The Transporter (Special Delivery Edition)

Amazon.com

Move over, Vin Diesel, because The Transporter, Hong Kong action veteran Corey Yuen's English-language directorial debut, is revving up to steal your thunder. As the other top-billed action star to emerge in 2002, British hunk Jason Statham--previously seen in Snatch, Ghosts of Mars, and The One--plays a hard-driving courier for well-heeled underworld clients. He follows simple rules: (1) Stick to the deal; (2) Don't ask names; and (3) Don't look in the packages he transports. All's well until he violates rule 3, discovering a Chinese beauty (Qi Shu) in the trunk of his tricked-out BMW, and foiling a deadly plot to smuggle Chinese slaves through the port of Marseilles. The first hour is ass-kickin' fun, and the stuntwork is impressive throughout, even as the plot degenerates into a predictable series of bone-breaking showdowns. Statham boasts an appealing combination of brains and brawn, suggesting the suave versatility of a promising career. Coproduced by action auteur Luc Besson and filmed on dazzling French locations, The Transporter is an action fan's delight. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is the best as what he does: transporting dangerous or illegal goods with no questions asked. But his last shipment, a beautiful young woman kidnapped by international slave traders, brings deadly complications to his delivery plans. Now Frank must kick into overdrive in a nonstop action-packed fight to save his precious cargo - and his life.

Customer Reviews:

Some Rules Should Never Be Broken..........2007-09-10

'Some Rules Should Never Be Broken' could have easily been a tagline used in the advertising for this movie. Sometimes when we break the rules the consequences really hit us hard, which is the case for the main character Frank Martin, in the Cory Yuen (acclaimed Japanese action film director) directed surprise smash hit "The Transporter" starring Jason Statham.

"The Transporter" focuses on ex-special forces soldier Frank Martin (Jason Statham) who makes a living transporting various items for high-paying clients who value timeliness, reliability, and above all else, secrecy. He is a man whose life is dictated by a strict set of rules that he abides by; however, on his most recent job Frank makes a costly mistake. He breaks what could be called his 'Cardinal rule', the one that dictates the transporter is to never open the package he is delivering. But once the rule is broken there's no going back. Now, Frank finds himself on the run with the very package he was assigned to deliver, a young Asian girl who has been trailing an international slave trading ring, and he must summon all of his training if both himself and his package are to survive the pursuit.

I'll be honest, when this movie was first advertised to arrive in theaters, I really didn't give much thought to seeing it. There didn't seem to be all that much appeal to my tastes in the movie. To me, I thought it was just another mindless action flick with little to no story, having one action scene after another being held together by flimsy dialogue that wouldn't have even been acceptable by B-movie standards. So, needless to say I merely forgot about the movie for quite some time, until I happened to catch a glimpse of the trailer for the sequel. What caught my eye with this preview was the fact that if this kind of movie was getting a sequel, then maybe there was more to the original film than I had given it credit for. So, shortly before the release of the sequel, I decided to break down and rent "The Transporter" figuring if nothing else, it will distract me for at least 90 minutes, and who knows maybe I'll even be entertained on some level. After all, someone must have thought the original was pretty good if it warranted a theatrically released sequel rather than one that is straight-to-DVD as most sequels of this variety would have been.

The story for "The Transporter" isn't deep by any means, lets not kid ourselves about that. Even though it's not all that original, and contains a basic plot that has been used countless times before, the dialogue was surprisingly well-written, and the fights were flat-out impressive during some of the action sequences, that you easily overlook the simplicity of the story. Of course, when watching a movie such as this, you really aren't looking for something all that complicated, so there are times when simplicity is the better way to go, and this movie is definitely one of those times.

But this movie would have been nothing if not for the charismatic screen presence of the movie's lead, Jason Statham ("The Italian Job"). Statham brought such an easy going attitude to the character of Frank Martin, when coupled with his intense charisma and screen presence, he took what was a run-of-the-mill action flick and elevated it into a hugely entertaining and memorable action movie that thrills audiences from start to finish. The supporting actors were mostly solid in their performances, all the characters were heavily cliched, but some of the actors appeared to take it upon themselves to add depth to their characters, allowing for a much more enjoyable experience. It's no doubt in my mind that they were the primary reasons that this movie wound up becoming a big hit in theaters, raising this film above the mediocrity it was most likely destined for.

Regardless of how good the actors or the story for any action movie may be, the movie will be nothing if it doesn't feature impressive action sequences that blow the audiences socks off. Which is exactly what many of the numerous action scenes do in "The Transporter", and what's more impressive is that Jason Statham performed a majority of all his stunts. With his intense screen presence that can't be ignored, and his impressive athletic ability as showcased in the numerous fight/stunt sequences it's easy to see why Statham is quickly becoming Hollywood's newest action hero.

If you are a fan of martial arts movies, action films from the likes of Steven Seagal and Jean Claude Van Damme, then "The Transporter" is a movie that will be of great interest to you. And in my opinion, will entertain you ten times more than any of Seagal or Van Damme's efforts from recent years, plus the acting and storytelling are better than most entries are in this genre.

"The Transporter" is rated PG-13 for violence, language, and sensuality.

Not much of a let down but fun to watch.......2007-08-30

The opening third of the flick is by far the best part. Frank Martin lives by his three rules: never alter the deal, no names, never open the package. Up until he breaks one of his rules the movie is an interesting look at a man who lives by his own terms in an extremely violent and dangerous portion of the world. Unfortunately after he finds the girl the movie breaks down into a series of cliches and explosions that are less interesting.

I have liked Jason Statham a lot not just in those English gangster movies but in "The One" with Jet Li and John Carpenter's "Ghosts of Mars," he deserves to be a star in his own right and this movie co-starring a vehicle should have been the right vehicle for him. It's a shame he was given so little to do, aside from kicking the crap out of many people, which he does quite handily. There's a lot of talk about "rules" in this movie and the movie itself obeys the rules of martial arts onscreen, one being that when the hero is facing a bunch of bad guys, they're only allowed to attack him one or two at a time, and they're not allowed to have guns unless they stand so close that the hero can disarm them. Jackie Chan's classic shtick of picking up any handy item to use as a weapon is alive and well here, likewise Chan's trademark element of farce/slapstick, e.g. the oil-slick brouhaha. And we have death-defying stunts galore and tire-squealing car chases and all sorts of goings -on. Yet somehow Mr. Statham himself seems to get lost in the proceedings.

It's really not his fault. His character is very sketchily written, the plot seems to have been made up as they went along a la "Casablanca," and the desired chemistry between him and the Chinese heroine just doesn't happen. I don't know who the actress is or what she did previously, and she's, you know, cute and all that, but she just did nothing for me whatsoever, and apparently not much for Jason Statham either. She's no Bai Ling, let's say, much less a Lucy Liu or Kelly Hu or--dare I mention the name--Michelle Yeoh aka Michelle Kwan. She's a cypher and even the writers seem to have grasped that; look how long they keep her bound and gagged onscreen to try to generate some fetishistic interest in what's happening with her. "The Big Hit," another movie with a kidnapped Chinese chick falling for the kidnapper, only took about five minutes to generate the romantic oomph that his one never really achieves. The movie doesn't even bother including the usually obligatory closing shot of the hero & heroine alone together, as though acknowledging they were never really an item. Bottom line, I did enjoy this it's a solid action flick with a lot of high-powered stunts and a winning performance by Jason Statham in the lead, though one wonders what sort of movie would have resulted had Frank just closed the trunk again.

