Reviews (218)

Nothing New
Though no worse on several levels than the original, much-overrated "Psycho," Gus Van Sant's remake offers little that is new. Thuggish Vince Vaughn takes up the reins as Norman Bates--he's about as interesting to watch as the stuffed birds in the motel office--and pixie Anne Heche--who is more talented than most people give her credit for--gets to be his first on-screen victim. The comparisons to Alfred Hitchcock's "masterpiece" are not only obvious but required, as Van Sant, a bit too lovingly, literally re-creates nearly every scene, and Danny Elfman's score raids Bernard Herrmann's. Despite all the technical attention, though, there's something desperately missing from this version . . . perhaps the casual, plasticky times in which we live in seem rather "hollow" compared to the "grown up" 1960s in which the original was set, making the style of this film more campy than creepy. In an age when sex and violence are common commodities, even the subtext of the infamous shower scene probably gets lost among viewers used to seeing a 14-year-old's conception of such things. By the time blank-slate Jullianne Moore arrives, much of the momentum from comparing this version to the first is gone, making the rest of the film an exercise rather than entertainment.

Psycho (1998)
Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho made an impact on all audiences around the world. Director Gus Van Sant is here to give you this word-for-word remake to make you forever take showers with the curtains open.

Starting off in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday, December 11th, 1998. The beautiful MARION CRANE (played by Anne Heche) has rented a posh hotel room with her boyfriend, SAM LOOMIS (played by Viggo Mortensen), during her lunchbreak. Marion has to get back to work, while Sam has to get back to Fairvelle. Marion gets back to work a little late, but lucks out in knowing that her boss, GEORGE LOWERY (played by Rance Howard) is late himself, for he is in a meeting. In comes George Lowery, following a businessman named, Tom Cassidy (played by Chad Everett). He walks over to Marion and begins telling her about his 18-year old daughter tying the knot. He hands Marion $400,000, the money Mr. Cassidy will be using to buy his daughter a house as a wedding present. George invites Tom into his office and tells Marion to bank the $400,000 until the following Monday. Marion asks George for permission to take the rest of the day off because of her supposed headache and goes on her way.

While in her bedroom, Marion packs a suitcase and changes clothes. She so temptingly stares at the $400,000 and tries to restrain herself, but not for long, for, in one quick movement, she steals the $400,000 and heads out to her car. Seems as though that Marion is on her way to Fairvelle to see Sam. While at a red light, she notices George crossing in front of her. Unfortunately, he notices Marion, but Marion, as worried as she is about having being noticed, continues on her way. She drives into dusk until pulling over to sleep. The next morning, Marion is awakened by a suspicious cop. She nervously talks to the cop and goes on her way, as the cop follows her. She pulls into a dealership and requests to trade in her car for another. She makes her decision rather quickly and pays for it with her car, plus $4000.

She drives on her through the morning, afternoon, and into dusk. Suddenly, it's starts to storm. She gets off a main road and finds The Bates Motel sitting quietly off the highway as if it were hidden from it. She gets out and sees nobody in the office. She looks up and finds a sinister looking house and notices, through a window, an elderly woman walking about. She beeps her car horn until someone comes running out. He finally comes to Marion's aide and takes her inside. The man who took Marion inside the office is NORMAN BATES (played Vince Vaughn), a seemingly-sweet young man, who owns both the house and motel. He checks Marion in to cabin No. 1 because 'it's closer in case you want anything'. Marion says she wants sleep more than anything, except maybe some food. Norman invites her to the house for some sandwiches. As he goes off to make the sandwiches, Marion hears a woman, viciously yelling at Norman. The woman is the elderly woman Marion saw and it turns out that the woman is Norman's mother. Norman yells back and comes back into Marion's room. The two have supper in Norman's polar, which is located in the back of the office. The polar is decorated with stuffed birds. Turns out that Norman's hobby is taxidermy. They have a brief conversation, leading to Marion wanting to get some sleep. She goes off into her cabin and gets ready to take a shower. She steps in and begins washing herself. While in the middle of her shower, the curtain opens to reveal a dark figure of an elderly woman. Marion turns around and screams in fright as she is murdered in cold blood. The woman disappears and Norman comes in to erase the crime.

A week later, a young woman runs into Sam Loomis' store and demands to talk to Sam. Sam comes out and walks over to the young woman. The young woman is LILA CRANE (played by Julianne Moore), Marion's curious sister. She tells Sam what Marion had done the Friday before. As Sam and Lila are talking about it, a private investigator by the name of MILTON ARBOGAST (played by William H. Macy) comes in and begins talking to Sam and Lila about Marion. He goes off to investigate and comes across Norman and The Bates Motel. He questions Norman, but claims that Marion stayed overnight and left early the next morning. Arbogast then sees Norman's mother and asks to question her, but Norman refuses. Arbogast calls Lila and Sam, gives them the news and goes into the house to question Norman's mother, only to be killed by her.

Lila and Sam have been waiting for Arbogast to return for three hours. Sam drives up there, but finds no Arbogast, but only Norman's mother. He drives back to Lila and they visit SHERIFF AL CHAMBERS. Al and his wife, ELIZA CHAMBERS listen to Lila and Sam's story of Marion's disappearance and of Arbogast's disappearance. Sam says that when he went up there, he too noticed Norman's mother. Both Al and Eliza make them aware of the death of Norman's mother that happened ten years earlier. Sam is certain of seeing Norman's mother in the house. The next morning, Lila and Sam drive up to the motel and decide to check in as man and wife, in order to search the motel. They are checked in by Norman. They settle in and begin searching Cabin No.1 and find that it was occupied by Marion. Sam tells Lila to take the job of questioning Mrs. Bates, while he distracts Norman. Lila enters Norman's fruitcellar, only to see that Mrs. Bates is dead, as the real killer is finally revealed. Watch this remake and be terrified of showers all over again.

Why?
Why? Why? WHY? Why remake a classic horror film? That means remaking it with exactly the same screenshots, lines, right down to the same camara angles used in the original. The only difference is that this one's in color. So if they're basicly the same then this will be just as good, right? Wrong! I don't know exactly what it is, but the remake just doesn't have any of the style and flair of the first.
I was bored while I watched this movie (because I watched it before the original.) The remake of Psycho actually made it into the top 100 celebrity opps! I dunno, I guess I'm not really one for remakes (but I do like the Fly (1986)) esp if it's a remake of a really good movie. Most remake are, because no one wants to remake a bad movie, even though bad movies are the ones they actually SHOULD be remaking.
Don't buy this movie. Well, I don't know, if you love it then you can get it. But the 1960 version is way better. The acting was also better. Nothing beats Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, or Janet Leigh (mother of Jamie Lee Curtis) as Marion Crane. Also I think the film just 'works' better in black and white.
I'm giving the remake two stars because it's still a great story. But the question still remains-why?

This isn't a remake. It's a tribute!!!
Loads of people are slating this movie for being made at all considering the original was perfect in so many ways and constantly ask why did they do it?

Gus Van Sant isn't remaking Psycho here he's doing what is his version of a tribute. If you go to the film's official website there is a whole section about why they decided to remake the film. Many people said the reason they did this movie was so we'd all have a version of Psycho that is in colour. So why not release the original in coloured format? Well that's because the film works as a black and white piece and turning it into colour would probably ruin it's effect. The classic shots would just end up looking tacky! Gus Van Sant states he isn't trying to make a film which would try and sqaush the original because that just can't be done! He's simply creating a film which would be available to a young audience the way the original Psycho was when it was first released because a group of teenagers would rather see a film with good effects and currently popular stars right! Not watch a black and white film with a cast that is mostly dead now. He wants to keep the memory of Psycho going and by doing that has released this film.

