Reviews (8)

Fun Popcorn Pirates Flick
There are some movies that are meant only to be both hightly enjoyable escapist watching and great to eat popcorn while watching it. Nate and Hayes is one of those movies.

Nate and Hayes is about pirates in the South Pacific. Tommy Lee Jones plays Captain Nate "Bully" Hayes while Michael O'Keefe plays the starchy minister, Jenny Seagrove plays O'Keefe's wife and Australian actor Max Phipps is the evil Captain Ben Pease.

The action starts when Captain Pease raids the island right after the marriage ceremony for the minister and his wife. The minister is struck unconscious and his wife is taken prisoner by the evil Pease. The minister then joins forces with Captain Hayes who has his own score to settle with Pease and that's when the fun begins!

Nate and Hayes is a much underappreciated family film classic. Thrills and chills abound in this wild and wacky fun fest. This is a great film for all ages and for families in general.

Heartily recommended.

Pirates Pilfer Plenty
I had this on Beta years and years ago. Why this isn't out on DVD by now is beyond me. Any fan of Tommy Lee Jones should love it. Fans of adventure and pirate movies will enjoy it as well. Jones and Michael O'Keefe are a good team in this lighthearted action movie. The story, acting, music, and directing are borderline great. Unfortunatly it didn't catch on at the time of it's release and most of the following is people that lucked upon it on TV or at a rental store.

Any fan of movies like "The Three Musketeers" or "The Mask of Zorro" will probably enjoy it. A great adventure movie with a mix of Indiana Jones and Pirates. We can only hope with the release of movies like "Cutthroat Island" on DVD this won't be overlooked since it is a notch above several all ready available.It may not measure up to "Pirates of the Caribbean" but it still has a good deal of fun and action. There are no great special effects, just a good story and some decent acting.

Absolutely GREAT Movie
This is a fun, no-think movie. Campy action and style. When is it coming out on DVD?!?!

"It's hard to love a ship : they rot."
This movie is a GOOD time waiting to happen. It's simply fun. Lots and lots of fun. More fun than a sack of badgers. Tons of action, great fight scenes, excellent humor, and fantastic cinematography. I'm surprised we don't get more movies set in the South Pacific (except, of course, for the deadly sharks, destructive typhoons, remoteness, lack of modern medicine, headhunters and posoinous everything; some people are just more easily deterred than I am, I suppose.)

If you're looking for a good, entertaining romp with great catch phrases and plenty of action, this is it. The music's pretty good, too, by the way. WHEN IS THIS COMING OUT ON DVD!?!?!?!?!? I must have it! Oblige me, Ben!

Suprisingly Fun!!
Fun! Is the word to describe this film. This film wasn't well known nor was it a big blockbuster, but it is fun to watch. Seeing Tommy Lee Jones younger and with a beard is different. This film was made in 1983 so don't expect big and flashy special effects. Even without big special effects this movie is still a fun adventure story.
Tommy Lee Jones plays American Pirate "Bully" Hayes. Nate is played by Michael O'Keefe, and he is studying to become a missionary. The story starts out in the South Pacific where we see Captain Hayes running guns to the natives. He is captured when the deal goes bad and is set to be hung shortly thereafter. The rest of the story is of Hayes telling a writer how he came to be imprisoned, sort of a Quentin Tarantino style before it became popular. The main story revolves around Hayes' adventure with the missionary man Nate and his Fiancée Sophie. Hayes' Nemesis, another pirate and former business partner Ben Pease, captures Sophie. The adventure consist of the usual story of this type, Nate and Hayes teaming up to get her back. This film is a complete adventure story filled with pirates, South Pacific natives, shrunken heads, early modern war ships, stuffy German sailors, swashbuckling sword fights, and other off the wall elements. I recommend this film to you if you are looking for something fun and a little different than the usual big flashy movies of today. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Bruce Springsteen and blood and boys and cars!
Better than the book! I adore this movie, and rate it up with my childhood movies like SpaceCamp.

Wonderful family movie!
This is a wonderful movie to share with your family. A group of teenagers take matters into their own hands when the military decides to give up on their captured fathers. Set in Korea, the children are the sons and daughter of Navy SEALs who were captured by North Korea in international waters. When the teens overhear top military officals giving up on the captured man, they set off on their own rescue, using the plans and connections established by the military before the plan was abandoned.

It was a very good movie.
This story is about some kids trying to rescue their parents after the government gave up on them. It shows feelings between kids and their parents. It is a very good family movie. ... Read more

Description

Leaving her husband and the wealthy life of Royal London society behind, a distraught Dona St. Columb retreats to her country estate in Cornwall. In search of peace and solitude, she encounters the exact opposite. French pirates have overthrown the city and gained control of the local community. In fact, one pirate is living in her family's home and hiding his boat in a creek within their grounds.

Dona attempts to rid her house of the Frenchman, but, surprisingly, finds the rebellious character to be quite intriguing, possessing an attitude unlike the sophisticated men of London. Now, she finds herself caught between her growing affection for the pirate and the local community's attempt to defeat the raiders and capture the Frenchman.

