Amazon.com

This 1969 British comedy looks today like a bridge between then-contemporaneous but overlapping styles of comedy, from Terry Southern satire to Goon Show silliness to Monty Python surrealism. Peter Sellers stars as the world's wealthiest man, who sets out with a young ally (Ringo Starr) to demonstrate that people, most especially rich people, will do anything for money. The film is more a series of sketches than an actual story, and some of those get pretty nasty, particularly when a bunch of aristrocrats start feeding from a vat of blood and manure. But in general this is a pretty funny film, and it's great to see a lot of famous and soon-to-be-famous faces on the same screen. Written by Southern, Joseph McGrath (who also directed), Sellers, and Python's John Cleese and Graham Chapman. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Come and Get It!
Sir Guy Grand is a pompous billionaire who, while strolling through St. James' Park, adopts a homeless young man as his own new son. With his protegee in tow, Sir Guy proceeds to tour the town; confirming his belief that everyone in London(and the world) is beholden only to the all-mighty British quid. Things really go bonkers when the pair joins the maiden voyage of a new luxury liner. The party becomes a riot. 1969's "The Magic Christian" is a zany, riotous romp released at the end of the turbulent, psychedelic 60's. Dated it is. Starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr(as his son), "The Magic Christian" is a pre-Monty Python extravaganza featuring some funny skits, cameo bits by celebrities, and a series of long, boring episodes with Sir Guy(Sellers) lost in total self-absorption. Among the guest stars are Laurence Harvey(in a strip-tease), John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee as Dracula, Roman Polanski, John Cleese and Yul Brynner in drag. The real glistening gem of "The Magic Christian" is the vibrant music by Badfinger and Thunderclap Newman. With songs written by Paul McCartney(and sung by his brother), Badfinger was once considered heir to the Beatles. Their meteoric success capitalized on British hard-rock and lilting gentle lyrics. But after 2 band members committed suicide, they quickly disappeared. As chronicled so expertly by Roger Lewis' "Life and Death of Peter Sellers" in 1994, the British actor/superstar was an amazing whirl of selfish, vain psychosis. Hidden behind wigs and make-up, Sellers had no real personality of his own, his psyche melting into his many odd roles with unsettling ease. Peter Sellers' temper tantrums destroyed marriages, wives, children, and fellow actors. Just 2 years before "The Magic Christian", Sellers had quit the set of "Casino Royale" during production. The real failure of "Casino Royale" is the fact that it's hero, James Bond, completely disappears half-way through the film. 2 years later, nervous "Magic Christian" producers wanted to avoid another calamity, and allowed Sellers to tinker with the screenplay and take over direction. In 2 sequences, Sellers acts with his back to the camera. "The Magic Christian" is a curious mish-mash of adroit British humor, shaky hand-held photography, and cut-and-paste story-telling. This new DVD is a bare-bones, but lovely full-screen transfer. How could a big-budget comedy with the premiere performer of it's day, 2 of the Beatles(and singing by a third) go wrong? It's well worth your time to find out why. Just once.

Try this one with recreational medication
Obsurdly sureal, insanely satirical, and chock full of some of the most interesting social commentary...as well as incredibly off-beat cameos.
Try to read between the lines of (basically nonexistent)plot and you will be massivly entertained.
I especially like the entire train scene, particularly the purchase of a hot dog from a vendor.
If you like Sellars you'll love Guy Grand.

Fun to watch
Great fun, especially if you're a fan of Monty Python or the old Saturday Night Live.

Sometimes love means never havng to say "It's awful".
It will be difficalt to advise other film fans about the MAGIC CHRISTIAN. It isn't like many other movies. It doesn't have a linear plot. It wasn't made with great attention to production values. It seems to have been shot wildly - for fun - and then brought back for sorting out in the editing room. It is steeped in a bygone culture no one practices anymore (if they ever did).
But I find it interesting sometimes to see what other people do with a movie camera. Like a guilty pleasure, I like it even though I admitt it isn't "good". I like the way it makes you question the value of "good".There are a few funny jokes and a theme but I guess I like it becuase it isn't like many other films, has no linear plot, was shot wildly as if for fun, ignores production values and is steeped in a bygone culture that no one practices anymore, if in fact they ever did.
Worth a look if you're into film and have an open mind.

Two stars for conventional merit - four stars for being cool with the two stars.
"Come and get it"

Hail Eris!
I do not believe this movie is to be seen in a straight forward manner with actors, a story, etc. This is a psychedelic-symbolic film depicting discordian experimentation with capitalism using humor and not-so-subtle inferences to motivate the viewer to see things their way.

If you are looking for linear narritive with quick modern MTV style cuts and action, you will be sorely disappointed.

If you are looking for a strange series of vignettes exploring the outer limits of capitalism with iconoclastic and psychedelic humor... then you've found your film. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Western auteur Anthony Mann and aging Western icon Gary Cooper team up in this stark tale of a trio of train passengers stranded in the middle of the desert after a railway holdup. Taking responsibility for his helpless compatriots (Julie London as a sad-eyed prostitute and Arthur O'Connell as a garrulous but cowardly banker), craggy-faced Link Jones (Cooper) takes them into a veritable viper's nest in a desperate gamble. It turns out the respected town elder is a former member of the outlaw gang that robbed them, and he's welcomed back by patriarchal gang leader Dock Tobin (Lee J. Cobb) like the prodigal son. The other bandits are not so forgiving but humor the old man while plotting to unmask Cooper as a devious traitor in a battle of wits and wills. Mann returns to his favorite themes of family and betrayal with a dramatic twist and wrenches up the jagged conflict with the most spare imagery of his career: the trio hiking down an endless horizon of empty track, a lone ramshackle shack on the arid plains, the desolate ghost town where Tobin's planned bank heist turns out to be a pathetic fantasy. Mann's taut direction creates a tension that hangs in the air like the sword of Damocles over the stranded travelers and explodes in cruel, raw violence. Reginald Rose (12 Angry Men) wrote the literate if sometimes overly symbolic script, and John Dehner, Jack Lord, and Royal Dano costar as Tobin's angry gang members. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Better than you might expect

This is not a typical "B" Western. Jimmy Stewart plays a man with a dark side, and a dark past for a change. He had about given up Westerns because he found himself playing parts that were too similar too often. This one was different.

Playing opposite Julie London, who played a saloon singer whose complaint was that everyone made passes at her, she fell into a situation (along with Stewart) where she was subjected to real brutality--tastefully handled. Lee J. Cobb played the heavy, and did his usual great job. Stewart was thrown back in with his old gang, from whom he had escaped once, and again was expected to rob banks and kill.

The story was good, and the acting was superb, as might be expected from such a cast. A dark, forboding film, which will hold your attention.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

Brutality
Gary Cooper stars in this intense Western as a former outlaw, now reformed, who finds himself trapped by circumstances with his former gang. Cooper is on a train that is held up by the gang, and left behind, he, Julie London, and Arthur O'Connell meet up with the gang and witness firsthand their brutality and violence. The gang is headed by Cooper's uncle, Lee J. Cobb, who is pleased to see Cooper return. He's planning a big bank heist, the heist to end all heists, and wants Cooper to be a part of it like old times. Of course, Cooper must find a way out.

The tension in the film never lets up, as the threat of violence hangs in every scene. Cooper is fine in one of his last performances, portraying a man who has tried hard to overcome his past, finding himself in a situation where he must literally fight for his survival. London also does well as the saloon singer finally experiencing love, giving a quietly moving performance. Cobb is explosive as usual, helping to give the film some of its tension and edge.

