Reviews (7)

An Exciting Movie, But Read The Play
This film adapts a play by Terence Rattigan, first staged in 1946. The author had a great story. An ordinary citizen battles the British government to gain a fair trial for his son, who has been expelled from a junior naval academy for the crime of stealing.

In the play, the father's crusade is important, but not the main dish. Rather, the focus is on the impact of the crusade on the boy's family circle, and how they respond. Every scene occurs within the home. The whole country may be arguing about the case, but the arguments we hear -- whether the boy is guilty; whether, even if innocent, his expulsion warrants so much fuss -- are made or quoted en famille.

This movie adaptation, on the contrary, moves out into the world where the public fight takes place: in the offices of naval officials, in the British House of Commons, and before the Lord Chief Justice. The approach is exciting, and makes it easy for the audience to follow the stages of the battle. A disadvantage is that it leaves less chance to experience what the play says about people and about life.

Usually, in dramas about battles for justice, a wrong has been done. The business of the action is to right the wrong. However, in Rattigan's play, it is never clear that a wrong has occurred. Although the play helps us believe that Ronnie Winslow did not cash a stolen money order as charged, at least one member of his family thinks he did, and no proof emerges that he did not.

If we assume he was innocent, did the degree of wrong to him warrant the battle waged, and the sacrifices it entailed? There is no indication of animus against Ronnie on the part of the academy, which had strong evidence for thinking him guilty. If their finding was incorrect, it seems a reasonable mistake. Moreover, the boy is happy in another school, and increasingly uninterested in the crusade. In these circumstances, how grave is the wrong? Does it justify the enormous public attention it receives, or the physical, social and financial costs to members of his family?

The play raises these questions stubbornly and extensively. That doesn't halt the action, which perseveres, as often in real life, toward a goal whose worth is uncertain. The movie, focused primarily on winning the battle, tends to pull away from the play's uncertainties. Nevertheless, in one respect it adds to them. When it takes us to court, it shows the family's lawyer running circles, fairly and unfairly, around the opposition. Is a battle for justice, unjustly waged, a battle for justice?

Robert Donat is very good as the family's forensic champion. I might have thought excellent, had I not been spoiled by Ian Richardson's superb (matchless? definitive?) performance of the role in a PBS broadcast of the intact play in 1988. As the father, Cedric Hardwicke is insufficiently forceful and expressive. Margaret Leighton as the daughter is pretty, but insubstantial. Neil North does well as the expelled boy. Cameo appearances by Cyril Ritchard and Stanley Holloway are fun.

THe defintive and best winslow boy
David Mamet made a brilliant try to reproduce and enhance the play, but I believe this is the best version. It has a wonderful minor - and yes, I do mean minor - performance by Robert Donat. For me, the central performance is that of the father who absolutely will not give up. His declining health and spirits are no bar to his determination to not let matters rest. When his son is accused of stealing, he stands by him no matter what the cost - and the cost is high. Cedric Hardwicke gives the performance of his life and he has not been equalled. If you have dry eyes at the end, then there is little hope for you. It is a film to be loved and adored.

Worth putting up with poor print quality
This is the version of the Terrence Rattigan play that deserves to live on, despite the excellent performances of Nigel Hawthorne and Jeremy Northam in the 1999 version. A somewhat stodgy, filmed-play production suits the stodgily respectable lives of the Winslow family, who find their name--most distastefully--a household word when they pursue a suit to uphold justice and restore their young son's reputation, after he is cashiered from cadet school without benefit of representation. Rather than the complacent and smirking Rebecca Pidgeon as the suffragist daughter Kate, we have the coolly supple Margaret Leighton--witty and self-possessed, but intense in feeling, and thoroughly believable in her willingness to sacrifice what she sees as her one chance at marriage in order to see that right is done. However, the film really belongs to Robert Donat as the famous barrister hired to represent the Winslows, although he makes a late entrance and is seen from afar, as it were, most of the way through the film. Donat achieves a kind of cold splendour in his first scene, in full evening dress and behaving towards the Winslows with an apparent bored indifference. He warms up (just a bit) in subsequent scenes, and there evolves a most delightful and subtle interplay between him and Leighton's Kate--that classic kind of British movie proto-romance in which everything is in small glances and delicate shadings of tone. Unaccountably all of this was dropped in the remake, including the foreshadowing moment when Kate, expecting her fiance to call and throwing open the door to find the barrister standing there, says lightly, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I was expecting a friend." As it turns out, of course, the barrister turns out to be a very good friend indeed to the Winslows and especially to her. Best of all, though, is simply enjoying being under the spell of Donat's grave, otherworldly voice. For those looking to see how versatile this great actor really was, compare him in "The Winslow Boy" to his performances in "The 39 Steps," "The Adventures of Tartu," and "Vacation from Marriage."

Creaky Courtroom Drama Much Inferior to Recent Version
From reviews I had read, I expected this story of a family's fight to clear the name of their cadet son to be excellent and possibly better than the recent version starring Jeremy Northam and Rebecca Pigeon. It was not. The actors were adequate (I am not a great fan of Robert Donat) but only. The film was dark, the sound poor, the characters did not really come alive to me and I saw very little believable chemistry between Donat's character, Sir Robert Morton, and that of the Winslow daughter, played by Margaret Leighton. The courtroom part was the best but the whole movie suffered from severe creakiness. My advice: go straight to the newer version, which was beautifully acted, completely engrossing, and blessed with wit and subtle humor as well as dramatic intensity.

A QUINTESSENTIAL AND CLASSIC BRITISH DRAMA...
This is a marvelously acted English drama, typical of the genre for its time, but superior in its casting. Based upon the play by Terrence Rattigan, the film takes place in England during the early part of the twentieth century, before the advent of World War I. A thirteen year old Naval cadet is expelled for stealing a postal order. He claims he did not do it, despite seeming evidence to the contrary. His upstanding family stands behind him and supports him. After going to the Naval academy from which he was expelled, where their entreaties fall upon deaf ears, they decide to take the unprecedented step of suing the Crown.

The family retains the services of the well respected barrister, Sir Robert Morton, cooly played with dash by the ever wonderful Robert Donat, who agrees to represent the boy. The case becomes a cause celebre all over England, and Sir Morton's client becomes known as that Winslow boy, a notoriety that shakes the boy's very proper family to its core. While the case wends its way through the British legal system, tension between the boy's intelligent, bluestocking sistersister, beautifully played by the talented Margaret Leighton, and his barrister bubbles to the surface, and the sparks begin to fly.

The old time English courtroom scenes that follow will satisfy all legal beagles and lovers of courtroom drama. The resolution of the suit is somewhat predictable, but enhanced by the delicious wit of the dialogue and the wonderful performances by the entire cast. The movie ends on a note of romantic hope, as it does not lament what might have been between the barrister and the boy's sister, but, instead, augers what is surely to come.

