The House of the Spirits

Starring:Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Winona Ryder, Antonio Banderas, Vanessa Redgrave, Maria Conchita Alonso, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Jan Niklas, Sarita Choudhury, AntÃ³nio AssunÃ§Ã£o, Julie Balloo, Frank Baker (III), JoÃ£o Cabral, Miguel Guilherme, JosÃ© Mora Ramos, Victor Rocha, Carlos CÃ©sar, Alexandre de Sousa, RogÃ©rio Claro
Director: Bille August
Studio: Live / Artisan
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The House of the Spirits is a generational tale of life among the ruling class in a South American country, as adapted from the Isabel Allende novel, but the political realities coexist very uneasily with the magical realism in this Bille August film. The star power alone (Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Winona Ryder, Antonio Banderas, Vanessa Redgrave, and Armin Mueller-Stahl) should have cranked it up a few notches, but that's not the case. Irons is appropriately cruel as the ambitious man who achieves wealth and makes everyone around him miserable and Streep is luminous, but it's slow and ponderous all the way. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

reconciliation and growth- the "connection between events"- that's what the movie is about.......2006-12-29

At least that's what it meant to me. Replace "South America" in all reviews by the word "Chile", because that is where the story belongs in its cut and dry facts. A wealthy family, a Shakespearean love between a peasant's son and a land owner's daughter; betrayal, rage, passion, violence and murder, ghosts (spirits), rebelion and freedom: all these are just some of the ingredients portraid in the movie with a great line up, awsome landscape and fairly good soundtrack. If you ever visit Chile, please see this movie and you'll understand part of the Chilean character and history: under our modern facade, there's still Biancas, Pedros and Truebas.
The movie personally helped me see my own story and find new connections between myself, my family and the culture where I was born and raised: that of Chile's.

Corrections for Synopsis.......2006-09-19

Extremely Fantastic Movie! I just happened along this movie on
The IFC Channel, hate to think how many really good movies I miss and have missed.

Please rewrite the synopsis as follows: sentence #2, "The poor Estaban marries Clara and they have (not get) a daughter, Blanca.
Sentence #3, Estaban works hard and earns (not gets) the money to buy.....

After reading the negative reviews on this movie I would like to remind people that the book was 'loosely based' on the novel. I really wonder what the negative reviewers think is a good movie, let me know!

Book is great, Movie [is bad]........2003-05-27

Having some truly talented actors, and a wonderful story could not save the horrid movie that is The House of the Spirts. This adaptation does not even closely do justice to the book. The book, first of all, focuses on the lives of three Trueba women. It shows the hardships and turmoil they faced in an enthralling way. The movie, I'm afraid, is too over the top, and chooses not to follow the overall plot of the novel. PLEASE if anyone suggests this film to you, DO NOT LISTEN. But do yourself a favor and read the book, it is an excellent piece of litterature.

One of the worst adaptaitions I have ever seen!.......2003-04-24

I have not seen a film quite as appaling as this one in a long time, I am Chilean and a huge fan of the book "La casa de los espiritos" (The house of the spirits), which is beautifly written, with some of the most truthfull and thoughtfull characters I have come across.
The film however is very different. To start with the characters are meant to be Chliean not British, and fair enough If they were unable to use an accent (or perhaps latin american actors) they could have at least made a respectable attempt at the names, hearing them all pronounce "Alba", "Olba" was infurriating. To keep with the cast problem the charaters of "Nivea" and "Severo Del Valle" were the two most stereotypical middle class white american parents, with a hint of the brady bunch, Nivea was more like the Mmother in "American Beauty" than a revolutionary socialist and women's rights activist, and such a passionate lover that she has given birth 15 times!
The characters were also changed and blended together changing them entirly and destrying their originality and thought making them into something dull and annoying.
The horrifying coup of 73 was perfectly covered in the book no romantic notions, just the horrendos reality, the film attempts to show a supposed torture scene with Winona Ryder, though there is nothing wrong with her acting the pitiful display of screams and a few blows soon followed by her release was just the slightest bit unrealistic, as the chance of release was about 5 to 1, and the torture sessions consited on slightly more than a few blows.
In short the film was an overly romantic, corny and pathetic attempt to sum up the book, to be honest the entire thing was greatly amusing.
Very disapointing

The House of Spirits.......2003-04-02

This is my second all-time favorite movie. West Side Story being the first; however this movie is beautiful, inspires all sorts of emotions and is a film which should have been given an award!

Average customer rating:

Very pleasing
extremely disappointed....
Poor Adaptation
A Poor Adaptation
The House of the Spirits.

