Suzanna

Starring:Walter McGrail, Snub Pollard, Bebe Daniels, Harold Lloyd, Lon Chaney, William S. Hart, Mabel Normand
Director: F. Richard Jones
Studio: Unknown Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
The star attraction of this disc is Mabel Normand in her feature film "Suzanna" (1922). It reunited the team that had made "Mickey" a great success a few years earlier: producer Mack Sennett, director F. Richard Jones and Mabel herself. Even George Nichols came back to play the father. Unfortunately, the film was still in production when the William Desmond Taylor murder scandal hit, and Mabel's career was never the same.

Long out of circulation, "Suzanna" now exists with two reels missing, but the gaps have been bridged by explanatory titles. Although the source material was a 35mm print, the image quality is a bit lower than Unknown Video's usual standard. Still, it does look pretty good, and the rarity of the film (and Mabel's enduring popularity today) make this a must for fans of the silent cinema.

Supplemental material: Also presented is the only surviving footage (about a reel's worth) of William S. Hart's feature "Riddle Gawne" (1918), feauring Lon Chaney as the villain! Also presented is a Harold Lloyd rarity, the one-reel comedy "A Sammy in Siberia" (1918).

Amazon.com essential video

Sydney Pollack's 1985 multiple-Oscar winner is a sumptuous and emotionally satisfying film about the life of Danish writer Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep), better known as Isak Dinesen, who travels to Kenya to be with her German husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer) but falls for an English adventurer (Robert Redford). The film is slow in developing the relationship, but it is rich in beautiful images of Africa and in the romantic tone surrounding Blixen's gradual discovery of her life and voice. One downside: while we may all love Redford, he is as convincingly British as Kevin Costner is in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. --Tom Keogh

Description

The most acclaimed motion picture of 1985 stars Robert Redford and Meryl Streep in one of the screen's great epic romances. Directed by Oscar winner Sydney Pollack, Out of Africa is the fascinating true story of Karen Blixen, a strong-willed woman who, with her philandering husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer), runs a coffee plantation in Kenya, circa 1914. To her astonishment, she soon discovers herself falling in love with the land, its people and a mysterious white hunter (Redford). The masterfully crafted, breathtakingly produced story of love and loss earned Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay (based on material from another medium), Cinematography, Original Score, Art Direction (Set Decoration) and Sound.

Customer Reviews:

Still My All-Time Favorite!.......2007-07-04

This true story's appeal is for all generations.A movie that intrigues and captivates as it tells of courage and perseverance while maintaining a tension of romance throughout.It is made of everything a great story should be.Meryl Streep and Robert Redford are the perfect actors for these roles.Immerse yourself!

A Favorite Film.......2007-06-09

This is one of my two favorite films of all time. The sweep and grandeur, along with the beautiful human elements makes this film a keeper!

Classic.......2007-06-08

This is one of the great classic films with wonderful actors, beautiful story and great photography. Love It

It Moved Me........2007-06-05

A masterpiece of cinematic beauty. This film is based on Danish writer Karen Blixen's(Isak Dinesen)years in Africa. One of the great performances of Meryl Streep, in a career of many great performances.

The story of a strong, yet very sensitive woman who follows her husband to Kenya to start a Coffee Plantation. His philandering ways soon leaves her with syphilis. Of course their relationship ends, and she is romanced by the Brit' Denys Finch Hatton, played by Robert Redford minus an ascent. One of the few often heard complaints during the film's release. But their chemistry still makes for one of the great screen romances ever.

1985's Best Motion Picture Academy Award winner, a year that saw many superb films. One of my other favorites that year was "The Color Purple", either one of which was worthy of the award in my book. Sydney Pollack also received the Best Director Academy Award for some of his most ingenius work. One of the most beautifully photographed films is magnificently transferred to DVD, though if you've never seen it on the big screen don't miss the opportunity should it ever arise. And John Barry's musical score makes for an even more breathtaking experience.

Some of Barry's Best Work.......2007-05-11

Everything it seems, has been said about this gorgeous film, except perhaps about the sound track. John Barry's work is outstanding and seems to enhance the move at its most powerful moments. The lasting impression I have more than two decades after the movie is the "Flight over Africa," when Denys takes his love up for a flight in his plane. I could watch - and listen - a million times and be enthralled every time.

Average customer rating:

Fantastic musical!
A Classic
Having acted Hair.. the movie seems too shallow
Musicals are back!!!
Bad Hair Day

Hair
Starring: John Savage , Treat Williams , Beverly D'Angelo , Annie Golden , and Dorsey Wright
Director: Milos Forman
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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Accessories:

Gillette Fusion Power Replacement Cartridges, 8-Count Package

ASIN: 0792841638
Release Date: 1999-04-27

Amazon.com essential video

The Age of Aquarius is brought to life by the filmmaker who made Amadeus a household word. Milos Forman directed this version of James Rado, Gerome Ragni, and Galt MacDermot's landmark musical in 1979 between his Oscar-winning films One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus. With mixed reviews (Gene Siskel named it that year's best film) and lukewarm box-office grosses, the film all but disappeared from the collective consciousness. Yet the film beautifully delivers on its promise to bring the '60s back to life. Hair re-creates a colorful world of counterculture finding an anvil to pound on: the Vietnam War. Forman and his design team allow the film to wash over you, starting at the free-flowing opening in which masses of hippies, police, and even their horses eagerly groove to the familiar beat of "Aquarius." In the best work of his career, Treat Williams makes his leading- man debut as Berger, the leader of the Central Park troop who takes draftee Claude (John Savage) under his wing on his trip through New York City and the apex of what the '60s was. The new recording of the music is quite fine, with Chicago band member Don Dacus's rendition of the title song a highlight. As Berger's pièce de résistance number says, "I've Got Life"; so does the film, right down to its poignant declaration to "let the sunshine in." --Doug Thomas

Description

Brimming with the energy, passion and music that rocked a nation, Hair is an entertaining and powerful tribute to the turbulent spirit of the '60s. Brilliantly recreated by OscarÂ(r)-winning* director Milos Forman and screenwriter Michael Weller (Ragtime), this vibrant screen version of the Broadway phenomenon ranks "among the best film musicals" (The Hollywood Reporter)! Fresh from the farm, Claude Bukowski (John Savage, The Thin Red Line) arrives in New York City for a date with the Army Induction Board, only to walk into a hippie "happening" inCentral Park and fall in love with the beautiful Shelia (Beverly D'Angelo, American History X). Befriended by the hippies' pacifist leader, Berger (Treat Williams, Mulholland Falls), and urged to crash a formal party in order to declare his love for Shelia, Claude begins an adventure that lands him in jail, Central Park Lake and, finally, in the army. But Berger's final effort to save Claude from Vietnam sets in motion a bizarre twist of fate with shocking consequences. *1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; 1984: Amadeus

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic musical!.......2007-06-24

This movie was upbeat and fast paced. An extremely interesting storyline taking place during an extremely interesting time period in America. The tunes were catchy and I recommend buying the original broadway soundtrack- you'll memorize every song before you know it :-P
I actually had to watch this movie for my Asian Religions class...it's amazing what intellectual insights you can gain from this movie!

