Percy

Starring:Hywel Bennett, Denholm Elliott, Elke Sommer, Britt Ekland, Cyd Hayman, Janet Key, Tracey Crisp, Antonia Ellis, Tracy Reed (II), Patrick Mower, Pauline Delaney, Adrienne Posta, Julia Foster, Sheila Steafel, Arthur English, Angus MacKay, Rita Webb, Charles Hodgson, Sue Lloyd, Denise Coffey
Director: Ralph Thomas
Studio: Anchor Bay
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Superb Film
Becket
Becket
A classic
Becket

Becket
Starring: Richard Burton , Peter O'Toole , John Gielgud , Donald Wolfit , and Martita Hunt
Director: Peter Glenville
Manufacturer: MPI Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00007G1WH
Release Date: 2007-05-15

Amazon.com essential video

Made in 1964, but set in 12th-century England, this is the fact-based story of Henry II (Peter O'Toole) and his dear friend, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Richard Burton). When the king appoints his former drinking buddy to the high religious office, he believes he has placed an ally into power. Instead, he learns that Thomas very much takes his job to heart, prompting Henry to ask that fateful question--"Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?"

This won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, and it is a strong example of finely tuned performances--both leading men received Academy Award nominations for their roles. There is much passion and rage on the screen, but the beauty of their performances is that we always know that love is there as well. The film, shot on location in England, is also visually appealing. Trivia buffs may be interested to know that Peter O'Toole played Henry II four years later in The Lion in Winter. --Rochelle O'Gorman

On the DVD

The primary bonus feature is a treat: a feature-length commentary by Peter O'Toole, accompanied by a moderator. With only occasional gaps of silence, the still sharp and well-spoken O'Toole recalls the making of the film, how he didn't research the historical King Henry ("The author has made the character; that's his job. My job is to play it."), and his memories of Richard Burton, both personal ("We found that we both enjoyed rugby, we both enjoyed songs, and we both enjoyed drinking, and got along very well.") and professional ("he had an astonishing presence on the stage"). There are also two archival interviews with Burton from 1967 and 1977 (26 minutes total), in which he doesn't discuss Becket, but he does say a lot about his life on stage, he recites some lines, and speaks candidly about his drinking problem.

Don't skip over the interviews with the film's editor Anne Coates and composer Laurence Rosenthal. Coates (7 minutes) has some good stories, and Rosenthal (12 minutes) discusses the influences on his Oscar-nominated score and how he had to teach Gregorian chant to Burton ("He was one of these people whom you really can't teach anything. He had this characteristic that you can only remind him of something he already knows. But he didn't know how to sing Gregorian chant."). In addition to a photo gallery and the four-and-a-half-minute theatrical trailer, MPI's long-delayed DVD looks better than many major-studio classics. --David Horiuchi

Beyond Becket

Other Peter O'Toole Films
Other Richard Burton Films
More King Henrys on DVD

Stills from Becket (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews:

Superb Film.......2007-07-03

With all the junk movies in the theaters and out on the store shelves, I am relieved & happy to see such a classic film re-released on DVD. This is a superb film by any standard! Watching Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole perform together -- two of the greatest actors who ever lived -- is a magnificent experience. It reminds you of how numbed out we have become by bad acting and bad writing. Do yourself a tremendous favor and buy it.

Becket .......2007-07-02

I loved this movie. Why we have had to wait so long for the DVD release, is the real question I would like answered. This is one of the great films of all time and perhaps because it came out the same year as My Fair Lady, in which it lost most of the awards it was nominated for, it may have been forgotten. I think MPI deserves a lot of credit for finally putting this out. I only wonder why Paramount didn't do this a long time ago.

Becket.......2007-06-29

Becket is a powerful movie. Great content, educational and with excellent play by two great actors.

A classic.......2007-06-28

I have waited a long time for this movie to come out on DVD. I'm so glad I now have both of Peter O'Toole's portrayals of Henry II. He looks so young here! He and Richard Burton work so well together. It's wonderful sometimes to watch a movie with no special effects that relies on story and acting alone.

Becket.......2007-06-27

There is no substitute for great casting, script and polished direction and acting. This is a golden oldie, worth revisiting time and again.

