Reviews (5)

the man who prevailed
This film is an earnest telling of chapters 25 through 33 of Genesis, and starts when Esau sells his birthright to his twin brother Jacob for a bowl of pottage (red lentil stew), and then gets maneuvered out of his father's blessing by his mother Rebekah. She knows Esau doesn't listen to God's voice, and his two Canaanite wives are a wearisome thing in her life, so Jacob is sent off to her brother (who has daughters), some 400 miles away, where Jacob falls in love with the attractive Rachel...and once there, "everything he touches, flourishes". It is a narrative of great faith and perserverance, and the relationship between Jacob and Rachel is touching and sweet.

Most of the story follows biblical lines, with a few additions; one of them is inexplicable to me, because it is the only part of the film that could be upsetting to children; it shows Jacob on his journey, fleeing a man he thinks is Esau seeking retribution (it is actually Esau's brother-in-law), when his donkey has a fatal fall from a hillside. It is odd that they would embelish the story with such an unpleasant event, because otherwise the sheep, goats and camels are wonderful, and would be enjoyable viewing for children.
The story ends as Jacob, his wives and children (the sons who would become the twelve tribes of Israel), servants and flocks arrive at Shehem. The story is continued in another film of this series, "Joseph", which is superior to this film, and highly recommended.

The cast:

Matthew Modine is fine as Jacob, Lara Flynn Boyle an excellent, lovely Rachel, and the ever beautiful Irene Papas is a marvelous Rebekah. Sean Bean (Boromir in The Lord of the Rings trilogy) is very good as Esau, and Giancarlo Giannini is Rebekah's devious brother Laban.
The score by Marco Frisina adds to the atmosphere, and the cinematography by Ennio Guarneri, though often darkened with a lot of shadows, is nice when using the sub-saharan landscape around Quarzazate, Morocco, where this was filmed; it well depicts how one would imagine the primitive life of ancient nomadic shepherds could be.
Total running time is 94 minutes.

Inspiring Entertainment for the Whole Family
"Jacob" is not one of the better productions from the excellent Turner Bible Collection. Nonetheless, it is inspiring entertainment, solidly based on the Biblical account of Jacob. There are portions of the narrative that are brilliantly captured, while other aspects of the story are poorly handled. I would still highly recommend the movie as quality entertainment for the entire family.

pretty ordinary!
This is a fairly ordinary film about the life of Jacob. Set in Morocco, It has very stark desert scenery as a backdrop, pehaps a reflection on the barren period of Jacob's life as a luckless, penniless 'slave' to the greedy and cunning Laban. I did NOT like the actress who played Rachael. I would have expected a shepherdess of that period to be portrayed as a strong resourceful woman, with perhaps an air of Oriental mystique i.e. just her eyes showing at that first meeting at the well. She looks 'wimpy', like, just stepped out of her air-conditioned tent? Considering the casting of the later Lube Productions in this series, they mis-cast in this one! Laban, however, as the villain of the story, is acted well. As the cunning and conniving Uncle he holds the plot together. His ultimatum to the two daughters to 'swap' places is a convicing scenario of how it might have actually happened. Ok, it's not the best film in the world, but if you like Biblical dramas, it would be worth getting.

Great Video
Great casting, acting, directing, scenery, etc. I was recommended this by a girl from Reno, NV. I'm so glad she did. In the past, when I used to read the Bible passage about Jacob, aka Israel, and Esau, aka Edom, arguing about their birthright over a bowl of lentil stew, I always had difficulty picturing it in my mind. The movie easily cleared this up for me by doing an excellent job of taking me back in time and re-enacting this scene. Regarding the actors and actresses, their personalities and appearances seemed perfect for the parts, especially Jacob played by Matthew Modine and beautiful Rachel played by Lara Flynn Boyle. Whether or not the cast and crew were made up of Bible believers, I think the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had His hand in helping with this movie.

