Faces

Starring:John Marley, Gena Rowlands, Lynn Carlin, Fred Draper, Seymour Cassel, Val Avery, Dorothy Gulliver, Joanne Moore Jordan, Darlene Conley, Gene Darfler, Elizabeth Deering, Ann Shirley, Dave Mazzie, Anita White, Julie Gambol, Edwin Sirianni, Liz Satriano, O.G. Dunn, Jerry Howard (II), David Rowlands
Director: John Cassavetes
Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]
Product Type: DVD

Description

A mysterious traveling circus unleashes a torrent of magic and mysticism in a dusty Arizona town. "In what may be the finest performance in a fantasy film" (Guide for the Film Fanatic), Tony Randall charms and spellbinds as ringmaster Dr. Lao and his multitude of faces, a virtuoso turn that earned a special Oscar for Outstanding Makeup Achievement. Step inside the tent...and marvel.

Customer Reviews:

if you are even a tiny fan of Tony Randall, this is it!!!.......2007-06-06

Tony Randall is this movie -- sweet, clean fun -- good for the whole family, a real lovely moral tale with the Master (Tony Randall) giving 7 different roles a most delightful spin. Enjoy!

Very satisfied.......2007-05-15

Easy to order, product delivered within a few days and I could take advantage of the free shipping offer. Top qulity DVD of one of my favorite old movies.

Randall is great!.......2007-05-14

I had seen this many times when my kids were young, and we loved it. Sure, it's corny and over the top sometimes, but it's thoroughly entertaining. Having read the book, I find they did a good job of conveying its flavor. A classic!

Strange, but a true original!.......2007-05-08

This is an unusual movie that teaches lessons in a manner unaccustomed to. It address' both basic human strengths and weakness, as well as American culture. It is movie that causes one to think about the state of humanity and the plank in their own eye. Excellent! And the whole family can enjoy it as entertainment as well.

Illusions of life.......2007-03-28

A magician who let the people of a town have a look in their heart and holds them a mirror, if the heart is vain and empty or jast deeply hurt through diaapointments.

Average customer rating:

I can relate
Fun even if you're not a Streistand fan
The Mirror Has Two Faces
Amazing family story.
Any Movie That...

The Mirror Has Two Faces
Starring: Lauren Bacall , Jeff Bridges , Lucy Avery Brooks , Pierce Brosnan , and Taina Elg
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 0800141849
Release Date: 1998-01-20

Amazon.com essential video

Barbra Streisand's self-absorbed remake of a 1958 French film stars Jeff Bridges as a college professor tired of sexual politics. He makes a deal with a dowdy colleague (Streisand) that they provide companionship for one another, with no thought of getting into bed. She agrees but soon becomes frustrated, the agreement only reinforcing her unfulfilled desire to have a complete relationship with a man. Mimi Rogers is on hand as Babs's striking sister, and Lauren Bacall received an Oscar nomination for her role as the heroine's selfish mother. The film is OK, but it becomes an irritating vanity piece for Streisand (who directed as well as stars). Her character constantly gazes upon her own reflection and is told at least a dozen times, one way or another, just how attractive she is. One wants to shout out, we get it already--you're pretty! The DVD release presents the film in both widescreen and pan and scan versions, plus a Dolby soundtrack. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

I can relate.......2007-07-04

I read a review on this site where the reviewer - obviously a man - said that the entire film is dedicated to the characters telling Barbra Streisand she's beautiful. Spoken like someone who has never felt - or been told - they are ugly, only to realize later in life that they're beautiful after all, even if just to one person. That's the premise: what is beauty, after all? Does inner beauty trump the external? (Goodness, we hope so!) How much does physical appearance matter? What is the nature of attraction? How can sex mess up a perfectly great relationship? The dialogue isn't a barrage of people telling Barbra she's beautiful at all. She looks in the mirror, trying to think of herself as beautiful, and fails. This is something that echoes the literary classic Jane Eyre (the book) that I relate strongly to. How many of us have looked in the mirror and seen only the flaws? I love this film. It makes me think about these issues. In a world where Paris Hilton makes headlines on less than zero merit, the questions this film asks are as relevant as they were when the film was made. And let's face it, we ALL want to dance in the street with Jeff Bridges! NOTE: Finding this film in widescreen format is a Herculean feat. In fact, amazon accidentally sent me the wrong disc to begin with, and I had to exchange it. (The guy who said that the film was all about Barbra Streisand's ego was also wrong about the DVD containing both formats: it does not.) If you're cool with pan-n-scan, the full screen might do for you, but if you're like me and want your movies in their true original format, make sure you are getting the widescreen.

Fun even if you're not a Streistand fan.......2007-04-02

This is kind of like a Howard Hawkes movie. You'll enjoy it more if you spend less time worrying about how the story unfolds and instead just delight in the performances of the actors. Lauren Bacall is such a treat. Streistand playing against Bacall, Brosnan, Rogers, Vaccaro and Segal is fun stuff. Unfortunately, Jeff Bridges is in completely over his head. He's awful (but then he always is). The fact that there's no real chemistry between him and Streistand probably goes unnoticed by most people because some might think his character is not supposed to be physically attracted to Streistand's Rose. But in reality it really hurts the move because there's no simmer between the two. The ending is really killed by the lack of chemistry. Bridges looks as if he's being forced to kiss an aunt with a mustache and Streistand appears to be replused by his presence.
I guess like Hawkes, Streistand doesn't like to reuse a pretty face. That's too bad because just about any of her previous leading men would have improved this otherwise very goood movie.

The Mirror Has Two Faces.......2007-03-12

This is a favorite movie of mine. All the stars are great in it and the story is very endearing and humorous with a redeeming message.

Amazing family story........2007-01-10

This film could be associated with many families, as a matter of fact the story and the caracters have a lot of similarities with my clan....A very enjoyable story with lots of meanings to it.Excellent and very worth while movie to see; I recomend it.

Any Movie That..........2006-12-16

Any Movie that ends with "Nessum Dorma" is cool - period. Think of the longing, the sweetness, the power of the song itself and you get some idea of how this movie will kick you in the gut when you least expect it.

Bridges is awesome in his role -- totally unselfconsciousness, completely believable, absolutly wonderful, and Streisand is strong and brave in hers -- so what's not to love? All those who hated it, watch it again. All of you who haven't seen it, watch it. If you've got a speck of romance in your soul, and a song in your heart, you'll get it.

Average customer rating:

The Three Faces of Eve
a tour de force
perfect
Unintentional polygamist (recommended)
The Three Faces of Eve

The Three Faces of Eve
Starring: Joanne Woodward , David Wayne , Lee J. Cobb , Edwin Jerome , and Alena Murray
Director: Nunnally Johnson
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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Sybil (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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ASIN: B0002B15ZG
Release Date: 2004-10-05

Description

Eve White, a mousy, withdrawn housewife startles her husband (David Wayne) when she claims she did not buy the flashy, provocative clothes he finds in their bedroom. After she complains of blackouts, he takes her to a psychiatrist (Lee J. Cobb) who soon encounters her second personality, Eve Black, a sexy, uninhibited woman. As Eve's therapy continues, her third self, the sensible, intelligent Jane appears to help resolve her rare multiple personality condition. Based on a true story, this acclaimed psychological drama brilliantly explores the dimensions of the human mind.

