Anna and the King (Full-Screen Edition)

Starring:Jodie Foster, Yun-Fat Chow, Ling Bai, Tom Felton, Syed Alwi, Randall Duk Kim, Kay Siu Lim, Melissa Campbell (II), Keith Chin, Mano Maniam, Shanthini Venugopal, Deanna Yusoff, Geoffrey Palmer, Anne Firbank, Bill Stewart, Sean Ghazi, K.K. Moggie, Dharma Harun Al-Rashid, Harith Iskander, Yusof B. Mohd Kassim
Director: Andy Tennant
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
What's a director to do? Andy Tennant's previous film was the highly enjoyable Cinderella romance Ever After, which vanished from theaters and became a video hit. Then Tennant made this gorgeous, nonmusical version of Anna and the King, and once again felt the sting of box-office failure. Both films deserved better, and this Anna is certain to eventually find the appreciative audience that eluded it in theaters. In many ways, this delightful costume romance transcends the latter-day quaintness of The King and I to offer a more lavish and rewarding version of the story of Anna Leonowens, based on her diaries and first told in Margaret Landon's 1944 novel.

Amazon.com

Director Martin Ritt (Norma Rae) helmed this offbeat romance that earned costar James Garner an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a widowed druggist who befriends a confused divorcee (Sally Field) and her son, who move to a small rural town to start over. The laid-back performance of Garner as a man finding love "for the last time in his life" contrasts wonderfully with Field's portrayal of a woman scared and unsure of what the future may hold for her, and the two of them together exhibit great comic timing. As well written and as deftly performed as any movie of its type, Murphy's Romance will rope you in with its winning style. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews:

Murphy's Romance.......2007-07-05

This film dates back to 1985, and of my over 500 DVD collection I have placed it in my top 10.
That alone says a lot about how I feel about this film. Sally Field and James Garner are at there vary best hear. It's a shame that Hollywood has not seen fit to put them together more often.
This film is real life. This could be for real. Being an Arizona resident myself , and an old, used to be horseman, I can relate to this story line. It's a romance story at its best. For all ages.

A Movie For A Rainy Day.......2007-06-27

This is one of my favorite movies to curl up in the chair on a rainy day and put in the DVD player. I absolutely love it. It's funny, charming and one of the best love stories around.James Garner and Sally Field at their best.

You'll be sorry!.......2007-06-16

This unanimity of opinion about this movie duped me into buying it. Big mistake.

This movie boggles the mind: no plot, no story even, no characters, nothing. Will she marry James Garner? Well, of course, she's going to marry James Garner! He's James Garner! Maybe you have to be a fan.

Well, I like Sally Field a lot, but she had no role worth playing in this slice of life. Slice of life is a hard enough thing to pull off, but when you pick such a dull life, it's a joke.

My advice: talk to someone you trust before you put your money on this movie.

best romance.......2007-05-19

i loved this movie from the first time i saw it. james garner is my hero!!! older men are better!!!!

one of those great movies.......2007-05-15

Another great feel good movie. These actors are amoung the best there is and the movie is up there with them. A great one to watch.

The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

UN CLASICO RELATO EPICO
typical disney's junk for kids and adults with peter-pan syndrome
Ebdearing epic novel for children!
The Chronicles of Narnia
A Visual Feast That Captures The Imagination!

The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Jim Broadbent , Rupert Everett , Dawn French , Nicole Kidman , and Richard King
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Fantasy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

All Disney Titles | Disney Home Entertainment | Stores | DVD | Video

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

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

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Harry Potter 4)
King Kong - Extended Cut (Three-Disc Deluxe Edition)
Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Cars (Widescreen Edition)
Walk the Line (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00005JO1X
Release Date: 2006-04-04

Amazon.com

C.S. Lewis's classic novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe makes an ambitious and long-awaited leap to the screen in this modern adaptation. It's a CGI-created world laden with all the special effects and visual wizardry modern filmmaking technology can conjure, which is fine so long as the film stays true to the story that Lewis wrote. And while this film is not a literal translation--it really wants to be so much more than just a kids' movie--for the most part it is faithful enough to the story, and whatever faults it has are happily faults of overreaching, and not of holding back. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe tells the story of the four Pevensie children, Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan, and their adventures in the mystical world of Narnia. Sent to the British countryside for their own safety during the blitz of World War II, they discover an entryway into a mystical world through an old wardrobe. Narnia is inhabited by mythical, anthropomorphic creatures suffering under the hundred-year rule of the cruel White Witch (Tilda Swinton, in a standout role). The arrival of the children gives the creatures of Narnia hope for liberation, and all are dragged into the inevitable conflict between evil (the Witch) and good (Aslan the Lion, the Messiah figure, regally voiced by Liam Neeson).

Director (and co-screenwriter) Andrew Adamson, a veteran of the Shrek franchise, knows his way around a fantasy-based adventure story, and he wisely keeps the story moving when it could easily become bogged down and tiresome. Narnia is, of course, a Christian allegory and the symbology is definitely there (as it should be, otherwise it wouldn't be the story Lewis wrote), but audiences aren't knocked over the head with it, and in the hands of another director it could easily have become pedantic. The focus is squarely on the children and their adventures. The four young actors are respectable in their roles, especially considering the size of the project put on their shoulders, but it's the young Georgie Henley as the curious Lucy who stands out. This isn't a film that wildly succeeds, and in the long run it won't have the same impact as the Harry Potter franchise, but it is well done, and kids will get swept up in the adventure. Note: Narnia does contain battle scenes that some parents may consider too violent for younger children. --Dan Vancini

