True Romance (Unrated Director's Cut)

Starring:Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Michael Rapaport, Bronson Pinchot, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Tom Sizemore, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, Saul Rubinek, James Gandolfini, Victor Argo, Frank Adonis, Paul Bates, Chris Penn, Paul Ben-Victor, Laurence Mason, Eric Allan Kramer
Director: Tony Scott
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

It was directed with energetic skill by Top Gun Tony Scott, but this breathtaking 1993 thriller (think of it as an adolescent crime fantasy on steroids) has Quentin Tarantino written all over it. True Romance is really part of a loose trilogy that includes Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, with a crackling Tarantino screenplay that rides a fine line between raucous comedy and violent excess. Christian Slater plays Clarence, the comic-book lover who meets a beguiling prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette), confronts her vicious pimp (Gary Oldman), and embarks on a cross-country odyssey with $5 million worth of Mafia cocaine. Mayhem ensues, culminating in a favorite Tarantino climax--the "Mexican standoff"--in which a roomful of guys are pointing guns at each other, waiting to see who shoots first. Brutal, profane, and totally outrageous, True Romance is not for everyone, but with a supporting cast that includes Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, and Val Kilmer (as the ghost of Elvis!), you can be sure this movie will never be boring. --Jeff Shannon

Description

This rock'n'roll adventure story tells of two unlikely lovers who accidentally double-cross the Detroit mob by stealing valuable contraband. Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, flee to Los Angeles where they are sought by both gangsters and cops.

Customer Reviews:

Just about as good as it gets for special dvd.......2007-06-27

This special DVD release pretty much has all you could ask for, trailers, commentary from main cast PA and CS, commentary from Quentin, commentary from Tony Scott, even five minutes from Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer even though they were in the movie for only five minutes!!!!! :) The only problem I can really think of aside from it not being free is that the bulk of the material is on the first disc, slop a little more on one and you have it all on one disc. I don't really understand the whole more discs is better thing.

True Romance Directors Cut.......2007-06-27

I love the movie, hence the 4 stars, but, feel the 2nd Disc is basically worthless (hence the reduction by one star).

Quick delivery!!.......2007-06-14

Great condition, great movie and quick delivery!

Shocked that more people haven't seen this one..........2007-05-29

It has an all star cast and a very good plot. You can't guess the ending because it sneaks up on you.

Alabama Luvs Clarence.......2007-04-11

I just saw this movie for the first time, after hearing lots of guys rave about it (I just *knew* it was a guy movie and I wouldn't enjoy it). Well, I was wrong. I really liked! And it is surprisingly romantic.

Christian Slater plays Clarence, the comic book store worker that meets his dream girl in Alabama (Patricia Arquette), a sexy blonde with a checkered past. They get married after a perfect first date (complete with first date sex) and the next day he decides to help her totally move on from her past...by killing her ex-pimp. Along the way he accidentally ends up with a suitcase full of cocaine that he decides to sell so he and Alabama can move to Mexico and live out their lives in bliss.

He makes his decisions by talking to Elvis, his ideal woman is a woman that loves kung fu, and his ideal date is movies followed by pie. This makes Alabama perfect for him as the sweet ex-call girl that is totally devoted to him and prances around in bubblegum colored sexy outfits.

It's a really good movie. Dennis Hopper plays his dad, Gary Oldman plays the pimp, Christopher Walken is head of the local Mafia, James Gandolfini plays a sizeable role in it too (he works for Walken's charactr) and Brad Pitt plays a pothead. Very funny movie, rather violent, with it's sad moments. Definately recommended.

This edition of the DVD is the best because it also includes the alternate ending (I won't spoil it) and deleted scenes, and well as behind the scene information, all on two DVD's.

