Amazon.com

A pioneer of America's first frontier came to life every week for years--now you can relive his adventures with Daniel Boone: Premiere Episode. In "Ken-Tuck-E," Fess Parker as our national hero must take territory from the natives in order to prepare for war with the British.Along the way, we meet his family, friends (including Ed Ames as Mingo), and enemies as "Dan'l" fights, talks, and sings his way through scrape after scrape. Though some of the characterizations might offend modern sensibilities, if viewed in context the show can be seen as respectful (except possibly to the British and raccoons). This classic episode shows why Daniel Boone stayed in living rooms for so long--charm and adventure go a long way in this country. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (10)

THE DAYS OF YESTERYEAR
As several have said, Fess Parker was a better Daniel Boone than a Davy Crockett. Oh well, he was Davy only four or five times, and Daniel about SIX YEARS. Practice does make perfect. This is a good video for nostalgic reasons and fairly believable acting. If you are a historian who nitpicks about accuracy, then don't watch. It was amazing to see Plains TeePees intermingled with East Coast wigwams. Some of the tribal costume was out of place as well. Oh yes, some of the "Indians" needed a little more berry juice for complexion.
Other than that, this is an excellent video. It is very family oriented(Daniel does not take the Indian wife that is offered to him because Becky is waiting back home), his family always runs to meet him, and gets angry if he has to leave again. He tells stories to his children, and sings to the Missus.
Yes, there is some violence and killing and probably excessive, but Dan'l doesn't kill unless it is to protect someone, and tries avoid it if possible.
These things just are not done in films today, and if they are attempted they just don't have the same spirit.
This video(may there soon be more!!) also gives our children a chanced to see a program that excited us when we were young. everyone has seen all the Peanuts cartoons, and odds and ends of famous sci-fi, but this is a simpler life video.
It is also great to see familiar faces we haven't heard from in years like Ed Ames, and did anyone notice George "Goober Pyle" Lindsay up on the stockade wall during the battle?
AHHHH for the days of clean, if very inaccurrate historical stories. Yes we were very prejudiced in those days, but I think things like this were the beginning of racial acceptance.

Dan'l Boone living large on the frontier of Ken Tuck E
"Ken Tuck E" is the pilot episode for "Daniel Boone," which originally aired on September 24, 1964. Fess Parker, who had become famous in the 1950's playing Davy Crockett for Disney, became even more successful as American frontiersman and folk hero Daniel Boone. Technically a "Western," the series was set in the 18th century, right before the American Revolution, when the "west" was the North Carolina-Tennessee-Kentucky! In this pilot episode Dan'l gets his friends, both Indians and settlers, ready to fight the British. Ed Ames co-starred as Dan'l's Indian friend, Mingo, while Patricia Blair played Rebecca Boone, Veronica Cartwright was daughter Jemima, and Darby hinton son Israel. The show also featured Albert Salmi as Yadkin and Dal McKennon as Cincinnatus, the tavern-keeper of Boonesborough. This first episode is certainly representative of the series, which focused on Boone's encounters with friendly and hostile Indians, his pioneering exploits, and his relationship with his family. I know I am not alone in thinking that Parker made a better Daniel Boone than he did a Davy Crockett.

great family entertainment
I agree with the other reviewers, this is great family entertainment that you aren't ashamed of letting your kids and family see. I think all the baby boomers and even some of the kids of today would enjoy seeing this series on DVD or at least VHS.

Please pass this on to the ones who decide what is coming out next on video.

danel boon
simply one of the best tv shows of the 60s down to earth and very entertaining. i have been in search of i think a disney daniel boone when he was not married to rebbeca but was on his way to discover ken-tuck.i seen it on tv in the mid.60s but that was it. so far iam unable to fine.it stared fess parker and ed ames.

Great tape Wonderful Return to the Past
One of the best TV Shows of the 60's. I hope more Fess Parker Daniel Boone shows will be available.This was pure entertainment.I have wondered for years why this program was not out on tape. During those years we watched it every week. Those were heroes you could cheer for. I would like to own all the Daniel Boone TV shows.I hope Amazon.com will be able to offer more of these. Harry at Vidayo did a top notch job getting the tape to us. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Beware of global warming! After an arctic glacier undergoes a sudden mysterious thaw, the world faces the wrath of a not-so-jolly green giant in this moderately diverting big bug movie. Although the handsomely produced film follows the standard '50s monster movie playbook--plentiful stock footage, tired characterizations, a lengthy intro documenting the wonderfulness of a newfangled gizmo named radar, etc.--a little too closely to be truly memorable, it nonetheless remains a more than acceptable time-waster, with above-average special effects and a nicely atmospheric conclusion inside the Manhattan Tunnel. Writer-producer William Alland, in addition to being affiliated with some of the period's greatest achievements in the horror/sci fi genres (including the classic Creature from the Black Lagoon), is notable for his longtime association with another gigantic force--namely, Orson Welles. --Andrew Wright ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Dr. Ned, What We Really Need Is A Great Big Windshield!
THE DEADLY MANTIS certainly won't scare any one, but as sci-fi programmers go it is better than most. A volcanic erruption at the south pole thaws out a giant, prehistoric preying mantis at the north pole. Military men go missing. Dr. Ned (William Hopper--Hedda Hopper's son and best known as Paul Drake on television's PERRY MASON) is called in to i.d. the creature--but by this time the creature has eaten up several Eskimo and is en route to the Washington Monument.

About a third or more of the film consists of stock footage: old government educational films, military men in radar rooms, air planes--and would you believe Eskimos putting out to sea? Which explains, of course, why a tribe of Eskimo is attacked in the movie. ("Hey, Guys! Think we can work this in?") Mix in some negligable special effects, some clunky dialogue, and some sexist attitudes and you're good to go. Not as original as THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD, but fans of 1950s "big bug" schlock will enjoy it--and the kids will have a good time throwing popcorn at the screen.

Better pray, because a killer praying mantis is on the loose
During the first few minutes of "The Deadly Mantis," it appears like it's going to be an instructional video, or a history lesson. The story and the scenario soon changes when a huge insect called a praying mantis, thaws and is set on the loose to try and take over the world that is now inhabited by human beings.

"The Deadly Mantis" is one of the many "creature features" from the decade of the 50's. In this one, an overgrown praying mantis begins its journey in the cold arctic region of the North Pole. Unlike many insects, the praying mantis is a flesh eater, instead of a plant eater. This compelling fact will probably make most people shiver, especially after finding out where the monster is headed.

The praying mantis in the movie has spectacular special effects for the time (1957). You'll see the mantis tower above buildings, fly over vast oceans, and more. Even better than the special effects is the movie itself. "The Deadly Mantis" is suspenseful, it's well made, and it's all the more interesting with the idea of a common insect taking over the life of humans. There are also other redeeming qualities such as seeing pilots shoot at it with several missiles, the various other military maneuvers, and more.

If you like other classic horror movies that feature a creature that tries to take over, I recommend getting "The Deadly Mantis." It's one of the best films that features an insect, without a doubt.

