Reviews (12)

A Great Movie Adapted from a Great Book!!
I have been a Misty fan since my childhood and love all of Marguerite Henry's books. This is a great family film. This film is filled with timeless family values. A wonderful film for all ages. Filmed on location in Chincoteague and Assateague the scenery is beautiful. We hope to witness Pony Penning Day first hand next year and see the recently unveiled Misty statue on Chincoteague.

Paul and Maureen fall in love with The Phantom the first time they see her on Assateague Island. Their deceased father also loved The Phantom and the two children set their hearts on buying her after the pony roundup. The do all kinds of small jobs to raise [money] needed to purchase her.
When the roundup occurs it is discovered that The Phantom has a young foal which is quickly called Misty and the two decide they want to buy them both. I can't tell you any more without revealing the entire story so you will just have to watch the rest yourself to find out what happens. You will not be disappointed.

Play 'Misty' For Me
I loved this movie when I was a little girl, not so many years ago, but then, I was absolutely horse crazy at the time. I never quite understood, and I don't think I ever will, why the book and the film were both titled 'Misty' when the story is really all about her mother, The Phantom.

It was nice to see all the characters from the book brought to life, although I do agree with the reviewer who thought Grandpa was miscast; he seemed too young and looked more like the illustration for Tom, the raffleman instead. The one change I really enjoyed was that they made Maureen much more tomboyish and willing to stick up for herself; Wesley Dennis always drew her as this fragile-looking waif in a fluffy dress and the pigtailed flannel and denim clad girl we get seems much better suited to farm life. Slightly off-putting is the grandparent's backward thinking, which will seem outdated to modern audiences. At one point Grandma scolds the kids for not doing their chores and playing with the foals instead and I wanted to shake the woman. They've lost both their parents and you're mad they're outside playing? You should be glad they've found something to help them cope.

Still, this movie is about the horses and not the people and we get scads of great shots of herds galloping free along the beaches, racing other ponies with real kids clinging to their backs, and foals capering adorably. They found a very sweet and clever yearling to play Misty- at times she seems more like an adoring puppy than anything- and a fantastic looking pinto who plays the Pied Piper to wild-eyed perfection. They even found a pony with mismatched eyes to play Watch-Eye, which is a great little detail for those who loved the book.

Considering how old the film is, the quality of the tape is surprisingly good, there were only one or two times where a blip or a jump showed up on the TV and that might even just be the copy I have. This is a kiddie film, so don't expect the greatest, but if you're horse crazy, in the mood for some nostalgia or just need something to share with a younger audience that you won't find too mind-numbing, Misty fits the warm fuzzy bill.

Very Close To The Book
This movie was made in 1961, just four years after my family moved from Chincoteague. Many of the great town folk of Chincoteague are in the movie, including the barber that used to cut my hair when I was four, and gave me a penny for not crying.
I've seen the DVD version recently, almost 50 years since my last Pony Penning Day. It brought back so many memories of my childhood, and my favorite book at the time. It has a great message for children - set goals, work hard, and you will achieve - it also shows the love man has for God's great creatures. A great movie for kid's who love horses!!

MISTY
What a Lovely Film, we rented this for Christmas for my 11 year old daughter and we all enjoyed the movie. Very good filming and a very cute movie.

Mostly Faithful to the Book
Shot on location on Chincoteague and Assateague Island, this movie wisely sticks to the original souce material. Misty fans of all ages will want to see this movie so they can see the places mentioned in the book and watch a real Pony Penning Day roundup.

Both the book and movie characters were based on real people (and ponies). Misty was an equine celebrity with children all over America. After a storm nearly destroyed Chincoteague, the real Misty often appeared in theaters where this film was shown to raise money to rebuild the island.

Arthur O'Connell as Grandpa Beebe was a disappointment. He doesn't speak in the warm, grizzled ways like the character in the book and he doesn't even have a Southern accent.

The film was shot in CinamaScope and the video is formatted in pan-and-scan. There are many instances during the film where the cropped picture looks distorted because of this. If you really want to enjoy the beauty of this film, hold out for a widescreen version on DVD. It would be nice if future editions of this film also had a documentary about the real Misty and her life. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Infamous Film A Proud Time Traveler
Considered to be Presley's weakest movie to date, KC looks fairly hip today. Maybe after "The Dukes of Hazzard" and MTV and on and on, this little piece o' fluff does holds your interest after the first 29 songs! Actually, the music is quite good, especially the hit title tune, featuring a swaggerin' El, and "Tender Feeling", a beautiful ballad sung by his movie "twin" to Cynthia Pepper (who skillfully plays the Military Secrerary hastily summoned to lend credence to Lt. Presley's creative attempts to convince distant relatives that their Smokey mountain home would be vastly improved by the addition of a missile site). Yeah, there are too many songs and production values are low. But E.P. afficionados - it's another don't-believe-the-critics!

Certainly not Elvis' Best film
I bought this movie so I can work on my Elvis collection and I watched it for the first time in a very long time and I forgot how cheesy it is. I'm completely aware of the time that the movie was shot but come on. If MGM could make a pink bubble turn into the Good Witch of the North in the 1930's, then they could find a way to put two Elvis's in the same scene in the 1960's. When the dark haired one was in a shot, the other wasn't there or he was turned around so you couldn't see his face. It also wasn't hard to tell that when the two of them were in the same shot, one was a total "look-alike". I gave it 3 stars because the movie wasn't his best but it's Elvis. In my book, no one can sing or move the way he could. I don't think someone could look as beautiful as he did on screen either. I'm a HUGE Elvis fan, but this movie is just cheap compared to a couple of his others.

Awesome
This movie was awesome. Elvis is hot W/ blode hair. Also, it is an excellent example of the split-screen technology of the day.

Am I seeing double?
How much mun fun do you want, got Elvis Presley staring in a movie, you see him in love, and sining too. But how about another Elvis Presley. Believe it or not, Elvis Presley is playing to characters in this movie. I am giving this movie 4 stars because, there was one minor problem I had with this movie. There is a scene in movie when Josh Morgan (Elvis Presley) is willing to help Ma Tatum when Pa Tatum is missing, and he does that after sh treats him. Earlier in this movie, when Soble promises the girls gifts on from the army, and they become to lazy to do they chores, Ma Tatum orders Josh and all the rest of the army of the mountain. If she treated me like that, and she needed help I would not help her and I would her "because of the way you treated me and my army, you can do it yourself" relative or not. I have also remembered that there is one song in this movie that is not sung by Elvis and that is "Pappy won't you please come home".

Elvis doing double duty!
"Kissin Cousins" is another film that is considered, by popular opinion to be a cheeseball. You have to try this film first and see what you think. If you like it and recommend it write a review here. I'd like to add that Elvis movie fans better listen up! If you like any of his films, POST A REVIEW FOR PETE'S SAKE! I see only 5+ reviews for his movies. Disappointing! In fact I see it on all products that's Elvis except the 30 #1 Hits CD which has 205+. MUCH BETTER! Finally we wised up on that one. Getting back to "Kissin' Cousins", Elvis does double duty and plays an air force pilot named Josh Morgan (my name, except for the Morgan part) and his hilbilly blonde look-alike Jodie Tatum. I'm still wondering how this film was done with two Elvis on the screen at once in some scenes. I agree with the person who said that Yvonne Craig should have been in more of Elvis' pictures. She's a hot potato. Again, give this one a try and rely on what your thoughts tell you. Elvis is still the King no matter what type of picture he's in. This one is pretty good, overall. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

A Key of Promise
Running "The Hiding Place" through a video player can unlock the door to a place of safety-- a reverent, joyful chamber of promise.

