Ambush

Starring:Peter FranzÃ©n, Irina BjÃ¶rklund, Kari Heiskanen, Taisto Reimaluoto, Kari VÃ¤Ã¤nÃ¤nen, Tommi Eronen, Pekka Heikkinen, Pekka Huotari, Tero Jartti, Rauno Juvonen, Arttu Kapulainen, Matti Laitinen, Petri Manninen, Kristo Salminen, Kari-Pekka Toivonen, Maria JÃ¤rvenhelmi, Minna PirilÃ¤, Ilkka Heiskanen, Kai Lehtinen, Robert Enckell
Director: Olli Saarela
Studio: Vanguard Cinema
Product Type: DVD

The Wild Bunch - The Original Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)

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Bloody eye candy
The Wild Bunch
It's all been done before.
Not As Advertised-
Much more than just a violent film...

The Wild Bunch - The Original Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Alfonso Arau , Ernest Borgnine , Elsa Cárdenas , Albert Dekker , and Emilio Fernández
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000BT96CS
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Amazon.com essential video

One of the best action movies ever made, in a cleaned-up print restoring crucial parts of the story. No cavalry ever rode in with more epochal impact than the Wild Bunch in the legendary opening scene. Their steel-eyed leader, Pike (William Holden), and his robbers in stolen army uniforms help an old lady across the street, and then spark a massacre led by Pike's old crony Thornton (Robert Ryan), sprung from jail to hunt down his old gang. In just a few minutes, Sam Peckinpah sets the scene--a dusty Texas town in 1913--sketches a dozen vividly individualized characters, and choreographs one of the most realistic, influential, brilliantly photographed shootouts under the pitiless sun. The cast is superb (even Ernest Borgnine!), the dialog crackling, the bitterly ambiguous moral of the story hard-earned. It's the deeper, dark flip side to 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Consider buying the letterbox Wild Bunch, the review collection Doing It Right, and the Peckinpah bio "If They Move... Kill 'Em!" --Tim Appelo

Description

Outlaws on the Mexican-U.S. frontier face the march of progress, the Mexican army and a gang of bounty hunters led by a former member while they plan a robbery of a U.S. army train. No one is innocent in this gritty tale of of desperation against changing times. Pump shotguns, machine guns and automobiles mix with horses and winchesters in this ultraviolent western.

Customer Reviews:

Bloody eye candy.......2007-07-03

This bloody extravaganza made Sam Peckinpah's reputation. A kind of fantasy of machismo set along the Texas-Mexico border around 1913--yes, very late for a Western--The Wild Bunch has thrilled adolescent boys and twentysomethings for almost four decades. The slowmo shots of horses falling awkwardly, of bodies squirting blood as they fall off of roof tops or cliffs, of tough hombres talking tough while they grab loose women and bottles of booze replete with numerous other bits of acrobatic mayhem amid some fantastic scenery makes this a non-cerebral feast for the eyes. The stars, William Holden (Pike Bishop), Ernest Borgnine (Dutch Engstrom), Robert Ryan (Deke Thornton), Edmund O'Brien (Freddie Sykes), etc. are first rate and on form. The plot is a variant of the old "one last job" story which begins with Pike's not-quite over-the-hill gang doing one last bank robbery.

Needless to say something goes wrong. Interspersed between the opening credits we see Pike's gang ride into town dressed as members of the US Army Calvary. On roof tops are some rascals and scallywags with rifles, missing teeth, and murderous gleams in their eyes. They are led by Deke Thornton, who it turns out is working for the railroad. What follows is a good old fashioned shoot 'em up of rather unlikely proportions as Pike's gang exists the bank with bags of loot, dodging and slinging bullets with abandon.

Turns out...well, no I won't say because I don't want to spoil the surprise. Suffice it to say, they need to do another job, this one a good old-fashioned train robbery with a few tricks and extras, like blowing up a bridge and running a locomotive at full throttle backwards. And then across the border into Mexico and some fun and games with Mexican generals, senoritas, banditos and such.

Been there, done that. But Peckinpah's colorful yarn has a few things you might not have seen before, and some of those things that you have seen, he did first and better. The Mexican color with a lot of authentic-looking extras doing authentic-looking Mexican activities was good. The fact that the Spanish spoken was not translated (and didn't need to be translated) was good. General Mapache (Emilio Fernandez) as the drunken, power-hungry warlord bandito was good. The kids feeding scorpions to the ants and then burning them was good. Edmund O'Brien as a degenerate Gabby Hayes kind of character was a hoot and a holler. But mostly this was about grim-faced men, toughened by long hours in saddle under the hot sun who, after decades of outlawing, finally ride gloriously into that last battle. Next stop: boot hill.

I watched the "original director's cut" that runs 145 minutes. At no time was my brain involved, but my eyes couldn't stop watching.

The Wild Bunch.......2007-07-02

Maverick director Sam Peckinpah released this blood-soaked western ballet in 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War, igniting protests over his graphic depiction of violence. Yet some images, like the opening sequence of children watching a nest of fire ants attack a scorpion, have a cruel poetic force. Boasting a powerhouse veteran cast and virtually non-stop action, this mesmerizing film is not for the squeamish, but fans of pure western action and gunplay should cherish this pounding, hard-edged film.

It's all been done before........2007-05-27

The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)

I will readily admit that my confusion over the prominence of The Wild Bunch in the annals of film criticism probably stems from my having bought into the hype. When I hear people wax poetic about the movie, one thing always comes to the surface sooner or later--the previously unheard-of level of violence in the movie. Here I was expecting something... different; even the tamest giallo lords it over The Wild Bunch in terms of violence. Mario Bava was doing it years before. What makes Peckinpah's opus so special? Not the violence.

The other thing that seems to come up often is that Peckinpah's version of the west is decidedly different than that which had been offered before, but again I head back to Italy, and this time flog the dead horse of Sergio Leone, whose westerns were riddled with grey areas long before this.

Okay, so Peckinpah was the first guy to do it in America. And it got John Wayne pretty mad. (But, really, he was already mad at Clint Eastwood for the Leone movies.) But from every other standpoint--plot, characters, pacing, cinematography, direction--Peckinpah has done better. (The pinnacle came three years later with Straw Dogs.) It's not bad, but don't go into it expecting one of the greatest films of all time, or you're bound to be disappointed. ***

Not As Advertised-.......2007-04-20

For the third time in 10 years, I have purchased another copy of "The Wild Bunch". And for the third time in 10 years, I have been utterly disappointed. I don't know what all of these other reviewers watched in 1969, but what I watched was a much, much wilder bunch with much more grusome footage at the old Majestic Theater in downtown Dallas. Someone, apparently do gooders, had the film cut back to the bland piece of work that you see in this DVD. Someone should sue Warner Bros. for false advertising. I am still looking for the original film and would pay good money for it, if it even still exists. In the killings in the original film the bodies struck by bullets, immediately went to slow motion as a stream of blood shot from the bullet hole in the beginning murderous scene. There is only one brief shot of this type and the rest, a least a couple of dozen were cut out and are still cut out. Save your money, if you think your getting the original.

