Reviews (3)

Flawed, but Great
This film is very unusual and interesting because we are never sure what's happening. Eric Portman plays an old scoundrel
with the cool intelligence of an outstanding actor. The supporting cast is good. The flaw? Edith Evans. She goes
from being ridiculous to tedious to foolishly sad. Her character
is overdone and impossible to feel sorry for. Otherwise a great
movie.

Brit flick contemplating old age and insanity
An old lady deals with loneliness in a world that is quite quickly passing her by. Beauty and health have passed with death the only thing to look forward to. Finding comfort in companionship no longer works, and the voices provide some sort of outlet. As she travels through her now mundane life, she explores her life, past and present, and the voices help provide an option previously unknown. Explore old age and insanity, and the comforts of life (material vs. immaterial), with an old lady and The Whisperers.

FILM 4 ALL THE TIME .
SOME TIME WE LIE COZ WE HAVE 2 , THE OLD WOMEN DID , IN THIS FILM NOTHING IS BLACK OR WHITE , EVRY THING IS GRAY , LIKE US , WE R NOT GOOD WE R NOT BAD , WE R THE BOTHE IN THE SAME TIME . ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Skip this one, get the original!
Over half of this movie consists of scenes taken from the original 1939 classic film directed by Zoltan Korda. Even those scenes can't disguise the remake's network TV-movie quality. Beau Bridges is generally a good actor, but he is terribly miscast on this film. Go rent both versions of The Four Feathers and see it for yourself!

Great movie, but poor transfer
This is my favorite version of the book. The romance between Jane Seymour's Ethne and Beau Bridge's Harry is the key to the story here which is the way it should be. The story (of course) is also solid. However - this is DVD sports an iffy transfer that seems to have been taken from some shoddy elements. The sound also is iffy in parts. I love this movie though so I had no hesitation in picking up this DVD.

A bit to Predictable
The story line was interesting and intriquing at first but than it became to predictable. It also seems a bit far fetched that each man that gave him the white feathers, for what they took as pure cowardice, were all in such dire needs of rescue. How could he be there at the exact time they were in need and be the only one who could take over the feat of saving them from their eventual demise. The ending was to much of a predictablility. If I were the man, even if I am a woman, I don't think I would want to see the girl again, the girl he was in love with betrayed him and also gave him a white feather for cowardice. The one thing that I did get from the movie was how a parent can take something that a child finds interest in, being a soldier, setting up strategy for wartime, as witnessed in his childhood playtime, and making it seem inferior. He seemed to not be able to reward his child's imaginings but almost to compete with them. This in turn tainted the boys interest and replaced it with fear or negative energy. The movie only touched on this at the beginning and at the very end. This was what made the movie worthwhile to me. Also I like Jane Seymore as an actress and she is quite beautiful in this film. Beau Bridges does a good job in his role, seemed different as compared to other films I have seen him in.

Better in some ways than the 1939 Version
First let me say that this movie DOES NOT use footage from the original. This is a rumor that has been spread for some reason and it is incorrect ... It does depict the fuzzy wuzzies in a very realistic light and their assault on the british square is quite good. They really look the part and they are actually bounding which as any good reader of kipling knows they did quite well,, "The Bounding Beggars!" Their hair really fits their nick name to ;)

