Reviews (4)

before the blood
While Sam Peckinpah is best known for blood ballets such as The Wild Bunch, and Cross of Iron, it should be known that he was making movies before blood bags were used. Deadly Companions marked his feature debut and while it doesn't stand up to his best films(Wild Bunch, Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia,and Ride the High Country) its a nice start to a long and brilliant career. The DVD lacks extras and is standard format, which should be noted that a lot of older films were shot with a TV standard 1:33:1 frame. But this movie has been all but extinct except for shotty old video tapes for over a decade.

Only for die-hard PECKINPAH fans!
This edition of Deadly Comapnions is a very poor excuse to release his movie for a newer audience. The film itself is a decent western and it is interesting for us that love Sam's films to see his first western. My main concern is the fact that the film is shown in full screen. This shows that even after his death he is still being mistreated by producers and production companies. Most of his film suffer very much from cropping so does this one. I dont mind that it lack any extras but you should at least be able to see it in it's proper ratio. Buy only if you want to see an early Peckinpah film that is real hard to get in these days.

Deadly boring!
This was Peckinpah's first directing job on a feature movie after directing some TV Westerns. The result is very poor. Bad storyline, bad acting - nothing much is working out well here. The director was well aware of it - but blamed it on the producers interference in the cutting procedure. Must be Maureen O'Hara's worst performance ever! Amazing, that the young director made the splended "Ride the high country" directly after this misfire!

A Surprisingly Good Western
This film was director Sam Peckinpah's first feature, and it is a surprisingly good western. What makes this film work is the chemistry and character study between Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith. No, the sparks don't fly quite the same way they do between John Wayne and O'Hara, but both leads create interesting characters that seperate the film from most B westerns. The supporting cast -- Strother Martin and Chill Willis -- were veterans of numerous westerns, and they provide plenty of color. For anyone who enjoys B westerns this one is a cut above most. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Hilarious and Vintage Guinness
Alec Guinness gives a terrifically funny performance as Wormold, a man reluctant to be enlisted as a secret agent by a desperate and ridiculously credulous "intelligence" service. Wormold, a lonely father of a nubile daughter, wants extra money to provide for her increasingly expensive wishes. One day, rather hopelessly and absently, he sketches the interior of a vacuum cleaner he is supposed to be selling at his modest business, pretending this sketch pertains to some dangerous real-life strategic device. His employers are elated. Unfortunately, they demand more and more from the now equally desperate Wormold. As he invents more outrageous fictions, they grow ever more fascinated. Then comes the kicker: Wormold's elaborate fantasies begin to come true. He has created a monster, in effect. The complexities of his imaginary spy world begin to envelope him. The outcome is terrible - and teribly funny. The subtle comic genius of Guinness may be lost on some American audiences, or it may be just your cup of tea. I laughed till I cried. I have never forgotten this movie since I saw it when I was an English major, studying Graham Greene, among others. I eagerly await its issuance in DVD.

Very realistic dark comedy
Graham Greene served in British Intelligence during the 1939-1945 war along with other literary types such as Malcolm Muggeridge. They all were less than impressed with the organization and expressed this in various literary ways. For Greene it was a series of semi historical novels. I would guess that Inspector Clouseau would not feel out of place in the MI6 of the post war era. In this novel Greene illustrates all of the misunderstandings and quirks of fate that foul up intelligence operations. An inept person is recruited into the organization. In order to show results he fakes the recruitment of subagents and fabricates information they are supposed to have given to him. His security is bad and these reports are read by the other side thinking they are true. The sub agents are arrested and tortured to death. The hero is recalled to London and given a medal and retirement to cover up for the bungling of himself and the poor judgement of the person who recruited him and the people who accepted his false information and used it for national policy direction.

Slow-building, surprisingly subtle comedy of spying
Sir Carol Reed's 1960 film of Graham Greene's "Our Man in Havana" gets off to a slow start. The expatriate British widower Jim Wormold (Alec Guinness) is having difficulty making enough money to support the expensive tastes of his cherished teenaged daughter Milly (Jo Morrow), who has caught the idea of a Batista torturer and equestrian, Capt. Segura (Ernie Kovacs). The British spymaster for the Caribbean (Noël Coward) insists that Wormold become a British secret agent, and Wormold decides to take the money and when pressed for results, concocts nonsense "intelligence."

