The Great Guy

Starring:James Cagney, Mae Clarke, James Burke, Edward Brophy, Henry Kolker, Bernadene Hayes, Edward McNamara, Robert Gleckler, Joe Sawyer, Edward Gargan, Matty Fain, Mary Gordon, Wallis Clark, Douglas Wood, Al Herman, Frank Mills, Bud Geary, Murdock MacQuarrie, Dennis O'Keefe, Gertrude Astor
Director: John G. Blystone
Studio: Platinum Disc
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Wave That Flag
Would be worth the price of admission only for Joplin's performing of Tell Your Mama...
I wish I was there.
Festival Express is a rocking good time
Festival Express

Festival Express
Starring: Janis Joplin , The Grateful Dead , Janis Joplin & The Full Tilt Boogie Band , The Band , and Buddy Guy
Director: Bob Smeaton
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000305ZDO
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Amazon.com

The vintage concert footage alone makes Festival Express a memorable and worthwhile endeavor, offering scintillating performances by Janis Joplin, the Band (their rollicking version of "Slippin' and Slidin'" is particularly mind-blowing), the Grateful Dead, Buddy Guy, and others (remember Mashmakhan?). In 1970, during the heyday of the rock festival, promoter Ken Walker decided to organize a traveling musical revue, bringing the mountain to Mohammed, as it were. In five days' time, the festival played in three Canadian cities with the entire conglomeration traveling, playing, and getting smashed together the whole way. Nearly as rewarding as the live performances are the candid scenes of the train ride itself, an endless jam session and party during which musicians of all shapes and sizes let their hair down--musically and otherwise. The contemporary interviews with Walker and some of the surviving musicians aren't particularly noteworthy, except as a way to prove that it all actually happened. Walker comes off as a hero in the film: he treated the musicians like royalty and insisted that the train roll on even though he was losing his shirt. (His financial failure is a large reason why this material stayed in the vaults for so long.) Perhaps the most remarkable scene is an off-the-cuff, LSD-fueled train jam featuring Joplin, the Band's Rick Danko, and the Dead's Jerry Garcia playing the old chestnut "Ain't No More Cane." Danko is so obliterated that even Janis has to ask him if he's OK--when Janis is worried about your state of mind, you must be pretty messed up. --Marc Greilsamer

Description

Festival Express is a rousing record of a little-known, but monumental, moment in rock n' roll history, starring such music legends as Janis Joplin, The Band, and the Grateful Dead. Set in 1970, Festival Express was a multi-band, multi-day extravaganza that captured the spirit and imagination of a generation and a nation. What made it unique was that it was portable; for five days, the bands and performers lived, slept, rehearsed and did countless unmentionable things aboard a customized train that traveled from Toronto, to Calgary, to Winnipeg, with each stop culminating in a mega-concert. The entire experience, both off-stage and on, was filmed but the extensive footage remained locked away -- until now. A momentous achievement in rock film archeology, Festival Express combines this long-lost material with contemporary interviews nearly 35 years after it was first filmed.

DVD Features:
DVD ROM Features
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Wave That Flag.......2007-07-03

The Fourth of July always puts me in the mood for a little Grateful Dead. To me they are the quintessential American band. It certainly fits musically, with their music drawing from the blues, country, bluegrass, and gospel, in addition to other streams of Americana. But, even more so, their collective personality was classic American, in lots of positive ways and plenty of negative ones too. They were fun, energetic, creative, exploratory, and generous, yet hypocritical, arrogant, fat, lazy, and ultimately self-indulgent to the point of self-destruction. They were dreamy idealists while at the same time the most crass of capitalists. And just in case the connection was too subtle for the heads, the Avuncular Jerry Garcia would croon it out on "U.S. Blues:" "I'm Uncle Sam,/ That's who I am/ Been hidin' out/ In a rock n' roll band."

You aren't going to catch a Dead show anymore, at least not the real deal, but Festival Express is a nice little treat to catch a little bit of contact vibe. I hadn't heard about this until recently, but apparently there was a traveling festival in 1970 including the Grateful Dead, Buddy Guy, Janis Joplin, and the Band. The concert footage is worth watching but even more amazing are the scenes from the train, traveling from town to town, with musicians completely inebriated and jamming non-stop in various combinations. It's worth it just to see a relatively young Jerry Garcia and a relatively old Janis Joplin sitting intimately and just making music. The movie also comes with a villain- though he is packaged as the hero- rock promoter Ken Walker. Hunched over, wringing his hands like Mike Myers playing Dr. Evil, and even with an old-fashioned handlebar mustache just to complete the malevolent ambience. He tells us over and over again how he saved the day in various venues. Threatening anyone in his path, punching out some Canadian mayor in the face, brandishing a gun to make his point, that kind of thing. He takes great pride in what we come to learn was a gigantic failure, but the movie would be less entertaining without this character.

Anyway, it is fun ride, you'll wish you could have been there. I recommend it as part of your Fourth of July festivities. Never mind that the entire film takes place in Canada. Some of the best of America is actually Canadian. This is nothing new, don't over-think it. It's just a good time.

Would be worth the price of admission only for Joplin's performing of Tell Your Mama..........2007-06-15

...which blows everything else out of the water (probably even including most of the numbers from the Woodstock film!): breathtaking, galloping, electrifying, moving, tight... words that barely convey the musical experience! ...And I was not even a fan before watching and hearing this number!!

I cannot really add anything much to the other positive reviews, which are more knowledgegable than mine in film making and rock music history, but to join in in the praise of this experience, one of the very best rock documentaries I ever saw... Beautifully shot... Beautifully mixed (Eddie Kramer!)... Edits of interviews NOT intruding with the stage performances... If you enjoy early 70s country- and blues-rock and also documentaries on important pieces of history in the making, just ignore the idiotic, irrelevant box front graphics (well, save maybe that this IS a double DVD set...), and hurry up to catch the "Festival Express"!

I wish I was there........2007-05-13

This is one of the most intertaining music DVDs I've got. If you like any of the artist appearing on the DVD buy it.

Festival Express is a rocking good time.......2007-04-26

I, for one, am very glad that some documentarians decided to take this decades-old footage off the shelves and cut it together. Festival Express takes the viewer on the train ride of a lifetime with Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Band, Buddy Guy, and many other musical acts that I am not as familiar with because I was born in 1983...

Anyway, the behind the scenes footage of these great musicians partying and making music together for a week as they ride across Canada and stop in various places to put on concerts is amazing, as is the concert footage itself.

The real story on display here is the difference between what the public saw as a catastrophic monetary failure, and what the artists saw as one of the greatest tours of their lives. Protesters in each city the tour stopped at were demanding to be let in for free, which slowed ticket sales and made the tour a huge money loss for the producers. But instead of throwing in the towell, they decided to keep the train going and see the thing through. Almost 40 years later, I'm glad they did.

The extensive extras include live coverage of many more performances not included in the actual film. This DVD is gold if you like any of these performances, and really even if you've never heard of them.