Average customer rating:

Just about as good as it gets for special dvd
True Romance Directors Cut
Quick delivery!!
Shocked that more people haven't seen this one...
Alabama Luvs Clarence

True Romance (Unrated Director's Cut)
Starring: Christian Slater , Patricia Arquette , Michael Rapaport , Bronson Pinchot , and Val Kilmer
Director: Tony Scott
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6304602979
Release Date: 1997-09-30

Amazon.com

Description

DVD Features:
3D Animated Menus
Production Notes

Customer Reviews:

Just about as good as it gets for special dvd.......2007-06-27

True Romance Directors Cut.......2007-06-27

I love the movie, hence the 4 stars, but, feel the 2nd Disc is basically worthless (hence the reduction by one star).

Quick delivery!!.......2007-06-14

Great condition, great movie and quick delivery!

Shocked that more people haven't seen this one..........2007-05-29

It has an all star cast and a very good plot. You can't guess the ending because it sneaks up on you.

Alabama Luvs Clarence.......2007-04-11

The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love

Average customer rating:

Movie
It's ok
Truely Unbelivable Story Line
The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love
Highly entertaining

The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love
Starring: Laurel Holloman , Maggie Moore , Kate Stafford , Sabrina Artel , and Toby Poser
Director: Maria Maggenti
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001HAGSI
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Amazon.com essential video

This warm romantic comedy by newcomer Maria Maggenti is a gay coming-of-age story framed by Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Randy (Laurel Hillman) is a stoner, lesbian teenager who happens to be failing math and dating a married woman. One day, fellow student Evie (Nicole Parker) drives up to Randy's gas station in a Range Rover and flips her world upside down. Evie is privileged and popular. Randy is poor, impulsive, and according to the other students, a freak. Opposites attract when the two girls kick off their friendship in detention. The flirtation blossoms after Evie introduces tomboyish Randy to the joys of Whitman and opera. Randy returns the favor by acquainting the sheltered Evie with the problems and delights of mature, taboo love. There is a beautiful scene where the two consummate their courtship on Evie's birthday while Mom is out of town. The true test of their relationship occurs during the hilarious climax when angry families and friends chase the troubled girls into hiding. --Margaret Griffis

Description

Two teenagers experience the excitement of first love. Written and directed by Maria Maggenti. Year: 1995 Starring: Laurel Holloman, Nicole Parker

Customer Reviews:

Movie.......2007-03-22

I have not seen this movie as of yet. Looking forward to it though.

It's ok.......2007-03-16

Not a great movie. In my opinion the performances didn't convince me (actually I was kind of disappointed with Laurel Holloman) and I couldn't trully get involved with the characters or the story. And to be honest found it kind of boring.Nicole Ari Parker is great though.

Truely Unbelivable Story Line.......2007-01-05

This is a cute coming to understand yourself story. Very low budget flick. I think it is something teen lesbians or I dono if I am a lesbian people should see. One of the main 2 characters is now a main character on the L Word, so that was very interesting to see; it was quite a surprise also. I would recommend people to see it; all in all.

The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love.......2006-11-25

The movie shows the real meaning of love, for 2 girls that care so much about each other, would do what they did in order to be with one another, the movie is now and forever will be my favorite, for i have come to know that my soul mate is out their and it for shall be a woman.

Highly entertaining.......2006-11-03

This movie, although the story is unreal, is highly entertaining and well worth watching. I love the fact that the two girls are so different. One is so sure of herself and her sexuality and the other is slowly awakening. The scene were the mother enters the bedroom and goes crazy finding the two girls in bed together is a hoot.

Average customer rating:

Very enjoyable christmas movie
Great Romance
Xmas Magic
excellent
A Boyfriend for Christmas

A Boyfriend for Christmas
Starring: Kelli Williams , Patrick Muldoon , Charles Durning , Rodger Bumpass , and Kenneth Danziger
Director: Kevin Connor
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000AJJMXM
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Description

DVD: 05-51361 A Boyfriend for Christmas Kelli Williams (The Practice) is Holly Grant, an idealistic lawyer who gave up on finding Mr. Right in her stocking when she split with her last boyfriend. OSCAR nominee Charles Durning (To Be or Not to Be) plays Santa, who fulfills an old promise by bringing her and another attorney, Ryan Hughes (Patrick Muldoon), together. Due to an earlier misunderstanding, Ryan doesn't want Holly to know who he is, so when Santa sends him to deliver a Christmas tree, he introduces himself as "Douglas Firewood." His well-meaning white lie threatens to derail a budding romance, and spoil Santa's plan, in this warm-hearted holiday treat. Running Time: Approx. 100 Minutes Color/NTSC/Stereo

Customer Reviews:

Very enjoyable christmas movie.......2007-03-09

I enjoyed this movie very much and will include it in the Christmas movies I watch every year at Christmas time.