Fantastic
I saw this movie right after I had read the story. It stayed so true to the Word. Outstanding cast! Anyone could enjoy this story.And it is truly a family movie. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

a sexy thriller
This is one of Antonio Banderas' best movies. He and Rebecca DeMornay have a a strong chemistry between them, and it shows. The movie was very interesting and had a very unexpected ending!! There was a good combination of mystery, suspense and sex. I recommend this movie to anyone who wants a thrill!!!

Are you an Antonio fan?
If you like Antonio Banderas, this is a great movie for you! He is wonderfully sexual in this movie, and the one scene that stands out is right after Rebecca returns to his apartment and slaps him....it had me so...well, lets just say it was really good! If you can watch a movie for its entertainment value, and not pick it apart for its cinematic quality and reality quirks, then you will enjoy this movie. It does have a plot, and a good one, and the ending is a little bit of a let down, but other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Antonio is at one of his sexiest in this movie! He had me captivated the whole time! Watch for that particular scene, you wont be disappointed!

very good drama
I really liked the plot and directing and acting in this movie.I thought this was one of Ms.DeMornay's greatist dramatic roles I've seen her in.No corny bimbo performance here, great dramatic acting combined with good soundtrack and storyline! It has mystery,intrigue,romance, and spice! I'll even use a word I don't usually use and say the "lovescene" playing in the snow and flashing back and forth was the best I've ever scene in a movie! Ms.DeMornay is underrated and all the nude scenes I've seen of her are classy and in good taste, unlike other actresses!I'd prefer her to keep her clothes on myself because of all the morons out there who only get off onTV nudity because no real women wants anything to do with them! Again she's a great actress! Keep making movies Rebecca, I'll watch them even if on a viewfinder!Your the best!

Okay, so the ending stinks....
BUT, I still liked this film. While it has holes, characer-wise, such as; why wouldn't Sarah know her ex-fiancee's sister or his cousin already? Somehow, it's still easy enough to get caught up in the mysterious Tony and his motives in pursuing Sarah, and hey, anyone who DOESN'T melt when Tony is holding the wine glasses, pouring the wine for Sarah as she enters his apartment has no romantic soul! The ending is unsatisfactory and rings false, but do what I do, make your own ending and hit rewind!

A movie to endure, not enjoy
I cannot remember another time when i actually suffered through a movie, but this one was almost unbearable to watch for me and company. The dialogue is cliched and horrendously bad, the acting is poor and forced, and the story utterly, irredeemably awful. It is full of lame suspense-thriller gags that have been used perhaps 100 times prior to this one. The movie also has one of the worst conclusions of any movie in the past 30 years at least-- all of us were shaking our heads and laughing, a bad thing since this is not intended to be a comedic film! De Mornay and Banderas have done vastly better work than this, and if you catch this film it will spoil your opinion of both of them. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This 1968 Royal Shakespeare Company film version of the Bard's comedy is a lost cause. Directed by Peter Hall, the effort is choppy and distracting, with lines intentionally rushed and natural exteriors often overwhelming any focus on characters or story turns. The cast of outstanding names may reel one in, but there is nothing whole cloth about this project, leaving one mostly to marvel at the way Diana Rigg, Ian Holm, Judi Dench (in scanty costume), and Helen Mirren looked three decades ago. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Fun! Plus, seeing mega-stars of today 30 years ago, cool!
It's first of all, Midsummer Night's Dream, always a winner. But also, this film is full of some magnificent stars when they were young.. Diana Rigg -- if she were all ya got, that would be enough. However, you get Ian Holm, who was the android in the first Aliens movie and also in Branagh's Henry V, and many other wonderful shows. Then, a young Dame Judi Dench.. a great performance and she's nearly nude to boot!!

And if you're a fan of the british comedy Keeping Up Appearances, you get a treat of watching a young Clive Swift (Richard in KUA).

This is fun, campy, and well deserving to be a keeper. Someone complained about the quality.. yes, this transfer of film to video has a couple of old-age problems, but they are way too few to notice by the discriminating eye.