Classic "Big Bug ", Feature From The Marvellous 1950's
Not as well known as the other classic sci fi titles from the 1950's like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", "Them", or "Creature from the Black Lagoon", "The Deadly Mantis", has on display I feel one of the more original "creatures", that abounded during that decade terrorising countless cities, isolated farmhouses or ships out at sea. The Praying Mantis of the story, a huge prehistoric ancestor of the specimen we know today, is the intriguing creature of the title and it makes for a most enjoyable sci fi film that while always taking itself very seriously as a drama can also be appreciated for the superb special effects that give the impression of a huge bug causing untold destruction in cities and in the airways. I personally feel this "monster", is one of the better of these mutated or reawakened creatures that were common on theatre screens during the fifties. Nathan Juran, a director I admire greatly clocked up an impressive sci fi directing record in the late 50's with not only this effort but also the classics "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman", "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad", and especially "Twenty Million Miles to Earth". He seemed to have one of the best understandings of working in this genre and his efforts are always worth taking a look at.

"The Deadly Mantis", begins with a lengthy explanation of the "new" wonder of this period the radar, how it operates and what it is capable of picking up. The action then moves to a massive volcanic eruption that disturbs the natural order of things in the artic circle. The resulting global warning releases an enourmous prehistoric ancestor of the modern Praying Mantis from its millions of years deep freeze. Very soon strange and unsettling reports are coming from the artic region of remote observation bases and then survey planes being attacked and destroyed by some massive being that leaves huge track marks in the snow unlike any other creature known to man. Strangely no survivors of these attacks are ever found and at the observation station a puzzling spore is uncovered that comes from a creature of a fantastic size. An investigation is set up and Col. Joe Parkman (Craig Stevens), is put in charge of tracking down what is causing this trouble in the region. After the giant spore is brought back to Washington the military call in expert Paleontologist Dr. Ned Jackson (William Hopper), to try and identify what it actually is. With the assitance of assistant Marge Blaine (Alix Talton), Dr. Jackson isolates it as being a prehistoric ancestor of the modern Praying Mantis but from the size of the spore it is a creature so fantastic in size as to be hard to imagine. The incidents of this terrifying creature causing death and destruction continue with Eskimo colonies and ships at sea being destroyed by the creature that is rampant in its need for food and leaves no human being alive as it passes. Dr. Jackson and Marge travel to the artic base to investigate further and experience first hand the full terror of this prehistoric creature as it attacks the base and defies even the military's flame throwers. A pattern begins to emerge which indicates the Mantis is heading south to the Amazon region which was its original habitat in prehistoric times. On the way south the Mantis wreaks havoc in Washington where it attacks the Washington Monument before it is finally trapped in the Manhatten Tunnel in New York. With the creature seemingly impervious to bullets of any kind Col. Parkman seals off both ends of the tunnel and pumps poisonous gases into the tunnel hoping to kill the trapped creature. There are some tense moments when it looks like the creature will even withstand the gases and the men begin to retreat however eventually the gas does its work and the creature meets its end on top of a pile of smashed cars that were abandoned in the tunnel.

"The Deadly Mantis may contain the tried and true formula for these types of "creature features" from the 1950's, however the story is presented in a sensible and thought out way. The extensive use of airforce and radar footage despite it being of a poorer quality than the Universal Studios film, doesn't detract from the story moving on. Performances in "The Deadly Mantis", are of the earnest and sincere kind one expects from this period in Sci Fi film making. Craig Stevens plays your standard rugged male lead and he combines well with female lead Alix Talton who apart from having one of the best screams of any actress in Sci Fi Films around this time, also has some character to work with rather than only reacting to what the men are doing. Alix Talton was a most capable actress and here she creates a character that is no shrinking violet but a talented photographer who insists on getting involved where the main action is taking place. William Hopper playing her boss does a credible piece of acting like he did in "Twenty Million MIles to Earth", as the main expert on what the creature actually is. The Mantis in question is one of the more memorable creatures of the 1950's sci fi genre, right up there with the killer ants from "Them". Its construction and movements are first rate and the invented roar that it makes really creates a chilling effect while possibly not being anything like the sound a giant Mantis would make! But licence has to be allowed when looking at these types of films.

For an enjoyable ride back to Universal Studios "Golden Age of Science Fiction", you can't do much better that "The Deadly Mantis". Certainly not the best film in this genre ever made it still is presented on a level that indicates some thought has gone into the story and especially into the special effects. The sight of the ferocious Mantis overturning a large bus on a fog bound night or demolishing cars in the Manhatten Tunnel are still some of THE classic sci fi images from this decade.Enjoy!

Very well made motion picture sci fi.
The Deadly Mantis is a very entertaining and well made science fiction/horror old picture. Directed by the skilled Nathan Juran, this movie does not deserve to be laughed at. As stated, the film is overdue for the quality DVD presented on the VHS version. The picture quality is crisp and watchable in most scenes, only wavering in the action World War 2 stock footage.
Synopsis: When a long deceased prehistoric creature is awoken by global warming, it rises out of the Arctic freezer on a murderous spree. It destroys a fighter bomber and a weather shack, killing all involved. A radar positioning outpost attempts to reach the shack, but fails. When a scientist is sent over to two wrecks, both contain no bodies, but evidence of peculiar skid marks in the snow. When determined specialists discover that a mantis has been unleashed, all must attempt to terminate it before more casualties occur, or the world is put in jeopardy.
Very suspenseful picture, with an underrated history. This is, though, without doubt, the golden age of science fiction thrillers!

Way overdue for DVD
If you want to know about this movie just read the other reviews. I say isn't time we get this great old classic black & white monster movie out on DVD! They (studio's) are taking way too much time to do this. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

My 5 year old boy enjoys this show very much.
I enjoyed this show as a kid and bought it for my children. My daughter has little interest in SciFi, but my son enjoys all the classics: Forbidden Plant, Them, Godzilla, etc. He watched this every day for several days: the true seal of approval. There is suspense and adventure and buggy monsters. What more would a boy want?

Gibbs!
A famous American celebrity residing in the UK recently lamented the perfidy of the British worker after getting the builders in. Looking out the window at some builders doing up a shop across the street, I observe two men sitting drinking tea and one reading a paper. It was ever thus, as depicted in this film. The brilliant, if mercurial Professor Cavor pleads with his workers to watch the boiler harbouring his latest scientific discovery and they shrug off-handedly, engrossed as they are in a game of checkers. Needless to say the boiler explodes. It was America, of course, that inevitably boasted the first men on the moon. The afore-mentioned scene is no doubt played as a counterpoint to the Selenites moon colony which has a novel way of dealing with the likes of their own Gibbs, which is to freeze him until his nuisance value is needed. Cavor finds this equitable, and there's little doubt that the concept was close to H.G.Wells sensibilities as well, despite the film maker's insistance on a humanitarian counterpoint to the film's facist harshness with a multi-national moon landing crew at the film's beginning. Unfortunately, in the real world the American celebrity was forced to eat humble pie in order to get the house finished.
FMITM suffers from some narrative problems in it's second half due to the fact that it mostly revolves around the reactive. "Look over there!" -"Run from that!" Etc. It is a curiously perverse film because it starts off rather like 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' and progressively darkens to the point of being almost repugnant, what with Cavor beaten up by an inexplicably contemptuous Bedford. The ending is frankly disturbing, too. Not family entertainment by any means, but then scriptwriter Nigel Kneale was morbid and pessimistic in his own work, not usually satisfied until his cast are lying prostrate like the denounement of 'Hamlet'.
My favourite bit overall is when Cavor tells Bedford that Cavorite is a secret. "Will you tell me, then?" He is asked. "Yes. Yes, I will tell you" he replies in that endearing manner unique to Lionel Jeffries. An offbeat, but unique and largely forgotten film which is worth searching out.