His ludicrous inventions, including a military installation he invents out of vacuum cleaner parts, are taken very seriously. As in Greene's "The Third Man" (also filmed by Reed) and "The Quiet American" (filmed by Joseph Mankiewicz), ignorance ("innocence") proves to be extremely dangerous to others. This film is not as great as those other two, but has a very strong cast (including Burl Ives as a German doctor, Maureen O'Hara as a plucky M16 professional sent to assist Wormold, and Ralph Richardson as the agency head back in London) and splendid black-and-white cinematography of Havana almost as good as that of Vienna and Hanoi in the other two films. The camerawork is by Oswald Morris, John Huston's cinematographer on another, broader 1950s spy spoof (Beat the Devil) and other films (including the 1952 Moulin Rouge, Moby Dick, The Roots of Heaven, The Man who Would be King, and Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison) plus Kubrick's "Lolita" and Reed's "Oliver!"

Guinness (who had a career in spying movies ahead of him!) delivers a subtle performance. More unexpectedly, so does Ernie Kovacs, who was generally a very broad and antic comic. A thuggish police officer in a Latin American dictatorship is an easy target, but Kovacs draws on the tradition of cortesia and is considerably more professional than the M16 establishment that turns out to be at least as devoted as he is to keeping up appearances. Burl Ives (who long outlived Kovacs, but stopped getting roles like those in which he was so memorable in the late 1950s) also delivers a subtle performance as he is dragged into the madness Wormold's fantasies unleash. ... Read more

Amazon.com

With its small cast, character-driven story, and modest production values, Sam Peckinpah's first feature film seems very like another of his TV Western dramas--just one that happened to get shot in Panavision. The director's favorite TV actor, Brian Keith, plays a surly loner named Yellowleg who ventures into Indian country with a dance-hall girl (Maureen O'Hara), the corpse of her little boy, and a pair of marginally human specimens (Steve Cochran and Chill Wills) who more than justify the title. Everybody has, or seems to have, a guilty or shameful secret: Why does Yellowleg keep his hat on? Was Kit (O'Hara) a widow, or a whore? Action, menace, and ethical dialogues come and go pretty much according to TV rhythms, and the visuals and editing are conventional. But there's enough quirky character work and offbeat mood-making to hint at the singular filmmaker soon to arrive big-time. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (4)

before the blood
While Sam Peckinpah is best known for blood ballets such as The Wild Bunch, and Cross of Iron, it should be known that he was making movies before blood bags were used. Deadly Companions marked his feature debut and while it doesn't stand up to his best films(Wild Bunch, Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia,and Ride the High Country) its a nice start to a long and brilliant career. The DVD lacks extras and is standard format, which should be noted that a lot of older films were shot with a TV standard 1:33:1 frame. But this movie has been all but extinct except for shotty old video tapes for over a decade.

Only for die-hard PECKINPAH fans!
This edition of Deadly Comapnions is a very poor excuse to release his movie for a newer audience. The film itself is a decent western and it is interesting for us that love Sam's films to see his first western. My main concern is the fact that the film is shown in full screen. This shows that even after his death he is still being mistreated by producers and production companies. Most of his film suffer very much from cropping so does this one. I dont mind that it lack any extras but you should at least be able to see it in it's proper ratio. Buy only if you want to see an early Peckinpah film that is real hard to get in these days.

Deadly boring!
This was Peckinpah's first directing job on a feature movie after directing some TV Westerns. The result is very poor. Bad storyline, bad acting - nothing much is working out well here. The director was well aware of it - but blamed it on the producers interference in the cutting procedure. Must be Maureen O'Hara's worst performance ever! Amazing, that the young director made the splended "Ride the high country" directly after this misfire!

A Surprisingly Good Western
This film was director Sam Peckinpah's first feature, and it is a surprisingly good western. What makes this film work is the chemistry and character study between Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith. No, the sparks don't fly quite the same way they do between John Wayne and O'Hara, but both leads create interesting characters that seperate the film from most B westerns. The supporting cast -- Strother Martin and Chill Willis -- were veterans of numerous westerns, and they provide plenty of color. For anyone who enjoys B westerns this one is a cut above most. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

before the blood
While Sam Peckinpah is best known for blood ballets such as The Wild Bunch, and Cross of Iron, it should be known that he was making movies before blood bags were used. Deadly Companions marked his feature debut and while it doesn't stand up to his best films(Wild Bunch, Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia,and Ride the High Country) its a nice start to a long and brilliant career. The DVD lacks extras and is standard format, which should be noted that a lot of older films were shot with a TV standard 1:33:1 frame. But this movie has been all but extinct except for shotty old video tapes for over a decade.

Only for die-hard PECKINPAH fans!
This edition of Deadly Comapnions is a very poor excuse to release his movie for a newer audience. The film itself is a decent western and it is interesting for us that love Sam's films to see his first western. My main concern is the fact that the film is shown in full screen. This shows that even after his death he is still being mistreated by producers and production companies. Most of his film suffer very much from cropping so does this one. I dont mind that it lack any extras but you should at least be able to see it in it's proper ratio. Buy only if you want to see an early Peckinpah film that is real hard to get in these days.

