Amazon.com essential video

Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand star as sociopolitical opposites--he's a WASP novelist, she's an activist--who nevertheless strike up a romance in the 1930s, and have a rocky relationship through the next two decades that reflects much of America's history. An essential part of the movie--the Hollywood blacklist and the McCarthy witch- hunt years--comes across as a botch, due to some excessive cutting before the film was released. But except for that hole in the heart of the story, director Sydney Pollack(Out of Africa) has crafted a strong and moving drama about two interesting characters. Redford (always good with Pollack) is at the height of his powers, and Streisand is persuasive.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (51)

Babs is a great actress
These scenes are so well written - credit to the genius of arthur laurents - that any one of them could be taken out of context and make a great scene for an acting student.

The movie is shot beautifully and the score is a classic. (If a little repetitive at times)

The main reason to see this movie is for the great acting of Streisand and Redford. They are incredible.

Barbara has so many great moments in this - probably the "phone scene" is her best but so hard to choose. She is just great in this movie.

Redford is perfect - saying much more when he is silent than any actor does with dialogue.

The ending scene is a classic of american cinema - so sad and perfect. The most classic goodbye scene since CASABLANCA.

The documentary on this DVD is awesome. The interviews with Barbra, Pollack, the Bergmans, Hamlisch are great. The only disapointment is no Redford. The deleted scenes in this documentary are great and worth seeing.

I highly recommend this DVD.

DVD is Well Done - Looks & Sounds Better Than Ever
Finally! THE WAY WE WERE in widescreen! I think it really makes a difference. I've only seen pan and scan versions on video. It is especially noticeable in the opening credits where names/credits appear on one side of the screen and action takes place on the other side. For the first time we get to see Katie at her typewriter and Katie talking to her teacher.

The rest of the dvd is done just as well. The picture and sound are pristine. The menu screens are classy and easy to use. The bonus trailers from FOR PETE'S SAKE and Streisand's later films are fun to see.

The hour-long documentary featuring interviews with Sydney Pollack and Streisand is very revealing. Pollack seems humble and grateful about the film. Streisand is relaxed and beautiful - again, reflective and humble about the experience as Pollack is. There is even a segment with Marvin Hamlisch on piano playing the different versions of THE WAY WE WERE theme. And Alan & Marilyn Bergman are a hilarious couple!

Sydney Pollack's comments on the extra audio channel are interesting as well. I haven't gotten through the whole movie yet, but so far so good!

The dvd is definitely a must-have for Streisand fans. But even fans of this classic romance will find much to like about the dvd as well.

A classic! A tearjerker! Two treats in one!
I've seen this movie many, many times. I can be brought to tears by watching JUST the last scene. This movie is a true visceral experience.

Characters that could have been stereotyped are incredibly complex and true. And that's a big part of the story. We go through life and label people, yet we just don't know what might truly lie beneath.

Katie and Hubble see what lies beneath. How we don't know. Two soul mates who come into each other's lives but cannot stay. I know all of this sounds sentimental but this is a truly sentimental favorite.

Watch this movie!!

"Katie, it was never uncomplicated."
As stated many times before, THE WAY WE WERE is one of only a handful of romantic blockbusters to actually feature an intelligent script and complex characters. Writer Arthur Luarents' based his screenplay (and subsequent novel) on girl he knew in college, who fought for liberal (and sometimes communist) causes. The film was a surprise box office smash when originally released, and became the fifth-highest grossing film of 1973 and an instant classic. Katie Morosky is a character that Barbra Streisand born play, and she delivers on all accounts. Fierce and determined, yet vulnerable and self-conscious, Katie is a tricky character and Streisand inhabits her so deeply that she seems nothing less than completely believable. Justifiably nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, she was unfortunately robbed of the award.

Redford, who actually turned down the role twice before director and friend Sydney Pollack talked him into taking the part, displays some of the best reflective acting ever seen on the big screen and definitely deserved a nomination as well (he was, however, nominated for Best Actor that year for his light comedic performance in THE STING). The film's enduring popular success with the mass audience is due to the magnetic chemistry between Streisand and Redford and the gorgeous visuals and strong directorial hand supplied by Pollack, however it is the complexity of the romance with politics and the strong characterizations by both leads that continues to make THE WAY WE WERE the best love story for adults.

About the DVD: The picture quality is beautiful, quite possibly the best the film has ever looked. The sound quality is also vastly improved. Pollack's commentary track is interesting, but the 60-minute documentary is the best extra on the disc. Featuring insightful interviews from Pollack, Streisand, and Laurents (as well as composer Marvin Hamlisch and lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman) the documentary is well-produced and entertaining, and it was great to finally see those much-debated deleted scenes.

For such a great film, the dvd should have been much more!
I, like many thousands of others love this movie and could watch it over and over again. What should have been a 25th Aniversary spectacular is a very lack luster. My major complaint is with the 60 minute documentary.
1.Great, we get to see some scenes that were cut that really SHOULD have been put in the film in the first place. How about the rest of the cut scenes? Legend has it that there is much more.
2.Barbara's commentary is good but I really think she could have added a lot more. What about the screen play she supposedly was interested in that was, in essence, a part two of this movie entitled "the way we are"?
3.Redford is absent on the disc because of "scheduling" problems? Or so I have heard....Gee, nobody could have waited even to get 3-4 minutes of commentary from him? Something isnt right.

I also dont think the transfer of this movie came out too well. Not exactly great quality for such an icon. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Otto Preminger's sprawling World War II drama packs a lot into its 165 minutes, beginning with the attack on Pearl Harbor (which Preminger re-creates in amazing detail) and ending a couple of years later with America's return to the South Pacific in force. John Wayne and Kirk Douglas star as a career naval captain and his self-pitying commander in the peacetime navy who are thrust into battle when Pearl Harbor is bombed while they are on maneuvers. Minutes into WWII, they are already scapegoated and demoted by the embarrassed military brass. Wayne romances a WAVE nurse (Patricia Neal) and attempts a reconciliation with his estranged, spoiled son (Brandon de Wilde) while Douglas sinks into the bottle after the death of his cheating wife until the American fleet rebuilds and calls upon Wayne to lead one of the initial invasion forces. Henry Fonda makes a brief but commanding appearance as the fleet admiral. Burgess Meredith is a former writer turned witty commander, Dana Andrews a showy but indecisive admiral, and Stanley Holloway a genial Australian scout working with the American invasion forces. Tom Tryon and Paula Prentiss play newlyweds torn apart by the war, and also appearing are Franchot Tone, Carroll O'Conner, Slim Pickens, George Kennedy, Bruce Cabot, and Larry Hagman, among many, many more. Loyal Griggs's handsome black-and-white photography is topped only by Saul Bass's impressive closing credits sequence, a rising cascade of crashing waves and rough surf reportedly paced to mirror the dramatic rhythm of the film. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (51)

A bit overlong, but worth the time. . .
It takes an expert hand to mix historical fiction, solid action, maudlin melodrama and stock romantic entanglements and emerge with a coherent story, much less an effective and entertaining film, but Otto Preminger manages the trick with In Harm's Way. John Wayne's acting is John Wayne's acting (just replace the cavalry smock with WWII working khaki), but the true stars of the film are Kirk Douglas, Burgess Meredith and Patricia Neal, all of whom do a wonderful job of augmenting and supporting the Duke without getting in his way. The combat scenes are few and far between and, by today's standards, rather tame. However, this seeming weakness proves a hidden strength in what becomes an excellent character study of divergent people thrown together in the chaotic early days of the Second World War. This film does a very good job of showing the difficulties commanders faced in dealing with equipment shortages, personnel problems and the myriad headaches of a combat commander trying to fight a war on a shoestring. In some respects the plot is a bit predictable but nonetheless holds one's attention. Like most Wayne pictures, this ends up being a flag-waving tribute to the heroism of the American fighting man and woman. What makes this one a bit different is the degree of character development. It doesn't take long before you actually start caring about the people and the combat becomes a secondary issue. As with most of the Duke's movies, there is a good dollop of tongue-in-cheek humor to lighten the mood. The final result is a very effective, surprisingly realistic look at the people side of warfare.