The House of the Spirits
Starring: Meryl Streep , Jeremy Irons , Glenn Close , Winona Ryder , and Antonio Banderas
Director: Bille August
Manufacturer: Live / Artisan
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005QCVW
Release Date: 2001-08-14

Customer Reviews:

Very pleasing.......2005-08-06

Very good movies. Not as great as the actual book, as many movies made from books are.

extremely disappointed...........2005-07-09

I did really wanted to buy this dvd. I liked the movie when I first saw it in the movietheater. But one good habit of mine is reading the comments of other buyers. Thank you guys!!!
This STUPID idea of editing, changing, cutting or whatever the companies may say, with the idea of improving the movie... well, it simply does NOT improve anything at all. Totally the opposite: just spoil it. And the good feelings to see a good movie again, at your home, is completely gone.
The movie itself is great! But my suggestion is (sorry amazon.com....): just rent it!!! And after that, if you still like it, then you may buy it.

Poor Adaptation.......2005-06-24

I never like the invidious comparisons between novels and the movies made from them, but in this case, it is hard to escape. This movie version of Isabel Allende's mesmerizing novel of the same name contains most of the same plot elements, but is sadly lacking in soul and resonance. A stellar cast and sweeping South American scenery still could not make this film more than a sub-par period piece. A pity.

A Poor Adaptation.......2005-05-15

I've seen many films in nearly all genres over the years. Rarely do I stop watching before the end of a film. This is one of those rare films that I found very poorly acted, despite the stellar cast. I don't know whether the director or screenwriter deserves the most blame for this lackluster story. This film does a grave disservice to Isabel Allende's book. Watch this at your own risk.

The House of the Spirits........2005-05-15

I had seen the VHS version of this movie years ago. After reading the novel and renting the DVD i found it had been shortened and it was not true to the real essence of the story at all. Important aspects of the novel are left undeveloped, the movie skips about 20 years to attribute the events that were supposed to happen to Alba, to her mother, Blanca, played by Winona Ryder. The cast is famous and their acting is okay, but the dialogue is not good at all. I feel robbed for renting this DVD, it was a real disapointment. I think I could've done a better job at providing the audience with an enjoyable film that develops all important aspects of the story than Bille August. Now I feel like i had to let everyone know to not waste their money or time on this DVD. It cannot be compared to the real story, just get the book.

Average customer rating:

Evil Spirits
Starring: Michael Berryman , Martine Beswicke , Brigitte Burdine , Joan Caulfield , and Anthony Eisley
Director: Gary Graver
Manufacturer: Cheezy Flicks Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The House of the Spirits [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Netherlands ]

Average customer rating:

A MULTI-GENERATIONAL FAMILY SAGA...

The House of the Spirits [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Netherlands ]
Director: Bille August
Manufacturer: A-Film
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B000FMPJO0

Product Description

Netherlands released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0), Dutch (Subtitles), French (Subtitles), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SYNOPSIS: South America before the second world war. The poor Esteban marries Clara and they get a daughter, Blanca. Esteban works hard and eventually gets money to buy a hacienda and become a local patriarch. He becomes very conservative and is feared by his workers. When Blanca grows up, she falls in love with a young revolutionary, Pedro, who urges the workers to fight for socialism. It is unavoidable that Pedro and Esteban are pitted against each other. Esteban tries to stop the love affair between Pedro and his daughter by all means possible but soon Blanca becomes pregnant and has a daughter. The void between father and daughter seems unbridgeable when Blanca moves in with Pedro. SPECIAL FEATURES: Trailer(s), Interactive Menu,

Customer Reviews:

A MULTI-GENERATIONAL FAMILY SAGA..........2006-05-21

I love this movie! It has a stellar cast, who give top notch performances. How can you go wrong with Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Antonio Banderas, Winona Ryder, Vanessa Redgrave, and Armin Muehler-Stahl? The answer is that you can't. It is a riveting piece of film making, based loosely upon Isabelle Allende's wonderful book of the same name.

The film delicately captures the mysticism of the book, rendering those scenes in which such is the focal point highly believable. This is no mean feat given the subject matter. The story takes place in South America. The saga begins in the nineteen thirties.

Vanessa Redgrave and Armin Muehler-Stahl play the wealthy and liberal parents of two daughters, Rosa and Clara Del Valle. Rosa is the beautiful, older daughter. Clara, played by Meryl Streep's real life daughter, is a lovely child with exceptional, psychic gifts. Jeremy Irons plays the part of Esteban Trueba, an impoverished young man in love with Rosa. Vowing to make his fortune in order to marry her and provide her with the comforts to which she is accustomed, he succeeds in making his fortune. He loses Rosa, however, before being able to marry her, when she drinks poisoned wine intended for her liberal party father.

Esteban, broken hearted, leaves with his fortune and buys an estancia, where he sternly rules with an iron fist over the peasants who work the land for him. They obsequiously refer to him as "Patron". He takes what he wants, even the women, with the expected result. He has a bastard son whom he does not acknowledge.

