Reviews (24)

Fine miniseries based on the Nevil Shute novel
When a young Englishwoman, after WWII, inherits money, she soon decides to return to Malaya, where she was sheltered in a village after being captured by the Japanese, and build the villagers a well. Before winding up in the village, she, and other captive women and children, were forced to march from town to town by the Japanese, who did not know what to do with them. They meet Joe Harmon, an Australian soldier, who steals food for them, and is crucified by the Japanese and left for dead.

While in Malaya, she learns that Harmon survived, and goes to Australia to find him. Meanwhile, Harmon, who had thought she was a married woman when they met in Malaya, had learned otherwise, and gone to England to seek her out. They eventually meet up in Australia, and she determines to marry him and to make his town in the Outback into "a town like Alice"--a modern town, like Alice Springs.

Wonderful performances by all, great scenery, very faithful to the book. I should add that they added a bit of conflict near the end--Jean enters a bar, which is forbidden by the local mores, and Harmon rages at her and they nearly separate. Unneeded, to my mind. Also, when her trustee, Noel Stachan, takes her to the opera, he announces that it will be something light and in English. It is "The Pearl Fishers", which is neither.

Fine production, very watchable over and over!

WONDERFUL STORY, GREAT ACTING, POWERFUL
This has got to be the utimate love story. This movie shows that there doesn't have to be a lot of sex to show two people in love.

Based on Neville Shute's book, it is a story that encompasses four cultures and the struggles within those cultures and of a love that endures despite many hardships and time and distance.

Bryan Brown and Helen Morse are captivating in their roles as Joe Harmon and Jean Paget, two people who meet in the trying circumstances of war and are separated by fate but reunite again only to endure the hardships of the outback of Australia.

Beautiful scenery and wonderful acting make this a must see movie. Although long, it is a don't miss movie.

re Mr Greenbaum's comments
I have loved this movie for a long long time, ever since it was first shown on TV as a miniseries (in Australia). I think all the previous reviews are accurate, except Mr Greenbaum's comment that the scene where Joe Harmon chastises Jean about going into the Pub is not really necessary. I can only presume that Mr Greenbaum is not Australian; if he was, he would know only too well that even until about the late 1960's, no decent female would even think of entering the public bar of a Pub; that was forbidden; if a woman wanted to have a drink in a pub, she went to the "Ladies Lounge". I was born in 1954 and even though things have changed dramatically since then, I still am not confortable being in the public bar of a pub. So, I think that scene is very true and accurate for the times and a man would have spoken severely to his wife/girlfriend for going into that part of a pub.

Again, this is a wonderful move and I can only hope it is soon released on DVD as my VHS copy is damaged and VHS copies are no longer available in Australia.

a town like alice
brilliant in all aspects. Please bring it out on DVD

One of my all-time faves
Joe Harmon (played by Bryan Brown) rocks! And so does this whole movie, based on Nevil Shute's superb novel of the same name. It starts well, picks up speed, and gets better and better. During WWII, Jean (who is her family's only survivor) is force marched back and forth across Malaysia by the Japanese, who don't know what to do with a bunch of English women and children. As their group dwindles from starvation, fatigue, malaria and dystntery, Jean becomes the leader of the little group, and she negotiates a deal with the headman of a small village whose men have been taken off to fight in the war: if the village will shelter them, the surviving English will work in the rice fields.
But it was during the months of wandering that Jean met Joe Harmon, an Austrailian prisoner of war who steals food for her, is crucified and left for dead by the Japanese.
After the war, when Jean is back in England, she comes into her family's money, and she has a dream: to return to Malaya to build a well for the village women. To her amazement, she learns that Harmon actually survived: when the Japanese could not grant him his last wish, they were honor bound to save his life. Jean goes back to find him at the same time he, having just discovered that she wasn't married when he met her (a deception she fostered for her own protection), flies to England to look for her. The two planes cross.
But, as with most good love stories, they meet - and things are awkward and stilted. When he knew her, her hair was loose and tangled, she was barefoot and wearing a sarong, and she had an orphan child balanced on her hip. Now when he sees her, she's an English lady - and he's still just a bloke from the outback.
Oh, I'm telling too much. Suffice to say that Jean's attempt to resume their former easy and relaxed relationship while in Australia's Great Barrier Reef is spectacularly successful, and she's faced with spending the rest of her life in the desolate and lonely outback. Alice Springs, the nearest thing to 'civilization,' is too far to go, so Jean determines to spend her small fortune turning her little nowhere town into a place from which the young people will no longer flee in frustration. In short, she creates the world in which she wants to live and raise Joe's and her children.
It's so, so, so, so good, one of those videos you'll have to buy. Trust me on that. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

The Great Escape image of Steve McQueen (as "The Cooler King") astride his motorcycle has entered silver-screen iconography, alongside Brando on his bike from The Wild One. Based on a true story about a group of POWs who mount a daring breakout from a supposedly inescapable Nazi prison camp, this rousing and suspenseful WWII epic features an all-star cast, including James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, and David McCallum. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (151)

250 men just walking down the street? You're crazy!
That is the plot in the nutshell. 250 men planning to escape from German WWII camp. This movie has stars Steve McQueen, James Coburn, and Charles Bronson. John Sturges directs and Elmer Bernstein composes. If this sounds familar, its because you have seen Sturge's "The Magnificent Seven". Like "Seven", the Great Escape was sorely missed from AFI's top 100. They were later included in the top 100 thriller movies with Great Escape coming in at #20.
Here's the bad news. Its widescreen, but its not anamorphic. In other words, the movie is trapped in darkness even on an enhanced tv. Also there is no commentary, which is a shame.
Despite these techincal flaws, this three hour epic is enjoyable. James Garner, James, Donald, Richard Attenbourgh, Donald Pleasance and David McCallum also star. (Trivia: the latter two appeared in The Greatest Story Ever Told as Satan and Judas!)Sorry, no girls allowed in this film. This a man only film. Sturges carefully crafts it that each man is an unique individual who works with the team. You can see the competition going on in their acting which brings out the best of them.
The blend of American film stars and British stage actors is fabalous.
Elmer Bernstein, once again delivers a rememarkable score that you will be whistling when you finish watching the movie.
Favorite scenes: Charles Bronson crying in the dark tunnel, the 4th of July celebration, the river scence, and of course Steve McQueen's motorcycle chase! Steve agreed to do the film only if he had a bike chase. The result: the wisest choice in script rewriting creating a great climax.
Features include a documentary and a little booklet.
Highly resommended!

Gripping Tale of a
After more than a decade of trying to get a studio to film a movie based on Paul Brickhill's book "The Great Escape," John Sturges finally got backing from the Mirisch Company to recreate the true-life story of Allied officers escaping from a German POW camp in 1944.

While the screenplay by W. Burnett and James (Shogun) Clavell fictionalizes the characters and compresses time to fit a feature film's running time, the details of the escape attempt are true-to-life. Even better, the film was actually shot in Germany (even the thickest wooded areas in California don't come close to resembling the Black Forest area). Not only does Germany look like Germany, but the availability of WWII-era vehicles and uniforms make the authenticity more palpable.

Also helpful in the success of The Great Escape is the cast. Although the DVD artwork features the late Steve McQueen on its cover (and McQueen's contribution IS quite large, especially in the now-famous motorcycle chase, where McQueen did most of the real driving, since he was famous for his love of 'cycles and fast cars!), Sturges' movie is an ensemble movie. It's hard to remember, especially in the post-Vietnam era, that there was a period when war movies had all-star casts (The Longest Day is perhaps the best-known of these, and the trend continued -- even as viewership declined -- with such films as Tora! Tora! Tora!...Midway (a really bad film, by the way)...and ending with the well-made but poorly-received A Bridge Too Far). The Great Escape not only reunited director-producer with Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and James Coburn (whom he'd directed in The Magnificent Seven); it also features the talents of Donald Pleasence, James Garner, David McCallum and Richard Attenborough (who would later go on to direct A Bridge Too Far and Gandhi).

