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Carol Reed (The Third Man) directed this 1965 portrait of the relationship between Michelangelo (Charlton Heston) and Pope Julius II (Rex Harrison), who commissioned the artist to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Based on a novel by Irving Stone, the script plods along, juggling the dynamics between the two men along with a somewhat perfunctory love story and distracting battle sequences. Reed seems more attuned to the nuances and great pains of the artistic process, as seen in sequences of Michelangelo working. But the overall focus of the film is unfortunately fuzzy. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Almost a spiritual journey
Though I am useless at sculpting and almost so at painting, I have sort of adopted Michaelangelo as my creative mentor. This movie cemented that thought.

Michaelangelo is a master sculptor from Florence, carving the tomb for the warrior-pope Julius (no, he isn't dead yet even though they're carving his tomb). But Julias drags him from his commission for another one-paint the ceiling of the Sistine chapel with "appropriate designs." Michaelangelo, who has only dabbled in fresco painting, is both enraged and inspired. He destroys the paintings and runs away from Rome, but returns when a vision shows him how the ceiling should be. Both men, creator and destroyer, artist and pope, are changed forever by the "work of love" that is the Sistine Chapel.

Charlton Heston was in fine form in this movie-he makes you feel everything that Michaelangelo feels. I sometimes think that the real men rather than the monuments (like Moses) that he plays are more his style. He does it realistically, wearing ratty clothing and often covered with paint dribbles. Michaelangelo does not stay the same-at the end of the movie, he is a humbler and wiser man than before.

And don't diss Rex Harrison-once I got over the "Doctor Doolittle as pope" thing, I found him very enjoyable. He manages to overcome some lines that would make me giggle in his place, including, "Is it proper for your pontiff to conduct Mass in a barn?" He makes you hate Julius initially, but as the movie progresses you grow to love him as much as Michaelangelo.

There are some truly excellent secondary characters, like Tessina the noblewoman who sort-of-secretly loves Michaelangelo, but understands that his paintings come first. Her brother, a Medici cardinal, seems a bit stilted, though. Tomas Milian plays another famous Renaissance artist, Raphael, who shows up with only a few lines of dialogue, but changes the course of the movie. Oh, and watch out for ice-cold architect Bramante.

Combine it with the glorious shots of the Sistine chapel's ceiling and Heston painting mockups, and you have a movie that deserves to be a classic.

The Grandeur that is Charlton Heston
The Ten Commandments, The Buccaneer, Ben-Hur, El Cid, Planet of the Apes, all great Charlton Heston movies to be sure. But this movie, Mr. Heston's performance as the passionate and complex Michelangelo Buonarroti, is without parallel in any of the previous or since roles he has played. His portrayal as the great artist is imtimate and shows a tender side. Futhermore, Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II is also extaordinary. The two men create a fine chemistry of the rebellious artist and the stern yet feeling pontiff who commissions Buonarroti to the great task of the Sistine. This performance peaks when the two men are standing beneath the great and not-yet-finished fresco late one night and reflect over the images of God and Adam-classic acting for certain. Please, buy it, rent it, just as long as you watch it. If you love art, I'm sure you will love this.

"I planned a ceiling, he planned a miracle"
There is no other film on the subject of art that is better than this one in my opinion. Irving Stone's best-seller was a great read, but in this case the film is better than the book. It centers on the creation of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and the contentious but invigorating relationship between Michelangelo and Pope Julius II; one drove the other "to complete his work", and even their verbal battles were productive. It is about the courage of putting one's vision into reality, the hard work, and the faith in one's self and in God.

The script by Irving Stone and Philip Dunne is fabulous; the words flow like sweet wine and there is not a single unnecessary scene, or rarely one that is not meaningful. The direction by Carol Reed is meticulous, the cinematography by Leon Shamroy a marvel, and the score by Alex North adds much to the film. The costuming and sets are lavish for the papal quarters and the Medici household, and give one a sense of 16th century Rome, and the depictions of the fresco painting technique is interesting and educational.

Charlton Heston, gaunt and bearded, is brilliant as Michelangelo, as is Rex Harrison as the warrior pope. The interactions of these two actors is riveting, and the dialogue between them worth hearing repeatedly. Others of note in the cast include Diane Cilento as the Contessina de Medici, Harry Andrews as Bramante, and Tomas Milian as Raphael (the most famous papal portrait I know of is by Raphael, of Pope Julian II).

Though Stone's book and script take much artistic license, there is also a good deal of accuracy. This period of 16th century Italy was one of the most fascinating in all world history, and Pope Julius II was not only one of its greatest art patrons, but also an extraordinary man.
This is a film that moves me to tears with its beauty, and brightens my mind with its words. If you are interested in the artistic process, don't miss this magnificent film.

The film includes a Prologue, a mini-documentary of modern-day Rome and Florence, which traces Michelangelo's life, from his birth in Tuscany in 1475, showing his many wondrous works, including an early sculpture he did at the age of 15, through his death in 1564. Total running time is 139 minutes.

watch it for the art
the painstaking recreation of the sistine chaple was a feat within itself and is wonderfully executed.
the plot of the film pretty much boils down to will he paint it or not and we already know the answer. too bad thta the film didnt exlpore more michelangelos spiritual and moral struggles.
that said heston and harrison do what they can with it.

Art vs Commerce
What I found fascinating was the PROLOGUE: "The Man Who Didn't Want to Paint." This would normally be an "extra" on any DVD (unfortunately, so far, no DVD of the feature has been released). It is here on the VHS tape, as part of the feature. It runs about 20 minutes, but one should not fast-forward through it. It is fascinating, and adds tremendoubly to the enjoyment of the main feature. In fact, movie channels sometimes run this as a featurette without running the full film. And that's just fine with me.
Also, one should see this film in the "Letterbox" format to get the true scope of what director Reed was trying to present. "Full Frame" or "pan and scan" versions add electronic edits where none existed in the original and can chop up a film unnecessarily.
True, this feature reads like a "Reader's Digest" version of the life of Michaelangelo; a sort of "highlights" of the man's life. It does heavily concentrate on the on-again, off-again relationship with Pope Julius II, and sllows Harrison do drop in his deliciously dead-pan one-liners.
Should a new version of Michaelangelo's life be filmed (perhaps as a miniseries)? Most definately. Should an actor who more resembled the artist be cast? Yes. But, remember that AGONY was filmed in the 1960s and star power was the order of the day. Heston was hot; so was Harrison (My Fair Lady). Mr. Heston, however, has left, in print, his impressions (not all of them flattering) of both Harrison and Mr. Reed in his DIARIES. Sometimes, they make more interesting entertainment than the movie, itself. ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Gorgeous but dull
But first let me say: the production is breathtaking. The costumes are beautiful, the scenery and sets lavish, and the score (music from Tchaikowsky) fits the theme of the story perfectly.

That, however, is pretty much all that can be said. The major problem in transferring 'Anna Karenina' from book to film is that to do so properly requires a good deal more time than 2 hours. This screen adaptation's script is good enough, but it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Anna's passion and vitality is sadly missing in this film, and a lot of the scenes seem stilted.

This may or may not have to do with the choice of the leading lady. Sophie Marceau is an admirable actress, and has done quite well in other films (notably Braveheart and several French productions), but here she misses the mark completely. The looks on her face, supposed to be deep passion and vivacity, are more reminiscent of how one would look in the dentist's chair. Her Anna is a complete narcissist; when she at last met her end, I almost breathed a sigh of relief.