The Transporter (Blue Ray).......2007-08-23

Unfortunately we can not play this on our DVD we dont have Blue Ray or HD
So we were very disappointed

don't break the rules.......2007-06-20

The Transporter is Jason Statham's first big solo role in a movie, and it is a success with the followups of Transporter 2, Crank, and the anticipated upcoming film "War", where he fights one on one against Jet Li. Jason has participated in several films before Transporter in somewhat lesser roles such as "The One" and "The Italian Job", but the Transporter finally lets this man shine - and he brings a character to the screen - Frank Martin - who is intelligent, skillful, strong and one downright cool guy.

The movie has a good and promising beginning, showing off the cool factor of Frank Martin immediately. Followed quickly by an intense car chase scene, the movie never lets up after that - whether it be action or suspense. The story is not too interesting, but it is put together well. Frank discovers that a package he is transporting is carrying a live body inside. Frank's "tough-guy attitude" is worn down and he breaks his own rule by opening the package. The receiver of the package is no dummy, and realizes that Frank broke the rules and has his car destroyed. Frank, fortunately absent from his car during the explosion, seeks revenge but ends up with company along the way by accident - the girl inside the package. From here the story begins to take off as Frank becomes entangled in the situation all the more.

While there isn't a tremendouns amount of action, the spacing of action works well enough. The final 20 minutes are huge, easily containing the best scenes in the movie. I especially liked the fights in the bus garage and the final highway truck scene which reminded me very much of the truck scene from "Raider of the Lost Ark".

Transporter is a great movie for Jason Statham. I really enjoy this guy, and see a good future for him. His martial art skills are truly entertaining, as is his stunts and acting. This is an hour and half of just great relax entertainment.

The Transporter in Blu-ray: Action, Suspense, Romance and Fast Cars!.......2007-05-29

I loved this movie! The story was new and creative! If you like action movies and actor Jason Statham, you'll love this movie. Filmed in the French Riviera!

Video-Blu-ray: This movie enjoys a good transfer-not perfect- but good! You still see some video noise and image grain. Overall, Just slightly better than the SD in term of details with extra grain.

Audio: simply impressive!

Bottom line: You can't go wrong with this one! Action, suspense, romance and fast car chases. If the image grain bothers you, try the SD version-it's not as grainy.

Average customer rating:

Dealing With Tragedy
Amazing
thoroughly depressing ...
Everyone Carries a Piece of the Truth.
powerful reminder that this sort of thing still happens in USA

The Laramie Project
Starring: Kathleen Chalfant , Laura Linney , Peter Fonda , Jeremy Davies , and Nestor Carbonell
Director: Moisés Kaufman
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000067D0Y
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Amazon.com

Even though The Laramie Project has been edited down from almost three hours (the original length of the play) to a lean 96 minutes, the harrowing nature of the subject matter--the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard--and the clarity of the voices of the inhabitants of Laramie, Wyoming, give this film a remarkable emotional power. The Laramie Project was created from over 200 interviews conducted with Laramie residents before, during, and after the trials of the two boys who killed Shepard; the interviews create an amazing cross-section of American views on homosexuality, religion, class, privacy, and so much more besides. Even though it features an all-star cast--Steve Buscemi, Janeane Garofalo, Christina Ricci, Peter Fonda, and Laura Linney are only a few of the recognizable faces--the material has not been glamorized and the performances are both honest and intimate. Even abbreviated, it's a remarkable piece of work. --Bret Fetzer

Description

In October 1998, 21 year-old Mathew Shepard was found savagely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in Laramie, Wyoming. "The Laramie Project" is the portrait of a town painfully forced to confront itself in the reflective glare of the national spotlight, responding with love, anger, sympathy, support and defiance.

Customer Reviews:

Dealing With Tragedy.......2007-05-21

Read the first-hand accounts of those on scene after the death of Matthew Shepard. This collection of notes is a real eye-opener.

Amazing.......2007-03-26

I was aware about Matthew's story but never thought in those ones who actually meet him and talk to him. Even they are not the real one this work was well done and allow us to remember that this happend almost 10 years ago and it's still hapening everywhere. I think it's an excellent film to see with teenagers and people in general who needs to know about tolerance and respect of everyone's lifestyle.

thoroughly depressing ..........2007-03-06

This film, which is really just a series of re-enacted interviews, is a dismal portrayal of a community in agony. It's natural when someone you know dies to feel sad, miserable, angry and outraged. But the producers of this film dwell on the community's misery and suffering, and any opportunity to learn from this crime is lost in the raw emotions of the town's residents.

This is, quite simply, a film with an agenda. It is intended to incite anger and promote hate crime legislation. Dwelling on this crime is not going to do anyone any good.

Everyone Carries a Piece of the Truth........2007-02-26

One of the most powerful speeches witnessed in this film are those by Laura Linney, who tries to create a similarity between the death of Matthew Shepard and the accidental death of a Wyoming State Trooper that same night. It does create a moment of thought in your mind that links the power of the death of Shepard to that of the power of the media, but it is just for a fleeting moment as we are whisked back into another voice, with another opinion. That voice is both the strength and weakness of this film. As a viewer, new to this story and type of storytelling, I felt a bit over biased. I realize that instead of focusing on the death and life of Matthew Shepard, Kaufman, focused on the collective voice of the town, which was nothing but a bag of mixed messages. As I sat, thinking about this film over the course of several days, that is the only issue that I had trouble grappling. This was an emotional film, chalk full of actors giving surprising monologues about their personal opinions as we collectively watch the aftermath of such a horrid crime. We even get the chance to see how the death of Matthew Shepard caused an ill fate to another person within the community. Again, these side stories were powerful to watch because it gave a living soul to the town, but where The Laramie Project went a bit too far was the over-dramatic nature of the characters.

While I would agree that there was probably some emotion behind those that chose to take part in the interviews, I don't believe you would find such a doctor, with such a dramatic "umph" saying, "We take offense to this murder", like no other than Peter Fonda could say it. Christina Ricci, in my eyes, was the embodiment of my last statement. Perhaps Kaufman, would have benefited more by placing unknowns in the roles instead of these name Hollywood players. While they were not A-grade actors, they each did a phenomenal job in this film - but oddly, this was the problem. Steve Buscemi speaking about his relationship with Shepard made me see Buscemi being Buscemi. I didn't see the character that he was playing. I didn't see Fonda's doctor's character. I didn't see anything of value behind Ricci's character (outside of a definite Ricci being Ricci) - and while I realize that this was not a work of fiction, without the development of a known character, they were just actors speaking powerful lines. The lines stood on their own, and it was those lines that continued my attention through the film. Alas, I could not see Joshua Jackson (from Dawson's Creek) as the actual bartender or Dylan Baker as the head of the hospital because I knew these actors. I wanted better from them. The most emotional speeches came from those that I was not fully familiar with. Those like the man who watched the parade route, or the actor that played Matthew Shepard's father. These smaller, unknown bits, was what made The Laramie Project stand out and break a tear out of even the strongest wall.

