The Postman

Starring:Todd Allen, Scott Bairstow, Annie Costner, Charles Esten, Shawn Hatosy, Ryan Hurst, Rex Linn, Peggy Lipton, Roberta Maxwell, Ron McLarty, Will Patton, Tom Petty, Giovanni Ribisi, James Russo, Joe Santos, Larenz Tate, Olivia Williams, Brian Anthony Wilson, Daniel von Bargen
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Italian star and filmmaker Massimo Troisi was dying of heart failure even before this film, his dream project, began production, and he prevailed upon British director Michael Radford (White Mischief) to see him and the film through to the end. (The 40-year-old Troisi, a beloved comic actor in Italy, died the day production wrapped.) Based on true events, Troisi plays a shy postman who strikes up an unlikely friendship with exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (Philippe Noiret). Through Neruda's example and tutelage, the hero learns to think of his Italian fishing village in lyrical terms, as well as how to talk to women and even find the strength to take his political stands. Sweet as it is, the film finally pushes beyond its charming borders to become an even more complex and poignant story about the pain of growing into one's destiny. --Tom Keogh

Description

Cheered by critics and audiences everywhere, IL POSTINO (THE POSTMAN) is the record-breaking Academy Award(R)-winning (Best Dramatic Score, 1995) romantic comedy that delivers heartfelt laughs! Mario is a bumbling mailman who's madly in love with the most beautiful woman in town ... and who's too shy to tell her how he feels. But when a world-famous poet -- Pablo Neruda -- moves into town, Mario is inspired. With Neruda's help, he finds the right words to win the woman's heart! This unforgettably funny comedy proves that passion ... with some artful deception ... can win the most improbable love!

Customer Reviews:

Postman to Postman.......2007-07-04

I see all Post Office related movies.I am a Mailman. This film,unlike Kevin Costners, is pure Quality. Terrific,heartwarming,touching. All that makes a perfect film. See it,soon.

Best Acting Ever.......2007-05-20

Wonderful movie, brilliant actor. A legacy to the world, left by a kind and gentle spirit. One of my all time favorite movies.

Dangerous Poems.......2007-05-14

This movie may contain the single greatest scene ever constructed within a modern effort; hint: Tangos. There is also a very dangerous line suitable for theft concerning who art belongs to. Be Careful concerning what can happen to you from a careful study of the themes within this artwork!

A delight!.......2007-03-09

This is a wonderful film. It has romance, poetry, beautiful photography, a lovely score, and a great story. I so enjoyed the rented version that I immediately had to buy it. I will enjoy watching it over and over.

God bless Miramax for finally bringing this out!.......2007-02-27

Charming, poignant, breath-taking, quick. Beautifully spoken, with excellent costuming.

Average customer rating:

Good movie.
A big surprise!
The First Time
the postman
Hooked on Costner movies...

The Postman
Starring: Todd Allen , Scott Bairstow , Annie Costner , Charles Esten , and Shawn Hatosy
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0790736500
Release Date: 1998-06-09

Amazon.com

Falling from the Oscar-winning glory of Dances with Wolves to the opposite end of the critical and box-office scale, Kevin Costner must have been deeply humbled when this three-hour postapocalyptic tale--his sophomore effort as a director--was greeted with a critical thrashing and tepid audience response. One of the most conspicuous flops of its decade, the 1997 release must have seemed like a sure thing on paper: a kind of futurist Western starring Costner as a charismatic drifter-turned-hero who leads the resistance against a military tyrant (Will Patton) by reviving the long-dormant postal system to reunite isolated communities in their fight for freedom. The movie bombed, but, like many audacious failures, it's got qualities that make it at least partially endearing, and its earnestness (although bordering on corny) keeps it from being entirely silly. Faint praise, perhaps, but Costner's ode to patriotism is occasionally stirring and visually impressive. The dual-layered, widescreen DVD includes a documentary segment about the creation of the film's special effects sequences, featuring a running commentary by the special effects creators. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Good movie........2007-06-27

The movie starts out slow but is worth being patient. Really good, moving, thought provoking movie.

A big surprise!.......2007-05-26

I have never been a fan of Kevin Costner's films with the exception of The Untouchables, and even then I enjoyed Sean Connery's performance much more than Kevin's.

One night, I was sick with the flu and the medicine I was taking at the time kept me wide awake. My wife had already gone off to bed so I wrapped myself in a blanket, settled on to the couch and began channel surfing.

I came across The Postman on HBO and figured; "Why not?". Late night TV always left something to be desired in my opinion, so I gave The Postman a look see.

I was hooked.

The story was epic in scope and VERY original. All of the actors give incredible performances (especially Wil Patton). The film does have moments where things seem to drag on, but overall, your interest doesn't wane. I sat motionless for this 3-hour film. Very rarely am I able to do that.

As soon as the movie was over, I wanted to see it again. Unlike most films, this one becomes something more with each viewing.

Give this movie a try. You will not be diappointed.

The First Time .......2007-05-16

The first time I saw this and "Waterworld" I thought Costner had no business doing SciFi movies. I'm sure some thought that way about "Robin Hood" and "Field of Dreams". In each of his movies he doesn't quite seem on his game, but then there is something about each of them that draws you back. Perhaps it is because he isn't quite on his game, slightly vulnerable and human. Perhaps it is due to the fact there is so much trash out there, these are far better than them when compared. All I can say is I at first didn't own these movies and I wasn't particular impressed with them and now I do own them. I actually sit down and watch them and find them reasonably entertaining. They will grow on you if you give them a chance.

the postman.......2007-03-17

this was a very good movie. it had alot of action, a love story content and it had a bit of humor to it! i enjoyed it very much.

Hooked on Costner movies..........2007-02-24

In the same style as 'Dances With Wolves' this movie has me hooked. It has that sweeping epic feel, with classic struggles between good and evil. The critics hated it, but what's new. If you liked 'Waterworld' you'll probably like this one. If you tend to agree with the critics, you most likely won't.

