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

Amazon.com

When Huck Haines (Fred Astaire) and his jazz band of Wabash Indianians find themselves stuck in Paris without a paying gig, it's up to his buddy John (Randolph Scott) to appeal to his aunt, the legendary dressmaker Roberta (Helen Westley), for help. He also finds a Russian princess (Irene Dunne) working in the shop and a down-home American girl (Ginger Rogers) masquerading as a Polish countess because it's the best way to get a singing job.Roberta was the third RKO collaboration between Astaire and Rogers, and it's one of the more tepid, with too much time spent on 1930s Parisian fashion and the romance between Dunne and Scott.Dunne gets top billing and the best Jerome Kern ballads ("Yesterdays," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"), but as the second-banana couple Astaire and Rogers still get a tap battle, a romantic duet, and plenty of comic banter. In short, the Fred and Ginger magic is there, but not nearly enough of it. For more, watch the films immediately preceding and succeeding, The Gay Divorcee and Top Hat. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (9)

a french affair
this movie is extremely entertaining. Ginger's accent is hilarious. (Vill you dell madame Robairta, that I have an engargment with de Marquis de Indianans.) She steals every scene she's in, and her 'I'll be hard to handle' number is one of my favorites. she and Fred have that friends type relationship which is very amusing. Wisecracks fly everywhere, incuding Fred biting Ginger's hand in the beginning!! They of course do fall into each other's arms at the end, but would the public want it any other way?

Fun, but far from one of Fred and Ginger's best
Astaire and Rogers were the number one box office draw for 1935, but it wasn't because of the farsightedness of RKO. After the two had managed to score unexpected popularity as a result of their second billed roles in FLYING TO RIO, they obviously needed to be paired in a follow up film. Actually, Fred was quite hesitant about this. He had been part of a dance team for most of his life, as the lesser half of Adele and Fred Astaire. He wasn't sure he wanted a new partner, and he wasn't confident that Rogers, with her background in completely different dance forms, would be the right partner under the best of circumstances. Luckily, he gave the pairing a try, and the result was the greatest dance team in cinema history.

Their second film together was THE GAY DIVORCEE, and it is shocking that after the success of that film, RKO could have even remotely considered having them second billed to anyone. Any film fan today can merely shake their head and ask, "What were they thinking?" Luckily, after this film they were first billed again and reunited with their best director, Mark Sandrich, to continue a string of musical films that remain unmatched.

So, trying to put the disappointment that Irene Dunne and not Fred and Ginger star in the film, how enjoyable is this film? It isn't unwatchable, and the scenes with Fred and Ginger are good. They have some nice dance numbers, though their performance of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" seems more of an afterthought. Irene Dunne was a fine comedic actress, as films such as THE AWFUL TRUTH and MY FAVORITE WIFE would later show, but despite her later appearance in the James Whale version of SHOW BOAT a year later, I don't care for her in musicals. Her voice was a tad too shrill for my taste, and her vibrato irritatingly fast. Moreover, while I like Randolph Scott in Westerns, he always seemed out of place in comedy (though he would be appropriate for MY FAVORITE WIFE). He similarly marred FOLLOW THE FLEET, playing the second romantic lead to Fred. But there is another reason that this film falls far short of what we would later come to expect from an Astaire and Rogers film: the supporting cast. TOP HAT, THE GAY DIVORCEE, and SWINGTIME are all absolutely stellar films, and each one features a rich, deep, and talented cast of supporting players such as Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore, Erik Rhodes, Helen Broderick, and Alice Brady. ROBERTA lacks this kind of depth, and as a result lacks the charm and wit we normally associate with their best films.

So, this is not an unwatchable film, but it is far from one of Fred and Ginger's best. But any serious fan of their work should see it at least once.

Too bad Irene Dunne spoils the show...
This Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers comedy starts out with great promise, as Astaire plays opposite the charmingly rugged and intensely charismatic Randolph Scott, who took a welcome break from his usual tough-guy roles in western oaters. Unfortunately, it turns out that this movie was really a vehicle for Irene Dunne, who is fine as a comedic supporting character, but stops the film dead in its tracks when the directors make her the center of attention. She particularly sucks the life out of the film when she sings not one, not two, not three, but a full four songs (the last with a reprise!) in her horrid, overly mannered operatic soprano... It's a prissy style which does not wear well over the years, and her songbird vocals -- along with a prolonged fashion show sequence, featuring a parade of unusually garish gowns -- bring this film to a grinding, painful halt. Rogers and Astaire are of course quite beautiful together, but they only have a little time onscreen, with Astaire's "I Won't Dance" the highlight of the show. Scott is absolutely magnetic as Astaire's good-natured, no-nonsense he-man pal (and actually upstages Fred in some of the early scenes!), but his role dwindles to insignificance in the second half of the film, when Dunne is elevated to center stage. Fabulous start, but it soon fizzles out.

Ah, Paris in the Spring of the Century
The setting is the beau monde of Paris in the Thirties, when White Russian émigrés, some 15 years after the revolution, were as common as Cubans in Miami after Castro. Irene Dunne plays a Russian princess, involved in a rather unfocused but fraught romance with Randolf Scott.

I found this Russian angle charming; I knew it from reading Nabokov, but always assumed the Russian subculture was obscure and furtive. Not at all; these former counts and princes are driving cabs and waiting tables, but still manage to live life with style.

Meanwhile, Fred and Ginger are having their usual light-hearted affair, Americans in Paris trying to make a living. He's a bandleader and she's a singer. (They both dance, too...)

There is a scene about one-third of the way through this movie, after Fred and Ginger have convinced a club owner to use their act. Ginger is rehearsing a song with the band ("Hard to Handle"); she finishes and joins Fred, who is lounging on the adjoining stairs. He's wearing slacks with a handkerchief in lieu of a belt, and a shirt and tie, but still looks informal. They start kidding, then dancing and singing. Naturally they rehearsed this spontaneous scene before filming it, but it is still powerful. Virginia was 23 or 24, Fred 35 or 36 when this movie was being made. She was gorgeous, and he was Astaire, and they were both on top of their game, lithe and quick: they were attractive in a way you don't see much anymore.

The plot of this movie is silly enough, but Jerome Kern's music is beautiful ("Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "Lovely to Look At", "Yesterdays", "I Won't Dance"). What is more, we get those expatriate Russian aristocrats, and Fred playing a mean jazz piano. And always, of course, Fred and Ginger dancing. Who could ask for anything more?

