Queen Kelly

Starring:Gloria Swanson, Walter Byron, Seena Owen, Ann Morgan, Sylvia Ashton, Tully Marshall, Wilhelm von Brincken, Madame Sul-Te-Wan, Wilson Benge, Sidney Bracey, Lucille Van Lent, Gordon Westcott, Madge Hunt, Rae Daggett, Florence Gibson
Director: Sam Wood, Irving Thalberg, Edmund Goulding, Richard Boleslawski, Erich von Stroheim
Studio: Kino Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Oldie but goodie
Dead of Night/The Queen of Spades
Two fine, unsettling movies to watch late at night
Two British movies
Dead of Night

Dead of Night/The Queen of Spades
Starring: Mervyn Johns , Roland Culver , Mary Merrall , Googie Withers , and Frederick Valk
Director: Charles Crichton , Robert Hamer , and Basil Dearden
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

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

Terror Two-Packs | Anchor Bay Horror Store | Stores | DVD | Video

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

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

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

Curse of the Demon / Night of the Demon
The Old Dark House
The Devil Rides Out/Rasputin the Mad Monk
The Mario Bava Collection, Volume 1 (Black Sunday / Black Sabbath / The Girl Who Knew Too Much / Kill Baby Kill / Knives of the Avenger)
Inner Sanctum Mysteries: The Complete Movie Collection

ASIN: B0000844JQ
Release Date: 2003-05-20

Description

DEAD OF NIGHT A group of strangers is mysteriously gathered at a country estate where each reveals a chilling tale of the supernatural. First, a racer survives a brush with death only to receive terrifying premonitions from beyond the grave. Then a teen's innocent game of hide-and-seek leads to an encounter with the macabre. Next, a young couple purchases an antique mirror that unleashes a horrific power from its past. In a lighter vein, two competitive golfers play for stakes that may haunt the winner forever. Finally, a renowned ventriloquist descends into an abyss of madness and murder when his dummy develops a mind of its own. But even after these frightening tales are told, does one final nightmare await them all? Britain's venerable Ealing Studios brought together four brilliant directors -Charles Crichton (THE LAVENDER HILL MOB), Basil Dearden (THE MIND BENDERS), Alberto Cavalcanti (NICHOLAS NICKLEBY) and Robert Hamer (KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS) to create this classic chiller that remains one of the most influential horror films ever made. This is the uncut and complete UK version of DEAD OF NIGHT, now newly restored from original archival materials for the first time in decades.

THE QUEEN OF SPADES "Unusual And Macabre!" ~ Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide A gambling craze is sweeping 19th century St. Petersburg, yet a dashing Russian army captain (Anton Walbrook of THE RED SHOES) is too impoverished to participate. But when he learns that an aging countess (an award-winning performance by Dame Edith Evans of TOM JONES) may hold the ultimate key to gaming riches, the desperate young officer will stop at nothing to steal the sinister secret for himself. When fortunes are won and lost with the turn of a card, will one man wager his very soul on a final twist of fate? Yvonne Mitchell (DEMONS OF THE MIND) co-stars in this brilliant British chiller directed by Thorold Dickinson (GASLIGHT), featuring extraordinary cinematography by Otto Heller (PEEPING TOM, THE IPCRESS FILE) and based on the celebrated short story by Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Includes AN 8-page Collector's Booklet.

Customer Reviews:

Oldie but goodie.......2007-06-27

Black and white. 1949. Actors you may or may not know. No matter, this is a keeper!

Dead of Night/The Queen of Spades.......2007-01-14

Dead of Night is probably one of the best horror/mystery movies that I've seen. I had not seen The Queen of Spades before I bought this set as I was interested in Dead of Night and found it to be just as frightening. I would recommend these two movies to all true horror/mystery fans who can appreciate the more subtle approaches to horror and suspense produced by these British studios.

Two fine, unsettling movies to watch late at night.......2006-10-25

--Dead of Night - Dead of Night remains, sixty years after it was made at Ealing Studios, one of the creepiest and most intelligent of supernatural films. No, it doesn't have creaking coffins, or pale hands edging through a doorway, or Ruritanian vampires. It has a country home set in the warm Kentish countryside, civilized house guests with excellent manners, five stories of unhinged supernatural happenings, and one guest who suffers from nightmares. This is an anthology film, with the stories ranging from ghosts to premonitions to savage possession. They are told by the people who experienced them, and they are all wrapped around by the one guest who knows the house, knows the host and knows the other guests even though he has never seen any of them before. He knows them in his nightmare, a nightmare he has had over and over. "It always starts exactly the same as when I arrived, just now," architect Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns) says. "I turn off the main road into the lane. At the bend in the lane, the house comes into view, and I stop as I recognize it. Then I drive on again. And Foley meets me at the front door. I recognize him, too. And then, while I'm taking off my coat, I have the most extraordinary feeling. I nearly turn and run for it, because I know I'm going to come face-to-face with the six [other guests]." Four of the guests and the host, we learn, have stories of their own.

There's the race car driver's story, directed by Basil Dearden. Hugh Grainger (Anthony Baird) survives a crash but sees from his hospital window a horse-drawn hearse. The driver looks up at him. "Just room for one more, sir," he says with a smile. That's just the beginning.

There's the schoolgirl's story, directed by Alberto Calvalcanti. Sally O'Hara (Sally Ann Howes) plays hide-and-seek at a party and discovers a hidden room, a small boy crying...and an older sister.

There's the wife's story, directed by Robert Hamer. Joan Cortland (Googie Withers) buys an antique mirror for her fiancee. It's not long before he sees in the mirror another room from another age, and we learn of a crippled, jealous husband and a strangled wife.

For a chance to exhale and smile, there's the story of two golf fanatics, directed by Charles Crichton, who decide how to have the woman they both love. Elliot Foley (Roland Culver), our host, tells us this story.