Set in the days of the Restoration, Tara Fitzgerald (The Woman in White) and Anthony Delon recreate classic romance in Daphne du Maurier's enduring story of piracy and betrayal. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

"We will both break our chains."
Set in Seventeenth century England, "Frenchman's Creek" is based (loosely) on the Daphne Du Maurier novel. The heroine, Lady Dona St. Columb (Tara Fitzgerald) takes her two children, leaves London and her boring husband, and sets out for the family mansion in Cornwall. Once she arrives, she senses that something isn't quite right. The servants--with the exception of a steward she's never met before--have all been dismissed. There's evidence that someone has occupied her bedroom in her absence. Local landowner, Lord Godolphin winces at the idea that Dona lives alone--without necessary male protection, and he is sure that she will become a victim of a marauding French pirate who patrols the coastline and loots the English. Dona, however, is enjoying a brief respite from court intrigue, but before long, she finds herself face-to-face with the pirate ...

The casting of Tara Fitzgerald in the main role elevates the film. She's such a tremendous actress, and she plays the role of Lady St. Columb very well. In the beginning, we get a strong sense of her rebellion as she passes dead bodies, leisurely smoking and simultaneously chiding her bratty daughter. Pirate, Jean Aubrey (Anthony Delon) looks suitably masculine and sweaty next to the decadent court fops. The costumes and sets were all excellent. However, some of the scenes with the pirates were a bit cheesy. The odd simple French word was called out--"vite" or "allez" so that we get the point these men are French. If you approach this made-for-television production as a swashbuckling, bodice-ripping romance, you will not be disappointed. If however, you watch "Frenchman's Creek" because you loved the Daphne Du Maurier novel (like me), then you will find the original plot buried by complications. For a start, there's a tremendous emphasis placed on the religious turmoil of the times, scenes have been added, and although the plot is essentially the same, it's been jazzed up for the television audience. Complicating the original plot serves only to distill the book's message, and that's unfortunate--displacedhuman

A Pirated Version
It would be wise of those who decide to adapt a novel into film to pay closer attention to the words "adapted" when they embark upon a screen version. Any similarities between this movie and DuMaurier's novel are purely coincidental. I gave this film version four stars because unlike its Joan Fontaine predecessor, it is at least more realistic and Hollywood does not intrude upon it. Other than that, the film is far removed from the novel. To begin with, the historical setting is not the Restoration, but the court of King James. There was a reason why DuMaurier set her story during the Restoration - London at that time was rich in atmosphere-it was the court of Charles II. There were excesses of appetite. Charles had a mistress for every day of the week, and the city reeked, literally, of humanity caught up in decadence beyond imagination. The two Dona's are similar in that they want to escape, but for different reasons. DuMaurier's Dona is about to turn 30. Her escape from London comes from a disgust of what she has become under the city's atmosphere. Dona needs to stop and find out who she really is. So she goes to Cornwall. In the film version, Dona escapes a London that is caught up in political turmoil. King James has left London; Catholics and Protestants are again close to Civil War. She wants to escape this and she's "sick of London". This Dona wants some peace and quiet. Tara Fitzgerald makes a good heroine, but at times she is too brooding, too serious, too irritating. Her counterpart at least had a sense of humour and took pleasure in rebelling against the established gentry in Cornwall. Fleet and Dutton who play Harry St. Columb and Rockingham, respectively, are wonderful. They have researched DuMaurier's novel and bring her characters to life. Tim Dutton is wonderful as the villainously repulsive Rockingham. Fleet knows his character and plays his strengths and weaknesses well. Anthony Delon as the French pirate Jean Aubrey, is quite good. He has the easy, matter of fact, mysterious charm of DuMaurier's pirate. If you have not read Frenchman's Creek, this movie does stand on its own. The characters are well developed, the pace of the movie is good and the music compliments the scenery and characters. There is adventure, romance, villians and a damsel who can handle herself in distress. However, if you are a purist when it comes to watching a movie based upon a novel, you may be less satisfied with this version.

Du Maurier's Characters, But Plot Driven by Religion
Tara Fitzgerald makes a lovely Dona and Anthony Delon portrays the Frenchman pirate of the title, Jean Aubery, to perfection. In fact all the players were selected admirably: Rockingham is disturbingly sly and manipulative, William combines the right combination of sex appeal with devoted servitude and Harry exudes vulnerability and inner strength as Dona's husband. Just like Du Maurier intended them to be, fleshed out from the pages of her novel and set on the lonely wild coast of Cornwall.

My main objection to this film, if it can be called an objection, is that it fails to tell the story of the novel. Yes, the characters are not changed and the local is the same. What differs is the setting--this story is driven by the religious revolution of 1688--Catholic King James has fled to France as Protestant William of Orange marches in from the Netherlands. Lady Dona is a Catholic fleeing the eventual destruction of the court of which she is alligned. France has declared war on England at this crucial time and so the pirate is, in a sense doing his duty, rather than ravaging the English coast simply for his own amusement as he does in the novel. Navaronne, Lady Dona's estate is not the idyllic refuge of the book, it too has transformed into a battle ground where corpses litter the roads patrolled by befeathered Orangeman troops.