Also reuniting with Sturges was composer Elmer Bernstein, who had scored The Magnificent Seven three years previously. Bernstein's main theme is pretty catchy and still holds up well in these John Williams and James Horner-dominated years.

The DVD itself is pretty standard. The image is a bit grainy but it's not too distractingly so. It also includes the theatrical trailer and a short "making of" featurette.

And why did Sturges have such a hard time selling this now-classic film to major studios? Get this: Studio heads thought the subject matter was too depressing (most of the escaping POWs were recaptured, and 50 were shot on Hitler's personal orders), and there was no female romantic lead!

If you have the original DVD release SELL IT NOW!!!
Okay....All the extras are great...and there are MANY featurettes and interviews to keep you busy for hours....BUT..the main point I want to make is for all of you who don't care about extras and figure you already have this on DVD....you don't...
this transfer is AMAZING!!! it is a real HIGH DEFINITION transfer and STUNNING is what they say on the case and its true! Many DVDs say digitally transfered....and often that just means they pulled it from a previously issued laserdisc via digital output...you have never seen this movie this pristine....EVER!

TRUE AND INSPIRING AND TRAGIC
THE GREAT ESCAPE Special Edition (MGM) is based with fidelity on Paul Brickhill's best-seller. The inspiring story is about heroic men who cannot be broken and refuse to give up.

This was Steve McQueen's career defining role but it's the late and much lamented Charles Bronson that you most remember as the taciturn tunnel digger with claustrophobia.

Previously released on DVD, this hi-def transfer has new 5.1 surround sound, and interesting extras that include five featurettes, a terrific documentary on the untold true story and a commentary track that includes John Sturges, some of the cast (including the late James Coburn) and crew.

The two disc is WELL worth the money
I just finished watching all the extra stuff on the 2nd disc and if you are into the true story of this WWII event, you'll love it! I'm not sure, but I think there is almost 2 hours of extras. Although the film seems dated (especially after 'Band of Brothers'), I've now changed my mind - after seeing how accurate the director tried to keep the film. The only draw back was the director had to put the American's (mostly Steve McQueen) in the forefront where they didn't belong. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Moral equivocation was a common trait among several of Marlon Brando's characters in the early part of his career, and so it makes good theoretical sense that he would play the role of Fletcher Christian, the tormented first mate aboard the British naval vessel Bounty. But in fact the part is an ill fit for the actor, whose British accent is poor and who never looked quite right in period costume, anyway. Director Lewis Milestone(All Quiet On the Western Front) makes a good-looking and at times (especially during scenes of shipboard cruelties and conflict) compelling movie out of the material, but overall the film just isn't there.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (31)

If you don't watch this...you're missing out.
If you want to watch a movie about the infamous Mutiny on the Bounty, and you want to see good acting, beautiful camera work, and hear a witty script -rent this version! Or better, buy it. It's fantastic and amazing... and though people are always putting it down, don't listen to them. Any movie about any type of historical event is going to have a thousand people nitpicking it, but just because they aren't satisfied with it because (good god, his accent isn't perfect! or, that isn't how that scene really happened!!) doesn't mean it isn't a good movie. Brando is, contrary to what everyone else has to say, perfect for the role of Fletcher Christian...and his acting makes the film worth watching.

What's so real about a story based on a historical novel?
This film has been assassinated without any qualms by anti-Hollywood witch hunters. Yes! It does reek of production excesses at the expense of faithfulness to fact and Marlon Brando's portrayal of Mr. Christian is thoroughly derisable but isn't that what is needed here? This second film incarnation of the mutiny's occurrence is a refreshing turn on the theme, this time casting it in a technicolored gold mine of a light. It's pure Gilbert and Sullivan and it is great as a comedy piece. That's what makes this version so enjoyable to watch - it's too light in spirit to do anything else. Even funnier is just knowing that this effect was created unintentionally by MGM studios. After injecting so much into the picture in the way of casting, location and sheer beauty, the film's dark subject matter is parodied throughout, turning what 'should' have been a remake of the 1935 by-the-book yarn into something wonderfully warm and impossible to yawn at. The 1962 'Mutiny on the Bounty' is pure family entertainment, notwithstanding the self-deflating way it might present itself to the thinking, prejudiced mind. Brando is ridiculous with his strained S. English accent and Howard delivers one of his finest performances as Bligh. Indeed, to be fair, it was just such hilarious campness/quirkiness which actually did punctuate the mindset of the Eighteenth Century landed gentry. Who cares about the muting of the story's academics in this work? If you want that so badly then why not get the stodgy Gable/Laughton version or, even better, use the next ten minutes to order the 1932 novel from Amazon while you're here! Don't bleat and bang your fists against this gorgeous White Elephant. It is great stuff which finds other giants of the screen like Richard Harris in fine form (he is the perfect straight man to Brando's foppish officer).You don't even have to switch off your intellect to enjoy all three hours of this picture; your intellect is swift to tell you that there is a very good reason why you are laughing. While the 1935 original and the 1983 version are both true-to-story pieces which are miles more thought-provoking, the '62 epic piece is infinitely more watchable and uplifting. In short, this version was made to be too great for its own good and has imploded in overall feel. A rich texture here is the only thing which can hope to keep the viewer from saying: 'This is so bad, it can't be anything else but good!' As a film buff and holder of two degrees, I still am prepared to risk face and declare this one of my all-time favourites. Sorry, fellow illuminati; sometimes I like to have a laugh.

What was he thinking?
Leaving aside the question of which of the three "Bounties" is the best, the most dominant feature of this version, to me, is Brando's laughable Fletcher C. Yes, a foppish, arrogant English aristocrat will be foppish and arrogant. The problem is you get the idea Brando had never encountered, in real life, anyone to give him the basis to ground his performance in reality. It reveals an underlying flaw in method acting ... you can't make bricks without straw and you can't CONVINCINGLY portray a character of a specific class, time period and type just by making him or her up from within yourself.

Why Not On DVD?
I found this 1962 version of "Mutiny on the Bounty" by far the most entertaining and thought-provoking. Sometimes based upon the real event, yet often dramatized, it is mesmerizing and contains a wonderful script. I must agree with another reviewer who asked where Clark Gable's English accent was in the 1935 "Bounty". Although Brando's English accent certainly could have been better, at least he made an effort to HAVE one in the first place. The film contains humour, pathos and great adventure, also moral questions. It did not deserve the level of criticism it received. It is a shame that it is not available on DVD, because I would purchase it then.

THE BEST VERSION, END OF STORY.
I can understand why movie critics would want us to think that the 1935 Gable/Laughton version of this story is still the definitive one. After all it's their job to try to sound like they know what they're talking about. And I can surely respect anyone else's opinion if they feel the same way. To quote a line from Brando as Fletcher Christian, "It takes all sorts to make a world." But what I cannot take seriously is when critics and even viewers here go so far as to call the 1962 wide-screen Technicolor adventure awful or even laughable. I have seen all three major films inspired by the Bounty incident (there was an earlier pre-CAPTAIN BLOOD Errol Flynn version made in 1933 titled IN THE WAKE OF THE BOUNTY which never saw release here in the U.S.) and so far no one's been able to convince me that the overrated, outdated b&w dream factory creation from 1935 is the best of the bunch. C'mon guys, give me a break here, will ya? Yes, I do believe that some film classics (GONE WITH THE WIND, for example) cannot and SHOULD NOT be remade. Unfortunately for die-hard fans, 1935's MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY is not one of them, and the 1962 version is proof of that. I am not trying to imply in any way that the Gable classic is bad. It did, in all honesty, keep me quite entertained when I saw it, and I may even recommend it to anyone who can't find anything better to watch. But let's get down to business and compare the two versions and see why the Brando film is superior.