War in the Pacific

Director Otto Preminger made a good war movie, here. John Wayne plays the part of a captain who initially loses his ship, but comes back eventually as a commodore (1 star admiral). Kirk Douglas is his Exec, Cdr. Ettinger (eventually a captain), who has a bottled up violence in his character (well played). Patricia O'Neal plays a navy nurse (Lt.), Dana Andrews plays an egotisitcal admiral, and Henry Fonda plays CincPac.

The picture is well cast. Even a young Carroll O'Conner has a part, and Burgess Meredith plays an intelligence officer very well. Brandon De Wilde (a new name to me) plays Wayne's son, a spoiled college brat brought up by his mother, also well-played.

I was impressed by the details in the movie, including the plane's designations (except for a reference to an AT6 "Texan," which they should have called by its navy designation, an SNJ, instead of the air corps desgnation), and the Japanese ship designations. The battleship Yamato, for example, was identified as having 18-inch guns, as indeed it did have--larger than the 16-inch rifles on America's battle-wagons.

All together, it was a well-told story which held pretty much to reality, except for the fictional islands' names and the presence of so many females that close to the action.

I enjoyed it, as I do most old Wayne movies. And Otto Preminger knew how to put them together.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret.)

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

Great cast!!! Excellent Movie!!
This movie is far from being a typical jingoistic, flag-waving propoganda piece. It deals with several substantive issues (i.e. love, loss, rape, death, etc.) that are dveloping in people's lives at the same time as the war. Interestingly, I felt like a voyeur as I was watching the movie due to an intimate/personal filming perspective and excellent acting.

Overall this movie for mature audiences that can accept steady character development with action being secondary.

Big thumbs up!!

Not As Good As MIDWAY
IN HARM'S WAY is a film about World War II naval action in the Pacific beginning with the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese. The movie contains a lot of battle scenes but it soon gets monotonous - especially when one realizes that model ships are used as props.

John Wayne is the star and the supporting cast is strong. Patricia Neal and Kirk Douglas are standouts. In spite of the superior acting and the efforts of Otto Preminger as director, the film never quite achieves the same level of interest as MIDWAY which is definitely a better motion picture.

IN HARM'S WAY received an Oscar nomination in 1965 for Best B & W Cinematography.

Flatly and indifferently made WWII epic
After the triumph that was THE CARDINAL (available on a highly recommended WB disc) Otto Preminger made a big war film based on a bestseller novel. While many find this film wonderful, I find it to be talky, groundbased, and exceedingly unmemorable film. Nearly everything in the film is at a level of artifice that, coupled with the black and white photography and really inexcusable SFX, makes the film look cheap and indifferent. The plotting is cliched when not unbelievable. For example, Jill Haworth kills herself when she fears Kirk Douglas' rape has left her pregnant. WHY did she not consult her fiancee (also John Wayne's estranged son) or press criminal charges? And why did Douglas not seek a divorce from his nymphomanianc wife (Barbara Bouchet)? It doesn't help that the whole picture takes on a buddy-buddy atmosphere totally inappropriate for 167 minute epic. Rumors, by the way, are around that state the film was once even longer and had an intermission (curious fans of the film should pop in their DVD and go to about th 85 minute mark). If the flick was once longer, I will make every attempt never to see the longer version. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Excellent oldie.....
A view FROM THE TERRACE is what Paul Newman's character David Alfred Eaton has of his future wife Mary (JoAnne Woodward). The screen play was based on a best-selling novel of the same name by John O'Hara. Given it was released in the 1950s when sex on the screen was verboten and not much more explicit in novels (ban a book in Boston), one must appreciate the work it took for Newman and Woodward to give these performances.

Like many other teenagers of my generation, I was "in love" with Paul Newman. Newman could make female hearts flutter by simply looking at the camera with his big blue eyes. Many other teens preferred Marlon Brando, his peer and rival for female affection. I believe these two actors were the Leonardo de Caprio and Brad Pitt of their day, although in the long run, Newman (like de Caprio) has had more staying power and gracefully made the transition to mature roles.

In the 1950s, to see a film one had to attend a theater, where the screen was usually covered with a huge velvet curtain. FTT played at the Center theater in my small town, and I saw the film six times after it was released. I was able to get into the theater for a quarter, and as my allowance was $3, this was no small sacrifice. So, you might say this film was one of my all time favorites.

Watching it again almost 50 years later, I wondered how I would react, and of course the passage of time and arrival of many other actors and vast changes in filmmaking have affected the way I view the film and Newman, but I still like him enormously, and this film holds it's own, though the storyline may seem archaic.

This film is about infidelity and divorce and the price of success, a story line that may be lost on generations raised in an age of no-fault divorces and dual earner households. Once upon a time, divorce and infidelity were considered absolutely scandalous, and financially disastrous. In fact, if you divorced, your life was ruined. Many couples stayed together and suffered the ignominy of a cheating spouse. FTT was a ground-breaking film because it tackled these issues head-on.

The DVD version of the film is well done, and the price reasonable (technicolor and cinemascope production). Do your self a favorite, buy this DVD and add it to the shelf where you keep CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF and other 50's favorites.

I absolutely adore this movie
I saw this movie for at least the third time today and I told myself: go ahead and get this on DVD because you watch it every time it comes on TV. Well, I just simply must have it near me. I love the "how do you like them apples" part in the movie. What a move! I love every minute of this movie. It is like a short story! I love the dialogue! Watch it people!

My View From The Sofa
Paul Newman has many more famous roles...but for some reason, this is one of my all time favorite movies of his. It comes on the Love Stories, AMC, or TCM cable channels every here and now...or you could just buy it like I did.

He's nice, determined, well-meaning Alfred Eaton, who starts off with lofty, wealthy ideas about what is important in life...the right woman, the right career, the right friends...and showing them all how important he can be when he has them. Ultimately, he learns that what is important is only what feels right to him alone.

I love his story of personal discovery as much as his love affair story with Natalie. Alfred and Natalie have this beautiful scene where they are saying goodbye, they're barely touching, but it's the most painfully romantic thing to see.

Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward have some excellent scenes in this movie also with real good comeback dialogue. He's the hardworking, decent man and she's the desperate-to-impress and just plain desperate society wife. She self-righteously and hurtfully accuses him of adultery with a girl with no guts when she's been sleeping with her ex-fiancee all along. She actually calls her lover and arranges a tryst while her husband is in the room!!!! She has guts!!!! (if little else) Unbeknownst to her, Alfred has exhaustingly if unaffectedly (if you can look unaffected and disgusted at the same time, that is) done his best to makes her invisible in the room, but she probably just becomes invisible without any real effort on his part to make her so by that point. Their voices just have the most impactful tones...especially when they get to play off of each other. I can play their final scene over and over again where she says she won't give him a divorce and he says,"Any further communication between you and me will be through legal channels." He has the most genuine smile on that handsome face in that moment than through the entire movie!!!!!

This movie is actually pretty long, but not a moment is wasted. It all comes together in the end when Alfred finally chooses what he actually wants instead of what he's supposed to want.

Maybe it's because it's so subtle and not at all like a "movie" that it seems to be largely overlooked by everyone except me and 20 other people. Paul Newman is one fine, naturally classy actor, I say.

