High Art

Starring:Radha Mitchell, Gabriel Mann, Charis Michelsen, David Thornton, Anh Duong, Ally Sheedy, Patricia Clarkson, Helen Mendes, Bill Sage, Tammy Grimes, Cindra Feuer, Anthony Ruivivar, Elaine Tse, Rudolf Martin, Laura Ekstrand, Sarita Choudhury, Stephen Gevedon, Lorraine DeMaris Mattia
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Product Description

Shot in Salzburg against the majestic Bavarian Alps, THE SOUND OF MUSIC is considered one of the greatest screen musicals ever made. Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Robert Wise), the film, based on a real family and their true events, tells the story of a young postulate, Maria (Julie Andrews), who, after proving too high-spirited for the Mother Abess and other nuns, is sent off to work as a governess to seven unruly children. The Von Trapp family is run, in military style, by the seemingly cold-hearted Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer), a lonely widowed naval officer. Seeing how badly he and his children need companionship, he proposes to the Baroness Schraeder (Eleanor Parker), a calculating, mutual friend of beloved family friend Max Detweiler (Richard Haydn). It is the baroness who soon realizes that it's Maria--with her warmth and love for the children--the captain really loves. It is nearly bliss for the newly formed family who loves to sing together--except for the cloud looming over their beloved Austrian horizon: Hitler is ascending to power, forcing Von Trapp to decide whether to join the Nazi party--which he loathes--or force his family to leave their home forever. One of the most memorable scores ever written (by Rodgers and Hammerstein) and breathtaking performances by Andrews, Plummer, and the seven children mark this classic as one of the world's most favorite films.

System Requirements:

Running Time 174 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com essential video

When Julie Andrews sang "The hills are alive with the sound of music" from an Austrian mountaintop in 1965, the most beloved movie musical was born. To be sure, the adaptation of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's Broadway hit has never been as universally acclaimed as, say, Singin' in the Rain. Critics argue that the songs are saccharine (even the songwriters regretted the line "To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray") and that the characters and plot lack the complexity that could make them more interesting. It's not hard to know whom to root for when your choice is between cute kids and Nazis.

Read our interview with
Charmian Carr, who played
Liesl von Trapp in The
Sound of Music.

It doesn't matter. Audiences fell in love with the struggling novice Maria (Andrews), the dashing Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer), and, yes, the cute kids, all based on a real-life World War II Austrian family. Such songs as "My Favorite Things," "Do Re Mi," "Climb Every Mountain," and the title tune became part of the 20th century Zeitgeist. In addition, The Sound of Music officially became a cult hit when audiences in London began giving it the Rocky Horror Picture Show treatment, attending showings dressed as their favorite characters and delivering choreographed comments and gestures along with the movie. So why resist, especially when the 40th Anniversary Edition is the best DVD yet.

The DVDs
As if the direct involvement of Julie Andrews weren't enough, the 40th Anniversary Edition of The Sound of Music is a must-have for fans because of the fond sense of nostalgia that will touch all but the worst cynic's heart. Andrews introduces both discs and contributes a commentary track on the film. It's a joy to hear her speak about the film (for example, she explains how she solved her dislike for the lyrics of "I Have Confidence"), and also heard are remarks by Christopher Plummer (who at one point refers to his being 48, which if true would mean his comments were made in about 1975), Charmian Carr (Liesl), choreographer Dee Dee Wood, and Johannes Von Trapp (the real-life Maria Von Trapp's youngest son, who admits that his father did have a whistle but claims that he was not as stern as portrayed in the film). Even with all those people involved, there are still significant gaps of silence, however. Retained from the previous two-disc editions is the commentary track by director Robert Wise, which during the musical numbers becomes an isolated score with no vocals. Also new are sing-along subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, which allow you to have your own sing-along at home. In addition, the film's remastering shows off a truer and much warmer sense of color.

On the second disc, Andrews participates in a new 63-minute documentary "My Favorite Things: Julie Andrews Remembers." But it's really a general making-of documentary with contributions from a number of principals, including director Robert Wise, who died in mid-2005 (not surprisingly, some stories are repeated from the commentary track and from the 87-minute documentary on the previous DVD). Andrews also shares a warm 19-minute sit-down with Christopher Plummer. Carr, who over the years has become the film's biggest advocate, narrates a new 22-minute documentary, "On Location with The Sound of Music," in which she revisits the places in Salzburg where the movie was filmed, and even joins one of the "Sound of Music tours" that have become a booming industry. And acknowledging another big industry, there's a 12-minute featurette on the sing-along phenomenon, focusing specifically on the audience, costumed and otherwise, that attended a sold-out Hollywood Bowl sing-along in 2005. Making special appearances at the event are four von Trapp great-grandchildren and all seven of the actors who played the children. Thankfully, those actors also appear in a 33-minute documentary "From Liesl to Gretl: A 40th Anniversary Reunion," in which they explain what they do now (many are still in show business) and share stories about the film, who was afraid of Christopher Plummer, and what they feel is their responsibility to the film's passionate fans. What's touching is how the group still considers themselves a family so many years later. Other material includes an A&E documentary on the von Trapps, Mia Farrow's screen test for the Liesl role, and a restoration comparison.

What's Missing?
If you already own the previous two-disc editions, you'll want this 40th Anniversary Edition as well, but you might not want to toss those versions. Probably the most significant omission from this edition is the original 14-minute documentary Charmian Carr made in 1967, "Salzburg Sight and Sound." Carr's new documentary includes only a couple clips from the vintage piece. It's not a great work of art, but it's a notable loss and would have made a good contrast with the new documentary. In addition, the new making-of documentary is about 24 minutes shorter than the old one. Also missing are the audio-only features--the interviews, the radio programs, the Ernest Lehman spotlight--and the historical still gallery examining the history of Salzburg and the film. Granted, this material probably got the least play of any of the old features, but completists might want to hold onto their old discs for it. It would have also been nice to have screen tests other than Farrow's. Tests for all the children and for Christopher Plummer (including singing in his own voice before he was dubbed for the film) were included on Hollywood Screen Tests and Rodgers and Hammerstein: The Sound of Movies. Again, they're not critical but it would have been nice to have them all in one place. So maybe the 40th Anniversary Edition isn't the complete package on The Sound of Music, but it's the most satisfying edition yet, with enough new material to please even the veteran SoM DVD watcher. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

The Sound of Music.......2007-07-02

Shot in pristine color on location near Salzburg--and featuring that dizzying opening shot of Maria belting out the title tune from a verdant hilltop--"Music" fully deserves its reputation as one of the most popular films of all time. The daisy-fresh Andrews is simply terrific, whether she's acting or singing, and the songs--"Do Re Mi," "Climb Every Mountain," and "My Favorite Things"--have become part of our cultural heritage. Adapted from the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway play, the film might be a bit schmaltzy at moments, but in all, it remains utterly irresistible. The hills are still alive--and your singing pipes will be too--with the wondrous "Sound of Music."

the magic is alive..........2007-06-26

I was only six but I still remember when my mother took us kids to the movies to see 'The Sound of Music'. A memory permantly ingrained as is this film. From the most amazing opening shot ever filmed this classic film never lets go of yor senses. It's fun, thrilling and holds up extremely well. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer are exquisite. Sure some of the lyrics are corny and simple but it all works and I'm not even a fan of musicals.

