Forever and a Day

Starring:Harry Allen, May Beatty, Billy Bevan, Reginald Gardiner, Ernest Grooney, Cedric Hardwicke, Joy Harington, George Kirby, Connie Leon, Aubrey Mather, Victor McLaglen, Doreen Munroe, Kent Smith, Arthur Treacher
Director: Cedric Hardwicke, René Clair, Edmund Goulding, Victor Saville, Robert Stevenson, Herbert Wilcox
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The Man with the Golden Gun: The British superspy with a license to kill takes on his dark underworld double, a classy assassin who kills with golden bullets at $1 million a hit. Roger Moore, in his second outing as James Bond, meets Christopher Lee's Scaramanga, one of the most magnetic villains in the entire series, in this entertaining but rather wan entry in the 007 sweepstakes. Moore balances the overplayed humor of the film with a steely performance and Lee's charm and enthusiasm makes Scaramanga a cool, deadly, and thoroughly enchanting adversary. --Sean Axmaker

Goldfinger: To own Goldfinger (1964) on DVD is to have at your fingertips the proof that Sean Connery is the definitive James Bond. No one but Connery can believably seduce women so effortlessly, kill with almost as much ease, and then pull another bottle of Dom Perignon '53 out of the fridge. Goldfinger contains many of the most memorable scenes in the Bond series: gorgeous Shirley Eaton (as Jill Masterson) coated in gold paint by evil Auric Goldfinger and deposited in Bond's bed; silent Oddjob, flipping a razor-sharp derby like a Frisbee to sever heads; our hero spread-eagle on a table while a laser beam moves threateningly toward his crotch. Goldfinger's two climaxes, inside Fort Knox and aboard a private plane, have to be seen to be believed. --Raphael Shargel

The World Is Not Enough:Bond 5.0, Pierce Brosnan, undercuts his usually suave persona with a darker, more brutal edge largely absent since Sean Connery departed. Equally tantalizing are our initial glimpses of Bond's nemesis du jour, Renard (Robert Carlyle), and imminent love interest, Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), both atypically complex characters cast with seemingly shrewd choices, and directed by the capable Michael Apted. The story's focus on post-Soviet geopolitics likewise starts off on a savvy note, before being overtaken by increasingly Byzantine plot twists, hidden motives, and reversals of loyalty superheated by relentless (if intermittently perfunctory) action sequences.--Sam Sutherland

Diamonds Are Forever: Sean Connery retired from the 007 franchise after You Only Live Twice but was lured back for one last official appearance as James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever. Goldfinger director Guy Hamilton keeps the film zipping along gamely from one entertaining set piece to another, including a terrific car chase in a parking lot, a battle with a pair of bikini-clad killer gymnasts named Bambi and Thumper, and a deadly game with a bizarre pair of fey, sardonic killers who dispatch their victims with elaborate invention. Connery retired again after this one but he returned once more, for Never Say Never Again 15 years later. --Sean Axmaker

The Living Daylights: Timothy Dalton made his 007 debut in the lean, mean mode of Sean Connery, doing away with the pun-filled camp of Roger Moore's final outings. This James Bond is ruthless, tough, and romantic. The Living Daylights, set during the thaw of the cold war, begins with the defection of Russian KGB General Koskov (Jeroen Krabb) and his revelation of a Soviet plot to eliminate Britain's secret agent force. Assigned to eliminate Koskov's Soviet boss (John Rhys-Davies), Bond uncovers a conspiracy involving Koskov and an American arms dealer (Joe Don Baker). Veteran series director John Glen's action scenes have never been better--especially the show-stopping mid-air battle on the net of a speeding cargo plane--and he returns the series to the smart, rough, high-energy adventures that made the Bond reputation. --Sean Axmaker

