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A phenomenal hit when it was released in 1989, Field of Dreams has become a modern classic and a uniquely American slice of cinema. It functions effectively as a moving drama about the power of dreams, a fantasy ode to our national pastime, and a brilliant adaptation of W.P.Kinsella's exquisite baseball novel Shoeless Joe. Kinsella himself found the film a delightful surprise, differing greatly from his novel but benefiting from its own creative variations. It is the film that cemented Kevin Costner's status as an all-American screen star, but the story resonates far beyond Costner's handsome appeal. As just about everyone knows by now, Costner stars as Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella, who hears the mysterious words "If you build it, he will come," and is compelled to build a baseball diamond in the middle of his cornfield. His wife (Amy Madigan) supports the wild idea, but a reclusive novelist (modeled after J.D. Salinger and played by James Earl Jones) is not so easily persuaded. The idealistic farmer is either a visionary or a deluded fool, but his persistence is rewarded when spirits from baseball's past begin appearing on the ball field. Past and present intermingle in the person of "Moonlight Graham" (superbly played by Burt Lancaster), an unknown player who sacrificed his dreams of baseball glory for a dignified life as a small-town physician ... but what all of this means is unclear until the film's memorably heartfelt conclusion. A meditation on family, memory, and faith, the film balances humor and magic to strike just the right chord of thoughtful emotion, affecting audiences so deeply that the baseball field created for the production has now become a mecca of sorts for dreamers around the world. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (149)

One of Costner's Best Movies
This ranks as one of my favorite movies of all time. You don't have to be a baseball fan to appreciate the nostalgia and warm heartedness this movie brings to the big screen - well little screen in the case of the DVD. It's part ghost story, part fantasy, part nostalgia. It's also about redemption and the fulfillment of dreams.

The story begins when Ray Kinsella, a reluctant Iowa farmer, although he won't admit he's reluctant, starts hearing a voice telling him "build it and he will come." Ray dreams, ponders and finally plows under many acres of his crop to build a baseball field on his farm, against all rational logic. And the magic begins. This magic takes Ray on a strange quest in search of a '60s radical holed up in a New York City apartment writing children's books played by James Earl Jones - to tell why would spoil the movie. But suffice it to say Jones ends up with one of the most memorable "speeches" in the movie about the nostalgia of baseball.

It's hard to really do justice to the plot without spoiling the movie but it will at times give you chills and in the end is very uplifting.

Grand Slam
On the surface, Field Of Dreams, seems like it belongs as an epidsode of The Twilight Zone. The cynic in me takes it one step further, and says, "there's no way I can buy into this sentimental hockum". As I watched the film for the first time, all of those concerns melted away, leaving me with a sense of wonder...normally reserved for children

Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) is inspired by a voice he can't ignore that will take him on a journey that will change his life forever. Supported by his wife Annie (Amy Madigan), Ray begins his special quest by turning a portion of his cornfields into a baseball diamond. Along the way he meets reclusive activist Terence Mann (James Earl Jones), the mysterious 'Doc' Graham (Burt Lancaster) and even the legendary 'Shoeless Joe' Jackson (Ray Liotta).

Adapted from W.P. Kinsella's novel "Shoeless Joe", director Phil Alden Robinson, has created a fine tribute to the sport of Baseball, the fans who love the game, and more importantly, it's a metaphor about father's and sons everywhere. Aside from a handfull of films, I don't really think of Kevin Costner, as a good actor. As Ray though, he gives one of the best perfomances of his career, ideally capturing the sense of wonder I talked about earlier. Of course it doesn't hurt that James Earl Jones and Burt Lancaster are there to back you up. Both men add so much to the film, giving a sense of realism and warmth, that may have seemed artificial had lesser actors been cast. As Joe Jackson, Liotta is very effective and I had forgotten just how good he can be in a non gangster/bad guy role. For more on the life of Joe Jackson and the World Series scandal that rocked the sport, be sure to watch Eight Men Out, another winner. Field Of Dreams also boasts one of composer James Hornor's best scores.

I don't really know why I never picked up the Collector's Edition of the DVD. But after watching the Anniversary Edition 2 disc set, all I can say is, I'm glad I waited. The remastered picture and 5.1 sound very clean transfers and work well on either my TV, or, my speaker enhanced PC. The audio commentary with Robinson and the film's director of photography John Lindley is very good. Both men are well spoken, never dull, and clearly respected the source material In keeping with the father/son themes I spoke of, I especially enjoyed "...Passing Along the Pastime" - memories of father and son baseball as recounted by the director, star, and major league baseball players. The newly discovered deleted scenes are mostly throwaway stuff that was wisely cut. I was surprised to learn while watching "The Diamond in the Husks", that the baseball set made for the film still exists, and attracts tourists every year. We also get to visit the Minnesota home town of Moonlight Doc Graham. "A Look Inside Field of Dreams is a new 90-minute documentary on the film and its lasting appeal. Also included is a 48 minute segment of the Bravo channel series "From Page to Screen" on the movie. The "Field of Dreams Roundtable", with Costner and former baseball players, including Bret Saberhagen talk about the state of the game and the film. Trivia buffs will really like the topper to the set, fun facts about America's stadiums.

Field Of Dreams is not your typical "sports" movie. Indeed, it's much more than that...Even though, I never had the chance as kid to pitch baseballs with my dad, the movie allows me to dream that I can...

Sentimental nonsense
Sports fans tend to be both nostalgiac and sentimental and sports movies tend to fall into the same trap. This movie is a perfect example of why sports, and especially baseball, rarely makes for great cinematic subject matter. Corny, predictable and manipulative- perhaps baseball fans might enjoy it, but I can't imagine anyone else sitting through it.

It was you. -- No, it was YOU.
When I attended the Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa, we were given one rule: "Never write about Christmas, the circus or baseball." The reasoning was that these three topics were just too ingrained in the American psyche, they were too iconic, and that they had been used too often. Well, I'm glad that Ray Kinsella (author of the book "Field of Dreams") and screenwriter Phil Alden Robinson didn't attend the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

FIELD OF DREAMS is a marvelous examination of America's infatuation with baseball and a moving exploration of family loyalties. Ray (as sensitively played by Kevin Costner) has a loving wife (Amy Madigan, making it look so easy) and a doting daughter, but something is missing. A voice tells him that he must build a baseball field in his corn crop (in Iowa!). When he does, the apparition of Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) shows up to play. What follows is a series of baseball adventures on and off Ray's baseball diamond, as well as in and out of the present day. Eventually, it becomes apparent that what was missing in Ray's life can only be addressed through baseball, and through a cultural icon from his past, played by the ubiquitous James Earl Jones.

When everything is resolved, there's a bit of throwaway dialogue that, in reality, is very moving. "It was you," Ray tells Shoeless Joe Jackson in reference to the voice he'd heard early in the film. "No, it was YOU," Jackson replies, indicating that
Ray's conscience prompted the entire adventure. Don't let anyone tell you that FIELD OF DREAMS is just a baseball movie. That would be like someone telling you that baseball is just a game.

