Charles Bronson

Starring:Pirates
Studio: Platinum Disc
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

My all-time favorite western!
The Best Spagetti Western To Date
BEST of the spaghetti Westerns
Formidable, operatic western
Poetic and Truly Original

Once Upon a Time in the West
Starring: Henry Fonda , Claudia Cardinale , Jason Robards , Charles Bronson , and Gabriele Ferzetti
Director: Sergio Leone
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000AUHPG
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Amazon.com essential video

The so-called spaghetti Western achieved its apotheosis in Sergio Leone's magnificently mythic (and utterly outlandish) Once upon a Time in the West. After a series of international hits starring Clint Eastwood (from A Fistful of Dollars to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly), Leone outdid himself with this spectacular, larger-than-life, horse-operatic epic about how the West was won. (And make no mistake: this is the wide, wide West, folks--so the widescreen/letterboxed version is strongly recommended.) The unholy trinity of Italian cinema--Leone, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Dario Argento--concocted the story about a woman (Claudia Cardinale) hanging onto her land in hopes that the transcontinental railroad would reach her before a steely-eyed, black-hearted killer (Fonda) does. (The film's advertising slogan was: "There were three men in her life. One to take her ... one to love her ... and one to kill her.") Meanwhile, Leone shoots his stars' faces as if they were expansive Western landscapes, and their towering bodies as if they were looming rock formations in John Ford's Monument Valley. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

My all-time favorite western!.......2007-06-20

I never really cared for westerns until I saw this movie. I became hooked on spaghetti westerns, and in my opinion, this is the best of them all! The storyline is certainly different, and the ending is somewhat of a surprise. The main characters really stand out: Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Claudia Cardinale, and Henry Fonda. The music is haunting, and that was what really hooked me.

The Best Spagetti Western To Date.......2007-06-12

Once Upon a Time in the West From start to finish,is by far the best spagetti western ever made to date. It Stars Henry Fonda as a ruthless outlaw. Along with a pose' he murders and destroys his way through every town he and his gang enters.He shows his victims no mercy, not a drop of sympathy is in his bones. He'll make your blood run cold. Henry Fonda is at his acting best! You have never seen him like this! He encounters a mysterious traveler who plays a mysterious melody on a Harmonica. The traveler seems to be looking for him. Why? Here's where the real edge of your seat action really happens. Finally time to reveal what everything means. Right down to the mysterious song played on the harmonica by the traveler througout most of the movie.
Since this film was made other westerns that followed, used Itlalian director Sergi Leone's touch, i.e. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly etc.)

BEST of the spaghetti Westerns.......2007-06-08

Sergio Leone made his indelible mark with the three Clint Eastwood films, but this is his best work, even though Clint is absent. Not to worry. "Once Upon A Time" features a wonderful all-star cast. Avoiding the overdone goodguys vs bad guys cliche, Leone casts perpetual goodguy Henry Fonda as one of the sleaziest amoral villains you'll ever see. And Fonda doesn't disappoint in the role. The so-called goodguys are actually not so good, but they're played brilliantly by Jason Robards and Charles Bronson. Claudia Cardinale is striking as the libertine. Even the opening scene focuses on Jack Elam and Woody Strode - two of the best character actors to appear in any Western.

The plot meanders through a number of twists and subplots, requiring the viewer to follow all of the action between gunfights. Leone challenges the conventional concepts of loyalty, friendship, and alliances. Highly recommended.

Formidable, operatic western.......2007-05-30

"Once Upon a Time in the West" is director Sergio Leone's formidable and unique vision of the old west as grand opera. In Leone's work, as in opera, subtlety is replaced by exaggeration, i.e., the villians in his creation are all over-the-top, almost cartoonishly evil while the ingenue/heroine is both pretty and boring to the extreme. The movie's musical score, as in opera, is as important or even more important than dialogue in conveying the story. In fact, words are rarely uttered in this western tale.

I'm not always comfortable with Leone's antagonists and protagonists because the audience never really gets to know or understand them. They are presented more as abstractions of good and evil than they are as fully developed, three-dimensional human beings.

And Ennio Morricone's idiosyncratic score, while elaborate and memorable, sometimes seemed too languid or pretty to suit the violent action in a western. But perhaps Morricone was aiming for irony.

Overall, "Once Upon a Time in the West" is an unusual and gorgeous- looking western very much worth a glance or two.

Poetic and Truly Original.......2007-03-30

"Once Upon a Time in the West" is one of the best films in the Western genre and also the most fun to watch due to its look and style. The movie is directed by Sergio Leone. I'm familiar with Leone's work, but have never seen any of his films. "Once Upon a Time in the West" bares the unmistakable signature of a genius though and I look forward to watching many more Leone films in the future. The film has one of the greatest opening scenes I've ever seen; lasting 13 minutes, the film opens at a train station where three men anxiously await the arrival of the train. They're waiting for someone. After Leone slowly builds the tension (and I don't know about a director that could do it better), the train arrives and a man (Charles Bronson) gets off of it, playing a harmonica. He's supposed to be meeting with a man named Frank, but we learn that Frank is attending to some other business. Soon, the three men there to meet the man are dead; And because of Frank (Henry Fonda, in one of his strongest performances), a family of 4 is dead. Then the young lady set to marry the father of the family, who is actually already married to him, arrives and is shocked to find everyone dead. The police think they know who did it already and are quick to point the finger at Cheyenne (Jason Robards), after all...He left his "signature" there. I don't want to say much more about the plot (and there is much more; The film is 2 hours and 45 minutes)...When you look at all the westerns in the history of cinema (mind you, I haven't seen another Leone film) and say which one you think is "the most well-made," this film has to pop up.
It's not the most entertaining western film (there are long stretches with no dialogue), but it is certainly one of the most suspenseful, colorful (not just in the literal sense), and most compelling of the genre. The performances, especially those of Fonda, Robards, and Bronson are superb. It's also clear while watching the movie how influential it has been on other filmmakers. You can even see more than echoes of this film in "Kill Bill Vo.2." Explaining just how unique a film like this is in writing is difficult, but I recommend that any true fan of cinema see this movie. Any true fan of western movies has probably already seen this movie, but I mean a true LOVER of cinema needs to see this. It's one of the few western movies I can think of off the top of my head that can deservedly be labeled a masterpiece.

