A Hunting Drama

Starring:Hunting Drama
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

Robin Williams won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck nabbed one for Best Original Screenplay, but the feel-good hit Good Will Hunting triumphs because of its gifted director, Gus Van Sant. The unconventional director (My Own Private Idaho, Drugstore Cowboy) saves a script marred by vanity and clunky character development by yanking soulful, touching performances out of his entire cast (amazingly, even one by Williams that's relatively schtick-free). Van Sant pulls off the equivalent of what George Cukor accomplished for women's melodrama in the '30s and '40s: He's crafted an intelligent, unabashedly emotional male weepie about men trying to find inner-wisdom.

Matt Damon stars as Will Hunting, a closet math genius who ignores his gift in favor of nightly boozing and fighting with South Boston buddies (co-writer Ben Affleck among them). While working as a university janitor, he solves an impossible calculus problem scribbled on a hallway blackboard and reluctantly becomes the prodigy of an arrogant MIT professor (Stellan Skarsgård). Damon only avoids prison by agreeing to see psychiatrists, all of whom he mocks or psychologically destroys until he meets his match in the professor's former childhood friend, played by Williams. Both doctor and patient are haunted by the past, and as mutual respect develops, the healing process begins. The film's beauty lies not with grand climaxes, but with small, quiet moments. Scenes such as Affleck's clumsy pep talk to Damon while they drink beer after work, or any number of therapy session between Williams and Damon offer poignant looks at the awkward ways men show affection and feeling for one another. --Dave McCoy

Description

A true motion picture phenomenon, this triumphant story was nominated for 9 Academy Awards(R) -- winning Oscars for Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor) and hot newcomers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (Best Original Screenplay). The most brilliant mind at America's top university isn't a student ... he's the kid who cleans the floors! Will Hunting (Damon) is a headstrong, working-class genius who's failing the lessons of life. After one too many run-ins with the law, Will's last chance is a psychology professor (Williams), who might be the only man who can reach him! With acclaimed performances from Academy Award(R)-nominee Minnie Driver (GROSSE POINTE BLANK) and Ben Affleck (ARMAGEDDON) -- you'll find GOOD WILL HUNTING a powerful and unforgettable movie experience!

Customer Reviews:

More Like Great Will Hunting.......2007-07-04

This movie is by far the best Matt Damon or Ben Affleck movie I have ever seen. It's a touching story of a twenty something kid who wasn't raised with a lot and he turns out to be a math genius. Excellent movie.

Could've been better with different cast.......2007-05-30

Movies can be placed, you could say, into 3 categories:

1. Movies to be seen in a theater or owned on DVD
2. Movies to rent
3. Movies to ignore

This one, for me, falls into the second category. Who would believe Matt Damon is some blue collar genius? Damon is not a good actor in my opinion. Ben Affleck is worse. Robin Williams is obnoxious. This film used the wrong actors.

Among the Best Films EVER........2007-05-21

One of the most affecting movies in my life I've ever seen. This movie is an example of why movies can be good, why they can change you're life. One of my favorite quote's from the movie is: "You're sitting on the winning lottery ticket and your too afraid to cash it in." Not only one of my all time favorite films but Elliot Smith who's music they used PERFECTLT for the film is one of my favorite artists. Do yourself a favor and see this film.

Not very realistic, but very idealistic.......2007-05-19

Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank
Not many people can ever say that they have been in any kind of situation like that of
Will Hunting and the Field's Medalist , let alone that of a psychologist faced with
helping a scared by society genius. One thing is important here:
no professor that I have ever met is going to put himself out
for someone not in his elite class. Such behavior in our society is taboo.
He would be endangering his own position in society
and such men don't get to that high a point by not playing the social games very seriously.
The closest that anyone came to this level of idealism and selflessness in history is Dr. Hardy
in his mentorship of Ramanujan.

WOW DANG ONE OF THE BEST TV DVD-MOVE FOR SHORE EVER DONE.......2007-05-08

NOW I COULD EASYLY SAY THIS WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE GRATEST MOVE EVER MADE IN THE WORLD THAT IS SO FOR SHORE & THAT IS PUTTING IT LIGHTLY

Average customer rating:

Lions DO NOT sleep at night!!!
great
The Man-eaters (lions) of Tsavo...thrilling movie
Kilmers best
BEFORE DAKTARI

The Ghost and the Darkness
Starring: Michael Douglas , Val Kilmer , Tom Wilkinson , John Kani , and Bernard Hill
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 6305181926
Release Date: 1998-12-01

Amazon.com

Val Kilmer stars as Lt. Col. John Patterson, a 19th-century Irish engineer drafted by Britain's railroad bosses to build a trestle bridge over an African river, thus expanding the empire a tiny bit more. In Tsavo, Patterson is instantly hailed for killing a man-eating lion that had been making life hell for native workers. But morale sinks when a pair of unstoppable big cats devour more men and destroy the project. Along comes an Ahab-like, expatriate American hunter (Michael Douglas) to help Patterson face the almost preternatural powers of the two killers. The script by William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) is based on fact, though the film owes more to Spielberg (specifically to Jaws) than history. There are also suggestive echoes of Kipling and Conrad in the material and characters, and there are hints of emotional complexity and psychological nuance that make one wish this could have been a great film instead of a merely fun one. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Lions DO NOT sleep at night!!!.......2007-06-29

Saw this movie from Netflix and have now decided to buy it. I've just returned from a safari to Namibia where we heard the lions roaring in the night not far from our camp. NOTHING puts the fear of God into you more than that, all that separates you from them is your puny canvas tent. Our safari guide had seen the movie as well and we talked about it that night around the fire. He is himself a lion tracker in that if his family ranch is threatened by a lion, they do track it down. When Kilmer and Douglas are sitting at night listening to the lion still roaring and laugh about it, you just know that something more is going to happen. And boy does it ever!!! The music soundtrack is great, I especially like the interaction between Kilmer and the guy who played Shaka Zulu in the mini series. ALso the innocent Scottish missionary's part is rather poignant. I don't care if it is hokey, or a typical Hollywood production, the story IS real, the lions ARE on display in the Field museum in Chicago and it evokes the feel of the African savannah perfectly.

great.......2007-06-16

Movie was great. I would highly recommend this for any movie waycher.

