Reviews (17)

OUR FAVOURITE WAIF
This was the first movie actually crafted just for Shirley and the kids should find it a fun diversion, even today. It's in this movie in which Temple sings her famed version of ON THE GOOD SHIP LOLLIPOP - while on an airplane! The supporting cast includes the little seen silent screen actress Lois Wilson who plays Shirley's mother (employed as a maid) and the talented Irishman, James Dunn - he won an Oscar for the happy alcoholic singing waiter in A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN - does well as Shirley's kind uncle. Cheeky Jane Withers (Remember Josephine, the plumber who endorsed Comet cleanser in the sixties?) plays Joy, and she's fun in contrast to Shirley's goody-goody personna- she's wild, mischievous, noisy, jealous, messy, angry and not particularly cute; she was eventually ranked second in popularity to Temple as a thirties female child star. Recommended for the little ones because these Temple films are inoffensive (with very few exceptions) and are expertly computer colourized!

Jane and Shirley light up the screen!
Shirley Temple and Jane Withers are a dynamic duo together as Shirley plays a orphaned child that everybody wishes to adopt and Jane plays a selfish brat who has no compassion for Shirley or anybody else. This movie is simply hysterical with the rude Joy (Jane Withers)and the funny and political Uncle Ned. I have never laughed as much as I did in any other Shirley Temple film! Shirley sings her trade mark song "On the Good Ship Lollipop" and will dazzle you with her charm. The plot of the story is easy for young children to follow and consists of tear jerkers, hysterical moments, and dramatic scenes. I have to say this movie wouldn't receive 5 stars without Jane Withers!

"Sweet Landings"....
This review refers to the 20th Century Fox DVD edition of "Bright Eyes".....

I've always been a sucker for little Shirley Temple singing "On The Good Ship Lollipop" and couldn't resist picking up this DVD.From 1934, this story takes you back to a time of innocence that just can't be done again in today's world. Shirley will tug at your heartstrings and you're happy to let her do it!

This story was tailor made for Temple's charms. Already having lost her father, "the best aviator there ever was", she is now the apple of they eyes of all the flyers at the airport.Espcially one,'Loop' Merritt(James Dunn), her father's best friend who loves her dearly.Shirley lives in the home of a wealthy but nasty couple where her mother is a maid. When tragedy strikes again, and Shirley's mom meets with an unfortunate accident, the fight begins over who will adopt this adorable orphan.

In the short span of 83 minutes, it's a story that has laughter, tears, adventure and lots of love. If you love Shirley..this is a must have. But it's not just the Shirley show...the rest of the cast is terrific. James Dunn, Jane Darwell,and Lois Smith will all touch you, but the two that nearly steal the show are Charles Sellon as Uncle Ned, an old curmudgeon who becomes a real softy around Shirley, and little Jane Withers...the brattiest brat there ever was. All this little tyke wants for Christmas is a machine gun!

I was very pleased with this DVD by 20th Cent Fox. Yes it was a bit on the grainey side, but the film, now 70 years old, showed no scratches, lines or cracks.I hope I look that good at 70! I nearly had a panic attack though when I read the back of the box and it said that this version was colorized, but don't worry, when you pop it in the player, the first thing that comes up is a choice of the original B/W or the colorized version..so you can watch both and see which you prefer. You also get the choice of viewing it in the newly enhanced stereo or mono.There are also subtitles in English(captions), and Spanish.

It's a nice one to watch during the holidays as a good part of the story takes place during Christmas.If you are a fan..introduce a new generation to Shirley. This a great one to start with.

Sweet Landings.....Laurie

One of her better movies.
The movie has the seen that the TV networks always have qued up with her singing: On the good ship lollypop.

One of the cutest films!!!
Shirley is VERY cute in this film. She plays a very unselfish and cute little girl who likes to help out and visit the airport. She basicially does not have to act in this film because the way her chartacter acts is how Shirley acts herself . (Notice that her name is Shirley in this film.)
It deserves a three star though because I didn't see much dancing in this film except for The Good Ship Lollipop, and when you watch Jane Withers and Shirley together you can feel guilty when you act selfish. ... Read more

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Littlefoot and the gang meet a shy newcomer, Ali, but the pleasantries stop there. There's a dire environmental theme to this third sequel in the series, in which the world's weather changes beyond the Great Valley, and what had been dry land is now a "land of mists." The shift brings new creatures who push out older inhabitants, and Littlefoot sees these radical changes for himself when he has to venture into the area to find a medicinal flower for his sick grandfather. While the animation is slow and contained the way direct-to-video cartoon releases often are, the story is sound and the now-familiar characters are memorable. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (11)

The best Land Before Time of them all
Journey into the Mists captivated both my children (3 and 5 years old), my wife and me. It is a story of courage, acceptance of others (hence the song "It takes all kinds"), and family ties. This movie is based upon the original Land Before Time video and is yet another sequel in this very popular series.

In this story, Little Foot meets another small long neck named Allie. Allie is afraid of other dinosaurs because she has only been among other long necks. As part of a band of migrating long necks, she and her family come into the Great Valley while fleeing their former home, which has become a misty swamp that they now derisively call "The Land of Mists." After their arrival, Grandpa Longneck faill mysteriously ill and the migratory long necks identify his malady and proscribe a cure - a plant that only grows in the Land of Mists. Little Foot wants to go to find the mysterious plant, and he needs Allie's help. Allie refuses, however, to go unless Little Foot's friends do not come along.

Herein lies the most positive part of this tale - Allie must get over her fear of other dinosaurs if she is to be of help to Little Foot and the others. She has to learn that accept and work with those who are different from herself.

The story resolves, and the children learn valuable lessons. This story also includes a couple of very funny villians who are constantly telling each how worthless they are. These two cracked us up, but their constant bantering and bickering might be a little over the top for very small children. My two laughed and laughed for hours on end. We found that it was important to explain that this behavior is inappropriate and this is why it is funny. This was easily done, since the story shows that these two end up working against each other most of the time and not with each other.

I highly recommend this video. There are some tender moments in this video and some great songs. I would however caution parents with very small children, since there are two villians who are not very nice to anyone. My three and five year old really liked it, but for children younger than that, I would exercise caution.

Obnoxious, mean characters ruin this episode
I have really like the first 3 episodes in this series, and my young kids have, too. Our viewing has coincided with an interest in dinosaurs by my 4 year-old son. So, he's learned a lot about dinosaurs from them. And the movies are wholesome and promote friendship and good behavior.

THIS EPISODE WAS A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT BECAUSE OF THE MEAN-SPIRITED BANTERING OF THE TWO VILLAINS. The prehistoric crocodile and pterasaur (dinosaur bird) are constantly telling each other how much they "hate" each other. There is a song they sing back and forth about how "I need you like a hold in the head" and that type of thing. And their voices are terribly annoying.

I was immediately uncomfortable, but then I heard my son starting to say this stuff to his sister...

HEY, I KNOW THE KIDS ARE GOING TO PICK UP MEAN LANGUAGE SOMEWHERE, BUT WHY ENCOURAGE IT?

MY ADVICE: LAND BEFORE TIME I-III DO NOT SUFFER FROM THIS LOW LANGUAGE.

Not my favorite, but good overall...
In this film, Littlefoot's grandpa gets sick with a fever. The only cure is for him to eat a golden nightflower. But there's a problem; it grows in "The Land of Mists", a place off limits to all dinos. Of course, dear old grandpa can't die can he? So Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, and their new friend Ali, set off to find the golden flower. Which they do (while dodging a few obstacles along the way). Nightflower found? Check. Grandpa lives? Check. Overall, it's a cute, fun little movie that the kids will probably enjoy. Ignore those two bad guys though...

Journey Through the Mists
My 2 yr old absolutely loves The Land Before Time series but this is one we could have done without. The bad guys are really bad and Ducky's voice is different and more irritating. We usually love Ducky's little voice but not on this one. Normally my son loves the songs and sings along with them but on this one he just fusses for me to skip past the singing.