A lot of people also criticise Vince Vaughn for not playing Norman Bates the way Anthony Hopkins did. Vince clearly states on the website that when he read the book he realized that Anthony had portrayed the character in a completely different way. A better way! He didn't want to risk trying to do that so portrayed Norman the way he is written in the original book. Also personally I thought Anne Heche was great as Marion! Plus Alfred Hitchcock's daughter worked on this movie a lot and she says that her father would be extremely proud and flattered that somebody is remaking his movie. If you wanna read all these interviews for yourself just go to www.psychomovie.com

People set their expectations too high for this film and they only have themselves to blame. Gus Van Sant picked Psycho up from the ground when it was dying to revive it so younger audiences would remember it and it would live on forever and you're putting him down for it! SHAME ON YOU!!! At least this film is better than the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre if you can call it that! It was a completely different story just with the same name! It would've been a lot more fitting being named The Texas Chainsaw Massacre : Part 5!

Psycho
I just finished watching the remake of Alfred Hitchcock's classic Psycho.This movie is totally and utterly pointless.Anne Heche is the only thing that makes this film any good.She does a great performance.First of all this film is exactly the same as the original shoot to shoot.The only difference is it is in color and has different actors and acteresses.The director must have been watching the original in the back while directing at the same time.I think that it's nice they tried but you can't remake PSYCHO.They should have at least tried to make it their own version.Thumbs up to the actors but thumbs down to originality.The man playing Norman Bates does a good job but you can't be as good as the original Bates.If there was an award for a film that was a remake and exactly like the original then Psycho(1998) would be a nominee and winner.If you like this movie then you should definetly like the original if you haven't already seen it.Don't waste your time if you've already seen the original.I just wish this one could have made it, but maybe there will be another remake that's better.

"So much of Van Sant's 'new' version of the classic remains the same that you sit there shaking your head, mumbling, why, oh, why?"
-- Peter Brunette, FILM.COM ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Delores Del Rio shines in a lackluster effort
At the time it was filmed, "Bird of Paradise" cost an astronomical 1 million dollars. Producer David Selznick okayed the project and said that he didn't care anything about the plot as long as Delores Del Rio's character was thrown into a volcano at the end. The disregard for a good story line clearly shows and the result is a boring and tepid film highlighted only by actress Delores Del Rio. Although Del Rio's voice is high pitched and she speaks little English here, her beauty and presence holds your attention. The exotic locales are not that impressive in black and white and some underwater footage was taken from another film, "The Most Dangerous Game".

The flip side of the dvd features "The Lady Refuses" a low budget "adult drama" popular in its' day for presenting provocative story lines. This one involves a wealthy man hiring a prostitute (Betty Compton) to seduce his son away from a gold digger that he is dating. In the process, Compton falls in love with her employer instead. Interesting only for a peek at how films got around the censors with sly word play and innuendos.

The dvd quality of both films is very good.

BEAUTIFUL DEL RIO.
Director King Vidor found Richard Walton Tully's play of the same name on which this film is based hopelessly dated and uninteresting. Producer David O. Selznick countered thusly: "I don't care what story you use as long as the title remains intact and Del Rio jumps into a flaming volcano at the finish". The stunningly exotic beauty of Dolores Del Rio made her the first Mexican actress ever to become an international film star. Del Rio had weathered the transition from silents to talkies, but due to her accent and somewhat rudimentary acting ability, her roles had to be carefully chosen; this is probably her most memorable available to the public on video. Filmed on location in Hawaii, the movie's plusses lie in its appeal to the senses, namely in the striking black-and-white photography by Clyde De Vinna - he won an Oscar in 1928 for his work on WHITE SHADOWS IN THE SOUTH SEAS - and Max Steiner's richly evocative background score, designed to illustrate everything from Polynesian native dancing to idyllic, romantic interludes. The film was made rather quickly - stars Del Rio and McCrea had other commitments - and the script was was literally slapped together. BIRD OF PARADISE cost RKO more than a million dollars to make, a high expence in 1932; this lush, albeit antique romantic drama has long been overshadowed by the largely inferior 1951 Technicolor remake with Debra Paget and Louis Jourdan.

Strange, engrossing
Strange and amateurish in many regards, yet fascinating and engrossing in its own way, this David O. Selznick production is the original "Bird of Paradise" -- not the 1950s remake starring Debra Paget and Louis Jourdan, which will make for an interesting comparison if it's ever released on DVD.

The stars of this one, Joel McCrea and Delores Del Rio, make quite a strange pair. Joel seems like a hayseed just off farm (his dialogue is peppered with "huhs?" and "whats?" as he seeks to communicate with the mysterious island beauty, Delores). As for Dolores, she seems to belong in a different, and probably more interesting, movie than this one. And even her fabled nude swim scene is pretty tame and unimpressive.

The movie was filmed on location in 1930s Hawaii. Although the focus always seems a bit off, the scenery is still beautiful -- and a good reminder of what Hawaii must have been like before "they paved paradise and put up a pink hotel (the Sheraton Waikiki by the way)." There's also quite a bit of underwater photography, which is pretty impressive given that this movie was filmed approximately 70 years ago.

Cheap and fun, this "Bird" is worth looking into if you're interested in old movies, and if you'd like to see what David Selznick was up to just a few short years before filming his masterpiece, "Gone with the Wind."

Hope I like it
I have only seen the 1951 remake of Bird of Paradise when I was a lot younger and I loved it then! I have been relentlessly searching for the 1951 version, but to no avail. Apparently, it was never made on VHS or DVD...I just ordered the 1932 version and hope it is like I remembered. I'm sure it will be slightly different than the one with Debra Paget, but if the storyline is the same, I will enjoy it just as much. I would still like the 1951 version. Chip Kaufmann in his review seems to be very knowledgeable in the movie industry even though he thought the other version was "lame". If anyone knows how I can get a copy of the '51 version, I would be very interested.

One film's a turkey, the other's kinda fun
This DVD gathers two little-known, lesser films of the early sound era. "BIRD OF PARADISE" is an incredibly offensive exercise in exoticized racism, charmingly set in the Hawaiian Islands, and featuring a callow young Joel McCrea as the studly white guy who hooks up with the local chieftain's "tabu" daughter (played by Dolores Del Rio, who I find kind of icky). It's the same sort of dazzle-them-with-modern-gadgets-before-they-throw-us-in-the-volcano plot that was explored a few years later in "Waikiki Wedding" (which is a much more charming movie...), here handled clumsily by director King Vidor. (And I'm not being touchie-feelie or overly sensitive in a hyper-PC way, the racism of the script is very explicit, particularly in the dialog, but also in the plotline...) There's a modicum of interesting, reasonably authentic Polynesian dancing (some of which was choreographed, unremarkably, by Busby Berkeley), and the indigenous cast speaks in real Hawaiian, but in the main part this is simply an exploitative and unentertaining film. By contrast, "THE LADY REFUSES" is a B-movie with a heart of gold, featuring Betty Compson as a London streetwalker who enters an aristocratic family torn apart by a Jazz Age generation gap. Although the script contorts wildly to avoid offensive language, the underlying content is pretty raunchy, and pretty overt. Compson had an unusual onscreen presence -- compelling, although not as picture-perfect pretty as the starlet that would later flood Hollywood. Gilbert Emery, as the family father, Sir Gerald Courtney, is also quite charming. For folks looking for fun pre-Code material, this is a film worth checking out. ... Read more

Description

Filled with topflight performances and unforgettable music, this entertaining and critically acclaimed story was cheered by audiences everywhere! When Harry, a struggling but highly imaginative funnyman, forms a singing group with an unusual group of friends, "The Harmonists" go on to become an overnight sensation in prewar Germany. But as their wave of success inevitably collides with the nation's changing political tide, the group's members are forced to face unprecedented challenges that will try their wills and test their loyalty!An award winner at several prestigious film festivals -- THE HARMONISTS is another outstanding motion picture you don't want to miss! ... Read more

Reviews (14)

A Fantastic Film on Many Levels
The Harmonists is a movie about the real life singing group which rose to fame during World War II. The group was torn apart by the Nazis and ended their brilliant career abruptly.

