Sacrifice

Starring:Michael Madsen, Bokeem Woodbine, Jamie Luner, Diane Farr, Deborah Shelton, Michelle Lintel, Tony Abatemarco, Joshua Leonard, Jordan Williams, Wallace Merck, Marco St. John, Terrence Rosemore, Gus Williams, Jackie Roberts, Matt Webb, Michelle White (II), Janice Fincher, Lonnie R. Smith, Leslie Harter Zemeckis, Natalie Tysdal
Director: Mark L. Lester
Studio: Lions Gate
Product Type: DVD

The Little Mermaid (2-Disc Platinum Edition)

Average customer rating:

One of the last great Disney Movies
Grandchildren Loved The Little Mermaid
Great Product!
The Little Mermaid (2-Disc Platinum Edition)
Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid (2-Disc Platinum Edition)
Starring: Rene Auberjonois , Christopher Daniel Barnes , Jodi Benson , Pat Carroll , and Paddi Edwards
Director: Ron Clements , and John Musker
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Fantasy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

Feature Films | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

All Disney Titles | Disney Home Entertainment | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Cars (Widescreen Edition)
Peter Pan (2-Disc Platinum Edition)
Cinderella (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Platinum Edition)
Lady and the Tramp (50th Anniversary Edition) (Platinum Edition)
Over the Hedge (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000F8O35U
Release Date: 2006-10-03

Amazon.com essential video

From the moment that Prince Eric's ship emerged from the fog in the opening credits it was apparent that Disney had somehow, suddenly recaptured that "magic" that had been dormant for thirty years. In the tale of a headstrong young mermaid who yearns to "spend a day, warm on the sand," Ariel trades her voice to Ursula, the Sea Witch (classically voiced by Pat Carroll), for a pair of legs. Ariel can only succeed if she receives true love's kiss in a few day's time and she needs all the help she can from a singing crab named Sebastian, a loudmouth seagull, and a flounder. The lyrics and music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken are top form: witty and relevant, and they advance the story (go on, hum a few bars of "Under the Sea"). Mermaid put animation back on the studio's "to do" list and was responsible for ushering Beauty and the Beast to theaters. A modern Disney classic. --Keith Simanton

Description

THE LITTLE MERMAID, one of the most celebrated animated films of all time -- and winner of two Academy Awards(R) (Best Music, Original Score; Best Music, Original Song, "Under The Sea," 1989) -- splashes onto an exciting 2-Disc DVD with an all-new digital restoration. Ariel, a fun-loving and mischievous mermaid, is off on the adventure of a lifetime with her best friend, the adorable Flounder, and the reggae-singing Caribbean crab Sebastian at her side. But it will take all of her courage and determination to make her dreams come true—and save her father's beloved kingdom from the sneaky sea witch Ursula! Dive into a world of music and adventure in this new 2-Disc Platinum Edition your family will enjoy again and again!

Customer Reviews:

One of the last great Disney Movies.......2007-05-28

Mermaid was one of Disney's last great movies.....before they started trying to spin each classic tale into a 2nd, 3rd movie....each meaningless money making machines.

The Little Mermaid is the Disney version of the Hans Christian Anderson tale. Disney brings it to life with the beautiful Ariel, and a whole cast of loveable characters- Flounder, Eric, Sebastian, Flounder, Skuttle.

Ariel, the youngest of many daughters is bored with life under water and want to explore life on land as a human. She see's a man aboard a boat and falls in love. His name is Eric. When a storm rages, Ariel saves Eric and leaves his ashore. He sees her and can't forget her face. Against her fathers wishes Ariel dreams of life on land. She bargains with the sea witch Ursula to turn her into a human. The price she pays is her voice. She has to make Eric fall in love with her- but she has no voice.
Ursula uses Ariels voice to bring her father to her knees. In the end, she is overcome, and Triton- Ariels father is saved, and let's Ariel go- to become a human.

The music is some of the most creative animated music EVER. From Kiss the girl to Under the Sea, each songs is singable, and unforgettable. Boy and girls alike will love this movie about dreams, courage, and adventure.

Grandchildren Loved The Little Mermaid.......2007-05-17

I bought this for my three grandchildren and they are very, very happy with it and have watched it many times already.

Great Product!.......2007-05-14

The dvd was brand new in the packaging. I would defintely buy from this seller again!!!

The Little Mermaid (2-Disc Platinum Edition).......2007-05-13

Bought this for my wife. She's always loved the story and had been wanting the DVD for a while. When the special edition came out, I grabbed it. The commentaries are great. The history of the story, the animation process, and the cast/crew is wonderful.

Little Mermaid.......2007-05-09

An upgrade to DVD. Wonderful movie to watch, beautiful coloring and music. Ariel can sing the pants off a crab.

Average customer rating:

Take a Trip in a New World
I enjoyed watching this movie in hi-def
Blu-Ray Heaven
Greatest movie since Lord of the Rings and Star Wars
Decent movie, great presentation

Mel Gibson's Apocalypto [Blu-ray]
Starring: Raoul Trujillo , Fernando Hernandez , Gerardo Taracena , Rudy Youngblood , and Dalia Hernandez
Director: Mel Gibson
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

Action & Adventure | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

General | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest [Blu-ray]
Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl [Blu-ray]
Letters from Iwo Jima [Blu-ray]
Casino Royale [Blu-ray]
Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]

ASIN: B000NQQ4ME
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Product description

From Mel Gibson, director of The Passion Of The Christ and the Academy Award® winning Braveheart (Best Director, Best Picture, 1995) comes the thrilling historical epic Apocalypto. This intense, nonstop action-adventure transports you to an ancient South American civilization, for an experience unlike anything you've ever known. In the twilight of the mysterious Mayan culture, young Jaguar Paw is captured and taken to the great Mayan city where he faces a harrowing end. Driven by the power of his love for his wife and son, he makes an adrenaline-soaked, heart-racing escape to rescue them and ultimately save his way of life. Filled with unrelenting action and stunning cinematography, Apocalypto is an enthralling and unforgettable film experience.

Customer Reviews:

Take a Trip in a New World.......2007-07-03

That Movie gives you a New Experience in watching a Movie. Soon this Move brings you to a never seen before World. Everything seems to be real as you watching the Movie. Sound and Picture are how Blu-Ray should be...
Take the Trip....
But beware, if you don't like Movie's in Original Language(Maya) with English Subtitel...but give this Movie a try

I enjoyed watching this movie in hi-def.......2007-07-03

This was the first time I have seen this movie. It has a good story line, and the battles were realistic. I would recommend this movie to anyone.