A View to a Kill: Roger Moore's last outing as James Bond is evidence enough that it was time to pass the torch to another actor. Beset by crummy action (an out-of-control fire engine?) and featuring a fading Moore still trying to prop up his mannered idea of style, the film is largely interesting for Christopher Walken's quirky performance as a sort-of supervillain who wants to take out California's Silicon Valley. Grace Jones has a spookily interesting presence as a lethal associate of Walken's (and who, in the best Bond tradition, has sex with 007 before trying to kill him later), and Patrick Macnee (Steed!) has a warm if brief bit. Even directed by John Glen, who brought some crackle to the Moore years in the Bond franchise, this is a very slight effort. -- Tom Keogh

Thunderball: James Bond's fourth adventure takes him to the Bahamas, where a NATO warplane with a nuclear payload has disappeared into the sea. Bond (Sean Connery) travels from a tiny health spa (where he tangles with a mechanized masseuse run amuck) to the casinos of Nassau and soon picks up the trail of SPECTRE's number-two man, Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), and his beautiful mistress, Domino (Claudine Auger), whom Bond soon seduces to his side. Equipped with more gadgets than ever, 007 escapes an ambush with a personal-size jet pack and takes to the water as he searches for the undersea plane, battles Largo's pet sharks, and finally leads the battle against Largo's scuba-equipped henchmen in a spectacular underwater climax. This thrilling Bond entry became Connery's most successful outing in the series and was remade in 1983 as Never Say Never Again, with Connery returning to the role after a 12-year hiatus. --Sean Axmaker

Die Another Day: The 20th James Bond adventure, Die Another Day succeeds on three important fronts: it avoids comparison to Austin Powers by keeping its cheesy humor in check, allows Halle Berry to be sexy and worthy of a spinoff franchise, and keeps pace with the technical wizardry that modern action films demand. Pierce Brosnan is paired with American agent Jinx (Berry) in chasing a genetically altered North Korean villain (Rick Yune) armed with a satellite capable of destroying just about anything. John Cleese and Judi Dench reprise their recurring roles (as "Q" and "M," respectively); they're accompanied by weapons-laden sports cars, a hokey cameo by Madonna (who sings the techno-pulsed theme song), and enough double-entendres to keep Bond-philes adequately shaken and stirred. Die Another Day makes you welcome the familiar end-credits promise: James Bond will return. --Jeff Shannon

The Spy Who Loved Me: The best of the James Bond adventures starring Roger Moore as tuxedoed Agent 007, this globe-trotting thriller introduced the steel-toothed Jaws (played by seven-foot-two-inch-tall actor Richard Kiel) as one of the most memorable and indestructible Bond villains. Jaws is so tenacious, in fact, that Moore looks genuinely frightened, and that adds to the abundant fun. This time Bond teams up with yet another lovely Russian agent (Barbara Bach) to track a pair of nuclear submarines that the nefarious Stromberg (Curt Jürgens) plans to use in his plot to start World War III. The Spy Who Loved Me is a galaxy away from the suave Sean Connery exploits of the 1960s, but the film works perfectly as grandiose entertainment. From cavernous undersea lairs to the vast horizons of Egypt, this Bond thriller keeps its tongue firmly in cheek with a plot tailor-made for daredevil escapism. --Jeff Shannon

License to Kill: Timothy Dalton's second and last shot at playing James Bond isn't nearly as much fun as his debut, two years earlier, in the 1987 The Living Daylights. This time Bond gets mad after a close friend (David Hedison) from the intelligence sector is assassinated on his wedding day, and 007 goes undercover to link the murder to an international drug cartel. Robert Davi makes an interesting adversary, but as with most of the Bond films in the '70s, '80s, and '90s--and especially since the end of the cold war--one has to wonder why we should still care about these lesser villains and their unimaginative crimes. Still, Dalton did manage in his short time with the character to make 007 his own, which neither Roger Moore did nor Pierce Brosnan did. --Tom Keogh

Goldeneye: The 18th James Bond adventure was a runaway box-office success when released in 1995, thanks to the arrival of Pierce Brosnan as the fifth actor (following the departure of Timothy Dalton) to play the suave, danger-loving Agent 007. This James Bond is a bit more vulnerable and psychologically complex--and just a shade more politically correct--but he's still a formally attired playboy at heart, with a lovely Russian beauty (Izabella Scorupco) as his sexy ally against a cadre of renegade Russians bent on--what else?--global domination. All in all, this action-packed Bond adventure provided a much-needed boost the long-running movie series, revitalizing the 007 franchise for the turn of the millennium. -- Jeff Shannon