Great Romance.......2007-02-07

I love to watch this movie at Christmas time, especially because I am a sappy single and believe that miracles do happen. Yes, I do believe the spirit of St. Nick is alive and well and maybe not with Santa's help, but a little divine help I will find my perfect guy too.

Xmas Magic.......2007-01-26

I Love This Movie.I Saw It On Hallmark The Week Before Xmas And The Day After Xmas.The Movie Is A Fun Movie All About Family And Love And Never Give Up On Ture Love. Kelli Williams Is Cute And Patrick Muldoon Is Fine. I Also Like The Casting Of This Movie And I Hope They Will Do A Part 2.

excellent.......2007-01-21

My disc is in bad shape, but that is being addressed. The film is a great holiday feel good movie. Most of the Hallmarks are. I'm glad I found a copy.

A Boyfriend for Christmas.......2007-01-21

Excellent actors and with a nice story line and a real feel good movie.
Enjoy watching it over and over again.
Good to watch anytime of the year.

Darkness Before Dawn (True Stories Collection TV Movie)

Average customer rating:

Darkness Before Dawn (True Stories Collection)
SHOULD A WAKE UP CALL !
a great movie
Darkness Before Dawn
Meredith Baxter's best TV movie

Darkness Before Dawn (True Stories Collection TV Movie)
Starring: Meredith Baxter , Stephen Lang , Gwynyth Walsh , L. Scott Caldwell , and Chelsea Hertford
Director: John Patterson (III)
Manufacturer: Mpi Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000784WWW
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Description

Darkness Before Dawn is a story of love, determination and, ultimately, survival. It is the story of a woman trapped in a private hell - with only the man she loves to save her. Mary Ann Thompson (Meredith Baxter, Family Ties, A Passion For Innocence) is a nurse at a methadone clinic, who's haunted by a troubled past. She escapes from her sad childhood memories under the veil of drug addiction. The deception is so successful that no one suspects her of being a junkie. When Mary Ann falls for one of her patients, Guy Grand (Stephen Lang, Manhunter, Last Exit to Brooklyn), her problems begin to escalate. She inspires him to kick his heroin habit, while hiding her own addiction. The two soon marry and are determined to live a clean life. But, when their baby is born addicted to heroin, Mary Ann's worst nightmare becomes a reality. DVD extras include: About the Film, About the Stars, Interactive Menus, Scene Selections

Customer Reviews:

Darkness Before Dawn (True Stories Collection).......2007-04-14

I cannot rate this movie. I never viewed it and I never purchased it.

SHOULD A WAKE UP CALL !.......2007-01-10

THIS MOVIE SHOULD A WAKE UP CALL TO THE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY. BUT FOR MANY PEOPLE IN THIS MOVIE ARE A AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THIS LIVE TO TELL THERE TALES.THERE IS A HUGE DRUG PROBLEM IN THIS COUNTRY.

a great movie.......2006-07-04

this movie based on heroin addicts. ive never been into drugs.i think this movie could help people, i have had some childhood problems like maryann had . all in all ita a great true story about real people.

Darkness Before Dawn.......2006-04-02

This is a movie about a nurse who meets a patient at rehab where she works, and decides to go out with him and well things just go down hill from there. He is unstable and can't find a job. Moves in with her and becomes untrustworthy. She's not the "all too clean" nurse that we'd all like to think, that's she's protraying to be-including to her new post rehab boyfriend. Good ol Meredith Baxter she always plays those "crazy" parts so well!!
Good value!