GRADE: B+

Average customer rating:

Points To Ponder
When westerns were westerns
No enemies ... alive.
Magnificent!!!
Fantastic Entertaining Western! One of the Best ever made!

The Magnificent Seven (Special Edition)
Starring: Yul Brynner , Eli Wallach , Steve McQueen , Charles Bronson , and Robert Vaughn
Director: John Sturges
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000059TFW
Release Date: 2001-05-08

Amazon.com essential video

Akira Kurosawa's rousing Seven Samurai was a natural for an American remake--after all, the codes and conventions of ancient Japan and the Wild West (at least the mythical movie West) are not so very far apart. Thus The Magnificent Seven effortlessly turns samurai into cowboys (the same trick worked more than once: Kurosawa's Yojimbo became Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars). The beleaguered denizens of a Mexican village, weary of attacks by banditos, hire seven gunslingers to repel the invaders once and for all. The gunmen are cool and capable, with most of the actors playing them just on the cusp of '60s stardom: Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn. The man who brings these warriors together is Yul Brynner, the baddest bald man in the West. There's nothing especially stylish about the approach of veteran director John Sturges (The Great Escape), but the storytelling is clear and strong, and the charisma of the young guns fairly flies off the screen. If that isn't enough to awaken the 12-year-old kid inside anyone, the unforgettable Elmer Bernstein music will do it: bum-bum-ba-bum, bum-ba-bum-ba-bum.... Followed by three inferior sequels, Return of the Seven, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, and The Magnificent Seven Ride! --Robert Horton

Description

Spectacular gun battles, epic-sized heroes and an all-star cast that includes Academy AwardÂ(r) winners Yul Brynner* and James Coburn**, together with Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach and Charles Bronson, make The Magnificent Seven a legend among westerns. Spawning three sequels and a successful television series, and featuring Elmer Bernstein's OscarÂ(r)-nominated*** score, thisstunning remake of The Seven Samurai is "a hard-pounding adventure" (Newsweek) and "an enduringly popular" (Leonard Maltin) cinematic classic. Merciless Calvera (Wallach) and his band of ruthless outlaws are terrorizing a poor Mexican village, and even the bravest lawmen can't stop them. Desperate, the locals hire Chris Adams (Brynner) and six other gunfighters to defend them. With time running out before Calvera's next raid, the heroic seven must prepare the villagers for battle and help them find the courage to take back their town or die trying!

Customer Reviews:

Points To Ponder.......2007-04-24

First-rate film, it easily makes my list of the Top 10 westerns. Here are a few points to ponder:

"The Magnificent Seven's" score by Elmer Bernstein received a 1960 Oscar nomination but the award that year went to "Exodus"; which "featured" something called "The Exodus Song" (with lyrics by Pat Boone!!). 45+ years later there is not even a CD release of "Exodus" while the score from "The Magnificent Seven" is one of the most recognized pieces of music ever written. If anyone needs proof of the staggering lameness of academy voting this is the most obvious of countless examples.

The score was further popularized in the late 1960's as the theme for Marlboro cigarettes. An odd bit of irony given that Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, and Jorge Martinez de Hoyos all died of lung cancer; Horst Buchholz and Charles Bronson of pneumonia, and Brad Dexter of emphysema.

In the film, only two (Brynner and McQueen) of the seven leave the village alive (Buchholz survives but stays behind). In real life these two actors were the first to die, preceding the others by about 20 years.

The other four deaths (only Robert Vaughn is still alive) occurred over just a nine-month period (James Coburn in Nov 02, Brad Dexter in Dec 02, Horst Buchholz in March 03, and Charles Bronson in Aug 03).

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

When westerns were westerns.......2007-03-30

It is nice to see the good guys come together to help the ones who need it with being paid for it. No dirty language, sex or any of the really violent themes. Just the good guys doing their job and winning.

No enemies ... alive........2007-03-12

The Special Edition in widescreen Panavision with color by De Luxe is gorgeous from landscapes to big action scenes. The camerawork, whether a tracking shot of the galloping Forty Thieves, or just a set piece looking up the long bordertown street to Boot Hill, is inspired. The score by Elmer Bernstein in Dolby is well, magnificent!

The individual vignettes with Wallach, McQueen, Coburn, and Bronson are little classics. And yet, and yet ...

I first saw TM7 in a theater when it was first released and grew up watching the Marlboro Man on TV so I was looking forward to seeing TM7 again in its orginal glory. But as I watched, I found myself thinking: Had Horst Buchholz really been this annoying? Were the villagers always such wooden actors? Wasn't there more interaction among the Seven? Weren't there more gunfights in the original? In short, it is a very good movie, but it isn't THE Magnificent Seven - the one in my memory for 46 years.

But I'm rating it for what it is, not for how I remembered it, and not because it isn't in Japanese, and it still comes up 4 stars ... plus one more star for the interviews and commentary features on the Spec Ed.

If you wonder why a Russian and a German were cast as leads in an American Western, watch the documentary feature, "Guns For Hire." Or, if you wonder why the Mexican farmers speak perfect English (better than Brynner or Buchholz) and always wear sparkling clean white clothing (while the Americans are always sweaty and dirty), watch the feature. Which one of the Seven actually got married on the set during the village fiesta? Yep, it's in the feature.