Live and Let Die: Roger Moore was introduced as James Bond in this 1973 action movie featuring secret agent 007. This film marks a deviation from the more character-driven stories of the Connery years, a deliberate shift to plastic action (multiple chases, bravura stunts) that made the franchise more of a comic book or machine. If that's not depressing enough, there's even a good British director on board, Guy Hamilton (Force 10 from Navarone). The story finds Bond taking on an international drug dealer (Yaphet Kotto), and while that may be superficially relevant, it isn't exactly the same as fighting supervillains on the order of Goldfinger. --Tom Keogh

For Your Eyes Only: After a ship sunk off the coast of Albania, the world's superpowers begin a feverish search for its valuable lost cargo: the powerful ATAC system, which will give its bearer unlimited control over Polaris nuclear submarines. As Bond joins the search, he suspects the suave Kristatos (Julian Glover) of seizing the device. The competition between nations grows more deadly by the moment, but Bond finds an ally in the beautiful Melina Havelock (Caroline Bouquet), who blames Kristatos for the death of her parents. The non-stop action includes automobile chases, thrilling underwater battles, and even a breathtaking tour over razor-sharp coral reefs. But all of this is merely a prelude to 007's cliffhanging assault of a magnificent mountaintop fortress. -- Robert Lynch

From Russia with Love: Directed with consummate skill by Terence Young, the second James Bond spy thriller is considered by many fans to be the best of them all. Certainly Sean Connery was never better as the dashing Agent 007, whose latest mission takes him to Istanbul to retrieve a top-secret Russian decoding machine. His efforts are thwarted when he gets romantically distracted by a sexy Russian double agent (Daniela Bianchi), and is tracked by a lovely assassin (Lotte Lenya) with switchblade shoes, and by a crazed killer (Robert Shaw), who clashes with Bond during the film's dazzling climax aboard the Orient Express. From Russia with Love is classic James Bond, before the gadgets, pyrotechnics, and Roger Moore steered the movies away from the more realistic tone of the books by Ian Fleming. --Jeff Shannon

On Her Majesty's Secret Service: Australian model George Lazenby took up the mantle of the world's most suave secret agent when Sean Connery retired as James Bond (although Connery returned in Diamonds Are Forever before leaving the role to Roger Moore). In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 007 leaves the Service to privately pursue his SPECTRE nemesis Blofeld (played this time by Telly Savalas), whose latest master plan involves a threat to the world's crops by agricultural sterilization. Lazenby hasn't the intensity of Connery but he has fun with his quips and even lampoons the Bond image in a playful pre-credits sequence. Former editor Peter Hunt makes a strong directorial debut, deftly handling the elaborate action sequences with a kinetic finesse. --Sean Axmaker

Dr. No: Released in 1962, this first James Bond movie remains one of the best, and serves as an entertaining reminder that the Bond series began (in keeping with Ian Fleming's novels) with a surprising lack of gadgetry and big-budget fireworks. In his first adventure James Bond is called to Jamaica where a colleague and secretary have been mysteriously killed. With an American CIA agent (Jack Lord, pre-Hawaii Five-O), they discover that the nefarious Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) is scheming to blackmail the U.S. government with a device capable of deflecting and destroying U.S. rockets launched from Cape Canaveral. Of course, Bond takes time off from his exploits to enjoy the company of a few gorgeous women, including the bikini-clad Ursula Andress. This is Bond at his purest, kicking off a series of movies that shows no sign of slowing down. --Jeff Shannon

You Only Live Twice: The film boasts the best of the Bond title songs (this one sung on a dreamy track by Nancy Sinatra), but the movie itself is one of the weaker ones of the Sean Connery phase of the 007 franchise. The story concerns an effort by the evil organization SPECTRE to start a world war, but the not-so-super villain behind the plot is the awfully civilized Donald Pleasence. The thin script is by Roald Dahl (shouldn't we have expected a better Bond nemesis from the creator of mad genius Willy Wonka?), and direction is by British veteran Lewis Gilbert (Alfie). But the movie can't hold a candle to Dr. No, From Russia with Love, or Goldfinger. --Tom Keogh

