American Empire

Starring:Richard Dix, Leo Carrillo, Preston Foster, Frances Gifford, Robert Barrat, Jack La Rue, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, Cliff Edwards, Merrill Rodin, Chris-Pin Martin, Richard Webb, William Farnum, Etta McDaniel, Wally Wales, Frank Mills, Tom London, Frank McCarroll, Jack Rockwell, Jack Shannon, Ben Corbett
Director: William C. McGann
Studio: Alpha Video
Product Type: DVD

Product Description

The New York Times called it Superb! and Time found it Ultimately rewarding...with a sterling cast.This acclaimed adaptation of Paul Scot's masterpiece, The Raj Quartet, won over 20 international awards, including a Golden Globe and an Emmy. Filmed on location, it re-creates the turbulent period when British colonial rule in India came crashing down. The memorable cast includes Dame Peggy Ashcroft and Charles Dance.Finally available on DVD, it comes to life like never before, making this the ultimate version for collectors and new fans of the classic saga alike! 4 DVDs.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

The Jewel in the Crown, adapted from Paul Scott's Raj Quartet novels, tells the story of the final years before India gained independence in 1947. It is rare for a filmed adaptation to successfully preserve the richness and complexity of a great novel, but this epic miniseries succeeds both as personal drama and historical panorama.

In 1942 Daphne Manners, a naive young woman newly arrived in the town of Mayapore, befriends Hari Kumar, an Indian-born journalist who has spent most of his life in England. With his dark skin and educated English accent, Hari feels like an outsider wherever he goes, but Daphne understands his plight and they become romantically involved. Their developing relationship is jealously observed by local police chief Ronald Merrick, a man haunted by his own demons. When the lovers are attacked in the gardens of the ruined Bibighar palace and Daphne is raped, Merrick seizes his opportunity, pins the crime on Hari, and has the young man jailed. Distraught, Daphne flees to her aunt's home in Kashmir, where she dies giving birth to a half-caste child. The focus then shifts to Sarah Layton, a young Englishwoman who becomes fascinated by the story of Daphne and Hari, and who will have her own encounter with Ronald Merrick.

The events in the Bibighar gardens become a symbol of the violent struggle for Indian independence, and other symbols--Daphne's bicycle, a length of butterfly lace, a picture of Queen Victoria on an Indian throne--appear and reappear, linking people and events. This helps to give coherence to the plot even as it spans five years and expands to include many characters whose lives intersect in complex and unexpected ways.

With a huge cast and breathtaking location photography, The Jewel in the Crown was an enormous undertaking when it was made in the early 1980s. Twenty years later it has lost none of its power, and it remains one of the best films ever made for television. --Simon Leake

Customer Reviews:

Bad Sound; Cheap DVD; but Great Story .......2007-03-23

I have read "The Raj Quartet" (i.e. "Jewel in the Crown) twice -- all 2,000 pages of it -- and I love the story. The novel and this DVD paint a fascinating and exhaustive look of the English in the last days of their rule of India.

The story is circular. It centers around the rape of an English girl in the Biribigar gardens in 1942. Seen through the lens of that event we go on to a picture of the British in India during World War II, the growing movement toward independence, and finally the consequences of Muslim-Hindu animosity aroused by independence. Most of the cast is superb and the number of characters is enormous: a tortured, lower-class policeman of chilling efficiency, a sensible English girl with a malevolent mother and a madly incompetent sister, several admirable but ineffective missionaries, befuddled soldiers, a Cambridge scholar, a demented but appealing Russian political advisor, Muslim and Indian politicians, and Hari Kumar -- the Indian boy who was English at heart and served as the scapegoat for all the English failings in India.

It's long, slow-moving, majestic, educational, sometimes a bit unlikely, inconclusive, but compelling -- a soap opera in the exotic and explosive setting of the British Raj. There are elements of Kipling here, and "Passage to India" and Mother Teresa -- a whole melange of not-so-original ideas and scenes. But nobody has ever taken such a meticulously close look at British India in its death throes as has author Paul Scott in the novel and this DVD.

"The Raj Quartet" in my opinion is one of the very greatest novels of the 20th century and "Jewel in the Crown" one of the very greatest of television dramas. That being said neither the color nor the sound of this DVD is of even average quality. The story deserves better.

