Reviews (64)

A good movie with even better music
Mowgli was raised by wolves and now he's growing up in the jungle. He's been in the jungle all his life, so he doesn't know what it's like to even be around another person. But it's not as bad as it sounds, Mowgli has tons of great friends such as the hilarious Baloo the bear. But he also has a few enemies, mainly a gruesome tiger named Shere Khan, who doesn't like humans at all. It's up to Mowgli to survive in the wilderness, and with the aid of his friends, he'll have a good chance of not having to worry about Shere Khan. But will Mowgli ever find out what it's like to be around other people?

"The Jungle Book" is a good movie. It has good animation, it's entertaining with the animated drama and the hilarious antics of Baloo, and it has some of the best songs out of any of the Disney movies, such as "Bear Necessities." I recommend anybody who likes animated movies to take a walk in the jungle and give "The Jungle Book" a chance.

It's just a bare necessity!
The feature-length cartoons Disney continues to produce are fine films, but nowhere near as good as classics like The Jungle Book. Unburdened by the modern-day Disney habit of giving every film a heavy family-friendly moral message, the Jungle Book is just 100% pure fun, with a cool hero (Mowgli), entertaining friends (especially the bear Baloo) and some great villainous characters (most memorably Shere Khan the tiger). This movie was made years before Phil Collins or Elton John were drafted in as cartoon soundtrack composers, and the songs are just awesome - "The Bare Necessities", "I Wanna Be Like You" and Kaa the snake's hissed encouragement to "Trust in Me". Get this DVD while you can!

Contrasting review
I know how many people gave five star reviews on here. Mine is not a five star review. I am giving you my straight opinion on this movie.

One, I don't think this movie is fit for family viewing. Adults will not find it interesting or entertaining, and it hardly serves any purpose in teaching moral lessons to children. Two, this cartoon almost borders on animated pedophilia. It just looks sick and wrong, really, with this older, scary bear taking this young innocent away and teaching him his "bear ways."

This is not charming entertainment. This is a pain. If you want a charming, older Disney movie you should check out their animated version of Robin Hood. The music in Robin Hood is far better as well. I have always disliked "The Jungle Book."

To Run with the Wolves: A Girlhood Dream
I'm a little kid, don't remember exactly how old, elementary school age. My teenage cousin promises to take me to see *The Jungle Book*. She falls asleep. Minutes are ticking down to show time. I poke at her but she snoozes on. Elders tell me to leave her alone. I stand over her and glare, using my powers of mind control to will her awake. It works!

I was just desperate to see this movie. I loved all the Disney animals stories and *The Jungle Book* turned out to be my favorite. The lively songs, lush animation, compelling characters, and strong storyline left quite an impression on me. Can never forget the loving and gentle Bagheera, that kooky monkey, and Baloo, Baloo the lovable bear. Ooh, and that sinister Shere Khan striking fear in the hearts of all and the slithering sneaky snake always up to no good. The voices used are wonderful and fit the characters to perfection. I was in heaven, and it has stood the test of time by remaining one of my favorite animated films.

I just wanted so badly, just longed to be a girl version of Mowgli. Raised by wolves, living wild and free in the jungle, playing with the bears and apes. Climbing trees and swinging from vines. Yep, that was the life for me. I sobbed at the end, crying: No, Mowgli, don't leave your animal friends behind and live with people. You are making a big mistake! Would he return to his original home? I wondered, why of course he would!

As an adult, I understand Mowgli's decision to join the village and live with his own kind. The girl in me, though, still doesn't get it and yearns to run free.

jungle book
jungle book is an enjoyable and funny film it is wonderful for children and i thought it was good as well. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Rebecca is an ageless, timeless adult movie about a woman who marries a widower but fears she lives in the shadow of her predecessor. This was Hitchcock's first American feature, and it garnered the Best Picture statue at the 1941 Academy Awards. In today's films, most twists and surprises are ridiculous or just gratuitous, so it's sobering to look back on this film where every revelation not only shocks, but makes organic sense with the story line. Laurence Olivier is dashing and weak, fierce and cowed. Joan Fontaine is strong yet submissive, defiant yet accommodating. There isn't a false moment or misstep, but the film must have killed the employment outlook of any women named Danvers for about 20 years. Brilliant stuff. --Keith Simanton ... Read more

Reviews (115)

Gothic Greatness
From the opening shots and line about dreaming of a visit to Manderly again, to the final shots of Mrs. Danvers and the flames, Alfred Hitchcock creates a dark, eerie atmosphere that will remain with the viewer every time you see the film. Although Rebecca is never seen, her presence is felt throughout the entire movie. Laurence Olivier, as the late Rebecca's tortured husband is good, although I think his moods and personal torture are played too strongly. Joan Fontaine, never an actress I have especially admired, is surprisingly excellent as Olivier's new, unnamed, naive wife, thrust into a world she is unprepared to deal with. But the greatest performance of the film belongs to Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers, Rebecca's housekeeper, and consequently, Fontaine's nemesis. With her daunting profile and posture, and her chilling delivery of lines, she creates one of the most memorable film characters I have ever seen. With its winding plot, terrific performances, and the direction of Alfred Hitchcock creating tension and atmosphere on a Gothic scale, Rebecca is one of the greater suspense films I have ever seen.

Classic Suspense
The Best Picture in 1940 and an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's famous novel. It is not at all surprising this movie won two Academy Awards and nine other nominations. Through the masterful direction of Alfred Hitchcock, you will be kept in complete suspense. The newly restored version from the original negatives is presented full-frame and has been digitally mastered for optimum picture and sound. The result is a sumptuous black-and-white film that is better than I have ever seen it before. They do say this movie gets better each time you watch it, and I must agree.

The opening scenes convince you that this is going to be quite a forbidding story. A meandering path overgrown with foliage and a ghostly manor (Manderley) appears out of the Cornwall, England mist. The gothic quality is only the stage for a love story haunted by the memory of Rebecca. While this is mostly filled with suspense and mystery, there are a few moments of humor.

While a young woman (Joan Fontaine) is vacationing in the South of France as a ladies companion, she meets a wealthy widower Maxim de Winter (Lawrence Olivier). His wife, Rebecca is said to have died in a boating accident. They fall in love, marry and then he takes her home to Manderley. She is ill prepared for such a position in society and stumbles through her days trying to adapt as best she can.

"Rebecca" is the theme of this movie, yet the heroine is the second rather timid Mrs. de Winter when she rises to the occasion and takes on this ghost who haunts her husband. Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson) manages the manor and seeks to keep the first Mrs. de Winter's memory alive in an almost obsessive way. She is cold and has no regard for Maxim's new wife's feelings. Judith Anderson is just magnificent in her role and her character is in a way is Rebecca's ghost personified.

The conclusion is surprising as we find out how Maxim really feels and the story unfolds one detail at a time to finish with a satisfying conclusion. You will never once think these characters are actors, they are their characters from start to finish.

You must watch this movie in complete darkness with just a few candles burning for it to be just slightly scary. One of my all-time favorite movies. Definitely worth owning!

Yummy Classic Movie
I have seen all of Hitchcock's American work. If you are familiar with his movies, you probably agree that, with the exception of "Family Plot", his films are delicious brain food! Rebecca is a beautiful, mysterious and tragic piece. Olivier and Fontaine are at the peak of their talent and beauty. By the way, if you like Joan Fontaine in this film, her performance is equally good in Hitchcock's Suspicion, with Cary Grant. Why aren't most modern actors this good, hmmm? Hey Mr. Soderbergh, please don't remake this one! There's a reason why we call them 'Classic'.

A classic shines.
A stunning transfer from Criterion. "Rebecca" remains one of the finest films of the 1940's, and features Joan Fontaine as the second mistress of Manderley, forever living in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor. Lawrence Olivier is perhaps detached in his performance, but nevertheless embodies the master of Manderley as few others of his generation could. "Rebecca" also contains the paranoia, suspense, and dreamlike mood that would color much of director Alfred Hitchcock's later work. Criterion continues to put the major DVD distributors to shame with its transfers of old films, and once again proves that although higher in price, their DVD's are worth every penny.