The pivotal Astaire-Rogers film.
Much has been said about this film over the years. Many think it's somehow below par because Astaire & Rogers are playing secondary co-stars rather than leads. But consider this: each new A-R film borrowed plot points from their previous one. They were 'comic relief' co-stars in 3 different movies: FLYING DOWN TO RIO, ROBERTA, and FOLLOW THE FLEET- the last two movies both with Randolph Scott and a singing love interest. These two latter films alternated in relaease with GAY DIVORCEE, TOP HAT, and SWING TIME- and if the plot wasn't 'mistaken identity' (my least favorite story), then it had Astaire & Rogers as one of two couples. I actually preferred these films a tad more because Astaire and Rogers weren't carrying the heavier half of the plot. They already know each other and can make wicked sideline commentary while waiting to go on the dance floor. This is most evident in the wonderful first duet in ROBERTA, "I'll Be Hard To Handle," a wonderfully spontaneous tap debate in a rehearsal setting. This sequence transfers to the critical plot twist with the title character. While the film does go surprisingly dramatic, it's carried off quite nicely with Irene Dunne and title character Helen Westley- already established in a kind of mother-daughter working relationship- in the breathtaking scene which becomes the song "Yesterdays." (It's a bewitching moment when the light dims in the room as Dunne's vocal fades away). And all the crazy fashions are worth enduring for the Astaire-Rogers duet of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes." Rogers emerges as one of the models on parade (following a cameo by a platinum Lucille Ball) in what looks like a satin nightgown and joins Astaire for a sublime walk-around-the-floor. My only complaint lies in the poor sound quality of the musical soundtrack more than anything else. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle was the last of nine films Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made together for RKO Pictures, and it is unlike any other. For the only time, Fred and Ginger play historical characters--the legendary dancing duo that was all the rage between 1912 and 1916--and a married couple, no less. Instead of their usual innovative, plot-driving dances, Fred and Ginger perform pastiches of what the Castles made famous--the fox trot, polka, and tango. And rather than an original score of great American standards by Berlin, Kern, or the Gershwins, the film uses a collection of period tunes, including "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" and "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee." No, this is not Top Hat, but fans will enjoy the film anyway. Vernon and Irene Castle is an affectionate tribute to a bygone era and to a team that Fred said was "a tremendous influence" on his career. As portrayed in the film (which was based on Irene Castle's memoirs and input), Vernon Castle is a small-time vaudeville comedian when he meets and marries Irene. The two not only manage to forge a career as proper, respectable dancers, they become the essence of style, setting national trends for dance, fashion, and even women's hairstyles. The film briefly touches on Fred and Ginger's usual themes of pursuit and union, but mostly they are warm and tender together as they deal with real-life problems, perhaps portraying the earlier films' characters after those "happily ever after" fantasy endings. And as we watch the Castles' performing career rise and decline, straight through to the film's touching last shot, we realize that Fred and Ginger are saying farewell, which makes The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle an appropriate finale to the most glorious partnership in Hollywood history.--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (11)

fine musical
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers portray the dance team of Vernon and Irene Castle in the passable romantic musical THE STORY OF VERNON AND IRENE CASTLE.

The story is heartfelt, deeply sentimental and quite delightful. Ginger is luminous and she is affecting in the final scene. Her breakthrough dramatic performance in KITTY FOYLE has it's roots here.

Historically accurate, Fred and Ginger dance up a storm in an array of styles. The real Irene Castle designed Ginger's costumes herself.

All-in-all, a good effort from all concerned.

Fitting swan song for Fred and Ginger at RKO
This is the ultimate way for a top flight screen team to go out in style. "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" was the ninth teaming of the legendary dance team of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and was a fitting conclusion to one of the greatest screen collaborations in movie history. While they would reteam at a later date for "The Barkely's of Broadway" it is for their RKO films that they are rightly remembered.

This excellent film has a very bittersweet feeling to it as we as viewers know that this is the last teaming by the two stars. The film combines drama, period detail and strong doses of sentiment and romance into an unusual vechicle for Fred and Ginger. For the first time in their teaming they portray actual historical figures..the legendary American dance team of Vernon and Irene Castle who in the early part of last century created a world wide sensation with their innovative interpretations of the foxtrot and polka among other numbers. They were also famous for a few of their own creations such as the Castle Walk which created a dance craze like no other the world has witnessed.

The story follows their life story together from Fred starting out as a second string vaudeville star to his marriage to Irene, to their lean years hiding from paying the rent in rundown hotels through to their great success in Paris on to when they become the toast of the dancing world. History is also incorporated into the story whereby World War 1 seperates them at the height of their success and concludes with Fred being killed in a flight accident. Rarely has there ever been anything about real life included in an Astaire & Rogers production but the two stars rise to the occasion beautifully and it is I feel their most heart felt production. Gone from this production are the mistaken identity plots so often used in their past vechicles together. Here we see what could really be classified as a drama combined with the most beautiful dance sequences you could imagine. In that way "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" is just as memorable as their earlier great successes together like "The Gay Divorcee", "Top Hat"' and "Swing Time".

The look of this production is really beautiful with all the great attention to the period detail. Indeed I often think this film has an MGM look about it so meticulous is the attention to appropiate costumne and settings. Ginger Rogers, who by this stage was starting to branch out into solo work with other leading men in a mixture of comedies and dramas is exceptional as Irene and she mentions in her autobiography that she had the real Irene Castle to contend with during this production as a creative adviser which was a very unnerving experience for her. She need not have worried as she delivers a wonderfully balanced piece of acting here and her character progresses beautifully from naive small town girl into a sophisticated woman of the world and the envy of every woman of her generation. In particular the scenes of her effect on the women of her time are both beautifully and amusingly done with her influence moving into fashion, face cream, hair styles etc . Fred Astaire , it goes without saying is in top form in thi sproduction and his dancing both in solo numbers and combining with Ginger are a real joy to witness and reveal why he is regarded as the greatest dancer movies have ever witnessed.

The supporting cast also adds wonderfully to the great feel that this film delivers. The wonderfully talented character actress Edna May Oliver, a supporting performer in countless memorable Hollywood productions, plays Maggie Sutton the gruff business manager with the heart of gold who sees the Castle's progress from poverty to world wide success and ultimately tragedy. Walter Brennan lends very able support as Fred's friend Walter who is a constant presence in their lives and is also, like Maggie, along for a life journey with the Castles.

For those of you who love fine dancing performed by the masters "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" can't be faulted. This film is unique in that it displays Fred and Ginger team as real life historical characters who gave the joy of dancing to a whole new generation. It's a beautiful production and is a wonderful showcase for the shining talents that were Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

wonderful
this movie is so sweet. After seeing eight preceeding films (all wonderful no doubt)where they squabble, it's so sweet to see them really act like a couple. The scene on the balcony of the Paris apartment, where Fred kisses her is aborable. Not to mention the acting is ducky. It would be easy to overact in a film like this but they pull it off fine. Ginger is a little scene stealer. (what else is new)

A mildly disappointing end to their amazing run at RKO
THE STORY OF VERNON AND IRENE CASTLE is one of the most disappointing films in the extraordinary musical partnership of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and I frankly am utterly perplexed by the long line of five star reviews it has been getting here. Have these reviewers seen their other films? Fred Astaire is one my idols, and I have over the years seen all his musicals for an accumulated total of over 140 times, including TOP HAT nearly 20 times alone. So, my relatively low regard for this film is not a reflection of my overall regard for Fred and Ginger.

