On the Night

Starring:Dire Straits
Studio: Umvd Import
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Great material
EVERYTHING HE DOES IS MAGIC....
Now that Sting and The Police are on the news again...
I couldn't stand another hour of daylight
Just GREAT!!!

Bring on the Night
Starring: Miles A. Copeland III , Dolette McDonald , Kenny Kirkland , Jake Sumner , and Lou Salvatore
Director: Michael Apted
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Police - Synchronicity Concert
The Police - Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out
Sting - All This Time
The Police - Every Breath You Take
Bring on the Night

ASIN: B0007VCZ50
Release Date: 2005-03-29

Amazon.com

It's been available on audio CD since 1985 (now in a newly-remastered edition), but the long-awaited release of the DVD version of Bring on the Night will be a cause for celebration for fans of both Sting and the Police. Directed by Michael Apted (Coal Miner's Daughter, Gorky Park, Enough), the film observes Sting and his new band as they rehearse and then perform their first concert, in Paris. The musicians, including Branford Marsalis (sax), Kenny Kirkland (keyboards), Darryl Jones (bass), Omar Hakim (drums), and two backing vocalists, are all superb, all with strong jazz backgrounds but a good feel for rock as well; and Sting's then-new material, drawn from his The Dream of the Blue Turtles album, is among the best of his solo career, especially "Consider Me Gone," "Children's Crusade," and the brilliant "Fortress Around Your Heart" (there are also several Police tunes, including "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle"). Equally compelling, surprisingly, are the insights, intended or otherwise, into the characters of the various participants. Sting himself is a bit of a stiff, frankly. Guarded, controlled, and not a little arrogant (he calls the pop music of the day "reactionary and racist"--except his, of course), he's in direct contrast to the others, especially the outspoken, irrepressible Marsalis, who's not at all shy about needling his basically humorless boss; Sting's manager, Miles Copeland, also has no problem saying exactly what he thinks. With a crisp digital transfer and remastered digital sound, Bring on the Night is highly recommended on every level. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

Great material.......2007-06-27

I used to watch this video on VHS with bandmates years ago! Its good fun.

EVERYTHING HE DOES IS MAGIC...........2007-05-25

WELL I DONT HAVE MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS DVD EVERYTHING STING DOES IS MAGIC IS INCREDIBLE I REMEMBER WHEN HE DECIDE TO GO SOLO I HAD THIS HUNCH THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO BE DISSAPOINTING SINCE HE WAS THE POLICE LEADER AND WRITER.HE IS LIKE THE KING MIDAS ALL HIS ALBUMS ,SONGS,SINGLES,DVD'S ETC... TURN TO GOLD
IN THIS DVD YOU FIND THIS FINE MUSICIAN'S AND LOCATION LIKE IN ALL HIS DVD'S .BRING ON THE NIGHT IS THE BEGGINING OF HIS SOLO PROJECTS YOU NOTICE HIS SKILLS AS A MUSICIAN AND HIS PURSUIT OF PERFECTION ON HIS RECORDS AND PRODUCTIONS ALSO YOU CAN SEE THE INTERVIEW OF BRANFORD MARSALIS DARRYL JONES OMAR HAKIM AND THE LATE KENNY KIRKLAND WHO WAS ONE OF STING PIANIST/KEYBOARDIST AND FRECUENTLY COLLABORATOR I RECOMMEND THIS DVD TO ANYONE .

L.VILLANUEVA

Now that Sting and The Police are on the news again..........2007-03-27

It's an excelent film about an extraordinary album Sting made. Ideal for those who remember those days or for those who want to get to know them. I saw one concert of the subsequent tour they made, it's among the best ones I ever attended. Enjoy!

I couldn't stand another hour of daylight.......2007-03-15

Music documentaries don't come much finer than Michael Apted's 1985 classic "Bring on the Night". In the film, exquisitely photographed on 35 mm, Apted documents the rehearsals of Sting's then-newly-assembled backing band and ultimately their first concert. It's a surprisingly fascinating and stunningly well-made, let alone highly insightful, look at the preparation that went into the performance as well as the dedication and skill of the band and their rather stiff leader. The members are completely open about their feelings toward Sting and the band, as well as the direction in which it was headed; it is hailed as a work of genius, at once a anti-racial statement and a brilliant melding of intense jazz and intellectual rock. And while it may be just that, it's Apted's delectable film that is the real work of genius here.

We see the astounding skill of the backing band members, Sting's dedication and controlled brilliance as well as his near humorlessness, which the band members (particularly a charmingly young Branford Marsalis!) are all-too-happy to mock. We see that former Police manager and current Sting manager Miles Copeland (yes, Police drummer Stewart's bro) is actually something of a jerk, but a talented manager. We feel the tension of opening night, and that is why Apted's film is so great. Unlike the average documentary, we are not outsiders looking in at a little glass bubble and seeing the machinery work; we are there with the band, along for the ride. We are amazed at the hard work of the band, and we too struggle against the pressure that the band fights. We cannot wait to see the fruition of the group's efforts. Apted makes us feel, and that is why "Bring on the Night" is such a masterpiece.

Of course, there's also the music. The concert is fantastic, offering new compositions, a few blues and jazz covers, and some jazzed-up reinterpretations of former Police tunes. Particularly wonderful is a dazzlingly soothing performance of "Fortress Around Your Heart", a sumptuous rendition of "I Burn for You" oozing sensuality, and a gleaming, utterly beautiful performance of "Message in a Bottle" featuring solely Sting on his guitar. Another highlight is a memorable sequence in which, while Sting's bombastic, paranoid "Russians" plays in the background, Sting's wife Trudie Styler gives birth to their son.

"Bring on the Night"'s long-awaited DVD release is worth the wait. The picture is simply gorgeous, and the DTS sound mix is fantastic, making you feel even more like you're present at Sting's first solo concert. The DVD also includes three Sting music videos as well as the original trailer, radio spots, and the option to create a "personal playlist". Over twenty years after its release, "Bring on the Night" remains one of the very best and most riveting music documentaries ever released, and this DVD is an essential purchase for Sting fans or any musically-inclined soul who wants to experience a masterpiece of documentary filmmaking.

Just GREAT!!!.......2007-01-26

I saw this more than 25 years ago, First Sting solo adventure and was, as today, amazing. The band (Kirkland, Jones, Marsalis and one of the greatest Omar Hakim) is by far the best band Sting has used on a recording studio and on tour.
Don't think about it and buy it!!!!

Average customer rating:

Night on Earth
Starring: Night on Earth
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Stranger Than Paradise
Robinson Crusoe on Mars
The Threepenny Opera
House of Games - Criterion Collection
Martha Graham Dance on Film

ASIN: B000SFJ4IQ
Release Date: 2007-09-04

Average customer rating:

On the Night
Excellent Quality
great show.
Superlative concert
A Great Live Recording.

On the Night
Starring: Dire Straits
Manufacturer: Umvd Import
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Sultans of Swing
Night in London
Pink Floyd - Pulse
Music for Montserrat
Live at Knebworth: Parts 1, 2 & 3 (2pc)

ASIN: B000654YRY
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Customer Reviews:

On the Night.......2007-06-18

If you're a Dire Straits and/or Mark Knopfler fan...it's a must have.

Excellent Quality.......2007-05-07

I have bought hundreds of music DVD's and have appreciated the sound and quality of maybe 30 to 40 of these purchases. Dire Straits "On The Night" the quality is excellent. Dire Straits fans will love this. Song fans though, please look at the song listing. Two of my favorites; Sultans of Swing and Expresso Love are not played here.

Gman

great show........2007-02-08

This a great live performance. This is a great definitive performance of the band at this time (1992)

However, the 90 minute length left me wanting more. They clearly played for at least two hours, so i guess this a good excerpt of a longer show.

The songs here are performed very well. Many older songs here are performed uniquely and with all the vigor the band had 20 years ago.

I was hoping for more material both old and new. I mean how could a new song like 'Planet of New Orleans' not be included? Even the overplayed 'Sultans of Swing' is not here. And surely 'Tunnel of love' or Telegraph Road' was played? But since this is all i can get, i will take it gladly.

Even in a shortened form, this is still a great DVD. If you are a fan, you must own this. This is a good companion to the earlier Alchemy CD. Now if only the video for Alchemy was released on DVD and expanded....

