Amazon.com essential video

David O. Selznick wanted Gone with the Wind to be somehow more than a movie, a film that would broaden the very idea of what a film could be and do and look like. In many respects he got what he worked so hard to achieve in this 1939 epic (and all-time box-office champ in terms of tickets sold), and in some respects he fell far short of the goal. While the first half of this Civil War drama is taut and suspenseful and nostalgic, the second is ramshackle and arbitrary. But there's no question that the film is an enormous achievement in terms of its every resource--art direction, color, sound, cinematography--being pushed to new limits for the greater glory of telling an American story as fully as possible. Vivien Leigh is still magnificently narcissistic, Olivia de Havilland angelic and lovely, Leslie Howard reckless and aristocratic. As for Clark Gable: we're talking one of the most vital, masculine performances ever committed to film.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (481)

One of the Most Overrated Films Ever
Gone With the Wind is remember as a great movie because of it's epic scope and excellent production values. But 60 years later when the big budget no longer thrills us, we are left with a decent film but nothing special.

To begin with the entire film is very campy and melodramatic. The whole film is very heavy-handed and over-done. Scenes like where Scarlet crys "I'll never be hungry again" are just plain ackward. Someone should have tatooed the word "subtlty" on Selznick's head.

The script is fairly weak too. It presents a very narrow, one dimensional view of the Civil War. Worse, the Civil War ends half way through the movie and the rest of the film lacks the first half's energy.

Another major flaw is that the characters lack any real depth. Scarlet is cold and nasty through the whole movie. She never changes untill the last two minutes of the movie. There is simply no development. Ashley is noble and his wife is so nice and sweat that it makes me sick. These characters simply aren't human and don't feal real. Probably the only character in the whole movie who actually developes at all is Ret. Sadly, Clark Gable's strong performance isn't enough to carry the rest of the cast.

It should also be noted that Gone With the Wind is very racist at some points. The scene where all the slaves are going off to fight the "evil yankees" is enough to turns one's stomache. Most of the black characters are portrayed as child-like and stupid. The only exception to this is Mimi who does an excellent job and deserved her Oscar.

Gone With the Wind is still an example of fine production values but when you strip away all the lavish sets and money spent on the film, you're left with a rather hollow experiance. While there is no denying that it is a very pretty movie, even today, and it does have it's moments, Gone With the Wind is simply an over-done and campy movie. This film does not deserve to be ranked up there with the likes of Citizen Kane or the Godfather. It's just not that good.

After more than 400 reviews...
...you can't say much else!! A spectacle to end all spectacles; the epitomy of costume, art direction, and cinemagraphic grandeur (Technicolor film was still rare in the 1930's, and the industry was already engulfed in production of at least one *other* color movie that same year). I wasn't enthralled with this film when I first saw it years ago but I have come to appreciate its epic presentation and gothic, almost soapy, storytelling. And the cast is entirely first-rate, from the leading lady (whose historical casting was a mini-series in itself) to the supporting roles (Hattie McDaniel, Thomas Mitchell, Ona Munson, Laura Crews, Ann Rutherford, Harry Davenport, Oscar Polk, 'Superman's' George Reeves, et al) to the hundreds (thousands?) of extras who populated the pre-and-postwar South (the tracking shot of the Twelve Oaks mansion at the start of the barbecue and the sprawling, widening shot of Scarlett walking amidst all the wounded soldiers come to mind). It is a great script ("Waste always makes me angry;" "Do you ever shy away from marrying men you don't love?") and great direction (Victor Fleming, George Cukor, and Sam Wood- anyone else?). It is a record-holder of sorts among Oscar nominated (or Oscars won) films, but it came out in an extraodrinary year of films. 1939 also saw the releases of, among others, GOODBYE MR. CHIPS, DARK VICTORY, THE OLD MAID, GUNGA DIN, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL, JUAREZ, ON BORROWED TIME, THE WOMEN, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, AT THE CIRCUS, BABES IN ARMS, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, LOVE AFFAIR, MADE FOR EACH OTHER, and THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Lesley Howard is brilliant and a strong character
In his role of Scarlett O'Hara's (initially) true secret love. I had been a fan of Mr. Howard's for many years. His performance here is among his finest. Also check him out in The Petrified Forrest. As for the rest of the film. When he's not in it it's a little strong on the romantic side.

Worth Another Look for this Fan of Classic Film
Gone with the Wind creates many strong opinions, but I daresay many of them by people who haven't seen the film, or at least not in many years. It is sort of an amalgamation of both Margaret Mitchell's book and a reworking of DW Griffith's even more controversial silent blockbuster Birth of a Nation.

I had written this off as a silly commercialized Hollywood fairly tale but recently decided to give it another look. Basically, I think the claims of racism are far overblown, especially compared to other films of this era. It seems to me that Selznick and company went to great pains to stamp out the more overtly racist themes of Griffith's famous 1915 film. For instance, Scarlett's attempted rapists were all white; real black actors have menial but still important roles; those black actors are treated with dignity and respect; and finally the "n" word probably more frequent in southern parlance of the day was replaced with the more delicate term of "darky", and never used in a scornful fashion. And while establishment opinion in the North still clings to belief that the Civil War was a most noble and unselfish effort, the truth was something much less certain. Surely slaves in the prewar South were not all treated as gingerly as in this film; but just as certainly they were also brutally repressed in the North as well (just watch Gangs of New York for a history lesson on Northern feelings towards African Americans). All wars have a side people would rather forget, and this one was certainly no different. Also on the positive side, the film does a good job of capturing this broad historic period with smart scenes amidst well designed sets. It's really quite a grand production, in color no less, with a marvelous historical and cinematic scope.

On the less positive side, the heralded performances I think are a bit overrated. Clark Gable's presence helps considerably, but he is certainly not nearly as natural or comfortable as he was in It Happened One Night. And Mitchell's sappy, soap operaesque story frequently slips nearly into the preposterous, especially in latter scenes of the film when the historic takes a back seat to the dramatic. But maybe that's what gave the film its broad appeal, as it has a little of something for everyone. I think another factor may have really launched its success: released during the cold winter of 1939, its four-hour sitting time gave depression-weary Americans a warm night on the town for a cheap price that they could all afford.

Regarding the standard edition DVD, its very serviceable but the extras are appallingly poor for a film of this esteemed history. Also, Spanish subtitles would have been nice (only has English and French).

The Best of the Best
A total classic...everyone should own this film. ... Read more

Reviews (156)

An Excellent Adaption of One of Broadway's Best
One of the classics of the American musical theater, "My Fair Lady" is brought to us with amazing grace and sensitivity by legendary dirctor George Cukor. This musical has it all: a classic score by Lerner and Loewe (including "I Could have Danced All Night," "The Rain in Spain," and "Get me to the Church on Time"), an interesting story, and great characters. Rex Harrison proves to be nothing less then supurb as Henry Higgens, the speach teacher who vows to "never let a woman in my life," but finds himself falling for flower girl Eliza Dolittle. The supporting cast is in top form, with special mention going to the hysterical Stanley Halloway as Alfred P. Dolittle, the charming Wilfred Hyde-White as Pickering, and Jeremy Brett as Freddie. My on real complaint is Audrey Hepburn, who plays Eliza. While she is far from bad, Miss Hepburn has no voice, and I can't stand it when they use another actress to dub the voice of a star. Why can't they just hire a singer in the first place? The part should have gone to Julie Andrews (who originated it on Broadway). All in all, agreat film for the whole family. Check it out!

For the most part, excellent.
First, the wonderful score. Frederic Loewe's glorious music is perfectly complimented by Alan Jay Lerner's lyrics, as on the Broadway and London stages, and almost every song is memorable and great. Second, the gloriously witty script, filled with great lines, many taken directly from Shaw, on whose play "Pygmalion" this was based, and sharp commentary on Britain's class system. Third, the all-around wonderful performances, from Rex Harrison's arch, arrogant, gleeful Henry Higgins to Audrey Hepburn's charming but unrefined flower girl who becomes a sophisticated (and stunning-looking) lady, to Stanley Holloway's lovable amoral father of Hepburn, to Wilfred Hyde-White's Colonel Pickering, to Gladys Cooper's Mrs. Higgins, just as acerbic as her son. Fourth, the much-lauded stunning look of the film, with gorgeously stylized costumes by Cecil Beaton and fine sets by Beaton. All the ingredients are there for a great film, and under George Cukor's direction, that's pretty much what you get.

