The In Crowd

Starring:Susan Ward, Matthew Settle
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

More timely now, perhaps, than when it was first released in 1957, Elia Kazan's overheated political melodrama explores the dangerous manipulative power of pop culture. It exposes the underside of Capra-corn populism, as exemplified in the optimistic fable of grassroots punditry Meet John Doe. In Kazan's account, scripted by Budd Schulberg, the common-man pontificator (Andy Griffith) is no Gary Cooper-style aw-shucks paragon. Promoted to national fame as a folksy TV idol by radio producer Patricia Neal, Griffith's Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes turns out to be a megalomaniacal rat bastard. The film turns apocalyptic as Rhodes exploits his power to sway the masses, helping to elect a reactionary presidential candidate. The parodies of television commercials and opinion polling were cutting edge in their day (Face in the Crowd was the Network of the Eisenhower era), and there are some startling, near-documentary sequences shot on location in Arkansas. An extraordinary supporting cast (led by Walter Matthau and Lee Remick) helps keep the energy level high, even when the satire turns shrill and unpersuasive in the final reel. There's an interesting parallel in Tim Robbins's snide pseudodocumentary Bob Roberts: both these pictures have almost as much contempt for the lemmings in the audience as for the manipulative monsters who herd them over the cliff. --David Chute

Customer Reviews:

A Face in the Crowd.......2007-06-25

Sobering tale about the precarious and poisonous nature of fame in our mass-media age, seems even more timely today. Budd Schulberg's script sizzles, and Neal is superb. As to Andy, this role made him, but he sure is a long way from Mayberry! Dont miss this one.

Andy Griffith's finest hour.......2007-05-21

I can't believe I had never heard of or seen this movie before. Awesome commentary on American media and the use of propaganda in America, still relevent today. Lots of famous people are parodied in this film, including Marilyn Monroe, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jayne Mansfield, and wonderful cameo appearences by Walter Winchell, and Mike Wallace, playing themselves. I show this film in my college level "Media & Society" class, excellent perspective for young people especially since it was made in 1957, released in '58. Andy should be given an Oscar for this performance.

We need more Andy Griffith villian movies!!!!!!!!!.......2007-05-04

I'm not going to write about the symbolism or get into political jousting where this film is concerned because that doesn't matter to me in the least. All I know is that from the first time I saw this approximately 10 years ago on AMC one Saturday morning, I've wondered who the hell was Andy Griffith's agent back then and why did he keep him out of movies of this callibur and genre. I barely remembered that Matthau, Remmick and Franciosa were even in it. He engulfed each and every scene he was in like nothing I'd ever seen before. He chewed up anyone else who had the misfortune of even being in the same scene with him in this movie.

With this being one of his first movies (the other standout being No Time for Sargents) you'd think he'd have been typecast as a villian, and maybe that's why his agent avoided his getting this type of role. His take of the down-home county boy radio show ham who hands out bits of wisdom as Lonesome Rhodes starts out like a quaint little fire in a pot-bellied stove that warms you and is comforting. But all of that quickly gets out of control as he is discovered and the flames of his new level of fame whip out of control and engulfs EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE that comes in contact with Lonesome. (Even his loyal listening audience)

Andy's boisterous, obnoxious and outrageous performance might have easily come off as over the top in someone else's hands but he is so believable that you too can feel the wave of ego build inside him yourself, yet you can only do much like Patricia Neal does; stand back with your mouth open in astonishment and hold on for the ride or get run down like a dog in the street. Andy's Lonesome Rhodes character is much like an approaching train wreck, you know it's coming, you know it's going to be a bad scene littered with bodies when it's over but somehow you just can't look away. WHAT A RIDE!!!!

Great movie. Andy Griffith will never be the same........2007-04-27

Great movie on the power of the media that still resonates today. Griffith and Patricia Neal give great performances. Well written and well acted.

Good lord, what a movie..........2007-04-16

Walter Matthau's final speech in this movie could be played tomorrow and might be more current than it was in 1957, but that's secondary to the overall quality.
This movie is a staggering achievement on any objective level. Andy Griffith puts up an acting portrayal that really has to be seen to be believed, and it's a true shame it's not better known. There are movies that make a viewer stand up and take notice. Citizen Kane, On The Waterfront, The Godfather...This movie is at minimum their equal, and not to be overly hyperbolic, a superior to many movies we regard as classics. "A Face in the Crowd" is why movies are worth watching.