Deadly boring!
This was Peckinpah's first directing job on a feature movie after directing some TV Westerns. The result is very poor. Bad storyline, bad acting - nothing much is working out well here. The director was well aware of it - but blamed it on the producers interference in the cutting procedure. Must be Maureen O'Hara's worst performance ever! Amazing, that the young director made the splended "Ride the high country" directly after this misfire!

A Surprisingly Good Western
This film was director Sam Peckinpah's first feature, and it is a surprisingly good western. What makes this film work is the chemistry and character study between Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith. No, the sparks don't fly quite the same way they do between John Wayne and O'Hara, but both leads create interesting characters that seperate the film from most B westerns. The supporting cast -- Strother Martin and Chill Willis -- were veterans of numerous westerns, and they provide plenty of color. For anyone who enjoys B westerns this one is a cut above most. ... Read more

Description

Portrait of the star who stood toe-to-toe with Hollywood's toughestleading men and put fire, brimstone, and beauty into her roles. Includes clips fromO'Hara's best-loved films, and looks at her love affairs that were plagued by divorce,scandal, and tragedy. Anthony Quinn, director Chris Columbus, and her brother areinterviewed. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A must have for any Maureen O'Hara fan!!
This film offers a brilliant history of the life of a remarkable actress. Narrated by Peter Graves (Maureen's co-star in "The Long Gray Line") this film chronicles Maureen's life beginning with her childhood in Ireland continuing through to the present day. The film contains clips and stories from almost all of her movies including "How Green Was My Valley" (which beat Citizen Kane for best picture in 1940), "The Quiet Man," "Miracle on 34th Street," "The Parent Trap," "McKlintock!," "Only the Lonely," and most recently, "The Last Dance" --to name a few. The video also includes interviews with numerous co-stars, family members and co-workers such as Haley Mills and Anna Lee. This video is absolutely wonderful and as I said before a must have for any Maureen O'Hara fan! ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Du Maurier.....Laughton.....O'Hara.....Hitch!
This review refers to the Laserlight(Special Edition)DVD of "Jamaica Inn"...

The talent combined in this 1939 film is immense. Based on a novel by Daphne Du Maurier,Alfred Hitchcock skillfully directs an extraordinary cast, all turning in strong performances, that bring the characters depth and the story to life.Marueen O'Hara is amazing in her first feature role, showing us way back then what made her the great star she has been all these years.It also stars other great British actors Lelsie Banks,Emlyn Williams and Robert Newton. But it is the legendary Charles Laughton who you can't take your eyes off of in this thriller. The depth with which he portrays his multi-faceted character is simple awesome.

The story is set off a rugged coastline.A group of dangerous cut-throats are misguiding innocent vessels, causing them to crash into the rocky terrain,so they can loot all the cargo.When young and beautiful Mary(O'Hara)is on to them, she risks life and limb to try and stop them. She turns to the only one she can trust..Sir Humphrey Pengallan(Laughton)for help. But yikes!... has she even endangered herself further with this move? He may be the most deranged of all!

Where's Hitch?....Although he made an appearance in the one before this one("The Lady Vanishes"/1938) and the one after("Rebecca"/1940), he seems to have eluded us in this one!

There are a couple of DVD editions of this film available here at Amazon. And while this one is not immaculate,showing it's age at nearly 65 years old, and there does seem to be something missing in a transition to a scene, I did not find anything about the view that took away from the enjoyment of this Hitch classic. I read the reviews of the other edition, which by the way costs more than three times as much as this one, and I didnt see anything better about that transfer than this Laserlight edition.The black and white images seemed clear and bright, and even the darker scenes were perfectly distinguishable. Very occassionaly, the sound did come and go, but was audible for the most part. This edition also includes an intro by Tony Curtis, and a fun trailer of "The Birds", introduced by the master himself. The DVD will automatically go straight to the film, so be sure to press menu to see the intro by Tony first. There are subtitles in Spanish, Japanese, and Chineese, all very clear and are even available for the introduction.On the case it also shows these as languages to view the film in, but I did not find this feature on the menu. This may not be the best print,but it is a decent transfer and for the price this is the best way to go for the Hitch enthusiast.This film may also be purchased as part of several Hitchcock sets offered here at Amazon.