I want to express again that I thought that this was a very powerful film; there were just certain moments that were using cliché elements to heighten the emotion of the story. This wasn't needed in the least bit. While I know that having the media attention when the residents of Laramie walked out of the courtroom was surprising, the film technique used to demonstrate this seemed cheap, and nearly like a low blow to the story. The glossed effect of when Ricci's character, and her mother, made angels to block the words of protestors, seemed fake on screen - while perhaps actual footage of this event would have strengthened the emotion. Perhaps I am asking too much, but when Ricci walks out with those angel wings flying high, I just expected Will Smith to come out of nowhere, screaming a line that would surely demonstrate to those protestors who was in control here. It came out a bit too Hollywood. As well as the scene where Dylan Baker cries, which I felt was the better of all the cinematic moments. It was powerful, yet subdued. It could have used more realism. Am I complaining too much? Nope, because I thought this was a brilliant film with how unique it was with its portrait of storytelling. I liked hearing the voices, in fact, if this were a story on CD, it would be a personal favorite, but because we were distracted by images of famous actors speaking in their own voice as well as unclimactic cliché scenes, it softened the blow. I was still teary at the end, but this could have been a film to rival that of Angels in America had it just tried a bit harder to avoid the Hollywood influx and paint a more vivid portrait of your average American town.

Overall, I must admit, it took me several days for this film to settle, but I think I could view it again. I especially would like to see Amy Madigan's performance, which I thought, her struggle with what happened, nearly overshadowed what happened to Matthew Shepard. I could have watched an entire film based solely on her. It is amazing what the media chooses to cover, and what they choose to ignore. I like what this film demonstrated. I like that it didn't depict this Wyoming town of rednecks and hillbillies never quite understanding what was wrong with the murder of Shepard. I am glad that we were able to see humanity break through the barriers and show emotion, show sadness, and look beyond the lifestyle to see the human being that was wrongly sentenced. I do think, nonetheless, that liberties were taken with certain actors and certain camera shots, but overall that can be overlooked. By throwing in some unknowns to this picture, I think the drama and the intensity of the event could have been heightened. This is a sad thing that happened, and I am glad that Hollywood chose to open the envelope, but they just didn't give it that final seal of approval. Actors were actors and cliché moments were used to build emotion. You already had a sad story; we didn't need the charades to improve it. I strongly suggest watching this film, if anything, to see that there is compassion within a town burdened with such a horrific crime. It is sad, and will surely bring a tear to anyone's eye.

Grade: **** out of *****

powerful reminder that this sort of thing still happens in USA.......2007-01-22

It is important to see this compelling and horrifying story because it is a powerful reminder that this sort of thing still happens in the US. What makes the film unique is that all of the dialogue was taken from actual interviews with residents of Laramie, Wyoming, the city where Matthew Shepard was murdered.

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Love, Not Romance, Or Is It The Other Way Round?
Quite possibly the worst movie in cinematic history
Last Tango in Paris
"Listen, that's not a subway strap...that's me "c**k!"
Stunning performance by Brando

Last Tango in Paris
Starring: Marlon Brando , Maria Schneider , Maria Michi , Giovanna Galletti , and Gitt Magrini
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305132917
Release Date: 1998-11-03

Amazon.com essential video

Bernardo Bertolucci's controversial 1973 film stars Marlon Brando as an expatriate American in Paris reeling from his wife's suicide and entering into a nihilistic sexual relationship with a young woman (Maria Schneider). The film is still shocking, not simply because of its (sometime unconventional) sexual sequences, but because Brando's protagonist needs his liaison with Schneider's character to remain anonymous, an experience not to be shared but indulged on either end. Bertolucci is also operating on subtext here: in a way, Brando's nonengaging engagement is a metaphor for a certain attitude toward directing movies. Jean-Pierre Léaud costars, but the film is more than anything a vehicle for a great performance by Brando. --Tom Keogh

Description

Penetrate the moody, sensual world of Last Tango in Paris, and prepare yourself for "the most controversial film of its era" (Leonard Maltin). Nominated* for two Academy Awards(r)Director (Bernardo Bertolucci) and Actor (Marlon Brando)and exuding a sexual energy unlike any film before or after, this is the scintillating classic that shocked a nation...and "altered the face of an art form" (Pauline Kael). He (Brando) is a 45-year old American living in Paris, haunted by his wife's suicide. She (Maria Schneider, Jane Eyre) is a 20-year-old Parisian beauty engaged to a young filmmaker. Though nameless to each other, these tortured souls come together to satisfy their sexual cravings in an apartment as bare as their dark, tragic lives. Caught up in the frenzied beat of a carnal dance they cannot seem to stop, these unlikely lovers take their passion to erotic heightsand depthsbeyond anything they could ever have imagined.

Customer Reviews:

Love, Not Romance, Or Is It The Other Way Round?.......2007-07-22

One can certainly love this film for its superb acting. Certainly the cinematography couldn't be excelled. The Gato Barbieri musical soundtrack is great, if you like jazz, and the reproductions of the great paintings by Francis Bacon establish the mood of the piece as the opening credits roll. It's all very artful. The film's soul, however, is not upbeat, the ending is a downer, as we say, and the relationship is a joyful, but confining dead end. The American bohemian played by Brando is seeking to achieve a love that is pure and free, but in the end his lover cares very much about status and class and will not be possessed by a nobody. The film either speaks to you or it doesn't. I have felt moved and affected in one showing, and then turned off in another. The relationship of an large, sexually cruel man with a young 'chick' has far less appeal these days, so one may find the film dated for its sexual dynamic. It is not so much that such relationships no longer exist, but that one may no longer find them exhilarating. On the other hand, it is the director's masterpiece of personal connections and his only successful film of intimacy. His other great works tend to be epics, where the films encompass a grander scale.

Quite possibly the worst movie in cinematic history.......2007-07-13

Finally saw the much-vaunted Last Tango in Paris. On the DVD case, a reviewer squeals: "The most erotically powerful movie ever made!" Its clear to me that every single reviewer who gave a good review was paid off handsomely. To me, words like "vacant", "nihilistic", "empty", roar to mind. Quite possibly, the most over-damn-hyped, contentless, worthless film in cinematic history. I'm appalled beyond words.

Last Tango in Paris.......2007-07-04

Scandalous in 1972 and still unsettling today, Bertolucci's bizarre, fascinating psychodrama depicts sex not as a union of two human beings, but as a reflection of their alienation from each other. While the butter scene is justly famous, this isn't the only reason "Tango" stays with you. Just watch Brando closely: at certain moments you catch a glimpse of that fiery young man in the ripped tee-shirt, railing against the world's injustices, down but never out, and utterly, brilliantly alive.