And yet, the film is noticably flawed. Hepburn, while charming and, of course, stunningly dressed, does not give a bad performance by any means; it's just that she's not overwhemingly sympathetic. And her voice double, Marni Nixon, has a lovely voice, but doesn't really put any emotion into her songs, forcing that ever-present question to re-emerge: Would Julie Andrews, the Broadway and London Eliza, have been a better choice? Also, Nixon and Hepburn really do not sound alike, which is slightly annoying. (Nevertheless, most of Nixon's songs, especially "I Could Have Danced All Night," do come off well, and if Andrews had been cast, there'd be no "Mary Poppins") "On The Street Where You Live," which I consider the best and most beautiful song in the score, is given a rather flat reading by Bill Shirley, the voice double for actor Jeremy Brett; it is the only song in the movie that is truly forgettable, but that is Shirley's fault entirely, NOT Lerner or Loewe's. Too bad. And yes, the movie is a bit long. But overall, it's a vastly entertaining, enjoyable, romantic, and great experience, just not without flaw. But, oh, well.

How do you do? And which DVD version to buy ...
MFL is a marvellous film about a professor who turns a common flower girl into a lady. It is full of sing-a-long songs and funny moments. It is basically a classic for all the right reasons! Plenty of re-watch factor makes it a film to own.

In 1994, the film was restored and thank the lord they did! The film's negative was almost lost forever. In fact, the film hade had become yellow-tinged and full of scratches, blotches and all the rest! It would have been a very sad day for the movie industry if a flim like this had been lost.

The original DVD that featured this new restoration was released in the late 90's. This DVD included a 9 minute featurette, actor profiles, audio commentary, and Audrey Hepburn singing in 2 scenes.

This original 1-disc DVD has since been updated to a special 2-Disc Edition. Which one to get? I have both so I feel qualified to answer this. The new DVD includes all the features found on the original DVD, except the actor profiles. The new DVD once again includes the restored print but is apparently a new transfer from the restored print. However, according to a report that I have read, the new transfer is not perfect and has aliasing problems throughout. However, the average watcher won't pick up on this detail. If this is an issue to you, purchase the original edition DVD where the transfer has been given two thumbs up! One has to wonder why they bothered transferring a second time.

The advantage of the special 2-Disc Edition DVD is that it includes a 58 minute 1994 documentary hosted by Jeremy Brett (Audrey's love interest in the film). Jeremy is no longer with us, so it's nice to have this as a piece of nostalgia. ON top of this, there are many more features on this disc that aren't included on the original DVD such as footage from the film's premiere, production dinner, as well as discussions with Rex and Audrey.

The choice is easy. If you're a fan of the film and don't care for all the extras, buy the original DVD. You at least get the best transfer. If you do care about having all the extras, buy both!

It's Loverly
The music from "My Fair Lady" makes it easily one of my favorite musicals with "I could have danced all night", "Wouldn't it be Loverly?", "The Street Where you Live", and Stanley Holloway's rousing showstoppers "With a Little Bit of Bloomin' Luck" and "Get me to the Church on Time".

It's well chronicled how much gnashing of teeth surrounded the Hollywood decision to leave out the then-unknown Julie Andrews, who was the new toast of the stage as Eliza Doolittle, and instead cast the more bankable Audrey Hepburn. Hollywood rewarded Ms. Andrews with "Mary Poppins" and an Oscar, and although I'd love to have seen Julie Andrews in this role, 4 decades later I can't complain about Audrey Hepburn.

Rex Harrison's reprises Henry Higgins from the stage, and I frankly can't think of another actor who would bring the same English Arrogance and tongue-in-cheekiness to the role. The interactions between Harrison, Hepburn and Wilfred Hyde-White as Colonel Pickering, especially in the early part of the film, are witty, entertaining, and move the narrative right along without pausing for exposition. The Higgins character is a cad, very full of himself, and he makes the mistake of treating those he feels are socially inferior poorly. The Colonel Pickering character acts as a surrogate for the audience, observing the educated but pompous Professor Higgins and allowing us to feel not TOO badly that poor Eliza has come under the influences of Higgins.

Stanley Holloway recreates Alfred P. Doolittle, Eliza's father, from the stage, and although his character has as many moral deficiencies as Professor Higgins (at one point he shows up at Higgins doorstep hoping to extort money from Professor Higgins for "shacking up" with Eliza) and is much less educated and with a much lower social standing, he is nonetheless a "good ol' bloke" and his moments in the film are among the most memorable, especially the previously mentioned show-stopping musical numbers.

The final act feels a little soap-opera-ish between Jeremy Brett as Freddy fawning over Eliza and Professor Higgins beginning to appreciate her fine qualities at the same time. This portion produces two of the finer musical moments as Freddy sings "On The Street Where You Live" and Higgins croons "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face".

Since George Bernard Shaw died in 1950 it's purely speculative to wonder what he'd have thought about the production of his Pygmalion story. I'm guessing he'd have liked it. If you like musicals, I'm guessing you will too. Enjoy.

2-disc or not two discs
WARNING: All the five stars refer to the movie itself, and does not address the issue of whether paying for the second disc is a rip-off. Five stars for the single disc version was richly deserved. I had half expected the 2 disc version to have DTS since they shifted virtually all the extra features from disc 1 to disc two. The only thing left on disc 1 was the movie, same commentary, same subtitles and audio track. For some inexplicable reason, the single disc version was among the Amazon top 100 discs in 2002 for some time, although it has been
out since the mid-1990s. Amazon's editor was correct when he said the main attraction of the 2nd disc was the 58 minute Documentary hosted by Jeremy Brett. That is about all, folks, and it was a pretty boring documentary. A concise version of this documentary would be "The Fairest Fair Lady" which is already in the single disc version.
You already have the AUDREY HEPBURN VOCALS in the single disc version. The rest of the stuff in disc 2 is usually given away FREE, like in Gladiator, Last Samurai, Master and Commander, where one viewing of the stills is more than enough.
Now, the sellers of disc 2 have actually REMOVED the CAST AND CREW section from the one disc version. This Cast and Crew with filmographies and biographies contain a huge chunk of valuable information including the fact that Audrey's given name was Edda, not Audrey. Do not throw away your one disc version. If you bought the 2 disc version, you might want to buy the single- disc version to find out where Audrey Hepburn was born, won the Oscar and got nominated. What were the other actors like Wilfred Hyde-White doing other than My Fair Lady.
I tell you what I like about the 2 Disc version:
1. the interviews with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison at the 1963 production Kickoff Dinner, with a couple of jokes from Mr Warner.
2. George Cukor directing Baroness Rothschild: a Henry Higgins coaching Eliza Doolitle parody. The audio track ran for only a few minutes, and I had a new found respect for Directors. Even a Baroness needs lessons in elocution. When I watch the movie again, I will imagine George Cukor speaking using the actors and actresses as his instrument. So that is how Cukor's actresses got their Oscars.
3. The Los Angeles Premiere in B&W is a few minutes of interesting distraction.

The rest of Disc 2 is really scraping the floor of the store-room. For those who already own the single disc edition, and do not have disposable income to burn, get the 2 disc edition of the TEN COMMANDMENTS instead. For the price of 5 commandments (about half the price of the 2 disc My Fair Lady), you will get more than double the info, making it look like "the TWENTY COMMANDMENTS". That is where a second disc is not a money making exercise: thou shalt not steal from gullible dvd buyers.

Rex Harrison Golden Globe Acceptance is a clip from the Andy William's show, where he apologised for not being at the real event, so he accepted it on AW's show. Shame.

Academy Awards Cermony Highlights: just one minute or less of Mr Warner accepting the oscar for best picture.

So two stars for the additional info on disc two. I would buy anything remotely related to my favourite musical, but if I were to search my heart for value added, I would say two extra stars is very very generous. Now, if ever they come out with a DTS version, we will have to throw the whole TWENTY COMMANDMENTS at this bunch of crooks.
Do you really need Martin Scorsese and Andrew Lloyd Weber's comments to supplement your own? ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Victorian Chills
George Cukor, whose name is synonymous with so-called women's movies directed this tightly knit psychological Victorian gem of a thriller. On the surface it is not a complicated premise. Young Paula Alquist, played by beautiful Ingrid Bergman is sent away Italy to finish her schooling after her famous aunt is found murdered in her home. The murderer was never found. Nor were the jewels she was rumored to have.

