Stander

Starring:Thomas Jane, Dexter Fletcher, David O'Hara, Deborah Kara Unger, Ashley Taylor (IV), Marius Weyers, At Botha, Lionel Newton, Melanie Merle, Sean Else, Peter Gardner, Patrick Mynhardt, Wikus du Toit, Drummond Marais, Nicole Abel, Craig Jackson (IX), Emgee Pretorius, Corrie Van Deventer, Rita Van Deventer, James Borthwick
Director: Bronwen Hughes
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

The so-called spaghetti Western achieved its apotheosis in Sergio Leone's magnificently mythic (and utterly outlandish) Once upon a Time in the West. After a series of international hits starring Clint Eastwood (from A Fistful of Dollars to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly), Leone outdid himself with this spectacular, larger-than-life, horse-operatic epic about how the West was won. (And make no mistake: this is the wide, wide West, folks--so the widescreen/letterboxed version is strongly recommended.) The unholy trinity of Italian cinema--Leone, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Dario Argento--concocted the story about a woman (Claudia Cardinale) hanging onto her land in hopes that the transcontinental railroad would reach her before a steely-eyed, black-hearted killer (Fonda) does. (The film's advertising slogan was: "There were three men in her life. One to take her ... one to love her ... and one to kill her.") Meanwhile, Leone shoots his stars' faces as if they were expansive Western landscapes, and their towering bodies as if they were looming rock formations in John Ford's Monument Valley. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

My all-time favorite western!.......2007-06-20

I never really cared for westerns until I saw this movie. I became hooked on spaghetti westerns, and in my opinion, this is the best of them all! The storyline is certainly different, and the ending is somewhat of a surprise. The main characters really stand out: Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Claudia Cardinale, and Henry Fonda. The music is haunting, and that was what really hooked me.

The Best Spagetti Western To Date.......2007-06-12

Once Upon a Time in the West From start to finish,is by far the best spagetti western ever made to date. It Stars Henry Fonda as a ruthless outlaw. Along with a pose' he murders and destroys his way through every town he and his gang enters.He shows his victims no mercy, not a drop of sympathy is in his bones. He'll make your blood run cold. Henry Fonda is at his acting best! You have never seen him like this! He encounters a mysterious traveler who plays a mysterious melody on a Harmonica. The traveler seems to be looking for him. Why? Here's where the real edge of your seat action really happens. Finally time to reveal what everything means. Right down to the mysterious song played on the harmonica by the traveler througout most of the movie.
Since this film was made other westerns that followed, used Itlalian director Sergi Leone's touch, i.e. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly etc.)

BEST of the spaghetti Westerns.......2007-06-08

Sergio Leone made his indelible mark with the three Clint Eastwood films, but this is his best work, even though Clint is absent. Not to worry. "Once Upon A Time" features a wonderful all-star cast. Avoiding the overdone goodguys vs bad guys cliche, Leone casts perpetual goodguy Henry Fonda as one of the sleaziest amoral villains you'll ever see. And Fonda doesn't disappoint in the role. The so-called goodguys are actually not so good, but they're played brilliantly by Jason Robards and Charles Bronson. Claudia Cardinale is striking as the libertine. Even the opening scene focuses on Jack Elam and Woody Strode - two of the best character actors to appear in any Western.

The plot meanders through a number of twists and subplots, requiring the viewer to follow all of the action between gunfights. Leone challenges the conventional concepts of loyalty, friendship, and alliances. Highly recommended.

Formidable, operatic western.......2007-05-30

"Once Upon a Time in the West" is director Sergio Leone's formidable and unique vision of the old west as grand opera. In Leone's work, as in opera, subtlety is replaced by exaggeration, i.e., the villians in his creation are all over-the-top, almost cartoonishly evil while the ingenue/heroine is both pretty and boring to the extreme. The movie's musical score, as in opera, is as important or even more important than dialogue in conveying the story. In fact, words are rarely uttered in this western tale.

I'm not always comfortable with Leone's antagonists and protagonists because the audience never really gets to know or understand them. They are presented more as abstractions of good and evil than they are as fully developed, three-dimensional human beings.

And Ennio Morricone's idiosyncratic score, while elaborate and memorable, sometimes seemed too languid or pretty to suit the violent action in a western. But perhaps Morricone was aiming for irony.

Overall, "Once Upon a Time in the West" is an unusual and gorgeous- looking western very much worth a glance or two.

Poetic and Truly Original.......2007-03-30

"Once Upon a Time in the West" is one of the best films in the Western genre and also the most fun to watch due to its look and style. The movie is directed by Sergio Leone. I'm familiar with Leone's work, but have never seen any of his films. "Once Upon a Time in the West" bares the unmistakable signature of a genius though and I look forward to watching many more Leone films in the future. The film has one of the greatest opening scenes I've ever seen; lasting 13 minutes, the film opens at a train station where three men anxiously await the arrival of the train. They're waiting for someone. After Leone slowly builds the tension (and I don't know about a director that could do it better), the train arrives and a man (Charles Bronson) gets off of it, playing a harmonica. He's supposed to be meeting with a man named Frank, but we learn that Frank is attending to some other business. Soon, the three men there to meet the man are dead; And because of Frank (Henry Fonda, in one of his strongest performances), a family of 4 is dead. Then the young lady set to marry the father of the family, who is actually already married to him, arrives and is shocked to find everyone dead. The police think they know who did it already and are quick to point the finger at Cheyenne (Jason Robards), after all...He left his "signature" there. I don't want to say much more about the plot (and there is much more; The film is 2 hours and 45 minutes)...When you look at all the westerns in the history of cinema (mind you, I haven't seen another Leone film) and say which one you think is "the most well-made," this film has to pop up.
It's not the most entertaining western film (there are long stretches with no dialogue), but it is certainly one of the most suspenseful, colorful (not just in the literal sense), and most compelling of the genre. The performances, especially those of Fonda, Robards, and Bronson are superb. It's also clear while watching the movie how influential it has been on other filmmakers. You can even see more than echoes of this film in "Kill Bill Vo.2." Explaining just how unique a film like this is in writing is difficult, but I recommend that any true fan of cinema see this movie. Any true fan of western movies has probably already seen this movie, but I mean a true LOVER of cinema needs to see this. It's one of the few western movies I can think of off the top of my head that can deservedly be labeled a masterpiece.