The movie does a great job of showing how the six men had very different personalities from each other but blended together to create incredible music. There was love and bitterness, friendship and joy. The group focusses on singing for their audience, but in the meantime the Nazi power grows.

There are three Jewish men in the group, and each one looks at his faith differently. There are also Jewish women involved with the men, and each situation causes friction and difficulty. The group gets more and more pressure to abandon its Jewish members.

The group does visit New York, where all but one member want to stay. Because of that one member, though, the group returns to Germany. Shortly after, they are banned from singing and the three Jewish members leave Germany permanently.

The actual group, the Comedian Harmonists, are still considered to be one of the greatest groups in Europe and their records are treasured. If you haven't heard of this group before, be sure to watch the DVD! The musical performances are a real treat and the story is quite moving.

The View from Germany
This is an excellent movie, a knockout in several ways. It tells the true story of a popular German singing group in the 30's called the Comedian Harmonists. Unfortunately the group had several Jewish members and not even their huge popularity could save them from official sanctions as Hitler's thugs came to power. Not only is The Harmonists musically and historically impressive, it's also interesting because it's the first German production I have ever seen that deals with pre-WWII Nazi bigotry. It's got some aspects of Cabaret in that respect, but this is a real story and all the more gripping for it. The acting is first rate, the writing is superb. I watched it a second time immediately.

Great music threaded into the story line.
The time and place is Germany as Hitler is coming to power. The story centers on the genesis of the Comedian Harmonists, a group of five singers and the piano player who accompanies them. We can't be sure how much of the story has much truth value, but we do know that the Harmonists were a real group and their music was much appreciated, and remains so even today. They are called "comedian" because of their lighthearted and humorous approach to the music they sing.

The founder of the group is a jew, Harry Frommermann. He is a talented singer/arranger and his vision is to bring together an exceptional group of men to sing "jazzed up" and highly stylized versions of popular songs. Harry is a perfectionist and the first third of the film shows him first cajoling and then badgering his singers to develop a musically unique and visually entertaining style. He succeeds beyond even his ambitious dreams. Soon the Comedian Harmonists are a feature act in demand not only in Germany, but internationally.

Unfortunatley for the Harmonists, Hitler comes to power in 1933, just as the group is headed for true stardom. Jews in Germany are beginning to feel the impact of the racial hatred that will end in the holocaust. Of the six members of the Harmonists, three are jews and as the story progresses, first restrictions and then cancellations of their concerts prevent the group from finding an audience in Germany for their work. They head to New York and find success there. Harry would like to remain in America, but the rest of the band still believes there is a chance for some success in Germany, so they head home again.

The Harmonists' error in judgment is typical of the mistake of many jews in Germany who thought they only needed to patiently wait for reason to return to their country. At the end of the film we see the Harmonists on stage in Munich performing to an audience that knows that something very special is being lost to them. The Harmonists disband and the jewish members escape to freedom. The group left in Germany tries to reconstitute the band, as does the group that leaves, but they do not experience the success of the original members.

If it were not for the music, which is truly first-rate, this story would be interesting, but not worth four stars. Because the music is so much a part of the film, those viewers who enjoy vocal singing at its very best are sure to enjoy this unusual film.

Harmony, Religion, Fame, Fortune & Prostitues
The true story of one of the greatest singing groups ever to hit the scene during the World Depression Era is effective in showing Berlin during emminent Nazi take-over, but seems to focus mainly on the issue of religion. Other than debating who's Jewish and who isn't, there is a preoccupation with the services of prostitutes, and marrying the same once successful.

The group member with the initial idea to "do something" is shown eating bird seed, implying he can not even afford groceries. Once gathered, the ensemble reheares for months without pay, for the sheer chance at eventual success. Of course they do make it big; too big for the liking of certain political party sympathisers.

For fans of the original music (including the FDR Presidential Campaign song "Happy Days Are Here Again") this film delivers. Many of the legendary tunes are worked into the plot. The "naughty" suggestions in "Veronika, der Lenz ist da" are accepted by even respectable upper class theater guests, paving the way for recording contracts and world stardom of the newly discovered "Comedian Harmonists".

This German/Austrian co-production filmed in German has high production values. The setting reminds of "Cabaret", however the story (although based on true events) is rather thin. The overuse of some of the above mentioned situations becomes unnecessary and boring. As a viewer with a background extremely partial to this story I looked for detail and could see several obvious embellishments for the sake of drama. There must have been more than wine, women and song to tell about. The final minutes somewhat redeem the earlier shortcomings, delivering a tear-jerking love story along with sad good-byes amidst still-cheering audiences.****

Brilliant, gripping, and based on a true story!
I was unaware that this was based on a true story until the very end of the film, when photographs of the original Comedian Harmonists were shown. The story line is so gripping, it almost seems too contrived to be true. And, given the immense talent and popularity of the group (in its heydey), I was surprised that I had never heard of them. The story is about a group of six musicians, three of whom are Jewish, who rise to fame in Germany in 1930s. Tension grows within the group as the Nazis become increasingly powerful in Germany. After the group performs aboard the USS Saratoga in New York harbor, there is some question about whether they will return to Nazi Germany or stay in the US. The group plays its final concert to a sold-out crowd shortly after the New York trip. The movie will leave you wanting to know much more about its members, particularly Mr. Frommerman, and its music. As an added bonus, the five-part harmonies are FANTASTIC. This is one of the most gripping shows I've seen in several months, it came as a complete surprise. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Astonishing Rita and DVD; silly movie
Rita Hayworth was never more captivatingly beautiful and sensuous than in "The Loves of Carmen". Fortunately, this lushly restored digital transfer is breathtaking in color and clarity and a fitting medium for Rita's screen presence and the film's fantastic cinematography.

The movie, however, is beyond melodramatic and turgid. The dialogue is often hysterical. While Rita (a Latina whose real name was Cansino) is actually pretty impressive as the gypsy Carmen, the otherwise reliable Glenn Ford is hopelessly miscast as the naive Spanish don who falls under her spell.

But if you love simply to behold Rita (and I do!), this is the ultimate feast for you. She is beyond stunning in this film. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Bette Davis longs for live and love in the big city
"Beyond the Forest," the 1949 film noir directed by King Vidor, marked the end of Betty Davis's career at Warner Brothers. Davis plays Rosa Moline, who is bored to tears with life in Loyalton, Wisconsin and her dull but decent doctor husband Louis, played by Joseph Cotton. Garishly decked out in long black tresses, a bunch of pink frocks and too much lipstick, Rosa pursues Chicago industrialist Neil Latimer (David Brian), who represents the big city life he dreams about. Rosa keeps on top of her husband's books, making his patients pay their bills so she can visit Chicago. Finally her husband has had enough and tells her to go and not bother to come back. When her lover rejects her as well, the now pregnant Rosa throws a major tantrum and then gets involved in a murder because of her love for Neil.

