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Based on a bestselling, allegedly nonfiction book about haunted goings-on in a Long Island house (The Amityville Horror Conspiracy), this rather cheesy horror movie is more silly than unsettling. James Brolin and Margot Kidder star as newlyweds who move into the empty home and are gradually affected by the legacy of a murder committed on the premises. Rod Steiger is a priest who can tell what's up and gets dispatched in a rather ugly way. Director Stuart Rosenberg can't lift the action above a certain level of tawdriness, and the audience ends up watching the horror from a distance instead of feeling involved. In the wake of The Exorcist, this 1979 spooker seemed like a no-brainer knockoff--and still does. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (127)

The Amityville Horror
This is an above-average film about haunted houses, and makes it a little creepy and fun to watch because of the so-called true story behind the book and this film. Margot Kidder and James Brolin are pretty good as the young couple who purchase a large house, to bring their children to as well. When strange things occur, the family begins a suspenseful escape from the house, which apparently has a life of its own.
The special effects are sometimes imaginitive and scary (such as the blood and ooze ejecting from the walls), but they can also be silly and embarrassing (the red eyes watching from the window). The music score is really absorbing and eerie, adding more atmosphere. It's no wonder the score was nominated for an Oscar. Overall, like I said, it's an above-average film with some good suspense, but something just feels missing. I don't know what, but it's apparent in its absence.

An fine ghost supernatural thriller.
The Beautiful, three-storied colonial in Amityville from the State of New York City. It`s seems to be the perfect dream house of George Lutz (James Brolin) and His Wife Kathleen (Margot Kidder) and thier children. Once they move to the house, troubles starts flying and Kathleen finds out a dark secert about the house. Series full of Inexplicable events are happening non-stop. When the local Priest (Rob Steiger) tries to bless the house but the house won`t let him. Cold Winds and Eerie Sounds rages thoughtout the house from the very beginning from it`s meancing eyes glowing from thier barn house, and the very walls of the house with a strange ooze. Now the Lutzes has to face the dangerous reality of the Situation of terror and Destruction, but the house would let the Lutzes leave?

Directed by Stuart Rosenberg, the film does have, it`s shares of Creepy Moments and including a share of Campy Moments in this supposedly based on a true story and Based on a Book by Jay Anson. This Film was an High Box Office Hit in 1979. DVD`s has an good non-anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer (also in Pan & Scan) with an fine Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Sound. The Film High-Light is the Creepy Score by Lalo Schifrin, which most of the score was unused for the 1973 Horror Classic:The Exorcist, which he Receive an Oscar Nomination. Grade:B+.

"GET OUT!"
It gets two stars for that scene alone! YIKES! I don't know, maybe it was because I read the book first that made me dislike this film so much. The book by the way is down right creepy - highly recommendable! If you haven't seen the movie yet, rent it first and then go from there. It's fairly disappointing but worth checking out.

The House Knows What Scares You
It's your typical fixer-upper: slight problems with the plumbing, doors and windows with a mind of their own and a bit of an insect problem. It's also got a bit of a grisly history (the house's former residents were killed in their sleep by one of their own), but the Lutzes (played by Brolin and Kidder) are undeterred and soon find out exactly why the house was sold for a song. This here is your typical haunted house movie (not as good as some, but better than others) and while it comes with the prerequisite scares assosciated with a haunted house story, it also generates enough energy to make the film somewhat unsettling. It should be noted that the film is based on the supposed "true story" of the Lutzes and their terrifying 28 days of residency. Whether or not you believe their stories of hauntings at the Dutch Colonial house, it is documented fact that the home was the sight of a real-life horrible tragedy in the mid-70's. Ronald DeFeo, murdered his entire family there and, when apprehended, claimed that "voices in the house" told him to do it. Herein lies the main unsettling nature of the film. It's not so much about the Lutzes or the bizarre happenings, but about the house itself. In fact, the film does an unnerving job of making the house the central character (what with it's half-crescent windows, it does seem as though the house is staring at you). The movie is filled with several not-so-very special effects, but also has enough tension in certain scenes to make it worth watching. Brolin and Kidder do an adequate job as the unsuspecting couple targeted for the house's wrath while Steiger wildly overacts in his role of Fr. Delaney, the priest who knows who the house's real owner is. Again, while the stories of the hauntings have been widely proclaimed a hoax, it is unnerving enough to imagine a new family moving into a place filled with such bad memories. This edition is sorely lacking in special features (surprising considering the incredible success of the film upon it's intial release and subsequent re-releases), but does feature an appropriately creepy menu design (which may seem silly to say, but owners of the DVD know what I'm talking about). All in all, it's worth a look whether you believe the stories or not and it does feature an incredibly well-done score courtesey of Lalo Schifrin (yes, the same composer responsible for the Mission: Impossible theme). Although "Poltergeist" would redefine the haunted house genre later in time by adding state-of-the-art (for the time) special effects, "The Amityville Horror" works mostly for it's sense of foreboding and the sincere sense of dread that the house elicits not only from it's characters, but it's viewers as well. I've seen the film several times and, while dated, it still works on some visceral level. Due, I would suppose, in large part to the house's actual history (documented here in the macabre prologue to the film). Technically adequate in the sense of direction, production and acting, it's no secret that the house is the star from the many shots of it presented in the movie (usually through an eerie red filter). My advice is to watch it with an open mind and to bear in said mind that, at least, the opening ten minutes of the film is entirely, incredibly and tragically true...

