Guilty Conscience

Starring:Blythe Danner, Swoosie Kurtz, Anthony Hopkins
Director: David Greene
Studio: Westlake Ent. Group
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

A sober history lesson
Not to be missed
Excellent
An American Horror Story
History...Hollywood style

Guilty by Suspicion
Starring: Robert De Niro , Annette Bening , George Wendt , Patricia Wettig , and Sam Wanamaker
Director: Irwin Winkler
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305162034
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com

A fictional dramatization of the anti-Communist witch-hunts that plagued the U.S. during the late 1940s and early '50s, Guilty by Suspicion examines one of the most shameful periods of American history. After producing such prominent films as Rocky and Raging Bull, Irwin Winkler made his directorial debut with this 1991 drama, basing his screenplay on the harsh reality of the blacklisting era. Set during 1951, when the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) held hearings to target alleged Communist affiliations within the Hollywood filmmaking community, the film stars Robert De Niro as a prominent director who is urged to "name names" to appease the committee. Rather than betray one of his closest friends, he refuses to "cooperate" with the committee and is quickly blacklisted, his entire career in jeopardy. Costarring Annette Bening as the director's sympathetic ex-wife, the film doesn't pack the emotional punch of The Front (another blacklisting-era film, starring Woody Allen), but Winkler captures the paranoid anxiety of the period with a wealth of authentic detail. Because the De Niro character underestimates the power of the HUAC, we share his shock and dismay when he must finally face the committee. Without seeming like a dry history lesson, Guilty by Suspicion illuminates the unconstitutional evil of the blacklist era while offering a glimpse behind the scenes of Hollywood's past. Adding to the realism, director Martin Scorsese makes a rare cameo as another filmmaker under fire. Although Winkler's script and direction are perhaps too melodramatic, Guilty by Suspicion was clearly made with noble purpose and intention. For anyone interested in the blacklisting era and Hollywood history, this movie's a must-see. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

A sober history lesson.......2006-06-07

Before you know it our rights can be taken away. Don't believe it? It happened before...watch this movie to find out how easily it happened.

Not to be missed.......2006-06-07

A compelling motion picture and an important reminder of what's possible if we are not vigilant citizens.

Excellent.......2006-06-07

Excellent script and acting. Based on actual events, it's hard to believe these things actually happened in this country.

An American Horror Story.......2006-06-07

For anybody interested in the McCarthy era of the 50s, "Guilty by Suspicion" is a must. In an effort to root out communist subversives in every aspect of American life, especially in the government and the motion picture industry, the U.S. Congress, in 1938, formed a special investigative body called The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). HUAC proceeded on what amounted to a modern day witch-hunt whose actions resulted in several contempt-of-Congress convictions and the blacklisting of many who refused to answer its questions.

"Guilty by Suspicion" dramatizes the terror experienced by innocent Americans at the hands of unscrupulous politicians who took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution as they were blatantly trampling on citizens' civil rights. It's also the story of one man's struggle with his conscience to do the right thing.

The film was extremely well made and the writing is excellent. The acting is top notch, especially by De Niro and Benning.

While it's a work of fiction, you can be sure it tells the true story of many people who went through this American horror story.

For anyone who thinks it could never happen here...it did.

History...Hollywood style.......2005-06-21

"Guilty by Suspicion" is one of those "Historical Fiction" films that "The Rotten Review" just can't get out of its hair. Historical fiction is ironic enough a term for any subject, but especially so when brought to bear against the evils of the McCarthy era. Like much historical fiction, the "Big Red Scare" mixed the true and the perhaps-no-true with little regard for distinguishing the one from the other. "Suspicion" so strongly enmeshes itself in the intrigue of the 50's Witch-Hunts that it's difficult to comment on the film without getting into the larger argument of their merits. On the other hand, this is a work of fiction, with invented characters, scripted dialog and its own form of a Hollywood ending. History being as important as "Suspicion" suggests - "The Rotten Review" wonders why it should be forced to pick for history out of its uninspired script, one that visits no new territory.

The story has noble (and fictional) Hollywood director David Merrill facing off against the House committee for Un-American Affairs long after he'd been stripped of his prestige and cozy life for refusing to name fellow Hollywood communists. Merrill we learn is no hero - he had no interest in politics, but went to some meetings during the war when it was fashionable to support any anti-fascist cause. But he doesn't want to name names. Soon he's forced to work pseudonymously on low-budget Westerns, until his true name is revealed. (His only defender, it turns out, is a Gary Cooper-like actor; even a similarly blacklisted friend played by Scorcese turns against him). To add insult to industry, less-noble friends turn against him and name him as a communist (including a writer that Merrill had earlier refused to name to the committee). Merrill decline works like a sort of trajectory - inevitably bringing him before the committee where scripted heroism will allow him to take an oral potshot at Hollywood-style politicians.