Unfaithfully Yours
Every few years, I sit back and enjoy "From the Terrace" for what it is. As good old fashioned "potboiler", John O Hara's screen adaptation is not quite as sprawling as say....Edna Ferber's works, but nonetheless is a decent potboiler in its own right. Alfred (Paul Newman), discharged from the Navy after WW II is the ambitious, disaffected son of nouveau riche steel mill owner Samuel Eaton, (Leon Ames). Seeking to make his own unique mark in the world he spurns his father's hopes of joining the business and decides his fortune is to be made elsewhere. Along the way, he meets his future blue-blooded trophy wife Mary St. John (Joanne Woodward) and soon discovers her appetites are far in excess even to his own ambitions. Landing a job at a prestigious Wall Street firm in an oblique way that is a potboiler's trademark, Alfred comes under the watchful eye of old money and traditional expectations by J.D. MacHardie (masterfully portrayed by Felix Aylmer). I very much enjoyed all the scenes in which Aylmer's MacHardie was highlighted and I can almost smell the stodginess of old money, ritual table manners, wood paneled walls, cigars, and brandy that were part of his ultra-conservative environment. Soon enough, while on a trip to scout business opportunities, Alfred meets Natalie (Ina Balin), the unattached daughter of a wealthy coal mine owner. Knowing full well of his marital status, she consents, even encourages his attention and unfaithfulness. Balin manages to pull this off with a naive sweetness without ever seeming cheap or trashy. Infidelity is a major theme in this work and I'm sure its frank discussion must have sparked many a controversy when this film was released very early in 1960. Veteran actress Myrna Loy was given near top billing as Alfred's alcoholic and unfaithful mother, yet her on-screen performance was limited to the first reel of this nearly 2 1/2 hour film. I enjoyed the brief on screen appearance of young Barbara Eden as a flirtatious socialite. Patrick O'Neal was perfectly cast as the smarmy Dr. Jim Roper, the illicit lover of Mary St. John. Over his long acting career, Paul Newman has delivered solid performances again and again. This is one of his lesser known works but serves as a fine example of why he was so popular with the audience as a silver screen heartthrob. Watching this film today and being mindful of his lasting marriage to Joanne Woodward just serves to make this movie all the more compelling to me. I hope you will agree.

A view of the male in society.
Based on John O'Hara's novel, Alfred Eaton wants success in his own right but also seeks happiness for himself. He ventures out to New York leaving behind his cold, unloving father and alcoholic mother. As he is settled, he meets Mary St. John at a party in Southhampton. She is engaged to a psychiatrist Jim Roper. She rebuffs him at first but laters falls in love with him, calling off her engagement to her fiance. The two marry. However, their marriage is on the rocks. As Alfred gains success and social status, Mary feels isolated from his affection and has sexual affairs outside of the marriage. A business venture in rural Pennsylvania force him to confront his past and his future. Having dinner at the Benzinger home, he falls in love with the daughter Natalie. Strikingly beautiful and raven-haired, she is the one who understands him and is affectionate towards him.
Alfred Eaton, is relatively like most men. They want to gain recognition and respect from the social and economical community and at the same time, be happy with themselves. However, success doesn't always bring happiness. Happiness comes from within. Eaton's lack of affection from his father caused him to seek happiness elsewhere but he was forced to make hard decisions that would not only affect his career, but himself. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Extraordinary Film Essential Viewing
King Rat appeared around the same time as "The Train". While both attempt an unsentimentalized view of war and it's heroes, "The Train" (an excellent film) is ultimately an action piece about victory. "King Rat" on the other hand, is about survival.

Over the last twenty-five years I've read the book twice and seen the movie at least five times. I don't care what the differences are anymore - both book and film are exceptional works. Different, but definitely equal. Experiencing either will be a harrowing, heart-breaking, but ultimately rewarding experience.

Set in Changi prison camp (and based on Clavel's real-life experiences there) King Rat is the story of a young British officer (James Fox) who finds himself working for the camp hustler (George Segal). Together they are harassed by camp Provost Martial Tom Courtney determined to catch Segal (Corporal King) breaking regulations.

The adaptation and direction by Bryan Forbes (who had to make allowances for the conservative sensibilities of a sixties audience) is simply amazing: King Rat is about the heat, disease, suffering, and madness. These aren't the stiff-upper-lip-discipline-or-die men of "Bridge On The River Kwai". The soldiers in King Rat are wretched, pathetic, and despairing. There is no sentimentality here, neither in front of, or behind the camera. Forbes' lens is unflinching -- it's the audience who has to look away.

The cast alone makes this film worthwhile: George Segal (for the uninitiated, Segal was once a rising star), Tom Courtenay, James Fox, Patrick O'Neal, Denholm Elliot, James Donald, Tod Armstrong, John Mills, Gerald Sim, and Leonard Rossiter to name a few. They are all at their best. There are no disappointments here. In fact, I think it is the cast that makes me prefer the film to the book. Tom Courtney is much better at realizing his character than Clavel can write him. While Clavel (who lived this harrowing experience) may have known these people, it's the cast who have personalized and personified them. And so, while Forbes may have cut significant material from the book, I think the soul of the work is stronger. This is most apparent in the last line of dialog: in the book it is delivered by Tom Courtney's character, but in the film it is given to James Fox.

But what is most amazing is that, after thirty-five years and the likes of "Patton", "Full Metal Jacket", "Platoon", "The Odd Angry Shot", and "Saving Private Ryan", "King Rat" still holds it's own. IF you are a connoisseur of films (war or otherwise) this is a must see.

He Gave You Hate, Gray!
Survival. This film of POW's in Singapore's Changi prison is about survival. Mostly British POW's, there is one hustler among them, an American Corporal named King. He is the King Rat...the black marketeer, the guy "on the ball", trading with the Malay & Japanese guards, and always working schemes. He is pursued by the POW Provost Marshals , envied and resented by other POW's, even as they employ his services as a go-between for themselves.

A naive young British Officer, Marlowe, meets the King and is drawn into his world, first as a translator (he speaks Malay), and slowly becomes Corporal King's only true friend. He comes to admire King's undaunted will to survive and his ingenuity and courage. In the episode of the watch sale, King gives Marlowe a lesson in how things really work that is an eye-opener to him and us.

Beautifully played by a very young James Fox as Marlowe, and an equally young George Segal as Corporal King, the movie is harrowing and yet often very funny. King's schemes and maneuvers, while illegal as camp rules, keep everyone engaged and some of the episodes are rife with gallows humor (as in the special "stew" feast and the "delicacy" reserved for sale to officers only).

The rest of the cast is fine with John Mills, Patrick O'Neal, James Donalds and Tom Courtney standouts. The direction by Bryan Forbes is excellent, capturing the terrible conditions of the camp and the insipient insanity and despair of the prisoners.

James Clavell was in Changi prison, and he knew a man like Corporal King. The book may have been somewhat different, but the movie captures the essence of Clavell's experience and his admiration for the man's guts and spirit and unwillingness to surrender and be defeated by Changi. A terrific, unsentimental film. 4-1/2 stars.

You are what you eat
Well, Corporal King did not actually eat rats - he sold that particular delicacy to the officers.

Based on the excellent book by James Clavell, this is a great story of life in a Japanese-run prison camp in Singapore.

George Segal plays corporal King, who is the big wheeler-dealer of the camp, buying and selling various items such as watches, ripping off anyone he can, but also handsomely paying off his cronies.

He develops a friendship of sorts with one particular British prisoner, and later helps keep his arm from being amputated.

Upon being liberated (led by none other than "Family Feud" host Richard Dawson), King realizes that he will be going back to being the low rung on the ladder (as a corporal), and shares none of the other prisoner's joy of freedom.

There are quite a few great performances, particularly from George Segal (the man who once french-kissed his dog on the Johnny Carson show).

Of course, as is usually the case, the book is much better, but this is still a darn good movie.

