The English Patient

Starring:Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas, Naveen Andrews, Colin Firth, Julian Wadham, JÃ¼rgen Prochnow, Kevin Whately, Clive Merrison, Nino Castelnuovo, Hichem Rostom, Peter RÃ¼hring, Geordie Johnson, Torri Higginson, Liisa Repo-Martell, Raymond Coulthard, Philip Whitchurch, Lee Ross, Anthony Smee
Director: Anthony Minghella
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

"I see dead people," whispers little Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), scared to affirm what is to him now a daily occurrence. This peaked 9-year old, already hypersensitive to begin with, is now being haunted by seemingly malevolent spirits. Child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is trying to find out what's triggering Cole's visions, but what appears to be a psychological manifestation turns out to be frighteningly real. It might be enough to scare off a lesser man, but for Malcolm it's personal--several months before, he was accosted and shot by an unhinged patient, who then turned the gun on himself. Since then, Malcolm has been in turmoil--he and his wife (Olivia Williams) are barely speaking, and his life has taken an aimless turn. Having failed his loved ones and himself, he's not about to give up on Cole.

This third feature by M. Night Shyamalan sets itself up as a thriller, poised on the brink of delivering monstrous scares, but gradually evolves into more of a psychological drama with supernatural undertones. Many critics faulted the film for being mawkish and New Age-y, but no matter how you slice it, this is one mightily effective piece of filmmaking. The bare bones of the story are basic enough, but the moody atmosphere created by Shyamalan and cinematographer Tak Fujimoto made this one of the creepiest pictures of 1999, forsaking excessive gore for a sinisterly simple feeling of chilly otherworldliness. Willis is in his strong, silent type mode here, and gives the film wholly over to Osment, whose crumpled face and big eyes convey a child too wise for his years; his scenes with his mother (Toni Collette) are small, heartbreaking marvels. And even if you figure out the film's surprise ending, it packs an amazingly emotional wallop when it comes, and will have you racing to watch the movie again with a new perspective. You may be able to shake off the sentimentality of The Sixth Sense, but its craftsmanship and atmosphere will stay with you for days. --Mark Englehart

Description

Hollywood superstar Bruce Willis (ARMAGEDDON, THE SIEGE) brings a powerful presence to an edge-of-your-seat thriller from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (Oscar(R)-nominee for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director) that critics are calling one of the greatest ghost stories ever filmed. When Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Willis), a distinguished child psychologist, meets Cole Sear (Oscar(R)-nominee Haley Joel Osment, Best Supporting Actor), a frightened, confused, eight-year-old, Dr. Crowe is completely unprepared to face the truth of what haunts Cole. With a riveting intensity you'll find thoroughly chilling, the discovery of Cole's incredible sixth sense leads them to mysterious places with unforgettable consequences!

Customer Reviews:

A bit contrived, but riveting entertainment. A must-see, must own film!.......2007-06-28

SPOILER ALERT: Before reading this review, please know that this film is a complex psychological mystery to figure out and in the course of discussing this film's merits some pieces of the puzzle may be revealed inadvertently. I often refrain from this with reviews, but it's hard to discuss this film without giving away some critical elements here and there. Please be advised of this as I hate to spoil anyone's enjoyment of this modern classic film that you really must see and own if you are a fan of this genre.

After two rather lame, dorky films M. Night Shyamalan hit it big with this 1999 sleeper that quietly went on to become one of the biggest box-office surprises of that year and this genre and rightly so. It is the kind of film that Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho) would have been proud to put his name on. I'll forego the usually plot analysis here as most are familar with this film and Amazon's description of the film says enough.

The film's strengths lie in the wonderfully subtle performances by the stars who all rightly deserved their Oscar nominations. I still consider this one of Bruce Willis's best performance if not best, but with a career that easily bounces around from comedy to action hero to thrillers it's hard to really say what is his best. In any event, his role here as the tortured child psychologist trying to make up for a past wrong is compelling and rather typical of any Hitchcockian-type thriller (consider Vertigo as a great example). Haley Joel Osmont, whose sister was in Spy Kids 2 and on the current Disney show Hannah Montana, gives a marvelous performance and one of the best I've ever seen from a child actor. His eyes are truly the windows to his soul. Toni Collette as Osment's grief-stricken, single mother is flawless, believable at all times, and heart-wrenchingly touching as she attempts to communicate with her child that she believes may be beyond reaching.

In addition, the film's delibertly slow-mounting pace mixed with sudden unexpected jolts brings about incredible tension and suspense. Shyamalan is brilliant at slowly giving us the pieces to the film's puzzle to the point where we feel, as the audience, like complete idiots for not "getting it" sooner. Why didn't I notice that no one talks directly to Willis's character except the boy and why does he keep wearing in some fashion the same clothes (plus or minus tie, plus or minus sweatshirt or sport jacket, etc.). The ending of the film is telegraphed to us earlier on and we are given countless clues, but like any skilled director, Shyamalan often misdirects our attention elsewhere at critical times. His is a very gifted director and writer who can effectively bring his vivid imagination to the screen.

The photography, camera angles, lighting, and careful editing manipulate us from beginning to end and the score by James Newton Howard who gave us the theme to ER and the awesomely effective score to Shyamalan's Signs is always appropriate and memorable as a score should be. In addition, the make-up for the ghosts that only Osment can see is jolting and convincing each time and often surprisingly revealed to us. Their presence is eerie, disturbing, and, forgive the pun, haunting.