There are far too many differences in this film version to comment on individually, so instead I will say that it simply does not faithfully adhere to the story told in the novel. The adventure and romance remains, but even this is twisted to appeal to a more modern day audience. Most disturbing was the addition of tension between Dona and her young daughter which unfortunately weaves its way into the dinner scene at the film's climax. The producers most likely and sadly felt that the notion of a woman wanting to escape the life she thought at one time satisfying not meaningful enough for audiences who expect the Lifetime Channel's grander causes. There is none of the frivolity that makes Du Maurier's work a delightful escape albeit with a philosophical tone.

Despite its plot differences, the film still entertains. Lady Dona remains a free spirit encumbered by her station in life. As much as I enjoyed Anthony Devon's Jean,I would have liked to have seen what he would have brought to the man-without-a-cause depicted in the book. Whether this is how Du Maurier intended Frenchman's Creek to flow, the film provides an enjoyable two hours of entertainment.

When will they learn to film a Du Maurier Novel Properly?
It's not bad, exactly. Despite occasional departures from the story it follows most of the essential points. But, like so many other adaptations of Du Maurier novels, it fails to realize that while her atmospheres are gothic, they are not depressing. Much of Frenchman's Creek on paper is sunny and joyous, not bleak. The conematography here makes it look like it is perpetually overcast, and it shouldn't. The same applies to the characterizations. Anthony Delon is mysterious, but not warm and normal and human as he should be, Dona is missing her sense of fun. It's all a little dreary after a while.

A Pirated Version
Any similarities between this movie and DuMaurier's novel are purely coincidental. I gave this film version four stars only because it does not have the sappy costumes and melodramatic acting of the Joan Fontaine version. This film version is far removed from the DuMaurier's novel. To begin with, the film's historical setting is not the Restoration, but the court of King James. There was a reason why DuMaurier set her story during the Restoration - London at that time was rich in atmosphere. It was the court of Charles II. There were excesses of appetite. Charles had a mistress for every day of the week and the city reeked of humanity caught up in decadence beyond imagination. The two Donas are similar in that they want to escape, but for different reasons. DuMaurier's Dona is turning 30. She has reached a mid-life crisis (remember, 30 was considered old in the 1660s). Her escape from London comes from a disgust of what she has become under the city's atmosphere. Dona needs to stop and find out who she really is and what she wants from life. So she goes to Cornwall. In the film version, Dona escapes a London caught up in political turmoil. King James has left London and Catholics and Protestants are again close to civil war. She wants to escape this and she's "sick of London". This Dona wants some peace and quiet. Tara Fitzgerald makes a good heroine, but at times she is too brooding, too serious, too irritating. Her counterpart at least had a sense of humour and took pleasure in rebelling against the established gentry in Cornwall. Fleet and Dutton who play Harry St. Columb and Rockingham, respectively, are wonderful. Tim Dutton is wonderful as the villainously repulsive Rockingham. Fleet plays Harry well as the bumbling husband. Anthony Delon as the french pirate Jean Aubrey is quite good. He has the easy, matter of fact, mysterious charm of DuMaurier's pirate. If you have not read Frenchman's Creek, this movie does stand on its own. The characters are well developed, the pace of the movie is good and the music compliments the scenery and characters. There is adventure, romance, villains and a damsel who can handle herself in distress. However, if you are a purist when it comes to watching a movie based upon a novel, you may be less satisfied with this version. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Amazing Ian Flemming
If you have not read any of Ian Flemmings books, this movie is the best way to see how The James Bond character came to fruition. Excellent movie to top off your James Bond collection and who better to play the role of Ian Flemming than the son of one of most well loved Bonds of them all Sean Connery. Jason Connery is superb. This movie is a gem.

The Making of the World's Most Popular Spy
This spy-maker is the life story of Ian Fleming. Jason Connery (Sean Connery's son) portrays a young, witty Ian Fleming. Kristin Scott Thomas (Random Hearts) plays his sexy mentor in the world of espionage. This movie has all the adventure, gadgets and sex of a James Bond film. A must-own for the James Bond fan.

I Loved It! A Must Have for the Bond Collector
Jason Connery (Sean Connery's son) plays a young, witty Ian Fleming who learns the world of espionage. Kristin Scott Thomas (Random Hearts) portrays Ian's sexy mentor. Learn how James Bond got all his habits (good and bad). Spymaker is just that, the making of the world's most favorite spy. All the adventure, sex and humor of a Bond movie. Spymaker is a must-have for the Bond collector!

A must for James Bond/Fleming fans.
A fast paced entertaining video biography of the late Ian Fleming (author of the original James Bond novels and short stories). Having read several actual biographies on Fleming, one should be cautioned that much of the peripheral info in this film has been reverse incorporated from the later Bond FILMS into this video. Fleming, I believe, only saw one Bond film (Dr. No) and died during or just following the shooting of the second (From Russia with Love). The fascinating part would be knowing just how much information came from Sean Connery to his son Jason to play this role (Ian Fleming). Sean Connery and Ian Fleming hit it off quite well at the start of the Bond series, and because of Goldfinger - Connery actually started playing golf!