My kids loved it!
We had a great time watching this one. My kids are always asking to see it again. I appreciate the positive messages too! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Michael Radford's adaption of George Orwell's foreboding literary premonition casts John Hurt and Suzanna Hamilton as lovers who must keep their courtship secret.Aside from criminalizing sex and interpersonal relationships, the ruling party in their country Oceania both fabricates reality and reconstructs history for the sake of oppressing the masses.They brainwash their citizens via large, propaganda-spewing TV monitors installed in their living rooms, which also inspect everyone's activities. Hurt and Hamilton are among the few we see desperately trying to fight the system by keeping control of their thoughts and beliefs.While the atmosphere becomes a bit too stifling at times, the images are quite striking with their muted colors and dilapidated sets. In an interesting bit of casting, Richard Burton costars (in his final role) as a government agent who surreptitiously exposes Hurt to the ideas of resistance. Unlike many like-minded films, 1984 does not offer a flashy vision of the future, but then that aspect makes it feel all the more real. In an age when more and more of our everyday activities are being scrutinized, Big Brother may not be so far off after all. --Bryan Reesman ... Read more

Reviews (102)

An outstanding rendition/interpretation of Orwell's novel.
This movie/DVD captures the spirit of Orwell's novel more perfectly than almost any movie I have ever seen that was derived from a book. The film perfectly captures the sense of dispair, the dingy physical lives of the people, the omnipresence of a malevolent Government, all of which constitute the main theme of the story.

William Hurt turns in quite literally a perfect performance as Winston Smith, the main protagonist of the story. The cinamatography of the film is brilliant, and perfectly captures the dingy, ratty existence of life in the ultimate totalitarian/socialist state. The constant background harangue of the Party via the telescreens is perfectly done. If Orwell had lived to see this film I believe that he would find little or nothing to criticize. It brilliantly captures the novel for the silver screen.

Without giving anything away, this is the story of one Winston Smith, a citizen of "Oceania" which is one of three superstates that dominate the world. (Oceania is comprised of Britain, the Americas, and Australasia; its adversaries Eurasia and Eastasia are of similar size and power). The Government dominates and controls everything through the "Party" which promotes the doctrine "Ingsoc" (derived from "English Socialism"). Everyone, even the elite, live in a ramshackle dingy world in which shortages of everything is the norm--it is a world in which "nothing is cheap and plentiful." (Basically your socialist state taken to the nth degree). Winston works in a pointless job that involves constantly re-writing old archives to conform to present "realities" as defined by the Party. Love is forbidden other than love of the Party and its leader ("Big Brother") and the "Thought Police" ruthlessly root out anyone who fails to conform to the requirement of strict orthodoxy and Party loyalty. The fact that Winston is such a one is the central theme to the story. When he falls in love with a beautiful young woman, his troubles begin in earnest.

To properly appreciate this film, the viewer should of course first read the book. I would imagine that the film would be somewhat bewildering to one who was not familiar at least with the novel's basic theme and premise--the dispair of life under the ultimate totalitarian state.

This is not a film for the whole family to enjoy together. It is intense and depressing. The final portion of the movie, involving Winston Smith and O'Brian (Richard Burton in his final role) is long, unhappy, and downright dreary. Although utterly necessary as an essential component of the story, it both drags and depresses.

1984 is essentially the story of the ultimate result of allowing Government (any Government) to run our lives, and what will happen if the people substitute trust in Big Government for the love of liberty and freedom.

Doubleplus Outstanding!!!
"April 4th, 1984 ... I think"

I picked 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' as one of the books for a high school reading assignment in my junior year. I didn't actually read it then (1975), but read it just after high school. By the time I'd finished it was near the top of my list of favorite books ' and remains so. When '1984' came out in 1984 I, naturally, rented the video and fell in love with the film. It was one of the better-done film adaptations of a book that I'd seen. I was really taken with the martial music of Dominic Muldowney so I rushed out and bought ' 'The Soundtrack' ' by the Eurythmics. Well, no martial music, no nothing; just Eurythmics. When the Muldowney soundtrack became available a few years ago I purchased it and tried to envision the film with Mr. Radford's original choice attached. I even wrote the director to ask if it was going to be different than the '84 release (I never heard back from him).

So what's all this about soundtracks and the Eurythmics and Muldowney you ask? When my copy of this DVD came in March 2003 I was more than pleasantly surprised with a number of things. First, the picture quality is plusgood. Secondly, and even though they are credited, there is not a hint of the Eurythmics on this DVD! That's doubleplus-phenomenal! The film has a different 'feel' to it, almost a nostalgic feel, that the original didn't have and that I credit to the soundtrack changes. I know there are some that think the film should have been tampered with, but having followed the history of this film and the conflict Mr. Radford encountered with Virgin, I'm very pleased that it's been released in this format. I would have liked to have seen the Eurythmics soundtrack added as an option, but it was not.

As someone said earlier; this is not the book. It is a well-written, well-adapted, film that captures (for me) the essence of Orwell's work. I highly recommend it.

*sigh* Get the VHS!
I've seen the VHS version a dozen times, and waited a LONG time to get my hands on the DVD. Well, I finally saw it two days ago.

I regret to say, I'm glad I only rented it.

In short, the DVD version of this film is completely, utterly LIFELESS. Not boring, but passionless and without the vitality of the original. I suspect it is a combination of the inappropriately bright, clear colors (not suggestively muted and washed-out as in the VHS) and the new, quietly ponderous "serious" soundtrack which is just plain...well...weak. Overall, this version is about as impressive as a good made for TV movie, if that can be called a compliment.

Please do not judge Radford's 1984 by the DVD, even if he is reported to prefer this version (something I will NEVER understand). The life has been literally SUCKED from this film. If you can find a copy of the VHS, watch it instead. It is literally a different movie - try it and see.

The only good thing about the DVD is the addition of subtitles which do clarify many scenes. That I liked.

Kudos to No Soundtrack Alternative comment
I agree with the review of this DVD concerning the lack of the Eurythmics soundtrack. Absolute blasphemy! Radford has not only made a huge miscalculation in judgment -- he's showing his true colors. His hatred of the Eurythmics soundtrack was only the beginning. He has completely taken Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox out of the film! He has somehow digitally removed them!

meaningless without the novel
A film by Michael Radford

Clever. Very clever. This movie was filmed in 1984 during the months that were specified in George Orwell's novel. It was also released in 1984. This fit perfectly with the title and gave a nice contrast between Orwell's vision of the future and what the world was like at that very time. The question, however, is: Is "1984" any good as a movie? Well, yes and no, and it has everything to do with what was included in the movie.

The year is 1984 and the setting is London. At least, the city used to be London. Now it is just a city in Oceania. Oceania is a communist style society where propaganda rules the day and history is re-written daily to reflect the views of "The Party". One day Oceania may be at war with Eurasia, and the next Oceania is at war with East Asia and has always been at war with East Asia. History is changed and officially, the past never happened if "The Party" says that it didn't happen. Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a worker. It is his job to change history's headlines. Through Winston's eyes we see "The Party" outlaw personal relationships, emotional attachment, and even thought that does not mirror the party line. The latter is called "thought crime".

Winston is a thought criminal. He secretly writes in a journal about the revisionist policies and he visits a store that sells (on the sly) items that are older than Oceania (one piece is said to be 100 years old). Winston is secretly seditious and he meets Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), who, like Winston, is defying Oceania as she can. Her method is sex. Sex for pleasure is highly illegal and this is the foundation of their relationship. We know that a movie set in a world with this sort of a society, they have to be caught because we have to no what the repercussions of their actions will be.

The main difference between this film and the novel is simply that in the film we are seeing what Orwell described, and in the book all we have is the words of George Orwell. The reason this is a difference is that in the movie we know what a thing looks like, but not what it is. One example of this is the "two minute hate". Orwell describes several scenes in which the workers are given a forum where they must vent and scream and express their hatred for the enemies of Oceania. It is a form of social control. We get a sense of what is going on, and why. In the movie, we see what happens and how it affects the workers, but the detail which makes the scene meaningful is missing. This is fairly typical of the film and is the biggest flaw. If I hadn't read the novel, the film would be confusing and meaningless. It is only because I have read the source material that I know what these scenes are and why they are important. We do get a good sense of the type of society that Orwell envisioned as a potential future, and the visualization of the characters and the world is excellent. It is just lacking the meaning that is available in Orwell's text. Film is a different medium than a novel and a movie should not be dependant on the novel to make it comprehensible and meaningful. Unfortunately, "1984" fails in this regard. It is faithful to the source material, but the film can't succeed without the novel.

