The Roaring Twenties

Starring:James Cagney, Priscilla Lane, Humphrey Bogart, Gladys George, Jeffrey Lynn, Frank McHugh, Paul Kelly, Elisabeth Risdon, Edward Keane, Joe Sawyer, Joseph Crehan, George Meeker, John Hamilton, Robert Elliott, Eddy Chandler, Abner Biberman, Vera Lewis, John Deering (II), Brooks Benedict, John Ridgely
Director: Raoul Walsh, Lloyd French, Tex Avery
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Three doughboys--played by James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and Jeffrey Lynn--meet in a foxhole in Europe just as World War I is ending. When they return to the States, they are forgotten men, and after Eddie (Cagney) tries in vain to get his old job back, his pal Danny (Frank McHugh) lets him drive his cab at night. A fare asks unwitting Eddie to deliver bootleg liquor, but Prohibition is in full swing and Eddie is arrested and thrown in the slammer. Gallant Eddie won't rat out the woman to whom he delivered the hooch, speakeasy owner Panama Smith, (whiskey-voiced Gladys George). She bails him out and carries a torch for him for the rest of the movie, but he only has eyes for sweet little Jean (Priscilla Lane). Panama introduces Eddie to a life of crime, staking him in the bootleg business. Eddie's grit and bluster suit him perfectly for this existence, and he's soon a success, so he hires Army buddy Lloyd (Lynn) as consigliere, then teams up with George (Bogart), a liquor smuggler who plays a much dirtier game. Racketeering and murder are his methods, and he drags Eddie down with him. When Prohibition ends and the stock market crashes, Eddie loses everything and takes to the bottle himself.

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.

Average customer rating:

The Roaring Twenties
Ain't no lull in this joint
In this movie, Bogart proves to be the sneering, sadistic gangster...
Meat and potatoes ganster film
The Roaring Twenties

The Roaring Twenties
Starring: James Cagney , Priscilla Lane , Humphrey Bogart , Gladys George , and Jeffrey Lynn
Director: Raoul Walsh , Lloyd French , and Tex Avery
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Public Enemy
Angels With Dirty Faces
White Heat
Little Caesar
The Petrified Forest

ASIN: B0006HBV32
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Amazon.com

Three doughboys--played by James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and Jeffrey Lynn--meet in a foxhole in Europe just as World War I is ending. When they return to the States, they are forgotten men, and after Eddie (Cagney) tries in vain to get his old job back, his pal Danny (Frank McHugh) lets him drive his cab at night. A fare asks unwitting Eddie to deliver bootleg liquor, but Prohibition is in full swing and Eddie is arrested and thrown in the slammer. Gallant Eddie won't rat out the woman to whom he delivered the hooch, speakeasy owner Panama Smith, (whiskey-voiced Gladys George). She bails him out and carries a torch for him for the rest of the movie, but he only has eyes for sweet little Jean (Priscilla Lane). Panama introduces Eddie to a life of crime, staking him in the bootleg business. Eddie's grit and bluster suit him perfectly for this existence, and he's soon a success, so he hires Army buddy Lloyd (Lynn) as consigliere, then teams up with George (Bogart), a liquor smuggler who plays a much dirtier game. Racketeering and murder are his methods, and he drags Eddie down with him. When Prohibition ends and the stock market crashes, Eddie loses everything and takes to the bottle himself.

Customer Reviews:

The Roaring Twenties.......2007-06-21

A breakthrough for director Walsh, this classic boasts electric performances from both Cagney and Bogie. Consistent with most Bogart portrayals from the thirties, his George Hally is a low double-crosser who puts the screws to honorable (in his way) Eddie. Consistent with most Cagney roles, Eddie gets his revenge. "Twenties" is a worthy swan song to the glory days of the gangster picture--and just wait for that immortal closing line of dialogue.

