Western Classics

Starring:Western Classics
Studio: Direct Source Specia
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

If a classic movie can be measured by the number of indelible images it burns into the collective imagination, then All Quiet on the Western Front's status is undisputed. Since its release in 1930 (and Oscar win for best picture), this film's saga of German boys avidly signing up for World War I battle--and then learning the truth of war--has been acclaimed for its intensity, artistry, and grown-up approach. Director Lewis Milestone's technical expertise is already stunning in the great opening sequence, as a professor exhorts his students to volunteer for the glory of the Fatherland while troops march past the windows. Erich Maria Remarque's novel is faithfully followed, but Milestone's superbly composed frames make it physical: the first battle scene, with the camera prowling the trenches as they fill with death and chaos, was surely the Saving Private Ryan of its day. The cast is strong, with little-known Lew Ayres finding stardom in the lead (Ayres became a pacifist and conscientious objector during World War II; although he served in battle as a medic, the stance harmed his career). This DVD has no extras beyond a vintage re-release trailer and Robert Osborne's useful introduction, but the main draw is the excellent picture and sound quality of the print--the movie looks better than it has in years. Those indelible images are now clear enough to cut glass: Ayres' lonely look back at the disappearing troop truck; the blinded soldier who runs into enemy fire at night; the fine pair of boots wasted on a boy with an amputated leg; and the final, devastating seconds, arguably the defining cinematic image of war in the 20th century. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

The brutal poetry of war.......2007-06-10

Ah, the 1930's. The first full decade of sound for pictures. The advent of Technicolor. The full-flowering of Hollywood, bringing escapist entertainment to a world gripped by the Great Depression.

Many great movies were made in the 1930's. "The Adventures of Robin Hood", "Gone With the Wind", "Snow White", "The Wizard of Oz" were all great films from the late 1930's, which many people have refered to as the best time for cinema.

But the early 1930's, though often overlooked by modern audiences, contains such wonderful films as "M", "Frankenstein", "Dracula" and "All Quiet on the Western Front".

This film won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1930. It's well-deserved. The movie plot follows basically the same plot as the novel; centering around a group of young German soldiers going on the grand adventure of war. Whipped into a patriotic frenzy, they enlist, head to the front, and start dropping like flies.

The movie beautifully encapsulates the horror of war. The acting (particularly from Lew Ayres in the staring role), writing and directing are all top-notch. Put the film in color, and it could almost be a movie from this era, rather than one that's almost 80 years old.

The DVD version of this movie is... well, nothing to write home about. Not too many extras, though the comments from Robert Osborne are welcome. No chapter selection for some odd reason, but otherwise... it's ok.

Modern audiences don't really know too much about World War One. It's a largely forgotten war in our national conciousness. As I write this, we're 89 years out from the start of the war. Further, according to Wikipedia's "Surviving Veterans of World War One", there's only 28 veterans left world-wide. Twenty-eight. That's it. One less than when I looked last week, and almost certainly several more than we'll have by next year. Only three of the veterans left are from the USA.

If for no other reason than expanding your knowledge about this horrible, meaningless, stupid war, I strongly recommend this movie.

As a side note: if Universal still owns the rights to the novel, they need to be pressured to make a new version of this film in time for the 100th anniversary of the start of the war. Get the young teeny-bopper/teen-idol actors of our era (the Zac Effrons of the world), and let modern audiences see the beauty of youth twisted by war.

It's a lesson no one should ever forget.

Apparently Horace never served active duty.......2007-05-23

This picture serves to illustrate the madness in Horace's statement
that it is sweet and proper to die for one's country. Lew Ayres' perform-
ance was magnificent--especially the marching scene depicting his love and
respect for Kat, via facial expression and body language alone These few
seconds would have been worth the price of admission in 1930.
Those German boys weren't much different from the good, decent German-
American boys I grew up with.

The Horrors of War.......2007-05-08

All Quiet on the Western Front is an excellent adaptation of the Erich Maria Remarque novel about the horrors of war. It follows several German students from the classroom into the trenches as they die one by one. The story features many random stories depicting one boy, Paul Malvern's (Lew Ayres) experiences similarly to the way the book was organized. There are many powerful scenes, like boys going mad in the trenches, the sickening experience of the boys' first battle, and Paul killing a man up close.

Because this film was made at the beginning of the "golden age of Hollywood," viewers might expect it to be highly sentimental and preachy. Although its anti-war message is blatant, it is surprisingly underplayed and straight-forward.

The first few times I tried to watch this film I was put off almost immediately. The sound quality suffers because the film was made so early in the talkie era. The opening scene where the teacher preaches to the students about the glories of war is a bit long. However, after that scene, I soon found myself glued to the screen. Give the film a proper chance before condemning it.

A powerful reminder.......2007-05-07

Such a cinematagraphically sophisticated portrayal of the Great War's horrors and heroes.

Nice anti-war message but awfully creaky.......2007-03-30

Based on Erich Maria Remarque's famous pacifist novel, All Quiet on the Western Front explores the horror of WWI through the eyes of a young German soldier.

Ideas of glory fuelled by patriotism are quickly drowned in the mud-filled trenches of the battlefield. Young lives are squandered cheaply for a few centimeters of ground.

WWI was fought with traditional tactics - the mass charge, trenches - but combined with more efficient killings machines - machine guns, field artillery - led to horrific loss of life among the soldiers.

The Germans learnt from these mistakes in WWII and employed the tactics of the Blitzkreig "lightening war" where speed of movement was paramount.

Back to the film itself. It's really easy to tell this is a child of the early sound era - there is lots of overacting and it is very visual in its telling. Modern audiences will find it very heavy-going though.

Still it has an ageless anti-war message. An important part of film history but very much an antique now.

Western Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection

Average customer rating:

B western review
5 Stars for value and content!!
good gift for serious western lover
I've never receive this product
Western Classics 50 movie pack

Western Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection
Starring: Roy Rogers , James Caan , and John Wayne
Manufacturer: Mill Creek Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001HAGUQ
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Product Description

Get an instant library of some of the greatest western classics ever to come out of Hollywood on twelve double-sided DVDs. Never has such a comprehensive collection of great classic western features been assembled in one exciting package, all for an amazingly low price!

Customer Reviews:

B western review.......2007-05-15

For the B-western film fan this movie pack is a good value.Nothing sensational for the average film fan. But a "Must" for the avid collector.
Enjoying Roy,John,Gene,Tex,Bob,and all the sidekicks and villains from old.
Good value for the quantity of old goodies.