Magnificent!!!.......2007-01-30

I haven't seen the original "Seven Samuri", so this is has no conparisons. As a western, this might be one of the best I've seen. Yul Brynner's presence on screen is commanding. I can see why he was later chosen for the sci-fi film, "Westworld". His supporting cast is just as outstanding. It reads like a who's who list (McQueen, Colburn, Bronson) of action films. With a powerful cast, a entertaining villan (Eli Wallach), an intriguing storyline and a beautiful Elmer Bernstein soundtrack (It makes me want to have a Marlboro cigarette, afterwards.), everything comes together. It's an unforgetable western that continues to live its reputation as one of Hollywood's finest films.

Fantastic Entertaining Western! One of the Best ever made!.......2007-01-10

A true Classic! Excellent story, fast paced yet, slow enough for the viewer to learn character development. In my opinion, it has one of the best director's of westerns, John Sturges, with a musical score composed and directed by the best man ever to develop a musical score for a western, Elmer Bernstein. His music lends to the story and captures human emotion in every secene. The acting is superb by a veteran cast of the best actors to be assembled for a film, Yul Bryner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, to name a few.

The interviews are interesting and captivating on the second disk, and give you a good a idea of what it was like to work on this film.

Believe me, you won't regret buying this two disk version. An excellent edition to a film library. A great film that you can enjoy over and over again.

John E. Matty, Springfield, VA

Average customer rating:

One of the Best Movies Ever Made
Classic
Heroes abound
A vast, multi-star war epic with great score by Elmer Bernstein...
A decent WWII POW movie

The Great Escape
Starring: Steve McQueen , James Garner , Richard Attenborough , James Donald , and Charles Bronson
Director: John Sturges
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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Bullitt

ASIN: 0792838408
Release Date: 1998-03-31

Amazon.com

The Great Escape image of Steve McQueen (as "The Cooler King") astride his motorcycle has entered silver-screen iconography, alongside Brando on his bike from The Wild One. Based on a true story about a group of POWs who mount a daring breakout from a supposedly inescapable Nazi prison camp, this rousing and suspenseful WWII epic features an all-star cast, including James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, and David McCallum. The DVD also includes a 24-minute documentary about the making of the film. --Jim Emerson

Description

In 1943, the Germans opened Stalag Luft North, a maximum-security prisoner-of-war camp, designed tohold even the craftiest escape artists. In doing so, however, the Nazis unwittingly assembled the finest escape team in military historybrilliantly portrayed here by Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson and James Coburnwho worked on what became the largest prison breakout ever attempted. One of the most ingenious and suspenseful adventure films of all time, The Great Escape is a masterful collaboration between director John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven), screenwriters James Clavell (Shogun) and W.R. Burnett (Little Caesar), and composer Elmer Bernstein. Based on a true story, The Great Escape is epic entertainment that "entertains,captivates, thrills and stirs" (Variety).

Customer Reviews:

One of the Best Movies Ever Made.......2007-02-24

The Great Escape is my favorite movie of all time. It is an excellant movie and follows the book it is based on very well. This movie shows the courage, strength and fighting spirit of these men. And it is truely dedicated to the fifty who were murdered.

Classic.......2007-02-06

What else can I say about a classic? McQueen's motorcycle jump is the unforgettable part for me.

Heroes abound.......2007-01-14

The Great Escape portrays the heroism of prisoners never giving into their captors and the pompous honor of Nazi Germany. The group becomes a monkey wrench at all turns determined to send their adversary to the Russian front. My only complaint is that it is shown in letterbox format which saps some of the power of the story. Wasn't this picture worth a full screen format? But this is probably par for the epics of that era. The stars had to carry the load and be bigger in life even though you are peeking through a window. Steve McQueen was a man of epic tales and this one does not fail to deliver. Even doomed to failure he never gives up. Resist with every last breath was the motto of the prisoners. Guile and guts served them well and in the end Germany was defeated even if only in small part by the escapades of the escapees. Grit abounds through the fiber of every man sworn to serve the Allied forces. We owe these men a debt we can never repay, but always respect. It takes courage to put your own well being second behind the cause. Unfortunately we have seldom triumphed in glory since that time. This war made sense while successors seemed steeped in politics. Something a normal person has a hard time understanding. Let's just hope that global war was put to rest with this one. We can look back on the Great Escape with admiration and gratitude. But we can never repay what was sacrificed by these men.

A vast, multi-star war epic with great score by Elmer Bernstein..........2007-01-02

'The Great Escape' had the advantage of a fine source, and a fine script... Each actor realizes his potential in a very detailed manner, giving a feeling lost in the actual cinema...

Sturges is careful with the pace in the first half, allowing the escape plans develop slowly... Humor, excitement and human drama are wonderfully blended, and smartly underscored by Elmer Bernstein's memorable background music...

The film opens with several truckloads of Allied officers, mostly pilots, being transferred to a new German maximum-security prison camp at Sagan...

The Camp 'Kommandant', Von Luger (Hannes Messemer), tells Captain Ramsey (James Donald), 'We have, in effect, put all our rotten eggs in one basket, and we intend to watch this basket carefully.'

But since all the British and American officers in his charge are men who have made several attempts to escape from other prison camps, Von Luger knows his words are meaningless...

The master planner is 'Big X,' Roger Bartlett (Richard Attenborough), who has just endured three months of Gestapo/SS torture, and plans to strike back, getting as many men as possible out of the camp, in order to 'harass, confuse and confound the enemy' behind the lines...