simple is better
Although this modest TV movie lacks the big budget and huge numbers that make up the 2002 cinematic version of the A.E.W. Mason novel, it is nonetheless superior in terms of casting and storytelling. The strength of the casting is self-explanatory. As for the storytelling, it is more straightforward and stays closer to the focus of the novel - a young man trying to prove his courage to others after evading the call of duty. Whereas the recent theatrical adaptation goes off into tangents, such as showing audiences the harshness of the Sudanese slave trade and desert climate, this TV movie takes these realities as a given and prefers to concentrate on the European characters instead of the African ones. I personally prefer this TV movie because it gives much more attention to the relationship between a proud soldierly father and a son who never wanted to follow the family tradition. In sum, a simple but effective visual treatment of a basically simple story of bravery, romance, and coming of age.
However, the DVD has less than ten tracks, picture quality that is not really enhanced, and some rather poor sound quality. I watched the DVD with headphones and heard slight hissing that one would expect from a dated VHS recording. For these technical reasons, I can't give full stars to this DVD recording. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A hidden Gem
I recently found "Jane and the Lost City" by accident at my local video rental shop. I thought it looked junky and camp so I rented it. What I got instead was a super mellow rendition of the world war two daily mirror comic strip "Jane" which basically concerned the lead character Jane and her cohorts the Colonel and Tombs the butler "confounding the Nazi's at every turn" by pure dumb luck. During this process Jane keeps getting her clothes torn off (to lingerie level) by a variety of unlikely means. In other words, a very silly operation. The film is so mellow that if you need something to go to sleep in front of this will do nicely, allowing you to wake up occasionally and see more lingerie and hear more silly dialogue. I watched "Jane" twice in 24 hours and liked it very much. Very good trash indeed. ... Read more

Description

A beautiful model, Dinah lands an ad campaign for meat. Soon afterward, while shooting a TV commercial, she falls for a studly stunt man - Steve. When they run off together, the advertising executives see the loss as an opportunity. They use the couple's leave as a publicity stunt. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

More Like "Dave Clark 1"
This film, which is a cross between A Hard Days Night and the Marx Brothers, focuses almost completely on Dave Clark as stuntman (and alleged kidnapper) Steve and his relationship with meat poster girl Dinah. The other four members of the band are in the background, partying at their pad, attending a fancy dress ball, and keeping the authorities on a wild goose chase while Steve and Dinah experience one adventure after another on their way to Dinah's dream island. In fact, I don't think Lenny Davidson says one word throughout the picture. On their way they meet a group of half-stoned beatniks, an eccentric older couple, and other interesting folks. The film tries to bring depth to most of the characters, except the Dave Clark 4 who remain rather vacuous fun boys. At the time, the Dave Clark Five were promoted as a cleaner cut, non-smoking, drug-free and athletic alternative to the Beatles (probably only the latter was true, as the band members were former gymnists). Clark's character (strong silent type, serious and rather surly to the point of self righteous) portrays this image quite well. The film highlights two songs off their soundtrack beginning with the original movie title "Catch Us If You Can" and the U.S. title "Having A Wild Weekend". Two other songs are played from their previous album Coast To Coast: "I Can't Stand It," and the quite beautiful "When," which seemed to be the theme song of the film. Curiously, other tracks from the soundtrack that would have been very appropriate for the film ("Don't Be Taken In," in particular) were not used. The music, save for "When", isn't their best material, but it's not bad. The acting is also quite good. British comedy fans will no doubt recognize Clive Swift (Hyacinth's hen-pecked husband Richard in Keeping Up Appearances) as a bumbling detective out to find the "kidnapped" Meat For Go girl.

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz!
This is one of the most disappointing 'Rock' films I have ever seen. It should have been named 'Dave Clark And His Egocentric Wild Weekend'. There is WAAAAAAAAAY too much DC and nowhere nearly enough Mike,Lenny,Rick or Denis.

Another annoyance is, I HEAR the DC5's music between the boring incidental music but do not SEE a single DC5 performance!!! In fact they are not even musicians in the flick!!!!!!

COME ON GUYS!!!!!!!!!! STUNT MEN???? Are you for REAL????????????

I thought the Beatles were bad actors but these guys are more frightening! HORRENDOUS!!!!!

The film does have it's moments. The party scene with the 'title' track 'Having A Wild Weekend' blaring is excellent and very 60's. The opening credits with the flick's REAL title track 'Catch Us If You Can' is VERY COOL and VERY 60's as well! The scenes of traveling around England are VERY NICE too.

I prefer to LISTEN to the music of the Dave Clark Five and later on,Dave Clark And Friends. The latter recorded an incredible version of Neil Young's 'Southern Man' in 1971. Both the DC5 and DC & Friends have some great music. Seek out the German CD's. They are well worth it.

