S.F.W.

Starring:Stephen Dorff, Reese Witherspoon, Jake Busey, Joey Lauren Adams, Pamela Gidley, David Barry Gray, Jack Noseworthy, Richard Portnow, Edward Wiley, Lela Ivey, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Annie McEnroe, Virgil Frye, Francesca Roberts, Soon-Tek Oh, Blair Tefkin, Steve Antin, Melissa Lechner, Lenny Wolpe, Natalie Strauss
Director: Jefery Levy
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
Stephen Dorff and Reese Witherspoon are slacker teens who discover that fame can be a four-letter word in this raucous send-up of the cult of celebrity. Featuring "hilarious moments" (Movieline), "brash drama" (Los Angeles Times) and an ending that "packs all the wit and satirical edge [you] could hope for" (Entertainment Today), S.F.W. is a cult classicto swear by. Held captive for 36 days by terrorists who broadcast their ordeal live on network news, Cliff (Dorff) and Wendy (Witherspoon) have become national idols whose words are parroted by the masses. But when they finally escape, only to be hounded by reporters and sold out by "friends," TV's most popular hostages realize they're still prisoners--this time, of the media--and the only place left to run...is to each other.

The Fog of War - Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
Average customer rating:

...... THE ADVENT TO AMERICA'S ....." NEW MILITARY+INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX"........

A very human account

dust to dust

The Mediocre Achievements of a Mediocre Man

Excellente

The Fog of War - Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
Starring: Barry Goldwater , Lyndon Johnson , John F. Kennedy , Nikita Khrushchev , and Curtis LeMay
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001L3LUE
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Amazon.com

The Fog of War, the movie that finally won Errol Morris the best documentary Oscar, is a spellbinder. Morris interviews Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, and finds a uniquely unsettling viewpoint on much of 20th-century American history. Employing a ton of archival material, including LBJ's fascinating taped conversations from the Oval Office, Morris probes the reasons behind the U.S. commitment to the Vietnam War--and finds a depressingly inconsistent policy. McNamara himself emerges as--well, not exactly apologetic, but clearly haunted by the what-ifs of Vietnam. He also mulls the bombing of Japan in World War II and the Cuban Missile Crisis, raising more questions than he answers. The Fog of War has the usual inexorable Morris momentum, aided by an uneasy Philip Glass score. This movie provides a glimpse inside government. It also encourages skepticism about same. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

...... THE ADVENT TO AMERICA'S ....." NEW MILITARY+INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX"...............2007-06-03

This is no movie...this is no documentary; however, you go face to face with one of the bloodiest butcher's in our history concerning 'the welfare' of our Armed Forces...it's the closet thing to a McNamara autobiography as he revels in introducing himself to the ordinary hard working American and the valiant troops who languished in Vietnam; truly, he now appears in a light colored trench/coat out of the fog and mist of the war years [WW2 thru Vietnam]...he is very amicable, cozy and almost human, while revealing momentous times that shine light on a 'different' Robert McNamara who was Secretary of Defense under Presidents: Kennedy-Johnson...precisely, he had the lives of every member in our fighting Armed Forces tightly in the grip of his blood/soaked hands...he was dicitorial/authoritive and only held accountable to 'his' President[s]...he relished his role of Sec of Defense and the custodian/ship of a new concept of how America will go to WAR from Vietnam right up into the Iraq war...full knowing what this 'US Military-Industrial Complex' is all encompassing...just prior to President Dwight Eisenhower's retirement, he warned the American people to be most wary of this exclusive 'Military-Industrial Complex'.....after a comprehensive education at University of California and later Harvard University, the top men of power seeked and desired McNamara's counsel; henceforth, he was with the elite that makes America march to their collective drums...I don't buy his tear-filled mea-culpa on film at all...not at all...I say every mud combatant/soldier, who suffered severely in the WAR in Vietnam [1962-1967] should be his judge, and you'll learn from their deprivations, and no chance to win the war...just how he was truly HATED [talk about another Martin Borman]...Bob, I suggest, you take your quest for an elite life, which you attained, now go, with hat in hand and pander your wares somewhere else...I'm never buying your revised/snake oil...good riddance!!.....SSGT CHRIS SARNO-USMC FMF

A very human account.......2007-05-29

An up close and personal look at the responsibilities of those who make war happen. Shows humans with a superhuman task.

dust to dust.......2007-05-02

This brilliant series of interviews with Robert McNamara should be required viewing for *anyone* before he or she is authorized to venture an opinion regarding what America should or should not do with its power. I do not begin my review because of any clear sense of the virtue or villainy of Bob McNamara's legacy as president of the Ford Motor Company, Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and long-time president of the World Bank.

Far from it, the spendidly drawn impression is how dangerously concentrated power becomes in the hands of fragile, myopic, regular men and women who in many--most?--cases want to do the right thing.

McNamara's memory ranges from World War I to the extinction of River Blindness in Africa through the World Bank's efforts. For understandable reasons, the camera and the questions linger most on the Viet Nam era, for this is where McNamara took 'the world stage', as he puts it.

Clearly enamored of John Kennedy, McNamara had a more complex relationship with Johnson, whom he admired but with whom he came to disagree in a process that led to McNamara's firing just shortly before Johnson made his epic decision not to run for reelection.

As THE FOG OF WAR touches time and again upon the deliberations that framed the Bay of Pigs crisis and then the Southeast Asian war itself, one hears via the clarity of taped conversations how little we knew and, proverbially, how close we came to ultimate war.

McNamara has passionate remarks to offer on the very timely matter of taking America's strength into battle when we have failed to convince our allies of that course.

Kudos to McNamara for complicating his legacy even more by achieving astonshing things through some of the World Bank's better years.

Required viewing.

The Mediocre Achievements of a Mediocre Man.......2007-05-02

What happens when supposedly great men, upon closer examination, turn out not to be so great, after all? What happens in this particular case is a piece of icon-washing fostered by Errol Morris who apparently couldn't think of a better subject to film a documentary about.

All the accolades regarding this film would lead one to believe that it is about a titanic human individual who achieved great things, but when one actually watches the film, one sees nothing of the sort. Robert McNamara, a man who, in early pictures and footage of himself, is so bursting with arrogance and self-importance that he all but glows, played Mephistopheles to Kennedy and Johnson up until about 1967. That is to say that he provided these men with war strategies and troops and generally brought about the means by way of which their wars could be fought.

Errol Morris is an expert filmmaker and, as usual, his film is graced with the hypnotic music of Philip Glass, whose soundtracks are all but indistinguishable from one another. Indeed, the soundtrack from Koyannisqatsi might have been substituted here to provide exactly the same effect. Morris's camera angles and editing are never boring, but this viewer does not share his fascination with his interview subject.

McNamara evinces guilt about his involvements in war and appears on the verge of tears in many scenes as he recalls difficult decisions made about the Vietnam war. But as the film winds down, it becomes evident that McNamara is proud of his "achievements," although it is difficult to see how sending 58,000 young Americans to their deaths can be regarded as an achievement to be proud of. McNamara would have been better off had he remained as the head of the Ford Motor Company. Perhaps then his "achievements" that he is so proud of might have really added up to something instead of a head full of phantom shadows and dead soldiers.

