Reviews (5)

Enigmatic and Noble Western
1969's TELL THEM WILLIE BOY IS HERE is a forgotten but great film. Robert Blake is excellent as the Paiute Indian, Willie Boy, who is the object of a manhunt for a killing he committed in self-defense. The press gets hold of the story and turns it around into an Indian upraising circa 1909. President Taft is the object of the uprising on his trip out west according to the press. Robert Redford, the sheriff leading a posse knows better as he attempts to bring in Blake alive. It is a great study on misinformation by the press and racism. The direction by Abraham Polonsky methodically unfolds this simple yet powerful tale and remains captivating throughout. Conrad Hall's starkly beautiful cinematography enhances the solemn energy of this parable-like tale. Robert Redford, Robert Blake and Katharine Ross all give sincere performances. There is a strange enigmatic quality between the relationships of Blake and Ross and Blake and Redford. There is the hunter and the hunted contrasted against the loss of personal freedoms for a way of life and the loss of the very landscape unto which the story unfolds. Both Redford and Blake remain stoic characters but each manages to give a glimpse of humanity as they exude an aura of their true feelings for a way of life forever lost. They must either accept or perish in that change in one last noble gesture.

The Wrong Photo on the Box !!!!
While I find this to be a decent yet minor film in the Redford cannon, my real problem is that the distributor (Good Times Video) is using a picture of Redford from "Out of Africa" on the box cover instead of a photo from "Willie Boy"... Hopefully when the DVD is released they will fix this embarassing oversight.

A Quiet Tale Of Hunter Vs. The Hunted
An Unusual role for Robert Redford but one he plays very well with a rugged style as a tough sherrif who wants to live up to his father`s great reputation leads a massive manhunt for Wille, an Indian who killed in self defense who now with his girlfriend must stay one step ahead of Redford & Company relentless pursuit An Entertaing western with a strong message does stagger during the halfway mark of the film but the ending delivers with a classic shootout. Redford manages to pull off a convincing macho performance.

Excellent Western
Even though the Native American characters are killed off by the end of the picture, we can still see the changes that they have to make in order to adapt to the dominate society. Robert Blake and Katharine Ross's chatacters chose not to adapt and there for had to die. That is typical Hollywood, but it is the true experiance of the Native people of the United States, adapt or die.

A quietly great western.
A beautiful western by Polonsky after his long exile from Hollywood. Redford is solid as a young sheriff trying to live up to his dead father's reputation, forced by politicians and the press to pursue a formidable Willie and his new bride across the California desert. Despite the spectacular cinematography and the grim determination of both the hunter and the hunted, this movie lingers in your memory because there is a brooding melancholy that seems to permeate every frame. It's as if both protagonists realize that their era and way of life were vanishing before their very eyes, even as they are forced to play out the final strings of their brutal endgame. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Based on a true story, this action film set in the post-Vietnam era casts Gene Hackman as a retired military man who gets tired of government inaction in tracking down the whereabouts of his son, who has been listed as missing in action in Vietnam. So he gathers and trains a rough group of Vietnam vets to launch his own mission into Laos, where his intelligence tells him the son is being held. Hackman brings sorrowful power to the role of determined father, and has a rugged supporting cast (including Patrick Swayze, Fred Ward, and Randall "Tex" Cobb) to keep the story moving forward, even when the machinations become formulaic. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (19)

RAMBO WHO?
This was the first movie to address the previously hidden subject of soldiers missing in action after the Vietnam War. It predates Rambo First Blood II by almost two years. Comparing the two films is like comparing Muhammad Ali to a preliminary boy. Uncommon Valor is an excellent movie - well directed, well scripted and the incredible versatility of Gene Hackman shines through. It was the first movie to show Vietnam veterans in a positive light and changed the groundrules for portraying veterans and the war on the big and small screen. Many people were upset by the film's ending - if you like happy endings this is not for you. Still, it is handled sensitively and doesn't detract from the rest of the film. One shining talent is the fellow who plays Blaster (Reb Brown) whom producer John Milius previously used in Big Wednesday, another classic film. Reb appeared in several other movies as well as a guest spot on the 1970s TV sitcom Happy Days. Another actor who glows like a beacon is Randall "Tex" Cobb. Robert Stack puts in a glowing performance as the millionaire businessman who finances the mission to rescue the POWs. An interesting thing is the fact that this was one of Patrick Swayze's first films. The success of movies like Dirty Dancing and Ghost can be traced back to his role as the young and gung-ho marine who joins the mission to rescue his father. When this film was released in Australia it was called Uncommon Valour and had different opening titles. It was also rated PG. I can't for the life of me understand why the video is rated R. Perhaps the bad odor created by Rambo First Blood II has tainted all movies in this genre. Don't be put off by the rating - this is a movie you will want to play over and over.

Uncommonly Good!
I loved this one!It is so much better than those stupid Norris films!There is a great cast here that does a fine job(Hackman, Swayze, Stack, Randall "Tex" Cobb, Fred Ward,Reb Brown, Tim Thomerson, and Harold Sylvester).I almost wish they did a sequel, but this may not measure up. I saw this on the big screen when I was 14, and even then I was interested in learning more about the Vietnam War.This may not necessarily be a guidebook to what the war was like, but it certainly is a tribute to those that fought, got captured, and died in that war.Film is excellent and does not waste any time. Training scenes are best.One of the best parts is when the men learn that wanna be gung ho type Marine(discharged for striking an RTO who fell asleep!), who was not in Nam, wants to go save those men because his father was shot down in the war. Film is a fine production with good effects, and an effective use of location shooting. Interesting characterizations are conveyed to the audience rapidly as we learn a little about each man that is recruited by Hackman to go find the missing POWS(his son among them).I got teary-eyed at the end as survivor reveals to Hackman how his son died in the prison camp.If any American is not moved by this scene then you need about 20CCs of humanity.Highly recommended and important film.

