Meet John Doe

Starring:Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold, Walter Brennan, Spring Byington, James Gleason, Gene Lockhart, Rod La Rocque, Irving Bacon, Regis Toomey, J. Farrell MacDonald, Warren Hymer, Harry Holman, Andrew Tombes, Pierre Watkin, Stanley Andrews, Mitchell Lewis, Charles C. Wilson, Vaughan Glaser, Sterling Holloway
Director: Frank Capra
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Customer Reviews:

Best of Capra.......2007-03-28

This story is many times better that "It's a Wonderful Life" The social and politcal ideas it presents are still very relevent today. Perhaps even more so. The print of the black and white feature is not perfect, probably because the movie lanquished in obscurity for so long. Of course you can't beat Cooper and Stanwyk together.

Quality of DVD is grainy, am disappointed........2007-02-02

I've just played "Meet John Doe" DVD, put out by Passport Video, and must admit to being extremely disappointed in the very poor picture quality all the way through. I might try the VHS version and hope for an improvement over this one.

I'm puzzled about the error of movie title and the actors. "The Divorce of Lady X" (1938) has Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier in it. "Meet John Doe" has Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. So why the mixup in titles as listed above by Amazon? Surely someone ought to have noticed long ago!

Very Poor Quality DVD.......2006-10-11

Love the movie, but the quality of the DVD put out by Alpha Video was so bad it was very difficult to watch. The sound was scratchy and muffled and the picture looked as if the brightness was turned all the way up. If you don't want to be disappointed and feel like you've been ripped off, wait for the remastered cut before you buy this one.

Wonderful film but poor DVD quality.......2006-05-31

I bought the DVD with this artwork out of a dollar bin and I got what I paid for. The image is fuzzy and the audio is of poor quality. This must have been taken from a 16mm print. It may be that this film is in public domain, so it may be difficult to find a decent quality DVD. There are many issues of this film so you would do better to try one of the other DVD issues. Note: Amazon seems to spread these reviews across DVDs of the same title, so you may see this review under multiple DVD releases of "Meet John Doe". The poor quality DVD that I bought has a cover that looked like this: [...]

An Important American Film..........2005-11-24

...but buyers should be forwarned that the print from which this DVD is made was a poor one, and Alpha Video, the distributors of this classic Capra movie, made no attempt to clean it up.

Here we have an example of a key artwork about America's psychological and political framework during emergence from the economic depression of the 1930s, crying out for careful restration to the condition it so deserves.

Average customer rating:

Gary Cooper as the American Everyman in Capra's classic

Meet John Doe
Starring: Gary Cooper
Manufacturer: Allied Artists Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000AM4PKY
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Customer Reviews:

Gary Cooper as the American Everyman in Capra's classic.......2005-08-08

"Meet John Doe" is clearly the most political of director Frank Capra's famous "Capracorn" films, even more than "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" or "State of the Union." Newspaper columnist Ann Mitchell (Barbara Stanwyck in a rare "good girl role") is fired and prints a phony letter in her final column about a man who is going to commit suicide on Christmas Eve to protest the misery and corruption afflicting the county. The letter is signed "John Doe." The letter causes a sensation and Ann gets her job back, but it becomes necessary for her to produce a real "John Doe" to the skeptics. She basically holds auditions for the role and settles on Long John Willoughby (Gary Cooper), a starving bush league pitcher whose arm has gone bad.

Ann continues to write article in the name of John Doe, calling on everyone to love their neighbor and the like. This only increases the fan mail and in the best scene of the film she writes "John Doe" a speech to read on the radio, inspired by the words of her father. As "John" himself gets caught up in the speech and its response, Ann is totally enraptured by the moment. This all might be a giant con game, but Ann is now a true believer in the fiction she has created. But at that point the powerful publishing magnate, D. B. Norton (Edward Arnold), throws his support behind the John Doe clubs because he wants them to hold a convention where "John" will nominate him as a third party candidate for the presidency. Obviously Norton is some sort of American fascist, and when "John" refuses to play along, Norton publicly exposes him to the mob in a devastating fashion. All that is left to "John" is to fulfill the original promise of the first letter and commit suicide on Christmas Eve.