"Listen, that's not a subway strap...that's me "c**k!".......2007-07-03

Aside from the infamous "butter" and the "pig f***" scene--which are disturbing and can't bring myself to watch!--I wasn't exactly too shocked at this movie at all. Now that sex/porn is pretty much in the open, you can't be. I love Marlon Brando, and as usual, his performance was an emotionally intense one. I didn't realize how comical and hilarious Mr. Brando was until watching this movie. Despite the gloom, and dark (or orange tone!) of the film, I managed a chuckle and a good laugh from his dialogue... I wish Maria Schneider's character was more developed in this film. It just seems "Paul" and her geeky boyfriend (and Bertolucci) used her as nothing but an object. I wanted to know more about her character and what the deal was with her deceased father and whether Paul putting on her father's uniform hat triggered some sort of rage within. Did he sexually abuse her? Was their relationship incestuous? Other questions plagued me. Was Paul his wife's murderer or the lover? There was just way too much blood splatter for it to have been suicide. Was his wife a former prostitute? The end sickened me because you want (I wanted) "Jeanne" and "Paul" to fall in love and live happily ever after...but in this demented, even morbid Bertolucci flick that wasn't gonna happen!
I was teary at the end because it was just so confusing and tragic...this poor man--despite his actions--finds love, refuge, and happiness and they're all literally shot down.

Stunning performance by Brando.......2007-06-11

On the cover of the paperback edition of my novel A Perfectly Natural Act there is the blurb: "As compelling as Last Tango in Paris!" (This is not a shameless plug since my novel is long out of print.) When your work is touted as being "like" some earlier, successful work, you can be sure what is really being said is your work is not all that good and needs some hype to move it off the shelves.

So it took me 33 years to finally get around to watching "Last Tango..." and that is all to the good because if I had watched it when I was young, the barbarous sexuality would have sorely distracted me. Well, Maria Schneider (Jeanne) would have. She is very sexy and is shown complete ("she comes complete"!) in a number of scenes. Her acting ability has been challenged by some, but I thought she did a nice job in a difficult role.

Problem was she was paired opposite Marlon Brando (Paul) who was busy giving one of his greatest performances. Brando said some time afterwards that he never wanted to do anything like this again. Presumably he was referring to the depressing nature of human sexuality portrayed in the film. This is ironic since most of the raunchy and degrading lines are spoken by Brando who improvised them himself! He later commented that some of the lines written by director Bernado Bertolucci were not to his liking. What I think happened is Bertolucci wanted to live out as a director one of his youthful fantasies (raw, anonymous sex with a young beauty) and Brando, with his ultra sophistication about such matters, played his part with a brutal satirical edge, perhaps making fun of Bertolucci's fantasy, turning it into an unpleasant, hard reality.

But the "reality" was a bit over the top for everybody. The infamous "Get the butter" scene, which was improvised by Brando and Bertolucci (to Schneider's dismay), made it clear that Paul considered Jeanne an animal that you used and nothing more. The dead rat scene and all the pig talk, ditto. Brando was also projecting his own feelings. He was 48-years-old when the film was released and was getting a paunch and losing his muscle tone. All the sex scenes but one are filmed with Brando clothed so as not to make the decline of his physical prowess obvious. He projected his own feelings about the decline of his body by referring derisively to his hemorrhoids, his prostate, and his paunch.

What Brando does so very well here is become that animalistic, but thinking brute who has his way with women because they cannot resist his alpha male prowess regardless of the gray in his hair. The early scene in the apartment when the nameless Brando just takes the nameless Schneider without so much as a spoken word or a caress might make women say "if only more men could be so commanding," and men say "I wish I had that kind of confidence." I am reminded of Brando's Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) except that here little is left to the imagination. The Brando that was Kowalski at twenty-seven (with an I.Q. upgrade) could easily be the Brando that was Paul at forty-eight.

Almost all the discussion about this movie is about Brando, and that is certainly understandable since, despite all the ugliness of the film, it featured one of Brando's greatest performances. However, the movie was and is Bertolucci's. He wrote it and directed it. His original cut runs something like four hours. The version here rated NC-17 runs 136 minutes. The problem is that just about everything in the movie that does not included Brando is a bit of an anticlimax or an irrelevancy. Jean-Pierre Leaud (Tom) of Truffaut's The Four Hundred Blows (1959) fame plays a film maker and Jeanne's intended. He was possibly chosen for the film because his boyish style and demeanor would contrast so sharply with Brando's commanding style. Two lovers had Jeanne: one was easy and boring, the other was scary and exciting. But I think Bertolucci was also having some fun with the French cinema and especially with Francois Truffaut. Perhaps it is only a coincidence that a year later Truffaut would release Day for Night (1973) (La Nuit americaine) in which Truffaut plays a director directing Leaud in a kind of pleasing but lightweight film contrasting sharply with the dark psychosis of Last Tango.

I don't think I could sit through the four hour version but it might be a good learning experience for young film makers. At any rate, perhaps some of the seeming illogic of the film might become reasonable, including the all too easy and not entirely explicable ending. I rate this film very highly because it was innovative (rather shocking for its time), with a fine jazz score, but mostly because of Brando's stellar performance and the sensual beauty of a 20-year-old Maria Schneider. By the way, the film is in French and English with subtitles. Brando's French is amusing, and whoever dubbed Schneider's English has a cute and witty voice.

Another excellent (and very beautiful) film by Bertolucci is The Conformist (1970) starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Stefania Sandrelli, and Dominique Sanda. Interestingly enough Sanda was originally picked for Last Tango, as was Trintignant, and she would have given some needed depth to Jeanne's character, but she declined I guess because of all the nudity. Ironically a few years later Schneider was tabbed to play the lead in Luis Brunuel's That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) but dropped out during the filming reportedly because of a nude scene! Maybe she was afraid of becoming typecast.

I guess the bottom line on Last Tango is that it is an uncomfortable film illuminated by a veracious Parisian feel and a truly stunning performance by one of the greatest actors to ever grace the silver screen.

Red Balloon (Ballon Rouge, Le) [Import, All-regions] (Dvd - 1956)

Average customer rating:

Great movie, horrible print
Beautiful and Relevant!!!
Red Balloon Soars
Sublime parable of childhood
Lovely, evocative, amazing!

Red Balloon (Ballon Rouge, Le) [Import, All-regions] (Dvd - 1956)
Director: Albert Lamorisse
Manufacturer: Sky Cinema
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Product Features:

Academy Award Winner (Best Screenplay) 1957
Beautifully enhanced import from Korea made for dvd players in the USA/Canada/Korea (NTSC, All-Region).
This is the ORIGINAL theatrical version envisioned by the director with an English soundtrack (English and Korean subtitles).

ASIN: B000OPKP6K

Product Description

A boy finds a balloon - or is it the other way around? Together the pair wanders the beautiful streets of Paris, coping with grownups and the local bands of childrens. Then the boy disappears ... or is it the balloon that's gone. Neither? Both?

Customer Reviews:

Great movie, horrible print.......2007-09-14

I saw this movie as a boy and insisted my mother take me again every time it was shown at our local art center.

