The Scarlet Letter

Starring:Helen Hayes, Gary Cooper, Adolphe Menjou, Mary Philips, Jack La Rue, Blanche Friderici, Mary Forbes, Gilbert Emery, Fred Malatesta, Paul Porcasi, Agostino Borgato, Herman Bing, George Humbert, Peggy Cunningham, Alice Adair, Marcelle Corday, Doris Lloyd, Henry Armetta, Robert Cauterio, Gino Corrado
Director: Frank Borzage, Jack Conway, William A. Wellman
Studio: Rph Productions
Product Type: DVD

The Hemingway Classics Collection (The Sun Also Rises / A Farewell to Arms / The Snows of Kilimanjaro / Under My Skin / Adventures of a Young Man)

Average customer rating:

a wonderful collection
why do Fox do this

The Hemingway Classics Collection (The Sun Also Rises / A Farewell to Arms / The Snows of Kilimanjaro / Under My Skin / Adventures of a Young Man)
Starring: Gregory Peck , Susan Hayward , Ava Gardner , Hildegard Knef , and Leo G. Carroll
Director: Henry King , John Huston , and Charles Vidor
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000LC4ZCQ
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Amazon.com

The Hemingway Classics Collection includes five classic films adapted from some of Hemingway's most celebrated pieces. Two of the five films, Under My Skin and Adventures of a Young Man (starring Paul Newman, who garnered a Golden Globe nomination for the role), are exclusively available in this collection. The box set includes bonus materials including commentaries, theatrical trailers, restoration comparisons and 'making of' featurettes.

Customer Reviews:

a wonderful collection.......2007-05-15

I love this collection. It brings me back to Hemingway who I read while growing up in the Fifties and Sixties. The restorations of the Scope movies are outstanding and the extras are informative. The cinematography and music of Adventures of a Young Man are very moving. This film brought me back to my youth. I highly recommend.

why do Fox do this.......2007-03-26

I have already purchased Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Sun Also Rises. I would really like to add Adventures of a Young Man to my Fox CinemaScope collection but why do they (Fox) force me to pay $44 for the lot. Come on Fox Classics why not release these as singles. Same with Soldier of Fortune and The Tall Men. I wonder if the studios read these messages but if they did they would find out what people want. I am collecting the entire 20th Century Fox CinemaScope collection from 1953 to 1967 and its nice to have them in single discs so they can be placed one year after the other. Waiting for all those other classics to be released like King of the Khyber Rifles, The Rains of Ranchipur, Woman's World, The Cobweb, The Adventures of Hajji Baba and many more. Come on Fox Classics bring 'em on.

Average customer rating:

Oh my...................
An Uneven Movie But Worth Watching
Lavish and entertaining but unmoving remake
Simple love story gets over-cooked
OVERLONG MISCAST MISHMASH

A Farewell to Arms
Starring: Rock Hudson , Jennifer Jones , Vittorio De Sica , Oskar Homolka , and Mercedes McCambridge
Director: John Huston , and Charles Vidor
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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A Farewell to Arms (1932) DVD [Remastered Edition]

ASIN: B0007PALN4
Release Date: 2005-05-24

Description

Set against the backdrop of the Italian front during World War I, an American Army volunteer (Rock Hudson) meets a British nurse (Jennifer Jones) on the eve of the big offensive in the Alps and they fall passionately in love. Torn apart, then reunited, they escape to Switzerland to await the birth of their child - and the tragic conclusion to their once-in-a-lifetime romance. "Moving and realistic" (The Hollywood Reporter), this sweeping epic remains a powerful and emotional experience.

Customer Reviews:

Oh my..........................2007-06-16

Already in the beginning you get the sense that this is a turkey. Selznick even repeats the same type of openingcredits as he did in GONE WITH THE WIND....

In the beginning, Jennifer Jones in particular is painfully amateurish but she is never helped by a wooden dialogue and screenplay...No one in this film is....

Even my mama at the age of 71 declared; "what a 50s film".... She has never uttered such phrases, but it is impossible not to agree...

Never for a moment do you leave the feeling that this a a movieset and even the musical score screams plagiate... in the beginning that is...

