Fall Out

Starring:Claire Beckman, Keith Randolph Smith, Lee Donoghue, David Wasson (II), Mark Deakins
Director: Robert Palumbo
Studio: York Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

No movie on disk

The Jerk [HD DVD]
Starring: Lillian Adams , Alston Ahern , Domingo Ambriz , Kimberly Cameron , and Helena Carroll
Director: Carl Reiner
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000NA6MMW
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Description

That wild and crazy guy, Steve Martin, makes his film-starring debut in the wacky comedy hit The Jerk. Steve plays Navin Johnson, the adopted son of a poor black sharecropper family, whose crazy inventions lead him from rags to riches…right back to rags. Steve propels Navin through a string of misadventures-becoming smitten with a lady motorcycle racer, surviving a series of screwball attacks by a deranged killer, and becoming a millionaire by inventing the "Opti-grab" handle for eyeglasses-and shows why he's one of the hottest comic performers in the world.

Customer Reviews:

No movie on disk.......2007-06-11

No movie on disc. Just a blank CD. Not amazons fault but just beware

Average customer rating:

Rebirth and Resurrection
Turning your back on a people, be they Jews, Czechs (as Britain & France did), or any people, only delays evil turning on you.
Heart felt
United We Stand
Together We Stand

Divided We Fall
Starring: Bolek Polívka , Anna Sisková , Csongor Kassai , Jaroslav Dusek , and Martin Huba
Director: Jan Hrebejk
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Kolya
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ASIN: B00005QFE6
Release Date: 2001-11-27

Amazon.com

A daring comedy of ethics, Divided We Fall takes place during World War II in a small, Nazi-occupied town in Czechoslovakia. Josef and Maria, a childless couple, have withdrawn further and further from reality even as the war circles closer to their eerily quiet town. Josef's decision to sleep through a war he doesn't want to acknowledge is soon tested when the Jewish son of his former employer arrives in the middle of the night seeking refuge. David, the sole survivor from his family, escaped from a concentration camp in Poland and managed to return to the only place he knows in search of help. As they harbor David in their pantry over the next three years, Josef and Maria discover the depth of their resolve, forced to play the role of seeming collaborators in order to save themselves and David. Reminiscent more of Yugoslav filmmaker Emir Kustirica's devastating brand of black humor (Underground, Time of the Gypsies) than the saccharine Life Is Beautiful, to which it has been repeatedly compared, Divided We Fall achieves quite a lot, capturing the pervasive suspicion and betrayal of World War II through the unexpected guise of situation comedy. --Fionn Meade

Customer Reviews:

Rebirth and Resurrection.......2007-02-26

I have never seen a Czech film I didn't like. This one is top drawer. A childless couple hide a Jew during WW II and the compelling consequences. The ending is poetically just and symbolic. A must-see.

Turning your back on a people, be they Jews, Czechs (as Britain & France did), or any people, only delays evil turning on you........2006-09-05

"Throughout time, whenever tyrants arose and preached a mixture of world domination and complete intolerance for most other human beings, their first targets were often a small group of people noted for giving the world monotheism, the bible and a set of basic laws that have been followed for thousands of years." "[T]yrannical regimes always seem to have one common link---their deep hatred for Jews." The words are from a Warren Kozak opinion piece (which appeared in the New York Sun August 21, 2006). It's hardly a new idea, of course, yet most of the world still seems disinclined to acknowledge it. Blatant anti-Semitism is thus not just something for Jews to worry about. All folks who champion freedom thus, in effect, ought see themselves as part Jewish themselves: either you stand with the persecuted or you are just putting off the day when you might just as likely be faced with similar persecution. That's the central point of "Divided We Fall"---"the true and bittersweet story of a Czechoslovakian couple whose village has been taken over by Nazis during World War II." When a Jewish friend escapes from German confinement and makes his way back to their common neighborhood, the couple has a choice to make. "I lived here all my life," says the man on the run in the film, "so I thought maybe someone here might help me." But what makes this film unique is the notion that non-Jews really need to wed Jews (metaphorically) to stand up against anti-Semitism; for, without a union of some sorts, they are looking for trouble to come their way eventually. How the film presents this point is most unusual, but I won't get into specifics here, not wishing to give away crucial plot details. Suffice it say that the film exaggerates the above to make its point very clearly and does so with much style and accomplishment. That it's a Czech-made story only reinforces the idea that if you sacrifice a people (as Britain & France did) it's only going to temporarily put off the day of your own reckoning with the evil at hand. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film of 2000 this picture is well worth watching. (06Aug) Cheers!