It is generally considered bad form to give low ratings to an Errol Morris film, and this viewer certainly agrees that he is a very good filmmaker, indeed. Unfortunately, here his choice of subject matter fails him, for McNamara is rarely insightful regarding his role as Secretary of Defense. One comes to the film expecting McNamara to shed light upon obscure happenings, or to reveal dark secrets about what went on behind the scenes, but no such luck. In effect, all McNamara can muster up is a half-hearted "that's the way it was." There are no insights on the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the back of the DVD case promises, and the stunning revelations regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis amount to nothing more than that in those days, we actually came close to nuclear war and that it was only averted by sheer luck. Hmm. The film suffers throughout from this kind of glibness.

McNamara just isn't that interesting. Whatever his talents as a CEO, this is not a man given to insightful philosophical speculation. And it shows in the superficial comments that he makes about war being "just human nature."

Nice try, Mr. Morris. Next time, how about doing a film about somebody who really deserves the time and expense spent upon them?

--John David Ebert, author of Celluloid Heroes & Mechanical Dragons: Film as the Mythology of Electronic Society

Excellente.......2007-04-06

If you're looking for a blind lashing out against American militarism, skip this movie. It's a look at the life of Robert McNamara, and along the way we're asked to look at warfare differently. It's Errol Morris at the top a' his game.

Average customer rating:

Knight Rider
Knight Rider DVD's
Monkey
Great DVD's
Finally, its here in NTSC! - No more importing from the UK!

Knight Rider - Season One
Starring: David Hasselhoff , Edward Mulhare , Susan Norman , Carmen Argenziano , and Eugene Clark
Director: Bruce Seth Green , Harvey S. Laidman , and Virgil W. Vogel
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005JLG4
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Amazon.com

"One man can make a difference," intones a dying millionaire--well, one man and a superduper car, backed with millions of dollars! Welcome to the deliciously ridiculous world of Knight Rider, the early '80s TV series that launched the career of David Hasselhoff and his magnificent coif (both later seen in the insanely popular Baywatch). After being shot in the face, detective Michael Long is revived as Michael Knight (Hasselhoff) and partnered with an indestructible talking car called K.I.T.T. (voiced by William Daniels). The duo travel around the country solving crimes--basically, it's The Lone Ranger with the car as Silver and Tonto combined. Supported by finicky British executive Devon Myles (Edward Mulhare) and sexy engineer Bonnie Barstow (Patricia McPherson), Knight and K.I.T.T. take on everything from motorcycle gangs to corporate crooks to K.I.T.T.'s own evil twin, K.A.R.R.

Like any good cheese, Knight Rider has only grown more pungent with age. Decked out in alarming '80s fashions (check out that blue Members Only jacket in the pilot), earnestly spouting some of the worst dialogue in the history of television, the absurdly handsome Hasselhoff radiates the unique charisma that's made him a Teutonic cult figure. In addition to the 21 episodes of the first season, Knight Rider: Season One includes a 1991 TV movie, Knight Rider 2000, that tried to launch a revamped series set in the near future (lacking the cheerful touch of creator Glen Larson, the attempt sank into oblivion) and brief interview footage (including Hasselhoff describing when he read the original script: "It was glowing in my hands. This was gold.") It's unlikely this boxed set will appeal to anyone who didn't become a fan of the show at an impressionable age, but for those fans, Knight Rider: Season One is gold. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Knight Rider.......2007-04-15

Wonderful, Classic, Amazing and Refreshing..... Michael Knight and K.I.T. are amazing to watch together. I love this series adn so will you.

Knight Rider DVD's.......2007-02-06

While some who purchase this first (and often corny) season of Knight Rider are concerned by the audio dubbing, the lack of this and that, and who did what...Do not let them fool you, it is a great buy for anyone who grew up loving the show. Those of us who are not DVDphiles will still enjoy most of what is included. So put the critics to bed and buy it.

Monkey.......2006-11-13

Yeah plenty of the Hoffmeisters crappy 80's acting and tacky fake electronic gizmos , but hey he has a leather jacket and ALWAYS gets the girl - great stuff. Brings back fond memmories .

Great DVD's.......2006-11-06

This is a great DVD collection with commentary from David Hasselhoff. It is well packaged and has the titles of the Episodes on the back cover for easy reference. This is a must for any Knight Rider Fan. I have enjoyed this set very much.

Finally, its here in NTSC! - No more importing from the UK!.......2006-03-24

Ahhh... The early 1980's. Reagan was president, new wave dominated the radiowaves and MTV actually played MUSIC VIDEOS! Ask anyone who grew up during this period what their favorite non-animated show was as a kid and they'll probably say "Knight Rider." KR, as its affectionately called by some fans, may seem quirky and obscure nowadays with its atari centipede sound effects, poofie aqua-net hairdo's, over-acting and "sooo not the original artist" song usage, but we didn't care...

To us this was the best thing on TV besides Smurfs and He-Man and it appealed to our parents as well. KR was like James Bond meets Herbie the Love Bug. While our mothers drooled over the blue-eyed hunky Hasselhoff, we were captivated by the ominous-looking but friendly talking black Trans Am, K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries Two Thousand) we giggled everytime theives tried to steal KITT and failed, and we cried when KITT got destroyed (but they -always- managed to rebuild him).

The visual quality of these discs is damn pretty good. It would've been nice if they had director/actor interviews and maybe some behind the scenes words with George Barris (the guy who built all the KITT cars for the show) I can't say I care for the double sided discs, as they are terribly easy to smudge.

Average customer rating:

Imax "Space Station"
I didn't know.
This is a 2d version - take 3D!
It's at least marginally informational.
Absolutely Awe-Inspiring!!!

Space Station (IMAX)
Starring: Tom Cruise , Yuri Pavlovich Gidzenko , Michael E. Lopez-Alegria , James D. Wetherbee , and Scott E. Parazynski
Director: Toni Myers
Manufacturer: Imax
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ASIN: B00080ETMM
Release Date: 2005-07-19

Amazon.com

The partnership with NASA and IMAX films continues with a tour of the next step in space exploration: the International Space Station (ISS). Sixteen countries helped build this giant station (still being built upon the film's release in 2004). We see the first building blocks being constructed, including shots from inside the slick NASA shuttle launches to the friendly informalities of the Russian program. The crystal-clear pictures of the station and the Earth are the best aspects of this film. The entertaining footage delivers human elements, but sometimes the carefulness of experimentation makes for boring photography; a test of a super-cool jet pack has the astronaut moving mere inches. To the film's benefit, the narrator is Tom Cruise with a script tailored to his strong suits (the first line of "What an incredible sight!" is vintage Cruise). The film is also so light on its feet with a nice dose of music, including "Up on the Roof" and the Talking Heads "Naive Melody," that it makes up for the staginess of some of the scenes. The film was shown in 3-D in theaters but only 2-D for home video. --Doug Thomas