Ain't no lull in this joint.......2007-03-14

Saw this for the first time and it's a crackerjack. Right from Cagney's opening line in the fox hole--"what do you want me to do, knock?"--the movie blasts along. Nearly every scene with Cagney and Bogart is a gem, with the two quintessential screen tough guys sizing each other up and down and sideways. Bogie's great as the bad apple--gets to speak some brilliant lines which he delivers with that trademark malicious twinkle of his. Cagney is great in a different way--everything about Eddie Bartlett is interesting, from the way he walks and talks to the frequent glimpses you get of something a little more heartfelt. Gladys George is magnificent too as Panama Smith and her mostly unspoken allegiance to Cagney hits an astonishing range of notes. And what about the stunning Paul Kelly as Nick Brown? There's a hefty role filled out to hoodlum perfection. I've seen a bunch of Cagneys now and this is hands-down my favourite. Looks, sounds and feels like the real deal to me--a Goodfellas from 1939. Boy that Raoul Walsh made good movies!

In this movie, Bogart proves to be the sneering, sadistic gangster..........2007-01-12

After nearly a decade of concentrating on the gangster period of the twenties, it appeared that Warner Brothers had decided to make one, final glorified kiss-off to the genre in the spectacularly staged "The Roaring Twenties."

Director Raoul Walch was an odd choice for what turned out to be a first-rate action film, for Walsh was not normally a crime-film director... The film contained every possible cliché connected with the era...

Bogart's portrayal was interesting as we watched him coldly murder an ex-army sergeant who had given him a rough time in the service, and then set put to get rid of Jeffrey Lynn, now a successful lawyer working for the district attorney and intent on crushing Bogart's empire...

Cagney, whose energy gave him a panerotic sexual magnetism, was evident with his two relationships which both tend to increase our valuation of Cagney as a person as are the two ladies involved: Priscilla Lane, the innocent whom Cagney helps and loves, and the experienced Gladys George who is evidently devoted to him but never expresses her feelings to him...

This basic relationship between Cagney and the two female characters does not take away the great merit of "The Roaring Twenties"--much more it proves the skill of Raoul Walsh and the writers in deploying conventional elements in an effective and meaningful way...

Meat and potatoes ganster film.......2006-09-20

The last scene is great. Bogart gives one of his best bad guy performances, one of grim humor--his rat is haughty and actually sadistic, taking pleasure in being merciless. Cagney's character in this movie is really amazingly dumb, a bonehead, an unbelievable doofus who goes to prison for bootlegging and doesn't even know what he's doing. Cagney, who individualized each of his characters, plays this one as a humorless, noble, but not very bright guy. He's compelling when the character hits the skids and becomes a boozer. Cagney would have been great in "The Iceman Cometh." This has some of the urban shimmer of another, but much greater late 1930s Cagney gangster picture, "Angels with Dirty Faces"--and is one a relatively few Cagney movies where he plays a gangster. The tired air of this one might have made people think that every one of his flicks was a thug pix. It would be great to see other Cagney pictures of the era on DVD--"The Fighting 69th," and the under-rated comedies "The Bride Came C.O.D." and "The Strawberry Blonde." This one is worth seeing, but it's a triumph of good actors and direction over a bad script.

The Roaring Twenties.......2006-08-30

I'm a James Cagney Fan and this movie was one of my favorites.If you like ganster movies or James Cagney,I strongly suggest you see this movie

Average customer rating:

Too, too shaming
not bad - but pales in comparison with the book
boring
Bright young things... with an edge
Entertaining stylish movie

Bright Young Things
Starring: Dan Aykroyd , Jim Broadbent , Simon Callow , Stephen Campbell Moore , and Jim Carter
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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The Last September
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ASIN: B0006J240O
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Description

"Some time in the past when things were much as they are now, only more so..." A satirical comedy as well as a love story, Bright Youngs Things marks the the directoral debut of actor Stephen Fry. "Bright Young Things," says Fry, "is a period film shot with modern pace and cinematography. It deals with fame, sexual scandal, greed, night-clubbing, and the frantic glamour of youth."