1989 Classic And Kevin Costner's Best Film
On DVD, the movie is loaded with extra features including commentary, interviews, trailer, etc. This was on Channel 7 last week. Kevin Costner stars as a suburban family man who is hearing voices. "If you built it they will come". The voices keep changing their messages and lead him in pursuit of the gathering of baseball legends who have passed away. The goal is to establish a "field of dreams" a baseball park with old pros playing and a magic working on its audience. And it did for many people when this movie was released in 1989. Too many, it was a movie about hope, following your dreams and persistence. Kevin Costner is doing a terrific performance and is perhaps doing his greatest role. He was merely a romantic lead in the early 90's "The Bodyguard" with Whitney Houston and he was not as committed in "Dances With Wolves" which though the right kind of movie for him was not as interesting enough a character as he is in this movie. Other than this movie, his only fine role was in J.F.K. In this film, he plays a dedicated and persistent dreamer who discovers that indeed dreams come true if you hold fast. A great job by all the actors, including James Earl Jones (the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars) as the hermit and elusive author Terrence Mann, who wrote books in the 60's advocating love and peace. He is supposedly modeled after J.D. Salinger. The chemistry between James Earl Jones and Kevin Costner, especially in the scene in which Costner attempts to pursuade him to join him to a baseball game is exceptional. Magical and unexpected things start to happen as the voices carry him onward through his mission, including a trip back in time to 1972. Bring the magic home in this remarkable DVD. It's as much an adult's movie as it is for the whole family. It's almost a Disney film. Five stars. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A Powerful American Epic
Separate But Equal is a riveting portrayal of the struggle for desegration of the public schools. While some liberties are taken to enhance the story for television, it is still of reasonable historical accuracy. Sidney Poitier and Burt Lancaster turn in solid performances as opposing counsel. However, the real star of this video is the far lesser known Richard Kiley who turns in an excellent portrayal of Chief Justice Earl Warren. As a result, the stronger half of the story turns out to be the second part which provides a fascinating look at Warren's struggle to guide the court through the bitterly divisive issue of whether segregation in the public schools was unconstitutional. The intellectual battles among such strong willed men as Justices Douglas, Frankfurter, and Reed and the difficulties of the latter two to come to a resolution of the issue is masterfully portrayed. All in all, this is clearly one of the best historically based presentations I have seen in recent years.

First rate docudrama on Brown v. Board of Education
"Separate But Equal" puts three names about the credits: Sidney Portier as Thurgood Marshall, Burt Lancaster as John W. Davis, and Richard Kiley as Earl Warren. This is significant because it helps to personify the three sides in the monumental Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education. Marshall headed the NAACP lawyers who challenged the legal doctrine that legitimized segregation in the South. Davis represented the interests of the states, not out of a sense of bigotry but out of legal principle; after all, it was the Supreme Court that had established the separate but equal doctrine. This becomes a key part of the dilemma that Chief Justice Warren faced because the law was obviously legal--it just also happened to be wrong.

This excellent 1991 docudrama was aired in two parts. The first part looks at the segregated school system in Claredon County, South Carolina, one of the four cases that comprised the ruling, and the harm of segregation is captured in a memorable sequence in which young black children always pick the white doll rather than the black doll to describe who is smarter, better, etc. The second part of the film deals with the lengthy process by which the high court deliberated the case, doing a better job of capturing the process than any drama I have ever seen.

Portier provides Marshall with all the dignity appropriate to the role, and it is a treat to see the actor play a lawyer arguing before the high court. Lancaster, in his final role, performs a key function: he is earnest and likeable, which means that in the context of this story our opposition has to be to his position and not to him personally. In other words, this is a legal matter that has to be determined on the point of law and not on our feelings about bigots and racism. However, writer/director George Stevens, Jr. has set us up, because for Kiley's Earl Warren it is a question of justice rather than the law, especially after the former Governor of California visits the battlefield at Gettysburg and discovers his driver had to sleep in the car because no local hotel would accept a black.

For me this is Kiley's film and the most fascinating part of "Separate But Equal" is watching him rally the Court to make its landmark ruling. This is a long, hard, effort for Kiley, who insists that a unanimous ruling is important to make it clear to the nation that there is no longer two sides to this issue. I appreciated that Stevens simply has Kiley read the actual ruling at the film's climax. Again, Stevens using a simple image to bring home the significance of the ruling as the preacher and father who were at the heart of the case we watched in the first part hear the news on the radio, pull over their car, get out and kneel by the side of the road to give thanks.

At 193 minutes this docudrama would consume a week of class, but it could be well worth the effort. Certainly screening it for students would produce some interesting questions and discussions. Final comment: Stevens uses irony throughout "Separate but Equal" (e.g., Marshall and the NAACP lawyers cannot get a cab to take them to the Supreme Court to hear the decision), but there is one delightful use of humor, when a young white lawyer who is helping with the appeal explains to the NAACP lawyers why he is there working with them.

They play in the streets together, they separate for school.

"John, if this case goes before the Supreme Court. . . I'm gonna need you"

It's the early 1950's, in America. The governor of South Carolina James Francis Byrnes, in his 70's at the time, pays a visit to his friend, the famous lawyer John W. Davis. Davis had argued 138 cases in front of the Supreme Court. Byrnes was turning to him for help.

Byrnes was determined to show that discrimination and segregation in public schools were not the same thing. He wanted black school children to have equal schools. He was ashamed of the terrible condition the black schools were in, in his state of South Carolina. He even levied a three percent sales tax to fund the improvement of black schools. He was prepared to spend 75 million dollars to improve the public schools for black children in his state.

But he knew, that the small case that a few courageous people (Harry Briggs, Reverand J.A. Delaine) had started in Clarendon county, SC, was too big of an issue for his efforts alone. The case was on it's way to the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (the NAACP), had become involved. Their head lawyer, Thurgood Marshall had combined this case and four other similar cases (from Delaware, Kansas, DC and Virginia) into one called 'Brown v. Board of Education', and made it his mission to strike down segregation in public schools in America.

The great thing about this movie is how it makes each side look respectable. The movie does not make this a 'bad evil white men against poor suffering black people' type of story. But rather, the film, portrays the white men as being highly respected, educated and willing to do the right thing. But at the same time, very concerned and perhaps even afraid of the consequences of their decisions.

I also loved the humor in this film. For example when Byrnes is conversing with Davis and says 'I admit to past sins, our colored schools are a disgrace'. Or when one of the lawyers at the NAACP legal defense fund says about the South Carolina case "If we win this one, we'll only have 11,172 school districts left."

The heart of this film is the uncommon courage of the people. Courage among so many involved. Of course, first from the blacks from those small towns, who risked their jobs and safety, and faced the hate of the Ku Klux Klan, by taking these complaints to their local lawyers. Then, to the NAACP, for climbing this long and expensive uphill battle. But also, to the judges on the Supreme Court, and in particular the Chief Judge Earl Warren.

Warren was quoted as saying 'Everything that I did in life that was worthwhile, I caught hell for.' What a difficult decision, but what a remarkable effort on his part to unite the nine members of the Supreme Court to conclude the case with a unanimous decision to end segregation in public schools in America.

It took a lot of brave people on both sides, to end separation of black and white school children in public schools. Perhaps Thurgood Marshall summed it up best, when he mocked the thinking of people in the south by saying 'you can have them attending the same State Universities and Graduate schools, but if they attend the same elementary and high schools together, the world would fall apart.'

A wonderful treasured movie. Must see for all.

Great Film - Typical Rotten Artisan DVD
This is one of the best films made for TV. It tells the story of the groundbreaking Supreme Court case that put Thurgood Marshall in the minds of most educated Americans.

However, this is a terrible DVD. The colors are dark. There is no sharpness to the film at all. In effect, it is worse than what you saw when it originally came out. As usual, Artisan does not take advantage of the DVD technology. I tried to contact them, but their website has no email address. This DVD is cheaply made, which is a shame. This a film classic, much more deserving than the shabby treatment Artisan has given it. This ranks right up there with the horrible DVD that Artisan made of "The Quiet Man." Please Artisan, either give us good copies of these great films, or quit ruining them.

