The High Commissioner

Starring:Rod Taylor, Christopher Plummer, Lilli Palmer, Camilla Sparv, Daliah Lavi, Clive Revill, Lee Montague, Calvin Lockhart, Derren Nesbitt, Edric Connor, Burt Kwouk, Russell Napier, Ken Wayne, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, Franchot Tone, Tony Selby, Gerry Crampton, Paul Grist, Keith Bonnard, Gerald Sim
Director: Ralph Thomas
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE LADY
Dietrich, Scott & Wayne star in this fast-paced mixture of adventure, romance and saloon brawls.
Classic Wayne/Scott Teamup
the spoiler
One of the greatest westerns ever made!

The Spoilers
Starring: Marlene Dietrich , Randolph Scott , John Wayne , Margaret Lindsay , and Harry Carey
Director: Ray Enright
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001FVDX2
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Customer Reviews:

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE LADY.......2007-04-26

THE SPOILERS is based on a novel written by Rex Beach The Spoilers. In 1942, it was already the fourth time Hollywood producers were adapting the book whose last adaptation was released in 1955. I sincerely would have liked to sing without limitation the praises of the film like all the precedent reviewers here but I honestly can't. Director Ray Enright was not John Ford nor Anthony Mann and all the Hollywood stars wouldn't have changed the fact that this movie is a good B-movie but not a masterpiece.

Don't misunderstand me, I've liked the film or, rather, I've liked certain aspects of THE SPOILERS. Marlene Dietrich's performance, for instance, is a reason to see the film, she's the real star here, John Wayne and Randolph Scott's parts being interesting, yes, but less important. I've also liked a few comic scenes such as the arrival of Jonathan Struve at the mine and his retreat in front of Al Dextry and his rifle Betsy. In this scene, Ray Enright reminds us of the time he was a gag writer for Mack Sennett. Finally, there is the well-known final fight between John Wayne and Randolph Scott : absolutely unrealistic but so cinematic.

A DVD zone Roy Bean.

Dietrich, Scott & Wayne star in this fast-paced mixture of adventure, romance and saloon brawls........2007-01-20

John Wayne may well be billed third behind Marlene Dietrich and Randolph Scott In this forth and best version of THE SPOILERS but it was Wayne's star that was in the ascendancy, most of Dietrich's best work was behind her and Scott from the mid 1940's on was mostly in above average B-Westerns. Also starring Harry Carey former cowboy star of hundreds of early westerns and a favourite of director John Ford.

THE SPOILERS was from a 1906 novel by Rex Beach the story is set in the mud splattered mining town of 1900 Nome, Alaska during the gold rush. Roy Glennister (John Wayne) and Al Dextry (Harry Carey) are co-owners of a gold mine financed by saloon owner Cherry Mallotte (Marlene Dierich). A crooked gold commissioner Alexander McNamara Randolph Scott sets out to steal Glennister's claim along with the love of Cherry! The climax is one of the best-filmed extended bar-room-brawls of all time. A fifth version was released in 1956 this time in color with Jeff Chandler and Rory Calhoun in the Glennister and McNamara roles.

Made in Yukon Territory, Canada 65 years ago, filmed in black & white and directed by Ray Enright. No doubt a five star western on its release; including the excellent opening sequences showing the very muddy streets of Nome. The end also has the much acclaimed fight sequence between Wayne and Scott, but in between some other parts of it don't quite pass the test of time on this Universal 2006 DVD Release.

Classic Wayne/Scott Teamup.......2006-10-31

Westerns greats John Wayne and Randolph Scott made two movies together. The second one was Pittsburgh. But the first was The Spoilers, the best known and most popular version of the classic Rex Beach novel about two strong men on a collision course with each other with Marlene Dietrich smack in the middle of them.

Wayne is a miner in Alaska who runs afoul of town boss Scott. Wayne has struck gold, and Scott is working overtime to cheat Wayne out of the claim or force him out. Both are in love with Dietrich. The two butt heads in one of the most famous fight scenes in movie history.