Man Of The West is well photographed in colour, with empty spaces looming everywhere in the backdrop of the struggle. Director Anthony Mann keeps everything simple, if not elemental, not shying away from portraying the brutality of the characters and the situation. Other than an obviously "stagey" fight between Cooper and one of the gang (lots of easy to spot fake punches), there is a dark realism throughout the movie.

Man Of The West may not be a very well known Western, but it deserves to be seen.

Message for MGM: Why Pan & Scan?
I recently saw a gorgeous widescreen print of this film on TCM. This grim, brooding tale of disillusionment in the old west, like Sam Fuller's "Forty Guns" one year before it, shattered many of the conventions of the Western and helped reinvent that genre, a decade before "The Wild Bunch" or Leone's "Man With No Name Trilogy". Yes, Anthony Mann's films are violent (his direction always exhibits a brutal directness), but the body count is much lower than in any John Ford movie I've seen. It's just that Mann understood that dead bodies are heavy, they have weight, and must obey certain laws of gravity. I don't think it was the killing that alarmed most people, but the effects of that killing, as both heard in the loud thud of bodies hitting the ground and as seen in the way men must writhe around and mix with the earth as they die. Though MAN OF THE WEST was filmed in glorious CinemaScope, the only version available on vhs is an abysmal pan&scan, which is particularly unacceptable in a picture that aims to express the distance between men, and the barrenness of the landscape, by dislocating much of the action to the extreme edges of the frame. This works only if the action is shown in wide angle, but MGM, unfortunately, has shamefully compromised Mann's vision. If TCM has access to a print of the film that preserves the proper CinemaScope ratio, why can't MGM release it on DVD in anamorphic widescreen? I highly recommend MAN OF THE WEST, but don't bother with this pan&scan vhs version.

A Classic Film
Man Of The West is a classic. Gary Cooper dominates a sterling cast with his powerful portrayal of Link Jones, a former killer who has long since suppressed the demons within. However, when he meets up with his Uncle and former partner, Dock Tobin (Lee J. Cobb, brilliant) he is forced to confront the fact that there is still a killer inside him. There is a brutal fight between Cooper and Jack Lord which is one of the meanest, most vicious fights I've ever seen in film. The only flaw, as others have pointed out, is that this video version is not letterbox. Avoid it and wait for TCM to show it in its original widescreen format. Better yet, why doesn't MGM/UA simply release a letterbox version? Cooper made this back-to-back with another classic, The Hanging Tree. But Warner Home Video has seen fit to remove it from distribution here in the U.S. It's available in Europe and Canada, but not here. Idiots!

This is a Magnificent Film
This is truly a magnificent film. Acting -- especially Gary Cooper's Link Jones, a man who is drawn back into his earlier life as a killer -- and direction and script and cinemaphotography, they are all flawless. The only flaw is in this video, from MGM/UA. I've written them, trying to get them to release this in letterbox and DVD, all to no avail. Do not buy this pan-and-scan version, since director Anthony Mann took full advantage of the wide screen to tell his story. In the pan-and-scan version, Cooper is missing from much of the action. This is because it is a typically tight-lipped Cooper performance, thus he is lopped out of the frame -- even though he is central to every single scene in the entire film! This is a magnificent film which is deserving of a better fate than MGM/UA video distribution. TCM shows it in letterbox, catch it there. ... Read more

Description

Originally broadcast in the UK in 1966, The Tenth Planet marks the last appearance of the highly popular first Doctor, William Hartnell. In the 1970's the final episode of The Tenth Planet was lost, so this story never aired in the U.S. However, this specially reconstructed version of the missing episode contains the first regeneration sequence. The story centers on the return of the tenth planet to Earth's solar system. The planet's inhabitants, the dreaded Cybermen, who make their first appearance in the Doctor Who series, may prove too much for the ailing Time Lord. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

At long last...
If you only own one other Dr. Who video, your collection is incomplete without The Tenth Planet. It depicts, of course, the most significant turning point in the history of the show, the departure of William Hartnell as the Doctor. That, in itself is more than enough reason to buy this video.

As a special bonus, there are the Cybermen. Don't be fooled as I was by the still photos which gave them a cheesy appearance. They don't appear terrifying at all until you see them in action. The lip action and voice characterization are nothing less than chilling. I first saw the Cybermen in "Revenge" then later in "Earthshock" and "Attack" and found them scary enough then. Now that I've seen "Tenth" I realize that they actually got less and less scary as time went on, which makes this one the scariest ever.

The reconstruction of the unfortunately missing final episode is surprisingly and absolutely brilliant. The audio track is complete and there are stills that refresh every couple of seconds. The only times that I was reminded that it was a reconstruction was when lines of text would scroll across the bottom of the screen to depict what was happening or when brief clips of actual film would delightfully appear. And the regeneration scene is complete. So there is not much that is missing after all.

Bottom line, get this one.

A Historical Moment in Doctor Who Finally Available!!!
Sure the Cybermen look crude, the scenes of them communicating through just opening their mouths at times are laughable and the sets are cheap. Still, if you are a fan of Doctor Who "The Tenth Planet" is an absolute must for several reasons.
1) This was a corner stone moment in Doctor Who where the Doctor suffers his ultimate fate, then regenerates into Pat Troughton.
2) Its the first Cyberman story.
3) It's actually is a damn good story, well written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis and further enhanced by William Hartnell's superb swan song as the cranky Doctor.
4) The incredible reconstruction of the missing fourth episode. Through still photos, the preserved audio recording, rediscovered missing footage and preserved "regeneration scene", the people in charge of reconstruction did an outstanding job.
The final episode alone is worth the price!

Missing for 20 Years - A Must Have For Who Fans
What can I say. When I finally sat down to watch The 10th Planet, I was truly excited. I've been a Dr. Who fan for the past 15 years, and have always enjoyed the early black and white Who's; that's why I couldn't wait to see The 10th Planet. The 10th Planets plot is very simple, Doctor #1 lands at the South Pole with companions Polly and Ben only to discover that the missing sister planet to Earth, Mondas, is coming back and that its inhabitants are the Cybermen. Anyone familiar with the Cybermen will have a little chuckle when you see their first incarnation. William Hartnell, still one of my favorite Doctors is great, but you can tell that he was getting tired and probably glad that this was going to be his last story. The fourth episode is a rebuilt version since most of it is still missing, but it was enjoyable to be able to finally see the First Doctor regenerate. Perhaps not the best of the First Doctor, but The 10th Planet is a must have for Dr. Who fans. Lets hope the BBC is out there trying to find other classic Dr. Who for true blue fans!

A 5 star for true fans, for everyone else a 3
As is usual in older Doctor Who episodes (and some of the later ones as well), you have to ignore the bad special effects and use your imagination. If you can do that in this one, it becomes one of the better episodes of the William Hartnell era, not to mention an intriguing look at all of the hopes and fears of America's then (1966) burgeoning space program and technological advances. The travelers have arrived at an arctic, military run space station in the year 1986. Fascinating to see how the folks at or working for the BBC in the '60's imagined what space travel would look like in 20 years. They obviously couldn't have imagined the advances in technology that would exist in a mere two decades. Even the cybermen, former humans who have technologically adapted themselves so as to have superior strength and no emotions, bear bulky technology, have difficulty speaking anything like normal humans, and are surprisingly easy to defeat. Yet they are, at the same time, if one uses one's imagination, as terrifying as the Borg of Star Trek Next Generation and even more alien than the Vulcans. Even the Cybermen's claim that "resistance is useless" seems to predict the Borg.

Technically speaking, this series is a little rough, particularly the sound, so careful viewing is required. But in many ways, it seems a more modern series of episodes than some of the later ones, as it still seems to be a realistic view of a remote space station, and the general who runs it, although seemingly a bad caricature of John Wayne, represents all too well the kind of cowboy American thinking to which many people can still relate to all too well! The sets are wonderfully realistic and claustrophobic, and the existence of a national agency run by a Swiss man whose native language is French seems a precursor of how in the future the world would need to work together more as one body and those bodies would not necessarily be run by England and America.