"Beyond the Forest" does over step its film noir bounds and descends into camp from time to time, mainly because of Davis's performance. The character does not really suit her and there are scenes where it really shows. The film benefits from Vidor's fast-paced direction and Max Steiner's score, providing above average dosages of violence and eroticism. However, this film is best known today because it has the "What a dump" line immortalized by the opening scene of Edward Albee's play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf." The answer to Martha's unanswered question is "Beyond the Forest."

Trash kindled into inferno by Bette Davis
This is the much-maligned King Vidor film from 1949 whose opening line, uttered by Davis as Rosa Moline, is "What a dump!" (Edward Albee borrowed it as Martha's opening line in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.) The overheated plot has to do with frustrated passions, adultery and homicide in small-town Wisconsin. Joseph Cotten as Dr. Moline all but vanishes, and David Brian is, well, David Brian (he had but one arrow in his quiver). There are stretches where the only interest lies in gaping at Davis long black wig -- though her excursion to the big bad city is wonderful. But the film's final moments redeem it. Davis, sick with peritonitis from a botched abortion, abuses her Native American maid, gulps gallons of water, slaps on her makeup and finery, and crawls toward a train whose whistle seems to shreik "Chicago, Chicago!" It's an eye-popping, over-the-top cinematic Liebestod.

Bette Gone Bad!
I rented this a few years back & instantly fell in love! It is right up there with Liz Taylor's "Boom!" and Joan Crawford's "Berserk."
Bette stars as bored hothouse Rosa Moline who longs for a better life "beyond the forest." To achieve this, she steamrolls over her weakling husband and has a torrid affair with an out-of-town doctor. What makes this film even more fun is the pre-production backstory. Davis had long been a thorn in the side of her studio & Jack Warner finally wanted her gone. He, personally, dug through a mountain of scripts to find the worst of the worst & VOILA!...he chose this film. To make it even more agonizing he chose King Vidor to direct Bette with the following instructions: "let her chew it to pieces! And she did!!!

Always the survivor, Bette was back a year later with All About Eve!

All In Good Fun...
There has been so much buzz about this film and it's placement as Bette's worst role (she even hated it). This film is just a camp classic on many levels. It may be that ridiculous black wig that Bette wears, or maybe the fact that she is in her early '40s, and playing a character in her early '30s. It could be that over-acted court room scene, or maybe even the way Bette puffs on those cigarettes and rolls her eyes (as if she is mocking herself!) Whatever it is, I absolutely love this movie for those reasons listed above! Also, there is a rumor that Bette purposely turned out that performance to mock her studio because she fought to NOT play this role. Needless to say, this film ended her contract with the Warners studio. It may not be a classic, it may not even be a good film, but it is definitely amusing and an absolute must-see!

WHAT A DUMP!...
Yes, this film carries that immortalized line, "What a dump!". This is, however, about all it does. This was the end of the line for Bette Davis in terms of her career at Warner Brothers. I cannot imagine that she voluntarilty did this film, however, as she is made to look ridiculous. With an unbecoming, long, black, gypsy wig plastered to her head, tight fitting youthful clothing on her by now matronly form, and garish makeup, all she is missing is a crystal ball, Ms. Davis tries to make the audience believe that she is the town femme fatale for whom all men hunger, and all woman envy. Unfortunately, this is one of the few times that she fails to succeed.

Here, Davis plays the amoral Rose Moline, a lusty, small town gal in Loyalton, Wisconsin, hankering for the big city life in Chicago. Married to small town general practitioner, Dr. Lewis Moline, a regular Casper Milquetoast, played with long suffering saintliness by Joseph Cotten, Rose lives in the best house in town, has a maid whom she verbally abuses, and lacks for nothing, except the excitement to which she feels entitled. In her eyes, her husband is nothing more than an albatross around her neck, a serious impediment to her life's dream. They simply do not speak the same language, and the viewer is left to wonder what it was that ever made them get married in the first place.

Rose ends up having an affair with hunky Chicago millionaire, Neil Latimer (David Brian), thinking that he will marry her and take her away from all this. Rose will literally stop at nothing to secure this one chance to leave her past behind and begin the life for which she has always hungered. Davis, however, never succeeds in convincing the viewer that her romance with millionaire industrialist Neil Latimer has any realistic chance of success. In fact, the scenes of Rose in Chicago, pleading her case with Latimer as he makes it clear that he is spurning her, are the best scenes in the entire film. When it later appears that he intends to marry her, after all, it is patently not believable, and the film descends into the ridiculous. When a monkey wrench is thrown into her plans on the brink of success, a desperate Rose will stop at nothing, even murder, to ensure her heart's desire.

Davis plays her role with utter abandonment, and the viewer has to wonder whether her over the top, cartoonish performance was her pay back to Warner Brothers for making her do this film. While Davis often has been lauded for her over the top performances, this is not, unfortunately, one of her more notable ones. Moreover, the ending of the film is heavy handed and mawkish, sending the viewer the age old message that evil will not triumph in a most melodramatic fashion. Still, fans of Bette Davis will enjoy this film, as will lovers of classic, vintage films. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Definite kid-pleaser
My three-year-old daughter fell in love with this the first time we borrowed it from the library. I enjoyed it myself; my only gripe is Conchata Ferrell's performance. This usually very talented actress seems bored to tears and injects absolutely no feeling into her role as Thumbelina's mother. It's as if she was directed to perform as stoically as possible. I don't get it at all. I am also not impressed with Carrie Fisher's singing here. I know she is capable of singing quite beautifully, I just don't think the folkish songs in this tale are well suited to her instrument. It's hard to pull off such dirges unless the singer has that ethereal, almost mediaeval quality to her voice (think Loreena McKennitt, Mediaveal Baebes). But those minor complaints are of no consequence whatsoever to the intended audience. Children will certainly be enchanted! It's witty script and a fun production.

The Little Thumb with a Big Heart
"Thumbelina" is a fantastic retelling of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, "Little Thumb".

Produced in 1983 (and released the following year), as part of Shelley Duvall's charming live-action "Faerie Tale Theatre", the narrative is told with good humour, imagination, and a great sense of fun. The magnificent cast adds much colour and warmth to the proceedings. In particular, Carrie Fisher, in the title role, delivers a captivating performance. She makes an extremely attractive heroine, not to mention one who's "more than just another pretty face". She's an absolute delight, adding her unique qualities to the role. Not only is she pint-sized in real life (although not quite as tiny as a thumb!), she has a lovely, deep voice that is quite at odds with her diminutive stature. When she sings, it is a beautiful and rewarding experience. Indeed, she sings with "an angel's voice". (This is also a highlight for any Carrie Fisher fan, as she began her career as a singer, and yet she only sings briefly in "Hannah and Her Sisters", 1986, and in the Walt Disney live-action comedy, "Sunday Drive", also released in 1986.)

Carrie Fisher is supported by equally delightful character actors. The late Burgess Meredith is in top form as Mr Mole, the second would-be husband of Thumbelina. Likewise, William Katt makes a very positive impression as the Prince of the Flower Angels.

This wonderful fairy tale is further enhanced by excellent production values, including great music, atmospheric sets, and good costumes and creatures like Mother Toad, her hapless son, Herman, the Fieldmouse, and the Swallow.