This cannot be a piece of fiction, for in its unlikely construction we see and hear Truth manifesting itself (Himself) through the story of two precious "old maids" of the Netherlands and their watchmaker father. We might, upon a casual viewing, consider this family brave, heroic, self-sacrificing in their efforts to conceal Jews during the World War II Nazi occupation of Holland. But having lived with this story since I was 13 when I heard Corrie ten Boom speak in my church, and having read the book and played the video countless times as an adult, I have come to see that the ten Boom family was neither brave or heroic, but rather "occupied" themselves with a glorious intruder.

He came and transformed their "war efforts" and the resulting torture they endured in concentration camps into an astounding (but Biblically typical)"context" for communion with Himself. Corrie and Betsie and their earthly father would be the first to say that the Lord Jesus Christ is the hero of their incredible passage through hell. And perhaps most amazing of all, they would enthusiastically express that He translated this dark journey into a profoundly beautiful experience saturated with the light, joy, safety and power of His presence.

But this was all a secret. Not everyone saw it at the time it was happening, the movie may hide it as well. My prayer would be that as this story unfolds on film, He will unlock the door of this mystery to every viewer.

Interestingly, when this movie was being made in the mid 1970's, the real Corrie ten Boom was on the set during the entire filming process -- or rather she was close at hand. Many days she would lock herself in a hotel room and pray... pray that He would open the door to Himself through the film. This time alone in prayer was not a burden, nor was she pleading, petitioning a distant, indifferent source of power for a personal favor. She was simply spending time with her Friend and her God in His hiding place, asking Him to bring glory to Himself through this special story He began orchestrating through her life during in the 1940's... and is continuing to unfold...

In short, this film in infused with stuff bigger than itself. It is worthy of many viewings. The performances (a transcendent Julie Harris, a vulnerable, annointed Jeannette Clift), the haunting, beautiful musical score, the straightforward direction and its reverent tone towards Christ(something very rare in cinema), all contribute to a "Portrait" of Truth and Promise. This isn't film making -- it's key turning and finger pointing. Peek inside and see. He is beautiful.

"And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden wealth of secret places, In order that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name." Isaiah 45:3

INSPIRING SAGA OF A HEROIC FAMILY IN NAZI OCCUPIED HOLLAND
This is the true story of the heroic Ten Boom family who, during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands. asked themselves the question, "If not us...who; if not now...when?" They answered it, and ultimately their response cost most of them their lives. This is their story, as told from the perspective of the sole survivor, Corrie Ten Boom.

The Ten Booms were devoutly Christian and lived a simple life, working in their watch shop that had been in their family for over a hundred years. When the Nazis occupied Holland, they were appalled by the treatment of their fellow Jewish citizens at the hands of the Nazis. Initially, the seventy year old patriarch of the family, played to perfection by Arther O'Connell, took to wearing a Jewish star himself in sympathy with their oppressed Jewish friends.

As time went on, members of this heroic family began working with an underground, partisan group. When it became clear that Jews were being targeted for death and deportation, however, the family also began to hide terrified jews in their home, after constructing a false wall in one of their bedrooms, thereby creating a secret room.

Eventually denounced by someone to the Nazis, they are arrested in their home which is then torn apart by the Gestapo, in their search for the Jews they believe to be hiding there. At the time of their arrest, the Ten Boom home was filled to capacity with Jews in hiding. So well concealed was the hidden room that had been created by the erection of the false wall, that these poor, terrified Jews managed to escape detection.

The five Ten Booms, however, did not fare so well and were sent to the notorious Ravensbruck death camp, where Corrie and her sister, Betsie, managed to stay together. It is here that they learn the true depths of man's inhumanity to man, and Corrie's Christian faith is sorely tested.

Betsie, affectingly played by the superb Julie Harris, does not survive the rigors and deprivations of Ravensbruck and dies. Within two weeks of her beloved sister's death, Corrie is miraculously released from Ravensbruck. It is years later that she learns that her release was a result of clerical error and that shortly after her release, middle-aged women, such as she, were systemically being put to death.

Corrie was the only member of the Ten Boom family to survive the concentration camp experience. She told their story in a book upon which the movie is based. At the end of the film, the real Corrie Ten Boom, in her eighties at the time of the filming, appears and, in a profoundly moving way, tells why she told the story of her family. She is a stark reminder of the innate goodness to be found in humanity and is a strong counterpoint to the cruelty of the Nazi regime.

I first saw this movie when it was first released in the mid nineteen seventies. It was as moving then, as it is now, twenty five years later. The themes which it touches upon are timeless. This superbly made film with its haunting musical score is peppered with award calibre performances. It is simply a great movie!

Finally on DVD...
Although its availability is not listed here, I found the DVD of "The Hiding Place" at a local Christian bookstore. The DVD, issued by Billy Graham's WorldWide Pictures, also contains several documentaries about the making of the film, and of Corrie's life. For one who's read Corrie Ten Boom's books, the film is a must-have.

Hope and Love
That's all the Ten Boom family needs to survive the war that is raging through Europe. When the Nazi's ruled by Adolf Hitler takes over the Netherlands, things are even worse then they seem at first. Queen Wilhelmina runs away to England, Jews are only allowed out at certain times, and in certain places, and things do not look good for Jewish businesses. Casper Ten Boom (Aurthur O' Connell), his daughters, his son, and his Grandson, of Haarlem, Holland, don't want to just sit around and do nothing, so they take action. In hopes he'll make a difference, Casper Ten Boom wears a yellow star in spite of his Christian faith. Corrie and Betsie (Jeannette Clift, and Julie Harris) help several people by dressing them up as women, and taking them to the country, and Kik even helps build a make shift hiding place for Jewish people in hiding for an underground. As these many things will help save several Jewish people, the Ten Boom family, assumed to be hiding Jews, but never proved, is sent off to Ravensbruck. Corrie and Betsie must keep up their faith in God in this prison, or lose everything in the hopes of surviving.
The acting in the movie was impeccable. It makes you want to think it was just a movie, but it wasn't, it all happened. It shows you just how much people will do for others, and to put their own life on the line to do it. The Ten Booms family story is only one of the many stories out there.

Good . . . but make sure you read the book!
Let me start off by saying that this movie is definitely one that is worth owning. If for nothing more, it is particularly accurate in its faithfulness to the ten Boom story, its filming on actual locations, and its particularness in casting. Also, it contains actual pictures of Corrie ten Boom and her family, and she actually appears at the end of the movie. Thus, if you are enamored with the story and history of "The Hiding Place," you will be well-served to purchase this film for your library.

However, I do wish that Hollywood would redo this one. "The Hiding Place" is a much better story than the stories depicted in either "Schindler's List" or "The Pianist," but the acting, filming, and overall scale of this movie is so much inferior to any of the epic World War II movies that it just doesn't do the story justice. So, buy this video, but read the book so that you get the entire touching story, and hope that some good soul in Hollywood remembers this tale of courage and has the guts to make it into a truly great film. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

A Key of Promise
Running "The Hiding Place" through a video player can unlock the door to a place of safety-- a reverent, joyful chamber of promise.

This cannot be a piece of fiction, for in its unlikely construction we see and hear Truth manifesting itself (Himself) through the story of two precious "old maids" of the Netherlands and their watchmaker father. We might, upon a casual viewing, consider this family brave, heroic, self-sacrificing in their efforts to conceal Jews during the World War II Nazi occupation of Holland. But having lived with this story since I was 13 when I heard Corrie ten Boom speak in my church, and having read the book and played the video countless times as an adult, I have come to see that the ten Boom family was neither brave or heroic, but rather "occupied" themselves with a glorious intruder.

He came and transformed their "war efforts" and the resulting torture they endured in concentration camps into an astounding (but Biblically typical)"context" for communion with Himself. Corrie and Betsie and their earthly father would be the first to say that the Lord Jesus Christ is the hero of their incredible passage through hell. And perhaps most amazing of all, they would enthusiastically express that He translated this dark journey into a profoundly beautiful experience saturated with the light, joy, safety and power of His presence.