Blood Diamond (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Got Boringly Familiar
eye opening movie
Blood Diamond
Human life is the currency of those powerful enough to control the blood diamond trade
Excellent action sequences and an all around magnificent movie

Blood Diamond (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio , Djimon Hounsou , Jennifer Connelly , Kagiso Kuypers , and Arnold Vosloo
Director: Edward Zwick
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00005JPGO
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Description

An ex-mercenary turned smuggler (Leonard DiCaprio). A Mende fisherman (Djimon Hounsou). Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join for two desperate missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the fisherman's son, conscripted as a child soldier into the brutal rebel forces ripping a swath of torture and bloodshed across the alternately beautiful and ravaged countryside. Directed by Edward Zwick (Glory, The Last Samurai), this urgent, intensely moving adventure shapes gripping human stories and heart-pounding action into a modern epic of profound impact.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary with Director, Edward Zwick (A revealing look at a filmmaker?s personal journey.)
Documentary:Blood on the Stone (RT: 50:00) Follow the path of a diamond from the ground to the store.
Featurette:1) Becoming Archer (RT: 8:29) - A profile of Leonardo DiCaprio and how he trained for the war; 2) Journalism on the Front Line (RT: approx 6:07) - Jennifer Connelly on Women Journalists at war; 3) Inside the Siege of Freetown (RT: 10:28) - See how Ed Zwick tackled the pivotal scene.
Music Video:"Shine On Em" by rap artist Nas

Amazon.com

Leonardo DiCaprio puts a handsome face on an ugly industry: In parts of Africa, diamond mining fuels civil warfare, killing thousands of innocents and drafting preteen children as vicious soldiers. DiCaprio (The Departed) plays Danny Archer, a white African soldier-turned-diamond-smuggler who gets wind of a large raw jewel found by Solomon Vandy, a native fisherman (Djimon Hounsou, In America) recently escaped from enslavement by a brutal rebel leader. Archer offers a deal: He'll help Vandy find his war-scattered family if Vandy will share the diamond with him. Drawn into this web of exploitation is journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly, Little Children), who agrees to help if Archer will tell her the details of how conflict diamonds make their way into the hands of the corporations who sell them to the Western world. DiCaprio is compelling because he never flinches from Archer's utter ruthlessness; Archer ends up doing the morally justifiable thing, but only because his desperate greed has led him to it. Hounsou and Connelly, though saddled with all the moral and political speeches, rise above the cant and keep the movie's treacherously formulaic plot rooted in human characters. But in the end, the story won't stick with you as much as the dead stillness in the child soldiers' eyes; the horror of African civil strife refuses to be contained by Blood Diamond's uplifting message--and the movie is all the more potent as a result. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Got Boringly Familiar.......2007-07-05

Yes, there is action. Yes, there is decent acting. But ultimately, it becomes another preachy, and bogged down film.

eye opening movie.......2007-06-27

This movie truly is an eye opener. Even though it is very hard to watch because of all of the killing, it is still a must see movie. Well written and well acted. I'm not a huge fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, but this movie made me think twice. Djimon Hansu is phenomenal. This movie shows the brutality of greed and power. Highly recommended.

Blood Diamond.......2007-06-27

Excellent movie, something orginial and thoughtfull, I would highly recommend this movie to anyone that loves good well thought out movies- a must see.

Human life is the currency of those powerful enough to control the blood diamond trade.......2007-06-23

Greed is the dark heart of "Blood Diamond," director Edward Zwick's ("Traffic," "The Last Samurai") uncompromising look into the underground trafficking of illegally-traded gems in sub-Saharan Africa. Greed of corrupt men for power, greed of an amoral mercenary willing to sacrifice anything for a chance to escape Africa, greed of Western businessmen who seek to artificially control the diamond market, and the greed of a simple man for his family's return. This movie powerfully demonstrates the valuelessness of a human life to those persons obsessed with blood diamond collection in war-ravaged Sierra Leone.

