Reviews (10)

Elvis is chased by girls in Spinout!
"I'm not going to marry you, I'm not going to marry her, I'm staying single, single, single, single, single." That is what Mike McCoy (Elvis Presley) is tring to do. Mike has 3 girls wanting to marry him. (The 3rd person will start later on in the film).

An author named Diana St. Clair (Diane McBain) wants to marry Mike McCoy. She writes books, like Ten Ways to Trap a Bachler and the mating habits of the single male. While that a millionairess name Cynthia Foxhugh (Shelly Fabares) wants to marry him too.

Her father (Carl Betz) wants her to marry his worker named Philip (Warren Berlinger). Like Girl Happy, Elvis sings with a combo. This time the combo is made up of Les, Curly and Larry, (Deborah Walley, Jack Mullaney, Larry Hawkins, Girl Happy).

Cynthia claims she gets everything she wants. She even gets her old man to pretend to kick Mike and his combo out of town. A police officer (Will Hutchins) shows up.

Mike asks if they can leave in the morning, and the police officer replies, "Sure, who does he think he is kicking people out of town in the middle of the night."

He is Cynthia's old man.

But soon thier is trouble when Les makes a move on Mike. But does he stay single or marry one of the 3 girls? Watch to find out.

The music's better than the movie
SPINOUT is another hard movie to sit through, thanks to the weak dialogue and even weaker storyline.

Elvis plays a singing race car driver (for the second time), who is being chased by three women. These include a spoiled brat (Shelley Fabares), an erotic author (Diane McBain), and his own drummer (Deborah Walley).

The music is actually listenable in this picture. Highlights include "Stop, Look, and Listen" and "I'll Be Back".

Elvis appears to be sleepwalking through this one. His appearance is also disturbing: slightly overweight and his hair looks like a big black ball on his head.

Again, not QUITE the worst, but far from the best. Buy something more worthwhile first.

THANK YOU WARNER BROTHERS!
This cover is EXCELLENT! Glad someone smart at WARNER BROTHERS decided to use the original poster art! ENTERTAINING film with a GREAT Soundtrack! ELVIS looked GREAT and the supporting cast did too!

FLUFF, BUT FUN
This movie was not and will not be remembered as great cinema... but one of the 50 worst films of all time? Terrible? You have got to be kidding.
Simply put, if you don't like Elvis, you won't like this movie. If you are a fan of modern movies containing gratuitous violence, nudity, foul language and etc, you should avoid this movie because I guarantee you will not like it. BUT, if you want a innocuous, family film with fun music and a star who could charm the birds right out of the trees, you will enjoy this movie.
Was Elvis out of touch in the mid and late 60's? YES. And I for one am glad he was and appreciate the fact that he made music and movies that were entertaining, light-hearted and able to be played in the same room with children. In the 60's, Elvis' movies helped to create an escapism from a world that seemed to be falling apart and represented a gentler, more innocent time.

CORNY?...YES!, COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER?...DEFINITELY!, but a bad movie...NO! Compared to other star vehicles of the day (Frankie and Annette, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin's Matt Helm films, Don Knotts, and etc) it is a very good movie.

Who else would have three beautiful women after him?
"Spinout" has Elvis playing a singing race car driver with three beautiful women who want to race him down the aisle to marriage. They are Shelley Fabares, Diane McBain, and Deborah Walley. Looks like Elvis has a tough decision. I can't decide myself. In "Spinout" you'll find two veteran stars in the height of their stardom: Cecil Kellaway and Una Merkel in one of her last roles. Also, the man who plays Shelley Fabares' father is Carl Betz who also starred with her as her father on "The Donna Reed Show". So, try to not to knock this movie. It's got great songs and the title tune was a top 40 hit by just that much. So, treat yourself to a swinging film that you just can't understand why Elvis wants to stay single. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

My First Elvis Movie
This was the first Elvis movie I ever saw. It's definitely not the way to start out watching Elvis' movies, but it is an honest effort. You have to give it credit for having a different setting (in Europe) and for having a different type of plot than other Elvis movies.It has a basically good soundtrack,"Baby,If You'll Give Me All Your Love","City By Night","Long-legged Girl","There's So Much World To See","Could I Fall In Love","I Love Only One Girl",and "Double Trouble" are all good, with the exception of "Old MacDonald". I wouldn't say it was a "horrid rendition", but just the fact that this song is sung, period, makes it beyond ridiculous. I like, however, the fairly engaging plot, kind of a spy-spoof at times. John Williams, Annette Day,and Leon Askin stand out among the cast. Not highly recommended, but recommended nonetheless.

Double Trouble - Elvis Presley
I really enjoyed this movie! Its not one of the best and a little cheesy! but easy to watch and one of the funniest films ive seen him in!Just a shame he never got to show us what a good actor he could have been!

Elvis and spies? Typical, but enjoyable.
"Double Trouble" took advantage of the spy themes in the '60s. Elvis does his martial art moves in this picture. Unfortunately, his fighting opponent falls down a boarded-up well and...well, enough said. Annette Day tries to put her move on Elvis. He's a little resistent at first, but eventually gives in. A lot of action, a lot of comedy, and a lot of music is what is made up of "Double Trouble". Whoever said that they were the only one enjoying this picture was wrong. You're not alone. I am a true and huge Elvis fan. I love all of his movies, no matter what they stuck him in. "Double Trouble" is double fun.

I am the only one?
I feel as if I'm the only that a good time with this Elvis Presley film. If you want to see a worst Elvis Presley film, then check out Harum Scarum. There are nine songs in this film not 2. And I own both films. I own this and Harum Scarum. But Elvis Presley didn't have a choice, his manger/agent decided that instead of performing concerts. I like this better than Harum Scraum and worth giving this above 3 stars. But I would have given this 5 stars if they would have gotten somebody who had more than one or 2 film playing Elvis Presley's love in the film. As the movie opens, when Guy Lambert (Elvis Presley) heads off to Europe, little does he know that his tour will include stops aong the way with spies, counterspies, jewel thives, and two lovely foreign feemes, (newcomer Annette Day and Yvonne Romain). If you don't like this, then move out of the United States.

Slightly above average Elvis vehicle
While certainly not as good as any of his 50s pictures (or even BLUE HAWAII), DOUBLE TROUBLE is certainly more watchable than TICKLE ME or HARUM SCARUM.

The plot is typical: Elvis falls for two women (that's certainly been done before), and gets into some sort of conflict. This time it's trying to save his girlfriend from her Uncle Gerald, who is after her inheritance.

OK, the plot isn't much, but Elvis looks good in some of the outfits he wears in this picture. The songs are not much either, especially the horrid rendition of "Old MacDonald". The best songs are "Long Legged Girl" and "City By Night".

At least this is a picture in which I didn't cringe. The dialogue isn't quite as corny as some of the other pictures, and it doesn't get too boring either.

