Everest (Large Format)

Starring:Liam Neeson, Beck Weathers, Jamling Tenzing Norgay, Paula Viesturs, Ed Viesturs, Araceli Segarra
Director: Greg MacGillivray, David Breashears, Stephen Judson
Studio: Miramax
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

Filmed in the IMAX format, this film had the luck (or lack thereof) to be shot during the same fateful and fatal climb of Mount Everest chronicled in Jon Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air, in which a group of rich hobby climbers found themselves trapped by a blizzard near the summit. The IMAX film contains footage of those people, but focuses on its own group, as they make their assault on the top of the world's highest peak. Some startling footage of the mountain and the approaches--and, as in Krakauer's book, the depiction of what is involved in this kind of adventure (particularly the pain and suffering)--makes you wonder exactly where the fun is. But documentary film is about showing you something you're not likely to see otherwise, and this movie certainly fills the bill. --Marshall Fine

Description

Relive a breathtaking journey to the top of the world with EVEREST, the spectacular giant-screen motion picture for IMAX theatres! Filmed during the infamous 1996 storm that claimed eight lives, EVEREST documents the filmmakers' harrowing rescue efforts to help surviving members of the ill-fated group. Join an international team of climbers as they scale the world's tallest peak. Witness the perils of skin-blistering cold, violent blizzards that drop the windchill to minus 100 degrees, and air so thin it numbs the mind. EVEREST will take you across creaking icefalls and gaping chasms, up dangerous, towering cliffs and into the death zone of oxygen-thin altitude. Filmed in spellbinding IMAX photography, "the most hyperrealistic format yet invented," says producer Greg MacGillivray. Narrated by Academy Award(R)-nominee Liam Neeson, including the music of George Harrison, EVEREST is a rich, dramatic story -- a daring adventure of triumph and tragedy.

Customer Reviews:

Great for teachers.......2007-05-14

As a teacher, my students are studying Asia. I have used this video in class as it gives explanations of how mountains are formed and can spark numerous discussions related to science, geography, and human spirit. The students love it also and asked to watch it again!

Best seen large.......2007-05-13

I had seen this film in its original IMAX format and did not know how it would translate to the small screen. On my television screen it was disappointing. Luckily, at school I was showing it in a bigger format, and although not as impressive as an IMAX screen, it still inspired the awe that Everest should. If you can see it on a big screen, I recommend it, but fir the small screen it is more the information than the images you will appreciate.

Incredible Movie.......2007-04-10

This is an excellent movie. Specially if you consider the difficulties related to shooting an IMAX movie at 8000 meters high!

Breathtaking !.......2007-03-08

Incredible cinemphotography, stunning vistas. Gripping story. As a mountaineer I can certainly appreciate the difficulty of getting that type of footage at altitude while facing the elements and using such large equipment.
A must see.

RENT BUT DON'T BUY.......2007-02-06

This is the only time the I have, in print, reviewed ANYTHING. I am not a skilled writer. But I was so unimpressed with this DVD that I felt compelled to let others know I feel about it. The photography has no "soul." The interviews, though conducted with important people, come across as unimportant. This DVD is visually and dramatically boring.

Average customer rating:

Gaslight
For the Movie Fanatic
Gaslight
Excellent double-pack
Just saw this film

Gaslight
Starring: Charles Boyer , Ingrid Bergman , Joseph Cotten , Dame May Whitty , and Angela Lansbury
Director: George Cukor , and Thorold Dickinson
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00011D1PE
Release Date: 2004-02-03

Amazon.com

George Cukor helped transform a moody Victorian stage melodrama (previously filmed in Britain in 1939) into a gothic Hollywood romantic thriller. Ingrid Bergman stars as a meek, uncertain heiress courted and married in a whirlwind romance by the debonair Charles Boyer, but when they move back into her childhood home she begins losing her grip on reality and becomes convinced that her husband is trying to drive her insane. Joseph Cotten, rather stiff and colorless next to the anguished Bergman and charming and lively Boyer, is the heroic Scotland Yard detective who becomes enamored of the skittish woman who is slowly succumbing to madness. The grand, glorious sets and elegant photography recall Hitchcock's Rebecca, another lush Hollywood gothic melodrama of a retiring young wife overwhelmed by the history of her abode, and Gaslight is still assumed by some to be a Hitchcock film (the Bergman connection doesn't help the confusion). It's really a rather straightforward thriller with a forced plot device, but under Cukor's control the tightly constructed script is given the full MGM treatment, then reined in for intimate moments of harrowing suspense. Boyer brilliantly played off his continental lover reputation by adding an undercurrent of malevolence and Bergman won an Oscar for her haunted performance. It also marks the memorable debut of Angela Lansbury as a saucy maid unwittingly drawn into Boyer's master plan. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Beautiful and trusting, Paula Anton is slowly tormented by mysterious happenings in her luxurious Victorian home. The suspect is her devoted husband. But viewing the world through the dim glow of the gaslight, it is difficult to tell what is real and what is imagined.