-Joe Sherry ... Read more

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Ranking No. 21 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest American films, this 1940 classic is a bit dated in its noble sentimentality, but it remains a luminous example of Hollywood classicism from the peerless director of mythic Americana, John Ford. Adapted by Nunnally Johnson from John Steinbeck's classic novel, the film tells a simple story about Oklahoma farmers leaving the depression-era dustbowl for the promised land of California, but it's the story's emotional resonance and theme of human perseverance that makes the movie so richly and timelessly rewarding. It's all about the humble Joad family's cross-country trek to escape the economic devastation of their ruined farmland, beginning when Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) returns from a four-year prison term to discover that his family home is empty. He's reunited with his family just as they're setting out for the westbound journey, and thus begins an odyssey of saddening losses and strengthening hopes. As Ma Joad, Oscar-winner Jane Darwell is the embodiment of one of America's greatest social tragedies and the "Okie" spirit of pressing forward against all odds (as she says, "because we're the people"). A documentary-styled production for which Ford and cinematographer Gregg Toland demanded painstaking authenticity, The Grapes of Wrath is much more than a classy, old-fashioned history lesson. With dialogue and scenes that rank among the most moving and memorable ever filmed, it's a classic among classics--simply put, one of the finest films ever made. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (45)

Ford and Fonda do justice to Steinbeck
Take John Steinbeck's Pulitzer-Prize-Winning Novel. Turn it into a movie and let John Ford direct it, and get Henry Fonda to star. In 1940 you could hardly find a more certain recipe for a cinema classic.

As good as the film is, it really should be a companion-piece to Steinbeck's original masterpiece, and if you haven't read it I recommend setting aside enough time to read one of the greatest pieces of American literature ever written.

That being said, the medium of the cinema allows for a visual impact that can't be matched with the written word.

The Grapes of Wrath follows the Joad family during the great depression. That period of economic hardship hit the farmers in Oklahoma a little harder than the rest of the world, at the time of the dust bowl the "Okies" were at the end of their ropes, financially speaking.

Thousands of Okies packed up the house after being foreclosed and moved out to California - many winding up around Bakersfield, at the California end of old US Route 66. (Merle Haggard's family did so and the "Okie from Muscogee" wrote about it in songs like "California Cottonfields".)

Anyway, this is the historical context of the movie. The theme of the movie, and of Steinbeck's book, is the ability of the human spirit to remain intact in these worst of times. The Joads suffer terrible humiliations, one after another, most of them because of their desperate financial status. But as the story proceeds we see that they are fundamentally decent, hard-working people, and every time life knocks them down they get back up, brush the dirt off themselves, and keep moving forward. As a national characteristic, this was an important trait because this was the generation that produced the hard-working, high-minded individuals who did important things like win World War II, followed by America's greatest financial flourishing and the Baby Boom. Tom Brokaw called them "America's Greatest Generation".

The cast is picture-perfect, with Henry Fonda as the spirited Tom Joad and John Carradine as the former preacher with a new social consciousness. Jane Darwell won a well-deserved Best Supporting Actress Award as Ma Joad, and the remainder of the cast is in every way equal to the story and the film.

An American Classic
This is a great movie based on a great novel, and I am surprised by how honestly the film captures the raw humanity of the book. Steinbeck weaved social commentary into the story, and the movie makes many points about the human condition and spirit without being heavy-handed. The story of the Joads and their fight for survival rings very true, thanks to the realistic performances and the atmosphere created by director John Ford. Henry Fonda gives one of the best performances I have ever seen him give, and his "I'll be there" speech is one of the great movie moments. Jane Darwell is also very impressive, and her direct, down-to-earth style of acting makes the quiet strength and the suffering of Ma Joad seem very real. The Grapes of Wrath is an American classic, both as a novel and as a film.

"I'll be all aroun' in the dark."
"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loos'd the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword, His truth is marching on." - Battle Hymn of the Republic.

In 1936, John Steinbeck wrote a series of articles about the migrant workers driven to California from the Midwestern states after losing their homes in the throes of the depression: inclement weather, failed crops, land mortgaged to the hilt and finally taken over by banks and large corporations when credit lines ran dry. Lured by promises of work aplenty, the Midwesterners packed their belongings and trekked westward to the Golden State, only to find themselves facing hunger, inhumane conditions, contempt and exploitation instead. "Dignity is all gone, and spirit has turned to sullen anger before it dies," Steinbeck described the result in one of his 1936 articles, collectively published as "The Harvest Gypsies;" and in another piece ("Starvation Under the Orange Trees," 1938) he asked: "Must the hunger become anger and the anger fury before anything will be done?"

By the time he wrote the latter article, Steinbeck had already published one novel addressing the agricultural laborers' struggle against corporate power ("In Dubious Battle," 1936). Shortly thereafter he began to work on "The Grapes of Wrath," which was published roughly a year later. Although the book would win the Pulitzer Prize (1940) and become a cornerstone foundation of Steinbeck's Literature Nobel Prize (1962), it was sharply criticized upon its release - nowhere more so than in the Midwest - and still counts among the 35 books most frequently banned from American school curricula: A raw, brutally direct, yet incredibly poetic masterpiece of fiction, it continues to touch nerves deeply rooted in modern society's fabric; including and particularly in California, where yesterday's Okies are today's undocumented Mexicans - Chicano labor leader Cesar Chavez especially pointed out how well he could empathize with the Joad family, because he and his fellow workers were now living the same life they once had.

Having fought hard with his publisher to maintain the novel's uncompromising approach throughout, Steinbeck was weary to give the film rights to 20th Century Fox, headed by powerful mogul and, more importantly, known conservative Daryl F. Zanuck. Yet, Zanuck and director John Ford largely stayed true to the novel: There is that sense of desperation in farmer Muley's (John Qualen's) expression as he tells Tom and ex-preacher Casy (Henry Fonda and John Carradine) how the "cats" came and bulldozed down everybody's homes, on behalf of a corporate entity too intangible to truly hold accountable. There is Grandpa Joad (Charley Grapewin), literally clinging to his earth and dying of a stroke (or, more likely, a broken heart) when he is made to leave against his will. There is everybody's brief joy upon first seeing Bakersfield's rich plantations - everybody's except Ma Joad's (Jane Darwell's), that is, who alone knows that Grandma (Zeffie Tilbury) died in her arms before they even started to cross the Californian desert the previous night. There is the privately-run labor camps' utter desolation, complete with violent guards, exploitative wages, lack of food and unsanitary conditions; contrasted with the relative security and more humane conditions of the camps run by the State. And there is Tom's crucial development from a man acting alone to one seeing the benefit of joining efforts in a group, following Casy's example, and his parting promise to Ma that she'll find him everywhere she looks - wherever there is injustice, struggle, and people's joint success. In an overall outstanding cast, which also includes Dorris Bowdon (Rose of Sharon), Eddie Quillan (Rose's boyfriend Connie), Frank Darien (Uncle John) and a brief appearance by Ward Bond as a friendly policeman, Henry Fonda truly shines as Tom; despite his smashing good looks fully metamorphosized into Steinbeck's quick-tempered, lanky, reluctant hero.