Festival Express.......2007-04-11

I haven't played both DVD's. I thought I was ordering a CD of the music only. It wasn't what I wanted.

Average customer rating:

Another wonderful Disney Movie
Great Mouse Detective
One of Disney's Best
Classic
Great Mouse Detective = Great Disney Film

The Great Mouse Detective
Starring: Vincent Price , Barrie Ingham , Val Bettin , Susanne Pollatschek , and Candy Candido
Director: David Michener , Burny Mattinson , and John Musker
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005T7H5
Release Date: 2002-07-23

Amazon.com

Just because Walt Disney created contemporary and traditional classics of animation doesn't mean the studio is out of ideas--not by a long shot. The Great Mouse Detective is richly animated and offers a clever tale. It may not be as easily recognized a title as Aladdin or The Little Mermaid, but all three share the same director, Ron Clements. Originally released theatrically in 1986, the mystery borrows easily from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and is based on Eve Titus's book Basil of Baker Street.

When a brilliant toymaker is kidnapped by a creepy peg-legged bat, his daughter, Olivia, enlists the aid of the legendary Basil. Basil, Olivia, and Basil's assistant, Dr. Dawson, are part of an intricate city system of Victorian-era London mice. Basil quickly realizes his archenemy, Professor Ratigan (a rat who wants to be a mouse), is behind the abduction. Ratigan (voiced by Vincent Price) fiendishly aspires to take over London rodents--and will stop at nothing to achieve his greatest desire. The unlikely trio of good guys become heroes, of course. The engaging story line is a perfect introduction to Doyle's work and mysteries in general. Look for a very cleverly executed voice-cameo by Basil Rathbone (as Sherlock Holmes, natch). Alan Young (Mr. Ed) also provides a voice. Ages 4 and up. --N.F. Mendoza

Description

The clues are in, the chase is on, and the case of the century is about to break wide open in Disney's greatest little mystery in history! Let the creators of ALADDIN and THE LITTLE MERMAID take you on an adventuresome journey through the cobblestone streets of 1897 London, where some suspicious "mousechief" is the suspenseful start to this thrilling musical adventure. Olivia, the brave daughter of a beloved London toymaker, turns to Basil of Baker Street for help with her father's disappearance. Basil's jolly assistant, Dr. Dawson, and loyal dog Toby lend a hand ... and nose ... as they sniff out clues through their charming miniature world. The final chase leads to Professor Ratigan (voiced by Vincent Price), a hard-hearted criminal whom Basil must outwit to save all of Mousedom! Now digitally remastered, fully restored and full of unforgettable characters and spectacular animation -- all leading to a climactic climb atop Big Ben -- it's elementary who you'll want to watch again and again ... THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE!

Customer Reviews:

Another wonderful Disney Movie.......2007-04-12

Disney doesn't disappoint!! This is a nother wonderful Disney adventure that you will enjoy!!

Great Mouse Detective.......2007-03-16

Very pleased with the quality of the product and the timely delivery.

One of Disney's Best.......2007-02-12

This is one of Disney's best stories. The amusing mystery, spooky characters and charming leads will delight young and old alike.

Classic.......2007-02-06

This is another disney classic. Set in the heart of London a Sherlock Holmes type mouse sets off to find a missing father with the help of his friend, a Watson type mouse. This is a great movie for all ages.

Great Mouse Detective = Great Disney Film.......2007-01-24

When I first got this movie, I thought this would totally not be as good as the Lion King. But I realized then that it was an awesome Disney film! The animation is dark and quite exciting. The humor is also likeable, and Ratigan is totally the best character in the film, thanks to Vincent Price. One of the best Disney Villains of all time! Not to mention "The World`s Greatest Criminal Mind" and "Let Me Be Good To you". The striptease part in the bar and Ratigan`s drunken henchman made me chuckle.

I think Great Mouse Detective is very underrated, and should belong in the True Classics of Disney-list with the Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Rescuers Down Under, Little Mermaid and Hercules.

Average customer rating:

As good as the book from Wilbur Smith?
Worth Seeing Again!
Khartoum
Excellent story; fine acting
Khartoum in Cinerama

Khartoum
Starring: Charlton Heston , Laurence Olivier , Richard Johnson , Ralph Richardson , and Alexander Knox
Director: Eliot Elisofon , and Basil Dearden
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000062XF0
Release Date: 2002-05-07

Amazon.com essential video

Set in the expanse of the Sudan desert in the midst of holy war, Khartoum (1966) plays like an attempt to work the Lawrence of Arabia magic on the (mostly) true story of eccentric British general Charles "Chinese" Gordon in 1884 North Africa. The magnificent opening desert battle suggests David Lean's epic sweep, at least until the film settles into a more modest story of political games, military standoffs, and a battle of wits and wiles between two fierce leaders. Charlton Heston plays the wily Christian soldier as cocky, unconventional maverick, and Laurence Olivier (behind heavy make-up and a thick black beard) is almost as good as his cagey nemesis the Mahdi, the Islamic holy warrior on a mission of annihilation. More talk than spectacle, the film falls short of Lawrence but is nonetheless a compelling story of colonial politics, cynical maneuvering, and the unconventional heroics of another colorful British maverick abroad. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Academy AwardÂ(r) winners* Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier face off in this epic, stirring drama of two men and two empires. Filmed in glorious CineramaÂ(r), with stunning desertbattles staged by the creator of the Ben-Hur chariot race, Khartoum is a "magnificently staged action spectacle [with] outstanding portrayals" (Boxoffice) and breathtaking cinematography. In 1883, British Prime Minister Gladstone (Ralph Richardson) dispatches General Charles Gordon (Heston) to Khartoum, Sudan, where thousands of civilians are threatened by a Muslim fanatic, the Mahdi (Olivier), and his army of followers. Gordon gains the Mahdi's respect but can't prevent the Mahdi's men from laying siege to the city. Now, as history hangs in the balance, Gordon faces the fight of his life defending the ancient city of Khartoum. *Heston: Actor, Ben-Hur (1959). Olivier: Actor, Hamlet (1948); Lifetime Achievement (1978); Outstanding Achievement as Actor, Producer and Director on Henry V (1946)

Customer Reviews:

As good as the book from Wilbur Smith?.......2007-07-04

Watched this monumental movie after having the read the book from Wilbur Smith, The Triumph of the Sum.
Although the main story remains of course the same the film does not provide the depth and different angles I was hoping for.
Most striking is that I cannot remember one woman playing even a less important role in this film.

Worth Seeing Again!.......2007-06-10

I viewed this movie when it made the theater tour. Since then, I learned more about the history of the British Empire in the period. Khartoum is well written, well acted and has no major technical or historical inaccuracies that I could detect. Khartoum is definitely worth watching more than once.

Khartoum .......2007-05-06

Charlton Heston plays the charmed, charismatic Gen. Charles Gordon and Sir Laurence Olivier is suitably menacing as the Mahdi in this thumping tale of the siege of Khartoum and the death of history's classiest fall guy. Great action sequences throughout: the assault on the city, the relief expedition, the attempt of the river steamers to run the Dervish gauntlet.

