Siegfried & Roy - Masters of the Impossible

Starring:Siegfried & Roy
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Product Type: DVD

The Third Man - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Edition)

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The Third Man: one of my favorite movies
The second coming of The Third Man
The Third Man
The Third Man
The Third Man

The Third Man - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Edition)
Starring: Nelly Arno , Leo Bieber , Hedwig Bleibtreu , Martin Boddey , and Siegfried Breuer
Director: Carol Reed
Manufacturer: Criterion Collection
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000NOK0GM
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com essential video

There have been few better movies in the history of the planet than The Third Man, and fewer still as brilliantly directed from second to second. Orson Welles played the title role, and his legend has tended to engulf the film. But it was directed by Carol Reed and written--except for a Wellesian riff on the Borgias--by Graham Greene, and the credit for this masterpiece is properly theirs. Theirs and Joseph Cotten's; for awesome as Welles is, his Citizen Kane second banana is onscreen about six times as much, and Cotten uses every minute to create one of the most distinctive--if also forlorn--of modern heroes.

You know the story. Holly Martins (Cotten), a writer of pulp Westerns and one of life's congenital third-raters, arrives in post-WWII Vienna only to learn that his old pal Harry Lime, the guy who sent him his plane ticket, is being buried. Everybody, from a cynical British cop named Calloway (Trevor Howard) to Harry's Continental knockout of a girlfriend (Alida Valli) and his sundry absurd/Euro-sinister business associates, feels that Holly should get on another plane and go home. He doesn't. Things come to light. Other deaths follow. The world lies in utter ruin.

The Third Man completed a sublime hat trick--an international critical and popular smash following upon the success of Reed's Odd Man Out ('47) and The Fallen Idol ('48). Although other filmmakers had begun to use war-ravaged Europe as a great movie set, The Third Man is so vivid in its canny mix of gray semidocumentary and insanely angular, Expressionist/Surrealist chiaroscuro that it seems to have imagined not only the postwar thriller but also postwar Europe itself singlehandedly.

What great movie moments: The throwaway details like a mourner who forgets to drop his wreath on a newly dug grave. The sly editing whereby thick-headed Sergeant Paine (Bernard Lee, once and future "M" to 007) goes on leafing through a magazine, knowing just the moment he must rise and subdue the nervy Yank who would take a punch at his boss. The way Anton Karas's legendary zither score seems to jangle in the very guy-lines of a bridge where, far below Robert Krasker's Oscar-winning camera, the Third Man calls a war council. The shadow of a dead man towering, big as Europe, over the nighttime streets of Vienna. --Richard T. Jameson

Studio description

Cynical pulp novelist Holly Martins arrives in shadowy Vienna to investigate the mysterious death of his old friend, black-market opportunist Harry Lime, and thus begins an ever-thickening web of love, deception, and murder that adds up to one of cinema's most immortal treats, as well as one of its trickiest. Thanks to brilliant performances by Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles; Anton Karas's timeless, evocative zither score; Graham Greene's razor-sharp dialogue; and Robert Krasker's haunting deep focus shots, off-kilter angles, and dramatic use of light and shadow, The Third Man, directed by the inimitable Carol Reed, only grows in stature as the years pass.

Customer Reviews:

The Third Man: one of my favorite movies.......2007-07-07

Very well done, and as good as when I watched it the first time, so many years ago. The second disc with all the extra stuff is so interesting, and just seeing how Caroll Reed made the movie, right after the war, is fascinating.

The second coming of The Third Man.......2007-06-30

The folks at Criterion never give up short of perfection. They've been reissuing some of their own material lately in newer, better versions, and while I *won't* get another Brazil just because they neglected anamorphic the first time (and I have an up-converting player/TV combo that helps somewhat anyway) I will gladly shell out more cash for improved prints of Seven Samurai, M and now this, The Third Man.

But this is more than just a new transfer. Here you get a second disc of wonderful features. Well, one of the features could have been wonderful: it's a 90-minute documentary made a couple years ago that played at Cannes in 2006. While the information is fascinating, and will shed much light on this noir, the filmmaker's style is pretentious, and distracts from the content.

Other extras are the original U.S. trailer (grossly inappropriate for this movie, but probably closer to the type of film Selznick wanted to make), vintage footage of Vienna and Zitherist Anton Karas, and a photo album of the production--all also included in the prior Criterion release. There's also a mini-doc on the film--much more straightforward and to me more interesting--with all still photos. Even though it's all stills I found this short 10 minute presentation very riveting. Then there's a featurette that shows many of the scenes of German-speaking players with their lines translated (they were deliberately left untranslated in the film so that the audience would feel as confused as Holly), a UK vs. US comparison of the openings, several of the radio shows that used the Harry Lime character, and a profile of writer Graham Greene from a 1968 British television program. Oh, and did I mention there are two commentaries, one from filmmaker Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Tony Gilroy and one from film distorian Dana Polan. Oh, and there's a very stylish 26-page booklet insert. And you know what? There's probably other stuff I've forgotten. These discs are cram-packed.

In short, this is a whole college-level course on The Third Man in a little box. It'll keep you watching for weeks.

In case Amazon ever deletes the first Criterion edition of this DVD from their site, here's a cut-and-paste of my original review of the film itself:

###
Reportedly Orson Welles replied to people who asked if he'd "really" directed The Third Man that Carol Reed didn't need his suggestions. Yet this feels very much like Welles in many ways. First of all there's the subject matter--like Citizen Kane, this film deals with money and power, shattered idealism, and an elusive figure everyone knows *of* yet few people know. Like Kane, the cinematography is striking (though in a different way) and an integral part of the plot. Like Kane, the music is memorable and tells much of the story, yet again in a different way. Like Kane, the film was greeted coldly by many critics on its initial release and had to be shelved for many years before people realized it was a masterpiece. And last but not least, like Kane, it stars the great Joseph Cotten.

The Third Man benefits enormously from being shot in post-war Vienna (in record time by using three crews simultaneously). You can taste the atmosphere. The locations are a "star" as much as any of the human players. Selznick wanted Reed to film on Hollywood back lots, and he wanted Jimmy Stewart to star. He objected to the zither music. He objected to the canted shots. (William Wyler reportedly gave Reed a level to put on his camera after seeing The Third Man!) Most of all, Selznick wanted a happy ending, where Holly gets the girl. But without Reed's vision, the film would have been a typical glossy Hollywood film now seen at 2 am on local UHF channels if at all.

