Amazon.com

A sweet tempered urban love story, Crossing Delancey argues that true love may be in the first place you look. Amy Irving is a single Jewish woman working at an upscale bookstore on the Upper West Side of New York. As much as she longs to be a part of the intellectual literary scene, she is tethered to her roots on the Lower East Side, where her old-fashioned grandmother is forever trying to fix her up. Irving has her eye on a handsome brooding author, but her grandmother enlists the help of a local matchmaker to fix her up with Peter Riegert, a quiet Jewish man who runs a pickle stand in the neighborhood. Soon she must decide what it is she really wants out of life and what love really means to her. Though a very traditional love story, Crossing Delancey has its moments of soul searching drama and an unlikely romance. --Robert Lane ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Literate, Charming Romance!
This is the movie that "Moonstruck" WISHES it could have been! Amy Irving and Peter Reigert star in this literate, well written, wonderfully acted New York story in which Upper West Side sophistication meets Lower East Side tradition. Irving's "Izzy" lives in a world of books, editors, writers, and intellectuals, while Reigert's "Sam" owns a pickle stand in the heart of Lower Manhattans old world Jewish community, the East Side below Delancey Street. Sam and Izzy are brought together when Izzy's old fashioned Grandmother hires a matchmaker to find Izzy a suitable man to finally settle down with. Tradition clashes with modern life in New York when Sam enters Izzy's world and forces her to look at herself and those around her.

"A joke and a pickle...for only a nickle."
I hate to use the word "adorable", but, I must. This film is just adorable. The story of Izzy, the sophisticated, independent, N.Y. City career girl (wonderfully played by Amy Irving), and "Sam , The Pickle Man", (also wonderfully played by Paul Riegert), is a heartwarming, funny, sweet love story. Izzys "Bubby" hires a marriage broker, hysterically played by Sylvia Miles, to "match-up" her granddaughter, "Miss Fancy", who she perceives as living a lonely life.."A dog should live alone !" Izzy is involved in the literary world, and aspires to an intellectual, sophisticated life, only miles away, but a million miles away from the old -world kosher existance of her beloved Bubby. Reizl Bezyk ,who was a popular star in Yiddish theater, plays Bubby, and she is really the outstanding character in this movie. Her practical, no-nonsense approach to life & love, with a kind of "you're born, you eat, you love, you die" mentality, is in direct opposition to granddaughter Isabelles (Izzy). She speaks in "Bubby-isms", and she is hysterical, implying the world in just a look. Izzy immediatley rejects the arranged match-up with Riegerts "Sam", the pickle man, simply because she can't get past the pickles. She sees the pretentious Russian author, to whom she is associated in her job at an old book store, as being more complementary to her. He is a cad who woos her with quotes from Confucious, and he can offer her the prestige and entree into the world of intelligensia that she aspires to be in. The ensuing conflict, between the world she hopes for, and the opportunity that's right in front of her... that she won't see, is very touching and funny. This is just a great little love story about sometimes finding what you're looking for in the most un-likely package, and not letting your pre-conceived expectations get in the way. It is beautifully filmed around wonderful Manhattan locations, and the soundtrack by "The Roches" perfectly complements the story as it happens. A terrific little "feel-good" movie... and you're gonna love that "Bubby."

Searching & Finding Meaning in the Middle of Romance
"Crossing Delancey" is presumed at first a romance, and it is. Deeper than the romance is a search for meaning. This two-level movie is funny with an undercurrent of a genuine plot stronger than the usual romantic comedy.

Part of the ego-driven, superficial but pretentious New York literary scene, Isabelle Grossman brings together writers and other literati for soirees feting the personalities behind the books.

Isabelle, or Izzy, herself is not a writer, but feels she is important because of the names and numbers in her Rolodex. She works hard and late, only to go home to an empty apartment. Her only love is accommodating the occasional lonely nights of a friend who fights with his wife. She tolerates his affections in what amounts to be no more than a recurring one-night stand.

Although Izzy's emptiness surrounds her, she never notices it, not even when her grandmother has a matchmaker attempt setting her up with Sam, a neighbor bachelor. Unfortunately for Sam, her intentions are set on Anton, a dashing, but caddish author whose books are bestsellers. He only wants her to appease his desires, and has no love for her, but she is blind to his true intentions. She curtly rejects another date with Sam.

With a single romantic signal, Pickleman Sam, the man she pushed away in a matchmaking dinner now effectively woos her heart into confusion. He had noticed her years ago and now happily accepted the chance to be introduced by the matchmaker. When he tells her this, a spark is lit. He isn't the suave author she begs for, and his lifestyle is more simple than those whose books are reviewed in the New York Times. She fumbles opportunity after opportunity to connect with Sam, but he is patient.

Anton makes advances that are alluring to Izzy as her heart tries to reconcile her fondness for Sam. This conflict causes Izzy to ask the important questions about integrity, meaning and happiness.

With the light, but poignant backdrop of her Jewish family and friends, this romance makes statements both serious and comedic. Outside of the periodic stereotyping of Jewish grandmothers, it works.

I fully recommend "Crossing Delancey."

Anthony Trendl

This Movie Needs to be out in DVD!
I saw Crossing Delancey when it first came out, 16 years ago. It is a wonderful story about New York, family, and learning that the person who, at first glance, doesn't fit into your world turns out to be perfect after all. I have recommended this movie over the years to everyone I know. The videotapes are getting scarce and I don't understand why it's never come out on DVD!

The charm of the pickle seller
This urban love story stars Amy Irving as a single Jewish woman who is balanced between two worlds: the literary life of the Upper West Side in Manhattan where she works in an upscale bookstore and the ethnic hotbed of the Lower East Side where her yenta of a grandmother is forever trying to arrange a marriage "with a nice Jewish boy."
Granny wants to fix her up with a quiet guy who runs a neighbornood pickle stand - and Amy's not having any of it. I mean, a PICKLE SELLER?? Come on, Granny!

But watch what happens...
A traditional romance, lovingly told. Enjoy it. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Barbra Streisand made her directorial debut with this 1983 adaptation of the Isaac Bashevis Singer story about a young Eastern European woman (Streisand) who disguises herself as a male at the turn of the century in order to get an education. Except for an excessive musical score with too many songs and Streisand's tiresome tendency to play characters who suppress their beauty, the film is crisp and engaging, and the gender-bending love story complications are fun, if gimmicky. Streisand gives a smart, vulnerable performance and gets fresh work from costars Mandy Patinkin and Amy Irving.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (56)

A Triumph for the Director, Not the Actress
When "Yentl" was first released it proved to be neither the I-told-you-so triumph producer-director-star Barbra Streisand hoped, nor the total failure nay-sayers gleefully predicted. In years since, "Yentl" has become the punchline for many jokes (men who were dragged to see this with their wives or girlfriends can't seem to say enough nasty things about it), but most of those jokes aren't warranted.

As a director, Streisand has much to be proud of. She gets stellar performances from co-stars Mandy Patinkin and Amy Irving (Streisand has proven herself to be an actor's director), the photography is lush and she makes the non-commercial story quite compelling. The movie's main weakness, though, is Streisand's work in front of the camera. Being miscast is nothing new for the star of "Hello, Dolly!" and "A Star is Born," but usually she's buoyed by her star power. In "Yentl," that star power is a detriment. This is a movie that needed an actress, not a star.

However, not many film actresses have Streisand's voice, and this is a musical, after all. The songs in "Yentl" (all sung by Streisand; fellow singer Patinkin doesn't even hum along) function as internal monologues, and as such they work fine in the context of the movie. But this is no "Funny Girl"--despite a finale that looks very similar to that movie's "Don't Rain on My Parade" sequence. There are few tunes that'll be stuck in your head by the final credits. Turning "Yentl" into a musical seemed more of a concession to the studio, anyway.

Despite its shortcomings, and despite what all those snarky husbands and boyfriends say about it, "Yentl" proved Streisand's formidable talents aren't just limited to singing and acting.

Why isn't this on DVD!
I just adore this movie. Great acting, sweet story, lots of culture and absolutely fabulous music... I listen to the soundtrack all the time.

Barbara Streisand is perfect at playing an intelligent, yet vulnerable woman in a time and place in which women were supposed to be illiterate and considered to be silly. Her father was a more forward-thinking man in a culture that considered teaching a woman to read something perverse and criminal. When her father dies,she loses everything... women can't read, own property or make decisions concerning the course of her life.

She decides that her persuit of knowledge of the holy scriptures is too important to let the opportunity slip through her fingers, so she cuts her hair and lives life as a male Rabbinical student. Life takes a twist she doesn't expect when she falls for her classmate and subsequently is forced to marry a young girl.

There are a lot of laughing-out-loud moments, but this is mostly just an extremely sweet story of love, sacrifice, tradition and freedom. It's definitely a feel-good movie that will put a lump in your throat. I highly recommend this film.

Poor Quality Copy
The VHS desperately needs remastering. If people want to see Babs dressed up like a man, then we need to get this released on DVD.
I know I can't wait!!!

LESS WOULD OF BEEN MORE
I love Barbra. I saw her final Concert in Los Angeles so I am a fan! I like this movie! HOWEVER I did not Love it! I think this movie is TOO LONG! Since this is Streisand's baby you can see every frame was a labor of love! If you want to see a great Streisand movie get "Funny Girl" However Barbra if your reading I would trust you would do a great job of acting and directing in the muscial adaption of Sunset Boulevard! You are the greatest star of them all!

There are moments you remember all your life...
... and seeing Yentl certainly was such a moment. The movie had a profound impact on my life when I was a girl of 14. More than 10 years later, it has not lost any of its message. "Revisiting" Yentl from time to time has helped me choose the path I really want to go. Some of my dreams have come true, but there is more to come, I am sure. It also gives me courage to do what I need to, like Yentl, and like Mrs. Streisand whose work as female director was groundbreaking at the time. Chapeau! ... Read more

Description

Walt Disney Pictures' TUCK EVERLASTING, a timeless and enchanting adventure about one girl's magical summer, will captivate audiences of any age. Young Winnie Foster, stifled by the formality of her proper life and domineering mother, escapes into the woods only to get lost. Soon she happens upon Jesse Tuck -- a boy full of life and adventure who's unlike anyone she's ever met -- and falls in love.The Tucks, a kind and generous family, have a powerful secret -- a spring that holds the magic of everlasting life. And now Winnie must choose to live life as she knows it or drink from the spring. It's a life-affirming adventure that will cast its irresistible spell over you again and again. ... Read more

Reviews (90)

"Captivating Tale of Love, Immortality, and Choices We Make"
Even though I teach middle school, I had not read this book. My students mentioned it often however, and as an instructor of Greek mythology, I became curious about the story when I learned its basic premise was immortality. (I have been told that there was much less a love interest between the teenagers in the book, however this emendation certainly lends a magical spark to the timeless story.) Upon seeing the movie, I can recommend it not only for its excellent treatment of this subject, but also as a film the whole family can enjoy and discuss afterward.