Blu-Ray Heaven.......2007-06-29

Absolutely pristine video transfer and audio transfers make this a reference BD title.

I was not sure if I wanted to see this movie due to it being in Mayan dialogue with english subtitles. However as strange as this may sound I actually understood most of what was being said with only minor glances at the subtitling. Truely an awesome movie, if you want to see a Mayan Rambo then check this movie out.

May I just add that anyone who has put off seeing this movie because of Mel Gibson then I would respectfully suggest that in this instance you are doing yourself an injustice. I am sure Mel had a hand in this film but in all honesty after watching the extras on the disc I think even Mel would acknowledge that there were many, many people who made this film what it is. This truely is a masterpiece when it comes to engaging a predominantly english speaking audience into a non english speaking movie.

I had a couple of friends over tonight to watch it, knowing full well that they are both very anti Mel. They watched the movie and were blown away by it to be honest, the comment that I thought was interesting was when they said that they had deliberately not watched it due to Mel's involvement. However, they thanked me for putting it on as they thought it was a wonderful movie and very thought provoking for them with their beliefs.

Greatest movie since Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.......2007-06-28

Just watched this movie on standard def DVD - didnt know if i was going to like it at first but after 20 minutes in- I was TOTALLY HOOKED!!!!!!!! I cant wait to see it on Blu-Ray! Im buying this tonight!

Decent movie, great presentation.......2007-06-27

Since others have focused on the movie itself, I ask you to read their reviews for a review of the content. I want to focus on the quality of the encode instead.

For a short review of the film, I will say that it is action packed and nicely done, though I found the story slightly sparse; like the action took precedence over story.

It's also pretty violent in places, which is fine by me, but may not be everyone's cup of tea.

As far as the disc is concerned, the Blu-Ray presentation is phenomenal.

For video encoding Buena Vista chose to use the AVC/MPEG4 format. The encode is what you'd expect from HD; crisp and clear. There are no compression issues or any other perceptible visual anomalies present. It just looks darn good! The only real issue is the use of different film stocks. What you have is more grain in some areas due to the use of certain film stocks, while in others you have crisp clarity. This is as the movie is supposed to be presented, but if you don't realize why the change in "quality" it can be a bit confusing.

As far as audio is concerned, I commend Mel Gibson for his use of authentic languages on his films. The LPCM 5.1 audio (uncompressed) is absolutely clear and problem free. The channels have good separation when needed and it works really well in the Mayan language. There is also a more compatible Dolby Digital 5.1 track, listed as English, though this is not the case. There is only the Mayan language available on this release; no English language dub. You have to watch with subtitles, so if subtitles aren't your thing, look elsewhere.

Extras are presented in standard DVD resolution (480p). This is somewhat disappointing, but my guess is that the footage was shot on digital and not digital HD equipment. Hopefully in the future companies will record things in HD and present the entire package, not just the film, in HD. The film is what really matters, but standard def extras are slightly disappointing.

Over all I am happy with this release. The movie itself was good, but not "great" for me, while the technical aspects make the Blu-Ray presentation shine.

Average customer rating:

A New Kind of Role for Julia
True story of David and Goliath in modern terms
LM McMillin
Erin Brockovich is an Inspiration!
Great movie!

Erin Brockovich
Starring: Veanne Cox , Peter Coyote , Conchata Ferrell , Albert Finney , and Marg Helgenberger
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

A Civil Action
Runaway Bride
The Pelican Brief
Stepmom
My Best Friend's Wedding (Special Edition)

ASIN: B00003CXFV
Release Date: 2000-08-15

Amazon.com essential video

Much will be made of Julia Roberts's wardrobe in Erin Brockovich--a brash parade of daring hemlines and Wonderbra confidence. Roberts is unabashedly sexy in the title role of this fact-based comedy-drama, but she and director Steven Soderbergh are far too intelligent to rely solely on high heels and cleavage. Susannah Grant's brassy screenplay fuels this winning combination of star, director, and material, firing on all pistons with maximum efficiency. With Ed Lachman, his noted cinematographer from The Limey, Soderbergh tackles this A-list project with the fervor of an independent, combining a no-frills look with kinetic panache and the same brisk editorial style he used in the justly celebrated Out of Sight.

Broke and desperate, the twice-divorced single mom Erin bosses her way into a clerical job with attorney Ed Masry (Albert Finney), who's indebted to Erin after failing to win her traffic-injury case. Erin is soon focused on suspicious connections between a mighty power company, its abuse of toxic chromium, and the poisoned water supply of Hinkley, California, where locals have suffered a legacy of death and disease. Matching the dramatic potency of Norma Rae and Silkwood, Erin Brockovich filters cold facts through warm humanity, especially in Erin's rapport with dying victims and her relationship with George (superbly played by Aaron Eckhart), a Harley-riding neighbor who offers more devotion than Erin's ever known. Surely some of these details have been embellished for dramatic effect, but the factual basis of Erin Brockovich adds a boost of satisfaction, proving that greed, neglect, and corporate arrogance are no match against a passionate crusader. (Trivia note: The real Erin Brockovich appears briefly as a diner waitress.) --Jeff Shannon

Description

A real woman. A real story. A real triumph. Julia Roberts stars as Erin Brockovich, a feisty young mother who fought for justice any way she knew how. Desperate for a job to support herself and her three children, she convinces attorney Ed Masry (Albert Finney) to hire her, and promptly stumbles upon a monumental law case against a giant corporation. Now, Erin's determined to take on this powerful adversary even though no law firm has dared to do it before. And while Ed doesn't want anything to do with the case, Erin won't take "no" for an answer. So the two begin an incredible and sometimes hilarious fight that will bring a small town to its feet and a huge company to its knees.

Customer Reviews:

A New Kind of Role for Julia.......2007-05-10

This movie is worth seeing for a lot of reasons, and for Julia fans, it's a movie that definitely isn't Julia playing Julia, as she has so many times. I have a feeling she had to stretch to portray the brassy, pushy, rude Erin, and she did so brilliantly.

Erin is one of those ladies you love to hate, until you see the goodness and intelligence that may not be the first thing that most people notice about her. And she's a bulldog. Once she gets moving in one direction, there's no stopping her which is a good thing, at least in the true story that this movie portrayed.