Yet, in all its starkness the movie has a more optimistic slant than the novel; due to a structural change which has the Joads moving from bad to acceptable living conditions (instead of vice versa), the toning down of Steinbeck's political references - most importantly, the elimination of a monologue using a land owner's description of "reds" as anybody "that wants thirty cents and hour when we're payin' twenty-five" to show that under the prevalent conditions that definition applies to virtually *every* migrant laborer - and a greater emphasis on Ma Joad's pragmatic, forward-looking way of dealing with their fate; culminating in her closing "we's the people" speech (whose direction, interestingly, Ford, who would have preferred to end the movie with the image of Tom walking up a hill alone in the distance, left to Zanuck himself). Jane Darwell won a much-deserved Academy-Award for her portrayal as Ma; besides John Ford's Best Director award the movie's only winner on Oscar night - none of its other five nominations scored, unfortunately including those in the Best Picture and Best Leading Actor categories, which went to Hitchcock's "Rebecca" and James Stewart ("The Philadelphia Story") instead. Still, despite its critical success - also expressed in a "Best Picture" National Board of Review award - and its marginally optimistic outlook, the movie engendered almost as much controversy as did Steinbeck's book. After the witch hunt setting in not even a decade later, today it stands as one of the last, greatest examples of a movie pulling no punches in the portrayal of society's ailments; a type of film regrettably rare in recent years.

"Ev'rybody might be just one big soul - well it looks that-a way to me. ... Wherever men are fightin' for their rights, that's where I'm gonna be, ma. That's where I'm gonna be." - Woody Guthrie, "The Ballad of Tom Joad."

"The highway is alive tonight, but nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it goes. I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light, with the ghost of old Tom Joad." - Bruce Springsteen, "The Ghost of Tom Joad."

The Grapes--and Apples and Oranges--of Wrath
It's striking how many reviewers here base their comments on a simplisitic comparison between the film version of "The Grapes of Wrath" and the Steinbeck novel on which it was based. For many such a comparison seems to function simply as an excuse to proclaim the inherent superiority of the Steinbeck original--and, by extension, the superiority of their own literary taste values-- when all it really does is highlight the patent silliness of trying to pit different artforms into some sort of evaluative competition. Literature and cinema are two vastly different modes of representation each with their own strengths and limitations, so the framing question shouldn't be which version of "The Grapes of Wrath" is "better"--as if there were a universal yardstick with which to measure such things--but rather how do they perform in terms of their respective mediums? On that count, I think we are extraordinarily fortunate with both the Steinbeck and Ford versions of "The Grapes of Wrath" to have two masterworks that operate consummately at the peak of their respective artforms. What each does well, it does brilliantly. As a verbal medium that unfolds slowly, literature is good at offering rich, layered descriptions of person and place and mapping complicated narrative links and Steinbeck makes the most of this in his novel. Cinema, by contrast, is an expressive medium that works best through registers of visual and aural metaphor, allegory and performance...and it's on this ground that I think the film version of "The Grapes of Wrath" more than merits its classic status. It is a magnificently "cinematic" film that uses the expressive capacities of the medium to produce a richly layered experience that is truly moving and that lingers long afterward, sometimes for years or even a whole lifetime. I first saw "The Grapes of Wrath" on TV one rainy afternoon in my childhood and it left indelible impressions that have impelled me to go back to the film time and again: The haunted eyes of Jane Darwell's Ma Joad as she sits in the truck cabin, lit from beneath, driving into an uncertain future, the winds of history howling oustside; the terrifying collision montage as the monstrous "cats" move in to destroy the Okies' homes; the soulless gas station attendants, standing together in uniforms like corporatized automata, muttering that the Joads are too miserable to be human. It's a film dense with iconic richness and an enduring testament both to the artistry of the many workers that created it, and to the democratic spirit of popular cinema at its very best.

As good a restoration as possible
This DVD restoration is probably as good as possible given that the original camera negative was lost. This is the one to get.

By the way, there is NO widescreen version of "The Grapes of Wrath." This DVD release exhibits the full frame aspect ratio of the original (1.33 to 1 ratio). Essentially, films made between 1917 and 1952 were filmed with a full frame aspect ratio. Standard televisions were proportioned 4:3 to copy the standard cinema ratio. Widescreen (Cinemascope, etc) was a gimmick introduced by Hollywood in the 1950s to compete with television. So if a film was made between 1917 and 1952 don't go looking for a widescreen version of it because there isn't any! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

This is the TV movie that put Steven Spielberg on the map, shortly before he made The Sugarland Express. Working from a script by Richard Matheson, the film stars Dennis Weaver as a mild-mannered traveling salesman who unintentionally angers the driver of a semi truck. Suddenly, the truck is not only riding his tail but trying to run him off the road. No matter what he does (pulling over, stopping at a diner, calling the cops), he can't get rid of it. Spielberg makes the wise decision of never showing the driver, even as he cranks the voltage on the film's suspense elements. As a result, the truck itself takes on an air of satanic menace--even a personality of sorts--as it seems to hunt its human prey. Spielberg made a lot out of a little, suggesting just how skilled a storyteller he would become. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (110)

High-octane suspense
Traveling businessman David Mann (Dennis Weaver) encounters an enormous, rusty, slow-moving tanker truck on a lonely stretch of desert highway, and passes it. The never-seen truck driver, who is obviously "a few gallons short of a full tank," responds by turning his truck into a terrifying murder weapon, trying to run Mann's tiny Plymouth Valiant off the road. That's the entire plot of "Duel." In the hands of a young director named Steven Spielberg, it's all the plot that's needed.

Spielberg got the green light to direct this made-for-TV movie because producer George Eckstein had seen and been impressed by Spielberg's directorial debut, the pilot episode of "Columbo." Working on a shoestring budget, Spielberg delivered a tale of suspense that puts many a big-budget Hollywood action thriller to shame. Equal credit has to go to Weaver, who superbly conveys David Mann's emotions to the viewer: His initial frustration when the truck passes him and slows to a crawl, his satisfaction when he thinks he's gotten the upper hand, his terror when he realizes the truck driver's intentions have turned deadly, his isolated helplessness as every person he encounters thinks he's crazy and/or refuses to get involved and, ultimately, his determination to survive his ordeal.

There is a great moment in this movie which no one else has mentioned: Mann, thinking his ordeal is over, is flagged down by a bus driver whose bus has broken down. While assisting the driver, Mann suddenly notices the truck, waiting in the shadows under an overpass. Then, the truck's headlights come on. At this moment, the truck resembles a yellow-eyed demonic apparition straight out of David Mann's worst nightmare.

Far less impressive is this film's monaural sound, although it does have its moments. This is a made-for-television feature film from 1971, so don't expect the aural impact of a modern-day surround-sound blockbuster. Anyway, the chances are good that you'll be so caught up in the movie itself, the (relatively) poor sound quality won't matter.

But be warned: When you're out on the road, and you look in your rear-view mirror and see a large truck closing in behind you, this movie WILL come back to you.

1971 classic
this movie is both funny and thrilling at the same time. I always laugh everytime I watch this movie even the part when dennis weaver turns his radio back on and that early 70s funky country music starts playing. I think they should put this on dvd I bought jaws on dvd and on the directors comentary steven spielberg said that jaws was the sequel to duel but on water the elements are simliar.anyway duel is about a nerdy salesman david mann (dennis weaver) who is traveling across the state to a meeting driving in a new at the time plymouth valiant (NOT A DODGE DART)!!when all of the sudden he gets behind this oily old peterbilt tanker truck that looks like it hasn't been washed in about a year. so mann tries to pass the truck couple of times and the driver of the truck goes nuts and passes although it seems like a silly little game at first but soon it worsens the trucker who you never see tries to kill david mann or run off the road and through the movie its pretty much that but there are other elements through the movie that is funny so do yourself a faver and get this movie on vhs. PS you do catch glimpse of the driver of the truck watch closely as mann tries to pass the truck the second time look closely in the the cab you'll see him!!!

"Duel" Of The Fates
"Come on you miserable fat-head! Get that fat-*ss truck outta my way!" - David Mann gets his road-rage face on & starts "Duel"

Before the term "road-rage" was coined there was Steven Spielberg's first film. "Duel" still holds its punch 33 years after its movie of the week debut.

