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While women shed more than a few tears over Love Story back in 1970, men had their equivalent with Brian's Song on TV. This biopic about the Chicago Bears' Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers is no mere sports film. It's one of those transcendent stories that struck a rare cultural nerve, a sensitive film about love, friendship, cancer, racial harmony, and football that came along at just the right time. James Caan is at his free-spirited best as Piccolo, and Billy Dee Williams is very charming as the quiet Sayers destined for superstardom. Roommates and rivals, these two rookies soon become best friends because of their competitive natures and complementary personalities. When Piccolo becomes stricken with cancer, his relentless will to live inspires the talented Sayers to reach his athletic potential. Jack Warden, as the masterful coach George Halas, superbly manipulates the ying and yang relationship for all it's worth. Michel Legrand's melancholy theme still lingers in the mind as one of the all-time greats. --Bill Desowitz ... Read more

Reviews (28)

I DARE YOU NOT TO CRY YOUR EYES OUT
Brian's Song is one of the saddest movies ever made, based on the too-true story of the black/white friendship between Gale Sayer and Brian Piccolo. James Caan does a credible, if self-absorbed job as Brian -- his sickly scenes definitely do not hold up as well as you might remember, and though this movie definitely looks and sounds dated, it still packs a powerful emotional punch, in the same way that Terms of Endearment does. Beware: you are headed for very rough waters. And that Michel Legrand theme song, a classic for the ages, turns the nozzle to full-tilt. That final still image remains firmly etched in my mind, and the special relationship engendered here carries a special weight as one of the first of its kind ever seen in a film.

EXTRAORDINARY...
I was fifteen years old when "Brian's Song" premiered as a "Movie of the Week" on ABC-TV. I had no interest in sports then (I still don't), and had no intentions of watching this movie, but my dad persuaded me. "Just watch the first few minutes," he said. He knew that this was NOT a sports movie. He had read Gale Sayers' book "I Am Third" (upon which this movie is partially based), and knew that this was a movie about PEOPLE, not about football. The fact that the two lead characters are football players is almost incidental. This is a movie about friendship, love and courage. Needless to say, I watched it from start to finish, and have watched it many times since. Although its roots as a TV movie are obvious (the production values are nothing more than ordinary), "Brian's Song" is one of the most extraordinary films ever made, a particularly remarkable achievement when you consider its length of only 74 minutes. James Caan and Billy Dee Williams, both virtual unknowns at the time, play Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers with a sense of realism, and with respect for their real-life counterparts. Jack Warden is excellent (as always) as coach George Halas, and Shelley Fabares and Judy Pace turn in fine performances as Joy Piccolo and Linda Sayers. David Huddleston and Bernie Casey make the most of their small parts, and even real-life Chicago Bears provide some fine moments, particularly the "hazing" sequence. The sincere performances, along with William Blinn's beautifully-written teleplay, keep the action from becoming mawkish or sappy, Buzz Kulik's direction brought out the best in his actors, and Michel Legrand's score comments on the emotions in the film with exactly the right tone. (Legrand's penchant for marking musical cues to sudden movement onscreen is notable, and the gorgeous theme is one of the most emotionally charged pieces of music ever written.) The film ends on a freeze-frame of James Caan's face over narration by Jack Warden of William Blinn's words, and when that musical theme pulls out all the stops after Warden's narration ends, well...even the Chicago Bears themselves would be dissolved in tears. It's one of my all-time favorite movies, and I would recommend it without reservation to anyone, sports fan or not. Thanks, Dad.

The DVD version includes an exclusive short featurette, "Gale Sayers: First and Goal" in which present-day Gale Sayers discusses the movie and his career. It's interesting, but nothing special. Also included in audio commentary by Williams and Caan. Caan is a cutup and does most of the talking, and little of any real substance is said, but it IS quite entertaining, and definitely worth another viewing.

But then, "Brian's Song" is ALWAYS worth another viewing...