I love the movie but this print was beyond terrible. Focus is bad except for all the dust, scratches, lint and heat boils they managed to capture. Shame on me for buying a Korean import but I have not seen any other prints available.

Beautiful and Relevant!!!.......2007-09-13

I think I first saw this film when I was in second grade. It was shown on one of those noisy, old projectors at school. Having been a kid who felt really out of place, I related to it a great deal.

Looking at it as an adult, I realize that the same issues of bullying and the one non-fighter amongst the fighters continue to exist in our schools. In some ways, the final chase scene is quite frightening, yet I am sure that many a kid could still relate to it. I think the final escape scene is every bullied child's fantasy.

You don't have to have been bullied or have major issues to enjoy this film. The story overall is quite charming. And the ballons are as much fun as the people, if not more at times. The images of Paris have a sacral-idyllic quality to them while seeming pleasantly ordinary at the same time.

The DVD, not being remastered, has some flawed parts-- but I could swear it was made from the very film I saw in second grade, so it may seem familiar to anyone who has seen it in film form before. Much of it is in great shape and the few bad spots don't really interfere with the flow of the film. Still, this film cries to be remastered and re-released with plenty of extras. It really is an amazing experience!

Red Balloon Soars.......2007-09-12

I love this little film! Did you see it in elementary school? In southern California it was shown to many children. Later in college I would bring it up to others who grew up in southern California and it was agreed upon that it was a classic. I tried to find it 10 years ago but no luck. Just found it on Amazon and had to own it. If you haven't seen it I recommend it.

Sublime parable of childhood.......2007-09-04

The Red Balloon is a classic film for children. The boy, Paschal, learns key lessons about life through his unique relationship with the big, red balloon. A short, simple story, but not simplistic. Rather, it is profound, heartfelt, and blends joy with pathos for an unforgettable lesson on how to overcome all the challanges that life throws at a child. Fun to see what Paris looked like in the 50s.

Lovely, evocative, amazing!.......2007-07-11

I saw this film on TV years ago, and it has haunted me ever since. It is the ultimate child's fantasy, very touching, sweet, and innocent. I recommend it highly! It will take you back to your childhood, when life had its complications, but in imagination there was both escape and vindication.

Average customer rating:

Pieces of a man gathered
And Now For Something Completely Different
A Beautiful Movie
A Great Movie
Not For Everyone, but Powerful

Paris, Texas
Starring: Harry Dean Stanton , Sam Berry , Bernhard Wicki , Dean Stockwell , and Aurore Clément
Director: Wim Wenders
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002XL35G
Release Date: 2004-12-14

Amazon.com

Something like a perfect artistic union is achieved in the major components of Paris, Texas: the twang of Ry Cooder's guitar, the lonely light of Robbie Muller's camera, the craggy landscape of Harry Dean Stanton's face. In his greatest role, longtime character actor Stanton plays a man brought back to his old life after wandering in the desert (or somewhere) for four years. He has a 7-year-old son to get to know, and his wife has gone missing. The material is much in the wanderlust spirit of director Wim Wenders, working from a script by Sam Shepard and L.M. Kit Carson. If the long climactic conversation between Stanton and Nastassja Kinski renders the movie uneven and slightly inscrutable, it's hard to think of a more fitting ending--and besides, the achingly empty American spaces stick longer in the memory than the dialogue. Winner of the top prize at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival. --Robert Horton

Description

After four years' absence, a social dropout reappears in l.a. to claim his abandoned son and then heads for texas to reunite the boy with his mother.

Customer Reviews:

Pieces of a man gathered.......2007-09-14

Back when Wenders could do no wrong, this was one of his most inspired and understated achievements: a drama conceived with an economy of dialogue that conveyed more emotion through muted restraint than most Hollywood dramas do through tiresome histrionics.

Harry Dean Stanton's reputation as the most talented white trash in American movies was already established with a string of prominent supporting roles in popular mainstream and cult films alike. This lead role is a rarity for him, especially considering that he doesn't say a word through the first third of the film and still manages to express more depth than he ever has before or since. Stanton deserves recognition as both a colorful character actor and a genuinely capable dramatic performer.

Kinski is excellent in her relatively small role; her repressed conduct is almost as impressive as her assumed Texan drawl. But the best supporting performance in this film is that of Aurore Clément, whose convincing emotive discharge lends as much to this film's primary theme of loss as anything else here.

Without a doubt, this is one of the most beautifully photographed films that I've ever seen. The cinematography of longtime Wenders collaborator Robby Müller presents the sprawling, impersonal landscapes of both the Texas desert and Houston with an extraordinarily vivid focus.

Most reviewers refer to "Paris, Texas" as a film about a man who's reconstructing his life. While that's true to an extent, Stanton's character actually spends most of his time backtracking and salvaging the remains of a familial disaster (in which he shares an equal amount of blame), one which can never be truly resolved.

This is a sparse, disquieting film of extraordinary power. Those of us who have experienced a situation in which home has become a distant memory and an impossible dream will relate to the central character; hopefully, they can redeem themselves as satisfactorily as he has by the story's end.

And Now For Something Completely Different.......2007-06-11

Before you rush out and buy the "Paris, Texas" (1984) DVD based on the many glowing reviews and comments, you may want a bit of a reality check. The film is 145 minutes long, that's almost two and a half hours. And not much happens during this time. The pacing is about on the level of "The Straight Story" (1999), which was only 112 minutes; so if that film had you climbing the walls you should probably steer clear of this one.

On the other hand "Paris, Texas" is a technical masterpiece with great photography, excellent directing, and solid performances from the entire cast (although that cast is small). And it's a lyrically told story about loss, loneliness, and eccentricity; a look America and American values from an outside perspective (in this case European). I'm not sure that the film's message(s) is gotten across (unless you listen to the commentary feature on the DVD and maybe not even then) but it is certainly more coherent than when Michelangelo Antonioni tried to do the same thing in the early 1970's.

The film opens with a wanderer walking alone in the desert. You eventually learn that this is not Howard Hughes but Travis Henderson (Harry Dean Stanton), that he has been missing the past four years, has semi-amnesia (a lot is made of this but the condition is never adequately explained), has a seven year-old son name Hunter (Hunter Carson), and a wife named Jane (Nastassia Kinski). Kinski fans will be somewhat disappointed as she does not even appear until the last third of the film (except briefly in some grainy home movies).

The film could actually be classified as a "buddy picture-road movie" or two buddy picture- road movies. The first third features Travis and his brother's (Dean Stockwell) journey from Texas to LA, the final third Travis and his son's journey back to Texas. The weakest part is the middle third which serves little purpose other than providing some background details and linking the two journey segments.

Because "Paris, Texas" is not your standard pre-sold commercial product, most of its suspense comes from the viewers themselves, who have little idea just where the film is headed. So if you watch a lot of films and are jaded because everything is so predictable, this movie viewing experience should be a nice change of pace.