Smallchief

Fascinating, complex story.......2007-01-16

I knew the Jewel in the Crown was about India, but somehow I always assumed it was 19th century India, not WWII. So this was a complete surprise to me. I also had no idea how dark this series was, so I was shocked as worse and worse things kept happening to the characters. Nonetheless, I couldn't stop watching because I had to know what was going to happen next. The story is very complex, and the ending not as satisfying as I would have liked, but now that it's over I can't stop thinking about it. As painful as some parts were, it was very worthwhile and really made me think. I don't know much about the DVD quality as some people mentioned, but it would have been nice to have some commentary or bonus features.

Jewel in the Crown.......2006-11-28

This is an amazing and very worthwhile production, but the sound recording reproduction leaves MUCH to be desired. The sound is EXTREMELY variable - exceedingly loud then too soft to be heard. This set really needs to have a good sound reproduction company work on it.

Tragic Victim and Tragic Hero.......2006-11-15

Despite the accolades it has drawn, I never liked the PBS dramatization of JEWEL IN THE CROWN-- not as drama, that is. For one thing, it is too laden with Reichian psychology-- and we know what that means, though I can't say it here. For another, it's frustrating. One waits endlessly for the tragically wronged Hari Kumar to be united with the child of his beloved Daphne Manners, who might be his, although then again, she might not be as Daphne was gang-raped immediately after he made love to her. One waits endlessly for him to at last win the respect of the Englishmen he went to school with but who now shun him as (to use the usual English exaggeration) a "black". One is led to believe that these things might have happened-- but only after the drama's unsatisfying end. Finally, the series is unbelievable. For instance, why does Daphne, who is genuinely in love with Hari and opposed to British prejudices, refuse to stand up for him when he is unjustly accused of her rape? Why does she not admit that they made love but that it was voluntary, and that Hari was as distressed by the subsequent attack as she was? She will not even look at the men who are accused of the rape, all Hari's friends-- all we have is this statement from her, piling disbelief on disbelief-- "I know they can't be the ones, because they are all Hindu and one of the men who raped me was Muslim-- don't ask me why." As if someone undergoing such a trauma would notice anything so trivial-- Reichian psychology again. And perhaps something else, for to the extent that the series really reproduces Paul Scott's THE RAJ TRILOGY, which I do not know, having never read it, it is remarkably like E.M. Forster's A PASSAGE TO INDIA, in concluding in some English version of Hinduism-- whether accurate or inaccurate-- that life is meaningless, as Mrs. Moore does after she sees the Marabar caves.

It is only as a documentary of the end of the British Raj and the tensions within Indian society-- tensions which persist to this day-- that the series is not only laudable but a "must-see". Of course we know all about the British government's oppression of the Indians, as symbolized by the evil Ronald Merrick's targeting of the lamb-like innocent, Hari Kumar. What comes as a surprise is the fate of the other native principle in the series, Ahmed Kasim. I grew up in the era of "The Concert for Bangladesh", when even liberals like myself would have agreed that the "bad guys" in the religious conflicts of the subcontinent were invariably the Muslims. After all, how could someone who could not even bring himself to kill a cow kill a human being? So I was unaware of what was happening when Ahmed entered that train cabin with a Muslim maid and several English people, including his best English friend, Sarah. The symbol which a native hurriedly scrawled on the cabin door as the train was leaving was unintelligible to me. Even when the train was forcibly halted by a cow tied to the tracks, and Ahmed looked out in the ominous silence and told his cabinmates to close the windows and hide the maid under the seat, and windows began to break and people to scream, I was confused. I didn't hear him say "Seems it's me they want" before he stepped out, telling the others to lock the door behind him, and thought perhaps he might be joining in the slaughter-- so deep was my prejudice! It was only when the middle-aged Englishman looked out a peephole and said, trying to stifle his urge to vomit, "They're slaughtering all the Muslims-- just hacking them to pieces," did I realize what was really going on-- an attack by HINDU fanatics-- and that Ahmed had given his life to save the others in the cabin. Then I knew that the symbol scrawled on the cabin door had been a crescent. After seeing this segment once again, on a video bought from Amazon, it seems like the stigmata of Christ.