The problem with THE STORY OF IRENE AND VERNON CASTLE is that absolutely none of the things that made Astaire and Rogers so great are able to make an appearance. Instead of the brilliant and innovative dances that invigorate their films, they have to do the famous dances of the Castles. Instead of great, original songs written especially for the film by some of the legendary songwriters of all time, they do period songs that fall short of the songs of their best films. Instead of a host of great comic actors and actresses that give the film a hysterical vitality, we get a rather average cast of characters. And instead of watching with delight Fred and Ginger's comic and musical courtship, we know how this one is going to end (at least those of us who know something of the Castles). In other words, the almost limitless possibilities that energize the typical Astaire-Rogers film is missing because of the need to tell someone else's story.

It isn't that this is so much a bad film as it is a waste of Fred and Ginger's talents. You could have had far less gifted musical performers do the Castles's numbers. You could instead have worked up a completely original story for Fred and Ginger. As it is, their last RKO picture ends up being their least interesting. They did perform one more time, for MGM in THE BARKLEYS OF BROADWAY, but by then the magic was gone. That which had made them so unique and special didn't survive the horrors of WW II, and their tenth and final film seemed strangely out of place.

I wouldn't discourage anyone who hasn't seen this film not to, but I will say that one could do themselves a far greater favor by rewatching one of their classics, such as THE GAY DIVORCEE, TOP HAT, or SWINGTIME. Or even FOLLOW THE FLEET, which had a terrible story, but featured some of their very greatest dances, including the extraordinary "Let's Face the Music and Dance," arguably their greatest number together.

Heartfelt
A must for fans of the talented Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. I was moved to tears at times, and the next minute I was laughing. They did such a beautiful job of protraying the real Irene and Vernon Castle. The real Castle's would have been proud of the way this movie was made. Fred Astaire was such a joy to watch, and I think this is my favorite Ginger Rogers movie. She brings class and grace to her character. I would recommend this to anyone who is in search of a movie that touches the heart. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Just maybe the most shamelessly enjoyable of Cecil B. DeMille's pseudo-historical epics, this rumbustious frontier saga offers a three-for-one Western legends combo--Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Calamity Jane, all cutting up in the 1870s, with George Armstrong Custer and Abraham Lincoln thrown in for good measure. (Wait a minute, Lincoln was assassinated in 1865--oh, never mind.) Truth to tell, Buffalo Bill doesn't really pull his weight, since (1) he is hopelessly distracted by virtue of having recently married and (2) he's played by James Ellison, an eternal juvenile normally relegated to second-banana duty in Paramount's Hopalong Cassidy series. However, Gary Cooper's Wild Bill and Jean Arthur's Calamity supply enough star power to light up the Dakotas and parts of Missouri.

Every once in a while, DeMille and his small army of writers stumble upon an actual historical fact. Bill Cody did fight to the death with an Indian chief named Yellow Hand. George Custer and James Butler Hickok did both buy the farm in the summer of 1876. (Custer's Last Stand is handled imaginatively, if cheaply, as a vision narrated by a wandering Cheyenne warrior--none other than C.B.'s son-in-law Anthony Quinn in one of his earliest screen appearances.) Jack McCall (veteran weasel Porter Hall) did find himself in Deadwood, South Dakota, at the same time Wild Bill was drawing aces and eights in a poker game ... though McCall was not necessarily affiliated with DeMille's favorite villain, Charles Bickford, in the business of running guns to the Indians. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (8)

FAUX HISTORICAL EPIC - FLASHY BUT INACCURATE
"The Plainsman" represents the directorial prowess of Cecil B. DeMille at its most inaccurate and un-factual. It sets up parallel plots for no less stellar an entourage than Wild Bill Hickok (Gary Cooper), Buffalo Bill Cody (James Ellison), Calamity Jane (Jean Arthur), George Armstrong Custer and Abraham Lincoln to interact, even though in reality Lincoln was already dead at the time the story takes place. Every once in a while DeMille floats dangerously close toward the truth, but just as easily veers away from it into unabashed spectacle and showmanship. The film is an attempt to buttress Custer's last stand with a heap of fiction that is only loosely based on the lives of people, who were already the product of manufactured stuffs and legends.
TRANSFER: Considering the vintage of the film, this is a moderately appealing transfer, with often clean whites and extremely solid blacks. There's a considerable amount of film grain in some scenes and an absence of it at other moments. All in all, the image quality is therefore somewhat inconsistent, but it is never all bad or all good - just a bit better than middle of the road. Age related artifacts are kept to a minimum and digital anomalies do not distract. The audio is mono but nicely balanced.
EXTRAS: Forget it. It's Universal!
BOTTOM LINE: As pseudo-history painted on celluloid, this western is compelling and fun. Just take its characters and story with a grain of salt - in some cases - a whole box seems more appropriate!

CALAMITY JANE
On September 17, 1868, while fording the south fork of the Republican River in what is now Colorado, General "Sandy" Forsyth was ambushed by 600 Cheyennes and Arapahoes. Outnumbered ten to one, Forsyth and his troops took refuge on a brushy island in the middle of the river and for nine days stood off one of the fierest charges in the history of Indian wars. The ten years which followed this gallant episode saw the final defeat of the Indians on the Northern half of the Great Plains. Some 300 battles were fought, chiefly against the Sioux and Cheyennes. In 1876, the two nations rallied to wipe out General Custer's regiment on the Little Big Horn. By 1880, Indians were no longer a power on the plains. Cecil B. DeMille, the producer of super-colassal spectacles of the thirties and forties goes the American West for THE PLAINSMAN. The film opens with a prologue shot of President Lincoln and his Cabinet, from then on compresses many actual events in the history of the Great Plains. Its hero and heroine are two of the most famous characters of the West "Wild" Bill Hickok and "Calamity Jane" ably portrayed by Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur (whose Calamity is decidedly more glamourous - with rouge and mascara applied - than was the real Martha Jane Canary!) In one segment, the Cheyennes ambush Buffalo Bill for twelve minutes ; it was considered quite an exciting climax to 1937 audiences.

The West as it SHOULD have been!
This epic western condenses "many years into an hourglass". In 1936 when it was made, it used available information & speculation, added a big dose of romance, & created a masterpiece. More recent research has rendered some of the plot devices obsolete, but for the lovers of great film, who cares? The friendship of Hickok & Cody was true enough, & the rest is good fun. Cooper & Arthur are superb, & the supporting cast is terrific. This is a must-see film for anyone.

Grand Old-Fashioned Movie-Making
The Plainsman is terrific fun, grand and old-fashioned movie-making in the best sense of the word. Gary Cooper is splendid as Wild Bill Hickok. And even though the facts are bent and twisted, there is something so honest in his portrayal of Hickok, you get the idea that he has managed to reveal the real Hickok. Jean Arthur is also wonderful, as Calamity Jane. A real flaw is James Ellison as Buffalo Bill, he throws off every scene he appears in, especially when in the same frame as the iconic Cooper. It is also less than politically correct in its treatment of Native Americans.