5 Stars for value and content!! .......2007-03-19

This collection is well worth the price paid. I haven't viewed all the titles, but those I have are great. As for those who complain about the "quality" of some of these flics, I guess it all depends on how you define "quality". These are old films and you can't expect them to stand up to the picture quality of more current films. If you define "quality" as good old fashion, wholesome, family entertainment, when there were "good guys" and "bad guys", and morality, then they far surpass the trash put out from the 70's and on. I plan to buy more of these 50 movie packs and would recommend you do the same.

good gift for serious western lover.......2007-01-16

i got this for my grandfather, a avid western fan. he loved it!

I've never receive this product.......2007-01-11

I've never receive this product at my home. Two times y order it and nothing happend.
After the second time y wrote an e-mail to the customer service asking them to refound me the money and I don't recive an answer.

Western Classics 50 movie pack.......2007-01-10

We gave this as a Christmas gift, the recipient loved it, she has alway been fond of the old western movies.

The Spaghetti West - An IFC Original Documentary

Average customer rating:

An informative exploration of the rise, development, and fall of the Italian Western

The Spaghetti West - An IFC Original Documentary
Starring: Ferdinando Baldi , Sergio Corbucci , Alex Cox , Damiano Damiani , and Clint Eastwood
Manufacturer: Docurama
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000OIOPQI
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Customer Reviews:

An informative exploration of the rise, development, and fall of the Italian Western.......2007-05-13

This is an interesting overview of the rise and fall of the Italian Western, told largely through interviews with the industry's most important living participants and a few of its admirers and historians. I should add that "interesting" in this case means, "interesting to me." I've long enjoyed the so-called Spaghetti Westerns of the three Sergios: Leone, Corbucci, and Sollima and the actors associated with their films such as Clint Eastwood (who carried the Italian sensibility back to a number of American-made films), Lee Van Cleef, Franco Nero, Klaus Kinski, and Terence Hill (aka Mario Girotti).

The documentary is not terribly exciting, but it is generally accurate and informative. This is almost something watches more of education than for entertainment. The Italian Western plays a small but important role in modern cinema. By rejecting most of the mythology that had attached itself to the Hollywood Western, which the Italian Western both paid homage to and rejected, these films cleared space for many of the anti-heroes that arose in the seventies in cinema. It is possible that, for instance, the Dirty Harry films could have arisen without the Italian Western's reworking of the lone hero, but given Eastwood's iconographic presence not as likely. But this can be overstated. The truth is that while the films of Sergio Leone starring Clint Eastwood exerted a considerable influence on American cinema, no other Italian Westerns had that kind of influence, not even prominent films such as DJANGO.

Still, the documentary is helpful to remind us that a lot more than Leone was happening in Italy during the decade during which Westerns dominated Italian filmmaking. And it helps identify some of the better films of the genre that are not often shown aside from the Leone classics. Personally, I do not think that these films as a group compete with the Leone classics. Those films like DJANGO, THE BIG SILENCE, and others have many interesting moments, as a group they do not stand up well against Leone's best work. When I think of Leone in connection with the others working in the genre, I am reminded of a self-description Kierkegaard made (correctly) of himself, that he was "a genius in a market town." Leone was a brilliant filmmaker with an understanding of myth and iconography that the others could imitate but not quite emulate. To be truthful, most of the films often elicit laughter for their excesses. The Trinity films, for instance, are fun, but frequently ludicrous, more successful as parodies of Spaghetti Westerns than anything else.

So, put this in your Netflix queue and add a few of the films it discusses for follow up. There is more to the Italian Western than Sergio Leone and any semi-serious student of film ought to be exposed to it.

Average customer rating:

El Caballo Blanco
Starring: Joselito , Antonio Aguilar , Sara García , Luz María Aguilar , and David Reynoso
Director: Rafael Baledón
Manufacturer: Laguna Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002F6BQ0
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Average customer rating:

"The King of Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Mystery Mountain (1934)"
Serial deserves better

Mystery Mountain:Serial Chapters 1 12
Starring: Hooper Atchley , Gene Autry , Lynton Brent , Al Bridge , and Smiley Burnette
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
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The Vigilantes Are Coming: Serial

ASIN: B0007TKGNA
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Customer Reviews:

"The King of Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Mystery Mountain (1934)".......2005-11-26

VCI Entertainment and Mascot Pictures present "Mystery Mountain" (1934) (Dolby digitally remastered), with 12 Chapters of vintage serial episodes jam packed with hard riding and thrilling action sequences and stunts that will keep you on the edge of your seat...story opens with Ken Williams (Ken Maynard) working undercover to discover the real identity of the mysterious and stop at nothing villain known as "The Rattler"....is Jane Corwin (Verna Hillie) in danger of losing her transportation company along with the railroads right of way through Mystery Mountain...will the Rattler (Menace of the Mountain) be able to keep those disguises intact throwing off our hero and the crew of railroad workers...is there a cave where the rattler hides with his gang protecting the secret gold that lie beneath the mountain...has Breezy (Syd Saylor) snapped a picture of the Rattler which will expose his true identity, can Ken Williams impersonate the Rattler and fool his men and gain the information to break this serial wide open...can this Mascot Serial keep the action, daring stunt-work and an exciting cliffhanger going the entire serial....don't leave the theater until the final chapter is over and done with "The Judgement of Tarzan"....just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense hitting the bull's eye with excitement everytime...don't miss a single spine thrilling episode..return next week to this local theater for another episode of action and adventure that will keep you thrilled until the next chapter.

