Tora! Tora! Tora!

Tora! Tora! Tora!


Starring:Martin Balsam, Sô Yamamura, Joseph Cotten, Tatsuya Mihashi, E.G. Marshall, James Whitmore, Takahiro Tamura, Eijirô Tono, Jason Robards, Wesley Addy, Shogo Shimada, Frank Aletter, Koreya Senda, Leon Ames, Junya Usami, Richard Anderson, Kazuo Kitamura, Keith Andes, Edward Andrews, Neville Brand
Director: Kinji Fukasaku, Toshio Masuda, Richard Fleischer
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
"Sir, there's a large formation of planes coming in from the north, 140 miles, 3 degrees east." "Yeah? Don't worry about it." This is just one of the many mishaps chronicled in Tora! Tora! Tora! The epic film shows the bombing of Pearl Harbor from both sides in the historic first American-Japanese coproduction: American director Richard Fleischer oversaw the complicated production (the Japanese sequences were directed by Toshio Masuda and Kinji Fukasaku, after Akira Kurosawa withdrew from the film), wrestling a sprawling story with dozens of characters into a manageable, fairly easy-to-follow film. The first half maps out the collapse of diplomacy between the nations and the military blunders that left naval and air forces sitting ducks for the impending attack, while the second half is an amazing re-creation of the devastating battle. While Tora! Tora! Tora! lacks the strong central characters that anchor the best war movies, the real star of the film is the climactic 30-minute battle, a massive feat of cinematic engineering that expertly conveys the surprise, the chaos, and the immense destruction of the only attack by a foreign power on American soil since the Revolutionary War. The special effects won a well-deserved Oscar, but the film was shut out of every other category by, ironically, the other epic war picture of the year, Patton. --Sean Axmaker
Description
"Tora! Tora! Tora!" is the Japanese signal to attack - and the movie meticulously recreates the attack on Pearl Harbor and the events leading up to it. Opening scenes contrast the American and Japanese positions. Japanese imperialists decide to stage the attack. Top U.S. brass ignore it's possibility. Intercepted Japanese messages warn of it - but never reach F.D.R.'s desk. Radar warnings are disregarded. Even the entrapment of a Japanese submarine in Pearl Harbor before the attack goes unreported. Ultimately the Day of Infamy arrives - in the most spectacular, gut-wrenching cavalcade of action-packed footage ever. You'll see moments of unsurpassed spectacle and heroism: U.S. fighters trying to take off and being hit as they taxi; men blasted from the decks of torpedoed ships while trying to rescue buddies; savage aerial dogfights pitting lone American fliers against squadrons of Imperial war planes. It's the most dazzling recreation of America's darkest day - and some of her finest hours.
Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 1 (Charlie Chan in London / Charlie Chan in Paris / Charlie Chan in Egypt / Charlie Chan in Shanghai / Eran Trece)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • love all of them
  • Oldy but a Goodie
  • Not epic classics but .....
  • Warner Oland's Charlie Chan with Great Special Features
  • Charlie's back!
Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 1 (Charlie Chan in London / Charlie Chan in Paris / Charlie Chan in Egypt / Charlie Chan in Shanghai / Eran Trece)
Starring: Juan Torena , Ana María Custodio , Rafael Calvo , Raul Roulien , and Blanca de Castejón
Director: David Howard , Eugene Forde , and Louis King
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
ClassicsClassics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
GeneralGeneral | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
Garralaga, MartinGarralaga, Martin | ( G ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Milland, RayMilland, Ray | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Oland, WarnerOland, Warner | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Walton, DouglasWalton, Douglas | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
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( C )( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:
  1. Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 2 (Charlie Chan at the Circus / Charlie Chan at the Olympics / Charlie Chan at the Opera / Charlie Chan at the Race Track)
  2. Mr. Moto Collection, Vol. 1 (Mr. Moto Takes A Chance / Mysterious Mr. Moto / Thank You Mr. Moto / Think Fast Mr. Moto) (4DVD)
  3. The Charlie Chan Chanthology (The Secret Service / The Chinese Cat / The Jade Mask / Meeting at Midnight / The Scarlet Clue / The Shanghai Cobra)
  4. Mr. Moto Collection - Vol. 2 (Mr. Moto's Gamble / Mr. Moto in Danger Island / Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation / Mr. Moto's Last Warning)
  5. Perry Mason - Season 1, Vol. 1

ASIN: B000EXDSAW
Release Date: 2006-06-20

Description

Disk 1: CHARLIE CHAN IN LONDON (1934) *Full Screen Feature *The Legacy of Charlie Chan Featurette (15:00) *Theatrical Trailer

Disk 2: CHARLIE CHAN IN PARIS (1935) *Full Screen Feature *In Search of Charlie Chan Featurette (20:00) *Charlie Chan In London Trailer

Disk 3: CHARLIE CHAN IN EGYPT (1935) *Full Screen Feature *The Real Charlie Chan Featurette (20:00) *Charlie Chan In London Trailer

Disk 4: CHARLIE CHAN IN SHANGHAI (1935) *Full Screen Feature *ERAN TRECE Fullscreen Feature (79:00) *Eran Trece Theatrical Trailer *Charlie Chan In London Trailer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars love all of them.......2007-06-08

these movies are great to watch with the whole family. my 11 and 9 year olds love charlie Chan. these old black and white mystery movies are great quality and well done

5 out of 5 stars Oldy but a Goodie.......2007-06-08

I am an old movie buff, especially mysteries. No need for all the modern tech stuff for enjoyment. This collection was great!

4 out of 5 stars Not epic classics but ............2007-05-07

In a word the Charlie Chan series of movies are FUN. The Warner Oland movies are a cut above the others. The often used (and often made up)Chinese proverbs quoted by Charlie provide a lot of humor. Even more humor is evident after Keye Luke was added. I found it interesting that several of the movies managed to work in some of the cutting edge technology of the day. i.e. The photocell timing at the race track, the FAX-like transmission of pictures. It is easy to see why the series was so popular in their day and remain so.

4 out of 5 stars Warner Oland's Charlie Chan with Great Special Features.......2007-05-06

Earl Derr Bigger's Charlie Chan was finally successfully brought to the screen by Warner Oland. This box set has Oland's 5th - 8th appearances as the detective. This set could be called Charlie Chan's world tour as he visits London, Paris, Cairo and Shanghai.

Like all detective serial movies, the plots are all different but they are all the same. Its just that Charlie has a classy way of doing things. He always does things with intelligence and style. Whether solving a case at an English country house, finding who has been forging bank bonds in Paris, who has been stealing the treasure from the tomb in Egypt or the murderer in Shanghai, Charlie / Warner always got his man.

But what makes this set special is are the special features. Three of the movies have featurettes about the origins of Charlie Chan and each is very interesting and gives great insight into the character.

The forth has a spanish language version of Charlie Chan Carries On. In the 30's the studios would make duplicate versions of movies for the foriegn markets, usually South America. These were made using the same sets as the English versions but with a Spanish cast. In this film they use a photo of Charlie's family but Oland is in the picture not the Spanish actor! (If you get Garbo's Anna Christie, it has the German version with Garbo but the rest of the cast replaced by German actors.)

These special features make this set better than just the films alone. Thanks for the extra content!!