Good, but not great
The plot for this movie was something that could result in a war-movie masterpiece. But everything is too jam-packed and fast-moving. Dramatic tensions aren't as strong as they could have been because he haven't been given enough time to get into the story, and at 107 minutes, they could have easily taken longer. But I liked it nontheless. Hackman is a good actor who plays the role well as a father rescuing his son, a Vietnam POW. He gathers up other troops in his son's old regime who've escaped capture, trains them in a replica of the camp, and they infiltrate in a well-filmed action squence. And I liked how the final scene show Hackman embracing a rescued POD who tells him that his so scrificed his life for that man's survuval. But all in all it was good, but not great, my main complaint is that we don't know enough about Hackman's character's realtionship with his son in the first place

Mission MIA remade into a movie
It had been a few years since I had last seen this movie but I can honestly say that it has held up better than most Vietnam War action movies. This movie is what those cheesy Chuck Norris vehicles aspired to be like but fell far short of. For all those who have seen and enjoyed this movie, I would reccomend that you try and locate the book by J.C. Pollack titled Mission MIA. Uncommon Valor was a blatent remake of this very entertaining book so much so, that you will be wondering why the producers just didn't credit the author. If I remember correctly, this was one of the first movies that actually portrayed Vietnam vets as honorable and in a positive light. All in all, this was a good movie about a topic that most Americans should think more about, our missing sevicemen. Let us not forget them.

Attention to Detail
Galveston, Texas, is located within a region called the Coastal Plains, which extend from Florida and border the Gulf of Mexico all the way around to the Yucatan Peninsula. The region stretches inland for more than 60 miles at most points. The Coastal Plains are sandy, covered with stubby scub-oak, and are flatter than anything you can imagine -- level, flat, completely flat, ugly and relatively barren.

So you can just imagine how Houston theater audiences reacted, about half an hour into this film, after a commando team has been assembled to train for a mission back to Nam... and we see a helicopter floating above a vista of beautiful, rugged, tree-covered low mountains divided by sparkling streams, with the onscreen caption "Somewhere Near Galveston, Texas." ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Solid but not great Earp western
Until the release of Costner's Wyatt Earp and Russell's Tombstone, this was probably the most realistic and unglamorized retelling of the Earp/Clanton feud. The casting is solid with James Garner as a conflicted Earp, and Jason Robards fairly steals the film as Doc Holiday. It purports to tell the story "the way it happened", but there are a lot of inaccuracies that Earp historians can spot. The opening OK corral shootout was played as it was, quick and dirty.
There are major errors in the later story such as Earp killing Clanton in a final showdown (never happened), and the showdowns with various Clanton henchmen by in large did not happen the way it was portryed here. Doc is portrayed as being a northerner and much older than the young southerner which he was.
That said, Garner, Robards,Robert Ryan and a host of great western character actors and stars to be make this very watchable. The musical score is catchy and it is a western worth your time. The parting scene of Wyatt and Doc is very well done. Garner is very good as a driven Wyatt Earp.

What Happened After the OK Corral
The HOUR OF THE GUN is a remarkable achievement for its time, following the exploits of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and company AFTER the gunfight at the OK Corral ... and it's fascinating.

Jason Robards plays a wonderfully subdued Doc Holliday, almost to the point of trying to remain Wyatt's moral voice.

In a surprising turn, James Garner turns in a dynamic performance as the stiff-laced Wyatt, who won't rest until justice for the death of his brother has been avenged.

This film serves as a companion piece to THE GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL (wildly inaccurate in most of its depictions), and it succeeds admirably in attempting to set the record straight.

But, there's still the Johnny Ringo bit ...

While a VHS purchase may work well for some Wyatt and Doc purists, I'm holding out for a DVD widescreen version, hopefully with some extras for those of us who believe good things come to those who wait.

Very good continuation of OK Corral Movie
I like this movie. I thought it was a very good continuation to the GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL. It has great performances and a good score by Jerry Goldsmith. A good "lost" Western.

Robards plays the best Doc Holiday ever
This version of the whole Wyatt Earp, OK Corral story is the grimiest. Garner is a cold, vengeful killer hiding behind the guise of a lawman, while Robards is his drunk, burnt out friend. Unlike the other Earp stories, this one is deep. It isn't just another western. Its a great movie, all around.

Boys vs. Men
This film is a classic Western.Garner and Robarbs are tough,intelligent men.The script is the best of all the movies about the Earps.Compared to this movie,"Tombstone"'s Russell and Kilmer are more like boys trying to look tough and Costner's film is tiresome self-worship.The final reel of this film speaks to the closing of the old West more sadly and eloquently than any I have ever seen. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Adam at 6 AM
I also enjoyed the movie for personal reasons. It was filmed in my hometown of Excelsior Springs MO, and I got to watch the filming each day after school in my neighborhood. As a matter of fact, Debbie, I knew your parents (the screenwriters), and your grandfather Hadley was my dentist. The movie also hits home with me since I have grown up to be a college professor myself; this may have been one of my earlier influences. The only thing I did not like about the movie was the ending - a bit too abrupt. Otherwise, it is fun to watch and see some of my friends in the film thirty-some years later.

Adam @ 6:00A.M.
I loved this movie! Maybe, because my parents wrote it. And, it was filmed in my Mother's home town. It was Michael Douglas' first movie & my parents first movie as well. We always had the paperback edition of this movie in our house. This was the movie to get my parents started in Hollywood as well as Michael Douglas. Although, he would have anyway, considering who he is..

Follow your own road
Often the smaller, nearly forgotten films reveal more about a period in time than the famous ones. This is such a film, featuring a fine performance by a young Michael Douglas, and an equally fine one by Joe Don Baker. Rather than opting for the stereotype of Intellectual versus Working Class, we see two men from very different backgrounds strike up an honest friendship, with insightful dialogue about living a meaningful life. Lee Purcell is equally good as the romantic interest who comes to embody a way of life that's both attractive & confining. While a film about & set during the 60s, the questions asked are timeless: how much of your own soul are you willing to compromise for the sake of what seems like happiness? What do you really want from life? This intelligent film is perfect viewing for anyone seeking an authentic existence, with a striking final image that will linger. Recommended!

Interesting, but not great
The last part of this film impressed me some years ago, and I finally saw it again a few days ago, with a friend. We agreed that it was interesting to see, although the story is a bit thin. Interesting to see Michael Douglas in 1970, and the ending is still impressive, but I think they would make it a much stronger film if they made it today.