Excellent story; fine acting.......2007-04-10

The outstanding cast in this true story of China Gordon's demise in the Sudan at the hands of the presumed "Mahdi" in 1884, is only one of several factors that make this a great film. The story line is excellent, as it not only presents the desert conflict battle scenes extremely well, but it also visually describes the political and social intrigue involved in the British efforts to establish and maintain its colonial empire in that era. In a subtle and obviously unintentional manner, the film also presents some hints of contemporary conflicts and social issues. A truly fine film!

Khartoum in Cinerama.......2007-03-15

1966's Khartoum is an all star Cinerama achievement, based on the true story of the British Sudan set during the early to mid-1880's. Beautifully and epically filmed in three locations in Egypt, plus in London.

See this breathtaking Cinerama motion picture the way it was meant to be watched - in widescreen, coupled with today's crisp stereo surround sound.

The movie is based on a very important historical confrontation between Victorian English General Charles 'Chinese' Gordon, played by Charlton Heston, and a radical Muslim warlord who believed himself to be Islamic 'Mahdi' or 'The Expected One', played by the marvelously well cast English actor, Laurence Olivier. The Mahdi declares a total jihad against all infidels (sounds like today).

Ironically the current Islamic dictatorship of OPEC's Iran have publicly stated they are attempting to provoke the 'return of the Mahdi' so he can 'assist the Muslims in destroying the infidels'. History does indeed repeat itself.

Some of the other exceptional cast members include:
Richard Johnson ... Col. J.D.H. Stewart
Ralph Richardson ... William Gladstone
Alexander Knox ... Sir Evelyn Baring
Johnny Sekka ... Khaleel
Michael Hordern ... Lord Granville
Zia Mohyeddin ... Zobeir Pasha
Marne Maitland ... Sheikh Osman
Nigel Green ... Gen. Wolseley
Peter Arne ... Maj. Kitchener

Oscar nominated English composer Frank Cordell's rousing musical score will pleasingly linger after viewing the this exceptional film.

Khartoum -- where the Nile divides, the great Cinerama adventure begins!

The Great Dictator (2 Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

The Great Dictator
Overrated Chaplin
A Brilliant Skewering of Hitler and Other Things...
This is a great Chaplin film
Chaplin's comment on fascism is his first talking film...

The Great Dictator (2 Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Rudolph Anders , Chester Conklin , Henry Daniell , Carter DeHaven , and Eddie Dunn
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000096IBH
Release Date: 2003-07-01

Amazon.com essential video

Since Adolf Hitler had the audacity to borrow his mustache from the most famous celebrity in the world--Charlie Chaplin--it meant Hitler was fair game for Chaplin's comedy. (Strangely, the two men were born within four days of each other.) The Great Dictator, conceived in the late thirties but not released until 1940, when Hitler's war was raging across Europe, is the film that skewered the tyrant. Chaplin plays both Adenoid Hynkel, the power-mad ruler of Tomania, and a humble Jewish barber suffering under the dictator's rule. Paulette Goddard, Chaplin's wife at the time, plays the barber's beloved; and the rotund comedian Jack Oakie turns in a weirdly accurate burlesque of Mussolini, as a bellowing fellow dictator named Benzino Napaloni, Dictator of Bacteria. Chaplin himself hits one of his highest moments in the amazing sequence where he performs a dance of love with a large inflated globe of the world. Never has the hunger for world domination been more rhapsodically expressed. The slapstick is swift and sharp, but it was not enough for Chaplin. He ends the film with the barber's six-minute speech calling for peace and prophesying a hopeful future for troubled mankind. Some critics have always felt the monologue was out of place, but the lyricism and sheer humanity of it are still stirring. This was the last appearance of Chaplin's Little Tramp character, and not coincidentally it was his first all-talking picture. --Robert Horton

Description

In Chaplin's classic satire on Nazi Germany, dictator Adenoid Hynkel has a double -- a poor Jewish barber--who one day is mistaken for Hynkel.

Customer Reviews:

The Great Dictator.......2007-06-25

In his first-ever talkie, writer-director Chaplin ferociously lampooned the sadistic politics and fiery rhetoric of Hitler, juxtaposing his mustachioed Little Tramp character with Der Führer himself, whose unintelligible rantings Chaplin plays to hilarious effect. The most political of Chaplin's films, "Dictator" combines slapstick humor and vicious parody; in particular, portly actor Jack Oakie's Mussolini-like incarnation of Napaloni, dictator of Bacteria, is pure genius. Notably, Chaplin's pointed criticism of the Nazis occurred before Hollywood at large was daring to follow suit. (Most brilliant sequence: Hynkel's sublime dance with a balloon-like globe.)

Overrated Chaplin .......2007-05-26

Having heard for many years of this famous film, I finally caught up with this 2 disc set and looked forward to the viewing event with enthusiasm. Why was I so disappointed?

As a piece of film making, it is very ordinary. It plays like a cartoon with cardboard sets, a poorly developed story without much logic and some corny gags, many of which can be seen in the skits of Benny Hill who incidentally Charlie Chaplin admired tremendously. Paulette Goddard is poor and most of the supporting cast have little to do with the notable exception of Jack Oakie who wildly burlesques the famous character he imitates and is quite funny. There are a few jewels like the dance with the globe but most of the humour is pretty basic. By 1940, Hollywood was capable of much more sophisticated satire.

However, the DVD print is excellent and the film really can not be appreciated without an understanding of the context of its release. Accordingly, the DVD contains an excellent documentary which follows the lives of Chaplin and Hitler, who co-incidentally were born within a week of each other. As a result of the documentary, I watched the film again and there is no doubt that it was an extraordinary undertaking by Chaplin to make the film at all. His final speech resonates and is patently sincere. The film opened to controversy and I asked my 89 year old mother if she recalled it. Her reply was enlightening. She said that she was never much of a fan of Chaplin but she specifically avoided this film when it was released because her own world was turned upside down by the events of the day and at the time the uncertainty about her own future was such that she felt Chaplin's film was offensive. I am sure she was not alone.

The DVD contains a few other extras which are variable. There are scenes from other Chaplin films, clearly included to encourage purchase of those DVDs. There is also some rare home movie footage in colour of the making of the film but it quickly becomes boring to watch.

