Prisoner of Love

Starring:Billy Otis, R.D. Reid, Carl Marotte, Terri Hawkes, Kevin Jubinville, Mic Jones, Naomi Campbell, Moris Santia, Heather Mathieson, Paul Eves (II), Tony Munch, Billy Parrott, Bruce McFee, Robert Hannah, James Gallanders, Beau Starr, Tiffany Wall, Eric Thal
Director: Steve DiMarco
Studio: Lions Gate
Product Type: DVD

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 and 1952 Versions)

Average customer rating:

Classic Swashbuckling
A classic and an attempted classic.
I love this movie!
Twin "Prisoners" Capture Your Imagination!
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 and 1952 Versions)
Starring: Ronald Colman , Madeleine Carroll , C. Aubrey Smith , Raymond Massey , and Mary Astor
Director: W.S. Van Dyke , John Cromwell , and Richard Thorpe
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000KJU13C
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Customer Reviews:

Classic Swashbuckling.......2007-07-05

Prisoner of Zenda has all the characters that are so identifiable a real classic movie for the family.

A classic and an attempted classic........2007-06-16

I think most film fans will agree that the Ronald Colman version of this oft-told tale is the finest, perhaps because the chemistry between Colman and Madeleine Carroll was perfect, but there is no denying that Technicolor would have added another touch of magnificence. This is the advantage of the 1952 version; the Technicolor is breathtaking, and while the performances were quite good, there is virtually no chemistry between the leads. Deborah Kerr is surprisingly cold as Flavia, but certainly very beautiful. Stewart Granger is nearly perfect as Rudolph. This is a fine double-feature, with each version offering its' own fine points.
You may very well be enchanted by both.

I love this movie!.......2007-06-01

I have been waiting for someone to release the 1937 version of "The Prisoner of Zenda" for quite a time. This has to be one of the best translations of novel to film of its period (and this puts it up against some stiff competition!). What really gives this version its edge is its outstanding cast. First there is the always wonderful Ronald Coleman. Too few of his movies are available on DVD and it will be a happy day indeed when a large collection of his films are issued in a box set. Along with Coleman, there are the always wonderful Madeline Caroll, C. Aubrey Smith, Raymond Massey, Mary Astor, and David Niven. However, the lion's share of acting glory must go to Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Did any actor ever have as wonderful a time playing a role as he does in this film? I doubt it and what a pleasure it is watching him play a world weary villain like Rupert of Hentzau? It really does not get any better than this!

This film comes with a 1952 remake, which though in color is just not as good as the original. The actors, Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr and James Mason, while good just cannot match the original. However, probably serves to underscore the mastery of the first version.

Twin "Prisoners" Capture Your Imagination!.......2007-05-15

I've always been a fan of Ronald Colman so I was excited to see that this picture was finally being released along with the remake. The cast in the 1937 film is superior to the 1952 version. Other than that, the remake is almost verbatim! Ronald Colman and Madeline Carroll are excellent and the costumes and settings are as romantic and as real as actually being in a mountain country in the latter part of the 19th century.

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937).......2007-05-14

Definitely the better of the two films. I'd have given five stars if the soundtrack hadn't been so soft that I had to turn the volume up to the maximum just to hear it at a normal level. And that's a pity. RH

Average customer rating:

Grand Illusion
The mother of all escape films.
one of the top ten films of all time
One of the best movies I've seen.
A Masterpiece of French Cinema

Grand Illusion - Criterion Collection
Starring: Jean Gabin , Dita Parlo , Pierre Fresnay , Erich von Stroheim , and Julien Carette
Director: Jean Renoir
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0780020707
Release Date: 1999-11-23

Amazon.com essential video

It's long been one of the revered classics of international cinema, but there is no fine layer of dust over La Grande Illusion. Jean Renoir's film is just as vibrant, exciting, and wise as it has ever been. The story is set during World War I, mostly in a couple of German POW camps, where two very different French prisoners plot to escape: the working-class officer Maréchal (Jean Gabin, the French Spencer Tracy) and the upper-class de Boieldieu (Pierre Fresnay). The suspenseful backbone of the story is formed by these escape attempts, but Renoir is primarily concerned with the way people treat each other, and especially with how class and nationality inform human relations. Most compelling of all the film's characters is the aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, unforgettably incarnated by stiff-backed Erich von Stroheim; although he runs a prison camp, von Rauffenstein cannot help but strike up a friendship with de Boieldieu, a kindred spirit from the doomed nobility. There is nothing dewy or naive about Renoir's vision (and two years after the release of this antiwar film, Europe was plunged into another world war), yet Grand Illusion is one of those movies that makes you feel good about such long-outmoded ideas as sacrifice and brotherhood. After it won a prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1937, the Nazis declared the film "Cinematographic Enemy Number One." There can be no higher praise. --Robert Horton