A shame really... The looks of Rock Hudson and the Elaine Stritch/Mercedes MacCambridge duo is the only thing worth watching with some of the scenary...

But THAT is only the beginning... midthrough "soemthing" happens at the characters and the film comes alive...

Miss Barkley is a clinging woman because of bad experience and I musy say that the dialogue and childbirth wasn`t common place in the movies in 1957.

The last half is good, but the overall impression is uneven...

updated on Monday,June 18 2007.

An Uneven Movie But Worth Watching.......2006-04-10

I saw this film years ago and was curious to see if it is still worth seeing after 50 years. The movie is beautifully filmed; the panoramic views are spectacular. The evacuation of the Italian Army is extremely well done. Rock Hudson as Lt. Frederick Henry, an American ambulance driver in World War I, proves that he can act in addition to being extremely handsome. He is by far the best thing about the movie. Jennifer Jones does not fair as well. One suspects that she may have gotten the part of Catherine Barkley, an English nurse, because she was married to the producer David O. Selznick of GONE WITH THE WIND fame. She says "darling" way, way too many times. Then there are the 50's censors to deal with. Catherine would never say she was "pregnant," but rather is going to have a baby. Had she not informed us of that, we couldn't have been sure that she and Henry actually went to bed together as she's always buttoned up to her neck in her nurse's uniform although Mr. Hudson does take his shirt off from time to time.

I'm not sure how much of this story is really Hemingway's as the movie gets a bit preachy in the end. Henry keeps talking about that he has been bad. I do not know what he has done that is so wrong. Certainly fleeing from a military court martial where he would have certainly been shot is not a bad thing to have done.

The DVD version has some black and white footage of the premiere of the movie, along with a clip of PHOTOPLAY awards connected with it-- certainly interesting from a historical standpoint.

This is a story that is ripe for a remake. Hemingway's love story is worth repeating.

Lavish and entertaining but unmoving remake.......2006-02-27

The 1957 version of A Farewell to Arms is a mixture of the best and worst of David O. Selznick. On the plus side is the no expense spared lavishness of the whole production, with great Italian locations, great production design, a good supporting cast (including an excellent Vittorio de Sica, Alberto Sordi and Elaine Stritch) and a cast of thousands. On the debit side, there's some hokey love scenes and the miscasting of Selznick's private leading lady Jennifer Jones, lisping her way through an awkward British accent while seemingly impersonating a rather large bunny rabbit that somehow got a job as a nurse.

Charles Vidor lacks Frank Borzage's sensual romanticism, but despite some surprisingly clumsy comedy, Ben Hecht's script is much darker and more mature than you'd expect, with the grim retreat sequences and their aftermath far darker than anything in the Gary Cooper version. That said, the gay subtext to Rinaldi's friendship is almost completely absent, something that seems all the more noticeable with Rock Hudson playing the object of his affections (but that's hindsight for you). It's never particularly moving, but it's entertaining storytelling and it looks great in its original CinemaScope ratio.

Extras are limited to the original trailer and brief newsreel extracts.

Simple love story gets over-cooked.......2005-07-05

There is no question that David O. Selznick was one of Hollywood's greatest producers - anyone can look at his list credits and see that he was responsible for some of the most memorable films to come out of Hollywood. Following his magnum opus, "Gone With The Wind" in 1939, however, Selznick kept trying to out-do himself, striving to create yet another great film on an epic scale. He did make some wonderful movies following "GWTW" ("Rebecca," "Since You Went Away," "Portrait of Jennie") but many of them (like "Since You Went Away" and "Duel In The Sun") were hurt by his attempts at over producing.

"A Farewell To Arms," which was sadly Selznick's last film, is the prime example of Selznick at his worse - attempting to make a simple war love story into an epic production. The sweeping title credits racing across the screen (just like in "Gone With The Wind") should serve as a warning. While the production is an attractive one (exquisite wide-screen cinematography, beautiful locations, lovely score, etc.), it is not enough to warrant a grand scale for such a simple story. Rock Hudson is simply gorgeous in this film - he had to have been at his peak here. Jennifer Jones, as the love interest, doesn't fare as well. She is a beautiful and talented actress and one of the most interesting women to grace the screen, but she is miscast here. At 36, she is too mature to be playing Hudson's love interest (she is in her young 20s in the book) and their scenes together lack chemistry. The film also suffers from being overlong and padded with scenes that could have been easily left out. Thus we get 30 minutes of lovey-dovey between Jones and Hudson in the Swiss Alps followed by a birth scene that seems to go on forever.