I agree with the other reviewers that it would have been nice to see more of William Hartnell in his last episode, but it's kind of exciting to see the first regeneration in the show, even though it's in the lost episode which is mostly just audio of the show over stills, with descriptive information in text at the bottom of the screen. By the time of the last episode, however, one is so into the story that it's easy to ignore the fact that it isn't playing out with full video.

If you're new to Dr. Who, this isn't the place to start, but for Who fans, this is really a must episode as it's not only a well-told story, but has the first appearance of the Cybermen and the first regeneration. It's a fitting final episode for William Hartnell, who really remains the quintessential Doctor. He may not be everyone's favorite (personally I find Tom Baker much more fun and warm), but he's what the creators had in mind and every other Doctor draws from him.

Quite good!
Though one of the most important adventures in the entire history of Doctor Who, "The Tenth Planet" doesn't immediately spring to mind when you think of a 'classic' story. And I admit... it's no "Caves of Androzani" (but what other regeneration story is?), but it's tremendously entertaining and I had a fine time watching it. In fact, I ended up viewing all four episodes in one sitting... I didn't want to stop!

The story is a good one, though it was rather disappointing to see so little of the Doctor. In fact, that's the real reason why this misses that one final star from me... I loved Hartnell's portrayal of the grouchy old eccentric time traveller and I wasn't happy at all to learn that we'd have to sit through one whole episode (part three for those of you who didn't know) seeing nothing of him but a couple brief scenes of him asleep in a bed! I know, Mr. Hartnell was ill at the time, so it couldn't be helped... It's just that knowing that doesn't take away my disappointment.

Still, it's not a total loss... episode three focuses quite a bit on the Doctor's young companion, Ben, and I ended up liking him quite a lot. Polly too... a very pretty girl, very sweet. I'd never seen either of them before, as the first six years of Doctor Who are sort of my 'final frontier' as far has viewing goes (while I remain very familiar, for the most part, with the 1970-1989 years)

Even though I know many have mocked them for their appearance, I found the Cybermen to be very very creepy, not silly at all. From the bandages that seem to hold their heads together, to the bare fingers of their hands (if this story were in colour, what would those fingers look like? Would they be flesh coloured, or blue from lack of circulation? Just how alive are the flesh parts of the Cybermen? I'm under the impression that the Cybermen, at least here in their earliest incarnations, were basically cadavers animated with mechanical parts). The thing I will always get me, though, was the way they spoke... I mean, the head Cyberman drops open his mouth, holds it open, and words come out of it till he shuts it again **shudder**.

The fourth episode of this four-part adventure, sadly, no longer exists, as it's one of the many 'lost episodes' of the early seasons of Doctor Who. In its place, the kind folks at the BBC have provided us with the complete soundtrack of the episode (all dialogue, music, and special effects), and have supplemented this visually with surviving still photographs taken from the episode. It's not the same, but it works... I wasn't distracted by the change, and after a little while I was so into the story that I hardly noticed it.

I'll finish up by saying that "The Tenth Planet" is a highly enjoyable adventure with the Doctor (well, a highly enjoyable adventure with the Doctor's companions), and definitely worth a look. It's one of the very best Cyberman stories, in my opinion sharing the top spot in that category with the Sixth Doctor adventure, 1985's "Attack of the Cybermen", which I'd recommend you buy together with this story, if of course you've got the cash.

Carry on Carry on,

MN ... Read more

Amazon.com

What happened to The 13th Warrior? Directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard), it's the tale of young Arab ambassador Ahmahd ibn Fahdalan (Antonio Banderas), who's vanquished from his homeland for loving the wrong woman. On his journeys he associates with a ragtag group of Vikings who are traveling back to their homeland to confront a nefarious threat that's cloaked in such superstition they're forbidden to speak its name. It is prophesied by a witch doctor that 13 warriors must confront the evil; however, the 13th chosen man must not come from the north. Suddenly Banderas is forced into the breach, somewhat against his will. More poet than battle-worn warrior, he must not only fight the aggressors but come to terms with the unfamiliar Norse culture. What follows is a vigorous and brutal adventure reminiscent of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Sumptuous and invigorating battle sequences fill the screen from beginning to end as the brave Norsemen battle insurmountable odds.

Sounds good. So why did this film, once known as the Eaters of the Dead, sit on studio shelves for two years? Presumably because of the thoughtless editing that trimmed down the film to its bare bones, crafting an actionfest out of an epic. It's not often that you crave for a movie to be longer, but The 13th Warrior could've benefited from fleshing out of its subplots and characters. On the surface it's good eye candy with some fine pulse-quickening moments, and Banderas and the accompanying cast turn in sympathetic performances, epitomizing camaraderie in the face of impending doom. However, if you're looking for a good thematic tale from the Dark Ages (akin to Braveheart), you may be disappointed. --Jeremy Storey ... Read more

Reviews (261)

Wonderful movie....mediocre DVD...
This is the film version of Michael Crichton's book EATERS OF THE DEAD. Told through the eyes of a young Arab ambassador Ahmahd ibn Fahdalan (Antonio Banderas) this is basically a retelling of one of literature's classic epics, Beowulf. Fahadalan is banished from his homeland for loving the wrong woman. On his journeys he meets up with some Norsemen and joins their encampment (look for Omar Sheriff in a small part as Translater.)

When they hear of trouble on one of their lands, the norsemen consult their oracle who tells them that 13 warriors must confront the evil (and of course the 13th chosen man must not come from the north). Thus Fahdalan is coerced into joining their ranks. What follows is a thrilling action/adventure Beowulf style as the group tries to battle against insurmountable odds to defeat the cannabilistic "Eaters of the Dead".

Besides from being well written adventure, it is a wonderful glimpse into norse culture and mythology. John McTiernan shows us a time filled with brave but very human characters where fealty to your lord and land meant everything -- where fighting for the greater good was more important than any one man's life. This is a story of courage and survival that is at times mesmeririzing to watch.

It's main weakness is that it was unanble to fit in all the nuances and relationshop complexities that the book described so well. Many key definative moments and characterizations (most notably the cultures of the norsemen and their relationship with their new arab "little brother") are lost or edited out. This I believe was not so much the fault of the director but of the studio who rushed to get the film released. My other complaint is with the DVD version of the film, which SHOULD have included an audio commentary of some kind, and preferably some of the deleted scenes which would have developed the film more thoroughly. This it is worth seeing for fans of epic adventure and mythology. Here's hoping for a Director's cut of The 13th Warrior to be released soon.....

John McTiernan's The 13th Warrior
Loosely based on Michael Crichton's novel "Eaters of the Dead," this is a triumph in the pre-gun action film genre.

Antonio Banderas plays an Arab who joins up with twelve Viking warriors recruited to fight what seems to be a band of cannibalistic monsters who are wiping out whole villages in the Norse land. Along the way, Banderas learns their language and begins to help the warriors, who doubt his fighting abilities because of his small horse and smaller sword. After repelling an attack, the warriors decide to track the cannibals back to their cave, where they kill a priestess. After making it back to their adopted village, they wait for the climactic, gory, and vengeful battle.

I think I liked this movie so much because it jumped feet first into the mayhem, and yet kept the picture centered around Banderas and the warriors. "Jurassic Park III" jumped into the mayhem, but then started killing characters off so fast, you did not care. Here, Banderas provides a solid anchor to the film, and his compatriots are very likeable.