A Brilliant Skewering of Hitler and Other Things..........2007-03-24

Charlie Chaplin's first sound film, "The Great Dictator" is a film that puts his genius on display for everyone to see. As a silent clown, Chaplin was unrivaled (arguably, some people say Buster Keaton was better) but few people could have expected him to be as good with a soundtrack. In, "The Great Dictator" (playing two roles) he brings the same amount of humor and poignancy he brought to his earlier films. Some people even say that this film is his masterpiece, although I still think "City Lights" was his best. Here Chaplin plays Adenoid Hynkel and a variation on his little Tramp character, this time playing a Jewish barber. The barber was in the war, but suffered a head injury and wound up in a hospital for many years suffering from amnesia. Once he's released, he finds his little town to be quite different from what it used to be. The dictator Hynkel has turned his town into the "ghetto" where all the Jews are met with disrespect and forced to paint the word "Jew" on their storefront windows. Since the barber doesn't know about this, he decides to fight back. He's almost arrested, but a man he saved in the war (who happens to be one of Hynkel's top generals) saves him. As usual, the barber also falls for the girl Hannah (Paulette Goddard, Chaplin's real wife at the time), a homely laundry maid. The movie warns us in the beginning: "The resemblance between the dictator and the barber is absolutely coincidental." That's not quite the case here and the final speech at the end is one of the best things Chaplin ever wrote. Besides skewering Adolph Hitler, Chaplin also managed to target Benito Mussolini (called Benzino Napaloni in the film) and the scenes between Hynkel and Napaloni are some of the funniest in the film. Playing two roles gave Chaplin the chance to do two things. Continue his reign as the king of silent comedy with the barber character and show his talent for spoken humor with the dictator character. Some of the funniest moments are his moments of slapstick however. Two of the scenes that stand out in my mind are when the barber throws a can of paint on a stormtrooper and another when he hops into a trunk in a moment of fright. Great scenes! In my opinion, however, "The Great Dictator" falls short of being a masterpiece. Despite having a few really good moments in the beginning, I felt it took a while to really get off the ground. There are some very memorable and very funny scenes in the movie though, but "City Lights" and "The Circus" (for example) were both better. Overall, "The Great Dictator" is a minor masterpiece by Chaplin and a film that proves that Chaplin was way ahead of his time.

GRADE: B

This is a great Chaplin film.......2007-03-20

You cannot go wrong with the purchase of this DVD.
It will become one of your favorites.
It is classic Chaplin funny.
From beginning to end, Mr. Chaplin created a lasting masterpiece.
Even the creators of Seinfeld borrowed a bit from this movie, the part about the blonds and the brunettes.

Some critics have said that his speech at the end of the movie was "out of place"? No way.
The critics missed the point of the whole movie.

There is an Italian comedic actor who recently tried to do what Chaplin did, taking on the subject of what happened to the Jews, and sadly he did not succeed.

The copy of this movie on this DVD is in excellent shape.
A very clear picture through out the movie.

Chaplin's comment on fascism is his first talking film..........2007-01-02

Hynkel, dictator of Tomania, is a spoiled child who becomes angry when he cannot gets what he really wants... And what he simply wants is nothing less than the world...

In one of the extraordinary scenes of Chaplin art, Hynkel performs a ballet with the 'world' which bursts when he thinks he has it in his grasp...

Chaplin also has some biting words on war and war films... In a scene at the beginning of the movie, which takes place during World War I, the Tomanian messenger crashes the plane and thinks... He is about to die... In a state of delirium, he begins to say ridiculous words... The empty double-talk continue ascending into a brilliant take off on all the heroic death scenes of War films...

In another scene when he becomes a fugitive in the Jewish ghetto and assumes command of the resistance fomenting rebellion among the old men, he plans to kill the dictator... One of the group must kill the ruthless conqueror of Austerlich... Whoever is chosen will naturally die, but his heroic death will be rewarded and his name will shine like a star in Tomanian history...

The sequence in which he and four other characters eat cream cakes containing coins to determine which shall sacrifice his life to murder the dictator is a bitter hilarity filled with great fear...

For all its disappointing shortcomings, "The Great Dictator" is still a significant movie for the ironic tones of the film adding something that neither Chaplin nor anymore else could have given it: the irony of history... The necessity to murder Hynkel presages the assassination attempt against Hitler by his generals... The force of the original satire is only surpassed by history's imitation of art...

With a splendid sequence like the duck-shooting accident which leads to the dictator being mistaken for the humbly Jewish barber and vice versa, "The Great Dictator" is Chaplin's first talking movie... This time 'Charles' and not 'Charlie,' wanting to say more through his movie and not through an amusing comedy, the last in which he uses his celebrated 'Tramp Character.'

Average customer rating:

Those gallant few against so many
A movie for Plane Lovers,and History!!"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
AN EPIC, EXCITING WORLD WAR II ADVENTURE!
A movie for you history and aviation fans
The Few...

Battle of Britain
Starring: Harry Andrews , Michael Caine , Trevor Howard , Curd Jürgens , and Ian McShane
Director: Guy Hamilton
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00008PC0Y
Release Date: 2003-05-20

Amazon.com

There's something about this film that's so irresistible, despite its grandiose manipulation. Maybe because it recounts the greatest air battle in history, achieving the greatest aerial battle in film history. Maybe because it has such a terrific cast (Harry Andrews, Michael Caine, Trevor Howard, Curt Jurgens, Laurence Olivier, Nigel Patrick, Christopher Plummer, Michael Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Robert Shaw, Patrick Wymark, and Edward Fox). Maybe because it's so technically well-made, thanks to the Bond team of producer Harry Saltzman and director Guy Hamilton and the great cinematographer Freddie Young. Or maybe because there is something truly riveting about watching the British kick the Nazis back to Germany. --Bill Desowitz

Description

Featuring a "big stellar cast" (Variety), including Michael Caine, Trevor Howard, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Michael Redgrave, Robert Shaw, Susannah York and Edward Fox, Battle of Britain is a spectacular retelling of a true story that shows courage at its inspiring best. Few defining moments can change the outcome of war. But when the outnumbered Royal Air Force defied insurmountable odds in engaging the German Luftwaffe, it may well have altered the course of history!

Customer Reviews:

Those gallant few against so many.......2007-06-15

wonderful film in its time and still holds up. No CGI, real planes, real pilots. Good aerial sequences, good miniatures.

The Germans aren't made out to be "just" villians -- they are airmen too, with the same hearty regard for life, flying and fighting as the RAF pilots.

A glorious tribute to those gallant few who really did go up against so many and "saved" England.

It's why I love England.

A movie for Plane Lovers,and History!!"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.".......2007-06-05

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

The Second World War (Six Volume Boxed Set)

Battle of Britain is the name commonly given to the effort by the German Luftwaffe to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF), before a planned sea and airborne invasion of Britain (Operation Sealion) during the Second World War. Neither Hitler nor the Wehrmacht believed it possible to carry out a successful amphibious assault on the British Isles until the RAF had been neutralized. Secondary objectives were to destroy aircraft production and ground infrastructure, to attack areas of political significance, and to terrorize the British people with the intent of intimidating them into seeking an armistice or surrender.

The film has a large all-star cast. It was notable for its portrayal of the Germans by subtitled German-speaking actors. Barry Foster,Christopher Plummer ,Edward Fox ,Guy Hamilton, Harry Andrews ,Ian McShane ,Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Michael Redgrave, Nigel Patrick , Patrick Wymark , Ralph Richardson, Robert Shaw, Susannah York ,Trevor Howa.

Battle of Britain is a 1969 film directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and S Benjamin Fisz. The film broadly relates the events of the Battle of Britain. The script by James Kennaway and Wilfred Greatorex was based on the book The Narrow Margin by Derek Wood and Derek Dempster.