Customer Reviews:

The Three Faces of Eve.......2007-06-27

Based on an actual case, "Eve" is a distant precursor to the TV drama "Sybil" (also featuring Joanne Woodward) and broke new ground in Hollywood's treatment of mental illness, while also taking a hard look at prescribed gender roles for women in the 1950s. Few actresses have made a more impressive acting debut than Woodward, starring opposite veteran Cobb, especially since she had three roles to juggle: a dowdy Southern housewife, a libertine, and a pragmatic, cultured woman. She brought off this complex, nuanced characterization with such finesse that she walked away with a Best Actress Oscar.

a tour de force.......2007-05-13

I was quite surprised at how much i remembered this film i remember watching it many years ago on television with my mum and something about it never left me. If you turn the volume down and get rid of the music that is a dead giveaway on the part of the filmmakers to tell the viewer of eve's change into her other personalities you will see an absolutelly astonishing performance from Joanne Woodward. Why this woman is not used more in films today is beyond me.

perfect.......2007-03-28

my dvd came in EXACTLY how the description said.
it was of great quality and i fully enjoyed it.

Unintentional polygamist (recommended).......2007-03-08

His wife's medical diagnosis is incomprehensible to simple minded Ralph White (David Wayne). Therefore her blackouts, reckless spending, and amnesia test the limit of his devotion. Dr. Luther (Lee J. Cobb) patiently strives to unify two Eves -- as different as Black and White -- and a woman called Jane with a personality somewhere in the middle. But Ralph is not prepared for three wives.

In a role originally intended for Judy Garland, who battled her own mental illness, Oscar winning Joanne Woodward adroitly depicts THE THREE FACES OF EVE. She is, in one moment, a subjugated housewife and in the next, a loose party animal. This true story of the first documented case of Multiple Personality Disorder is an educational precursor to the much more intense SYBIL. In the former, one childhood trauma is the trigger. The latter has multiple childhood atrocities to blame and includes Woodward as the psychiatrist.

Movie quote: "See, she's feelin' awfully low. An' when I got what she had on in her mind, it near 'bout scared me half to death! Ya' know, if somebody didn't stop her, I'd be gone too. Ya' know what I mean?"

The Three Faces of Eve.......2007-01-10

It is a good older movie, if interested in mental disorders.

Average customer rating:

Another great James Cagney movie
Great Nostalgia!
A very New York movie
"Whaddaya Hear, Whaddaya Say?"
"Always remember: Don't be a sucker" - Rocky Sullivan

Angels With Dirty Faces
Starring: James Cagney , Pat O'Brien , Humphrey Bogart , Ann Sheridan , and George Bancroft
Director: Michael Curtiz , Bobby Connolly , and Robert Clampett
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Public Enemy
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Dead End
Little Caesar

ASIN: B0006HBV28
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Customer Reviews:

Another great James Cagney movie.......2007-05-29

This is a superb movie. James Cagney was awesome. Dead end kids are all dead now, I think. Very good old time movie. It actually had a moral to it's story. Today's filmakers and actors should take note.

Great Nostalgia!.......2007-04-16

I purchased this movie for my husband, who collects antique radios. We merely wanted to see the bar-radio. We enjoy all things Art Deco and vintage, particularly 20-40's. We realized that we were really enjoying the movie! It's a bit sappy, but weren't all movies from the era?

A very New York movie .......2007-04-08

(To Kristopher Haines) you asked "What did audiences see in these kids?" Many kids in the northern cities saw themselves, or knew of wise guy tough kids just like the Dead End Kids. They also knew or knew of a 'Father Connelly' who would try and set neighbourhood tough kids on the right path in life.

If you were a New Yorker you might have been similar to one of the kids depicted in this film yourself. In 1938 many actors & actresses in motion pictures were from New York, thus Hollywood made movies with the New York viewing audiences in mind. That's why the movie going public liked their antics.

After the war when the East End Kids evolved into the The Bowery Boys their fan base grew even larger. Today they have a substantial following amongst old movie fans, and yes many of these fans are from the Tri-State area (NY/CONN/NJ), Philly, Boston, Providence, Chicago etc, since those fans related to the Boys growing up, or watching their re-runs on TV.

[[ASIN:630695001X Key Largo/Angels With Dirty Faces]]
The Warner Gangsters Collection (The Public Enemy / White Heat / Angels with Dirty Faces / Little Caesar / The Petrified Forest / The Roaring Twenties)

"Whaddaya Hear, Whaddaya Say?".......2007-03-14

Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney) was always a troublesome kid, but what do you expect from a guy who grew up in the slums? The only difference between him and the man who became the preacher (Pat O'Brien) is that Rocky got caught stealing and the preacher didn't. So Rocky went to juvenile detention and graduated to the slammer thanks to his ties to bigshot gangsters. He agreed to take the fall for them at the advice of his lawyer (Humphrey Bogart) at the promise that he'd jump right back in with them when he got out. What a sucker he was.

When Rocky gets out, he finds that his old friends have turned on him and used up his money. He doesn't take lightly to that and uses his intelligence to outsmart them time after time. In the meantime, upon returning home, Rocky meets up with some childhood friends including the preacher and a girl he used to pick on (Ann Sheridan). He also meets the new town hoodlums (The Dead End Kids) and becomes their idol. However, Rocky's life was never destined for a happy ending.

This film is incredibly powerful because it comments on so many modern issues. Is the criminal a victim of his own free-will or of his environment? And in being a criminal, does that make him all bad? Also, the relationships between the characters are great because they're so well established. Cagney is perfect in the role, a street-wise, easy-going guy you can't help but love despite his imperfections. Also notable are the Dead End Kids, especially Leo Gorcey whose strong personality and looks are very similar to Cagney's.

This is an excellent film that transcends the gangster genre.

"Always remember: Don't be a sucker" - Rocky Sullivan.......2007-01-11

This crime/drama concerns two childhood friends that both grew up in Hell's Kitchen back in 1920th. Jerry Connelly (O'Brien) became a parish priest and the other, Rocky Sullivan (Cagney) - the career criminal. The Angels of the title are the neighborhood boys whom Father Jerry tries to save from lives of crime and who have come to idolize the tough, fast, furious and cool guy Rocky. Yes, Cagney's Rocky was a criminal but one could not help rooting for him in every scene of the movie which he stole from the rest of the cast. Cagney is riveting as Rocky. When he talks, you want to listen, when he walks, you want to follow. Who would blame the Dead End Kids for wanting to be like him? Father Jerry does not blame them but he tries his best not to let that happened...

"Angels with Dirty Faces" is a great movie, a true classic that combines an excellent crime movie with the characters like crooked lawyer (Humphrey Bogard) and corrupt politician (George Bancroft) with whom Rocky formed a doomed business alliance and a very human and compelling drama of two best friends, the choices they made, the roads they took and where the roads brought them. Great directing, writing, acting from everyone and absolutely brilliant performance from James Cagney.

4.5/5

Average customer rating:

Mostly fake garbage. A few real stuff thrown in.
A cult-favorite
faces of death vol 1
Didn't live up to the hype...
Strikes me as funny.

Faces of Death Collection (Vols. 1-4)
Starring: Faces of Death
Manufacturer: Mpi Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Banned From TV 2
The Original Faces of Death
Cannibal Holocaust
Banned From Television, Uncensored!
Banned From TV 3

ASIN: B000060MU9
Release Date: 2002-07-30

Customer Reviews:

Mostly fake garbage. A few real stuff thrown in........2007-04-28

I viewed the original many years ago when it was 1st released on VHS. Slaughter house footage. Cremations. Some other odds and ends were interesting to watch. I later saw the follow on. The scenes were more close in on people. The scenes were bloodier and more disturbing. I later went back and watched many of the "disturbing" scenes and began to find inconsistencies and telltale clues that led me to believe most if not all the scenes were fake. After that I happily never watched another episode again.