Average customer rating:

The In Crowd
Too B-grade for it's own good...
Lori Heuring
The trick for the hiccups really works.
The Best Bad Movie Ever

The In Crowd
Starring: Jay R. Ferguson , Lori Heuring , Kim Murphy , Laurie Fortier , and Nathan Bexton
Director: Mary Lambert
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00003CXLD
Release Date: 2004-06-01

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If you like murder and dig beachwear, you'll love The In Crowd. Former obsessive Adrien is released from a mental institution (cue ominous music) and her nice psychiatrist finds her a summer job at a snooty country club, apparently reasoning that there's no better place to rebuild your self-esteem. Adrien quickly encounters the rich kids, who mostly run around being rich and beautiful. Rich queen Brittany decides to become Adrien's new best friend. Could it be for (oh, no!) the wrong reasons? Actually, her reasons turn out to be baffling, along with the rest of the poorly thought-out plot and thinly sketched characters. Director Mary Lambert makes a game attempt at building suspense with incredibly dark lighting and generic Spooky Music, but the script doesn't give her any help. The ending involves one of those elaborate, Scooby-Doo-ish plots that require knowing precisely how someone will react and exactly where she will go when she is very, very upset. Nonetheless, the movie presents lots of attractive young people in swimwear and provides an excellent opportunity to play the which-of-these-actors-will-still-have-a-career-next-year game. Enjoy. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews:

The In Crowd.......2007-04-05

It's surprising that this movie actually got a theatrical release. "The In Crowd" feels like a sub-par straight to video movie. It feels like the filmmakers couldn't decide whether to make a drama or a thriller. It ends up being neither. The drama parts are uninteresting, the "thrills" don't come until the last ten minutes and by then you've already lost all interest in the movie. The pace is sleep inducing. I'm sorry I wasted my time and I was glad when it was over. Don't waste your time and definately don't waste your money on it.

Too B-grade for it's own good..........2006-12-14

If this film had bi-passed the theater then I may have better things to say about it, for in a B-grade, straight to video kinda way this is a decent thriller, but in the made for the cinema, big budget slasher in the vein of `I Know What you Did Last Summer' meets `Cruel Intentions' it fails miserably.

The first downside would be the cast of relative unknowns, the only real `star' in whatever sense of the word you want to use it is Susan Ward (of Soap Opera fame). It's not that a cast of unknowns is always a bad thing, sometimes it can help propel the careers of the cast (like in the case of Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell & Cole Houser from `Pitch Black') or it can really help keep the focus of the viewers attention on the meat of the material (as in this years `United 93'), but in this case the material was weak and the cast is still careerless to say the least.

The second downside is that important piece of the pie called a plot. The film opens with Adrien (Lori Heuring) being released from a mental institution. For some strange reason they, as some sort of punishment, send her to work at this ritzy summer beach resort where she meets the popular kids, all followers of the queen-bee Brittany (Susan Ward), so despite her being warned she falls into their little circle.

The plot falls to pieces when they shift what could have been a primo baddie roll in the hands of the mental girl and give the sinister role to Brittany she socialite. The problem here is that her reasons for being so evil are completely ridiculous and unbelievable and strip the script of an ounce of eeriness.

Yes Susan Ward is hot but she is far from scary here, in fact in the end when Adrien is running scared from Brittany I'm forced to laugh. The plot tends to contradict itself a lot, one minute Brittany and Adrien are friends, the next their not, and Brittany never really comes off as trying to do anything bad until all of a sudden she flips, as if for no reason, and the film falls apart fast after that.

It could have been a much better movie had the script really been tweaked, but tweaked it was not so good this is not. Like I said, if your into B-grade (or maybe even C-grade) teen thrillers then this serves up enough hot flesh and pointless acting to satisfy, but if you want something smart and the slightest bit engaging then pass this trash up for something better, please. As a side note too, the lighting is terrible in a few scenes here, particularly on the beach at night. You can hardly see anyone or anything its so bad.

Lori Heuring.......2006-11-07

Before I jump into this review, let me start by saying Lori Heuring is one hot actress! She's tall, lean and rather sexy.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, let's proceed into the interview. The In Crowd is a sexy thriller about a misconfirmed psychologically challenged girl (Lori Heuring) who gets a second chance. Starting a summer job as a waitress at a wealthy country club, she soon finds herself in a world that isn't truly what it seems. She is befriended by Brittany (Susan Ward) and introduced to the glamorous life. Adrien soon discovers that Brittany is more than just a pretty face and a deadly rivalry ensues as Adrien finds herself fighting for her life!

This movie isn't as good as Wild Things or Cruel Intentions, but it is still worth checking out if you are looking to waste an hour and a half or so. The cast is very attractive and the plot is decent and well followed for the most part. I wouldn't recommend purchasing this movie but is definitely a decent choice for a rental.

The trick for the hiccups really works........2006-02-17

If you don't know what I'm referring to, watch the film.

The In-Crowd is a throwaway thriller that is entertaining for 90 minutes. It's a mixture of Basic Instinct and Wild Things, but not as good as either. It may be a B-list thriller, but it's a movie I enjoy watching over and over.

Definitely one of my favorite guilty pleasures.

The Best Bad Movie Ever.......2004-09-27

Quite obviously this movie didn't get any Oscars, but then again if you're watching this kind of movie, you're not expecting Oscar material.

The plot was slightly above par, the acting- not so much. But this movie was FUN. Personally, I think it should have been in theaters longer, it's no worse then any other teen horror movie that was out at that time (Remember the travesty that was "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer"?) and I believe it could have done reasonably well.

So, if you're looking for a fun movie and not an Oscar Winner, you can't go wrong here. Also, the commentary is hysterical; I'd but the DVD just for that.