Superlative concert.......2006-12-27

Easily one of the greatest Dire Straits concerts ever. A very young Mark Knopfler, and the rest of the band. One very endearing aspect of this band is the innate chemistry between the different members - they smile at each other, and the overall environment on stage seems very relaxed, pleasant and enjoyable. They really enjoy playing together. The energy of the band is evident, but most important of all - the music! You could listen to this concert with your eyes closed, and enjoy every moment of it - probably more. These guys can play. Knopfler's Sprechgesang - not quite singing, not quite speaking, is a unique way of imbibing emotion into the most ordinary of words. His guitar of course is really adding another 'voice' to his music. These guitars are all abut "tone". This concert is no different in that regard. One of the best renditions of 'Solid Rock", and "Local Hero". That last one will have you with either a very sad, and heavy heart, and/or tears welling up in your eyes - so moving is the rendition!

One of the drawbacks of the production, is that it is very simple: you get to either play a specific song, or the entire concert. We have been spoiled by other productions, which have background material, featurettes, and so on. None of that here. I also wish the concert was available in a Stereo rendition. You get a Dolby Digital version of the concert. Concerts are seen with the band performing in front of you, not all around you. The producers screwed up in that regard. Exceptional sound quality, though, and you can really hear the guitars wail. If you enjoy Knopfler, you'll love this concert.

A Great Live Recording........2006-11-02

After listening to Dire Straits for years it was really exciting for them to release their live CD on DVD so you could actually see the band performing. Mark Knopler is a guitar genius, one of the best there is. Ever heard the recording he did with country legend Chet Atkins? Well Chet is good but I think Mark shows more talent. This is a great DVD and if you enjoy Dire Straits, it's like dessert.

The Police - LIVE - Ghost in the Machine

Average customer rating:

For Die-Hards Only
Much better performance than the Synchronicity concert
Would someone please release a definitive Police dvd!
Oh My Horn!
not bad

The Police - LIVE - Ghost in the Machine

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

The Police - Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out
The Police - Synchronicity Concert
The Police - Every Breath You Take
One Train Later: A Memoir
Andy Summers: Guitar (DVD and Booklet)

ASIN: B000BRSH8E

Product Description

One of the greatest rock bands ever, The Police are at their very best in a RARE Live concert performance recorded at Gateshead, England on July 31, 1982. It features Sting on bass guitar and lead vocals, Andy Summers on lead guitars, and Stewart Copeland on drums. Over 90 minutes of Live Footage!! TRACKS: 1) Message In A Bottle; 2) Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic; 3)Walking On The Moon; 4) Spirits In The Material World; 5) Hungry For You (J'aurais Toujours Faim De Toi); 6) When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around; 7) The Bed's Too Big Without You; 8) De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da; 9) Demolition Man; 10) Shadows In The Rain; 11) Driven To Tears; 12) Bring On The Night; 13) One World (Not Three); 14) Invisible Sun; 15) Roxanne; 16) Don't Stand So Close To Me; 17) Can't Stand Losing You - Reggatta De Blanc- Be My Girl, Sally 18) So Lonely. ++++ DVD FEATURES: This officially released DVD from South Korea is All-Region NTSC Code 0 (plays worldwide), provides Full Screen display and Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound in ENGLISH with optional (removable) Korean subtitles.

Customer Reviews:

For Die-Hards Only.......2007-03-28

I was actually at a show from this tour and it seemed a lot better than represented here.

This is cool for a time capsule, and there are some okay performances of some songs, but they're undercut by the bad mix and iffy camera work.

Oh, and then those horns. Thank God THAT idea never took hold after this tour. Eeesh.

The only thing worse than the horns was Sting's foot-synth which he uses on a couple of songs. The effect, in a word: tragic. It sounds more like a car alarm than a good musical idea.

Far, far superior is the Synchronicity concert--buy that.

AND wait for "Police Around the World" to come out on DVD. That is the best document of early Police and has killer performances from all over the world.

Much better performance than the Synchronicity concert.......2007-03-09

Excellent performance, I especially liked how the last song (So Lonely) came out. One of the best live versions I've seen /heard of this song. Although the sound quality is not as good as that of the Synchronicity DVD, overall I think this is a much better performance (at least Sting's voice does not sound hoarse in this one).

Would someone please release a definitive Police dvd!.......2007-03-09

This DVD is good, but only because the Police have not released anything better. The sound is uneven (to say the least) in spots. For example, during Message in a Bottle, you can barely hear Andy's guitar as the sythns dominate. Also, Stewart Copeland is certainly not shown enough. There are portions of the disc where you can see all of Sting and Andy but only maybe a quick flash of Stewart's hands. You can see more of Stewart on Driven to Tears, but unfortunately, it seems like Stewart may have forgotten how to play the song for the first half of it. However, by the second of half of the song, Stewart really finds his groove, and makes this track probably the highlight of the disc. Unfortunately, the disc really does seem to focus almost exclusively on Sting for a disproportional amount of time. A lot of reviewers have made a big deal over the horns, but they really are not that prominent. There are portions where you cannot turn off the Korean subtitles (during the stage banter), but it is minimal and not very distracting.

Oh My Horn!.......2006-11-20

Yikes! The addition of the horn section to The Police sound was not the best idea Sting ever forced upon Stewart & Andy. I personally prefer the original power trio magic- and I suspect most fans would agree.

The direction is odd... a lot of strange camera angles that are not completely unwelcome, but with most of the 'standard' camera set-ups going unused, you have to wonder what the director was thinking. The coverage of Stewart makes him seem like a hired hand. Honestly, the horn section gets better treatment!

The band is not firing on all cylinders, but if you are a hard core fan like myself... you just have to check it out! The mix is a bit off during the beginning (Sting's Taurus pedals drown out Andy's guitar for a while!) but things level out. I couldn't get the Korean subtitles to turn off, but don't let that stop you. They are only present when Sting speaks in between songs. (Also note that a few parts of this were showed on the old VHS 'From Outlandos to Synchronicities.')

Having said all of this, the good outweighs the bad... but only if you are a die hard fan. You do get to check out 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' with Andy performing the piano part on his guitar. Interesting!

not bad.......2006-08-31

It's hard to find good "Ghost" material out there. This was most likely some kind of pay-per-view special in England, but the band sounds pretty tight. I was never too crazy about the horn section on this tour, but it's certainly interesting.

The Alice Faye Collection (That Night in Rio / Lillian Russell / On the Avenue / The Gang's All Here)

Average customer rating:

Alice is Great as Lillian Russell - So Are Weber & Fields
A Hit and Miss Affair
Great set, but there is one blunder...
Faye and Miranda Shine in Box Set
It's the color!

The Alice Faye Collection (That Night in Rio / Lillian Russell / On the Avenue / The Gang's All Here)
Starring: Alice Faye , Don Ameche , Henry Fonda , Edward Arnold , and Warren William
Director: Irving Cummings , and Roy Del Ruth
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

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The Clock

ASIN: B000K7VHMS
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Description

Disc 1: THE GANGS ALL HERE Disc 2: ON THE AVENUE Disc 3: LILLIAN RUSSELL Disc 4: THAT NIGHT IN RIO

Amazon.com

The brevity of her stardom might account for her relative lack of 21st-century fame, but believe it: Alice Faye was a huge star. She was the queen of Twentieth Century Fox for a few years and became the heroine of the wartime musical until she was displaced by her Fox stablemate Betty Grable. As a singer, she enjoyed a string of hits with her surprising voice, a low, mellow croon, which somehow sounds like the World War II homefront. Faye's fleshy, cornfed face had much to do with her girl-next-door persona, although the figure she shows off in a gold dress in That Night in Rio leaves no doubt about another aspect of her appeal.

The four-disc Alice Faye Collection gives a cross-section of Faye's Fox career: one film as the up-and-comer (On the Avenue), two splashy mega-musicals (The Gang's All Here and That Night in Rio), and one expensive, serious musical biopic (Lillian Russell). In all, she smolders rather than burns, and rarely goes long without a song.