"We can never go back to Manderley again"
Joan Fontaine laments as she opens the film, obviously several years removed from her time at the lush, oversized estate, which recalls "Tara" from Gone With the Wind as a residence which is actually also a character in the movie. People remember the houses from these two films almost more than the characters. No coincidence that both films were produced by the ridiculously meticulous David O. Selznick. GWtW was of course the most popular film of all time, so Selznick figured he had the right idea about how to make a film. Details, right down to the last corner.

Alfred Hitchcock had made a career in London making films with complete autonomy. He basically called all the shots. When he got to America, he signed a four movie deal with Selznick. Rebecca is the first and best of the three. (no, not a mistake, I'll explain later) Rebecca was the only film by Hitchcock to win best picture from the Academy, although Hitch did not win best director. The film was basically a tug of war between producer and director. Selznick wanted the book followed religiously, Hitch wanted to take the basic idea of the book and add his own touches. Selznick wouldn't allow it, so Hitch was forced to make the film exactly by the book.

The film stars Fontaine as an unnamed young woman who while working as a paid companion for the unbearable Mrs. Van Hopper (Florence Bates), she meets and falls in love with the brooding Maxim de Winter (Lawrence Olivier). They marry after a quick courtship and go "home" to Manderley, Olivier's mammoth estate. Fontaine is very young and has no idea what she is getting into, especially when it dawns on her that Olivier's late first wife, Rebecca, still dominates the house. Her stationery, napkins, and rituals are still present, and Fontaine feels she has no chance against this woman.

The other problem in the house is the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson),who creeps around the house, showing up at any time to frighten Fontaine. She is still obsessed with Rebecca, still keeps Rebecca's old room the same way, hairbrush at the correct angle on the vanity. She makes Fontaine feel she will never measure up, will never be a great lady of Manderley, something that Mrs. Van Hopper tried to tell her as well. Everyone and everything in the house revolves around this dead Rebecca, so much so that Fontaine almost can't live through it.

Rebecca never appears in the film, yet it is amazing how much of a character she is. When Fontaine tries to dress up for a ball, Danvers suggests a portrait on the wall which is supposed to be a long dead relative of Maxims. Of course, when Fontaine wears the dress, she realizes from Maxim's reaction that the woman and the dress were Rebecca and that she just reminded him of her.

Eventually the film goes into Rebecca's death in some detail. We never know for sure that we know all the details of the death, but it doesn't really matter. By the end of the movie, all the major characters in the film will have been changed. Some will have been destroyed forever.

Criterion has done a great job with this film, giving us a great transfer, as always, along with a superb commentary. The second disc features trailers, interviews with Fontaine and Anderson, making of featurettes, examples of Selznick's letters and his attention to detail, and how maddening it got for the master.

By the way, Selznick got three films out of Hitchcock. They were Rebecca, Spellbound, and The Paradine Case. Well, he really got four, but he gave one of them to RKO studios because he was unhappy with the story and he thought it would interest no one. What was the film Selznick gave away? It was Hitch's best film of all time in my opinion--Notorious. What a waste it would have been had Selznick been allowed to ruin Hitch's masterpiece. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Behaving as if it hadn't already been immortalized in Judges, chapters 13-16, Cecil B. DeMille immortalized history's most famous haircut all over again in this 1949 classic of the Epic Saga genre. Victor Mature is a trifle bovine as Samson--which perhaps isn't so inappropriate--but Hedy Lamarr's Delilah is a magnet on fire. Impossibly perfect and sexy, she sashays through the movie in a whole wardrobe of revealing halter tops, bending the men like blades of grass. These days it's hard to enjoy a DeMille film without condescension: from Samson's fight with a lion that might well be stuffed, to the famous collapsing-temple scene, we are constantly aware of how far movies have come, and the Philistines parade around in costumes that won an Oscar but can only remind the modern viewer of Klingon cocktail parties. But in so many other ways this is very classy filmmaking. DeMille takes considerable liberties with the biblical story to come up with a sort of Ur-narrative of love, betrayal, and remorse that you can swallow very nicely with or without its religious ingredient. Best exchange: Lamarr--"You killed him with... your hands. Oh, Samson!" (Jumps on Mature's back.) Mature--"Hey! One cat at a time!" Also stars George Sanders, a very youthful (and miscast) Angela Lansbury, and impassioned music by Victor Young. --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (18)

AN EPIC OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS!
One of the greatest films ever made, "Samson and Delilah" stands out as a crowning achievement in Biblical epics, the trademark of legendary director Cecil B. DeMille. The story of Samson, the strongest of men, felled by the temptress Delilah is brought to the screen in majesty and splendor. Victor Mature is wonderful in his role as Samson, bringing a sense of humor and humanity to the role. Hedy Lamarr nearly overwhelms the brilliant Technicolor with her ravishing beauty as Delilah, sleek and seductive. As Delilah's sister, Angela Lansbury fares well in her brief role as do George Sanders (as a subtle ruler of the Philistines) and Henry Wilcoxon (as a military governor). And the actors are only one ornament to the production. The art direction is masterful and incredible. And the costumes... such gorgeous opulence and splendor were never seen since, sometimes almost stealing the scenes from the actors. Both categories won 1949 Academy Awards, giving Oscar's gilt to this classic. The film is immensely entertaining and superbly directed with reverence to the sacred texts by DeMille (at 128 minutes, dramatically shorter than DeMille's "Ten Commandments". But the special effects are one of the best reasons to see the film: Mature's three-minute fight with a lion, to the unbelievabe climatic scene in which Mature pulls down a temple of stone. A classic all the way through, "Samson and Delilah" is a film that you will never tire of, and always want to see again and again...I now quote the film's final words: "Men will tell his story for a thousand years." And if it lasts that long, men will watch this movie for a thousand years.

Correcting an error in the Amazon review
Yeah, I give the film "four stars" but my main reason for submitting is to set the record straight. Angela Lansbury did not play Samson's sister; she played "Semadar", sister to Delilah and betrothed of Samson. Her accidental death at the hands of one of the Philistine wedding party sends Samson in a murderous rage, setting the stage for Delilah's emergence as a treacherous romantic interest.

yes, groucho, vic's chest is bigger than heddys!
when the inimitable groucho marx was asked if he was going to attend the premiere of this movie, he responded that he refused to go to any movie where the hero had a bigger chest than the leading lady!

they dont make them like this anymore, which is a good thing!

Great Hollywood Biblical Epic
I have always loved this movie since I was a kid. I want to purchase this movie but I prefer to wait until it is released on DVD. Why isn't this movie on DVD? There is no excuse. DVD has been out for a long time now. PLEASE PUT THIS MOVIE OUT ON DVD!!!

why 2 tapes?
I like this movie. Wish it were on DVD. But why is it on 2 tapes? The movie only runs 128 minutes! Why did they divide it? I have movies that run MUCH longer on a single tape. Strange. ... Read more

Description

Oscar Wilde's most debated work about a man who stays eternally young while his famous portrait ages through the years, until the gripping and eerie climax. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Masterful and modern retelling of the Faustian legend
Wonderfully suspenseful and eerily beautiful film based on Oscar Wilde's novel of the same name (well almost, instead of "picture" it's "portrait"). A (then) modern retelling of the Faust legend about an individual who barters his soul in his wish to never grow old. Hurd hatfield is obviously based on the Faust character and is appropriately cool and detached in his performance, ideally cast in the title role as the beautiful young man who makes a supernatural deal with the dark gods to always retain his physical beauty and youth while only the magnificent portrait of himself registers his aging and depravities. Solid performances also by George Sanders as the Mephistopheles character, playing (as his usual best) a jaded, amoral man of the world who leads Dorian astray with his immoral yet compelling, and seemingly reasonable philosophies on life; and Angela Lansbury is particularly touching in her subtle portrayal in the Gretchen counterpart of Sibyl Vane, the dreamy and virtuous vaudeville performer destroyed by Dorian. Peter Lawford and Donna Reed are pretty window dressing here, with their usual passive, bland acting (Reed's Alma in "From Here To Eternity" later on was a pleasant exception). Flowing direction, lovely B&W cinematography, and the beautifully dark and turbulent "Prelude" tune by Chopin make this a must-see horror/fantasy classic that's a solid film version of Wilde's literary masterpiece. This film is also a deeply disturbing and haunting cautionary parable about man's pursuit of earthly pleasures and decadence and how in the end it is no substitute for spiritual nourishment when it comes at the expense of an individual's morality and humanity--for at the end even Dorian tires of his decadence and dies reciting a prayer on his lips