This is a funny, heartwarming, and eye-opening movie that's really worth seeing.

True story of David and Goliath in modern terms.......2007-04-20

PG&E, Pacific Gas And Electric company, unintentionally polluted ground water for the town of Hinkley, CA, but tried to cover it up rather than admitting they had caused a major health problem to the residents. This cover up went on for a long time, until a barely-employable spitfire named Erin Brockovich, working for the lawyer Ed Masry, uncovers a strange file of real estate documents which include medical records. Curious as to why a real estate file would contain medical documents, she begins to research the case.

What follows is the true story of a woman named Erin Brockovich, who together with Ed Masry uncovered a major cover up of a health hazard resulting in one of the largest settlements in history. This film is extremely well done, dividing its time between Erin the worker, Erin the single-mom trying her best to raise her three kids, and Erin the human being. The movie skates over the fact that the real Erin got sick along with the rest of the town (although you can see some cut scenes of her illness in the "deleted scenes" feature).

The movie is definitely a dramatized reproduction of the true story, though it still manages to hold very close to the truth. A&E has done a special on the Erin Brockovich case which proves the movie stays true to form. Julia Roberts as Erin and Albert Finney as Ed Masry both give excellent performances. The movie isn't necessarily fast-paced but the dialogue is intriguing, intense at times, and funny at times, keeping the entertainment level high. The acting and dialogue alone are enough to carry this film.

If you're a fan of the little guy taking on the giant, or a fan of Julia Roberts, either way you won't be disappointed. Like Grisham's fictional 'The Rainmaker', you'll feel satisfied that sometimes the little guy can win ... in real life. I recommend a 'buy'. Enjoy!

LM McMillin.......2007-03-18

It was and excellent movie and the interviews with the real Erin Brockovich and Ed Masry made the movie even better.

Erin Brockovich is an Inspiration!.......2007-02-07

Great movie! Nicely told with great acting! I love the fact that Ms. Brockovich made this case happen! She was the underdog here when no one wanted to employ her because she didn't have the right look or the job experience. But Brockovich made things work to her advantage. The same can be said of the case in this movie which Brockovich helped her employers research and win!

Great movie!.......2007-01-26

Inspirational nd motivating. Good acting. I could (and have) watch it over and over. If you like this, you will also like:

John Q (w/ Denzel Washington)
The Life of David Gale (W/ Kevin Spacey)
A Time To Kill (W/ Samuel L Jackson and Matthew McConnaughey)
The Rainmaker (W/ Matt Damon)
Enough (W/ J.Lo)
and Crash!!!

Average customer rating:

me please
Wings of Desire is better by far
The Original Is Better
City of Angels
meg ryan fan

City of Angels
Starring: Nicolas Cage , Meg Ryan , Andre Braugher , Dennis Franz , and Colm Feore
Director: Brad Silberling
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

What Dreams May Come
Michael
City Of Angels: Music From The Motion Picture
Meet Joe Black (Ultimate Edition)
The Family Man

ASIN: 0790737345
Release Date: 1998-09-29

Amazon.com

Some critics complained that City of Angels could never compare to Wim Wenders's exquisite German film Wings of Desire, which served as the later film's primary inspiration. The better argument to make is that any such comparisons are beside the point, because Wings of Desire was a much more deeply poetic, artfully contemplative film, whereas City of Angels is an enchanting product of mainstream Hollywood. Meg Ryan stars as Dr. Maggie Rice, a heart surgeon who is grieving over a lost patient when an angel named Seth (Nicolas Cage) appears to comfort her. She can see him despite the "rule" that angels are invisible, and Seth's love for Maggie forces him to choose between angelic immortality and a normal human existence on earth with her. Featuring heavenly roles for TV veterans Andre Braugher and Dennis Franz, the film liberally borrows imagery from Wings of Desire, but it also creates its own charming identity. Cage and Ryan give fine performances as lovers convinced they are soul mates, and although the plot relies on a last-minute twist that doesn't quite work, this earnest love story struck a chord with audiences and proved to be one of the surprise hits of 1998. The Special Edition widescreen DVD includes audio commentary by Nicolas Cage, producer Charles Roven, and director Brad Silberling in addition to deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes documentary, a featurette about the film's special effects, and the theatrical trailer. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

me please.......2007-06-27

Found the item to be of good quality what was said was what I got found them to be reliable and effficient. Thank You.

Wings of Desire is better by far.......2007-05-16

"Wings of Desire" (the movie that "City of Angels" is loosely inspired upon), is a masterpiece and "City of Angels" is...is... how could I explain it not being too rude? It is just a piece of junk in comparison. Somebody wrote that he didn't like "Wings of Desire" because he didn't feel the same as he felt watching "City of Angels". I agree in the "feeling" part, because I felt nausea watching "City of Angels" and that didn't happen to me watching "Wings of Desire"!! I own "Wings of Desire" and have seen it and enjoyed it many times. Regarding "City of Angels", well I rented it and barely could see it once!

The Original Is Better.......2007-05-13

Back in 1988, on a friend's recommendation, I saw "Wings of Desire" in the theater and loved it. Subsequently, I was interested when Hollywood made its own version of Wim Wender's film with Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan, both actors whose work I've enjoyed. I saw "City of Angels," and for the most part I liked it -- that is, until the very end. What a DOWNER!! No matter that the movie gets all psedo-warmfuzzy-philosophical and time-to-get-out-your-handkerchiefs, it misses the point of the original film, which was a celebration of Human Life and Love. I own the DVD of "Wings of Desire." One viewing of "City of Angels" was enough for me.

City of Angels.......2007-05-09

this is a great movie, a must have. Beautiful music. Two wonderful actors with very expressive eyes. upgrade to DVD

meg ryan fan.......2007-03-18

i like this movie because for me, it was a nice, simple story about love. it made me think and it reminded me not to take life, love and peoples feelings for granted...

