Doctor Zhivago (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Amazon.com essential video

David Lean focused all his talent as an epic-maker on Boris Pasternak's sweeping novel about a doctor-poet in revolutionary Russia. The results may sometimes veer toward soap opera, especially with the screen frequently filled with adoring close-ups of Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, but Lean's gift for cramming the screen with spectacle is not to be denied. The streets of Moscow, the snowy steppes of Russia, the house in the country taken over by ice; these are re-created with Lean's unerring sense of grandness. The movie is so lush and so long that it becomes an irresistible wallow, even when logic suffers--like Gone with the Wind before it and Titanic after. Sharif, who achieved stardom in Lean's previous film, Lawrence of Arabia, mostly looks noble, but the supporting cast is spiky: Rod Steiger as a fat-cat monster, Tom Courtenay as a self-righteous revolutionary, and Klaus Kinski and Alec Guinness in smaller roles. Geraldine Chaplin, in her adult debut, plays the doctor's compliant wife. Robert Bolt's screenplay won one of the film's five Oscars, with another going to perhaps the most immediately recognizable element of the movie: Maurice Jarre's romantic music, with its hugely popular "Lara's Theme" weaving in and out of a swooning score. --Robert Horton

Description

Lara inspires lechery in Komarovsky (her mother's lover who is a master at surviving whoever runs Russia) and can't compete with passion for the revolution of the man she marries, Pasha. Her true love is Zhivago who also loves his wife. Lara is the one who inspires poetry. The story is narrated by Zhivago's half brother Yevgraf, who has made his career in the Soviet Army. At the beginning of the film he is about to meet a young woman he believes may be the long lost daughter of Lara and Zhivago.

Customer Reviews:

Why? Why? Wh... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......2007-09-16

This simplified version of the revolution in Russia just doesn't hold up over time. Where's the revolution? Why do we care that Zhivago and Lara want each other? Isn't Geraldine Chaplin ten times classier than Julie Christie? Worse, the absurdity of seeing English actors with an Egyptian lead playing Russians feels very 1960s. The movie sports a tediously repetitive score and a made-for-TV script, making for a long sit at three-and-a-half hours. In the IMDb trivia notes it says that Lean suffered at the hands of the critics, though the film was popular and won so many Oscars. I can see why the critics howled, and not with glee. Watch this one only if you have a particular interest in any of the actors. SPOILER ALERT. By the end of it I was yelling at the screen "Zhivago, you wimp! Don't just stand there with your suitcases and that long face. Go after her!" He acts like a passive twit who deserves to lose the girl. They say that director Lean wanted 1960s-yummy Peter O'Toole for the role, but I can't quite see him playing such a weak man. Sharif is also sexy, and surely more powerful than this flaccid lead would suggest. He has zero, and I mean no chemistry with the barbie-esque Christie, who only needs a gingham dress to remind me of one of the gals from Petticoat Junction.

Dr. Zhivago.......2007-09-06

This is an Excellant remastered DVD of th original movie.. Great Sound and Picture Quality! The Two Disc special with extra footage/info about the story was great!

Watch Out!.......2007-07-13

The movie is fine, but this is not a "2-disc special edition". It is really a 2-1/2 disc package. Unlike other long movies that continue on disc 2, the movie is all on disc 1, part one on side A and part two on side B. No big deal unless you have a multi-disc player and don't want to flip the disc every time you watch the movie. Disc 2 is only special features. Again, the movie is great, but watching the entire length can be a pain.

Doctor Zhivago.......2007-06-27

Based on Boris Pasternak's Nobel Prize-winning novel, David Lean's second masterpiece (after "Lawrence of Arabia") is a sumptuous, absorbing epic in the grand tradition of filmmaking. Sharif and Christie (often glimpsed in adoring close-ups) are ravishing to watch, as Lean turns an earth-shattering moment in world history into high romantic drama. Brimming with unforgettable images of the Russian steppes captured by Oscar-winning lensman Carlo Ponti, Lean's snowy, romantic spectacle is just what the "Doctor" ordered, with marvelous ensemble work by Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness, Tom Courtenay, and Klaus Kinski.

Got exactly what I asked for when I asked for it.......2007-06-08

I forgot my step-dad's 60th birthday and had to overnight/express ship this DVD set to him and it actually ended up working out better than if I had remembered. He has wanted this movie for years because he went to the premier in the 60's on the east coast. He was home when it arrived on a Saturday and he ended up feeling more special because of all of the fuss and the hand delivery by FedEx. The film is stunning, as ever. I borrowed it as soon as my parents had watched it and it held up beautifully on my HDTV (61" screen) which I did not expect. I was highly satisfied with the whole process and the product. I completely recommend using the ticker on items that tells you how soon you can get them anywhere in the country - fabulous little feature. Excellent service.

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Awesome Movie
Average delivery
More like a NEGATIVE 3
Mythological Fiction
Medicore Playback Abliltiy

The Odyssey
Starring: Armand Assante , Greta Scacchi , Isabella Rossellini , Bernadette Peters , and Eric Roberts
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005N913
Release Date: 2001-09-18

Amazon.com

Andrei Konchalovsky's expansive television mini-series production of Homer's epic poem gets off to clumsy start as he tries to squeeze the Trojan War into a mere half hour, but once the arrogant but honorable Odysseus (strikingly played by Armand Assante) and his loyal crew begin their doomed voyage home, this film turns into a fantastical adventure. Integrating often-stunning special effects with inventive art design, Konchalovsky achieves a beautiful look on a limited budget as he follows the 10-year ordeal of Odysseus from his battles with the Cyclops and the magical Circe (Bernadette Peters) to his secret homecoming and his confrontation with the treacherous Eurymachus (Eric Roberts). Isabella Rossellini appears as his spiritual guide, the goddess Athena, with Greta Scacchi as Odysseus's faithful wife and Vanessa Williams as the seductive Calypso. The rest of the cast includes Geraldine Chaplin, Jeroen Krabbé, Christopher Lee, and Irene Papas. The production was shot on location in and around the Mediterranean, making for a lush, lovely visual experience. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Awesome Movie.......2007-09-10

I purchased the movie for my 10th grade World History classes. We were studying Ancient Greece and I wanted to show them The Odyssey. My students really enjoyed watching it. One of my students was eager to see the way the movie ended.