James Bond fans...this one is definately for you
Spymaker is the life and times of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond. In this movie, we see where Fleming got his ideas for a secret spy agent. He loved women, Vodka Martini's, fast cars, and near death experiences. Being a reporter for Reuters, he traveled abroad. One such trip took him to Russia, with love of course. There he became involved with women (never again with cold lips), espionage, and lucky escapes from death. In other scenes, we see why Moneypenny tosses James hat on the coat rack. There are many scenes were you end up saying to yourself, "So that's were he got that from." Ian Fleming was the real life James Bond. Kristin Scott Thomas does an excellent job of portraying the strong, independant type who eventually can't resist the charm of such a debonair man. She reminded me a lot of Diana Rigg's character Tracy de Vicenzo in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Being a Bond fanatic, this film gives some very important background information into where it was that the Bond series came from. I highly recommend it, even if you aren't a Bond fan but you feel like a good adventure. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This picaresque bodice-ripper is far more engrossing than one might expect, but then again it has a good pedigree. Based on a novel by Daphne du Maurier, the Restoration-era tale concerns Dona St. Columb (Tara Fitzgerald), a Catholic in the age of William and Mary and a survivor of Cromwell's repression. Married to an older, foolish aristocrat whom she easily manipulates, Dona has cultivated a suggestion of scandal to enhance her natural reputation as a tough, willful, cigarette-puffing Londoner. In an effort to get away from intrigues at the royal court, Dona takes her two children and heads for the family's Cornwall estate, where she hopes to find peace. She soon discovers, however, that French pirates turned patriots have been making use of her land, home, and even housekeeping staff to aid in France's war against Britain. Initially outraged, Dona is soon swayed by the pirates' passion for their cause and feels the absence in herself of a similar authenticity. The solution: join the raiders on their exploits and become the lover of their handsome captain (Anthony Delon). The story hums along most entertainingly and Fitzgerald's focused performance, both harsh and sensuous, provides a sturdy backbone to the drama. Delon mostly smolders, which is enough here, but the terrific supporting cast brings a dimension and color that makes the whole production more than agreeable. The ending is particularly satisfying, ultimately turning Frenchman's Creek into a human adventure that is more than the sum of its swashbuckling parts. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (14)

"We will both break our chains."
Set in Seventeenth century England, "Frenchman's Creek" is based (loosely) on the Daphne Du Maurier novel. The heroine, Lady Dona St. Columb (Tara Fitzgerald) takes her two children, leaves London and her boring husband, and sets out for the family mansion in Cornwall. Once she arrives, she senses that something isn't quite right. The servants--with the exception of a steward she's never met before--have all been dismissed. There's evidence that someone has occupied her bedroom in her absence. Local landowner, Lord Godolphin winces at the idea that Dona lives alone--without necessary male protection, and he is sure that she will become a victim of a marauding French pirate who patrols the coastline and loots the English. Dona, however, is enjoying a brief respite from court intrigue, but before long, she finds herself face-to-face with the pirate ...

The casting of Tara Fitzgerald in the main role elevates the film. She's such a tremendous actress, and she plays the role of Lady St. Columb very well. In the beginning, we get a strong sense of her rebellion as she passes dead bodies, leisurely smoking and simultaneously chiding her bratty daughter. Pirate, Jean Aubrey (Anthony Delon) looks suitably masculine and sweaty next to the decadent court fops. The costumes and sets were all excellent. However, some of the scenes with the pirates were a bit cheesy. The odd simple French word was called out--"vite" or "allez" so that we get the point these men are French. If you approach this made-for-television production as a swashbuckling, bodice-ripping romance, you will not be disappointed. If however, you watch "Frenchman's Creek" because you loved the Daphne Du Maurier novel (like me), then you will find the original plot buried by complications. For a start, there's a tremendous emphasis placed on the religious turmoil of the times, scenes have been added, and although the plot is essentially the same, it's been jazzed up for the television audience. Complicating the original plot serves only to distill the book's message, and that's unfortunate--displacedhuman

A Pirated Version
It would be wise of those who decide to adapt a novel into film to pay closer attention to the words "adapted" when they embark upon a screen version. Any similarities between this movie and DuMaurier's novel are purely coincidental. I gave this film version four stars because unlike its Joan Fontaine predecessor, it is at least more realistic and Hollywood does not intrude upon it. Other than that, the film is far removed from the novel. To begin with, the historical setting is not the Restoration, but the court of King James. There was a reason why DuMaurier set her story during the Restoration - London at that time was rich in atmosphere-it was the court of Charles II. There were excesses of appetite. Charles had a mistress for every day of the week, and the city reeked, literally, of humanity caught up in decadence beyond imagination. The two Dona's are similar in that they want to escape, but for different reasons. DuMaurier's Dona is about to turn 30. Her escape from London comes from a disgust of what she has become under the city's atmosphere. Dona needs to stop and find out who she really is. So she goes to Cornwall. In the film version, Dona escapes a London that is caught up in political turmoil. King James has left London; Catholics and Protestants are again close to Civil War. She wants to escape this and she's "sick of London". This Dona wants some peace and quiet. Tara Fitzgerald makes a good heroine, but at times she is too brooding, too serious, too irritating. Her counterpart at least had a sense of humour and took pleasure in rebelling against the established gentry in Cornwall. Fleet and Dutton who play Harry St. Columb and Rockingham, respectively, are wonderful. They have researched DuMaurier's novel and bring her characters to life. Tim Dutton is wonderful as the villainously repulsive Rockingham. Fleet knows his character and plays his strengths and weaknesses well. Anthony Delon as the French pirate Jean Aubrey, is quite good. He has the easy, matter of fact, mysterious charm of DuMaurier's pirate. If you have not read Frenchman's Creek, this movie does stand on its own. The characters are well developed, the pace of the movie is good and the music compliments the scenery and characters. There is adventure, romance, villians and a damsel who can handle herself in distress. However, if you are a purist when it comes to watching a movie based upon a novel, you may be less satisfied with this version.