Average customer rating:

Green for Danger
Excellent Mystery
A Traditional Murder Mystery Set In World War II England--Familiar Story, Classy Execution
" That Dear Old Menace, Alastair Sim"
Best of the best

Green for Danger - Criterion Collection
Starring: Sally Gray , Trevor Howard , Rosamund John , Alastair Sim , and Leo Genn
Director: Sidney Gilliat
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: B000KRNGNG
Release Date: 2007-02-13

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Writer-director Sidney Gilliat isn't the household name he deserves to be, so his film Green for Danger--once an art-house perennial--qualifies as one of the major, and surely most delightful, (re)discoveries of the season. Its cunning blend of character-driven mystery, gothic dread, and inveterately English gallows humor makes for sheer movie-movie pleasure.

There's a perfect fusion of storytelling and moodmaking, plot and setting. The time is 1944, when Hitler was attacking the British populace with V-1 flying bombs. Under this ongoing siege, at an Elizabethan country manor made over as wartime hospital, someone among a half-dozen doctors and nurses is up to something sinister. Which one is anybody's guess, given the adroitly suggested crosscurrents of loathing and desire, suspicion and jealousy animating the company. After a mysterious death on the operating table, followed by a second death that's unmistakably murder, Scotland Yard enters the picture in the perversely antic form of that long drink of wormwood, the definitive Scrooge, Alastair Sim. (Actually, Sim's sepulchral voice deliciously narrates the film from the beginning.)

Gilliat, with his partner Frank Launder, had written Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes (Hitch signed on after their exemplary screenplay was done) and its de facto sequel, Carol Reed's Night Train to Munich. The same talent for drollery without sacrificing tension is abundantly apparent in Green for Danger. As added inducements, the cast includes Trevor Howard and Leo Genn; the artfully shadowy cinematography is the work of Wilkie Cooper. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

In the midst of the Nazi blitz, a postman dies on the operating table at a rural English hospital. But was the death accidental? A delightful and wholly unexpected murder mystery, British writer/director Sidney Gilliat's Green for Danger features Trevor Howard and Sally Gray as suspected doctors and Alastair Sim in a marvelous turn as Scotland Yard's insouciant Inspector Cockrill. A screenwriter who had worked with Hitchcock on such classics as The Lady Vanishes and Jamaica Inn, Gilliat slyly upends whodunit conventions with wit and style.

Customer Reviews:

Green for Danger.......2007-06-22

Director Gilliat fashioned this atmospheric, intelligent murder mystery, beautifully restored and available for the first time via the Criterion Collection. "Green" maintains foreboding throughout, leavened by the superlative Sim's dry wit. Though his on-screen entrance occurs well into the film, Sim's Cockrill, a fearless detective who becomes terrified at the sound of buzz-bombs, still dominates the proceedings through his methodical paces to uncover the whys and wherefores of the case-and nab a murderer.

Excellent Mystery.......2007-05-02

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Green for Danger is a film set during World War 2 in England. In the film a man is wounded and later dies during surgery. It is thought that he was murdered but it cannot be proven. Later suspects are interrogated in attempt to find out what happened. The film has been compared to the work of Alfred Hitchcock and I would say it is very Hitchcockian

This film depicts rural England during the war quite well and has numerous scenes of the German V1. The film contains an interview with British film historian Geoff Brown and optional audio commentary by film scholar Bruce Eder.

I highly recommend this film

A Traditional Murder Mystery Set In World War II England--Familiar Story, Classy Execution.......2007-04-05

While I see many here hailing Sidney Gilliat's "Green For Danger" as a long forgotten masterpiece, I'm afraid they might be setting the mark a bit high for those yet to discover this enjoyable film. Basically, this movie is a classic drawing room murder mystery--but instead of an estate, the action is centered in an isolated English hospital near the end of World War II. But all the familiar elements are in place--five suspects with secrets to hide, clandestine relationships, appropriate melodramatics, an endearingly oddball investigator, and the big finale that puts all the primary characters together for the big reveal. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed "Green For Danger" in the way I enjoyed many mystery stories from the same time period. But it's not revolutionary, it's just well executed.

The film begins with an ominous voice-over--one that portends of impending murder. We are introduced to the man who will become the first victim. Then we are briskly introduced to the staff at the hospital. There are six individuals, one we're told is a murderer and two others will die by his/her hand. It's a great start to a fun adventure. As we spend time in the hospital, the first murder is set up and executed. Suspicions abound. But when one of the six announces that they know who the killer is--it leads to dire consequences and a visit from a Scotland Yard inspector. Taking it's cue from dozens of other stories, the inspector starts working the suspects until it's time to gather them together for the shocking revelation.

What distinguishes "Green For Danger," first and foremost, is the terrific performance of Alistair Sim. His inspector breathes much charm, much humor, and much subtlety to the proceedings. As the various suspects seethe, argue, and carry on histrionically--Sim can calm things down with a sly look and a quip. It's a bravura performance that is fun and beguiling. The film looks and sounds great, with plenty of shadowy images that set the appropriate tone. And the setting is novel. Having the action take place between bombing raids adds an element of seriousness, it ups the stakes. The script is witty and sophisticated, while the mystery itself is intriguing. It may not be resolved in the most believable way, but that is somewhat common for films of this type.

By all means, check out "Green For Danger!" It's a fun lark. It's all very British, and that's definitely a compliment. But again, approaching the film with moderate expectations may increase your enjoyment of the film's smaller scope. There's nothing you haven't seen before, at least plotwise, but this traditional mystery is still worth a look. KGHarris, 04/07.

" That Dear Old Menace, Alastair Sim".......2007-03-27

There's no denying "Green For Danger" is a winning, particularly witty murder mystery, a genre the Brits do markedly well. What singles this effort out more than anything else, I'd say - and in agreement with most earlier reviewers here - is the presence, odd character and extraordinary voice of Alastair Sim. His police inspector is a wonderfully sarcastic fellow yet, as a human being, oddly detached. As Leo Genn and Trevor Howard begin a serious fight, for instance, rolling about on the floor of a hospital room and possibly about to do serious damage to one another, Sim, with great delight, pulls up a chair so he can more closely watch and enjoy the violence. What an unusual detective, this! Vocally, too, it's a joy to hear his plummy, over the top savoring of every syllable he utters. His voice, like Edith Evans,' is one of the great (here preserved) treasures of English stage and screen.