That said, the film does look great on dvd and this is certainly the way to watch it. The extras include 3 Fox Movietone Reels - 1) ""A Farewell to Arms" Premiere" showing Selznick, Jones and Hudson, the producers and their wives, and Mercedes McCambridge, waving to the cameras, 2) "Photoplay Awards" showing Rock Hudson accepting his award for Favorite Actor, and 3) "Meg at the Premiere of `A Farewell to Arms'," which shows Princess Margaret attending the premiere. The theatrical trailer is also included.

OVERLONG MISCAST MISHMASH.......2005-02-07

When David O. Selznick undertook to remake "A Farewell to Arms" he was hoping to top Gone With the Wind. Needless to say, every movie he made after GWTW would be compared to it and deemed inferior. Most of his films have merit. However, "A Farewell to Arms" is a bona-fide disaster on most counts. David O. Selznick, who broke up Jennifer Jones and Robert Walker, was only concerned with Jones and her portrayal. Unfortunately, Jennifer Jones with her distracting facial contortions (which the director should have kept in check) is terrible in this film right down to the last reel where we have to endure an interminable child birth scene and her subsequent death. "A Farewell to Arms" could have been a superb film. Instead, it is an overlong, talky, mishmash of romanticism between two characters who are portrayed by good actors who have no chemistry between them. Hudson was perfect. He did the best he could under less than ideal circumstances. But Jones is the flaw in this film. A fine actress if directed properly and that twisted mouth and deep voice inflection distracting kept in check, Jones is horribly miscast. At the age of 38 she is certainly too old to be playing Catherine, a 23 year old nurse. She is supposed to be british but her playing is stilted and forced, not to mention over-intense. Even the musical score is unmemorable. No wonder this film failed at the box office. And no wonder David O. Selznick never made another film. He was an anachronism by this time. Skip this one folks unless you are a die hard JOnes and Hudson fan. I recommend "Song of Bernadette", "Portait of Jennie" or "Love Letters" if you want to see Jones at her best!

A Farewell to Arms (1932) DVD [Remastered Edition]

Average customer rating:

The Great American Classic
A2ZCDS keep it up .....

A Farewell to Arms (1932) DVD [Remastered Edition]
Director: A2ZCDS.com
Manufacturer: A2ZCDS.com
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A Farewell to Arms
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ASIN: B0008D7HBO
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Product Description

Ernest Hemingway, lovingly nicknamed Papa, remains one of the most famous American writers of the 20th century. A Farewell to Arms is one of his best works (the others being The Sun Also Rises and For Whom the Bells Tolls) and was adapted for the screen in 1932 by Oliver Garrett and Benjamin Glazer. Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. His passion for adventure and experience as a war correspondent in World War II and the Spanish Civil War are evident in this moving vintage romantic film. A2ZCDS have brought this old Hollywood Classic feature films on DVD. "Ernest Hemingways sentiments about war are presented in a touching manner in this heartbreaking, classic tale of two people in love at the height of World War I. That Hemingway resented needless bloodshed is quite clear from this timeless narrative. Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes make a fabulous leading couple with their portrayal of a naïve and romantic twosome who swear to be together till death do them apart. Director Frank Borzage has made fabulous use of black and white footage and special effects to create an atmosphere of gloom and despair. It sets the tone for this heartbreaking saga of a couple who had to sacrifice a lot for a purpose they did not endorse - war. Borzages clever use of lights and shadows to express deep emotions and convey subtle messages in this classic feature film is truly laudable. The graphic scenes of action from World War I are eye-catching and realistic. The few romantic moments the couple shares in between their duties dispel the gloom that characterizes a greater part of the story. The movie ends on a rather heartbreaking note with Catherine breathing her last in Fredricks arms. Dont miss this heartrending tale of two lives that met and loved, if only briefly, despite the ravages of the war."