Du Maurier's Characters, But Plot Driven by Religion
Tara Fitzgerald makes a lovely Dona and Anthony Delon portrays the Frenchman pirate of the title, Jean Aubery, to perfection. In fact all the players were selected admirably: Rockingham is disturbingly sly and manipulative, William combines the right combination of sex appeal with devoted servitude and Harry exudes vulnerability and inner strength as Dona's husband. Just like Du Maurier intended them to be, fleshed out from the pages of her novel and set on the lonely wild coast of Cornwall.

My main objection to this film, if it can be called an objection, is that it fails to tell the story of the novel. Yes, the characters are not changed and the local is the same. What differs is the setting--this story is driven by the religious revolution of 1688--Catholic King James has fled to France as Protestant William of Orange marches in from the Netherlands. Lady Dona is a Catholic fleeing the eventual destruction of the court of which she is alligned. France has declared war on England at this crucial time and so the pirate is, in a sense doing his duty, rather than ravaging the English coast simply for his own amusement as he does in the novel. Navaronne, Lady Dona's estate is not the idyllic refuge of the book, it too has transformed into a battle ground where corpses litter the roads patrolled by befeathered Orangeman troops.

There are far too many differences in this film version to comment on individually, so instead I will say that it simply does not faithfully adhere to the story told in the novel. The adventure and romance remains, but even this is twisted to appeal to a more modern day audience. Most disturbing was the addition of tension between Dona and her young daughter which unfortunately weaves its way into the dinner scene at the film's climax. The producers most likely and sadly felt that the notion of a woman wanting to escape the life she thought at one time satisfying not meaningful enough for audiences who expect the Lifetime Channel's grander causes. There is none of the frivolity that makes Du Maurier's work a delightful escape albeit with a philosophical tone.

Despite its plot differences, the film still entertains. Lady Dona remains a free spirit encumbered by her station in life. As much as I enjoyed Anthony Devon's Jean,I would have liked to have seen what he would have brought to the man-without-a-cause depicted in the book. Whether this is how Du Maurier intended Frenchman's Creek to flow, the film provides an enjoyable two hours of entertainment.

When will they learn to film a Du Maurier Novel Properly?
It's not bad, exactly. Despite occasional departures from the story it follows most of the essential points. But, like so many other adaptations of Du Maurier novels, it fails to realize that while her atmospheres are gothic, they are not depressing. Much of Frenchman's Creek on paper is sunny and joyous, not bleak. The conematography here makes it look like it is perpetually overcast, and it shouldn't. The same applies to the characterizations. Anthony Delon is mysterious, but not warm and normal and human as he should be, Dona is missing her sense of fun. It's all a little dreary after a while.

A Pirated Version
Any similarities between this movie and DuMaurier's novel are purely coincidental. I gave this film version four stars only because it does not have the sappy costumes and melodramatic acting of the Joan Fontaine version. This film version is far removed from the DuMaurier's novel. To begin with, the film's historical setting is not the Restoration, but the court of King James. There was a reason why DuMaurier set her story during the Restoration - London at that time was rich in atmosphere. It was the court of Charles II. There were excesses of appetite. Charles had a mistress for every day of the week and the city reeked of humanity caught up in decadence beyond imagination. The two Donas are similar in that they want to escape, but for different reasons. DuMaurier's Dona is turning 30. She has reached a mid-life crisis (remember, 30 was considered old in the 1660s). Her escape from London comes from a disgust of what she has become under the city's atmosphere. Dona needs to stop and find out who she really is and what she wants from life. So she goes to Cornwall. In the film version, Dona escapes a London caught up in political turmoil. King James has left London and Catholics and Protestants are again close to civil war. She wants to escape this and she's "sick of London". This Dona wants some peace and quiet. Tara Fitzgerald makes a good heroine, but at times she is too brooding, too serious, too irritating. Her counterpart at least had a sense of humour and took pleasure in rebelling against the established gentry in Cornwall. Fleet and Dutton who play Harry St. Columb and Rockingham, respectively, are wonderful. Tim Dutton is wonderful as the villainously repulsive Rockingham. Fleet plays Harry well as the bumbling husband. Anthony Delon as the french pirate Jean Aubrey is quite good. He has the easy, matter of fact, mysterious charm of DuMaurier's pirate. If you have not read Frenchman's Creek, this movie does stand on its own. The characters are well developed, the pace of the movie is good and the music compliments the scenery and characters. There is adventure, romance, villains and a damsel who can handle herself in distress. However, if you are a purist when it comes to watching a movie based upon a novel, you may be less satisfied with this version. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Best British Drama Series You've Never Seen
VOLUME FIVE (two episodes on this tape) OF A FIVE VOLUME SERIES

I swear, I've not met many people who have actually seen "Danger UXB." But those, maybe like me, who's whole family would wait with eager anticipation each week for the next episode to come on, speak so highly of it that you would think that it ranked with the classics "Upstairs Downstairs" and "The Jewel in the Crown."