While the central plot of Bright Young Things is a romance, it is also a highly topical social comedy that shows a conservative older generation failing to understand the club culture, music, dance, and frenetic pace of its children, modern society at its most decadent and most colorful is fully on display as is the popular media fueled by gossip columnists and paparazzi who dominate a tabloid press propelled by rumor and scandal.

Customer Reviews:

Too, too shaming.......2006-12-29

Evelyn Waugh's most characteristic novel VILE BODIES would seem almost impossibly difficult to adapt for film; Stephen Fry tries here, and achieves much, but doesn't quite pull it off. Some of the characters from Waugh's novel are captured perfectly (particularly the desperate gossip columnist the Earl Balcairn, played here with real pathos and energy by the wonderful James McAvoy, and the gloomy wife of a prime minister, played all too briefly by Imelda Staunton), but others fall very wide of Waugh's mark. Many of the actors seems to be trying too hard, which is absolutely not in the spirit of the original novel. Fry makes the wild 30s parties seem far too much like their analogues from his contemporary experience, and he dooms the screenplay by providing it with a false romantic ending that goes grossly against the grain of Waugh's novel.

not bad - but pales in comparison with the book.......2006-05-04

It is difficult to fairly assess a film when you've recently read and immensely enjoyed the book it was based on. Although - ideally - Bright Young Things should be evaluated for its own faults and merits and not be measured against Vile Bodies, I - admittedly - cannot help but compare it to Evelyn Waugh's biting comic satire.

For the most part, Bright Young Things is faithful to the plot of Vile Bodies. It follows the lives of several young London socialites as they hop from one glamorous party to the next, always with an air of wit and boredom, and it focuses on the might-be romance between Adam, a poor young writer, and his lovely fiance, Nina. Although light and comic on its surface, Bright Young Things also preserves the dark undercurrent that runs through the novel.

And yet, this film - in my opinion - misses the mark. To begin with, I believe that it spends too much time trying to develop its plot and not enough time lingering over the characters' verbal musings. Vile Bodies truly excels in its dialogue, not in the development of its story. And, because the makers of Bright Young Things apparently failed to realize this, the film is resultantly much less funny.

I also feel that Bright Young Things takes itself too seriously. The romance between Adam and Nina comes across as much more sincere in the film than it does in the book. Also, the film's ending is very different from the book's; it tidies things up neatly and inserts a sort of hopeful, moral. To me, this came across as forced and incongruent with the story.

I think Vile Bodies has the potential to be made into a great film. After all, with the abundance of dialogue, it reads more like a play than a novel anyway. Unfortunately, this film does not do the story justice. If you have read the book, I think you'll be disappointed. If you haven't read it - you might find this film - with its subtle, dry wit - funnier than your average comedy ... but, then again ... why not just read the book? It's better.

boring.......2006-04-17

Too much chatter. I wanted to like this movie, and it had the right idea but I simply lost interest after 40 minutes. Peter O'Toole was great as the senile retired colonel.

Bright young things... with an edge.......2006-02-19

This movie based on Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies (which I admit I have not read) was a finely crafted peek into frivolous high society. The movie starts with a crazy, costumed, drug-infused party and an unfortunate young man (Adam Symes) who loses all his money. He constantly breaks off and reinstates his engagement with Nina depending on how much money he has. The first half of the money is full of the characters' hilarious confusion and lack of interest in anything and absolutely everything. Parties galore and the insult of the day is to be "boring".

Yet things take a sour turn as their pettiness starts to affect other peoples' lives. Then tragedy encroaches, and one sees that life can't be one big party (even if they really, really want it to be). The tragic elements make the characters real and makes the movie more than just a ficticious gossip column. Stephen Campbell Moore does a great job as the "innocent" friend caught up in a whirlwind of craziness. Though he acts the fine line well, since he is just as involved and guilty as everyone else. But you still have to love him! Fenella Woolgar is a wonderful comic relief, but she thankully brings us back to life when she talks of her "dream" of endlessly, pointlessly driving in circles. The upbeat big band music is uplifting yet also melancholy at times and provides great background to the action onscreen.