But this was all a secret. Not everyone saw it at the time it was happening, the movie may hide it as well. My prayer would be that as this story unfolds on film, He will unlock the door of this mystery to every viewer.

Interestingly, when this movie was being made in the mid 1970's, the real Corrie ten Boom was on the set during the entire filming process -- or rather she was close at hand. Many days she would lock herself in a hotel room and pray... pray that He would open the door to Himself through the film. This time alone in prayer was not a burden, nor was she pleading, petitioning a distant, indifferent source of power for a personal favor. She was simply spending time with her Friend and her God in His hiding place, asking Him to bring glory to Himself through this special story He began orchestrating through her life during in the 1940's... and is continuing to unfold...

In short, this film in infused with stuff bigger than itself. It is worthy of many viewings. The performances (a transcendent Julie Harris, a vulnerable, annointed Jeannette Clift), the haunting, beautiful musical score, the straightforward direction and its reverent tone towards Christ(something very rare in cinema), all contribute to a "Portrait" of Truth and Promise. This isn't film making -- it's key turning and finger pointing. Peek inside and see. He is beautiful.

"And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden wealth of secret places, In order that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name." Isaiah 45:3

INSPIRING SAGA OF A HEROIC FAMILY IN NAZI OCCUPIED HOLLAND
This is the true story of the heroic Ten Boom family who, during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands. asked themselves the question, "If not us...who; if not now...when?" They answered it, and ultimately their response cost most of them their lives. This is their story, as told from the perspective of the sole survivor, Corrie Ten Boom.

The Ten Booms were devoutly Christian and lived a simple life, working in their watch shop that had been in their family for over a hundred years. When the Nazis occupied Holland, they were appalled by the treatment of their fellow Jewish citizens at the hands of the Nazis. Initially, the seventy year old patriarch of the family, played to perfection by Arther O'Connell, took to wearing a Jewish star himself in sympathy with their oppressed Jewish friends.

As time went on, members of this heroic family began working with an underground, partisan group. When it became clear that Jews were being targeted for death and deportation, however, the family also began to hide terrified jews in their home, after constructing a false wall in one of their bedrooms, thereby creating a secret room.

Eventually denounced by someone to the Nazis, they are arrested in their home which is then torn apart by the Gestapo, in their search for the Jews they believe to be hiding there. At the time of their arrest, the Ten Boom home was filled to capacity with Jews in hiding. So well concealed was the hidden room that had been created by the erection of the false wall, that these poor, terrified Jews managed to escape detection.

The five Ten Booms, however, did not fare so well and were sent to the notorious Ravensbruck death camp, where Corrie and her sister, Betsie, managed to stay together. It is here that they learn the true depths of man's inhumanity to man, and Corrie's Christian faith is sorely tested.

Betsie, affectingly played by the superb Julie Harris, does not survive the rigors and deprivations of Ravensbruck and dies. Within two weeks of her beloved sister's death, Corrie is miraculously released from Ravensbruck. It is years later that she learns that her release was a result of clerical error and that shortly after her release, middle-aged women, such as she, were systemically being put to death.

Corrie was the only member of the Ten Boom family to survive the concentration camp experience. She told their story in a book upon which the movie is based. At the end of the film, the real Corrie Ten Boom, in her eighties at the time of the filming, appears and, in a profoundly moving way, tells why she told the story of her family. She is a stark reminder of the innate goodness to be found in humanity and is a strong counterpoint to the cruelty of the Nazi regime.

I first saw this movie when it was first released in the mid nineteen seventies. It was as moving then, as it is now, twenty five years later. The themes which it touches upon are timeless. This superbly made film with its haunting musical score is peppered with award calibre performances. It is simply a great movie!

Finally on DVD...
Although its availability is not listed here, I found the DVD of "The Hiding Place" at a local Christian bookstore. The DVD, issued by Billy Graham's WorldWide Pictures, also contains several documentaries about the making of the film, and of Corrie's life. For one who's read Corrie Ten Boom's books, the film is a must-have.

Hope and Love
That's all the Ten Boom family needs to survive the war that is raging through Europe. When the Nazi's ruled by Adolf Hitler takes over the Netherlands, things are even worse then they seem at first. Queen Wilhelmina runs away to England, Jews are only allowed out at certain times, and in certain places, and things do not look good for Jewish businesses. Casper Ten Boom (Aurthur O' Connell), his daughters, his son, and his Grandson, of Haarlem, Holland, don't want to just sit around and do nothing, so they take action. In hopes he'll make a difference, Casper Ten Boom wears a yellow star in spite of his Christian faith. Corrie and Betsie (Jeannette Clift, and Julie Harris) help several people by dressing them up as women, and taking them to the country, and Kik even helps build a make shift hiding place for Jewish people in hiding for an underground. As these many things will help save several Jewish people, the Ten Boom family, assumed to be hiding Jews, but never proved, is sent off to Ravensbruck. Corrie and Betsie must keep up their faith in God in this prison, or lose everything in the hopes of surviving.
The acting in the movie was impeccable. It makes you want to think it was just a movie, but it wasn't, it all happened. It shows you just how much people will do for others, and to put their own life on the line to do it. The Ten Booms family story is only one of the many stories out there.

Good . . . but make sure you read the book!
Let me start off by saying that this movie is definitely one that is worth owning. If for nothing more, it is particularly accurate in its faithfulness to the ten Boom story, its filming on actual locations, and its particularness in casting. Also, it contains actual pictures of Corrie ten Boom and her family, and she actually appears at the end of the movie. Thus, if you are enamored with the story and history of "The Hiding Place," you will be well-served to purchase this film for your library.

However, I do wish that Hollywood would redo this one. "The Hiding Place" is a much better story than the stories depicted in either "Schindler's List" or "The Pianist," but the acting, filming, and overall scale of this movie is so much inferior to any of the epic World War II movies that it just doesn't do the story justice. So, buy this video, but read the book so that you get the entire touching story, and hope that some good soul in Hollywood remembers this tale of courage and has the guts to make it into a truly great film. ... Read more

Amazon.com

2001: A Space Odyssey took the world on a mind-bending trip toouter space, but Fantastic Voyage is the original psychedelic inner-spaceadventure. When a brilliant scientist falls into a coma with an inoperable bloodclot in the brain, a surgical team embarks on a top-secret journey to the centerof the mind in a high-tech military submarine shrunk to microbial dimensions.Stephen Boyd stars as a colorless commander sent to keep an eye on things(though his eyes stay mostly on shapely medical assistant Raquel Welch), whileDonald Pleasance is suitably twitchy as the claustrophobic medical consultant.The science is shaky at best, but the imaginative spectacle is marvelous:scuba-diving surgeons battle white blood cells, tap the lungs to replenish the oxygensupply, and shoot the aorta like daredevil surfers. The film took home awell-deserved Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Director Richard Fleischer, who turnedDisney's 1954 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea into one of the most rivetingsubmarine adventures of all time, creates a picture so taut with cold-wartensions and cloak-and-dagger secrecy that niggling scientific contradictions(such as, how do miniaturized humans breathe full-sized air molecules?) seemmoot. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (11)

BLOODY GOOD TIME!
When she takes her clothes off, it is apparent to all that Raquel Welch would become a star. The way she unzips is thrilling! I imitate it all the time. The story? Doctors get miniaturized and go into the body of a man to perform inside surgery. They must battle an uncommon array of enemies: leukocytes, T-cells, viruses, etc...all of which attack the submariners with undignified alacrity. Their egress is ingenious, and right in the nik of time. It is hard to believe this film was made in the mid 1960's. The special fx are surprisingly modern - even by ILM standards. The story is strong. And the "Cold War" motiff fits quite nicely. What I find most peculiar is the fact that this film is never shown on television. Not even on cable. I wonder what that's about. And don't forget about that body to die for. And those eyes. We don't have many old movies here, but it's one of our favorites.

