The Spanish Prisoner

Starring:Campbell Scott, Steve Martin, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ben Gazzara, Ricky Jay, Felicity Huffman, Richard L. Friedman, Jerry Graff, G. Roy Levin, Hilary Hinckle, David Pittu, Christopher Kaldor, Gary McDonald, Michael Robinson (III), Olivia Tecosky, Charlotte Potok, Paul Butler, J.J. Johnston, Emily Weisberg, Stephanie Ross
Director: David Mamet
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

Campbell Scott plays a green young technocrat who invents a secret and highly successful high-tech process that, it appears, most of the free world would like to get their hands on. His own company may not be dealing with him fairly, and competitors are lurking around every street corner and kiddie carousel in New York (not to mention Caribbean hideaways) hoping to steal, cajole, or trick him out of the formula. The plot is as full of switchbacks as a mountain highway, and the delights are in watching it unfold around Scott, who is not so much of a naif that he doesn't catch on that not only his formula, but his life, are in dire danger. Steve Martin is consummately assured--and scary as hell--as a wealthy big shot determined to come out on top. David Mamet's script is refreshingly free from his trademark mannerisms; it's his most satisfying film since 1987's House of Games. --Anne Hurley

Customer Reviews:

Huge disappointment.......2007-05-13

This film dealing with industrial espionage (the process involved is a McGuffin, since the movie never tells what is exactly about) starts well. However, as plot twist after plot twist accumulates, our interest wanes, and by the time the movie ends we just don't care anymore about what's going on. There is a final twist that is totally unbelievable since Steve Martin would have to anticipate the way that Campbell Scott would react to every situation. Finally, Campbell Scott and Rebecca Pidgeon might be the least charismatic screen couple ever. Their total lack of chemistry is the final nail on the coffin of this movie.

Homage to Hitchcock.......2007-05-12

Plenty of other reviews have summarized the plot and voiced concerns about the acting so I won't add to that. The acting isn't perfect, there are some "loose ends" and the dialogue takes some getting used to. But it's a brilliant film in many ways and very entertaining.

This is a fascinating film, despite its flaws. It's a must-see for Hitchcock fans (just like "Dead Again" with Kenneth Branaugh) for all the wonderful Hitchcockian touches Mamet inserts. The music, the camera work, all resemble Hitchcock's style. Hitchcock liked to include what he called "refrigerator scenes"-- that is, scenes that can't be easily explained. He said that people would go home and stand around the fridge talking about them and trying to figure them out. (The most famous is in "Vertigo" when the Kim Novak character is seen in a window but when the apartment is searched, it's empty and no explanation is offered.) Several scenes in this film qualify for that- how does the certificate transform? How did they pull off the restaurant/club thing? Also, Hitchcock was famous for his "MacGuffins"-- items which moved the plot along but really were nothing. (Again, a famous one would be the money that's stolen in "Psycho"- by the end of the movie no one cares about the money.) The "formula" appears to be a MacGuffin-- just something to get the story going- it really doesn't matter whether the formula exists, is a fake, or whatever. The discussion about the plane in the islands is another MacGuffin.

So why is it no longer available on DVD? C'mon Sony-- release it again please.

Does this tooth abscess smelly funny to you?.......2007-02-16

Although the setup for this movie's plot was interesting, the story gradually unravels in a mess of implausibility and a clunky climax. Campbell Scott is believable, but Rebecca Pidgeon's acting is painful to watch, and her reading of lines is amateurish and sounds too forced. (Perhaps her husband, director David Mamet, should make his next movie about the perils of nepotism.) It is unclear why her character would try to help Scott's character from being captured by the police, while continuing to lead him into their hands. There are countless holes in the plot, and the ending does not tie up several loose ends.

Not worth it!.......2006-10-03

The Spanish Prisoner had a great storyline but the acting was terrible. Not to mention the lightening in the film made it seem like a Lifetime movie (no offense). Rent at best, but not worth buying.

Perfect.......2006-09-30

Loved this movie. It had great mystery and tongue and cheek humor at the same time. I really don't want to give anything away because I knew nothing about this film when I saw it, which was great because there were so many twists that kept me completely interested throughout. The main character, Joe, can't trust anyone and you'll see why. Enjoy.

Fernando de Fuentes: The Revolution Trilogy (Let's Go With Pancho Villa, El Compadre Mendoza, Prisoner 13)

Average customer rating:

A must have!