A Classic.......2007-05-16

Even if you don't usually like musicals, like me, you should still like this one, it is one of my all time favorites. It has some classic songs in it, including "Easy to be Hard", one of the very few that we are forced to listen to at work that I actually like, here are the lyrics to it:

"How can people be so heartless
How can people be so cruel
Easy to be hard, easy to be cold

How can people have no feelings
How can they ignore their friends
Easy to be proud, easy to say no

{Refrain}
Especially people who care about strangers
Who care about evil and social injustice
Do you only care about bleeding crowd
How about a needing friend, I need a friend

How can people be so heartless
You know I'm hung up on you
Easy to be proud, easy to say no

{Refrain}

How can people be so heartless
How can people be so cruel
Easy to be proud, easy to say no
Easy to be cold, easy to say no
Come, on, easy to give in, easy to say no
Easy to be cold, easy to say no
Much too easy to say no

Lyrics by James Rado

It has a young Treat Williams and John Savage, the latter playing a country boy who goes to the big city before he is supposed to go in the military. He meets a bunch of cool hippies led by Treat's character. There are some other classic songs in it like "Aquarius" and "Good Morning Starshine". Glad to see it on DVD. A bit of trivia via IMBD, it was the highest grossing film in Hungary in 1980. You can watch the trailer there, too, at IMBD. This is a very entertaining film, check it out.

Having acted Hair.. the movie seems too shallow.......2007-05-14

As a child of the 60's (1963) I never had the chance to see the plays that must have touched sensitive if not censored issues revolving around those days.. I had the chance of playing it in english here in Caracas in 1983 while in my early 20's.., by going ove the script and the music I got an appreciation for the depth of the play and its musical mastery!! well even in 1983 the director's decided to censor certain "nationalistic" questionings.. so I still hope that sometime I will get a full non-censured performance, is that too much to ask of life?

After this introduction I was excited on seeing the movie.. and what a disappointment, both musically as well as in performance.. and censored!!!! In the play we made people cry at Bergers death..in here, well see for yourself

Musicals are back!!!.......2007-05-12

I recently took a trip to Utah, and saw Treat Williams in a local restaurant. Our host mentioned this movie that he was in..therefore I purchased it as a THANK YOU for our stay..she said she laughed her [...] off watching this movie..now I wished I had bought a copy for myself!

Bad Hair Day.......2007-03-01

First off let me exclude Beverly D'Angelo from everything you are about to read. She is in my opinion one of if not the most talented actress/singers there ever was.....period! She is as always flawless. So here we go. As far as watching this movie ever again.....not if they held a gun to my head. Bad acting, bad directing, bad cinemetography, bad script, bad dance (can we call them dance) numbers, hense bad coreography, bad sound, bad politcal statement, in short a "Bad Hair Day"! A waste of film. Deserves to be in the dollar bin. Buy it and throw the DVD away and just keep the plastic box. It is the only thing in the package that has any value. A stinker!

Average customer rating:

It was good.
Delivery and condition
Charming Movie
Paradise Hawaiian Style -
Elvis Presley Fan

Elvis Presley: Paradise, Hawaiian Style
Starring: Elvis Presley , Suzanna Leigh , James Shigeta , Donna Butterworth , and Marianna Hill
Director: Michael D. Moore
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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Blue Hawaii
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ASIN: B00007ELFD
Release Date: 2003-01-07

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Elvis and Hawaii go together like one of Graceland's peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches. To be honest, though, Paradise, Hawaiian Style finds the King looking puffier and sleepier than he did in the salad days of Blue Hawaii. Making matters worse is the song selection and the prominence of an allegedly adorable child actor--always a bad thing in an Elvis picture. Despite all that, there's something casually likable about the film: costar James Shigeta is a welcome performer (he plays the island pilot who goes into business with flyboy Elvis), leading lady Susanna Leigh is an above-average companion, and the location shooting is a big upgrade over the cardboard backdrops of many late-career Presley vehicles. Extended musical sequences take place at the Polynesian Cultural Center--nothing wrong with that, but rock & roll has been left pretty far behind. --Robert Horton

Description

In "Paradise, Hawaiian Style," Elvis plays Rick Richards, an ex-airline pilot who starts a charter helicopter sightseeing service in Hawaii and finds himself surrounded with pretty tourists. Co-starring Suzanna Leigh and James Shigeta, "Paradise, Hawaiian Style" features the memorable melodies "A Dog's Life," "Sand Castles" and "Bill Bailey, Won't you Please Come Home."

Customer Reviews:

It was good........2007-02-01

This was the oddest Elvis movie I have ever watched. The whole movie was like a travel guide to Hawaii. It wasn't about the King. He spent the whole movie promising every girl on the islands that he was going to "scratch their back.. if they scratched his" He co-owned a helicopter company that transports people back and forth around the islands. It made me feel like I was at the Tiki-Room in Disneyland. One of my favorite parts was the dog transport. He has 6 dogs that need to get to a dog show. He sings a song about the dogs, it is classic Elvis. It was ok, I think that he had better movies, but it was fun to watch him.

Delivery and condition.......2006-11-06

I am very happy with this product the delivery and condition of was very good

Charming Movie.......2006-10-14

Elvis plays great as always despite what anyone thinks about his movie roles. Can not go wrong with the songs he sings. They are far enjoyable throughout each selected scene. And though our "King" is gone and has "left" the building, he still brings back great memories. It is part of who he was. Wish he made more serious movies been alive to view our reviews of what everyone thought of him. I highly recommend this movie along side his rest of them he made.