Heart felt.......2006-03-17

I initally rented the film online. Fell in love with the complex human interactions to survive during WW2, and to still do what is right. The ending has a twist to it that I did not expect. I liked this one so much that I purchased my own copy. Do not let the fear of English subtitals get in your way of a great movie.

United We Stand.......2006-03-09

This film is one of the best of all time, and certainly one of the best kept secrets among film buffs. It deals with a childless Czech family during the German occupation of World War II who at great personal risk hide the son of their former Jewish employer. What develops is a story that mirrors the Gospel account of the conception and birth of Jesus, but is presented as entirely plausible, despite the delightful slapstick. Not even the collaborators and turncoats are portrayed without compassion, though their foibles (as well as those of our heroes) are gently mocked in a truly universal and life affirming way. This is magical realism with an eastern European flavor.

Together We Stand.......2005-09-08

There has been a spate of fin de siecle films that have sought to undermine the general gloom and doom spectre of the Nazi regime. To take any other than the orthodox view is courageous and especially edifying as the films emanate from the occupied locales of suffering. 'Underground's' carnival flavour was festive at times, though I found the misogyny disturbing even accepting the plausibility of the plot. 'Life Is Beautiful', was really a supreme one-liner. But Jan Hrebjk's,'Divided We Fall' I'd nominate as the best of the bunch, for its farcical ferocity. The Czech town is occupied by Nazi invaders and its power structures, class and race, are inverted. The script is tight, tingling with one-liners, and given embodiment by a brilliant ensemble of lead characters. The reluctant hero, Joseph (the droll Bolek Poliuka)who'd rather have slept the duration of the war in hope that life would return to normal, is thrust to defend his Jewish neighbour. His valour, therefore, is dragged from him. Honour, allegiance, morality - all community values are deeply questioned, and definitively framed by their former friend, now a Nazi collaborator, who, in praise of Hitler has adopted the fuhrer's hairstyle down to the moustache. He's an ingratiating fellow who leeches after Joseph's wife. So many swift and sudden shifts of affiliation occur. The German Commandant, more than any Czech, is totally undone by the loss of three successive sons to the slaughter, and his wife to the asylum. Never has a title been more apt. This moves with the speed of Fawlty Towers and in the gangling Poliuka draws a touchingly real story brimming with comic insights and naive, good intent. I can't recall a film since,'Jesus of Montreal' that so exquisitely incorporates a Christian tale. Here, the 'miraculously' conceived infant, promotes a vision of resurrection in 'father', Joseph of the reunited family of the Commandant. Even during this epiphany,Hrebjk mischieviously has the infant peeing in his dad. The Germans sit at a table midst a pile of rubble. It's a climactic guesture of reconciliation and forgiveness.

The Prisoner - Set 5: The Girl Who Was Death/Once Upon a Time/Fall Out

Average customer rating:

Questions are a burden to others
Bad Tape Transfer
Where all your questions DON"T get answered.
"Them Bones, Them Bones, Them... Dry Bones!"
Difficult for younger audiences

The Prisoner - Set 5: The Girl Who Was Death/Once Upon a Time/Fall Out
Starring: Fenella Fielding , George Markstein , Patrick McGoohan , Angelo Muscat , and Peter Swanwick
Director: Patrick McGoohan , Robert Asher , Don Chaffey , Pat Jackson , and David Tomblin
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Prisoner - Set 1: Arrival/ Free for All/ Dance of the Dead
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ASIN: B00005NKCP
Release Date: 2001-09-25