He announces a terrific plan for a mass break-out of 250 men and schemes three simultaneous tunnels Tom, Dick, and Harry...

The plan, so precise, proceeds in an orderly fashion, with a great deal of attention placed on caution and ruse to deflect German attentions... The captives involve themselves in much surface activity, which masks the underground work...

Hilts (Steve McQuenn), the 'Cooler King,' leads the Germans on a memorable motorcycle chase through back roads and across the fields right up to the Swiss frontier...

Hendley (James Garner), the 'Scrounger' is a charming thief whose particular gift is the misappropriation of all the required supplies for an escape...

Blythe (Donald Pleasance) has the talents of a 'Forger', and makes visas and passports... He suggests in one scene: ' Tea without milk is so uncivilized.'

Danny Velinski (Charles Bronson) is the experienced Polish-American 'Tunnel-King.'

Louis Sedgwick (James Coburn) is the 'Manufacturer' of bellows-operated ventilation...

Ashley-Pitt (David McCallum) is the 'Dispersal' with his ingenious methods of getting rid of the dirt generated by the tunneling activities...

Andy McDonald (Gordon Jackson ) is 'Intelligence,' the officer who develops a fantastic security system to protect the compounds from the German "Ferrets."

Archibald Ives (Angus Lennie) is the 'Mole,' whose fragile mind has been taxed by several years in the camps, repeated failed escape attempts, and time in the cooler...

Dennis Cavendish (Nigel Stock) is the 'Surveyor' who miscalculates the distance to the trees...

Guard Werner (Robert Graf) is the 'Ferret' who affirms to Hendley: 'I could tell you stories about my teeth that would make your hair stand on end.'

'The Great Escape' is a pretty good motion picture where the toll of freedom is precious, and the movie's ending provokes deep and serious meditation... It graphically shows what enterprising men can accomplish under the most unusual circumstances... It has a great cast, and is beautifully made...

A decent WWII POW movie.......2007-01-01

The Great Escape was a decent movie. However, it did not live upto my expectations.

The storyline was fine, action was decent and suitable and characters played their parts well. The movie also detailed the escape plot well and went into considerable depth.

One part of the movie that reduced it's quality was the unnecessary comic relief throughout the movie. Almost from the start, many POW's act like they are on vacation and not a prison camp. I don't think real-life POWs would have acted like that. In the same vein, the German officers appeared fools and clowns, who not only tolerated much insolence but didn't seem to have a clue at all.

Average customer rating:

wonderful!!
Fingersmith
This film is beautiful beyond words.....
Finger Smith By Sarah Waters
lesbian romance in a Dickensian setting?

Fingersmith
Starring: Stephanie Middleton , David Troughton , Imelda Staunton , Karen Seacombe , and Tallulah Pitt-Brown
Director: Aisling Walsh
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
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ASIN: B000A4T804
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Amazon.com

From Sarah Waters, author of Tipping the Velvet, comes this twisting and twisted Victorian-era thriller with an L-word charge. Sally Hawkins stars as Sue, an orphan who grows up among the reprobates of Lant Street to become an accomplished "fingersmith" (thief). Elaine Cassidy costars as Maud Lilly, an heiress who, as a young girl, was plucked from the madhouse and raised by her stern, bibliophile uncle (Charles Dance). He makes her wear gloves at all times so as not to smudge the precious tomes he makes her read every night. Enter Richard Rivers (Rupert Evans, the otherwise sterling cast's weakest link), an artist hired to give her painting lessons. But he has designs on Maude's fortune, and recruits Sue for an elaborate con. That's when the gloves really come off. Originally broadcast on the BBC, this riveting three-part tale of illicit passion and betaryal is by turns harrowing and quite erotic (the tasteful sex scenes manage to generate heat without baring a lot of skin). The literate script reveals its feminist leanings ("You are a man and might do everything," Maude tells Richard during their first meeting. "I am a woman and might do nothing."). The superb cast includes Academy Award-nominee Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) as Mrs. Sucksby, a Fagin-esque character who mentored Sue, and has a few surprises for Maud, as well. --Donald Liebenson

Description

Based on the acclaimed novel by Sarah Waters, author of Tipping the Velvet.

The lives of two young women collide in an engrossing Victorian thriller that alternates between the twisting back alleyways of Dickensian London and the cloistered gloom of a Gothic mansion.

Raised in a den of petty thieves or "fingersmiths," plucky orphan Sue Trinder (Sally Hawkins) agrees to help a conman known as Gentleman (Rupert Evans) defraud and betray wealthy heiress Maud Lilly (Elaine Cassidy). But Sue's plans are turned upside down when she falls in love with Maud. Then the women are separated—each to her own hellish prison—just as they realize the strength of their passion for each other . . .

Fingersmith was originally broadcast on the BBC and features Oscar®-nominee and BAFTA-winner Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) and BAFTA-nominee Charles Dance (The Jewel in the Crown).

Customer Reviews:

wonderful!!.......2007-06-21

This was a beautiful film, the characters were very well-rounded, I was convinced that the two women really loved each other and the story took an unexpected twist which I really enjoyed.

Fingersmith.......2007-05-31

I bought this film after buying another on the 'people who bought that sometimes buy this' kind of link. My original purchase was of a DVD called 'Tipping the Velvet' which was based on a book by Sarah Waters. I had seen the original of this when it was screened as a TV mini-series and very much enjoyed it.
Now to the Fingersmith DVD. This film claims to be based on the same book and the synpsis is similar. Other than this there is no similarity in the two films.
Fingersmith has a completely different plot and though it is a good film I cannot see how the makers can claim a link to the original book.
There are some outstanding performances in this film especially by Imelda Staunton.
A good film and worth the time watching it.