First of all, for those who say that Brando's English accent is bad, I have but one question to ask: where the heck is GABLE'S accent?? I think Kevin Costner deserves an apology. And so does Brando. His Fletcher Christian was, at least before the mutiny, a foppish and aristocratic snob, no doubt. But a cheesy performance this was not. How else is a foppish, aristocratic snob supposed to act like? I admit that I'm not sure if that's how the character was originally written for the script or if this was something that Brando came up with during filming. I also confess that I'm no expert when it comes to British accents. But in any case I thought he was completely convincing and definitely more English-like than Gable's all-American interpretation of the same role. But the true realism of Brando's character goes far beyond his attempt at an accent. After the mutiny, the troubling thought of never being able to return to England without the possibility of facing execution causes his Fletcher Christian to regret taking command of the ship, and for a while he shuts himself off from the rest of the crew, trying his best to convince himself that he did the proper and civilized thing. Gable's Fletcher, on the other hand, seems pretty content with his new life as an outlaw.
Second, Trevor Howard's Bligh is also better developed than Charles Laughton's more famous (and over-the-top) version of Bligh. Laughton's Bligh is a monster simply for the sake of being a monster. There is never any kind of explanation for his cruel actions, and it's quite possible that no real crew would have put up with his tyranny as it did in the 1935 film. Howard's Bligh, on the other hand, is a man determined to do ANYTHING he can to accomplish his goal, and that is simply to impress the admiralty who entrusted him with the mission of bringing breadfruit from Tahiti to England. Perhaps he also felt just a little beneath Fletcher Christian?
Third, well I'll make it short 'cause there are actually a few more reasons than just one more. The attempt to round Cape Horn is shot so spectacularly that, at least in my opinion, it would not be equaled until well over forty years later in MASTER AND COMMANDER. The uses of widescreen and Technicolor are also a plus, especially in the above mentioned scene, but also in the scenes depicting Tahitian life as it might have been back then. (I don't know how much of what is shown is accurate and how much is not, but one thing is for sure: Tahiti as seen in the 1935 version is so fake and Hollywoodized it's hard to tell which scenes were shot in a studio and which ones were shot in actual location.) And last but not least, Bronislau Kaper's magnificent score.
Did I forget anything else? No, and I can certainly go on, but I think I've made my point. If you've seen it before and didn't like it the first time, try checking it out again. Who knows, you might think differently this time. Thanx for reading my review. Peace, bro. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Quatermass Experiment aka THE CREEPING UNKNOWN
Fans of Doctor Who, Blake 7, and later BBC ventures will love this older U.K. science fiction. Unfortunately the British were not very good about recording their television programs, or keeping the tapes afterwards, and thus we will not be seeing the televised original for this story. The original live six-part 1953 TV production went some 200 minutes. The Quatermass author, Nigel Kneale, was not too happy about the new version's reduction to 82 minutes. Most who saw the TV version thought that it was superior to the movie.

Kneale wrote a number of TV programs that were eventually adapted to film. However, he will always remain famous for Quatermass. The movies would parallel a series of TV productions: Quatermass II (1955) and Quatermass and the Pit (1958-9). Kneale would conclude the series with Quatermass/The Quatermass Conclusion (1979).

The UK theatrical remake of The Quatermass Experiment (1955) was directed by Val Guest and the screenplay was written by Val Guest and Richard Landau. The part of Professor Bernard Quatermass was played by Brian Donlevy. Donlevy was chosen because it was thought an American in the role would give the film more box office appeal in the U.S. However, in hindsight, it was a little like giving the role of Doctor Who to an obvious Texan or person from the Bronx. Sometimes accents are important. Donlevy did a professional job, although a few cast members complained that he had a drinking problem.

The experimental rocket Q1 crashes in England. Quatermass, the somewhat reckless creator of the ship races to the site. Only one of the three astronauts is found alive, Victor Carroon (played by Richard Wordsworth). The other men have vanished.

This mystery drives the first part of the film. Later it becomes clear that Carroon is not only sick but dangerous. Something has come back with him, something that absorbs the flesh of living creatures and appropriates it into itself. The second half of this film is a somewhat typical man turned into monster drama.

It grows and goes on a rampage of destruction. Can it be caught? How will they stop it?

This early Hammer Film, and their first international success, was filmed in black-and-white. While the film has been released as one of MGM's Midnight Movies, it is only available on VHS. This is quite unfortunate given the fact that the later films are available on DVD. However, the transfer to video is excellent.

Would you believe that this film was given a British "X" rating certificate? There are no sexual situations, no romance, and no nudity. The language is fairly tame. Even the supposedly horrific scenes of mayhem from the monster are a mild PG by today's standards.

While it lacks some of the intensity of the later films, it is a good story. I would recommend it for fans of science fiction, British or not.

Good Story & Solid Acting
This is a well written story about a space flight gone wrong. It is well acted, the special effects are excellent for their day, and the main character in the story (Quartermass)is a strong and almost hartless man who is driven to achieve his goals no matter what the cost.

The supporting characters are good as well, but the mainstay of the movie is the strong story line which flows from event to event almost flawlessly.

An excellent effort for all science fiction fans - especially those who enjoy the older B&W versions of the future of science and space travel.

Excellent first Quatermass Shocker !!!
The ultimate in man into space-man returns-man mutates into alien movie,and although not as good as the second and third Quatermass stories,it still holds the attention some 46yrs later,and being also considering that Hollywood seem over-run with re-makes I believe this would make a good one for a change. Although Donlevy's performance is a little stiff,Margia Deans is dire,and her voice on this edition has been dubbed,probably to make her seem less automaton like,but I believe it is Richard Wordsworth's performance that truelly delivers the goods,truelly a classic of it's day,shame a DVD hasn't been announced of the movie,come along MGM how about it?

Initial entry in the greatest science fiction series ever
There's simply no equal to the Quatermass films in the effects-driven "science fiction" foisted on today's public. These films, adapted from much longer BBC television "miniseries", rely on intelligent plot development and attention to detail that is notably lacking in anything done in the genre lately.

In this film, the first of the series, Quatermass's experimental rocket crashes to Earth after having been out of contact. Three people went up - but there's only one person aboard now. The others.....? Ah, that would be telling!

Originally titled "The Quatermass Xperiment", the movie played on its "X" rating from the (remarkably timid) British film review board and helped open the door for Hammer Films' later bloody epics. There's nothing here that you couldn't see on television today, but the horrific *implications* of the plot are what give you the shivers. Special effects are crude by today's standards - a remake would surely improve on that aspect of the film, but the writing more than makes up that.

Brian Donlevy really makes a poor Quatermass, but he's all we have. He seems to confuse bullying and shouting with projecting authority and confidence, and you end up somewhat surprised no one decks him. (Andrew Keir's interpretation in "Quatermass and the Pit" is a lot more palatable.)

But that said - see this one. One of the true greats of the genre.

a.k.a. THE CREEPING UNKNOWN
I first saw the movie in broad daylight on an Admiral portable 19 inch B+W TV -with commercials- and, indeed, as a kid of ten I was troubled. DO N O T let little kids watch this! This one and the sequel, QUATERMAS II a.k.a. ENEMY FROM SPACE are the epitome of the genres (1) Man Transformed... [others in the category z.b. THE FLY (58) and THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN]; (2) Alien Takeover...[others in the category z.b. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS or VILLAGE of the DAMNED] I wholeheartedly agree with the first reviewer that the transformation of the poor astro'naught' is tragic to behold, even if the final, tentacled incarnation {the thing absorbs a ZOO! }leaves something to the imagination... ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Maggie Smith is so witty and commanding in this film, you might forget that the script paints Jean Brodie as an ultimately self-deluding spinster. Dame Maggie won the first of her two Oscars for playing a teacher in 1930s Edinburgh more in thrall to her romantic notions of art and beauty than the real world, a cultivator of worshipping "Brodie Girls." (She exalts the Mona Lisa and Mussolini with equal fervor.) Smith's expert playing makes many of the brogue-heavy Brodie-isms worth memorizing ("She seeks to intimidate me by the use of quarter-hours.") and raises the picture above its generally theatrical style. Real-life husband Robert Stephens plays Jean's married lover, Celia Johnson excels as the hostile headmistress, and Pamela Franklin is the deadpan whistle-blower within Miss Brodie's coven. The dippy music of Rod McKuen helps mark the movie as more of a reflection of the '60s than the '30s. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (41)

LOVE & SPITE IN 1932 EDINBURGH.
Miss Brodie is the kind of teacher who wants to inspire her "gurls" rather than teach them; she's the kind of teacher little girls get crushes on...As Muriel Spark's witty, fey and romantic crackpot teacher, Maggie Smith does a magnificent job conveying comedic elements of mimicry, affectations and sheer snobbery: Miss Brodie is so entertaining that we become entranced by this Scottish lass with a jumble shop mind - she's very funny. It becomes hard to accept her as a dangerous influence when the plot turns dramatic, but her scene where she states that she's "PROUD"! copped her the AA. Celia Johnson has a genuine triumph as her adversary, Mrs. Mackay, and Robert Stephens does a lot with his role as her art instructor lover. Jay Presson Allen wrote the script from his stage version, and the film was rather too conventionally directed by Ronald Neame. Unfortunately, Pamela Franklin's big confrontation scene is something of a disappointment (the fault goes back to the original novel). Overall, however, the film is a fey and rather unique treat for those who enjoy character studies of eccentric people. The song JEAN was a huge pop hit when released by the artist OLIVER back in 1969.