A marginal "thumbs up" from me. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The plot is a hokey whitewash of the careers of Richard Rodgers andLorenz Hart, with characters talking in stilted phrases ("Gee, Larry, that's marvelous, really and truly") and complexities reduced to ground zero. But Rodgers and Hart comprised one of the greatest song-writing teams of the 20th century, and Words and Music (1948) is an excuse for a gang of Hollywood's top performers to have their way with the tunes. Mel Tormé croons a melancholy "Blue Moon," June Allyson twinkles through "Thou Swell," and a climactic ballet to "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" features Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen in slinky, kicky form. As is often the case in MGM musicals of this period, Lena Horne steals the show with a self-contained sequence (so it could be snipped out in theaters in the U.S. South), here contributing stunning versions of "The Lady Is a Tramp" and that most mysterious of American pop songs, "Where or When."

The film's sense of time is deranged:Perry Como plays an early friend of R&H, then decades later, himself; Garbo's Camille is shown as a silent film, although it was released 10 years after sound came in; and the grown-up Judy Garland plays herself in a period when she would have been a child. The upside is that Garland romps through "Johnny One Note," one of many examples of Lorenz Hart's lyrical dexterity. Tom Drake is a dull Rodgers, but Mickey Rooney's buzz-saw energy and crazed appetite might have made a brilliant Larry Hart. In a better movie, that is. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (16)

This is Mickey Rooney's movie!
I never realized what a bundle of energy a youthful Mickey Rooney was. He completely steals the show as musical theatre composer Larry Hart (the other half of Rodgers and Hart). Mr. Rooney brings such exuberance to his role that you actually feel sorry for what his character becomes by the end of the film.

Granted, this is a somewhat fictionalized account of the songwriting partnership of Rodgers and Hart, the film contains many a classic tune and musical number performed by many of the greatest MGM stars, including June Allyson, Perry Como, Lena Horne, Gene Kelly, Ann Sothern, Cyd Charisse, Vera-Ellen, and Judy Garland, all making cameo appearences.

Not to be completely outdone by Mr. Rooney, equally impressive are Tom Drake as Richard Rodgers, who was the "solid" one of the partnership, Janet Leigh as Dorothy Rodgers, and Betty Garrett as a girlfriend of Hart.

Anyone who appreciates the pomp and circumstance that MGM put into their musical films will find this film a treat for the senses.

An Unforgetable Evening
I'd just returned from the Berlin Air Lift with my honorable discharge papers and a purple heart proudly pinned on my chest. It was the most wonderful years of my life.

I worked in the mess hall, but I got injured while delivering a cup o' Joe, as we called in them days, to General Lucius Clay. The danged driver let the clutch pop and the Jeep ran over my foot.

I'd seen that General Clay any number of times and was most impressed. Did you know he was the durect descendant of ole Henry Clay, the man who said he'd rather be goldanged right then president. Now there's a man who shoulda been president instead of that danged old Eisenhower. The General, not Henry.

I seen Ike, as we called him, numerous times too, always pouring sugar and creamer in his Joe. Never trusted a man who used both.

Anyway, my foot was getting better and I decided to get out of the house. Ma, God rest her soul, was always telling me go rake this, go pick this and go milk that and she was getting on my nerves, although it warn't her fault. She missed Pa since his tractor rolled in '39. He was drunk acourse, but we all missed him all the same.

I was going to the Strand and figured I'd call my old buddy Bob Eshbach about going. Well, his sister CeeCee was home from college (not many women went then, no need for more educated fools in the world) and we got chatting and I asked her out despite the fact she musta had a real bad cold because her voice all husky.

I picked her up in the Model A I'd bought for $5. She looked elegant in her green and orange komono, covering her kabukied up white-as-snow face with that little pink fan, a' batting her eyes at me.

I was enamoured and said the first word that came to my mind: "Golly." I was going to follow up with "Am I mistaken, CeeCee, but have you grown about seven inches and beefed up since we last met," but a gentleman never asks a gal if she's beefed up. It ain't polite. Pa taught me that with a whipping.

We rode along quiet for a while, both bursting with anticipation for the evening when I said "We're going to the Strand. That okay? Have youu seen the movie? Shucks, I don't even know what's playing."

"Tom, it's 'Words and Music.' Do you know anything abour it?" she replied.

"It's about them musical brothers, the Strausses or something, ain't it?"

"Rogers and Hart. Lorenz Hart was gay, you know. Does that bother you?"

That peeved me some, asking a question like I was rube or something. "Gay! Bother me? Hecks bells, no. Any feller who wrote about the corn being as high as an elephant's eye or an all decked out surrey ought to be gay. Them's wonderful, happy songs, especially to farm people like me. CeeCee, sometimes I'm gay. Not around, Ma of course. She wouldn't approve. In Berlin I was gay any number of times."

Why I could see her blush through her pancake make up as she fluttered her fan, cocked her head and cooed in a gravelly sort of way, "Oh really."

Well we got there on time and settled in with pop corn and pops. I didn't think Mickey Rooney was gay at all in his portrayal of Hart...just Academy Award level acting. While watching all the wonderful technicolor singing and dancing about small hotels and mountain greenery, I drank a big RC Cola so about half way through when Lena Horne started to pipe up, I excused myself for the little boys room.

When I returned, CeeCee had our box of pop corn on her lap and right away tilted it toward me and asked "Want some, hun." Well I reached in there and there warn't a lot of popcorn left, but a surprise at the bottom like the Cracker Jacks has.

It was a real eye opener.

We dated the rest of the summer, until she was drafted and sent to Korea and mysteriously disappeared from the ship taking her there.

Whenever I see "Words and Music" (And it's daily since I bought it at Amazon) I think of my poor CeeCee.

It is a wonderful movie, just right for them that's four to them that's 104, and I ain't referring to no sick bed temperature. Buy it today. You'll love it.

COOL movie!
Judy, Mickey, Vera-Ellen, Gene, and an ever-so-cute June Alyson in "thou swell"! She, along with all her cast members give a spectacular performance!

Good Film... ONLY THE ACTOR'S DESERVED BETTER THAN THIS!
First-Rate Celebs Deserve More Than This! I Feel Bad For Those People In This Film. BUT FOR SOME REASON, I LOVE THIS FILM! This Is Fun, Romantic, Song-Filled, And Dramatic! So If You Love A Good Time And A Good Cry, You'll Love This Film! WARNING: YOU WILL NEED KLEENEX! LOTS OF IT IF YOU GET SAD EASILY!

Master of melodrama.
Don't watch WORDS AND MUSIC for biographical accuracy; watch it for the musical numbers (they'd be called music videos today). Its book is no more proper than the one concocted for Jerome Kern in TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY. But there are isolated gems: Judy Garland playing grown-up with Mickey Rooney for the first time in their last screen appearance with the sarcastic duet "I Wish I Were In Love Again," as well as the "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue" dance and the massive ballet of "On Your Toes"/"This Can't Be Love." Some productions border on corny, like Perry Como's "Mountain Greenery" or the perenially perky June Allyson singing "Thou Swell," but the wit and charm behind the songs is timeless. This is one of those film enigmas of which you just accept the premise (it never could decide what period of time it's supposed to be set in) and let it wash over you. It still has the charm of Ann Southern and the smolder of Lena Horne and Cyd Charisse- even if its finale is completely melodramatic and hand-wringing!! ... Read more

Reviews (127)

Whom the Bells Told
Disney brings the Victor Hugo's classic tale into a spectacular and touching animated wonder. Gentle and deformed bell ringer Quasimodo (voiced by Tom Hulce) lives a solitary life on the top of majestic Notre Dame. When Quasimodo befriends gypsy beauty Esmeralda (voiced by Demi Moore), he embarks on an adventure to protect his true friend from the harsh authority of his master Frollo. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is a powerful, star-studded and stunning masterpiece. The movie appeals to both kids and adults, but some content may be too strong for younger audiences. The story is well-paced and uplifting. The voice cast also includes Kevin Kline and Jason Alexander. The animation, music score and detailed backgrounds are quite amazing.