Pure Magic.......2007-06-25

Who doesn't know the general plot of this movie? Well just in case: Maria is thinking of becoming a nun, yet Sister Superior isn't so sure about that and sends her off to become the governess to seven Von Trapp children. There she meets the very strict father and the not so angelic children. She quickly wins over the children and their father. While all this is going on the Nazis are slowly but surely taking over the country. By the second half of the movie they become a true family and decide to make a dareing escape from the Nazis.

Now that pretty much wraps it up plot wise, yet there is so much more. The songs are very sugar coated but so what? They are there for a purpose: teaching children to not be afraid, coaching them on how to sing,etc. In most parts they are there for the pleasure of the young and the young at heart.

I'll close with an example. I was driving with my wife and our girls in the car, and we were looking at about an hour trip to my mother's house so we popped The Sound of Music in the DVD and we were on our way. As I heard (I coudn't see the movie of course) the movie and we sang the songs on our journey, I looked back and every face was smiling. Now if you are looking for a movie like that you've come to the right place.

The Sound of Music .......2007-06-11

A Family Night is made of... Sound of Music. Worth watching over and over.

saw it as a child and now at my 40s.. it still holds the magic.......2007-06-05

This review is about the movie and not the DVD Product-

I saw it yesterday, Im 43, last time I saw ir I was 28 and prior to that I was 12 the first time I saw it. It still holds the magic, and now I can say its a classic for all the family.

Yes, now I see details I previously did no see. The plot is so idillic that you don't feel the nazi presence inspiring fear, the love scenes are a perfect example of puritanism and political correctness. Yet there is love and there Julie Andrews gives a performance larger than life to captivate all public.

I do not know why in the review preface there is some critisims of the lyrics of the song "Sound of music"- those were elaborated lyrics and none of that senseless rap or overly simplistic lyrics. Sugarcoated? You bet, but just like the pinl lemonade they were sipping on the terrace, "its not too sweet, not too acid, its just too pink "

The movie has an ending that is rather sudden, just as it starts with that glorious song it should have ended with one as well, a triumph song. I still have the same feeling I did when I was 12, what happened to them?

Average customer rating:

Grease (Rockin" Rydell Edition
Great Movies
Grease
A classic, must have for every collection
Tell me more, tell me more....

Grease (Rockin' Rydell Edition)
Starring: John Travolta , Olivia Newton-John , Stockard Channing , Jeff Conaway , and Barry Pearl
Director: Randal Kleiser
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Sound of Music (Two-Disc 40th Anniversary Special Edition)

ASIN: B000GBEWHA
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Amazon.com essential video

Riding the strange '50s nostalgia wave that swept through America during the late 1970s (caused by TV shows like Happy Days and films like American Graffiti), Grease became not only the word in 1978, but also a box-office smash and a cultural phenomenon. Twenty years later, this entertaining film adaptation of the Broadway musical received another successful theatrical release, which included visual remastering and a shiny new Dolby soundtrack. In this 2002 DVD release, Grease lovers can also now see it in the correct 2:35 to 1 Panavision aspect ratio, and see retrospective interviews with cast members and director Randal Kleiser. All these stylistic touches are essential to the film's success. Without the vibrant colors, unforgettably campy and catchy tunes (like "Greased Lightning," "Summer Nights," and "You're the One That I Want"), and fabulously choreographed, widescreen musical numbers, the film would have to rely on a silly, cliché-filled plot that we've seen hundreds of times. As it is, the episodic story about the romantic dilemmas experienced by a group of graduating high school seniors remains fresh, fun, and incredibly imaginative.

The young, animated cast also deserves a lot of credit, bringing chemistry and energy to otherwise bland material. John Travolta, straight from his success in Saturday Night Fever, knows his sexual star power and struts, swaggers, sings, and dances appropriately, while Olivia Newton-John's portrayal of virgin innocence is the only decent acting she's ever done. And then there's Stockard Channing, spouting sexual double-entendres as Rizzo, the bitchy, raunchy leader of the Pink Ladies, who steals the film from both of its stars. Ignore the sequel at all costs. --Dave McCoy

Description

John Travolta solidified his position as the most versatile and magnetic screen presence of the decade in this film version of the smash hit play Grease. Recording star Olivia Newton-John made her American film debut as Sandy, Travolta's naive love interest. The impressive supporting cast reads like a "who's who" in this quintessential musical about the fabulous '50s. Grease is not just a nostalgic look at a simpler decade--it's an energetic and exciting musical homage to the age of rock 'n' roll!

Customer Reviews:

Grease (Rockin" Rydell Edition.......2007-06-27

Bought it for my 17 year old grand daughter, who loves Grease, she loves it.

Great Movies.......2007-06-08

This moie came out when I was out of HighSchool....I LOVED it then and it's been one of my favorites...The music is terrific and John Travolta and Olivia Newton John did an incredible job as the two main characters in the movie.......

Grease.......2007-06-01

My DVD arrived very quickly, as usual. A welcomed addition to our collection of classics.

A classic, must have for every collection.......2007-05-23

This movie is just a classic and always a good time to watch. It's pretty harmless and just puts you in a good mood. I saw this movie about 25 times when I was growing up and it came out, so I was pleased to see it on a DVD so I can watch it and not wear out the tape!