Octopussy: Roger Moore was nearing the end of his reign as James Bond when he made Octopussy, and he looks a little worn out. But the movie itself infuses some new blood into the old franchise, with a frisky pace and a pair of sturdy villains. Maud Adams--who'd also been in the Bond outing The Man with the Golden Gun--plays the improbably named Octopussy, while old smoothie Louis Jourdan is her crafty partner in crime. Two Bond films were actually released in 1983 within a few months of each other, as Octopussy was followed by Sean Connery's comeback in Never Say Never Again. The success of both pictures proved that there was still plenty of mileage left in the old license to kill, though Moore had one more workout--A View to a Kill--before hanging it up. And that title? The franchise had already used up the titles to Ian Fleming's novels, so Octopussy was taken from a lesser-known Fleming short story. -- Robert Horton

Tomorrow Never Dies: Pierce Brosnan returns for his second stint as James Bond (after GoldenEye), and he's doing it in high style with an invigorating cast of costars. It's only appropriate that a Bond film from 1997 would find Agent 007 pitted against a media mogul (Jonathan Pryce) who's going to start a global war (beginning with stolen nuclear missiles aimed at China) to create attention-grabbing headlines for his latest multimedia news channel. It's the information age run amok, and Bond must team up with a lovely and lethal agent from the Chinese External Security Force (played by Honk Kong action star Michelle Yeoh) to foil the madman's plot of global domination. Luckily for Bond, the villain's wife (Teri Hatcher) is one of his former lovers and 007 finds ample opportunity to exploit the connection. Armed with the usual array of gadgets (including a remote-controlled BMW), Brosnan settles into his role with acceptable flair, and the dynamic Yeoh provides a perfect balance to the sexism that once threatened to turn Bond into a politically incorrect anachronism. He's still Bond, to be sure, but he's saving the world with a bit more sophisticated finesse. --Jeff Shannon

Moonraker: This was the first James Bond adventure produced after the success of Star Wars, so it jumped on the sci-fi bandwagon by combining the suave appeal of Agent 007 (once again played by Roger Moore) with enough high-tech hardware and special effects to make Luke Skywalker want to join Her Majesty's Secret Service. This time Bond is up against a criminal industrialist named Drax (Michel Lonsdale) who wants to control the world from his orbiting space station. Bond thwarts this maniacal Neo-Hitler's scheme with the help of a beautiful, sleek-figured scientist (played by Lois Chiles with all the vitality of a department-store mannequin). Despite Moore's passive performance (which Pauline Kael described as "like an office manager who is turning into dead wood but hanging on to collect his pension"), Moonraker had no problem attracting an appreciative audience, and there are even a few renegade Bond-philes who consider it one of their favorites. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

The Ultimate Bond is the Ultimate.......2007-06-27

If you love James Bond movies, wait, even if you just plain like Bond movies, get this collection. The movies look great and it is fabulous to watch how the character of Bond and the movies themselves evolve. Great for a film class or just someone who wants a lot of fun action adventure movies around. Plus at Amazon prices, you can't go wrong.

wonderfully restored movies!.......2007-06-27

We bought this set after reading a lot of reviews that said how nice the movies looked (restored). We were pleasantly surprised that the restored movies exceeded our expectation. The movies are very clean and there are absolutely tons of extras on each DVD.

There are only 2 annoying things. 1) they don't come in chronological order. We just rearranged them, but then you can't quite see the entire title from inside the box. 2) the slim cases were cheaply made. For the price it seems like they should be a little more sturdy.

Because of the slim cases, they don't take up very much room (for 20 DVD's plus extras). We are very happy with the set.

007- Bond, James.......2007-06-26

Simply..........Amazing! I am glad I waited to collect the series...They are Bigger & Better than the original in all facets.....My only complaint if I were to have one, is that they are not in order. Besides that one flaw I am Super Happy with this Awesome James Bond Collection.......

