Mad Max (Special Edition)

Starring:Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, Roger Ward, Lisa Aldenhoven, David Bracks, Bertrand Cadart, David Cameron (IV), Robina Chaffey, Stephen Clark, Mathew Constantine, Jerry Day, Reg Evans, Howard Eynon, Max Fairchild, John Farndale, Peter Felmingham, Sheila Florance
Director: George Miller (II)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The Road Warrior is already a classic, sans condescending genre distinctions like "sci-fi" or "action." But the story of Mel Gibson's stately antihero begins in Mad Max, George Miller's low-budget debut in which Max is a "Bronze" (cop) in an unspecified postapocalyptic future with a buddy-partner and family. But unlike most films set in the devastated future, Mad Max is especially notable because it is poised between our industrialized world and total regression to medieval conditions. The scale tips towards disintegration when the Glory Riders burn into town on their bikes like an overamped cadre of Brando's Wild Ones. Representing the active chaos that will eventually overwhelm the dying vestiges of civil society, they take everything dear to Max, who will exact due revenge. His flight into the same wilds that created the villains artfully sets up the morally ambiguous character of the subsequent films. --Alan E. Rapp

Description

Setting Mel Gibson on a sure path to superstardom, this highly acclaimed "crazy collide-o-scope"(Newsweek) of highway mayhem "cinematically defined the postapocalyptic landscape" (TV Guide). Featuring eye-popping stunts that are "electrifying and very convincing" (Variety) and "an authentically nihilistic spirit" (The Village Voice), Mad Max is "pure cinematic poetry" (Time). In the ravaged near future, a savage motorcycle gang rules the road. Terrorizing innocent civilians while tearing up the streets, the ruthless gang laughs in the face ofa police force hell-bent on stopping them. But they underestimate one officer: Max Rockatansky (Gibson). And when the bikers brutalize Max's best friend and family, they send him into a mad frenzy that leaves him with only one thing left in the world to live forrevenge!

Customer Reviews:

Mad Max.......2007-07-04

George Miller's first entry in the three part series helped boost Gibson to stardom, and showed Hollywood a thing or two about making an explosive action flick on a shoestring budget. The bleak, desolate near-future is intriguingly rendered: the world looks like a junk shop in a desert. The baddies are a dirty, gruesome lot, which only gets the audience more revved when Max goes after them in earnest. Gibson has "star" written all over him. Hyperkinetic stunts punctuate this raw, rugged actioner.

More a first draft than a real classic.......2007-02-25

It's not altogether surprising that Mad Max got such short shrift when it came out Stateside with an unfortunate dubbing job to eliminate the `Strine accents so American International could pretend it was an American film (Mel Gibson suffered perhaps a worse indignity with his screen credit moved to last position, just before the lab credit on the trailers). Much of what people remember and love about Max is delivered in the sequel rather than this first outing. Indeed, at times it feels more like a blueprint than a proper movie and Gibson barely registers in the surprisingly little screen time he has - the villains, who all seem to be doing either premature Danny Huston impersonations or somewhat more timely German New Romantic turns make much more of an impression. Not only do huge sections of the film keep him offscreen, but he makes little impact in his underwritten role when he is on. In many ways, this is just a first low-budget draft of Max's world - civilization hasn't entirely crumbled yet and the precious juice is still flowing even if parts are getting hard to find. Still, the car stunts are good, if somewhat thin on the ground, but this is one case where the sequels are definitely better.

MGM/UA's special edition offers reasonable extras, but they are limited by the non-involvement of George Miller and Mel Gibson and the unavailability of any archive footage. The making of featurette and audio commentary from crew members are the best of the bunch while the Gibson featurette tends to be too much of a puff piece. Despite being listed as the Australian trailer, the theatrical trailer and the accompanying TV spots are all from the US release. Thankfully the original Australian soundtrack to the feature is included on this disc.

All time favourite.......2007-02-16

I remember sneaking into the Forum Theatre in Melbourne as a kid to see this gem (R rated). It is still as good today on the big plasma as back then. The boys come over and watch it every AFL Grand Final day. Glad to see they released this in the States with the original soundtrack. You will be amused to know we in Australia specially purchased your old version to see how it was dubbed. Pretty funny stuff seeing as Mel has a bit of an American accent in the film anyway. Love how it is all shot around where we live in Melbourne. If you liked this, check out Odd Angry Shot, another film not to be missed

Mad Max.......2007-02-13

Enjoyed the movie, I can see why it gave Mel Gibson's career a boost

Wrong format for Europe.......2007-01-12

20 wasted dollars! I obviously missed that the dvd was in american format. Luckily my son living in USA was home, so I could watch it on his apple-computer. It was also in no way possible to copy and open the film for european standard.
Please make clear in the presentation of films if they only could be played in american format.

Average customer rating:

MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER BIG BAD DINOSAUR YARN
ANOTHER GIANT, RADIOACTIVE MONSTER
Classic film, MISSING KEY SCENE THOUGH!
"And The Lord said, Behold now.....The Behemoth"
THE BEST MONSTER MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!!!!

The Giant Behemoth
Starring: Gene Evans , André Morell , John Turner , Leigh Madison , and Jack MacGowran
Director: Eugène Lourié , and Douglas Hickox
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Invasion of Astro-Monster (aka Monster Zero)

ASIN: B000OHZJIC
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Description

Radioactive waste dumped in the Atlantic Ocean awakens a prehistoric monster than can project electric shocks and radioactive beams. After the beast terrorizes the English coast, officials decide against attacking the creature with conventional weaponry because such a strategy would spread a dangerous amount radioactive contamination over the entire country. Meanwhile, the monster approaches London...

Customer Reviews:

MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER BIG BAD DINOSAUR YARN.......2005-09-03

Basically the story goes like this; a Cornish fisherman is found by his daughter covered with radiation burns. His last "word" to her on the surf is, "behemoth," a citation from the bible which we understand means some kind of monster did this to him. Eventually, England is besieged by this dinosaur which as the film unfolds is evidently the tragic by-product of careless atomic fallout in the Pacific. Ultimately, only a special torpedo fired from a two man sub in London harbor can save London and ultimately the world.