The film aimed to be an accurate account of the Battle of Britain, when in the summer and autumn of 1940 the British RAF inflicted a strategic defeat on the Nazi Luftwaffe and so ensured the cancellation of Operation Sealion -- Hitler's plan to invade Britain. The huge strategic victory of the outnumbered British pilots would be summed up by Winston Churchill in the immortal words:

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

I was born in 1971,y saw this movie yesterday,and I am realy surprise of the great effort they do,the movies today are totally digital,you know!!
This is a Movie!!

Flyboys (Widescreen Edition)

AN EPIC, EXCITING WORLD WAR II ADVENTURE!.......2007-05-29

"The Battle of Britain" is an exciting film that recounts the epic battle for control of the skies over Great Britain. Featuring breathtaking aerial battles and amazing performances from an all-star cast, it is a great tribute to the men and women who fought in what would become Britain's finest hour. Despite some weak storytelling, the great performances and thrilling battles more than make up for it! "The Battle of Britain" is a thrilling film that belongs in everyone's collection of war movies!
Movie/DVD Grade: A-

A movie for you history and aviation fans.......2007-04-06

I remember seeing the movie trailers back in 1969, but never got to the theater. I finally saw the movie 30 years later.

From an aviation standpoint, it is stupendous - I read that they actually had 30 Heinkels from Spain - the Heinkels that you see all lined up on the French grass are real, as are the Messerschmitts (with Merlin engines), Spitfires and Hurricanes.

As a history buff I can say that it follows the times well (perhaps unusual for movies these days) with Lawrence Olivier even explaining the critical mistake Goring made that turned the tide.

You have the prerequisite love angle with the lovely Susannah York - overall a very good movie. I've given 2 to fellow aviation nuts.

The Few..........2007-04-05

"The Battle of Britain" features an outstanding cast of British actors, the James Bond production team of Harry Saltzman and Guy Hamilton, first-rate aerial flying sequences, and a good capture of the major elements of the Royal Air Force's defiant stand against the Nazi aerial onslaught in the dark days of 1940.

What it doesn't have is a coherent plot. The production team seems to have been overwhelmed by the burden of portraying one of the great, mythic moments of British history in the 20th Century. As Churchill noted, "never in the field of human conflict have so many owed so much to so few." This was a moment still in living memory for many people when the movie was released in 1969. The end result is more documentary than traditional story-telling. The movie hops from scene to scene with only a minimal effort to connect the sequences or link the actors.

The movie does feature some terrific scenes. The sequences involving the hasty departure from France of flying units about to be overrun by oncoming German Army units is by turns humorous and harsh, as pilots and non-commissioned officers scramble to save their few remaining aircraft. The training sequences in Britain are similarly well-done, as veteran flyers played by Christopher Plummer and Robert Shaw attempt to whip rookie pilots into shape to face the Luftwaffe. The flying sequences feature real period aircraft carving the sky, although the actors can be tough to tell apart in their goggles and flying helmets. The damage done by the Nazi blitz is heartbreaking.

The Germans themselves are something of an afterthought in this movie, there to provide stereotypical opponents to be shot down over the British Isles. Very few of the Germans are given more than cursory character development and a handful of lines.

This movie is highly recommended to fans of the Battle of Britain, who can overlook the skimpy plot development and revel in the flying sequences and the undoubted glory of the RAF's gritty, gutty win in the air battle. Those without familarity with the history of the Battle of Britain, or who need the more traditional movie elements, may find the it more challenging to follow.

Average customer rating:

The music is you
Sad, Mad, Shocking, and Funny
foggy relish
Is There Anybody Here As Happy As Me?
I wish I could give zero stars

The Saddest Music in the World
Starring: Mark McKinney , Isabella Rossellini , Maria de Medeiros , David Fox , and Ross McMillan
Director: Guy Maddin , and Caelum Vatnsdal
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Guy Maddin Collection (Twilight of the Ice Nymphs / The Heart of the World / Archangel)
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ASIN: B00062IXJW
Release Date: 2004-11-16

Amazon.com

Only the mind of Guy Maddin could conjure up The Saddest Music in the World, in which a double-amputee beer baroness invites musicians of all nations to compete in a grand music competition... in Winnipeg. The only thing zanier than the plot is Maddin's style, which makes the film look like a lost artifact from the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari era, a jumble of Expressionist compositions and gauzy focus. It helps if you're already a fan of the director of Careful and Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary, for this is not Maddin's most cohesive picture. Kids in the Hall stalwart Mark McKinney is a little too arch as a sharpie returning to Manitoba, but Isabella Rossellini is delicious as the "Beer Queen of the Prairie." By the time she straps on a pair of hollow glass legs filled with bubbly lager, you're either delighted by this movie or you've given up. --Robert Horton

Description

The dark days of the Depression set the stage for surreal black comedy in this "intoxicating" (Time) musical melodrama from acclaimed director Guy Maddin. When a legless beer baroness (Isabella Rossellini) in Winnipeg announces a contest to find the world's saddest tune, a pint of trouble brews among a fractured family competing for the $25,000 prize. As the disturbing depths of the linksbetween each other, the baroness and an amnesiac nymphomaniac are exposed, one thing becomes clear:It will take more than a pool of alcohol to drown their sorrows!

Customer Reviews:

The music is you.......2007-05-31

Love, death, beer, dismemberment, and really sad music.

"The Saddest Music" in the world is perhaps Guy Maddin's most accessable movie to date, from a director known for strange, eerie pieces of work. But it's also a brilliantly surreal tragicomedy, with shimmers of German expressionism painted over a story about fumbling for artificial happiness, in the middle of all that sad music.

It's snow-smothered Winnipeg, in the Depression. Failing producer Chester (Mark McKinney) and his amnesiac girlfriend Narcissa (Maria de Medeiros) into a bar, just as beer baroness Lady Helen Port-Huntley (Isabella Rossellini) announces something on the radio: a musical contest for the saddest song in the world, with $25,000 as the prize. Hundreds of musicians arrive to compete, hoping to bag the prize (and get bathed in beer).

She is also an old flame of Chester's, who blames him and his alcoholic father for the loss of her legs -- a loss that his dad Fyodor (David Fox) is trying to remedy, by making her glass prosthetics. And his brother Roderick returns home, paralyzed by grief over his son's death and his wife leaving. But when he discovers his wife -- Narcissa -- is with his brother, he is determined to beat Chester. Who will create the saddest music in the world?

"The Saddest Music In the World" is a really weird movie -- it's full of glass legs, hearts in jars, skating funerals, and an antlered seer who predicts doom for Chester. But the movie is really focused on just one thing: the false happiness that people seek from transient things -- money, prosthetics, booze -- and how these only lead to more heartbreak in the end.

Maddin has a pretty unique style -- neo-expressionist, like an old 1920s German silent film made in twenty-first century Canada. It's grainy and full of rapid cuts (dozens of musicians playing until they bloody their hands), shadows and stark white faces, even against the drifting snow. The only exception is the dream sequences, which are just as blurry but full of vibrant colour.