And there is undoubtedly one of the most unnerving of horror tales, the story of ventriloquist Maxwell Frere (Michael Redgrave) and his dummy, Hugo, directed by Calvalcanti. Redgrave gives a tour de force performance as the dominated ventriloquist...but is he dominated by Hugo or by a separate personality. All we know for sure is that Hugo bites.

Weaving through these stories is the dread of Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns), who insists he has met the other guests. He knows that he will slap one, that another will break his glasses, that a sixth guest will soon appear. He knows he will do something terrible to someone who has never harmed him. One of the guests, Dr. van Straaten (Frederick Valk), is a psychoanalyst who has a reasonable explanation for all the stories. As the stories are told and as Craig's forecasts happen, van Straaten's rationales become shakier. This connecting story, directed by Dearden, reaches a climax in a psychedelic nightmare of leering faces emerging from the stories, of madly off-balance staircases and dark windows...and of a terrified Walter Craig.

And then a telephone rings. It's morning and we're in Walter Craig's bedroom. He wakes, realizes this was another nightmare and takes the phone. He's invited to spend the weekend looking over a house that needs an addition built. His wife asks who was calling. "Eliot Foley, Pilgrim's Farm...I wonder why that sounds so familiar," he says. "A weekend in the country? I should go." she says. Craig takes a coin and says, "I'll toss for it. Heads I go, tails I don't." Mrs. Craig looks at the coin. "Heads." He smiles and says, "I go." She gives him a hug. "That's just what you need, darling. It'll help you get rid of those horrible nightmares." But was it a nightmare? Or is it still?

Despite there being five tales, the linking narrative and four directors, Dead of Night works as one unified story. Everything fits seamlessly. Even after all these years the stories hold up, particularly those of Frere and Craig. Coming in a respectable second, for me, are the stories of the race driver and the wife. But even the weakest, the schoolgirl's story, is well done. The golfer's story is there to provide some eased tension and it serves it's purpose. The acting is all of a high order, with Michael Redgrave just about extraordinary. I've always been fond of Roland Culver's brisk competence. He's very good as the host. If you watch this movie, bear in mind that up until Dead of Night, ventriloquists' dummies in the movies had always been seen as charming, funny and harmless. Hugo's DNA changed all that forever.

--The Queen of Spades - It's comforting to think that Alexander Pushkin, had he been born a hundred years later than he was, could undoubtedly have found employment writing screenplays for Val Lewton. As it is, we'll just have to put up with all those plays, novels, poems, operas and short stories he wrote.

The Queen of Spades, based on a story by Pushkin, is a marvelously atmospheric and menacing tale of obsession and greed. It takes places in 1806 St. Petersburg. Captain Herman Suvorin (Anton Walbrook) is a poor German engineer serving in the Czarist army. Gambling has become the rage and faro is the card game of choice for all the rich, aristocratic and arrogant young officers who laugh at Suvorin. He hasn't the means to gamble and he hasn't the means to purchase advancement. Then he hears the story of Countess Ranevskaya (Edith Evans), who, a generation earlier, is supposed to have sold her soul for "the secret of the cards"...the three cards to choose which will win a fortune at faro. Amazingly, the Countess is still living, almost a recluse, with a beautiful ward. Suvorin determines to find a way to woo the young woman as a method to gain entry into the Countess' palace and to the Countess herself. He is determined to learn from her the three cards. He does, or thinks he does, and we witness madness and death. Says one character, "I believe all human beings are fundamentally good. I'm convinced of it. Yes, and I believe that evil is a force, a mighty force, that is abroad in the world to take possession of men's souls, if they will allow it to." Oh, Suvorin.

Now if Val Lewton had produced this we might have a cult classic on our hands. As it is, we have a movie which has been nearly forgotten. Too bad. The film might have been made with little money but it doesn't look it. Snow and slush cover the frigid St. Petersburg streets. Candles flicker and gutter. Deep shadows hide cubbyholes and doorways. There are ragged peasants and beggars, an ornate opera house and a dazzling ballroom filled with dancing aristocrats. There is the Countess' palace with it's decorated rooms, angled staircases, bare kitchens and cold servants quarters. There is the Countess' bedroom with it's secret passage and the stone steps leading to a hidden entrance. The black-and-white cinematography is excellent; everything shadowed might hold madness or a threat. Making everything work are the two mesmerizing performances by Walbrook and Evans. With these two actors it's a pleasure just to observe Suvorin's growing obsession and to hear the tap of the Countess' cane and the slow, steady swish of her silk gown.

Anton Walbrook was one of the great actors of his time. Sometimes he would almost teeter on the brink of mannerism, but he'd invariably deliver performances of startling quality. With his intensity, his Austrian accent and his ability to draw out a vowel for effect, it was difficult not to keep your eyes on him. At 53 he is playing 20 years younger and does so with ease. Edith Evans was 57 when she made this, her first film after years of stardom in the theater. She plays a selfish, irritable 90-year-old woman, querulous and suspicious. When Suvorin and the Countess finally meet in the Countess' bedroom, an acting student could learn much just by watching the two. Walbrook has all the lines; Evans watches and reacts. It's a toss-up as to which betters the other.

I think both Pushkin and Lewton would have enjoyed this movie.

The DVD transfer of Dead of Night is fine, although the movie shows its age a bit. The DVD transfer of The Queen of Spades is better than acceptable. It's an old film and looks it, but the picture and audio quality are satisfying. There are no significant extras. There is an eight-page booklet included in the case.

Two British movies.......2006-02-24

"Dead of Night" is a thrilling horror movie with wonderful actors. It has an episodic structure; each member of a group gathered at a country house tells an uncanny story, one more gripping than the next (with one comic exception to relieve the tension). Then the conclusion has a startling twist.