Much more than just a violent film..........2007-04-06

This is one of the greatest Westerns ever made. Most people talk about its violence level. The violence here is incredible, and it's still strong and potent today. It shocked the living hell out of everyone back in 1969. It made some people vomit because it was so intense. However, while I do like the shootouts of this film, it's the depth that the characters have that really make this film stand out for me. Some of the speeches Pike gives are quite good, stressing that you stand by a man, and if you don't, you're like some animal, you're finished. Pike and the Bunch lived by these words, and in the end, they died by these words. They lived in a time where your word and your honor meant something, and you lived by a certain code that you tried to stay true to. Nowadays, this kind of message is seen as old fashioned and made fun of mercilessly. It shouldn't be. Despite the Bunch being criminals, they retain their sense of dignity at the end. Even Robert Ryan, Pike's former friend who is now chasing the Bunch, has a dignity as well, keeping his word to the bastard railroad men. But when he's finished with the posse, he stays in Mexico with the locals instead of returning to the US. You don't hate Ryan for what he's doing, and Pike doesn't hate him either. They each just want to live, and they got a job to do. The ending is one of the more poignant and brutal endings ever filmed. The Bunch got their bounty, and are whooping it up with the local whores. Angel had made a deal with them to keep one case of guns for his village, and they agreed. They told the general Mapache that they lost it on the trail. Mapache didn't believe them and accused Angel of stealing it, so the Bunch let him keep it. While the Bunch are drinking and partying, they stop and realise what they have to do. They go back and rescue Angel, not because they have to, but because they need to. They didn't want to abandon their friend. They probably knew they would be killed, and they didn't give a damn about it. I find this extraordinarily moving and quite powerful. After a decade of smug "irony", things like dignity and honor are punchlines. I don't think they are, and I never will. I really like the message of brotherhood and honor here, and I think this is a masterpiece....

Average customer rating:

Old Classic, Finally on DVD
Great WWII adventure, even better ending
The Dirty Half Dozen

Play Dirty
Starring: Michael Caine , Nigel Davenport , Nigel Green , Harry Andrews , and Patrick Jordan
Director: André De Toth
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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ASIN: B000MTFFRM
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Amazon.com

There's no mistaking the 1968 mood of Play Dirty: this cynical war movie could only have been made during the disillusioned Vietnam era, despite its WWII subject. Michael Caine plays a British captain in North Africa, tapped to lead a suicidal mission across the desert to destroy a German fuel depot. He's got a scurvy band of mercenaries to help him (this was a year after The Dirty Dozen, so keep that in mind), although most of the time they seem indifferent to both the job and Caine's survival. Nigel Davenport plays Caine's black-hearted yet lethally competent assistant, possibly the most nihilistic character on the side of the good guys in any war movie. Large patches of the film play without dialogue, including a grueling sequence in which vehicles are winched up the side of a hill, but somehow this adds to the grim, fatalistic atmosphere. The hard edge suits the style of director Andre De Toth, veteran maker of many a B-picture (this was his next-to-last effort). Caine plays it repressed and close to the vest, the better to contrast with Davenport's Mephistophelian soldier of fortune. Oh, and the ending--well, you'll want to stick around for the ending. It was 1968, after all. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Old Classic, Finally on DVD.......2007-06-14

This movie by the way, was filmed in Panavision, incorrectly described on Amazon as having a full screen 1:33:1 ratio, when in reality has been released in it's original widescreen 1:85:1 ratio. It's a classic WWII British Long Range Patrol action movie set in the North African Lybian dessert, where the Italian and German Afrika Corp troops are the bad guys. Excellent color with crisp clean restored print. RECOMMEND HIGHLY for serious WWII movie fans!!!!!!!

Great WWII adventure, even better ending.......2007-02-13

Play Dirty is an excellent WWII movie set in Africa that is in the mold of Tobruk and The Rat Patrol. British Colonel Masters is head of a less than elite group of commandos who has come under the wrath of his superiors. With one last chance to save his skin, Masters organizes a raid deep behind German lines to blow up a crucial German fuel depot. But part of the agreement of the mission is that a British officer or engineer with some knowledge on the subject lead Masters' commandos. Cue Captain Douglas, who immediately clashes with his second in command, Capt. Cyril Leech. Along with six convict-commandos (think Dirty Dozen), Douglas and Leech set across the African desert to blow up the fuel depot. They go up against murdering gypsies, horrific conditions, patrolling Germans, each other, and even their commanders back at headquarters. The movie builds slowly, but still entertaining, to a climax that has to be one of the biggest surprise/shocks ever made. You won't be disappointed. As well, plenty of tense, exciting action scenes, beautiful cinematography, and that fantastic ending make for a great WWII adventure.

In a subdued but still very strong performance, Michael Caine plays Capt. Douglas, the unwilling leader of the group of convict commandos trying to blow up the crucial German fuel depot. He clashes with Capt. Cyril Leech(a great part for Nigel Davenport) the possible double agent who may be working for the Germans as well. The tension over command and strategy between Caine and Davenport drives the movie's plot and is what makes the movie all hold together. Nigel Green, Harry Andrews and Patrick Jordan are good in small parts as the different level of commanders who have control over the mission. Green is especially good as Col. Masters. The rest of the convict-commandos, who don't have much to do in the way of lines, include Aly Ben Ayed as Sadok, Enrique Avila as Kafkarides, Mohsen Ben Abdallah and Mohammed Kouka as Hassan and Assine, the two homosexual desert guides, Takis Emmanuel as Kostos Manou, and Scott Miller as Boudesh. The special features, if there are any, for the upcoming dvd release, April 27th, haven't been released, but I'd be happy to just get widescreen presentation and a trailer. Of course, I'd love to see some interviews with Caine, but that's probably wishful thinking. So for a relatively little known WWII action movie with great performances from Caine and Davenport along with one of the best shocker endings ever, check out Play Dirty!

The Dirty Half Dozen.......2006-06-24

This film was released in 1968. Michael Caine is an oil company executive in civvy street who has been commisioned only to handle fuel deliveries at ports in N. Africa in WWII. If you liked the Dirty Dozen you will love this film. This film is real. The "officers" are great character actors you have seen in many British films. The uniforms, weapons and equipment are correct. Scenes of the desert are so real you feel the heat. The mission is real. The ending is a stunner. This film was made in Panavision, see it in that mode.

Average customer rating:

Hondo
The Duke
A superb western
The Man
JW's Hondo

Hondo (Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: John Wayne , Geraldine Page , Ward Bond , Michael Pate , and James Arness
Director: John Farrow
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000ANVPP6
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Amazon.com

Although scarcely seen in its original 3-D, and entirely out of sight for a decade and a half after its producer-star died, Hondo has maintained a high rep among John Wayne fans--and it wasn't even directed by Howard Hawks or John Ford. (Actually, Ford did shoot some second-unit stuff while visiting Wayne on location.) Half-breed Hondo, companioned only by an antisocial dog, tends to be more sympathetic toward the Apaches than toward the white society he occasionally scouts for. He falls into uneasy friendship with a New Mexico farmwoman (Geraldine Page) whose husband deserts her for long stretches, and whose son (Lee Aaker) is blood brother to the local Apache chieftain. A good, spare frontier tale--Louis L'Amour via James Edward (Angel and the Badman) Grant--in which danger and solace come in unexpected ways. John Farrow, who did direct, brings it in at a lean 84 minutes. Page was Oscar ^®-nominated for this first film role. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Based on the Louis L'Amour story "The Gift of Cochise," this sparkling western has Wayne as a half-Indian Cavalry scout who, with his feral dog companion, finds a young woman and her son living on a isolated ranch in unfriendly Apache country. A poetic and exciting script, outstanding performances, and breathtaking scenery make this an indisputable classic. Page's debut.