All in all, this is a terrific movie with a stellar cast. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The definitive cinematic production
Oscar Wilde's celebrated masterpiece is a comedy on three levels. First there is the denotative level, one might say, the level in which the bourgeois are entertained après dîner. It is on this level that Oscar Wilde follows the great theatrical tradition of comedy from the time of the Greeks through Shakespeare and French farce into the twentieth century to the musical comedy of the London and New York stage. His play on this level is a comedy of manners, pleasant, charming and very clever. The class conscious jokes about the lower orders and the servants are double-edged and add just a touch of squirm to the laughter of the not completely discerning audience. It is on the second level that The Importance of Being Earnest becomes one of the greatest plays ever written. On this level, the comedy is a full blown satire of Victorian society, and in particular of its audience. Wilde had the very great pleasure of flattering and making fun of the audience while being applauded for doing so. His subtitle for the play, "A Trivial Comedy for Serious People" is an allusion to these two levels. It is on this second level that Wilde speaks through the voice of Lady Bracknell (and sometimes Algernon), whose ironic and unself-conscious cynicism is so like his own. It is on this level that all the fun is made of the hypocrisy of marriage and its mercenary nature, at least as practiced by the petite bourgeoisie of London town, circa 1895. But there is a third level, a level known of course to the cognoscenti of the time and to modern audiences, but for the most part never dreamed of by the London theater-goers of the day. In this regard I have recently read that "Earnest" was a slang euphemism for being gay, and I suspect this is true. Indeed, I can imagine a whole world of witticism based on being "earnest" and being "Ernest," a world now (perhaps charitably) forgotten. Certainly this knowledge sheds some light on Jack's invention of his invalid friend "Bunbury," whom he finds he must visit to escape unwanted social engagements.

One of the best things about this great play is one can appreciate it on any one of the three levels and find delight on that level alone. One can see Worthy as John Worthy, or as Jack Worthy, or as Ernest Worthy, however one likes. This adaptation, starring the incomparable Dame Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell, and Michael Redgrave (father of Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave) as John Worthy is of course the justly celebrated, clearly definitive screen adaptation. It should be noted, however, that Lady Bracknell is the real star of the show, and when she enters a scene, she steals it. Edith Evans was brilliant and unforgettable and obviously having a wonderful time. Margaret Rutherford is a scream as Miss Prism and Miles Malleson as Chasuble is just, shall I say, darling. I should note that both the male leads were a touch too old for their parts. Redgrave was 42 and Michael Denison, who played Algernon, was 37 when the movie was released in 1952. Yet I think Oscar Wilde would have approved of the casting, probably finding it admirable and fitting that these two men about town would have avoided marriage for so many years. (I won't mention the ages of the actresses.) Joan Greenwood as Gwendolyn achieves just the right amount of flaky innocence and calculated whimsy, while Dorothy Tutin is the very definition of the spoiled, sweet and adorable, man-hunting Cecily Cardew. The direction by Anthony Asquith is unnecessarily directive in the sense that he moved some scenes around, but is essentially without harm.

The best way to appreciate this play, and to pick up all the nuances, and there are nuances aplenty--and jokes upon jokes, sharp social and political observations, and witticisms within prevarications, and lies that are truths and vice-versa--is to view the video, just appreciating it on one level, then read the script, and then view the video again. You're in for a treat.

Perfect Confection...Sweet & Tart
With the release of "An Ideal Husband" (starring Rupert Everett) last year, "The Importance of Being Earnest" is no longer the best Oscar Wilde movie. BUT -- it is still Wilde's funniest and sharpest satire AND the finest example of "Wilde Style" acting ever recorded on film.

This movie reeks of "thea-tah" in the best sense. Wilde characters live perfectly and carefully structured lives (it's part of the joke). These are not natural people...so don't expect a naturalistic movie. It's candy colored pastels, raised pinkies, and noses tilted defiantly to the sky. And always, always knowing exactly what to say, and how to say it.

The cast of "Earnest" is superb individually and as an ensemble. It includes stage and screen legends like Michael Redgrave, Dame Edith Evans, and the inimitalble Margaret Rutherford.

Invite your wittiest friends to tea...and watch this movie.

Great cast -- but it somehow doesn't quite work
Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" is one of the most durable, witty comedy scripts in the history of English-language theater. This production, which originally aired on the BBC's "Theatre Night" anthology, features three actors I usually enjoy: Joan Plowright, Paul McGann and Alison Steadman. Yet, somehow, this production doesn't quite work.

Part of it's the pacing. Part of it is the tone, which is too leaden at spots. But mostly, I think, the problem is Rupert Frazer, who plays Algernon. He's a good actor, but he's performing the show in a different acting style from the rest of the cast, and it's very jarring. Also, he looks older than McGann, who's meant to be playing his elder brother.

There are some funny moments, including the well-played scenes between Cecily and Gwendolyn, but on the whole you're better off watching the brilliant 1952 movie version. As someone else noted, the rave reviews below refer mostly to that film adaptation, which some customers mistakenly believe is on this tape.

Misleading reviews
The customer reviews for this tape are misleading. They are written about not about the tape being offered for sale, a 1988 BBC production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Instead, they refer to the 1952 film production, with Michael Redgrave and Dame Edith Evans. This is extremely misleading: after reading the reviews, I ordered the tape thinking I would be getting the 1952 film but got the 1988 version instead.

WHERE IS THAT BABY!
At first this production seems stagey and artificial but after a few minutes and Wilde's lines take hold you realize that this is exactly what the material wants. And what material! You can see the actors' delight in this exercise of disciplined high jinks. But it is the women who really shine. Joan Greenwood's Gwendolyn is so enamoured of her own perfection that she almost can't stand it. But she does because she's a lady. Dorothy Tutin as Cecily is a sly puss who not only swallowed the canary but had it served up with a delicious cream sauce. Edith Evans pronounces Lady Bracknell's absurdities with such authority that she is almost terrifying. Like a depraved Saint. And Margaret Rutherford plays Miss Prism at full wattles. A joy. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This bold 1938 production of George Bernard Shaw's famous play about a linguist who turns a Cockney flower peddler into a princess was codirected by Anthony Asquith (The Browning Version) and star Leslie Howard, who brings a calculated coldness to the character of Henry Higgins. There's no My Fair Lady sugarcoating here: Higgins is a brute using language as a weapon of class war and patriarchal subjugation of women. He's a likable brute, mind you, but a bully nonetheless, and his molding of poor Eliza (Wendy Hiller) into a Cinderella story is not a pretty sight. Everyone in the cast is in perfect accord with this production's take on Shaw's tale, and while this Pygmalion is a fairly radical enterprise, it is also very funny and handsomely realized. Hiller and Howard have never been better, and the rest of the cast, including Wilfrid Lawson, Marie Lohr, Scott Sunderland, and Jean Cadell, can't be improved upon. Edited by David Lean, who eventually directed Brief Encounter and Lawrence of Arabia. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (66)

Wonderful! It has stood the test of time -- and triumphed!
It started out as a play by George Bernard Shaw based on the Greek myth of a man who created a statue and then fell in love with it. The play, which was a spoof on the British upper class, was an immediate success and several movie versions followed. This 1938 version, in black and white, was nominated for four academy awards in 1939 and won an Oscar for best screenplay. Later, it was adapted to the musical hit, "My Fair Lady." The rest, as they say, is history. But Pygmalion should certainly not be forgotten.

The cast is excellent. Leslie Howard is perfect as Henry Higgins, the professor of dialects who transforms a flower girl into a lady. And Wendy Hiller is sensational as Eliza Doolittle. There's a certain regal freshness and her British authenticity comes across beautifully. Even though "the rain in Spain" is spoken, rather than sung, it still keeps the same quality. And there is music throughout as background, lively original music created especially for the film. The supporting cast was excellent too. I particularly loved the performance by Wilfrid Larson as Eliza's father. The film moved fast and kept me totally captivated. The costumes were wonderful and the timing for the comedic moments perfect. I found myself laughing out loud in places and smiling to myself throughout. Certainly, this film has stood the test of time and even though it will always be compared to the musical we all know and love, I must say that Pygmalion can definitely stand on its own. Give yourself a treat and check it out. Highly recommended.

A Wonderful Film -- the Drama of My Fair Lady
This is an enchanting film for which George Bernard Shaw won an Oscar (which I believe he displayed proudly) for best screenplay after adapting the play "Pygmalion." It is true that the movie lacks the grand production values of "My Fair Lady," but it is much closer to the drama that Shaw had in mind. The dialogue is much richer than "My Fair Lady," which still managed to keep much of the language of the play and some of the movie.