5 out of 5 stars Charlie's back!.......2007-04-09

I've always loved the old 30's, 40's & 50's mysteries especially Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto and Sherlock Holmes. This set starts Warner Oland which in my opinion is the better Charlie between himself and Sidney Toler. To my knowledge, Oland made eight films and Toler made six. Set #1 includes CC in London, CC in Paris, CC in Egypt and CC in Shanghai. Each film has been beautifully restored and have never appeared any better. It's as if they were filmed yesterday. A must see! I own set #2 and Chantology starring Sidney Toler and featuring his six Chan films. I loved them all.
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • TORA! TORA! TORA!
  • This is THE Pearl Harbor movie...
  • Tora! Tora! Tora! - Gordon Prange & Ladislas Farago at their Best!
  • Classic Depiction of Attack on Pearl Harbor
  • Holds Up Fine
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Starring: Martin Balsam , Sô Yamamura , Joseph Cotten , Tatsuya Mihashi , and E.G. Marshall
Director: Kinji Fukasaku , Toshio Masuda , and Richard Fleischer
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
AdventureAdventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video
GeneralGeneral | Japan | By Country | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video
War in the SkyWar in the Sky | By Theme | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video
War EpicsWar Epics | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video
Addy, WesleyAddy, Wesley | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Ames, LeonAmes, Leon | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Anderson, RichardAnderson, Richard | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Andes, KeithAndes, Keith | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Andrews, EdwardAndrews, Edward | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Balsam, MartinBalsam, Martin | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Brand, NevilleBrand, Neville | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Cotten, JosephCotten, Joseph | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Mihashi, TatsuyaMihashi, Tatsuya | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Robards, JasonRobards, Jason | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Senda, KoreyaSenda, Koreya | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Shimada, ShogoShimada, Shogo | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Tamura, TakahiroTamura, Takahiro | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Whitmore, JamesWhitmore, James | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Fleischer, RichardFleischer, Richard | ( F ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Fukasaku, KinjiFukasaku, Kinji | ( F ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Masuda, ToshioMasuda, Toshio | ( M ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
All Fox TitlesAll Fox Titles | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
GeneralGeneral | Action | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
Family FeaturesFamily Features | Kids & Family | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
DVDs Under $15DVDs Under $15 | Fox DVD Budget Store | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
JapanJapan | Asian Cinema | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
HistoryHistory | By Theme | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
DVDs Under $9.99DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
( T )( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:
  1. Midway (Collector's Edition)
  2. Patton
  3. The Longest Day
  4. A Bridge Too Far
  5. In Harm's Way

ASIN: B000EHSVSC
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Amazon.com

"Sir, there's a large formation of planes coming in from the north, 140 miles, 3 degrees east." "Yeah? Don't worry about it." This is just one of the many mishaps chronicled in Tora! Tora! Tora! The epic film shows the bombing of Pearl Harbor from both sides in the historic first American-Japanese coproduction: American director Richard Fleischer oversaw the complicated production (the Japanese sequences were directed by Toshio Masuda and Kinji Fukasaku, after Akira Kurosawa withdrew from the film), wrestling a sprawling story with dozens of characters into a manageable, fairly easy-to-follow film. The first half maps out the collapse of diplomacy between the nations and the military blunders that left naval and air forces sitting ducks for the impending attack, while the second half is an amazing re-creation of the devastating battle. While Tora! Tora! Tora! lacks the strong central characters that anchor the best war movies, the real star of the film is the climactic 30-minute battle, a massive feat of cinematic engineering that expertly conveys the surprise, the chaos, and the immense destruction of the only attack by a foreign power on American soil since the Revolutionary War. The special effects won a well-deserved Oscar, but the film was shut out of every other category by, ironically, the other epic war picture of the year, Patton. --Sean Axmaker

Description

"Tora! Tora! Tora!" is the Japanese signal to attack - and the movie meticulously recreates the attack on Pearl Harbor and the events leading up to it. Opening scenes contrast the American and Japanese positions. Japanese imperialists decide to stage the attack. Top U.S. brass ignore it's possibility. Intercepted Japanese messages warn of it - but never reach F.D.R.'s desk. Radar warnings are disregarded. Even the entrapment of a Japanese submarine in Pearl Harbor before the attack goes unreported. Ultimately the Day of Infamy arrives - in the most spectacular, gut-wrenching cavalcade of action-packed footage ever. You'll see moments of unsurpassed spectacle and heroism: U.S. fighters trying to take off and being hit as they taxi; men blasted from the decks of torpedoed ships while trying to rescue buddies; savage aerial dogfights pitting lone American fliers against squadrons of Imperial war planes. It's the most dazzling recreation of America's darkest day - and some of her finest hours.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars TORA! TORA! TORA!.......2007-06-08

Very good story about what happened to Pearl Harbor. It surprised me about Japan what they did attacked beautiful land of Pearl Harbor during WW11. I like to watch it again more times as I want learned more about WW11.

5 out of 5 stars This is THE Pearl Harbor movie... .......2007-05-29

This is the definitive Pearl Harbor movie. It often is unfairly compared to 2001's "Pearl Harbor," but in truth the two are almost in separate genres. Unlike the latter movie, which was basically "Titanic" with the Japanese attack thrown in the middle, this one was very thoroughly researched and carefully written to be as true to history as possible. It is probably as accurate as a film about the Pearl Harbor attack and the events leading up to it will ever be. However, the people who will truly enjoy this film are not the Sunday matinee crowd, but rather history enthusiasts, war movie buffs, and those who are eager to learn about the attack and don't mind sitting through a rather long movie that's not particularly exciting (unless you're enthralled by diplomats talking and admirals planning) except during its final minutes.

Approaching its 40th anniversary, this movie is from another era; it was made at a time when good performances, historical accuracy, and attention to detail were more important than fast pacing, superstar cast members, and spectacular effects (though the effects in this film were top-notch for the time, and still hold up). There are no big-name actors in it, even at the time it was made. There are no soap-opera love triangles, pointless action sequences, or unnecessary dramatic moments. There's no filler, here, folks. Tora! Tora! Tora! moves along at a deliberate--though not slow--pace, and each aspect of the history leading up to the attack is covered such that a viewer who is paying attention should have no trouble knowing what is going on and who the key players are. The caveat is that, unless you are familiar with the related history, you HAVE to pay attention, or you will miss important plot points.

Those who have an interest in war history, especially WWII history, should thoroughly enjoy it; however, it provides no gimmicks to make it more accessible to those with a merely passing interest in the film's subject matter. This is no summer blockbuster popcorn flick. It's a serious look at the motives behind the attack, and a thoughtful analysis of what allowed the attack to succeed. If you want lots of big explosions and Hollywood drama, you might be better off sticking to the 2001 film. For history buffs, though, this is the only way to go.

5 out of 5 stars Tora! Tora! Tora! - Gordon Prange & Ladislas Farago at their Best!.......2007-03-19

The first time I saw Tora! Tora! Tora! was on the big screen at Naval Hospital, San Diego. I liked it so much I saw it three nights in a row. Some years later, I purchased the VHS video tape the day of its release. I have two DVD versions of Tora! Tora! Tora! as well as two VHS versions of the movie. I've also watched the Japanese version (with English subtitles). Tora! Tora! Tora! is a great film but it should not be taken as the ultimate "truth" about Pearl Harbor and how America got into World War II.

Tora! Tora! Tora! used an American director for the American sequences, and two Japanese directors (the first was fired) for the filming of the Japanese sequences. Much of the original Japanese crew was let go when the first Japanese director was fired (for being way over budget and for producing only 600 feet of film, as I recall).

This is a truly excellent movie that men and women can both watch and enjoy.

Beware, however, the scenes showing the "12 Apositles" who were "allowed access" to `Magic'(decrypted Japanese diplomatic and consular intercepts). The actual number of Americans with access to Magic was well over 100. And the President's name was NEVER taken off what the movie calls "the Ultra List." (FDR didn't actually read all the daily diplomatic intercepts, of which the Army and Navy had just over 8,000 in 1941 alone. Instead, he read daily summaries of the intercepts. The same applies to most of the senior officers in the War and Navy Departments.)

Alwin D. Kramer, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy, and Colonel Rufus Sumnter Bratton, U.S. Army, both worked in different offices rather than in a combined Army-Navy office shown in the movie. Both men were attached to the Far Eastern Sections of their respective intelligence departments (Office of Naval Intelligence with Kramer; Military Intelligence Division (for Bratton).) Bratton was officer in charge of the Far Eastern Section of MID. Kramer was head of OP-20-GZ (translation section in the Office of Naval Communications, OP-20), but he was actually on OP-16's (Office of Naval Intelligence's) payroll. Tora! Tora! Tora! gives Bratton's middle initial as "G", but that is in error. His middle name was Sumnter, as stated above.