My only complaint about this otherwise flawless piece of entertainment is that it is, as some critics have rightly pointed out, a rather contrived work, but most good mysteries are by the nature of the genre itself and not so much because of the writer and director of which Shyamalan is both. The pieces of the puzzle HAVE to fit at the end and to criticize the film for doing so seems a bit unfair, but I do understand what those critics mean as Shyamalan is a bit heavy-handed with his contrivances, but, wow, can he tell a story. If you are interested in his other works, then just click his name highlighted as director. Except for his first two silly films and the troubled and uneven but still decent Lady in the Water you should enjoy this master director and writer.

FYI: This film was the inspiration for two popular and current TV shows. They are NBC's highly successful Medium in which Emmy-Winner Patricia Arquette is a housewife that sees ghosts in her dreams that want her to assist them in some manner and CBS's equally successful Ghost Whisperer with Jennifer Love Hewitt playing a similar role, but see ghosts all day long and not in her dreams (more like in "The Sixth Sense"). These are series worth owning by the way. I never miss an episode of either show.

Way to stiff the actors, amazon! .......2007-06-18

This film is worth all its five stars and more, but what's up with amazon.com listing the actors as Firdous Bamji, Mischa Barton, Toni Collette, and Janis Dardanis? Collette is certainly worth mentioning -- her performance is terrific -- but who the heck are Bamji and Dardanis? Mischa Barton's fifteen minutes of fame in The O.C. hardly merits billing over Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, who give two of the most affecting and intelligent screen performances in recent memory.

What's next? The DVD of "Gone with the Wind, starring George Reeves and
Evelyn Keyes"?

BRILLIANT!.......2007-06-13

THIS MOVIE IS BRILLIANT! I echo Nathan Alderman's review of this film.

Great thriller!.......2007-06-01

"I see dead people". You've heard that line before. This is the movie that started the jokes and spawned other movies based solely on that one line. When a movie has that kind of power, you know it's good.

So what's this movie about? Basically, a pyschologist (Malcolm) comes to a little boy's (Cole) aid when he claims that he can see dead people. No one else can see these dead people and they're not friendly by any means. Malcolm has to try and come up with a way to make living with dead people more tolerable for Cole (if that's at all possible). Meanwhile, Malcolm has to deal with his own personal issues when his wife stops talking to him after he got shot by a former patient a year before.

If you haven't seen this movie, you're missing out. For those who don't like scary movies, don't worry. This isn't a typical scary movie. This is more of a mystery movie in which you have to think about what's going on and what's going to happen. The first time I watched this movie in the theaters, I left with shaky knees. It was that good. This is a must have movie in every household's movie collection.

Heighten your cinematic senses.......2007-04-21

M. Night Shyamalan's debut as the masterful storyteller/director began with this most mysterious and heartfelt film, The Sixth Sense. The last time I saw The Sixth Sense was over six years ago and it was as though I enjoyed it even more now than I did the first time I saw it in theatres. Shyamalan's script is woven so beautifully and with such great care that the viewer will be yearning to find answers to the many questions this film forces one to develop.

The Sixth Sense starts out with a bang (with probably the best performance by Donnie Wahlberg I've ever seen on the big screen) and leaves the audience almost trembling. As the story begins after this shocking introduction, we see Bruce Willis a year later after his career has been somewhat destroyed by the terrible events that occurred a year prior. Willis plays a child psychologist, and begins treatment through brief clinical sessions with a young boy (played memorably by Haley Joel Osment). Osment seems terribly disturbed and Willis appears determined to solve this troubled boy's problems. But as the story begins to unfold and the audience learns of Osment's nightmarish ailment, Willis finds that helping this boy will take far more effort than he could have ever imagined.

It is hard to capture the beauty of The Sixth Sense in a few paragraphs, but the simplicity of its execution is enough to show that original films can still grab an audience better than any mind-blowing special effect. The Sixth Sense manages to keep the crowd attentive without a single special effect for almost two hours. This movie is not only a good thriller, but its dramatic elements will sometimes grasp at you without letting you go.

An excellent and unforgettable performance by Toni Collette and one of the greatest ghost stories ever told. If you are not a fan of horror, do not fret; this is not a horror film. But there are definitely a few good jumps to be enjoyed. This movie can be seen over and over again and will one day be known as a classic work of film-making. This is by far the most superior M. Night Shyamalan film.

The English Patient (Miramax Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Fabulous movie
Anybody out there?
Patience brings out layers of depth
One of my all-time favorites
Fantastic!

The English Patient (Miramax Collector's Edition)
Starring: Ralph Fiennes , Juliette Binoche , Willem Dafoe , Kristin Scott Thomas , and Naveen Andrews
Director: Anthony Minghella
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
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ASIN: B0001WTWCO
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Amazon.com essential video

Winner of nine Academy Awards and almost every critic's heart, The English Patient (based on Michael Ondaatje's prizewinning novel of love and loss during World War II) is one of the most acclaimed films of modern times. Hana, a nurse (Juliette Binoche), tends to an archaeologist (Ralph Fiennes) who has been burnt to a crisp in a plane crash. As their relationship intensifies, he flashes back to his overwhelming passion for a married woman (Kristin Scott Thomas). Meanwhile, Hana begins a new romance with a man who defuses bombs (Naveen Andrews) and Willem Dafoe almost steals the show as the thumbless thief Caravaggio. The intricately layered flashback narrative, sounding the depths of the lovers' hearts, improves with repeated viewings--especially with the sharp picture and digital sound of the digital video disc.