Amazon.com

Perhaps no other series so confounded its loyal viewers as The Prisoner. Why did Patrick McGoohan's British agent resign? Where was the Village? And who, really, was Number 1? The Prisoner ends with its key riddles unanswered. It goes without saying that no Prisoner collection is complete without these final three episodes. A curiosity, "The Girl Who Was Death," isn't cricket for the series. It is a surreal fairy tale that plays like a long-lost episode of McGoohan's previous TV series, Danger Man, with Number 6 avoiding a series of assassination attempts before saving London "from the mad scientist." But "Once Upon a Time" and "Fallout," both written and directed by McGoohan, get back to business, as Number 6 suffers "Degree Absolute"--his most intense, last-man-standing, psychological probe yet--at the hands of Number 2 (Leo McKern, reprising his role from the episode "The Chimes of Big Ben") and at last prepares to meet the elusive Number 1. Those who just want to sample this cult fave series are advised to stick with the intriguing first episodes included in Set One. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews:

Questions are a burden to others.......2007-05-24

SPOILER ALERT!!! What follows divulges show secrets. If you haven't seen The Prisoner, do NOT read on. (I am assuming that most people at all interested in a show as old as The Prisoner have already seen it.)

Now, with that said, The Prisoner is easily, hands down, without any reservations the single greatest TV show in history. (A close second, in my book, would be the first four Doctors on the ORIGINAL run of Doctor Who.) The Prisoner wasn't only entertaining, it was thought provoking. To call it "Kafkaesque" is now cliché, though its similarities to Kafka's The Trial are many and striking. In The Trial a man is told he must defend himself in a bizarre court but cannot learn what the charge is. He never does. In The Prisoner a man learns he is a prisoner in a place called "The Village," a bizarre prison disguised as a luxury resort. The reasoning behind the prison is that prisoners will be so taken with the luxuries at hand that they will find no reason to escape. For No. 6, the sheer fact that he is not free to escape if he wishes is reason enough to do it. He spends the entire series trying to escape.

After discovering that the man in charge of The Village is himself (yes, No. 6 is No. 1), he manages to leave the Village. Or does he? Notice that when he finally gets home his door opens on its own, just like the doors in The Village. For those who didn't catch on, McGoohan later (in an interview) told us what it all means: No. 6 never escaped. He's still in The Village. Society IS The Village. If you live in society, you ARE a prisoner. But you pretty much HAVE to live in a society, which means you pretty much HAVE to be a prisoner. There is no escaping this fact. As McGoohan had achieved fame with Danger Man, he discovered he was prisoner to a contract he deeply regretted signing. He wanted to escape. Ironically, he was playing a spy on Danger Man, and resigned as star of the show. He then made The Prisoner, about a man who quits his job as a government agent. This has created much debate as to whether No. 6 in The Prisoner is in fact meant to be Drake from Danger Man. McGoohan has said no, but The Prisoner's other main writer and script editor has emphatically said yes. You decide. (I'll go with McGoohan, as I think his ultimate point is that everybody is No. 6. He once said that at the end of the show, he wishes the words "The Beginning" had appeared.)

McGoohan is obviously a libertarian. He despises bureaucracy, authority, and big government. He has said he loves the first amendment, adding emphatically that there can be no freedom without privacy. Thus we see why the greeting in The Village, "be seeing you," is so ominous to No. 6. Sure, it sounds like "see you later," but is really a way of reminding everyone in The Village that they are always under surveillance.

The show and No. 6's character traits and struggle has stayed with me, ever since I first saw it as a child. McGoohan is easily my favorite actor, and it is a true shame he did not star in more movies. I've always loved his devotion to his wife and children, how he never lets his work come before them, how he refuses to film any type of love scene because he doesn't want to kiss anyone but his wife, etc. He is truly a remarkable man. It saddens me that he had to turn down the parts of Gandalf and Dumbledor, due to his bad health, as he would have been perfect in both of them. I am very glad for his part in Braveheart, however, especially considering that before this he had spent much of the early 90s in a coma! Mel Gibson wanted McGoohan in the film as he is also a great Prisoner fan, and even (supposedly) toyed with the idea of helping McGoohan make the film version, playing No. 6 himself. Though I simply cannot think of any other actor who could "become" No. 6 (the role being a pure expression of McGoohan's rare personality), Gibson is about as good of a choice as one could make given the current options. In fact, AMC is currently toying with remaking the entire series, and guess what their greatest obstacle reportedly is? Surprise, surprise: they simply can't find anyone who can pull the role off. The actor would almost have to share McGoohan's convictions to be able to do it, becoming almost an embodiment of pure defiance and anger. The Prisoner is, after all, the single greatest showdown of the individual vs. the collective ever put to film, in my book trumping even The Fountainhead, Bullitt, and Enemy of the People (though Ibsen profoundly influenced McGoohan).