One of the most emotional and best stories of all time
I'm a huge sports fan. I want to be a sports writer and it's stuff that Brian's Song that makes me want to do it even more.

Brian's Song is based on the true story of Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers. Both were rookies when they joined the Chicago Bears. Brian Piccolo(Caan) was the funny loudmouth that everybody loved. He wans't the most gifted athlete in the world and his determination made him the player that he was. Gale Sayers(Williams) was the quiet one. He was the easily the most talented player on the team maybe in the league. The two are paired as roomates and the friendship starts.

The two are opposites and don't get along that well at first. Opposites attract and they especially do with these two. They quickly feed off each other though and become the best of friends. They fuel each other and are inspeperable. They become the first white and black roomates in the NFL. They ignore the whole idea of race and are like brothers.

When Sayers tears his ACL the next year Brain gets the chance to step up and show his talent. He however feels for his friend and is determined to get Gale back into his form as the best RB in the league. There bond becomes even stronger during this time as does the friendship of there families.

The tide changes though when Brian starts not to play well. It's a new season and the two are enjoying finally playing with each other as one of the best backfields in the league. Brians play starts to diminsh though and he's sent to the doctor. What the doctor finds is that Brian has cancer and is terminal. It's now up to Gale to help his friend through this most difficult time of his life.

This movie isn't about football. It's about the bond of love and friendship that these two men have for each other. James Caan and Billy Dee Williams play these roles to perfection. Both weren't known all that well at this time in 1971. Caan hadn't delivered his legendary performance as Sonny Corleone and Wiliams hadn't played Lando yet. The two give dramatic performances though that are sure to make anybody cry.

This is one of the greatest tear jerkers of all time. I've never wathced it were a member of the audience isn't sobbing at the end of it. I've cried numerous times while watching this movie.

You can tell it's a tv made movie. It doesn't take away from the quality though and this movie cleaned the Emmy's out in 1971 and in my opinion is the greatest made for TV movie EVER!

I love this movie. It's not about sports but is about life. You won't find a better tale of love and friendship anywhere. Everybody should see this movie at one time or another. It's a cinematic masterpiece. Buy this movie you won't regret that descion.

The Best Ever
I just need to say I am looking at this movie as I am writing this for about the 100th time, still with tears running down my face. I have loved this movie every since it came out when I was 10 years old. With the lost of my father the year before the movie really touched me and made my mother never want to look at it again. Then growing up with old timeer stopping me to tell me I looked so much like the real Gale Sayers made me love the movie even more. Now with what is running through my blood and not knowing what will happen to me all I can think of now is my best friend of 25 years and him standing by my side. As you can see this move has really been a part of my life almost all my life.

A Classic
A true classic and tear jerker. It includes one of the best title songs of all time. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Wow.
Another movie in which Calvin Lockhart is momentarily shirt-less. A hundred, thousand, million stars!

Cotton Comes to Harlem
a little slow in delived but an excellent movie.

I thought it was a funny movie!
I am a huge fan of blaxploitation movies of the 1970s. I thought it was really funny, especially in the beginning of the movie. This is the kind of movie that you can't take very seriously because a lot of it is cliche. Calvin Lockhart's character (Rev. Deke O'Malley) is conniving, but irresistable. You will enjoy this DVD!

Two Words: Judy Pace!
Seeing Judy Pace in this movie is worth the price of admission alone! The movie itself has an interesting storyline and it does bounce around a little but is definately entertaining. This movie isn't as cliche as many of the other films in this genre. There are some good chase scenes and it was interesting to see Redd Foxx pre 'Sanford and Son'. I would consider this one of the most important movies of the blaxploitation genre.

One of the Best Films of the Day, That Set the 70s STYLE
"Cotton Comes to Harlem" is a solid, funny, and most of all, cool movie which was, besides "Shaft" and "Coffy," to set the trend of the black movies of the 70s. Look how Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques walk and talk, and you'll know the meaning of "style."