Yes, the story line is rather cliché, but there is more, much more.
Around 1960 I saw "THE GIANT BEHEMOTH" many times and each time I was genuinely enchanted and terrified by it. The premise of a dinosaur suddenly appearing and destroying a major city, London in this case, had been done before and perhaps somewhat better in "THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS. However, this was a new setting, England and ultimately London and this monster spewed radiation at anyone and anything within its sight, a take off on the germ carrying "Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" naturally, but still something new. Also, the Behemoth was invisible to radar so its movements were impossible to track as it traveled mostly underwater. This virtual invisibility caused more than a few fatalities including the venerable Doctor Sampson [Jack MacGowran] who was in a helicopter over the Thames trying to get a closer look at what no one who saw lived to tell about. Of course we had to wait an hour into this 79 minute flick to actually see the monster, but this type of invisible sneaky monster becomes visible in these old creature features incrementally which adds to both the campiness and suspense. Somehow after several failed attempts and desperate situations the monster is vanquished!

BUT .. BUT .. BUT .. As the film ends we hear on the car radio that dead fish are covering the shores of New England just as they had in England just prior to this whole thing beginning! The two scientists having just barely survived this ordeal looked at each other rather ominously, and without uttering a word we knew that they knew, that it was all about to happen again! Maybe we would not be so lucky again!?

For a long time I debated as to whether this film or the "BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS" was superior. I have recently concluded that the stories are about equal though very similar as is the acting, but the superior stop action animation by Ray Harryhausen in "The Beast" gives it a clear edge. Although Eugène Lourié Directed both films [plus Gorgo] and Willis O'Brien did some of the Special Effects for the "Giant Behemoth" there are some major visual weaknesses and much less visual air time in the "Giant Behemoth" for the featured monster. Also as I recall one pretty gritty scene where the Behemoth trashes a ferry and does leave some people dead in the water has not made it to video, having been edited out in the transfer probably because it was deleted from the TV version that played in the 1960's. Too much gore?

Well, whichever film is better is now for you to judge.

If this genre [50's style atomic creature/features] is appealing to you, this film is among the best of its kind. The film transfer is very good for a 46 year old film, and very well worth viewing. Nevertheless a DVD, preferably remastered with the lost ferry scene restored would be greatly appreciated and make a more equitable rival for "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms".

ANOTHER GIANT, RADIOACTIVE MONSTER.......2005-06-01

Giant Behemoth, and isn't that just a bit redundant, was directed by Eugene Lourie who was no stranger when it came to films in this genre having directed the 1953 classic Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and 1958's Colossus of New York and would go on to direct Gorgo in 1961. Clearly the man liked giant monsters. Behemoth is in the latter in terms of quality behind both Gorgo and Beast from 20,000 fathoms. This creature threatens the shores of England not only with his size but also being able to emit radiation to burn people. The stop-motion animation was done by Willis O' Brien who did King Kong and was Ray harryhausen's mentor. The animation itself looks very good as you might expect but the the monster up close looks a little cheap and cheesy. At any rate the best rampages through London, even destroying London Bridge. The movie was on a very low budget and it shows but it's more laughable rather than being a detriment to the film. The performances in the film are adequate, in fact better than you might expect for a movie with such a small budget, so kudos to the mostly British cast. Not as good as many other giant, radiation-created monsters of the 1950's but still worth a view.

Classic film, MISSING KEY SCENE THOUGH!.......2004-04-09

A Great film but shame on Warner Bros. for releasing an edited version! Film quality is good, but the FERRY SCENE where the creature attacks and sinks the ferry is MISSING! Great sequence involving people boarding a ferry for an afternoon ride, when suddenly the creature attacks. Old woman eating, little girl with doll, full ship of people become victims of the beast. Memorable last scene in this sequence showing bodies floating, burned from the creatures radioactive rays, gruesome, yet an important part of the movie, What Happened To This Scene? Too long to blame it on broken film, obviously they used an Edited print! Too bad, hopefully the eventual DVD release will be INTACT! And COMPLETE!

"And The Lord said, Behold now.....The Behemoth".......2004-03-11

One of the last in "the giant monster from sea" genre of the 50's
"Gorgo" officially being the last in 1961 before the japan imports
came in.

The story concerns that of a mysterious radioactive force that
not only seems to wash up mountains of dead fish on england shore
but infects one man's hand & kills another. An investigation by Marine biologist uncovers the radioactivity's source from that of
the titled creature, a huge brontasaur left over from "King Kong"
who proceeds to stomp London and burn all within it's radioactive
range.

Another of my favorites from the creature feature era This film
was probably Willis O'Brien's swan song as his creation stirs the
streets of Merry old in all it's glory one would tend to think on
life had come full circle from his brontosaur of the "Lost world"
made some 30 years earlier,Unlike "The beast from 20,000 fathoms"
This film takes on a darker tone focusing more on the science and
the aftermath of radiation (showing burn victims, fishing market
slumps etc)& in addition a memorable score. Gene Evans in one of
his few goodguy roles accompanies Andre Morell as Prof. Bigford

Special effect range from a wonderful entrance by the creature
on the docks to the quickie shot of the beast's wooden head on a
makeshift raft. You wouldn't see this sequence on warner bros.vhs
version of The giant behemoth though. I wouldn't believe that the
company responsible for so many classics like "The African Queen"
& "The Roaring 20's" would be too cheap to use a 90 min tape. The
picture quality is great but I hope the dvd will be more complete
"Thy own right hand shall save thee"

THE BEST MONSTER MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!!!!.......2003-12-31

I AM LUCKY ENOUGH TO OWN THIS GREAT MOVIE ON VHS.I AM HOPING THAT IT WILL APPEAR ON DVD.IT IS VERY RARELY SHOWN ON TV. THE LAST TIME BEING 1992.I REMEMBNER WHEN I WAS A KID WATCHING THIS MOVIE.I ACTUALLY CRIED WHEN THEY BLEW THE BEHEMOTH UP!I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS GREAT PIECE OF HORROR MOVIE HISTORY!!!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Everthing and everone he knew is gone
The End of Max?
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Lush continuation of 'The Road Warrior'. Buy It.
One of those universal epics