IN HER PRIME AND HOLDING HER OWN ON DVD
Maggie Smith is the elegantly pert Miss Brodie, a 1930s Edinburgh school marm of immense panache, charm and wit in a film that's sort of a cross between a female version of "Goodbye Mr. Chips" and "To Sir With Love." Smith's performance easily commands "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" beyond cliche and its theatrical trappings as she becomes the ultimate self-deluding spinster to whom Mussolini is a treasure on par with the Mona Lisa, and passionate love is but a taboo. Dame Brodie marks her existance on over-inflated romantic notions about art and beauty. Adapting from the novel by Muriel Spark, director Robert Neame keeps the pacing sweet and nimble, touching on all the right points without dwelling on any of them. Also in the cast are real-life husband, Robert Stephens as Jean's married lover and Celia Johnson who is marvelously insideous as the hostile headmistress. The film score by Rod McKuen may have been Oscar nominated but it betrays its 60s origins and really pigeon-holes the film as a production of that decade instead of seeming a vital tableau of the 30s.
THE TRANSFER: Fox has done a marvelous job remastering "Miss Brodie" on DVD. Colors are lush and nicely balanced. Black levels are deep and solid. Contrast and shadow levels are bang on. Some of the long shots suffer from pixelization which breaks up fine detail and there is also a very small trace of age related artifacts. These do not necessarily distract. The audio is stereo. Though dialogue does not sound natural it is nevertheless very clearly presented. The score - in all it's twinkle-twinkle get down of 60s flashback is amply displayed.
EXTRAS: An audio commentary and very sparce stills gallery. It really is a mystery to me why Fox's continues to benchmark certain catalogue titles as part of their Studio Series when their attention to suppliments continues to grow more scant by every release. Just call this a general release and be done with it. There's nothing special apart from the film to recommend such titles as part of a special series.
BOTTOM LINE: Recommended.

Great film
What do you get when you cross great writing, a great story, an excellent cast, and one of the world's greatest actresses? This film. It's certainly one of the most unusual films ever made, and especially when you consider WHEN it was made. I didn't see the initial release many years ago, but can only imagine what the American public made of a teenage girl in a married, much older, man's bed. Maggie Smith carries the film and her reputation on this one alone should seal her claim to best actress in the world. It doesn't get any better than this.

"POINTLESS"
This is one of the worst movies I ever saw. I saw it theatrically when it came out and then saw it again twenty years later on TV, when I had hoped that a more adult perspective would enable me to appreciate the initial critics' reviews. WRONG! It was still awful. There didn't seem to be any point to character motivation (what little motivation there was). Then one day I saw the book in the library, and since the book is always better than the movie, I read it. No wonder the movie was pointless. The book was the same. Better to watch one or other of the versions of "Goodbye, Mr. Chips".

Maggie and Celia At Their Finest
This has always been a favorite film of mine and now that is it
on DVD we have a letterboxed version. From the opening shots we
know we are in for a real treat. Maggie was just starting out in
the movies when she snared this role. Fox wanted Audrey Hepburn
or Deborah Kerr but Maggie made the role her own. She is not
alone. Celia Johnson as headmistress Miss Mackay is fabulous and
Gordon Jackson who later achieved world fame as Hudson in
UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS is a superb Gordie Lowther. Smith and Johnson
both won British Academy Awards and a few weeks later Maggie was
an upset winner at the Oscars and there was hooting and hollering
and mass celebrations at our house. I am delighted that Fox has
put this on DVD. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Quatermass Experiment aka THE CREEPING UNKNOWN
Fans of Doctor Who, Blake 7, and later BBC ventures will love this older U.K. science fiction. Unfortunately the British were not very good about recording their television programs, or keeping the tapes afterwards, and thus we will not be seeing the televised original for this story. The original live six-part 1953 TV production went some 200 minutes. The Quatermass author, Nigel Kneale, was not too happy about the new version's reduction to 82 minutes. Most who saw the TV version thought that it was superior to the movie.

Kneale wrote a number of TV programs that were eventually adapted to film. However, he will always remain famous for Quatermass. The movies would parallel a series of TV productions: Quatermass II (1955) and Quatermass and the Pit (1958-9). Kneale would conclude the series with Quatermass/The Quatermass Conclusion (1979).

The UK theatrical remake of The Quatermass Experiment (1955) was directed by Val Guest and the screenplay was written by Val Guest and Richard Landau. The part of Professor Bernard Quatermass was played by Brian Donlevy. Donlevy was chosen because it was thought an American in the role would give the film more box office appeal in the U.S. However, in hindsight, it was a little like giving the role of Doctor Who to an obvious Texan or person from the Bronx. Sometimes accents are important. Donlevy did a professional job, although a few cast members complained that he had a drinking problem.

The experimental rocket Q1 crashes in England. Quatermass, the somewhat reckless creator of the ship races to the site. Only one of the three astronauts is found alive, Victor Carroon (played by Richard Wordsworth). The other men have vanished.

This mystery drives the first part of the film. Later it becomes clear that Carroon is not only sick but dangerous. Something has come back with him, something that absorbs the flesh of living creatures and appropriates it into itself. The second half of this film is a somewhat typical man turned into monster drama.

It grows and goes on a rampage of destruction. Can it be caught? How will they stop it?

This early Hammer Film, and their first international success, was filmed in black-and-white. While the film has been released as one of MGM's Midnight Movies, it is only available on VHS. This is quite unfortunate given the fact that the later films are available on DVD. However, the transfer to video is excellent.

Would you believe that this film was given a British "X" rating certificate? There are no sexual situations, no romance, and no nudity. The language is fairly tame. Even the supposedly horrific scenes of mayhem from the monster are a mild PG by today's standards.

While it lacks some of the intensity of the later films, it is a good story. I would recommend it for fans of science fiction, British or not.

Good Story & Solid Acting
This is a well written story about a space flight gone wrong. It is well acted, the special effects are excellent for their day, and the main character in the story (Quartermass)is a strong and almost hartless man who is driven to achieve his goals no matter what the cost.

The supporting characters are good as well, but the mainstay of the movie is the strong story line which flows from event to event almost flawlessly.

An excellent effort for all science fiction fans - especially those who enjoy the older B&W versions of the future of science and space travel.

Excellent first Quatermass Shocker !!!
The ultimate in man into space-man returns-man mutates into alien movie,and although not as good as the second and third Quatermass stories,it still holds the attention some 46yrs later,and being also considering that Hollywood seem over-run with re-makes I believe this would make a good one for a change. Although Donlevy's performance is a little stiff,Margia Deans is dire,and her voice on this edition has been dubbed,probably to make her seem less automaton like,but I believe it is Richard Wordsworth's performance that truelly delivers the goods,truelly a classic of it's day,shame a DVD hasn't been announced of the movie,come along MGM how about it?

Initial entry in the greatest science fiction series ever
There's simply no equal to the Quatermass films in the effects-driven "science fiction" foisted on today's public. These films, adapted from much longer BBC television "miniseries", rely on intelligent plot development and attention to detail that is notably lacking in anything done in the genre lately.