Like many of Shaw's plays, it is built around his pet ideas -- here (in a simple form) the notion that class distinctions are not genuine and could be overcome through education. Unlike some of Shaw's plays which read like socialist tracts, this one has very human characters who keep your interest throughout (in contrast to "Major Barabara" which was a rather tedious movie).

For me, Wendy Hiller make a marvelous Eliza Doolittle. Although Leslie Howard is very good (and presumably what Shaw had in mind), it is hard to forget the bluster Rex Harrison -- a great actor himself -- brought to the role of Professor Higgins. Hiller brings a wonderful dignity and pathos to the role of Eliza Doolittle. The rest of the cast is very good and the sets are very authentically set in Edwardian England.

This is definite buy if you like Shaw, theatre in general, good movies from the 30s, or want to see a richer version of "My Fair Lady."

A true British classic
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film is based on the play by George Bernard Shaw. The film was even scripted by Shaw so it definately is the best version of the film.

The story later inspired the much more famous musical film "My Fair Lady" I have not seen "My Fair Lady" so I am not one to compare.

The film follows a phonetics and linguistics expert, Henry Higgins. He has such a knowledge of accents that he can tell what town a person is from by hearing them speak for only a few seconds. He later makes a bet with a colleague that he can train a common girl from Cockney to speak "proper" English and fool people into thinking she is a duchess.

The Criterion DVD has no special features but the picture quality is quite good for a film of its age.

This film is one of my new favorites!

The most intelligent british comedy in the thirties
The smart script from Bernard Shaw made it possible this monumental film. The myth of Pygmalion was translated to cinema with a dazzling direction and obviously one supeb cast ; this couple Leslie Howard and the always beautiful and charming Wendy Hiller stealed the show.
The tale about a poor girl who sells flowers in Covent Garden; a gamble between two men; the awake as human being is a match against all a new world of possibilities for this woman who suudenly transforms before us and everybody in a woman with class, charming and glamour.
All the script is filled with ingenious and laughable situations with that clever sense of humor, so typical of Shaw.
This unique match will impact the life of these three people with unthinkable consequences.
A delightful movie and one of the best english comedies ever filmed.
Remade in 1964 as My fair lady. But this one is one million years light better.
A must in your collection.

Beware: awful edition!!
This is a comment on the edition, not on the actual play itself (which is great). This edition of *Pygmalion* is incomplete, awfully incomplete. I ignore if Shaw rewrote the play, or what may have happened, but if you intend to read the real version, look for other publisher! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

1943 Sea Tiger submarine.
British submarine. an ok movie. but sound was bad. there crew were after a german battleship. "brandenburg" Not sure if they even got it. movie was very poor. fought there way through a mine field. and then I sub-net that they pushed through. was very funny to see. running low on oil. goes to denmark to take on some germans at port. of denmark land. and fighting their was best action of the movie. WE Dive At Dawn Was not a very good movie. stick with run silent run deep. was better..

Exceptional Royal Navy film with excellent cast.
We Dive At Dawn is a standard issue, exceptionally well acted British war film about a submarine of the Royal Navy. It is a visual masterpiece of Navy detail. Sir John Mills et al, are well cast and extremely believable in their roles.

The filming was done on an actual submarine and depot ship. I know a sailor who was in the depot ship, HMS Maidstone in Holy Loch Scotland, at the time the movie was made. He advised me of a small detail that make the film much more interesting to watch. If you look closely in the control room scenes, there is a sailor in a white turtleneck sweater close to Mills. That sailor is the actual submarine CO keeping a close eye on things to make sure nothing awkward happens.

This film is a tale of submarine warfare in the Baltic Sea. It was not an easy area for submarines to operate in because it is relatively shallow and a submarine likes to have a lot of water between it and the enemy on the surface. This is not the case in the Baltic. There were heavy casualties amongst British submarines sent to this area.

I had an opportunity to live in the Holy Loch area in the mid-60s when HMS Maidstone was replaced by USS Hunley. As I look at the film, I see some of the same landmarks that were there in 1941-42 as in 1964 - absolutely unchanged.

What is a little bit different for this film is that we see a great deal of the life of the sailors of the Royal Navy. It readily shows the team concept that is life in submarines. Remember, there may only be 5-6 officers in addition to the captain. The crew was essentially masters of their own destiny in a very real sense since even junior sailors had tremendous responibility placed on them. And they excelled, uniformly. The ending is typically understated British and yet highly effective.

This is an exceptional movie and belongs in any navy history enthusiasts library.

I can smell the sea
I like British pictures and Royal navy.This film shows me how about inside "H.M.S.".I am pleased to hear the ordres and answers.
I found interesting to see subs entering seaport hoisting jory-roger if she made some ship sink and the other hand ,ships in port blow sirens.
I like these "seamanship".

Excellent old unknown brittish sub movie! No known stars.
This B&W movie is a classic. You are given insight to the crew's personal lives and interactions. There is enough action (after the first 25 minutes) to keep you interested constantly. Very interesting, a few very exciting action sequences. Not all action takes place on/in the water!

British WW2 submarine adventure
A British submarine in WW2 is sent on an impossible mission to sink the German warship "Brandenburg". To destroy their target, they must find their target - somewhere deep in enemy-controlled waters. The captain navigates his submarine past nets, mines, and enemy destroyers, and then must clandestinely obtain fuel and oil from an enemy-held port for the return voyage.

This tale of submarine adventure was made with the support of the British military in the darkest days of WW2, so the boats you see really are warships and not Hollywood mock-ups. The plot is fairly predictable and the overall production is hindered by thick British accents at times, but its still a good late-night war movie. "The Enemy Below" and "Torpedo Run" are better, but this film is British and made under war-time conditions, so that counts for something in the "Authenticity" department. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The definitive cinematic production
Oscar Wilde's celebrated masterpiece is a comedy on three levels. First there is the denotative level, one might say, the level in which the bourgeois are entertained après dîner. It is on this level that Oscar Wilde follows the great theatrical tradition of comedy from the time of the Greeks through Shakespeare and French farce into the twentieth century to the musical comedy of the London and New York stage. His play on this level is a comedy of manners, pleasant, charming and very clever. The class conscious jokes about the lower orders and the servants are double-edged and add just a touch of squirm to the laughter of the not completely discerning audience. It is on the second level that The Importance of Being Earnest becomes one of the greatest plays ever written. On this level, the comedy is a full blown satire of Victorian society, and in particular of its audience. Wilde had the very great pleasure of flattering and making fun of the audience while being applauded for doing so. His subtitle for the play, "A Trivial Comedy for Serious People" is an allusion to these two levels. It is on this second level that Wilde speaks through the voice of Lady Bracknell (and sometimes Algernon), whose ironic and unself-conscious cynicism is so like his own. It is on this level that all the fun is made of the hypocrisy of marriage and its mercenary nature, at least as practiced by the petite bourgeoisie of London town, circa 1895. But there is a third level, a level known of course to the cognoscenti of the time and to modern audiences, but for the most part never dreamed of by the London theater-goers of the day. In this regard I have recently read that "Earnest" was a slang euphemism for being gay, and I suspect this is true. Indeed, I can imagine a whole world of witticism based on being "earnest" and being "Ernest," a world now (perhaps charitably) forgotten. Certainly this knowledge sheds some light on Jack's invention of his invalid friend "Bunbury," whom he finds he must visit to escape unwanted social engagements.