Amityville Horrible (sort of)
The movie Burnt Offerings is commonly compared (unfavorably) to Amitiville Horror. After seeing both, I prefer the former.

Amitiville Horror is popular mainly by reputation, and suffers from stock characters that make no significant contribution to the movie (the nosy detective, the renegade priest and his skeptical protoge, etc), not to mention cheesy effects (I know, it's the 70's but special effects don't make up for a good story). I keep thinking these extra characters are going to show up later at critical times in the movie and play some part in helping the family, but they don't. The priest and his protoge do show up in the movie again, but they have no further contact with the main characters and theirs is a minor side story that does not further the plot (unlike say, The Exorcist).

The movie Burnt offerings is scary because it is . . . creepy. It has only a few characters but all have an important part to play, and the movie doesn't rely on demons or flies. There is an undertone of something wrong that gives you the chills without other things to distract you. That is why I prefer it to Amityville Horror. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Billy Pilgrim (Michael Sacks) has a problem with time: he keeps jumping about in his own life, principally between three key scenes. The "present" is a kind of glowing suburban bliss involving a dutiful wife, large house, and presidency of the local Lions; the "past" is being a prisoner of World War II and experiencing the firebombing of Dresden from the wrong side; the "future" takes place in a glass dome on the planet Tralfamadore, to which Billy has been mysteriously spirited along with the woman of his fantasies (Montana Wildhack, played by Valerie Perrine). It isn't meant to make too much sense, since the point is to represent a man (and a century) that has witnessed things too unbearable for a wholly sane person to make sense of. In fact author Kurt Vonnegut's anguished cry on the insanity of war is one of those completely unfilmable books, so director George Roy Hill gets points even for trying. The whole package is thought provoking in a wholly Vonnegutian way. All this, and Glenn Gould playing Bach as well. --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (36)

SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE
I watch A LOT of movies and even review movies online as a hobby. This film is my very favorite movie of all time (and after 46 years of living, that says a lot). Vonnegut to me, uses Billy Pilgrim as a virginal character (although in the film he does produce two children with his wife). He is like an innocent who goes through world war II and tries to avoid doing harm. As a result of a misunderstanding while a prisoner of war, he makes a lifelong enemy. We see Pilgrim's life process..his ups and downs, and his otherworldly adventures and in this movie, we are shown a new way of experiencing life...as the Tralfamadorians say..the secret to living in a crazy world is to concentrate on the good times and ignore the bad. If I only had one movie to watch on a desert island..it would be this one. Two thumbs and five stars all the way!