"Queen of Spades", based on a Pushkin short story, is also good, but not quite as effective. Edith Evans gives an impressive performance as the old Countess, but the direction is not as interesting as it is in "Dead of Night".

Dead of Night.......2005-08-10

A literate, British chiller that is more unsettling than scary. Though Rod Serling is not around to confirm it, this could have inspired his wildly inventive Twilight Zone series which followed over a decade later. Hang on particularly for Michael Redgrave's paralyzing turn as a ventriloquist whose dummy controls him.

Average customer rating:

Love it !
A Brilliant Documentaray About the People who Live & Work at Windsor Castle
One of the best!
Winsor Castle -A Royal Year
Winsor Castle - A Royal Year

Windsor Castle - A Royal Year
Starring: Barbara Flynn , Edward Griffiths , Mark Flanagan , Michael Ball , and Stephen Marshall
Director: Matt Reid (II)
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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

Visions of England
NBC News Presents: Diana Revealed, The Princess No One Knew
Fall of Eagles
Royals Boxed Set
The Queen Mother: A Royal Century

ASIN: B000E1ZBA4
Release Date: 2006-03-14

Amazon.com

Fans of England's royal family will eat up this amazing yearlong documentary series on the inner workings of Windsor Castle, the official residence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. The series, originally broadcast on BBC (and picked up in the States by PBS), invites viewers inside the most intimate areas of the castle, as intricate, well-choreographed preparations are undergone for occasions large (a state dinner for French President Jacques Chirac; the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles) and small (the queen's return for her usual weekend stay). The gee-whiz details seem never-ending: we meet the team of fendersmiths who tend solely to the castle's "300 or 400" fireplaces; we visit the vast Royal Collection, where the royal librarian oversees a 300,000-piece collection of books, drawings and prints--from which she and her staff hand-select appropriate pieces to display during the visit of the French head of state; we watch dozens of chefs, furniture wranglers, and etiquette experts plan and execute the truly breathtaking state dinner. The nearly 1,000-year-old castle suffered severe fire damage in 1992 (caused by a light bulb, not an error by one of the fendersmiths), so much of the private quarters has been renovated to a new level of splendor, personally overseen by Prince Philip, who points out that it was his suggestion that the rebuilt chapel feature a new stained-glass window including images of firefighters helping save the castle. Other segments feature Prince Philip giving a tour of the vast grounds and park around the castle, and other occasions during the year, including Christmas, and some footage of the wedding of Charles and Camilla. The access the filmmakers were granted makes the series compulsively watchable; who wouldn't want to be a fly on the wall inside one of the world's most storied structures? --A.T. Hurley

Description

Royal reality in a landmark series produced for the BBC.

For the first time ever, cameras go behind the scenes at Windsor Castle, the largest inhabited castle in the world and home to Queen Elizabeth since childhood. The result is an intimate glimpse of castle life above and below stairs over the course of a year that includes a historic state banquet and the wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker-Bowles.

Meet some of the 300 people who live and work in the castle's 900 rooms: the Queen's housekeeper, grooms, fendersmiths, and military knights, to name just a few. Accompany HRH Prince Philip, the ranger of Windsor's 15,000-acre Great Park, as he tours the grounds and speaks candidly about the ups and downs of running this amazing public space.

Bonus Footage! Includes over two hours not seen on the PBS broadcast, including exclusive new footage of the wedding of Charles and Camilla.

Customer Reviews:

Love it !.......2007-05-16

EXCELENT!
I give it five stars. This is the best documentary about english royal home and different events at Windsor Castle and it's surroundings.

A Brilliant Documentaray About the People who Live & Work at Windsor Castle.......2007-02-26

The 2006 documentary "Windsor Castle-A Royal Year" (called "The Queen's Castle" in Britain where it was released in 2005) is an amazing glimpse into the lives of various people that work, and sometimes live, within the walls of one of the world's few remaining royal residences: Window Castle. With approval from Queen Elizabeth II, no other documentarians have ever been granted such personal access to the castle's staff, its inner workings and the royal family. The three episodes are described below:

1. "The Banquet". This episode focuses on the kitchen staff, the flagman, the people that maintain the artwork, the military knights and the others involved with managing a large state dinner whose planning began six months in advance and was held at Windsor by Queen Elizabeth II and her family for President Chirac of France and his wife, as well as over 300 invited guests. This includes documenting what was an unprecedented setup of a live performance of the musical "Les Miserables" that was performed immediately after the banquet. Staff worker were naturally concerned because it was a hot spotlight that had started the serious fire that severely damaged part of Windor Castle in 1992.

2. "Four Seasons". This episode focuses on the young military knights that guard Windsor Castle and old military personnel that are involved in annual events, including the "Order of the Garter" ceremony that is held each year in June. The prepartions, rehearsals and actual ceremony of the "Order of the Garter" are also shown, as well as an interesting glimpse into the staff of Saint George's chapel who want to improve the chapel's gift shop. Also included is a look at the activies surrounding the famous Royal Ascot horse races, which includes a look at the bookies who take bets on what color the Queen's hat will be each day, as well as the race that included one of the Queen's horses. The episode ends with the staff, in December, singing Christmas carols to the Queen, who comes outside to listen to them and provide them with refreshments.

3. "The Ranger". This fascinating episode focuses on the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, who is also the Ranger that manages the vast estate upon which Windor Castle is located. He describes various areas of the estate and how they have been used, they're history and how they have been changed over the years. Also included is a look at Cartier International Day, which is the biggest day on the British polo calendar, which includes Prince Harry who leads the British polo team against a team from South America.

Overall, I rate the documentary "Windsor Castle-A Royal Year" with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it. The wonderful DVD set includes an additional 132 minutes (over 2 hours) of footage that was not aired on television with the three episodes.