In this film, the first of the series, Quatermass's experimental rocket crashes to Earth after having been out of contact. Three people went up - but there's only one person aboard now. The others.....? Ah, that would be telling!

Originally titled "The Quatermass Xperiment", the movie played on its "X" rating from the (remarkably timid) British film review board and helped open the door for Hammer Films' later bloody epics. There's nothing here that you couldn't see on television today, but the horrific *implications* of the plot are what give you the shivers. Special effects are crude by today's standards - a remake would surely improve on that aspect of the film, but the writing more than makes up that.

Brian Donlevy really makes a poor Quatermass, but he's all we have. He seems to confuse bullying and shouting with projecting authority and confidence, and you end up somewhat surprised no one decks him. (Andrew Keir's interpretation in "Quatermass and the Pit" is a lot more palatable.)

But that said - see this one. One of the true greats of the genre.

a.k.a. THE CREEPING UNKNOWN
I first saw the movie in broad daylight on an Admiral portable 19 inch B+W TV -with commercials- and, indeed, as a kid of ten I was troubled. DO N O T let little kids watch this! This one and the sequel, QUATERMAS II a.k.a. ENEMY FROM SPACE are the epitome of the genres (1) Man Transformed... [others in the category z.b. THE FLY (58) and THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN]; (2) Alien Takeover...[others in the category z.b. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS or VILLAGE of the DAMNED] I wholeheartedly agree with the first reviewer that the transformation of the poor astro'naught' is tragic to behold, even if the final, tentacled incarnation {the thing absorbs a ZOO! }leaves something to the imagination... ... Read more

Reviews (17)

a tour de force of acting!
Alec Guinness and John Mills - two of the best actors for decades, though I don't think either really received their full dues. Face it, a lot of people's awareness of Guinness came from Star Wars. And that is a shame. He was a brilliant actor with a touch of comedic genius, and he shines in this battle of wits and wills with Mills, another great.

It's basically a two man film, though there is a fine supporting cast of John Fraser, Dennis Price, Susannah York, Gordon Jackson, Percy Herbert and Peter McEnery.

Guinness is Major Jock Sinclair who has been with this Highland regiment since he joined as a boy piper, and rose to Second-in-Command during war time. The unit is now back in Scotland during peace time. Had he stayed as second-in-command, it might now have set tone for the conflict with Lt. Col. Basil Barrow (John Mills). But Jock has been Acting-Commander, so he fully expected to be promoted to full command. The men love him, he's a real man's man. He is devastated, a blow to his ego, when they bring in Barrow to assume command.

Barrow is not a very likable character, a martinet, so it's easy for Jock to wage psychological warfare by undermining Barrow at every turn. A Sandhurst trained disciplinarian, Barrows quickly alienates everyone with his prissy by the book ways, giving Jock the power to slowly rot Barrows authority, ultimately shaking Barrows mental foundations.

While Jock is doing all he can to send Barrows into a tissy fit, Jock's daughter is slipping around meeting John Fraser, which is pushing Jock to the edge as well.

There is a coming confrontation and only one man will survive.

This is acting at is best, and this film really should get more attention.

An astonishing story by Ronald Neame...
The sociable and veteran Major Jock Sinclair (Alec Guinness) has been the acting as Commanding Officer for the Highland Regiment since World War II where he once began as a piper. However, Jock is about to be replaced by a new Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. Basil Barrow (John MIlls), and the mere thought of being swapped with another officer upsets Jock. Colonel Barrow is an aloof and pedant officer with deep scares from the war where he spent most of his time in a prison camp. When Colonel Barrow takes over he immediately begins to set his changes into action, which upsets the lenient Jock who does not like Colonel Barrow or his new strict changes that he has brought to the Highland Regiment. These changes instigate Jock to begin a private psychological warfare toward Colonel Barrow where he plays on the fact that the other officers are not used to changes.

Tunes of Glory is an astonishing story as it displays the rough surface of the Highland military, but at the same time presents the affectionate side of grown men that have returned from war. On top of this the audience gets to see two outstanding performances by Alec Guinness and John Mills that are supported by a terrific cast. In the end the audience will have experienced a wonderful film that leaves them with thoughts and stirred feelings.

One astonishing movie
This smart film shows us one true tour de force between John Mills and Alec Guiness.
Besides all the technical aspects that support this work, the dramatic nucleus deserves be remarked.
Yet this film was made in 1960 ; this script turns around one the essentials lines that support the question about what an effective leader must be.
Look inside what Guiness means; he has set up his mood leadership in a crowd of soldiers accostumed to his irreverent behavior.
He shares what they like; he drinks and he's vulgar too; in other words he flies with them , even ridiculizes the essential role of the authority. This a style yet employed for many managements specially in organizations composed by people of medium professional rank ; this leader stans up about the warm scent of the charisma; that behavior lets to Guiness smell and know the hidden weakness of every man under his power.
This approach is suddenly disturbed when an officer (John Mills) comes for him to replace. Obviously; that fact generates an inmediat reaction state in all the officers. Guiness knows his days are gone and yet he fights with his rules ; you disagree with his psycolghical handles; but you think that Mills a distingued officer, will be capable to end with this screwy state of things.
The obstacle are countless: some are direct and the rest you can imagine: that invisible match to establish the real rules of game , will turn in an unexpected twist ending.
The script is very carefully made ; just remember just two years before Stanley Kubrick had filmed Paths of Glory. This is important due the bitter atmosphere about every item related with the authority excess was not accepted in any society status.
Add to this, the Korea Cold War from the fifties ; the russian invassion over Hungary ; the growing nuclear tension around the nuclear weapons and the visible increase of peace movements all around the world in multiple facets as Litherature; poetry ; painting (Jason Pollock) ; music (rock & roll); cinema (New Wave birth) and challenging films as Baby doll, On the waterfront or Anatomy of a crime ; the raising movements for protecting the nature ; at this decade (fifties) the society was opened for new discoveries and sensations search (remember that the pill was discovered in the middle of the fifties) ; and this mood made the loss of certain principles you assumed as permanent.
And this movie walks in that direction. Watch this one; because its values and intentions goes far beyond a mere entertainment , the movie inquires you ; it challenges you and invites you to react.
Another superb achievement.

Fine DVD for a Guinness classic
No need to say much about the film itself: it is superb as others have agreed, with a phenomenally compelling performance from Sir Alec Guinness, with Sir John Mills (who won Best Actor prize at the 1960 Venice Film Festival) and the rest of the cast giving great support.

The Criterion DVD offers a really fine transfer: colours are rich, and there is a total absence of any artefacts, nicks or blemishes in the print. Sharpness is also very good, there is a hint of occasional grain but this is in the original celluloid I think - and anyway is nothing to worry about.

One slight caveat which has been commented upon by various review sites (so is not just a flaw in my DVD copy) is near the end of the film the appearance on the transfer of an opaque vertical line close to the right edge of the image, about a centimetre wide on my 28" screen. This is not really as distracting as it sounds and was presumably unfixable by Criterion from the source print. It starts near the end of the snooker room scene and stays for about 5 minutes - disappearing during Guinness's tour-de-force final scene where he addresses the assembled officers in a bravura display of fine acting - which leads to the unforgettable (and very moving) climax of the film. Certainly no-one should be put off by this slight flaw as it didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the film.

Soundwise this film offers a straight mono track - which with a 5 channel set-up will unusually use only the centre speaker. Manually adjusting my amp I was able to switch to the two fronts (minus the centre) which gives a slightly wider soundstage. In any event the dialogue is clear (subtitles will help with some of the more inpenetrable lines) and Malcolm Arnold'd bagpipe-based score comes through well.

The extras are slight but OK: the audio-only interview with the aged John Mills in 2002 is not too revealing but he is a lovely man, as comes across well here. The filmed interview with Guinness is better but covers his whole career rather than this film - and he doesn't give too much away of the real man. The trailer is interesting - because it is so appallingly (and hilariously) bad, with a dreadful voiceover and bizarre captions.