Fast forward years later. Paula has fallen in love with charming and dashing Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer). She marries Anton and they return to her aunt's house which is now Paula's by inheritance. Paula cannot see it, but the audience sees that her husband's charm is quickly fading as he isolates her from their social circle under the guise that she is ill and cannot see anyone. He manipulates her to the point that she is fears that she is losing her mind. The viewer watches Ingrid Bergman's character change from an intelligent, secure young woman to a paranoid recluse slowly being driven mad by her husband who skillfully controls her mind. By now we have learned that it is no coincidence that Gregory Anton, met, married and convinced Paula to return to London to live in her former home. He is determined to continue his search for the jewels which was interrupted by Alice Alquist years ago.

As Paula struggles with her sanity, she has no one to turn to for help until an inquisitive neighbor, Miss Thwaites (Dame May Witty) elicits help from Brian Cameron (Joseph Cotton) who happens to be a Scotland Yard detective. Cameron has his own reasons for being curious about the never seen Paula Alquist. Be sure to watch for a very young Angela Lansbury as the cute tartish young maid who has eyes for Boyer.

Gaslight is one for those movies that you can again and again and still have it give you the shivers as you watch Boyer skillfully and cunningly drive his wife to the brink of insanity. But Bergman's revenge is sweet. A brilliant movie.

Vannie(~.~)

A near-achievement, with Ingrid, Ingrid, and more Ingrid!
This American attempt at dramatizing a British suspense classic of the stage nearly comes off with flying colors. Director George Cukor-- typically known for his genteel, stagey, femme-appealing approach--here exhibits an uncharacteristically dark, superbly visual, chillingly psychological style with an underlying sense of menace, that is highly cinematic; and, thusly, the most satisfying of his dramatic efforts. Yet it, unfortunately, is undone by it's over-deliberate and under-realized climax; a denouement that badly needed to be wound up into a neat, tidy knot, as Hitchcock might have done. Instead, you are left a bit up in the air, not quite satisfied, yearning for that "WOW!" that never quite came. Additionally, one is never quite sure whether Joseph Cotten is miscast or underplaying. Even so, plenty of other compensations abound: Cukor's mostly masterful handling of the spine-tingling suspense; the Oscar-winning art direction of the brilliant Cedric Gibbons, and William Ferrari; Oscar-notching moody b&w photography by Joseph Ruttenburg; splendid portrayals by Charles Boyer and Angela Lansbury (her film debut); and above all, the spellbinding (and Academy-Award winning) performance of Ingrid Bergman. (Wasn't she able to be more deeply sincere about her character's emotions than any other actress, or what?) I have never seen (though I'd like to) the 1940 British version, known in the U.S. as "Angel Street", and directed by Thorold Dickinson. But if Leonard Maltin, and Halliwell's is to be believed, it is superior.

What is reality?
Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer are married, but he wants her money. She is sane, but he wants her to think she's not, thus giving him control over everything. To achieve his ends, he tampers with the lights and plays other tricks on her, while pretending to be a caring husband. Many movies have generated quotable phrases, but few have created terms that caught on as usable verbs. For a while, to "gaslight" someone meant to try to convince them that they couldn't trust their own judgment, usually for nefarious reasons.

All that aside, "Gaslight" is a good drama with lots of suspense, featuring two very fine actors. Very watchable.

Short of a "classic". Just watch the 2 leads!
"Gaslight" is an above average suspense/murder mystery. There are far more strong points than weak. It is seriously recommended to old/serious movie fans, albeit with a few definite reservations. The former include the two leads- Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman, playing husband and wife. Both are excellent. The film opens just as her aunt has been murdered in her London townhouse. A very young Bergman is forced to move to Vienna, where she falls in love with a music teacher, none other than Boyer. Somewhat too conveniently, they return to London and surprise (!) discover that the same old townhouse is for sale. They move back in to the murder locale. At this point, the reservations come to the surface as GL starts to telegraph that Boyer is "up to something". The honeymoon ends. Joseph Cotton enters the film as a very (!) Americanized Scotland Yard Detective. It seems he originally investigated the murder of the aunt. His superior officer at the Yard orders him not to reopen the case but he defies his boss and does exactly that! Cotton's key role is the weakest link in GL. It is difficult to accept an American detective midst all the Europeans and harder still to swallow his direct defiance of his boss. Would a true SY detective be so brazen? Furthermore, Cotton's "discoveries" are a tad too slick. GL also over-portrays Boyer as a "somewhat less than loving husband", when that fact is patently plain. Finally, GL's stage origins shine through. This was obviously NOT filmed within 5,000 miles of London but on a studio lot. That "mansion" was cobbled together by the Hollywood Carpenters local! The "pea soup" background is laughable, though the gloomy black and white film serves the story well. Why then, is GL recommended? This reviewer believes that the two leads are so strong that they support the movie themselves. Most seem to praise Bergamn since she plays the sympathetic role of the abused wife. What a jerk she was married to! And indeed, Hollywood gave her the Best Actress Oscar. This reviewer favors the evil, smarmy, slimy, manipulative Boyer as the strongest element of GL. Together this mismatched husband and wife elevate "Gaslight" to a serious suspense movie, just short of a "classic". For the record, both Mr. Boyer and the movie itself lost Oscar races to Bing Crosby and "Going My Way". I guess the wartime United States could not get too serious over movies. This reviewer doesn't divulge endings although it may already be obvious. The resolution is not the key. Watch "Gaslight" for the strange alchemy twixt the leads.

Gaslight
It's a marvelous film which should have been released on DVD long before this. Now Facets Multi-Media in Chicago says it will be released in that format on Feb. 3, 2004 and is taking orders for it while Amazon is still asking us to vote if we want "Gaslight" on DVD sometime in the future. I'm disappointed Amazon doesn't seem aware it is to be released in the DVD format, because I would rather order from Amazon but will go with Facets if Amazon doesn't come up with info about a DVD release of this film very soon. Apologies for using what was supposed to be a review to complain, but I couldn't find any other spot on your web site on which to lodge my complaint. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A classic
This is simply one of the greatest films ever made. Olivier and Hepburn, George Cukor, and a brilliant script. Does anything more need to be said? I have seen it repeatedly since its appearance in 1975 and still marvel at it. A masterful performance by all.

Olivier and Hepburn were great
In this made for TV movie, Olivier and Hepburn were wonderful as two elderly people reunited by his love for her. The costumes, writing and acting are excellent. These two show us that great acting can be done no matter the age of the actor. The story is sentimental and hilarious and made us laugh and cry. If you haven't seen this one, do so.

Two of the greats!
The joy of watching two of the greatest actors in the world? Hard to describe. The balance, the verbal thrust and parry of these two remarkable people. There is a terrific script, beautiful settings and costume, remarkable acting and great music. Never a tedious or tiring moment. I have watched this movie many times and always find nuances to these performances that I had missed. A must see for lovers of great acting.

A masterpiece in every respect
I remember seeing this film while a graduate student at West Virginia University and bursting into tears at the end because it was such a perfect and beautiful film. I now proudly own the VHS of it and have watched it several times and each time I see it, it gets better. Olivier and Hepburn are perfectly matched and the score by John Barry is incredibly beautiful. Thank goodness Katherine Hepburn made the comment on Dick Cavett's show that Olivier was one star with whom she had not acted and would like to and that George Cukor and ABC had the smarts to do
something this beautiful. It will forever remain one of my favorites and is one of the great events of TV history.

Olivier Does It Again!
Just in case you ever thought that old men can't play anything except "old grandpop in the corner over there", you should cast a glance at "Love Among the Ruins", starring Laurence Olivier and Katharine Hepburn. Larry's just wonderful! And Kate's no slouch, either.

Forty years before our story begins in Edwardian England, the young Larry was without prospects but had a torrid three-day affair with free-spirited actress Kate in Toronto. Although they pledged their love, they parted. Now, all these years later, wealthy widow Kate has been brought to his highly successful barrister's office for defense in a breach of promise suit. The shocker: while Larry's been carrying a torch for her all these years, she hasn't the foggiest idea what he's talking about; can't remember a blessed thing about it! Fun gender-bender twist on the usual "ship in every port" experience familiar from movies like, "Letter from an Unknown Woman". It's supposed to be the man who's love 'em and leave 'em, you know!

