On Cukor

Starring:George Cukor, Jean Simmons, Peter Bogdanovich, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, Jack Lemmon, Jeanine Basinger, Gene Allen, Claire Bloom, Gavin Lambert, Patrick McGilligan, Richard Schickel, Signe Hasso, Tucker Fleming, Shelley Winters, Robert Wheaton (II), David Denby, Fay Kanin, Walter Bernstein
Director: Robert Trachtenberg
Studio: Winstar
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The rich beauties of Dickens come to flavorful life in David Copperfield, a scrupulous example of a sprawling novel distilled into manageable movie form. The saga of young master Copperfield moves quickly through Dickens' marvelous gallery of eccentrics, with David played as a youth by the exceptionally good Freddie Bartholomew (you'll see why he became a star) and as an adult by Frank Lawton. The remainder of the cast is an almost unbelievable feast of acting, most famously with W.C. Fields stepping out of character--but not too far--as the grandiloquent Mr. Micawber ("You perceive before you the shattered fragments of a temple that was once called Man"). Basil Rathbone is David's stepfather, the ice-cold Murdstone; Lionel Barrymore is warm-hearted Dan Peggoty; Maureen O'Sullivan the adorable Dora; and Roland Young a creepy-crawly Uriah Heep. But best of all is Edna May Oliver, whose Betsy Trotwood bustles through the movie like a no-nonsense field general (if Oscars for supporting acting had been invented in 1935 instead of 1936, Oliver surely would have bagged the first award). The film is a shining example of producer David O. Selznick's Tradition of Quality approach, given all the sheen MGM could apply. Director George Cukor brings empathy and an unfailing sense of dramatic craftsmanship to the episodic material, which throbs with genuinely Dickensian wit and heart. --Robert Horton

Description

"We are friends for life." The man speaking: Micawber, played by W.C. Fields with great comedic charm and human warmth. The child addressed: David, played by Freddie Bartholomew in his Hollywood debut. The movie: David Copperfield, still one of the best-ever screen adaptations of a Charles Dickens novel. "To call the casting inspired is to underrate it," historian David Shipman wrote in his The Story of Cinema. Lionel Barrymore, Edna May Oliver, Maureen O'Sullivan, Basil Rathbone and more joined Fields and Bartholomew in portraying the eccentrics, cads and loving family of this film directed by George Cukor. David O. Selznick produced, insisting on an attention to Dickensian detail that included matching the sets to the first edition's illustrations. The result: one of the greatest page-to-screen adaptations ever.

DVD Features:
Other
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

David Copperfield.......2007-06-20

Cukor's sensitive, ennobling version of this Dickens classic was sumptuously produced for the big screen by producing titan David O. Selznick. A box-office smash when it was released in 1935, "Copperfield" is eminently faithful to the spirit of the Victorian-era novel, tracing the hardships of Bartholomew's orphan hero as he bounces from home to home in search of a real family. Oliver, Rathbone, Maureen O'Sullivan, and Lionel Barrymore are all superb in their respective roles, while Fields musters up an unforgettably charming mix of eccentricity and warmth as Micawber, a role he seemed born to play. Roll out the welcome mat for "David Copperfield."

At last, a sparkling gem has been brought to DVD!.......2007-04-16

1939 has often been touted as the peak of Hollywood's Golden Era. While I would not argue with that (Ted Sennett wrote a whole book about it), 1935 was a Sterling year for American movies also. All the studios turned out fine films that year: "The Little Colonel" and "The Littlest Rebel" at 20th Century-Fox, "Top Hat" and "The Informer" at RKO, "The Ruggles of Red Gap" and "Lives of a Bengal Lancer" at Paramount, "Bride of Frankenstein" at Universal, "The Whole Town's Talking" at Columbia, "Call of the Wild" at United Artists, "Gold Diggers of 1935" and "Captain Blood" at Warner Brothers, and at MGM, "A Night at the Opera", "Naughty Marietta", "Anna Karenina", "Mutiny on the Bounty", "A Tale of Two Cities" and "David Copperfield" (whew!)

David Copperfield is deservedly one of the outstanding pictures of 1935 or any other year! I definitely have to agree with Charles Dickens himself, when he said "Of all my books, I like this the best". And of all the Dickens' books adapted to the screen, I like this one the best, and I bet he would have been pleased, too.