This film is beautiful beyond words............2007-05-17

Being a big fan of period pieces, I was eager to view this film. I don't necessarily consider it a "lesbian movie", even though I have several in my collection. It is so much more than that. It's worth watching over and over because there is so much to the story and the characters. Yes, it starts off slow, but all good things in life do. The few scenes between the two main characters are deeply moving and so incredibly beautiful that I just held my breath in awe. The talented actresses brought the amazing story to life. One of my favorites!!!!

Finger Smith By Sarah Waters.......2007-05-12

brilliant book.An absorbing story, I could hardly put it down!

lesbian romance in a Dickensian setting?.......2007-05-10

I was a little leery sitting down to this since a friend warned me that it was nothing more than a lesbian romance, a genre which -- with apologies -- has so far had little to say to me.

But my friend had mischaracterized the film. "Fingersmith" is supremely worthwhile, filled with enough gripping twists and reversals to bring even the most inattentive viewer bolt upright. While a couple of scenes in the first half are indeed shot through with steamy woman-on-woman smooching, on the whole the Sapphic aspect of the story takes a back seat to other elements of the plot.

So if you can get past the spectacle of kissing women, you've got quite a good film in store for you: at times the acting is unbelievable; and the script is always fresh, convincing, and thoroughly unpredictable.

There are two episodes, which must be separately loaded. The first half features such a jaw-dropper at the end that you'll find yourself wishing you had watched the thing a lot more carefully!

This is a BBC production set in London and environs about the time of the setting of Dicken's novels. But it's far more raw and gritty than even his most seamy outings.

It was also obvious that the BBC spent some real money on this: the outdoor scenes in London, the sets, the crowd scenes, and the production values in general are all very high-quality and convincing. Money well spent.

Average customer rating:

Triumph of storyline over historical accuracy
Battle of the Bulge?
Robert Shaw's fine performance
WILDLY HISTORICALLY INACCURATE BUT VERY ENTERTAINING
Battle of the Bulge

Battle of the Bulge
Starring: Henry Fonda , Robert Shaw , Robert Ryan , Dana Andrews , and George Montgomery
Director: Ken Annakin
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0007TKNGA
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Amazon.com

The German offensive in December 1944 became the basis for this all-star Hollywood take on the Battle of the Bulge. Henry Fonda is an officer who predicts the assault, Robert Ryan and Dana Andrews are Army brass skeptical of his intuitions, and Robert Shaw (his hair dyed yellow and his eyes glinting with malice) is a German officer leading the tank attack. Shaw is certainly the most compelling thing about the film, especially in his philosophical debates with ambivalent underling Hans Christian Blech. Elsewhere, the movie jumps around to sidebar stories (cowardly James MacArthur becomes a leader, wheeler-dealer Telly Savalas falls in love) while messing around with the historical facts of the battle. There are interesting episodes, such as the Malmedy massacre of American POWs and the Germans' use of English-speaking spies, but overall Battle of the Bulge has the feeling of having been patched together from different scripts. On the physical level the movie comes up short, with the Spanish locations rarely suggesting the wintry misery of the battle, and the use of models and studio sets highly inadequate. A number of war films from this era are compelling on their own terms, but in the wake of Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, this one looks antique. --Robert Horton

Description

Nazi Panzer forces stage a last-ditch Belgian front offensive that could turn the tide of WWII. Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw and Robert Ryan in the spectacular recreation of a crucial campaign. Year: 1965

Customer Reviews:

Triumph of storyline over historical accuracy.......2007-06-29

The "Battle of the Bulge" is a big budget war movie predating "Patton" and made long before the CGI-assisted ultra-realistic films like "Saving Private Ryan". It largely succeeds in presenting a decent set of basic characters with some thematic elements to make a reasonably interesting retelling of a fairly complex and prolonged event, namely Hitler's last gasp gamble to fend off defeat on the Western Front in December 1944. Unlike "Midway" (a terrible film), Henry Fonda is given some interesting things to do, and we get to see Telly Sevales before his comedic reprise in "Kelly's Heroes."

It's important to understand that "Bulge" really focuses (using some fictional reference points) on the several opening days of the campaign when a single panzer knifed through the Monshau Gap and achieved an early penetration before being stopped in the rugged hill country well north of Bastogne. The most famous and dramatic episode is only briefly touched on, which was the enirclement of th 101st Airborne at Bastogne by the Fifth Panzer Army (superbly depicted in the middle sections of HBO's "Band of Brotthers") The film gives the impression that the battle at most last a week; in fact, some of the hardest fighting occurred throughout January 1945 as American forces struggled to reduce the bulge.

High points: "Panzerlied" (you will hum this for days to the alarm of your friends) and the "Trojan Horse" German paratroopers who created havoc in rear areas. (The movie does not show the summary execution of the paratroopers caught with American uniforms). The soundtrack is good (really good on home theater) as is the opening battle sequence of tanks storming through the snowy forest. And the " chocolate cake" scene.

Flaws: A few. The Germans get big American tanks, [probably M-48s), the American get little ones. The model work is haphazard; the scene of the model German tank poking its barrel into a model railroad tunnel and blowing up an HO train is laughable. Most of the movie involves, as it should, hills, forests and deep snow, and then when the climatic tank battle occurs using real tanks, it takes place in.... a sagebrush, flat, snow-less desert. Huh? That doesn't like like Belgium to me. And while fun to watch, no self-respecting panzer general is going to line up all his tanks hub to hub to bombard a town, no matter how cool it looks.

It was not necessary to cut corners on equipment: the later "Kelly's Heroes", a WW2 comedy, used real Shermans (lots of countries still used them back then) and some nicely simulated Tigers. If you are going to do a movie based on a tank battle, try harder. I am just not being "nerdular" about this.