Djimon Hounsou plays Solomon Vandy, a simple fisherman and father of two who witnesses his idyllic existence crumble before his eyes. Rebels seeking new recruits, slaves, and random carnage swarm into his village. They select his adolescent son and other young men as future cadets in their guerilla army--following suitable brainwashing and manipulation techniques--before then getting down to the real business of slave collection. Seemingly devoid of any mental workings besides casual sadism, these bandits top-off their kidnapping and slave-taking exercise with the mutilation and execution of men deemed too troublesome for them to bother with. Vandy is rescued from dismemberment at the last minute when the rebels recognize his strength, seeing it as an asset they can utilize in their constant search for capital: the blood diamond pits. Condemned to toiling underneath the blazing sun with nary a chance of reaping any benefit (besides possible continued survival) for his efforts, Vandy happens to discover an egg-sized blood diamond hidden in the streambed. Hiding it underneath his foot, he buries it when the rebel encampment is attacked by government troops. The only witness to his "theft" is the wounded slave captain--now captured, along with Vandy, by government forces--who swears that the former fisherman will soon be begging to reveal the diamond's whereabouts.

Parallel to Djimon's character's storyline is the tale of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), an opportunistic solider of fortune caught within a dichotomy of conflicting motivation. He desires escape from Africa at any cost, yet secretly knows that his blood will someday mix with the earth of his homeland. Perhaps it is this realization that he is doomed which propels Archer forward: in every action and every word, he seems to be daring destiny to obliterate him. Taken in and trained from a young age by Colonel Coetzee (Arnold Vosloo), Archer is easily the most dangerous entity alive on the continent: ruthless, misanthropic, callous, manipulative, and incredibly lethal with bullet and blade. After a close-call haggling with rebel leaders over fair prices for blood diamonds, Archer is arrested for smuggling while crossing the Sierra Leone border. It is here that he intercepts the distraught Vandy and begins weaving a plan to save himself from the war-torn country: by dangling the freedom of the fisherman's family as bait to cajole Vandy into revealing the gigantic diamond's location. Solomon, though a simple man, is not so easily fooled. He eventually agrees to help Archer--but only if the mercenary agrees to help locate his family and also permit Solomon to be his travel companion.

There is barely time for indrawn breath during the watching of this movie. Action sequences are furious, brutal, and frequent. The pace of the movie is frenetic. The score is perfect throughout. The "education" of Vandy's son by the rebels is heart-wrenching. Solomon's overarching belief that fatherhood trumps all initially feels naïve, but is eventually revealed to be the singularly most powerful force in the entire movie. Danny's character--the realist mercenary who seems most capable of surviving, when compared to Vandy--shows the most evolution, shedding layers of the personality onion until an actual human appears. He is moved to reveal an element of his past to the beautiful American reporter (Jennifer Connelly), whose persistence and mutual survivorship cements a bond they both were too proud to admit from their first meeting. Archer and Vandy relationship morphs into something beautiful when a sacrifice is needed, prompting Solomon to reverse that remarkably chauvinistic statement made by Rudyard Kipling over one hundred years ago: the "white man's burden."

This is hands-down Djimon's most impressive performance: I have never seen him better represent a character. In fact, he blurs the line between character and actor, totally suspending my disbelief to the point where I "knew" him only as Vandy. I have been told by an acquaintance--currently living in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia)--that DiCaprio's accent is spot-on. In addition, he was utterly believable as heartless mercenary, and his later transformation was also quite convincing. The action sequences were, as mentioned, jaw-dropping in their intensity, but never felt gratuitous or over-the-top.

Easily one of my five favorite movies of 2006--miss it, and you risk missing some of the finest cinematographic wizardry and directorial finesse of cinema from the last year, period.

Excellent action sequences and an all around magnificent movie.......2007-06-22

The Blood Diamond has double meaning. An extremely bloody war is being funded by diamonds, and the stars of the movie are after a huge stone that has a red tint to it. Leonardo Dicaprio is after the diamond and Djimon Hounsou (named Solomon in the movie) agrees to show him where it is, but only goes along with Dicaprio so that he can find his son. Solomon's son has been been taken and made into a 10 year old rebel soldier. Jennifer Connelly plays a journalist and does a great job of using her charm to help forget about the war that is going on, even if it is just for a moment. The best parts are the action scenes. Solomon will do whatever he has to to get his son back, and likewise for Dicaprio with the diamond. It all leads to a very exciting ending.