The script faithfully follows the original story, although the gender of the Fieldmouse has been changed, making for a more convincing friendship with Mr Mole to exist, as well as creating a heartfelt guardianship of Thumbelina along strictly platonic lines.

This well-written and perceptive tale ("I'm always the bride, but never the bridesmaid") makes for enchanting family entertainment. "Thumbelina" delivers a great message, too, but above all, it's storytelling at it's most memorable.

I applaud executive producer Shelley Duvall, and all involved, for giving such a wonderful gift. It's up there with Jim Henson's equally engaging "Storyteller" anthology series, produced in the late 1980s, and the "The Doll", an Emmy Award winning episode of "Amazing Stories" (of the same era).

For me, it's an extra special treat because Carrie Fisher became much more than just Princess Leia with this performance. Besides, she continues to melt me every time she smiles as the Ultimate Flower Angel! Let's hope that this "Faerie Tale Theatre" production, along with my other favourites like "Beauty and the Beast", are re-released soon. Preservation on DVD for future generations is highly recommended. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

1.17 "Legacies" & 1.18 "A Voice in the Wilderness, Part 1"
Be forewarned that you only get "A Voice in the Wilderness Part 1" in this pair of episodes from the first season of "Babylon 5" and you can make up your own mind as to whether this bothers you or if you prefer the "Farscape" approach which puts episodes out of order so that you do not have to make two purchases to get both parts of a story.

Episode 17, "Legacies" (Written by D. C. Fontana, Aired July 20, 1994) begins with the station awaiting the arrival of a ship bearing the body of Branmer the Minbari general who led the attack in the Battle of the Line. The Minbari cruiser is bringing Branmer's body back home and making stops so that people can pay their last respects. The only problem is that when they open the casket for the viewing, Branmer's body is not there. Meanwhile, Alisa Beldon (Grace Una), a young girl entering puberty, exhibits telepathic abilities, which means she either joins the Psi Corps or gets to be heavily drugged for the rest of her life.

The plotline about the missing Mindari body is the most important, because apparently Delenn (Mira Furlan) has something to do with what is going on (and the word "chrysalis" matters big time). Commander Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) also has to deal with trash talk from the commander of the Mindari cruiser (John Vickery) in a sub-plot that has a nice resolution. Of course while Talia Winters (Andrea Thompson) talks up the Psi Corps to young Alisa, Ivanova (Claudia Christian) is telling horror stories about what happened to her mother. But when tests indicate that Alisa is at least a P10, she starts getting offers from the alien ambassadors. The fighting over Alisa's future is an odd pairing to put with the other plot line, but the part of this episode that has me shaking my head is that the humans still do not know what it means when a Minbari vessel has its gun ports open.

Episode 18, "A Voice in the Wilderness Part 1" (Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Aired July 27, 1944) deals with upheavals. While seismic activity on a planet near Babylon 5 reveals signs of an extinct alien civilization there is unrest on the Mars Colony that turns violent. Meanwhile, Ambassador Delenn enjoys a visit from her old mentor, Draal (Louis Turenne), who bemoans how the Minbari people have lost their sense of purpose, and Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) is getting frantic about making contact with his ex-girlfriend on Mars.

The Mars subplot has some importance, not because of Garibaldi's love life but because Earth is treating that colony with the same sort of disdain it shows Babylon 5. But the main attraction here is the flickering image appears of an alien man pleading for help who appears to first Sinclair and then Londo (Peter Jurasik). When Sinclair and Ivanova investigate the planet what they find raises even more questions (such as why the top two command officers of B5 are both out investigating a planet together). Can another diplomatic crisis be far behind?

Important Clues To What Unfolds Later On Babylon 5
Admittedly, this video is a mixed bag with regards to quality, yet those who are interested in "Babylon 5" will consider it essential viewing. The first episode "Legacies" gives an important look into the complexities of Minbari society. It's followed by "A Voice in the Wilderness, Part I", which should have been offered together with its sequel. In "A Voice..." Commander Sinclair makes an important discovery regarding what lurks beneath the surface of Epsilon 3, and how it may affect space station Babylon 5's future. Sinclair's discovery will have important implications for the Shadow War destined to follow.

Not the best, but still fun to watch.
In "Legacies", the body of a deceased Minbari Leader who is going through B5 is stolen. The interesting part of this episode is the cultural differences of the various Minbari casts.

The other episode introduces us with the planet below B5 and the secrets it holds. This is a vital episode for the series and you need to see it to understand what goes on in the Shadow War.

Episode List
These tapes are episodes 1.10 (Legacies) and 1.11 (A Voice in the Wilderness Part I). ... Read more

Reviews (3)

OVER AGE JENNIFER
...Hemingway would have nothing to do with this adaption from his novel but the main criticism levied at Selznick is his wife at 38 was too old to play a young British nurse in Italy during WW1 opposite Rock Hudson as the American male nurse.The landscape and battle scenes were good but he was not being realistic casting his wife in this role.Selznick was still lookong for a sequel to "Gone with the Wind" which he had previously just failed with in "Duel in the Sun", but this film drags and the birth scene despite edits, remains too long.So much of the plot seems to have been truncated and reduced to a mere orthodox love story so there is not enough in the plot to sustain the time it runs.Incidentally the year "1932" that hangs as a title above is incorrect.This filmed version was made in 1957.I believe the Gary Cooper version was made in 1932 and in B&W not in colour as here.

overly saturated, epic saga
An overly-saturated, epic saga, the Charles Vidor remake of the Helen Hayes classic A FAREWELL TO ARMS works on the screen performances of Jennifer Jones and Rock Hudson.

In the winter of 1917, an American ambulance driver (Rock Hudson) enlists in the Italian army and is wounded in action. He is gradually restored to health by a beautiful young nurse (Jennifer Jones).

When they find themselves falling in love, they try to escape the horrors of the war by fleeing to Switzerland to seek peace and happiness. There fate is again waiting to thwart their plans.

This poignant and tragic love story, based on Ernest Hemingway's famous novel of the same name, is again brought to the screen, this time by David O'Selznick as a starring vehicle for his wife Jennifer Jones.

Remade as IN LOVE AND WAR starring Sandra Bullock and Chris O'Donnell.

"A beautiful love story among the perils of war."
This is a beautifully shot movie set in Italy during WWI. It is based on Ernest Hemmingway's novel "A farewell to arms", as well as on the play, also named "A farewell to arms". Rock Hudson's performance is spectacular, he portray life-like realistic emotion which ranges from pure joy to pain and frustration. This story is about love that overcame all possible boundries and survived until death. Rock Hudson is gorgeous and I found myself having to bite my lips at times!! wow what a looker..!! forget renting this one...buy it, trust me YOU WILL LOVE IT!! but just a hint.. get a box of kleenex for the ending, I BAWLED!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

TheBoy Who Left Home to Find out Aboutr the Shivers
The Shivers is the greatest Faerie tale in the whole theatre.I grew up on these videos. I have been searching for a few years now to purchase these videos.I can't wait for them to become available. I would love to own the whole collection.These classic tales should be available for all children to see and enjoy.I must say The Faerie Tale theatre collection is the greatest among faerie tale production.

Utterly Enjoyable!
The Fairy Tale Theatre Series is wonderful. I watched them as a child, and still enjoy watching them. This one especially. It makes you laugh and at the same time has enough scare to it to make a child feel that they just watched their first horror movie. In actuality there there is nothing horrible about it. A perfect family entertainment movie.