In brief, this is the story of those (the family Tuck) who would seek to live forever. Unlike the mythological Tithonius however, who was granted everlasting life without eternal youth, the Tuck family becomes immortal from the moment they drink of the mystical pool at the foot of an ancient tree--a tree that will lend a poignant and touching climax to the end of the film.

Suffice it to say, the acting is wonderful. High profile heavyweights such as Ben Kingsley, Sissy Spacek and William Hurt give predictable sterling performances. Victor Garber (Alias; Annie) is also excellent as the wealthy father. But Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls) as Winnie Foster is simply disarming. She is convincing and superb in her effort to balance her desire for love in a life outside of time, with her responsibility to live the life intended for her. The talent of the cast, as well as the curiosity of the storyline makes for few dull moments, and the conclusion left me with one wet Kleenex!

This is a beautiful film--from the scenery, to the music, to the performances, to the plot. Yes, it might be simplistic and predictable, but it would take a crusty old grinch to say that this ninety minutes wasn't thoroughly delightful, and time well spent.

In the end, the age-old questions remain--is immortality all we would dream it to be? Is it quantity, or quality of life that is important? Does living forever make one unique and privileged, or does it (as Tuck would say) make one merely a rock stuck in a mud bank beside a flowing stream? And where does love fit into this equation? Is being given the love of your life, or loving the life you're given the more appropriate choice? The answer is found in Winnie's final decision on whether or not to drink from the eternal pool--a decision I could not have made.

Much better than the Country Bears!
About 2 to 5 weeks ago, I was watched the Country Bears, and found it a bad film by Disney, and now they have made it up, they made and came with this movie called "Tuck Everlasting". Which is about a girl that meets teenageer that is 104, and I must say that for being 104, that Jessie Tuck looks better good for his age. The girl is 15 years old and her name is Winfred. The Tucks are immortal, becuase they have discorved a a pond, that makes them living forever, even if they fall, and don't get hurt, or shot but not get hit. As the movie opens, Winfred "Winnie" Foster (Alexis Bledel) has met a stranger in a yellow suit, who is looking for the Tucks. Her parents decide to send her to a school that would manners. She doesn't want to go and runs away from home, and his lost in the woods and she runs into Jessie Tuck (Jonathan Jackson), who tells her to get out of the woods and to go home. But she runs, and runs into Jessie's grumpy brother Miles (Scott Barrstow), who takes her to his mom (Sissy Spaey). Who tells Miles to get his father (William Hurt) from fishing, because "he'll" not what to do with Winnie. I would reccomend this movie to you on dvd, if you love movies in "letter-box" fromat, and if you don't, then you will have to settle for the video tape edition, but a word of warning, if you get this on dvd, there are trailers for other movies like George of the Jungle 2 and Inceptor Gadge 2.

Love this movie
I love this movie! it is a great film...maybe better then the book. i cried for hours after i watched this movie (which is a good thing) if you like sad movies you'll love this!!!

Tuck Everlasting
Tuck Everlasting sure is everlasting.The movie isn't completely terrible.It really explores life and death but it takes to long.The whole time I kind of felt bored.The plot is good but I don't think it or the book it was adapted from are all that great.Maybe this just isn't my kind of film but it just took forever to get to the climax and it was only 90 minutes.The acting definetly isn't Oscar winning; the only great performance was by Sissy Spacek.The dialogue is of course compatible to this kind of movie but I still didn't really like it.It was a little better than I thought it would be, though.If you are interested in living forever or dealing with death or your just a kid you may like it more than the rest of us out there.To add to everything else I didn't really like the time setting.Check this one out if you want to be bored.Young Winnie Foster, stifled by the formality of her proper life and domineering mother, escapes into the woods only to get lost.Soon she happens upon Jesse Tuck- a boy full of life and adventure who's unlike anyone she's ever met- and falls in love.The Tucks, a kind and genorous family, have a powerful secret- a spring that holds the magic of everlasting life.And now Winnie must choose to live life as she knows it or drink from the spring.

"Like the Tuck family themselves, this movie just goes on and on and on and on"
-- Larry Carroll, COUNTINGDOWN.COM

the story is a bit thin but some scenes are simply powerful
It was not as great a story or character development as I could have hoped for, but overall I was not dissapointed. The scenery was beautiful, the 2 main characters also were beautiful and they had some powerful scenes between them.

The scene of him helping her in the water because she cannot swim is one of the most romantic and touching few minutes of film I have ever seen. ... Read more

Description

A country and western singer jeopardizes his marriage and his career when he has an affair with the young daughter of his longtime musical sidekick. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

What's Not to Like?
One of the feel-good movies of the 80s, "Honeysuckle Rose" wears well. Willie Nelson plays Buck Bonham, a country superstar (surprise!) who's about to go out on tour when he loses a key member of the band. No problem. Buck's loyal, loving wife (Dyan Cannon), herself a former superstar and now Buck's business manager, books the young, attractive, and professionally untried daughter of a longtime family friend (Slim Pickens) to temporarily join the tour until a seasoned replacement can be found. It turns out the girl (Amy Irving, young, sexy, and beautiful) can really belt out a tune. And that's not all.

Before you can say "broken heart," Buck and the girl are in bed together, and their mutual passion is there for all to see as they sing together on stage (by the way, Irving has one heck of a voice, and her duets with Nelson are sweet and lovely). How long will it take for the Missus to find out?

Despite the open disapproval of his band members and country friends such as Amy Harris (who has a couple of solos as well), Buck continues the dangerous affair--until somebody tips off his wife and she appears unexpectedly at one of the concert venues. There ensues a great deal of melodrama, most of it played out in song, like the classic "You Were Always On My Mind." Unfortunately, Cannon, who is supposed to be a country great in this movie, sings as well, and her flat, untrained and grating voice is just awful.

The plot sidesteps into a silly trip to Mexico with Slim Pickens, the outraged father and friend, during which Bonham comes to his senses. All works out just fine in the end, and the viewer ends up smiling, humming country songs, and rewinding the tape to start it up all over again.

"Honeysuckle Rose" a totally entertaining film.
Honeysuckle Rose once again proves that a great singer, Willie Nelson, can be, and usually is, a more than competent actor. Buoyed up with outstanding performances by Dyan Cannon, Amy Irving and Slim Pickens, Willie more than holds his own in this totally entertaining and music- filled portrayal of life on the road as a country musician. Most of Willie's million-seller hits are included along the way. It is a realistic and satisfying account of journeymen musician's lives, including the creative energy they must generate to be a success and the foibles they often display enroute. Don't miss it.

A true-to-life image of music on the road
While it certainly does not hurt to be a Willie Nelson fan to enjoy this movie, anybody (whether into rock, country, folk, etc...) wanting to see a humerous and serious true-to-life movie about playing music on the road should see this. The acting is great and the plot and content is superb.

Classic, true outlaw-country road movie
Willie nelson plays Buck Bonham, a country singer based on his own person. The movie makes you relive the time Willie Nelson was at one of his peaks. Great music, and although the storieline is a little weak, the settings and music make up for it a 100 percent. It's the only movie I know of that can be watched hundreds of times without getting boring. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Treasure of Childhood
Musicaly fairy tales. What more could a kid ask for. One of the classic and coveted Cannon Movie Tales series, although admitedly not one of their best (The Frog Prince and Sleeping Beauty are arguably better), still a member of something amazing. A bit of a twist on the old tale that succedes in bringing the characters to life, as many revisions of fairy tales often try but fall short of doing. Throw in a dash of sweet, catchy tunes that kids likely will be humming in those small quiet moments, even 10 years from now, when they've techinically "outgrown" childhood loves. As a child this movie was one of my most treasured possesion, and still holds a deep and beautiful place in my heart. For a 5-12 year old kid, especially one that likes fairy tales, this is an unmissable, everlasting treasure. Better even than the fairie tale theatre creations. I mean it.

A great movie - IT OUGHT TO BE RE-RELEASED!!!!!!
I loved this movie since I was a kid. It took me, if you can believe it, 5 years to track down a copy, and even now it's not available from where I found it. Amy Irving is delightful and, surprisingly, can sing very well. Clive Revill is a riot as the king and for once the prince really is charming. The script has taken quite a few liberties with the story, but it's so cute I really didn't care-- Anyway, this was my favorite movie when I was a kid and I still love watching it. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

What's Not to Like?
One of the feel-good movies of the 80s, "Honeysuckle Rose" wears well. Willie Nelson plays Buck Bonham, a country superstar (surprise!) who's about to go out on tour when he loses a key member of the band. No problem. Buck's loyal, loving wife (Dyan Cannon), herself a former superstar and now Buck's business manager, books the young, attractive, and professionally untried daughter of a longtime family friend (Slim Pickens) to temporarily join the tour until a seasoned replacement can be found. It turns out the girl (Amy Irving, young, sexy, and beautiful) can really belt out a tune. And that's not all.

Before you can say "broken heart," Buck and the girl are in bed together, and their mutual passion is there for all to see as they sing together on stage (by the way, Irving has one heck of a voice, and her duets with Nelson are sweet and lovely). How long will it take for the Missus to find out?

Despite the open disapproval of his band members and country friends such as Amy Harris (who has a couple of solos as well), Buck continues the dangerous affair--until somebody tips off his wife and she appears unexpectedly at one of the concert venues. There ensues a great deal of melodrama, most of it played out in song, like the classic "You Were Always On My Mind." Unfortunately, Cannon, who is supposed to be a country great in this movie, sings as well, and her flat, untrained and grating voice is just awful.

