
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
The Origins of Film doesn't encompass as much as the title might suggest. The 10-hour program showcases some of the first works by African American and women directors as well as early ventures into the genres of animation, fantasy, and gangster cinema from the silent era. It's not so much a definitive look at the origins of film as it is a survey of pioneering works by often overlooked artists and genres, and on those terms it's an invaluable, astounding set.
Divided into six programs on three discs, the set features a handful of landmark features along with collections of shorts. Oscar Michaux's groundbreaking 1919 mixed-race drama Within Our Walls is a powerful portrait of the racism and injustice faced by disenfranchised African America citizens of the time, at times a tangled story but never less than startling and sobering. Maurice Tourneur's assured Alias Jimmy Valentine is a striking 1915 gangster feature with a melodramatic plot (reused in the Disney comedy No Deposit, No Return!), handsome sets, and a graceful, gripping style. Alice Guy-Blache's hilarious and energetic 1913 shorts Matrimony's Speed Limits and A House Divided and Lois Weber's droll 1921 social satire Too Wise Wives are accomplished, sophisticated satires that wryly comment on the relations between men and women. Frank L. Baum himself wrote and produced the whimsical 1914 feature The Patchwork Girl of Oz, an inventive, deftly directed fantasy with delightful costumes and storybook images. Among the other highlights: a brief survey of American animation from primitive proto-cartoons of 1900, some unusually graceful examples of Windsor McCay's work from 1921, D.W. Griffith's 1912 gangster drama The Narrow Road with Mary Pickford, and a 1923 sound short featuring singer Noble Sissle and jazz legend Eubie Blake.
The boxed set comes with a modest but informative 12-page booklet with historical background and preservation notes. All films are accompanied by simple but appropriate piano scores. A welcome complement to the ambitious Treasures from American Film Archives, this more modest set sheds light on cinematic invention and silent film creativity often ignored in the official record. --Sean Axmaker
Description
These remarkable silent films are among the first examples of the unique and enduring contribution that Americans have made in the genres of gangster films, fantasy films, and animation art, as well as highlighting the works of early African American and women filmmakers. These timeless classics have been meticulously restored, given new scores and are being offered to the public for the first time on DVD. "The African American Cinema I" - Oscar Micheaux's "Within Our Gates" is the earliest surviving feature directed by an African American. However, the startling film, unseen for 75 years, is far more than a historic curiosity, it is a passionate social history that confronts racism head on. "The African American Cinema II" - "The Scar of Shame" is a rare surviving silent example of what the film industry once labeled "race movies": films with African American casts intended for African American audiences. Also included is an early experimental musical short documenting the team of Nobel Sissle (on vocals) and Eubie Blake (on piano). "Origins of American Animation" - This collection of twenty-one complete films showcases the best of the Library of Congress' animated cartoons from the first decades of the Twentieth century, an era full of surprises and experimentation. "Origins of the Fantasy Feature" - Two rare features from 1914 bring to the screen an imaginative freedom and comic verve rarely duplicated since. Novelist L. Frank Baum himself produced "The Patchwork Girl of Oz," and "A Florida Enchantment" is a wonderful gender-bending comedy of manners. "American's First Women Filmmakers" - Before the consolidation of Hollywood's studio system, women were among the most prominent film directors in America. This program collects four complete works from the silent era's two most accomplished and successful women directors, Lois Weber and Alice Guy-Blache. "Origins of the Gangster" - Long before the James Cagney/ Edward G. Robinson era, American directors and audiences were finding suspense and thrills in the gangster film. Includes "Alias Jimmy Valentine" from 1915 and D.W. Griffith's "The Narrow Road" starring Mary Pickford.