Under director's Otto Brower and B. Reeves Eason, producer Nat Levine, supervising editor Wyndham Gittens, Original story by Sherman Lowe, Ben Cohn, Barney Sarecky and Breezy Eason, musical score by Lee Zahler...the cast includes Ken Maynard (Ken Williams), Tarzan ( Tarzan-Ken's horse), Verna Hillie (Jane Corwin), Syd Saylor (Breezy Baker), Edward Earle (Frank Blayden), Hooper Hatchley (Dr. Edwards), Edward Hearn (Lake), Al Bridge (Tom Henderson), Lafe McKee (Jim Corwin), Gene Autry (Thomas, Lake teamster), Smiley Burnette (Lake teamster), Edmund Cobb (The Rattler when masked), Bob Kortman (Hank-rattler henchman), George Chesebro (Anderson-rattler henchman), Tom London (Morgan-rattler henchman), Lew Meehan (Red-rattler henchman), Lynton Brent (Matthews), Carmencita Johnson (Little Jane Corwin), Wally Wales (Corwin Company board member), Jack Rockwell (Corwin Company board member), William Gould (Corwin Company board member), Phila McCullough (Chase), Art Mix (henchman), Dick Dickinson (henchman), Al Haskell (henchman), Pascale Perry (henchman), Jack Kirk (henchman)....special footnote, this is a cast of veteran character actors from the "Who's Who B-Western Library", with Al Bridge, George Chesbro, Edmund Cobb, Edward Earle, Hooper Hatchley, Edward Hearn, Jack Kirk, Bob Kortman, Tom London, Lafe McKee, Lew Meehan, Jack Rockwell and Wally Wales the list could go on with decades of films under their belt...and how about radio star Gene Autry, America's Favorite Singing Cowboy and his comical sidekick Smiley Burnette appearing in the early cliffhanger "The Phantom Empire" (1935), this was the beginning of a beautiful partnership between Autry and Burnette....meanwhile back to our Mascot Serial which is always good till the last drop and this serial is no exception...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features.

CHAPTER TITLES:
1. The Rattler
2. The Man Nobody Knows
3. The Eye That Never Sleeps
4. The Human Target
5. Phantom Outlaws
6. The Perfect Crime
7. Tarzan the Cunning
8. The Enemy's Stronghold
9. The Fatal Warning
10.The Secret of the Mountain
11.Behind the Mask
12.The Judgement of Tarzan

BIOS:
1. Ken Maynard
Birth Date: 7/21/1895 - Vevay, Indiana
Died: 3/23/1973 - Woodland Hills, California
2. Verna Hillie
Birth Date: 5/05/1914 - Hancock, Michigan
Died: 10/03/1997 - Fairfield, Connecticut,
3. Syd Saylor
Birth Date: 3/24/1895 - Chicago, Illinois
Died: 12/21/1962 - Hollywood, California
4. B. Reeves Eason (Director)
Birth Date: 10/02/1886 - New York, New York
Died: 6/09/1956 - Sherman Oaks, California,
5. Otto Brower (Director)
Birth Date: 12/02/1895 - Grand Rapids, Michigan
Died: 1/25/1946 - Hollywood, California

If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:
VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
1. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
4. Captain Midnight (Dave O'Brien)
5. Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (Judd Holdren & I. Stanford Jolley)
6. Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
7. Don Winslow of the Navy (Don Terry)
8. Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (Don Terry)
9. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
10.Fighting Kit Carson (Johnny Mack Brown)
11.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
12.The Green Archer (Victory Jory)
13.Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
14.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
15.Lost City of the Jungle (Russell Hayden & Keye Luke)
16.Mandrake the Magician (Warren Hull & Dick Curtis)
17.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)
18.The Painted Stallion (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
19.The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
20.The Return of Chandu (Bela Lugosi)
21.Riders of Death Valley (Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo & Buck Jones)
22.Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
23.Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
24.Sky Raiders (Donald Woods & Billy Halop)
25.Undersea Kingdom (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
26.Winners of the West (Dick Foran, Harry Woods, Roy Barcroft & Charles Stevens)
27.Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
28.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)

Coming soon January 2006 from VCI Home Video on DVD..."FLAMING FRONTIERS" (1938), Universal Serial with 15 chapters, featuring Johnny Mack Brown, Eleanor Hansen, John Archer, James Blaine and Ralph Bowman..."OREGON TRAIL" (1939), another Universal Serial with 15 exciting chapters featuring Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Roy Barcoft and Charles King..."THE TALL TEXAN" (1953), full length feature starring Lloyd Bridges, Lee J Cobb, Luther Adler and Marie Windsor...watch for more details on VCI Entertainment and Amazon your two favorite sites for serials and B-Westerns.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "The Overland Mail" (1942), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '30s, '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just the way we like 'em

Total Time: 223 mins ~ VCI Entertainment 1739 ~ (11/01/2000)

Serial deserves better.......2005-07-08

This is a great serial, with some really exceptional cowboy stunts by Ken maynard, especially in chapter 1. But the Alpha DVD transfer is one of those who-gives-a-damn operations, where the print is missing frames here and there, the film jiggles and the soundtrack goes in and out of acceptability. It would be nice if someone were to do a proper transfer.

Average customer rating:

On a 1 to 10 scale, this collection is rated: 5.4
Nice idea, but horrible quality

Western Classics 100 Movie Pack
Starring: Richard Egan , Martha Hyer , Rick Jason , Jan Murray , and Frankie Randall
Director: Ferde Grofé Jr.
Manufacturer: Mill Creek Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Mystery Classics 100 Movie Pack
Ultimate TV Westerns - 150 Episodes
Crime Classics 50 Movie Pack (12pc)
Dark Crimes Collection: 50 Movie Pack
Hollywood 100 Movie Pack

ASIN: B000MQCB1I
Release Date: 2007-01-16

Product Description

Combining our popular Western and Gunslinger 50 Movie Packs, we're bringing you back to the era of the hard-bitten gunslingers who brought terror and salvation to the lawless West. Sit back and hold on to your saddles as carnage reigns supreme and the body count mounts! You get 100 full-length feature films on 24 thrill packed double-sided DVDs.

Customer Reviews:

On a 1 to 10 scale, this collection is rated: 5.4.......2007-03-27

WESTERN CLASSICS 100 MOVIE PACK is a set of 24 doubled-sided DVDS, featuring old Saturday matinee idols like the young John Wayne, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Bob Steele, all in glorious B&W. There's some feature films here as well, both American and foreign-made. You get many months of entertainment sure to please any cowboy movie fan.

Using a popular website reference source and some mathematics, the current overall rating for these 100 films is: 5.4.