Best of the best.......2007-03-25

Well criterion has done it again....the film looks terrific and im really glad they window boxed this so now you can view this film like it was intended...with that said the great Alister Sim as inspector cockrill and a bunch of worthy suspects that keep you guessing right till the end. If you haven't purchased this title i only have 1 thing to say....WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR????

Average customer rating:

Underrated; Haven't Seen the Original Though
Steamy and deffinately not for the faint hearted
PAN & SCAN MARGINALIZES THE PRESENTATION
A movie about fate and lust...
GOING POSTAL

The Postman Always Rings Twice
Starring: Jack Nicholson , Jessica Lange , John Colicos , Michael Lerner , and John P. Ryan
Director: Bob Rafelson
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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Five Easy Pieces

ASIN: 079073219X
Release Date: 1997-08-20

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In The Postman Always Rings Twice Jack Nicholson teamed up again with his Five Easy Pieces and King of Marvin Gardens director Bob Rafelson for this 1981 version of James M. Cain's hardboiled novel of lust and murder. This version takes a much grittier (and sexually explicit) approach to the material than the slick 1946 MGM version starring John Garfield and Lana Turner. Nicholson plays Frank Chambers, a drifter who happens upon a roadside diner run by Cora Papadakis (Jessica Lange) and her swarthy Greek husband, Nick (John Colicos). Sparks fly, and before you can say l'amour fou, Frank and Cora are making the beast with two backs on the kitchen table. One thing leads to another and they conspire to murder Nick. The movie is still a little too cold and distant to fully convey a hot-blooded passion that leads to murder, but it is a strangely haunting and disturbing film nevertheless. The screenplay is by David Mamet, the photography is by the great Sven Nykvist (Ingmar Bergman's cinematographer), and watch for Anjelica Huston in a supporting role. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

Underrated; Haven't Seen the Original Though.......2006-09-17

Director Bob Rafelson reunited with his "Five Easy Pieces" star Jack Nicholson on this film, which also stars Jessica Lange, Anjelica Huston, and briefly Christopher Lloyd (also reunited with Nicholson from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"). When Rafelson set out to make this film (which had already been adapted from the novel into a 1946 film starring Lana Turner), he wanted to take a detour from the original. In 1946, you weren't really allowed to show sex so the film had destroyed the whole vision of the novel. So, Rafelson has been adamant about not calling this a remake. I've never seen the original or read the book, so this is my first exposure to the material. Having said that, there's something about this film that's kind of funny...There is no postman. When we meet drifter Frank Chambers (Nicholson), he just scammed a restuarant owner named Nick (John Colicos) out of a free meal. About to leave, Nick offers him a job and Frank accepts. Problem is, Frank can't contain his feelings for Nick's wife Cora (the beautiful Jessica Lange). After Nick and Cora begin having an affair, Cora tells Nick that the only way they continue is if Nick is killed. After a failed attempt, they cool off for awhile...But eventually realize that it's something that must be done. The first hour of the film is spectacular, it sags a little in the second hour (causing me to almost give it 4 stars). But the performances are so good and the ending is so beautifully done (some complain it's abrupt, but it works to suit Nicholson's character). I don't know how this film is compared to the book and movie that inspired it, but it's a great movie. For people just looking for nudity, this isn't your movie. The sex scenes are pretty graphic, but the only nudity is Anjelica Huston side-boob.

GRADE: A-

Steamy and deffinately not for the faint hearted.......2006-07-03

Quite a different interpretantion in comparison with the version with Lana Turner. This is deffinately for people who are not conservative when it comes to sex, hate, disloyalty, etc. The performances are excellent. Jack Nicholson has always been my favourite actor and here he is his old evil self. Jessica Lange is very sensual and acts her part well. A very satisfying film when it comes to substance and something more than just sensation. Highly recommended for the serious movie fan.

PAN & SCAN MARGINALIZES THE PRESENTATION.......2006-02-26

Unfortunately, the image is cropped to full screen. Ironically, the trailer included on the disc is in 16X9!

A movie about fate and lust..........2006-02-01

Jessica Lange and Jack Nicholson star in a very dark tale of two lovers who sought freedom from their grim, quietly desperate lives in each other's arms. Unfortunately, their quest to remain together leads to the destruction of several lives, and quite possibly their own. The movie is primarily set in a rural area, where Lange's character works at a small roadside diner owned by her husband, a Greek immigrant. One of the most important elements of the film is that it never really demonizes the antagonists, and this is true with respect to the husband character - he has his faults, but he doesnt appear to be overly domineering or abusive. In any event, as fate would have it, one day a drifter appears at the diner, Nicholson's character, and soon he and Lange are making love on her kitchen work table, in one of several extremely graphic sex scenes which are peppered throughout the movie. Now, only Lange's husband stands in the way, and Nicholson and Lange decide to get rid of him. The rest of the movie depicts their attempts on the husband's life and the consequences of their actions, without judgment from the filmmakers, as the story moves to its ultimate, and ultimately shocking, conclusion.

The movie does drag at points, and some of the characters seem unnecessary, but the point is never lost on the audience - both fate and lust, while they draw two people together magnetically, can spell disaster.

GOING POSTAL.......2006-01-21

Director Bob Rafelson reportedly wanted to do this remake of the 1946 classic (in 1981) because he wanted to present a steamier, sexier version. Casting Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in the leading roles, Rafelson indeed upped the thermometer in this tale of lust and murder. He plays a drifter who cons his way into a job at a remote tavern, where he finds himself attracted to the older owner's lusty young wife, Cora. Of course, once they become attached, Cora wants hubby Nick (the late John Colicos) out of the way permanently and so they conspire to kill him---twice, when the first attempt fails.
I had a hard time feeling any empathy with either Nicholson or Lange. Colicos seems to be an allright husband, and since there's no background as to why Cora married him, it's hard to understand why she chooses murder instead of just leaving him. He's not an abusive husband; he seems affectionate, and although they aren't wealthy, they seem to have a good life. So when the murder occurs, most sympathy goes to Colicos.
Nicholson and Lange are top notch as always, but their inevitable tragic end seems more deserving than tragic. Not a great movie, but well done nonetheless.