"Magic" (again, intercepted foreign diplomatic and consular messages) was critical to what the U.S. (and British) Governments knew of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's diplomatic efforts. Although the National Security Agency still denies this, we also had a product called Ultra as relates to Japan. These were intercepted, decoded and translated Japanese naval and military intercepts. Ultra played a major part in our victory over the Combined Fleet in the Battle of Midway, fought 4 to 6 June 1942.

Tora! Tora! Tora! is, as I said, an excellent movie. It's full of suspense and it is very well acted by both the Americans and the Japanese. It presents a fair few of both the American and Japanese perspectives that helped lead to "Pearl Harbor" and U.S. entry into the Second World War.

First Lieutenant Kermit A. Tyler is claimed in the movie to say, "Well, don't worry about it," when he's told of the large number of planes approaching the Opana Point Radar station from north of Oahu (flying in over Kahuku Point). Tyler himself later testified that this was his reaction to the radar report phoned to him by Privates Lockard and Elliott. Here's the rub: The USS LEXINGTON had a radar and visual sighting of two Japanese carrier aircraft approximately 400 miles north west of Oahu on Saturday afternoon, 6 December 1941. LEXINGTON's radar report was the real first sighting of some of the Japanese aircraft that took part in the raid on Pearl Harbor.

American intelligence didn't "fail" in the lead up to the events of 7 December 1941. Intelligence, however, isn't always used the way the average citizen thinks it should be used. Those in high political and military offices have many strategic and tactical matters they have to factor into the decision making process. Not the least of these was the apathy of the American people in the period leading up to the Japanese raid on our obsolete battleships at Pearl Harbor. (Our three carriers then in the Pacific, LEXINGTON, ENTERPRISE and SARATOGA were not in port on 7 Dec. 1941. "Target ship," USS UTAH, was moored at a carrier berth off Ford Island. Battleship COLORADO, that had completed an overhaul at Bremerton, Washington a month before, was still at Bremerton. WEST VIRGINIA, that was overdue for overhaul, was moored outboard at Ford Island.)

This reviewer spent a little over 13 years researching Pearl Harbor on a full time basis. He has absolutely no animus for the Japanese---nor does he hold any animus for any of the senior Americans involved with Pearl Harbor.

"Pearl Harbor" saved the world (including Japan, in my opinion) from the Nazis. At the cost of a few thousand Americans, millions of lives were spared in Europe and Asia---and, ultimately---in the U.S. as well.

Tora! Tora! Tora! is one of my ten favorite movies. I've probably watched it over 50 times in the past thirty six years or so. And I will probably watch it another fifty times or more between now and the time I storm the great beyond.

E.G. Marshall (R.S. Bratton) and Wesley Addy (A.D. Kramer) in the film both do exceptional jobs with their acting. So does every other member of the U.S. and Japanese cast, in my opinion.

Great movie---and, in my opinion, a "Must have" for every American and Japanese who appreciates the very best in direction, acting, scenery, editing, cinamatography, etc. This is also a good action film---and it is fair to both the Japanese and American perspectives.

A "Well done!" to every member of the cast and crew of Tora! Tora! Tora! and to 20th Century Fox for producing this wonderful movie!

Andrew McKane IV
Missoula, Montana

5 out of 5 stars Classic Depiction of Attack on Pearl Harbor.......2007-02-26

I saw this movie years ago, and recently received it via Netflix. It is still a classic WWII movie that depicts the suprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The movie traces the tale of Dec 7, 1941 from both the American and Japanese perspective, which makes it different than most war movies (except for The Longest Day). This approach adds a lot of detail, and the story becomes the main focus of the film, not the actors.

Although the movie is a little long, the last 30 minutes of battle scenes makes up for the slow build up. Also, the movie does an excellent job showing how this tragedy unfolded, and all the mistakes made along the way.

If you like WWII films, or want to learn about the attack on Pearl Harbor then I recommend this movie. It is much, much better than the more recent version.

5 out of 5 stars Holds Up Fine.......2007-02-07

"Tora! Tora! Tora!" is a really fine flick that still holds up well decades after its release. It tells its story in fine detail and with little or no mythologizing. It also has a much slower build up than most movies today. That suits the subject fine, but war movie-makers today seem to think their audiences need a whiz-bang beginning or they'll lose interest.

"Tora! Tora! Tora!" seems mostly aimed at American audiences, but it was a joint American and Japanese production. One of its strengths is that it goes much further to humanize the Japanese than the more typical US WWII war-film-as-propaganda of its day and earlier, especially in the character of Japanese naval commander in chief, Isoroku Yamamoto. (Clint Eastwood goes further still in "Letters From Iwo Jima.") Still, "Tora! Tora! Tora!" portrays Yamamoto to flatter American audiences, showing him as holding grave doubts about the wisdom of going to war against the US. But other Japanese also are shown as individuals and not caricatures. We understand their motivations and can sympathize with them, even as Americans on the other side of the conflict. It ends with Yamamoto's (presumably fictional) words (here in paraphrase), "We have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve."
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • TORA! TORA! TORA!
  • This is THE Pearl Harbor movie...
  • Tora! Tora! Tora! - Gordon Prange & Ladislas Farago at their Best!
  • Classic Depiction of Attack on Pearl Harbor
  • Holds Up Fine
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Starring: Martin Balsam , Sô Yamamura , Joseph Cotten , Tatsuya Mihashi , and E.G. Marshall
Director: Kinji Fukasaku , Toshio Masuda , and Richard Fleischer
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
AdventureAdventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video
InternationalInternational | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video
World War IIWorld War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video
War in the SkyWar in the Sky | By Theme | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video
War EpicsWar Epics | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video
GeneralGeneral | Japan | By Country | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video
Addy, WesleyAddy, Wesley | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Ames, LeonAmes, Leon | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Anderson, RichardAnderson, Richard | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Andes, KeithAndes, Keith | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Andrews, EdwardAndrews, Edward | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Balsam, MartinBalsam, Martin | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Brand, NevilleBrand, Neville | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Cotten, JosephCotten, Joseph | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Mihashi, TatsuyaMihashi, Tatsuya | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Robards, JasonRobards, Jason | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Senda, KoreyaSenda, Koreya | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Shimada, ShogoShimada, Shogo | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Tamura, TakahiroTamura, Takahiro | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Whitmore, JamesWhitmore, James | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Fleischer, RichardFleischer, Richard | ( F ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Fukasaku, KinjiFukasaku, Kinji | ( F ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Masuda, ToshioMasuda, Toshio | ( M ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
All Fox TitlesAll Fox Titles | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
GeneralGeneral | Action | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
Family FeaturesFamily Features | Kids & Family | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
DVDs Under $15DVDs Under $15 | Fox DVD Budget Store | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
War Classics Under $20War Classics Under $20 | Fox DVD Budget Store | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
JapanJapan | Asian Cinema | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
EpicsEpics | By Theme | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
HistoryHistory | By Theme | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
Military & WarMilitary & War | By Theme | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
DVDs Under $7.49DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
( T )( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:
  1. Midway (Collector's Edition)
  2. Patton
  3. The Longest Day
  4. A Bridge Too Far
  5. In Harm's Way

ASIN: B000059HAI
Release Date: 2001-05-15

Amazon.com

"Sir, there's a large formation of planes coming in from the north, 140 miles, 3 degrees east." "Yeah? Don't worry about it." This is just one of the many mishaps chronicled in Tora! Tora! Tora! The epic film shows the bombing of Pearl Harbor from both sides in the historic first American-Japanese coproduction: American director Richard Fleischer oversaw the complicated production (the Japanese sequences were directed by Toshio Masuda and Kinji Fukasaku, after Akira Kurosawa withdrew from the film), wrestling a sprawling story with dozens of characters into a manageable, fairly easy-to-follow film. The first half maps out the collapse of diplomacy between the nations and the military blunders that left naval and air forces sitting ducks for the impending attack, while the second half is an amazing re-creation of the devastating battle. While Tora! Tora! Tora! lacks the strong central characters that anchor the best war movies, the real star of the film is the climactic 30-minute battle, a massive feat of cinematic engineering that expertly conveys the surprise, the chaos, and the immense destruction of the only attack by a foreign power on American soil since the Revolutionary War. The special effects won a well-deserved Oscar, but the film was shut out of every other category by, ironically, the other epic war picture of the year, Patton. --Sean Axmaker