That said, the men, overall, perform very well. Sean Bean cuts quite a dashing figure as Count Vronsky, the love of Anna's life (and her ultimate downfall). Alfred Molina is excellent as Levin, the everyman and Tolstoy's hero in the story. And James Fox is very, very good as the disregarded Karenin, the husband Anna deserts for Vronsky.

All in all, it may be worth watching (especially for the grand ball scene, which is breathtaking!) but it has the flaws that all adaptations before have had: it is too long to be interesting, but not long enough to cover the story adequately.

Not like the book
This film has lavish production values. However, it is simply too short to convey the nuances of the novel, and the plot has been altered enough to disturb the novel's devotees. Probably this is why I was unable to become deeply involved with the characters. I was also disturbed by the actress cast for Kitty, a character who in the novel stands for conventional female purity. In the film Kitty has husky, sensual speech and usually appears with a push-up bra that spills her out of a low neckline. The actor who portrays Count Vronsky is so wooden you can't understand why Anna would ruin her life for him. And, I can't understand the apparently random alternation of English speech with Russian plus subtitles. Watch this film for the costumes and sets, not the story.

Highly Disappointed
I watched this movie for 2 reasons, Sean Bean and Bernard Rose. Rose's direction of Immortal Beloved was masterful, and I was hoping to find the same here. I was left feeling disappointed. Although the sets, costumes and music were beautiful, this movie did not live up to its potential.

Sean Bean, a very talented actor, was put in a choke-hold by the script. He is capable of far more passion than this screenplay allowed. Fortunately, I had seen Sophie Marceau prior to this movie, so I know that she is far more capable as well. I don't think I've ever seen such poor chemistry between two key actors in such a tragic tale. With the exception of the ballroom scene this movie was flat. Pity...it could have been so much more.

The three stars I'm giving are based on costumes, sets, music and the mere presence of Sean Bean.

Pretty bad
This adaptation of Tolstoy's classic novel gets off to a bad start with a laughably ludicrous dream sequence and never recovers. I haven't read "Anna," but I have read "War and Peace," so I know that the strength of Tolstoy's writing is in his tremendous intellect and great insight into human character and motivation, not the events of his stories, which taken by themselves are the stuff of melodrama. That's what we get here: a bloodless soap opera full of incident and character that I could not bring myself to care about.

Simply Beautiful!
There are some (well, many) plot alterations that might bother certain people, but Marceau is fabulous as are Fox (who plays Karenin) and the actor who plays Vronsky. The sound track is truly transporting and in general this is one of my favorite videos. They should have given Levin and Kitty more screen time because those characters are just as important as Anna and her scandal. A good portrayal of the temptation to stray and the severe and grim consequences. Yes, a cautionary tale. Probably what Tolstoy intended. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

SENSATIONAL--MINUS 20
I've been hearing for years about "Twin Peaks", whether by word of mouth or on the internet. It's popular to mention the numerous pop-culture moments this show created and the fact that so many shows try to imitate, and fail, this landmark show. So after reading recaps of the pilot and first couple episodes, I decided to buy the whole thing.

I took a risk and I'd do it again because this show is one of the greatest achievements of all TV time. The pilot is a perfect intro to the show, establishing the characters and plots, the main one and various subplots, that it's addictive. WHO KILLED LAURA PALMER!? The mix of light and dark, quirky humor, heavy drama, fantastic production values, and so much more! If you haven't seen any of the show, stay clear of the last 15-20 minutes. I heard about the special ending and found out that the original pilot ends at Sarah Palmer's scream after her dream. End it there, watch the rest of the series, then go back and watch the ending.

Other than that, sit back, relax, and ENJOY! And believe me, YOU WILL!

The Best 2 Hours of Film Anywhere!
Twin Peaks is the premier for the greatest TV series ever created. Brought in to investigate the murder of Twin Peaks Homecoming Queen Laura Palmer, Agent Dale Cooper "Kyle MacLachlan" becomes wrapped up in a town full of mystery, murder, damn good coffee and killer cherry pie.

Start here.
This is pretty much what any fan of the show or David Lynch needs to start with. It's the original movie/pilot, and is a great piece of work. The story, the characters, and the whole northwest environment really make for an interesting and sometimes creepy watch. Many cool actors showed up in "Twin Peaks", among them Kyle McLachlan, Lara Flynn-Boyle, Sheryl Lee, Jack Nance, and the sexy Sherilyn Fenn. If you enjoy this, seek out the VHS collectors series, episodes 1-7. Or the DVD first season, which is also episodes 1-7, minus this pilot.

sdrawkcab dneb smra ym
So I'm sitting on this chair, in this house, on mars when this movie comes on. TWIN PEAKS. The first thing I saw was this grotesque factory-mill type place. And then there was this close-up shot of some rusty machine, and it moved...it moved with the music. Sparks were shooting out everywhere, and it was all moving to this other-worldly melody. Then waterfalls, ponds, ducks...in less than one minute, Lynch had sucked me in, shattered me, put me back together (the way he saw fit), and then he dropped me off into TWIN PEAKS.
The whole thing was beatiful. Lynch and Frost had created this soft cloud of a world that was filled shards of glass and rusty nails. It was all like a dream -a dream that you don't want to wake up from. Bobby, Donna, Shelly, Big Ed. I was lost.
"I too have been touched by the devilish one. Ahh, but when I saw the face of God..." This sleek-Norman Rockwell-wrong way on a one way street-imitation silk-nightmare is a mountain top work of art that leads you dead on into the midst of the footstool of the heavens.
-be sure to watch it in the full blossom of the evening, and you just might experience the beatific vision...FIRE WALK WITH ME.

One of TV's best pilots!
If only it were on DVD! This tape contains the classic 2 hour pilot for David Lynch's extraordinary and quirky TV cult favorite, "Twin Peaks". This 2 hour intro is NOT part of the six tape "complete" series collection that has the actual 29 episodes. There is a neat, confusing, untelevised 15 minute ending that was used to "wrap up" the whole murder when this same tape was released in Europe as a made-for-TV movie. Still, it is simply Twin Peaks at its best. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

A Forgotten Classic...
Corvette Summer may seem like a cheesy 70's made-for-tv movie, but it is, in fact, an enjoyable little film. Essentially, the story revolves around a car freak by the name of Kenny Dantley (played by Mark Hamill). He spends the entire summer tracking down a stolen Corvette that he helped build in his shop class. There are many familiar faces: Annie Potts from Designing Women (who received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance), Danny Bonaduce from The Partridge Family, etc...

70's preservationists as well as Las Vegas desert enthusiasts will be quite impressed. The story has a decent moral message as well. You may ask yourself through the film whether or not Kenny takes a real shower, but, overall, it's definitely at least a rental.

Love it!
Corvette Summer is one of my favorite movies! One thing I like about this movie so much, is how much I can relate to it. I really wish this movie could have been a huge success at the box office, because it really is a great movie that deserves to be appreciated. Mark Hamill and Annie Potts have an hilarious chemistry! Everytime I watch this movie I love it even more than the last time I watched it!

So do yourself a favore, go out and rent, or better yet, go buy Corvette Summer! You'll thank me later!

pretty good film for it's time
i use to watch this film all the time whenever it would come on&it was catchy for it's time period.Vettes were cool rides from the late 70's through early 80's.this film will take you back.

Let's see this on DVD (Widescreen)!
I loved this movie as a kid, and bought the VHS! I've owned three Corvette's in my life so far, and this movie was definitely an inspiration to the obsession. The quality of the VHS is not so great, and the audio is starting to go bad. With all the older movies now being re-produced on DVD, I wonder how this one was missed? I wish MGM would release this on DVD.