Cooper and Capra had enjoyed success before with "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," but this is the much better film by far. Cooper's performance in this 1940 film is certainly Oscar worthy, but his next film was "Sergeant York" and that was the film that won the actor his first Academy Award. Stanwyck's performance is just as good, proving she could do more than film noir bad girls. Like most of Capra's great works, including "It's A Wonderful Life," the mythic structure is clearly that of the crucifixion and resurrection (think about it). The symbolic "death" of John Doe is arguably the most painful in any of Capra's films and the character's "resurrection" is definitely the most believable. Capra originally had a darker ending than what was provided, but we all know that really would have gone against his grain. Again, the supporting cast for Capra's film is absolutely stellar, with Edward Arnold, Walter Brennan, Spring Byington, Gene Lockhart, Sterling Holloway, and especially James Gleason as Ann's newspaper editor, all getting the most out of Robert Riskin's screenplay. "Meet John Doe" is definitely a classic Frank Capra film.

Gary Cooper Classics (Fighting Caravans, A Farewell to Arms, Meet John Doe, Stolen Jools)

Average customer rating:

Gary Cooper Classics
Great bargain for Gary Cooper's fans!

Gary Cooper Classics (Fighting Caravans, A Farewell to Arms, Meet John Doe, Stolen Jools)
Starring: Wallace Beery , Buster Keaton , Jack Hill (II) , J. Farrell MacDonald , and Edward G. Robinson
Director: William C. McGann , Otto Brower , and David Burton
Manufacturer: Genius Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Along Came Jones
The Plainsman

ASIN: B0000VLLCA
Release Date: 2003-11-25

Description

4 movies on 2 DVD's

1. Fighting Caravans (1931, run time 80 minutes) Also starring Lili Damita
A young frontiersman (Cooper) facing a misdemeanor jail term, talks French-born Felice (Damita) into posing as his wife to avoid being arrested. They join a wagon train headed West, and he is sole trail guide as they battle Indians and a villanous gun-runner. Their seesaw relationship provides an interesting love theme. Based on a Zane Grey novel.

2. A Farewell To Arms (1932, run time 83 minutes) Also starring Helen Hayes
Based on Ernest Hemingway's novel, this is a World War I love story about paramedic Lt. Henry (Cooper) and nurse Catherine Barkley (Hayes). This poignant, ill-fated romance takes place in Italy where the two fall in love and will stop at nothing to be together. Academy Award Nominations: Best Picture; Best Art Direction.

3. Meet John Doe (1941, run time 135 minutes) Also starring Barbara Stanwyck
A suicidal down-and-outer, "John Doe" (Cooper) is manipulated by an ambitious politician and a newspaper writer (Stanwyck). This Depression-era parable illustrates the decency of the common man triumphing over cynicism, big-money influence and power. Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Story.

4. Stolens Jools (1931, run time 20 minutes) Also starring Norma Shearer
This humorous story is an investigation of the theft of Norma Shearer's jewelry at a big, star-packed party. Party goers include Joan Crawford, Laurel & Hardy, "Gabby" Hayes, Buster Keaton, Maurice Chevalier, Irene Dunne, the list goes on and on.

Customer Reviews:

Gary Cooper Classics.......2006-07-10

The movies are their title, classics. The product was as good as I expected. They are old. The sound was a good quality. I recommend them to anyone who wants to expand their collection of quality movies.

Great bargain for Gary Cooper's fans!.......2004-10-06

I'm a big fan of Gary Cooper & overall I thought these movies were very enjoyable. The first movie is "Fighting Caravans" (1931) & features a very young Gary Cooper as a wild frontiersman who talks a young French woman (played by Lili Damita) into posing as his wife in order to avoid a jail term. They join a large wagon train & head west & along the way they fall in love & consider marrying although Cooper isn't ready to "settle down". There's a big Indian attack on the wagon train towards the end (Gee, what a surprise!) that makes it well worth watching. Next, we have the original 1932 classic "A Farewell to Arms", which might be the best film version of Hemingway's novel, although parts of it are slow. Cooper was probably eager to star in that film because of his real-life friendship with Earnest Hemingway. Next, we have an often overlooked piece of "Capricorn", 1941's "Meet John Doe" stars Cooper as a suicidal bum who finally discovers that life is worth living. Even though it was directed by Frank Capra & also stars Barbara Stanwyck, this is not one of Capra's finer moments. The main problem is that it's over 2 hours & the plot is sluggish. In my opinion the real gem on this dvd is the 1931 short film "Stolen Jewels", which has tons of cameos from famous stars like Joan Crawford, Laurel & Hardy, Edward G. Robinson, Buster Keaton, Irene Dunne, Norma Shearer, & of course Gary Cooper. If you're a big Gary Cooper fan & are searching for a real bargain, then look no further!