Description

Prepare to enter another world when Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media present C.S. Lewis' timeless and beloved adventure. With the stunningly realistic special effects, you'll experience the exploits of Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter, four siblings who find the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe while playing a game of "hide-and-seek" at the country estate of a mysterious professor. Once there, the children discover a charming, once peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs, and giants that has been turned into a world of eternal winter by the evil White Witch, Jadis. Aided by the wise and magnificent lion Aslan, the children lead Narnia into a spectacular climactic battle to be free of the Witch's glacial powers forever! The Chronicles of Narnia, Narnia, and all other book titles, characters and locales original thereto are trademarks of C.S. Lewis Pte Ltd. and are used with permission. © Disney/Walden

Customer Reviews:

UN CLASICO RELATO EPICO.......2007-07-03

Todo un despliegue de imaginacion y encantadores mundos de fantasia, donde lo real se funde con lo imaginario, los animales hablan, la magia tiene su propio territorio... y con todo su enseñanza es sencillamente eficaz: el VALOR, LEALTAD y FIDELIDAD al hermano, al amigo y la lucha tipica entre EL BIEN Y EL MAL; al igual que en la realidad, hay GUERRA, INJUSTICIAS y DESCONTENTO en una sociedad fantasiosa cuyas contiendas no dejan de tener cierta similitud con las batallas de "El Señor de los Anillos" pero Narnia tiene SU PROPIA HISTORIA, donde los protagonistas son los NIÑOS (que por cierto hacen excelentes papeles)y el leon AENSLAND, quien representa un tipo de MESIAS que devuelva el orden de las cosas... MUY EMOCIONANTE DE PRINCIPIO A FIN, una pelicula que se debe ver en la gran pantalla y con toda la familia.

typical disney's junk for kids and adults with peter-pan syndrome.......2007-06-30

another bore-to-death disney fantasy for kids only with endless annoying music score that could be applied to every other disney movie.
i was so glad that my kids are all grown-ups now, so i don't have to sit thru in the torture chamber to finish this terribly pretentious movie.

Ebdearing epic novel for children!.......2007-06-30

Disney would have made C. S. lewis proud with this production of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. I watched this play every year at Christmas time and have loved it from the start.

The panoramic snow scenes and stage decorum are nothing short of spectacular. The religious allegory that goes with the storyline is enhanced in the battle and the ending is left just right for sequels.

I have said this in many reviews. Disney you deserved the oscar for this picture.

The Chronicles of Narnia.......2007-06-29

Fantasy, adventure, intrigue and triumph. What more could be said of this classic. Great special effects and good acting talents bring this story to life like no other version.

A Visual Feast That Captures The Imagination!.......2007-06-14

The Chronicles of Narnia was brought to life on screen better than I have ever seen it! The visual effects were astonding! A great family adventure! If you liked the book, then you will like this! If you have not read the book, you should still enjoy the movie!

Average customer rating:

Very funny movie
"Can I borrow y'all VCR? I need to dub a tape..."
awww my neck!
Classic
Instant Classic - Made Chris Tucker a star.........

Friday (New Line Platinum Series)
Starring: Kathleen Bradley , Tony Cox , Ice Cube , Anna Maria Horsford , and Anthony Johnson
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Slapstick | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Urban | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

General | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

New Line Platinum Series | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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

Next Friday (New Line Platinum Series)
Friday After Next (Infinifilm Edition)
Menace II Society
Half Baked Fully Baked Widescreen Edition
The Players Club

ASIN: 6305308756
Release Date: 1999-03-02

Amazon.com

Friday is the rarest specimen of African American cinema: a 'hood movie refreshingly free of the semiseriousness and moralism of shoot 'em up soaps such as Boyz N the Hood, yet still true to the inner-city experience.

Scripted by rapper Ice Cube, Friday is a no-frills tale of a typical day in the life of a pair of African American youth in South Central. Cube plays Craig, a frustrated teen who endures the ultimate humiliation: getting fired on his day off. Then unknown Chris Tucker plays Smokey, a marijuana-worshipping homeboy whose love for the green stuff lands him in predicament after predicament.

Sitting on the stoop of Craig's rundown home, the two hilariously confront a kaleidoscopic array of gangbangers, weed dealers, crack heads, prostitutes, scheming girlfriends, and neighborhood bullies--all of whom, it should be noted, come off as sympathetic even as they are being caricatured, a true achievement in the crass, "booty call" environment of '90s African American comedy. --Ethan Brown

Description

A youth tries to survive life in L.A.'s hip-hoppin' South Central 'hood. Includes two music videos from the #1 hit soundtrack. Starring Chris Tucker and Ice Cube.

DVD Features:
Deleted Scenes
Interviews
Music Video
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Very funny movie.......2007-05-21

This is a great movie...simiple...funny...just a day in the life of some young guys who are bored. Most people can relate.

"Can I borrow y'all VCR? I need to dub a tape...".......2007-03-01

I've seen this movie many and I mean many times. It's very funny and it simply shouldn't be analyzed. A plot doesn't exist in this comedy, nor is this a character-driven vehicle, but it's a wild ride from start to finish without much of a high budget.

"Friday" is an urban comedy that depicts a single day in the life of Craig (Ice Cube), who has just been fired on his day off. Craig's off day consists of interactions with various characters in the neighborhood. They include his cantankerous dad (John Witherspoon); his lovable mother (Anna Maria Horsford); his sister Dana (Regina King); his spoilt girlfriend Joi (Paula Jai Parker); his love interest (Nia Long); Deebo (Tiny "Zeus" Lister Jr.) the hulking neighborhood bully; Big Worm (Faizon Love) the neighborhood gangster; and his token friend Smokey (Chris Tucker).