Truly a classic!
Faery Tale Theatre movies are masterpieces! They follow the tales they tell fairly faithfully as they were originally written. I only hope they will soon be re-released as my children are now asking for copies, and I don't want to give mine up!

My favorite out of the Faerie Tale Theatre collection.
I am a collector of these series by Shelly Duvall. I have the complete 26 set of movies. It is a great set of movies for families, young and old alike. My sister's favorite is "Cinderella," starring Jennifer Beals and Matthew Broderick. My Mom's favorite is "Rumpelstiltskin," starring Ned Beatty. This is a great collection of movies and a must for every family. ... Read more

Amazon.com

By defining one of the show's most effective trademarks--the combination of the unbelievably monstrous with the recognizably human--Squeeze set the pace for some of the finest episodes of The X-Files. Agent Scully is asked by one of her classmates to help him in a serial murder investigation. In each of the cases, the assailant gained access to the victims under seemingly impossible circumstances and subsequently removed their livers. When Mulder hears about the case, he recognizes a connection to a series of unsolved cases dating back to 1903. The other agents are not terribly amenable to Mulder's theory that all of the killings were commited by the same man, who has stayed alive for decades by devouring human livers. When Scully's profile leads to the capture of a suspect, Eugene Victor Tooms, it looks like Mulder may be as crazy as everyone thinks. But then it wouldn't be The X-Files, would it?

The formula of the episode and the character of Tooms were so effective that both were brought back at the end of the first season in Tooms. At least as chilling as it's precursor, this episode once again finds Mulder trying in vain to convince the skeptics that Tooms is more than he appears to be. In both episodes, Doug Huthchison is perfectly creepy as Tooms, affectionately known to fans of the show as "Liver Boy". ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A charming piece of vintage.
During its nine years on the air, The X-Files managed a distinct new flavor to each season, but some of its founding components never changed. "Squeeze" is entertaining in both respects: as the prototype for Season One and for the so-called "monster-of-the-week" episodes in general. Though it was aired as the second, it was written to be the first serial episode after the Pilot, and is accordingly packed with character development and one of the cleverest monster concepts ever. The unfolding of his mystery happens in many layers. As a sub-plot, Scully must wrestle with Mulder's reputation, (which he proceeds to milk for all its sardonic worth) its reflection on her, and the opportunity to be reassigned. Clashing and flirting are in high pitch in the smart dialogue, while the freshman agents (Anderson was only 24) look endearingly wet behind the ears. "Tooms," as a sequel episode towards the end of the season, is less inventive than the first, but cute nonetheless, and somewhat of a trail marker in the heroes' relationship.

Still the best X File I've seen
A series of murders in the Baltimore area have the FBI baffled. Most of the victims were found with their doors and windows locked from the inside - and their livers removed with bare hands. When Mulder and Scully look back through old case files, they discover the pattern of the murders stretching back for almost a century, with thirty year gaps in between. Soon they have a suspect ... but it can't be. Eugene Victor Tooms isn't a hundred years old. Besides, he couldn't have got through that tiny air vent.

Or could he?

Just as Psycho made an ordinary shower a scene of horror, this made people think twice about walking past that air duct. This is a seriously scary X File without there being any gore - to speak of, anyway - relying on nail biting suspense and the sheer concept. Maybe you should think twice about the burglar alarm - and settle for grilles on your windows instead.

These episodes were awsome!
Tooms was such a cool episode. Any X files fan would love this, it is really suspenseful. Scully (my fave) and Muler's relationship grows stronger in this episode. As for Squeeze, that episode was just plain old cool! If you like the X Files, these are the episodes thatt you should get!

"Spooky" and Dramatic, with dashes of sarcasim and romance!
I love these two epidodes, they have everything needed in a good X-files show. They have the drama, suspense, action, weirdness, sarcasim, and flirtatious scenes X-files fans have come to know and love. BUY THIS SET!!!

The highlight of the "non-mythologic" episodes from season 1
Doug Hutchins scares the pans of you in this season 1 two-parter playing the genetic mutant and infamous Eugene Victor Tooms. The 100 year old age abiding "man" bears the talent to elongate his body and squeeze through small entrances and kill victims to extract they liver to provide sustanace to hibernate for 30 years. A true look at Mulder and Scully. Particulary at Scully putting her against Henry Beckman's character. Who is a friend of agent Scully but loathes Mulder. A definate must for any body looking for a really good thriller. Plus special collector's cards and a introduction by Chris Carter. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In Ascension, the sequel to Duane Barry, Mulder and his partner, Alex Krychek race to save Scully from the clutches of a madman. What Mulder doesn't know is that Scully's fate has already been decided by higher powers, and he is helpless to stop their plans from unfolding. One Breath continues the story as Scully struggles between life and death, and Mulder tries to find the men responsible and bring them to justice. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Mulder all alone.
Season 2 of the X Files had perhaps one of the best cliffhangers in the series. That is Agent Scully's abduction. ASCENTION starts with a fatigued Agent Mulder at his wits end after dealing with Duane Berry (Watch the episode DUANE BERRY for more on this episode, it can help) who as it turns out has taken Agent Scully away with him. Berry believes that if he can offer a different person to his alien abductors, the aliens won't bother him anymore. Mulder tries his hardest but he is unable to rescue his partner in time and she dissapears, thanks largly to an "allie's" meddling.

I have never come away from a TV episode with such a worn out and unhappy feel. Mulder's partner and best friend is missing with no trace, Mulders new partner Krycheck has vanished (guess why), none of his friends are willing or able to help him and the little help that Skinner can offer can't heal the wounds of what has happened.

This episode has a very unpleasant ending, but that is also what helps make this one so good and it is VERY important to see this episode to link it to the show's main plot line.

ONE BREATH is part 2 of ASCENTION where Mulder, after month's of searching finds out that Scully has mysteriously been delivered to a hospital in exetreme condition and with no trace of where she's been. Mulder is furious to find out where she has been but nobody can give him an answer. On top of that Scully's living will states that if she ever ends up in this state she wants her life support cut off. With no hope in sight of his friend recovering, nor finding those responsible for the crime, Mulder is ready to throw in the towel and quit the FBI.

While it is not hard to figure out the outcome of this episode it is a great follow up to ASCENTION and one of the series better episodes.

Must sees!
If you only see a few "X-Files"(although they are all FABULOUS and worth viewing), these episodes should be included. Scully's abduction is an essential part of understanding the overall storyline or "mythology". Also, anyone who is an advocate for a Scully/Mulder romantic relationship(a "shiper" as we like to be called) should see "One Breath". It contains some very touching scenes that express Mulder's caring for his partner. Plus, you get to see Scully family (some of whom are not with us any longer)and watch a tear-jerking dream sequence with her deseaced father.

WHEN SCULLY IS KIDNAPPED,MULDER MUST FIGHT TO SAVE HER LIFE.
OMG!!ASCENSION WAS VERY EXCITING AND I WAS ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT THE WHOLE TIME.BUT MY ALL TIME FAVE IS DEFINATELY ONE BREATH.VERY TOUCHING.IT MADE ME CRY.THIS ONE IS DEFINATELY FOR SHIPPERS ALL ALIKE!!!!!