But he sprinkles it with darkly humorous moments -- Fyodor chugging beer from a glass leg -- and dialogue ranging from zany ("I'm not an American. I'm a nymphomaniac") to weirdly poetic ("... to lay claim to the jewel-studded crown... of frozen tears"). And there are moments of sorrow too, such as Roderick playing his ultimate sad song, for a woman who is only starting to remember him.

McKinney is deliciously despicable as the amoral Chester, Medeiros is sweet as the wide-eyed nympho, and McMillan is heartbreaking as the mournful Roderick, who is haunted by the loss of his family. But Rossellini really rules the movie as the brilliantly cruel, powerful Lady Port-Huntley -- she rules every scene, even when she gets dumped into a bathtub.

"The Saddest Music in the World" is a deliciously bizarre tragicomedy, filmed with Guy Maddin's neo-expressionist flair. Definitely a unique, delightfully dark movie.

Sad, Mad, Shocking, and Funny.......2007-04-21

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The film takes place in Winnipeg, Canada, "The world capital of sorrow" in 1933 during the Great Depression. A legless beer baroness, Lady Port-Huntly (Isabella Rossellini in a blond wig) organizes a contest to find the saddest music in the world. Musicians from around the globe arrive to Winnipeg to try and win a $25,000 prize. Among them is Chester (Mark McKinney), her old boyfriend who arrived with his lover, Bosnian singer Narcissa (Maria de Medeiros of "Pulp Fiction"), the amnesiac nymphomaniac who listens the advice of a telepathic tapeworm in her bowels. Chester's brother Roderick (Ross McMillan) is the contestant from Serbia performing by the name Gavrilla the Great, hiding his face under the big veil and looking like Salvador Dali in his craziest. He is overwhelmed by the death of his young son and looks for his long lost wife, who happened to be Narcissa who had lost her memory and does remember neither him nor their little boy. Chester's and Roderick's father Fyodor (David Fox) enters for Canada. He's got his own sad story. One night while drunk, he caused a car crash and attempted to save his lover by amputating her crushed leg -- but, being drunk cut off the wrong leg. The lover was Lady Port-Huntly who at the time of the crash was cheating on Fyodor with Chester in the car. Is it crazy enough? Wait until you see it. Visually, the film is nothing I've seen before but I understand that Maddin's fans will recognize his very distinguished style - the film shot in black and white, and edited in such a way as to recall the old pictures from the 1930s. There are a couple of color scenes, and those moments stand alone. One of the most striking color images is Isabella Rossellini standing on glass legs filled with beer from her breweries. If for nothing else, the film should be seen for this jaw - dropping moment.

It is certainly not for everyone but I am glad I saw it. How could I not like this dialog?

Fyodor: Are you an American?

Narcissa: No, I'm not an American. I'm a nymphomaniac

Fyodor: As long as you are not an American, you can be anything you want

foggy relish.......2007-01-17

What can I say...Mr. Maddin has once again created a world of fog, shadows, and stark black and white platforms that his character walk in and out of. It all plays out like a lost film from the 20's that you saw in a dream but was never really produced.

Is There Anybody Here As Happy As Me?.......2006-12-28

Some people will just never get over the black and white graininess of this movie or the absurdity or what some have dismissed as the thinness of the plot. And that's a shame, because this is a phenomenal movie. Hilarious and weird and incredibly entertaining. Just lie back and take in the weirdness of it all. As far as I'm concerned this is Madden's most accessible movie, because it's the funniest. And Mark Mckinney is just brilliant as the habitually high-spirited showman who's never known sadness (or love), yet has to figure out how to "get the salt water flowing" to win the prize. "Sadness is just happiness thrown on it's a--."

I wish I could give zero stars.......2006-08-06

This film was a total bore. Not because it was in black and white to look like it was made in the '30s. It was boring because of the lackluster script and acting. Just because something is "unique", and that it is, doesn't make it great. It makes a uniquely boring movie.

Stay away. If I meet anyone that prattles on what a wonderful movie this is I will know I'm in the presence of a pretentious snob.

Average customer rating:

Hard to find clasic movie DVDs.
Fine Movie, Disappointing DVD
Epic cast for an Epic story
Stupid Eurocentric crap
Still Superb

55 Days at Peking
Starring: Harry Andrews , Geoffrey Bayldon , Joseph Fürst , Ava Gardner , and Leo Genn
Director: Green, Guy , and Marton, Andrew
Manufacturer: Buena Vista
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000055ZFV
Release Date: 2001-02-28

Customer Reviews:

Hard to find clasic movie DVDs........2005-09-06

The movie is a copy the disc looks different than a newly purchased one. Theese clasics should come in the A & B selection. Disc should be standard on one side and widescreed on the other. I would like to see moore titles soon. I will be looking for them.

Fine Movie, Disappointing DVD.......2005-06-17

I won't comment on the movie except to say that I do like it and would agree with the other favorable comments here. I've seen it more than a few times and it always is an enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the DVD release. The audio is adequate though it is only stereo. I didn't notice any particular problems with it. The video, on the other hand, is decidely inferior. It looks like it was transferred from a medium quality video tape. I have seen better looking presentations on broadcast TV. I had a tape recorded off the air that looked as good as this DVD. But the tape is gone and the DVD will at least last. The best thing that can be said about the DVD's video is that it is widescreen, but it is not anamorphic. Very disappointing. I hope some company will do a decent release of this in the not to distant future.

Epic cast for an Epic story.......2005-04-09

A full rich movie full clasic characters. Good intertainment.
I remember seeing this movie in the theater and seeing it again was a thrill. I think the quality of the movie and the music score still holds well today. Noble characters, in a hopeless situation, doing heroc acts. The cast is top notch, the music rich and exciting. This should be in your library.

Stupid Eurocentric crap.......2005-04-05

Here's the setup: The foreign imperialists from Europe, America and Russia are the GOOD guys. The Boxers who are trying to defend their nation, their empress and their way of life from the onslaught of expanionists are the BAD guys. Barely anything about this movie is correct. History actually proved that the foreign forces actually suffered huge losses in close quarter combat with the Boxers, but you would never see a western film maker with the balls to acknowledge that, and so the Boxers are treated as just as savage and sloppy as Native Americans where depicted in films of this era.

Still Superb.......2005-03-29

A great story, a great cast, great acting. Whats more the cavalry shows up in the nick of time and the 'good guys' win!

Buy it, or see it. If you can.

Average customer rating:

Omega Code 2
This Iteration Was Fun To Watch...
embarssing, overly imaginative, hype!
Not A Sequel
Kept me interested!