Michael from Minneapolis

Picked up whole collection in one pack - great deal.......2007-06-14

Really good deal for the big time Bond fan.

The Ultimate For The 007 Fan.......2007-06-09

Anyone who grew up with or loves James Bond Movies will enjoy this fine collection of films. If you are a fan and you don't have all the movies but want them, this is the collection to purchase. The Box Set and Art Work on the case's is quality along with every single disk.

Average customer rating:

A Joy to Watch
Barbra collection
Better than the original
On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever
Costumes, Costumes, Costumes!

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Starring: Barbra Streisand , Yves Montand , Bob Newhart , Larry Blyden , and Simon Oakland
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0006VXMLM
Release Date: 2005-02-22

Amazon.com

When a psychiatrist (Yves Montand) begins talking to a young woman (Barbra Streisand), he realizes that she can recall a past life while under hypnosis. Although this brash New Yorker is thoroughly modern and somewhat abrasive, he becomes fascinated by the 19th-century English woman who speaks through her. This oddball musical flicks back and forth between period flashbacks and modern times, which may be one reason it never builds up much power in either realm. On a Clear Day You Can See Forever failed at the box office in 1970, one of a number of glossy musicals that could not find an audience in the post-Easy Rider movie world. In fact, one of the film's out-of-place costars is Jack Nicholson, a symbol of the new movies that were making old-fashioned musicals a thing of the past. It didn't help that Paramount severely cut On a Clear Day before releasing it. For all that, the picture is enjoyable and--at the end--really quite touching. Director Vincente Minnelli (Meet Me in St. Louis), then near the close of a fabulous career, maintains his usual careful eye for color and design, and keeps Streisand relatively restrained--for Streisand, that is. --Robert Horton

Description

Daisy Gamble can be described as an eccentric woman who hears phones before they ring. Determined to kick her smoking habit for the sake of her fianc , she enlists the help of a psychiatrist and undergoes hypnosis. During her visits, it is revealed that she can regress into past lives and channel her many different personalities and her doctor finds himself falling in love with one of her old personalities.

Customer Reviews:

A Joy to Watch.......2007-06-27

Barbra Streisand in two rolls, gorgeous costumes and songs, director Vincent Minnelli, and a young Jack Nicholson. What's not to like? This is a lighthearted, thoroughly enjoyable film that's overlooked by many because it's not up to Minnelli's 'usual standards.' If it had been directed by anyone else, it would be lauded as the fun movie that it is. There's just so much that can be done with a lightweight play, so give both Minnelli and Streisand a break. Though this is no 'Hello, Dolly' or 'Meet Me In St. Louis', it's still a joy.

Barbra collection.......2007-04-11

Loved this movie for the fantastic wardrobe!!! Really '60's and cute, too. You can't beat Barbra S. for any songs in any of her movies, and of course, the comedy of her love stories!! Enjoy this fun movie!!

Better than the original.......2007-02-07

How delightful to have this classic musical, in such great quality, on a dvd which I can enjoy for years. It is better than the original.

On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever.......2007-01-10

I was delighted when I got this, and have been delighted ever since. I do not believe in reincarnation, and some reject this movie for this reason. The story line, the photography, the music, the subtle and unsubtle ironies make this an all-time favorite for me. I heartily recommend it. '5' is not a high enough rating.

Costumes, Costumes, Costumes!.......2006-12-07

This is a tremendously fun and frothy movie with great vocals by La Streisand (of course)and an interesting fantasy story line. However, the main reason to watch is the costumes! Over-the-top and outright gorgeous during the "English" scenes and mod to the max in the modern-day scenes, each fits the story beautifully. And Streisand looks good in all of them. I never tire of watching this movie and am pleased it finally arrived in DVD format for improved editing and colour.

Average customer rating:

Propoganda film has nice bits, but does not fare well with time.
Values To Fight For, With A Great Cast
Amazing collection of stars in a classic epic film
Struggles To Maintain Your Interest
One Of The Best Epical Films Yet...