It could have been a good film
As a kid, I watched this film several times, and I still occasionally get an urge to watch it. The story is about a small group of people who go to the moon, thinking they are the first to do so, but they find evidence to the contrary there. When they get back, they put the pieces of the puzzle together, and get the story of the real first trip to the moon from the lone survivor (if memory serves me right) from that first trip.

Ray Harryhausen's special effects were state-of-the-art at the time. The special effects were like peanuts: you loved them but they made you want more (my apologies to those of you with peanut allergies; please substitute "chocolate" or "donuts" in my simile). The story is coherent and well-told, although there was too much comic relief ...although excessive comic relief was frequently found in science fiction movies back then. It still happens today, as in the terrible translation of "Starship Troopers" from novel to film. Back then, this country was in the midst of the Cold War, and I think film-makers worried about scaring people too much (a la the radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds"), so they inserted unnecessary comedy.

Anyway, I liked this movie as a kid, and your kids will probably like it too, although they're spoiled now by hyper-realistic special effects and excessive action. Buy it or rent it, and have a ball. Adults might find it too cartoonish, as I did when I saw it again recently.

Ray's Biggest Effort at Science Fiction.
Up to the time, this was one movie where Ray had a very big budget to work with and thus we are treated to extented effects scenes of the moon people and the technology that they have created. The scene of the main characters being chased by a giant catterpiller were very effective. However as creative as this movie is, it did not quite take off with audiences in 1964, thus afterward, Ray Harryhausen went back more toward the Greek Classic myths as story material for his movies as seen in the later Sinbad movies and "Clash of the Titans".

A classic of it's kind - they don't make 'em like this now.
Where oh where to begin? The screenplay by "Quatermass" genius Nigel Kneale? The music by "Avengers" Laurie Johnson? Story by H.G. Wells, and special effects by Ray Harryhausen? With Lionel Jeffries as Cavor?

This was one of very very few big-budget science fiction films before "2001" made the genre "respectable". The adaptation turns Wells's political allegory into a standard action-adventure piece, with Martha Hyer thrown in as a putative romantic interest , but none of that detracts from the absolute charm of this film. Eminently watchable, with nothing unsuitable for all but the smallest children (there *is* a scene with the mooncow, a sort of gigantic caterpillar, chasing our heros and then being shocked by the Selenites). The movies weaves such a spell-binding atmosphere, from the documentary-style "real" moon-landing (four years ahead of its time but looking darned good) to the fabulous sun-shaft of the Selenites, the effect of the eclipse on them, to the truly wistful tone at the end, that all disbelief is suspended and I can guarantee an enjoyable time for all. If you were brought up on this, it's a very pleasant reminder of the best-quality matinees of long ago. I, for one, can't think of a better way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon than with this and a couple of companion pieces. Check my other reviews for suggestions. ... Read more

Description

Nancy Archer has had an alien encounter and it's left her 50 ft. tall! Now she sees the men in her life from a new angle--looking down on them--and it's time to fight back! Year: 1993 Director: Christopher Guest Starring:Daryl Hannah, Daniel Leroy Baldwin, William Windom ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Attack of the 50ft Woman...er...for 15 minutes anyway
Although a weak movie in it's own right, it is actually a B-Movie classic. Allison Hayes is perfect for the towering Nancy Archer on the rampage in search for her cheating husband, Harry. But the actual 'attack' is only at the last 15 minutes of the film and Hayes barely scratched the actual city and just scares people off. As many people have heard, the special effects are an absolute joke, what with the huge rubber hands and when Hayes, with all her strength, picks up...er...a cotton woll doll (which was meant to be Harry). The movies not really worth buying but may be worth recording from the TV.

fun cinema stuff
This movie was great fun, terrific acting, amusingly poor special effects but a camp 1950s scary movie classic that would definitely would be worth the purchase if it had been restored and presented in widescreen. I've seen this film many times but now I'd like to see the complete film.

Hey, it might be bad but a giant Allison Hayes ain't boring
"Attack of the 50 Foot Woman," the 1958 cult classic, is everything that the 1957 science fiction film "The Incredible Shrinking Man" is not. It is about a woman instead of a man, growing bigger instead of shrinking, vengeance instead of philosophy, and bad instead of good. However, I come down on the side of those that think this film is gloriously bad and therefore an enjoyable camp romp.

Heiress Nancy Archer (Allison Hayes) is driving around in the California desert on Route 66 when a satellite crashes to earth and she has an encounter with a giant. Nancy heads back to town and tells everyone what happened, but the police just think she has been off on one of her drinking binges again (Nancy has been institutionalized in the past, you see). As for her husband, Harry (William Hudson), he is too busy paying attention to that cheap tramp Honey Parker (Yvette Vickers). Only now Harry sees his big chance to have Nancy declared mentally incompetent so he can get her $50 million inheritance and that big diamond she wears on the cheap chain around her neck. Fortunately, Nancy is again abducted by the giant alien and when she comes back to town she is 50-feet tall and ready to go on the attack with Harry her prime target.

The sequence as Nancy slowly but surely trashes the town as she tracks down Harry redeems the rest of the film, even if the same shot shows up repeatedly (albeit sometimes backwards). The sight of Allison Hayes in her cloth bikini is as memorable an image as you will find in science fiction films from the Fifties, right up there with Gort's appearance in "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Up to that point the film belongs to Yvette Vickers, who attains a level of performance as a bad girl usually reserved for your more traditional exploitation films from this period.

"Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" can be read as a proto-feminist film, with Nancy's crashing through the roof of her house being viewed as a metaphor for breaking the boundaries of repression which limited the growth of women in the real world. But where is the fun in that? Harry done Nancy wrong and fate has given Nancy the opportunity to engage in payback. This movie was made in 1993 with Darryl Hannah and while the special effects were vastly improved, the net gain was just not as enjoyable as the original romp in the desert, which remains a touchstone for fans of bad science fiction films.

ZZZZZZZ
I LOVE the old 50's movies (The Incredible Shrinking Man, It Came from Outer Space,The Blob, The Body Snatchers") but, come on.....I literally fell asleep during this one. Slow, tedious and downright stupid! It's right up there or should I say down there with "Village of the Giants". Don't waste your money. Save it for something worthwhile.

Dumb Fun
This is a good Saturday night popcorn movie...and Allison Hayes is a wow! ... Read more

Reviews (49)

Very Good Movie.
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad was a first for Ray Harryhausen in a couple of ways. It was the first movie that he did which was shot in color. He showed that his stop motion effects worked very well in color, and it was the first movie that Ray did where Bernard Herrman scored the music. This movie started as a series of drawings that Ray made around 1949/1950. It was shopped at to various movie studios over the years before Colombia Pictures gave him the green light to go ahead with production. The whole movie in terms of the mainline shoot was done in Spain. An American production done with a Spainih film crew who were pretty good with all aspects of the shoot. From art direction to costume design. They did a pretty good job with making it look like it took place in a remote anicent time. The casting was also very good, mostly with Kerwin Matthews who was very good at facial expressions and made it look like he really was seeing fantastic monsters appear before him. Together with the music and Ray's stop motion effects, this remains as good a movie today as it was when first released in 1957.