The 1937 On the Avenue is an Irving Berlin spectacle with a silly streak: Broadway boy Dick Powell locks horns with the richest girl in America (Madeleine Carroll), with Faye on the sidelines as Powell's regular-gal pal. You can see why audiences loved her, and the movie itself is a snappy, sarcastic little gem, featuring some antic routines by the Ritz Brothers and a kooky collection of Berlin tunes (including "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"). Lillian Russell, a 1940 bio of the famous Gay 90s singer, was intended as Faye's crack at a dramatic role. The movie's whitewash of Russell's real story (which, as a 20-minute documentary makes clear, made Russell the Madonna of her era) limits Faye's chances. Henry Fonda plays a long-faithful suitor, with Don Ameche and Edward Arnold (reprising his title role from the film Diamond Jim Brady) also in her orbit. That Night in Rio casts Faye opposite frequent co-star Ameche again; he plays a double role, as a suave Baron and a brash nightclub impersonator. The story is nonsense, but Carmen Miranda is around to do the chica-boom, and Alice looks drop-dead sexy.

And then there's The Gang's All Here, one of Hollywood's most legendary excursions into surrealism. Don't pay attention to the plot--just check out director Busby Berkeley's lunatic staging of the dance numbers. "The Lady in the Tutti-Frutti Hat," a showpiece for Carmen Miranda (it's the one with the giant bananas in a chorus line) looks like something dreamed up by Salvador Dali after an acid trip. Benny Goodman's swing band is also around.

Some care has gone into the DVD extras: a two-part bio of Alice Faye, featuring her daughters (and giving the story of how Faye walked away from film in 1945); a charming film she made for the Pfizer drug company, extolling the virtues of keeping fit; and a 20-minute intro to Berkeley's style. The print transfers are more problematic. Avenue looks fine, and Rio looks like other Fox color films of the era. Lillian Russell is preceded by a disclaimer warning of the limitations of original source materials, and indeed the print here is marred by serious tears in the middle of the screen during a few sequences. Gang's All Here will disappoint Technicolor fans; the colors don't "pop" as they should, and the film looks dimmer and vaguer than its onetime splendor. Here's hoping a cleaner, fuller version will emerge. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Alice is Great as Lillian Russell - So Are Weber & Fields.......2007-06-02

This set is a very good compendium of Alice Faye's prime films from her prime era in the late 1930s and early 1940s. My focus here is on her 1940 epic, LILLIAN RUSSELL, a rather problematic film but not for those who understand that 1.) it's a musical, not a documentary; and 2.) as the author of the film's screenplay stated, "My is purpose is to present Lillian Russell as people remember her, not as she really was." So what's the problem?

The real Lillian was quite a gal who apparently had had affairs with wealthy Jesse Lewissohn (try finding HIM on an Internet search) and Diamond Jim Brady (today his claim to fame is that the Johns Hopkins Urological Center is named after him). But William Anthony McGuire, who is credited with the film's screenplay (he wrote routines for Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld in the 1920s) cannily wove his story with a nod both to the film censors and to his insider's knowledge of Broadway in Russell's heyday. If you know what REALLY happened, you will realize that McGuire did a pretty good job of suggesting the events of that day.

For me, the highlight of LILLIAN RUSSELL is a short sequence near the end of the film by Lillian's real-life employers back in 1895 - Joe Weber and Lew Fields. They were a comedy team who began as teenagers in New York City's Bowery of 1879. Weber & Fields became their own producers by 1889, then began producing other Broadway shows by the 1890s. When they hired Lillian Russell in 1895, her career seemed on the downswing - she was not known for her comedic abilities. But Weber & Fields took a chance (while paying her lavishly) and Lillian reinvented herself on the music hall stage.

Weber & Fields initially parted company in 1904 when they disagreed on the types of musical plays they wanted to produce, but reunited in 1912 and therafter, while continuing to produce various shows independently of each other.

Remarkably, although all their contemporaries had died long before the film LILLIAN RUSSELL was produced in 1940 (Lillian herself expired in 1922, Diamond Jim Brady in 1917), Weber & Fields were still going strong in 1940 (although retired and living in Beverly Hills, CA).

The film's producer Darryl Zanuck contacted the team and they filmed one brief routine for the film in January 1940. That should have been the end of their involvement. But Zanuck liked the routine so much, he invited them back and asked them to expand the routine. Zanuck set aside three days to film the expanded sequence. Weber & Fields, by then in their mid-70s, filmed a total of four different takes in only three hours. The only retakes were due to laughter by the film crew - the boys were letter perfect in all four takes. It turned out to be their final performance.

The sequence is so rich that after watching it five times I'm still discovering lines and bits of business that somehow I missed in earlier viewings. One throw-away bit occurs when Lew Fields is shuffling a deck of cards - he tells Joe Weber that he was talking to David Warfield back stage (Warfield was a comedian in Weber & Fields' company who successfully managed to transform himself into a dramatic star on Broadway). Fields says, "Do you know what he said?" Weber replies, "I dunno - he wants more money?" "No," says Fields, "He wants to play dramatic parts." Admittedly, a viewer who never heard of David Warfield will make no sense of this dialogue. Movie viewers in 1940 would have followed the conversation perfectly. Many film critics in 1940 thought the Weber & Fields sequence was the best scene in the film.

To Fox's credit, a short bio on the real Lillian Russell is part of the bonus material, along with "on the set" photos of Joe Weber and Lew Fields taking their last bow a half century later. So this film is not a documentary! It wasn't meant to be one.

A Hit and Miss Affair.......2007-05-05

To me, this is one of those collections where you win some, you lose some.
It gets my four stars for "That Night in Rio" and "The Gang's all Here", both epitomising the gaudy, sometimes garish, tuneful Fox musicals after they went into color. "Rio" is actually a tour de force for Don Ameche and Carmen Miranda, but Alice looks and sings her best in an unusually sophisticated role. Similarly, she's great in "The Gang's All Here", another splashy extravaganza given an extra kick by Busby Berkley's inventive and bizarre talents. But to me, the most bizarre aspect of this movie is the inclusion of someone called Phil Baker, whom I gather was well known in radio at the time. Radio is where he should have stayed. On film, he has no impact, no looks, no charisma and no visible talent. The other two movies in this collection get thumbs down from me. "On the Avenue" comes over as a weak attempt at screwball comedy set to music, which is a pity as the music is good and even though Alice has a supporting role she gets the best Berlin numbers and sings them beautifully. A pity about the Ritz Brothers. Their so-called comedy routines are painful. Which also goes for the attempt to re-create the comedy team of Weber and Fields in a long, boring sequence of "Lillian Russell". It's unfunny, which is a shame, because if ever a movie needed a lift it's "Lillian Russell". Despite the obvious opulence of sets and costumes, there's something depressing and funereal about this B&W film that cries out for color and vivacity. The script launderised Russell's life, so if they weren't sticking to facts the writers could have at least lightened things up a little. Alice plods through it, doing her best, but it's a mournful affair. This is the trouble with some collections - they package the lesser with the best. But in this case, the best is worth it for Faye fans.

Great set, but there is one blunder..........2007-04-12

This is a very nice set from Fox. After the dismal sales of the Betty Grable Collection, I was worried that Alice Faye's films wouldn't be coming out. Not the case. Fox did an excellent job with extras and the transfers look very good, except The Gangs All Here. It's really disappointng since this was such a vibrant Technicolor musical. The movie looks washed out and has a mustardy yellow greenish tinge. If you look at the restoration comparison, you'll clearly see that the Laser Disc version from 1994 was sooooo much better. They should seriously do something with this awful transfer and do a disc replacement. Shame on you fox. Other than that one mishap, this is a grear set for Alice Faye fans and musical fans, too.

Faye and Miranda Shine in Box Set.......2007-04-08

At first I was disappointed with the Alice Fay Boxed Set. Then I watched all the films, brilliantly restored and looking as good as new. I bought the set for 'The Gang's All Here'( my favorite movie musical) and 'That Night in Rio', I'm really more of a Carmen Miranda fan. However the other two Fay movies are absolute masterpiec and examples of Faye at her best. 'Lillian Russel' is a biography of one of the great ladies of the Theater during the 19th century, Faye is a revelation all by herself in that film! 'On the Avenue' is a rompimg, frolicing fun musical. Especially Impressive are the extra materials included, some of the best and most informative 'extras' I've seen. This box set is not to be missed for fans of Alice Faye or Carmen Miranda! You can exhale now. But I'm holding out for a Carmen Miranda box set all her own!!