Meredith Baxter's best TV movie.......2005-11-02

I've always loved all of Meredith Baxter's TV movies because she always chose to play such deeply troubled women going through extremely difficult situations- the women she portrayed in these TV movies were the polar opposite of her best known character- Elyse from "Family Ties".

This movie, inwhich she plays a drug addicted nurse who steals from the hospital she works at, is probably the best of all of her TV movies. Just when you think Maryanne has recovered, she relapses. It's incredibly well-done, agonizing, and compelling. Meredith was ROBBED of an Emmy for this one.

The picture quality of this DVD is not only flawless, it's ten times sharper than the version you'll see often shown on Lifetime. Now all they have to do is release "The Kissing Place" (inwhich Meredith plays a kidnapper) and "Kate's Secret" (inwhich she's a bulimic) onto DVD, and all of Meredith's best work will be available on DVD.

Average customer rating:

Well
Good, but could have been better movie....

Desperate For Love
Starring: Christian Slater; Brian Bloom
Director: Unkn
Manufacturer: Passion Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002IVBDK
Release Date: 2001-01-01

Product Description

Based On A True Story, Cliff (Slater) Is A Small Town Social Outcast Whose Infatuation With Lilly Becker, His Childhood Friend And Neighbor, Becomes More Than Obsessive! But When Lilly Starts Dating His Best Friend Alex Cutler (Bloom) Who Only Half-Heartedly Returns Her Affections, Cliff's Nightmare Starts To Unfold! His Desperation For Love And Depression Leads Him Into A Fury Of Violence And Betrayal! This Ultimately Destroys Not Only His Best Friend's Life, But His Own Future! But

Customer Reviews:

Well.......2007-01-12

My wife fell asleep on the last 20 minutes of this TV movie - so I picked it up for a couple bucks. It didn't tie things together enough for me, but for her, well she thought it was pretty good.

Good, but could have been better movie...........2005-02-08

I first watched this movie on Lifetime Movie Network and thought it was an ok film. I later watched it again and found it to be heart touching. I have purchased this movie only because I adore Christian Slater & Brian Bloom, but wish the ending was different. I would suggest renting it before buying it.

Average customer rating:

What a Charming whimsical movie. One of pickfords best
Daddy Long Legs
'Little Mary' grows up.
A Film of Pain and Romance
A charming movie

Daddy Long Legs
Starring: Wesley Barry , True Boardman (II) , Betty Bouton , Jeanne Carpenter , and Audrey Chapman
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305617791
Release Date: 1999-11-23

Amazon.com

In Daddy-Long-Legs, Mary Pickford plays an orphan, Jerusha (Judy) Abbott, abandoned as a baby in an alley and raised in a cruel orphanage. The scenes in the orphanage are extraordinary. Pickford, although in her late '20s when the film was shot, is absolutely believable as a pigtailed 12-year-old; she's the epitome of a child-woman, the essence of gamine. Protector and champion of her fellow orphans--truly adorable kiddies dressed in identical gingham outfits--Pickford's Judy is brave and kind but full of piss and vinegar, never sticky-sweet. One scene in particular is a showcase for Pickford's mastery of physical comedy. She and an orphan lad, played by Wesley Barry, a little boy whose slapstick flair matches Pickford's own, get drunk on applejack. It's plain hilarious.

After Judy grows up, a secret benefactor, whom she dubs "Daddy-Long Legs," bankrolls her college education. At graduation, Judy is the model of young womanhood: beautiful, intelligent, kind, and fascinating to the opposite sex. Two tony suitors vie for her favors. (The characteristic Pickford message, reflecting her own life story, is implied here: in America, one can hail from an ashcan and still rise to the top.) The film preserves its sweet surprise ending until the last happy moment. (The movie was remade in 1955 with Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron.) The tape also includes a rare early Pickford short, What the Daisy Said (1910), directed by D.W. Griffith, with a racy plot about a Gypsy who seduces young country maidens. --Laura Mirsky

Description

Daddy-Long-Legs (1919, 85 min.) - One of Mary Pickford's most delightful films. A mysterious benefactor pays to send Judy, the oldest and cutest kid in the orphanage, to college. Restored by the Mary Pickford Foundation, "Daddy-Long-Leg" includes the rarely seen Pickford short film "What the Daisy Said" (1910, 13 min.), directed by D.W. Griffith.