Description

SPACE STATION is the first cinematic journey to the International Space Station (ISS), where audiences can experience for themselves life in zero gravity aboard the new station. The audience blasts off into space with the astronauts and cosmonauts from Florida's Kennedy Space Center and Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome to rendezvous with their new home in orbit 220 miles above Earth. SPACE STATION is a story of challenges, setbacks and triumphs and ultimately, the shared international victory of men and women whose dreams exceed the limits of life on this Earth.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Expedition 7- An Audio Visual Tour of the ISS (TRT 16:07) Narrated by Astronaut Dr. Ed Lu STS-A Audio Visual Tour of the ISS-(TRT 18:40) Narrated by Commander Dom Gorie, Mission SPecialist Dr. Linda Godwin, Pilot Mark E. Kelly, Mission Specialist ISS Flight Engineer Daniel Tani, Former Astronaut Capt. Frank Culbertson Jr.
Featurette:Featurette: Adventure In Space (RT22:29)--Interviews with Tom Cruise, Director Toni Myers, Astronauts Marsha Ivins, Brian Duffy, Susan Helms, Jim Voss and cameraman James Neilhouse
Other:First-Ever True-Life Space Station Movie Shot by Astronauts!
Photo gallery:16 photos (Including Never-Before-Seen photos)

Customer Reviews:

Imax "Space Station".......2007-03-10

If you have ever been fortunate to see this amazing 3D film in an Imax theatre then this DVD relives the experience, from the shattering launch of the Russian rocket to the superb shots of the earth whilst in orbit. The Imax print produces the usual high quality that we enjoy with all these DVD transfers and if you haven't seen it, get an armchair seat in the International Space Station, it's out of this world!

I didn't know........2007-03-01

Unbelievable to learn what we do outside the earths boundries. A little out dated but still great to watch.

This is a 2d version - take 3D!.......2007-01-07

Nice piece of video documentation in real space life.

It's at least marginally informational........2006-12-28

I enjoyed this to a point in terms of the information it presents, but overall it's rather slow and more than a little boring.

Absolutely Awe-Inspiring!!!.......2006-07-20

Sit back and relax. You are about to experience one of the best trips you will ever take...unless, of course, you are lucky enough to actually GO into space.

I wasn't able to see this movie when it was in IMAX theaters because I didn't have a theater near where I lived. I just got the DVD as a gift and, honestly, I would not have minded paying for it myself.

I watched the DVD on my laptop and the quality of the video was jaw-dropping impressive. I then moved over to the TV to watch it and it didn't miss a beat when it came to quality. The visuals are so stunning, I actually took screen-captures and am currently using them as desktop wallpaper. I don't think words can describe how great the DVD was as far as picture quality, so I hope that helped.

If you aren't a big fan of Tom Cruise (like myself), don't worry as his voice isn't in it too much. Although I must admit, he did a great job with his narration. Luckily, most of the narration you get is from the crews that have been on the ISS, which makes it a lot more interesting.

Someone had mentioned that the extras were the best part. While I agree that they were great, I think the whole package is evenly great. The movie itself gives you some awe-inspiring visuals and information about what it is like to live onboard the ISS, while the extras give you more info about the ISS itself (i.e. a tour of the station).

The worst part about this documentary, for me at least, was the fact that I didn't get to see it in an IMAX theater. If you are, or know somebody who is, a space fanatic, or just like IMAX videos, this is without a doubt one of the best purchases you can make.

Average customer rating:

Romantic drama, great acting and some of the greatest action sequences in the history of cinema !!!
Gable & McDonald Classic
A man that goes places he shouldn't
Clark Gable in San Francisco
Great Actors, Great Performances, Good Story = Fine Film

San Francisco
Starring: Clark Gable , Jeanette MacDonald , Spencer Tracy , Jack Holt , and Jessie Ralph
Director: W.S. Van Dyke , Susan F. Walker , and Hugh Harman
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000F7CMQI
Release Date: 2006-06-20

Amazon.com

"San Francisco, open your Golden Gate...." If the classic city anthem isn't part of your life already, it will be after a viewing of this 1936 hit, a wonderful blend of cornpone, spectacle, and song. It's set in 1906, the year the earthquake flattened much of Baghdad by the Bay. Like the disaster movies that followed (including In Old Chicago, a Fox cash-in from a couple of years later), San Francisco slowly establishes its characters before unleashing the destruction. Clark Gable is Blackie Norton, a cocky and ruthless Barbary Coast character whose heart is--well, not softened, but at least dented by the arrival of an opera singer (Jeanette MacDonald) looking for a job. He hires her for his rowdy club, while his childhood chum, Father Tim Mullin (Spencer Tracy), disapproves. As they would subsequently demonstrate in Test Pilot and Boom Town, Gable and Tracy have great he-man rapport together (Blackie's rampant maleness is challenged only by the fact that he knows the priest could punch him out). Director W.S. Van Dyke (The Thin Man) keeps everything cracking along, except for those moments when Cultcha rears its head and MacDonald sings an aria. When the quake hits, and the fire follows, the movie uncorks some really quite awesome special effects, including the unforgettable image of a street heaving up and separating under people's feet--much superior to the disaster effects in The Last Days of Pompeii, made just a year earlier. Needless to say, this could only be MGM in its heyday, laying on the big budget, an acceptable level of naughtiness, and a dose of religious turnaround in the end. It worked then; it still does. --Robert Horton

Description

Romantic drama combines with humor, starpower combines with lavish spectacle and the walls come tumbling down! This Academy Award?-winning* extravanganza's street-splitting, brick-cascading, fire-raging recreation of the cataclysmic earthquake remains "one of the greatest action sequences in the history of the cinema, rivalling the chariot race in both Ben-Hurs" (Adrian Turner, Time Out Film Guide). Clark Gable plays rakish Barbary Coast kingpin Blackie Norton. Jeanette MacDonald portrays a singer torn by her love for Blackie and her need to succeed among the operagoing elite. Earning the first of nine career Best Actor Oscar? nominations,* Spencer Tracy is a priest who supplements spiritual advice with a mean right hook. He urges Blackie to change. But if love and religion can't reform Blackie, Mother Nature will.

Customer Reviews:

Romantic drama, great acting and some of the greatest action sequences in the history of cinema !!!.......2007-05-16

San Francisco remains of MGM's finest movie to this day. The movie boasts an awesome cast with great cinematography and choreography. Just the earthquake scenes alone are more than worth the price of admission!

But I am getting ahead of myself when I mention the earthquake scenes. San Francisco tells the story of a woman named Mary Blake (Jeanette MacDonald) who arrives in San Francisco seeking fame and fortune as a singer. She wants to sing opera; but when work is hard to find she accepts a job offer from Blackie Norton (Clark Gable) to sing in his saloon and nightclub. Of course, this displeases Father Tim (Spencer Tracy) and the tug of war begins between Blackie versus Father Tim--and Jack Burley of The Tivoli Opera House for Mary's employment--and her heart.

Mary Blake's character complicates things by being rather ambivalent; she loves Blackie's looks and charisma much more than she cares to admit, even to herself. Then again, Mary always wanted to sing at a prestigious opera house like The Tivoli. The situation becomes even stickier when Mary's love is also torn between Jack Burley and Blackie.