Paradise Hawaiian Style - .......2006-07-03

By reviewing the film Paradise Hawaiian Style , I am definitely giving away my age. To pretend that the film hasn`t aged and that that the plot line isn`t thin would be a lie , however this film , like most of Elvis`s films serves as a platform to showcase Elvis the singer. And that he could. With his warm velvety voice and charm he could win over any female heart , add to that his gyrating pelvis and the ladies was screaming for more. The film might have dated but Elvis is as fresh as the day the film was made. For Elvis and all other movie buffs.

Elvis Presley Fan.......2004-11-08

I have seen almost every Elvis movie but I like more of his movies , this movie is great I got more on dvd and vhs if you are a true Elvis fan you should get this.

Average customer rating:

The Good Earth - A great film.
History comes to life in this powerful film
A Flawed Classic But Still A Classic
A childhood memory!
famine & locusts & drought, oh my !

The Good Earth
Starring: Paul Muni , Luise Rainer , Walter Connolly , Tilly Losch , and Charley Grapewin
Director: Gustav Machatý , Victor Fleming , and Sidney Franklin
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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Motion Picture Masterpieces Collection (David Copperfield 1935 / Marie Antoinette 1938 / Pride and Prejudice 1940 / A Tale of Two Cities 1935 / Treasure Island 1934)

ASIN: B000BYA4HO
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Amazon.com

MGM's status as the "class" studio was fully engaged when production chief Irving Thalberg took on this expensive, serious adaptation of Pearl Buck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. A smooth entertainment with a stiff portion of this-is-good-for-you seriousness, The Good Earth epitomizes Thalberg's idea of Art, which was also the prevailing idea of the period he dominated in Hollywood. The story follows Wang Lung (Paul Muni), a humble farmer, who makes an arranged marriage to a slave, O-Lan (Luise Rainer). The couple's great struggle is to procure--and then, against withering odds, keep--a piece of land, ownership of which makes the difference between self-determination and near-slavery. The film's physical production is truly eye-filling, with location shooting in China providing exterior shots and backdrops (and blending seamlessly with the footage shot in the U.S.). No wonder the great cinematographer Karl Freund won an Oscar for the photography, which includes an awesomely staged locust plague.

Also copping an Oscar was Luise Rainer for best actress--her second consecutive award, after The Great Ziegfeld. Rainer's underplayed portrait of self-effacing stoicism is a contrast to Muni's broader performance, although in some odd way he's exactly right for his role. Caucasian actors play the main characters (Walter Connolly is the family's bothersome, and tiresome, know-it-all uncle), with Asian actors--including Keye Luke--filling out the supporting parts. The blend of sobriety and hokum is vintage Thalberg, and this is the one MGM movie with an onscreen dedication to the young dynamo; he died during production, age 37. --Robert Horton

Description

First came marriage, an arranged union of peasant farmer Wang Lung (Paul Muni) and kitchen slave O-Lan (Luise Rainer). Then, through poverty and wealth, family and betrayal, war and pestilence, came love. From Pearl S. Buck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Good Earth combines Wang and O-Lan's story with a sweeping saga of China in upheaval. Muni and Rainer had both won 1936 Academy Awards?,* and Rainer repeated here with another Best Actress Oscar?.* The film also won for Best Cinematography - with camerawork most powerfully on display in the astonishing locust-plague sequence. Producer Irving Thalberg, known for combining literary prestige with commercial success, died during the production, and the film is dedicated to him.

Customer Reviews:

The Good Earth - A great film........2007-04-15

Such a rare film of this era that follows the book so closely. A few variations but understandable. Top acting and delightful to watch. A real golden oldie.

History comes to life in this powerful film .......2007-03-30

I saw this film after I read "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck so I was cynical. The book was so rich that I couldn't imagine a film that could capture the depth of the written story. Not so. This film is a gem. It documents the life of one family during the revolutionary changes in China during the beginning of the 20th century. It looks at the struggles and triumphs with a personal, sensitive eye while following the general, sweeping changes in China with honesty and detailed objectivity.

It is a great film but before you see it, get the book. Reading this book was like going back in time. It was fascinating, enlightening and grand.

Get them both if you can.

A Flawed Classic But Still A Classic.......2007-01-19

When I was in my early teens I first read the novel by Pearl S. Buck. At around the same time I discovered the movie on TV and was captivated. Just earlier this year I re-read the book and found it to be better than I had remembered. So I decided to watch the movie once again and see what I thought of that as well.

I think one of the most difficult things to keep in mind when viewing a classic from another era is to remember the limitations of that era. I'm sure 70 years from now the movies we consider "classics" will pale in comparison to what movie viewers consider a great movie. And it seems "The Good Earth" suffers from this as well, unfortunately.

One item that does come through the screen is the cinematography. Even though the film has been shot in black and white and is what is described as "postage stamp" (a square rather than wide screen), to get caught up in the landscape is easy. It is not difficult to imagine the squalor of the farmhouse that Wang Lung lives in and to compare that to the opulance of the fine house where O-lan has been a slave. When the Lung family is forced to move to the big city to survive, the viewer can truly feel the press of human bodies and the squalid living conditions. The filming of the locust attacking the farmer's fields is amazing. (A bit of trivia here: there actually was an attack during filming for the movie, so what is seen on the screen is truly real!)

So, what could possibly detract? Unfortunately, the actors themselves. At least for me. Casting Paul Muni and Luise Ranier into the leading roles just doesn't work for me. However, it did when I first saw this movie, so go figure! Both are capable actors, so it isn't that. But both are so overwhelmingly Western that there is no possible way they can pass for Asian. And Luise Ranier's German/Austrian accent is nowhere near anything that remotely sounds like anything from the Asian continent. Perhaps that is why she says very little in the movie? Even more distracting is the actor playing the role of the grandfather, whose voice is immediately recognizable as the grandfather in "The Grapes Of Wrath," and also as Uncle Henry in the "Wizard of Oz." What is distractingly funny is that all the children of the Lung household look very, very Asian. Now, I do understand that Paul Muni and Luise Ranier were established actors at the time. I do recognize that Irving Thalberg did want to cast all Chinese people into the roles, but there were not enough actors for the roles. And I do realize that, due to the Sino-Japanese War, China had stated refusal to allow filming if Japanese actors were used. (If they could do a world-wide search for Scarlett, why not find Asian actors?) But I feel it really does create a barrier in this movie that is otherwise well thought out and painstakingly presented.

What would be ideal is if this movie could somehow be re-made, sensitively, more in line with the book (the book is more about Wang Lung, whereas the movie centers on O-lan), and include a cast that is representative of Chinese people - or at least Asian.