Great movie, and now I am going to go read the book!

Entertaining stylish movie.......2006-01-24

I very much like how Stephen Fry changed the title of Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies to Bright Young Things and in essence said that they were different works entirely (something that he claims is a tradition in adaptations dating from the early days of film and theater) because where the book is sharp and nasty in places, Fry gives a nostalgic view of 1930s Britain from the perspective of the children of nobility, born just a little too late to miss WWI, filling their lives with parties, gossip and inventions.

Fry loves to use the old fashioned camera techniques (the wipe, the shrinking looney tunes circle) which adds to the general atmosphere of frivolity. Through a large cast of characters, he moves briskly through Waugh's novel with all the costumes, gambling, drug taking, suicides, car racing and society page gossip. Peter O'Toole as the doddering noble who may or may not be senile shines in the movie but the entire cast is excellent, especially Jim Broadbent as the Drunk Major.

As with the book, the frivolity turns tragic, but so its subtle enough that everything feels natural. And the comedy does remain throughout. The one unfortunate choice (at least for readers of the book) that Fry makes is to extend the plot for 15 minutes after Waugh's apocalyptic ending (he wrote it in 1932 and ends it with WWII - although he was only using that to end his book, not as a prediction) into a post-WWII happy ending. I don't know if I would have cared had I not read the book, but it does feel too jarring for anyone that enjoys the cynical original.

Average customer rating:

"1920s Through Archival Newsreels, Movie Clips & Exclusive Interviews ... Passport Video"

The Golden Twenties

Manufacturer: Passport
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000E3L7I2
Release Date: 2006-04-04

Product Description

The 1920s were a turbulent decade, and this documentary covers all the important events that occurred over this 10-year span. Made in 1950, THE GOLDEN TWENTIES is a clear and concise summation of an era littered with important happenings.

System Requirements:
Running Time: 120 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

"1920s Through Archival Newsreels, Movie Clips & Exclusive Interviews ... Passport Video".......2006-09-29

Passport Video and Koch Entertainment Distribution present "The Golden Twenties: A Lively Look At That Roaring Decade" (1950) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- Featuring March of Time Productions inclusive with RKO Radio Pictures, the dark side of an era through nostalgic filmclips covering the years between the Armistice and the Wall Street Crash ... a summary peering into an extraordinary window into the past tracing the Roaring Twenties from the end of World War I through the stock market crash of 1929 --- sit back and take in the newsreel clips covering politics, sports, movies, and much more to numerous to mention.

Under Richard De Rochemont (producer), Samuel Wood Bryant (assistant producer), with writing credits (Frederick Lewis Allen) and (Samuel Wood Bryant), Narration by Robert Q. Lewis, Frederick Lewis Allen, Red Barber and Allen Prescott, Film Editing by Whitfield Davis and Leo Zochling, Researchers are Leona CarneyLois Jacoby and Nancy Passac, Musical Director Jack Shaindlin ----- Originally released in 1950 in full screen, Prohibition , Trials, Feminism, Radio Broadcasting, Automobiles, Celebrities, United States History 1919-1933, Feature films ... plus Special features: "The Remarkable 20th Century: The 1920s."

Great job by Passport Video for releasing "The Golden Twenties: A Lively Look At That Roaring Decade" (1950), the digital transfere with a somewhat clean and clear print --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage era of the '20s, '30s & '40s --- order your copy now from Amazon or Passport Video where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for what made the Roaring Twenties ROAR!