Description

One of the very first prison escape movies, Grand Illusion is hailed as one of the greatest films ever made. Jean Renoir's antiwar masterpiece stars Jean Gabin and Pierre Fresnay, as French soldiers held in a World War I German prison camp, and Erich von Stroheim as the unforgettable Captain von Rauffenstein. Following a smash theatrical re-release, Criterion is proud to present Grand Illusion in a new special edition, with a beautifully restored digital transfer.

Customer Reviews:

Grand Illusion.......2007-06-20

One of the great achievements in world cinema, Renoir's "The Grand Illusion" explores the seemingly arbitrary borders of class, language, and citizenship that divide us. Banned by the Nazis on the eve of WWII, "Illusion" remains a compelling hybrid of the prison-escape genre and Renoir's own brand of warm, humanistic drama, characterized by the easygoing interactions between soldiers and prisoners. Expertly directed and wonderfully acted by Gabin, Fresnay, Von Stroheim, and Marcel Dalio as French-Jewish compatriot Rosenthal, "Illusion" is ultimately a brilliant critique of war itself. It was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar in 1938.

The mother of all escape films........2007-05-12

The Grand Illusion (Jean Renoir, 1937)

The Grand Illusion is the escape movie of all escape movies, the one from which all the rest descend. On that alone, it would be a classic. This is Renoir, though, and so pretty much by default, it is so much more.

During World War I, two French officers are captured by the German army. Marechal (Jean Gabin) is a working-class stiff who rose through the ranks; de Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay) is an aristocrat. The two are held captive by von Rauffenstein (Erich von Stroheim), who sympathizes with de Boeldieu's plight and comes to see him as something of a friend, but the prisoners are concerned with nothing more than escape. Each discovered attmpt lands them in a supposedly more escape-proof prison, until they're reunited with von Rauffenstein in a castle high above a cliff, from which no prisoner has ever escaped.

The obvious sentiments can be found here, both the anti-war sentiment and the struggle between the classes, yet Renoir allows those to come out naturally in the telling of the tale. Would that more modern directors had learned from this approach. Marechal and de Boeldieu are surrounded by some great straight men (The Grand Illusion was an obvious influence over Billy Wilder's Stalag 17, the movie that in turn inspired the TV show Hogan's Heroes), and Renoir's sense of the absurd plays out in some great sight gags.

I have to admit that, despite the great critical affection for Renoir, I've never found him quite as compelling as Luis Bunuel; that said, The Grand Illusion is a fine, fine movie, and well worth your time if you've not seen it. ****

one of the top ten films of all time.......2007-05-06

Some comments on this reissue:

THE SUBTITLE SITUATION: You can opt out of displaying any subtitles or you can select English, in which case the letters are white but with tiny black borders around them to enhance visibility. THERE ARE NO SUBTITLES IN FRENCH, or in any other language. Grrr.

THE AUDIO SITUATION: There is either the original French, or a prepared commentary in English by Peter Cowie, who is immensely informative and interlaces his material with copious quotes from Renoir himself. There are no dubs into other languages.

The thing has been visibly remastered. Dirt and scratches have been removed.

The thing is, unless there's something I'm missing, there's something YOU'RE missing: the screen you see is only TV-sized: 1.33 to 1, whereas the original film was 1.37 to 1. Just a note to irritate the purists out there.

And another to the folks at Criterion Collection: The "filmed introduction by Jean Renoir" isn't rare anymore!

One of the best movies I've seen........2006-12-04

Brimming with tension, suspense, and action, Grand Illusion is one of the greatest war films ever made. Directed by the brilliant Jean Renoir, the movie effortlessly mixes social commentary, breathless excitement, and a subtle, powerful antiwar message. The cast, lead by Jean Gabin and Pierre Fresnay as two French soldiers who've been captured by the Germans during World War I, is magnificent, a vibrant assortment of complex, dynamic performers who are blessed with an intuitive grasp of their characters.
The story, which concerns the efforts of a group of French officers to escape from German custody, is an archetype, a blueprint for future features such as The Great Escape, Stalag 17, and just about every prison escape movie you've ever seen. If Grand Illusion had contented itself with being a mere military thriler, it would still have been a masterpiece. However, the film is also a brilliant study of human relationships: Renoir is more concerned with the interactions between the soldiers and their comrades, between the French and the Germans, between the aristocracy and the bourgeoise, and between soldiers and civilians than he is with the specificity of war. By studying the way people treat eachother, Grand Illusion reveals the common experiences and feelings that exist onm both sides of any confrontation, and thus reveals the tragic absudity of war. A great movie.