It's the color!.......2007-04-02

I am so glad to see these films on DVD that I hate to give the set anything less that five stars. However, I was disappointed in "The Gang's All Here" like other reviewers, because of the color. I have this film on laser disc and the print is much better. Technicolor is especially important to this film. What happened? Collectors have come to expect the best when DVDs are released these days and this movie should have been treated with more respect. I am still happy with the others in the set so why not release more Alice Faye, maybe even some of the older films from the mid-30s? Everything from 1939 through 1943 should be available at some point.

Tennessee Williams Film Collection (A Streetcar Named Desire 1951 Two-Disc Special Edition / Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 1958 Deluxe Edition / Sweet Bird of Youth / The Night of the Iguana / Baby Doll / The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone)

Average customer rating:

Essential boxset for fans of American theater of the 1950s
A Boxed Set Named Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams' plays as movies
A Bit Of Heaven In This Southern Madness
Amazing Box Set Collects Some of the Finest Film Performances of Mid-20th Century American Cinema

Tennessee Williams Film Collection (A Streetcar Named Desire 1951 Two-Disc Special Edition / Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 1958 Deluxe Edition / Sweet Bird of Youth / The Night of the Iguana / Baby Doll / The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone)
Starring: Vivien Leigh , Marlon Brando , Kim Hunter , Karl Malden , and Rudy Bond
Director: Elia Kazan , and Richard Brooks
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Busby Berkeley Collection (Footlight Parade / Gold Diggers of 1933 / Dames / Gold Diggers of 1935 / 42nd Street)

ASIN: B000EBD9UI
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Amazon.com

A much-needed DVD tribute to one of the essential American playwrights, The Tennessee Williams Collection gathers six Williams titles and one vintage documentary. Taken together, it's a potent introduction to the specific terrain (geographical and emotional) of this brilliant writer. The set is anchored by Warner's deluxe two-disc treatment of A Streetcar Named Desire, which has copious extras (among them a fine 90-minute documentary about director Elia Kazan). The multi-Oscar-winning Streetcar is one of the better stage adaptations in film history, and it captures the electrifying Marlon Brando, re-creating his stage role, in the part that changed American acting: the brutish New Orleans sensualist Stanley Kowalski. Vivien Leigh won an Oscar opposite him, as the faded (except in her own mind) Southern belle Blanche DuBois, whose arrival in the Kowalski home leads to disaster.

Kazan also directed Baby Doll, which Williams scripted from a couple of one-act plays. This outrageous sex comedy casts the excellent Carroll Baker as the 19-year-old wife of middle-aged Karl Malden, who anxiously awaits the day he can finally consummate his maddening marriage; immigrant cotton magnate Eli Wallach shows up at Malden's crumbling plantation house just in time to take the bloom off the rose, as it were. Famous for being condemned in 1956, Baby Doll remains a very modern (and gloriously dirty) movie. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Richard Brooks, faithfully brings three of Williams's indelible characters to the screen, even if the script discreetly changes the original stage text: the hot Maggie the Cat (Elizabeth Taylor), her reluctant husband Brick (Paul Newman), and Brick's rich Big Daddy (Burl Ives). All three performers act the lights out.

Sweet Bird of Youth reunites Paul Newman with director Brooks, and also showcases Geraldine Page's performance as an aging film star tagging along with young stud Newman to his Southern home town. Some of Williams' more depraved touches are toned down, but the milieu is unmistakable and the movie is intense. The Night of the Iguana gives Richard Burton perhaps his finest hour onscreen: as Williams' dissolute defrocked priest, playing tour guide in Puerto Vallarta to tour groups of nattering biddies. The movie has director John Huston's sympathy for life's losers, as well as a trio of women built to torment Burton's reverend: Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, and Sue Lyon. The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, based on Williams's novel, is not a great movie, but gives Vivien Leigh a good workout as a wounded actress dallying with Italian gigolo Warren Beatty.

Tennessee Williams' South is a 1973 documentary featuring some marvelous observations from Williams, as he holds court for filmmaker Harry Rasky. It also has long scenes from his plays, enacted by good folks such as Maureen Stapleton, Colleen Dewhurst, and Burl Ives. Especially valuable is a Streetcar sequence with Jessica Tandy re-creating her original role as Blanche. Williams himself reads the narration from The Glass Menagerie, a privileged moment. This is not an exhaustive Williams set (Joseph Mankiewicz's Suddenly, Last Summer and Sidney Lumet's The Fugitive Kind are among the best Williams films), but it maps out the steamy, tortured landscape awfully well. --Robert Horton

Description

Streetcar Named Desire 2 Disc SE Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Deluxe Edition Sweet Bird of Youth Night of the Iguana Baby Doll Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone

Customer Reviews:

Essential boxset for fans of American theater of the 1950s.......2007-02-23

This is a terrific boxset, collecting six of the films based on Tennessee Williams's plays (plus another disc with the documentary "Tennessee Williams' South"). All the films are transferred with great care, and look quite wonderful. And the films themselves are fascinating, because (with the exception of BABY DOLL), they're invariably sanitized, as the major studios (Warner Brothers, MGM) struggled to constrain the unfettered imagination of one of America's most floridly uninihibited playwrights. Yet Williams' reputation as one of the premiere writers for actors allows some classic performances, starting with Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Karl Malden and Kim Hunter in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, one of the most potent displays of Method acting which helped to revolutionize American film and theater. Kazan's hyperbolic direction of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE is tempered in BABY DOLL, possibly the most charming film in the set (with terrific performances from Carroll Baker, Karl Malden, Eli Wallach, and, most hilariously, Mildred Dunnock). It seems incredible that, at the time (1956), BABY DOLL was the most controversial film of its year, with condemnation and cries of "filth" being bandied about. But BABY DOLL is a comic interlude in Williams' career. CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF is the most heavily censored, so that all the talk of mendacity makes the film seem mendacious, because no one is talking about what the film is really about. But all the actors go to town with their Southern accents, especially Elizabeth Taylor and Judith Anderson.

But if CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF seems antiseptic, that's nothing compared to SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, which is alternately lurid and dainty. To watch Geraldine Page rip through in an absolutely corrosive and riveting performance is to see one of America's greatest actresses at her peak. THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA is uneven, but, again, some of the performances (in particular, Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, and, especially, Deborah Kerr and Cyril Delevanti) are superb. The long sequence with Burton and Kerr talking about demons and love while Burton is tied in the hammock is one of the most poetic sequences in all of Williams, handled with great insight and power.

THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS. STONE has worn well with the years, as Vivien Leigh gives an elegant performance as the aging woman desperate for love nad even more desperate for her dignity.

Of course, these are all works which could be done now with a greater fidelity to Williams' original texts, but it would be hard to beat the incredible performances, done (in many cases) in the original acting styles of the period (in STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, many of the original Broadway casts were also cast in the films). This is a chance to see some legendary actors in the classic parts which they made famous.

A Boxed Set Named Tennessee Williams.......2007-01-08

He may be considered the great American playwright of the 20th Century, but until I got the boxed set of DVDs featuring adaptations of his works, I had never really been exposed to Tennessee Williams. This set of six movies gives a good sampling of Williams and shows why he got his reputation for both daring and excellence.

In chronological order by film date, the first film in the set (and probably the best) is A Streetcar Named Desire. This story focuses on the interrelationship of three characters: Blanche DuBois (played by Vivien Leigh), her sister Stella (Kim Hunter) and Stella's husband, Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando). Blanche moves in with the couple, fleeing from scandal in her hometown and with only a weak grip on sanity. The brutish Stanley is her natural antagonist, with Stella stuck in the middle. Eventually, however, Blanche and Stanley will have to confront each other.

Though Blanche may be the main character, it is Stanley who steals the show due to Brando's wonderful performance. After seeing this movie, I can understand how significant of an impact that Brando had in the world of movie acting; prior to Streetcar, acting performances like Brando's were quite rare. This is a great film, and the only Williams movie I was really familiar with prior to watching, both due to its immortal scenes ("Stella!") and the brilliant Simpsons musical adaptation (in "A Streetcar Named Marge").