"Could we have the 'night canopy', please?"
George Roy Hill's vastly underrated and often misunderstood 1972 sci-fi classic is available on DVD at last (or once again...I have never personally seen an available copy of the purported first DVD release-it must have gone out of print rather quickly). Hill does an admirable job with Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s "unfilmable" story about Billy Pilgrim, a quiet and somewhat milquetoast Everyman (Michael Sachs) who has become "unstuck in time"; living/reliving random moments of his life in a kind of eternal "shuffle play". Without giving too much away, I'll just tell you that UFO's, WW 2, a sexy B-movie queen (played by Valerie Perrine-oh my!), suburban Americana, Zen philosophy, time travel, the End Of The Universe and intergalactic zoos all enter the mix, and believe it or not, it all makes perfect sense. In the hands of a lesser director, this type of risky book-to-film could have been a real mess (a la the most recent Vonnegut-to-screen "Breakfast Of Champions"). Hill manages to pull it off with the same class and finesse he would later apply to the equally 'unfilmable' John Irving story "The World According To Garp" (F.Y.I.-Hill's resume also includes "Butch Cassidy", "The Sting", "Slapshot" and "A Little Romance"!). The 2004 DVD transfer features a crisp widescreen picture and passable mono audio (no "extras", but I would suggest reading the book as an "extra"!) A must-have for fans of cerebral sci-fi.

our mind
I think this movie depicts how our minds go back and forth to our memories. As you can see Billy Pligrima unstuck on time and he lives now but at the same time he lives with past, present, and perhaps the future as well. It well written and made out as a movie. It is a post modern approach to the viewers of up coming generation. It is a great movie but you might read the book first and watch the film.

Misses A Point of the Novel
In my opinion, one of the most heart-breaking aspects of the novel upon which this film was based was the possibility that Billy Pilgrim had to fantasize the Trafalmadorians to hide from the fact the people are RESPONSIBLE for their own actions. I thought the film presented the Trafalmadorians as real, without looking into the possibility that people might be responsible for the horrors they create. I think the best film adaptation of a Vonnegut novel is "MOTHER NIGHT."

Billy...The war is over !!!
My all time favorite movie , read the book in 1973 and then saw the film on a late nite broadcast in the late 70's...When I got my first Video recorder this was one of the first films I bought....I have been looking to buy this on DVD for a long time and now I have it...The movie is well written and filmed , the music is outstanding and the acting is top notch...The German scenes of camps and halftracks and uniforms are right on the money...The story is a killer , time travel and insanity and fatherhood and anti-war themes run rampant....Dresden and the Feb. 1945 bombing are the central theme though and the storyline of this event is the thread that holds the movie together...Buy this movie and enjoy it many times....You need to view it at least a dozen times to catch all the plots and the dialouge and the great direction that was put into this story... ... Read more

Reviews (20)

A must see for Harrison Ford fans!!
One of Harrison Ford's underrated best. Set during WWII, when Ford meet Leslie Ann Down the two can't help but fall in love because the sparks fly. The problem? She is married and truly loves her husband (Christopher Plummer) but can't help but be attacted to the dashing Ford who is a dare-devil ace bomber pilot. The stronger the attraction grows, the more cautious Ford gets in flying his missions. When fate send him on a mission with her husband, you can't help but not know who to root for. A really beautiful, bitter-sweet love story with enough action to keep the guys interested. Ladies - get out the tissue for this one. It is great!!!

ROMANCE ISN'T DEAD!
I first saw this movie about ten years ago, late at night, on my own and was pleasantly surprised. I had never even heard of it before. It is set during the 1940s during wartime - Harrison Ford and Lesley Anne Down meet accidently on - yes you've guessed it Hanover Street! - and of course they fall in love. There is only one problem Lesley Anne is married, but they both can't resist each other and even though you know it's naughty you just want them to go for it! I'll not say any more about the plot because I don't want to give too much away - but the ending is sad - so get those tissues handy! The chemistry between the two lead actors is superb and the photography and action scenes are good too. A brilliant little "Sunday afternoon" film.

Shame no one knows it
Hanover Street is definitely one of Ford's finest movies ever! The movie is unfairly underrated and as a result very few have ever seen it. It's a shame too, this movie is fantastic!! I love, love, love it!! World War Two... Harrison Ford... Romance... what's not to love?