Get this DVD for the fine transfer of a brilliant film, which at the end of the day is the prime reason for any DVD package.

Och aye, a supairrb disc!
One of my favorite films has finally made it to DVD. One of the true gems of the postwar British cinema, by a director who often gets short shrift alongside his illustrious contemporaries, Ronald Neame. Everything about the picture's been said - some of the best screen acting of all time in this one. The disc does it justice. The delicate color balance is magnificently rendered,
and the sound is equally well-presented. The real kicker, tho',
is in the extras. The Neame interview is a delight, as is the Guinness one. The Mills one is marred slightly by the rather fatuous questions he is aked, but still quite fine. In short, Criterion hits another one out of the park. Pour yersailf a
wee dram, sit down, and enjoy a bona-fide classic. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Ameen4L
This is an excellent movie. Richard Burton is superb. Why is this movie not in DVD?

Burton is a brooding ,sensual anti-hero for the masses.
This is the film that got me interested in Burton. I first saw it on British television many years ago,and Burtons portrayal of an intelligent, but massively tortured man is reminiscent of his own life.He had a "gift" which would ultimately tear him apart.This film is not currently available on video in the UK.That is a disgrace.

This movie is absolutely fantasic
I have seen this film three times on British television and I can recommend it to all. Richard Burton is at his absolute peak in the dark and menacing lead. The film itself is beautifully crafted, and works on numerous levels. It is not unknown for me to ask relative strangers what their favourite movie is and be told "The Medusa Touch" which is quite astounding since it is a little known title. If you get the opportunity to watch this film, I implore you to grab it with both hands.

The scarriest movie ever
I loved this movie i was tottaly blown and i saw this movie and i was so scared it is the most interesting and brain twisting movie ive ever seen

Telekinesis related to ...... skeptic times
the magnetic potential in brain wave WHY NOT To Beta FATHER DAMIEN i Hope To see it in Broad casting execute _Thank us ... Read more

Description

Virtuoso performances fuel this powerful drama about the pressures of military life.Alec Guinness (The Bridge on the River Kwai) stars as a gruff Scottish officer who refuses to relinquish his regiment to an aristocratic colonel (Oscar®-winner John Mills, Ryan's Daughter).The impeccable supporting cast includes Kay Walsh and Susannah York in her film debut. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

a tour de force of acting!
Alec Guinness and John Mills - two of the best actors for decades, though I don't think either really received their full dues. Face it, a lot of people's awareness of Guinness came from Star Wars. And that is a shame. He was a brilliant actor with a touch of comedic genius, and he shines in this battle of wits and wills with Mills, another great.

It's basically a two man film, though there is a fine supporting cast of John Fraser, Dennis Price, Susannah York, Gordon Jackson, Percy Herbert and Peter McEnery.

Guinness is Major Jock Sinclair who has been with this Highland regiment since he joined as a boy piper, and rose to Second-in-Command during war time. The unit is now back in Scotland during peace time. Had he stayed as second-in-command, it might now have set tone for the conflict with Lt. Col. Basil Barrow (John Mills). But Jock has been Acting-Commander, so he fully expected to be promoted to full command. The men love him, he's a real man's man. He is devastated, a blow to his ego, when they bring in Barrow to assume command.

Barrow is not a very likable character, a martinet, so it's easy for Jock to wage psychological warfare by undermining Barrow at every turn. A Sandhurst trained disciplinarian, Barrows quickly alienates everyone with his prissy by the book ways, giving Jock the power to slowly rot Barrows authority, ultimately shaking Barrows mental foundations.

While Jock is doing all he can to send Barrows into a tissy fit, Jock's daughter is slipping around meeting John Fraser, which is pushing Jock to the edge as well.

There is a coming confrontation and only one man will survive.

This is acting at is best, and this film really should get more attention.

An astonishing story by Ronald Neame...
The sociable and veteran Major Jock Sinclair (Alec Guinness) has been the acting as Commanding Officer for the Highland Regiment since World War II where he once began as a piper. However, Jock is about to be replaced by a new Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. Basil Barrow (John MIlls), and the mere thought of being swapped with another officer upsets Jock. Colonel Barrow is an aloof and pedant officer with deep scares from the war where he spent most of his time in a prison camp. When Colonel Barrow takes over he immediately begins to set his changes into action, which upsets the lenient Jock who does not like Colonel Barrow or his new strict changes that he has brought to the Highland Regiment. These changes instigate Jock to begin a private psychological warfare toward Colonel Barrow where he plays on the fact that the other officers are not used to changes.

Tunes of Glory is an astonishing story as it displays the rough surface of the Highland military, but at the same time presents the affectionate side of grown men that have returned from war. On top of this the audience gets to see two outstanding performances by Alec Guinness and John Mills that are supported by a terrific cast. In the end the audience will have experienced a wonderful film that leaves them with thoughts and stirred feelings.

One astonishing movie
This smart film shows us one true tour de force between John Mills and Alec Guiness.
Besides all the technical aspects that support this work, the dramatic nucleus deserves be remarked.
Yet this film was made in 1960 ; this script turns around one the essentials lines that support the question about what an effective leader must be.
Look inside what Guiness means; he has set up his mood leadership in a crowd of soldiers accostumed to his irreverent behavior.
He shares what they like; he drinks and he's vulgar too; in other words he flies with them , even ridiculizes the essential role of the authority. This a style yet employed for many managements specially in organizations composed by people of medium professional rank ; this leader stans up about the warm scent of the charisma; that behavior lets to Guiness smell and know the hidden weakness of every man under his power.
This approach is suddenly disturbed when an officer (John Mills) comes for him to replace. Obviously; that fact generates an inmediat reaction state in all the officers. Guiness knows his days are gone and yet he fights with his rules ; you disagree with his psycolghical handles; but you think that Mills a distingued officer, will be capable to end with this screwy state of things.
The obstacle are countless: some are direct and the rest you can imagine: that invisible match to establish the real rules of game , will turn in an unexpected twist ending.
The script is very carefully made ; just remember just two years before Stanley Kubrick had filmed Paths of Glory. This is important due the bitter atmosphere about every item related with the authority excess was not accepted in any society status.
Add to this, the Korea Cold War from the fifties ; the russian invassion over Hungary ; the growing nuclear tension around the nuclear weapons and the visible increase of peace movements all around the world in multiple facets as Litherature; poetry ; painting (Jason Pollock) ; music (rock & roll); cinema (New Wave birth) and challenging films as Baby doll, On the waterfront or Anatomy of a crime ; the raising movements for protecting the nature ; at this decade (fifties) the society was opened for new discoveries and sensations search (remember that the pill was discovered in the middle of the fifties) ; and this mood made the loss of certain principles you assumed as permanent.
And this movie walks in that direction. Watch this one; because its values and intentions goes far beyond a mere entertainment , the movie inquires you ; it challenges you and invites you to react.
Another superb achievement.

Fine DVD for a Guinness classic
No need to say much about the film itself: it is superb as others have agreed, with a phenomenally compelling performance from Sir Alec Guinness, with Sir John Mills (who won Best Actor prize at the 1960 Venice Film Festival) and the rest of the cast giving great support.

The Criterion DVD offers a really fine transfer: colours are rich, and there is a total absence of any artefacts, nicks or blemishes in the print. Sharpness is also very good, there is a hint of occasional grain but this is in the original celluloid I think - and anyway is nothing to worry about.

One slight caveat which has been commented upon by various review sites (so is not just a flaw in my DVD copy) is near the end of the film the appearance on the transfer of an opaque vertical line close to the right edge of the image, about a centimetre wide on my 28" screen. This is not really as distracting as it sounds and was presumably unfixable by Criterion from the source print. It starts near the end of the snooker room scene and stays for about 5 minutes - disappearing during Guinness's tour-de-force final scene where he addresses the assembled officers in a bravura display of fine acting - which leads to the unforgettable (and very moving) climax of the film. Certainly no-one should be put off by this slight flaw as it didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the film.