Why is this movie so underrated?
I do not understand why this movie isn't better known and more respected. It is an excellent film, as are several of Bryan Forbes' British films, all of which I recommend. When I first saw this film, I was almost outraged that I'd never heard anything about it, and I see I'm in good company. Why is Stalag 17 considered a classic of American cinema while King Rat (a much better and more complex film, in my opinion) languishes in semi-obscurity? I've never seen any significant criticism on it, which is particularly unusual for a war film (and, in some sense, anti-war film.) At least they've finally put it on DVD, and the transfer here is excellent, even if there aren't really any extras. Interestingly, the company that produced this DVD seems to be pushing George Segal's presence as the selling point of King Rat, and the back of the box doesn't even mention James Fox's character(!) (Perhaps the macho POW film audience would be put off by the relationship between Segal's and Fox's characters? I don't know.) Segal's performance is indeed great, but it isn't the only reason to watch this film, which is excellent in every major respect: technically, dramatically, and thematically. (I'm usually nearly in tears by the end, too-- I don't know whether that's true for everyone, though.) One more thing: I have not read the novel, but you should bear in mind that they ARE separate works of art, even if the film is adapted, and therefore needn't be judged against each other. I think King Rat succeeds marvellously in its own right.

Anyone for an egg???
There have been many great war movies and most people would surely agree that movies such as Patton, Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Paths of Glory should be included, but sad to say I have never seen "King Rat" on any greatest list (either war related or just generic great movies). Oh, but it should be! On the face of it, "King Rat" is the story of an American corporal (George Segal) imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp. He may be a corporal in actual rank, but he is the Commander-in-Chief of the entire camp when it comes to surviving. He is the instigator and beneficiary of every scheme immaginable to survive as best he can. He not only has to persevere against the Japanese, but also the other allied prisoners in the camp with him who consider him no better than the Japanese. I will not go into all of the schemes that he concocts for his personal survival and comfort, but there is one in which he is offhandedly (or so it seems) preparing lunch for himself and a fellow prisoner, that has to be seen "and heard" to be believed. I have probably 1,000 movies in my collection and have seen many more than that, which simply means that I have been exposed to hundreds and hundreds of memorable scenes: 2001: bone thrown into the air, Butch Cassidy: jumping off the cliff, Dr. Strangelove: riding the bomb, Doctor Zhivago: collapsing on the tracks with Lara almost in reach, and of course Psycho: the shower, but I defy anyone to watch the egg scene in "King Rat" and not be profoundly moved. It affects me deeply just thinking about it. ... Read more

Reviews (51)

Babs is a great actress
These scenes are so well written - credit to the genius of arthur laurents - that any one of them could be taken out of context and make a great scene for an acting student.

The movie is shot beautifully and the score is a classic. (If a little repetitive at times)

The main reason to see this movie is for the great acting of Streisand and Redford. They are incredible.

Barbara has so many great moments in this - probably the "phone scene" is her best but so hard to choose. She is just great in this movie.

Redford is perfect - saying much more when he is silent than any actor does with dialogue.

The ending scene is a classic of american cinema - so sad and perfect. The most classic goodbye scene since CASABLANCA.

The documentary on this DVD is awesome. The interviews with Barbra, Pollack, the Bergmans, Hamlisch are great. The only disapointment is no Redford. The deleted scenes in this documentary are great and worth seeing.

I highly recommend this DVD.

DVD is Well Done - Looks & Sounds Better Than Ever
Finally! THE WAY WE WERE in widescreen! I think it really makes a difference. I've only seen pan and scan versions on video. It is especially noticeable in the opening credits where names/credits appear on one side of the screen and action takes place on the other side. For the first time we get to see Katie at her typewriter and Katie talking to her teacher.

The rest of the dvd is done just as well. The picture and sound are pristine. The menu screens are classy and easy to use. The bonus trailers from FOR PETE'S SAKE and Streisand's later films are fun to see.

The hour-long documentary featuring interviews with Sydney Pollack and Streisand is very revealing. Pollack seems humble and grateful about the film. Streisand is relaxed and beautiful - again, reflective and humble about the experience as Pollack is. There is even a segment with Marvin Hamlisch on piano playing the different versions of THE WAY WE WERE theme. And Alan & Marilyn Bergman are a hilarious couple!

Sydney Pollack's comments on the extra audio channel are interesting as well. I haven't gotten through the whole movie yet, but so far so good!

The dvd is definitely a must-have for Streisand fans. But even fans of this classic romance will find much to like about the dvd as well.

A classic! A tearjerker! Two treats in one!
I've seen this movie many, many times. I can be brought to tears by watching JUST the last scene. This movie is a true visceral experience.

Characters that could have been stereotyped are incredibly complex and true. And that's a big part of the story. We go through life and label people, yet we just don't know what might truly lie beneath.

Katie and Hubble see what lies beneath. How we don't know. Two soul mates who come into each other's lives but cannot stay. I know all of this sounds sentimental but this is a truly sentimental favorite.

Watch this movie!!

"Katie, it was never uncomplicated."
As stated many times before, THE WAY WE WERE is one of only a handful of romantic blockbusters to actually feature an intelligent script and complex characters. Writer Arthur Luarents' based his screenplay (and subsequent novel) on girl he knew in college, who fought for liberal (and sometimes communist) causes. The film was a surprise box office smash when originally released, and became the fifth-highest grossing film of 1973 and an instant classic. Katie Morosky is a character that Barbra Streisand born play, and she delivers on all accounts. Fierce and determined, yet vulnerable and self-conscious, Katie is a tricky character and Streisand inhabits her so deeply that she seems nothing less than completely believable. Justifiably nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, she was unfortunately robbed of the award.

Redford, who actually turned down the role twice before director and friend Sydney Pollack talked him into taking the part, displays some of the best reflective acting ever seen on the big screen and definitely deserved a nomination as well (he was, however, nominated for Best Actor that year for his light comedic performance in THE STING). The film's enduring popular success with the mass audience is due to the magnetic chemistry between Streisand and Redford and the gorgeous visuals and strong directorial hand supplied by Pollack, however it is the complexity of the romance with politics and the strong characterizations by both leads that continues to make THE WAY WE WERE the best love story for adults.

About the DVD: The picture quality is beautiful, quite possibly the best the film has ever looked. The sound quality is also vastly improved. Pollack's commentary track is interesting, but the 60-minute documentary is the best extra on the disc. Featuring insightful interviews from Pollack, Streisand, and Laurents (as well as composer Marvin Hamlisch and lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman) the documentary is well-produced and entertaining, and it was great to finally see those much-debated deleted scenes.

For such a great film, the dvd should have been much more!
I, like many thousands of others love this movie and could watch it over and over again. What should have been a 25th Aniversary spectacular is a very lack luster. My major complaint is with the 60 minute documentary.
1.Great, we get to see some scenes that were cut that really SHOULD have been put in the film in the first place. How about the rest of the cut scenes? Legend has it that there is much more.
2.Barbara's commentary is good but I really think she could have added a lot more. What about the screen play she supposedly was interested in that was, in essence, a part two of this movie entitled "the way we are"?
3.Redford is absent on the disc because of "scheduling" problems? Or so I have heard....Gee, nobody could have waited even to get 3-4 minutes of commentary from him? Something isnt right.

I also dont think the transfer of this movie came out too well. Not exactly great quality for such an icon. ... Read more

Reviews (51)

Under Siege
Casey Ryback is an ex-navey seal. He's now a cook on a battle ship. The captain loves his cooking and treats him kindly. Commander Krill (Busey) on the other half hates Ryback and Ryback hates him. Casey is put in the meat locker by Commander Krill. Its the captain's birthday and they have ordered a surprise group of singers, dancers, caterers and even a stripper. But what they don't know is that commander Krill is bad and knows the pary guys. Infact the party guys are an international group of terrorists lead by Bill Strannix (Jones) and they are ready to take over the ship and blow up the U.S.A. Only Casey Ryback can stop them. An excellent action movie. Great performance by Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey! Definately one to add to your collection. Be sure to see it soon
RATED R FOR STRONG NON-STOP ACTION VIOLENCE, LANGUAGE AND NUDITY!

An amazing edge of your seat thriller
Steven Seagal (Above the Law, Under Siege 2:Dark Territory, On Deadly Ground, Fire Down Below, Out for Justice, Hard to Kill, Executive Decision) stars in this awesome action thriller directed by Andrew Davis (Above the Law, Chain Reaction, Collateral Damage) along with Tommy Lee Jones (Men in Black, Space Cowboys, Batman Forever) and Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon) As all fans know, when you see Seagal on the cover, you will get yourself a definite bloody action movie with a lot of dying and killing as well as martial arts, guns, and knives.