Controversial Classics Collection (Advise and Consent / The Americanization of Emily / Bad Day at Black Rock / Blackboard Jungle / A Face in the Crowd / Fury / I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang)

Average customer rating:

A controversial seven-pack
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF ORIGINAL THEATRICAL EXHIBITION RATIO?
Controversial Classics Collection
Controversial Classics Collection
Controversial Classics

Controversial Classics Collection (Advise and Consent / The Americanization of Emily / Bad Day at Black Rock / Blackboard Jungle / A Face in the Crowd / Fury / I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang)
Starring: Henry Fonda , Charles Laughton , Don Murray , Walter Pidgeon , and Peter Lawford
Director: Otto Preminger , Arthur Hiller , and John Sturges
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0007TKNKQ
Release Date: 2005-05-10

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Otto Preminger expanded his vision in the 1960s with a whole series of ambitious, expansive dramas with huge casts and big themes. Advise and Consent (1962), an examination of deal making, party politics, and congressional diplomacy in Washington's legislative halls (based on the novel by Allen Drury), is one of his best. Preminger broke the blacklist with his previous film, Exodus, and it rings through in this drama about a controversial nominee for secretary of state (a confident, stately Henry Fonda) accused of being a Communist. The nomination process becomes the center ring of the political circus, with fidgety accuser Burgess Meredith in the spotlight; devious, silver-tongued Charles Laughton cracking the whip as a southern senator with a grudge against Fonda; and party whip Walter Pidgeon lining up votes behind the scenes. Arm twisting and diplomatic hardball turns to perjury and blackmail, and a melodramatic twist gives this lesson in party politics a salacious soap opera dimension.

With The Americanization of Emily (1964), screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky (Marty) sinks his satirical fangs into a story of an American naval officer (James Garner) selected to be the first victim at the invasion of Normandy. Julie Andrews plays a prim, British war widow who falls for him. Cynical in tone, the story becomes an interesting collision of manipulative interests and renewed life, the same formula that worked so well in Chayefsky's scripts for Network and Hospital.

One of the first Hollywood films to deal openly with white racism toward Japanese Americans during World War II, Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) (directed by action maestro John Sturges, The Great Escape) stars Spencer Tracy as a one-armed stranger named MacReedy, who arrives in the tiny town of Black Rock on a hot day in 1945. Seeking a hotel room and the whereabouts of an ethnic Japanese farmer named Komoko, MacReedy runs smack into a wall of hostility that escalates into serious threats. In time it becomes apparent that Komoko has been murdered by a local, racist chieftain, Reno Smith (Robert Ryan), who also plans on dispensing with MacReedy. Tracy's hero is forced to fight his way past Smith's goons (among them Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin) and sundry allies (Anne Francis) to keep alive, setting the stage for memorable suspense crisply orchestrated by Sturges. Casting is the film's principal strength, however: Tracy, the indispensable icon of integrity, and Ryan, the indispensable noir image of spiritual blight, are as creatively unlikely a pairing as Sturges's shotgun marriage of Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen in The Magnificent Seven.

Novelist Evan Hunter burst America's postwar bubble when he described an inner-city school terrorized by switchblade-wielding juvenile delinquents. Director-screenwriter Richard Brooks's 1955 adaptation of Blackboard Jungle still packs a tremendous wallop (even if it was shot mostly on the back lot). A forerunner of Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story, this black-and-white classic--set to Bill Haley and His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock"--is part exposé, part melodrama, part public-service announcement. Glenn Ford, at his slow-to-rile best, plays Richard Dadier, an incoming English teacher at North Manual High School. An idealist who knows how to handle himself in a dark alley, Dadier stands his ground and earns the begrudging respect of school thugs led by Vic Morrow and Sidney Poitier. Anne Francis plays Ford's especially vulnerable wife; Richard Kiley is the timid math teacher with the priceless jazz-record collection; Louis Calhern and John Hoyt are among the more cynical North Manual High veterans. See if you can ID Jamie Farr and director Paul Mazursky as gang members. The film was nominated for four Oscars.

More timely now, perhaps, than when it was first released in 1957, Elia Kazan's overheated political melodrama Face in the Crowd explores the dangerous manipulative power of pop culture. It exposes the underside of Capra-corn populism, as exemplified in the optimistic fable of grassroots punditry Meet John Doe. In Kazan's account, scripted by Budd Schulberg, the common-man pontificator (Andy Griffith) is no Gary Cooper-style aw-shucks paragon. Promoted to national fame as a folksy TV idol by radio producer Patricia Neal, Griffith's Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes turns out to be a megalomaniacal rat bastard. The film turns apocalyptic as Rhodes exploits his power to sway the masses, helping to elect a reactionary presidential candidate. The parodies of television commercials and opinion polling were cutting edge in their day (Face in the Crowd was the Network of the Eisenhower era), and there are some startling, near-documentary sequences shot on location in Arkansas. An extraordinary supporting cast (led by Walter Matthau and Lee Remick) helps keep the energy level high, even when the satire turns shrill and unpersuasive in the final reel.