There's not a lot that can be said about the acting and most of the help comes from the supporting characters. Such as, Chris Tucker who steals the show with his landmark role as ultra-pothead Smokey. Tucker has that unrelenting comic energy that only a comedian of supreme talent can possess. Even when the film falls flat, he picks you back up. I also have to commend John Witherspoon, as Ice Cube's father. I loved him on "The Wayans Bros." and I loved him in this movie. Though I was laughing most of the time, the gags are indeed crude--very crude. And sometimes that crudeness just wears out. Luckily, it's not too often, and there are some memorable lines and memorable moments in "Friday."

I feel as though this is one of the better movies about the hood. It' really more than just a comedy instead it puts forth a deeper meaning in life. It is about facing one's fears and becoming a man. In one scene, the father sees Craig with a gun and tells him that holding a gun won't make him man; it's having the courage to fight with his fists that will. Now, I know this doesn't sound like the greatest thing for a parent to be telling his kid, but in the projects fighting with one's hands instead of picking up a gun is courageous. This movie is great to own as well as the Ice Cube-based sound track.

awww my neck!.......2007-02-27

this movie, i think is the funniest of the 3 because it has chris tucker. i cant belive its still funny after all these years. the fact that its on dvd just made me so exited i bought it just to watch it over a hundred times. it has alot of the best actors today. chris tucker, mia long, ice cube, burnie mac amog many others. i recomend this movie to anyone.

Classic.......2007-01-07

This movie is one of the Classics for anyone that was a teenager or in their early 20's back in the mid 90's. Its almost a have to have for the DVD Collection. Enjoy!

Instant Classic - Made Chris Tucker a star................2007-01-02

What would life be without your slacker homeboys? It seems like they take life less serious and have all of the fun. At least that's what this hood classic is about when Craig gets fired on his day off for allegedly stealing boxes. So Smoke Dog comes to save the day with a little of that sticky icky. Problem is that the weed belongs to Big Worm. The rest is hood comedy at its finest.

DJ Pooh steals the show as the lame who gets punked by Debo. Hilarious!

Average customer rating:

The King and I Admirers Will Be Bored
not your father's King and I
Anna and the King
Entertaining and Captivating
Great Movie!

Anna and the King
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat , Jodie Foster , Bai Ling , Tom Felton , and Randall Duk Kim
Director: Andy Tennant
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

The King and I (50th Anniversary Edition)
Nell
Ever After - A Cinderella Story
Anna and the King of Siam
Contact

ASIN: B00003CWLF
Release Date: 2000-10-31

Product Description

Academy Award winner Jodie Foster and international action star Chow Yun-Fat star in this epic true story of a woman who challenged the heart of a king and inspired the destiny of a nation.

English schoolteacher Anna Leonowens has traveled to Siam to educate the fifty-eight children of King Mongkut. If she has preconceived notions about the East, the King has similar notions about the West. But amid the danger of growing political unrest, their respect for each other slowly turns into something more.

System Requirements:
Starring: Jodie Foster, Chow Yun-Fat, and Bai Ling.
Directed By: Andy Tennant.
Running Time: 147 Min., Color.
This film is presented in "Widescreen" format.
Copyright 2001 Twentieth Century Fox.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

What's a director to do? Andy Tennant's previous film was the highly enjoyable Cinderella romance Ever After, which vanished from theaters and became a video hit. Then Tennant made this gorgeous, nonmusical version of Anna and the King, and once again felt the sting of box-office failure. Both films deserved better, and this Anna is certain to eventually find the appreciative audience that eluded it in theaters. In many ways, this delightful costume romance transcends the latter-day quaintness of The King and I to offer a more lavish and rewarding version of the story of Anna Leonowens, based on her diaries and first told in Margaret Landon's 1944 novel.

Customer Reviews:

The King and I Admirers Will Be Bored.......2007-04-11

This film was a real let down. Jodie Foster was wasted in a familiar tale that wasn't told the way we remember it. Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner keep their titles of Anna and the King.

not your father's King and I.......2007-04-01

This was a pleasure-packed film from the opening scenery to the text at the end chronicling the changes brought about in Siam owing to the influence of Anna. The country and the people(at least those of the royal household) are absolutely beautiful. The king is one to whom it would be very easy to feel loyalty to.
After seeing the movie, I feel compelled to read the history of Siam, and thus, Thailand.

Anna and the King.......2007-03-27

Very interesting remake of the King and I, though we older set missed the singing, it was put together and updated well. Jodie always gives a great performance!

Entertaining and Captivating.......2007-03-22

This is a great movie to have in your library. It is basically a film along the lines of The King and I. Jodie Foster is the perfect match for her role. She grabs you and draws you in, making a personal connection with the characters. Chow Yun-Fat is, also, a very good fit for his role as emperor.
The film makes you take a good look at how personal realtionships within your own family are about the most important thing you have. It also draws attention to the importance of respecting others. I'm not going to use the word 'tolerance'...but for the closed-minded, tyranical types, this film will ease that person into realizing the many good qualities in other people.
Oh, and don't forget the falling-in-love portions of this movie. Crossing boundries for those forbidden pleasures alway make for a good time.
This is a great film for those who like to ride the emotional rollercoaster. You'll laugh, get ticked-off, cry, get the warm-fuzzies...you get the point.
So, grab your sweatheart, get a blanket, pop some popcorn, turn the lights down and enjoy this timeless work of art!

Great Movie!.......2007-03-03

Anna and the King is a wonderful True movie! Jodie Foster is a very good actress in this movie. This movie made me laugh, cry and happy!