FIVE STARS FOR THE FILM, 1 STAR FOR ARTISAN

Great historical/legal drama
I thoroughly enjoyed this historical dama about Briggs v. Elliott. It was a great drama, seemed very accurate, portrayed a little-known legal "Super Bowl" between my hero, John W Davis, and Thurgood Marshall. Everybody should watch it. ... Read more

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Here's a model for adapting a novel into a movie. The bestseller by James Jones, a frank and hard-hitting look at military life, could not possibly be made into a film in 1953 without considerably altering its length and bold subject matter. Yet screenwriter Daniel Taradash and director Fred Zinnemann (both of whom won Oscars for their work) pared it down and cleaned it up, without losing the essential texture of Jones's tapestry. The setting is an army base in Hawaii in 1941. Montgomery Clift, in a superb performance, plays a bugler who refuses to fight for the company boxing team; he has reasons for giving up the sport. His refusal results in harsh treatment from the company commander, whose bored wife (Deborah Kerr) is having an affair with the tough-but-fair sergeant (Burt Lancaster). You remember--the scene with the two of them embracing on the beach, as the surf crashes in. The supporting players are as good as the leads: Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed won Oscars (and Sinatra revitalized his entire career), and Ernest Borgnine entered the gallery of all-time movie villains, as the stockade sergeant who makes Sinatra miserable. Zinnemann's work is efficient but also evocative, capturing the time and place beautifully, the tropical breezes as well as the lazy prewar indulgence. This one is deservedly a classic. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (59)

AFI top 100- Winner of 8 Oscars-Including Best Movie 1953!!
"From Here to Eternity" made from Best Seller book of 1951 written by James Jones. Now digitally re-mastered both in video and sound provides us with this classic on DVD with background extras. The cast (Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Montgomery Cliff, Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra)was perfectly chosen and proved by the 13 Oscar nominations and winner of 8 including "Best Picture and Director - Fred Zinneman". Frank Sinatras "Best Supporting Actor" come back role is just the beginning.
In Summary: a few days prior to Pearl Harbor we find ourselves involved with these military characters and women struggling to find better lives in the volatile world of 1941. Knowing war is coming they try desparately to make their lives more meanigfully. The main focus is around the Army life style and how their lives were effected by events they had no real control over. Lancaster played a top sergeant having an affair with his Company Commanders wife (Kerr), Cliff and Sinatra were 2 soldiers in the same company who befriend each other and end up both being killed by circumstances in this troubled time of December 7, 1941.
This Black & White classic film broke all kinds of barriers for subject matter and character/star representation. Reed as a saloon gal. Kerr as a steamy temptress (infamous Beach Love scene with Lancaster).
Sit back and take a ride "FROM HERE TO ETERNITY".

"A man don't go his own way, he's nothing."
Fred Zinnemann's "From Here to Eternity" simply has not aged well. It's place in cinematic history remains secure: Frank Sinatra's Oscar, Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr embracing in the surf, and the Oscar for Best Picture. Yet, what was considered an adult film back in 1953 plays like a run-of-the-mill soap opera in the present day.

As Sergeant Warden (Lancaster) and Karen Holmes (Kerr), the wife of his superior, start to fall in love, Private Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) is trying to find a way to avoid participating in his unit's boxing championship. Prewitt finds support from his friend Maggio (Sinatra) who tries to protect him from the pressures around him and finds love with Lorene (Donna Reed), a "working girl" who has temporarily relocated to Hawaii. Into the mix is thrown a sadistic warden played by Ernest Borgnine and the bombing of Pearl Harbor which plunges all involved straight into World War II.

"From Here to Eternity" is filled with one character after another who is desperate. All of them are either desperate for power, desperate for love, desperate for acceptance, or desperate to escape their past. Yet, the plotlines in the film do not produce the same emotional jolt it did five decades ago. Extramarital affairs, bullying authority figures, and fallen women are all topics on trivial daytime television shows today. These mature themes just do not hold your interest anymore when looked at through the veil of time. When this aspect of the film is removed, what is left is just a routine "day-in-the-lives" story.

Yet the film still has many things going for it. All of the performances are fine: Sinatra reminds viewers just how talented an actor he was in years past, the chemistry between Lancaster and Kerr is still electric, and Clift turns in another low-key but effective performance. And even though it's legacy may be slightly diminished, "From Here to Eternity" will always be fondly remembered as the film that more than any other made making out at the beach fashionable.

1950's Hollywood Mess
The Godfather got Sinatra the part of Maggio, but I think the producer was right; Sinatra stinks in that part. Talk about over acting; Sinatra has no subtlety at all. Now Lancaster is terrific, a soldier's soldier and Deborah Kerr slips into the part of a lonely wife of a louse effortlessly. The script of the James Jones book is a mess. The Lancaster-Kerr romance works almost, but the Cliff-Donna Reed love story is hurried and unbelievable. She's a dance hostess my a**. The mores of the 1950's did this interesting story wrong. These people are seething with sexuality, but somehow, Hollywood squeezed the juice out of em.

Great movie, so-so DVD
While the digital transfer is good and I enjoyed the movie for the first time without all the white noise and sound pops, all the special features that it boasts are disappointing.
For people who enjoy classic movies, you really can't do better than this. The movie is able to stand well enough on it's own without really needing these "features" to back it up and I recommend this DVD version only for that reason.
However those who love collectors edition DVD's, especially ones on Oscar flicks may feel slighted. There are two lackluster featurettes. One being a "Making Of" that is more or less a rehash of the production notes found inside of the case. The other focusing on Fred Zinneman, the movie's director, is slighlty more interesting. But both have more footage of the film itself than behind the scenes and both run under ten minutes. What they should have done was combine the two. The Commentary by the son of the director also leaves much to be desired. The only reason why I harp on these is that I know what Columbia is capable of doing better. Take a look at "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Bridge on the River Kwai"

However, I'm glad I got this and recommend it despite my gripes. Just be aware of the its shortcomings. It's a great film that speaks for itself and after having the DVD for a few years now, I still find myself taking this off the shelf from time to time.

The Peacetime Classic !
"From Here to Eternity" is a Hollywood classic. It may be the finest film ever about the military in peacetime. The background is Schofield Barracks, Hawaii in the Fall of 1941. That was the old "brown boot" Army! This reviewer is a Vietnam era vet, so I can't address the realism of the setting. Judging by the crisp dialog and snappy khaki uniforms, I'm giving the director the benefit of any doubt. I always thought it fascinating that an Austrian born Director could be at the helm of such classics as "High Noon" and FHTE -in consecutive years no less. What did Mr. Zinnemann know of the Old West or the American Army? The male lead is Burt Lancaster as First Sergeant Warden, a tough but fair NCO that any enlisted man would want for his "top". The second male lead is Private Prewitt, played by Montgomery Clift. Prewitt is a top bugler who isn't allowed to bugle and a top boxer who reuses to box for the company team! How that automatic conflict plays out is the heart of the movie. Another conflict is between Frank Sinatra, a happy go lucky but harmless enlisted man who trouble seems to follow and an evil Ernest Borgnine, the top MP at the Schofield stockade. Their "dispute" plays out too, with Clift a surprise key figure in its' "resolution". This reviewer believes that far too much attention has been lavished on the affair between Lancaster and Deborah Kerr, the wife of the Company Commander. I found it hard to swallow that any serious career man would run around openly with an officer's wife. Lancaster was one step away from a bust down to the lowest private and a trip to the stockade. The real female star here was Donna Reed, a bar "hostess' who would be a prostitute in real life. Her sensitivity toward Clift produces some of the best scenes in FHTE. Someone must have agreed because Donna walked off with the Best Supporting Actress Oscar- and promptly fainted after receiving it. The interplay between Lancaster/Kerr and Clift/Reed caused some huge challenges for the Director in making the bawdy best selling novel "clean" for the silver screen in the still conservative, prudish America of 1953. FHTE also contains some of the sharpest dialog and one liners this reviewer can remember. Two favorites: "Never disturb a man when he's drinking" (Lancaster) and "No one lies about being lonely"(Clift). In addition to Reed, Oscars were awarded for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Film Editing, Cinematography and Supporting Actor, (Sinatra). The last two are important: FHTE revived Frank's career. Many believe that "pressure" was applied to Harry Cohn and Columbia Pictures to hire Sinatra. Do we remember the "horses head in the bed" scene from Godfather I? Others claim that his then wife, Ava Gardner, supplied the "influence". Finally FHTE is yet another example of why black and white classics should not be colorized. If there is such a thing as "beautiful black and white", it is this one. .... ... Read more