GRADE: B+

Average customer rating:

sublime antics
Dark humor at its best - rbatin
Masterpiece of Satire
What the ...?
Not very good

The Loved One
Starring: Robert Morse , Jonathan Winters , Anjanette Comer , Dana Andrews , and Milton Berle
Director: Tony Richardson
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000ERVK4O
Release Date: 2006-06-20

Product Description

The funeral business gets a giant raspberry in this wickedly wacky, resplendently ridiculous farce based on Evelyn Waugh's macabre comic masterpiece and directed with inspired verve by Tony Richardson (Tom Jones). But the American way of death isn't the film's only target: sex, greed, religion and mother love are also in the crosshairs of its satirical shots. Robert Morse plays a bemused would-be poet who gets entangled with an unctuous cemetery entrepreneur (Jonathan Winters), a mom-obsessed mortician (Rod Steiger) and other bizarre characters played by such adept farceurs as John Gielgud, Robert Morley, Tab Hunter, Milton Berle, James Coburn and Liberace. If The Loved One doesn't make you laugh, call the undertaker!
Running Time: 121 min.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

In olden days, as Cole Porter famously observed, a mere glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking. So it's heartening to report that this 1965 black comedy still delivers on its billing as "the motion picture with something to offend everyone." Tony Richardson, fresh off the liberating Tom Jones, brings Evelyn Waugh's self-described "little nightmare" to the screen with all its sacrilegious shocks (and then some!) intact, courtesy of screenwriters Terry Southern (Dr. Strangelove) and Christopher Isherwood. Robert Morse stars as Dennis Barlow, an Englishman abroad and a fish out of water in Southern California. Stumbling across the Hollywood landscape like a cross between Candide and Jerry Lewis. Barlow gets a unique perspective of the American experience when he finds employment at the Happier Hunting Ground, a ramshackle pet cemetery, and the flipside of the fabulously vulgar Whispering Glades. In a virtuoso dual role, Jonathan Winters costars as glad-handing Happier Hunting Grounds proprietor Harry, whose brother, Whispering Glades' Blessed Reverend, has some out-of-this-world plans for the "Loved Ones." The mad, mad, mad mad cast also includes John Gielgud as Dennis's ill-fated expatriate uncle, an artist unceremoniously booted from the movie studio where he has worked for 31 years; Anjanette Comer as Aimee, a Whispering Glades cosmetician torn between Dennis and embalmer Mr. Joyboy (an unforgettable Rod Steiger), who registers his broken heart on the faces of his corpses; a teenage Paul Williams as a science prodigy; Liberace as a funeral salesman peddling eternal flames both "perpetual or standard"; Milton Berle and Margaret Leighton as "a typical well-adjusted American couple" whose deceased dog puts a crimp in their dinner plans; and even Jamie Farr, seen fleetingly as a waiter. The Loved One anticipates the "New Hollywood" with its naturalistic cinematography by Haskell Wexler (Medium Cool) and "anything goes" sensibility (the dinner scene with Joyboy and his obese mother would not be out of place in a John Waters movie). By turns creepy and grotesquely funny, The Loved One will bury you. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews:

sublime antics.......2007-06-28

all sorts of tongue & cheek delights. satire, slapstick, grotesque, all I could ever want in a comedy. Little outdated though.

Dark humor at its best - rbatin.......2007-05-12

This DVD is not for everyone, but funny if you can get into it. Robert Morse
does his usual fine job in this role. Mr. Joyboy's mother has some of the darkest yet funniest scenes in the movie. If you like your humor with a sick twist, you will like this DVD.

Masterpiece of Satire.......2007-04-28

Humor, unlike tragedy, is a very individual affair. Hamlet lasts whether played as period piece or with costumes closer to modern. The Shakespearean comedies frequently require editing for performance plus modern costume. Humor is fleeting and often linked to time and place.

This film will last well for those who found it the perfect send-up of America in the 1960s, through a British eye. The funeral industry is only centerpiece to a number of satiric targets including the idolization of the American "mom," space race mania, filling the south California mudhills with homes, pet cemetaries, romance-advice columns, movie cowboys, and much else. Some of this was new then; some of it we are now used to, some is less prominent today. I still think this is simply one of the funniest movies ever made. Others will not get it, for whatever reason. Cultural referrents change very fast, and in our time faster than ever.

What cannot be diminished are a baker's dozen of comic actors at very top form -- Jonathon Winters, for one, was never better; Rod Steiger's Dr. Joyboy is simply inspired. Young Robert Morse's performance grows on me with every viewing as the befuddled young British transplant to southern California and his strange epic effort to simply bury the dead. This black and white film is also well edited and superbly paced.

What the ...?.......2007-04-12

It takes a while to get going, but once it does, it's possibly the most bizarre movie I've ever seen. Mr. Joyboy's mother steals every scene she's in.

Not very good.......2007-04-12

My husband and I didn't like this very much. I had seen it years and years ago and remembered it as being funny. It wasn't really, it's too outdated.

Average customer rating:

Guadalcanal Diary
For its time, actually pretty accurate
Terse and violent, close in atmosphere and technique to "Wake Island".
Propaganda film
Really authentic dramaziation of the pacific war

Guadalcanal Diary
Starring: Preston Foster , Lloyd Nolan , William Bendix , Richard Conte , and Anthony Quinn
Director: Lewis Seiler
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B00005PJ8K
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Amazon.com

This is a far cry from The Thin Red Line, but it's engaging and efficient World War II propaganda about the opening of the South Pacific campaign that would ultimately turn the tide of the war. Anxious and unsuspecting Marines land on the Solomon Islands and quickly learn how to engage the Japanese in foxhole warfare. It's full of archetypal characters (tough sergeant Lloyd Nolan, Brooklyn cabby William Bendix, lusty Mexican Anthony Quinn, and gravel-mouthed Lionel Stander) and well-staged battle scenes. There's even a battle-weary narration to provide authenticity and historical perspective. All around, a good grunt film. --Bill Desowitz

Description

One of the greatest war movies of all time, combining action-packed, high-caliber battle sequences with quintessential foxhole-buddy camaraderie. Released in 1943, its authenticity and power remain undiminished.

The story follows one squad of Marines through the bloody assaults on the Solomon Islands during the opening stages of the war in the South Pacific. There's the tough sergeant (Lloyd Nolan), a cab driver from Brooklyn (William Bendix), a Mexican (Anthony Quinn) and a chaplain (Preston Foster). A battle-weary narrator reads from a diary, commenting on the typical grunt's everyday life, and death. Battles and dates of engagement are named, putting the explosive action into a solid historical context.

Based on Richard Tregaski's best-selling book, the script is by renowned screenwriter Lamar Trotti, who also wrote the screenplay for the wartime classic "To the Shore of Tripoli."

Customer Reviews:

Guadalcanal Diary.......2007-03-09

This firm was advertized on Amazon as being in "color." A black and white version was delivered to me, even though I had inquired of Amazon if the film was actually "color" and Amazon had assured me that it was definitely color. I knew the film was originally in black and white, but was swayed to buy the film in the belief, as marketed, that it had been colorized, which is what I was looking for.

For its time, actually pretty accurate.......2007-01-05

Like most war movies created in the early 40s, their one main purpose was to inspire Americans to buy more war bonds. Therefore, stories of valor, likable characters (many of whom get killed), fluff dialogue, and innaccurate retelling of battles were the mainstay of the films. "Guadalcanal Diary," however, was different than most. Rather than the glorification of battle and the 'good guys always winning with no problem,' there is a good deal of hardship here. Impressively, the movie portrays some of the angst and helplessness of the nighttime navel shelling that both sides participated in.