Description

Winner of 9 Academy Awards(R) in 1996, including Best Picture, Best Director (Anthony Minghella) and Best Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche), this powerful motion picture is an experience you will never forget. During World War II, a mysterious stranger (Ralph Fiennes) is cared for by American allies unaware of his dangerous past. Yet, as the mystery of his identity is revealed, an incredible tale of passion, intrigue, and adventure unfolds. Also starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth, and Willem Dafoe.

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous movie.......2007-07-04

I love this movie! Great acting, scenery, and love story! Ralph Fiennes is so hot, too!

Anybody out there?.......2007-05-25

Winner of 9 Academy awards, and it's not hard to see why: a luminous script, vibrant on-location shooting, assured direction, and stomach-churning performances.

But the whole thing's about adultery!

Hello? Anybody out there? Am I the only one left on planet earth who . . .

Oh, what's the point?

Patience brings out layers of depth.......2007-05-15

A Favorite Film. many layers and subplots, some more obvious than others.The characters are so believable I am suspended in the Italian Country side during WW11. Incredible sets and cinematography immerse the eye. It touches every sense..from ink on textured paper to the tinkling of tiny bottles on a camels back. Letting us soar in the air then dip into a "Swimmers Cave" aa we feel the passion in unspoken resonance and grief in a place called "Palace of the Winds". A love story within a love story, so entwined that they become one tale of many loves. Timeless.
Katherine Rosengren

One of my all-time favorites.......2007-04-14

I cannot recommend this movie more than this. It is, from my opinion, epic.

Fantastic!.......2007-04-13

Even though it won 9 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and despite the fact I've been fond of Anthony Minghella's work in the past...I wasn't expecting much from "The English Patient." It's just really not my kind of movie. It takes place during World War II; a majority of the film takes place in the desert, etc. Actually, it's a fantastic movie with fantastic performances that is not only a great film but very entertaining as well.

Ralph Fiennes plays Almasy, a mysterious man who's is found in a fiery plane crash burned to hell. The man doesn't remember his name and remembers little about himself, but he's soon taken in by a young nurse named Hana (Juliette Binoche, who received an Oscar for her role) and slowly begins to recall his past. But he may be hiding something and that's why a man named Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe) suddenly shows up, wanting to know more about the mysterious man.

The movie is simultaneously a war movie, a love story, and a performance piece that gives every actor time to shine. Despite claiming the only Oscar for acting, it isn't even Binoche who turns in the best performance. Feinnes is absolutely fantastic, Dafoe is great as well, and Kristin Scott Thomas as the woman Almasy falls in love with is fascinating to watch. Feinnes, who is wearing heavy makeup to simulate burn scars, gives a very layered performance here and probably deserved the Oscar for this performance (I say probably because I don't recall who won that year). Anyway, even if "The English Patient" doesn't sound like your cup of tea, rest assured that it is a great film that one should not miss. Great story, fascinating acting, steady-handed direction. It's a real winner.
GRADE: A-

Average customer rating:

Angie gives us an almost FLAWLESS performance.
Boring, self-indulgent
WOW DANG ONE OF THE BEST MOVE
doesn't really follow the book, does it?
Girl Interrupted

Girl, Interrupted
Starring: Jillian Armenante , Travis Fine , Whoopi Goldberg , Angelina Jolie , and Joanna Kerns
Director: James Mangold
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B00003CWQR
Release Date: 2000-06-06

Amazon.com

Based on Susanna Kaysen's acclaimed journal-memoir, Girl, Interrupted bears inevitable resemblance to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and pale comparison to that earlier classic is impossible to avoid. The mental institution settings of both films guarantee a certain degree of déjà vu and at least one Oscar winner (in this case, Angelina Jolie), since playing a loony is any actor's dream gig. Unfortunately, director James Mangold seems to have misplaced the depth and delicacy of his underrated debut, Heavy, despite a great deal of earnest effort by everyone involved. It's easy to see why Winona Ryder chose to star in (and executive-produce) this nearly worthy adaptation of Kaysen's book, since it's a strong vehicle for female casting and potent drama. Mangold certainly got the former; whether he succeeded with the latter is not so clear.

To be sure, Ryder conveys the confusion and chaos that signified Kaysen's life during nearly 18 months of voluntary institutionalization beginning in 1967. But the film seems too eager to embrace the cliché that the "crazies" of the Claymoore women's ward are saner than the war-torn world outside, and lack of narrative focus gives way to semipredictable character study. Susanna (Ryder) is labeled with "borderline personality disorder," a diagnosis as ambiguous as her own emotions, and while Jolie chews the scenery as the resident bad-girl sociopath, Ryder effectively conveys an odyssey from vulnerable fear to self-awareness and, finally, to healing. The ensemble cast is uniformly superb, making this drama well worthwhile, even as it treads familiar territory. If it ultimately lacks dramatic impact, Girl, Interrupted makes it painfully clear that the boundaries of dysfunction are hazy in a world where everyone's crazy once in a while. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Angie gives us an almost FLAWLESS performance........2007-06-18

This movie is what REALLY introduced me to the intoxicating world of Angelina Jolie. Her acting is enthralling, and at times, I cannot take my eyes off of her. That's a REAL actress for you. I had seen her previously in the Tomb Raider series. But that was nothing compared to this masterpiece. Another work of art in the Jolie realm is 'Foxfire.' Check that out after this one!! I recommend this to anyone with an open minded sense for stories and characters outside the box...