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Cy Endfield co-wrote the epic prequel Zulu Dawn 15 years after his enormously popular Zulu. Set in 1879, this film depicts the catastrophic Battle of Isandhlwana, which remains the worst defeat of the British army by natives, with the British contingent outnumbered 16-to-1 by the Zulu tribesmen. The film's opinion of events is made immediately clear in its title sequence: ebullient African village life presided over by King Cetshwayo is contrasted with aristocratic artifice under the arrogant eye of General Lord Chelmsford (Peter O'Toole). Chelmsford is at the heart of all that goes wrong, initiating the catastrophic battle with an ultimatum made seemingly for the sake of giving his troops something to do. His detached manner leads to one mistake after another, and this is wryly illustrated in a moment when neither he nor his officers can be bothered to pronounce the name of the land they're in. That it's a beautiful land nonetheless is made clear by the superb cinematography, which drinks in the massive open spaces that shrink the British army to a line of red ants. Splendidly stiff-upper-lipped support comes from a heroic Burt Lancaster and a fluffy, yet gruff, Bob Hoskins. Although the story is less focused and inevitably more diffuse than the concentrated events of Rorke's Drift which followed soon after, Zulu Dawn is an unflinchingly honest depiction of British Imperial diplomacy. --Paul Tonks ... Read more

Reviews (16)

I Love this Movie!
I highly recommend this movie to all war or history buffs.This movie is based on the true story of the Battle of Isandlwana in south Africa .The battle was fought on Jan. 22nd 1879 between the 24th regiment under the command of Lt.Gen. Lord Chelmsford and the Zulu nation under King Cetshwayo. To make a long story short, The Zulus crushed and wiped out the entire British regiment largely in part because they outnumbered the British 24,000 to about 1,500, but also due to British arrogance(Which is pointed out time and time again in this movie)and the lack of respect and where abouts of the enemy.An allstar cast including Peter O'toole and Burt Lancaster Star in this Classic. The only Bad thing about this movie is that it is no longer in print, which to me is a real travesty, considering all the garbage that was made that still is in print. In fact i had to buy this movie off an online auction. I hope that the Movie Company that made this Great film comes to it's senses and Redistributes this movie so that it can be enjoyed on DVD as well.

Disaster at Isandhlwana
ZULU DAWN is a superb companion film to the classic ZULU, particularly since both films were written by the same man, Cy Enfield. ZULU DAWN climaxes with the Battle of Isandhlwana, which immediately preceded the Battle of Rorke's Drift, accurately portrayed in ZULU. While the Battle of Isandhlana is important, the real significance of ZULU DAWN lies in its revelation of how the British governor of South Africa orchestrated the war against the Zulu. Moreover, the British governor, Sir Henry Bartle-Frere, acted against the wishes of Queen Victoria and Parliament, resulting in the bloody defeat and near annihilation of the British 24th Regiment of Foot at Isandhlwana. The arrogance and carelessness of the British is shocking and the humiliating defeat of the British army in South Africa strikes the viewer as completely justified. The fact that good copies of ZULU are hard to find is pitiful enough, but the unavailability of ZULU DAWN is a real tragedy. It's extremely difficult to rent; it's been out of print so long that most recent video rental establishments have never been able to acquire it. I myself have only encountered two copies for sale ever, and I bought both of them (one went to my uncle, who turned me on to ZULU DAWN in the first place). Keep an eye out for ZULU DAWN in used video stores and exchange shops.

Less Heroics, More History
I really wish this would come out on DVD, it is an excellent movie. This is the 'prequel' to the Stanley Baker. . .and introducing Michael Caine. . .epic, 'Zulu.' While made almost 15 years later, it completes the story. This movie has a much more interesting cast and more accurately shows the fact that the British were the aggressors in this war. The Battle of Isandhlwana was, and is, the single most disastrous defeat of the British Army, and one brought on by the hubris of the commanding officers and the politcal operatives of the British Government. I really like this movie and have it on VHS, but it is getting worn out.

zulu's a kinkin royal butt
very well made movie
large supporting cast and known actors's
those carbines that the infantry used were
the only flaw i seen, after the ammo ran out this'
became a bayonet vs spear.

Great Historical recreation of a British Military defeat.
Very well done. Must watch this movie first and then the 1960 movie "Zulu". Also read about these events. Some shocking facts will surprise you. Excellent movies! ... Read more

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This reverential, well-crafted 1951 biopic starring the hulky Burt Lancaster as Native American Olympian Thorpe is hardly the definitive word on one of our greatest track stars, but it does remind us how unfair and demeaning it once was for athletes of color. Concentrating on Thorpe's track and football victories (he also excelled at boxing, swimming, and golf), director Michael Curtiz and screenwriters Douglas Morrow and Everett Freeman (working from Thorpe's autobiography) chart their hero's rise from reservation poverty to Carlisle College track star to 1912 Olympic decathlon/pentathlon winner. Thorpe was stripped of his medals when it was learned that he had taken a few bucks as a football player. Lancaster is even better at playing Thorpe in the depths of drunkenness and despair than in his jock heyday.Charles Bickford is Pop Warner, the legendary coach who encouraged Thorpe to go for the gold, and Phyllis Thaxter appears as the athlete's supportive wife. Thorpe, who served as technical adviser, died two years after this film was released. Thirty years later, the International Olympic Committee overturned the earlier ruling and returned Thorpe's medals to his family. "What does it mean now?" a bitter Lancaster was quoted as saying at the time. --Glenn Lovell ... Read more

Reviews (5)

4 1/4 stars for a great slice of american history
This film certainly has limits: none of the performances are overwhelmingly good, there are too many white people playing natives, and the story sometimes borders on the formulaic. But with that said, do yourself a favor and see it.

Jim Thorpe - All American is a fascinating look at a period of American history (the early 20th century) that doesn't get enough coverage. Thorpe was born just before the death of the Old West (1887 or 88), won a college football championship at the Carlisle Indian School, won gold medals in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, played Major League Baseball before WWI, was a founding presence as an all-star halfback in the early National Football League (and its first commissioner), and went on to a long career as a bit player in such Hollywood films as King Kong and White Heat. On the darker side, over half of his brothers and sisters died in childhood, he was an orphan before 18, his first son (Jim Junior) died at age 2 from pneumonia, he had poor financial habits, wasn't much of a team player, moved around incessantly, had problems with alcohol and tobacco, two wives left him, and he died in poverty.

Director Michael (Casablanca) Curtiz does a wonderful job of keeping the campy 50s to a minimum while moving Thorpe's whirlwind life forward on screen. The real strengths of the film (beyond the historical subject matter) are the wonderful nascent images of early sporting events: the college lettermen's sweaters, old track shoes, baseball uniforms, leather football helmets, etc. Lancaster was quite fit and looks the part of a young athlete very well. He is perhaps best when portraying Thorpe's dark decline; these scenes foreshadow De Niro in Scorsese's Raging Bull. And finally, the scenes from the opening ceremonies of the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles look so real I am sure that Curtiz must have cut actual footage into the film, including an aerial flyover and a speech by then vice-president Charles Curtis (these would have been the first Olympics after the widespread proliferation of sound video recording, in the vibrant young city which created it).

All in all Jim Thorpe - All American is a fine cinematic achievement; this is what movie-making is all about.

Whats wrong with this picture?
Not to long ago an athlete was picked as the best(athlete)in our century...Mohammid Ali. He was a great fighter...but what else? How did this man become the greatest athlete of the century? "Whats wrong with this picture"? Jim Thorpe should have been named as the best as is appearent by his accomplishments in several sports. Did Ali win the decathalon or the Pentathalon...25 total events. Was Ali a champion football and baseball player? How can anyone who excels at only one sport be called the greatest of the century...whats wrong with this picture? The wrongs done Jim Thorpe have not been corrected with this kind of judgement. We have the sports writers to thank for this injustice.