Based on Chester Himes's novel, the film follows the two super-cool cops who suspect that Rev. O'Malley's "Back to Africa" campaign (minimun entry 100 dallors needed) is a fraud to steal money from people living in Harlem. But things get complicated when, during the rally, the organization is attacked by masked gangsters who took the money of $87,000, and that was done under the nose of the very cops. Determined to nail the criminal, and possibly the preacher himself, the detective Gravediffer & Coffin start their investigation, and do it in their own fashion.

The film keeps the fast pace with a tightly knit web of characters including Reverend's beautiful wife Iris. But most charming part of the film remains the same today: its being funny and smart. In fact, you will see among violent actions suddenly unexpected humor. The best thing of the film is, in my book, the car chase scene that include "the cemetary chase" and "a flying guy." The film also ends with a showdown in the Apollo Theater (though I don't know whether the inside scene of it was really shot there) And the real Harlem locale of the 70s, which helps to create the authentic atomospher, would be someday a precious record of the New York City.

In short, this is a film Quentin Tarantino with his known flair for characters and story might have shot 30 years ago. Some part of the film look, I admit, dated today when you see women's parts are little better than secondary, just catering obligatory sex scenes. Still, those scenes have been given slight touch of humor, that might almost compensate for the lack of the screen goddess like Pam Grier. Buy this one, along with "Coffy" and "Shaft" and perhaps "Across the 110th Street." That makes a quick course of learning what the blaxploitation films are all about.

Those two main charaters are to reappear in "Come Back Charlston Blues," which is, unfortunately, not as good as this one. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Millionaire Jason Crockett (Ray Milland. No, really. Ray Milland) hatesfrogs. Naturally, he lives on an island estate in the middle of a big Southernswamp. His family also hates frogs, so much so that they clap their hands overtheir ears and scream about the horrible, horrible noise. Everybody joins inspraying toxic chemicals around, little realizing that these frogs are not justmoist, they're mad. Hopping mad. The family gathers for Grandpa's annualbirthday celebration, unaware that doom is hopping toward them on wet, flappingfeet. The point is driven home with shot after shot of the frogs hopping...hopping... hopping... and occasionally being tossed by a helpful stagehand.Actually, the whole swamp is mad--snakes, snapping turtles, and even crocodiles- -which is really for the best because the only thing the frogs seem to have inthe way of menace is that hopping thing. One by one, family members go flailinginto the swamp, never to return, while those still in the house watch death hopcloser. Frogs is almost as remarkable for the sartorial issues it bringsup as the environmental ones. Why is everyone wearing sweaters with blazers inFlorida in July? How did Joan Van Ark manage to find an outfit that combines thepracticality of hot pants with the beauty of a terrycloth jumper? Will RayMilland ever be able to get the slime off that bright white suit? And still, thefrogs hop closer... --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Frogs in no way related to Kermit
"Frogs', one of the classic "B" movie titles from 1972 has always excited alot of heated debate about whether it's the worst "drive-in" type feature to come out of the 1970's, or whether in actual fact it was a bit ahead of it's time as a clever commentary on man's just deserts for wrecking the native environment with his pollution. I'm sure its envirnmental message was largely unintended but nevertheless I always find viewing this film a creepy experience with its abundance of creepy crawlies just waiting to strike.

Set in the beautiful wilds of the Florida keys, "Frogs", tells the story of aging Chemical Magnate Jason Crockett played by Hollywood veteran Ray Milland who lives on an isolated estate in the keys and who once a year on the 4th of July, which also happens to be his birthday, gathers together his assorted disfunctional family for a big birthday celebration. The entire action of the film takes place over this weekend when after a boating accident the family finds itself playing host to Pickett Smith (Sam Elliot in one of his most remembered macho roles). Pickett is a freelance photographer doing an article on pollution in the area for an ecology magazine and once arrived finds many strange things occuring on the estate where the assorted reptiles and native animals which include snakes of all kinds, lizards, crocodiles, and spiders begin to pick off one member of the group at a time in assorted grisly deaths until Pickett accompanied by granddaughter Karen Crockett (greatly underrated actress Joan Van Ark) sensibly decide to flee the estate reluctantly leaving Jason to a grisly fate at the hands of the rampaging Frogs who invade the house. The final shot of the film which sees all the lights go out in the estate mansion is an errie conclusion.