Also, there is a part early on that tells the true story of one detachment's fate on the far side of the island when they run into a Japanese force. Only one soldier survived to tell the tale. His account is very accurately portrayed. Of course, perhaps the US War Department was more interested in showing the grittier side of the war in order to promote those war bonds. Guadalcanal certainly provided enough true life grit for several movies.

It is definitely a condensed version of the events that took place on that island, but overall it is a well-acted and fascinating movie. For historical accuracy, it stands fairly well the test of time, although it is not as concerned with facts as with emotions. Still, there is great acting and good special effects (again, for the time) and fans of the era and of World War II history should enjoy this period piece regardless of the subtle marketing throughout.

Terse and violent, close in atmosphere and technique to "Wake Island"........2007-01-02

Guadalcanal is the second largest island (after Bougainville) of the Solomons and largest of the Solomon Islands Protectorate southwest Pacific...

During World War II it was the scene of bitter land and sea fighting between U. S. and Japanese forces...

On August 1942, the U.S. Marines, in the Allies' first major offensive in the Pacific, seized a Japanese airfield, Henderson Field, on the island...

On November, in a naval engagement, the Allies prevented the Japanese from landing reinforcements... By February 1943 the Japanese, badly outnumbered, were forced to evacuate Guadalcanal and by the end of the year they were on the defensive in their last stronghold in the Solomons, Bougainville Island...

"Guadalcanal Diary" is based on the best-selling book by war correspondent Richard Tregaskis... It follows the career of a platoon of Marines from Pre-landing shipboard briefings through two months slow murderous fighting in the taking of the South Sea jungles...

The film gives a realistic view of the hardships of war, and has its moments... Perhaps the most touching scene is at the climax when the tired veterans watch the fresh, green troops marching past them... The feeling is one of a continuous hard effort... The impudent newcomers have yet to face the revolting horrors that an American soldier is subjected to... Certainly, they will fight as well as those before them, however, we cannot but help feeling sad for those who will never return...

The film reveals the hard life in camps, shelters, patrols, hospitals, beaches and jungles in absolute reality... It is terse, violent, close in atmosphere and technique to "Wake Island" (1942).

Propaganda film.......2006-11-04

This film is about WW II, and one of the key, islands we took from the Japanese. I find it very, well acted (in a hammy, sort of way).

Really authentic dramaziation of the pacific war.......2006-07-05

The only thing that prevented me from giving this movie a 5 star
was the occasional schmalsty, goffy comments made in jest during
the film. But I beleive this was common in pictures made during
the war in the 40's.

Average customer rating:

The original Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Truly a classic movie
TERRIFIC FILM THAT HOLDS EVERYBODYS' INTEREST & INCLUDES SOME SURPRISES!
Good Deeds
Mr. Deeds

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Starring: Gary Cooper , Jean Arthur , George Bancroft , Lionel Stander , and Douglass Dumbrille
Director: Frank Capra
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000031EGT
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Amazon.com

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town is Frank Capra's classic screwball comedy about a village innocent who inherits $20 million, only to discover it's more trouble than it's worth. The screwball in question is Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper), a small-town greeting-card poet and tuba player transplanted to the big city to administer his newly inherited wealth, where fast-pattering, wised-up cynics, sneering society denizens, and corrupt lawyers lord it over the ingenuous and straightforward. Deeds's idiosyncrasies are amply magnified in the tabloids by journalist "Babe" Bennett (Jean Arthur), dating Deeds as a cover, only to discover she's the sap when she falls irresistibly for him. But the damage has been done, when Babe's column is used by a pack of corrupt lawyers, Cedar, Cedar, Cedar & Budington, to prove Deeds mentally unfit. The miracle of this unforgettable comedy is how it embraces dark material, calling into question some common assumptions about capitalism while maintaining an approachable atmosphere of light comedy, and deceptively so. You'll be so pixilated by its charm, you won't rest until you've doodled your way to a rhyme for "Budington." --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews:

The original Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.......2007-06-20

Quintessential Capra charmer is one of Cooper's most appealing comic forays, as his plain-talking homespun reflection of rural America out-foxes all those smug and greedy city-slickers. Arthur is also terrific as Babe Bennett, the hard-nosed lady journalist who first ridicules, then falls for Longfellow, much to her own surprise. One of the screen's authentic classics, this is pixilated comedy at its very best. Beware the Adam Sandler remake.

Truly a classic movie.......2007-01-11

A must see movie for those that like the classics. Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur are outstanding. People are not taught morals like this everyday anymore.

TERRIFIC FILM THAT HOLDS EVERYBODYS' INTEREST & INCLUDES SOME SURPRISES!.......2006-08-30

IN A NUTSHELL: A 1936 ROMANTIC COMEDY THAT IS STILL RELEVANT
TODAY

Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur are incredibly effective and believable as quite an odd couple in this serio-comic treatment of idealism versus cynicism in the form of the small town iconoclast versus the big city. Together, the pair are the embodiment of the Capra depiction of the grand virtues of the simple country folk pitted against the unnatural and decadent evils of the modern city.

However, in this story, like most of Capra's there is a way out for all of us in this film, and a way for us individually to empathize with the characters and the plight of society as a whole as it staggered through the 'Great Depression'.

MR. DEEDS & THE GREAT DEPRESSION:

Just when one might be thinking okay, I have been watching this film for an hour and I know how it is going to turn out, Mr. Deeds takes a hard turn to the LEFT! In this seemingly extraneous subplot, lies the true meaning of this film, as we discover that Mr. Deeds is much more than just another 'boy meets girl' film with a few bumps thrown in on the way to the altar. That's because Deeds is a better man than that and can't be so easily defeated. Of course, this is a parody of 1936 society which had been in a real depression for 7 years already.

Yes, Mr. Deeds does draw a great deal of empathy from modern viewers as he plays the knight in shining armor from a by-gone era, looking for his damsel in distress in New York City. Rather than just brooding over it, Longfellow Deeds does something drastic about, drastic enough for his sanity to come into question. In this questioning of Deeds' sanity, Babe Bennett [Jean Arthur] is given the opportunity, which see puts to good use, to earn back Longfellow Deeds' trust and so illustrate that perhaps none of us is beyond redemption. Now isn't that a promising idea?