One of the best!.......2007-01-22

This is an incredible DVD of the Royal Family. They take you through the castle, watching the kitchen staff prepare meals, watching the cleaning people do their work, and so much more. All in all a very satisfying and entertaining DVD for the Royal watchers!

Winsor Castle -A Royal Year.......2007-01-17

If anyone is interested in English history and how a large castle is run this is a very good film to watch,It really shows how it is done.

Winsor Castle - A Royal Year.......2006-12-27

Excellent documentary. Good content, pacing, commentary, and nice background music. Well done.

Average customer rating:

Elizabeth [HD DVD]
Starring: Fanny Ardant , Daniel Craig , Angus Deayton , Christopher Eccleston , and John Gielgud
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

General | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

Drama | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Bourne Identity [HD DVD]
Notting Hill [HD DVD]
Hot Fuzz [HD DVD]
Deliverance [HD DVD]
Shaun of the Dead [HD DVD]

ASIN: B000RF7XZI
Release Date: 2007-09-18

Average customer rating:

A Must for Any Barbie or Ballet Fan
A Must See!
All time great classic
Great Movie for the young and older
Barbie of Swan Lake rocks! Totally rocks!!!!!

Barbie of Swan Lake
Starring: Kelly Sheridan , Mark Hildreth , Kelsey Grammer , Maggie Wheeler , and Venus Terzo
Director: Owen Hurley
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

Fantasy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

Computer Animation | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Kids & Family | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Barbie as Rapunzel
Barbie in The Nutcracker
Barbie As The Princess and the Pauper
Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus
Barbie Fairytopia

Accessories:

Barbie of Swan Lake

ASIN: B0000A1HW7
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Product Description

Barbie magically comes to life in her third animated movie, Barbie: Of Swan Lake. Barbie stars as Odette, the baker's daughter who follows a unicorn into an enchanted forest. While there, she is transformed into a swan by an evil wizard. Through courage, honesty and intelligence, she will save herself as well as the Enchanted Forest.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Barbie shines in her third animated movie, an adaptation of the classic ballet Swan Lake. A young girl named Odette (played by Barbie) follows a beautiful unicorn into the enchanted forest and picks up a magic crystal that proclaims her destiny as savior of the enchanted forest. Odette, hampered by an overwhelming sense of insecurity, proclaims herself unfit for the job and sets out to leave the forest when the evil wizard Rothbart (voiced by Kelsey Grammer) turns her into a swan. Bolstered by the powers of the magic crystal, Odette vows to defeat Rothbart. Meanwhile, love blossoms between Odette and the town's Prince Daniel and, eventually, Odette finds a courage within herself that, combined with her intelligence and the true love between her and the Prince, proves powerful enough to defeat Rothbart. The computer-generated animation in this 83-minute presentation is vivid and lifelike, the London Symphony gives a wonderful performance of Tchaikovsky's original music, and the choreography and dancing is nicely done thanks to Peter Martins and the New York City Ballet. (Ages 3-8) --Tami Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

A Must for Any Barbie or Ballet Fan.......2007-06-10

Much to my surprised my three year old love this gift from a friend. I was also please by the music. The sound track is wonderful and the bonus tracks included on the DVD are worth a look. My three old really enjoy the section when the ballet dances were explained in detail. I am considering buying the rest of the movies in this series.

A Must See!.......2006-12-30

Swan Lake rocks! Barbie stars as a young girl named Odette who works in a bakery with her father. And one day, a unicorn is on the loose in town Babie{Odette} folows her into an echanted forest. The villagers tied a rope around the unicorn. So Odette plucks a crystal out of a tree to cut the rope. Then A magical Fairy queen apears named Theresa and tells Odette about her evil cousin Rothbart."He cast a spell on everyone in the forest". Odette saw children turned into animals."And whoever frees the crystal, will save the forest". "But I'm just an ordinary girl says Odette. So watch this movie to find out each of us is braver than we think.

All time great classic.......2006-12-26

This movie was ok, I guess. I think people loved it so much because the story was tested by time and after so many centuries people still liked the story.
Some of the dialouge was surprisingly similar to Barbie as Rapunzel however.

Great Movie for the young and older.......2006-10-02

I bought this movie for my daughter when it first came out. My daughter was 2 almost 3 and she loved it. She is almost 6 now and still loves to watch it. However, I have to admit I really like to watch it too. It is my favorite animated Barbie movie to date. It is so beatifully done.

Barbie of Swan Lake rocks! Totally rocks!!!!! .......2006-08-18

I Love barbie of swan lake. If you LOVE unicorns,fairys,magic,sparkles, etc. then this is the movie for you! SPOILER!!! First off: Barbie\Odette is a girl that works in her papa's bakery.Also,there is Odette's sister that rides a horse,she only appears a few times in the movie. Odette follows a unicorn,Lila,into the Enchanted Forest. She pulls out the magic crystal from a tree. Then the Fairy queen appears and tells Odette she can save the forest. Odette thinks she is not the right person.But then Rothbart turn Odette into a swan.The fairy queen change the spell and odette is a swan by day/girl at night.She needs to find the book of forest lore,and goes to Erasmus's cave..........Then prince daniel is about to kill Odette :0 but ends up fasinated by her beautiful-ness....fall in love.....etc,etc,etc.....GET THE MOVIE TO FIND OUT! THE ''scary''music actually fits in with the movie. my favorite part of this movie is where the fairy queen tells Odette about how rothbart took over the forest. And then Rothbart has freaky red eyes! SERIOUSLY. RED EYES!!!!! AAACCCKKK. WHY did Mattel PUT IN RED EYES?!?!?! those red eyes are so so................................ugh! Then again,I felt I could sit through it. RED EYES only appear 2 times in this movie.... I mean if I were you I would,on the first time the red eyes come,please turn the volume down,and fast foward or go to ''My favorite scenes'' and choose a different scence.First time I saw it (the whole thing)I COULD NOT BELIVE IT!!!!!!! Then I came to the second red eyes thing,when Rothbart was an eagle....I sat through it and it wasn't to bad. that is what I would do. anyway,I think Odile(Rothbart's daughter)'s laugh isn't that annoying I think some of her lines are funny (''Oh, you are all roadkill!'') This movie is...it ROCKS.THIS MOVIE ROCKS EVEN THOUGH IT HAS A RED EYES AND A EVIL ROTHBART. BARBIE LOVER

Average customer rating:

Good Movie Sidelined by Stupidity
afro- american must have
Good Movie
Summer of '76
What Hostile Reviews!