Reed gave Welles one of the great entrances in screen history. Welles gave Reed a hard time by refusing to work in a sewer and returning to England, forcing Reed to build a sewer set there just for Welles' part. Welles says he only wrote the "Cuckcoo clock speech," but leave it to Orson to give us the most memorable dialogue in a movie filled with memorable dialogue.

Then there is the issue of The Woman. Often she will make or break a film like this, and here Alida Valli (or "Valli" as she preferred to be billed in the film...maybe it's an Italian thing that started long before Madonna) is the perfect choice, brooding and un-glamorous and yet all the more alluring because she's un-glamorous. It's easy to see how impressionable Holly would fall for her. It's harder to see why she would still defend Harry, but love is not always logical. Or is this just selfishness? There doesn't seem to be room for love in Reed and Greene's postwar Vienna...

Criterion has done a loving restoration of The Third Man. While not up to the standard of the Citizen Kane DVD (which is not done by Criterion, incidentally) it is superb considering how poorly prints of this film have been handled over the years. Criterion performed many computer-repairs of tears and splices that make once-damaged scenes play perfectly. The gray scale is finally restored! (So many prints of this film are stark and grainy black and white and nearly unwatchable.) There are some extras, such as footage of Anton Karas performing on his unique instrument, documentary footage of the real Vienna sewers, the original trailer, the re-release trailer*, the alternate American opening, and fascinating production photos and commentary. Once again Criterion hits a home run.
###

Make that a grand slam.

*Not included in this version.

The Third Man.......2007-06-29

Fantastic movie, every time I watch it I see something new. Great cinematography, acting is superlative and story is gripping

The Third Man.......2007-06-27

The DVD case was smashed-in like it had been stacked under some weight. Contacted Amazon and they sent me a replacement.

The Third Man.......2007-06-25

One of the all-time great mysteries, the excellence of this production is reflected in the talents of its key contributors: old Mercury Theatre colleagues Welles and Cotten, screenwriter Graham Greene, producers Alexander Korda and David O. Selznick, and director Carol Reed. Together, they create a haunting, intricate thriller, with corrupted souls inhabiting decimated Vienna like so many vultures. "Man" also features one of the best music scores in all film, with Anton Karas's original zither score adding to the ominous proceedings. Stunningly shot on location, this is a must-see.

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Patton
PATTON WAS NOT CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!
AFI rip-off
The best ww2 movie
The Last Generation of True Warriors

Patton
Starring: George C. Scott , Karl Malden , Stephen Young , Michael Strong , and Carey Loftin
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B000EHSVS2
Release Date: 2006-05-23

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One of the greatest screen biographies ever produced, this monumental film runs nearly three hours, won seven Academy Awards, and gave George C. Scott the greatest role of his career. It was released in 1970 when protest against the Vietnam War still raged at home and abroad, and many critics and moviegoers struggled to reconcile current events with the movie's glorification of Gen. George S. Patton as a crazy-brave genius of World War II.

How could a movie so huge in scope and so fascinated by its subject be considered an anti-war film? The simple truth is that it's not--Patton is less about World War II than about the rise and fall of a man whose life was literally defined by war, and who felt lost and lonely without the grand-scale pursuit of an enemy. George C. Scott embodies his role so fully, so convincingly, that we can't help but be drawn to and fascinated by Patton as a man who is simultaneously bound for hell and glory. The film's opening monologue alone is a masterful display of acting and character analysis, and everything that follows is sheer brilliance on the part of Scott and director Franklin J. Schaffner.

Filmed on an epic scale at literally dozens of European locations, Patton does not embrace war as a noble pursuit, nor does it deny the reality of war as a breeding ground for heroes. Through the awesome achievement of Scott's performance and the film's grand ambition, Patton shows all the complexities of a man who accepted his role in life and (like Scott) played it to the hilt. --Jeff Shannon

Description

A critically acclaimed film that won a total of eight 1970 Academy Awards (Including Best Picture), Patton is a riveting portrait of one of the 20th century's greatest military geniuses. One of it's Oscars went to George Patton, the only Allied general truly feared by the Nazis. Charismatic and Flamboyant, Patton designed his own uniforms, sported ivory-handled six-shooters, and believed he was a warrior in past lives. He outmanuevered Rommel in Africa, and after D-Day led his troops in an unstoppable campaign across Europe. But he was rebellious as well insight and poignancy, his own volatile personailty was one enemy he could never defeat.

Customer Reviews:

Patton.......2007-07-04

George C. Scott delivers a towering rendition of the profane, colorful, contradictory Patton, by turns making us admire, revile, and pity this man, who was driven by a profound sense of pre-destination. Karl Malden is superb as Patton's more measured but equally brilliant colleague General Omar Bradley, but this is Scott's show all the way. This won a raft of 1970 Oscars, including Picture and Actor. A must-see.

PATTON WAS NOT CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-06-21

George Patton was a Military Historian, a friend to animals regardless of what you see or hear, and probably the most effective combat strategist of the 20th Century. You can't see this film and see the entire picture. You must read outside of this film, like his own biography "War As I Knew It", as well as read the works by Omar Bradley. Did you know that George Patton was born in Los Angeles County? That's right, like me he was BORN IN L.A. He was born in Pasadena. Did you know he saved the horse breed known as Lipizzaner Stallions from extinction? That's right, the nazi germans had taken the last of what was left of the breed and rounded them up from the rest of Europe to be a nazi prize of achievement, being that they are the most famous and most reliable horses in the world for what was needed in the cavalry. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and several other famous Revolutionary War heroes rode Lipizzaners. They will not shirk under gunfire or cannon. After the war, the russians had appropriated these animals from the defeted nazis in their sector of conquer, and had planned to have the last of these famous, magnificent animals slaughtered for meat for their soldiers. George Patton found out about this, and forced the russians to turn the animals over to the United States, and Patton himself overseen the safe and secure shipment of these animals back to America. Because of him, these animals survived and thrive today, and to date have sired over 25,000, effectively repopulating the species forever. George Patton also spoke 17 different languages, knew every war and every battle ever fought by anyone in the history of the world, and thought that History should be a priority discipline tought in American schools. He effectively changed the sentiments of the United States Education Department, and now History is taught alongside Mathematics, English, Speech, Physical Education, and all other required pre-teen and teen studies, as a result of Patton's influence. He was a brave human being that was fearless and yes, ruthless, but he was also one of the most far-seeing, one of the most intellectually gifted, and one of the kindest human beings that ever lived. I love this film, but in actuality the slapping incident is taken out of context. You have to realize that some soldiers were put to death for cowardice during World War II. Patton did this man a favor, and like the movie says, he intendid to "ruffle his pride a little bit" and to "remind him of his obligations as a man and a soldier". Don't judge Patton by this film alone. Patton was also a direct descendant of Hugh Mercer, who was George Washington's closest and most trusted friend. General Mercer was killed at the Battle of Princeton during the Revolutionary War. You must understand a man's motive's before you can pass judgement on him. If George believed in past lives, it's because he had a spiritual connection, something that most people don't have at all, with his and our past, as well as the past of people all over the world that did battle for what the believed to be right...Honor, Glory, and Dignity. Never forget that George deeply loved America and all She stands for, and believed in God. Start with this film, and proceed to all the literature about Patton available. He was a remarkable human being that loved God and loved his country.