For me, the real joy is to see Olivier do a parody of himself as he was when he was younger. As he tries to kindle the memory of Kate while recounting their all-too-brief liaison, he uses all the same gestures and delivery that are visible in "Pride and Prejudice" and other earlier films where he had courtship scenes. We see an old man turn young again, and see his old love flare up as hot as coals. Proof that much of romance is in the mind after all.

Excellently rehearsed by director George Cukor, the film seems actually like a filmed play. If indeed this had been brought to the West End or Broadway, it would have been a great stage triumph. Nothing ruinous about these performers or this movie, believe you me. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Perfect Character Actors
MGM's David Copperfield was a great opportunity to make use of some Hollywood's great character actors, and the film does so to great effect. Of course, the film is based on Dicken's famous novel, although the story is condensed. Freddie Bartholomew stars as the title character, a young boy eventually orphaned who meets a host of characters as he grows up alone. Although Bartholomew was actually one of the better child actors in film history, he never captures this character and his performance sometimes seems forced and ineffective. However, he is surrounded by an incredible group of actors playing memorable supporting characters. Basil Rathbone, W.C. Fields, Edna May Oliver, and Roland Young are all excellent in roles that only Dickens could have written. They make the movie. The film features the usual MGM production values and is well worth a look.

Most accurate representation of characters
Out of all the movies I've seen made from Dickens novels this is the one that most truly represents the characters of David Copperfield. It is a bringing together of some of the finest character actors that ever graced the screen. Any Dickens fan will love this version. W.C.Fields was born to play Mr.Micawber. Edna May Oliver was created to play Dickens.

Jane Murdstone
I would like to add that Jane Murdstone also played an excellent role as Murdstone's black sister. Did you notice the steel handbag she carries and the way she threads beads? She is quiet and deadly, always behind the back of her icy brother, ready to give him directions. I have tried without luck to get a photo of her in this role --- can anyone help?

a cherished classic
Shouldn't one of the great endearing classics from Hollywood's golden era be transferred onto DVD? Films like these are to be cherished, so Come on studios get with it, video is becoming obsolete!

A sweet movie
A really good movie. Freddie Bartholemew plays young David Copperfield, a boy who lost his father, and whose only relations are his doting mother and his spunky aunt Betsey Trotwood. His nurse Peggoty (I think I spelled it right-) Takes him on a trip to visit her relatives by the ocean. When they return, His mother has married Mr. Murdstone. (Basil Rathbone in a role that sends shivers up my spine)His mother dies, Mr Murdstone sends him away to work in London and board with Mr Micawber ,(WC Fields), Who is constantly hounded by his creditors. Micawber ends up moving, and David goes to live with Aunt Betsey. The second half (When David grows up) Is not nearly as good as the first, Its one redeeming value is 'Umble Uriah Heep (Roland Young). He is truly revolting. (As Uriah Heep SHOULD be).
I reccommend you try it. ... Read more

Reviews (481)

One of the Most Overrated Films Ever
Gone With the Wind is remember as a great movie because of it's epic scope and excellent production values. But 60 years later when the big budget no longer thrills us, we are left with a decent film but nothing special.

To begin with the entire film is very campy and melodramatic. The whole film is very heavy-handed and over-done. Scenes like where Scarlet crys "I'll never be hungry again" are just plain ackward. Someone should have tatooed the word "subtlty" on Selznick's head.

The script is fairly weak too. It presents a very narrow, one dimensional view of the Civil War. Worse, the Civil War ends half way through the movie and the rest of the film lacks the first half's energy.

Another major flaw is that the characters lack any real depth. Scarlet is cold and nasty through the whole movie. She never changes untill the last two minutes of the movie. There is simply no development. Ashley is noble and his wife is so nice and sweat that it makes me sick. These characters simply aren't human and don't feal real. Probably the only character in the whole movie who actually developes at all is Ret. Sadly, Clark Gable's strong performance isn't enough to carry the rest of the cast.

It should also be noted that Gone With the Wind is very racist at some points. The scene where all the slaves are going off to fight the "evil yankees" is enough to turns one's stomache. Most of the black characters are portrayed as child-like and stupid. The only exception to this is Mimi who does an excellent job and deserved her Oscar.

Gone With the Wind is still an example of fine production values but when you strip away all the lavish sets and money spent on the film, you're left with a rather hollow experiance. While there is no denying that it is a very pretty movie, even today, and it does have it's moments, Gone With the Wind is simply an over-done and campy movie. This film does not deserve to be ranked up there with the likes of Citizen Kane or the Godfather. It's just not that good.

After more than 400 reviews...
...you can't say much else!! A spectacle to end all spectacles; the epitomy of costume, art direction, and cinemagraphic grandeur (Technicolor film was still rare in the 1930's, and the industry was already engulfed in production of at least one *other* color movie that same year). I wasn't enthralled with this film when I first saw it years ago but I have come to appreciate its epic presentation and gothic, almost soapy, storytelling. And the cast is entirely first-rate, from the leading lady (whose historical casting was a mini-series in itself) to the supporting roles (Hattie McDaniel, Thomas Mitchell, Ona Munson, Laura Crews, Ann Rutherford, Harry Davenport, Oscar Polk, 'Superman's' George Reeves, et al) to the hundreds (thousands?) of extras who populated the pre-and-postwar South (the tracking shot of the Twelve Oaks mansion at the start of the barbecue and the sprawling, widening shot of Scarlett walking amidst all the wounded soldiers come to mind). It is a great script ("Waste always makes me angry;" "Do you ever shy away from marrying men you don't love?") and great direction (Victor Fleming, George Cukor, and Sam Wood- anyone else?). It is a record-holder of sorts among Oscar nominated (or Oscars won) films, but it came out in an extraodrinary year of films. 1939 also saw the releases of, among others, GOODBYE MR. CHIPS, DARK VICTORY, THE OLD MAID, GUNGA DIN, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL, JUAREZ, ON BORROWED TIME, THE WOMEN, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, AT THE CIRCUS, BABES IN ARMS, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, LOVE AFFAIR, MADE FOR EACH OTHER, and THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Lesley Howard is brilliant and a strong character
In his role of Scarlett O'Hara's (initially) true secret love. I had been a fan of Mr. Howard's for many years. His performance here is among his finest. Also check him out in The Petrified Forrest. As for the rest of the film. When he's not in it it's a little strong on the romantic side.

Worth Another Look for this Fan of Classic Film
Gone with the Wind creates many strong opinions, but I daresay many of them by people who haven't seen the film, or at least not in many years. It is sort of an amalgamation of both Margaret Mitchell's book and a reworking of DW Griffith's even more controversial silent blockbuster Birth of a Nation.

I had written this off as a silly commercialized Hollywood fairly tale but recently decided to give it another look. Basically, I think the claims of racism are far overblown, especially compared to other films of this era. It seems to me that Selznick and company went to great pains to stamp out the more overtly racist themes of Griffith's famous 1915 film. For instance, Scarlett's attempted rapists were all white; real black actors have menial but still important roles; those black actors are treated with dignity and respect; and finally the "n" word probably more frequent in southern parlance of the day was replaced with the more delicate term of "darky", and never used in a scornful fashion. And while establishment opinion in the North still clings to belief that the Civil War was a most noble and unselfish effort, the truth was something much less certain. Surely slaves in the prewar South were not all treated as gingerly as in this film; but just as certainly they were also brutally repressed in the North as well (just watch Gangs of New York for a history lesson on Northern feelings towards African Americans). All wars have a side people would rather forget, and this one was certainly no different. Also on the positive side, the film does a good job of capturing this broad historic period with smart scenes amidst well designed sets. It's really quite a grand production, in color no less, with a marvelous historical and cinematic scope.

On the less positive side, the heralded performances I think are a bit overrated. Clark Gable's presence helps considerably, but he is certainly not nearly as natural or comfortable as he was in It Happened One Night. And Mitchell's sappy, soap operaesque story frequently slips nearly into the preposterous, especially in latter scenes of the film when the historic takes a back seat to the dramatic. But maybe that's what gave the film its broad appeal, as it has a little of something for everyone. I think another factor may have really launched its success: released during the cold winter of 1939, its four-hour sitting time gave depression-weary Americans a warm night on the town for a cheap price that they could all afford.