David Mann is a simple business man, late for a convention thats taking him cross country to get there. It seems that he's making good time, that is, until, an old tanker truck gets in his path, and won't let Mann pass at any cost, except, with the cost of his own life. But, when Mann sees an opening and slips past the truck, an annoying situation escalates into a dangerous game of cat & mouse as the truck and its unknown driver hunts down, teases, & taunts Mann, & his crappy Dodge Dart, all over the Arizona highway.

The film is still great. Its like a feature length episode of "The Twilight Zone". Dennis Weaver is at his best as David Mann, who seems confindent, one of the guys that seems to have an infinite amount of patience, at the films beginning, but, at films end he's a nerve-shattered shell of his formerself & you wonder if he would ever drive a vehicle again, let alone sit in one!

Spielberg shows his first flair for suspense in "Duel" with the school bus sequence and the gas station attack (if you weren't at least on the edge of your seat when Mann was trying to help the kids & the school bus out while the truck ominously watched in the wings, you better check your pulse!).

"Duel" is one of those films that makes you think twice about showing off your road-rage & flipping someone off after they cut you off on the highway. A must for the DVD collection. Not to be watched on long road trips.

THE CRAZY TRUCK
I LIKE THIS MOVIE ALOT ITS ABOUT A MAN ON THE ROAD AND THIS TRUCK WONTS TO KILL HIM FOR NO RESON AT ALL I DON'T KOWN WHY I THINK THE TUCK DRIVER NEEDS HELP OR SOMETHING I THINK HES CRAZY THSAT WOULD BE SCARY TO BE DRIVING ON THE ROAD BEING CHEST BY A HUGE TRUCK.....

One of the first of its genre--and possibly the best
Reviewers highlight the wonderful qualities of this must-see movie, but to me one of the most praiseworthy is that it is a pioneer--that other films since "Duel" are imitations of its suspense and edge-of-insanity horror. Spielberg, in his first try, gave cinema the prototype of an everyday situation that becomes a nightmare.
He and Dennis Weaver made small moments perfect. The truck's death, like a great dinosaur, with Weaver capering like a Stone Age warrior celebrating his kill, then sitting exhausted and sober, throwing pebbles at the carcass. It is my favorite part. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sir Richard Attenborough's 1982 multiple-Oscar winner (including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Ben Kingsley) is an engrossing, reverential look at the life of Mohandas K. Gandhi, who introduced the doctrine of nonviolent resistance to the colonized people of India and who ultimately gained the nation its independence. Kingsley is magnificent as Gandhi as he changes over the course of the three-hour film from an insignificant lawyer to an international leader and symbol. Strong on history (the historic division between India and Pakistan, still a huge problem today, can be seen in its formative stages here) as well as character and ideas, this is a fine film. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (108)

BEN KINGSLEY'S FINEST HOUR ON DVD
Richard Attenborough's "Gandhi" is a masterfully told, massively mounted epic motion picture, depicting the life and times of Gandhi, a benevolant crusader for peace, whose shocking assassination rocked the world. Ben Kingsley rightfully took home the Oscar for his subtle but stunning transformation into the title role. WARNING: This is a slow paced movie but well worth the three hour plus investment of your time.
Columbia Tristar has given us a very beautiful print of the film. Colors are rich, bold and vibrant. Contrast levels are good. Although black levels are not always at their darkest, this is relatively forgivable, since most of the film takes place during the day. Shimmering, aliasing and edge enhancement are all present but in extremely minute amounts, leaving one with nothing to do but admire the visual presentation in all of its breathtaking cinematography. The soundtrack is 2.0 surround but well represented. Some of the audio has a tendancy to appear thin or strident but, again, considering its dated fidelity and the source material, it is remarkably well represented. No extras - disappointing for a big time Oscar winner like this. Perhaps we'll get a special edition eventually.

Excellent movie about a 'mover' in this world
Every once in a while this world produces an exceptional human being whose presence makes it a much better place to live in. Such a person was Mahatma Gandhi; the Indian 'radical' whose teachings about non-violent resistance lead to the eventual independence of India from British colonial rule. His teachings have inspired other such movements in the world and his life has been looked up to as a standard which others have tried to emulate.

Every once in a while those responsible for the academy awards have chosen deserving films. This is one of them. Ben Kingsley gives a grand performance as Gandhi, from his youth to his death. The impersonation is spot on; everything from the accent to the gait is so convincing that one could swear Kingsley was Gandhi.

If you are looking for a biography of this man on film, this movie is an excellent source. Condensing Gandhi's life into a few hours is such a great feat, especially when there is so much of this man that could be explored. The movie was filmed in India, with 300,000 extras, so if you like epic films you will definitely enjoy this one. The scenery is authentic and the characters have a reality about them so often lacking in 'hollywood' films. No 'eye-candy' version of a historical event, this is a real movie about a real person.

The DVD extras were ok for a film this old. There is some original newsreel footage which is quite short but still worth watching to see the real Gandhi as he was. Kingsley also gives a talk about how it was being Gandhi, there is also some of the sayings of Gandhi; great candidates for those memorable sayings we all try to memorize to motivate ourselves. All in all a great DVD, the movie is a timeless classic about a great man of the modern world.

Movie does not do justice to the person
Richard Attenborough's movie "Gandhi" was a movie of epic proportion. Mohandas Gandhi was probably the most influential person of modern day India. If one reads any of his biographies or his autobiography, one would find that he was a very complex person. The movie was well directed and showed some of the important parts of the freedom struggle starting from his initiation in South Africa. However, for the sake of marketing, the movie concentrates largely on the european angle and sidetrakes the Indian angle completely.

Gandhi was a person who started a new line of thinking that inspired people like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Dalai Lama. He was a complex person who right from childhood was afraid of ghosts and speaking in public. He was a disaster as a lawyer initially. The transformation happened when he saw the injustice happen to him in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. I wish that the movie had shown the transformation in the person. This was an important catalysis. Most of the people shown in the movie were not important in Gandhi's life, though they were decent actors, such as Candice Bergan and so on. The Indians who associated with him such as Patel, Nehru, Azad and so on are given minor importance.

Some of his important speeches were left out, which are thought provoking. Recently Time magazine had Salman Rushdie write a piece about Gandhi. Granted there is freedom of speech, but I had never seen a more badly written piece about Gandhi than that. Rushdie should stick to fiction - well he is losing his touch in that too. Gandhi had his faults like any human, some of his ideas may not apply in the present day world. But his positives far outweigh his negatives. The sad part is that he is largely forgotten in India itself. Most people in India do not take the trouble to read and know about the real person, what he stood for, his ideals. In fact, I am ashamed to say that South Africa remembers him more than India, even though his is the father of India. Even in the last elections in South Africa, he was used as an icon. However, in India, he is slowly ebbing away.

A soul-conquering fine work of art
Never before have I seen such a powerful work of art. It made me forget the finesse of the technological masterpiece, an advanced Macintosh computer running MacOsX, which delivered the breath-taking scenes in vibrant colors with soul-stirring sound effects. Instead all that stood in my mind was the movie and movie alone. This was a radical change in thought for a person like me who is a avid technology enthusiast. Never before have I been so involved in the scenes of a movie. Every scene and every peice of sound hits the nail right on its head with a powerful strike of the hammer. I must appreciate the dedication of the team and their quest for perfection. Years of their work has produced this masterpiece which mankind can cherish for the eons to come. This certainly is one of the best creations of collective human intellect of superlative degree. The story of the life of a great soul in a soul-conquering work of art.

gandhi-whats the point?
i mean he wasnt that great was he? there are plenty of annorexic people out there. plus its not healthy. throughout that whole movie i was yelling, " GIVE THAT MAN A SANDWICH!" he needs to eat something. I cant tell the difference between mahatma gandhi and paris hilton. in closing WHO LET THE DOGS OUT
WHO WHO WHO WHO.
who let the dogs out-good tune
gandhi-OK flick

i give it ***

GO GANDHI! he is my favorite linebacker in san diego chargers history ... Read more