Fine fantasy film one of the best Sinbad adventures as well.
After a couple of classic fantasy films (20 Million Miles to Earth) and a couple of duds (It Came from Beneath the Sea), Harryhausen found his niche. His best films were related to mythology and fantasy adventures. Jason and the Argonauts still stands as Harryhausen's best feature but 7th Voyage has a charm all its own. What it lacks in sharp, crisp direction it more than makes up for in swashbuckling fun.

Kerwin Mathews plays Sinbad a bit stiffly but does have the atheleticism necessary for the role. While John Philip Law (who plays Sinbad in Golden Voyage) is a better actor he fails to capture the swagger of Sinbad. Matthews vividly brings Sinbad to life despite his limitations as an actor.

Torin Thatcher chews up the scenery as if to make up for the shortcomings of some of the actors. He is the perfect over the top villian for this piece.

The special effects are still powerful and the print used here is one of the best I've seen. The extras are really nice particularly the interview with Harryhausen by John Landis. The interactive menu is easy to use and the inclusion of a number of trailers reminded me how the art of creating trailers has changed over the years.

It was also nice to see Matthews interviewed about the film in the supplementary section. All in all this is a terrific fantasy film that combines great optical effects, animation and colorful performances to create a great version of the 1001 Nights fantasy tale. Highly recommended.

AND HARRYHAUSEN CREATED...
I am an artist/writer and there was a time when I would not have been able to imagine my being such a thing. My unexpected encounter with the art of Ray Harryhausen played a considerable part in my moving in that direction and it is really remarkable what a great effect it had on my entire life.
I was a 7, almost 8, year old poor boy whose heroes were Mickey Mantle and Elvis Presley, when I first saw this amazing film at a small local theater for 25 cents! (I am not joking. I was part of a white minority living in a mostly Hispanic and Black low income neighborhood where Frosty Malts were 15 cents, a Big Hunk was a nickel, movie posters were hypnotizing, and the local theater smelled like old tennis shoes. I mention this only to give a glimpse of the setting in which the miracle occurred.)
This first viewing of the film impacted me so deeply, so forcefully, that to this day some 46 years later, my strong memory of its phenomenal colors, forms, and sounds even includes intense particular memories of the dark, shabby, musty little theater interior itself on that very day. Sometimes memories are so powerful they become symbolic for us. This is one of those.
I was very far from being an egghead type of kid, but I had considerable powers of concentration, focus, and retaining when something really interested me and from the moment I saw the poster behind the glass advertizing the 'coming attraction' called THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD, I was ready to give it my all. And when that seemingly fated afternoon came, I did so. I took in everything, I listened very carefully to the dialogue, I watched every little movement on that big screen that was so amazing in a neighborhood where many people did not even have a television. Within the first ten minutes of the film I was deeply in love with it and by the time it was over I was madly in love with it. I could think only of seeing it again... and again... It had succeeded in drawing me into its timeless circle of fantasy. With a single viewing I had memorized the entire story line and when I saw the film again ( I begged my mother for the quarter) it was like entering a realm where, though everything was wondrous and new, it was really where I had always lived. And still do. Though in certain ways I understand it better now than I did then, it remains a place where truth is inseparable from wonder and mystery.
For my actual review of the film, I am going to focus only on its first ten minutes (from the opening darkling shot of Sinbad at the helm to the crew's escape from the enraged Cyclops back to the ship). I will explain why it so captured me as a boy and why I think it is the most powerful opening ten minutes to ever come out of TinselTown .
First of all, it must be understood that all the things that keep a popular film such as this from being categorized as 'high art' of course meant nothing to me then and honestly mean nothing to me now because Harryhausen's genius transcends them all.
FIRST, Sinbad's intense calm at the helm and his ability to see land through the seemingly impenetrable, surrounding blue-black darkness that served as a symbol of the crew's lost condition told me immediately that he was a hero.
THEN the anxiety of the hungry crew that they might actually find something terrible on the land assured me that they would indeed find something terrible and that Sinbad was ready to face it.
So the question was: When it appeared, how exciting and how good would it be, this terrible thing?
Well, when the Cyclops emerged from the cave I entered a new world and had a new hero named Ray Harryhausen.
In generations to come, art-lovers will laugh that anyone actually ever thought that CGI animation was even in the same league with the art of Harryhausen.

A grand fantasy adventure
One of the most entertaining films of the 1950s is this entry of Sinbad's voyage to the mysterious island of Colossa to retrieve a magic lamp coveted by an evil sorcerer. The story has elements of Greek mythology, with its reference to the Isle of Sirens, and the very real danger of the cyclops that inhabit the forbidden island and from whom Sinbad and his crew must wrest the magic lamp. Kerwin Mathews is believable as Sinbad, the handsome and sincere hero who is maneuvered into undertaking the perilous journey by the wily Sokurah, the magician who will stop at nothing to possess the magic lamp. The film has many exciting scenes but perhaps the highlight is the thrilling swordfight between Sinbad and the skeleton in Sokurah's cave as the mad magician has summoned the skeleton to destroy Sinbad in order to seize the lamp. The movie has brilliant Technicolor lensing, a pulsating music score by Bernard Herrmann and terrific special effects by Ray Harryhausen.

superb classic adventure film for all ages
If you love classic films and you love special effects, then you are undoubtedly passionate about the films of legendary Ray Harryhausen, and this is one of his best. In this movie, Harryhausen uses his stop-motion technique in color for the first time (and the print here is terrific) to tell the tale of Sinbad (Kerwin Mathews) as he sails the seas, forms an uneasy alliance with an evil magician (Torin Thatcher) and battles a Cyclops, a two-headed Roc and a dragon. Other memorable effects include the genie Berani and the interior of his magic lamp, the Princess Parisa being shrunk and the servant woman who is turned into a dancing half-woman, half-snake. The action starts right away and continues throughout the film, and Bernard Herrmann's music is, as always, absolutely perfect.

DVD extras are excellent, and include: a picture of the original poster; trailers from other Harryhausen features; two interview featurettes, each 12 minutes long; a 3-minute featurette about the Dynamation process; and a one-hour feature about Ray Harryhausen. This is a great package -- and for you enthusiastic polyglots out there, the film can be heard in English, Spanish or Portuguese, while subtitles are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean or Thai!

Having small children who are becoming interested in "scary movies", I've found that the Harryhausen ouevre is a great way for them to find thrills and chills without gore, and a wonderful way for me to reconnect with my childhood joys as well. The whole family has a great time watching these terrific films. I'm really glad they're being re-released in such high quality and with such interesting dvd extras.

Superb! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Solid, Entertaining 50's Western
Law and Order is a solid, entertaining western that showcases Ronald Reagan as a leading man. Reagan gives an almost John Wayne-esque performance (you could almost call him John Wayne Light in this one). Reagan is tough, but very likeable in the role and shows the charisma that would help him in his political life just a decade later.

The story itself is something of a re-working of the Earps VS the Clantons, and it even starts in Tombstone. Reagan is Frame Johnson, tough, no-nonsense Marshall of Tombstone. He decides to retire to a nearby town to start a ranch and marry his girl, but he finds the town run by another rancher and soon Frame and his brothers are in conflict with that rancher and his family. There is plenty of good western action, and a solid story in Law and Order.

Law and Order is well worth buying for Western fans or fans or Ronald Reagan.