Get the popcorn ready for this one and enjoy...Laurie

Five stars for Charles Laughton's best character-acting
Charles Laughton is at his peak as the vain, self-indulgent, skirt-chasing, shifty-eyed Squire Humphrey Pengallan. He manages to combine the arrogance and explosive temper of Captain Bligh (MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY) with the twinkle-eyed, corpulant humor of Sir Wilfred Robarts (WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION), and he has a great straight-man in the person of his harried butler Chadwick.

Maureen O'Hara is lovely and she screams well, but she's a little too drippy for my taste in this film.

More excellent comedic-villian acting is provided by the minor members of the shore-dwelling wreaking-gang, and their leader, played by Leslie Banks, is terrifying. This movie makes me suspect that the young Robert Newton, who plays a soft-spoken good-guy, may have learned from Banks the ferocious glare and menacing body-language he was later to use so effectively playing murderers like Bill Sikes (OLIVER TWIST) and Long John Silver (TREASURE ISLAND).

Warning! Buy Kino Video DVD instead!
Attention all admirers of Hitchcock films! This is the great forgotten Hitchcock film, along with Under Capricorn! 2 must haves for every admirer of Hitckcock films. Both very different than the usual suspence/wrong man Hitchcock film, but both brilliant and beautiful. I'm actually writing this review to warn the buyer NOT to buy the "Laserlight" version, because it is missing about 10 minutes from the film (from the scene right after Mr. Tremain reveals to Squire Pengalen who he really is, to the scene where they show up together at Jamaica Inn). Buy the "Kino" version instead! I can't say enough about both of these 2 films, but I'll leave it up to you, lovers of great cinema, to discover them for yourselves. Especially is you're a fan of Charles Laughton and/or Joseph Cotten and Ingred Bergman. It's worth every extra penny of the difference in price to have the full version of the film. Take a chance, my friend. Be astounded and amazed by these lost treasures, and rejoice at their salvation (and yours!)!

Not the best
Wether this verson has been updated and cleaned up, doesn't really matter.
What I've seen is a very poor recording, very bad sound (that makes it hard to hear what is being said),
and bad picture quality.
A film from the master of suspence should be given the recognition it deserves.

Laughton & Hitchcock are a winning team
Charles Laughton is delicious in this classic Hitchcock thriller as the stuffy, regal Humphrey Pengallan, a psychotic country squire who decides the best way to meet the high costs of royal life is to indulge his immodest talents as a criminal mastermind. Unbeknownst to his friends and peers, Lord Pengallan has assembled a grimy band of cutthroat thieves which he secretly directs to wreck and loot merchant ships on the rocky Cornwall coast. He is of course thwarted by plucky newcomer Maureen O'Hara and her goodlooking beau, an undercover policeman whose cover is blown after one of their heists seems a bit light. Some Hitchcock fans apparently find this film less than satisfying, but it's as classy and as offbeat as any he's made; perhaps it's because the film is a period drama that folks are thrown off track. At any rate, this is vintage Hitchcock, and the character acting is typically impressive, particularly Emlyn Williams as Harry, the most menacing of the pirate crew... his is one of the most sinister screen villains you're likely to see. Laughton, of course, brings his tremendous range to bear, appearing at first as an overbearing aristocratic boor, then modifies himself to become in turns magnanimous, ruthless and finally so homicidally crazed and delusory that he takes on an almost pathetic air. And O'Hara, in her screen debut is both beautiful and full of pluck -- no helpless female here, as she stops the brigands almost single-handedly. An offbeat film, and definitely worth checking out. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Du Maurier.....Laughton.....O'Hara.....Hitch!
This review refers to the Laserlight(Special Edition)DVD of "Jamaica Inn"...

The talent combined in this 1939 film is immense. Based on a novel by Daphne Du Maurier,Alfred Hitchcock skillfully directs an extraordinary cast, all turning in strong performances, that bring the characters depth and the story to life.Marueen O'Hara is amazing in her first feature role, showing us way back then what made her the great star she has been all these years.It also stars other great British actors Lelsie Banks,Emlyn Williams and Robert Newton. But it is the legendary Charles Laughton who you can't take your eyes off of in this thriller. The depth with which he portrays his multi-faceted character is simple awesome.

The story is set off a rugged coastline.A group of dangerous cut-throats are misguiding innocent vessels, causing them to crash into the rocky terrain,so they can loot all the cargo.When young and beautiful Mary(O'Hara)is on to them, she risks life and limb to try and stop them. She turns to the only one she can trust..Sir Humphrey Pengallan(Laughton)for help. But yikes!... has she even endangered herself further with this move? He may be the most deranged of all!

Where's Hitch?....Although he made an appearance in the one before this one("The Lady Vanishes"/1938) and the one after("Rebecca"/1940), he seems to have eluded us in this one!