The movie has its flaws. It makes racist jokes at the expense of Dietrich's black maid, the nadir of which is Wayne in blackface pretending to be a black man. But this movie is a classic, rip-roaring, brawling Northern that set the standards for this subgenre of Westerns. This is a movie that has a secure place in history, regardless of how uncomfortable certain scenes to watch

the spoiler.......2005-09-22

wayne and scott how can you go wrong good movie im a big fan of both

One of the greatest westerns ever made!.......2005-07-02

I have this movie and love seeing it. It is one that you will want to watch time and time again. The script is cleverly written, such as the line that John Wayne says to Marlene Dietrich: "Baby,you'd look better in a burlap bag". The music is conducted by Elmer Bernstein and helps to capture the drama in this movie. John Wayne's way of getting his words across to the actresses in the film is his trademark, his high pitched voice, the nod of his head and his smile. The brawl between John Wayne and Randolph Scott is a real classic of movie making.So much could be said, but if you love old western classics you will really enjoy this one. They don't make them like this anymore. This movie should be rated a 10.

Average customer rating:

Poor Main Title Audio Presentation from M-G-M..otherwise, FINE !
Better Than Average Political Thriller, With Murder Added
Excellent political thriller
The High Commissioner

The High Commissioner
Starring: Rod Taylor , Christopher Plummer , Lilli Palmer , Camilla Sparv , and Daliah Lavi
Director: Ralph Thomas
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002V7O56
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Description

Thrills and suspense abound in this "crackling good tale" (Los Angeles Times) of political intrigue and murder! Starring a "rough and likable" (The Hollywood Reporter) Rod Taylor and an"excellent" (Variety) Christopher Plummer, The High Commissioner will exhilarate you! Aussie detective Scobie Malone (Taylor) accepts a mission to fly to London to arrest Sir James Quentin (Plummer), a high-level Australian commissioner wanted down under for murder. But when Malone arrives, he finds that the amiable Quentin is not only the key in groundbreaking peace negotiations, but also the target of an assassin himself! His mission hopelessly changed, Malone must finda way to escortand protectQuentin while routing out this new enemy or face deadly international consequences!

Customer Reviews:

Poor Main Title Audio Presentation from M-G-M..otherwise, FINE !.......2005-10-30

This film gets 3 stars as I enjoyed this classy, slow-paced thriller and the good cast. Mostly, though, my biggest pleasure was Georges Delerue's melancholy music score, particularly at the end and in the main title credits. Unfortunately this print has parts of the title music GARBLED -- UNFORGIVEABLE since this score was never released commercially and cannot be savoured anywhere except on this DVD. Thumbs down to M-G-M for their careless audio presentation (fortunately I have a CD-R of the main title music from a friend in Australia, where the film was known as NOBODY RUNS FOREVER.) Couldn't M-G-M get a print from there??

Better Than Average Political Thriller, With Murder Added.......2005-03-08

This is a political thriller that adds an old murder to the mix to create a movie that's entertaining but not quite as good as I'd hoped for. Aussie cop Scobie Malone (Rod Taylor) is sent to London to arrest and bring back for trial the Australian High Commissioner Sir James Quentin (Christopher Plummer), who is in the midst of crucial negotiations with some third world countries. Malone's boss believes there is now enough evidence against Sir James to pin on him the murder of his first wife which happened several years ago. When Malone arrives in London, however, he finds Sir James to be the target of assassins who are determined to see the negotiations fail. At the same time, he comes to believe that it's possible Sir James wasn't the murderer after all. Sir James pleads for time to complete the negotiations and Malone agrees, but then finds himself in the position of having to protect Sir James from the assassins.

Rod Taylor does a fine job playing Malone, a beefy, straightforward cop. Malone also is smarter than many people at first expect him to be. Christopher Plummer turns in another polished performance as the high commissioner, a man dedicated to the talks, in love with his second wife and with enough steel in him that you're not sure whether he is a killer or not. Lili Palmer, one of my favorite actors, as Lady Quentin is beautiful and fragile, and may have secrets of her own.