Average customer rating:

One of the last great Disney Movies
Grandchildren Loved The Little Mermaid
Great Product!
The Little Mermaid (2-Disc Platinum Edition)
Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid (Limited Issue)
Starring: Rene Auberjonois , Christopher Daniel Barnes , Jodi Benson , Pat Carroll , and Paddi Edwards
Director: Ron Clements , and John Musker
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

3-6 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

7-9 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

10-12 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Adapted from Books | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Family Films | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Fantasy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Feature Films | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

Fairy Tales | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

All Disney Titles | Disney Home Entertainment | Stores | DVD | Video

Animated Movies | Disney Home Entertainment | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Cars (Widescreen Edition)
Peter Pan (2-Disc Platinum Edition)
Cinderella (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Platinum Edition)
Lady and the Tramp (50th Anniversary Edition) (Platinum Edition)
Over the Hedge (Widescreen Edition)

Accessories:

Disney's The Little Mermaid: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack [Blisterpack]
Ariel's Story Studio

ASIN: B00001QEE7
Release Date: 1999-12-07

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

One of the last great Disney Movies.......2007-05-28

Grandchildren Loved The Little Mermaid.......2007-05-17

I bought this for my three grandchildren and they are very, very happy with it and have watched it many times already.

Great Product!.......2007-05-14

The dvd was brand new in the packaging. I would defintely buy from this seller again!!!

The Little Mermaid (2-Disc Platinum Edition).......2007-05-13

Little Mermaid.......2007-05-09

An upgrade to DVD. Wonderful movie to watch, beautiful coloring and music. Ariel can sing the pants off a crab.

Average customer rating:

Excellent and moving portrayal of America as we once were
Best WWII "Pacific Theatre" film ever made
John Fords finest hour
Simply The Best
"NO MAMA-NO PAPA-NO UNCLE SAM...THE BATTERED HEROES OF BATAAN"

They Were Expendable
Starring: John Wayne , Montgomery , Reed , Holt , and Bon
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Titles | John Wayne Store | Stores | DVD | Video

1940s | John Wayne Store | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Operation Pacific
In Harm's Way
Back to Bataan
The Fighting Seabees
Flying Leathernecks

ASIN: B000O599VC
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com essential video

They Were Expendable is the greatest American film of the Second World War, made by America's greatest director, John Ford, who himself saw action from the Battle of Midway through D-day. Yet it's been oddly neglected. Or perhaps not so oddly: for as the matter-of-fact title implies, the film commemorates a period, from the eve of Pearl Harbor up to the impending fall of Bataan, when the Japanese conquest of the Pacific was in full cry and U.S. forces were fighting a desperate holding action. Although stirring movies had been made about these early days (Wake Island, Bataan, Air Force), they were gung ho in their resolve to see the tables turned. They Were Expendable, however, which was made when Allied victory was all but assured, is profoundly elegiac, with the patient grandeur of a tragic poem.

"They" are the officers and men of the Navy's PT boat service, an experimental motor-torpedo force relegated to courier duty on Manila Bay but eventually proven effective in combat. Their commander is played by Robert Montgomery, who actually served on a PT and later commanded a destroyer at Normandy; James Agee called his "the one unimprovable performance" of 1945. In addition to giving it, Montgomery codirected the breathtaking second-unit action sequences (and took over the first unit for a week when Ford broke his leg). John Wayne's costarring role as Montgomery's volatile second-in-command initially looks stereotypically blustery, but as the drama unfolds--the death of comrades, a friendship-that-never-gets-to-be-a-romance with an Army nurse (Donna Reed)--Wayne sounds notes of tenderness and vulnerability that will take Duke-bashers by surprise.

They Were Expendable is a heartbreakingly beautiful film, full of astonishing images of warfare, grief, courage, and dignity: the artificial "rainfall" that lashes the beached Wayne as his PT boat explodes in the surf; the glow around a communally improvised dinner for nurse Reed; an old ship-repairer (Russell Simpson, The Grapes of Wrath's Pa Joad) settling in grimly to wait for the Japanese, with "Red River Valley" as benediction; the propeller spray that hangs over a jungle inlet, like the dust from one of Ford's cavalry pictures, as the PTs round a bend and disappear into history. This is a masterpiece. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Supplies are dwindling. Troops are hopelessly outnumbered. But even in defeat there is victory. The defenders of the Philippines ? including PT-boat skippers John Brickley (Robert Montgomery) and Rusty Ryan (John Wayne) will give the U.S. war effort time to regroup after the devastation of Pearl Harbor. Director John Ford's World War II tale knows its battle-scarred topic firsthand. Montgomery was himself a Pacific PT-boat commander and a valorous Bronze Star recipient. Ford filmed the Academy Award?-winning* documentary Battle of Midway. And Wayne creates a portrait of patriotic resolve as only he can. They Were Expendable salutes all who expended themselves during some of the war's bleakest hours. Director John Ford's World War II tale knows its battle-scarred topic firsthand. Montgomery was himself a Pacific PT-boat commander and a valorous Bronze Star recipient. Ford filmed the Academy Award -winning* documentary Battle of Midway. And Wayne creates a portrait of patriotic resolve as only he can. They Were Expendable salutes all who expended themselves during some of the war's bleakest hours.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent and moving portrayal of America as we once were.......2007-06-26

The quality of the DVD is excellent, making viewing the film a good experience. I had seen this film many years ago and seeing it again brings back many memories. Oh, how I wish America had held on to those good qualities.

Best WWII "Pacific Theatre" film ever made.......2007-05-21

That's all there is to say about it. It's the best World War II movie about the war in the pacific ever made. Wayne, Reed & Montgomery never looked better. The supporting cast is perfect. It will break your heart and inspire you at the same time.

John Fords finest hour.......2007-05-20

I remember seeing this movie a thousand times on TV from childhood. I finally bought the DVD to see the entire film uncut. There has always been something special about Donna Reed and Robert Montgomery in this film. They are very much the same but the war forces them into very different roles. It was never lost on me that John Ford positioned John Wayne between them to show the contrast and simultaneously the similarities. It's certainly one of the most elegant films I have ever seen.

Simply The Best.......2007-04-16

Perhaps I can't improve upon the previous review which rated "They Were Expendable" as the greatest World War II made film, but as the son and nephew of men who served in the conflict, and myself a Vietnam vet, I would say that this is a poignant epic,-depicting war as it is,- brutal,-and yet bringing out the nobility of the human spirit.Robert Montgomery is representative of the dedicated commander-fatherly to ALL his men whether they are his senior or junior. The wonderful loyalty and cheerfulness of the Filipinos is touching.If someone who knew nothing about World War II wanted an insight about what the war REALLY was-then watch this movie FIRST! Again the greatest movie about World War II!!!