Description

High school freshman Angus is the class fat-boy, an object of scorn and derision. Despite his portly demeanor, Angus is on the football team and has a secret crush on cheerleader Melissa, who unfortunately belongs to the school's ace quarterback and resident blonde-Adonis Rick, the one who is the cruelest of all to poor Angus. This familiar, yet genuinely heart-tugging youth drama chronicles Angus' triumph over Rick when a mean-spirited practical joke goes awry and leaves Melissa in the big lad's arms and Rick with egg all over his perfect face. Year: 1995 Director: Patrick Read Johnson Starring:Charlie Talbert, George C. Scott, Kathy Bates ... Read more

Reviews (53)

[Insert generic positive title here]
This is a great movie about growing up and fitting in (or not fitting in), blending comedy, heart, drama, and the spirit of the mid-1990's. The movie is about Angus Bethune (Charlie Talbert - why don't I ever see more of him?), a fat kid who's good at science and fair at football. Angus has a crush on a chearleader named Melissa LeFevre (Ariana Richards), who, sadly, is dating Angus's sworn enemy, Rick Sanford (James Van Der Beek, before Dawson's Creek). Angus hangs out with his little goofy friend, Troy Wedburg (Chris Owen). It is fall, and when its time to vote for the king and queen for the upcoming Winter Ball Dance, Rick, being the [jerk] that he is, rigs the vote so Angus wins and has to dance with Melissa, just to watch Angus humiliate himself. But then Angus also has to work on a project for another school for science. Which one will he pick? You'll have to see it to find out. This is a great movie that should be seen by everyone.

Also, to whom it may concern, PLEASE RELEASE THIS MOVIE ON DVD!!! Thank you.

a message for fat kids but this movie chews the fat and dies
this movie sends a good message about geeks and popular kids and the tension between them all. but it sorta makes the movie downfall with all the comedy and the grossness of it all. Scott is funny as Angus' grandpa and it you dont know who that chess player he plays chess with its veteran director Irwin Kershner who directed The Empire Strikes Back. also not that there's a young James Van Der Beek(Varsity Blues, The Rules Of Attraction), Ariana Richards(Spaced Invaders, Jurassic Park) and Chris Owen(Cant Hardly Wait, October Sky, American Pie 1 and 2). fun all around but boring in sections. soundtrack includes Green Day

GREAT MOVIE, VERY ENCOURAGING
I'm actually watching the movie right now as I'm typing.. This movie is absoultely wonderful!! Although, how come I don't see Charlie Talbert in any other big movies? Anyways... Being a 13 year old fat kid going into high school myself, this movie encourages me to try for what I really want to be, and not become what everyone else is... just to be myself..... you know what I say?? "Screw 'em!" haha If anyone hasnt seen this movie GET IT or if you have Comcast Digital Cable, its on Starz! OnDemand until August 8th or somethin like that.

Finally a movie that states the truth!
I love this movie! This movie shows that there is no such thing as "normal" when it comes to people. This movie also shows the stupidity of people, and that looks aren't everything. Everybody has issues. The cruelty in this movie shows just how some people get treated and it's not right. When at the end of the movie, when Angus makes his speech, I was rooting for him. When he kissed a certain someone, I was having the lovey dovey factor. When a certain someone is gone, I cryed until I had to leave the room.

Highly recommend!
Angus is about the fat kid that every class has (maybe you were that fat kid, who knows?). Although Angus, played by Charlie Talbert, is huge, he is very sensitive and sweet. He is a scientific genius but wishes every day that he were someone else. It examines how to survive being the outcast in high school. Troy (Chris Owen) is his big-eared, red-headed friend who is also an outcast. Angus realizes that he must be brave and stand up to his oppressors. This film is both funny and touching. You will enjoy it! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

My most unforgettable film
This tale of British decadence continues to resonate after many years and many other films. There seems to be no more impactful and arresting vehicle for viewing the nature of the end of the 'Age of Kings' and the planting of the sordid into the fresh earth of the twentieth century. Yet it is sufficient to view the film for the vision of Scacchi, as she bares herself and lures us into the African theater of the grotesque. There we meet the European supremacy practicing their many-pronged acts of desecration of the land and the social contract. There where civilization was 'cradled,' drugs, the most unredeemable cruelty in sex and human attachments is viscerally illuminated. Those bluebloods and bloody-handed occupiers; still regarded as archetypal standards for class and wealth make the Beats, the variety of 60's renegades look like the stereotypical pilgrims in a school play. Oh boy, there is every reason to sink into this film, because it doesn't leave you- and it continues to provoke. We haven't changed folks, though Gretta's beauty in this steamy, sordid African mystery is daringly one of a kind.

by the way, its a true story
this movie is based on a history of the same title. the events were, more or less, as presented in the film. of course, the real people weren't quite as beautiful, and the sordidness wasn't quite as photogenic.

africa, like australia and new zealand, was where the 'remittance' men were sent by their families, to remove the scandals from the homefront. these sometimes extremely black sheep were sent, by the families who could afford it, 'remittances' (money) to keep them in the colonies. in those days of difficult communication, they could get up to whatever mischief they wanted without embarrassing the home folks. the group in happy valley made the most of this.

the acting is superb. the sets are marvelous. the scenery is magnificent. charles dance is gorgeous. the story is gripping. what more could you ask for?

A decadent slice of colonial Africa
This is the decadent counterpoint to Out of Africa (both are good films). It's the story of British ex-pats drifting through their days in colonial Kenya. With all their money and boredom, the only thing that entertains them are parties, sex and drugs, sometimes all done together. This is the mischief these white folk get up to, while their black servants look on dispassionately but with certain disdain.
Charles Dance is wonderfully smarmy as the playboy who wins Greta Scacchi's affections. She is the young beauty who married an older man for title and money, but has no love for him. It's shameful to see how brazen Dance and Scacchi are in their affair. The old husband does what any man with pride left would do. You can almost feel the British Empire crumbling around you as you are absorbed by this movie, in much the same way as A Passage to India (another great film).
Great supporting performances by Sarah Miles and Geraldine Chaplin as part of the high society swingers.
I was fortunate to find this video on sale second hand at my local video store.

White Mischief
I loved this film~ Very excellent. I'm wondering why Charles Dance always manages to be killed off (our hero) just midway (see China Moon) into his films. He is truly a "Star" as is Greta Scachi.

I have 5 copies of this film, (not for sale). It took 5 purchases to find one in good condition. And the Sound Track is "Excellent"~

I loved the story and you will too~ A very true account. Beautifully done and well worth the $ for the film~

one of the best films I have seen in 30 years
This film has style,intelligence,panache,a passable story line and incredable filming,costuming and terrific acting -why Amazon does not offer it is beyond my 67 year old comprehension --unless of course your computers tell you the entire world is between 18 and 45.For your information we older guys have all the dough and love to spend it.Please make it available on -yes-DVD-Thank you very much. ... Read more

Album Description

Canadian DVD release for 1974 spaghetti-western inspired by Sergio Leone who produced, starring Henry Fonda & featuring a soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. Also known as 'Il Mio Nome E Nessuno'. 2000 release. ... Read more

Reviews (59)

Quick Draws......
This review refers to the WHAM! DVD edition of "My Name Is Nobody"......

Who is faster on the draw than the legendary gunslinger Jack Beauregard(Henry Fonda)?.....NOBODY! (Terence Hill). That's Who! This is the most delightful western, that the whole family can enjoy together(there is some mild violence and language).

Jack Beauregard who has made quite a name for himself with a gun, just wants to slip away quietly on a slow boat to Europe. But it's easier said than done. There are others who would rather see him dead and young gunslinger Nobody is hired to do away with Jack. Nobody is so taken with the his idol though, that not only does he want Beauregard to live, but wants his legend to live on in history as well. The pair become the Odd Couple of the 1890's and you'll have a fabulous time watching their antics.

It is filmed in the wonderful "Spagehitte Western" style. Based on an idea by Sergio Leone("Fistful of Dollars" et al), directed by Tonino Valerii, and with a fabulous whimsical score by Ennio Morricone. It has all the great western landscapes, camera work, and some terrific acting.