Description

"Tora! Tora! Tora!" is the Japanese signal to attack - and the movie meticulously recreates the attack on Pearl Harbor and the events leading up to it. Opening scenes contrast the American and Japanese positions. Japanese imperialists decide to stage the attack. Top U.S. brass ignore it's possibility. Intercepted Japanese messages warn of it - but never reach F.D.R.'s desk. Radar warnings are disregarded. Even the entrapment of a Japanese submarine in Pearl Harbor before the attack goes unreported. Ultimately the Day of Infamy arrives - in the most spectacular, gut-wrenching cavalcade of action-packed footage ever. You'll see moments of unsurpassed spectacle and heroism: U.S. fighters trying to take off and being hit as they taxi; men blasted from the decks of torpedoed ships while trying to rescue buddies; savage aerial dogfights pitting lone American fliers against squadrons of Imperial war planes. It's the most dazzling recreation of America's darkest day - and some of her finest hours.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars TORA! TORA! TORA!.......2007-06-08

Very good story about what happened to Pearl Harbor. It surprised me about Japan what they did attacked beautiful land of Pearl Harbor during WW11. I like to watch it again more times as I want learned more about WW11.

5 out of 5 stars This is THE Pearl Harbor movie... .......2007-05-29

This is the definitive Pearl Harbor movie. It often is unfairly compared to 2001's "Pearl Harbor," but in truth the two are almost in separate genres. Unlike the latter movie, which was basically "Titanic" with the Japanese attack thrown in the middle, this one was very thoroughly researched and carefully written to be as true to history as possible. It is probably as accurate as a film about the Pearl Harbor attack and the events leading up to it will ever be. However, the people who will truly enjoy this film are not the Sunday matinee crowd, but rather history enthusiasts, war movie buffs, and those who are eager to learn about the attack and don't mind sitting through a rather long movie that's not particularly exciting (unless you're enthralled by diplomats talking and admirals planning) except during its final minutes.

Approaching its 40th anniversary, this movie is from another era; it was made at a time when good performances, historical accuracy, and attention to detail were more important than fast pacing, superstar cast members, and spectacular effects (though the effects in this film were top-notch for the time, and still hold up). There are no big-name actors in it, even at the time it was made. There are no soap-opera love triangles, pointless action sequences, or unnecessary dramatic moments. There's no filler, here, folks. Tora! Tora! Tora! moves along at a deliberate--though not slow--pace, and each aspect of the history leading up to the attack is covered such that a viewer who is paying attention should have no trouble knowing what is going on and who the key players are. The caveat is that, unless you are familiar with the related history, you HAVE to pay attention, or you will miss important plot points.

Those who have an interest in war history, especially WWII history, should thoroughly enjoy it; however, it provides no gimmicks to make it more accessible to those with a merely passing interest in the film's subject matter. This is no summer blockbuster popcorn flick. It's a serious look at the motives behind the attack, and a thoughtful analysis of what allowed the attack to succeed. If you want lots of big explosions and Hollywood drama, you might be better off sticking to the 2001 film. For history buffs, though, this is the only way to go.

5 out of 5 stars Tora! Tora! Tora! - Gordon Prange & Ladislas Farago at their Best!.......2007-03-19

The first time I saw Tora! Tora! Tora! was on the big screen at Naval Hospital, San Diego. I liked it so much I saw it three nights in a row. Some years later, I purchased the VHS video tape the day of its release. I have two DVD versions of Tora! Tora! Tora! as well as two VHS versions of the movie. I've also watched the Japanese version (with English subtitles). Tora! Tora! Tora! is a great film but it should not be taken as the ultimate "truth" about Pearl Harbor and how America got into World War II.

Tora! Tora! Tora! used an American director for the American sequences, and two Japanese directors (the first was fired) for the filming of the Japanese sequences. Much of the original Japanese crew was let go when the first Japanese director was fired (for being way over budget and for producing only 600 feet of film, as I recall).

This is a truly excellent movie that men and women can both watch and enjoy.

Beware, however, the scenes showing the "12 Apositles" who were "allowed access" to `Magic'(decrypted Japanese diplomatic and consular intercepts). The actual number of Americans with access to Magic was well over 100. And the President's name was NEVER taken off what the movie calls "the Ultra List." (FDR didn't actually read all the daily diplomatic intercepts, of which the Army and Navy had just over 8,000 in 1941 alone. Instead, he read daily summaries of the intercepts. The same applies to most of the senior officers in the War and Navy Departments.)

Alwin D. Kramer, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy, and Colonel Rufus Sumnter Bratton, U.S. Army, both worked in different offices rather than in a combined Army-Navy office shown in the movie. Both men were attached to the Far Eastern Sections of their respective intelligence departments (Office of Naval Intelligence with Kramer; Military Intelligence Division (for Bratton).) Bratton was officer in charge of the Far Eastern Section of MID. Kramer was head of OP-20-GZ (translation section in the Office of Naval Communications, OP-20), but he was actually on OP-16's (Office of Naval Intelligence's) payroll. Tora! Tora! Tora! gives Bratton's middle initial as "G", but that is in error. His middle name was Sumnter, as stated above.

"Magic" (again, intercepted foreign diplomatic and consular messages) was critical to what the U.S. (and British) Governments knew of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's diplomatic efforts. Although the National Security Agency still denies this, we also had a product called Ultra as relates to Japan. These were intercepted, decoded and translated Japanese naval and military intercepts. Ultra played a major part in our victory over the Combined Fleet in the Battle of Midway, fought 4 to 6 June 1942.

Tora! Tora! Tora! is, as I said, an excellent movie. It's full of suspense and it is very well acted by both the Americans and the Japanese. It presents a fair few of both the American and Japanese perspectives that helped lead to "Pearl Harbor" and U.S. entry into the Second World War.

First Lieutenant Kermit A. Tyler is claimed in the movie to say, "Well, don't worry about it," when he's told of the large number of planes approaching the Opana Point Radar station from north of Oahu (flying in over Kahuku Point). Tyler himself later testified that this was his reaction to the radar report phoned to him by Privates Lockard and Elliott. Here's the rub: The USS LEXINGTON had a radar and visual sighting of two Japanese carrier aircraft approximately 400 miles north west of Oahu on Saturday afternoon, 6 December 1941. LEXINGTON's radar report was the real first sighting of some of the Japanese aircraft that took part in the raid on Pearl Harbor.

American intelligence didn't "fail" in the lead up to the events of 7 December 1941. Intelligence, however, isn't always used the way the average citizen thinks it should be used. Those in high political and military offices have many strategic and tactical matters they have to factor into the decision making process. Not the least of these was the apathy of the American people in the period leading up to the Japanese raid on our obsolete battleships at Pearl Harbor. (Our three carriers then in the Pacific, LEXINGTON, ENTERPRISE and SARATOGA were not in port on 7 Dec. 1941. "Target ship," USS UTAH, was moored at a carrier berth off Ford Island. Battleship COLORADO, that had completed an overhaul at Bremerton, Washington a month before, was still at Bremerton. WEST VIRGINIA, that was overdue for overhaul, was moored outboard at Ford Island.)

This reviewer spent a little over 13 years researching Pearl Harbor on a full time basis. He has absolutely no animus for the Japanese---nor does he hold any animus for any of the senior Americans involved with Pearl Harbor.

"Pearl Harbor" saved the world (including Japan, in my opinion) from the Nazis. At the cost of a few thousand Americans, millions of lives were spared in Europe and Asia---and, ultimately---in the U.S. as well.

Tora! Tora! Tora! is one of my ten favorite movies. I've probably watched it over 50 times in the past thirty six years or so. And I will probably watch it another fifty times or more between now and the time I storm the great beyond.

E.G. Marshall (R.S. Bratton) and Wesley Addy (A.D. Kramer) in the film both do exceptional jobs with their acting. So does every other member of the U.S. and Japanese cast, in my opinion.