Still, I do think this movie is a classic and has appeal. This movie also has a number of "firsts:" the first time an actress received back to back Oscars for Best Actress and the first (and only) time Irving Thalberg's name appeared onscreen in any movie (he died before this movie was completed). But this classic does have some flaws.

A childhood memory!.......2006-11-27

I saw this movie many times on TV because this was my Mom's favorite movie. She came from a farming village outside of Canton. This movie was a reflection of her life. Her marriage to my father was arranged. She had to flee from the Japanese during WWII. This was one of the few movies that really depicted life in a Chinese village. A timeless classic and great addition to any DVD collection.

By the way she never complainted that the major actors were white.

famine & locusts & drought, oh my !.......2006-09-06

this is really 3 movies in one. the first hour is a fascinating study of a relatively poor farm family caught up in turmoil; obviously this story resonated with an american public struggling through the horrors of the great depression. suddenly, the family becomes rich and we get to the unsatisfactory second branch of the movie: little more than a turgid family soap opera, saved only by the presence of the immortal tilly losch as the femme fatale. (purely an aside: if you want to read up on one of the more fascinating figures of the 20th century, go and google tilly losch). and then, we get to the finale, the scene everyone remembers: the invasion of the locusts. this is indeed an exciting sequence, as good a disaster film scene as hollywood ever produced. and when its over, we wind up the loose strings, movie over, tra-la-la. the film is hard to take today in watching the clearly western actors playing most of the chinese roles, but paul muni is his usual fine self and almost makes one forget the rubber bands around his eyes. as for luise rainer, this gained her her second undeserved oscar in a row, and all i can say is she had to have been one hot piece in the bedroom because she sucks as an actress. by the way, i should mention pearl s. buck; but does anybody know who she was these days?

The Tales of Beatrix Potter (with Dancers of The Royal Ballet)

Average customer rating:

The Tales of Beatrix Potter (with Dancers of the Royal Ballet)
A charming and joyful film
Enjoyed by the Whole Family
English Elegance and Virtuosity
The Royal Ballet Beatrix Potter

The Tales of Beatrix Potter (with Dancers of The Royal Ballet)
Starring: Frederick Ashton , Alexander Grant , Julie Wood , Ann Howard (III) , and Bob Mead
Director: Reginald Mills
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
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ASIN: B0000844JM
Release Date: 2004-02-10

Customer Reviews:

The Tales of Beatrix Potter (with Dancers of the Royal Ballet).......2007-05-25

Joyous! For ballet lovers and children of all ages. Even the littlest ones will enjoy the antics of Potter's characters. Filmed in the English countryside as well as in the studio, this is a delight for the eye. Never tire of watching this one.

A charming and joyful film.......2007-03-29

This film is a wonderful production that engages the viewer and brings across the charm and wit of Beatrix Potter's beloved characters. Everytime you view it,you appreciate the effort made by the dancers to convey the spirit of her stories. I think this film is a good introduction for children (and their parents) to the world of ballet.

Enjoyed by the Whole Family.......2007-03-26

Tales of Beatrix Potter by the Royal Ballet is exceptional. It has been a delight for my granddaughter who asks for it to be played whenever she visits. One of my best buys. The whole family have been amazed by it.

English Elegance and Virtuosity.......2007-03-09

I was a child when I was first taken to the movie theater to see this film and I was very happy to have been able to find it here on DVD.
It is a genuine pleasure to see the Royal Academy Ballet celebrating one of their greatest artists in such a wonderfully robust fashion. I'm sure we have all been graced and beguiled by at least one of the beloved stories of Miss Peatrix Potter at some time or other in our childhood. This collection of her stories told in the form of ballet brings to the screen all the richness of English tradition along with the sweetness and charm of the old English countryside. Sir Frederick Ashton, himself an English treasure, brilliantly captures the physicality of each of the animals in these classic tales with waddling Pigs on pointe shoes and a frog with leaps that could rival the great Nijinsky himself. All performed in the most amazingly detailed costumes ever imagined without the use of CGI. One ocassionally wonders how in the world these dancers are able to see well enough to perfrom as well as they do. This speculation only last but a brief moment as the over all quality of this artistic triumph quickly whisks you away into the serene and wonderful world of the Tales of Peatrix Potter.

The Royal Ballet Beatrix Potter.......2007-03-08

Really delightful and has stood the test of time. My recording had a few hic-cups with the lighting in one of the acts. Music lovely, as were the costumes and scenery Can recommend.

Average customer rating:

Prepare to have your heart touched.
More Kevin Costner than Clint Eastwood
Dismal movie
Good acting, interesting plot, real sense of 1960's Texas
Another masterpiece from Mr. Eastwood...

A Perfect World
Starring: Christopher Reagan Ammons , Leo Burmester , Kevin Costner , Darryl Cox , and Laura Dern
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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True Crime

ASIN: B00006RCOA
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Amazon.com essential video

This curiously overlooked drama from Clint Eastwood, released just after his Oscar triumph with Unforgiven, concerns a prisoner (Kevin Costner) on the lam with a kidnapped young boy as protection and the Texas Ranger (Eastwood) and federal agent (Laura Dern) on his tail. Eastwood manages a number of nice touches--the boy's innocence is nicely contrasted with Costner's soft-spoken desperado by the Casper Halloween costume he wears, and the law-enforcement officials look vaguely foolish, tooling around the countryside with a high-tech camper in tow. Eastwood gives a grizzled performance that, despite its seen-it-all surface, still feels fresh after all these years, and he coaxes surprisingly sensitive work out of Costner. But it's the sheer, modest scale of this piece that makes it so disarming--no planet lies in jeopardy, there are no cosmic make-or-break consequences here, just committed people doing their job and a well-meaning bad guy hoping things don't get too out of hand while he prevents them from doing it. --David Kronke

Description

Double Academy Award winners' Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood confront each other from opposite sides of the law in A Perfect World, an acclaimed, multilayered manhunt saga (directed by Eastwood) that rumbles down Texas backroads toward a harrowing collision with fate. Costner plays Butch Haynes, a hardened prison escapee on the lam with a young hostage (T.J. Lowther in a remarkable film debut) who sees in Butch the father figure he never had. Eastwood is wily Texas Ranger Red Garnett, leading deputies and a criminologist (Laura Dern) in a statewide pursuit. Red knows every road and pothole in the Panhandle. What's more, he knows the elusive Haynes-because their paths have crossed before.