Customer Reviews:

Gaslight.......2007-06-22

This lavish, eerie remake of the 1941 British psychological thriller is worthy of its predecessor thanks to the wily interventions of MGM head Louis B. Mayer, who oversaw the production. Bergman is a vision of luminous grace and beauty, but fragile, too, as a deeply troubled socialite who finally receives help from Joseph Cotten's detective. Anton, a schemer who's wed Paula for ulterior motives, is played with sinister aplomb by Boyer. Of course, one of the great pleasures of this Gothic melodrama is watching the tart-tongued debut of Angela Lansbury, playing Boyer's flinty, flirtatious young maid. "Gaslight" is a petulant puzzler with a chilling climax.

For the Movie Fanatic.......2007-01-16

Not as scary as I remembered it to be however good to have in a collection. Ingrid Bergman as always is wonderful.

Gaslight.......2006-08-06

I found this movie a classic without a doubt. The quality was excellent and the casing is in good conditions. The only objection was that it was not spanish spoken but the subtitles are. Since I prefer my movies spoken in spanish that would be a nice detail.

Excellent double-pack.......2006-02-20

There are two movies and three strong reasons to love this dvd. The disk contains two versions of GASLIGHT, based on Patrick Hamilton's stage play. The first, from 1940, is director Thorold Dickinson's English version starring Diana Wynyard as the retiring young wife and Anton Walbrook as the husband who is trying to drive her insane. The second is the famous one, directed in Hollywood by George Cukor in 1944, starring Ingrid Bergman (she won an Oscar for this one) and Charles Boyer.

I watched the 1940's version first and, somewhat to my surprise, enjoyed it very much. Walbrook's character in the first movie is the epitome of effete villainy, a hiss-able cad whose cruelty made me squirm. Boyer's husband, on the other hand, is a charming rogue with a cold, calculating, concealed and congealed heart. They both get the job done, but Boyer does so in a more believable manner. In the first movie Diana Wynyard's character is extremely shy and retiring, almost to the point where you wonder how she ever managed to make it to adulthood. Ingrid Bergman is given a character more assertive, even though still under her husband's control.

If you can't tell by now, the third reason I love this dvd is the chance it gives to see the evolution of a screenplay by comparing the two movies. That we're given the opportunity to make the comparison is ironic - reports have it that the studio tried to destroy all copies of the '40 GASLIGHT when they released Cukor's version. They shouldn't have worried. Although the `40 version is good, Cukor's is a classic. Wynyard is good is her showcase role while Bergman is transcendent.

Just saw this film.......2006-01-12

and I really enjoyed it! "Gaslight" is a suspense thriller with a Hitchcock eeriness to it - I was hooked. I felt as though I was being driven out of my own mind just watching Charles Boyer cunningly captivate Ingrid Bergman and manipulate her thoughts and emotions. I was burning with fury as he was so agrivatingly sly, and so subtle. Meanwhile, Bergman was perfect at playing the downslide from independence to vulnerable destruction. What was great about it was the two were believable as husband and wife - there was a sexual tone and moments of redemption on Boyer's part that complicated my sympathies. It's films like this that make you question your own sanity just a little as you realize how blurred the line is between what you think you know and don't know at all...

Angela Lansbury was also a real surprise, playing a brilliantly cheerful maid who manages to brighten this otherwise chilling drama. Excellent entertainment, my mother and I were hooked. If you like Hitchcock-style thrillers, this one is for you!

Dreamer - Inspired By a True Story (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Good family movie...
for the horse lover
Fabulous movie
"The Best of the Best"
I'd give it 10 stars if I could.

Dreamer - Inspired By a True Story (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Kurt Russell , Dakota Fanning , Kris Kristofferson , Elisabeth Shue , and David Morse
Director: John Gatins
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Walk the Line (Widescreen Edition)
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Just Like Heaven (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000E0OBMY
Release Date: 2006-03-21

Amazon.com

The title is a mouthful, but Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story hits the winner's circle as a warm and inspiring family film. Ben Crane (Kurt Russell) is a Kentucky horse trainer who watches in horror as a championship filly breaks its leg during a practice run. Ordinarily that means curtains, but today Ben's daughter, Cale (Dakota Fanning), is at the track, and Ben impulsively buys the horse and loses his job in one fell swoop. The rehabilitation process is almost too much for a farm that's already struggling to survive in a modern economy, but the horse turns out to be a much-needed salve to the nearly broken family, including Ben's wife (Elisabeth Shue) and father (Kris Kristofferson). The cast is excellent, especially Fanning (who at age 11 has become a major star and was branded by Entertainment Weekly as the most powerful actress in Hollywood), and the film is well-paced by director-writer John Gatins and beautifully shot by cinematographer Fred Murphy. Surely the ultimate fate of the horse and the family won't surprise anyone, but young girls who love horses often don't need a surprise ending. They need a reason to cheer, and Dreamer delivers all the way. (Ages 6 and older: moments of horse peril) --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Good family movie..........2007-07-06

I love this movie...I am a horse fan but I also love the family pulling together and making a couple bad turns work out in the end. I don't know how close it is to the "true story" but I enjoy the movie.

for the horse lover.......2007-07-04

Bought this DVD for my daughter for Christmas and she loves it. She is an avid horse lover and we also bought the Dreamer plush backpack. Made a great gift and the story is heartwarming.