That is why it is difficult to understand Sarah's reaction to Ahmed's voluntary sacrifice. Her shame and self-hatred that they, the privileged English ruling class, had all just "let him go", is natural, but her anger at Ahmed for not seeking to save his own life-- which would of course have jeopardized the lives of all the others-- is not. It is as if she is saying that his death was senseless-- as if she has reached the conclusion that life itself has no meaning, no right and wrong-- like Mrs. Moore after she saw the Marabar Caves. From a broad sociological point of view, Ahmed's death, and the death of all the Muslims on the train-- was indeed senseless. But from a standpoint of personal morality, it makes perfect sense. It teaches us that even in the grip of injustice and cruelty, one must do what is right. Where Hari is merely a victim, Ahmed is a hero, and his death a glorious martyrdom. That a Muslim could be portrayed this way (and accurately, for people who could not kill a cow DID kill human beings) holds a lesson for our time, and my generation whose mindless prejudice has only been worsened by the events of 9/11: THAT WE WERE WRONG, that Muslims can be not only victims but moral heroes as well. And whatever nightmares we have, like Mrs. Moore, built out of our brush with the vast and meaningless OM, that life DOES have meaning. If it takes a Muslim to teach us that, we had better start paying more respect to a religion which does after all, share with Christianity and Judaism a sense of right and wrong.

Fantastic series, over-the-top acting, wretched transfer.......2006-10-06

I loved watching this series. The cast was terrific (Tim Pigott-Smith is as snake-like as the cobra he kills in the bathtub), the locales stunning, and the story compelling. However, the acting was occasionally far too melodramatic, something I don't expect from British actors, and the editing was substandard in places. The DVD transfer was the most wretched I'd ever seen and the sound quality was awful. Whoever handled the transfer has every reason to be ashamed. Do not let any of this stop you. It's one of the best TV mini-series ever made and is thoroughly engrossing to watch.

Average customer rating:

Koch-Lorber DVD Review
The Decline of Canadien Cinema
A classic comedy in the European mode
a bunch of horny intellectuals talking about sex...
Critism from the inside out with intelligence!

The Decline of the American Empire
Starring: Dominique Michel , Dorothée Berryman , Louise Portal , Pierre Curzi , and Rémy Girard
Director: Denys Arcand
Manufacturer: Koch Lorber Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions Barbares)
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ASIN: B0002KPI3M
Release Date: 2004-10-05

Amazon.com

You've never seen a sex comedy quite like The Decline of the American Empire. That's because there's no sex in this comedy--just a lot of entertaining talk about it (and a few discreet flashbacks). The speakers are eight Montreal academics. For most of the film, the men--Rémy (Rémy Girard), Claude (Yves Jacques), Pierre (Pierre Curzi), and Alain (Daniel Brière)--fix dinner while talking about sex. The women--Dominique (Dominique Michel), Louise (Dorothée Berryman), Diane (Louise Portal), and Danielle (Geneviève Rioux)--work out while talking about sex. That evening, they all gather for dinner... and talk about sex. The Decline of the American Empire made the reputation of writer-director Denys Arcand, but his greatest success would arrive 17 years later with The Barbarian Invasions. In that 2003 Oscar-winner, Arcand revisits the lovably loquacious characters from the first film, all of whom are older, wiser--and just as obsessed with sex. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

Koch-Lorber DVD Review.......2007-07-01

I have the Koch-Lorber Films version of this DVD; I do not know about any others. This movie (and its rave reviews) stands for itself, and I am not reviewing the quality of the movie, which I think is at least 4/5 stars, but this DVD seems to have been made in fullscreen format though the movie must be wider than that because the credits get cut off at the sides.

I don't care about the credits, but obviously this means that the DVD was released in a format that was not as the filmakers intended; for instance, the "take me in your arms" scene between Louise & Claude, as well as some of the winterscape scenes at the end could have been much more beautifully effective--it is obvious that they were cut off at the sides...a pity! Since the DVD packaging references "17 years before The Barbarian Invasions..." (a movie from 2003), there is no excuse in the 21st century for DVD editing of this sort.

I give a low review not for the film, but for the editing of this DVD; buyer beware, though this may be the only version available.

The Decline of Canadien Cinema.......2007-03-17

OK, I think I get where the director was trying to go with this film. A premise is set up in the beginning saying that the decline of a civilization is directly related to the concern for personal pleasure those citizens of that society exhibit. Then the director sets up this intellectual society of a few men and women and we watch over the course of what seems like several days as these people get more comfortable talking about sex until at the end it creates a severe tension. That seems kind of clever on paper, but suffers many problems on screen.