Customer Reviews:

Prepare to have your heart touched........2007-03-10

Kevin Costner portrays an escaped convict who, for all of his shortcomings, has not lost his sense of humanity and compassion. Taking a young boy hostage to prevent the boy from harm the two become inseperable. A convict who hated his father and a hostage who never had one, a relationship blossoms between them. A good date movie.

More Kevin Costner than Clint Eastwood.......2006-10-15

Just wanted to clarify that, for any Clint Eastwood fans. That said, Kevin Costner performs admirably in his role, as does the kid. Rather light, simple fare altogether, similar to many other Clint Eastwood movies. Nothing new under the sun here. But is that necessarily bad? I don't think so.

Somehow, this movie makes you cheer for an overgrown adult boy/man who is encouraging a six year-old to be a juvenile delinquent. That sounds bad, but it's actually not so bad. Costner, who plays an escaped convict, is a polite gentleman bandit on the order of Robin Hood and the like, a hero/villain. He abides by certain principles, and is not entirely wicked, unlike his fellow escapee, a cretinous goblin. Discerning the good versus the bad in his character is the whole point of the movie. We also learn what may have contributed to making him the way he is.

As for the boy, he has no father and was being raised by a strict single mom that did not let him do hardly anything that has any fun in it--for religious reasons, apparently. He was in dire need of a father figure, and finds that in Costner. What might have been interesting is seeing whether the mother and the escaped con could actually have worked together as a family unit. I doubt she could have done much better than this guy.

Dismal movie.......2006-08-29

I'm surprised that others have reviewed this movie with high rankings. It's basically a mediocre movie, with not much of a story, nothing much that is enjoyable or uplifting, and some questionable content.

For most of the movie, Kevin Costner's character is chain-smoking cigarettes, cussing, and generally being a bad influence in front of the young boy he takes hostage, as they travel across Texas evading the law and breaking the law together. There's nothing of value that comes out of this movie. I'm glad I only paid a small amount to rent it, and not blow more money and time in the theatre.

Good acting, interesting plot, real sense of 1960's Texas.......2006-08-11

I could never understand all the excitement regarding Kevin Costner in his heyday but he is absolutely great in this movie. He manages to make an escaped convict both realistic and sympathetic. The child actor playing Phillip/Buzz is also wonderful. Clint Eastwood is Clint Eastwood and though I have never been a Laura Dern fan she does well in her role as a criminologist. The script is not perfect and the movie is over long but still compelling and very watchable. The movie is set on Halloween and the couple of days following in 1963 Texas. JFK's upcoming Dallas trip plays a small part in the film and helps anchor the setting firmly in the viewer's mind.

Another masterpiece from Mr. Eastwood..........2006-07-25

I have always loved this film. It's an extremely intelligent, complex, and moving film. As other have said, it is definitely Clint's most underrated film. For unknown reasons, it never gathered an audience here. Costner gives probably his best performance to date here. He portrays an intelligent, complicated man, who ends up being a surrogate father to a boy (wonderfully played by TJ Lowther). Costner is an outlaw, a convict, yet he shows more tenderness and kindness to this boy than the boy's real family ever did. He ends up being a much better father to the boy than his real parents could ever be. Eastwood again shows how talented a director he is with his handling of the actors here. Costner and the boy give superlative performances. The film is not your standard bad guy/good guy film, because in real life, things are quite often in shades of gray. I really admire Clint Eastwood. He made several masterpieces in the 1990's (Bridges of Madison Country, Unforgiven, and this film). Check this film out. It's one of his best (which is really saying something)...

Average customer rating:

Is this horror ??
Not bad if you like cheesy horror
satisfying but unexceptional
What what what???!!!
Get Yer Freak On!...

Castle Freak
Starring: Jeffrey Combs , Barbara Crampton , Jonathan Fuller , Jessica Dollarhide , and Massimo Sarchielli
Director: Stuart Gordon
Manufacturer: FULL MOON
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Re-Animator

ASIN: 157347049X
Release Date: 1997-12-16

Amazon.com

John Reilly (Jeffrey Combs) has come to Italy with wife and blind daughter in tow to arrange for the sale of his newly inherited castle. Unbeknownst to these folks, the duchess who willed the castle to Reilly kept her kid shackled in the dungeon, lambasting him regularly with a wicked cat-o'-nine-tails. Though the duchess is gone, the eponymous freak remains, now fully grown. As the family moves into the castle to await its sale, internal conflicts concerning Reilly's guilt over the blinding of the daughter, and the blame from his wife, further fracture their unstable family unit. Castle Freak escapes his shackles in search of food, and more importantly human warmth. The Freak just doesn't know how to express his need for love in a socially acceptable way, however, and seems destined for an unsavory end at the hands of the something-to-prove Reilly, who must find some way to route to vicious creature. But there's more than one way to skin a cat (though they only use one of those ways in this picture). Fitting addition to the oeuvre of splatter specialist Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator). --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews:

Is this horror ??.......2007-04-21

Well...don't know where to start......
bought this one because it has Jeffrey Combs in it, Stuart Gorden is director.....and they did a good job on Re-animator.
but let me tell you, horror freaks will be disapointed. Only one really bloody scene is worth watching...not because of the blood, not because of the gore.....just, because it is the only bloody scene in the movie...a nice looking woman is eaten by the "castel freak".....
If you have seen Re-animator, The Evil dead, From Beyond, Hellraiser and maybe The Thing, then skip this one..you will be disapointed like me....

Even a John Woo action movie has more blood in it.....

Not bad if you like cheesy horror.......2006-07-20

Castle Freak is cheesy horror. If that is what you're into, then you will probably love this flick. Personally, I found myself laughing throughout the whole film. It really isn't that scary. The Freak eats a pet cat. But he has a soft spot for the blind daughter. The dialogue is so generic.
If you want a laughable horror flick a la Leprechaun, then watch this. If you want a scare-your-pants-off The Shining type thriller, then give it a pass

satisfying but unexceptional.......2006-03-30

Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, and Stuart Gordon teamed up for Re-Animator (1985) and From Beyond (1986). They did so again for Castle Freak.

Well, two out of three ain't bad.

Not that Castle Freak is awful. It just falls short of what one has come to expect from this talented troika. Such as sharp witty dialogue, pitch black humor, innovative stories, and envelop-pushing carnage.