--*THE PRINCIPAL CAST

Gary Cooper - Longfellow Deeds
Jean Arthur - Babe Bennett
George Bancroft - MacWade
Lionel Stander - Cornelius Cobb
Douglas Dumbrille - John Cedar
Raymond Walburn - Walter
H.B. Warner - Judge Walker

--*MAJOR AWARDS

Best Actor (nom) Gary Cooper 1936 Academy
Best Director (win) Frank Capra 1936 Academy
Best Picture (nom) 1936 Academy
Best Screenplay (nom) Robert Riskin 1936 Academy
Best Sound (nom) John P. Livadary 1936 Academy
10 Best Films (win) 1936 Film Daily
Best Picture (win) 1936 National Board of Review
Best Picture (win) 1936 New York Film Critics Circle
10 Best Films (win) 1936 New York Times

BOTTOM LINE: WE NEED MR. DEEDS ON DVD!

Great surprisingly modern 1936 serio-romantic comedy that boasts a wonderful cast under the brillant oscar winning direction of Frank Capra. In the end, this is a story of hope for all of us just as in 'Lost Horizon'.

Good Deeds.......2006-06-23

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town is the story of Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper), a man who inherits a fortune from his dead uncle. When he arrives in New York, he begins to reform though the people there expect him to follow their orders blindly. He falls in love with a reporter disguised as a damsel in distress (Jean Arthur) who uses him for a story. Deeds does many great things, but the people who want to use him deem him crazy in order to usurp his power.

Cooper is wonderful in these wide-eyed innocent types of roles. He is tall and wears his strength well, which makes his sweetness all the more appealing. It is hard not to fall in love with his character and to wish that there really were people like him in the world.

This film was re-made starring Adam Sandler and called Mr. Deeds. That version is actually very good and puts some modern comedy into an already great story. It also stays true to this film featuring much of the same plot and names. Sandler does a great job at mimicking Cooper's innocence and honesty, though the original should not be forgotten.

Mr. Deeds.......2005-10-09

Gary Cooper plays Longfellow Deeds, the greeting card poet from Mandrake Falls, Vermont, who inherits 20 million dollars from his uncle, comes to NYC, and becomes the laughingstock of the big city. When he decides to give all the money away to out-of-work farmers (it's Depression time, remember), he is declared insane by lawyers who want some of the pie for themselves, citing his tuba playing, walking in the rain, chasing fire engines, etc. as examples.

Jean Arthur is the newspaper woman who uses him at first to make a bigger sap out of him to sell papers, but soon she finds herself in love with him and decides to help him out. The movie ends with a famous courtroom scene where Cooper refuses to defend himself until it's almost too late - but of course Arthur comes to his rescue and Coop turns the tables.

Like most Capra pictures it goes on too long, and in this one we really feel it. The Capra "corn" is piled on thick, with such scenes as the one at Grant's Tomb almost obligatory in a Capra picture. Cooper and Arthur perform wonderfully, though, and the supporting cast is at its best, too.

Strange note (to me, anyway): Where here Deeds says nothing in his defense at the end, Jimmy Stewart in the similarly sounding MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, also by Capra (1939), goes on talking for 24 hours in his filibuster on the floor of Congress. From one extreme to the other!

Average customer rating:

what a waste
Repellant Characters and too Long By Far
The gloomiest musical in some time...
A MUST HAVE DVD
A Long Goodbye

New York, New York
Starring: Liza Minnelli , Robert De Niro , Lionel Stander , Barry Primus , and Mary Kay Place
Director: Martin Scorsese
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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ASIN: B00062IVKI
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Amazon.com

Martin Scorsese took a daring turn from the mean streets that made his reputation in the early '70s with New York, New York, his homage to the big-band era. And what an homage it is: the dazzling production design by Boris Leven continues to impress over the film's nearly three-hour length. And there's no denying the anthemic appeal of Kander and Ebb's title song, belted with winning bravado by costar Liza Minnelli in a showstopping finale. But as valiantly as Minnelli and Robert De Niro try, they can't elevate the shaky plot beyond its two-dimensional construct. It purports to be a Star Is Born-like tragedy of colliding careers, but too often it feels like inadvertently eavesdropping on a marriage counselor's most truculent clients. (There are times you want someone--anyone--to slap Minnelli upside the head with a copy of Women Who Love Too Much.) For diehard Minnelli (or Scorsese) fans only. --Anne Hurley

Description

Acclaimed director Martin Scorsese teams with Academy AwardÂ(r) winners* Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro in this splashy, flashy musical spectacle celebrating the glorious days of the Big Band Era in the Big Apple! Jimmy is a joint-jumpin saxophonist on his way to stardom. Francine is a wannabe starlet who dreams of singing in the spotlight. When they meet, sparks flyand when he plays and she sings, they set New York on fire! It's the beginning of a stormy relationship, asthe two struggle to balance their passions for music and each other under the pressures of big-timeshow biz. *Minnelli: Actress, Cabaret (1972); De Niro: Actor, Raging Bull (1980), Supporting Actor, The Godfather Part II (1974)

Customer Reviews:

what a waste.......2007-03-09

i have to say that the singings, the songs and everything related to music in the film are great. but other than those parts, the screenplay had focused too much on the domestic violence, the abuse, the manipulation, the jealousy, mainly on the dark side of a stormy romance. it downgraded this suppose-to-be great movie. the character that de niro played portrayed a person who got the talent but also a born psycho, a maniac, a run-away, totally lost controlled crazy man. the storyline about him was overly done and overly exaggerated to the extreme, making the whole movie so repellent, repulsive through out the whole movie. de niro also failed to give us a new dimension of his performance but used his usual and comfortable acting abilities originated from 'the taxi driver' that was absolutely inappropriate in this different genre movie. what he gave us was nothing but a degenerated 'taxi driver' & 'raging bull' in a pitch dark broadway musical romance. the only difference was 'are you talking to me?' to force his wife to 'look at me!'
liza minnelli played an amazing role in this movie. every song she sang was great and heart wrenching. i couldn't help but reminding myself during watching this movie that how similar the storylines of the 'dreamgirls' was to 'new york, new york'. similar manipulating, abusive men and husbands, only that guy in the 'dreamgirls' was much kinder and gentler than the guy in 'new york, new york'. but the screenwriters and the director had put too much torturing violence in 'new york, new york' that almost killed the good part of this movie. furthermore, this movie was overly dragged too long, especially on the part of the couple's stormy relationship. what the character that de niro played didn't belong to broadway but a asylum. you just can't let the audience to appreciate the better part with the dominante worse part of this movie. it's a shame that the director and the screenplay writers of this film both failed to realize.

Repellant Characters and too Long By Far.......2007-03-03

Scorcese completely ruins the mood of his own lovefest for the big band era. The opening scene where De Niro imposes his interest on a disinterested Liza is actually pretty funny. He's at his most gum-chewing obnoxious pushiness and she seems more amused and exhasperated then threatened. Then he continues to pursue her and the fun leaves the movie. De Niro is a classic abusive stalker control freak sociopath. Liza seems to be in a different movie altogether as she obviously isn't buying the manure Scorcese and De Niro are selling. She seems more confused and amused most of the time. As if she's thinking, "these guys can't be serious" every time De Niro threatens her or acts out. At least Raging Bull and Taxi Driver were honest depictions of the corrosive effects of the fear and hatred some men feel towards women, particularly women with brains, opinions and ambitions of their own. New York, New York wants to have its cake and eat it too.