AFI rip-off.......2007-06-21

The new AFI top 100 film list appeared today and Patton was absent. I will not disparage the films that made the list, but at least 20 of them are lesser films than this masterpiece: oscars for best picture, actor, director, and script. This is a great war film, a great biographical film, a great film. The dialogue is consistently memorable, the set pieces unforgettable. Scott is brilliant; this is his masterwork (in a career consisting of multiple contending efforts). If you have not seen this film see it now. As one of my college teachers once said, "If you have not read The Brothers Karamazov go directly to the library and do it. You might die without having read it." The same advice applies to Patton.

The best ww2 movie.......2007-06-14

Patton is a great bio and war movie. Patton is accurate the dialouge when he slaps the solider at the hospital is word for word what was said. The combat scenes are realistic and the rivalry with Montgomery is. At Sicily Patton was determined to beat Montgomery to Messina and did at great cost.When Pattons army is going up those icy roads to releive Bastonge is one of the best parts, and a highlight of ww2. Patton has a great theme song. The opening speech is memorable George s. Patton was one of Americas greatest generals and this movie shows why.

The Last Generation of True Warriors.......2007-04-02

War reached its ultimate state - in both grandeur and tragedy - with WWII, and Patton was perhaps the best personification of both its aspects. George C. Scott was in this movie able to capture the conflicts and limitations of modern warfare and to display the ancient traditions of the soldier in a way no one else has. The movie does an admirable job of depicting the final years of WWII from both the Allied and Axis sides of the European war. If the movie can be faulted at all, it is in its tendency to romanticize war though the personality of this great but flawed man.

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"Le Mans"
Pour les Hommes Normale du Monde
The Man Delivered on His Promise
For Porsche Lovers
An OK movie

Le Mans
Starring: Steve McQueen , Siegfried Rauch , Elga Andersen , Ronald Leigh-Hunt , and Fred Haltiner
Director: Lee H. Katzin
Manufacturer: Paramount
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ASIN: B00008DDRX
Release Date: 2003-04-29

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A classic auto-racing movie starring Steve McQueen, Le Mans puts the audience in the driver's seat for what is often called the most grueling race in the world. The French auto race Le Mans is a 24-hour affair through the French countryside, a demanding ordeal for any driver. McQueen (Bullitt, The Great Escape) plays the American driver, locked in an intense grudge match with his German counterpart even as he wrestles with the guilt over causing an accident that cost the life of a close friend. McQueen is his usual stoic magnetic self, and the racing sequences are among the best ever committed to film. A solid character-driven story combines with raw visceral power to make Le Mans a rich tapestry of action and thrills. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews:

"Le Mans".......2007-07-01

The only movie made about motor racing to this date. McQueen was excellanr driver, along with Peter Revson almost won 12 hours pf Sebring while McQueen driving in leg and foot cast due to broken foot in eariler motorcycling racing racing accident.

Pour les Hommes Normale du Monde.......2007-06-06

I almost want to accuse Steve McQueen of making a self-indulgent film as driving fast cars was his passion; however, using the word "self" doesn't make much sense given how popular the automobile is with the male half of the global population. Cars are to men what shoes are to women. If you are a man and you you aren't interested in fast cars you are probably either 1) not of the majority's sexual orientation or 2) from a part of the World where they don't have them (Moomba maboday jambaa car?).

"Le Mans" is, for most of the film, more like a documentary than fiction. You will feel like you are watching the actual race rather than a fictionalized story set around the race. REALISM is the word.

McQueen plays an American driver, Michael Delaney, on the Porsche team whose main rival in the twenty-four hour race is a German on the Ferrari team. Delaney is haunted by the memory of a crash that killed an Italian driver the year before.

There isn't much dialogue in the film. One notable quotation occurs after the widow of the Italian driver asks McQueen's character why driving is worth the risk: "A lot of people go through life doing things badly. Racing is important to men who do it well. When you're racing, it is life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting."

Don't expect wives or girlfriends to get into this one...

The Man Delivered on His Promise.......2007-05-10

To complain that LeMans is short on dialog is like criticizing a butterfly for not having a beak. It's taken more than 30 years, but Americans are finally beginning to appreciate what Europeans and ardent racing enthusiasts around the world have known since they first viewed LeMans: it's an excellent motor racing film. This emerging realization is due to several things, I think. One is that over the past three decades, even the densest moviegoers have had to recognize McQueen's disdain for dialog in ALL of his films. Unlike actors who lobby to have additional lines written for their characters, McQueen preferred to act through gestures, expressions and body language. He was all about presence, and Michael Delaney exudes all the presence of Frank Bullitt and Thomas Crown. Another reason for the growing respect for LeMans the movie is the comparative shallowness of the charade that passes for motor racing today. LeMans was shot on the cusp of the corporatization of the sport. It was well on its way from a gentleman's pursuit, that train had left the station in the mid-1960s, but the earnings of world-class drivers when LeMans was made were still comparable with CEO, rather than rock-star compensation. Importantly, it still took huge balls and a lot of ability to drive a car like the Porsche 917 the length of a 3.5 mile straightaway at 240 mph, at night, in the rain, like Vic Elford did in 1970. Mulsanne has long since been shortened, the number of co-drivers on a single LeMans team has grown from two to your average college fraternity, and drivers need to bring a lot less to the game in terms of guts and skill than they did in 1970. LeMans is not without its blemishes, and by all accounts it was a nightmare of a project, but McQueen delivered what he said he would - a film that did justice to race drivers and racing.