The film has many pleasures: the outstanding cast (of whom Freddie Bartholomew as young David, Edna May Oliver as Aunt Betsy Trotwood, and W.C. Fields as Mr. Micawber, stand out), the well-written screenplay by Howard Estabrook and Hugh Walpole (why drag a story out for five or six hours and multiple parts, when you can tell it well in two or three hours?), the expert direction of George Cukor, and the period flavor.

But perhaps the reason it is SO good is the genius that was David O. Selznick. He pulled all the parts together to make a thoroughly satisfying whole with a brillent skill that would reach it peak four years later with "Gone with the Wind". The production has "class" stamped all over it, and this was due to Mr. Selznick. We will never see his like in Hollywood again. What a shame.

I highly recommend this film. The use of the English language (have your dictionary ready) by WC Field as Mr. Micawber is worth the price of DVD in and of itself. Buy it to-day! While I'm at it, you'd be wise to watch and/or buy most any movie produced by David O. Selznick (Google his name, you will find a list). He knew how to draw you into a film and entertain you with a great story!

Charles Dickens would turn over in his grave.......2007-03-09

The "classic" 1935 version with W.C. Fields is horrible--I returned it for a refund and purchased a later BBC version. The 1935 version looks as if it was filmed in 1935--poor directing, poor acting--a travesty for anyone who loves Dickens. I would never recommend this version of the classic David Copperfield.

A mediocre classic.......2007-02-17

One of the old classics that, sad to say, has not outlived its fame well. Melodramatic to the bone. It has ups & downs, but the pace is generally slow and tedious. I loved the film when a kid. Now it irritated me. I was thinking that it would have made an excellent silent film. Actually there's no need to hear the ridiculous lines (no comparison with the book) that are in this script. A nice soundtrack instead of all the babbling would have made a great difference. Why? Because the faces tell it all. Mind you that George Cukor was a great director, only this one wasn't his best work.

The adult Copperfield is annoying to the utmost. And the film is 30 minutes too long. Aside from all these faults, it's still viewable.

David Copperfield.......2007-02-08

This is a great story.

For you old timers, this cast is the best ever.
They don't make them like this anymore.

I am very happy to have this one for my collection.

Average customer rating:

Unusual Cukor/Loren western
Loren and Quinn in rousing Western backstage tale
Anthony Quinn and Sophia Loren at their Peak
A Western a la cucina di Sophia Loren

Heller in Pink Tights
Starring: Sophia Loren , Anthony Quinn , Margaret O'Brien , Steve Forrest , and Eileen Heckart
Director: George Cukor
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

A Breath of Scandal
It Started in Naples
Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow (Remastered Edition)
Shalako
The Black Orchid

ASIN: B0007Y08TC
Release Date: 2005-06-07

Amazon.com essential video

Heller in Pink Tights features a captivating if intriguingly awkward story born of an unusual number of powerful, creative voices behind the camera. The 1960 film's screenplay was co-written by Walter Bernstein (Fail Safe), whose blacklisting following his unfriendly testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee ended the year before with Heller star Sophia Loren's wartime romance, That Kind of Woman. The equally legendary Dudley Nichols (Stagecoach) shared writing credit; Carlo Ponti (Blow-Up), Loren's strong-minded husband, co-produced; and Hollywood Golden Age director George Cukor (The Philadelphia Story) presided over the odd, Louis L'Amour-based Western.

Loren plays Angela Rossini, leading lady in a down-on-its-luck, traveling theatrical company barely held together by founder Tom Healy (a sympathetic but largely miscast Anthony Quinn). Always staying a step ahead of creditors and lawmen, the troupe stops in a Wyoming town where a hired gunman, Mabry (Steve Forrest), "wins" the reckless Angela, who has long had a romance with Healy, in a poker game. Determined to keep her even as he eludes assassins, Mabry attaches himself to the dispirited Healy's company as it rides through dangerous Indian territory. The final act finds all the principals battling their way to a resolution behind the scenes of a play at a theater Angela has built for Tom with money she stole from Mabry. It's all a little clunky, but Cukor ensures a certain vitality in the proceedings, moves comfortably between striking shifts of comedy to intense drama, makes Loren look great, and exposes--to an unexpected degree--a psychological bond between Angela and Mabry. --Tom Keogh

Description

Based on a novel by Louis L'Amour and full of witty exchanges and a striking visual style, the film follows a vaudeville troupe that stays one step ahead of the bill collector as it tours the frontier circa 1880. The central premise finds ringleaders Angela Rossini (Loren) and Tom Healy (Quinn) needing a more flamboyant act than normal in order to entertain the citizens of the wild West.