Customer Reviews:

What a Charming whimsical movie. One of pickfords best.......2006-10-21

This has to be about my Favorite Pickford film. It stands the test of time. It shows the full gammut of emotions from slap stick comedy to heart felt tragedy. From her as the Child with nothing who had spunk and courage to her blossoming into a beautiful women and her mentor falling in love with her which concluded to the ultimate happy ending.
This is a must for all Pickford fans. it is sweet with out being overly so. it is a true fantasy that all will love.
A most Charming movie. A classic for all time!

Daddy Long Legs.......2005-02-05

A baby is found in a trashcan, wrapped in newspapers, and grows up to be Mary Pickford.
The baby, as was probably common for all post-Oliver Twist melodramas, is haphazardly named by the stern mistress of the orphanage after riffling through a phone books and surveying a clump of headstones.
The silent DADDY-LONG-LEGS is two movies delicately joined. The first follows the fortunes of young Jerusha `Judy' Abbott (Pickford) in the orphanage. From the second half comes the title of the film. A wealthy benefactor wishes to send Pickford to college, and, importantly, maintain his anonymity. The only glimpse she catches of him is his tall shadow. Hence Daddy-Long-Legs.
There's a welcome dose of comedy in the first half. Melodramas set in orphanages, especially silent ones, can be pretty rough going. Fortunately this one only kills one child and burns one thieving hand. It could be worse. The movie offsets the heavy stuff with an amusing scene with an inebriated dog and a cute look at the headquarters of Dan Cupid, un-LTD, replete with a gaggle of winged and diaper-clad toddlers intent on throwing or two at pretty Miss Pickford. The second half is a tale of love finding the delicate heroine with a terrible secret.
I enjoyed DADDY-LONG-LEGS quite a bit. Whatever made Mary Pickford "America's Sweetheart" almost a hundred years ago still works today. Watching the movie took a little bit of adjustment, though. The orphanage melodrama was about as thick as Queen Victoria's girdle, and title cards saying "Why did she raise her hair and lengthen her skirts?" confused a bit more than they enlightened. The social stigma associated with being an orphan seems dated, as well.
The other film on this disk also features Mary Pickford. WHAT THE DAISY SAID was directed by D.W. Griffith in 1910 and is a very short take on two sisters (Pickford and Gertrude Robinson) being seduced by a gigolo of a palm-reading Gypsy. The moral seems to be to trust flowers more than men who wrap their heads in handkerchiefs.

'Little Mary' grows up........2004-02-20

'Daddy Long Legs' is a beautifully crafted film in which Pickford's character, Judy Abbott, grows up. Pickford plays the role of an abandoned child who pits her wits against a child who is born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Angelina.
As a child in an orphanage, the unloved, unwanted Judy skillfully and hilariously outwits both the orphanage mistress and Angelina, by inciting the inmates to rebel against their diet of prunes, stealing Angelina's doll and by delivering it minus an arm to a dying child.
Despite the film's hilarity, it makes a genuine statement about social acceptability. As an orphan, Judy is neither worthy of Angelina's company nor is she her social equal. Even the young Angelina looks down her nose at Judy who wears the orphanage gingham with dignity.
Years later, as a young woman at college, sponsored by a much older gentleman, Judy again meets Angelina who treats her as inferior and lacking social connections. Later, Judy's writing finally enables her to socialise with the wealthy but when this breakthrough occurs, she is mindful of her origins and cannot bring herself initially to wed into the snobbish families she encounters.
Judy arrives at a decision involving which beau to accept after heartfelt thought and agonising. Then a well hidden secret is disclosed, to Judy's embarrassment.
The ending is happy and satisfying. Any Pickford fan would enjoy this film. It is intellectual as well as entertaining and is delightfully photographed.