Boring, self-indulgent.......2007-06-15

Probably if one read the book, a lot of things would be explained that are confusing and poorly spelled-out in this film. As it stands by itself, though, the movie is dull and seems to go nowhere worth getting to. The two hours passed at a tortoise pace and you found yourself wishing the characters would just o.d. and end their torment and yours.

The characters are universally unlikeable. Both Ryder and Jolie seem spoiled and self-indulgent (their characters and the actresses). I'm really surprised Jolie won an Oscar for this role when all she does is perform Acting 101 hystrionics. Even when her acting is turning you off, however, you find yourself fascinated and repulsed by her mutant lips.

As I said, I'm sure the book approaches this topic in a much more coherent and sympathetic way. Having wasted two precious hours watching this movie, I'm not at all tempted to find out if this is true or not. But for the sake of the author, and for anyone suffering from borderline personality, I hope it is so. Both deserve better than this snore-fest.

WOW DANG ONE OF THE BEST MOVE.......2007-05-08

NOW I COULD EASYLY SAY THIS WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE GRATEST MOVE EVER MADE IN THE WORLD THAT IS SO FOR SHORE

doesn't really follow the book, does it?.......2007-03-17

Lots of extra stuff that wasn't in Kaysen's memoir--that bothers me. It just seemed like it was a chance for Winona Ryder to attempt "real" acting, and to gain respect as an actor. Instead, Jolie snagged the Oscar, and Ryder slipped into A Scanner Darkly.
Ryder again showcases her highly over-emotive acting ability that has been overrated from day one, and Jolie gets to look crazy and beautiful at the same time for the umpteenth millionth time. YAWN.
Read the book instead.

Girl Interrupted.......2007-03-09

This is a very true story based on true facts.
It's very intense, sad, happy, triumphant, provocative in many ways, it's nerve wracking, it's exciting in some ways. It all depends on your perspective, but I think this movie has a not to offer and is very knowledgeable to the ways of the insane.
Angelina Jolie, Whoopie Goldberg,and Winona Ryder are exceptional in this movie.
Jared Leto, even though he has not that many scenes adds a very nice flavor to the break in manotony of the story line. He, along with the ladies mentioned, are all just so phenominally talented in their crafts.
It's war time, Vietnam to be exact, he is drafted, but leaves the country. Winona's character, although she does love him, knows that she must stay behind and take care of herself. She comes to terms with her own demons, and sacrifices her love for him to take care of herself.
She not only wins her own battles with depression, but also wakes up the self awareness to many of those who she shares her story with.
Those who win the inner war within themselves succeed to move on to normal somewhat happy lives. Those who can't get past themselves, remain locked inside of their own heads.
This is a very compelling movie of self worth, self control, self respect, and respect for others as very delicate beings.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone who suffers from self doubt and depression. I think it could really help, and inspire those who need self motivation, when you think all else has failed.
It's about gathering all that is within you, and finding love within yourself, FOR yourself.
I give this movie 5*'s.
Excellant performances by Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, WHOOPIE GOLDBERG, and Jared Leto.

Average customer rating:

Soberingly beautiful
all i ever really needed to learn, was in children's literature about rabbits
Attn: Health Care Workers!!
Wit
Riveting viewing

Wit
Starring: Emma Thompson , Christopher Lloyd , Eileen Atkins , Audra McDonald , and Jonathan M. Woodward
Director: Mike Nichols
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
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ASIN: B00005MKKV
Release Date: 2001-09-11

Amazon.com

Deservedly hailed as one of the best films of 2001, Wit makes it clear why top-ranking talents seek refuge in the quality programming of HBO. Unhindered by box-office pressures, director Mike Nichols and Emma Thompson turn the most unglamorous topic--the physical and psychological ravages of cancer--into an exquisite contemplation of life, learning, and tenacious, richly expressed humanity. In adapting Margaret Edson's compassionate, Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Nichols and Thompson open up the one-room setting with a superb supporting cast. But their focus remains on the hospital experience of Vivian (Thompson), a fiercely demanding professor of English literature whose academic specialty--the metaphysical poetry of John Donne--is the armor she wears against the cruel indignities of her cancer treatment. While losing all that she held dear, she reassesses her life as an aloof intellectual, and Wit illuminates her bracingly eloquent and deeply moving struggle for dignity, meaning, and peace at life's ultimate crossroads. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Soberingly beautiful.......2007-05-30

An oustanding film. It really affected me. I adore Donne's poetry and the film gave me a glimpse of some of the things Donne must have wrestled with when wrote Holy Sonnet 10 (Death be not Proud) the poem which Vivian Bearing narrates as the film closes. Watch it, if only for it's sobering insights into our own mortality and the need we all have for a human connection.

all i ever really needed to learn, was in children's literature about rabbits.......2007-04-09

all we ever really needed to learn was written in the children's books we read when we were young.

soporific
making you sleepy. as in, this movie is not soporific but rather is stimulating and tearful.

The movie is bracketed chronologically by two events.
The first, is when she decides to love words, to revel in them, to be constantly surprised by them.
As a young girl reading a child's book about rabbits, her father teaches her the word-soporific.

And the touching moment, shortly before her death, where her literature PhD mentor reads another children's book about rabbits. (i was disappointed when she didn't leave the book on the table as she left) The old prof knew the meaning of the words, for she offers to recite Donne but wisely ends up reading about rabbits, running from God, and transmogrification.

The movie has many levels to instruct us. but i'm interested in the one about words, their meanings and how we share those meanings with those around us.
For she learns, well, the lessons of literature. she knows all the right words about the metaphysical poetry of John Donne ( i spent more time online reading Donne, then the length of the movie, having stopped it everytime she quotes him and reading the whole work) but she really doesn't know the meaning until she dies by inches as an experimental research patient for a chemotherapy for metastised ovarian cancer.