Instead, Castle Freak is about this guy. You know who he is. You've met him in hundreds of horror films. We all have. He's a regular Joe, kind of a horror everyman, who's suffered some tragedy. Could be he was born deformed. Or maybe burned or disfigured in a prank gone bad. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Been there, done that. Anyway, he's shut away somewhere. An attic, a basement, an asylum, a cabin in the woods. It's an old story.

But in case any Julia Roberts fans need to be clued in, the film is called Castle Freak. Subtle title, no? At least Senator Lieberman can't call on the FTC to charge Full Moon with false advertising. The film is Castle Freak, and it's about a castle freak.

Here are the details of his all-too-common tale of woe: His mom was an Italian noblewoman who fell in love with an American soldier. The soldier married and impregnated her, then deserted her for the States. Left her heart-broken, alone in her castle (well, where else would a noblewoman live?). So she took vengeance on their son. Chained him inside a dungeon, whipped and beat and tortured him every day of his miserable life. Even maimed his genitalia. (I won't spoil the details, but guys, be prepared to cringe.) After forty years of this, the noblewoman dies intestate. Nobody knows about the son in the dungeon, so her attorney locates her heirs in America.

A few minutes into the film, the American family is already arriving to inspect their newly acquired castle. The lucky heirs consist of dad (Jeffrey Combs), the missus (Barbara Crampton), and their blind daughter. Soon after they're settled, the freak escapes and the body count mounts. It's all pretty straightforward killer-freak-on-the-rampage stuff.

Naturally, this freak desires women, although, his manhood incomplete, he's unable to enjoy or satisfy them. This further frustrates him, with predictably bloody results. "Progressives" might disdain another entry in horror's long tradition of portraying freaks and retards as sexually frustrated rapists, but there you have it. Take it for what it's worth.

Castle Freak does try to "stretch" the genre with an Oprah subtext. Dad's alcohol problem resulted in the car crash that killed his son and blinded his daughter. Although his daughter has forgiven him, his wife cannot. They haven't slept together in nine months. So dad too is sexually frustrated, and guilt-ridden, even as he continues to fight the bottle.

It's an okay subtext, in a soapish sense. Yes, there's symbolism in there (the freak's childhood photo resembles dad's dead son), and it allows for some closure at film's end, with the wife finding reason to forgive. It's not a bad storyline, but considering the talents involved, one expects more.

Full Moon likes to attach promos it calls "video magazines" at the end of its films, mainly trailers and "behind-the-scenes" stuff. Combs and Crampton provide aesthetic assessments of Gordon's work. (Now, just how honest will the average out-of-work actor be when discussing an employer's work?) Combs allows that Castle Freak is humorless, but claims to believe it strengthens the horror, and that Gordon was right to eschew humor.

Not!

Combs is a sterling character actor, with unique features and intense facial ticks. He shines when delivering quirkily funny lines. Re-Animator and The Frighteners (1996) display Combs at his darkly comedic best. But he disappoints in the dreary Dr. Mordrid: Master of the Unknown (1992). To cast Combs in a humorless role is to waste his edgy gifts. It's like hiring Tiger Woods to caddy.

Barbara Crampton was only called to be pretty in Re-Animator, but rose to glory in From Beyond, playing a broad range from repressed scientist, to sexual libertine, to madwoman. In Castle Freak, she's cast in the thankless role of mother. She's got the soap credentials (The Young & The Restless), and competently handles her limited material. But she can handle so much more than she's given.

Jonathan Fuller plays the freak. He claims the body makeup required six hours to apply. He's an effective freak, but no more. Unlike Karloff (Frankenstein) or Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire), Fuller fails to emote a sympathetic persona from beneath his heavy makeup. The fault is not entirely his. The script offers him little opportunity. (But neither did Karloff have lines in his first Frankenstein monster portrayal).

Before anyone protest that Castle Freak's low budget makes comparisons to Frankenstein or Shadow of the Vampire inapposite, note that the freak in The Unseen was hideous and inarticulate (and yes, he had a frustrated sexual thing for Barbara Bach), but his death was unexpectedly poignant. (On the opposite end of
the freak spectrum, fans of envelop-pushing, grindhouse splatter will delight in The Grim Reaper (Italian 1981, aka Anthropophagus), whose freak performs a late-term abortion on an unwilling woman, with his bare hand.)

Fuller's freak resides in the middle of the spectrum. Yes, he callously racks up a body count, but other freaks are both more prolific and more savage in their technique. Yes, he has personal issues, but other freaks have handled their issues with more aplomb.

Combs and Crampton are enjoyable to watch, but you wish the script had given free reign to their talents. You wish Gordon had used his immense talent for frenetic black comedy to deliver another Re-Animator or From Beyond. (The dreadful Bride of Re-Animator (1989) could have used his touch.)

Yes, artists want to stretch. But sometimes their old work is so outstanding, you want multiple encores. Instead, we have Castle Freak, a serviceable killer-freak film.

What what what???!!!.......2005-06-06

I have to wonder what world, what physical plane, what state of mind were the reviewers here who gave this a good review on? Or maybe they are Full Moon employees LOL...First of all, the movie, especially one of the earlier scenes, was identical to the 80's flick "The Unnamable", which is also and HP Lovecraft based flick. The castle freak itself looked like a bad halloween rubber suit. When he breaks out his cell, well this was just hilarious, it reminded me of the incredible hulk. Yes, Jeffrey Combs is in it. But his acting is cheesy as it can be. Hunt down The Unnamable instead, a much better movie.

Get Yer Freak On!..........2005-04-27

John and Susan Reilly (Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton) are in deep trouble. Their marriage has been hurtling toward divorce ever since John got drunk, took a drive with the kids; and cracked up the car, killing their 5 yo son JJ and blinding their teenage daughter. Now, two years later, John finds out that he's inherited a castle in Italy. The three remaining Reillys move in with the intention of liquidating and selling the place. No one is aware that John's aunt had spent the last 42 years in the castle, never venturing beyond it's walls up until her death. She also kept a very dark secret in the castle's vast basement. The Reillys go about their business, unaware that another resident has escaped his chains beneath them! Insane and hungry, the castle freak emerges, looking for some dinner! He prefers human meat, so things get a bit complicated. CASTLE FREAK is a good movie for lurking monster fans like me. The story is good enough to make this more than just another gore-fest (although the gore level is fairly high). There is a semi-sympathetic creature, and a family that must fight in order to survive. Stuart Gordon has fashioned a film here that is good on several levels, not just the visceral. Where his Re-Animator was strictly for laughs and gross-outs, CASTLE FREAK has a surprising amount of depth and emotion to it. Enjoy...