This adaptation is outstanding!!
I just had to weigh in when I read the wide range of opinions posted regarding this film -- most seem to have strong feelings about it, either favorable or decidedly not so. OK, so the film quality is not ideal, and the jerky camera shots are intermingled with cheesy special effects... so what, the ACTING is excellent! The feeling and expression behind each and every actor and actress in this production is sincere and intelligent. Unlike certain "hot" actors on the current scene (Ahem... Mr. Branagh), these young players (many of whom have become the revered masters of today) deliver the goods with moderation, humility, humor, intellect, and yes, passion. They are also all eminently well trained in the classic style (it is the Royal Shakespeare Company, after all) and it shows. Throw all the modern special effects and scenery to the dogs... Fine acting like this is all I'll ever want.

Enchanting! Anyone with an eye for art will relish this!
This fantastic version of Midsummer's Night Dream will keep any viewer glued to the screen. However, it is best for those who have a liking for the absurd in arts. For example, the choppy close ups, odd sound and bizarre lighting effects might turn some viewers off. If you love the story enough, you can use those effects to your advantage as the viewer. If you like big budget Hollywood versions of Shakespeare, don't bother with this one. However, if you enjoy true art, this video will find a place in your permanent collection.

Terrible, Just Plain Terrible!
Certaintly one of the worst version of my favorite Bard play that I ever seen this movie leaves a lot to be desired in acting and direction. Moving to fast and furious for the viewer to keep up and with a late 1960's costuming and stage backdrop this is by far the cheeseyest version I have ever seen! In spite of the fine cast members like Diana Rigg, Ian Holm, and David Warner, this film comes off more a high school play than serious theater.

The medium hides the message
This production has some possibly interesting features, such as the emphasis on rain - the "weather gone awry" of Titania's big speech. The trouble with it is its almost amateurish look and sound: no attempt, most of the time, to simulate night, not even with a blue filter. And the postproduction dubbing of the sound is (a) not entirely careful of lip movement, and (b) acoustically uniform: indoors sounds like indoors, outdoors sounds like indoors, everything sounds as though spoken in a small, slightly resonant room - this quite torpedoes any sense of immediacy, space, or Nature. The medium constantly hampers the transmission of the message. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Tennessee at his best!
I originally saw this production on Broadway. The taped performances are astonishingly good. Kevin Anderson is outstanding, and Redgrave cannot be topped. The ending is as Tennessee wanted it. While I will always like and have a copy of the movie version with Brando (he is excellent in his own style) this is clearly the more authentic production. Worth every cent of the price if you are a true fan of Tennessee Williams. This play is rarely produced, so get it on tape while you can. Superb!

Breathtaking acting...
I watched this video after becoming interested in the actor, Kevin Anderson, a Steppenwolf ensemble member. You may know him as Julia Robert's gentle boyfriend, Ben, in "Sleeping with the Enemy". Well, WOW - he is HOT STUFF as Val in this adaptation. Truly exeptional acting from the *entire* cast. He also sings (gorgeous voice) and taught himself the guitar for this role. He starred in the London production of "Sunset Boulevard" with Patti LuPone.

The ending is truly gruesome and tragic - a REAL downer. The poetic language is beautiful. I was just left in awe of the skills of the actors to pull off such a challenging work. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Fun! Plus, seeing mega-stars of today 30 years ago, cool!
It's first of all, Midsummer Night's Dream, always a winner. But also, this film is full of some magnificent stars when they were young.. Diana Rigg -- if she were all ya got, that would be enough. However, you get Ian Holm, who was the android in the first Aliens movie and also in Branagh's Henry V, and many other wonderful shows. Then, a young Dame Judi Dench.. a great performance and she's nearly nude to boot!!

And if you're a fan of the british comedy Keeping Up Appearances, you get a treat of watching a young Clive Swift (Richard in KUA).

This is fun, campy, and well deserving to be a keeper. Someone complained about the quality.. yes, this transfer of film to video has a couple of old-age problems, but they are way too few to notice by the discriminating eye.