Jim Thorpe: Strong but Bitter
JIM THORPE, ALL AMERICAN is based on the autobiography of the same name, and in the hands of director Michael Curtiz, Thorpe, as played by the athletic Burt Lancaster, comes across as a man beset by a multitude of demons. The film begins with Thorpe as a boy living on an Indian reservation. He runs constantly, almost as if he were trying to outrun the bitter dregs of an anti-Indian racism that he saw as dogging his heels for his entire life. He grows to maturity and attends the Carlisle Indian School on a track scholarship. Much of the film focuses on Thorpe's obvious athletic skills and as long as it does so, Lancaster manages to imbue his character with the pathos of a tragedy that would not disappear. One of the most memorable scenes in a film filled with them (not all of them pleasant) is the one in which he has just arrived as a freshman at Carlisle. He is dressed in his best clothes and shoes, and then suddenly,he is filled with the need to run. He does run, right over and through Carlisle's track team. The track coach looks at his assistant and tells him, "Find out who that is and bring him here." His first years at Carlisle show a relaxed Thorpe. He meets his future wife played by Phyllis Thaxter and excells at every sport of the school. Paradoxically,however, the more success that Thorpe achieves, the more is in unable to handle it. His reaction to fame is colored by his previous reaction to racism. He grows bitter and anti-social. He fails to understand that amateur athletics does not involve money nor does he see that his wife loves him and would continue to do so until his increasing world hate drowns out all else. Thorpe's anger at having his Olympic medals taken away simply justifies his own self-destruction. As the film moves toward the end, it becomes painful to watch a proud and skilled student-athlete inch closer to a self-imposed ostracism from those who truly want to understand and to help. Lancaster is superb as a man who forgets that a world of athleticism cannot compensate for a world of bitterness that no gold medals can heal.

Terrific story about American History
Jim Thorpe was an important man in American history, and I think this film should be shown in schools.

Burt Lancaster is a shining star.

God rest both their souls

Great story, well-told
_Jim Thorpe_ is nominally a story about a great athlete; it is more a complex, bittersweet portrayal of a man whose frustrated ambition threatens to tear him and his family apart. This movie underlines in bold strokes the damaging effects of racism, both external and internalized, and the fact that material success is no compensation for dignity and self-respect. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Director Stanley Kramer's socially conscious 1961 film tackles the subject of the war crime trials arising out of World War II in an earnest and straightforward fashion, exploring the consciousness of two nations as they struggle to come to terms with the aftermath of the Holocaust. Spencer Tracy plays the American judge selected to head the tribunal that will try the suspected war criminals. As he sets about his task, he must confront the raw emotion felt by the German people, and his own notions of good and evil, right and wrong. Regarded as a classic, this stark rendering of one of the most pivotal events in the 20th century features a stellar cast including Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Marlene Dietrich, a young William Shatner, and Maximillian Schell, who won an Oscar for his role as counsel for the defense for those charged with crimes against humanity. Judgment at Nuremberg is important viewing not only for the history of film, but for the history of modern times. --Robert Lane ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Star-Studded Recounting of Legendary Nazi Trials
This star-studded film vividly captures the characters on all 3 sides of the spectrum: The accused, the victims, and the international tribunal judging the perpetrators of unspeakable atrocities against fellow human beings. It is shocking to see how many of the people responsible for the gruesome deaths of millions justified their actions.

After hearing witnesses who often were tortured, mamed by sadistic doctors, and had their loved ones murdered, I can not grasp the fact that the majority of those on trial were released after serving minimal prison terms. Some of them are still among us, while millions of victims lie in their graves at the hands of an evil minority!

Stellar performances by an International cast. Most noteworthy are Montgomery Clift and Judy Garland as testifying victims, Maximilian Schell as Prosecutor (Oscar Winner), Marlene Dietrich as wife of a defendant, and an elderly Spencer Tracy, trying to make sense of it all.

Effective use of B&W photography, first rate sets and costumes, along with many other production values, make this a timeless Classic. Although considerd over-long by some, I recommend this film to be shown to high school classes as a reminder that these things happened in a not so distant past.*****

SCHELL, TRACY, GARLAND, LANCASTER, CLIFT & WIDMARK GREAT!
This is a superb film by Stanley Kramer with an unbelievably great cast at the height of their craft. Each of the legendary actors were at the top of their performances in the reinactment of the Judge's Trial at Nuremberg. The world was tired of the Nuremberg trials. This one was a mopping up operation. Against a backdrop of an escalating Cold War with the Soviet Union, the selling out of justice by prominent Nazi judges serving the Third Reich is put on trial. Spencer Tracey plays Judge Dan Haywood, a retired Maine circuit court judge brought out of mothballs to serve as the chief justice. Amazingly, the usual action actor Burt Lancaster plays the top Nazi judge who at first does not recognize the Nuremberg tribunal's authority to judge him. For some mysterious reason, critics over the years failed to acknowledge the tremendous acting job he did in convincingly carrying off what was perhaps this film's most dynamic character change. However, my personal favorite was Maximillian Schell whose quintessential Germanic Hans Rolfe, the defense attorney released the full range of this incredible actor's virtuosity. For this he deservedly won an Academy Award Oscar.

One thousand words are not enough to celebrate this timeless film: Judy Garland (in perhaps her last film role) delivers a heartbreaking middle aging Irene Hoffman, reliving her experiences of Nazi cruelty on the witness stand; once again. However, not very good was the young Canadian actor, William Shatner playing Army Captain Byers, the aide de camp to Judge Haywood (Tracy). [The Starship Enterprise didn't seem to improve Shatner's skills any.] Richard Widmark (the moody, hostile prosecutor) and Montgomery Clift [who begged for the role he was willing to play without pay!] were excellent. Clift plays a slightly retarded German laborer, sterilized by Nazi doctors because of his mental slowness. This is among the very best films made by Kramer in the decade of the 1960s. Amazingly, it was released one year after INHERIT THE WIND, another Tracy-Kramer classic!

MASTERPIECE
What happens when Stanley Kramer teams Tracy, Dietrich, Garland, Schell, Clift, Lancaster and Widmark in a drama based on the trials in pos-war Nuremberg??? It`s vintage Hollywood; still 1 IF not THE BEST about the horrors from World War II ..... The film should be in every school-library across the world

MASTERPIECE
What happens when Stanley Kraner teams Tracy, Dietrich, Garland, Schell, Clift, Lancaster and Widmark in a drama based on the trials in pos-war Nuremberg??? It`s vintage Hollywood; still 1 IF not THE BEST about the horrors from World War II ..... The film should be in every school-library across the world

Wooooooooow
Ok, you`ll get Garland, Dietrich, Clift, Tracy, Widmark & Schell - the production headed by Stanley Kramer.... the result is pure Hollywood vintage combined with horrors from the 2nd World War??? But indeed; it is a masterpiece.... It should be in every school-library all over the world:-) ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not Quite As Good As Cocoon
TOUGH GUYS is a movie about two aging train robbers who are released from prison after serving long terms. They have trouble adjusting to life on the outside and decide to once again try to rob a train. Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas have the starring roles as Harry Doyle and Archie Long. The supporting cast includes Charles Durning, Alexis Smith, Dana Carvey, Eli Wallach and Darlanne Fluegel.

The plot is predictable and unimaginative. The acting, however, is strong in spite of the weak material and the film is very enjoyable in spots.

Watch it if it comes on TNT.
This movie is hilarious because it is now 2004. I watched it the other day and really enjoyed. However, I would never buy it. If it comes on TV in the next ten years, I'll be content. I will say that the scene in the ice cream store is incredibly funny. That kid has some great lines.

ONE OF A KIND MOVIE
This movie is very unique. It is the only movie that I can think of that sticks two of the greats from the golden age of film into a modern day comedy. Just to sit and watch these two act in this type of genre is terrific. What happened to this style of acting?
All and all a brilliant comedy.
Would love to see a DvD release.

A triumph for the "geriatric set"
A cast of old pros (Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Alexis Smith, Charles Durning, and a flat-out hilarious Eli Wallach) shine in a comic tale of nonconformity and criminal "readjustment".