EXELLENT
This box set is one of the best. "Ascension" is the adrenaline-pumper, with Scully being kidnapped and Mulder hanging off a ski-transporter-thingy, and "One Breath" is a beautifully written sequel in which Scully is returned in critical condtion, and her life depends on Mulder, even after her life support is cut. Intrigued? Check your pulse if you're not. These videos rock.

one of my favoirites
tyis was one of the first x fgiles vidoues i ever brought. it was the first i had ever rented. one breth is one of my all times fevoirte episodes. it is excting and hert waring. i loved the scne in wioch mulder confrunts cancer man and csm delives his,"i wanched prasidnets die". i liked asenosn escily the tram car. this is one of most membable x files events. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Here are some Arrau recordings not found anywhere else!
Regardless of the debatable qualities of the plot and the economical technical characteristics of the movie-making, I enjoyed this period film because it helped popularize classical music at the time. More specifically, because great violinist Michael Rabin and great pianist Claudio Arrau actually played the music, a good deal of it accompanied by an unidentified orchestra directed by Johnny Green.

I am also mindful of the fact that this is the only record left to us of Arrau's playing passages of Rachmaninoff's piano concerto No. 2 (and how characteristically beautiful the piano sounds!). Apart from various passages by Chopin, Liszt and Schumann that Arrau recorded more than once elsewhere, the film contains an astonishing excerpt from Scriabin's Etude No. 12 (Op. 8) never recorded elsewhere by him, and a beautiful excerpt of a popular Strauss waltz, likewise never recorded by Arrau elsewhere. (This is not to mention an excerpt from Liszt's Liebesträume No 3 with a wrong note for Liz Taylor). There is also the piano accompanying of violinist Rabin's rehearsing the Tchaikovsky violin concerto, which is unique.

I suspect that recordings longer than the ones actually used for the film may have been made. A DVD release of this movie may be the ideal medium to collect and preserve for posterity a restored edition of such recordings, particularly those items which were recorded uniquely for this film.

Two reasons to get this movie; the young Liz and the music
This movie is standard 1950's soap. What makes it worth a look are two factors; the splendid classical music (though I agree with one of the other reviewers that there were too many reaction shots) and the beauty of the young Elizabeth Taylor, as annoying as her character might be.

Rhapsody in Blue?
I've seen this movie many times. Its definitely a 'period' piece, Liz at her most shallow and vacuous. Obviously, her sole purpose in this movie is to pose, and lounge languidly against some really awful furniture. With that in mind, I'd have to say that some of my fellow reviewers here have been overly-harsh on the movie, and some way too gracious. It is not a great film. For one thing, the scenery, for the most part, is fake. Some of the driving scenes, and the conversations, particularly the ones held 'outside', are hilarious, since they are so obviously held against fake backgrounds. If there are real scenes shot outside, and dare I say it, 'on location' - they are very few in number. Looks like stock footage and backlot shots, to me. The music, on the other hand, is amazing. Now I'm speaking as a (former) violinist, and orchestra member. Even though I know they somehow faked the playing of the soloists (both piano, and violin), I'm still amazed at how real it looks sometimes, especially during the extended concerto passages. And, I still haven't figured out how they did it, back in those days! I don't pay too much attention to the story - it could have been lifted straight out of an early episode of Peyton Place, so its not even worth the effort to point out its flaws, or the sometimes laughable, 'Carol-Burnett/Harvey Korman-style' dialog. And, if there is any real 'scenery' to rave about, it'd almost HAVE to be a young, violet-eyed Liz, who is stunning, even when she's play shallow and vapid.

An enjoyable movie
I plan on buying the VHS of this movie just based on seeing it on cable tv recently. It is hard to find any work done by actor John Ericson on TV or tape. I enjoyed his performance overall very much, and especially, his scene in the bar with Vittorio Gassman, and when he plays the piano concerto. Elizabeth Taylor also, did a commendable job. The whole cast was well selected and were good in their performances. I also enjoyed the performance of the actor, don't remember his name, who played the part of Professor Schuman. This is purely a romantic movie, and I being a romantic at heart, loved it. Beautiful scenery, beautiful classial music and a well assembled cast with good performances are truly worth buying the tape. I just hope that in the future this movie will be released on DVD. I will be the first in line to purchase it.

Starring Claudio Arrau and Michael Rabin
Claudio Arrau and Michael Rabin, who played piano and violin on the soundtrack, are the real stars of this unintentionally funny period piece. There are creative geniuses involved in this film -- namely, the great composers whose music occasionally interrupts the vacuous dialogue. The plot might best be described as ridiculous. It is not unheard of nowadays for a young woman in pursuit of a husband to use a musical education toward that ends -- but the utter forthrightness of Liz Taylor's character in this regard would today at least be considered embarrassing. "I know, Herr Professor, I really can't play piano, but you see, I've followed my boyfriend to the Zurich Conservatory and have to do something with myself while he's practicing violin." This isn't one of the lines, but it might as well be. The rest doesn't get much better. Just fast forward to the music. Moral of the story: "A great violinist might only be a fair husband, and a great husband might only be a fair violinist." That insight is a direct quote from the film. And the only other wisdom to be found here is in the music of Chopin and Tchaikovsky. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Sprawling western, silly plot
Duel in the Sun was supposed to be the next Gone with the Wind for David O. Selznick. The hyped film boasts an all star cast: Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotton, Lionel Barrymore, and Lillian Gish. The acting is over the top, especially Jennifer Jones' sultry Pearl. Gregory Peck seemed to enjoy his change of pace role as Lewt and enacts the role with gusto. It was a change from his heroic characters that he played in his earlier films. Joseph Cotton is the virtuous brother, Jesse, who does not choose to "forget" that he catches Lewt with Pearl, much to Pearl's hearbreak.

The ending of the book had Jesse and Pearl vanquishing the evil Lewt and riding off into the sunset. Looking at the over the top finale of this movie, I wish the producer had stayed with the ending of the book. The lines are laughable ("You know I had to shoot you," cries Pearl. "Yes, dear, I know you did," answers Lewt.)

There are many cliches: Lewt catching Pearl swimming in the nude and not allowing her to leave the water and get her clothes. Pearl throwing herself at another man to make Lewt jealous. Pearl's transformation, where she decides to become a wanton, her facial expression changing to reflect this.

I understand the "dance of the sump" was left out of the film, where Pearl dances for Lewt. It was supposed to be "indecent" but in retrospect might have been a source of amusement to contemporary audiences.

If you are looking for representative films from the Selznick studio, consider the following instead: Gone with the Wind, A Star is Born, Portrait of Jennie, and The Prisoner of Zenda. For MGM, Selznick produced such standout films as David Copperfield and Anna Karenina. For better films pairing Jones and Cotton, look for the films Love Letters and Portrait of Jennie. The two are at their best in those.