The Man-eaters (lions) of Tsavo...thrilling movie.......2007-04-28

I was merely 12 years old way back in 1950s when I first read the book: The Man-Eaters of Tsavo by Lt.Colonel J.H. Patterson, DSO. Later in life, I wished this book could be made into a movie, and my dream really came true when I purchased the DVD. This movie is based entirely on the book by English railway bridge builder, John Patterson.
Ironically, the pair of male lions as depicted in the movie was borrowed from a zoo farm in Alberta, Canada. These lions were fully mane. But in the book, John Patterson described those two lions as lean and maneless...! As factually, most lions in Tsavo of Kenya don't have the beautiful mane unlike their cousins in other parts of Africa. This is unusual, maneless male lions because only females don't spot a mane. The movie will keep you on the edge of your chair from the beginning to the end - never a dull moment. I consider this as the best thrilling movie ever made in the wilds of Africa, especially at this time when the public is conscious about nature conservation. Too bad that when the movie was made in early 1900s, surround sound was not a popular feature and therefore not included, otherwise the roars of these two persistent man-eaters in the dead of the African night would be very nighmarish in our den when we watch the movie...! Yes, these two lions did chomp more than a hundred railway workers that at one stage they were compelled to quit until the pair was finally hunted down. John finally skinned the two man-eating lions and sold their skins and bones to the field museum at Springfield, Illioness. This pair of mounted, maneless notorious man-eating lions are still there for everyone to see and contemplate.
This classic movie depicting a strange aspect of yesterday-Africa is historically true and thus highly recommended. So go for it while it is still available. Cheers...!

Kilmers best.......2007-04-14

This movie is a very good movie.One of Val Kilmers best not to mention it is based on a true story. About two man eating lions of course there is some blood so don't let little kids watch this. A very suspensfull film a lot of good action and it is not slow either

BEFORE DAKTARI.......2007-04-13

William Goldman, the screenwriter of THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS is a novelist who also writes for Hollywood for more than 40 years now. His most known original screenplays are those of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Special Edition), Marathon Man and Maverick. When you see the name of William Goldman on the list of credits of a film, you know for sure that there will be more in the movie than meets the eye.

Now, when I read here reviews that destroy the GHOST AND THE DARKNESS by pointing out that the lions in the film don't act like real lions, I feel sad and sorry for these reviewers. It's like hating a Picasso painting because the faces of its characters are misshappen. The characters or events pictured in a fiction movie have a life of their own that should convey the artistic vision of the director or the screenwriter. If the lions don't act like in a documentary film, it's simply because the authors of the film wanted them to be larger than life.

THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS is one of the best adventure movies I've seen in a long time. Lavishly photographed by the multi-awarded Vilmos Zsigmond, with an effective musical score by Jerry Goldsmith, the film shows the duel that opposes two highly symbolic couples. This duel quickly overshadows the subplots such as the difficulties to build a bridge in the African savanna or to maintain order in a multiethnic team. Two solitary lions, without any links with a herd, fight two men, away from their family or, for Charles Remington, without any family at all. And now you can try to figure out what the movie is really about : is it a film about the couple civilization/nature or a film dealing with some of our most ancestral fears ? or is it even about something else ? If a film can raise such questions, it surely deserves a little consideration.

A DVD for your library.

Jaws (Widescreen Anniversary Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Deleted Scenes?
Jaws
loved the movie
Jaws-Spot on
When you think of a great horror film, you think of Jaws.

Jaws (Widescreen Anniversary Collector's Edition)
Starring: Susan Backlinie , John Bahr , Peter Benchley , Richard Dreyfuss , and Lee Fierro
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00004TDTO
Release Date: 2000-07-11

Amazon.com essential video

In the vastly overrated 1998 book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, author Peter Biskind puts the blame for Hollywood's blockbuster mentality at least partially on Steven Spielberg's box-office success with this adaptation of Peter Benchley's bestselling novel. But you can't blame Spielberg for making a terrific movie, which Jaws definitely is. The story of a Long Island town whose summer tourist business is suddenly threatened by great-white-shark attacks on humans bypasses the potboiler trappings of Benchley's book and goes straight for the jugular with beautifully crafted, crowd-pleasing sequences of action and suspense supported by a trio of terrific performances by Roy Scheider (as the local sheriff), Richard Dreyfuss (as a shark specialist), and particularly Robert Shaw (as the old fisherman who offers to hunt the shark down). The sequences on Shaw's boat--as the three of them realize that in fact the shark is hunting them--are what entertaining moviemaking is all about. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Deleted Scenes?.......2007-07-05

5 stars is for the movie. Jaws is one of the best movies ever made. It is what I call a perfect movie...cast, direction, script, musical score, etc. etc. I'd like a version with the deleted scenes in. I loved the "Ode to Joy" scene with Quint. Anyone know if any of the DVDs have that?

Jaws.......2007-07-03

Still under age 30 when released, wunderkind director Spielberg hit the big time with this runaway box-office hit, based on Peter Benchley's novel. John Williams's unforgettable score and Spielberg's clever mounting of suspense recall the best of Hitchcock, and Scheider, Dreyfuss and Shaw make up an unlikely but appealing trio of protagonists. What "Psycho" did for the shower, "Jaws" does for the ocean. Be sure to get the new 30th Anniversary edition- the movie looks flawless.

loved the movie.......2007-06-13

Jaws is one of my favorite movies of all time. I thought it was about time I bought the DVD.

Jaws-Spot on.......2007-06-12

I have always loved the series of Jaws and wanted my own DVD of the first, especially the 30th anniversary edition. Great movie, excellent copy and great price. I now have the other three added to my library and look forward to ordering many more.