Fascinating Cooper
THE PLAINSMAN is probably all the things its champions and its detractors say it is. Graham Greene felt it was the best western ever made when he reviewed it in 1936. Others point to the clumsy plotting and awkward pacing. However, there are things in it which are just wonderful! Take the opening sequence, with the illegal gun runners plotting how to get around government laws. It is tightly written, bitterly ironic and flawlessly acted. Indeed, it is as up-to-date as John Le Carre's fine novel about illegal gun runners of today -- THE NIGHT MANAGER. There are beautifully handled set-pieces, especially the shoot-out on a dusty, deserted street, shot in one long take, in which Cooper kills three villains. No MTV-style editing here, no tight close-ups of guns exploding, bodies flying, etc. You aren't asking yourself after the scene is over, how did he kill all those guys? And then there is Cooper's performance -- since he knew from the beginiing that his character was to die at the end, he played throughout as if his Hickok was doomed and well knew it. The weary fatalism in the way he utters his lines, the bleak look in his eyes for most of the film, it is a very, very fine performance. A performance which isn't given its due, perhaps because it is a DeMille film. For all its flaws, this is a movie with a great deal recommending it. Try it. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

The King of Kings was a cinematic tour de force
When I think about this movie, I have to remember to place myself back in 1927 - the last year in which all movies were made in a silent format. To see the life of Christ depicted in such a visually rich format, despite the limited technical resources available to a movie director like DeMille, was truly inspiring. What I liked the most was the end of the movie (and who doesn't like the end of the story of Jesus:), but I mean this from a cinematic point of view. Do not read any further if you don't want to, because I will reveal the DeMille genius. The last scene in black and white has the Apostles taking the Body of Jesus down the pathway and into the tomb. They then roll the stone in front and depart. The screen remains black for what feels like an "eternity". I am sure the people who originally saw the movie in a theater must have been nervous, with the only sound being the movie projector rolling above them. Then, the scene changes to reveal Easter Sunday morning, and the rest of the movie appeared in color, as if the whole world had changed for the better, thanks to the Resurrection. It is visually stunning, and worth watching the whole movie just for that. All in all, an excellent film, and one that gives classic movie buffs like myself great pleasure.

Rev. Mark Moretti

Simply Remarkable!
I hadn't seen this movie since I was a little girl; then, I saw on my way to a church hall party that the film was going to be shown later in the church that very night with live organ accompaniment. Well, I left the party early to see "King of Kings" and that was no mistake! HB Warner turns in a sensitive performance as Christ, one of the best I've seen. His Jesus is gentle without being weak, which so often happens in other films. There's also a very talented child actor playing the part of a young evangelist Luke, who is healed of his lameness by Christ. For me, the most effective special effect sequence was in the beginning, when Mary Magdalene barges in on Christ and his followers. She is a brazen hussy driving a zebra-drawn chariot and is determined to give Christ a hard time for stealing away Judas, her apparant boyfriend. Then, as Christ merely looks at her, she undergoes a transformation as she is cleansed of the Seven Deadly Sins before our eyes. The appearance of each sin as it is drawn from her body is astounding. From that moment on, I was hooked!

If you would like to see an excellent version of the Christ story, look no further than this silent masterpiece.

Jesus Christ Never Existed.
'King of Kings' made in 1927 is a famous film some people have seen or at least heard about. Most people fail to realize all of that doesn't matter because Jesus Christ never existed!! Jesus Christ is a mythological figure the church has exploited for hundreds of years and now the film industry has for almost a hundred years. There is absolutely no archeological or historical evidence that Jesus Christ existed. Even if he did exist, it would be highly unlikely he would have received that kind of punishment.
It is a shame that con artists like these filmmakers are using this mythological figure to make millions of dollars. People have to start swaying away from the manipulations of the church and the filmmaking industry and start looking at the hard facts. Jesus Christ and his crucifixion never happened.

nubian slaves, harness my zebras!
H.B.Warner plays Jesus as a hallmark card and Magdalene has a romance with the traitorous Judas. When she gose to look for him, she rushes out to her chariot, looks at her slaves and delivers the most funny silent title of all time;
NUBIAN SLAVES, HARNESS MY ZEBRAS!

priceless!

The Silent Movie Version of The King Of Kings!
This 1927 silent movie The King of Kings directed by celebrated film director Cecil B. Demille was on Turner Classic Movies a couple of nights ago and I watched it and taped it and it was a pretty good movie. At first I was taken aback by all of the heavy theatrical makeup that was used on some of the actors, a look that was very popular at the time and I first thought that the actor who played Jesus looked a lot older then the 33 years old that I believe Jesus was at the time but after awhile you get past that and the story of Jesus really shines through and the actor who played Jesus really gave a moving, inspirational performance and I very greatly recommend this movie. Has this version been put out on DVD yet? If not it really should be transferred to DVD! The only negative thing about this movie is the bizarre and overly theatrical depiction of Mary Magdalene and her riding in on a carriage driven by zebras and I almost gave up on the movie because of that but the scenes with the actor playing Jesus made up for the Mary Magdalene scenes. Btw: This movie is mostly in black and white with one color scene. There is a remake of this movie from 1961 and that is being shown on TCM today and I will tape and watch that one too! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Happy 100th Birthday, Mr Bob Hope!
Another fine Bob Hope movie, Bob Hope must have been at the age of 38 or 39 at the time. He's funny and quick with the lines. Fine delivery. Bob Hope says in this film as he flattens out his hand, "I got a long life". He sure does and we are glad he has given us 65 years of laughter. Happy 100th Birthday, Mr. Bob Hope!

Classic Hope and Carroll a definite plus
This is definite vintage Hope with the added benefit of the beautiful and talented Madeleine Carroll along for the ride. Legend had it that Hope constantly mentioned on his successful radio show how beautiful he found Madeleine Carroll and that any leading man in Hollywood would be lucky to work with her. Madeleine apparently was so touched by this unexpected adulation from the great comic that she called up Hope and said "Hey Bob I think it's time we made a movie together!" Needless to say Bob was happy to oblige and the result is the classic "My Favorite Blonde"
It is without doubt one of Bob Hope's best mixing his usual lovable coward character in with murders, intrigue and a priceless cross country race keeping one step ahead of hit men, police and you name it.
The one liners come fast and furious and will have you laughing from start to finish. The on screen chemistry between Hope and Carroll really works and Madeleine really surprises in holding her own against Hope's scene stealing techniques. Favorite moments are when Bob is accidently dragged in to speak to a room full of women who believe he is a child specialist. It is priceless as is the terrific scene of the "staged" domestic dispute which the pair stage to be "rescued" by the police from an apartment they are cornered in. it will have you laughing till you cry. Bob's comedy act side kick "Percy" the penguin also gets in on the act and has an hilarious scene in a sleeping car of a train when he is dressed in monogrammed pyjamas and night cap!!
Being a Hope film of the early 40's needless to say it has a very [costly] look and benefits from a terrific supporting cast including Gale Sondergaard and the always excellent George Zucco in his usual villanious character. Of course a Hope film wouldn't be complete without its share of Crosby jokes and a very funny little cameo by Bing Crosby himself just prior to the classic "bus scene" which will really have you laughing.
Even in the madcap proceedings there is still time for a bit of glamour and being an absolute fan of the glamour of old Hollywood I can say that never has Madeleine Carroll looked more beautiful than in this film, even despite the fact she spends most of the film on the run! Her Edith head fashions and beautiful Fur Coat make her look like a real glamour Goddess.