The gloomiest musical in some time..........2007-01-10

In "New York, New York, director Martin Scorcese recalled the Big Band era of the forties in a musical drama concerning the romance and shaky marriage of a musician (Robert De Niro) and a band singer (Liza Minnelli).

Much of the forties ambiance is accurately re-created, and Minnelli gives vibrant readings of some good songs, especially the title song, but De Niro's character is so harsh and unpleasant and his squabbles with Minnelli so long and depressing that the film is easily the gloomiest musical in some time...

"The Buddy Holly Story" (1977), dealing with the rock star who died in a plane crash in 1959, just as his fame had peaked, was much less pretentious and much better...

A MUST HAVE DVD.......2007-01-09

Nostalgic movie well acted (and well sung, too) in a gorgeous band era (40's) background, under a tactful Scorzese's direction.

A Long Goodbye.......2006-11-07

Robert DeNiro plays a jazz musician, Jimmy Doyle. Liza Minnelli plays a singer, Francine Evans. WWII has ended. Doyle picks her up at a party. They fall in love. They start an act together. They have a baby and their marriage starts to fall apart. Evans goes on to star in fancy Hollywood musicals. Doyle can't, and doesn't really want to make the transition, but respects his ex-wife and her new boyfriend, since he can give her something he can't. In the end, Doyle has the opportunity to leave with Evans in the mothership, but decides to stay on the ground. That pretty much sums up all two and a half hours of this film. It's the execution that makes it great.

I found this movie sticking out from a shelf in the library. After I watched it, I figured it was Scorsese's way of saying goodbye to his first wife. Sometimes I have a hard time understanding what other people are going through. So, I said, "Thanks for sharing that with me." I'm not sure if he heard me.

Average customer rating:

Didn't Live Up to Expectations
Boot Hill
Eastern Western
Highly Disappointed
This Spaghetti Needs Pepto Bismol

Boot Hill
Starring: Terence Hill , Woody Strode , Bud Spencer , Eduardo Ciannelli , and Glauco Onorato
Director: Giuseppe Colizzi
Manufacturer: Direct Source Label
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

My Name Is Nobody
My Name Is Trinity [Region 2]
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Ace High

ASIN: B00005Y80H
Release Date: 2001-01-30

Customer Reviews:

Didn't Live Up to Expectations.......2007-02-26

I should have recognized that given the age of this film that the DVD print would be of such low quality

Boot Hill.......2007-02-08

The picture quality sub VHS standard. I'm a fan of Terence Hill films but this was by far the worst I've seen. I would not recommend this to anyone.

Eastern Western.......2007-01-10

Entertaining, low buget western. Plot a little hard to follow. Not exactly Terence Hill's best movie. Watch it.

Highly Disappointed.......2005-12-16

I have yet to actually watch more than the first 10 mins. The quality is so bad I refused to go any further. For the life of me I can see how any Studio worth its salt could release anything so poor; where has "Pride In Your Work" gone. I could hardly make out the actors in this movie.
I skipped forward by chapters just to see if some change had taken place, but to my dismay there was none. I am not one of those critics always writing bad reviews, in fact this is probably my second ever. I just had to warn other buyers so they don't get shafted like I did.
In all fairness the movie itself may actually be great but for me what is the use if its un-watchable. Its almost like a bad bootleg movie (I refuse to watch those too). I am sure they could have spent some more time and money to remaster it and get all the graininess out and bring clarity to this film.
All in all this is just my opinion and I hope it helps someone save their money, however if you don't mind the picture quality get it because I love the Trinity Saga.

This Spaghetti Needs Pepto Bismol.......2005-11-05

Don't expect a comedy in the vein of TRINITY or THEY CALL ME TRINITY. If you do, you are in for a fall. Both of those were silly but redeemed themselves by being entertaining. This one has no such pretensions. It is merely boring.

The story concerns a corrupt mining company out to cheat the local town's folk out of their claims. They do this through intimidation and violence. When a couple of friends get hold of a claim, they put together a plan to secure that claim and those of the rest of the town from the bad guys. To do this, they enlist the aide of a traveling circus to serve as a distraction. They yell, they fight, they wrestle, they shoot and then they do it some more. Its not very exciting cinema.

This production is made worse by the DVD. I suspect that the original film was a rather low budget affair. The DVD, however, is of such low quality that who could really tell? The edges are clipped off, the transfer is grainy and the effect is of someone holding a hidden handycam in a theater trying to bootleg it. IT was not worth the effort.

Spaghetti westerns can be fun. This one, however, needs the Pepto Bismol right from the beginning to drive off the heartburn.

Unfaithfully Yours (Criterion Collection)

Average customer rating:

An arid technical exercise and not nearly as funny as it thinks it is
A classic that ranks among the greatest of black comedies
'Fantasia' à la Hitchcock
A High Style Masterpiece From Preston Sturges and Rex Harrison
I was laughing out loud.

Unfaithfully Yours (Criterion Collection)
Starring: Rex Harrison , Linda Darnell , Rudy Vallee , Barbara Lawrence , and Kurt Kreuger
Director: Preston Sturges
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Browning Version (Criterion Collection)
The Palm Beach Story

ASIN: B0009HMTDU
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Amazon.com

Preston Sturges has his great run in 1940-44, with a series of comedy masterpieces unparalleled in Hollywood film. 1948's Unfaithfully Yours proves that he still had the touch, if only he could have found a supportive studio for his genius. (It would've helped if Unfaithfully Yours had been a hit, which it was not.) Sir Alfred De Carter (Rex Harrison) is a witty, vain orchestra conductor, a celebrated man married to a beautiful woman (Linda Darnell). He becomes convinced of her infidelity, and while he is on the podium during a concert, he fantasizes three homicidal revenge fantasies--all set to the classics.

The conductor looks suspiciously like a self-portrait by Sturges, and the delicious dialogue comes pouring out of Rex Harrison like pearls from a goblet. The film's main disappointment is that it doesn't feature the teeming stock company of character actors that crowd Sturges's earlier pictures (although Rudy Vallee, Lionel Stander, and Edgar Kennedy come through nicely). The film, while morbid, is often laugh-out-loud funny, but it also has something sneakily brilliant to say about the gulf between art and life: how the exquisite timing and perfect mechanics of Sir Alfred's imagination come a-cropper when he actually tries to enact his fantasies. Unfaithfully Yours was remade in a not-bad version with Dudley Moore in 1984, but this one's the keeper. Too bad it couldn't save Sturges--this is the last worthy film in a too-brief career. --Robert Horton

Description

In this pitch-black comedy from legendary writer-director Preston Sturges, Rex Harrison stars as Sir Alfred De Carter, a world-famous symphony conductor consumed with the suspicion that his wife is having an affair. During a concert, the jealous De Carter entertains elaborate visions of vengeance, set to three separate orchestral works. But when he attempts to put his murderous fantasies into action, nothing works out quite as planned. A brilliantly performed mixture of razor-sharp dialogue and uproarious slapstick, Unfaithfully Yours is a true classic from a grand master of screen comedy.