The story is quite simple: Steven Seagal is a cook on a military ship that is transporting missiles. He has several other helpers and friends but there is one person he hates: Gary Busey. They always get into fights for no absolute reason. Anyway, the army men and guards call for concerts and entertainment but they have made one mistake: the music company they picked are not musicians and singers, they are international terrorists led by Jones. Busey finally reveals himself as a terrorists and helps take off some guards. Soon, these terrorists brutally kill all the guards and the captain. Holding over 160 people hostage, the villains demand money and say that if the government makes one attempt to stop them, they will use the missiles on the ship to shoot them down and bomb the U.S.A! But between the midst of all that, we see that Steven Seagal has not been captured......and now it's up to him to save everyone! What, of course, follows is a gigantic barrage of guns, guts, blood, knives, bombs, grenades, martial arts, and a little nudity.

If you are a real action fan, I recommend this. I hope to see the second but I heard it wasn't so good. A good film would be Above the Law, in which Seagal and Davis work for the first time. That film also features Sharon Stone and Pam Grier. I suggest you go rent this to see if you like it but trust me: IT IS BLOODY!

Rated R for strong violence, language, and very very very brief nudity.

Pure Stupidity
This is the worst action movie ever made, with the destroying of good actors like Gary Busey & Tommy Lee Jones who usual great actors in movies but they come off as lame, this rediculous action movie, where Steven Seagal doesn't get injured, it's just bufoon going doing killing that has no plot & even worst acting,it's more like a comdedy than an action movie if you think hard enough about it

Merely average DIE HARD retread
This may be Steven Seagal's best film, but as an action film UNDER SIEGE is very average. It borrows its basic plot structure from the vastly superior DIE HARD, but while DIE HARD had a believably human and vulnerable hero in Bruce Willis' John McClane, UNDER SIEGE simply has the wooden Steven Seagal as the near-invincible Casey Ryback, the cook onboard the USS Missouri who happens to be a former Navy SEAL who has a lot of weapons expertise and the like. While McClane spent most of DIE HARD trying to get in and out of trouble with terrorists, Ryback basically spends a good majority of UNDER SIEGE simply killing them one by one in various "cool" ways. You never feel that Ryback's life is truly threatened by the bad guys---he's just a killing machine, and only head baddie William Stranix (Tommy Lee Jones, in a highly entertaining performance that brings slightly more interest than this movie deserves) truly matches up to him---and thus you never really get involved in the hero or this movie like you do in DIE HARD. You simply watch Ryback cut his path of righteous destruction in a brain-dead, gaga state (and occasionally laugh at some of Seagal's line readings), and while you are occasionally entertained, you might realize how dumb this movie truly is.

Some people, of course, don't mind occasional no-brainer entertainment like this. Believe me, I enjoy the occasional brainless action film, just as long as it has an involving plot, entertaining characters, and good action scenes. UNDER SIEGE only half-delivers---its plot never truly involved me; the main bad guys (Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey) are a lot more entertaining than its hero; and the action scenes, for the most part, are just average (except for that marvelous knife fight at the end). In short, UNDER SIEGE is a pretty stupid movie, and if you're looking for truly great, even intelligent action entertainment, you would do best to look elsewhere. Heck, even this film's sequel, UNDER SIEGE 2, is slightly more entertaining than this! Skip it.

Die Hard on a Battleship
Steven Seagal's best movie and a superior action flick in its own right. Seagal's acting can generously be described as "understated". However, he is very convincing as a one man wrecking ball. The production value is excellent, as no expense was spared on the casting and action scenes. Busey and Jones eat up the screen in deliberately hammy performances and Erica Eleniak is hot. Definitely worth repeated viewing. ... Read more

Description

A non-conformist poet's randy and rambunctious behavior wreaks havoc across New York City in a screwloose comedy delight starring Sean Connery and Joanne Woodward. Year: 1966 Director: Irvin Kershner Starring:Sean Connery, Joanne Woodward, Jean Seberg ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Somewhat Busy at Times, But Mostly Good.
Sean Connery plays a poet suffering from writer's block (incapacity to write something one feels is a finished creation, sort of; or not being able to write at all). He's the (supposedly) unrecognized genius and is as a by-product also totally different than most other people: he sees the world through different eyes, or so to speak. This is, alas, not portrayed as I would have liked to see; it's only more or less stated/presumed.

Next to this he does not pay his bills, is unemployed and not seeking for work, or, if he has a job, losing it easily. And he goes from one woman to the next ... they flock to him, he thinks, so they're not his problem. Samson Shillitoe (Connery) is, in short, sexist and insensitive. He also has the habit of almost-hitting his wife whenever he feels like doing that.

He only wants to work on his poem, and he needs, above all, time and rest. Neither seem to be available in considerable quantities, especially not if the past keeps getting in the way.

Lots of problems, but they're in the case of A Fine Madness tackled with comedy. While I thought the film was at all times amusing, certain scenes stood out. One other reviewer (there are at this time only 3 or so; you'll find him/her) mentioned the poetry recital. Good material!

I just hope you like the style of this film. Somewhat dated, yes, but what do you want? This is how old? From the sixties? I forgot.

Sean Connery playing a writer?
In this movie Sean Connery plays a noncomforist poet. Much like in "Finding Forrester", a much worse movie, the portrayal is not too convincing. Because of his financial trouble with the law, he agrees to psychology care and help at a resort like hospital. This all leads to mischief which at times I felt was overdone especially with the music in the background to tell us something wacky was on the screen.
The real reason to see this would be Joanne Woodward and the stunning Jean Seberg, who plays the psychologist's troubled wife. Joanne is good as Sean's homely wife who you can't help but feel sorry being married to this sex crazed maniac. There's also a bizarre surreal scene with Jean Seberg and Connery in a tub. It's uneven at times which results in it getting a 2 1/2 from me.

And now for something completely different
Sean Connery sinks his teeth into a full-blooded comic role as a nonconformist poet suffering from writer's block and alimony collectors in mid-1960s New York. The film's madcap style is a bit dated but there are many gems of scenes in this satire of the misunderstood artist in cultureless society. Watching Connery drink and snarl through a poetry 'recital' at a ladies' tea is hysterical, and his little dance on the Brooklyn Bridge is among the revelations. It's interesting that 'A Fine Madness' makes a point of being a NYC movie, and an offbeat one at that, with its bawdiness hinting at the coming sexual revolution and featuring an international superstar who had the energy to stretch himself in something risky--which is more than we can say for most of today's typecast stars.

And now for something completely different...
Sean Connery sinks his teeth into a full-blooded comic role as a nonconformist poet suffering from writer's block and alimony collectors in mid-60s New York. The film's madcap style is a bit dated but there are many gems of scenes in this satire of the misunderstood artist in modern society. Watching Connery snarl through a poetry 'recital' at a society tea is hysterical, and his little dance step on the Brooklyn Bridge is among the revelations. It's interesting that 'A Fine Madness' is very much a New York City movie, and an offbeat one at that, with hints of the coming sexual revolution and starring an international sensation who had the energy to stretch himself against typecasting--which is more than we can say for most of today's action stars. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Five, because you CAN'T Get it! 3 1/2 as a movie, But. . . .
Where IS this movie on DVD? Come to think of it, where is it on VHS in popular release? WHY isn't IT AVAILABLE?