As for this disaster,buy the video,play it once,pack it away and remember just how much better the Beatles films are.

No British Invasion video collection is complete without it but be prepared to snooze off half way through this bomb.

The Dave Clark Five Do Their Own Thing
I was simply shocked at how good "Having A Wild Weekend" was after seeing it for the first time recently. The DC5's film borrows the fast pace, ingenious cuts, sense of sprightly enthusiasm and b&w artiness of "A Hard Day's Night", but matches it with a unique plot of its own. Rather than playing themselves, the group here are stuntmen, and the story revolves around one of them (Steve, played by the self-described saturnine Dave Clark) taking a model out for a "wild weekend". The press, egged on by her boss, turn it into a kidnapping story, and the rest of the film follows their attempt to recapture her before she gets to the island she's planning to buy. A suitably thin plot is thickened by scenes which are slightly ahead of their time in dramatic and cultural

content--Steve and his girl encounter a group of long-haired ex-beatniks who ask for grass and heroin, and quote Zen koans-- and all of this in 1965! A comically bickering couple who eventually takes them in also provides for a marvellous costume party sequence in which director John Boorman, in his first film, shines. The climax, in which the journey is compared to the final result, makes for an interesting discussion; the film's themes of youth vs. elders, people vs. the press/society and the resulting question of whether it was "worth it" or not would become the riding question of the 60s. It's almost like an "Easy Rider" before its time-- the big question then becomes why the DC5 faded soon after this film's release, not being known as counterculture heavies in the least...

Put your brain on "autopilot" and enjoy!
Yes, it's an obvious rip off of "A Hard Day's Night", but so was EVERY 60's rock group film released on the heels of that ground-breaking classic. "Having A Wild Weekend" benefits from having a "name" director at the helm-John Boorman... The DC 5 unfortunately lacked the screen charisma that served the Fabs so well, but the movie is quite entertaining as a "Swinging '60's" time capsule, and the band's jangly, sunny-side-up songs will have you dancing in your media room. (Many power-pop bands to this day cite the DC 5 as an influence.)Totally gear!

Great Movie
I love classic movies like this one and A Hard Day's Night. It was simply a fun movie. One of my favorites. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An overlooked gem!
The identically titled first volume of Churchill's Nobel Prize winning six volume history of WWII has been adapted for the small screen three times--this work, 1983's Masterpiece Theatre production, "Churchill: The Wilderness Years," starring Robert Hardy, and 2002's HBO adaptation, starring Albert Finney and Vanessa Redgrave as Clementine. I find them all to be thoroughly well done and enjoyable.

Perhaps it is just personal sentiment, but I enjoy this hard to find version most. I am going on memory of something which happened nearly 30 years ago, but I recall this production being aired for the first time on the 100th anniversary of Churchill's birth in 1974. I was a young law student at the time and made a special effort to watch it during a period of my life when I had precious little time for TV. I had had my appetite whetted by the excellent "Young Winston" with Simon Ward on the big screen a year or two before.

I recall the televised airing of this piece being preceded and followed by a personal appeal from an aging Anthony Eden for contributions for something, which I believe may have been for the upkeep of Churchill's country home, Chartwell. I also remember this production as having moved me very much at the time. The decades went by and I never came across it again. After watching the Finney version on HBO recently, I had the brainstorm to search Amazon.com for this work and found it used.

I recently re-watched this production and found it very moving again, even after all this time and watching more well financed versions. This work reminds one of the Ian Carmichael/Masterpiece Theatre productions of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories which were also produced around the same time and even have an actor or two in the supporting roles who appear in both productions (Robin Bailey, who plays Neville Chamberlain, appears in the Wimsey story "Murder Must Advertise.") Interestingly, Robert Hardy, who plays the title role in Masterpiece Theatre's "Churchill: The Wilderness Years" of some nine years later, appears here as the oily Nazi foreign minister Ribbentrop. Burton is outstanding, as you would expect him to be. Virginia McKenna ("Born Free") as Clementine is a bit too glamorous for the part but still quite enjoyable. Patrick Stewart (Star Trek) is dead on as Clement Atlee.