"The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is a surprisingly good DVD. This animated tale is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen format. The DVD contains a detailed video transfer with bright colors. Both 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS sound are remarkable with stunning clarity. The animated menus are simple but certainly appealing. Its supplemental material features the pleasant Making of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" featurette, an audio commentary with directors Kirk Wise and Gary Tousdale, and the Topsy Turvy Underground game. Like so many Disney DVDs, it also contains forced commercials and trailers. With its fine DVD presentation, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" scores a "B".

A Disney Must See
This is the first video I've owned that I've had to replace because I literally wore it out by watching it too often. "Hunchback" is a wonderful adaptation of Hugo's novel. Of course it has the Disney touch. This movie has everything - from intense drama to hilarious scenes that make me laugh just thinking about them. The animation is fantastic and the story is engaging. You'll hear the voices of Kevin Kline, Demi Moore, Jason Alexander, David Ogden Stires and Tom Hulce. The music is by the award winning duo of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz and it is captivating from the biggest show stopping numbers down to the almost subliminial latin liturgical chants in the backgrounds of some songs. As Disney videos go this one can be considered pretty intense at times with perhaps the most well developed and complicated villan of any Disney film. Watch it first before you let the very youngest kids see it just in case. You'll want to see it twice anyway. It's lots of fun for most kids and just about everyone else. If you liked Aladdin or Beauty and the Beast you'll most likely love Hunchback of Notre Dame. END

Not too good.
I saw this movie when I was maybe seven I suppose. It was downright disturbing. I mean they tie up Quasimodo, throw rotten fruit at him at him, they show Quasimodo's Mum being killed while trying to seek refuge in a chruch, we see the evil guy nearly drowning baby Quasimodo in a well, a house is set on fire with children inside, there is predjudice against gypsies, there is a song about Hell (I didn't fully comprehend the message they were trying to get accross at that part, I'm pretty certain it was Hell though), they nearly burn Esmeralda at the stake and a whole bunch of other really WEIRD stuff goes on. It's a big royal mess from beginning to end. I understand bad thing shappen in the world but this movie was intended for children and I don't recommend it for small children or anyone else for that matter. In a few short words, it creeped me out and I didn't see a point to it.

WOW.
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTORE DAME WAS THE BEST. I M GETTING IT ON VHS,I WATCHED IT HALF AND IT WAS ASWME. LOVE IT. COOOOOOLOE.WALT DISNYS MASTERPIECE.WOW.JUST WOW.

Probably the most detailed Disney film ever made.
This is a really cool Disney flick because it is the least cartoonish. Everything about it is detailed, more so than some of the Pixar films. The animation is very intriquite and miraculously precise in bringing the Gothic city of Paris to life. The voice casting is very star studded and well done. The music is very good as well, and the score is very moody and probably the most dramatic of all the Disney films. It isn't the best but it is definately "the most". ... Read more

Amazon.com

Dean Jones has a typical '60s occupation: ad man. Widower Fred Bolton is in need of a fantastic campaign to promote the stomach pill Aspercel. And in typical Disney get-a-kid-and-animal-in-there fashion, he makes the contrived decision to accommodate his sweet teen daughter Helen's longing for a horse, and advance the elusive ad campaign. Fred figures if he and Helen (Ellen Janov, in her only film role) can make a champion of the horse (now named, you guessed it, Aspercel), the name will get in the papers and Helen will have her horse.Complications arise when Helen reveals she hates riding in shows. Fortunately, her riding teacher, the beautiful Suzie Clemens (underratedDiane Baker), agrees to take up the cause, and sparks a little romance with the ambitious dad. The trio have a challenging competition and Suzie's ex, the wealthy and conceited Archer Madison (Lloyd Bochner, in a role he played often), to deal with, but as with all Disney films, good and earnest triumphs over smug and self-satisfied. Look for a young Kurt Russell, who has little to do but grace the movie (and Helen) with a little teen idolness. His introduction into the film--driving a red convertible MG--is hilarious. A sweet, easy-to-watch, harmless--if a little forgettable--film. (Ages 4 and older) --N.F. Mendoza ... Read more

Reviews (17)

The horse of course
This is a great family film from the Disney Studio. A fun adventure with Dean Jones, without as much slapstick as his other Disney outings. A little adventure, big dose of comedy, with some romance thrown in while a single father has to sort out his priorities.

Jones is an advertising executive that is stuck between an employer who is pressuring him for a jazzy new ad campaign, and being a single parent of a daughter that desperatley wants a horse. He is not to keen on horses, the cost of the riding instructions she is attending, or even the instructor. Of course the instructor (Diane Baker) feels his daughter is a fantastic rider and should actually compete. He is opposed to the extra cost and the let he fears his daughter will have.

Through a few twists, suddenly the 2 needs meet and he not only buys a horse but lets his daughter enter it in shows. But he really does it to promote an ad campaign and figures out a way to have his clients pay for it. Meanwhile his daughter develops a love interest in another horseman, a very young Kurt Russell. And Dad begins to fall for the instructor he hates. Dianne Baker and Dean Jones have a wonderful chemistry and if you loike them together you should really see them as a married couple in another Disney comedy called, "the Ugly Dachsund".

The DVD version listed here does NOT include widescreen, or remastered, or have any extras, which is a big dissapointment. My VHS version is clean though and looks fresh even though it is also not in widescreen.

Adorable Horse Story
I am a horse-lover and when I saw this movie I just loved it as well! It's a cute story about a dad and his horse loving daughter. He finally is able to get her a horse to show, but there is a catch. The horse is named after a company as part of an ad campaign. The dad ends up falling in love and the daughter has a thing for a very very young Kurt Russell! Overall great family movie, and a must-have for any horse lovers video collection.

Full Screen Sucks ......... most of the Time!
DVD Movies have many great features: great picture quality, making of documentaries, trailers and much more. However my favorite feature would have to be "Widescreen". So that is why I was so disappointed when I found out this movie was full screen. I bought this movie anyways, because at less I could replace my old faded VHS tape with superb color and sound and it did. However it did more than that. Upon closer comparison I noticed that was getting a lot more picture on the top and bottom and left and right of the screen!!!! On my 32 inch TV it's about and extra inch and a half more picture around the out side of the screen compared to my VHS tape. I was overjoyed and delighted by this discovery. So don't be too hasty in judge this movie if you love widescreen. Give it a chance it will be sure to please.