As recently released cons trying to adjust to freedom, Lancaster and Douglas are in fine form. One really has compassion for all the amusing stumbling blocks that they, like many "elders", must endure. Smith, as the love interest of Lancaster, displays a beauty and elegance that can only be acquired by age. She possesses a stunning smile and gaze. Durning, as the police detective that captured the duo thirty years earlier, is relentless in his quest to prove that these "old dogs" haven't changed their spots.

Wallach, as the other reviewer has stated, is memorable as a bespeckled hit man with an agenda.

This may not rank along with other Lancaster-Douglas pairings like "Seven Days in May" or "The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, but it does offer a last opportunity to see "originals" display their craft.

Reason Enuff to Stay on The Straight and Narrow....
...the way these two old cons are treated by the rest of society when they get out is criminal. Folks barking orders at you like you can't understand, the nursing home becomes more prison like than prison itself. And the new styles and fashion? Way too much lame (La-may). It's no wonder a pair of ol' tommygun criminals don't mind risking it all to take the train that they heisted years back again. After the thrill of seeing this pair of classic con actors reunited then the story is maintained by their delightful chemistry, the supporting cast--Eli Wallach, Dana Carvey and Charles Durning--and the fact that you start rooting for these thugs because you think, 'Hey, I ain't exactly a teenager, anymore, and what they're saying and doing makes a lot of sense.' It is an enjoyable flick in the vein of Grumpy Old Men. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Okay
Anna Magnani stars as a grieving and overwrought Italian widow in this movie based on the Tennessee Williams play. Magnani is truly great in the role, and she is only 1 of 4 foreign actresses to have ever won an Academy Award for a performance. I do give her credit there, but still, after an hour of almost nothing but her emoting and carrying on about the loss of her husband, it really gets to be almost too much of a good thing. Finally, when I was about to give up on the film, Burt Lancaster comes into the picture and things do pick up from there.

It's entertaining to see Lancaster play a goofy, stumbling, truck driver who's as lonely as Magnani and watch his bumbling attempts to bring her out of her shell. Eventually, he succeeds but not after she loses her Sicilian temper at him a couple of times and smacks him around like a nerfball despite the fact that all he did was stumble half-drunk and half-naked into her teenage daughter's bedroom in the middle of the night looking for Magnani and tries to snuggle up to her daughter by mistake in the dark. Oops. Despite this little misadventure and the beating he receives from Magnani, Lancaster is only briefly deterred by this. By sheer dogged persistance he manages to get back in Magnani's good graces by the end of the movie, and everything ends more or less on a happy note. Well, I guess that's Sicilian courtship for you.

The movie does have its moments, and I do give Hal Kantor credit for making a valiant attempt to adapt this Tennessee Williams play to the silver screen. But overall, it just doesn't make for a particularly strong movie, and I'm sure it was probably better as a play. It drags too often in places, and some of the scenes are really a little silly or overly melodramatic. Maybe I'm a cultural barbarian, but I thought it was more interesting watching Burt Lancaster playing a bumbling simpleton (which he does well) than Magnani's award-winning performance, which is just too maudlin. Okay, she's lost her husband, but on that account, she gets abusive or at least hyper-neurotic with her friends, her priest, her daughter, her daughter's boyfriend, and just about everybody else in her life, not to mention Lancaster, who really does seem to care for her, and who comes off as a basically decent, well-meaning, and fun-loving guy even though he is pretty goofy and wacked-out himself. And as I said, it's sort of entertaining watching Lancaster, who usually portrays more studly, leading-man roles, playing an inept, lonely, Sicilian banana-truck driver who spends much of his time stumbling half-drunk through people's backyards and bedrooms and getting their dogs (or Magnani herself) sicced on him. (I guess all those bananas aren't much comfort on those balmy and moonlit Florida nights). But I preferred his character to the high-strung, overwrought Magnani, who's wrapped tighter than a pig in a blanket.

The movie was filmed in old Florida Keys, so I give it points for overall ambience, but all in all I can't give it more than 2 or 3 stars--unless the move counts as a primer on Sicilian dating and courtship rituals.

Electrifying Magnani in her Oscar-winning Performance
I had been a fan of Anna Magnani's films long before first viewing "The Rose Tattoo". Always intrigued by this great actor, my expectations for this film were easily met. -- Magnani, a middle aged widow without means meets goodhearted Burt Lancaster, but feels she is betraying the memory of her late husband, whom she seems to worship even beyond his grave. Later the story reveals that this "gem" of a husband had been completely unfaithful and was not much to brag about. -- Adapted from the Tennessee Williams play, this material transfers nicely to the screen. If you are a fan of the two incredible leads, you will enjoy this movie! The absolute best Anna Magnani film in my opinion is "Bellissima", unfortunately not currently available at Amazon.

The Odd Couple
THE ROSE TATTOO is about an Italian widow (Anna Magnani) in the bayou country who grieves over the memory of her dead husband. She is courted by the village clown (Burt Lancaster) who tries to help her let go of her memories. The rose tattoo is significant because the deceased had one on his body.

Magnani is superb as the grieving Serafina Delle Rose. Lancaster manages to pull off his role as Alvaro Mongiacavallo mainly because of his enormous energy. However, it is difficult for me to take his impersonation of an idiosyncratic Italian American seriously.

The movie won Academy Awards in 1955 for Best Actress (Anna Magnani), Black and White Cinematography and Black and White Art Direction. Nominations were received for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Marisa Pavan), Black and White Costume Design and Editing and Scoring of a Dramatic Picture. The Oscar for Best Picture in that same year was given to MARTY.

THE ROSE TATTOO was adapted for the screen from a play by Tennessee Williams who served as the screenwriter for the film. It was shot on location in old Key West.

Magnifica!
Anna Magnani perfectly portrays Tennessee Williams "Serafina DellaRosa", the love lost heroine of his beautiful play.Her portrayal is completely touching and awe-inspiring. I recently shared this film with a very accomplished actor friend who had never seen it, and his reaction was "wow." This is one of my all-time favorite films, and I consider Magnani's performance, for which she rightfully won the Academy Award as best actress, to be one of the most beautiful ever filmed. She says more with her eyes then most actors could ever convey in a whole script.Filmed on location in old Key West, it is steeped in the sleepy, humid atmosphere of that wonderful place. Watch for the bar-fight scene, where Magnani walks in to confront her dead husbands mistress. You will spot the mustachioed Tennessee Williams at the bar. His long-time lover, Frank Merlo, to whom he dedicated the book version of this play, "To Frankie, In Return For Sicily", is also in the fight scene.You can still visit Tennessee's little house in Key West,though it is not on any tour nor open to the public, just ask the locals. You may see the little plaque "the Rose Tattoo", on the gate.If you haven't seen this film (or even if you have), sit on the floor with a glass of red wine & someone you love, and watch the beautiful Anna Magnani create magic from Tennessee Williams equally magical "love play to the world", as he called it.

The Rose Tattoo is molto bene!
Let me clear up first that my actual rating for this film is 4 and a half. Though this film is not THE best adaptation of a Tennessee Williams' play it is a very good and a very different one. It's about a grieving widow(Anna Magnani) who is woed by a boisterous truck driver(Burt Lancaster) who she says looks like her dead husband, only he's more wacky! The highlight of this film is the wonderful performance given by the great italian star Anna Magnani. Evidently she really impressed Hollywood because she was given the Academy Award for best actress for this film, something that rarely happens to a foreign actress and she was the first. The only other foreign actresses to recieve this honor have been Sophia Loren and Simone Signoret and Ingrid Bergman if you count her as a foreigner and many British actresses but i want to get back on subject. The first hour of the film belongs to Magnani and while she does manage to hold our interest it begins to feel a bit boring after one hour. But then finally Burt Lancaster shows up and he manages to lend her great support and their chemistry together is comically romantic.The movie is well done if a bit stagey at times but Anna and Burt help make us forgive that. The film is a great character driven movie and it's great to start with this film if you want to decide to start seeing Magnani's movies. ... Read more

Description

Burt Lancaster delivers one of the finest performances of his career as a hard-boiled major in command of a Vietnam outpost. A classic of wartime confrontation. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

pre vietnam drama
one of the better vietnam war movies out
burt lancaster is in fine form as a gritty veteran
who knows the in's and out's of politics
a young marc singer as his captain gives a great performance
the battle scenes, and american attitudes
make this war movie a slight better tan the rest of
the vietnam movies that followed

great war movie
i seen this movie at the theatre when it was 1st released
and vietnam war movies were trickling in.
burt lancaster and marc singer give stand out performances
as the american advisors.
the battle scenes, and american views of the people
of south vietnam, give this gritty war drama a boost of realism.
not sure where this was filmed, kinda looked liked a california
back lot....beat feet and see this movie..!