The other question this flick raises (that is, after the whole history and fiction issue) is this - why was this movie made? McCarthyism has been done to death - Woody Allen tackled this about 20 years ago with "The Front", a black-comedy also ending with the heroic showdown with HUAC. "Suspicion" seems to understand how new it's not - the script is so light on the details, it likely presumes that we already know the important stuff (good guys from bad politicians; the movie doesn't take chances by casting any popular actors in unpopular parts like those of the anti-communist inquisitors; like the communists of that era - the Witch Hunters have become "The Other", the faceless embodiment of anti-patriotic evil). Also, the watching this flick, it's easy to forget that the Red-Scare wasn't focused exclusively or even originally on Hollywood at all - early targets were the armed forces and the State Department. (For Merrill's denouement, the script appropriates the famous rejoinder by Army AG Joe Welch to Joe McCarthy.)

But worst of all, "Suspicion" is boring. The story, though following well-worn trails against right-wing agitprop, never seems to be going in any direction, and reinforces nothing other than a sentiment I had before seeing this movie: Hollywood can't be trusted to document its own lamentable moments in history.

Average customer rating:

Great Movie but the DVD playback is of poor quality

Guilty Conscience
Starring: Blythe Danner , Wiley Harker , Swoosie Kurtz , Ruth Manning , and Anthony Hopkins
Director: David Greene
Manufacturer: Westlake Ent. Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00023XHXM
Release Date: 1985-01-01

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie but the DVD playback is of poor quality.......2007-01-22

I really enjoy this movie, but have been unable to find a DVD with quality graphics. I have purchased 4 different versions of this movie and all look like they were recorded from a VCR tape. Would be nice if anyone out there knows where I can get this movie that views like a DVD instead of a bootleg copy.

"Blunt the Fourth Man" and "Guilty Conscience"

Average customer rating:

"Blunt the Fourth Man" and "Guilty Conscience"
Starring: Anthony Hopkins
Director: John Glenister; David Greene
Manufacturer: Movie Ventures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000AMQSEU
Release Date: 2001-02-14

[DVD] Guilty Conscience (1985) Starring Anthony Hopkins from Treasure Box Collection

Average customer rating:

Great Movie but the DVD playback is of poor quality

[DVD] Guilty Conscience (1985) Starring Anthony Hopkins from Treasure Box Collection

Manufacturer: Treasure Box Collection
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Edge
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ASIN: B00073IQ1A

Product Description

Guilty Conscience Starring Anthony Hopkins Treasure Box Collection 98 Minutes Color Anthony Hopkins plays a young lawyer who debates with his conscience over the pros and cons of murdering his wife for his younger mistress. UPC #7-28665-90017-5

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie but the DVD playback is of poor quality.......2007-01-22

Average customer rating:

Anthony Hopkins Rules!!!!!!!!!!

Guilty Conscience
Starring: Anthony Hopkins; Blythe Danner
Director: David Greene
Manufacturer: Passion Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Notes on a Scandal
The Queen

ASIN: B0002Y15NU
Release Date: 2001-01-01

Product Description

Anthony Hopkins stars in this psychological thriller as Arthur Jamison, a successful criminal attorney who has foul play on his mind when he discovers that his wife is seeking a divorce and plans to blackmail him and ruin his career.

Customer Reviews:

Anthony Hopkins Rules!!!!!!!!!!.......2005-05-24

Anthony Hopkins Rules in this great thriller.It's a must see at a great price!!!

Average customer rating:

Great Movie, Lousy DVD
Dreadful....hard to believe Hopkins and Danner could be this bad
DON'T BUY IT UNTIL YOU READ THIS!!!
Great movie - Lousy copy
A complete difference in opinion

Guilty Conscience
Starring: Anthony Hopkins , Blythe Danner , Swoosie Kurtz , Donegan Smith , and Wiley Harker
Director: David Greene
Manufacturer: Essex
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 630470173X
Release Date: 1997-11-14

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie, Lousy DVD.......2007-01-25

Arthur Jamison (Anthony Hopkins) is a brilliant and successful criminal defense attorney. There's just one problem. His wife (Blythe Danner) has decided to file for divorce and is planning to milk him for all he is worth. Since Arthur doesn't want that, he needs to figure out a way to kill his wife. But, being the attorney he is, he knows that he'd be the first suspect. While he plots various ways to bring about her demise, his mistress (Swoosie Kurtz) shows up unexpectedly. Now what will Arthur do?

This is an interesting little made for TV movie from the mid-80's, made long before any of the stars were a success. It has a bit of a low budget feel, but all three stars do a great job acting. It almost feels like a play since almost all of it takes place in Arthur and Louise's house and these three characters are the only real characters.

The plot is hard to discuss without giving anything away. We get several sequences of Arthur's plots to kill his wife and then the cross examination he images he'll have when the case goes to trial. I was getting a little bored with the movie, but half way through there's a great twist that grabbed my interest for the remainder of the film.