Average delivery.......2007-07-07

The Odyssey is probably one of the most well-known stories of Western literature. It contains elements of suspense, action, adventure, fantasy, romance, and even some comedy. It is also quite long, and features a big cast of characters; human and non-human. With all of this, it would seem to be a perfect candidate for a top-notch movie. Surprisingly, Hollywood has made very few movies about this topic, with probably the best one being this production by Hallmark.

The storyline follows the original epic quite well in terms of action. The casting is better than average, as Armande Assante does look like he is of Mediterranean descent, and gratefully, does not speak with an English accent as Sean Bean's Odysseus in the movie "Troy". The special effects are as Hallmark movies go; believable but not extravagant. The dialogue is somewhat flat. For such a famous epic with so many hundreds of English translations, the director should have tried to make this tale like Kenneth Branagh with his Shakespeare movies; have the characters speak the dialogue from the original text. Other than that, no noticeable flaws. Nothing spectacular but still worth the 3+ hours to watch this movie.

More like a NEGATIVE 3.......2007-06-13

This comes close to being the worse piece of garbage it has ever been my privilege to view. The acting...HORRENDOUS!!! CGI...poorly done. Do yourself a favor and watch the Roman version of the Odyssey...Ulysses with Kirk Douglas. It may be an oldie, but it's definitely an absolute goodie!!

Mythological Fiction.......2007-05-26

This film is one of the better of this genre--due to the casting, and the more "true to life and literature" approach that is taken. The characters seem much more "human." Enough sexual content, albeit well done, to preclude viewing by even teenagers. Homer's story is followed pretty faithfully, too, from my distant memories. But the real "excellence" is in the acting.

Medicore Playback Abliltiy.......2007-05-14

The Movie in itself is a great movie however, there were a few times that the movie stopped and digital quality became distorted. I did not send it back because I did not want to go through with hassling of shipping it back. Let's just let bygones be bygones.:)

Sincerely
Stephanie Sims

Average customer rating:

Dreadful!
The Importance of Being Earnest Review
Great Fun for English Classes
Great Movie
love this movie!

The Importance of Being Earnest
Starring: Rupert Everett , Colin Firth , Frances O'Connor (II) , Reese Witherspoon , and Judi Dench
Director: Oliver Parker
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00006JDVX
Release Date: 2002-11-12

Amazon.com

Splendidly adapted from the wittiest play in the English language, The Importance of Being Earnest stars Colin Firth as an English gentleman who pretends to be his own brother, named Ernest, so he can enjoy himself in the city without besmirching his reputation at his country estate. Unfortunately, he's just fallen in love with a young woman (Frances O'Connor) who insists that she can only marry a man named Ernest--and when Firth's best friend (Rupert Everett) goes to Firth's country estate pretending to be this same brother Ernest, he falls in love with Firth's ward (Reese Witherspoon), who similarly feels that Ernest is the perfect name for a husband... The absurdity of the plot is matched by the exquisite cleverness of the dialogue, and the performances--particularly Dame Judi Dench as Everett's fearsome aunt--are excellent. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Starring Reese Witherspoon (LEGALLY BLONDE), Colin Firth (BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY), and Rupert Everett (MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING), here is the hilarious adventure of two dashing young bachelors and the outrageous deceptions they find themselves in over love! Whenever Worthing (Firth) wants to leave his dull country life behind, he makes visits to the city posing as his fictitious "brother" Ernest. There, he becomes smitten with the ravishing Gwendolen (Frances O'Connor, A.I.). But when Worthing is in town, his playboy pal Algy (Everett) is in the country and falling for Worthing's young and beautiful ward, Cecily (Witherspoon) -- while also impersonating Ernest! Pandemonium ensues when these two would-be Ernests find themselves face-to-face and in the predicament of explaining who they really are!

Customer Reviews:

Dreadful!.......2007-08-24

What a complete misreading of the play! The only good thing in this film is Miss Prism. Gwendolen getting a tattoo????!!! Driving herself???!!! Lady Bracknel with a shady past???!!! Jazz music????!!!

Please...someone tell the screenwriters and directors to leave the comedy to Oscar!
Stick with the old version

The Importance of Being Earnest Review.......2007-07-20

This is a simple story. I don't feel strongly about this movie in either a positive or negative manner. The movie is what it is. There are a few funny parts and although you want to know what will happen in the end, the story line is fairly predictable. The cast helps this movie, more than the actual plot. I enjoy Colin Firth and Judi Dench, along with the other lead characters (Reese Witherspoon, Rupert Everett and Frances O'Connor).

Great Fun for English Classes.......2007-07-06

I include the reading of this play in my Creative Writing curriculum. Every year we watch the film, and if it is playing near us, we see the play in a theatre. Every year, my students get into reading their parts and try their hand at a bit of a British accent as well and begin our section on drama. To cap off the section, I let them watch the film and they laugh and cheer and are so engaged. There are lots of themes to discuss and activities are abundant for the study of structure, plot, character, etc. The really satisfying part of this section for me, as a teacher, is that they are truly bummed when we move on. It is a highlight of the entire year. I can't recommend enough both the written play and this fun movie for any high school (or even Jr. High) class.

Great Movie.......2007-06-28

I really like this movie. It's very funny. If you like period movies you'll love this.

love this movie!.......2007-06-18

I really enjoy watching this movie. It's really funny and can be watched over and over again. I really like the music and the scenery is just beautiful.