Average customer rating:

The Postman Always Rings Twice
a very sexy example of the film noir genre, at its best.....
Tale of Obsession
One ofthe best of its kind
in the time of film noir

The Postman Always Rings Twice
Starring: Lana Turner , John Garfield , Cecil Kellaway , Hume Cronyn , and Leon Ames
Director: Tay Garnett , and David Heeley
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: B0000EYUCU
Release Date: 2004-01-06

Amazon.com essential video

Even under the heavy censorship of 1946 Hollywood, Lana Turner and John Garfield's libidinous desires burn up the screen in Tay Garnett's adaptation of James M. Cain's torrid crime melodrama. Platinum blond Turner is Cora, a restless sexpot stuck in a roadside diner married to mundane middle-aged fry cook Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway) when handsome drifter Frank (Garfield) blows her way. It's lust at first sight, a rapacious desire that neither can break off, and before long they're plotting his demise--but in the wicked world of Cain nothing is that easy. Garnett's visual approach is subdued compared to the more expressionistic film noir of the period, but he's at no loss when he films the luminous Turner in her milky-white wardrobe. She radiates repressed sexuality and uncontrollable passion while Garfield's smart-talking loner Frank mixes street-smart swagger and scrappy toughness with vulnerability and sincere intensity. Costar Hume Cronyn cuts a cold, calculating figure as their conniving lawyer, a chilly character that only increases our feelings for the murderous couple, victims of an all consuming amour fou that drives their passions to extremes. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Adapted from James M. Cain's story, the film relolves around the destructive relationship of two lovers whose troubles mount after they do away with her husband.

Customer Reviews:

The Postman Always Rings Twice.......2007-06-25

Tay Garnett's sizzling "Postman," adapted from the pulp novel by James M. Cain, concerns fate, temptation, and the kind of irrational urges that drive people to murder. A gorgeous Lana Turner bewitches as the femme fatale, and enigmatic, underrated actor John Garfield plays the regular Joe who falls into her clutches. Garnett's direction is solid and tantalizingly suggestive, as when Frank spots a lipstick rolling across the floor moments before he lays eyes on Cora. Garnett's "Postman" delivers the goods.

a very sexy example of the film noir genre, at its best............2007-05-20

Cora (Lana Turner) is a very beautiful and frustrated woman, married to middle aged fry cook, Nick (Cecil Kellaway), residing with him in a small town that seems way too small for her tastes. Enter Frank (John Garfield), a handsome loner, who arrives at their door, one day. Cora and Frank are instantly drawn to each other, of course. The problem that stands in their way is her husband. What a pesky problem! Together, the two plot to murder Nick, so they can be together. Of course, this does not go according to plan.

This grizzly, sexually charged story said so much with so little (back at a time when even depicting "so little" granted you a firm rap on the knuckles from the MPAA censorship board). Lana Turner glows in a series of white ensembles that she clearly fills out quite pleasingly. What's more, no one ever made lipstick look so sexy before. In fact, Lana Turner's character made lipstick even more popular, after this film came out! Just a little trivia. The acting is wonderful, the plot is engrossing and there is a delicious feeling of dark forboding from this film, one of the best example of sexy film noir (literally, "black film") stories ever! This puts the murder mysteries of today to shame.

Tale of Obsession.......2007-04-19

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

James Cain's tale of lust, murder, and retribution has attracted the filmmakers in different countries in different times. It's been adapted in France in 1939 by Pierre Chenal as "Le Dernier tournant" aka "The Last Turn" with great Michel Simon as a husband who was an obstacle for his young wife's and her lover's happiness. Luchino Visconti told the story in his "Ossessione" (1943) aka Obsession (how appropriate). The novel was also adapted in 1998 by the Hungarian director György Fehér in the movie Szenvedély (1998)aka "Passion". Hollywood has made two films based on Cain's novel of passionate obsession; both are titled "The Postman Always Rings Twice" - in 1946 by Tay Garnett with Lana Turner in her star making role as Cora Smith and John Garfield as Frank Chambers, a drifter who looked for a job but found something completely different and in 1981 by Bob Rafelson with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. I've seen later movie many years ago and all I remember well is the very hot scene between Nicholson and Lange. The earlier film that I saw few weeks ago for the first tine is different. Turner and Garfield are sizzling and although there is no single sex scene between them, the movie is genuinely sexy and perfect in creating the atmosphere of obsession and desperate desire to change the lives no matter what the price would be.
4.5/5

One ofthe best of its kind.......2007-02-25

This is one of the best film noir that was evr made. The plot is captivating, the atmosphere unique and you can feel the sensuality and tension that Lan turner and John Garfield give out. The story is very well known- a hitchaker that stops at a restasurant, falls in love with the owner's wife and they plot to kill him. Extremely well acted and with an also excellent directing and photography this is a must.
Enjoy it.

in the time of film noir.......2007-02-25

I admit to being a film noir fan of long standing. Maybe it was the fact of growing up in the time of black and white television and watching all those late night movies which were freely available at the time. Maybe it was that tight, if improbable, dialogue, the relatively simple plots and the dramatic effect of the shadows of black and white photography on mood. In any case, the Postman Always Rings Twice fits nicely into that mix. The plot line is fairly simple- unhappy California housewife, older uncaring husband and a younger man at the door who turns out to be handy with a wretch- all the ingredients for a murder. Hey, isn't this the plot for Double Indemnity. Oh well, you get the point. Of course, as always the guilty parties will have to face justice. You know this is a modern morality play, after all. In any case one should like Double Indemnity by the same author, James M. Cain, read the book to get a better feel for the language, the steamier sexual tension and better insight into the motivations of the parties. This movie was remade in color in the 1980's and is probably truer to Cain's wicked designs but this is the definitive Postman.