There are a couple of DVD editions of this film available here at Amazon. And while this one is not immaculate,showing it's age at nearly 65 years old, and there does seem to be something missing in a transition to a scene, I did not find anything about the view that took away from the enjoyment of this Hitch classic. I read the reviews of the other edition, which by the way costs more than three times as much as this one, and I didnt see anything better about that transfer than this Laserlight edition.The black and white images seemed clear and bright, and even the darker scenes were perfectly distinguishable. Very occassionaly, the sound did come and go, but was audible for the most part. This edition also includes an intro by Tony Curtis, and a fun trailer of "The Birds", introduced by the master himself. The DVD will automatically go straight to the film, so be sure to press menu to see the intro by Tony first. There are subtitles in Spanish, Japanese, and Chineese, all very clear and are even available for the introduction.On the case it also shows these as languages to view the film in, but I did not find this feature on the menu. This may not be the best print,but it is a decent transfer and for the price this is the best way to go for the Hitch enthusiast.This film may also be purchased as part of several Hitchcock sets offered here at Amazon.

Get the popcorn ready for this one and enjoy...Laurie

Five stars for Charles Laughton's best character-acting
Charles Laughton is at his peak as the vain, self-indulgent, skirt-chasing, shifty-eyed Squire Humphrey Pengallan. He manages to combine the arrogance and explosive temper of Captain Bligh (MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY) with the twinkle-eyed, corpulant humor of Sir Wilfred Robarts (WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION), and he has a great straight-man in the person of his harried butler Chadwick.

Maureen O'Hara is lovely and she screams well, but she's a little too drippy for my taste in this film.

More excellent comedic-villian acting is provided by the minor members of the shore-dwelling wreaking-gang, and their leader, played by Leslie Banks, is terrifying. This movie makes me suspect that the young Robert Newton, who plays a soft-spoken good-guy, may have learned from Banks the ferocious glare and menacing body-language he was later to use so effectively playing murderers like Bill Sikes (OLIVER TWIST) and Long John Silver (TREASURE ISLAND).

Warning! Buy Kino Video DVD instead!
Attention all admirers of Hitchcock films! This is the great forgotten Hitchcock film, along with Under Capricorn! 2 must haves for every admirer of Hitckcock films. Both very different than the usual suspence/wrong man Hitchcock film, but both brilliant and beautiful. I'm actually writing this review to warn the buyer NOT to buy the "Laserlight" version, because it is missing about 10 minutes from the film (from the scene right after Mr. Tremain reveals to Squire Pengalen who he really is, to the scene where they show up together at Jamaica Inn). Buy the "Kino" version instead! I can't say enough about both of these 2 films, but I'll leave it up to you, lovers of great cinema, to discover them for yourselves. Especially is you're a fan of Charles Laughton and/or Joseph Cotten and Ingred Bergman. It's worth every extra penny of the difference in price to have the full version of the film. Take a chance, my friend. Be astounded and amazed by these lost treasures, and rejoice at their salvation (and yours!)!

Not the best
Wether this verson has been updated and cleaned up, doesn't really matter.
What I've seen is a very poor recording, very bad sound (that makes it hard to hear what is being said),
and bad picture quality.
A film from the master of suspence should be given the recognition it deserves.

Laughton & Hitchcock are a winning team
Charles Laughton is delicious in this classic Hitchcock thriller as the stuffy, regal Humphrey Pengallan, a psychotic country squire who decides the best way to meet the high costs of royal life is to indulge his immodest talents as a criminal mastermind. Unbeknownst to his friends and peers, Lord Pengallan has assembled a grimy band of cutthroat thieves which he secretly directs to wreck and loot merchant ships on the rocky Cornwall coast. He is of course thwarted by plucky newcomer Maureen O'Hara and her goodlooking beau, an undercover policeman whose cover is blown after one of their heists seems a bit light. Some Hitchcock fans apparently find this film less than satisfying, but it's as classy and as offbeat as any he's made; perhaps it's because the film is a period drama that folks are thrown off track. At any rate, this is vintage Hitchcock, and the character acting is typically impressive, particularly Emlyn Williams as Harry, the most menacing of the pirate crew... his is one of the most sinister screen villains you're likely to see. Laughton, of course, brings his tremendous range to bear, appearing at first as an overbearing aristocratic boor, then modifies himself to become in turns magnanimous, ruthless and finally so homicidally crazed and delusory that he takes on an almost pathetic air. And O'Hara, in her screen debut is both beautiful and full of pluck -- no helpless female here, as she stops the brigands almost single-handedly. An offbeat film, and definitely worth checking out. ... Read more