It's not Star Wars, but Mark Hamil still delivers
This movie is hilarious! Don't no why this didn't do well in theatres, this is a very very funny. This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. You just have to see this. It's hard to give a helpful review on this film, because it is one of a kind, so all I can say is just see this movie, I promise that you won't regret it. 5 STARS is perfect for this gem. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

One of the greatest films of all time
I want to thank Mr. Ritchie for a film that will be with me for the rest of my life. I only hope that it comes out on DVD sometime.

I have a hard time believing that anyone could walk away from this film and think that you have to love skiing to enjoy this film. I hate to ski and I hate snow.

Loneliness of the Downhill American Ski Champ
This film caught my attention immediately because of the writer, James Salter, so I was surprised at how little dialogue or actual talking goes on. Its one of the most physical films I've ever seen which is certainly appropriate given the subject matter, downhill ski racing. Redford came to this fresh off of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid but he looks much younger without the moustache. The topic of ski competition is exciting and fun as most of the film takes place on the mountain with great ski footage or in ski lodges in Europe which are romantic to say the least. Also attractive is Redfords European girlfriend. She gives the film another dimension completely as the embodiment of the experienced and scrupulous European versus the innocent and clumsy(and socially naive)American. Gene Hackman as the coach is absolutely great as he tries to instill more than just athletic virtues into his team members. There are also scenes of Redford, the rising star of the team, visiting home in the American midwest somewhere which I suppose tells us both why winning is so important to him and why he is so clumsy socially. Its not a perfect film( the midwest scenes seem a little too simplistic for such an otherwise smart and uncliched film) but one that tells a great sort of story rare in 69 in that it puts forth a value system instead of knocking one down. Redford has called the film an examination of American ideals about success. It is that. The ski scenes capture the excitement of the sport, and the hotel scenes capture the rewards given to success. But success in sport as in all fields is fleeting and you best enjoy the prize while at the top because if you finish second you are nobody again and all the rewards vanish as quickly as they were given. Effective cutting technique throughout the film emphasizes the ruthless pace and nature of a life forged in the heat of competition. Redford is caught surprise by the transient nature of this life. But the film has a great sort of ethic being put forth, that being that in a world where everything can be gained or lost in a split second one must not focus so keenly on the prize immediately at stake that one loses sight of those things which sustain us through both ups and downs, ie friends, coach, Dad, old girlfriend, dog.

Dated, but worth a look
"Downhill Racer" is either a skier's movie with a better plot than the average ski flick (Warren Miller notwithstanding), or it's a drama of sorts with skiing and romance mixed in. It's in the same league as "Bobby Deerfield," with Al Pacino as a race car driver looking for success both on and off the track.

Redford plays a convincingly arrogant, self-absorbed loner from Idaho whose only shot at glory is on the struggling U.S. ski team. Gene Hackman delivers spare yet superb scenes as the team coach. He recognizes Redford's talent on the snow but wrestles with his maverick attitude. I think the film sums up the important themes in small, quiet touches. When another skier carps about Redford's aloofness, his teammate (Dabney Coleman) reminds him that "it's not exactly a team sport, is it?" And when a European journalist asks Redford what his plans are after the Olympics, his nervous and stoic answer is "this is it." He knows there's not much outside of skiing.

Even romance offers no success for Redford's character. His sometime girlfriend back in Idaho is chatty and distracting: she represents all that is holding him back at home. In Austria, he encounters a fast-moving, highly sophisticated woman who leads him on and is more than a match for his self-centeredness. All he can rely on are his skis and his hunger to go faster. What the movie shows in the end (though it's easy to miss) is that the archetypal brash athlete can only win the gold if his heart and mind are there as well as the raw skill (what Hackman's coach calls the "regard for the sport... the desire to learn"). Think of Tom Cruise in "Days of Thunder."

"Downhill Racer" hasn't grown in stature as a drama of sport, but it is worth a viewing. The characters are more contemplative than talkative, and the fashions are dated, but the focus is on the challenge of the hill and what's in one's heart - just like skiing itself.

For visuals only
Downhill Racer is essentially, a movie to see only for the terrific skiing sequences. Although there is a story here, Robert Redford's character, a skier trying to make the U.S. Olympic team, is so bland and unsympathetic that you wonder why to care about him at all. Gene Hackman, in an early performance, adds nicely, but this is a film that could be watched with the sound off, and it wouldn't make much of a difference.

Not one of Redford's better films.
Downhill Racer is a terrible, cheesy film. What little dialogue there is is awful, and the skiing is definitely not Warren Miller. The script is shallow, predictable, a sports story told too many times before and since. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Hilary Duff Shines as Cinderella
Hilary Duff stars in this movie as a girl whose father dies in an earthquake. Because there is no will left her stepmother gets everything, including Sam (Hilary).

The movie picks up 8 years later where Sam is a senior in high school preparing to go to college at Princeton (that is, if she gets accepted). High school isn't exactly a happy experience for Sam as she has only two friends. One real, one an email friend that texts her constantly. To everyone else in the school she's know as Diner Girl.
Home isn't any better, as she is forced to live in the attic, do all of the chores, wait on her stepmother and sisters constantly, and work seven days a week at the diner owned by her stepmother.

Since I saw the previews of this movie I thought it looked funny. I've been looking forward to it since the first preview. However, now that it's out and I read the reviews I was nervous. Luckily my fears weren't realized. This movie ended up being a sweet, family friendly, romantic comedy. Duff does an excellent job of portraying Sam. She truly is an excellent young actress, the pep rally scene is proof of this.

While this movie wasn't really laugh out loud funny, it was funny at times, but more than that it was sweet and, for lack of a better word, cute. The direction was really nice. It wasn't super artsy, but it was well done and added a certain beauty to the film.

Cinderella Story ended up being a really sweet movie that deserves a better reaction than it recieved. Great acting, a clever update of an old fairy tale, an awesome soundtrack, and a likeable cast makes for a great afternoon at the movies.

Cinderella Story Is Better Than Expected
Cinerella Story is about a not-so-popular girl finding love online and meeting her prince charming who turns out to be the school's most popular guy.

While it is a simple story, the movie turns out to be hilariously funny and immensly entertaining. It is by no means Oscar-worthy, but it is a great movie nonetheless.

Hilary Duff delivers a good performance as Sam, our Cinerella, and her football playing prince, Chad Michael Murray also does well. Jennifer Coolidge brings in the laughs as the evil stepmother and Regina King delivers a strong performance as always as Sam's co-worker and her 'fairy godmother'.

Overall this is a great movie and I'd recommend it to all, especially fans of Hilary's or the other stars and those of you who want to see a comedy or a feel-good movie now. So, go see it!

Exellent
A cinderella story was the best movie in the world,and better then any of the other movies hilary duff played in. I love hilary duff so i see all of the movies and buy all the movies she is in!! If you buy this movie you WON'T regret it!! I am a 12 year old girl that is very critical about judging movies so take my advice!!

Fabulouse
i dragged my boyfriend to see this film because i just love hilary duff and have to see any film she is in and we BOTH really enjoyed it! i thought it was fantastic how they acted out the story of cinderella and gave it the perfect modern day teenage twist. As usual Hilary looks absolutley gorgeous expecially with her sparkling dress on. Prince charming is also gorgeous and and girl my age would die for him and i just think its the perfect file for any teenager who doesnt want to admit shes loves a good fairy tale and all the children will love it too! Get it and believe me u will love it!

