Reviews (113)

Gilliam achieves much with little
Worth it for Gilliam and indie film fans. A group of renegade shrubbery-designers on the lam from the Supreme Being stumble through a hole in space-time into the bedroom of a small boy, whom they abduct to help them steal the treasures of history. Okay, Gilliam fans, rejoice. Python fans, rent it first. Indie filmmakers - here's how to make a plausible looking fantasy film on a (still big) budget. The executive summary: 1. Acting - well done and believable. Appropriately over-the top in places. 2. Plot - fun fun fun and I want that map! Touching in places, and the non-Hollywood ending is perfect. 3. Production design / special effects - good enough. On par with Monty Python episodes / Holy Grail film. Notable exception - everything to do with "Evil". Bonus: see the origins of the "insidiously cheesy machinery" look Gilliam later perfected in "Brazil" and "12 Monkeys". Sets and props are extremely well-used (pay attention to the kids' room at the beginning!)and add richness to the film. The DVD has commentary by the now-grown child lead, as well as some Gilliam miscellany. For fans, well worth the extra investment, even if you already own the VHS edition. Key issue - this is only a date movie if your date can handle "silly." Most American ladies (in my experience) find Monty Python really unfunny. This film is not true Python when taken as a whole, but anything with a little slapstick and cockney accents seems to get painted as such. Warning: I thought that since one lady friend of mine liked Adam Sandler, she'd like TB - I was wrong! Be warned! Overall - fans, buy it. Others - rent it or ask for it for a gift.

PYTHONESQUE ADVENTURE
From a script written with fellow Python Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam's TIME BANDITS Divimax Special Edition (Anchor Bay) is a certified cult fave of wonder, wit and unbridled imagination. A school boy is sucked into a crime spree by a time travelling gang of dwarves who have a map to the holes in the space-time continuum. Along the way, they encounter Napoleon (Ian Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese), King Agamemnon (Sean Connery), Evil Genius (David Warner) and God (Sir Ralph Richardson) -- who almost answers one of the supreme theological questions.

This new two-disc edition in Divimax is a state of the art hi-def transfer. The bonus disc features interviews with Gilliam and Palin and a career retrospective that includes Brad Pitt, Shelley Duvall, David Warner among others.

Pretentious junk
Save your dough.

A british kid goes on adventures with a bunch of hammy-acting little people. At the end, his parents die for no apparant reason. (Before some film school moron e-mails me with the reason, I got it. It was just dumb.)

Get "Brazil" or "Munchausen" instead. Gilliam's off his game here. Or try "12 monkeys." That's a great film

A Concept Film that Doesn't Know When to Quit
Like a big candy bar. Eye-popping but unfulfilling. Momentarily pleasing but undernourishing. Couldn't help but think this could have been so much better. It's kind of a Monty Python reimagining of The Wizard of Oz. More mature and cleverer. A plucky resourceful child is transported to a parallel world where the child must make things right before he/she is allowed to go home. The Munchkins are the stars this time. The Supreme Being is, of course, Oz. Evil is the Wicked Witch. Instead of the fantasy world sing-a-long; Gilliam goes with Sci-Fi time travel. Either the movie should have been longer to allow for more story & character development or some of the great ideas should have been shelved for other projects. There's a certain episodic feel to the proceedings as the time travelers jump from time to time but don't really get anywhere; much like the film itself.

an interesting film for older mature children.
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film was marketed as being for children. I thought that this film is too morbid for small children and recommend that children be at least 8 years old to watch it.

In this film, a young boy joins a troupe of dwarves who travel through 'holes' in time with the aid of a time map stolen from a deity. They rob famous historical figures such as Napoleon and Agamemnon. Later they are captured by an evil sorceror who takes the map from them.

This film has several creatures in it that I think would frighten younger children I urge parents to watch the film by themselves before showing it to their children.

The Criterion Collection has special features including a theatrical trailer, a slide show of production photos and a video, and full-length audio commentary by selected cast & crew. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

"ART , LOVE .... and the older woman........"
FINALLY AVAILABLE! This 'lost' Ken Russell dealing with the somewhat wild, short life of French Artist Henri Gaudier-Brzeska [1891 - 1915].

Starring Scott Anthony as Henri with Dorothy Tutin as the woman in his life - [although never married he accepted her last name]! Interesting move for a man during those years, but then again he was very unconventional and now known as a brilliant sculptor/artist. [Even turned his WWI issued rifle into a work of art!]

'SAVAGE MESSIAH' is possibly one of the most understated of the Russell movies [fits into the "Mahler" group]. The images somewhat remind us of Fritz Lang ["Metropolis"]. The slow pace is deliberate - a 'thinking person's" movie this is! Much more than just love story between an older woman and a young man - and at the end it's the woman one worries about - what will she do? Will she move on?

DOROTHY TUTIN - is quite, quite superb during these concluding moments - a talent rarely seen on screen, but once seen - never quite forgotten.

Exquisite costume and art direction - it should be restored to full DVD splendor, along with the other Russell gems.

[Beautiful scene at the train station with Gaudier and Brzeska with the roses and the train - great editing!].

This movie also introduces us to Helen Mirren - another stellar talent. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Golden Turkey Award Nominee Par Excellance-:-(
Caught this lamentable, execrable, piece on TV last night-and I
can see why it BOMBED bigtime in theatrical release-1. continu-
ity stank, 2. None of the scenes made any sense-like they were
thrown together a la an amateur movie, 3. acting was at an equally dismal level, 4. Gratuitous nude scenes-ho-hum, another
bum....5.written like a tax-writeoff movie, 6.a Ken Russell oer-
vre-why this psychedelic pinheaded amateur was ever given a cam-
era or a director's job is beyond me, 7. It just plain did not
offer any biographical info, just silly scenes......in short,
save your money, and DO NOT buy this piece of crap-rent it if you absolutely MUST see it.

Positively one of the three WORST movies ever made-it reeks!!!!!
P.U. Bleagh!!!!!!

TANGOS, TRIOS, TRAVESTIES........
The is the one where Princess Margaret saw "Rudi Nudi" - for some or other reason it was selected as a Royal Performance!

Not really one of Ken's best, it's stil kinda worth seeing, if you get my drift! A fractured vision of Hollywood, circa "when it all began and when we had faces", i.e. the Silent Years, and granted Valentino was probably the first real male movie star, although today - it IS rather difficult to understand the attraction - was it the eyes? The close-up? [The other pre-Valentino male stars? Check out the make-up!]

BUT, back to this movie - it's a sad re-telling of Valentino's short life, emphasizing the menage [?] between Valentino, his ex-ballet-dancing wife, now Art director Natasha Rambova/Michelle Phillips [relax, she was a local gal, an heiress, not an import, eventually banned from the Paramount lot] and the now oddly neglected, but spectacular Alla Nazimova [Leslie Caron as a lesbian? Check out the dialogue between Caron and the newly widowed Mrs. Valentino - right over the casket! Mortice is not even rigor and the two are planning a new life! Intentionally funny??? Well, Nazimlova was bisexual, and a damn good business woman too - another Hollywood casualty. She was also Tennessee Williams Muse.]