"My Favourite Blonde" is a classic of its genre and if you like fast paced comedies with no let up this is the film for you. I know I love it and never tire of its humour. Now if only someone would "rescue" another Hope "Favorite" in this case "My Favorite Brunette" which for too long has been lost in the horrid public domain arena where we can only see it in terrible foggy versions. That is another classic that deserves better.
Enjoy "My Favorite Blonde" she is still a beauty after all these years!

Memories for the grandchildren
Well, I watched this with a couple of the grandchildren--sub-teens. The plot was out-of date, but they howled at the movie's slapstick. They left the screen for a trip to the bathroom when Madeleine and Bob engaged in some "mushy stuff." That's just the way it was when I saw it in 1942. This Hope film provides a bonus which is the performance of Madeleine Carroll. Her acting skills are revealed in several scenes with Hope when she needs to save them by belting out several lines of American slang. Take it from my grandchildren; five years ago they would have claimed that MY FAVORITE BLONDE was a "bad" [super good] movie. Besides there wasn't too much huggin' and kissin' in between the good parts.

Great Hope Spy Farce
My Favorite Blonde is a hilarious edition to the My Favoirte Series. Madeline Caroll makes an excellent Hope cohort as does a certain penguin. I used the think that Bob Hope movies were all horribly dated but this movie proves that Hope's brand of comedy still works. I only wish they would finally re-release My Favorite Spy so that I could own the full series.

Funny Spy Spoof
In this film Bob plays an entertainer with the so familiar weaknes ofr a pretty face. Gullable guy falls for every trick in the book as girl uses him as cover for secert activities underground. They dodge knives and bullets through out and fall in love of course. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Best Hemingway Film Adaptation
For me, FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS is the finest screen adaptation of any of Hemingway's novels. Not only does it star Gary Cooper -- the most complete interpreter of the Hermingway hero on screen -- but it has a luminous performance from Ingrid Bergman in the role of Maria. When it opened in 1943, a criticism centered on the fact that it did not specifically mention Franco. However, what might have been a germane criticism back then is now a genuine plus. Had this been focused on Franco, it now would be a dated period piece. Instead, this story of doomed wartime love remains achingly moving. And its theme of "no man is an island" is still haunting, and the final images stay with you long after the film is over. Cooper's presence is especially fascinating, since this is an ensemble piece, and never once does he use his inconic aura to break free of the ensemble and dominate the screen. Highly recommended.

INGRID AND GARY FOREVER
No doubt about it ! This DVD deserves a perfect 5 (this is the second that I give after ROBOCOP director's cut). 130 minutes of absolute pleasure with actors who were real stars : Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper. The colors are wonderful, the scenery superb and the musical score terrific. But I hear someone out there complaining : Gosh ! It's a 1943 movie, an antiquity. Don't be afraid, you will not be disappointed. There are also in this movie explosions, gunfires and even torrid love scenes. Just observe how Ingrid Bergman plays with her hair in order to seduce Gary and you will forget all the actual little starlets. This story of a three-days love affair during the spain civil war is about idealism, self-sacrifice and hope. Themes that , I agree, are not specially "in" in 1998 but were developed by Ernest Hemingway, one of the best american writers. A healthy DVD in order to clean our eyes and ears.

GREAT... but...
... why these complaints about a widescreen-version? 20th Century-Fox released the first CinemaScope film in 1953(The Robe) in order to outdo TV.... True, there were occassional try-outs like Napoleon in 1927, but the widescreen-system as we know it; came in 1953.

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS is a great as it can get. Bergman in particular shows us natural acting a`la Brando - years before he came to the Hollywood scene... Unfortunately; the two weeks-shooting of Norwegian Vera Zorina as Maria is NOT included on the DVD. Ingrid raplaced her when the ballerina tiptoed through her role; but actually was given the sack because of Cooper, Wood and even Hemingway`s personal interests in Bergman. It would have been nice to see the difference between Vera and Ingrid.

The production is lavish and the dialogue intelligent. It was not well-received in 1943 and suffered under the success of Casablanca. However; I think Bergman is at her peak as MARIA and not as ILSA hehehehe

Full screen - are you kidding me?
I cannot believe this film is released on DVD in full screen format only, and not in a widescreen format. Full screen is fine for films that are primarily shot indoors, but to do this to a movie with such scenic grandeur is a crime. This format totally destroys the cinematography and grand vistas of the orignal. Have a heart and release a widescreen version!

Great Film: Not Deserving of "Full Screen" treatment
Read all other reviews of this film for film's brilliance, Gary Cooper's performance, etc. . However, what is bothersome, as good a reproduction this film is, is that it's reproduced in Full Frame NOT theatrical format as when the film was released or widescreen which, particularly in the case of such a brilliant film as this, it is a cinematic crime not to release a true to intent vesion of any film as visualized/composed by the Director and cinematographer. I cannot understand companies that go to all the trouble to make a film like this transfer to DVD so well and overlook the obvious: showing the film's original parameters as well.

There are other film's I refuse to purchase simply because of the destruction of the film's composition that Full Frame productions foist upon the artists who created such cinematic greats. Had a truer visual format been availableI would have purchased it, however, this is one exception that I had to buy because of the overall brilliance of the work. Here is hoping that the future will bring a even greater reproduction of the original intent of the film's entire LOOK. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A smouldering, raw action film with a Big Message at the end
Joan Crawford plays a woman stranded in Central America, near the infamous Devil's Island penal colony... She finds herself at first repelled and then drawn to Clark Gable, who plays a rugged yet ethically principled convict. He is determined to escape, but needs to take along several of his more unsavory cohorts along to make the plan work. Included among them are Peter Lorre, as an oily, untrustworthy smuggler who has the hots for the unwilling Crawford, Paul Lukas as Hessler, Gable's cutthroat rival for power in the escapee band, and Ian Hunter as a fellow known as "Cambreau," a beatific, learned Christ figure whose presence in jail isn't well explained, but who hovers near Gable and acts as his spiritual conscience as ruthlessness and banditry beckon. Somehow Crawford winds up among the escapees as they slog through the swamps and then cross the ocean towards freedom... The scenes in which Lukas and Gable first debate -- then duel -- over her fate are remarkably raw and foreboding. The Cambreau subplot -- can men live like Jesus? Could Christ sway the darkened hearts of modern man? -- is a bit cloying, but the final struggle for Gable's soul at the end is emotionally resonant, and despite the hysterical tenor, one of his most powerful onscreen performances. A great cast and an unusual script, and oneof Crawford's least irritating performances; she's actually quite appealing in this role. Worth checking out!