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Starring: Mel Gibson , Tina Turner , Bruce Spence , Adam Cockburn , and Frank Thring
Director: George Miller (II) , and George Ogilvie
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0790731932
Release Date: 1997-07-30

Amazon.com

Although Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, the third part of George Miller's post-apocalyptic Mad Max trilogy, is certainly the least of the bunch (Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is the undisputed masterpiece, and maybe the best action movie ever made), it has still got a good share of imaginative industrial-wasteland-pastiche imagery. And casting Tina Turner as Aunty Entity, the queen of Bartertown, was a masterstroke. Mel Gibson's character Max is pitted in a battle to the death against the bizarre Master Blaster in the Thunderdome, flying around on rubbery straps inside a sort of gigantic overturned colander with bloodthirsty spectators clinging to the outside. Miller's producing partner, Byron Kennedy, was killed in a helicopter crash while scouting locations for this film. Miller was devastated, only agreeing to direct the action sequences--and, somehow, you feel his heart wasn't entirely in it. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

Everthing and everone he knew is gone.......2007-06-06

He had a wife and son, both gone. I like that is set in parts of Austraila.
Tina Tuner, Mel Gibson

The End of Max?.......2006-09-24

The original concept for MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME didn't even include Mad Max. The original idea was about a group of orphaned children living out in the wild alone and a man who finds them. Then someone came up with the idea of Max being their "savior" and the film soon became a "Mad Max" project.

In MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME, Max is left alone to "die" in the desert. He makes his way through and comes to Bartertown, a city of last resort that has been able to maintain some of the technological capabilities of our former civilization. Bartertown might have been influenced by old Western bordertowns, but it reminded me of a poor-persons version of Mos Eisly from STAR WARS. Anyway, Max finds himself in the middle of a power struggle in the town and ends up fighting in a Coliseum like place called the Thunderdome, but people in Bartertown don't fight fair and after the fight Max is banished from the city into the desert. There he is found by a group of orphaned children who believe he is the pilot of their plane that crashed many years ago. Some of the children believe it is time to leave and return to their true home and they follow Max, but before they can return to their place of origin, they have to go through Bartertown.

MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME had the biggest budget of any Mad Max film. It re-united star Mel Gibson with director George Miller and a second director was hired so Miller could focus on the vehicle chases and action sequences. The film also has Tina Turner playing the villain, Aunty Entity. With all that going for it the film should have been something extraordinary.

Instead MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME ended up being the least thrilling of the Mad Max films. There's more action in the film than in the previous films in the series and Aunty Entity is a nemesis with more character than ones we've seen Max face before. And of course there's an awesome chase sequence at the end of the film.

The major problem with MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME is that there is too much going on in the film. ROAD WARRIOR had a very strict plot and even MAD MAX with all the back-story and character build-up had a fairly simple plot, but BEYOND THUNDERDOME is filled with all sorts of convolutions. The movie opens promising enough with a little bit of humor (the opening scene reminds me of an INDIANA JONES humorous moment), but when the action moves to Bartertown things get complicated. First there's the whole idea of how Bartertown is operated. Then there's the power struggle that we have to be acquainted with. There's also the concept of the Thunderdome and the purpose it serves and why it exists. Along the way we also discover that there's a entire class system to Bartertown: the lower classes and untouchables are forced to work in the sties of pig poop that power the city and they are on the verge of revolting. Had the action been confined to Bartertown, things wouldn't have been too bad. But just as one thinks the movie is ending and entire new element is added: the orphaned children living in the wild who think Max is Captain Walker come back from the land beyond to save them. Of course, after the kids are introduced you just know that they are going to end up fighting the evil overlords of Bartertown and they do. The lost kids really screwed with the movie big time. In MAD MAX the bad guys ran over children for pleasure. In BEYOND THUNDERDOME we sense that these baddies are bad, but not bad enough to actually kill the kids. They just want to enslave them or raise them up as heirs. So, instead of enriching the movie, the second act ends up twisting it; think of INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM and how all those stolen children screwed up that film. Of course, there's also the problem of Tina Turner. She's about as convincing as an evil powerful warlord as Paris Hilton is as a spokesperson for being celibate.

Still, MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME does have its moments. George Miller knows how to film chase scenes and the final chase that makes up the last act of the movie is an extraordinary bit of filmmaking involving a flying machine, a train, and lots and lots and lots of other cars and motorized vehicles. Of course, there's also Mel Gibson as Max. ROAD WARRIOR was a superior movie, but the Max in BEYOND THUNDERDOME is the most likeable; he has all the wisdom and experience from the first two films, but regains the compassion and joy he had during most of the first movie. Maybe Max isn't so mad anymore.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.......2006-08-10

so far so good . Have not watched it yet. Ocean7739

Lush continuation of 'The Road Warrior'. Buy It........2006-08-05

`Mad Max, Beyond Thunderdome', directed by Kennedy - Miller, and starring Mel Gibson and Tina Turner, is an obvious and explicit sequel to the iconic sleeper, `The Road Warrior'. In many ways, `...Beyond Thunderdome' is a better movie, but when all is said and done, `...Beyond Thunderdome' does just a bit too much copying of its precursor to stand on it's own two feet, like `Aliens', as an independent movie.

Some of the many things which are better are the acting, the believability of the heavies and their back story, the sound track, including two terrific performances by Tina Turner, and the subplot involving the gang of `lost boys' in the second half of the movie.

And yet, the story seems just a little contrived. Both the master-blaster character pair and the `lost boys' story seem just a bit too contrived. On the other side of the coin, the development of what may be called `The Lord of the Flies' premise, where children are left to their own devices, is masterfully done, enhanced so well by morphing the language from modern Australian slang to something bordering on a new dialect makes one want to check that the script wasn't written by Anthony Burgess (see his `Clockwork Orange', as realized by Stanley Kubrick).

My primary objective in writing this review is to celebrate my adoration for this movie, which affected me almost as much as `2001' and `Lord of the Rings', even though these are far superior movies overall. A fairer comparison is to `Silent Running', the ecodisaster story featuring Bruce Dern and a soundtrack of Joan Baez songs. Both movies simply struck a chord with their very effective warnings about how mankind may shoot itself in the food.