Average customer rating:

Only Hollywood could screw up this story!
FIRST CLASS
Audrey Hepburn as Natasha Rambova
War and Peace (Abridged by Hollywood)
Ambitious, thoughtful, and massive in scale...

War & Peace (1956) (Ws Sub)
Starring: Audrey Hepburn , Henry Fonda , Mel Ferrer , Vittorio Gassman , and Herbert Lom
Director: King Vidor
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Art House & International | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

Paris When It Sizzles
Love in the Afternoon
How to Steal a Million
Funny Face
The Children's Hour

ASIN: B00006JU7S
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Amazon.com

Despite its reputation as an oversimplified epic, King Vidor's War and Peace remains a stellar showcase of Hollywood prestige. While Cecil B. De Mille was reviving ancient Egypt for The Ten Commandments, Vidor was transforming Italian countryside into war-torn Russia, bringing massive resources to bear on this sumptuous, if ultimately misguided adaptation of Tolstoy's classic. Given the marquee casting of Audrey Hepburn as Natasha and then-husband Mel Ferrer as decorated battle hero Prince Andrei, this is a movie you watch for star value, not literary fidelity (for the latter, look to Sergei Bondarchuk's Russian version). Henry Fonda serves Tolstoy more effectively as Pierre, whose passive observation of Napoleon's invasion turns this grand moral tale into an intimate study of individual passions. The battle scenes (directed by Mario Soldati) remain impressive, as does the film's grand parade of pomp and circumstance. Slow, regal, and peppered with brilliance, this epic falls short of classic but it's still a visual feast. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Only Hollywood could screw up this story!.......2007-06-12

I will say this up front: The casting in this film was spot-on. Audrey Hepburn fit her role beautifully and, while I've NEVER been a fan of Henry Fonda, I was pleasantly surprised as to how he shone as "Pierre". As for everything else, this version of War and Peace drifted far from Tolstoy's masterpiece -- this thing was just a bunch of Hollywood fluff. I held out some hope for the battle scenes but, again, disappointment. If you want to see a brilliantly-done War And Peace DVD, watch the Russian one (subtitled) and forget this cumbersome Hollywood Juggernault of a film.

FIRST CLASS.......2007-05-15

Wonderful film, clearly carefully cleaned-up from the original (referring only to the viewing quality! The only thing a young child's parents would balk at him/her seeing is the violence: mild by today's standards however). Delivery fast, as usual, and well packaged. I shan't sell this copy back to Amazon, I want to keep it to re-play whenever I feel like it. Great stuff.

Audrey Hepburn as Natasha Rambova.......2007-03-21

It's odd that this movie runs three hours and twenty eight minutes and it's considered the short, condensed version of Tolstoy's literary masterpiece. The novel is actually much better known and deserves to be. As much I acknowledge King Vidor as the one of the pioneer directors and a maverick who went his own way throughout his career, this movie is a bit of a disappointment. After all, this is the same director who directed "The Big Parade", the anti war movie that launched MGM.

King Vidor was not your typical Texan. Movies he made just before this was "Duel in the Sun" for Selznick and "The Fountainhead" written by Ann Rand. This "War and Peace" was made in Italy and was produced by Dino deLaurentis. Vidor and six other writers had the tast of condensing Tolstoy's classic, eliminating major subplots and streamling the storylines of the three protangonists.

The main protangonist in the book is Pierre Bezahov, here played by Henry Fonda. In 1968, Sergie Bondachuk played Pierre and wrote and directed a nine hour and much better movie than this one. Sergie even looked more like the book Pierre. Fonda could have played him more accurately, after all, he made "The Wrong Man" around the time and he was no longer a spring chicken. But here, he's dashing even when he wins a duel literally by accident. However, he does his best work when forced to walk as a prisoner to the French. He shows dignity in such adject conditions.

Audrey Hepburn should have been perfect as Natasha and at times, is. However, it's not very convincing that she's just a naive little girl in the beginning and a woman who's been though a lot at the end. Not that's not her fault. Vidor with makeup artists, etc. should have created that illusion. In fact, the story is supposed to take seven years and this movie doesn't convince us of that at all.

Mel Ferrer was Audrey's leading man offscream but he's missing the meloncholy about Andrei is supposed to project. He does have passible good looks and be standoffish but not really much else.

However, he and Andrey do look well together and she also has excellent rapport with Fonda. Herbet Lom plays an interesting Napolean. Anita Ekberg looks beautiful and is not asked to do much else.

The battle scenes are very well done and there is good levity when Fonda appears as a spectator. Ferrer's death scene is way too long and a bit unforgivable as some interesting bits of Tolstoy could have gone in.

Tolstoy's musing about life are basically unfilmable but something could have gone in. Instead, the movie ends with Henry and Natasha reunited. However, the main parts of the basic story were covered.

I just wish it had more the transcendance that the ending of "The Crowd" did. For that, I guess read the book.

War and Peace (Abridged by Hollywood).......2007-02-14

This is your reader's digest version of Tolstoy's novel on screen. At almost 4 hours the film conveys the main aspects of the novel, but cuts out many supporting characters, concentrating instead on the main themes of the book. What makes it work is Audrey Hepburn, and to some extent Henry Fonda. Hepburn is a charming Natasha, perhaps the best on screen version. Fonda plods along as Pierre, Mel Farrier makes an effort to be the Byronic Hero that was Prince Andrei. The production quailty is pretty good. This is deffinitely more you romantic version of the story. Battle scenes are pretty much limited to a fairly impressive, albeit short Borodino sequence. The one gripe I have is that all French infantry are shown as Imperial Guard!! The Retreat scenes are not bad, and convey well how the Grande Army fell apart. This is the version I would recommend to introduce someone to the basics of the story. I would then move on to the Russian and BBC versions to see the plot and characters more fully developed. Let's face it, this is War & Peace lite! The DVD has beautiful picture quality, and a few interesting behind the scenes production notes. I think of all screen versions of Tolstoy's immortal novel this is the best known. This is the more romantic version, while the Russian one is more your military history epic.