Next is Baby Doll, with Karl Malden as an impoverished cotton-miller and Carroll Baker as his very young wife, the Baby Doll of the title. She has been viewing her much older spouse with increasing contempt and has held him to a promise that they would not consummate their marriage until she turned 20, an event soon to happen. Eli Wallach enters the film as both a business and romantic rival to Malden. For the time this movie was made (1956), this film was sexually daring, and though not as explicit as modern movies, it still holds up well.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof features Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor) and Brick (Paul Newman) as a married couple on the edge. A deep secret has kept them estranged and there is the additional complication of the impending death of Brick's very wealthy and dominating father. Brick may be Big Daddy's favorite, but their problems threatens to cut Brick out of an inheritance he doesn't want; Maggie, however, has other ideas.

Newman is back in a different role in Sweet Bird of Youth as a young hustler who returns to his hometown as the lover/employee of an aging actress. He is hopeful that she will help him make it big in Hollywood, but he is also interested in winning back his old girlfriend, a goal her corrupt political boss father will do anything to stop.

Night of the Iguana has Richard Burton as a drunken reverend turned third-rate tour guide winding up at a hotel run by the widow (Ava Gardner) of an old friend. His job is threatened when a young tourist (played by Sue Lyons of Lolita fame) keeps trying to seduce him. As things fall apart for him, it's up to the widow and an artist (Deborah Kerr) to keep him from destroying himself.

Finally, there is The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, featuring Vivien Leigh as a recently widowed actress who takes a young lover (played by an early Warren Beatty). This is probably the weakest in the set, and the only one I felt rather bored while watching.

Actually, there is a problem that is consistent with many of these movies in that they often just seem like filmed plays. That is, everything seems very staged and there is little real action; the focus is on dialogue, which often takes the somewhat formal form you see in the theater. That is not to say that these are bad movies; actually, they are almost all good: Streetcar is a five star film, Baby Doll, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Sweet Bird of Youth merit four, Night three and Roman Spring two. There are also a good number of extras in the set, including commentaries on Streetcar and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a bunch of mini-documentaries and a bonus disc called Tennessee Williams' South. This bonus disc is an early-1970s documentary featuring interviews with Williams and various actors doing scenes from his plays; it is mildly interesting.

One does not watch Williams expecting happy endings and everything nicely resolved (although some of the films do end more upbeat than others, in part, I believe because of a Hollywood demand for such conclusions, despite how the plays may have been written). Instead, you get a level and type of drama that was rarely shown prior to the Williams. Overall, this set rates a high four stars; it may not be perfect, but you do get some good films that pushed the limits of what was allowed at the time.

Tennessee Williams' plays as movies.......2007-01-06

Each of the plays of Tennessee Williams that has been rended as a movie is worth watching. The rawness of emotions, the actors and the direction all make these movies immensely watchable.

A Bit Of Heaven In This Southern Madness.......2006-10-09

Being a sucker for a good box set, I have accumulated quite a few. You end up with some great DVDs, but also some titles that you might not have purchased on their own. This Tennessee Williams collection is one that I wholeheartedly recommend--each selection might not be a true classic, but each represents a significant part of Williams' lexicon and lore. Put together, they symbolize and honor a master craftsman and a time when words, dialogue and screenplays were more important than quick edits and loud soundtracks.

Of course, the undisputed champion of this set is the two disc "A Streetcar Named Desire." An absolutely perfect rendering of a brilliant play, "Streetcar" boasts some of the most powerful performances you're likely to see. With Oscars going to Vivien Leigh, Karl Malden and Kim Hunter--this is one of the most honored films in history. And Marlon Brando's Stanley Kowalski has become a legend.

I'm not going to individually review every film, each offers its own merits. What is amazing about these films is how adult they were for their day and how well they stand up today. Southern melodrama never looked or sounded so good.

"Cat on A Hot Tin Roof" is a flawed, truncated version of Williams' play--but still an entertaining vehicle for Newman and Taylor. "Sweet Bird Of Youth" is one of my absolute favorites proving once and for all that Geraldine Page was an acting icon! Those that dismiss "Baby Doll" as a more minor work miss some of its subtlety. It's a very clever romp. "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" and "The Night of the Iguana" are both intriguing and eminently watchable, but not without their problems.

These films represent very adult topics, some great writing--sometimes leaning toward lurid melodrama--and awesome performances. It's easy to see why so many top caliber actors and directors are attached to these pieces--and why so many were honored for their works.

If you love film (or plays for that matter) and you haven't seen some of these titles, do yourself a favor--BUY THIS SET and enjoy. Tennessee Williams was a singular talent and a unique voice. KGHarris, 10/06.

Amazing Box Set Collects Some of the Finest Film Performances of Mid-20th Century American Cinema.......2006-05-24

If playwright Tennessee Williams's Southern gothic writing style makes his works feel more ornately melodramatic than those of O'Neill or his closest contemporary Arthur Miller, they do provide resonant showcases for the actors inhabiting his characters. This is clearly evidenced in this six-film, eight-disc collection that epitomizes some of the most powerful acting to come out of Hollywood in the 1950's and early 1960's, all directed by true filmmaking masters. Probably because they are the least censored by the studio system at least in the form presented now, the best of the set are Elia Kazan's "A Streetcar Named Desire" and John Huston's "The Night of the Iguana". The others are Kazan's "Baby Doll", Richard Brooks' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", Jose Quintero's "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" and Brooks' "Sweet Bird of Youth".

A feral, smoldering Marlon Brando justifiably made his reputation as brutish Stanley Kowalski in 1951's "A Streetcar Named Desire", and his animalistic charisma still leaps off the screen. Intriguingly, one of the extras included in the two-disc set for the movie is footage from a 1947 screen test of Brando when he was 23, and his stardom seems assured even then. The plot of the movie amounts to the inevitable clash between Kowalski and his visiting sister-in-law, Blanche DuBois, a fading Southern belle on the verge of a mental breakdown. Having proven her ability to be a convincing Southerner in "Gone With the Wind", Vivien Leigh expertly handles all the florid dialogue with her particular blend of defiance and vulnerability.

Strong supporting work comes from Kim Hunter as Blanche's naive sister Stella and Karl Malden as Blanche's seemingly respectful suitor Mitch. Now over ninety, Malden is on hand to provide his own eloquent recollections of the production on an alternate track, and film historians Rudy Behlmer and Jeff Young provide more objective commentary on another track. Film critic Richard Schickel's 1995 feature-length look at Kazan is the centerpiece of the second disk, and there is also a more interesting five-part documentary on the film and original Broadway show, the best portion focusing on censorship and the several minutes that have been reinserted in the DVD version of the film.

1964's "The Night of the Iguana" deals with a similarly dysfunctional group of people, but this time the setting is a dilapidated Mexican beach resort where Reverend Shannon, newly defrocked, has taken a group of spinsters from a women's college. Huston made his reputation on his strong literary adaptations, and his affinity shows in the fulsome characterizations, striking visuals and dark humor. Richard Burton is in peak form as Shannon, and there is also sterling work from Deborah Kerr as the spinsterish Hannah and especially Ava Gardner as the slatternly resort owner, Maxine Faulk. The DVD contains a recent making-of featurette and a vintage video, both fascinating.

"Baby Doll" is an entertaining hoot that doesn't seem as sensationalistic as I'm sure it was when the film was first released in 1956. It's simply a Southern-fried farce about the potential deflowering of a nineteen-year old child bride with a nice, pouty turn by Carroll Baker in the title role and a surprisingly funny one by Karl Malden as her randy husband, cotton mill owner Archie. 1958's "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is far more vaunted but ultimately hamstrung by the overly careful portrayal of Brick as an asexual protagonist, this in spite of stellar performances from Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Burl Ives.

Newman is even better as gigolo Chance Wayne in 1963's "Sweet Bird of Youth", and he is matched all the way by Geraldine Page's all-cylinders-on performance as faded movie queen Alexandra Del Lago (a role that would have ironically been ideal for Ava Gardner). The weakest film of the set is 1961's "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" about an aging American actress living in Rome who falls recklessly in love with an indifferent gigolo. A decade after "Streetcar", the glamorous-looking Leigh excels in the title role, while a young Warren Beatty fits the physical requirements as the gigolo Paolo even though his faux-Italian accent is a little too emphatic. All four of these movies come with making-of featurettes and original trailers, and "Cat" also includes commentary from Williams' biographer Donald Spoto.