Great story of personal decision.
Good acting and a great story. Every young man should see this movie about making decisions that at the time seem small but have life long effects. A great ending that will leave you realizing that you are in control of your destiny. Beleivable story line and lots of laughs. Get it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This is a filmed play, rather than a stage piece reimagined for the movies, which is probably why the general audience never cozied up to this intense picture. But Zoot Suit has a couple of significant attractions. First, it's a landmark Latino work from the pre-indie period, directed by Luis Valdez, an important figure in Chicano theater. Valdez based his acclaimed play on the zoot-suit riots of 1940s Los Angeles, when a group of young Chicano men were railroaded into jail on a murder charge. The director later found a mainstream audience with his juicy rock & roll bio La Bamba, and perhaps a bigger budget might have garnered Zoot Suit the same kind of acceptance. Daniel Valdez, the director's brother, plays the hero and also composed the flavorful songs; but the big draw here is the sensational performance of Edward James Olmos. A brooding actor just beginning his screen career, Olmos plays a flamboyant, hectoring, all-seeing figure called El Pachuco--a Greek chorus with attitude to burn. The wild contours of the zoot suit fit Olmos as snugly as his white shirt and black tie from Miami Vice. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (14)

A Chicano West Side Story -- entertaining and informative.
Director Luis Valdez has done an outstanding job in bringing us this highly entertaining and informative picture of life in LA in the 1940's. The music, song, dance, and story in itself will make you cry, laugh and want to swing along with the film. Edward James Olmos demonstrates his many talents as he sings, dances, and plays El Pachuco, trying to convince the hero (Daniel Valdez) to use violence rather than intelligence to overcome prejudice by "Anglos" toward the Latin culture. Great theatrical props and settings along with an in-show audience makes you feel truly part of the whole production. Loved it!

Zoot Suit
I saw this on the Independent Film many years ago, very good film, revolves around Gangs but gangs in the 1940's.

Also a film about Latinos (my people) and the problems they face in the inner city.

It's much better than those terrible soap opera's in Mexico, this film is a musical but it's also a drama focusing on different Hispanic characters.

Edward James Olmos career is synomonus with these type of films
most notable "American Me", "Stand and Deliver", "My family"
a great actor who is part of the real population.

Despite the great performances the film does suffer from
its story, you know several hot headed characters with their
attitude and lifestyles are only headed downhill and their
fates are predetermined.

Still "Zoot Suit" is a good film.

Chasing "The Capeman"
"Zoot Suit" was fighting and uphill battle for my appreciation. That's because I wanted it to be something else entirely. You see, I love the idea of filming live theatre. Purists and snobs will tell you that you lose something essential by taping a performance. Namely the immediacy of the live show--the audience's involvement, right there in the moment. But, on the other hand, that loss is inevitable and unavoidable. The camera is by its nature a detached observer. But it freezes in time what would otherwise be lost forever, unless of course it is revived. And revived is the perfect term because the work is on the brink of death until dedicated actors, directors and audiences are once again ready to breathe life into the piece. I have immense respect for the stage, but if I ever have the opportunity to write professionally I hope to start with screen or print because those two media are easily preserved. Which brings me at long last to my point, I rented "Zoot Suit" because it was close in theme to "The Capeman" which I want to see with all my heart. It has been gone from the stage for years, but is preserved in an almost inaccessible archive. "Zoot Suit" is here for all to see, and it is most certainly worth a viewing. It is much better than "West Side Story." Why is it that a play, which was first and foremost supposed to be an update of "Romeo and Juliet" has instead been elevated to being the end-all and be-all portrayal of street-gang life on the American stage? Anyway, rent it, watch it, enjoy it. Keep in mind that all three are separate plays and you will be much more apt to appreciate each in their own right. Just keep your fingers crossed that someone will take a risk and buy the rights to "The Capeman." I know I am.

Una pachanga musical!
Si usted es aficionado a la cultura chicana, la música swing de los años cuarenta, o de los artistas Edward James Olmos o Lalo Guerrero, ¡esta es la película para usted! La pantalla se enciende con una avalancha de música, baile y drama. La cinta lo lleva a experimentar una noche con el Teatro Campesino del dramaturgo Luis Valdez. ¡Luzca su mejor tacuche! ¡Dele brillo a esos calcos! Póngase abusado que la pachanga va empezar. ¡Simón, carnal!

Important historical drama, hampered by stilted production
This re-telling of the so-called "zoot suit riots" that rocked the Los Angeles homefront during World War II gets the facts right, but tells them rather poorly. Part of it is the super-stagey presentation, which basically is a filming of the play this was based on (right down to the shaking props and backdrops) and which takes little advantage of the possibilities of the film medium. Plus, Edward James Olmos is absolutely insufferable as the uber-symbolic Voice of The Barrio, although Daniel Valdez and Tyne Daly (!) are okay in their respective roles as a young man railroaded by the white establishment for a crime he did not commit, and as the commie agitator who comes to his defense. Anyone interested in the time period and in Chicano politics may benefit from watching this -- I rented it while doing some reseach on the "pachucho" R&B music scene -- but in dramatic and filmic terms, this is not a first-rate production. It's hammy and ham-fisted. Latter-day star spotting: El Teatro Campesion veteran Robert Beltran (of future "Star Trek Voyager" notoriety) has a bit role as a modern-day audience member... ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Matthau Rules!!
Walter Matthau rules in this sentimental film about an elderly man who refuses to be sent to a nursing home and befriends a runaway pregnant teenager.It's a must see!!

Grease 2 is on DVD, and this one isn't? Go figure.
A charming film with Matthau giving an oscar-nominated performance as a fifth-wheel grandfather living with his son (Charles Aidman), daughter-in-law (Felicia Farr, aka Mrs. Jack Lemmon), and their infant son, whom Grandpa adores. Lemmon directed his pal Matthau in this film, and look for Lemmon doing a brief cameo as a sleeping bus passenger. Into Kotch's life comes Erica, the babysitter, who is forced to drop out of high school due to an unintended pregnancy, and the two strike up an unorthodox relationship (no, it's not what you're thinking). There is a riotous scene where the Kotch delivers the girl's baby in the ladies' room of a gas station, and some "awww" moments throughout the film. One quirk: watch for Kotch to speak German in an Italian restaurant, Spanish in a Swiss restaurant, and French in a Mexican restaurant. Give this one a chance and you'll be rewarded.

Kotch
A small budget film made large by the performances of Deborah Winters(Outstanding) and Walter Matthau. The first 20-30 minutes of the film is the set-up, so if your patient you will be rewarded. The story really takes off when Matthau finds new meaning in his life through Winter's(single mother) pregency. Two different generations find common ground. Must see!

Touching
"Kotch" is a truely wonderful film, highlighted by Walter Mattheau's performance. It starts out as a typical comedic role, but Matthau slowly turns in a tour-de-force as the film goes on. Don't judge this movie prematurely. It is not your average "old man" film. See it.