When you think of a great horror film, you think of Jaws........2007-06-02

In 1975 one of the greatest horror films of all time was created, and is one of Steven Spielberg's masterpieces. This film was named Jaws. Of course, Jaws was a very scary film of it's time, and made people hesitate to go in the water. Nowadays, however, Jaws isn't near as scary or gory as some of today's newer (and often times bad) horror movies. I've heard many people giving bad reviews on Jaws. I can't recall how many times I've heard, "This movie isn't scary at all, the shark doesn't look real, the blood looks like fruit punch, that movie is horrible" as you can see, these people often don't find time to appreciate the classics and focus more on today's new movies. Now I'm not saying I don't appreciate today's movies. In fact, I happen to be a big fan of Pirates of the Carribean, Lord of the Rings, and sometimes Spiderman and Star Wars. However, I also find time to appreciate older movies such as Spaceballs, Jaws, and various Tom Hanks movies (Some new and some old). But anyways, back to Jaws. As I've said so far, Jaws is a truly classic movie and has had it's lines and music that has gone down in history. Some examles are the dah dah, dah dah, dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah (You get the idea) tune. And when Brody finally kills Jaws at the end of the movie with his famous line... "Smile you son of a BANG!!!" and pulls the trigger on the oversized Great White. Jaws exploded when this happened because an air tank had been shoved into him. Other moments such as the "get pulled under water and blood shoots up" have put Jaws alongside 5-star movies such as The Exorcist. Every parent must make their kid watch this movie someday! However, I must tell you that many other wanna be Jaws movies have been made, and I probably wouldn't suggest watching them unless the review is good. All I can say is that Jaws started the "killer shark" franchise and redefined the meaning of horror (Well, in 1975 it did). But Jaws is still a great movie today, and is one of (maybe the best) horror movies of all time. WATCH IT!!!!

Average customer rating:

Bugger Your Neighbor
Don't miss this one
Pristine Wilderness and a toothless horror roled into one movie
Deliverance; a great "Oldie"
This here river don't go nowhere near ANTRY !!!

Deliverance
Starring: Jon Voight , Burt Reynolds , Ned Beatty , Ronny Cox , and Ed Ramey
Director: John Boorman
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 6305558159
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com essential video

One of the key films of the 1970s, John Boorman's Deliverance is a nightmarish adaptation of poet-novelist James Dickey's book about various kinds of survival in modern America. The story concerns four Atlanta businessmen of various male stripe: Jon Voight's character is a reflective, civilized fellow, Burt Reynolds plays a strapping hunter-gatherer in urban clothes, Ned Beatty is a sweaty, weak-willed boy-man, and Ronny Cox essays a spirited, neighborly type. Together they decide to answer the ancient call of men testing themselves against the elements and set out on a treacherous ride on the rapids of an Appalachian river. What they don't understand until it is too late is that they have ventured into Dickey's variation on the American underbelly, a wild, lawless, dangerous (and dangerously inbred) place isolated from the gloss of the late 20th century. In short order, the four men dig deep into their own suppressed primitiveness, defending themselves against armed cretins, facing the shock of real death on their carefully planned, death-defying adventure, and then squarely facing the suspicions of authority over their concealed actions. Boorman, a master teller of stories about individuals on peculiarly mythical journeys, does a terrifying and beautiful job of revealing the complexity of private and collective character--the way one can never be the same after glimpsing the sharp-clawed survivor in one's soul. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Bugger Your Neighbor.......2007-06-29

Deliverance, it seems, has indelibly embedded itself in popular consciousness, despite its being nearly as old as me. The banjo-totin' cretin with fingers of fury, Ned Beatty's harrowing porcine approximations, vengeful crackers stalking the woods above the river--these images, enhanced for home audiences by a first-rate digital transfer and crystal-clear audio remix, have aged well--much better, in fact, than Burt Reynolds, one of the film's actors, whom seeing sans hairpiece and porn mustache was uncanny--and have, I think, taken on an added relevance for these times of dire ecological prospects. The impending demise of the town of Aintry, Georgia and the river running through it at the hands of a hydroelectric utility is a harbinger our fate writ small.

Deliverance is also interesting for being one of a slew of '70s films whose subject matter is those marginal types stalking the hinterlands, and the various perversities around which their aggregate identities are organized. In addition to Deliverance, the ' 70s saw the release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, and, Friday the 13th. Admittedly, Deliverance distinguishes itself from this company in its thematic content, which aims for psychological and philosophical depth, as opposed to mere exploitation. The existential glosses of Deliverance are nothing short of masterful. The images of dying and death have an agonizing physicality to them, and the dead bodies themselves seem almost to make the screen sag under their insistent corporeality (The actors portraying the two key hicks deserved Oscars for their utterly convincing expirations). Such touches elevate Deliverance above the sensationalism it flirts with.

Intercalated with the theme of masculine self-actualization, are those of man's collisions with both nature and civilization, either having the power to undo an individual. For the hillbillies, Georgia's hill country is a mis-en-scène of very palpable degeneracy, while for the four vacationers, the city is the same. The gap-toothed menace of the lustful rustics finds its complement in Ned Beatty's flabby lubricity. The city takes what the country makes, and vice versa. This is most clearly seen in the neat narrative symmetry at work between Burt Reynolds and John Voigt's respective characters. Oppositions in this movie are never facile, though, and one is left with the sense that the Weltanschauung expressed in it is one eternal Manichean struggle; civilization consumes nature (the hydroelectric dam destroying the river), and is in turn consumed by nature (this is at work at many levels in the film, but the most striking image is the rising waters around Aintry). Viewing Deliverance again has led me to muse upon the historical and culture dimensions of the '70s, and what anxieties the film and those of its ilk capture.

Don't miss this one.......2007-06-19

This movie is worth getting for the banjo duel alone.You'll swear that hilly-billy boy is no actor but some genuine in-bred genius they found in the mountains.The film moves in and out of juxtapositions between civilization and wilderness.Great acting and riveting throughout.

Pristine Wilderness and a toothless horror roled into one movie.......2007-06-07

Ah, what can be more splendid than a white water rafting trip through the pristine waters on the last natural river in the Great American Southeast!

Some city slickers, who are still southern, but city slickers nonetheless, decide to answer the call of their inner outdoorsman and venture down the stream less traveled in this 1972 thriller.

Each of these four friends has a decidely different personality and seems to embody a different type of man. No suprise, Burt Reynolds plays the part of the bow-and-arrow wielding, muscular alpha male of the group. The other three look a bit maladjusted to outdoor life. Their place seems to be the office cubicle, or perhaps, on a weekend, the golf course. When pitted against the inbred dangers of the untamed Georgia wilderness, they look like nothing more than fodder, or perhaps potential male damsels in distress.

Surrounded by lush wilderness and a river of tinkling, flowing water, their canoe trip looks like a treat to the eye, even with 1970's era film technology. If you're a camper or a fisher, you'd half wish you were there. That is, until trouble strikes.