LITTLE YELLOW BIRD...
That's the name of the little ditty that 20 year-old Angela Lansbury chirps in this classic exursion into the macabre. Dorian Gray, a young man living in Victorian London, has his portrait painted by an artist named Basil Hallward, himself fascinated by Gray's youthful innocence. Egged on by the amoral Lord Henry, Gray manages to keep himself youthful by giving up his soul, and proceeds to indulge in a life of selfish hedonism and cruelty while through the years his face stays unnaturally young...While not a totally successful transition of Wilde's wickedly elegant novel - it's too glum and slow paced - there's much to admire in this 1945 version of the bizarre theme. Hatfield was an inspired choice for the title role, combining his handsome, ethereal face with his cool, aloof manner which perfectly suited Wilde's corrupted aristocrat. George Sanders is perfection personified playing the acidly witty and cynical Lord Henry Wotton and Angela Lansbury is memorable as the demure caberet singer Sybil Vane who meets a dark fate...

Moral Leprosy
When you think of expressionism in the movies you tend to think of the wierd angles, lighting and cutting of the German directors of the 20's and 30's. But Albert Lewin's marvelous movie adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel makes the same kind of other-wordly impact with an amazing and unsettling exaggeration of Victorian manners, morals, and architecture. The icy detachment of Gray and his friends from any emotional involvement with their surroundings heightens tremendously the impact on us of the genuinely human gestures and feelings of the other characters. This Faustian parable about a man and his graven image probably reflects Wilde's torment over whether he had sold his own soul to become an international funnyman. The whole cast is a standout but it's Lewin's picture and a total success.

What the...?
We had to watch this movie in my English class and it totally sucked! The music was corny and i couldn't tell what the hell was going on. It would skip from one scene to another and you couldn't follow the plot. Am I supposed to know who "this" person is just from one scene?! I didn't get it at all. The only good part was the changing of the painting. That part I did get.

Near Perfection
Handsome, young and morally corrupt Dorian Gray has his portrait painted. Soon after, under the influence of the incorrigible Lord Henry Wotton, he betrays his fiancee, leading to her suicide. As the years pass Dorian does not age but evidence of his narcissim are apparent in his portrait which grows uglier with each transgression. His mysterious behavior and ageless appearance begin to attract suspicion. This is one of my favorite stories by Oscar Wilde. This movie has everything that a good movie should have. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Among the most exciting of MGM swashbucklers, Richard Thorpe's 1952 Ivanhoe stars Robert Taylor as the medieval hero of Sir Walter Scott's novel. Returning to England from the Third Crusades, Ivanhoe is steadfast in his determination to raise the ransom for the captured King Richard (Norman Wooland), but the effort is full of peril. First is Ivanhoe's reunion with his estranged father (Finlay Currie), a Saxon who hates the Norman king and refuses to give his son the money. Then there's Ivanhoe's unpopular rescue of a wealthy Jew, Isaac (Felix Aylmer), from anti-Semites, and the subsequent decision by Isaac's beautiful daughter, Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor), to pay Ivanhoe's entry fee in a tournament. (The strapped knight seeks the tourney's cash prize.) Wait, it gets worse: two of Ivanhoe's closest associates (played by George Sanders and Robert Douglas) collude with Richard's evil brother, Prince John (Guy Rolfe), to discredit their friend and steal away Rebecca and another woman, Rowena (Joan Fontaine)--who also fancies Ivanhoe--for themselves. Yes, the situation looks grim, but surprise appearances by a couple of legendary hero types toward the end help level the playing field. Nonstop adventure to make one swoon, Ivanhoe is a gorgeous treat and reasonably faithful to the Age of Chivalry. Things worked out so well for this film, Thorpe and Taylor got together the next year to make Knights of the Round Table. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Very Good Rendition of the Sir Walter Scott Classic Tale!
Robert Taylor and Director Richard Thorpe team up for their first of two (Knights of the Round Table in 1953) epic tales of noble knights and beautiful damsels in this well made adaptation of the 1819 Sir Walter Scott classic, nominated in 1952 for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It is, of course, the classic retelling of one man's, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, quest to restore Richard The Lion-Hearted (Norman Wooland) to the throne stolen by his evil brother, Prince John (Guy Rolfe). But with all it's feats of derring-do, this version is also a tender tale of love. Robert Taylor stars as the intrepid Saxon knight-errant Wilfred of Ivanhoe, who is charmed by not one fair lady, but two; the stunningly beautiful Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor) and the stately Saxon princess Rowena (Joan Fontaine). In striking contrast to this romantic feast, there is the malevolent Sir Brian De Bois-Guilbert (George Sanders), Ivanhoe's deadly enemy and constant threat. This film features some very authentic looking and spectacular fighting sequences and is sure to become a favorite film of students of 12th-century English history. Filmed entirely on location in Great Britain, this movie is very rich in detail, including costumes and weaponry. Very representative of the Metro Goldwyn Mayer classics, this is a very good film somewhat typical of the film making of this decade, but still good enough to be enjoyed in modern day. If you somehow missed this one, give it a look; An excellent movie !!!

Very Good Rendition of the Sir Walter Scott Classic Tale!
Robert Taylor and Director Richard Thorpe team up for their first of two (Knights of the Round Table in 1953) epic tales of noble knights and beautiful damsels in this well made adaptation of the 1819 Sir Walter Scott classic, nominated in 1952 for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It is, of course, the classic retelling of one man's, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, quest to restore Richard The Lion-Hearted (Norman Wooland) to the throne stolen by his evil brother, Prince John (Guy Rolfe). But with all its feats of derring-do, this version is also a tender tale of love. Robert Taylor stars as the intrepid Saxon knight-errant Wilfred of Ivanhoe, who is charmed by not one fair lady, but two; the stunningly beautiful Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor) and the stately Saxon princess Rowena (Joan Fontaine). In striking contrast to this romantic feast, there is the malevolent Sir Brian De Bois-Guilbert (George Sanders), Ivanhoe's deadly enemy and constant threat. This film features some very authentic looking and spectacular fighting sequences and is sure to become a favorite film of students of 12th-century English history. Filmed entirely on location in Great Britain, this movie is very rich in detail, including costumes and weaponry. Very representative of the Metro Goldwyn Mayer classics, this is a very good film somewhat typical of the film making of this decade, but still good enough to be enjoyed in modern day. If you somehow missed this one, give it a look; An excellent movie !!!

MGM's Superb Version Of The Sir Walter Scott Classic
There have been many versions of Sir Walter Scott's classic 1819 swashbuckling story "Ivanhoe", over the years but few of them come near MGM's well crafted and rousing 1952 version that reteamed the two Taylors (Robert and Elizabeth), for the second time. This version benefits greatly from being filmed on location in England, taking full advantage of the nature terrain which gives this film such an authentic feel and flavour. It marked another late career triumph for veteran MGM star Robert Taylor who was fresh from appearing in the blockbuster "Quo Vadis", in Rome when MGM sent him this time to England to take the lead role of Sir Walter Scott's heroic character fighting injustice in the medieval England of Prince John. This film has everything the swashbuckler fan could ask for, daring sword play, a beautiful leading lady, wonderous recreations of 12th Century England, and stunning action sequences filmed on the largest outdoor Castle set ever constructed by MGM while it had a studio in England.