Warmhearted and Enjoyable
This lovely little movie will bring a smile to your face and will take a place in your heart forever. Just the right combination of laughter and sentimentality. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This gritty, grim Korean war drama presents the grueling ordeal of a platoon charged with taking a hill of no military value during the final days of the war. While diplomats and generals argue over peace negotiations (in an appropriately wordless montage under the opening credits), tough but compassionate Lt. Joe Clemons (Gregory Peck) leads a unit of 135 men up a well-guarded hill while miscommunication--and at times no communication--cuts them off from reinforcements and regimental command. Shot against a bleak, battle-scarred mountain of white dust honeycombed with black trenches, director Lewis Milestone presents the devastating battle as a meaningless sacrifice of hundreds of lives spent in a political game of chicken. Peck leads a terrific cast of young talents and character actors, many of them just starting their respective careers: Rip Torn, Harry Guardino, Martin Landau, Norman Fell, George Peppard, Gavin MacLeod, Bert Remsen, Harry Dean Stanton, plus veteran stalwarts Woody Strode, James Edwards, Robert Blake, and Bob Steele. Milestone had previously directed the pacifist WWI classic All Quiet on the Western Front and the compassionate WWII platoon drama A Walk in the Sun. Pork Chop Hill adds one more antiwar classic to his résumé, the angry power of his drama overcoming the hollow patriotic voice-over (reportedly added by Peck) that concludes the drama. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Frustration in the Final Days of the Korean War
Gregory Peck is solid as the frustrated commander of troops that are being ordered to take a hill controlled by the enemy during the closing days of the Korean War. Peck and his men know that a truce is being negotiated and that in the end, the battle may be for nothing. Miscommunication during the battle adds to their obstacles, as does political manouvering. There is also the propaganda broadcast by the Chinese at the Americans, a facet of this film I found especially memorable as I imagined it's effect on the soldiers. There are a lot of recognizable faces in the cast, long before they were stars, but that does not distract from the action. I found the movie to be slow in parts and the story required a better pacing and dramatic structure, but it's very accurate in portraying the honest emotions of the men caught between duty and their hearts. This is not a "pretty" war movie, with beautiful photography and attractive locations. It gives you a feeling of the hell that war must be, especially with a battle such as Pork Chop Hill.

Gregory Peck orders a bayonet charge
In the spring of 1953, a company of the U.S. Army was ordered to assault an otherwise unprepossessing lump of Korean real estate called Pork Chop Hill. It's only value to either side was as a chess piece in the peace talks at Panmunjon, which were stalled on the question of where to pencil-in the cease-fire line. The Americans had occupied it; the Red Chinese had overwhelmed it; and now Gregory Peck (as Lt. Joe Clemons) is ordered to take his 135-man company and re-take it. PORK CHOP HILL is ostensibly based on the actual battle, and a qualifier at the beginning even states that most of the names haven't been changed.

As the battle unfolded, I began to mentally compare the production with recent, outstanding, "last stand" epics, specifically WE WERE SOLDIERS and BLACK HAWK DOWN - both also based on true events. PORK CHOP HILL comes up short, but not by much. The obvious difference is that PCH - released in 1959 - is filmed in black and white. This mutes the gore, which, in any case, is positively negligible compared to the grisly and graphic realism of today's simulated combat footage. However, the resulting tension felt by the viewer as Joe's unit is surrounded and faced with impending annihilation is only a click less than that felt during the height of the WWS and BHD on-screen fighting. At one point, Clemons orders a bayonet charge, which, as he says, may be the last one ever carried out by the U.S. Army. Well, the last perhaps until Mel Gibson's character, Lt. Col. Harold Moore, orders his Air Cav troopers to do the same to get out of a tight spot in WE WERE SOLDIERS.

PORK CHOP HILL is anti-war to the extent that it condemns the rear echelon desk jockeys tempted to sacrifice American boys on the altar of political expediency, or just from pure incompetence. It also isn't afraid to show the demoralization within Joe's command, and that not every grunt was itching to go over the top and charge the enemy trenches. In a film made well before the Vietnam debacle, such candidness must have been some sort of cinematic milestone for U.S. audiences used to the gung-ho dramas based on the nation's relatively recent World War II victories.

My sole motivation in watching this film was to see Peck. I can't think of any actor today whose on-screen presence exudes such dignified strength and integrity. I'm so convinced of this fact that I've gone ahead and ordered a biography of the man. We are missing the likes of him (and icons Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, and Cary Grant).

Peck Preps for Navarone
I am a huge Peck fan. Here Gregory Peck matures into his battlefield role. Pork Chop Hill has plenty of conventional action, but lacks context and depth, symptomatic of the fact that the film was made just a very few years after the Korean War. For those who lived through the period circa late 50's, Pork Chop provides a very in-your-face, black and white look at the lives of soldiers in battle. Immediately we are plunged into the battlefield with very little in the way of location establish, preamble, character development, or historical context. They didn't use the word Communist even once. We just go there and fight an uphill battle against the Red Chinese, period.

The movie has a very narrow focus, narrow in time and narrow in location, that of the taking of the hill, and the very, very short scene at the negotiating table just scratched the surface of what could have been milked out of that confrontation. An occasional cutaway to the commanding officers (would have liked to have seen more of Barry Atwater, Mr. Cool Cranium) provides only brief relief from the main task of taking and holding the hill. The Leonard Rosenmann music score is used sparingly and in a utilitarian fashion.

I enjoyed the supporting cast, including Norman Fell, Martin Landau, George Peppard, and Harry Guardino. Other than that there were no surprises or unexpected plot twists. Blood and guts were kept to a relative minimum -- no use of squibs. For it's time, I'm sure it was a groundbreaking film, they even use the word DAMN a couple of times. This is straightforward storytelling that tells the story of incredibly brave men, but rather low in shock or artistic value by today's standards. They soft-pedaled the "what are we fighting for" message -- they could have hit a lot harder with that one, but seeing as this was an Army-approved production, the conclusions and emotions one draws from this film seem rather watered down.

Great War Film
Pork Chop Hill is a woefully undervalued war film, superior to some of its more heralded genre partners. The reason is that Pork Chop Hill presents a somewhat complex string of events, stretching from the battlefield to the negotiating table. It pulls this combination off flawlessly, and also delivers a poignant message concerning wars, and the men who fight them.

Pork Chop Hill is the story of a company of American GI's in the Korean War, commanded by Lt. Clemens, portrayed magnificently by a stoic and brave Gregory Peck. They are ordered to advance on a heavily defended Chinese hill, a geographical point of little consequence. Told the hill is lightly defended, Peck advances with confidence, but it quickly becomes clear that this is far from the mop up operation promised by his superiors. He takes heavy casualties, and is drawn into a fierce battle against overwhelming Chinese forces. Meanwhile, his communication to the rear is cut, and Peck is forced to make some tough decisions on his own. Shockingly, the commanders fail to understand the facts on the ground, and continue to make woefully ill informed decisions, in order to save face. Their inaction causes numerous deaths, and Peck is stuck in a battle he cannot win. The film also shows the high command, who care little about a minor battle and the men involved.