So, fun poopcorn fare, but in need of a serious remake if one does not count Band of Brothers. The HD version simply emphasises the flaws.

Battle of the Bulge?.......2007-06-13

In Germany they called this movie The Last battle. Baron Hasso Von Manteuffel was a harsh critic he said it was an insult to both sides and failed to show the conditions and was totaly inaccurate. I agree to call this battle of the bulge is a farce. This all star farce is one of the biggest turkeys ever.

Robert Shaw's fine performance.......2007-06-05

The first part is not too bad for historical accuracy, but after the that, it's down hill. On the other hand, Robert Shaw make this a good movie. One of his best performances. 5 stars for Robert Shaw, 3 for the movie.

WILDLY HISTORICALLY INACCURATE BUT VERY ENTERTAINING.......2007-05-14

I guess where historical movies go, there has to be a trade-off. You can go for historical accuracy, but wind up with something with the plodding of A Bridge Too Far; or, you can throw out all (or most of) the details and facts and make a roaring fight-the-Germans movie like Battle of the Bulge. Okay, so the movie is filled with holes, and telling the story of the battle through the personal lives of the participating soldiers diminishes the scope of the movie's epic scope; but the performances from all the principle actors are excellent. Henry Fonda is memorable as is Telly Savalas. And the thrilling tank battle at the end (Which didn't happen as it was depicted) is likely the best representation of this form of combat ever done in a movie.

Battle of the Bulge.......2007-02-07

This is an awesome WWII movie. There are several stars in this movie & the acting & reality are great!

Average customer rating:

Plenty Of Action Packed Adventure
catch me if you can and live to tell about it
Marvin and Bronson at their best
Engrossing film!
Vintage Bronson

Death Hunt
Starring: Charles Bronson , Lee Marvin , Andrew Stevens , Carl Weathers , and Ed Lauter
Director: Peter R. Hunt
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006GQMC8
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Description

On December 31, 1931, lone trapper Albert Johnson (Charles Bronson) shot and killed a man in self-defense at his remote Yukon cabin. A few days later, hard-living lawman Sgt. Edgar Millen (Lee Marvin) reluctantly brought a heavily armed posse to arrest Johnson for murder. In the brutal siege that followed, Johnson would kill four more men before escaping into the frozen mountains. As a nation watched, Millen was forced to pursue Johnson by foot, dogsled and plane in a desperate chase that would take both men from the brink of survival to the very edge of vengeance.

Fifteen years after THE DIRTY DOZEN, Bronson and Marvin re-teamed for this explosive action hit directed by Peter Hunt (ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, ASSASSINATION). Andrew Stevens, Carl Weathers and Angie Dickinson co-star in this real-life story of the fugitive called 'The Mad Trapper' and the manhunt that shocked the world. Based On The Incredible True Story Of'The Deadliest Manhunt In History'

Customer Reviews:

Plenty Of Action Packed Adventure.......2007-06-26

Death Hunt starring Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson is certainly one film that will never end up on the Lifetime channel. Director Peter R. Hunt and Scriptwriters Michael Grais and Mark Victor do a bang up job moving the standard western film formula to 1930's Canada. The Yukon backdrop is as much a part of this film as Monument Valley is to a John Ford Western. This film carries that uneasy feeling of trouble right from the get go. Granted it is based on a real incident, but doesn't follow the real historical line, and so what. Death Hunt is meant to be pure men's entertainment. Lee Marvin as Sgt. Millen of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who has been in the backwater for too long, knows that he represents law an civilization to a group of folks who could care less. He is a pragmatist who knows just how much to let the locals get away with, as long as it keeps the lid on. Marvin is exquisite as the grizzled drunken professional, who in his own way, is running from civilization as much as any of the ignorant locals. I forsee a retrospective of the work of Charles Bronson definitely including the film Death Hunt. Bronson plays Albert Johnson who shows up in town, out of nowhere. A man tired of life, it seems, who just wants to be left alone. But, he is not a man, like most of the people in that town, who will ignore suffering, and that even applies to animals. This is where the trouble begins. The film contains a great supporting cast, Ed Lauter, as Hazel, the ignorant dogfighting trapper who thinks that he is the defacto king of this barbaric place. Andrew Stevens as the young, piss and vinegar, Mountie assigned to Millen's outpost is great. The film also boasts Carl Weathers as an ex-patiriot American black, who found a life in this part of Canada that was denied to him in the U.S. The film is a great chase. You find yourself routing for hunter and hunted alike. With Death Hunt you get great direction, great dialogue, great scenic locations, and wonderful acting. This all adds up to A plus entertainment. A great film. Buy the DVD!

catch me if you can and live to tell about it.......2007-03-14

There are two movies that come to mind, when I speak of this one,"Lonely are the Brave" and "Valdez is Coming". The same theme in all three of these excellent films, "the Law Hunts The Fugitive" The fugitive portrays the sympathytic hero in all three films. In all three, the persuer takes a liking to the one he hunts. They come to respect his courage and fortitude. This movie is full of twists, turns, thrills and spills, excitement, suspense, not to mention beautiful mountain scenery. Last but definetly not least, Lee Marvin and Charles Bronon, they alone are worth the price of admission. "Anonymously" Louie G.

Marvin and Bronson at their best.......2007-03-02

This film is a masterpiece for action and adventure.Great scenery and an ending where all the good guys win,BRILLIANT.

Engrossing film!.......2007-02-07

Lee Marvin and Chuck Bronson are both top-flight actors, and their presence in this movie only makes an excellent 'chase' plot that much the better. This is one that can be watched when the desire to see a good action film hits again and again as it contains interesting nuances and issues that keep it from getting 'old.'