Fabulous movie.......2007-05-10

We loved it. Great movie for all ages, but especially for anyone who loves horses.

"The Best of the Best".......2007-04-28

Dreamer is an excellent movie because it really tells a great story and it really happened. The mean guy in dreamer had no right to make her break her leg. all that really was, was abusing animals.

I'd give it 10 stars if I could........2007-03-31

The perfect movie, with the perfect cast, perfect direction, perfect music, perfect cinematgraphy. Everytime I watch this movie it just gets better. For me personally, this is one of the best movies I have ever seen.

Dreamer - Inspired by a True Story (Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Good family movie...
for the horse lover
Fabulous movie
"The Best of the Best"
I'd give it 10 stars if I could.

Dreamer - Inspired by a True Story (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Kurt Russell , Dakota Fanning , Kris Kristofferson , Elisabeth Shue , and David Morse
Director: John Gatins
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Just Like Heaven (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000E0OBN8
Release Date: 2006-03-21

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Good family movie..........2007-07-06

for the horse lover.......2007-07-04

Bought this DVD for my daughter for Christmas and she loves it. She is an avid horse lover and we also bought the Dreamer plush backpack. Made a great gift and the story is heartwarming.

Fabulous movie.......2007-05-10

We loved it. Great movie for all ages, but especially for anyone who loves horses.

"The Best of the Best".......2007-04-28

Dreamer is an excellent movie because it really tells a great story and it really happened. The mean guy in dreamer had no right to make her break her leg. all that really was, was abusing animals.

I'd give it 10 stars if I could........2007-03-31

Average customer rating:

"LE" (?) CID
Don Rodrigo has to Choose Between Love and Honor.

El Cid
Starring: Charlton Heston , Sophia Loren , Raf Vallone , Geneviève Page , and John Fraser
Director: Anthony Mann
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00004VYH1

Customer Reviews:

"LE" (?) CID.......2007-05-07

I knew this was a foreign-produced DVD but didn't know it was Korean, and debated between this and what turns out to be a Chinese version. I chose this one but didn't notice the misspelling of "EL" on the cover. (It must be a misspelling and not French because it is correct on the edge of the case and on the DVD itself. I know a little bit of the Korean language, having spent a year there in the service, and the Korean phonetic spelling on the cover is "el".

I saw this movie when it was a first-run in the theatre where I worked in 1961. I watched it over and over because I thought it was great then and still do. This DVD is not a bad reproduction of the original film. The color is not quite as rich, but it seems to add to the medieval setting of the story. Although it is only stereo, the sound is good on my 6.1 surround. It does have a "Dolby Digital" trademark on it, for what that's worth. One minor annoying thing is the default for the Korean subtitles is the "ON" position, so you have to turn them off manually each time you view it.

I had put this movie in my Amazon alerts about four years ago and got nothing, apparently because the studio decided not to reproduce it domestically in DVD. I don't know if the one by Golden Classic Collectibles is foreign or domestic, but another reviewer for the Chinese DVD mentioned that it's possible the studio wanted to avoid a possible controversy because of the obvious jihad plot. "Allah has commanded us to rule the world," is the opening line, spoken by the leader of the Moors, and it plays out throughout the movie.

Based on the reviews of the Chinese version, I would recommend this one. As far as the Golden Classic Collectibles version is concerned, I've never bought any of theirs, but in any event, the difference between it and this Korean one could not possibly be worth $20.

Don Rodrigo has to Choose Between Love and Honor. .......2007-01-16

"El Cid" (1961) was undoubtedly a great box office success and deservedly. In a time that had seen a decade of great epic movies this was a very relevant one.

Keeping a low profile and evading grandiloquence, director Anthony Mann (1906-1967) attained to deliver a first class action film. This was quite exotic because he was a specialist in westerns. He has successfully directed some classic of the genre as "Winchester `73" (1950), "The Naked Spur" (1953) and "The Tin Star" (1957). Still he will repeat this great achievement filming "The Fall of the Roman Empire" (1964).

The story is based on the epic poem "El Cantar del Mio Cid"; it tells the adventurous life of Don Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar around year 1000 in convulsed Iberic Peninsula. There were Christian kingdoms and Muslim kingdoms fighting each other and competing among them ruthlessly.
Don Rodrigo was going to his wedding when he has to stop and defend a small Christian town from the attack of the Moors. He defeats them and takes them prisoner. According to tradition he should have had them executed but some internal force lead him to mercy and leave them free.
For this action he is accused of treason and has to confront the father of his bride in mortal combat. He is in a very tough spot: he looses his honor or he looses his love.
He was a man of his times and honor was of paramount value, so there was no choice for him. This very sense of righteousness will time after time put Don Rodrigo in dreadful situations that finally lead him into exile.
From there he will return as the perfect knight entering the legend.

To flesh Don Rodrigo and Dona Jimena, Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren were selected. They were at a high point of their careers, both of them had won an Oscar the year before and they show why in this film.
Two solid performances and great chemistry between them assure film's success.
Raf Vallone as Count Ordonez and Genevieve Page as Dona Urraca are very good in supporting roles.