Epic, Sprawling Horse Opera (Roadshow Edition Review)
Sweeping! Magnificent! Corny! Romantic! A west that never existed is splashed across the screen as only David O. Selznick, the master of such gargantuan Hollywood classics as "Gone With the Wind", "Since You Went Away" and "Rebecca" could give us.
This is not the revisionists west of the 1990's, nor that West of the gritty operatic glamour of Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time In The West." You will not find the spare clean and lean beauty of John ford's West. What we have here is the epic telling on a screen that screams to be stretched into widescreen and spills out over the audenience the lush and romantic horse Opera of Pearl Chavez, the McCanles clan and the coming of the railroads in the 1880's.
From the moment the overture replete with unneeded narration begins you know you are in for a melodrama of purple emotions and blood red vendettas. The opening scene is set in a saloon on a scale of a modern Vegas casino. There amidst the wild gunfire of overheated cowboys and insanely spinning faro wheels we are introduced to the Scarlett O'Hara of the West, half-breed Pearl Chavez. As played by Jennifer Jones she is just about the hottest tamale to ever hit the pages of a screenplay expressly written to drive men mad, turn brother against brother and defy a "Sinkiller". What Jane Russell was supposed to be in "The Outlaw" we get in Technicolor spades in the form of Miss Jones.
She takes huge hefty bites of the massive sets and chews them to a fare thee well and in the process creates a wanton nymphomaniacal character of such charm, heat and passion that she is truly a motion picture original. This is the best thing Miss Jones ever did because it is so out of control and beyond the pale of her more subdued performances. Of saints, teenage war brides and ghosts of lost love.
As Lewt McCanles we get the hottest, meanest, most excitingly nasty performance Gregory Peck ever was allowed to give. And what an irresistible bad boy he is. He was never sexier or more wonderful than in this departure from the Peck norm.
Even the usually dull Joseph Cotton manages to rise above his typically dry rolls, but not too much, in the thankless roll of the good brother. He seems a little too old for the part and a little too polished. Someone like Charlton Heston might have been more on the spot.
Lillian Gish steals every scene she is in with quite assuredness and only finds completion from the ever-prissy Butterfly McQueen. In her final scene with Lionel Barrymore Miss Gish makes off with the scene so quitly that you are hit with it's impact only after the fact. Barrymore creates one of his most beloved curmudgeons as Senator Jackson McCanles full of sound and furry and ultimately signifying less than nothing. His introduction to Pearl topped by a sneeringly shocking racial slur that encapsulates his character and time and place.
Another highlight is the cameo by Walter Huston as "The Sinkiller". What can be said of him is only this, pure cinematic magic.
The film unfold with such a sense of grandeur and awe that it sweeps you along to its incredible ending on the wings of epic pure camp poetry. The Dimitri Tiomkin score is a masterpiece and much famed over the years for the incredible call of the bells set piece.
The three cinematographers involved, Hal Rosson, Ray Rennahan, and Lee Garmes paint movie memory after memory with the palate of hot dusty hues that have long been forgotten by audiences of today. To see it now is perhaps more exciting and thrilling than it was in 1947.
All of this mad mixture of melodrama, mush and music was orchestrated by the master showman of his time, the ultimate huckster of smoke and mirrors and consummate barometer for just what we wanted in our early epics of the America that never existed, David O. Selznick, who added the "O" to his name just because it looked better on the marquee. When they say that off heard lament "They don't make'um like they used to." Both Mr. Selznick and "Duel In The Sun" are what they are talking about. If they still made them like this then something would be terribly wrong. Thank god they did make films like this once upon a time and we still have them to lose ourselves in a dream of what never was and what will never be again.

Dreadful sound transfer
The dvd image is great, the soundtrack transfer is horrible: drops in volume and the dialogue is often distorted.

POINTLESS REISSUE OF ALREADY AVAILABLE DVD
Producer David O. Selznick never thought small. Dreaming of a magnum opus on the same grand scale as "Gone with the Wind" and, perhaps a little bit self-conscious of the fact that his recent affair with Jennifer Jones had yielded only one stellar performance from the starlet - and not even in a film he had produced - Selznick's driving ambition to make Jones a star on par with the likes of Vivien Leigh, led him to handcraft "Duel in the Sun." This was to be an extravagant Technicolor epic about a doomed mulatto, Pearl Chavez (Jones) and her rabid lust for, Lewton McCanles (Gregory Peck, in the uncharacteristic part as the villain), the ruthless son and roguish playboy of retired senator and bigoted rancher, Jackson McCanles (Lionel Barrymore). After Pearl's father, Scott (Herbert Marshall) murders her mother, Pearl is sent to live with Jackson and his wife, Laura Bell (Lillian Gish) on their sprawling ranch, Spanish Bit. Pearl is determined to live purely and plainly, but her incendiary disposition leads into the arms of Lewton. Jesse McCanles (Joseph Cotten), the good son, is forced to leave Spanish Bit, returning years later to find that his brother has become a ruthless tyrant and outlaw. Buttressed by a fiery backdrop about the colliding sensibilities of old West morality and the true Northern ambitions to tame it, "Duel In The Sun" ultimately became an overblown melodrama that seemed almost a garish lampoon of "Gone With The Wind" rather than its successor. It did respectable box office at the time but very little to advance Jennifer Jones' career into the echelons of super stardom. Prior to its release a sensual dance sequence that Pearl performs around a tree stump for Lewton was deleted because the censorship of the period found its sexual implications...well, shocking. Selznick's usual attention to craftsmanship and story design also seem to be absent from this occasion. He repositions Butterfly McQueen (Prissy from "Gone With The Wind) as the Prissy-esque house maid, Vashti, who is even dumber than Prissy and, Selznick muddles the supporting cast with oddities of all sorts, including Walter Huston as a religious zealot, determined to rid Pearl of her sexual demons, and Charles Bickford, as an over-the-hill farmer who offers Pearl his hand in a loveless marriage. Because of its sexually charged subject matter (there is, after all, a rape, a murder and the prospect of lovers committing suicide in the mountains) "Duel In The Sun" acquired the rather unflattering moniker of 'Lust In The Dust.'
"Duel In The Sun" had previously been made available from Anchor Bay in a stunning road show edition. MGM's reissue is the truncated theatrical version - also made previously available through Anchor Bay. On all three DVD incarnations, colors are well balanced, though on this new version they seem a tad more dated from the rich and vibrant colors on the Anchor Bay version. Black levels are good but fine detail is lost in many darkly lit scenes. There's also more noticeable film grain on this version than the Anchor Bay edition. The audio is remixed to stereo but only marginally appealing, sounding rather forced and re-channeled. There are NO extras.
There's nothing to stand up and cheer about here. If you are a die hard fan of this film, or westerns, then you will definitely want to look up the out of print copy from Anchor Bay, rather than this reissue. Aside from being longer, the Anchor Bay version also tends to be a better visual presentation overall.

Don't know why this movie has such a bad rap.....
It is WONDERFUL!!! What more could one ask for from the Golden Age of Hollywood: Producer David O. Selznick(he did a little something called "Gone With the Wind" - you may not remember that one....), beautiful Jennifer Jones, a young Gregory Peck, stalwart support from Joseph Cotten, a crotchtedy Lionel Barrymore, a luminious Lillian Gish, supendous 3-strip Technicolor, a decent story for a western(my least favorite movie genre), and a history that would equal Selznick's other "little movie" - GWTW. The DVD of this does the film justice, although some commentary or other supporting features would have been fantastic. I have the Anchor Bay releases of this film and just got this MGM release-they seem to be taken from the same source material, which is very, very good. This film's reputation needs to be defended - sure it was shocking in 1947, but in 2004, they could probably touch on these topics in an "Waltons" or "Litte House" episode. Judge for yourself - get this movie - you won't be disappointed!! ... Read more

Reviews (260)

Au contraire mon Frere!!...
I beg to differ with the opinion of the last reviewer! Dancer in the Dark is unlike most films you would see in regular "mainstream" cinema. The innocent character, Selma, played by Bjork, draws you straight into her story and keeps your attention. This is a wonderful story about a hard-working immigrant mother slaving her days to make a better life for her young son and daydreams mostly about musicals, which sometimes lands her in trouble. In her daydreaming, Selma has a tendency to create a musical of her own which is played out in the movie scenes as well. The diversity of the camera angles, and not using your typical still-cam, gives the viewer the perspective that you are watching Selma over her shoulder with all the trajedies, mishaps, and comedic times.

Bjork plays such a wonderful role and obviously has taken the character's personality to heart as she