The focal point of the eighth disc is a 1973 documentary, "Tennessee Williams' South", which highlights insightful interviews with Williams in the New Orleans area. The film also includes classic scenes from his plays reenacted specifically for the documentary. You can have the privilege of seeing Broadway's original Blanche DuBois, Jessica Tandy, and compare her work to Leigh's, as well as an impressive turn by Maureen Stapleton as Amanda Wingfield in "The Glass Menagerie". This is an incredible film collection for anyone who wants to see some of the greatest performances of mid-20th century American cinema.

Average customer rating:

"Into the Night"
Into the Night
It's been forgotten for a reason.
I loved this movie
enjoyable film

Into the Night
Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer , Jeff Goldblum , Stacey Pickren , Carmen Argenziano , and Dan Aykroyd
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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After Hours
Married to the Mob
Gotcha!
Power, Passion and Murder
Uncovered

ASIN: B00005JM8W
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Product Description

When two strangers stumble into international intrigue in the middle of a Los Angeles night, anything can happen and does, in this zany comedy directed by John Landis.

Ed Orkin (Jeff Goldblum) is an insomniac with a cheating wife and a dull job. His chances for excitement look hopeless until a mysterious blond named Diana (Michelle Pfeiffer) drops onto the hood of his car. Now it s Ed s turn for some adventure and romance as Diana leads him on a merry and murderous chase where the payoff could be dollars or death.

The outstanding cast includes David Bowie, Vera Miles, Dan Aykroyd and a host of Hollywood s hottest directors in cameos. It s a night on the town you ll never live down.

System Requirements:

Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Pfeiffer, Richard Farnsworth

Directed by John Landis

Running time: 1 Hour 55 Minutes

Amazon.com essential video

While caught up in the scandal resulting from the accident on the set of The Twilight Zone movie that killed actor Vic Morrow and two children, director John Landis (An American Werewolf in London) made this manic nighttime L.A. thriller with rising stars Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer. Goldblum plays an office worker with a dead-end job, an unfaithful wife, and a bad, bad case of insomnia. Unable to sleep, his midnight wanderings take him to the L.A. airport, where beautiful jewel smuggler Pfeiffer literally lands on his car. Fleeing Iranian terrorists (one is played by Landis), the two hit the road, and their adventures lead them to murder, mayhem, one scary hit man (David Bowie in a lurid, terrific cameo), and, of course, romance. Perhaps because of--or in spite of--the turmoil going on in his life, Landis fashioned a film unlike any of his previous (or later) safe Hollywood products; this is inventive, darkly comic, sincerely romantic, and L.A.-style sultry all the way. Landis's greatest success is perhaps in the mood of the film: he manages to convey that weary, dreamlike insomnia feeling of adrenaline bordering on exhaustion. Goldblum is at his deadpan best and, despite a bad haircut and '80s wardrobe, Pfeiffer shows the spark and beauty that would later make her a star. In support of Landis during his time of trouble, numerous directors, including David Cronenberg, Paul Mazursky, Don Siegel, Jonathan Demme, Lawrence Kasdan, and Jim Henson, made cameo appearances. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews:

"Into the Night".......2006-11-11

I owned this film on VHS for years, and when it mysteriously disappeared I ordered it on DVD. It's a sort of cult film with an amazing array of cameos and is one of my favorites. It's quite violent in spots, but I like the story, and Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Goldblum are excellent. I loved the ending, which I won't spoil for you. Simply put, if you like a good suspenseful yarn with a lot of action, you'll love it, too.

Into the Night.......2006-07-26

This is one of Jeff Goldblum's first movies and raising star Michelle Pfeifer's best rolls. Jeff's roll is about a husband in a marriage on the rocks, and this drives him to being an insomniac as he discovers his wife is cheating on him, which almost costs him his aerospace engineering job. After passing one sleepless night, he decides he will find a place to park and get a few winks. He meanders around LA, winding up at LA International Airport blurry-eyed and almost falling asleep. He parks in a parking structure, sure he can now get a little sleep, when out of the elevator door walks Michelle Pfieffer and her Persian boyfriend. Suddenly a car pulls up and three men get out. They kill the boyfriend and are going to kidnap Michelle when she gets away from them and runs directly into Jeff's car, who is stunned, awakened by her screaming at him to get her out of here. The action is fast as the plot unfolds and the twists and turns never stop. Many co-stars make this an intriguing movie worthy of a place in your library. Directed by John Landis, this movie is R rated for good reason. If you ask me if I love this flick, or what, I'd would probably say "or what".

It's been forgotten for a reason........2005-09-10

This film is painfully outdated -- and it was never good to begin with. I suppose you would have to call this a "romantic thriller comedy." And it fails on every one of these fronts. The thriller portion is preposterous, nothing but a convoluted story from a 60s TV show. It's not particularly funny either -- oh, but it tries to be. The romance portion probably comes across the best, but this is only because of the excellent actors in the leads.

No, what "Into the Night" has going for it is a quirky, unique premise that it never delivers on. Landis seems more concerned with jamming the scenes with pointless cameos and in-jokes. This film, which could have been regarded as an underground classic, has none of the substance to garner such praise. And it does not receive it. "After Hours", which came out the same year, is vastly superior.

The best thing about "Into the night" is watching a young, gorgeous, pre-Catwoman Michelle Pfeiffer, some LA landmarks that have since been demolished (Ships diner) -- and the original one-sheet poster is very, very cool.

I loved this movie.......2005-03-19

Back when this movie came out on VHS I use to watch it over and over again. Both the stars are wonderful. It is about a guy who can not sleep and so he goes out and ends up finding himself in a little mini adventure with a very attractive women. She has a older boyfriend that was sick, there was a secret passage way, and a elvis impersonater in there somewhere. Then an appearance from Jake who use to sell exercise equipment on late night TV. Then there were some bad guys in there chasing them. It was a fun movie and I really enjoyed it. Both Michelle and Jeff went on to make other good movies after this one.

enjoyable film.......2004-06-10

This is a chase movie, a kind of film-noir without the black and white. Here the ordinary man is Jeff Goldblum, a guy so so unhappy with his mundane job and cheating wife that he spends his nights driving the LA streets instead of sleeping. One night he finds himself in the wrong place at the right time. He interrupts the murder of a beautiful and mysterious Michelle Pfeifer and very shortly he finds himself her unwilling accomplice as both evade her ruthless pursuers. She warns him right up front that she is "one of the bad guys", but he's hooked. The chase takes them to all of the "mink-lined sewers" of after dark LA and lets them encounter quirky and sometimes violent characters. This movie plays like a mix of dark comedy and thriller.It has a plot twist of sorts, but does not end darkly. The cameos will be interesting to film buffs, but not to anyone else. It's Goldblum, Pfeifer, and the chase that drives this movie. And thankfully, the story - though improbable - strings tightly together and does not involve stupid car chases, explosions, or wanton killing. In fact, the violence is tame by today's standards. There's the brief nudity seen in 80's movies and occasional mild profanity. A nice film to rent. I bought it.