The plot sidesteps into a silly trip to Mexico with Slim Pickens, the outraged father and friend, during which Bonham comes to his senses. All works out just fine in the end, and the viewer ends up smiling, humming country songs, and rewinding the tape to start it up all over again.

"Honeysuckle Rose" a totally entertaining film.
Honeysuckle Rose once again proves that a great singer, Willie Nelson, can be, and usually is, a more than competent actor. Buoyed up with outstanding performances by Dyan Cannon, Amy Irving and Slim Pickens, Willie more than holds his own in this totally entertaining and music- filled portrayal of life on the road as a country musician. Most of Willie's million-seller hits are included along the way. It is a realistic and satisfying account of journeymen musician's lives, including the creative energy they must generate to be a success and the foibles they often display enroute. Don't miss it.

A true-to-life image of music on the road
While it certainly does not hurt to be a Willie Nelson fan to enjoy this movie, anybody (whether into rock, country, folk, etc...) wanting to see a humerous and serious true-to-life movie about playing music on the road should see this. The acting is great and the plot and content is superb.

Classic, true outlaw-country road movie
Willie nelson plays Buck Bonham, a country singer based on his own person. The movie makes you relive the time Willie Nelson was at one of his peaks. Great music, and although the storieline is a little weak, the settings and music make up for it a 100 percent. It's the only movie I know of that can be watched hundreds of times without getting boring. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Literate, Charming Romance!
This is the movie that "Moonstruck" WISHES it could have been! Amy Irving and Peter Reigert star in this literate, well written, wonderfully acted New York story in which Upper West Side sophistication meets Lower East Side tradition. Irving's "Izzy" lives in a world of books, editors, writers, and intellectuals, while Reigert's "Sam" owns a pickle stand in the heart of Lower Manhattans old world Jewish community, the East Side below Delancey Street. Sam and Izzy are brought together when Izzy's old fashioned Grandmother hires a matchmaker to find Izzy a suitable man to finally settle down with. Tradition clashes with modern life in New York when Sam enters Izzy's world and forces her to look at herself and those around her.

"A joke and a pickle...for only a nickle."
I hate to use the word "adorable", but, I must. This film is just adorable. The story of Izzy, the sophisticated, independent, N.Y. City career girl (wonderfully played by Amy Irving), and "Sam , The Pickle Man", (also wonderfully played by Paul Riegert), is a heartwarming, funny, sweet love story. Izzys "Bubby" hires a marriage broker, hysterically played by Sylvia Miles, to "match-up" her granddaughter, "Miss Fancy", who she perceives as living a lonely life.."A dog should live alone !" Izzy is involved in the literary world, and aspires to an intellectual, sophisticated life, only miles away, but a million miles away from the old -world kosher existance of her beloved Bubby. Reizl Bezyk ,who was a popular star in Yiddish theater, plays Bubby, and she is really the outstanding character in this movie. Her practical, no-nonsense approach to life & love, with a kind of "you're born, you eat, you love, you die" mentality, is in direct opposition to granddaughter Isabelles (Izzy). She speaks in "Bubby-isms", and she is hysterical, implying the world in just a look. Izzy immediatley rejects the arranged match-up with Riegerts "Sam", the pickle man, simply because she can't get past the pickles. She sees the pretentious Russian author, to whom she is associated in her job at an old book store, as being more complementary to her. He is a cad who woos her with quotes from Confucious, and he can offer her the prestige and entree into the world of intelligensia that she aspires to be in. The ensuing conflict, between the world she hopes for, and the opportunity that's right in front of her... that she won't see, is very touching and funny. This is just a great little love story about sometimes finding what you're looking for in the most un-likely package, and not letting your pre-conceived expectations get in the way. It is beautifully filmed around wonderful Manhattan locations, and the soundtrack by "The Roches" perfectly complements the story as it happens. A terrific little "feel-good" movie... and you're gonna love that "Bubby."

Searching & Finding Meaning in the Middle of Romance
"Crossing Delancey" is presumed at first a romance, and it is. Deeper than the romance is a search for meaning. This two-level movie is funny with an undercurrent of a genuine plot stronger than the usual romantic comedy.

Part of the ego-driven, superficial but pretentious New York literary scene, Isabelle Grossman brings together writers and other literati for soirees feting the personalities behind the books.

Isabelle, or Izzy, herself is not a writer, but feels she is important because of the names and numbers in her Rolodex. She works hard and late, only to go home to an empty apartment. Her only love is accommodating the occasional lonely nights of a friend who fights with his wife. She tolerates his affections in what amounts to be no more than a recurring one-night stand.

Although Izzy's emptiness surrounds her, she never notices it, not even when her grandmother has a matchmaker attempt setting her up with Sam, a neighbor bachelor. Unfortunately for Sam, her intentions are set on Anton, a dashing, but caddish author whose books are bestsellers. He only wants her to appease his desires, and has no love for her, but she is blind to his true intentions. She curtly rejects another date with Sam.

With a single romantic signal, Pickleman Sam, the man she pushed away in a matchmaking dinner now effectively woos her heart into confusion. He had noticed her years ago and now happily accepted the chance to be introduced by the matchmaker. When he tells her this, a spark is lit. He isn't the suave author she begs for, and his lifestyle is more simple than those whose books are reviewed in the New York Times. She fumbles opportunity after opportunity to connect with Sam, but he is patient.

Anton makes advances that are alluring to Izzy as her heart tries to reconcile her fondness for Sam. This conflict causes Izzy to ask the important questions about integrity, meaning and happiness.

With the light, but poignant backdrop of her Jewish family and friends, this romance makes statements both serious and comedic. Outside of the periodic stereotyping of Jewish grandmothers, it works.

I fully recommend "Crossing Delancey."

Anthony Trendl

This Movie Needs to be out in DVD!
I saw Crossing Delancey when it first came out, 16 years ago. It is a wonderful story about New York, family, and learning that the person who, at first glance, doesn't fit into your world turns out to be perfect after all. I have recommended this movie over the years to everyone I know. The videotapes are getting scarce and I don't understand why it's never come out on DVD!

The charm of the pickle seller
This urban love story stars Amy Irving as a single Jewish woman who is balanced between two worlds: the literary life of the Upper West Side in Manhattan where she works in an upscale bookstore and the ethnic hotbed of the Lower East Side where her yenta of a grandmother is forever trying to arrange a marriage "with a nice Jewish boy."
Granny wants to fix her up with a quiet guy who runs a neighbornood pickle stand - and Amy's not having any of it. I mean, a PICKLE SELLER?? Come on, Granny!

But watch what happens...
A traditional romance, lovingly told. Enjoy it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When you are in the mood for a pleasant little romance, this should fit the bill. Amy Irving and Richard Dreyfuss are young pianists vying for the same prize. Surprise, surprise, they fall in love. We then must wait, with (nearly) breathless anticipation, to see if she will throw the contest to ensure his love. It is all a bit starry-eyed, but not overly gooey. The concert footage is handled with class, and there are some fine supporting performances from Sam Wanamaker and Lee Remick. It is also a lot of fun to see Dreyfuss and Irving as such fresh-faced innocents. --Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Watch this with someone you love !
Gosh, there were so many good movies from the 1970's & 1980's. The Competition is definately one of them. People who enjoy classical music with a good star cast will really enjoy this flic. The story is simple enough. Richard Dreyfus & Amy Irving are young pianists who fall in love while vying for the prize of a major competition.For the finale, Dreyfuss chooses Beethoven's piano concerto no.5, while Amy chooses the more complex Prokofiev's piano concerto no.3. Though Amy Irving is more smitten by Dreyfuss's charm, he's a bit reluctant to get involved due to the competition which both parties want to win desperately. Lee Remick is apt as the watchful teacher over Amy Irving. Sam Wanamaker who's also a popular director himself is excellent as the conductor of the competition. Popular 70's music director Lalo Schifrin is the movie's music composer & Joel Oliansky takes the honors for story, screenplay & direction.

The love/ hate movie
I gotta tell you, my sister and I both love Dreyfuss and Irving and Lee Remick. The best part of this movie is the piano competition. The actors were beliveable in their "playing" the piano. Eveything thing else stunk in this movie. It is a guilty pleasure movie. This is possibly the worst acting from an entire cast in a single movie. Lee Remick walks around in robotic motion and needs a beat down for the insults. Dreyfuss' parents should have thrown him out from the basement years ago for over-acting more than usual. Sam Wanamaker and his sweater on the shoulders, joint smoking, getting his mack on to weird music was just what we needed to push us over the edge into uncontrollable laughter. I rent this movie when I need a good laugh and it suits the bill. I am sure that wasn't the intention when it was made. Did I mention about Dreyfuss crying after having sex and that silly cap? Now I need to watch the movie again!

one of my favorite movies for almost 25 years
I just bought this video to share with my daughter who is a high school musician beginning to seriously compete. I saw it in 1980 when it was released, eight years before she was born, and it has remained in my memory as one of my all-time favorites. I just finished watching it for the first time in 20 years or so. The entire movie looks very late-70s, and Richard Dreyfuss really needs to lose that silly-looking cap, but the power of the music and the message is completely intact. The scene in which Amy Irving performs her concerto is absolutely delicious and riveting. Richard Dreyfuss overacts as usual, but his realization as he listens to her performance backstage that she is, as he puts it, "brilliant," is in itself brilliantly communicated without words. Lee Remick's character provides a kind of narrative frame for Dreyfuss' and Irving's romance, and lends the movie some much-needed zing to balance all that sweetness. As does the delightful Sam Wanamaker, who plays a Leonard Bernstein-type (quite accurate except that Sam's character likes girls). And the music is just extraordinary. Although The Competition is entertaining as a love story, this is most especially a movie for musicians to savor. When I was a music major in college it was those few who were "driven" to create music and felt they had no other choice who were the tortured souls. They reached amazing emotional peaks with their music, but often struggled with despair as well. The rest of us just enjoyed ourselves. The variety of personalities portrayed in this movie is very accurate.

Great Movie!! But when a DVD????
A fun, romatic movie with usual settings and unusual confrontations. It NEEDS a DVD release!!!!!

Art
The Competition is true to the pianist world. It captures the self-annihilating desire to play well, the desperation of it. The fierce competition with everyone else and with yourself. It's a movie without jokes, it's not entertainment, but movie making at its best. When you make a movie...or write a book...or draw a picture without thinking of your audience. When you do it because it's inside you and you want to give it expression.