This figure does not account for condition of source material or manufacturing quality. Below is a program list that includes individual opinion scores, featured actors and years of release--

(6.3) Abilene Town (1946) - Randolph Scott/Edgar Buchanan/Ann Dvorak
(6.5) American Empire (1942) - Richard Dix/Leo Carrillo/Preston Foster
(6.8) Angel And The Badman (1947) - John Wayne/Gail Russell/Harry Carey
(6.1) Any Gun Can Play (Italy-1967) - Edd Byrnes/Gilbert Roland
(2.0) Apache Blood (1975) - Ray Danton
(5.4) Arizona Days (1937) - Tex Ritter
(5.9) Arizona Stage Coach (1942) - Ray "Crash" Corrigan/John "Dusty" King
(4.9) The Belle Star Story (Italy-1968) - Elsa Martinelli
(5.1) Bells Of San Angelo (1947) - Roy Rogers/Dale Evans/Andy Devine
(6.0) Billy The Kid Returns (1938) - Roy Rogers/Smiley Burnette
(6.6) Billy The Kid Trapped (1942) - Buster Crabbe/Al St. John
(5.5) Blue Steel (1934) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes/Yakima Canutt
(5.0) Boot Hill (Italy-1969) - Terence Hill/Bud Spencer
(6.2) Broadway To Cheyenne (1932) - George "Gabby" Hayes
(6.4) The Carson City Kid (1940) - Roy Rogers/George "Gabby" Hayes
(5.6) China 9, Liberty 37 (Italy/Spain-1978) - Warren Oates/Sam Peckinpah
(6.4) Colorado (1940) - Roy Rogers/George "Gabby" Hayes
(6.1) Cowboy And The Senorita (1944) - Roy Rogers/Dale Evans
(1.8) Cry Blood Apache (1970) - Joel McCrea
(4.6) Curse Of Demon Mountain ("The Shadow Of Chikara") (1977) - Joe Don Baker/Sondra Locke
(4.7) Dan Candy's Law ("Alien Thunder") (Canada-1974) - Donald Sutherland/Chief Dan George
(5.0) Daniel Boone, Trail Blazer (1956) - Bruce Bennett/Lon Chaney Jr./Faron Young
(6.9) Day Of The Wolves (1973) - Richard Egan/Jan Murray
(5.4) Days Of Jesse James (1939) - Roy Rogers/George "Gabby" Hayes
(5.7) Dead Aim (Mex.-1975) - Glen Lee
(3.5) Deadwood '76 (1965) - Arch Hall Jr.
(6.9) Death Rides A Horse (Italy-1968) - Lee Van Cleef/John Phillip Law
(4.8) The Devil And Leroy Bassett (1973) - Starring Cody Bearpaw
(4.9) Four Rode Out (1971) - Leslie Nielsen/Pernell Roberts
(3.8) God's Gun (Italy/Israel-1976) - Lee Van Cleef/Jack Palance/Richard Boone
(3.9) Gone With The West (1978) - James Caan/Sammy Davis Jr./Stephanie Powers
(5.9) Grand Duel (Italy/France/W. Ger./Monaco-1972) - Lee Van Cleef
(5.4) The Gun And The Pulpit (TV-1974) - Marjoe Gortner/Slim Pickens/Pamela Sue Martin
(5.6) Gunfight At Red Sands (Spain/Italy-1963) - Richard Harrison
(5.1) The Hanged Man (TV-1974) - Steve Forrest/Dean Jagger/Cameron Mitchell
(6.0) Hell Town ("Born To The West") (1937) - John Wayne
(5.5) In Old Caliente (1939) Roy Rogers/Gabby Hayes
(6.1) In Old Santa Fe (1934) - Ken Maynard/George 'Gabby" Hayes/Gene Autry
(5.1) It Can Be Done Amigo (Spain/Italy/FRance-1972) - Jack Palance
(4.7) Jesse James' Women (1954) - Don "Red" Barry
(4.0) Joshua (1976) - Fred Williamson
(6.8) Judge Priest (1934) - Will Rogers/Anita Louise/Stepin Fetchit
(6.0) The Kansan (1943) - Richard Dix/Jane Wyatt
(3.8) Kentucky Rifle (1956) - Chill Wills/Sterling Holloway
(3.3) Kid Vengeance (Italy/Israel-1977) - Lee Van Cleef/Jim Brown/Leif Garrett
(6.8) Law Men (1944) - Johnny Mack Brown/Raymond Hatton
(4.7) The Lawless Frontier (1934) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes
(5.9) Lights Of Old Santa Fe (1944) - Roy Rogers/Dale Evans/Gabby Hayes
(5.6) The Lucky Texan (1934) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes
(5.5) Mad Dog Morgan (Australia-1976) - Dennis Hopper
(6.0) Man From Music Mountain (1938) - Gene Autry/Smiley Burnette
(5.0) The Man From Utah (1934) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes
(5.9) Man Of The Frontier ("REd River Valley") (1936) - Gene Autry/Smiley Burnette
(7.2) McLintock! (1963) - John Wayne/Maureen O'Hara/Stefanie Powers
(5.7) Mohawk (1956) - Neville Brand/Scott Brady
(6.4) My Pal Trigger (1946) - Roy Rogers/George "Gabby" Hayes/Dale Evans
(5.7) The Mystery Of The Hooded Horseman (1937) - Tex Ritter
(5.1) Oklahoma Cyclone (1930) - Bob Steele/Al St. John
(4.5) The One-Eyed Soldiers (Yugo./Italy/UK-1966) - Dale Robertson
(5.5) The Outlaw (1943) - Jane Russell/Walter Huston
(5.6) The Painted Desert (1931) - William Boyd/Clark Gable
(5.0) Paradise Canyon (1935) - John Wayne
(4.0) Paroled To Die (1938) - Bob Steele
(5.7) Phantom Rancher (1940)- Ken Maynard
(5.9) Public Cowboy No. 1 (1937) - Gene Autry/Smiley Burnette
(5.8) Rage At Dawn (1955) - Randolph Scott/Forrest Tucker
(5.7) Randy Rides Alone (1934) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes
(5.8) Riders Of Destiny (1933) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes
(6.6) Riders Of The Whistling Pines 1949 - Gene Autry
(6.7) Riders Of The Whistling Skull (1937) - Robert Livingston/Ray "Crash" Corrigan
(6.2) Rim Of The Canyon (1949) - Gene Autry/Alan Hale jr.
(3.3) Rollin' Plains (1938) - Tex Ritter
(5.9) Rough Riders' Round-Up (1939) - Roy Rogers
(5.7) Round-Up Time In Texas (1937) - Gene Autry/Smiley Burnette
(5.1) Sagebrush Trail (1933) - John Wayne/Yakima Canutt
(6.0) Santa Fe Trail (1940) - Errol Flynn/Ronald Reagan/Olivia de Havilland
(3.3) Savage Guns (1971) - Robert Woods
(3.9) Savage Journey (TV-1983) - Richard Moll
(5.1) Seven Alone (1974) - Dewey Martin/Aldo Ray
(5.6) Sheriff Of Tombstone (1941) - Roy Rogers/George "Gabby" Hayes
(5.7) Showdown At Williams Creek (Canada-1991) - Tom Burlinson/Raymond Burr
(5.9) Sing, Cowboy, Sing (1937) - Tex Ritter/Al St. John
(6.3) Song Of The Gringo (1936) - Tex Ritter
(6.4) Springtime In The Rockies (1937) - Gene Autry/Smiley Burnette
(6.1) Stagecoach To Denver (1946) - Robert Blake/Allan Lane
(5.6) The Star Packer (1934) - John Wayne, George "Gabby" Hayes
(6.3) The Sundowners (1950) - Robert Preston/Robert Sterling
(4.9) Tex Rides With The Boy Scouts (1937) - Tex Ritter
(5.0) Texas Terror (1935) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes
(7.2) They Call Me Trinity (Italy-1970) - Terrence Hill/Bud Spencer/Farley Granger
(5.2) This Man Can't Die (1967) - Guy Madison
(4.0) Trinity And Sartana (Italy-1972) - Robert Widmark
(5.0) Under California Stars (1948) - Roy Rogers/Andy Devine
(5.7) Utah (1945) - Roy Rogers/George "Gabby" Hayes/Dale Evans
(5.8) Vengeance Valley (1951) - Burt Lancaster/Robert Walker/Joanne Dru
(5.8) West Of The Divide (1934) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes
(3.9) White Comanche (Spain-1968) - Joseph Cotten, William Shatner
(6.1) Wildfire (1945) - Bob Steele/Sterling Holloway
(5.9) Young Bill Hickok (1940) - Roy Rogers/Gabby Hayes
(6.3) Yuma (TV-1971) - Clint Walker/Barry Sullivan