Because you haven't met these characters in other films, it takes a lot of storytelling to flesh them out, which is probably the biggest reason for the film's extended running length. Sam Shepard's script is not so much elliptical as it is evasive, somehow the characters tell us their most basic beliefs and deepest fears without really revealing anything about themselves (insert "Two Lane Blacktop" here).

German New Wave director Wenders gets an astonishingly unaffected performance from young Hunter Carson, as convincing as any you are likely to find. Carson never did much after this amazing debut.

The most intriguing sequences take place between Stanton and Kinski. The actors are never face-to-face as their characters speak to each other from opposite sides of one-way mirror. Travis has found Jane working in a seedy shop where lonely men pay to talk to women on the telephone.?

The DP fills the screen with images of people dwarfed by vast, distant, and impersonal land/ cityscapes. The most effective and original is a sequence of Travis walking along a bridge over a LA interstate with the audio supplied by an unseen (until the end) and rambling derelict addressing the bumper to bumper traffic rushing by below.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

A Beautiful Movie.......2007-03-30

Paris, Texas is a real place. Supposedly, the main character, Travis, claims his old father once said he was conceived in Paris, Texas, some tiny dusty ghost of a town blistering in the dry heat of the Mojave somewhere in the center of Texas. Hardly the Paris we'd all first assume.

We find Travis lost, depressed, mute and alone in the center of the hot summer Texan drylands.

Like an egg cooking, we are slowly introduced into this shy and sad character's life. A doctor finds him with only a single clue, a business card in his pocket. The name of the person on the card happens to be his brother (Dean Stanton) in Los Angeles.

From here, the story develops when Travis'es brother's character is developed. We see how his brother took care of his son and then we are introduced into his brother's household where we meet his son Sullivan who vaguely remembers his biological father, Travis and refers to his uncle and aunt as "mom and dad."

The movie slowly unpeels Travis'es life like a gentle emotional nostalgic striptease, until nearly 1 hour and 50 minutes into the film, we finally discover who Travis's lover and who Sullivan's true biological mother is.

It's a slowly developing movie that is patient and true to the nature of our protaganist who has gone 4 years without talking and who has changed as a result of the path in life he's taken.

Wim Wenders, director of "Wings of Desire" has his signature cinematographic touches and as always, patiently introduces us to new characters in an intriguing manner.

The late introduction of Natasha Kinski's character was beautifully done as we develop a picture of her and finally are introduced to her mystically in a red car riding through through tributary freeways of Houston, Texas. So much development is made of her character, that, when we are finally introduced to her, in a seedy joint with "pay to talk to chicks booths", she portrays the very goddess like appeal and attraction that Travis'es character has for her. The sordid location served little significance.

Her acting is convincing and angelically portrayed, and beautifully written.

Visually, the movie is ethereal. The night colors of Los Angeles are remarkable. The landscapes invinceable. There is also an intriguing interpretation of America from a German Director. Sometimes the character mannerisms, behaviors and dialogues are too European and unAmericanly directed. But all and all, I love this movie as I appreciate most Wim Wenders movies.

My favorite scene was easily the scene with Sullivan and Travis chasing mom on the freeways of Houston. It was an exciting, romantic artistic creation.

The scene of the man screaming above the noisey, apathetic Los Angeles traffic was gripping too.

Travis aria to Kinski beyond the dark barrier of a peepshow booth in the third person was oscar award winning.

A Great Movie.......2007-02-03

What a great movie. One of the best movies I've seen in years. I recommend it to anyone who likes early 80's era of a basic storyline about love & justification.

Not For Everyone, but Powerful .......2007-01-13

This is a very long movie with virtually no physical "action." It is words and feelings and feelings not spoken that should be and all permutations of the above. The understated performances from all lend themselves to the broad expanse of space Wenders creates here. The actors give full, highly complex performances, but within the context of the Texas desert and the American southwest, the humans are dwarfed by the world around them.

This movie will not appeal to everyone. It is talky and the language borders on the poetic quite often. The ending is both satisfying and not satisfying and leaves many questions. I, for one, can't help but think the child ends up back with Travis' brother Walt and his wife. However, that could be argued. Trust me, it has been.

Anyhow, this is a fascinating character study in which the scenery and the music become active characters in the film. Dean Stockwell controls the first 45 minutes or so and then deftly hands it over to Harry Dean Stanton who then hands it over to Nastassja Kinski. In the middle of all this is the keeper of the baton, Hunter Carson. It is an amazing piece of work for them all.

Average customer rating:

Pavarotti...need one say more
sound awful
Three Tenors in Paris -
Good sound, but the edition bothers me
Great but Sad

Paris 1998
Starring: Josep Carreras , Luciano Pavarotti , Plácido Domingo , and James Levine
Director: Mathias Ledoux
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305216096
Release Date: 1998-12-08

Customer Reviews:

Pavarotti...need one say more.......2006-11-04

One is incapable of finding words to describe the majesty and power of Pavarotti, Carreres and Domingo. BRAVO!

sound awful.......2005-10-13

Beautiful images of Paris. Beautiful program, but the sound is awful. Probably the tunel like stage in which the wind go through and the Champ de Mars to wide. Pavarotti does not seem at ease at all, for an hour. He is a sound fanatic as we know. His interpretation of Granada is a flop. Worth the buy?...Yes. You will have to ajust your sound system. Refer to CD edition for titles of the songs.

Three Tenors in Paris - .......2004-11-13

This is a nice concert with some beautiful songs. I especially love Pavarotti's "Caruso" which he sings better than any other person who attempted to sing this song. (Bocelli really botches it up badly.) Domingo and Pavarotti show some wear and tear since their 1994 concert, but they are still all terrific. Time moves on, and we shouldn't criticize such talent. Although, Pavarotti looks ridiculous in his black hair and painted eyebrows. He needs a makeover. Carreras seems to be in good health abd good form again and probably did the best in this concert. A must have for Three Tenor fans! I did enjoy watching this performance.

Good sound, but the edition bothers me.......2004-06-13

The voices are OK, but there's no feeling like in the previous concerts, and i don't feel completely satistied after each viewing. The medleys are the best, and the production below the Eiffel Tower looks awesome.
My problem after seeing this was the edition. The opening is so cold and unatractive, and everything goes so fast, that i lose the attention, altough the arias are interesting...

Good concert, but looks unatractive.