Fury is tough stuff from director Fritz Lang (M), making his first American film with this 1936 story of an innocent man (Spencer Tracy) who escapes a lynch mob and then orchestrates his apparent murder at their hands. Tracy is superb, and the film is uncompromising, until studio interference takes some of the wind out of Lang's sails right at the end. But as the portrait of a character who comes to reflect the destiny he is trying to avoid, this is still essential Lang and a pre-noir classic.

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) is one of the toughest and most uncompromising movies to ever come out of Hollywood. Paul Muni stars as a regular Joe, just back from World War I, who is unjustly convicted of a crime and sentenced to 10 years of bruisingly unfair treatment on a chain gang. Even a successful escape can't shake the spectre of the chains, nor the amazingly fatalistic twists the screenplay has in store. This picture could only have been made at Warner Bros., where social-justice movies flourished in the 1930s and criticism of judicial systems and prisons was sanctioned. Muni's weird acting style (he was recently off Scarface) somehow fits the film's furious tone, and director Mervyn LeRoy--as in his earlier Little Caesar--was dexterous enough to build the action to an unforgettable ending. It's a film that filters the American Dream through Depression realities and noirish pessimism (with a streak of pre-Code sexual frankness--note the one-night "friend" Muni makes the night of his escape). This one holds up, folks; it's a stunner.

Description

The Controversial Classics Collection features the debut DVDs of seven groundbreaking motion pictures, released in America over three decades from the '30s to the '60s that had dramatic social impact, changed attitudes and brought important political and social reforms. The films include A Face in the Crowd, Blackboard Jungle, Fury, Bad Day at Black Rock, Advise and Consent, The Americanization of Emily and I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang. These films, which all took on hot button -- some even taboo -- topics such as prison injustice, racial tension, juvenile delinquency, homosexuality, mob violence as well as political corruption in Washington, the military and the media, caused America to take notice and do something about the issues the movies raised. Each film features either a commentary or documentary examining the film's historical context and political impact.

Blackboard Jungle (1955)
Richard Dadier, a new teacher at inner city North Manual High, is a man eager to make a difference. Topics such as racial and sexual tensions, gang violence and apathy were topics Blackboard Jungle tackled 50 years ago that are still hot-button issues in schools. Glenn Ford as Dadier clings to his ideals and pays a price vying with teen misfits led by Vic Morrow and, in a star-making performance, a young Sidney Poitier. Featuring Bill Haley's classic "Rock Around the Clock," the film is often remembered as being responsible for the breakthrough of rock 'n' roll to the media and consumer mainstream. Richard Brooks (In Cold Blood) directed, based on Evan Hunter's best seller. DVD special features include: Commentary by co-stars Paul Mazursky and Jamie Farr, Glenn Ford's son Peter Ford and Assistant Director Joel Freeman, Droopy Cartoon Blackboard Jumble, theatrical trailer.

A Face in the Crowd (1957)
Andy Griffith made a stunning movie debut as Lonesome Rhodes, whose meteoric rise to TV fame is paralleled by his plunge into booze, sex and political corruption. From On the Waterfront's Academy Award. -winning collaborators, director Elia Kazan and screenwriter Budd Schulberg, A Face in the Crowd reflects the authenticity of filmmakers who know the media world from the inside out. Lee Remick also made her screen debut in this film which featured cameos from Mike Wallace, Walter Winchell, Betty Furness, Bennett Cerf and Burl Ives as themselves. DVD special features include: New documentary Facing the Past (an all new retrospective with new interviews with stars Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal and screenwriter Budd Schulberg) and theatrical trailer.

Fury (1936)
Joe Wilson, a wrongly jailed man thought to have died in a blaze started by a bloodthirsty lynch mob, is alive. Now, Joe aims to ensure his would-be executioners meet the fate Joe miraculously escaped. Spencer Tracy is Joe, Sylvia Sidney is his bride-to-be and Fury lives up to its volatile name with its searing indictment of mob justice and lynching. In his first American film, director Fritz Lang (Metropolis, The Big Heat) combines a passion for justice and a sharp visual style into a landmark of social-conscience filmmaking. DVD special features include: Commentary by Peter Bogdanovich, with interview excerpts of director Fritz Lang and theatrical trailer.

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
Spencer Tracy (a 1955 Best Actor Oscar. nominee for this film) plays World War II veteran John J. Macreedy, who keeps his own counsel about why he's come to Black Rock and who keeps his wits about him when confronted with threats and violence. John Sturges (The Great Escape) directed; Robert Ryan, Walter Brennan, Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin are among the town's thugs and other denizens. DVD special features include: commentary by film historian Dana Polan and theatrical trailer.

Advise and Consent (1962)
Three years after Anatomy of a Murder, Otto Preminger examined the body politic in Advise and Consent, a story of power and procedure where deals become extortion, closets reveal skeletons and careers are crushed. It was also one of the first mainstream films to deal with homosexuality. History buffs may think they recall real-life counterparts to the characters depicted while movie fans can revel in a rare array of star power: Henry Fonda, Walter Pidgeon, Don Murray, Gene Tierney, Peter Lawford, Franchot Tone and Charles Laughton in his final role. DVD special features include: Commentary by film historian Drew Casper and theatrical trailer.