First the initial premise is too easily proved to be improper logic. People have always been concerned with personal pleasure; in fact, it can be better argued that the drive for personal pleasure is what built most cultures. Since the U.S. is in the spotlight here, we only need to be reminded of Adam Smith. He is not the personal pleasure monger that most make him out to be, but he does strongly argue that this personal selfishness is what will build the society. As far as the U.S. goes he was much more right than wrong. The other problem with this idea is that personal pleasure does not necessarily exclude granting concern for others; one can have both. This bad logic, makes these "intellectuals" look like they must teach at the most underpaid community colleges in North America. So this begs to question anything "intellectual" they might say.

What is worse is that most of these intellectuals are made out to be sexual Napoleons that have created conquests in all of their worldly travels. What we see are a bunch of gawky, awkward men(?) who appear to have just left puberty yesterday. We are treated to a macho S&M stud later in the film whose characterization is utterly ridiculous. He comes off as an over-the-top drop out of a 70's disco movie. For all the brain power these individuals are supposed to possess, they don't often have anything intelligent to say. This film goes to prove that talking is not the prime method of providing a character with depth; these are the most shallow people one will come to painfully kind-of know.

The biggest problem about this movie besides bad characterizations, dumb dialog, and flawed logic is nothing really happens in real time. Stories, especially cinema, are action driven. I'm not referring to action genre movies, but a story is about actions that create tension for a character that lead into actions that resolve those tensions. Most of this film is about a bunch of wanna-be egg-head wanna-be sexual atheletes talking about supposed exploits. There is even a scene of contridictory dialog that brings into question everything that is being said.

I give this two stars only because it was interesting at times and was tolerable, although my wife was quite annoyed when it ended having "wasted" her time. Be warned that this film is just a bunch of people talking and trying to sound clever.

A classic comedy in the European mode.......2007-01-10

Although this film came out over two decades ago, it is still fresh and funny and right on target with the observations on the nature of human relations. The sequel ("The Barbarian Invasions") is more plangent in that we see the other side of that humor, but equally fabulous, and not without its own quirky humor. Get both films, some good bread, wine, and cheese, and have a fabulous evening.

a bunch of horny intellectuals talking about sex..........2005-06-16

...which by itself is not a bad foundation for a movie, the thing is these are French-Canadian academics, with a strong emphasis on the "French" part. That is, they are supremely narcissistic, enlessly self-obsessed, preening and cloying drama queens who are entertaining and stimulating in equal measure to being annoying and exasperating.

Like other reviewers, I came upon this film after seeing its sequal, "The Barbarian Invasions" which while also very talky in a five-miles-wide-and-one-inch-deep manner, has more of an actual plot to speak of and therefore is a much more effective film that doesn't test your patience quite as much.

The sexual dialogue is often very witty, amusing, refreshingly candid and non-PC, at times even insightful. French-Canadian academics seem to have far richer sex lives than their American counterparts, that's for sure. Surprising because I thought the whole PC crapola was equally if not more pervasive up north...it must be the European influence and lack of puritannical Christianity that we still suffer from.

One sidenote: are all French-Canadian men THIS hopelessly dorky-looking? Why are all the characters so badly dressed, is this film supposed to be set in the 1970s? Weird, I always thought French people were supposedly good-looking and stylish, or is that French-French only, not the Canadian variety? I've met and known quite a few Canadians but none were such total Waldos.

Critism from the inside out with intelligence!.......2005-04-24

This film is not just about men view on women or women view on men or sex viewed by men or sex viewed by women.
It is about Hystory. Denys Arcand is an hystorian first of all.
It also is about intellectuals leftist who became the new bourgeoisie.
It is about a part of the world, Québec province in Canada, who changed immensely throught out the 60's and the 70's when its french intellectuals finally had the opportunity to educate them self and becoming their own leader in every profession from top to bottom. It is about the left politics view of a new born nation that in the 80's is already getting old and its leftist intellectuals are becoming exactly what they were fighting in their youth.
This movie has so many dimension it had to have a sequel 17 years later that answers every question that it was rising in the 80's with the sublime The Barbarian Invasions.
Both are a must see!