A Masterpiece of French Cinema.......2006-09-26

Jean Renoir's 1938 film "Grand Illusion" is a legendary film on so many levels. It's on a list of almost every film critic's favorite movies (it's listed in Roger Ebert's "The Great Movies"), it's #1 in The Criterion Collection (which isn't listed by greatness, for the record), and it's inspired movies/shows like The Great Escape and Prison Break. The latter, in it's second season of FOX, has a simalar escape plan. Ask most people who've seen this film and they call it a "Prison escape" movie. Technically it is; The main characters spend more than half the film trying to escape from a Prisoner-of-War camp, but it's a little deeper than that. The film opens on an interesting note; We meet Captain von Rauffenstein (Erich von Stroheim, 'Sunset Boulevard'), a German who has just succeeded in shooting down a French plane that holds Lieutenant Marechal (Jean Gabin) and Captain de Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay). Even though he has just shot them down von Rauffenstein says "If they are officers, invite them for lunch." Sporting a broken arm Marechal and de Boeldieu join von Rauffenstein for lunch and then they are transported to a P.O.W. camp. Once they get there, Marechal and de Boeldieu are told by three wonderfully colorful characters about an escape plan. They are digging a tunnell that leads to a garden behind some buildings (in one scene, while the others dig, one guy sees that a prisoner has been shot. When he asks why, a soldier tells him the guy was found in the garden behind the buildings trying to escape.). Out of the three men that enlist Marechal and de Boeldieu to help them escape, only one becomes a main character. That's the rich Jew Rosenthal (Marcel Dalio), who recieves parcels of food from his family that he shares with his comrades. One of the other men steals every scene he's in and that's Cartier (Julien Carette), an actor who upstages almost everyone in the film. Anyway, when the tunnell is completed and the escape is set in motion; The men get news that all officers are being transported to a different facility. It's Marechal, Rosenthal, and de Boeldieu that end up together at the new camp that has von Rauffenstein in charge. Since they met him in the beginning, he sustained some spinal injuries ending his flying days and causing him to wear a neck/back brace. At the new facility, there's no tunnell to be dug and the walls are to high to scale...But that doesn't stop out protagonists from attempting to escape. Meanwhile, von Raffenstein befriends de Boeldieu which leads to some of the best moments in the film. One of the things that's most overlooked is that almost every scene in this film ends on a humorous note. Some verbal, most physical. I'm going to end my review of the MOVIE with the fact that this film has some incredible performances and is truly a classic film; You might have to watch it more than once for it to hit you, but this is an early masterpiece. Now, for the technical aspects of the DVD. Criterion usually does a pretty good job as far as picture and sound quality and here it's perfect. The film was made in 1938, but the picture and sound here is so clear that it could've been made a few years ago. I stumbled on this movie only because it was at the Library and I'm very glad I did. If you are a film buff or have any appreciation for film, you should see this movie.

GRADE: A-

Average customer rating:

JUDE LAW..YUMMI...WEIRD STORY
My So-Called Holocaust Life
Strong Women, trying times
Interesting in idea, but fell through slightly...
Blah

I Love You, I Love You Not
Starring: Claire Danes , Jude Law , James Van Der Beek , Julia Stiles , and Jeanne Moreau
Director: Billy Hopkins
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 6305433887
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Amazon.com

Sadly, playwright Wendy Kesselman's sensitive story about anti-Semitism is rather forcibly directed by former casting agent Billy Hopkins, as if this were not so much a feature film as a glorified after-school special for TV. Despite that, the film largely works on the strength of its two leads: Claire Danes, who plays a young Jewish girl identified as such at her private, coed high school, and Jeanne Moreau, who plays her grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. As Danes's character is increasingly shunned and becomes a target of bigotry and vandalism, Moreau's loving grandma helps keep her from going over the edge.