A cult-favorite.......2007-03-30

Since i was a teenager and discoverd these videos at a local video store i have been shocked, sickened, and repulsed, but not enough to go and complain and cry at Gorgon, instead i have grown up and use these videos as special fx training for my employees and myself. Even though its all fake (except slaughterhouse and few others) they have helped me learn that we take our life for granted, and takeing a journy through death is what every human should see, it could be life changing i know it was for me..........but all in all, i will continue to watch these videos with friends and use for instructional examples until america can take their fingers out of their butts and make real examples of death and stop being so afraid, death will happen for us all one day and i for one want to choose to know what will and can happen, just to be accepting of death and not afraid. I hope these videos continue to shock and scare the young horror generation, i hope these videos will be talked about in school hallways for years to come like it was from mine

faces of death vol 1.......2006-07-12

i think that is a great documentary and itz very interesting too.i first saw it years ago and i always wanted a copy of it.

Didn't live up to the hype..........2006-04-28

The legend around "The Faces of Death" has been going on for years and has caught my curiosity a couple times. After hearing so much about it and the horrific images it depicted I gave in and decided to watch the original. What a disappointment it was. Not only were the images plain there was nothing horrifying about it. Mind you people of a Na?ve and sensitive nature are warned not to watch it as it does show animals having their throats cut in a slaughter house and other images with blood shed. Nothing out of the ordinary for the time this film was documented. I'm sure they aired the same stuff on the documentary channel. If you want a real film that will open your eyes invest in the 1980 cult classic "Cannibal Holocaust" you won't be disappointed.

Strikes me as funny........2006-04-06

You know what strikes me as funny?

This "Music Freak" guy who said FOD was "twisted and sick, and should be banned, and the people who put it together should be killed", that's what!

He says:

" Im still shocked till this day that people acually buy this, i feel nothing but pain for the animals who were killed in this, it really makes me sick that people find this funny. WHY IS AMAZON SELLING THIS? THIS SERIES SHOULD BE BURNED AND DESTROYED, this is another great example of how sick and degraded humans have become."

But he ALSO says:

"This is the most twisted and sickest thing I have ever watched."

HILARIOUS. He sat there and watched it, and has the gall to judge OTHERS?

Music Freak, you ARE just that.

A "FREAK" IN IDIOT !!!!

The Warner Gangsters Collection (The Public Enemy / White Heat / Angels with Dirty Faces / Little Caesar / The Petrified Forest / The Roaring Twenties)

Average customer rating:

The prototype of a well-done boxed set
FIve classic gangster flicks
Kudos for one of the best boxed sets ever
Fabulous value, hours of fun
Great Value collection

The Warner Gangsters Collection (The Public Enemy / White Heat / Angels with Dirty Faces / Little Caesar / The Petrified Forest / The Roaring Twenties)
Starring: Leslie Howard , Bette Davis , Genevieve Tobin , Dick Foran , and Humphrey Bogart
Director: Archie Mayo , Mervyn LeRoy , and Raoul Walsh
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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Kiss of Death (Fox Film Noir)

ASIN: B0006HBV3M
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Amazon.com

For a knock-out combination of timeless entertainment and vintage studio history, you can't do much better than The Warner Brothers Gangsters Collection. In the 1930s and '40s, Paramount specialized in glossy comedies, MGM popularized lavish musicals, Universal produced signature horror classics, and Fox scored hits with sophisticated dramas. But it was Warner Bros. that generated controversy--if not always box-office profits--with so-called "social problem" films, and that meant gangsters. When viewed in their pre- and post-Prohibition context and in chronological order (Little Caesar and The Public Enemy, 1931; The Petrified Forest, 1936; Angels With Dirty Faces, 1938; The Roaring Twenties, 1939; White Heat, 1949), these six films definitively capture Warners' domination of the mobster genre, and to varying degrees, they all qualify as classics.

With its stilted visuals and pulpy plot, Little Caesar remains stuck in the stiff, early-sound era, but it's still a prototypical powerhouse, with Edward G. Robinson's titular "Rico" setting the stage for all screen gangsters to follow. The Public Enemy made James Cagney a star (who can forget him smashing a grapefruit into Mae Clarke's face?), and Humphrey Bogart repeats his Broadway success in The Petrified Forest, a stagy adaptation of Robert Sherwood's play, still enjoyable for Bogey's ever-threatening malevolence. Then it's a Cagney triple-threat in Angels (with Pat O'Brien), racketeering in The Roaring Twenties (with Bogart), and especially the jailbird classic White Heat, with a fiery finale and an exit line ("Made it Ma! Top o' the world!") that epitomized Cagney's iconic, tough-guy image. In many ways Cagney was Warner Bros., and this Gangsters Collection pays enduring tribute to him and the important films that forged the studio's rugged reputation. --Jeff Shannon

Description

The Public Enemy showcases James Cagney's powerful 1931 breakthrough performance as streetwise tough guy Tom Powers. When shooting began, Cagney had a secondary role but Zanuck soon spotted Cagney's screen dominance and gave him the star part. From that moment, an indelible genre classic and an enduring star career were both born.

As a psychotic thug devoted to his hard-boiled ma, James Cagney - older, scarier and just as elctrifying - gives a performance to match his work in The Public Enemy as White Heat's cold-blooded Cody Jarrett. Bracingly directed by Raoul Walsh, this fast-paced thriller tracing Jarrett's violent life in and out of jail is also a harrowing character study. Jarrett is a psychological time bomb ruled by impulse. It is among the most vivid screen performances of Cagney's career, and the excitement it generates will put you on top of the world!

In Angels with Dirty Faces, Cagney's Rocky Sullivan is a charismatic ghetto tough whose underworld rise makes him a hero to a gang of slum punks. The 1938 New York Film Critics Best Actor Award came Cagney's way, as well as one of the film's three Oscar nominations. Watch the chilling death-row finale and you'll know why.

"R-I-C-O, Little Caesar, that's who!" Edward G. Robinson bellowed into the phone. And Hollywood got the message: 37-year-old Robinson, not gifted with matinee-idol looks, was nonetheless a first-class star and moviegoers hailed the hard-hitting social consciousness dramas that became the Depression-era mainstay of Warner Bros.

Little Caesar is the tale of pugnacious Caesar Enrico Bandello, a hoodlum with a Chicago-sized chip on his shoulder, few attachments, fewer friends and no sense of underworld diplomacy. And Robinson - a genteel art collector who disdained guns (in the movie, his eyelids were taped to keep them from blinking when he fired a pistol) - was forever associated with the screen's archetypal gangster.

A rundown diner bakes in the Arizona heat. Inside, fugitive killer Duke Mantee sweats out a manhunt, holding disillusioned writer Alan Squier, young Gabby Maple and a handful of others hostage.

The Petrified Forest, Robert E. Sherwood's 1935 Broadway success about survival of the fittest, hit the screen a year later with Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart magnificently recreating their stage roles and Bette Davis ably reteaming with her Of Human Bondage co-star Howard. Sherwood first wanted Bogart for a smaller role. "I thought Sherwood was right," Bogart said. "I couldn't picture myself playing a gangster. So what happened? I made a hit as the gangster." So right was he that Howard refused to make the film without him...and helped launch Bogie's brilliant movie career.

In The Roaring Twenties, the speakeasy era never roared louder than in this gangland chronicle that packs a wallop under action master Raoul Walsh's direction. Against a backdrop of newsreel-like montages and narration, it follows the life of jobless war veteran Eddie Bartlett (James Cagney) who turns bootlegger, dealing in "bottles instead of battles." Battles await Eddie within and without his growing empire. Outside are territorial feuds and gangland bloodlettings. Inside is the treachery of his double-dealing associate (Humphrey Bogart). It would be 10 years before Cagney played another gangster (in White Heat), a time in which gangster movies themselves became rare. "He used to be a big shot," Panama Smith (Gladys George) says at the finale, marking Bartlett's demise...and signaling the end of Hollywood's focus on the gangster era.