Peck is absolutely wonderful as the solid battlefield commander who will do anything for his men. When his troops falter, he is there to steel them. One of the most effective scenes in the film is when Peck is confronted by a soldier who has deserted his position and questions the worth of the ground they are on. Peck tells him the age-old battle axiom, that the lands worth is measured by the amount of blood spilled, and that you fight for your friends, nothing else. A unique point in Pork Chip Hill is the emphasis on the Chinese propaganda system, which must have been devastating, as it effects the viewer, and must have been even worse on the actual soldiers involved. It is just a great battlefield film in so many ways, a must see for fans of cinema and especially for Gregory Peck admirers.

Unforgettable!
This is a movie for people with brains....tough, gritty, makes one feel they are in the trenches with the soldiers...Peck underplays his role which makes the whole cast stand out as individuals...battle-scarred backgrounds and very human interaction....has scenes that stick in your head..one of the best! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Matthau Rules!!
Walter Matthau rules in this sentimental film about an elderly man who refuses to be sent to a nursing home and befriends a runaway pregnant teenager.It's a must see!!

Grease 2 is on DVD, and this one isn't? Go figure.
A charming film with Matthau giving an oscar-nominated performance as a fifth-wheel grandfather living with his son (Charles Aidman), daughter-in-law (Felicia Farr, aka Mrs. Jack Lemmon), and their infant son, whom Grandpa adores. Lemmon directed his pal Matthau in this film, and look for Lemmon doing a brief cameo as a sleeping bus passenger. Into Kotch's life comes Erica, the babysitter, who is forced to drop out of high school due to an unintended pregnancy, and the two strike up an unorthodox relationship (no, it's not what you're thinking). There is a riotous scene where the Kotch delivers the girl's baby in the ladies' room of a gas station, and some "awww" moments throughout the film. One quirk: watch for Kotch to speak German in an Italian restaurant, Spanish in a Swiss restaurant, and French in a Mexican restaurant. Give this one a chance and you'll be rewarded.

Kotch
A small budget film made large by the performances of Deborah Winters(Outstanding) and Walter Matthau. The first 20-30 minutes of the film is the set-up, so if your patient you will be rewarded. The story really takes off when Matthau finds new meaning in his life through Winter's(single mother) pregency. Two different generations find common ground. Must see!

Touching
"Kotch" is a truely wonderful film, highlighted by Walter Mattheau's performance. It starts out as a typical comedic role, but Matthau slowly turns in a tour-de-force as the film goes on. Don't judge this movie prematurely. It is not your average "old man" film. See it.

Warmhearted and Enjoyable
This lovely little movie will bring a smile to your face and will take a place in your heart forever. Just the right combination of laughter and sentimentality. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

I've seen it once and would like my own copy.
My review is simple. I've seen The New Adventures of Heidi with Burl Ives, liked it very much but have not found anywhere to purchase it. Yours was the closest I came, but you had a notification that it was not available--or--when I did place an order for a copy giving all information requested, you said you would send me an email but have not done so. I requested this last week twice but nothing came on my email.
Roman

Best family film we've seen in a long time!
For Burl Ive fans this is a collector. Great for the Christian family as they sang beautiful prayers to God. Burl Ive's was a believer himself. I can't wait to send a copy to a friend as a gift, who doesn't like movies that may be great, but, they have to throw in bad language. She says, "that's not entertainment to them or their children. It's not a sad movie like so many of the other Heidi's were, but I won't tell you the ending. It is a feel good movie. We can all use that these days.

Feel Good Movie, great for the entire family
This digitally enhanced version of the follow up to the wonderful classic Shirley Temple family film finds Heidi living with her grandfather (Burl Ives - "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof") in the Swiss Alps. In desperate fear of going blind, he contacted Heidi's cousin to take her in and provide for her. What follows is a wonderfully exciting series of adventures told with the heartwarming style and grace of the author Johana Spyris. A wonderful family entertainment feature which will especially be enjoyed by kids of all ages again and again.

Great story, horrid DVD
I really like Burl Ives and the story is nice but the DVD is awful. This looks like someome took a very old video tape and transferred it direct to DVD. This DVD played on one of our DVD players, but wouldn't play on our second DVD player (this has never happened before).

Maybe I just got a dud DVD copy, but this was not worth the shipping cost, much less the cost of the film.

An Excellent Family Movie!!
Johanna's Spyri's tale is brought to life and updated in this heartwarming family film.Heidi(Katy Kurtzmann) is living with her Grandfather(Burl Ives) in the Swiss Alps.But her grandfather is slowly losing his eyesight and fears that he will no longer be able to take care of her.While in town,he secretly calls Heidi's cousins in Lucerne and asks them to take custody of Heidi.In the meantime,a young girl named Elizabeth runs away from her school group to follow Heidi back to her cabin.They become best of friends and Elizabeth begs Heidi and her grandfather to let her stay with them.However,Heidi and her grandfather know that Elizabeth's place is with her family,and they return her the next day.While out on a search party for Heidi's friend Peter,her grandfather disappears into the woods and is feared dead.Left with no one to care for her,Heidi is taken to live with Elizabeth's family.With them ,she travels to New York for the holidays,and has many exciting adventures which make this an excellent family movie to watch for all ages!! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Enigmatic and Noble Western
1969's TELL THEM WILLIE BOY IS HERE is a forgotten but great film. Robert Blake is excellent as the Paiute Indian, Willie Boy, who is the object of a manhunt for a killing he committed in self-defense. The press gets hold of the story and turns it around into an Indian upraising circa 1909. President Taft is the object of the uprising on his trip out west according to the press. Robert Redford, the sheriff leading a posse knows better as he attempts to bring in Blake alive. It is a great study on misinformation by the press and racism. The direction by Abraham Polonsky methodically unfolds this simple yet powerful tale and remains captivating throughout. Conrad Hall's starkly beautiful cinematography enhances the solemn energy of this parable-like tale. Robert Redford, Robert Blake and Katharine Ross all give sincere performances. There is a strange enigmatic quality between the relationships of Blake and Ross and Blake and Redford. There is the hunter and the hunted contrasted against the loss of personal freedoms for a way of life and the loss of the very landscape unto which the story unfolds. Both Redford and Blake remain stoic characters but each manages to give a glimpse of humanity as they exude an aura of their true feelings for a way of life forever lost. They must either accept or perish in that change in one last noble gesture.