The movie does go on and on - Nureyev is too exotic, but provides the necessary eye-candy. There are hints of Valentino's bisexuality - the "Pink Powerpuff" sequences, but we don't learn much about the man. Carol Kane shines as another vapid vamp. There's even boy-boy dancing - Valentino/Nijinsky episode in New York, pre-Hollywood. Valentine worked as a dance "escort" ["Roseland?"]. The tango sequences are good, but this Ken Russell is not too memorable - good as part of your Ken Russell collection it does not quite hold its own. Costumes and art direction ARE rather superior!

Better by faris the TV version with Franco Nero and Yvette Mimeiux - much stronger casting!

Deserves to be watched and bought for you home collection
I am not gonna talk about "Valentino"'s cinematic merits or Ken Russell's ones, for that matter. Previous reviewer has done a pretty good job on that. I'll just say that I own this movie and I watch it every so often. I enjoy it, because it is full of satirical images and it DOES take me back to the Hollywood of 20's. Of course, people should not consider it a real biographical movie about RV, but rather a huge satire with terrific costumes and wonderful cast. I must say that the film looses its edge half away thru; in the beginning you are taken by it, then it becomes more of a toy for Ken Russell himself. As for Nureyev's playing Valentino, I think that was THE INGENIOUS PART OF RUSSELL'S PLAN. Yes, it was Nureyev's first role in cinema (first and the only one, buy the way). Yes, he seems stiff at times, but I believe this was part of the idea: to "ham" it up a little in order to heighten the effects of constructed set (Hollywood of 20's). Anyone who saw Nureyev on stage/in ballet/ should have no doubts about his actor skills; he did not simply dance, he ACTED. Besides, for anyone who saw movies with Rudolpho Valentino (well, I did), com'on, how much "ham" is that, especially from today's perspective?.. NOW, think about it, Valentino and Nureyev: they had the same name, they were both dancers, they were both immigrants (suffering from not ever seeing their mothers again), they were both gay, they were both surepstars, etc. I think the similarities are uncanny! Russell took full advantage of them, by constucting a surrealistic plot, where you are not always sure whether you are watching Nureyev as Valentino, Nureyev as Nureyev, or even Valentino as Nureyev. That is possibly why Nureyev would want to play this role, even though he had not done any films before. ONE SCENE ESPECIALLY PROVES MY POINT ON THIS: right in the beginning we see young Valentino, who lived in NY then, is supposedly giving tango lessons to the great Nijinsky, who was also in NY at the same time with his troop ("Russian Seasons Ballet"). No such encounter ever happened in the real life, I am sure (Valentino was young and handsome small time jiggalo...Nijinksy's each move was monitored by Sergey Diagilev, troop's director and Nijinsky's pathologically jealous lover... Diagilev would have never allowed Nijinsky to see a handsome/ gay/Italian for private lessons or any such thing). So, how fanastic was it of Russell, to put two of the 20 century's greatest ballet dancers together in a marvellous tango? I just loved it: the idea itself and the scene! Anyway, if you watch this movie, you'll see it for yourselves. This movie is well-worth watching repeatedly.

A cinematic fantasy that provokes and enthralls
Ken Russell's "Valentino" was released in 1977 to the condemnation of most of the critical populace as well as the Catholic Church.Most of this disapproval was due to an ignorance of Ken Russell's artistic method,his intentions,and the extreme nature of some of his work.Over twenty years later with baroque directors more common and sexual and violent imagery less outre, "Valentino" deseves to be recognized as the undeniably flawed yet vital work of art that it is. Influenced by "Citizen Kane",Valentino's narrative is presented in a series of flashbacks by the people who admired,pitied,despised and loved the silent screen superstar.Ken Russell weaves tragedy and satire together to criticize the absurdities and nightmares engendered by the pursuit of the American Dream.The film dissects the obverse and reverse of stardom with its mindless and volatile adulation on one side and jealous hatred and contempt on the other."Valentino" also depicts the ethnocentism and homophobia of the 1920's-and by implication,as in most of Ken Russell's films,depicts ours as well.The film's tone is mercurial and constantly challenges you to think about what is being depicted as you are affected by its power.It enthralls as it provokes. Yet the film is not without its flaws.Rudolph Nureyev in his first acting role displays charm,grace and sex appeal-but he is sometimes stiff and lacks emotional depth.The great actress Alla Nazimova is savaged (in a very funny performance by Leslie Caron)as a pretentious and vain phony.Natasha Rambova(a very beautiful Michelle Phillips)is depicted as a shrill,grasping shrew.The screenplay as written by Ken Russell and his co-scenarist sounds unduely influenced by films of the early 1930's(though this does give the film atmosphere,you sometimes feel as if you were watching an R-rated Lloyd Bacon picture). Yet the film's merits make it worth experiencing.One can mention its exquisite art direction and costumes,its tour de force cinematography by Peter Suschitsky.But its Ken Russell's direction of its many great setpieces -choreographed with great intensity that are the ultimate proof of its genius.Not every setpiece works-one involving an empty-headed starlet brought to orgasm through sheer fantasysing while going through the motions of having sex with Valentino falls flat.But others such as Valentino's revenge on Fatty Arbunkle or the Nijinsky photo session with Nazimova and Rambova are emblematic of Ken Russell's use of images rather than words to achieve poetic comedy.Much more disturbing are Rambova's seance turned nightmare as well as the jail sequence in which various lowlifes sexually taunt Valentino and force him to urinate on himself.It is one of the most horrifying scenes in film history. "Valentino's" faults(such as its occasional historical inaccuracies and the aforementioned depictions of Nazimova and Rambova)seem irrelevant when you begin to understand that Ken Russell's intentions were not to tell Valentino's life story but to explore satiric and tragic themes based on his and his contemporaries' lives.His method is similiar to Shakespeare's Macbeth.Macbeth's raison d'etre was to enact corruption through ambition.The biographical or "real" Macbeth is of no significance to the play.Ken Russell's method is the same.This is not to say that he willfully distorts history for distortion's sake-but that he presupposes his audience will have prior familiarity with his subjects and will be able to reference both his fidelities and his departures from fact. Is "Valentino" a great film?I think it is, despite its uneveness-though I don't think it is one of Ken Russell's best films.But other great works of English art such as "Women Beware Women","Paradise Lost" and "David Copperfield" are all admittedly uneven and hopefully one day "Valentino" will be judged upon its strengths and not weaknesses -as they are. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Bourne is a lot nicer than in the book.
This is an intriguing movie and it will hold your attention from beginning to end. The plot is well conceived and there are no holes to drive trucks through. They could not have picked better actors for the characters. They may not match the descriptions in the book; but this is not a book.

The Bourne in the movie is much nicer. You have to make allowances for the transformation to the screen. However he does a lot more borrowing instead of stealing and is not as vicious with people on his travels.

Unlike the movie [Three Days of the Condor ASIN: 6300216748 (see my review September 25, 2000)], They did not let director distort the story for his own agenda. Basic story is someone wakes up with amnesia and naturally must find out who he is and why someone wants to kill him? As with all the amnesia stories he could be good, bad, or (I'm not going to say ugly) the person he is seeking.