Forever and a Day
Starring: Harry Allen , May Beatty , Billy Bevan , Reginald Gardiner , and Ernest Grooney
Director: Cedric Hardwicke , René Clair , Edmund Goulding , Victor Saville , and Robert Stevenson
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

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

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: 6305130973
Release Date: 1998-11-03

Amazon.com

A slow-moving but historic attempt to bolster the British War Relief effort in 1943, Forever and a Day is a drama about the inhabitants of a magnificent English home, beginning in the early 19th century. The story isn't much, but there's a charming spirituality about the house and what happens to those who nurture it and abuse it. It's a metaphor, of course, for England itself. Most of all, the celebrity lineup is a real treat: There are 80 stars, including Brian Aherne, Robert Cummings, Ida Lupino, Charles Laughton, Herbert Marshall, Ray Milland, Merle Oberon, Claude Rains, Victor McLaglen, Buster Keaton, C. Aubrey Smith, Elsa Lanchester, and Edmund Gwenn. Talent was stacked up behind the camera as well: René Clair, Edmund Goulding, and Cedric Hardwicke are among the directors. --Bill Desowitz

Description

This rarely-seen gem from England spans the years from Napoleon to World War II by following the fortunes of those who lived in a London manor house. Assembled by seven directors (Rene Clair, Edmund Goulding, Cedric Hardwicke, Frank Lloyd, Victor Saville, Robert Stevenson, Herbert Wilcox) and starring over eighty American and British actors, "Forever and a Day" is one of the largest and most powerful ensemble films ever made. Also featuring Merle Oberon, Claude Rains, Victor McLaglen, Buster Keaton, C. Aubrey Smith, Edward Everett Horton, Elsa Lanchester, Edmund Gwenn, and many more.

Customer Reviews:

Propoganda film has nice bits, but does not fare well with time........2007-02-13

In 1943 this episodic story tells the history of Britain by following the history of a house and the two families whose lives were entwined with it. This RKO film opens by saying that it was collaborative effort of many studios. Having more than 30 major stars, many of them Brits, and listing 7 directors, its stated purpose is to serve as a tribute to "united effort" clearly an implicit allusion to the United States joining in WWII.

The opening drags a bit, an American in war torn England making the moves on a practical, modest Greer Garson-esque British young woman - .who just happens to own the painting he has come to negotiate for. At a point in their conversation, they stand on a porch, and she talks of wanting to know the people who lived there before; it is an effecting moment, where suddenly the camera pulls blocks away to show the buildings on the horizon on fire.

Many wonderful little performance light up the moving history show, Merle Oberon and Ida Lupino fare particularly well. Still, the overview is so enormous, and the film just regular length, so there really is not much to hold on to, making the film feel both slight and too long, simultaneously.

As the purpose of this film was to link us in sympathy, the script works in the English emigration to America, as well as vastly downplaying the class system. There are no scenes here of lush, lavish aristocracy that Americans have come to dote on via the BBC miniseries of today. The focus is on everyone just trying to get by in everyday life - "they're just like us."

In this film they're a little too much like us. We never did go to the movies to spend 10 minutes bothering with bathtubs and plumbing. A dated piece of propaganda that reminded us -even then - how many of our familiar film actors were British imports.

Values To Fight For, With A Great Cast.......2005-05-29

This is the story of a London house, from when it was built in 1804 as Napoleon was threatening to invade England, to the height of the blitz when Hitler was threatening to invade England. It's the story of the people who built house, who lived in it through the generations. It also is a valentine from Hollywood to the people of Britain to let them know their bravery and steadfastness is recognized and understood in America. The Hollywood studios collaborated on the film, allowing dozens of British actors, writers and directors in Hollywood, many under contract, to volunteer their talents: Directors like Rene Clair, Victor Saville, Alfred Hitchcock, Edmund Goulding; writers like Christopher Isherwood, James Hilton, John Van Druten; actors like Charles Laughton, Merle Oberon, Herbert Marshall, Anna Neagle, C. Aubrey Smith, Ray Milland, Ida Lupino, Claude Raines. The list of actors alone, some in quick cameos, others as major players in the story, numbers well over 100. Surprisingly, the movie manages to tell a coherent story.