The Inkwell
Starring: Larenz Tate , Joe Morton , Suzzanne Douglass , Glynn Turman , and Vanessa Bell Calloway
Director: Matty Rich
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

General | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

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

Crooklyn
The Wood
Eve's Bayou
Love Jones
Jason's Lyric

ASIN: B00008978S
Release Date: 2003-04-08

Amazon.com

This sophomore effort by Matty Rich seems surprisingly run-of-the-mill, considering his first film was the low-budget success story Straight Out of Brooklyn.

Set in Martha's Vineyard during the summer of '76, this feels very much like an updated, African American version of Summer of '42. Larenz Tate is the shy teen from New York who, along with his politically radical parents, vacations with wealthy Republican relatives. When not confiding in his wooden doll, he learns a little about life and even more about sex. Inkwell, by the way, is the name of the beach where the African American population of Martha's Vineyard owns homes.

Clumsily written and executed, this is sweet enough on the surface, but too slick to feel genuine. Also released as No Ordinary Summer. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Description

At Inkwell Beach, summer's never been so much fun! It's a time and a place where cool clothes, hot music, and good friends turn a dull family trip into the summetime vacation of a lifetime! Critics everywhere praised THE INKWELL -- the hot, big-screen comedy treat that delivers outrageous summertime fun and good time entertainment, all set to an irresistible soundtrack! Spend some time down at the shore with the funniest folks you're ever going to meet -- summer fun doesn't get any better than this!

Customer Reviews:

Good Movie Sidelined by Stupidity.......2007-02-25

What could have been a wonderful coming-of-age film dealing with many issues (relationships, conflicts, growing boys, disappointment, psychology, etc.) was absolutely sidelined by the unsuccessful attempts at over-the-top humor. Never have I seen adolescent boys behave the way the group were portrayed. It was simply another Fat Albert-style farcical attempt to make the boys and feuding brothers-in-law appear utterly ridiculous. The director/producers didn't know whether to make an outrageous comedy or a drama with moments of good humor. Regrettably, they made neither.

Such a shame, because many moments in this film were truly enlightening and poignant. This could have been a tremendous drama! A remake done correctly would be wonderful!

afro- american must have.......2005-07-28

this movie should be a part of every afro-american dvd collection, and should be watched at least yearly as a motivator.

Good Movie.......2003-08-20

This is a good movie. I never even heard of Matty Rich, and was unaware of the movie altogether until stumbled across it this year. I was thoroughly impressed with the performances of Larenz Tate and Jada Pinkett Smith.

As an aspiring writer myself, I look forward to hearing a lot more from Mr. Rich in the nearing future. I thought the film was well developed, with a believable plot, and excellent development of character. I also enjoyed the fact that the character in which Mr. Tate was sheltered about a lot of things that in today's society is considered the norm for some minorities. I appreciated that because in a society of where today's youth are so bombarded with so many different things, and it is progressively getting worse as of this writing, it is good to have African Americans portrayed in roles that are less than the norm.

I applaud Mr.Rich for his creativity and for gleaning on events that somehow magnificently pulled this incredible movie together.

Summer of '76.......2003-04-06

The comparisions to "Summer of '42" are inevitable. But aside from the coming of age story of both films, they are completely different. The "Inkwell" is essentially a Shaggy Dog tale that flows nicely from beginning to end. Give credit for Matty Rich's abililty to create an authentic '70's atmoshphere with the use of very little of that era's well known music ("Dancing Machine" and "Let's Get It On" are the only two). ...

What Hostile Reviews!.......2003-01-31

How often dow we see movies about a teenage brother's coming of age that aren't violent or gang-related? Matty Rich(whatever he's doing now) did a superb job directing this film about an awkward teen vacationing with his parents in Martha's Vineyard visiting his well-to-do relatives.
He falls for the snot-nose Lauren who uses him to get back at her boyfriend who dropped her. Meanwhile he is also looking out for a married woman whose husband is cheating on her with other women.
It's a movie about growing up and what it means to be a person. Do all black movies have to be based on gang warfare and lewed sexual conduct?

Average customer rating:

"Unmistakably a lady of the horizontal profession."
A lesson in film history.
What might have been
Ah- mazing!!
From the excel virtue to the decay!

Queen Kelly
Starring: Gloria Swanson , Walter Byron , Seena Owen , Madame Sul-Te-Wan , and Sidney Bracey
Director: Sam Wood , Irving Thalberg , Richard Boleslawski , Erich von Stroheim , and Edmund Goulding
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

Blind Husbands / The Great Gabbo
Sadie Thompson
Foolish Wives / The Man You Loved to Hate
Beyond the Rocks
Merry-Go-Round

ASIN: B000094J73
Release Date: 2003-06-10

Customer Reviews:

"Unmistakably a lady of the horizontal profession.".......2007-04-27

"Queen Kelly"--written and directed by Erich von Stroheim--was never completed, so all that we have is about half a film and a handful of fragments, but even so this is marvelous stuff for silent film fans. It's a fairly simple story: Decadent Queen Regina V (Seena Owen)--the last of her line--rules her kingdom with an iron fist. She intends to marry playboy Prince Wolfram (Walter Byron), and he's trying his best to avoid the final commitment of marriage, but that's a little difficult as he's both her 'subject' and an occupant of her opulent palace.