BOURNE to be re-make..........
I've seen this tv-miniseries version of Robert Ludlum's bestselling novel many times, that I can actually say the lines and the dialogue in most scenes. However, that doesnt stop me from buying the new dvd version -- one plus, is having a new cover with Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith. The first one that came out is just plain white cover and the second version is just an artwork. So, this cover version for one is worth collecting.

This version came out in 1988 and became a big hit worldwide in rental video and in some countries, it was released theatrically. Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith, I must say, did an excellent job in this movie. Jaclyn Smith was a revelation in this movie. Well, she and Richard Chamberlain are well known-as the King and Queen of the Miniseries genre, but this is Jaclyn's first foray to the action/thriller mold and she's very good at it. There's no high-popping special effects nor high-tech flying action scenes, but this movie delivers what an espionage thriller should be. It will hold you from start to finish. It's a non-stop gripping action thriller and the photography and the musical score are absolutely fantastic.

A big thumbs up and worth watching again and again!

Mostly true to Ludlum's novel
I saw the original movie when it aired on TV, and thought it was excellent - a great combination of suspense, intrigue, and romance. Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith (the King and Queen of the TV miniseries at that time) were both excellent in the starring roles and had great chemistry together. Inspired by the movie, I purchased the book and found the movie to be fairly true to the original. To the reviewer in New Jersey, I can only respond, have you read the book? In my opinion, at least, Richard Chamberlain was much more believable in the role of Jason Bourne than Matt Damon could ever be. From what I've seen so far, the new movie will probably pale in comparison to the original.

Bourne to Review....again!!!
After watching the dvd version of Matt Damon's version of "The Bourne Identity," I can't help myself but watch again(!) the tv miniseries version. The new version is the typical action movie of the current trend to suit the taste of today's movie lovers and I can't disagree with the new audience liking it(I enjoyed it!)and it's hard not to make a comparison but the main reason why this miniseries version is, I believe--and I know most fans will agree-- is the two stars, Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith. Both stars had a chemistry that Matt Damon and Franka Potente lack. Don't get me wrong, both Damon and Potente are good but the XXX factor doesn't click at all.

Anyway, it's great having both in my collection and maybe years from now, I'll do another review and make a comparison --just in case things changes......

Great Passion
When the new one came out with Matt Dameon I was excited to see it, but was sorely disappointed. There was just emptiness, the story was changed and chopped with the loss of any of the great passion of the TV Miniseries.
The miniseries doesn't have all the special effects, but it has passion from people that are believeable and not contrived as in the Dameon movie. Their characters are real and you understand what they are feeling, from love to frustration, from fear to grief, and from confusion to loyalty. Since the Movie changed the story, none of these aspects where even attempted to be shown, just a love affair with no substance. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

King of the Wind
A most sensitive and moving film. The love the young boy has for his horse is especially touching. Great acting all around, especially by Jenny Agutter. This film is one that children of all ages will enjoy, and all adults should appreciate.

I loved this movie!!!
The movie is basically about a tale of devotion between a mute boy and his horse. The boy saves his horse from being killed because the horse was considered bad luck. And from then on the horse, Sham, and the boy stay together.I thought the movie was really great and I recomend this movie to any one who loves horses or a story of devotion. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

I Love this Movie!
I highly recommend this movie to all war or history buffs.This movie is based on the true story of the Battle of Isandlwana in south Africa .The battle was fought on Jan. 22nd 1879 between the 24th regiment under the command of Lt.Gen. Lord Chelmsford and the Zulu nation under King Cetshwayo. To make a long story short, The Zulus crushed and wiped out the entire British regiment largely in part because they outnumbered the British 24,000 to about 1,500, but also due to British arrogance(Which is pointed out time and time again in this movie)and the lack of respect and where abouts of the enemy.An allstar cast including Peter O'toole and Burt Lancaster Star in this Classic. The only Bad thing about this movie is that it is no longer in print, which to me is a real travesty, considering all the garbage that was made that still is in print. In fact i had to buy this movie off an online auction. I hope that the Movie Company that made this Great film comes to it's senses and Redistributes this movie so that it can be enjoyed on DVD as well.

Disaster at Isandhlwana
ZULU DAWN is a superb companion film to the classic ZULU, particularly since both films were written by the same man, Cy Enfield. ZULU DAWN climaxes with the Battle of Isandhlwana, which immediately preceded the Battle of Rorke's Drift, accurately portrayed in ZULU. While the Battle of Isandhlana is important, the real significance of ZULU DAWN lies in its revelation of how the British governor of South Africa orchestrated the war against the Zulu. Moreover, the British governor, Sir Henry Bartle-Frere, acted against the wishes of Queen Victoria and Parliament, resulting in the bloody defeat and near annihilation of the British 24th Regiment of Foot at Isandhlwana. The arrogance and carelessness of the British is shocking and the humiliating defeat of the British army in South Africa strikes the viewer as completely justified. The fact that good copies of ZULU are hard to find is pitiful enough, but the unavailability of ZULU DAWN is a real tragedy. It's extremely difficult to rent; it's been out of print so long that most recent video rental establishments have never been able to acquire it. I myself have only encountered two copies for sale ever, and I bought both of them (one went to my uncle, who turned me on to ZULU DAWN in the first place). Keep an eye out for ZULU DAWN in used video stores and exchange shops.

Less Heroics, More History
I really wish this would come out on DVD, it is an excellent movie. This is the 'prequel' to the Stanley Baker. . .and introducing Michael Caine. . .epic, 'Zulu.' While made almost 15 years later, it completes the story. This movie has a much more interesting cast and more accurately shows the fact that the British were the aggressors in this war. The Battle of Isandhlwana was, and is, the single most disastrous defeat of the British Army, and one brought on by the hubris of the commanding officers and the politcal operatives of the British Government. I really like this movie and have it on VHS, but it is getting worn out.

zulu's a kinkin royal butt
very well made movie
large supporting cast and known actors's
those carbines that the infantry used were
the only flaw i seen, after the ammo ran out this'
became a bayonet vs spear.

Great Historical recreation of a British Military defeat.
Very well done. Must watch this movie first and then the 1960 movie "Zulu". Also read about these events. Some shocking facts will surprise you. Excellent movies! ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Solid Political Sci-fi Thriller...
In my estimate FATHERLAND is a rare film which is superior to the novel it's based on. Rutger Hauer is excellent as dedicated Police Inspector, Xavier March( former decorated U-boat Commander), who stumbles on a plot by GESTAPO to exterminate remaining participants in the infamous WANNSEE CONFERENCE (where top Nazis engineered the FINAL SOLUTION). The premise posits German victory in Europe. And: that aging, triumphant Adolph Hitler wishes to "crown" Third Reich supremacy with alliance (or at least DETENTE) with the United States. The Fuhrer "schemes" this will permit the Germans to finally crush still-Stalin-led recalcitrant Soviet Union forces (perhaps even using The BOMB with tacit US compliance).