Tell me more, tell me more...........2007-05-14

A should have DVD in your collection! The special features are awesome! John and Olivia reunited again on stage...wow..lots of emotions there! Buy it, you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

Titanic (Three-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Mixed reactions....
Great DVD for Filmakers
How was this such a high grossing movie?
Titanic (3-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
A GREAT FILM THAT LIVES UP TO THE HYPE AND A WORTHY DVD TREATMENT

Titanic (Three-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio , and Kate Winslet
Director: James Cameron
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000ANVQ0K
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Amazon.com essential video

When the theatrical release of James Cameron's Titanic was delayed from July to December of 1997, media pundits speculated that Cameron's $200-million disaster epic would cause the director's downfall, signal the end of the blockbuster era, and sink Paramount Pictures as quickly as the ill-fated luxury liner had sunk on that fateful night of April 14, 1912. Titanic would surpass the $1-billion mark in global box-office receipts, win 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Director, launch the best-selling movie soundtrack of all time, and make a global superstar of Leonardo DiCaprio. A bona fide pop-cultural phenomenon, the film has all the ingredients of a blockbuster (romance, passion, luxury, grand scale, a snidely villain, and an epic, life-threatening crisis), but Cameron's alchemy of these ingredients proved more popular than anyone could have predicted. His stroke of genius was to combine absolute authenticity with a pair of fictional lovers whose tragic fate would draw viewers into the heart-wrenching reality of the Titanic disaster. As starving artist Jack Dawson and soon-to-be-married socialite Rose DeWitt Bukater, DiCaprio and Kate Winslet won the hearts of viewers around the world, and their brief, but never forgotten, love affair provides the humanity that Cameron needed to turn Titanic into a moving emotional experience. Although some of the computer-generated visual effects look artificial, others--such as the climactic splitting of the ship's sinking hull--are state-of-the-art marvels of cinematic ingenuity. It's an event film and a monument to Cameron's risk-taking audacity, blending the tragic irony of the Titanic disaster with just enough narrative invention to give the historical event its fullest and most timeless dramatic impact. --Jeff Shannon

DVD features
Perhaps James Cameron wasn't ready to dish in 1999 when his mega-hit debuted on DVD with nary an extra (no, we don't count the trailer). Now in 2005, Cameron and his magicians dish on the cutting-edge effects and the craft of the movie. The heart of the extras are over 45 minutes of deleted scenes fans will fawn over, including some dealing with historical backstory (including a scene on the nearby ship California), a great kiss between Jack and Rose, and an extended suspense scene (listen to Cameron's commentary on that one). Happily, the alternate ending was not used (no, Jack doesn't live). The sound has been upgraded (including a DTS 6.1 ES track), the color palate is richer (the interiors glow more), and the picture is anamorphically enhanced for widescreen televisions, although the film is now split onto two discs.

The three-disc set has an abundance of materials; the galleries, for example, contain 628 on-set photos, 447 personal photos from the cinematographer, 532 storyboard sketches, 148 technical drawings, and even a 72-page bibliography. The features on the sets and effects offer some great tidbits, many dealing how everything had to be made versus rented since most items were going to be destroyed on camera.

Cameron is pictured on the box art and his stamp is all over the DVD set. He narrates the deep dive footage, you can read his original "scriptment" (if you want to read though 492 page clicks; some of these extras would have been better on a CD-ROM), and his commentary track is so complete, he covers most of the items the historical experts offer on their own track (they get too caught up in the film to muster more interesting facts). He offers only one apology for a factual "guess" and clears up that "king of the world" riff at the Oscars. The third commentary with most of the key members of the cast and crew is worth a listen but, alas, Leonardo DiCaprio does not contribute to this or any other new feature. Other must-sees: a time-lapse short on the creation of the boat set, and the first-half of a salute to the staff that works as a blooper reel. One caveat: there's a four-disc Region 2 version available in Europe with parodies and other extras, but no one is offering an official reason why it's not offered in the States. --Doug Thomas

Description

Leonardo DiCaprio and Oscar-nominee Kate Winslet light up the screen as Jack and Rose, the young lovers who find one another on the maiden voyage of the "unsinkable" R.M.S. Titanic. But when the doomed luxury liner collides with an iceberg in the frigid North Atlantic, their passionate love affair becomes a thrilling race for survival. From acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron comes a tale of forbidden love and courage in the face of disaster that triumphs as a true cinematic masterpiece.

Customer Reviews:

Mixed reactions...........2007-06-30

I have mixed feelings about this film. It has great moments, a genuinely tragic true story, really lame dialogue, an unbelievable sentimental (though effective) "romance", and there are some factual errors in the film (which is not good considering James Cameron bragged about its authenticity). Yet, this film is remarkable in so many ways.

Titanic, by all accounts, should have been a box office disaster. It has many things that the "experts" say will kill your film. First, it's 194 minutes long. Second, it has no stars (Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were not big stars when this was released). Third, it's depressing (the boat sinks...SPOILER). Fourth, it's predictable (the boat sinks...it's a true story). Fifth, it was a troubled production that had its release date postponed due to cost overruns. Yet, it is the biggest box office hit of all time. The look of the film is sumptuous, with great production design, gorgeous cinematography, and excellent acting (for the most part). Tecnhincally, the film is flawless (Cameron is known for his technological prowess). As much as I like DiCaprio, I think he's a bit uncomfortable playing a role like this, but he is still believable. Winslet is superb. One of the best things about the film is how Cameron contrasts the upper deck snobs with the lower deck "lower classes", and how the lower classes are much more human and real than the snotty upper classes are. Themes like that were not in great abundance in the 1990's. There are moments of pure poetry and sadness, especially with the musicians playing on board as the boat goes down.

However, the romance between Winslet and DiCaprio is hokey and detracts from the film a bit. The film also makes a glaring omission that there was a nearby ship that ignored the flares and the calls from the Titanic. I found this out in the film A Night to Remember, which was far more meticulous about the actual sinking and the reasons behind it. This film was more about the romance between Winslet and DiCaprio. There is an awful lot of really bad dialogue here, which also detracts. Interestingly enough, the only main categories this film didn't get nominated in was screenplay (which Cameron, rather pigheadedly, complained about), and best actor (which DiCaprio didn't show up at the Oscars, which caused some controversy, unwarranted in my opinion).

In conclusion, this is a pretty good film that should be seen. James Cameron made a film that defied all expectations, and won a bunch of Oscars for it. To date, he hasn't directed a feature film (10 years and counting), and he may never do it again. This film took a lot out of him, like Fitzcarraldo and Apocalypse Now did out of Herzog and Coppola (although those films are superior to Titanic).

Great DVD for Filmakers.......2007-06-28

I saw this movie back in December of 97. I had knowledge of the Titanic and I asked myself 'Do we really need another movie about this subject? James Cameron did a remarkable job and I loved this movie. The 3 disc DVD-let me suggest that any budding filmmaker rather young, in between or old should purchase this DVD. Cameron gives great insight on how to make a movie. The precise and intricate planning,his great writing.His technical expertise and great cinematography. A hands on director no doubt. He can do it all. He is a well educated and intelligent man that knows how to work. Unlike alot of them these days who got their big positions based on who they were related to. Filmakers should pay close attention to his subject on pacing, as a writer myself, the advice on this technique is still the same. I learned quite a bit.

Thank You James Cameron for this fantastic DVD.

Pamela

How was this such a high grossing movie?.......2007-06-10

This movie sucked. Too sentimental for one thing.

Titanic (3-Disc Special Collector's Edition).......2007-05-25

I love this movie. Watching the deleted footage is great. Was intrigued about the alternate ending. I am so glad they didn't use it.