A Cinderella Story
I really think that this movie was really really good! I give it 5 stars, but some parts were kinda cheesy. Some parts of this movie are kind of inappropriate for younger children eyes, as in the end at the football game. (Yo, Hilary, let someone else have Chad, will ya?)Laugh out loud.
The movie is really about a girl named Sam who dad dies in a earthquake. Her meanie-mo step-mom name is Fiona, and Sam has to do everything Fiona tells her. Then there is Sam's "Fairy God mother" whos name is Rhonda. Rhondas name for Fiona is PotatoHead. Then Sam gets all these Text messages and e-mails. Oops! You have to watch the movie to know the rest! ... Read more

Description

The timeless story of the hero of the Israelites and the beautiful Philistine who tested his faith ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Not your usual Bible-epic
This Italian production is not your usual Bible-epic. With striking set design, beautiful art direction and oftentimes alarming attention to period detail, this is pretty realistic stuff. And pretty brutal. A lot of this can be attributed to British art-house director Nicolas Roeg, who has made "Samson and Delilah" perhaps his most ambitious film to date. At 180 minutes there is nary a dull moment. Roeg afficianados will appreciate the customary Roeg flourishes: shocking edits, liberal use of the zoom lens, intentional placement of humor and a general atmosphere of mysticism and otherworldliness. The performances are all around solid. Dennis Hopper turns in a clever and decidedly Hopper-esque performance as a reluctant Philistine general. Eric Thall, as Samson, comes across as vulnerable and humane yet entirely believable when coerced to flights of rage. His long hair doesn't look fake, chalking up another high mark for this film's realism. And Elizabeth Hurley as Delilah? Well, what more needs to be said? She really delivers with her greedy seduction of Samson and subsequent guilt. Not to mention, that in her Delilah garb, she is absolutely gorgeous. All in all a surprising and entertaining movie for Nicolas Roeg and all involved. Be sure to keep rolling for the credits as not to miss the Ennio Morricone-scored end titles. A short and haunting piece that is very appropriate.

The Weakest of the Bible Collection
I was gravely disappointed with Samson & Delilah. I found the story lagging (one tape would have sufficed) with many biblical inaccuracies including odd characters of no biblical origin. Additionally, I thought Dennis Hopper was horribly miscast. His dry way of speaking seemed too distracting.

Although Eric Thal protrays a pensive Samson, the war between Samson's lust and his passion for God was not at all believable. His period of serving as a judge seemed more like a trist. Admittedly, I enjoyed Elizabeth Hurley as Delilah (I think this is some of her best work anywhere). In my opinion, you'd do best to pass on this video.

Good but doesn't follow scripture very closely
Although worth watching, it is the worst of the Bible series pertaining to following scripture. The biggest problem is that they leave out key event and/or totally get them out of order. All in all it 'is' entertaining a pretty clean considering the story.

Inaccurate
I am a big fan of the Bible Series, Moses, Jacob and David are great movies, a little inaccurate at times but nothing mayor, however Samson and Delilah it's very inaccurate, for instance it completely forgot the part in which Samson offers honey to his parents (to show disobedience) or when Samson asks permission to his parents to marry a Philistian woman. This movie in relation to all others doesn't contain a message but rather its an attempt to make a biblical story a commercial one.

"every gift is also a burden"
This film includes a lot of embelishment as well as fictional characters to fill out the story of Samson, taken from Judges Ch. 13 through 16, but the essence of the story is intact. A man who loved the God of his fathers, but also the women of his enemies, the Philistines, and finds his real strength only after he has lost everything.
Samson is portrayed as man who never cries, not even as a baby at his bris (circumcision), or his father's death, but the feelings of lust and revenge weave continually through his story, and there are many brutal scenes, making this film not recommended for children.

As Samson's mother Mara, Diana Rigg is superb; she is a "type", like Sarah/Isaac, Rachel/Jacob, Hannah/Samuel, and Elisabeth/John the Baptist, all barren women who miraculously give birth to a son that becomes a leader/savior of his people.
Eric Thal is effective as Samson, very big and brawny, and he looks great on horseback. He also carries off the end parts too, which could easily have become cartoonish.
Michael Gambon is terrific as the wily old King Hamun of the Philistines, and in the most bizarre casting, Dennis Hopper as a laid back general. Elizabeth Hurley's Delilah is a cool, calculating vixen, and beautiful enough to make the most of Samson's weakness. Max Von Sydow does the narration throughout the film.

The Philistine interiors are very imaginitive, with their grotesque gods and massive columns, and the devastation of them well filmed. The fight with the lion is cleverly done also, with lots of grunts and roars from man and beast.
Filmed on location in Quarzazate, Morocco, it has a marvelous score by Marco Frisina, the excellent cinematography of Raffaele Mertes, and well paced direction by Nicolas Roeg.
"David", "Solomon", "Jeremiah" and "Abraham", are my favorites of these above average made for TV Bible stories, and this film, though not one of the best, is highly entertaining with some good acting. Total running time: 182 minutes. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Saw the movie, THEN read the book
I saw the movie before I read the book. This is a typical adaptation of a long novel. Yes, the novel was better, but the novel was DIFFERENT! A similar situation occurs with The Caine Mutiny as well as The Godfather. Written stories allow you to explore aspects of character and situation that just can't be effectively portrayed in film. In film, you can't have the character's thoughts effectively presented. The film concentrated on the relationship between Will and Pearce, while the book actually had two plots-Will and Pearce and Will and Annie Kate. Instead of comparing book and film, treat each as seperate entities and enjoy them independently. In this case, the movie was enjoyable.

This movie could have been better
I have seen this movie about 6 times and have read the book a million times and I know good enough to see that this could have been a even greater movie. Pat Conroy seems very disappointed that the movie did not turn out as good as he thought it was going to be.

Wrong lead
Michael Biehn should've been the lead as the director originally wanted. It was okay, but it would've been better.

EXCELENT
THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES I'VE EVER SEEN. SO TRUE TO LIFE.
ACTING IS SUPERB. FIVE STAR ALL THE WAY.

Almost had it, but stumbles badly in the stretch
No movie under six hours could have captured anywhere near the complexity and subplots of Pat Conroy's novel about life in a military academy. For that I was very forgiving about what what cut out, even painfully so. We see no flashbacks of the main characters first three years, there was almost nothing about his passion for basketball, and the love story could have been a movie in itself.

But things had to go, and rather than treat them badly, I have no resentment for what they left out. The movie does concentrate on some important things however, and for awhile, does it well. We see the often cruel treatment upperclassmen give underclassmen, and can see the reasoning why this seems to be necessary. It is the overriding theme of the book, and shows the givers and takers of the harrassment very well.

It also does tackle one of the important subplots, which is the treatment of the first black recruit to the academy. The way the recruit was treated is shown in all of it's frightening detail. David Keith, as the assigned mentor to the recruit, does his job perfectly here by not showing too much sympathy.

But then it all crashes down by trying to come up with a clean, Hollywood, more upbeat ending. The worst sin is the handling of the Pignatello character to make it much less tragic. To leave out what happens after the court martial is to take away one of the dramatic points of the story. With that said, the ending was also much too neat. The way it is handled fails to illustrate the parallel love-hate relationship the main character has with the academy.