Great movie---and, in my opinion, a "Must have" for every American and Japanese who appreciates the very best in direction, acting, scenery, editing, cinamatography, etc. This is also a good action film---and it is fair to both the Japanese and American perspectives.

A "Well done!" to every member of the cast and crew of Tora! Tora! Tora! and to 20th Century Fox for producing this wonderful movie!

Andrew McKane IV
Missoula, Montana

5 out of 5 stars Classic Depiction of Attack on Pearl Harbor.......2007-02-26

I saw this movie years ago, and recently received it via Netflix. It is still a classic WWII movie that depicts the suprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The movie traces the tale of Dec 7, 1941 from both the American and Japanese perspective, which makes it different than most war movies (except for The Longest Day). This approach adds a lot of detail, and the story becomes the main focus of the film, not the actors.

Although the movie is a little long, the last 30 minutes of battle scenes makes up for the slow build up. Also, the movie does an excellent job showing how this tragedy unfolded, and all the mistakes made along the way.

If you like WWII films, or want to learn about the attack on Pearl Harbor then I recommend this movie. It is much, much better than the more recent version.

5 out of 5 stars Holds Up Fine.......2007-02-07

"Tora! Tora! Tora!" is a really fine flick that still holds up well decades after its release. It tells its story in fine detail and with little or no mythologizing. It also has a much slower build up than most movies today. That suits the subject fine, but war movie-makers today seem to think their audiences need a whiz-bang beginning or they'll lose interest.

"Tora! Tora! Tora!" seems mostly aimed at American audiences, but it was a joint American and Japanese production. One of its strengths is that it goes much further to humanize the Japanese than the more typical US WWII war-film-as-propaganda of its day and earlier, especially in the character of Japanese naval commander in chief, Isoroku Yamamoto. (Clint Eastwood goes further still in "Letters From Iwo Jima.") Still, "Tora! Tora! Tora!" portrays Yamamoto to flatter American audiences, showing him as holding grave doubts about the wisdom of going to war against the US. But other Japanese also are shown as individuals and not caricatures. We understand their motivations and can sympathize with them, even as Americans on the other side of the conflict. It ends with Yamamoto's (presumably fictional) words (here in paraphrase), "We have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve."
World War II Collection (The Thin Red Line/Patton/Tora! Tora! Tora!/The Longest Day)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • ALL 4 FILMS ARE CLASSICS THAT I REALLY WANTED MAKING THIS SET A 'REEL' TREAT FOR ME!
  • Good package of war movies
  • Three Magnificent War Movies but One Appalling Fantasy
  • I'll tell you why...
  • Two bad movies for the price of five
World War II Collection (The Thin Red Line/Patton/Tora! Tora! Tora!/The Longest Day)
Starring: Martin Balsam , Sô Yamamura , Joseph Cotten , Tatsuya Mihashi , and E.G. Marshall
Director: Kinji Fukasaku , Toshio Masuda , and Richard Fleischer
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004TS0M
Release Date: 2000-11-07

Amazon.com

The Thin Red Line (1998)
In recluse director Terrence Malick's 1998 comeback vehicle, the battle for Guadalcanal Island offers an opportunity to explore nothing less than the nature of life, death, God, and courage. Let that be a warning to anyone expecting a conventional war flick; Malick proves himself quite capable of mounting an exciting action sequence, but he's just as likely to meander into pure philosophical noodling. This is not especially an actors' movie, but the standouts are bold: Nick Nolte as a career-minded colonel, Elias Koteas as a deeply spiritual captain who tries to protect his men, Ben Chaplin as a G.I. haunted by lyrical memories of his wife. The backbone of the film is the ongoing discussion between a wry sergeant (Sean Penn) and an ethereal, almost holy private (newcomer Jim Caviezel). In some ways The Thin Red Line seems vaguely, intriguingly incomplete, yet it casts a spell like almost nothing else of its time, and Malick's visionary images are a challenge and a signpost to the rest of his filmmaking generation. --Robert Horton

Tora! Tora! Tora!
"Sir, there's a large formation of planes coming in from the north, 140 miles, 3 degrees east." "Yeah? Don't worry about it." This is just one of the many mishaps chronicled in Tora! Tora! Tora! The epic film shows the bombing of Pearl Harbor from both sides in the historic first American-Japanese coproduction: American director Richard Fleischer oversaw the complicated production, wrestling a sprawling story with dozens of characters into a manageable, fairly easy-to-follow film. While Tora! Tora! Tora! lacks the strong central characters that anchor the best war movies, the real star of the film is the climactic 30-minute battle, a massive feat of cinematic engineering that expertly conveys the surprise, the chaos, and the immense destruction of the attack. --Sean Axmaker

Patton
One of the greatest screen biographies ever produced, this monumental film runs nearly three hours, won seven Academy Awards, and gave George C. Scott the greatest role of his career. Scott embodies his role so fully, so convincingly, that we can't help but be drawn to and fascinated by Patton as a man who is simultaneously bound for hell and glory. Filmed on an epic scale at literally dozens of European locations, Patton does not embrace war as a noble pursuit, nor does it deny the reality of war as a breeding ground for heroes. Through the awesome achievement of Scott's performance and the film's grand ambition, Patton shows all the complexities of a man who accepted his role in life and (like Scott) played it to the hilt. --Jeff Shannon

The Longest Day
The Longest Day is Hollywood's definitive D-day movie. More modern accounts such as Saving Private Ryan are more vividly realistic, but producer Darryl F. Zanuck's epic 1962 account is the only one to attempt the daunting task of covering that fateful day from all perspectives. From the German high command and front-line officers to the French Resistance and all the key Allied participants, the screenplay by Cornelius Ryan, based on his own authoritative book, is as factually accurate as possible. The endless parade of stars (John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, and Richard Burton, to name a few) makes for an uneasy mix of verisimilitude and Hollywood star-power, however, and the film falls a little flat for too much of its three-hour running time. But the set-piece battles are still spectacular, and if the landings on Omaha Beach lack the graphic gore of Private Ryan, they nonetheless show the sheer scale and audacity of the invasion. --Mark Walker

Description

Contains: *Thin Red Line, The *Tora! Tora! Tora! *Patton *Longest Day, The

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars ALL 4 FILMS ARE CLASSICS THAT I REALLY WANTED MAKING THIS SET A 'REEL' TREAT FOR ME!.......2006-10-21

FIRST THOUGHTS: 4 EXCELLENT WAR FILMS ON DVD THEMATICALLY COMBINED INTO 1 SET

This set came to me as a gift from one of my sons about 4 years ago. He found it at Sam's Club and he paid about 30 dollars. Each one of the films included are films I really wanted so the set has been a 'reel' treat for me.

IN A NUTSHELL: SAVE $17. ON THIS SET VERSUS PURCHASING INDIVIDUAL TITLES FROM AMAZON

Within a nice outer slipcase you get 4 classic DVDs in their normal DVD packaging and wrappers. These are all releases that you can purchase seperately, but it is a little less costly to get the set. 'Patton' is a 2-DISK set that sells for $14.98 from Amazon, 'Tora Tora Tora' is $12.98, 'The Longest Day' is an edition no longer available directly from Amazon, but several Amazon sellers are offering it New from $15.98, and 'The Thin Red Line' is $9.19 directly from Amazon. It comes to over $53. plus shipping [depending on whether you get all the titles from Amazon or from vendors]. If you buy this set the shipping is free [over $25.] In essence, one can save $17. [as of today] buying this set rather than buying the individual titles, which is significant as these are not promotional DVDs and do in fact have all the 'special features' available on the individual titles.

***** THE TITLES *****

* 'THE LONGEST DAY'
* 'PATTON'
* 'THE THIN RED LINE'
* 'TORA TORA TORA'

4 out of 5 stars Good package of war movies.......2005-07-20

The Longest Day is one of the best war movies ever made. And Tora 3 is a much better depiction of the attack on Pearl Harbor than that stupid Ben Affleck movie.