Average customer rating:

Such a beautiful film...
Wonderful piece of period Cinema
Can this be Scorsese?...meticulous, richly detailed adaptation...
A gilded social prison and a frustrated romance analyzed.
A Flim That Will Touch Your Heart

The Age of Innocence
Starring: Domenica Cameron-Scorsese , Geraldine Chaplin , Daniel Day-Lewis , Tracey Ellis , and Carolyn Farina
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00003CX8S
Release Date: 2001-11-06

Amazon.com essential video

Martin Scorsese does not sound like the logical choice to direct an adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel about manners and morals in New York society in the 1870s. But these are mean streets, too, and the psychological violence inflicted between characters is at least as damaging as the physical violence perpetrated by Scorsese's usual gangsters. At the center of the tale is Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), a somewhat diffident young man engaged to marry the very respectable May Welland (Winona Ryder). But Archer is distracted by May's cousin, the Countess Olenska (a radiant Michelle Pfeiffer), recently returned from Europe. As a married woman seeking a divorce, the countess is an embarrassment to all of New York society. But Archer is fascinated by her quick intelligence and worldly ways. Scorsese closely observes the tiny details of this world and this impossible situation; this is a movie in which the shift of someone's eyes can be as significant as the firing of a gun. The director's sense of color has never been keener, and his work with the actors is subtle. That's Joanne Woodward narrating, telling us only as much as we need to know--which is one reason why the climax comes as such a surprise.--Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Such a beautiful film..........2007-08-04

I really enjoyed this movie. I watched it after I read the novel and it really made it come to life before my eyes. They story's wonderful, of course, but I really loved the intricate costumes and lavish sets.

Wonderful piece of period Cinema.......2007-08-03

For artist, designers, or just the hopeless romantic, this video is a must, to add to your collection. The attention to period detail is inspiring. The storyline riviting. Worth the investment -- a version of Edith Wharton at her best.

Can this be Scorsese?...meticulous, richly detailed adaptation..........2007-07-29

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE seems more like a product of the Merchant-Ivory team rather than Martin Scorsese who recently gave us THE GANGS OF NEW YORK. It's a meticulous, richly detailed, leisurely adaptation of an Edith Wharton novel about a thwarted love affair between a man who is engaged to a beautiful young girl (Winona Ryder) and his yearning for her more worldly cousin (Michelle Pfeiffer). It's a yen that can't be dismissed lightly--in fact, it's a love that haunts him all of his life as he pretends to be a loyal husband with nothing more on his mind than fitting in with upper-class New York society.

He reaches the end of the story, imprisoned by society and never able to spend time with the woman he really loves. Slow pacing hurts the narrative (as does the use of a narration by Joanne Woodward which is offsetting more than anything else). A more genteel narrator would have suited the voiceover for this one.

As the troubled hero, Daniel Day-Lewis is the focal point of the entire story and gives an admirable performance, particularly touching in the final scene with his son. Ryder does fairly well with a less complex role but never seems much more than a naive and rather shallow young woman until a revelation about her that comes toward the finale. Michelle Pfeiffer is striking but never seems to fit comfortably into the period scene--she seems too modern even though she's playing an independent soul here.

Surprising to see Alexis Smith in such a small supporting role, looking a bit frail in what must have been one of her last appearances. As for director Scorsese, this is a far cry from his gangster element but he does a superb job of recreating an age of elegance and manners among the idle rich in the New York society of the 1870s.

A gilded social prison and a frustrated romance analyzed........2007-07-15

This is about a romance that is never consummated. In fact, it is about a romance that smolders but never burns. It is about a potential love affair that is totally undone by New York's upper society before it can really begin. It is the story of two female cousins, young innocent May Welland (played by wide-eyed fresh-faced Winona Ryder) and sophisticated beautiful Countess Ellen Olenska (played with the sadness required by Michelle Pfeiffer). Between these two women is the young attorney, Newland Archer, a man who thinks of himself as bright and sophisticated but finds himself out-maneuvered by the social forces in which he lives. Daniel Day-Lewis plays this role well, arrogant and yet compassionate, intelligent and yet vulnerable to forces beyond his control.

The film could be described as ravishing with the incredible beauty of the interiors of New York's wealthiest citizens, the amazing dresses and jewels worn by the women in the 1870s, the vast gardens and flowers, and the rare feasts of culinary delights. However, the romance is anything but ravishing. It is a painful protracted long suffering ordeal that has such amazing acts of intimacy as Archer kissing the slipper of Countess Olenska in one scene and taking off her glove in a carriage so that he might kiss her wrist in another scene. Oh my! Such scandal! By our current morals and standards of sexual behavior, this unconsummated romance is frustrating to the extreme.

Martin Scorsese, the director, paints a world of vast luxery and beauty in the society yet under the veneer, it is a highly controlled and monitored group. Interestingly enough it is both the men and the women in this society who work to maintain strict social norms and create tight borders around who is and is not in their society. Almost all the characters, including May's mother (played by Geraldine Chaplin) and Newland's mother (played by Sian Phillips - that wonderful actress who plays Empress Livia in the I, Claudius series), help maintain this tight controlled social world of manners and morals, that can become a prison for those who may wish to break the rules.

The crux of the film is that a young man, engaged to marry the right girl for him, a beautiful rich socialite, becomes more and more interested in her worldly sophisticated experienced cousin. He acts with extreme kindness which wins the heart of Countess Olenska, but to hurt those around him to follow a romance with the Countess would lower him in her eyes and she resists the romance, in major part because of the consequences to her younger cousin and to Newland. He is also a character pulled apart by the restrictions of society and his desires for Ellen. As they inch closer to beginning an affair, society comes to the rescue and divides them forever. It is the strategic moves of his wife, May, that really close the deal for she manipulates both Newland and Ellen to back away from each other with her carefully played role of the potential innocent victim. As narrator Joanne Woodward relates, all New York Society rallys and supports May and works to retain the marriage while separating Ellen and Newland. After she leaves for Paris he never sees her again.

What do modern audiences make of such a situation as created by Edith Wharton in the 1920's? It all boils down to whether your choices in life are dictated primarily by your own moral compass or by the moral compass of society. There are costs to each. Gay men have selected to marry women due to the pressure of our culture and society for years. We know the price of society's norms. And yet, we know that those who follow only their own moral compass can create great pain and chaos in the lives of those around them as well as for themselves. Newland Archer chooses to live in a gilded cage, to seek happiness from family life, but to always feel somewhat cheated that his one true sexual passionate love never became a reality.

A Flim That Will Touch Your Heart.......2007-07-02

An absolutely beautiful movie............a Scorsese masterpiece in every detail. Ranks with Wuthering Heights in its depiction of unrequited love, but much more visually stunning. Daniel Day-Lewis is a truly outstanding actor. After my first viewing, this is one of my favorite all-time movies.