For Porsche Lovers.......2007-04-05

A movie that will entertain racing fans, car lovers, and especially Porsche owners and fans. Otherwise, significant dialog is missing from the movie("Porsche must win at Le Mans...", "Vrooomm, Vroomm", "Porsche wins at Le Mans!"). YES!!! Vrooommm, Vrooomm!!!

A Porsche Owner

An OK movie.......2007-03-30

This movie is OK as long as you're a racing fan. I thought the acting and plot was a little lame, but the racing sequences are great. It's worth buying just for that.

Average customer rating:

eiger
A real cliffhanger
Clint at his sarcastic best!!
clint runs afowl of the cold war again
A damn good picture...and what's wrong with it being slow?

The Eiger Sanction
Starring: Jean-Pierre Bernard , Heidi Brühl , Jack Cassidy , Thayer David , and Jack Frey
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
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Clint Eastwood held the dual role of director and star of this 1975 spy thriller, which makes up for sluggish pacing with a breathtaking climax on a treacherous peak in the Swiss Alps. The plot kicks into gear when Eastwood, playing a retired assassin, is recruited back into a secret organization to avenge the murder of an old friend. He's then blackmailed into making a second "hit"; this time his target is one of three men who will be attempting to conquer the Eiger, a dangerous peak in Switzerland. Himself an accomplished climber, Eastwood's character joins the expedition with George Kennedy as leader of the ground crew. Shifting loyalties, apparent betrayals, and paranoid suspicion factor into the suspenseful climax on the sheer face of the mountain. This memorable sequence--for which Eastwood performed his own mountain-climbing stunts--is effectively intense, built on a standard plot of double-cross and intrigue that was intended to combine Eastwood's screen persona with the global adventure of the James Bond films. For the most part it works--it's not one of Eastwood's better films, but it's got some first-class thrills (and a sly performance by Jack Cassidy) to grab and hold your interest. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

eiger.......2007-05-14

This product was delivered to us in good condition. I am sorry for not getting back to you regarding this file The Eiger Sanction, there was an illness in the family. Thank you for sending it to us - my son really enjoyed the movie and so did I.

Have a good summer.

A real cliffhanger.......2007-02-25

I love outdoor adventures and suspense thrillers, so the combination in this old classic spy movie is a treat. Eastwood plays an art collector/teacher who was a former assassin. He also happens to have climbed a few mountains, so he's chosen to carry out a special 'sanction' and 'Mr. Dragon' won't take no for an answer. Hemlock (Eastwood) has to climb the Eiger and figure out which climber on his team killed an important agent. Hemlock doesn't like the albino he works for or the mission, but he's determined to get revenge on the man who killed his old friend and fellow agent. However, he gets a big surprise in the end.

Chrissy K. McVay - Author

Clint at his sarcastic best!!.......2007-02-04

`Does your physical disability preclude you from coming to the point?'

Just one of many classic one-liners delivered by a stone-faced Dr Hemlock. This movie has all the wit and sarcasm of a Dirty Harry classic, and all the adventure and stunning landscape of his westerns. An Art teacher by day, but retired government assassin by night, Dr Hemlock is brought out of retirement to sanction the two men involved in killing his friend. The first job was easy, but the second proves the real challenge. His employer knows only that the man is one of a group who plans to climb the Eiger Mountain in Switzerland, a mountain that nearly killed Hemlock the first time he tried to climb it. But the mountain is not his only adversary. One of his fellow climbers, who could well be someone he'll need to rely on when in trouble, is the one he must sanction. But which one is it?

The photography in this movie is stunning; emotive images of death-defying climbs from monument valley to the Swiss Alps. Some complain the movie is long and slow, but I watched the short version and then bought the full length DVD, which contained more excellent scenes that actually clarified some parts of the movie. So I would recommend you buy the full length version. You won't be bored, not for a minute.

Reviewed by Ian Middleton: Travel Writer & Photographer
Ian is the author and photographer of four books, his latest being a travel guide to Ireland's ancient myths and legends, Mysterious World: Ireland.

clint runs afowl of the cold war again.......2006-05-19

maybe it's because he is such a stright shooter(pun ment) or something but clint doesn't do cold war thrillers very well(remember firefox). while well directed and acted this spy thriller is dead most of the way through and while the climbing scenes are good they don't cover up the fact that it was a good book that doesn't watch as good as it read.some may like it but i found it to be a let down.

A damn good picture...and what's wrong with it being slow?.......2006-04-12

I think this is a great film. Many critics and a few reviewers always complain about it's running time (128 minutes), insisting it's too slow. Almost ALL of Clint's films (the ones he's directed) run long. The running times range from just over 2 hours to just under 3 hours (the longest being Bird, at 2 hours, 40 minutes). Sure, the film isn't PC, but it was made in 1975, when you didn't have to be PC. But there is one thing that almost everyone agrees on...the mountain climbing scenes at the end of the film. These are nervewracking and incredibly authentic. Clint did all his own stunts in these sequences, and many professional rock climbers and mountaineers have praised these sequences. And they are very intense to watch, because you know the actors are really up there. No CGI in those days. This is one of the reasons they work so well. CGI looks fake anyway. It makes movies seem like cartoons. People know it isn't real. CGI reliance should be reduced in Hollywood, as it takes the tension out of action scenes.

Check this film out. It's worth all of its 128 minutes.

Average customer rating:

Love the vacation movies
vegas vacation
vegas vacation
Possibly the best of the Vacation movies.
It was good to see Vegas again...

Vegas Vacation (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Chevy Chase , Beverly D'Angelo , Randy Quaid , Ethan Embry , and Marisol Nichols
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Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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Release Date: 2003-10-07

Amazon.com

Check your brain at the door, because it's time once again for a dim-witted visit to Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his happy-go-lucky family, who hit the Vegas strip for this vacation. (The kids who originally played the Griswold children have been replaced.) The Griswold exploits in the casinos are good for a few embarrassed chuckles, especially when Mrs. Griswold (Beverly D'Angelo) gets onstage with Wayne Newton for a truly mind-altering rendition of Minnie Ripperton's ear-piercing 1970s hit "Loving You." And because he scored so many low-brow points as the lame-brained cousin in the original National Lampoon's Vacation, Randy Quaid is back to cause a lot of trouble, while Chevy Chase is reduced to uninspired slapstick and endless puns involving the word damn. In other words, Vegas Vacation is the kind of comedy that can convince you that civilization is doomed. --Jeff Shannon

Description

The Griswold family hits the road again for a typically ill-fated vacation, this time to the glitzy mecca of slots and showgirls, Las Vegas.