I was very confused when I was shopping for this DVD. I knew this edition was an import only but I was confused as to how many versions there were.The tech info here says the studio of release is Pid, yet most of the reviews that mentioned the name of the studio refered to it as WHAM. But I really like this film alot, so I went ahead and ordered it. The image of the case here is the same as the one I recieved, but does not say Pid anywhere on it, and is WHAM!. So I just want to clear that up in case anyone else was wondering the same thing. And by the way, it's a decent DVD transfer as well.

The DVD is very good. The sound is excellent. I wasn't sure what to expect as there was no info here or on the box as far as the sound was concerned. My DVD player decoded it at DD2.0, and the music as well as the dialouge was crisp and clear. Every little detail(like Fonda getting a shave) was distinguishable. The picture was clear and good for the most part. There were times when it seemed a little grainey, and also the colors seemed somewhat dated. But the widescreeen (1:85:1) was great and it was a nice view. As far as extras, you won't find too much, but there is some. You can go to "soundtrack" and listen to the music from your favorite scenes. There are also bios on Henry Fonda, Terence Hill and Ennio Morricone (no filmographies though), and there is a theatrical trailer as well.

If you have seen this and know you like it, I would say this DVD is a good buy. If you have'nt seen it but love these kind of spaghetti or comical westerns, you'll love this one! It's a keeper!
Happy Trails...Laurie

Funniest Western Ever
I have seen many comedy westerns including Cat Ballou, Blazing Saddles, and City Slickers. None have made me laugh harder than "My Name is Nobody". Henry Fonda plays a retiring gunfighter, Jack Beauregard, for the law while Terence Hill plays a comedic young gunfighter, Nobody, for good. His methods are quite different and should keep you in stitches more than once. The scenes at the Circus can't be beat. Although he is proficient with a gun, you never see him kill anybody to make his point. Did I mention the musical score by Ennio Morricone is great? As mentioned in a good review, laurie's boomer views, you can play just the soundtrack. I love Morricone's happy go lucky intro song , My Name is Nobody, and all the western themes that dramatize the scenes with Beauregard. I do hope this will be released on DVD in the US and for a lower price. The import quality lacks a little to be desired so I am hoping for a better transfer of the master in the future. The WHAM! version menu is overly red and the Bio has Henry Ford instead of Fonda as the name, but the bio is correct. The DVD is decent quality with a only a few screen glitches and the sound is good. The occasional graininess can't be helped since the original VHS quality was no better and probably the master print wasn't sharp. I don't regret getting the DVD since this is a great movie and my VHS is wearing out.

Nobody beats nobody ...
You will not go wrong with this jewel. Even if you've never seen an Italian western, you will find this one addictive. The only bad thing about this movie is that there is no sequel. This one is the epitome of a spaghetti western. I've enjoyed it time and time again! I 100% agree with all the reviewers remarks on this one.

Incredible Scope
In another review I mentioned this was the funniest Western, but to avoid losing votes on it I had to write another review to mention that the scope is amazing as well. Fans of movies like "How the West Was Won" and "Once Upon a Time in the West" will enjoy it as well. The realism of the movie sets and performances make you believe you are actually seeing this dramatic change in the West from watering hole and cowboys to ranchers and towns. The West is becoming civilized and Henry Fonda as Beauregard is the old ways and Terence Hill as Nobody is the new. I really wish I had pointed that out in my other review. This movie goes well beyond being just a great comedy. It is like he wrapped "The Magnificent Seven" with "Shrek". Sometimes incredibly dramatic, sometimes downright goofy, but always magnificent.

My Name is Nobody - Terence Hill & Henry Fonda
One of my all time favorite comody Westerns! Lots of laughs and funny wit from Terrance Hill and an awesome performance from Henry Fonda. Even my teenage kids love this one!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Bruce McDonald's wry adaptation of a W.P. Kinsella novel is an engaging,touching story about an awkward passage into manhood and love for an18-year-old Indian metalhead on the Kidabanesee Reserve in Ontario.SilasCrow (Ryan Black) is a drifting young fellow dragging his feet about enteringa school for auto mechanics.While loosely entertaining the idea of writing,Silas unprofitably kills all his time with a thickheaded buddy, FrankFencepost (Adam Beach), and watches his old girlfriend, Sadie Maracle(Jennifer Podemski), grow away from him as she takes up native issues withadmirable commitment.A visit by Silas's older sister, Ilianna (Lisa LaCroix)(with her new, white-and-uptight husband reluctantly in tow), plus thesimultaneous reappearance of Ilianna's old flame, ex-con Gooch (MichaelGreyeyes), and the unpunished murder of a native girl by a white thug set offa series of events culminating in redemptive acts of love and honor.Bigthemes, yes, but McDonald (Highway 61) has wisely chosen to emphasizethe charm of his characters, make sport of spiritual clichés and Indian chic(there's a funny bit in which Silas gets Ilianna's husband drunk andintroduces him to a bogus animal guide), and allow the cruelty of whitejustice against natives to speak (often comically) for itself. --TomKeogh ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Effortless
I'm a (non-Indian)racial minority who usually likes to see a political message in "ethnic" movies. This isn't really an "ethnic movie," though. "Dance Me Outside" is an indie comedy-drama about 90's life on an Ontario rez, with a mostly Native cast, but it is lovable by Americans of many different cultural backgrounds. It is also by all accounts one of the best movies I have ever seen. There are an (unfortunately small) handful of subversive movies referencing the colonial experience which shock us/force us out of our "cultural relativism comfort zone." Such movies {e.g. "Clearcut," "The Battle of Algiers,") shock us because they reflect the natural bitterness and residual hate of cultural clash; colonialism, genocide, and outright invasion and land theft are uncomfortable things that make us feel uncomfortable when we're forced to confront them. "Dance Me Outside" as an "ethnic" narrative works in entirely the opposite fashion, but it works brilliantly. This movie is the bomb, people.
Director Bruce McDonald, a non-Indian, has co-written a fabulous snappy script (based on Kinsella's story)that is almost literally back-to-back one-liners:immensely quotable. Every type of humor--from broad physical to ironic wry humor--is at work here. McDonald's approach to directing is obviously well thought-out, yet we never sense him at work when we are watching; all we see are the loose, engaging, charming results--this movie unfolds almost effortlessly, seamlessly. I dare anyone to say they feel uncomfortable while watching this movie, even during its so-called "darker" moments. Euro-Americans will be comforted to know that "Dance Me Outside" is not an in-your-face political Indian movie, of the afore mentioned type. Conversely, even I, exasperated with the sympathetic portrayal of Whites in most movies about minorities, can not help but be charmed by Kevin Hicks' bumbling, well-meaning "white husband" character. This brings us to the other shining strength of the movie: the awesome, awesome ensemble cast. Ryan Black is too witty, good-humored, and genuine to be a superstar. He simply has too much personality to be a Hollywood star. His natural elegance and affability really anchor this movie; holding it all together, he's like a rock--WHAT a breakout performance. The more widely-known Adam Beach has done his best work here. He is completely charming, disarming, and engaging--a reflection of the spirit of the whole movie. I heard he almost didn't get cast in this role; say a prayer of thanks that he did, because the naturalism of his performance--while, by nature of the character, not as subtle or as elegant as Black's-- is astonishing. The Podemski sisters are delightful, especially Jennifer as the feisty, down-to-earth girlfriend. Her younger sister has a smaller role, to which she brings every bit as much spirit, sass, and conviction. In fact, no role in "Dance" is too small for its actor to give it the attention it deserves. The wryness of the all-knowing mother, the sophistication and intelligence of Lisa LaCroix as Illianna, and, of course, the presence of Michael Greyeyes, who injects into his tough-guy role as ex-con Gooch the most poignant and believable undercurrent of vulnerability: the beauty of this movie is in its detail. Sandrine Holt ("Black Robe"), here as Poppy, in a forgettable performance, perhaps unfairly gets star billing, but this is a minor flaw indeed. Each and every character reaches out to you. Even the racist skinheads are likeable!
Most people should be able to watch this movie three or four times consecutively, easy. It's that light, refreshing, and well-crafted. It's that good. All elements of "Dance Me Outside"--screenplay, cast, editing, and the kickin' mixed Indian and mainstream soundtrack--converge as though by divine design to form a near-perfect piece of film narrative. I don't want to compare it to that OTHER recent movie about rez youth because they're two different movies with different goals in mind, but, as good as "Smoke Signals" is, "Dance Me Outside" kills it. I don't know how--both have superb casts and musical scores--but "Dance Me Outside" is better. I think it's the effortlessness of it. "Dance Me Outside" is good enough to be used in film schools as an instruction manual on independent films. Don't even bother to rent it. You may as well buy it, if you're going to buy a movie this year, or ever again. It will make you feel so at ease you may then choose to go out and see a subversive hard-hitting political movie to counteract the sheer buoyancy and joy of "Dance me Outside"--although I think finding a movie that could eclipse this much charm would be pretty hard.