Interestingly, McGoohan and fellow Prisoner star Alexis Kanner later made a film together. Like much of McGoohan's film work, it's not available on DVD (which here is an absolute shame given that 1: McGoohan is one of the best actors alive and 2: this film is simply brilliant.) It's called Kings and Desperate Men, and has many of the same elements that The Prisoner contained. I've always been shocked that Prisoner fans haven't rallied for this film to be released on DVD. Perhaps they've never heard of it. In it, McGoohan's character is taken prisoner (literally) by a group of idealistic youthful liberal misfits. He laughs that they think they're in control simply because they have a shotgun, and proceeds to unravel them all with his wits. His libertarian views come out here as much as in The Prisoner, as his character scoffs at the moral crusaders' silly liberal ranting, and exposes the fact that their leader really doesn't know what he's talking about, and that if what he wanted actually occurred, chaos and anarchy would result. (Now that I've brought Prisoner fans' attention to Kanner and McGoohan's followup to The Prisoner, let's see how fast all 8 copies that exist on Amazon are snatched up. If you like it, try to do something to help get this released on DVD. I've written Anchor Bay several times.)

Bad Tape Transfer.......2005-07-05

I am a big fan of The Prisoner, but one of the tapes had an incomplete transfer. It stopped about two minutes before the end! Good thing I've seen it before.

Where all your questions DON"T get answered........2005-04-09

Here concludes Patrick McGoohan's classic miniseries about ex-secret agent "No. 6," and his struggles to understand and escape from "The Village," where he's held by unidentified captors. Here is where the series transforms from offbeat spy thriller to surrealistic allegory.

In A&E's revised, "fan-preferred" order, "Girl Who Was Death" remains immediately before the two-part finale. This supports my theory that "Girl" is more than a comedy (with one disturbing detail -- children as interrogation tools) thrown in to fill space. Instead, "Girl" seem deliberately intended as part of what's been called "one of the cruelest juxtapositions in the history of television"*. "Girl" also indirectly foreshadow the final episode by using both actors and sets appearing therein.

A&E's order IS unique in pairing "Girl" with "Living in Harmony" (set 4), which seem like serious and comic treatments of the same scenario; No. 6 is placed in an imaginary setting and given an imaginary identity to get information from him.

After the relatively lighthearted "Girl" comes the dark, grim, and intense "Once Upon A Time" -- an episode stressful enough to give guest star Leo McKern a heart attack. "Time" is the first half of the series finale, written and directed by McGoohan.

A returning No. 2 insists on "Degree Absolute," the ultimate last-resort method that carries the risk of death for either No. 2 or No. 6. It's a kind of perverted psychoanalysis performed in a subterranean chamber designated The Embryo Room, under a one-week time limit. The descent into The Embryo Room begins a motif of descent that will continue into the final episode.

Through electronic brainwashing, No. 6 is regressed back to childhood, then brought forward to the pivotal decision his captors want explained -- why he resigned. But the process must be repeated many times, and No. 2 grows increasingly anxious with each failure as the deadline approaches. As the final seconds tick by, a voice commands, "Die, six, die." But it's No. 2 who gasps, "Two ... one ... " and falls over dead. What's puzzling is that there's no apparent cause, except possibly a bottle of liquor. My speculation is that No. 2 is somehow physically and mentally linked to No. 6 during the initial brainwashing, so that either one of them can push the other one over the edge.

"Time" concludes with a cliffhanger that I feel should have made it into TV Guide's 100 Greatest Moment in Television --

-- which brings us to "Fall Out," the episode that forced McGoohan into hiding because it so angered viewers who wanted concrete answers, not an enigma.

"Fall Out" replaces the standard introduction with a recap of "Time." We then find out where the series was filmed -- in the grounds of The Hotel Portmeirion in North Wales. I find it ironic to learn the real location in the episode that forces us to question whether The Village is really a physical place.