DISNEY DOESN'T GET IT!!!!!
No wonder the company is about to be taken over and broken up -- DVD was introduced to be an alternative to video, to offer more than video: better picture, more extras, and most importantly, more picture. Letterboxing. Widescreen. The complete image. So what does Disney do? They take some of their most beloved live-action films such as this one, and dump it on DVD in full-frame editions. What is the point of that? Who isn't used to widescreen DVDs yet? Why should I waste my money replacing my old Disney videos with the same crappy full screen image as before? Disney just doesn't get it, and their sales show it.

Great Movie! LOVED it!
Well, I thought this movie was wonderful! I am a horse lover, so I usually like almost any movie with horses in it. But I think people who are and aren't horse lovers will like this movie too. It's funny, it has a good story, and it has gripping competition. The horses used in this movie were excellent jumpers (not to mention beautiful). I have rented this movie from the local video store a minimum of 10 times. Its a good old Disney Classic thats good to watch when you just feel like curling up on a couch and watching a video. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Bossa Nova Baby
Great songs and Elvis is looking wonderful! A fun movie for the whole family.

The BEST!
I am a big Elvis fan, and this movie is by far my favorite one! It has everything....catchy songs....Elvis chasing the girls....you name it!

If you are a fan and have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it!

funny entertainment
There was a valid reason for why Elvis was called the king of rock; he was on top and he reigned the entire time he was live, and now, even in death, he manages to sell more and more albums and be enjoyed by new generations.

This Elvis movie is a personal favorite of mine. The on-location filming makes it spectacular and Elvis is truly in top form in this delightful movie. You can watch it with the whole family, and, with the exception of one pretty gruesome fist fight scene, with young children as well.

Elvis sings a number of Spanish-tinged numbers and does a great performance at the El Troubadour of "Bossa Nova Baby."

The plot works well, and the story is fun if you can imagine Elvis Presley being a singer in Mexico in the early '60's.

The four Beatles acutally went to see this movie when the came over to the states early in their career.

Elvis does his own stunts in this film, but does not do the cliff diving scene. The cliff diving scene is really spectacular and really gives this film a unique dimension that many of his other films were missing due to tight budgets.

A great Elvis vehicle, you can enjoy it now, 40 years later (whewww...hard to believe it's that old now) and be transported back to a lovely time of innocence and fun.

Ursala Andress is a delight and had great on-screen chemistry with the king. I wish that she had made more appearances in Elvis movies as she was easily as good as Elvis as an actor.

Buy it for your collection so that you can watch it for years to come, and pass it along to the youngsters to let the next generation enjoy!!

Betty Jennings

Elvis and that Bossa Nova Baby beat.
"Fun In Acapulco" might look like it on-screen, but it wasn't fun in Acapulco for Elvis or Ursula Andress. Both of them were learning new languages. Ursula Andress was just learning English (reason for her voiced being dubbed in "Dr. No"), and Elvis had to learn Spanish because some of the songs he sang have Spanish lyrics. So it was hard work for them. You have to hear Elvis sing in Spanish. It's so different. Here, he plays a former circus performer who comes to Acapulco to get away from his past. He's hired as a lifeguard at a hotel, and sings for the guests at night. Being a lifeguard wasn't easy, because when he was in the circus, he was in the acrobats. On one swing he missed his partner who fell to the ground and resulted in a terrible accident. When a rival lifeguard learns about it, he challenges him to dive again since now Elvis' character is afraid of heights. He's finally able to gain back his courage, beats up the rival Alejandro Rey in a great fight scene, and climbs to the highest clif and makes the highest dive. He wins the heart of Ursula Andress, too. Great latin rhythm, latin love, and latin themed Elvis flick.

Elvis heads south of the border in Fun in Acapulco
This movie review is not written by me. This movie review is written by Elvis Presley. April Fools Day! Elvis Presley heads south of the border. And if you don't know what I mean by that. He heads down to Mexico.

Mike Windgren (Elvis Presley) was put off a circus act with his famkly until an accident happens. The act is broken up. Now Mike is Mexico, where he is fired as a boat hand.

He is fired when his boss's minor daughter accuses him of bring her to a place that his not where she suppose to be. That same night he meets Raoul Almeido (Larry Domasin). He is a child. He looks like a midget Elvis!

Raoul helps Mike find a job at a htel. He is take the place of a bad singer, when the person is sick. And his aslo a part-time lifeguard at the pool. Before he's hired he meets cliff driver and the only lifeguard Moreno (Alejandro Rey). He dives 136 feet off a cliff. You won't catch me doing that.

He aslo meets Moreno's girl named Margarita Dauphine. She is played by Ursula Address. The songs are all sung by Elvis Presely with Larry Domasin sing a song with him. The movie was directed by Richard Thrope (Jailhouse Rock). Viva Elvis! Viva Mexico! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This sequel to 1984's rip-snorting romantic-adventure, Romancing the Stone, is a moderately entertaining tale that pales by comparison to its predecessor. Romance novelist Kathleen Turner and retired soldier-of-fortune Michael Douglas return as a now-complacent couple. Bored with life on a yacht, they find excitement thrust upon them when she accepts a speaking engagement in the Middle East. Once there, she is abducted and finds herself involved with the "jewel" everyone is chasing. Douglas teams up once more with Danny DeVito to rescue his love. Less charming and more predictable than the original, this suffers for one simple reason: the characters have nowhere to go. In the original story we watched Turner blossom from timid storyteller to lusty adventuress. In this flick she is too much like all the other action adventure babes we've seen before. --Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Not Too Bad For A Sequel
THE JEWEL OF THE NILE is a sequel to ROMANCING THE STONE. The director and the screenwriters are new but Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito are back in their old familiar roles. The cast also includes Spiros Focas and Avner Eisenberg.

This time the adventure takes place in North Africa where Turner is invited to accompany a wealthy Arab to his own country. She soon finds herself caught in another big mess in a very strange land. Naturally Douglas has to rescue her as he did before in ROMANCING THE STONE.

Danny DeVito's best scene comes near the beginning of the film when he suddenly emerges from a barrel on a dock with a rapid-fire description of his experiences in a Columbian jail. On balance JEWEL OF THE NILE is an entertaining movie but it does not quite recapture the magic of ROMANCING THE STONE.

A sequel that mostly makes the grade
Rarely does a sequel to a smash movie rise to the same level as its predecessor - but perhaps Jewel of the Nile is the exception (along with some of the Indiana Jones follow-ups).
This sequel to Romancing the Stone, a rip-snorter adventure/romance with Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas, set the stage for this 2nd one. They've been together since the end of the 1st movie, living on his yacht. She is on assignment in the Middle East when she's abducted, and it's up to Douglas and of course Danny DeVito, to rescue her.
Good stuff, but not quite 5-star.

Very Well Done
Jewel of the Niel is the sequel to Romancing the Stone also with Michael Douglas,Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. The Movie stars off kind of slow but once the movie goes over seas to the Middle-East it gets alot better I don't want to give away to much but this movie should not be missed. Also to readers of this review if you like these two movies you the actors in it you should check out WAR OF THE ROSES

Skip this one. Just watch "Romancing the Stone" again.
Not too bad for a sequel, but this film has absolutely none of the "magic" of the original. Everything seems forced, contrived, and artificial by comparison. As others have noted, the story ended precisely where it should have at the close of "Romancing the Stone." Too bad they did not leave well enough alone.