Customer Reviews:

Love the vacation movies.......2007-05-18

We have all the Chevy Chase Vacation movies, they will always be a classic for our family. We take Christmas Vacation to our summer cabin and watch it whenever the grandchildren are there. We have now added this to our collection for the lake and I'm sure this will be a tradition also. Wish he'd make some more.

vegas vacation.......2007-05-16

this movie is the funnest thing i have ever seen . I watch this movie every time i am getting ready to go to vegas.

vegas vacation.......2007-03-27

I bought 3 of these dvds to send to my maid of honor and Bridesmaids in prep for my Vegas bachlorette bash. Love this movie, very fun!

Possibly the best of the Vacation movies........2007-01-07

Of all the Vacation Movies, this one might be one of the best!

It was good to see Vegas again..........2006-12-28

I'm not sure how something like this maintains a four-star average on Amazon, honestly. Are you guys nuts? I just suffered through this desperately unfunny movie and I can't find enough bad things to say about it. There's a good line near the beginning, when Clark laments not being able to recognize the kids (they've been played by various actors in the series). There's also a couple of good sight gags: when Clark and Ellen are stained blue from the airplane bathroom, and when Christie Brinkley's character shows Clark why she's now driving a four-seat Ferrari.
To say the movie never delivers on this promise is an understatement. What follows is an embarrassment to a series that is pretty cornball to begin with. I know it's "just a comedy", not Ben Hur or something, but why should we expect any less of a comedy when we invest as much time and money in them as other films?
And of course I couldn't carry Wayne Newton's mic stand, but this is the second film I've seen him in (License to Kill being the other), and his presence is absolute poison to the eyes and ears. His cringe-inducing scenes with Beverly D'Angelo are as believable as pro wrestling. They seem to stop time itself.
I kept thinking about the missed opportunities here. How about the passive-aggressive blackjack dealer who keeps showing up to torment Clark? Wouldn't it have been nice to see Clark, or better yet, cousin Eddie, humiliate him just once? And when Clark gambles away the family's funds, why didn't Rusty mention he won FOUR CARS and presumably a lot of money in the meantime? I don't know; I think a sequence involving the Griswolds desperately trying to unload those rides would have been funny. As for cousin Eddie, his scenes show potential, but... well, you get the idea by now.
At various times 'Vegas Vacation' tries to play out like a commercial for Las Vegas. You really should go; you'll have a great time as long as the Griswolds don't show up.

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Levine, Metropolitan Opera (Complete Ring Cycle)

Average customer rating:

Good enough, I'd say
Cinematic Wagner
Wagner's Opera, " The Ring " Cycle
Met's Ring Cycle
Great Introduction to the Ring

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Levine, Metropolitan Opera (Complete Ring Cycle)
Starring: James Morris (IX) , Siegfried Jerusalem , Ekkehard Wlaschiha , Christa Ludwig , and MariAnne Häggander
Director: Brian Large
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Wagner - Parsifal / Levine, Weikl, Mazura, Metropolitan Opera
Verdi - Aida / Levine, Domingo, Millo, Metropolitan Opera
Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Heppner, Mattila, Morris, Pape, Allen, Polenzani, Levine, Metropolitan Opera
Puccini - Turandot / Franco Zeffirelli - Marton, Domingo, Mitchell, Plishka, Cuenod - James Levine, MET (1988)
Wagner - Der Fliegende Hollander / Estes, Balslev, Salminen, Schunk, Schlemm, Clark, Nelsson, Bayreuth Opera

ASIN: B00006L9ZT
Release Date: 2002-11-12

Customer Reviews:

Good enough, I'd say.......2007-06-20

This Ring Cycle does *not* deserve three-and-a-half stars, so I'm trying to up the average--I'd prefer to give it four-and-a-half, but there we go.

There are minor quibbles which have been mentioned: no horses, the fact that the twins aren't very, well, twin-like--they're all true, but not enough to take a star off, that's for sure. All the problems with it are so minor I hardly noticed.

James Morris' Wotan is truly amazing, and Hildegard Behrens, though not perfect, is a decent enough Brunnhilde. But Siegfried Jerusalem as Siegfried troubled me (I think I've been spoiled by Alberto Remedios--listen to the ENO Ring Cycle recording of "Siegfried" after this and you'll get my point). Matti Salminen is a wonderful Hagen/Fafner, and the music is of course excellent. The voices range from fair to awe-inspiring. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves opera, or legends, or (like me) both.

Cinematic Wagner.......2007-06-20

Wagner's Ring is perhaps the greatest work of art ever, certainly the most brilliant accomplishment in the field of musical drama. I found this Met broadcast to be an entirely satisfying interpretation. I understand that some "Ringies" are disappointed with the straightforward approach, the lack of symbolism, but there is already enough symbolism in the story, the characters and the music for a month of Sundays. Don't get me wrong, I like abstract interpretations of the Ring(see my review of the Barcelona production), but sometimes you just want to sit back and enjoy the Ring on its own terms, without any frills, just be immersed in the mythological images and, most of all, the glorious music, and this Met production is perfect for that type of Ring experience. Otto Schenk's vision is appropriately cinematic, literally capturing Wagner's mythological world as the composer probably envisioned it, uncluttered by any modernist touches. And the results are often stunning. The gods' introduction to Valhalla at the end of Das Rheingold is one example, Wotan and company standing in the foreground, with a gorgeous rainbow spanning the gorge between them and their new home, a castle as grim and foreboding as it is beautiful. The conclusion of Gotterdammerung is equally impressive, with Schenck taking the term twilight of the gods quite literally as the whole stage crumbles to ruin against the backdrop of the Rhinemaidens retrieving their lost gold just before humanity arrives on the scene to look on in awe at the dethroned immortals. Only a few scenes are visually disappointing, including a pedestrian Ride of the Valkyries(sans horses) and uminspiring special effects to back up Wagner's very inspiring Magic Fire Music.