Gary Cooper Double Feature: A Farewell to Arms/Meet John Doe

Average customer rating:

Gary Cooper Double Feature: A Farewell to Arms/Meet John Doe
Starring: Farewell to Arms , and Meet John Doe
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002VL024
Release Date: 2004-11-16

Description

A Farewell to Arms (1932) is based on Ernest Hemingway's masterpiece and was adapted beautifully to the screen. It features Cooper in one of his first major roles as the young ambulance driver serving amid the chaos of the First World War. Helen Hayes is lovely as Catherine, a British nurse with whom Frederic (Cooper) falls in love while serving on the brutal Italian front. Hemingway's indictment of war and tale of bittersweet romance emerges as a powerful and moving film that remains not only a literary classic but a true film classic as well. The second feature, Meet John Doe, is director Frank Capra's classic ode to the common man. This social commentary/comedy/drama stars Cooper as one of the millions of unemployed workers, only he's been hand-picked to represent the `typical American', John Doe, by a newspaper publisher. Cooper is soon built into the symbol of the average man by the high-pressure campaign of the news tycoon with the help of an attractive reporter (Stanwyck). But Cooper finds that he's being used to further the publisher's power-seeking political ambitions and rebels. What happens then makes for one of the truly engrossing conclusions to any of Capra's masterpieces. Bonus Features: Scene Selection| Trailers Specs: DVD9; Dolby Digital Mono; 202 minutes; B&W; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1932, 1941; SRP - $4.99.

Average customer rating:

Best of Capra
Quality of DVD is grainy, am disappointed.
Very Poor Quality DVD
Wonderful film but poor DVD quality
An Important American Film...

Meet John Doe / Gary Cooper on Film
Starring: Gary Cooper , Barbara Stanwyck , Edward Arnold , Walter Brennan , and Spring Byington
Director: Frank Capra
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305914834
Release Date: 2000-06-27

Description

Stanwyck, a fired journalist retaliates by writing a fictional piece about an idealist named John Doe and through him she rants about the injustices of big business. Cooper impersonates John Doe, resulting in a political movement for the working class. Includes a documentary On Film, introduction by Tony Curtis and the trailer for Cooper's Lives Of A Bengal Lancer. Oscar nominated for Best Writing. Directed by Frank Capra.

Customer Reviews:

Best of Capra.......2007-03-28

Quality of DVD is grainy, am disappointed........2007-02-02

Very Poor Quality DVD.......2006-10-11

Wonderful film but poor DVD quality.......2006-05-31

An Important American Film..........2005-11-24

Average customer rating:

Digitally Remastered and as good as new!
QUALITY IS...O.K.
COOPER - AN AMERICAN ICON
I'm Betting that Amazon's Release Date is 2001

Meet John Doe/A Farewell to Arms
Starring: Gary Cooper , Barbara Stanwyck , Edward Arnold , Walter Brennan , and Spring Byington
Director: Frank Capra , and Frank Borzage
Manufacturer: Marengo Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Lady for a Day
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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

ASIN: B00004WL4W
Release Date: 2001-02-28

Description

195 minute double feature film DVD.

Customer Reviews:

Digitally Remastered and as good as new!.......2004-11-21

Judging by earlier reviews, the DVD that was given to me is obviously a new edition by Marengo Films: digitally remastered and with a different cover picture than the one currently displayed here. This one deserves a 5-star rating both for its excellent picture and sound quality, and for the two marvellous and unforgettable cinema classics. "A Farewell to Arms" from 1932 is based on the Ernest Hemingway novel and is a tragic love story set in Italy during World War I with nice sets and some good and unusual camera work at times. The love affair between the American ambulance driver (Cooper) and a nurse cannot run smoothly due to the war and Cooper's interfering friend, but get your tissues out for the ending! The second Gary Cooper feature, "Meet John Doe" from 1941 is quite different, as is Cooper's character, John Doe, who goes through various emotions and reveals deeper layers of character as the story unfolds. What starts out as a reporter's last desperate attempt to keep her job ends up being a nationwide movement to motivate people to care about one's neighbour and give the average person a voice and power (hence 'John Doe'). Of course, there's always a baddie who wants to take advantage of this people-power, while John Doe struggles with himself, his identity and his feelings for the fiery lady reporter (played nicely by Barbara Stanwyck). I really got a lot out of this movie as well, and I highly recommend this DVD to any general movie fan and especially of classics like these. Just make sure it's the digitally remastered edition: written across the bottom in yellow letters on a red label.

QUALITY IS...O.K........2004-08-17

There wasn't alot of hiss on either movie. The image quality is nothing to write home about. It's just good enough to keep you from straining your eyes.