Good Sequel But Not A Contender
"Jewel of the Nile" is the sequel to "Romancing the Stone" and reunites Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito in another adventure involving treasure, mystery, and danger in a foreign land.

It feels very much like a sequel, as in, "This all worked the first time, so let's do it again." The result is a somewhat formulaic and predictable film, with less magic. Without it's predecessor, viewers would be confused about what was going on with the characters. But, without it's predecessor, it would have stood out more. Or, it might have flopped. A definite case of sequelitis, but a much milder case than the awful "Jurassic Park: The Lost World" which completely went awry, in my opinion.

All that said, "Jewel of the Nile" is still an above-average, fast-paced action/adventure film with enough of a plot and enough good acting to make it worth watching. It has an exotic setting, a good, if not memorable, musical score, and plenty of action. "Romancing the Stone" is a keeper; this one is a good rental (or to buy a used one cheap). ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Bitter-sweet triumph
This video, although beautiful and astounding cannot be watched without seeing the episodes surrounding it: "What Rough Beast" , Ceremony of Innocence" , and " The Rest is Silence" . Once you have seen these Though Lovers be lost will steal your heart and capture your soul.

Beauty & The Beast-Though Lovers Be Lost
I love all of the Beauty & The Beast episodes from the TV series. I have most on VHS. To Peggy Hendershot, I may have the ones you are looking for. I tried to never miss an episode!

Wonderful show
I have loved this show since it orginally aired. I used to have all of them, but moving so much, I have lost most of them. I would love to get the complete set if anyone can help me. This show really should be reaired. ecb612@hotmail.com

Though Lover's Be Lost
This is for Dawna and Peggy. I have 20 episodes on tape, and looking for more. I would be interested in sharing what we all have.
Tina
ldy8legs@aol.com

Great show, looking for all the videos
I was in my first year of middle school when this show came on and was absolutely enthralled. All the episodes were great, but I missed the last season (punishment for a bad report card, lol). Would desperately love to get the complete set from someone! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Colorful, daring Hollywood epic
From the Golden Age of Hollywood comes The Prodigal (1955), a MGM release. This "Biblical" epic, based on the New Testament story of The Prodigal son, tells of the adventure of the young man who enters the pagan world and discovers the mysteries and charms of Miss Lana Turner, high priestess of the temple of a graven, cruel, jealous god, and the dangers of forbidden love. Edmund Purdom is the prodigal who is smitten by Turner's Samarra.The story plods along with some over-blown and sometimes trite dialogue, but the costumes and sets are eye-popping. This movie era could only produce such grandier and Miss Turner as the brilliant center, is sinfully beautiful. She reveals more of her self as any much younger actress would dare at the time. And she looks marvelous. See this spectacular entry for what we may never see in today's cinema.

EPIC MORALITY TALE
Lana Turner was breath taking beautiful as ever. She is the sexiest woman I have ever seen. Her costumes are surreal. If for nothing else, The Prodigal would be memorable for Lana Turner's pagan-ritual costume, which is little more than a Burlesque Queen costume that Blaze Starr, Lili St. Cyr or Tempest Storm wore. The effect was at once sexy, erotic and alluring. And an interesting side comment on the evils of Burlesque.

Worthwhile if you like the genre...
Edmund Purdom reprises his role in "The Egyptian" as a good guy who gets led astray by his passion for a woman he should have avoided. Lana Turner made a career of playing temptresses and does an excellent job here although the cast of "The Egyptian" is, overall, much stronger with Gene Tierney, Michael Wilding, and Biblical epic specialist Victor Mature. But "The Prodigal" has some quality supporting players including perennial bad guy Neville Brand and Francis Sullivan, one of the more memorable character actors of the 50s, in the role of Bosra the money lender. The production values are Golden Age MGM with large, colorful, impressive sets. Unfortunately, the script is wooden and Purdom was not a captivating screen presence.
Richard Thorpe, MGM's principal director of costume epics in the 50s did an excellent job with "Ivanhoe" (Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor) but proves here that his direction could be quite straightforward and unimaginative.
The bottom line is this: If you're looking for another "Ben Hur" you won't find it here. But if you like most of the Biblical epics of the 50s and early 60s, even the second and third tier ones, you'll enjoy this film and the three star rating is for you. You'll be especially interested in the ending which is unusual for films of this type. If you do not enjoy this genre or you enjoy only the very best examples of it then you should avoid "The Prodigal".

The Prodigal
I just watched this film for the first time and found it interesting and overall good. It is a Bible story which is done very well. I thought Edmund Purdom was the best thing about the movie. He did an excellent job of acting. Lana Turner was gorgeous as always. The supporting cast was a little weak, but the story carried them along. The sets and the costumes were very well done and a pleasure to watch. I have read some bad reviews of this film but I don't agree with them. I think it's worth seeing. I know I plan to watch it again.

MGM hits a new low in Tastelessness
Whoever thought up this abomination must have been out of his mind.Technically,they did a good job,sets,props,camera work,etc.A fine set of supporting actors provide characterizations that are cliches,at best.The plot doesn't even qualify as stereotypic;the dialogue is inane;and the leads don't even provide roles that manage to be one-dimensional.There is a continuous emphasis on brutal cruel,and grossly inhumane situations,terrifying horrors of the ancient world,monstrous disregard for life,and appalling barbarisms.3/5 of the way through the picture is the most atrocious sequence;a ritual human sacrifice which will outrage anyone with the moral fastidiousnessof a gila monster. .... This piece of tripe deserves any bad remarks a critic can find. ... Read more

Reviews (82)

The movie was good, it's not what people expect from Murphy.
I really liked this movie. It was funny and yet different considering what people usually expect from Eddie Murphy. He was not rude or used a lot of bad language. It shows that he is a very versatile actor. He can do good roles an roles where he hast to be the crudest person on earth. Anyway, I thought that having the animals really talking and their lips were in sinck with thier voices was a job well-done. Some of the actors that you think would never be good as a voice were pretty funny. John Legazamo was good as one of the rats. The drinking monkey was also hilarious. Well, I can say nothing but good for this movie.

vastly superior to the sequel, IMHO
Like a lot of people who believe themselves to be worldly, I put my little barriers up when I encounter a film like "Dr. Dolittle". When you think of yourself as a sophisticate, it's hard to reach the child within. You hope the kid left long ago.

The truth is that few people grow up entirely. Halfway through this movie, I threw in the towel and decided to admit I was enjoying this adolescent gem. It's infectious.

Eddie Murphy's Dr. Dolittle is not recognizable as the character in the Hugh Loftis book. He's been totally updated. The only element left from the novel is Dolittle's ability to talk to animals. He understands them. They converse. Thankfully they do not sing, as they did in the dreadful Rex Harrison musical comedy thirty years ago. That film lost a fortune for Fox Studio. At this late date, Mr. Murphy and friends seem to have recovered its money.

It may seem like a gift to be able to communicate with guinea pigs, owls, dogs, pigs, pigeons and other creatures. This gift could be a one-way ticket to the funny farm, which is the problem Dolittle faces.

