Pickup on South Street - Criterion Collection

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Director Sam Fuller's biggest success of its time (and, superficially at least, his most conventional film) is the 1953 noir effort Pickup on South Street. Candy (Jean Peters) has her purse picked on the subway by small-time thief and ex-con Skip (Richard Widmark), neither of them realizing that the purse contains microfilm bound for Communist spies and that they are being watched the whole time by Federal agents. The New York police and the Feds catch up with Skip and try to cajole him into turning over the microfilm, but as he's one of Fuller's "outsider" antihero protagonists, the patriotic angle cuts no ice with him. He plays both sides against the middle when he finds out that the Communists are involved, hoping to make a big score off the deal, but eventually he comes around when he realizes that he's smitten with Candy. Finally Skip plays ball with the authorities, but is it out of his love for both his friend Moe and Candy, or is he swayed by the patriotic urgings of the FBI, or does it just come from some inner core of decency? You decide. When Skip is asked, "Do you know what treason is?" he smirks, "Who cares?"; when the Feds try to appeal to his patriotism, he sneers through several layers of Sinatra cool, "Are you waving the flag at me?" Pickup is set almost entirely in the garbage-strewn alleys, grimy subways, seedy waterfront dives, and gloomy streets of New York City; it's marked by extremely lengthy takes and fluid, mobile camera work. The closing scene when Skip tracks down another character in the subway and administers a brutal beating to him is one of the more violent scenes you'll find in '50s film noir. --Jerry Renshaw

Description

Petty crook Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark) has his eyes fixed on the big score, but when he picks the purse of unsuspecting Candy (Jean Peters) he finds a haul bigger than he could imagine: a strip of microfilm bearing confidential U.S. secrets. Tailed by both Feds and the unwitting courier's Communist puppeteers, Skip and Candy find themselves in a precarious gambit that pits greed against redemption, Right versus Red, and passion against self preservation. A dazzling cast, hardboiled repartee and director Samuel Fuller's signature raw energy combine to create a true film noir classic.

Customer Reviews:

not only one of the best noirs - also one of the best films of the era.........2007-07-04

Samuel Fuller's pickup on south street is as perfect as film noir can get... It feauture 3 characters who would normally be seen as villains - as real people who we can identify with - people who simply do their jobs... They also happen to be incredibly interesting characters..
The film was shot magnificently in black and white for a remarkably low budget - only someone like fuller could pull it off...
The way the characters relate to one another in a matter of fact way.. and the way they are all targeted by the law and use the law to their advantage.. make this one of the most interesting twisted film noirs.. The stylization and direction combined with striking casting make this one of the best films period.
I would highly recommend this as an introduction to fuller and as a classic film noir..

A psychopath, a heroic doctor & a now sneak thief........2006-08-19

Richard Widmark plays them all. Later in his career he does numerous westerns & even a mad Navy ship's captain. In this one he is Skip McCoy a happy-go-lucky career criminal. His performance is above the movie itself. He is a pickpocket who steals Candy's (Jean Peters) wallet. Unknown to both of them she is a courier for communist spies & had a piece of microfilm with government secrets in her wallet. The Feds know about it too. Soon they're both in trouble & turn to each other in some of the movies best scenes. She's in trouble with her commie bosses. He's in trouble because he is already a three time loser. He's not particlarly patriotic, even when he figures out what he has. He is looking for a big score. He has to reconcile, doing the right thing, going straight & pursuing a long-term relationship with Candy. Widmark does the best he can with the material he's given in this average B movie. I give him 4****.

cold war paranoia sure did make for some fun movies!.......2006-05-04

just a near-perfect concept: richard widmark is a pickpocket whose latest mark is a young woman who just happens to be a spy carrying nuclear secrets in her wallet. film noir at its very best. and thelma ritter to boot.

About as good as it gets........2006-02-27

I usually tell people who wonder about Film Noir to see Out Of The Past. Pickup On South Street didn't change my opinion but its still very good.