Average customer rating:

Loved it, myself......but....
Touching tale
Love Affair Movie
A Beautiful Film
Terrance Malick Masterpiece

The New World
Starring: Colin Farrell , Q'Orianka Kilcher , Christopher Plummer , Christian Bale , and August Schellenberg
Director: Terrence Malick
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
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ASIN: B000ESSUL4
Release Date: 2006-05-09

Amazon.com

The legend of Pocahontas and John Smith receives a luminous and essential retelling by maverick filmmaker Terrence Malick. The facts of Virginia's first white settlers, circa 1607, have been told for eons and fortified by Disney's animated films: explorer Smith (Colin Farrell) and the Native American princess (newcomer Q'orianka Kilcher) bond when the two cultures meet, a flashpoint of curiosity and war lapping interchangeably at the shores of the new continent. Malick, who took a twenty year break between his second and third films (Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line), is a master of film poetry; the film washes over you, with minimal dialogue (you see characters speak on camera for less than a quarter of the film). The rest of the words are a stream-of-consciousness narration--a technique Malick has used before but never to such degree, creating a movie you feel more than watch. The film's beauty (shot in Virginia by Emmanuel Lubezki) and production design (by Jack Fisk) seems very organic, and in fact, organic is a great label for the movie as a whole, from the dreadful conditions of early Jamestown (it makes you wonder why Englishman would want to live there) to the luminescent love story. Malick is blessed with a cast that includes Wes Studi, August Schellenberg, Christopher Plummer, and Christian Bale (who, curiously, was also in the Disney production). Fourteen-year-old Kilcher, the soul of the film, is an amazing find, and Farrell, so often tagged as the next big thing, delivers his first exceptional performance since his stunning debut in Tigerland. James Horner provides a fine score, but is overshadowed by a Mozart concerto and a recurring prelude from Wagner's Das Rheingold, a scrumptious weaving of horns fit to fuel the gentle intoxication of this film. Note: the film was initially 150 minutes, and then trimmed to 135 by Malick before the regular theatrical run. It was also the first film shot in 65mm since Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. --Doug Thomas

Description

In this romantic epic starring Colin Farrell, Christian Bale and beautiful newcomer Q'orianka Kilcher, acclaimed filmmaker Terrence Malick brings to life the classic true tale of Pocahontas and her relationship with adventurer John Smith set during the turbulent beginnings of America.

Customer Reviews:

Loved it, myself......but...........2007-09-11

I give this film 4 stars - for the setting, attention to detail, and some of the acting...But if it weren't for being into history details like that, I'd be giving it one or 2 stars.

The plot does not flow well, as others have pointed out. And there's some historical inaccuracy, mainly with John Smith (Farrell) and Pocahontas's (Kilcher) relationship. A lot has been made of her supposedly saving him in the Indian (excuse me - "native American") village, but if you research it you find its likely a tale that Smith invented years later. Smith was an adventurer and mercenary who had fought in or near Turkey before his Virginia adventure; the point is that he was not a peaceful, innocent-eyed young guy as portrayed in this movie. John Rolfe (Bale) was far more important than he is portrayed here - in fact, the commercial success of the colony is almost exclusively due to him and the tobacco he raised. There is no real reason to think he and Pocahontas were not the real love interest. It just occurred later than this movies allows.
Christopher Plummer does his usual EXCELLENT acting. His Capt Newport is a little known figure in American history today, although now there is a university in Va. named after him.
I thought Kilcher made a wonderful Pocahontas - who else would have made that part better?? Keep in mind Pocahontas was basically a child when the expedition arrived. She made friends with the explorers, then she disappeared for a couple of years only to re-appear in her teens.
The colony is correctly shown as having 'too many chiefs', which is true to history. They brought mostly gentlemen-types on the first voyage, when what they needed were workers and craftsmen.

The Indians were incredibly realistic, as were the weapons and the ships, etc. They are also correctly portrayed as "players" in the ensuing struggle for control of the area, rather than just as innocent "pawns". They had every chance to wipe out the colony in its first 10-15 years, but politics played its part on their side too. This movie reminds me of another favorite in that regard: 1993's "Last of the Mohicans".

Unfortunately, plot clumsiness, slight twisting of history, and a musical score that (maybe) wasn't to a lot of peoples taste (I liked it:) meant that this movie isn't in the class of "Last of the Mohicans" which was a much more powerful drama, especially on the political side...
It was, however, good to see a film about Jamestown versus the far less important but generally better known Mayflower settlement. Jamestown was indeed where today's America started.
The film isn't what it could've been...but I still recommend it anyway.

Touching tale.......2007-09-03

Touching tale of love between John Smith and Pocahantas. Wonderful cinematagraphy, great acting, great sets, costumes and most importantly, great pathos. Very slow moving however (almost as slow as "Elephant"). For most members of the the MTV generation this film will be far too slow.

Love Affair Movie.......2007-08-31

This movie had very little to do with the discovery and making of the Jamestown Fort. The majority was focused of the love affair between Capt. John Smith (Colin Farrell)and Pocahontas. I guess the promo was correct because it did say it was a romantic. Sure wish it focused on the discovery of Jamestown more. I don't recommend this movie.

A Beautiful Film.......2007-08-27

This film left me thinking about it for days after viewing it. Only a quarter of the film is dialogue, and so it is a very visual film, and yet the storytelling is strong. Colin Farrell and Q'orianka Kilcher both play complex roles of lovers. Farrell is genuine yet has personal demons, Kilcher is a young woman experiencing first love. Christian Bale is a true English gentleman, kind and full of understanding. Malick is a superb director, it is one of those rare films in which you feel you're looking through the director's eyes as you're watching the film.

Terrance Malick Masterpiece.......2007-08-15

If you interested in early American history and in the Jamestown settlement this is a lovely film which showcases that era with authenticity. There is little revisionist history in this lyrical drama. It recounts the true story of Pocahontus, the Native American princess and her love of John Smith and her efforts to help the residents of Jamestown. After a deception and her being disowned by her father, Pocahontus becomes a Jamestown resident and marries an Englishman. Some of the movies' most touching scenes involve simply Pocahontus' dialouge with God. Her commentary is so beautiful and real that you feel her gratitude and pure spirit. She never loses herself or forgets her past, she is always present. Later in the film, a trip to England brings her to a strange old world that can't compare with the natural beauty and freedom of her youth. It is the complete opposite of everything she knew and was now cut off from. She learns of Jon Smith in England and sees him one last time. In the end she is happy and content with her husband. The movie ends,however the real history, Pocahontus dies in England, she and Jon Smith were never lovers and to all outward appearance she embraced her new identity and renownced her old life. Despite these minor inconsistencies the storyline adds to the romance and overall beauty of the film. I simply adore this movie.