Another plus: no forced romance. Banderas has a purely physical fling, but we do not have a Viking fall in love with a cannibal (ouch!) or Banderas discovering his paramour in his saddlebag at the battle so she can prove even women can fight people eaters. The story is very straightforward, think of it as a remake of "The Magnificent Seven" crossed with "Quest for Fire." Another plus is the fact that the Vikings do not suddenly invent the world's first grenade or a machine gun that shoots horse dung. They have swords and arrows. They fight with swords and arrows.

The location filming in British Columbia is breathtaking. The movie is very cloudy, dark, and grim, and this works. Jerry Goldsmith's score enhanced the creepiness of every scene, and McTiernan proves he can direct some excellent action film that have more behind them than just explosions (like the first "Die Hard", although avoid "Nomads").

I think the studio marketing department screwed up this film. I expected a weak comedy about peace lover Banderas trying not to fight in a war. The ad campaign never mentioned who the enemy was, or even what time period this took place in. I think action and Crichton fans will be impressed with this film. I know I was. I highly recommend "The 13th Warrior."

This is rated (R) for strong physical violence, strong gore, mild profanity, and adult situations.

Fantastic movie that could have been even better
This movie had the makings of an epic film that could have given competition to Lord of the Rings. It was a classic tale, with good casting and great costumes. The Viking band was reminiscient of the Seven Samurai or the Magnificent Seven. It was a little bit of a letdown when you realized the evil monsters were really just a bunch of cannibals, but they still turned out to be quite a challenge for the group of heroes. Had they not cut out so much of this movie, it would have been great, instead of just really good.

A definite buy. You will enjoy watching this one over and over again.

Great movie, but missing alot.
I saw this movie maybe 8 times on the TV and once in the movies theatre. I really loved the bad ass Viking characters. They were big, tough, and smart. One thing that appealed to me is that they wore armor from different places around the world (rome, spain, germany,etc), and even under danger they were always laughing. BUt just like the book (eaters of the dead) the characters werent explored. ya heres Ewogoth, kills a bunch of guys, then dies. There is little depth to the characters or the nordic ways. Both of those are what i want. And yet for some reason i really like this movie.

Intelligent, Imaginative, Well-informed, Well-interpreted
Anyone at all familiar with Anglo-Saxon literature, especially Beowulf, the Norse Sagas and the account of Ibn Fadlan, will quickly understand that this is a superior and intellectually sophisticated piece of creative film-making. Although it telescopes history from the 6th to about the 13th century, and throws in quite a chunk of what at best might have been folk-memory from a far earlier millenium, this doesn't bother me. It scores heavily in the accurate realization of the social values and fatalistic life philosophy of this period. Particularly good is the extreme pithiness of these Northeners' take on life. Let's be clear on this: these men were amazingly tough, but they weren't stupid, they were generous in spirit, and they had high concepts when it came to how a man should conduct himself. They just didn't believe in wasting words, or indulging in a lot of useless clever talk. They lived their lives in a harsh environment, at the very edge of a totally untamed natural world. The characters are excellently acted, and the direction is highly skilled. The location was effectively atmospheric, although a little too North American to be convincing --- the Denmark of Beowulf is in fact almost dead flat, although the idea of a cave behind a waterfall was imported from Iceland. The language question was very deftly handled. I didn't know they were speaking Gaelic, which somebody wrote, but they were certainly speaking Danish and Norwegian at times. Virtually all Northeners during this age could understand each other, although they would have spoken with varying accents. It seems tragic that the footage has obviously been mindlessly mutilated by what must have been a bunch of utter morons, the equivalent of all the dullards who have panned the film. Far too much is left unexplained and unresolved: the role of the nasty fellow called Unferth in Beowulf, for instance. I would very much like to see everything totally restored as the director originally intended it. It looks like almost an hour's worth has been chopped away. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Want to see the mechanics of the Miller Band?.....
This review applies EQUALLY to Orchestra Wives and Sun Valley Serenade.

Remember the Elvis movies that were basically a thin plot excuse to have the "star" sing? Well these movies are the 1940's equivalent featuring the pre-war (and so definitive) Glenn Miller Band.

Forget about the plots which are almost identical and don't even stand up today. Boy meets Girl, Falls in love, Another girl is jilted or gets in the way, disharmony in the band, all is sorted out. Big set piece number to finish. (Both movies - honest!). In fact unless you are interested in period movie making and Hollywood fashions you can safely fast forward between the tunes. You can figure the plot as it whizzes by - though how Milton Berle (playing the band's "publicity agent" in Sun Valley Serenade) got his wise crack about the size of a girl's chest past the production code is beyond me! Must have been the war.

BUT - the real reason to own these tapes (when are we going to get the DVD versions?) is watching the mechanics of how the Miller Band produced the sound. Sure - it was shot to be showy - and it is - but it is WELL shot and you can see how the components of the sound were built - even if the "recording studios" are the size of movie studios...... Couple this with the restored soundtrack (some tracks are in early stereo!) and you have a reason to own these movies. If you can only afford one - Orchestra Wives - there are more hits on it!

FORTIES FUNFEST.
A small town girl marries the trumpet player of a travelling swing band. A very popular film in its day, this movie is infinitely more enjoyable than the title - which sounds like a statistical classification - would suggest. The cast is fun if eclectic: George Montgomery, Carole Landis, Cesar Romero, Ann Rutherford, Lynn Bari, Jackie Gleason & the Nicholas Brothers! Numbers include the zany I'VE GOT A GAL IN KALAMAZOO. ORCHESTRA WIVES was the second and final film made by the famed band leader Glenn Miller who disbanded his civilian band in September of 1942 and entered the military. Miller's Army Air Force band was astonishingly modern for its day with a much more sophisticated sound with lush arrangements accompanied by strings and superlative solos from the best sidemen in the pop music business. Miller disappeared during his flight over the English Channel on December 15, 1944: the world mourned this most popular of all Big Band leaders of the fabled Swing Era.

3.5, maybe...
Swing king Glenn Miller plays himself (sort of) as a bandleader with woman problems... problems with women married to his musicians!! A mildly interesting attempt to introduce some melodramatic social commentary about the strains that life on the road can impose on even the best marriages... A few campy catfights don't keep the wives' club scenes from dragging down the script, but the music is great. Highlights include the opening number, "People Like Us," which gives us a good look at the whole band, and a typically dazzling tap routine by the Nicholas Brothers, during the "I Got A Gal From Kalamazoo" medley finale. Miller plays his role with a surprisingly hardbitten edge; Cesar Romero, Jackie Gleason beef up the cast, and it's always a hoot to see Harry Morgan in one of his early roles as a teenage geek. Some funny references to the wartime swing scene.

Possibly my favorite Landis role...
A lot of people who commented focused on the musical numbers in the films, but I want to focus more on the cast. There were some great numbers, but my favorite scenes were the scenes that involved the "Orchestra's Wives" (hence the title!), who were really a group of catty, gossipy women--Carole Landis plays one of the these woman, and it's a switch because usually she doesn't play those kinds of roles. However, she does it wonderfully here, and it is a must for any Carole Landis fans!

Orchestra Wives
This is one of my all-time favorite movies! I was raised on Rock & Roll and became a musician during the sixties, a part time occupation that I enjoy to this day. My favorite influences were Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane and Joni Mitchell. When I began, I knew nothing of the music that is featured in Orchestra Wives nor was I interested much. I've been a working musician for 35 years and have seen all the hardship that the business offers. This movie is THE MOST believable record of the highs and lows of playing music for a living that I've seen next to its closest runner up: Prince's 'Purple Rain'. The best line in the movie is when the horn player's girlfriend complains: 'Breakfast? Now? it's almost 2:00 pm!' The world of music performance has not changed AT ALL since this movie was made and I defy any young person to prove me wrong! It's the musicians' wives and girlfriends that put up with the trials of the biz just as much as the players do. The musicians cannot sustain themselves with their support. It's a very hard road if one chooses to perform music for a living. Also, you HAVE NOT LIVED until you've checked out the trumpet solo in 'At Last'! ... Read more

Reviews (77)

Best Picture Winner of 1929-1930
'All Quiet On The Western Front' was released in 1930 and won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1929-1930. When you watch it, you will see why.