Customer Reviews:

The Great American Classic.......2006-05-05

If you have never seen a Farewell To Arms, you should. It is rightly one of teh most famous films of all time, based on one of hte most dramatic novels of the 20th century.

It has Garry Coopers best performance ever (and you'll see why the ladies loved him.)

The point of this World War I film is that war is almost always a stupid brutal mistake.

That's a good lesson for our times today.

A2ZCDS keep it up ............2006-05-03

''A2ZCDS has done it again with `A Farewell To Arms'. I thought I was stuck with re-reading the book to shreds - I certainly don't see this vintage classic being shown in movie-houses these days. Ernest Hemingway should be canonized for his touching story of love in the time of war.''

Gary Cooper Double Feature: A Farewell to Arms/Meet John Doe

Average customer rating:

Gary Cooper Double Feature: A Farewell to Arms/Meet John Doe
Starring: Farewell to Arms , and Meet John Doe
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002VL024
Release Date: 2004-11-16

Description

A Farewell to Arms (1932) is based on Ernest Hemingway's masterpiece and was adapted beautifully to the screen. It features Cooper in one of his first major roles as the young ambulance driver serving amid the chaos of the First World War. Helen Hayes is lovely as Catherine, a British nurse with whom Frederic (Cooper) falls in love while serving on the brutal Italian front. Hemingway's indictment of war and tale of bittersweet romance emerges as a powerful and moving film that remains not only a literary classic but a true film classic as well. The second feature, Meet John Doe, is director Frank Capra's classic ode to the common man. This social commentary/comedy/drama stars Cooper as one of the millions of unemployed workers, only he's been hand-picked to represent the `typical American', John Doe, by a newspaper publisher. Cooper is soon built into the symbol of the average man by the high-pressure campaign of the news tycoon with the help of an attractive reporter (Stanwyck). But Cooper finds that he's being used to further the publisher's power-seeking political ambitions and rebels. What happens then makes for one of the truly engrossing conclusions to any of Capra's masterpieces. Bonus Features: Scene Selection| Trailers Specs: DVD9; Dolby Digital Mono; 202 minutes; B&W; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1932, 1941; SRP - $4.99.

Average customer rating:

& a welcome to the arms of morpheus
3-star film, 4-star package
Great story, good movie, poor DVD
WARNING! TERRIBLE TRANSFER!

A Farewell to Arms
Starring: Helen Hayes , Gary Cooper , Adolphe Menjou , Mary Philips , and Jack La Rue
Director: Frank Borzage
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
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Anna Karenina (1948)

ASIN: B00068NWLU
Release Date: 2004-12-07

Description

An American soldier and an English nurse share an ill-fated romance in World War I. Based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway.

Customer Reviews:

& a welcome to the arms of morpheus.......2007-05-05

gary cooper and helen hayes play noble in this early talkie adaptation of hemingways overrated novel of the great war, a rogueish ambulance driver and the fallen woman he loves. cooper was often accused of being stiff, and tho i do not usually accept that assessment, i see it here. unfortunately he is matched by hayes, who might have been a great stage actress (i never saw her there) but was always a pest on screen (was there EVER a more undeserved oscar win than "airport"?). good hammy performance by adolphe menjou as the almost-villain of the piece, but thats hardly enough to recommend this otherwise stolid affair.

3-star film, 4-star package.......2006-05-20

My only criticism of the movie is that it's an oversentimental, star-driven adaptation of the novel. Hemingway's muscular prose was obviously compromised to create a more box-office-friendly Hollywood war romance, which in my book puts "Farewell" in the "potboiler" category, but not lethally so. That said, I think Image's transfer, while flawed (as most 70-plus-year-old films are), is more than acceptable, allowing us to appreciate Charles Lang's impressive, Oscar-winning cinematography with few limitations. It's also worth mentioning that Image's version restores some lost footage--several minutes' worth, I believe. So, all in all, not the greatest film of the 1930s, to be sure, but the DVD is well worth the price.