One of the best things about "Dr. Dolittle" is that it's short. The producers were wise enough to get in and out before the audience realized this was basically a one joke, one special effect story.

Murphy seems to have undergone a personal transformation in the last few years. Now he is completely at ease and in control in gentle comedies like this and "The Nutty Professor", just as he was in the sexy and crime-driven vehicles that made him a movie star in the 1980s.

It was bathroom humor that earned this picture a PG-13 rating. It may have deserved it, but kids seem to learn this stuff younger these days. Maybe they are just more open than my generation was. This touch of crudeness helps "Dr. Dolittle" to work. Full of smart remarks, these animals are survivors. They are also endearing. They assure that the movie never becomes sickeningly sweet. Besides, nobody expects Eddie Murphy to give up his bad boy image completely.

One element I found interesting is that, despite all the advances in digital special effects, when you see a lot of animals talking on screen, it doesn't look any more real than it did in the days of Francis the Talking Mule. It just cost ten times as much to create the effect.

Laugh out loud comedy.
Dr. John Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) has the so called "perfect life", a beautiful wife, two loving daughters and a career that could not be better. All that changes one night when he nearly hits a dog with his car. As he is leaving, the dog calls him a bonehead then runs off. From that day on his childhood ability to communicate with animals is back. Soon, animals are showing up at his home to get help. His colleagues suspect he's going crazy and many decisions still have to be made regarding the sale of the clinic. Just as everything is about to fall apart, a circus tiger falls seriously ill and it's John's turn to prove to everyone that he's not crazy.

No Repeats
This is a movie I bought first, primarily for the kids because of the reviews. No one ever asked to watch it a second time. I say this because one of my kids was watching the Lion King last night, for the umpteenth time. So yes, I agree that eddie murphy impressed me again with his talent... but it just didn't grab my kids, 3 boys and 2 girls. I had to give it a good rating of 3 rather than a 2 to encourage the making of good movies.

Where's Richard Pryor when we need him?
eddie murphy is a comical guy, but is he really the right guy to play in something as stupid as this? Of course, who is the right guy for it? One of the questions i can't stand to think about in this movie, is how Dolittle hears the animals speak, but their lips move and nobody notices. Can't they connect the dots? Obviously not. And obviously, the filmmakers couldn't either. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Can't Live with Him, Can't Live without Him
This episode deals quite seriously (and often in a lovely lyrical fashion) with the serious consequences (for Catherine) of her relationship with Vincent. On the 20th anniversary of her mother's death, Catherine is overcome with a sense of hopelessness about her life. The problem seems to be...Vincent. She must confront the fact that their relationship is closing her off from life possibilities for which she has always longed. As he tells her, "Our dream exists at the cost of all your other dreams." Her pain is so great that (in an extremely powerful scene) the superhumanly chivalrous Vincent gives her the breakup she so desperately needs (though doing so, for him, is akin to ripping his heart out of his chest). It is a breakup she could never, ever, bring herself to directly ask for. It takes time away from Vincent for Catherine to come to a realization of what in her life is indeed "worth everything." She makes her choice, and she and Vincent (and we) derive great joy from that decision. I've never (before or since) experienced such joy at the finish of an episode of a TV series!

Linda Hamilton is so good here that she gives us an empathic connection to Catherine that is stronger than Vincent's. "A Happy Life" is a thing of stunning beauty and power, and I don't think there is a significant misstep in it. This episode and the magnificent "Orphans" are by far the highest pinnacles of achievement for this series.

In 1998 I conducted a poll among Beauty and the Beast fans asking them to rate the 44 episodes of the first two seasons on a 1-to-10 scale. 31 fans participated. "A Happy Life" finished 1st out of the 44 episodes.

I placed "A Happy Life" 1st in my own personal 1-through-44 rank-ordering of the episodes.

One of the series finest episodes.
Twenty years after her mother's death, Catherine re-evaluates her life and her relationship with Vincent. Beautifully written and acted, Linda Hamilton gives an amazing performance as her character sinks deeper into despair as she is slowly torn between two worlds. This is a must-see episode for anyone who has watched (or is even familiar with) Beauty and the Beast.

Intro episode to a fabulous new version of an old faerytale.
A modern day woman is drawn into a world of fantasy and things that cannot be possible, yet are oh, so very real. Injured and left to die in Central Park, Catherine Chandler is rescued by Vincent, a very unique, gentle being, who brings her to his world, to heal. His world consists of a labyrinth of subterrean tunnels, peopled by those society has either discarded or left to die alone and in poverty. Here, Catherine learns the true meaning of caring, committiment, and love. She also learns that a person's looks are truly 'only skin deep', and it is ones soul which gives an inner beauty and strength which is both lasting and incorruptable. ... Read more

Description

From Giuseppe Tornatore, director of the Academy Award-winning "Cinema Paradiso," comes this magical fable of an extraordinary man who lives a remarkable life without setting foot on land. Abandoned atop a piano and raised by a lowly crew member in the bowels of a luxurious cruise ship, the boy is dubbed 1900 for the year he was born. As he grows up, he is drawn to the piano and discovers he has an amazing gift for creating music. The prodigy dazzles the passengers, and his reputation spreads around the world, with record producers clamoring to capture his magic. But he refuses to leave the ship to pursue promised fame and fortune. Only when he spots a beautiful girl on board does he become determined to join the outside world and live a normal life. But is that the life he really wants? With a beautiful score by Academy Award nominee Ennio Morricone (Days of Heaven, The Untouchables) and heartfelt performances by Tim Roth (Pulp Fiction, Planet of the Apes) as 1900, Pruitt Taylor Vince (JFK, Wild at Heart) as his trumpet player pal and Clarence Williams III (Purple Rain, Reindeer Games) as jazz legend Jelly Roll Morton, this lyrical, transcendent film will strike a chord in your heart. ... Read more

Reviews (82)

Music Of The Ocean
You probably know Tim Roth from playing bad guys, as in "Reservoir Dogs", "Pulp Fiction", "Planet of the Apes" --if you didn't notice, he was the bad ape--, or ,even, in "Vatel". Now, watching "The Legend of 1900", you'll be surprised seeing him playing the title role, 1900 -- yes, this is his name-- who is a very melacholic musician.

1900 was found in a ship when was still a baby. Adoped by one of the men who worked in it, he grew up watching people immigrate to America and being greeted by the Statue of Liberty. He is a natural born musician, so he can perfectly play piano, and it starts to call people's attention. So the film follows the life of this man who never leaves the ship. The story is told by one of his band mates.

The script is very fine, balacing some funny moments and some melancholics events. It is impossible to forget the impressive duel between 1900 and the father of the jazz. And Ennio Morricone's score is superb. The music that 1900 'composes' in the very moment a record is being recorded and he falls for a beautiful girl resonated in my mind for days. This piece is deeply touching. Giuseppe Tornatore is, as everybody knows, Italian and he directs the movie with the Italian approach, in other words, it will touch your heart and will make you cry many times.