This was far too personal a story to be glossed over like this, and I wish Pat Conroy had had more pull to get it done right. He should have chosen the Larry McMurtry route and got the story filmed as a mini-series. ... Read more

Description

70's action caper about two police detectives in San Francisco - Freebie and Bean. They've been working for months to bust Red Meyers, a local numbers racketeer. Finally there's a break in the case, but before they can arrest the crook, ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Thouroghly Fantastic. Witty, clever and an absolute riot.
This is without the best buddy cop movie ever made. Arkin and Caan make a fantastic team. The only real problem is that it thinks that it is an action comedy wheras it is actually a drama with action and humerous parts. One of the best crime movies of the 70s. Despite it's age it still manages not to be dated. Although it isn't totally PC it reflects how people were and still are. Gay people are still called fags, Caan's racist remarks to Arkin are just between two friends and don't have a real meaning. Some of it is incoherent but this, along with the other flaws are nothing compared to the superb acting talent and script. Arkin and Caan complement each other perfectly and there are nicely acted supporting roles especially from Bean's wife played by Valerie Harper.

Overall a must see film which is worth viewing after viewing. Top stuff!

Freebie and the Bean Is Great Fun
Great and forgotten buddy-cop/action/ comedy movie which is a forerunner for other movies like Lethal Weapon, Running Scared, etc. Good comedic chemistry between James Caan and Alan Arkin in the title roles of two undercover cops trying to nail a mob king pin Red Meyers (Jack Kruschen) and at the same time trying to protect him from a reported "mob hit". Their banter of partners who annoy, but still very much care for each other is done well and seems ad-libbed.The film is an action/comedy, but there are serious moments to add to the film's slight absurdity. This includes a sub-plot in which Alan Arkin is trying to figure out if his wife (Valerie Harper) is cheating on him. Valerie Harper gives an outstanding but brief performance as Arkin's no-nonsense and faithful wife. There is a hilarious motorcycle chase scene through the streets of San Francisco, an incredible stunt of crashing a car off an elevated highway into an apartment building, and a climactic confrontation at the Superbowl game at Candlestick Park. Overall... Very Entertaining! On network TV the movie is edited beyond recognition, but the video has all the scenes restored. Too bad it is not on DVD. Look for Loretta Swit (TV's MASH) in small cameo as the gangster's mistress.

It's a great comedy!
Check this out:

Arkin plays a Mexican-American cop nicknamed "Bean" (I can see now why this movie didn't receive more promotion) who is smart about police work, but so dumb that he can't figure out that his wife is having an affair. Bean believes that phalic-shaped vibrators are for facial massage only, "because that's what the ads say," he remarks offhandedly to Freebie, played by Caan.

Caan plays Freebie, a white cop who, besides being terrifically cynical, is a two-bit con artist to boot. Together, the two make a sort of fantasy partnership, incorporating some slapstick along with some dry humor along the way.

The characters aside, the minute details of the screenplay are the cogs that make this movie work: Caan's spoken fanfare, "Taaa Daaa!", when the pair's car hits the ground after sailing over a moving railroad flatcar. The way the two can't seem to get in sync during an interview with the city's police commissioner. The nonchalance displayed by everyone when the two sail into the apartment of an older couple from a highway overpass.

I saw this at a local theatre after it was released, which was over 25 years ago. In terms of humor, it's much more sophisticated than current films with similar themes that hammer home slapstick gags without any sense of subtlety.

In terms of being an action flick, it's not quite up to that genre, especially when compaired to "The French Connection", "The Seven Ups", or "Dirty Harry", which were all films of that era.

Parts of the screenplay are somewhat weak, and don't exactly contribute to the overall story. However, it is a very funny film that has held up very well over time.

Best cop comedy / Car Chase Movie EVER but HORRIBLE VHS
This movie is dying to get on DVD WIDESCREEN.A TRUE CLASSSIC and one of the best action comedy movies I have ever seen.The very many CAR CHASES in this movie out do ones like "Bullit" & "French Connection" BY FAR! Top notch stunt driving. This is the movie Richard Donnor stole to make "lethal Weapon". James Cann plays the crazy over the top (not overly serious suicidal though) rough cop, and Alan Arkin plays his more relaxed partner. The acting and chemistry between these two great actors is simply outstanding and comical. My ONLY PROBLEM WITH THE MOVIE IS: that whoever put this on VHS Video should be ashamed of himself. It is in standard VHS FULL SCREEN FORMAT that is the absolute worst transfer I have ever witnessed to VHS. Not the picture (the color, ect. is ok), the full screen zoom is the problem and that it's NON Pan & Scan, and throught the entire movie the viewer is treated to senceswhere nothing is in view and zoom up close ups of everything of nothing. WIDESCREEN version is BADLY NEEDED for this movie to be shown correctly or atleast a professional pan & scan copy for vhs.I CAN'T WAIT UNTILL THIS MOVIE IS PUT ON DVD IN IT"S WIDECREEN GLORY and I can view it the way it was when I seen it in the movie theatre when it was first released. Even when on very rare occassion they show it on tv, it is still this bad VHS full screen version that in my opinion is not worht even watching because you DO NOT see much of what is going on and with all the action and stunts the viewer really misses a great movie. See it on this VHS ortelevision and it's like watching a bad movie. See it the way it was intended and anybody (guys anyways) should think this is one of the best cop-action-comedy movies ever made.I'll give this VHS 1 star. Just because IT IS A OUTSTANDING MOVIE.The rest of this VHS COPY stinks.

Please make a DVD copy
Scenes from this movie pop into my head seeming at random for the rest of my life. I saw it 25 years ago, and still love it. The restroom scene with the dropping bullets is just one scene that stays with you! Loved it. Gotta get the VHS and will watch for the DVD version. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Finally a movie about the TRUE general Custer
I find that son of a morning star is the best cinema work about general Custer and the battle of Little Big Horn of the cinema's history ! All american people MUST see this movie for learning what was really the general Custer. I advise all people to see this movie, it is very very very very very good. If it will be more than 5 stars for rating it, it would have more ! GARY COLE IS WONDERFUL IN CUSTER, THE INDIAN ACTOR OF CRAZY HORSE TOO. ROSANNA ARQUETTE IS GREATLY IN LIBBY, AND THE LITTLE INDIAN GIRL TOO. SIMPLY THE BEST MOVIE ABOUT CUSTER, LITTLE BIG HORN AND THE INDIAN'S WAR !

Well Done!
This is as good a version of the Little Bighorn that has ever been done for film.

Gary Cole is very good- although he does not look like a horseman. Unfortunatly, Rosanna Arquette, who plays Libbie Custer the General's wife, seems just to be interested in collecting a paycheck. She is as wooden as it gets. However, I think David Strathairn, a regular of John Sayles' films, does an excellent job as Capt. Benteen. Although, the horrendous wig he is outfited with detracts from his performance, he does capture, IMHO, the cranky complainer personality of Benteen very well. (Anyone familiar with the writings of Fred Benteen can tell you he WAS angry with the world.)

"Son of the Morning Star" relied on the services of dedicated re-enactors who brought a sense of authenticity to the uniforms and equipment not seen in other Little Bighorn movie re-creations. Unfortunatly, although re-enactors are great at dressing their parts, they don't often look their parts- the 7th Cavarly was not as heavily populated with middle-aged, overweight men as "Son of the Morning Star" would have you believe.

Finally, the outfit Gary Cole is wearing for the Little Big Horn scenes is based on an actual photo. In 1875, a picture was taken of Custer at a picnic near Ft. Lincoln wearing a hat and a white buckskin jacket, which look alot what was depicted in the movie. Of course, we don't know if Custer wore that outfit a year later, but that photo shows that the producers for the movie just didn't make it up. However, the movie's Little Big Horn scenes show Gary Cole with his face shaven and hair immacutely clean, conditioned, and styled. Hardly realistic.