Average customer rating:

Film Noir Boxed Set
remember...no 16 Boomerang is still missing
better price (than list) to start your collection, but not the best deal on noir
Don't Forget This One Too.........
An indispensable series for aficionados of film noir

Film Noir Boxed Set
Starring: Gene Tierney , Dana Andrews , Clifton Webb , Vincent Price , and James Stewart
Director: Henry Hathaway , and Otto Preminger
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 2 (Born to Kill / Clash by Night / Crossfire / Dillinger (1945) / The Narrow Margin (1952))
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 3 (Border Incident / His Kind of Woman / Lady in the Lake / On Dangerous Ground / The Racket)
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 1 (The Asphalt Jungle / Gun Crazy / Murder My Sweet / Out of the Past / The Set-Up)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (Fox Film Noir)
The Dark Corner (Fox Film Noir)

ASIN: B000MDH6RK
Release Date: 2007-03-01

Amazon.com

This 17 film collection includes some of the best in film noir from 1944 - 1955, with 12 Oscar nominations between them. These are the films that defined the genre and the style of film-making. Mystery, Suspense, Murder, this collection has it all! Films Included: Call Northside 777, Laura, Panic in the Streets, House of Bamboo, Nightmare Alley, Street with no Name, House on 92nd Street, Somewhere in the Night, Whirlpool, Dark Corner, Kiss of Death, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Fallen Angel, The House on Telegraph Road, No Way Out, I Wake Up Screaming and House of Strangers

Customer Reviews:

Film Noir Boxed Set.......2007-03-28

I have watched about half of these movies & so far all of them have been very good, in fact, much better than I expected. I find Dana Andrews to be a very compelling leading man & the actresses in all of these are superb as well. I hope Fox will resolve their issues with "Boomerang" which is #16 in the set, (which is not included with your purchase) so that I can add this one to the collection. My only complaint is that this collection is not really a boxed set. It is simply 17 great film noir DVD's shrink-wrapped together. However, this is a great value & lots of these titles are being released for the first time in this set. Highly recommended for those who like the genre.

remember...no 16 Boomerang is still missing.......2007-03-18

This set misses out no.16 "Boomerang". It got recalled at the eleventh hour by Fox because of a legal tangle.
You can find it on sale for $45.00 on amazon marketplace, because it was actually printed and ready to go.
Clearly a few boxes have found their way out the back door!!!!
But despite that wee dissapointment you'll love the rest.
Hopefully Fox will sort out the mess soon..... and then you can plug the gap without having to shell out silly money.

better price (than list) to start your collection, but not the best deal on noir.......2007-03-12

I haven't yet purchased these titles & was just about to, until I checked up on what's included with the current bundle (March 1 2007) that Amazon is offering. As previously mentioned, this is not a box set (misleading description from Amazon), but rather a bundle of the first 17 titles in Fox's noir series. I purchased the Warner Bros.' boxes 1-3 (and reviewed them there) which I thought were an excellent value for the money (when on sale, roughly 6 - 7$ per disc). I've held off on these since the price is higher. This bundle discounts the titles to about $8 per disc, which is better than the usual price for each, but a local retailer often sells these titles for 7.50 - 10.00 (with a buy 3 get 1 free sale). Still I would have jumped on this price had this been a bonafide box set with the slimmer DVD cases, but these regular dvd's will take up quite a bit of real estate in my storage. Moreover, the more recent titles aren't included (missing titles: Boomerang, 14 Hours, Shock, Vicki, all released last year). If Fox would release all the titles to date (plus the next releases: Hangover Square & The Lodger) in slim cases & a box at a comparable price I'll jump, otherwise I'm holding out for a better deal.

Don't Forget This One Too................2006-03-05

For some reason the Fox Noir release Dark Corner (Mark Stevens, Lucille Ball, Clifton Webb, William Bendix) doesn't get much coverage under the typical outlets for obtaining these Fox Noir titles, Amazon included. I didn't even know the title was even out there, but it is, and it is quite a Noir gem. I say this without hesitation because I was never a Lucy fan at all. But in this one, she's actually pretty cool. Too bad she went goofy in later life (I guess it paid the bills).
If you like the Fox Noir series and Noir in general, don't forget this one too. I got mine from Tower Records (seems hard to find for some reason). The famous "peering through the venetian blinds" scene that you see stills of all the time, that's Mark Stevens. A somewhat overlooked actor in Noir circuit, but he can hold up to any of the other more noted ones in my opinion. Check it out.

An indispensable series for aficionados of film noir.......2006-01-10

The Fox film noir collection is an "Amazon.com exclusive" consisting of 9 DVDS in their individual cases (alas including individual shrink wrap, which one tediously has to remove) presented in one blister pack. The nine titles are:
*** BATCH 1 (DVDs released 3/05): Call Northside 777 (1948); Laura (1944); Panic in the streets (1950)
*** BATCH 2 (DVDs released 6/05): House of bamboo (1955); Nightmare alley (1947); Street with no name (1948)
*** BATCH 3 (DVDs released 9/05): House on 92nd Street (1945); Somewhere in the night (1946); Whirlpool (1949)

The film restorations are superbly done. The DVD cases are in uniform format, being part of the "Fox film noir" series. Each title has a film commentary (Laura has two) plus other extras, minimally a trailer. In addition, each title has a 4-page booklet with these sections: "the lineup," "the look," "the scoop," "the story," and "scene selection."

The DVDs list for $14.95 each and currently Amazon sells them for around $10 each. Amazon sells the 9-DVD collection for $74.99, which works out to $8.33 for each DVD. Certainly, not all titles are of the caliber of Laura (1944), but this collection is a must-have for the firm-noir aficionado.

Incidentally, BATCH 4, was released 12/05 and consists of: The dark corner (1946); Kiss of death (1947); Where the sidewalk ends (1950). BATCH 5 will be released in 3/06: Fallen angel (1945); House on Telegraph Hill (1951); No way out (1950)

Alain Silver & Elizabeth Ward's "Film noir: An encyclopedic reference to the American style" (1992, 3rd ed.) lists 32 noir titles by Fox. Hence we can probably expect from Fox another 20 or so titles in the "Fox film noir" series. If these 32ish titles all materialize in this excellent series, it will be a big chunk both out of one's purse and DVD shelf space.

Average customer rating:

No glamour here for Marilyn. Barbara Stanwyck is
SMOLDERING MELODRAMA. RYAN AND STANWYCK EXQUISITE!!!!!!!
Expected More
A tense gritty melodrama
At long last available to the public

Clash by Night
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck , Paul Douglas , Robert Ryan , Marilyn Monroe , and J. Carrol Naish
Director: Fritz Lang
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00097DY02
Release Date: 2005-07-05

Amazon.com essential video

Barbara Stanwyck plays a hardened woman returning from big-city life to her northern fishing village in this 1952 film noir. After deciding to settle down, she marries a simple man (Paul Douglas) but is wooed by another (Robert Ryan), a circumstance that turns what had been her choice into her trap. Director Fritz Lang (Metropolis, M, The Big Heat), working from a Clifford Odets story, teases out his pet themes about human beings ensnared in fate by their own impulses and in search of redemption. This is not one of Lang's masterpieces, but it is very good in an Anna Christie way. Stanwyck and Ryan, two indispensable figures in the noir genre, are tough as nails. --Tom Keogh

Description

Mae Doyle is a good-time girl, but now times are bad. Weary of too much booze and too many men, she returns to her girlhood home, the fishing village of Monterey, California. There she finds security as the wife of a devoted and dull fisherman?and passion in the arms of his provocative best friend. Film noir master Fritz Lang (The Big Heat, Ministry of Fear) directs four towering talents - Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Robert Ryan and rising star Marilyn Monroe - in a stark tale of lives burnished by human emotion and shattered by human failings. Intense and powerfully realistic, Clash by Night (from a Clifford Odets play) is about many towns, many families. Serene on the surface. Roiling with desperation underneath.

Customer Reviews:

No glamour here for Marilyn. Barbara Stanwyck is.......2007-05-03

is maturing beautifully. She plays Mae & has returned home to her brother, Joe after 10 years. She's become a hard & bitter woman. She is a failure & has returned to the safety and tranquility of this California fishing village. Her past seems shady at best. Paul Douglas plays Jerry, a sucessful fisherman & he doesn't care. He is Joe's boss & falls hopelessly in love with Mae. Jerry is very solid, prosperous, simple & boring. Mae knows what kind of woman she is & doesn't want to hurt the big lug. Eventually, he wears her down. She doesn't love him but has no prospects & marries him. Sniffing around in the background is Earl (Robert Ryan) a divorced lowlife with the hots for Mae. Earl is also Jerry's best friend. Flash forward a year. Mae & Jerry are married & have a baby. She is bored out of her mind & getting an itch. Earl, of course is still around ready to scratch it. They commence to seeking around. Jerry is out to sea literally & figuratively. Mae & Earl make plans to run away. Where? Who knows. What about the baby? Earl's not good father material. It's not a very good plan. Jerry finally gets wind of it all & goes ballistic. He tosses Mae out, steals the baby & retreats to his boat. Earl, the rat-bastard that he is, bails. That leaves Mae begging for Jerry's forgiveness. Stanwyck & Ryan are noir vets but this is not exactly noir. It's mellowdrama, a soap opera if you will. Stanwyck upholds her superior standards & Ryan & Douglas are also pretty good. Marilyn has a limited role as Peggy, Joe's girl & Mae's best friend.. Seeng her as a young, tomboy is quite interesting to say the least.