After watching this one again, there is no question in my mind that the vivid impression I had retained for nearly 30 years was attributed in no small part to the stellar job this piece does in portraying the verbal give and take in the House of Commons. Especially moving is the chamber's shouting down of Chamberlain after Munich ("It is time for you to go....go....GO...GO"). You can't help feeling sorry for poor Chamberlain and the humiliation he must have felt. Best of all, however, is the excellent conclusion, which is Burton at his best delivering Churchill's first speech to Commons after becoming Prime Minister. As the French have broken, Dunkirk looms and nearly all seems lost, Churchill's speech is stirring, bringing all those restrained and proper MP's to their feet cheering and thumping the new PM on the back as he repeatedly ignites them in a brief but exceptionally moving speech admirably performed by Burton--"Our policy is to WAGE WAR...!!"

At the very end, the camera closes in on Churchill as his fellows cheer, pat him on the back and he gazes to Clementine in the gallery. You know the task seems almost insurmountable, but also that he relishes it, having returned from the wilderness of the back benches at age 65 with his place in history awaiting him. Has ever Providence so perfectly placed the right man in the right place at the right time? It really is beautifully performed and emotional stuff.

I love the internet for its ability to put us in touch with this sort of item which I had thought I would never see again. It was just as moving after all these years as I remembered it. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in Winston Churchill or history in general. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

....Same Old Lana
Can't take credit for the title of this review, it's the NY TIMES TV listings capsule summary for the flick, but sidesplittingly true. This film's from Lana's mid-period; our girl's cast adrift from the haven of MGM, but still not sunk to the depths of THE BIG CUBE. She's carefully lacquered here, and has the opposite of chemistry with leading man Sean Connery, vital and attractive in an early film role. Their Forbidden Love Is Not To Be, as he has the good sense to die early on, leaving Lana to seek out his widow, Glynis Johns, so that she can -- oh, why bother? If you've seen more than three movies in your life, you're miles ahead of every plot turn. Fun for those of us who like our popcorn sprinkled with a healthy dose of suds. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A delightful satire of the Cold War
One of my favorite comedies from back when I was a kid (and they used to show old films like this on broadcast TV...) One of those rare instances in which a sequel to a cult film is still fun enough to make it on its own merits, despite losing the original lead actor. This is the followup to the kooky Peter Sellers classic, "The Mouse That Roared," returning us to Duchy of Grand Fenwick, an eccentric European backwater that makes Lichtenstein seem like the Ottoman Empire. Sellers is gone, but the farce remains, as the Grand Fenwickians inadvertently enter the Cold War space race, with the US, USSR and UK all falling over themselves to try and either control or subvert the tiny country's absurdly rickety space program. There are fine character bits, with Ron Moody and Margaret Rutherford starring, respectively, as Grand Fenwick's prime minister and queen, but what makes this film an enduring classic is how deftly it satirizes the already-farcical propaganda wars between America and the Soviet Union (that Great Britain really factored in as a "player" in the Kennedy-era Cold War is a quaint, Bond-ian affectation...) A genuinely funny film that stands on its own dramatically, but which is also a priceless snapshot of the times it was made in. Recommended!

Even funnier than "The Mouse That Roared"
I bought this movie based on reviews I read here on Amazon.com and wasn't disappointed. I watched "The Mouse That Roared" first and thought it was funny, but in my opinion this movie is even better.

Magaret Rutherford is great as the clueless Grand Duchess, I wish there was more of her in the movie.

Ron Moody does a great job as the prime minister who is hung up on getting running hot water for his bathtub at any cost.

There was a small take off on Dr. Strangelove that I liked. Two ex-German scientists one for the US and one for the USSR give their boss a Nazi salute before catching themselves.