The film also concerns the high price of being different on many fronts. Not only is Danes's young heroine dissimilar to her friends because she's Jewish, she's also intense, keenly intelligent, and a poetry lover. When she falls for a callow stud at school who worries about the opinion of his idiotic friends, she feels for the first time the pain of being rejected for being who she is. Moreau is magnificent as the lifelong survivor who knows when to give her granddaughter refuge and when to push her into the real world to find her own footing. Danes's performance reads like a map of increasingly exciting things to come in her career; there are moments in this film when you look at her and can see the consummate actress in her future. --Tom Keogh

Description

Hot young stars Claire Danes (LES MISERABLES, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO + JULIET) and Jude Law (COLD MOUNTAIN, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY) heat up the screen in this passionate story about fitting in ... and falling in love! Head-turning cute but painfully shy and self-conscious, Daisy (Danes) feels like a complete outsider at her stuffy New York prep school. So when she catches the eye of the coolest guy in school, Daisy is totally psyched ... but afraid that opening up too much might blow it for her. Also starring legendary Jeanne Moreau (EVER AFTER, THE SUMMER HOUSE), I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU NOT is the film that proves dreams worth having are definitely worth wishing for!

Customer Reviews:

JUDE LAW..YUMMI...WEIRD STORY.......2007-03-29

This was the 1st movie i saw with Jude Law and i fell in love with him right away. I think this story is very sweet at the begining but it is a little bit weird and confusing.. u gotta keep up with Claire Danes's character which is a weirdo girl. I bought this dvd a while ago but what i didnt like is that there is a part that they edited, where they are in the park and they start kissing and he is about to take off her top and she says "no, just wait..wait for me" something like that. THEY TOOK THAT OFF! man!

My So-Called Holocaust Life.......2006-02-12

I am so angry at this film that it will be very difficult for me to contain the harsh words that are ready to spew from my mouth. This will not be a review for young readers. I Love You, I Love You Not was an atrocity from beginning to end. From both the disgustingly poor editing, to the sloppy acting, all the way to the horrendous themes that seemed to plot two random events together this film screamed "After School Special". In fact, now that I think about it, "After School Special" would be too delicate of a summary, it instead felt like a eager undergraduate film student attempting to be smart by attempting to poorly summarize the Holocaust with the turmoil of being a high school student. Hopefully the professor of this assignment saw the project and properly gave it the "F" it deserved. Hollywood completely outdid itself on this doozy of a film. I am surprised that the Jewish community didn't find this film offensive in the way that it trivialized the events of the Holocaust and compared them to the social troubles of a High School girl. I was upset by this occurrence, and I am not even Jewish. After this short film viewing, I felt dirty, upset by the Hollywood community, and ready to shout obscenities at everyone involved with this project. I Love You, I Love You Not was just another Hollywood attempt to monopolize on Claire Danes' My So-Called Life popularity while trying to be overly symbolic by involving the Holocaust. Is anyone else as sick as I am about this disgraceful marriage?

I do not understand at all what director Billy Hopkins was attempting to convey with this film. The themes were muddled in a slew of choppy editing and horrid flashbacks that left my mind in a confused knot. In one instance we had Danes unwilling to spend time with her grandmother, while in the next instance she was opening up everything in her life to her, while in the next she was making out with the mirror, and suddenly in the next she was asking Moreau to tell her a nightmarish bedtime story involving Robert Sean Leonard. Wouldn't that give anyone nightmares? It did give everyone nightmares and preempts our next step into the randomly anti-Semitic High School in which Danes attends. Unlike other films that use the Holocaust to show the injustices of the world, like in School Ties, this film randomly interjects the anti-Semitic moments near the end as if only to help strengthen already dead climax. Like nearly every scene in this film, the supposed "high-points" come and go nearly as quickly as modern fashion, leaving the viewer with nothing at all. I walked away of this film with an embarrassed look. While there may have been some attempt at meaning behind Billy Hopkins' camera, what eventually was released was a childish attempt to combine the trivial life of a High School girl to that of the monumental disaster known as the Holocaust. Could you put these two together? A great director probably could, but Hopkins' could not. All that it seems that he wants to create are meaningless dramatic plot-holes coupled with beautiful people.