While Robert Harris novel's focus is REVELATION of Der ENDLOSUNG and politically-driven killing of architects of mass murder, the movie tries to deal with more. An uneasy relationship between March and his young son ( well-played by Rory Jennings) has more depth than the book and more complex resolution. The film-emphasized ironies of alliance between Hitler-led Germany and a President Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.-led USA speak for themselves. Nazi eugenics/abortion policies are given brief, but powerful rebuke in "Father-Son" breakfast sequence wherein young Pili March guilelessly relates to papa what he's learning in school. Jean Marsh has a terrifying cameo as former paramour of a targeted Nazi henchman trading secret knowledge of the Holocaust for asylum in America. Her vile gloating over the fate of the Jews is scary. Miranda Richardson essays the role of American reporter sent to cover THE KENNEDY-HITLER meeting (to be held on Hitler's 75th birthday). She's okay. But her characterization as recklessly fearless, confronting barely masked terrorism of the Police State is sometimes gratingly unbelievable. As is...to some extent...the unsurprising "surprise" ending. The film's pacing and (retro-futuristic: 1964) art direction is fine. This "WHAT-IF?" is recommended for genuinely provocative moments making it a solid, political sci-fi thriller......

ein volk! ein riech! ein fuerer!
this is a what if story about if hitler would have won ww2.its a hbo-back to the 1860s-movie so no stars in this one.the kids will probably fall asleep if they watch it.it isthe second best 3rd reich based movie ever.most of the head full of crap-forced in by society and school types will be offended .but anyone with a mind will enjoy it.the real message here is you cant belive everything you here or read.

Superb speculation about our world as it might have been.
The theme of "Fatherland" is imaginative, and constitutes one of the best "alternate history" scenario stories I have ever come across. Without giving away any spoilers, it is simple: the Normandy invasion of France is an utter failure, and Nazi Germany ultimately becomes the master of Europe, as America turns away from the European war to concentrate on defeating Japan. By 1960, the "Cold War" between Germany "Germania" (still ruled by the 75 year-old Adolf Hitler) and the United States is in full swing. The novel is set in Berlin. The plot centers on a political murder being investigated by Sturmbahnfuhrer Xavier March, of the German SS Criminal Police. More would be telling.

This is a very well done film, and I agree with some of the other reviewers that this film is even better than the book. (By the way, the book is superb as well, and also merits five stars). This is one of those wonderful films in which the musical score adds an extra dimension to the mood, and Gary Chang deserves kudos for his work here. Rutger Hauer turns in an outstanding performance as Xavier March, once again proving that this underrated actor is a considerable talent. Overall this movie absolutely convinces the viewer about how our world might have been. And thank God is not.

I trust that this superb film will soon be available on DVD.

Fairly good Movie
I happened to catch this movie on Fox26 and I thought it was a pretty good movie.

A bit disappointing after the book
I must say, as a disclaimer, that a lot of movies look disappointing after a great book. The pictures in my head are always more entertaining than what I see on the screen. That said, I think the movie was as good as it could have been. It clearly looks as though the people making it had some fun (if that's the right word) creating an image of "Germania," the united Germany Empire after Hitler won the WWII. The first few minutes of watching the movie are so disconcerting that one wants to look away from the swasticas and images of content citizens everywhere. What do you say when SS are actually the good guys? Still, once you get used to this warped atmosphere, it's possible to enjoy the movie for what it is... a good thriller. It's not more and not less. According to the premise, Russia is still fighting the war on the Eastern front, and America and Germania are deciding whether to combine their forces and restore peace once and for all. But would that truly happen if the secret of Holocaust, that everyone is trying to cover up, comes to light?

The acting was impeccable but not outstanding. I think this movie is worth seeing, but I'd recommend sticking to the book and keeping the picture R. Harris paints in the novel. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Read The Book Instead
The book is an incredible story of the atrocities and hardships that Victor Herman overcame in the gulags of Siberia...and if you can find a copy, it is highly recommended.

The movie is not faithful to the book. I would say maybe 50% of the scenes follow the book, but are so "watered down" (it is rated PG, but Herman's experience was much more horrible than could be captured in a PG movie) as to give a wrong impression and even to trivialize what Herman accomplished in just surviving the gulags. The other 50% of the scenes are just additions by the script writer and not in the book...The acting is, however, good.

It will be up to somebody like Spielberg to capture the book for the big screen...it would then hopefully be like "Schindler's List", but instead for the millions that Stalin exterminated in the Siberian gulags...

Life in a Soviet Gulag
This is a fabulous movie about the life of Charles Voorman who lived in Russia in the 30's and was imprisoned in a Soviet Gulag in Siberia for 40 years. Both a great humanitarian story and interesting from a political standpoint. Willie Nelson plays a friend of Charlie and does a fabulous job of acting. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Description

Sam Laker is an American industrialist, working in Britain, who has just been awarded an international award for industrial design. He is planning to travel to East Germany to attend a trade show and show off his invention, taking his 10 year old son with him for a holiday. Meanwhile a British Intelligence officer who served with Laker in the Second World War decides to use the opportunity of Laker?s trip and his lack of an intelligence profile to coerce him into carrying out an assassination. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Not To Be Overlooked
I can't understand why this film has been overlooked for so long. You've got Sidney J. Furie directing Sinatra and a solid supporting cast with a good storyline. Playing somewhat out of character as a fallguy trying to discover what's going on, Sinatra does an extremely credible job of portraying Sam Laker. Peter Vaughan, playing the "instigator" Slattery, is so good that I wanted to do away with him myself. It was great to see Nadia Gray again in a small but effective role. The only complaint is that it seems as though the entire film was dubbed in afterwards. There's a great and very satisfying finale that gives you reason to project what might happen next. This film deserves to be seen and I highly recommend it.

naked plot
This is a truly bad flick. Even the marketing catch phrase is nonsensical: "They found the key to Sam Laker. They wound it up tight. And then they turned him loose." You don't wind up a key, you use a key to wind something up. Good grief. The casting is also pretty wretched, with second-rate British actors utilizing German accents reminiscent of Hogan's Heroes. The kiddie actor who plays Frank's son is a cross between Danny Bonnaducie and little Anakin from The Phantom Menace. (This is not a compliment)

The plot errors contained in the two positive reviews indicate how delusional these reviewers are. The story is convoluted and ridiculous. Let's see, a commie baddie has escaped from the British and instead of using any of their highly-trained agents to eliminate him they create an elaborate web to manipulate a former sharp-shooter, who has spent the last 20+ years in furniture sales, into doing the job. Yeah...

Then again, when we consider the pre-September 11th performance of the FBI and CIA, maybe this is how intelligence operations work.

Anyhow, Sinatra is certainly at his most disinterested. He filmed this movie immediately after his marriage to Mia Farrow, and subsequently walked off the film before it was finished(perhaps to be with his young bride?). Maybe this offscreen problem contributed to the choppiness of the film. In fact, the "minimalist" approach which the other reviewers tout was probably due to this constraint. The frequent use of doubles/stand-ins for Frank's role provides some unintentional hilarity. While this movie is not as passing-a-kidney-stone painful as a Van Damme or Martin Lawrence flick, do yourself a favor skip it. Instead, check out "The Manchurian Candidate" to witness a true cold war classic as well as a performance that demonstrated what kind of an actor Sinatra could be when he actually cared.