Harrison Ford and Lesley-Anne Down fall in love during war.
Yet another World War II picture of a war-torn young man and a young woman who meet by chance and quickly fall in love. It all happens so quick. But what makes this film different than the others is a 36 year old Harrison Ford (who looks like he's 23) and Lesley-Anne Down star in the film. Harrison Ford did this film before he made Raiders of The Lost Ark and the other "Indiana Jones" films. This film plays like a soap opera and tries really hard to stir up emotion for you. This story has an interesting twist. Also in the cast is Christopher Plummer, Richard Masur, Patsy Kensit and John Ratenberger. DVD is in wide-screen format. Also includes Director's Audio Commentary and bonus trailers.

a young Ford and Down
A bad Harrison Ford movie. Those who like the simulated sex may rate it higher, it wasn't much better than fair (2 stars) though. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

On The Road To SUGARLAND
It was thirty years ago this very month that Steven Spielberg made his official big-screen directing debut (his 1971 film DUEL being an excellent made-for-TV offering) with THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS. Even at this early stage in his career, Spielberg's directoral instincts were extremely sharp, and his concentration on the characters is masterful. It's amazing how people sell Spielberg short in this area simply because so many of his films seem to be all about special effects and gee-whiz heroics.

Loosely based on events that occurred in Texas in the spring of 1969, the film stars Goldie Hawn as an ex-con mother who springs her reluctant husband (William Atherton) from a prison farm so they can get their infant son back from a foster family that has refused to return custody to Hawn. But when they hijack a Texas state trooper (Michael Sachs) and force him to driver them to the town of Sugarland, they attract far more attention than they bargained for: mass media, hundreds of onlookers, and nearly half of the total number of law enforcement officers in Texas. Veteran character actor Ben Johnson is the lead lawman in this relatively slow-speed chase, occasionally punctuated by redneck sniper gunfire, who sympathizes with Hawn's and Atherton's plight but who also must still perform his duties. It all comes to a climax at Sugarland with a jarring result.

Although made for relatively little money (just three million, as opposed to the tens of millions Spielberg would spend on his films in ensuing decades), THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS was still only a modest box office hit. Part of that could be attributed to audiences' expectations of seeing Hawn in a frothy comedy following her turn on TV's "Laugh-In" and instead getting a real live actress with intensity. And part of it could also be attributed to the fact that this film's ending isn't exactly sweetness and light. Still, Hawn's performance here is arguably the best she ever gave on the big screen, and Atherton and Sachs do good turns. Equally reliable is Johnson, remembered for his Oscar-winning turn in Peter Bogdanovich's 1971 classic THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, but also as a familiar presence in the westerns of John Ford and Sam Peckinpah.

Filmed completely on location in Texas, THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS features great cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond, taut editing from Verna Fields, and an excellent Americana score by John Williams (his first for Spielberg). It is a film that can be enjoyed many times over, as is the case for almost everything Spielberg has ever done.

I Liked This Movie!
I remember first seeing The Sugarland Express in a movie theater on Long Island New York with my family when I was around 8 1/2 years old, and really liking this movie and I thought Goldie Hawn ( Foul Play) and William Atherton (Ghostbusters, and Bio-Dome) were really good and I was totally impressed with all of the action and adventure with those thrilling police car chases and there was one police chase that was so thrilling and amazing it had me on the edge of my seat I'm sure this movie is probably a little dated in the year 2003 but It would be interesting to watch it again especially to see those amazing chases! If I remember correctly I think I remember hearing on TV that parts of this movie were based on a true story and I think this was the first movie that Steven Spielberg ever directed.

Might be worth a look.
Steven Spielberg;s first movie was done on a moderate budget but it shows his then growing ability as a film maker to cast and work with the best actors for the roles. Produced by Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown, First movie where the music was scored by John Williams, great camera work by Vilmos Zsigmond, and edited by Verna Fields.