Viet Nam, the Early Years
Go Tell the Spartans is one of the best, albeit little known, movies about the Viet Nam war, which was overshadowed by Platoon, Hamburger Hill and Full Metal Jacket.

It takes place in the early years of the war, when a few Americans were in-country as advisors to the South Vietnamese government(s). Burt Lancaster does an outstanding job as a team commander, whose career is on a downward slide following some mischief in Washington. His job is to help hold the line from the early Viet Cong infiltrations and attacks in the South.

His support troops range from an educated draftee and a drugged out medic, to a young hotshot captain wanting to earn his CIB and a senior staff NCO who has been in combat a little too often.

The movie is a fine character study and, although movies are the last place to learn history, this one gives a pretty good view of how we got involved and the politics that was rampant in the South - a Viet Nam veteran's perspective.

The violence is minimal for a war movie. This one is definately character driven. See it. You won't regret it.

Vastly Overrated
I bought the title based on the Amazon reviews - but now I wonder if Amazon reviews are written by industry flacks or consumers who actually watched the film and lived through the period - Five stars is ridiculous for a B-movie that cannot decide whether it means to be a comedy or a tragedy - by straddling the line it manages to be neither. Worse, it is full of plot and character cliches derived from old westerns - the actors (apart from Lancaster and Wasson) flounder about without help of direction. The film is an expression of such cynical fatalism that it is painful to see it performed so uncompellingly. Admittedly the tone fits with the mood of the nation when the film was made - immediately after the 1975 US defeat - shame and disgust at the moral bankruptcy of a supine electorate indulgent of a monumental waste of treasure and blood by its hubristic leadership (Richard Nixon) - but this fact cheapens the film because it was decidely not made when it might have made a difference - before the defeat - to counter the jingo-ism of 'Green Berets' and the daily television propaganda of 'body counts.' It is not true to the period it purports to depict -- one of optimistic idealism at what America could do to defeat the march of communism toward the oil-rich Indonesian archipelago. The minimal production values are evident from the first cliched tap of snare drum and the whine of a deuce and a half truck - the landscape is utterly unconvincing - there isn't a tropical plant to be seen. The film is no way comparable to the great post-Vietman War films that were soon to follow: 'Apocalypse Now,' 'Taxidriver,' 'Platoon,' 'Born in the USA,' and finally the devastating 'Full Metal Jacket.' The production exactly resembles the television program MASH that became a hit AFTER the defeat and appears to have employed the same southern California back lot - nothing feels right for Vietnam - military protocols are wrong (corporals call sergeants 'Sir') suggesting that financing was so tight that the production lacked a military advisor - or else they were so anti-military that they didn't care to have one. The cliched approach to the enemy 'other' is as simplistic and predictable as an old western - Vietnamese soldiers and peasants are never heard to speak their own language properly - mime suffices except when a formal translation is depicted - the culture of the locals is non-existent - villagers are shown as a mute clutch of extras who are later proven without apparent exception to be as treacherous as Hollywood Apaches - the writing and direction are so lax that the film trudges sluggishly toward the climax with actors pretending to be soldiers standing around without any suitable business to do to avoid looking utterly awkward -- the VC enemy behave like cliched Indians suicidally charging the circled wagons - cheapening the drama of the climactic attack -- the impression is of a bad comedy with the American advisors shown as pathetic misfits more suitable for an adult 'Sergeant Bilko' -- a druggie medic named Abraham Lincoln, a burned out alcoholic sergeant who commits suicide just before the climax, a comically wan naif (Wasson), an absurd psych warfare officer (who resembles Phil Silvers), a deluded dysentery-ridden lieutenant who is perpetually running to the honey bucket, a corrupt SVA general with a patently fake French accent and a ridiculous moustache, a passed over US Army major (Lancaster) who limps about on a bum knee (why is never explained), a vicious SVA non-com, etc. Nobody wears a GI haircut - no one carries a backpack or an ammo satchel or lifts a canteen to his lips unless it's filled with bourbon - a tiny Bell chopper carries a pallet of supplies to the fortified post, etc. etc. What little military flavor exists derives entirely from the salty language of the major (Lancaster) and his obscene story -- practically no one else save for the sergeant in heard to speak a four letter word. As one would expect from the title everyone dies in the end save for the Ishmael figure (Wasson) -- the overall tone is fatalistic and defeatist which is in keeping with the moral exhaustion felt at the time of defeat ten years after the period depicted in the film. The sense of cynicism and defeat evident in the film's premise (i.e. - final defeat could have been predicted from the beginning) wouldn't be so bad except that history supports the view that the early US advisors were gung-ho and largely first-rate (see the film 'Best and the Brightest'). Ultimately 'Go Tell the Spartans' is more interesting as a piece of post-Vietnam sociology than as entertainment, tragedy, or history. One star is to help right the imbalance of the vastly overrated five stars given by blind and empty-headed viewers.
and

One of the best Vietnam movies ever!
In 480BCE 300 Spartan Hoplites held a pass for the better part of 3 days against a Persian force that may have numbered over 200,000 men. The Spartans were aided by around 7,000 coalition troops during the first 2 days. However, they were dismissed on the 3rd day. The Spartans, their Helots and the Thespians allies died to a last man. It was one of the most gallant stands in all of military history.

To this day there is an inscription on the funeral mound @ Thermopylae that serves as a memorial to their sacrifice. An English translation is as follows:

GO TELL THE SPARTANS, STRANGER PASSING BY
THAT HERE OBEDIENT TO THEIR LAWS WE LIE.

The title of this movie is an allusion to Thermopylae. However, the film itself is about the earliest days of Vietnam. It recounts a time not long after the fall of Dien Bien Pu; an epoch when the U.S. did not have a commitment of a significant number of troops. During the period covered in this movie all that we had over there were a handful of military advisors.

The film details an obscure event at a Vietnam village known as Muc Wa. Although the battle itself will not likely even find its way into the footnotes of history, it nevertheless serves as an excellent "premonition" of what was to come. It narrates how much the U.S. underestimated the fighting prowess and resolve of the Viet Cong. In fact, Muc Wa can be said to be a microcosm of how the entire Vietnam War went for the United States.

The cast of the film is fairly impressive. The lead is taken by Burt Lancaster who portrays a Major who is asked to do the impossible with almost no resources at all. A very young Marc Singer plays his XO. Craig Wasson (best known for his leading role in Brian Depalma's BODY DOUBLE) plays a shy young corporal.