Customer Reviews:

Hondo.......2007-06-26

The best John Wayne western not directed by John Ford or Howard Hawks, "Hondo" shows the Duke at the peak of his powers. Helmed by John Farrow (Mia's dad), the film is stunningly photographed, with a tight, trim story brought to life by a luminous Page (in her film debut), the ever-reliable Ward Bond as Hondo's friend Buffalo Baker, and Michael Pate as Vittorio, the Apache chief. Also look for James Arness in a pivotal role- he'd go on to make his career in Westerns on TV's long-running "Gunsmoke".

The Duke.......2007-05-06

I love John Wayne, so anything thing he does is fine with me. Typical Wayne western. Wonderful, colorful, authentic Wayne fare. Amazon had the best price.

A superb western.......2007-04-12

Hondo is a mighty impressive film. It is that rare western that greatly succeeds on on a technical level, as well as an emotional level.
John Wayne and co-star Geraldine Page have amazing chemistry, and child actor Lee Aaker is wonderful and believable as the little boy. (unlike the many phony child actors that were common in the 50s)
The story closely follows the Louis L'Amour novel it was based on, and that is a big plus. It's a very mature and complex tale that is handled with confidence and grace by a great cast, crew and director.
This wonderful film is yet more proof that John Wayne wasn't just an iconic "movie star," but this man was a superb actor in all regards.
Highly recommended.

The Man.......2007-02-15

Another good one from the " Classic Western Star" a must have for your collection.

JW's Hondo.......2007-02-13

John Wayne has again made a wonderful movie, now available on DVD.
I have never seen a movie that he made that wasn't great.
The price for this DVD was a great deal!

Average customer rating:

I Still Reember the Real Broadcasts in Nam
Good Morning Vietnam
Classic
Good Morning, Vietnam
Best funny war movie

Good Morning, Vietnam (Special Edition)
Starring: Robin Williams , Forest Whitaker , Tung Thanh Tran , Chintara Sukapatana , and Bruno Kirby
Director: Barry Levinson
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
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ASIN: B000B8QG22
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Amazon.com essential video

Barry Levinson (Wag the Dog) directed this comedy-drama about an Armed Forces Radio disc jockey (Robin Williams) whose manic, hilarious delivery from a studio in 1965 Saigon gives U.S. troops in the field a morale boost (while upsetting military brass). Based on the real-life experiences of deejay Adrian Cronauer, the film is actually more concept than story: put Williams in front of a microphone and let him go nuts. Still, the surrounding stuff about the influence upon Cronauer of the endless deaths among his listeners--as Cronauer tries to stay funny while feeling the mounting losses--is affecting. Williams got a much-deserved Oscar nomination for his work. --Tom Keogh

Description

When the U.S. Army engages irreverent, nonconformist radio deejay Adrian Cronauer, it unleashes a secret, if unpredictable, weapon: laughter. Academy Award(R) winner Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor, GOOD WILL HUNTING, 1997) shakes up 1965 Saigon in the role that garnered him his very first Oscar(R) nomination. Imported by the military to host an early a.m. radio show, Cronauer (Williams) blasts the formerly serene, sanitized airwaves with a constant barrage of rapid-fire humor and the hottest hits from back home. The G.I.s love him, but the top brass is up in arms. Riddled with sidesplitting comic salvos, bittersweet bombshells, and hot '60s rock 'n' roll, this landmark film chronicles one man's raucous Saigon adventures amidst a world gone mad. Featuring all-new bonus material that includes hilarious outtakes from Robin Williams' "raw" monologues, this Special Edition of GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM, scores a direct hit every time you watch.

Customer Reviews:

I Still Reember the Real Broadcasts in Nam.......2007-06-04

This movie brought back some memories of listening to radio in Vietnam during my tour of duty. How could any of us forget the loud "Goooooooooooooooood Mooooooorning VIETNAM! That was a signature greeting and brought many a smiles and a few laughs when they were much in need. I do not know how much of this film is based on truth or real events but in any case, it is great to see this man's work honored.

Robin Williams continues to be a comic giant! His talents are totally on display and he makes this movie worth watching!

Good Morning Vietnam.......2007-05-12

Too many funny parts to mention- with a very serious storyline as well. "Leutenant Steve, Leutenant Steve....Why it's my good pal Frenchy"

Classic.......2007-04-04

This is a Robin Williams classic. Realistic scencery and excellent story line. A must for all collections.

Good Morning, Vietnam.......2007-02-08

I found this movie to be one of Robin Williams best movies.

Best funny war movie.......2006-12-07

This is about a disk jockey, The big guys hate him but the soldiers love his and his humor! This is a must have movie!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Wayne's Last is Just Right as a Goodbye andThank You to His Fans
Simplistic yet warm, and full of action
The last John Wayne
John Wayne's Last
What Way To Go Out

The Shootist
Starring: John Wayne , Lauren Bacall , Ron Howard , James Stewart , and Richard Boone
Director: Don Siegel
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005JSGL
Release Date: 2001-07-24

Amazon.com essential video

The last film of John Wayne could not have been more fitting, full of details that can't help but make one reflect upon his legacy in the movies and his life as a star. Wayne plays a career gunfighter in the autumn of his life, trying to hang up his pistols after he discovers he's dying of cancer. Boarding in the house of an attractive widow (Lauren Bacall) and her son (Ron Howard), Wayne's character opts for peace in his final days but is dogged by his reputation when a handful of killers seeks him out for a final fight. Howard is fine as a fatherless boy who needs the strong mentor the hero represents, and James Stewart--who costarred with Wayne in the great Man Who Shot Liberty Valance--plays the doctor who gives the big man the bad news. Don Siegel (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) thoughtfully directs a very special and sensitive production. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Wayne's Last is Just Right as a Goodbye andThank You to His Fans.......2007-05-27

I noticed some similarities between the Shootist and Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. In both, elder Hollywood statesmen reflect upon their contributions to the Western genre while commenting on the characters and personas they've created. Older men grown wise and introspective in changing times. In both, the protagonist is an aging cowboy with a very violent dissolute past. In both, the man reflects on the mayhem and trajedy he has caused others and says, "I was wrong, I guess, that's what other people tell me & maybe they're right. Easy for them to say. They weren't there & its all in the past anyway and now I'm just a tired old man waiting to die. Anyway, I'm not me so much as what others have decided I am." Wayne's character is actually dying and his gruff frightened dignity is by turns pathetic and inspiring. Easily his most touching performance in its self-examination. Wayne battled cancer and other serious health problems as early as the late 50's. He was no stranger to pain, fear and suffering and the Shootist is a fat, tired, sick old man saying, "I really was someone, I made a difference and I know it, right or wrong, and noone can take that away from me. Now it's my turn to say goodbye and thanks." Lauren Bacall & James Stewart lend dignity to the proceedings for Wayne just as Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman and Richard Harris did so for Eastwood.

Simplistic yet warm, and full of action.......2007-03-09

Not quite the typical John Wayne wins-in-the-end movie; the main character is dying from the start. So he "wins" by wrapping up a couple of loose ends in his life and by forming a "family" with the widow who runs the boarding house and her son. Its weakness is that most of the "good" he does is too superficial to be convincing.

The last John Wayne.......2007-02-12

This is a very good John Wayne movie, but rather sad as he was really going through a similar fate as the lead character in the movie. A must for the John Wayne fan!