A Film of Pain and Romance.......2001-03-07

Daddy Long Legs is a wonderful example of Mary Pickford's talent for portraying adolescent girls even when she herself was much older. She was 26 when the film was made in 1919, but she is convincing even when she plays a 12-year-old orphan and is quite captivating when she grows up to go to college. Pickford may have gone on playing the teenager a little too long. Some of her later films stretch credibility too much, but this is not the case here. Interestingly this DVD includes a Biograph short from 1910, What the Daisy Said, where 17-year-old Mary appears to be older than in many of her later roles. Ironically, at this time she wanted to appear older than she was and it has been said that one of the reasons why she left Biograph was that Griffith would not allow her to develop into full adult roles.

Daddy Long Legs starts as a sort of exposé of an orphanage. There is one particularly gruesome scene of Mary being deliberately burned on a stove as a punishment. The picture gets redder and redder to emphasise the pain and the heat. But the story also has moments of fine comedy to counterbalance the more serious elements. Pickford makes a fine comic drunk and a scene where she pretends to be strangled with her own arm is as good a piece of comic ingenuity as I have seen. When she leaves the orphanage the film becomes a delightful romance. This love story keeps the viewer guessing, and shows the many faces of love, the joy as well as the despair. It is wholly believable.

The picture quality of this film is almost perfect. There is some occasional fading of the image and brief moments of apparent damage, but overall the restoration is extremely good. The picture is tinted and uses a number of colours to accompany the variations in the settings and the moods of the scenes. The titles are especially noteworthy as many of them include drawings which along with the words comment on the action. The chamber music for this film fits in well with the action. It is well played and includes some fine themes.

As I mentioned this DVD contains a Biograph short. It is about 12 minutes long and is very welcome as an additional feature. I've only seen about 10 of the hundreds of films Griffith made at Biograph and on the whole find them difficult to appreciate. These early shorts are possibly the hardest of films for the modern viewer to grasp. Nevertheless, a film like What the Daisy Said is intriguing and in a curious way entertaining. It makes me want to find out more about this period of filmmaking. Someone should bring out a series of DVD's featuring Biograph shorts.

A charming movie.......2000-07-22

This turns out to be a very charming movie with a splendid performance by Mary Pickford which proves why she was one of the biggest stars of the silent era. The film alternates between comedy and drama working well in the latter category but excelling in the first. Beautifully photographed and directed it's a highly entertaining movie which makes you forget that you are watching a silent film because you get involved in the story right away. Also the acting is very understated and natural so that you really believe in the characters. Unlike many early movies where you have to watch them from a historical perspective to enjoy them this should work for a modern audience just as well.

The transfer to DVD is excellent in my opinion. It contains a chamber score by Maria Newman which is superior to most scores you will hear on videos for silent films even though it is not in the same league as Carl Davis' scores for the British channel 4 silent movie series (some of which are available on video in the U.S. e.g. The Big Parade).

Description

With a silver of moonlight a heartful of dreams and songs that turn frowns upside-down, along comes a glorious stage-to-screen production to remind young and old alike that magic is alive and well. Christianne Tisdale, who debuted on Broadway as Belle in 'Beauty and the Beast,' again steps into an enchanted world in the title role of this lavish New York State Theatre Institute production. Adored by her merchant father Paolo (Joel Aroeste), yet mistreated by her selfish stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella remains caring, unspoiled and true - exactly the kind of person the king's son (Sean Frank Sullivan) hopes to someday meet and wed. But how can a lowly scrubgirl ever marry a Prince? The answer lies in teh spells of a lively Godmamma (Lorraine Serabian) and mischievous Godpapa (John Romeo), the chimes of midnight, and the search for the foot that fits a mysterious glass slipper. A Tale of Cinderella sparkles like that slipper - and fits perfectly.

Customer Reviews:

A Tale of Two Cinderellas.......2005-10-08

This New York State Theatre Institute production of a classic, Italian version of the fairytale, 'Cinderella,' is a metaphor for the oft used description, "Where you sit determines what you see." And, a child who watches 'A Tale of Cinderella' sits in a seat entirely different than that of an adult.