Which, ultimately, leads me to the acting. While "abhorrent" would be a light word summarizing the purely absent acting of Danes, Law, and Van Der Beek, it is the only one that I could think of. Danes, using the same character structure from My So-Called Life in this film, could not find her way out of a paper bag if she tried. I could hear Hopkins in the background saying, "Give me more Angela Chase, I hired you for Angela, I WANT ANGELA". Her character is all over the place, manic depressive in one moment, happy the next, chaotic throughout, pitiful entirely. I loved the fact that she was a "reader", but one of the most ignorant characters created. You would think that with all the books she would have learned from them, sputtering quotes throughout the film, but alas, that never happened. Again, we were left with only Angela Chase. Award winning Jeanne Moreau bounces of the non-existent acting of Danes by providing her own character which does not fit into this film. Obviously disturbed by her time in Auschwitz, Moreau never develops this. She allows Danes to walk all over her, creating a weak grandmother and a needy, spoiled granddaughter. Throw in "boy-toy" Jude Law only for looks (because his character was as transparent as Saran wrap) and you have the worst cast in cinema. Nobody did any work with their characters, but instead walked around the set happy to be earning some, if any, money for their roles. I am surprised that both Danes and Law were able to pull themselves out of the I Love You, I Love You Not rut.

Overall, this was a confusing film that was only proven worse by torrential acting, very ill cinematography, a hasty Hollywood story (very obviously created by the infamous recycle machine), and by combining a trivial moment in a teenager's life with the historical hardships of the Holocaust. That would be similar to me trivializing the horrible deaths on the beaches of Omaha with me not getting a date for my Senior Prom. That just is painful to hear and visually see. The acting was non-existent, but obvious ploys to get a younger audience to attempt to connect with the story. The direction was nauseating. The constant flicking between present day and past stories kept me dizzied for days afterwards. Then, there was the uproarious casting of Robert Sean Leonard, I couldn't help but laugh when I continually saw him on screen. The only actor worth mentioning in this film was Julia Stiles, but that was because she kept her mouth shut. This was a disaster from the beginning and should be forgotten by all!

Grade: * out of *****

Strong Women, trying times.......2005-05-09

How could I resist seeing what the pairing of Claire Danes and Jude Law would be like? Honestly, I would love to see them together again. Jude Law is actually not the most important character in this, the relationship that is the glue of this movie is between the Claire Danes character and her grandmother, played by Jeanne Moreau. They have a great sisterly bond, occasionaly one of them has to play the adult, but often it is just play. It was really touching to see.

Jude Law is the 'it' boy while Danes is the wallflower he is intrigued by but dissapointed to learn that no matter how charming he is, she is always going to be herself. Her intense, poetic and mysteriously sad self.

The back of the box really gave no indication of what this story was really about, which was kind of nice, I might not have picked it up, but it was compeltely missleading!

I really enjoyed this movie, and the way it interplayed Daisy's life with her grandmother's experience with being a German Jew during Hitler's reign. I wouldn't call it sad, but a very contemplative movie.

It would have been nice to see Law's character come to some sort of enlightenment, but all in all it was satisfying, because he isn't the focus. The focus is between these two strong, surviving women, and their relationship stands the test of the movie. Which I applaud completely.

Interesting in idea, but fell through slightly..........2004-04-03

I liked this movie...alot, but it could have been alot better. Claire Danes, Jeanne Moreau, and Jude Law did excellent jobs. The problem wasn't in the acting, and wasn't really in the dialogue. the problem was taht at times it was hard to follow and some parts felt unresolved or unexplained. It would have been nice to see more of the relationship between Law's and Danes' characters. It also would have been nicer to have just a bit more on Law's character on his own and why he went with Danes' character. The dreams and quasi-flashbacks were also very hard to follow. Maybe if the movie had been longer and given a cleaner, but not necassarily perfect feel it would have been better. the anti-semetic letters she get and the reason for the break-up isn't very clear and if we had been able to see more than a few temporary moments of her relationship with her parents then we'd get a bigger picture of the character's problems.

I'd suggest it to anyone who is a fan of Claire Danes or Jude Law. Or just a good movie.

Blah.......2004-03-22

I really hated this... it wasn't even worth my time to TiVo it. It was completely unrelatable and just dragged. It rubbed me the wrong way.