Megiddo - Omega Code 2
Starring: Michael York , Michael Biehn , Guy Siner , Diane Venora , and Joseph Makkar
Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith , and Paul J. Lombardi
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Omega Code
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ASIN: B00005UW81
Release Date: 2002-02-26

Customer Reviews:

Omega Code 2.......2007-04-22

I liked this movie better than the first Omega Code. Although it is called Omega Code II, it really isn't a sequel of the first one and can be watched with no knowlege of it. Full of suspence and Biblical truths, it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

This Iteration Was Fun To Watch..........2006-12-31

I am always amazed that the same franchise will put out different versions of the same basic movie. That is what this is. With the name, Omega Code 2, you assume it is a continuation of the first movie. That it is not.

However I found it to be better that the one before it and there were a couple of good special effects. I am always curious as to why men of God are always portrayed in film as wimpy? That is, with the exception of Moses in the Ten Commandments.

Still, I think it gets its point across.

This one takes you up to the Battle of Armageddon. Peter York reprises his role as the evil one. Worth a watch.

embarssing, overly imaginative, hype!.......2006-09-04

The first movie, the Omega Code, was borderline "strange" itself. This one, is overboad without question! My family found the first Omega Code "cheesy" to watch, and not very spiritual or Biblically inspiring whatsoever. Part Two (Omega Code 2) was so bad that we turned it off about 1/3 of the way thru the movie. From demonic encantations, to blood dripping moments, to demons themselves....this film was hype, cheesy, and spent far too much time showing the span of life's journey of the antiChrist figure. The Bible itself does indicate that an antiChrist will appear on the scene, it's no doubt! But other than saying he will reveal himself at somepoint, and will be a law unto himself, there isn't a whole lot of detail about him (most certainly not about his childhood and love-life!). This film is backed by Paul Crouch and Hal Lindsey, i'll leave that alone, as they are interviewed on the DVD features. Interesting how God Almighty has decided not to dwell on the antiChrist's sadistic demonism, nor on the antiChrist's growing up and jockeying for power, yet this film spends indepth coverage of the matter, and once again "hollywood-izes" the Bible for cheap thrills. If you want Biblical, if you don't want to watch a version of the Exorcist, then don't buy this film. B-film, and bad taste.

Not A Sequel.......2006-08-11

This is another good, end-of-times, loosely biblical based plot. The anti-christ figure is the same man as in the first Omega Code - but there the simularity ends. In no way whatsoever does this movie continue or build on the plot of the first one. If you try to watch the 2 movies one after the other, you will be confused and unimpressed. However, as long as you take this movie strictly on it's own merits, and do not try to tie it into the first one, it is definitel;y a good movie. It is unfortunate that the producers chose to include the "Omega Code" in the title, but for reasons of their own they did. If you have not seen the first Omega Code at all, or for quite a while, you will enjoy this movie as well.

Kept me interested!.......2006-06-12

Compared to some other end of the world Christian flicks, this one is most excellent! Superb acting by well known actors (Michael York shines!) and amazing excellent special effects! Highly recommended to those interested in the Apocolypse! Would be an excellent teaching tool for Christian youth groups. Don't judge this movie by the first Omega Code movie, which was not as good.

Average customer rating:

Pulp Nonfiction
Barbara Hershey!!!!
Cormin, Scorsese Style
Beware this DVD

Boxcar Bertha
Starring: Victor Argo , David Carradine , John Carradine , Bernie Casey , and Marianne Dole
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005UM2Y
Release Date: 2002-03-19

Amazon.com

Martin Scorsese was just another college film school grad with a student feature under his belt when producer Roger Corman tapped him to direct AIP's entry in the Bonnie and Clyde craze. Barbara Hershey stars as the real-life depression era orphan of the title, a charming, cheeky young woman who tramped the Deep South with a union organizer (David Carradine), a dandified New York con man (Barry Primus), and a blues-playing mechanic (Bernie Casey), turning her motley band into train-robbing outlaws. Scorsese was anxious to show his chops on a real Hollywood feature and does so admirably (if impersonally) with rough-and-ready style. If the rebellious spirit and social message behind the sex and violence is more Corman than Scorsese, the film references ("Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain," Bertha tells a customer while working at a cathouse) and often inventive direction are pure Scorsese. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Pulp Nonfiction.......2005-03-08

Like many talented young U.S. directors of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, Martin Scorsese got a big break from American International Pictures studios. This was in the days of drive-in movies and so-called "B" pictures, meaning that something like Boxcar Bertha would be secondary to whatever feature attraction was playing. AIP directors worked on a strict schedule, small budget, and were required to goose things along with softcore sex and bright red violence. No surprise, Scorsese delivered, and found ways to punch it up with his trademark kinetic editing style. He also knew how to get solid performances, even back then. Barry Primus, Bernie Casey, and John Carradine shine here; Barbara Hershey and David Carradine aren't so great or convincing. The movie, like Bonnie And Clyde six years earlier, is about contemporary rather than past times, even though it's set in the 30s. Hershey and Carradine are early 70s free lovers and free spirits, not really nice folks but much more moral than their foes in banking and legal institutions. The film is uneven, but just when you find your attention drifting, Scorsese makes his presence felt with imaginative, original, playful images and sequences. For example, pay close attention to the scene in which Carradine goes to his union office with stolen money, and see how much effort Scorsese puts into images that other directors would blow off. The DVD looks great, a huge improvement over cruddy, pan and scan VHS. No extras except for the original trailer, which is a treat: lots of it is shot through bright colored tinted lenses, taking you back to 70s schlock at its finest. Based on a true story, this is pulp NON fiction; takes its place alongside After Hours, King of Comedy, Kundun, Age of Innocence, and Bringing out the Dead as an uneven, underappreciated Scorsese gem--not as consistently great as his big movies, but plenty of interesting moments and a chance to see the master in training before he moved up to self-consciously artful films.

Barbara Hershey!!!!.......2004-05-25

Produced by Roger Corman and directed by Martin Scorsese, BOXCAR BERTHA is a romp through the deep south of the great depression. Bertha (Barbara Hershey) is young, beautiful, and not at all afraid of taking her clothes off! This is good, since she's naked a lot in this movie! Plot?? Well, Bertha's dad is killed in an airplane accident, sending Bertha on an adventure of boxcar jumping, bankrobbing, murder, prison escapes, trainrobbing, prostitution, and lots of laughs. Bertha is accompanied by Big Bill Shelly (David Carradine) and two other cohorts played by Barry Primus and Bernie Casey. Did I mention Bertha's lack of clothing? It just keeps flying off for some reason! Anyway, Bertha and her gang decide to take down an evil railroad baron (played nastily by John Carradine), not realizing just how evil he really is. This leads to the gang's downfall. The finale is pure savage mayhem and revenge! Worth a peek. Oh, and Bertha spends a great deal of time in her birthday suit too...

Cormin, Scorsese Style.......2003-01-26

Boxcar Bertha is a Roger Cormin picture. Boxcar Bertha is a Martin Scorsese picture. What this means is that while it gave Scorsese the opportunity to show flashes of the genius we now know he possessed, he had to do it at the expense (or lack there of) of delivering a Roger Cormin movie. Now I am not knocking Cormin. Cormin was great because he gave young talent a low budget, some film, and a chance. His low risk approach gave stars such as Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, Scorsese, and Francis Ford Coppola, their big breaks. Cormin films usually aren't that good, but their is no substitute for experience, especially to young filmmakers, so we should thank him.