Vintage Bronson.......2007-01-12

I enjoyed this film, typical of the 1970s Bronson Genre - quietly spoken tough guy. Lee Marvin also plays a good role as the knock about arm of the law - who feels more sympathy for Bronson's character than his pursuers. Angie Dickenson plays a less likely widow that becomes attracted to the much older Marvin - a common thread in the 70's for some reason - a bit unrealistic but it doesn't detract from the overall story and suspense. Enjoyable action scenes and a fantastic snow covered environment make this a movie worth buying.

Average customer rating:

Triumph of storyline over historical accuracy
Battle of the Bulge?
Robert Shaw's fine performance
WILDLY HISTORICALLY INACCURATE BUT VERY ENTERTAINING
Battle of the Bulge

Battle of the Bulge [HD DVD]
Starring: Axel Anderson , Dana Andrews , Anna Maria Pier Angeli , Richard Baxter , and Hans-Christian Blech
Director: Ken Annakin
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

Auto Sports | Sports | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000OIOS56
Release Date: 2007-05-15

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

Triumph of storyline over historical accuracy.......2007-06-29

Battle of the Bulge?.......2007-06-13

Robert Shaw's fine performance.......2007-06-05

WILDLY HISTORICALLY INACCURATE BUT VERY ENTERTAINING.......2007-05-14

Battle of the Bulge.......2007-02-07

This is an awesome WWII movie. There are several stars in this movie & the acting & reality are great!

Average customer rating:

Biased by Questar.
A Bronson Beauty
A killer of a thriller
bronson
For Those Who Enjoy A Surprise Ending

The Mechanic
Starring: Charles Bronson , Jan-Michael Vincent , Keenan Wynn , Jill Ireland , and Linda Ridgeway
Director: Michael Winner
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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Chato's Land

ASIN: B00006FDAP
Release Date: 2002-10-08

Description

Charles Bronson delivers [in this] action-drenched (Variety) gangster thriller that delves into the dangerous minds of the underworld's most elite killers. Visually alive (Cue) and 'totally engrossing (The Hollywood Reporter), The Mechanic is a movie you won't want to miss! Arthur Bishop (Bronson) is a mob hit man who operates in a world of his own an uncompromising world where conventional rules of morality don't apply and where one wrong move could cost himhis life! He's always worked alone but, as age catches up with him, Bishop takes on a competent andruthless apprentice (Jan-Michael Vincent) and teaches him everything he knows. Together they becomean unmatchable team of globetrotting killers until the pupil's ruthlessness puts him on a collisioncourse with his teacher!

Customer Reviews:

Biased by Questar........2007-05-13

This film indeed shows the contrast in film only action effects of the 1960's when it is compared to current effects available with the use of animation. I purchased the DVD especially for the scenes showing the use of the Questar 3.5 inch reflective telescope. The film itself is an intriguing interplay between bad guy number one and bad guy number two and which one will win. It is a film which you can sit down and watch and enjoy. Maybe you'll have a little sardonic smile afterward.

A Bronson Beauty.......2007-05-13

Saw this as a kid but could only remember the ending. Retro at it's best. Chrome fuel tank sides on an MX bike? Love it!

A killer of a thriller.......2007-03-05

The Mechanic aka Killer of Killers is surprisingly good and, unusually for Michael Winner, also surprisingly well directed. A one-time Cliff Robertson vehicle (which at least explains the pipe Charles Bronson smokes throughout the film) and a clear influence on the Wachowski Brothers later script for Assassins, it sees Charles Bronson as the mob's most assured and ingenious hitman for some reason taking on an apprentice, attracted perhaps by his sociopathic indifference to death. The first half of the film is so sharp that it's a shame the rest of the movie starts down a more conventional road, but the action is well-handled, with a couple of way above average stunts involving a crashing motorbike and, later on, a car pushed off a mountain road that is more comprehensively trashed on the way down than you've ever seen in a film before or since: this one doesn't need to go up in a fireball to convince it's occupant isn't walking away.

Unfortunately the sorcerer's pathological apprentice is played by terminally smug Jan Michael Vincent (the man who sued the paramedics who saved his life after a drunken crash for not managing to do so without damaging his vocal cords): ideal casting, perhaps, but he's definitely a below-par Dennis Quaid act as an actor who seems to think he's good looking enough not to have to at least try to act. Equally unfortunately it also features the inevitable Jill Ireland (the star's wife and director's former girlfriend: that must have made for some interesting conversations on the set), albeit only for one scene, and for once there's a rather clever and perfectly valid reason for her bad acting. It doesn't make her big scene any less painful to watch but at least it stops it from doing any real damage to the film. If at times it feels like a more ambitious film may have been lost in rewrites, there's still a pleasingly nasty ending and any film where the first 15 minutes are played without dialogue gets extra points in my book.

MGM/UA's Region 1 disc may only offer a reissue trailer as an extra (when the title was changed to Killer of Killers to boost business from people who might have mistaken the original title for a car chase movie) but it has a fine widescreen transfer as well as a fullscreen version of the film.

bronson.......2007-01-20

I liked the movie when it was originally in theatres and always had a fascination with the characters charles bronson chose to play. This particular movie gives an insight to what may have been the attitudes and life styles of the "contract killers" of the era. It was fun to watch and full of action for it's time, not full of the gore of todays action movies where blood and guts are more important than the story.

For Those Who Enjoy A Surprise Ending.......2006-08-10

This movie is exciting and enjoyable. But, the best part is how it ends with an unexpected twist...