Average customer rating:

Things are not what they seem to be
Ossessione
visconti's debut
Glowing with perceptive light and smoldering heat
Il Postino always rings Twice

Ossessione
Starring: Clara Calamai , Massimo Girotti , Dhia Cristiani , Elio Marcuzzo , and Vittorio Duse
Director: Luchino Visconti
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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Ossessione isn't just the finest film version of The Postman Always Rings Twice, James M. Cain's classic tale of murder, betrayal, and erotic obsession; it's also the first masterpiece of Italian neorealism and a key historical precursor of film noir. A handsome drifter (Massimo Girotti) fetches up at an isolated roadhouse, gets mutually besotted with the proprietor's sultry wife (Clara Calamai), and has soon carried out a plot to murder the older man in an apparent off-road accident. That's only the beginning, of course. In his directorial debut, Luchino Visconti weaves a sensuous, tragic spell, born equally of the stark, sun-struck settings--especially those utterly realistic yet somehow otherworldly highways, elevated above the surrounding marshland--and a dynamic camera style that lifts the storytelling to operatic heights. Yet another layer of erotic complication is added by the presence of "La Spagnolo" (Elio Marcuzzo), a philosopher-king of vagabonds who--like the director--is at least as infatuated with Girotti's studly beauty as the heroine is. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Passion turns deadly in this controversial neo-realist classic from acclaimed director Luchino Visconti (Death in Venice), adapted from James M. Cain's "The Postman Always Rings Twice." Beautiful hotel owner Giovanna ("Deep Red's" Clara Calamai) is hopelessly drawn to Gino ("Last Tango in Paris'" Massimo Girotti), a handsome drifter. They decide to kill off her spouse and collect his hefty insurance premium, but soon the lovers are trapped in a spiral of deception, jealousy, and fate. Banned and censored for years, "Ossessione" profoundly affected generations of audiences after causing a stormy religious and political scandal in Italy, and is now available in its original, uncensored director's cut.

Customer Reviews:

Things are not what they seem to be.......2007-06-28

Many years ago I saw a movie on TV entitoled "Obsession" It made an impression on me. I have since tried to find a copy of it anf thought this was it. It was not! This movie was passe. It was a waste of money.

Ossessione.......2007-06-25

In 1943, still under the nose of fascist censors, the great Visconti directed this sizzling, unauthorized adaptation of James Cain's novel "The Postman Always Rings Twice," which would finally get made in America three years later. Often referred to as the first neo-realist film, it comes off more as earthy, tingling melodrama. Regardless of how you categorize it, "Ossessione" stacks up admirably against later versions of this definitive "crime of passion" story.

visconti's debut.......2007-03-02

ossessione is perhaps viscont's most important film.. it ushered in a new era of cinema.. it was the first of the neorealist films.. besides that, it is simply a great movie.. visconti's debut does not feel like a debut.. the camera movements and placements are perfect.. the cast and the story are marvelous.. this is visconti's first movies but it is also one of his best adaptations..

Glowing with perceptive light and smoldering heat.......2007-01-09

"Ossessione" may possess a few blemishes, but director Luchino Visconti achieves nearly ideal results, rendered from modest resources, in scene after scene throughout the entire length of the film. It is the first movie Visconti made, yet it is an original masterpiece of instinctive genius and technical skill, melded with a mature understanding of human nature. "Ossessione" is the earliest cinematic adaptation of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and, it may indeed be the finest version as well, because it portrays all its characters through clear-eyed vision that is both wise and compassionate. Though we recognize these people are ill-fated, we never consider them to be mere dupes in a noir-ish morality play. We feel in earnest for these individuals, whose sorrows and aspirations resonate realistically -- and sympathetically -- with our own disappointments and dreams.
It can also be said that "Ossessione" is exactly the type of film that most deserves to be safely archived forever, in digital format like DVD. It is a small miracle that this movie still exists for us to admire intact. Visconti's working budget was so spare that he could not afford to purchase the screen rights from "Postman" author James M. Cain; consequently, copyright protections blocked the picture from being shown outside Italy and, these legal difficulties held it in limbo for decades. Within Italy itself, "Ossessione" was censored and banned. Both the Catholic Church and Mussolini's government declared it unwholesome for Italian audiences, and only allowed severely edited versions released or, kept it out of movie theaters altogether. While it's evident that the print preserved in this edition has suffered wear over its 60 difficult years, the pure artistry of this movie always shines through undiminished, so that image flaws never become a concern (at least not for this viewer) and it is truly gratifying to witness this splendid movie in its full length. As I am deeply enamored of such handsome, vintage films I feel blessed that "Ossessione" has survived to offer all its treasures to us now. Even its rough qualites seem in keeping with the fluctuating destinies of its protagonists.
This picture has such a wealth of nuance and detail that I am almost at a loss to adequately recommend its virtues to intrigue the prospective buyer. Somehow, with graceful prowess, Visconti has translated a classic American crime thriller into the local features and native inflections of 1940s Mediterranean culture, so that freshly imagined Italian verismo episodes keep greeting our eyes and, there is scarcely a single moment that seems contrived or implausible. Moreover, Visconti has managed to create another layer of poignant complexity within the plot by introducing an entirely new character, a street magician named Spagnolo ("The Spaniard") whose mercurial presence adds immeasurable depth -- and heartache -- to this tale. All of these attributes are conveyed with such subtle yet salt-of-the-earth realism (including the virile appeal of the leading actors) that this movie abundantly rewards our careful attentiveness. But, it could also strike the too-casual viewer as being a rather sparse and unremarkable affair. If you are the sort of movie lover who delights in the riches of finely wrought cinematic craft, please do not hesitate to avail yourself of this worthy, historic gem. It is still as darkly lustrous and vital, in its own way, as John Ford's "The Grapes of Wrath", Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard" or Jean Cocteau's "Orphee", and it has lived on, despite formidable odds, to be appreciated by us today.

Il Postino always rings Twice.......2004-12-30

It is difficult to review this movie without comparing it to "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (TPART). That's because both are based on the same novel by James Cain. I had heard of "TPART" for years before I finally saw it for the first time earlier this year. My impression was that it was a good movie but, having waited anxiously for so long to see it, it was something of a let down. Last night I was tired and looked forward to watching a good movie. I chose "Ossessione" but almost changed my mind when I saw it was based on "TPART". After all, I'd recently seen that and didn't think it such a great story to see again so soon. Fortunately, I gave the movie a try and was quickly absorbed into it.