This time, Richard Widmark skirts the line between the psycho he played in earlier films and the good guy he would become. This seems just right because it gives him the dangerous edge he needs. The movie is tough and politically incorrect but like the anti-Commie business, a product of its time.

No need to say more. Performances are great as are scenes of a New York long gone.

Kiss, Slap, Bang!.......2005-10-11

I've reviewed many Noir films from the 40's and 50's, "Maltese Falcon" to the B film "Detour," and loved them all, and don't get me wrong, POSS held me all the way through; the problem with this film is it's ugly misogamy, which unfortunately lives on to some extent in the film industry.

Sure, Noir films demand hardboiled punks and bimbo's of loose morals, but how many times is poor Jean Peter's, an okay doll, get punched in the face or shot in the belly. Come on, that's over-female-kill. That last scene after all the mayhem is just laughable.

Okay, I know, the story in "Detour" didn't make any sense either. These films are vehicles for an American mythology. The men are tough, able to take a punch and give it back too. Yeah, that's an urban John Wayne for you. The women are essentially ladies of the evening in a cocktail dress with a heart of gold, not marriage material, so you can er, kiss `em or beat `em up if ya want depending on the hour. Can't lay a hand on mother material I guess.

Richard Widmark is ludicrously cocky in his role of the pickpocket with brains. If his old man hadn't beat him to a pulp every day after reform school, things would have been different; he's smart enough to go to Harvard, but as it is, he enjoys cracking wise in the cop house. Ya got ta love a lug like that.

Olivier's Shakespeare - Criterion Collection (Hamlet / Henry V / Richard III)

Average customer rating:

Classic, Criterion, Olivier, brilliance.
Olivier Ruined Hamlet
The very best!
THREE GREAT MOMENTS... OLIVIER... SHAKESPEARE... CRITERION...

Olivier's Shakespeare - Criterion Collection (Hamlet / Henry V / Richard III)
Starring: Olivier's Shakespear
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: B000FILVO6
Release Date: 2006-08-01

Description

Dubbed the greatest actor of the twentieth century, Sir Laurence Olivier, the classically trained and majestically handsome English theater veteran, first transplanted his passion for Shakespeare to the big screen in the 1940s, and in so doing, allowed Elizabethan verse to break free of its stage-bound origins. Olivier directed only five films in his sixty-year career, yet his three Shakespeare adaptations (Henry V, Hamlet, Richard III), presented here together on DVD for the first time, are still widely considered the definitive film adaptations. Faithful to the playwright's words yet open to the unique possibilities of the cinema, these works transcend both screen and stage with timeless passion. Criterion is proud to present this unprecedented filmmaking legacy.

Customer Reviews:

Classic, Criterion, Olivier, brilliance........2007-08-15

1. Criterion; enough said. 2. Five stars for shelling these three classics together. 3. Laurence Olivier is one of the most captivating and most talented actors to ever grace the craft. His honing and mastering of timing, process and realism is bar none compared to the actors of this day and age as a whole. He was masterfully involved in every facet of a production. 4. Clearly 'Henry V' is his shining tour de force, although the majority will say it was 'Hamlet'. A Classics teacher I had once freshman year, a true inspiration of a hero, said "Olivier is the crowning jewel of a lost empty space." Olivier's Henry V unchains Shakespeare from most Elizabethan limits. He commands the performance with mobility and tenderness, yet brings Shakespeares poetry into a new light. He masterfully illuminates the complete package. I remember seeing Olivier play Master Nikodemus in Zeff's potrayal of the life of Christ in 'Jesus of Nazereth', (I am forever the agnostic, but Zeff's film was mesmorizing) and even there, even there in that simple tiny, forgotten role, we see that illumination at first hand. A gentle hovering spirit that soared to the very upper echelon of his profession. Thank you Criterion for understanding majestic raw talent, pinnacle acting and directing from a superstar, in which the likes of will surely not be matched for some time, if ever. Thanks Ken

Olivier Ruined Hamlet.......2007-07-05

While the acting is excellent, the interpretation Olivier gives Hamlet is nauseating. As a Shakespeare scholar, I have always cringed when I hear students of the bard describe Hamlet as a "man who could not make up his mind." Oliver tells us at the beginning of this film the very essence he sees in Hamlet. I have *no* problem with him interpreting in a way I do not agree with, but to say this is the "definitive work, period" is unfair to some other wonderful adaptations. For my money, Branagh's Hamlet is a more honest portrayal and the excellent dress rehearsal Dvd with Richard Burton is mind-blowing.
I do not dislike Olivier, but Hamlet is hardly his best Shakespearean work. Richard III is much better and Henry V is perhaps better than Branagh's version.