Musical score, authored by Budapest born Miklos Rozsa, is delivered with his traditional proficiency underlining forcefully the movie scenes.

It is a very entertaining epic film. If you like these kinds of movies do not miss this one!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

National Geographic - Everest 50 Years on the Mountain

Average customer rating:

Must see for Everest students
Good Movie
National Geographic-Everest 50 years on the Mountain
National Geographic - Everest
The Real Story of Mountaineering

National Geographic - Everest 50 Years on the Mountain

Manufacturer: National Geographic Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Everest (Large Format)
NOVA - Everest: The Death Zone
Into Thin Air: Death on Everest
Into the Thin Air of Everest - Mountain of Dreams, Mountain of Doom
Touching the Void

ASIN: B00008MTYA
Release Date: 2003-05-06

Description

In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay made history as the first people to reach the top of Everest. Now, 50 years later, three sons of Everest's most celebrated climbers return to the mountain to challenge it again. Join their journey as they brave the elements and face death to climb 29,000 feet of wind-blasted rock and ice. And, relive the dramatic history of Everest from great triumphs to deadly tragedies, enduring rivalries and the unsung role of the Sherpa people - as National Geographic exposes the untold stories that lurk in the mountain's epic shadow and takes you on THE ultimate Everest experience.

Customer Reviews:

Must see for Everest students.......2007-03-09

Ever since watching the Discovery channel series on Everest I have been hooked on the mountain. This movie has helped me continue to get my "adrenelene fix" just by watching it. Not only is the historical footage and info incredible, but the actual footage near the top helped me realize just how much "exposure" the climbers have on the final ridge with sheer drop offs on both sides. If you have any interest in Everest or mountain climbing, this dvd is a great one to own.

Good Movie.......2007-02-09

Enjoyable movie - I had hoped to see more of the mountain and the trails going up it.

National Geographic-Everest 50 years on the Mountain.......2006-08-22

The best Everest DVD and I've seen them all!

National Geographic - Everest.......2006-03-18

This documentary has great vintage footage of past climbs, and the new footage taken during the current climb is shot with an appropriate sense of awe and terror. The individuals climbing are very real and success is far from being assured. The dangers and magnitude of the adventure is well told.

The Real Story of Mountaineering.......2005-12-22

I was happy to finally see a mountaineering epic that included the subtlety of mountaineering - the pain, personal issues, and outright defeat in the face of danger and personal discomfort.

The storyline of the Sherpa people is finally revealed with all of its candor, passion and grief. I actually found this to be the core of the film and of Everest mountaineering, ensuring the value of my purchase.

Average customer rating:

Into Thin Air, the ovie
Into Thin Air
Krakauer's Personal Fantasy
Great Movie
Great movie on human will to survive

Into Thin Air: Death on Everest
Starring: Peter Horton , Christopher McDonald , Nathaniel Parker , Richard Jenkins , and Tim Dutton
Director: Robert Markowitz
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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Everest (Large Format)
NOVA - Everest: The Death Zone
National Geographic - Everest 50 Years on the Mountain
Touching the Void
Into the Thin Air of Everest - Mountain of Dreams, Mountain of Doom

ASIN: B00005B1WA
Release Date: 2001-05-22

Amazon.com

Based on Jon Krakauer's bestselling book, Into Thin Air re-creates an ill-fated 1996 expedition to Everest that claimed at least five lives, including those of two world-class climbers. Only 90 minutes in length, the film jumps right into the action at Everest base camp and compresses the two-month trek into just a few days of exhilarating adventure. Periodic voice-overs by Krakauer (Christopher McDonald) provide essential background information and guide us through the invisible, intensifying effects of altitude and stress. Krakauer joined the trip to write an article on the commercialization of Everest, but as conditions on the mountain deteriorate he is forced to focus all his energy on survival.

Unfortunately the film fails to really develop any of its characters before thrusting them onto the harrowing face of Everest. As a result, it's difficult to understand the relationships that play out as the group struggles to the summit and back. While the trio of leading actors is solid, only Nat Parker (who plays guide Rob Hall) has enough screen time to develop an interesting, complex character. Peter Horton's portrayal of unconventional guide Scott Fischer is almost hyperbolic and McDonald's Krakauer is stiff and difficult to read.

While the film succeeds in creating a palpable sense of agony and suspense, those in search of a more thoughtful, detailed account of the expedition will be better served by reading the book. --Claire Campbell

Customer Reviews:

Into Thin Air, the ovie.......2007-04-02

Just keep the book, the movie does not represent what it is told in the book.

Into Thin Air.......2007-03-16

An excellent adaptation of the novel. My students (sophomores) enjoyed the film and were able to easily translate it to the novel we'd just finished. The other big plus is that the film, which was made for television, did not include questionable language.

Krakauer's Personal Fantasy.......2007-03-12

Not worth the paper it's printed on! There are several accounts of the tragedy that occurred that day on Everest on both the South and North Face. The amazing thing is that all accounts match, except this one! Krakauer has made himself a hero and everyone else a buffoon, including the Sherpas! What nonsense! It appears that the altitude has inflicted memory damage and self worship deeply into Krakauer's brain. Both Rob Hall and Scott Fischer were highly experienced guides that regarded the safety of their client's much more important than a summit. Do not read this book or see the incredibly non factual DVD! There are many other books and movies that give accurate accounts, please try them!