Average customer rating:

Two Weeks
Starring: Sally Field , Ben Chaplin , Tom Cavanagh , Julianne Nicholson , and Clea DuVall
Director: Steve Stockman
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000TV1ST2
Release Date: 2007-09-18

Amazon.com

When it seems inevitable that Anita (Sally Field) will succumb to cancer, her grown children return home to help prepare her funeral arrangements in the dramedy Two Weeks. But as the film's title implies, death isn't as immediate as they had expected, and the four siblings are left to confront each other, as well as the memories of their childhood, as they watch (and wait for) their mother pass away. A bittersweet comedy based more on dialogue than action, Two Weeks is a wonderful showcase for the always reliable Field. When her character is comatose during the second half of the picture, the film loses some of its impact, since Field is the strongest and most compelling cast member. But Julianne Nicholson, who plays Anita's daughter Emily, brings quiet strength to her role and outshines the male co-stars who play her brothers Keith (Ben Chaplin), Barry (Tom Cavanagh), and Matthew (Glenn Howerton). A gifted actress with an expressive face, Nicholson more than holds her own in scenes with Field and gets across the pain, sadness, and desperation of a daughter about to lose her mother. Some of the witty familial bantering between the brothers seems forced and clichéd, and the viewer is acutely aware that the actors are working hard to outdo each other. Still, Two Weeks gets across the conflicted emotions people feel when faced with the death of a loved one. --Jae-Ha Kim

Interview with Steve Stockman, director of Two Weeks

Tell us about your background and how it prepared you for the making of this film, how did "Two Weeks" come about?

I've been a commercial director and writer for most of my career so far. Two Weeks grew out of personal experience. It went like this: When my mother died at home in 1997, the whole family was there. The mortuary guy came to pick up her body in an unmarked white SUV. He had one of those rolling stretchers where you flip a lever and the wheels pop down. My mom lived in a suburban neighborhood. It was about 5 in the morning, the sun was just starting to brighten the sky. The guy wheels my mother's body out of the house, and loads it into the truck. I'd just had this excruciating night-long ordeal with my family and I stood there, watching from the top of the driveway as the truck pulled away. Just then, a car came up the street, dropping newspapers one at a time in the driveways of the sleeping houses. And I thought, I wake up every morning on my own street, in my own neighborhood. And somewhere, this is going on. It happens all the time. This is part of everyday life. How come we don't know what it's like? Seven years later I had just finished a script and I couldn't come up with a new idea to write. I kept looking at my list of brainstormed "high concepts," hoping to find one that grabbed me: Mafia Nanny? No. Talking Dog Detective? No. Time Traveling Archeologist? No. Hooker Brain Surgeon? Way no. I had all these notes from when my mother died -- I did a lot of writing while it was happening. I kept coming back to the notes, and remembering those moments -- a lot of them were really funny. Of course the rational, I've-been-in-the-entertainment-industry-since-I-was-18 side of me was thinking, "Great. A dying mother comedy. They'll line up for that." But I couldn't leave it alone. So I took a deep breath, and wrote it. I started the script in a writers' workshop, and I was really surprised by the reactions -- the funny parts were funny. The sad parts were sad. And better still, everybody could relate. They'd all been through it, or knew someone who had. Which was great, because I got a lot of suggestions from other people's experiences that were terrific, that I immediately "borrowed" and which I can now say were entirely my idea, every one of them. The end result isn't just a comedy (though many parts are really funny), and it's not just a tragedy. We've tried to make it about truth. About a family trying to figure things out when the one person who really holds them together can't hold on anymore.

What about the DVD: Will the final cut be the same as the theatrical, and will there be any extras that you can tell us about?

The DVD cut is the same as the theatrical. There are two very cool extras: - My favorite: Since nobody ever listens to the director's track (and it's my first movie…it's not like I'm Francis Coppola) I invited Dr. Ira Byock, an end of life expert and director of palliative care at Dartmouth, to comment with me on the film. I talked about what went on with the making of the movie, and Ira gave his perspective for people who are facing, or have faced, the same situation. Having someone else with a different perspective was great, and hopefully there's a lot of information that's fun, and useful for people. BTW, After this successful experience, Ira and I are now available for to do commentary tracks for other films, weddings, and Bar Mitzvahs. - When I did Q&A's after screenings this Spring, several people said they were looking forward to discussing the movie in their book groups. So we came up with a Group Discussion Guide you can flip through on screen, that gives you questions for group discussion. We got the idea from paperbacks that do the same thing.

What do you want your audience to take away from this movie?

Our first and most important takeaway is, we hope, entertainment. We tried hard to create a film that's an emotional ride: Very real, very moving, and very, very funny. And if we succeed there, it's a home run. I'm also hoping that, as part and parcel of delivering an entertaining film, we managed to dig out some truth that will be valuable and relatable and informative, and bring people together in the way that the best movies do.

How was working with Sally Field? Was she your first choice for the role?