The film might be more tramatic to the urban half-men that populate American cities during the information age, any fear that you've had of the slack jawed, backwoods yokel with increase exponetially when you hear the famous "squeal like a pig" line.

The four city slickers are pitted against a pair of mutated swamp dwellers who know every inch of the deadly wilderness. With no transportation other than a pair of flimsy canoes, will the four friends reach civilization alive? Even if they do reach the next town, will they get past the sheriff?

The movie isn't non stop violence, there are only a couple scenes of it. Usually the impulsive human being needs a dose of violence or sex every few minutes or they immediately lose interest. This flick keeps your interest with suspense and worry about what might happen next. If you've ever enjoyed a suspense or a thriller, then this one is highly recommended, as it is top of the line in its genre.

No more will be given away in this review so you can see for yourself what suprises are in store.

Skip the camping trip and check out Deliverance.

Deliverance; a great "Oldie".......2007-05-12

I should have watched this movie over 30 years ago, but never did. I finally bought it on DVD through Amazon and got to watch it. All I can say is that it is a great movie that kept me awake. Most movies do not keep me awake!

A real classic at a great value.

This here river don't go nowhere near ANTRY !!!.......2007-04-18

"Deliverance", Rated "R" by the MPAA, Running Time 1hr & 49mn. - Content includes: Adult Situations, Profanity, Male Nudity, Rape and Some Bloody Violence (though not extreme).

'Deliverance' is a tale about four well-to-do Atlanta business men who decide to go on a weekend long canoe trip. All four men are friends with very different personalities. There's Lewis Medlock (Burt Reynolds) the survivalist and the authoritative leader of the group. Ed Gentry (Jon Voight) is the easy going family man. Bobby Tripp (Ned Beatty) is the sarcastic pampered insurance salesman. Drew Bollinger (Ronny Cox) is the banjo playing voice of reason and moral compass of the bunch.

The foursome decide to do their extended trip in a very remote part of rural Georgia. This will be the group's only time ever to enjoy the Cahulawassee River. Soon, a local power company will complete a dam for a power generator. It's only a matter of time before the river is gone and the forgotten community of Antry will be replaced by a lake. The town and it's residence will be re-located to higher ground.

The inhabitance of the rolling hills of the Cahulawassee are poor rural folk who've never seen civilization. They are highly mistrustful of outsiders and just as soon keep to themselves. These people are poverty stricken, have little to no education and many are the products of inbreeding. Truly, the people that time forgot.

There are subtle signs at the beginning of the expedition that the four river travelers may have been better off staying in Atlanta and playing golf. Nevertheless, they press on to their fateful trip. It starts off fun and adventurous enough. - Then the unthinkable happens. It's one of the most disturbing encounters in modern movies. After that, all bets are off . . .

'Deliverance' is skillfully directed by John Boorman. He creates wonderful characters, creates a sense of awe, tension and dread. This is a taunt drama about the worst camping nightmare come to life and how to deal with it. Boorman would later go on to direct 'Excalibur' (1981) and 'The Emerald Forest' (1985).

"Deliverance" is a great sociological commentary on cultural values and differences. It works on a very subtle level with many things to think about.

By today's standards, the pacing of "Deliverance" may be too slow for some people. I recommend it, but not to those who have the attention span of a flea.

Average customer rating:

Not nearly as good as the book
Where The Red Fern Grows
It was pretty good.
where the red fern grows!!!!!!
Where the Red Fern Grows was annoying

Where the Red Fern Grows
Starring: Joseph Ashton , Dabney Coleman , Ned Beatty , Dave Matthews , and Renee Faia
Director: Sam Pillsbury , and Lyman Dayton
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
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Summer of the Monkeys

ASIN: B0002S64VO
Release Date: 2004-12-21

Amazon.com

Based on Wilson Rawls's 1961 novel of the same name, Where the Red Fern Grows is the touching story of a 12-year-old, Ozark mountain boy (Joseph Ashton) who wants a dog so badly he performs odd jobs for months and saves enough to get two hunting hounds. Just as he hoped, the dogs usher in a period of golden adventure and happiness. Moreover, the pets prove profitable at awards shows and courageous while fending off danger from wild animals. No story about a farm boy and his best four-legged pals is complete, however, without sacrifice and ensuing wisdom; Where the Red Fern Grows has plenty of both. This 2003 feature is co-directed by the original 1974 film's producer and screenwriter, Lyman Dayton, and while it is both efficient and emotionally effective, one might have expected this second go-round to be a bit more deeply felt. Supporting performances by Dabney Coleman and Kris Kristofferson are commendable, while Dave Matthews (yes, that Dave Matthews) has a sweet presence as the hero's kind father. --Tom Keogh

Description

"The Roots of a Classic" - Explore the story's journey from book to film through interviews with the author's wife and filmmakers. "Lights, Camera, Animals" - See how the film's animal stars were "discovered" and trained for their roles.

Customer Reviews:

Not nearly as good as the book.......2007-02-28

This book lacks so much in emotion and drama. Whereas I cried my eyes out in the book (every time I read it), I didn't even come close in the movie. They left out so many important things. I HATE how they changed the hunt. That was one of the best parts of the novel. I got this to show to my fifth grade class. They agree the book was so much better!

Where The Red Fern Grows.......2006-08-26

Billy Coleman's dream is to have 'coon hounds, but his family is too poor to buy them for him, so he works hard to earn the money himself, and in so doing finds out what his Grandpa meant by "meeting God halfway". Old Dan and Little Anne are two Red Bone coonhounds, the incarnation of his childhood dream . . . and, as it turns out, the answere to his mother's prayers that God would take their family to a place where her childred could go to school, and to church, and build themselves a future. Billy is a good kid, and this movie is something the whole family can watch together and enjoy. To families with small children, I would reccomend this new version by Walt Disney over the older version. There is a sad part where a boy named Rubin falls on a hunting axe and dies, and another part where a Puma fights with Old Dan and injures him. In this newer version, these parts are soft-soaped, whereas in the older version, they can really freak you out. To adults and older children, I would reccomend the older version. The story just draws you in in a way this new one doesn't. The charactors have more depth, and the acting is convincing in such a way as to make you forget it IS acting. How interesting that even some of the kids who reviewed this movie seemed to notice the false note, and the dependancy on hill-billy music to achieve a feeling of authenticity . . . This younger generation is nobody's fool.