The very best!.......2007-05-02

It is because of "Larry", I came to love and understand the great Bard, all through high school and college, I never could grasp and appreciate Shakespeare, until I came upon the master actor of possibly all time, I would say without fear of contradiction, his work will out live all others, as far as this set of disc's from Criterion, I am sure they just as good as the single one's I have in my collection, the price is a great savings from single purchase, I might add the having seen the great films, opening a book of Shakespeare was a wonderful "new' experience.

THREE GREAT MOMENTS... OLIVIER... SHAKESPEARE... CRITERION..........2006-08-23

Basically, these are three great Criterion Editions boxed together - which gives it a nice sense of continuity between these films.

HAMLET is, perhaps, Shakespeare most widely known and popular work. And Olivier gives it the film performance to which all others are compared. Period. And it is a great film with a striking cinematography and (naturaly) a great cast. A classic. Criterion, as always, does a fine job in terms of image and sound... although this disc has no extras.

RICHARD III tells the story of the evil duke of gloucester and his murderous machinations to get the throne of England. Another great performance. Great Technicolor cinematography. Here, Criterion gives us a two-disc edition full of nice extras: an Olivier interview, a featurette, etc.

HENRY V is another tour de force as the king who must battle all odds in order to achieve the greatest victory. The Agincourt battle scenes are a wow!!! Another Tecnicolor triumph.

So, here you have three great Shakespeare adaptation at a better price (you can buy the separately) by Criterion.

I say look no further.

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The River
A poetic paean to Anglo-India
The touch of genius!
french indian film classic
Preferred the Rummer Godden documentary in this DVD!

The River - Criterion Collection
Starring: Nora Swinburne , Esmond Knight , Arthur Shields , Suprova Mukerjee , and Thomas E. Breen
Director: Jean Renoir
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ASIN: B0007989WU
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Amazon.com essential video

When speaking of Jean Renoir's timeless masterpiece The River, one can easily exhaust their supply of superlatives. Frequently listed among the greatest films ever made, it was Renoir's first English-language film and his first in color…and what rich, astonishing Technicolor it is! Shot by Renoir's nephew Claude, the film is a love letter to India, seen through the eyes (and narrated as memories) of an adolescent British girl living with her family near the banks of the Ganges, a location which allowed Renoir to indulge his burgeoning affection for the region, it's people, and the exotic allure of the Orient. Under challenging conditions, Renoir and author Rumer Godden adapted Godden's autobiographical novel into an elegant, loosely plotted reflection on the romance of India, and on coming of age in a culture that, until then, few Western filmgoers had ever seen on screen. (To enhance this journey to a new world, Renoir used Indian music recorded live in Calcutta instead of a traditional score; the effect is hypnotically inviting.) Blessed with eternal lessons of life, death, and love, The River offers a transcendent film experience, guaranteed to touch the heart of anyone who sees it. The film was meticulously restored to its original glory in 2004; Criterion's DVD release preserves that restoration with a pristine digital transfer. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Director Jean Renoir's entrancing first color feature—shot entirely on location in India—is a visual tour de force.

Customer Reviews:

The River.......2007-06-27

Renoir's lyrical, impressionistic ode to India's mystery and wonder belies the spell the country cast on the director from the moment he touched Indian soil. The first Technicolor film shot there, it is impossibly beautiful visually, and also immensely touching, as the turbulence of growing up is set against the eternal flow of the Bengal River. Like nothing you've seen, and among Renoir's most impressive works.