Well, as to the movie, it's an awkward adaptaion of Howard Pyle's, "MEN IN IRON." Want to have some fun? Try and find the book It's really not very good. The interiors are so studio set-pieces, they are laughable. The acting is, at best, acceptable. Curtis is very young, very handsome, and as Miles Falworth (in the immortal words of Anna Russell), "very stupid." He takes on the Earl, the Master of Arms, the Master of Squires, and according to the book, he's not even 18 yet! What a Dunce! But the technicolor, the pairing of Curtis, and his new wife, Janet Leigh (this was the FIRST movie they ever made together {And YES, it's the same Janet Leigh who gets the big-bad butcher knife in Hitchcok's "PSYCHO"}), a story line of the middle-ages trying oh-so-painfully to edge into the Renaissance (well, not exactly, that wouldn't REALLY happen for another 300 years, but the point is there. Listen for the line, "Our Lord the Earl has thirteen books." The printing press had not been invented yet. Get it? Get it?)

And Miles (Curtis) discovers that the page of one of those books has been torn out. The name of Falworth no longer exists in the Book of English Nobility. Uh-oh.

Oh there's swash and buckle aplenty. Moreover, there's more about Chilvary and Knighthood than you ever wanted to know. Fights, Sword-fights, Jousts, Intrigues, Plots, Plots within Plots (except the audience is very-very carefully guided along so the good-guys are clearly distinguishable from the bad-guys; i.e., the guy in black armour--bad guy)!

But Curtis and Leigh are both at their prettiest! Oops, I mean their best. Very much in love, and very photogenic on the screen, what should be silliness is Chilvary. What should be cliche is Romantic.

Oh hell, pop some good popcorn, pour too much butter over it, over-salt it, and put on this damn good movie. Go ahead. Cheer the good guys! And definitely Boo the bad guys.

Most of all enjoy. This movie goes back to the late 40's-50's; when adventure meant spectacle, and in it's own small way, THE BLACK SHIELD OF FALWORTH delivers spectacle. Not De Mille spectacle, but in your face, here and now, and the GOOD GUYS WIN spectacle.

It is a bit silly, I admit. But it's more than engrossingly watchable.

Where is this movie on DVD?
Why hasn't this movie been released on DVD? Curtis' other great movie the Vikings was available years ago, why not this movie? There are too many bogus movies being made available, now is the time to start seriously considering offering classics such as these on disc. Another fine movie that was released fairly recently was the original Robin Hood, this is exactly what I'm talking about.

A Worthy Recreation
This film is an outstanding cinematic retelling of Howard Pyle's "Men of Iron".The story follows a brother and sister whose noble father has been disgraced in the factional rivalries of late 14th century England.Young Miles and his sister are taken in by a Lord who was a friend of their father.From there ,Miles begins his training as a Squire and then to become a Knight. Tony Curtis ,who plays Miles,meets and falls in love with his future wife in this film.An Example of the on-and-off stage romances of Hollywood. As an action-adventure,romance,and period piece"Black Shield of Falworth"has it all.

Best Tony Curtis saving "The Vikings"
A classic fantasy tale with enough basis in reality to be believable. Tony Curtis does an outstanding job of playing an ambitious and bull-headed peasant boy with dreams of knighthood. Given an opportunity to train by a friend of his dead father, Curtis doesn't find out his true noble heritage until required to prove his father's innocense on the field of honor. Just enough of a love story to please the ladies in the audience, the swordfighting is classic with excellently choreographed fight scenes. A snobbish post-adolescent antagonist adds a frustrating and tantalizing side-plot to the story.

GOOD TYPICAL HOLLYWOOD HEROIC MATINEE MEDIEVALISM
This is the kind of colorful adventure that kids must have eaten up during Saturday matinees with a cartoon, newsreel, and second feature. A good-looking hero fights for justice, having to go through a period of training and learning before he is ready to take on his adversary. There is a friendship, a rivalry, a vow upheld, a promise kept, justice served, growth, a romance without sloppy kissing, and some spiffy combat, both man-to-man and large battles.

The story is based on Howard Pyle's "Men of Iron," a late 19th century boy's book that cleans up and romanticizes the Middle Ages. This movie keeps much of the flavor of that interpretation of medieval life. The story touches on such topics as the role of women, the rarity of books, the feudal system, and table manners. As such it is a fun and interesting place to start looking at medieval culture, but being based on a 19th century boy's novel, should not be taken as the last word.

For medieval purists, this movie can be maddening. While some of the costumes are based on well-known paintings and illustrations, they are from various periods and modified to fit modern esthetics. Other costumes are Hollywood generic. The armor has some good things about it, but the breastplates are too wide, restricting motion, and what looks like a shirt collar of chain mail ought to be a coif or aventail.

The actor's performances range from fun to boring, mostly in inverse proportion to the youth of the actor. The direction is pretty stiff, only the occasional fun actor and fight scenes livening it up. The music is typically glorious, bringing a richness and thrill to the experience that the visuals sometimes don't have. And the script is flat out corny.

That having been said, it's very fun if you get into this sort of thing, as I do. If you don't, subtract one star from my rating. It also is a very complete movie, having those elements one would want in a medieval matinee movie, as mentioned above.

Oh, yeah, and nowhere in this movie does Tony Curtis say "Yonda lies da castle of moy fadduh." ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Underrated comedy
After reading a couple of reviews saying this film is very mediocre, I didn't have very high expectations on it, so I was surprised to see how funny it actually is. The actors are doing a fine job and there are some really fun scenes. One of the funniest scenes is the one where Maggie (Doris Day) and Waldo (Robert Morse) are sleeping and Maggie's husband, Peter (Patrick O'Neal) is trying to talk to them and Maggie says "Oh, hello, Peter, so you're here" every time he wakes her up. It's overall a very entertaining movie that certainly is worth watching. Have a nice video night!

Interesting Movie
I own all 39/39 of Doris Days Movies and I bought this one a few weeks ago. And I didn't remember all of it since I hadn't seen it in a few years. And I will say one thing I wasn't to happy.

Margaret (Doris Day) is a famous actoress on the Broadway Stage is famous for her roles as a virgin storms out on her Husband Peter (Patrick O'Neal) when she finds out he was fooling around with a nother women Roberta Lane (Lola Albright). And then she accidentally gets mischarged of having some relationship with Waldo Zane (Robert Morse) who went into her vacation house when she was in it and fell asleep right next to her. This movie takes place when the Lights Went Out notice the Title Of The Movie. I can see why this was never rated as one of Miss Days best movies it catches her in a bad role. This movie had some of the funniest people in Hollywood wich include.

Terry-Thomas - Ladislau Walichek
Steve Allen - Radio Announcer
Jim Backus - Tru-Blue Lou
Pat Paulsen - Subway Conductor
Randy Whipple - Marvin Reinholtz
Earl Wilson - Himself
Ben Blue - Man with a razor
Parley Baer - Dr. Dudley Caldwell
Dale Malone - Otis J. Hendershot, Jr.
Robert Emhardt - Otis J. Hendershot, Sr.
Harry Hickox - Detective Capt. Percy Watson

Great Cast Corny Movie.

Strange things happen in New York City Blackout!
Robert Morse (How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying [1967]) plays an accident-prone man that puts everything in prospective. In exactly 12 hours, New York City will experience a black-out, this November 9, 1965, that changed this man's life. He narrates to you exactly where he will be. While he walks the street, near-accidents could happen to him, but he escapes danger within seconds. This man has just managed to steal a load of cash from his executive workplace. Just as there is a blackout, he can't get an airplane flight out. Doris Day's performance is blacked-out, so show cancelled. Then she catches her boyfriend with another woman. She goes back to Connecticut. The Theif is trying to get to Boston. The paths of these two have been repeatedly crossing this black-out night, but they are about to meet under safe, unusual circumstances. Cast includes: Terry-Thomas, Patrick O'Neal, Steve Allen, Jim backus, and Pat Paulsen.

Not Doris Days Most Funny
I had never heard of this cute little Doris Day movie until I found it on Amazon. I would like to give it 3 stars, but as a Doris Day fan it moved to 4 stars. It's not as funny as her others, but it is Doris Day and that's good enough for me!