The Americanization of Emily (1964)
Julie Andrews and James Garner headline this earlier milestone from screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky (Network) and director Arthur Hiller (also teamed later on The Hospital). Garner plays Charlie Madison, a U.S. Naval officer stationed in London, who cares nothing about glory. That attracts war widow Emily Barham (Andrews), who's had her fill of seeing men go to war and never retim. DVD special features include: Commentary by film historian Drew Casper, featurette Action on the Beach, theatrical trailer.

I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
Paul Muni gives a joltingly realistic performance in this powerhouse classic directed by Mervyn LeRoy (Little Caesar), based on autobiographical writings by chain-gang escapee Robert E. Burns. Like many '30s crime sagas, this deals with gritty realities. Yet it also stands apart as a film that made a difference, igniting protests that led to vital penal reforms and Burns himself received a commuted sentence. DVD special features include: Commentary by film historian Richard B. Jewell, vintage musical short 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang, and theatrical trailer.

Customer Reviews:

A controversial seven-pack.......2007-05-14

Even in the early days of film, there have always been controversial movies. While the majority of films play it reasonably safe, there is that minority of movies that take risks and generate talk. Nowadays, for better or for worse, the truly controversial movie is a little bit more of a rarity, as there are less taboos that aren't discussed or shown. The Controversial Classics boxed set collects seven older movies that deal with dicey subjects in the Production Code-enforced era that tried to keep everything safe and bland; these films are far from the only ones that could be called controversial or classic, but they are a good sampling.

First (chronologically) is I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, an early talkie with Paul Muni as a man unwittingly implicated in a robbery in the deep South. He is put on a chain gang, and though he eventually escapes and rebuilds his life, his past does catch up with him. This is a powerful but very dark film, with even the last line filled with grimness.

Fury is the first of two starring Spencer Tracy. In the first, Fury, he is a man arrested while driving through a small town. He is suspected of a kidnapping and a lynch mob destroys the jail he is in, apparently killing him. He survives, however, and - now embittered - secretly works to get those responsible tried for his murder. Bad Day at Black Rock has Tracy as a crippled World War II veteran who goes to a small desert community and stirs up memories of an old murder. This one co-stars Robert Ryan, Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and Anne Francis. Both films are decent but far from great.

Things pick up with Blackboard Jungle, which also has Anne Francis, though Glenn Ford is the star as a novice teacher at a tough school. It is one of the earliest films to highlight juvenile delinquency. Sidney Potier, Vic Morrow and Jamie Farr are some of the students, each with their own level of criminality. Although preachy at times, it is still pretty good.

A Face in the Crowd stars Andy Griffith in his earliest movie role. For those used to Griffith from his nice guy roles, particularly in The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock, this is quite a contrast as he plays an utterly amoral man who uses his homespun humor to go from a bum to an immensely powerful entertainment personality. Also starring Patricia Neal, Lee Remick and Walter Matthau, this is both a great movie and an insightful one.

Advise & Consent starts slow but picks up as it moves into its second half. Otto Preminger's adaptation of the best-selling novel presents the inner workings of the Senate in a somewhat darker light than Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The plot deals with a controversial pick by the President for Secretary of State. This is another great movie, marred only by the ending which wraps things up in a bit too conveniently. Instead of a true star, this features an ensemble cast, including Henry Fonda, Gene Tierney, Walter Pidgeon, Don Murray, Burgess Meredith and Charles Laughton.

If the set begins with a rather depressing movie, it at least ends with a somewhat happier film, the war satire The Americanization of Emily. James Garner is at his most James-Garner-est as the wheeler-dealer Navy Commander serving as a "dog-robber". His job is to make sure that the admiral he works for gets all the pleasures of home. Set in England in the days before D-Day, Garner is a self-admitted coward; he refuses to die just to become a hero. Julie Andrews is the war widow with whom he gets romantically involved. When his admiral decides that the first man to die on Omaha beach must be a Navy man (to help glorify the Navy), Garner is forced to take part in the invasion. As Arthur Hiller relates in the commentary, this is not so much an anti-war film as one opposing the false glorification of war. Not unlike the much more recent Flags of Our Fathers, this film is critical of the manufacturing of heroes; based on recent news stories on Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman, this lesson still needs to be taught.