"Danger UXB!," they'd say. "That series is SO wonderful!! Don't you remember how you felt knowing that your favorite character whom you'd just spent three episodes growing to love might be taking the last step of defusing the Nazi's horrible invention of an 'unexploded bomb' where the fuse is designed to detonate as it is being removed and you don't know if that next moment will be their last!"

This series is like the video equivalent of a "page turner."

British bomb demolition teams, their lives and loves.
Set during the early days of WWII in London, Brian Ash discovers a world at first frighteningly terrifing, demanding all the courage he can generate, just to survive the next UnExploded Bomb defusing. Early on during the German air attacks on England, duds and booby-trapped delayed action bombs began to liter every crowded London neighborhood. Some remain there to this day; deadly, threatening. The men of the bomb demolition squads and the women they loved gradually become acoustomed to this stressful lifestyle routine. If it were only imaginary and fiction! But it isn't! Based on this dreaded historical time during the Englanders' finest moments the viewer is at once struck with what the times were truly like. It really happened! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Superb treatment of little known WWII specialty
Danger UXB is the story of British soldiers engaged in bomb disposal. It is a story of the officers and men, who as a team performed this dangerous task on a daily basis from the start of the war and well beyond the end of it.

This is an ensemble cast that works well together from the young officer freshly commissioned and assigned to bomb disposal ("don't you have to volunteer?")to the scientists working hand in hand with the military to come up with new ways to disarm more and more complex bomb fuses. You have the fussy civilians worrying about their stores, to the bomb out people looking to see where they'll be living for the next few days.

The series bings out the interesting point that it is much more of a problem if a bomb does not explode than if it does. The disruption to normal acitivity is shown quite well.

The team aspect is underscored because even though the officer is disarming the bomb, the sappers are out there digging for it and one wrong shove with a shovel or bang with a pick and the whole group thing goes up in a bang.

This is a specialty of military service with few walking wounded, you are either alive and sitting on a bomb or dead and only the birds can find the pieces.

I had a particular encounter with British Bomb Disposal when I was in Berlin, Germany in the late 70s on military service with the US Army. I came home one afternoon and found the whole street blocked off. When I asked an MP what was up, he told me that there were two bombs, one American and one British, that had buried in the mud and were discovered when a new autobahn was being built. So while we waited, British and American bomb disposal personnel were working on bombs that were over 25 years in the mud and clay soil, just waiting to explode. From this I viewed Danger UXB in a much more positive light.

I found this to be an exciting and well put together series. It is a typical British top drawer program that Masterpiece Theater is to be commended for finding and introducing to American viewers. I recommend this to any person interested in British military history and World War II.

Very memorable, inspiring, emotional.
It's been over 15 years since I saw this on PBS... yet it's not something easily forgotten.

The Best British Drama Series You've Never Seen
VOLUME ONE (the first three episodes on this tape) OF A FIVE VOLUME SERIES

I swear, I've not met many people who have actually seen "Danger UXB." But those, maybe like me, who's whole family would wait with eager anticipation each week for the next episode to come on, speak so highly of it that you would think that it ranked with the classics "Upstairs Downstairs" and "The Jewel in the Crown."

"Danger UXB!," they'd say. "That series is SO wonderful!! Don't you remember how you felt knowing that your favorite character whom you'd just spent three episodes growing to love might be taking the last step of defusing the Nazi's horrible invention of an 'unexploded bomb' where the fuse is designed to detonate as it is being removed and you don't know if that next moment will be their last!"

This series is like the video equivalent of a "page turner." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Best British Drama Series You've Never Seen
VOLUME FOUR (two episodes on this tape) OF A FIVE VOLUME SERIES

I swear, I've not met many people who have actually seen "Danger UXB." But those, maybe like me, who's whole family would wait with eager anticipation each week for the next episode to come on, speak so highly of it that you would think that it ranked with the classics "Upstairs Downstairs" and "The Jewel in the Crown."

"Danger UXB!," they'd say. "That series is SO wonderful!! Don't you remember how you felt knowing that your favorite character whom you'd just spent three episodes growing to love might be taking the last step of defusing the Nazi's horrible invention of an 'unexploded bomb' where the fuse is designed to detonate as it is being removed and you don't know if that next moment will be their last!"

This series is like the video equivalent of a "page turner." ... Read more

Amazon.com

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse's immortal characters are brought to glorious life in this hilarious series, starring Hugh Laurie as the chinless but charming Bertie Wooster and Stephen Fry as his valet and frequent savior, Jeeves. Superb period detail, performers who seem to have been born for these roles, and a hearty helping of Wodehouse wit make these shows essential viewing for anyone in search of a sophisticated chuckle.