What seperates "Obsessione" from "TPART" is the quality of the acting and the excellence of the directing. There is a feeling to this movie that is lacking in the John Garfield/Lana Turner version. We seem to know what everyone is thinking and feeling without depending on obvious dialogue. There is a series of scenes, for example, involving a character by the name of Spangnolo who becomes involved with Gino, the male lead. There are any number of ways that you can interpret him and his relationship with Gino. From fellow vagabonds to a political theorist and his understudy to homosexual lovers. Visconti gives us so many subtle hints that it's up to the viewer to decide for themselves (disappointedly, I assumed the latter relationship). The way everyone interacts with one another is so impressively done and the passions they emote really reach out and touch us. The fact that it is in Italian doesn't hurt its' passionate nature. I have a theory about foreign language movies; they require your constant attention since you don't want to risk missing a critical subtitle. As a result, we come away more focussed on every aspect of the movie and this tends to make good movies even better.

I don't want to disparage "TPART" since it is a good movie. However, "Ossessione" stands so much taller in so many ways that I'm not sure I'll ever feel the need to watch "TPART" again. Take that as praise for "Ossessione" rather than a knock on "TPART".

Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood (Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Three Stars for Dylan's Glorious Language, But....
Praise the Lord we are a musical nation !
Confused
Our Town
Under Milk Wood

Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood (Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Richard Burton , Elizabeth Taylor , Peter O'Toole , Glynis Johns , and Vivien Merchant
Director: Andrew Sinclair
Manufacturer: Sundance Channel Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
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Under Milk Wood: A Play for Voices
Dylan Thomas:The Caedmon CD Collection
Doctor Faustus
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton Film Collection (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf 2-Disc Special Edition / The Comedians / The Sandpiper / The V.I.P.s) 5 Disc Set
The Shaw Collection (Pygmalion / The Millionairess / Arms and the Man / The Devil's Disciple / Mrs. Warren's Profession / Heartbreak House)

ASIN: B0009WFFHM
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Amazon.com

Under Milk Wood is an imaginative, cinematic rendering of Dylan Thomas's famous "play for voices," typically read on stage by a handful of actors expressing the dialogue of more than 50 characters living in a small, Welsh fishing village. Filmmaker Andrew Sinclair sets the story in a real seaside community and visually complements the text's lengthy, opening narration by enlisting Richard Burton both for his brooding voiceover and a mysterious, on-screen role as a drunken gadabout soaking in the very soul of the town Thomas' words describe. Once the narration ends, the film breathes freely with a succession of lively vignettes, some funny, some dramatic, but all rooted in the peculiar circumstances of characters who either feel trapped by or ensconced in their home. Peter O'Toole plays the wizened, blind Captain Cat, haunted by memories of drowned sailors but so attuned to the sounds of village life outside his window he can identify the children screaming in a park. Elizabeth Taylor (Burton's wife at the time) makes a brief appearance as Rosie Probert, and the other players include Glynis Johns, Vivien Merchant, and Victor Spinetti. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Three Stars for Dylan's Glorious Language, But...........2007-05-16

This adaptation itself is a pretty soggy affair. Ploddingly literal more often than not, giving you an image that matches exactly what the text is describing, though the occasional bad idea from director Andrew Sinclair makes you wish he'd stuck to ploddingly literal. The design of the film's a mess, as well; the villagers seem to wear fashions from 1918 or so through the 60's, with the latter hideous beyond belief. As in the equally misguided Burton/Taylor FAUSTUS, La Liz doesn't bother with period hair, make-up, costume, or an attempt at a characterization (although her Welsh gurgle has to be heard to be believed -- sounds like someone's strangling a cat). Presumably she had a nice location holiday during the shoot (although even that's not apparent from her dim, studio-bound scenes on display here). Veteran favorites like Vivien Merchant, Victor Spinetti, Sian Phillips and Glynis Johns aren't onscreen long enough to brighten the proceedings much. And the top-billed stars, Burton and O'Toole, alternate between blank stares and bouts of scenery-chewing. In spite of all these negatives, the film can't completely choke the life out of Thomas. His wit, poetry and passion for the smallest detail of everyday existence poke through, perhaps here with the bedraggled air of a daisy growing in a cement sidewalk, but bringing pleasure nonetheless. At least, the film's likely to send anyone stumbling across it at their DVD rental outlet racing to the library shelf to try and figure out what the devil THAT was supposed to be. And for such crumbs, we must be grateful.

Praise the Lord we are a musical nation !.......2007-02-01

One day in a small village along the coast of Wales, a fishing harbour that is surviving in coming modernity that is going to destroy it and later on transform it. The film enables the director to create a real world extracted from Dylan Thomas's words, and the general description of the historical heritage of the village can be uttered by some guide on a bus half full of old ladies touristing around the country and the conclusion is the village can get levelled down no one would protest. That was a long time ago. Since then these small fishing villages on the Welsh coast have become seaside resorts for all kinds of rich people. Dylan Thomas tries to recreate the life of the village the way he remembers it. The film shifts the observing eye from the author to first a couple of unnamed male strangers going through the village and saying absolutely nothing, hence being pure creations in this film to focus especially on one observer, through whose ears and blind eyes we can discover everything, Captain Cap. This is also a great shift in the point of view of the poem. The medium is the message and the camera imposes its own point of view. I will definitely say it is a good thing to visualize the poem that is otherwise difficult to follow, but at the very same time it is imposing one interpretation, one reading onto the poem, a linear reading that does not accept contradictions and multifariousness. Personally I think a poem should not be visualized on a screen. It must remain language. A recording of this language is already reducing the number of possible readings, but it cannot really reduce it to one reading. Images often do because no matter what you may say, it is them that will come out first and last, dominant, number one. You may call a fish a cat, it will be what the image says and if the image is that of a fish, it will not be a cat. Whereas the word can accept metaphorical transpositions and displacements and even distortions. Images do not accept metaphors very easily except through ellipses, which are more metonymies than matephors, whereas words can easily express sleepless green ideas that sleep furiously. Yet the film is interesting because the editing makes us jump from one place to so many others with hardly one blink of one eye that we get a little bit dizzy and that is supposed to create in us a certain nostalgic feeling for the past, the long gone and forgotten and lost past.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Paris Dauphine & University of Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne

Confused.......2007-01-21

I am supposed to have received a credit on this item which I returned about 4 weeks ago.