Great fun! What a way to escape...
This is a great old flick that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Wonderfully detailed sequences add to the enjoyment of this great story. Although they didn't have the best special effects, they are great for the time period in which this film was made. Definitely worth watching for the Raquel Welch antibody scene!

AWESOME.
Great special effects for his days and awesome captivating storyline.

Great fun for the whole family
"Fantastic Voyage" is certainly worthy of its name, with imaginativeness, creativity and beauty (From Raquel Welch in particular). It also has a rather simple plot, which I shall outline for you. An eastern bloc scientist, who holds the knowledge to perfecting miniaturization warfare, is defecting to the Americans. However, an attempted assignation leaves him with brain damage. The only way to save the scientist's life is to miniaturize a team of surgeons and send them into the body. But they have only one hour to complete the mission and have to face threats such as the body's natural defenses and sabotage from within.

If there are complaints with "Fantastic Voyage", it is in some plot holes (Smart Alecs, in my opinion, should stay away and look elsewhere). Firstly, although it's extremely obvious who the saboteur is (He tries constantly to get the mission aborted and is always frantic), no one on board really seems to suspect him. The ending was also somewhat empty and unsatisfying (We never learn what happens to the scientist). Some will also love pointing out the plot clichés (The people in the control room always seem to know what the Proteus crew is thinking, even with no radio, and the sub crew always finds a way out of a problem). Many will also find scientific inaccuracies (My dad pointed out how well lit the human body was depicted) Then there is the impossibility of shrinking matter and placing it in other matter. Also, in terms of ideals, this film shows age. People in the 1960's believed that the future would be like it was in here and Kubrick's "2001". They thought one-day that humans would have established bases in space and would be able to miniaturize. How could they have known that computers and the World Wide Web would be the tools and thoughts of the future?

Some reviewers have suggested that "Fantastic Voyage" should be remade. I think that is a lousy idea. Sure the special effects and set design would be better. But a new version would be colder, darker, more violent and full of foul language. The heart and joy of the original would be gone. Also, notice that despite being the only woman onboard, Raquel Welch never seems to have interest with anyone else on the sub (Most of them are past her age, anyway). While she may not give the best performance, at least she is professional and knows her priorities. Would that stay the same in a remake?

So, while not without some problems, I wouldn't mind owning this movie. But I would especially love to see a widescreen edition (DVD preferably) released sometime soon.

Another Landmark Science Fiction Movie.
Before 2001 and Star Wars, Director Richard Fleischer made a very well made science fiction movie with Fantastic Voyage. With a cast starring Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Arthur Kennedy,and Edmond O'Brien, a team of scientists are reduced to sub-atomic size and placed aboard a small sub, then injected into a man's body to save his life before it's too late. Oscars were well won for best work in visual and artistic effects. A movie with substance and puts many of today's so called big effects pictures to shame. Also featuring a good musical score by Leonard Rosenman (who would go on to compose the music for the movie; STAR TREK IV; THE VOYAGE HOME). ... Read more

Amazon.com

Director Blake Edwards, fresh from the success of the first two Pink Panther movies, indulged his love of classic slapstick comedy with this long free-for-all, which throws in everything but Laurel and Hardy's kitchen sink. The film reunites Some Like It Hot stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, ably aided by a spunky Natalie Wood. The subject is a New-York-to-Paris auto race in the early years of the 20th century, pitting the Great Leslie (Curtis), a goody-goody dressed all in white--even his teeth sparkle--against the malevolent Professor Fate (Lemmon), whose coal-black heart is reflected in his handlebar mustache. He looks like a bill collector from a silent- movie melodrama. Lemmon does double duty, also playing the pampered, drunken king of a small European country, whose laugh sounds like the wail of a cat in heat. The film may be too long for its own good, and you really have to love Jack Lemmon to put up with his over-the-top performance, but it's side-splitting in spots. It's one of those movies, if seen in childhood, that stays in your mind for years afterward. Some of the bigger routines, such as a pie fight of epic proportions, don't work as well as the simple chemistry between the perpetually exasperated Professor Fate and his much-abused assistant, Max (a terrific Peter Falk). Push the button, Max. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (97)

Nostalgic Comfort Viewing Perfect for a Family Night
THE GREAT RACE may not be a masterpiece--but it is a perfect choice for a cold and rainy night: stylish, frothy, and often flatly hilarious, it makes for "comfort viewing" at its best.

One of the movie's several charms is that it draws heavily from Victorian cliches that still linger in the public mind, gives them a gentle comic spin, and then drops them into the tale of an early 1900s auto race from New York to Paris by way of Siberia. Add to this a heap of favorite character actors, a big budget, flamboyant period costumes, and the biggest pie fight ever filmed, and you have a movie where there is always something to enjoy on the screen.

The great thing about THE GREAT RACE are the performances, which are very broad but endowed with a sly humor. The comedy accolades here go to Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk as the notorious Dr. Fate and his bumbling sidekick Max--wonderful bits of acting that will have you hooting with laughter in every scene--and Dorothy Provine scores memorably in a cameo as Lily Olay, the bombshell singer who presides over the most rootin'-tootin' saloon this side of the Pecos.

But every one, from Tony Curtis and the lovely Natalie Wood down to such cameo performers as Vivian Vance, get in plenty of comic chops as the film drifts from one outrageous episode to another: suffergettes crowding a newspaper, the biggest western brawl imaginable, polar bears, explosions, daredevil antics, and a subplot lifted from THE PRISONER OF ZENDA agreeably crowd in upon each other. True, the film does seem over-long and may drag a bit in spots, but it never drags for very long, and it's all in good fun--and the production values and memorable score easily tide over the bare spots.

The DVD bonuses aren't anything to write home about, and the film has not been restored per se--the color seems a bit faded here and there--but the print is remarkably clean and the widescreen format is an essential. This would be an excellent selection for a family movie night--or for any evening when you're alone and feeling a bit blue. Break out the popcorn, curl up on you sofa, and... as Dr. Fate would say... "Push the button, Max!"

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Great Race DVD -It's about time!!!
I have been waiting for this movie to come out on DVD. I've even written to Blake Edwards asking, "What is the hold up?"
Get ready, citizens of Boracho! Finally it's coming out!
Every time I saw Jack Lemmon in interviews I was always curious and disappointed that 'The Great Race' was never mentioned among his favorite films. Of course he made many other wonderful classic movies and I enjoyed his performance in all of them...but 'The Great Race' has been my favorite comedy for a long time. I practically can recite it along with the characters. I enjoyed some of the other reviewer's (here) favorite lines from the movie. They are my favorites too.
If you haven't seen this movie or if you haven't seen it in a long time...do yourself a favor and grab it. The laughs never stop. The casting is perfect...Tony Curtis with Keenan Wynn as his sidekick...Jack Lemmon with Peter Falk as his...Natalie Wood...Ross Martin...Vivian Vance...Larry Storch ("Now will you give me some fightin' room?!")...and many others. It doesn't get any better or funnier than this.
Hurray for the DVD. Believe me, you'll enjoy it.

A Big Ole Moose Butt
A classically structured old time villian vs the good guy film, with the obligatory sidekicks and the beautiful love interest, who will eventually succumb to the charms of The hero. More about that later. OK, the stereotypes are there, but that's what the movie was about. Charging from the gate with the player piano, boos and hiss when the cast boards are shown, the movie brings the viewer up to speed very fast with humor and great slapstick. Following a PR auto race in the early days of the 20th century, the film follows the main characters through the landscape of the US and Europe. Sight gags abound and the scenery is often breathtaking. The plot is easy to floow and it's good fun. For the movie fan who doesn't want to disect a movies' every nuance, this is especially fun and worth seeing time and again. The characters will keep you laughing long after the soundtrack has ended,. I would comment more on the plot, but nearly 100 people already handled that - look, just take a chance on it. It's great fun.