Average customer rating:

As wonderful as I remembered it!
Worth the purchase
Throughly enjoyed every minute!
Grand Art
The best I've ever seen on DVD

Brideshead Revisited
Starring: Anthony Andrews , Stéphane Audran , Claire Bloom , John Gielgud , and Jeremy Irons
Director: Michael Lindsay-Hogg , and Charles Sturridge
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Jewel in the Crown
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ASIN: B00005JLG2
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Amazon.com

Fill a bowl with alpine strawberries, break out the Château Lafite (1899, of course), and bask in this benchmark 1981 British miniseries based on Evelyn Waugh's classic novel. Adapted for the screen by John Mortimer (Rumpole of the Bailey), this impeccable, nearly 11-hour production mesmerized American viewers during the course of its PBS run in 1982. In his breakthrough role, Jeremy Irons stars as Charles Ryder, a disillusioned Army captain who is moved to reflect on his "languid days" in the "enchanted castle" that was Brideshead, home of the aristocratic Marchmain family, whose acquaintance Charles made in the company of an Oxford classmate, the charming wild child Sebastian. Anthony Andrews costars as the doomed Sebastian, whose beauty is "arresting" and "whose eccentricities and behavior seemed to know no bounds." The "entitled and enchanted" Sebastian takes Charles under his wing ("Charles, what a lot you have to learn"), but vows early on that he is "not going to let [Charles] get mixed up with [his] family." But mixed up Charles gets. He becomes a friend and confidante, not to mention a lover, to Sebastian's sister Julia (Diana Quick). Meanwhile, the self-destructive Sebastian's life spirals out of control. Brideshead Revisited boasts a distinguished ensemble, including Laurence Olivier in his Emmy Award-winning role as the exiled Lord Marchmain, Claire Bloom as Lady Marchmain, and the magnificent John Gielgud as Charles's estranged father. Grand locations and a haunting musical score make this a memorable revisit of an irretrievable bygone era. For those who scheduled their weeks around the original Monday-night broadcasts or those visiting Brideshead for the first time, this boxed set release will be, as Charles rhapsodizes at one point while strolling the castle grounds, "very near to heaven." --Donald Liebenson

From the back cover

Evelyn Waugh's classic novel of romantic yearning and loss became the universally acclaimed television serios that viewers on both sides of the Atlantic wished would never end. Set between the wars amid the fading glory of British Empire and great family fortunes, Brideshead is a story of youthful illusions, of exquisite earthly beauty and of divine grace. Starring Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews and featuring Diana Quick, Sir John Gielgud, Claire Bloom and the incomparable Laurence Olivier in an Emmy Award-winning performance.

Customer Reviews:

As wonderful as I remembered it!.......2007-07-06

Can't go wrong with the content. Amazing acting, photography, storyline. Only complaint is a couple of minutes of slightly blurry picture on one of the discs. So glad to own this for my viewing whenever I want.

Worth the purchase.......2007-06-17

If you think this is the best miniseries ever made, don't hesitate - buy this collector's edition now! I bought mine on Amazon and think it is worth the discounted price. There are 4 DVD's each with their own cover and fitted inside a glossy box. There is a glossy little booklet (not many pages) with some throwaway commentary. There is 1 "making of" documentary in the first DVD which is moderately interesting with TV clips of Evelyn Waugh being interviewed and the cast making the show, fooling around, etc. (I have yet to see any DVD actually have a good "making of" documentary worth watching more than once or having actually any substance). Although the extra features tell you that they meticulously restored the film/tape of the original to make this DVD, resulting in a picture quality that exceeded what the 1981 viewers saw on the telly, I find this hard to believe as the picture quality is not sharp. They probably did clean it up quite a bit, but poor storage over the years must have resulted in pretty grainy quality even after all this restoration work. Too bad. This series really should be on a big cinema screen - a 13 hour screen-a-thon, anybody? (with champagne in the intermissions!)

Throughly enjoyed every minute!.......2007-06-10

Every minute of this mini series was thoroughly enjoyable! The period was during the mid 1920s to mid 1940s, but each character was relatable, and it shows how little things have really changed. The acting, locations, scenery, music and the script were all dream-like. It is something that I may well be watching on an annual basis.

Grand Art.......2007-06-10

I agree with most of the adoration for this film-work, as written by those reviewing here. This work is incomporable. My one observation of misfortune is the quality of the video. I don't know what went into making this DVD set grainy, but that is the one disappointment I experienced. Otherwise, it was grand to go down memory lane and experience this wonderful work again.

The best I've ever seen on DVD.......2007-06-04

I cannot begin to critique this DVD in the manner it deserves, so allow me to direct the reader to Randolph Bradley's review of this Bible story. This is a magnificent work; however, I resented Rome's success with Lords Sebastian and Marchman in disk 5; this did not ruin the film -- it was unnecessary to rub it in my face.