The Wrong Photo on the Box !!!!
While I find this to be a decent yet minor film in the Redford cannon, my real problem is that the distributor (Good Times Video) is using a picture of Redford from "Out of Africa" on the box cover instead of a photo from "Willie Boy"... Hopefully when the DVD is released they will fix this embarassing oversight.

A Quiet Tale Of Hunter Vs. The Hunted
An Unusual role for Robert Redford but one he plays very well with a rugged style as a tough sherrif who wants to live up to his father`s great reputation leads a massive manhunt for Wille, an Indian who killed in self defense who now with his girlfriend must stay one step ahead of Redford & Company relentless pursuit An Entertaing western with a strong message does stagger during the halfway mark of the film but the ending delivers with a classic shootout. Redford manages to pull off a convincing macho performance.

Excellent Western
Even though the Native American characters are killed off by the end of the picture, we can still see the changes that they have to make in order to adapt to the dominate society. Robert Blake and Katharine Ross's chatacters chose not to adapt and there for had to die. That is typical Hollywood, but it is the true experiance of the Native people of the United States, adapt or die.

A quietly great western.
A beautiful western by Polonsky after his long exile from Hollywood. Redford is solid as a young sheriff trying to live up to his dead father's reputation, forced by politicians and the press to pursue a formidable Willie and his new bride across the California desert. Despite the spectacular cinematography and the grim determination of both the hunter and the hunted, this movie lingers in your memory because there is a brooding melancholy that seems to permeate every frame. It's as if both protagonists realize that their era and way of life were vanishing before their very eyes, even as they are forced to play out the final strings of their brutal endgame. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Easiest of scenarios
I agree with everything that's been said, and I'd also look to mention the completely lack of conflict within the movie. It's amazing, there's almost nothing to work against, and very little tension. Maybe it's because we know now that space flight was possible, but it's still amazing to see a movie about the moon landing where the plotline is: We wanted to go the moon, we trained to go the moon, and then we landed on the moon. There's about five minutes there where it looks like James Caan isn't going to find the docking station on the moon and die from a lack of oxygen...but then he turns around, and oh yeah! There it is! Just behind me.

Totally different style, but the only other movie I can think of like this is "Payback," where Mel Gibson just kind of walks in and starts kicking .... He never gets capture, never gets put in trouble, just kinda shoots his way through to the final boss.

I wonder if the simplistic linearity of this film was created by the studio's re-edit of the film, or if that's largely true to Altman's idea? During the last five minutes of the film, as the character announces that he has five minutes of oxygen left and doesn't see the docking station, I thought it was going to be an Altmanesque last-minutes-to-live-final-soliloquy ending. But no. The space station was there all along. All you had to do with click your heels together, three times...

A Science Factual Film.
Intelligently written screenplay and good acting cast led by James Caan and Robert Duvall are the highlights of this 1968 film (made only about a year before the United States actually landed a man on the moon) of the first American NASA mission to the moon. Complete with the then up to date technology and training that astronauts needed to go through in getting ready for the mission. Good film for people interested in the early days of NASA and the early Eagle and Apollo missions. Directed by Robert Altman. Produced by William Conrad. Music by Leonard Rosenman.

Rated 5 for Fun!
Seeing this movie as we are, far from era it was made in, makes for quite hokey fun for a few reasons. It's a great encapsulation of that era illustrating the fashions, modern architecture, modes of thinking, scientific fervor, (great cocktail parties!), and the roles of men and women at that time. In other words, everyone was young, smart, modern, knew their place in the world, and we were going to the moon! The script is kind of hard to follow at times, and the rivalry between the two main charactors gets kind of goofy in places, but the overlapping dialog in many of the conflicts makes the script at least seem earnest. The special effects are OK, but they forgot to film one part on the moon in slow-mo to make the gravity seem accurate--looks dopey. All in all, for those who like movies that are fictional time capsules of the Space Age, I believe you'll find this movie fun to watch.

TERRIFIC SPECIAL EFFECTS
THIS FILM IS NOT WORTH WATCHING FOR ENTERTAINMENT,BUT WELL WORTH WATCHING FOR IT'S TERRIFIC SPECIAL EFFECTS.IT'S A FICTIONALIZED STORY ABOUT THE FIRST AMERICAN LANDING ON THE MOON.THIS IS ONE OF ROBERT ALTMAN'S EARLIEST FILMS. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

I've seen it once and would like my own copy.
My review is simple. I've seen The New Adventures of Heidi with Burl Ives, liked it very much but have not found anywhere to purchase it. Yours was the closest I came, but you had a notification that it was not available--or--when I did place an order for a copy giving all information requested, you said you would send me an email but have not done so. I requested this last week twice but nothing came on my email.
Roman

Best family film we've seen in a long time!
For Burl Ive fans this is a collector. Great for the Christian family as they sang beautiful prayers to God. Burl Ive's was a believer himself. I can't wait to send a copy to a friend as a gift, who doesn't like movies that may be great, but, they have to throw in bad language. She says, "that's not entertainment to them or their children. It's not a sad movie like so many of the other Heidi's were, but I won't tell you the ending. It is a feel good movie. We can all use that these days.

Feel Good Movie, great for the entire family
This digitally enhanced version of the follow up to the wonderful classic Shirley Temple family film finds Heidi living with her grandfather (Burl Ives - "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof") in the Swiss Alps. In desperate fear of going blind, he contacted Heidi's cousin to take her in and provide for her. What follows is a wonderfully exciting series of adventures told with the heartwarming style and grace of the author Johana Spyris. A wonderful family entertainment feature which will especially be enjoyed by kids of all ages again and again.

Great story, horrid DVD
I really like Burl Ives and the story is nice but the DVD is awful. This looks like someome took a very old video tape and transferred it direct to DVD. This DVD played on one of our DVD players, but wouldn't play on our second DVD player (this has never happened before).

Maybe I just got a dud DVD copy, but this was not worth the shipping cost, much less the cost of the film.