There is great drama, a great story, and marvelous acting from everybody, but the action sequences stood out the most to me. The rebels seem to enjoy killing everyone and anyone. When they show up, expect to see some intense shoutouts. The 2 fight scenes are also good, mainly because Djimon Hounsou is such a superb actor. I wouldn't have minded seeing more of his rage. Dicaprio also gives an extraordinary performance. He may be better in this than he was in 'The Aviator'.

This is the best movie I have seen in at least a couple months, and I am a hardcore movie junkie. I don't like giving away too much in my reviews, in fact I always try to give away as little as possible. My rating sums up how I feel the best. This movie gets a perfect 5/5 from me. It is relentless, and I couldn't look away for a second. I can't believe I waited so long to finally watch this.

Average customer rating:

Got Boringly Familiar
eye opening movie
Blood Diamond
Human life is the currency of those powerful enough to control the blood diamond trade
Excellent action sequences and an all around magnificent movie

Blood Diamond (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio , Djimon Hounsou , Jennifer Connelly , Kagiso Kuypers , and Arnold Vosloo
Director: Edward Zwick
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Babel

ASIN: B000MZHW40
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Amazon.com

Description

An ex-mercenary turned smuggler (Leonardo DiCaprio). A Mende fisherman (Djimon Hounsou). Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join for two desperate missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the fisherman's son, conscripted as a child soldier into the brutal rebel forces ripping a swath of torture and bloodshed across the alternately beautiful and ravaged countryside. Directed by Edward Zwick (Glory, The Last Samurai), this urgent, intensely moving adventure shapes gripping human stories and heart-pounding action into a modern epic of profound impact.

Customer Reviews:

Got Boringly Familiar.......2007-07-05

Yes, there is action. Yes, there is decent acting. But ultimately, it becomes another preachy, and bogged down film.

eye opening movie.......2007-06-27

Blood Diamond.......2007-06-27

Excellent movie, something orginial and thoughtfull, I would highly recommend this movie to anyone that loves good well thought out movies- a must see.

Human life is the currency of those powerful enough to control the blood diamond trade.......2007-06-23

Excellent action sequences and an all around magnificent movie.......2007-06-22

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

excellent
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Great Movie!
Great !
??

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (Special Edition)
Starring: Kirk Douglas , James Mason , Paul Lukas , Peter Lorre , and Robert J. Wilke
Director: Richard Fleischer , and Charles A. Nichols
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Sea Adventure | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

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

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
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The Time Machine

ASIN: B00005JKU0
Release Date: 2003-05-20

Description

Climb aboard the Nautilus ... and into a strange undersea world of spellbinding adventure! Kirk Douglas, Paul Lukas, and Peter Lorre star as shipwrecked survivors taken captive by the mysterious Captain Nemo, brilliantly portrayed by James Mason. Wavering between genius and madness, Nemo has launched a deadly crusade across the seven seas. But can the captive crew expose his evil plan before he destroys the world? Disney's brilliant Academy Award(R)-winning (1955, Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects) adaptation of Jules Verne's gripping tale makes 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA a truly mesmerizing masterpiece!

Amazon.com essential video

The swashbuckler genre bumped into science fiction in 1954 for one of Hollywood's great entertainments. The Jules Verne story of adventure under the sea was Walt Disney's magnificent debut into live-action films. A professor (Paul Lukas) seeks the truth about a legendary sea monster in the years just after the Civil War. When his ship is sunk, he, his aide (Peter Lorre), and a harpoon master (Kirk Douglas) survive to discover that the monster is actually a metal submarine run by Captain Nemo (James Mason). Along with the rollicking adventure, it's fun to see the future technology that Verne dreamed up in his novel, including diving equipment and sea farming. The film's physical prowess is anchored by the Nautilus, an impressive full-scale gothic submarine complete with red carpet and pipe organ. In the era of big sets, 20,000 Leagues set a precedent for films shot on the water and deservedly won Oscars for art direction and special effects. Lost in the inventiveness of the film and great set pieces including a giant squid attack are two great performances. Mason is the perfect Nemo, taut and private, clothed in dark fabric that counters the Technicolor dreamboat that is the beaming red-and-white-stripe-shirted Kirk Douglas as the heroic Ned Land. The film works as peerless family adventure nearly half a century later. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

excellent.......2007-06-27

What else can you say about a movie with James Mason and Kirk Douglas set beneath the sea. Excellent story, effects, acting etc......