Standard Duster - But Quite Enjoyable
Ronald Reagan stars as a lawman in the old West - bringing outlaws to justice. A amusing aside: as one of the policies he adopts to ensure law and order, the Sherriff actually imposes GUN CONTROL - no guns are allowed in town - and Reagan goes about impounding weapons from violators. A standard "Duster" from the 50's this is nonetheless an an enjoyable Western. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Attack of the 50ft Woman...er...for 15 minutes anyway
Although a weak movie in it's own right, it is actually a B-Movie classic. Allison Hayes is perfect for the towering Nancy Archer on the rampage in search for her cheating husband, Harry. But the actual 'attack' is only at the last 15 minutes of the film and Hayes barely scratched the actual city and just scares people off. As many people have heard, the special effects are an absolute joke, what with the huge rubber hands and when Hayes, with all her strength, picks up...er...a cotton woll doll (which was meant to be Harry). The movies not really worth buying but may be worth recording from the TV.

fun cinema stuff
This movie was great fun, terrific acting, amusingly poor special effects but a camp 1950s scary movie classic that would definitely would be worth the purchase if it had been restored and presented in widescreen. I've seen this film many times but now I'd like to see the complete film.

Hey, it might be bad but a giant Allison Hayes ain't boring
"Attack of the 50 Foot Woman," the 1958 cult classic, is everything that the 1957 science fiction film "The Incredible Shrinking Man" is not. It is about a woman instead of a man, growing bigger instead of shrinking, vengeance instead of philosophy, and bad instead of good. However, I come down on the side of those that think this film is gloriously bad and therefore an enjoyable camp romp.

Heiress Nancy Archer (Allison Hayes) is driving around in the California desert on Route 66 when a satellite crashes to earth and she has an encounter with a giant. Nancy heads back to town and tells everyone what happened, but the police just think she has been off on one of her drinking binges again (Nancy has been institutionalized in the past, you see). As for her husband, Harry (William Hudson), he is too busy paying attention to that cheap tramp Honey Parker (Yvette Vickers). Only now Harry sees his big chance to have Nancy declared mentally incompetent so he can get her $50 million inheritance and that big diamond she wears on the cheap chain around her neck. Fortunately, Nancy is again abducted by the giant alien and when she comes back to town she is 50-feet tall and ready to go on the attack with Harry her prime target.

The sequence as Nancy slowly but surely trashes the town as she tracks down Harry redeems the rest of the film, even if the same shot shows up repeatedly (albeit sometimes backwards). The sight of Allison Hayes in her cloth bikini is as memorable an image as you will find in science fiction films from the Fifties, right up there with Gort's appearance in "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Up to that point the film belongs to Yvette Vickers, who attains a level of performance as a bad girl usually reserved for your more traditional exploitation films from this period.

"Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" can be read as a proto-feminist film, with Nancy's crashing through the roof of her house being viewed as a metaphor for breaking the boundaries of repression which limited the growth of women in the real world. But where is the fun in that? Harry done Nancy wrong and fate has given Nancy the opportunity to engage in payback. This movie was made in 1993 with Darryl Hannah and while the special effects were vastly improved, the net gain was just not as enjoyable as the original romp in the desert, which remains a touchstone for fans of bad science fiction films.

ZZZZZZZ
I LOVE the old 50's movies (The Incredible Shrinking Man, It Came from Outer Space,The Blob, The Body Snatchers") but, come on.....I literally fell asleep during this one. Slow, tedious and downright stupid! It's right up there or should I say down there with "Village of the Giants". Don't waste your money. Save it for something worthwhile.

Dumb Fun
This is a good Saturday night popcorn movie...and Allison Hayes is a wow! ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Good premiere episode...score: 75 (out of 100).
The Reluctant Stowaway is my favorite episode of the entire Lost In Space (LIS) saga. Actually, the two primary characters that steal this episode are Dr. Smith and the robot.

Plot: Evil government agent, Dr. Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris in his best role of the entire series), plans to sabotage space ship that carries Earth's first family into orbit for colonization. All in all, this episode of LIS could have survived as a story on The Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone, but CBS insisted that the series undergo three dreadful years.

Pros: Jonathan Harris, robot, special effects (for its time)
Cons: Characters, story

Overall score: 75 (out of 100)

Classic and Exciting First Episode of a Great Series
"The Reluctant Stowaway", is the first episode of the hugely popular 1960's sci fi series "Lost in Space" that premiered in 1965 and is still constantly seen in reruns around the world to this day. To see "Lost in Space", at its dramatic best you need go no further than is wonderful episode which sets up the whole story line from which the series would develop. Always remembered for its campy, comic approach, nowhere are those characteristics evident in this action filled, suspensful and exciting episode which represented clearly the serious approach the series took for its first season.

"The Reluctant Stowaway" chronicles the story of the Robinson family who have been selected to spearhead a mission to the far reaches of space in the hope of colonising a distant star, Alpha Centauri. However the episode tells us that other forces are at work to sabotage the efforts of America in the form of one Dr. Zachary Smith who has the assignment of reprogramming the Robot to destroy the Spaceship once it is 8 hours out into space. This premise is where all the excitment of this episode comes from as we find Dr. Smith actually trapped on the Space Ship as it takes off from Earth thus joining what he had planned to be a doomed mission. At this stage in the series Dr. Smith was still a cold blooded killer which added greatly to the dramatic slant of the story . Only later on when his character mellowed and became a comic individual did the series begin to lose steam along with its serious reputation. With Dr. Smith's added weight on board the space ship soon finds itself off course and heads straight into a huge meteor storm which seriously damages the flying capacity of the ship. Awakened from their suspended animation the family attempt to decide what to do when, as programmed the Robot begins its descruction of the ship and in the confusion the ship is pushed into a hyper drive which takes it right out of the galazy into a state of now being hopelessly lost.

For a 1960's program this is television at its very best. The sight of the launcing of the Jupiter 2 Space Craft, the Robinsons and Major West being sealed in their freezing tubes, and the spectacular Meteor Storm which the ship goes through are all grade "A" special effects which along with the dramatic storyline make first class entertainment. Aided by a seasoned cast of great actors "Lost in Space" at this time offered much promise for as long as the serious element was kept in the story. "The Reluctant Stowaway", is one of the better episodes of the series and gave good dramatic moments to most of the cast during its running time. For an exciting journey back to the beginnings of a classic 1960's science fiction series you cannot get better than this initial installment in the long running series . I highly recommend you take a look at this episode to see what the serious "Lost in Space" was all about, you wont be disappointed.

This is the original
This is the classic episode one where the Robinson's blast off to colonize Alpha Centori....

Timeless Masterpiece by Irwin Allen
I was five years old when this show aired for the first time. I didn't understand a thing. Then, after numerous reruns, the show grew on me as I grew up.

Owning this video brought back that magic a kid sees! I was so taken by the video, that I remembered how I really believed the robot was going to destroy the ship. I began to believe robots that walked and talked really existed.

Now, having had a career in computer science, I realized what got me started in the field: I was so involved with the goings on during the ship's launch and the ship's travels through the meteor belt that I began dreaming of mastering computers. No one realized that today we would have color monitors to look at instead of rows of blinking lights.

This show was the spark that built a career out of a dream. My children were equally captivated with the show. We highly recommend it. Buy it.