A poetic paean to Anglo-India.......2007-05-14

I can only echo the praise heaped upon this film by the other reviewers. Having lived in India myself for awhile this captures so many nuances of life there, even though the film is over 50 years old. One interesting note is the character Melanie is played by the actress identified as Radha (her face appears on the cover of the DVD). Radha is the daughter of N. Sri Ram, a past international President of the Theosophical Society and Radha, now Radha Burnier is the current international President of the Theosophical Society. A remarkable woman of many talents.

The touch of genius!.......2007-03-09

Stylistical and conceptually, Renoir's style possesses that coveted touch of class that so many directors desperately seek but so few can get in its absolute wholeness.

Only under the spelling direction of Jean Renoir this lyrical drama about children growing up in Bengali could achieve such artistic status. The splendid photography is a true visual feast. An instantaneous classic that nourished the raising Indian filmmaker: Satyajit Ray.

As once, Renoir stated: "One always is inspired by something, even to create the most original issue"

french indian film classic.......2007-01-10

Jean Renoir's first film in color -a moving and gentle meditation on the pain of growing up and the difficulties of the English in India half a century ago in understanding the strange world and culture they lived in. Beautiful filming and very effective playing by many young cast members. A real joy.

Preferred the Rummer Godden documentary in this DVD!.......2006-12-16

I watched everything on this DVD, and I am giving it a 5-star rating not for the film but rather for the British TV documentary that was included at the end. Usually I don't watch the special segments on the making of a film, the cast, the location, etc., but in this case I found all this information much more interesting than the film itself. I think I watched it all because after I watched the film, I was somewhat disappointed and wanted to know what exactly all the fuss was about. The movie is very visually artistic and enjoyable to watch with that expectation only. India was gorgeous and unsurprisingly director Renoir kind of made the story and setting into a non-stop stream of watercolors. I don't think I have ever seen anyone else do it better than he did in this film. However, as for the storyline I found its presentation too "French" for me. What I mean by this is that I have often found the female characters in French films made by male French directors to be too adoring, too emotional or too wicked, if not all three at nearly the same time. There often is this element of melodrama and sudden emotional swings as if all the females were PMS'ing at the same time. FYI, I'm female by the way. Even some of the male characters acted too melodramatically for me. I have not read the novel by Rummer Godden or any of her books for that matter so I do not know if this was how the book was written or was due to free license taken by the director. However, there was an hour-long British TV program about Godden's life and her return to India decades later included on this DVD. It was excellent! This DVD is worth watching just for that alone. I was mesmerized listening to her tell her life story and watching her reactions as she revisited scenes of her childhood and young womanhood. She has had an extraordinary life and she is so honest about herself, good and bad. To me, she was the "great work" on this DVD and watching the film was the background special bonus material. I wondered how she liked the film and listened for her to give some indication. Maybe I missed it but I don't think so.

Average customer rating:

Hand in Hand --- to Hell
If the Devil will reign...
Olivier's Richard
One dimensional Richard
A beautifully restored film about the hideous human nature

Richard III - Criterion Collection
Starring: Stewart Allen , Wally Bascoe , Claire Bloom , Pamela Brown , and Alec Clunes
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ASIN: B00014K5ZA
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Amazon.com

The third and final entry in Laurence Olivier's Shakespeare triptych, Richard III (1954) is an audacious portrait of a man determined to prove himself a villain. As the personification of evil impudence, Olivier portrays the Duke of Gloucester with such aplomb that he brings the audience onto his side. This is true even as Richard engineers plots to murder his brother Clarence (John Gielgud), betray his cousin Buckingham (Ralph Richardson), and seduce his niece Lady Anne (Claire Bloom). From the play's famous opening lines ("Now is the winter of our discontent"), Olivier delivers every speech with truly Machiavellian splendor, and his superb staging of the climactic battle rivals his work on Henry V. Regrettably, this would be Olivier's last Shakespeare film, as a planned adaptation of Macbeth was abandoned for financial reasons. Olivier justly received an Oscar® nomination for his performance; and believe it or not, this film was the inspiration for the original Blackadder! --Kevin Mulhall