John Wayne's Last.......2007-02-05

The Shootist is the last film of John Wayne, but its also an end of an era. The end of the John Wayne legend and his style of western

Wayne plays an aging gunfighter (J.B. Books) who is dying of cancer. He wants to spends his last days looking for a way to die with a minimum of pain and a maximum of dignity.He wants his last gunfight, rather than cancer. It is 1901, so the American West is dying, as Books is..it is growing civilized and has no need for the gunfighters/the shootist of old.

The supporting cast of this film is first rate. Such talent as James Stewart, Laurel Bacall, Richard Boone, Hugh O'Brien,Harry Morgan, Scatman Crothers, John Caradine and Ron Howard assist Wayne in this last film.

the film is directed by Don Siegal, who directed many of Clint Eastwood's hits including Dirty Harry, Two mules for Sister Sarah, and Coogan's Bluff. It is part tribute to the Wayne Legend and part western

Is it worth getting? YES. To me it is a classic western more than Wayne's Searchers is, just like the Good, the Bad & the Ugly is to me

Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD

What Way To Go Out.......2007-02-03

As somebody who loves westerns, it's impossible for me not to be a huge fan of John Wayne (especially his westerns).

At the time this film was made, John's best work was clearly behind him. In fact, he had just come off of making a couple of tough-guy detective movies which, while I enjoyed them, weren't universally praised.

The Shootist was Wayne's last film and what a film it was.

Like the Wild Bunch and Monte Walsh, one of the themes of this film deals with the idea of the fading west of the 1860's to 1880's and how older. legendary and non-legendary characters of the west have to adapt to the changing times.

In the Shootist, Wayne plays an aging gunfighter, J. B Books who rides into 1901 Carson City. He immediately goes to see an old doctor friend - played by another screen legend, Jimmy Stewart, who informs him that the pain Books feels in his lower back is, in fact, cancer and that he doesn't have long to live.

Book's reputation proceeds him and needless to say, there are individuals who want to earn an instant reputation as the man who killed famed shootist JB Books.

The entire movie revolves around the days that he resides in Lauren Bacall's rooming house and preparing for his death.

I loved this movie from the earliest moments of the film when a montage of scenes of previous Wayne films was played depicting the life of JB Books right up to the final gunfight in the Acme Saloon.

This movie is so good on so many levels.

I always thought that John Wayne was significantly underated as an actor. In this film, he plays the dying man with a wonderful sense of dignity. His interaction with the Widow Bacall was very enjoyable to watch.

And there were some good scenes with Scatman Crothers - Ron Howard, who plays Bacall's son and who knows all about the legendary Books. Harry Morgan, who plays the town's sherrif, can't wait to see Books dead - after all it's now 1901 and the west is changing and Morgan doesn't need to have his peaceful town shattered by other gunfighters wanting to claim the trophy known as JB Books.

What a movie to go out on.

Rest in peace, John, and thanks for countless hours of entertainment.

Average customer rating:

Thorpe's not Blood
Only missing ingredients: Technicolor and Olivia de Havilland...
A letdown for this Flynn fan. ----- Brenda Marshall!!???
Sea Hawks
Sail to adventure with the Sea Hawk

The Sea Hawk
Starring: Errol Flynn , Brenda Marshall , Claude Rains , Donald Crisp , and Flora Robson
Director: Michael Curtiz , Jean Negulesco , and Robert Clampett
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Captain Blood
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ASIN: B00005JMR6
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Amazon.com

Five years after Captain Blood made him a swashbuckling star, Errol Flynn returned to the high seas as privateer Captain Thorpe in The Sea Hawk. Flynn plays the dashing gentleman pirate as dedicated patriot, looting Spanish ships for English coffers with the private blessing of Queen Elizabeth (Flora Robson, reprising the role from Fire over England). The film opens with a rousing sea battle: broadside cannon fire sends masts falling and splinters a-flying before Flynn's men take their Spanish quarry in a furious shipboard cutlass battle. The fearless fighter becomes a stumbling schoolboy when he falls for the Spanish ambassador's niece, but he's back in his element when he sails to the New World for treasure and lands in the middle of a deadly conspiracy. Big-eyed beauty Brenda Marshall stands in for Flynn's usual love interest Olivia de Havilland, and the film misses the latter's sass and spirit, but it's a minor shortcoming. Claude Rains plays his usual smoothly conniving villain, and hearty Alan Hale returns as Flynn's loyal sidekick. Michael Curtiz proves once again why he was Warner Brothers' top director with a handsome, action-packed film that mixes intrigue and suspense with grand set pieces, concluding with a rousing series of escapes, chases, and a runaway sword fight. Classic Hollywood swashbuckling at its best. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Thorpe's not Blood.......2007-06-18

Korngold is still Korngold, but Brenda's not Olivia, and Daniell is definitely not Sir Basil. Although Flora is much better than Bette. All the old ingredients seem to be there, but somehow the cake isn't quite up to snuff. Curtiz seems a little exhausted, in spite of the standard trademark shadow-sword-swashing; perhaps it's just that Flynn can't quite take it seriously enough any more. Four swords against one is maybe a trifle over the top. Also, the film was over-budgeted, and the model ships still look like model ships. There are some interesting extras from the pundits on this disc, and Flora's message at the end comes across with some punch, but the reality of the Battle of Britain remains more vivid than any Hollywood hokum. Sorry, folks: I have to dock a star.

Only missing ingredients: Technicolor and Olivia de Havilland..........2007-06-04

When Warner Bros. substituted BRENDA MARSHALL for Flynn's usual romantic interest they made a big mistake. Certainly she's pretty (in a remote sort of way with a facial expression carved in stone), but there's none of the usual back and forth wit and spirit that OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND always shared with Flynn. In other words, the spark of chemistry that made them such a memorable love team is completely missing here.

So is Technicolor. Hard to understand why the studio didn't back this investment (which cost a hefty sum at the time) with color photography which would have added so much richness to the story. As it is, the crisp B&W photography is handsome enough but with all those gorgeous sets and costumes, color is an ingredient that should have been seriously considered.

The story has its points of interest but exists mainly to showcase the athletic abilities of ERROL FLYNN and, presumably, most of the vigorous male cast. All with the exception of HENRY DANIELL who, although a fine screen villain, was not up to the requisite swordplay and had to be doubled for all the long shots. Basil Rathbone, where were you???

Capping the whole thing is a majestic score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold that is worthy of a far better film. But sea tales don't get much better than this and the studio backed their production with a wonderful ensemble cast that included WILLIAM LUNDIGAN, ALAN HALE, CLAUDE RAINS, FLORA ROBSON, JAMES STEPHENSON, UNA O'CONNOR and many, many more.

Summing up: It's a lusty tale of piracy on the high seas and lots of treachery afoot so that Errol Flynn can swing into action and save the day for God and Queen. Smooth sailing.

A letdown for this Flynn fan. ----- Brenda Marshall!!???.......2007-04-29

As someone who greatly respects Errol Flynns work, I must say I was disappointed in this movie. A year before in 'Dawn Patrol' I thought Flynn gave a great performance as a hot shot fighter pilot, who when given Command must accept responsibility for the lives of his men.

Critics have said that Flynn's 'Sea Hawk' role is a mature performance, to me it's a dull turn by Flynn. He is not helped at all by a clunky script and a stunningly bad performance by Brenda Marshall. She brings NOTHING to her roll as the female romantic lead. A truly terrible performance by this young lady.