With I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, A Face in the Crowd and The Americanization of Emily all meriting five stars and the rest four, this set gets five stars overall, helped by the numerous extras, most particularly the commentaries (on all films except A Face in the Crowd, which does have a mini-documentary). I don't know if this is the ideal sampling of controversial classics, but it is a set of good-to-great films.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF ORIGINAL THEATRICAL EXHIBITION RATIO?.......2006-02-01

The butchering of BLACKBOARD JUNGLE is a disgrace. You take a 1.33 picture, mask a large slice at the top and bottom of the screen and, abracadabra, you get an ugly but so modern 1.85 picture. Shame on Warner. Could we have some respect for the industry and the movie buffs?
Thanks to the DVD, we got rid of the dreaded pan and scan. The minority of 1.85 TV screens freaks can enlarge the pictures any way they like. The 1.85 disease infected the films from the sixties, now it's the 50's pictures turn. Some movie buffs are still alive and remember the power of 1.33 ratio.
Same remarks for A FACE IN THE CROWD. THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY SHOULD BE SHOWN IN 1.66. The BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK transfer is disappointing, when you have seen a good 35mm print of this wonderful photography.
Do we have to ask the FBI to protect the US film industry from this travesty, as Hollywood is still the main reason why millions of people across the world love America.
Olivier Comte

Controversial Classics Collection.......2005-08-26

What a wonderful treat this collection is....at first I was skeptic because I am a big Film Noir fan...and did not think that this collection would suffice...how wrong I was. The commentaries are crisp, clean and full of information...the movies are some of the Best Produced...Bad Day At Black Rock...starring Tracy as in Spencer...and Ryan. Then there is The Americanization of Emily with a script by one of the best writers: Paddy C......and one of my favorite movies starring Julie Andrews fresh from Mary Poppins..thank God...and James Garner...both of them a treat. A face in the Crowd should be one of the 10 BEST Movies Ever Produced...Andy Griffith is just magnificent along with Patricia Neal...Watch This Movie! I am a Fugituve from a Chain Gang...a must see of what happened in the disgrace of the American Judicial System...Advise and Consent I really did not care for but it was worth watching just to listen to the commentary....and finally Blackboard Jungle which still pulls no punches with a very young Glenn Ford...with funny commentary by the teen-agers (I am not going to tell you who) that were in the movie.

Get this collection and give yourself a Treat that is seldom if ever seen in the Movies now days....

Controversial Classics Collection.......2005-07-11

I purchased this package of movies for my son who is a real movie buff and who has a Degree in Drama. He has watched one of the movies so far and is looking forward to watching rest of them. He is familiar with the Actors and Directors in this set of movies. Very nice to have classics easy to obtain like this. I would highly recommend it.

Controversial Classics.......2005-07-08

I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (1932)
Controversy: The oldest movie in the controversial classics set, FUGITIVE also lays claim to the most unwieldy title. Chain gang prison labor is the controversial topic.
Strengths: Paul Muni is absolutely riveting, and his final scene is one of the more memorable in movies.
Weaknesses: The last chain gang prison system was outlawed in the 1940s. The oldest title is also the least relevant.
Bottom Line: Inspiration for other classic movies like Cool Hand Luke and O Brother, Where Art Thou? Although severely dated, FUGITIVE still delivers as top-drawer entertainment.

FURY (1936)
Controversy: German director Fritz Lang's first American film is an exposé of lynching, mob violence, and the corrosive effects of living for revenge.
Strengths: Spencer Tracy's transformation from good-natured innocent to bitter victim is breathtaking. Lang's depiction of the mob is still quite strong
Weaknesses: The first and last act tends to stall out the story. The studio imposed ending is unsatisfying.
Bottom Line: Although not quite as powerful as Lang's German film M, which it resembles, FURY still has a number of memorable moments, and Tracy's Jekyll and Hyde transformation works very well.

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955)
Controversy: Xenophobia during World War II and a small southwestern town with a big, ugly secret.
Strengths: Spencer Tracy always adds value to a movie. Robert Ryan, as Tracy's chief nemesis, turns in a typically fine performance, too.
Weaknesses: Anne Francis isn't anything more than a token female and doesn't really seem to fit in the story. A little too much attention paid to the secret keeping, and not enough on what was done that must remain hidden.
Bottom Line: A good Decent Stranger Against the Mob movie that may have dealt a little more directly with the shameful incident everyone was trying to keep buried.

BLACKBOARD JUNGLE (1955)
Controversy: Rock `n roll infected juvenile delinquents are taking over the world.
Strengths: Director Richard Brooks really wades into it, and doesn't pull his punches on some issues one simply didn't talk about in the 1950s - racial tensions, rape, middle class apathy and cynicism. Glenn Ford, Sidney Poitier and especially young Vic Morrow are very good.
Weaknesses: Because it shows few if any female students, no parents and otherwise little of the students' lives away from school this one's a little exploitative.
Bottom Line: Overall an excellent and honest look at urban troubled youth. Probably Glenn Ford's best film.

A FACE IN THE CROWD (1957)
Controversy: Director Elia Kazan and screenwriter Budd Schulberg's warning about the pernicious encroachment of mass media, especially television, in American life.
Strengths: They got it right, although they were about a decade ahead of the rest of us. Patricia Neal and Walter Matthau, as worried onlookers, are very good.
Weaknesses: I may be a minority of one, but Andy Griffith in the lead role too often goes way over the top. Kazan may have wanted to portray him as an irresistible force of nature, but at times he's simply too loud, too out-sized, too outlandish.
Bottom Line: Still fun and entertaining, especially to see how much of it Kazan on got right. After the 2004 elections, it was somewhat chilling to see a politician go geese hunting with the Griffith character in a bid to develop his `common man' credentials.