There's more to the plot; but what I've given you should be more than enough to whet your appetite to see this classic movie. The actors work so hard; and you really believe they are the characters they play because their convincing acting shines brightly. Excellent!

Naturally, there are many questions and problems to be addressed and resolved. Will Mary choose between Jack Burley's love and The Tivoli Opera House or will she ultimately decide to live her life with Blackie and work at his nightclub called The Paradise? Just how rough will things between Jackie and Father Tim get before Mary makes up her own mind? What about Blackie's run for city supervisor which his adversaries are so eager to scuttle? In addition, what happens to them all when the great earthquake of 1906 shatters the city? Will they all survive the quake? No spoilers here folks--watch the film and find out for yourselves! SMILE I don't want to ruin it for you with spoilers.

The choreography and cinematography exceed my expectations for a film from 1936; but, then again, this is MGM in its heyday and so of course these scenes offer some of the greatest of special effects of the day. The acting remains very convincing throughout the movie and the plot moves along nicely so you never feel the slightest bit of boredom.

The DVD comes with several extras; and some are more relevant to the film than others. I especially liked the TNT documentary on Clark Gable's career and personal life; and the TravelTalk shorts entitled Cavalcade of San Francisco and Night Descends on Treasure Island are excellent. There's also a cartoon entitled Bottles, too.

My only complaint ( and this is very minor) is that we hear Jeanette MacDonald sing "San Francisco" a good six or seven times during this two hour picture. By the fourth or fifth time around I had heard it enough. Four and one half stars for this review! (Sorry!)

I highly recommend San Francisco for fans of the great MGM films and for people who enjoy movies starring the immortal Clark Gable. Although Jeanette MacDonald stars in this film I can't quite call it a true MGM musical; there are two or three arias that Jeannette sings that just don't have that infectiously catchy melody to them but again this is minor. In addition, this film will also please people who enjoy drama.

Enjoy!

Gable & McDonald Classic.......2007-05-13

An oldie but goodie; excellent for a film of this era.

A man that goes places he shouldn't.......2007-04-06

The first time I met Charlie Beardsley he was staring intently at the window of a diner at the corner of Market and Larkin St. Inside the diner sat his ex-wife, Sheila, a woman that had engaged in acts with his best friend and then promptly announced to her family that she was a lesbian. She changed her mind only days after the divorce was final and she was now living with the owner of the diner in Pac Heights. Charlie Beardsley had not taken the news well, and spent most afternoons finding different reasons to leave work and stare through the window at the woman he used to spend his days with.

I stood on the corner waiting to cross the street when I noticed him. He turned away from the window and stared out at the street, and then back around and inside. I watched his routine and then couldn't help but walk over and ask what he was doing. As it turns out, he was eager to be lead astray. We walked together towards an unknown destination while he told me his story. He spoke quickly and quietly until he got to the subject of his best friend. "A man that goes places he shouldn't, that argues with people in stores, at intersections, on buses and trains, and curses at children. And yet, she found him attractive." I asked him if he wanted to get a cup of coffee. I'm not sure why I felt an affinity for him. He looked to be older than me by at least ten years, with worn clothing that had, at one time, cost a week's paycheck. He declined my offer and said that he was thinking of leaving San Francisco.

A year later, he was still staring at the window of the diner on the corner of Market and Larkin.

Clark Gable in San Francisco.......2007-03-19

THis is a great movie to have in your collection. Plenty of old fashioned action and the earthquake in San Francisco is very well done for the time. Pity the DVD is B&W as I also have video in colour. The colourised version is quite a good product, better than other colourised films I have seen.

Great Actors, Great Performances, Good Story = Fine Film.......2007-03-08

Though I can only imagine how terrifying the real San Francisco earthquake must have been, this certainly seems like a great depiction of what the real diaster could have been like--and without CG benefits we'd often use today! It seems great to have the quake sequences toward the end, with Spencer Tracy's few cameos as Father Mullin as just enough to suffiently portray the evils of the day just before the "big event."

First, Gable perfectly portrays Blackie Norton, a cynical, jaded casino & theater owner. Then Jeanette Macdonald, wonderful as Mary Blake, lovely in both looks & spirit. However, her lengthy opera performances should have been shortened as the rest of the film already showcases her gorgeous soprano voice.

Blackie's both lovestruck by Mary's beauty yet mystified by her piety, which he finds confusing yet makes him love her more--while she too feels confused at her own growing love for him. She leaves his showplace for the opera world, the separation helping Mary & Blackie see their increasing love. Blackie becomes a changed man after the quake, climaxing where he finds God, and they finally find their joyous love is permanent!

I LOVE hearing & rewinding Jeanette's powerful "San Francisco," her infectious joy making her have the audience join in hearty chorus. This is A TRUE HIGH POINT in the movie, which no doubt also caused city officials to name that THE CITY'S OFFICIAL SONG!! ("I left my Heart in San Francisco" was also so-declared in the 80s), but this one's the REAL sparky, toe-tapping celebration chorus! We have THIS film to thank for that--and for that alone I rate this 5 stars! It might not have the appeal for many modern viewers, but it's truly a great classic!

Average customer rating:

Engaging realism; ahead of its time
A good script!
Excellent story dealing with the morals of war.
WW II counterintelligence drama
Top-notch war thriller!

Decision Before Dawn
Starring: Richard Basehart , Gary Merrill , Oskar Werner , Hildegard Knef , and Dominique Blanchar
Director: Anatole Litvak
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Guns at Batasi
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ASIN: B000EHSVV4
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Amazon.com

Rooting for a German soldier was a daring choice for a movie made in 1951, but Decision Before Dawn justifies the risk; this is a crackling good war movie. In late 1944, the Allies are pushing through Europe but need intelligence behind German lines. Two Americans (Richard Basehart, Gary Merrill) recruit German POWs and enlist them to spy on their former Fatherland. We follow the adventures of one such agent, arrestingly played by the young Oskar Werner, who parachutes into Bavaria and gathers information. (Oddly, the film abandons Basehart and another recruit, marvelously played by Hans Christian Blech, who have also gone under cover.) The well-deployed suspense is accompanied by a constant examination of what it means to be German, and what loyalty to one's country really entails--dutiful devotion or skeptical rebellion? This question doesn't go deep (there's a sense that the movie is a make-nice effort toward a new economic ally), but the film is on solid ground whenever the clockwork suspense takes over. Hildegarde Knef (here billed under her Hollywood spelling, Neff) turns up as a conflicted fraulein. Director Anatole Litvak, shooting on location, gets some amazing shots of bombed-out buildings and ruined towns; in that sense, the film is almost like a documentary record of the postwar landscape. Decision Before Dawn was nominated for the best picture Oscar, but became a lesser-known film in the decades that followed. It deserves a higher profile. --Robert Horton

Description

Richard Basehart and Gary Merrill star in a film that?s ?as stirring a drama as any you'll want to see? (The New York Times). Adapted by Jack Rollens and Peter Viertel from George Howe?s novel Call It Treason, and directed by Anatole Litvak, this riveting World War II drama was nominated for the 1951 Best Picture Oscar®.