One night in the middle of a German bombing attack, an American named Gates Trimble Pomfret (Kent Smith) finds his way to Number 6 Pomfret Street. At the behest of his father he wants to sell the old house to the young woman now living in it, Lesley Trimble (Ruth Warrick). He and his father have no use for old houses. He meets Miss Trimble in an underground shelter which can be accessed through the home's basement. Londoners are singing songs to keep up their spirit as the bombs fall. She lets him into the house and tries to explain why she wants to buy the place. She starts to tell him the history and says that somehow the people who lived here were all people she'd like to have known...and we flashback to 1804. Old Admiral Eustace Trimble buys land to build his house, a house meant to last. He builds it of stone and brick and timber. Even if Napoleon invades, he says, he and his family and his house will fight on to repel the invaders. He sets his house on the ancient fortifications built by Caractacus, who fought to repel the Roman invaders. In the cellars of his house he places a carved stone in one of the walls. Chiseled in it are the words "Eustace Trimble built this house and wishes well to all who shelter here."

Children are born, tragedy is endured. In time the house is bought by a rapacious squire named Ambrose Pomfret (Claude Raines). It eventually becomes the property of Dexter Pomfret, who in 1847 marries a woman named Mildred Trimble. He and his wife prosper and his son eventually inherits the house. In 1897, the family's maid (Ida Lupino) decides to join her special friend, a mechanic named Jim Trimble (Brian Aherne), a poor distant relative of the Trimbles, to go to America, to work hard and to make a new life. The house is eventually sold as too large and becomes a hotel, a genteel place for genteel people. Assisting to manage it is Marjorie (Merle Oberon), and in 1917 she meets a young yank who has 24 hours leave. His name is Ned Trimble. Later, as a widow, she and her daughter will buy the decrepit old building and try to renovate it. And the daughter, Lesley Trimble, now living in the house by herself, explains all this to Gates Pomfret.

The bombing is getting worse and the two of them return to the shelter. The German bombs strike closer and closer. At the all clear, they discover the house has taken a direct hit. In the ruins still survives the portrait of Admiral Eustace Trimble. Gates, who now realizes what this house has stood for all these years and generations, suddenly says, "Let's build again. He would," and he looks at the admiral. "Yes, he would," Lesley says. "He built a shelter, decency, dignity, everything a home should stand for. Oh, but he'd want to make sure first none of this would happen again." "You bet he would," Gates says to her. "And that's our job...yours and mine."

Sure, the movie is a bit dated, but the acting is great, ranging from Charles Laughton's tipsy butler, C. Aubrey Smith's blustery and brave admiral, to a very funny bit involving Cedric Hardwicke as a Cockney plumber and a silent Buster Keaton as his assistant. The story sequences are well told and interesting. Some are dramatic, some are humorous, some a combination. And they all hit right on the head the message that English values will endure and triumph. Forever and a Day is an unusual and effective piece of movie making. For a movie as old as this one, the DVD picture is in very good shape.

Amazing collection of stars in a classic epic film.......2002-12-08

Forever and a Day is a marvelous, lyrical piece of World War II propaganda that boasts one of the most amazing casts and crew ever assembled for a motion picture.

As the film begins, the Nazis are bombing London and an American visitor, Gates T. Pomfret (Kent Smith), journeys into the city searching for a house his father owns and that the current boarder, Lesley Trimble (Ruth Warrick), wishes to purchase. Gates' sarcastic attitude about the house leads Lesley to relate the history of the manse, and how both of their families have been intertwined since Admiral Trimble (C. Aubrey Smith) built it back in 1804. The house eventually fell into the hands of the Pomfrets, who later leased it out as a hotel during the First World War. Now, the building is only used as a bomb raid shelter.