Great Movie.......2007-02-05

This is an amazing movie about a tragic event. I have read the book, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and the movie is a good depiction of the events in the book.

Great movie on human will to survive.......2007-01-09

Had this on VHS and wanted it on DVD. Better quality.
Recieved the order on time as stated.

Average customer rating:

Just ok
NOVA - Everest: The Death Zone
Better than the Imax film
Your head is in the jet stream
Good but not really quite what I expected

NOVA - Everest: The Death Zone

Manufacturer: WGBH
ProductGroup: DVD
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Everest : Mountain Without Mercy

ASIN: 1578071976
Release Date: 2000-03-28

Amazon.com

"Because it is there" is the reason so many men and women have risked death to climb Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on earth. NOVA follows a scientific investigation of high-altitude physiology in Everest: The Death Zone, which examines the biological and psychological changes experienced by a group of climbers during their ascent. Jodie Foster's narration accompanies the team as the NOVA photographers capture the stark, alien beauty of the mountain; the drama reaches a crescendo on the descent as it becomes unclear whether or not an ill climber will make it. Well worth watching by anyone interested in mountain climbing or the limits of human endurance, Everest: The Death Zone is at once cautionary and inspiring. --Rob Lightner

Description

Get ready for a (literally) breathtaking trek up Mt. Everest, from Base Camp at 17,600 feet; through the chilling, corpse-strewn Death Zone; to the very pinnacle of the the Earth, five and a half miles above sea level. For those brave souls who survive the harrowing climb to the top of the world, it is a transformative experience. But can the excruciating ascent—through frigid cold, blasting wind, blinding sun, and severe lack of oxygen—cause permanent, damaging changes to the human brain and body?

In the wake of the 1996 disaster that took eight climbers in a single day, scientists follow a team of hikers to measure, for the first time ever, the toll high-altitude climbing takes on the heart, lungs, blood, and brain. Why do seemingly rational people make poor, sometimes fatal decisions as they approach the peak? And the danger doesn't end there—as NOVA discovers during the descent, when one climber's respiratory illness takes a terrifying turn on the isolated mountainside. ''Even with the best technology, the best training,'' says team member, producer and director David Breashears, ''you can still end up frozen to death at 27,500 feet. That's what makes Everest Everest.''

Special DVD features include: scene selections; access to the Everest: The Death Zone Web site; and English subtitles.

On one DVD5 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: 4 x 3 full frame.

Customer Reviews:

Just ok.......2007-02-13

I guess I am jaded because I watched the IMAX Everest video (which seems to get the best reviews) first and can't help but compare them. Still this video had some good participants i.e. Ed Viestur's and such. Interesting view point but the testing didn't do much for me but provide information. Would have liked more extra's on dvd to. All in all ok.

NOVA - Everest: The Death Zone.......2007-02-01

Excellent DVD on Everest! Have read a lot of books on the Himalayan Mountains (especially Mt. Everest) and this gives you a beautiful view of the area and what it is like to climb in the Death Zone. A DVD you can watch many times!

Better than the Imax film.......2006-07-01

David Breashears was the director of photography on both this film and the Imax film made the year before. In my opinion, this film was more successful, at least as viewed on VHS on a medium-size old tv. That's probably because the equipment for Imax was so bulky and the filming process so cumbersome that just taking the footage was an accomplishment.

On this video, the purpose of the expedition was to study the effects of altitude on the human body, so it really focused in on the human aspect. As Breashears explains in his book High Exposure, the massive film size in Imax films requires that you not pull in close to a human face, because it will not make a good image when projected on a 7-story screen.

So in terms of home viewing, I really enjoyed this video and thought it helped me visualize the things I have read about so many times. The Khumbu Icefall and the treacherous ladders, the Hillary Step, the summit itself--I could truly feel that I was there. The images were crystal clear and very beautiful.

If I were only going to watch one video to help me get a picture of what a Himilayan expedition looks and feels like, this would be it.

Your head is in the jet stream.......2005-01-11

This documentary is really wonderful. But not wonderful for the glory of the conquest but showing just how deadly and treacherous this climb really is. Whether you are a wealthy wannabe or an experienced mountain climber it is beyond my conprehension why any sane person would want to endanger his or her life like that. Where's the glory in being drug up to the top like a sack of potatoes? It's almost sinful to play with your life in this way when there is no earthly reason to be there.

The camera work is breathtaking. But it was painful to watch those climbers virtually dying in front of our eyes. This NOVA is a real eye opener for respecting the one life you have been given.

Good but not really quite what I expected.......2004-01-29

I have 7 Everest DVD's and this one was not really as I expected. It was more clinical and of medical type interest and did not have to be Mount Everest to show the effects of low oxygen. They could have used any place above or around 8,000 meters. Frustrating in some senses because I felt a lack of Everest footage and views about the Death Zone etc., as well as being a fairly short film, sort of left me feeling wanting and slighty cheated. However, it goes fairly well with the collection since some of the other DVD's fil in the gaps.