Average customer rating:

3 Star movie- 10 stars for Natalie Wood
Who doesn't love Redford and Wood
Redford Casting Mistake
Property is Condemned
Very Nice DVD Picture Quality

This Property Is Condemned
Starring: Natalie Wood , Robert Redford , Charles Bronson , Kate Reid , and Mary Badham
Director: Sydney Pollack
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000AUHQA
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Description

Inspired by Tennessee Williams' play. Brought to life by Hollywood's biggest stars. He's the wrong man to love. How could it all seem so right? Robert Redford and Natalie Wood headline this sexually charged Depression-era drama. Redford (whose next film, Barefoot In The Park), would rocket him to stardom) plays Owen Legate, a railroad official come to backwater Dodson, Mississippi, with a pocketful of pink slips for the yard employees. Wood (at age 28 already a 23-year screen veteran) portrays the town flirt whose affair with Legate ignites her mother's - and the town's - revenge. Repressed desires, sultry women, sweltering weather and a handsome stranger... this is Tennessee Williams territory. And with stars Redford, Wood and co-star Charles Bronson, it's all prime property.

Customer Reviews:

3 Star movie- 10 stars for Natalie Wood.......2007-06-23

This is a solid enough film version of a 1 act Tennessee Williams play. The screenplay is well adapted, the locations and costuming is wonderful and the supporting cast of young Charles Bronson and Robert Blake among others is very strong. What makes this movie incredibly watchable is Natalie Wood. She quite literally lights up the screen in this and is impossibly beautiful in every scene she is in. The chemistry between her and Redford is ok. Any guy who watches this and doesn't fall in love with Natalie Wood needs to have his pulse checked.

Who doesn't love Redford and Wood.......2007-05-28

The melancholy way in which this movie begins sets the tale for a beautiful movie. Two young sisters struggle to escape the life their mother has laid out for them. Redford comes into the life of the beautiful Wood. This a movie you can never grow tired of watching.

Redford Casting Mistake.......2007-01-14

Robert Redford would have been my first choice had his character been a northern sophisticated elite. Legatt's character is too unsophisticated for Redford. Neither his portrayal of the character nor his southern drawl are convincing. Martin Sheen would have been a better choice.

Property is Condemned.......2007-01-10

What a wonderful movie bringing these two great stars together!! Love the history on it and it is another treasured addition to my collection!!

Very Nice DVD Picture Quality.......2007-01-07

This film has a All-Star line-up of big name actors as well as Big Deal behind the scenes movie personalities. The cast and crew manage to pull this one thru even though this may not be considered by film critics to be their best work. There's something about the off beat mood/theme that keeps the viewer interested in the story, and that is probably what holds this film together. Paramount has done a very nice job with the picture quality and sound. Another fine effort that should keep all those who purchase this DVD content.

Average customer rating:

IS IT JUST MY IMAGINATION...
Good Drama
Replacement
A product of its time
The original and the best!!!

Death Wish
Starring: Charles Bronson , Hope Lange , Vincent Gardenia , Steven Keats , and William Redfield
Director: Michael Winner
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000541AN
Release Date: 2001-01-16

Customer Reviews:

IS IT JUST MY IMAGINATION..........2007-05-03

... or were certain scenes edited from this DVD version just like Paramount did with "Thief Of Hearts"? I could have sworn the rape scene was originally longer and more graphic.

Good Drama.......2007-03-09

The rape scene at the beginning is very graphic but is essential to the story about Charles Bronson's character becoming a vigilante. We have to know why he is so frustrated into taking matters in his own hands. It is interesting to see how the police chief breaks the case and how he handles it in the end.

Replacement.......2007-03-09

Liked it 20 years ago and like it now. I lost my original(loaned it out one too many times). This is a replacement.

A product of its time.......2007-02-16

A lot has been said,HERE,in various reviews,about how this film reflects the time in which it was made..while true on many levels,few have ventured to guess why such a film may have mirrored its time so well..Paul Kersey,the Bronson charecter,the vigilante,was portrayed as a fortyish fellow which,in 1974,would have given him a birthdate before the second world war..Now while world history may have been in turmoil during the '30s,the '40s,and even into the '50s,local history,the history of american neighborhoods and communities,lumbered along pretty much as it always had...most people more or less trusted most of thier neighbors,doors were not always double-bolted,violence was from gangsters or as a result of some flare-up between friends or relatives...it was not random,it was not gratious..
The perpetrators in"Death Wish",dope addicts,muggers,random sadists,belong to a later generation,twenty or so years younger than Kersey..thier world is a world fueled by drugs,by freedoms without responsibility,and they inhabit a world that was rapidly turning to manure..laws had no teeth...communities were fragmented,over race,over the viet-nam conflict,over politics..Kennedy and King were not even a decade in thier graves...The court system,along with the lawyers,had begun taking a generation-long run at the laws necessary to hold the world in check..Victims were secondary to thier victimisers in terms of the legal community and the court system,and the police were restrained from both protecting the innocent or doing any real damage to the guilty...
This is the world in which this film operates...Kersey,a product of that other,older world,expected some protection for himself and his family,expected that the law would function as it should,and was horribly surprised to find that it did not..His world was shattered,and nothing whatever was done to rectify it...
Becoming a vigilante,while a step,was not one that was without precedent..at about this same time,in New York where this film was set,the real world had just encountered Bernard Goetz,the so-called"subway shooter"..a meek nebbish,Goetz had claimed that he was subject to threats and harrassment,on a subway car,from several youths,some of which Goetz had then shot...Given the criminal records some of his victims had,Goetz became something of a hero to the same sort of people as our mister Kersey,although,as in the film,law-enforcement took a very dim view of Goetz or his solution to this sort of problem...Indeed,despite the ample evidence that Goetz was indeed threatened by at least some of the youths involved,he,and not they,was the focus of police activity...
So then,do we have here a film that saw a real event and then re-wrote it to adapt better as a screen thriller,or do we have a film that absorbed much of what was going on in real life