She knew the word-soporific from childhood, but it took the humiliating experience in the hospital to teach her what restful, dreamless, needful sleep was.
she knew what it meant to be a difficult and demanding professor, but her course was described as less poetical than biochemistry as the young really bright doctor inserts a cathater. She learns, a teaches us, in part, the difference between knowing the meaning of a word and experiencing the word in your soul.

Ever the teacher and prof to the end, her monologues directed to the watcher, share what she is learning as she is dying. Sharing her humiliation, her powerlessness, her vulnerability, by stages, the move slowly pulls you into her dying and involves you as her life never involved anyone. For she lived and died, really alone, only the one visit from her mentor in more than 8 months. But she recited her poetry, she quotes Donne through the pain and the haze of the medication, and she really learns the meaning of his words about death and dying and commas.

Commas, pause, just a small breath. Just a short life. It starts with a flashback scene with her mentor and her as a young bright (lots of bright alienated people, actually everyone but the nurse is, bright and not very human, not very caring, not sympathetic to the travails around them, many of which they cause) and a discussion of a comma. The point is that words and punctuation matter, but what matters more is the meaning, the significance, how things really fits together after all the mediocre is burned away. And that is the great strength of this movie, the details (i left all the lights on) that we use to fill our lives to overflowing, to soporific ourselves from others and from our own souls, is stripped away, like her hair, her dignity in a rough pelvic exam, and in death as her breasts are exposed and people fight over the meaning of DNR(not even a word but merely an acronym, a collection of letters, not even dignified with a vowel so that people pronounce it rather than just list the letters).

Emma T. is simply wonderful, she captures the part, and drives the pathos home with just a single tear, or an infectious laugh, or a feeble tug to cover herself. the power and intensity of the movie owes much to her abilities, as much as the movie pulls you into her world and her last days of thought, it also ought to ask questions not only about the matter and indignity of her death, but more about how such a bright, hard working women missed so much of the meaning of Donne.

Mechanism, clockwork instruments, literature as analysis of technic or words as sounds. What is missing is the deeper, more human, more soulish, more spirit level. Her mentor got it, maybe it can just come with age. Which reminds me that we really live our lives backwards. We ought to start out old and infirmed and dependent and get younger and more vigorous with time. Youth is wasted on the young, they don't get it, and when some of them do, it is often too late to do anything about the direction of your life. But like WIT said, he was so young, so immature, it was no wonder that he didn't understand. But those few geniuses, those who tower above our common lot, like Donne, ought to have such a place of honor in our society that young people do hear what they had to say. But as a prof, Emma T's character, despite the intensity and accuracy of her classes, did not challenge the spiritual condition of her students, any more than Donne challenged her own spiritual journey. Like the doctors who "treated" her, she was a technican, only with words rather than with drugs or a scapel, but the effect is the same, both on the doer and the one done to--impersonalization, technic raised high above goals, lostness and concentration on the little things, inhumanity and neglect of the spiritual dimension. In this way, she was just like them, just in a different field. she treated her student's pretty much like the doctors treated her, one more step to the next paper, another paycheck, another acronymn after your name. This is the real shame of the movie, a culture of instrumentality, of means, subplants and substitutes it's own goals for human goals of development and beings and understanding. Not just in the hospital, but in the university and by extension everywhere.

I like to think that this is the big picture of the movie, something we all ought to get, and sooner than our last days.
Perhaps reading more John Donne will help, as long as we don't concentrate on the sounds of words, but on the meaning and what he really wanted us to hear and take to heart.

"O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?"

"No man is an island. entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. "

Attn: Health Care Workers!!.......2007-03-09

I am a nursing student and we watched this movie in class immediately after class I went online and purchased it. This is a must see for anyone working in the health care field! It gives meaning to dignity, integrity, service, and most of all compassion as it relates to the health care industry. I was very moved by this as was the rest of my classmates. Share this with others!!!

Wit.......2007-03-09

This was a very informative movie regarding the "horror" that sometimes can be chemo therapy. The gratuitous nudity at the end was disturbing to me. The point could have been made just as well without it.

Riveting viewing.......2007-02-17

Tragic and comic at the same time. This is an unforgettable film which I have viewed several times. Emma Thompson is at her superb best, and the rest of the cast are likewise superb. Unfortunately, there is no Region 2 version of this DVD; however, I overcame this difficulty.

Average customer rating:

Sybil
Poignant Sybil
Gripping Movie
Great movie
Chilling

Sybil (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Joanne Woodward , Sally Field , Brad Davis , Martine Bartlett , and Jane Hoffman
Director: Daniel Petrie
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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The Three Faces of Eve
Sybil
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ASIN: B000EHQU0S
Release Date: 2006-07-18

Amazon.com

The word "landmark" is fairly used in the case of Sybil: this 1976 TV movie brought new frankness to television, it raised the quality bar for the made-for-television movie, and it utterly changed the career of a future Oscar-winning actress. The film was based on the bestselling nonfiction book about a multiple-personality patient and her exhaustive therapy. It opens with a brilliant series of scenes that suggest how a young woman named Sybil (Sally Field) experiences unexplained blackouts, which brings her to the attention of a psychiatrist, Dr. Wilbur (Joanne Woodward). The film unfolds around the searching therapy sessions, laced with flashbacks to Sybil's toxic childhood. There's also a tentative romance between the lonely Sybil and a manchild (Brad Davis) who lives across the alley. Most notably, of course, there are the appearances of Sybil's alternate personalities, who express her strangled emotional life. Stewart Stern's sensitive script seems to flow organically from one scene to the next, and director Daniel Petrie frequently allows the camera to observe the acting acrobatics in long, challenging takes.