One of the best things about this great play is one can appreciate it on any one of the three levels and find delight on that level alone. One can see Worthy as John Worthy, or as Jack Worthy, or as Ernest Worthy, however one likes. This adaptation, starring the incomparable Dame Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell, and Michael Redgrave (father of Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave) as John Worthy is of course the justly celebrated, clearly definitive screen adaptation. It should be noted, however, that Lady Bracknell is the real star of the show, and when she enters a scene, she steals it. Edith Evans was brilliant and unforgettable and obviously having a wonderful time. Margaret Rutherford is a scream as Miss Prism and Miles Malleson as Chasuble is just, shall I say, darling. I should note that both the male leads were a touch too old for their parts. Redgrave was 42 and Michael Denison, who played Algernon, was 37 when the movie was released in 1952. Yet I think Oscar Wilde would have approved of the casting, probably finding it admirable and fitting that these two men about town would have avoided marriage for so many years. (I won't mention the ages of the actresses.) Joan Greenwood as Gwendolyn achieves just the right amount of flaky innocence and calculated whimsy, while Dorothy Tutin is the very definition of the spoiled, sweet and adorable, man-hunting Cecily Cardew. The direction by Anthony Asquith is unnecessarily directive in the sense that he moved some scenes around, but is essentially without harm.

The best way to appreciate this play, and to pick up all the nuances, and there are nuances aplenty--and jokes upon jokes, sharp social and political observations, and witticisms within prevarications, and lies that are truths and vice-versa--is to view the video, just appreciating it on one level, then read the script, and then view the video again. You're in for a treat.

Perfect Confection...Sweet & Tart
With the release of "An Ideal Husband" (starring Rupert Everett) last year, "The Importance of Being Earnest" is no longer the best Oscar Wilde movie. BUT -- it is still Wilde's funniest and sharpest satire AND the finest example of "Wilde Style" acting ever recorded on film.

This movie reeks of "thea-tah" in the best sense. Wilde characters live perfectly and carefully structured lives (it's part of the joke). These are not natural people...so don't expect a naturalistic movie. It's candy colored pastels, raised pinkies, and noses tilted defiantly to the sky. And always, always knowing exactly what to say, and how to say it.

The cast of "Earnest" is superb individually and as an ensemble. It includes stage and screen legends like Michael Redgrave, Dame Edith Evans, and the inimitalble Margaret Rutherford.

Invite your wittiest friends to tea...and watch this movie.

Great cast -- but it somehow doesn't quite work
Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" is one of the most durable, witty comedy scripts in the history of English-language theater. This production, which originally aired on the BBC's "Theatre Night" anthology, features three actors I usually enjoy: Joan Plowright, Paul McGann and Alison Steadman. Yet, somehow, this production doesn't quite work.

Part of it's the pacing. Part of it is the tone, which is too leaden at spots. But mostly, I think, the problem is Rupert Frazer, who plays Algernon. He's a good actor, but he's performing the show in a different acting style from the rest of the cast, and it's very jarring. Also, he looks older than McGann, who's meant to be playing his elder brother.

There are some funny moments, including the well-played scenes between Cecily and Gwendolyn, but on the whole you're better off watching the brilliant 1952 movie version. As someone else noted, the rave reviews below refer mostly to that film adaptation, which some customers mistakenly believe is on this tape.

Misleading reviews
The customer reviews for this tape are misleading. They are written about not about the tape being offered for sale, a 1988 BBC production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Instead, they refer to the 1952 film production, with Michael Redgrave and Dame Edith Evans. This is extremely misleading: after reading the reviews, I ordered the tape thinking I would be getting the 1952 film but got the 1988 version instead.

WHERE IS THAT BABY!
At first this production seems stagey and artificial but after a few minutes and Wilde's lines take hold you realize that this is exactly what the material wants. And what material! You can see the actors' delight in this exercise of disciplined high jinks. But it is the women who really shine. Joan Greenwood's Gwendolyn is so enamoured of her own perfection that she almost can't stand it. But she does because she's a lady. Dorothy Tutin as Cecily is a sly puss who not only swallowed the canary but had it served up with a delicious cream sauce. Edith Evans pronounces Lady Bracknell's absurdities with such authority that she is almost terrifying. Like a depraved Saint. And Margaret Rutherford plays Miss Prism at full wattles. A joy. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Boring and droning
This is an extremely dated film which is interesting solely because of the real life drama going on behind the scenes with Taylor and Burton. The plot of the movie is droning, boring and the sets look like something out of a campy Asutin Powers film. The dialogue limps along like a crippled brontosaurus and is delivered by the major actors in a catatonic state. Pay particular attention to the perenially-inebriated Richard Burton, who appears (and was) drunk in every single scene. The airport piece between he and Liz in the waning minutes of the film shows him weaving, mumbling and behaving in a completely irrational manner. Unintententionally hilarious!

As previously stated, the only riveting prospect of this movie is that Liz and Richard had wrapped up "Cleopatra" and were searching for a convenient movie where they could co-star and continue living together at the Dorchester Hotel in London. Never mind that this movie is a bloated turkey, Avoid it!

Glossy look at the 1960's jetset
"The V.I.P.s" was one of the first of the 1960's looks into the lives of globe trotting elite that filled the popular magazines of the time. This film in particular focused its main attention on what was without a doubt the most famous couple of the entire 1960's decade, super stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Made in the aftermath of the 2 year filming of the monumental production of "Cleopatra" and while Elizabeth and Richard where still just travelling companions prior to their marriage, "The V.I.P.s" tells the glossy story of the interwoven lives of a group of diverse people who find themselves stranded at London Airport because of the heavy fog which has grounded all flights indefinately. Each has their own particular reason for needing to get to their destination by a certain time and most of the action focuses on the dilemmas that they now find themselves in. Prominent of course in this story is the triangle formed by Elizabeth Taylor playing Frances Andros who is planning to leave her distant husband Billionaire Paul Andros (Richard Burton) and go off with Louis Jourdan who plays an ageing playboy Marc Champselle. While far from being Elizabeth's or Richard's most memorable work I still feel both are excellent in their roles which in some ways mirrored their own news worthy lives at the time. Rarely has Elizabeth looked more beautiful than in this role with her lavish outfits and fur hooded jackets that create a stunning effect. Burton also is effective as the tortured man with supposedly everything who is in danger of losing his lovely wife through neglect.

The supporting cast of "The V.I.P.s" is superb with first and foremost the wonderful Dame Margaret Rutherford stealing every scene she is in as a penniless Duchess bound for Florida to do some work in order to maintain her ancestral home. Her performance as the forgetful but very loveable old lady constantly misplacing her passport or sleeping pills is a total delight and quite rightly won her the 1963 Academy award for best supporting actress. Orson Welles in a rare 60's performance plays a very funny supporting role as a movie producer desperate to get out of England by midnight so as to avoid British taxes. Rod Taylor and Maggie Smith round out the cast as a business man and his personal secretary who find themselves in a crisis over a bank loan that needs to be fulfilled in New York. Maggie Smith hadn't come into her own as a performer at this early stage in her film career however she is very effective as the super efficient but mousy assistant who secretly loves her boss and lives her life through her work with him.

The chief focus of this film will always be on the central story concerning Taylor,Burton, and Jourdan but also enjoy the film for the wonderful supporting performances that are all gems in their own varied ways. Ably directed by Anthony Asquith to maximise the potential of each performer "The V.I.P.s' made a fortune for MGM upon its release in 1963 and really began the incredible string of successes the Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton enjoyed with their work during the rest of the decade. Elizabeth's beauty is something to behold in this film and if you like beautiful productions dealing with the problems of the beautiful people then "The V.I.P.s' is a great way to spend a couple of entertaining hours. Enjoy!

Rutherford and Smith--Divas
The VIPs is slow going for most of the time. Taylor and Burton look bored (or hungover?) in this MGM 1963 pic.