A GREAT FILM THAT LIVES UP TO THE HYPE AND A WORTHY DVD TREATMENT.......2007-05-13

I was one of many who did not run to theaters to see this film when released. I didn't want to spend over three hours watching a film I knew the ending to. I have since built a state of the art theater in my home with a 10 foot screen. This movies lives up to the hype and is a fine example of how to tell a story. A long movie that doesn't feel that long with exceptional cast,script and FX. Well worth buying the special edition DVD.

Average customer rating:

Amazing movie!
something old, something new
O Brother Where Art Thou
One of my favorites
Worthwhile music, movie falls flat.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Starring: Michael Badalucco , George Clooney , Frank Collison , Charles Durning , and Wayne Duvall
Director: Joel Coen
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
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ASIN: B00003CXRM
Release Date: 2001-06-12

Amazon.com

Only Joel and Ethan Coen, the fraternal director and producer team behind art-house hits such as The Big Lebowski and Fargo and masters of quirky and ultra-stylish genre subversion, would dare nick the plot line of Homer's Odyssey for a comic picaresque saga about three cons on the run in 1930s Mississippi. Our wandering hero in this case is one Ulysses Everett McGill, a slick-tongued wise guy with a thing about hair pomade (George Clooney, blithely sending up his own dapper image) who talks his chain-gang buddies (Coen-movie regular John Turturro and newcomer Tim Blake Nelson) into lighting out after some buried loot he claims to know of. En route they come up against a prophetic blind man on a railroad truck, a burly, one-eyed baddie (the ever-magnificent John Goodman), a trio of sexy singing ladies, a blues guitarist who's sold his soul to the devil, a brace of crooked politicos on the stump, a manic-depressive bank robber, and--well, you get the idea. Into this, their most relaxed film yet, the Coens have tossed a beguiling ragbag of inconsequential situations, a wealth of looping, left-field dialogue, and a whole stash of gags both verbal and visual. O Brother (the title's lifted from Preston Sturges's classic 1941 comedy Sullivan's Travels) is furthermore graced with glowing, burnished photography from Roger Deakins and a masterly soundtrack from T-Bone Burnett that pays loving homage to American '30s folk styles--blues, gospel, bluegrass, jazz, and more. And just to prove that the brothers haven't lost their knack for bad-taste humor, we get a Ku Klux Klan rally choreographed like a cross between a Nuremberg rally and a Busby Berkeley musical. --Philip Kemp

Description

Disenchanted with the daily drudge of crushing rocks on a prison farm in Mississippi, the dapper, silver-tongued Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney, THE PERFECT STORM) busts loose. Except he's still shackled to his own chain-mates from the chain gang -- bad-tempered Pete (John Turturro, SUMMER OF SAM), and sweet, dimwitted Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson, HAMLET). With nothing to lose and buried loot to regain -- before it's lost forever in a flood -- the three embark on the adventure of a lifetime in this hilarious offbeat road picture. Populated with strange characters, including a blind prophet, sexy sirens, and a one-eyed Bible salesman (John Goodman, COYOTE UGLY), it's an odyssey filled with chases, close calls, near misses, and betrayal that will leave you laughing at every outrageous and surprising twist and turn.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing movie!.......2007-07-03

This is a classy release of an all-time-favorite classic. George Clooney played Batman, and here he's doing a hillbilly chicken dance in a fake beard. Great writing, great acting, great music. What's not to love? We wore out our VHS copy!

something old, something new.......2007-06-30

Comedies don't get much better than this.

Clooney, Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson are relentlessly hilarious in this loosely Homeric epic of escape from a chain gang in America's early twentieth-century South. You can love this movie without knowing Homer, of course, though it's based on that bard's Oddysey.

That's the common touch of both Homer and his erstwhile partners-in-crime, producers Ethan and Joel Coen.

Filming this flick must have been more fun than a body should have. From the blind oracle on the railroad pump-car warning about the 'Ob-stackles of life' to the 'Sigh-REENS' that appear to have 'loved (Pete) up ... and then turned him into a horny toad' to the delicious stares and triumphant penultimate scene where the Soggy Bottom Boys regale a political rally with their irresistable hit 'Man of Constant Sorrows', O BROTHER never falters.

It's a film for watching over and over again, preferably introducing somebody who hasn't seen it each time you do.

Ne'er doubt! Buy O BROTHER WHERE ARE THOU and hold onto it for dear life.

O Brother Where Art Thou.......2007-05-17

O Brother Where Art Thou

Title: O Brother Where Art Thou
Director: Joel Coen
Release Date: 2000

Based on the epic by Homer, this movie takes place at the end of the Great Depression area of 1935. Three men named Everet (George Clooney), Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson), and Pete (John Turino), escape on a chain gang in southern Mississippi. When they escape, they meet a man that is blind from polyps that is similar to Homer. The man tells the three men that they must travel to seek the desire that they want. Everet thinks that the old man was making nonsense, but Delmar and Pete think that the old man was telling the truth in their future. The men do a lot of things in this movie such as getting saved, making a record, helping a thief in a bank robbery, and confronting the KKK. (Klu Klux Klan) This movie is rated PG- 13 so the adults might not want to let their kids want to watch the movie. They also have a great soundtrack that won a Grammy for soundtrack of the year. The movie has funny jokes that make you crack up laughing. George Clooney gives one of his best roles of his career. John Goodman guest stars in the movie as a con man that steals the men's money. The people who like funny country movies, this might be the movie for you. It won't be long until this movie will become apart of your DVD collection.

One of my favorites.......2007-04-10

I've given this movie more repeat views than maybe any other movie ever, for two reasons. Firstly, there is the incredible soundtrack--I was not a bluegrass fan until I fell in love with this movie, and the songs were good enough to win me over. Secondly, the dialogue is hilarious. Every time I watch it, I catch a little bit I may have missed before. Coens at their best. Made me rethink my opinion of George Clooney, as well.

Worthwhile music, movie falls flat........2007-04-07

I think it's odd that the movie announces at the beginning that it's based on Homer's Odyssey, as the storyline barely follows in the theme of The Odyssey at all. The music is awesome and I reccomend the soundtrack, but honestly the movie didn't do it for me. Weak plot, annoying characters, lame ending. I just wasn't impressed at all.