Our Town.......2007-01-20

This film adaptation of Dylan Thomas' wonderful "Under Milkwood" has dozens of characters, the most famous of whom are Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and Peter O'Toole-- one of the problems with this production. There are simply too many characters to keep up with. The other problem is that the Welsh accents are difficult to understand. The play works better when performed on stage with a few characters reading several parts. On the other hand, the photography of the village and seacost is beautiful beyond words. And speaking of words, hearing Thomas' alliterative plumy language makes up for whatever failings this film may have otherwise: "the dawn inches up," "the tidy wives," and the village at night described as "a hill of windows," etc., will make your heart leap up. Mr. Burton's delivery of the long narrative passages is not to be missed.

The CD has a short interview with Mr. Burton and a longer biography of Dylan Thomas, constructed in most part from his beautiful poems. Both inclusions are an added bonus.

Under Milk Wood.......2006-03-01

The 'bonus' material (the biography) was very interesting and a welcomed addition.

The 'movie' itself was generally very well done - I had only ever seen Thomas' work 'acted' out once - on stage. It is, of course, a 'play for words' and therein lies its strength. The portrayed actions were (in my humble opinion) conducted in a manner that aided the presentation of Thomas' masterpiece. However, there were a couple of 'director interpretations' that I did not like, or that I felt were not adequately expressed:

1. The scene with Burton, his 'lady friend' and side-kick, in the barn seemed tasteless and unnecessary - it does even NOT exist in Thomas' writings.
2. The 'ych-y-fy' repetitions were excessive - becoming annoying.
3. He totally missed (portrayal of) the obvious fiscal solicitations during the 'crytal ball readings'.

Average customer rating:

Santa Claus is coming to town
The best Christmas movie ever!!!!!
I have this version, just toss Mariah
Hey Sony/Classic Media! Please re-release these holiday specials properly!
A good story, but a better one was available ...

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
Starring: Fred Astaire , Mickey Rooney , Keenan Wynn , Paul Frees , and Joan Gardner (II)
Director: Arthur Rankin Jr. , and Jules Bass
Manufacturer: Classic Media
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Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (50th Birthday Deluxe Remastered Edition)

ASIN: B0002I82YG
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Description

The story of how Kris Kringle got his start as the world's most famous gift giver by struggling to bring toys and happiness to the children of Sombertown.

Customer Reviews:

Santa Claus is coming to town.......2007-02-08

The kids don't know who the characters are, but what the heck...they love it. Maybe, just maybe some kid will want to see some other work of these guys.

The best Christmas movie ever!!!!! .......2007-01-16

This movie gives you the history of santa in a fun and enjoyable way, by having random outbursts of song and dance. Dont be fooled by the cover anyone of any age can enjoy this clay animation film. Not only does this movie teach us about christmas but it also teaches us how to care for others by sharing. If your a fan of christmas movies than this is a must have classic!

I have this version, just toss Mariah.......2006-12-27

I understand and relate to the people who complain about the Mariah Carey "extra" with this video. Yes, it stinks, and they should release these old shows as they were intended to be seen WITHOUT the modern "extras". But, in my version it is a separate disk, and I just tossed the thing in the trash. As far as I can tell, otherwise, this is the original version I saw as a child. Of course, by the late 70s, I'm sure my version was chopped up for commercial television. Anyway, I think the video is fine, and you don't HAVE to watch the disk with Mariah Carey's song. Use it as a coaster, or toss it in the trash, or let your 2-year-old write on it with permanent marker. Its a good show for this time of year, and I'm glad I bought it.

Hey Sony/Classic Media! Please re-release these holiday specials properly!.......2006-02-18

I AM NOT RATING SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN WITH 1 STAR BECAUSE I THINK THIS SPECIAL ALONG WITH RUDOLPH & FROSTY ARE EXCELLENT HOLIDAY SPECIALS WITHOUT A DOUBT!!! I WOULD HAVE RATED THIS WITH 5 STARS IF IT WASN'T FOR THE $UCKY MUSIC VIDEOS THAT SONY/CLASSIC MEDIA KEEPS RELEASING ON THIS AS WELL AS THE RUDOLPH DVD'S. WHOEVER FROM SONY/CLASSIC MEDIA KEEPS COMING WITH THESE STUPID EXTRAS SHOULD BE FIRED! BRING BACK THE DVD RELEASES THAT WERE OFFERED BEFORE THE YEAR 2004 BECAUSE THIS MARIAH CAREY & DESTINY'S CHILD IS PURE CRAP AND I THINK ALOT OF THE DIE-HARD RANKIN-BASS FANS ARE FED UP WITH THESE STUPID-ASS SO-CALLED MUSIC VIDEOS!!! DO US A FAVOR SONY/CLASSIC MEDIA AND RELEASE THESE WITHOUT THE DUMB VIDEOS!

A good story, but a better one was available ..........2005-12-28

... the Story of the real Saint Nicholas. If they had started with him as the real Nicholas was, priest and then Bishop of Myra, and told of some of his real miracles, and then added the fantasy elements of his transformation into the Santa Claus of today, it would have been an incredible classic. A perfect bridge between the Rudolph/Snow Miser type specials, and the Nestor/Little Drummer Boy ones. As it is, its a fun show with some good songs and memorable villains. But it could have been so much more.