Custer: Symbol v. Human Being.
The purpose of "Son of the Morning Star," both the book and the miniseries, was to show that George A. Custer is not just a symbol, good or bad, for culural/political causes, but a human being with flaws and attributes. A previous review is a perfect example of the failure to see Custer as anything but as a symbol. To some people, Custer is the embodiment of the evils of Manifest Destiny. It's an ironic fate for someone who died in the most spectacular, albeit temporary, setback for Manifest Destiny.

Custer is a fascinating historical figure because of his symbolism. So many people have such strong feelings about him for what he represents, but so few people really know anything about him. Born the son of blacksmith in a rinky-dink Ohio farm community, Custer was no son of privilege. Yet he was a brigadier general at age 23, a major general at age 25, and fought with great courage and skill in America's most horrific war. It never ceases to amaze me how people throw slurs at the officers and men of the Indian fighting army, but ignore that a large percentage of those men fought with undeniable heroism to re-unite this country and free the slaves. Custer, Reno, Benteen, Cooke, Yates, Keogh, Tom Custer, Smith, and a number of other officers of the 7th Cavalry were all Civil War vets.

Attacks on Custer's courage for "fighting women and children" just demonstrates an ignorance of his Civil War combat record and the realities of Plains Indian warfare. Custer graduated college in June 1861 and a month later he saw action at Bull Run. In April 1865, he would receive General Lee's flag of truce near Appomattox. In between, he saw action in almost every campaign in the Eastern theatre of operations. Even after he became a general, he still exposed himself to danger and was often seen fighting in hand to hand combat. At Appomattox, his superior, General Sheridan awarded him the wooden table, upon which General Grant signed the papers of General Lee's surrender, as a gift of appreciation for his magnificent courage and leadership.

Yet people believe that such a ferocious combat commander reveled in fighting women and children! Plains Indians didn't fight like Rebels. They had a different concept of warfare from the U.S. Army- guerrilla tactics, hit and run. To the Army, the biggest difficulty of Plains Indian warfare wasn't fighting the Indians, it was finding them! In 1876, the biggest fear the U.S Army had was that the Lakota and Cheyennes would scatter before the Army could attack them and this mentality was the reason for Custer's decision processes on June 25. The Army had been forced to attack villages because this was the only effective method it had of forcing the Indians to stand and fight. Yes, women and children would die as a result and this was regrettable, but so were civilian casualties at Vicksburg and Atlanta. However, on June 25, 1876, the Army completely underestimated the Lakotas' and Cheyennes' willingness to stand and fight. Custer thought he would be pressing the issue, but instead had the battle dictated to him with catastrophic results for himself and his men. This "arrogance" was a mindset held not only by Custer, but the entire U.S. Army and they paid for it on June 25.

"Son of the Morning Star" was an attempt to present Custer and the Little Big Horn not just as symbols. Another reviewer mentioned "Little Bigman" as being a more historically accurate potrayal. That is absurd. While "Little Bigman" is a very entertaining film, it's as unrealistic as the 1941 movie "They Died with Their Boots On" which starred Errol Flynn. Flynn's Custer was portrayed as the ideal American military hero for a country that was preparing for World War II. In 1970's "Little Bigman," Custer is shown as a symbol of lunatic American imperialism as the country clashed over the Vietnam War. "Son of the Morning Star" was an attempt to show Custer as a human being without World War II or Vietnam era propaganda. This miniseries does take a lot of dramatic license with its subject, but in comparison to previous efforts on the Custer/Little Big Horn story it's refreshing in its candor.

Not the true Custer
This is a terrible and unaccurate portrayal of one of history's most overblown "heroes," George A. Custer.
He was a butcher and a madman who did most of his "Indian fighting" against women and children as the Seventh Calvary rode them down in ambush attacks in their village. Custer was one of the biggest contributers to America's own version of the holocaust which we conviently tend to ignore. Custer is not someone to glorify as this miniseries tries to do on the heels of the Indian freindly "Dances With Wolves." This seems to be more of a PR move to appease those appalled at 'Wolves' notion that the U.S. army at the time were less than honorable.
Rodney A. Grant from that film (Wind In His Hair) plays exceptionally the role of Crazy Horse, but his screen time is cut embarassingly low. Custer on the otherhand, is played up like a Tall Tale from the western drugstore dime novels. Here he's romanticized as a great guy, but this just ain't so.
The novel "Son of The Morning Star" from which this miniseries is supposedly based, gives a more realistic portrayal of the real Custer. His Indian name translation, "Son of the Morning Star," is actually another name for the devil in American Indian lore.
Skip this movie and read the book, or "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown. It's an historical chronicle of the destruction of the American Indian. It's difficult to read because it's so shocking and sad, but every American should read it. "Little Big Man" starring Dustin Hoffman gives a much more accurate version of the Battle of the Little Bighorn and of Custer.

Release this to DVD now!!!!
A very well done production even though two of the main characters were miscast.
One of the best Custer films made but with many inaccuracies and typical Hollywood foul-ups.
But still, very entertaining.
This needs to be released onto DVD uncut and with the making of the movie A.S.A.P. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

this episode
This video has two episodes that are highly ranked of my favorite episodes. The seal is my second favorite. BUY THIS DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tense, as usual
Of the two episodes in this video, the best is The Seal. It is always great to watch the IMF in action. In The Seal, an ancient and sacred seal has been stolen from an obscure country and in the interest of obtaining their favor in the Cold War, it is the team's duty to return the seal.

While this is an earlier episode, you can tell the show was hitting its stride. All the elements are there: timed sequences, the fake accents, a magician, hiding in equipment to gain entrances, fake ids and what is always best - watching the team psych out their prey.

I do not recall having seen this episode and I was surprisingly tense watching this show...there is so much going on and you know there is always the unexpected surprise. This show had everything including a trained cat! Don't miss it. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Serendipity Cinema #11
A film you may never have heard of, but really should see. Trust me. Based on the book "The Water is Wide" by Pat Conroy this is a real 1970`s movie. It is about hope and love and equality. It is about the magic of learning and the power of teaching. It`s about all the things we are supposed, as a country, to have given up on and rushed, headlong into consumerism. If that is where you are, and you think anyone foolish that thinks otherwise, this is not the film for you. If you hold out hope for the human race, and see promise in the eyes of those who would be more than they are, and those who would see them achieve that goal, you will have a wonderous experience here. It is a celebration of those who would share knowledge, and the joy of those who discover the joy of learning. Jon Voight has never had a more powerful vehicle, and his fellow cast members make this a film once seen, never forgotten. In this story of a teacher reaching out to the most forgotten piece of society, you will find all the hope your heart may need. It ends sadly, but, that is part of the hurt of hope. And part of the nobility of it.

Born and raised on a SC barrier island
As a kid growing up in the state of SC, when the film was released, my friends and family kept wondering who was going to become famous. The racist and segregated South was not entirely depicted in the movie. For the rest of America, believe me...it did't even touch the surface. Education and educational funding didn't exist for the segregated 'Black' schools in the lowcountry of South Carolina. For instance, the first time I ever knew about Chemistry or Chemistry labs was when I was a student at Clemson University. Yes, Clemson ! I was a trend setter, to say the least. Putting all the hatred and inhumanities aside, I love the low country and where I came from. There's nothing like crabbing on a early saturday morning along the marshes and black water rivers of the ACE basin and enjoying the fruits of your harvest (with a cold beverage of your choice, indeed!). The film, for me, summarized and gave the rest of the world a smidgen of life in the south as a descendent of former slaves. I LOVE 'Conrack' and I appreciate Pat Conroy. Pat Conroy IS "Good People", as we say in Dixie. So buy the movie, enjoy the movie...and then go visit the SC lowcountry barrier islands.