In Captain Blood (his American debut), Flynn has verve, enthusiasm, amazing charisma, he rightly became an overnight star with that performance. But, he looks somewhat bored in this film. It is an OK, 3 star film, but please don't mislead people and compare this movie to 'Robin Hood', or 'Captain Blood', or the terrific 'Charge of the Light Brigade'.

Sea Hawks.......2007-03-16

I love the movie. It had plenty of sword fights & action in it .

Sail to adventure with the Sea Hawk.......2007-02-21

Errol Flynn was in his home element as the captain of a privateer in the service of Queen Elizabeth. A true swashbuckler, this is alot of fun. The story is full of intrigue, action, humor and romance. The production values were high for this movie. Add to that a cast that included Brenda Marshall, Flora Robson and Claude Rains. Also look for some of the best character actors of the day, like Alan Hale, Donald Crisp and Una O'Connor to round out the movie. See sea battles and swordplay aplenty to make for a rousing good time. One note, this was made early during the second world war. The final scene with the queen was added as a morale booster for the audience in England.

Warner Brothers did this up right with this release as part of their Warner Night at the Movies. Dvd comes with Newsreel, Short, Cartoon and trailers. As included is a featurette about Flynn and this movie. You got to get this one!

Average customer rating:

Great Suspense Thriller..!!
Film is good, commentary terribly disappointing
Period piece
Great Cast Wasted on One-Dimensional Characters in a Dull Plot.
Brilliant post WW2 psychological thriller

The Stranger (MGM Film Noir)
Starring: Orson Welles
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Woman in the Window (MGM Film Noir)
Kansas City Confidential (MGM Film Noir)
A Bullet For Joey (MGM Film Noir)
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 4 (Act of Violence / Mystery Street / Crime Wave / Decoy / Illegal / The Big Steal / They Live By Night / Side Street / Where Danger Lives / Tension)
Ace in the Hole - Criterion Collection

ASIN: B000PMFRVU
Release Date: 2007-07-10

Amazon.com essential video

The legendary story that hovers over Orson Welles's The Stranger is that he wanted Agnes Moorehead to star as the dogged Nazi hunter who trails a war criminal to a sleepy New England town. The part went to E.G. Robinson, who is marvelous, but it points out how many compromises Welles made on the film in an attempt to show Hollywood he could make a film on time, on budget, and on their own terms. He accomplished all three, turning out a stylish if unambitious film noir thriller, his only Hollywood film to turn a profit on its original release. Welles stars as unreformed fascist Franz Kindler, hiding as a schoolteacher in a New England prep school for boys and newly married to the headmaster's lovely if naive daughter (Loretta Young). Welles the director is in fine form for the opening sequences, casting a moody tension as agents shadow a twitchy low-level Nazi official skulking through South American ports and building up to dramatic crescendo as Kindler murders this little man, the lovely woods becoming a maelstrom of swirling leaves that expose the body he furiously tries to bury. The rest of film is a well-designed but conventional cat-and-mouse game featuring an eye-rolling performance by Welles and a thrilling conclusion played out in the dark clock tower that looms over the little village. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Great Suspense Thriller..!!.......2007-04-29

Title of this movie is "The Stranger" and stars Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young, and Orson Welles. Robinson plays a Nazi hunter from the war crimes commission who has tracked Welles to a small New England town where he is teaching at the towns college. A game of cat and mouse ensues with the towns people slowly coming to realize that a Nazi has been hiding in their town. A very good movie with the three main actors giving great performances. Well worth seeing..!!

Film is good, commentary terribly disappointing.......2006-12-27

I, as many others do, consider this one of the classics in Orson Welles repertoire of films. Not only is his acting superb, he's young and handsome in it to boot! Loretta Young may get on some people's nerves with her innocent and slow hysterical breakdown, but she's still a great actress in this film and it shows. And of course, Edward G. is fantastic.
Unfortunately, to be blunt, the Jeffrey Lyons commentary blows. He starts out kind of talking about the film and says a handful of facts about the actors, but then he seems to get bored with it and just starts
making wise-cracking jokes throughout the rest of the film that are completely annoying. Why did he bother?

Period piece.......2006-01-19

This movie could only have been made immediately after World War Two. It was already "dated" a couple of years after the war ended. It had to come along as soon as the war ended, at a time when the American people finally knew about the Holocaust but had not yet transfered their animosity from Germany to Russia. Thus the date of the movie - 1946, possibly the only year it could have come out.

This makes it a very specialized movie, one that would only make sense during an extremely short window of time. The villain, Orson Welles, is a Nazi who has every intention of renewing the struggle begun by Hitler. The word "Nazi" inspires horror in Orson's new wife, Loretta Young. Orson is incognito, a secret Nazi with a terrific American accent, a former leader of the Holocaust, masquerading as an innocent schoolteacher.

The movie held my interest. It seemed quaint in its focus on the danger of the Nazi party in post-war America. It seemed like a dusty antique.

Other reviewers on this site point to the connection between director Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock. I can't put my finger on exactly why or how, but this film does feel like a Hitchcock film to some degree. And yes, I did notice the ever present cigar in the mouth of Edward G. Robinson, Nazi hunter.

How did Robinson know that Welles was a secret Nazi? He learned it over dinner, I think. He was asking Welles for his opinion of the German question, just what to do about them, and Welles replied that all Germans should be exterminated because they are simply too dangerous and incorrigible. But then Welles gave himself away, by denying that Karl Marx was a German, referring to him only as a non-German, a Jew. The wily Robinson decided there was something suspicious in that, something Nazi-ish.

The funny part to me is that Karl Marx was being lauded as a freedom lover, a sort of American in his love of freedom. It's hysterical. A few years later, Marxism would be vilified in America.

As I said, this film could only have been done in 1946, a very short window of opportunity, before the McCarthy era, before the arms race with Russia, before America's love affair with Stalin ended.

Isn't it a pity that America and Russia, who both fought so hard and sacrificed so much to win the single most important war in the history of mankind, couldn't come out of it as friends. But keep in mind that Russia originally wanted to be on Germany's side of it, until they were attacked by their ally.

After all, shortly before the war broke out, Russia was sending troops across Poland to split the country with their German allies.

Other than the history lesson, all I can say is that it was a pretty interesting period piece, not a masterpiece, but worth a look.

Loretta Young plays an idiot. It seems like an odd role for her.

Great Cast Wasted on One-Dimensional Characters in a Dull Plot........2005-10-12

"The Stranger" was Orson Welles' effort to show RKO studios that he could deliver a movie on time and within budget. It worked so far as that goes. It was his first commercial success as a director. Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson), an agent of the Allied War Crimes Commission, has decided to let Konrad Meineke (Konstantin Shayne) go free in hopes that the man will lead authorities to his former boss: Franz Kindler, a fictional mastermind of the Nazi genocide. Meineke tracks Kindler to the quiet town of Harper, Connecticut, with Wilson close on his tail. But before he can see who Meineke meets, Wilson is knocked unconscious. Working from a list of men who arrived in town within the past year, Wilson narrows the suspects down to Mr. Charles Rankin (Orson Welles), a professor at the local boys prep school who has recently married Mary Longstreet (Loretta Young), daughter of a famously liberal Supreme Court Justice.