And the people are lovely. Is it just because it was made in 1980 that the absense of media seems so strong? They're just lovely people with personality. Even the Piano Teacher, who's slightly stereotypical, isn't made into a joke. You feel her contained ambition. That is, if you're a pianist. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

So What If It's Not the Real Rio De Janeiro?
Maybe it's not the "real" Rio, but it's certainly the one tourists with American dollars are interested in, and so that works for me! I thought this was a good film. It reminded me of the Stanley Donen film, "Charade" with Antonio Fagundes a Brazilian Cary Grant, and while Amy is no Audrey, their chemistry was superb. The young soccer star's character was hilarious. Cinematography is vibrant, like that in the movie "Frida". The music is out-of-this-world. The whole thing is like a delicious meal with yellow corn tortillas, red tomatoes green chilies on a blue stoneware plate: visually and physically satisfying. Closed captioning doesn't get in the way for a change; in fact, there are passages where CC and subtitling work together well, because the languages interchange frequently. Students of Portuguese like me who are not used to hearing the spoken language will learn a lot from this movie.

A major annoyance: during the audio commentary by husband and wife Amy Irving and Bruno Barreto, the movie's audio track goes out of sync with the video track. This irritated me a lot, and this quality glitch loses it a star. The main movie track was fine.

Look for young Max Spielberg and his brother Gabriel Barreto for a cameo. In the meantime, I'm going to see if Amazon.com has this soundtrack!

The Charm and Beauty of Rio and Bossa
"Bossa Nova" is the perfect marriage between American and Brazilian culture!
As a Brazilian and a Carioca ( a native of Rio ) , I was very pleased to see my hometown in this film portrayed in all its natural beauty and charm - and with the marvellous, sensual and relaxing music of Tom Jobim in the background!
The movie itself is light and funny; the photography is splendid and the characters are so typical of Brazilian culture and reality ! - (the ignorant soccer player celebrity , the elegant, worldly Ipanema woman..., the middle class romantic/naive internet girl...., the charming , successful lawyer... - and the English teacher!
(As an English teacher myself living in this city , I can assure you I run into such people in my classes and social outings quite often ! )

One of the most romantic scenes is the one in the classroom where Fagundes imagines himself dancing a Broadway show with his English teacher , Amy.
And at the very last one, when the romantic couple goes swimming in Ipanema Beach, the background music ( a Bossa Nova "classic" )- "It could only happen to you" sung both in English and Portuguese is the perfect combination of the two cultures and the romance between the main characters. It makes one feel free, happy and romantic - just like Bossa Nova itself!

Rio As It Should Be
I was an English teacher in Brazil so this film resonated with me-how I wish I could have afforded a large apartment in Arpoador!

The film is a classic romantic comedy in the American style, which is the only quibble I had with it. It seemed to me that they were explicitly trying to appeal to the American market and that left me feeling that there was something dishonest at the core of the film.

Nevertheless, taken on its own terms it is very pleasant with characters one can easily identify with. Its view of Rio, as a city reminiscent of Honolulu, is laugh-inducing to anyone who has lived there but still serves the film well. When the soccer player left his brand new expensive sports car in the street, without a brigade of bodyguards to watch over it, I gasped involuntarily but soon got over it.

I sound critical of Rio but really I loved it and this film evokes the best of it without getting bogged down in irrelavant social commentary.

A different kind of Brazilian movie
When I was younger, I used to wonder: how come Brazilian soap operas are so popular and Brazilian movies are considered poor? Even the so-called "good" Brazilian movies weren't appealing enough to Brazilian audiences. The answer may be that "good" Brazilian movies usually favor the background over the plot. They try to find a style of their own by making prominent use of elements of Brazilian culture, but the plot itself becomes secondary and, more often than not, boring.

That's where "Bossa Nova" succeeds: it is a simple, lightweight romantic comedy that would not be out of place in Brazilian television. The success of this movie in Brazil far exceeded everyone's expectations. Instead of blatantly displaying Brazilian landscapes and typical characters, director Bruno Barreto simply used the beauty of Rio de Janeiro as a backdrop for a story that could have happened anywhere. And yet, the magic of Rio permeates this movie in a soothing, insidious way. As Bruno says in the commentary track, he chose to portray Rio as he wished the city still were, with no violence and poverty. Interestingly, not only does Bruno speak English through the whole commentary (since he's talking to his wife Amy Irving), but he even says his own name with an American accent! Talk about fully absorbing a foreign culture!

In a word, this is the kind of Brazilian movie I used to dream of when I was a teenager: just a simple and catchy story with strong enough appeal both for Brazilian and foreign audiences.

Carioca Life
Overall, I thought this was a great movie. There were a few moments that were trying too hard for laughs, however the story plot, the acting, and the scenery were all wonderful. I especially thought the scenery was exceptional! If not for the story, I think it is still worthwhile to check out this movie to see Rio at its best! However I do agree with one other reviewer that this movie does give the deceiving impression that everybody in Rio, particularly middle to upper-middle class people, live in apartments in prime locations with spectacular views of the ocean. There was not a trace of poverty or crime in this movie, but I think is appropriate being that this movie is supposed to be a light hearted romanic comedy instead of a "favela" movie. That's why the director's commentary is kind of a nice optional feature on the DVD version. The director, having himself grown up in Rio, clearly explains that he wanted to bring the best out in Rio. Happy movie going. Tchau everybody! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Woody Allen roared back at his detractors with Deconstructing Harry, a bitterly funny treatise about the creative process. Known to mine his often tumultuous personal life for his movies, the embattled writer-director-star didn't bother to make his alter ego likable in this movie: Harry Block (Allen) pops pills, frequents prostitutes, and cheats on the women in his life, then writes about their foibles in thinly disguised fiction. No wonder they're all furious with him. As Harry journeys to his alma mater with a hooker, ill pal, and kidnapped son, a series of flashbacks unravel, juxtaposing Harry's relationships with their "slightly exaggerated" fictional counterparts. There are amusing cameos throughout, including a humorous turn by Demi Moore as a fictitious ex-wife who "became Jewish with a vengeance," and Billy Crystal as the devil who found Hollywood too nasty for his liking. The humor is dark and caustic, but well worth it; Deconstructing Harry is a near-brilliant mediation on the sometimes queasy relationship between art, creator, and critic. On DVD, the film is presented in both widescreen and pan and scan; the disc includes cast bios. --Diane Garrett ... Read more

Reviews (81)

REPROBATE ALLEN WINS ME BACK, THIS TIME
When it was first released, I avoided seeing DECONSTRUCTING HARRY (a.k.a., Woody) because I couldn't bring myself to face yet another self-deprecating, neurotic, self-indulgent, self-centered Woody Allen on screen (who the newspapers had just confirmed is that way off screen too!). Having first laughed at and then endured Allen since the 1960s, I'd had enough. Nevertheless, to this day Allen's THE FRONT remains one of my all time favorite movies ... mainly because of its truthfulness, honesty and courage. Unintentionally, one night I saw part of DECONSTRUCTING HARRY on cable TV (and then HAD to buy it here in DVD) ... because I couldn't stop howling. I'd only seen perhaps the middle half hour of it, but that was enough. Mercifully, THIS movie was not ALL about Allen. Rather Harry Block-Woody Allen was "exploited" as a vehicle for a higher form of humor. Then there were a parade of actors who I never imagined had it in them: Richard Benjamin, Kirstie Alley, Amy Irving ... of all people ..., Mariel Hemingway ... yet! ALL were great in this comedy ... they were terrific. Equally terrific were Hazelle Goodman as Harry's motherly hooker Cookie (wonderful), Billy Crystal and Robin Williams ... who you'd expect to be funny, were indeed that.

I must admit, Allen pulled one out as writer, director and star. But not merely because of the brilliant writing and directing (oh, O.K., and the acting) but because for ONCE Harry-Woody was not the center of the neurotic universe. He was in the middle of the action .... but he tied it all together in DECONSTRUCTING HARRY. Many modern interpersonal issues, stereotypes and clichés are brought into scrutiny under this microscope. It is the very absurdity of it all, making the movie hysterically funny.

Clearly, this is a movie for mature audiences. It is definitely not a movie for children and adolescents. Probably they would find it boring and confusing. The language and situations are graphic, raw and irreligious. But in this movie these are necessary "paints" for painting this picture. Grownups will enjoy this movies thoroughly.

Allen's self-exploration vignettes
Weaving between fiction and reality, Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry tells the tale of a writer's sexual exploits, romantic failings, and dealings with depression. Allen's character Harry transfers his life's problems into his books, which causes much strife between the real-life counterparts in his world.

Once again Allen has leveraged his considerable fame to draw in Hollywood's elite. Throughout the film, every face is a familiar one. Billy Crystal is portrayed as the devil who steals Woody's romantic lead, Robin Williams as a blurry actor who can't get his focus, Kirstie Alley as a ex-wife who discovers Harry has cheated with a patient, and countless more celebrity cameos.

The joy in partaking in this film is evident in the celebrity actors who appear. There's a certain prestige in such an endeavor, and we, the film audience, can identify just about everyone in the film. At the same time, each character that appears has so much baggage in our minds. For instance, Demi Moore appears as an ex-wife. How many of us can honestly think of her in any way other that her celebrity profile. While this isn't a major problem, identifying with some of the celebrities proves difficult at times.

Deconstructing Harry catalogs Woody's struggle with sexual desire and his inability to love. Early on we discover that he has finally found true love in a pupil, Elizabeth Shue, but she has fallen in love with his friend.

The plot is shaped around Harry's self-identity questions, and the character's goal is to go to an honorary ceremony at his alum. He has nobody to take. His ex-wife won't let him take his son, his girlfriend has left him, and a hooker is the only one around that will take him up on his need for companionship.

The play between Allen's semi-autobiographical stories, which flash to and from reality, illuminate the film and shows how Allen's writing channels his depression and gives him a release from an otherwise ugly life.

After viewing Deconstructing Harry, I wonder how autobiographical it really is.

Witty, perhaps, but heartless
There is no doubting the genius of Woody Allen. The clever ideas and witty dialogue flow thick and fast here, but there is just one problem: The film is totally and utterly heartless.