COOPER - AN AMERICAN ICON.......2003-09-12

For people who love to watch great acting go no further than Meet John Doe and its star Gary Cooper. His style is almost perfect... he is the "everyman" in the USA and he was able to play... not the glamorous Movie Star that he was... he played the Average Guy... he did it here, he did it in Sergeant York and he did it in A Farewell to Arms.

This DVD was nicely done by Marengo Films and well worth the money.

I'm Betting that Amazon's Release Date is 2001.......2000-08-21

Two great movies for an excellent price. Though some might not like the quality of DVD reproduction, I point out that it is better than my VHS copies which look cartoonish from their afforable, early reproduction. With that having been said. Enjoy MEET JOHN DOE: Gary Cooper is a tossed-away citizen who is chosen by a reporter (Barbara Stanwyck) to man the soapbox on a charity campaign. FAREWELL TO ARMS 1932 film of an American soldier (Gary Cooper) falling in love with his British nurse (Helen Hayes) during WWI. Based on Ernest Hemingway novel.

Average customer rating:

Best of Capra
Quality of DVD is grainy, am disappointed.
Very Poor Quality DVD
Wonderful film but poor DVD quality
An Important American Film...

Meet John Doe
Starring: Gary Cooper , Barbara Stanwyck , Edward Arnold , Walter Brennan , and Spring Byington
Director: Frank Capra
Manufacturer: Miracle Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0001F7TYO
Release Date: 2003-03-03

Product Description

Coper is at his Low key best as a naive homeless man whose declaration to kill himself to protest world conditions, causes a media frenzy an unwanted celebrity status, along with some life affirming moments.

Customer Reviews:

Best of Capra.......2007-03-28

Quality of DVD is grainy, am disappointed........2007-02-02

Very Poor Quality DVD.......2006-10-11

Wonderful film but poor DVD quality.......2006-05-31

An Important American Film..........2005-11-24

PopFlix - Drama (The Man with the Golden Arm / Meet John Doe / A Farewell to Arms [1932] / Suddenly)

Average customer rating:

PopFlix - Drama (The Man with the Golden Arm / Meet John Doe / A Farewell to Arms [1932] / Suddenly)
Starring: Cooper , and Sinatra
Manufacturer: Pop Flix
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000GIXEJ0
Release Date: 2006-08-08

Description

Man with the Golden Arm (1955) 119 min B&W
Starring: Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Eleanor Parker; Director: Otto Preminger
Fresh out of rehab for heroin addiction, a professional card dealer struggles to become a jazz drummer while old friends and his wife conspire to bring him back to his former habits.

Suddenly (1954) 90 min B&W Starring: Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, James Gleason; Director: Lewis Allen A psychopathic killer and his cohorts are hired to assassinate the President of the United States as he passes through the normally tranquil small town of Suddenly. Sinatra is absolutely spellbinding as the cold-blooded assassin!

A Farewell to Arms (1932) 78 min B&W
Starring: Gary Cooper, Helen Hayes; Director: Frank Borzac
A daring American ambulance driver falls in love with a British nurse on the Italian frontlines in Italy. The chaos of the battlefield tests their love in what would become one of the most moving endings in cinematic history.

Description

Hollywood legend Gary Cooper in two of his of his most popular films! In the highly acclaimed A Farwell to Arms (1932, B&W, 78 min.), Ernest Hemingway's masterpiece of tragic wartime romance comes to vivid life. A daring American ambulance driver (Gary Cooper) falls in love with a British nurse (Helen Hayes) on the Italian frontlines of WWI. The chaos of the battlefield conspires to push the ill-fated lovers together and then wrench them apart in what becomes an ultimate test of love and one of the most moving endings in cinematic history. Nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture! Meet John Doe (1941, B&W, 123 min), Frank Capra's classic ode to the common man, stars Gary Cooper as a down-and-out former baseball player caught up in a newspaper publicity stunt. Barbara Stanwyck plays the newspaperwoman who first exploits him, and with whom Cooper predictably falls in love.

Gary Cooper: Meet John Doe/Gary Cooper on Film/Fighting Caravans/Farewell To Arms

Average customer rating:

Gary Cooper: Meet John Doe/Gary Cooper on Film/Fighting Caravans/Farewell To Arms
Starring: Gary Cooper
Manufacturer: LaserLight DVD
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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

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Ball of Fire
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ASIN: B00004YKS3
Release Date: 2003-02-06

Description

Includes:
Meet John Doe • On Film
Fighting Caravans
A Farewell To Arms

B&W/Color
335 min.

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