Nice idea, but horrible quality.......2007-02-28

The picture quality on these discs is really awful. In some cases, its difficult to even recognize which actor is speaking.

Average customer rating:

i bought this because of lou gehrig

Rawhide
Starring: Smith Ballew , Lou Gehrig , Evalyn Knapp , Arthur Loft , and Cy Kendall
Director: Ray Taylor
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Wagon Train
Cheyenne (Television Favorites)
The Rifleman: Mail Order Groom/Day of the Hunter/Outlaw's Inheritance
Maverick (Television Favorites)
Rawhide - The Complete First Season

ASIN: B0002HODMC
Release Date: 2004-08-31

Customer Reviews:

i bought this because of lou gehrig.......2006-05-06

i bought this dvd because (at least i think so)it's lou gehrig's only film. the quality of the disc is ok,not great,but ok.the main thing is lou gehrig looks great(his acting isn't that hot,but who cares)and it's nice to see him before als cut him down. really a treasure of a disc and worth the price.

White Zombie (1932) DVD [Remastered Edition]

Average customer rating:

The only special effects are Bela's eyebrows
"15 Frightful Horror Films ... Bela Lugosi ... Passport Video"
Reasonable If Not Best Remaster of a Seldom-Seen Horror Classic
Vintage post-Dracula Lugosi

White Zombie (1932) DVD [Remastered Edition]
Director: A2ZCDS.com
Manufacturer: A2ZCDS.com
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Horror Classics, Vol. 1: White Zombie
The Bela Lugosi Collection (Murders in the Rue Morgue / The Black Cat / The Raven / The Invisible Ray / Black Friday)
I Walked with a Zombie / The Body Snatcher
Frankenstein - The Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / Bride of / Son of / Ghost of / House of)
Hollywood's Legends of Horror Collection (Doctor X / The Return of Doctor X / Mad Love / The Devil Doll / Mark of the Vampire / The Mask of Fu Manchu)

ASIN: B000853QN0
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Product Description

"In an age when thrilling westerns ruled the silver screen, director Victor Helparin decided to move on to another form and level of cinematic entertainment. What prompted him to so is not clear, but the results of the decision are pretty evident from the scores of horror movies that followed his pioneering venture "The White Zombie!" The movie both thrilled and horrified audiences unaccustomed to such themes. It is difficult to portray themes that are fascinating, terrifying, captivating and innovative all at once, but in this timeless classic Victor Helparin has done just this and earned himself a place of honor in the world of entertainment. His disconcerting use of sound and dreamy images, which paved the way for later horror movies, is proof of his exceptional insight and skills as director. Of course, this is amply supplemented by the genius of people like Harold Anderson, whose special effects are stunningly imaginative, and Bela Lugosi, whose portrayal of an evil sorcerer is truly chilling. The rest of the cast, too, deserves mention for their great effort in portraying various characters from dehumanized zombies to helpless lovers. The set designers have done a fabulous job of creating an eerie atmosphere that heralds the horrifying incidents to follow. A2ZCDS offers you - now on DVD - this deliciously horrifying feature film about a couple that gets much more than they bargained for when they decide to tie the knot in a spooky Haitian mansion!"

Customer Reviews:

The only special effects are Bela's eyebrows.......2007-05-03

Well we got a good little flick here. The great-grandfather of zombie films. Thanks to this we have Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead.

Bela Lugosi lives in a big castle in Haiti. He resurrects the dead as slave labor to work in the sugarcane fields and in the mill. This is the forerunner of Kathy Lee Gifford's sweat shops. Anyway a young couple on the island are going to get married. You got to check this blonde out! She's a little small in the chest, but her face is awesome! She is a real beauty. Well this loser wants her for himself and devises a plan with Bela. On her wedding night the bride 'dies' only to be brought back as a zombie by Bela. Unfortunately the loser learns to late that though she can still play the piano, the light in her eyes is gone.

He wants her back to normal, but Bela has other ideas. He wants the loser to be a slave in the sugar mill too! But the groom comes to the rescue and the loser and Bela take a long walk off a short cliff.

The interesting thing about this movie is Bela himself. It seems they couldn't decide what he should look like, so he is half Dracula and half Charlie Chan. I lost count how many times he does the 'Dracula stare' into the camera, but I guess audiences loved it and it's what Bela did best.

Man that blond was smoking. SHe could be my White Zombie any day.