Average customer rating:

ITS GOOD FOR THE SOUL
Very Original Opening Credits
This is GREAT!
Sweet
Great gift

Napoleon Dynamite
Starring: Jon Heder , Efren Ramirez , Jon Gries , Aaron Ruell , and Diedrich Bader
Director: Jared Hess
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B00005JNBQ
Release Date: 2004-12-21

Amazon.com

As deadpan comedies go, Napoleon Dynamite stands in a class all its own. Played by John Heder, the title character is (in the words of critic Roger Ebert) "the kind of nerd other nerds avoid," a mouth-breathing dweeb with a mangy nest of orange hair, and ungainly features that suggest a perpetual state of half-conscious depression. He lives in Preston, Idaho (former home of 24-year-old director Jared Hess) with his thrill-seeking grandma and 32-year-old brother, and his days at high school consist mostly of being abused or ignored by indifferent classmates. Napoleon's sad-sack story doesn't offer the scathing, impassioned humor of Welcome to the Dollhouse because Hess (who cowrote the nearly plotless screenplay with his wife, Jerusha) doesn't have an angst-ridden axe to grind. Instead, the comedy (which exists in a tacky universe of worn-out rural suburbia) is so low-key that some will find it difficult to laugh, while others (i.e., those who feel superior to Napoleon) will have plenty of fun at Napoleon's expense. The result is a curiously uneven film, hilarious at times, but hampered by its own sense of affectionate mockery. An audience favorite at the Sundance film festival, Napoleon Dynamite may not be entirely lovable, but it's definitely unique. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Napoleon Dynamite is a new kind of hero, complete with a tight red 'fro, sweet moon boots, and skills that can't be topped. Napoleon spends his days drawing mythical beasts, duking it out with his brother, Kip, and avoiding his scheming Uncle Rico. When t

Customer Reviews:

ITS GOOD FOR THE SOUL.......2007-06-18

FIRST TIME I SAW IT I WAS IN BAD ANXIETY.I HAVE GAD.IT TOOK MY MIND OFF MY ANXIETY AND STRESS,ITS SO CUTE AND SWEET.URE NOT SURE WHAT YR IT IS.LOL
I ORDERED IT.I WATCH IT WEEKLY.ITS GOOD TO WATCH WHEN URE STRESSED.I SEE IT IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT.ITS JUST ABOUT A HIGHSCHOOL OF NERDS BUT THEY HAVE FEELINGS AND ARE SWEET.
IM SO GLAD I HAVE IT

Very Original Opening Credits.......2007-06-12

I just don't get it. I guess I'm just an oldfardt. The only time I laughed during this film was when Napolean was trying to jump the make-shift ramp with his bike. I do give 1 star for the very original opening credit sequence.

This is GREAT!.......2007-06-09

We love this movie & to get it here at such a great savings too! We received it in perfect condtion & the movie is wonderfully funny. We like the extra bonus features also!

Sweet.......2007-04-18

Comeon its Napoleon Dynamite. The price of this DVD is justified by all the great quotes or the dancing at the end if nothing else.

Great gift .......2007-04-14

This made a great gift for my 13 year nephew. He loved it!

Field of Dreams (Widescreen Two-Disc Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

Following a Dream
Ray Liotta gives the standout performance in this gem.
It's OK to have Hollywood inspired dreams, but you have to find a way to feed yourself and your family.
A magical journey about making your dreams come true!!!
If you watch it, you will be moved.

Field of Dreams (Widescreen Two-Disc Anniversary Edition)
Starring: Kevin Costner , Amy Madigan , Gaby Hoffmann , Ray Liotta , and Timothy Busfield
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 078322611X
Release Date: 2004-06-08

Amazon.com essential video

A phenomenal hit when it was released in 1989, Field of Dreams has become a modern classic and a uniquely American slice of cinema. It functions effectively as a moving drama about the power of dreams, a fantasy ode to our national pastime, and a brilliant adaptation of W.P. Kinsella's exquisite baseball novel Shoeless Joe. Kinsella himself found the film a delightful surprise, differing greatly from his novel but benefiting from its own creative variations. It is the film that cemented Kevin Costner's status as an all-American screen star, but the story resonates far beyond Costner's handsome appeal. As just about everyone knows by now, Costner stars as Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella, who hears the mysterious words "If you build it, he will come," and is compelled to build a baseball diamond in the middle of his cornfield. His wife (Amy Madigan) supports the wild idea, but a reclusive novelist (modeled after J.D. Salinger and played by James Earl Jones) is not so easily persuaded. The idealistic farmer is either a visionary or a deluded fool, but his persistence is rewarded when spirits from baseball's past begin appearing on the ball field. Past and present intermingle in the person of "Moonlight Graham" (superbly played by Burt Lancaster), an unknown player who sacrificed his dreams of baseball glory for a dignified life as a small-town physician ... but what all of this means is unclear until the film's memorably heartfelt conclusion. A meditation on family, memory, and faith, the film balances humor and magic to strike just the right chord of thoughtful emotion, affecting audiences so deeply that the baseball field created for the production has now become a mecca of sorts for dreamers around the world. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Following a Dream.......2007-06-23

Field of Dreams, is more than a great Baseball movie, its about following a calling or dream despite what others think. This is a bright movie with great cinamatography. When Joe Jackson appears for the first time is magic. At first i didnt understand why the Black Sox, but soon realized why. You really need to see this and Eight men out to understand. Field of Dreams is a joy for Baseball fans or movie buffs.

Ray Liotta gives the standout performance in this gem........2007-05-26

In my opinion Ray Liotta gave the best performance in this wonderful ensemble of talent. His natural delivery and boyish earnestness gave Field of Dreams a quality rarely seen in cinema today. His performance harked back to Cary Cooper or Jimmy Stewart of the 1930's.

In a magnificently well-written role, Academy Award winner Burt Lancaster, in the twilight of his career, shows why he became a film legend and remained one for almost six decades.

It's OK to have Hollywood inspired dreams, but you have to find a way to feed yourself and your family........2007-02-06

Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) hears voices in his cornfield, "Build it, and they will come". Are there voices in his head, or voices in his field?

Much like, 'Roy', a family man who 'sees' UFOs in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind (which to his relief, turn out to be real UFOs) the voices farmer Ray hears turn out to be real too -er voices of ghosts. At least other people begin hearing them too.

"Build it, and they will come"

"Build it" apparently being a baseball field on his farm in Iowa. Now: Ray is having problems paying the mortgage on his farm and apparently he needs all the farmland he can get. Straight out of the story 'Jack and the Beanstalk' Ray builds a magic ballpark on his farm instead of growing corn. This decision ends up causing him to lose the farm later in the movie (tho the magic ballpark looks only big enough to displace, what? a couple hundred dollars worth of corn?).

One could choose to be cynical - in another direction, perhaps, and evaluate this movie by it's effect on baseball ticket prices... Field of Dreams didn't work for me, because the memories I have of baseball are memories of playing little league as a kid, and not watching pro players.