Customer Reviews:

Unusual Cukor/Loren western.......2005-12-03

An odd western adapted - loosely - from a Louis L'Amour novel (Heller With a Gun,) directed by Academy Award winning director George Cukor (My Fair Lady copped the Oscar in 1964,) who was better known for more sophisticated, urban fare (Cukor directed Katharine Hepburn in nine movies,) HELLER IN PINK TIGHTS doesn't fit into any easy categories. It's the story of a traveling acting troupe in the old west, headed by Tom Healy (Anthony Quinn) and featuring the lovely Angela Rossini (Sophia Loren.)

Angela Rossini is based on a San Francisco actress named Adah Bertha Theodore, a legendary beauty who was known to the world, as one San Franciscan writer had it, as "the notorious, glamorous, beautiful, and infamous `Mazeppa'." Tom Healy is loosely based on her husband. One of them, anyway. A musician named Alexander Isaac Menken. A scene from `Mazeppa,' the show-stopping scene in which pink-tights clad Angela is strapped to a horse that gallops across the theater, is recreated in the movie. Exciting stuff, even if it's pretty obvious when they cut to the stunt double. In fact, the best stuff in this movie is the behind-the-scenes look at 19th century frontier theater.

I only know what the internet tells me about Adah Menken and the plot of Louis L'Amour's novel. Adah's beauty was legendary, and Loren is a good fit on that score. The movie's plot, which forces the troupe to stay one town ahead of their creditors, is, well, a little forced. Angela/Loren charms some of the flubbered and flustered town bankers into buying her a dress now and then, but the midnight escapes continue. Steve Forrest plays Clint Mabry, a hired gun who wins a little more than Angela should have gambled in a desperate poker game. Mabry makes himself handy to the plot when the troupe finds itself fleeing yet another town, this time escaping into hostile indian territory with nary a guide to lead them out - until the fortuitous arrival of the randy Mabry. This chunk of the film has Mabry trying to collect on his winnings, Angela playing coy, and Healy growing increasingly morose and jealous. If the internet isn't lying, Adah Menken lived a better plot than L'Amour or Cukor would ever dare. The best anecdote of the real article has Adah meeting the famous tight-rope walker Blondin, who, of course, wanted to marry her. Adah agreed, on the condition that he `would let her dance on the tightrope above Niagara with him-a husband-and-wife act.' Fearing that her beauty would distract him, Blondin refused, and they went their separate ways. THAT would have made a heck of a third act.

As it is, we're left with a `lead the rubes out of danger' plot turn and the resolution of a kind of lumpy Loren-Quinn-Forrest love triangle. Although skimpy on action for a western, Loren and Quinn had good on-screen chemistry, and Forrest makes a convincing enough villain. HELLER IN PINK TIGHTS isn't a bad movie, but it is one that all principals could honesty say was not their best work.

Loren and Quinn in rousing Western backstage tale.......2005-09-14

Entertaining western comedy with the ever-lovely Sophia Loren. Anthony Quinn has a great role as Tom Healy, the manager of a touring Western theatrical troupe who is always trying to keep his star actress Angela Rossini (Loren) under control.

Colourful tale based on the novel "Heller with a Gun" by Louis L'Amour, deftly-directed by George Cukor (whose background in theatre served him in good stead in this backstage-flavoured story). As usual, Edith Head comes up trumps with her costumes (especially for the show-within-the-show). With Margaret O'Brien, Eileen Heckart and Steve Forrest. No extras but the 16:9 transfer should appease fans of this gem.

Anthony Quinn and Sophia Loren at their Peak.......2005-06-21

This is an offbeat western that has always had a special place in my heart. They do not make them like this any more! The Healy Theatrical Troup travels the west dodging creditors, indians, and outlaws between giving performances that wow the audiences of small western towns. The scenery is picturesque. The acting is terrific. Quinn is great as the sensitive actor who leads the troup and loves Sophia (who doesnt). Steve Forrest is the outlaw who wins Sophia in a poker game and tags along to "protect his investment". And Sophia is at her best in a comedy that showplaces her strong points. Her early comedies have always been my favorites. It is a humorous well thought out piece that was long overdue coming out on dvd. Bravo!