However, watch out for two great scenes: one, between Smith and Burton in which she asks him for a check in the airport lounge; the other, Oscar-winning Rutherford talking about her ancestral home and its small part in inspiring Shakespeare to write about daffodils. When she is not popping pills, she is stealing the movie. Diva!

Although Smith is her usual wonderful self, I don't think she has decent any close-ups. No wonder she seems so mousy in the film.

The Marvelous Margaret Rutherford Steals the Show: The VIPS
The VIPS is in a word overdone, overacted, and a heavily veiled soap opera... Burton, Taylor, and Jordan all give performances way beneath their normal high quality range. These three seem to be sleepwalking through the production. At least Taylor looks wonderful; that's something. Fortunately, the film is saved by the terrific Margaret Rutherford as the Duchess, who walks off with the entire production and an Academy Award...Brava!!! In all fairness, Maggie Smith gives her usual solid performance;but it is Rutherford's film.

Almost as bad as Louis Jordan's...
Rumor has it that Liz hated doing love scenes with Louis Jordan because his breath stank up the joint. This movie has a habit of doing the same thing.

The only reason Burton and Taylor agreed to star in this insipid soap opera is because it afforded them the oportunity of continuing their affair begun on "Cleopatra." The movie was made in England, which also helped Liz avoid American taxes (a perenial concern of hers).

Burton gives yet another indifferent performance, though he doesn't over act here as badly as he usually does. Liz is beautiful but visibly bored with the silly lines she speaks, such as "I never thought about love. It's a concept out of the dark ages." Tell that to your 8 husbands, Liz.

If you want to see Burton and Taylor in a quality movie, check out "Who's Afraid of Virignia Woolf," the only outstanding movie they ever made. ... Read more

Description

A beautiful, spoiled heiress has everything money can buy - except a husband.After a disastrous first marriage, she sets her sights on a dedicated, but poor Indian doctor who saves her from suicide. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

This movie is great for the fashion!
As a clothing designer, I loved this movie as it inspired a whole line of clothes. If you like Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren, then it's a bigger plus!

Impossible to watch!
FoxLorber should be adviced to immediately withdraw their DVD-version of "The Millionaires" from circulation! Softer than soft and paler than pale, but worst of all: a pan and scan copy of a CinemaScope film! Abominations like this should no longer be allowed on DVD! Either it's the correct aspect ratio, or nothing! For years, I've been waiting to see this flawed but entertaining film again, but after five minutes the disc was taken out and returned to the shop where I bought it. And they were fully understanding. FoxLorber have issued some great, eagerly awaited stuff on DVD, and I thank them for that, but please make sure that we soon can look forward to a version of this film mastered from a decent looking print - AND in CinemaScope!

Peter-Sophia : face to face
This is a very amusing film with delightful performances of its stars (Peter Sellers- Sophia Loren)and nice second roles(De Sica-Graham Stark). Easy going film highly entertaining.Recommended!

If you like Sophia Loren, you'll love this...
When first reviewed, this movie didn't score particularly well. It's a bit of a star vehicle for the two main characters and is a bit light on plot. As a comedy it is amusing rather than side-splitting, but does manage to hold the attention. Where it scores is its attention to detail in the area of 1960's fashion. Sophia appears in any number of outfits, and looks gorgeous in all of them. Sellers works hard as an Indian doctor, but doesn't come over with his customary brilliance. De Sica is excellent in his role of a backstreet sweatshop owner, but it's the female lead that this film is all about. Sophia is simply stunning, which is enough reason to watch.

Mildly entertaining, but there's always Sophia
This is a very slow-paced comedy with very few smiles. But anytime you have Sophia, it's not a total loss. However, this DVD print looks like it was made from an old bad print. The color is very faded and the sound is of static quality. A very disapponting DVD. ... Read more

Description

Michael Redgrave gives an award-winning performance in this compelling screen adaptation of Terence Rattigan's powerful stage play about an embittered, middle-aged schoolmaster whose career is in ruins.The grind of the English public school system, combined with a failed marriage, have worn down this once brilliant scholar.On the eve of his forced retirement, an unexpected (and undeserved) kindness compells him to examine his life and what he has made of it. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Asquith Version
Michael Redgrave turns in a sterling performance as one of British cinema's most pitiful and tragic creatures: Terence Rattigan's despised schoolmaster, Andrew Crocker-Harris. Rattigan works from his own one-act play, the major difference being the longer (and more hopeful) ending. It is some ten or fifteen minutes or so before Redgrave appears, with the result that the character is built up in the mind of the audience as something of a legend, known of only through the semi-apocryphal caricatures related by the other characters. This sets the stage nicely for the gradual revelation of Crocker-Harris's humanity underneath the cold, passionless exterior. Redgrave is particularly campy when he initially appears, but soon settles down into a more subdued, but brilliantly acted performance. The actor (whose name escapes me) playing the young Taplow also manages an excellent performance, noticeably devoid of the stiltedness and artificiality that is present in so many other child actors of his generation.

Rattigan's story is told melodramatically, but believably, through the lens of veteran photographer Desmond Dickinson's camera, and (as expected) tightly executed by Anthony Asquith. The central performances are bolstered by impressive supporting players. Also worth seeing is Albert Finney's (almost equally affecting) performance in the Figgis version, some forty-five years later.

Beautiful, Powerful, Heart-Rending, Delicate, Deft!
Terence Rattigan's screenplay for "The Browning Version" expands and greatly improves his short stage play of the same name. The title refers to a translation by the poet, Robert Browning, of "Agamemnon," a classical Greek tragedy. The film's protagonist, Andrew Crocker-Harris, an English private school teacher brilliantly played by Michael Redgrave, once wrote a translation of "Agamemnon," and has been trying for years to teach 14-year-old boys to read the Greek original. Because of poor health and general dissatisfaction with his performance, he has resigned his position.

In the tragedy, Agamemnon is murdered by his wife, aided by her lover. In the film, Crocker-Harris is spiritually dead, partly from spousal "murder," although the slaughter has been reciprocal, and his wife, Millie, is in worse shape than he. In tragedies, the hero starts out happy and becomes miserable. In this film, full of the sadness of professional and domestic failure, Crocker-Harris moves away from misery, via understanding and heartfelt repentance, to the possibility of happiness.

The reversal owes much to the intervention of Taplow, one of Crocker-Harris' students, and of Frank Hunter, his colleague and Millie's lover. The film deftly introduces these "good Samaritans" in a lively dispute, in which they display the personal qualities that will make them helpful to Crocker-Harris. Both are spirited, bold, good-natured, intelligent and well-rounded.

An interesting question is why they come to the rescue of Crocker-Harris and not of his wife. Her coarse brutality toward Crocker-Harris is hard to forgive, but so is his refined humiliation of students. At the outset, two huge defeats, heart disease and forced resignation, invite our compassion for him. His language, beautifully dressed, raised in pitch but never in volume, quiet, clear, restrained, invites attention and leaves room for helpers. Following Taplow's lead, we start the film wondering what is wrong, and hoping to fix it. But most important, Taplow and Hunter appreciate this man, who is really dying to be liked. They like him, and they don't like Millie.

My only criticism of the screenplay is the audience response, at a school assembly, to Crocker-Harris' farewell speech. The reaction is not realistic, I think, given the school's long-established fear and rejection of this man. But it is surely our reaction, after what we have just experienced.

At the Cannes Film Festival, Terence Rattigan was awarded Best Screenplay and Michael Redgrave, Best Actor. Emphatically deserved! The film is beautifully directed by Anthony Asquith, with a fine cast, especially Brian Smith as Taplow and Nigel Patrick as Hunter. (This review is based on the VHS edition.)