Woodward, who won an Oscar for playing a multiple-personality patient in The Three Faces of Eve, is all nurturing warmth as the steadfast doctor. But really this film was a sober coming-out party for Sally Field, who astonished viewers at the time by erasing all memories of Gidget and The Flying Nun, the bubblegum roles she'd mostly been known for. Field's work is anguished but non-actor-y, and despite the character's hidden personalities, she seems as clear as day in her performance. The production won four Emmys, not surprisingly including nods for Field, Stern, and Outstanding Special (Drama).

The 187-minute movie takes up one disc; the second disc has informative featurettes about the making of the film. Examining Sybil is an absorbing hour-long documentary with comments from Field and Woodward, as well as executive producer Peter Dunne. It is dominated by the spellbinding storytelling of Stewart Stern, who developed the screenplay by spending time with the real Dr. Wilbur and listening to tapes of her sessions with Sybil. His tale of Sally Field's unlikely audition triumph is a small movie in itself. The Paintings of Sybil presents a generous selection of paintings by the real Sybil (who became a professor of art), along with recollections by one of her friends. Something listed on the DVD cover as "Sybil Therapy Session" is misleadingly titled, suggesting some kind of actual footage or transcript of the real Sybil and her treatment; in fact, it's Stewart Stern describing the harrowing process of listening to the doctor's tapes. The real Sybil (now deceased) remains protected, as she should. --Robert Horton

Product Description

Based on a true story, this telefilm debut in 1976 to extraordinary response. Sally Field - in an Emmy Award winning and career-turning performance - portrays Sybil, a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder who develops over 16 distinct personalities in order to cope and escape haunting memories of her harrowing childhood. Joanne Woodward plays the understanding and compassionate psychiatrist that helps Sybil confront her horrific past and eliminate her demons.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Sybil.......2007-07-04

Originally aired as a TV miniseries, "Sybil" was a landmark event in 1976, telling a darkly fascinating, fact-based story about a traumatized New York woman with 16 distinct personalities. For anyone who doubted "Gidget" star Field's acting prowess, this disturbing drama put the matter to rest: In an emotionally demanding role requiring her to play a terrified child, a suicidal woman, and an intelligent teen, among other characters, Field gives a brilliant, Emmy-winning performance, making a bizarre psychological disorder very real and very haunting. Woodward is also splendid as the dedicated, compassionate therapist who suffers a nervous breakdown trying to cure her patient. (Ironically, Woodward had won an Oscar nearly twenty years before playing a similarly afflicted character in "The Three Faces Of Eve"). The talking cure was never as creepy or cathartic as in sessions with "Sybil."

Poignant Sybil.......2007-05-12

Something is so terribly wrong with Sybil it may drive her to suicide... You need a license to drive a car, why is it so easy for disturbed parents to torture their child ? Sally Field is brillant as Sybil and Joan Woodward plays the best compassionate doctor you could dream of in case of distress.

Gripping Movie.......2007-05-05

This is a brilliant performance by Sally Field.I dont think i have ever seen anyone put on a more convincing performance than what she did in this movie.You realy feel the emotion for this person as she has been torn apart mentally by her mother.The unspeakable crimes that were committed against this person makes you shudder to think it could have been done at all.But how she coped with it is stunning,she developed a multiple personality disorder.All designed to take her mind away from the physical and emotional torture her mother gave her.
Now Sally Field did an excellent job here.There is moments in this movie where tears well up in my eyes.Especially that part when towards the end when she gives her psychiatrist(Joanne Woodward) a hug after she tell her she loves the totality of her.Obviously a troubled person was Sybil,but she went through some stages of denying she needed help at all,and other personalities emerged and tried to stop the treatment.Thats why that part was so special because there was a real bond between the 2.You cant help but feel for this person,and parts are kind of comical as she dances to music like a child,dresses as a French woman etc.But there is also some Evil parts to her disorder and one personality wants to commit suicide.One personality is an expert piano player.But memories of her past keep haunting this poor girl,and its a real struggle for her to overcome that without help.She loses track of time,and wakes up sometimes days later not knowing how she got there.
This movie is drama at its very best.

Great movie.......2007-04-12

Almost 30 years later the movie is still great. It's great when movies are good for the story and the acting regardless of the "special effects"

Chilling.......2007-04-02

Very deeply moving. Sally Field is one of the if not the best charachter actress in the business.

Average customer rating:

Recycles Miami Vice episode "Love At First Sight"
Tries to be a psychological thriller but fails
Funny Sci-fi psychological thriller
Compelling and Suspenseful
Lots of skin, not a lot of brains

Color of Night
Starring: Bruce Willis , Jane March , Rubén Blades , Lesley Ann Warren , and Scott Bakula
Director: Richard Rush
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 6305428484
Release Date: 1999-08-24

Amazon.com

Psychological twists and turns strangle the plot of this disappointing effort from the director of The Stunt Man, Richard Rush. Emotionally damaged psychiatrist Bruce Willis leaves his practice behind and moves to LA when a patient commits suicide in front of him. Out of the goodness of his broken heart, he takes over the practice of a murdered colleague (Scott Bakula). Jane March is the needy but mysterious woman who literally crashes into his life, making sexual advances the good doctor soon reciprocates. What March seems to need most, however, is underwear. The plot and the dialogue vacillate between silly and inane, leaving us with some so-so sex and overblown performances. This could explain why it was the winner of the 1995 Razzie Award for Worst Picture. If you want a more effective thriller that delves into damaged psyches, take another look at Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Description