The films leading star is Lew Ayres, and he gives a very fine performance as a German college student who enlists in the Army during the First World War, along with the other students in his class, because of the professor at the college who makes them all want to become brave soldiers. We then watch the brilliantly shot action scenes, which are very realistic and sad to watch, as they go to fight on the front lines. They certainly discover the horrors of war, while we watch it. The movie is directed by Lewis Milestone, and has a very powerful, and sad ending, that you wont forget it.

Now for this Universal Region 1 DVD. Sadly, the print and sound quality are not really too great in all honesty. However, the film is very old, and still, even if its not in the condition some might like it to be, it is still very watchable. Overall, the DVD is not too bad.

This is an absolute must-have for classic film fans. So if you can pass by the fact that the print used here on this DVD is not brilliant, you will absolutely love this movie.

A heart-breakingly honest portrayal of war
Upon returning to his hometown school from which he had enlisted into duty in WWI, Paul Baumer (Lew Ayres) tells prospective recruits: "When it comes to dying for one's country, it's better not to die at all." This is the essence of "All Quiet..." In the film, war is stripped of all its glory, all its valor, all its heroism, and shown in its true state: a hell in which men are taught to kill each other and become animals, fighting not for a cause, but for survival. The film's most powerful scene is its very last, when Paul reaches out of his trench for that beautiful butterfly, a vain attempt to recapture some sense of humanity amongst the horrors that surround him. Notice that many scenes in the movie begin with director Lewis Milestone showing us marching lines of soldiers and flag-waving crowds framed by windows or doorways. This is cinematography at its finest: we see the war not as a part of humanity, but as something foreign, something unknown, like the monster that lurked in your closet when you were a child. Only this monster is real. It is war.

A generation of men destroyed by war
For a movie in the 1930's, Lewis Milestone's adaptation of All Quiet On The Western Front, based on Erich Maria Remarque's novel, follows the book reasonably well. However, rather than starting with the soldiers lining up to get the cook Ginger's stew per the novel (that part comes later), it starts with Paul Baumer's school teacher telling him and his fellow students that they are the light of the Fatherland, the iron men of Germany, the brave heroes who will repulse the enemies when called to do so. In other words, he's exhorting them to enlist, which they do, pressed into patriotism in what was initially thought to have been a quick war with small losses.

From the start, the recruits are eager to get into uniform and to the front, and are puzzled by the behaviour of burned-out experienced soldiers like Tjaden and Kat. This latter, a large, pleasantly ugly man has a knack for scrounging for food and finding enough for the group, and soon, all the recruits stick with and respect this man, especially after their first bombardment. When one of the recruits realizes he has wet his trousers, Kat tells him not to worry about it, as it's happened to better men.

The stages of attacking, the bombardment, attack, counterattack, and repulse, is presented in graphic detail for that period, with the shots of men dying by artillery shells, being bayoneted, or machine-gunned. Some recruits go crazy waiting in the bunker during the bombardment, and one of them rushes outside, only to get cut down by bullets. And the aftermath isn't pretty for some. Franz Kemmerich ends up in the infirmary and has his leg amputated. From the grueling experience of phantom limb pain to the realization that one has lost his limb, the greed of some like Muller who wants Franz's nice boots, to the unconcern of the doctors who see Franz's death as another free bed, war is hell.

War changes people's perspectives. Paul fights and stabs a French soldier at close quarters in a foxhole, and he pleads and apologizes to the dying man, telling him that without these uniforms, they could be friends, and promising to write to his wife. And on leave, Paul is clearly alienated from the older civilians who have no clue that war has burned out his soul, and just keep telling him to give those Frenchies a licking and push on to Paris. I'd go for Tjaden's solution to war: get the politicians and generals wearing just their underpants into a big field and fight it out with clubs. But the discussion of the soldiers yields something still relevant: manufacturers want a war to sell more arms.

The subplot involving the butterflies is new, but the shot of the soldier reaching for the butterfly before being shot by a sniper symbolizes a soldier's whose burned out soul is suddenly heartened as seeing something beautiful, and suddenly thus illuminated within, reaches toward it.

All Quiet On The Western Front deservedly went on to win four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, in the US. However, Joseph Goebbels' antics in Berlin demonstrates how Germany was in a state of war denial. The incident at a theatre of the second night showing of the movie involved Goebbels' men starting disturbances and yelling anti-Semitic epithets that resulted in the film's termination after ten minutes. Goebbels hadn't even seen the film; he merely wanted to demonstrate Nazi power in Berlin and discredit Albert Grzesinski, Prussia's Interior Minister who was a Social Democrat. When the film was banned by the Board of Censors because it "endangered Germany's image abroad", the headlines of Goebbels' newspaper Der Angriff (German for The Attack) read "Grzesinski Defeated."

One of the few war films I'll watch due to its pacifist message, denouncing the glorification of war. The prologue at the movie's beginning, taken from Remarque's book, says it all: this story is neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all, an adventure. For death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men, who even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by the war.

Pitch Perfect Adaptation of the Best War Novel Ever
For only $12, this movie is a steal. AGOTWF won the academy award for best picture the year it came out and, over 70 years later, it is easy to see why. A blistering indictment of war as wasteful and tragic. The way the movie captures the enthusiasm and innocence of the boys as they fight and die for reasons they don't understand is brilliant. Note the progress of the prized pair of boots as it goes from soldier to soldier. Especially relevant movie in our troubled times.

The only true anti-war movie
It would be a mistake to think of this movie as a war movie rather it is the only true anti-war movie I've ever seen. Unlike most so-called anti-war movies there is no glory, no heroics and no over-dramatized deaths in this movie, it is perhaps the most realistic movie I've seen about war, or to put it more aptly, the most likely depiction of war. Put that doesn't mean this movie is boring or an escapade of Art, no this movie is both entertaining and chilling and it is definitely a movie you should see before you die, otherwise you'll regret it, as it will probably be one of Gods favorites, lousy hippie. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Children of Tama are a mysterious, rarely encountered race whose language is indecipherable even by the Universal Translator. This is because Tamarians speak in metaphor, which is strange and poetic, but, without a frame of reference, also gibberish. After yet another failed attempt at communication, the Tamarians take drastic measures: they kidnap Picard and beam him to the surface of a hostile planet along with their own captain. What follows is an interesting, well-acted story of the struggle to understand.

Don't be put off by the premise. "Darmok" is one of the best episodes of TNG. It's action-packed and holds its own next to "The Best of Both Worlds, Part I," "Time's Arrow," and "Descent." Thanks to Joe Menosky's brilliant teleplay and Paul Winfield's solid acting, this uphill battle in futility shows what probably would happen when two truly alien races attempt to communicate. There is genuine desperation in Dathon's (Winfield) eyes when he attempts to explain "Darmok and Jalad at Tenagra" for what seems like the millionth time. Watching Picard struggle to understand is downright painful, as is the inevitable confrontation that follows. The viewer comes to care what happens to the Tamarians. We want to know this alien race; but at the same time, we also know we'll probably never comprehend them.