RKHenderson,
Islandton, SC (Moselle Swamp)
Clemson University, Class of '85

Native of Beaufort, S.C. this was a true report
I grew up in Beaufort,S.C. Pat Conroy taught my older sisters English at Beaufort High before taking this position on the the island. "The island that time forgot" as it was known to us. The movie is a true depiction of how the inhabitants of the island were viewed. Educating them was nothing more than a unwanted mandate by the government. The movie was more enhanced by the casting of supporting characters than so closely resembled the real characters. Educating the black population was not a priority as I went thru the schools in that district. It is a sad but all too true to life dicpiction of the way education was carried out during that time period. Viewing this film, and having the truth screaming at you makes one aware of the injustices that lasted so long in the south and last still in some aspects of southern communities. Beaufort has always had very clear racial lines. Only in recent years with the influx of people from across this country relocating there are things starting to change. Change comes slow. This movie shows the desparatly needed changes that were too slow in occuring.
The island was later purchased and turned into a resort. Only then was a bridge erected to connect this island to the rest of the world. Many of the inhabitants moved the north side of the island or were relocated. Imagine having lived there, minimally educated, and then relocated in a society where you have no skills or knowledge of how to survive.

An education of books and human perserverance
In his later career, director Martin Ritt was renowned for his realistic treatment of a slice of life. He achieved a glimmering one in this hidden gem adapted from author Pat Conroy's novel, "The Water Is Wide." Its movie version, retitled "Conrack," has the amazing Jon Voight in the real-life role of teacher that Conroy played for a year on a South Carolina island inhabited by mostly African-Americans living in absolutely poverty and ignorance, and virtually forgotten by the world outside. The illiterate children, unable to pronounce Conroy's name, can do no better than "Conrack," thus, the title. Realizing all too soon that he has the near insurmountable challenge of teaching what school administrators have dismissed as the unteachable, Conrack comes up with the strategy of teaching by applying knowledge to his childrens' everyday lives. His efforts, and the childrens' steadily emerging ability to learn, make for an assortment of human emotions, from frustration to out-and-out howling to the bittersweet of the childrens' recognition and acceptance of their lot in life. But while teaching and learning make progress, school administrators are less than impressed by Conrack's methods, and the film head toward the inevitable clash between teacher and school officials and the resolution, we are lead to conclude, is at the childrens' expense. As Conrack, Voight is both stirring and moving without being phony, and he convinces us that the teacher's only agenda is his pupils' betterment. But the child actors who make up the pupils are incredible! They actually make us believe we are listening to a socially and educationally decimated and totally forgotten other world. The film is all the more powerful with Conroy's novel read beforehand for background. Both the movie and book are a stellar acknowledgement of the perserverance of the human spirit and how much can be achieved in even the most forgotten of our brothers.

Totally underrated movie!!!!
Having just received this video from Amazon.com,(after many years of searching), I am reminded of what a fantastic movie it was, and what a great impact it left upon me. Being able to share it with others now is a joy. Conrack's enthusiasm for life was contagious to his extremely sheltered students. The reality based conclusion,though emotionally disappointing, exemplified thetenacity of Conrack's core values. I loved this movie, because I laughed and cried. Jon Voight rocks!! This is one of my top ten all time favorite films. ... Read more

Reviews (73)

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street 2 KA
Rod Serling was a very odd person. He went to school to become a P.E. Teacher and ended up wrighting over one hundred stories for T.V. One of these stories is Monsters Are Due on Maple Street. This story, as you've probably guessed, takes place on Maple Street. The characters Charlie, the annoying, smart-mouthed neighbor, and Steve, the actually intelligent neighbor, are two of the lead characters in the story. I think that if Charlie had only listened to Steve a lot of bad things wouldn't have happened.
I don't think this story was very realistic. In a real neighborhood people would go crazy just because the power went out and they certainly wouldn't think it was aliens that did it. People would say, "Oh, there goes the power again." Not "The electricity's off!!"(669). Oh no! The powers out! What are we going to do? (sarcastically) The electricity goes out in our neighborhood at least once every other month. Most people would be in side all day so only about three people would have seen the U.F.O. and they would have been kids. Who would believe them? I think the people in the story really over reacted.
There were a few parts of the story that were unbelievable, like when Mr. Goodman's car started. That was really weird. I really didn't see that coming. There was also when Pete Van Horn got shot. I didn't think anything like that would happen. I knew the ending couldn't be happy. The Twilight Zone never is. The stories always seem to be so tragic. What was Rod Serling thinking? He must have been a troubled child. Any way; I can't believe that Charlie actually thought that Pete Van Horn was a monster. "You killed him Charlie. You shot him dead!"(679) How dumb could he be?
I didn't really pick this story. Ms. Chabot told us to read it. I liked it though. I think it's funny to watch old science fiction shows. I laugh at the cheesy acting and the corny special effects. You can see the strings holding them in the air. I thought it was funny how one little boy made all the neighbors think that aliens were attacking their neighborhood. Nobody would believe that now-days. Maybe people were more easily convinced of those things fifty years ago.
I think the video Monsters Are Due on Maple Street and the teleplay Monsters Are Due on Maple Street are a lot the same. They used most of the same lines and used the same camera angles. Just like this line, "What was that? A meteor?" The story took a lot longer to read though. The video was only a few minutes. The book took days. It had more detail than the video did. Just like when they showed the space ship. You could see at least five strings coming off of it. Every body in the class laughed. It was really funny.

4jk
Rod Serling was a former boxer and a future PE teacher. He takes a path uncommon to jocks and science fiction. He wrote a movie called "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street." The characters in this movie are: Charlie the wise-cracker know it all, Steve the wise one, Don the laid back one, Tommy the kid who knows what's gonna happen, Sally his mother, and Pete Van Horn a scientist. You don't here a lot about Pete Van Horn because he leaves Maple Street at the beginning of the movie because he goes to another neighborhood to see if the power is on there. It all happens on Maple Street, USA.

My feelings as I read this book were that I couldn't understand why everybody was fighting and blaming each other. It's like you wanna yell " Jiminy Christmas." It's like what Rod serling said, "The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, and prejudice to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudice can kill and suspicion can destroy and a thoughtless frightened search for scapegoat has a fallout all its own for the children... and the children yet unborn.
Pg [684.]

I wonder why the town is so peaceful, now and days you see kids about 13-16 on the street smoking, drinking and doing drugs. You might see parents telling there kids there grounded and then later you see the kids sneaking out the window. I mean come on who in the right mind would believe that? "Maple Street, U.S.A., late summer. A tree-lined little world of front porch gliders, hopscotch, the laughter of children, and the bell of an ice cream vendor." Pg [668.]

My favorite part of The Monsters are Due on Maple Street, is when everybody was accusing each other of who where the aliens. Everybody was bickering and fussing about this and that and everything that was going on. Tommy came running up the street yelling an alien is coming, so Charlie took his shotgun and shot what was coming up the street. It was Pete Van Horn, Charlie shot Pete Van Horn. [He swings the gun around to point it toward the sidewalk. The dark figure continues to walk towards them. The group stands there, fearful, apprehensive, mothers clutching children, men standing in front of wives. Charlie slowly raises the gun. As the figure gets closer and closer he suddenly pulls the trigger. The sound of it explodes in the stillness. There is a long angle shot looking down at the figure, who suddenly lets out a small cry, stumbles forward onto his knees and then falls forward on his face. Don, Charlie and Steve race forward over to him. Steve is there first and turns the man over. Now the crowd gathers around them.] Pg 679.