Better late than never
Well, call me a late-bloomer, but I don't care. Even though "Dance Me Outside" is eight years old, and I had a devil of a time finding it in my local video stores, I finally ordered it through Amazon, and it was truly worth the wait. Never before have I seen such realist acting from a cast that I had barely heard of. This is definitely a movie you will watch again and again. It has absolutely everything; humor, sadness, violence, love, and a whole lot of truth. The thing I liked most about it was how it really took me back to my own youth (I'm not ancient, but a well-preserved "40-something") in that it deals so well with the age-old question of "well, I'm out of school now, what do I do?" All kids go through what is in this movie, native or non. But we all do. The plot, dialogue, actors, all superb. And by the way, even though my girlfriends and, it seems, women everywhere, are so into Adam Beach and Michael Greyeyes, I was totally captivated by Ryan Black. What a face. Do not just rent this movie. Buy it. You will watch it over and over again.

Very Good
I watched it one night, well actually one morning when I couldnt sleep at like 1:00 in the morning. Ever since I saw it I have been trying to rent it or buy it. This is one of the best movies I have ever seen..and I thing about anyone will like it.

dance me downunder
Whilst recently living in Canada i had the opportunity to see 'dance me outside' several times as well as enjoy a number of other local products involving first nation actors.As my work involves working with indegenous peoples on both sides of the globe i was struck by the many parallels between the lifestyle portrayed in the films with that of the lifestyles of our local aboriginal peoples and the mission settlements of the more isolated regions of australia. On a purely aesthetic level i found the movie very enjoyable with its skillful use of irony, tragedy and comedy, not to mention the talent of actors such as Adam Beach, a very powerful medium for portraying what could almost be called universal issues of young indigenous peoples. This is one movie i would love to have in my collection but unfortunately i have had problems finding the video in a format that works on our local vhs players. If anyone has any suggestions i would be very grateful. All-in-all i would recommend the movie to anyone.

Hurt my heart
The ugliness of the plot hits home too often. As a Native Nation we are sensitive about our stories, past or present being aired. This film is a story of a regular day(s) as a Native. Want to know what its like to be us... Picture yourself with the skin and the restrictions and watch it a second time... We love this movie because it's about a day in our life... Without a moment of fantasy or misrepresentation. I can connect, and it hurts. Passion, fury and smiles, that is we as a people. Don't rent it, buy it and pay homage for the pain. And then, be proud. ... Read more

Description

Australia's breathtaking Victoria Alps set the backdrop for this spectacular epic saga. Tom Burlinson and Sigrid Thornton, two of Australia's brightest film talents, star in a fast-paced, action-packed story of a stormy romance caught up in a violent feud between landowners. Acclaimed actor Brian Dennehy (LEGAL EAGLES, COCOON) gives a gripping performance as the powerful patriarch determined to keep them apart. Visually unforgettable and packed with rugged adventure and masterful stuntwork, RETURN TO SNOWY RIVER is a thrilling and memorable film! ... Read more

Reviews (34)

The Man from Snowy River is Back!
The man from Snowy River is back! After a few years trying to earn money to marry Jessica Harrison (Sigrid Thornton), Jim Craig (Tom Burlinson) returns to Snowy River. But he finds that a lot of things have changed. The succesful ranchers and bankers want to buy up all of the land of the beautiful Australian mountains where he was brought up. He also finds that Jessica's father, Harrison (Brian Dennehy) wants her to marry Alistair Patton (Nicholas Eadie), son of landowner Patton Sr. (Rhys McConnochie). With a sort of silent feud between the landowners and the mountain men going on, Jim and Jessica must decide if they're love is worth firing up the feud even worse.

As most of the cases, I prefer the first movie to "Return to Snowy River" though I think they both deserve 5 stars. One of the reasons is I enjoy the first one more is that Kirk Douglas played Harrison in the first movie. Yes, Brian Dennehy was superb in that role, I still like Kirk Douglas.

All right, to the fine parts of the movie. Beautiful and magnificent scenery of the Australian mountains! Excellent acting by all actors and actresses, the suspense, action, and adventure will keep you on the edge of your seats! And Tom Burlinson sure know how to ride when he performs some pretty cool stunts while riding horses. Especially the earlier part of the movie where he proves that he can certainly ride better than Nicholas Eadie who plays the part of the jealous bad guy for Jessica's affection.

I recommend this movie along with the first movie, "The Man from Snowy River". These movies are classics and one of the family movies I watch at home. Can't be missed!

The Man from Snowy River is Back!
The man from Snowy River is back! After a few years trying to earn money to marry Jessica Harrison (Sigrid Thornton), Jim Craig (Tom Burlinson) returns to Snowy River. But he finds that a lot of things have changed. The succesful ranchers and bankers want to buy up all of the land of the beautiful Australian mountains where he was brought up. He also finds that Jessica's father, Harrison (Brian Dennehy) wants her to marry Alistair Patton (Nicholas Eadie), son of landowner Patton Sr. (Rhys McConnochie). With a sort of silent feud between the landowners and the mountain men going on, Jim and Jessica must decide if they're love is worth firing up the feud even worse.

As most of the cases, I prefer the first movie to "Return to Snowy River" though I think they both deserve 5 stars. One of the reasons is I enjoy the first one more is that Kirk Douglas played Harrison in the first movie. Yes, Brian Dennehy was superb in that role, I still like Kirk Douglas.

All right, to the fine parts of the movie. Beautiful and magnificent scenery of the Australian mountains! Excellent acting by all actors and actresses, the suspense, action, and adventure will keep you on the edge of your seats! And Tom Burlinson sure know how to ride when he performs some pretty cool stunts while riding horses. Especially the earlier part of the movie where he proves that he can certainly ride better than Nicholas Eadie who plays the part of the jealous bad guy for Jessica's affection.

I recommend this movie along with the first movie, "The Man from Snowy River". These movies are classics and one of the family movies I watch at home. Can't be missed!

The Snowy River Movies are awesome!!
I've seen both 'The Man From Snowy River' and 'Return to Snowy River' and loved them both. They are wholesome movies to watch with a lot of action, but not violent. Whenever we had sleepovers these were the movies to watch. I definetly recommend watching 'The Man from Snowy River' first though. The scenery is beautiful, the cast is great, Kirk Douglas playing double roles is always good. The story line, and if you love horses this is a movie for you. It's a movie for all ages and both guys and girls. It's not a total 'chick flick' or a 'guys' movie.

Return to Snowy River
THis move WAS very exciting BUT it was also a terrible one as at least ONE horse was REALLY killed in the filming. They tripped the little buckskin horse and he did not survive his tumble down the hill!

A Letdown
Like many sequels, it disappoints. Tom Burlinson and Sigrid Thornton did nice work as the lovers Jim Craig and Jessica Harrison. Brian Dennehy stepped ably into the shoes of Kirk Douglas as Harrison. The scenery is glorious and the action and riding quite cool. Notable was Jim Craig's unique demonstration around the skill at arms course after meeting his new rival.

So, what is the problem? It simply lacked the movie magic and spark and, perhaps, storyteller's art which made the "The Man from Snowy River" a success. I have watched "The Man from Snowy River" many times over many years, and still love it. I have watched "Return to Snowy River" perhaps twice. ... Read more