Unfortunately, both movies are also not strong enough to sustain an effective suspension of disbelief to last beyond the walk to the theatre doors after seeing them for the third or fourth time. Where `Alien' and `Blade Runner' work, these work just a bit less well.

But they are still important films.

One of those universal epics.......2006-07-10

Although the earlier 'Mad Max' films have achieved more renown, this is my favourite of the three, as it shows the hero redeemed by humanity. Max in this film becomes a saviour and regains some of his faith in the human race and the future. Although much of the music and imagery may be 'borrowed' from classics like 'Lawrence of Arabia', it nonetheless is very effective and the film possesses a lyrical quality that is unique, especially in the 'culture'developed by the children abandoned in the wilderness.

The Road Warrior / Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (Double Feature)

Average customer rating:

POINTLESS
Absolute Rubbish! Do not buy.
A FULL SCREEN rip-off
Great Movies! Crappy DVD!

The Road Warrior / Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (Double Feature)
Starring: Mel Gibson , Bruce Spence , Michael Preston , Max Phipps , and Vernon Wells
Director: George Miller (II) , and George Ogilvie
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000NA1WGS
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Description

All roads lead to excitement for Mel Gibson's Mad Max! In a world destroyed by the ravages of nuclear war, gasoline is a currency of the realm. Enter Max, champion of underdog survivors living in a fuel-depot camp. Make way for him and The Road Warrior [Side A], the Apocalypse on wheels that put Gibson on the Hollywood map for keeps and ranks as one of the most mind-blowing stunt movies ever made. Our hero returns for more astonishing adventures in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome [Side B]. This time, Max defends the future - a group of abandoned children - and enters the gladiatorial maces-and-chainsaws combat inside Thunderdome arena. Awesome!

Customer Reviews:

POINTLESS.......2007-05-26

FULL SCREEN?? Upon waiting and waiting for rerelease of The Road Warrior only to find it an even lesser format is quite a disappointment. Especially having paid for something I would have never wasted the money on if not being MISLED by the product information.
I can only hope someday Warner Bros. will do justice with a decent DVD release of the only worthy & brilliant follow up to Mad Max.

Absolute Rubbish! Do not buy........2007-05-24

Despite what the Product Details state, both movies are in Full Screen only, what a waste. (Unless you like Full Screen, then you're welcome to it). These movies have a solid audience, why can't Warner Bros. realise this and put out a decent version on DVD? The movies on this disc don't look much better than the ones I taped off television... a decade ago. I would send mine back, but I'd already opened it before I discovered what a ripoof this was. Had the Format been accurately stated, I wouldn't have purchased it in the first place. Very disappointing.

A FULL SCREEN rip-off.......2007-05-24

There's no excuse for these two films to be full screen only. Even at under $10 bucks it's a major rip-off. A resounding boooooooo to Warner Bros. for this botched double-feature.

Great Movies! Crappy DVD!.......2007-05-23

What a dissapointment. I was anxiously awaiting this disc mainly for the rereleased Road Warrior. Getting Thunderdome was just a bonus. When I received this disc I was depressed to discover no extras for the disc (I thought it would at least have the bonus content that was on the Blu Ray & HD-DVD edition recently released) plus these films are in standard FULL SCREEN! What a waste. Just save your money for the hoped for special edition release later in the year.

Eyes Without a Face - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

A horror film, with no blood?
Transplant Terror
Poetic Horror
not your typical french flick
Creepy and well made

Eyes Without a Face - Criterion Collection
Starring: Pierre Brasseur , Alida Valli , Juliette Mayniel , Edith Scob , and François Guérin
Director: Georges Franju
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: B0002V7O0Q
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Amazon.com

Georges Franju brings a haunting poetry to this lyrical and horrifying 1959 French classic. Dr. Genessier (Pierre Brasseur), a famed plastic surgeon, lures a young woman to his secluded mansion with the help of his mistress Louise (Alida Valli), where he proceeds to remove their faces in an attempt to restore his daughter's scarred visage. Christiane (Edith Scob), disfigured in car accident caused by her guilt-ridden father, hides behind a spooky blank mask that exposes only her sad, lonely eyes, which seem to lose a little more life after each failed graft. Franju's cool presentation gives an unsettling edge to the picture, from the uncomfortably quiet family dinners to Christiane's hesitant explorations of her father's laboratory to the unflinching views of Genessier's bloody operations. Reminiscent of Cocteau's fantasy imagery in Beauty and the Beast, Franju creates an eerie poetry of the doctor's sadistic experiments, culminating in an astonishingly brutal and beautiful finale. The screenplay was cowritten by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, authors of the novels which became Les Diaboliques and Vertigo. Originally titled Les Yeux Sans Visage upon its original French release, the film was cut, dubbed, and renamed The Horror Chamber of Doctor Faustus for American distribution in 1962, but was restored years later for American re-release. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Secluded in the French countryside, a brilliant, obsessive doctor attempts a radical plastic surgery to restore his beloved daughter's once-beautiful face, but at a horrifying price. Lauded as a true rarity of horror cinema, Eyes Without a Face (Les Yeux sans visage) has influenced countless films in its wake and stunned audiences around the world with its shocking yet poetic imagery. The Criterion Collection is proud to present Georges Franju's lyrical black-and-white classic in a long-awaited, high-definition DVD edition.

Customer Reviews:

A horror film, with no blood?.......2007-06-02

This is the ultimate achievement in horror, an incision of art into the insane. It's too easy to make a standard slasher flick, a madman on the loose with people scrambling in fear. Lots of blood and macabre to gross out the audience. None of that here. The fear generated in this movie is not that superficial.
This story is stitched around some normal people(it seems). A brilliant plastic surgeon has an incessant determination with his new project--the transplanting of living tissue from one human to another.
The match that lit his experimental fire was stricken by his beloved daughter, whose precious face was mutilated in a car accident. So the good doctor hunts down some unwillingly ladies and attempts to transplant their beautiful visage to his favorite patient.
There are some disturbing images and sequences that really stick with you, like the facial surgery, the eyes peering from behind the mask, the experimenting on animals. I think some other more recent films were heavily influenced by this classic, like Vanilla Sky and Face Off.
There are some deep layers of psychology this film sifts through and scatters around. Self-esteem, pride, selfishness, love. Plus it exemplifies the need for limitations on modern science.
Criterion comes through again, this is a movie that will freak you out and stick with you long after it's over. A creepy-crazy-good film!