Musically, this is a grand performance. There are too many singers involved in the Ring to mention everyone, so I'll focus on the majors. James Morris is Wotan, and his experience in the role is invaluable to this performance. His deep and haunting voice conveys both introspection and compassion, and anger when necessary, although the viewer gets the feeling that with this Wotan, anger is seldom more than an affectation, he is more of a noble and thoughtful character than a god of fury. His scene with Brunnhilde at the end of Die Walkure is earthshattering. The appropriately named Siegfried Jerusalem is an ideal Siegfriend, dashing, energetic, brash, immature and passionate, with a voice capable of being both stentorian and lyrical. Hildegard Behrens' Brunnhilde didn't overwhelm me initially, but by the Immolation Scene in Gotterdammerung I was completely sold. Though she sings beautifully, and with a lot of passion, she isn't the most strong-voiced Brunnhilde you will ever hear, and if this were merely a sound recording it might have bothered me. But she is as much a physical actress as a vocal one, and you aren't likely to see anyone get into the character of Wotan's valiant lovechild as deeply as she does. Finally, Matti Salminen is Matti Salminen. Among contemporary basses, he owns the character of the half-Nibelung half-human Hagen, possibly my favorite character in the whole cycle, a fascinating study of a personality bred toward evil. No one else's voice, or face, is so perfect for projecting Hagen's unique form of tortured menace. It makes we want to see him as King Phillip in Don Carlo, so someone please get around to releasing one of those productions on DVD!

Finally, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under James Levine is outstanding. I sometimes find Levine's conducting of Wagner(as well as Puccini) to be too slow, but here there are very few moments where I felt he was dwelling on the profundity of the music at the expense of the drama, he achieves a nearly perfect balance of these two qualities. All the motifs are explored to the fullest extent, and the result is a soundworld unlike any other.

Buying a complete Ring Cycle is a big investment, so it really depends on what you're looking for. I'm a huge fan of these Met releases, so I may be a bit prejudiced, but I would recommend this one over others(bearing in mind that the only other one I've seen is the Barcelong Ring which is also quite good, though totally different). For me, this one is a perfect fusion of image and music. The Ring is a long listening and viewing experience, sometimes even in the best hands this can lead to some awkward and, let's face it, tiresome stretches, but especially if the music and visuals aren't on track. Here, though, Levine and Schenk and company have achieved something magical, appropriately enough, more than that they have created a Ring that FLOWS, logically, dramatically, from beginning to end. My praise couldn't be any higher.

Wagner's Opera, " The Ring " Cycle.......2007-06-11

The longest Opera ever written is also one of the best ever written. The players are superb, as are their performances.
If you ever have an opportunity to see a performance live, take it.

Met's Ring Cycle.......2007-05-14

For me, this is the best Ring cycle I am aware of - excellent singing, staging, acting, James Levine direction, etc. It is a traditional staging, which I far prefer, with top singing in each role. I am a great fan of James Morris as Wotan and was highly satisfied with all other major roles. If you enjoy a traditional Ring cycle, you can't go wrong with this production.

Great Introduction to the Ring.......2007-05-12

Wonderful cast and spectacular sets. I am looking forward to attending a live performance and becoming what opera lovers call a "Ring Nut."

The Big Red One - The Reconstruction (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Unwatchable!
Different Time
the big red one
Big Red One
Not as good as other war movies

The Big Red One - The Reconstruction (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Stéphane Audran , Ken Campbell , Robert Carradine , Joseph Clark (II) , and Howard Delman
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007TKNLA
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Amazon.com

Sam Fuller's The Big Red One was already one of the best films of 1980, despite the fact that the version released to theaters ran barely half as long as the director's cut. Fuller had been America's ballsiest B-movie auteur, an ex-newspaper reporter of the hardnosed breed who made fiercely personal, radically stylized, and politically outspoken films between the early '50s (The Steel Helmet, Pickup on South Street) and the early '60s (Shock Corridor). The Big Red One was his long-dreamt-of account of World War II as experienced by his own squad of the 1st Infantry Division, USA, from the first shot fired (by a dead man, on the coast of North Africa) to the last (in a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia).

Even in the studio-truncated version, there was no shortage of astonishing moments and sequences: the squad choking on dust in a bat-filled cave in North Africa as German tanks clatter past the entrance; Fuller's cold-blooded distillation of the D-Day slaughter on Omaha Beach, with a wrist watch on a dead arm in the surf marking time as the water slopping over it grows redder; the rifle squad delivering a Frenchwoman's baby in a German tank on a battlefield full of corpses; a commando-like raid on Nazi troops bivouacked in a Belgian insane asylum. A quarter-century later, film critic Richard Schickel and Warner Bros. executive Brian Jamieson succeeded in restoring 15 never-seen sequences and fleshing out 23 others to create The Big Red One: The Reconstruction, a "new" film nearly an hour longer.

Above all, BR1: The Reconstruction has a rhythm the 1980 cut lacked. The arc of years, battles, and battlegrounds is so much more satisfying. Greater play is given to Fuller's feeling for children caught up in the sidewash of history and atrocity. And the 2004 cut puts sex back into the movie, not orgiastically but as a fact of life and a rarely forgotten driving force. We can see now that Fuller touched, bluntly and shockingly, on the phenomenon of infiltrators--English-speaking German warriors who donned GI khaki and moved among their enemies waiting for a chance to strike.

It's also apparent, as it was not in 1980, that Lee Marvin as the eternal Sergeant leading the young squad is magnificent. This was Marvin's greatest role, rivaled only by his walking dead man in John Boorman's Point Blank. Just beneath the masterly implacability, we glimpse the tenderness, rage, dark humor, experience, and wisdom beyond guilt that have enabled him to survive, to preserve others and to soldier on. His performance, like Fuller's film, is a masterpiece. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews:

Unwatchable!.......2007-06-16

Any resemblance between BRO and WW2 is merely in the uniforms.
Do you want to see Lee Marvin kissed on the mouth multiple times by a German military doctor who has a childish tattoo of a nude man on chest? Didn't think so. And the really odd thing is that Marvin doesn't object until at least the second kiss. Was his character undecided whether he liked it?
I guess this is Fuller's idea of a good war movie or at least a good joke on the rest of us. If war is hell, then watching this movie is the closest thing to hell. And I don't mean that in a "Saving Private Ryan" way.
If you make the mistake of buying this movie and watch the first few scenes, don't torture yourself by hoping it will get better. Hit eject and move on.

Different Time.......2007-05-06

Even not a fun of war movies likes this work of young US soldiers and their lucky elder wise commander much.

Why not so many awards for? Maybe, because Fuller then was not recent Spielberg. Time is different now. Even in Hollywood for Hollywood.

the big red one.......2007-04-10

one of the really good wwII movies. unknown to most. lee marvin is great.