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The Jungle Book (Two-Disc 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition)
Starring: Phil Harris , Sebastian Cabot , Louis Prima , George Sanders , and Sterling Holloway Director: Wolfgang Reitherman Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000OLGCI4 Release Date: 2007-10-02 |
Description
One of the most popular Disney films ever, THE JUNGLE BOOK is a song-filled celebration of friendship, fun, and adventure set in a lush and colorful world. Inspired by Rudyard Kipling's "Mowgli" stories, Disney's 19th animated masterpiece was the last animated feature that had Walt Disney's personal touch. The jubilant adventure begins when Mowgli, a little boy raised by wolves, is urged by his friend Bagheera, a wise old panther, to seek safety in the man village. Feeling very much at home in the jungle, Mowgli resists and runs off. Much to Bagheera's dismay, Mowgli meets a new friend with a happy-go-lucky philosophy of life -- Baloo the Bear, a lovable "jungle bum." Together, the three buddies find the journey back to civilization anything but civilized! They encounter a crazy orangutan, the hypnotic and sly snake Kaa, and the menacing Shere Khan! Fully restored for this 30th anniversary edition, this enduring classic swings with jazzy toe-tapping music, including the Academy Award(R)-nominated "The Bare Necessities," and the freewheeling "I Wan'na Be Like You"! A thrilling story for all ages, THE JUNGLE BOOK is an absolute necessity for your video collection.Customer Reviews:
A Gem Repolished!!!!.......2007-03-27
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The Jungle Book (Limited Issue)
Starring: Phil Harris , Sebastian Cabot , Louis Prima , George Sanders , and Sterling Holloway Director: Wolfgang Reitherman Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
Accessories:
ASIN: B00001QEE8 Release Date: 1999-12-07 |
Amazon.com essential video
Disney's 1967 animated feature seems even more entertaining now than it did upon first release, with a hall-of-fame vocal performance by Phil Harris as Baloo, the genial bear friend of feral child Mowgli. Based on fiction by Rudyard Kipling, the film goes its own way as Disney animation will, but the strong characters and smart casting (George Sanders as the villainous tiger, Shere Khan) make it one of the studio's stronger feature-length cartoons. Songs include "The Bare Necessities" and "Trust in Me." --Tom KeoghCustomer Reviews:
all time classic.......2007-05-13
Jungle Book.......2007-05-09
Cute Characters, Great Songs and Sweet Story Make this a Disney Classic .......2007-02-04
Still love this movie..........2007-01-12
DVD Review.......2007-01-10
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Sioux City
Starring: Bill Allen , Apesanahkwat , Earl Boen , Tantoo Cardinal , and Lise Cutter Director: Lou Diamond Phillips , and Jim Goldthwait Manufacturer: Platinum Disc ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000AGTPVY Release Date: 2005-08-30 |
Customer Reviews:
Native Amercian Indian.......2007-05-05
A wonderful contrast of two cultures..........2005-10-14
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Broken Lullaby
Starring: Mel Harris , Rob Stewart , Oliver Tobias , Jennifer Dale , and Frances Hyland (II) Director: Michael Kennedy Manufacturer: Imavision ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00011V8GI Release Date: 2003-12-16 |
Customer Reviews:
Stiff acting, no chemistry, not an interesting story for me C-/D+.......2006-03-23
Make sure this is the "Broken Lullaby" you really want!.......2005-01-11
NOW THIS IS A ROMANCE .......2004-12-04
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Challenge of the Super Friends to Justice League (DVD 3-Pack) (Attack of the Legion of Doom/United They Stand/Secret Origins)
Starring: Super Friends to Justice League 3 Pac Manufacturer: Warner Home Video ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0001O3YTE Release Date: 2004-04-13 |
Customer Reviews:
Great stuff!.......2004-06-29
Good stuff, especially for JLA comic book fans. Kinda irritating that these 2 series are being released piecemeal (and if you find yourselves buying the Justice League 3-pack you will end up having 2 copies of the Justice League pilot!!!!). Anyway am looking forward to buying the season 1/ complete set of "Challenge of the Superfriends". Plus am hoping that they come out with season/ boxed sets of Justice League as well.
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Livin' Large!
Starring: Terrence 'T.C.' Carson , Lisa Arrindell Anderson , Blanche Baker , Nathaniel Hall , and Julia Campbell Director: Michael Schultz Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD) ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000CNY5L Release Date: 2003-12-02 |
Description
This hilarious, free-wheeling (The New York Times) urban comedy about the price of success'skewers well-earned targets with unpretentious charm and vigor (The Hollywood Reporter)! Make no mistake about it: Livin Large will leave you laughin large! His entire life, Atlanta native Dexter Jackson (Terence 't.C. Carson) has dreamt of one thing: breaking into the world of TV news. So when, by freak coincidence, he lands a job as Channel 4's Man About Town, he finally thinks he's made it. But in order to compete on the ladder of success, Dexter soon begins to change his image and sell out his friends on TV! Before long, he finds himself shunned and alone, and faced with a not so black-and-white choice: save his career or his soul!Customer Reviews:
Not sure what the point of this movie was...........2005-12-30
horrid.......2003-12-30
Decent..........2001-12-30
it's garbage.......2000-02-01
Oh, but no . . ........1999-03-21
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Dark Waters