Great but Sad.......2003-03-20

Even after hearing this concert, and enjoying it, I still think it was a mistake. It is almost tear-jerking to see these tenors progress from the top of their voices to the wobbly twilights of their careers. Despite the enjoyable atmosphere of this concert,none of the tenors are in very good form. it is hard to compare to the origonal concert.
Its very hard to judge Domingo. He is the only one of the three who has not dyed his hair which makes him look very old. He looked as if he has aged 20 years from the last concert! His voice didn't reflect this totally but there was some tiredness to his voice. The most Urksome thing about his performance were his facial expressions and gestures. I know domingo's voice is still healthy but his faces on high notes look like he is being put through torture. His Amor Ti Vieta, sounds okay but when he hits his highnote on the work "Amor" which means love, it looks as if he were goig through immence pain. its hard to believe his performances when he was so old and tired looking. This wasn't true at the christmas concert the next year, so it must have been a momentary lapse.
Carreras does not even resemble the tenor he once was, or even a tenor at all. He is wobbing high and low now and singing at one very loud volume. His whole face shakes as he sings and on the rare high notes during medleys he clamps down on a hard E vowel which can only be descibed in this review as: aieeeeeeeee. He makes up for his disintigrating voice by gesturing like he was in a silent movie. His solo's all resemble baritone art-songs rather then Arias for tenor. i think that by this concert his voice was past its use by date. It almost brings a tear to the eye to listen to because at 52 he should still be singing in full, dark, spendor. I would refer anybody to his earlier material compiled in his Cd, The Golden Years. Carreras is not even a shadow of his former self in this concert. Like i said it is enjoyable to see my favorite tenor giving his whole heart to the audience, but sad to see that his voice is no longer what it was.
pav is in okay voice. For a sextagenarian he is an amazing talent. He is the only one who sings a Old School style Three tennors concert, diving into some tough material with his accusomed vigor. his voice is not what it was 4 years ago, but it is still top notch. Singing Nessun dorma as well as he does well into his Sixties is the highlight, while a sub-par Granada is a a low-light. A feature of note is that he sings the only high c in three tenors history in the first song of the finale medley. (Nessun dorma, despite often being billed as a high C, ends with a B resolving to an A.)
The medley is fun and exciting, despite being nowhere near the quality of the prevoius concerts.
The Encores are great, despite the last high note in La Donna E Mobllie where Domingo and Carreras make two of the most painful faces in Tenordom hitting a Bflat.

Amazon.com

This big-budget, star-studded epic 1966 French film features well-known actors from both Europe and America in the story of the final battles over the liberation of Paris at the end of the Second World War. Is Paris Burning? tells the story from all perspectives, from the Nazis to the French resistance, allowing for star turns and cameos from an illustrious group of actors, including Jean-Paul Belmondo (Breathless), Kirk Douglas (Spartacus), Orson Welles (The Third Man), Leslie Caron, Glenn Ford, Charles Boyer, Anthony Perkins, and many others. As the members of the resistance fight for control of the city, the Nazis order the commander in Paris (Gert Fröbe) to burn the city if the resistance gains the upper hand. Written for the screen by author Gore Vidal and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, director René Clément's film hearkens back to the star-filled epics of America's heyday while retaining a modern French sensibility. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews:

Despite Its Flaws.......2007-09-12

And it has many...it is star gazing on a grand scale. Only the Hubble or The Longest Day can show you more.

A city on the edge of destruction.......2007-08-19

If the tagline for It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was `Everyone whose ever been funny is in it,' then Rene Clement's epic could almost lay claim that `Anyone who's ever been French is in it,' assembling Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Charles Boyer, Leslie Caron, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Michel Piccoli, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Claude Rich and others (Paul Crauchet, Bernard Fresson, Michel Lonsdale, Patrick Dewaere and Albert Remy can also be spotted if you look hard enough) in a spectacular retelling of the Liberation of Paris. While the French producers intended a great patriotic celebration of the deliverance of the capitol under the threat of total destruction after Hitler ordered nothing be left of the city but ruins, Paramount, who picked up the bulk of the tab, saw it as another Longest Day and padded out the American roles with largely blink-and-you'll-miss-`em cameos by Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford, Anthony Perkins and Robert Stack. Of the non-French top-liners it's only Orson Welles as the Swedish consul Nordling, frantically trying to avoid unnecessary bloodshed through negotiation, and Gert Frobe as General Von Choltitz, the general tasked with defending or destroying the city, who play a major role in the film. Their scenes easily the best in the somewhat disjointed picture, never lapsing into simple stereotyping and giving a credible face to history.

To be fair, most of the heavyweight French cast are not much more than slightly larger cameos, with the bulk of the film falling on lesser-billed Bruno Cremer and Peter Vaneck's shoulders, although both characters do bring to light the fact that somewhere along the way the film got somewhat depoliticised from Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre's superb book - both Colonel Rol-Tanguy and Major Gallois/Cocteau were key figures in the communist resistance, though you'd never know it from the film. Although the involvement of communists in the Liberation of the city is briefly acknowledged and the De Gaullist figures often identified as such, the left don't fare so well: ironic considering one of the strengths of the book was in showing the political infighting and jockeying for position between the De Gaullists and the communist resistance, with the armed rising a consequence of each side ignoring the Allies' strategy so that they could claim they led the Liberation in an escalating game of oneupmanship. Collaboration barely gets a mention either: this is predominantly triumphalist in tone, and as such its often very effective, with several sections carrying a real surge of jubilation as the people take their city back. (However, the involvement of black troops and resistance fighters on the French side is very briefly acknowledged.)

Although primarily credited to Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola, the script was the result of several writers - alongside Marcel Moussy and Beate von Molo, Jean Aurenche, Pierre Bost and Claude Brulé also contributed - and there are a few somewhat jarring shifts in style as a result. Despite the political dilution that one suspects was a consequence of getting both the essential co-operation from de Gaulle's government and the equally essential dollars from Paramount, it does a good job of making the constantly shifting strategies and increasingly chaotic events accessible while keeping the momentum up, but as with most spot-the-star WW2 epics, it's the vignettes that stick most firmly in the mind: a German soldier, his uniform still smouldering, staggering away from a blown-up truck only to be ignored by a businessman blithely going to work as if nothing were happening; a female resistance worker delivering instructions for the uprising being offered a lift by an unsuspecting German officer after her bike gets a puncture; French soldiers picking off Germans from an apartment whole the little old lady who lives there excitedly watches while drinking her tea; Jean-Paul Belmondo and Marie Versini crawling across a road with their bikes to avoid snipers while a gay man walking his dog watches, before going on to liberate the seat of government without a shot being fired because the civil servants there habitually do what they're told by anyone in authority; an armoured unit getting a dozen different directions to their destination by Parisians; SS men casually looking through Von Choltitz's papers out of force of habit; and the general suddenly finding himself alone in a restaurant as the bells of Paris ring out for the first time in four years to proclaim the Allies' arrival.

The Americans don't fare as well, all-too obviously being there simply for marquee value (the prominently billed George Chakhiris is in it for less than 30 seconds!), although Anthony Perkins' soldier acting more like a tourist is at least memorable, while most of the German regulars - Gunther Meisner, Karl-Otto Alberty, Wolfgang Preiss, Hannes Messemer - are pretty much stuck in their usual bad/good German roles from every other war movie they ever made (that said, it's a surprise Anton Diffring didn't get an invite as well!). In many ways the two real stars of the film are the city of Paris and Maurice Jarre's excellent score, the film's only real constant factors as the stars come and go and events move forward. For the most part the film avoids the tourist shots with a great use of locations, giving a sense of a place where people actually live and die, while Jarre's score manages to counterpoint a militant piano-led theme for the Nazi Occupation with an increasingly stirring resistance theme that constantly runs underneath it, gradually working its way out of hiding and constantly gaining ascendancy before finally flowering into a vivid and triumphant waltz for the Liberation.