Edgy, minimalist, Frankenheimer-esque
An exceptionally tense, minimalist film that truly exudes the whole Cold War era angst and mystery of what lies behind the Iron Curtain. Though Frankenheimer did not direct this classic, it is reminiscent of The Manchurian Candidate, but much more chilling in its unsettling view of Big Brother Communism.

Sinatra at his best (4.5 stars would be my grade)
The Naked Runner is not as well-known as it should be. Frank Sinatra plays an ex-commando who is recruited to rub out a foreign leader. The people recruit him by abducting his son and giving him the ultimatum "Kill our enemy, or else." Sinatra is manipulated cleverly and battles against his own sense of right and wrong and the desire to get his son back alive. The film is entertaining from start to finish. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Best film ever made
This movie is a cinematographic masterpiece. For me it was amazing how well the actors managed to get into their roles. I was dissapointed that all reviews talked mainly about Jane Seymour. You couldn't have done this movie without her, true! But there is so much more. Patrick McGoohan who plays the uncle is outstanding. The settings and camera work make this a winner. The photography is unique. Nobody mentioned the music. It was composed by Arnold Schoenberg (Austria) and is entitled "Transfigured Night". You can find the CD at any classical music shop. In my opinion a great movie has to have the power to involve you. For over two hours, when you see this movie, you'll be absorbed in the nineteenth century. If you like adventure, horror, drama, romance and powerful music, JAMAICA INN is whatyou want. If you love this movie I recommend "JACK THE RIPPER" with Michael Cane. Same atmosphere, same century and same brilliant acting. "Jack the ripper" also features Jane Seymour in a surprising role. Get them both now!

Not Quite Du Maurier . . .But, Good
In this mini-series adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's novel "Jamaica Inn", Jane Seymour stars as the confused yet ethical Mary Yellan, a young woman who finds herself confronting some unknown evil on the Cornish moors.

I will not critique Du Maurier's story--it is a great Gothic masterpiece which employs tone, description, plot and characterization to near perfection---read the book to enjoy Du Maurier's talent and imagination at its best.

This adaptation follows the novel much more closely than Hitchcock's earlier film. However, some twists were added to further dramatize an already tumultuous story. I must wonder why this was necessary and can only think, sadly, that the original story was thought too tame in the light of our 20th/21st century viewpoints of violence. In this version, Mary's parents are victims to the sinister plot that wraps Jamaica Inn in secret, making Mary's involvement all the more desperate and poignant. If one has read the book before viewing the film, this addition seems overdone, detracting from the original and eliminating the self-righteously ethical factor so important to Mary's character. In order to emphasize the romance in the plot, Mary's relationship with the landlord's brother tallys up more screen time when compared percentage-wise with the novel's presentation of the same interplay---there are actually more scenes in the book where the characters are together, yet the book allows you to speculate as it plays the romance off the tale of suspense and the film does not. Patrick McGoohan plays Joss with a little too much gruffness--we never really see the vulnerability and helplessness which lie beneath the surface and appear after he has soaked himself in rum. There are never any scenes with both Jem and Joss together---the necessary comparison made between the brothers is not allowed and hence, we do not quite see Mary's dilemma in her attraction to Jem or what might have attracted her Aunt in the past. Aunt Patience, played by Billy Whitelaw, would have been perfect as the once beautiful woman worn down by the knowledge of her husband's misdeeds. However,through her stern cautionary conversations with Mary, she appears too logically complacent, more a fully functioning partner to Joss rather than the frightened remains of the silly woman whose head was turned by him in the first place. Jane Seymour's portrayal of Mary includes the bit of pep that DuMaurier states but never fully demonstrates, yet she tends to be too saucy at times, playing the active willing foil to Jem's criminal antics rather than the shocked observer from the pages of the novel.

The film is most definitely capitalizing on Du Maurier's so-called reputation for escapist romance; yet the book is not a romance at all, but rather Du Maurier's grim testament to the status of women as dependent creatures, shoved here and there by their stronger male counterparts. Mary doesn't necessarily find love nor does love conquer adversity as we are meant to conclude from this presentation. There is no moral lesson scorching Du Maurier's pages. Du Maurier's vision was much more dismal---Mary, finally beaten,accepts her fate and plays second fiddle to Jem's maleness; she learns to acquiesce to her dependency. Despite these fundemental differences, the film as a romantic interlude, is still good; it fully depicts Du Maurier's Cornwall seeped in its weather and crowned by monoliths. The film's music tends to be a little melodramatic--it is of the Camille Claudel genre--I think an insiduous pan pipe along the Braveheart vein would have been a better contrast with the rain, gloom and terror than 'Transfigured Night' which doles out more of the same.

A must have
One of our favourite films. The case of lending it to someone and not getting it returned!
No longer available in PAL format unless you want to pay over the odds on e-bay, we bought this NSTC version, so we can play it on an American friend's video player.
A classic

Riveting Performances
I have watched this video at least 10 times and am impressed each time with the intensity that is ever present in this dark and terrifying story. Yet within we have a romance between the impossibly young Jane Seymour and Trevor Eve, who are both cute as can be and still thoroughly reflect the grimness and tragedy of the tale. Twists and turns take you places wholely unexpected and keep you glued even to the rather capriciously happy ending!

Beautiful adaptation
Jamaica Inn is one of my favorite books. I have not seen the older version of the movie but I think this one is terrific. It follows the book very well and is a visual treat.It has everything, action, romance and intrigue. Jane Seymour, Patrick McGoohan, Trevor Eve and John McEnery were wonderful in their parts and the music was hauntingly beautiful. I have since learned from another reviewer that the music is " Transfigured Night" by Arnold Schoenberg. I think it's a shame that it's been allowed to go out of print and hope it will be released again, hopefully in both formats. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Read The Book Instead
The book is an incredible story of the atrocities and hardships that Victor Herman overcame in the gulags of Siberia...and if you can find a copy, it is highly recommended.

The movie is not faithful to the book. I would say maybe 50% of the scenes follow the book, but are so "watered down" (it is rated PG, but Herman's experience was much more horrible than could be captured in a PG movie) as to give a wrong impression and even to trivialize what Herman accomplished in just surviving the gulags. The other 50% of the scenes are just additions by the script writer and not in the book...The acting is, however, good.

It will be up to somebody like Spielberg to capture the book for the big screen...it would then hopefully be like "Schindler's List", but instead for the millions that Stalin exterminated in the Siberian gulags...