Ambitious, thoughtful, and massive in scale..........2007-01-17

Although often naive, even crude, the films of King Vidor were frequently distinguished by their sheer energy and forceful visual style... As his career progressed, his films became increasingly grand in terms of narrative scope and visual bravura...

Tolstoy and Vidor tell the epic story through a handful of major characters...

As Napoleon Bonaparte prepares to invade Russia, Pierre Bezukhov (Henry Fonda), an aristocrat so liberal in his views, visits his friend Count Rostov (Barry Jones) and his radiant, young daughter Natasha (Audrey Hepburn). They all witness 'those handsome Russian men marching away to fight, to be killed.'

When his father dies, Pierre falls under the spell of the attractive Helene (Anita Ekberg) and finds himself unable to resist her passionate response... He marries her even though everybody knows that she's fooling around on him with Dolokhov (Helmut Dantine).

His closest friend, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (Mel Ferrer), achieves success as a soldier under General Kutuzov (Oscar Homolka) but returns wounded, a condition made the worse by the death of his wife in childbirth...

With his own marriage ended by the adultery of his woman, Pierre introduces the grieving Andrei to Natasha, and the pair fall in love... But before they can marry, Andrei goes to fight the invading French and the pacifistic Pierre goes along as an observer...

The motion picture deals with war and its effect on people... It contains many marvelous pictorial moments as the colorfully uniformed regiments marching through the excellent streets of Moscow; snowy landscapes; a magnificent Ballroom sequence; and most of all, Napoleon's forces at the epic battle of Borodino; the march on Moscow and the tragic retreat of Napoleon's army through the Russian winter...

Most of the military side of the story takes place in the second half, and it seems slow to arrive, but the battle of Borodino is fairly well handled... It is focused (through Pierre's eyes) with long shots of the invading and retreating French troops...

Audrey Hepburn whose boyish figure provided a refreshing antidote to the film, is lovely as Natasha... Her flaming innocence and blossoming sensuality set her sweet heart ablaze... This charming spirit, with so much enthusiasm and romanticism, is full of life and true love... Hepburn matures from an impulsive, kind-hearted teen-ager, to an understanding woman who uses her courage and impetuousness to love, to care, and to serve...

Henry Fonda is pure, brave, and noble... He projects with sincerity the confusion of an honest man caught up in an angry twist of history... He witnesses the horrific events of war, experiencing days of misery as a prisoner of war... His remarkable adventures lead him to understand at least part of the mysteries of life, humanity, love and loyalty... Pierre is strikingly different from others, with a deep love and esteem for his country and his sweetheart...

Mel Ferrer is the sensitive prince who doesn't come around until he meets the sweet Natasha... Andrei is intelligent but arrogant... He ignores the feelings of his wife and fails to carry out his responsibility as a husband...

Vittorio Gassman is the legendary seducer, darkly handsome, sensuous, magnetic, who lives in a world of debauchery... Anatole is a man dangerous to love, impossible to resist...

Herbert Lom is the 'greatest man of Europe' who sees his men walking hardly under fatiguing conditions through the snowy fields of Russia... Napoleon had a tough decision to make...

Oskar Homolka is General Kutuzov who forms a reasoned judgment against an enemy who has a larger, more efficient force... It is unclear whether he did this out of weakness or whether it was part of a brilliant strategy with the purpose of drawing Napoleon's army way beyond their means of supply for the winter, which Bonaparte had not prepared for...

Anita Ekberg is Helene, the charming and reckless libertine who goes to a world of cheats and insults her husband's ego making his life depressed and miserable...

Helmut Dantine is Dolokhov, the officer, challenged for a duel, who puts on view the better side of his character much later...

Tulio Carminati is Prince Vasili Kuragine, a man of the world who familiarizes himself with people who are influential and tries to obtain favor from them...

Barry Jones is Count Rostov, a loving family man and an excellent friend... He is indulgent towards his family and provides them comforts and luxuries of life...

Wilfrid Lawson is Prince Bolkonsky, a despot aristocrat who imposes his authority on his son without caring for his feelings..

May Britt is Sonya, the tender young girl who is devoted to the Rostov family and loves Nicholas...

John Mills is Platon, the cheerful Russian peasant whose philosophies comfort Pierre...

Vidor's 'War and Peace' is massive in scale, faithful to the larger historical events... Its heart is really with the romantic side and so it's most successful as a period melodrama...