Transplant Terror.......2007-05-05

"Eyes Without a Face" shines like a scalpel in sunlight in the pantheon of horror history. This is a great achievement considering the film emerged from France in 1959, amid the rise of the French New Wave and the colour gothic horrors of Hammer. But Georges Franju's monochrome masterpiece is strongly steeped in a French cultural heritage that includes influences from surrealism and Grand Guignol theatre. The social allegory of the film also pre-empts the modern horror film. The film's artistic credentials are assured by a narrative subjectivity, with character motivations not clearly delineated, this allies the film with the burgeoning art cinema that began to emerge in the uncertain 1960's. But Franju manages to bridge the gap between the populist formulaic aspects of the horror genre (images of transgression and excess) and the personal expression of the film artist in a way uncommon in the horror genre. For audiences this means that the film both satisfies the hardcore horror fan and those more interested in artistic merits. The film is given further impetus by an allegorical subtext which evokes the haunted spectre of World War Two and the holocaust and the role that France played in that terrible conflict. The stark images of hospitals, surgery, the breakthrough in cosmetic surgery and Dr. Genessier's experiments on animals, remind us all to painfully of Nazi experiments. The the role of the victim Christine further muddies the subjective waters of the film by being complicit in the murders that surround her. The film doesn't totally veer away fro the gothic though; a suitably isolated gothic chateau is the main setting, a deep ambivalence toward modernity and a tormented gothic heroine allies the film to gothic conventions.

This excellent DVD courtesy of the Criterion Collection also contains Franju's earlier surrealist documentary "Blood of the Beasts", which is as important a work as "Eyes Without a Face" and contains within it all the concerns Franju would return to for his horror feature. This is an essential item for fans of horror and art cinema alike.

Poetic Horror.......2007-01-23

Georges Franju's version of a mad scientist trying to play God tells about a brilliant but controlling and obsessive doctor who is trying to restore the face of his own beloved daughter that was horribly disfigured in a car accident caused by his reckless driving. He requires tissues of recently deceased young women that look like his daughter and he is not going to wait for them to die in an accident - he creates the accidents with help of his loyal secretary/nurse/lover/former patient Louise (Alida Valli of "The Third Man") who kidnaps the unsuspecting girls and brings them to the secluded mansion in one of Paris's suburbs where Doctor Génessier is ready to perform the fascinating and horrifying surgeries.

"Eyes without a Face" is a very impressive, classy picture that has inspired many later horror movies. The music by Maurice Jarr adds to the uneasy and creepy atmosphere - it makes you feel like on the never-stopping ominous merry-go-round and you can't get off it.

not your typical french flick.......2006-12-21

Excellent film. The criterion version features in the extras a few interviews with the director and a disturbing 22 minute documentary about french slaughterhouses in 1949.
This movie has a chilling performance by the head doctor, and amazing special effects for the time it was made. Very stylishly done film. I would recommend it to fans of Psycho.

Creepy and well made.......2006-12-02

This is one horror film that certainly stands apart from the lot. Made in 1960, it can still provide some impact today. It concerns Dr. Genessier, a surgeon whose daughter's face has been horribly disfigured in an accident. He has been experimenting with skin grafting in order to restore her beauty and her happiness along with it. Each attempt fails and until he can perfect a solution, he needs an endless supply of organ donors. His daughter, Christiane, isn't quite as optimistic as her father and grows increasingly despondent. See what happens when the police begin tracking the good doctor. Movies about transplants and medical experiments were hardly new territory at the time this film was made, though what sets this one apart is the graphic nature, good performances and tight script. It is unrelenting and even quite creepy at times. Pierre Brasseur is terrific as Dr. Genessier; he is cool, calm and heartless as he lies to the police and we wonder if he is experimenting for his daughter's happiness or to satisfy his own scientific curiosity. The film builds fairly intensely to the climax, which is rather satisfying. The Criterion Collection edition is, as usual, quite good. The transfer is excellent and the film is presented in its original French, though I don't understand the reason for using white subtitles rather than the standard yellow. Since much of the story takes place in a hospital with white sheets, surgical gowns, etc., the white subtitles sometimes do not stand out enough to read easily. Perhaps Criterion felt yellow subtitles would detract too much from the mood? Subtitle criticisms aside, this film deserved great treatment and it received it. Buy this one.

Average customer rating:

An Interesting Misfire
Travolta does it again...
Another one of Travolta's flops
NOT MAD ENOUGH TO BE ENGAGING
Great Suspense!

Mad City
Starring: John Travolta , Dustin Hoffman , Mia Kirshner , Alan Alda , and Robert Prosky
Director: Costa-Gavras
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Lucky Numbers
White Man's Burden
Domestic Disturbance
Basic
The General's Daughter

ASIN: 0790734737
Release Date: 1998-03-31

Amazon.com

This earnest effort at media criticism is never convincing enough to stir a viewer's outrage in the way filmmaker Costa-Gavras (Music Box) might have intended. John Travolta plays a barely educated museum guard who is laid off from his job and ends up holding his former boss (Blythe Danner) and a bunch of schoolchildren hostage. Dustin Hoffman is a former television-network journalist making a grab at the limelight again by pushing and controlling press coverage of the story. What follows is by the numbers and not nearly as enlightening or enthralling as other films (such as Dog Day Afternoon or Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole) about simple events manipulated into a media circus. Despite Travolta's tragic performance and Hoffman's impassioned one, the film breaks up over efforts to blame electronic voyeurism for social chaos. The DVD release has optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, production notes, theatrical trailer, television spots, optional French soundtrack, French or Spanish subtitles, and Dolby sound. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

An Interesting Misfire.......2006-07-10

Lord knows the media is a worthy target for social commentary. However, it is also an easy one, and has been often targeted in the past. Thus the central problem with "Mad City," Costa-Gavras' updating of Billy Wilder's "Ace in the Hole." The film spends nearly two hours denouncing the media---namely print and television news---for a variety of social ills, for not all of which it can so easily be blamed. And those things it can be blamed for, we kind of already knew.