Fernando de Fuentes: The Revolution Trilogy (Let's Go With Pancho Villa, El Compadre Mendoza, Prisoner 13)
Director: Fernando de Fuentes
Manufacturer: Cinemateca
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky (Fando y Lis / El Topo / The Holy Mountain)
Oedipus Mayor
The Cuban Masterworks Collection (The Twelve Chairs / The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin / A Successful Man / Celia / Amada)
Old Joy
Jean Renoir Collection (3-Disc Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B000LPS39Y
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Description

Described as "the Mexican John Ford" (New York Times), Fernando de Fuentes was by far the most talented filmmaker of early Mexican sound cinema. This tragic trilogy set during the Mexican Revolution was possibly his greatest achievement. Prisoner 13 (1933, 76 mins.) concerns a son who pays for his father's faults and a desperate mother who tries at all costs to save her son's life. El Compadre Mendoza (1933, 85 mins.) examines the corrupted ideals of the Revolution by way of an opportunistic landowner, who must choose between remaining loyal to a general in Zapata's army (and facing financial ruin) or saving his own skin. Lastly, Fuentes' sweeping epic Let's Go with Pancho Villa (1936, 92 mins.) follows the adventures of six young men who leave their rural homes to join Pancho Villa's army, enduring hardship, loss, and disillusionment over the Revolution in the process. Shot by Gabriel Figueroa (The Fugitive), one of the world's most gifted black and white cinematographers. Includes 3 discs.

Customer Reviews:

A must have!.......2007-05-18

The best films of the mexican revolution, really a must have trilogy of the golden era of the mexican cinema!

Average customer rating:

clever and intriguing plot

The Spanish Prisoner [Import]
Director: David Mamet
Manufacturer: LW Editora
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

The Bourne Supremacy (Widescreen Edition)
The Bourne Identity (Widescreen Extended Edition)
The Illusionist (Widescreen Edition)
Casino Royale (2-Disc Widescreen Edition)

Product Features:

Cover in Portuguese.
Audio in English.

ASIN: B000I7KW12

Product Description

Joe Ross is a rising star. He's designed a process that will make his company millions. He wants a bonus for this work, but fears his boss will stiff him. He meets a wealthy stranger, Jimmy Dell, and they strike up an off-kilter friendship. When the boss seems to set Ross up to get nothing, he seeks Dell's help. Then he learns Dell is not what he seems, so he contacts an FBI agent through his tightly-wound assistant, Susan Ricci. The FBI asks him to help entrap Dell. He accepts, a sting is arranged, but suddenly it's he who's been conned out of the process and framed for murder. Bewildered and desperate, he enlists Susan's aid to prove his innocence

Customer Reviews:

clever and intriguing plot.......2007-06-22

This was a great movie. Intriguing plot, so much so, it had to be watched several times over to totally grasp the surprise ending; each time discovering nuances in the interpretation of the plot. The Spanish Prisoner is a keeper!

Average customer rating:

Huge disappointment
Homage to Hitchcock
Does this tooth abscess smelly funny to you?
Not worth it!
Perfect

The Spanish Prisoner [Region 2]
Starring: Campbell Scott , Steve Martin , Rebecca Pidgeon , Ben Gazzara , and Ricky Jay
Director: David Mamet
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009KOYB

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Huge disappointment.......2007-05-13

Homage to Hitchcock.......2007-05-12

Does this tooth abscess smelly funny to you?.......2007-02-16

Not worth it!.......2006-10-03

The Spanish Prisoner had a great storyline but the acting was terrible. Not to mention the lightening in the film made it seem like a Lifetime movie (no offense). Rent at best, but not worth buying.

Perfect.......2006-09-30

Average customer rating:

Good road movie

Los Anos Barbaros
Starring: Jordi Mollà , Ernesto Alterio , Hedy Burress , Allison Smith , and Juan Echanove
Director: Fernando Colomo
Manufacturer: Venevision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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La Vida Que Te Espera
Where the Truth Lies (Unrated Theatrical Edition)
Lie With Me
South From Granada
Solas

ASIN: B000CQLZB0
Release Date: 2006-03-14

Description

Escaping from the law they found the adventure of a lifetime! Two young guys are sentenced to prison for painting a graffiti anti their country's dictator. They decide to escape and drive around Spain in a convertible car with two American girls, posing as their tour guides. While on the run they experience romance, danger, life lessons and build unforgettable memories. This movie is a celebration of youth and the wild days that come with it! Huyendo de la ley, ellos vivieron la aventura más excitante de sus vidas! Dos jóvenes son sentenciados a prisión, luego de pintar un graffiti de contenido político. Ellos deciden escapar y viajan a través de España, haciéndose pasar por guías turísticos de dos chicas americanas. En el trayecto vivirán intensos momentos de peligro y romance, que les dejaran invalorables lecciones de vida e inolvidables recuerdos. Este film es un homenaje a la juventud y los irrepetibles momentos que ella nos hace vivir.