Regarding the standard edition DVD, its very serviceable but the extras are appallingly poor for a film of this esteemed history. Also, Spanish subtitles would have been nice (only has English and French).

The Best of the Best
A total classic...everyone should own this film. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Louisa May Alcott's beloved story is one of the most-read novels ever written. It has also proved popular film and telefilm fodder (at least six versions plus a TV series). In addition, Little Women is one of those rare literary projects that can truly be done well on screen. This, the 1933 version, chronicles the lives and loves of sisters Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth (played, respectively, by Katharine Hepburn, Frances Dee, Joan Bennett, and Jean Parker). It's a superior rendering to the amiable, perky 1949 version with June Allyson, Janet Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret O'Brien, and Peter Lawford, and comparable to the beautiful, feminist Gillian Armstrong 1994 take. Douglass Montgomery's Laurie isn't nearly as dreamy as Christian Bale's (1994), but the lack of chemistry between him and Hepburn's Jo is perfect for the story, in which Jo loves him like a brother. Jo's real love she offers up to perhaps the finest Professor Bhaer (Paul Lukas). Character actress Edna May Oliver is at her indignant best as Aunt March. Director George Cukor's vision is elegant, warm, and as true to the original source material as 117 minutes allows. This Little Women was a huge box-office hit, and broke all the records to that time. --N.F. Mendoza ... Read more

Reviews (10)

EXCELLENT FAMILY FARE.
The simple classic tale, warm and human (and innocent) of how four girls grew up with their good times and their sad times. LITTLE WOMEN fully captures the joy and feeling of the classic 1868 classic by Louisa May Alcott. Katharine's playing of Jo is vibrant and she captures Jo's tomboy qualities yet also delicately projects the beauty and intellect of Jo as a woman and budding writer. Paul Lukas made the German professor both manly and tenderly lovable. Spring Byington, as Marmee, is the only one who seems to have stepped out of an old-fashioned Sunday School book - she's unmistakably smug, and proud of it. Highly episodic, the movie focuses on the characters without slavishly following a plot. The very young Joan Bennett is terrific as Amy, who's ever scheming for the "good life" and Douglass Montgomery has the boundless energy needed in his playing of Laurie. A must-see for the fans of Alcott and Hepburn while others will find it enjoyable as a family film.

Hepburn heads cast of best film version of "Little Women"
This 1933 version of Louisa May Alcott's Civil-War era classic remains the best film version of "Little Women." After all, it offers Katharine Hepburn as Jo March, whereas later versions have offered June Allyson, Meredith Baxter Birney (for TV), and Winona Ryder in her place (Although Claire Dane's deathbed scene in the 1994 version is magnificent). But the entire cast of this film is superb from top to bottom: Joan Bennett as Amy, Jean Park as Beth, Frances Dee as Meg, and Spring Byington as Marmee, with Paul Lukas as Professor Bhaer, Douglass Montgomery as Laurie, and Edna May Oliver threatening to steal every scene she is in as Aunt March.

Hepburn won the Cannes International Film Festival award as Best Actress of 1934, and it seems reasonable to suggest that her performance in "Little Women" helped Hepburn win her first Academy Award for "Morning Glory," which had come out the previous year (much as Diane Keaton was helped by having done "Saving Mr. Goodbar" the same year as "Annie Hall" when she won her Oscar). "Little Women" was nominated for Best Picture that year, because the team behind the camera of this RKO film was equally as strong. The film was produced by David O'Selznick and director George Cukor was nominated for an Oscar as well, although surprisingly none of the actors received nominations. The film's one award went to Y. Mason and Victor Heerman, who most deservedly won for Best Screenplay Adaptation.

This is arguably Hepburn's best performance in her first dozen films, although some dismiss it as being too close to home for the actress. It would be decades before critics decided that when Katharine Hepburn played herself no one could equal her, and "Little Women" certainly foreshadows her later successes. It would be nice if at least the sound on this 67 year old film could be restored, but if you can get past it being in black and white this is the "Little Women" to show your children.

Note: Interesting that this video tape is not currently available by itself, but it is as part of a three tape set of Hepburn films. Hmmmm.

BEAUTIFUL ADAPTATION OF A BELOVED BOOK...
Based upon Louisa May Alcott's beloved book of the same name, this black and white film lovingly captures its charm. It is also a pretty faithful adaptation of Ms. Alcott's classic. Though there may be a half dozen adaptations, of the three that I have seen this one is, undoubtedly, the best. Its writing deservedly won the Academy Award in 1933 for Best Screenplay Adaptation. It is unfortunate, however, that although the film was also nominated for the Best Picture Award, it lost to "Cavalcade", a largely forgotten, lesser film.

Deftly directed by George Cukor, the film tells the story of the March family, whose patriarch has gone off to fight in the Union Army during the Civil War. Mrs. March is left to raise her four daughters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, in nineteenth century New England. The film focuses on the personal interactions family members have with each other, as well as with their friends and neighbors, in order to create a portrait of an idealized, loving family held together during trying times. It is also a very poignant coming of age film.

The film primarily revolves around the March sisters, with the focus on independent and headstrong Jo, an aspiring writer, as well as a tomboy and second oldest of the four sisters. In addition to the March family, a wealthy neighbor's nephew, Laurie, plays a prominent role in the life of the March family, with a lesser one played by the family's wealthy Aunt March.

This film is beautifully cast, with a luminous Katherine Hepburn perfect in the lead role. As Jo March, Ms. Hepburn captures the essence of this beloved character. Feisty, independent, loving, and intelligent, her characterization of Jo is inspired, though Ms. Hepburn may not have strayed too far from her own persona.

Spring Byington is wonderful as mother to the March daughters, while Frances Dee, Jean Parker, and Joan Bennett are uniformly excellent in the respective roles of Meg, Beth, and Amy, the sisters whom Jo so dearly loves. Douglass Montgomery is superb as Laurie, Jo's best friend, though his painted lips and shadowed eyelids are a bit anachronistic and a style holdover from the silent screen era.

Paul Lukas is endearing as the Professor, Jo's mature love interest. Henry Stephensen is effective as the generous, elderly neighbor, Mr. James Lawrence, uncle to Laurie. Veteran character actress, Edna Mae Oliver, rounds out this superlative cast as cantankerous Aunt March and shamelessly steals every scene in which she appears.

This is a wonderful vintage film that would be a welcome addition to the personal collection of those who love beautifully made, classic films. Bravo!

Katharine Hepburn is Great
one of my favorite movies. Katharine Hepburn is awsome. So is everyone eles. Lines from the actual book are included in the movie.

Kate and Jo
Katherine Hepburn brings the Little Women heroine Jo March alive in a portrayal that truly does justice to the Jo that Louisa May Alcott wrote. Courageous and creative, but socially awkward, Jo charms us with her tomboy attempts to deal with adolescence during the difficulties of the Civil War. Though a film is of necessity a rather shortened version of a book, the essential feel of the book is intact in this film version. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Hollywood's legendary "woman's director," George Cukor (The Women, The Philadelphia Story), transformed Audrey Hepburn into street-urchin-turned-proper-lady Eliza Doolittle in this film version of the Lerner and Loewe musical. Based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, My Fair Lady stars Rex Harrison as linguist Henry Higgins (Harrison also played the role, opposite Julie Andrews, on stage), who draws Eliza into a social experiment that works almost too well. The letterbox edition of this film on video certainly pays tribute to the pageantry of Cukor's set, but it also underscores a certain visual stiffness that can slow viewer enthusiasm just a tad. But it's really star wattage that keeps this film exciting, that and such great songs as "On the Street Where You Live" and "I Could Have Danced All Night." Actor Jeremy Brett, who gained a huge following later in life portraying Sherlock Holmes, is quite electric as Eliza's determined suitor. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (156)

An Excellent Adaption of One of Broadway's Best
One of the classics of the American musical theater, "My Fair Lady" is brought to us with amazing grace and sensitivity by legendary dirctor George Cukor. This musical has it all: a classic score by Lerner and Loewe (including "I Could have Danced All Night," "The Rain in Spain," and "Get me to the Church on Time"), an interesting story, and great characters. Rex Harrison proves to be nothing less then supurb as Henry Higgens, the speach teacher who vows to "never let a woman in my life," but finds himself falling for flower girl Eliza Dolittle. The supporting cast is in top form, with special mention going to the hysterical Stanley Halloway as Alfred P. Dolittle, the charming Wilfred Hyde-White as Pickering, and Jeremy Brett as Freddie. My on real complaint is Audrey Hepburn, who plays Eliza. While she is far from bad, Miss Hepburn has no voice, and I can't stand it when they use another actress to dub the voice of a star. Why can't they just hire a singer in the first place? The part should have gone to Julie Andrews (who originated it on Broadway). All in all, agreat film for the whole family. Check it out!