In series television, it's almost unheard of for a show to depart from canon. TNG takes a huge chance with "Darmok" and the end result is worth watching again and again. --Kayla Riggney ... Read more

Reviews (15)

One of the best TNG episodes
Next to "Best of Both Worlds" or "Yesterday's Enterprise," "Darmok" is one of the most intelligent and vibrant episodes of the entire Next Generation catalog. Picard's attempts, and eventual success, to communicate with the Tamarian captain, wonderfully portrayed by Paul Winfield, is splendid. Obviously, most Star Trek stories, whether they be the original series or TNG, offer socio-political commentary on our own society, this episode is no different. It basically teaches that communication with peoples or entities that are different than us can be accomplished if one is willing to try. "Darmok" is Patrick Stewart's finest hour in TNG.

In order to read, you must have read.
Have you ever read The Canterbury Tales? Allusions to classical literature abound. These references were a sort of shorthand or jargon of the time, a way of saying much by saying little. To refer to Zephirus, for instance, is to mention the warm, sweet breezes of Spring and to conjure up that time of year, with all of its freshness and new life.

Episode 102 presents a culture in which this sort of idiom is carried to the extreme. The words are getting through, but the meaning is not. The struggle of the two captains, the alien and Picard, to bridge the gap is brilliant and fascinating.

This is my favorite Star Trek episode of all time, of all generations.

Magnificent.

The best episode from the 7 years of ST:TNG
"Darmok" remains the best of the best of the seven years ST:TNG was on the air. In a short 55 minutes, one has learned a new language. Think of it: at the time Picard speaks with the Tamarian First Officer, the language exchange (if you paid attention to the whole episode) is completely understandable. There is no need for a translation scroll at the bottom of the screen...and was wisely done that way.

Highly recommended.

A testament to the excellence of season 5...
"Darmok" captures what is the heart and soul of Star Trek: discovering new races and learning to coexist with them. In this episode, that is no easy feat for Picard, who is trapped on a planet with an alien captain who talks different from everyone else. The two cannot understand each other, but as a monster hunts them down, it becomes apparent that the two must learn how to communicate. This is a phenominal episode, downplaying the action and instead building on the characters of the alien captain and Picard. It's not just good Star Trek, it's great science-fiction. While the monster effects are very subpar (they always are for Star Trek), the being itself is of little importance to the story. What is important is how Picard and the other captain learn how to communicate. Truly a wonderful episode.

An example of how Star Trek can be a good base for new ideas
One of the things I like about Star Trek was the ability for it to be a platform of new ideas. This episode certainly shows that strength- it's not loaded with special effects and technobabble but it shows good acting and an outstanding idea in having a race which talks solely by example. Though I've not watched much TREK recently this is one of the episodes I remember. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

great career starter
I remember watching this in high school. Every character stood out on their own. Donna Dixon was my favorite-playing Sonny Lumet-beautiful and brainy. Wendie Jo Sperber was also wonderful. It She had the best lines. I always liked to see Hanks and Scolari get into the women's clothing before they got caught. Every episode is very funny and it's nice to seethem again!

You can't go wrong!
I have been a Bosom Buddies fan since the show came out. Why it still doesn't air is beyond me. This and all the other video's are must haves. When ever I need a smile - these are the tapes that do it! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Classic Episode
For starters, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" is a classic, and this is THE episode that fans always remember. The magic of this episode is that it's so un-Mary. Dear, sweet, genuine Mary wouldn't be the person you'd expect to behave this way. The episode isn't really about death so much as it is about an embarassing moment, which we've all been through. When Mary Richards cries, you can't help but feel for her!

Finally, I saw it.
Well I had been hearing about this episode for years. I was pretty young with this show was out so never really saw the series.

In this show, a TV clown, who is grandmarshal of a parade shows up dressed like one of his characters. "A Giant Peanut" a rogue elefant unfortunatly breaks loose and the clown is killed when the elefant successfully tries to shell him. EVerybody in MArys office is at first shocked but then cannot help but laugh at the incident. MAry is shocked at their insensitivity. However when Mary attends the clowns funeral.........
Taking into consideration that this show is nearly 30 years old I really enjoyed it. Some of the set-ups were a bit obvious now because they are typical sit-com set ups but remember that when this show first aired they were not, in fact this is one of the shows that created the road down with many of todays sitcoms go.
So for a dose of nostalga, or even if you never saw the show in it's heydey you need to get at least THIS episode.

Considered by many to be the funniest sitcom episode ever
"Chuckles Bites the Dust" (Episode #127, October 25, 1975), remains the best episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and is one of the classic situation comedy episodes of all time. Unless you have been living on another planet you know that Chuckles the Clown is killed when he is dressed as a Peanut and a rouge elephant attacks him. Mary is aghast at the gallows humor that compels the guys in the newsroom to keep making bad jokes. But then at the funeral it is Mary who has an attack of the giggles. Stop and think about it: on how many episodes of MTM does MARY get the big laughs? This is the proverbial exception that proves the rule, big time. Both writer David Lloyd and director Joan Darling earned Emmys Awards for this episode. For that matter, Mary Tyler Moore won for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and the show won for Outstanding Comedy Series, probably on the strength of this legendary episode.

Total Classic
"Dear sweet Mary"... of everyone in the WJM newsroom,(and for those of you who know and love her like i do) she is the most loving, caring, genuine person there is - so when she finds the humor in Chuckles' death at his funeral it is hilarious! you would expect this from any one else, NEVER Mary. But the total humor in it is when the Priest praises her for laughing "that's what Chuckles would have wanted"... then she begins to sob like crazy- total classic! 1 more thing: in Lou's office, for those of you who don't know, the pix of him on the wall in his football uniform is really him! What a hottie, eh? :)

One of the (hee hee) all-time classic (heh heh) episodes
This is an episode about (hee hee) a horrible tragedy. Chuckles the Clown is in a parade, dressed as a (titter) peanut. And then something dreadful (hah hah) happens. A rogue elephant (snort) tries to shell him.

The people of the newsroom try to deal with the death in predicted ways. (heh heh) Lou and Murray can't help laughing; Ted is (snicker) bewildered; and Mary is simply horrified.

Then, the funeral comes, and the famous line "A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants." And Mary ... just ... can't ... help herself.

What makes this episode so memorable? Because we all know what that's like. We've all had a hard time controlling laughter during serious and/or embarrassing situations.

One warning: Your memories of the funeral scene with (heh heh) sneak up at the most inopportune (chuckle) times.

Anne M. Marble Reviewer, All About Romance ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The Best!
The best of the series,without a doubt.Filmed on location in Georgia,this episode has a different feel than the rest of the series.A free spirit,fun loving episode,yet still with Jesse Duke's inbred decency and character upon Bo and Luke.Future episodes clashed with this debut's statement that Luke owned a car that he loaned to Cooter,and the lack of mentioning that Cooter owned a garage (Cooter was far more wild in this episode than he would be later).To think if the series would be different if it had stayed in the Covington area and not Hollywood boggles the mind....imagine a "country" show filmed in the country...that would be unimaginable!!!
If you have never seen this episode.....you need to....the action and characters "actions" will surprise you!! But thats a good thing!

The greatest Dukes of Hazzard episode of them all!
Not only the greatest Dukes ep ever, but perhaps the best episode of TV ever. This is the Dukes with a realistic flavor. Those aren't TV sets, they are real buildings that still exist in Covington and Conyers, GA, today!

If you are a Dukes fan, YOU MUST buy this episode. If not only to see how it all begins, if not only to see this classic American tale, but because TNN does such a hatchet job in cutting this one up in re-runs, you can't follow the plot and many of the episodes', and series', great scenes! But you can here, and you learn of the story between Bo and Jill Rae Dotson (Tisch Raye) that TNN doesn't show and are essential to the plot, which is based on a real life tale of a slot machine racket writer Gy Waldron discovered doing research creating Dukes. Raye, who would later marry in to French royalty and retire from acting, two years later landed a guest spot on Charlie's Angels in an episode entitled, "Moonshinin' Angels". This role unquestionably helped her land that one.