Total Time: 105 mins on DVD ~ Passport Video DVD #1635 ~ (4/04/2006)

TALES OF THE GUN: THE TOMMY GUN: GUN THAT MADE THE TWENTIES ROAR, THE

Average customer rating:

TALES OF THE GUN: THE TOMMY GUN: GUN THAT MADE THE TWENTIES ROAR, THE

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

TALES OF THE GUN: GANGSTER GUNS OF THE 20S &30S
Tales of the Gun - Rapid Firepower (History Channel)
Tales Of The Gun - Early Machine Guns (History Channel)
Tales of the Gun - Guns of Infamy Pt. 2 (History Channel)
Tales of the Gun - The Guns of Smith and Wesson (History Channel)

ASIN: B000E371X2
Release Date: 1998-09-20

Description

It was the weapon no one wanted, until it fell into the wrong hands. It blasted its way into history as the favorite of history's most infamous gangsters. The Thompson submachine gun was the most powerful, fastest-shooting weapon of its time. Built for the military and the police, they resisted the new gun, preferring to stay with ones they were familiar with. Soon, though, they learned to regret their decision, for the "Tommy Gun" proved its worth in the hands of men like Al Capone. TOMMY GUN is the definitive video history of this historic weapon. Retired FBI agent John Wallace remembers what it was like to face down criminals armed with this overpowering weapon. Author Tracie Hill, the world's leading expert on the Tommy Gun, reveals why it was snubbed by law enforcement and embraced by criminals. And film clips and real-life footage speak of the mystique and power that surrounded the weapon that helped put the roar into the '20s.

Average customer rating:

Tommy Smothers/Twiggy Rules!!!!!!!!!!!1
There Goes The Bride? There goes my time! Actually it's O.K.

There Goes the Bride
Starring: Jim Backus , Hermione Baddeley , Martin Balsam , Broderick Crawford , and Steve Franken
Director: Terence Marcel
Manufacturer: St Clair Vision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Slapstick | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0001GH7H2
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Customer Reviews:

Tommy Smothers/Twiggy Rules!!!!!!!!!!!1.......2005-06-01

Tommy Smothers and Twiggy rules in this superb movie that's now on DVD.It's a must see!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There Goes The Bride? There goes my time! Actually it's O.K........2004-10-18

The technical part of this review refers to the Pro-Active Entertainment release.

So many things to talk about, where to start? Well, the movie itself. "There Goes The Bride" is based on a stage play, um, ok, have you ever heard of it? Neither have I. It's a comedy? Musical? Could be. The ever likable Tommy Smothers (ok, if you have Tommy Smothers starring in a movie, how good could it be?) stars as an ad exec whose daughter is getting married. But he's got a lot on his plate on this wedding day, he has to pick up his daughter's soon-to-be in-laws at the airport, pick up the flowers and visit a client and come up with a winning ad campaign all in a matter of hours. A couple of knocks on the head sends him spinning and seeing his dream girl (Twiggy). He can see her, but no one else can, thus, the hilarity, ahem, ensues.

Made in 1979 (it shows with the cheesy music), Tommy Smothers actually does a decent job as the ad executive, considering the material he has to work with. Sylvia Sims as his wife is probably the weakest link in the main cast. Jim Backus is cast as the client and is delightful, though under utilized. Phil Silvers also has a minor role as a psychiatrist who does not interact with the main cast. And Broderick Crawford also has a cameo role, which was painful to watch. Martin Balsam turns in a solid performance as the bride's soon-to-be father in-law. And English actors Geoffrey Sumner and Hermoine Baddeley (in her last live movie performance) save the movie with their characters.

The Tommy Smothers/Twiggy storyline is hard, very hard to believe, although Twiggy's performance does make it easier to watch. A couple of nice dance numbers add to the fun. My major complaint with the film itself is the soft lens used to photograph whenever Twiggy appears on screen.

The DVD transfer itself is very sub-par. The package claims "Dolby Digital", don't you believe it! The sound is loud and muffled at times. The print used was well used, numerous jumps in the first few minutes. It calms down after that, but you know you're not seeing something straight from the vault.