Low-Wattage Script Turns Day to Night
It was only a matter of time before some one turned the the famous 1960s New York City blackout into a bedroom farce--but this script would have been better left in the dark. Day is always entertaining to watch, and supporting players Robert Morse, Terry-Thomas, Steve Allen, and Jim Backus also give their all, but they can't charge up this mishmash of misguided comedy. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand star as sociopolitical opposites--he's a WASP novelist, she's an activist--who nevertheless strike up a romance in the 1930s, and have a rocky relationship through the next two decades that reflects much of America's history. An essential part of the movie--the Hollywood blacklist and the McCarthy witch- hunt years--comes across as a botch, due to some excessive cutting before the film was released. But except for that hole in the heart of the story, director Sydney Pollack (Out of Africa) has crafted a strong and moving drama about two interesting characters. Redford (always good with Pollack) is at the height of his powers, and Streisand is persuasive.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (51)

Babs is a great actress
These scenes are so well written - credit to the genius of arthur laurents - that any one of them could be taken out of context and make a great scene for an acting student.

The movie is shot beautifully and the score is a classic. (If a little repetitive at times)

The main reason to see this movie is for the great acting of Streisand and Redford. They are incredible.

Barbara has so many great moments in this - probably the "phone scene" is her best but so hard to choose. She is just great in this movie.

Redford is perfect - saying much more when he is silent than any actor does with dialogue.

The ending scene is a classic of american cinema - so sad and perfect. The most classic goodbye scene since CASABLANCA.

The documentary on this DVD is awesome. The interviews with Barbra, Pollack, the Bergmans, Hamlisch are great. The only disapointment is no Redford. The deleted scenes in this documentary are great and worth seeing.

I highly recommend this DVD.

DVD is Well Done - Looks & Sounds Better Than Ever
Finally! THE WAY WE WERE in widescreen! I think it really makes a difference. I've only seen pan and scan versions on video. It is especially noticeable in the opening credits where names/credits appear on one side of the screen and action takes place on the other side. For the first time we get to see Katie at her typewriter and Katie talking to her teacher.

The rest of the dvd is done just as well. The picture and sound are pristine. The menu screens are classy and easy to use. The bonus trailers from FOR PETE'S SAKE and Streisand's later films are fun to see.

The hour-long documentary featuring interviews with Sydney Pollack and Streisand is very revealing. Pollack seems humble and grateful about the film. Streisand is relaxed and beautiful - again, reflective and humble about the experience as Pollack is. There is even a segment with Marvin Hamlisch on piano playing the different versions of THE WAY WE WERE theme. And Alan & Marilyn Bergman are a hilarious couple!

Sydney Pollack's comments on the extra audio channel are interesting as well. I haven't gotten through the whole movie yet, but so far so good!

The dvd is definitely a must-have for Streisand fans. But even fans of this classic romance will find much to like about the dvd as well.

A classic! A tearjerker! Two treats in one!
I've seen this movie many, many times. I can be brought to tears by watching JUST the last scene. This movie is a true visceral experience.

Characters that could have been stereotyped are incredibly complex and true. And that's a big part of the story. We go through life and label people, yet we just don't know what might truly lie beneath.

Katie and Hubble see what lies beneath. How we don't know. Two soul mates who come into each other's lives but cannot stay. I know all of this sounds sentimental but this is a truly sentimental favorite.

Watch this movie!!

"Katie, it was never uncomplicated."
As stated many times before, THE WAY WE WERE is one of only a handful of romantic blockbusters to actually feature an intelligent script and complex characters. Writer Arthur Luarents' based his screenplay (and subsequent novel) on girl he knew in college, who fought for liberal (and sometimes communist) causes. The film was a surprise box office smash when originally released, and became the fifth-highest grossing film of 1973 and an instant classic. Katie Morosky is a character that Barbra Streisand born play, and she delivers on all accounts. Fierce and determined, yet vulnerable and self-conscious, Katie is a tricky character and Streisand inhabits her so deeply that she seems nothing less than completely believable. Justifiably nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, she was unfortunately robbed of the award.

Redford, who actually turned down the role twice before director and friend Sydney Pollack talked him into taking the part, displays some of the best reflective acting ever seen on the big screen and definitely deserved a nomination as well (he was, however, nominated for Best Actor that year for his light comedic performance in THE STING). The film's enduring popular success with the mass audience is due to the magnetic chemistry between Streisand and Redford and the gorgeous visuals and strong directorial hand supplied by Pollack, however it is the complexity of the romance with politics and the strong characterizations by both leads that continues to make THE WAY WE WERE the best love story for adults.

About the DVD: The picture quality is beautiful, quite possibly the best the film has ever looked. The sound quality is also vastly improved. Pollack's commentary track is interesting, but the 60-minute documentary is the best extra on the disc. Featuring insightful interviews from Pollack, Streisand, and Laurents (as well as composer Marvin Hamlisch and lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman) the documentary is well-produced and entertaining, and it was great to finally see those much-debated deleted scenes.

For such a great film, the dvd should have been much more!
I, like many thousands of others love this movie and could watch it over and over again. What should have been a 25th Aniversary spectacular is a very lack luster. My major complaint is with the 60 minute documentary.
1.Great, we get to see some scenes that were cut that really SHOULD have been put in the film in the first place. How about the rest of the cut scenes? Legend has it that there is much more.
2.Barbara's commentary is good but I really think she could have added a lot more. What about the screen play she supposedly was interested in that was, in essence, a part two of this movie entitled "the way we are"?
3.Redford is absent on the disc because of "scheduling" problems? Or so I have heard....Gee, nobody could have waited even to get 3-4 minutes of commentary from him? Something isnt right.

I also dont think the transfer of this movie came out too well. Not exactly great quality for such an icon. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Was it something in the water? In the late 1980s, Hollywood came up with no fewer than three different versions of the same story: A child's mind winds up in an adult's body and (usually) vice versa. In fact, that was the name of one of them, Vice Versa. The other one was Big. This one, which starred Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron, was perhapsthe weakest of the group, with Moore as a heart surgeon and Cameron as his goofy kid; they change places and must cope with each other's problems for a day. But Cameron isn't much of an actor and Moore can't stop mugging long enough to show us that he's playing a teen in an adult body. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Average at best.
The best part of this movie is "the eighties" era. Take Sean Astin (Toy Soldiers, Lord of the Rings) Kirk Cameron the (THEN) teen hearthrob from "Growing Pains", and add Dudley Moore from "10" and "Arthur" you would think you may have a great movie, but honestly it is mediocre at best. There are moments in which you may laugh?? really depends on your IQ. Then there are so many MORE moments where you feel you have seen it all before, and you probably have. Some scenes from the movie are cute. Other things tend to get a idiotic. I think this movie would be a good rental for an eighties theme night, otherwise I can not recommend it, not when there are so many other movies out there that are more worthy of your time!! I really would stick with "Freaky Friday", and "Big" if you want to see this type of movie. (No extra features, not one). (Picture quality is good to okay, sound is okay but definitely NOT Dolby surround).

Its on DVD!!!
YES!! Thank you Columbia/TriStar for putting this movie on DVD! I love this movie its one of my all time favorites. Classic 80's movie. Dudley Moore "Dr. Jack Hammond"is wonderful and very funny as the father, Kirk Cameron Shines as "Chris Hammond" his teenage son. They switch bodies when friend Sean Astin "Trigger" from"Lord of the Rings" brings it over to the brain-transference serum. Dudley Moore goes wild in his sons body and hits the town with Sean Astin while Kirk Cameron in his dads body goes to the hospital and makes arounds with his dads interns. This movie I highly recommend only for teenagers and older, not for younger kids because of some of the language and adult seens. Please don't confuse this movie with that rip off "Freaky Friday" thats Disney stuff is for kids. This movie is underrated and full of laughes, Theres no special features on the DVD But it has been Remastered in High Definition! The picture quality is Awesome! Crystal Clear! really looks nice alot better than the grainy VHS version. Columbia/TriStar you guys ROCK! Great job on the DVD

Please know that the stars are for sentimentality
The stars I gave this film are for sentimental reasons. If you were a teenaged girl growing up in the late 1980s, this was on the must-see list. When I think that I dragged my parents to catch this on the big screen...it's no wonder I'm an only child! The performances here are predicatable. For those loving the "Lord of the Rings" series, note that Sean Astin plays a goofball friend of Kirk Cameron. Watch this only if you wish to travel back in time & remember simpler days.