Customer Reviews:

The prototype of a well-done boxed set.......2007-05-14

Kudos to Warner Home Video for the loving treatment they gave these six classic films from their vaults. Every film gets the Warner Night at the Movies treatment with a newsreel, a trailer, a vintage short subject, and a cartoon each from the year in which the movie was made. Plus there are commentary tracks for all of the films. I liked watching each film through first without the track, and then listening to them with the track turned on for insight into the stars and the style of the film. In addition to this you get the following featurettes:

Little Caesar - "End of Rico, Beginning of the Antihero"
Public Enemy - "Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public"
Petrified Forest - "Menace in the Desert". There is also a radio adaptation featuring Humphrey Bogart, Tyrone Power, and Joan Bennett.
Angels with Dirty Faces - "Whaddaya Hear? Whaddaya Say?". This also has an audio-only radio production.
The Roaring Twenties - "The World Moves On"
White Heat - "Top of the World"

It's interesting to compare the three stars of these movies - Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, and Humphrey Bogart - and their styles in each of these movies. "Little Caesar" and "Public Enemy" were made when prohibition was still in effect and gangland crime was still a big problem. Thus Robinson and Cagney each play remorseless criminals with no redeeming values whatsoever. Robinson's Rico is less physical than Cagney's Tom Powers, though. You believe that either one of them would shoot you without a second thought. However, Cagney's Powers is scarier because the real fear is that he would beat you to a pulp for the fun of it and THEN shoot you.

"The Petrified Forest" is not your typical gangster film, with Leslie Howard's vagabond being the real star in what amounts to an improbable romance set against the backdrop of the desperation of the Great Depression which the desert setting seems to signify. This 1936 film has Bogart as Duke Mantee, a gangster on the run, in what amounts to a supporting role. However, you do get to see all of the traits that made Bogart great when he got the opportunity to seize the lead in later roles. And to think they almost cast him as the filling station attendant in this one!

In 1938's "Angels with Dirty Faces" and 1939's "The Roaring Twenties" Cagney is again playing the lead gangster and Humphrey Bogart plays a supporting role in both films. With prohibition long over, though, these movies make Cagney's gangster more three-dimensional, showing him to even be a self-sacrificing character at times as well as a killer. Both movies bother to show that had circumstances been a little different, he might not have even become a criminal in the first place.

1949's "White Heat" shows the influence of film noir that was so popular in the 40's an 50's. Here, Cagney's gangster persona has come full circle back to the viciousness of Tom Powers in "Public Enemy". The big difference is that in this film Cagney's mother is no cream puff. She is, in fact, probably a bigger criminal in thought if not in deed than Cagney's Cody Jarrett. This final gangster film of the six shows technology and thus the law gaining on the criminal, with electronic gadgets and undercover lawmen with college degrees in psychology replacing the determined hard-boiled detectives and beat cops of the past. It very much looks forward to the Dragnet series that is to emerge in the 50's.

In summary, this is just a terrific package and basically acts as a complete course on the gangster film as genre. All studios should stand up and take notice of how Warner Home Video put this set together. Highly recommended.

FIve classic gangster flicks.......2007-01-31

Five classic gangster films from the glory days of Warner Bros.

Granted, "gangster film" isn't the most appropriate description of 1936's "The Petrified Forest," the film based on Sherwood Anderson's talky philosophical play, but if not for the dynamic presence of Humphrey Bogart as Duke Mantee, the "prestigious" production starring Leslie Howard and Bette Davis would likely now be relegated to the same vault that stores "She Loved a Fireman" (with Ann Sheridan) and other forgotten drek from the same period. It was this film that established Bogart as a valuable supporting player on the Warner lot, a position he would occupy until 1940's "High Sierra" made him a top star.

James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson would achieve stardom almost a decade earlier than Bogart with their breakthrough roles in 1931's "Public Enemy" and "Little Caesar" respectively. Directed by William Wellman, the former film holds up quite well despite the somewhat wooden performances of the supporting cast, whereas the latter is too stagy for its own good and remains of interest primarily for Robinson's dynamic performance.

1938's "Angels with Dirty Faces" and 1939's "The Roaring Twenties" are notable for pairing Cagney with Bogart, as adversaries in the former, and as partners, at least for a time, in the latter. Both are highly entertaining with "Angels" benefiting from the casting of the Dead End Kids.

The best film in this set, however, is 1948's "White Heat" with Cagney as Cody Jarrett who makes it to the "top of the world" only to have it blow up in his face. Jarrett ranks with Cagney's portrayal of George M. Cohen in "Yankee Doodle Dandy" as his finest performance.

Brian W. Fairbanks

Kudos for one of the best boxed sets ever.......2007-01-19

While all 6 titles in this set are worthy ones, the four Cagney entries are the ones that are the real jewels and make his claim to the throne of king of the classic gangsters. "White Heat" features his finest and most memorable characterization, a masterpiece of curdled mother love. Warner Brothers is currently giving Criterion a run for its money as the best producer of lovingly restored and well-packaged films on DVD.

Fabulous value, hours of fun.......2006-12-29

It doesn't get much better than this. Settle down with some popcorn, snuggle into your most comfy chair and get ready for hours of entertainment. The transfers of these DVD's are exceptional, especially on The Roaring Twenties and Angels with Dirty Faces. The quality of the other films is slightly less impressive, but still quite acceptable. Remember we're dealing with 75 year old films in the case of Little Caesar and Public Enemy. The audio transfers are also quite good.

The heart of the set is the magnificent 1949 classic, White Heat. This is my favorite gangster movie because of the psycopathic character, Cody Jarret. What a portrayal! Never in movie history has their such a intricately neurotic, mommy-obsessed, gun-toting murderer as Cody. Nobody else but Cagney could have pulled off this performance, which hasn't lost a beat in the intervening 55 years. The interplay between Cody and his mother is the stuff of legend. There isn't one unnecessary or boring moment in White Heat, it is magnificent.

One great thing about this release is that a new generation can grow to love and appreciate the talent of James Cagney. He dominates these films and he's as fresh and lovable as he was back in the 30's. His screen presence jumps out at you and even when he plays a thug, ya gotta love him. His charisma is palpable.

The weak movie here (and one which doesn't quite fit), is Petrified Forest, with Bogie's breakout performance. I would have preferred a George Raft movie in its place. Bogart's performances in the Cagney films is always as a cringing second banana and it's interesting to watch how Jimmy utterly dominates their screen pairing. They made three movies together and it's no surprise that Cagney guns down Bogie in every one!

Little Caesar now seems dated and the supporting cast is generally forgettable, especially the insipid Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Edward G. Robinson is fabulous, as he always was, but the movie suffers the malady of most early talkers: overacting or over direction.

The extras on this DVD set are exceptional, especially the "Warner Bros. at the Movies." These contain a newsreel, a short, a cartoon and finally, the feature film itself. It allows the viewer to vicariously live through the 1930's. A real pleasure! My highest recommendation.

Great Value collection.......2006-07-24

Since Warner Brohters were famous for their gangster films, a boxed set of the most famous was logical and welcome. This set contains the best and most famous of those fims. More detailed reviews of each film can be viewed under their individual titles. By way of a quick summary:

- In 1930, "Little Ceasar" is the film based on the story of Al Capone which made Edward G Robinson a star but the film is antique and almost unwatchable today except for Robinson's towering performance.
- "The Public Enemy", made in 1931, was James Cagney's starmaking role and is very well directed by William Wellman.
- "The Petrified Forest" from 1936 is a film version of the play using Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart from the original Broadway production. Bogart plays a gangster holed up in a remote gas station taking hostage the occupants. The film has a poetic quality which dates it significantly.
- From 1938, "Angels with Dirty Faces" is one of the best of the gangster cycle with Cagney's award winning performance and a great cast, superbly directed by Michael Curtiz.
- In 1939, "The Roaring Twenties" just about the last in the cycle before film makers turned to the war, has an epic and documentary quality and summarises the whole prohibition era. It is very well made.
- In 1949, Cagney returned to the genre for one last role, maybe his best in "White Heat". His gangster now is psychopathic and the film has qualities similar to the popular film noir of the period.