First, children (especially little girls) love 'A Tale of Cinderella.' The music and lyrics, created by Will Severin and George David Weiss, are engaging. And, what little girl does not wish to be a princess? 'A Tale of Cinderella,' is the classic story, but there is a "realness" in a stage production. There princess who endures real-life tragedies, the death of her mother and the marriage of her father to a witch of a stepmother. She overcomes these tragedies with the help of her fairy godmother to marry a prince. The live action on the stage adds realness for the younger viewer that the animated productions do not. Seeing little girls watch 'A Tale of Cinderella' over and over, it's not hard to understand that this regional production had such a successful run and caught the attention of Warner Brothers.

On the other hand, an adult will notice that this translation of a stage play to the small screen is a little clunky. There may not have been any way for the camera angles to have been improved, and as such, the action does not seem natural. Camera angle is not the only reason, however. An adult home video audience is not accustomed to seeing stage actors acting in a stage play on television, so some of the facial expressions and movements appear unnatural. Stage direction and the stage actors' anxiety due to the knowledge of being recorded for video may also have contributed to the unusual end product. Regardless of the reason, many, more mature viewers, i.e., parents, may find 'A Tale of Cinderella' a difficult to endure.

A bright spot with which both children and adults can identify, however, is the performance of Christianne Tisdale, who plays Angelina, or Cinderella. A veteran of the Broadway stage, Ms. Tisdale is a rose in a briar patch. The rest of the cast is mostly second-tier, regional actors. Sean Frank Sullivan is serviceable as the Prince, but many of the other performances are either overdone (the fairy godmother) or just terribly average (the evil stepmother). Fortunately, Ms. Tisdale single-handedly carries the show for the adult viewer with her angelic voice, stage presence, and experience.

If I were a seven-year old girl, give or take three years, I would have to give 'A Tale of Cinderella' a full, five-star rating, because I really would not know or care about good acting, directing, or producing. I would simply love the music and love Cinderella. On the other hand, if I were, say, a father of a couple of girls between the ages of four and ten, it would be difficult for me to look past the strangeness of the stage play on video and the mostly undistinguished performances. I, too, would have enjoyed the music and I would have loved to hear Christianne Tisdale sing. As such, I would only give the video two stars. Rounding up, it's a four.

*** 1/2

Our daughter is in love with this play!.......2004-06-05

Our six year old daughter rented this movie and loves it. She has always been fascinated with Cinderella. We are to return the movie today and she is insisting it is hers. Our daughter is autistic and for her to have this much interest in a play amazes me. I catch her singing the songs. Maybe we have an actress to be on our hands? So, for us this is a great movie because it is so well done and it has inspired our daughter.

I LOVED IT.......2003-04-08

I loved this movie.I bought two Thursdays ago and got last Tuesday.I wish they wrote a script for it like they did for Buffy The Vampire Slayer.I love the way Christianne Tisdale played Cinderella.I loved all the songs,but my favorite one was "SOME SWEET DAY".I would recomend it to all kids and adults.You'll love the movie.

Great Performance.......2002-09-02

Simply BELLISSIMO. I enjoyed this movie from the first scene to the last. It is the first in my list of CINDERELLA movies. Bravo to all the actors and directors, no one excluded. However, the Godmama was superb!

Star Turn.......2002-03-27

In a show that focuses on the stars and their influence, Christianne Tisdale turns this Cinderella into a star-making role. She shines, glitters and shoots straight for your heart. Rarely have I seen acting and singing (I think she spans four octaves)melded into such a seamless, accessable performance. I just found her website. Special kudos to Sean Sullivan as the most charming of Princess Charmings and John Romeo as his even more charming Godfather. A must-see for all generations.

Average customer rating:

Cracker: True Romance
Starring: Craker-First Love
Manufacturer: Tango Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Television | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000ERVKA8
Release Date: 2006-05-04

DVD:

DVD List

DVD

DVD

16mm

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My Father and I [2002] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

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