As the Third Reich declines in power, the Allies develop a radical new plan ? to employ German POWs as spies. Led by American Colonel Devlin (Merrill), and executed by Lieutenant Rennick (Baseheart), the plan is risky, and the tension builds as the Americans learn whether the former Nazis will help or betray the Allies.

Customer Reviews:

Engaging realism; ahead of its time.......2007-06-17

I'd never seen or heard of "Decision before Dawn" until it appeared in my recommended list on Amazon.com. Released in 1951, it apparently has been on TV a number of times, but I never caught it. Having it on DVD, especially at a bargain price, is welcome, indeed.

There are no big stars in the movie, although Gary Merrill, Richard Basehart, and Oskar Werner are certainly well-known names. The story is rather obscure in that it features Germans who change sides at the end of World War II, and end up spying on and fighting the Nazis. Some of these spies are heroic, like Oskar Werner's character; others are simply mercenary. In any event, we see that there were some good Germans who were loyal to their country, if not to the savage regime that took it over for 12 years.

The movie is in black-and-white, which lends itself well to the feel of the subject. It comes across almost as a docu-drama, to use modern terminology. Many of the outdoor shots feel like how Germany must have been in the latter years of the war after allied bombing had reduced most cities to rubble. You get a sense for the desperation and futility of ordinary people, as well, as the only "love interest" in the show, Hildegard Neff, vanishes almost as quickly as she appears. And she never is seen again.

If you're looking for a film that shows one of the pivotal points of the war, like "The Battle of the Bulge," or "The Battle of Britain," you might be disappointed in this show. But if you want to see a realistic depiction of patriotic Germans who resisted the Nazis and helped end the war, you should be pleasantly surprised. Acting is first-rate and the story is well-written and engaging.

There is not really a happy ending in "Decision before Dawn," unless you feel that the war is closer to its end as a result of what you've seen. In that sense, the movie really seems much ahead of its time and should find a receptive audience. As other reviewers point out, "Decision before Dawn" is really an anti-war film, showing as it does the futility of one group of humans intent on destroying another group.

In summing up, I can't think of another movie to compare this one to. I'd have to say the film is unique and worthy of its place in any World War II collection.

A good script!.......2007-04-05

"Decision Before Dawn" was written by Peter Viertel, once himself a member of the O.S.S.
It's a good script, full of weird characters, played by German actors like Hans-Christian Blech, Hildegard Neff and the famous O.E. Hasse. If you look close enough, you can even spot a very young Klaus Kinski!
The performance given by young Austrian master-actor Oscar Werner is simply superb.
If you like a gripping (anti-) war-movie, you'll be delighted with "Decision Before Dawn".
Watch out for a TV-documentary on the screenwriter Peter Viertel: "PETER VIERTEL: BETWEEN THE LINES". It will be shown in the fall of 2008. Don't miss it!

Excellent story dealing with the morals of war........2006-11-10

Definitely an anti-war classic story. Authentic in every respect and a good view and moral lesson for anyone with an interest in the meaning of loyalty to one's country. R. Woolfe

WW II counterintelligence drama.......2006-10-26

Anatole Litvak's engaging WWII drama "Decision Before Dawn" examines the war from an entirely different perspective. Filmed in the war ravaged remains of Nazi Germany in 1950, the story commences as American troops are poised to cross the Rhine and enter Germany. In the waning days of the war an American intelligence detail lead by Col. Devlin played by Gary Merrill and Lt. Rennick played by Richard Basehart are using captured POW's to act as spys. Using specially trained and suitable German soldiers they hope to gain sensitive information to aid in the war effort. Oskar Werner playing Cpl. Karl Maurer is just such a man.

Werner, an educated son of a physician, and not a loyal Nazi supporter, is a medic in the German Luftwaffe. He and Basehart along with another Nazi traitor code named Tiger and played by Hans Christian Blech are dropped behind enemy lines to determine the location of crack Panzer units.

What makes the film so unique, was that Werner's odyssey through the dying Third Reich gives us insight into the disposition of the German populace. Their downtrodden existence scrounging out an existence in the final months of the war is a disturbing sight to behold.

Litvack's film is a tribute to the nameless German spys who aided the Allied war effort.

Top-notch war thriller!.......2006-10-06

Based on real facts, this movie scrutinizes the ethic side of an idealistic and disappointed German medic / P:O:W: who decides by own will to become spy for his captors. He will be parachuted in order to demonstrate his firm resolution.

This might be the masterpiece of Anatole Litvak and the best performance ever given by Oskar Werner.

Tense, absorbing and high voltage movie.

Average customer rating:

Great clips but too damn Hollywoodized
The Glory of the Beatniks.
A good introduction to Beat influence, but very broad
A little disappointing but still worth seeing
'Source' of Inspiration

The Source
Starring: William F. Buckley , Jack Kerouac , Bob Hope , Richard J. Daley , and Johnny Depp
Director: Chuck Workman
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
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ASIN: B00004STH1
Release Date: 2000-07-05

Amazon.com

This documentary is a treat, a look at the beat writers that benefits not only from a wealth of vital source information, including interviews with major figures, but also from an abundance of intelligence and wit. Interspersed with clips of Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and William S. Burroughs are brilliant montages of clips that set the beats in the context of their times. The story of how the beats rebelled against American conformity in the 1950s is well known, of course, but this documentary manages to find fresh ways to relate their views on life and writing. Segments in which Johnny Depp, John Turturro, and Dennis Hopper portray, respectively, Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs may strike some as extraneous, but the good performances redeem their inclusion in the film. As befits the documentary's title, The Source devotes considerable attention to the influence of the beats, and interviews with such notables as Ken Kesey, Jerry Garcia, and Philip Glass, performance clips of Bob Dylan, and news footage from the 1960s establish how the sensibility of the writers trickled into all of society. This is not only a fine introduction to the beats, but those who already revere them will find the profusion of material contained it to be a delight. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews:

Great clips but too damn Hollywoodized.......2006-02-18

What's good about this documentary is all the great footage of the Beats. There is amazing interview footage of Corso and Burroughs later in life that I haven't seen anywhere else, along with choice clips of interviews of all the Beats that are in the other three or so good documentaries out there. (Really worth seeing are "Kerouac: King of the Beats," "What Ever Happened to Kerouac?", and "The Beat Generation".) It's very worth watching just for this footage.

But unfortunately it tries to be too hip and too cute and ends up just being too glib and too distracting. It jumps frenetically between little swatches of otherwise great archival footage to stupid TV shows of the time, or to unrelated street scenes or bands playing. All of which gives it a distracting Attention Deficit Disorder/MTV music video feel. Very polished and Hollywood and very out of sorts with the Beats focus on authenticity. The film didn't need all this mess. The subjects of the documentary are so fascinating and energetic all by themselves, I don't know why the makers would try to spice it up by interrupting the enthralling footage with endless splices of goofy sounds and images.