When Bertie is dispatched by Aunt Dahlia to sneer at a valuable cow-shaped silver cream pitcher, he inadvertently allows it to fall into the hands of Sir Watkyn Basset, silverware collector and one of Wooster's many nemeses.Sir Watkyn also happens to be the father of Gussie Fink-Nottle's fiancée, and when Gussie asks for help healing a breach with his betrothed, Bertie and Jeeves head for Totleigh Towers, both to aid the drone in need and to steal the cow creamer for Aunt Dahlia. This deliciously complicated plot is further enhanced by the presence of one of Wodehouse's most hilarious creations: Sir Roderick Spode, leader of the dreaded Black Shorts and would-be dictator. As disaster looms, it's up to Jeeves to discover Spode's dark secret and set the worldright. --Simon Leake ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Read this, Old Shoe
The adaptations of PG Wodehouse's Wooster and Jeeves stories staring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry are all excellent. I saw them all on Masterpiece Theatre on PBS a few years ago and have been hooked ever since.
The humor is very subtle... Hugh Laurie's portrayal of Bertie Wooster really makes it all work.

Laurie at his Best
The title's strangely intriguing, right? Don't worry, follow your instinct on this one. Since all of the J&W series are hilarious, it's hard to rank them, but I have to say that this is without a doubt one of the best. Bertie Wooster, a young British gentleman of the 1920's who is con- stantly getting stuck in one bumbling scheme or another, is called upon by his aunt to restore one of her husband's treasured knickknacks from the man who stole it- chaos erupts, and who can Bertie turn to but his scarily wise butler. Hugh Laurie, who plays Bertie, is one of the funniest comedians I have ever seen- even when he's not really doing anything except, say, nodding his head or something, the man is constantly hilarious. Why isn't this on instead of "Friends"? ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Best British Drama Series You've Never Seen
VOLUME THREE (three episodes on this tape) OF A FIVE VOLUME SERIES

I swear, I've not met many people who have actually seen "Danger UXB." But those, maybe like me, who's whole family would wait with eager anticipation each week for the next episode to come on, speak so highly of it that you would think that it ranked with the classics "Upstairs Downstairs" and "The Jewel in the Crown."

"Danger UXB!," they'd say. "That series is SO wonderful!! Don't you remember how you felt knowing that your favorite character whom you'd just spent three episodes growing to love might be taking the last step of defusing the Nazi's horrible invention of an 'unexploded bomb' where the fuse is designed to detonate as it is being removed and you don't know if that next moment will be their last!"

This series is like the video equivalent of a "page turner." ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fascinating
I watched this when it was first shown on PBS. Great series. Very well acted, with good characters. And most importantly very well written.
If you haven't seen this one, you should!

The Best British Drama Series You've Never Seen
VOLUME TWO (three episodes on this tape) OF A FIVE VOLUME SERIES

I swear, I've not met many people who have actually seen "Danger UXB." But those, maybe like me, who's whole family would wait with eager anticipation each week for the next episode to come on, speak so highly of it that you would think that it ranked with the classics "Upstairs Downstairs" and "The Jewel in the Crown."

"Danger UXB!," they'd say. "That series is SO wonderful!! Don't you remember how you felt knowing that your favorite character whom you'd just spent three episodes growing to love might be taking the last step of defusing the Nazi's horrible invention of an 'unexploded bomb' where the fuse is designed to detonate as it is being removed and you don't know if that next moment will be their last!"

This series is like the video equivalent of a "page turner." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Masterpiece Theatre interpretation of P.G. Wodehouse classic
This VHS tape is based on one of the Jeeves and Wooster stories written by the incomparable P.G. Wodehouse. Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie do a marvelous job of portraying the aristocratic gentleman's gentleman, Jeeves, and his bumbling master, Bertram Wilberforce Wooster. While unable to achieve quite the comic level of the original stories, which keep the reader in stitches (once one masters Wodehouse's very British dialogue), Hunger Strike and The Matchmaker are extremely entertaining. Set in one of Bertie's favorite haunts, his Aunt Daliah's country estate, Brinkley Court, the plot weaves in and out. Bertie's determination to help solve all his friends' problems without Jeeve's assistance makes for an amusing plot that has all the other 'inmates' out for his blood, until the inevitable. Jeeves takes a hand and resolves all the difficulties with his usual marvelous brainpower. Lots of fun and well worth the modest price. END ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Jeeves & Wooster - in America
The story takes place in America, and the characters are new except for Jeeves and Wooster. The story line is pretty interesting/funny though the new characters were not as well developed. I didn't enjoy it as well as the other Jeeves and Wooster videos, but I will say it was another opportunity to see Jeeves and Wooster again and I do wish there were many more episodes/videos. I have three sets of the Jeeves and Wooster videos. I enjoy watching them over and over again.

Jeeves & Wooster - in America
The setting takes place in America instead of England, and the characters in this particular video are new except for Jeeves and Wooster. The story line is pretty interesting/funny. Like the other videos it weaves several plots together and just when things seem to fall apart, it all works out in the end thanks to Jeeves. It seemed to move a little faster than the other stories and therefore was not as relaxing to watch, but it was another opportunity to see Jeeves and Wooster again. I have seen all of the Jeeves and Woosters tapes and I do wish there were many, many more episodes/videos. (The other review listed here seems to be referring to a T.V. Show: Full House - which is about a single father with children.)