Ray, his family, and the summer-farm do look wonderful. Costner looks at ease in his role. There's no violence or sex in the movie (unless you count Rays' marriage to mean Ray has every guys' dream of sex whenever). Come to think of it, his marriage pretty much explains why there's no violence, either. The problem is, what's fun about watching baseball? That's what we are asked to do in Field of Dreams. Watching ghosts play baseball doesn't seem very meaningful, or believable, or fun. Playing baseball is fun. When you're 12 years old and pile into a wagon for a trip to dairy queen after a win, that's fun. It's something, just belonging to a team, and, sheer joy running the bases. I don't remember losing being that bad either. Perhaps it is dangerous. It hurts if the ball hits you, even if the pitcher's 12 years old. And a bit dangerous too, when you put that mitt over your face to make the catch on a long fly ball. And your feelings could get hurt if you don't perform. Actually, would we even play baseball if there were no audience?

At Rays' farm, ghosts of great baseball players of the past do appear, playing in the magic ballpark before sundown each night.

On the magic field Ray actually meets his dad, a player who died when Ray was very young. Ray is older than his dad. Ray, has become the dad, in a sense, watching the game.

Baseball writer Terry Mann is summoned to the farm by the ghosts and is amazed to watch the old players. Is this baseball heaven? The players don't say much and don't seem to know themselves is this is baseball heaven. They do seem content.

Writer Terry Mann is actually quite old, and the ghosts encourage him to walk across the magic park into the cornfield, to: cross over to the other side. This is the most touching moment in the story. Mann walks happily with the old players into the cornfield and his body slowly fades into mist. This is a touching moment, and, I was trying to believe he was going to baseball heaven, but, just a tiny part of my mind, just a tiny part, was waiting for aliens to come out, or demons to reach up and grab him or something. It's a cornfield in twilight. And to tell the truth, we don't get to see where they are taking Mann, and the ghosts never really do truly explain what they are.

This isn't the climax of the movie tho. Rays' friend: who's been begging Ray to come to his senses and sell the farm, has a change of heart when he sees the ghosts too. He says, "whatever you do Ray, don't sell this farm." Even this isn't the climax of the movie. The climax, is when they see the headlights of distant cars driving toward the farm. Cars filled with people willing apparently to pay money to watch baseball. Money enough to save Rays' family and his farm.

We've come to the movies message: It's OK to have Hollywood inspired dreams, but you have to find a way to feed yourself and your family. So get up and get to work. Or get busy with your hustle, whatever it is you do.

I don't need Hollywood to tell me to get up and get to work. I've already got a boss who does that.

A magical journey about making your dreams come true!!!.......2007-01-23

I saw Field of Dreams in 1989 at the theater with my wife and cried my eyes out at the end of it. She thought I was totally crazy and freaked out over the tears that I was shedding over a movie about baseball. When she asked me what was wrong, I didn't know what to say because I had no control over the tears that were flowing. It surprised me as much as it did her. I've since seen Field of Dreams about twenty-five times, and it's now an American classic. I no longer break out in tears when viewing the film, but my eyes still get kind of watery for the magic of the movie hasn't diminished with time. It's just as powerful now as it was eighteen years ago.

As all of you probably know by now, Field of Dreams deals with an Iowa farmer named Ray Kinsella (played wonderfully by Kevin Costner), who hears a mysterious voice in his cornfield one day, saying the famous words, "If you build it, he will come." Since Ray's the only person who can hear the voice, he has to wonder if maybe he's going just a little bit crazy. As the movie progresses, Ray decides to do what the "voice" wants and plows under a third of his major crop so that he can build a baseball diamond for no apparent reason. Now, everybody in town thinks he's absolutely nuts. His wife, Annie (played by Amy Madigan), sticks by him through thick and thin, but she does worry about how all the mounting bills are going to get paid. In time, however, the ghosts of baseball players from the past appear from out of the cornfield to play on this rather unique ball diamond, including the legendary "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (played by Ray Liotta in one of his first acting roles). The catch here is that only Ray and his family can see the ghosts. With the bank threatening to foreclose on the farm, the "voice" tells Ray to go on a long journey to get a reclusive novelist, Terence Mann (played by James Earl Jones), who lives in Boston and an elderly doctor, Archibald "Moonlight" Graham (played by the late Burt Lancaster), who lives in Minnesota, and to bring them both back to the ball field. What happens after that is for the viewer to find out as the film delves into the emotional need for a special "reunion" and the sheer magic of making your dreams come true.

Let me just say that at the end of the film, the camera rises up to show hundreds of cars approaching the Kinsella farm at night, which is poetic in that it eventually happened in real life. Since 1989, over a million people from all over the world have visited the real Field of Dreams, which is located on the eastern side of Iowa about seven miles outside of Dyersville. This movie not only touched my heart, but evidently the hearts of millions of others. It was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture of 1989. I consider this film to be # 1 on my personal top-10 list because it not only deals with the reunion of father and son, but the possibility that you can actually make your dreams come true if you believe in yourself. This special two-disc anniversary edition is definitely worth the upgrade. I spent the money without a second thought. The first disc contains the complete theatrical release, plus a full-length commentary by its director, Phil Alden Robinson, and the director of photography, John Lindley. The second disc contains a number of featurettes. The first is a thirty-minute get together between Kevin Costner and three baseball stars, Bret Saberhagen, Johnny Bench, and George Brett. They watch the movie at Kevin's house and then discuss their careers in baseball, their sons, and how the movie has affected their lives. The second feature is a look at Galena, Illinois, which was used in the movie to represent the small city where "Moonlight" Graham lived--Chisholm, Minnesota. The third feature is a look at the real Field of Dreams outside of Dyersville, Iowa, and how it's grown since its construction in 1988. This is a great little documentary that discusses how this magical field has affected the hundreds of thousands of people who have visited it over the last fifteen years. The fourth feature is the Bravo show: From Page to Script, which deals with the novel, Field of Dreams, and how it was turned into an Academy Award nominated movie. If you love the film, you're going to enjoy this fifty-minute documentary. You finally get to meet the author of the book, William Kinsella, and to hear how the director, Phil Alden Robinson, began to doubt himself during the making of the film. All in all, this is a very special movie with wonderful behind-the-scenes stuff that certainly adds to the enjoyment of the movie. As Phil Robinson says, though the film didn't win Best Picture of 1989, it turned out to be a movie that literally changes people's lives for the better. That's the big reward for him. Highly recommended.

If you watch it, you will be moved........2007-01-14

I remember first watching this movie with my parents shortly after it came out on video. I was not a fan of baseball and basically thought I'd hate it. Wow was I ever wrong. I absolutely loved the movie. And the music is beautiful. James Horner outdid himself in this movie.

Well when I saw that the two disc anniversary edition was coming out I ordered it right away. The bonus features are great. There's a story on how the movie came to be, a biography on W.P. Kinsella (the author of the book), commentary, and much more.

But those features on the DVD are not why I bought it; I bought it because this movie is just incredible. It makes you believe that the impossible really can happen. The messages that Ray (Kevin Costner) gets give me the chills...the way in which they are delivered is great. 'If you build it, he will come,' 'Ease his pain,' and 'Go the distance.' Well this movie certainly went the distance.