IF YOU WANT TO SEE GREAT ACTING, HERE IT IS!
Michael Redgrave, that's who! Surely his has got to be one of the greatest performances of our century. The words "Magnificent" and "Brilliant" only come near to describing the work of this actor in this film.

Be prepared to feel sad, and even cry. This is a film about the death of humanity and the concommitant loss of self-esteem in a person. Yet the story bespeaks compassion and love of fellow man.

The perfect direction by Anthony Asquith and a fine supporting cast draws one in from the get-go. Redgrave holds one spellbound. I can't praise it too much, and if any film buff misses this one, he is sorely lacking in the knowledge and experience of the very best.

don't let this ultra-dull title deter you - it's a WINNER!!
This movie really surprised...a beautiful, well-constructed, well-thought-out, fantastically acted, subtle, insightful WINNER, one of the best films I've seen in a year! It was a story about a teacher (who could be any person, man or woman) truly coming to terms with his own emotional deadness, and in so doing, coming back in touch with his true life force. Through admitting his inner deadness to those he was entrusted to guide - his students - he affirms to them what they have felt and whispered about all along...and in so doing offers them a better chance to stay on the path of life...and step off the path that has been so "soul crushing". In effect, he redeems himself as a true teacher by setting such a profound and beautiful example.

I loved this movie because it is the metaphor for the emotionally dead parent coming clean, and giving us, the wounded children, a new hope for life. Of course, in reality it is rare that a parent comes clean as such, but that's okay, because as adults we can do it ourselves...and there are no lack of people who are in need of such an example.

Perhaps the finest movie I have ever seen -- a true classic
I watched this movie many years ago on PBS simply by chance. I have since acquired my own copy and have watched it many times. The story and characters have remained with me ever since. Michael Redgrave gives a performance that is, quite simply, stunning. Redgrave plays an aging and depressed schoolmaster at an English boarding school who, despite a promising start as a teacher many years before, has now failed as a teacher and as a husband. His wife is a nightmare -- conniving, duplicitous and unfaithful. His tolerance of her maliciousness, and of his own failings, is touchingly played out in one heartrending scene after another. Into this malaise comes a young student who, unlike his fellow students, recognizes the brilliance and potential of the old schoolmaster. When he gives the old man the present of a book of poems by Browning, it reawakens a long lost spirit. If you see no other movie, see this one -- please. You'll never forget it. I never will. ... Read more

Book Description

The distinguished yet misanthropic and perhaps misogynistic linguist Henry Higgins teaches a common flower girl to speak and act like a lady and, to his own great surprise, falls in love with her. ... Read more

Reviews (66)

Wonderful! It has stood the test of time -- and triumphed!
It started out as a play by George Bernard Shaw based on the Greek myth of a man who created a statue and then fell in love with it. The play, which was a spoof on the British upper class, was an immediate success and several movie versions followed. This 1938 version, in black and white, was nominated for four academy awards in 1939 and won an Oscar for best screenplay. Later, it was adapted to the musical hit, "My Fair Lady." The rest, as they say, is history. But Pygmalion should certainly not be forgotten.

The cast is excellent. Leslie Howard is perfect as Henry Higgins, the professor of dialects who transforms a flower girl into a lady. And Wendy Hiller is sensational as Eliza Doolittle. There's a certain regal freshness and her British authenticity comes across beautifully. Even though "the rain in Spain" is spoken, rather than sung, it still keeps the same quality. And there is music throughout as background, lively original music created especially for the film. The supporting cast was excellent too. I particularly loved the performance by Wilfrid Larson as Eliza's father. The film moved fast and kept me totally captivated. The costumes were wonderful and the timing for the comedic moments perfect. I found myself laughing out loud in places and smiling to myself throughout. Certainly, this film has stood the test of time and even though it will always be compared to the musical we all know and love, I must say that Pygmalion can definitely stand on its own. Give yourself a treat and check it out. Highly recommended.

A Wonderful Film -- the Drama of My Fair Lady
This is an enchanting film for which George Bernard Shaw won an Oscar (which I believe he displayed proudly) for best screenplay after adapting the play "Pygmalion." It is true that the movie lacks the grand production values of "My Fair Lady," but it is much closer to the drama that Shaw had in mind. The dialogue is much richer than "My Fair Lady," which still managed to keep much of the language of the play and some of the movie.

Like many of Shaw's plays, it is built around his pet ideas -- here (in a simple form) the notion that class distinctions are not genuine and could be overcome through education. Unlike some of Shaw's plays which read like socialist tracts, this one has very human characters who keep your interest throughout (in contrast to "Major Barabara" which was a rather tedious movie).

For me, Wendy Hiller make a marvelous Eliza Doolittle. Although Leslie Howard is very good (and presumably what Shaw had in mind), it is hard to forget the bluster Rex Harrison -- a great actor himself -- brought to the role of Professor Higgins. Hiller brings a wonderful dignity and pathos to the role of Eliza Doolittle. The rest of the cast is very good and the sets are very authentically set in Edwardian England.

This is definite buy if you like Shaw, theatre in general, good movies from the 30s, or want to see a richer version of "My Fair Lady."

A true British classic
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film is based on the play by George Bernard Shaw. The film was even scripted by Shaw so it definately is the best version of the film.

The story later inspired the much more famous musical film "My Fair Lady" I have not seen "My Fair Lady" so I am not one to compare.

The film follows a phonetics and linguistics expert, Henry Higgins. He has such a knowledge of accents that he can tell what town a person is from by hearing them speak for only a few seconds. He later makes a bet with a colleague that he can train a common girl from Cockney to speak "proper" English and fool people into thinking she is a duchess.

The Criterion DVD has no special features but the picture quality is quite good for a film of its age.

This film is one of my new favorites!

The most intelligent british comedy in the thirties
The smart script from Bernard Shaw made it possible this monumental film. The myth of Pygmalion was translated to cinema with a dazzling direction and obviously one supeb cast ; this couple Leslie Howard and the always beautiful and charming Wendy Hiller stealed the show.
The tale about a poor girl who sells flowers in Covent Garden; a gamble between two men; the awake as human being is a match against all a new world of possibilities for this woman who suudenly transforms before us and everybody in a woman with class, charming and glamour.
All the script is filled with ingenious and laughable situations with that clever sense of humor, so typical of Shaw.
This unique match will impact the life of these three people with unthinkable consequences.
A delightful movie and one of the best english comedies ever filmed.
Remade in 1964 as My fair lady. But this one is one million years light better.
A must in your collection.

Beware: awful edition!!
This is a comment on the edition, not on the actual play itself (which is great). This edition of *Pygmalion* is incomplete, awfully incomplete. I ignore if Shaw rewrote the play, or what may have happened, but if you intend to read the real version, look for other publisher! ... Read more

Book Description

The distinguished yet misanthropic and perhaps misogynistic linguist Henry Higgins teaches a common flower girl to speak and act like a lady and, to his own great surprise, falls in love with her. ... Read more

Reviews (66)

Wonderful! It has stood the test of time -- and triumphed!
It started out as a play by George Bernard Shaw based on the Greek myth of a man who created a statue and then fell in love with it. The play, which was a spoof on the British upper class, was an immediate success and several movie versions followed. This 1938 version, in black and white, was nominated for four academy awards in 1939 and won an Oscar for best screenplay. Later, it was adapted to the musical hit, "My Fair Lady." The rest, as they say, is history. But Pygmalion should certainly not be forgotten.