Esteban has a spinster sister, Ferla, well acted by Glenn Close, who, for the past twenty years, has lived a grim existence in the city with their ailing mother, whom she has taken care of. When their mother dies, Esteban, now a bitter and lonely man, returns to the city from his estancia to attend his mother's funeral. In doing so, he spots Clara, who is now all grown up and ethereally portrayed by the very talented Meryl Streep. Not wasting a moment, he goes to her home. She, luminous and mystical, already knows that he is there to ask for her hand in marriage and happily accepts. After all, she has loved him ever since she first saw him all those years ago.

Clara lovingly embraces his sister, Ferla, into the bosom of her househould, when they move to her Esteban's estancia. Ferla blossoms from a bitter old maid into a companionable and pleasant woman, under Clara's warmth. Esteban and Clara eventually have a child, Blanca, who grows up playing with Pedro, the son of the estancia's indigenous indian foreperson. When Esteban discovers this, he sends Blanca away to boarding school. He does not want his daughter fraternizing with the peasants.

Clara, loving and pure of heart, is his exact opposite. When their daughter finally grows up and returns home from school, she knows that the independent Blanca, well played by Winona Ryder, has fallen in love with her childhood playmate, Pedro, passionately portrayed by Antonio Banderas. Esteban hates Pedro, as Pedro is a liberal inciting the peasants to unionize and demand their rights, whipping them into a frenzy against the "Patron", or so Esteban sees it. He drives Pedro off his land. He also drives Ferla off, as he believes her to have unatural feelings for his wife, Clara. Possessive to a fault, he is consumed by jealousy. Clara and Esteban have a fight over his cruelties, and she finally leaves him, taking Blanca with her to the Del Valle family home in the city.

Meanwhile, life goes on. Blanca, pregnant by Pedro, has his child, believing that Pedro has been killed by her father. Esteban, representing the wealthy, becomes senator. He reigns for years, until the liberals win power. When they do, however, their tenure is short lived, as a militairy coup sets up a reign of terror and his old sins come home to roost. Meanwhile, Blanca discovers that Pedro is alive, and they joyously hook up again. When Blanca is picked up as a political dissident and tortured for her political views, Esteban, old and broken, is now just a bit player in a larger arena. Too late, he tries to right some wrongs. Some of the wrongs, however, can never be righted.

This is a magnificent, multi-generational family epic, that holds the viewer in its thrall. While it only loosely follows Isabelle Allende's wonderful book of the same name, it is a winner in its own right. It has something for everyone, as it deals with human nature, as well as the complex emotions, forces, and events that shape one. The film is about a family struggling to find its place in our ever changing world, and the relationships that each member of that family forges. It is a rich and vibrant tapestry, which succeeds in capturing the viewer.

The House Of Spirits (La Casa De Los Espiritus) Collectors Edition [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]

Average customer rating:

The House Of Spirits (La Casa De Los Espiritus) Collectors Edition [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]
Director: Bille August
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Average customer rating:

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ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Hauntings In America
Spooked The Ghosts Of Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Product Features:

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ASIN: B000OWGGLG

Product Description

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California's Most Haunted

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ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Compliation of five terrifying ghost stories of true hauntings in California. Includes actual footage of man hung by ghost.

ASIN: B000OWFX4C

Product Description

documentary of the paranormal

Average customer rating:

The House of the Spirits - NTSC Import
Starring: Jeremy Irons
Director: Bille August
Manufacturer: LW
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

South America before the second world war. The poor Esteban marries Clara and they get a daughter, Blanca. Esteban works hard and eventually gets money to buy a hacienda and become a local patriarch. He becomes very conservative and is feared by his workers. When Blanca grows up, she falls in love with a young revolutionary, Pedro, who urges the workers to fight for socialism. It is unavoidable that Pedro and Esteban are pitted against each other. Esteban tries to stop the love affair between Pedro and his daughter by all means possible but soon Blanca becomes pregnant and has a daughter. The void between father and daughter seems unbridgeable when Blanca moves in with Pedro.

Average customer rating:

A Haunting in the Northern Maine Woods

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

Product Description

Dvd about the haunting happening in northern Maine. Includes actual case pictures and case video's showing objects being moved by an un-seen force!

Average customer rating:

reconciliation and growth- the "connection between events"- that's what the movie is about
Corrections for Synopsis
Book is great, Movie [is bad].
One of the worst adaptaitions I have ever seen!
The House of Spirits

The House of the Spirits [Region 2]
Starring: Meryl Streep , Jeremy Irons , Glenn Close , Winona Ryder , and Antonio Banderas
Director: Bille August
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004RYEX

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

reconciliation and growth- the "connection between events"- that's what the movie is about.......2006-12-29

Corrections for Synopsis.......2006-09-19

Book is great, Movie [is bad]........2003-05-27

One of the worst adaptaitions I have ever seen!.......2003-04-24

The House of Spirits.......2003-04-02

This is my second all-time favorite movie. West Side Story being the first; however this movie is beautiful, inspires all sorts of emotions and is a film which should have been given an award!

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