The trouble with "The Stranger" is that we have a bunch of one-dimensional characters in a story that is just plain dull. The great Edward G. Robinson does nothing more than recite lines as Wilson the Nazi hunter. Charles Rankin/ Franz Kindler does an amusing -but implausible- job of deriding Germany while betraying his Nazi ideals all the same. Kindler is so obviously unstable and out of his mind that he's really a cop-out: The Nutty Nazi. An excuse not to write a real character with credible motives. Mary is a nice woman who inexplicably goes along with her husband's bullying and ill treatment of her dog. But Loretta Young is responsible for the only credible emotion in this film: Her hysterical denial when she is told that her husband is a Nazi war criminal. "The Stranger" might work as an unsophisticated thriller, but it is devoid of character writing and interesting plot points. This terrific trio of thespians -Robinson, Welles, and Young- is wasted.

The DVD (Delta Entertainment 2001): This print of "The Stranger" is unrestored but without major flaws. The "delta" logo appears in the lower righthand corner of the screen 3 times during the film, however. The logo appears for less than a minute and then disappears at these points in the film: 51 minutes, 1:11, and at 1:31. There is a "Bonus Trailer" for Welles' 1958 film "Touch of Evil" (2 minutes) and a "Tony Curtis Intro" (3 ½ minutes) in which Curtis says a little about "The Stranger" and about Orson Welles' career. The second feature on the DVD, "Orson Welles on Film" (30 minutes), is a documentary about Welles' films, meaning those he directed. It says a little about Welles' youth and radio days before tracing his career from his 6-picture contract with RKO, though his Hollywood and European periods, until the recognition he received from Hollywood in the 1970s and 1980s. The emphasis is on the films he directed, with only brief discussion of each film.

Brilliant post WW2 psychological thriller.......2005-06-20

"The Stranger" is a gripping and tense 1946 thriller directed by the creative mind of Orson Welles who also starred in it. Welles creates a deep feeling of paranoia in his characters throughout this story surrounding the hunting a fugitive Nazi war criminal.

Edward G. Robinson is outstanding as Mr. Wilson, an investigator for the Allied war crimes commission. Robinson has purposely released a Konrad Meinike, a former Nazi concentration camp commandant, in the hopes that he will seek out his superior, the notorious Franz Kindler. Kindler was a prime architect of the Holocaust and had escaped apprehension.

Robinson trailed Meinike, played by thickly accented Konstantin Shayne to Harper, Connecticut, where he makes contact with a professor Charles Rankin. Rankin, played by Welles, we soon find out is really Kindler, He is posing as a professor in a boys prep school above suspicion. Coincidently, he is to be married that very day to Mary Longstreet, daughter of Supreme Court justice Judge Adam Longstreet, and played by Loretta Young. Fearing exposure Welles kills Meinike hiding his body in a shallow grave in the surrounding woods.

Robinson sets himself up in town posing as an antique dealer and eventually befriending the Longstreet family. Robinson reveals his suspicions about Welles to Noah Longstreet, Mary's brother played by a youthful Richard Long. It seems that both Kindler and Rankin both have an obsession for fixing and working on clocks. Rankin has been trying to restore an antique bell tower clock in the town.

Robinson, aided by the Longstreet family reveal to Young their beliefs about Welles' true identity. Young, deeply in love with Welles and in a terrific performance, struggles with incredulity and indecisiveness as to what to do. Welles plots to kill her in a clock tower scene reminiscent of Hitchcock's superb "Vertigo". Welles, the epitome of evil meets an appropriate fate as he is undone by the instruments of his passion, Young and the belltower clock.

Welles and Hitchcock are so obviously influenced by each other as evidenced by their directorial styles, both able to create unease and tension in their plots. They both use camera angles and techniques which are repeated throughout the movie to create dramatic effects. A perfect example involves the pipe smoked by Robinson in the film. In the beginning of the movie he accidently breaks it in a passionate speech to his colleagues. At different points of the film, we see only the pipe, it's stem taped together, to indicate the presence of the relentless Robinson.

Average customer rating:

As good as the book from Wilbur Smith?
Worth Seeing Again!
Khartoum
Excellent story; fine acting
Khartoum in Cinerama

Khartoum
Starring: Charlton Heston , Laurence Olivier , Richard Johnson , Ralph Richardson , and Alexander Knox
Director: Eliot Elisofon , and Basil Dearden
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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ASIN: B000062XF0
Release Date: 2002-05-07

Amazon.com essential video

Set in the expanse of the Sudan desert in the midst of holy war, Khartoum (1966) plays like an attempt to work the Lawrence of Arabia magic on the (mostly) true story of eccentric British general Charles "Chinese" Gordon in 1884 North Africa. The magnificent opening desert battle suggests David Lean's epic sweep, at least until the film settles into a more modest story of political games, military standoffs, and a battle of wits and wiles between two fierce leaders. Charlton Heston plays the wily Christian soldier as cocky, unconventional maverick, and Laurence Olivier (behind heavy make-up and a thick black beard) is almost as good as his cagey nemesis the Mahdi, the Islamic holy warrior on a mission of annihilation. More talk than spectacle, the film falls short of Lawrence but is nonetheless a compelling story of colonial politics, cynical maneuvering, and the unconventional heroics of another colorful British maverick abroad. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Academy AwardÂ(r) winners* Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier face off in this epic, stirring drama of two men and two empires. Filmed in glorious CineramaÂ(r), with stunning desertbattles staged by the creator of the Ben-Hur chariot race, Khartoum is a "magnificently staged action spectacle [with] outstanding portrayals" (Boxoffice) and breathtaking cinematography. In 1883, British Prime Minister Gladstone (Ralph Richardson) dispatches General Charles Gordon (Heston) to Khartoum, Sudan, where thousands of civilians are threatened by a Muslim fanatic, the Mahdi (Olivier), and his army of followers. Gordon gains the Mahdi's respect but can't prevent the Mahdi's men from laying siege to the city. Now, as history hangs in the balance, Gordon faces the fight of his life defending the ancient city of Khartoum. *Heston: Actor, Ben-Hur (1959). Olivier: Actor, Hamlet (1948); Lifetime Achievement (1978); Outstanding Achievement as Actor, Producer and Director on Henry V (1946)

Customer Reviews:

As good as the book from Wilbur Smith?.......2007-07-04

Watched this monumental movie after having the read the book from Wilbur Smith, The Triumph of the Sum.
Although the main story remains of course the same the film does not provide the depth and different angles I was hoping for.
Most striking is that I cannot remember one woman playing even a less important role in this film.

Worth Seeing Again!.......2007-06-10

I viewed this movie when it made the theater tour. Since then, I learned more about the history of the British Empire in the period. Khartoum is well written, well acted and has no major technical or historical inaccuracies that I could detect. Khartoum is definitely worth watching more than once.

Khartoum .......2007-05-06

Charlton Heston plays the charmed, charismatic Gen. Charles Gordon and Sir Laurence Olivier is suitably menacing as the Mahdi in this thumping tale of the siege of Khartoum and the death of history's classiest fall guy. Great action sequences throughout: the assault on the city, the relief expedition, the attempt of the river steamers to run the Dervish gauntlet.

Excellent story; fine acting.......2007-04-10

The outstanding cast in this true story of China Gordon's demise in the Sudan at the hands of the presumed "Mahdi" in 1884, is only one of several factors that make this a great film. The story line is excellent, as it not only presents the desert conflict battle scenes extremely well, but it also visually describes the political and social intrigue involved in the British efforts to establish and maintain its colonial empire in that era. In a subtle and obviously unintentional manner, the film also presents some hints of contemporary conflicts and social issues. A truly fine film!