Life in a Soviet Gulag
This is a fabulous movie about the life of Charles Voorman who lived in Russia in the 30's and was imprisoned in a Soviet Gulag in Siberia for 40 years. Both a great humanitarian story and interesting from a political standpoint. Willie Nelson plays a friend of Charlie and does a fabulous job of acting. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Description

Ray is an aging ex-socialist who has become a bankrobber after seeing the demise of socialism in 1980s Britain. Teaming up with a gang of other has-beenish crims, he commits one bank job too many. The gang dissolves in a murderous flurry of recriminations. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Nice soundtrack
I didn't remember the movie, but listening to this soundtrack I wanted to rent it again.....

great british film!
i saw this movie last night and thought it was fantastic. carlisle and winstone are great, and live up to their usual standards. the movie is kind of like 'reservoir dogs' as it deals with a hiest gone wrong, and the paranoia which follows. it also reminded me of a 'fawlty towers' episode in that every thing that could go wrong did go wrong, except there was no real humour in it. the pace of the movie worked really well, and i would say, in hindsight of my comparing it to 'reservoir dogs', that the characters were much deeper and thus the viewer is more emphatic towards their fate. a nicely suprising flick. watch it. and look out for the character julian, played by blur's damon albarn.

Face
Antonia Bird brought us Priest, Ravenous and now brings us Face, I think her best work yet. It's a gritty thriller, placed in London about a group of armed robbers on the worst day of their lives. Only few will survive that day. Our main character Ray, played superbly by Robert Carlyle, is beginning to have second thoughts about life as a criminal. He was raised by his mother in a labor/left wing environment and has a hard time combining his background with his life as a gangster. We should also mention Ray Winstone, who plays Dave, Ray's main sidekick. Ray Winstone is the main antagonist in "Nil by mouth", another very gritty movie about life in Britain after Thatcher, where poverty, alcoholism and domestic violence go hand in hand. As in that movie, only Ray Winstone could have played the role of Dave in "Face". His portrayal of Dave is excellent, and as he gets himself more and more into trouble, you can see his character crumble. All in all it's one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time and I think that if you like the style of movies like "Nil by Mouth" or the "Cracker mysteries", you will not be disappointed. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This moody little sci-fi classic has it all over the competition when it comes to possessed tykes with telekinetic powers. Midwich's mysteriously hatched brood bores into the subconscious both with their eyes and with their creepy Hitler Youth-like presence. Based on John Wyndham's 1957 novel The Midwich Cuckoos, and starring George Sanders as the most skeptical of the "miracle" parents, Village gets off to a rousing start when the isolated town of Midwich is cordoned off after some invisible knockout gas descends from above. A few weeks later, every female of childbearing age is pregnant. Much anger and consternation ensue, especially in those families for which the blessed event isn't a blessing.

Nine months later: a town full of blue-eyed, golden-haired cherubs with telekinetic and telepathic powers. The kids mature at an alarming rate and travel the streets in packs. Anyone who looks at them sideways meets with a violent accident. Barbara Shelley, Sanders's wife, is scolded by her child; a motorist who is deemed a threat winds up driving into a wall.

The film is especially refreshing in these days of computer- generated visual effects. Director Wolf Rilla, working from a script cowritten by Stirling Silliphant, generates unease the old-fashioned way: through clammy atmosphere and character development. The opening sequence, in which the military attempts to figure out the extent of the Midwich epidemic, is especially unsettling. --Glenn Lovell ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Magnificent film version of THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS
John Wyndham is today remembered primarily for his two excellent English Sci-fi classics THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS and THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS. Both were made into enduring Sci-fi films, but VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED is by far the better of the two (as well as the better of the two film versions of Wyndham's books). There are several reasons this movie stands out.

First, there is the incredible contrast between the everyday, matter-of-fact attitude of all the village's inhabitants and the rather amazing children who are born to its female residents. The village is so utterly average and unspectacular. The matter-of-factness extends to the visual style of the film as well. Some of the more compelling scenes occur early on when no one is able to enter the village without passing out. There is no milking the scenes for effect, such as when an airplane flies over the village, and slowly plunges to earth, the pilot having apparently fallen into a trance. The way several people experimentally explore the edges of the village serves to intensify the mystery.

A second reason the film stands out are the way in which the children themselves are conceived. They are genuinely creepy, with their vacant expressions, blonde, Nazi-like demeanor, and strikingly clear eyes.

Finally, the movie succeeds because George Sanders does his usual magnificent turn as the lone person the children seem to trust, and the one person who does not seem to fear them. Both his character, and the manner in which he interrelates with the children are crucial the overall success of the film.

Although more Sci-fi was produced in Great Britain in the 1950s and early 1960s than many might realize, this is probably the finest of the bunch. Not merely that, it is one of the finest Sci-fi films of the era.

A "Must-Have" for Classic Sci-Fi Fans!!!
British science fiction at its absolute best. I agree with another reviewer: there should not have been a remake and I've avoided the remake because this movie is such a great classic.

As you've probably gathered from other reviews, a whole group of fast-growing blonde children with extraordinary powers are born in a British village. The children are a little skittish and a bit unforgiving when given milk (as a baby) that's too hot, or when one of the villagers nearly hits one with an automobile. It's probably not a good idea to engage them in a game of dodgeball, either. Oh well, there are always their academic pursuits, and that's what they're most interested in anyway.

The black and white gives the film that classic creepy feeling and the special effects are appropriate for the time period. I'd like to see a DVD with additional info, perhaps a trailer, and other extras produced. The mono sound works well, but I'd also ask for a psuedo-stereo expanded sound track if possible on a potential DVD.

The film may be too intense for younger children, but the filmmakers had the good taste to not include excessive gore but rather chose to leave such things to the viewer's imagination; a far more effective and discreet technique that Hollywood has thrown completely out the window, in favor of heavy-handed shock value (unfortunately). Such discretion involves the viewer *in* the film, rather than just treating the viewer as a mind-numbed spectator. See "Village of the Damned" to understand what I mean.

Buy, rent or borrow this video, you won't be disappointed if you like classic sci-fi!!!

P.S. I think this film gave the British rock group "Pink Floyd" the idea for "The Wall" album, IMHO. Those familiar with the album will see some interesting parallels.

Superb SF classic
Don't even think about watching John Carpenter's ill-advised 1995 remake of this brilliant science fiction film. The 1960 original is subtle, tightly scripted, and superbly plotted.

In the lead role of Gordon Zellaby, George Sanders is, though a bit stuffy, mostly well cast, as is Barbara Shelley as his wife. She, and every other female of child-bearing age in the small, obscure village of Midwich, England, gives birth to a baby who grows far more quickly than is normal. In addition, these births all happen on the same day, a couple of days after a very strange blackout period lasting several hours when all residents of the village lapse into unconsciousness, and then just as suddenly pull out of it (shades of unknown viruses lurking everywhere).

This blackout period is, in my estimation, one of the very best sequences in any science fiction film of any era. It is completely strange, completely unknown as far as origin goes, and completely unexplained. The word "alien" is never used in the course of the entire film, nor is there any overt reference to visitors from other planets, although there is an indirect reference or two to this possibility, but only in one scene. The remarkable subtlety that underlies the film's tone is what makes it so resonant.

The babies demonstrate unnaturally high intelligence at a very early age and mature frighteningly quickly. All have golden blond hair and eyes that usually appear normal, but which change color when the group of children--who live and move together at all times--are disturbed enough to direct their unified powers against the one(s) who have disturbed them. This hive mentality pre-dates the Borg from Star Trek by two or three decades and is terrifically done, a tribute to both the writer (John Wyndham) of the original novel on which the film was based, and the director, Wolf Rilla.