Description

In the majestic and sweeping 1955 version of Richard III, Laurence Olivier transfigures Shakespeare's great historical drama into a mesmerizing vision of Machiavellian villainy. Olivier's performance, considered by many the greatest of his career, charges Richard with magnetic malevolence as he steals his brother Edward's crown through a murderous set of machinations. His inspired direction brings to the screen superlative performances by actors Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, and the young Claire Bloom. The Criterion Collection is proud to present the restored full-length version in a special double-disc edition featuring audio commentary by Russell Lees and John Wilders, a 1966 BBC interview with Olivier hosted by theater critic Kenneth Tynan, a gallery of on-set and production stills and posters, a 12-minute television preview for the film and the original theatrical trailer.

Customer Reviews:

Hand in Hand --- to Hell.......2007-08-03

Indelible is the word for Olivier's personification of Richard III. The door swings gently open, and the monster takes you into his confidence. You become the co-conspirator and malevolent confederate. The character enters your mind and etches itself permanently into the memory. It's impossible to erase, and any later interpretations will always fight a losing battle. There are the usual customary petty complaints about the sets and the settings --- like Bosworth Field doesn't look like England. Who cares? Shakespeare's plays are about words and their delivery. Olivier delivers. Call it hammy, call it over-the-top, it's the way Will wrote it. It was good enough for Garrick, and Olivier was Garrick's heir. Makes your hair stand on end. Richard's deformities (sorry, disabilities) are absolutely central to the psychology of the part: you've got to feel a little sympathy for the man. He has a sense of humour, and finds his incredible success as a wooer both funny peculiar and funny ha-ha. He's also got guts: in for a penny, in for a pound. Devils just happen to be more fascinating than angels. That's the way of things. I'm looking forward to getting this edition, as my present one has poor colours and no extras. P.S. The manner in which the production is filmed may be theatrical (and why not?), but it is also highly cinematic. The lighting, the shadows, the camera movements and the closeups all work perfectly.

If the Devil will reign..........2007-04-23

Every time I see this movie have the same feeling: if the Devil will reign, it will be this way!
Opera lovers knows that one of the worst things ever is the fact that Maria Callas never recorded a full version of Verdi's Macbeth; luckyly, the olympic talent of Laurence Olivier created this jewel.
For me, it goes ahead even before Olivier's Hamlet: this very personal approach of the Duke of Gloucester goes surrealistic enough to be modern. I saw it first when I was a child and I will never forget the impression that Olivier's eyes caused.
Cast, with Gielgud, Richardson, Bloom and Hardwicke among others, supports Olivier's experiment transforming the text of Shakespeare almost in a modern thriller about the corruption of a soul obsessed with power beyond all limits.
It was necessary the maturity of another great stage and cinema actor (Al Pacino) to almost reach Olivier, but this one is still a landmark.

Olivier's Richard.......2007-02-21

I have noticed that it is fashionable in some circles (particularly in the 'acting community') to be highly critical of Laurence Olivier and his interpretation of Shakespeare... While I have no credentials to speak of myself, I find these sorts of criticisms to be misplaced and they tend to unfairly take on Olivier without considering his times - Olivier was something of an outsider in his approach to Shakespeare - and the task of transfering his ideas of shakespeare into a rigid studio film (which nevertheless Olivier brilliantly succeeded in doing) would put Olivier right into a very vulerable place for an actor/director to be in.. Olivier was a believer in the human aspects of Shakespeare - he radically saw the possibility of a modern shakespeare - a shakespeare one could consider alongside the advent of modern psycohology and literature.. a sort of Freudian Shakespeare.. Now that Freud is also out of fashion it is easy to judge.. But the most important thing Olivier did had nothing to do with theories - he brought shakespeare to a larger audience - he made shakespeare more accessible.. He also did something only the best actors can do - he put his own personal stamp on the character of Richard III..His Richard is a serpentine feminine richard.. You clearly see a man who suffers within his body and mirrors this malace on to the world he confronts.. Olivier's Direction is also something remarkable - he combines the stage with celluloid in a way few have been able to manage... Criterion's transfer of this classic film is brilliantly crisp -you can't help but think of walt disney when you see this (or maybe powell and pressburger) - this is a perfectly legitimate portrayal of richard III and one that people will watch for years to come - what more could an actor achieve?