Average customer rating:

NOT AT ALL ACCURATE, BUT VERY ENTERTAINING!
Phantom of the Opera
NO LONGER A PHANTOM!!
Love quadrangle in the 40's
a little more phantom,a little less opera might have made this one good

Phantom of the Opera
Starring: Nelson Eddy , Susanna Foster , Claude Rains , Edgar Barrier , and Leo Carrillo
Director: Arthur Lubin
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Phantom of the Opera - The Ultimate Edition (1925 Original Version and 1929 Restored Version)
The Phantom of the Opera
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Phantom of the Opera [1990 TV Mini Series]
The Phantom of the Opera

ASIN: 078324097X
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Amazon.com

This 1943 version of the horror story is more Technicolor musical than scare piece. Claude Rains plays the unfortunate, masked anti-hero, but he doesn't get the room to showcase a promising and sympathetic performance. Susanna Foster and Nelson Eddy, on the other hand, get plenty of screen time to warble. Well worth a visit just for the look of the film, which won an Oscar for cinematography. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

NOT AT ALL ACCURATE, BUT VERY ENTERTAINING!.......2007-04-15

CLAUDE RAINS WAS A PHANTASTIC PHANTOM IN THE 1943 MOVIE! HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT AT ALL ACCURATE, THIS PHANTOM WAS NAMED ENRIQUE, WAS SCARRED BY ACID, AND PLAYED ONLY THE VIOLIN AND PIANO. SUSANNA FOSTER DID VERY WELL AS CHRISTINE. SHE WAS POLITE, BUT COULD BE ASSERTIVE...SHE WAS BLONDE:-). BUT HER LAST NAME WAS DUBOIS! OH WELL, THE MUSIC WAS GREAT...I RECOMMEND THIS TO ALL PHANTOM AND CLASSIC HORROR FANS.

Phantom of the Opera.......2006-08-22

I enjoyed and am enjoying this film--not the usual Nelson Eddy but still good. DVD received in good condition.

NO LONGER A PHANTOM!!.......2006-07-26

I SAW THIS MOVIE AS A CHILD ON TV MANY YEARS AGO WHEN TELEVISION PROGRAMMING INCLUDED CLASSIC MOVIES ON A DAILY BASIS. IT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES. ALTHOUGH THE FILM DOES NOT INCLUDE A TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE CHARACTER CHRISTINE, AND HER RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT OF THE ACTOR, CLAUDE RAINS, AS IT IS PORTRAYED IN THE BOOK; I AM STILL GLAD THAT I FINALLY HAVE COPY OF THIS MOVIE. I AM A LOVER OF "LONG HAIRED" MUSIC, AND I WATCH THIS MOVIE OVER AND OVER AGAIN, JUST TO SEE THE OPERA SEQUENCES. THE SPECIAL FEATURES ARE A DEFINITE ADDED TREAT. THANKS!!

Love quadrangle in the 40's.......2006-07-01

Classic tale, told with a dated look, likeable but also empty.

What's more amazing is the life story of "Susanna Foster" (Christine Dubois), loved by three ardent men and adored by hundreds in this fiction, and living a downhill life in real life.
It's interesting for opera buffs like myself to see a bit of the "backstage" of the renowned Paris Opera, the jealousies, miseries and intrigues. The best phrase, by far, is the one put into the mouth of "Liszt": "So many crimes have been committed in the name of music, we may well make one to prevent one" (but better said). There's also a joke that's actually fun made by the music director, at least the audience agreed with me when we saw it.

The characters are made in cardboard, as fake as the scenery. "Vereheres" is a case in point.
Specially what Neil Doyle from U.S.A. points out in IMDB: "silly routines as they compete for the hand of Foster".
As Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) writes in Amazon: "The Phantom had gone musical. (...) But in terms of actual story interest, the film is only so-so". It has a "sanitized" tone, surely explained by it being made during the war. I also agree to his: "pace is slow, sometimes to the point of clunkiness".

The only acting I liked was the one of Claude Rains. Find his complete quote in IMDB: "Often we'd secretly like to do the very things we discipline ourselves against..".
He's got very beautiful (albeit mad) lines while he's taking Christine to the Opera's catacombs. But they get muddled into the whole pastiche...
Music is very good, specially if you've heard the operas before. I liked the scene with Oneguin a lot, found it fun and refreshing.
As many reviewers write, there's no horror, just a musical. And the phantom is NEVER seductive, unless you can call a destructive mad wreck of a human being so.

Funnily enough, the main characters have chic French surnames (Dubois, D'Aubert), which leads me to confirm that at least some Americans think French equals chic. Whereas the "baddies" are Italian "Signor Ferretti", and the mischievous Biancarolli. "Italian means mafia" for Hollywood? The stereotype is long lived...

The jokes are tart, the heroines wear too much makeup, and the villain never really convinces as a menace. The ending is fine, truly!

After watching this, I don't feel sorry for having missed the 2004 remake by Schumacher, nor paying a dime and spent valuable time in London to watch the L. Weber musical.
Well, Joel has made some the worse films ever, ie "Bad company"... And Lloyd Webber... Woody Allen says it all in a subtle second of his masterful "Match Point".