It was pretty good........2006-08-22

When I watched this movie,I cannot say I was moved.The lines were basically like the older one.But alot of mood and things were diffrent.I did not sense a strong bond between Billy Coleman and his coon dogs as I did in the older one.But in some other ways it was better.It was more family orientated and the acting and lines was performed well.

where the red fern grows!!!!!!.......2006-08-10

Stuart Dickison did such an amazing job as Rubin Pritchard.He was in great shape and he was a very very good actor. And he had tons of expression. I just want to let Stuart Dickison know that im proud of him. In the book they desribed Rubin as "mean,dirty,cruel" but in the movie Rubin was a sweetheart:) He's my favourite character in the movie! It was so sad when he fell on the ax, his funeral music was so sad:( Stuart you did such a great job, im proud of you, to me your the star actor:)

Your number one fan
Laken:)

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Where the Red Fern Grows was annoying.......2006-02-22

Where the Red Fern Grows Review By Amelia Solano, period 6

Movies that are based on books usually have to leave out or change scenes or characters. For the readers of the book leaving out the smallest character, or changing the way somebody dresses could make them leave the theatre very annoyed. Where the Red fern Grows, being a novel based movie, had many scenes and characters left out. The movie itself was good, but it was not true to the book.

Where the Red Fern Grows did have take out and change many characters for the movie to be a reasonable length. Sammy the cat was not included but that is understandable, for he did not have a very important role in the book. The one thing that annoyed me and many other readers most was the change in the dogs. Old Dan and Little Ann, Billy's dogs, were to have shared a special bond with Billy and have distinctive personalities. Old Dan being aggressive and Little Ann being clever were some traits that I did not see in his movie. The two dogs wouldn't hunt with any other person but Billy, and there was a very strong connection between him and his dogs. I do not feel that the dogs in this movie really cared for Billy and they were just ordinary dogs that knew how to kill raccoons.

In every book there are a few scenes that are added to give a certain effect, or exaggerate a characters feeling. Naturally, directors leave these scenes out to make that movie enjoyable rather that boring. Directors might change scenes too to help with the story line. But the change in his movie did not really help the story line at all. At the end of the big coon-hunting tournament Billy is supposed to win first prize. In this movie somebody else wins, but gives Billy the trophy and the prize money. Billy was supposed to have won but the directors probably left it out because it would be too obvious. To me that is not a strong enough reason.

I know that movies have to change the story a little but this movie changed it a little too much for my liking. If you are considering watching this movie please rent it, for you shouldn't waste your money on a movie you will see once and then forget about.

Average customer rating:

Fantastic
Movie fan
Last of the Dogmen
Last of The Dogmen
The best movie I have ever seen.

Last of the Dogmen
Starring: Tom Berenger , Barbara Hershey , Kurtwood Smith , Steve Reevis , and Andrew Miller
Director: Tab Murphy
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
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ASIN: B00002E220
Release Date: 2000-01-01

Amazon.com

Despite an irritating, tacked-on voice-over narration that somebody must have thought was necessary to make sense of the story (it wasn't), Last of the Dogmen is actually a very moving and magical film. Tom Berenger plays a Montana bounty hunter who helps an anthropologist (Barbara Hershey) search for the descendants of a Cheyenne tribe who disappeared in the 1870s. What the two find in a remote mountain stretch is an entire community of Cheyenne who have kept themselves cut off from the modern world. A Dances with Wolves parallel emerges as the white outsiders gradually fit in, but Last of the Dogmen stands up just fine without comparison to any other films. As in Kevin Costner's Oscar-winning movie, however, there are ways in which this film captures a similar sense of yearning, mystery, and loss. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-07-06

This movie was SO good!
I could watch it over and over again.

Movie fan.......2007-06-11

I enjoy Tom Berringer's movies and being a horse owner, love the animals too. A bit of Hollywood but a great story for those who appreciate the simplier life

Last of the Dogmen.......2007-04-10

Great adventure / love story. Both my wife and I really enjoyed this movie.

Last of The Dogmen.......2007-03-23

This is a very hard DVD to find and when I found one that was brand new and at a great price I was thrilled. I love the movie and well worth any price now that I have seen it.

The best movie I have ever seen........2007-01-31

I just love this wonderful movie. I have watched it over and over again since I bought it two weeks ago. Tom Berenger is outstandig as Lewis Gates and he and Barbara Hershey is lovely together. What a couple. And Zip, the dog, is great. This is a movie that makes you feel good after you have seen it. It is my all time favorite movie.

Average customer rating:

50s melodramatic cheese
Gable Rules as Ford Looks On
mogambo dvd
Sweet
Jungle Heat

Mogambo
Starring: Clark Gable , Ava Gardner , Grace Kelly , Donald Sinden , and Philip Stainton
Director: John Ford
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: B000F7CMQ8
Release Date: 2006-06-20

Amazon.com

This remake of the 1932 Red Dust is famous for using the very same romantic leading man--21 years after the fact. But when that leading man is Clark Gable, what's a little gray hair in the temples? Gable was certainly still the great strutting rooster of American movies in 1953, when Mogambo made him a safari guide juggling two much younger women. First up is good-time girl Ava Gardner, who's game for a little harmless romp with Gable after she gets stood up by a playboy in the African jungle. But when Grace Kelly--the proper wife of a visiting anthropologist (Donald Sinden)--arrives on the scene, a new affair begins. The location shooting is much in the vein of King Solomon's Mines, although the story is much more intimate. This feels like a bit of a holiday for Hollywood's top director, John Ford, and not one of his most committed pictures. Still, Ford's unparalleled eye for backlit exteriors and for the way people move around in rooms is on display, even when the script wobbles. People always joke about Gable being too old for this movie, but that doesn't take into account his durable movie-star appeal--he certainly looks every inch the Hemingwayesque hunter, and it's not that big a stretch to imagine Gardner or Kelly in the clinches with him. Indeed, he and Grace Kelly had an offscreen affair during shooting, graying temples or not. --Robert Horton

Description

"Hey! A kangaroo," Eloise "Honey Bear" Kelly says when she sees a baby rhinoceros being lifted from an African pit. A Broadway showgirl stranded in the African jungle, Eloise is better suited for the urban jungle. Yet one look at safari guide Victor Marswell and she knows exactly where she wants to be. Times change but the fun remains when Clark Gable portrays man's-man Victor in a sassy, vibrant remake of Gable's 1932 Red Dust. Ava Gardner plays tough-hided, vulnerable-hearted Eloise. And Grace Kelly is the prim anthropologist's wife who catches Victor's roving eye. Both women earned Oscar? nominations,* with Kelly also winning a Supporting Actress Golden Globe. Directed by John Ford and filled with his lung-swelling zest for the great outdoors, Mogambo is classic entertainment for anyone's great indoors.