Khartoum in Cinerama.......2007-03-15

1966's Khartoum is an all star Cinerama achievement, based on the true story of the British Sudan set during the early to mid-1880's. Beautifully and epically filmed in three locations in Egypt, plus in London.

See this breathtaking Cinerama motion picture the way it was meant to be watched - in widescreen, coupled with today's crisp stereo surround sound.

The movie is based on a very important historical confrontation between Victorian English General Charles 'Chinese' Gordon, played by Charlton Heston, and a radical Muslim warlord who believed himself to be Islamic 'Mahdi' or 'The Expected One', played by the marvelously well cast English actor, Laurence Olivier. The Mahdi declares a total jihad against all infidels (sounds like today).

Ironically the current Islamic dictatorship of OPEC's Iran have publicly stated they are attempting to provoke the 'return of the Mahdi' so he can 'assist the Muslims in destroying the infidels'. History does indeed repeat itself.

Some of the other exceptional cast members include:
Richard Johnson ... Col. J.D.H. Stewart
Ralph Richardson ... William Gladstone
Alexander Knox ... Sir Evelyn Baring
Johnny Sekka ... Khaleel
Michael Hordern ... Lord Granville
Zia Mohyeddin ... Zobeir Pasha
Marne Maitland ... Sheikh Osman
Nigel Green ... Gen. Wolseley
Peter Arne ... Maj. Kitchener

Oscar nominated English composer Frank Cordell's rousing musical score will pleasingly linger after viewing the this exceptional film.

Khartoum -- where the Nile divides, the great Cinerama adventure begins!

Average customer rating:

Sahara
Good old-fashioned war adventures with Bogie
See, Lloyd Bridges was in the movie with Boogie!
A first-rate War film, with a masterful musical score...,
AN ECLECTIC ENSEMBLE CAST REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ALLIED WAR EFFORT AND PERSPECTIVE

Sahara
Starring: Humphrey Bogart , Bruce Bennett , J. Carrol Naish , Lloyd Bridges , and Rex Ingram
Director: Zoltan Korda
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B00005R23T
Release Date: 2001-12-11

Amazon.com

Hollywood made few movies about the desert conflict during World War II--and curiously, two that they did (Five Graves to Cairo is the other) were remakes of films set elsewhere. John Howard Lawson based his script on a prewar Russian film (Lawson would later be blacklisted, incidentally) about a military patrol besieged by Asian bandits. The situation readily lent itself to a wartime parallel and became one of the most engrossing story lines of its era.

A U.S. tank crew and their commander (Humphrey Bogart), separated from the main force, make their way through the desert, accumulating a veritable United Nations of stragglers as they go: a few of Montgomery's tommies (including that old limey Lloyd Bridges) and a towering African (Rex Ingram) and his prisoner--a garrulous Italian (Oscar-nominated J. Carrol Naish) who can't wait to tell his new friends about his relatives in "Peets-a-bourg Pennsylvania." They come upon a ruin, the onetime site of an oasis, and almost immediately find themselves defending it against a small army of Germans who believe there's still water to be had there. Yes and no--there's a biblical wrinkle to this tale--and the standoff between the polyglot democrats and the Nazis who far outnumber them is a fine, sun-baked study in suspense.

For Bogart, this Columbia picture was a rare furlough from Warner Bros., where he always felt embattled. His pleasure must have seeped into his work, because Sgt. Joe Gunn is one of the most sympathetic and heartfelt characterizations the actor ever gave us. This is one good movie. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews:

Sahara.......2007-06-25

Director Korda's gritty, gutsy WWII actioner vividly evokes the particular risks and hazards of desert warfare, while showcasing Bogie in his prime, on the front lines of battle. Duryea is solid as usual as Jimmy, and character actor J. Carroll Naish lends poignancy as a good-hearted Italian prisoner caught in a war not of his own making. Suspenseful and smart , "Sahara" is a distinctive, sadly overlooked war film that makes you thirsty for more of the same.

Good old-fashioned war adventures with Bogie.......2007-06-23

Sahara is a very good WWII adventure that is a worthy addition to any war buff's DVD collection. Sgt. Joe Gunn and his tank crew have been separated from their unit in the North African desert with little water. Gunn and crew head across the desert picking up British, French and Sudanese troops along the way, all the while heading for the nearest wells. But soon they discover an equally thirsty German motorized battalion is following them. Sgt. Gunn and his assortment of men decide to hole up at the only well with any water for hundreds of miles and hopefully hold off the German battalion until help can arrive. Sahara is just a good old-fashioned movie that is entertaining and action-packed. The plot is straightforward, and it's clear who the good guys and the bad guys are. Made during the war, Sahara can be a little preachy, but that was intentional, the movie is propaganda for a country fighting in Europe and the Pacific. But don't let this one pass you by, Sahara is a highly exciting WWII adventure.

Sahara features an excellent ensemble cast, all the actors get their moments, but Humphrey Bogart leads the way as Sgt. Joe Gunn, a tough tank commander who must lead this rag-tag crew of nine soldiers in holding off a German battalion of 500 men. Bogie is very good in the part, but when was he bad? Bruce Bennett and Dan Duryea play Waco Hoyt, the machine gunner, and Jimmy Doyle, the radioman, Gunn's surviving tank crew. J. Carroll Naish is also very strong in an Oscar-nominated part as Guiseppe, an Italian soldier who comes to respect his captors. The rest of Gunn's rag-tag team include Lloyd Bridges as Clarkson, the soldier who misses his wife, Rex Ingram as Tambul, the 20-year veteran Sudanese soldier, Richard Nugent as Halliday, the Irish medic, Carl Harbord as Williams, the "professor," Patrick O'Moore as Bates, the jokester, Louis Mercier as Leroux, the French soldier who has a strong hatred for the Germans, and Guy Kingsford as Stegman, the veteran from South Africa. Kurt Krueger and John Wengraf play two stereotypically evil Nazis. It is a very strong ensemble cast and one of the, if not the, reason the movie is so enjoyable.

The DVD is well worth the price. It offers a beautiful looking B & W standard presentation, a trailer along with several other WWII movie trailers, star filmographies for some of the cast, and a montage of original poster art from the film's initial release. Sahara is not the most well known WWII movie, which is a shame, but don't let that scare you away. It is a highly-enjoyable WWII movie with Bogie leading a strong ensemble supporting cast. Don't miss Sahara!

See, Lloyd Bridges was in the movie with Boogie!.......2007-05-23

This is one of those old classical war movies I haven't seen since I was a kid. If you have read any of my other reviews you'll find I mostly watch and review the old monster and science fiction movies I used to watch as a kid. On them you will find several notations from me saying "I never seen a Sinbad the Sailor...saw a 'big' monster picture...read a Robert A Heinlein novel...watched a 007 movie...etc....I didn't like. Well, this is Bogart and I have about ten of his classics coming this way through the mail, and I've never seen one I didn't like.

First of all I'd like to say, I don't consider this type of movie a propaganda film. Basicly it didn't tell us how we should think. Instead it told us what we were thinking after you scrap off any of the glory or flag waving and got right down to the bottom line. Just like that one soldier said in the movie South Pacific...(as I remember it)"I can't tell you what it'l be like when we win, I can only say it will be a lot worse for the world if we loose.". When all else is said...that is the bottom line.