Customer Reviews:

An arid technical exercise and not nearly as funny as it thinks it is.......2006-08-31

Despite liking a couple of his movies, I've never been a fan of Preston Sturges, and a second viewing of Unfaithfully Yours did nothing to change that. With rare exceptions like Frasier or Comme une Image, most supposedly `sophisticated' comedies are usually either too clever by half or not half as clever as they think they are: this definitely falls into the latter category. It may be slightly more articulate, but it still comes down to pratfalls and clichés clumsily dispensed (not to mention an incredibly one-dimensional role for Linda Darnell as the wife whose sole reason for existence seems to be to worship her husband). Unfortunately it soon becomes apparent that despite his confidence in the early part of the film, Rex Harrison is entirely wrong for the part: aside from being so incredibly unsympathetic that he simply alienates you for most of the film, he has absolutely no facility for physical comedy, which renders what could and should have been a great comic setpiece where he accidentally trashes his hotel room far more thoroughly than any rock star ever could even dream of rather tedious and protracted. (Alfred Newman's surprisingly crudely over the top slide-whistle and horn 'comic' underscoring all but stones the scene to death, a surprising lapse of judgment from a great composer in a film revolving around classical music.) In the hands of an actor with a modicum of physical comedy timing it could have been gold, but instead it's almost reduced to a technical exercise.

But the same could be said for much of the film. The idea of having the execution and resolution of Harrison's fantasies dictated by the pace of the music he conducts (Rossini for murder, Wagner for mournful forgiveness, Tchaikovsky for suicide) is inspired, but it results in scenes that feel forced, as if at the mercy of a galley slave master's drumbeat. That the scenes themselves are so predictable doesn't help, as goodwill and admiration gradually gives way to boredom in the second half.

There are, however, two saving graces. One is the scene in private detective Edgar Kennedy's office, where Harrison is furious to discover that the man he has come to castigate is a knowledgeable fan with his own tale of loss. The scene is crudely performed and reads better than it plays, but there's heart and humanity there that's lacking in too much of the rest of the film. But the film's genuine standout moment is the orchestra rehearsal, one of the best pieces of filmed musical performance in the movies, not only showing how the music is constructed but showing the life, character and human soul behind it. The loss of those qualities in the rest of the movie is all the more keenly felt in an increasingly arid and overplayed technical exercise.

A classic that ranks among the greatest of black comedies.......2006-07-03

It is easy to understand why they changed everything but the bare premise of this movie for the 1984 remake. After all, the 1948 original staggered beneath the weight of massive burdens. Its star performer not only consented but actually seemed to delight in delivering precisely articulated dialogue in long blocks, one after another--and all at crackling pace, too. Worse, Preston Sturges' clever, witty script plainly assumed that his audience possessed both general knowledge and willingness to pay attention for whole minutes at a time. Worst, Sturges' plot satirized both movie stereotypes and audience expectations.

Those 1948 audiences, for good and sufficient reasons of their own, did not turn out in droves nor did they shell out much money to see "Unfaithfully Yours." The 1984 production team did their very best to avoid that dismal fate by jettisoning Sturges' near-perfect script, ruthlessly dumbing everything down and shrinking the film to fit the talents of twinkly little Dudley Moore.

(Rex Harrison to Dudley Moore, what a falling off was there!)

Harrison plays British conductor, Sir Alfred de Carter, whom the script clearly expects the audience to identify with the real conductor, Sir Thomas Beecham. The initial satirical thrust at audience expectations is that de Carter turns out to be a super-egotistical prima donna rather than the smooth, lovable and--yes!--twinkly Sir Thomas. By a series of satisfactorily ridiculous plot developments, Sir Alfred becomes convinced that his beautiful and much younger wife is having an affair with his assistant.

Sir Alfred has a high comedy encounter with a detective played by Edgar Kennedy, one of the finest second bananas in movie history. The detective does his level best to convince the wronged husband to ignore or forgive his wife's little failings, lest he lose far more than he can ever hope to gain from shallow, trifling revenge. In the course of the scene it becomes clear that the detective had not taken his own advice in the past and now bitterly regrets it. This is a wonderful scene, and probably Kennedy's last hurrah on the screen, for he died shortly thereafter--a perfect mixture of hilarity and wistfulness.

The egotist brushes aside the warnings of the detective and transforms himself into Othello's younger brother. Before, he had been over-generous and almost too-eloquent for belief with his loving words; now, he sneers and derides. If he does not quite get around to demanding that his bewildered wife hand over a handkerchief, it is only because time is short and he has a concert to conduct.

The performance begins with an overture by Rossini. The up-tempo music puts the conductor into a manic mood and his mind turns to a plot in which he murders his wife and casts damning suspicion on his rival. The elaborate machinations of the murder scheme satirize whole flocks of creakily overblown films from "The Bat" to "Philo Vance and the Kennel Murders." The second selection is the music of the pilgrims from Wagner's Tannhaeuser--a downer after Rossini. The conductor's imagination shifts from murderous revenge to world-weary forgiveness as it satirizes the emetic nobility of films such as the often-remade "Four Feathers." Finally, a Tschaikovsky piece moves Sir Alfred's thoughts to grim competitiveness. He will challenge his younger rival to a game of Russian roulette with his wife as a reluctant witness--think of about half the films made by John Barrymore or Doug Fairbanks, Jr.

After the concert, the conductor rushes off to his home to prepare for his elaborate murder scheme, only to come hilariously crashing against the harsh reality of ruthlessly hostile mechanisms, cheerily incomprehensible operating instructions and painfully fragile chairs.

In the end, the conductor's wife offers an explanation that allows him to dismiss all his suspicions and return to his original state of (illusionary?) wedded bliss.

With brilliant performances, crackling dialogue, smart plotting and fine physical gags, "Unfaithfully Yours" ranks with "The Ladykillers," "Kind Hearts and Coronets" and "Monsieur Verdoux," the best of black comedies.

Five stars.

IDLE SPECULATIONS: Good as it is--and it is very good--"Unfaithfully Yours" might have been better still.

Rex Harrison, however brilliant he may be in the dialogue scenes, is not by any stretch of the imagination a physical comedian. Even though screen credit is given to a conducting coach, Harrison is painfully stiff as a conductor and as often as not behind the beat of the music he is supposed to be conducting. And the physical comedy sequence is weakened by the obvious substitution of a stunt double from time to time--not to mention the obvious fact that Harrison's record player is far funnier than he is. In 1948 there was an actor of the right age, one who who could have gotten away with the conductor's dialogue and would unquestinably have been side-splittingly funny while conducting or going two falls out of three with the demon record player--Charlie Chaplin. Now THAT would have been something to see!