Average customer rating:

Very good!
SHAKESPEARE GOES WEST
CLASSIC WESTERN DRAMA WITH ITS ROOTS IN SHAKESPEARE
King Lear meets the Wild Wild West
Western Shakespeare

King of Texas
Starring: Patrick Stewart , Marcia Gay Harden , Lauren Holly , Roy Scheider , and David Alan Grier
Director: Uli Edel
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs as Low as $5.49 | The Big DVD Sale | Stores | DVD | Video

( K ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Desperate Trail
Safe House
Andersonville
The Name of the Rose
Memphis Belle

ASIN: B00007AJFY
Release Date: 2002-12-10

Amazon.com

It's Shakespeare with six-guns as King of Texas goes boldly where no TV Western had gone before. Transplanting King Lear to a Texas cattle ranch was a risky proposition, but as star and co-executive producer (with his wife and fellow Star Trek: The Next Generation alumnus, Wendy Neuss), Patrick Stewart brings his formidable Shakespearean training to bear on a condensed but satisfying interpretation. Whereas Akira Kurosawa's Ran required a gender-switching overhaul of Shakespeare's tragedy, this handsomely mounted TNT Original retains the feuding sisterhood of Lear's undoing. As aging cattle baron John Lear, Stewart sets his downfall in motion, dividing his land and loyalties among daughters played with stalwart fortitude by Marcia Gay Harden, Lauren Holly, and Julie Cox. Familial machinations multiply with a stellar supporting cast (Roy Scheider is the Earl of Gloucester here), and for all of Stewart's impressive fury, it's comedy veteran David Alan Grier (interpreting Shakespeare's "Fool") who quietly steals the show. --Jeff Shannon

Description

An aging cattle baron's plan to divide his vast spread among his three daughters ignites a sibling blood feud in this volatile Wild West retelling of Shakespeare's "King Lear."

Customer Reviews:

Very good!.......2006-08-09

It's based on Shakespeare's King Lear except it's in the 1800s in Texas. Patrick Stewart is John Lear, owner of a 200,000 acres ranch. He has three daughters and he wants to give each of them land but first they must tell him how much they love him. Two of the daughters hate him, especially the oldest, but lie to get his property. Once it's theirs, they let him know their real feelings toward him and also try to takeover their neighbors land.

I never read King Lear but it sure made a darn fine western! Good acting and great plot. Of course it's a great plot, it's Shakespeare! And Patrick Stewart was wonderful but he was trained to play Shakespeare. This is another movie that will please all kinds of people.

SHAKESPEARE GOES WEST.......2006-01-08

KING OF TEXAS is based on Shakespeare's KING LEAR. Not being knowledgeable of Shakespeare's play, I'm not sure how faithful the adaptation is, but one thing's for sure: it plays like a true tragedy with some vile characters. Patrick Stewart who also co-produced with his missus plays John Lear, the patriarch who has decided to divide his vast empire between his three daughters, only one of them he disowns because she doesn't answer a question he posits to them all: why do you love Me? This sets up a tragic series of consequences certainly evident in most of Shakespeare's tragedies: greed, jealousy, murder, revenge. The results are surprisingly good. Stewart is top notch and he gets tremendous support: Roy Scheider has his rancher friend has his best role in years; Marcia Gay Harden is stunning as the most vile of the daughters; Lauren Holly comes in second with her self-centered demeanor; and Julie Cox, the disowned daughter, is the soft and gentle daughter who is really the only one who loves her papa; Matt Letscher is a two-faced son of Scheider's; Liam Waite is the misunderstood brother; Steven Bauer is the Mexican whose land the girls want to take over; Colm Meaney is Harden's upstanding husband; and David Alan Grier is superb as Stewart's loyal "slave" and friend. KING OF TEXAS is an excellent made for TNT movie and quite different.

CLASSIC WESTERN DRAMA WITH ITS ROOTS IN SHAKESPEARE.......2005-11-10

If the immortal Bard could only have imagined the adaptations that his work would inspire! There have been numerous modernizations of Shakespeare's work. From WEST SIDE STORY to TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU. There have also been various different stagings for practically all of Shakespeare's stories. So why not a Western?

We get just that in KING OF TEXAS, King Lear set in post-Alamo Texas. The story adaptations flows marvelously with Patrick Stewart starring as John Lear, a Texas patriot turned cattle baron. As with the Shakespeare original, Lear here has built an empire, complete with the pride and ego that attend it. He determines to leave his massive ranch to his daughters, Susannah (Academy Award winner, Marcia Gay Harden), Rebecca (Lauren Holly) and Claudia (Julie Cox). In a show of pseudo-love, the two older daughters charm the aging Lear, get the ranch for themselves and set in motion a chain reaction of drama and tragedy that Old William would have heartily approved of.

Some wonderful twists in the story include the part of the fool from the original play becoming a faithful black servant, Rip, played wonderfully by David Alan Grier (JUMANJI, RETURN TO ME). Keeping with the timeframe involved, it's the only natural solution. His playful banter with John Lear is wonderful and warmly draws the audience in.

The movie's depiction of the tense interplay between the Republic of Texas and Mexico is also a terrific twist as, historically, these two opponents continued to spar with each other for decades following the events that led to Texas independence.

One minor disappointment for me was the resolution of the original relationship of the two brothers, Edmund and Edgar, replaced in the Western drama with Emmett (Matt Letscher) and Thomas (Liam Waite) Westover. Just as in the original play, the scheming and corrupt Emmett works to disinherit his brother, Thomas, the rightful heir. When their father, Henry (Roy Scheider) continues his allegiance to Claudia and goes to warn her of pending trouble, he is blinded (just as with Gloucester in the original play). But in the original play the faithful son returns incognito and plays his father's servant, working carefully back into his father's good graces while waiting for the chance to avenge himself on his brother. Still in disguise, he then confronts his brother in a classic Shakespearean standoff. For the sake of not giving the story away here, let's just say it doesn't happen quite that way in this version.

I also very much missed a corresponding character in KING OF TEXAS for King Lear's faithful friend and advisor, Kent.

But, as mentioned, these are very minor issues at the very worst.

This is a classic Western with all the drama of its roots in Shakespeare with the spectacular setting of Texan grandeur. Not one that you will want to miss.