The prints of the films are excellent with the exception of "Little Ceasar" which definitely shows its age. The extras include good featurettes about each film and if you view them in chronological order, you can pick up the continuity on the commentaries - 2 pre Hays Code implementation in 1934, 3 post code and pre war and 1 post war. There are many other extras including cartoons, newsreels and trailers as part of "Warners Night at the Movies". The package is outstanding value.

John Cassavetes - Five Films (Shadows / Faces / A Woman Under the Influence / The Killing of a Chinese Bookie / Opening Night ) - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

I like it a lot
A COVETED COLLECTION
Criterion's most amazing collection to date
DO NOT BUY THIS!
John Cassevettes

John Cassavetes - Five Films (Shadows / Faces / A Woman Under the Influence / The Killing of a Chinese Bookie / Opening Night ) - Criterion Collection
Starring: John Cassavetes-Five Films
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002JP2OS
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Amazon.com

Improvised by the cast, shot in black and white, John Cassavetes's first independent feature, Shadows, looked like no other film of its time. Cassavetes, seeking to both deal with social issues and create a new kind of cinema, told a story about a family of black siblings in Manhattan trying to make ends meet. Though it meanders at times, it features the kind of spontaneous emotion Cassavetes most wanted to elicit in his films.

A sensation in 1968, Faces earned Oscar nominations for actors Seymour Cassel and Lynn Carlin. Improvised and shot in an edgy, hand-held fashion, the film examines the disintegration of the marriage of a couple in mid-life doldrums. Each seeks solace elsewhere: husband John Marley with prostitute Gena Rowlands, wife Carlin with a free spirit played by Cassel. But neither finds anything approaching the fulfillment they feel is missing from the marriage. Indeed, in Cassavetes's probe of raw emotions, these people discover that, just maybe, the problem lies not with their spouse but with themselves.

The long, free-form drama A Woman Under the Influence is best appreciated as a good showcase for Rowlands, playing a woman whose sanity literally appears to be shattering as different aspects of her personality eclipse others at various times. Peter Falk plays her struggling, blue-collar husband, trying to understand the phenomenon and sometimes losing his patience. As with most of Cassavetes's works as a director, one can't help but find one's attention drifting in and out, but Rowland's performance is a key reason the film has been declared a "national treasure" by the Library of Congress.

The title of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is the only commercial element in this fascinating character study by writer-director Cassavetes, who once again finds his cinematic soulmate in actor Ben Gazzara. The film uses verité technique to tell the story of Cosmo Vitelli (Gazzara), a Hollywood strip-club owner whose growing debt to a local gangster can only be erased if he agrees to kill a rival Chinese gangster. As usual, Cassavetes employs his favorite actors (including Seymour Cassel and the fearsome Timothy Carey) and vivid improvisation to give Chinese Bookie a tense atmosphere of emotional urgency.

Gena Rowlands stars in Opening Night, Cassavetes's drama of an aging, alcoholic stage actress in the days leading up to her latest Broadway opening. Like all of her collaborations with her writer-director husband, Rowlands is a woman on the verge of collapse, this time a lonely alcoholic whose very life is a performance. Overlong at 144 minutes, the film's long, loose scenes build through uncomfortable small talk and slow, tentative confrontations. Some of the scenes are edgy and thrilling, though many find this facet of Cassavetes pretentious and self-indulgent. Ultimately it's a matter of taste: if you like his style, you'll love this discomforting drama.

The eight-disc Criterion Collection set is filled out with the 2000 documentary A Constant Forge: The Life and Art of John Cassavetes, plus numerous interviews, a second version of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, a commentary track for A Woman Under the Influence, a 68-page book, and various other features.

Description

This boxed set includes the following titles: • Shadows (1959) 81 min. B&W. 1.33:1 aspect ratio • Faces (1968) 130 min. B&W. 1.66:1 aspect ratio • A Woman Under the Influence (1974) 147 min. Color. 1.85:1 aspect ratio • The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) 135 min. Color. 1.85:1 aspect ratio • Opening Night (1977) 144 min. Color. 1.66:1 aspect ratio • A Constant Forge (2000) 200 min. Color. 1.33:1 aspect ratio John Cassavetes has been called a genius, a visionary, and the father of independent film. But all this rhetoric threatens to obscure the humanism and generosity of his art. The five films included here represent his self-financed works made outside the studio system of Hollywood, on which he was afforded complete control. While about beatniks, hippies, businessmen, actors, housewives, strippers, club owners, gangsters, and children, all of them are beautiful, emotional testaments to compassion. Cassavetes has often been called an actor's director, but this body of work—astoundingly, even greater than the sum of its extraordinarily significant parts—reveals him to be an audience's director. The Criterion Collection is proud to present Shadows, Faces, A Woman Under the Influence, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, and Opening Night in stunning new transfers. Includes Charles Kiselyak's A Constant Forge, a candid biographical documentary on the life and work of Cassavetes .

Customer Reviews:

I like it a lot.......2007-03-30

This director is fantastic. I have just dicovered it and I love it. The edition is nice and fancy. DVD are very complet, english subtitles (very important for me since I am not english native and I need the subtitles to follow the story).

A COVETED COLLECTION .......2007-01-15

I HAD BEEN PROMISING MYSELF THIS CRITERION COLLECTION FOR QUITE AWHILE AND FINALLY I BOUGHT IT AND IT IS WORTH EVERY PENNY! IT BROUGHT BACK MY MEMORIES OF WHEN I FIRST SAW THE MOVIES IN A CINEMA. A DVD TRIBUTE TO CASSAVETES HAS BEEN LONG OVERDUE. JUST SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE WORKS OF A GENIUS. SO MANY FILMMAKERS OF TODAY HAVE BEEN INFLUENCED AND INSPIRED BY HIS DISTINCTIVE STYLE, GIVING AMERICAN MOVIES A CINEMA VERITE LOOK. AS A BONUS THERE IS AN EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY "A CONSTANT FORGE" AND LOTS OF EXTRAS ON EACH DVD TOO. A PRIZED POSSESSION FOR CASSAVETES FANS!

Criterion's most amazing collection to date.......2006-06-04

John Cassavetes - Five Films is, perhaps, Criterion's most ambitious project to date. The box set is absolutely amazing. Other reviews have done a good job of explaining the extras, so I won't repeat that information. The topic of Ray Carney has been the focus of much anger and frustration amongst Cassavetes fans and deserves some explanation. It is my understanding that Carney, the foremost Cassavetes scholar and author of "Cassavetes on Cassavetes", was almost solely responsible for the creation of this collection. He had a hand in everything and the set is the result of much hard work. His name was left off of the set at the last minute because of a dispute with Cassavetes' wife, Gena Rowlands. Ray Carney felt, as any scholar should, that the truth was important and did not make any attempt to hide any of the negative aspects of Cassavetes's life. This was completely unacceptable to Rowlands who threatened to kill the project unless Carney's name was removed completely. This also included the omission of several audio commentaries provided by Carney. What a shame! Contrary to the highly specious "documentary", A Constant Forge, Cassavetes was no saint. Who cares? Well, Gena Rowlands does.