A lot of fun, but not what it should have been.
Epics were in vogue in the Sixties, and even the early Seventies(although I can't really see a hippie watching any of them), and it was only natural that comedies would get the "big" bug. IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD and THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL make up two of the big three. The other is THE GREAT RACE, Blake Edward's 159 minute slapstick excursion, restored on DVD in complete roadshow fashion, with overture, intermission, entr'acte, and exit music. And yet, for a film of this type, it is less about the race than about the rivalry between Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon) and the Great Leslie (Tony Curtis). There is precious little racing, and though the film is far from boring and has much going for it (the finale to Part One is brilliant) one can't help but wonder what it would have been like if the other entries in the race regrouped after being snuffed out and made their mad dashes for the forefront. That would make it THE GREAT RACE. Also, the lack of other challenge leaves a depressing side effect; the film seems mildly unfinished and undernourished, like 2 hours and 40 minutes of a 3 plus hour movie. And yet, the film has so much going for it that to ignore it is rather unfair. What there is (I should note that due to the previously noted flaws, the chapters on the disc make it a more pleasing experience) is very well made, and one can appreciate what they put into it.

If only they put more.

Jamie Teller

DVD version is fullscreen not widescreen
The movie is spectacular. This DVD version is a bomb. Shame on Warner Brothers for their greediness and lack of effort to bring widescreen versions to the masses including updated soundtracks and clean film reels! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Otto Preminger turned this 1959 courtroom drama, based on the popular novel, into terrific adult drama. James Stewart stars as a small-town lawyer who defends an army officer (Ben Gazzara) accused of murdering a bartender who assaulted his wife (Lee Remick). The taut script, large performance by Stewart, and then-daring elements of the story (words like "panties" are spoken in the context of discussing a sex crime) give the action a certain immediacy--which you don't find very often in today's movies about jurisprudence. Nice work by Remick and Gazzara, as well as George C. Scott, Arthur O'Connell, and real-life judge Joseph N. Welch, who plays the judge in this film. A very good experience all around. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (48)

One of the finest courtroom dramas ever filmed.
Anatomy of a Murder is one of the finest courtroom dramas ever filmed -- on a par with Witness for the Prosecution and Inherit the Wind. Jimmy Stewart gives one of his finest performances as a small town attorney defending an army officer who has coldbloodedly killed a man alleged to have raped his flirtatious wife. The rest of the cast is uniformly good, especially Lee Remick as the beautiful sexy wife and Ben Gazzaro as her jealous husband on trial for murder. Stewart's character is assisted by his old friend, an alcoholic former attorney convincingly played by Arthur O'Connell -- an outstanding character actor whose work, unfortunately, is often overlooked. A young George C. Scott (in one of his first films) plays a skilled and implacable prosecutor. This is movie making at its best; a true classic.

Good movie, if you haven't read the book. Otherwise, lousy
I had the great misfortune of reading the book before watching the movie. The book was a masterpiece, arguably the best piece of courtroom fiction ever written. John Grisham's a head of lettuce compared to Robert Traver's brilliant, accurate portrayal of the controversial (fictional) trial of Frederic Manion.

But if you've read the book, DO NOT WATCH THE MOVIE. It will be a massive dissappointment.

You will be put off by the Duke Ellington soundtrack. Sure, it's good music, but this is the story of rural northern Michigan, not the nightclubs of NYC. Duke's jazz does a disastrous job of complementing the setting of the film, and seems quite jarring in spots.

You will be put off by the inaccuracies, like Biegler's ability to play the piano, which never happened in the book (and which only happens in the movie to make Duke's score fit). You will feel that the story could have happened anywhere, anytime, whereas the book was distinctively Upper Peninsula in atmosphere.

You might agree with me that Jimmy Stewart was miscast. Sure, he does a great acting job as always, but whenever I looked at the screen, I saw Jimmy Stewart: Jimmy Stewart is talking to the bartender, Jimmy Stewart is arguing in a courtroom--as opposed to seeing Paul Biegler. It's like watching a movie where Jimmy Stewart's the lawyer, not Paul Biegler. Jimmy Stewart, defense attorney.

The only real highlight, what saves the movie, is the superb acting job by George C. Scott, whoever played the Irishman, and others. If it weren't for them, I'd be giving this movie a one-star review.

Perhaps if you haven't read the book you'll delight in the movie. It's a good stand-alone movie. It's fairly enjoyable despite its faults. But if you've read the book first, you'll hate it. And if you haven't read the book, I highly recommend you read it now. It's far superior to the movie in every way.

Think of it as a Courtroom Film Noir
The excellence is Anatomy of a Murder lies is how it doesn't try to cram itself down your throat. The movie takes its own sweet time telling an intelligent and challenging story. There really aren't any good guys here and there are no easy answers. That's the point of film noir. Everyone is bad in some way, everyone has motives, and happy endings rarely take place in real life. Very direct for a movie made in the late 50's. A woman's alleged rape and the murder of her alleged rapist by her husband is described repeatedly and in detail. James Stewart is surprisingly effective as a weary cynic who takes the case not because he thinks the accused is innocent or a swell guy but because he thinks he can win and get the guy off. After Stewart returned from the horrors of WWII, he turned away from the cheerful harmless fare of his younger days. It can be fairly said that he had two careers. His post war career is much more serious and mature. Introspective characters. Deeply troubled men. Obsessed men. Men of dubious morality and hard bitten practical values. Stewart never made a WWII movie. He didn't need to, he lived it.

"I beg the court...let me cut into the apple"
This film hooks you in the first minute with Saul Bass' brilliant titles and Duke Ellington's music, and then has you caught for the duration in the next few scenes; the dialogue is sharp and intelligent, and at the age of 50, Jimmy Stewart gives one of the best performances of his illustrious career, as Paul Biegler, an attorney who would rather be fishing than getting fees for his work. Stewart is so natural, so real, and so immensely likable. He's the kind of guy you wish you could have in your family, but wily enough to argue a good defense in court.

Lee Remick has just the right amount of provocative sensuality as Laura Manion to make one wonder what exactly happened on the "fateful night" in question.
After playing Southern belles in both "A Face in the Crowd" (1957) and "The Long Hot Summer" (1958), Remick was offered the role of Laura because Lana Turner, who was supposed to play the part, refused to wear an "off-the-rack" wardrobe, and wanted dresses designed by Jean Louis (hardly what a Army wife would be wearing). It was a big break for Remick, and she makes the most of it.

The entire supporting cast is superb: Ben Gazzara as the intense Lt. Manion, Arthur O'Connell as Biegler's assistant and friend, Eve Arden as Biegler's loyal secretary. George C. Scott is Dancer, the Assistant State Attorney, and Joseph N. Welch, who gained fame for being the Special Counsel for the Army in the Army-McCarthy Congressional hearings, is a delight as Judge Weaver. Duke Ellington makes a cameo appearance as Pie Eye, and even Muffy the beer drinking dog does a great job. Otto Preminger's direction flows at a lovely pace, with a balance between the dramatic tension and thoughtful scenes tinged with humor.

There were Oscar nominations for Best Actor, Supporting Actor (both O'Connell and Scott), Picture, and Editing (all losing to "Ben Hur"), as well as Sam Leavitt's beautiful b&w cinematography (lost to "The Diary of Anne Frank") and Wendell Mayes marvelous screenplay adaptation of the Robert Traver best-seller (lost to "Room at the Top"), proving that 1959 was a great year at the movies.
I love courtroom dramas, and this is one of the best ever made; it's unpredictable, with a very authentic feel to it, perhaps because the author, using the pen name of "Robert Traver", was actually Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker.
Total running time is 160 minutes.