Customer Reviews:

50s melodramatic cheese.......2007-05-25

Having rented this movie only for Ava Gardner and not for the plot, I knew it was going to be cheesy from the beginning. It's a non-musical produced by MGM, what can one expect? This is one of those old kinds of movies where the character development takes a backseat to the *breathtaking* scenery and atmosphere. Actually the scenery isn't so breathtaking (maybe in 1953 this would have blown your socks off, but come on, those of us in 2007 are much more world weary now). As usual, Ava and Grace flounce around the jungle in well decked out outfits and perfectly applied lipstick. This kind of reminded me a bit of 1954's "Elephant Walk" with Elizabeth Taylor: both movies are over the top melodramatic with special effects that are extremely lame by today's standards. The focus on scenery, costumes, shooting on location, and special effects causes the character development to suffer. Honestly, "Mogambo" gets a bit boring at times with all of its scenery shots. I think "Elephant Walk" had more of an interesting story, and that's not saying much. I'm puzzled as to why Ava and Grace were nominated Oscars for this movie. I love these two actresses, but "Mogambo" is a throw away filler movie Ava made (sadly like much of her career) and for Grace is was just something she needed to allow her new film career to take flight. Oh and Clark Gable in this? He seems tired, bored, and worn out. Not to mention he's way too old! The studio's decision to recast him in the same beefcake role 21 years later (which would never have happened for a woman) just highlights the strong double standards that existed in old Hollywood for men and women.

Gable Rules as Ford Looks On.......2007-03-23

Great to have MOGAMBO on DVD. It looks good. Not your usual John Ford film from my view. Clark Gable is the man and really he seems to have more effect on the look of this film. Good loves story flows tailored for Gable no doubt. Good one in all.

mogambo dvd.......2007-01-12

GREAT MOVIE EXCELLENT CONDITION AND AS ALWAYS SHIPPED QUICKLY AND IN GOOD SHAPE.

Sweet.......2007-01-03

A very sweet movie with a lot of old attitudes. I wish Ava's character was stronger and tougher and Clark Gable is maybe getting a bit to old to be so irresistible. Worth it anyway.

Jungle Heat.......2006-11-10

What a wonderful "great white hunter" movie!! Of course the sultry Ava Gardner plays the perfect bad girl to Gables manly man with Grace Kelly rounding out the innocent. The movie may be old but the them is timeless.

Average customer rating:

Solid adventure thriller with a twist
Why doesn't everyone know about this movie
Exellent chase movie....
classic movie
A classic

Shoot to Kill
Starring: Sidney Poitier , Tom Berenger , Kirstie Alley , Clancy Brown , and Richard Masur
Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
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ASIN: B00008L3UQ
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Description

Sidney Poitier, one of film's most distinguished and acclaimed actors, returns to the screen after a decade-long absence in this must-see, action-filled thriller. When a cunning murderer vanishes into the rugged mountains of the Pacific Northwest, pursuing FBI agent Warren Stantin (Poitier) must exchange familiar city streets for unknown wilderness trails. Completely out of his element, Stantin is forced to enlist the aid of expert tracker Jonathan Knox (PLATOON'S Tom Berenger). It's a turbulent yet vital relationship they must maintain in order to survive ... and one that becomes increasingly desperate when Knox's girlfriend Sarah (Kirstie Alley) becomes the killer's latest hostage.

Customer Reviews:

Solid adventure thriller with a twist.......2007-06-20

Kirstie Alley obviously never learns from her mistakes, because Shoot to Kill sees her held at gunpoint by a psycho in exactly the same part of the Vancouver Ice Rink as she was in Runaway. The film has lost some of its lustre with the passage of time and viewing on the small screen, but it's still an enjoyable enough adventure/thriller hybrid with a neat premise - city cop Sidney Poitier and outdoorsman Tom Berenger have to track a psychotic killer who has tagged onto a mountain fishing trip to sneak across the Candian border. Main problem: since he's managed to avoid showing his face and the unhappy campers ranks are filled with stalwarts of movie villainy, including Andy `Scorpio' Robinson from Dirty Harry and Clancy `The Kurgan' Brown from Highlander, neither they nor we know which one is the killer (although there is a pretty big giveaway). Nothing unexpected happens and the ending doesn't gain any points for credibility, but it's entertaining enough stuff with a good score from John Scott that adapts itself well to city and mountain milieus.

No extras at all, but the disc offers a decent 2.35:1 widescreen transfer.

Why doesn't everyone know about this movie.......2007-03-27

How has this movie escaped every one's attention all these years. Sidney Poitier( looking 40's really 61!!!!!!) jumps, runs slides,swings,shoots,punches,swims,and ACTS,ACTS,ACTS!!!!!!! This is what is called a think man's action movie. Tom Berenger is great as always and Kirstie Alley makes a great heroine. Along with the non stop action you get one of Mr.Poitier's best performances as an middle-aged F.B.I. man chasing a thief and killer in unknown woods.
one of the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Exellent chase movie...........2007-02-25

Shoot to Kill is one of Sidney Poitier's more interesting movies during the last part of his career. In this movie, he played an aging, city-grown FBI agent on a trail of a wicked murderer and kidnapper played by Claney Brown who flee into the deep wilderness with his victim. Aiding him is a mountain man played by Tom Berenger who have a special interest in this case since the latest kidnapped victim happened to be his girlfriend played by Kristie Alley.

The movie proves to be highly entertaining, well acted and well scripted. Interestingly, Poitier and Berenger played off each other pretty well as mutual respect grows between them as they chased after Brown and Alley. Brown proves to be quite good and I have to admit that Alley wasn't too bad either.