Average customer rating:

Not Masterpiece Theater- but well done
Achingly sadly beautiful
Genealogy gone berserk
Not such a special edition
One of the most beautiful films ever, faithfully told.

Tess (Special Edition)
Starring: Nastassja Kinski , Peter Firth , Leigh Lawson , John Collin , and Rosemary Martin
Director: Roman Polanski
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B0002O7XVI
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Amazon.com essential video

Roman Polanski adapted Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles and came up with this moody, haunting film starring Nastassia Kinski as the farm girl who is misused by the aristocrat for whom she works and who is then caught in a marriage where her initial happiness soon turns to grief. Fans of the novel may feel unpersuaded by Polanski's effort to marry Hardy's Dorset vision with his own fascination with psychosexual impulses toward survival, but the film is an often stunning thing to see, and Kinski's sensitive, intelligent performance lingers in the memory. --Tom Keogh

Description

First time on DVD! Academy Award®- winning timeless adaptation of Thomas Hardy's classic romance! A rural clergyman in 19th-century England tells a simple farmer that he may be descended from the illustrious d'Urberville family. The farmer sends his daughter Tess to check on a family named d'Uberville living in a manor house less than a day's carriage ride away. However, her so-called cousin purchased his ancestral name and coat of arms. Tess plays her own game of illusion when she finds, loses, and finds again her true love. Starring: Nastassia Kinski, Peter Firth. Directed by Academy Award® winner Roman Polanski (The Pianist, Best Director - 2002).

Customer Reviews:

Not Masterpiece Theater- but well done.......2007-05-28

While taking artistic liberties from the novel , Polanski's Tess is a very entertaining and beautifully filmed movie. The settings and costuming recreate the feeling of Hardy's Wessex as well as any filmed version of his works ever has.
Nastassja Kinski was beautiful in the role and although her acting can be somewhat wooden at times she does make a memorable Tess. The rest of the cast make up for her shortcoming by providing outstanding performances.
The pace tends to slow in certain parts of the film but if you are a fan of period films loosely based on classics you can do worse than spending some time watching this.

Achingly sadly beautiful.......2007-05-01

I didn't read the novel so I have no comments about the accuracy of the adaptation. I had no problem understanding it. (Some reviewers said that it was necessary to read the book in order to follow the film.) I had no problem, either with the length. In fact I was glad it was so long; I wanted to get "the whole story" not a compressed version.

The photography, as others have mentioned is exquisite. It's worth seeing again, with the sound off, just to see the gorgeous country shots.
The music was perfect too--just right for the mood of the film--not too intrusive.

Nastassja Kinski was perfect as Tess. I can't imagine anyone else playing the role. All of the other principle actors were just right and gave excellent performances. How we loved the divine Angel until his rejection of Tess on their wedding night!

The whole film is gorgeously earnest and deeply felt. The only reason I subtracted one star is that the story is just so damned depressing! Knowing what we do of Polanski's life, one can see how he'd be attracted to such material, but for me...I would have preferred some happiness and joy for poor Tess.

Genealogy gone berserk.......2007-01-25

I like to think of the novel's premise as genealogy really going to someone's head. When John Durbeyfield is informed by the town historian that his family used to be a noble one (and the original name was "D'Urberville"), he sends his daughter Tess (Teresa) to rich relatives in the English countryside for financial help. It's there that she meets with Alec D'Urberville, effectively beginning a downward spiral for everyone concerned.

As always, one can trust a book adaptation in Roman Polanski's more than capable hands. He faithfully adapted Ira Levin's "Rosemary's Baby" in 1968 and Roland Topor's "The Tenant" in 1976 before tackling Thomas Hardy's 1891 novel "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" in 1979.

It's common knowledge that Roman adapted the book to honor Sharon Tate's memory (it was reportedly the last book she read. She put a copy on his night-table with a note suggesting that it would make a good movie). The continuous personal attacks on him are really unnecessary (and, f.y.i., they make the attacker look really dumb ... especially when their missive is a grammatical masterpiece).

For having just learned English during preparation for her role in the title part, Natassja Kinski managed very well. She conveyed the vulnerable and melancholy Tess appropriately. At times during the course of the movie, one can almost feel themselves being sucked into Tess's depressing vortex, snapping out of it with her ... only to fall right back in again.

Leigh Lawson played a right-on Alec D'Urberville. He was the monster I envisioned Alec to be while reading Hardy's novel. Peter Firth as Angel was also excellent in his role. Roman nailed the English countryside dialect and he always does a fantastic job with Victorian England scenery (he repeated that success with 2005's "Oliver Twist").

Roman did an excellent job, as always, with "Tess of the D'Urbervilles." The book could be adapted a thousand times after his version and they still couldn't match up to his vision. Roman took Thomas Hardy's always depressing vision and turned it into a beautiful movie (for further proof of Hardy's depressive novels, check out his final book, "Jude the Obscure").

The DVD and Book collection series was a great idea to try to get people to read the classics alongside the movie.

"Tess" is a must-have for the DVD collection. - Donna Di Giacomo

Not such a special edition.......2006-12-17

Columbia's DVD of Tess is doubly disappointing - not only is it a disappointing transfer but it's also the cut version of the film, which tends to lose a little heart and more than a little irony. There's still much to admire, from the beautiful Scope cinematography and Phillipe Sarde's superb score to Polanski's feel for time and place (even if it is shot in France rather than Wessex) and, ironically, sexual prejudice, although Nastassja Kinski never really convinces in the lead and Leigh Lawson's despoiling cad seems constantly on the verge of twirling his moustache. The murder still seems a plot contrivance, although it does throw in one great moment of vintage Polanski with a spot of blood on the ceiling.

Still, at least the 72-minute documentary is very good.