Spielberg movie with a great story and excellent acting
This movie had a compelling story and excellent acting with the added bonus of Steven Spielberg as the director. The story centers around a young woman named Lou Jean (Goldie Hawn), who has lost custody of her baby son because of her criminal record. She decides the only way to get him back is to convince her husband Clovis (William Atherton) to escape from the Pre-release Center where he is serving the final four months of his prison term. Clovis reluctantly agrees after Lou Jean threatens to divorce him if he doesn't go along with her plan. Unfortunately after Clovis escapes, the two only have bad luck. The older couple they hitch a ride with get stopped by Highway Patrol Officer Slide (Michael Sacks). Lou Jean and Clovis then steal the older couple's car, wreck the car and kidnap Officer Slide and force him to drive them to Sugarland, where their son is living. The remainder of the movie chronicles what happens to the three on their trip. How the media transforms the couple into a cause celebre and how the police have to not only deal with the fugitives but with the media and the public, who have rallied behind the pair. As Lou Jean, Goldie Hawn gives a heartfelt and sympathetic performance to the role of a women who refuses to see the futility of her actions and is blinded by her desire to get her son back at any cost. William Atherton does a good job with a difficult role. He conveys the fact that Clovis did what Lou Jean wanted becasue of his love for her and his fear of losing her. Michael Sacks gave diminsion to a character which in lesser hands might have come across as your basic by-the-book-cop. (It's a mystery to me why he disappeared from acting.) Spielberg's direction gives you a real feel for the expansive Texas countryside which contrasts with the fact that for most of the movie these characters are confined in cars. Spielberg uses evrything at his disposal to highlight and backdrop his story - the sunsets, the open highway and local color are all used to optimum effect. Overall - A MUST SEE

No sharks, no raptors, just plain folks.
Spielberg will never make a darker film than his debut, "The Sugarland Express". In order to execute her "foolproof" plan to kidnap her baby back from the state, "unfit mother" Goldie Hawn busts hubby William Atherton out of the county prison farm and impulsively hijacks a young deputy (along with his police vehicle) to be thier reluctant "chaffeur".The desperate couple are soon leading an army of law enforcement and TV cameras on a long, slow, doomed-from-the-start pursuit. Speilberg borrows some of the "existential car chase" elements from "Vanishing Point", as well as the media circus scenario of Billy Wilder's cynical "Big Carnival" to tell his inevitably tragic tale. Hawn and Atherton offer ultimately heartbreaking, naturalistic performances as the noirish protaganists. Michael Sacks (who made an impressive starring debut in the cult-classic "Slaughterhouse Five", then mysteriously dropped off the radar after "Sugarland")also shines as the hostage officer. Ironically, this is precisely the type of character-driven, "edgy" film that Spielberg is so desperately trying to convince us he is capable of making these days--perhaps he, like most of the viewing public, has forgotten all about this movie! Worth "re-discovering". ... Read more

Reviews (20)

A must see for Harrison Ford fans!!
One of Harrison Ford's underrated best. Set during WWII, when Ford meet Leslie Ann Down the two can't help but fall in love because the sparks fly. The problem? She is married and truly loves her husband (Christopher Plummer) but can't help but be attacted to the dashing Ford who is a dare-devil ace bomber pilot. The stronger the attraction grows, the more cautious Ford gets in flying his missions. When fate send him on a mission with her husband, you can't help but not know who to root for. A really beautiful, bitter-sweet love story with enough action to keep the guys interested. Ladies - get out the tissue for this one. It is great!!!

ROMANCE ISN'T DEAD!
I first saw this movie about ten years ago, late at night, on my own and was pleasantly surprised. I had never even heard of it before. It is set during the 1940s during wartime - Harrison Ford and Lesley Anne Down meet accidently on - yes you've guessed it Hanover Street! - and of course they fall in love. There is only one problem Lesley Anne is married, but they both can't resist each other and even though you know it's naughty you just want them to go for it! I'll not say any more about the plot because I don't want to give too much away - but the ending is sad - so get those tissues handy! The chemistry between the two lead actors is superb and the photography and action scenes are good too. A brilliant little "Sunday afternoon" film.

Shame no one knows it
Hanover Street is definitely one of Ford's finest movies ever! The movie is unfairly underrated and as a result very few have ever seen it. It's a shame too, this movie is fantastic!! I love, love, love it!! World War Two... Harrison Ford... Romance... what's not to love?