Everything about this set is quite impressive. The book contains many thoughtful essays and insights into these complex and sometimes difficult films. The only weakness is the worthless "documentary". Don't be fooled - Charles Kiselyak is no Cassavetes scholar. Supposedly, he had never even heard of Cassavetes before he began filming. Again, Ray Carney provided all the factual information, which Kiselyak decided to discard in favor of crafting an "inspirational" narrative. A Constant Forge frequently feels more like a bizarre attempted beatification than an objective study of a real person. For those wishing to be disabused, check out Carney's excellent book, "Cassavetes on Cassavetes". Cassavetes never really sat down and wrote a lot about his life or work, but Carney spent years compiling every scrap of information available, forming a chronological narrative. He alternates Cassavetes's passages with what actually happened. Cassavetes was prone to exaggeration to the extreme. A lot of what he says is an outright fabrication, but that shouldn't diminish the importance of his films.

All this controversy really misses the point. These are amazing films that continue to influence filmmakers all over the world. Criterion did an excellent job and their handling of the Carney/Rowlands issue shouldn't hinder your enjoyment of this set in the slightest. It is a wonderful introduction to one of the most important American directors and belongs on every film connoisseur's shelf. Buy without hesitation.

DO NOT BUY THIS!.......2005-12-01

Please do not support this release of Cassavetes' films by Criterion Collection. Purchasing this DVD set constitutes a denigration of real criticism and suppresses the appreciation and comprehension of true art. The troubling circumstances leading up to the release of this edition (in which world-renowned Cassavetes critic Ray Carney was snubbed and fired after his work was completed) are absolutely pathetic and embarrassing for both Criterion and Miss Rowlands.

John Cassevettes.......2005-09-02

I'm very please with service from amazon ... it got here on time great product however one of the disc was slitely damaged with a very small scratch which disrupts maybe i minute of viweing however it's my choice to keep it.. and i know i could return it... i will buy from amazon again

The Barbra Streisand Collection (The Mirror Has Two Faces / The Prince of Tides / The Way We Were)

Average customer rating:

the best of the best
Definitive Trilogy of Streisand's Three Romantic Wallows
The Barbra Streisand Collection
A DOUBLE KNOCKOUT OF A TRIPLE DVD SET!!!
Good value for money

The Barbra Streisand Collection (The Mirror Has Two Faces / The Prince of Tides / The Way We Were)
Starring: Barbra Streisand
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006SGYM4
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Customer Reviews:

the best of the best.......2007-05-13

I loved this movie package...I am a big fan of Barbra Streisand and love getting this 3 movie package. "Prince of Tides" is my favorite movie of all time....I also loved the price.....I have been collecting all of her music and movies.....

Definitive Trilogy of Streisand's Three Romantic Wallows.......2006-10-17

This collection of three epochal films from Barbra Streisand's film career all share the swooning romanticism that has become her cinematic trademark as both actress and filmmaker. All succeed in satisfying her fans even if there are undeniable lapses that may try the patience of other viewers.

The earliest is 1973's "The Way We Were", which has becomes an emotional touchstone for a generation who saw it as the ultimate opposites-attract romance. Director Sydney Pollack does an exceptional job in delineating the somewhat preposterous love story, and he guides Streisand to one of her most subtle and touching performances. Veteran screenwriter Arthur Laurents wrote a strong, multi-dimensional character for her in Katie Morosky. It's quite a journey from young Communist college radical in the late thirties to glamorous Hollywood wife in the early fifties, but Streisand seems fully committed in conveying her character's idealism and blind idolatry. Matching her every step of the way is Robert Redford, who was then at the peak of his matinee idol popularity as well. He smartly underplays the lionized Hubbell Gardiner, fleshing out a character that could have remained a cipher but instead seems to understand his own limitations. It's interesting how all the other characters fade completely in the background as a result of the mega-wattage generated by the star coupling.

In essence, the movie consists of three distinct parts: the college years when they first make impressions on each other, the WWII years when they meet again and start an unlikely romance, and the Hollywood years when they are married and get mired in the studio system. The first two parts are excellent and filled with memorable moments. When the story moves to Hollywood, the movie gets a bit more problematic. The star-crossed couple is challenged by the revelation to Hubbell's studio that Katie was a former Communist, which in turn makes Hubbell, now a rising screenwriter, a target for blacklisting. What should have been the most interesting part of the film becomes muddled as to what exactly is happening to cause their inevitable break-up. Ironically though, the film's most powerful scene is in this section, the train station confrontation between Katie and Hubbell over people and their principles.

But bottom line, there is no narrative connection between the Hollywood blacklist and their separation, which just seems odd given the build-up of the story to that point. I am not certain whether reinstating several crucial scenes (cut at the last minute by Pollack) would have helped after seeing some of them in the extensive and insightful documentary included as part of the DVD package, "The Way We Were: A Look Back". I have to agree with Pollack (and disagree with Streisand) that the deleted scenes don't really fit in with the pacing and emotionalism during this part of the movie even though they do provide added context. Of course the coda outside the Plaza Hotel is still classic, mainly due to the brevity of dialogue, the swooning Marvin Hamlisch music and the tear-jerking stares and gestures.

The second film is 1991's "The Prince of Tides". In only her second directorial effort (after "Yentl"), Streisand proves to be a masterful storyteller with an almost exaggerated romantic sensibility and an unfettered preoccupation with psychoanalysis. She obviously found the perfect vehicle in Pat Conroy's epic novel about Tom Wingo, a Southerner whose failing marriage and career reflect a deep suppression of an abusive childhood, the memories of which are triggered by his twin sister's suicide attempt. That the story revolves around a man's personal crisis versus a woman's may strike some as odd given Streisand's particularly female perspective, but she actually makes Tom's complex personal journey resonate with greater sensitivity as a result. In fact, the emotionalism Streisand invests in her musical performances is very much in evidence here, and her lush, almost Baroque style fits the contours of this soap opera very well.

The movie is helped immeasurably by a galvanizing performance from Nick Nolte, who captures all the layers of pride, regret, anger, sadness and humiliation in his character. He propels the storyline with the unbridled passion of an actor sinking his teeth into a juicy part as only a female director could define it. In fact, Streisand steps back to play the subordinate role of Dr. Susan Lowenstein, the pricey New York psychiatrist treating Tom's sister, Savannah. It is probably her most subtle work onscreen even with the touches of excess that often detract from her performances. She also hands out plum parts to both the wonderful Kate Nelligan, who gets to age convincingly as Tom's upwardly driven mother with a dark secret, and Blythe Danner, dependably effective as Tom's conflicted wife. Both especially excel in their revelatory conversations with Tom, the dialogue insightful without delving too much into psychobabble. Credit should be given to Conroy and Betsy Johnston, who wrote the superb screenplay.

The movie is not without flaws. First, after a powerfully cathartic scene that feels like the movie's climax, the story shifts to an inevitable affair between Tom and Lowenstein and a flagrant detour into Lowenstein's own catharsis, which brings up valid questions about her character's professionalism in even having an intimate relationship with a patient. This part of the story is Streisand at her most self-indulgent as both director and actor, as we follow these two smitten people on gauzy romantic walks and sweaty lovemaking by candlelight. Regardless, it's an impressive accomplishment to translate Conroy's lengthy, often florid narrative into a cohesive movie that retains the major themes of its source material, and Streisand has done a splendid job in pulling it all together.