"Frogs", while viewed by many as a dumb story full of laughable situations, always succeeds in sending an uneasy chill down my spine. Having a lifelong fear of "creepy crawlies", and an absolute phobia about snakes this for me is an horrific story. The truly beautiful on location photography of the Florida wasteland gives the film a top class look while its sheer isolation adds tremendously to the horror element of the story having a group of people far from the outside world and at the mercy of the assorted animals bent on revenge. Indeed I agree with past reviewers that Frogs at first glance dont appear to be too frightening as the supposed creatures on the attack. The numerous shots of Frogs observing the action from various vantage points while other assorted reptiles do the actual killing, gives the film a good sinister touch and adds to the general creepiness. The film does benefit from some interesting casting choices. Veteran Hollywood legend Ray Milland plays the Patriarch of the clan with great authority and a cynical quality that goes well with the story of the creatures finally getting back at him for inflicting years of toxic sprays on their native environments in the area. Joan Van Ark an actress I've long admired and who is still best remembered for her long running role as Val on "Knots Landing", has the best fleshed out character as the grand daughter who falls for Pickett Smith during the horrifying weekend. She certainly is the most appealing character on the island and she and Sam Elliot make a most attractive couple who you do find yourself hoping will get away from the strange goings on at Jason Crockett's estate.

Certainly "Frogs", is no masterpiece but it's an enjoyable horror tale and still makes uneasy viewing if you are in anyway not confortable about most reptiles at close quarters. Indeed this film has earned immortality because of the incredibly vivid lobby card showing a Frog with a human hand coming out of its mouth....an unforgettable horror image. Happily this memorable image was chosen as the cover for the video when it was first released. I remember as an eleven year old boy in Melbourne seeing this card displayed outside the theatre where "Frogs", was playing and being scared to death by it! Needless to say my parents would never allow me to see "Frogs', back then even though I badly wanted to! Enjoy the assorted slimy, creepy crawlies out for revenge against careless man in the chilling "Frogs".

Quite Awful in that Fun Sort Of Way - But Still Kind of Dull
Frogs hopping up and down on top of you...hmmmmm.....now what? They don't have teeth. They don't bite or spit venom. They can't tie you up in a web. They just sit there and ribbit. Wow - that's one great premise for a horror movie. Well, thank goodness the film also throws in other reptiles and creatures to kill off the stupid characters one by one. Unfortunately, although the film's concept SCREAMS of campy tongue-in-cheek horror, the actual film is a pretty pedestrian animal-revenge story played straight. The film was originally marketed as a straightforward horror film as well (just watch the trailer on the DVD). Still, there are some unintentionally funny moments, and watching poor Ray Milland try to save face in a dreck role (and he does) is always rewarding. Sam Elliott in a very early part (as "Pickett...Pickett Smith") is the brawny hero-hunk who gets to fight off snakes and gators. Joan Van Ark and some other upper-crust victims round out the cast of fish food. It's kind of like "Dynasty" in the swamps. The poster was always the best part of this movie (it made the cover of "Famous Monsters" at the time!), but fans of 70's low-budget horror-may find this has a few moments of genius (maybe the frogs jumping up and down in the cake scene?). To each their own. Ribbit.