An Excellent Family Movie!!
Johanna's Spyri's tale is brought to life and updated in this heartwarming family film.Heidi(Katy Kurtzmann) is living with her Grandfather(Burl Ives) in the Swiss Alps.But her grandfather is slowly losing his eyesight and fears that he will no longer be able to take care of her.While in town,he secretly calls Heidi's cousins in Lucerne and asks them to take custody of Heidi.In the meantime,a young girl named Elizabeth runs away from her school group to follow Heidi back to her cabin.They become best of friends and Elizabeth begs Heidi and her grandfather to let her stay with them.However,Heidi and her grandfather know that Elizabeth's place is with her family,and they return her the next day.While out on a search party for Heidi's friend Peter,her grandfather disappears into the woods and is feared dead.Left with no one to care for her,Heidi is taken to live with Elizabeth's family.With them ,she travels to New York for the holidays,and has many exciting adventures which make this an excellent family movie to watch for all ages!! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

I've seen it once and would like my own copy.
My review is simple. I've seen The New Adventures of Heidi with Burl Ives, liked it very much but have not found anywhere to purchase it. Yours was the closest I came, but you had a notification that it was not available--or--when I did place an order for a copy giving all information requested, you said you would send me an email but have not done so. I requested this last week twice but nothing came on my email.
Roman

Best family film we've seen in a long time!
For Burl Ive fans this is a collector. Great for the Christian family as they sang beautiful prayers to God. Burl Ive's was a believer himself. I can't wait to send a copy to a friend as a gift, who doesn't like movies that may be great, but, they have to throw in bad language. She says, "that's not entertainment to them or their children. It's not a sad movie like so many of the other Heidi's were, but I won't tell you the ending. It is a feel good movie. We can all use that these days.

Feel Good Movie, great for the entire family
This digitally enhanced version of the follow up to the wonderful classic Shirley Temple family film finds Heidi living with her grandfather (Burl Ives - "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof") in the Swiss Alps. In desperate fear of going blind, he contacted Heidi's cousin to take her in and provide for her. What follows is a wonderfully exciting series of adventures told with the heartwarming style and grace of the author Johana Spyris. A wonderful family entertainment feature which will especially be enjoyed by kids of all ages again and again.

Great story, horrid DVD
I really like Burl Ives and the story is nice but the DVD is awful. This looks like someome took a very old video tape and transferred it direct to DVD. This DVD played on one of our DVD players, but wouldn't play on our second DVD player (this has never happened before).

Maybe I just got a dud DVD copy, but this was not worth the shipping cost, much less the cost of the film.

An Excellent Family Movie!!
Johanna's Spyri's tale is brought to life and updated in this heartwarming family film.Heidi(Katy Kurtzmann) is living with her Grandfather(Burl Ives) in the Swiss Alps.But her grandfather is slowly losing his eyesight and fears that he will no longer be able to take care of her.While in town,he secretly calls Heidi's cousins in Lucerne and asks them to take custody of Heidi.In the meantime,a young girl named Elizabeth runs away from her school group to follow Heidi back to her cabin.They become best of friends and Elizabeth begs Heidi and her grandfather to let her stay with them.However,Heidi and her grandfather know that Elizabeth's place is with her family,and they return her the next day.While out on a search party for Heidi's friend Peter,her grandfather disappears into the woods and is feared dead.Left with no one to care for her,Heidi is taken to live with Elizabeth's family.With them ,she travels to New York for the holidays,and has many exciting adventures which make this an excellent family movie to watch for all ages!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great Mystery Thriller!!
This is a great mystery thriller starring Meredith Baxter as Carol Enders whose body becomes trapped by a murder victim trying to expose her murderer.It's a must see!!

Meredith Baxter Rules!! Great Mystery Thriller!!
Meredith Baxter Rules in this movie as Carol Enders whose body becomes trapped by a murder victim who tries to expose the murderer.It's a great mystery thriller!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great Mystery Thriller!!
This is a great mystery thriller starring Meredith Baxter as Carol Enders whose body becomes trapped by a murder victim trying to expose her murderer.It's a must see!!

Meredith Baxter Rules!! Great Mystery Thriller!!
Meredith Baxter Rules in this movie as Carol Enders whose body becomes trapped by a murder victim who tries to expose the murderer.It's a great mystery thriller!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The Soundtrack Problem
All the complaints about the soundtrack on DVD are quite true. However, if you use a 5.1 surround sound system, the sound is quite all right. BUT the sound comes out from the rear speakers only!

They need to try again
I saw this movie when it came out in the 70's and it's a great movie, but the sound is so low on the DVD that even at full volume, it is inaudible. I had it replaced and the second one was the same way. Until they get this fixed, don't waste your time and money.

Inaudible soundtrack dooms this Dorian Gray
As much as I would've liked this film, my enjoyment was ruined by a bad DVD transfer that had a horribly inaudible soundtrack. When this occurred on my replacement DVD, I had to come to the conclusion that this was a flaw of MPI, who distributed this disc. While they present a great product in the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes films, they do nobody any favors with this slipshod transfer. It only gets the one star for the solid visuals, but unless you want to crank your TV volume at full blast to even hear a bit of the soundtrack, this is a product that I recommend avoiding.

"Could It Be Oscar Wilde's Tortured Soul?"
I am so glad that Oscar Wilde's genius prose was made into movie form. The cast is excellent. I have always loved John Karlen. I started watching him when the daytime horror-soap "Dark Shadows" was popular. He, along with Shane and Nigel, give a too true- to- life portrayal of Wilde's mixed characters battling their own curses and demons that life seemingly has bestowed upon them. However, it is not exactly circumstances which mold us into who we are, but our choices and how we handle conflict. I had one of my English classes watch this movie so that they could see that everything we do and say eventually makes us who we are, and we can never undo or repair the damages of ill deeds, greed or lust. It's a frightening thought. Sometimes it's more difficult to take the hard right than it is to take the easy wrong, as Al Gore so brilliantly suggested in his 2000 Democratic Convention speech. The fact that man would literally sell his soul for youth teaches us that our priorities are still out of order. The conflict of man versus himself is the power point of this book/movie. Sometimes we truly are our own worst enemies. While the character Dorian continues to do as he pleases despite hurting others, his portrait changes, grows old and reveals all of his past sins. This effect is pure genius, and it really makes one stop and think about his/her own life and choices. Everyone should watch this movie at least once a month....it's that powerful and meaningful. I also believe that Oscar Wilde saw himself in many of his characters. He had a difficult life along with the world judging him harshly, but he too made choices that cost him everything. In conclusion, sometimes the hardest thing in the world is self-reflection. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Frustration in the Final Days of the Korean War
Gregory Peck is solid as the frustrated commander of troops that are being ordered to take a hill controlled by the enemy during the closing days of the Korean War. Peck and his men know that a truce is being negotiated and that in the end, the battle may be for nothing. Miscommunication during the battle adds to their obstacles, as does political manouvering. There is also the propaganda broadcast by the Chinese at the Americans, a facet of this film I found especially memorable as I imagined it's effect on the soldiers. There are a lot of recognizable faces in the cast, long before they were stars, but that does not distract from the action. I found the movie to be slow in parts and the story required a better pacing and dramatic structure, but it's very accurate in portraying the honest emotions of the men caught between duty and their hearts. This is not a "pretty" war movie, with beautiful photography and attractive locations. It gives you a feeling of the hell that war must be, especially with a battle such as Pork Chop Hill.