Average customer rating:

Gorgeous Parable of the Transfer of Wisdom through Generations
Stirring simplicity
Postmen in the Mountains
Gorgeous, honest, moving
A dog is surely a postman's best friend

Postmen in the Mountains
Starring: Teng Rujun
Director: Huo Jianqi
Manufacturer: Facets
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Warm Spring
Going To School With Dad on My Back (Mandarin)
Mountain Patrol (Kekelixi)
The Story of Qiu Ju

ASIN: B0002XL1T4
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Customer Reviews:

Gorgeous Parable of the Transfer of Wisdom through Generations.......2007-05-15

This little known film is a beautiful set piece about journeys and wisdom.
An aging post delivery man in rural China has arranged for his growing son to replace him as the rural postmen on a grueling 200 mile route through mountains, lakes, and hills to remote villages in China. Before he allows his son to take the route himself, the older father joins his son to show him the way - not just the route - but the way...such as special tasks that he does for some of the disabled villagers or techniquest to ford cold rivers.

There are many exquisite moments in this film...the reason for the 5 stars...and the father and son learn many new things about each other in this journey of self-discovery. Though subtitled, it is a film for the young and old alike. A very good pick.

Stirring simplicity.......2006-11-15

This is a rather moving tale of a father-son relationship and a son tries to kindle/understand his father and his father's duties as a postman.
As his father retires from 25+ years of working a hard route in the mountains as a postman, his son will take over and find out why his dad was so dedicated to the job.
In their journey, they will meet an old grandmother who waits for her son to write to her (who never will write because he is long gone); simple villagers who need the postman for outside world communication.

As Son learns his father's footsteps he realizes how much people on this trail depend on him, how much he is respected, and how much he respects people and his job. Through his own travails in their journey, Son learns to love his father and the job.
We learn that simple folk in the "backward" mountains and country side aren't really so simple, their lives are as complex as city folk's. The scenery is peaceful and amazing, reminding us city dwellers what it used to be truly like.

It's a simple, moving tale but, one well worth watching over and over again.

Postmen in the Mountains.......2006-08-28

Chinese with English subtitles. On the surface, a simple story. The father has spent years delivering mail in the mountains, on foot. He's retiring, his son's taking over, and they're almost strangers. In truth, a wonderful look at life in rural China 20 years ago, beautiful scenery, and a timeless tale all parents and their children can relate to. The actor who plays the father is extremely talented and has one of those faces you have to love. Plus we have Buddy, a wonderful old German Shepherd who found a job in movies in China. How cool is that? Definitely a keeper.

Gorgeous, honest, moving.......2006-07-24

"Father" is a forty-something postman whose bad knees are forcing him to give up his 60-kilometer postal route through the mountains of China. His 20-something son is a natural to take on the job, but does not want to accept the responsibility. He is resentful that his father's job took him away for such long periods. Still, the son consents to accompany his father on his last route. The route is arduous, but stunningly beautiful. Soon, Father and Son, accompanied by Father's faithful dog, are stopping into villages to deliver and pick up mail. Son sees that Father is a local hero, whose work -- bringing news from far away loved ones, knits families. Father and Son attend weddings and speak to the locals, and Son begins to see his father in an entirely different light. In one especially moving scene, the retiring postman reads a letter to a blind grandmother whose grandson is off to the city. The grandson wrote a very unflattering letter, but the postman re-reads it according to sentiments he knows the old woman wants and needs to hear.

The story is simple and moving, and the scenery is lush and wonderful. "Postmen in the Mountains" is a beautiful film that illumines the life of ordinary Chinese as well as the capacity of the human heart for compassion.

A dog is surely a postman's best friend.......2005-01-27

A Chinese postman (Teng Rujun) has been walking his rural route for decades, accompanied only by his faithful German shepherd, Lao're (himself), whose barking announces their arrival in the villages and, presumably, noses out the dodgy spots in the trail. Now in his forties, the postman's legs are giving out, partly because of the frigid rivers he must ford on his appointed rounds. Cognizant of the great trust and responsibility of his duties, he prevails on the local Communist Party Secretary to assign the mail route to his own teenage son (Liu Ye).

As POSTMEN IN THE MOUNTAINS begins, the son is about to depart with the mail on his first traverse of the 3-day, 75-mile delivery hike into the mountains aided by a map hand-drawn by Ol' Dad. Lao're, however, knowing on which side his doggy treat is buttered, declines to lope along. So, the just-retired postman decides to trudge the route one last time to show his boy the ropes and prevail upon Lao're to accept a new master.

POSTMEN IN THE MOUNTAIN is an extremely gentle, almost somnolent, film about the transfer of wisdom, knowledge, and a sense of responsibility from one generation to the next. The film has no special FX, crime, violence, sex, chases, surprise ending, or any of the usual Big Screen gimmicks to draw in the sweaty masses. Only gorgeous rural scenery and a father and son, who are virtual strangers, getting to know and appreciate one another for the first time in their lives.

POSTMEN IN THE MOUNTAINS is made even more beautiful by several silent, flashback vignettes. As the father observes his son dancing with a lovely mountain girl (Chen Hao) at one of their evening stops, he remembers the first time he met his wife, also a hill dweller. As the younger man carries his father across a swift river, the older man tearfully recalls the time he bore his son on his own back through their home village's marketplace. And as this, his last journey, approaches its end, the father envisions homecomings of times past when he joyfully ran to meet his young wife, their growing son at her side. For his own part, the teenager mainly remembers the long times his father was away, and the fearful anticipation of the return of the man he barely knew while growing up. This is poignant stuff.

I'd award four stars except for the positively wretched English subtitles, which were often badly translated or only on screen for the briefest of moments. Moreover, displayed in white in a poorly selected font, they were sometimes almost invisible against pale backgrounds. If you can imagine, they looked like they'd been typed directly onto the film negative with a cheap typewriter. This was a great distraction.

POSTMEN IN THE MOUNTAINS is a film not for everyone. But for any man that perhaps regrets not having had a close father/son relationship, this movie may touch the heart.

Average customer rating:

"Everything Goes From Bad To Worse"
Great little film.
Pretty good crime drama -- but avoid the DVD

Stateline Motel
Starring: Eli Wallach , Ursula Andress , Fabio Testi , Massimo Girotti , and Howard Ross
Director: Maurizio Lucidi
Manufacturer: Telavista
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001DCYNW