Big Red One.......2007-03-08

Aside form the failed attempts to add / alter footage in Star Wars and Return of the Jedi, there are only two other movies in recent times that I can recall as being reduced in quality after previously excised material was later included. One was "Apocalypse Now; Redux" and the other is "The Big Red One".

Samuel Fuller was never a truly good director in any real sense of the word. Most of his efforts are mediocre to middling at best. Early efforts like "Fixed Bayonets" or "The Steel Helmet" showed flashes of something approaching greatness, but when one looks through his body of material, one is left somewhat under-whelmed.

"The Big Red One", which was easily Fuller's best movie contains those same flashes of brilliance, (a dead soldier's wrist watch marking time on Omaha beach on the 6th June), but also tends to leave the viewer somewhat dry after each section following Fullers young squad of American infantrymen. The project, which was in Fullers heart for many years, is just beyond the scope of the budget that Sam Fuller was able to scrape together for it. The 70 year old Fuller, who served with 1st battalion, has many memories to draw upon but they are let down sometimes by poor writing, directing and execution. "The Big Red One" never seems to know what kind of movie it's trying to be. In one moment we have a gung ho `gee whiz Sarge, let's kill the Krauts" type of Hollywood war movie, very much in the vein of the 1950's and on the other it tries hard to actually say something strong about the war and the period that the film is set in. Neither element seems to come off successfully however.

This is not to say that the "Big Red One" is totally un-enjoyable, that is not the case. On the whole the film passes by relatively well, with some very nice sarcastic moments delivered by a great Lee Marvin, who plays the squads Sergeant, although he is far, far too old (the prologue shows Marvin's character during the First World War ! ) If one ignores that, however and just enjoys Marvin for what he is, then it's forgivable. Other characters aren't so entertaining though. Among the core of the squad are a pretty dull Kelly Ward and Bobby Di Cicco, with Robert Carridine tasked with trying to be a composite of Fuller himself (complete with chomping cigar) and others and Mark Hammil fresh from "The Empire Strikes Back" playing a rather clichéd sharpshooter who, shock horror, loses his ability to shoot straight because he's worrying about "murdering the enemy", exercising one of the films nods to old style war movies.

"We don't murder the enemy, we kill him" reassures Marvin's Sergeant.

This is echoed by Marvin's opposite number, Fledwebel Schroeder (played by Siegfried Rauch). An obviously cardboard nazi type, that's actually made more silly by the extended material. Schroeder is ridiculously one dimensional, dispatching his own men when they don't agree with him or the party line and is simply a foil for Marvin. But he could have been a much better character and contributed more to the film. It's not Rauch's fault, it's just the writing.

The new material in the reconstruction of the "Big Red One" jars on the film as a whole. Most of the extra scenes don't add anything to the movie except to its running time and it's easy to see why they were cut out the first time `round. The exception being the extra footage of a French cavalry attack, which helps out Marvin's squad as they make an attack the Afrika Korps. At the end of the battle Marvin warns his men that he won't have any trading going on for "Krauts ears", as the North Afican troops have been cutting off American ears too and trading them as well. It's a nice little effort to introduce some ambiguity to the main characters of the piece. Among other added scenes is a frankly un-necessary sex scene between Hammil and an older female agent in a mental asylum and a scene with a German sniper child that is rendered absolutely ridiculous at its end.

None of the extra material ever comes close to matching some of the original scenes for power. The previously mentioned D-Day watch sequence (although it's a poor man's "Private Ryan" for the most part) and the finale in Czechoslovakian concentration camp just won't be bettered by the new inclusions.

Overall, the "Big Red One; the reconstruction" is a nice package and is essentially a good idea but with flawed material, both original and added. There's nice extras here too in the form of genuinely interesting documentaries and deleted scenes etc. It would have been nice to have the original theatrical cut included too. That would have rounded off the presentation.

Not as good as other war movies.......2007-03-06

I have seen this movie several times and do not rank it as among the best war films. Several films that I consider better include "Battleground", "A Walk in the Sun", "GI Joe", The Longest Day", "The Train", "Saving Private Ryan", "They Were Expendable", "Twelve O'clock High", "Bridge at Remagen", "A Bridge Too Far", "Judgement at Nuremberg", and "Band of Brothers." I sometimes watch it on cable TV but will not buy it for my film library. I cannot give explicit reasons why I feel this way but can only use my experience as a war movie buff.

Average customer rating:

Patton
PATTON WAS NOT CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!
AFI rip-off
The best ww2 movie
The Last Generation of True Warriors

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ASIN: B00005PJ8O
Release Date: 2001-11-06

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Patton.......2007-07-04

PATTON WAS NOT CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-06-21

AFI rip-off.......2007-06-21

The best ww2 movie.......2007-06-14

The Last Generation of True Warriors.......2007-04-02

Average customer rating:

From a different perspective
SO exactly what did we do last night?
Very funny foreign movie
"Say...did anything happen last night?"
Surprisingly Interesting

Regular Guys
Starring: Christoph M. Ohrt , Carin C. Tietze , Tim Bergmann , Oliver Stokowski , and Rudolf Kowalski
Director: Rolf Silber
Manufacturer: Tla
ProductGroup: DVD
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Third Man Out
Dante's Cove
Another Gay Movie
Adam & Steve (2005)
The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green

ASIN: B0000B1A36
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Description

Christoph is a macho detective who's been dumped by his fiancee. His life is turned upside down when he awakes in the arms of edgar, a gay auto mechanic. More concerned with finding a place to live rather than knowing "did he or didn't he", christoph moves in with the mechanic! Filled with humor and sensitivity, regular guys is a comedic examination of relationships: gay, straight and somewhere in between.

Customer Reviews:

From a different perspective.......2007-01-10

This movie was recommened to me by a friend. Bought the DVD and do not regret it although it was not as good as I expected. A straight man in a gay man's world is quite a different approach. German film with sub-tiles. There can be harmony amongst all people if you only tolerate (or rather accept) differences. In the end we are all normal and abnormal, no difference.