For the most part, excellent.
First, the wonderful score. Frederic Loewe's glorious music is perfectly complimented by Alan Jay Lerner's lyrics, as on the Broadway and London stages, and almost every song is memorable and great. Second, the gloriously witty script, filled with great lines, many taken directly from Shaw, on whose play "Pygmalion" this was based, and sharp commentary on Britain's class system. Third, the all-around wonderful performances, from Rex Harrison's arch, arrogant, gleeful Henry Higgins to Audrey Hepburn's charming but unrefined flower girl who becomes a sophisticated (and stunning-looking) lady, to Stanley Holloway's lovable amoral father of Hepburn, to Wilfred Hyde-White's Colonel Pickering, to Gladys Cooper's Mrs. Higgins, just as acerbic as her son. Fourth, the much-lauded stunning look of the film, with gorgeously stylized costumes by Cecil Beaton and fine sets by Beaton. All the ingredients are there for a great film, and under George Cukor's direction, that's pretty much what you get.

And yet, the film is noticably flawed. Hepburn, while charming and, of course, stunningly dressed, does not give a bad performance by any means; it's just that she's not overwhemingly sympathetic. And her voice double, Marni Nixon, has a lovely voice, but doesn't really put any emotion into her songs, forcing that ever-present question to re-emerge: Would Julie Andrews, the Broadway and London Eliza, have been a better choice? Also, Nixon and Hepburn really do not sound alike, which is slightly annoying. (Nevertheless, most of Nixon's songs, especially "I Could Have Danced All Night," do come off well, and if Andrews had been cast, there'd be no "Mary Poppins") "On The Street Where You Live," which I consider the best and most beautiful song in the score, is given a rather flat reading by Bill Shirley, the voice double for actor Jeremy Brett; it is the only song in the movie that is truly forgettable, but that is Shirley's fault entirely, NOT Lerner or Loewe's. Too bad. And yes, the movie is a bit long. But overall, it's a vastly entertaining, enjoyable, romantic, and great experience, just not without flaw. But, oh, well.

How do you do? And which DVD version to buy ...
MFL is a marvellous film about a professor who turns a common flower girl into a lady. It is full of sing-a-long songs and funny moments. It is basically a classic for all the right reasons! Plenty of re-watch factor makes it a film to own.

In 1994, the film was restored and thank the lord they did! The film's negative was almost lost forever. In fact, the film hade had become yellow-tinged and full of scratches, blotches and all the rest! It would have been a very sad day for the movie industry if a flim like this had been lost.

The original DVD that featured this new restoration was released in the late 90's. This DVD included a 9 minute featurette, actor profiles, audio commentary, and Audrey Hepburn singing in 2 scenes.

This original 1-disc DVD has since been updated to a special 2-Disc Edition. Which one to get? I have both so I feel qualified to answer this. The new DVD includes all the features found on the original DVD, except the actor profiles. The new DVD once again includes the restored print but is apparently a new transfer from the restored print. However, according to a report that I have read, the new transfer is not perfect and has aliasing problems throughout. However, the average watcher won't pick up on this detail. If this is an issue to you, purchase the original edition DVD where the transfer has been given two thumbs up! One has to wonder why they bothered transferring a second time.

The advantage of the special 2-Disc Edition DVD is that it includes a 58 minute 1994 documentary hosted by Jeremy Brett (Audrey's love interest in the film). Jeremy is no longer with us, so it's nice to have this as a piece of nostalgia. ON top of this, there are many more features on this disc that aren't included on the original DVD such as footage from the film's premiere, production dinner, as well as discussions with Rex and Audrey.

The choice is easy. If you're a fan of the film and don't care for all the extras, buy the original DVD. You at least get the best transfer. If you do care about having all the extras, buy both!

It's Loverly
The music from "My Fair Lady" makes it easily one of my favorite musicals with "I could have danced all night", "Wouldn't it be Loverly?", "The Street Where you Live", and Stanley Holloway's rousing showstoppers "With a Little Bit of Bloomin' Luck" and "Get me to the Church on Time".

It's well chronicled how much gnashing of teeth surrounded the Hollywood decision to leave out the then-unknown Julie Andrews, who was the new toast of the stage as Eliza Doolittle, and instead cast the more bankable Audrey Hepburn. Hollywood rewarded Ms. Andrews with "Mary Poppins" and an Oscar, and although I'd love to have seen Julie Andrews in this role, 4 decades later I can't complain about Audrey Hepburn.

Rex Harrison's reprises Henry Higgins from the stage, and I frankly can't think of another actor who would bring the same English Arrogance and tongue-in-cheekiness to the role. The interactions between Harrison, Hepburn and Wilfred Hyde-White as Colonel Pickering, especially in the early part of the film, are witty, entertaining, and move the narrative right along without pausing for exposition. The Higgins character is a cad, very full of himself, and he makes the mistake of treating those he feels are socially inferior poorly. The Colonel Pickering character acts as a surrogate for the audience, observing the educated but pompous Professor Higgins and allowing us to feel not TOO badly that poor Eliza has come under the influences of Higgins.

Stanley Holloway recreates Alfred P. Doolittle, Eliza's father, from the stage, and although his character has as many moral deficiencies as Professor Higgins (at one point he shows up at Higgins doorstep hoping to extort money from Professor Higgins for "shacking up" with Eliza) and is much less educated and with a much lower social standing, he is nonetheless a "good ol' bloke" and his moments in the film are among the most memorable, especially the previously mentioned show-stopping musical numbers.

The final act feels a little soap-opera-ish between Jeremy Brett as Freddy fawning over Eliza and Professor Higgins beginning to appreciate her fine qualities at the same time. This portion produces two of the finer musical moments as Freddy sings "On The Street Where You Live" and Higgins croons "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face".

Since George Bernard Shaw died in 1950 it's purely speculative to wonder what he'd have thought about the production of his Pygmalion story. I'm guessing he'd have liked it. If you like musicals, I'm guessing you will too. Enjoy.

2-disc or not two discs
WARNING: All the five stars refer to the movie itself, and does not address the issue of whether paying for the second disc is a rip-off. Five stars for the single disc version was richly deserved. I had half expected the 2 disc version to have DTS since they shifted virtually all the extra features from disc 1 to disc two. The only thing left on disc 1 was the movie, same commentary, same subtitles and audio track. For some inexplicable reason, the single disc version was among the Amazon top 100 discs in 2002 for some time, although it has been
out since the mid-1990s. Amazon's editor was correct when he said the main attraction of the 2nd disc was the 58 minute Documentary hosted by Jeremy Brett. That is about all, folks, and it was a pretty boring documentary. A concise version of this documentary would be "The Fairest Fair Lady" which is already in the single disc version.
You already have the AUDREY HEPBURN VOCALS in the single disc version. The rest of the stuff in disc 2 is usually given away FREE, like in Gladiator, Last Samurai, Master and Commander, where one viewing of the stills is more than enough.
Now, the sellers of disc 2 have actually REMOVED the CAST AND CREW section from the one disc version. This Cast and Crew with filmographies and biographies contain a huge chunk of valuable information including the fact that Audrey's given name was Edda, not Audrey. Do not throw away your one disc version. If you bought the 2 disc version, you might want to buy the single- disc version to find out where Audrey Hepburn was born, won the Oscar and got nominated. What were the other actors like Wilfred Hyde-White doing other than My Fair Lady.
I tell you what I like about the 2 Disc version:
1. the interviews with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison at the 1963 production Kickoff Dinner, with a couple of jokes from Mr Warner.
2. George Cukor directing Baroness Rothschild: a Henry Higgins coaching Eliza Doolitle parody. The audio track ran for only a few minutes, and I had a new found respect for Directors. Even a Baroness needs lessons in elocution. When I watch the movie again, I will imagine George Cukor speaking using the actors and actresses as his instrument. So that is how Cukor's actresses got their Oscars.
3. The Los Angeles Premiere in B&W is a few minutes of interesting distraction.