One of the premier science fiction films of not only the 1960s, but of the 20th century, this more than deserves a DVD release. Very highly recommended.

The Village: Terrific Acting + Gripping Camera Work
By the time the 50's came to an end, Hollywood had unleashed a legion of threats, monsters,and alien invasions on the earth. These films usually involved direct assaults on cities and terrified populations by lumbering beasts (Godzilla) or flying saucers (WAR OF THE WORLDS). Yet, political events of the mid fifties began to suggest that the next threat to humanity might be more insidious, less obvious. VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED was England's reply to the continuing question to the ending posed by THE THING (1951): "Tell the world. Watch the skies." Director Wolf Rilla took the novel by John Wyndham and rephrased it to look within at the least obvious source of danger--our own children. In Midwich, England, an entire populace faints for several hours. No reason or cause is found. The townspeople awaken and life goes on as before. But not quite. Every woman of childbearing age is inexplicably pregnant. The menfolk are understandably puzzled and not a little distrustful of their wives' chastity, while the women are depressed and fearful. All the women give birth to physically perfect children, but regardless of the parents' looks, all the babies are dark eyed blondes. As these Children grow, they show evidence of telepathy, mind control, and a hive gestalt personality. What one knows, the others know. Gordon Zellaby (George Sanders), the father of the Children's leader David (Martin Stephens), is a scientist-philosopher who tries to inculcate a sense of a humanity that he knows is missing in them, even as he denies it for years. His wife Anthea (Barbara Shelley), loves her son but is terrified and helpless when she realizes that the Children are nothing less than a threat to the continuing survival of the human species. David starkly admits to his parents that either he and his fellow Children must rule earth or humanity must kill them. One of the most significant themes of this film is the Right to Survive. Humanity, over the millenia, has obliterated any species that threatened its own survival. Now for the first time, it finds itself on the receiving end of that same threat. What the Children propose seems even more shocking since their words emerge from the lips of a golden-haired angel whose very innocuousness belies the danger of his message. Many critics of this movie have pointed out the similarities of the Children to the Hitler Jugend who resembled them in looks even if not in seeming mildness. Such an interpretation made sense since memories of the Second World War were still fresh in the audience's minds. Yet, in a startling sense of cinematic foresight, director Rilla pictures a hive mentality that is more suggestive of the Borg Collective from Star Trek: "We are the Children. You will be assimilated. Resistance is useless." The Children suggest that world conquest will be gradual with the establishment of other colonies. The Children, in effect, have thrown down the gauntlet to an embattled humanity. Fight or die. Most of humanity chooses to fight. One colony of Children is born to Eskimos, who promptly kill both mothers and children, instinctively recognizing the threat to their own survival. A second colony in Russia is similarly eradicated by a nuclear device. It is only in the third and final colony in England that the rights of the Children to survive are weighed against the right of humanity to survive. Much of THE VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED is full of such pontificating. Even when the Children bluntly tell anyone who would listen that earth cannot house two competing species, the English Powers That Be refuse to accept the solution offered by their Eskimo and Russian colleagues. The solution that Zellaby offers as a compromise--to isolate the Children--is ultimately seen as ineffective. What is needed is the Darwinian survival of the fittest: kill the threat or be killed by that threat. Such a politically incorrect message could not now emerge from any Western film center, but in the curiously innocent decades following the depredations of the real Hitler Jugend, the PI message that was truly Darwinian in scope rang clearly then. I am quite sure that the Zellaby solution of "Think of a brick wall" would have been lambasted by those who identified with the scientist from the 1951 THE THING who insisted that the plantman menace in the Arctic had the right to live, even at the cost of humanity's similar right. Zellaby, of course, proved them wrong.

Cosmic Rape!
Subtly horrifying, this is a science-fiction classic. Eleven-year-old Martin Stephens is very scary as an unhuman child, and Wolf Rilla directs the film with intelligence. Check it out! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Dreyfuss affair a fair 'Dreyfus affair'?
This is an accurate account of the famous (infamous, more likely)
Dreyfus affair, a scandal that nearly drove France to civil war at the
turn of the century. And it could have been a good movie too, if
director Ken Rusell hadn't overdone it miserably by pretending
"the whole thing was a comedy"!

The film manages to get
its facts right (a rare acomplishment for a Hollywood movie), features
an elaborate production, with fine costumes and sets (although its
'Paris' resembles London), and boasts a great cast led by Richard
Dreyfuss, who gives an above-his-usual performance as the officer
trying against all odds to save Dreyfus, while disliking him
personally for being a Jew.

Why, then, spoil it with all those
cartoonish "comic" details that serve no purpose whatsoever,
except to ruin the whole picture?: A French general, at work, dresses
as Zeus for a portrait (its painter complete with pointy moustaches
and a red beret!) later on display in his office. Another general (a
fat, grumpy, bearded lout who looks a lot like Bud Spencer, and sinks
every scene he's into) sings child-like racist songs with his junior
officers at an elegant military club that seems to accept all ranks
inside its halls, for one sees in one room the entire French army,
from maréchales to privates, getting drunk, pounding tables and
shouting at each other in their messed up uniforms. There's a War
Minister serving cake to his subordinates, a chanteuse lampooning 'La
Marsellaise' (the French applaud!), a German officer -pickelhaube and
all- dancing with a male spy in drag, and a sinister meeting inside a
church, with generals sniggering as they cross themselves. My, oh my!
Aren't these the bad guys!

Seems to me, the director tried so hard
to stress the point, he completely missed it. ....


... Read more

Amazon.com

How did Bob Rafelson, the director of small-scale American studies such as Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens, find himself helming an old-fashioned adventure story such as Mountains of the Moon? Whatever the reasons, Rafelson invested this 1990 epic with passion and professionalism. The hero is one of the greatest British explorers of the 19th century, Sir Richard Burton (played by Patrick Bergin), a fascinating figure and a man out of time: a modern in the Victorian era. Mountains of the Moon is primarily concerned with Burton's trek into East Africa to discover the source of the Nile, accompanied by fellow adventurer John Hanning Speke (Iain Glen). Rafelson is at least as interested in the tricky psychological jockeying between the two men, as he is in the grueling conventions of the adventure movie, but he delivers well on both counts. The brawny Bergin is sensational in a role that should have made him a star, but didn't (though he had a shot, menacing Julia Roberts in Sleeping with the Enemy); the film disappeared quickly. Perhaps audiences were put off by the lack of marquee names and confused by the title, which refers to a piece of African landscape. Providing solid support are Fiona Shaw (another should-have-been star), Richard E. Grant, and Delroy Lindo, as an African warrior. A very satisfying excursion into the National Geographic pith-helmet genre. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (15)

European quest for source of Nile
It is interesting to consider that just a century (give or take a decade) before people in airplanes and spaceships were looking down on East Africa, the source of the Nile was as unknown as it had been in Caesar's lifetime. The discovery of the source of the Nile was one of the last prizes for European explorers during the 19th century, and that is the starting point for this film, which chronicles the expeditions of Richard Burton and John Speke, their friendship and eventual falling-out over the debate as to whether the source had been discovered.