Then there is the script. The film ends on a subtly false note. As "Unfaithfuly Yours" stands now, Linda Darnell's innocent wife neatly explains away every suspicion; she leaves not only her own virtue unblemished but also that of her unpleasant younger sister who throughout the film had been positioned as the eventual fall girl. At the very end of the film, the fully reconciled conductor and wife turn away to depart for a happy evening on the town.

I think that the studio or even Sturges, himself, cut a final scene to conform to the nervous dictates of the Film Code. I think that as the happy couple and their friends leave the hotel, they were intended to pass by Edgar Kennedy, the detective who had striven so hard to preserve the de Carter marriage. I think that Darnell and Kennedy were intended to make eye contact in shared acknowledgment that the pack of lies they had concocted to reassure Sir Alfred had worked. Then, at last, the conductor's straying wife would indeed have been Unfaithfully His.

'Fantasia' à la Hitchcock.......2006-05-19

Preston Sturges just might be the greatest writer/director ever to have worked in Hollywood. Of his great comedies, any one may be said to be his finest: the moving humor of Sullivan's Travels, the censor-defying scandal-causing hilarity of The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, the high sophistication of The Lady Eve, the sarcastic finger pointing satire of Hail the Conquering Hero, or even the beautiful trifling bauble that is Christmas in July.

But my vote goes to Unfaithfully Yours, Sturges' blackest, most sinister, and most sophisticated comedy. Some might say it could never compare to his earlier Paramount comedies, but in my opinion, Sturges never displayed his great talent as a filmmaker better than in this Twentieth Century Fox classic.

In his adroit combination of highly sophisticated verbal comedy, pratfalling physical gags, and audio humor, Sturges has created a comedic tale of warmth, beauty, and, at times, memorable terror.

The plot concerns an orchestra conductor, who through a series of unfortunate misunderstandings, suspects his beautiful wife of carrying on an affair with his secretary.

During his evening concert, the conductor imagines three different ways of dealing with this problem, all while conducting some famous pieces of classical music.

First, we get Fanatasia gone terribly wrong, as the razor-yielding conductor violently slashes his wife's throat to the dazzling overture from Rossini's Semiramide. He then gives us a tale of remorse, as Tannhauser's Pilgrim's Chorus provides the backdrop for a brief moment of forgiveness. And he finally presents a disturbing game of Russian Roulette to the strains of Tchaikovsky's Francesca di Rimini Overture...

But it is not until after the concert is over that the conductor must choose which of the three plans he wants to actually use on his wife. Back at his hotel apartment, Sturges' conductor tries to put into reality his plans which worked out so perfectly in his imagination---with little to no luck.

No description of Unfaithfully Yours could ever come close to summarizing the genius contained within the film. Sturges has so much to say about the male ego, relationships, music, and pride that the film can be viewed as a commentary on all of these things.

The cast is uniformly marvelous. Although many lament the fact that Sturges wasn't allowed to use his trustworthy cast of stock actors he had used consistently in his Paramount features, he certainly got equally good players to fill in all of his parts. Controlling the picture is Rex Harrison, who plays the conductor. His venemous line delivery and collosal temper create one of the most memorable characters in the cinematic tradition. Linda Darnell, a beauty of enormous unsung talent, displays her subtle comic technique in this film, creating four different and distinct characters: the real wife, the seductive tramp in the first hallucination, the guilty lover in the second, and the jittery nervous paramour in the third. She, under the magic hand of Sturges, displays acting of the highest form. Second leads Barbara Lawrence and Rudy Vallee give wonderful comedic performances that always hit their marks head on. And every single supporting role, from the private detective to the hotel telephone operators, are solid gold.

In all, Preston Sturges' Unfaithfully Yours is a film no fan can afford to miss. No matter what you have to do, you must see this film and bask in the glory that was Preston Sturges and the Golden Age of Hollywood.

A High Style Masterpiece From Preston Sturges and Rex Harrison.......2006-03-01

Says British conductor Alfred De Carter to his younger and adoring wife, Daphne, at the close of Unfaithfully Yours, "A thousand poets dreamed a thousand years...and you were born, my love." Before we get there, however, we are in the midst of one of the most sophisticated comedies of style ever filmed, and we have witnessed Rex Harrison as De Carter give a titanic performance of plump ego, ridiculous self-righteousness and effortless comedy skill.

De Carter is a famous, wealthy symphony conductor married to Daphne (Linda Darnell) and who employes the handsome Tony (Kurt Krueger) as his personal assistant. Through plausible misunderstandings he learns a private detective kept tabs on Daphne while he was in England. The detective's report is clear...Daphne spent some time in Tony's hotel room late one night wearing a negligee. De Carter first rejects the report, but the worm of jealousy burrows in. That night, while conducting, he imagines three immensely satisfying ways of dealing with the situation. They involve a straight razor applied vigorously to Daphne. Then the noble use of his check book..."This little head was never made to worry, or these little hands to work." And last, a game of Russian roulette, with his preening wit and a cowering Tony. But after the symphony, when he attempts to implement his ideas...well, let's say De Carter finds himself in an extended scene with disasters of his own ego's making. Finally, with just a little humiliation, De Carter learns the truth about that nighttime visit to Tony's room. With the misunderstanding finally cleared up, De Carter embraces his wife and whispers to her those last lines.

Without Preston Sturges' witty screenplay and clever direction, Unfaithfully Yours would be a slight and cold work indeed. Without Rex Harrison's skill and personality, Unfaithfully Yours would be as cynical as a broken promise and as funny as a man who slips on a banana peel, but shatters his jaw on the curb. Together, however, they have created a film of incredibly high style, smart dialogue that just keeps coming which Harrison delivers with precision and malice. Harrison gives a line like "Put on the purple one...with the plumes at the hips," all the demeaning innuendo Sturges could hope for. Even Edgar Kennedy as Sweeney the private eye gets in the act. "No one can handle Handel like you handle Handel," he enthusiastically tells De Carter. "And your Delius...delirious!"

Rex Harrison was not only an incredibly gifted stage and movie actor, he was just about the best there was for high comedy. It's no accident that most critics think he was the outstanding interpreter of Shaw and one of the best with Coward. I think he had the best line delivery in the business. What is surprising, because he can be so clever and amusing, is Harrison's handling of the extended deadpan slapstick toward the end of the movie. De Carter encounters chairs with wicker seats he steps through, tables that fall over holding lamps and phones he tries to catch, gloves that won't fit and high shelves he can barely reach. The classic is his attempt to set up the Simplicitas Home Recording Unit, "So Simple It Operates Itself." By the time De Carter finishes, the elegant drawing room is a shambles. Harrison, if he put his mind to it and on a good day, could possibly out Keaton Keaton.