Nonetheless, an excellent cast works hard to bring off this story of reporter Max Brackett (Dustin Hoffman), who `lucks into' an exclusive when a disgruntled, laid-off security guard (John Travolta) takes his former employer and a group of kids hostage in a museum while Brackett just happens to be in the bathroom. Travolta is to be commended for taking on a part that is not particularly sympathetic, in the form of a character that is not very bright. He and Hoffman carry the film as far as it can go, but by the end you are likely to feel that you're being hit over the head with the simplistic central message, such that the tragic coda loses impact. It's not a bad film, and with these talents it can't help but have its moments, but overall it's a bit of a missed shot.

Travolta does it again..........2006-06-07

... he battles against the greatest obstacle an actor can face and almost pulls it off. What's that obstacle? you ask. Well, it's having a script that's so paper thin that it must have been written on toilet paper. Travolta proves over and over again that good scripts are not neceesary to prolong a career in Hollywood.

I once met John Travolta at a charity event in Bel Air. I said to him, "Hey Travolta, who the heck is your agent and why do you keep taking these cripey roles?" I give him credit though, he looked back at me very cooly and said, "I fly airplanes and I'm married to Kelly Preston, you're wearing an enormous sombrero and spandex bike shorts -- who are you to judge me?"

Touche, Senor Travolta. Touche.

Another one of Travolta's flops.......2005-03-24

Ever since winning a Best Actor Oscar for his role in 1994's PULP FICTION,John Travolta was relentlessly,to this day,making films. This one,was his first post-PF flop. His previous flops include PERFECT,TWO OF A KIND,SHOUT and THE EXPERTS. This film was theatrically released on November 7,1997 and released on video on February 24,1998. In this film,Travolta is a former security guard who takes museum patrons hostage,very similar to what Tim Robbins did in 1990's CADILLAC MAN. Max Brackett(Dustin Hoffman) is a news reporter who covers the situation. Great support from Alan Alda. Travolta's follow-up film PRIMARY COLORS was much more successful than this. Despite the critical and box office disappointment,some of Travolta's fans loved this one.

NOT MAD ENOUGH TO BE ENGAGING.......2004-08-22

Apart from the parallels one could draw with Dog Day Afternoon or Network, there is really very little to say about this media clunker. Which is sad because the script had a lot of potential and the production quality is top notch.

The theme is not altogether incredible in our times -- an embittered employee going berserk and threatening violence. Problem is that Travolta is saddled with the challenge to potray this unwitting hostage-taker, part antagonist and part victim. I'd contend that he failed to bring out this delicate dichotomy.

Even Hoffman's full-blooded newsman with a childish, self-centered ambition and some very sardonic light moments in the earlier half, cannot save the film from its maudlin second half, by which time it's already too late for us to care.

An ok rental perhaps, especially if you're interested in an insider peep into the lives of news networks. But not something I'd watch more than once despite its uncanny ending.

Great Suspense!.......2004-06-04

This is a great suspense movie.

Gives a realistic view of how the media circus sometimes go to far.

Customer Reviews:

Great lesser known title!!.......2005-04-09

Donovan's Brain is a perfect example of how enjoyable a good 50's sci-fi flick can be. Great script and solid acting with adequate special effects makes this one a real winner.

I enjoyed this brainy excursion and think it has great potential for repeat watchability. If you enjoyed this film, I also strongly recommend Creature With The Atom Brain, another very enjoyable sci-fi effort with a similar story.

A Man And His Brain..........2005-03-21

The Evil multi-millionaire, W.H. Donovan is in a plane, flying to his next destination of dastardly deeds, when suddenly the plane crashes! Donovan is the sole survivor, barely alive, unable to last more than a few more minutes, but who will carry on his selfish agenda if he dies? Luckily, there's a scientist nearby named Dr. Patrick Cory, who just so happens to be experimenting with a monkey brain in his lab. Cory's been keeping the little simian brain "alive" in a tank of icky water by sticking electrodes into it. Now, with the help of his wife Jan (Nancy Davis) and a fellow doctor (Gene Evans), Cory tosses out the monkey brain, replacing it with Donovan's gray matter! The brain is successfully saved, floating peacefully in it's new aquarium habitat, when shockingly, it begins pulsating, glowing eerily, and growing to the size of a wrinkly, 20-pound ham! Cory is possessed by W.H. Donovan's mind, and begins flying all over the country, closing out bank accounts, blackmailing politicians, killing nosey, blackmailing reporters; and getting his (Donovan's) life in order. Back at the lab, Jan is hurriedly trying to concoct a way to help her husband get un-Donovanized. Will she succeed, or will the devilish Donovan destroy her marriage along with everyone in his path? DONOVAN'S BRAIN is classic cerebral sci-fi at it's best...

Tribute to the power of a plot premise.......2005-03-15

Donovan is a successful businessman who dies in an airplane accident and whose brain is rescued by a young scientist ,Cory an assistant to the older scientist Dr Schratt .They keep the brain alive ,which turns out to be an unwise move as it begins to take over and influence the mind of Cory pushing it into ever darker realms of thought and action .
The sets are rudimentary with an especially under resourced laboratory being especially unconvincing and the acting , Lew Ayres as Cory apart , is wooden .Yet the picture does evoke a genuine sense of dread and a powerfully miasmic air to it .The movie makes an impact through the power of its central idea and it is worth watching for this alone

He shoulda stuck with monkey brains..........2004-09-01

Let's face it, brains are gross...they're gray, wrinkly, gelatinous, and usually covered with viscous fluids. Sure, some monsters find them rather tasty, but I think most of us would, at the very least, wince with disgust at the thought of handling a brain, that is unless you're some kind of medical professional specializing in brains, a creepy scientist with a hankering to tinker in the realm of the unknown, or just a sickie with a with an unnatural urge to mess around with disgusting things. Regardless, Hollywood has found disembodied brains to be a worthwhile subject for at least a few films from The Brain from Planet Arous (1957), Fiend Without a Face (1958), The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) (okay, this one features a disembodied head rather than a disembodied brain, but either way, it's a real stinker), The Brain (1964), The Man With Two Brains (1983), and this film, Donovan's Brain (1953). Of the sub genre, Donovan's Brain isn't the best, but certainly isn't the worst.