Another annoying thing is that the makers work far too hard to draw the lineage between the Beats and the Hippies and the free speech movement. They end up talking about the 60s and to 60s personalities much too long. The connection between the Beats and Hippies is there, of course, but the makers way oversimplify and make it seem as if it's obvious to everyone that the Beats started the whole social revolution singlehandedly. And that's silly. It would have been much more potent if they'd spent less time on all that and instead had shown more of their great interview and performance footage of the main folks.

Again, very worth watching but I sure found the meddling of the film makers frustrating.

The Glory of the Beatniks. .......2005-05-14

This movie is a fast ride and a lot of fun. It is the furthest thing from a slow-moving documentary. The technical style and flair would appeal to practically any viewer. The Source is glossy and gorgeous. The director's clout is also impressive. Johnny Depp gives a performance monologue as Jack Kerouac and John Torturro gives an emotional reading from "Howl." Dennis Hopper imitates Burroughs as well later in the film. Their efforts are impressive.

Just to let the skeptics out there know, there is no room for doubt in this documentary. The beats are heroes and saviors--and not much else is considered. That some of them were minor talents is brushed over. Massive beat generation fans would give it five stars. A totally sanitized version of William S. Burroughs is presented, and it is implied that Kerouac was only a heterosexual, which is something that most commentators would regard as dubious. The film's attitude towards drug use is rather slanted. One memorable quotation was, "you can overdose on anything including sushi." Well no, not really.

It does not matter though, the movie is an amazing sprint and it succeeds in making itself impossible to turn off.

A good introduction to Beat influence, but very broad.......2005-04-25

A documentary that wears its heart on its sleeve, "The Source" is a great collection of archival clips and contemporary interviews. It overreaches trying to connect all of the movement's reference points from Herbert Huncke to Henry Rollins -- the final half hour is a dizzying mix of quick cuts and fleeting words -- though it certainly does indicate the breadth of Beat syle, the film takes on a very slapdash quality. The admirable recreations of Ginsberg, Kerouac and Burroughs seem unncessary when there's so much available footage, especially in a film that runs only 90 minutes. Still, ten seconds of Neal's madcap jitterbugging is worth all the well-intentioned homage. (One final sticking point: an all-inclusive overview of Beat influence that doesn't include Patti Smith, Tom Verlaine or Richard Hell isn't really complete, is it?) Workman did extensive digging in the film archives, however, reminding us that the Beat movement was as visual as it was literary. The final scenes of Ginsberg reading his own words on Times Square marquees is inspired.

A little disappointing but still worth seeing.......2003-10-28

The DVD is interesting, but there is too much of the same old commentary that has been circulating in beat documentaries for years. Many of the folks interviewed weren't all that significant to the movement. However, the Burroughs footage alone is worth the effort - but not nearly enough Jack Kerouac footage - there should have been much more of Jack and much less modern critique by folks who just weren't there. I would have liked to have seen more of Gregory Corso as well, but he has some priceless moments in the film! The Neil Cassady footage is also very good. Ginsberg is Ginsberg. I didn't get the point of the Johnny Depp/Dennis Hopper/John Turturro bits. Although Turturro's performance is by far the best! Overall, it's a nice documentary but not as ground breaking as was hyped.

'Source' of Inspiration.......2002-07-10

"The Source," director Chuck Workman's documentary about the Beat Generation, is as close to communing with a bygone generation as possible. In this examination of the lives of modern American literature's unholy Trinity -- Allen Ginsberg ("HOWL"), Jack Kerouac ("On the Road") and William S. Burroughs ("Naked Lunch") -- and how they unwittingly made thoughts pulse to their own strange beat, Workman's film releases the essence of these legends by casting a spell of media voodoo. Ironically, this same method of divination is responsible for bringing bits of these great personalities into the minds of today's commercially fed youth -- remember the infamous Burroughs Nike ad and the use of Kerouac's image to sell blue jeans?

This look back at the fathers of the Beat Generation was filmed before Ginsberg was silenced by cancer in the spring of 1997, yet the poet functions as a spirit-guide not unlike Virgil in Dante's "Inferno." He gently takes us from the initial meeting of the three writers in 1944 at Columbia University to their inspiration by Neal Cassady through the '50s, the Jazz Age and into the '60s with the youthful interpretation of what they started and how it fomented a revolution.

Like Dante, we are left on our own for much of the documentary to sort through the barrage of incredible footage, interviews and huge cast of players, which Workman must have sold nearly a pound of his own soul to procure. The surreal nature of Burroughs loading his gun or watching Neal Cassady do a jig by a Volkswagen bus, plunges the audience even deeper into the past by humanizing men whose mythic importance is on the same level as JFK or James Dean.

It is these scenes that make "The Source" such a fine record of a lost age. Workman's labor of love is crafted like the best college history courses. We hear exactly what altered the state of the spoken and written word, and the writers' astonishment that they were being emulated and taken so seriously. Burroughs' contempt, Kerouac's confusion and Ginsberg's quiet acceptance of their fame are illuminating to those of us who weren't there or didn't pay close enough attention to the centers of culture.

Workman goes a bit astray with his use of reenactments, a decidedly MTV convention that, for the most part, serve only as a minor distraction. It's easy to buy Johnny Depp reciting bits and pieces of Jack Kerouac's works in what looks like a roadside bar, but Dennis Hopper's attempts at sections of Burroughs' "Junky," "Interzone" and "Queer" are terrible. It might be because Hopper is, in fact, a legend unto himself, and it's difficult to see him as another from the same period. (An excellent Burroughs can be seen in David Cronenberg's "Naked Lunch" starring Peter Weller as an amalgamated William S.). All is forgiven, though, because the fresh memory of John Turturro's visceral rendition of Ginsberg's "HOWL" outside the Rockland State Hospital in New York City is unforgettable and truly inspired.

However, much of the footage is painful, and Workman is determined to present this mythological period by picking at the scabs of time and the recent commercial deification of these people. Scenes of an angry and pickled Kerouac trying to discuss the essence of writing with talk show host Steve Allen -- and then if you can believe it, William F. Buckley -- are quite sobering and make it clear that theirs' was more of a struggle than a party.

Then there are the shots of Burroughs that are about as comforting as the cold sweat that lets the addict know he hasn't killed himself. He's young and dangerous, wielding a knife in one scene and a syringe in the next. And although there is a perverse thrill watching the world-famous junky shoot up for the camera, we also get to see the needles in his eyes filled with scorn for anyone unlucky enough to be on the other side of that camera. One can almost feel him looking through the movie screen, searching for the kind of people who will eventually frequent "art houses" to watch films about things that should be read in books.