Price? Worth a look if you can find it in the bargain bin. And worth finding if you're a fan of Jim Backus or Twiggy. My wife and I have two piles for our DVD's after we get done watching them. Ones to keep and ones to sell, I won't put this one in the sell yet. While far far from great, I just might watch this again for the performances some rainy day in the future.

Average customer rating:

There goes the bride? There goes my time! Actually, it's O.K
For Twiggy fans only!

There Goes The Bride
Starring: Graham Stark , Phil Silvers , Arthur Ballard , Sylvia Syms , and Toria Fuller
Director: Terry Marcel
Manufacturer: Miracle Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Slapstick | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0000AYGBN
Release Date: 2003-07-17

Customer Reviews:

There goes the bride? There goes my time! Actually, it's O.K.......2004-10-18

The technical part of this review refers to the Pro-Active Entertainment release.

So many things to talk about, where to start? Well, the movie itself. "There Goes The Bride" is based on a stage play, um, ok, have you ever heard of it? Neither have I. It's a comedy? Musical? Could be. The ever likable Tommy Smothers (ok, if you have Tommy Smothers starring in a movie, how good could it be?) stars as an ad exec whose daughter is getting married. But he's got a lot on his plate on this wedding day, he has to pick up his daughter's soon-to-be in-laws at the airport, pick up the flowers and visit a client and come up with a winning ad campaign all in a matter of hours. A couple of knocks on the head sends him spinning and seeing his dream girl (Twiggy). He can see her, but no one else can, thus, the hilarity, ahem, ensues.

Made in 1979 (it shows with the cheesy music), Tommy Smothers actually does a decent job as the ad executive, considering the material he has to work with. Sylvia Sims as his wife is probably the weakest link in the main cast. Jim Backus is cast as the client and is delightful, though under utilized. Phil Silvers also has a minor role as a psychiatrist who does not interact with the main cast. And Broderick Crawford also has a cameo role, which was painful to watch. Martin Balsam turns in a solid performance as the bride's soon-to-be father in-law. And English actors Geoffrey Sumner and Hermoine Baddeley (in her last live movie performance) save the movie with their performances.

The Tommy Smothers/Twiggy storyline is hard, very hard to believe, although Twiggy's performance does make it easier to watch. A couple of nice dance numbers add to the fun. My major complaint with the film itself is the soft lens used to photograph whenever Twiggy appears on screen.

The DVD transfer itself is very sub-par. The package claims "Dolby Digital", don't you believe it! The sound is loud and muffled at times. The print used was well used, numerous jumps in the first few minutes. It calms down after that, but you know you're not seeing something straight from the vault.

Price? Worth a look if you can find it in the bargain bin. And worth finding if you're a fan of Jim Backus or Twiggy. My wife and I have two piles for our DVD's after we get done watching them. Ones to keep and ones to sell, I won't put this one in the sell yet. While far far from great, I just might watch this again for the performances some rainy day in the future.

For Twiggy fans only!.......2004-05-09

This DVD is made from a not-very-mint print of a film (the film just starts abruptly...no company credits. As if no one wanted to take responsibility). A weak "comedy" farce about a ad executive (Tom Smothers) who must come up with a brassiere ad campaign on the day of his daughter's wedding (are you laughing yet?).

After a hit on the head, Smothers sees his dream-girl, one 30's flapper by the name of Polly, played by Twiggy. Twiggy is invisible to everyone but Smothers and the entire film is devoted to all the predictable entaglements that can be mined from such a set-up.

Product Description

Mix a contrmporary and comical news team (Dr.Yesterday, played by Hamilton Camp and Miss Information played by Edie Adams) plus an incredible time machine. Then blend original music and magical moments in history, and here you have Dr. Yesterday's old time news.

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The Roaring Twenties

Manufacturer: Schlessinger Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

DVD:

DVD

Lawman (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Blackmail (1929)/Easy Virtue/R

Die Brautprinzessin