This adaptation is outstanding!!
I just had to weigh in when I read the wide range of opinions posted regarding this film -- most seem to have strong feelings about it, either favorable or decidedly not so. OK, so the film quality is not ideal, and the jerky camera shots are intermingled with cheesy special effects... so what, the ACTING is excellent! The feeling and expression behind each and every actor and actress in this production is sincere and intelligent. Unlike certain "hot" actors on the current scene (Ahem... Mr. Branagh), these young players (many of whom have become the revered masters of today) deliver the goods with moderation, humility, humor, intellect, and yes, passion. They are also all eminently well trained in the classic style (it is the Royal Shakespeare Company, after all) and it shows. Throw all the modern special effects and scenery to the dogs... Fine acting like this is all I'll ever want.

Enchanting! Anyone with an eye for art will relish this!
This fantastic version of Midsummer's Night Dream will keep any viewer glued to the screen. However, it is best for those who have a liking for the absurd in arts. For example, the choppy close ups, odd sound and bizarre lighting effects might turn some viewers off. If you love the story enough, you can use those effects to your advantage as the viewer. If you like big budget Hollywood versions of Shakespeare, don't bother with this one. However, if you enjoy true art, this video will find a place in your permanent collection.

Terrible, Just Plain Terrible!
Certaintly one of the worst version of my favorite Bard play that I ever seen this movie leaves a lot to be desired in acting and direction. Moving to fast and furious for the viewer to keep up and with a late 1960's costuming and stage backdrop this is by far the cheeseyest version I have ever seen! In spite of the fine cast members like Diana Rigg, Ian Holm, and David Warner, this film comes off more a high school play than serious theater.

The medium hides the message
This production has some possibly interesting features, such as the emphasis on rain - the "weather gone awry" of Titania's big speech. The trouble with it is its almost amateurish look and sound: no attempt, most of the time, to simulate night, not even with a blue filter. And the postproduction dubbing of the sound is (a) not entirely careful of lip movement, and (b) acoustically uniform: indoors sounds like indoors, outdoors sounds like indoors, everything sounds as though spoken in a small, slightly resonant room - this quite torpedoes any sense of immediacy, space, or Nature. The medium constantly hampers the transmission of the message. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Comedy with some culture and good singing
This opera is a comedy set in an english village in the early 1900's. The basic story is that the village notables decide that none of the village girls are good enough in reputation to elect a festival queen so they choose Albert Herring, the shy village green-grocer who is firmly under his mother's rule to be the festival King . In the subsequent events, Albert appears at the festival, collects his prize money and disappears, much lamented by all. He reappears at the end having spent some of his prize at nearby pubs. Clearly, he is transformed by the experience and takes charge of his own life in a happy ending.
The music is fairly modern and difficult both to sing and play. In spite of this, it easily caught my ear. The lament for Albert near the end is the high point of the music and is wonderful to any ear. Both the singing and playing are at an exceptionally high standard as you can recognize from the cast list. The appearance and acting of the singers and and the stage sets all make for a wonderful sense of the action and the period of time in which it is set. My only negative view is that it is very difficult to understand the sung language of the women and that subtitles or a libretto would be helpful. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

a view from the edge
In this age of brain dead Hollywood movie domination, Peter Hall's Delinquent comes like a refreshing voice from the gritty edge of American suburbia. This is not a happy film but it is an honest one. Full marks.

unpredictable, original and highly intelligent
Peter Hall's Delinquent is one of the best indie flicks I've seen in recent years, a refreshingly original yet not self-indulgent debut. The soundtrack rocked, too. Just when you think you know what's going to happen, Hall pulls the tablecloth out from under you. This filmmaker definitely has a sardonic vision (check out the ending) but he is also capable of tenderness to his characters. I hope he is working on a new one, wherever he is.

Intelligent Teen Angst for All Ages
Delinquent is a dreamy, suspenseful drama about Tim, a teenager trapped in a mobile home in the sticks with his alcoholic, donut-eating (one of the films only clichés) cop dad and the memory of his mother, whose body he recently found after she committed suicide. He finds a vacant summer home that makes the perfect hide out and escape as he uses his hungry imagination to live vicariously through the belongings of an absent teenage girl and her family.