Great movie
I have seen almost all of Joan Crawford's films, and I think this is one of her finest performances. She is fortunately paired with Clark Gable, and they have remarkable chemistry together. It is their combined talent and star presence that make Strange Cargo such a good film. Joan plays the typical tough girl, but makes her character a lot deeper than lesser actresses could. She goes through most of the film wearing no makeup (very unusual for Crawford), and loses the artificial restraint that plagues so many of her performances. She approaches the role without holding anything back (much like in Humoresque and Rain), and she shines. It's a refreshing performance for any Crawford fan to watch, because we enjoy these rare glimpses of the excellent actress and beautiful person that were beneath her glamorous facade. May I also add that without makeup, Joan Crawford is still tremendously beautiful and captivating. She has excellent bone structure and large, wistful eyes. This film proves that it wasn't the makeup and artificial glamour that made Crawford beautiful (as some authors would have you believe), but something from within. That's what this movie is about.

A great Easter movie
I love Gable and I love Crawford not to mention Peter Lori and the rest of the cast. The story intersting and captivating. I enjoyed it so much that I want all my friends to see it. It really supprised me. They dont make them like this any more!! To many details given previously . It must be seen with out explanation. Other than a group of convicts trying to escape more than devils island.

MYSTICAL ALLEGORY
Strange is putting it mildly. In this uniquely off-beat gem, Crawford is Julie the trollop and Gable is Verne, who's sentenced to Devil's Island. A fascinating excursion into allegory has Ian Hunter giving his greatest performance as Cambreau, the PRESENCE, in human guise: The Catholic Legion of Decency had a fit when this character was shown; in light of what's allowed in films today, this is hilarious! Because of Hunter's Christ-like consciousness, the condemned men are intolerant of his presence. When he is seen by Gable to be near death by drowning, Gable realises that he cannot let this mysterious but undeniably decent man die, so he rescues him from the inevitable. Both Joan and Clark play well together in their final teaming and, because of it's offbeat theme, the movie tends to linger in the memory; many consider this to be the best of all their movies in which they appeared together.

TOP-NOTCH PAIRING OF CRAWFORD AND GABLE
Of the many films Crawford and Gable made together, this is the best. Superior performances, intriguing story, and masterful direction by Frank Borzage. One of Joan's finest moments on film! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Old-Fashioned Adventure Romance
UNCONQUERED is old-fashined romantic adventure at its best. Yes, it is absurd at times, the plot bordering on the cartoon-like, but it is also ripe old fun. Hair-breadth escapes, a genuine romance, and a surprisingly close reading of history during the French-and-Indian war in 1763. Gary Cooper, Paulette Goddard, Cecil B. DeMille, gorgeous technicolor, how can you go wrong?

Great Romantic Adventure in Early America
"Unconquered" brings DeMille and Paulette Goddard together again after two other big budget pictures (Reap The Wild Wind and North West Mounted Police). She and Gary Cooper carry the star quality of this picture with style and color. Fine acting against a wonderful technicolor background of Colonial America. Goddard's gorgeous red hair matches Cooper's towering stauture. They work well together and create some very amusing and touching scenes. Then add Demille's suspenseful canoe over the rapids and Indian uprising and you have good movie stuff.

"Colonial Warfare In America"
An excellent film!This takes place at Fort Pitt(when Pittsburgh was a frontier town)in 1763 during Pontiac's War(a by-product of The French & Indian War).With a budget of 5 million dollars,DeMille puts a very good story together that is based on Neil Swanson's book "The Judas Tree".It is also the first time that I've seen the subject of indentured servitude addressed on film.The viewer also gets to see an appearance of the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment(BlackWatch)and how they saved Fort Pitt.I would have liked to have seen more action,but the fighting scenes are adequate enough.

PAULETTE AND GARY
Abby Hale (Paulette Goddard), a pretty English convict girl, is ordered deported as a potential slave to the American Colonies. Captain Holden (Gary Cooper) saves her from being auctioned off into slavery, and when she's captured by Indians and subjected to a slow and tortuous death, Holden appears in a flash of gunpowder smoke convincing the Indians that he's a god, so they relinquish Abby to him................THE UNCONQUERED was DeMille's 5 million dollar Technicolored celebration of Cooper's virility and Goddard's femininity and the American Frontier Spirit. Spectacularly stirring and full of fine action scenes, DeMille again screen-vitalised a chapter out of American history. One may say that he supplied both a boistrous and sensational delineation of the frontiersman's era with the full complement of DeMille devices, even to the famed bath sequence, a dip into the serial thrillers when the hero and heroine shoot the rapids to the the edge of a waterfall, and the staging of the battle of Fort Pitt that far outdoes any conflict that was ever dreamt up for a World's Fair carnival!

I Had to Cry Uncle....
and shut this movie off, even though I probably was THIS close to the end, because I just couldn't stand it anymore! Totally bad.

Paulette Goddard is having a hard time as an indentured servant in a frontiersy New World, even with Gary Cooper around. But how can this be in any way exciting when the villain is....Howard Da Silva??? Oh, c'mon, who was he, the understudy to the real star cast?

Some things are best left alone, and "Unconquered" is one of them. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Yawn.
Ice skater Sonia Henje was one of Fox's big, big stars back in the Great Depression... Her particular charms don't hold up well over the years, though, and modern audiences may simply find her too cuddly and bland to hang with in films like this. Apparently this plot-heavy romantic comedy was meant to show her dramatic range, but it's a real snoozer... Henje had an elfin, Bjork-like quality to her... but this fluffy, uneventful film was certainly no "Dancer In The Dark."

A MEDIOCRE COMEDY-DRAMA.
Dashing Ray Milland and Robert Cummings play reporters from rival newspapers who meet on a train while travelling to a remote Swiss village. The two men are forced to room together due to lack of accomadations at the Hotel, and they are both smitten by Louise Norden (Sonja Henie). But the true identity of Louise's father changes matters considerably...A frothy little number which should please those who like Ray Milland or Sonja Henie. The backgrounds for the film were shot in Sun Valley, Idaho and Fox borrowed Milland from Paramount for this picture, the original working title of which was DOCTOR & there was elements of the story which were based upon the exploits of a real-life doctor.