For fans of classical music, De Carter is conducting works by Rossini, Wagner and Tchaikowsky while he imagines the three ways of dealing with his ego-damaged situation. As Sturges has De Carter say at one point early in the movie, "There's nothing serious about music. It should be enjoyed flat on the back with a sandwich in one hand and a bucket of beer in the other, and as many pretty girls around as possible."

The Criterion picture is in great shape. There are a number of extras, including an appreciation of Sturges by Terry Jones and a commentary track by three Sturges scholars.

I was laughing out loud........2006-01-24

I know Rex Harrison to be rather pompous, the very stero-typical Brit. He is also good at comedy, but I never thought he could be so ridiculously funny. He plays Sir Alfred Carter, reknown conductor. Against his better judgment he becomes convinced his wife is having an affair. While he is conducting & against the backdrop of classical music he plots to kill his wife & have the blame placed on her "lover" which he believes to be his personal secretary. His plans to turn his perfect fantasy murder disolves into one of Preston Sturges' finest
slapstick routines as Sir Alfred silently falls into chaos & demolishes his apartment.
As it turns out there is no adultery at all, only a big misunderstanding reminiscent of the screwball comedies. Linda Darnell is young, beautiful & nice. More than Sir Alfred deserves. I know Sturges was at the end of his career, but I consider this one of his better efforts.

Average customer rating:

Pulp Fizzle

Pulp
Starring: Michael Caine , Mickey Rooney , Lionel Stander , Lizabeth Scott , and Nadia Cassini
Director: Mike Hodges
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000MTFDE2
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Amazon.com

Pulp is a little-seen yet still entertaining black comedy from Michael Caine's prolific mid-career period of the early 1970s. While Sleuth fared much better at the box office in 1972 (mainly due to the dynamic pairing of Caine and Laurence Olivier), there's much to enjoy in this droll, wickedly sarcastic effort from Mike Hodges, who had previously directed Caine in the acclaimed 1971 thriller Get Carter. You can detect some of that film's darker sensibility here, with Caine giving a laid-back and jaded performance as Mickey King, a pulp novelist of dubious reputation who's agreed to ghost-write the autobiography of Preston Gilbert (Mickey Rooney), a Hollywood has-been who specialized in playing gangsters, now living in a sun-baked villa on the island of Malta. As it turns out, Gilbert's been keeping some dangerous secrets, and shortly after Mickey arrives on the island, Gilbert is murdered and the now-unemployed ghost-writer is the killer's next target. As Mickey tracks down clues by interviewing potential suspects, his voice-over narration (of which there is plenty in this casually-paced mystery) begins to reflect how his own life has become like one of his overcooked potboilers, and half the fun comes from hearing how he's embellishing events as they unfold. Rooney's a comedic standout during his brief time on-screen, and there's some fine support from Lionel Stander as Gilbert's lazy bodyguard, and long-legged beauty Nadia Cassini (who went on to a modest career in Italian films) as Gilbert's mistress. Note to film buffs: Keep a lookout for Al Lettieri (best known as "Solozzo" from The Godfather), in addition to a small but pivotal role for Robert Sacchi, who made a career for himself as "The Man with Bogart's Face." Pulp may not make you laugh out loud, but it'll definitely keep you smiling. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Mickey King (Michael Caine) writes pulp, lives pulp and very soon could be pulp. While ghostwriting an autobiography for Hollywood star Preston Gilbert (Mickey Rooney), Mickey ends up investigating a murder....

Customer Reviews:

Pulp Fizzle.......2007-04-29

Fan's of the original "Get Carter" be forwarned. "Pulp" may have reteamed star Michael Caine and director Mike Hodges but lightning has not struck twice here. The story, when not incoherent, meanders and Hodges' stabs at dark comedy crash down with a resounding thud. Even at an an economical 95 minutes the film seems to drag. Lone redeeming qualities here are the ever charismatic Caine and an all too abreviated appearance by Mickey Rooney as an exiled film star.

Average customer rating:

Thomas Janes Best
Tom Jane does a superb job in this thrilling and crackling true story
PROPAGANDA WOVEN INTO A TRUE CRIMES TALE
Am I "Politically Correct" Yet?
Deserves to be noticed, exciting and intriguing, based on true story

Stander
Starring: Thomas Jane , Dexter Fletcher , David O'Hara , Deborah Kara Unger , and Ashley Taylor (IV)
Director: Bronwen Hughes
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000683VHK
Release Date: 2004-12-21

Amazon.com

Stander is the compelling, true story of Andre Stander (superbly played by Tom--formerly Thomas--Jane), an Apartheid-era, South African police captain whose disgust over official repression of the nation's black majority--and his own, lethal participation in those policies--leads to his career as a bank robber. Captured, imprisoned, and on the run after a successful escape, Stander joins two partners (Dexter Fletcher, David Patrick O'Hara) in a long string of bank heists across the country, uncertain of his destiny but yearning for his estranged wife (Deborah Unger). Co-screenwriter and director Bronwen Hughes (Forces of Nature) can't quite overcome the built-in redundancy of the film's latter half (lots of robberies, lots of disguises). But despite all the gunplay, Stander is most interesting for its understated fascination with the enigma of its anti-hero, who wreaks havoc yet is peculiarly committed to atoning--at great pain--for those actions he considers most unethical. --Tom Keogh

Description

When white police officer Andres Stander (played by Tom Jane) suffers a crisis of conscience after his involvement in a riot in Johannesburg, he goes from law enforcer to law breaker, becoming one South Africa's most notorious bank robbers.

Customer Reviews:

Thomas Janes Best.......2006-11-05

I had never heard of this movie but saw a program on Court TV about the real story of Andre Stander. I then found out that Thomas Jane had made a movie about it and thought I would check it out. This was a very good movie. I enjoyed it very much. Thomas Jane was excellent as was the rest of the cast. It is a very interesting story that is made even more interesting because it is true. It has political insight into the South African culture and also has a lot of action.

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Tom Jane does a superb job in this thrilling and crackling true story.......2006-08-07

Stander was a very good film about the real-life exploits of Andre Stander, Lee McCall and Allan Heyl who were known collectively as The Stander Gang. The Stander Gang was well-known for their daring and reckless bank robberies in their homeland of South Africa. The film stars Tom Jane (The Punisher, Deep Blue Sea) as the title character with Dexter Fletcher (Band of Brothers and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) and David Patrick O'Hara (Braveheart) rounding out the rest of the Stander Gang.

The film starts off introducing Andre Stander as a highly decorated member of the South African Police Force in the late 1970's and the beginning of the anti-apartheid movement. It shows Andre Stander's growing disgust and disenchantment in his government's racist apartheid policies and his own role in enforcing it. After a violent and brutal break-up of an anti-apartheid protest gathering where Stander kills a protestor, the film begins to move into meat of the story. Stander's disenchantment w