The film, based on a novel written by the prolific and influential Curt Siodmak (fans of early horror and sci-fi films will recognize the name) and directed by Felix Fiest, Donovan's Brain features Lew Ayres (calling Dr. Kildare...) as Dr. Patrick Corey, a scientist obsessed with unlocking the mysteries of the brain. The film also stars Nancy Davis (future First Lady Nancy Reagan and the woman who taught a whole generation how to `Just Say No') as his wife Janice, and veteran actor Gene Evans, who I last saw in the Steven McQueen western Nevada Smith (1966), as Dr. Frank Schratt, a local practitioner, part-time assistant to Dr. Corey, and a part-time alcoholic (his first scene in the film has him passed out on the floor).

The film begins with Dr. Corey and his wife returning from a trip to the local monkey store with a new specimen for Corey's experiments (don't get too attached to that monkey, Janice), that involve, you guessed it, brains...it seems Corey is intent on proving a brain, hooked to electrodes, can survive in a fish tank with dirty water, long after the host body is gone. Why, you ask? Why not, I say...well, after numerous failed attempts, this last one succeeds, and not a moment too soon as Dr. Corey is about to upgrade from monkey brains to human brains. It seems there's been a small plane crash in the area, and since Dr. Schratt is nowhere to be found (he's actually sleeping one off, if you know what I mean...glugg, glugg...), Dr. Corey is called in to tend to possible survivors. Apparently there's only one, a man named W.H. Donovan. Who is W.H. Donovan? Well, I tell you...he's an extremely rich man who possesses a very dark side, as we learn later on in the film. Anyway, attempts to save Donovan, who's very badly hurt, fail, Corey sees an opportunity in harvesting the dead man's brain. With the help of his wife and Dr. Schratt, they manage to not only save the Donovan's brain, but keep it alive...and soon it begins to grow (with a lot of pulsating and glowing involved), and become strong. So strong, in fact, it begins to psychically force its' will on Corey (primarily) and the others. In becoming aware of his predicament and his new found powers, Donovan see possibilities he never before imagined, and plans begin to formulate. What kind of monstrosity has been unleashed on the world? Can it be stopped? Perhaps, but at what cost?

I will say I enjoyed this film a lot. It's odd as the film is listed as sci-fi/horror, but it had an underlying `noir' quality, specifically the scenes where Donovan has taken over Corey's body, and is arranging his affairs, dealing with those who think him dead. He's a real meany, compared to congenial Corey who's obsessed but with the best intentions (saving lives, dammit!), to put it simply, and Aryes does a remarkable job switching personalities from Corey to Donovan. It's definitely a Jekyll and Hyde situation, and obvious enough for those who know Corey and have knowledge of the experiment understand what is happening. The direction is very good, and the use of shadows fairly pronounced, eliciting the `noir' quality I spoke of before. The plot is strong, and moves along at a good pace, allowing for little wasted screen time during the 84 minutes running time of the film. There are melodramatic elements included, involving concern for the change taking place with Dr. Corey, and given my limited experience with Siodmak's work, I feel this adaptation stays close to the original material. The effect is meant to infuse meaning and purpose to the characters, effectively turning them from 2-dimensional images on the screen to 3-dimensional characters the audience cares about, something that tends to be missing in a lot of modern day horror films, in my opinion. The special effects are pretty good (you will believe that pulsating brain lives) and enhance the story nicely. I wasn't too impressed with Nancy Davis' performance, but I couldn't decide if it was her acting, the inclusion of her character just because the story called for a female actress, or some of her lame lines (her character seemed resigned to state the obvious and provide little bits of exposition throughout, along with suffering a slight tinge of misogyny not uncommon in films of the time).

The film is presented in its' original format (full screen), and looks very sharp, although I did notice some minor speckling throughout, but nothing to get in a bind over (the scenes featuring the stock footage car crash are the worst, showing very noticeable damage). The only special feature is that of a theatrical trailer, but I really wasn't expecting much since this comes from MGM Midnight Movie series, which isn't known for its' inclusion of extras, but can be counted on to provide a good looking transfer.

Cookieman108

creepy.......2003-11-16

When I was a kid (maybe 8 or 9) I remember seeing this on the TV with my Dad (a big fan of 50's sci fi), and I thought it was the scariest thing I'd ever seen. Frankenstein didn't even begin to compare. Recommended, but don't show it to your kid, unless you want them to wake up screaming.

Average customer rating:

killer tree
The Woman Eater
A Difficult Meal To Digest
Needs One More Scene
THE TITLE SAYS IT ALL.....

The Woman Eater
Starring: George Coulouris , Robert MacKenzie , Norman Claridge , Marpessa Dawn , and Jimmy Vaughn (II)
Director: Charles Saunders
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305836833
Release Date: 2000-05-09

Amazon.com

The Woman Eater starts out as all carnivorous plant films should: with a bunch of Brits heading off into the jungle. The intrepid (and just slightly mad) Dr. Moran leads his party to the home of an ancient tribe, conveniently arriving just in time for a sacrifice. ("Stop it, you devils!") Five years later we're back in England, neatly glossing over how Moran got his giant man-eating plant through customs. With the help of native drummer Tanga, Moran is feeding the daughters of England to his plant in the hopes of developing a serum that will bring the dead back to life. (Well, sure!) Soon the lovely Sally arrives to help with the housekeeping, and tension rises as we wait to find out if she'll become Miracle-Gro. The Woman Eater has almost too many pleasures to mention: bubbling beakers, lovely victims, stagehand-powered plant arms, natives wearing costume pieces from every jungle movie ever made, and of course the drums! Oh, the drums! Watch it today and keep an eye on your begonias. --Ali Davis

Description

SEE the nerve-shattering Dance of Death! SEE The Woman Eater ensnare the beauties of two continents! SEE its hideous arms devour them in a death-embrace! It devours only the most beautiful! Half-mad scientist James Moran (George Coulouris--The Long Good Friday, Citizen Kane) returns from the Amazon jungles with a sacred tribal tree which feeds on beautiful, young girls. The sap he extracts from the tree will, he believes, revive the dead. A blonde showgirl, Sally (Vera Day The Prince and the Showgirls, Quatermass II), is slated to be Moran's next sacrifice. Will she become another victim of this woman-devouring tree or can the police and Sally's boyfriend save her from the cannibalistic tree? No beautiful woman is safe from "The Woman Eater!"