There is no doubt that Tim Roth is the heart, soul and fingers of the film. Although he does not play piano, he just mimes, it is so good that one may think he is actually playing the songs. Other thing that is not impossible to avoid mentioning is his eyes. They are so deep and expressive. Most of his feelings are expressed by those melancholic pair of eyes. 1900 grabs your heart and, even though being so surreal, he looks so believable that you think you're watching a story very likely to have happened.

I recomend this movie for those who like Italian Cinema, and music as well. I don't think this is the kind of film for everyone, but, surely, it has its audience.

Incredibly well done!
I agree with some other reviews I've read above on how some people criticize this movie too easily. I don't think it's necessary to sit down and watch it with some preconcieved idea as to what to expect, rather than just let the movie and the soundtrack seduce you to it's full extent. I believe Guiseppe Tornatore and Ennio Morricone have put together a film that will be referred back to by many generations. It's one of those films that refuses to age in time. The brilliant performance by Tim Roth in an not-so-usual role brings to life 1900, a character so much within us all, representing what he has to say and do in this world through his magnificent piano-playing, ("A light that shines so bright yet for so little time"...taken from blade runner). I haven't the slightest intention of drawing any conclusion for the reviewer of this movie but if your not into great expectations, you'll probably wind up with more than that at the end of the film. My opinion is that the story didn't necessarily need to take place on an ocean liner, it could have been anywhere where 1900 felt safe and secluded from the bustle of the surrounding world but through his greatness as a pianist, he was always bound for fame and glory as well as his inevitablity. I feel it's important to get this point across to those who feel the need to compare this "insignificant" aspect with the movie "Titanic", yet I would have wished half the musical score in "Titanic" this film has. The main character leaves me with the sensation that he's subconsciously set out the task to leave a mark on this Earth while he's never literally set foot on dry ground and that all of us who have strived in our own lives can relate to easily yet again, he leaves an unfinished task to those who haven't. My advice, get the DVD, listen to the beautiful music and put your thoughts aside, the film will do the rest and you'll surely be wanting to see it more than once!

one of the greatest movies ever made w/o commercial minded
this is one of the most profound movies i've ever viewed. 'red violin' is good but not as good as this one. some of the other great movies that are always on my mind are: "the music teacher", 'somewhere in time'. i'd like to thank to those producers who could put this kind movie into production without putting the big denero boxoffice in mind. otherwise we would never have any chance to have such sublime and profound feelings and opportunity to learn that we do also have some passions revived by such great stories.

A mythical fable
This work of Giuseppe Tornatore is an original issue in the celluloid.
The story tells us about a child born in the middle of the ocean , (so forget about what's his birthplace), that lack of no land human being gives him that mythical character.
The script shows the process of growing up of this boy , who gradually became in the official pianist of that ship called Virginian, (another smart clue) .
The time comes for him , the piano and his intimate friend , the trumpeter are the only friends he has.
All the story is told in third person, before a seller of old musical instruments and musical scores; I mean a true dialogue between two categories of memories ; the emotional and the historical.
In that sense Tornatore signs his directorial prints on his favorite theme: the memory. That's the clever device of Cinema Paradiso.
But the pianist (in a brilliant performing of this underestimated actor of one million carats talent, Tim Rith), refuses in every decisve moment to leave his own country ship; he belongs to it. He was born there and a invisible link ties him: not even the only love , and mighty inspiration motive for his best composition is capable of make leaving his water home.
Beautiful , poetical and amazing tale with multiple laughable sequences, are surrounded by that duty fate of mixing with the ground land .
An unforgettable experience that will reward you from beginning to end.
Don't miss this one.

The Legend of 1900
This is undoubtedly the VERY BEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL movie I have ever seen. It is a movie that, after you have seen it, you can not forget. The story and characters, and music, haunt you, and Tim Roth is unbelievably fabulous. I can not understand why this movie, Tim Roth, and the soundtrack, did not win some major awards because the movie certainly deserved best picture of the year, Tim Roth deserved best actor, and the haunting and very original soundtrack should have also received the top academy award. This movie is even better than Cinema Paridiso, which is also one of my other favorite films. I buy this movie for everyone I really like. Lucky for me that I heard about this movie only on the Netflix website and ordered it. Why did this movie never get the publicity it deserved (that is something that I would like to know from anyone out there who may know)?? ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Hulk's Best!!
When I was a little kid growing up I was always the fat kid who got picked on. Knowing that the Hulk had to go through the same thing helps me to like him more. In this movie the Hulk does what you want an action hero to do he takes on the communist's, modern day pirates, searches for buried treasure, and of course gets the girl in the end. Hulk Hogan deleivered a fine performance as an action hero and made a sound video. When one reviewer may pick on the video because the special effects were not that great it's because the show did not have a larger budget. (Most of it was spent on the boat).

This video is great for any kid who grew up watching the Hulk on the WWF and remembers him as one of wrestlings greatest champions who gave us an important code to live by. The Hulkster does not disappoint any one with this video. Long live the greatest wrestler of all time, long live the Hulkster.

thunder in paradise
well...i loved thunder in paradise as a kid and now it is a great trip through memory lane to be able to see it again

THUNDER IN PARADISE Review!
When Hulk Hogan wasn't bodyslamming wrestlers in the WWF or WCW, he liked to try his hand at acting. In this two-hour pilot to the syndicated TV series, Hogan is R.J. Spencer, a Navy Seal with an elite super boat called "Thunder" that can fly across the ocean at almost light speed. Paired with zany sidekick, Bru, the two battle drug dealers, jewel theives, and of course, the Cuban government. There is one enemy too powerful though as the government won't fund their boat and they could lose it. Meanwhile, a snobby hotel owner, Megan Whittaker (Felicity Watterman) could lose it all if she isn't married before a certain date. This sets up an indecent preposal where Spencer and Megan agree to get married.

This one has it all from old wrestlers like Brutus Beefcake and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart to sexy supermodel Carol Alt as a cocktail waitress. Don't forget Charlotte Rae as Megan's aunt. It doesn't get much better than this. Look out for a super realistic heat-seeking missle. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This Spanish fluff from 1992 won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but its significance goes about as far as you can throw a flower petal. The story finds an elderly artist (Fernando Fernán Gómez) giving shelter to a deserter (Jorge Sanz) from the royalist army in provincial Spain, 1931. While on the premises, the young man naturally notes the beauty of all four of his host's daughters. Each takes her turn at seducing him, but this isn't late-night cable TV so much as it is a series of brief character sketches filled out by the way each woman takes charge. It's a clever idea made more clever by the fact that these sundry beauties are acting on the libertine impulses to which their free-thinking father subscribes in principle but has sheepishly abandoned for love. But the film, directed by Fernando Trueba, is rendered so lightly it could almost be mistaken for calendar art. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (25)

I love this movie!
Rarely will I view a movie more than once. I've seen this one twice now. Anyone who has been to Spain will see the character and spirit of the Spanish represented by the personalities of the four beautiful sisters, their father, mother, and of course the deserter from the army. The opening scene with the two Civil Guardia definitely makes a statement about the mind-set in Spain of 1931. Trueba brings it all together to give us this wonderfully humorous, sexy, interesting, and altogether pleasing film. Muchas gracias Fernando! Bravo, cinco estrellas!