I had a very short list of amazing actresses I could, in my dreams, picture doing the part, and Sally was definitely one. Working with Sally was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Sally plays Anita, the mother in the film. Day one of the shoot, Ben Chaplin (her oldest son) is behind the camera, interviewing a still-healthy Anita about her life. We're shooting 13 pages of dialogue, almost all hers, that will take about 10 minutes of screen time in the finished film. That's a lot of shooting, and I budgeted two days to shoot it. But Sally wanted to do it in one. Great, I think, I can be a day ahead of schedule after the first day. They'll think I'm a genius. We're shooting in a house in Nashville, TN. The crew is a little nervous -everyone is at the beginning of a film, but this is the first day with our two biggest stars, one of whom is a living legend. So everyone's a little keyed up. Finally, we're ready, and Sally and Ben walk onto the set. Ben crams into a tight space next to the camera. He seems a bit nervous, too. Ben's British and has been a little worried about his American accent all week (turns out it's perfect, but nobody, including Ben, knows that yet). Sally sits down on the couch where she'll be interviewed, puts her script on the floor, her bag with her knitting, water bottle and cell phone next to it. She waits patiently for everyone to be ready. The assistant director calls "Action," and Ben asks her the first interview question. And there, in front of the camera, Sally Field becomes the character. You can hear jaws drop all over the set. She's perfect. Not good. Perfect. And she continues to be perfect the entire day. She doesn't miss a line in 13 pages of heavy dialogue ("Fantastically memorable writing," I try telling myself.) Every gesture, every look, is real - it's Sally, yet not Sally...like she's slipped on a coat of character and became someone else. We did three takes at the most of any of the 14 scenes...one particularly emotional scene was so perfect we only did one (it's the "I can see the end of my life" speech near the end). Sometimes I just asked for a second take because I wanted to see what else she had. Never because I didn't like the first one. There was one scene that didn't work quite right. It felt like a gratuitous joke to her, not something the character would actually do. We discussed it. OK, we argued about it. She was right, of course, but the screenwriter in me felt the piece needed some humor at that moment in the film. When she did it, she adjusted her performance to add a wistfulness, a bit of darker emotion behind the humor. So now a scene I wanted for comic relief works, but it's deeper and better than it would have been otherwise. And it still only took three takes. The most astounding thing about that first day was how high she set the bar for the rest of us. It would have been tough for anyone, cast or crew, to walk onto the set and not give their all after that.

What are your favorite movies to recommend to people? What DVDs do you have on your shelf at home?

Amazon.com

Holly Hunter plays a Chicago-based single mom who--on the day before Thanksgiving--loses her job and is informed by her daughter of the latter's intention to surrender her virginity while on a weekend-long affair. If that's not enough, Hunter's character then has to fly to Baltimore to join her fractious family for another difficult Thanksgiving. Robert Downey Jr. is terrifically charming as her prankish, gay brother, and Anne Bancroft and Charles Durning show plenty of comic resilience during the predictably interesting Thanksgiving dinner scene. The script by W.D. Richter (Brubaker) avoids the usual clichés in family dramas--the deepest, darkest secret revealed here involves the painfully sweet revelation of a 40-year-old crush. Jodie Foster, directing her second feature, focuses instead on the inevitable softening of old grudges and disappointments with time. This is a wise as well as wonderfully fun movie. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

....but I ALREADY know the story !.......2007-06-08

Can some of the people who've written a review please rate the DVD itself? I don't need to know the plot, or which part is the funniest, or how good the cast is....I already know all of these things! I'd like to buy this movie, but if the video transfer is second-rate, or the audio is difficult in some places, etc., etc. Doesn't anyone out there have an opinion on how good (or bad) the DVD itself is ? It would be appreciated !!

Home for the Holidays..........2007-03-24

A great holiday movie, especially if the family all hangs out for several days playing video games and watching movies like we do. Purchased this one, The Ref and Pieces of April, enjoyed them all!

A Thanksgiving tradition in our home........2007-02-09

My family watches this movie every year on the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving. It gives us pause to consider how lucky we are to have a nice, sane, loving *immediate* family with which to enjoy the holidays.

I think most anyone who comes from a dysfunctional family can relate to this film. If you are one of those people that dreads having to spend time with your extended family because of your racist uncle, a drunk aunt, a drug-abusing sister-in-law, a paedophilic nephew, or any other breed of insane relative, you'll find something to enjoy about this film.

Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr. are typically amazing in this film and I cannot find enough good things to say about their acting. They have ways of drawing the viewer into the story in ways that other actors do not. You connect with them. You feel them. You *are* them.

Overall, a delightful film that's absolutely perfect for viewing at Thanksgiving.

A HOLIDAY CLASSIC.......2007-01-31

Simply stated, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS is a holiday CLASSIC in the tradition of the great ones: Miracle on 34th Street; It's A Wonderful Life; Home Alone; Planes, Trains and Automobiles; A Christmas Story; and so on.

The script is superb, as are the characters in what may be the most disfunctional family in motion picture history.

It's really quite harmless (unless the subject of homosexuality gives you the willies). It doesn't offend. It WILL make you laugh. And it has a LOT of warmth, not to mention more than one lesson-in-life for anyone who sees it.

I know a LOT of people who have seen this film, from many ages and backgrounds. I have yet to meet one who wasn't enthusiastic about it.

BUY the film. But don't open until Thanksgiving.

A Must have for the holiday season.......2007-01-22

Another great Holly Hunter performance with a fantastic ensemble cast.

The Complete Musketeers (The Three Musketeers / The Four Musketeers)

Average customer rating:

Action, Adventure and Classic
THE COMPLETE MUSKETEERS
The Complete Musketeers
The Complete Musketeers
Took me back in time

The Complete Musketeers (The Three Musketeers / The Four Musketeers)
Starring: Oliver Reed , Raquel Welch , Richard Chamberlain , Michael York , and Frank Finlay
Director: Richard Lester
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00006LPC5
Release Date: 2003-02-04

Description

Join the Musketeers D'Artagnan (Michael York), Athos (Oliver Reed), Aramis (Richard Chamberlain), Porthos (Frank Finlay) and the stunning yet clumsy maiden Constance (Raquel Welch) as they battle for fortune, glory and vengeance against the devious Cardinal Richelieu (Charlton Heston), Milady de Winter (Faye Dunaway) and Count de Rochefort (Christopher Lee). These are the two hit movies that redefined the rousing action and riotous comedy of the swashbuckler genre for a whole new generation. This is THE COMPLETE MUSKETEERS! Director Richard Lester (A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, HELP!) and producers Ilya & Alexandre Salkind (SUPERMAN) created an international sensation with these all-star adaptations of Alexandre Dumas' timeless tale. Both THE THREE MUSKETEERS and THE FOUR MUSKETEERS have now been completely restored from original vault elements and loaded with exclusive extras for the ultimate two-disc Musketeer collection!