Haunted by the bizarre suicide of a patient, New York psychologist Dr. Bill Capa abandons his successful practice and relocates to L.A., but his encounters there prove as shocking as the chilling event he has run away from, and he immediately finds himself entangled in an explosive sexual relationship with a beautiful but enigmatic woman named Rose, and the investigation into the brutal stabbing murder of a friend and colleague, Dr. Bob Moore. A moth drawn to a flame, Dr. Capa is lured to Rose by his sexual cravings, and he discovers this woman has the power to fulfill his most reckless erotic fantasies. Yet, the more she satisfies him, the more he finds himself enslaved by her manipulation and control. As Capa gets closer to identifying the killer of his patient, Rose becomes an equally tantalizing mystery that he must solve -- if he can stay alive long enough to avoid a lunatic murderer who is stalking him.

Customer Reviews:

Recycles Miami Vice episode "Love At First Sight".......2007-06-29

Jane March replaces Iman but I guess the producers (Bruce Willis and his friend/husband at the time of Jane March) decided to keep the baseball jacket. Iman's five second transformation scared the Christ out of me (for good.)

Tries to be a psychological thriller but fails.......2007-03-19

This movie won the Razzie award for Worst Motion Picture of 1994. Oddly enough though, it didn't win in any of the other "worst of" categories. This really says something about the film. The fact is, it is just hard to point to any one or even combination of factors of why it is so bad. It's not that any one particular performance is bad or an actor or actress is miscast or that there is particularly cheesy dialogue as is so often the case in a "bad film". It's just that the whole thing comes together to form a whole lot of nothing. It's more what isn't in the film than what is in it that makes it mediocre. Sure, the ending is unexpected, but it would also be unexpected if I found an extra broom when I was cleaning out my closet. That wouldn't make it remarkable, interesting, or even noteworthy. Because I never grew to care about the characters I couldn't be expected to care about the ending. The film is trying to be a psychological thriller with Willis as the protagonist trying to unravel the mystery. What comes out over the duration of the film are just many seemingly disjointed odd events meant to shock but just don't form any kind of cohesive plot. Instead we have what could have been a strong cast of characters in good performances spending the whole film trying to figure out exactly who they are supposed to be. The explicit love scenes between Willis and Jane March are just annoying more than anything as they seem to scream "This is a consolation prize to make up for the fact that you're sitting through such a bad film".

Funny Sci-fi psychological thriller.......2006-11-10

The movie is entertaining and thrilling at times. This is not the best of Bruce Willis performances, however, it seems that for the producers and film makers it was more important to explore on Bruce Willis erotism than on a great plot they had in hands, if addressed from the psychological perspective. The plot reinforces the concept of how arrogant and insensitive a sychologist can become, especially if he, unprofessionally, gets sexually involved with the pacients he treats. This is the most laughable part of the movie, by the way! I personally think that Scott Bakula could have performed a better role as Dr. Capa. It is puzzling how hollywood producers discard some good actors with no reason at all...Unfortunatelly, Bruce Willis is just a nice face to see as his acting is poor in dramas. He certainlly does a lot better in action movies when there is a little talking.

Compelling and Suspenseful.......2006-11-10

This movie is one of my best. It offers alot of surprise and suspense from beginning to end. It's a sorid tale of who done its, and the acting is superb. I was extremely excited to find this on DVD so that I could add this to my collection.

Lots of skin, not a lot of brains.......2005-11-30

I give this movie 4 stars for one reason...skin...Janes and Bruces...I have to say that each of these attractive individuals shows off more than one can chew...Miss March may not be much of an actress but she looks good naked, and while this is not Mr. Willis's finest performance, he sure had me standing at attention (good god is he hot)...anyways, the plot is good but the script was wack...would have been much much better had the script been tweaked a bit. Bruce is a great actor and I feel did what he could with what he had to work with (which wasn't much) but the sex scenes were hot and did I mention theres a lot of skin...my only dissapointment with Bruce's nudity was that his butt cheeks were whiter than white (although he still looks good and you do see a full frontal shot). No complaints about Miss March because she showed alot and was smoking hot the entire movie...noce rack sweetheart...ANyways, if you want a good movie skip this one...if you want to see to extremly hot people having gratuitus sex in a pool in a bed on a table and in a shower with male and female nudity then get this movie...

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Witchcraft!
A rare bird....
A Romantic Comedy Named After an Exorcism Method?!
Color oh Color
Christmas with witches

Bell, Book and Candle
Starring: James Stewart , Kim Novak , Jack Lemmon , Ernie Kovacs , and Hermione Gingold
Director: Richard Quine
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0767821556
Release Date: 2000-03-28