ADVISE AND CONSENT (1962)
Controversy: Director Otto Preminger's adaptation of best-selling novel and hit play deals with Washington in-fighting over a presidential cabinet nomination.
Strengths: Charles Laughton and Walter Pidgeon as savvy senators give this one backbone and keep it interesting.
Weaknesses: Episodic and ultimately more soap opera than exposé.
Bottom Line: In my opinion this is the weakest entry in the set.

AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY (1964)
Controversy: The Navy needs a hero on D-Day and this movie not only questions hero worship, it pulls it apart and blows it up, bit by bit.
Strengths: Paddy Chayefsky's script is perfect. James Garner and Julie Andrews are perfect as the mismatched lovers.
Weaknesses: Addictive.
Bottom Line: My favorite movie in the bunch, a perfect satire while treating with compassion those it satires. One of the great comedies of the twentieth century.

THE CROWD with Eleanor Boardman (High Quality Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America)

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A classic, must for serious students of film & Cinematography.

THE CROWD with Eleanor Boardman (High Quality Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America)
Director: King Vidor
Manufacturer: BoYing
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

The Last Laugh
Sansho the Bailiff - Criterion Collection
The Conformist (Extended Edition)
1900 (Special Collector's Edition)
Bicycle Thieves (Criterion Collection)

ASIN: 7885726967

Product Description

Brand new, factory sealed DVD manufactured in Hong Kong. This is a silent movie made in 1928. It has the original English dialog cards with optional subtitles in Chinese. Chinese subtitles can be easily removed. High quality full screen black and white image. The following review appears in Amazon for the VHS edition: "Made in 1926-27 by King Vidor, with brilliant cinematography by Henry Sharp of huge crowd scenes, often with superimposed layers of film, this is a classic; beautifully acted and scripted, it is one of the best films of the silent genre. It follows the life of John Sims, born on July 4th, 1900, who is average in every way, with great hopes and dreams, struggling to make a living in New York City. Every scene is full of symbolism, representing man searching for his uniqueness among the masses, and with the eventual acceptance of himself as an individual. There are quite a few moments of comic relief (the Christmas Eve conversation with the in-laws is hilarious), but most of it is tragic; as he finds out after a death in the family, "the crowd laughs with you always...but it will cry with you for only a day". This was an experimental film for Vidor, and one of the many risks he took was casting an unknown actor, James Murray, to play John, and the choice was a good one. Eleanor Boardman (who was married to Vidor at the time) is marvelous as John's long suffering wife Mary. Also excellent is Bert Roach, who plays John's best buddy Bert. There is a famous camera shot early in this film, that was made with the help of a scale model, which seems as though one is going up the side of a skyscraper, through a window, and into an office. It also is a film without a heroic figure, which made the studio hesitant to release it; little did they know it would stand the test of time, and would be still seen by many, 75 years later, and appreciated as a work of cinematic art. The restoration is excellent, and it is enhanced by an orchestral score by Carl Davis.

Customer Reviews:

A classic, must for serious students of film & Cinematography........2007-02-04

This film is a silent epic. There are shots in it that wouldn't be approached again for decades; inventive use of miniatures etc. A sweeping hard luck story and an amazing film that will school even the most committed cineaste.

ABC News Specials The "In Crowd" and Social Cruelty

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ABC News Specials The "In Crowd" and Social Cruelty

Manufacturer: ABC News
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Description

What does it take to be popular? John Stossel discovers why kids dish it out, why they take it and what schools can do to make it better. Guests include psychologist Michael Thompson, author of 'Best Friends, Worst Enemies'. Stossel also visits schools with successful anti-bullying programs. Correspondent: John Stossel

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Great Concert DVD
A Must have.

Live at the Glasshouse
Starring: Tsunami Bomb
Manufacturer: Kung Fu Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Punk Revival | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Third Wave Ska | Ska | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Invasion from Within
Ultimate Escape
The Definitive Act

ASIN: B0007Y3P6U
Release Date: 2005-06-21

Description

9 digital Panasonic 24P cameras and 24 separate digital audio tracks captured Tsunami Bombs triumphant sold out performance at the Glass House in Pomona, California just outside of L.A. on September 10th, 2004. This show came at the height of their touring schedule for their breakthrough Kung Fu CD The Definitive Act but their set drew material from all their releases: 26 songs in all making this a must have for the rabid following this band has collected in their short career. **NON-STANDARD PRICING**

Customer Reviews:

Great Concert DVD.......2006-07-25

I love Tsunami Bomb and they're great in this dvd, they play all the songs that I love. I'm happy with my purchase.

A Must have. .......2005-12-05

Im not the biggest fan of tsunami bomb, but i thought i get this dvd for my girl friend. we sat down and watched it together it was a realy good watch and i enjoyed every second of it.