The movie maintained a good even pace and keep the audience wondering about the possible outcome. There are several interesting and funny scenes as describes previously by another reviewer. The movie take a perception of a "fish out of the water" concept. I have to admit that Sideny Poitier is NOT someone I would thought would be in a movie about being in wilderness. Poiter portrayed his wilderness unease quite well. Overall, I hate to think that this movie might be considered to be "overlook" by Sidney Poitier fans. Berenger gave one of his better performances in a "non-historical" role (he's quite good in playing Longstreet and Theodore Reoosevelt in these TNT shows).

The DVD of this movie is your basic stripped down verison. There's no extras to speak off althought the wide-screen 16:9 image proves to be pretty good and sounds were clear and easy to listen. Bit disappointing that it was given such a cheap treatment.

Overall, a highly entertaining movie that can endured repeated viewings by most fans of Poitier or Berenger. Its a movie that deserves to be seen.

classic movie.......2007-02-20

Great cast, great story line, great locations. Although I'm not a big Kirstie Alley fan, the rest of the cast are excellent. Would recommend this movie highly.

A classic.......2007-01-30

I remember watching "Shoot to Kill" in the eighties, and it quickly became one of my alltime favorite action thrillers. This is a movie that stands the test of time. The actors are great, the story is exciting and the scenery is truly spectacular. Grab some popcorn and a soft drink, and sit back and have a good and really exciting time. They don't make 'em like this any more.

Average customer rating:

The only movie without Hollywood
Bart and Youk
Great movie!
One of my favorite movie ever
A bit of a let down

The Bear
Starring: Bart the Bear , Youk the Bear , Tchéky Karyo , Jack Wallace , and André Lacombe
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B00000IQBE
Release Date: 2000-03-07

Amazon.com

Storytelling doesn't get much purer than this--a film with virtually no dialogue and not a minute that isn't fascinating, either for the plot it pursues or the way director Jean-Jacques Annaud gets his ursine stars to do what he wants. The story deals with a young cub who, after his mother is killed in a landslide, bonds to a lumbering male Kodiak. The two of them then must cope with an invasion of hunters into their territory--and Annaud makes it clear whose side he's on. Aside from stunning scenery, the film offers startlingly close-up looks at bear behavior. They say the best actors are the ones that let you see what they're thinking, a trick Annaud manages with his big, furry stars. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

The only movie without Hollywood.......2007-05-13

I don't know if you are tired of actors flapping their jaws these days, but if you are this movie will be a refreshing change. I'd say about 90% of the movie has no human dialogue. The scenery and animals were nothing short of amazing. Bart the Bear and Youk the Bear make the best duo ever filmed, in my opinion (RIP Bart). It is no doubt The Bear is one of the most popular and top grossing French movies to date, and for good reason (still in spoken English). If you have children you MUST buy this film, and if you want to take it back a notch and visit nature, this movie is for you! Spiderman and Shrek are nothing but media hypes, The Bear is the REAL DEAL!! Youk the Bear will make you want to run out and adopt a bear cub (if you could). 10 stars PERIOD!

Bart and Youk.......2007-03-10

Huge bear the hunters see, only they don't know there is a little cub, the huge bear take it under his paw.

Great movie!.......2007-02-17

Refreshingly un-Hollywood. Very little dialogue. It's all about the bear and the outdoors. Not to say that it doesn't have a plot, because it does. You would have to be lobotomized not to find the baby bear in it irresistable. If you're an animal lover, the 'awwwww' factor of the baby bear is through the roof.
The big bear (Bart) is phenomenal and I rewind and replay his scenes to take them in again. The multiple other animals in the movie performed spectacularly. What a triumph for the makers of this film.
I have followed Bart's career with great interest and am glad that he has been immortalized in this film. Doug Seuss (his trainer) is amazing.

This is a re-buy for me, as my first copy somehow disappeared in a move. I consider this a movie that has to be in my collection, which is very selective.

One of my favorite movie ever.......2006-11-10

I was so glad to find this movie on Amazon! I have seen it a long time ago. It still produce the same effect on me. The story is so beautiful - it is about a leson (of life) that a wild animal can teach to a man. But all the team (the director, the actors etc.) did a great job - I have nothing to comment on the negative side.

A bit of a let down.......2006-10-29

I bought this movie sight unseen simply based upon the recommendations (and overall high ratings of reviewers, who seemed to really love it). While there are indeed some very good qualities about the movie, there are also some parts that failed to impress me.

The things I did like included the following: the beautiful scenery of British Columbia; the "documentary" feel of the movie, that is, it feels like you are simply observing a bear a couple of yards away, going about his daily life; and the ability of the director to get the bears to act.

Things I didn't like included the following: it anthropomorphizes the bears too much--the dream sequence and also the the fact that the main male bear doesn't act like a bear when he encounters the hunter trying to kill him, as he spares him so as to rescue the cub. It just struck me as fake--a real grizzy would have mauled the hunter. But, then again, this movie is definitely has a pro-animal rights feel to it, with the desire to make the bears look human, compassionate, morally just, etc. (just look to see who are first named in the credits: WWF and American Humane). Not that I want to kill bears or anything, it just seems to over-simplify things (hunters: bad, bears: good). Plus, the film shows its age, as the two special effects sequences (the cub's dream, and the mushroom trip) are just plain cheesy. Star Wars, made in 1977, had better special effects. And the thing of it is, they don't add to the movie but rather just detract. That the cub is struggling with its mom's death and that it is tripping out is pretty clear, and those special effects don't enhance the telling.

Now, looking over my post, you might wonder why I gave it 3 stars, yet commented more on the negatives. Well, I did that because most every other review has simply raved about the positives (which there are many), but no one has discussed what I feel are its drawbacks.

Overall, however, this film is by no means awful. But, it is hardly top 100 of all time, either.

Average customer rating:

Dersu Uzala
DERSU UZALA - A Kurosawa unlike none you have seen before
Excellent Movie, TERRIBLE Transfer
I love it
One of my favorite Kurosawa films...