Woody Allen's humour here is just downright cynical. Cruel, even. The film has a narcissistic feel to it, where everyone is mocked and ripped apart mercilessly apart from Woody's alter-ego, Harry. Though I saw this a few years ago and loved it, on rewatching it recently, I just couldn't enjoy it. His cynicism here is left untempered by optimism and faith, something that marked out his earlier work. Sorry, but this just left a bitter taste in my mouth.

One of Woody's best!
This belongs on the shelf along with the other Woody greats such as Hannah, Manhattan, Stardust Memories & Crimes and Misdemeanors. I can't imagine any objection to this movie unless you're the type that gets excited whenever you see a Tom Cruise type up on the screen. About as close to art as a movie can get and in the same league as Bergman, Wenders, Godard or any of the other greats.
Enough said.

incredible
This is by far my favorite woody allen film . most people who discredit the movie do so because of course language and/or typical woody allen roles and situations. well, if you can't take a little vulgarity, f__k off this movie's not for you. It's not potty humor, it's unfiltered dialogue fitted to the characters and the situations they find themselves in. As for the typical allen scenerios of love triangles and even squares, that's what has made him. Would you expect a woody allen film where he is not nuerotic, or tense, or in constant insecurity? Then don't expect one in which all the angles of relationships are dissected and exploited. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The best stuff in this ridiculously conceived sequel to Brian De Palma's groundbreaking '70s classic are the occasional, too-brief flashbacks to De Palma's groundbreaking '70s classic. They occur in the mind of Sue Snell (Amy Irving, shamelessly reprising her role), the only main character left alive during Carrie's prom revenge freakout. After a brief stint in an insane asylum, Snell is now a therapist at a suburban high school and is currently counseling Rachel Lang (Emily Bergl). Rachel isn't like other girls. When Rachel gets really mad, she moves things with her mind. Rachel's been really mad lately, because her best friend jumped from a rooftop in the first 10 minutes of this movie. Even though there's absolutely no development of this relationship, don't doubt it: we know they're best friends because they have matching tattoos. Rachel's friend lost it because she was the latest victim in a fun game that members of the football team play off the field in which they keep a running count of how many girls they can seduce, using a rating scale based on appearance. Of course, there's a nice one, Jesse (Jason London), who feels guilty about playing the game and falls for Carrie, er, Rachel. Everything appears to be changing for Rachel, but Jesse's friends have other plans. Snell knows what's up, however, and it's pretty funny watching her explain it to Rachel: "I've been through this movie before" is essentially what she says, but Rachel doesn't want to hear that she's not an original character, that she's a cheap, slightly hardened and revised '90s rip-off with no autonomy. It makes Rachel want to move things with her mind. --Dave McCoy ... Read more

Reviews (112)

THE RAGE: CARRIE 2--Good but not great
What we've got with THE RAGE: CARRIE 2 is what I like to call a "curiously frustrating" movie.

Why anyone thought it was necessary to sequelize Brian De Palma's great 1976 film CARRIE is a mystery...unless one takes the money angle into account. There are good things about it, but there are bad things about it that make it rather uneven.

The good: Emily Bergl's performance as Rachel, the "half-sister" of Carrie White, is really something else. Nothing about her performance is taken away when it's noted that she's not Sissy Spacek. The idea of "high school as Hell" is updated to the present, but is as effective for 1999 as the original was to 1976. Jason London also scores as the only sympathetic member of the jock clique that really wants to do Rachel in. And finally, for the most part, director Katt Shea manages to build a certain amount of suspense in the Hitchcock/DePalma/Spielberg tradition.

The bad: The jocks, led by Dylan Bruno, are so unremmitingly repulsive. The explanation for Rachel's telekinesis is extremely far-fetched. Amy Irving's return as Sue Snell (who is now a guidance counselor) is marked by her having little to do and by having her unceremoniously killed off. The film really goes off the rails, however, in the climax, set in a rich jock's mansion; it is a partial remake of the original's prom scene in which the blood and gore are upped to extreme levels, but there's none of the same drama and tragedy that marked the firestorm in the 1976 classic.

CARRIE 2, thus, seems like an afterthought, an attempt to wean the SCREAM/URBAN LEGEND crowd while unwisely using clips from the original to connect the two films. Were it not for Bergl's and London's performances, this would barely rank two stars, possibly even one. I give CARRIE 2 a marginal recommendation; but for a real combination of psychological horror and drama, the original still beats all the new kids on the block hands down.

NOTHING BUT A ROUTINE UPDATE OF THE ORIGINAL
YEARS AFTER THE EVENTS IN ''CARRIE'', ANOTHER BULLIED GIRL [EMILY BERGL] UNLEASHES HER TELEKINETHIC POWERS AGAINST HER FELLOW HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO PICK ON HER ALL THE TIME. HAS SOME GOOD ACTING, BUT NOW THEY'VE TAKEN THE CARRIE STORY AND TURNED IT INTO YOUR AVERAGE MODERN-DAY TEENAGE HORROR FLICK. THEY COULD'VE DONE BETTER THAN THIS. FANS OF THE ORIGINAL FILM WILL MOST LIKELY BE DISSAPOINTED WITH THIS SEQUEL.

Carrie's Revenge
Carrie 2:The Rage is awesome.
Good special efects and great stars.

Where has all the talent gone?
I am absolutely amazed at the number of people who think this garbage is on a par (and some say, even better!) with the original Brian DePalma/Sissy Spacek version. All I can say is this: If the reviewers who say they like this rank piece of !@#$% are truly the leaders of tomorrow, then we are in deep, deep trouble. To compare this "director" and "actress" (I cringe even as I use the words) to the brilliant DePalma and Spacek is sacrilegious. Don't hold your breath waiting for Emily Bergl to ever be nominated for an Oscar, much less win it! Any money that this movie makes, and if it made more than $100 there is no justice in the world, is directly attributable to the brilliant original. I can't say that I'm surprised at the total lack of acting, directing, suspense, and intrigue that this movie has in spades, but I am very disappointed in Amy Irving attaching herself to this drivel just for the paycheck. This is a very disturbing trend in movies...this mentality that apparently exists with producers to slap together directors who can't direct, actors who can't act, screenwriters unapologetically virtually plagiarizing the original and calling it a new and better effort. God help us all!!!

ALL THE RAGE
This is an awesome movie it is alot better than the original. Plus it was filmed at North Gaston High School (Where I'm going) in Dallas, North Carolina. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

An Interesting Movie!
I remember watching this movie when it was first shown on television in 1986 and it was an interesting movie with an intriguing mystery of if this woman named Anna was really Anastasia Romanof daughter of the last czar of Russia and did she really survive the execution of her family or is she just looking for fame and fortune? Amy Irving stars in this movie and she was very good!

One of the Twentieth Century's Great Puzzles
Amy Irving stars as Anna, a woman claiming to be the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas II of Russia, a claim which would mean that she had survived the execution of the Royal Family. She seems to know things about the Royal Family that only Anastasia could know, yet she has huge gaps in her memory and is unable/unwilling to speak Russian. Things are complicated by the fact that other women have claimed to be Anastasia in the past, and the Royal Family has grown tired of the pretenders to the throne. However, Anna has her supporters, although she knows the must win the support of her grandmother, the empress, if she is to have any hope of being officially recognized. Irving has a few good moments as Anna/Anastasia, but she doesn't project the strength that so many of the characters tell her character that she has. The supporting cast is competent, although few are given much in the way of characters to flesh out. The real bright spot in the film is Olivia de Havilland as the Empress. She infuses her character with humour and wisdom, and steals her far too few scenes. There is a narrator that appears irregularly throughout the film, and that device should have been eliminated. The direction lacks pacing, the script could be stronger, and the ending is rather flat. Despite the fictious romance and other weaknesses, I did find the film interesting, since the mystery surrounding Anna Anderson was one of the great puzzles of the Twentieth Century. People argued for and against her with equal passion. Since the film was completed, scientists appear to have proven that Anna Anderson was not Anastasia, but it would be interesting to think that maybe someone could have survived that brutal moment in history. I do wish they had made a more fact based, tighter film about it.

Anastasia, the Mystery of Anna....Superb!
From the beginning, this story compells the viewer in the tale of Anna Anderson, a woman who believes and claims that she is the last remaining member of the last Tzar of Russias immediate Royal Family. She believes she is the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaevna. The story beginns with the introduction to the Royal Family. Omar Sheriff is very good as Tsar Nicholas II and Clare Bloom shines as Tsarina Alexandra. Christian Blae makes his screen dabute as Alexis. The story then unfolds into the Russian Revolution, and eventualy to the Royal Familys Execution.

We are then taken to Berlin, where a lady is attempting suicide. She has bad amnisia, but slowly begins to believe she is Anastasia. In meeting Prince Eric, they battle to gain her Title as the Hier to the Russian throne.

The story is filled with trouble and Turmoil, as well as heeps of Romance. Amy Irving is Outstanding as Anastasia, her red eyed-teary performance is outstanding. Other good parts are taken By Olivia De Havvilland as The Grand Duchess Maria, and Rex Harrison puts in a regal performance as Grand Duke Cyril.

This film may alter History slightly, but it is something you will fall in love with again and again. Well worth the price for such a gem. Fantastic.

Also available on DVD in the uk, but u have to hunt high and low! Good luck!

Interesting Portrayal
While the love story is completely fictional, and personally, I think we could have done without it, it is a very moving film. Amy Irving plays Anna extremely well. I have read a great deal about the Romanovs, particularly Anastasia, and I find that this particular version of the tragic story is one of the best that I have seen.

Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna
This movie is excellent! But I would still give it a 4 star rating. The music is distracting at times, and you have to mess with the volume quite a bit, the voices often get softer. It is a very emotional film, and I wouldn't reccomend it for children younger than 10. It portrays the view of Anna (Anderson) who believes she is Anastasia. Although in the beginning, it starts out with the Romanov family, leading to their execution. I think this is a great movie, and I hope this review was at least a tiny bit helpful to you. (sorry, I know I was a bit vague) ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Drama cop
Drama: An undercover New York City cop must deal with his troubled partner and an investigation into his ties with the mob while investigating the rape and beating of a nun good plot good cast

Movie based 5% on true events.
This movie was 95% fiction. All the shootings never happened,including the Mafia guys and girl friend. About the only thing that was close to real was the nun incident and yet that too,was a bit embellished. Movie makers should do their homework and find other cop stories that need no make-believe script.