The adventure story of the dashing knight Wilfred of Ivanhoe who champions the cause of the absent King Richard the Lion Hearted while he is away with the crusades is well known to most school age children but this film version is no mere comic book characterisation. Robert Taylor found a real niche late in his career playing these hero's of early English history and in "Ivanhoe",he is perfectly cast as the dashing knight who not only fights the wrong doers trying to steal King Richard's throne, but finds time to romance two beautiful women in Saxon princess Lady Rowena (Joan Fontaine), and the lovely young Jewess Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor). The opening of the film finds Richard's throne usurped by his younger brother the wicked Prince John (Guy Rolfe). While returning from the Crusades Ivanhoe discovers that King Richard far from being dead as his brother would have the country believe is actually being held for ransom in Austria. Returning to England Ivanhoe finds the Saxon's under siege from Prince John and on a visit where he attempts a reconciliation with his estranged father Cedric (Finlay Currie)he sees first hand the work of Prince John and his follower Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert (George Sanders). After an attempt is made to rob one of his father' guests the elderly jew Issac of York (Felix Aylmer) Ivanhoe becomes acquainted with his beautiful daughter Rebecca who pledges her jewellery towards King Richard's ransom. Entering a jousting tournament hoping to win the prize money to free Richard, Ivanhoe comes up against his mortal enemy Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert and is heavily wounded. He is taken to Rebecca's house to recover however Sir Brian not only seeks to destroy Ivanhoe but wants to take the lovely Rebecca as his own. In an attempt to flee Prince John's forces both lady Rowena and Rebecca are captured by Sir Brian who takes them to the Norman fortress where he imprisons both Isaac of York and Ivanhoe's father Cedric. Ivanhoe gives himself to Sir Brian in return for the other release but he is betrayed and imprisoned with the others. Sir Brian however hasn't counted on the Saxon's revenge and soon the castle is undersiege. Despite an attack which sees the castle taken by the Saxons Sir Brian manages to escape with Rebecca who is then put on trial for supposed witchcraft. When it looks like Rebecca will be burned as a witch Ivanhoe arrives to her defense and offers to settle the verdict by one to one combat with Sir Brian. During the fateful contest Sir Brian is killed and just in time King Richard arrives home to claim back his throne displace the usurper Prince John. The conclusion sees Ivanhoe reaffirm his commitment to the lady Rowena despite his obvious attraction to the younger Rebecca.

Nominated for an Academy Award in 1952 for Best Picture this was one of MGM's biggest productions for the year and no expense was spared on sets, colour photography and action sequences. Robert Taylor was so successul in this role that MGM assigned him to play Sir Lancelot in "Knights of the Round Table", the following year to be also directed by Richard Thorpe. Rarely has Elizabeth Taylor appeared more beautiful than as the young heroine Rebecca. Hers is an interesting role which thankfully presents a sympathetic jewish character into the story. Elizabeth herself never wanted to do this film and was always scathing of her own performance here passing the entire film off in interviews as "just a big medieval Western". That really doesn't do the film justice as it is first rate entertainment of the old school. George Sanders and Guy Rolfe make superb villians and Sanders indeed manages to breath extra dimension into what could have been simply a one dimensional villian with his playing opposite Elizabeth Taylor in particular. The spectacular jousting scenes and the siege of the Norman castle are sequences rarely bettered in these type of films and every effort was made to give the film the correct period feel. The costumes by Roger Furse and art direction supplied by Alfred Junge really enhance the atmosphere and authentic historical look of "Ivanhoe" making it one of the better thought out historical adventures from the 1950's decade.

First class entertainment is provided all the way by MGM's "Ivanhoe", and as an example of what the studio could produce even as it went into decline in the 1950's it is top rate. The two Taylor's would never appear together again on film but they make a most interesting screen team and "Ivanhoe", boasts the sort of supporting cast in Joan Fontaine, George Sanders , Emlyn Williams and Finlay Currie that makes me wonder where the equivalent talent is in Hollywood today. Enjoy Robert Taylor fighting evil in 12th Century England in this wonderful version of Sir Walter Scott's immortal "Ivanhoe".

Same Category as The Adventures of Robin Hood
Why is this movie not released on DVD???? Does the studio have any plans on releasing soon???

A Beautiful Movie
I saw this movie in 1952 when I was 7 years old. Years later I bought the Laser disc and am dismayed there is no DVD.There have been many swashbuckling movies but this is the best. It is a ripping good story, poignant as well. Beautifully filmed! Robert Taylor Joan Fontaine and Elizabeth Taylor are superb-as is George Sanders. I have shown this film over and over again to my children and they love it. It is romantic without being vulgar. It has plenty of action" without being gruesome. It has character. And lest I forget a wonderful musical score. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Showered with Oscars, this wonderfully bitchy (and witty) comedy written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz concerns an aging theater star (Bette Davis) whose life is being supplanted by a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing ingenue (Anne Baxter) whom she helped. This is a film for a viewer to take in like a box of chocolates, packed with scene-for-scene delights that make the entire story even better than it really is. The film also gives deviously talented actors such as George Sanders and Thelma Ritter a chance to speak dazzling lines; Davis bites into her role and never lets go. A classic from Mankiewicz, a legendary screenwriter and the brilliant director of A Letter to Three Wives, The Barefoot Contessa, and Sleuth. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (142)

A CLASSIC WITH GREAT STORYTELLING AND EXCELLENT PERFORMANCES
"All About Eve" tells the story of a group of people whose life is the theater: Margo Channing (Bette Davis) an aging diva, Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill), Margo's favorite director, Lloyd Richards (Hugh Harlowe) a writer, and Karen Richards (Celeste Holm), Lloyd's wife and Margo's best friend. Joining this group of people are Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter), an actress wannabe with great ambition and intelligence, and Addison De Witt (George Sanders), an aggressive theater critic.

"All About Eve" keeps the status of classic mainly for two reasons: an excellent screenplay and magnificent and unforgettable performances. The movie is entertaining from beginning to end, each scene presents great dialogues, the characters have huge depth, and if someone asks for more, Marilyn Monroe appears in a small role.

"All About Eve" is recommendable for those who enjoy good stories and classic films.

An absolute knockout of a film.
"All About Eve" is the story of an actress named Margo Channing, who has a jealous, envying fan named Eve, who maneuvers her way into Margo`s life, eventually becoming a famous actress herself. It's a flawless, brilliant film that was honored with 6 academy awards and was declared number 16 of all time on the American Film Institute's top 100 American movies list.

"All About Eve" stars Bette Davis as the delightfully sour Margo Channing and Anne Baxter as the jealous, envying Eve Harrington. Both women are perfect in their roles, as is most of the cast.

The film is a knockout. The script is sheer brilliance from start to finish and is among the greatest scripts ever written. The characters are great, the direction is outstanding and the movie maintains interest the entire time.

The movie begins with four of the main characters seated at an award night as Eve is presented with her award. We see Margo and her companions with sour looks on their faces as an old actor is making his speech. Then, we're taken back to the night where it all began. One of Margo`s closest friends Karen Richards (Celeste Holm) is walking to the back of the theatre when Eve introduces herself, explaining she is a fan of Margo`s. After they have met and heard Eve's sad story, Margo takes pity on Eve and asks her to move in with her. Then, Eve begins to maneuver her way into Margo`s life, working her way up to fame.

"All About Eve" is an outstanding movie, an excellent character study and is certainly a memorable experience with an ending that is just perfect. "All About Eve" is definitely a film worth seeing.

OVERRATED AND TALKY
I enjoy Bette Davis movies. I enjoyed this one. The DVD transfer is great. However, compared to some of the other 'classics' Bette was in I find this one to be overrated. The film is overly long with talk galore. The cast is great. But I for one always feel let down with the payoff. I think Eve should have gotten what she deserved more than she did. I think Margo should have had more guts to see through her, the way Thelma Ritter as Birdie did right from the very beginning. As for this being Bette Davis' finest hour, I beg to differ. How can one honestly compare "All About Eve" with "Now Voyager", "The Old Maid" or "All This and Heaven Too" which are my three favorite Bette Davis pictures. I don't even think Davis deserved an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in this movie. Supporting maybe as she is missing from the picture for long periods. Judy Holliday won the Oscar that year but the one who really deserved the Oscar was Gloria Swanson for her performance in "Sunset Boulevard". Bette, by this time, had made so many enemies in Hollywood by her erratic, bipolar behavior that no one wanted to vote for her. Anne Baxter deserved the Best Actress nomination because she went all through the picture.