A legendary film
Otto Preminger was one of the most creative and brave directors of the american cinema in the fifties and sixties.
His works were loaded with a ravishing realism , they were very expilict , challenging and disturbing .
Imagine what it means the plot around the adultery commited by the wife of an officer in that age . You can reply me with From here to the eternity but this film is more shocking , and overcomes in dramatic punch to From here ...The other examples you may think is Baby doll and Dial M for murder in the fifties, but this one wins the match.
The powerful sequence in the Court has only a serious match in The Nuremberg judgement . Never before there was not a previous film so disturbing like this that film who explicitly turned around the bitter and awful consequences about the adultery .
The plot is overwhelming , magnificient built , without any hole . The cast is incredible . Consider these giants actors as Ben Gazzara , George C. Scott , Arthur O'Donell, James Stewart and Lee Remick in her screen debut .
This film was nominated as the best film but was unlucky , because Ben Hur literally won all the prizes and somehow that fact stroke the undeniable virtues of that superb work.
However the time seems to set in the right place this picture.
Acquire this one.
One of the most remarkable films in the american cinema story.
If I could give this film ten thousand stars , I 'd do it . ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Gregory Peck plays a young New York executive who defies the wisdom of the corporate class by deciding his family is more important than the offer of a new job. Lots of melodrama, guilt, and a revelation about a wartime affair (told in flashback), but this well-oiled, good-looking 1956 film still holds up pretty well. Based on a novel by Sloan Wilson, the script and direction are by Nunnally Johnson (The Three Faces of Eve). --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (10)

One of the Best Movies of the 1950s
I have seen Gregory Peck in quite a few films, and he is a fine actor. Some will disagree with me, but I believe he gave the strongest performance of his career in "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit."

The story, set in the middle of the 1950s (Eisenhower, tail fins, cowboys and indians, martinis before dinner), concerns Tom Rath (in his middle thirties, it appears) struggling to achieve a better life for his family, but at the same time trying to maintain some sense of integrity. The problem arises when he agrees to work as a PR man for a big communications company on Madison Avenue, and he realizes that deception and chicanery are integral to the advertising business. The movie is probably one of the most effective dramatizations of this dilemma you'll ever see. "It's easy for a man to be full of integrity when there's money in the bank and food on the table," he says to his wife at one point, "but when someone offers you a good-paying job doing something dishonest, then it's a different story." (I don't remember his exact words, but that's the jist of it.)

The film targets big business and exposes United Broadcasting Company (the fictional company Tom works for) as peopled with shallow, back-biting, simple-minded sloganeering creeps--like the two guys Tom Rath (Peck) works with. But at the same time it presents the business titan, the "captain of industry", in sympathetic terms. The parallel story in this film concerns Tom's boss, a communications tycoon in his early 60s. Outwardly he is a huge success, but his home life is a miserable failure, largely because he dedicated himself body and soul to building the business. As a result, he hardly knows his daughter, and when he tries to re-establish ties with her, she rejects him utterly. At this point, he realizes that he has nothing left worth living for. You can't help but feel sorry for him, as he was only doing what he thought was right all his life.

What really gives this film depth and makes it striking are the World War II flashback sequences, which burst through the tranquility of the 50s like vivid nightmares. The shadow of the war hangs in the background like a curse. Tom's boss lost a son in the war, and from this loss he has never really recovered. And there are dark secrets about Tom Rath, concerning WWII, that he never reveals to his wife until the end. One morning, on his commute to work, Tom sees a fur-lined jacket and suddenly flashes back to a horrible incident when he and another soldier were so cold they brutally stabbed two young German soldiers (they look like they're 15 years old) for their coats. Another time he sees a plane in the sky and remembers an airborne drop in heavy flak. When they hit they ground, there is so much confusion that he accidentally kills one of his NCOs with a grenade. He is temporarily deranged by this, so much so that he carries the body for miles and miles, refusing to believe all the medics when they say his buddy is dead.

He never talks about any of this. All of the inner turmoil and horror are kept bottled up beneath a calm and gentlemanly facade.

But Tom Rath is not a freak or a misfit. He has his faults and has committed his share of sins, but at the same time you sense that he is a very decent man always trying to do the right thing. In that sense, he seems like a real human being, not a two-dimensional action hero or a cartoon villain.

I hope this film comes out on DVD sometime soon. In addition to its great story and characterization, it is a very visually appealing film. The combat scenes are very realistically done, and the sense of 1950s America as a time/place of newly-found luxury and opulence is effectively captured by the camera.

If you liked "The Best Years of Our Lives" (also about WWII vets trying to adjust to civilian life) you will probably like this film.

Business vs. Family
Gregory Peck stars as a Madison Avenue executive whose life reaches several crises at once. His wife, Jennifer Jones, is pushing him to make more money and to be more successful, but without losing his ideals or honesty in a business that values neither one of those. His experiences in World War II are coming back to haunt him, and his ownership of his grandmother's house is being challenged by her former servant. Fredric March co-stars as his new boss, a man who put his business before his family, a decision whose consequences he must now live with. There are a lot of lofty ideas being bounced around in this story, and they tend to center around the importance of family and being true to one's self and ideals. Peck is his usual solid self, probably the perfect choice for this kind of role. Jones gets the big emotional scene in the film, and she plays it to the hilt. March gives a very moving, sympathetic performance, while Ann Harding as his distant wife has a couple of good scenes. Although this is very much a film of the Fifties, the basic message of the movie still has its impact today. It's honestly presented, well acted and written, and well worth watching.

You WANT Spam?
I really enjoyed this film. It's a little disjointed and melodramatic, but a very good movie on everyday life. Good chemistry between the lead characters. Definately a movie for adults, which is much appreciated in today's world...And the conversation about canned Spam is priceless!

grey flannel
One of the most interesting movies of the 50s, and one which accurately portrays the rarely-approached subject of ordinary men trying to fit in their contemporary workplace. Peck is a little miscast (too tall and striking to possess the "ordinary" quality necessary for the role) and Jennifer could be a little more varied in her characterization (she needs a "light" moment or two) but they are both as usual fun to watch.
Peck's interview lunch is one of the best scenes, as is Ann Harding's plea to Frederich March. The other reviewers have not mentioned how the color and Cinemascope really add to the feel of the Fifties , and this cannot be stated enough - see it on a big-inch TV if possible. I think the wardrobe is one of the best in cinema history - it looks exactly as if it came off the racks of the department stores during the period. A great story, and one which anyone who has been employed in the business world as a white-collar worker, and who has aged thru their thirites, will identify with. Recommended.

an american who wanted to be grey
From outside the USA this film is rare. Isn't perhaps between the best, but usually these country is seen as the cradle of big heroes, brave cowboys, tycoons and the in general most rich or poweful people. However here Gregory Peck plays the figure of a common man who is, and it's intended wants not only to dress a grey suit, but voluntarily wants to be a ordinary, grey man, possibly possesing the qualities to get more. Perhaps this is truly wisdom and difficult. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Ben and Danny Forever
This movie starts directly after Willard Stiles dies. The Police decide to kill all the rat that Willard trained. The rats move to leave Willard's house and live in the sewer. One day Ben gets hungry so he goes to The house of a boy named Danny's house.Danny makes friends with him and Danny gives him food. Danny writes a song called ''Ben's song'' for Ben. Ben shows Danny his home in the sewer. The police find out where all the rats live and Kill them all. Danny goes home Heartbroken.
Then Danny sees Ben in his room with a broken Leg. Danny Tends to it while Micheal Jackson is singing "Ben's Song" in the background and as the credits roll.
THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE. SEE IT NOW!