Harrison Ford and Lesley-Anne Down fall in love during war.
Yet another World War II picture of a war-torn young man and a young woman who meet by chance and quickly fall in love. It all happens so quick. But what makes this film different than the others is a 36 year old Harrison Ford (who looks like he's 23) and Lesley-Anne Down star in the film. Harrison Ford did this film before he made Raiders of The Lost Ark and the other "Indiana Jones" films. This film plays like a soap opera and tries really hard to stir up emotion for you. This story has an interesting twist. Also in the cast is Christopher Plummer, Richard Masur, Patsy Kensit and John Ratenberger. DVD is in wide-screen format. Also includes Director's Audio Commentary and bonus trailers.

a young Ford and Down
A bad Harrison Ford movie. Those who like the simulated sex may rate it higher, it wasn't much better than fair (2 stars) though. ... Read more

Description

The story of the late J. Edgar Hoover, who was head of the FBI from 1924-1972.The film follows Hoover from his racket busting days through his reign under eight U.S. presidents. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fact and Fiction Mixed--But Closer to Truth Than Most
This movie is informative with fiction added.The suspense of the movie is portrayed by the facts presented. It's the closest thing to what is likely the truth about J.Edgar Hoover's life you'll find---especially given the onslaught of one-sided written and movie attacks on one (Hoover) who gave a great deal more than most to the country he loved. While many did their best to destroy Hoover's reputation in the aftermath of his death,here,Broderick Crawford portrays Hoover as a great American but human--with his own skeletons in the closet (no pun intended) and who made his share of mistakes. The movie also touches on the lives of other great Americans--John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. One sees that they,just as Hoover,were human,made mistakes and had their skeletons just as we all do. (See the movie's version of the Kennedys and Marilyn Monroe). Although much of what we would like to know went to their graves with Hoover,King,the Kennedys and others,this movie is,in many respects,the closest to the truth about Hoover and,to a lesser extent,the Kennedys and King that's been attempted. It will probably anger all who see it,whatever their political slant,to some extent at least,and that fact alone points to the best reason to get this movie and watch it with an open mind.

The Life Of America's First Top Cop
Casting Broderick Crawford as Hoover was a stroke of genius on the part of the casting director of this film. He's perfect for the part. He brings out the gruffness and arrogance of the character, while simultaneously showing the insecure, low self-esteem inner man that Hoover is portrayed as being.

We see him first as a young idealist, working in the Justice Department, wanting to protect the legal rights of immigrants and fighting the internal corruption of the FBI in the 1920's. Then he becomes the "Top Cop" of the nation and a publicity seeker with the help of Walter Winchell. And finally as an old man jeolously guarding his power and firmly entrenched in the political system. But more importantly, we see the dual nature of his morality: on the one hand, his fastidious approach to sexuality and his ego crushing sensitivity to his own unattractiveness; and on the other hand, his sessions-------bottle in hand--------listening to the sexual encounters on FBI surveillance tapes.

The film is not without humor, however. Look for a scene about disposing of a fly in Hoover's office.

In some ways, a waxworks of a film with actors looking and sounding like famous political leaders, but more importantly a record------part fact, part fiction------of a very complex man, who's personality and inner demons helped to form the concept of justice in the American public's mind from the 1930's until his death. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fact and Fiction Mixed--But Closer to Truth Than Most
This movie is informative with fiction added.The suspense of the movie is portrayed by the facts presented. It's the closest thing to what is likely the truth about J.Edgar Hoover's life you'll find---especially given the onslaught of one-sided written and movie attacks on one (Hoover) who gave a great deal more than most to the country he loved. While many did their best to destroy Hoover's reputation in the aftermath of his death,here,Broderick Crawford portrays Hoover as a great American but human--with his own skeletons in the closet (no pun intended) and who made his share of mistakes. The movie also touches on the lives of other great Americans--John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. One sees that they,just as Hoover,were human,made mistakes and had their skeletons just as we all do. (See the movie's version of the Kennedys and Marilyn Monroe). Although much of what we would like to know went to their graves with Hoover,King,the Kennedys and others,this movie is,in many respects,the closest to the truth about Hoover and,to a lesser extent,the Kennedys and King that's been attempted. It will probably anger all who see it,whatever their political slant,to some extent at least,and that fact alone points to the best reason to get this movie and watch it with an open mind.

The Life Of America's First Top Cop
Casting Broderick Crawford as Hoover was a stroke of genius on the part of the casting director of this film. He's perfect for the part. He brings out the gruffness and arrogance of the character, while simultaneously showing the insecure, low self-esteem inner man that Hoover is portrayed as being.