"NO MAMA-NO PAPA-NO UNCLE SAM...THE BATTERED HEROES OF BATAAN".......2007-04-15

...Famous WW2 saying/slogan for the stalwart defense of the Philippines, our Navy and Army defenders were forsaken, doomed and became prisoners of war by the Japanese war machine for over 3.5 years of inhuman captivity..."They Were Expendable"...a terrific WW2 movies central to the use of Motor Torpedo Squadrons [PT Boats]...John Wayne and Robert Montgomery excell and John Ford directs a resolute tale of WW2 courage...the two stars portray PT-Boat skippers who defend the Philippines and give the USA war effort the needed timespan to regroup after the crippling losses at Pearl Harbor and Clark Field, PI...great casting and inspiring music permeate with each changing scene...two heads/up about this movie: #1: Robert Montgomery actually saw action on active duty as PT-Boat skipper during the war and looks right at home in all of his scenes at the helm of PT-41...he easily generates leadership, the art of command and camraderie throughout this film [a given Ford trademark]....#2:...Donna Reed, after the American moviegoers saw her in action, her star rose like a meteor and established her as a leading lady thereafter, and justly so, did you ever see 'the perfect face' in her closeups??...whether under stress or just feminine happiness, it mattered naught...a classic face for eternity, simply beautiful...John Wayne was great as the XO despite playing John Wayne [himself] in all of his movies, this guy's persona was what made John Wayne so likeable, why tamper with his success on the silver screen...all in all a wonderful WW2 movie for the ages...Anchors Aweigh!!!......SSGT CHRIS SARNO-USMC FMF

Average customer rating:

Race with the devil
"Tonight on the C.B.S. late night movie"!
RACE WITH THIS DEVIL
Race With the Devil--Good action
Hell on wheels!

Race With the Devil
Starring: R.G. Armstrong , Wes Bishop , Carol Blodgett , Arkey Blue , and Peter Fonda
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Cult Classics | Anchor Bay Horror Store | Stores | DVD | Video

70's Horror Classics | Anchor Bay Horror Store | Stores | DVD | Video

The Devil Made Me Do It | Anchor Bay Horror Store | Stores | DVD | Video

All Titles | Anchor Bay Horror Store | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (Supercharger Edition)
The Devil's Rain
Let's Scare Jessica to Death
The Gumball Rally
Trilogy of Terror

ASIN: B0007WQGRC
Release Date: 2005-06-28

Amazon.com

An alternate title for this movie could easily be RV to Hell. Two middle-class couples take their spankin'-new motor home on a trip to Colorado. While camping out in Texas, the men see something they shouldn't--a human sacrifice by Satanists who somehow manage not to notice their Safeway- sized vehicle until the last minute. The tourists flee from the devil worshippers, getting the monstrous RV hung up in a stream, and so goes the rest of the movie. The local sheriff is in league with the devil, and every town they come to is full of pesky Satanists. The vacationers are nothing if not resourceful, though; when a pair of determined Beelzebubbers cling to the vehicle like barnacles, Peter Fonda pokes at them with an aluminum vacuum-cleaner wand until they give up and fall off! Oddly, halfway through the film, it turns from a fairly routine (if suspenseful) horror movie to a Ron Howard-style car-chase film, with a half-dozen vehicles pursuing the motor home. The vacationers continue to abuse the RV until large chunks of it begin to fall off, fending off their enemies with a shotgun until the nasty surprise ending. With a cast that includes Fonda, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit, and Lara Parker, it's hard to go wrong (though the women's roles consist of screaming ineffectually, making coffee, and cleaning the earth-toned Winnebago). Yep, this Central Texas-lensed drive-in feature supplies thrills, car wrecks, devil worshippers, and unintended laughs by the bushel... what else can you ask for? --Jerry Renshaw

Description

Frank (Warren Oates) and Roger (Peter Fonda) take off for Colorado with their wives in a recreational vehicle, looking forward to some skiing and dirt biking. While camping en route, they witness a satanic ritual sacrifice, but the local sheriff finds no evidence to support their claims and urges them to continue on their vacation. On the way, however, they find themselves fleeing repeated attacks from cult members.

Customer Reviews:

Race with the devil.......2007-06-12

Great old movie with Loretta Switt and Peter Fonda who is a darn good actor. Thanks for having it so i could purchase it.

"Tonight on the C.B.S. late night movie"!.......2007-04-15

This along with "Shock Waves" is the Holy Grail of late night movies that I have been looking for that scared me .... badly(got you!) as a child.
Two couples(Warren Oates , Peter Fonda, Loretta Switt , and Laura Parker) after years of building a motorcycle shop up decide to rent a top of the line(1975 anyway) RV and take to the road. BAD IDEA!!!!!! After a day of biking and having fun the guys sit outside have a beer and witness a satanic cult sacrifice! This would be bad enough but when a wife yells for them to come in, the cult sees them and the chase and chills are on. It seems that everyone in the part of Texas that they are in is part of the cult as they are hounded every step of the way after reporting the incident. Car chases, snakes, animal cruelty, RV cruelty, and random violence to road signs ensue.
This is a great paranoid chiller(as most post Watergate movies were) where everyone is out to get our heroes, and no one is to trusted. This is one of the best Drive-In movies of all time! The ending is one that you will never forget and stays with you long after the credits roll.
The cast is pitch perfect, full of some of the best character actors of all time and the pace is lighting quick. I hear that a remake is planed, well if the ones they have done lately are any sign, they can't improve on this Great Little Chiller!

RACE WITH THIS DEVIL.......2007-04-09

I remember watching this on a Sat afternoon.Channel 9 always played this one.This movie freaked me out{i was only 10} when I first saw it.Frank and Roger{Warren Oates,Peter Fonda} take their wives{Laura Parker,Loretta Swift}on a vacation to Colorado.During a rest the two men witness a Satanic Ritual across the water.They are spotted and the chase is on!The thing that made this movie was as a viewer pointed out was that these people are normal looking.This added much to the creepiness.I always loved the pool scene.Its funny how Laura Parker always gets the stares and not Loretta Swift.The director Jack Starrett has a small role as a gas station attendant. Its filled with car chases which was popular back then and not so much today.I have to keep in mind too that this was 1975 and low budget.Its still is a great movie!

Race With the Devil--Good action.......2007-03-09

I went to see this movie as a kid at the theater. I remember the audience yelling and clapping during the chase scenes. I enjoyed it just as much all these years later. The plot is fairly simple....after witnessing a human sacrifice the people get pursued for miles and days by the cult members. The movie is still somewhat scary and suspensful in a "B" movie sort of way. The DVD has some good extras to it like the interview with Peter Fonda.