Average customer rating:

Fantastic Movie to be Watched OVER and OVER Again!!
Cute movie!
Typical Hallmark Hall of Famer, but Still Entertaining
This is the best movie....
In Love and War

In Love and War
Starring: Callum Blue , Barbora Bobulova , Peter Bowles , Nick Reding , and John Warnaby
Director: John Kent Harrison
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005UW89
Release Date: 2002-02-26

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Movie to be Watched OVER and OVER Again!!.......2007-05-08

This is one of my most favorite movies ever! I brings to life a simple romance in the midst of war. The actors are really good, and story line is clean. I would recomend for anyone of any age. I remember when I was 6 or 7 and my parents were watching it and I remember little bits of it. Then about a month ago I saw it at the library and instantly recognized it, even though I hadn't seen the cover for almost a decade. I also have a fine on it at the library for having it too long...

Cute movie!.......2004-05-27

I think this is one of the most adorable movies I have ever seen. I think as far as made for tv movies go this one is excellent! The actors were all great! Also what makes it such a good movie is that is a true story.

Typical Hallmark Hall of Famer, but Still Entertaining.......2002-05-18

The two leads in this (apparently true) tale of love, courage and sacrifice in war are very attractive and well suited to their roles. I had never heard of either Callum Blue or Barbora Bobulova but I would like to see more of them. The story of how an Italian village (or many of its inhabitants) hid a young English commando from the German occupiers is inspiring, if a little too neat in this presentation, and the photography of the surrounding Italian mountains and the village itself is lovely. I found it interesting that here, as in"Capt. Corelli's Mandolin", a recent movie,is presented the incongruous situation in which the Italians,part of Hitler's Axis presumably, are only too happy to lay down their arms at the first news of Allied successes and make common cause with the Americans or English, as the case may be, despite the presence of the Germans. At any rate, this makes for an interesting love story between the English commando and the young Italian girl whose family first befriends him. Worth watching.

This is the best movie...........2002-04-06

This movie, in my opinion, was better than Pearl Harbor. I loved it! The ending is just.... so perfect, you'll cry. I can't say enough how much I loved this movie. If you liked Pearl Harbor (and even if you didn't!), you can't go wrong with this one!

In Love and War.......2002-03-31

A miraculous true story of courage, determination and love in war-torn Italy.

While leading an ill-fated commando raid behind enemy lines during World War II, British lieutenant Eric Newby (Callum Blue) is captured and imprisoned. As Italy's fascist government collapses, the prisoners escape just ahead of the advancing German troops. When an injury leaves Eric stranded and on his own, a chance meeting with a young Italian woman, Wanda (Barbara Bobulova), saves his life.

Wanda and her family help Eric to hide, and she secretly teaches him Italian to conceal his identity and avoid recapture. As the two spend more time together, Eric discovers his feelings for Wanda have grown far beyond gratitude. This newly found love is shared by his beautiful rescuer.

Description

In an effort to remain neutral, Ireland made a deal to intern any soldier, German or Allied, captured on Irish soil. During a dogfight, Allied pilot Miles Keogh, and German pilot Rudolph von Stegenbek shoot each other down and are captured. The camp commandant tries to keep the peace between these sworn enemies. But, when both men fall in love with Mattie, their hatred becomes personal.

Customer Reviews:

POWs IN A NEUTRAL COUNTRY.......2007-01-21

I've often wondered about stupid things like this.

A funny thing happened on the way to the war.
I was captured by a neutral country.

It's better to be lucky than good.
Life sucks, wear a helmet.

Action, violence, romance, drama, politics, diplomacy.
Mature audiences.

Jean`s Amazing Screen debut.......2000-01-28

I really loved this movie with very strong performances from the lead actors and the debut of dance star Jean Butler is truly fantastic and the dance gig she performs is worth 5 stars on its own and i am suprised Bill Campbell isnt a bigger star that he is, Angus maCfadden showing what a fine and underated actor he is as the German and the dvd is very good as it includes a decomentary of the real life camp of WWII,i highly reccomend this movie if you like real life ar stories as it has everything,action,comedy,romance ,fights etc and includes many excellent performances from UK Tv stars including Joe McGann and John Gordon Sinclair,but for me it is the astounding beauty of Jean Butler`s performance that lights up the screen and makes this movie a must.

Jean`s Amazing Screen debut.......2000-01-28

Great Movie!.......2000-01-11

although there was not much fighting(killing) in this movie, i love it the way they showed more of the relationship between two different sides without actually killing each other. and plus wow that Jean Butler is beautiful, i love her in the riverdance! yeah go Jean go! hehe! good movie, get it! all i can say

Great true to life war story........1999-09-28

I've seen this film many times and love it, as a 20year old it just show's that war story's are not just for the old.