Manufacturer: Noshame ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000HOJTVK Release Date: 2006-09-26 |
Amazon.com
Young Italian director Mariano Baino may hope to be the new Dario Argento, but he isn't there yet. In this cool box set that includes the cement medallion from Dark Waters, the feature, Dark Waters, is actually a weak link. Broaching the Italian Catholic subject of mysterious, demented nuns, Dark Waters tells the story of Elizabeth (Louise Salter), a sexy Londoner whose father has died and requested that she donate a portion of her inheritance to an isolated monastery in the Black Sea where her mother used to live, and where she was born. When Elizabeth visits, she becomes stranded, discovering that the nuns make blood sacrifices to appease a water demon, and her only confidant on the island, friend-turned-nun Sarah (Venera Simmons), turns out to be equally psycho. Candlelit sanctums, chanting, blind nuns, and bloody crosses liken this nunnery to a torture chamber, but the clichés ruin scary moments. Slow pacing in Dark Waters also lowers the scare factor. That said, the second disc featuring Baino's early shorts, is full of brief, eerie spectacles. "Never Ever After" is about a girl whose wish to rid herself of her body results in her beheading. "Caruncula" stars a grizzly serial killer, who is transformed into TV dinner upon encountering his match, a seemingly harmless young lady. In "Dream Car", a young man's demise is attributed to an evil red sports car. In these shorts, plots move along and gore happens faster, their ideas concise, original, and nightmarish, making the Dark Waters box set satisfying on the whole. --Trinie DaltonDescription
A remote, storm-swept island a population of evolutionary throwbacks a forbidding Medieval monastery a strange religious order ancient, undying evil. After the death of her father, a beautiful Londoner travels to a desolate island to investigate the dead man's bequest of a large sum of money to be paid annually to the reclusive nuns of a local convent. Given little information from the secretive sisterhood or their blind Mother Superior, Elizabeth strikes out on her own with the aid of a helpful novice and discovers the convent serves as a prison for an ancient aquatic demon whose awful wrath is held at bay only so long as the fragments of a stone amulet bearing the monsterÂ's horrific likeness are kept separated. The first feature film by Mariano Baino is an unabashed love letter to the strange stories of H.P. Lovecraft and the color (and blood) drenched films of Mario Bava and Dario Argento. Filmed on location in Ukraine and making atmospheric use of the famed Odessa catacombs, DARK WATERS is an undeniably audacious debut  a sumptuously unsettling smorgasbord of disconcerting visuals and unnerving sounds that must be seen to be believed. DARK WATERS stars British actress Louise Salter (INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE) and Soviet performer Mariya Kapnist (Naina the Witch from Aleksandr PtushkoÂ's RUSLAN AND LYUDMILLA) in her last film role.Customer Reviews:
Dark Waters of great horror........2007-05-05
EXCELLENT HORROR .......2007-03-30
Brooding, "Lovecraftian" Nightmare.......2007-01-26
what are your choices?.......2007-01-22
Italian Euro-Horror film ripe for discovery.......2006-11-02
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Lyricist Lounge: Dirty States of America
Starring: Various Artists Manufacturer: Image Entertainment ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00022PZ4W Release Date: 2004-06-01 |
Description
The untold story of Southern Hip-Hop! In a commercial music industry which has lost its way artistically and creatively, Southern Hip-Hop is steeped in spirituality and struggle and is deeply rooted in slavery, the civil rights movement, poverty and oppreCustomer Reviews:
Hotness for real.......2006-02-23
Right On... On point.......2005-12-27
Finally...our story.......2004-09-24
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Classic Square Dancing Film DVD: Square Dance History Film With Country Square Dancing Music, Clothes, & Pictures
Manufacturer: Quality Information Publishers Inc. ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD Similar Items:
Product Features:
ASIN: B000JR8HOU |
Product Description
Historic square dancing film presented by the magazine Sets In Order, to promote square dancing as an activity. Includes great historical footage of square dancing culture, clothes, music, and dance steps. Table Of Contents: (1) Square Dancing (1950s) Sets In Order Presents Square Dancing. This film was created by a square dance magazine to promote square dancing. Great footage of square dancing moves, music, and clothes - 13 Minutes
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Slapstick, Too
Starring: Charles Chaplin , W.C. Fields , Oliver Hardy , Marx Brothers , and Eli Wallach Manufacturer: SHANACHIE ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD ASIN: B000228SIW Release Date: 2004-07-13 |
Description
Slapstick, Too is an illuminating, fun-filled look back at the early film comedy and the great masters of the art, featuring the hilarious antics of Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Fatty Arbuckle, the Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, and many more. These comic legends drew their characters and style from the raucous humor of the vaudeville stage where the wild anarchy of slapstick was king, and Slapstick, Too is loaded with non-stop, side-splitting scenes from classic movies that show them at the peak of their powers.Customer Reviews:
Brief Overview of Slapstick.......2006-11-04
DVD:
DVD
Trainspotting - Director's Cut (Collector's Edition)
Early Bird, The / Press For Time [1965]
DVD: Les Miserables - The Dream Cast in Concert (Superbit Co