Customer Reviews:

Action, Adventure and Classic.......2007-09-13

This is my favorite adaptation of this Duma's classic. The outstanding ensemble of actors were superb. The granduer of the palaces and commoness of all else were well portrayed. A country boy, bedazzled by the new world he has stepped into, yet his desire to do right, along with the mentoring of the mature musketeers, enables him to grow into the hero Dumas created. He is lauded by those he saved and respected by his enemies.
Would like to see the "Return of the Musketeers" release May 30, 2000 be put on DVD.

THE COMPLETE MUSKETEERS.......2007-09-10

AN EXCELLENT PRODUCT. THE PICTURE QUALITY IS GREAT,AND IT IS GOOD TO SEE THE
WHOLE STORY AS THE TITLE IS CALLED. IT IS THE BEST YOU CAN BUY OF THAT VINTAGE.
I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS FILM FOR FANS OF THE MUSKETEERS.
RANDALL : FROM AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND

The Complete Musketeers.......2007-08-23

Awesome. How can you NOT like Oliver Reed at Athos?

Sadly, it doesn't have the third movie (and therefore not really complete, but what the heck?) and I've heard that it isn't on DVD yet.

If you love this time period, this is a great buy! Remember, this is the older version, not the new lousy one with Kiefer Sutherland and those nouveau Musketeers!

The Complete Musketeers.......2007-07-14

The dvd I ordered arrived very quickly, and in perfect condition. My husband was thrilled. Thank you.

Took me back in time.......2007-07-03

I loved these movies when they came out in the theater and I loved watching them on my DVD player at home. Always funny with fantastic sword fighting - much better than most of what we see today. No CGI fight garbage, just cool and realistic fights.

Average customer rating:

CRIA CUERVOS... Y TE SACARÁN LOS OJOS

Cria Cuervos (Criterion Collection)
Starring: Héctor Alterio , Geraldine Chaplin , Florinda Chico , German Cobos , and Mirta Miller
Director: Carlos Saura
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000QXDFR6
Release Date: 2007-08-14

Description

Carlos Saura's exquisite Cría cuervos… heralded a turning point in Spain: Shot while General Franco was on his deathbed, the film melds the personal and the political in a portrait of the legacy of fascism and its effects on a middle-class family (the title derives from the Spanish proverb: "Raise ravens and they'll peck out your eyes"). Ana Torrent (the dark-eyed beauty from The Spirit of the Beehive) portrays the disturbed eight-year-old Ana, living in Madrid with her two sisters and mourning the death of her mother, whom she conjures as a ghost (played by an ethereal Geraldine Chaplin). Seamlessly shifting between fantasy and reality, the film subtly evokes both the complex feelings of childhood and the struggles of a nation emerging from the shadows.

Customer Reviews:

CRIA CUERVOS... Y TE SACARÁN LOS OJOS.......2007-08-10

Finally, it appears, Criterion is getting around to releasing some of the many great Spanish films of the past decades. High time they noticed there has been some astounding Spanish films and directors beyond Luis Buñuel, undoubtedly the great master. But Saura, Berlanga, Bardem, Borau, Erice, Bigas Luna, and quite a few more I could name, have directed some masterpieces that also deserve the special Criterion teatment. After the recent and excellent release of El Espíritu de la Colmena (Spirit of the Beehive), now comes Cría Cuervos, a fascinating parable, somewhere between fantasy and reality, that beyond the too obvious symbolism of a country finally liberating itself from a long dictatorship, it is an intelligent exploration of the scary world of troubled childhood. And Ana Torrent (the same girl of Spirit of the Beehive) speaks volumes just with those incredible dark eyes. My copy is in its way, but I don't doubt Criterion transfer and worthy extras will deserve a 5-star rating.

UPDATING: Having just received my copy, I can say I am very pleased with the excellent transfer of the movie. It looks great. But I am even more impressed by the extras on the second disc:. Mainly, a wonderfully insightful portrait of Carlos Saura (more than one hour long), produced by TVE (state-run Spanish tv) in 2004 -unfortunately in a non-anamorphic widescreen transfer-, which I found as interesting as the film itself. Also a 20-minute incredibly candid and perceptive interview in English with Geraldine Chaplin (done for Criterion in 2007 susprisingly not in widescreen). I have the pleasure of interviewing the actress some years back for a Spanish publication and I knew how good and revealing she was in conversation with the press, unlike most film actors. But I was surprised by some of her intimate revelations in this one. Another 8-minute conversation with Ana Torrent shot for the Criterion Collection as well (this one in anamorphic widescree!) is also welcomed, but should have been conducted in Spanish, as the actress is no so fluent with her English.

Average customer rating:

"A Structure To Last For All Time"
Ancient Technique
Opulence and sex in the Fifites...
Pharaohnic Silliness...but wonderfully done
Stones and bones.

Land of the Pharaohs
Starring: Jack Hawkins , Joan Collins , Dewey Martin , Alex Minotis , and James Robertson Justice
Director: Howard Hawks
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000OHZJIW
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Description

The Great Pharaoh orders architech Vashtar to build him the highest pyramid in the world as his tomb. After fifteen years, the work slows as the treasury diminishes. The Pharaoh tries to exact tribute from Cypress, which is ruled by the beautiful and ruthless Princess Nellifer. Impressed with her abilities to charm, the Pharaoh marries her. But Mellifer plots to kill the ruling family - so she can rule Egypt.

Customer Reviews:

"A Structure To Last For All Time".......2007-09-03

If you're at least fifty years old you probably have some recollection of the epic film 'Land of the Pharaohs' released in '55. If you're a male fifty or over like me you most certainly have the image of the luscious and scantily clad Joan Collins playing the role of the evil Princess Nellifer forever emblazioned in your mind. Clearly the signature role of her career, she played the part to perfection. Her performance alone makes the film worth purchasing if only to gaze upon her once more.

Forgive my adolescent walk down memory lane and let me continue. In the wake of such blockbusters as 'Ben-Hur' this earlier masterpiece has been all but forgotten by the populace at large. 'Land of the Pharaohs' tells the fictionalized account of the building of the Great Pyramid to house Pharaoh Khufu (Jack Hawkins) in the Afterlife. The method of building the edifice and process of sealing the labyrinth afterwards is extremely well done and fascinating to watch.