The music is what really makes the movie great. The music we hear towards the end of the movie give me the chills and it just makes me cry...in a good way.

You don't have to like baseball to like this movie. This is a movie with a very special message. I highly recommend it to anyone. You will love it.

Average customer rating:

Great!
Strictly Ballroom is totally wonderful!
Strictly Amazing
DVD's
Delightful Dancing Fun

Strictly Ballroom
Starring: Paul Mercurio , Tara Morice , Bill Hunter , Pat Thomson , and Gia Carides
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Manufacturer: Miramax
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ASIN: B00005V1Y0
Release Date: 2002-03-19

Amazon.com

While the plot of this Australian film may seem a bit familiar (The Ugly Duckling meets Dirty Dancing), the whimsical tone and superb dance sequences will make you forget the movie's predictability. Scott (Paul Mercurio) is a champion ballroom dancer who wants to dance "his own steps." Fran is the homely, beginning dancer who convinces Scott that he should dance his own steps... with her. Complicating matters are Scott's domineering mother (Pat Thompson), a former dancer herself, who wants her son to win the Australian Pan Pacific Championship (the same contest she lost years ago), and a conniving dance committee that is determined that "there are no new steps!" The dancing is enjoyable, yet not overwhelming, and the movie strives hard not to take itself too seriously (the beginning of the film is even styled as a pseudo-documentary). Strictly Ballroom, while not so subtly imparting its moral ("A life lived in fear is a life half-lived"), is a laughable romp that's sure to be a crowd pleaser. --Jenny Brown

Description

From Baz Lurhrmann -- the director of the award-winning hits ROMEO & JULIET and MOULIN ROUGE! -- comes STRICTLY BALLROOM ... the hilariously funny romantic comedy that's sure to leave you laughing, cheering, and feeling great! It's the magical story of a championship ballroom dancer who's breaking all the rules, and his ugly duckling dancing partner. Together they make their dreams come true! Now celebrating its glorious 10th Anniversary -- you're sure to enjoy this exhaustively funny comedy as it dances and soars its way straight into your heart. Critics everywhere fell madly in love with this big-screen treat -- and so will you!

Customer Reviews:

Great!.......2007-06-25

A simple made film that goes straight to the target. The dances are marvelous, the actors kind of funny... passo-doble is magnificent.
It's true that you have to try new experiences, always.
Marcelo Lanat Júnior

Strictly Ballroom is totally wonderful!.......2007-05-30

I have loved this movie for years--I rented it on a lark back in the late 90s and fell in love with it, cheesy dialogue and all. What gets me is the very last scene when they dance the paso. I can't help but sit at the edge of my chair with a goofy grin on my face.

Strictly Amazing.......2007-05-14

Although nothing can compare to seeing this wonderful movie for the 1st time in a theater - having this DVD has rekindled some great memories. What a great movie!

DVD's.......2007-05-13

I love this movie and wanted to own it on DVD. Thank you.This is the original movie and absolutely wonderful!

Delightful Dancing Fun.......2007-04-29

Most films use social barriers based on rank, class, or experience to create conflict while dance films use conflict to tear down those barriers. "Dirty Dancing", "Take the Lead", and "Dance With Me" are just a few examples. Even Jack and Rose dare to defy the rules with their wild spin in steerage from "Titanic".

This pre-runner to the sizzling flamboyant red and pink glows of "Moulin Rouge" is neither all "chick flick" nor a dull dance game. There's passion, excitement, and fun--all within a PG rating and with food for thought for those of us that don't know what goes on down under.

One has to wonder: Do people in Australia really take ballroom dancing this seriously? Are the stakes so high that they will wear the most ridiculous costumes and forsake all forms of original choreography just to win? Well, some of us would kill for our baseball teams in the USA. This movie isn't a mockery of the distinguished sport of ballroom dancing but an afterthought to anyone who has dared to break the rules.

The characters are all like over wound clocks: hyperactive, hyper tense, and hysterical. It only adds to insanity that follows their drive to win and the main character's internal conflict. Scott Hastings is a hot-blooded, fearless, and ambitious youth with years of ballroom dancing experience and one rebellious goal: to dance his own steps at the championships. His intense mother and the stuffy Dance Federation are both miserable with his utter blasphemy. When his old partner rejects him, Scott has to find a new partner and beat a quick deadline to the championships.

Enter the timid beginner, Fran, and with her family's flare of Latin America dancing, they are ready to kick up a storm. It sounds like a clichéd plot about defying regulations and following your dreams but the crazy attitudes, the vibrant choreography, and the "I'll-kill-you-for-stealing-my-trophy" attitude can make a viewer smile-if not laugh aloud-at the madness that's running under the surface.

As for Paul Mercurio? The guy is the sexiest thing in dancing shoes. Mercurio radiates "fan girl" heat while he's practicing in his undershirt. His face is bathed in sweat, his biceps swing into action, and his eyes are alight with mad energy. While everybody else prances along the dance floor in glittering sequins and dyed feathers, he looks like he's actually having some fun. Together with Tara Morice as the budding Fran, the two of them make a smashing lively couple on the dance floor that will make you want to jump off your seat and starting doing the ramba.

The King and I (50th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

Shall We THINK...?
a great, classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical......
The King And I
EXCELLANT
King sized entertainment!

The King and I (50th Anniversary Edition)
Starring: Deborah Kerr , Yul Brynner , Rita Moreno , Martin Benson , and Terry Saunders
Director: Walter Lang
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000HT3PGA
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Amazon.com essential video

The third Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway hit to go before the cameras, The King and I boasts a career-making performance from Yul Brynner, repeating his stage triumph as the titular monarch and proving to moviegoers that bald can be beautiful. It's Brynner's proud king that provides the fulcrum to the plot, and it's Brynner himself, with his piercing gaze and graceful physicality, that demands our attention.

The story line, adapted from an earlier, nonmusical stage hit, follows widowed English teacher Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr) to her new posting as tutor to the Siamese king's formidable mob of children. The collision of East and West affords its winning mixture of drama and humor, and the warm friendship that grows between the king and the patrician teacher provides a poignant, unfulfilled romance between the two wary protagonists. Into this framework, the composers insert a superb score, echoing Asian motifs, as well as a bouquet of lovely songs including "Hello, Young Lovers," "Shall We Dance," and two ensemble pieces for Anna and the royal children ("Getting to Know You" and "I Whistle a Happy Tune") that suggest prototypes for Rodgers & Hammerstein's later hit, The Sound of Music.