HAIKU MOVIE REVIEW:
Better read the book. Real Bo better than Baldwin. But Balwin not bad

Baldwin not bad
HAIKU MOVIE REVIEW: Better read the book. Real Bo better than Baldwin. But Balwin not bad. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

"I'm Talkin' To You, Furhead!"
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is truly one of the greatest non-Disney animated films I've ever seen! Directed by Steven Spielberg, the story is simple: Fievel, the curious, adorable little mouse from An American Tail, now heads out west with his family to escape the constant violence of New York City. Everything about this film shines from start to finish, including James Horner's soundtrack, which is every bit as good as in the original film. The songs are nothing less than outstanding, especially Dreams to Dream, sung by Fievel's golden-voiced sister, Tanya, who is voiced by Cathy Cavadini.

Fans of the original An American Tail are bound to enjoy Fievel Goes West as well. It's a great movie for kids, or for anyone who enjoys a great animated flick! Highly recommended! (Oh, and be sure to check out the original An American Tail movie as well, if you haven't already. It's just as good!)

"I'm Talkin' to You, Furhead!"
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is truly one of the greatest non-Disney animated films I have ever seen! Directed by Steven Spielberg, the story is simple: Fievel the curious, adorable little mouse from An American Tail, now heads out west with his family, to escape the constant violence of New York City. Everything about this film shines from start to finish, including James Horner's soundtrack, which is every bit as good as in the original film. The songs are nothing less than outstanding, especially Dreams to Dream, sung by Fievel's golden-voiced sister, Tanya, who is voiced by Cathy Cavadini.

Fans of the original American Tail are bound to enjoy Fievel Goes West as well. It's a great movie for kids, or for anyone who enjoys a great animated flick! Highly recommended! (Oh, and check out the first American Tail movie as well, if you haven't already. It's just as good!

this movie is awsome!
this movie is one of the best american tail movies in the seiries. as of the second, it was made five years after the first. (and the year beofore i was born!) well, when fivel and his family have settled into newyork, the found the streets are not paved with cheese. then cat r waul, and his army of cowboy cat commandos herd all the mice into the sewer were he tricks them into going out west. meanwhile, after suffering the loss of his girlfriend, tiger fallows fievel out west and falls off the train, gets hit by another, and goes off the bridge and finds a dog fish! in the end the team up with wylie burp, and save the mice from being turned into mouse-burgers! as for cat r waul, he and his cats get shot into a mail bag, and taked away by a train! recomended!

Shame On Universal
Shame on Universal for releasing this wonderful film in Pan & Scan only! It was released in Widescreen for laserdisc, so why not DVD?

Yet another botched DVD release from Universal (E.T., Back To The Future, Monty Python's Meaning Of Life, etc.).

Let's hope the executives at NBC can turn this out of control home video division around when they take the reigns after the acquisition has been completed.

Why this movie is great
This movie was the first Fievel movie I ever saw. I have to say, I like it much more than the original. The songs are awsome and the story was great. Come on. Who doesn't find a cat acting like a dog funny? ... Read more

Reviews (14)

"I'm Talkin' To You, Furhead!"
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is truly one of the greatest non-Disney animated films I've ever seen! Directed by Steven Spielberg, the story is simple: Fievel, the curious, adorable little mouse from An American Tail, now heads out west with his family to escape the constant violence of New York City. Everything about this film shines from start to finish, including James Horner's soundtrack, which is every bit as good as in the original film. The songs are nothing less than outstanding, especially Dreams to Dream, sung by Fievel's golden-voiced sister, Tanya, who is voiced by Cathy Cavadini.

Fans of the original An American Tail are bound to enjoy Fievel Goes West as well. It's a great movie for kids, or for anyone who enjoys a great animated flick! Highly recommended! (Oh, and be sure to check out the original An American Tail movie as well, if you haven't already. It's just as good!)

"I'm Talkin' to You, Furhead!"
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is truly one of the greatest non-Disney animated films I have ever seen! Directed by Steven Spielberg, the story is simple: Fievel the curious, adorable little mouse from An American Tail, now heads out west with his family, to escape the constant violence of New York City. Everything about this film shines from start to finish, including James Horner's soundtrack, which is every bit as good as in the original film. The songs are nothing less than outstanding, especially Dreams to Dream, sung by Fievel's golden-voiced sister, Tanya, who is voiced by Cathy Cavadini.

Fans of the original American Tail are bound to enjoy Fievel Goes West as well. It's a great movie for kids, or for anyone who enjoys a great animated flick! Highly recommended! (Oh, and check out the first American Tail movie as well, if you haven't already. It's just as good!

this movie is awsome!
this movie is one of the best american tail movies in the seiries. as of the second, it was made five years after the first. (and the year beofore i was born!) well, when fivel and his family have settled into newyork, the found the streets are not paved with cheese. then cat r waul, and his army of cowboy cat commandos herd all the mice into the sewer were he tricks them into going out west. meanwhile, after suffering the loss of his girlfriend, tiger fallows fievel out west and falls off the train, gets hit by another, and goes off the bridge and finds a dog fish! in the end the team up with wylie burp, and save the mice from being turned into mouse-burgers! as for cat r waul, he and his cats get shot into a mail bag, and taked away by a train! recomended!

Shame On Universal
Shame on Universal for releasing this wonderful film in Pan & Scan only! It was released in Widescreen for laserdisc, so why not DVD?

Yet another botched DVD release from Universal (E.T., Back To The Future, Monty Python's Meaning Of Life, etc.).

Let's hope the executives at NBC can turn this out of control home video division around when they take the reigns after the acquisition has been completed.

Why this movie is great
This movie was the first Fievel movie I ever saw. I have to say, I like it much more than the original. The songs are awsome and the story was great. Come on. Who doesn't find a cat acting like a dog funny? ... Read more

Amazon.com

Blake Edwards, who managed to capture middle-aged angst so well in 10, managed to offend a variety of constituencies with this sporadically funny take on that reliable laugh-getter, bigamy. Well, not bigamy, technically: Dudley Moore is only married to one woman, Micki (Ann Reinking), but she's too busy to have the baby he longs for. He winds up in an affair with Maude (Amy Irving), who gets pregnant, thus satisfying his paternal urge. Except that then Micki announces that she, too, is pregnant, doubling his pleasure--and his problems. Twin pregnancies lead to a variety of complications, particularly because Maude's father is a professional wrestler. And when both women wind up delivering in the same hospital on the same day,well, director Blake Edwards does what he can to make this sordid situation seem comic--which it is as long as you don't think about it too much. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (7)

funny and touching
What a movie! Dudley moore is married to ann reinking for years and then falls for amy irving. when irving tells him she's pregnant he wants to divorce ann reinking. but when he plans to tell ann guess what she tells him? what's a guy to do? you actually feel for this guy because you know he loves both women even though he is a jerk for marrying both. i have loved this movie for years and watching in later in my 20's it gets better and more touching. of course this movie ends a little too nicely, but how else could they end it?? dudley moore amy irving and ann reinking are all great.

Better-than-you'd-think bigamy farce
Blake Edwards and Dudley Moore, who worked together brilliantly in 1979's 10, re-teamed in 1984 for a fast-paced, surprisingly funny farce. Newsman Moore meets cellist Amy Irving and falls in love, so when she becomes pregnant, he marries her. One minor hitch: Moore is still married to judge Ann Reinking, who's also pregnant. Moore runs himself ragged living two lives until both women go into labor on the same day. So, how do you make a really funny movie about bigamy that brings laughs without leaving a bad taste in your mouth? Answers: 1) Get Blake Edwards to direct it; 2) Don't give him a lot of time to second-guess himself. After getting fired from the Clint Eastwood-Burt Reynolds film City Heat (he may have quit, reports vary), Edwards latched onto Micki's script and managed to get it completed and into theaters the same month as the film he was bounced from. The tight production schedule probably worked to Edwards's benefit, since he didn't get the time to indulge his tendency to tinker and re-shoot scenes until they've become obvious and heavy-handed (see Blind Date for an example). The three leads are terrific, and there are nice supporting turns from character actors Richard Mulligan, Wallace Shawn and Lu Leonard. The letterboxed DVD is a must for this film: Edwards is one of the only comedy directors who can effectively use widescreen, but the results are pretty much unwatchable on pan-and-scan VHS. If the idea of a farce about bigamy doesn't rankle you, this is a lot of fun. It also may be the last great movie Dudley Moore ever made.

Moore, Irving, and Reinking Shine!
I have seen this movie countless times and it never gets old! Dudley Moore, Amy Irivng and Anne Reinking do an excellant job.
Moore is a tv reporter married to Reinking who just wants to have a baby. Reinking does too but she seems to busy to have one. One night Moore meets Irving playing in an orchestra and sparks fly. When Moore wants to break it off with irving she tells him shes pregant. he says he will marry her and divorce Reinking. But then Reinking tells him shes pregant and wants to have a job and a baby. so what's moore to do? marry them both!
This is a touching and funny movie that actually gets to you. you feel sorry for moore's character even though hes being a scumbag! The ending wraps things up a bit too neatly but how else could it have ended huh? I like the end song "something new in my life" as well. see it and you will be surprised at how good it is. I have not seen reinking in too many films beside this and annie. whatever happened to her? she is such a good actress. so is Irving.

Watch It
I thoroughly enjoyed this video. It's funny and it's clever. Amy Irving and Ann Reinking give great performances as the two unknowing wives of a two-timing husband. Dudley Moore is comedic in his role and gives us a sense of what a man who can't make up his mind about who he wants to be with more is really all about. Ah, the married life...

bigamy with a big heart
I've loved this movie for years! It's touching and funny and a great film if you want to just enjoy a funny movie. All actors are outstanding, and Moore, Irving and Reinking really show the heart as well as the humor. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

DOUBTING AMY
Since her breakthrough role as Carrie's friend in the classic Brian De Palma CARRIE, Amy Irving has played a variety of roles, most noticeably her Oscar nominated turn in YENTL and her spirited turn in CROSSING DELANCEY. Donald Sutherland, never Oscar nominated, but definitely a should have been for ORDINARY PEOPLE, also has taken a lot of chances in his long career. Together you would expect a great chemistry and fireworks to light the screen. Sadly to say, this doesn't happen in this by the book thriller. Even stalwarts such as Christopher McDonald, Theodore Bikel and Graham Greene don't ignite any sparks. The scenery is gorgeous and the plot does take an unexpected twist towards the end, but all in all, director Jonathan Heap doesn't build enough tension and suspense to make this anything more than an okay thriller. McDonald's death scene is almost funny as one other reviewer notes and Greene's dispatch is cruelty to the max. Rider Strong (Cabin Fever) in his first role shows the potential talent he will realize in future films.
You can do worse, but you can definitely do better--catch Sutherland in THE PUPPET MASTERS or EYE OF THE NEEDLE; see IRVING in THE CONFESSION.