Hillarious! Kirk Cameron shines!
This hillarious comedy,about a teenager(Kirk Cameron) who switches bodies with his surgeon father(Dudley Moore),isn't just a hip,80's romp,but it has very touching moments as well! Also features Patty Duke's son,Sean Austin,as well as a great 80's soundtrack.Kirk Cameron really is funny! And Dudley Moore is great! I have loved this film since it was released,and even though some critics had mixed reviews,it made $40 million at the box-office,and still holds up as a great slapstick comedy!

It was OK
This movie got boring from time to time. It is very funny but not that great. Don't buy this movie RENT it. ... Read more

Description

Set in Mexico during the 19th century, a gold prospector (Jaroo) and an escaped convict (Luke) team up to go after the score of a lifetime. Along the way, they enlist the help of a group of Apache Indians. Together, they hope to storm a large, heavily guarded fortress full of gold. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Spaghetti Western Comes Home.
Lee Van Cleef had become a world wide star making "spaghetti" westerns when in 1970 Warner Bros. finally had the grand idea to bring him back to the home market in this early Jim Brown vehicle. Cleef plays determinedly against type in this film: his Jaroo is an aging two-bit thief and saddle-tramp, happy to nurse his dreams of someday hitting it rich, when Brown (an escaped convict and demolitions expert named Luke) comes looking for him to help raid "El Condor," the mythical fortress where the Emperor Maximillian supposedly stored his fortune of looted gold. Brown's character is clearly modelled after the amoral "Gringo" of the spaghetti westerns but, remarkably, receives even less development. Van Cleef is more complex--a fact reflected by his growing presence as the movie progresses. The plot is predictably ludicrous, the action entertaining, and the gender politics embarrassing. ("What do you want?" Brown asks the ex-mistress of the fort's commanding officer at one point. "Whatever you want," she answers, and then falls into bed with him--after performing a striptease for the Mexican army.) Cleef's portrayal makes the film worth watching-- he even manages to grant a degree of poignancy to the requisite ironic conclusion.

My favorite western film of all!
El Condor is my favorite western of all time. This has everything you could want in a western action film. Apaches, gold, Mexican bandidos and soldiers, larger than life heroes, beautiful women and a great score by Maurice Jarre, who also did the music for Lawrence of Arabia and Dr. Zhivago. There are a few details about the movie that are not logical, one of them plays a major part in the climax, so I will not reveal it, but you do not need logic to enjoy a film like this. I have watched El Condor dozens of times since first seeing it on TV as a little kid, and even in the face of giants such as The Wild Bunch and Good the Bad and the Ugly, El Condor is still my favorite western. I cannot understand how people can dislike this movie, but I have hardly ever seen a good review of it. Listen to me and not the other critics! If you like action and adventure, you will love El Condor!

super feature for van cleef fans!
This film is loaded with surprises!! Leevan Cleef is great in this little gem.Mariana hill is georgeos!! Jim brown is in top form, a bit long, but worth a look. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

The Stuff ... there's never enough!
The stuff is an alien substance of sorts, found bubbling out of the ground in small towns across the United States. It looks like ice-cream, tastes great, but ... once it takes hold of you, it becomes addictive and deadly. But what is its secret ingredient?

Enter Michael Moriarty ('Troll', 'Courage Under Fire'), who is hired as an industrial saboteur by representatives of a food company to discover just what makes the stuff so addictive. As the stuff becomes more readily available, the people selling it are no longer content to merchandise through the smaller outlets. They begin to advertise it nationwide.

David 'Mo' Rutherford (Moriarty) tracks the stuff across the country with the help of Nicole (Andrea Marcovicci) and a young boy, Jason (Scott Bloom), witnessing its effects on the population. During their efforts, they are assisted by Col. Malcolm Grommett Spears (Paul Sorvino) and the wacky cookie entrepreneur, Chocolate Chip Charlie (Garrett Morris, 'Saturday Night Live'). As the film progresses, it becomes impossible to know just who to trust, and resisting the stuff becomes increasingly difficult.

Larry Cohen has become a hero to those whose interests are in cult horror/sci-fi films, having turned out classics like 'A Return to Salem's Lot', 'The Ambulance', and 'Q: The Winged Serpent'. This is his fourth collaboration with Moriarty and it is well worth the money. 'The Stuff' contains comedy, action, science fiction, and horror - a combination of 'The Blob' and 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', with Cohen's crazy sense of humor thrown in for good measure.

Also stars Brian Bloom, Danny Aiello, and Patrick O'Neal.

Bonus features on this edition include an informative audio commentary with director, Larry Cohen, TV Spots, original theatrical trailer, and widescreen presentation.

Buy it! You'll be addicted.

Excellent sci-fi and marketing satire!!!
This movie works on many levels. It's a sci-fi movie about Stuff that bubbles up from the ground to become the latest food rage. The problem is the more you eat the more it takes control of you. But at a more critical level it attacks the product marketing by executives and ads that will sell us anything as long as they can make a buck. Even stuff that will destroy you.

The DVD has the added value of comments by the director Larry Cohen which include great stories about making the film. Michael Moriarty is great as the quirky industrial spy hired by the ice cream companies to find out the secret formula for the stuff. Garrett Morris plays Chocolate Chip Charlie an obvious takeoff of Famous Amos.

Simply a great movie.

Silly, Gooey Fun!
Larry Cohen did it again with THE STUFF (1985): he concocted another Horror/Social Comedy offering, this time using the theme of food as the point of entry! A biting satire of advertising and consumerism (the best since George A. Romero's 1978 classic DAWN OF THE DEAD), THE STUFF is entertaining, gross and flat-out fun. Starring Michael Moriarty in another of his patented quirky Tab Hunter-Gone-To-Hell performances, this film is not great, but it is quite likable. After his breakout starring role in the great baseball drama BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY (1973), the Method-trained, blond-haired, blue-eyed, 6'4" Moriarty has carved out a niche starring in "B" movies (usually for Larry Cohen), and he's always fun to watch!

Here he plays a Southern-drawlin' FBI agent named David 'Mo' Rutherford---"'cause no matter how much ah get, ah always want mo'" (great line!)---who is hired by the dairy industry to find out mo' about The Stuff. You see, The Stuff was discovered by an oil-well worker who witnessed a strange meteor crash and found a pool bubbling with thick, white goo, decides to taste it, discovers that it tastes sensational, and is quickly able to market it to the general public as---what else?--The Stuff! An instant hit, outselling ice cream by five-to-one, The Stuff unfortunately has some gruesome side-effects that gradually become known to the few who do not partake of it. Let's just say that it has a similar result as those nasty space-plants in INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978). Mo and a ten-year-old boy named Jason (who is the only one in his family not to have eaten The Stuff) begin to get to the bottom of things, aided by a most unlikely pair: A black cookie entrepeneaur nicknamed Chocolate Chip Charlie (the hilarious "SNL" alum Garrett Morris) and a racist militia leader named Col. Malcolm Grommett Spears (an even-more hilarious Paul Sorvino). Add to the mix veteran actors Danny Aiello and Patrick O'Neal, and you have a recipe that calls for you to just sit back and have fun! THE STUFF may not be for everybody (certainly not for anyone under 13), and it's not to everyone's taste (or lack thereof), but if you like "B" films---especially those by schlock-meister Larry Cohen---then give THE STUFF a try. Don't say I didn't warn you!

RECOMMENDED
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR LARRY COHEN FANS

Awesome and Funny
The Stuff, what an awe