The Thin Red Line can be a tough one to accept. I had to watch it a few times before I liked it.

3 out of 5 stars Three Magnificent War Movies but One Appalling Fantasy.......2004-02-11

It is up to the viewer to decide what is fact and what is fiction or what is utter and complete fantasy. But in my Opinion, The Longest Day, Patton and Tora Tora Tora are renowned war movies, 'The Thin Red Line' is not.

Maintaining a very slow pace throughout its three and half hours lenght, in the 'Thin Red Line' more Japanese soldiers are shown surrendering in the few hours of combat depicted than actually did the first three years of the Pacific war! (If you do not believe me, look up Tarawa, New Guinea, Marshall Islands, and Iwo Jima for example.) And of course the Americans are shown almost to last as the inhuman beasts and the Japanese as noble Samurai.

Following in the tradition of the racist epic 'Birth to a Nation', movies like the Thin Red Line and Pearl Harbor are rewriting ouf history. For example, in Pearl Harbor the Japanese are depicted as being justified in attacking, when actually the United States stopped selling the Japanese oil because they were allies with Hitler, making war on China, and had just invaded French Indochina.

5 out of 5 stars I'll tell you why..........2004-02-08

To answer another reviewer's question: Why would you buy this set when you can get the individual films cheaper? You can't buy the individual films cheaper.

The version of "Patton" in this set is the 2-disc Special Edition, which is out of print except for in this set, and selling for more than the price of this entire set on auction sites.

So save some money, get the 2-disc version of Patton, and get three other great WWII films for free (essentially).

1 out of 5 stars Two bad movies for the price of five.......2002-12-13

Let's face it...the Thin Red Line is the most boring war movie ever made. Tora Tora Tora is very outdated, and although it does show the attack upon Pearl Harbor from the Japanese perspective, it is very much outclassed by the newer movie, "Pearl Harbor,"
Haxan (Witchcraft Through the Ages) - Criterion Collection
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Perfect
  • An interesting film. The first two thirds better than the last
  • A silent era milestone given the Criterion treatment
  • Our Stupid Ancestors...
  • Haxan is Great!!
Haxan (Witchcraft Through the Ages) - Criterion Collection
Starring: William S. Burroughs , Benjamin Christensen , Astrid Holm , Gerda Madsen , and Maren Pedersen
Director: Benjamin Christensen
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:
  1. Vampyr
  2. Faust
  3. Les Vampires
  4. Carnival of Souls - Criterion Collection
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ASIN: B00005O5CA
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Amazon.com

Witchcraft through the ages is explored with dark wit in this silent classic. Writer-director Benjamin Christensen uses a historical study of witchcraft as a jumping-off point for a fascinating film that is part science, part horror, and part social commentary. This Criterion edition uses a beautiful print, a rearrangement of music from the original Danish premiere, and the original Swedish intertitles (with subtitles). Goodies include commentary by Danish film scholar Casper Tybjerg, the option of watching a narrated version without intertitles, and test shots from the film. The test shots, in particular, give insight into the early filmmaking process, as when Christensen uses his own image to try out (and reject) a flying effect. This is a worthy edition to the collection of fans of horror films, silent films, and film in general. --Ali Davis

Description

Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen's legendary film uses a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that the witches of the middle ages suffered the same hysteria as turn-of-the-century psychiatric patients. But the film itself is far from serious-instead it's a witches' brew of the scary, gross, and darkly humorous. The Criterion Collection is proud to present two versions of this genre-defying "documentary," for the first time ever on DVD.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Perfect.......2007-02-16

I received the DVD within a week's time. Perfect condition, as stated, and plays perfectly. Most grateful.

4 out of 5 stars An interesting film. The first two thirds better than the last.......2006-11-08

A very provocative look at the lore of witchcraft in Central Europe in the Middle Ages, and how many lives were destroyed by the Church. I enjoyed the documentary material which set up the narrative part of the film. The only part I found fault with was the end, where Christensen turns didactic, explaining how the witch hunters are still with us, persecuting victims of hysterical illness. But even in the last part there were some affecting moments.

I loved all the fantasy vignettes depicting the "witches'" false confessions of Black Sabbaths in the forest, and the horrific backlash of the Church. I can see why Benjamin Christensen was invited to the United States, and why Warner Brothers set him to work on old dark house comedy-horror projects. They were trying to repeat the success Universal had with German Director Paul Leni directing THE CAT AND THE CANARY.

I do love silent horror films from Europe (particularly Germany), and wish that Kino and Image, or Criterion would release more of them. I would particularly like to see restored versions of THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE and THE HANDS OF ORLAC, both starring Conrad Veidt. The version of THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE that's currently available is a poor copy of a 16 mm print, and deseves a better release.

5 out of 5 stars A silent era milestone given the Criterion treatment.......2006-06-06

This film was mentioned briefly in the acclaimed CINEMA EUROPE: THE OTHE RHOLLYWOOD. Captivated by its imagery, I sought this film and found it under the pretigious Criterion banner. Wow!

The picture complete with color tints is amazing!

An enthralling musical soundtrack with some of classical music's finets pieces!

A terrific and informative commentary with Swedish film professor, Casper Tybjerg.!

An introduction by the director from the 40's!

An extensive biblography!

The 1968 jazzy version eclipsed in Hollywood pandering only by the Sid Shienberg cut of BRAZIL!

This is essential viewing for film students, filmmakers, and silent buffs!

2 out of 5 stars Our Stupid Ancestors..........2005-03-09

(Or, Why Hysterical Woman Are The Root Of All The Problems In The World).

I was bitterly disappointed by this film. A supposedly famous Scandinavian masterwork, I found "Haxan" ("heck-sen") to be confused and... well, rather boring.

The main problem with the film is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. A documentary? A drama? Furthermore, it holds the view that people who lived in the past were rather stupid and easily led, and that we 20th century people are somehow much cleverer than they were. This is a rather dubious assertion, as it is doubtful that the human race would have been able to continue itself if it had somehow managed to be any more dumb than many people are nowadays.

Even worse, it holds to the outmoded 19th century idea that hystrical women are a serious treat to the wellbeing of the world -a laughably outmoded premise for a comedy, let alone a supposedly serious film.

Plus, the usually immaculate Criterion transfer isn't in evidence here: the images look pixelly. Best avoid, and instead buy some of the German films from the 1920s, like Murnau's "Nosferatu" (1921) or his "Faust" (1925).

5 out of 5 stars Haxan is Great!!.......2004-09-26

This movie, in my opinion, is one of my favorite depictions of witchcraft and its history, mythology, horror, and customs. The movie is directed beautifully and hauntingly at the same time. Some of the images will stick with you forever. Benjamin Christensen's portrayal as the devil is frightning, yet somewhat humorous. This film definantely deserves a place in the top 100 greatest movies of all time. Enjoy!
Erotikon: A Daring Fable of Modern Love
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Surprisingly good movie - for 1920
  • WONDERFUL SPOOF
  • Smooth, stylish and sophisticated
  • Film 10 -- Score 3
  • Strikingly modern, moralizing-free sex comedy-drama
Erotikon: A Daring Fable of Modern Love
Starring: Karin Molander , Stina Berg , Elin Lagergren , Gull Natorp , and Carina Ari
Director: Mauritz Stiller
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000EQHXJ6
Release Date: 2006-06-06

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good movie - for 1920.......2007-01-24

After having recently seen The Temptress, I decided to get one of Mauritz Stiller's movies, and - after reading these [...]. I'm not going to go into any detail re: plot, moralizing, etc. - the other reviewers, here, delve into this quite nicely (and I couldn't agree more with them). What I will say is that this movie surprised me - twice...

I sat down w. my partner, and put this movie on. We both love silent movies, and have seen quite a number of them. What surprised me the most was that we were unable to sit through it in one viewing. After 77 minutes, we were both falling asleep - so we turned it off, to finish watching it the next night. This first attempt at watching the film, we both could not get over how slow moving the movie was... We sat there, hearing ourselves saying things like "Oh my god... isn't anything going to happen?" or "Why does it have to take so long to get this across?"