Embarassingly dated,yet endearing
Like many who've seen this movie decades after it's release,the theme song sung by Michael Jackson is what made me check it out.Whereas Willard was a straight horror film,Ben is a mixture of cute and chills.
Picking up where Willard left off,Ben and his rat army retreat to the sewers while the police try to hunt them down after Willard's murder.In the process,Ben befriends an ill boy,Danny Garrison(Lee Montgomery),which is more endearing than the relationship between Willard & Socrates.
Aside from a view of circa 1972 for pop culture junkies,the best thing about Ben is the friendship between the boy and his rat.The acting,the score and the effects(recycling the same scenes of rats over) are pretty bad.The ending scene with the Jackson sung theme could make you misty eyed.Almost like a precurser to 2001's A.I.
Now that Willard has been remade(with a larger,nastier Ben)and became a box office disappointment,chances for a Ben remake are pretty non existant.It would be interesting to see one,even with a three legged Ben.

The sequel to the original killer rat army film, "Willard"
.... this is just a recycled killer-rat movie where the attack sequences are more polished than in the original, but the originality is gone. The plot picks up right where "Willard" ended, with the army of rats attacking Willard (Bruce Davidson), who made the mistake of falling in love with a girl and forgetting his real friends. The rats hide out in the city sewers while their leader, Ben, goes out looking for food. This is how he encounters Lee Montgomery (David Garrison), another lonely young boy just looking for a little friendship in a cold world. The two indeed become friends, while Ben's rat army (now numbering about 4,000) go out on fun little raids.

This 1972 film from director Phil Carlson, who would go on to do "Walking Tall" the next year, does have the virtue of coming up with a different boy-rat relationship. Poor Lee has a heart condition so there is actually some pathos to his relationship with Ben, whereas Willard lost our sympathy once he had his rats starting eating people. The rat attacks a little more creative, but the end result is somehow less effective that the pure gross-out of the original. If you can find both of them, then this is an obvious double-feature, and with the remake of "Willard" coming out soon I would have to think there will be cheap copies of both films readily available again. I am sure the new film will use awesom CGI effects for all those rats, but there is something to be said for the good old days of rat wranglers.

Sequel to Willard - more a friendship story than horror
Michael Jackson song the theme song into our hearts and history, while Lee Montgomery reminded us of what it was like to not have friends.
A sequel to the highly successful horror movie, WILLARD. The story begins with Willard and Ben arguing at home & moves to the touching friendship between a lonely, ill boy and an intelligent rat.
The rats may scare the young children, but if they can handle them and the very G rated killings, I do recommend this movie for children over 8. ... Read more

Reviews (74)

A subtle movie! A Dynamite Cast! A Gorgeous Score!
This is a subtle and rewarding film. The cast is magnificent--the performances great! One of my favorite film scores too!

A hint for watching the movie. With each viewing, I find I have been concentrating on a different actor. Kim Novak is definitely at her peak; William Holden is remarkable; Rosalind Russell is at her very best, with a fantastically varied and difficult part; Susan Strasberg is wonderful indeed. All of the supporting actors are super too! And this IS primarily a story of individuals' lives, and how they are changed.

The film gives a remarkably accurate picture of life in 1950's rural Kansas. But onto this background is thrust a love story of great interest and appeal. The film has super color and fine sound (for its era anyway).

The film is, quite simply, astounding. Don't rent it....buy it, bucause it just gets better and better with repeated watchings!

Dripping with lust!
Picnic is one of those films that just transports the viewer into another time and era and that's the sign of a truly great film. Holden has the daunting task of playing a loveable hustler with big dreams that he just can't make happen. So he decides to go back to familiar grounds and falls for kim Novak. Novak is a treasure in this movie her exotic beauty and shaky voice highlights her characters uneveness to conform into the town's perfect beautiful young woman. This film at it's time was billed as too sexy due to the dance that Novak and Holden share at the picnic and till this day the scene holds up great. The lust in both their eyes and Novaks raw sex appeal against Holden's rugged good looks is a sight to be hold. But the back story which I won't give a hint of is the true tale of this flick and shows how human nature is always determined by the role society wants you to play based on your looks! This film still holds up today as a work of pure sexual energy and raw human emotions.

William Holden & Kim Novak are OUTSTANDING in Picnic
I saw PICNIC during its release in 1956 in India when I was in
school. I was crazy about English films and never missed a good
film.one of my class mates saw the film before me and remarked
about the energetic dancing of Holden as spellbinding.I was not
that keen in the beginning to see the film due to its title which meant lightweight and fun. But when I saw the film the experience was tremendous, I had just seen a masterpiece. William Holden and Kim Novak were just outstanding. Holden

brought a breath of fresh air as soon as he appeared, and Kim
Novak was not just a small town beauty queen, she oozed raw sex
and hidden desires exposed to the full by carefree but passionate William Holden. Although, without doubt the highlight of the film was the picnic and the dancing where all the principal players of the film are envolved emotionally and the finale to the story builds up, there other memorable scenes notably the swing scene where Holden gets hold of the swing where Novak is sitting, he begins playing with it unintentionally and realises for the first time that he has fallen for the fiancee of his best friend. Then there is that passionate scene beside the waterfall where both Holden and Novak admit their love for each other and kiss intensly, Holden with torn shirt. After this Holden runs and catches the running train and finally Novak follows him, her true love in the Greyhound. The execution of all these scenes and the whole story is nothing less than perfect. James Wong Hoe's technicolor photography is outstanding. Needless to say I have seen this film many times since and found it always charming.

Holden Sparks, Novak Smolders, Kansas Burns
In a decade of conformity and great prosperity William Inge and Tennessee Williams tackled subjects ahead of their time. Of course they in some cases had to veil the subject matter but that lead to some wonderful revelations in writing and reading between the lines. In this DVD from Colombia of Inge's Pulitzer Prize winning 'Picnic' we have one of the best films of this genre of sexual repression, animal heat, and desperation in small town America.
Most reviewers of this film might begin with the leads but I must start of with the wonderful Verna Felton as Helen Potts the sweet old lady who is caretaker of her aged mother and lives next door to the Owens family. This gifted and now forgotten character actress sets the tone of the picture as she welcomes drifter Hal Carter (William Holden) into her house. At the end of the film she glows in tender counterpoint to the dramatic ending. She is the only person who understands Hal, even more than Madge (Kim Novak). Her speech about having a man in the house is pure joy to watch. It is a small but important performance that frames the entire story with warmth and understanding.
Betty Field turns in a sterling performance as Flo Owens, Mother of Madge and Millie. She is disapproving of Millie's rebellious teen and smothering of her Kansas hothouse rose Madge. A single Mom trying in desperation to keep Madge from making the same mistakes she did. She becomes so wrapped up in Madge's potential for marriage to the richest boy in town she completely ignores the budding greatness that is bursting to get out in her real treasure. Millie.
Susan Strasberg creates in her Millie a sweet comic oddball. She is the youngest daughter who awkwardly moves through the landscape nearly un-noticed, reading the scandalous "Ballad of the Sad Café" being the only one who is different and can't hide it. Her yearning to get out of the smallness of small town life is colored with the skill of a young actress with greatness her.
Rosalind Russell nearly steals the show as the fourth woman in the Owens household boarder, Rosemary, a frantic, hopeless and clutching spinster. In the capable hands of Miss Russell we have a real powerhouse of a performance. She imbues Rosemary with all the uptight disapproval of a woman who knows that her time has past and there are very few options left. She is electric in her need for love. Every nuance of her emotions is sublime in her presentation. Just watch her hands alone.
Floating above all of this is Madge Owens, the kind of girl who is too pretty to be real. The kind of girl who in a small town like this is not understood to have any real feelings or thoughts other than those that revolve around being beautiful and empty. Enter Kim Novak, who is just such a girl. Who could ever expect such a beauty to be anything more than just pretty? But Miss Novak, a vastly underrated actress in her day paints a knowing and glowing portrait of Madge. Her explosion of sexual heat upon meeting Hal for the first time is internal and barely perceptible until she looks at him from behind the safety of the screen door the end of their first scene. That screen door is a firewall protecting her from the flames. She fights in the early part of the film to keep her sexual desire for Hal in check. That night she loses her fight at the picnic and we watch as she opens to reveal a woman of feelings and dreams so much deeper than the prettiness of her eyes or the luminosity of her skin. This is one of Kim Novak's early great roles and one she fills out with lush and deep emotion.
The lives of all of these women of Nickerson Kansas are changed one Labor Day when Hal comes steaming into town. William Holden gives a raw and wounded portrayal to Hal, a man at the edge of his youth and on the verge of becoming a lost man. He lives as he always has, on the fading glow of his golden boy charm and his muscular magnetism. Holden was 35 when he made Picnic, a real golden boy at the edge of his youth. He was perfect for the part. Some reviewers say he was too old to play Hal, but I disagree. Without being thirty-five in real life as well as in the story Rosemary's "Crummy Apollo" speech would not be so effective or devastating. Hal is a man who never bothered to grow up, a man who never let anyone get too close for fear they might see through is bravado and discover his fears of feeling something, anything before it's too late.
Holden also brings a sexual heat to the film that is eons beyond the time it was filmed. He is presented almost like a slab of meat. He struts around in a pre-Stonewall dream of sexy hotness. Not only the girls in town notice him but a few boys too. (There are several layers to Nick Adams paperboy if one bothers to look.) When finally Holden sparks with Novak they blow the lid off of the uptight code bound studio-strangled world of Hollywood in the Fifties.
The film is photographed magnificently in lush color and cinemascope by famed cinematographer James Wong Howe. The famous score by George Durning is classic not only for the famous reworking of the old standard "Moonglow" but for his virtuosity in dramatic power. This is a giant of a score from the silver age of film music. The direction by Josh Logan is perfect in every way and stands among the best of his work.