A great trip down memory lane
I saw the original in 1965 when I was 5 years old. After 35 years, the technical and plot flaws are painfully obvious. Of course, I didn't notice any of those back then--all I saw was the cool technology (spaceships, cryo-tubes, spacesuits, computers, huge displays, mission control, wow!) that fired an interest in science and space travel that has stayed with me ever since. Even now, watching it invokes some of that old excitement. What made "Lost in Space" special was that, unlike more "adult" SCI-FI fare like Star Trek, it involved a kid almost my age (Will Robinson) which made it much easier to relate to. Perhaps the best part of buying this tape was watching my own son view it and seeing the same reaction on his face that I had all those years ago. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

She took my pointer!
"She took my pointer" is one of my favorite lines in the series and apeared in this! This one is really funny and a can't-miss episode. Sure the story is gay at times, but the line "She took my pointer" makes it all worth it! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Western!!
Fred MacMurray stars in this great western as a reluctant Marshall also co-starring Robert Vaughn and Margaret Hayes.It's very well worth watching!! ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Another Harryhausen classic and one of his best creations
This is the type of film I love. Good story,good effects and a GREAT monster THE YMIR to boot. This is what hollywood needs to do is go back look at films like this and realize that its substance to a movie not CGI effects that tell and make a story. Im 24 and have a old school style when it comes to sci-fi/horror which I TRULY LOVE. If you are a monster fan or a sci-fi/horror movie collector this is a must see and have movie either for the first time or for your movie collection. To me this is one of Harryhausens best creature designs and the creature himself has substance that makes you want to root for him. For the sci-fi lover in you rent this or buy this but whatever you do see this masterpiece from the golden-age of science fiction. Bring back the old school!

Ray Harryhausen's classic Sci-Fi Creature Creation
"Twenty Million Miles to Earth" is a superb example of 1950's sci-fi story telling and special effects at their very best. The film has so many different things to offer a sci-fi buff like myself, top notch work by genius Ray Harryhausen, wonderful on-location photography in the beautiful Eternal City Rome, and one of the best monster creations of the entire 1950's decade in the famed "Ymir" from Venus. Indeed "monster" is not really an appropiate title in this case for this visitor from beyond the stars is a creature very much in the "King Kong" mode of being a sympathetic victim of man's lack of care and understanding in bringing him out of his own environment into a strange new world he does not understand.

"Twenty Million Miles to Earth" tells the tale of the return to Earth of the first exploration spaceship to reach the planet Venus. Unfortunately the ship crash lands into the sea just off the coast of Sicily killing all crew members with the exception of Col. Robert Calder (William Hopper). Just prior to it sinking the local Italian fishermen manage to save the Colonel and one of the local boys Pepe (Bart Braverman in an endearing performance)finds a strange capsule washed up on the coast after the ship sinks. Unaware of its strange contents which in actual fact is a baby creature found on Venus by the crew and preserved in a liquid, it is sold off to Dr. Leonardo (Frank Puglia) who decides to take the strange creature to Rome. However what is soon discovered is that the creature begins to grow at an alarming rate until it is twenty feet tall and then breaks loose and roams the countryside looking for food and protection. Many memorable moments occur as the creature tries to cope in its new world from the unforgettable attack in the farmers barn to its eventual capture under an electric net by the army. Once taken to Rome where it is housed in Rome's Zoo the creature revives and goes on a frantic rampage throughout the city destroying famous sites in the eternal city along the way. The climax of the story in shades of "King Kong", takes place atop the Colosseum where after a stirring fight the poor creature is shot down by the army.

Ray Harryhausen excelled himself with his creation for this film. The Ymir from Venus, despite its scaley appearance and threatening reptilian manner takes on a whole character of its own and in the scenes of it going on a rampage you can almost feel its frustration and panic as it is cornered and pursued by soldiers and shot at. It certainly is one of Harryhausen's greatest creations and a real joy for Sci-Fi buffs and there numerous wonderful stop motion scenes created for this classic story. Memorable are the creatures rampage through the old Roman Forum, his battle with the elephant in the streets of Rome and all the scenes that take place at the climax within the Colosseum. Actors and storyline really take second place to the action particulary in the second half of the film but William Hooper and romantic female lead Joan Taylor do well in their respective roles which may not be too challenging but are delivered with a certain degree of conviction.

For all lovers of 1950's science fiction "Twenty Million Miles to Earth" is one of the very best examples of movie making in this genre. Long before computer generated special effects removed any real artistry from monster construction, efforts like this showed the brilliance of earlier film makers who worked for months often to create their special effects that have a charm and vivacity all their own. This is a classic "monster on the rampage" story but it is one with a fascinating "Lead Monster" who will definately get you on side. Enjoy classic 1950's Sci-Fi adventure with the Ymir from Venus in "Twenty Million Miles to Earth".

Don't Overlook This Little Miracle.
My review is aimed primarily at viewers who have not seen this film and who are serious Harryhausen fans ( I mean viewers who realize that Harryhausen is a genuine artist and not just a Hollywood entertainer) and who are willing to make the effort to deepen their understanding and appreciation of his work.
Let me begin by noting that 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH has, unfortunately, some of those characteristics that make so many 50's sci-fi/monster films very stimulating and very frustrating at once: it wastes so much precious time on all that typical tiresome tripe instead of feeding and building those essential sparks that alone make it worthwhile into the real and gratifying fire it could be. By the time it gets around to what matters the film is basically over.
This is one of those films.
BUT, BUT, dear reader, I am not contradicting myself in saying that this is one of Harryhausen's really important films because in spite of the mediocre work that other people bring to it, this is the film in which Harryhausen's genius fully breaks through into clear visibility. It is with the creation of the 'Ymir', the alien creature that is the CENTRAL CHARACTER of this film, that we first fully see Harryhausen's essential gift and vision. The Ymir is one of Harryhausen's finest and most sensitive creations. And ironically it is because of the mediocrity of the rest of this film that one can get a particularly focused look at the creature: It is like an eruption of deep, intense color and form against a bland gray background that is haunting and unforgettable. Don't buy this film because it is a great genre film, it isn't. Buy it because it is a fabulous introduction to the genius of Ray Harryhausen. Don't buy it for what it should have been: a classic of its type. Buy it for what it is: an unexpected little miracle in the midst of banality.
I can only laugh when people refer to Harryhausen's creations as 'dated'. The Ymir is alive, is en-souled, as no computer generated creature ever has been or probably ever will be.
Long live Ray Harryhausen!

Not that bad. Actually very exciting and good!
This typical nice 50's scince fiction thriller is about this spacecraft crashing in Italy from Venus that uncovers only 1 human survivor, and a growing organism brought back from the planet. The survivor meets a girl in a hospital and falls in love with her. Then, the otganism starts growing, and finally gets in the stage of a human sized monster. In one of my favorite scenes, after the monster had killed a farmer stabbing him in the back with a pitchfork, the scientist and his men go by the torn up body of the dog and the farmer without even flinching!!! Ha ha! I like the later parts in the film when the monster as big as King Kong throws stone bricks on soldiers, crushing the life out of them!!! Finally, foreign gasfire overcomes the monster, and the scientist marries the girl. No more info needed, so enjoy this little campy sci fi flick with popcorn and Root Beer...