Customer Reviews:

killer tree.......2007-01-04

surprise surprise
good story and plot and good actors
interesting english horror movie
was weary about getting the movie but was pleasantly surprised
good little movie
have a look

The Woman Eater.......2006-08-02

Fairly typical movie from the period. I enjoyed the offbeat performance of the "servant".

A Difficult Meal To Digest.......2006-05-03

Have you read the cover of this DVD?

SEE: The nerve shattering Dance of Death

SEE: The Woman Eater ensnare the beauties of two continents

SEE: The hideous arms devour them in a death embrace

Who writes this stuff? Well I did SEE this movie and guess what, no nerves were shattered. There are a couple of attractive women such as the popular British model Vera Day and a young redheaded beauty named Sara Leighton in her one and only movie appearance.

And what about the horrific Woman Eater with the hideous arms and death embrace? Just imagine a very large, bristly pipe cleaner with appendages. Got the picture?

Needs One More Scene.......2004-03-09

George Coulouris and Vera Day star in this silly tale of obsession and plant monsters. British explorers witness an African tribe sacrifice a maiden to a plant monster. Five years later, with no explanation, one of the explorers has the monster and priest on his estate where he is doing experiments on raising the dead.

Women are given to the plant (it apparently does not like men) and fluid is drawn that become the elixir of life. The explorer, actually a doctor, falls for a new employee at his estate and appears to go slightly mad as his experiments near completion.

But add the girl's boyfriend (possible fiancé), madness, love, hate, a fanatic priest and a killer plant and you wind up with a film that climaxes and stops suddenly. It could have been better by simply explaining how things went from jungle to estate. One scene would have done it. It would have been in character for the doctor to gloat some more and give the explanation of his genius.

The ending is not what one expects but it does work into what little story there is. A must see movie for fans of bad monster films as this is one of the worst, but don't expect much.

THE TITLE SAYS IT ALL............2003-05-26

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I love this movie. Lurid title and all. It's a b&w low budget British pot boiler about a crazed scientist who brings a big cheesy looking "tree" back from the Brazilian Amazon that eats women---but only pretty ones. Mumbo jumbo about tribal rituals have intoxicated the doctor (George Coulouris) into believing the serum derived from the tree can restore the dead to life. But AFTER it's eaten a pretty woman. So, he lures young women home---drugging one (Joy Webster from "Burn Witch Burn") with a "funny cigarette"---to his laboratory/dungeon. There, his whacked out "Brazilian native" assistant Tanga (Jimmy Vaughan) dresses them in a sexy outfit complete with bracelets and puts them in a trance by wildly beating bongos. Tanga gets VERY turned on (and sweaty) and pushes the girls into the writhing lobster claw arms of the tree. Will the doc's blonde and pretty new "housekeeper" (Vera Day) be the tree's next meal? And will the nosy OLD "housekeeper" wind up a zombie? Turn your brain off and watch this 70 min. wonder and just enjoy. Nice DVD print from Image makes this rainy day flick a keeper for lovers of old b&w cheesy horror movies like myself. Oh, and that's beautiful Marpessa Dawn (from the Oscar winning "Black Orpheus"---also 1959) at the beginning as the jungle sacrifice to the tree. Interesting career leap. Thanks Image.

Average customer rating:

Mad Max
More a first draft than a real classic
All time favourite
Mad Max
Wrong format for Europe

Mad Max
Starring: Mel Gibson , Joanne Samuel , Hugh Keays-Byrne , Steve Bisley , and Tim Burns
Director: George Miller (II)
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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The Road Warrior
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Escape From L.A.

ASIN: 6305075379
Release Date: 1997-11-19

Amazon.com

Description

Arresting tale of apocalyptic excitement as a future cop in a post-nuclear wasteland seeks revenge against the roving outlaw gang that killed his wife and daughter.

Customer Reviews:

Mad Max.......2007-07-04

More a first draft than a real classic.......2007-02-25

All time favourite.......2007-02-16

Mad Max.......2007-02-13

Enjoyed the movie, I can see why it gave Mel Gibson's career a boost

Wrong format for Europe.......2007-01-12

Average customer rating:

Twilight People
Starring: John Ashley , Pat Woodell , Jan Merlin , Charles Macaulay , and Pam Grier
Director: Eddie Romero
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Mario Bava Collection, Volume 1 (Black Sunday / Black Sabbath / The Girl Who Knew Too Much / Kill Baby Kill / Knives of the Avenger)

ASIN: 6305909717
Release Date: 2000-10-24

Description

ANIMAL DESIRES...HUMAN LUST! Matt Farrell (John Ashley) is plucked from the sea while skindiving and taken to the foreboding fortress of Dr. Gordon. He is to become part of the doctor's diabolical experiment to create a race of super people. This twisted and maniacal doctor's experiments have so far only created terrifying and hideous creatures. His human guinea pigs, freed by the doctor's own daughter, turn the island hideaway into a bloodbath of revenge and terror! Cult Film Queen Pam Grier is featured as "Panther Woman." Bonus Features: 3-D Animated Motion Menus| Scene Selection| Actor Bios| Previews. Specs: DVD5; Dolby Digital Mono; 84 minutes; Color; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - PG; Year - 1972; SRP - $9.99.

DVD:

DVD

Drifters / Caller Herrin' [1929]

DVD: MI-5, Volume 2

Puschel, das Eichhorn, DVD 1