Lusty & Innocent Fun
This movie is unequivocably recommended. The themes are mature and the subtitles use the most common of language. Fortunately the subtitles don't translate the most common of those words as often as they're said in this delightful Spanish farce. The movie is meaningless, but very funny and very entertaining with lots to recommend it.

The movie has excellent character development, charming and humorous dialogues, lovely cinematography and an overall attractiveness.

The male lead has led an innocent existence in which he spent some time in a seminary, and then has deserted from the army. Now when he meets the four daughters of a libertine aging artist who has befriended him, he wants to make up for lost time. The older three daughters use him for their forbidden pleasures, and don't take the encounters seriously. Being unsophisticated, he falls in love with each until the next one seduces him. He doesn't realize until almost too late, that the youngest actually loves him, although I can't see what qualities he has except for his looks. Oh, that's right, he cooks better than anyone in the family.

The costume celebration and its aftermath is one of the most hilarious I've seen in a movie regardless of language.

I'm sure there were social messages that without knowledge of Spanish customs and history, were not apparent. There seemed to be a strong association with death. The side story of the young man who is infatuated with the second daughter but can't break away from his mother or tradition, until his frustration causes him to falsely renounce everything his mother stands for, probably symbolizes certain hypocrises in Spain at that point in history as it tried to break away from a moonarchy but couldn't make up its mind.

Enjoy!

Little Conan grows up! And gets laid a lot, I see....
OK, I've actually never seen this movie, but I give it 5 stars anyway just for its great reputation and the presence of its star actor, Jorge Sanz.

You see, I'm actually a huge fan of the movie "Conan the Barbarian", which was filmed in Spain, and so had several Spanish and European actors/actresses.

I got to wondering one day about what happened to the cute little boy who played Conan as a small child in that movie. In the fabulous Opening Sequence of "Conan the Barbarian", little Conan gets to see his village wiped out by Thulsa Doom's thugs, and then watches as his mother is beheaded by Thulsa Doom as she holds on tightly to his little hand. Then little Conan is marched off to slavery....

The Commentaries from John Milius and Arnold Schwarzeneggar sparked my interest:

Arnold: Does the kid wear lipstick, or what is that? (commenting on little Conan's red lips)

Milius: Naw! that's just a kid!

Arnold: That's funny

Milius: ....that was a tough kid, I remember that....

Thanks to Amazon.com's thorough website linkages, it took just a couple of mouse clicks to find out what happened to little Conan....

...and so here he is, living it up with four beautiful young women in pre-civil War Spain!!!

S. Maes
This is a wonderfully fun, well-directed and acted film about the antics of a handsome young man and 4 tantalizing seductresses. Although the setting takes place in the 1930's, it is an ageless tale of youth and romance.

Belle Epoque, Beau Film
Belle Epoque is a beautifully rendered film with a good sense of humor and a well-paced plot. Unlike what a previous reviewer wrote, it is actually set in the years PRECEDING the Spanish Civil War, that is, when a republic was established after the abdication of Alfonso XIII in 1931. The debate between Monarchism and Carlism versus Republicanism and Anarchism -a split in Spanish society that would culminate in the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936- is made accessible as expressed by the colorful characters in this movie: the pampered mollycoddle Juanito, the irreverent priest, the artist-patriarch (who nevertheless lives like a "scared old bourgeois"). The Civil War of the 1936-39 was only the last of the many civil wars that erupted in Spain during the modern era (e.g. the Carlist Wars of the Nineteenth Century). The movie will throw light on this turbulent time as it affected ordinary people, and for those of you not squeamish about the idea of a man sleeping with four beautiful women in the course of a few days, I recommend this movie highly. "Belle Epoque" is NOT fluff or late-night soft porn; it is only disguising its gravity behind a façade of lightheartedness. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

The Christmas Toy
I am so excited to find this on Amazon.com, this was a favorite of mine growing up and i watched it every chrismas, sadly as i got older it was misplaced and for years i have looked for the tape, then a friend told me to check here. This movie makes me feel like a child again. I also reccomennd A Very Muppet Christmas, if you like this movie, as in that movie they have all of the muppets, maybe ABC Family will play this as a christmas Special as part of thier 25 days of Christmas, now that Disney has rights to the muppets.

SEARCH IS FINALLY OVER
I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING EVERYWHERE (DEPARTMENT STORES, VIDEO STORES, INTERNET, ETC.) FOR THIS MOVIE SINCE I FIRST SAW IT YEARS AGO ON NETWORK TELEVISION. MY CHILDREN WERE YOUNG AT THAT TIME, AND NOW I HAVE A GRANDCHILD WHO CAN ENJOY IT EVERY CHRISTMAS WITH ME. THE TOY STORY IS SIMPLY A "REMAKE" OF THIS MOVIE. I WISH IT WERE MORE WIDELY PUBLICIZED. THANK YOU AMAZON.COM YOU'VE MADE A CHRISTAMS WISH COME TRUE.

The greatest!
I fell in love with this film when I was 3 years old and to this day, 15 years later I still love it. If only it was available in England. A story to end all stories that should be taken on board in all walks of life. I'm so sad, I even have my own Rugby the tiger : )

The best Xmas show ever
Ever since we taped this off of the air, it has become a family tradition. My daughter even has a stuffed animal which is the spitting image of Rugby the Tiger (which, when she was three, was here Santa wish).

This is a great show for the whole family.

A Christmas Wish Come True
I can remember curling up in my mom and dad's bedroom every year at christmas and my mom would slip this tape in that she had recorded off of t.v. It became a treasured christmas tradition for me. I'm twenty now and during my mom and dads divorce the tape got lost. I ordered it off of amazon and watched it alone in my apartment the other night and it brought back millions of memories. I can't wait to share it with my children someday. Truely a christmas classic that is a must have for all children and adults looking to remember the magic of a childhood christmas. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

CHILLING JOURNEY
Visit with Anne Rice as she takes you on a tour of her life. This tour is unlike any other as you find out about the influences which impacted the "Queen of Terror". Told by friends, family members and an assortment of other characters you are led on a bizarre trip through a diminsion of her life which feels real at one moment and a fantasy at the next.

You are led on this tour with a series of reading from her "Interview with a Vampire." As the narrator shares his story you are transported to Anne's New Orleans. Haunted houses, ghosts, a necropolis, bayou, and surreal images thrust themselves at you. Anne's world is rich in imagination and filled with the macarbre in her native city. All of the experiences which happened to her here and later in life informed her work. Tragedy is turned on its side and flows into triumph.

If her books scare you and shake your imagination then her life story as portrayed in this film will do the same. At times you wonder if this woman herself is not a ghost who has come back to regale us mere mortals with her experiences. Surrender yourself to listening to her tale and embrace yourself in another world which is real but not so real. After experiencing Anne in this film you will develop a greater appreciation for her, her work and the genre of horror.

Excellent Movie
I think the movie was great! A must see for any vampire fan out there. Ann Rice stares in this film so if you love her novels (Interview With The Vampire, The Vampire Armand, The Vampire Lestat, etc etc) then you'll love this movie.

I loved It
It's Definantly Anne Rice!