Great story, good movie, poor DVD.......2006-03-21

The movie is worth watching just for the Helen Hayes and Gary Cooper matchup, and it does an good job of putting Hemingway's seminal love-in-wartime story on the screen. (Note that, like the book, this is more of a love story than a war story.) Cooper not only does a great portrayal of Frederic Henry -- his powerfully understated acting in this one seems to be channeling Papa himself at times. Adolphe Menjou, as Henry's friend and confidante, tends to overdo his role as a womanizer, which detracts from the flow of the movie. The rest of the cast is capable and appropriately terse.

Yes, the transfer to DVD is remarkably bad. Combine that with the low-budget cinematography and effects of the original movie, and this is a disappointing package -- not worth your time unless you're a serious Hemingway or Cooper fan. A shame this classic wasn't preserved better.

WARNING! TERRIBLE TRANSFER!.......2005-03-08

It is evident that no DVD or even VHS of decent picture and sound quality is available for the adaptation of Hemingway's novel 'A Farewell to Arms' into a movie.

However, I decided to purchase this particular edition by Image Entertainment as I was curious to see the movie, and thought the warnings on the quality were exageratted.

I am warning you all, THEY ARE NOT! I have not seen any other editions, but this one was terrible, not only in picture as is most often the case with many old movies, but the sound was also appalling. I cannot even give a decent review of the movie, as the conversation was not audible most of the time (cackling) and there were way too many dust grains and scratches, making the process of 'enjoying' this film very strenuous.

I suggest patience, hoping for better negatives/blueprints to be found (if available) that will merit the movie some justice.

Gary Cooper Classics (Fighting Caravans, A Farewell to Arms, Meet John Doe, Stolen Jools)

Average customer rating:

Gary Cooper Classics
Great bargain for Gary Cooper's fans!

Gary Cooper Classics (Fighting Caravans, A Farewell to Arms, Meet John Doe, Stolen Jools)
Starring: Wallace Beery , Buster Keaton , Jack Hill (II) , J. Farrell MacDonald , and Edward G. Robinson
Director: William C. McGann , Otto Brower , and David Burton
Manufacturer: Genius Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
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Along Came Jones
The Plainsman

ASIN: B0000VLLCA
Release Date: 2003-11-25

Description

4 movies on 2 DVD's

1. Fighting Caravans (1931, run time 80 minutes) Also starring Lili Damita
A young frontiersman (Cooper) facing a misdemeanor jail term, talks French-born Felice (Damita) into posing as his wife to avoid being arrested. They join a wagon train headed West, and he is sole trail guide as they battle Indians and a villanous gun-runner. Their seesaw relationship provides an interesting love theme. Based on a Zane Grey novel.

2. A Farewell To Arms (1932, run time 83 minutes) Also starring Helen Hayes
Based on Ernest Hemingway's novel, this is a World War I love story about paramedic Lt. Henry (Cooper) and nurse Catherine Barkley (Hayes). This poignant, ill-fated romance takes place in Italy where the two fall in love and will stop at nothing to be together. Academy Award Nominations: Best Picture; Best Art Direction.

3. Meet John Doe (1941, run time 135 minutes) Also starring Barbara Stanwyck
A suicidal down-and-outer, "John Doe" (Cooper) is manipulated by an ambitious politician and a newspaper writer (Stanwyck). This Depression-era parable illustrates the decency of the common man triumphing over cynicism, big-money influence and power. Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Story.

4. Stolens Jools (1931, run time 20 minutes) Also starring Norma Shearer
This humorous story is an investigation of the theft of Norma Shearer's jewelry at a big, star-packed party. Party goers include Joan Crawford, Laurel & Hardy, "Gabby" Hayes, Buster Keaton, Maurice Chevalier, Irene Dunne, the list goes on and on.

Customer Reviews:

Gary Cooper Classics.......2006-07-10

The movies are their title, classics. The product was as good as I expected. They are old. The sound was a good quality. I recommend them to anyone who wants to expand their collection of quality movies.