"15 Frightful Horror Films ... Bela Lugosi ... Passport Video".......2006-10-16

Passport Video presents "The Bela Lugosi Box - 15 Frightful Films" (1942) --- (Dolby digitally remastered) --- Béla Lugosi was the stage name of actor Béla Ferenc Dezs Blaskó (October 20, 1882 - August 16, 1956) --- Lugosi was born in Lugos, Hungary, at the time part of Austria-Hungary (now Lugoj, Romania), the youngest of four children of a baker --- best known for his portrayal of "Dracula" in the American Broadway stage production, and subsequent film, of Bram Stoker's classic vampire story.

Late in his life, he again received star billing in movies when filmmaker Edward D. Wood, Jr., a fan of Lugosi, found him living in obscurity and near-poverty and offered him roles in his films, such as "GLEN OR GLENDA?" (1953) (in which his role made no more sense than the rest of the movie) and as a Dr. Frankenstein-like mad scientist in "BRIDE OF THE MONSTER" (1955), during post-production of the latter, Lugosi entered treatment for his addiction, and the premier of the film was ostensibly intended to help pay for his treatment expenses. The extras on an early DVD release of "PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE" (1959) include an impromptu interview with Lugosi upon his exit from the treatment center, which provide some rare personal insights into the man --- this was one of Lugosi's most infamous roles was released after he was dead. Ed Wood (Director) features footage of Lugosi interspersed with a double --- Wood had taken a few minutes of silent footage of Lugosi, in his Dracula cape, for a planned vampire picture but was unable to find financing for the project --- Wood later conceived of Plan 9, Wood wrote the script to incorporate the Lugosi footage and hired his wife's chiropractor to double for Lugosi in additional shots --- notice however the "double" is thinner than Lugosi, and covers the lower half of his face with his cape in every shot --- Leonard Maltin (Famous Film Critic) was quoted - "Lugosi died during production, and it shows."

Lugosi died of a heart attack on August 16, 1956 while lying in bed in his Los Angeles home. He was 73 --- Bela Lugosi was buried wearing one of the many capes from the Dracula stageplay, as per the request of his son and fifth wife, in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California --- Contrary to popular belief, Lugosi never requested to be buried in his famous cloak; Bela Lugosi, Jr. has confirmed on numerous occasions that he and his mother, Lillian, arrived at their decision independently.

BIOS:
1. Bela Lugosi (aka: Béla Ferenc Dezsõ Blaskó)
Date of birth: 20 October 1882 - Lugos, Austria-Hungary. [now Lugoj, Romania]
Date of death: 16 August 1956 - Los Angeles, California
2. Edward D. Wood Jr. (Director, Writer and Producer)
Date of birth: 10 October 1924 - Poughkeepsie, New York
Date of death: 10 December 1978 - North Hollywood, California

This collection of "The Bela Lugosi Box - 15 Frightful Films" (1942) --- still has the magic that we remember from those bygone years --- but as long as we have the labels and networks who play and show these wonderful films of yesteryear, they will never be forgotten ... Plus the half-hour tribute "100 Years of Horror: Bela Lugosi", hosted by Christopher Lee --- and a great job by Passport Video for this release --- looking forward to more of the same from the '20s and '50s vintage...order your copy now from Amazon or Passport Video, stay tuned once again for more remarkable films from the vaults of classic television and Hollywood during the Golden Era of Entertaiment.

Total Time: 1034 mins on DVD ~ Passport Video #5260 ~ (9/05/2006)

Reasonable If Not Best Remaster of a Seldom-Seen Horror Classic.......2006-06-30

The term "Zombie" and the concepts it conveyed did not really enter American conciousness until the publication of William B. Seabrook's THE MAGIC ISLAND in 1929--but once established, it fired popular imagination, producing everything from a host of pulp fiction shorts to a fairly lethal mixture of rum and tropical juices. Released in 1932, THE WHITE ZOMBIE is generally considered to be the first motion picture on the subject--and it would pretty much set pop culture ideas about zombies, voodoo, and Hati for decades to come.

The film is interesting in several respects, not least of which is the fact that it an independent production, something rare indeed for a film of its era. Unfortunately, this fact also gave rise to a series of legal battles between writer Kenneth S. Webb and producers Edward and Victor Halperin. What with one thing or another the film itself was considered lost from about 1935 until it resurfaced in 1960, when it once more touched off another legal battle between the same parties and their estates. In consequence, and although it has indeed turned up at special screenings and on the late-late show, the film has never really been widely seen since its 1932 debut--and most of the prints available were pretty dire. This was certainly the case when I saw the film in a "big screen" film festival in the late 1970s: the sound was poor, the visuals worse, and it was very difficult to tell what all the fuss was about.

Fortunately for fans of 1930s horror, THE WHITE ZOMBIE is now available in numerous DVD versions--but it is very much a case of "buyer beware," for most of them are extremely dire. Roan Group has released an exceptional restoration of the film; PC Treasures has a reasonable budget release in tandem with the cult classic CARNIVAL OF SOULS. The Timeless Classics edition falls somewhere between the two: the age of the elements show and it isn't a patch on the Roan edition, but its a darn sight better than most.

As for the film itself, even by 1932 standards THE WHITE ZOMBIE was not a "screamer" in the same sense as DRACULA or FRANKENSTEIN were; it is instead lyric, at times poetic in nature, disturbing in the same manner of an Edgar Allen Poe poem. The story is quite simple: Madeline Short (Madge Bellamy) and Neil Parker (John Harron) have come to Hati--and en route have met estate owner Charles Beaumont (Robert Frazer.) Beaumont falls in love with Madeline; unable to convince her to leave Parker, he goes to zombie master 'Murder' Legendre (Bela Lugosi), who works his evil spell upon her. But Beaumont soon finds himself at odds with Legendre, and Parker, with the aid of missionary Dr. Bruner (Joseph Cawthorne) has set out to rescue Madeline at all costs.

The cast is quite fine, and many critics consider that this is really Lugosi's best performance of the early 1930s, surpassing his more famous turn in DRACULA. Indeed, he is a remarkable presence in the film, ugly and sinister and yet at times--it is difficult to describe--one sees the unexpectedly attractiveness of the man in both physical and psychological terms. It is a memorable performance. But the big thing about THE WHITE ZOMBIE isn't so much the story or the performances as "how the thing is done."

The cinematography is simple, but it has a misty quality, and one is always aware of the texture of black and white; shadows are important in the film, and the overall look is quite unlike anything to come out of Hollywood up to that point--and even today it remains largely unique. There is an elegance to the way the scenes are staged and photographed that rarely occurs in any film of any era.