The film quickly establishes that both Regina and Wolfram are a dissipated pair. She's drunk when she wakes up in the morning, and he races until dawn with a group of madcap acquaintances. Regina's displeasure at Wolfram's antics results in her demand that he marry her the next day and that he spend his last day of bachelorhood marching around with his men. So Wolfram and his men take to their steeds, and begin maneuvers on a road outside of a convent. Here, Wolfram meets and falls for convent orphan Patricia Kelly (Gloria Swanson)....

When the film went massively over budget, and star Gloria Swanson halted production after objecting to the African brothel scenes, von Stroheim was fired by the film's financier Joseph Kennedy (Swanson's lover). Too bad--because the film really is great fun, and I loved the African bordello--including the drooling Jan Vryheid and the prostitute Coughdrops. Everything about this film is over-the top--there's Regina who's fond of the whip, and she's also not averse to tossing her cats around at the appropriate moment. And then there's Wolfram who will go to whatever lengths are necessary to meet with Patricia Kelly--the girl with the droopy bloomers.

This wonderful Kino edition includes loads of extras, and this at least allows the viewer to piece together the story as it was intended (and we can also see Swanson's vastly more respectable and comparatively dull ending). DVD extras include: audio commentary by biographer Richard Koszarski, outtake footage, The Kino International restored ending, the "Swanson Ending", videotaped introduction by Gloria Swanson, excerpt of the original screenplay, production documents, photo gallery, "Man of Many Skins"--a 1952 TV performance, audio clips of cinematographer Paul Ivano, assistant William Marguiles Allan Dwan and Billy Wilder, dossier on Merry-Go-Round with excerpts of scenes directed by von Stroheim, and a note on the film from von Stroheim. Personally I preferred the von Stroheim naughty version of the story--displacedhuman

A lesson in film history........2007-01-31

This is Director Eric Von Stroheim's last film, produced by it's star, Gloria Swanson. There is much to be learned from the commentaries and additional features on the deluxe Kino DVD of this silent film. The film itself is a wonderful lesson in filmmaking of its period. Von Stroheim loved to take shots of all the props and costume details of a character - believing that this focus on detail told you more about the character than the actor alone could convey. This technique was later perfected by Hitchcock, where details shots are followed by reaction shots to move the story and emotional life along.
QUEEN KELLY is the story of a convent girl who falls in love with a dissipated prince who is promised to a debauched Queen. By today's standard, Seena Owen's performance as the queen is laughably over the top; she slithers and glowers and when she's really angry, she seems to have something stuck in her eye.
The original story was only about 1/3 completed when the production went way over budget and delved into areas that would never be approved by censors. Arguably, given Seena Owen's almost 100% nude (wearing either chiffon negligee, or a stratiegically held cat) performance, most of it may not have passed censors.
The restoration makes much ado of finding reels from the abandoned "African brothel" sequences, but when all is said and done, the "Swanson Ending" (the only way it was shown - after talkies had come in and silents were pretty much a done thing) is a very serviceable and good ending... evoking Shakespearian tradgedy. Most silents were big on action, short on story, with fairly simple plots. Granted the original was supposed to have a happy, if rather suspicious, happy ending, but this makes total sense, and makes Queen Kelly seem very complete.
The only real loss of the Swanson ending is losing the believably sick (in both senses of the word) performance of Tully Marshall. Between Owen and Marshall, it is a lesson in why the production "code of decency" was developed in the first place. The irony is that, as much as she may have been considered heavy handed or intrusive for firing Von Stoheim, Swanson's ending demonstrates that Swanson really did know what she was doing as a producer. A memorable and informative trip into film history.

What might have been.......2006-09-21

Like just about all of the films directed by von Stroheim, this one too is only available today in a much-shortened form and not the way he intended it to be seen. It's quite sad, since what we do have here, at about an hour and forty minutes, is a very good and compelling story, with fascinating characters and plot developments. Like many of his other films, this one also begins by focusing on the decadent royalty of old Middle Europe, and throws in a lot of bizarre and macabre elements along the way. This was a man with a very unique artistic vision, someone who demanded everything, even down to the smallest details, be done accurately and down to perfection, whose vision was ahead of his time and too wide to be limited to the average hour and a half movie length of the time, someone who had no time or patience for the censors and the self-appointed morality police with their unrealistic and oftentimes Puritanical demands. Sadly, however, the footage we have only comprises about the first half or third of what von Stroheim, Gloria Swanson, and Joe Kennedy, Sr. envisioned as a long epic-length movie. Things are going so well and getting more and more interesting and suspenseful when it all ends abruptly, and we're told, via intertitles and a few stills, about the pivotal events and scenes that were to have come after, complete with the ending that they finally decided on. (Among the numerous extras are descriptions and footage of several different endings different people had in mind.)