A Western a la cucina di Sophia Loren.......2000-08-02

Sophia and Anthony cook up a great western tale in this story of a troupe of actors, conning their way across the wild west. Up against Ramon Novarro as the bad guy. Novarro was the 'other' latin lover of the silent silver screen (Valentino's rival) Having acted with women like Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo,Jeannette McDonald, Myrna Loy, he gives a great performance with Sophia Loren in this, his last role in a big movie. Cukor the director is another great from the silver screen making one of his last movies also.

Average customer rating:

A Woman's Director
ON CUKOR GREAT, BY GEORGE!
One of the American Masters

On Cukor
Starring: George Cukor , Jean Simmons , Peter Bogdanovich , Mia Farrow , and Angela Lansbury
Director: Robert Trachtenberg
Manufacturer: Winstar
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Biography | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Goldwyn - The Man and His Movies
Twentieth Century Fox - The Blockbuster Years
Preston Sturges - The Filmmaker Collection (Sullivan's Travels/The Lady Eve/The Palm Beach Story/Hail the Conquering Hero/The Great McGinty/Christmas in July/The Great Moment)
The Premiere Frank Capra Collection (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington / It Happened One Night / You Can't Take It with You / Mr. Deeds Goes to Town / American Madness / Frank Capra's American Dream)
20th Century Fox - The First 50 Years

ASIN: B000059HBY
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Amazon.com

George Cukor had a reputation as a "women's director," and appropriately, this 90-minute documentary opens with a montage of film clips featuring celebrated actresses. True, Cukor launched the careers of Katharine Hepburn, Angela Lansbury, and Shelley Winters. And the video is narrated by Jean Simmons, another actress he once directed. But the program goes on to explore the full range of Cukor's oeuvre, including clips not only from such blockbusters as My Fair Lady and A Star Is Born, but also from now-forgotten earlier works such as What Price Hollywood? Audio and video excerpts from interviews with Cukor are interspersed with the comments of actors, directors, and writers who worked with him or whom he influenced, including Lansbury, Claire Bloom, and Peter Bogdanovich. The documentary balances its examination of Cukor's directorial approach with glimpses at his private life, from his days of skipping school to go to the theater, to the "open secret" of his homosexuality. More than just a tribute, On Cukor reveals the man behind the camera of some of America's best-loved movies. --Larisa Lomacky Moore

Customer Reviews:

A Woman's Director.......2007-03-25

George Cukor has an impressive body of work credited to his name. He worked on such projects as Holiday, Gone With the Wind, The Women, A Philadelphia Story, Adam's Rib, A Star is Born, and My Fair Lady. He worked with some of the most famous names in cinema history and earned a reputation as a "woman's director." However, his reach was not limited to the female sex, and his style was undeniably universal.

Because Cukor was so tied to his work, there are very little bits about his life outside of the studio in this documentary. The most notable things seem to be his penchant for dinner parties and his friendship with Katharine Hepburn. Friends and co-workers such as Angela Landsbury, Mia Farrow, and Jack Lemmon provide insight into the man and his place in cinema history.

Thankfully, there are extra features on this disk. The bonus interviews are an excellent inclusion because they reveal more about Cukor's personality. Many are obviously not suited for a documentary format, but are entertaining on their own.

ON CUKOR GREAT, BY GEORGE!.......2002-01-25

In a career that spanned four decades, George Cukor directed such influential and immortal films as Dinner At Eight, Camille, The Philadelphia Story, Gaslight, Adam's Rib, Born Yesterday, The Women, A Star is Born (the Garland-Mason version) and My Fair Lady. This revealing documentary, narrated by Jean Simmons, relies on actual Cukor interviews---as well as interviews with his pals and peers, including Claire Bloom, Angela Lansbury, Jack Lennon, Shelley Winters, Mia Farrow and Peter Bogdanovich---and dozens of film clips to present a well-rounded, quite wonderful, portrait at the man who reinvented Hollywood. The DVD contains interview outtakes.

One of the American Masters.......2001-05-12

Another edition in the PBS seies, "American Masters is "On Cukor," a biography of George Cukor. There are interviews with many of the people who were directed by Cukor, and even excerpts from an interview with the man himself. A very good program.

DVD:

DVD

Killers/The Killers [Special Edition] [2 Discs] [1947] (REGI

DVD: Andromeda Season 1 Collection 2 (Episode 106-110)

Con Express