The cast is excellent. Leslie Howard is perfect as Henry Higgins, the professor of dialects who transforms a flower girl into a lady. And Wendy Hiller is sensational as Eliza Doolittle. There's a certain regal freshness and her British authenticity comes across beautifully. Even though "the rain in Spain" is spoken, rather than sung, it still keeps the same quality. And there is music throughout as background, lively original music created especially for the film. The supporting cast was excellent too. I particularly loved the performance by Wilfrid Larson as Eliza's father. The film moved fast and kept me totally captivated. The costumes were wonderful and the timing for the comedic moments perfect. I found myself laughing out loud in places and smiling to myself throughout. Certainly, this film has stood the test of time and even though it will always be compared to the musical we all know and love, I must say that Pygmalion can definitely stand on its own. Give yourself a treat and check it out. Highly recommended.

A Wonderful Film -- the Drama of My Fair Lady
This is an enchanting film for which George Bernard Shaw won an Oscar (which I believe he displayed proudly) for best screenplay after adapting the play "Pygmalion." It is true that the movie lacks the grand production values of "My Fair Lady," but it is much closer to the drama that Shaw had in mind. The dialogue is much richer than "My Fair Lady," which still managed to keep much of the language of the play and some of the movie.

Like many of Shaw's plays, it is built around his pet ideas -- here (in a simple form) the notion that class distinctions are not genuine and could be overcome through education. Unlike some of Shaw's plays which read like socialist tracts, this one has very human characters who keep your interest throughout (in contrast to "Major Barabara" which was a rather tedious movie).

For me, Wendy Hiller make a marvelous Eliza Doolittle. Although Leslie Howard is very good (and presumably what Shaw had in mind), it is hard to forget the bluster Rex Harrison -- a great actor himself -- brought to the role of Professor Higgins. Hiller brings a wonderful dignity and pathos to the role of Eliza Doolittle. The rest of the cast is very good and the sets are very authentically set in Edwardian England.

This is definite buy if you like Shaw, theatre in general, good movies from the 30s, or want to see a richer version of "My Fair Lady."

A true British classic
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film is based on the play by George Bernard Shaw. The film was even scripted by Shaw so it definately is the best version of the film.

The story later inspired the much more famous musical film "My Fair Lady" I have not seen "My Fair Lady" so I am not one to compare.

The film follows a phonetics and linguistics expert, Henry Higgins. He has such a knowledge of accents that he can tell what town a person is from by hearing them speak for only a few seconds. He later makes a bet with a colleague that he can train a common girl from Cockney to speak "proper" English and fool people into thinking she is a duchess.

The Criterion DVD has no special features but the picture quality is quite good for a film of its age.

This film is one of my new favorites!

The most intelligent british comedy in the thirties
The smart script from Bernard Shaw made it possible this monumental film. The myth of Pygmalion was translated to cinema with a dazzling direction and obviously one supeb cast ; this couple Leslie Howard and the always beautiful and charming Wendy Hiller stealed the show.
The tale about a poor girl who sells flowers in Covent Garden; a gamble between two men; the awake as human being is a match against all a new world of possibilities for this woman who suudenly transforms before us and everybody in a woman with class, charming and glamour.
All the script is filled with ingenious and laughable situations with that clever sense of humor, so typical of Shaw.
This unique match will impact the life of these three people with unthinkable consequences.
A delightful movie and one of the best english comedies ever filmed.
Remade in 1964 as My fair lady. But this one is one million years light better.
A must in your collection.

Beware: awful edition!!
This is a comment on the edition, not on the actual play itself (which is great). This edition of *Pygmalion* is incomplete, awfully incomplete. I ignore if Shaw rewrote the play, or what may have happened, but if you intend to read the real version, look for other publisher! ... Read more

Description

This program immortalizes a gala evening of classical ballet featuring the legendary team of Rudolf Nureyev and Dame Margot Fonteyn. Britain's Royal Ballet is one of the world's most celebrated dance companies, thrilling us for over 30 years with a legacy of stunning performances. This video has been critically acclaimed as "a chance to view the pinnacle of ballet achievement." This program features excerpts from immortal favorites including Le Corsaire, Les Sylphides, Sleeping Beauty and La Valse. Frederick Ashton's choreography is brilliantly executed throughout. This is one evening ballet lovers will enjoy over and over again. 85 minutes, color, 1963. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Wonderful DVD, wonderful history, wonderful performances!
Nureyev and Fonteyn! Need I say more? This DVD is sooo valuable for so many reasons! As an historical record, it cannot be surpassed. The performance of "Les Sylphides" is pure Fokine choreography, with a grace and fluidity that is not always present in performance companies these days. The "storyless" ballet is actually about the poet (Nureyev) being inspired by the sylphs who seem to caress his mind with both dreamy visions and moments of ecstasy. This ballet alone is worth the price of admission! For those who want to see the more bravura side of Nureyev, look to the pas de deux from Le Corsaire. Balletomanes will probably recognize that the male technique has advanced remarkably overall since 1963. But still, Nureyev is electric and amazing in this pas de deux. La Valse should be seen just because it is Ravel's music at its most lush and passionate. This may also be the only filmed record of the choreography of this rarely performed ballet. And of course... if you long to see Margot Fonteyn in her true element, the last act of "Sleeping Beauty" is pure delight. All of the divertissement are danced by dancers we now recognize as principal ballerinas... who were mere soloists at the time. Puss in Boots and the Bluebird pas de deux are marvelous reproductions of the original Petipa choreography, and a joy to watch. The costuming, sets, and mannerisms of this ballet definitely take the viewer to a different time and place. Magnificent! Fonteyn is an ageless diamond in this wonderful performance! There are a hundred reasons to buy this DVD, and few detractions. I saw this movie when it was released in theaters back in the 1960s, and the DVD transfer is not without its occasional moments of fuzz, but for the most part it is fantastic. The insertion of the "Russian Dance" from "The Nutcracker" into the last act of the "Sleeping Beauty" was quite jarring, but it was well danced. It was not uncommon, even in Petipa's day, to insert specialty numbers to accommodate a particular dancer, or up-and-comer who needed exposure... or even to promote a particular composer. So, in keeping with the age-old tradition, this odd insertion is not without precident. I rate this DVD at four stars. The ballets are beautifully photographed, the feet are never "cut off" by the camera, and there are no "special effects" to interfere with one's total enjoyment of the performances. This one comes highly recommended!

unacceptable
the video quality of this dvd is bad, terriable and completely
unacceptable. i strongly against the purchase of this dvd because of it's video quality. if you do purchase it you will proably return it as i did.

this is one of my favorite videos
Les Sylphides, Le Corsaire, La Valse, and Sleeping Beauty (Act III)....

Les Sylphides is absolutely magical, the best performance of this ballet I've ever seen. Nureyev gives his usual intense, wonderful performance, and Fonteyn -- words cannot describe the beauty of her every exquisite movement. This ballet is, perfectly suited to her lyrical style. IMO, Fonteyn had the most incredibly expressive arms.... But before I start rambling (or have I already?)....

Le Corsaire is an absolutely brilliant performance from Nureyev, and Fonteyn dances beautifully as well (although her performance is perhaps a bit too subdued in comparison to Nureyev's mindblowing one).

La Valse was probably wonderful to see live, but the magic is kind of lost on film. I think it's one of those ballets you had to see in person.

Sleeping Beauty is a joy to see. Fonteyn is wonderful as usual, and David Blair makes a superb prince, very noble and suave. A young Antoinette Sibley gives an exquisite peerformance in the Blue Bird pas de deux.

A great buy!