I guess it's good to watch films like this or the superior King Kong (1933) with the helpful aide of an art house critic, who can enlighten the uninitiated -like me- to things like the gothic element underlying the rococo exterior. Or the romantic idea of beauty leading to suffering.
While it doesn't achieve cult status, it's a nice addenda to any "Phantom completist", as another reviewer puts it.

Overall, much less than anticipated. "Beauty and the beast" but without the emotion that the old Kong can yield.

a little more phantom,a little less opera might have made this one good.......2006-05-24

with over half the running time taken up with opera songs this is really a musical instead of a horror movie. if you like opera you may find something here you like,but if chills are what you want, SKIP IT!!!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Incredible
Finally...it has been reissued!!!!! BUY IT NOW!!!
Documentaries do not get much better than this!
The Man Who Skiied Down Everest
Extraordinary... terrifying

The Man Who Skied Down Everest
Starring: Douglas Rain , and Yuichiro Miura
Director: Bruce Nyznik , and Lawrence Schiller
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Everest (Large Format)
Into the Thin Air of Everest - Mountain of Dreams, Mountain of Doom
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NOVA - Everest: The Death Zone

ASIN: B000777HU2
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Description

This incredible, award-winning film features adventurer, poet and world-champion skier Yuichiro Miura as he and his team face the most challenging climb in the world, Mt. Everest. The ascent is fraught with tragedy, the descent miraculous. During the climb, they face an icefall that claims the lives of six of their team, still considered the worst natural disaster accident in Himalayan history. With a 35mm Panavision film crew in tow, they continue on to the South Col, only 350 meters from the summit, where Miura put his life in the hands of the gods in his descent. Using oxygen and a parachute to slow his speed, Miura skied 7,000 feet over sheer ice and rocks. Unbalanced by the gusting winds, he hit a boulder and fell 1,320 feet, smashing into rocks and ice ridges. A patch of snow was all that saved him, allowing his fall to end just moments away from the Bergshrund Crevasse. This final climax has been called the most exciting six minutes of film ever shot as Miura plummets helplessly down Everest's unforgiving icy slopes toward certain death.

Customer Reviews:

Incredible.......2007-06-10

I have been fascinated with Mount Everest since reading Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air". There was an underlying message in that book that made me want to understand more about why someone would risk their life and struggle through overwelming physical challenges just to say they had climbed the mountain. There was also a picture, in words, of a rugged beauty that served, in part, to explain that puzzle. I have purchased and enjoyed a number of cinematic accounts of Everest climbs and the beauty and the questions still remain. "The Man Who Skied Down Everest" is probably the best of those videos because the cinematography is outstanding and the quest is beyond the scope of just wanting to climb Everest; Yuichiro Miura wanted to ski down it. Indeed, it did not appear that Everest was summitted but, rather, plummitted.

The film begins as a sort of "how to" and shows all of the equiptment and provisions that needs to be hauled up to the base camp (I forget how many tons but it was a lot). It takes us through the route that the porters (and climbers) had to journey. That seemed like a challeging enough trek in itself. We get to the base camp area of Everest which appeared as though Miura and his crew had sole reservations to. This was in the early 1970's and was, apparently, before the climbing of Everest became such a popular sport. Knowing about the thin air from Krakauer's book and other sources, I was astonished to see one of the party smoking a cigarette. I recalled the time I did that in the Andes and almost passed out. There is a tragic accident due to a cave in and half a dozen native porters are killed. I pondered the superhuman efforts that must have occurred in order to recover the bodies.

Eventually, we see Miura ski down a major portion of Everest and it is, by itself, worth the price of the DVD. The uncredited part of this video presentation is the camera work that was done to bring this event into our homes. Even on the single-file portering of the provisions up to the base camp, we get incredible camera shots from quite a distance. It may be by plane in some cases but the shots vere very steady and I'm not sure that would have happened in an air-borne vehicle at that thin-air altitude. The shots of the skiing also seemed to come from parrallel angles but the there was a noticeable decrease in clarity so it might have been shot from quite a distance at a lower altitude. Either way, we got the feeling that we were seeing things from a relatively close perspective.

I remembered the title of this movie from the Academy Awards from 1975. It's title is compelling. The film is even more so.

Finally...it has been reissued!!!!! BUY IT NOW!!!.......2006-12-24

This movie has been out of print for decades but you could buy used VHS copies for a great price over the years. Finally they have done the right thing and put it on DVD!! Why these companies wait for years to reissue and transfer these classics to DVD is beyond me!!! For example..the Jimmy Stewart classic "The Spirit of St. Louis" has just now been put on DVD! And the movie "Mind Walk" is still only on VHS..and it took them YEARS to put the sailing movie "Wind" on DVD..and half a century to put the John Wayne classic "The High and the Mighty" on ANYTHING..(it is now on DVD!!).yet these companies are willing to instantly put the trashiest movies on DVD within weeks of the theatrical release. Go figure..