Amazon.com

The re-release of Jerry Aronson's biopic, The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg, timed to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of "Howl," suits this wonderful documentary and proves Ginsberg central to all radical artistic and political movements of the past 60 years. The feature-length film, segmented by decade, provides ample footage of Ginsberg's life; but extras added into this package, including footage of his memorial and 35 interviews with artists inspired by the visionary poet--from Beck to Lawrence Ferlinghetti--solidify Ginsberg as an American cultural icon. The film unravels Ginsberg's obsession for life and death around his mother's nervous breakdown and his father's affinity for poetry. Interviews with Ginsberg from each decade, both amongst his Beat friends like Burroughs and Huncke, and later with talk show hosts William Buckley and Dick Cavett, show the author's progression from sexual politics in the '40s and '50s to the "politics of ecstasy" in the '60s and '70s, when he founded the Flower Power movement with Tim Leary, and later, Naropa Institute. Ample footage of Ginsberg's stepmother provides a sensitive outsider's opinion on how he blossomed into one of the most spontaneous minds of the century. The film transcends simple Ginsberg descriptions by framing his life with historical happenings to contextualize the author's words and actions. The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg reminds the viewer that there is no better example of an artist devoted to a life of letters, activism, and idealism than the original beatnik. --Trinie Dalton

Description

Visionary, radical, spiritual seeker, renowned poet, founding member of a major literary movement, champion of human rights, Buddhist, political activist and teacher-- Allen Ginsberg's remarkable life challenged the very soul of America.

For 25 years, Academy Award-nominated director Jerry Aronson accumulated more than 120 hours of film on Allen Ginsberg, resulting in this comprehensive and invaluable portrait of one of America's greatest poets. The DVD includes exclusive and revealing interviews with his friends, family and contemporaries, as well as never before seen materials made public because of the warm friendship that developed between Ginsberg and the filmmaker.

This deluxe edition contains the Director's Cut of the award-winning documentary that began filming in 1982 and is now complete, updated and remastered. Also included are many new interviews with the latest generation of artists influenced by Ginsberg.

This compilation reveals the last 60 years of American culture beginning with the Beat era in the post war Forties and Fifties, continuing through the revolutionary Sixties and concluding with both the uncertainty and possibility of current times.

Customer Reviews:

My favorite purchase of the year!.......2007-06-22

A trememdous tribue to the great Allen Ginsberg - full of a such an array of incredible interviews, it is amazing the director captured and compiled them all! A treasure to own and share with friends and family.

fascinating.......2007-06-19

This film totally embodies the beatnic era and really exemplifies how Allen Ginsberg affected the lives of others. Two, no, four thumbs up

Captivating and Inspirational.......2007-06-19

This film, by Oscar nominated filmmaker Jerry Aronson, profiles Allen Ginsberg, a pivotal figure in the 50s
Beat Generation and the counter-cultural revolution of the 1960s. With film clips, videos, and a little help from Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey, Abbie Hoffman, and Joan Baez, Aronson shows us the visionary poet who inspired the Beat Generation with the rage and compassion of "Howl", the pacifist who tried to calm the violence around him at the Democratic Convention in 1968 by singing a Buddhist chant, and the pained boy who grew up to become an unpretentious literary giant. This beautiful film is captivating, inspirational and resonates well after the film's conclusion. Definately ranks as one of the most moving and orginal films I've ever seen.

HOWLing with Delight.......2007-06-08

The documentary is full of amazing footage and interviews with important American cultural figures. Ginsberg is portrayed as a compassionate and compelling character who is deeply involved with all things counter-culture over the last 50 years. The film is supplemented by incredible extras including interviews with Johnny Depp, Bono, and Paul McCartney (just to name a few). A must-have for anyone interested in poetry, politics, or just recent American history.

The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg.......2007-05-19

The film at 85 minutes is amazing. The extras at over 6.5 hours are incredible. This DVD set is a source of all things Beat that I will be looking back at for years. It is beautifully arranged so that you can watch many extras on the same disc as the feature and also watch 35 interviews on Disc 2 including so many friends of Allen who also happened and happen to be cultural phenomenon's in their own right including Baez, Beck, Bono, Brakhage, Burroughs, Depp, Glass, Hoffman, Kesey, Leary, McCartney, Sonic Youth, Ono, Patti Smith, Hunter S. Thompson, Andy Warhol and so many more!

Also, Allen reads poetry to the camera for over 30 minutes, talks with Neal Cassidy in the basement of City Light in 1965 for almost 20 minutes, and reminisces with William Burroughs in 1984 at Naropa in Boulder, CO.

I can go on and on but this heartfelt collection made me want to read more of Ginsberg's poetry and remember a man who was truly a pacifist and helped make the world a better and more peaceful place. How we need that today!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Dark, Unembridled Greed
A Search For The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine, With Murder And Greed Along The Way
Great mystery Western

Lust for Gold
Starring: Ida Lupino , Glenn Ford , Gig Young , William Prince , and Edgar Buchanan
Director: S. Sylvan Simon
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B0007MANZ8
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Customer Reviews:

Dark, Unembridled Greed.......2006-12-04

A rather grim but extremely satisfying Western directed by S. Sylvan Simon, features Glenn Ford as Jacob "Dutch" Walz, a German who discovers "the richest goldmine in the world" in 19th century Arizona. Although not as well-known as other Columbia Westerns, it holds up very well, and is much more appreciated now than it was when it was released in 1949. Juliet Thomas (Ida Lupino) is the cold-hearted woman who pretends to admire Walz as a man, when in fact she just wants to know where his mine is located. She goes so far as to put him up in her home after he collapses in a drunken stupor on the porch of her bakery, and later lets him court her. She pretends to be German (even briefly speaking to him in his native tongue), and feigns ignorance and disinterest in his newfound status as a wealthy citizen. Her pursuit of Jacob only infuriates her estranged husband, Pete Thomas (Gig Young), who wants to be back on her good side (as well as her bed), and so they quietly conspire together to learn the location of his mine and rob Jacob of his fortune. But he is soon onto them and it ends on an interesting showdown on Superstition Mountain.

Despite its serious tone, the film has some light-hearted moments, never more wonderfully presented as Juliet shows Jacob her family album and he comes across a photograph of her as an "au natural" baby, or the moment after Jacob hands off the cookies he bought from Juliet's shop to a young boy, who collapses under the weight of two massive baskets full! And Lupino shows her independent mind and capabilities in this unsympathetic role, while Gig Young's scoundrel manages to gain a little sympathy as the ignored husband. But Ford, who rarely played villainous roles, really brings uncompromising realism as a greedy, self-serving, ill-tempered man (the scene involving the little girl and him allowing her to "play" with his shotgun is a classic example of this). His attempt at a German accent falters in some sequences, but this does not deter from his performance.

This aspect of the movie is actually shown in flashback, the opening being of Jacob's grandson Barry Storm (William Prince) trying to find the mine and solve the mystery of the many puzzling, tragic deaths of those who have attempted to discover it. Fans of the Lone Ranger television series will enjoy the early, uncredited appearance of Jay Silverheels as a deputy.

Now I know why greed is among the seven most deadly sins!

The DVD features a few theatrical trailers.

A Search For The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine, With Murder And Greed Along The Way.......2005-12-13

This forgotten gem is an A movie trying to break out of a B movie's conventions. Even as a B movie, if it had been directed by Edgar Ulmer many people would be raving over it. But it was directed by a man named S. Sylvan Simon who died of a heart attack in his forties. This was his last movie, and it has been forgotten just about as thoroughly as he has.