Modern viewers without significant interest in films of this period are likely to find THE WHITE ZOMBIE mannered and a bit slow--but if you have an interest in early sound films, and even more so in horror films of the 1930s, THE WHITE ZOMBIE is an essential in your collection.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Vintage post-Dracula Lugosi.......2005-05-22

Close on the heels of portraying the immortal Dracula, Bela Lugosi turned his suave eeriness and trademark powerful stares to 1932's White Zombie. He manages to make an otherwise forgetful horror flick into something worth watching, although I admit I was far from captivated by the movie. It gets off to a promising start. Neil and his fiancé Madeleine have to pause on their way to the home of their supposed benefactor when they encounter a nighttime burial in the middle of the road (so no one will tamper with the dead body, you know), then soon meet up with the creepy, mysterious Legrende (Lugosi) and some of his pet zombies. Once they arrive at their destination, their host, Beaumont, confesses his love for Madeleine but finds that his Harry Houdini haircut does not succeed in winning her over. Naturally, he decides to invoke the help of Legrende, who promises Beaumont that there is a way for him to claim her. I'll give you three guesses as to what this involves. Neil runs around half crazy even before discovering that the tomb of his beloved is empty, then manages to get the support of the local missionary in finding his apparently not fully deceased wife. I'm afraid I didn't particularly care for the ending of this film; it's a little too predictable, and Neil's clumsy antics are almost as annoying as the pipe-smoking missionary's repeated requests for a match. There are some interesting little film production techniques here -- split screens, overlays of ghostly images, and the like, but it is the story that seems to come up a little short. Haiti doesn't seem quite the proper setting for Lugosi, but the filmmaker got a lot of terrific mileage out of close-ups on his piercing eyes. Lugosi fans won't want to miss White Zombie, but others may not get much out of the movie.

Average customer rating:

Keaton's most lyrical and surreal comedy
Nice mix of Keaton themes
Bizzare stuff from the Bus man
Go West, Young Man, Go West!
A film for Buster's fans

Go West
Starring: Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle , Brown Eyes , Joe Keaton , Gus Leonard , and Babe London
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Battling Butler
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Our Hospitality/Sherlock, Jr.

ASIN: B000021Y7N
Release Date: 1999-11-23

Description

A fascinating alternative to the manic stunt work and elaborate sight gags that distinguish the films of Buster Keaton. "Go West" (1925, 69 min.) offers a rare and satisfying glimpse of his talent for more expressive comedy: charming moments of intimate humor flavored with rich pathos. Setting traditional ideas of romance and masculinity on their ears, "Go West" is uniquely graceful and characteristically hilarious especially in the film's dynamic finale as hundreds of cows are unleashed upon downtown Los Angeles. Included on this DVD is one of Keaton's most mind-boggling mechanical comedies, "The Scarecrow" (1920, 19 min.), which follows two roommates vying for the affection of a young lady. Also added is "The Paleface" (1921, 20 min.), in which Buster helps a Native American tribe defend their land from greedy developers.

Customer Reviews:

Keaton's most lyrical and surreal comedy .......2006-07-29

In his memories Luis Buñuel mentions Keaton's films as the surrealist group's favourite comedies: " Go west" is not an exception, and what's more, it inspired a little play to Lorca and a delicious surreal poem to Rafael Alberti. A young man whose precarious economic situation forces him to move permanently decides to go West to make fortune after a brief and discourageous stop in the overpopulated New York. He accidentaly arrives to a ranch in the middle of the desert and try to make a living as cowboy. With a cow named "Brown eyes" as his best friend he'll try everything to avoid that his "lady" be carried to the slaughterhouse.

" Go West " is at time the most subversive and lyrical of all Keaton films. In it Keaton satirizes western movies' platitudes and dynamites many topicals of romantic melodrama through the unusual "romance" between the protagonist and his peculiar female partner ( a cow ) and the use of discontextualization techniques. He introduces too one of the most sarcastic and fine satires against the law and order forces and the practice of all kind of authority ( and now we can understand why the group leaded by André Breton adored this movie ): the climactic slapstick scene in which Keaton try to take the cattle through the streets of Los Angeles provoking the panic of the citizens and the hilarious chase with the cops running away of the cattle unable to stop the angry herd and stopped by the water of the firemen ( for Keaton is obvious that the truly menace are the cops ) figure for me as one the most memorable and subversive moments in film history. But under this comic scenes we find a a dark and disaffected satire about human condition: in many ways " Go west " reminds me Werner Herzog's " Stroszek ". As Bruno Stroszek, the character who plays Buster is an uprooted: he moves from a quiet provician town to the convulsed and dishumanized New York to finally try to get his place in a ranch in the middle of the desert where the hard work and climate do people also tough: so, surrounded by this " fauna ", our sensible hero 'll find in a cow his closest allied . For other part, the abstract landscape of the desert and the habitual use of long shots emphasizes the solitude of the character, an exiled in the " promised land " . In short, surreal poetry and subversive humour in this untemporary and beautiful movie.

Kino DVD edition of this film also contains two splendid Keaton shorts: " The paleface " (1920), probably the first pro-indian "western" in film history and " The scarecrow " (1920), one of the best Keaton's two-reels comedies with an hilarious chase with Buster disguised as a scarecrow and an unforgettable comic scene in which take part ingenious gadgets the protagonist couple has invented to do most bearable the housework.

Nice mix of Keaton themes.......2006-04-26

The two short films and one feature in this set span four years (1922-25) of Buster Keaton's rise as a comic film star. They amply illustrate that, of all the great comics, Keaton was able to mine visual humor from the widest range of situations. The Scarecrow, the earliest of the three, is a charming, innocent romp, from a mechanized "house with all rooms in one room", to a love triangle with Joe Roberts and Sybil Seely, to a wild chase involving Luke the dog (who was at his best either chasing someone or being chased), to a happy climax involving a wedding ceremony on a motorcycle. The style and pace of this film is not far removed from the Fatty Arbuckle-Buster Keaton period just completed, and Joe Roberts, Buster's rival, suggests Fatty at least in girth, if not in comic style. It is a perfectly charming and often very funny outing. By the way, the scene in which Buster disguises himself as a scarecrow was used later by Max Linder in Be My Wife.