Worth watching soley for the sheer charm of Ray Milland.
This film is a mixed bag, full of humour, romance, and suspense. It works most of the time, however the scenes where the graceful Sonja skates tends to slow down the film. The piece on it's own is a wonderful display of ice dancing. Anyway, the best scenes involve Ray Milland. They don't make Ray's anymore! He really lights up any bit he's in. Standard story of two men after the same girl and scoop story. Well, one gets the girl, and one gets the memoirs in this bright, fun film. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Where There's Life, There's Hope!
This film has non stop action from beginning to end. In the far off kingdom of Bavoria, shots ring out in the crowd, seriously injuring the king. The only heir to the throne is an American by the name of Michael Valentine, who has never heard of Bavoria--enter Bob Hope. Bob Hope portrays Michael Valentine, a disc jockey that known for his radio ads for dog food. All he has on his mind is his upcoming marriage and the honeymoon to follow. Little does he know that General Grimovitch (a lovely female) has been sent to bring him to Bavoria to claim the throne. Nor does he know that the underground group wanting to take over the kingdom, doesn't want him to claim the throne. The poor fellow doesn't know what's going on, who to believe. He has a general telling him he must claim the throne to save the country, revolutionaries out for his blood, and if that wasn't enough, his fiancee's brother doesn't take kindly to Michael not showing up for the wedding and doesn't believe a word about kidnapping, kingdom or killers. Hope handles all these dilemmas in his typical fashion, with lots of ad libs and laugh. This is a great film to sit down with the family, so grab the popcorn, pepsi and dim the lights and enjoy this film.

Classic Bob Hope Comedy!!Happy 100th Birthday Mr. Hope!!
Bob Hope stars in an unusual role as royalty in this classic Bob Hope Comedy!!By the way,Bob Hope is celebrating his 100th Birthday!!Thanks for the memories,we all love you!! ... Read more

Description

The nuclear-powered U.S.S. Tiger Shark, the most advanced sub in the world, is sent on a top secret mission to find out why great trans-arctic submarine passenger lines are vanishing without a trace. On board, a hand-picked team of scientists are faced with an alien menace so terrible that their atomic weapons are useless. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Classic BEM attacks! Viewers win...
ATOMIC SUBMARINE is nifty. Here you have a very bad, cyclopean BUG-EYED MONSTER deployed to our ever vunerable Terra to scout its potential as a colonization planet. Its power source is earth's electromagnetic field so it particularly enjoys hanging-out at the North Pole. From its base, the BEM wages war against our "futuristic" submarine fleet. The latter comprises major commerce and transportation agency as well as military forte. The TIGER SHARK is commissioned to hunt the Bad Bug and save mankind (until next time). The FX of this late 50's thriller range from good to laughable. But that is why I consider the film so engaging. Sometimes you're watching stock footage of Admiral Rickover's prize nuclear sub Nautilus diving and surfacing at the Pole. Sometimes you get to see a squadron of bicarbonate of soda-powered toys cruising fish tanks full of plastic cube/glaciers simulating treacherous Polar regions. The reel-deal however, is the Alien craft. It is BIO-ORGANIC. That is, the monster and the space-ship are a singular entity. It may look hokey, but it's a stellar concept. The movie is 50's black-and-white sound stage action with a battle array of well-known monster mash matinee actors. Electronic music adds menace along with the fact that the BEM is genuinely UGLY. ATOMIC SUBMARINE is space monster opera. It's here to kill us. The good guys have to kill it. No quarter asked, none given. The classic BEM attacks...the viewer wins!

This one's all wet...
This film stinks. It gives B scifi a bad name -- even makes those Roger Corman movies look stunning. If possible, I would give it a negative rating to balance the positive reviews seen here. If you want cornball underwater action, buy "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea." Provided that your cerebral cortex is active, you'll agree it's a zillion times better.

Atomic Sub on every set at home
I saw this movie on the BIG screen when I was 6, and I was under the seat most of the time back in 1958. My parents lived within a block of the movie theater; thus, you know what I was doing at that age. The music and sound effects really added to the earie atmosphere of this movie; especially, when the beam of light melted the frogmen. The cyclops creature had me under the chair - I now know it's a hand inside the puppet - but on that BIG screen...

What fun...with my own reservations...
I have to admit that a few things about this film disappointed me. The acting was better than expected, and the script was somewhat literate. Other than that, this was all the schlock, bad F/X I expect from films of this genre & time period. It's interesting to know that this film was released by Allied Artists, which was a studio neck-to-neck with American-International for the drive-in crowd. A-I went somewhat legit when they went with the Corman/Poe/Vincent Price movies, later the Beach Party films. Allied Artists went a different route: they picked up the options for the American release of "epics" like EL CID and 55 DAYS AT PEKING. (My vote goes to A-I, for sheer originality...) Enough history... This is a fun film. The special effects are absolutely laughable, my favorite being the alien saucer leaving the polar ice cap, obviously a toy being pulled up through soft wax. A previous reviewer referred to this as "warmly corny"; I couldn't put it better. Bad sets, bad effects...and, of course, after Brett Halsey proves himself to be a hero and not a wimp, his shirt is suddenly open showing lots of manly chest-hair. What a guy! I've always liked Arthur Franz (especially in "Monster on the Campus"). All in all, it's loads of fun for the "bad sci-fi" afficianado. My major disappointment with the DVD, though it has great picture & sound quality, is that it should've been in Widescreen. At the beginning, they show News Headlines declaring horrible stuff, but you could only see the middle of the headline...there was no perifery. As far as sets go, the perifery wouldn't have mattered...but no one can deny that the majestic scenes of the Arctic (few as they were) would have been awesome. Watch this, and keep all of your other guilty pleasures (beverages, junk food, etc.) handy. If you can ignore the good points of the film, the bad points will overwhelm you and entertain.

Deep Sea Cheese
This movie has to be viewed more than once to appreciate it. A plastic submarine in an aquarium is hard to accept but all in all this movie is a pretty enjoyable watch. An alien saucer under the polar ice cap planning the take over of earth. As for the DVD itself the quality is quite good, no extras (other than the trailer/scene selections} but a nice clean picture. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

fine musical
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers portray the dance team of Vernon and Irene Castle in the passable romantic musical THE STORY OF VERNON AND IRENE CASTLE.

The story is heartfelt, deeply sentimental and quite delightful. Ginger is luminous and she is affecting in the final scene. Her breakthrough dramatic performance in KITTY FOYLE has it's roots here.

Historically accurate, Fred and Ginger dance up a storm in an array of styles. The real Irene Castle designed Ginger's costumes herself.

All-in-all, a good effort from all concerned.

Fitting swan song for Fred and Ginger at RKO
This is the ultimate way for a top flight screen team to go out in style. "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" was the ninth teaming of the legendary dance team of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and was a fitting conclusion to one of the greatest screen collaborations in movie history. While they would reteam at a later date for "The Barkely's of Broadway" it is for their RKO films that they are rightly remembered.

This excellent film has a very bittersweet feeling to it as we as viewers know that this is the last teaming by the two stars. The film combines drama, period detail and strong doses of sentiment and romance into an unusual vechicle for Fred and Ginger. For the first time in their teaming they portray actual historical figures..the legendary American dance team of Vernon and Irene Castle who in the early part of last century created a world wide sensation with their innovative interpretations of the foxtrot and polka among other numbers. They were also famous for a few of their own creations such as the Castle Walk which created a dance craze like no other the world has witnessed.