Hell on wheels!.......2007-02-26

"When you Race With the Devil, you better be faster than Hell!" screams the trailer for one of the all-time great irresistible chase movie premises: vacationers Warren Oates and Peter Fonda inadvertently witness a ritual killing and find themselves and their wives pursued in their RV by a bunch of unrelenting Satanists. And these aren't any old Satanists - these are Texan Satanists, and darn well connected ones too. Pretty soon it's looking like the whole of the Lone Star State is part of a Satanic conspiracy, and thankfully it's one that involves lots of car crashes. While it doesn't make quite as much of the idea as it perhaps could and the great ending completely defies logic, it's still as much fun as it sounds. It's not a great movie by any means, but as Peter Fonda says on the DVD it was never meant to be: it was just about having a good time with it (though I'm guessing that original director Lee Frost didn't have such a great time since he got replaced by Jack Starrett). Unfortunately, but perhaps predictably, there is a remake in the works.

Anchor Bay's DVD is a good package, featuring a good 1.85:1 widescreen transfer with decent extras - a 17-minute featurette including an interview with Peter Fonda, audio commentary by producer Paul Maslansky and actress Lara Parker, stills and poster gallery, 3 radio spots, original theatrical trailer and trailers for The Entity, Quicksilver Highway and Ghost in the Machine.

Average customer rating:

Mostly unobjectionable
Excellent
Perfect
Oh wow look at him now he's Zuckerman's famous pig
The original

Charlotte's Web (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Debbie Reynolds , Paul Lynde , Henry Gibson , Bob Holt , and Dave Madden
Director: Charles A. Nichols , and Iwao Takamoto
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Fantasy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Charlotte's Web 2 - Wilbur's Great Adventure
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Full Screen Edition)
Charlotte's Web (Trophy Newbery)
Charlotte's Web (Widescreen Edition)
Cinderella (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Platinum Edition)

ASIN: B00005N89B
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Amazon.com

This animated feature based on the popular E.B. White book for children--about the special relationships between Wilbur the pig, Charlotte the spider, and Templeton the rat--is a straight adaptation from the page, with songs added. Endearing, heartbreaking, and ultimately wise, it may not please all of those with a strong attachment to the book, but it works all the same. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Mostly unobjectionable.......2007-06-04

All I can say is casting Paul Lynde as Templeton the rat was a stroke of genius. Can you say *C*A*M*P* Boys and Girls?

But the queeny sub-text will escape the intended audience, so not to worry Mom and Dad.

E. B. White would probably object to most of the changes made here, but compared to the execrable and unconscionable changes made to his "Stuart Little" it is not even comparable and sticks somewhat to the original text.

However, I strongly recommend that this story be reserved for five to seven year olds, for the theme of death of a loved one from the perspective of an innocent may be too much to bear for younger viewers.

But if you can avoid watching this until you've read the original E. B. White story to your children you will have given them a treasure of memorable American narrative prose.

Excellent.......2007-05-28

This was a gift for my sister who says it reached her in good condition.

Perfect.......2007-05-13

It is as wonderful as I remembered as a child. My daughter adores this wonderful, sweet, heartwarming story of true friendship!

Oh wow look at him now he's Zuckerman's famous pig.......2007-04-04

Alright, if you've seen the film, you remember this lyric.

This happened to be the first movie I ever saw at a theater (1974, when I was two months away from my tenth birthday). Loved it then and love it now.

Perfect mix of pathos and comedy. The late Paul Lynde should have won a Mel Blanc award for his excellent turn here as Templeton the rat. To this day, the scene with him eating the corn on the cob like a typewriter has me in stitches.

If you saw it as a child, see it again with the children in your life. Later for the new film- they got it right the first time.

Hanna-Barbera showed they could give Uncle Walt a run for the money on this one.

The original.......2007-03-13

We wanted our pre-schooler to get a chance to see this fine, animated version before we got the newer one. It's as good as ever and makes a nice addition to our dvd collection.

Average customer rating:

Obsessive obsession
Excellent Service
"Goodness has so little fictional value"
A Woman of Her Word
Great acting!

The End of the Affair
Starring: Ralph Fiennes , Stephen Rea , Julianne Moore , Heather-Jay Jones , and James Bolam
Director: Neil Jordan
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Religion | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Art House & International | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Onegin
The English Patient (Miramax Collector's Edition)
Oscar & Lucinda
Sunshine
Wuthering Heights (1992)

ASIN: 0767847415
Release Date: 2000-05-16

Amazon.com essential video

"This is a diary of hate," pounds out novelist Maurice Bendrix (Ralph Fiennes) on his typewriter as he recounts the lost love of his life in this spiritual memoir (based on Graham Greene's novel) with a startling twist. It's London 1946, and Maurice runs into his achingly dull school friend Henry (Stephen Rea with a perpetually gloomy hangdog expression). Their meeting is brittle, all small talk and chilly, mannered civility beautifully captured by director-screenwriter Neil Jordan (The Crying Game), and it only barely thaws when Henry suggests that his wife, Sarah (the luminous Julianne Moore), may be having an affair. Maurice's mind reels back to his passionate affair with Sarah during the war years, which she abruptly broke off two years ago. Gripped with a jealousy that hasn't abated, he hires a private detective (a mousy, marvelous Ian Hart) to shadow her movements. He prepares himself for the revelation of a rival but instead finds a deeper, more profound secret: "I tempted fate," she writes in her diary, "and fate accepted."

Jordan's cool remove captures the unease beneath formal manners but never warms into intimacy during the scenes between the lovers, even while Fiennes and Moore almost explode in repressed emotions, their faces cracking under their masks of civility and their resolve shaking through jittery body language. There's more thought than feeling behind this collision of passion and spirituality, but it's a sincere, richly realized portrait of ennui and rage against God energized by brief moments of shattering drama. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Obsessive obsession.......2007-03-09

To love that deeply that you constantly obsess about every aspect of your lover's life is maddening, literally. This couple appears to have a bond way beyond this earth. The heat generated by them almost melts the screen. This is a wonderful torrid love story.

Excellent Service.......2007-01-12

Item was shipped as soon as i placed order. I was updated often. Excellent service!