SO exactly what did we do last night?.......2006-10-11

Not a dull minute in this film. Great from start to finish. Great sound and picture quality. The casting is superb as is the acting. This is one I will definately want to see again and again. The story starts when a straight undercover cop Christoph (Christoph M. Ort) has a really really bad day. His fiance kicks him out of their apartment where he finds her with another man. You name it, this guy has been through it before the day ends. When nothing else seemingly can go wrong, or when he finally gives up and quits caring what happens next, he finds himself at a bar and decides to go in and have a drink. Oh course it turns out to be a gay bar and after he's had a few, he passes out. Next morning he wakes up naked in the arms of a very good looking gay mechanic (Tim Bergmann)who's into fixing stolen cars. Did they or didn't they? Problem: neither one can remember what happened if anything. The next couple weeks he stays with the mechanic while looking for a place of his own. All the while defending himself to Edgar as totally straight and warding off his advances. This is a hilarious turn of events that shows Christoph seeking to start a relationship with a female co-worker but also finding himself jealous of Edgars boyfriend and anyone who makes eyes at him. The two find themselves outted as lovers, while Christoph is working on an undercover stolen car ring and Edgar is in posession of the stolen cars. You never know what's going to happen next! I HIGHLY recommend this film. There is something in it for about anyone to enjoy. Romance, a couple shower scenes, softcore full male frontal nudity, comedy, adventure, and lots of surprises!!!

Very funny foreign movie.......2005-09-09

It was one of the foreign movies with subtitles. But I didn't feel at all that I am reading and watching at the same time. Well done movie with good European sense of humor. I bet most of you will love it. I rented it but now I will buy it for sure.

"Say...did anything happen last night?".......2005-08-13

Made almost ten years ago Rolf Silber's Regular Guys is somewhat of a mixed bag. Blessed with a cast of mostly pretty people, and with some nice comedic moments, a rather insipid plot ultimately hampers the film, with the whole affair coming across more like a late night German sitcom than as a fully-fledged motion picture.

It's hard to figure out what Silber was actually trying to say in Regular Guys. Is the movie a testament to the hip to the new rules of dating where gender roles, sexual orientation, and social expectations are not that easily defined anymore? Or is Silber merely making a statement, and saying that, hey, Germans can have a sense of humour too. Perhaps it's a little bit of both.

In any case, Regular Guys does have some genuinely warm-heated, tender, and funny moments, but there's not one ounce of originality here and it's absolutely packed with every stereotype imaginable. There's also a rather annoying early-adolescent approach to sexual relations that can't get over its stifled-giggle titillation over two hunky guys sharing a bed, even if they aren't actually having sex. After all, these people are supposed to be mature adults, but they're acting out more like silly teenagers.

A very sexy Christoph Ohrt plays officer Christoph Schwenk. Christoph is a pretty straight talking, gruff, bare-bones kind of guy, who upon returning home one day, after a crime bust, finds his fiancé with another man. Understandably upset, he takes his belongings and drowns his sorrows. Stuck for a place to stay and down on his luck, he eventually wonders unknowingly into a gay bar and proceeds to get drunk.

The next morning wakes up in the arms of Edgar, (Tim Bergmann), an adorable mechanic. Christoph is understandably upset, and he can't for the life of him remember what happened and how he got there. After a lot of naked running around and embarrassed silences, the two men form an uneasy truce, with Edgar telling Christoph that "nothing happened that you didn't want to happen."

Edgar offers the policeman the spare room and the two begin sharing the apartment. At first, Christoph is a little freaked out and avoids all the pictures and statues of priapic nude men that decorate every square inch of Edgar's flat. Soon, however, an inconvenient and rather begrudging friendship develops between the odd couple. Things get really complicated when Edgar's lover and mother take turns dropping in unexpectedly. Edgar also begins to fall in love with Christoph.

Back at the station, Christoph and his partner are given new colleague, Helen (Carin Tietze). Helen is living with another woman, but Christoph has been steadily becoming attracted to her. But does she really like women? To make matters worse it turns out Edgar is a mechanic who deals in stolen cars, the same ring Christoph and his partner are investigating. When Christoph's superiors see the two men driving around town and drinking in a bar together, rumors begin to fly about Christoph's sexuality.

The best scenes in the film are when Christoph and Edgar are together, and exchange some witty "lifestyle" barbs with each other. Both the actors ooze a definite charisma and you can really believe that there is some kind of furtive attraction going on between them both. The funniest scene is when they are forced to kiss each other in a gay bar.

Regular Guys fields no great surprises with the formulaic plot playing out to its conventional conclusion. Although, there is one surprise revelation regarding the sexual orientation of one of the supporting characters, it's mostly steady and predictable as she goes. Most of the subplots involving the car thieves are left hanging so it's best not to question too closely what you're watching, or the whole film might cave in upon you.

The theme of "straight guy being sexually confused" comes across as a little too far-fetched for my liking, especially for a guy like Christoph, who at his age, would probably be pretty secure in his own skin. But if you can suspend disbelief and let the story play it out, Regular Guys is mostly enjoyable.

Of course, being European, there is some casual "locker room" full frontal male nudity, which may intrigue, or offend, some viewers, depending on where you're coming from. And the film is certainly worth taking a look at, not only for the hunky Christoph Ohrt, but also for some wonderful city views of Frankfurt. Mike Leonard August 05.

Surprisingly Interesting.......2005-07-30

I'm a person who rarely watches a movie in one sitting, but I could barely pull myself away from this amusing and insightful German film that covers a lot of bases about our attitudes toward same-sex (and opposite sex) love.

In a nutshell, our protagonist is thrown out by his fiancee and lands in the eager arms (or more?) of a chipper, kindly, patient gay man, who just might be repairing stolen cars, which is a problem because the main character (and his friends) are cops. Although it is never clear just exactly how far the two men go during this first drunken interlude, it makes less and less difference as the story evolves and their affection for each other grows. Of course there are other affections developing too, and it's really all quite interesting and somewhat insightful.

The acting is good, the story interesting, the secondary characters colorful, and the pacing is great. The ending was maybe a little trite, but cute and good enough to leave you feeling satisfied and entertained.

I wonder if the translations from German were entirely correct, as sometimes the dialog was a bit choppy, and the translation may account for this. So, if you can get past the subtitles, (and I think you will want to) I recommend this as an amusing and interesting film which will keep you interested and make you think right up until the end. This is a strong foreign film that is worth your time.

Average customer rating:

parental guidance is advised
The Magic Flute
The tenor became a basbarython
Mozart + Bergman+ Flute = Magic
Magic Mozart

The Magic Flute - Criterion Collection
Starring: Jerker Arvidson , Jane Darling , Helene Friberg , Nina Harte , and Sven-Erik Jacobsson
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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