Puzzling little yarn
I wasn't sure if I should give this flick 1-star for being so bad or 5-stars for being so bad it's good, so I went for the happy medium of 3. If you enjoy poorly scripted, odd, formulaic thrillers like I do, then this is right up your alley.

Donald Sutherland plays a man who has just been relased from jail after 22 years spent there for the murder of his wife (although he says it was an accident... and you should hear the speech about loving America he makes to obtain his parole... very ironic in hindsight...har har). He goes back to his hometown, where he tries to reconcile with his daughter (played by Amy Irving) and his grandson who want nothing to do with him. At first I thought, this movie is called "Benefit of the Doubt"...maybe it's about an innocent man who has to try to win his daughter's trust back, and she won't give him the benefit of the doubt so he has to keep on keeping on until they can be all lovey-dovey again and live happily ever after. Maybe his suspect behaviour was the filmmaker trying to make Sutherland look suspicious so we'd be as leery of him as she was. About a half-hour in I began to have doubts that that was the case. The only reason I did all this musing is because it was Donald Sutherland, so I naturally assumed it would at least be somewhat intelligent. Wrong! From the time Frank (Sutherland's character) offed the daughter's fiance (in what is probably the funniest scene in the movie), it was official: this was one of those laughably bad films that fans of the genre crave.

It's not the best of the worst, but if you appreciate this sort of thing there's plenty to make you chortle and snicker. There's even an incestuous relationship (complete with an attempted rape) between father and daughter. And the ending- what a spectacular work of genius! It must have taken a true artist to think that one up. But poor Donald Sutherland! He's such a talented thespian (and U of T alum...yay!), it's a shame to see his gift go to waste acting in this type of movie, although if it was anyone else playing the part it probably wouldn't be nearly as funny.

benefit of the slouch
This by-the-numbers thriller is elevated by better than average direction by Jonathon Heap and the performance of Donald Sutherland, as a sly gentlemanly criminal recalling his Nazi undercover in Eye of the Needle. Here he is released from prison having been convicted of murdering his wife and now intent on rekindling a relationship with the daughter (Amy Irving) who testified against him. Irving appears to be slumming, playing the daughter as a foul-mouthed white trash waitress in a topless bar, but she adds nothing that any number of actors could bring to the part. Sutherland's first obstacle is to convince Amy that her mother's death was an accident, and once that is overcome, then he must confront anyone that threatens his idea of family, which includes Amy's gratuitous son. Heap actually makes Sutherland's pathology amusing in a perverse way, though we know what to expect when the father's first action is to smash in a window, since behaviour defines character. Sutherland looks heftier than usual though perhaps that's in direct ratio to Amy's anorexia, recalling her bulemic in Kleptomania. Location footage was done at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona where we see beautifully eroded rock formations, and a cave with an eroded interior. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

This terrifying adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling horror novel was directed by shock maestro Brian De Palma for maximum, no-holds-barred effect. Sissy Spacek stars as Carrie White, the beleaguered daughter of a religious kook (Piper Laurie) and a social outcast tormented by her cruel, insensitive classmates. When her rage turns into telekinetic powers, however, school's out in every sense of the word. De Palma's horrific climax in a school gym lingers forever in the memory, though the film is also built upon Spacek's remarkable performance and Piper Laurie's outlandishly creepy one. John Travolta has a small part as a thug, De Palma's future wife, Nancy Allen, is his girlfriend, and Amy Irving makes her screen debut as one of the girls giving Carrie a hard time. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (211)

Unique blend of horror and sentiment.
There's one thing I specifically like about certain horror films, and that is those that contain the horror elements, yet have a story that allows you to feel a great deal of emotion for a main or secondary character, depending on the focus of the plot. When Stephen King wrote his first novel, Carrie, it was shocking as well as emotionally heart-stopping. Brian de Palma's film, following soon after, is groundbreaking and intense, and captures the horror of the character's actions as well as the horror of her secluded and alienated school and home life.

Carrie White has never been popular in school, and the verbal and physical abuse has apparently gotten worse with each year. One day, she gets her first period in the showers of the girls locker room, and frantically running to everyone for help, she is bombarded by shouts of banter and flying tampons. After it is learned that she was never told by anyone about this process of life, we soon learn the reason why: her mother is a Bible-thumping embodiment of a true maniac, who believes that every action committed by man is a sin in the eyes of God. Her treatment of her daughter is extremely harsh, but only until Carrie learns that she possesses a special gift, the ability to move objects with her mind. Meanwhile, Sue Snell, one of the girls involved in the malicious locker room incident, feels guilt over her actions and asks her boyfriend Tommy to take Carrie to the prom. Carrie accepts, and attends the event despite her mother's warnings of doom and sin. But something much worse will happen, something more terrifying than Mrs. White could ever imagine.

"Carrie" is one of the most well-known horror films of all time, and has set the standard for many later films of the genre. The entire premise for the movie is quite original, and the execution of the material is even more powerful and emotional than the novel itself. What makes it so emotional is the fact that there is a human story that happens everyday around the world. Carrie is constantly bantered and teased about every aspect of her life: her home, her mother, her apparel, and her demeanor, and it is done in such a manner that you cannot help but feel a great deal of sorrow for her when she commits the ultimate act in the finale of the film.

De Palma's camera angles and cinematography add an immense amount to the overall effect. Many of his shots usually center on someone in the foreground, while Carrie is somewhere within the near background, making her appear minute and small among everyone else. His use of the two-window effect for the prom sequence helps us to see more of the destruction and the reactions people have to events going on around them. One more notable sequence is opening scene, in the girls locker room, where we see the rest of the girls having fun and making merry while Carrie is alone and singled out in the shower stall. Throughout the movie, De Palma does a spectacular job in making Carrie seem insignificant when put with a group of people.

Sissy Spacek was brought to the project to play the title character, and does a top-notch job. She is the perfect "ugly-duckling" type for the role, and she is able to play out all of the emotion and terror that Carrie experiences throughout the novel. Amy Irving is does a credible job as Sue Snell, and her performance makes us believe that Sue really does feel sorry for what she has done to Carrie. The rest of the ensemble makes the movie believable, and never is there a moment where you will question the authenticity of a performance.

Certain to remain a hallmark of moviemaking, "Carrie" will shock, scare, and incite emotion for years to come. It is a movie that operates on many different levels, each beginning at separate times of the film, yet converging in the end to sweep us up in horror and sorrow.

Here's to the Devil with false modesty...;)
Released in 1976, "Carrie" is a disturbing horror film that's generously fueled by psychological tension and religious iconography. Unlike the decade's other two occult works, "The Exorcist" and "The Omen," this is not a tale about the Devil's chicanery. Although it overlaps ominous images of Christ with the raging feminine hormones of teenagers, the film actually decrys the tragic reality of school bullying; as an underrated form of child abuse, this so-called "rite of passage" involves a youth culture so cruel and thoughtless that it drives its victims to suicide or murder.
Actress Sissy Spacek portrays Carrie White, a shy and lonely misfit who is constantly harrassed by her classmates. After another strenuous game of vollyball, she begins to mensturate in the girls' shower. Terrified at seeing the blood running down her fingers, Carrie hysterically cries to the other students for help. But instead, all of the girls corner her in the locker room, jeering and tossing tampons at her. From that moment on, viewers are introduced to the appalling ignorance of the high school staff; not only do the teachers refuse to take Carrie's word seriously, but even Principal Morton (Stefan Gierasch) can't seem to remember her first and last name. The only official to pity her is gym teacher Miss Collins (Betty Buckley), who realizes that she was never taught how to deal with PMS. Fiercely determined to protect Carrie's well-being, Miss Collins punishes the class with a week's worth of brutal, boot camp athletics; anyone who refused to attend detention was excluded from the senior prom.
Meanwhile, behind closed doors, Carrie is tortured and chastised by her Mother (Piper Laurie), a straitlaced Christian fanatic who corrupts every passage in the Bible, blatantly accusing her daughter of being sinful. After hearing about her first period, Margaret White assumes that Carrie is inflicted with the curse of blood, and that she's tempted by the Antichrist's lust. Forcing her to pray for strength, Margaret drags her helpless daughter into a tiny closet, where a gaunt effigy of Jesus stares into a dark void of nothingness. It seems that all hope is lost for this little girl, but that mood eventually changes. Through library research, Carrie discovers she possesses telekinetic powers; whenever she gets angry or afraid, she can flip an ashtray off a desk, shatter a mirror, or make doors open and close unaided. Eventually, this is the weapon she uses to fight back against her Mother's assault.
Seeking revenge, one of Carrie's most hateful bullies, a spoiled and nasty girl named Chris (Nancy Allen), cajoles her drunk boyfriend Billy (John Travolta) to play a sadistic prank on her. On prom night, after Carrie and poet Tommy Ross (William Katt) are crowned King and Queen, Chris dumps a bucket of pig's blood on her head. Drenched and degraded, she is surrounded by a kaleidoscope of laughing spectators. In an act of murderous rage, Carrie unleashes her telekinetic anger upon the crowd. With her cold and blank stare, she showers water from a firehose, electrocutes the microphone, and engulfs the entire school in flames. In perhaps the most shocking split-screen sequence in history, this unforgettable night of terror is shot through multiple perspectives, while glowing a grisly, hellish red.
If you are seeking a horror classic for your DVD collection, I strongly recommend this film, as well as "The Exorcist," "Evil Dead," and "Nightmare on Elm Street."