OK. That was the first surprise. Moving on to the 2nd night...

The next night we finished watching the movie - and our comments then were "Well, that wasn't so bad - but I don't care to ever see it again", etc. After we'd both had time to think about the film, things changed a bit...

My 2nd surprise with this movie is that I ultimately liked it - and think I'll be watching it again, at some point in time.

You DO have to keep in mind WHEN this movie was made - 1920 - and, for 1920, this movie is WAY above the usual acting syle(s) of the period. The acting here is remarkably good - Lars Hanson & Tora Teje were the two standouts, for me, with both providing many, many "modern" expressions, gestures - without going "melodramatic" on me. Some very "wise" acting going on - acting that seemed very aware of what the camara was able to capture. VERY unusual for this time period. (By 1928, this wouldn't have surprised me so much - but for 1920? Very impressive.)

I was also VERY surprised (and pleased!) that the men were not "painted up" like cupie dolls. Lars Hanson was allowed to be handsome - and masculine. (I'm sure he most likely was wearing make-up, but he looked "human" - unlike a lot of leading men, back then.)

Erotikon is supposed to be a comedy. I sure didn't think it was funny, watching it, but my partner & I will now mention a moment/scene from the movie and both of us will start laughing. So, maybe it IS a comedy after all. (If so, it is a SUBTLE comedy... definitely no slapstick - which is fine with me.)

The WORST part of the movie (and basically the only inexcusable one) is the performance by the actor playing an old professor. I'm sure he was meant to be funny - but his performance has not aged well, and in fact brings the movie down, whenever he's onscreen.

Camera work is basically pretty exceptional. You actually forget that this silent movie is so EARLY in silent movie history, until you focus in on the absence of "fade-in's" (& "fade-out's), "cross-fades", etc. Instead of these, you get the early-silent movie technique of "telescoping" (can't think of the right word for this) - where the new scene will start with a black screen, and the picture opens up from a small circle in the middle of the screen... (you know what I mean)...

Costumes were fantastic. Acting was very, VERY sophisticated for the time. Story was so-so, but (as the other postings say) there was no "preaching" going on - which made the story at least sort of "refreshing."

DVD is exceptional quality. The score is a bit unusual - but okay (better than a solo piano, in my book...), with sound quality being very good. The DVD extras are also nice/informative.

Yeah. Surprisingly good movie - for 1920 - and I honestly DO recommend it, for silent film buffs who are able to keep this in perspective.

5 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL SPOOF.......2007-01-05

EXCELLENT SPOOF ON A LOVE TRIANGLE. VERY FUNNY WITH CLEAR MOMENTS OF REALITY. I ENJOYED IT!!!

4 out of 5 stars Smooth, stylish and sophisticated.......2006-06-18

Sweden has long been regarded as being a progressive, sophisticated nation with open-minded people, and these three latest releases by Kino Video featuring Swedish silent films directed by Mauritz Stiller (best remembered for `discovering' Greta Garbo) show that the Swedes had style and sophistication already in the late 1910s. Stiller directed a variety of films from epics (The Saga of Gosta Berling) to historic dramas (Sir Arne's Treasure) and this one, labelled as a daring comedy for 1920. The `daring' element is the bored high society wife who flirts with not one, but two men until she gets the one she wants. The humorous element seems to be that her husband is glad to be rid of her because he has another love interest as well. In fact, I hesitate to call "Erotikon" a comedy per se but rather a light tongue in cheek melodrama. There is nothing much more to the plot, and at times it might even feel quite shallow and slow-moving, but good acting, some interesting characters and an overall smooth style with good photography make up for what the story might be lacking. But to appreciate "Erotikon" more fully, one has to keep it in the context of its time, and compared to other films of 1920, it does stand out for its more developed scenes and the overall smoothness and style, not to mention the theme itself: women of 1920 unashamedly indulging in their heart's desire. Actress Tora Teje plays the main role superbly, I might add, and supporting roles are also well done. Other filmmakers and directors were inspired by Mauritz Stiller's style, and one that quickly comes to mind is Ernst Lubitsch, and his 1924 film "The Marriage Circle" could well have been directly inspired by "Erotikon". To add to the distinct Swedish style of silent film, "Erotikon" has a somewhat unusual and non-traditional orchestral musical score which might take a little getting used to for some. There is also a nice little bonus feature introducing the films of Mauritz Stiller, which serves as a good introduction to Swedish silent films. While not my favourite Swedish or Mauritz Stiller film, "Erotikon" has many fine features which might appeal especially to fans of Ernst Lubitsch's style and similar, as well as simply giving us a good taste of early Swedish cinema.

5 out of 5 stars Film 10 -- Score 3.......2006-06-15

EROTIKON's interesting enough to appeal, not just to specialists in silent cinema, but literate and curious film buffs of all stripes. Fascinating cast, nicely restored print, with witty title cards complementing piquant situations. My one caveat -- and it's a big one -- is the score accompanying this Kino release. Have these composers ever seen a comedy? Heard Rota, Rossini, Mozart, Strauss? While not uninteresting musically, the soundtrack seems to have strayed in from another, far darker picture. There's been a plague of this lugubrious problem accompanying silent restorations on DVD recently; on the other hand, the Lon Chaney package produced by TCM features a couple of newly-commissioned scores that are exemplary in their approach, with imaginative orchestrations that reinforce, rather than do battle with, the action onscreen. Would that more composers followed their lead!

5 out of 5 stars Strikingly modern, moralizing-free sex comedy-drama.......2006-05-30

A professor has a bit of an infatuation with his niece; the professor's wife, a cosmopolitan lady of leisure, takes up with a flashy aviator, mainly, it seems, to torment a sculptor who loves her; turn up the heat, stir, and wait for the boil...

The DVD release's jacket does a mild disservice to Mauritz Stiller's Erotikon (1920) by stating that its slyly sardonic approach to sexual intrigue inspired Ernst Lubitsch. The expectation is thus set that Erotikon will have an effervescent comic pace and a constantly winking eye like a Lubitsch film of the 30s-- and that is not the case.

A better touchstone for the film is The Rules of the Game (not least because an aviator plays so prominent a role), a movie which observes, with the sad empathy of a veteran priest with many Saturdays spent listening to confession behind him, the desperate efforts of a group of humans to chase after happiness-- only to make things worse in most cases. Erotikon begins with a fussy middle-aged professor lecturing on bigamous beetles (oddly anticipating the recent movie biography of Dr. Kinsey), and takes a consciously scientific detachment toward its characters as they scurry about, trying to keep mortality at bay by finding some form of erotic excitement in lives which are a bit too settled, under-occupied and, it appears, sexually frustrated. A comedy, yes, and even one that wraps up in high spirits, and yet a comedy that's touched throughout by melancholy, and played with a sort of gravity and a deliberate pace that gives us time to feel the hurt under the surface.

Or so it seemed to me when I watched it tonight. Then I watched the "intro" by the film scholar Peter Cowie, and learned that Erotikon is quite the opposite. Unlike Smiles of a Summer Night, another obvious comparison, Erotikon's comedy does not have a moralistic melancholy undertone, says Cowie. What struck me as gravity, like Preston Sturges slowed down to Douglas Sirk if not Carl Dreyer, strikes Cowie as "frothy."

How to account for the fact that Cowie sees a completely different Erotikon than I do? Well, for one thing, I suppose he has far more experience of Scandinavian cinema on which to build his preconceptions; next to a diet of Sjostrom, Bergman, Strindberg and Hamsun, Erotikon IS frothy, I'm sure. And I doubt he had seen it, the first few times at least, with the particular score on this DVD, a Celtic dirge that seems to belong to a production of "The Death of Cuchulain" more than it does to a 1920s drawing room comedy; it certainly puts the film in a dourer key than a conventional romantic comedy score would have. (Maybe I'll try watching it again with something peppier, and see if it's a different movie.)