"Goodness has so little fictional value".......2006-09-15

I love films which unfold complexities slowly, that use color with deep intention, and don't rely on words to say everything that must be said.

The End of the Affair is a lovingly and carefully adapted film. To fit into time, I feel that you must allow a film like this to stand on its own. Many adjustments were made to the story, and what eventually emmerges is, to me, even more cohesive and personal.

One thing I particularly love about The End of the Affair, is the color pallette and sharp attention to clothing. I love Sarah's red suits, her green jacket, her hair (carefully suited to the time), and the way the colors stand out, but with subtlety, from every scene that she stands in until her character begins to fade.

This movie permanently affected my aesthetic sensibilities.

The *most* affecting aspect of the movie for me however, was being able to deeply relate to the character of Sarah, as I think many people can. Most of us have our superstitions, even when we work to keep them subdued, and certainly a seemingly "miraculous experience," or great trauma (they usually go together don't they?) can bring those things to the surface.

I thought that the Bendrix and Henry dynamic that played out in the film was fascinating. It created a contrast between two ways of living really: One figure, content to live on a straight line, climbing little by little with bits of satisfaction but no passion, and the other all passion and anger and intensity. Henry, in a way, created the passion Sarah felt for Maurice. He bottled her up and placed her on a shelf where she simmered, and I think the "vulgar sex scenes" as some called them, are extraordinarily necessary if you want to understand the emotions going on.

Then again, Sarah's religious devotion followed her commitment to Henry, which before the vow she seemed to have no intention of lessening, so you also see that she was more than the sensual person that she was with Maurice, she was also the practical wife. Neither was a role she was playing.

Every central character in this film, is a dichotomy, and more than that, they are wonderfully and spectacularly flawed, which certainly is the core of Graham Greene's insightful and philosophic writing.

This is a labrynth of a film, rich in unanswerable questions, and contains the most brilliant use of perspective that I have ever seen. If you, like me, like to watch a good film several times, I recommend listening to Neil Jordan's commentary along with at least one viewing, then watching it again.

-Stephanie

A Woman of Her Word.......2006-01-15

While this film did not hit me as hard (emotionally) as THE ENGLISH PATIENT, it sure gave me plenty to think about.

The cast and direction are first-rate. The story is well-told. It made me buy the novel and read it--and then wonder how much of the story really happened!

If you enjoy intelligent, challenging love stories told against historical backdrops, then check this movie out.
And be very careful what you ask God for.

Great acting!.......2005-09-24

After the film ended, I imagined viewing it again without the vulgar sex scenes and I thought that it could've been a great film. I am very impressed with Ralph Fiennes and Stephen Rea's performances. Brilliant!

Average customer rating:

The Four Feather Bore
Faithful to its source; just not very entertaining
High production values, but doesn't make sense
What is the price of commitment?
Of Cowardice and Heroism

The Four Feathers
Starring: Djimon Hounsou , Alex Jennings , Michael Sheen , Kate Hudson , and Rupert Penry-Jones
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Art House & International | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Ned Kelly
The Four Feathers
The Order
A Knight's Tale
Khartoum

ASIN: B00005JLO2
Release Date: 2003-02-18

Amazon.com

The seventh filming of A.E.W. Mason's classic 1902 novel, this near-epic production of The Four Feathers looks great, sounds great, and feels rather average. It would be difficult to diminish the rousing adventure of Mason's novel, and director Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth) certainly gets more bang for his buck, with massive battle scenes and rugged, sun-baked harshness enhanced by Robert Richardson's masterful cinematography. Kapur preserves the universal appeal of the story, set in the 1880s, in which a promising soldier (Heath Ledger) resigns on the eve of battle in Britain's Sudanese campaign, is labeled a coward by his fiancée (Kate Hudson), and redeems himself by posing as a Muslim warrior to rescue his best friend Jack (Wes Bentley) from certain death in the desert. For all its heroics, however, the film seems oddly passionless; Djimon Hounsou is excellent as Ledger's desert guardian, but these young Hollywood stars lack the authenticity of Zoltan Korda's 1939 film, which remains the definitive version. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

The Four Feather Bore.......2007-03-09

Sorry but if this movie gets better with time I wouldn't know. I was too impatient and bored to wait. If a movie doesn't capture me in the first 5-10 minutes I'm finished. This could be a five star movie for someone who has some patience and willing to invest the time.

Faithful to its source; just not very entertaining.......2007-01-31

Well, at least the movie is faithful to its source in its spirit. Based on a book written on 1902, it's nostalgia of the British empire belongs to that era. The plot deals with a soldier who is expelled from his regiment for refusing to go to fight a colonial war in Sudan because of his impending marriage. Not only his colleagues regard him now as a coward, but also his future wife. He had no choice then but to go to war to prove he is a real man and not a coward. The filmmakers try nothing in terms to bring the material up to date, to our more contemporary (and one hopes, more enlightened) attitudes. There's no post colonial guilt here whatsoever. In some ways, this speaks well of the filmmakers in terms of not trying to tamper with the original material; in another way, it is a bit shocking seeing such jingoism in a contemporary movie. All of this wouldn't matter much if the movie was entertaining; unfortunately, it is only intermittently so.

High production values, but doesn't make sense.......2006-12-17

Visually "The Four Feathers" is a gorgeous film; but nonstop action is so heavily emphasized at the expense of plot and character development, that the film makes almost no sense.

I could almost take it on faith that the focal character, Harry what's-his-name, might impulsively flee to the Sudan in an attempt to redeem his honor and help his former fellow officers and friends. However, it was never at any point clear what his overall plan was for helping them, or even if he ever had any. In one scene an Arab go-between tells Harry he needs to learn Arabic; and Harry apparently instantly and effortlessly learns enough Arabic, as well as enough about local culture, to pass as a Bedouin among both native peoples and the British. Worst of all, Harry and other characters are repeatedly abandoned in the most barren desert; and except for one instance (where they also get help from a native), with no transportation except their feet, no food or water, no guide, and no map, and usually when they're in bad physical shape to start with--yet somehow they always survive. Added to many other improbabilities, all this strains credibility too far, even for an action film.

It's a shame, because with a slower pace and more character development, this could have been an intriguing and much more subtle film. The theme is very much male love and comradeship--Harry's fiancee Ethne doesn't matter to him nearly as much as his male friends. So, when Harry's friend Jack announces to that same group of friends that he (Jack) is also getting engaged, and one of those friends congratulates Jack with pain and great reluctance--well, a modern viewer can't help but wonder exactly _how_ intimate these man-to-man relationships are.

