming, brilliant baritone/bass voice in this quasi-documentary.

The extras are good especially the Academy award winning short "Paul Robeson: Tribute To An Artist" (1979), but are far from complete; not much is made on his pro-Stalin comments (especially the written eulogy for Stalin published in the New World Review, April, 1953). It would have been nice if Criterion put out Robeson's last film "Tales of Manhattan" with this set. I am interested in reading his son's (Paul Robeson Jr.) main book on his father, The Undiscovered Paul Robeson, An Artist's Journey, 1898-1939, where he does talk about Paul's career, his political troubles and his long-term affair with an actress. Paul Robeson Jr. was instrumental in getting this set together. This set is long overdue because other than his rendition of "Ol Man River" for "Show Boat" much of Paul Robeson's legacy has been forgotten because of age and political persecution in the 50s.

An excellent release.......2007-02-25

This Release of Paul Robeson films is a great release from Criterion. Released for Black History Month, this set includes 7 feature films and two documentaries.

Each disc contains two fims and select special features

"The Emperor Jones" is about a black man who escapes from a chain gang and flees to the West Indies.
"Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist" is a biographial documentary about Robeson narrated by Sidney Poiteir.
"Body and Soul" is about a corrupt preacher.
"Borderline" is about a group of interracial lovers
"Sanders of the River" is about an African tibesman
"Jericho" is about a black World War I soldier who deserts and heads to Africa,
"The Proud Valley" is about a coal miner in Wales
"Native Land" is socialist documentary film about labor unions.

Disc one contains commentary for "The Emperor Jones" by historian Jeffrey C. Stewart, "Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson" a retrospective containing interviews various black filmmakers and performers including James Earl Jones, and an interview with Robeson's son, Paul Robeson Jr.

Disc two contains commentary for "Body and Soul" by Micheaux historian Pearl Bowser. Also included are new scores for both films on the disc

Disc three contains "True Pioneer: The British Films of Paul Robeson" a progarm featuring interviews with Robeson Jr. and other persons

Disc four contains "The Story of Native Land," an interview with cinematographer Tom Hurwitz, and a1958 radio interview with Paul Robeson.

Also included is a booklet with various other materials

Zulu Wars: Shaka-King of the Zulu/Blood River/Red Coat Black Blood

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Zulu Wars
Essential for Zulu War Enthusiasts!!

Zulu Wars: Shaka-King of the Zulu/Blood River/Red Coat Black Blood
Starring: Zulu Wars Trilogy
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000C506S
Release Date: 2003-11-25

Customer Reviews:

Zulu Wars.......2006-01-15

Excellent ! The complete story in an entertaining documentary form. John Hurt's narration is the best. NT

Essential for Zulu War Enthusiasts!!.......2004-02-29

If you are a fan of the Zulu and Zulu Dawn movies, this is a DVD that you should own. Mind you, it is a documentary feature, but it is extremely well done. History buffs in general should love it. The production values are outstanding, the narration by John Hurt is excellent, and there are commentaries by Ian Knight, surely, for we Americans, the leading expert and writer on the Zulu Wars. The great majority of the trio of features consist of live action reproduction, brialliantly acted, and filmed on location in South Africa. I hesitated before buying this, as I had never caught it on the Learning or History channels, there were no extant reviews, and the packaging did not initially inspire confidence. However, my hunch paid off, and this outstanding little gem is worth every penny.

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