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Hollywood was inundated with a phalanx of British actors and directors seeking refuge from the war while continuing the careers. Forever and a Day was specifically designed as a morale booster for the folks back home as well as a bit of propaganda for American audiences. The house, of course, is a metaphor for England herself--stalwart, traditional, broken but defiant and ultimately triumphant. The film combines laughter and tears to achieve its end, and though the fadeout is bittersweet, it's still incredibly uplifting.

To create the film, one of the largest all-star casts imaginable was assembled to portray the various personalities who inhabit the house during the century and a half. Besides those mentioned above, there's also Ray Milland, Victor McLaglan, Anna Neagle, Herbert Marshall, Claude Rains, Dame May Whitty, Gene Lockhart, Anna Lee, Buster Keaton, June Duprez, Nigel Bruce, Elsa Lanchester, Donald Crisp, and many, many others. My favorites in the cast include Smith, who's alternately amusing and moving; Charles Laughton as a tippling butler; Ida Lupino and Brian Aherne as a maid and coal tender (respectively) who develop a romance during Queen Victoria's jubilee; Gladys Cooper and Roland Young as parents awaiting the return of their son from World War I; and Robert Cummings as an American doughboy and Merle Oberon as a hotel secretary who fall in love during that war.

There was an all-star line-up behind the camera as well, with such acclaimed directors as Rene Clair, Edmund Goulding, Cedric Hardwicke, Frank Lloyd, Victor Saville, Robert Stevenson, and Herbert Wilcox. The writing credits are equally diverse, including such names as C.S. Forester, James Hilton, Christopher Isherwood, Donald Ogden Stewart, and John Van Druten. I can't say who wrote or directed which episodes, because it's all been so seamlessly and exquisitely combined.

Students of history and classic film are sure to thrill to Forever and a Day; modern audiences that just like a good story well-told are bound to enjoy it as well.

The DVD is a bare-bones presentation, with just the film and chapter selections. The picture is a bit dark at times, showing its age, but the sound is marvelous.

Struggles To Maintain Your Interest.......2000-06-28

This film suffers slightly from being a product of its times. The Second World War was in full cry and to help raise morale (and money) well-meaning directors and actors got together to make 'Forever and a Day'. In fact the cast list is one of the prime reasons for buying this DVD - it's certainly why I bought it. Jessie Matthews, Elsa Lanchester, Claude Rains, Charles Laughton - even Buster Keaton - they're all here! But you can't escape the feeling that this is a 1940's 'USA for Africa'. Whilst you loved hearing Lionel Ritchie, Michael Jackson & all singing 'We are the World', it was never as good as listening to their solo work. 'Forever and a Day' just has too many actors and directors to produce a fully coherent movie. I may be mistaken, but I'm sure somebody once said of this film 'Never have so many given so much for something so dull'. That's a little harsh but for once I have to disagree with Leonard Maltin and award this only average marks. I'm still glad I have it in my film collection - if only for that great cast and it's historical interest.

One Of The Best Epical Films Yet..........1999-05-06

The British, and some American, cast shines in thiswnderful depiction of a grand English mansion and its inhabitants for over one-hundred years. The scenes of this picture are geniusely executed and planned out to the second! The efforts of actors such as Ray Milland, C. Aubrey Smith and Claude Rains were beyond words. Anyway, to all those not familiar with "Forever and a Day," it beigns with one grand-scale English being built in 1804 during the Napoleonic Era. This film advances through all the years up to then present day World War II with humor, adventure, and historical grandeur. Even though going through rough times, the house withstands the outside threats of enemy nations until 1940. By then, the manor is bombarded by one A. Hitler and inspectors are sent to report on the tragedies. However, on the wall of the house, the portrait of C. Aubrey Smith, head master and founder of the house, remains intact and shows England's durability during its darkest hours. You can also see that in this fim, the darndest guest appearences are made by veteran actors such as Buster Keaton, Charles Laughton, etc. All the actors did this film for free and looked to help the war effort in 1943, when truly the world was involved. This film is very hard to get. However, when it first opened, I saw it in my local motion picture theatre and have yet to forget the details. They are symbolic and still stand out in my mind. The message here is simple. It just tells you to smile, for tomorrow is another day.

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