Customer Reviews:

Good road movie.......2007-03-15

(3.5/5 stars) Jaime (Ernesto Alterio) and Tomas (Jordi Molla) are left-wing university activists in Spain during Franco's rule. They expect an eight-month sentence for writing some nonsense about "freedom" and "liberty" on the walls of school property, yet General Marquino (Juan Echanove) talks the president into an eight-year sentence instead. With the help of fellow revolutionaries in Barcelona and Paris, the two hatch a plan to escape to freedom- and liberty-loving France. What ensues more resembles a romantic comedy than a dramatic adventure, though this is not to the film's detriment. Armed with false documents and a flashy red convertible, two young North American women meet Jaime and Tomas in order to escort them across the country. Both men have the hots for Susan (Allison Smith), an aspiring U.S. actress with a free spirit. Both ignore Canadian Kathy (Hedy Burress), at least until Jaime sees her naked. (If you ask me, both are rather fetching) The real scene stealer, however, is Jose Maria Pou as Carlitos Roa, the flamboyant "reporter to the stars." He is hilarious as he dotes on Jaime and tries to impress him with his celebrity connections. If you enjoy road movies, especially those in the Hope/Crosby vein, give this film a look. It is primarily in Spanish and French, with English subtitles, though some of it is in English as well. This is also worth watching if you are interested in seeing Allison Smith and Hedy Burress (and I do mean ALL of Allison Smith and Hedy Burress). The film has not been rated by the MPAA, though it is the equivalent of an "R" rating due to the aforementioned nudity and the occasional swear word.

Average customer rating:

Prisoner 13
Starring: Alfredo del Diestro , Luis G. Barreiro , Adela Sequeyro , Arturo Campoamor , and Adela Jaloma
Director: Fernando de Fuentes
Manufacturer: Cinemateca
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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El Compadre Mendoza
Solo Con Tu Pareja - Criterion Collection
Let's Go With Pancho Villa
Babel
TCM Archives - Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 1 (Waterloo Bridge 1931 / Baby Face / Red-Headed Woman)

ASIN: B000HEWEO4
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Description

The original film in what has come to be known as the Mexican Revolution Trilogy (with EL COMPADRE MENDOZA, 1934, and VAMONOS CON PANCHO VILLA, 1936), all written and directed by Fernando de Fuentes, perhaps the greatest filmmaker of Mexico's "Golden Age" of cinema. Two stories unfold in PRISONER 13: a son who pays for his father's faults and a desperate mother who tries at any cost to save her son's life. Colonel Carrasco is abandoned by his discarded wife Martha who takes their son Juan with her. Destiny and corruption play a joke on Carrasco when he accepts a bribe to set free a revolutionary and arrest someone in his place. Unbeknownst to him, he ends up arresting his own son.De Fuentes' stories of ordinary people caught up in tumultuous events of their times, told with gentle humor and deep compassion, have led critics such as The New York Times' A.O. Scott to dub him "the Mexican John Ford." His films are indispensable viewing for anyone interested in this important period of cinema history.

Average customer rating:

El Juego de Arcibel
Starring: Juan Diego , Juan Echanove , Darío Grandinetti , Vladimir Cruz , and Diego Torres
Director: Alberto Lecchi
Manufacturer: Venevision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Charlie Rose with Iris Chang; Ben Gazzara; Robert Pinsky (May 19, 1998)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Iris Chang; Ben Gazzara; Robert Pinsky (May 19, 1998)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Description

First, Iris Chang, author of The Rape of Nanking, discusses her experience of researching the work, from hearing about it in her childhood to discovering it for herself as an adult. Then, Ben Gazarra, actor, discusses his life and career as well as his new film, Spanish Prisoner. Finally, Robert Pinsky, poet laureate, discusses the nature and state of poetry in modern times as well as its future.

Average customer rating:

Que Dios Me Perdone
Starring: Jose Baviera , Maria Felix , Sr. Tito Junco , Fernando Soler , and Ernesto Vilches
Director: Tito Davison
Manufacturer: Laguna Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007QJ1G6
Release Date: 2005-03-29

Sony Pictures Classics 10th Anniversary (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon / Pollock / Sweet and Lowdown / The Spanish Prisoner)

Average customer rating:

Sony Pictures Classics 10th Anniversary (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon / Pollock / Sweet and Lowdown / The Spanish Prisoner)
Starring: Columbia 4 Pak
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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House of Games