Amazon.com

Marisa Tomei releases her inner spitfire in The Perez Family. Dottie Perez (Tomei) comes to the U.S. from Cuba, along with a mixed lot of criminals, lunatics, and political prisoners--including Juan Perez (Alfred Molina), who hopes to be reunited with his wife after 20 years. To work around the bureaucratic politics of the refugee camps, Dottie persuades Juan to pretend that they're married, and drafts a few other Perezes to create a family. Meanwhile, Juan's wife Carmella believes that Juan never arrived and is finally letting go of his memory, helped by the attentions of a Miami police detective (Chazz Palmintieri). Tomei's sexy passion sometimes spills over into silliness and the story unfolds erratically, but the examination of how love grows and how love fades is sincere and affecting. The actors are charismatic, the music's fantastic, and Tomei wears many skimpy outfits. Directed by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding). --Bret Fetzer

Description

Love blossoms in the most unexpected of places in this sparkling, sexy romantic comedy about freedom, friendship and the true meaning of family. Starring Marisa Tomei, Alfred Molina, Chazz Palminteriand Anjelica Huston, The Perez Family is a buoyant, colorful [and] optimistic celebration of the immigrant experience (The Washington Post) in America in the early 1980s. Free-spirited Dottie Perez (Tomei) is leaving Cuba for America, her head filled with dreams of movies, mascara and dates with John Wayne. Straight-laced Juan Perez (Molina) is headed for a reunion with the wife (Huston) and daughter (Trini Alvarado) he hasn't seen in 20 years. But when an overworked immigration official mistakes Dottie and Juan for husband and wife, the stage is set for a marital mix-up and some very unpredictable romances!

Customer Reviews:

disappointing (and I consider myself a great fan of the director)............2007-04-03

Mira Nair is, without a doubt (in my opinion), one of the finest contemporary filmmakers today. I am not just talking finest Indian filmmakers--I mean filmmaker in any language, context, culture or genre. Nair has a real knack for storytelling, through a glowing combination of luscious cinematography, compelling and believeable direction and great pacing. Unfortunately, if you see THE PEREZ FAMILY, this wonderful gift she has is not front and center. In fact, it's not even off to the side in the background. This might be (partly) due to the fact that Nair's attempt in telling the story of the Marielitos of the 1980s (boat people who crossed the waters from Cuba to the United States, in lieu of Castro's dictatorship) deals much with a culture with which she is unfamiliar. For me, this film and story seemed cartoonish (at best) and very unappealing.

Juan Perez (Alfred Molina) has just been released from prison and is arriving in Florida, after being locked up for twenty years, away from his beautiful wife, Carmela (Angelica Houston) and daughter, Teresa (Trini Alvarado). He is hoping that time hasn't dulled his wife's vigilance, as she awaits his return. On his journey to the United States, he encounters Dottie Perez (Marisa Tomei), who is filled with stars in her eyes and rumba in her hips. Together, they form a "family" of sorts, along with a little vagabond they encounter and a mute old man, who is very prone to climbing trees and (in the words of Juan) "looking for Cuba." My reaction to all this: "QUE?!!!" (translation: "What???!!") Okay, for starters, the main problem I had was with Marisa Tomei. I know they call what she does "acting" for a reason. Granted, British actor Sir Anthony Hopkins played Pablo Picasso (Spaniard), Peter Sellers played Inspector Clouseu (French), but Marisa Tomei (a beautiful actress of Italian descent) playing sultry Cubana, Dotty, was too much of a stretch for me. For starters, the accents were so fake! I have a Cuban aunt, in Florida, and believe you and me, they were overdoing it in this film. They sounded like they had had some bad novacaine shots at times, and it wasn't good. Also, the stereotypical depiction of Cubans was on the insulting side.

Skip this film and see the films that really put Mira Nair on the map, as a filmmaker. My picks for you are SALAAM BOMBAY!, MISSISSIPPI MASALA, MONSOON WEDDING and her latest, THE NAMESAKE.

Marisa Tomei is an absolute delight and the movie is decent too........2006-06-06

I remember seeing this a couple of years ago. I was drawn to this film by the cast list and in fairness I should have spotted that this film about Cubans had very few Cuban or even Latino actors in it. Anyway, aside from that the plot has historical context but I am not familiar enough with it to say if it was accurate or not, although I really don't think it matters very much. The film tries to fizzle with Latin spirit while at the same time delivering a rather convoluted romantic drama of sorts. It partly works but the writing isn't great and the film failed to really engage me as it just seemed a little forced as if it had been a good idea once but had had so many knobs added to it that it got a little daffy. After an hour it settles into the formulaic mould it was in all along, the historical context forgotten and the clichýs allowed to flow. If you can't see where this is going then I salute your ability to blindly accept what is given to you.