Great bargain for Gary Cooper's fans!.......2004-10-06

I'm a big fan of Gary Cooper & overall I thought these movies were very enjoyable. The first movie is "Fighting Caravans" (1931) & features a very young Gary Cooper as a wild frontiersman who talks a young French woman (played by Lili Damita) into posing as his wife in order to avoid a jail term. They join a large wagon train & head west & along the way they fall in love & consider marrying although Cooper isn't ready to "settle down". There's a big Indian attack on the wagon train towards the end (Gee, what a surprise!) that makes it well worth watching. Next, we have the original 1932 classic "A Farewell to Arms", which might be the best film version of Hemingway's novel, although parts of it are slow. Cooper was probably eager to star in that film because of his real-life friendship with Earnest Hemingway. Next, we have an often overlooked piece of "Capricorn", 1941's "Meet John Doe" stars Cooper as a suicidal bum who finally discovers that life is worth living. Even though it was directed by Frank Capra & also stars Barbara Stanwyck, this is not one of Capra's finer moments. The main problem is that it's over 2 hours & the plot is sluggish. In my opinion the real gem on this dvd is the 1931 short film "Stolen Jewels", which has tons of cameos from famous stars like Joan Crawford, Laurel & Hardy, Edward G. Robinson, Buster Keaton, Irene Dunne, Norma Shearer, & of course Gary Cooper. If you're a big Gary Cooper fan & are searching for a real bargain, then look no further!

Average customer rating:

Digitally Remastered and as good as new!
QUALITY IS...O.K.
COOPER - AN AMERICAN ICON
I'm Betting that Amazon's Release Date is 2001

Meet John Doe/A Farewell to Arms
Starring: Gary Cooper , Barbara Stanwyck , Edward Arnold , Walter Brennan , and Spring Byington
Director: Frank Capra , and Frank Borzage
Manufacturer: Marengo Films
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00004WL4W
Release Date: 2001-02-28

Description

195 minute double feature film DVD.

Customer Reviews:

Digitally Remastered and as good as new!.......2004-11-21

Judging by earlier reviews, the DVD that was given to me is obviously a new edition by Marengo Films: digitally remastered and with a different cover picture than the one currently displayed here. This one deserves a 5-star rating both for its excellent picture and sound quality, and for the two marvellous and unforgettable cinema classics. "A Farewell to Arms" from 1932 is based on the Ernest Hemingway novel and is a tragic love story set in Italy during World War I with nice sets and some good and unusual camera work at times. The love affair between the American ambulance driver (Cooper) and a nurse cannot run smoothly due to the war and Cooper's interfering friend, but get your tissues out for the ending! The second Gary Cooper feature, "Meet John Doe" from 1941 is quite different, as is Cooper's character, John Doe, who goes through various emotions and reveals deeper layers of character as the story unfolds. What starts out as a reporter's last desperate attempt to keep her job ends up being a nationwide movement to motivate people to care about one's neighbour and give the average person a voice and power (hence 'John Doe'). Of course, there's always a baddie who wants to take advantage of this people-power, while John Doe struggles with himself, his identity and his feelings for the fiery lady reporter (played nicely by Barbara Stanwyck). I really got a lot out of this movie as well, and I highly recommend this DVD to any general movie fan and especially of classics like these. Just make sure it's the digitally remastered edition: written across the bottom in yellow letters on a red label.

QUALITY IS...O.K........2004-08-17

There wasn't alot of hiss on either movie. The image quality is nothing to write home about. It's just good enough to keep you from straining your eyes.

COOPER - AN AMERICAN ICON.......2003-09-12

For people who love to watch great acting go no further than Meet John Doe and its star Gary Cooper. His style is almost perfect... he is the "everyman" in the USA and he was able to play... not the glamorous Movie Star that he was... he played the Average Guy... he did it here, he did it in Sergeant York and he did it in A Farewell to Arms.

This DVD was nicely done by Marengo Films and well worth the money.

I'm Betting that Amazon's Release Date is 2001.......2000-08-21

Two great movies for an excellent price. Though some might not like the quality of DVD reproduction, I point out that it is better than my VHS copies which look cartoonish from their afforable, early reproduction. With that having been said. Enjoy MEET JOHN DOE: Gary Cooper is a tossed-away citizen who is chosen by a reporter (Barbara Stanwyck) to man the soapbox on a charity campaign. FAREWELL TO ARMS 1932 film of an American soldier (Gary Cooper) falling in love with his British nurse (Helen Hayes) during WWI. Based on Ernest Hemingway novel.