This picture is a good picture but I don't rate it among my top five Davis pictures. It is overrought and as I said, I like to see evil characters get their just deserts....and this doesn't happen in this film. I get mad every time I see the scene with Bette, Celeste Holm and Hugh Marlowe in the car with Holm sabotaging Bette and keeping her from getting to the theater.

As I said, the payoff for this movie disappoints me. But this is just my opinion. The movie is good, not excellent and certainly doesn't rate five stars from me. If you want to see the quintessential Bette Davis try "Now Voyager" or "The Little Foxes". "Now Voyager" features Bette at her most beautiful, while "Foxes features her at her most evil.

"All About Eve" pales in comparison. Plus, the film is much, much too long!

Try 5,000 stars
By far the best movie ever made, with a flawless script, a cast that is unsurpassed, and a "what goes around, comes around" theme, this tour-de-force of acting and writing is now a cult classic. Anne Baxter has her best role ever, and Bette Davis is superb. George Sanders is also stellar. One feels that these actors are actually playing themselves most of the time, or at last digging so deeply into the characters that you're unable to tell where the star leaves off and the character begins. Couple this with some of the best lines ever written for a movie and a cameo by Marilyn Monroe and you are indeed in for "a bumpy night." If you don't like this movie, quick, get yourself to a hospital--without a doubt you need immediate medical attention.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN GRABLE VS MONROE
oh well its 1952 grable, despite losing ground a little is still the top bananna at fox for thirteen years she has reigned supreme, seen off june haver and vivien blaine and other blonde starlets, now she,s in her mid 30,s . marilyn has showed up from someones bedroom high up at fox, she wants grables spot grable got her big break from talent, marilyn from between the sheets.
well betty gets herself suspended for refusing to do pick up on south street (it was in b/w her contract stipulates Technicolor, silly girl had an easy out, but didn,t use it) mariyn climbes from the greeks bed into gentlemen prefer blondes (it was bought for grable) marilyn snatches the blonde crown from grable, betty comes back dos how to marry a millionaire with monroe "all about eve" all over again! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A TEPID, MEDIOCRE FILM...
This movie, while cinematically colorful, is a mediocre offering by the usually radiant singing duo, Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. Here, Ms. MacDonald plays the role of Sarah, a Victorian era, young Englishwoman who is about to enter into an arranged marriage with Harry, a stuffy Englishman. Sarah also has a voice teacher named Karl (Nelson Eddy) with whom she makes beautiful music and falls in love. On practically the eve of her wedding, she and Karl declare themselves to each other and run away together to his native Vienna after getting hitched.

There, she lives the impoverished life of a young wife happily married to a struggling composer, as Karl finishes writing his cherished operetta. While in Vienna, Sari, as Sarah is now called, makes the acquaintance of two individuals who are to have a great impact on her life, a rakish Baron and member of the Austrian Emperor's dashing Hussars (George Sanders) and a simpatico English Lord (Ian Hunter). Unfortunately, the Baron ultimately tries to seduce the unwilling Sari with catastrophic results.

This film was understandably a flop, as it pales alongside this singing duo's other cinematic pairings. Jeanette MacDonald is radiant as always, but as she was nearly forty years old at the time, it is difficult to believe her in the role of a young woman in her late teens. Nelson Eddy played the role of Karl as it he were in a state of near catatonic shock. It is hard to believe how he could sweep any woman off her feet, much less anyone as vivacious as Sarah. In fact, the acting in his death scene was little different from that when playing the living Karl in love with the woman his dreams.

George Sanders, however, is excellent as the scheming, villainous Baron, and Ian Hunter is charming in the role of the English Lord. Still, these two performances alone could not save a film that was doomed from the beginning by a weak screenplay, third rate music, and uneven performances. In fact, one of the scenes was downright embarrassing, with Jeanette MacDonald singing a dreadful song with a bizarre French accent. Moreover, the death scene was over in the blink of an eye, as if Nelson Eddy could not disappear from this film quickly enough. It was quite bizarre and totally lacking tension or cinematic fire. It was totally anti-climactic.

This film was apparently based upon a Noel Coward operetta. Until I saw this film, I had no idea Noel Coward was a composer. Now I know why I had never heard of his music, if this is an example of it. Still, those who are fans of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy will find some redeeming value in this sentimental mish-mosh. If, however, you are not a fan of theirs, deduct one star from my rating.

The Title Says It All: "Bitter Sweet"
"Bittersweet" is NOT a favourite of mine... hard to say whether it or "I Married an Angel" is my least favourite J/N flick. Still, due to Nelson's presence, it is somewhat bearable. I really adore both Nelson and Jeanette, don't get me wrong. What I really didn't like was the fact that the entire thing seemed tossed together without much thought or plan for a plot. Like what point did that Tokay scene make?? I mean, it was adorable to see him bouncing Jeanette on that table, but usually the songs and scenes in their films serve some purpose. The storyline in general is just rather obscure.

Jeanette's gowns I found a bit much - it seems Adrian must have been in a wild mood a couple times... some were okay: I really liked the blue one she wore at the beginning and the satin ones she wore at Schlick's. The apricot one at the last café scene was the best! The purple one in the Tokay scene drew all attention away from anything else in the scene and drives my eyes buggy with those perfectly matched, zig-zagging stripes. Good for a laugh only.

I loved Hawwy and Jane. Even though they were both despicable.

I thought the scene where Jeanette breaks down trying to sing that song for Herr Wyler was very touching.

And I love the part where Nelson's two friends start pulling out the pawn tickets. The look on his face when they said, "That's for the bed," was hilarious. And Jeanette, "Oh, Carl, it's just the bed!" Men and their strange values.

And of course the scene when he carried her upstairs was darling. I laughed so hard the first time I saw him toss her over his shoulder and cart her the rest of the way up.

I too hate that Nelson has to die... they adored each other so much... and it WAS too abrupt. Somehow though I start laughing, because I think of one website where a lady put a picture of Nelson in Jeanette's arms in the death scene, with the caption, "Carl! How many times have I told you to stay away from sharp objects??!?" (Of course, she meant it as a joke.) Honestly though I hate that he dies. It's despicable. George Sanders is despicable. Despicable is my current buzzword.

This movie overall is NOT despicable, simply not Jeanette and Nelson's best example of collaboration. If you are new to Nelson and Jeanette, I would recommend "New Moon" or "Maytime" as good films to start with. Save this one for after you become a fan, so you can watch it with a little more sympathy and leniency than otherwise you would.

A grocery list would sound wonderful !
This pair could sing a duet grocery list and I would love it ! I was born in their heyday (30's). Jeanette MacDonald more than any other musican influenced me to pursue a singing career.

Sure, the acting might be uneven, costumes not proper (but this is NOT uncommon for Hollywood) Who cares? These two singers are front and center. I guess I'm sentimental but I love all their movies even with other singers like the wonderful Allan Jones.

Seeing Jeanette and Mr. Eddy in live concert in Wichita Ks was a highlite after seeing them as a child in so many movies.

Don't be too hard on these movies. Listen to the wonderful voices and music. Forget the rest. Think how fortunate we are to have them on film!

MEDIOCRE AT BEST.
A near atrocity from the Hollywood of 1940, this filmization of the Noel Coward play retained the beautiful score, but otherwise was so phoney and ineptly done that Coward himself vowed never to sell anything to Hollywood again (he kept his word). At 37, McDonald is meant to be an innocent girl of 18, and the embarrassingly enept performance of the wooden Eddy as the Viennese rake is just the beginning...Here we spend our time watching the actors ladling on their characterisations - for instance: the supposedly starving Jeanette is dressed in Adrian's plushiest low camp creations...The redeeming advantage of colour doesn't make up for the clumsy, sentimental narrative of which fans were duly disappointed: one of the beloved duos unfortunate unabashed flops. In spite of the film's ineptness, the supporting cast is rather good: George Sanders, Ian Hunter, Veda Ann Borg, Janet Beecher and Lynne Carver and, in a bit, Hans Conreid.