Anyway...I saw this AWARD WINNING movie in its original theatrical release in 1975. That impression lasted me for the rest of my life. It was the best filmed mountain movie EVER up to that time....Great expense was put into filming it and really it is about the journey. I felt the actual skiing part down the slope was almost incidental!!!

The music, sounds on the trek, and most of all the photography is monumental. It stands the test of time (the IMAX movie "Everest" AND that soundtrack would be the other part of that litmus test).

This movie is a MUST BUY. Is there a soundtrack?? There should be.

Let's get back to the photography....I really don't think many have topped this...and the format is for the big screen LCD's...staggering/breath taking photography.....

Nothing about this film is rushed through...it is very gritty at times but the attraction of just panning all those high mountains never escapes the director... This is a magnificent work of art....the name of the movie adds some sort of circus atmosphere to the whole affair and at first glance looks to be a stunt movie...but the "stunt" part is right at the end and for me was not the draw...it was the the cinematography.

The narration could have been more poetic and woven into this movie more carefully...if there was a weakness here..this was it.

Compare the Imax "Everest" narration of Liam Neeson and it makes my point. On this re-release they possibly had a chance to rethink this narration element since that part DOES sound dated and weak compared to the movie's very contemporary feeling re the "extreme photography" (for lack of a better expression) and the beautiful music and sounds of the trail. But it is what it is and you just go with it.

When I saw this on a huge screen in the theater....it was the first time I had seen the Roof of the World in this manner. This is certainly one of those films that MUST be seen on the big screen. It would be nice if this was put in the theater again compared to the junk they are showing these days...but it would demand the rework of the narration.

Buy this movie and if you don't have the IMAX "EVERST" one..buy that as well and the soundtrack..

Another great piece of travel/geographic photography is "Over Canada"...I think that is available here as well as the excellent soundtrack...Again listen to the narration used in "Over Canada" and compare it with "The Man Who Skied Down Everest".....

Documentaries do not get much better than this!.......2006-03-06

This is one of the most amazing documentaries I have ever seen, one that grabs you and does not let go for the entire film. It is about a Japanese skier named Yuichiro Miura, and his attempt to ski down Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world.

Yuichiro Miura starts out the quest to ski down Mt. Everest in Kathmadu, where he prepares a large expedition with everything which will be necessary on the mountain. The numbers are truly staggering; 800 men will help carry up the 27 tons of gear and equipment necessary for the expedition.

Yuichiro Miura adds Buddha-like narrative (taken from his personal diary) to the film throughout, making clear his love and respect for mountains, and nature in general. This is made infinitely clear when he says higher up on the mountain that he can no longer tell where he stops and the mountain begins, for the mountain dictates when and whether he can eat, sleep or even focus his mind clearly. One can see early on, and throughout the entire film, that Yuichiro Miura is not only one of the most capable athletes ever to have graced the slopes of Mt. Everest, but also one of the most spiritual, reflective and introspective. When six of the Sherpas on his team are killed by a cave-in of ice high up on a glacier, he openly states that he now wonders whether his attempt is worth the toll it is taking......a type of humility you will not often find in a world-class athlete. If nothing else, The Man Who Skied Down Everest gives one an insight into one of the most remarkable men you will ever come across. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, not because of the simple fact that he was able to ski down 8000 icy feet of Everest, but because with every day, he offers new insight and wisdom which makes this a film one can watch repeatedly.

I often wondered throughout the film exactly how this was filmed at all. They did an incredible job of getting cameras up to the most inhospitable of places, and in place at multiple views for every shot. And it should be noted that along the way to Everest, Yuichiro Miura stops and talks with Sir Edmund Hilary, the first man to "conquer" Mt. Everest, at a hospital he had set up in the village of Khumjung.....this is something that all history buffs of Everest will be interested in, as it is really part of history.

As a final note to this but entirely unrelated to the film review, it should be noted that Yuichiro Miura (Age 69 years and 6 months at the time) and his son Gota Miura reached the summit of Mt. Cho Oyu (8,201m) in Nepal in 2003. This expedition made Yuichiro the oldest person to reach the summit of an 8000m peak.

This fact however, will probably not surprise anyone who watched the film.

The Man Who Skiied Down Everest.......2005-10-25

This is one of the most incredible true stories that I have ever seen. Until viewing the documentary I couldn't believe that skiing down Everest even was possible. To be able to see Yuichiro Mirua almost die while accomplishing his dangerous goal is breath taking. Although this film was shot in 1975 the quality of the picture is incredible, it is very clear. The narrator in this film is perfect; his voice aids what is being seen to be transferred into deep feelings and thought. I recommend this film to anyone with an interest in real life adventure.

Extraordinary... terrifying.......2005-05-10

Yuichiro Miura must stand as one of the greatest athletes and (in conventional terms) craziest people in the world. There is no limit in my admiration for the man, and (fortunately for my wife) no way in the world you could get me to emulate him. He is a tremendous skiier and a wonderful poet; his narration (voiced by Douglas Rain, of HAL9000 fame) is highly appropriate for the terrain, the climb itself, and the very brief event of his near-deadly run down the slope of the South Col.

Well worth seeing for both the skiing and Miura's gentle observations about pretty much everything.

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