Soundwise this film offers a straight mono track - which with a 5 channel set-up will unusually use only the centre speaker. Manually adjusting my amp I was able to switch to the two fronts (minus the centre) which gives a slightly wider soundstage. In any event the dialogue is clear (subtitles will help with some of the more inpenetrable lines) and Malcolm Arnold'd bagpipe-based score comes through well.

The extras are slight but OK: the audio-only interview with the aged John Mills in 2002 is not too revealing but he is a lovely man, as comes across well here. The filmed interview with Guinness is better but covers his whole career rather than this film - and he doesn't give too much away of the real man. The trailer is interesting - because it is so appallingly (and hilariously) bad, with a dreadful voiceover and bizarre captions.

Get this DVD for the fine transfer of a brilliant film, which at the end of the day is the prime reason for any DVD package.

Och aye, a supairrb disc!
One of my favorite films has finally made it to DVD. One of the true gems of the postwar British cinema, by a director who often gets short shrift alongside his illustrious contemporaries, Ronald Neame. Everything about the picture's been said - some of the best screen acting of all time in this one. The disc does it justice. The delicate color balance is magnificently rendered,
and the sound is equally well-presented. The real kicker, tho',
is in the extras. The Neame interview is a delight, as is the Guinness one. The Mills one is marred slightly by the rather fatuous questions he is aked, but still quite fine. In short, Criterion hits another one out of the park. Pour yersailf a
wee dram, sit down, and enjoy a bona-fide classic. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A Different Hamlet
This video is an adaptation of the stage production that was produced in London's Roundhouse (a former train roundhouse converted into a theatre). The film makes use of the entire theatre, not just the stage. It makes for a very claustrophobic, but effective setting.

I have mixed feelings about this film. I am glad someone tried something different with Hamlet. I was glad to see a 30 year old Hamlet for a change. Hamlet is not the young undergrad college student we always picture him to be, but a 30 year old grad student. Shakespeare's play tells us that Yorick's skull has been in the ground for 24 years and Hamlet tells us how he knew Yorick as a childhood friend. Nicol Williamson (while not the common image of Hamlet)was a 30 year old actor playing a 30 year old character.

stuck in its time
they don't show the ghost, for one, but rather there's this sort of trippyish light, as if they're at a psychedelic rock concert. Ophelia is the most gorgeous Ophelia I've seen, and she acts well, too. While Anthony Hopkins looks spectacular as Claudius, he's not as good as Derek Jacobi in the Branagh version. But he is quite good.
Overall, kind of weak. The costumes are lame. The player king is good.

flawed
Nicol Williamson is a great actor but he's too darn old to play young Hamlet. He looks older than his Uncle Claudius played by Anthony Hopkins.

BRAVO! An Actor's Hamlet!
Tony Richardson's production of Hamlet is perhaps too subtle for those used to more ostentatious renderings of the play, but do not let that discourage you from enjoying the depth and clarity of this fine stage/film version, which reads very well on the television screen. Celebrated Nicol Williamson plays an infinitely human and palpable Hamlet. There is no bombast nor bloat to the intelligent tone and pithy rhythm of his soliloquies. Williamson is one of a handful of actors who can phrase the complex *long bow* of Shakespeare's verse into the meaningful and memorable images that the author so skillfully aimed. With Williamson (as with Branaugh 25+ years later), this Hamlet's increasingly cynical dispair fuels his rage--not the simpering *moral confusion* of more formalized drama school portrayals. Gordon Jackson, best known to American film buffs as THE GREAT ESCAPE's MacDonald (*Intelligence*), plays a wonderfully intimate and faithful Horatio--indeed, here IS a friend! Marianne Faithful is in her element as Ophelia. And one can only wonder how Anthony Hopkins would play Claudius today? He seems to overdraw his character in this 1969 stage to film version--but then again, why wouldn't a King breakfast on baked fowl in the comfort of his own bed while tenderizing fair Rosencrantz and good Guilenstern for their fouled English mission? Let others scoff at the humanity and subtlety of this performance. This lovely version is shown frequently on the BRAVO channel (*The Actor's Channel*) for good reason. *Ah, the point and the venom, too....*

the worst interpretation of Hamlet ever
it sucked! the close ups were aweful, it had to be either a really horrible artistic director or a lowbudget on camara film. the acting was hard to watch it had horrible caracture choices and they all were vulger...not to sound too harsh or anything ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Captures the spirit that founded Israel
Reviewers need to be aware that films of history the sooner they are filmed to the event can often catch the mood/look of the time period better than today with our myriad of special effects but no heart. "Cast a Giant Shadow" does this.

A great war film that shows how technotactically the "edge" on the battlefield goes to those who can get the best mechanical advantage---the Israelis need a main supply route open to feed Jerusalem (I have actually walked these steep defiles) and tries to armor plate trucks and this doesn't work against ambushers waiting for them. This serves as a warning that the U.S. Army cannot make the same mistake of basing itself on restricted to roads, vulnerable heavy armored cars as some seem lusting for these days. David Ben-Gurion, Israeli Prime Minister knows the "center of gravity" is holding Jerusalem (same is true today) in order to have a rallying point for the new nation. He compels Marcus to find a way to win.

Col Marcus played by Kirk Douglas displays the dogged determination "if you first don't succeed, try, try again" so lacking in today's generation. He reminds the Israelites not to wallow in self-pity over their plight BUT TO DO SOMETHING to make things better. He tries to infantry attack Latrun without tracked armored vehicle fire support and fails to take the walled post (now the IDF tank museum) to bust open the road to Jerusalem. He does succeed in mobile warfare against Egyptian tanks using anti-tank guns mounted on jeeps. Eventually, Marcus finds a way----

I think the women in the film are sexy; Dickinson and Berger and add to the film in that they love their man, Marcus but fear for his safety as he does what has to be done because humanity insists it be done. The film reminds us that the true feelings many people have towards Israeli people would be exctinction as Marcus discovers at the death camps in Germany as a U.S. Army Paratroop officer. This prejudice is depicted well in the film and reminds us that freedom is not a "free" lunch. Someone has to pay for it, and that usually means our men in uniform. It also means helping them do their jobs as the film shows that getting support from your own people is not automatic. Marcus earns the respect of his Army but at a lot of struggle; what if today there are no men of vision willing to go this far to defend freedom?

Cast a Giant CAST
First off, this film contains a rousing score by Elmer Bernstein. It is brilliant. Melville Shavelson wrote and directed this sprawling biographical action picture about (Colonel) "Mickey" Marcus (Kirk Douglas), a West Point graduate and an adviser to President Roosevelt during W.W.II, who, at the request of the Israelis, went to there in the late 40s to re-organize their army. In this account, based on a book by Ted Berkman, Mickey Marcus is the master strategist who leads the Israelis to victory in the war with the Arabs. Melville Shavelson admires him, making him the cool but enigmatic leader. Shavelson is very eager to please the audience enough to throw in numerous guest stars, such as Frank Sinatra and Yul Brynner, and agonizes over Mickey's moral conflict between Angie Dickinson, the wife he leaves at home in the U.S., and Senta Berger, the female warrior he takes up with. Even those willing to accept the hours of incoherence and banality may recoil at the obscenity of being asked to experience the horrors of Dachau as reflected in John Wayne's bleary eyes. It also features Topol, James Donald, Stathis Giallelis, Ruth White, Gordon Jackson, Luther Adler, Gary Merrill, and Jeremy Kemp. Get the soundtrack.

UTTER RUBBISH
I GIVE THIS MOVIE MINUS 5 STARS.
Why do we watch movies? Sometimes its because we like fantasy, or action, or romance, OR THE TELLING OF A TRUE STORY. I guess the idea with cast a giant shadow was to tell the true story of how a group terrorists [Jews] with great might and courage created an independent state of Israel- which of course is all false and utter rubbish. The film is light years away from the telling of a true story. The Jews were not mighty nor courageous, nor passionate. The truth is they were terrorists and with America's help defeated the Arabs. What ever the film potrays of the Jews was wrong and highly inaccurate. There was also some inaccuracies in the portrayl of the Arabs, but not on a grand scale as the Jews. Steven Speilberg wanted to do a movie very close to the truth about the same war, but when zionists saw the script they pressured Steven to drop the idea. Cast a Giant shadow underated the amreican involvement which was the only reason why Israel won that war. If you like a war movie there are plenty that are much better than this. If you are pro-israeli I think you will like it, but remember 80% of it is inccurate. Many people watch and then review a movie at amazon if it is a good ONE. On the basis of that, cast A Giant shadow has only 11 reviews, indicating what utter rubbish of a movie it is.