Moonglow moments
You know it's good:

1. It's the look on William Holden's face when he first catches a glimpse of Kim Novak coming down the stairs in that pink dress. ("Madge is the pretty one"--she sure is)
2. It's the way she shimmies up to him. Revealing her intentions, she never loses eye contact or says a word.
3. It's the moment he takes her into his arms to dance close--he gives a little sigh of pleasure.
4. It's the look on his face when he's dancing--that criptic smile of pleasure and sensuality--all the while knowing that she's totally off limits.

and of course the song itself. This scene in itself makes the movie and with DVD you can play it over and over and over... Not many dance scenes have stood the test of time. I loved it. What can I say--I'm a chick. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Sandra Dee at her liveliest and her most appealing!
There were three films centering on the perky, fun-loving beach bunny, Gidget. This was the first and by far the best!!!!! Pert and pretty Sandra Dee was seventeen and at her liveliest and most appealing when she made this cute little flick. She is absolutely irresistable in the title role, a cute, fun-loving American teenage girl who would rather hit the beach than chase after boys like her other girlfriends. However, when she meets two handsome beachbums, Gidget goes a little boy-crazy herself and experiences first love in the process. This is a warm, charming, and funny movie. I have no doubt that this is the film that made Sandra Dee such a popular star. It's easy to see why she became the idol of so many American girls and boys alike. If you're looking for good, clean and solid fun, then GIDGET is the movie for you!!!!!

Gidget is a time-travel back to innocence and fun.
If you are a '50s or Grease fan and want to escape today for yesterday, you will enjoy Gidget. This movie is the story of a girl coming of age, discovering boy-girl relationships and trying new things, such as surfing. Gidget is spirited for the '50s and you'll see her mischievous adventurousness as she tries out social life on the beach. You'll cheer her on and chuckle as she plans her "get the guy" schemes. You'll also find the expression of youthful longing and angst in this movie is superior. END

Another Disappointment
I started watching this hoping to see some good, clean teen-age fun. In the first scene, Gidget's friends tell her that she better "make it" before she turns 17. I was pretty shaken by this but I kept watching the movie. In the next scene, Gidget goes to the beach and goes schnoerkeling. She nearly drowns, but a surfer gets a hold of her, sticks her on his surfboard, and then using it as a stretcher surfs her back in. The next day Gidget goes back to the beach to buy a used surfboard and explains that she "surfed" for the first time the day before and that it was like "touching the sky" or something to that effect. This is interesting because she was lying flat on her face looking more dead than alive, and the wave itself was about one foot high. At this point I thought I'd had enough of this nonsense and stopped watching the movie. One other point. People seem to make a big thing out of the "funny" names of some of the characters in this movie (e.g. "Moondoggie" and "Kahoona"). I can't say that this does anything for me. Hope this helps.

Its on DVD!
I have found this movie on DVD. Its on Ebay. I love this movie. I am only 19 but I would watch it all the time at my grandmothers house, and its my favorite movie.

Young again...
I highly recommend this movie for everyone. A clean cut, fun movie that you don't have to worry about due to bad language. I loved this movie when I was growing up so I bought Gidget for my daughter. She had her friends over, teenage boys and girls, and all loved it. In fact the boys kept asking when we were going to watch it again..
Too bad it isn't available on DVD. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

One of the best epic westerns
Ford is perfect for this role, and the story is told very well. Fantastic cinematography, including wagons and horses racing to claim land and Ford's strong moral stand at a party with big-time politicians trying to change his views. Timeless and powerful. I loved the ending and Anne Baxter's performance. A great plot with suspense and unpredictable consequences. Very handsome movie, with strong cast.

Magnificent film, one of the best westerns, very artistic
Ford is perfect in this role. The cinematography, including the wagons racing to claim their land, was outstanding. Anne Baxter gives a great performance as the woman Ford leaves for another woman. Great suspense and drama, bold sweeping action, and a wonderful plot perfectly cast and filmed. An essential part of any western collection. I haven't seen the original Cimarron yet, but I cannot imagine telling the story any better. The ending is great too, powerful and patriotic. This is a timeless classic of epic proportions and beautiful storytelling.

Cimarron
I'm glad this is back in print - it's been a while since I've seen it, but it is a classic Glenn Ford role - the deep, rightous, but haunted cowboy. This is definately not a chick movie - the thought processes and emotions that Ford's character explores are no more understood by actual women than they are by his character's wife. My favorite scene is his return from the Spanish American War, and I also thought the ending was well done.

Character of Courage
Clancy (Glenn Ford) portrays the atypical hero of an era gone but not forgotten. His penchant for fun adventure and excitement, always accompanied by goodness and virtue, soon find him at odds with his beautiful new wife. Even though their newspaper business flourishes with potential and periodic problems Clancy's internal restlessness drives him on to War and remote engagements while his dutiful wife attends to the newly founded entity set in the heart of Oklahoma immediately after land rush. Nostalgic movie goers who rarely see the raw character of courage so eloquently presented in films today will relish this return to the adventure of a "humble and reluctant hero." Prepare to shed a tear or two and enjoy a hearty laugh. But Cimmaron will not quickly retire from your memory once you've watched it. ... Read more

Reviews (95)

4.5 stars -- more enjoyable than "Titanic."
"The Poseidon Adventure" is the quintessential disaster movie -- the very best of the disaster film genre that reigned through the 70's and early 80's.

This particular disaster flick involves a ocean liner capsized by a tidal wave (on New Year's Eve of all times!)and the ten survivors who struggle to make it up to the hull (which is actually the bottom of the ship) to possibly find a way out through the stern. Being that everything is upside down presents major obstacles to the cast.

The pic features a stellar cast, including a young Gene Hackman and a fit Ernest Borgnine, who are constantly at each others throats because, as the Hackman character points out, they're two of a kind and Borgnine simply doesn't like what he sees in