More Bitter Than Sweet
If music was the only criterion for MacDonald/Eddy movies, I'd have to say this movie still could not have made it. Colorful but ponderous, with little plot and non-redemptive scripting, Noel Coward let us down on all fronts. Karl (Nelson Eddy) and Sarah (Jeanette MacDonald) are young newlyweds who flee the establishment to Vienna to live on love with little money. He is a struggling writer, she is the favored singer in 19th century Victorian high society. This spawns trouble for the happy couple when Saxony Baron George Sanders tries to seduce the lovely chanteuse. A duel follows, like none I'd ever seen...it was over before it began. I would have hoped dirctor Van Dyke II could have managed a few fencing lessons for Nelson Eddy to make the scene less clumsy. Of the eight films the couple made together, I see "BitterSweet" as the only missed opportunity..... ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Forever Amber--DVD-time?
Forever Amber is one of my favorite trashy great movies. I remember vividly seeing it in original release as a small child in Cleveland Ohio. Even then, the lavishly filmed story, with its memorable theme music, almost accurate costumes and exciting period detail, burned itself into my memory. Darnell was surprisingly good as the "forever under" (a second title when the book came out, among wags) Amber, who's tail was for sale, as the book put it. It is still fun to watch, the theater performance scenes at Drury Lane, among the most fun, as are the Restoration Court balls and of course, who can ever forget George Sanders' regal bearing as Charles II, and his adorable little "children"--the--what else--King Charles spaniels that follow him everywhere. The script is witty, Preminger's direction very daring for this time. By all means watch it if you like a good old fashioned period drama, as only Hollywood could produce them in the days when details were real and not computer generated images. I just wish they would issue a good digitally remastered DVD version with all that murkiness lightened up so it can be seen as it was released! The Great Fire of London sequences, especially when Amber's evil old husband is thrown into the fire by that wonderful Italian giant of a manservant, and the Plague sequences, are also excellently filmed! Watch it soon!

FROM THE LUSTY NOVEL.
The naughty (and controversial) first novel by the much-publicized and photogenic Kathleen Winsor came out in 1944: it was an instant best-seller competing with the likes of Maugham's THE RAZOR'S EDGE & A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by Betty Smith. It became THE top selling book of 1945 and eventually sold a total of over 3 million copies in both hardback and paperback versions. Linda Darnell plays Amber St. Clair, a poor English lass who sees promiscuity as the only way to wealth and happiness. Amber bed-hops her way through lovers Wilde, Russell and Langan and eventually winds up as the favourite concubine of Sanders, who plays King Charles II. But promiscuity has its price...The lavish 7 million dollar budget (which included lush Technicolor) was a sort of consolation prize: the film suffers from its inability to detail the eroticism of the source material - which gave the novel its distinction. Originally the English actress Peggy Cummins was cast (and partially filmed) as Ms. St. Clair, but it was decided that she wasn't quite right for the role. Regretfully, the beautiful Darnell was somewhat miscast as well: her performance is rather lacklustre and her naturally lovely looks were altered for the part by bleaching her raven-black hair an unsuitable blonde (they would do the same thing to Elizabeth Taylor - in 1949 - when she portrayed Amy in LITTLE WOMEN: neither actress looked particularly convincing as a blonde, somehow).

A historic journey through time
This movie was *such* a disappointment, but then most movies are if you read the book first. One of my favorite books, Forever Amber captures the heart and soul of Amber, a 17th century village maid who scrambles her way to survival, power and fame while facing the challenge of a heart consistently broken by the one man she would die for: Bruce Carlton(even as she becomes mistress to the King himself!) The most powerful passages in the book (dealing with the plague; and her trip to America) are left out of this movie that I suppose just couldn't encompass the entire scope of the book, unfortunately. The most distasteful aspect for me, though, is the ending, which makes a judgment about Amber without the ending the book carries, which is Amber's triumph in spite of the judgments of others. It is a triumph of the spirit, and one that makes the book a classic read, though a forbidden one to those the age I fell in love with it: 15. I would love to see this movie remade in the true spirit in which the book was written. I would even like to take a crack at the screenplay!

Long, lavish look at a "scandalous" lady
One of the most infamous "trash" novels of the 1940s was Kathleen Winsor's Forever Amber, the story of a beautiful but poor young woman (though of noble birth) who sleeps her way up the social ladder until she becomes mistress of King Charles II of England. Her heart, however, belongs only to the roguish Bruce Carleton, who continues to elude her at every turn.

When 20th Century-Fox announced they were going to film the book, howls of protest emerged from the Catholic Church and other organizations devoted to film censorship. Undeterred, Fox went ahead with the film--and what emerged was, surprisingly, a lavish, witty, and bittersweet look at a daring young woman tripped up by her romantic heart.

Originally, the lead role was to have been played by the young British actress Peggy Cummins. (And actresses as diverse as Maureen O'Hara and Angela Lansbury have admitted they had hoped to win the role.) After filming began, however, Cummins was replaced by Linda Darnell, playing her first lead role in a big-budget, prestigious picture. Darnell--a native of Texas and nearly a ten-year veteran of the screen in 1947, although she was only in her mid-20s--makes a memorable impression in the role. Her bearing is regal, her accent (though not truly British) is cultured--and she is spectacularly gorgeous in the many stunning gowns and hair-dos designed for her.

The technical aspects of the film are also memorable. Director Otto Preminger (he and Darnell never did get along well) makes effective use of a sort of sooty, shadowy Technicolor; certain scenes resemble the paintings of the 17th century. And David Raksin's majestic score is among the finest ever written for a film, period.

I heartily recommend Forever Amber!

Forever Amber
I have seen this movie only once....probably 25 years ago. This was one of the best movies I had ever seen (right up there with Gone With The Wind). It was on TBS and that was all I ever heard or saw of that movie. I do remember that Linda Darnell was absolutely great and that the story line was one that captured you immediately. There was a lot of intrigue. The costumes were wonderful, the acting superb. I look forward to seeing this again. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Great fun!
Maybe not as good as some of Flynn's better efforts; but it is certainly alot of fun to watch: the beautiful cinematography in gorgeous techincolor, the old fashioned Hollywood story of swashbuckling pirates in the Carribbean, the very handsome leads, and the wonderful supporting characters especially George Sanders. Sanders, who made a career of playing effete English snobs, is almost unrecognizable as the bushy haired, red-bearded pirate heavy, Billy Leech. Overall, vintage entertainment from the golden era of the Hollywood studio system.

Tyrone Power was the Brad Pitt of his era; an actor who wanted to prove that there was more substance to him than just his matinee idol good looks. Unfortunatly, the studio system, which had made Power a star, allowed him little room to grow as an actor. He found himself typecast as the hero of one costume piece movie after the other. "The Black Swan", though, is one of his best. It is a Tyrone Power vehicle made more to showcase his immense good looks rather than his acting range. Power was not happy about this, since he had hoped this movie would allow him to play a more rugged and complex character than his previous "pretty-boy" roles had allowed. Power had even grown a full beard to play this part, but the studio chiefs had conniptions at the thought their star's face being covered from his hordes of female fans. Off went the beard. Once again Tyrone Power had to resign himself to playing the "pretty boy," but he makes the most it. He is a terrific swashbuckler, and seems to have alot of fun doing it and his performance is one of the best parts of the film. (Although some of his scenes with the lovely Maureen O'Hara would be taboo today. Poor Maureen. She was always being physically accosted by her male leads- see the "The Quiet Man.")