The last movie is the weakest of the trio, 1996's "The Mirror Has Two Faces", still her last starring vehicle. While she shows a sure hand in maneuvering the inevitable shenanigans of a romantic comedy, the multi-hyphenated legend lets her intractable need to convey serious-minded, self-esteem-oriented messages weigh this 1996 movie down considerably. At an epic length of 130 minutes, the story, adapted by Richard LaGravenese from a forgotten 1958 French film, is quite slight as it focuses on Rose Morgan, a wildly popular Columbia literature professor but also a fortyish, baseball-obsessed frump long in the shadow of her beautiful sister Claire and glamorous mother Hannah. Her lot in life seems crystallized at Claire's wedding when she weds Rose's longtime crush Alex. Meantime, Columbia mathematics professor Gregory Larkin tires of bedding beautiful women who rile him toward irrational acts and wants to find a homely woman with whom he can have a platonic, intellectually-focused friendship and eventually a chaste marriage. Greg places a personals ad to which Claire responds unbeknownst to Rose. The budding relationship between Rose and Greg turns on the inevitable moment when Rose seeks intimacy from a disinterested Greg. This leads to a physical transformation and a message-driven finale.

As Rose, Streisand is quite good and sympathetic most of the way, even if she never looks terribly frumpy and overdoes her character's magnetic speaking skills in the lecture hall. Like the yearning Barbra of long ago, she achieves a palpable sadness when she feels humiliated on her wedding night. However, once Rose transforms herself, Streisand's ego takes over as her blonde highlights and aerobicized body bring back the execrable, soft-focus treatment from the lovemaking scenes in "The Prince of Tides". Looking more like his uni-browed brother and father as he grows older, Jeff Bridges plays Greg as a befuddling stereotype who grows more unrealistic as the story evolves. At the time of release, Lauren Bacall received all sorts of kudos as Hannah, though it is a relatively superficial performance in a showy role except for a wonderfully brave, make-up-free scene where Hannah admits to Rose how she valued her beauty while it lasted. Mimi Rogers provides sharp bite as Claire, while Pierce Brosnan lends the necessary smarminess to the shallow Alex and George Segal (Streisand's one-time co-star in "The Owl and the Pussycat") is relegated to a dispensable best-pal role.

This is a worthy collection for any Streisand fan.

The Barbra Streisand Collection.......2006-02-25

The dvd's were great-highly recommend this if you are a Barbra Streisand fan.

A DOUBLE KNOCKOUT OF A TRIPLE DVD SET!!!.......2005-10-31

I OWN THE BOX SET OF THESE MOVIES BECAUSE I AM A HUGE FAN OF MS. STREISAND'S.

EVEN THOUGH I'M GIVING THE SET 5-STARS, I REALLY DIDN'T ENJOY "THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES". I FELT THAT STREISAND MISCAST BRIDGES IN THE ROLE OPPOSITE HER. I ALSO FELT THAT THE PLOT DIDN'T HOLD UP.

"THE PRINCE OF TIDES" IS ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE MOVIES. IT PACKS AN EMOTIONAL WALLOP. THE ACTING WAS TOP-NOTCH AND I WAS RIVETED TO MY SEAT. STREISAND'S DIRECTION WAS RIGHT ON TARGET; AND REALLY GRASPED THE AUTHOR'S CONVEYANCE OF THE SUBJECT. I WAS VERY MOVED BY THE PERFORMANCES AND THE MOVIE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

"THE WAY WE WERE" IS A REAL CLASSIC TEAR-JERKER. I'VE SEEN THIS FILM AT LEASE 20 TIMES AND I GET EMOTIONAL EVERYTIME THE 'PLAZA SCENE' PLAYS. THE COUPLING OF STREISAND AND REDFORD IS A "MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN" EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED IN SO MANY OF THEIR BELIEFS. THE BACKDROP OF THE POLITICALLY-CHARGED MCCARTHY ERA KEEPS IT INTERESTING. BUT TO WATCH THEIR INTERACTION IS VERY SEDUCTIVE--EMOTIONALLY AND PHYSICALLY. PLEASE CHECK THIS ONE OUT TOO.

Good value for money .......2005-09-08

Three different Streisand movies about love in one package: sounds like great value and it is, to some extent. If what you're looking for is the movies, then this is great value. This package lacks the extras that we associate with dvds - and this is the major flaw in this collection.

The Way We Were - long and at times plodding but characteristic of the romance movies of the 70s; the killer is the final 15 minutes of the film - makes the whole journey almost worthwhile.

The Prince of Tides - scrumptuous cinematography; the most 'arty' of Streisand's directorial efforts. Nick Nolte should've won an oscar for his layered and sensitive playing of Tom Wingo.

The Mirror Has Two Faces - competent romantic comedy. The gem in the film is Lauren Bacall.

Perhaps the package would've made more sense if it included all three of Streisand's directorial efforts so we can witness her range and growth as a director?

Average customer rating:

An unusual outing for Wayne
Three Faces West
Sigrid in her last with a major star
Good action...great transfer!
The story line is pretty good for an older John Wanyne flix

Three Faces West
Starring: John Wayne , Sigrid Gurie , Charles Coburn , Spencer Charters , and Helen MacKellar
Director: Bernard Vorhaus
Manufacturer: Republic Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001US6DW
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Customer Reviews:

An unusual outing for Wayne.......2007-03-05

This is not a well known film but it is one that I recommend to the John Wayne film buff. Also, those who think Wayne was just another cowboy star should watch this. It is a snapshot into the mid 1930's. The Dust Bowl is in evidence as well as refugees from the Nazis in Europe. Wayne is the leader of a town that takes in a medical doctor who has fled Europe. The conditions in the Dust Bowl makes the population of the town refugees as they pull up stakes and head to Oregon. Add in subplots of romance with the doctor's daughter and interference from a Nazi former boyfriend and you get the idea.

Three Faces West.......2006-07-09

I thought the movie was an insight into the time. It was made either prewar or early world war II and showed good versus evil. I like movies that show a clear difference between right and wrong and this one did just that.

Sigrid in her last with a major star.......2004-12-21

Why on earth did they make this film??? It`s rather short on entertainment value u c - dear reader. However; as a study of mileue and character it survives.. if only just.... Some scenes with John and Sigrid(they did have an affair hehehe)are potent indeed, but they could have made so much MOOOOOOOOORE of it... It`s sad really....

Good action...great transfer!.......2004-05-29

So far, the Republic films of John Wayne that have made it's way onto DVD have been hit or miss, when it comes to how nicely they get transferred. Some, like "The Fighting Kentuckian" and "The Quiet Man" appear to be transferred from a poor VHS source. Others, like "Wake Of The Red Witch" or "King Of The Pecos" look to come from the original film elements. So, needless to say, I was wondering how "Three Faces West" would look, when it showed up on my doorstep. I'm happy to say it looks great! It has some age-related problems, like a few "pops" and "ticks" in the soundtrack, but that's to be excused...seeing as a film like this would never get the full restoration process.

As for the film itself, it's a quick moving take on the dust bowl farmers of the 1930s, and their trek to a new land in Oregon. Many compare this film (unfairly) to John Ford's "The Grapes Of Wrath", seeing as both deal with the same subject matter. While John Ford's film was made to make a statement about the plight of the mid-western farmers, this was made to be mostly just an 80 minute action film for John Wayne. And for that purpose, it succeeds! Pick this one up, you won't be disappointed....

The story line is pretty good for an older John Wanyne flix.......1999-08-28

Three Faces West is not Wayne's best movie,but it is worth watching. It takes place in Oklahoma right before the great depression. A refuge doctor and daughter come to a desperate town in hopes of finding a new life.

Average customer rating:

Is it real or is it Memorex?
"THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE ORIGINAL FACES OF DEATH"
Great for the fans of the gruesome and macabre.
As long as I find it ENTERTAINING, I'm happy!
Not bad at all!!!