One dimensional Richard.......2007-01-19

I know I'm going to come off as a bit of a heretic here. I already know that people generally LOVE Larry's,well, anything Shakespeare,BUT, as a Shakespearean actor myself,(and one whose favorite role is the Hunchback King),I must say that Richard's character has much more potential than Olivier's rendition reveals. Also,the play is abridged by about 30 min. of cut material,(in order to cement Richard's one-dimensional cast). I didn't particularly like Olivier's Shylock either. To be fair,his Hamlet is brilliant,but unfortunately,it too is abridged,like, where are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern anyway? Apparently this is done for the shorter attention span of the American audience?

A beautifully restored film about the hideous human nature.......2006-08-17

No one could rival Laurence Olivier (Hamlet, Henry V, Richard III) as the scheming, ruthless youngest son of the 3rd Duke of York, who stopped at nothing to be King Richard III. His first appearance was deceptive. I noticed only a big nose and recognized him only after he spoke. Burdened with a crooked back, limp and shrunk hand, his ambition for kingship only burnt more feverishly. With disguised humbleness, he made peace with other royalties. His words were sugar-coated and gay. He killed Warwick, the 'KingMaker' who helped enthrone his elder brother as King Edward IV, and wooed Warwick's daughter Anne(the beautiful Claire Bloom) to marry him shortly after killing her husband. His planned murders of his elder brother Duke of Clarence, Lord Hastings, his young nephews (heirs-to-be), his wife Anne made even today's politics pale and unexciting.

Yet the movie about such a dark character was beautiful in VistaColour, set and costumes, cinematography. Scenes of executions, naïve Lord Hastings (Alec Clunes) walking into his death trap, innocent heirs-to-be greeting uncle Richard and Richard's final battle are memorable. All the other characters exuded integraity, royality and humanity. They were handsome in appearance and noble in heart, so different from Richard III. Even the once accomplice Duke of Buckingham (Ralph Richardson), without whose help there would be no Richard III, showed a moment of caution in doing any more evil. Perhaps it's this great contrast between Richard and everyone else that made the movie luring and tragic. In his last battle of Bosworth Field, Laurence Olivier showed a more reflective and human side of Richard III. When nearly everything on his side was lost, he marched, with a handful of supporters including his royal page (Stewart Allen), and fought valiantly.

The movie also succeeded in its clarity and fluidity. The powerplay of an excellent cast of experienced actors with great screen presence made 155 minutes fly without notice. With no prior knowledge of the Wars of Roses (House of York vs House of Lancaster), I am not at all lost in the many characters and relationship. And the crowning of Henry Tudor, 2nd Earl of Richmond, as Henry VII marked the beginning of the most filmed Tudor dynasty - a perfect prologue of films about the lives of Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth.

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This is not a punk film; it is a Derek Jarman film...
Punk quality
Sex, Drugs and Punk Rock!
If punk rockers ruled the world...
The worst movie i have ever seen

Jubilee - Criterion Collection
Starring: Jenny Runacre , Nell Campbell , Toyah Willcox , Jordan (III) , and Hermine Demoriane
Director: Derek Jarman
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: B00008RH14
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Amazon.com