I had some good laughs throughout the movie. If you liked "The Mouse That Roared" I'm sure you'll like this movie.

"It's not that kind of privvy council, your majesty."
A superior sequel to "The Mouse That Roared" where Prime Minister Bobo (a manic and hilarious Ron Moody)cons both Russia and the USA into sending Grand Fenwick space research funds and equipment that he can recycle into a plumbing system for the castle. Then the scientist from the first movie actually heads for the moon in a Jules Vern-ish Victorian space ship using the Grand Fenwick wine crop as rocket fuel. Lester and Shenson made this film right before they teamed for HARD DAYS NIGHT and the dry British wit is very apparent. Margaret Rutherford even says a line that John Lennon would say in HDN.

cute, funny,... but where's MARGARET RUTHERFORD??
First off, I must say that while I am a fan (albeit, not a huge one) of "The Mouse that Roared," I bought this movie SPECIFICALLY for Margaret Rutherford. I figured that with her name FIRST in the cast list, that she MUST be the star of this picture. That couldn't be further from the truth. I would guess that her screen time, literally, is about 3 minutes, with perhaps about 5 lines. What a disappointment. I discovered the great Dame Rutherford in the four Miss Marple films from the '60s (Murder, She Said, Murder at the Gallop, Murder Most Foul, and Murder Ahoy [my personal favorite]), and couldn't wait to see a film from the same time period as the Miss marple series.And while the movie was cute, and it certainly had its moments (Terry-thomas is ALWAYS great), my poor little heart was broken to find Margaret Rutherford in only a few scenes. AND, don't you HATE it when the trailer has scenes in it that are NOT in the movie? MORE scenes of Margaret that must have been cut! So, if you're a HUGE fan of "The Mouse that Roared", you'll love this film. MGM went all out with their transfer. The colors look fantastic. But if you're buying this because you're a fan of Miss Rutherford as I did, you'll probably be more than a bit disappointed. Why don't you buy "Blythe Spirit" instead? She is absolutely PERFECT in THAT movie.

Don't let the title fool you!
This is one great movie. I take it as a spoof of the former Great British Empire, now reduced to a "Duchy" compared to it's Uncle, Sam. Dame Margaret Rutherford is wonderful as the befuddled "Duchess" who really has no clue as to whats going on. Now, what does that remind you of, hmmmm? And to boot, it has Terry Thomas. Fans of British humour will love it. It is a "niche" movie, of course, but what a niche!! Buy it!! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

TERRIFIC SUSPENSE AND GREAT ACTING!!!!!
SEE NO EVIL WAS A VERY GOOD MOVIE WITH A BIT OF SUSPENSE AND GREAT ACTING BY MIA FARROW.
THIS THRILLER FROM 1971 IS RATED PG FOR VIOLENCE.
IT IS, HOWEVER, QUITE TAME COMPARED TO A LOT OF FILMS.
IT KEEPS THINGS TO THE IMAGINATION.
ALL IN ALL, IT IS A SATISFYING WAY TO PASS 90 MINS. OF YOUR TIME!!
ENJOY!!!

Terrific thriller
I saw this movie when I was 9 years old at the old New Broadway theater in San Juan. I remember being terrified. So it was interesting seeing this movie so many years later. It still holds up. This is a really suspenseful movie that takes a while to build up, but when it does, it really delivers. Mia Farrrow is excellent as the blind girl who suddenly discovers that all her relatives have been murdered. Watch out for the man with the boots!!!!
I wish the DVD had some interesting extras, it simply features the trailer for the movie and for "Homicidal"(?).Still a great buy and a good movie for a rainy Saturdaty afternoon. A great movie to watch with your girlfriend, too.

suspenseful suspense movie
Newly Blinded woman (and an orphan too) recently discharged from the rehabilitation center, comes to spend the weekend with her Aunt and Uncle on their estate. She wistfully pets the horses she knows she will never ride again. She spurns the boyfriend she can never marry now (despite his proposal). She seems to get off on the wrong foot with the new gardener who hangs around the stables. And they all have such charming English accents ! Life like this could go on forever until ...