Aa delightful evening at the ballet.
This 1963 movie features Fonteyn and Nureyev in excerpts from LE CORSAIRE, LA VALSE, SLEEPING BEAUTY (ACT III AURORA'S WEDDING), & LES SYLPHIDES. This can be enjoyed for the music, the dancing and as a piece of wondurful ballet history with two of ballet's greatest stars. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

+1/2. An odd wartime drama
Laurence Olivier stars in this soft-edged wartime propaganda film, which sought to promote trust and understanding between the beleagured Brits and the newfound Russian allies. Olivier plays Ivan Kouzeroff, a laconic but slightly uptight Soviet engineer who is sent to Britain before the war to broker a shipmaking deal with a local shipyard. When he arrives, he's both wide-eyed and dismissive, full of preconceptions about the coldness and venality of the English. All this, naturally, goes by the wayside over time: Ivan discovers how playful and warm-hearted the British actually are, and they give him emotional shelter before the gathering storm. Not much going on in dramatic terms, but the nudge-nudge, wink-wink look at British mores, and the "good neighbor" propaganda elements are both kind of interesting from an historical perspective. Even though his accent's a little off, Olivier's character is completely believable and charming, in his own odd way. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Enjoyable
This film, I believe, started a spate of similar cinema ("The Wicked Lady," etc.)It was made cerca 1945 and seems remarkably frank for the era (a thinly disguised brothel, Fanny's being born out of wedlock, class distinctions and prejudice). The performances are more than adequate, the production values good (British cinema, in the main, not having Hollywood's wealth), and the ending not too treacly. James Mason does stand out as the villain, and the pistol duel that brings about his demise believable. As an historical detail, duelling was practiced illegally in many countries, though I don't think the film mentions whether it was banned in the France depicted in the film's era.

AKA Man of Evil
This Gainsborough Pictures production directed by Anthony Asquith features James Mason in one of his early supporting roles. Here Mason looks heavier than he would in his later Hollywood period, with unruly hair, no neck and a bullfrog face. His role prefigures his Norman Maine of A Star is Born, as a beastly sensual toff who enjoys slumming with the lower classes, and who periodically crosses Fanny. It’s a pity these crossings are so periodic because Mason is easily the highlight of the film. He brings some energy and a sour taste to the otherwise staid proceedings. Based on the novel by Michael Sadleir, the narrative is meant as an expose of the prejudices of class distinction and parentage of England in the late 1800’s. Fanny begins life at a reasonably respectable station in life, but the discovery that her father secretly operates a meeting place for gentlemen and "actresses" ie a brothel, begins Fanny’s degenerative social spiral. Fanny’s moral purity is demonstrated by her willingness to stoop to servile work, (her fainting when she works in a steamy laundryhouse at her lowest ebb is proof of her sensitivity), and allows for the wealthier characters to look down upon her and thereby reveal their own bigotry. Asquith presents the pleasures of the lower classes without the same judgement, even if we find the belief that those who make these distinctions having a short life span is a liberal social fantasy.... There is an unnoticed irony in Fanny’s situation, since she assumes another name to escape the condemnation associated with hers, yet the original name is one she is not entitled to. However acknowledging this would deprive us of her fall and also end the story prematurely, though considering how Asquith makes it lag, that isn’t altogether a bad idea. As Fanny, Phyllis Calvert has a scene of physical anguish that rivals Lillian Gish in the silents - but overall she's about as generic as Stewart Granger is as her love interest. Margaretta Scott is fun as a woman Fanny works for, and Cathleen Nesbitt as Granger’s disapproving sister has a marvellous scowl. Asquith gives Mason an amusing entrance, with women turning their faces away from him, and a fistfight is entertaining in it’s ridiculousness. There is the shocking period detail of women in a corralled space in a restaurant, waiting to be rescued by a gentleman to be "made love to", and an editing cut from Calvert screaming to a trial testimony. ... Read more

Book Description

The distinguished yet misanthropic and perhaps misogynistic linguist Henry Higgins teaches a common flower girl to speak and act like a lady and, to his own great surprise, falls in love with her. ... Read more

Reviews (66)

Wonderful! It has stood the test of time -- and triumphed!
It started out as a play by George Bernard Shaw based on the Greek myth of a man who created a statue and then fell in love with it. The play, which was a spoof on the British upper class, was an immediate success and several movie versions followed. This 1938 version, in black and white, was nominated for four academy awards in 1939 and won an Oscar for best screenplay. Later, it was adapted to the musical hit, "My Fair Lady." The rest, as they say, is history. But Pygmalion should certainly not be forgotten.

The cast is excellent. Leslie Howard is perfect as Henry Higgins, the professor of dialects who transforms a flower girl into a lady. And Wendy Hiller is sensational as Eliza Doolittle. There's a certain regal freshness and her British authenticity comes across beautifully. Even though "the rain in Spain" is spoken, rather than sung, it still keeps the same quality. And there is music throughout as background, lively original music created especially for the film. The supporting cast was excellent too. I particularly loved the performance by Wilfrid Larson as Eliza's father. The film moved fast and kept me totally captivated. The costumes were wonderful and the timing for the comedic moments perfect. I found myself laughing out loud in places and smiling to myself throughout. Certainly, this film has stood the test of time and even though it will always be compared to the musical we all know and love, I must say that Pygmalion can definitely stand on its own. Give yourself a treat and check it out. Highly recommended.

A Wonderful Film -- the Drama of My Fair Lady
This is an enchanting film for which George Bernard Shaw won an Oscar (which I believe he displayed proudly) for best screenplay after adapting the play "Pygmalion." It is true that the movie lacks the grand production values of "My Fair Lady," but it is much closer to the drama that Shaw had in mind. The dialogue is much richer than "My Fair Lady," which still managed to keep much of the language of the play and some of the movie.

Like many of Shaw's plays, it is built around his pet ideas -- here (in a simple form) the notion that class distinctions are not genuine and could be overcome through education. Unlike some of Shaw's plays which read like socialist tracts, this one has very human characters who keep your interest throughout (in contrast to "Major Barabara" which was a rather tedious movie).

For me, Wendy Hiller make a marvelous Eliza Doolittle. Although Leslie Howard is very good (and presumably what Shaw had in mind), it is hard to forget the bluster Rex Harrison -- a great actor himself -- brought to the role of Professor Higgins. Hiller brings a wonderful dignity and pathos to the role of Eliza Doolittle. The rest of the cast is very good and the sets are very authentically set in Edwardian England.

This is definite buy if you like Shaw, theatre in general, good movies from the 30s, or want to see a richer version of "My Fair Lady."

A true British classic
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film is based on the play by George Bernard Shaw. The film was even scripted by Shaw so it definately is the best version of the film.

The story later inspired the much more famous musical film "My Fair Lady" I have not seen "My Fair Lady" so I am not one to compare.

The film follows a phonetics and linguistics expert, Henry Higgins. He has such a knowledge of accents that he can tell what town a person is from by hearing them speak for only a few seconds. He later makes a bet with a colleague that he can train a common girl from Cockney to speak "proper" English and fool people into thinking she is a duchess.

The Criterion DVD has no special features but the picture quality is quite good for a film of its age.

This film is one of my new favorites!

The most intelligent british comedy in the thirties
The smart script from Bernard Shaw made it possible this monumental film. The myth of Pygmalion was translated to cinema with a dazzling direction and obviously one supeb cast ; this couple Leslie Howard and the always beautiful and charming Wendy Hiller stealed the show.
The tale about a poor girl who sells flowers in Covent Garden; a gamble between two men; the awake as human being is a match against all a new world of possibilities for this woman who suudenly transforms before us and everybody in a woman with class, charming and glamour.
All the script is filled with ingenious and laughable situations with that clever sense of humor, so typical of Shaw.
This unique match will impact the life of these three people with unthinkable consequences.
A delightful movie and one of the best english comedies ever filmed.
Remade in 1964 as My fair lady. But this one is one million years light better.
A must in your collection.

Beware: awful e