One of the most beautiful films ever, faithfully told........2006-10-24

Every once in awhile a film comes along that it should only be spoken of in hushed tones. Roman Polanski's TESS is one of those films. To place it in context, there are moments in the film DR.ZIVAGO that are some of the most beautiful on film... they are a stark relief to the majority, which is snow covered and bleak. , Being set in lush countryside, 80% of TESS is that gorgeous, making it one of the most visually beautiful films ever made. It won Geoffrey Unsworth & Ghislain Cloquet 1981's Best Cinematography Oscar. (Unsworth died of a heart attack ½ way through production.) It also rightfully won for Art Direction and Costume Design.
Like DR.Z., this film tells the story of the downfall of a lower class girl who has neither the schooling or upbringing to fight for herself, in Hardy's unrelenting sad story (written after he had become depressed in the wake of reading Darwin, and saw the dying way of life that industrialization was bringing about).
Natassja Kinski is luminous and looks a bit like Sharon Tate, and reminiscent of young Ingrid Berman here, in look, but also very much in persona and even her voice. Now wonder it has been hard for her to follow this film. Few roles could match it, few productions have gelled this completely. Peter Firth as her misguidedly moral husband is perfectly matched with her, and they both give richly felt performances.
The musical score is soaring and melancholy, the costumes are just right, whether they be the muddy field workers or the finery of a fallen woman, and the shades of class within different farms are delineated here, too, in costumes and set, and the golden days of the happy farm to the grey skies of the sad. All elements are in perfect accord in this literary adaptation that necessarily cuts a few scenes from the novel, but keeps the story amazingly intact.
I've read the book twice. The BBC did a Miniseries of TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLE'S in the late 1990s, and while it's length maintains some of the details of the story, neither it's somnambulent leading lady nor it's visuals can compare to the wonderful performance here of Kinsky, and the constantly awe inspiring visuals, scene after breathtaking scene.
Polanski tells us that Tate had given him this book, as she had been told it would be perfect for her. He did not read it until after her death, so this film is a fully realized bittersweet chanson d'amour. A classic of cinema in every sense of the word.

Average customer rating:

An excellent atmospheric movie!
a little bit weak vampire fairy tale
"I've Upended The Cross."
"These are not normal times...you'll not find any young girls talking to a stranger."
Strange Love

Lust for a Vampire
Starring: Ralph Bates , Barbara Jefford , Suzanna Leigh , Michael Johnson , and Yutte Stensgaard
Director: Jimmy Sangster
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
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ASIN: B00005OSJW
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Customer Reviews:

An excellent atmospheric movie!.......2007-03-23

Even though so many people think poorly of this film, it really is an excellent film. The sets are excellent and, really, the acting is just fine. The music is some of the best music I've heard in a horror movie. Even some of the scenes are perfectly timed with this music. This is one of my favorite vampire films. I enjoy watching this one over and over. It's not scary, and it's not bloody...if you're looking for something like that, this movie is not it. But if you want a dreamy, atmospheric movie with beautiful people, beautiful sets, and great music, this is it!

a little bit weak vampire fairy tale.......2006-10-26

The reasons are:
1. A very embarrassing greece dancing
2. There are more many women than men in the film except the underrated actor Ralph Bates & the unknown actor Michael Johnson
3. The blond danish model Jutta Steensgard is not a famous Horror actress. She played as Carmilla Karnstein a bit boring, she was not really actress but she was a photomodel.
4. The same plot 19th century Romanticism (a classic gothic horror tale), which Hammer Film Studio didn't develop the story at all.

The most stupid element in the movie:
a young writer who fell in love in a female vampire, and could not save her and was unable to protect himself. It looks a bit cheesy, cause you'd already seen this in various Hammer films.

2 stars

"I've Upended The Cross.".......2006-07-13

LUST FOR A VAMPIRE is the second (and almost universally considered the weakest) of Hammer's "Carmilla Trilogy" based on J. Sheridan LeFanu's famed short story.

A bit loopy and campy, this film is nowhere as bad as its detractors want it to be, though DRACULA it isn't and can never be.

In LUST FOR A VAMPIRE, the lesbian vampire Carmilla Karnstein (played here by Danish actress/model Yutte Stensgaard, who is one of the blondest, most sensuous, and ethereal women to ever grace a movie screen) decides to make an 1830s girls' finishing school her favorite haunt. She spends a great deal of time finishing the girls, quite enjoyably. The women are all universally voluptuous and beautiful, and bare breasts and bodies are well in evidence.

As with all Hammer films, LUST FOR A VAMPIRE is stylish and visually attractive, though the script here is weak and a bit chaotic, leaving way too many loose ends, even for a Hammer production. But if you're watching LUST FOR A VAMPIRE for its storyline you're confusing it with some other movie. So sit back, and take in the unforgettably erotic spectacle of a chocolate-syrup blood smeared Yutte Stensgaard snacking on some of the sweetest eye candy in all filmdom.

"These are not normal times...you'll not find any young girls talking to a stranger.".......2005-08-14

What's that me hounds of classic Hammer horror films? You say you want more of the titillating, fantabuloso, bloodsucking, Sapphic action you enjoyed so much in the popular film The Vampire Lovers (1970)? Well, fret not, as Hammer Studios heard your grubby pleas and punched out this sequel, titled Lust for a Vampire (1971). Directed Jimmy Sangster, known for his excellent writing work on such films like X the Unknown (1956), The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), and Dracula (1958), the film stars Ralph Bates (Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde), Michael Johnson (Anne of the Thousand Days), and Yutte Stensgaard (Scream and Scream Again), in her last silver screen appearance. Also appearing is Barbara Jefford (The Ninth Gate), Suzanna Leigh (The Lost Continent), Helen Christie (Rasputin: The Mad Monk), and former pirate radio station disc jockey Mike Raven, whom I last saw in the fairly rotten film Crucible of Terror (1971).

The film, set in the year 1830, begins with the abduction of a peasant girl, whose yams are literally bursting forth from her cleavage, begging for a squeeze. The girl ends up being used in some black magic ritual (what a waste), one that reincarnates what I guess to be a vampire, and a sexy one at that...we then switch to a nearby town where we meet noted author Richard Lestrange (Johnson), who's visiting the area interested in researching material for a new book. Seems the town has had some bad luck over the years, specifically with a family by the name of Karnstein, and their now dilapidated castle that is no longer occupied...or is it? Anyway, turns out the vampiric activity follows a 40-year cyclical timetable, and the anniversary is here...sure enough, young, boobalicious girlies begin to go missing. Richard thinks the idea of vampires is a lot of hooey, decides to visit the castle, where he meets the nerdy and bespeckled teacher Giles Barton (Bates), co-founder of a newly opened school for buxom bouncing beauties who enjoy giving themselves massages (oops, that girl's shirt fell off) and nekkid nighttime swims (yowsa). Richard becomes infatuated with a teacher named Janet Playfair (Le