The motif of descent continues as No. 6, the Silent Butler, and the Controller descend from the Embryo Room to yet a lower level. The dreamlike logic of the episode begins immediately as we hear The Beatles "All You Need Is Love." This is one of several unexpected musical items encountered in "Fall Out," two other of note being two pop/rock-oriented bit of incidental music, one upbeat, the other balladic. The music and the elaborate soundtrack in the fourth act make me really wish this episode had been remixed for surround sound.

The first three acts of "Fall Out" concern an official proceeding -- which No. 1 appears to be watching from a remote location -- inviting No. 6 to either lead or leave The Village. We're warned the affair will be be tedious, but it's also downright bizarre. No. 2 is resurrected, using a technology that involves shaving his beard and cutting his hair. Another sort of resurrection is seen in No. 48, played by Alexis Kanner, who was "the kid" in "Living in Harmony." The OFFICIAL word is that there's no relationship to that character, but I like to think otherwise. And since McGoohan has given everyone permission to find their own meaning in this episode, I feel free to do so. At one point, No 48 and the entire assembly of robed figures dance to the spiritual "Dry Bones," A fully orchestrated performance of the song is heard on the soundtrack, and presumably in the assembly room. This is the most direct religious reference in the series.

Finally, it's time for the meeting with No. 1, which involves yet another level of descent, into a room we recognizable from "Girl." From this point forward, I can't really describe the action, partly because "That would be telling," and party because it involves the same sort of challenge you face when trying to tell someone about a nightmare that scared you to death, only to have them say, "THAT scared you??"

The main point to be made is that if you're looking for a concrete resolution such as "It's the Russians," or "It's his own people," you'll be frustrated. The ending forces you to rethink the whole idea of The Village as a physical place, run by any sort of external, real-world organization. Instead, we must see The Village in a more spiritual/psychological light. It's a state of being -- a physical manifestation of the darker sides of humanity.

"The Prisoner Companion" is a decent introduction to the series, but watch it AFTER you've seen "Fall Out," because it contains one major spoiler.

"Behind the Scenes" is an interesting collection of "home movies," shot during the making of the series, and explained by production manager Bernie Williams. Among the items is footage of the original Rover, before they decided on the weather balloon. My only complaint is that I wish this feature and the interview with Williams in set 3 had been combined.

*THE OFFICIAL PRISONER COMPANION, by Matthew White and Jaffer Ali.

"Them Bones, Them Bones, Them... Dry Bones!".......2004-01-26

Back in 1967, an allegorical television show emerged that has yet to be topped by any other English television series. The show: The Prisoner. Starring Patrick McGoohan, he plays the role of No. 6, a former secret service agent who resigned for unknown reasons and then finds himself knocked unconscious and trapped in a seemingly peaceful place called "the Village." Each episode features a new No. 2 (with a few exceptions), who watches his every move and strives to find out why he resigned. The only superior is the unseen No. 1, the supposed ruler of the Village. The only other characters that reoccur are The Supervisor (also called Controller), played by Peter Stanwick, and The Butler, played by Angelo Muscat.

In "The Girl Who Was Death," Number Six avoids a series of assassination attempts while "on duty" as a secret agent. An offbeat episode that was probably meant to parody the previous Danger Man series. In fact, one character from that series appears here as the same character, same actor...

... ah... now we get to the last TWO episodes of the series! Finally! How do they measure up you ask? Read on...

In "Once Upon a Time," Number Six deals with the same Number Two from "Chimes of Big Ben" (played by Leo McKern, from "Candleshoe" and "Ladyhawke") as he undergoes Degree Absolute. It is a one-week, last-man-standing psychological struggle in which Number Two hopes to FINALLY break down Number Six. A STRANGE episode, filled with mindboggling clues is meant only to be viewed once you've viewed the others. TRUST ME.

And finally, "Fall Out" has Number Two revived and Number Six placed before an underground court. They allow him the ability to leave whenever he wishes and to lead the Village as he sees fit. Alexis Kanner, who played The Kid in "Harmony," returns in a different role as Number 48. Both Number Two and 48 show signs of rebellion, and the Butler follows Number Six. Most likely represents how people automatically follow the strongest leader like blind sheep.

The final episodes upset the fans... and for good reason! Where is the Village?! Who is Number One?! In the episode, he meets Number One, who is holding a glass ball. In it, it shows The Prisoner's face and suddenly, Number One is revealed to be... him?! How is he Number One, and why? That's never answered. My theory is that it's symbolism for every man's desire to be "Number One" in life, to be the top dog. After all, his address is 1 Buckingham Place. Not a coincidence.