Talking of clichýs, the casting of so few Hispanic/Cuban/Latino actors was a mystery to me. Surely it would have been possible to get closer than Italian, which is what quite a few of the main characters appear to be. Tomei was the name that drew me to this film but in turns her role is good and bad. She has an important role and it was necessary for her to be feisty etc but she overdoes it a little bit - hammy up her Latin clichý at the start for all she is worth; she gets better though. Molina is another strange choice but he does well in his role and carries some dignity through the film - it's not his fault that the script gets silly in trying to keep him and Huston apart. Huston is OK but her subplot seems added on to make the ending more palatable to the audience (god forbid anyone should be hurt). For this same reason, Palminteri is wasted. Cruz is good and Chowdhry is quite funny, but why Gallo even bothered is beyond me - pre-fame I suppose. SNL's Cleghorne plays a cop and, in the spirit of ethnic clichýs, pushes the `oh-no-she-didn't' eye-rolling, `talk to the hand', neck moving black character for all she is worth - when she does it as a joke it is OK but here it just felt like laziness - especially for such a minor character.

Overall, any Hollywood film with Latinos/Cubans/Hispanics in it is going to force the rhythm for all it is worth and here is no different. It starts out boasting historical context and spice, falls into a rather convoluted series of plot twists that end up taking the film down a rom-com road to a solution that, although badly delivered, unthinkable and out-of-nowhere, was obvious from about 30 minutes into the film.

This is funny!!!!!!.......2006-02-11

i'm thiteen years old and i am an Anjelica Huston fan
this is a very funny movie.
Carmella(Anjelica Huston) and her daughter live by themselves ever since her husband got sent to work in a sugarcane field which is prison also.

it's very horrible
but Carmella's brother which isn't her real brother is over protective.
that's funny because there is always alarms going off at her house.

you have to see the movie.
in this movie Anjelica is supprisingly atractive in this movie and her character is funny.
Marlena Grooms

A movie that delivered a load of wit and laughter.......2005-12-13

This is my second all time Marisa Tomei movie. Angelica Huston delivered a spectacular performance. Chazz Palmintien performance as a cop was superb. You could learn how to seduce a woman from him, the way he seduced Ms. Huston. Alfred Molina shined as a Cuban fleeing from Castro to start a new life in America. Marisa was sexy, alluring, seductive, attractive and very friendly like the goddess of love. You'll find it hard not to fall instantly in love with her. This movie will keep you at the edge of your seat and make you laugh and eat many bags of popcorn. I highly recommend it to all readers and shoppers.
Ikey Benney, New York City

Romantic fable set!.......2005-06-17

Fighting against all the odds, a group of Cuban refuges arrive to the promised land and their dreams will take through unexpected routes. We have a peculiar dramatic triangle: a man who could escape , his wife and daughter wait for him in Florida but a terrible new comes for her and she thinks her husband failed and died. At the meantime we watch all the unimaginable efforts of beautiful young woman who reminds me in certain aspects to Amelie, who loves the life and brings in her soul a lot of illusions, such as to meet John Wayne and enjoy Elvis Presley's art.
Mira Nair emphasizes the human charm and the best of the human people can give, without forgetting the childhood aspect, reflected in a smart boy who is chased for a miserable mercenary who simply tries to avail the best he can of the circumstances.
A song for the liberty and the hopeful dreams.

Giordano - Andrea Chenier / Rudel, Domingo, Tomowa-Sintov, Royal Opera Covent Garden

Average customer rating:

captivating!
Already an historical performance
A Brilliant Andrea Chénier
A Much Better Selection

Giordano - Andrea Chenier / Rudel, Domingo, Tomowa-Sintov, Royal Opera Covent Garden
Starring: Placido Domingo , and Anna Tomowa-Sintov
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Puccini - Manon Lescaut / Sinopoli, Domingo, Te Kanawa, Allen, Royal Opera Covent Garden
Verdi - Don Carlo / Placido Domingo, Mirelli Freni, Grace Bumbry, Louis Quilico, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Ferruccio Furlanetto, James Levine, Metropolitan Ope