It's the story of the Lost Dutchman Mine, a rich gold mine lost, then discovered again, and then apparently lost forever. It's the story of Jacob "Dutch" Walz (Glenn Ford), a German immigrant in 1880 who, with a partner, tracks two men to the mine in Arizona's Superstition Mountains. When the men find it, Walz and his partner shoot them down. Then Walz cooly turns his rifle on his partner. It's also the present day story of Walz' grandson, Barry Storm (William Prince), who is searching for the mine again. A generation and a half ago his grandfather disappeared, taking the secret of the mine with him. Storm is determined to find the place, but a killer has been murdering prospectors who have gotten too close to where the mine might be.

The movie is oddly constructed but still works well. Three quarters of the time is a flashback to Jacob Walz, his search for the mine and his entanglement with Julia Thomas (Ida Lupino), a woman as ruthless as he, and her husband, Pete (Gig Young), a jealous and weak man. Bracketing this story is Barry Storm. At first, Storm is following a man who is confident he knows where the Lost Dutchman is located. A rifle shot ends that search and Storm is left with a dead body to explain to the sheriff (Paul Ford) and the sheriff's deputy (Will Geer). At the end of Walz' story we move back to Storm. Now, the killer is tracking him. In a nice twist, the killer is probably not who you'll immediately suspect.

Glenn Ford does a nice job as the grim, mean Jacob Walz. When he thinks Julia may actually love him, he's shy and a little tongue-tied. When he realizes she was using him...well, let's say he gets his own back with her and her husband after he's tricked them into the Superstition Mountains. This is an unusual role to take on for a young and increasingly popular lead actor. After he was established as a major star, Ford didn't often play ruthless bad guys. With this role, he proved he could whenever he wanted to.

Ida Lupino does a great job as the in-it-for-me Julia Thomas. She looks just fine when she's luring Jacob into her web. Later, she's not afraid to look dirty and bedraggled after she's been without water for a couple of days, had to scramble over rocks, been shot at and tossed in the dirt.

The black and white DVD picture is in very good condition. There are no extras.

Great mystery Western.......2005-04-16

In a way LUST FOR GOLD is a "mystery" Western that doesn't lose its real interest after you understand (sort of) the mystery and understand the story. And that says a lot about its lasting attraction and why I am delighted to see it on DVD. The stark but beautiful B&W print lends atmosphere to the "search" for lost treasure, and even the name of the mountain range where the Spanish gold was mysteriously buried, Superstition Mountain, adds to the ambience. This is a truly entertaining oater that will entertain the entire family or friends. Recommended highly.

The Greatest '70s Cop Shows (Charlie's Angels / Starsky and Hutch / S.W.A.T. / Police Woman / The Rookies)

Average customer rating:

A Starsky and Hutch Fan
3 stars if you didn't grow up with these shows
Maybe!
OH.....JUST SHOOT ME!!
More Angie, please...!

The Greatest '70s Cop Shows (Charlie's Angels / Starsky and Hutch / S.W.A.T. / Police Woman / The Rookies)
Director: Ronald Austin , Allen Baron , Richard Benedict , John D.F. Black , and Cliff Bole
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B00000F6RL
Release Date: 2003-05-06

Amazon.com

It may sound like a gimmick--The Greatest '70s Cop Shows is a compilation of first episodes from Starsky and Hutch, Police Woman, S.W.A.T., The Rookies, and Charlie's Angels--but this DVD anthology really opens one's eyes to the look and feel of dramatic television during the so-called Me Decade. Except for Angels, which never wavered from its self-mocking, glossy action/stiff exposition playbook, these cop-program debuts (four of them from Aaron Spelling) import much of their fluid camera movement, multiple points-of-view, and dynamic, often wordless storytelling from the era's rough-and-tumble action movies (e.g., The French Connection). Which is to say these shows may be dumb but not necessarily cheesy (except Angels' post-modern cheese). There is a lot to admire about the opening ambush in S.W.A.T.'s "The Killing Ground," the hard-boiled camaraderie of Police Woman's "The End Game," and especially the reckless physicality and ironic jokes of Starsky and Hutch's "Savage Sunday." --Tom Keogh

Description

The definitive collection of your favorite '70s cop shows is finally here! See how all the action started with this collection of the first episodes of Charlie's Angels, Starsky and Hutch, S.W.A.T., The Rookies and Police Woman!

Customer Reviews:

A Starsky and Hutch Fan.......2004-12-06

I love the fact that they are putting out DVD's like this I grew up with all these shows and I love all of them and seeing David Soul (Hutch from Starsky and Hutch, He is Hot !!!!) in it is a plus also !!!!! Starsky and Hutch was my favorite show as a kid and I still love watching it. It is worth the money to buy it with all 5 shows they were some of the best shows on TV in the 70's.

3 stars if you didn't grow up with these shows.......2004-10-25

I was a child of the 70s and remembered these shows fondly. I took them VERY seriously at the time. Now they are instant nostalgia and a hoot. I love the bland studio bars and apartments, the lack of much blood after some serious gun fights, the friendly neo-fascist cops who do their duty & then go party. These are the "first" episodes of each show but that is misleading. Most started as 2 hour movies of the week. These are the first of the on going episodes but in most cases the viewer's second helping.

The Rookies-the most social conscious of the group. The street wise cop who grew up in the 'hood with the very naive suburban kid. Nice sentiments here about getting through to gang members excpet that these guys are psuhing 40 when they should be teens & the slum is obviously a Hollywood backlot with lots of newspapers thrown all over it.

Police Woman-good drama, Angie does some nice touches. The show isn't just about her though, a whole unit so it's kinda misleading. That hippuie undercover has on of the oddest faces to grace a TV screen. And I loved the casual traffic driving past a desperate shoot out early on.

SWAT-Now this felt like a pilot. Like most of SWAT's villains, total psychos. Although no one mentions it, they are sniffing alot during the episode so grown up viewers will know that they are all coked up.

Starsky & Hutch-lame plot but good commadarie. Watch for a sexy cameo but Suzanne Sommers. This show was a little more into innuendo but then came...

Charlie's Angels-not a cop show! This one actually isz the first time we'd seen the Angels. Not bad but the whole Doyle as a preacher bit was grating. I remeber them calling this a "jiggle show" but note the lack of the extra large busts we've come to expect nowadays.

I wish they'd have released the "best" ep of each show rather than the "first", now that would be a 5 star DVD!

Maybe!.......2004-09-27

I captioned this as maybe , because I Love everyone of these shows , and the individual programs chosen for this Collection , but having purchased this , and having watched it . It is great for those last two reason , but let me tell you were the problem lies . Copying these from whatever , or however , from the very first show on the collection you run into the problem that the sound does not match the picure . The words are heard bfore the Lips even move . Now this is regular on the Charlie's Angels show , and sparadically on the others , but I still enjoyed the Collection Purchase very much .

OH.....JUST SHOOT ME!!.......2004-06-03

It was just GREAT having the chance to own this DVD ! I am a big fan of America's Cop Shows and this item was really a "must -have".I just wish they could release more episodes of "The Police Woman" and "The Rookies" ( with Kate Jackson!!!