THE HORSEMAN

King Lear meets the Wild Wild West.......2003-02-05

Those of you who enjoy those good old western movies, but are needing a bit of Shakespearean drama, then King of Texas is the movie you want to see. This movie is William Shakespeare's "King Lear" transplanted into a beautiful Texas setting. The major characters found within "King Lear" have been renamed and wonderfully refitted for a classic made for TV western movie. Besides a few minuet modifications to the story line, King of Texas is a close representation for "King Lear". I found this movie to be very entertaining. Patric Stewart delivers an excellent performance, and he doesn't look that bad with a beard. However, I did expect him to whip out a laser gun and kick [rear]... near the climax. Unfortunately, these hopes never came true, but Patric Stewart is the man none the less. This movie is a very nice change of pace of the average made for TV movie. It is very well made with a superb cast, and more importantly the plot stays true to Shakespeare's "King Lear". I would defiantly encourage anyone to watch King of Texas which is quite possibly one of the ton five made for TV movies of the year. So if you like Shakespearean plays and the old west, you will love King of Texas.

Western Shakespeare.......2003-01-28

In the movie King of Texas we are introduced to a new side of Shakespeare, the western Shakespeare. This movie is a fine film and a good resource for those who have already read King Lear, which this movie is based after. Having read King Lear, I noticed how acurate this movie was. There were name changes and a differnt ending but over all it's an entertaining show. The one complaint I have is the way King Lear is protrayed. He is protrayed as angry and impatient in the movie, while in the play he was kinder to his daughters. Also, I would change the ending, I didn't like how Rebecca wasn't killed by her sister. I thought that her death by Gonreil was an important part which showed how heartless she was. This movie will help anyone who didn't quite understand the play. It could be used as a study guide because of how well it follows the play. I recommend this movie to anyone ready for a hoot-hollering good time with a poetic twist.

Average customer rating:

Remarkable Acting - Unremarkable Story
Tender and Mature
the wedding night
Very Under-Rated
Very touching story

The Wedding Night
Starring: Gary Cooper , Anna Sten , Ralph Bellamy , Helen Vinson , and Sig Ruman
Director: King Vidor
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

Casanova Brown
Ball of Fire
Unconquered (Universal Cinema Classics)
The Adventures of Marco Polo
No Man of Her Own (Universal Cinema Classics)

ASIN: B000NIBUTO
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com

One of the lesser-known satisfactions in Gary Cooper's career is this 1935 King Vidor film, an offbeat blend of romance, comedy, and tragedy. It begins in screwball territory: Cooper plays a novelist whose partying ways have stalled his career and made his new manuscript unpublishable. He and wife Helen Vinson like the high life (any resemblance to Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald is probably intentional), and she doesn't stick around while he tries to write a new book in a quiet Connecticut country house. The isolation puts him into proximity with a heartfelt young immigrant girl (Anna Sten), whose Polish community provides a subject for his new book.

If you think Cooper was a merely the High Noon guy, a lanky Western hero, this is one of the movies (among many) that dispel the idea: his utter naturalness is a gold standard for a certain kind of movie-star acting. Directing him on the set the first day, Vidor worried about the star's mumbling and forgetfulness with dialogue. "Imagine my amazement," Vidor later wrote, "when I watched our first day's work on the screen and observed and heard a performance that overflowed with charm and personality." Anna Sten was another issue: the Russian actress had been brought to the U.S. with great fanfare by producer Samuel Goldwyn, because he wanted to have his own foreign Garbo/Dietrich under contract. Her cool presence failed to generate audience interest, and Goldwyn gave up on her after The Wedding Night. She's a problem, but Cooper keeps it going, and the movie itself is unexpectedly warm. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Remarkable Acting - Unremarkable Story.......2007-07-04

I wasn't too impressed with the story of this one: A Manhattan writer named Tony (Gary Cooper), who made a splash with his first novel, is suffering from a long dry spell. Running out of cash, he and his wife head off to rural Connecticut where they can reside in his old family home rent-free. The writer gets inspiration for a new novel from his Polish neighbors. He also seems to fall in love at first sight with the Poles' daughter, Manya (Anna Sten). Tony's wife soon heads back to New York City out of boredom, leaving the writer to become more entangled with the Polish girl.

The acting is what makes this film worth watching: Gary Cooper, as usual, has a tremendous screen presence and Anna Sten is surprisingly good. I say "surprisingly" because she has often been accused of giving a "cold" performance that turned people off. It is hard to see why Hollywood gave up on her so quickly (this was her first and last major film). Not only did she possess a highly alluring beauty, but she was excellent in the role of Manya. [Looking at the other Amazon reviews, it seems that most of you out there agree with me on this last point.]

Tender and Mature.......2007-06-18

This tender and mature film from director King Vidor is one of the great forgotten films of the 1930's. There is a sensitive and romantic light hanging over every frame, as though Vidor turned the lamplight low, letting its warm, soft glow set the mood for a rich story of tragic love.

Alfred Newman's lovely score and Gregg Toland's photography gave Anna Sten a chance to truly shine opposite Gary Cooper. Her Manya is sweet and endearing, and it is sad that Goldwyn misused her by trying to make her into another Garbo. She is both funny and charming, and with a gift for conveying emotion on the inside while attempting to mask her feelings.

Edwin Knoff's original story of a writer in need of more inspiration and a lot less boozing returning to his country home in Connecticut has real depth. It doesn't opt for easy answers to lives gone astray. Love's redeeming power, and our connection to the earth, themes running through many of Vidor's works, are important elements in Edith Fitzgerald's screenplay.