Even if you don't really know why he resigned, McGoohan almost plainly tells you... In "Chimes of Big Ben," he says he "resigned out of conscience." In "Once Upon a Time," he says he resigned "for peace. Peace of mind. I know too much." He probably felt the pressures of his job. Can you imagine the pain of being a secret agent and knowing EVERYTHING about someone, plus on top of that, people will always be out to get you?? This probably represented his feelings at the time. After all, he was fed up with "Secret Agent Man" and wanted to do something different, something surreal. With that theory in mind, I have no qualm about McGoohan revealing why. Of course, at the end, people think the cycle started over. I don't want to believe that; I prefer to believe that he actually escaped the Village, but he has a new "Village" to face... an even larger one.

The song "Dry Bones" is actually taken from a Biblical passage in Ezekial. It talks of Jesus resurrecting skeletons in the desert and then they were covered with flesh and blood again, as if they were anew. When Number 48 sings the song, the underground society grows wild. The Prisoner Companion referred to this as The Prisoner being The Prophet, an unordinary man sent to make change in the world. Whoa, the Prisoner... the equivalent of Jesus? No joking.

Oh man, this series is one of the most mind-warping series ever devised. It's a great allegory and impressively produced. I will never forget it and it's such an inspiration for me to write stories with hidden symbolism and overtures. Mr. McGoohan, I thank thee for such a fine show.

Difficult for younger audiences.......2003-12-15

Having watched this DVD for one of my college classes, it really was quite confusing, especially when compared to modern, episodic TV (Friends, Law & Order, etc.).

Once Upon a Time - This episode didn't have the bubble, but not being aware of what "absolute zero" was made the show hard to follow. When Number 2 abandons his method to find out why Number 6 resigned, he starts to develop a friendship of sorts, not realizing that Number 6 is really in charge. Number 2 dies and Number 6 wants to meet Number 1.

Fall Out - This is probably the most bizarre episode of them all. With the trial of Number 48 and Number 2, the robed representatives have very strange reactions, maybe the proceedings annoying. When Number 2 gives his speech, they repeat "I" over and over again, making it impossible to understand him. I do like the way this one ends, it is silly, but it makes sense. We are all prisoners to society.

Customer Reviews:

die-hard loyalty and stupidity of bushido.......2007-05-19

this is one of the four versions on the same historical incident. i've only seen this one and the original 1962 version, 'chushingura'. but i consider the older version much better than this 1978 reproduction. sonny chiba played a vague character in this film while toshiro mifune played a role in the older version with better screenplay in a more detailed storyline, he also took a supporting role in this 1979 film. you'd see how he aged after 16 years' span.
the cruel bushido tradition required the japanese samurai (servant to his master) to commit suicide hatakiri/seppuku was such a stupid yet so mind-controlling basic requirement that had once made the japanese so powerful and so ugly to start the 2nd world war and did so many unbelievable atrocities to their own people and many others they invaded. but we also learned that anytime when such a tyrant rule crashed and collapsed, chaos and disloyalty would immediately took place of those historical values; communit russia, [...] hussein's iraq, [...] germany, france after the revolution....on and on, all the countries that forced their people to do inhumanity when ruthless rulers tumbled, their nations would immediately fell into chaos. the north korean, the communist china and those middle east countries controlled by a minor privileged so-called royalties and a koran would face the similar situation in the near future. these nations ruled by the reluctant and unpopular forces does not even have 47 loyal ronins to hold the forts for them.