Avant-garde spirit and punk-rock attitude combine with iconoclastic results in Derek Jarman's defiantly uncommercial Jubilee. Filmed in 1977--the silver jubilee year of England's Queen Elizabeth II--this fascinating hodgepodge of political dissent and audiovisual experimentation now stands as a vibrant document of its time, both immediate and enduring in its bold rejection of all things conventional. (Compared to this, the quasi-punk Repo Man and angst-ridden Sid & Nancy seem positively tame.) Jarman's film deserved its mixed reviews; like the films of Andy Warhol, it's a slapdash affair, cobbled together by Jarman and his fringe-dwelling friends, ostensibly designed as a kaleidoscopic glimpse of London's future, infused with apocalyptic nihilism and populated by proto-punks (including Adam Ant and Rocky Horror's Little Nell) in an anarchic orgy of gay and straight sex, music, violence, and (in retrospect) astonishingly accurate pop-cultural prophesy. It's the pioneering, angry/funny work of a genuine artist, as essential to punk film as the Sex Pistols were to music in the dreadful days of disco. --Jeff Shannon

Description

When Queen Elizabeth I asks her court alchemist to show her England in the future, she's transported 400 years to a post-apocalyptic wasteland of roving girl gangs, an all-powerful media mogul, fascistic police, scattered filth, and twisted sex. With Jubilee, legendary British filmmaker Derek Jarman channeled political dissent and artistic daring into a revolutionary blend of history and fantasy, musical and cinematic experimentation, satire and anger, fashion and philosophy. With its uninhibited punk petulance and sloganeering, Jubilee, brings together many cultural and musical icons of the time, including Jordan, Toyah Willcox, Little Nell, Wayne County, Adam Ant, and Brian Eno (with his first original film score), to create a genuinely unique, unforgettable vision. Ahead of its time and often frighteningly accurate in its predictions, it is a fascinating historical document and a gorgeous work of film art.

Customer Reviews:

This is not a punk film; it is a Derek Jarman film..........2007-03-14

This is a wonderful film, and it's also greatly misunderstood. It came out in 1978 at the height of the punk movement in England, and it was labeled as a "punk" film. It is not a punk film; it is a Derek Jarman film. Since it is a Derek Jarman film, it's filled with poetry, sadness, brilliant imagery, and a deep tenderness in many of its scenes. It's also filled with homoerotic elements and some deeply poetic dialogue. The only thing the film doesn't have is punk. If it were a document of the punk movement, it would only be a historical artifact, like a news piece. It would be terribly dated now. But this film doesn't date at all. There's hardly any mention of punk in the film, and there's hardly any punk rock music in the film. In the documentary included in the DVD, the people who worked with Jarman on the film inform us that the punk movement/rockers hated the film (probably because most of them weren't in it, and Jarman didn't embrace the punk movement). Many of these people walked out on the film, and someone (I can't remember who) even wrote an "open letter" to Derek Jarman. Jarman ended up having a T-shirt printed up of it. There's a picture of him in the documentary wearing it. I must admit I like that (Jarman wearing the T-shirt, not the actual letter). There are a number of interesting performances, including Adam Ant (in his first film). Ian Charleson (Angel) is good as well in his first film. He was in Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, and Opera, and, like Jarman, died of AIDS in 1987. Richard O'Brien (John Dee) is very good here. He played Riff Raff in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Jenny Runacre, who plays Elizabeth I and Bod here, also played Jack Nicholson's wife in Antonioni's The Passenger. There's a real curious mix of professionals and non-professional here, and it works very well. I found this film remarkable, and I am very glad that Criterion has it in a special edition.

Punk quality.......2005-09-19

I saw this film (what I could stand) because I was curious about Toyah Willcox as an actor. I had to go to the end credits to find out which character she was. I was expecting the beautiful woman from the cover of her "Minx" album. Instead, from 1977 I got a sort of chubby teenager playing "Mad", a punk girl with a carot crewcut. Not interesting.

It is a very ambitious movie, and perhaps it should earn points for that. But it is just so poorly conceived. Poorly film, poor sound, attrocious acting, bad timing.

You may like it if you like punk sensibility and garage band production values.

Sex, Drugs and Punk Rock!.......2004-12-26

Criterion Spine Number: 191

Derek Jarman's twisted psuedo-Rocky Horror is just the perfect treat for any fan of really twisted films.