Hollywood did a ton of these movies during those days of darkness. But one thing is certain, when they meant it--saying we Americans were in the right--they didn't play around with it. They told us why we were there, why we had to stay, and in some cases what would happen if we stopped. They weren't lying. I know that today the speech Bogart gave sounds a mite funny...but in realitly he simply told it like it was. Just remember, when this movie was shot, the war was tearing up two or three continents. The last I hear, 10,000,000 Jews, 20,000,000 Russians, and somewhere between 30 and 40 million Chinese were exterminated--and these numbers don't take into account how many soldiers bought it--those Jews and Chinese were civilians.

No. It isn't propaganda. It is simply what was going on somewhere in the war. Example: Wake Island--true story, Where Eagles' Dare--true story, Patton--true story. There is a much longer list but you get the point. So when you watch this movie take into account something like this probably happened and we never heard of it since all the defenders were killed.

So why am I going on about it? I mean, it wasn't even my war--I wasn't born yet. Well, it's that 'propaganda' discription everybody keeps referring to. To me propaganda means 'great big lie' your government tells you so they can get more out of you.

PROS:
1. Bogart stars, that's a star.
2. Mighty fine story line, that's another star.
3. Acted just fine and written fine.
4. Nine men against a light battalion (500) of light mechanized soldiers. (Meaning, battalions usually run about 1500 men so it is a small battalion...and as I remember it light mechanized would mean no heavy vehicals (tanks), mostly lightly armoured jeep type vehicals, half tracks and no artillery to speak of if any. The men, not being infantry, would have a couple of heavy machine guns (heavy meaning heavy damage), a couple of light machinguns (light mean light damage against an armoured target) a sprinkling of automatic rifles, mostly bolt actiong rifles and something that passed for a bazooka. All in all, they had plently to stop that one tank with.
5. The bottom line on the storyline: It is a desert movie. An American tank is in the African desert with the British. The Germans break through their lines (off camera) and the Allies have to make a run for their life. A radio message to the American tanks says north, east, and west are enemy held positions--the Americans turn south toward the worst part of the desert and the posibilitly of finding water there. A little after arriving and finding water, they discover a light battalion of Germans are coming their way for the same thing...water. The only water for a hundred miles in any direction--and the Germans have been out of water for two days. Hmmm, pretty easy to see why Bogart talked the rest of them into staying.

There are other PROS: but I see no reason to ruin your movie for you.

CONS:

1. There are no CONS: for these old movies that were done right...I think it should have been half an hour longer starting where all of the German soldiers stood up and walked forward at the end of the movie--I think it would have intensified the situation more. Oh well, I'll watch it as it is--I certainly wouldn't want Hollywood of today to remake it like they did the Flight of the Phoenix--Yuck!

I can't (once more) honestly tell you to get out the popcorn because once more this isn't a popcorn movie. Hmmm....hmmm...hmmm, aha! Now don't get the wrong idea here--you should open up a can of Spam and fix a sandwich--no salt please. As I remember hearing, our boys swore by spam to be a great American food back then--that ought to tell you how good the mess hall was, and it was the American soldier that keep it going all these years. Bye.

A first-rate War film, with a masterful musical score..., .......2007-01-13

"Sahara" is a first-rate War film, well directed by Zoltan Korda, which qualitatively balanced its superb action sequences with penetrating character studies...

Bogart is seen as a tank commander who, when separated from his unit in the Libyan Desert, picks up a group of allied (and eventually several enemy) stragglers and heads out in search of badly needed water... Once they arrive at a nearly dry oasis, and after he learns that a motorized battalion of Germans is also after the water, Bogart decides to make a valiant stand...

Bogart's characterization is excellent as he gave what many considered to be the most realistic portrait of the truly "American" fighting man yet pictured on the screen...

Assisting in the overall success of "Sahara" was a masterful musical score by Miklos Rozsa, who did similar duty the same year in another "tank" picture, Billy Wilder's "Five Graves to Cairo."

AN ECLECTIC ENSEMBLE CAST REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ALLIED WAR EFFORT AND PERSPECTIVE.......2006-11-20

IN A NUTSHELL: A WORLD WAR II ACTION EPIC FILMED DURING THE WAR

This is an fictionalized action war film starring Humphrey Bogart set in the Sahara during the Desert War in 1942. With a great deal of emotional, ideological, and personality components blended into the story, the audience too is drawn into this against-all-odds adventure with the vaunted "Afrika Corps."

WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT:

The British 8th Army has just been dealt a decisive blow by the Axis and they are broadcasting the order for a "general retreat." Among those hearing the bad news is Sergeant Joe Gunn [Humphrey Bogart], a rare American already on station near Tobruk and in command of a very campy looking M3 [General Lee] Medium Tank.

-----> THE M3 'GENERAL LEE' MEDIUM TANK IS AN IMPORTANT CHARACTER IN "SAHARA"

I could go right off on a tangent here and discuss the amazing evolution in tank design that led to this very unusual-looking but capable medium tank that was the immediate precursor of the universal and more conventional "Sherman Tank" which has been accurately depicted in literally every World War II film, except this one. Nevertheless, the unusual design of the M3 tank was probably deliberate, as it mirrored the rather unusual configuration of the ensemble cast that ultimately operated in and around this high-profiled military vehicle. In the end, the M3, like the international cast, shows itself to be superior both to the Master Race itself and its "superior" machinery.

"SAHARA" IS A FICTIONALIZED ACCOUNT, BUT A REPRESENTATIVE ONE:

It is true that Sergeant Gunn did not really win the battle of El-Alamein, but what happened to them was a kind of microcosm, in spirit, of the actual climactic battle in the desert. "Sahara" is a sort of myth or fictionalized legend about how a band of men from diverse backgrounds joined together for a common cause to defeat an awesomely-powerful foe, just like the multinational Allied war effort that was the key to the Allied victory in World War II.

-----> THE CAST <-----

Humphrey Bogart - Sgt. Joe Gunn
Bruce Bennett - Waco Hoyt
Lloyd Bridges - Fred Clarkson
Rex Ingram - Sgt. Tambul
J. Carrol Naish - Giuseppe
Dan Duryea - Jimmy Doyle
Richard Nugent - Capt. Jason Halliday
Pat O'Moore - Ozzie Bates
Louis Mercier - Jean Leroux
Carl Harbord - Marty Williams
Guy Kingsford - Peter Stegman
John Wengraf - Maj. von Falken
Hans Schumm - Sgt. Krause

-----> THE PRODUCTION CREW <-----

Zoltan Korda - Director / Screenwriter
Harry Joe Brown - Producer
John Howard Lawson - Screenwriter
Philip MacDonald - Short Story Author
James O'Hanlon - Screenwriter
Rudolph Maté - Cinematographer
Miklos Rozsa - Composer (Music Score)
Morris W. Stoloff - Musical Direction/Supervision
Charles Nelson - Editor
Lionel Banks - Art Director
Eugène Lourié - Art Director
William Kiernan - Set Designer
Lodge Cunningham - Sound/Sound Designer
Abby Berlin - First Assistant Director

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Starring: Burt Lancaster , Shelley Winters , Telly Savalas , Ossie Davis , and Dabney Coleman
Director: Sydney Pollack
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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