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.......2007-06-25

Rich rendering of the classic Jules Verne tale by Walt Disney was, at the time, the most costly picture ever made, and it shows. The re-mastering of this beloved fantasy adventure is visually breathtaking, with vibrant colors popping off the screen unlike films half its age. Veterans Lukas and Lorre are solid, and Douglas is amusingly over the top as Ned (he even sings!), but the brooding Mason inhabits Nemo like a second skin, carrying the movie. Imaginative and exciting, "League" does full justice to its venerable source, and constitutes top family viewing.

Great Movie!.......2007-06-07

Amazon had what I wanted and the movie was just terrifc! My husband loved this movie when he was a child and I was so pleased Amazon had it to purchase! We got the movie well before it was promised!

Great !.......2007-05-25

This book is the first science fiction I read as a child. The first time I watched this movie I was about 10 years old. Since then till date, I have not forgotten a single scene or dialogue of the film. This is a superb film and quite advanced technically, for it's time. James Mason is the perfect Captain Nemo!

?? .......2007-05-14

The service of Amazon was supberb for THIS item, however, Im STILL waiting for the book I ordered at the same time.

The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle - Volume 1

Average customer rating:

Nice to go back
All time favorite movie
Nostalgic entertainment
Ma & Pa Kettle Vol 1
The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle Vol1

The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle - Volume 1
Starring: Marjorie Main , Percy Kilbride , Richard Long , Meg Randall , and Patricia Alphin
Director: Charles Lamont , and Edward Sedgwick
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 3 (Abbott & Costello Go to Mars / Abbott & Costello in the Foreign Legion / Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein / Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man / Abbott & Costello Meet the Killer / Comin' Round the Mountain / Lost in Alaska / Mexican Hayride)
The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 2 (Hit the Ice / In Society / Here Come the Co-Eds / The Naughty Nineties / Little Giant / The Time of Their Lives / Buck Privates Come Home / The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap)

ASIN: B0000WN0O6
Release Date: 2004-02-10

Description

When it comes to homespun fun, the Kettles rule the roost, and now four of their hillbilly tales, including The Egg and I, The Further Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle, Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town and Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm, are together in a spanking new collection, The Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle: Volume 1. Whether they're hobnobbing with city folk, or tangling with newfangled appliances, Ma (Majorie Main) and Pa (Percy Kilbride) always stay true to their country roots as they try and make sense of our crazy world. Pa might be a tad too gullible, and Ma might be a bit too feisty, but they always seem to get the best of every zany situation with luck, pluck and a whole lot of good old-fashioned love. From beginning to end, it's total madcap adventure and country corn at its finest.

Customer Reviews:

Nice to go back.......2007-05-13

Excellent restoration of some of the funniest pieces of cinema ever produced. Yes, you have to somewhat be a fan but seeing Ma & Pa getting their start in The Egg and I makes each addition a laugh a minute. Granted, things might not be politically correct by today's "standards" but if you want good clean comedy, this set is for you.

All time favorite movie.......2007-05-07

This is a clean movie without the cursing, vulgar, and sexual content that movies contain these days. My three children loved it and Would recommed this movie to any one that is looking for a good family movie.

Nostalgic entertainment.......2007-03-31

I remember watching the Egg and I as a little girl and had looked for it often at the video store. Seeing it as an adult, it is every bit as good as I remember! I love the idyllic farm setting and the humor. My husband and I enjoyed watching all of these family classics!

Ma & Pa Kettle Vol 1.......2007-03-08

I had forgotten just how funny these films were & I have not laughed so hard in a long time. It's pure comedy....adult humor that you can actually watch with your kids! The math scene in "Back On the Farm" brought tears to my eyes. These movies have been a pleasure.

The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle Vol1.......2007-02-23

Great DVD of my old time favorite movies, order both Volumes

Average customer rating:

Best Film Ever, Test Of Wills & Character.
The bridge on the river kwai
Enduring classic
"A benchmark for war films" ? I hardly think so!
Tour de Force for William Holden

The Bridge on the River Kwai
Starring: William Holden , Jack Hawkins , Alec Guinness , Sessue Hayakawa , and James Donald
Director: David Lean
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

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

Lawrence of Arabia (Limited Edition)
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ASIN: B00004XPPC
Release Date: 2000-11-21

Amazon.com essential video

Director David Lean's masterful 1957 realization of Pierre Boulle's novel remains a benchmark for war films, and a deeply absorbing movie by any standard--like most of Lean's canon, The Bridge on the River Kwai achieves a richness in theme, narrative, and characterization that transcends genre.