Amazon.com

Staid, secure publisher James Stewart leads a quiet life until he meets his bewitching downstairs neighbor, Kim Novak. John Van Druten's lighthearted Broadway comedy becomes a lush if lightweight romantic vehicle for Stewart and Novak, who would reunite for Hitchcock's Vertigo the next year. Novak is at her best as a Greenwich witch halfway between the worlds of magic and mortals, looking after her dotty aunt (Elsa Lanchester) and mischievous warlock brother (Jack Lemmon) as they keep their skills in practice. Novak's specialty is making men fall for her, but it's a one-way street: when a witch falls in love, she loses her powers. Director Richard Quine gives the witches an almost beatnik sensibility, a real Greenwich Village subculture hanging out in underground clubs and smart curio shops. Elegantly photographed in rich, glowing colors by James Wong Howe, Bell, Book and Candle is a fantasy world in New York set to a funky bongo-laced jazz score by George Duning. Quine's gliding camera is somewhat marred by abrupt editing, but his handling of actors is superb, in particular Novak, whose mysterious beauty masks inner turmoil and romantic yearnings. Ernie Kovacs appears as a wry author whose specialty is the supernatural, and Hermione Gingold is suitably florid as a witch elder with a penchant for theatricality. For once in his life Stewart is actually upstaged by the slyly comic performances around him. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Witchcraft!.......2007-06-14

This film is a wonderful classic love story with a twist. Anyone who remembers the early episodes of Bewitched is bound to see the similarities. It has become one of my "comfort" movies.

A rare bird...........2007-04-26

Yet another one of the perfectly made romantic comedies of the late fifties/early sixties that, along with "Auntie Mame", "Charade" and the slew of Doris Day movies, starting with "Pillow Talk" and ending with "Send Me No Flowers", gave an ideal and funny take on life in an innocent time.

Kim Novak plays Gillian Holroyd, a kittenish practioner of the eldritch arts living in Greenwich Village, NYC, with her Aunt Queenie, played by Elsa Lanchester. Jack Lemmon plays her brother, Nicky, (always a favorite name of any young male involved in the dark arts in fiction for some reason.) It's Christmas, and, believe it or not, these three conjurers are celebrating it like anybody else, exchanging presents and watching it snow.

James Stewart plays the unlikely object of her desire, (the only mismatch I can think of that was worse about this time was Doris Day and Danny Thomas in "I'll See You In My Dreams"!) named Shepherd Henderson ("Shep"). I think maybe someone like John Gavin or Cary Grant or Robert Sterling might have been better choices, but there is one scene in this movie that only Stewart could have done, and it is HILARIOUS!

The plot goes like this: Gillian is lonely. She sees Shep moving into her very apt. building just before she and her small family celebrate Christmas. She wishes, using her cat, Pywacket, as a 'familiar', to actually meet him. Shep goes upstairs to get settled in and finds Gillian's aunt, Queenie, fooling around at his desk, even though he distinctly remembers locking the door when he left earlier. She explains that he did NOT lock the door, and she saw how sloppy his desk was and that his window was open on a snowy night, and straightened it all out. After objecting mildly about her unbidden presence there, he dismisses her, seeing how eccentric she is, (and conceding that it IS Greenwich Village, after all,) not realizing the whole truth. Queenie objects to his treatment of her and puts a temporary curse on his phone so he only hears garbled nonsense on it.

Early Christmas morning, after partying at the Zodiac Club with Shep and his fiancée, Gillian, Nicky and Queenie exchange gifts at Gillian's place. Gillian gives Nicky records, Queenie a scarf, and Nicky gives Gillian a vial of summoning fluid, which she puts to the test immediately. It isn't clear whether she uses it to bring Shep to her apartment, curse his fiancée or what, but Shep DOES show up fairly quickly and they get to know each other. This is AFTER Shep tells her that he and his intended are getting married later that very day. Gillian then starts humming the haunting theme song, again using Pywacket as a familiar, to put the kibosh to THAT business!

What follows is a series of classic scenes that didn't see any equals until the 80s! The scene in Miss De Passe's house where Shep goes to get "de-spelled" and is forced to drink a disgusting potion she whips up is almost worth the price of the DVD on its own. The scene where Nicky meets an author character, played by Ernie Kovacs, (Shep is a publisher,) and takes him to an occult apothecary, is also funny, as the camera pans down the list of diseases and spells it has remedies for.

For some reason, after the mid-sixties, Hollywood couldn't make another good romantic comedy to save its life. "A Thousand Clowns" was the last really good one, made smack dab in the middle of the decade, in 1965!

"Bell,Book & Candle" is a rare movie that's hard to find, no matter WHO you know, so, if you can find it, (and I found it right here at Amazon,) GET IT!!

You'll wonder why the people who produced "Bewitched" even tried, it's such a pale imitation. It's been reported that "B,B&C" was the basis for "Bewitched"...DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT! "Bell, Book and Candle" is in a class by itself, and so much more enjoyable than its saccharine TV counterpart, it isn't funny!

A Romantic Comedy Named After an Exorcism Method?!.......2007-04-11

I can see that this unusual and silly movie has its admirers. As there are a number of reviews on this page giving ample background on it, let me point out that perhaps the film's principal oddity is the fact that a lithe Kim Novak would be so smitten with the decidedly older and rather dull character played by James Stewart.

No matter, the actors are all quite droll, particularly a florid Ernie Kovacs. And a special shout-out to the Siamese cat that played Pyewacket.

SIDELIGHT: Pyewacket was allegedly a familiar of the "witch" that Englishman and "witchfinder general" Matthew Hopkins found in 1644. Through physical coercion, the woman named her other familiars as well. They included animals named Vinegar Tom, Pecke in the Crowne, and Griezzel Greedigutt. (I particularly like that last one.)

Also recommended: The Last Witchfinder: A Novel (P.S.)

Color oh Color.......2007-01-26

The color in these old movies is the best. Sadly you don't see that quality today. Great movie too.

Christmas with witches.......2007-01-15

Lots of fun, characters were interesting. Didn't realize it was a Christmas movie!

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

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