Then there's Harry's cultural identity. There is a period when he is impressed into almost-slavery by a British regiment (to whom, for unexplained reasons, he has not revealed his true identity). The soldiers crack whips, and Harry and natives of various races spend days laboriously struggling to move the British baggage vehicles, etc. through the desert as fast as possible. Seeing the worst side of colonization, does Harry ever gain sympathy for the natives and lose sympathy for the British cause? Then there's Harry's incredibly faithful native sidekick, whose name I've forgotten. The native's deep devotion to Harry is owing to his even deeper devotion to Mohammedism; Allah has told him to protect Harry. Does Mohammedism ever look more appealing to Jack than the Church of England?

In other words, why doesn't Harry just chuck the whole British cause and go native? After all, there's "nothing left for him at home." His relationships with his father and his fiancee seem destroyed, his army career is over, he has no money and no prospects.

Logical as all these questions seem, "The Four Feathers" not only does not answer them, it doesn't even acknowledge that they exist.

What is the price of commitment?.......2006-09-20

This beautiful film is very complex, with a few flaws, but overall a good exploration of the concept of commitment.

Whereas the plot requires that the script be spun around the concept of cowardice, the four feather insult, and the lengthy redemption - there is an underlying and subtle theme of commitment that rings very true.

Commitment itself is a complex emotion since commitment to one person or idea may compete with commitment to other folks or ideas. This is the dilema that faces handsome Harry Haversham, played well by the ever changing chameleon Heath Ledger.

Harry has made a decision to join the army due to family commitments, specifically his father who is a general. He has made commitments to his buddies, his fellow soldiers. Thi is especially true for his commitment to his best friend, Jack Durrance (played beautifully by Wes Bentley). He has made commitments to his young fiance, Ethne Eustace, played by Kate Hudson. And he has commitments to himself, for he never wished to become a soldier and go to war. A British offensive in the Sudan is the catalyst for Harry to resign his commission as an officer in the army and leave the armed services.

Harry decides to honor the commitment to himself, imagining that his relationship with Ethne will not change. Yet she is deeply impacted and can not imagine their life together if they are social outcasts.

And so, by honoring his commitment to himself, Harry does not honor his commitment to Queen and country, to his father, to his fiance, and to his buddies. After the fellows become fully sunk in the wasp nest of the Sudan, Harry becomes greatly concerned at the report of the high number of deaths of British soldiers. He makes his way to the Sudan to save and protect his buddies and redeem himself in the eyes of others.

During this dramatic struggle Harry undergoes some of the trials and tribulations of the hero, many of which are explained in the writings of Joseph Campbell. For example, in many myths regarding heroes, the hero shows kindness to a lesser being and in turn is rewarded. Harry shows kindness to an African tribal princess who spares his life when her tribesman kills the camel train leader.

The struggles intensify as Harry becomes an observant pawn in a strategic struggle between Sudanese Islamic insurgents and British imperial troops.

At this point he meets Abu Fatma, played exceptionally well by Djimon Hounsou. Djimon is an absolute mountain of muscle, a giant imposing character. Here the film becomes Jungian for in many ways Abu is Harry's shadow, the confrontation with the dark side of the self which brings about a stronger integrated personality. In classic Jungian theory, the Shadow is at first feared,and then becomes a guide into deeper feelings, and finally is integrated into the personality resulting in a stronger character with greater insight and compassion. This is exactly what happens in this partnership between Harry and Abu.

In the end, Harry undertakes feats of incredible bravery and daring. He redeems himself in the eyes of those who saw him as a coward. He does this not only through brave acts but by integration of competing forces within his personality. Harry emerges a far more centered man after his encounter in the desert with his shadow.

There are other well developed sub-themes such as Jack Durrance's heroism and sacrifice first of his eyes and then of his relationship with Ethne.

The film ends with a fine speech by Jack Durrance about commitment to an abstract Queen and country as compared to commitment to the flesh and blood concrete reality of those comrades with whom we have bonded. And thus this parable tells us that our first commitment is to self, and then to those we love, but there is sometimes a steep price to pay for our commitments.

The grand sweeping palaces of England and the desolate prisons hidden in African deserts offer vastly different views of the world of the British Empire. The film takes us on a grand journey of the eyes and of the character.

Of Cowardice and Heroism.......2006-08-08

To me, this movie is neither about cowardice nor heroism. I think my views are a result of my time at Khe Sanh, Vietnam, almost 40 years ago.

I saw the 1939 version 50 years ago, and it has always been imprinted in my mind. That is why I bought the version which has the Director's comments included, which I think adds much to the enjoyment of the movie.

The reason I say this movie version is not about cowardice, regardless of Mason's intentions in his book, is because Harrys reason's for resigning are well stated in the movie: He is in love, and he never wanted to be a soldier. He is only in the army because his father is a general and he is compelled by family tradition and loyalty to follow in his father's footsteps. However, once he made the commitment to his buddies, he should not have resigned, and that is what compels him to go to Sudan-principally to fulfill his obligation to his buddies, and only secondarily to salvage his Victorian Era self-image. Jack Durrance's speach at the end, nicely, and quite cleverly I thought, ties this facet of the movie together.

As to political correctness, I failed to see where the movie suffered due to a few lines which could be critisized for this. When at Khe Sanh, more than a few times I must admit, I asked myself the question "What possible reason is there for a poor kid from a mining town in Arizona to be living like an animal in a red clay foxhole a few miles from Laos and the DMZ in Vietnam, firing his rifle at another poor kid he can't even see who is fighting IN HIS OWN COUNTRY for his country's freedom?" I thought the British military tradition, on both an Empire and an individual foot-soldier level was very well presented in a favorable light.

I believe the Abu Fatma chaacter contributed enormously to the success of the film. The Islamic obligation of courtesy, respect and charity (which I have personally experienced in my travels with my wife of 39 years in Turkey and the Middle East) was an enjoyable, and in my opinion essential, aspect.

No movie exactiy reflects the book, and some changes to plot, etc., don't bother me. It's the overall presentation which is important.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone.

DVD:

DVD List

DVD

DVD

The Chieftains - Live Over Ireland: Water from the Well

Where's Your Head at

Lady Frankenstein [1972] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Hard Labour

Carve Her Name With Pride