The story centers on a Japanese prison camp isolated deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia, where the remorseless Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) has been charged with building a vitally important railway bridge. His clash of wills with a British prisoner, the charismatic Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), escalates into a duel of honor, Nicholson defying his captor's demands to win concessions for his troops. How the two officers reach a compromise, and Nicholson becomes obsessed with building that bridge, provides the story's thematic spine; the parallel movement of a team of commandos dispatched to stop the project, led by a British major (Jack Hawkins) and guided by an American escapee (William Holden), supplies the story's suspense and forward momentum.

Shot on location in Sri Lanka, Kwai moves with a careful, even deliberate pace that survivors of latter-day, high-concept blockbusters might find lulling--Lean doesn't pander to attention deficit disorders with an explosion every 15 minutes. Instead, he guides us toward the intersection of the two plots, accruing remarkable character details through extraordinary performances. Hayakawa's cruel camp commander is gradually revealed as a victim of his own sense of honor, Holden's callow opportunist proves heroic without softening his nihilistic edge, and Guinness (who won a Best Actor Oscar, one of the production's seven wins) disappears as only he can into Nicholson's brittle, duty-driven, delusional psychosis. His final glimpse of self-knowledge remains an astonishing moment--story, character, and image coalescing with explosive impact.

Like Lean's Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai has been beautifully restored and released in a highly recommended widescreen version that preserves its original aspect ratio. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

Best Film Ever, Test Of Wills & Character........2007-05-06

This unique film had everything you could want except romance. Action, suspense, special effects, an intruiging story, themes, cinematography, diection, & locales. This is the story of a Japanese POW camp in Burma in World War two. Commanded by Colonel Saito {Sessue Hayakawa}, the mainly British captives are being used as slave labor for the construction of a railroad bridge that will link malaysia to Rangoon over the river Kwai. The Japanese commander's life depends on it's successful completion. Colonel Nicholson the British commander is a stickler for rules & when Saito declares that officers will work as well as enlisted men, he sites the Geneva Convention restrictions on officers doing manual labor. When they refuse to work, Saito has them thrown into ovens, metal containers that bake in the tropical sweltering heat. After much angst Saito relents since the bridge is behind schedule. There's a fine mix of camera shots from all possible angles showing the grinding heat draining the overworked & malnurished men, as well as breathtaking panoramas. Above all positives of this excellent film were the performances by all concerned. Alec Guinness as Col. nicholson was beyond "PERFECTION." He totally absorbs the characters essence & then manifests it. I can't think of any actor who deserved his/her OSCAR more. William Holden is also superlative in his scenes, as were stern Sessue Hayakawa & the enigmatic Jack Hawkins. The destruction of the bridge & train was a one shot chance done very well. I saw this film on TV as a young boy. Now seeing it again on DVD, it was as enthralling as ever. Buy it, you won't be disapointed.

The bridge on the river kwai.......2007-04-02

Classic movie and glad it finally came on DVD

Enduring classic.......2007-03-26

This enduring classic is (loosely, very loosely) the story of the WW2 POWs used to build the Thai/Burma railroad. The larger war becomes a personal battle between 3 forces: The Japanese soldiers looking for labor led by Colonel Saito, the British soldiers looking to serve as prisoners as dictated by the Geneva Convention led by Colonel Nicholsen (Alec Guiness winning an academy award) and the commandos looking to destroy the bridge led by Naval officer Shear.

The morality (or more specifically madness) of war is adressed in the movie. The pointless nature of armed conflict reads true today, as do issues of handling prisoners. The movie's a long one, but one of the few that justifies the added time. Every piece is indeed required in this classic.

"A benchmark for war films" ? I hardly think so!.......2007-03-19

How Amazon could rate this as a benchmark is beyond my understanding. This movie is so far removed from the reality of the episode that it is an insult to the troops who endured the events. Perhaps it would be best if Amazon relied on combat veterans to critique war movies.