A madman ransacks the house and kills all the occupants (what a surprise) !

When our intrepid heroine returns from spurning the aforementioned boyfriend, she wanders blithely around the house almost but never quite tripping over her dead relatives. Sadly for her, the killer realizes that he left behind incriminating evidence so now he must return to finish what he started. As she realizes the danger she is in, a race for survival begins

While slow in some spots it does have quite a bit of action. It was suspenseful and there were enough suspects wandering about the place that the mad killer is a surprise. If you like to watch helpless women be chased around the English countryside by a serial killer then this movie is well worth your time.

Not Bad
I just saw this yesterday on the Mystery channel and must admit that, although it was a little campy, I didn't leave the couch until it was over. Just when I thought I had it figured out who the killer was, I realized I was on the wrong track. A great movie for a lazy day at home!

suspense
Having seen this movie years ago in England.(When I resided there)it kept me on the edge of my seat.I have been attempting to locate it since,so know I can finally watch it again.Once seen never forgotten. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A hidden Gem
I recently found "Jane and the Lost City" by accident at my local video rental shop. I thought it looked junky and camp so I rented it. What I got instead was a super mellow rendition of the world war two daily mirror comic strip "Jane" which basically concerned the lead character Jane and her cohorts the Colonel and Tombs the butler "confounding the Nazi's at every turn" by pure dumb luck. During this process Jane keeps getting her clothes torn off (to lingerie level) by a variety of unlikely means. In other words, a very silly operation. The film is so mellow that if you need something to go to sleep in front of this will do nicely, allowing you to wake up occasionally and see more lingerie and hear more silly dialogue. I watched "Jane" twice in 24 hours and liked it very much. Very good trash indeed. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A hidden Gem
I recently found "Jane and the Lost City" by accident at my local video rental shop. I thought it looked junky and camp so I rented it. What I got instead was a super mellow rendition of the world war two daily mirror comic strip "Jane" which basically concerned the lead character Jane and her cohorts the Colonel and Tombs the butler "confounding the Nazi's at every turn" by pure dumb luck. During this process Jane keeps getting her clothes torn off (to lingerie level) by a variety of unlikely means. In other words, a very silly operation. The film is so mellow that if you need something to go to sleep in front of this will do nicely, allowing you to wake up occasionally and see more lingerie and hear more silly dialogue. I watched "Jane" twice in 24 hours and liked it very much. Very good trash indeed. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A hidden Gem
I recently found "Jane and the Lost City" by accident at my local video rental shop. I thought it looked junky and camp so I rented it. What I got instead was a super mellow rendition of the world war two daily mirror comic strip "Jane" which basically concerned the lead character Jane and her cohorts the Colonel and Tombs the butler "confounding the Nazi's at every turn" by pure dumb luck. During this process Jane keeps getting her clothes torn off (to lingerie level) by a variety of unlikely means. In other words, a very silly operation. The film is so mellow that if you need something to go to sleep in front of this will do nicely, allowing you to wake up occasionally and see more lingerie and hear more silly dialogue. I watched "Jane" twice in 24 hours and liked it very much. Very good trash indeed. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In this excellent retelling of a Russian folk tale, young Pyotrproves that nice guys can finish first if they have tenacity and goodfriends on their side. Pyotr is but a woodcutter when his lazy brotherstake the family's lean savings and go off to answer the king's call fora flying ship in exchange for his daughter's hand in marriage. Whenthey fail to return, the humble Pyotr sets off to find them and finds amagical flying ship instead. So it's off to the palace, picking up aboatload of unusually talented hitchhikers along the way. The king andhis evil adviser hatch a plan to assign the peasant troupe a series ofimpossible tasks so they can banish them and take the ship. The storyis told in stop-motion animation with detailed sets and exquisitelydesigned models who are neither cute nor scary. The superb writing andlow-key narration by David Suchet no doubt helped earn this installmentof the public television series Long Ago and Far Away an EmmyAward. Ages 3 and older. --Kimberly Heinrichs ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Magical. Beautiful.
I HIGHLY reccomend this video. It is gorgeous, intelligent, aesthetically pleasing, and teaches a good lesson. Very high quality. Great for children and adults. Worth every dime and then some.