Great band
Great DVD

5/5

Dead Tenants: Episode 107: The Crowd in the Kitchen

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Dead Tenants: Episode 107: The Crowd in the Kitchen

Manufacturer: Discovery
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

A Face In The Crowd [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Spain ]

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A Face In The Crowd [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Spain ]
Director: Elia Kazan
Manufacturer: VellaVision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000FMU8H8

Product Description

Spain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 2.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Subtitles), Spanish (Subtitles), SYNOPSIS: The meteoric popularity of Arthur Godfrey was allegedly the basis of the 1957 drama Face in the Crowd. Andy Griffith makes a spectacular film debut as Lonesome Rhodes, a philosophical country-western singer discovered in a tanktown jail by television talent coordinator Patricia Neal and her assistant Walter Matthau. They decide that Rhodes is worthy of a TV guest spot, the result being that the gangly, aw-shucks entertainer becomes an overnight sensation. As he ascends to stardom, Rhodes attracts fans, sponsors and endorsements by the carload, and soon he is the most powerful and influential entertainer on the airwaves. Beloved by his audience, Rhodes reveals himself to his intimates as a scheming, power-hungry manipulator, with Machiavellian political aspirations. He uses everyone around him, coldly discarding anyone who might impede his climb to the top (one such victim is sexy baton-twirler Lee Remick, likewise making her film debut). Just when it seems that there's no stopping Rhodes' megalomania, his mentor and ex-lover Neal exposes this Idol of Millions as the rat that he is. She arranges to switch on the audio during the closing credits of Rhodes' TV program, allowing the whole nation to hear the grinning, waving Rhodes characterize them as "suckers" and "stupid idiots." Instantly, Rhodes' popularity rating plummets to zero...

SPECIAL FEATURES: Scene Access, Photo Gallery, Interactive Menu, Filmographies, Biographies,

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A Stark Reminder Of Life's Disappointments
You have to be good in this town Jimmy!

The Crowd
Starring: James Murray
Director: King Vidor
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Ugetsu - Criterion Collection
The Busby Berkeley Collection (Footlight Parade / Gold Diggers of 1933 / Dames / Gold Diggers of 1935 / 42nd Street)
Hallelujah
TCM Archives - Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 1 (Waterloo Bridge 1931 / Baby Face / Red-Headed Woman)
Double Indemnity (Universal Legacy Series)

ASIN: B000B8ULOG

Customer Reviews:

A Stark Reminder Of Life's Disappointments.......2006-08-20

Directed by King Vidor, "The Crowd" is the story of Johnny. The story follows Johnny's life from birth through adulthood with all the ups and downs that come his way.

Born into modest surroundings, Johnny's father has the highest of hopes for his son but life rarely turns out the way we planned. While we are all significant in the eyes of our family, once you join the real world you are but one of 'the crowd'.

Overall the movie is very sad but is quite riveting nonetheless. One can't help rooting for Johnny but it seems Johnny is his own worst enemy. Impulsive without much thought for the future Johnny continually plows headlong into one mess after another. The girlfriend/loyal wife played by the lovely Eleanor Boardman (who looks a lot like Helen Hunt) stands by her man while her family implores her to leave him.

While the overall plot may sound familiar, the camera work and the performances are outstanding. This is truly one of King Vidor's best films. Silent films, in some ways, are a better vehicle for intense melodrama as there isn't any insipid dialog to muddy the water. The scene where Johnny's child is hit by a car will break your heart.

Some of the camera angles are simply brilliant. One scene in particular shows Johnny's office. It is a veritable airplane hangar with hundreds of identical desks in neat rows and columns. The lonely and isolated sense of being just another face in 'the crowd' is inescapable.

Another interesting aspect of this film is the background scenery. Shot in a big city in the "present day", it is fascinating to see how people lived in the 1920's. Men wore suits and hats, ladies wore dresses. There aren't any body piercings or tattoos. You won't see anyone wearing a raggedy t-shirt or baggy trousers with their rear end hanging out. There isn't any grafitti on the buildings and the streets are clean. It was a different time. A time where manners and propriety still mattered.

You have to be good in this town Jimmy!.......2006-02-12

A man; his son: the expected illusion on him, to make your dreams come true, trusting in the possibilities of your son; the hopeful arrival to NYC, one of the seven millions people at that moment who firmly believes, the city is depending on them; the clash against the penury and the awful reality of the face, disillusions and new revived hopes are magnificently depicted in this sonorous picture, which still maintains its prestigious status at the moment to consider the greatest silent gold movies ever done.

The experience of life in its darkest nature, when a self convinced man believes his dreams are more powerful than the reality; in search of something big will be basically a striking testimonial where not all dreams come true:

A sharp and merciless glance around the wonderland and its variegated complexities. A majuscule feat of King Vidor.

The towering performance of James Murray is by far the half of this supreme jewel.

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The In Crowd
Too B-grade for it's own good...
Lori Heuring
The trick for the hiccups really works.
The Best Bad Movie Ever

The In Crowd [Region 2]
Starring: Susan Ward , Lori Heuring , Matthew Settle , Nathan Bexton , and Tess Harper
Director: Mary Lambert
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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