The murder story is really background to the thriller story, but I wish it had been more heavily emphasized. It would have made for a much more complex film. On balance, though, the movie is worth watching. The DVD transfer is a little soft and the audio should have been tweaked up. That, combined with the Australian accents, at times requires careful listening.

If you like reading mysteries, I'd recommend the book by Jon Cleary that this film was made from. Its original title was Nobody Runs Forever, but was reissued as The High Commissioner when the movie came out. Malone appears in a number of Cleary's books. One I like a lot is Helga's Web.

Excellent political thriller.......2004-12-03

To start with, since the previous reviewer asked - the cast includes:

Rod Taylor as Scobie Malone
Christopher Plummer as Sir James Quentin
Lilli Palmer as Lady Sheila Quentin
Camilla Sparv as Lisa Pretorius
Daliah Lavi as Maria Cholon
Clive Revill as Joseph

And now on to the movie itself - a political thriller set in London in the 1960s, when tensions between East and West were at a dangerous high. The plot revolves around Sir James Quentin, the Australian high commissioner to London, played with elegance and style by Christopher Plummer, who is the chairman of an international conference that attempts to bridge political divides through trade. "Peace through plenty" is how one of the conference participants puts it. But although Sir Quentin is quite successful in his negotiations, not all is well. Someone close to him is leaking confidential information, trying to discredit the conference. Shadowy assasins have an eye on the commissioner and the politics around the conference are a tangled web.

On top of that, in the middle of the conference sergeant detective Scobie Malone (a great tough-but-good-guy portrait by Rod Taylor) flies in from Australia, sent by Quentin's political rival, the premier of New South Wales, to arrest him for the alleged murder of his former wife. But did he do it? Malone himself and his boss at the CID don't think so. The inquiry was made by the politically motivated premier's people and not by the CID. However, a mandate of arrest was issued and Malone is supposed to bring the commissioner back to Australia. Quentin asks for more time to finish the conference - a few days that see two assasination attempts, Malone becoming Quentin's private security agent, and endless deception and intrigue, spearheaded by the charming and dangerous Maria Cholon, an underworld queen who has an interest in seeing Quentin dead and the conference aborted. I won't tell you how it all ends because thrillers you know the ending of beforehand aren't that much fun ;).

Although the tone of the movie is mostly serious, there are enough moments of levity provided by the interactions between true-blue Australian Malone and Sir Quentin's stuffy British butler Joseph, delightfully played by Clive Revill. Cast performances are excellent across the board, including Lilli Palmer as Sir Quentin's sensitive, worried wife (Lilli Palmer and Christopher Plummer had played another ill-fated couple before: she had played Jocasta to his Oedipus in "Oedipus King"). Camilla Sparv plays Sir Quentin's smart, sharp and protective secretary with just the right combination of professionalism and feistiness. Daliah Lavi is suitably langurous, seductive and revengeful as the "evil beauty", and Burt Kwouk of "Pink Panther" series fame makes an appearance as her lieutenant.

As for the DVD quality, the video is crisp and beautifully toned, much improved over the VHS version which is out of print now (under the name "Nobody Runs Forever"). The sound is Dolby mono but of good quality.

Based on the novel eponymous novel by Jon Cleary. Recommended!

The High Commissioner.......2004-11-15

I have just acquired this DVD, but have not seen it yet.
How is it that you DO NOT SHOW the cast under 'product details'?

Average customer rating:

Poor Main Title Audio Presentation from M-G-M..otherwise, FINE !
Better Than Average Political Thriller, With Murder Added
Excellent political thriller
The High Commissioner

High Commissioner
Starring: Rod Taylor , Christopher Plummer , Lilli Palmer , Camilla Sparv , and Daliah Lavi
Director: Ralph Thomas
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Espionage | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video