Chushingura, or The 47 Loyal Ronin, in another version........2005-09-18

This is the fourth version that I've seen of this classic Japanese tale, and I've identified two more on dvd. In 1701 or 1702 a minor lord, Asano, was assigned to perform a ceremonial duty at the shogun's castle. There he came into conflict with the Master of Ceremonies, Kira, which resulted in an attack by Asano on Kira which only wounded Kira. Drawing your sword in the shogun's castle was a capital offense, and Asano was ordered to commit ritual suicide. All his property was to be seized and his family's position abolished. All his samurai were to become ronin--masterless samurai. Oishi, Asano's chief retainer, struggles to retain control over his men while waiting for the proper time to avenge their lord by killing Kira, which 47 of them ultimately do. After lengthy debates at the highest levels, the 47 are ordered to commit ritual suicide. The main theme here is the struggle these samurai faced between doing what their social postion demanded of them and their natural worries about their families and their own lives. This obviously resonates with the Japanese. One quiet Sunday morning, I (an American of European ancestry) found the small cemetery where the retainers and their master are buried occupied by a busload of elderly Japanese each burning a fistful of incense sticks over the graves. There is even a small sign at one spot in the public park in the imperial palace grounds inside the walls of the shogun's castle identifying the site of the attack.

This particular version, aka "Fall of Ako Castle", dates from 1978 and is pretty good. It throws in a bit more action throughout the film than the other versions I've seen, mainly to give Sonny Chiba something to do. Asano's initial attack on Kira is well set up. The attack by his men on Kira late in the film has a lot of action. The personal conflicts felt by the samurai/ronin get some attention. The ritual suicide of the 47 at the end gets more attention than in the other films. The only thing really wrong with this film is the terrible music provided. All in all, a pretty good film, although it may disappoint the action crowd.

Other versions: Mizoguchi's two part film, "The 47 Ronin", made in 1941 and 1942 at the request of the Japanese army which wanted a rousing, patriotic film, is for me the most intense of these films. It is filmed in long takes with stately camera movement rather than a lot of fancy editing and is not afraid to stand back from the characters. The major disappointment here is that the big attack on Kira is only reported in a letter and not shown. However, it ends magnificently when Oishi is waiting to be called last to kill himself. He is talking with an acquaintance when he is called. He simply stands up, says "Excuse me" and walks off. This film is completely devoid of action except for the brief portrayal of Asano's attack on Kira, so it will not interest the action audience. For the art film crowd, it is a masterpiece. Unfortunately, it is out of print and available only at outrageous prices.

Inagaki's 1962 film, "Chushingura", is probably the best known version among general audiences. I think of it as a sort of Japanese Hollywood film. It tells the story in great detail with the longest setup of the Kira-Asano conflict I've seen. The color is a bit washed out. And, with all the little stories it tells, it can get confusing for a western audience to tell everybody apart.

Ichikawa's 1994 version, "Shijushichinin no Shikaku", which is not translated on the dvd box or in the subtitles in the film (but the first word is 47), comes in last in this comparison. The English subtitles on this imported disc are very poor. The story starts a month or two before the final attack on Kira and then goes into flashback. The initial attack on Kira is shown only in brief flashes late in the film. The film appears to have been shot on tv quality video tape; was it made for tv? The lighting is flat. The sets (not including a few actual locations) appear underdecorated. The emotional conflict for the men is not really here. And yet, the film is worth watching because I think it has the best grand attack on Kira of any of these four movies. This attack really shows the defensive improvements Kira made to his residence and how it affects the battle. The battle is also rather bloodier than the other versions. When Oishi cuts off Kira's head, there is a lot of blood.

I can recommend "Swords of Vengeance" to all but the most blood and action obsessed viewers. If you enjoy it, try one of these other versions.

Average customer rating:

Excelent independent film

Fall Out
Starring: Claire Beckman , David Wasson (II) , Keith Randolph Smith , Lee Donoghue , and Mark Deakins
Director: Robert Palumbo
Manufacturer: York Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Disaster Films | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | 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

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00005LC5W
Release Date: 2001-07-31

Customer Reviews:

Excelent independent film.......2002-01-11

Four coworkers are trapped after the high rise building they work in is bombed. Their above-world tensions (one of the 4 was just fired, and the firer and the replacement are among the group) increase as odds for survival drop.

The whole movie pretty much takes place in a single room, but I never thought the low budget got in the way of the story. You certainly feel their claustrophobia and the hot, stale air they are breathing. A very urban version of films that explore how people try to survive when pushed to their limits.

Dance Dance
Average customer rating:
Dance Dance
Starring: Fall Out Boy
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000F4L7GW
Release Date: 2006-04-18

DVD:

DVD List

DVD

DVD

Lots To Learn: Nature

Fear

Donovan's Reef [1963] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Truth Be Told

Da waren's nur noch neun - Agatha Christie