While the movie itself is 5 stars, I had to take a couple off for the DVD transfer. It's absolutely horrid. The picture looks like it is a third of fourth generation VHS recording. The transitions at the original commercial breaks are jarring.

While this is great movie, the DVD is a disappointment. If you must have this movie, go ahead. But be forewarned this is not the quality we normally get these days.

Dreadful....hard to believe Hopkins and Danner could be this bad.......2006-02-24

Not only was the DVD quality dreadful, the entire movie was equally awful. I bought this thinking that the acting would make up for the video quality. Much to my surprise, I found that even terrific actors (Anthony Hopkins and Blythe Danner) can make dreadful films. The acting was awful, the plot boring.

I had trouble even sitting still for the 90 minutes of the film. Avoid this stinker at all costs.

DON'T BUY IT UNTIL YOU READ THIS!!!.......2005-07-15

Nearly all the other reviews are right...the transfer copy of this was obviously done off the TV by somebody with a subpar VHS recorder, a low-quality tape and bad editing skills. But beware...at least half a dozen cheap video companies have made their prints from the same inferior master. So don't think buying a different copy with different graphics will make a difference, it won't, it's still the same lousy print. Until a real reputable company (Criterion, Image, etc.) buys it and announces they will be putting this out, any future copies will be as bad as these. That being said, if the quality of your print matters little, then buy it and enjoy the film, it's a great one!

Great movie - Lousy copy.......2005-07-09

This is a very good movie and very cleverly written, and I highly recommend it, HOWEVER, the quality of the copy I received from this Canada-based company was the worst copy of a movie I have ever seen. If you made a copy of a copy of a copy and did that at least 20 times, you would end up with a better copy than I got. And as unbelievable as it may seem, it actually says on the box and on the cassette label that it was recorded in EP instead of SP, which of course was never mentioned in the description. I will never buy from this company again, and in closing take note that Amazon has a no return policy on video purchases, so beware. Thanks a lot for the rip off, guys.

A complete difference in opinion.......2005-05-22

I bought this dvd for 1.00 in walmart. Contrary to the previous reviews that I just read, I felt that it was important to express my views on this film because all of the reviews strictly concentrated on the quality of the DVD or VHS, and rarely if at all spoke about the movie itself. I had no problem with the quality of the film, it reminded me of a 1984 quality even though it was released in 1999, which doesn't bother me at all. The film itself was very interesting. I felt that the writer had a unique idea in the fact that one of the main characters, Anthony Hopkins, a smart criminal attorney, talks to himself out loud, while actually seeing himself. He prosecutes himself in order to make sense of the case at hand. While he is working on an alibi and a plot to kill his wife. Meanwhile, there are so many different scenarios that he mull's over and that are played out for the audience to imagine and visualize. As the movie develops, we discover that his wife gets involved with his mistress, and together, they plot HIS murder. The only difference between Anthony and his wife, is that because of his professional background, he is busy thinking and planning logically about how it would play out after her death. The ironic part is that the mistress and the wife wined up carrying out HIS original plan, which by the way he already ruled out because it would incriminate him. I guess it's like if you snooze you lose or more so, he seemed to think too much about the consequences and in the end, his wife actually provaled because she didn't hesitate, although, we don't see into the after effects of the murder because it ended not abruptly, but shortly after this took place, which by the way, was my only disappointment because the movie could have gone on for another 25 minutes and I still wouldn't mind at all.

Average customer rating:

Great Movie, Lousy DVD
Dreadful....hard to believe Hopkins and Danner could be this bad
DON'T BUY IT UNTIL YOU READ THIS!!!
Great movie - Lousy copy
A complete difference in opinion

Guilty Conscience
Starring: Anthony Hopkins , Blythe Danner , Swoosie Kurtz , Donegan Smith , and Wiley Harker
Director: David Greene
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00005LDD2
Release Date: 2000-12-26

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie, Lousy DVD.......2007-01-25

Dreadful....hard to believe Hopkins and Danner could be this bad.......2006-02-24

DON'T BUY IT UNTIL YOU READ THIS!!!.......2005-07-15

Great movie - Lousy copy.......2005-07-09

A complete difference in opinion.......2005-05-22

Average customer rating:

Good movies, TERRIBLE transfer.....

Guilty Conscience/Blunt, the Fourth Man
Starring: Anthony Hopkins
Manufacturer: Westlake Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00003ES3J
Release Date: 1999-11-30

Customer Reviews:

Good movies, TERRIBLE transfer............2000-05-28

These are good movies; of the two I liked "Guilty Concience" better, but that's just a preference -- "Blunt" was quite interesting as well. The price is right too.

However, this is a NASTY tansfer. Obviously vidoe source, cheap, careless transfer, audio noise & hiss so bad that the dialog is often unintelligible, wobbly color, and sectors so bad that my DVD player choked and to be forced to skip the chapter.