In an adorable scene involving a top hat, lingerie, and a mirror, we see a stunning display of his sensitive side, sexual curiosity, and escalating anger towards his father, who chides him for reading both porno mags and Virginia Woolf. Meanwhile, the girl is having problems of her own and sneaks away from boarding school to the refuge of her summer house, unaware that an uninvited guest has got his hands on both the family's gun and a videotape of one of her intimate moments. Revealing any more would be revealing too much.

The plot takes some entirely unpredictable twists and the ending is riveting. I saw this film at a new filmmakers' screening and the audience was truly awestruck by the final moments.

For you cool kids out there who remember Gang of Four (they also had a song on the Dogs in Space soundtrack) you'll love their guitar-laden atmospheric score. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

VG Picture-No Subtitles
I had the old VHS Version of this Glyndenbourne performance. compare to that the picture quality of the Dvd is a huge improvement. However the VHS Version had English subtitles; the DVD does not. In these days of everything in Opera having subtitles it seems very strange thatthis DVD does not. Maybe Image would have to pay extra. I do not see in the Opera listings in Amazon any consistent listing for subtitles. For me I would not want to have this if without subtitles so I seek some way of getting a refund. I do not want DVD with no subtitles ... Read more

Reviews (10)

a sexy thriller
This is one of Antonio Banderas' best movies. He and Rebecca DeMornay have a a strong chemistry between them, and it shows. The movie was very interesting and had a very unexpected ending!! There was a good combination of mystery, suspense and sex. I recommend this movie to anyone who wants a thrill!!!

Are you an Antonio fan?
If you like Antonio Banderas, this is a great movie for you! He is wonderfully sexual in this movie, and the one scene that stands out is right after Rebecca returns to his apartment and slaps him....it had me so...well, lets just say it was really good! If you can watch a movie for its entertainment value, and not pick it apart for its cinematic quality and reality quirks, then you will enjoy this movie. It does have a plot, and a good one, and the ending is a little bit of a let down, but other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Antonio is at one of his sexiest in this movie! He had me captivated the whole time! Watch for that particular scene, you wont be disappointed!

very good drama
I really liked the plot and directing and acting in this movie.I thought this was one of Ms.DeMornay's greatist dramatic roles I've seen her in.No corny bimbo performance here, great dramatic acting combined with good soundtrack and storyline! It has mystery,intrigue,romance, and spice! I'll even use a word I don't usually use and say the "lovescene" playing in the snow and flashing back and forth was the best I've ever scene in a movie! Ms.DeMornay is underrated and all the nude scenes I've seen of her are classy and in good taste, unlike other actresses!I'd prefer her to keep her clothes on myself because of all the morons out there who only get off onTV nudity because no real women wants anything to do with them! Again she's a great actress! Keep making movies Rebecca, I'll watch them even if on a viewfinder!Your the best!

Okay, so the ending stinks....
BUT, I still liked this film. While it has holes, characer-wise, such as; why wouldn't Sarah know her ex-fiancee's sister or his cousin already? Somehow, it's still easy enough to get caught up in the mysterious Tony and his motives in pursuing Sarah, and hey, anyone who DOESN'T melt when Tony is holding the wine glasses, pouring the wine for Sarah as she enters his apartment has no romantic soul! The ending is unsatisfactory and rings false, but do what I do, make your own ending and hit rewind!

A movie to endure, not enjoy
I cannot remember another time when i actually suffered through a movie, but this one was almost unbearable to watch for me and company. The dialogue is cliched and horrendously bad, the acting is poor and forced, and the story utterly, irredeemably awful. It is full of lame suspense-thriller gags that have been used perhaps 100 times prior to this one. The movie also has one of the worst conclusions of any movie in the past 30 years at least-- all of us were shaking our heads and laughing, a bad thing since this is not intended to be a comedic film! De Mornay and Banderas have done vastly better work than this, and if you catch this film it will spoil your opinion of both of them. ... Read more