I felt that the book was good. It was very weird I wonder what's going to happen to all of the other people in the book. I wonder if the aliens are going to take over the whole world. Like hypnotizing all of the animals in the whole world to attack and kill all the people in the world except for one person to tell them how all humans lived and the aliens will all move down to earth and start living like humans. Then the whole world will never be the same again. Are you wondering what happened to that one guy? Well they kept him alive, and hypnotize him to think that the aliens are really humans and he married an alien, which he thought was a human. Are you wondering what happened to the animals? Well there alive to but the aliens experimented on them and mixed all of them up. It is freaky dude. I just hope that one of you aren't the one left not killed, because if I were I would just not feel right but I couldn't feel right because I would be hypnotized. Well I change my mind I would want to be the one left behind because I would act like I was hypnotized then I would get some weapons and kill all the aliens in the world. Then I would search all over the world and try to find pieces of the people that were killed then I would go to a lab and clone everybody so that all the people in the world would be back to life but they would be clones but I still would be happy because all of my friends, teachers, family members and other people in the world would be alive. But before I could clone people I would have to read the manual on how to work the cloning machine, then after I read that I would have to read the manual on how to clone people. Then I would fix all the animals back together. Wow! Sorry got off the subject there. Well the book was good I like it a lot I hope you like it to. So you have to read "Monsters are Due on Maple Street"

1VJ
"The Monsters are Due on Maple Street," is a classical episode of the Twilight Zone. I like how it showed that we can be prejudice and suspicious. It's also interesting how all the "monsters", or aliens, had to do was flick on and off a few lights to scare the people. Then the rest was the peoples own doing. The movie is very dramatic, and is almost exactly the same as the teleplay. The fact that it is in black and white makes it even more intense, in my opinion. The video and the teleplay both had the same scene of fright where the lights go out and nothing works. This then goes on to mass confusion, foreshadows the coming of aliens, and shows the weak points of the human race.
The plot advances with chaos. The people get scared and confused. They blame each other for having something they don't. This causes mass confusion and general panic. Things only get worse after that. One thing happens after another. The suspicious grows and the people get paranoid, until someone is killed. This person was Pete Van Horn. "You killed him, Charlie. You shot him dead!" (679)
As the plot advances they also foreshow what will come. The aliens are the ones who cause all the lights to fail, but the humans are the ones who became suspicious. This foreshadows the doom of the humans. The aliens plan to go from Maple Street to Maple Street and do the same to cause the fall of humans. "Then I take this place... this Maple Street...is not unique."
Rod Sterling's theme for "Monsters are due on Maple Street" is you shouldn't be too quick to judge people. Or be suspicious of people who have things you don't. Chaos supports this theme in showing how easily we can become suspicious of others. Then from there chaos and mayhem come. The theme could also be a kind of moral. "They pick the most dangerous enemy they can find... and it is them selves" (682) I think this quote is a good quote to describe the theme.
I think "Monsters are due on Maple Street" is really great. It has a wonderful plot. When I read the teleplay, I thought it was just like the other Twilight Zones. (I have seen a few others. One was about a man being in isolation.) I really enjoyed the Monsters are due on Maple Street. The teleplay was almost exactly like the movie or visa versa. My favorite part in this one was at the end where the sudden quietness is shocking. Then the aliens come and start talking, and it fades out to Sterling's face and he said his "And this is the Twilight Zone." I also like the beginning/ending songs. In conclusion I think the teleplay and the movie were both equally interesting.

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street 1KC
" The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"

Rod Serling, a screenplay writer for MGM in the 1950's wrote many famous science fiction teleplays, movies, Broadway shows, and television entertainment shows. Serling has won multiple Emmy awards for his work. He wrote 92 twilight zone episodes that were aired on CBS. They became one of America's most recognized, and most popular television series.
Some of Serling's most famous writings include: "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" and "Time Enough at Last". "Time Enough at Last" was written in 1959. I do not know when "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" was written but I assume it was around 1959.
Rod Serling died on June 28th, 1975. He died during a coronary bypass operation in Rochester, New York. Rod Serling's stories of aliens and super natural happenings are entertaining for all to this day. His name will live on in science fiction history forever.
"The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", a teleplay and television entertainment show, was written by Serling in the nineteen fifties'. I love how Serling describes les Goodman's car starting up with no one in it (673). This event brings chaos and unproven assumptions. Other things, such as flickering lights, happen all down Maple Street. They are mostly all blamed on Les Goodman because of his insomnia. These things bring complete and utter chaos.
Confusion breaks free when all of the lights and appliances down Maple Street turn off and stop working (668-669). This advances the plot to confusion. Chaos doesn't come until Les Goodmans' car starts up with no one inside. People turn wild as new and crazy things happen down Maple Street. Sound effects in this section of the teleplay are screams, crying, and gunfires.
Other crazy things happen down Maple Street. Lights flicker, appliances turn on and off, and again chaos starts up (683). Mostly these things are blamed on Les Goodman. They think he is an alien because his insomnia sometimes wakes him up. So to occupy himself he takes walks at night and claims to be looking at stars. But the families all down Maple Street think he is looking for his alien friends. This foreshadows who is behind all of the chaos and confusion.
I thought Rod Serling's teleplay, "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", was very realistic when referring to human nature. Even though it is believed that alien or outer space life forms are not real. The car starting then produces this assumption.
I thought it was interesting how Serling never gave a definite ending to "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street". He never gives a definite ending to the teleplay. I just assumed the chaos went on until every human life on Maple Street was dead or confused for their lifetime. Even though I am not into science fiction writings, I really enjoyed "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street". I would call this science fiction movie and teleplay one of the best from the 1950's.

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The Monsters Due On Maple Street

"The Monsters Due On Maple Street" was probably the only kind of movie that was supposed to be scary back then. Since I'm in the year 2003 that movie was pretty dumb, but back in that time it must have been awesome. The aliens looked really dumb with those two antennas. I liked seeing all the fake shooting and killing. I can now see how far we have come with movies since then. The movie was confusing until the alien started to talk. They told their plan of taking over the Earth by flickering some lights and making some stuff mess up. When they said that, it put all the pieces of the movie together, and foreshadowed that the human race would end because of prejudice.
I think the way he ended the movie was great. He told about the plan and makes you think, could that happen to us? That is how he advanced the plot, he told the story about the alien's plan and then had them talk and tell how everybody is the same. He had the aliens take off saying they were going to take over the world just by sitting down. Then left for another place to terrorize.
When the aliens talk it foreshadows the Earth in complete destruction. Dying because of them assuming that their friends are the enemy, when really they are the most dangerous because they terrorize people as innocent as them. When the aliens talk they say the theme of how people can be so prejudice. "They find the most dangerous enemy they can find............and it's themselves" (682). It is the probably the best and easiest plan the aliens have ever come up with.
The theme in this story is not to be prejudice. My part advanced the theme by talking. The aliens tell their plan about using prejudice to destroy the humans. As much as that sounded stupid, it was smart. The aliens could actually make their plan work, and that is what The Monsters Due Maple Street shows. About everyone has a little bit of prejudice inside him. After reading the story, realizing the theme, and thinking about it, you will think could that happen to me?
The book and movie are so close to each other. You can read from the book and they will say almost all of the same lines in the movie. That is what helps me relate to the movie. I can just see if the picture was same in the movie as in my mind. In other movies they are far off from the book, so it changes the whole view of the story. The author picked a great way to show how everyone can be so prejudice. When I read the story I also was prejudice. I thought Charlie was the alien, but as I found out nobody was. That surprised me a lot. This was the first book that showed that nobody was the bad guy, and that made the story's end great. ... Read more