Classical
Carrie White is a bit strange. She is friendless, her mother is obsessed with worshipping god, and sin, everybody at school harrases her, and to top it all off, she gets asked to the prom by the "hottest" guy in school, which also happens to be the guy Carrie has "special feelings" for.

Now, when you mix all those things together, do you come to the conclusion that Carrie might be under a lot of pressure? Well sure you do, cause she is. And to her horror, when she and Billy or whoever it is, i forget his name, starts to dance to the school song, a huge bucket of pigs blood is poured on her.

Blood, guts, gore...not really, but during the last half hour or so, the violence is pretty strong, not too graphic, but there are some graphic scenes of violence. When a girl gets crushed by a basketball hoop thingy, and when Carries mom gets killed by knifes being stabbed in her. I am sure there are some other ones, but those are the most graphic that i Can remeber right now.

Not too sexual, but there are definatly some sexual scenes, after all, this IS stephen king we are talking about, read this book and that will be enough dose of sexuality for you for one day, guarenteed.

Chilling ever time I see it
This movie is a very rare type of teen horror moive. It perfectly balences our fears and teen angst with phenominal acting at the same time. I think the reason why Carrie is still so fresh even today is because we all have a little bit of Carrie in all of us. All of us at one point in our lives have been teased, beaten up, or felt like you didn't belong at some point in our lives. We all know exactly how Carrie feels when all the girls laugh at her at the prom, or the excitment she felt when the most popular guy in schol askes her to the prom. We have all experienced these feeling throught out our teen years. Pino Donaggio did a superb job with the sountrack. Its so simple yet so effective. The music playing just before the blood is dumped still gets me everytime. It sounds almost like a clock ticking. Almost as if itsticking away the time that the kids have left to live. Even though I know whats gonna happen that scene never fails to scare me to death. This movie is a must see. Even todays teens will love this movie.

Steven King at his best
Probably the best translation of a Steven King novel into a movie. You can't miss this one. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Amy, Amy
Honestly I didn't realize Amy Locane was such a bombshell until I watched this movie. And she also gave a very strong performance. Amy Irving did a really great job too. "Carried Away" came out in 1996, and I haven't seen in the last 5 years any other movie scene as explicit (and thought provoking at the same time) as the one with Irving and Hopper in the buff - yes, both of them. In the wrong hands, that kind of shots could have turned this terrific film into a Lolita-style soft porn.

Utimately disappointing but the acting was superb.
I expected a poignent character study of the way these people's lives were impacted by the affair between a 47 year old teacher and his 17 year old student. Amy Irving is magnificent as she battles between her pride and her genuine affection for Hopper's character. Hopper is astonishing in his dignified, quiet desperation and sudden hopeful passions. Gary Busey is also remarkable in a role which calls for more restraint and subtlety than he's been allowed before. But, while the acting was superb, there was something wrong with both the pacing and the plot. Too much time was spent on the affair and too little on the ramifications. I wonder if men would find this movie more to their taste than women: Siskel and Ebert gave it 2 thumbs up...

Amy Locane is gooooood!!!!!!
Amy Locane plays a 16-year old girl, Who sees her teacher lose his relationship to another womer. She then sets her sights on her teacher seducing him at every turn.

A strange little film about coming of age as an adult.
For the first 20 minutes of this movie, I kept thinking, "What the hell is this?" I'm glad I waited out the initial apparent lack of plot and seemingly gratuitous sexuality to appreciate the nuances and the layers of this fine film. This movie, you see, is about appearances and trying to get beyond them to reveal what's underneath in order to "come of age as an adult." One of the most touching and telling scenes of this struggle takes place between Irving and Hopper late in the film. It's worth it.

Surprisingly Good
I am usually put off by the subject matter in this film, but it is far from the usual. I like to compare this film to "Lolita"- but I think the average person is better able identify with Joseph (Dennis Hopper) than with Nabokov's Humbert. This film is all about coming of age- when you're already an adult. How to cope with growing older, and losing the virility of youth in favor of manly responsibility. Joseph is a man torn between these two worlds. As a handicapped man a little past middle age- he is hesitant to marry the woman he knows he should marry, and tries to hang-on to youth by engaging in an illegal and dangerous affair with a seductive minor. The thing that makes this movie great is the incredible scene between Irving and Hopper that is done nude. That scene is a lasting testament to self love, the triumph of reality over fantasy, and the beauty found in flaws (instead of the beauty in flawlessness). Get this movie. Some of the scenes are really steamy. But more than that, it is a moving film. ... Read more

Description

Follow star-crossed lovers Ash (Ben Cross) and Anjuli (Amy Irving) in this haunting love story set in the India of the British Raj against the spectacular and epic sweep of battle, treachery and intrigue.From the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the fabled palaces of Bhithor, M.M. Kaye's evocative novel is brought to life in this stunning and lavish production. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Visual feast, but no depth to plot or to characters
If you are looking for a movie with sumptuous landscapes and costumes, exotic locales and characters, and a highly romanticized story, this fits perfectly. If you are looking for a movie with real meat to the story, this does not do so well. Both Ben Cross and Amy Irving who play the protagonists do not appear to advantage in this film. [For a better performance from Cross, try CHARIOTS OF FIRE, for that from Irving, try CROSSING DELANCEY].

This kind of movie also paints a distorted view of British India in this time period, romanticized but bearing as much resemblance either to 19th century India or modern India (and South Asia) as would ALADDIN (Disney version) to the Middle East ca 800 or today. Part of the problem is that the film has cut so much of the beginning of the novel (actually, pretty much the first third ) away. That leaves the viewer in limbo when Ashton Pelham-Martyn appears as a British officer with an Indian background. What kind of background? That is much better described (and far more believable) in the novel than in the film.

Of course, it is hard to compare novels and film adaptations. On the other hand, we do want the story within a film to make sense. Given the complexities of the plot, what is left out gives us little understanding of why Anjuli's position is so bad, or for that matter, why Ashton's "Indian" background leaves him highly suspect among his fellow officers. [Not to mention the fact that an important little sub-plot is almost totally excised].

If you have read the novel before watching the film, the story will make more sense. On the other hand, if you are just looking for eye candy, this film version is fine as it stands.

For the record, if you want to read about 19th century Raj customs and stuff, read Kipling's KIM or anything else by him or watch THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING. Paul Scott's THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN (TV series and book) and E.M Foster's A PASSAGE TO INDIA (film by David Lean and book) offer a much-better more nuanced and better-researched look at the last decades of the Raj (1920s to 1940s). For stories set before 1857, I am not really sure there is anything that has been well-translated to the film medium.

A TALE OF ROMANCE AND DERRING DO IN COLONIAL INDIA...
Based upon M. M. Kayes best selling novel of the same name, this film is well acted and absorbing. It is a story set during the time of the British Raj in India. The two characters central to the film are Ash (Ben Cross), an Englishman who spent the formative years of his life believing that he was Indian, and Anjuli (Amy Irving), a half caste Indian princess. Ash and Anjuli spent a portion of their childhood growing up together, until palace intrigues forced Ash and his Indian foster mother to flee. As a prepubescent youth, he is informed of his English heritage and sent to England for his education and Anglicization.

Returning to India many years later as a young man, Ash becomes a part of a British regiment called the Guides. He has some difficulties adjusting, as he is not an Englishman comfortable in his own skin, as he also feels that is Indian in many ways, a view that brings him into conflict with the way the native Indian population is viewed by the British. Meanwhile, Anjuli has continued living as a half caste Indian princess. She and Ash have not seen each other since he and his foster Indian mother fled, and she has no idea that Ash is not Indian, but British.

The film is an amazing cornucopia of adventure, derring do, and romance. It provides a tantalizing glimpse into colonial India. All of this, however, merely serves to propel the story towards the uniting of Ash and Anjuli, as the film is, first and foremost, a love story set against the romantic and lush backdrop of colonial India. When the paths of these star crossed lovers intersect, it is under a most unusual set of circumstances. It is a story that will keep the viewer riveted to the screen. I, myself, was unable to tear myself away from the screen and was riveted for the full five hours that it took for this mesmerizing tale of adventure, love, and treachery to unfold.

With a star studded cast that includes the likes of Omar Shariff, Christopher Lee, Sir John Gielgud, and Rossano Brazzi, this is a film what will capture the viewer's imagination. I read and loved the novel upon which this film was based, and while it is not a faithful adaptation of that wonderful book, the film stands on its own considerable merits. It is meant to entertain and that it most certainly does.

This two disc DVD is somewhat limited in what it offers, however, in terms of features, which is limited to a scene index, some production notes, and a brief biography of M.M. Kaye. In terms of its quality, while the sound is good, the visuals are somewhat grainy at times and washed out looking. It is too bad that they decided to do the transfer from video to DVD on the cheap. In doing so, they did "The Far Pavillions" a disservice. Still, it is a DVD well worth having in one's collection, as the story is such a gripping tale.

great movie, terrible DVD
i was so looking forward to the DVD verison of this film. i had taped the entire 6 hours when it was on HBO so many years ago. i missed the narrater intoducing the next parts, and the picture quality, which i expected to be outstanding didn't happen. they took a print and ran it to a DVD, no fixing, no nothing. when i want to watch this one, i put in the old VCR tape, it's better and clearer than the DVD. hard to believe! the people that put this one together didn't give a "flip" about the movie.to bad...

Amazing! Brings Colonial India To Life.
As a great fan of the book, I was slightly apprehensieve about seeing the TV series. However, I really feel it does the book justice and brings the characters and India to life with its fantastic scenery and sumptuous costumes. Amy Irving is perfect as Anjuli and although unsure at first of Ben Cross's performance, I soon warmed to him as Ash. The picture on the DVD was really good, as was the sound. A must see DVD for anyone who is interested in the history of India.

Great Miniseries - Ben Cross is awsome!
For criticism purposes, it has to be understood WHEN the novel was written, and also the fact that this movie is based ON A NOVEL, it does not intent to be a documentary, but a recreation of British ruled India from the eyes of a British writer.

I disagree with some of the criticisms posted here, as you cannot analyze a book written in a different time (or a movie based on one) as if you were talking about a contemporary of yours.

I ENJOY the movie VERY MUCH, every time I watch it again (The 4 videos collection)... I would highly recommended it. I LOVE how Ben Cross plays his character, and Amy Irving, too. It is MOST enjoyable.

ENJOY! ... Read more