I very much enjoyed "Mountains of the Moon", and could have happily watched a longer version, but I also have to admit that this movie doesn't succeed as much as I hoped it would. It is a well made movie, beautifully filmed on location in Africa. The script is intelligent and seems (to me) to be historically accurate to the extent that is possible in a two-hour film. The acting and music are fine. But somehow all of the ingredients don't come together into a fully successful film. I had the idea that I enjoyed the film because I already knew a lot about the subject, but someone without that knowledge might have a more difficult time with it. Overall this is a very good effort, and much credit has to be given for making a film about an African historical subject. Recommended, but especially for anyone who has already read a book or two about Burton, Speke, and East Africa.

An enlightening work of biography and the lure of Africa
"Mountains of the Moon" starts out on the Indian Ocean coast of either Kenya or Tanzania. Later expedition scenes take place around Lake Turkana in Kenya's remote "Northern Frontier District." While on a three-month "camel safari" in 1988, I met the location scouting crew near the lake. The movie touches on the vastness of Africa, and features Samburu, Masai and Turkanan tribesmen. Bergin developes his character in Burton as a tough adventurer with a sensitive humanity for non-European peoples in this film. Bergin places Burton's intentions as explorer and geographer into the motives of a modern "comparative" cultural anthropologist. His companion, John Spekes, represents our modern dullness to the rich communal values of African tribesmen that exist even now in the 20th Century. Both actors compliment the relationship between Burton and Spekes who operate under continual duress while on safari. Burton, as naturalist, desires to leave only footprints; Spekes is preoccupied with shooting all that moves. The love relationship for Bergin's character by Shaw portrays a believable admiration that is truly virtuous. The romance in this film survives the real strains of separation and intrigue. Anyone who has been "on safari" somewhere in the world will identify with this relationship. The action is believable and balanced for the whole story to emerge on its own.

How dare a white man say he discovered Africa?
Is what Sir Richard Francis Burton (Patric Begin) tells his wife Isabell (Fiona Shaw ) after she rushes in to their London home exclaiming: " Newspapers! Mr. Speke again! "

At which point one of the most intelligent and best written love scenes ensues---in one of the most intelligent and best written films of all time---as Isabell demands that the hitherto heroic Burton--who has given in to drink and despair, publically confront his former friend, John Speke (Ian Glen) who is damning him in the press, and fight to vindicate his good name.

Irony of Ironies! In the Victorian age, Burton, for all his dashing bravery was considered less 'respectable' than Speke. Burton had been the first European to enter Mecca, disguised as an Arab (he was fluent in 23 languages), a swordsman who published manuals on the use of the saber in combat, and translated The Kama Sutra and The Arabian Nights into English. He had a reputation for wildness in an age of conformity.

Speke, of the other hand, was a British officer, a member of a prominent family, and a discreet homosexual.

The irony continues. This is perhaps the best foreign film that ever bombed at the American box office. Why?

1. The heterosexual ends happily, the homosexual does not. Furthermore another homosexual, Larry (Richard Grant) plays the part of 'Iago' lying and separating the two friends into bitter rivals. Worse still, unlike, say, "Kiss of the Spider Woman " Speke, does not get his sexual fantasies fulfilled. That part of his love for Burton goes unrequited.

2. Africans in the 19th century are not represented as 'Noble Savages ' living in egalitarian harmony with each other. Rousseau would have been disappointed.

3. Outside the aforementioned outburst "How dare a white man.say he discovered Africa! Africans discovered Africa! " There is no apology for British colonialism. In fact, it's rather unimportant to the main focus of the film.

4. There were no STARS, that brought in an audience, only great actors.

( One shudders at the thought of a Hollywood remake with Tom Hanks and Tim Burton in the leads and Whoopi Goldberg delivering an impassioned speech at The Royal Geographical Society. )

This film is a glorious, true life, adventure story about the discovery of the source of the Nile. Yes, it is an "epic" , wonderfully photographed. David Lean would have loved it.

Especially since the plot is driven by the characters, not the outside world, exotic as the surroundings may be. There is a tone of melancholia, a bittersweetness that prevails throughout. It is a tragedy about the friendship of Speke and Burton. The first gay as a breeze, the second a raving heterosexual but both, (without any excuses to audiences trained to expect that only 'ordinary folks' are believable ) presented for what they were: Heroes.

Indeed if the word 'hero' did not apply to Speke and Burton, it would have no meaning. I lost track of how many time they saved each other's lives. A brilliant, subtle and touching film.

Wasn't worth the hype
A great movie if you like to see grime and only grime. For me, it is a disjointed movie. The story wasn't melded enough. The characters did not connect with each other enough to create the drama. The sex scenes are so bad that they look like afterthoughts. Poor editing. I see why ordinary mortals like me would not go ga-ga over this.

Patience well rewarded
I came to this film knowing almost nothing about Burton, Speke, or the search for the Nile; in fact I only picked it up because I heard Roger Rees was in it (he's great as always, by the way, but he only has a two-minute part at the end). However, I came away entranced and fascinated by the subject, and more especially, by the characters. Although the film is a little slow moving for ignorant types like myself, it merely requires patience for the first 20 minutes or so, before the powerful storytelling and acting overcomes any pacing problems. Patrick Bergin creates a truly memorable character, and Fiona Shaw is wonderfully...Victorian, only not. A character of true intelligence and humour, yet undeniably a product of her time. My favourite though, is Iain Glen as John Hanning Speke, who did the whole tortured/ambitious/second-fiddle-and-hating-it/sexually frustrated part very convincingly. His relationship with Burton is intense enough to unify the film as it sprawls accross two completely different continents (how civilized Africa seems next to London) and keep us caring right up to the final frames (and the belated but welcome appearance of R. Rees)! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Top of division two
While I hesitate to use the word "genius" in connection with Ronnie Barker or "Porridge" (each is, in the end, not in the first rank of British comedy) both are highly recommended for their intelligence, wit and quality.

"Porridge" is plainly not in the same league as "Fawlty Towers" or "Black Adder" or "Dad's Army" but is perhaps top of division two--an excellent example of the more quotidian British comedy series a la "Keeping Up Appearances"--not that "Porridge" has anything in common with KUA except the high standard of writing and acting.

Ronnie Barker plays a criminal who is well used to life in prison and with wit and sometimes touching humanity helps his young cellmate Godber (Richard Beckinsale of "Rising Damp") to get through each trying day inside. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Timothy Dalton was wonderful!
I have to give this 5 stars for one reason and one reason only--TIMOTHY DALTON! He was amazing in the move! Joan Collins was also great. Gotta love that Diva! If you love Timothy Dalton--and Joan Collins--you'll love this move. It does scream "I was filmed in the '80s" but it's a good film.

Joan Collins at her BEST!
This long forgotten Gem is one of the best films starring Diva Joan Collins. Many viewers might find it rather dated, filled with cliches and Dynasty-like dialogue but it's quite interesting and infectious from start to end. The film goes on for a long time, it was originally shown on TV as a mini-series...
Recommended. ... Read more