Dersu Uzala
Starring: Maksim Munzuk , Yuri Solomin , Svetlana Danilchenko , Dmitri Korshikov , and Suimenkul Chokmorov
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Rhapsody in August

ASIN: B00004Y7HL
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Amazon.com essential video

During an unusual chapter in the career of director Akira Kurosawa (Rashomon), the filmmaker went to Russia because he found working in his native Japan to be too difficult. The result was this striking 1975 near-epic based on the turn-of-the-century autobiographical novels of a military explorer (Yuri Solomin) who met and befriended a Goldi man in Russia's unmapped forests. Kurosawa traces the evolution of a deep and abiding bond between the two men, one civilized in the usual sense, the other at home in the sub-zero Siberian woods. There's no question that Dersu Uzala (the film is named for the Goldi character, played by Maxim Munzuk) has the muscular, imaginative look of a large-canvas Soviet Mosfilm from the 1970s. But in its energy and insight it is absolutely Kurosawa, from its implicit fascination with the meeting of opposite worlds to certain moments of tranquility and visual splendor. But nothing looks like Kurosawa more than a magnificent action sequence in which the co-heroes fight against time and exhaustion to stay alive in a wicked snowstorm. For fans of the late legend, this is a Kurosawa not to be missed. --Tom Keogh

Description

Against a backdrop of the treacherous mountains, rivers and icy plains of the Siberian wilderness, acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa (The Seven Samurai, Rashomon) stages an extraordinary adventure of comradeship and survival. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Customer Reviews:

Dersu Uzala.......2007-07-03

After a roughly ten-year decline in popularity and output (during which time Kurosawa attempted suicide), the master rose again in this stunning Russian-language film, co-produced by the Soviets. Based on a real-life adventurer's autobiographical journals and enhanced by the grizzled Munzak's poignant portrayal of the title character, this story of unlikely friendship and the passing of a way of life has a subtle beauty and near-mythic power. As always, Kurosawa's versatile talents are on full display in "Uzala," which won the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1975.

DERSU UZALA - A Kurosawa unlike none you have seen before.......2007-07-01

Fans weaned on the "usual set of masterpieces" by Akira Kurosawa will no doubt be taken by surprise to see one without a samurai theme and without his favorite leading man Toshiro Mifune, and certainly the themes that have pervaded the themes of most films.

Dersu Uzala, a Russian production filmed entirely in Siberia was Kurosawa's comeback film (and what a comeback, with a 1975 Best Foreign film Oscar) after a low period that saw him even attempt suicide.

Dersu Uzala is a Goldi (Mongolian) jungle gypsy with a heightened sense of jungle survival knowledge who befriends an army captain on a Siberian mapping expedition and saves them from possible extinction without his help. In return, Dersu the jungle man is taken to the city to live with the Captain - a place where his survival instincts are worthless against a civilization that lives by modern technology and use of the gun.

In the ultimate analysis, its an essay on the nature of man Vs the context of modern civilization - how pristine survival instincts programmed since the dawn of human civilization is being progressively degraded and lost by the cocoon that creature comforts of modern civilization have spun created around us. There is definite sense of despair and nostalgia about this in the message of this film.

A must watch film with a serious message about humanity and most of all, about friendship and gratitude.

PS: Stay tuned for my next review of a '70s hit comedy that has an uncanny solidarity to the theme of Dersu Uzala. Yes, that one caught me by surprise too !.

Dersu Uzala - Collection Edition

Excellent Movie, TERRIBLE Transfer.......2007-06-27

The movie, while more conventional that Kurosawa's greatest films, is still excellent. The plot, Russian Captain meets a wise old nomad and they become friends, is simple, but beautifully told.
However, this is a review of the DVD which is TERRIBLE! Scratches, lines, pops, hairs, dust, etc mars almost every scene. I wouldn't expect a perfect transfer from an older movie, but this is so bad that it distracts from the movie as a whole. This is a film begging for a new transfer. Would we treat other Academy Award-winning movies so badly?

I love it.......2007-05-27

Of all Kurosawa's movies, I have to admit this is the one I'm most inclined to watch again and again, which is so odd because it's his "Russian exile" movie and not at all Japanese.

I particularly think the RUSCICO version produced by the Russian government is great, even though it suffers from the same flaw that others have mentioned with the Criterion version -- the print needs to be painstakingly restored to fix the spots where the colors have degraded over the course of time. It's worth it.

The Russian version has three (very good) dubbed languages and about 14 subtitled languages, but in the end the important thing is just to be able to hear the actors in Russian and understand them.

The story itself is slower than a lazy river, which is great for me but somebody who's waiting for things to blow up won't last long enough for Dersu to appear a few minutes into the movie. This is basically a buddy movie where all the buddies do is hike around through the woods and survey the lay of the land while trying not to let nature kill them (although there are brushes with a couple of criminal elements). It's a great movie for nature lovers and people who want to believe in a more humane era for Russia.

One of my favorite Kurosawa films..........2007-05-26

This is one of my favorite Kurosawa films, and one that is part of a very select phenomenon. Kurosawa couldn't find financing in Japan during this time period, so he turned to the USSR for financing of this film, one of only two films (the other being Dodeskaden) that Kurosawa made in the 1970's. The film is so quinessentially Russian, both in its language, themes, and character. You'd swear it was directed by a Russian, but Kurosawa is obviously not Russian. Only a few filmmakers (Kubrick for A Clockwork Orange, Tarkovsky for The Sacrifice, and most recently, Eastwood for Letters from Iwo Jima) have managed to submerge themselves in a foreign culture and make a film worthy of it. I originally saw this film in a pan and scan version, and it had absolutely no impact. Seeing it widescreen on DVD is so much better. It's a completely different film, and a great one at that. Another great thing about this film is the subtitles. Dersu Uzala, the main character, speaks broken Russian, and the subtitles are translated in broken English (even though you understand them). Dersu is not stupid, just not educated. Educated people can be quite stupid at times, so having a degree doesn't mean you're smart. Some have complained about the poor quality of the transfer. The film was shot in 70mm Sovcolor. Soviet film stock was notoriously inconsistent. Many films shot in the former Soviet Union had many problems with out of date film stock, or film stock that had already deteriorated, but due to bureacracy, a lot of times directors would shoot with the bad footage and later learn it was defective (Tarkovsky had this experience on the film Stalker, and it forced him to start over from scratch after shooting a large part of the film). The film itself is magnificent, with some incredible widescreen photography and wonderful vistas of Siberia (contrary to popular belief, some of Siberia is lush forest land, it's not all tundra and ice). It's one of my favorite Kurosawa films, and it's a good illustration of his later style (longer takes, slower pace, more meditative), which I like more than his earlier work.

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