The Paleface, from 1922, shows more maturity and coherence. The chases here are more refined; for example, Buster eludes his pursuers by moving a bridge, piece by piece, between two mountains. Hilarious sight gags abound, as when after Buster escapes being burned at the stake by wearing asbestos underwear, he casually pulls out a cigarette but can't find a match! This film also has more of the Keaton character's persona: a victim of nature, machine and being at the wrong place at the wrong time, he perseveres by creative use of his environment, as well as his physical grace and athletic prowess.

Go West, from 1925, shows how as Keaton moved into features, his films sometimes took on more dramatic, even darker themes. One recurring theme here is Buster caught in a "stampede", either people, cattle, horses, or barrels on a moving freight train. Many shots of Buster are from a distance, standing alone in a field against a distant backdrop. The mood suggested here is a lonely lost individual trying to survive with no friends and no prospects. Unlike Harold Lloyd in a film like the Freshman, Buster's character does not conquer by winning society over to his ways; he wins alone, in this case, successfully leading a cattle drive single-handedly through the streets of Los Angeles! Buster's love interest, Brown Eyes the cow, only increases the sense that his character is incapable of attracting human friendship, that each relationship with a human will be one of conflict. This film does not have the optimistic charm of The Three Ages or Our Hospitality. It has funny moments but the enduring appeal of this film is mostly figuring out how "Friendless" Buster can escape the endless abuse of man and nature. The result is a classic comedy of a unique kind.

You simply can't go wrong owning this set.

Bizzare stuff from the Bus man.......2004-07-18

This is one of the Bus man's strangest films. Our man, for reasons never made clear, is known as "Friendless" and is so despised that when he puts his arm around a dog, the dog walks away in disgust. Following Horace Greely's famous saying "Go west young man," he does that and even though he can't milk a cow or saddle a horse, somehow gets a job as a cowhand. Still abused by all of mankind, he does an "androcles and the lion" bit (as he did in "Three Ages" with a lion) with a cow named "Brown Eyes" and and last finds a friend. I'll let you see the rest for yourself. But this is really strange stuff, and the ending ("I Want her." You'll see what I mean.) will leave a particularly odd taste in your mouth.

Go West, Young Man, Go West!.......2004-02-09

GO WEST provides cinema with one of its most surreal moments ever: Buster Keaton, dressed as Satan, riding a cow through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, being pursued by a large herd of angry cattle. I thought I'd mention that right up front, so that people know what they're getting in to.

This is a rather sweet film. The driving force behind it is the relationship formed between Buster Keaton's character and a cow named Brown Eyes. Keaton removes a troublesome pebble from Brown Eye's foot, and Brown Eyes saves Keaton from being trampled by a bull. They become firm friends afterwards. Yes, I know that this sounds like something out of a nauseating children's movie, but the whole thing is obviously played for laughs. While it's silly, it never becomes overbearingly so.

After a quick criss-cross dash around the country, Keaton eventually ends up in the Wild West. Dressed as a cowboy (although he forgoes the usual cowboy hat in favor of his trusty porkpie), he quickly goes about subverting many Western clichés. There's the tense poker-game with the cheating scoundrel, of course (where the Great Stone Face finds himself flummoxed when told to smile), and the exciting shoot-outs (where Buster is equipped with a ludicrously small weapon).

As with Keaton's SEVEN CHANCES, the big payoff comes in the final third. But instead of enraged would-be brides, Keaton alternatively herds or flees from hundreds of cattle running through city streets. Cows run people off the road. They create chaos in barbershops and department stores. Let's face it: cows are funny.

One thing I didn't like about this release was the reliance on sound effects. Silent films don't require cymbal crashes during gun battles, nor do slapstick pratfalls scream out for "hilarious" comedy musical riffs. Still, the picture looks quite nice.

THE SCARECROW (the first of the two shorts also included on the disc) is a film that you've seen parts of, even if you've never watched a silent short before. This is the one with Buster Keaton and his large roommate (played ably by Joe Roberts as a nice guy rather than his usual "heavy" role) sharing a mechanized apartment and attempting not to share the farmer's daughter. With utensils and gadgets hovering over their kitchen table, suspended by strings and counterweights, the pair eat their meals in a wonderfully choreographed display of swinging salt and pepper shakers, torpedoing bottles and revolving bathtubs. The rest of the film is composed of various chases: Buster running from a dog, Buster running from the farmer and Joe Roberts, and Buster and the farmer's daughter running from the farmer and Joe Roberts. Wonderful stuff.

THE PALEFACE isn't exactly the most sensitive portrayal of the Native American people that you'll see. Er, I'll leave that aspect of the film at that (though it should be noted that the bad guys are the white corporate types who try to throw people off their land). This isn't nearly as strong a film as the other short on this disc, but it's certainly got some good sequences to offer. The obligatory chase scenes are quite fun. The picture quality is fairly good throughout most of it, but there are a handful of individual camera shots where the image goes completely fuzzy and blurred. I imagine that some sort of reconstruction from various sources was involved.

GO WEST might not be the film that's more representative of Keaton's work, but you'd have to have a heart of stone not to enjoy it. The two short films are quite funny; THE SCARECROW should be required viewing for anyone interested in what made the silent short such an enjoyable art form. GO WEST, young DVD-collector, GO WEST!

A film for Buster's fans.......2001-01-20

Go West is not out one of Keaton's very best films, but this DVD should still be a must for Keaton fans. After all, gradually one wants to collect them all. Go West is not consistently funny nor ingenious and thus cannot really compare with either The General or Our Hospitality. Nevertheless, it has many brilliant moments. I particularly enjoyed the parody of the 'smile when you say that' scene from The Virginian. How is stoneface Buster going to smile? His solution is another parody, this time of Lilian Gish in Broken Blossoms. The best thing about this DVD however, is not Go West but the short film The Scarecrow. This is both extremely clever and funny. It is among the very best of Keaton's films. As far as I'm concerned it is worth the price of the DVD on its own. The final short film The Paleface I found the least interesting part of this DVD. The story, even within its own terms, did not quite hang together. Even so, once again, it has moments of great comedy. The quality of the prints on this DVD are fine while the music is appropriate and well played. This DVD is probaly not the best place to start for those new to Keaton's films. However, for those fans who are building a collection it should not be ignored.

Average customer rating:

La Guarida del Buitre
Starring: Antonio Aguilar , Ángel Infante , Sara Montes , Joaquin "Borolas" Garcia , and Lola Casanova
Manufacturer: Laguna Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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