We see him first as a young idealist, working in the Justice Department, wanting to protect the legal rights of immigrants and fighting the internal corruption of the FBI in the 1920's. Then he becomes the "Top Cop" of the nation and a publicity seeker with the help of Walter Winchell. And finally as an old man jeolously guarding his power and firmly entrenched in the political system. But more importantly, we see the dual nature of his morality: on the one hand, his fastidious approach to sexuality and his ego crushing sensitivity to his own unattractiveness; and on the other hand, his sessions-------bottle in hand--------listening to the sexual encounters on FBI surveillance tapes.

The film is not without humor, however. Look for a scene about disposing of a fly in Hoover's office.

In some ways, a waxworks of a film with actors looking and sounding like famous political leaders, but more importantly a record------part fact, part fiction------of a very complex man, who's personality and inner demons helped to form the concept of justice in the American public's mind from the 1930's until his death. ... Read more

Description

In this 1977 made-for-TV movie, Tom Sellack is a cop who's been working for the 'Bunco' squad. These are the cops that are responsible for catching con men, cheats, grifters, and swindlers. Although most of their investigations revolve around petty thugs, a pattern is emerging. A larger con is in the works. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Steven Spielberg's first feature film was, in fact, a small-scale commercial flop--but good enough to earn him a shot at making his name directing Jaws. Goldie Hawn and William Atherton play a young couple who, after some bad breaks and mistakes, have their child taken away by the state of Texas. So they take the law into their own hands and take off to retrieve him, on the run from the police--lots and lots of police--all the while turning themselves into a causecélèbre. Strong filmmaking overcomes a melodramatic script; it's fledgling Spielberg, which is better than full-blown Arthur Hiller or Joel Schumacher any day. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (8)

On The Road To SUGARLAND
It was thirty years ago this very month that Steven Spielberg made his official big-screen directing debut (his 1971 film DUEL being an excellent made-for-TV offering) with THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS. Even at this early stage in his career, Spielberg's directoral instincts were extremely sharp, and his concentration on the characters is masterful. It's amazing how people sell Spielberg short in this area simply because so many of his films seem to be all about special effects and gee-whiz heroics.

Loosely based on events that occurred in Texas in the spring of 1969, the film stars Goldie Hawn as an ex-con mother who springs her reluctant husband (William Atherton) from a prison farm so they can get their infant son back from a foster family that has refused to return custody to Hawn. But when they hijack a Texas state trooper (Michael Sachs) and force him to driver them to the town of Sugarland, they attract far more attention than they bargained for: mass media, hundreds of onlookers, and nearly half of the total number of law enforcement officers in Texas. Veteran character actor Ben Johnson is the lead lawman in this relatively slow-speed chase, occasionally punctuated by redneck sniper gunfire, who sympathizes with Hawn's and Atherton's plight but who also must still perform his duties. It all comes to a climax at Sugarland with a jarring result.

Although made for relatively little money (just three million, as opposed to the tens of millions Spielberg would spend on his films in ensuing decades), THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS was still only a modest box office hit. Part of that could be attributed to audiences' expectations of seeing Hawn in a frothy comedy following her turn on TV's "Laugh-In" and instead getting a real live actress with intensity. And part of it could also be attributed to the fact that this film's ending isn't exactly sweetness and light. Still, Hawn's performance here is arguably the best she ever gave on the big screen, and Atherton and Sachs do good turns. Equally reliable is Johnson, remembered for his Oscar-winning turn in Peter Bogdanovich's 1971 classic THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, but also as a familiar presence in the westerns of John Ford and Sam Peckinpah.

Filmed completely on location in Texas, THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS features great cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond, taut editing from Verna Fields, and an excellent Americana score by John Williams (his first for Spielberg). It is a film that can be enjoyed many times over, as is the case for almost everything Spielberg has ever done.

I Liked This Movie!
I remember first seeing The Sugarland Express in a movie theater on Long Island New York with my family when I was around 8 1/2 years old, and really liking this movie and I thought Goldie Hawn ( Foul Play) and William Atherton (Ghostbusters, and Bio-Dome) were really good and I was totally impressed with all of the action and adventure with those thrilling police car chases and there was one police chase that was so thrilling and amazing it had me on the edge of my seat I'm sure this movie is probably a little dated in the year 2003 but It would be interesting to watch it again especially to see those amazing chases! If I remember correctly I think I remember hearing on TV that parts of this movie were based on a true story and I think this was the first movie that Steven Spielberg ever directed.