From the opening scene, where a Hazzard Co. Patrol Car and the General Lee jump over a hill on Covington, Georgia's Elm Street, to the final joke of Rudy (played by Jason Lively, the son of Ernie Davis Lively, who played Dobro in this ep and appeared in three other Dukes eps as two other characters. Jason himself would be the focal point of the sixth season episode, "The Boar's Nest Bears") squirting flies on the General's rear windshield, this show is captivating. There is action, four, count 'em, FOUR car chases! But there is also drama, mischief, and a tale that really leaves no gaps. So many people think of The Dukes of Hazzard as a slapstick show, but that dumbed down feel of the show is absent here. Watching this makes you wonder how good Dukes would have been if they had continued to shoot in Georgia and followed Waldron's vision, rather than move the show to California and adopt hack writers from Gilligans Island and McHales Navy to "Hollywoodize" it.

If you love the Dukes of Hazzard, this is a must for your library. You cannot enjoy the show in its proper context without seeing the above missing scenes! And if you're a southerner looking for a feel of rural southern life in the 1970's, look no further. This is it.

"One Armed Bandits" is such a quality piece of television die-hard Dukes fans have been known to memorize every line of dialoge to it and travel to Covington and Conyers to check out shooting locations! Let's just say I still remember vividly watching this episode for the first time on its very first airing on Jan. 26, 1979, and I was seven at the time. For a memory like that to be imprinted on such a young mind, this episode must really be something special. You will agree after viewing it. Five stars do not do it justice. It should receive an infinite amount of stars.

It is the best Dukes of Hazzard of them all.
Because it was also in Georgia, and they were having fun instead of being bored when they went to Burbank, California.

Awesome
This is the Dukes Of all Dukes and the first Dukes. The boys steal some slot machines to help out the county orphanage and help Rosco win the county sheriff's election as well.The dukes raise the money and give it to the orphanage saying Rosco raised the money to help the orphanage. This helps Rosco as well, and he wins the election for sheriff. Not a bad job by the dukes to help out the needy. Good high speed chases and a HOT Daisy Duke in a bikini!!!! ... Read more

Description

A machine that drains evil from criminals' minds is the secret weapon in a plan to destroy the Doctor and doom world peace.Includes a bonus clip of the only surviving color footage of this historic 6-part adventure. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Intriguing evil, somber tone, great suspense
This is my all-time favorite Dr. Who story. The evil of the prisoners is quickly dwarfed by the rapacious evil of the hungry creature inside the Keller Machine. Given that it soon learns to move right through walls, the suspense factor increases, as you never know where it will show up next to gobble up the minds/life forces of a few victims.

This classic Pertwee story includes a good moral look at what evil is and what it fears the most. And the fact that it is all in black and white keeps the story gritty, displayed in muted tones against sufficiently dull backgrounds to keep the look and feel of the prison real. In this one instance, I can forgive the BBC for having trashed the color copy. I think B&W improves this one.

Add to this mix the current (at the time) tension with communism, the fear of nuclear war, and you've got an interesting, thought provoking Doctor Who classic.

Doctor Who The Mind of Evil
This was a very good set of episodes of Doctor Who
entitled "Mind of Evil" which had an interesting
premise the Doctor (Pertwee) and Jo (Katy Manning) investigate a machine that feeds of evil and kills
those who are consumed by it. Very neat. Now throw in
some special effects, and the menacing character
of the Master (Roger Delgado), a murder conspiracy,
the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) and there you
have a great story.

If you don't know who "The Master" it was an evil and
rather brilliantly created arch enemy to rival that of
the Doctor. Just like Lex Luthor was the arch enemy to
Superman, "The Master" was the nemesis to "The Doctor". He had special powers such as hypnotism, and the power to change form. Also like "The Doctor" he could also travel through time. Roger Delgado did a great job establishing the role, before he unfortunately he died in a car crash.

As stated The Doctor and Jo Grant are investigating
a machine that feeds of evil, although they dont know
it yet. They receive an invitation to a mental prison
where a new machine is being used to try to rehabilitate criminals, the Keller Machine, created by Professor Kettering (Simon Lack). However, the machine does not help the prisoners, but it kills them. At first Professor Kettering does not know what to make of it. When Doctor and others investigate the murder they find the victims are being killed by their own fears , which are in part fed of the evil inspired by the victims.

Meanwhile Unit and Brigadier are hosting a peace
conference that has gone wrong when certain important
delegates are missing. The Brigadier thinks these
mishaps might be due to a sinister female Chinese
Captain named Chin Lee (played by a real life Asian
woman named Pik Sen Lim). I don't know too much about
Miss Sen Lim, but she looked like a great actress
(and she was pretty too). This was a big deal because
Asian actors were practially nonexistent in the
1970's up until now. The only Asian persons that
got speaking acting roles were action stars and celebrities like Bruce Lee. Take into consideration that these episodes were done in 1971, right in the middle of Vietnam, so there
was a considerable amount of hate and racism toward
Asian people and actors in general, but the BBC prooves here that they weren't one of them, so in that regard the BBC deserves alot of respect and credit.

Anyhow, the Doctor himself tries to find out how to stop
the Keller machine and is almost killed himself (in a
rather badly special effected, but otherwise entertaining scene). However, that's the start of the problems for Doctor and Unit as it's revealed that the Master (Roger Delgado, one of the best actors in Doctor Who) has been playing a hand in the machine, the mishaps of the peace conference, and the mysterious Chinese
Captain.

Overall, this is one of the most interesting Pertwee episodes out there, but it has been somewhat overlook by Who fans. However, you should definitely check it out. It has
a rather great story, the effect ain't bad, and theyre
is much action and the episodes are unpredictable.
You should definitely watch this episode "The Mind Of Evil".

Harbinger?
All I can say is that President Bush would love this Who story. It involves concealing weapons of mass destruction, but not by Iraq. The guilty nation happens to be one of our strongest allies, BRITAIN!!! The rest of the story is quite appealing and keeps the viewer's interest throughout.

Is this the lost plot for Batman and the Riddler?
Quite an eye opener for fans of the Doctor.

The premise of the story lies in the ability of the Keller machine to remove evil impulses from men's minds. It is thus seen as a beneficial aid to social development and the answer to the dreams of penal reformers. Alas the situation is much more complex.

At the same time there is another peace conference in prospect while the plot is complicated by UNIT having to move a nuclear missile while the conference is in session.

The writers of this Doctor Who adventure were clearly cognisant of contemporaneous world events and had no hesitation in including them as an integral part of this youth orientated show.

The Doctor is portrayed as a sceptic and this alone ensures his attendance at the prison where the Keller machine is based only to experience the first indications that something is seriously wrong.

The plot has been well documented elsewhere among these reviews so I will not repeat it here.

This particular adventure is one of the more overtly political of the series, exploring issues of crime and punishment and war and peace. There are some stereotypical views portrayed, with the Chinese, not the Soviet Union being exposed as the villain of the piece and of course it is the American delegate whom the Master is attempting to assassinate.

The question of penal reform is clearly a central concern as is the obvious conflict between the call for peace and the ownership of nuclear weapons.

As far as the actual production is concerned there is some good footage of action shots on location but these are undermined to some degree by the ineffectual studio portrayal of the prison.

Overall this is a steady performance, not one of the best but one certainly with some provocative and controversial ideas.

We believe what our minds tell us to, Jo.
The initial scene in The Mind Of Evil is reminiscent to that of A Clockwork Orange, the controversy of aversion therapy. In the Mind Of Evil, the theory is that "anti-social behavior is governed by negative impulses." The Keller Machine removes those evil impulses, "leaving a rational, well-balanced individual who can take his place as a useful if lowly member of society."