Amazon.com

For this 1956 production, 20th Century Fox lavished stereophonic sound, widescreen cinematography, intricate production design, and stunning sets. Technically, this newly mastered THX version is the best-looking and -sounding King yet to hit video, but in its full-frame, pan-and- scan version the formatting downsizes far too much of the splendor, losing some sharpness to the imagery. For viewing on all but the smallest screens, the widescreen edition is vastly superior. But, in either version, the glorious music is reason enough to hit "play." --Sam Sutherland

Description

This visual and musical masterpiece features Yul Brynner's Academy Award(r) winning performance, an inforgettable Rodgers and Hammerstein(r) score, and brilliant choreography by Jerome Robbins. It tells the true story of an Englishwoman, Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr), who comes o Siam as schoolteacher to the royal court in the 1860's. Though she soon finds herself at odds with the stubborn monarch (Brynner), over time, Anna and the King stop trying to change each other and begin to understand one another.

Customer Reviews:

Shall We THINK...?.......2007-06-20

It's been decades since I was in high school, but I still remember being taken aback by the fact that the script for THE KING AND I was included in my junior year English Lit Anthology. As it happens, it was never actually assigned, but I remember being utterly baffled by its inclusion (could a Broadway musical merit inclusion among more serious works of literature?) and at least skimmed through it at the time. Somehow the notion of members of the Siamese court staging a stylized production of UNCLE TOM'S CABIN just seemed too weird--or maybe just not weird enough-- for my adolescent brain. Looking back, I'm not sure why I didn't find that kind of cross-cultural meld more interesting. But it WAS 1968, and ANY Broadway musical (with the possible exception of the then-current HAIR) would have been way too ESTABLISHMENT for my emerging, uh, countercultural tastes.

But giving it the once over, I had to admit that the text embraced at least it one or two serious IDEAS. So maybe it was worthy of inclusion in the anthology. (And, hey, the rest of the book's selections weren't all literary masterpieces either.) Of course, a few years later--or maybe several years later--I would prove to be much more receptive to a work like THE KING AND I. In fact, oddly enough, a few years BEFORE I probably would have embraced it more eagerly too. In my late childhood, early adolescent stage I was just precocious enough that almost ANYTHING that seemed to smack of grown up sophistication would have appealed to me.

So maybe age 16 was just the wrong age to encounter THE KING AND I--especially in 1968. It probably would come as no surprise to anyone reading this that I have seen the film several times as an adult and appreciate it more each time that I do. It does succeed as sheer entertainment and spectacle of course. The "Shall We Dance?" sequence alone is worth the price of admission (or the price of rental or purchase for home view). Visually, that scene--like so much else in the movie--is just gorgeous.

And it's really only been in the past few years that I have come to appreciate the "Little House of Uncle Thomas" production for the masterpiece of interpretive dance that it is.

It may also come as something of a surprise to viewers my age (and younger) just how many of the Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes from the show were musical staples on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW or were radio hits of the day. Aside from the above mentioned "Shall We Dance?" the show also gave rise to such classics as "Whistle A Happy Tune" and "Hello Young Lovers" and the perhaps somewhat lesser known "Something Wonderful." And musically, they really are something wonderful at that. (And yes, I know that that would have been the last thing I would have owned up to at 16.)

Of course, with all that nourishment for the eye and the ear, did it really need much intellectual heft--or even enough of a message to warrant being included in a high school anthology. Well, there are those who would argue that even the most escapist genres in the popular arts still have a social or cultural subtext. And Broadway musicals are certainly no exception to the rule, even in the B.S. era (that is to say, "Before Sondheim"). While no one would look to even the most sophisticated musical for genuine insight into the human condition, they can address important themes as well as or better than other popular arts.

THE KING AND I at least touches upon such important themes as: justice; classism; imperialism; feudalism; cross-cultural influence; the relation of the sexes; the nature of true nobility; intellectual striving...the list goes on and on. Had I been open to it as a teenager, it certainly could have provided me with ideas enough to chew over--certainly as many as most of the other selections in that literary anthology. And had the soundtrack been available to me as well, it would have certainly provided me with a more than a few moments of musical (guilty?) pleasure even then.

Certainly, I appreciate it now!

a great, classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical.............2007-05-18

THE KING AND I was one of my earlier introductions to the great body of work, from the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. This film showcases Deborah Kerr, as Anna Leonowens (with the singing voice of Marni Nixon--the "ghost singer" for many Hollywood starlets) and Yul Brynner, as the King of Siam, at his bald-headed best. This is the musical remake of ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM, made in 1946, starring Irene Dunne (as Anna Leonowens) and Yul Brynner (as The King of Siam).

THE KING AND I brings important social issues, as relevant in 1862 (the year that the story is set) as they are today. Though, dated in nature, this wonderfully engrossing tale examines racism, sexism and misogyny, as experienced through the eyes of British governess Anna Leonowens, who arrives in Siam (now Thailand) to teach the king's brood of children about history and valuable life lessons. One of the most well-known songs from this film is "Getting To Know You," a sweet, upbeat song, where Anna teaches the children to be more open-minded toward people outside of what is comfortable and familiar to them. I think that best illustrates Leonowens' view of the world, and how it vastly contrasts from the views more commonly voiced in the castle of the king. For starters, The King has many, many, many wives. This includes a beautiful new wife, the young Tuptim (Rita Moreno), who is secretly in love with another man--a forbidden romance. The king keeps wives like he would livestock, and Anna is appalled by this common custom. She sets out to break down the kings' machisimo. But, will she succeed?

Some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard from Rodgers and Hammerstein. The songs include "We Kiss In the Shadow," "Shall We Dance" (made famous by the wonderful dancing sequence, involving Deborah Kerr in a beautiful purple gown, shasaying with an enthusiastic king), and "I Have Dreamed." This film is beautifully acted, marvelously directed, and greatly engaging.

The King And I.......2007-05-13

This movie is not only a classic but will haunt your memory with it's music and characters. Shall We Dance rings not in only your ears but your heart as you watch this sophisticated English teacher become beguiled with the awsome persona of a real live pagan king, bare feet and all. I normally do not like sad endings but this one I tollerated because of the enormous empact the story line had on me. Your service in bringing the best movies to the public is very much appreciated by this buyer.Thank you again, Patricia A. Adams

EXCELLANT.......2007-05-10

this was a gift to a person that 'The King & I' is their most favorite of all times. They enjoyed this immensely, especially the 'extra' scenes that were included

King sized entertainment!.......2007-05-06

What more can I say about this gem from 1956. The music from this classic still makes you want to hum after you watch it! I am amazed each time I watch the dance scene with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr! Excellent entertainment for everyone!

Average customer rating:

Yuck!!
Suspiria
Fearing Fear Itself
Classic Horror Flick
Interesting But Not Great

Suspiria
Starring: Eva Axén , Joan Bennett , Miguel Bosé , Flavio Bucci , and Stefania Casini
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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