Have Mercy!
This is the best video ever! I watch it about 5 times each day. I can't get enough of it I tell you. Michelle looks so dumb and so does Kimmy. Kimmy gets hit by a car going to the Tanner's house which is my favorite part. Buy this video today! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse's immortal characters are brought to glorious life in this hilarious series, starring Hugh Laurie as the chinless but charming Bertie Wooster and Stephen Fry as his valet and frequent savior, Jeeves. Superb period detail, performers who seem to have been born for these roles, and a hearty helping of Wodehouse wit make these shows essential viewing for anyone in search of a sophisticated chuckle.

In "Jeeves the Matchmaker" romantic entanglements abound and the faithful valet must (once again) exercise his considerable intellect for the greater good.Most distressing is Bertie's sudden and improbable decision to marry Bobby Wickham, an idea that chills Jeeves to themarrow. To make matters worse, Bertie's friend, the delightfully stupid Bingo Little, has fallen head over heels for a waitress, and Jeeves is called upon to think of a way to convince Bingo's uncle that this is a suitable match.Flowerpots, large dogs, and the romantic novels of Rosie M. Banks all figure in this hilarious romp. --Simon Leake ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Another Wodehouse Hit
Although each Jeeves and Wooster episode is a real gem, "Jeeves the Matchmaker" stands out as a masterpiece. The memorable Wodehouse characters included in this episode are Bobbie Wickham (who is, as Bertie says, "chock-ful of both fizz and ginger"), Bingo Little (who is in love AGAIN), Tuppy Glossop (who is single again after telling his fiance - Bertie's cousin Angela - that she looked like a racoon in her new hat), and Bingo's uncle, Lord Bittlesham -- plus a newcomer, a Irish Wolfhound named Patrick. Although Bertie usually abhors the thought of marriage, in this episode he decides that he is lonely and wants to marry Bobby Wickham. However, Bertie changes his mind after a horrible experience he has at a girl's school. While convincing his master that marriage is not a good idea and that young girls are "absolute fiends," Jeeves also finds time to un-attach Tuppy from the clutches of a "corn-fed" country girl while re-attaching him to Bertie's cousin Angela, while at the dame time finding a way to break up Bingo's engagement to a tea shop waitress named Mabel whom Jeeves wants to marry himself. If you want some good, clean, hilarious fun that perfectly blends wit with physical comedy, I highly recommend this, or any other, Jeeves and Wooster episode. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse's immortal characters are brought to glorious life in this hilarious series starring Hugh Laurie as the chinless but charming Bertie Wooster and Stephen Fry as his valet and frequent savior, Jeeves. Superb period detail, performers who seem to have been born for these roles, and a hearty helping of Wodehouse wit make these shows essential viewing for anyone in search of a sophisticated chuckle.

When Chuffy's fiancée, wealthy American heiress Pauline Stoker, notices that a stranger with a red beard is following her, she turns to our man Bertie for protection. Bertram returns to Chuffnell with Pauline (and Jeeves, of course) only to be dragged into an extremely complicated series of misadventures. Quelle surprise! Before long Bertie finds himself trapped on the Stokers' yacht, and his only hope of rescue comes in the form of a band of banjo-playing drones. With a plot thicker than a whale omelet, Jeeves has his work cut out to save the day this time. --Simon Leake ... Read more

Reviews (1)

J and W review
Jeeves and Wooster are by far the most witty and downright hilarious British comedies ever created. If you love intelligent, yet easy-to-follow humor; Jeeves and Wooster is for you. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I love the nightlife
In this episode of Jeeves and Wooster, Jeeves steps out of his usual detached role and volunteers to live the nightlife to the full. This is not by choice, but because a friend of Bertie's is in trouble.

Rocky is a reclusive poet living off his monthly allowance from his aunt, but auntie wants the boy to write her letters telling of all the wonderful activities that go on after dark in the Big Apple. Desperate to stay out of sight, he begs Jeeves to go on the town for him and write a report which will be forwarded on to his aunt. This backfires (of course) with hilarious results in the usual Wodehouse tradition.

My favorite scene in this episode is when Jeeves joins Bertie for a duet on the piano. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Typically Funny/entertaining
Comrade Bingo is another fun episode of Jeeves and Wooster. Bingo has another crush and an aunt wants another favor from Bertie Wooster. There is some slap stick comedy fighting in this one, but everything works out in the end thanks to Jeeves. I have almost all of the Jeeves and Wooster tapes and I enjoy watching them over and over again.

Jeeves and Wooster; Comrade Bingo
As with all the Jeeves and Wooster films this one is hilarious. Bingo Little is back and has of course fallen in love...again. This time the apple of his eye is the daughter of a Marxist communist working in Britain to free the masses from the yoke of the evil aristocracy. Bertie is recruited to provide dinner and companionship and good references for the always-penniless Bingo's latest cause. Dinner means Jeeves must take the role of equal with his master to convince the "Party members" of the ruse. It also means Bertie must cook and serve. As with all PG Wodehouse's "Jeeves" stories the plot thickens and thickens with laughs and slapstick until your sides split. ... Read more