On that note, Boxcar Bertha is sort of a take off on Bonnie and Clyde. A young Barbara Hershey plays the title character who essentially falls in with a group of disgruntled railroad union guys (David Carradine included) and starts knocking off banks and such in an effort to hurt the railroad's evil owner. The film suffers from terrible cliches and silly special effects (the blood looks like red paint). However, Scorsese makes the best out of it with his constantly moving camera, hard violence, and unorthodox editing techniques. Ultimately though, this is a film for die hard Scorsese fans interested in how he got started.

Beware this DVD.......2002-06-22

This is the cut and censoured version of that movie. Wait for the unrated version.

Santa Sangre [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]

Average customer rating:

Shocking, but Hardly Profound
Don't make me do it
holy hell, holy blood
Please watch this movie--it might change your life...

Santa Sangre [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
Director: Aljandro Jodorowski
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000AMB21O

Product Description

Great Britain released, PAL/Region 2 2-DVD Set: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: o English (Dolby Digital 5.1) o English (Dolby Digital 2.0) Synopsis: A candy-colored, blood-soaked journey into the disturbed mind of a damaged soul, Alejandro Jodorowsky's dark and surreal comeback offers a potent tale of psychological despair with striking, haunting imagery that will linger in the mind long after the viewing. It had been quite a long time since El Topo (1970) and The Holy Mountain (1973) thrust '60s underground cinema into collective mainstream consciousness, and Jodorowsky proves without a doubt that he still has the power to shock and move audiences. Time has certainly not diluted Jodorowsky's ability to craft the sort of bold and fearless film made virtually extinct with the ever increasing commercialization of the film industry. As deeply troubled Fenix (Axel Jodorowsky) is enslaved by his armless mother and forced into a murderous existence following his release from a sanitarium, Jodorowsky instills his protagonist with a desperate sense of fear and helplessness from which there seems little chance of escape. An alternately brutal, hallucinatory, and beautiful film, Santa Sangre is without question a polarizing effort by its very nature, though viewers willing to be seduced by Jodorowsky's alluring cinematic nightmare will find themselves surprised, enthralled, and richly rewarded with an uniquely unapologetic film that's not easily shaken off. Special Features: o Behind the scenes footage o Biographies o Cast/Crew Interview(s) o Commentary o Deleted Scenes o Documentary o Filmographies o Interactive Menu o Photo Gallery o Posters o Scene Access o Short Film o Special Edition o Uncut

Customer Reviews:

Shocking, but Hardly Profound.......2006-08-03

While I agree with other reviewers that many of this film's images are surreal and disturbing, it is hardly the profound artistic statement that it is so often made out to be. The level of violence borders on the pornographic for no other reason than its shock value, the symbolism is weak (at one point in the film, the main character sees a beautiful woman and then pulls a giant snake out of his pants...very heavy handed and adolescent), and the "surprise" ending was figured out early on by everyone in attendance when I watched it. There were just too many moments where I found myself "rolling my eyes" to give this any higher than 3 stars.

Don't make me do it.......2005-10-25

I saw this film in the theater with a friend over what I believe to be a decade ago. It was late and true to form I fell asleep through some of it. Consequently this film which was surreal and haunting to begin with now follows me, glimpsed periferally, occasionally breaking the surface of the subconscious. It's close to Holloween as I write this so the thought of movies that disturbed me (I looked up Eraserhead before this one, I already own City of Lost Children) and this one, once again, danced before me just out of focus. Then I find it here. But.....PAL Reg 2.... another veil to hide behind.
This movie has gotten under my skin like a hypodermic, alternately injecting me with halucenagens and drawing...sangre. This may force me to buy a DVD player on which to play this. A horrible expense but what choice do I have. The haunting must stop.

holy hell, holy blood.......2005-09-23

Based on the real-life diary of a south-of-the-border serial killer, "Santa Sangre" is a revelation. Directed by visionary film maker Aljandro Jodorowski, "Santa Sangre" tells the demented story of a mind gone south into the abyss of Opidial incest, murder and guilt.
In Jodorowski's film-- nothing is as it seems. Only in the final scene do we understand how sick the world, we humans call home, really is.
This is Jodorowski's most accessible film and probably the best intellectual slasher/horror flick since Hitchcock's "Psycho".
Don't miss it.

Please watch this movie--it might change your life..........2005-09-07

What is a movie? Is it an entertainment? A work of ART? Is a motion picture only a lure to get you to engage in a mass spectacle of consumerism? Is it the catharsis of a crowd in the dark?

Are you an intellectual? Are you passionate? Have you even been interested in Archetypes and Collective unconscience? Do you know that when you take the journey with a story--that that story will always stay with you?

In 1989, a lot of things changed in my life. I really can't explain what they all were, but between August and December of 1989, my hair went from black to white, and I started on the life that I lead today. Then came Santa Sangre.

Allesandro Jodorowsky is what is frequently called a 'visionary' film director. What he is is a wizard and a shaman. Jodorowski is a Jungian psychiatrist who writes comic books and directs movies. He started way back in the sixties, and was actually the first person to direct for the beatle's Apple Corporation. As a result his first film (El Topo) is almost impossible to acquire or see. Like everything from Apple--there is an immense legal battle over it's soul.

And this guy's work has got SOUL that won't quit. Take the little number we are discussing today. Here you have the story of Fenix, raised in a circus by his parents Orgo (a hypnotic knife thrower played by guy stockwell) and Alma(who hangs by her hair and worships at the shrine of HOLY BLOOD hence the film's title.) Fenix cries as his pet elephant dies, gets a tattoo with a bowie knife from a quart jar of ink while biting on a stick,cavorts with a little girl mute tightrope walker, sees his mother's cult of blind women being driven away as their 'shrine' is demolished, and, finally, witnesses his own parents murder suicide over an affair with a tatooed woman. That's all in the prologue..

Vaudeville. Strippers. Murder. Clowns. Dwarfs. The Invisible Man. Chuco hoods. Illusion. Mime (mime?) Chemistry. Madness. Denoument. Samba-ing Down's syndrome children. Reincarnation of painted corpses as ducks or swans. ritual crucifixion. Taxidermy. Every bottle of booze has a dead crow on the label (just something I personally noticed) Ventriloquism. Symbolism.

And it's based on the stories of a real serial killer.

Jodorowski is not slick (although this is by far his slickest work) He is in no way pretentious. This film is bone deep and meant to stop your cognitive process, to derail and reboot your mind.

Allessandro Jodorowski is what we get less of in today's cinema--it is the real deal. A human soul laid bare by art. You might cry when you watch this. You will probably laugh. But if you know what's good for you, you will watch it again.

persevere,

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Bubblegum Crisis - Tokyo 2040 - Leviathans (Vol. 3)

The Stretch : Video

Young & Innocent/The Cheney Vase [Special Edition]

DVD: Man's Favorite Sport?

Robot Wars - Razer