Average customer rating:

9/11 and the American Empire
Starring: David Ray Griffin
Director: Ken Jenkins
Manufacturer: IFP
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Documentary | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

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Painful Deceptions

ASIN: B000FDF7DM
Release Date: 2005-09-11

Description

Griffin starts by establishing the American Empire as real and not benign, quoting numerous authors on the left and right. Then, following the reasoning put forth in his highly acclaimed book The New Pearl Harbor and his more recent book The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions, he gives abundant evidence that the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated by the Bush administration, for the purpose of expanding this empire. The talk concludes with suggestions of what we can do about this situation. A question-and-answer period follows.

Average customer rating:

Dynasty

American Experience: The Rockefellers
Starring: David Ogden Stiers
Director: Elizabeth Deane
Manufacturer: Pbs (Direct)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000P7V6TC
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Customer Reviews:

Dynasty.......2007-06-19

This series is lllllloooonnnngggg!!! Still, I enjoyed it. I wonder about how the rich get rich and stay rich. This work illustrates that via one family. Some may feel that the Rockefellers are yesteryear's news, but the topics presented here are very similar to what Bill Gates is facing. This work moves from monopolies to philanthropy to politics. What stood out to me is how ever Rockefeller generation did something differently once the parents died and couldn't chastise them. I think many young people may relate to wanting to free themselves from older authorities.

The first rich Rockefeller lost all his hair. They had an interviewee with no eyebrows. I wonder if they purposely chose her because she was missing hair that most people still possess. One interviewee had really bad teeth that any dentist could have fixed. One Rockefeller descendant interviewed had a Band-Aid on his head. I think that points to his humanity that he was willing to be filmed bandaged when he could have requested an interview after the cut on his head healed.

Several Rockefellers, of various ages and genders, gave interviews for this work. They must have approved of the documentary if they willingly participated. Though the work speaks of condemnation of the Rockefellers by the public, they also just reported the facts. Perhaps the neutrality of the work persuaded the family to get involved in it.

I was going to title my review "For those whom much is given" and then one Rockefeller actually spoke that line himself. Perhaps it's a given that the mega-rich have responsibilities in addition to their numerous advantages.

Average customer rating:

American Me / Empire (Double Feature)
Starring: American Me , and Empire
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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American Me
Blood In, Blood Out

ASIN: B000N3T0HI
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Description

In what The Hollywood Reporter calls "a brilliant debut", award-winning actor Edward James Olmos sets the screen ablaze with his directorial bow - a powerful, stunning examination of a Latino crime lord, set against a backdrop of prejudice and hopelessness. Olmos stars as Santana, a youth from the streets of East Los Angeles who becomes the leader of the Mexican Mafia behind the gates of Folsom Prison. With his two childhood friends, Santana rules the prison with an iron fist, continuing a vicious cycle from which there is no escape. After serving his sentence, Santana is back on the streets for the first time since his teenage years. But he learns life on the outside is as rough as it is behind bars. For the harsh reality of barrio life and his blood-stained past will not give Santana the chance to turn his back on his former way of life. With a vehement anti-drug and anti-gang theme, American Me is an explosive and unforgettable epic.

Product Description

- French and English Trailer - Original French Version, English Dubbed Version, French Version with English Subtitles----- Have you ever tried to imagine the private conversation that men have about women and women about men? Sex... of course Are men's fantasies really different from women's? Seduction, infidelity, perversion, group sex, sado-masochism, orgies... all taboos are hilariously exposed in this witty story about modern relationships.

Average customer rating:

From1942... Tale of a Texas Cattle Empire With Richard Dix

American Empire
Starring: Richard Dix , Leo Carrillo , Preston Foster , Frances Gifford , and Robert Barrat
Director: William C. McGann
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Kansan
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ASIN: B0006SST40
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Description

In the wake of the Civil War, huge herds of displaced cattle roam the unclaimed land on the Texas side of the Sabine River. Sailor Paxton Bryce wants to tap into this opportunity, and convinces partner Dan Taylor to take a risk and join him in becoming a rancher. The gamble pays off, but Paxton's pride and ego soon get the best of him. Alienating his wife, friends, and fellow ranchers, and besieged by rustlers, Bryce's fledgling American empire appears doomed.Richard Dix, a 1931 Best Actor nominee for his portrayal of Yancey Cravat in Cimarron, navigates western territory in this epic, as does Leo Carillo, who is most remembered for playing Pancho in the Cisco Kid films and television series.