A ROUSING SWASHBUCKLER!
This sweeping, beautifully made pirate epic has Power play a swashbuckling aide to the notorious buccaneer Henry Morgan, who is pardoned from the gallows and is sent to Jamaica as the new governor. Tyrone falls in love with the gorgeous Maureen O'Hara, the daughter of the previous governor - who spurns the advances of this rough-hewn adventurer...The dialogue and story is very reminiscent of the earlier Flynn vehicle CAPTAIN BLOOD, and although the film is a trifle stilted in capturing the idiom of the period, the action is overwhelming once it begins. Power is terrific as James Waring, full of dash and derring-do. As Captain Morgan, Laird Cregar is fine with his enormous body bedecked with wigs and finery. George Sanders is made even more menacing than usual: he sports a thick red beard! As Margaret, O'Hara is ravishing, her red hair blazing in lush Technicolor & Anthony Quinn snarls and sneers as the heavy, Wogan. This film was nominated for its special effects and musical score (by Alfred Newman); it won an AA for Leon Shamroy's beautiful photography.

Women love it, too
(...) Yes, it's a bit "sexist" by today's standards, but have you read a romance novel lately? There is some odd appeal many women have for "reforming" the bad seed through love. Yeah, it never happens in real life, but who says movies have to be real life? I don't understand the psychology behind it, but I do understand a good pirate movie with sword fights, danger at sea, and damsels in distress. A great example of the classic Hollywood genre and I can watch it over and over!

Another Tyrone Power masterpiece...needs DVD release
The most gorgeous movies ever made were in the 1940s and 1950s, and all were in Technicolor. One of the most popular male stars to appear in Technicolor was Tyrone Power, and this is another one of his great titles. It is a rip-roaring, exciting pirate adventure that is VASTLY superior to "Pirates of the Caribbean". Lovely Maureen O'Hara photographs beautiful in Technicolor, as does George Sanders (in a red beard!).

Fox needs to stop being so concerned about The Simpsons and The X-Files and start releasing all of Tyrone Power's movies on DVD, including this one. Tyrone Power was the handsomest actor in Hollywood, and his movies were some of the best ever made.

Decent 1940's swashbuckler
Tyrone Power and the stunning flame haired Maureen O'Hara make a fetching couple in the colorful and rollicking swashbuckling costumer The Black Swan.

Set in the Caribbean in the 1650's, the former pirate Henry Morgan, played by the blustering and unfortunate titan Laird Cregar has just been named governor of Jamaica. He commissions his right hand man captain Jamie Waring played by the dashing Power, and his mates to rid the area of pirates. Captain Billy Leech played by the ridiculously red wigged and bearded George Sanders refuses to follow Morgan's orders. Aided by Anthony Quinn, complete with eyepatch, they set out to plunder Maracaibo on the The Black Swan.

Power, smitten with O'Hara, who plays the former Jamaican governor's daughter, kidnaps her and sets out to sea after Sanders.

Director Henry King uses a familiar Hollywood formula of adventure, romance, and attractive stars to create a pretty fair representative of this genre. ... Read more

Reviews (61)

Loneliness, Love, Solitude, Eternity
"The Ghost and Mrs Muir" is one of those extraodinary films that works on a deeply emotional level. One would think, "A romance between a woman and a ghost? How silly!" Well, that kind of reasoning does not apply here. Joseph Mankiewicz, along with splendid performances by Tierney, Harrison, Sanders, along with the rest of the cast (including a very young Natalie Wood) achieve a very moving, touching story about loneliness and unrequited love. Miss Tierney, one of my favorite actresses, portrays Lucy Muir-a young widow of strong character who moves into a haunted cottage by the sea, and develops a friendship/romance with the cottage's ghostly former owner, Captain Gregg, played with great charm and gusto by Rex Harrison. This "love that can never be" will only reach fruition when Lucy dies. Captain Gregg, knowing this, decides to leave Lucy, leaving her with no memory of him. After a disastrous affair with a philandering author, played by George Sanders in one of his signature "cad" roles, Mrs. Muir resolves to live her life companionless-until her true love comes to claim her in death. Lucy grows old and finally dies, Captain Gregg returns for her, and the two walk off together into the mists of eternity. This film has a very quiet charm-it never bashes you over the head with pathos-it just works its way into your heart. Even its humor is very subtle-not the thigh-slapping kind, but far more subtle. Add to this lovely photography, and, of course, Bernard Herrmann's remarkable score. Herrmann proclaimed this score his personal favorite, even jokingly referring to it as "my Max Steiner score". It is filled with great warmth and longing, and, even listening to it by itself without the images, brings tears to my eyes. It is very hard, in my opinion, to pull off romantic films without becoming maudlin and sappy. Happily, this gem of a film pulls it off beautifully. They certainly DON'T make them like this anymore!

A Little Gem
This is a fabulous film. The gorgeous Gene Tierney was born to play the widowed Lucy Muir--a young woman seeking personal fulfillment, as well as financial independence from her loathsome in-laws for herself and her young daughter, Anna (portrayed by Natalie Wood). While house hunting, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to a seaside dwelling considered uninhabitable by its agent and, after taking up residence, falls in love with the spectral former owner, Daniel Gregg (Rex Harrison), a full-of-himself sea captain who hasn't quite come to terms with his accidentally having taken his own life. After helping Lucy to acquire financial security, Gregg unselfishly opts to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of his soulmate: concerned that she feels divided between his world and that of the living, he suggests to her while she sleeps that her recollection of their association, if any, is a dream and so it is until the film's climax. This tender, perfectly-cast love story is presented without the slightest trace of mawkishness under Joseph L. Mankewicz' direction and the performances are all stellar--George Sanders as Lucy's caddish suitor is particularly entertaining. Bernard Herrmann's appropriately haunting soundtrack is justifiably famous--one can detect the direction he'll take in his future work--and is available on CD from Amazon. It's entertaining on its own and definitely worth having.
The DVD is mastered from a good print and has nice, crisp contrast; the audio is fine, too. I haven't watched the film with the commentary, but the extras are nice and include an A&E Biography segment of the life of Rex Harrison, a theatrical trailer, and a collection of stills. Viewers are offered a choice of Spanish or French dubbing, as well as Spanish or English subtitles, and the menus are easily navigable. This film spawned a short-lived, late-60's TV show starring Edward Mulhare and Hope Lange in the title roles, as well as a condensed, made-for-TV production on Fox's Hour of Stars in the late 50's that has only recently resurfaced--it stars Michael Wilding and Joan Fontaine.
Kudos to Fox for staying competitive with the likes of heavyweights such as Criterion and Kino in their treatment of the classics in their catalogue. They provide quality (including nice keep cases as opposed to Warner's crummy cardboard "snappers") at very attractive prices and are clearly attuned to the public's expectations unlike, for instance, Universal. Fox has made it very easy on the wallet to own some of the finest movies ever made. If you agree with me that they're doing a good job, drop them a line at FoxDrop@4icc.com to let them know.

Unexpectedly wonderful love story
On paper, the premise of the movie sounds ridiculous. A ghost and a woman falling in love with one another? But watch what happens and you'll totally be drawn in. After Lucy Muir moves with her young daughter and trusted servant to a seaside cottage, she discovers that it's haunted. However, she is so in love with the house - it suits her in a way she can't define - that she can't stand the thought of leaving. After the ghost, a sea captain named Daniel, fails to scare her away, they reach an agreement to live amicably with one another.

The conversations between the two are initially hilarious, but gain a strong emotional dimension as the prim Victorian woman and coarse sea captain get to know each other better. Their connection becomes so powerful, you almost forget at times that the captain is a spirit. However, as right as they are for one another, there is still that physical barrier between the living and the fleshless. What's also interesting about the film is its psychology. Daniel is Lucy's ideal man - is he really a ghost, or just the product of her overactive imagination? Regardless of what you think the answer is, the question becomes increasingly important during the second half of the movie, when Lucy is pursued by a flesh-and-blood man, a suave and oily writer, who is certainly not her ideal but makes her commitment to the sea captain waver.