Might be worth a look.
Steven Spielberg;s first movie was done on a moderate budget but it shows his then growing ability as a film maker to cast and work with the best actors for the roles. Produced by Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown, First movie where the music was scored by John Williams, great camera work by Vilmos Zsigmond, and edited by Verna Fields.

Spielberg movie with a great story and excellent acting
This movie had a compelling story and excellent acting with the added bonus of Steven Spielberg as the director. The story centers around a young woman named Lou Jean (Goldie Hawn), who has lost custody of her baby son because of her criminal record. She decides the only way to get him back is to convince her husband Clovis (William Atherton) to escape from the Pre-release Center where he is serving the final four months of his prison term. Clovis reluctantly agrees after Lou Jean threatens to divorce him if he doesn't go along with her plan. Unfortunately after Clovis escapes, the two only have bad luck. The older couple they hitch a ride with get stopped by Highway Patrol Officer Slide (Michael Sacks). Lou Jean and Clovis then steal the older couple's car, wreck the car and kidnap Officer Slide and force him to drive them to Sugarland, where their son is living. The remainder of the movie chronicles what happens to the three on their trip. How the media transforms the couple into a cause celebre and how the police have to not only deal with the fugitives but with the media and the public, who have rallied behind the pair. As Lou Jean, Goldie Hawn gives a heartfelt and sympathetic performance to the role of a women who refuses to see the futility of her actions and is blinded by her desire to get her son back at any cost. William Atherton does a good job with a difficult role. He conveys the fact that Clovis did what Lou Jean wanted becasue of his love for her and his fear of losing her. Michael Sacks gave diminsion to a character which in lesser hands might have come across as your basic by-the-book-cop. (It's a mystery to me why he disappeared from acting.) Spielberg's direction gives you a real feel for the expansive Texas countryside which contrasts with the fact that for most of the movie these characters are confined in cars. Spielberg uses evrything at his disposal to highlight and backdrop his story - the sunsets, the open highway and local color are all used to optimum effect. Overall - A MUST SEE

No sharks, no raptors, just plain folks.
Spielberg will never make a darker film than his debut, "The Sugarland Express". In order to execute her "foolproof" plan to kidnap her baby back from the state, "unfit mother" Goldie Hawn busts hubby William Atherton out of the county prison farm and impulsively hijacks a young deputy (along with his police vehicle) to be thier reluctant "chaffeur".The desperate couple are soon leading an army of law enforcement and TV cameras on a long, slow, doomed-from-the-start pursuit. Speilberg borrows some of the "existential car chase" elements from "Vanishing Point", as well as the media circus scenario of Billy Wilder's cynical "Big Carnival" to tell his inevitably tragic tale. Hawn and Atherton offer ultimately heartbreaking, naturalistic performances as the noirish protaganists. Michael Sacks (who made an impressive starring debut in the cult-classic "Slaughterhouse Five", then mysteriously dropped off the radar after "Sugarland")also shines as the hostage officer. Ironically, this is precisely the type of character-driven, "edgy" film that Spielberg is so desperately trying to convince us he is capable of making these days--perhaps he, like most of the viewing public, has forgotten all about this movie! Worth "re-discovering". ... Read more

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Backstage intrigue runs up against the Gestapo in this drama by Jean Cocteau. Carola takes place in one of the few Parisian theaters still functioning during the Nazi occupation. Desperate to keep the theater running, the manager asks his glamorous star Carola (Leslie Caron) to entertain a German general. Meanwhile, a member of the French Resistance has been spotted entering the theater. The cast do their best to hide him from the police without losing their own skins. This sounds like an action-based plot, but it has far more to do with Carola's inner turmoil and her struggle to stay true to herself without harming her friends. The only flaw of the play is that there are large sections of the plot that don't work unless almost everyone in the cast is believably in love with the heroine. Fortunately the lovely Leslie Caron has the role. Mel Ferrer also gives an excellent performance as the surprisingly complex general. --Ali Davis ... Read more