The rest of Disc 2 is really scraping the floor of the store-room. For those who already own the single disc edition, and do not have disposable income to burn, get the 2 disc edition of the TEN COMMANDMENTS instead. For the price of 5 commandments (about half the price of the 2 disc My Fair Lady), you will get more than double the info, making it look like "the TWENTY COMMANDMENTS". That is where a second disc is not a money making exercise: thou shalt not steal from gullible dvd buyers.

Rex Harrison Golden Globe Acceptance is a clip from the Andy William's show, where he apologised for not being at the real event, so he accepted it on AW's show. Shame.

Academy Awards Cermony Highlights: just one minute or less of Mr Warner accepting the oscar for best picture.

So two stars for the additional info on disc two. I would buy anything remotely related to my favourite musical, but if I were to search my heart for value added, I would say two extra stars is very very generous. Now, if ever they come out with a DTS version, we will have to throw the whole TWENTY COMMANDMENTS at this bunch of crooks.
Do you really need Martin Scorsese and Andrew Lloyd Weber's comments to supplement your own? ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Lust for Life is appropriately titled, for mere passionseems inadequate when describing this superb fictionalized biography (based onIrving Stone's popular novel) of Vincent Van Gogh. In a deservedly Oscar®- nominated performance, Kirk Douglas is physically and emotionally perfect as thetormented Dutch painter, whose life is chronicled from his ill-fated stint as apreacher to Belgian miners in 1878, to his Impressionist-inspired artisticawakening and psychological descent to suicide in 1890. Having triumphed with1952's The Bad and the Beautiful, Douglas, producer John Houseman, anddirector Vincente Minnelli brought vigor and vitality to this blessed project,which centers on Van Gogh's stormy friendship with fellow artist Gaugin(Oscar-winner Anthony Quinn). Minnelli used an outmoded color film process andinnovative camera techniques to vividly recreate Van Gogh's paintings, and hefilmed on the actual Dutch and French locations where Van Gogh's masteryflourished. The artist's lust for life also fed his madness, and this filmdeeply understands the fine line in between. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (16)

THE TERRIBLE LONELINESS OF VINCENT VAN GOGH
One of the greatest films ever made about the madness of creative genius. As films about artists go, I like this film better than POLLOCK and almost as much as BASQUIAT. This is very much an overlooked CLASSIC. I have friends who are fans of Van Gogh's who have never heard of this film. Based on the book of the same title by Irving Stone and for those who love DEAR THEO: the abridged letters of Vincent Van Gogh, a must see. This film absolutely conveys the heartbreaking feeling of this starving misunderstood genius pounding his lifeblood into canvas in a French atelier or countryside while the gallery owners scoff and the painter remains unrecognized and unloved.

Kirk Douglas' finest performance, is fraught with peril. Anthony Quinn, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Paul Gauguin, is superb. The script, some of which was taken from Van Gogh himself, is sometimes dated but always poignant: "Sometimes the pictures come to me as if in a dream, with a terrible lucidity." BRILLIANT!!

Unfortunately the VHS format is fullscreen which begs the question; WHY IS THIS MASTERPIECE UNAVAILABLE IN WIDESCREEN ON DVD!?! What a cultural wasteland: I could probably find ERNEST GOES TO CAMP on DVD, but try to find this CLASSIC and the clerk at the local HOLLYWOOD VIDEO might say, "LUST FOR LIFE? That would probably be in the Adult Film Section." I hope someone is working hard to preserve this Masterpiece. Anything less would be a shame. My VHS tape has been viewed so many times the magnetic particles are starting to fall off. If the DVD doesn't come out soon I'll be forced to buy another copy on VHS.(SIGH)

A flawed classic
Many people consider this to be the standard when it comes to retelling the tragic story of Vincent van Gogh's life.

The film is very good and there's no question that director Vincente Minnelli put a tremendous amount of work into bringing Van Gogh to the screen. The sets and costumes are wonderful.

I suppose that my main criticism of the film is that its "heart" seems to be more firmly set in 1950's Hollywood than in 1880's Europe. In other words, the film has a very constructed, American flavour to it. This is most glaring when many of the scenes shift from Kirk Douglas on the screen (clearly American) to a narrative reading of his letters to his brother, Theo (read by a British narrator)--very jarring. Kirk's performance, though very good, never quite "clinches" the role--he remains a very good actor on a very pretty set.

But certainly I would recommend this film to anyone with an interest in Van Gogh--not a perfect movie by any means, but there are moments that are quite remarkable.

Starry Night
There haven't been many movies made about great painters, which seems a little odd, but theirs is a static art, hard to capture on film. Producer John Houseman and director Vincente Minnelli do a great job here of placing Van Gogh's life and art before our eyes in a way calculated to whet our interest about the man. His peculiar life was stalked by some kind of mental instability; whether physical or psychological in nature nobody still knows. Kirk Douglas' fine performance is right on in portraying a troubled man trying for both artistic excellence and some kind of normalcy in life; above all a painter who held nothing back from his work. Anthony Quinn, who must have played every nationality under the sun during his career, walked off with an Oscar for his part as the flamboyant and less-gifted Paul Gaugin, destined to play second fiddle to Van Gogh's genius. The film's construction owes something to John Huston's "Moulin Rouge," of four years earlier, a bio of Toulouse-Lautrec.

"I want to create things that touch people"
With an uncanny resemblance to the self-portraits of Vincent Van Gogh, Kirk Douglas is perfect for this detailed and wonderful production of the artist's life; it's a passionate performance of a troubled soul, whose creative urges battled with his mental illness.
The film has an intelligent script by Norman Corwin, based on Irving Stone's biographical novel. It picks up the story around 1879, when Van Gogh was 26 years old, and went to minister (unsuccessfully) to the coal miners of a destitute area, and from there takes us through his many different abodes, his relationship with "Christine", who is well played by Pamela Brown, and the flourishing of his art in his last 15 years of life.

The art direction is superb, and the recreations of the places Van Gogh painted a marvel, among them the famous yellow house he lived in and its bedroom, and my favorite, the pool hall, with its hanging lamps.
The cinematography by Freddy Young and Russell Harlan is terrific, and we get many full screen views of the original paintings, many of them lesser known pieces from private collections.

This was a multi-award winning film, and garnered an Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Anthony Quinn, who is fabulous as Paul Gauguin, whose personality was the complete opposite of his friend Van Gogh; the ego clashes when they attempted to live together are well illustrated in several scenes, and with a little addition to his nose, Quinn has been made to look exactly like Gauguin's famous self-portrait with the snake.
James Donald is excellent as Vincent's patient and generous brother, who was Van Gogh's central means of support for most of his lifetime, both financially and of his paintings.
A tremendous knowledge about art went into this film, and it's one of the best artist biographies ever put to film (another good one also came from a Stone best seller, "The Agony and the Ecstasy"), and is a must-see for artists and anyone with an interest in Van Gogh's genius. Total running time is 122 minutes.

A wonderful Classic!
I'm a painter myself, have done alot of reading about the lives of these artists, and can never get over the superb performances of these actors!----Truly a superb movie classic! Five stars, in my book! ... Read more

Description

War correspondent stumbles on a little known fact that an honored American war patriot had in fact worked for the Fascists; wife urges writer to expose the facts for history. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Flameout
Hard to imagine Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn being lousy together: until you see them in this Popular Front catastrophe fron 1942. The conspiracy theory of those days among Hollywood leftists was that there were Fascist fifth columnists under every bed and they had to be rooted out. Reporter Tracy is rooting under widow Hepburn's bed to get the goods on her late husband. Tracy was not politcally sympathetic to the project and he looks thoroughly discouraged and annoyed from scene one. The crummy script and abominable sets didn't help any. Politics is always a touchy subject in the movies; it usually doesn't date well. Some films, like "For Whom the Bell Tolls," can shrug off the rhetoric and still be great years later. Others, like "Keeper of the Flame," sink like a stone.