Gary Cooper is quite wonderful as the writer who can't get published anymore returning to his home, his New York wife in tow. Helen Vinson lends great support as his wife Dory, and makes her sympathetic even when she leaves Tony (Cooper) and returns to the city for a time. It will prove to be a huge mistake, bringing about tragedy.

Tony finds both solice and inspiration in his lovely Polish neighbor, Manya (Anna Sten). Her gentle presence gives birth to "Earth's Return," a novel he reads to her by the fire. Her smile and gentle laughter is soothing to his soul, and soon there is a deep and unspoken love blooming.

Standing in their way, however, is her traditional Polish family, who have arranged a marriage for her, and his returning wife, who really loves Tony but is not sure how to hang on to him. This is a rich and mature film of a man adrift and the love which brings his soul back to life, with tragic consequences. Filled with warmth and humor, there is a something real about it. A farewell reminiscent of the final scene in Borzage's "Three Comrades" is not soon forgotten.

This is a lovely film from the 1930's which has the maturity of foreign films made decades later. Perhaps only when "The Stranger's Return" and "H.M. Pullman Esq." find a release, will King Vidor's standing as an important figure in American film finally be realized. A tender masterpiece.

the wedding night.......2007-06-03

an author with writers block finds more than he bargained for when he has to go to the country to escape his out of control city life-style. he finds that he has other problems when he falls for a local girl. one of them is how to tell his wife about her.. it isn't easy. and thereby hangs the tale.

Very Under-Rated.......2007-05-18

Over the years, I have repeatedly read that Anna Sten was not highly thought of as an actress. Perhaps something happened with that mysetery known as timing. If "The Wedding Night" is an example of her acting, the mid 1930s American audiences missed something. I think she is superb in this role and has a wonderful doomed chemistry with Gary Cooper. The film itself has a terrific look, as do a number of Goldwyn's films from this period. They appear like handsome leather bound novels in motion. Ralph Bellamy turns in his usual superb performance and captures the essence of these Polish immigrants as a pragmatic people. It's easy to dismiss them as cold and humorless but, to be fair, they most likely, as other immigrants of that time, came from countries where they knew only hardship and had to fight to survive. This clash of cultures leaves the viewer frustrated along with the characters, as the screenplay intends, and "The Wedding Night" elicits a very rewarding viewing experience.

Very touching story.......2007-03-15

This is not one of Cooper's most well known films but it is a very good one and deserves more attention. Cooper is an author who has run out of money and ideas so he and his wife retreat to an old family farm in Connecticut. There he meets Anna Sten who is the daughter of Polish immigrants that run a tobacco farm. She breaks his writer's block and he decides to write a story about her hard working family. Meanwhile his wife has decided to go back to New York city as farm life is not for her. Cooper and Sten fall in love but unlike movies of today there is no graphic sex scene as they do not consumate their feelings. Instead their love is shown very cleverly and sensually through glances that last a little too long and sweet gestures like Anna cooking for him and taking care of him. Her father however has plans for her to marry Frederik played by a young Ralph Bellamy. Frederik discovers that Sten and Cooper are in love but decides to marry her anyway because of the land and house he will get as part of her dowry. This movie has an unhappy ending but it is very fitting for the piece and only adds to it's depth and realism.

On top of this being a very good film it's also a chance to see a young and very handsome Gary Cooper. Anna Sten was quite beautiful also but this was her last major picture as for some reason she just did not "catch on" with the movie public. She is very good in this film however and you won't be disappointed if you check it out.

Average customer rating:

Definitive
Magnificent in every way
Makes the Peter Brooks version look bad
King Lear
Great acting amidst clunky backgrounds

King Lear
Starring: Laurence Olivier , Colin Blakely , Anna Calder-Marshall , Jeremy Kemp , and Robert Lang (II)
Director: Michael Elliott
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

Macbeth / McKellen, Dench (Thames Shakespeare Collection)
King Lear
Macbeth
Twelfth Night
William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

ASIN: 0769712231
Release Date: 2000-06-13

Description

The late Sir Lawrence Olivier stars in this Emmy Award winning production of Shakespeare's King Lear. It is the timeless tale of greed and lust for power, and of a sick old man, his scheming children and lost loyalties. Also stars Diana Rigg, John Hurt, Leo McKern, and Colin Blakely. Special DVD features include a biography and filmography on Sir Lawrence Olivier, character and cast list, chapter stops on each scene, and more. 158 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

Definitive.......2007-05-08

This is by general consensus one of Shakespeare's two greatest works, Hamlet being the other. (Which one you think is best is purely a matter of taste; you can generate passionate arguments either way.) No matter where you come down on that debate, King Lear is indisputably a top masterpiece by the greatest writer in the English language.

This production features a cast that is consummately superb, from the title role on down. Every character is played by an actor who ranks near the top of the profession, including such luminaries as Diana Rigg, Leo McKern, David Trelfall, Jeremy Kemp, and on and on and on. And, of course, there is Olivier, who is at the very peak of his powers here. There isn't a weak, or even ordinary, performance anywhere.

A teacher I once knew used to describe Shakespeare's language as "opera for people who can't sing." This company makes the language crystal clear, but beyond that, they make it sing. If this production doesn't make Shakespeare accessible for you, no production ever will.

Magnificent in every way.......2007-02-17

This is the first Lear I ever saw and so it will always be dear to me as it touched me so deeply way back when it was first shown on TV as it still does now when I pop my video in the player. I can't imagine any production topping this one as each character is played so thoroughly true and with such amazing skill and clearness of language. Every student or lover of Shakespeare must watch this and is highly recommended to purchase it for repeated viewing throughout your life. To me, Shakespeare's plays are so rich because they can be performed successfully innumerable ways. So it is absurd to exp