SMOLDERING MELODRAMA. RYAN AND STANWYCK EXQUISITE!!!!!!!.......2006-11-25

Most reviewers of this film seem to have 'gotten it' with respect to the film's undeniable stance in both Robert Ryan and Fritz Lang's careers. Both celebrities enjoy considerable cult status, and they united for the film, which, along with Barbara Stanwyck's jaded portrait of a fallen woman, achieved a cinema realism that was rare in those days. The film was another example of RKO's attempts to bring outstanding films to the screen. One would be hard pressed to find another studio that so consistently sought artistic merit, dissimilar from studios like Warner Brothers, which catered more to mass interest.

The love triangle involving Ryan, Stanwyck and Paul Douglas, seems entirely plausible then and now. It is amazing to see that the sexual attraction between Ryan and Stanwyck was conveyed without the de rigueur explicit romp in the hay that predominates any film made in the last thirty years. If the viewer wants to see some real sexual tension without the overtness viewers are subjected to these days to get them to watch what's out there, simply watch the scene in which Ryan and Stanwyck engage in a short but heated embrace. One doesn't need to see anything more than Stanwyck's hand clutching Ryan's bare back underneath his T-shirt to envision what happens next.

The addition of secondary players, Marilyn Monroe and Keith Andes, likewise didn't need to achieve its sexual effect in the blatant manner employed in films these days. J. Carrol Naish's devilish Uncle Vince was also a tour de force for this wonderful character actor, and Silvio Minciotti effectively portrayed Paul Douglas's lonely widowed father.

Add to these dynamics a wonderful screenplay, sharply written and without a maudlin word to it. Lang's direction is, without question, faultless, and I can't think of a false move anywhere in the film. Paul Douglas ably portrays the thankless role of the cuckolded husband, and he engenders sympathy for his trusting nature.

However, above all, this is an example of another RKO film in which Robert Ryan's presence elevates the proceedings from a B grade to an A+ grade. The scene in which he is seen at his most intensely lonely moment needs to be seen to be appreciated, when his character, the lonely Earl Pfeiffer, is scorned by Stanwyck's Mae Doyle at her wedding. His descent downstairs at the wedding reception is a classic 'Ryan' vignette of him enacting the quintessential 'film noir' spirit of desperate loneliness, a scene that sticks in one's mind far into the future after the movie is over. In fact, every scene involving Ryan is amazing, and it doesn't seem possible that anyone could find fault with his performance, unless their judgment is seriously lacking.

Expected More.......2006-09-30

I must say that the movie I enjoyed the movie, but expected more to the story than the dark soap opera effect. While watching the early scenes I thought the Stanwyck character had a deep secret that would come out later. When the uncle and dad were talking in one scene they were discussing the discovery of an abandoned baby. I thought this baby would later turn out to be Ms. Stanwycks which she had left for dead after her previous affair with the married man. The ending was also a disappointment. Some scenes were completely bizarre to me and had nothing to do with the story like the Chinese impersonation bit. What was that all about?

A tense gritty melodrama.......2006-09-02

"Clash By Night" is a movie from the "film noir" genre that appears to have been written for Barbara Stanwyck to play the lead. We're lucky that the studio system of the 50's didn't have the same standards as today - casting actresses aside as "too old" as soon as they appear old enough to legally drink. Such a standard would have deprived us of some of the finest performances of Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, and of course, Barbara Stanwyck, this being one of her finest but less known performances. For that matter, the casting of the entire picture is just perfect.

Ms. Stanwyck plays Mae, a woman who left her home town of Monterrey ten years earlier in search of love and adventure, fell in love with a married man who died on her, and was cast aside by the man's legitimate family and friends. Thus she returns home hardened and cynical, with a less than warm welcome from her long lost brother, Joe. Jerry, played by Paul Douglas, is a fisherman, large both in body and in heart, who falls in love with Mae, but seems somewhat emotionally needy. Mae reluctantly decides to marry him because she is seeking stability. After a year or so of marriage and the birth of a daughter, Mae realizes she feels trapped in her dull routine of a marriage. The love that gives the daily routine of life meaning to most people is just not there for her, although Jerry adores her. Earl, played by Robert Ryan, is Jerry's "friend" and is also a kindred spirit of Mae's. He, too, has been kicked around in life and has developed a hard and cynical outlook. He has everything that Jerry lacks, but seems to lack everything that Jerry has, starting with decency and a strong work ethic. Mae realizes that Earl is bad for her, but ultimately loses her fight in being attracted to him. The fact that Mae is his best friend's wife doesn't stop Earl from seducing Mae in Jerry's own home, and then carrying on a clandestine affair with Mae for months, until clueless Jerry is alerted to the situation by his nimrod uncle.

Confronted by her husband, Mae must choose between the two men, and probably most definitely would have chosen Earl over Jerry if it had not been for her daughter. This is the most forced part of the plot development. We don't just see Mae deciding to stay with Jerry because of her daughter. Instead, she seems to have a complete about face in attitude that comes out of nowhere. The film would have us believe that the change came from hearing her own callous attitudes coming from the lips of her lover, but then she's probably been hearing these kinds of words from him for the last several months that they have been carrying on their affair, so this epiphany does not make a lot of sense.

Some parts of this movie are timeless - love and security versus passion and danger, dealing with the consequences of one's actions, and how life's inevitable disappointments make some people hard and cynical. However, some are dated - the most prominent example being Mae's brother Joe and his relationship with his fiancee, Peggy, played by a young Marilyn Monroe. Joe might have appeared as a man who was taking charge of his situation in his rough treatment of Peggy in 1952, but over 50 years later he comes across as a wife batterer in the making.

This movie is probably best classified as a film noir epic, although that term usually refers to crime dramas that set their protagonists in a world perceived as inherently corrupt and unsympathetic. Although that definitey fits the view of the world offered here, this is a psychological melodrama rather than a crime drama. However, the movie does have the low-key black-and-white visual style that is typical of the film noir genre. I recommend the movie, but as another reviewer already remarked, you might get a better total value buying one of the boxed sets that includes this film.

At long last available to the public.......2006-08-14

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, as I never seen it before. Marilyn stars as a factory worker in a fishing village. Her appearance is really sparkling and definitely holds up next to her later work. The story line leaves enough room for all of the actors to stand out. The quality of the material is unexpected fine. As I live in Europe, I regret there are only subtitles in English, French and Spanish, but that didn't keep me from enjoying this movie (and surely won't keep me from seeing it again, and again...).

Average customer rating:

The Letter vs. the Spirit of the Law
Decent Noo Yawk Corruption Melodrama, But....
Awesome legal battle with one's conscionce
Justice does not always follow the strict letter of the law.
Implausible Plot + Distracting Casting

Night Falls on Manhattan
Starring: Andy Garcia , Ian Holm , James Gandolfini , Lena Olin , and Shiek Mahmud-Bey
Director: Sidney Lumet
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 6305181969
Release Date: 1998-11-17

Amazon.com

The dominant themes of director Sidney Lumet's distinguished career are in full force in this moral melodrama involving a young district attorney (Andy Garcia) who takes on a career-making case only to uncover his father's possible involvement in pervasive police corruption. Balancing personal ethics and political compromise in a high-wire act of power and its abuse, Lumet relies on dialogue and superb performances (including those by Ron Leibman, Richard Dreyfuss, and Lena Olin) to achieve a devastating impact. The script (based on the novel Tainted Evidence by Robert Daley) is too smart and Lumet's direction too sure-footed to fall back on the black-and-white exploits of conventional criminals and their crimes. The movie's moral framework (like that of Lumet's earlier film Q&A) is more realistic, dealing in the gray areas between right and wrong where misdeeds can arise from the best intentions. At the center of Garcia's dilemma is his father, a seasoned New York cop played so convincingly by Ian Holm that you'd never guess the actor was British. Although it received mixed reviews when released in 1997, Night Falls on Manhattan ranks among Lumet's finest films. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

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