Absolutely appauling.
Let's cut right to the chase by saying that this movie reeks, and should never be viewed by any human being. However since I'm a reviewer here it's not that easy. Sure it's a blast to make fun of and there's lots of material to work with, but this is the review on the movie itself, not how much fun you can have with it. The "plot", if you can stretch the word that far, is about a wealthy man who has been wantonly destroying wildlife in the Florida Bayou finds that a swarm of murderous frogs is closing in on his own mansion habitat. Having said that, Frogs is a dumb little horror movie, and how much you enjoy it depends on your tolerance for wooden acting, silly death scenes, and lots of stock footage of reptiles and amphibians just sitting around. Since I have a since of humor, that spells F-U-N for me.:) In all seriousness however, The Crocker mansion rests on a secluded island in the middle of a swamp. After freelance photographer Pickett Smith is nearly killed while canoeing, by drunken idiot Clint, Smith is invited up to the family estate. There he meets Clint's "cute" sister miserable grand-pappy and about 12 other idiots who act just obnoxious enough for us to cheer when they eventually get eaten up. Even by the standard of B-movies, this one has a whole lot of blah-blah scenes. Dialogue such as "Where's Maybelle and Grover?" and "What happened to Iris?" permeate every scene. In order to best showcase the whole "frogs" theme, each and every sequence in the movie is followed by a shot of dozens of slimy, writhing frogs. They never really do anything, but we know they're there, just waiting. The clan has gathered at the mansion to celebrate several birthdays, drink a lot and do a lot of complaining about how 'loud those damn frogs are'. Nasty old grandpa has decided to poison the frogs, but since his handyman has yet to return from the creek, it's safe to assume everyone's gonna die, and in very silly ways. Snakes hang from chandeliers, lizards take over the greenhouse, and still - the frogs watch...and wait. Now here's a shocker, are ya ready? The Frogs, curiously enough, don't commit any crimes. They are basically by standards, and do absolutely nothing to harm anybody!!!! They leave it up to their buddies to do all the dirty work, while the icky amphibians simply sit in the background, enjoying the havoc. These rich snobs get snakebit, tarantula cocooned, chomped by big turtles, sucked on by leeches, and even poisoned by the world's smartest monitor lizards. Up until the final scene, when they hop gleefully on a corpse, the frogs are merely the ringleaders. To put this into the simplest terms possible, this "movie" is dumb! If Frogs is a movie you plan to seek out, I certainly couldn't talk you out of it.

HOPPY HORRORS
Admit it...if you've seen this film, you have to enjoy its 70s flavor, its sophisticated tackiness and those clothes. And Les Baxter's credit for doing the music which is no more than electronic noises.
FROGS is a movie released in 1972, and even after 30 years, it maintains its quiet menace. The frogs ironically do little more than hop around but notice they are also summoning the other animals/insects, whatever...to do their bidding.
Ray Milland who sent camp to new heights with X THE MAN WITH THE XRAY EYES, is the patriarch, all spit and vinegar, confined to a wheelchair, bossing his family around, drinking, and dying we assume of fright when all the frogs get in the house.
Sam Elliott in one of his first roles gets to show off his pecs and hairy chest several times and maintain that smooth macho demeanor which you know will save the day.
Joan van Ark got to practice for all those years on KNOTS LANDING with her role as the sweet and sensible one.
Judy Pace is an absolute hoot as the fashion model who dresses to kill while on a picnic.
Adam Roarke, Nicholas Cortland, David Gilliam, Lynn Borden and the rest of the cast get to emote and have their own death scenes. Holly Foster as Iris gets to perform in the Tallulah Bankhead School of Acting in her death throes in the swamp.
FROGS is by no means great movie making. It's a "horror" film with a message, echoed in THE BIRDS, and it's production values are minimal to say the least. Yet, in its own quiet way, it manages to chill with the knowledge that our environment is being abused, and what if this kind of thing could happen?