Average customer rating:

Fine Performances by Cooper and Hayes
Romance Amidst War-Ravaged Italy
War is hell. The print I saw looked like hell.
5 stars
A Memorable Film in Need of Restoration & Re-Release

A Farewell to Arms
Starring: Helen Hayes , Gary Cooper , Adolphe Menjou , Mary Philips , and Jack La Rue
Director: Frank Borzage
Manufacturer: Delta
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Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004YKQQ
Release Date: 2000-10-17

Amazon.com essential video

The 1932 version of A Farewell to Arms owes as much to the shimmering house style of Paramount Pictures as it does the novel by Ernest Hemingway. If Hemingway purists can get past the romanticizing of the book, however, this film offers its own glossy appeal. On the Italian front in World War I, an American ambulance driver (Gary Cooper) falls in love with a nurse (Helen Hayes, before she became the official First Lady of the American The-a-tah). Cooper was a Hemingway friend in real life, and later played the hero of Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls; his boyish simplicity is just right for director Frank Borzage's heartfelt approach. Image Entertainment's DVD release is a stunningly gorgeous improvement on the muddy prints of this film that had been circulating for years, a fitting tribute to the Oscar-winning cinematography of ace cameraman Charles Lang (this is the kind of lush black and white that can capture the glow from a cigarette as it plays across Cooper's darkened face--a breathtaking touch). The jaded battle scenes show the influence of the hit film version of All Quiet on the Western Front, especially in a gripping montage depicting Cooper's progress alone through the war zone. Hemingway would have none of it, of course; he once disdainfully wrote that "in the first picture version Lt. Henry deserted because he didn't get any mail and then the whole Italian Army went along, it seems, to keep him company." This is first and foremost a love story, however, and as such it succeeds beautifully, right through to the remarkably intense ending. --Robert Horton

Description

This adaptation of Hemingway's novel features Cooper as an American soldier and his ill-fated love affair with a British nurse. The two lovers will stop at nothing to be together but Cooper's internal struggles ultimately threaten the relationship. Hemingway's theme of questioning the nature of war and fighting is fully recognized under Frank Borzage's direction.

Customer Reviews:

Fine Performances by Cooper and Hayes.......2007-06-27

Released just four years after Ernest Hemingway's novel was published, the screen version of A FAREWELL TO ARMS, directed by Frank Borzage, plays fast and loose with the novel's story. One big departure is that Major Rinaldi (Adolphe Menjou), the surgeon who is Henry's (Gary Cooper) friend and drinking buddy in Hemingway's work, becomes the villain here in that he intercepts Henry and Catherine's (Helen Hayes) letters. There are other changes as well. The priest blesses their marriage-- sort of-- for the 1932 censors I suppose. But then the movie is not the novel and doesn't have to be.

Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes give fine performances. It is easy to see why Mr. Cooper was a leading man of the first order, and Ms. Hayes' acting ability of course is legendary. The ending of the movie is quite operatic and worthy of Wagner. Charles Lang won an Oscar for the cinematography. The cruelty and absurdity of war works well shot in black and white.

To have been released 65 years ago, this film surprisingly is not much dated at all.

Romance Amidst War-Ravaged Italy.......2006-10-28

United forever in this 1932 film, are Gary Cooper (1901-61) and Helen Hayes (1900-93) in this chaste adaptation of the 1929 Hemingway novel, whose title - Farewell to Arms - simply means "desertion" and questions the very nature of war. As relevant today as it was during WWI, with today's Iraq war raging overseas, the viewer can't help but wonder when we will live to see peace again.

The grandeur of the film is in its magnificent cinematography, each shot beautifully framed, which, unfortunately failed to rescue the one-dimensional characters. Cooper and Hayes appeared more like figures in a mortality tale bearing witness to the horrors of war, perfectly exemplified in their roles as lovers doomed.

That said, glimpsing the youth and beauty of Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes together made the 90 minute film an unforgettable treasure.