As Lucy, Gene Tierney is wonderful - she is great in both the humorous scenes and the troubled, emotional ones. She makes Lucy come alive as the proper, well-bred lady who also has a quirky side to her, and a resilience not found in many women of the time. And Rex Harrison is marvelous as Daniel. Though I first cracked up when hearing his gruff, earthy voice, he quickly won me over. Especially memorable is his bedside monologue to Lucy, which will bring tears to your eyes.

An unusual film with spectacular music and cinematography
More of a romance and a mood piece than a ghost story, this lovely little one-of-a-kind work from Fox (of all studios) brought out the very best in most of the people concerned. The score by Bernard Herrmann, has been justly praised again and again, and its evocative and sophisticated (and extremely non-sugary) romanticism it rivals his later beautiful work for Hitchcock and Truffaut. The gorgeous cinematography (eloquently described on the commentary by Greg Kimball) is exceptional, with exceptional black and white tonalities and use of mise en scene. And Gene Tierney, that most beautiful and inconstant of Hollywood actresses, was never more up to a script than here: her manneredness never seemed more charming, and she is quite fine in her later scenes when she's asked to be her character in middle age (and then old age). Only Rex Harrison, in a barking performance as the dead Captain Gregg, doesn't seem up to standards of the others. The film has nice extras, especially in Kimball's very informative commentary, which gives fine background material about how things were filmed and how Fox operated.

Poodle rates this 5 wags of a tail
This great film touched me deeply.
I love everything about it.
Please do not forgett the tissues. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Wonderful adventure, obscure Jules Verne
When this first came out I was around 3 years old! My memories were hazy but fortunately I was able to catch in on a reissue around 20 years later. The action set-pieces are nothing short of visually spectacular, as Disney was always on the cutting-edge, years ahead any other studio. One sequence in particular, when the characters cling for their lives to a piece of ice SLIDING down a mountainside following a landslide, I believe inspired a similar (if not as logical) scene in INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (Spielberg has long been a huge Disney fan!). My 2nd viewing revealed that, like some Roger Moore 007 films, the plot is strung along so thinly between action scenes at times it's hard to recall how and why the characters got where they are! And I'm not entirely sure, but based on a footnote in the Verne novel THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, I believe the book this is based on is actually titled "CAPTAIN GRANT'S CHILDREN". (Anyone who knows better, please let me know!)

Wonderful adventure, obscure Jules Verne
The action set-pieces in this are nothing short of visually spectacular, as Disney was always on the cutting-edge, years ahead any other studio. One sequence in particular, when the characters cling for their lives to a piece of ice SLIDING down a mountainside following a landslide, I believe inspired a similar (if not as logical) scene in INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (Spielberg has long been a huge Disney fan!). On the other hand, like some Roger Moore 007 films, the plot is strung along so thinly between action scenes at times it's hard to recall how and why the characters got where they are! I'm not entirely sure, but based on a footnote in the Verne novel THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, I believe the book this is based on is actually titled "CAPTAIN GRANT'S CHILDREN". (Anyone who knows better, please let me know!)

Great film!
While this movie is a bit hokey when compared with modern technology, It is a fun movie to watch with the whole family. I remember seeing it in the theater with my mother when I was young. It was so exciting, especially the night spent in the tree, and the journey through the ice caves, (I don't want to give to much away if you haven't watched it yet). It has something for everyone, action, adventure, suspense, romance, and music. Although a bit hokey, I would highly recommend it, just make sure you leave your expectations for high quality special effects at the door (remember, it was filmed in 1962). Lighten up, sit back and enjoy!

A Walt Disney/Jules Verne Story Worthy of any Collection
I concur that this account is based on the Jules Verne story titled "CAPTAIN GRANT'S CHILDREN". It is a beautiful mix of suspense, fantasy and charm that only Walt Disney himself could bring to the big screen. With majestic and divine photography, we can only hope that Disney Studios will not "Black Beard" the release and produce a cleaned and digitally restored DVD with the Original Aspect Ration preserved.

A Must-have Disney Adventure
For Disney Adventure, Jules Verne, and Hayley Mills collectors and completists, this one even qualifies as a disaster movie! It probably helped to inspire Spielberg & Lucas for the Indiana Jones movies! Although not a perfect film, Disney collectors must have this gem! Enjoy!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Near classic
Vincent Price did not always do horror movies, but he was always a good actor and this film proves it. Price actually does not play the heavy in this film, that role falls to George Sanders who excels in a role where he deals out treachery. Price, Sanders and Margeret Lindsay all give outstanding performances. This may not be Vincent Price's best film, but it certainly ranks up there as one of his best performances. This is not a horror film, but it is a dark film that shows the impact greed can cause. The ending seems a little rushed, but it is still effective. There are no special effects and just simple sets, but the story and fantastic acting make this a great film for a wide range of viewers. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Tyrone Power in Swashbuckling South Seas Adventure
"Son of Fury", would certainly never be the first film that automatically comes to mind when Tyrone Power's films are discussed in any detail. Thoughts always seem to jump straightaway to classic efforts such as "The Mark of Zorro", and "In Old Chicago". However this film has always been a favourite of mine and makes for highly entertaining viewing from Hollywood's golden years. It displays Tyrone Power at the peak of his prewar stardom with his famous good looks shown off to great advantage in the period settings and in a tale of high adventure that suited him so well. Considered one of Hollywood's best looking leading men this films strange lack of colour photography (due to wartime restrictions on studios use of expensive colour film) actually seems to enhance his appeal as the wronged young man anxious to reclaim his birthright. "Son of Fury" is also significant for its two leading ladies in Frances Farmer, the tragic actress who led a horrific post Hollywood existence, and in it being the first teaming of Power with rising young beauty Gene Tierney. The two would be frequent costars in the succeeding years, most significantly in the classic "The Razor's Edge".

Twentieth Century Fox planned "Son of Fury", based on the sprawling novel by Edison Marshall titled "Benjamin Blake", as one of their biggest productions for 1942 and it kicked off Tyrone Power's last full year of film work before going into the armed services. The story begins with young Benjamin (Roddy McDowell playing Tyrone Power as a child and amusingly billed in the credits as "Master Roddy McDowall") who is the rightful heir to his late father's dukedom which has been usurped by his corrupt uncle Sir Arthur Blake (George Sanders). Sir Arthur manages to take the boy from his loving maternal grandfather Amos Kidder (Henry Davenport) and puts him to work in the estate stables as a bonded servant where he is mistreated and underfed. Ben grows up a defiant young man with a strong will to one day rectify the great wrong done to him and along the way begins an affair with Sir Arthur's daughter the haughty but beautiful Isabel (Frances Farmer). When Sir Arthur, who is a champion boxer discovers the affair he thrashes Ben within an inch of his life and soon escape from this existence seems the only option. Ben plans his escape and with the help of a kindly young prostitute Isabel (Elsa Lanchester),manages to get away on board an Indies bound ship as a stowaway. Discovered he is put to work as a deckhand where he forms a friendship with fellow adventurer Caleb Green (John Carradine).The two plan to make their fortunes in the Spice Islands and both jump ship and swim ashore where after time they begin to live amicably with the natives. Ben and Caleb begin harvesting the rich desposits of pearls and Ben falls in love with beautiful Island Girl Eve (Gene Tierney). However when the opportunity to return to England with their fortune comes Caleb decides to stay and Ben travels back alone. Once in England he hires a barrister to help fight his claim for his stolen title. Still labelled a runaway bonded servant Ben finds himself betrayed by Isabel and hunted and it is only when a marriage certificate does surface that proves his full right to his title that a settlement is made in his favour. Realising he still loves Eve however Ben leaves the estate to the loyal workers and travels back to his South Seas paradise to be reunited with her Eve.

"Son of Fury", would have to be labelled as a perfect romance story with its exotic locales and fine period feel. Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney make a handsome pair of screen lovers and there was rarely anyone better than Tyrone Power in playing these very romantic types of male lead characters. In "Son of Fury",he does however get to display some deeper elements to his character as young Ben is not simply a loving man but is a tormented individual consumed by a need for retribution and in obtaining his proper family name. Power is ideally cast and