Gregory Peck orders a bayonet charge
In the spring of 1953, a company of the U.S. Army was ordered to assault an otherwise unprepossessing lump of Korean real estate called Pork Chop Hill. It's only value to either side was as a chess piece in the peace talks at Panmunjon, which were stalled on the question of where to pencil-in the cease-fire line. The Americans had occupied it; the Red Chinese had overwhelmed it; and now Gregory Peck (as Lt. Joe Clemons) is ordered to take his 135-man company and re-take it. PORK CHOP HILL is ostensibly based on the actual battle, and a qualifier at the beginning even states that most of the names haven't been changed.

As the battle unfolded, I began to mentally compare the production with recent, outstanding, "last stand" epics, specifically WE WERE SOLDIERS and BLACK HAWK DOWN - both also based on true events. PORK CHOP HILL comes up short, but not by much. The obvious difference is that PCH - released in 1959 - is filmed in black and white. This mutes the gore, which, in any case, is positively negligible compared to the grisly and graphic realism of today's simulated combat footage. However, the resulting tension felt by the viewer as Joe's unit is surrounded and faced with impending annihilation is only a click less than that felt during the height of the WWS and BHD on-screen fighting. At one point, Clemons orders a bayonet charge, which, as he says, may be the last one ever carried out by the U.S. Army. Well, the last perhaps until Mel Gibson's character, Lt. Col. Harold Moore, orders his Air Cav troopers to do the same to get out of a tight spot in WE WERE SOLDIERS.

PORK CHOP HILL is anti-war to the extent that it condemns the rear echelon desk jockeys tempted to sacrifice American boys on the altar of political expediency, or just from pure incompetence. It also isn't afraid to show the demoralization within Joe's command, and that not every grunt was itching to go over the top and charge the enemy trenches. In a film made well before the Vietnam debacle, such candidness must have been some sort of cinematic milestone for U.S. audiences used to the gung-ho dramas based on the nation's relatively recent World War II victories.

My sole motivation in watching this film was to see Peck. I can't think of any actor today whose on-screen presence exudes such dignified strength and integrity. I'm so convinced of this fact that I've gone ahead and ordered a biography of the man. We are missing the likes of him (and icons Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, and Cary Grant).

Peck Preps for Navarone
I am a huge Peck fan. Here Gregory Peck matures into his battlefield role. Pork Chop Hill has plenty of conventional action, but lacks context and depth, symptomatic of the fact that the film was made just a very few years after the Korean War. For those who lived through the period circa late 50's, Pork Chop provides a very in-your-face, black and white look at the lives of soldiers in battle. Immediately we are plunged into the battlefield with very little in the way of location establish, preamble, character development, or historical context. They didn't use the word Communist even once. We just go there and fight an uphill battle against the Red Chinese, period.

The movie has a very narrow focus, narrow in time and narrow in location, that of the taking of the hill, and the very, very short scene at the negotiating table just scratched the surface of what could have been milked out of that confrontation. An occasional cutaway to the commanding officers (would have liked to have seen more of Barry Atwater, Mr. Cool Cranium) provides only brief relief from the main task of taking and holding the hill. The Leonard Rosenmann music score is used sparingly and in a utilitarian fashion.

I enjoyed the supporting cast, including Norman Fell, Martin Landau, George Peppard, and Harry Guardino. Other than that there were no surprises or unexpected plot twists. Blood and guts were kept to a relative minimum -- no use of squibs. For it's time, I'm sure it was a groundbreaking film, they even use the word DAMN a couple of times. This is straightforward storytelling that tells the story of incredibly brave men, but rather low in shock or artistic value by today's standards. They soft-pedaled the "what are we fighting for" message -- they could have hit a lot harder with that one, but seeing as this was an Army-approved production, the conclusions and emotions one draws from this film seem rather watered down.

Great War Film
Pork Chop Hill is a woefully undervalued war film, superior to some of its more heralded genre partners. The reason is that Pork Chop Hill presents a somewhat complex string of events, stretching from the battlefield to the negotiating table. It pulls this combination off flawlessly, and also delivers a poignant message concerning wars, and the men who fight them.

Pork Chop Hill is the story of a company of American GI's in the Korean War, commanded by Lt. Clemens, portrayed magnificently by a stoic and brave Gregory Peck. They are ordered to advance on a heavily defended Chinese hill, a geographical point of little consequence. Told the hill is lightly defended, Peck advances with confidence, but it quickly becomes clear that this is far from the mop up operation promised by his superiors. He takes heavy casualties, and is drawn into a fierce battle against overwhelming Chinese forces. Meanwhile, his communication to the rear is cut, and Peck is forced to make some tough decisions on his own. Shockingly, the commanders fail to understand the facts on the ground, and continue to make woefully ill informed decisions, in order to save face. Their inaction causes numerous deaths, and Peck is stuck in a battle he cannot win. The film also shows the high command, who care little about a minor battle and the men involved.

Peck is absolutely wonderful as the solid battlefield commander who will do anything for his men. When his troops falter, he is there to steel them. One of the most effective scenes in the film is when Peck is confronted by a soldier who has deserted his position and questions the worth of the ground they are on. Peck tells him the age-old battle axiom, that the lands worth is measured by the amount of blood spilled, and that you fight for your friends, nothing else. A unique point in Pork Chip Hill is the emphasis on the Chinese propaganda system, which must have been devastating, as it effects the viewer, and must have been even worse on the actual soldiers involved. It is just a great battlefield film in so many ways, a must see for fans of cinema and especially for Gregory Peck admirers.

Unforgettable!
This is a movie for people with brains....tough, gritty, makes one feel they are in the trenches with the soldiers...Peck underplays his role which makes the whole cast stand out as individuals...battle-scarred backgrounds and very human interaction....has scenes that stick in your head..one of the best! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great Disney Classic
This is a great Family Disney Film. About a boy who saves his family from a group of Civil War renegades who are trying to take over the family farm. While the father of the family is lost in action. Stars a young Jodie Foster in her film debut. Great Classic Disney Movie.

Great Disney Family Movie!!
This is a great Disney Family movie about a boy who becomes the head of a household when the father goes off to war.A then relatively unknown Jodie Foster also has an acting role which makes this movie well worth watching!!Hopefully,someday it will be released on DVD!! ... Read more