Queen Elizabeth I (Jenny Runacre who also plays the character of Bod) wants to see into the future. With the aid of her court and the angel Ariel, she is transported 4 centuries into the future to get a gander of current life. What she sees is nothing less than shocking. Total anarchy: Buckingham Palace is a recording studio owned by insane media master Borgia Ginz (Orlando), the Church is a sex hall, police only help themselves and what you can grab, is yours.

The main focous of the movie, however is a group of five young women: the sexy and always turned on Crabs (Little Nell), the "schoolteacher" with a nack for singing "Rule Brittania" in punk fashon named Amyl Nitrate (Jordan), the pyromaniac fire bug Mad (Toyah Willcox), the sweet and romantic Chaos (Hermine Demoriane) and finally the Queen in her own little world: Bod (Jenny's second role in the film).

There is also some early music by: Adam Ant, Brian Eno, Wayne County and many others. The music fits the film perfectly and is quite fun all around.

Now, onto the DVD:

The image quality is great. Probably not the best dvd picture I've ever seen but none the less, it's wonderful. It's presented in it's original aspect ratio of 1.66 and is enhanced for widescreen TVs.

The films original audio track is quite good as well. It's a Dolby Digital Mono track and surprisingly, there's no problems with it (I sometimes have problems with 1.0 tracks but not this time)

The special features are a bushell of fun: First there is the documentary which runs nearly 40 minutes and has a lot of information of the director and film. Toyah Willcox even shows up for an interview along with Jenny Runacre). We are also offered script pages with a series of notes. Continuity stills, sketches, the original (and almost as twisted as the movie) theatrical trailer, production pictures and finally, Jordan's complete dance (longer take than what is in the movie) which is quite interesting.

Jubilee is not a film for everyone or casual viewers of odd movies. Unless you really like twisted movies, then just rent it. But if you are ready for some odd, odd, odd fun...enjoy Jubilee.

If punk rockers ruled the world..........2004-11-26

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

"Jubilee" released in 1977 during Queen Elizabeth II's silver Jubilee year, certainly would not be accepted by her.

In this film Queen Elizabeth the first wants to see England in the future. She is sent 400 years ahead to see England in a manner somewhat reminiscent of Clockwork Orange. Punk rockers dominate the mass media, sexually deviant behavior (erotic asphyxiation for example) is considered acceptable, and a variety of other crazy things.

The film never got an MPAA rating but deserves an NC-17 in my opinion. It got an 18 rating in England which is pretty much the same.

The film is sure to offend many people and I strongly recommend that people learn more about it before seeing it themselves.

The Criterion DVD has a documentary on director Derek Jarman, a theatrical trailer, a super-8 film used in the movie as stock fooatge, and a fascimile of Jarman's scrapbook.

It is mainly a film for those interested in the punk era.

The worst movie i have ever seen.......2004-10-30

If i could give this movie zero stars, i would. The story (or lack thereof) sounded interesting in principle, but this movie has absolutely nothing of intrest to say to the viewer and fails in every respect. Forget the reviewers who tell you to purchase this if at least for the punk legends who act in it, who cares if Adam Ant is in it when youre just going to be bored to tears the whole way through? The film is amateurish beyond belief and i can honsetly say the acting is the worst ive seen in any film, ever.

This is the first time Criterion has let me down, and what a gargantuan let down this movie was. I wonder what on earth they were thinking when they decided to unleash this stinker of a movie on the public. At the risk of sounding like a fascist, I dare say it would have been a much better move to bury every print of this movie in the same landfill they used for the E.T. Atari game back in the 80s than release it on DVD. Let's play pretend for a second and say the actors in this film could actually act - even then every character is so annoying and not one bit likable that the movie would STILL stink. One good thing can be said about it though - The bad acting mixed with the horrible dialogue mixed with the incredibly stupid looking "angel" that shows Queen Elizabeth the future will bring a generous laugh to anyone, that is untill you realize you paid for this $hit. Then you'll probably cry.

Dont waste your money on this, even if youre a fan of punk rock and/or Adam Ant as i am. This is genuinely garbage. My copy of Jubilee is going straight to an auction site.

bye.

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