The storyline starts out simply enough; the mad Queen Regina V, ruler of an unnamed nation in Central Europe, is betrothed to the handsome rogue Prince Wolfram (great name!) but is sick and tired of his notorious escapades and how he doesn't even want to be with her and doesn't have feelings for her. As punishment for one such escapade which he didn't know she was watching, he is made to ride, with the regiment he commands, in the hot weather down the Kambach road. This proves to be far from the punishment she intended, for a large group of convent girls are also walking by. Wolfram becomes smitten with one of them, Patricia Kelly (Gloria Swanson), who soon finds herself in trouble with the nuns because of an embarrassing accident that culminated in a rather risque way. Wolfram only sees her as another meaningless conquest, and goes to the convent that night to kidnap her and bring her back to the palace. Kelly meanwhile uses her own punishment, praying alone in the chapel and without supper, to light a candle and pray that she'll see the prince again, instead of repenting what she did. Once back in the palace, Wolfram soon drops his plans of seducing Kelly and then dumping her, genuinely falling in love with her. (It usually annoys me when characters fall into one another's arms at such short notice or with no development of their relationship, but I can excuse it here a little, since it is supposed to be a fairy tale and fantasy of sorts, not a gritty realistic film.) However, while they're making out, Regina catches them in the act and chases Kelly out of the palace, furious at Wolfram as well, throwing him into prison. After an unsuccessful suicide attempt, Kelly is sent to her dying aunt in German East Africa and finds herself among a bunch of seedy characters who work in a brothel. Even worse, she is expected to marry the very seedy creepy Jan Vryheid. This unwanted wedding takes place around her aunt's death bed. This is the point where things are really starting to get interesting, the viewer wondering how everything will work out, what poor Kelly's fate will be now that she's married to this disgusting man and living in a brothel, not knowing anyone there, if Wolfram will ever get out of jail and manage to find his way back to Kelly. Maddeningly, this is where the footage ends, and minus the luxury of seeing the actual story through to the end via film instead of written explanations, it seems kind of like a bunch of deus ex machina developments instead of realistic plot developments, really convenient events leading to an ultimately happy ending (as opposed to the much darker ending von Stroheim had in mind). I also feel that Gloria Swanson looked a bit too old, womanly, and mature to realistically play an innocent virginal convent girl (indeed, she probably would have been more believable as one of the nuns or even Queen Regina), but again, she was such a great actor and the story is so good that one can kind of look past that detail before long.

There are also a bunch of extras included, such as excerpts from the 1924 von Stroheim-directed film 'The Merry-Go-Round,' memos from him, parts of his original script of 'Queen Kelly' and excerpts from the novel version of 'The Merry-Go-Round,' an audio commentary, deleted scenes and footage, descriptions of and footage of a number of alternate endings (none of them as convenient and happy as the one described to us via the text at the end of the actual film), audio interviews, footage of Gloria Swanson talking about 'Queen Kelly' on a television program dedicated to showing silents (she had such a lovely voice, and aged very well), and a lot of other stuff. It does leave the viewer wanting more, even knowing that the film was never completed (the reasons for which are described in the extras and the audio commentary), but overall it's a fantastic package.

Ah- mazing!!.......2006-05-29

I was at Borders, looking for this musical called Good News, and another one called Dixiana, but I saw something sticking out on another shelf, and it was Queen Kelly! Normally I only like musicals, but remembered how much I enjoyed and Beyond the Rocks on TCM, so I bought it! And I was like wow! Swanson is good! Although sometimes it got boring, it was pretty good all together. I wish they would put Beyond the Rocks on DVD, the movie Gloria Swanson made with Rudolph Valentino. also, Greed. Greed is my favorite silent movie EVER. It is so amazing, and also directed by Erich von Stronheim.

From the excel virtue to the decay!.......2005-02-26

Erik von Stroheim once more proved he was the Wunderkind of his generation in this exquisite and extravagant, daring and mature script. A Covent girl is swept off her feet buy a roguish prince who will send her to live in East Africa where her aunt regents a brothel. As you can guess or imagine the whispering comments originated in that age, I only can remind that clever statement of Nicolas Maquiavello: The half of the sin is the scandal.

Purcell - The Fairy Queen / English National Opera

Average customer rating:

This night's dream
Don't Buy This
a voice teacher and early music fan
Fresh and Sagacious
Outstanding

Purcell - The Fairy Queen / English National Opera
Starring: Yvonne Kenny , Janis Kelly , Mary Hegarty , Simon Rice (II) , and Yvonne Barclay
Director: Barrie Gavin
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Lully - Persee / Novacek, Auvity, Lenormand, Whicher, Laquerre, Coulombe, Niquet, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Toronto
Handel - Rodelinda / Antonacci, Scholl, Streit, Chiummo, Winter, Stefanowicz, Christie, Glyndebourne Opera
Vivaldi - Orlando furioso / Behr, Horne, Patterson, San Francisco Opera
Monteverdi - Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria / Christie, Spicer, Mijanovic, Abdeslam, Les Arts Florissants, Aix-en-Provence Opera
Rameau - Platee / Agnew, Delunsch, Beuron, Naouri, Le Texier, Lamprecht, Minkowski, Paris Opera

ASIN: B00004Z4VQ
Release Date: 2000-11-28

Amazon.com

Henry Purcell wrote only one opera, Dido and Aeneas, in a form that would be called operatic today. Other Purcell works that bear the operatic label, including The Fairy Queen and King Arthur, are actually masques or pageants, royal divertissements that sadly illustrate the decline of English drama during the late 17th century. Being the work of Purcell, The Fairy Queen has a lot of musical value. Its melodies are fresh and lilting, and its rhythms have a distinctive sparkle and vitality. Purcell's brilliantly baroque imagination was allowed to run wild in embroidering themes inspired (rather remotely, to be sure) by the fairyland fantasies of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Lovers of the Bard should be warned, however, that not a single line of Shakespeare's masterpiece has been set to Purcell's music in this adaptation. For its revival in 1692, Shakespeare's text was considered not good enough. The play was rewritten, probably by the profoundly forgettable Elkanah Settle. The plot was altered, and characters and incidents added (nymphs, shepherds, a Chinese man and woman, the God of Marriage, the four seasons personified, and even a dance of monkeys). The text was spoken, not sung, except for long, elaborately staged musical extravaganzas (bearing little thematic relation to Shakespeare's text) that were tacked on at the end of each of the play's five acts. These songs, dances, and choruses--more than two hours of them--are the content of the English National Opera's production of The Fairy Queen.