White-Washed View of Arab-Israli War
The problem with a film like this today is that it will evoke passionate responses from both Arabs and Jews. I think a non-semetic person is needed to provide an honest assessment. As an American I have no great feelings for either Isreal or the varied Arab States. I think both sides have little to recommend them even to this day. This film portrays the creation of the modern Isreali army from a bunch of feuding militias. Kirk Douglas plays his usual out-spoken leader part which comes over ok. John Wayne as a WW2 general and State Department official is almost amusing, but does convey how the US government probably felt toward events in the Middle East at this time.

I was surprised at the reasonable portrayal of the British in this film, as they are usually vilified by pro-Isreali elments most times. It shows how the British vainly tried to keep both sides apart, and explains a little of their own position for a change. It was a thankless task for them. The almost saintly portrayal of the Isrealis does give one the impression that this film was funded by the Jewish Defense League in the US! They are always seen as long suffering as they prod along singing and dancing to their dour and flat music! The Arabs don't get much better treatment either, and little individual attention at all, excepet for one dissident chieftain who seems to throw his lot in with the Jews. His portrayal is a bit standard, but is amusing and not that inaccurate for the time.

What the movie does show well is the chaotic nature of the fighting in 1948 with the first Arab-Isreali War. We see Jewish columes being attacked from the mountains and bloody sacrefices being made. The Arab forces are shown a bit better armed than I think they actually were, but there can be no doubt that they had some initial advantages against the nascent state of Isreal which they threw away. 1947-48 was the only chance the Arab World would get to crush Isreal, and they have only themselves to blame for not doing it. The Isrealis once again proved the superiority of Western forces against Eastern ones. Even with the chaotic nature of the fighting, and their poor strategic situation, they were able to hang on and prevail through sheer grit and determination. Kirk Douglas represents the many mercinaries and outside supporters who were vital in giving the Isrealis the technical expertise, help and leadership that they so badly needed. Without them Isreal no doubt would have been crushed.

This movie is a bit sentimental and heavy-handed at times, but it probably conveys a general impression of the times better than any Hollywood production could today. Frank Sinitra flying around in his little plane has got to be funniest thing in this entire opus! Yul Brenner is pretty good also as a downcast Isreali leader. The women in the movie are probably the most compelling aspect. Kirk Douglas's wife and the Isreali girl are both lovely and compelling. Their pull on him has symbolic meaning in the story. There is some good dialouge in this movie, some of it with decent historical references. Viewers should try not to get too involved with the plot and characters, and just try to see it as a grand rolling epic with some scant relation to history! I guess it would help if you are not pro-Isreali or Arab as well. Just sit back, have a few chuckles and gain an appreciation for the complexity of the events which are conveyed in this epic. You can at least begin to understand the current mess in the Middle East today by viewing it. They don't make movies like this anymore.

10% good 90 % bad
Okay, we wanted a movie to enjoy about the Land of Israel and it's struggles. Old style movie making was enjoyable, as was the usual depiction of the Jewish courage and struggle along with a similar type people giving American support. HOWEVER, from the get-go the main actor was cheating on his wife, and every time John Wayne got a chance to say "damn" he sure did. It's like they realized at this point in movie making they could get away with saying "damn" on screen more than in the work place or schools, or any other place of decency, and so they went ALL OUT. Like little kids getting away with something for the first time, if it's all the sudden allowed for some reason, they display it with exhuberance! So bad language, a love affair during marriage (actually celebrated by two married couples' cheating spouses) is toyed with and starts to come to full fruition (whatever THAT means anymore). Movie went in the garbage, we are sad we bought it. There was NO need for profanity, nor a need for such sensuousness on a topic about heroic bravery and humand struggles to live together in peace ON A BATTLEFIELD. The Jews are dipicted as passionate and courageous (usual depiction) but not very smart w/ politics and rough relationships (usual depiction). We aren't Jewish, but we say...don't buy! ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Authenic replicant aircraft top this 16:9 grand comedy DVD!!
1965 was the year of the big screen action race comedies with lots of stars, grand costumes, lavish sets and authentic classic vehicles. "The Great Race" a 1910 auto race from New York to Paris and the "Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines" a 1910 International Aircraft race from London to Paris.

What makes this 1965 Action Comedy so Grand is the attention to detail by Director Ken Annakin who had 6 replica flying machines built by real aero - engineers from the original blue prints and specifications. The accuracy of these replicants even proved the critical pilot weight limitations. They had to even substitute a female stunt pilot to fly the French mono - wing because the original pilot was a very small man. Now available for the first time on a spectacular panoramic 2.20:1 Aspect ratio. (Anamorphic WideScreen DVD (automatically adjusts picture to viewing tv size) with Dolby Surround Sound.) NOTE: THIS IS A FANTASTIC MOVIE TO WATCH ON WIDESCREEN 16:9 HDTV!!!!!

This film is 138 minutes and has many extras which include very detailed information and the history regarding all the 1910 vintage aircraft used in the film.

With an All-star 1960's International cast; Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox, Robert Morley, Red Skelton, Gert Frobe, Jean-Pierre Cassal, Benny Hill, Alberto Sordi and Terry Thomas.

This is a magnificent movie and the ingenuity and comedy of 1910 flight is a delight to watch on the BIG SCREEN. Enjoy.

An airplane movie for the flight buff and general audience .
This is a marvelous film for people who love airplanes, but it also has much to recommend it for anyone in the family. It captures the romance of the pre-WWI era and takes an affectionate look at the pre-war planes as well. The story is set around a race from London to Paris, and is also a fractured take on the political and social situation of the period. Flyers from all over the world meet at an airfield set in the infield of a Brooklands style race track. The first half of the film introduces us to the somewhat caricatured but nevertheless engaging pilots from each major flying nation: the womanizing Frenchman, the stiff-backed Prussians, the rich and prolific Italian, the cowboy from Arizona, and several British types, most notably Sir Percy Ware-Armitage, played with black-hearted delight by Terry Thomas. The film boasts a whole gamut of great character actors like Gert Frobe, Robt. Morely and even Red Skelton. The flying sequences before and during the race combine slapstick comedy with truly awesome shots of the other stars of the film, the authentic reproductions of 1910 aircraft. I've loved this film since I saw it as a child, and my non-airplane daughter even counts it as one of her favorites. Highly recommended.

The best racing comedy of the 1960s.
This was yet another in a series of big-budget comedies that were so stuffed that had to include an intermission. (This 138 minute film has an intermission at the 79 minute mark, followed by a 6-minute Entr'acte, so that the second act is only 52 minutes.) It's also possibly the best one, along with IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD, but where IAMMMMW was at times overlong and peopled with nasty characters, you can care about the people in TMMITFM. It's funnier-with much broader comedy than the other, and a careful sense of time and place. There are a few laggy romantic bIts, but Those Magnificent Men is a fine film well served by 20th Century Fox. Well recommended.

Jamie Teller

Absolutely gorgeous DVD of classic comedy!
This is truly a marvelous DVD transfer of the classic 1965 comedy that the whole family can enjoy. The image is breathtakingly sharp, capturing the amazing aerial photography of the classic early planes, the elaborate aerodrome set, and the delightful costume design; the sound, too, is top-notch, with the classic score and title tune bouncing along merrily. But what will keep you coming back is the laugh-out-loud comedy; sure, it's all based on stereotypes for each nationality, but some good-natured ribbing could help these days. Besides, funny is funny, and this movie is very, very funny, with riotous performances from Gert Frobe, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Terry-Thomas. You should try to see this on as big a screen as possible; pure cinematic joy!

Magnifi