20 Million Miles: Still Packs a Wallop
There is a handful of horror/big bug movies from the 50s that the astute viewer can usually spot right away. A large and dangerous creature is either brought to earth from outer space or is roused from a long state of suspended animation to wreak havoc on a densely populated city. Army units are trucked in to battle the creature and soldiers carrying M1 rifles leap out to face a monster that is given face and form by the master of slow motion animatronics, Ray Harryhausen. In 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH, the obvious dating of the film does not detract from the audience's enjoyment of a creature that curiously enough brings in a number of cinematic subtexts. The first is the punishment that humanity invariably incurs when it dares to Learn Things Man Was Not Meant To Uncover. In this case, a seventeen crewman rocket ship returns from Venus to crash into the sea off Sicily. A tiny reptile/human hybrid survives the crash only to grow every day to outsized proportions. The havoc the reptile dumps on Rome is a not so subtle reminder of the dangers that Prometheus faced when he too tried to steal fire and thunder from the gods. A second subtext is the constant clashing between scientists who wish to study a dangerous creature and the military who wish to kill it for the same reason. Remember in THE THING when scientist Robert Cornthwaite dashed up to the marauding plantman to shout, 'You are wiser than we. They (pointing to the miliary types) wish to kill you.' In 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH, director Nathan Juran tries a clever reverse by having a US Army colonel played by William Hopper take on the politically myopic scientist role who begs the Italian mayor to spare the creature in the name of science. Then finally there is the eternal Hollywood custom of subordinating the educated and lovely female scientist (Joan Taylor) to the two-fisted uniformed manly male (Hopper) so that a romance blossoms even as the creature romps in their very midst.

I had not seen this movie for nearly twenty years until I bought it on VC, and I was astonished at how well I remembered the plot. The special effects by Ray Harryhausen are still second to none. In fact, Harryhausen's genius brought in a final subtext. His ability to make the creature bounce and move gave it a personality that I immediately connected to King Kong. Both were creatures that ruled their respective home planets. Both were neither evil nor amoral. They simply acted in accordance to a nature that humanity refused to acknowledge. And both sought higher ground at the end with each trumpeting out a final roar of defiance before overwhelming military might. The emotions that well up in the one's heart as he sees what happens when strong and independent animals clash against man and his infinitely confusing artificial laws leave one with the unsettling notion that perhaps there really are Things Man Is Not Supposed to Know. 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH says this as well as any film can. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Standard B-movie fare, nothing remarkable
Is it a horrible movie? I have seen much much worse than this. Does it merit 5-star ratings? You have got to be kidding me. If not for the fact that the stars went on to become President & First Lady, nobody would remember this movie any more than the countless number of B movies that were being churned out at this time.

It is interesting from the standpoint of Ronald Reagan's movie career, which was rapidly drawing to a close. Movies like this are indicative of an actor whose film offers were become less & less frequent and desirable, and it explains in part why Ronald Reagan would shortly thereafter leave Hollywood behind once & for all.

Do you want to kill a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon? You could do worse, for sure. But let's be real and recognize this movie for the unremarkable work that it is.

Excellent, nothing bad!
Excellent movie with nothing dirty in it. A good WWII movie. Good acting by both Ronald and Nancy Reagan and the others.

Excellent WWII submarine movie! Good action sequences.
This movie addresses the issue of what it takes to be a good wartime commander. Exciting enemy encounters, good account of a few social interaction between the swabbies and their families. It's an excellent movie despite public ridicule of former President Ronald Reagan's acting (His real-life wife is in it too). It leaves you with a sense that you have learned something, especially after watching it a second time.

Ronald Reagan's last film role as a hero (and Nancy too!)
The "Hellcats of the Navy" are a special branch of the U.S. Navy Submarine Service who did Special Ops. Commander Casey Adams (Ronald Reagan) and the U.S.S. Starfish are sent to bring back sample Japanese mines for the Navy to study. The mission succeeds, but Adams is forced to abandon one of his frogmen, the popular Wes Barton (Harry Lauter). The boat's second in command, Lt. Commander Don Landon (Arthur Franz) second-guesses the captain's decision, since Barton had made advances to the skipper's girlfriend, nurse Helen Blair (Nancy Davis). Landon becomes even more unhappy when he learns Adams turns in a report that says he is a good junior officer but is emotional unfit for command (yes, parts of this movie are going to remind you of "U-157" while others are reminiscent of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"). On the return mission, the Starfish is lost, but Adams, Landon and some of the men are rescued. Finally, after another successful mission their new sub gets a wire entangled in the rudder and Adams goes below in a diving suit to fix the problem. When a Japanese destroyer bears down on the sub, Landon gives the order to submerge, leaving Adams behind.

This 1957 film directed by Nathan Juran, has the virtue of being based on a novel, "Hellcats of the Sea," written by a couple of Admirals, Charles A. Lockwood (played by Maurice Manson in the film) and Hans Christian Adamson. While it owes its place in cinematic history to the fact it is the only film in which Ron and Nancy Reagan appeared together, the strength of "Hellcats of the Navy" is the treatment of command decisions and the morality of leadership. This is a movie that you would have thought would have been produced during or shortly after World War II, but since it deals with secret operations it is not a story the Navy would have passed on until years later. This is not a great WW2 submarine film like "Destination Tokyo," but it is not a bad one by any means. Oh, and the scenes between Ron and Nancy? Well, the romantic sub-plot is pretty minimal and their scenes end up being minor curiosities that are somewhat flat when compared to the shots of them just looking at each other during their years in the White House.

Highly Underrated Movie!
I am writing this review to correct a previous reviewer. Instead of discussing the pros and cons of this movie "laddie5" simply engaged in a character assassination of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Having actually seen this movie, I can tell you that it is definitely a good one--and also highly underrated! The movie was well adapted from a novel by Vice-Admiral Charles A. Lockwood. In other words, the movie creates a very good image of what it was like on a WWII submarine. Furthermore, the acting is not stiff! The characters all really get into their roles and everything goes smoothly. I strongly recommend this movie to everyone and hope that my fellow reviewers will be more objective from now on. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Poor Man's Harryhausen Film
I don't mean to berate the great Jim Danforth, but this is an extremely low budget rip-off of The 7TH Voyage of Sinbad. The legend is that producer Edward Small turned down Harryhausen's pitch for 7th Voyage. Ray went to Columbia, and the finished product was a huge hit, making 12 mill in America alone in 1958!!
Small probably kicked himself a few times, and decided to make an exact duplicate of the film at MGM. He hired the same director (Nathan Juran) and same stars (Kerwin Mathews and Torin Thatcher).Unfortunately, the animation models were not of the quality of Sinbad, and the stop motion is rushed (Small had a very tight budget. The result is a fun film for kids, but fantasy film fanatics do not regard this as a classic. Jack (Mathews) must rescue a possessed Princess from an evil sorcerer who wants to take over the Kingdom.
Columbia actually sued Small for ripping off Sinbad, and the film remained in limbo for many years. In the late 80's, MGM turned the movie into a musical!!!!!! They dubbed over dialogue and made it look like the characters are singing! This version was shown on the Disney channel for a few years, and it is a sight to behold. In the mid ninties, MGM restored the film for a VHS release, and now the "widescreen" DVD. There is some controversy regarding the films original aspect ratio (see stopmotionanimation.com).
Kids will enjoy, but stop motion fans regard this film as a footnote in history.

"Special Place of Honor"
MGM/UA/s PREVIOUS release (VHS and Laser Disc) of "Jack the Giant Killer" was, in fact,the ORIGINAL NON-MUSICAL version (thank god), even though the box described it as "Complete with musical songs..". If the current version IS the musical, AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS;...it is trash! However, if it is the original NON-musical version, then buy and enjoy it!