No effort has been made--wisely--to preserve any plot or other form of thematic coherence. The numbers are simply presented as a sort of mildly erotic variety show. There is a recurring cast of characters, including supernatural beings, humans, and animals. Costumes and props are wildly eclectic, ranging from modern realism to antiquarian fantasy. The attraction of this production lies in its skilled combination of baroque music and modern dance, both performed deftly and working together more smoothly than might have been expected. --Joe McLellan

Description

Based on an incident in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry Purcell's The Fairy Queen is extraordinarily beautiful and contains some of the most inspired arias penned for the English language. David Pountney's production for the English National Opera is a spectacular offering as phantasmagorical as the enchanted dreams in the magical moonlit woods. The tale is a joyful fusion of music, dance and comedy which brings alive the splendor of the Baroque for a modern audience. Thomas Randle, Simon Rice, Richard Van Allan, Yvonne Kenny. 133 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

This night's dream.......2007-03-18

This is a lively production of a musical form that, if seen as 1st done, would baffle, insult [How can they do this to Shakespeare?!] and bore a modern audience to tears. For this disjointed, vaguely attached to "Midsummer" romp, the wisely chosen way to go is a modern dream: a dream on the Shakespearian subject one might have this very evening.

The music is the star. Purcell is divine in this reading. The ditties are catchy and rare, fun and tinged with melancholy, simple and complex...all at once. The imagery doesn't try too hard to make sense of the tableaux... just enough for it all to hold up more than what it originally was... which was a parade of allegorical characters "Night", "Secrecy", the 4 Seasons, Hyman, Phoebes... This version is not unlike a string of music videos that have a thin thread to hold them together.
Because this is a modern dream, the costumes and scenery are modern in their look and symbolism. The dance is perfect for the 20th century feel, it's not Swan Lake, y'know. The dance is remarkably balanced with the dramatic and comic action. Again, the music is the catalyst and whole reason for anything. It is well worth the time to watch. But it never goes over the top, really. There is an English reserve about it. Duh!

Another opera that has a similar type of approach .... though it does go over the top and is more period... is Les Arts Florissants and the Opera National de Paris's production of Rameau's "Les Indes Galantes". Be sure to check it out!

Both these productions give us a taste we can savor of a type of theatre long gone out of fashion... by putting it in a modern style that recaptures the flavor of the old style without copying it.

Don't Buy This.......2006-02-27

The music and singing are beautiful (it's Purcell after all) but the production is a freak show, full of repulsive characters, ugly (as opposed to graceful) modern dancing and lots of silly and meaningless stage business. There is no attempt to recreate the beauty of the masques or relate the action to the musical themes. It is modern updating at its worst! See Minkowski's Platee for a successful update of a Rameau classic. If you like Purcell, get the CD and avoid this nightmare.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-02-12

I recently purchased this DVD and watched it last evening and I'm still reacting to it in a very positive way! It was a glorious mixture of art and dance and singing and comedy.Based on an incident in Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,it is held together with some of the most inspired and beautiful arias penned for the English language. At first one attempts to be logical and follow the "story" which is really not obvious or important. It consists of 9 Masques portraying various scenarios interwoven with the beautiful songs of Purcell sung with much skill and enthusiasm by the chorus as well as the many soloists. I was delighted by Michael Chance's intermittent roles which fortunately included his uniquely lovely voice. The duet at the beginning of part two is hilarious. Having followed Chance's career for 20 years I was amazed to see him in a comedy role, and I liked it! Thomas Randle in the role of Oberon was memorable in his singing as well as his facility to move with grace and ease. Puck (played by Simon Rice)was very convincing as the chief mischief maker. I think the entire Opera is great!!!! BUT do not expect to enjoy it unless you have a well-developed sense of humor; for it is reflected in
the scenery, the costuming; even the dance itself; and the music of Purcell suits it very well.The entire production brings alive the splendour of the Baroque for a modern audience.

Fresh and Sagacious.......2004-09-11

Something fresh,something sagacious.Whereas Purcell's music was performed in genuine style by Nicholas Kok and his fine musicians,David Pourtney burts routine and obviousness in this charming,clever production.That modern drag queens(Titania's fairies)just rescues ancient traditions on male actors performing female characters.Statesmen,drunk guys,political satire...A whole human being panorama was there.Truly,I can fell all Shakespeare's tale spirit on costumes by Dunya Ramikova.Of course,many listeners will prefer a better singer to Oberon.Nonetheless,we have Titania by Yvonne Kenny,her outstanding "O,Let me Weep",that delicious Yvonne Barclay soprano voice (Caroline),that so funny countertenor duet leading by Michael Chance on Part two,...Jonathan Best!What a triumphal actor and singer(The Drunken Poet)!Listen me,all of you;don't deprive yourselves of this optimistic,cheerful DVD just because some people become impervious to new ideas.

Outstanding.......2004-07-11

This production is brilliant and imaginative from every point of view.

Playing and singing are a delight from beginning to end.

Product Description

Can you lead a horse to water? When classic Ford Mustangs gather in the shadow the classic oceanliner the Queen Mary, magic ensues. Captivating interviews with the owners of featured cars share restoration war stories and tips as well as Mustang history and trivia. General coverage of the show and awards complete the package. Featured Mustangs include a 1964 ½ Indianapolis 500 Pace Car; 1966 GT Coupe; 1968 California Special; 1970 Grabber; 1986 Mustang LX; 1987 Saleen convertible; 1996 Saleen Clone convertible; 1997 Cobra SVT; and a 2001 GT. The video also features a 1965 Ford Fairlane Sports Coupe and a 1997 Ford F150 custom along with all the sights and sounds of a Southern California classic car show.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

UDU: Clay Pot Drums and How to Play Them

Barabbas

Scorcher (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Dynasty

Kavanagh Q.C. - The Complete Series 1