War is hell. The print I saw looked like hell........2006-09-01

Apparently there are cleaner copies out there. That's good. I first saw this movie long ago (on 16mm) when I read the book but forgot most of it. Gary Cooper & Helen Hayes were great actors even back in 1932. They are the best part of the movie. One of Hemmingway's best novels, did not make a good transition. I'm not sure he knew Cooper personally at this time but did pick him for the role of Lt. Henry. They were close afterwards. Hemmingway didn't like the movie much. I don't remember seeing Helen Hayes very often, her being a stage actress. She is wonderful & gorgeous as Katherine & may have loved Cooper for real as lots of his leading ladies did. If she didn't, that's good acting. It is war & theirs is a really hot, sexual love affair. The war intervenes & separates them. The battle scenes & the montages of Lt. Henry's search through Italy for Catherine was a mess. Were all the scenes shot at night? That made it rather tedious. Adolphe Menjou had a meaty role as Major Rinaldi, Lt. Henry's doctor, best friend & ultimately the source of all his problems. It's on from time to time. Or find a clean copy to own.

5 stars.......2006-04-21

I think this is the best old school movie i've ever seen and i think it should be updated and remade like,King kong.

A Memorable Film in Need of Restoration & Re-Release.......2005-02-11

The 1932 film version of Ernest Hemmingway's A FAREWELL TO ARMS will never challenge the likes of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT--but while it fails to capture the horrors of World War I it is remarkably effective at capturing the novel's sparse and unyielding prose. A good deal of the credit goes to writers Garrett and Glaizer and director Borzage--but the real interest here is not so much in the cinematic interpretation of the Hemmingway novel as it is in the cast, which is remarkable.

Actress Helen Hayes was already among the leading lights of the New York stage when she was lured to Hollywood for a handful of films in the early 1930s--and it is easy to see what all the fuss was about. Plaintive beauty aside, unlike most stage and screen actors of the era she is completely unaffected in her performance and proves more than powerful enough to overcome the more melodramatic moments of the script. She is costarred with Gary Cooper in one of his earliest leading roles, and while the pairing is unexpected, it is also unexpectedly good: they have tremendous screen chemistry, and in spite of the film's dated approach they easily draw you into this story of an ill-fated wartime romance between a nurse and an ambulance driver.

The film is also well supplied with a solid supporting cast that includes Adolphe Menjou, Jack La Rue, and Mary Philips, and while clearly filmed on a slim budget--something most obvious in the battlefront sequences--the camera work is remarkably good. Unfortunately, all this counts for nothing unless you can find a print of the film that you can stand to watch. It is sad but true: the 1932 A FAREWELL TO ARMS seems to have fallen into public domain, and the result is a host of DVD and VHS releases that range from the merely adequate to the incredibly dire.

I have encountered a number of these releases over the years, and I feel safe in saying that the best DVD presently available is the Delta release; the VHS honors go to the out-of-print Burbank Studio "Hollywood Favorites" version. But this is only in comparison with the unspeakably vile Madacy and Front Row versions, which should be avoided at all cost. Simply stated, there does not seem to be a truly first rate version available to the home market, and you may be better off looking for a late-late showing a local television channel.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Average customer rating:

Fine Performances by Cooper and Hayes
Romance Amidst War-Ravaged Italy
War is hell. The print I saw looked like hell.
5 stars
A Memorable Film in Need of Restoration & Re-Release

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

For Whom the Bell Tolls
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
A Farewell to Arms
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
The Old Man and the Sea

ASIN: B00000ILEO
Release Date: 1999-06-22

Amazon.com essential video

Description

An American soldier and an English nurse share an ill-fated romance in World War I. Based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway.

Customer Reviews:

Fine Performances by Cooper and Hayes.......2007-06-27

Romance Amidst War-Ravaged Italy.......2006-10-28

War is hell. The print I saw looked like hell........2006-09-01

5 stars.......2006-04-21

I think this is the best old school movie i've ever seen and i think it should be updated and remade like,King kong.

A Memorable Film in Need of Restoration & Re-Release.......2005-02-11

Average customer rating:

A Farewell To Arms
Starring: Alice Adair , Henry Armetta , Herman Bing , Agostino Borgato , and Gary Cooper
Manufacturer: WESTLAKE ENT. GROUP
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002GLWP4
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