This is a terrific Vietnam movie that encapsulates just about everything that went wrong for the U.S. in the ill-fated conflict. It's a must see for all who seek to learn and understand the facts of the early stages and how it all went downhill from there. ... Read more

Description

The adventures of an American sea captain stranded on Micronesia in the South Pacific, as he tries to become an entrepreneur. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A rousing old fashioned adventure movie
Lancaster gives a fine performance in this classic account of a soldier of fortune willing to risk his neck for profit, and yet, act with honor and courage.
Terrific support cast, excellent settings and the color is superb.
Plenty of action, nefarious German officals and a bevy of lovely dancing girls, some evil slave traders and some good fist fights to boot.
Well worth the price is you are looking to pump up your tape collection.
Go for it, you won't be disapointed
Mike

Burt in All His Glory!
If you like Burt Lancaster, you gotta love this movie. It's even strangely politically correct for its time. One of the themes boils down to not messing around with indigenous cultures to satisfy the White Man's greed. Meanwhile, if you want to dispense with the anti-exploitation morality, just enjoy the most virile male lead in Hollywood history spreading his testosterone around the Fiji islands. Every Burt Lancaster film has a memorable scene that marks his territory forever in your mind. In this movie its the scene where is challenged by the native chief and fights him for domination of the island. His Majesty O'Keefe is a flawed hero, but a real man, no question. He learns from his mistakes, such as ruining the native economy while trying to do them a favor. It does a satisfying job poking holes in the White Man's Burden myth and is rousing entertainment. This isn't a rampant swashbuckler like Crimson Pirate, but if you like that movie, you'll probably enjoy this one also. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This 1950s classic is based on the N. Richard Nash play of the same name (and not to be confused with the John Grisham novel and subsequent film). It's drought time in the Southwest; things are so bad that when a con man (Burt Lancaster) comes to town promising he can make rain, a rancher takes him up on it. But the rancher's spinster daughter (Katharine Hepburn) is skeptical--until Lancaster makes lightning strike her heart, with the unexpected consequence of the rainmaker falling in love with her. Lancaster is charismatic and funny and finds his match in Hepburn (with Earl Holliman providing comic relief as her impulsive younger brother). Think Harold Hill and Marian the Librarian on a farm, minus the music (though Rainmaker later was made into the Broadway musical 110 in the Shade). --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (8)

This one is Great!
I love this movie; it is one of my favorites.
Katherine Hepburn is wonderful as the 30-ish only daughter in a house too full of men.
Her father and brothers have almost driven poor Lizzie ( Hepburn's character)around the bend by fretting that she's never going to "catch a husband" and endlessly debating whether or not Lizzie is "plain."
Poor Lizzie is way ahead of her time, and balks at acting like an idiot in hopes of appealing to a man, although strangely she seems to have bought the notion that marriage=happiness.
Con man Starbuck( Burt Lancaster) soothes Lizzie's shredded ego and helps her to relax a little.
The conclusion is a little disappointing, although this does not diminish the movie's entertainment quality.
Just don't watch it during a drought.

Looking for Hope
Katherine Hepburn stars as Lizzie, a woman who is well on her way to being a spinster. Her father and two brothers are trying their best to get her married off before it's too late, but time is running out, and unfortunately, Hepburn is too serious and not "flirty" enough to be able to land a man. Into this situation walks Burt Lancaster, a con man who claims that for $100 he can end the drought that is another worry for them. Everyone knows it is a con, but much like the problem with Hepburn, they hold onto anything that might give them hope. Lancaster gives a florid performance as the charismatic huckster. Sometimes he's a little over-ripe, but he definitely leaves an impression. Hepburn never completely captures her character, although she does have some terrific moments. Earl Holliman as her rowdy younger brother scores big with this performance, offering some of the films most amusing bits. The Rainmaker was adapted from a stage play, and you can see its stage origins, where I suspect it probably comes across better. The film is good, although I wouldn't rate it as highly as many of the other films featuring these stars.

One of Katharine Hepburn's Oscar nominated Spinster roles
On a drought-plagued farm somewhere in the southwest, spinster Lizzy Curry (Katharine Hepburn) has finally given up on ever being married, although her family wants to make one last effort with File (Wendell Corey), the local lawman. Into their lives comes the fast talking con man Starbuck (Burt Lancaster), who promises that he can make it rain for $100. More importantly, he can see the con job that Lizzy has played on herself and before he rides out of town he will have redeemed not only the shy spinster but himself.

Katharine Hepburn was well into her period of playing spinsters by the time she made this 1956 film with Burt Lancaster. The idea of Hepburn and Lancaster making a film together is interesting since they had totally different approaches to the acting craft. Hepburn would have the entire script memorized before shooting began whereas Lancaster preferred to learn his lines the night before. This is one of those films where the Bryn Mawr accent of the leading actress works against the character, but then the whole idea of Hepburn playing a rube--with costumes by Edith Head no less--is a bit of a stretch to start. Lancaster really sinks his teeth into the role of the charming mountebank Starbuck. Cameron Prud'Homme, Earl Hollliman and Lloyd Bridges play Lizzy's worried father and brothers, and it is they who really give the film its sense of life out on the farm more than the sets and scenery.

Based on N. Richard Nash's play, the film was directed by Joseph Anthony, who had directed the stage version starring Geraldine Page (presumably an attempt to duplicate the success of Elia Kazan in moving from Broadway to Hollywood). The story is still produced by community theaters as the musical "110 in the Shade." Hepburn received her seventh Oscar nomination for Best Actress for "The Rainmaker" (the winner that year was Ingrid Bergman for "Anastasia"), but the role of Lizzy Curry is not one of best performances. Certainly Lizzy is becoming desperate, but Hepburn gives those scenes too much of an edge. In her earlier films this worked quite well, most notably in "Alice Adams," but in as a mature actress Hepburn was much more successful in underplaying the desperation of her spinster characters, as such did superbly the previous year in "Summertime." This may well be one of those regards in which it is simply difficult to separate the actress from the role. However, in her strongest scenes she certainly brings dignity to the frightened spinster, and in the end you understand why she would actually pick Wendell Corey over Burt Lancaster.

The Rainmaker
Excellent movie & story. Any fans of Lancaster & Hepburn will want this. If you loved Elmer Gantry, you'll love The Rainmaker.

A showcase of talent through and through!
You can't go wrong with this film. It has it all with stong supporting roles from EVERYONE, especially Earl Holliman and Lloyd Bridges. Every time I see Burt Lancaster it saddens me that he did not act in more movies, he is an absolute national treasure. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

the lighter side of Lancaster
Though the plot is silly and derivative of "Robin Hood", this film makes a great vehicle for Burt Lancaster, as Dardo "The Arrow", a man who is adored by children, loved by women, and lives in a forest with his band of freedom fighters. It isn't the type of film one usually associates with Lancaster, as he won his awards and fame with serious drama; in his mid-thirties at the time, with chiseled bone structure, an incandescent smile, and an enormous amount of hair, he did his own stunts, some which are astonishing acrobatic feats.

Dardo's sidekick is a mute named Piccolo, delightfully played by Nick Cravat, and the love interest is the lovely Virginia Mayo.
It has a rousing Max Steiner score, lavish sets, and beautiful Technicolor cinematography in golden shades of red and brown by Ernest Haller.
This was one of the first films I ever saw as a child, and it made an indelible impression on me; seeing it over 50 years later, it hasn't dimmed in its charm or exuberance. Total running time is 88 minutes.

Tongue and cheek
This movie is just plain fun! The lead actors do all therir own stunts- Also very witty dialoge!

Appreciate it for what it is
In the early '50's Burt Lancaster made a trio of movies, each a send up of a particulat genre. This is his send up of the Robin Hood movie. "The Crimson Pirate" is his unforgettable tribute to the Pirate movie. "Ten Tall Men" pays his respects to Foreign Legion Films. It is evident from the reviews that many or most viewers missed the fact that this film was meant to be "tongue in cheek". Back in those days, Lancaster was the "real McCoy" doing all his athletic stunts himself.

Excuse me, what movie were you watching?
In the one I saw, our noble hero captures the woman and keeps her chained by the neck to a tree while he lectures her about freedom, in one of the most repulsively sexist movies I have ever seen. It is mostly useful in showing people the really horrifying images that were routinely shown to children during the clean and conventional 1950s. Today we would call it bondage porn and keep it for really weird adults only.

the flame and the arrow
the best movie too see, i have seen it about 100 times it`s my favourite film ... Read more