Keeper of the the Flame reminded me vaguely of "Citizen
Kane". This film was made a year later in 1942. The techniques, the tone & general production just seemed siniliar. Kate Hepburn is the widow of the famous, popular, charismatic World War I hero, Robert Forest. Apparently he's also become fabulously wealthy. A bridge washes out from a storm the night he is to meet with other powerful men to plan a takeover of the United States. He's a closet facist & very few people know. Anyway, he's basically dead in an auto accident before the movie starts. Could he have been saved? His marriage to Hepburn hasn't been going too well & she being a patriotic American, has a probelm with his facisism. None of this is known of course. Along comes Spencer Tracer a famous reporter to do a biography on the great man. A few sparks fly & as a Hepburn/Tracy flick, this is not their best effort. There are a few slow spots but its a thriller that keeps your attention. There was a war on when this movie was made but thankfully the anti-facist message was pretty subtle. Overall, they could have done better, but then, they could have done worse. 31/2 stars.

National Hero?
A journalist (Spencer Tracy) investigates the strange circumstances surrounding the death of a national hero. But he runs into a wall of silence. Everybody seems to hide something and the strange behaviour of the widow (Katharine Hepburn) puzzles him: her mourning seems not very deep. No wonder, since her husband planned to take the U.S. Government over with a fascistic coup, and this poor woman did what she considered her patriotic duty...

Good thriller that could have been great. The warning of totalitarianism is subtle - the young adherents who beleaguer Hepburn's home never use martial rhetoric - but the film is plodding and drags on. Tracy spends nearly the entire film running and sometimes riding on horseback from one house to the other, from one taciturn witness to the next. The denouement is squeezed into the last 10 minutes. Hepburn is even declared an american hero although her motives were not entirely selfless: her husband despised her because she could not bear him children. The flaws in this film are all the more disappointing, since, with this plot and this cast, the film could have been on the level of NOTORIOUS.

one of the best
This one of the best no matter what! My dad told me to watch this movie because he thought I would like it, and I did. It might not be the best Known movie but it's still a thriller. If you love Alfred's movies I promise you will love this!

Tracy-Hepburn vehicle warns of the Fascist threat at home
This is an interesting choice for the second Tracy-Hepburn picture, following the success of "Woman of the Year," but then all of the films Katharine Hepburn made during World War II were interesting choices. In "Stage Door Canteen," while other stars performed, Hepburn shared in the film's main dramatic scene and in "Dragon Seed" she played a Chinese peasant girl. However, "Keeper of the Flame" is clearly Spencer Tracy's film. He plays Steven O'Malley, a famous correspondent who has returned from Europe to cover the death an American national hero, Robert V. Forrest. Hepburn plays the reclusive widow, a role that eerily foreshadows Jacqueline Kennedy in some regards, whom O'Malley comes to suspect of having murdered her husband. However, to his surprise, O'Malley discovers that Forrest's supernationalism was merely a facade for fascism. There is more going on here than meets the eye. Based an "unwritten" novel by I. A. R. Wylie and scripted by Donald Odgen Stewart, the choice of George Cukor to direct the film is quite surprising. Cukor and cinematographer William Daniels do their best to create a Hitchcock-type film, but the overall effect is a pale imitation at best. Hepburn seems ill-suited to the role of the widow with a secret, although certainly her political sensibilities would support the point of the film. Tracy is a bit subdued, no doubt because of the conflict between his feelings for Christine Forrest and his desire to uncover the truth no matter what the cost, but this is still a solid performance from one of the greatest film actors.

Overall the fascist threat seems too muted in this film. Darryl Hickman as the young Jeb Rickards, who had belonged to Forrest's youth organization (which looks less like the Boy Scouts and more like the Hitler Youth as the movie progresses), is the true emotional heart of the film. Yet in the end you feel more that he was mislead than actually endangered by his membership. The idea that fascism could succeed in America only as a third front sort of thing is dangerously misleading, as demagogues like Huey P. Long were in the process of proving. The nation surely could have used a solid anti-fascist film from Hollywood, but "Keeper of the Flame" was ultimately too shallow an effort. At the end you might understand that Robert V. Forrest was a fascist, but you really have no idea what that means beyond the fact that it is a very bad thing.

This is arguably the weakest Tracy-Hepburn film and was certainly not the formula followed in their more successful efforts. Given the subject matter the romantic elements between the two is sadly misplaced, getting in the way of the film's message as much as the reporter's investigation. Hepburn would be served a little better by her next foray into the suspense genre four years later in "Undercurrent." ... Read more

Amazon.com

Legendary actress Joan Crawford (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?) stars in this 1941 melodrama directed by George Cukor (A Star Is Born, Adam's Rib) as a scheming con woman and blackmailer, a bitter woman shut off from society because of a disfiguring scar. The opportunity to undergo an operation--by plastic surgeon Melvyn Douglas--to remove the offending scar presents her with a choice: open herself up to a whole new life or return to her old ways and the only life she's ever known. Eventually, Crawford is drawn back into her old ways by her lover, Conrad Veidt (Casablanca), as he enlists her aid in a kidnapping and murder plot. Soon she finds herself trapped between her hopes for a new beginning and the malevolent double-crossing lover who seeks to exploit her for the woman she used to be, rather than who she can be. Crawford is oddly touching as a woman who undergoes a spiritual rebirth, yet cannot shake the pull of her past. A Woman's Face is one of those classic dramas, deliciously wicked and immensely enjoyable. --Robert Lane ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Let's Not Forget Lighting and Photography
Yes, under Cukor's direction Joan Crawford and the other players give performances of their lives but what keeps me coming back to this film is also its stunning black and white cinematography.

Crawford's Finest
Anyone who doubts Joan Crawford's acting ability should watch the first half of this wonderful George Cukor film (second half dissolves into standard MGM melodrama fare). She is heartbreaking and constantly compelling. One wonders what could have happened to her career if she had been used more for her talent than her looks. Conrad Veidt is her spine tingling costar. A dynamic and dastardly duo!

Joan Crawford - what a face!
To the point: Joan once said her performance in A Woman's Face has led her in winning an Oscar for Mildred Pierce. Directed by George Cukor A Woman's Face was indeed a film that shows that Joan was not only a star but an dramatic actress.

from an audience point of view.
...

CRAWFORD ACTS.
This film contains a superior Joan Crawford performance, and one in which her fans should appreciate. It took courage for Crawford, who was, in 1941, the glamour girl of 49 movies and the idol of autograph hounds to be the face in A WOMAN'S FACE. When you come to know her as Anna Holm on the screen, she is a sullen slattern, the brain trust of a ring of sniveling criminals, a sort of female "Sea Wolf" who beats, bullies and blackmails her victims. The reason for this behaviour you discover in a series of flashbacks from a Swedish courtroom, where, heavily veiled, Anna stands trial for murder. From the testimony you learn that when she was 5, her brilliant, drunken father had set fire to her room. From then on she has been disfigured by a ghastly scar that criss-crosses her right cheek from mouth to eye and is only rarely revealed by M-G-M. Shunned by a horrified society, she has sought refuge in music, painting, poetry and alcohol only to find final solace and revenge in a life of crime. All this changes when she meets Conrad Veidt...........M-G-M's remake of the 1937 Swedish film - which starred Ingrid Bergman - unfortunately loses its brisk forward-moving psychological narrative and dissolves into an overexposure of melodramatic sweetness and light. But, in 1941, most critics were impressed by Crawford's savage, snarling performance & gave her a four star rating, calling A WOMAN'S FACE her fortune!

One of Cukor's best.
Cukor matches Joan Crawford's moral, social and, er, facial transformation with his own generic transformation. The film, despite its underworld milieu and courtroom framework, begins as ripe melodrama; it closes as a finger-disfiguringly tense thriller. Crawford plays one of the most remarkable female characters in Hollywood's history - how many female ganglords, blackmailers, thieves and women of easy virtue get not only to morally redeem themselves, but get the man too? Behind it all, Cukor shapes a fierce, ironic social critique, and pulls off some of his most remarkable shots, my favourite being the hall of mirrors Joan admires herself in after the operation. ... Read more

Reviews (92)

True classic, beautifully preserved and re-released.....
Despite the fact that this film raises issues that are not very potent today, it remains to be a timeless classic because of its sheer artistic value. This great artistic value is largely due to the brilliant idea (the idea of creating a play about Kathrene Hepburn [not literally, of course], for Kathrene Hepburn), the plot itself, and film's charming and witty script. Hepburn is the only and true star in this story, although I can appreciate Stewart and Grant in their roles. But truly, it would not have mattered much artistically, if