The story follows their life story together from Fred starting out as a second string vaudeville star to his marriage to Irene, to their lean years hiding from paying the rent in rundown hotels through to their great success in Paris on to when they become the toast of the dancing world. History is also incorporated into the story whereby World War 1 seperates them at the height of their success and concludes with Fred being killed in a flight accident. Rarely has there ever been anything about real life included in an Astaire & Rogers production but the two stars rise to the occasion beautifully and it is I feel their most heart felt production. Gone from this production are the mistaken identity plots so often used in their past vechicles together. Here we see what could really be classified as a drama combined with the most beautiful dance sequences you could imagine. In that way "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" is just as memorable as their earlier great successes together like "The Gay Divorcee", "Top Hat"' and "Swing Time".

The look of this production is really beautiful with all the great attention to the period detail. Indeed I often think this film has an MGM look about it so meticulous is the attention to appropiate costumne and settings. Ginger Rogers, who by this stage was starting to branch out into solo work with other leading men in a mixture of comedies and dramas is exceptional as Irene and she mentions in her autobiography that she had the real Irene Castle to contend with during this production as a creative adviser which was a very unnerving experience for her. She need not have worried as she delivers a wonderfully balanced piece of acting here and her character progresses beautifully from naive small town girl into a sophisticated woman of the world and the envy of every woman of her generation. In particular the scenes of her effect on the women of her time are both beautifully and amusingly done with her influence moving into fashion, face cream, hair styles etc . Fred Astaire , it goes without saying is in top form in thi sproduction and his dancing both in solo numbers and combining with Ginger are a real joy to witness and reveal why he is regarded as the greatest dancer movies have ever witnessed.

The supporting cast also adds wonderfully to the great feel that this film delivers. The wonderfully talented character actress Edna May Oliver, a supporting performer in countless memorable Hollywood productions, plays Maggie Sutton the gruff business manager with the heart of gold who sees the Castle's progress from poverty to world wide success and ultimately tragedy. Walter Brennan lends very able support as Fred's friend Walter who is a constant presence in their lives and is also, like Maggie, along for a life journey with the Castles.

For those of you who love fine dancing performed by the masters "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" can't be faulted. This film is unique in that it displays Fred and Ginger team as real life historical characters who gave the joy of dancing to a whole new generation. It's a beautiful production and is a wonderful showcase for the shining talents that were Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

wonderful
this movie is so sweet. After seeing eight preceeding films (all wonderful no doubt)where they squabble, it's so sweet to see them really act like a couple. The scene on the balcony of the Paris apartment, where Fred kisses her is aborable. Not to mention the acting is ducky. It would be easy to overact in a film like this but they pull it off fine. Ginger is a little scene stealer. (what else is new)

A mildly disappointing end to their amazing run at RKO
THE STORY OF VERNON AND IRENE CASTLE is one of the most disappointing films in the extraordinary musical partnership of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and I frankly am utterly perplexed by the long line of five star reviews it has been getting here. Have these reviewers seen their other films? Fred Astaire is one my idols, and I have over the years seen all his musicals for an accumulated total of over 140 times, including TOP HAT nearly 20 times alone. So, my relatively low regard for this film is not a reflection of my overall regard for Fred and Ginger.

The problem with THE STORY OF IRENE AND VERNON CASTLE is that absolutely none of the things that made Astaire and Rogers so great are able to make an appearance. Instead of the brilliant and innovative dances that invigorate their films, they have to do the famous dances of the Castles. Instead of great, original songs written especially for the film by some of the legendary songwriters of all time, they do period songs that fall short of the songs of their best films. Instead of a host of great comic actors and actresses that give the film a hysterical vitality, we get a rather average cast of characters. And instead of watching with delight Fred and Ginger's comic and musical courtship, we know how this one is going to end (at least those of us who know something of the Castles). In other words, the almost limitless possibilities that energize the typical Astaire-Rogers film is missing because of the need to tell someone else's story.

It isn't that this is so much a bad film as it is a waste of Fred and Ginger's talents. You could have had far less gifted musical performers do the Castles's numbers. You could instead have worked up a completely original story for Fred and Ginger. As it is, their last RKO picture ends up being their least interesting. They did perform one more time, for MGM in THE BARKLEYS OF BROADWAY, but by then the magic was gone. That which had made them so unique and special didn't survive the horrors of WW II, and their tenth and final film seemed strangely out of place.

I wouldn't discourage anyone who hasn't seen this film not to, but I will say that one could do themselves a far greater favor by rewatching one of their classics, such as THE GAY DIVORCEE, TOP HAT, or SWINGTIME. Or even FOLLOW THE FLEET, which had a terrible story, but featured some of their very greatest dances, including the extraordinary "Let's Face the Music and Dance," arguably their greatest number together.

Heartfelt
A must for fans of the talented Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. I was moved to tears at times, and the next minute I was laughing. They did such a beautiful job of protraying the real Irene and Vernon Castle. The real Castle's would have been proud of the way this movie was made. Fred Astaire was such a joy to watch, and I think this is my favorite Ginger Rogers movie. She brings class and grace to her character. I would recommend this to anyone who is in search of a movie that touches the heart. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

People instead of politics make this film a classic
Even in his early days, DeMille was a technological wizard who applied the credo "more is better" to his movies. In his silent epic, The Volga Boatman, he certainly employed all the cinematic devices available to him to paint a picture of the Bolshevik revolution, not so much on a sweeping political scale, as on a personal level, that of a peasant and a princess.

The imagery in this movie is DeMille at his most visually expressive: the Volga boatmen, the human mules of Russia, in their rags contrasting with the richly dressed aristocrats, particularly Princess Vera whose gowns were designed by Adrian; the clock in the background inexorably ticking away the minutes of Vera's life as she plays the brave aristocrat, defying Feodor, the steely-eyed boatman/Bolshevik leader, not to love her; and the grand ballroom scene where the cream of Russian society dances while Mother Russia convulses in political upheaval.

Imagery conveys meaning in silent movies more so than the dialog, however, the dialog in The Volga Boatman is studded with acerbic lines emphasizing the disparity between classes and adding to the overall atmosphere of cultural inequality. Unfortunately, we only read one of the best lines of dialog ever written. Despite the fact that Bill Boyd's (Feodor's) rich baritone voice was a generous mixture of northern Oklahoma and north Hollywood accents, I enjoy imagining what he could have done with the line: "We've waited 500 years for freedom, you can wait five minutes to die."

As a devoted fan of the movies, particularly movies having some historical content, The Volga Boatman remains a highly appealing and "watchable" film for me because it focuses on timeless human relationships and not the stale political tracts which can be supplanted. In addition, DeMille's technical craftsmanship is most ably demonstrated in the beautiful composition of each scene. Mr. DeMille went on to direct Technicolor extravaganza's but this hand-tinted, silent classic is one that stands out as an example of DeMille at his cinematic best. ... Read more