A somewhat ill-fated production - producer Paul Graetz died of a heart attack during filming - it was a huge but much-criticized success in France but a conspicuous box-office failure everywhere else, with Paramount swearing off the epic genre for decades to come and Rene Clement's career never really recovering: his last major film, he wouldn't work again for another three years and only made four more films. Best remembered today for Plein Soleil/Purple Noon, Clement was a logical choice for the film, having had earlier had much success with previous WW2 films La Bataille du Rail, about the French resistance on the railway network, and the Oscar-winning Jeux Interdit/Forbidden Games, and his direction is for the most part superb, be it the control of a chillingly formal tracking shot along a railway platform casually revealing and passing a dead body or the edgy hand-held work during some of the makeshift street fights. Although the decision to film in black and white which would hurt the film so much at the box-office and on television was reputedly forced on the film by the French government's refusal to allow the film to fly red and black Nazi flags over the city (grey and black, however, were permitted), it works to the film's advantage, not only allowing it to incorporate genuine archive footage a little more skilfully than is the norm but also gives it a more verite feel thanks to Marcel Grignon's naturalistic photography. If at times this feels less like the classic it could have been and more like the best film that could be made under the political and financial circumstances, it's still an impressive and occasionally compelling recreation of a unique moment in history that deserves to be at least a little better known and better regarded than it is.

Unfortunately Paramount's DVD is a bit ill-starred itself. Although several behind the scenes documentaries and trailers exist, the fact that the DVD is extras-free is less problematic than the soundtrack. If you choose the English soundtrack, you have some highly variable dubbing of most of the French and German cast (although Frobe is well-dubbed here by Michael Collins, his `voice' from Goldfinger), but if you opt for the French soundtrack you have the equally variable dubbing of the German and American actors (though Georges Aminel does a strikingly good job of dubbing Welles on the French version). Just to add to the confusion, Hitler's dialogue is all in subtitled German, although in all the other scenes the Germans all speak English! Switching between the languages is a solution of sorts, but an irritating one. Still, at least the DVD preserves the widescreen format and the overture and intermission.

Lousy Movie.......2007-05-28

I must not have researched this movie enough before buying the DVD. I was immediately surprised by two things: (1) it's in black & white (the colored cover is deceiving) and (2) it is a French film that is mainly spoken in French although dubbed in English. The big problem with the movie, however, is that it just doesn't flow right. It bounces around too much and is not focused enough. It's just not very interesting, although it recovers some toward the end when the allies entered Paris. My 2-star rating is based on the interesting ending (it was 1-star up until then). I must say that the black & white nature of the film allowed the film-makers to blend in historical footage of Paris during that time period. Much of the ending, for instance, was historical footage of the victorious walk down the Champs-Elysees. It's a long movie, and the wait for the moving end wasn't worth it. I'll probably not watch this again.

Will Goldfinger burn Paris?.......2007-02-20

I fail to understand why a film company would go through the process of cleaning up a negative for DVD and not bother trying to source the original soundtrack for the same DVD. There must exist, somewhere, the original language soundtrack to "Is Paris Burning?" as least in some form. Even an original mono soundtrack included as a bonus would have done the trick.

As it stands, what we get looks like the version that was done a few years ago for the NTSC video release.

The film itself looks clean and clear and it's a nice enough anamorphic transfer. The dubbed soundtrack, for what it's worth is clear, but nothing spectacular. But after all it is a 1966 film. The major problem technically, is that it quickly becomes very irritating seeing all these actors performances reduced to a level of stupidity because their words don't match their mouth movements. Dubbing has never sat right on foreign films and this is no exception. It was and always will be a bad solution for idiots who cannot / will not read subtitles. It's never a good alternative. At least the Region 1 DVD has a French soundtrack. But then EVERYONE will speak French. The Region 2 version I watched didn't. Bizarrely, only Spanish and Italian were included!

The story itself concerns the German attempts to prepare to hold Paris in the face of overwhelming odds. As well as the advancing Allied armies, the Germans also have to deal with the various resistance groups that are building up in the City itself. The films portrayal of the Nationalist and Communist groups however is confused and disjointed. It looks like a deliberate attempt though to make it look like the resistance groups were essentially fighting for the same things...which historically was not correct. I also suspect the producers wished to tone down the Communist element, who were the new "bad guys" in the 1960's, so that the film would do better box office in the States. There are hints are the inter-group rivalry, but the viewer is left unclear why they exist. Either way, it is far more defined in the book that the film is based on.

Most of the performances are good and it's a joy to spot so many faces on the screen. Gert Frobe (ahem...Goldfinger) deserves special mention as General von Choltitz, the Paris Garrison commander. He has the dubious decision of choosing to carry out the Fuhrer's order to "destroy Paris" or to leave the City intact. Historically, of course, it would have been an absolute impossibility for the German's to destroy the city given the parameters involved, but the choice to obey or disobey still remained.

There are a number of cameos too from US stars, such as Anthony Perkins and Glenn Ford, but this really is a film about the French during the end of the Paris occupation.

As a whole it isn't a bad film, but isn't really a good film either. I felt somewhat empty at the end and disappointed too with some un-necessary bog standard "evil German" representations. In the main though, the German's are presented as human. The French are presented as nothing but heroic and noble, which is to be expected, I suppose, but I would have liked to have seen more of the inter- group rivalry that took place in reality. The "good guy/bad guy" polemic just doesn't cut it for a cynical post-Vietnam/Iraq audience anymore.

I can't really recommend "Is Paris Burning" in this format to be honest, but if you don't mind dubbing, sometimes confusing plot structure and a near 3 hour running time, then you may enjoy it. A version with the original French, German and English soundtrack would have been a winner, but the producers missed the boat on that one.

Bottom line is rent instead of buy.

Hollywood missed the point.......2007-01-10

Hollywood took this incredible novel of courage and cunning and turned it into a war epic filled with famous stars who appear for a minute or two only. In the waning days of World War II, Hitler ordered the total destruction of Paris. His general in command of Paris did as little as possible to carry out this order, even advised the allies that they would be welcomed with token resistance. Direct orders to the Luftwaffe to bomb Paris were ignored as well. There was an incredible spontaneous disregard of the Fuhrer's plans to destroy Paris. And when the Allies refused to march to Paris, the French Army left for Paris against orders in the dead of night, forcing Patton to race after them. Apparently, this fantastic story was too dull for Gore Vidal and a young Francis Ford Coppola, who opted instead to write a two dimensional war story about how the Americans and British bailed out the French resistance. Read the book!

Average customer rating:

Some Rules Should Never Be Broken...
Not much of a let down but fun to watch
The Transporter (Blue Ray)
don't break the rules
The Transporter in Blu-ray: Action, Suspense, Romance and Fast Cars!

The Transporter
Starring: Jason Statham , Qi Shu , Matt Schulze , François Berléand , and Ric Young
Director: Corey Yuen , and Louis Leterrier
Manufacturer: Fox Home Entertainme
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008AOVL
Release Date: 2003-10-23

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