Tour de Force for William Holden.......2007-02-27

This is movie is an excellent WWII prisoner of war film. I was enamored immediately and for the entire length of this film. William Holden is perfect as an American POW caught in the middle between a mission dreamed up by his British companions and desire to sit the war out. Director David Lean is the master.

Average customer rating:

Got Boringly Familiar
eye opening movie
Blood Diamond
Human life is the currency of those powerful enough to control the blood diamond trade
Excellent action sequences and an all around magnificent movie

Blood Diamond (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio , Djimon Hounsou , Jennifer Connelly , Kagiso Kuypers , and Arnold Vosloo
Director: Edward Zwick
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)
Casino Royale (2-Disc Widescreen Edition)
The Last King of Scotland (Widescreen Edition)
Babel

ASIN: B000MZHW4A
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

Got Boringly Familiar.......2007-07-05

Yes, there is action. Yes, there is decent acting. But ultimately, it becomes another preachy, and bogged down film.

eye opening movie.......2007-06-27

Blood Diamond.......2007-06-27

Excellent movie, something orginial and thoughtfull, I would highly recommend this movie to anyone that loves good well thought out movies- a must see.

Human life is the currency of those powerful enough to control the blood diamond trade.......2007-06-23

Excellent action sequences and an all around magnificent movie.......2007-06-22

The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle - Volume 2

Average customer rating:

family fun
Dad loved it!!!!!
The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle Vol2
Wonderful old movie series
Volume II completes the saga.

The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle - Volume 2
Starring: Marjorie Main , Percy Kilbride , Lori Nelson , Byron Palmer , and Russell Johnson
Director: Lee Sholem , Charles Barton , and Charles Lamont
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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

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

The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle - Volume 1
Adventures of Francis The Talking Mule - Volume 1
The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 1 (Buck Privates / Hold That Ghost / In the Navy / Keep 'Em Flying / One Night in the Tropics / Pardon My Sarong / Ride 'Em Cowboy / Who Done It?)
The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 3 (Abbott & Costello Go to Mars / Abbott & Costello in the Foreign Legion / Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein / Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man / Abbott & Costello Meet the Killer / Comin' Round the Mountain / Lost in Alaska / Mexican Hayride)
The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 2 (Hit the Ice / In Society / Here Come the Co-Eds / The Naughty Nineties / Little Giant / The Time of Their Lives / Buck Privates Come Home / The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap)

ASIN: B0001FGC06
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Product Description

America s favorite country couple are back together again in a brand new collection featuring four of their all-time favorite films. Ma & Pa Kettle (Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride) continue to charm audiences with their down-home humor and hilarious antics, inspiring in The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle: Volume 2, featuring Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair, Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation, Ma and Pa Kettle at Home, Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki. Join the Kettles this time as they travel the globe, getting involved in everything from international spies and pineapple plantations to harness racing and hurricanes in this delightful special collector s set.

System Requirements:

Running Time 316 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

family fun.......2007-05-24

This is a movie you can watch with your family. You can look back to movie fun from our past. I feel so lucky I can find these old movies on Amazon. LOVE IT, pat

Dad loved it!!!!!.......2007-03-22

I bought this product for my dad's Birthday......he has been looking everywhere for these shows.....It was a hit at his party!!!!!

The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle Vol2.......2007-02-23

Great DVD of my old time favorite movies, order both Volumes

Wonderful old movie series.......2007-02-01

The Ma & Pa Kettle series of movies are some of the best comedies ever made. Wholesome fun for the whole family. Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride play their roles to the hilt. They put you right into Lake Flattery, Washington with their family and neighbors.

Volume II completes the saga........2007-01-31

Ma & Pa Kettle, Volume II, tops Volume I, taking you through the great chuckles of the era, where misunderstandings are common place. In both volumes we see the early films of stars who went on to become big name stars: Richard Long, Lori Nelson, James Best, and more. Country humor at its best. Plus, ingenuity, too.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Movie
Paradise Remembered
Love Love Love This Movie
Beach Parties...
Where the Boys Are - movie

Where the Boys Are
Starring: Dolores Hart , George Hamilton , Yvette Mimieux , Jim Hutton , and Barbara Nichols
Director: Henry Levin
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video