Cool Hand Luke

Amazon.com

Paul Newman gives one of the defining performances of his career, and cemented his place as a beautiful-rebel screen icon playing the stubbornly tough and independent title character in Cool Hand Luke. And before he became familiar as a sidekick in 1970s disaster movies (Earthquake and the Airport movies), George Kennedy won an Oscar for playing Dragline, the brutal chain-gang boss who tries to beat loner Luke's cool out of him. It's a classic rebel-against-the-repressive-institution story in the line of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest or The Shawshank Redemption. Certain moments have become classics--particularly the hardboiled egg-eating contest, and the immortal line (drooled by Strother Martin, as a sadistic redneck prison officer), "What we have here is a failure to communicate." And don't forget, Luke is also the source of the oft-quoted driving ditty, "I don't care if it rains or freezes, long as I have my plastic Jesus, right here on the dashboard of my car..." He is cool, all right. The digital video disc is in anamorphic widescreen and digital stereo. --Jim Emerson

Description

A defiant chain-gang prisoner suffers a "failure to communicate" in this searing drama. Paul Newman Shines in the title role, George Kennedy as his sidekick won an Oscar(R). Year: 1967 Director: Stuart Rosenberg Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon

DVD Features:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Too Cool!.......2007-09-10

This is a classic movie that I enjoyed very much. It's one you'll watch over and over. YOu must love Paul Newman, he really is cool........

One of my Favorites.......2007-09-09

This, the story of a Southern chain gang in the post-WWII South, is one of my top ten favorite movies. Growing up, it had legendary status in my household. My dad, my brother, and I quoted from it all the time. Even today, I can break into a Strother Martin impersonation ("When a man's mother dies....") that gets my dad laughing. Simply put, this is just about a perfect movie. It contains the classic eating of 50 eggs scene (where, if you didn't get the Jesus symbolism by then, is made pretty obvious). But the car washing scene is pretty classic, too (even if the woman looks more "60s" than the rest of the movie). The script is fantastic, the locations are evocative of the time and place, and the actors all put in great performances. George Kennedy won an Oscar for his turn as the prison fixture, Dragline; and unfortunately, they don't make them like Strother Martin (dead) and Harry Dean Stanton (still acting) anymore. The cast is so good that Joe Don Baker and Dennis Hopper appear, though only on the margins. And as for this movie's star, well, Paul Newman gives his best performance as Luke, who epitomizes the American rebel. Think James Dean goes to prison and you have Cool Hand Luke. It's hard to believe Newman was around 40 when he made this movie. He looks a lot younger. The book the movie is based on was written by an ex-con safecracker, who had served time on a chain gang. The movie certainly has authenticity (even though it was filmed in Stockton, California, not the Deep South). For me, this is Newman's best movie, a great story about a man's self-destructive rebellion against authority.

Cool Hand Luke.......2007-06-27

"Luke" is a work that transformed Newman from movie star to anti-authoritarian folk hero. Clearly the actor was attracted to the dispossessed, in life and in film. His Luke is two things at once: a loser whose drunkenness lands him on a chain gang, but also a tough individualist equipped with personal courage and a defiant spirit. Top-notch support comes from Martin as Luke's wormy nemesis, and Kennedy, who won an Oscar for his turn as Luke's loyal pal, Dragline.

Yet Another Newman Masterpiece!.......2007-06-23

If you haven't seen this film yet, by all means, go out and rent it today! Hell, you might as well purchase it, because it is definitely worth every penny and I promise you won't regret it. It is a true classic and a movie you will want to see over and over again. God knows I must have viewed this one at least a dozen times now. The acting, directing, writing, score, etc... is top notch. Am I the only person out there who constantly poses this question - WHY DONT THEY MAKE FILMS LIKE THIS ANYMORE? Then again, there has never been, nor will there ever be, an actor quite like Paul Newman. And if ever there was a role in which Newman was born to play, this was it! Seriously folks, could you even imagine another actor playing the part of Luke? It's definitely one of his finest performances ever. The man has charm oozing out of every pore in his body.

Along with the outstanding, understated work of Mr. Newman, this film also contains several wonderful performances by a fine supporting cast - George Kennedy (Best Supporting Actor Winner as Dragline), Strother Martin, Robert Donner, Morgan Woodward, Wayne Rogers, Ralph Waite, Harry Dean Stanton, Dennis Hopper and Jo Van Fleet as Luke's mother Arletta. By the way, the scene in which Luke confronts his dying mother Arletta is one of my favorites of all-time. It redefines the word POIGNANT and I can almost guaranty it will melt your heart.

There are so many famous lines and scenes in this movie that make this film completely unforgettable. I have yet to meet one person (male or female) that didn't thoroughly enjoy this film from begining to end. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, you are in for a treat. I still remember the first time I saw this film and how much I enjoyed it. In fact, the very next day I went to the video store (sorry Amazon, you weren't around yet) and immediately purchased it. Trust me folks, this is one EXCEPTIONAL film.

Finally, I think we sometimes forget just how many classic films Paul Newman has been in - "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof", "The Hustler", "Hud", "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", "The Sting", "Abscence of Malice", "The Verdict", "The Color of Money", "Nobody's Fool", etc... etc... etc... The man is a living legend and one hell of a good human being to boot! At 82 years old, he just announced his retirement from acting. I don't know about the rest of you out there, but I for one feel like I am losing an old, dear friend.

A must see.......2007-05-15

This is by far one of the greatest movies of all times. Paul Newman is amazing, the ultimate rebel. Who else would cut the heads off parking meters because "Small town, not much to do in the evenin."

The Best of the 60s (Bonnie and Clyde/Bullitt/Cool Hand Luke/The Wild Bunch - The Director's Cut)

Average customer rating:

I've seen them all at least a

The Best of the 60s (Bonnie and Clyde/Bullitt/Cool Hand Luke/The Wild Bunch - The Director's Cut)
Starring: Steve McQueen , Robert Vaughn , Jacqueline Bisset , Don Gordon , and Robert Duvall
Director: Peter Yates , Sam Peckinpah , and Stuart Rosenberg
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00011ZBJ8
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Customer Reviews:

I've seen them all at least a .......2007-01-11

dozen times.

You should too.

1960s Classics 6-Pack (Cool Hand Luke / My Fair Lady / Robin and the 7 Hoods / Ocean's 11 (1960) / The Dirty Dozen / Doctor Zhivago)

Average customer rating:

1960s Classics 6-Pack (Cool Hand Luke / My Fair Lady / Robin and the 7 Hoods / Ocean's 11 (1960) / The Dirty Dozen / Doctor Zhivago)
Starring: Paul Newman , George Kennedy , J.D. Cannon , Lou Antonio , and Robert Drivas
Director: Stuart Rosenberg , Lewis Milestone , and George Cukor
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000068GS5
Release Date: 2002-06-04

Description

This 6-DVD set includes Cool Hand Luke, My Fair Lady, Robin and the 7 Hoods, Ocean's 11 (1960), The Dirty Dozen, and Doctor Zhivago.

DVD:

DVD

DVD