Action! (hop, hop, hop) Cut! Brilliant!
There is something very ironic about this movie, and that is the fact that the frogs never hurt anyone. They just hop around on the corpses of people who are killed by other critters. Needless to say, this is about as riveting as it sounds. This movie is not scary. It is not funny, even in a campy way. It tries to take itself seriously and expects its audience to be somehow stirred by the sight of a lizard crawling on top of some rich schmuck who tripped and fell down... and then apparently died from shame, since I fail to see how an iguana sitting on said schmuck's abdomen caused a fatal injury. This movie does not deserve to be called stupid. It is beneath stupidity. It attempted stupidity and failed. But at least it kept Hollywood's animal wranglers busy for a day or two. Enjoy! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Based on Chester Himes'snovel, this film marked actor-writer Ossie Davis's directing debut. Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques play Himes's volatile police detectives, Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson, who are on the trail of white men who pulled an armed stickup at a Back to Africa rally in Harlem. The money belongs to the poor people who paid for a chance to return to the motherland--but was it really a stickup? Or is the flashy preacher at the center of the Back to Africa movement (Calvin Lockhart) involved in a scam to rip off his own people? The plot drags; the best part of the film are the performances (as well as spotting cameos by such actors as the then-unknown Cleavon Little) and the on-location shooting in parts of New York where a camera had rarely ventured previously. Redd Foxx shows up in a small part as a ragpicker that led to his role in TV's Sanford and Son. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Wow.
Another movie in which Calvin Lockhart is momentarily shirt-less. A hundred, thousand, million stars!

Cotton Comes to Harlem
a little slow in delived but an excellent movie.

I thought it was a funny movie!
I am a huge fan of blaxploitation movies of the 1970s. I thought it was really funny, especially in the beginning of the movie. This is the kind of movie that you can't take very seriously because a lot of it is cliche. Calvin Lockhart's character (Rev. Deke O'Malley) is conniving, but irresistable. You will enjoy this DVD!

Two Words: Judy Pace!
Seeing Judy Pace in this movie is worth the price of admission alone! The movie itself has an interesting storyline and it does bounce around a little but is definately entertaining. This movie isn't as cliche as many of the other films in this genre. There are some good chase scenes and it was interesting to see Redd Foxx pre 'Sanford and Son'. I would consider this one of the most important movies of the blaxploitation genre.

One of the Best Films of the Day, That Set the 70s STYLE
"Cotton Comes to Harlem" is a solid, funny, and most of all, cool movie which was, besides "Shaft" and "Coffy," to set the trend of the black movies of the 70s. Look how Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques walk and talk, and you'll know the meaning of "style."

Based on Chester Himes's novel, the film follows the two super-cool cops who suspect that Rev. O'Malley's "Back to Africa" campaign (minimun entry 100 dallors needed) is a fraud to steal money from people living in Harlem. But things get complicated when, during the rally, the organization is attacked by masked gangsters who took the money of $87,000, and that was done under the nose of the very cops. Determined to nail the criminal, and possibly the preacher himself, the detective Gravediffer & Coffin start their investigation, and do it in their own fashion.

The film keeps the fast pace with a tightly knit web of characters including Reverend's beautiful wife Iris. But most charming part of the film remains the same today: its being funny and smart. In fact, you will see among violent actions suddenly unexpected humor. The best thing of the film is, in my book, the car chase scene that include "the cemetary chase" and "a flying guy." The film also ends with a showdown in the Apollo Theater (though I don't know whether the inside scene of it was really shot there) And the real Harlem locale of the 70s, which helps to create the authentic atomospher, would be someday a precious record of the New York City.

In short, this is a film Quentin Tarantino with his known flair for characters and story might have shot 30 years ago. Some part of the film look, I admit, dated today when you see women's parts are little better than secondary, just catering obligatory sex scenes. Still, those scenes have been given slight touch of humor, that might almost compensate for the lack of the screen goddess like Pam Grier. Buy this one, along with "Coffy" and "Shaft" and perhaps "Across the 110th Street." That makes a quick course of learning what the blaxploitation films are all about.

Those two main charaters are to reappear in "Come Back Charlston Blues," which is, unfortunately, not as good as this one. ... Read more