Beautiful Story & Animation
A very enjoyable film - good story line, elegant music, creative animation. The clay animation somewhat reminded me of Nick Park's Wallace & Grommit series. I really enjoyed it and so did my six and two&half year olds. The only reason I am giving it four stars instead of five is because I feel the produces could have done a better job pronouncing the Russian names correctly. I feel it would have added so much more authenticity to the whole production. Otherwise it is super enjoyable.

Excellent!
This is a really magical story. I recommend this movie for children and for those who are children at heart. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Skip this one, get the original!
Over half of this movie consists of scenes taken from the original 1939 classic film directed by Zoltan Korda. Even those scenes can't disguise the remake's network TV-movie quality. Beau Bridges is generally a good actor, but he is terribly miscast on this film. Go rent both versions of The Four Feathers and see it for yourself!

Great movie, but poor transfer
This is my favorite version of the book. The romance between Jane Seymour's Ethne and Beau Bridge's Harry is the key to the story here which is the way it should be. The story (of course) is also solid. However - this is DVD sports an iffy transfer that seems to have been taken from some shoddy elements. The sound also is iffy in parts. I love this movie though so I had no hesitation in picking up this DVD.

A bit to Predictable
The story line was interesting and intriquing at first but than it became to predictable. It also seems a bit far fetched that each man that gave him the white feathers, for what they took as pure cowardice, were all in such dire needs of rescue. How could he be there at the exact time they were in need and be the only one who could take over the feat of saving them from their eventual demise. The ending was to much of a predictablility. If I were the man, even if I am a woman, I don't think I would want to see the girl again, the girl he was in love with betrayed him and also gave him a white feather for cowardice. The one thing that I did get from the movie was how a parent can take something that a child finds interest in, being a soldier, setting up strategy for wartime, as witnessed in his childhood playtime, and making it seem inferior. He seemed to not be able to reward his child's imaginings but almost to compete with them. This in turn tainted the boys interest and replaced it with fear or negative energy. The movie only touched on this at the beginning and at the very end. This was what made the movie worthwhile to me. Also I like Jane Seymore as an actress and she is quite beautiful in this film. Beau Bridges does a good job in his role, seemed different as compared to other films I have seen him in.

Better in some ways than the 1939 Version
First let me say that this movie DOES NOT use footage from the original. This is a rumor that has been spread for some reason and it is incorrect ... It does depict the fuzzy wuzzies in a very realistic light and their assault on the british square is quite good. They really look the part and they are actually bounding which as any good reader of kipling knows they did quite well,, "The Bounding Beggars!" Their hair really fits their nick name to ;)

simple is better
Although this modest TV movie lacks the big budget and huge numbers that make up the 2002 cinematic version of the A.E.W. Mason novel, it is nonetheless superior in terms of casting and storytelling. The strength of the casting is self-explanatory. As for the storytelling, it is more straightforward and stays closer to the focus of the novel - a young man trying to prove his courage to others after evading the call of duty. Whereas the recent theatrical adaptation goes off into tangents, such as showing audiences the harshness of the Sudanese slave trade and desert climate, this TV movie takes these realities as a given and prefers to concentrate on the European characters instead of the African ones. I personally prefer this TV movie because it gives much more attention to the relationship between a proud soldierly father and a son who never wanted to follow the family tradition. In sum, a simple but effective visual treatment of a basically simple story of bravery, romance, and coming of age.
However, the DVD has less than ten tracks, picture quality that is not really enhanced, and some rather poor sound quality. I watched the DVD with headphones and heard slight hissing that one would expect from a dated VHS recording. For these technical reasons, I can't give full stars to this DVD recording. ... Read more