Adding to the uncertainty of tone is the fact that the film contains a wide variety of acting styles. Tora Teje (as the socialite wife) and Lars Hanson (as the sculptor) are highly effective in a theatrical, heightened-naturalism sort of way, while Anders de Wahl as the husband and especially Torsten Hammaren as an aged professor are caricatures of woolly-headed academia. It's a bit like Deborah Kerr in Bonjour Tristesse being married to Fred MacMurray in The Absent-Minded Professor.

Despite this mismatch-- perhaps to be expected in such a trailblazing comedy with no apparent models to follow, other than its stage original-- Erotikon is a striking and interesting film, one of the few silents that seems to leap out of the period, untouched by the customary moralizing Victorian preconceptions of what is proper behavior for its characters (and proper punishment for those who violate it). Erotikon simply observes what these creatures do naturally; applying morals to them would be self-delusion, and Erotikon is a movie largely free of illusions.
Ushio & Tora - Complete Collection
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • An appealing supernatural action comedy
  • Madness Tora style
  • Cute kitty Tora-chan!
  • Calvin and Hobbes, eat your hearts out.
  • In Volume 2
Ushio & Tora - Complete Collection
Starring: Scott White , Rod Peters , Frank Page , Larry Koteff , and Jessica Boone
Director: Kunihiko Yuyama
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008G8PM
Release Date: 2003-05-13

Amazon.com

During the 16th century, a warrior-monk vanquished a powerful demon by pinning it to a rock with an enchanted spear; 500 years later, high school student Ushio Aotsuki, a descendant of the samurai, discovers the demon is still imprisoned in the cellar of the family temple. Although the leonine Tora insists he'll devour Ushio, and Ushio threatens to destroy Tora with the Beast Spear, the two become grudging friends, defeating a series of bizarre demons and evil spirits. Their lives are complicated by Ushio's friendships with the tomboyish Asako and the more feminine Mayuko. Ushio and Tora (1992) suggests an odd mixture of Tenchi Muyo and Ranma 1/2. Despite their constant quarreling, Ushio and Tora are extremely likable characters, and this cheaply animated and often violent comedy-adventure has an appealing originality that leaves the viewer wishing there were more episodes. (Rated 15 and older: violence, grotesque imagery, brief nudity, profanity) --Charles Solomon

Description

Ushio thinks his father's tale of an ancient ancestor impaling a demon on a temple altar stone with the legendary Beast Spear is nuts, but when he finds the monster in his own basement, Ushio has to take another look at the family legend! Fortunately, Ushio knows it's best to let sleeping dogs lie and leave captured demons where they are. Unfortunately, the release of the monster's evil energies begins to beckon other demons to Ushio's hometown! To save his friends and family from the invading spirits, Ushio is forced to release Tora from his captivity. But will the cure prove to be worse than the curse? Will Ushio end his life a Tora-snack? Or will the Beast Spear keep Tora in line long enough to save the city? Find out in Ushio & Tora!

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars An appealing supernatural action comedy.......2007-06-30

I picked up this DVD set on a whim and it was much better than I was expecting. It's a supernatural story like only a Japanese one can be. The basic premise is very similar to the original Tenchi Muyo OAVs, only rather than a flirtatious and mischievous space pirate, the monster sealed in the family temple is a vicious lion-looking creature that vows to kill Ushio, the main character. Rather than live in perpetual fear, Ushio boldly tells the monster off, decides to call it "Tora", and then proceeds to free it from it's imprisonment out of necessity. The two maintain a hostile truce, though Tora tries to kill Ushio when he gets the chance, he is no match for the ancient spear that Ushio takes to bringing with him wherever he goes. Add to this a couple of girls who are friendly with Ushio, and a series of supernatural beings that the two must deal with, and you get a highly entertaining, supernatural action comedy. I found this series to be similar to, but largely more easily enjoyed than GS Mikam. If you've encountered any other Japanese horror anime like Mermaid's Scar/Forest or 3x3 Eyes, this series has much of their appeal, with more comedy thrown in.

4 out of 5 stars Madness Tora style.......2003-04-23

I got the subbed video version of this years ago; and it was one of the quirky strange little series that I've kept and enjoyed for years.

Ushio frees the powerful demon he names Tora to save his friends; and so becomes responsible for a monster who enjoys eating people, causing mayhem, and whose simple presence draws out ancient demons and evil from hidden places across Japan. Ushio keeps alive and ahead using attitude, temper and the ancient magical spear that once trapped Tora.

Visually, the combination of bright colours and harsh angled lines works. The Japanese subbed version was a lot of fun: I haven't seen a dubbed version.

The characters have a bit of depth, and do grow and change through the story. Nor are the monsters stereotypical. Some are immense and seemingly mindless, some are insane with grief and despair or the need for revenge, others are simply desperate. My personal favourites: the family of giant flying heads!

Ushio and Tora is a little odd, a little funny, and painfully sad in places. All of the characters are alienated in different ways, and looking to make sense of being alive and sharing that life with each other. Tora wants to both connect with and EAT the other characters - so some of the situations can rapidly spin out of control!

The episodes consist of short story arcs introducing different monsters. The issues get darker and more complex with each story arc, with human deaths, and more difficulty in finding the 'moral high ground'. The monsters are not necessarily evil: some were even once benign. But none of them fit the modern world.

All up: I like this series every time I re-watch it.

Bonus One: There is no huge cliffhanger at the end.

Bonus Two: The videos included some fun little shorts using the cute, squashed characters the Japanese love. I don't know if these will be added to the DVD. Also a lovely short where Tora adopts a kitten. If they are on the DVD, they're worth a look.

5 out of 5 stars Cute kitty Tora-chan!.......2001-10-16

The beast and the priest are at it again! Of all the shows I've watched, this has to be the best. However that sometimes it's just plain funny and cute, it does have a theme other than it's a good idea to kill bakemono if they start to infest your shinto shrine: friendship. Although Ushio and Tora start off as enemies, and wouldn't admit it outloud, they have a sort of special relationship... not sexual, mind you. I suppose it's because they have something in common, or that they have similar histories (which was explained in the manga, but oh well ^_^;;), but for some reason this youkai-killing duo is better than any other one out there. And Tora is cyuuuuuute, the fluffy man-eating kitty ^_^. I hope they release a plushie of him someday.

4 out of 5 stars Calvin and Hobbes, eat your hearts out........2001-08-18

I bought the dubbed version of this tape only because I thought it might suck as a subtitled. Surprise, surprise, this was one of the best dubbed tapes I've watched. Then I checked out a subbed and that one was pretty good too. Even though the animation designs for the humans suck, the monsters are pretty well thought out and look believable. If this series ever comes out as a DVD set I'm jumping straight on it....

2 out of 5 stars In Volume 2.......2001-04-15

A monster hunter from Hong Kong mistakes Tora for the monster who ate his family 15 years before. Ushio is in a moral dilemma. He knows that Tora was stuck in his basement for 500 years, but he doesn't know if he should just let the monster hunter kill Tora. Scorching Spinning Wheel features a monster who likes to live in spinning things. this particular monster has taken a shine to Asako, and Ushio must, in turn, save her from becoming this monsters consort.
The Great Fox War Movies (Patton - Special Edition / The Longest Day / Tora! Tora! Tora! - Special Edition)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • GREAT FOR MOVIE BUFFS and a great gift item.
The Great Fox War Movies (Patton - Special Edition / The Longest Day / Tora! Tora! Tora! - Special Edition)
Starring: George C. Scott , Karl Malden , Stephen Young , Michael Strong , and Carey Loftin
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner , Kinji Fukasaku , and Toshio Masuda
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
Historical EpicHistorical Epic | By Theme | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
Action & CombatAction & Combat | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video
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World War IIWorld War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video
War EpicsWar Epics | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video
Barrie, JohnBarrie, John | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Edwards, JamesEdwards, James | ( E ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Latimore, FrankLatimore, Frank | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Malden, KarlMalden, Karl | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Scott, George CScott, George C | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Stevens, PaulStevens, Paul | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Young, StephenYoung, Stephen | ( Y ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Fukasaku, KinjiFukasaku, Kinji | ( F ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Masuda, ToshioMasuda, Toshio | ( M ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Schaffner, Franklin JSchaffner, Franklin J | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video