ASIN: B00005Y6XS
Release Date: 2002-03-05

Amazon.com

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Hong Kong wuxia films, or martial arts fantasies, traditionally squeeze poor acting, slapstick humor, and silly story lines between elaborate fight scenes in which characters can literally fly. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has no shortage of breathtaking battles, but it also has the dramatic soul of a Greek tragedy and the sweep of an epic romance. This is the work of director Ang Lee, who fell in love with movies while watching wuxia films as a youngster and made Crouching Tiger as a tribute to the form. To elevate the genre above its B-movie roots and broaden its appeal, Lee did two important things. First, he assembled an all-star lineup of talent, joining the famous Asian actors Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh with the striking, charismatic newcomer Zhang Ziyi. Behind the scenes, Lee called upon cinematographer Peter Pau (The Killer, The Bride with White Hair) and legendary fight choreographer Yuen Wo-ping, best known outside Asia for his work on The Matrix. Second, in adapting the story from a Chinese pulp-fiction novel written by Wang Du Lu, Lee focused not on the pursuit of a legendary sword known as "The Green Destiny," but instead on the struggles of his female leads against social obligation. In his hands, the requisite fight scenes become another means of expressing the individual spirits of his characters and their conflicts with society and each other. The filming required an immense effort from all involved. Chow and Yeoh had to learn to speak Mandarin, which Lee insisted on using instead of Cantonese to achieve a more classic, lyrical feel. The astonishing battles between Jen (Zhang) and Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh) on the rooftops and Jen and Li Mu Bai (Chow) atop the branches of bamboo trees required weeks of excruciating wire and harness work (which in turn required meticulous "digital wire removal"). But the result is a seamless blend of action, romance, and social commentary in a populist film that, like its young star Zhang, soars with balletic grace and dignity. --Eugene Wei

Pollock
The long road to Pollock began when actor Ed Harris received a biography of Jackson Pollock from his father, who noticed that his son bore an uncanny resemblance to the artist. Harris's fascination with Pollock matched his physical similarity; the actor chose to direct and star in this impressive film biography. And his devotion assured a work of singular integrity, honoring the artist's achievement in abstract expressionism while acknowledging that Pollock was a tormented, manic-depressive alcoholic whose death at 44 (in a possibly suicidal car crash) also claimed the life of an innocent woman. The film also suggests that Pollock's success was largely attributable to the devotion of his wife, artist Lee Krasner, played with matching ferocity by Marcia Gay Harden in an Oscar®-winning performance. In many respects a traditional biopic, Pollock begins in 1941 when Pollock meets Krasner, who encourages him and attracts the attention of supportive critic Clement Greenberg (Jeffrey Tambor) and benefactor Peggy Guggenheim (Amy Madigan). As Pollock rises from obscurity to international acclaim, Harris brings careful balance to his portrayal of a driven creator who found peace during those brief, sober periods when art brought release from his tenacious inner demons. The film offers sympathy without sentiment, appreciation without misguided hagiography. As an acting showcase it's utterly captivating. As a compassionate but unflinching exploration of Jackson Pollock's intimate world, there's no doubt that Harris captured the essence of a man whose life was as torturous as his art was redeeming. --Jeff Shannon

Sweet and Lowdown
Woody Allen makes beautiful music but only fitful comedy with his story of "the second greatest guitar player in the world." Sean Penn plays Emmett Ray, an irresponsible, womanizing swing guitar player in Depression-era America who is guided by an ego almost as large as his talent. "I'm an artist, a truly great artist," he proclaims time and time again, and when he plays, soaring into a blissed-out world of pure melodic beauty, he proves it. Samantha Morton almost steals the film as his mute girlfriend Hattie, a sweet Chaplinesque waif who loves him unconditionally, and Uma Thurman brings haughty moxie to her role as a slumming socialite and aspiring writer who's forever analyzing Emmett's peculiarities (like taking his dates to shoot rats at the city dump). The vignettelike tales are interspersed with comments by jazz aficionados and critics, but this is less a Zelig-like mockumentary than an extension of the self-absorbed portraits of Deconstructing Harry and Celebrity. The lazy pace drags at times and the script runs dry between comic centerpieces--the film screams for more of Allen's playful invention--but there's a bittersweet tenderness and an affecting vulnerability that is missing from his other recent work. Shot by Zhao Fei (The Emperor and the Assassin, Raise the Red Lantern), it's one of Allen's most gorgeous and colorful films in years, buoyed by toe-tapping music and Penn's gruffly charming performance. --Sean Axmaker

The Spanish Prisoner
Campbell Scott plays a green young technocrat who invents a secret and highly successful high-tech process that, it appears, most of the free world would like to get their hands on. His own company may not be dealing with him fairly, and competitors are lurking around every street corner and kiddie carousel in New York (not to mention Caribbean hideaways) hoping to steal, cajole, or trick him out of the formula. The plot is as full of switchbacks as a mountain highway, and the delights are in watching it unfold around Scott, who is not so much of a naif that he doesn't catch on that not only his formula, but his life, are in dire danger. Steve Martin is consummately assured--and scary as hell--as a wealthy big shot determined to come out on top. David Mamet's script is refreshingly free from his trademark mannerisms; it's his most satisfying film since 1987's House of Games. --Anne Hurley

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