The Original Faces of Death
Starring: Samuel Berkowitz , Michael Carr (II) , Adolf Hitler , and Thomas Noguchi
Manufacturer: Gorgon Video
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Faces of Death 2/ Worst of Faces of Death
Faces of Death III: Scenes From the Underground
Faces of Death Collection (Vols. 1-4)
Faces of Death IV
Faces of Death 2

ASIN: 0788601245
Release Date: 1999-10-19

Customer Reviews:

Is it real or is it Memorex?.......2007-05-16

Look at that lurid DVD cover art! How could anyone take this movie--a movie that purported to show dozens of real life deaths caught on camera--seriously after looking at that cartoonish image? Nonetheless, millions of impressionable dupes bought into "Faces of Death" for all it was worth. I was one of them, of course, scurrying about town back in the late 1980s trying to track down a copy of this elusive film. I actually had to sign up for a membership at some dinky mom & pop videostore just to rent this sucker. That the store wasn't located within the city limits only heightened my anticipation. "Surely," I thought to myself at the time as I drove home with the precious cargo sitting on the seat next to me, "the fact that I had to leave the city means that this movie is real, that the prominently displayed "Banned in 46 countries!" sticker on the video box must really mean something! Wow! Am I gonna have fun or what?" Uh huh. Needless to say, "Faces of Death" fell short in several areas. The cheesy narration from "Dr. Francis Gross" (Michael Carr) didn't seem to fit with a death flick, and a lot of the scenes looked staged for the camera.

I recently decided to revisit this old "classic" when I noticed I could rent it online for a song. Funny how times change, isn't it? I had to storm the gates of heaven to find a copy less than twenty years ago, and now the same movie is everywhere. That's one good thing about the decline of Western Civilization, I guess--depravity is only a click away. Anyway, I tossed the DVD into the player when the disc arrived and set down for a couple of hours of pure schlock. I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I'm surprised I remembered many of the film's "shocking" segments. It's important to remember that almost everything you see in the movie is staged. That electric chair execution? Phonier than a three dollar bill. Remember the infamous "monkey brain" scene? Fake! What about the poor sap trying to catch that crocodile out in the lake? Fake, although it might actually be stock footage of a real event if you use your imagination. Unfortunately, it isn't real. Almost nothing we see here is. If you watch "Faces of Death" with an open mind and open eyes, you'll likely notice that most of what's going on looks mighty suspicious.

Of course, there is real death in "Faces of Death". The problem with this is that most of it consists of stock footage of non-human atrocities. Expect to see a lot of animal killings in this film. Sick sequences include scenes inside a slaughterhouse, animal attacks, and a disturbing look at seal hunting. These clips are doubtless real, and they do disturb on many levels, but we're not exactly renting/buying this movie for animals, are we? It's the human stuff we want to see. An assassination in France looks absolutely ridiculous in its execution (pun intended). A bear attack on some poor sap, complete with background voices saying things like, "Be careful" and shaky camera work, initially looks intriguing but ultimately proves obviously false on a second viewing. A lady doing a header out of a high-rise building, I thought, must surely be real. Maybe the police standoff with a disgruntled man, which results in a hail of gunfire, is also real. Or how about the protestor self-immolating outside of a nuclear power plant? Is it real or is it Memorex? I quickly wearied of trying to figure out what was real and what was a sham.

The ultimate problem with "Faces of Death" is actually a simple one. In this day and age, with atrocity becoming the norm in the media and on the Internet, this movie comes off as almost prissy in its look at death. I'm serious. Considering the explosion of "real death" documentaries and DVDs that clog the market, along with an exponential increase in violence even on public television, "Faces of Death" just isn't that interesting when you can check out the real thing on the Internet or at the local videostore. I'm not even going to get into the media and their morbid fascination with all things dead and dying. The evening news often touches on events that overshadow most of what we see in "Faces of Death". If you want uncut, nauseating scenes of real death and destruction, pick up "Traces of Death" or one of the other documentaries that doesn't flinch when showing us real world carnage. Forget "Faces of Death". This film is only worth watching if you're taking a trip down memory lane, like I did, or if you want to scare the pants off of a stuffy friend. Go elsewhere to feed your cravings for blood and guts.

The DVD version of "Faces of Death" is an intriguing one. Not because of improved picture quality (the movie looks worse here than on the old video tape I watched it on back in the 1980s) but because we get a very cheesy faux documentary called "Faces of Death: Fact or Fiction?" included as an extra on the disc. According to this documentary, the original narrator Dr. Francis Gross has passed away. Don't know what that means, but in his place we get some hammy actor calling himself Dr. Louis Flellis talking to a reporter about his fascination with death. We also see the director of the film, Conan Le Cilaire, talking about the trials and travails inherent in any quest to bring real death to a film audience. The fact that he hides his face behind a hat and sunglasses, and even disguises his voice with some sort of sound effect, only adds an extra layer of ridiculousness to the proceedings. Let's give "Faces of Death" three stars just for old time's sake, eh?

"THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE ORIGINAL FACES OF DEATH".......2006-09-10

I first saw this movie on video cassette in june 1985 as a teenager. I admit I thought it was real. Not only real but it did scare the hell out of me. I thought the electric chair scene was real. This movie as bad and fake as most of the scenes are, did make me look at death in a whole new way. As a teenager I was shocked and horrified by this movie. My friends and I would watch it and talk about it. Faces of death made me realize I should be greatful for everyday I have on this earth. This movie despite all the controversy of it being staged and being fake is really a facinating look into death. As gross as the morgue scene was to watch, it was interesting and I believe authentic. The chriogenic suspension scene was really facinating. The music by gene kauer is very effective, and goes with movie very well. Actor Michael Carr who portrays Dr. Francis B. Gross plays a believable doctor with an obsession with death. Faces of death was a mid 1980s fad, that people still talk about today. Faces of death written and directed by John Schwartz is a pioneer of the reality shows of today including (jackass). Faces of death is not for the weak hearted but really a facinating look into our ultimate end.

Great for the fans of the gruesome and macabre........2006-09-04

This is the kind of movie that you have a hidden interest in. This movie has over 25 scenes of suicide, animal death, executions, and more. This movie is known to have very little actual death scenes, however does have a few. DO NOT watch this movie if you are expected to see something like a typical horror movie, or even a Mondo Cane movie. This movie is not for the squemish.

The features on this DVD contain the documentary: "Faces of Death: Fact or Fiction", which proves if the Faces of Death series is real or not. It also has the theatrical trailer, and trailers for other Gorgon Video releases.

As long as I find it ENTERTAINING, I'm happy!.......2006-08-12

Well, "fake"/"staged" or not, I found Faces Of Death (the original and its sequels) entertaining. In fact, I found it a decent, if not a great, "stress reducer!" If I'm "having a bad day," instead of "lashing out" or "blowing up" (at someone,) other than playing/listening to hard rock/metal music or watching horror films ("old school" horror for me, please!), I'll watch Faces Of Death.

Not bad at all!!!.......2006-05-10

Personally I didn't think it was that gross. Most of the stuff I saw in the movie were things you see in movies with special effects and make up artists. It just happens that some of this footage is real. I think it was a documentary for people who are curious about death. It wasn't gross or shocking. The animal footage was a bit much, but that's called the food chain. And if you eat meat then this is what animals go thru for you to have meals. I heard that only some of the human death footage was real and some was fake. I really thought it was interesting and I didn't feel like I was a bad person for watching it. If u are a curious person about morgues, animal death, and human death then this might be a good movie for u to watch. Death is a part of life. And when someone dies, somebody has to clean up the mess, and in this movie u get to see what mess they are cleaning up, that's all. I think it's worth watching one time atleast for answers u may have about death. Hope this helps!!!!

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