Customer Reviews:

From1942... Tale of a Texas Cattle Empire With Richard Dix.......2005-12-29

American Empire" from 1942 it's a great old Western, that has two buddies building a cattle empire during the Reconstruction period. Pretty soon they own what seems to be most of Texas. When one of them becomes ruthless in his ways, and doesn't care who gets hurt on his way to the top, they part ways. That is until a family tragedy makes him see the light, and together they fight off the bad guys. It's a Western lovers Western, complete with the music that makes it a fun view. It stars Richard Dix and Preston S Foster. It is Directed by William C. McGann. This is a good old black and white film. The buying info here(on the VHS edition) show it as being in color.(You may want to check with the sellers to see if it has been colorized)

This film is also available as part of the Great American Western Series on DVD put out by Platinum Disc. It is one of the 4 films on Volume 18 of the series, that include 3 other Westerns from 70's TV. "The Hanged Man" with Steve Forrest,and the other two are episodes from a Glenn Ford series from the early 70's called "Cade's County".

Saddle Up and Happy Trails To You....Laurie

American Empire (1942) DVD [Remastered Edition]

Average customer rating:

A Western Tragedy
A Different Type Of Western
Thanks a2zcds for preserving this amazing offbeat, yet enthralling Western on DVDs.

American Empire (1942) DVD [Remastered Edition]
Starring: Robert H. Barrat , Leo Carrillo , Richard Dix , Cliff Edwards , and William Farnum
Director: William McGann
Manufacturer: Tapeworm
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0009RS0BU
Release Date: 2005-05-23

Description

Well known for his highly successful low-budget westerns including the "Hopalong Cassidy" series, Harry Pop Sherman recounts the emergence of cattle ranches in this offbeat western. This captivating saga of two boatmen-turned ranchers, who fought rustlers, the weather, their own ignorance about cattle-rearing and finally each other in an attempt to build a business empire, deals with human emotions, passion and greed as never before.

Set amidst Texas' sprawling countryside, the narrative follows the fortunes of Dan Taylor and Paxton Bryce as they build up a cattle empire with a few heads of cattle they pinch from the unscrupulous Dominique Beauchard. While Dan and his sister Abby - who is also Paxton's wife - settle down to life of patient anticipation and hard work, the restless Paxton Bryce cannot wait to grow rich. Director William C. McGann handles Paxton's gradual metamorphosis into a hard hearted and greedy person insightfully and there's very little chance that anybody would miss the point the narrative makes.

This thrilling western has everything that it takes to draw audiences to movie houses - a fabulous plot, fast-paced action, great cast, memorable performances, humor and more! Witness this action packed cinematic adventure which recounts, fabulously, what greed can do to a man!

Customer Reviews:

A Western Tragedy.......2006-07-25

Who knew that they made westerns that were modeled after deep works of literature? This is certainly not your standard white hats versus black hats western. Instead it's almost like Tolstoy as the main character has one minor flaw at teh begining of the film and then slowly becomes a terrible corrupt person because he can't help but keep giving into the bad side of her personality. It's a really deep character study and not at all what you would expect from a typical 40s western. I give it five stars for trying to rise above it's genre.

A Different Type Of Western.......2006-05-23

When I ordered American Empire I thought that it would be a standard western of good guys and bad guys shooting each other outside the saloon. To say that this film is not that is putting it lightly. Instead, it's a metaphor for man's inhumanity to man. Imagine "It's A Wonderful Life" if it had been told from the point of view of the Potter character. I liked seeing a movie that took the Western motif and tried to make a point with it rather than just giving us another shoot em up. Of coruse there is some shooting eventually, it's just not the entire point of the film the way it is with so many other westerns from this era. It represents a nice, interesting change for the better.

Thanks a2zcds for preserving this amazing offbeat, yet enthralling Western on DVDs........2006-05-03

"This is a wonderful example of how a man's uncontrolled passions and greed can destroy him completely. Director McGann has handled the narrative beautifully, inspiring his cast to give memorable performances. Although I had never viewed a Preston Foster movie before, I have just added his name to my all-time favorite lists of actors. Thanks a2zcds for preserving this amazing offbeat, yet enthralling Western on DVDs."

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