Yes, producer Edward Small deliberately imitated Harryhausens' "7th Voyage of Sinbad" (which Small had actually turned down in the mid-50's; when "Sinbad" went on to reap huge profits, Small was kicking himself and thus set out to produce his "own" version). Yes, the animation isn't as polished as Harryhausen's......yes, the production values were not as high... But "Jack" is still something that Harryhausen films could never be....ENGAGING on a human level...fresh, quick-moving, genuinely enchanting. The crude animation, in a way, adds to the charm of the film, which manages to capture the essential fantasy, fairy-tale world in a way which Harryhausen's humorless, heavy-handed approach could not.

Kerwin Matthews is, as always, sincere and engaging, Torin Thatcher is more controlled than in "Sinbad", Dayton Lummis is a cool King Mark, Barry Kelley is a hoot as Sigurd the Viking. Don Beddoe...always a fine, understated actor, here performs wonders of subtlety and telling characterization while stuck inside a giant prop bottle. Even Robert Gist, who portrayed "Hal" (Jack Buchanan's side-kick) in "The Band Waqon" turns up briefly as the ill-fated ship's captain. And, of course, my FAVORITE character actor of all time...the underrated, forgotten WAlter Burke plays Garna, Pendragon's henchman, in his usual skilled way (Anyone ever seen him in the episode of "Ben Casey" called "The Men Who Raised Rabbits?"-he's superb). Only Anna Lee's "witch" scene is embarrasingly bad, as is the bulk of Judy Meredith's Princess Elaine (she was Frank Sinatra's main squeeze at the time the principal photography was done (Summer, 1960).

Yes....the music of Paul Sawtell is no match for Herrmann's "7th Voyage" score, but it is rousing, tuneful and, in the case of the mechanical doll dance, absolutely enchanting. The final harpy scene (designed and animated by Jim Danforth) is first-rate, the Wah Chang-designed giants are bizarre and fantastic, the witches, who due to complications during filming were never realized on screen as the designers intended, are still cool in a child-like, imaginative way (a "Fish" witch?..a "Bunny" witch?...a mini-Godzilla witch with a harp-like mouth that emits a gale-force wind....? ).

And those rockin', swaying' KNights of the Dragon's Teeth, always my favorite sequence and, as director Nathan Juran said, a scene which "didn't contain one dollar's worth of special effects" (!)....just stop & start the camera, explode some powder, march in those Knights, and add Sawtell's mechanized music....voila! .....another simple, exciting fantasy sequence that keeps the film bubbling along.

Yeah, I know it ain't Citizen Kane.....but "Jack The Giant Killer" gets my "Special Place of Honor" award; I saw it on its first release when I was 11, and it became the final, yet most endearing example of cinematic magic (next to "The Wizard of OZ")that I was ever to experience as a child.

Generally sharp DVD
The DVD is free of blemishes and is quite colorful; however, some images are pale, no doubt due to the aging of the original materials. This is especially apparent in composite shots where the models look bright but the backgrounds don't. Probably the best this film is going to look.

We have failed master, we have failed.
I grew up and loved the musical version of this film as shown on the disney channel. I was disappointed to learn that only the dry and humorless version has been released on dvd. The masters at GoodTimes DVD made a crippling mistake and failed miserably by not making this version the musical version. This version of the movie is not worth the mere $4.95 that it costs here. The layer that the music adds is priceless...I watched the musical version of the movie with my girlfriend, and it was like falling in love all over again. You don't get that feeling from the original version.

I'm planning on doing my own transfer of the musical version from VHS to DVD (for personal uses only, sorry guys, you're just going to have to wait until they come out with the musical version. I bet you're jealous.) I'm also going to add a special feature that will allow me to loop the songs over and over again, and I'll be singing "a spectacle" until the wee hours of the morning. Non-musical version=1 star. Musical-version=5 stars.

Sadly this is not the horrifically wonderful Musical version
The obviously over-dubbed musical numbers which elevate this film into a comedy classic are sadly missing from this DVD version. The insipid acting, asinine dialogue, goofy clay monsters, even the appearence of a chipanzee. All this hilarious comic potential seems wasted without the "positive" and "inspirational" musical numbers. I mean come on people, "We have failed master, we have failed" it's a freaking classic! Wake up!
Looks like it's back to that worn VHS copy of the musical version I taped off T.V. (musical version = five stars) ... Read more

Reviews (3)

BORIS KARLOFF? LON CHANEY? TOGETHER AGAIN?
This is a true horror film, one in which I have at the top row of my horror movie shelf. Boris Karloff and Lon C haney are back in another great horror film. Packed with sword fights, murder, jealousey and obsession. Also with a great climax in which the two lovers are trying to escape from THE BLACK CASTLE. Starring Richard Greene,Boris Karloff, Stephen McNalley, Lon Chaney and the beautiful Paula Corday. A true must have horror movie.

An atmospheric leopard hunt on a Black Forest estate
I knew sooner or later I would find a horror film where Boris Karloff did not turn out to be the bad guy! Set in the 18th-century, "The Black Castle" tells of Sir Ronald Burton (Richard Greene), who believes two of his friends have been murdered by the one-eyed Count von Bruno (Stephen McNally) on his Black Forest estate. Burton arrives at the castle to investigate and discovers the Count's unhappy wife, Elga (Paula Corday) and his physician, Dr. Meissen (Karloff), are essentially prisoners. The Count and his giant, mute henchman Gargon (Lon Chaney, Jr.), recognize Burton as the person who had them captured and tortured by natives for ivory poaching in Africa. They decide to kill Burton during a leopard hunt.

That leopard hunt is the showpiece of this 1952 film directed by Nathan Juran, although the story continues for a while afterwards. Greene shows why his reputation as a dashing hero of B-movies is well deserved while Karloff shows that you should never count his character out just because he gets killed. As I indicated above, I like the fact that Karloff gets to play against type, just to confuse everybody. "The Black Castle" is not a great horror film, but it is a solid effort and the leopard hunt is extremely atmospheric. Well worth a look for fans of Karloff.

Interesting/suspenseful
This isn't as bad as Leonard Maltin's review would indicate. I liked this far better than the Black Room in which Karloff had the lead role. Here, Karloff has a supporting, not a staring role, but the movie is worth a look. Sets are done nicely, music reminds you of Frankenstein, and acting is good. Basic plot is about an evil Count who lives in a gothic castle, and has killed two Englishmen, whom he sought revenge on. Enter Richard Greene who is out to find what happened to them. In the process, his own life is in 'grave' danger. I won't ruin the ending, which is as good and suspenseful as any. Lon Chaney Jr plays a loyal brute butler, Karloff a doctor of the Count who's not so loyal. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

So bad it's funny
This movie certainly isn't up (or maybe I mean down) to the standards of the schizoid and nearly incomprehensible "Plan Nine from Outer Space," but as bad-but-funny films go, this is a doozy. The title itself cracked me up: it's pronounced, "The Brain from Planet Eros." If that's not a double entendre, I don't know what it. John Agar, probably best-known as the ex-husband of Shirley Temple, gives as credible performance. The brain Gor, as noticed below, would make a good model. (Actually I made one once; got a plastic brain and put fake eyeballs on the front. Kids were fascinated by it.) Sometimes I wonder if this movie didn't influence the stylish and witty '80's film "The Hidden." In "Arous" the alien hides in a dog; the same thing happens in "The Hidden." I wonder how the actors were able to keep straight faces.