Other than Joan's memorable performance the rest of the acting is a little stiff and over choreographed, but the cimematography is excellent and the soundtrack by the legendary Dimitri Tiomkin rivals anything the more well known epics of the time had to offer. Wait til you see the ending. Ahh..., sweet revenge!

My Rating: -4 1/2 Stars-.

Ancient Technique.......2007-09-02

There has been a long time since I saw another film which uses greed, technical prowess, human labor and slavery as its centerpiece. Peter Bogdanovich tells in the commentary that the French referred to it as the most intelligent spectacle film ever made. And probably (sorry mister Lang) they were right. The Pharaoh is a master with total power that believed the promises of future richness himself. Those with special qualifications which are necessary to him are rewarded with earthly goods (good food and women are the coveted prizes); the masses of laborers are convinced of a posterior second life where they can received the rewards of their work in this one. Socially the film is a child of 1950s sensibilities: the good women are the good wives, who can cook well and attend to the children; instead, the bad ones are gold-diggers, which abuse of their beauty and are capable of murder in their search of power. The strange conclusion is that a murderous despot is preferable to the devious woman that wants what he has. Esthetically is a very static piece, exploiting the recently adopted Cinemascope screen ratio for spectacular shots of the masses in movement (that and a venomous cobra give credence to the contemporary adagio of the "widescreen" ratio as only useful to film snakes). But what you see in the screen is mostly real. The shots are cleanly executed and the climax is perfectly done and satisfying. The script is fairly good, and having William Faulkner as one of the screenwriters doesn't hurt; the music by Dimitri Tiomkin appropriately reflects grandeur and imperial power.

Opulence and sex in the Fifites..........2007-08-31

Joan Collins, the Grand Dame of Soap Operas, in one of her earlier roles, in which she was even allowed to show some skin, and what skin indeed!

A forgettable History movie, since there is no relation with any historic fact, pertinent to the Reign of Cheops in it.
It is more a nice Fantasy/Love Lost/Revenge approach, that still has its qualities to this day.

Many where made in those days, just look at "David and Bathsheba", starring Gregory Peck, or even "Solomon and Sheba" starring Yul Brynner. It has to be considered as the "Great Couples of Antiquity" trend that went on almost to the Mid-Sixties, ending perhaps with "Cleopatra", starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton (a triangle?).

But nevertheless, they were all highly entertaining and in their ingenuity even well-done movies.

Actors like Jack Hawkins or James Robertson Justice are bitterly missed nowadays, and left us some powerful performances even with products like this one.

My three stars are not diminishing the value of the movie at hand, but rather stand for the true esteem I have for products of this sort.
It cannot be considered a history lesson, but rather a nice and vivid extravaganza, and as such it should receive 5 stars.

But since we are talking about people who actually lived, and who had a well-documented past or at least a summary of their deeds, even in the 50's, I must say that Hollywood did not go deeper than necessary and farther than it is obvious, to bring us such spectacle.

This is why I can only attribute 3 stars and not 5.

Transfer is as usual, well done, and for its price well worth buying.

Pharaohnic Silliness...but wonderfully done.......2007-07-27

Land of the Pharaohs is a much-maligned epic from the Fifties produced and directed by Howard Hawks. The script is silly, the acting over the top, Dimitri Tiomkin's score unrelenting, yet...yet it does have a certain majesty and creates an atmosphere of early Egypt that is striking in its primitive starkness. Beautifully photographed and staged, this is a near miss but highly recommended to those who loved the great old spectacles from the Fifties.
One complaint: It has been packaged a a "camp classic" with a lurid Joan Collins on the case cover. I think it deserves more respect than that and perhaps someone will do a complete restoration sometime complete with footage from the authentic Egyption locations.

Stones and bones........2007-07-16

It feels like time for these Cinemascope 50's epics to come back into favor! The Egyptian, another underrated film, focuses on Akhnaten, the founder of the first monotheistic religion. Throughout Akhnaten and his supporters are likened to Christians, so that this film fits very well with all the other Biblical epics of the time.

Land of the Pharaohs is something different. To me this is a much more accurate portrayal of a pagan civilization, probably the most accurate made in Hollywood until the severely underrated Apocalypto. Land of the Pharaohs is nowhere near that good, but what it does well is to show life before the Word, before the promise of heaven and eternal rewards. Obsession with mortality drives everything. Boredom is all-pervasive. People are fed to alligators, whipped in dungeons, worked to death in the desert, for no other reason than the foolish whim of one man: The Pharaoh. In this case, that whim is to build a pyramid so that no one can steal the gold he plans to take with him into the afterlife.

Joan Collins, who is wearing some kind of gnarly blackface, is both awful in the role of Pharaoh's second wife and perfect for it. She comes off like a cheap stripper raised to the highest eminence in Egypt -- but isn't that exactly what Nellifer is? Ever seen Donald Trump's wives? These are not the early Christian saints; these are self-appointed living gods, power-hungry scumbags, like the CEOs and media moguls of today. The trashiest woman would undoubtedly be appealing to the most deluded man ( the Pharaoh. ) Hawks is wrong to berate himself that the characters aren't sympathetic, because they are accurate. Should the characters in Scorsese's Casino, another movie about a pagan kingdom, have been sympathetic?

Collins also looks fantastic being whipped -- I actually thought this movie was directed by Howard Hughes until checking the facts for this review, because of the emphasis on her jiggling. I cannot defend Jack Hawkins, however. Imagine Hugh Grant, fifty pounds heavier and at his most charmless playing Tamburlaine and you'll have some idea how far from apropos this casting was. Hawkins fights manfully but unsuccessfully against his natural tendency to dither and stammer like an effete walrus. I'm not sure why this actor made it as far as he did, he is not handsome, not charismatic and is frankly just plain annoying. I guess I could extend an olive branch to his memory by saying, like Joan Collins, that he is as inadvertently hateful as the character he portrays.

The most impressive aspect of the production is the set design inside the pyramid at Giza. I remember once going to Disneyland when they were constructing the Indiana Jones ride, my stepmother worked there, and being overwhelmed by depression at the manpower and effort required to build this hollow funpark ride. The Giza set brought back that same feeling of existential pointlessness, with its echoing hallways, perfectly carved stone and spiked mantraps. And all for what? Movies like this reinforce exactly why I don't work -- another reason to love them!

DVD:

Downfall