The Doctor visits Stangmoor Prison, the site of the Keller Process, because he is worried about it. His worries appear to be justified. First, the machine overreacts when treating Barnham, a convict. It turns him into "an idiot or a saint." Then, two people die in rapid succession under weird circumstances. A medical student dies of heart failure along with rat-like bites and scratches, and the machine's operator, Mr. Kettering, "drowns in the middle of a perfectly dry room."

It turns out that the machine houses a Mind Parasite that lives off people's phobias and kills them. It even attacks the Doctor by plucking his fiery experience from the doomed parallel Earth in Inferno.

Meanwhile, the Brigadier has to deal with the disposal of a nerve gas missile, the Thunderbolt, and the World Peace Conference. Things worsen when first, documents are taken from the Chinese delegates' quarters, and worse, the delegate ends up dead. A young Chinese captain is at the bottom of the latter, but who's her controller? Yes, the Master.

There's a funny scene when the Doctor and the Brigadier visit the delegate Fu Peng. The Doctor quickly wins over the forbidding Fu Peng by speaking to him in the Hokkien dialect, while the poor Brigadier, left out, watches them chatting over tea. The British may think they are civilized, but to the Chinese, they are barbarians. It's a classic example of Occident versus Orient. We also learn that the Doctor once met Mao Tse-tung, presumably during the Long March.

Jo proves herself resourceful when Mailer, a nasty piece of work, organizes a prison uprising. At first at his mercy, she uses her UNIT training to knock the gun out of his hand. Once Mailer's down, the uprising collapses. And she's ever the gentle caretaker of the oversized Barnham, whose usefulness in dealing with the Mind Parasite emerges in Episode Six.

The Master shows himself to be a strategic and tactical genius here. He plans to steal the Thunderbolt and launch it, creating a world war. In the chaotic interim, he takes over. For this, he stages a second uprising, which succeeds, and hires Mailer and his thugs to hijack the Thunderbolt. He also succumbs to the Keller Machine, and guess what he sees as the embodiment of his fears?

This isn't a good story for Sgt. Benton, who is mentally attacked by the Mind Parasite and is clubbed by Mailer during the hijacking, or Captain Yates, who's injured in the same ambush, then captured at the hangar housing the stolen missile. Speaking of the ambush, the camera angle and the approaching motorcade reminded me of how Kennedy was assassinated and how the Grassy Knoll gunman must have been positioned, ready for a turkey shoot.

This is the only Pertwee story on video not available in colour, as those prints got trashed in the BBC purge. It's still enjoyable, though.

Result: A well-done James Bond-ish story crossed with a bit of international relations, and the human mind. Chinese Captain Chin Lee's accusing the "imperialist Americans" of stealing top secret Chinese documents is a well-timed and still relevant dig at us and our militant foreign policy. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Man from uncle are great
The first one is a little more wild than i like but the second on is the best I have seen.They are great guys I like it that the good guys always win at the end.

George Sanders steals Vol 2 in great dichotomous style
Why 5 stars you may ask? This volume really shows us the dichotomy that existed between the First and Second Seasons of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." television series. "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." was a great extension of the James Bond cinematic phenomena created in the 60s. "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair" and the follow-up "The Yukon Affair" couldn't be more different in tone. But that's what made this series so dynamic. George Sanders steals both episodes.

An UNCLE classic
The first show on this video is the sparkling Gazebo in the Maze affair, featuring the talented George Sanders as Squire G. Emory Partridge. This one is a classic example of how good this show was to begin with. The dialogue is crisp, and not to be missed are Jeanette Nolan's wacky Edith Partridge and Leo G. Carroll in biking attire! Written by Dean Hargrove, who should've done more episodes, this one has the kind of dialogue in it that made the show so popular. Illya is kidnapped by the Squire, who has a grudge against UNCLE, and it's Napoleon to the rescue (well, sort of, since he promptly gets captured as well). The classic line from this one is when they are escaping through the maze, while being chased by a gamekeeper and a very large, nasty looking wolf. When the gamekeeper accidentally is attacked by the wolf, Illya murmurs, "bon appetit!" Definitely a keeper!

The second title brings back the squire, minus his wife, for a less clever episode. It's okay, but it definitely lacks the sparkle of the first. However, Illya manages to kiss the cute little Eskimo, and both agents wind up in the hospital. Not as clever or as imaginative as the Gazebo affair, but not as silly as some of the third season episodes, either.

Gazebo in the Maze and Yukon Affair
Though "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair" and "The Yukon Affair" are something like a two part episode, "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair" appeared in UNCLE's first season while "The Yukon Affair" appeared in UNCLE's second season. If you read on you'll find out why I'm only giving this volume only 3 stars.

Episode 27 "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair": A long time ago, Napoleon and Illya stopped the plan of Squire G. Emory Partridge (George Sanders) to control a small country in South America. Now he wants revenge. He kidnaps Illya and lures Napoleon to his manor in Eastsnout. He captures Napoleon and wants to have Napoleon and Illya convince Mr. Waverly come to Eastsnout to try to bring UNCLE down. They refuse though and Partridge, together with his wife Edith (Jeanette Nolan), torture Napoleon and Illya. Peggy Durance (Bonnie Franklin) helps them escape fortunately. The only thing is, the dungeon is right in the center of a maze in which it is filled with all sorts of deadly traps.* Great episode with a great plot. In the second season of UNCLE, they made it so Partridge returned again, in The Yukon Affair. I definitely prefer this first one with Partridge though. The part when Napoleon, Illya, and Peggy are trying to get out of the maze is really exciting, especially with Partridge, his henchman, and a wolf looking for them.

Episode 43 "The Yukon Affair": Sqire G. Emory Partridge (George Sanders) has returned and has acquired in Alaska a large quantity of Quadrillenium X, a very heavy metal with high magnetic powers which THRUSH wants. Napoleon and Illya are sent there to try to stop him but are immediately captured by Eskimos, but are saved by the chief's daughter Murphy (Tianne Gabrielle). Partridge and his niece Victoria (Marion Thompson) again capture them though. Will Napoleon and Illya be able to escape and find the cache of Quadrillenium X? * Weak and stupid plot, not very high up in my list of favorite UNCLE episodes. The scene in the beginning where Illya and Napoleon are in UNCLE headquarters is the best part of the whole episode, the rest is just too silly.

George Sanders returns twice as G. Emory Partridge
Volume 2 in the "Man from U.N.C.L.E." video collection features George Sanders as that most urbane bad guy, G. Emory Partridge in a pair of episodes from 1965. First up is "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair" (Episode #27: April 5, 1965), where it turns out that Partridge has not really been dead these seven years since last the boys saw him. Partridge kidnaps Kuryakin as a trap for Solo, with the aid of his strange but deadly wife, marvelously played by Jeanette Nolan. Dean Hargrove and Antony Ellis wrote the script for this above average episode, based on a story by Ellis, while Alf Kjellin was the director. Partridge returns in "The Yukon Affair" (Episode 43: December 24, 1965), although I am sad to report Mrs. Partridge does not make an appearance this time around. Like most sequels it is somewhat disappointing, especially since Sanders and Nolan were such an interesting tag team. Anyhow, Partridge tries to kill Solo with a big rock and then Waverly sends the boys off to the Yukon to track him down. While this certainly gives a whole new meaning to the idea of the Cold War, this is an okay episode that is just not as good as "Gazebo." In both of them the cheif charm is the way Sanders proceeds to do his evil deeds with such charm and grace. Marc Siegel wrote the "Yukon" episode, which was also directed by Kjellin. ... Read more